Charlie, Linus and Christmas

Penn Says: A Gift of a Bible

Issues, Etc.

Dawn at Artist Point, Yellowstone Canyon -- Yellowstone National Park

Photo taken by Mike Umscheide. He said of the photo

This was one of many memorable photographic moments during my Fall of 2006 trip to Yellowstone National Park. Artist Point is a famous photography spot at Yellowstone, and I was hoping for wonderful soft light just prior to sunrise. I was more than pleased with what I got, which was a few high cirrus clouds lit up in a vivid, saturated pink color to complement the extraordinary landscape of the Yellowstone canyon and Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. Date: September 19, 2006. Exposure was f/9 at 1/5 seconds, ISO 200, shot with the Nikon D70 at a 24mm focal length.
Added: 10/06/2008

Global Warming Frozen In Bad Data

December 11, 2008 By Dr. Melissa Clouthier

From the Washington Times:

Environmental extremists and global warming alarmists are in denial and running for cover. Their rationale for continuing a lost cause is that weather events in the short term are not necessarily related to long-term climatic trends. But these are the same people who screamed at us each year that ordinary weather events such as high temperatures or hurricanes were undeniable evidence of imminent doom.

Now that global warming is over, politicians are finally ready to enact dubious solutions to a non-existent problem. In Britain, Parliament is intrepidly forging ahead with a bold new plan to cool the climate, even as London experienced its first October snowfall since 1934 and Ireland went through the coldest October in the last 70 years.

This is an absurd spectacle. Our advanced civilization is being systematically mismanaged by technologically illiterate lawyers responding to political pressures from irrational fanatics. Would someone please tell these people it is impossible to overturn the laws of thermodynamics?

We cannot improve our economy by artificially forcing people to use expensive, unreliable and inefficient energy sources.

From the U.S. Senate committee on Environment:

“I am a skeptic…Global warming has become a new religion.” - Nobel Prize Winner for Physics, Ivar Giaever.

(Link to rest of article here)

The Very First Thanksgiving Proclamation

The Very First Thanksgiving Proclamation
by Marcia Segelstein

The very first Thanksgiving proclamation was issued by the Continental Congress on November 1, 1777. It was a time of upheaval unimaginable to most of us. Only the year before, the signers of the Declaration of Independence had set in motion events which would change the course of history. At the time the proclamation was issued, the outcome of those events was yet to be determined, and a bitter war waged on with young men giving their lives for the cause of freedom. Uncertainly loomed, but faith suffused with gratitude prevailed, as is clear from the words of this remarkable document.

Here are portions of this first proclamation, which called for December 18th to be set apart…

“That at one Time and with one Voice, the good People may express the grateful Feelings of their Hearts, and consecrate themselves to the Service of their Divine Benefactor…That it may please him graciously to afford his Blessing on the Governments of these States respectively, and prosper the public Council of the whole; To inspire our Commanders, both by Land and Sea, and all under them, with that Wisdom and Fortitude which may render them fit Instruments, under the Providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States, the greatest of all human Blessings, INDEPENDENCE and PEACE.”

Ee'n So Lord Jesus Quickly Come

Heard my brother's choir at Concordia St. Paul sing this twenty years ago. Beautiful.

Secretariat

I was just a kid when Secretariat took the Triple Crown, but even then I remember thinking I'd not see the likes of this horse again in my lifetime.
First came The Kentucky Derby

Then came the Preakness

...and finally the AMAZING Belmont

Oldie but Goodie from Starbucks

Time for a coffee break

Thanks TMZ

Thanks TMZ....for promoting cultural decay.

The Majority Leader's remark about tourists was edited out of the official Senate Democrats video version....(perhaps because it demonstrates how the senator views "the little people" or "the unwashed masses from below"

Starting in the middle...

So I'm a member of a political website that is left over from the last election.
Why? When it comes up, many Lutherans see themselves as above the political process, ... I've heard it before; "Who wants to get their hands dirty doing THAT?"

Spare me. Being a citizen means we take stands; we speak, so standing and speaking may even result in being propelled into public office. Even for normal people....Politicians are not all power-hungry idiots.

As soon as one enters the political arena, others spend much too much time assigning motives. The critics (armchair quarterbacks) claim superiority to the elected who are then easily blamed for all that's wrong or doesn't work anymore.

That attitude doesn't deserve traction.

In this world, power corrupts, but in this fallen world, power translated into leadership means the leader will constantly be humbled not only by those who stand opposed, but ALSO by those who may have been friends. Being up front means becoming a scapegoat.... sometimes for good reason, but mostly, just because of visibility. (Keeps things simplistic). Ask any president. More often than not, the acquisition of power and the consequences of leadership tend to balance each other out.

But back to the beginning....Why do I stay involved in a "community website" that has a recently defeated candidate, Sarah Palin, as its focus? Am I wasting my time? I've wondered about that quite often. But I stick with it. Two reasons: first, call it the sisterhood or whatever, but I want to be available to defend Palin against the countless cheap shots others feel entitled to lob around about her; but there is greater cause and that is: I see and hear people commenting on that site that have never publicly taken a political stand before. They are brave to do so now, and I honor that, want to encourage that, even if at times their zeal seems to lead them in weird directions... Do they seem to be leaping into mid-air or off the deep-end with some of the posts? Yes. But we are broadening the discussions.

I continue to read and post because I am a Lutheran Christian, and Lutherans, with their Law/Gospel, Left-hand, Right-hand Kingdom perspective, have a unique contribution to make in any given political or "issues" discussion. The discussions start, and whether they concern abortion, terrorism, education or the economy these things deeply concern people and prompt them to write, talk, read, vent, to interact, to be part of a community. And sometimes I upset people, but still attempt to continue the conversation, to respect them, and finally, to share Christ. What a privilege.

Oddly enough, have met many Catholics, countless evangelicals, some atheists, but as of today, no Lutherans. Guess they are above that.

Add the abortion ticker to your blog or site.

Air Travel when it was still "glamorous".

How Obama Got Elected... Interviews With Obama Voters

From the website How Obama Got Elected

Do we laugh or shall we cry?

Eva Cassidy sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"

In 1996, Cassidy died of skin cancer. Her incredible voice never reached outside of her hometown. That could have been the end. But four years later, Cassidy was played on BBC Radio. And the U.K. audience fell in love.

A video of Cassidy singing Over the Rainbow was found. It was played on one of the BBC’s TV stations. Her fame started growing steadily. As of 2008, Cassidy has three #1 releases in the United Kingdom. And her music has topped charts all over Europe. She may be gone, but her amazing talent lives on.

Baby - Hand

Air Traffic Worldwide

This YouTube video is all about flight. Millions of people travel by air every day. You are not alone in the sky.

Our skies are pretty crowded. Nearly 100,000 planes fill the sky every day. Seeing it is impressive.

This simulation shows air traffic worldwide over a 24-hour period. Seeing where and when people fly is amazing. Note the many traffic patterns. You may want to watch it several times. It’s a view of the world I’ve never seen before.

Blind Girl

Badlands of North Dakota fog storm 2008

Peggy Noonan on Sarah Palin: "She Killed"

Dick Morris Declares Palin The New Reagan And Slaps Colmes

Radio station ABLAZE

From Greece....Let's see - a radio program, suddenly everything is ABLAZE, but that is not enough to stop this on-air team. The talking just continues till the flames are extinguished. Business as usual. Where have we seen this before?

Logan, the Sky Angel Cowboy

What can I say?

Patrick Henry Hughes, an inspiration.

Truth As Defined in California et al

Truth for Californians et al...(according to me)
1) What I FEEL = truth.
2) What I FEEL justifies anything I say, or however I choose to behave
3) If you don't know what I'm thinking or feeling (always from the women, bless their hearts), you are "INSENSITIVE" - a capital offense...heaven help the man who is not telepathic
4) If I FEEL I'm not getting my own way, I am a VICTIM. (return to #1, start down list again)

BornAliveTruth.org

From Hotair.com "A new pro-life group comes out swinging today, and it chose a powerful spokeswoman for their cause. Gianna Jesson survived a saline abortion 31 years ago, and has fought to stop the barbaric practice of leaving such living infants to die by abortionists unwilling to face the failure of their procedure. Jesson testified in 2001-2 to get Congress to pass the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, and now she joins Born Alive Truth to point the finger at the only current member of the Senate to have voted against such a bill:"

I tell you, Sarah Palin gets it, and she didn't even mean to, that's the beauty of it. Finally the Republicans and the Democrats are getting a clue.

The Large Hadron Collider pales in comparison to Tommy Emmanuel’s right wrist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8

Obama & Live Birth Abortion / Induced Labor Abortions / Infanticide Pro-Life Anti-Abortion Video

Abortion

Quote

Found a quote recently, will include it here:

"They (grievance pimping feminists) are what they pretend to despise. And in the quiet moments between attacks, I suspect many of them recognize this, and secretly curse what it is they’ve become."

Jeff Goldstein

The Real Women of America - by Faith Amman

What is up with all these beautiful, classy, feminine, powerful, relatable Republican women? Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Bachmann not only take steps to change the world but simultaneously raise 4 to 5 kids each.

Humility is the word that has been resounding in my head all night. Hearing John & Cindy McCain's story reminded me that they have been public servants long before it was popular or they received public attention for it. They haven't felt it necessary to broadcast their decades of charity and dedicated service. They don't need a press conference to make a task worth their time. To hear of Cindy McCain finding the two little girls in an orphanage and deciding to take them home for medical treatment was unbelievable. She has worked in literally every remote and destitute place in the world yet does not flaunt her good deeds to the world. She has led 55 medical missions to third world and war torn countries. There is an inner poise and confidence that comes from doing what is right even when no else watches or applauds.

These women lead personal and public lives that drown out Clinton, Pelosi, and Michelle Obama. Who do you want as your First Lady? A respected and committed woman sensitive to needs at home and abroad...or Michelle "I only became proud of America when they decided to vote for my husband" Obama?


Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.

Best Bob Hope movie line (TIMELY!!!!!!)

A fountain is a fountain, they look and sound nice. Yet this one is exciting!

Record fish caught on toy rod

A man in the US has managed to catch and land a record-breaking catfish on a Barbie fishing rod just 2-and-a-half feet long.

David Hayes holds his record-breaking catfish alongside his three-year-old granddaughter Alyssa /PA pics

David Hayes and his 3-year-old granddaughter Alyssa were angling in the pond behind his Wilkes County home when she asked him to hold her rod while she nipped to the loo.

"They hadn't no more than closed the door than the cat hit the cricket and took off," Mr Hayes told the Hickory Daily Record.

"He turned the water over and I saw his tail was about as wide as my two hands."

Alyssa returned to find her grandad battling with the monster fish.

"She said, 'Papa, you're going to break my rod,' because it was bent double," said Mr Hayes.

After 25 minutes, the pink plastic toy prevailed and Mr Hayes landed the 21 lbs,1oz catfish on the 6 lbs test line.

At 32 inches long, it was 2 inches longer than the rod.

A state fisheries biologist from North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has certified the record, which was nearly three pounds over the previous mark.

From "The Deacon's Bench"

The first "Chinese" Olympic star
While the world watches in fascination the Olympics in Beijing, Asia News has taken a moment to remind us of the original Chinese champion, who gained fame more recently from the movie "Chariots of Fire."

Take a look:

Not everyone may know that the first "Chinese" athlete to win an Olympic medal was a Scotsman born in China. He was Eric Liddell, the son of Presbyterian missionaries, born in Tianjin in 1902. After his Olympic victory in 1924 in Paris - which inspired the film "Chariots of Fire" - Liddell (whose Chinese name is Li Airui) returned to China, where he worked as a Presbyterian missionary, until his death in a Japanese prison camp in 1945.

Liddell remained in China until the was five years old, then moved to Scotland, where he studied near Edinburg. He became a great athlete (cricket, rugby, and running), and participated in the Paris Olympics in 1924. But since the 100 meter race - in which he would have made his best time - was scheduled for a Sunday, he declined to participate, because of his strict and solid religious upbringing.

According to some witnesses, it seems that the king of England himself tried to convince him to compete, in the name of "national pride", but he declined because "the commandments of God come before national honor. I will not run on Sunday".

Liddell trained for the 400 meter race, which he won with a record time of 47.6 seconds, receiving the gold medal.

After his victory, he received a degree in science and returned to Tianjin as a teacher, first in the Anglo-Chinese school, and then in a school for the poor.

In 1941, when war was already underway between China and Japan, he sent his wife and daughters to Canada because of the danger, but remained in China himself to teach in Shaochang. In 1943, Shaochang was conquered by the Japanese, and Liddell was interned in a camp in Weifang, where he tried to help the elderly and sick, and taught children.

Eric Liddell died on February 21, 1945. A few months earlier, prime minister Winston Churchill obtained the liberation of some of the prisoners, and the famous athlete should have been one of them, but he gave up his place to a pregnant prisoner.

His last words were: "It's complete surrender".

Barack Obama stridently supports abortion

John McCain Opposes Abortion

News Report from Iraq.... with a smile

McCain Has "Insight"

“I looked into his eyes,” Mr. McCain said, “and saw three letters: a K, a G and a B.”

Picture Perfect but Sadly Fake

Lin Miaoke who lip-synched at the opening ceremony over the voice of Yang Peiyi [right] who was considered unsuited to the lead role because of her buck teeth Photo: GETTY/AFP

Singing to the Puppies

First Day at Worship

Picture is called "First Day At Worship".
Painted by Maud Humphrey Bogart, the artist was the mother of Humphrey Bogart. She used to do illustrations with small children as the subject of each work. When he was a baby, little Humphrey served as a model. In fact it was his face that was used on a baby food label, not Gerber. The company he represented no longer exists.

Mountain Wedding Bliss

Stellar's Jay

Mountain Blue Bird

Anguish: A man cradles the body of a relative in the street after Russian planes bomb homes in Gori, killing five people

Gay Marriage

Old Homestead at Sunset - Soren Edsberg

Christ and Doubting Thomas - Carl Bloch

Sunset From Fisher Hill - Jean Gaitnby

Here's something I sent to my friend and former employer, David Berger, just after we moved here in 2003. He liked it and encouraged me to share it, so at last, here goes:

I told Paul about a word picture of California I came up with, illustrating life here. By design, it is best understood by a man:

"You are standing looking at a beautiful ocean scene that exceeds description. California comes into view, personified as a gorgeous breathtaking, statuesque blond, with a captivating, even seductive smile and an inviting physical presence. Moving forward toward this beauty, something soon becomes evident, impossible to detect from a distance. There is an odor. Oops, she smells bad, okay, you can deal with that, but then, as you get close enough to engage this stunner in conversation, she smiles and as she speaks you suddenly realize that she has a case of halitosis the likes of which you've never encountered. She smells like something died inside her mouth long ago. Not only that, but her smile, as gorgeous and appealing as it is, upon closer inspection is evidently made up of the only teeth in this babe's mouth. The teeth behind the front ones, are either missing or rotten and jagged. You look deep into those liquid blue eyes and suddenly realize this girl is the recipient of more than one face lift, and her body at present does not resemble the one God intended, having been surgically altered; in fact her hair is a wig..with synthetic hair. No one knows what is under the that wig except the wearer, and she knows only too well because she has spent the greater part of her life gazing lovingly into her mirror, but only under lighting that is as flattering as possible. She can't quite see you because you did not originate in her mirror and because in her vanity, she refuses her glasses and wears contacts that provide luminous blue color, but nothing else. You reach out to politely introduce yourself, to take her hand, but she can only reach over and shake her own. Her capacity to touch someone else in any meaningful way died a long time ago, when her "doctrine" became "The National Enquirer". She can engage in conversations only about her interests, or what she perceives her gurus (in superficial, egotistical ignorance) stridently think is permissible." The End

Have been ruminating on something for a week (or five years?) or so. The discovery that hit me like a wrecking ball? "Pantheism from the Pew".
Because all our members live in the forest, they share an assumption: "Our proximity to nature makes us closer to God - EVEN affords us an enhanced status with the creator...meaning we don't have as far to travel for revelation or enlightenment."
Blew me away when I finally realized that this is actually what I've been seeing all along, yet with much less clarity.
This little step-stool or "leg-up" toward righteousness and "spiritual insight" actually serves as a ceiling or wall of sorts, that blocks the view to the truth, the revelation of the mystery that is the true Gospel.
We aren't special folks, let's all get over ourselves. If we were automatically closer to God, MORE OF US in this community, WOULD BE IN CHURCH.
This also goes far in explaining why for many Christians here, environmentalism is sacrament. Even in our Lutheran pews.
We address it as it emerges.

"Gisele" - Elizabeth Shippen Green

Recently read "The Girl of The Limberlost" by Gene Stratton Porter. Wonderful book.

The overwhelming and biased coverage of Barack Obama's trip this past week prompts me to comment.
Did you catch this particular quote? He said he would be president "...for the next eight to ten years..." (When was the last time a presidential candidate arrogantly presumed out loud that he'd win a second term? I believe this may be unprecedented behavior in a campaign season.)
Our Constitution allows a president at most, two four year terms.
Perhaps he can't be bothered with such trifling details...or perhaps all this focus on Europe has caused him to forget that in America, a term is not five years long.
Yet the press has ignored the comment. Imagine them ignoring such a comment from a Republican.
Barack is constantly messing up his facts, there are now websites dedicated to tallying Obama's errors; and the list grows daily. Never mind that he has the most liberal voting record in the United States Senate.
Am I majoring in minors? No. Look what they did to Dan Quayle because he misspelled potato.
Tonight I found the following, - which I will cut and paste here:

Potatoe and other English spelling irregularities
In New Spelling (circa 1910) "potato" is spelled P O E T A E T O E
the silent e was used as a long vowel marker. /ou / was always spelled [OE]

Truespel, another reform orthography, spells POE TTAE TOE almost the same way
the double T indicates that the stress is on the 2nd syllable.

RES (Restored English Spelling) spells it POATAYTO.
RES uses positional spelling, the [owe] sound in the terminal position is spelled O.
This works for SILO and GAZEEBO but not for follow [faalo].

The trouble with spelling is that there are too many orthographic options.
The sounds of English are not linked with specific predictable spelling patterns.
Here is another alternative spelling of potato:

If GH stands for P as in Hiccough
If OUGH stands for O as in Dough
If PHTH stands for T as in Phthisis
If EIGH stands for A as in Neighbour
If TTE stands for T as in Gazette
If EAU stands for O as in Plateau

then POTATO could be spelled:

GHOUGHPHTHEIGHTTEEAU

Yet when it comes to constitutional law that specifically refers to the number of years one may serve, eight just doesn't equal ten. Words matter...the numbers matter.