Chicago blogging

It's nearly midnight, but we're finally in our hotel room in Chicago. We had supper at Legends, a restaurant owned by blues guitarist Buddy Guy, and enjoyed some really excellent blues played by Carlos Johnson and his cohorts. Carlos, whose appearance was distantly reminiscent of a black Willie Nelson and whose style was self-deferential and humorous, was playing an elderly and obviously-been-around-the-block Gibson Les Paul. The bassist, Sam Green, had a very expressive physical presence on stage and was playing a beautiful custom Peavey Cirrus with an inlaid wood top. The keyboard player (whose name I could never quite catch -- Anthony Space? was what it sounded like) had very droll facial features and his lithe fingers floated effortlessly over the keys on his Roland XP-80 like butterflies. The drummer (with the unlikely name of Pookie) was very talented and precise, and he had a rather serious expression on his face most of the time. With biceps like that, I'd definitely rather have him as a friend than an enemy. The music they played was addictive and awesome; we could've stayed all night listening to them jam. Every so often, after they'd just been riffin' for a few minutes, Carlos would say in his gravelly voice, "Hey, we're just playin' around up heah, I hope that's okay." Duh! You bet, man. All night long. They started out the set with their take on "Sunny" and it just got better and better.

For supper, Red Fish had a sampler of etouffee, gumbo, jambalaya and pinto beans; I had some frog legs and fried oysters. The food was great, but the music was outstanding. We hated to leave after that first set, but we knew we'd never find our hotel if we didn't skedaddle.

Now we're settling in at the Omni Ambassador East, on the northern side of downtown Chicago a few blocks west of Lakeshore. Our room window looks down onto a row of snazzy brownstones that probably cost a fortune. The hotel itself is quite posh, although the ice machines were both broken. I was, however, able to procure some ice from the 24-hour room service. Gotta crunch some ice while I'm blogging!

Tomorrow we're heading for the Art Institute. I'm going to get a look at that enormous Seurat painting. Don't know yet where we're having lunch, but our current leaning is to get some Chicago-style pizza.

I am DEFINITELY coming back. My first impression of downtown Chicago is not at all what I expected. I've been in NYC and I really kind-of expected Chicago to have that same feel, since it's an enormous city with mega-skyscrapers and stuff. Unlike NYC, however, the streets are much wider and the feel is more midwestern... hard to explain, but it's almost as if you took a podunky little midwestern downtown and expanded it outward and upward exponentially... then snaked some elevated train tracks throughout the buildings. The El is very cool, by the way. NYC felt like I was almost in a foreign country, because it was so very different from anyplace in the US that I had ever been. Chicago doesn't feel foreign to me, even though this is my first time to visit. I loved NYC, don't get me wrong, and I could probably adapt to live there (because I'm a pretty adaptable kind of person), but it wouldn't have been a natural transition. Chicago wouldn't be a stretch.

Visiting Detroit a couple of years ago, however, I can say that while it wasn't like NYC, it wasn't one bit familiar either. Detroit almost felt hostile, in a weird way. I don't foresee going back there unless I have to. Chicago doesn't really have that same underlying hostility.

No, I'm not thinking we'd ever move to Chicago... I don't particularly like the state of Illinois, truth be told. But it's kind-of nice that such a big city like Chicago is close enough to Des Moines for a weekend trip if I wanted to.

I'll be back.

More tomorrow.

Roadblogging, part I

After church and a quick lunch at the Chinese buffet, Red Fish and I took off for Chicago. Wahoo! Now I'm testing out the wi-fi at the rest area near the Amana Colonies in eastern Iowa. It works! [grin]

We're headed for Legends restaurant, owned by Buddy Guy (blues guitarist), just because the menu sounded so awesome and we love good music.

Y'all behave yourselves now, and I'll check back in the next time we stop. Oh, and the Omni Ambassador East hotel also has free wi-fi (hooahh!). I'll let y'all know what we had for supper.

God bless the man who invented Transformers

My five-year-old son Isaac has played with Transformers literally all day today. They have been special mind-reading machines, bad-guy detectors, and even secret-compartment-unlockers. He comes to me every so often, showing me a Transformer toy in some state of mid-transform, and describes to me the "energy bond" that forms between these two pieces... etc... those toys have really enlivened this house. They're tough, too, because he's rough on them and they stay together.

He dashes through the house to the backyard, making sci-fi little-boy noises, and a little later comes barrelling back through the house and dashes up the stairs... all the while carrying one of his Transformer toys high in the air or straight out in front of him.





Imagination -- recently I asked my mom what my favorite toy was when I was a child, and her apt answer was "your imagination." She's right... I still indulge my imagination sometimes, but I remember when it was where I lived 24-7. What a lively world. It's fun to watch my kids spending time there, too.

Glenn Reynolds may be surprised by this

but I'm not. Not at all.

Chinese Christians outnumber Communist Party members in China

The beauty salon near Beijing Zoo gives its customers more than they bargain for: not just facials and manicures, but the Word of the Lord.

Its owner, Xun Jinzhen, sees beauty salons as a good place to transform souls as well as bodies.

"I introduced 40 people to the church last year," he said.

Mr Xun, and millions of other Chinese Christian converts like him, may well be living proof that God moves in a mysterious way.

During the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong's China turned on itself, torturing and killing hundreds of thousands of people. But the seeds were sown for an unexpected upsurge in Christianity.

In a social revolution that has prompted a heavy-handed response from the Government, religion is spreading through town and countryside and Chinese communities abroad.

Protestantism and Catholicism are among the approved faiths, the others being Buddhism, Taoism and Islam.

Buddhism and Taoism claim most worshippers but the state-sanctioned churches count up to 35 million followers. More significant are the underground or "house" churches, which are believed to have up to 100 million members, many more than are members of the Communist Party.

Visits to villages in rural provinces or to urban churches in Beijing, where even on weekdays the young and middle-aged gather to proclaim their faith, confirm the ease with which conversions can be won.

One woman told a gathering of hundreds at Kuanjie official protestant church in Beijing last week: "My brother's daughter had a virus which doctors had never seen before. She was on a ventilator and everyone had lost hope. But I prayed for her, and she recovered. Now her family follow Christ too."

The association of Christianity with healing powers may be embarrassing in the West, but in China it is one of conversion's driving forces, particularly in rural areas that lack health services.

I'm not embarrassed by this. I have every confidence that God will make Himself known to people in ways that will impact them most. He's appearing in visions to Muslims in places like Saudi Arabia and other hard-liner states where contact with Christians is impossible. He's also appearing in visions to leaders of remote African tribes; I have read accounts from missionaries that when they visited a tribe for the first time, the tribal leader already knew they were coming and wanted to hear about this Jesus that kept coming to him in a dream.

Signs and wonders, people. It's in the Bible -- it's coming.

You go, girls!!!

Frontier women to defy Islamists' men-only ballot
From Zahid Hussain in Islamabad

MORE than a hundred tribal women have taken a stand against creeping fundamentalism in northwest Pakistan by declaring themselves candidates in local elections that Muslim leaders had decreed a male-only preserve.

Despite one in three local government seats being designated for women candidates, the governing Islamic alliance has ruled that women should neither contest the polls nor vote. It has warned women that they will be forcibly barred from polling stations and face hefty fines if they try to cast their votes.

At the last election in 2001 the women-only seats were left empty because of a ban by Islamists. However, the federal Government insists that women be guaranteed the same electoral rights as men. More than a hundred women have defied the locally imposed ban in North West Frontier Province.

The women, covered from head to toe by veils and protected by police, went to file their nomination papers in the remote Dir district yesterday.[pathetic. --Ed.]

The ruling Islamic alliance, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, has made its position clear. "We have our tradition that bars women from taking part in the elections and violators will be punished," Qazi Fazlullah, a local leader, said. said. Polling is due to start next week.[where's Jimmy Carter in all this? Oh, wait... he's still protesting the Iraq war. --Ed.]

The mountainous Dir district, which borders Afghanistan, is one of the most conservative parts of Pakistan and a stronghold of political forces that support the Taleban. But the federal Government said that the ban was in violation of the country's laws, which provide equal rights to women.

Nilofar Bakhtiar, an adviser to the Prime Minister on women's affairs, was sent to the area to assure the candidates of the Government's support. She congratulated the women for standing up against the repressive elements.

The election commission has given warning of severe action against the people who are trying to stop women from voting.

The right-wing Islamic government in North West Frontier Province has recently passed legislation called the Hasba Act to enforce strict Sharia and to establish a religious police to "promote virtue and prevent vice."[ummm... don't they have one of these in Saudi Arabia too? --Ed.]

It proposes on-the-spot punishment for people who fail to adhere to Islamic values.[like refusing to allow girls to leave a burning building without their hajib... --Ed.]

The federal Government has described the Act as unconstitutional and has vowed to block its implementation.

Political observers maintain that the law would lead to the "Talebanisation" of the province.[this should read "the Saudi-isation" or "the Wahhabisation" perhaps? --Ed.] The provincial government has already banned male doctors from treating female patients and segregated educational institutions. It has also banned male coaches from working with female sports team.

This is who we're at war with. These people are freaks who perpetrate oppression, hatred and stupidity. It's about time some chicks stood up and put the jerks in their places.

You know, it's entirely possible for a culture and a religious practice to be WRONG. Allowing this to go on in our society isn't multiculturalism, it's suicide. Allowing it to go on in other countries is just as unthinkable... like knowing your next-door-neighbor is abusing his wife and kids and you're doing nothing about it. It ain't right. For a much stronger view, read what Mad Dog Vinnie has to say (but don't say you weren't warned... if harsh language offends you, don't go there).

Oooh, big surprise here

You scored as Punk/Rebel.

What's Your High School Stereotype?
created with QuizFarm.com

Don't forget the earplugs...

Drummers Wanted

AP -- MILWAUKEE, Wis.

Let there be drums.

Bill Sargent of Drummers for Jesus is inviting drummers everywhere to help him set a new Guinness Book world record for the most drummers playing at once.

The current record is 502. Sargent hopes to gather up to one-thousand drummers.

The record-breaking attempt on August 13th will be part of Powerfest -- a Christian music festival near Green Bay, Wisconsin. Sargent says participating drummers who show up with a drum set will get in free, and they don't have to be Christians.

He says they'll make a joyful noise, and just might register on the Richter scale.

What a cool idea! And I think Milwaukee is probably far enough away from my Dad that it won't interfere with the Fishing Channel or cause his hunting dog to bark.

Iowa missionary recovering

Good news!

Des Moines, July 28th, 2005 -An Iowa missionary continues to recover after being shot multiple times in Brazil. John Leonard just got out of intensive care this week. He nearly died after being shot in the arm and the mouth back on July 3. The closest hospital was an hour away, and then it took six days before he could get on a plane and fly home to Iowa.

"After the service I went out and the guy said whose Pastor John I said 'That's me, how you doing?' He shot me, I can't put a face to him - I've tried to." It only took a second for John Leonard's life to change. He was shot at least two times. One bullet fractured his arm. The other went into his mouth and injured his spinal cord. "I praise the lord for the prayers that everyone's been sending out for us, for our family, for the men who did this to me because I've forgiven them" Leonard told Channel 13.

John has been a missionary in Brazil for 20 years. He and his wife worked in a small fishing village. They started churches and government housing projects, doing whatever they could to make life better for the people who live there. "It's a real dark place, about an hour away on a dirt road to the nearest hospital. A lot of prostitution. A lot of drugs," says Leonard. He and his wife were making big changes in the small village and that, he believes is what led to the shooting. "I don't have any enemies. I would say the only person that would have done this is one of the drug lords."

He's having surgery again tomorrow to stabilize his spine, the article says. Keep praying for him. The church (Saylorville Baptist) that supports him is looking for a place to house his family as well, so that's also something to pray about.

Mission work often gets a bad rap because of the mistakes made by missionaries a hundred years ago (who forced people to Westernize), but nowadays they're bringing hope and recovery to people groups all over the world without forcing them to become Americans in the process. The real, authentic good news of forgiveness in Jesus is one that resonates across all cultures.

The new sidewalk

Mom requested a photo of the new sidewalk, so I thought I'd share three:







Rick (along with my mom and my aunt Donna) worked really hard on this, and I think they deserve a round of applause.

The space shuttle was downed by Greenfreaks...

I know, it sounds far-fetched, but go read about it at The Jawa Report... no joke here, it's for real. Apparently, the banning of Freon is what's causing the foam to come off in chunks, because it used to be made from a Freon-based product and now it's not.

Happy dancing... tentatively...

Just got a note from the professor of the class I just finished (University of Phoenix) saying that I had a grade report on my student site. I rushed to the site to check, and while there are a couple of grades he hasn't recorded yet, it looks like I might actually get a "B" in the class instead of a "C" which is what I was afraid I might be receiving. It was a HARD class with a TON of expectations and I was stretched to capacity every single night working on the assignments.

I soooooo needed this possibly good news.

UPDATE: It's official!! I got an 88!! Life is grrrrrreat!!

Okay, I just can't resist this one

Drudge has a newsflash up:

REPORTER VOWS TO 'KILL SELF' IF CHENEY RUNS FOR PRESIDENT
Thu Jul 28 2005 15:32:13 ET

Veteran wire reporter Helen Thomas is vowing to 'kill herself' if Dick Cheney announces he is running for president.

The newspaper HILL first reported the startling claim on Thursday.

MORE

"The day Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself," she told the HILL. "All we need is one more liar."

Thomas added, "I think he'd like to run, but it would be a sad day for the country if he does."

Umm... forgive me, but if you were gone, Helen, that would be one less liar, not one more. But I digress. If you're suicidal over something as trivial as a person announcing their candidacy for president, then you need to examine your priorities. You need something worth living for, because political leaders come and go (as you well know, dear).

Get a LIFE. And while you're at it, why not just retire and give us all something to smile about? No need to commit suicide, mind you. Go get yourself a chateau in France somewhere and enjoy the years you have left.

The iris project

My bestest pal is a big fan of irises. She has wanted me to paint irises for her, so I've been working on one for the past couple of days. I've been on a roll and had plenty of free time, so I've been busy on it. Here's a blow-by-blow:









I'm going to darken the background in the upper left quadrant of the painting to draw the eye toward the flower a little better.



I decided to darken the entire upper half of the background. I think that looks a little better.

She's getting back into town from a business trip, and I was hoping to have it done when she got back.

One more cool thing about Iowa

Travelers Can Tap Into Free Wi-Fi Across State

I heart wi-fi. I'm wireless here at home on my own secure network (set up by my ever-faithful pal Blue Fish, and I link up to the free wi-fi at Jordan Creek and Valley West malls as well. I've never logged on at a rest area, but it's nice to know I can. Red Fish and I will probably stop at a couple of them on the way to Chicago in a few more days, and do some road-blogging just for fun.

Gardens in the 'hood

Here are a couple of pics of the really nice flower gardens sported by homes in my neighborhood three blocks south of Drake University.

Hardy hibiscus:



and echinacea:

Chicory

Here's a pic of my very favorite Iowa wildflower: chicory.



The flowers themselves are smallish; only about an inch in diameter. The plants have been seeded all along roadsides here in Polk County. They often look somewhat weedy, but they're very persistent and the little blue flowers dotting the stems make up for the tumbleweed-appearance that they can eventually get when they're established.

Neighborhood strays

Here in the middle of Des Moines, a stone's throw from the freeway, we occasionally have trouble with strays. I tried to coax an orange tom out of the street this morning; no collar, very thin... but he would have none of it.

This afternoon, however, as I was snapping some pics of flowers, I caught up with some of our more recent neighborhood strays.



Yep, that's right. Chickens. We have a hen who's been caring for her flock of chicks. We're not sure where they actually live, but it appears they just roam around. They're quite wild -- new meaning to "free range" -- and they're very difficult to get a picture of because they scurry and run whenever you're anywhere near. This poor little chickie got separated from its brothers and sisters and was emitting the most panicked peeps I ever heard.

I can't imagine that the orange tom hasn't already taken note of their existence and begun picking them off one by one.

Those who do not learn from history

are doomed to have Israel bomb their nuke factory and the U.S. invade their country and install democratic government. (hat tip: Fark)

Iran Vows to Restart Uranium Reprocessing Activities

Okay, that's it.

I think I've finished dinking around with the Edloe painting. I've been experimenting with my camera because the colors that show up on the computer screen aren't quite what it actually looks like. I tried it without a flash to see if that helped:



Anyway, that's the best I can do. I'll get this one shrinkwrapped so it won't get dusty, and get ready for the next project.

Work in progress, take three

Original photo, of Laurence Simon's kittycat Edloe:



First day of work:


Next:


And now today:


I added the ruler along the side so you could get an idea of the size of the painting (it's fairly small, really). Changes -- I smoothed out some of the patchy areas in her fur, but after I looked at it, I was disappointed that I just wasn't capturing Edloe's characteristic scowl. I tried to see if there were any fine-tune adjustments I could make:



but I'm still not happy about the fact that I didn't capture her face properly. Other than that, though, it's almost done I think. I'm going to stop for a bit and come back to it in an hour or so. Kind of a palate-cleanser for the mind, if you will.

I love painting.

Finally

I think I finally turned in the last three papers for my class... which is why I haven't been able to work on the Edloe painting the past couple of days like I've been wanting to. Painting to resume tomorrow.

But do they have special powers?

'Tiglons' Are Cross Between Lion, Tiger

SHENZHEN, China -- A Chinese nature park has revealed two "tiglon" cubs -- animals that are a cross between a tiger father and a lion mother.

The animals were born in May.

The cubs' faces are more like a lion, but their bodies have stripes and look more like a tiger.

Although the cubs are in excellent health, a genetic problem because of the crossbreeding will limit their lifespan to only about 110 days.

The normal life expectancy for lions and tigers is about 20 years.

I'm guessing that the Liger only occurs when it's a Lion father and a Tiger mother?

FYI

Caribou Coffee adheres to Islamic Shari'ah principles

Porn, pork and Pabst -- you're safe from them at Caribou Coffee. In an SEC filing last week for its initial stock offering, the Brooklyn Center [Minnesota]-based coffeehouse chain noted that it operates its business according to the Islamic principles known as Shari'ah.

"A Shari'ah-compliant company is prohibited from engaging in derivative hedging transactions such as interest rate swaps or futures, forward options or other instruments designed to hedge against changes in interest rates or the price of commodities we purchase," Caribou said in its filing. "Also, a Shari'ah-compliant company is prohibited from dealing in the areas of alcohol, gambling, pornography, pork and pork-related products."

Atlanta-based Arcapita Inc. owns 84 percent of Caribou. Arcapita is the U.S. private-equity arm of Arcapita Bank B.S.C., a Bahrainian investment group.

Woot!

The Omni Ambassador East in Chicago... nice digs, huh? That's where I'll be blogging from in a few days... me and my pal Red Fish.

Time Waster

Planarity

You might be a redneck if...

Woman Dies While Shocking For Worms

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Authorities have released the name of a western Iowa woman who died last week while shocking the ground for worms.

Harrison County officials said Joann Altheimer of Little Sioux was found in her yard on Friday.

Sheriff Terry Baxter said it appears she was using a homemade shocking device plugged into an outlet to bring earthworms to the surface. The ground was wet.

Altheimer's death remains under investigation.

This is your brain on Islam...

A few headlines from Arab News:

Virtue Commission Not To Have Female Members

"...a commission member who did not wish to be named said, 'The commission never has and never will employ women in an official capacity. The women you sometimes see accompanying the commission's men in their jeep are their wives or sisters volunteering to act as advisers to other women in public places.'"

Remember, to these dudes, it's preferable to let girls burn to death rather than rescue them from a burning school building...

Father Beats Up Daughter for Sending SMS to TV Channel

He caught her text-messaging her admiration to a Lebanese singer (female).

Islamic Advice Column (dare I call it "Dear Abu"?)

Q. I have thick eyebrows that come all across my face, with no partition in the middle. Is it permissible for me to cut them in the middle, or to cut unwanted thick hair?

I don't make this stuff up. Go read it.

Work in progress, take two

Here's what I've been able to do to it tonight.



Yes, I realize that her nose is strangely yellow... like I said, it's a work in progress. I spent some time tonight making the dark areas on her fur darker. You may notice it being a bit purplish; using that color (especially on a yellowish coat) is a great way to visually depict shadow in a watercolor painting.

I am happy with how it's progressing. I hope to be able to spend some time on it tomorrow afternoon as well, after my Sunday-afternoon nap. Tomorrow morning comes bright and early as I'm playing piano for both morning services at church.

Thanks to Lair for linking to me... you didn't have to do that. And thanks for everyone's kind comments. I'm obviously not the only Edloe fan out there (not that I'm surprised by this).

Work in progress...

I'm taking a page from Brett over at Beat Canvas and letting you in on a work in progress. This time I've chosen to experiment with my watercolors; I've chosen a photo taken by my favorite snarky Jew, Laurence Simon (if you're offended by strong language, occasionally rude humor, and frank opinion, steer clear of his site). His kittycat Edloe recently passed away, and I've long been fond of his funny descriptions of her. Anyway, this is the photo I chose to work from:



I started working on it last night after the kids went to bed. This is what I've done so far:



I'll keep you posted. This may turn out to be a disaster; I don't know. But I'm going to give it a try nonetheless. I've always found depicting cats in drawings and paintings to be rather difficult. Their internal form is not easy to distinguish.

We shall see!

Work in progress, take two

Snack time

Afraid of spiders? I am. Utterly horrified by them, on a molecular level that trumps all reason and sanity. Which is why, although I would enlist if I could, I'd beg not to be sent to the Middle East.

Camel Spider Eating A Lizard

This is a short video taken by some GIs in Iraq late at night outside their tent or barracks or whatever. Please remember that GIs use rough language from time to time; ignore that and watch this camel spider methodically consuming its late-night snack by flashlight.

Oh, and if you're arachnophobic, make sure you've been to the bathroom before you click on it. Thankfully I can tell you there are no jump-out-and-scream moments; it's just a camel spider (which actually isn't a real spider but looks enough like one to qualify as scary for me) calmly munching down.

-----------------

I wish that spiders didn't scare me so much. I have tried to learn as much about them as possible to help me alleviate some of the illogical fear. But try as I might, I still find my guts turning to water when faced with one, especially those fast-moving funnel-web kind that make their home on our mailbox every year despite my best attempts at discouraging them from this practice.

I'm not afraid of snakes. I respect them, yes, and I know the difference between a poisonous one and a non-poisonous one. I know that when I see a water moccasin, I'm going to run like &$@# because I've seen those freaky things actually CHASE somebody. But I'm not afraid of snakes as a general rule. I actually like handling them.

I'm not only not afraid of bats, I love them. If I could get away with having a bat house in the backyard, I would. They're terrific little creatures who eat bugs on a grand scale. If I find one in the house (which happens frequently because our house is old and drafty), I carefully catch it in a pole net and release it outdoors. I'm not dumb enough to handle one without gloves, of course. But I'm not afraid of them.

I hate squirrels... despise them... loathe them... they don't like me, either, because they're doing their darnedest to destroy our house. I hate mice, too. But I'm not afraid of them.

The only thing that scares me BAD is spiders. Confronted with one, I will injure myself trying to get away from it. The last serious close-encounter I had with one was once when I was stepping into the shower. Of course I was, um, unclothed... an awkward situation... and there was a rather enormous one on the shower curtain that I didn't see until I had drawn the curtain closed around me. We have one of those clawfoot tubs that's been converted to a shower, so it's got a surround-curtain. I shrieked for Rick and nearly broke my neck falling out of the tub. He came running and then calmly dealth with the intruder.

If I could possibly have employed my rational senses, I wouldn't have reacted that way. But I was powerless to do so.

Thankfully I'm not phobic about anything like chocolate or shopping malls, thank goodness, so I'm not spending too much energy or time trying to overcome it.

Tanning tips

From Bou, we have several tips for getting (and keeping) that perfect tan:

* Always sit at least 100 yards from sun.

* UV rays can damage the corneas; don't forget to rub a good sunscreen into your eyes.

* Risk of sunburn is especially high while swimming; strap on a thick lead suit before entering water.

* Instead of using our sun, sunbathe using safer, more distant star like Beta-Sirius.

* Avoid harmful UV rays; live underground until your descendants evolve into eyeless, albino mole people.

* For those raised in a red-sun environment, yellow sun may cause superpowers; use only for good.

* Tanning is safest when done in short spurts; disrobe for just a couple of seconds every few blocks while walking through town.

* Allow thick, protective melanoma to grow all over skin.

Sorry... it just made me laugh.

That's gotta hurt...

American diver injured

MONTREAL - American Chelsea Davis hit her face on the diving board during the 3-meter springboard preliminaries Friday at the World Swimming Championships.

Davis was attempting an inward 2 1/2 somersault in the tuck position when her face struck the board. Blood poured out of her nose, stunning spectators, some of whom covered their faces.

Helpers jumped into the pool and pulled a crying Davis to the side. She was put on a floating stretcher and taken to the hospital, where her parents and boyfriend joined her.

"She's fine," U.S. diving team leader Bob Rydze said. "She's moving all her limbs. She just needs a few stitches."

Eh. Just a flesh wound. Merely a scratch.

Geography quiz

Remember that cool online puzzle where you place the 50 states on the map, one by one? They've done the same thing with the countries of Europe. I'm pretty good at the big ones, but there were a couple of teeny-tiny ones I'd never heard of that blew my average. This is a really, really awesome tool, though... over and over again, and you'll know exactly where these places are.

The main site is here: Sheppard Software -- and it's worth your time to check it out. Homeschoolers, if you don't already know about this one, you should!!!

Movie review

This afternoon I rounded up my charges and headed for the movie theater to cool off and enjoy March of the Penguins.

The first thing that surprised me was that the theater room was nearly full. The second thing that surprised me was that there were almost no children... it was almost entirely populated by the AARP set.

The movie itself, really more of a documentary than a movie, is visually stunning. Some of the camera angles and shots are incomprehensible; I can't imagine the hardship endured by the passel of folks with French names who put this thing together. It's narrated by Morgan Freeman, and his gentle, matter-of-fact voice reminded me of Rex Allen's (not in actual sound, but just in the way it makes you feel).

It does not shy away from the brutality of Antarctic life, but isn't gratuitous about it either. It also doesn't pretend to "name" a particular penguin couple and their child and "follow" their story; it's about the whole population and how they live and die.

The one thing I was almost shocked at was the sensual photography of mating. They don't show penguin sex, per se, but they're very "human" in the way they employ extreme closeups, body curves, etc. I don't think my children had the slightest idea, but I found it almost distracting!

I do think that Isaac came away with a pretty matter-of-fact understanding of the life of a penguin, however. He and I had a running discussion during the film about what was happening, and he was quite curious about everything he saw, from predators to blizzards to caring for the egg/chick. Most of it was over Alice's head and I think she probably took a nap during the last half hour. Martha was silent, but later at home she commented about something she'd seen, so I believe she also paid attention to it.

Recommendation... yes and no. I actually don't think this is a kid movie. Not because of objectionable content, but because of the slow, gentle pace. It's not action-packed and hilarious. It's informative on a basic level, but taken from another perspective it's really more like high art. Cinematography, and just the fact that some people had the nerve to venture into the brutal Antarctic climate for months and months to capture the world of the Emperor penguin for the rest of us to enjoy in comfort... that, I can appreciate.

Did I like it. Absolutely. Do I think you will? [shrug]Dunno. Depends on what you need in a movie.

Now playing...

Bamboo by Kazu Matsui.

SIGH

I'm sitting here with the FOX news channel on in the background. I just looked up and they're reporting about NYC doing random bag searches on people entering the transit system. The video shows them searching the bag of some sixty-year-old white guy in a polo shirt and khaki pants.

Wasting the taxpayers' money.

Not ONE of the 9/11 bombers was a middle-aged white guy. The shoe bomber, the London bombers... umm, knock-knock... THEY WERE ARAB MEN.

The loony splodeydopes in Israel who blow up buses full of Jewish schoolchildren? ARABS.

Anybody else notice this?

Anyone who's Arabic who complains about profiling, I would say that until people of their ethnicity/religion quit mass-murdering people on a regular basis, shut up and deal with it. But I guess the NY Transit Authority and the NYPD and the TSA don't have the intestinal fortitude to dispense with the crap and actually PROTECT people.

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin agrees with me.

Darwin was right.

Because everybody who's anybody says he was.

I'm tired of that argument... I get it all the time from my eleven-year-old daughter when she wants to watch some TV show or other crap that I've nixed: "But MOM, everybody watches That's So Raven!" ... No, they don't. Not in this house, they don't.

Rand Simberg rolls his eyes at this kind of argument, too, even though he's also working that side of the street.

It's all about FAITH, people. If you're a staunch evolutionist or a staunch creationist, you're subscribing to a FAITH... either FAITH in accidental serendipity or FAITH in intelligent design, when it comes down to the very elemental level.

As I have stated before, I do not know how God did it. I wasn't there... I wasn't timing Him with a stopwatch, and I wasn't watching to see how He made all the animals and plants and protozoa and viruses and stuff. All I know is what He says in His letter to me... and like a Dad explaining things to His kid, there are some things I obviously can't wrap my mind around at this time.

I do know that some people are more inquisitive than I am about such things, and that's cool. That's how we learn. The problem lies when we make assumptions about how and why and origins and stuff, when we DON'T KNOW. Maybe it took millions of "years" for God's voice to reverberate throughout the universe and speak us all into being. Maybe it was in a microsecond. Maybe time wasn't the same then as it is now. Trying to describe those events in our limited terminology and understanding is ridiculous.

[snicker snicker] Hey! Get outta my room!

Victims Say Naked Man Breaks In, Tickles Them

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- Police in one Florida community are on the lookout for the naked tickler.

Investigators believe one man could be responsible for a series of bizarre break-ins.

Victims said a naked man has entered their rooms while they were sleeping and tickled their feet. The naked tickler struck again in New Smyrna Beach this past Saturday and Sunday.

Investigators have been working on five similar, unsolved cases since 2001. Most of the victims are women over the age of 60.

Officers said they haven't made an arrest yet because they don't have a lot to go on.

I'm guessing there's not a lot of forensic evidence left behind by a serial tickler.

Now playing...

Supernatural by dc Talk. Specifically, the song "Red Letters."

All about poop

[snicker]She said poop! (and Jeff & Linda think the way I say it is amusing, with my Suthun accent)

Seriously, TacJammer's got the straight poop about the word "pooped". Get your mind out of the gutter; he's using naval terminology.

NO, not navel. NAVAL. Ships, not bellybuttons.

Good grief.

Sa-LUTE!!!

Australian PM John Howard gives a reporter the ole one-two punch today, and it was a beautiful thing. From National Review Online's blog, The Corner:

PRIME MIN. HOWARD: Could I start by saying the prime minister and I were having a discussion when we heard about it. My first reaction was to get some more information. And I really don't want to add to what the prime minister has said. It's a matter for the police and a matter for the British authorities to talk in detail about what has happened here.

Can I just say very directly, Paul, on the issue of the policies of my government and indeed the policies of the British and American governments on Iraq, that the first point of reference is that once a country allows its foreign policy to be determined by terrorism, it's given the game away, to use the vernacular. And no Australian government that I lead will ever have policies determined by terrorism or terrorist threats, and no self-respecting government of any political stripe in Australia would allow that to happen.

Can I remind you that the murder of 88 Australians in Bali took place before the operation in Iraq.

And I remind you that the 11th of September occurred before the operation in Iraq.

Can I also remind you that the very first occasion that bin Laden specifically referred to Australia was in the context of Australia's involvement in liberating the people of East Timor. Are people by implication suggesting we shouldn't have done that?

When a group claimed responsibility on the website for the attacks on the 7th of July, they talked about British policy not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan. Are people suggesting we shouldn't be in Afghanistan?

When Sergio de Mello was murdered in Iraq -- a brave man, a distinguished international diplomat, a person immensely respected for his work in the United Nations -- when al Qaeda gloated about that, they referred specifically to the role that de Mello had carried out in East Timor because he was the United Nations administrator in East Timor.

Now I don't know the mind of the terrorists. By definition, you can't put yourself in the mind of a successful suicide bomber. I can only look at objective facts, and the objective facts are as I've cited. The objective evidence is that Australia was a terrorist target long before the operation in Iraq. And indeed, all the evidence, as distinct from the suppositions, suggests to me that this is about hatred of a way of life, this is about the perverted use of principles of the great world religion that, at its root, preaches peace and cooperation. And I think we lose sight of the challenge we have if we allow ourselves to see these attacks in the context of particular circumstances rather than the abuse through a perverted ideology of people and their murder.

PRIME MIN. BLAIR: And I agree 100 percent with that. (Laughter.)

So, Mr. Member of the Mainstream Media, how's it feel to be 100% wrong and completely flayed alive by a politician who's on the right side of history? Hmm?

[insert clip from Napoleon Dynamite of Kip at the bowling alley, pumping his fist in front of himself and saying, "Yesssss!"]

This chaps my hide

Registration Drive To Be Held For Felons

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A voter registration drive for felons is planned for Saturday in Des Moines. The registration drive is largely aimed at felons whose voting rights were restored this month.

The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at Union Baptist Church and at Creative Visions, on 13th Street.

A spokeswoman for the African American Leadership Coalition said the goal is to get as many ex-offenders registered as possible.

Vilsack signed an executive order on July 4, granting a blanket restoration of citizenship rights to tens of thousands of felons who have completed their prison terms.

That last paragraph proves to me that, although Tom Vilsack has spent most of his two terms as Iowa governor flying under the radar, he's out-and-out Democrat to the rotten, corrupt core... including making blatant vote-grabbing maneuvers like this one. It's just long enough before the next election that maybe the voters will forget.

Not this one.

ROFLOL!!!!

It Ain't Just Paint

I love the web site The Smoking Gun... I'm especially fond of their publishing of concert riders and celebrity mugshots. They also, however, find mugshots of regular folks that are particularly amusing. The one I linked to is of a guy who was caught at the Dollar General in Bellaire, Ohio, huffing spray paint. What a nincompoop. Folks, this is your brain on drugs.

Start playing the violins...

Justice O'Connor is disappointed. She's disappointed because her replacement isn't a woman.

How totally typical of the middle-of-the-road, PC-minded, stick-your-finger-in-the-wind mindset. As if it should MATTER what the gender of the individual on the SCOTUS is. Why does it? Does having ovaries somehow magically grant a person some indefinable ability to judge that a person without them doesn't have? It's exactly the same mindset that produced the argument that she used to put forth that dreadful ruling in the Michigan case upholding affirmative action on college campuses... completely logic-free and completely extra-Constitutional...

I, for one, am not sorry to see SDO'C go. I could not possibly care less what gender she is; she's been a less-than-stellar Justice who doesn't seem to be able to find true North, preferring instead to lean on moral relativism and foreign governments.

I'll bet she's going to end up being one of those Jimmy Carter types who, now that she's retired, will feel free to make all sorts of pronouncements and opinions known concerning current events. Let's hope she disappears like a decent individual and leads a private, quiet life... if we have to suffer through her retirement like we've suffered through Jimmah's, I don't know if I'll be able to bear it.

Awwwww...

This picture makes me hear the song from Dumbo that Dumbo's mommy sings to him as she cradles him in her trunk through the window of her "prison." That scene always makes me cry, and I'm not terribly prone to crying at movies.



The only other time I have cried at a movie (as an adult) was at the end of The Color Purple, when her sister returns home.

Have you ever cried at a movie?

Rest in peace, Scotty

James Doohan dead at 85

"Just a minute, Exec. We're picking up the pieces down here."
(--Scotty, Star Trek: The Motion Picture)

Sometimes I just gotta paint.

I'm working on a few greeting cards lately. Here's one I just finished this morning:

Yeah!

What he said.

I'm a big fan of the dudes at Tusk & Talon anyway... I've even met them all and they're righteous dudes. This latest from Chad just shores up my already favorable opinion.

Overheard...

"I gotta brush my teeth with that stuff? Dad! You know I don't like girly toothpaste!"

--Isaac (age 5), upon discovering that his own toothpaste was empty and he was going to have to use the sparkly-pink Barbie "BubbleFruit" kind tonight.

Rick came downstairs and reported that Isaac would NOT abide the Barbie toothpaste, even though Rick had already put it on his toothbrush for him... he'd washed it off his toothbrush and used the Tom's Of Maine stuff instead. My son, the macho-man.

Back... finally.

Our internet service was down for a couple of days and I couldn't blog (or attend my University of Phoenix online class). I kept thinking it would come back on, so I didn't head for the mall and free wi-fi... but this morning when I got up and it was STILL off, I started to pack up the laptop. Then it came back on.

My fingers were bruised and sore, but not as badly as I'd feared. It's weird how the littlest cut or scrape ends up making a humongous ugly scar, while a bone-crunching whack can have almost no effect at all.

We spent yesterday evening at the home of our pastor & his family. They live on a small acreage and have chickens and barn cats and vegetable gardens and lots of room to run and play. They grilled hamburgers and made homemade ice cream, and the weather was simply idyllic. The kids had a blast playing together and the grownups kicked back and yakked for several hours. They are totally decent, honest people and I'm glad they're leading my church. I never have trouble being led by any authority figure that I respect, even if I don't always agree with them. At a totally basic level, I'm only a leader when I sense a leadership vacuum... otherwise I'm a great follower (with frequent forays off on my own, not leading OR following, just wandering around). A man's family is one key indicator of integrity -- and that family seems to be rock-solid.

A question was brought up to me some time ago about how complimentary I've been of my church and the people I work with there... specifically, what if I were to suddenly get mad at someone there? Would I then spend time on my blog ripping them apart? The answer to that is categorically NO. That's just not my style. I've had personal issues with lots of people over the past number of months, but you haven't read about them here on my blog.

One reason for that is that tearing people down is not my policy. I see no purpose in expending anger by tearing someone down... it does not solve the problem, but only adds to it.

A caveat to this -- if it's someone in the news that I don't know personally and who has done or is doing something worthy of reproach or reproof, I'll probably be unflinching in my appraisals. I can judge behaviors -- so can you, so can anyone. It's incumbent upon us as rational individuals to weigh matters for ourselves. I will fearlessly tell you that I think Senator Tom Harkin is a sleazy politician bordering on lunacy, for example. But you can read about him and come to that same conclusion because he's a public figure whose record stands available for judgement, and by sharing our opinions, we can effect change in political leadership. I would never say the same thing about someone at my church because (1)you likely don't know who I'm talking about, so it would just be vicious and (2)that's not the way to bring about change within a church.

I am totally aware that my church is not perfect, nor are the people in it perfect, nor is its leadership perfect. I'm still very happy there and believe it's a place where my family and I can grow and become the people God wants us to be.

Immigration Reform?

Group Rallies Downtown For Immigration Reform

Group Rallies Downtown For Immigration Reform
Bishop Says Governors Should Keep American Dream Alive

DES MOINES, Iowa -- About 100 people rallied Saturday about a block from the National Governors Association summer meeting to call for immigration reform.

Kirk Martin, of Catholic Charities, said the group is calling on the nation's governors to take action.

Participants wore white ribbons and carried signs in English and Spanish that read, "I am an immigrant not a criminal,'' and "We are here and we're not leaving.''

Bishop Gregory Palmer, of the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, said the governors should work to make America greater and to keep the American dream alive.

Um, folks, if you're an immigrant who came here illegally, then you ARE a criminal. By definition, "illegal" means "against the law" which means that if you do something illegal, you're committing a CRIME.

If you're here legally, I'm all for it. There's plenty of room for you here.

But the immigration reform that really needs to happen is called BORDER CONTROL.

I'm not sure I'd care as much if we didn't have Islamofascist terrorists trying to smuggle suitcase nukes into our country. Actually, it's probably moot, because they're likely already here. Let's just say that I'm not planning any trips to NYC, Boston, LA, Miami or DC any time soon. I'll stick to my quiet corner of the heartland, thank you.

Whoa...

14-Pound Girl Born In Kentucky

CORBIN, Ky. -- A hospital official in Kentucky said a baby girl born Tuesday weighed 14 pounds, 3 ounces.

The baby weighing more than 14 pounds was born in Kentucky.

The National Center for Health Statistics said less than one percent of babies weigh more than 11 pounds at birth.

A nurse at the hospital said the girl was born by Caesarean section [I would certainly hope so! --Ed.] and appeared healthy. She says the baby went home Friday.

The birth of the large infant comes a month after a 13-pound, 12-ounce girl was born in Wisconsin.

Zowee. I have no words. Shrieks, maybe, but not words.

I wonder if they have a state fair contest for such things... they have 'em for purt'near ever-thang else.

OW ow ow ow ow ow ow

I just completely smashed the middle finger and ring finger of my left hand... I mean completely. They already look like they're going to turn black. I *so* do not need this to happen, especially not on Saturday night. Not when I have three services to play for tomorrow. I'm icing them down and I just took an anti-inflammatory pill (Relafen, 500mg, if you're curious -- it's what I had left over from my shoulder strain). Yes, I can type rather well one-handed, if you must know.

Please don't be broken. Please don't be broken.

Arrrgh.

It happened when I was opening the back door to let the dog out... but I usually use my right hand. There is a set of shelves just to the left of the door, but it's about six inches away from the wall because of a light switch on that wall. I used my left hand because I was holding the phone with my right hand, and I managed to jam my two fingers between the opening door and the very sharp edge of the shelving.

No, I did NOT swear. Shame on you for even thinking I might've.

Okay, I think they're going to be okay. I can move them. They still look bad, but I think they'll be okay. Just a couple of really nasty bruises, maybe.

Which five fiction authors have influenced you the most?

I picked up this meme from Laughing Wolf, who didn't actually tag me with it but it sounded interesting so I picked it up anyway.

Which five fiction authors have influenced you most and why?

Here are mine, in no particular order:

C. S. Lewis -- His writing has profoundly moved me. I began with the Chronicles as a child thanks to my Aunt Donna, then moved to his sci-fi trilogy Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, then enjoyed Screwtape and The Four Loves and Surprised By Joy... I could go on. Lewis' writing speaks directly to my soul.

L. M. Montgomery -- Her Anne of Green Gables series were hands-down my favorite reading as a pre-teen and teenager. I probably have entire sections of some of the books memorized. I do know that there have been innumerable times when a certain situation will bring to mind one of Montgomery's apt descriptions of people or places.

Laura Ingalls Wilder -- Okay, I know, the Little House books weren't fiction. But I'm still profoundly affected by having read her works. Her stark simplicity strikes a chord in me. It's not just childlike... particularly now that I have lived in the northern plains for a few years, I find that this spareness of description and read-between-the-lines personality to be very typical of most of the natives to this area. There's a lot more TO them, but they'll never let on. They'll give you just what you need, even if it's the shirt off their back, but they play their personal cards very close to their chest. It's the pioneer spirit of self-determination and rugged individualism that rings true even today.

John Steinbeck -- Yes, I know... leftist Commie leanings... but his frank portrayals and his pointed style that never beats around the bush are appealing to me. I think that most people who read The Grapes of Wrath come away with the wrong conclusions toward leftist solutions to the problem, and it's likely that Steinbeck himself felt that way, but nonetheless the writing is brilliant.

Jonathan Swift -- I love his sense of humor. I love to laugh, and I love irony and satire. His is the standard to which I hold most every other satirist.

=============
So how 'bout you?

Blue Vervain

This is probably my favorite time of year in Iowa. The variety of prairie wildflowers is quite lovely. I'm going to be giving you a few photos in the next few days of my faves. Here's one I like, called "Blue Vervain."

VW sez, "Get yer recipes!"

The Carnival of the Recipes is up!

Deterrence

Escaped Inmates May Have Been Crushed To Death In Trash Truck

SULPHUR, Ky. -- A medical examiner office in Louisville, Ky., is conducting autopsies to determine whether two inmates whose bodies were found in a landfill were crushed to death.

Investigators believe the inmates may have been loaded into a garbage truck from a dumpster.

Authorities think the men were hiding in the dumpster after escaping Wednesday from the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange.

A garbage pickup was made at the prison Wednesday morning. Garbage from the prison was delivered to the landfill later that day.

The inmates were last seen Wednesday morning and their bodies were found the next day.

Kentucky Corrections officials say they expect the incident to deter future escape attempts.

In the class I just finished taking at Drake University, the prof mentioned that an inordinately high percentage of incarcerated individuals suffer from learning disabilities or mental retardation. Here's even more evidence, I'm guessing...

HOCKEY!!!!

NHL and Player's Association Reach Agreement

NEW YORK/TORONTO (July 13, 2005) - The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association have reached an agreement in principle on the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Details of the new Agreement will not be made available publicly pending the formal ratification process by the NHLPA Members and the NHL Board of Governors.

It is anticipated that the ratification process will be completed next week, at which time the parties will be prepared to discuss the details of the Agreement and plans for next season. No further comment will be made until then.

'Bout time. Can we have our Stars back now?

Some more good news... according to billboards around Des Moines, we now have an NHL hockey farm team, and it's the Iowa Stars!!! Yippeee!!!

I heart hockey.

The tat

Thought you might want to know what it looks like...





The full text reads, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart"

Yes, my legs are not tan. They will never BE tan. It's a physical impossibility for my legs (or any other part of me) to be anything but reflective white... unless I do sit in the sun for more than thirty seconds, at which time I become bright red, which peels off in a week to reveal reflective white once again. I've adjusted to this idea. If it bothers me, I use the fake stuff. Otherwise I just let my friends wear sunglasses so the reflection doesn't damage their retinas.

My doggy's not black anymore

Bijou just got back from the groomer today and she's not black anymore. She's beginning to show definite signs of graying. The breeder we bought her from did say that she thought Bijou would probably end up gray, but up to now she's stayed pretty much a dusty black color. Now she's actually got a couple of silvery patches, and her face is graying as well. I guess we'll eventually have a silver doggie instead of a black one! She's still totally sweet, though. I can hardly believe how good she is. If I could've mixed up a recipe for perfection, she'd be it... well-mannered, obedient, friendly, but still barks at strangers, tiny enough to warm your lap or feet, loyal, happy to see you when you come home... she's got the whole package.

Feijoada

In honor of my pal Amy, who's about to embark on a three-month stint in Brasil, I'm posting a recipe for a traditional Brasilian dish called feijoada.

1 lb. black beans (about 2.5 c)
2 T salad oil, divided use
2 oz. salt pork, diced
1 lb. smoked pork butt, cubed
2 smoked hamhocks
1 lb. pork ribs
1 lb pork sausage (paio, chorizo, etc), cut in 1-inch chunks
4 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 medium onions, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper to taste
hot pepper sauce, if desired

All the salted meats should be soaked the day before, changing the water occasionally. Sort the beans to remove litter, then wash and soak overnight. On the day of preparation, put the beans on to cook in fresh water in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. In another large pan or skillet, saute the salt pork in 1 T oil until crisp. Remove from pan, and use the fat from the salt pork to saute all the other meats. When the beans begin to boil, add the meats. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet and saute the garlic and onion. Add to the beans along with the tomato, parsley and bay leaves. Add water as necessary until ingredients are covered. Cook slowly until beans and meats are tender. When done, season with salt, pepper and hot sauce as desired. Makes 15-20 servings.

Serve in a large ceramic bowl accompanied by lots of cooked rice, sliced peeled oranges, and collard greens. The Brasilian women roll several leaves of collards tightly together and slice the roll very thinly, forming strings of greens that can be cooked with onion in a little hot oil. Brasilians use more salted, dried meats than are usually available here in the US; substitute other meats as you like, since there are many variations on this recipe.

Yeah, okay, it's French. But it's cool.

Very Cool Timewaster

I think this Time-Waster just might be my absolutely favorite EVER (and it's French, which means I'm 100% ferizzle about this -- I'm a Freedom-Fries kind of gal here). It's a musical instrument contraption that you arrange yourself... play around with it a bit and you'll figure out the controls for yourself.

Thanks to J-Walk for this one.

Feminine humor

Kid: (in an indignant voice) MOM!

Mom: What is it?!?

Kid: Look at this. (holds out hand in which is a dismantled tampon) Somebody put a firecracker in my suitcase and they're trying to blow it up!

Mom: (remembering that she had borrowed Kid's suitcase for her last overnight trip) Just put it in the trash, honey. It's not going to explode.

Kid:(going back into bedroom, then re-emerging) See? Here's what it was wrapped in. It says, "Tampax."

Mom: Okay, honey. It'll be fine. Put it in the trash. (clapping hand to forehead)

Just because it was there...

...I took a picture of it. Hope you like it.



This is what I got to look at while coming home from Norwalk tonight. Isn't it nice?

Y'know what I like best about Ann Coulter?

She says what she really thinks instead of playing nice. A snip from her most recent opinion piece:

REAGAN'S BIGGEST MISTAKE FINALLY RETIRES

In a quarter-century on the highest court in the land, O'Connor will have left no discernible mark on the law, other than littering the U.S. Reports with a lot of long-winded versions of the legal proposition: "It depends."

Some say her worst opinion was Grutter v. Bollinger, which introduced a constitutional rule with a "DO NOT USE AFTER XXXX DATE." After delivering a four-part test for when universities are allowed to discriminate on the basis of race (a culturally biased test if ever there was one), O'Connor incomprehensibly added: "The Court expects that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today."

So now constitutional rules come with expiration dates, bringing to mind the image of O'Connor proffering one of her written opinions to Justice Scalia and asking, "Does this smell bad to you?" Strangely enough, she failed to specify which month and day in the year 2028 that affirmative action would no longer be justifiable under the Constitution.

I find it refreshing when someone's completely up-front and honest, even brutally so. It just makes things so much more efficient and less wasteful.

Well, that's convenient

Cardinal Says Catholics Can Believe God Guided Evolution

WASHINGTON -- Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick said Catholics don't have to believe in Creationism -- the Bible's account of God creating Adam and Eve and the universe in six days.

McCarrick told reporters at the National Press Club that instead of what he called "the beautiful story of Genesis," Catholics can believe in evolution -- as long as it's understood to have been guided by God rather than chance.

The archbishop of Washington said that was the view of the late Pope John Paul II, which was echoed last week by a leading European cardinal.

Cardinal McCarrick said the church cannot accept the belief that "this is all an accident." But he added that "as long as in every understanding of evolution, the hand of God is recognized as being present, we can accept that."

This, from the same bunch who brought you "Let's Pretend Our Pedophile Priests Don't Exist And Just Reassign Them To Another Parish Where There's Fresh Pickings."

If God says in the Bible that it took Him six days to do it, I have no reason to believe otherwise until He tells me otherwise. Here's my caveat: I wasn't there with my stopwatch when He did it. I don't know. And I do know that sometimes He tells us things in ways we can grasp, because our finite minds can't handle the whole thing. Case in point -- the parables that Jesus told. No, I don't think the Genesis story is a parable. But I do know that, with my own kids, I sometimes simplify the explanation of complex concepts so that their minds can handle it. Like the Emily Dickinson poem on the sidebar of this blog, I believe that the best teachers tell the truth in a way that their pupils best receive it. I would never tell my students, or my children, something untrue, such as "The stork brings babies," in order to avoid telling them something I don't want to have to explain to them... but do I tell my five-year-old every detail? No way. He's a bright kid, but he's still way too little to handle some information.

God is my Dad, and as a Very Good Daddy, He understands my little brain and heart enough to know what information I need. I trust Him to give it to me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that He created me, and that it happened the way He describes it in Genesis. Do I think that's the whole story? Honestly, it doesn't matter to me.

It's like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.

1 Corinthians 13:11-12

That works for me.

Nasty way to die

Name Released Of Man In Grain Bin Accident

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Authorities have released the name of a Nevada man who died Monday in a grain bin accident in Story County.


Marvin Jensen, 72, died when he was trying to fix an auger and fell into the grain bin and became trapped, according to a news release from the Story County Sheriff's Office.

Two other men found the man buried over his head in corn, and tried to free him, the news release said.

Rescue crews spent the afternoon trying to pull a man out of a grain bin in Shipley.

When rescue crews arrived, only the farmer's fingers were sticking out of the grain. It took workers 40 minutes to dig him out. He was taken to Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames.

Three deputies and a firefighther were treated and released from a local hospital for respiratory problems caused by the grain dust, the release said.

Every year you hear stories like this here in Iowa... what a nightmare. It always sounds like a horror movie to me. Being immersed in something where I can't breathe -- that is the method of expiration which most makes me break into a cold sweat of fear.

OW!!

The doofuses in Pamplona ask for this, year after year...

SCOTUS stuff

I've got Hannity & Colmes on in the background right now while I'm working on some assignments. David Limbaugh is on right now, and he's somebody I respect a great deal. Am I the only one, though, who thinks he resembles Norman Bates? On his web site, his photo shows him a tad heavier than he looks on H&C right now.

He's slicing through the SCOTUS topic like a buzz saw, which thrills my soul. President Bush shouldn't let friendship (with Gonzales or others) trump his privilege as POTUS of nominating people that he so chooses to the Court. It's perfectly shameful how the Dems have encircled into a nasty gang to prevent anyone Bush nominates... they're just pitching a toddler fit over the fact that there are court vacancies during a Republican presidency. They are keenly aware that the activist judges on the SCOTUS has been their ace-in-the-hole to get their agenda forced through over the protests of the American people, and they're not going to let it go easily.

They remind me of the little kids I see in the McDonald's PlayPlace hamster-tubes, refusing to come out when their Mom says it's time to go, screaming and clinging to the nets and poles... my own children are dumfounded when they see such behavior. I'm not quite as dumfounded over the Dems' behavior, since they're notorious for this kind of tantrum power-play. And like the resigning Mom, the Republicans are too afraid to assert their authority over the affair, conceding to the tantrums and thereby ensuring more and more of them in the future.

Traffic yuck

This has been complicating our lives now for several years... but this summer seems to be the worst for us. We never know what exit or entrance ramp is going to be closed, and it's incredibly irritating. The one thing that's NOT a problem is going to church. Before, we were traveling to West Des Moines and always on the freeway. Now we don't travel the freeway at all, but instead get to use the lovely new MLK/Fleur connection, which I love.

Our home is literally a stone's throw away from the I-235 freeway, with all its construction dust and noises. It will clearly be a wondrous thing when they finish the re-do, because when we first bought the house back in 1997, it gave us rapid access to anywhere in the entire DSM metro. It has been less convenient lately because of the construction and bridge closings, but it's still a wonderful location.

Rick has been working on the landscaping out front and we're slowly getting it in shape to sell. We've had no nibbles on anything for sale in Norwalk, but I'm not worried about it. When the time comes, God will work it all out. In the meantime, I'm making my private little wish list concerning our future home... you see, whenever there's something we need, I make a secret list of stuff I feel would be pluses. Then, like George Mueller, I keep it to myself and only let God know what it is. The last time I did this, it was when we bought our mini-van five years ago. I had privately listed several features that I hoped our new vehicle would have, but that I wouldn't be upset if it didn't work out. The van we bought had everything I wanted and we were able to pay cash for the entire thing.

I can recount several other times that God has miraculously and beautifully provided for our needs... and I can't wait until the day when I can blog about this latest one.

"It's like a sneeze," he said.

Just got back from my appointment with my orthopedic doc. Every so often I get shots in my wrists to alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome; I've been too chicken to have surgery for it. Anyway, lately my CTS has been flaring up again, so I went in to get the shots. I'm completely calm and matter-of-fact about the whole process. The shots don't hurt at all, in fact I barely feel them. He finished up and I stood up to leave... and promptly began to black out.

I was really embarrassed; it's not as though it hurt or anything! But the nurse made me lie down for a bit until the feeling passed. The doc said, "It's no reflection on how tough you are, believe me -- you didn't even flinch when I injected you. No, really, this reaction is more like a sneeze. You can't help it, it just comes over you." Oh, okay.

The last time I did this was when my pal was in the hospital and suddenly began to bleed from her incision. The blood didn't faze me, but the fact that two nurses were using their body weights to press down on the incision (thereby perpetrating excruciating pain upon my friend) suddenly made my vision begin to swim. I stumbled out of her hospital room, not wishing to distract the nurses from their more important job, and managed to make it to a waiting area with a couch where I lay down for a while. And felt foolish.

I also did it a few years ago when Alice broke her pinky finger and the doctor in the ER was setting it.

I guess I'm allergic to pain...

Creepy

Holmes Says She, Cruise Will 'Always Be' In 'Honeymoon Phase'

Okay, this Katie Holmes / Tom Cruise thing is creepy. But I'm wondering just how bright this poor girl really is. Always in the honeymoon phase? She's either delusional or she's been kidnapped by this Scientology cult and brainwashed... assuming she's got one to wash, that is.

Where is this girl's family and why aren't they intervening? Just because they're both movie stars doesn't mean we can't see a train wreck coming a mile away and start trying to pull the brakes now...

Times, they are a'changin'...

London Bombing Aftermath

What drew me to this article was the subheading:

"Faithful Pack London Churches To Pray For Peace"

I thought it was interesting that even in heavily secular humanist England, the first thing many people do after a disaster like this is to seek God (either in an attempt to appease Him somehow for having been uninterested in Him, or in a genuine endeavor to find answers). Here's the relevant part of the article:

The faithful gathered Sunday in London churches to mourn the bombing victims and pray for peace and calm.

At St. Pancras Parish Church, a memorial service was held to remember the victims, including 13 people who were killed just a few yards away when a bomb destroyed a double-decker bus.

Candles were lit and special prayers were also offered at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Britain's top religious leaders plan to issue a joint statement appealing to Muslims, Christians and Jews to unite in their condemnation of terrorism and their resolve to fight it.

Wait a minute... is this like the Church of Insulin or something? St. Pancreas? Oh, sorry... St. Pancras. I guess I should go look it up and see who this Pancras dude was.

And then the "top religious leaders" are working on a joint statement appealing to Muslims, Christians and Jews to unite in their condemnation... blahblahblah... yeah. As if.

Good luck with that.

One other snippet grabbed my attention, however:

In Rome, Pope Benedict said on Sunday that people should pray for the bombers who carried out Thursday's attacks in London. And he also says the attackers should "stop in the name of God!"

The pope said he feels "a profound sadness" over the attacks. He made his comments during the traditional Sunday blessing to pilgrims and tourists in St. Peter's Square.

On Thursday, he issued a telegram of condolence to the Church of England's Archbishop of Westminster, saying he deplored the "barbaric acts against humanity" and was praying for the victims.

Ummmm, Benny? "Stop in the name of God"??? Has anybody ever told you that, in the eyes of the al-Qaeda types, you're an infidel dog worthy of the wrath of Allah? THEY DON'T KNOW GOD, ya goof. I'm imagining ole Benny standing at a microphone with three lovely backup singers, singing "Stop! In the name of God!" That's really going to be effective, man. It'd be better if you'd just stick to praying for them, that they would be confronted with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and turn away from their life of slavery to Satan.

Baptist Missionary From Iowa Shot In Brazil

Baptist Missionary From Iowa Shot In Brazil

Y'all pray for this man... and for my friend Amy, who's leaving for Brazil in another week to spend three months doing mission work there.

I'm not worried, really, because I know that Amy is going down there in obedience to what God has called her to do. I also know that if she were to die tonight (or any other night), she'll be with God because she has placed her faith in Christ and has walked with God here on earth. My guess is that John Leonard is also assured of this.

City Of Dreams concert

Our concert at the Ankeny SummerFest was a huge success... there were hundreds and hundreds of people there, with their lawn chairs and blankets on the grass. It's energizing to play for big crowds! Maybe it's intimidating to some, but I find it exhilarating. Playing outdoors is usually pretty tricky because it's almost impossible to get your monitor set so that you can hear what you're doing and adjust to what the others are doing, and tonight was no different -- as I was playing, I was hoping that what the crowd was hearing was better than what I was hearing in my monitor! Thankfully what comes out through the mains is a totally different animal than what they pipe through to the guys on stage.

We ended our set with a cover of U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name" which is a huge thrill for me to play, since I'm a U2 fan. I can't get tickets to any of the U2 concerts this fall, unfortunately... [sigh]... would've been nice, but the durn things are sold out everywhere around here.

The band bought Amy her own bass guitar with the funds from one of our recent gigs, and it sounds absolutely fabulous. It's a five-string instead of four, and that low string just rattles my fillings whenever she thumps it! We also got her an iPod to take with her on her three-month mission trip to Brazil. I wish there were some way I could stow away in her luggage and go with her -- I love traveling out of the country. And she's going to be teaching some beginning English classes, which I love doing.

My shoulder is still stiff and sore, but it's definitely improved over last Tuesday. Cyclobenzaprine is my FRIEND.

Hey, saw some pals at the concert that I don't get to see often anymore. Chan & Lori Woodward and their two kids Syrena and Ryder were there (along with Blue Fish & Red Fish) and it was great to see them again.

Now I've got a boatload of work to get done by tomorrow evening... I guess this will be another one of those Sundays when I take my laptop to church with me to work on it between services (sacrilege!).

I really REALLY need some watercolor time. I don't think I've done much watercoloring at all for several months, and it's beginning to wear me down. There are several project ideas I've got queued up in my mind and eventually those things just MUST get let out or I'll go crazy. Okay, craziER.

Family matters

Thought I'd share some family pics with y'all. Here's me with my sister, my mom and my dad:



Here's me with my lil' sis, Beth:



And here's Beth with her boyfriend Brian:



Beth and Brian both work for Lockheed Martin as accountants. My sister is one of the number-crunchers for their missile firing program -- she gets to count nickels for the Patriot Missile. How cool is that? I'm glad that one of us is good at math... I'm a dismal failure at such things. She's also the polar opposite of me in many ways -- she's very sweet, responsible, deferential and angelic... the perfect daughter. Notice in the family pic: who's wearing white, and who's wearing black? Just sayin'. Even though we're not much alike, we're very close and love to spend time together. She's just precious. Those curls? Natural. [sigh]

What do I think of Brian? I like him, so far. He seems to genuinely care about my sister, which is more than I can say for the schmuck I chased away last year... okay, I'm a little protective of my sister. Brian's very quiet and very spiritual, from what I can gather. I think they make a very sweet couple. This trip was the first time I've met him face to face, although Beth and I have talked about him quite a bit on the telephone.

The trip to Texas/Oklahoma was rather whirlwind in nature, but it was fun. I wish I hadn't had so much schoolwork to think about and get done, so I could've relaxed a little more. Doesn't look like I'm going to be able to relax until sometime in 2007 (when my master's degree program will be finished).

Chicota grocery

Chicota, Texas isn't a big place. Usually the Chicota Grocery & Cafe has homemade fried pies, and I wanted to stop there to pick up some for Cindy. Unfortunately they were "fresh out" on Monday morning. I know, this place doesn't look like a grocery and cafe, but trust me -- in a tiny Texas town on the Red River, it is.

Western Missouri, July 4, 2005

I snapped this pic out the window while we were driving north through western Missouri. Here's what the back seat of the car looked like:



Yes, I know... too many people in the back seat. It was the best we could do under the circumstances. That's my Aunt Donna (MamaSue's sister) with my kids. They were watching a little portable DVD player. They were good sports about it all; ten hours in a car is bad enough, but with no room to stretch out or move around, it can get ugly. They were cheerful for the most part, however.

If you're in the market for donkeys...

...I've got a deal for you. My dad has sold his eighty-acre tick farm in NE Texas, but he's still got the donkeys. Two jennies, one jack and one baby jack.



Anyone needing some great coyote-chasers and hee-hawers, let me know and I'll put you in touch with my Pop. Isn't this baby the cutest lil' thing?



He's even got a five-pointed star on his left hindquarter... we haven't named him yet, but "Lone Star" is an option. So is "Starbutt."

Big Cabin, Oklahoma

It's a speed trap! Well, not according to me, because I didn't get stopped. But somebody's got it in for the Big Cabin cops. I drove by the first one of these:



and saw the second one coming up, so I fired up the camera. I ended up getting #2 and #3, so I thought I'd share them with you.



I'd love to find out who's responsible for putting these up.

BUY THE CD!

SoulFireLive is now on sale!! Visit the SoulFire web site and click on the link on our home page.

Les Cayes was hard hit by Hurricane Dennis

Hurricane Dennis Kills Five in Haiti

From the AP story:

In the southwestern Haitian town of Grand Goave, an Associated Press Television News reporter saw at least four people killed when a wood and metal bridge collapsed. Witnesses said the river came suddenly rushing over the bridge.

Elsewhere on the dangerously deforested island, wind gusts uprooted a palm tree and sent it into a mud hut, killing a fifth person in the southern town of Les Cayes, the Red Cross said. Many homes and roads in the south were flooded, some by as much as three feet of water.

I haven't heard from anyone yet. Everything electrical or telephone-related is probably down, so it may be a while. Keep praying for them, okay? Grand Goave is on the main highway from Port-au-Prince to Les Cayes, so it's probably got supplies blocked the supply route.

Haiti's already a mess anyway... hurricanes just make it that much worse.

All we, like sheep...

450 Sheep Jump to Their Deaths in Turkey

I can see why the Bible compares people to sheep so often...

I love cool photographs

National Geographic photogs take some wicked cool pictures. I like this one especially, shot by a fellow named Peter Essick:



Frogs are such interesting lil' guys anyway, don't you think? And when they're photographed in an innovative manner such as this, it speaks to the artistry that is good photography. The composition in good photos inspires me in my own little world to take better pictures.

I've got some good ones from my recent trip down south, which I'll post after I finish taking my final exam tomorrow.