Mama Obama

BBC World Service - Outlook - Mama Sarah: Barack Obama's grandmother: "'When there is a football match, you look at the foot of those who are playing,' she said, 'In this case Barack is determined and the rest is God who can determine."

Economy: How bad is it around the world?

Click on a country to see what's happening there:

Global News | World | International: "Special Report
20 correspondents, 20 countries and a world of pain. Meet the ground truth of the global economic crisis."

Sad, happy story...

Siberian husky found after crash, death of owner - OregonLive.com: "Lynn, who declined to give her full name, said in a telephone interview she's spent more than 60 hours over the last week 'networking for Neo.' She's been in daily contact with Moore, whom she never knew before the story of the lost dog touched her heart.

'It's my joy and my pleasure to do this,' she said. 'It's a very happy ending to a very rough couple of weeks for everybody.'"

Laugh or cry?

"human wet blanket"...made me laugh...but this is a smart dude:

Krugman: Economy Still Bad - The Daily Beast: "Krugman: Economy Still Bad

The human wet blanket, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman warns that recent optimism over the economy may be overblown in a piece today. 'The most you can say is that there are scattered signs that things are getting worse more slowly,' Krugman wrote."

A mother's journey

This brave mother did not take her son's 9/11 death sitting down. It drove her to service.

Sad ending to article...should drive us to prayer folks.

Global News | World | International: "BOSTON — Ever since that crystal clear fall morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Sally Goodrich has been on a journey.

It led her to Afghanistan, where she has spent the last several years reaching out to the very country where the hijackers who took the life of her son, Peter, were trained, funded and inspired. Hers was a long journey toward healing and then hope."

That smell...

A sweet story...Institute of Perfumery:

Grasse Institute of Perfumery: "“A perfume hides a story,” said Laurence Fauvel, a perfumer and one of the teachers at the school, which opened in February 2002. “To create something really new is very difficult.”

In class, the students flared their nostrils against white tester strips dipped in scented, mostly clear liquid. The exercise tested their olfactory memories as they built on the more than 300 natural and synthetic odors they had memorized since the course began in late January. The task included identifying the scents’ compounds and family."

Through my eyes

My first published article was "Life through my eyes" when I was in eight grade...same idea as this:

'Self-portraits' of life with disabilities: "Those messages come through loud and clear in the photos he took as part of the art show titled 'Through Our Eyes: Life as Seen By Young People With Special Needs.'"

Big DUH!

Small Cars: Collision Test Losers

I get nervous whenever I pull up behind one of these micro cars. Our Sprinter would decimate these little things if something unfortunate were to happen.

I don't buy the argument that they should be driven only in safe, low traffic areas...Where is that?

Or that we'd all be be driving 18 wheelers if safety were paramount.

Crazy!

A Brief History of the White House Easter Egg Roll - TIME

Interesting stuff...from the Turf Protection Act...to the gay crashing...to the environmentally friendly Easter egg:

A Brief History of the White House Easter Egg Roll - TIME

Thank you!

Mike, Vance, and Eric - thank you for mowing, edging, and fertilizing our yard.

Front and back...it looks wonderful!

Thank you!

He is risen!

He has risen indeed!

Happy Easter all.

It was an emotional Easter service for Jodie. It was the first one she has attended without her mom. Ma2 is still recovering at home from her recent stroke.

Jodie's sisters, the grandkids, family friend Joyce and her boys, we all gathered with Ma2 for Easter. We feasted on Chinese food.

Before the stroke, Ma2 had been working on scrapbooks for each of the basketball players on Vance's team. Today the ladies helped her finish them. Happy comradery. A smile on her face. Great therapy I'd say.

He is risen!

Honda going to the dogs...

New York Auto Show - Dog Friendly Honda Element Concept - It Brakes for Fire Hydrants - List - NYTimes.com

Bolivian President is serious about equal rights

Bolivian President On Hunger Strike - The Daily Beast

BYU NewsNet - Miss Iowa goes national about living with cerebral palsy

Abby is still getting the message out there. A beauty from the inside out.

BYU NewsNet - Miss Iowa goes national about living with cerebral palsy: "Tell Abby Curran she can’t do something and her reply will be, “watch me.” This was her attitude when she wanted to run for the Miss Iowa State beauty pageant."

“When I was told I could never enter a beauty pageant because of my condition, I not only entered, but competed and placed,” she said. “I’m living proof that believing in yourself and reaching for the stars can make all the difference in the world.”

Curran, 21, became the first person with a disability to compete for the Miss Iowa State pageant.

Iraq stalemate

I heard Tom Ricks on Mark and Dave last night. Iraq is the biggest foreign policy mistake US has ever made. No good way to proceed.

Chris Snethen at the Vig went to the book signing last night:

Eat, drink, and be merry

Love you Ma2!

I began twittering about Ma2 two weeks ago. Ma2 is my mother-in-law...my beloved Ma2.

She has not been herself for months. Severe back pain has kept her down. A couple times we all (Jodie, her two sisters, and grandkids) went to ER with her. Each time was a different diagnosis.

Two weeks ago, Ma2's head was hurting. Probably a migraine...we all thought. She was confused after a church service, but she was ok when she got home.

On Thursday we went to nephew Vance's tournament baseball game. Ma2 loves watching his games. She was there, but she felt rough.

The next day, day 2 of the tournament, Ma2 was too sick to go. Jodie, Eric and I went and sat with her. Jodie's sister, her boyfriend, and Vance live with her.

Ma2 got sicker and sicker. She got really confused. We took her to the ER.

Turns out Ma2 had a series of two or three strokes. After a week in the hospital she is at home resting.

Physically she is fine. Her vision on the right side is limited. She is using a walker for now for a little more stability.

She is having trouble processing. Reading is hard for now. But therapists are coming to her house help Ma2 recover.

Jodie and her sisters are teaming up to make sure Ma2 is not alone for awhile.

Prayers for Ma2...prayers for all of us as we support her too...thanks!

Smelly offense....

Sorry, I couldn't resist:

Referee warns soccer player for farting - Boing Boing

What do you get when you cross a netbook with a desktop?

But of course:

Acer, Nvidia Team Up for Ion-Powered Nettop PC

Clubbing for all teens...

Bringing disabled teens and non-disabled teens together:

Club nights for disabled teens - Hemelhempstead Today

Accesibility...good business sense

Facebook Commits To Making Social Networking More Accessible For Visually Challenged Users: "Facebook is working together with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to make its social networking service more accessible to users who are blind or visually impaired. In a company blog post, the non-profit organization’s President, Carl Augusto, explains which problems visually challenged users encounter when surfing the web and how they’re able to overcome these issues with the help of website publishers, developers and designers.

This makes sense from Facebook’s perspective too, of course. There are a lot of visually impaired people on the planet, and they want to connect to their friends, relatives and peers just as much as you and me."

"PUMA" ...pretty cool...

Segway, GM "PUMA" Vehicle Unveiled: "The Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility, or PUMA, project also would involve a vast communications network that would allow vehicles to interact with each other, regulate the flow of traffic and prevent crashes from happening.

'We're excited about doing more with less,' said Jim Norrod, chief executive of Segway, the Bedford, N.H.-based maker of electric scooters. 'Less emissions, less dependability on foreign oil and less space.'"

China Takes a Small Step Away from the Dollar - TIME

Dollar's fall from grace?? I wonder why...

China Takes a Small Step Away from the Dollar - TIME

Barbie goes to China...

Barbie Targets Shanghai Women - The Daily Beast

Nail lodged in nose?

Man coughs up 30-year-old nail - Boing Boing

Might as well have fun with it...

Postcard: New York's Unemployed Olympians - TIME: "Unemployment Olympians must show proof of their unemployment in the form of a New York State unemployment card, a termination letter or other evidence of job loss. They register for events at a lopsided cardboard stand with the words 'Unemployment Office,' painted above it, which looks like a recession-weary version of Lucy's 'Doctor is in' lemonade stand from Peanuts."

Obama's trip to Europe

Stay awake, be careful what you eat, eyes on teleprompter...

A Brief History of Presidents Abroad - TIME: "And while not exactly a gaffe, George H.W. Bush must have wished the cameras weren't rolling when, during a 1992 trip to Japan, he vomited and then passed out in the lap of the Japanese Prime Minister at a state dinner. Ditto for George W. Bush — when he tried to leave a 2005 press conference in Beijing, cameras caught his humiliating attempt to open a locked door next to his podium. The resulting footage was an instant YouTube hit. Bill Clinton was accused of taking trips abroad to distract from his Paula Jones and Monica Lewinsky troubles, but still managed to work in some 50 trips overseas while in office."

Help the economy...

...buy a Hummer...

Dealer’s Fortunes Rise and Fall With Hummer’s - NYTimes.com

When I am a famous Twit...

...maybe I'll have one of these...

Twitter Hiring A Concierge To Pamper Celebrities. Requires Schmoozing.

Where pirating is legal,,,,

Google China Launches Free Music Downloads

Rapping monks!

Global News | World | International: "Dressed in their burgundy and black robes, accompanied by brass bells, the monks intersperse chants of sutras with quick lectures on Buddhist music and teachings. A few devout grandmothers hold their palms together in reverence while the monks chant. But others just nurse their beers and Johnny Walkers, talking throughout the show."

Way to let the protestors have it!

No More Olympic Torch Relays - TIME

It will be nice if this guy is right

Global News | World | International

Despite an ill-timed presidential transition, the confusing and ever-changing policies of former treasury secretary Hank Paulsen, the lambasting of U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and the mind-boggling partisanship of Congress, Bernanke has engineered a succession of policies that are succeeding in normalizing credit markets.

This is a harbinger of economic recovery. Future historians will marvel at how swiftly he acted at a time when the world economy seemed to be hopelessly, and relentlessly, unraveling.

I fell for this one....

...A couple weeks ago when my computer was sick:

New ransomware holds Windows files hostage, demands $50

KFC Filled Potholes?

"Re-Freshed by KFC"..what a different idea!

Colonel Sanders Fills Potholes - The Daily Beast

Things are bad when...

Google To Cut 200 Workers In Second Round Of Layoffs

My mobility scooter cost more than this car!

Taking Tata's Nano for a Spin - The Daily Beast

I wonder if Jodie and I could get two of these in Jet White?

Back to village life...

Twitter and Facebook seem weird, but once you start...oh so addicting.

Behind Facebook's success: It takes a village - International Herald Tribune: "In the West, a certain anonymity once prevailed, then was voluntarily surrendered. People now post drunken photographs of themselves, announce whereabouts, disclose activities that could return to haunt them. There are risks for employment. There are risks for relationships — 'No, I was at a work dinner,' you say, before the party photographs are uploaded. There are risks for offending friends when you visit a city without telling them.

But we make the same bargain as villagers: that, in surrendering privacy, we gain community."

Tony Campolo: I'm the Older Brother

I was at a Campus Ambassadors summer ministry conference in the mid 80's where Tony Campolo was our speaker. He was with us for a few days and shared many stories with us.

My favorite was about a funeral for a man who had died from Aids, early on when we were coming to terms with the epidemic. He read a psalm, and a new testament reading, then closed the Bible. The people who had gathered asked him to reopen the Bible, and requested other passages for him to read. It opened his eyes that a people that "God's people" were writing off were hungry for the true compassion of God. My inpterpretation of what Tony said.

I was delighted to see this from brother Tony in HuffPo. I feel the same way:

Tony Campolo: I'm the Older Brother: "That, I am sad to say, is much the same attitude that I, along with most of my conservative evangelical brothers and sisters, have had in reaction to President Obama's announcement that taxpayers' dollars, earned by hard-working, responsible citizens, would be given to help those irresponsible Americans who bought houses that they couldn't afford, while embracing a lifestyle that was beyond their means. With resentment, I, along with most of my rugged individualistic Christian friends, now sound like that older brother in Jesus' story, and call for those irresponsible spenders to get what they deserve. With an air of self-righteous indignation, we declare, 'They didn't do what's right and now we're being asked to rescue them from the financial mess that they've created for themselves!'"

"Naval gazing officially over"

GOP waking up? You guys got us into this mess! Back to sleep...

CNN Political Ticker: All politics, all the time Blog Archive - Jindal urges GOP to put ‘08 in rear view mirror « - Blogs from CNN.com: "'It’s time to declare our time of introspection and navel gazing officially over. It’s time to get on with the business of charting America’s future. So as of now, be it hereby resolved, that we will focus on America’s future, and on standing up for fiscal sanity… before it is too late."

My toe!

My big toe hurt for a couple days last week. The pain went away after a couple days, but over the weekend the pain came back pretty severe.

The pain was eminating from the base of the nail on my big toe. I looked it up on WebMD and figured that I had Paronychia, a nail infection.

Jodie call the doc. He wanted to see me. My big toe was a light shade of purple, and my foot was redish and hot.

The doc confirmed my diagnosis. The doctor sprayed some slight numbing agent on my toe.

"This may hurt a little."

I held on tightly to Jodie's hand. He took the scalpel...OUCH!...and did the deed. The nurse bandaged it up.

E is on spring break this week. Today he helped me soak my foot in epsom salt and rebandaged it...just like a pro.

Walking is already a challenge for me. With a hurt toe, the challenge is a bit greater.

But, it could be worse, and I am recovering.

The Oregonian cuts back

The Oregonian, my local paper, is cutting back...again.

UPDATED x2--O: Furlough Shoe Drops AND Salary Cuts | Oregon Media Insiders

I mentioned last week that we recently resubscribed to the Oregonian. They offered it to us for free until August.

I don't like paying for "paper" I don't read.

Why not sell me a online media package? Instead of dumping all your content online, why don't you let me subscribe online what I want to read? Create a media brokerage, add other quality news sources (national news, international news, magazines). Give me the option of having ads delivered to my house (Jodie likes those), and quality news available to me online. You could even deliver the front page and a summary to the other content that is available to subscribers online.

I hate to see the death of quality local, regional, heck...all news because the means of distribution did not keep up with consumer preferences.

New international news site

I am always up for a new international news site. Call me paranoid, but I hate looking at all international news through American lens. Globalpost.com looks very good. The pay for content sounds interesting.

Web site takes a for-profit approach to world news - International Herald Tribune

One they better get right...

...before...you know...

NASA halts test of space station urine recylcer | Reuters

John Mellencamp: On My Mind: The State of the Music Business

I came across this in HuffPo. I am a Mellencamp fan. Peaceful World is a beautiful song..one of my all time favs.

This is a lengthy article about how music being about the artist has gone down the Wall Street path:

John Mellencamp: On My Mind: The State of the Music Business: "Nora Guthrie, Woody's daughter, once told me a story about a reception she was at where Bob Dylan was in attendance. The business people there were quietly commenting on how unsociable Dylan seemed to them, not what they imagined an encounter with Dylan would be like. When that observation about Dylan's behavior and disposition were mentioned to Nora, the response was very profound. She said that Bob Dylan was not put on this earth to participate in cocktail chatter with strangers. Bob Dylan's purpose in life is to write great songs like 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'The Times They Are A' Changin'.' This sort of sums it all up for me. The artist is here to give the listener the opportunity to dream, a very profound and special gift even if he's minimally successful. If the artist only entertains you for three and a half minutes, it's something for which thanks should be given. Consider how enriched all of our lives are made by songs from 'Like A Rolling Stone,' a masterpiece, to 'The Monster Mash,' a trifle by comparison."

I just drove by this scene...

A tow truck was removing the car. Lucky nobody was hurt!

Pair seriously injured after car careens into SE Portland home |
KATU.com
- Portland, Oregon
| News

Sad...but if they'd do the right thing...

People should not threaten these guys for doing what Americans do -- take the money and run -- but taking bailout money as bonuses...

AIG Execs Fear for Safety - The Daily Beast

Obama's gaffe

One of the dangers of having Prez on Leno...too much talk increases danger of saying something stupid.

Obama commits 'Special Olympics' gaffe - Game on - USATODAY.com: "President: It's like -- it was like Special Olympics, or something. (Laughter.)"

I can't talk 2 minutes without saying something stupid. You guys know me!

No ill intent, I am sure.

I bet the Special Olympics will have even more special place in Obama's heart from here on out.

CHSI Blast!

My Comcast bill came and I noticed a $10 charge for "CHSI Blast!"

I don't remember ordering increased internet speed.

Neither does this guy:

Re: [ Billing] Anyone seeing 16 Mbps "Blast!" Slamming/Cramming? - dslreports.com

Chelsea Werner...great story

I tagged this story the other day. It's a good one:

Disability News | PatriciaEBauer.com � News Archive � CA gymnast competes at high level

Full screen feature...

...is now working in Google's "chrome" browser...beta version...F11 toggle...I am so excited!

Way to go, Moo!

I can't help myself...I am a Moo fan!

Oops � Terrible Palsy

Somebody explain this to me

I am a Comcast customer...and a Clearwire customer.  

Comcast isn't going to slap their name on it and raise my rates, are they?

Comcast to Resell Clearwire's WiMax Service

Blowin' in the wind

I heard this on the radio yesterday and it made me laugh:

Bob Dylan’s Port-O-Potty Problem - The Daily Beast

Mother Nature

Ellen is brilliant for this role:

Ellen DeGeneres Back To The Big Screen: To Play Mother Nature In Film

Happy birthday Uncle!

 
3/18/1837 - 6/24/1908
22nd and 24th president of the United States (NY Times)

Mr. Cleveland is Dead at 71

$100 homes

I don't want to move to Detroit, but this is amazing:

Artists buying cheap houses in Detroit - Boing Boing

If everyone is doing it, it's okay

Really sad:

Disability News | PatriciaEBauer.com � News Archive � Why the abuse at Texas institutions? Experts offer explanations

Continued blessings for the Democrats!

Palin's Back - The Daily Beast

Job site for the disabled

This is a wonderful idea.  I will need to look at this moore closely when I have time...

GettingHired -
Home (JobSeekers)

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Publishes Final Print Edition

Quite the story:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Publishes Final Print Edition

As a student of journalism, this is a big deal.  The PI is just the start.  I got my bachelors degree in technical journalism.  Except for my six month stint at World Christian magazine, I never did find a way to break into the field.  Maybe a blessing in disguise?

As a consumer, I prefer online to paper.  It is easier for me with my disability to click links rather than turn pages.  The Oregonian has called us weekly since I quit taking the daily.  The finally caught Jodie at a weak moment...we are getting the daily for free until August.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Kim's "Cool Site of the day" tells everything you want to know about St. Patrick's Day:

Erin go Bragh - Cool Sites from The Kim Komando Radio Show� & Web site

The history of St. Patrick is interesting.  He faught against paganism and taught the trinity in 5th century Ireland.

Have you got your green on?

I was recommended...

Today my district manager recommended me to a statewide committee to brainstorm how our kids in foster care should  interact with social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook.

My idea is to start them off in closed ning communities such as the one I started for my family, which has taken off like gangbusters, with a healthy dose of monitoring.

We cannot and should not keep kids off the internet.  We are responsible to train them to be safe.

I feel honored.

Testing...testing

Testing my twitterfeed...

Interesting take on Stewart vs Cramer

Why are comedians more willing to expose today's charletons than the journalist?

BlueOregon: Stop, children, what's that sound: "Actually, what Cramer was joking about may in fact constitute illegal market manipulation. But the larger story here is how or why a comedian openly playing the role of of a faux-news anchor came to be the instrument of Cramer's comeuppance. Carla and I were discussing this very issue the other day when she asked the obvious: Why wasn't it 60 Minutes or another of the investigative news programs that exposed Cramer?

The answer may be as simple as Jon Stewart having not followed the presumed script. The British Telegraph briefly describes how everyone at CNBC must have assumed it would go.

After dipping his proboscis into Stewart's pollen, Cramer was meant to flutter home with some of his young viewers, curious to see what the fuss was about.
Undoubtedly that's exactly how the big shots at CNBC (and elsewhere) thought it would play out"

Another volunteering story

Unemployed Now Volunteering, Flooding Ranks

This is excessive

Accessibility for all is something I strongly support.  I don't quite understand why the doc shared notes with family members rather than the patient, other than my own experience that when I am with a nondisabled person, they get talked to before I do.   I don't think the doc here intended to discriminate.

“The price of disability law”

NBA player using the ADA...

...to excuse his inability to follow substance abuse policy?

Tarpley, NBA End Legal Battle | Houston weather, traffic, and news | MyFoxHouston.com | FOX 26: "Tarpley filed a federal lawsuit against the NBA in Sept. 2007 alleging the league and the Mavericks violated the American with Disabilities Act for denying him the right to be reinstated to the NBA.

Tarpley was banned for life from the NBA in 1995 for using alcohol and violating the terms of a court-mandated aftercare program."

Out of work? Might as well volunteer

This story reminds me how I got my foot in the door at my current job nearly 2o years ago.  I was having no luck finding a job.  I saw an article in the paper about volunteering.

I decided to visit the local state volunteer office.   I was worried of being rejected as a volunteer...I was not having much luck those days.  

Don, the volunteer coordinator in Hillsboro, OR, had a computer sitting on the floor of his office and didn't know what to do with it.  As a volunteer, I used it to created a Lotus 123 spreadsheet to track volunteer hours.  

A few months later I was packing to move to California to look into job possibilities down there.  Don asked Gary, the head of children's services if he could hire me.  The next day, I had a job.

Not every voluntary opportunity leads to a job, but it is something to do and a great network opportunity.

Out of work? Might as well volunteerKATU.com- Portland, Oregon| News: "'It lifts my spirits a little bit — actually, a lot,' said Moberly, 38, who was laid off from his temp job last fall and is getting by on unemployment checks. 'You couldn't place a monetary figure on it. I know I've made a difference and know I made some smiles, even if they're canine smiles.'"

Debaptism?

I was baptised when I was in high school.  I attended a baptist church at the time.  My wife as baptised as an infant in the lutheran church, as was our son.

I'm acquainted with the controversy over infant baptism, but "debaptism"?   New to me!

 

BBC NEWS | UK | Atheists call for 'debaptism': "with a document of its own.  The 'Certificate of Debaptism' has a deliberately home-made look, with its mock-official decoration and quasi-official language.   Sitting on a bench in the grounds of St Jude's Church, John Hunt intoned the opening lines.

'I, John Jeffrey Hunt, having been subjected to the rite of Christian baptism in infancy... hereby publicly revoke any implications of that rite. I reject all its creeds and other such superstitions in particular the perfidious belief that any baby needs to be cleansed of original sin.'"

Shooting blind

Good story....Such a mom!

(thanks Wheelie)

Reilly: Matt Steven is blind, but he'll still take the last shot - ESPN The Magazine: "Up in the stands, Matt's mom was hoping: Please don't make him shoot these."

Making kids aware

A delightful story with  an important message:

Provo mayor highlights Disability Awareness Month with 'Eggbert' - Daily Herald / Utah Valley Local News: "So the title character of 'Eggbert: The Slightly Cracked Egg,' written by Tom Ross and Rex Barron, lives the rest of his protein-filled days in bliss, painting scenes of cracked volcanoes and the like and mailing them to friends. Before a class of first-graders at Rock Canyon Elementary School on Monday, Provo Mayor Lewis Billings used the story to segue into the central message of Disability Awareness Month: that people's differences are to be accepted -- even celebrated -- rather than frowned upon."

Prime time for hucksters!

Oregon Housing Blog: FAKE HUD WEBSITE; Tell Clients to Avoid.

How bad is it?

You may not want to look:

The Hole in Our Wallets - The Daily Beast

A great tool

When I work on websites, finding the perfect font is half the battle.  This will really help:

Reference: Periodic Table of Typefaces Schools You on Font Basics

Our debt...China's worry

Al Jazeera English - Business - China's Wen worried over US assets: "Speaking at his annual news conference on Friday, Wen expressed concern that massive US deficit spending and near-zero interest rates could erode the value of China's bond holdings.

China is the biggest holder of US government debt and has invested an estimated 70 per cent of its $2 trillion stockpile of foreign exchange reserves, the world's largest, in dollar assets.

'We have lent a massive amount of capital to the United States, and of course we are concerned about the security of our assets,' Wen said."

Prayers for First B in Maryville...

I cannot begin to imagine my pastor being shot during Sunday service.  A horror way beyond words.  

A flock reaching out.  A shepherd heeding the call.  

Prayers for a long road to healing just begun.

Texas pastor preaching at Illinois church | AP Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: 

"'I want them to know you get through this,' the Rev. Al Meredith, pastor of Fort Worth's Wedgwood Baptist Church, said of the members of First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill. 'You'll never get over it, but the rest of God's kingdom around the world is praying for you.'"

...

"Meredith said he accepted the Maryville church members' request to preach four services Sunday because "they're a flock without a shepherd." After his church's ordeal, "at least I was there to shepherd the flock," Meredith said.

No more leak!

The leak under the sink had reappeared, but it now appear to be fixed.

Thanks John!

Recession shrinks the pint..

16 is now 14:

The Pint-Size Recession - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

Size 10 gets 3 years...

Iraqi Shoe Thrower Gets Three Years - The Daily Beast

Change in world journalism

Stories sent from half world away are now fact checked by the locals:

'There' and 'here' blend in journalists' world - International Herald Tribune: "'Here' readers are better watchdogs than 'there' readers. They catch errors that an editor continents away simply cannot. They also form a check on the exoticizing impulse. Certain lenses for seeing a country sell easily overseas: India's poverty, China's repression. But a battalion of bloggers is rearing to point out the obvious and hackneyed, and they keep us on our toes, striving to write the unwritten."

Gmail...now Vmail??

Google Voice is Like Gmail for Voicemail

Happy States

Caalifornia and Washington happier than Oregon?  That makes me mad!

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
(March 12, 2009) - Happy States

I am happy now...

I got my "Send to" button in Blogger...

Scrupuli: Send to (Blogger, Bookmarks, Mail, Wayback, English) in Google Chrome

A Lincold secret for the ages

Secret message hidden in Lincoln's pocketwatch - Boing Boing:

"Dillon told his children (and, half a century later, a reporter for the New York Times) that he opened the watch's inner workings and scrawled his name, the date and a message for the ages: 'The first gun is fired. Slavery is dead. Thank God we have a President who at least will try.'"

A great local sports guy

He makes me laugh ("In other news, Spain has declared war on Los Angeles.")...and he makes me tear...

Our condolences Dwight.

Pretty outragious...

Alleged ‘Fight Club’ Uncovered At Texas Institution - Disability Scoop

"Christian Salt"?

"Heavy Petting"?

Follow the links...

The FREAK-est Links - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

What's his email address?

I'll send him an e-card. Is he on Facebook?

Happy Birthday, Osama! - The Daily Beast

5 seekers for each job?

I thought it would be a higher number...


Companies Are Hiring, But Beware Competition:

"Job seekers beware, though. An average of nearly five people are competing for each opening. That's up sharply from a ratio of less than 2-to-1 in December 2007, when the recession was just starting and nearly 4 million openings existed."

NW no longer least religious part of country

More Americans Say They Have No Religion - NYTimes.com:

"Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, at 34 percent. Still, the study found that the numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state."

As a Lutheran, these numbers kind of sting:

"In 2008, Christians comprised 76 percent of U.S. adults, compared to about 77 percent in 2001 and about 86 percent in 1990. Researchers said the dwindling ranks of mainline Protestants, including Methodists, Lutherans and Episcopalians, largely explains the shift. Over the last seven years, mainline Protestants dropped from just over 17 percent to 12.9 percent of the population."

We have been hearing for years that our beloved Northwest was the least churched part of the country. At least we no longer lead in that category.

Wet floor!

I went into out kitchen yesterday and there was water all over the floor. Water was coming out from under the sink.

E though he knew what to do, but we called family friend Mike and sis-in-law Denise over to assist.

All that was needed was a tightening of a hose connector.

Thank you Mike and E!

I nearly fell for this one...

Government grants...free money...

When Jodie and I were looking for our tricked out ride, these type ads were a real temptation:

snopes.com: Government Grant Scams

We went the old fashion way...financing.

Unemployed Mastermind?

I'd like to see his resume'...

Cheney's Cheney, Unemployed - The Daily Beast

So, who got the 0.1% of the vote?

Kim wins re-election with 99.9% of the vote - International Herald Tribune

Hang tough, Greg

I am a Oden Believer...my Blazers need him. Big guy, youthful, great future.

Oden is stung by mounting criticism - OregonLive.com

It would be like Portland to trade him, only to watch him rise to superstar status somewhere else...please don't!

Dow to slide to 5,000?

Currently at 6,626...it seemed so improbable a year ago.

Now, who knows?

The New Reality? Dow Slides To 5,000, Oil Dips To $50

Lay off the bubblegum teach!

Here is a wonderful story of a third grade teacher who utilizes a wheelchair:

For the next hour, students and teacher talked about her disability. “The way I explain it to kids — I tell them it’s like blowing a piece of bubble gum and after it gets so big, it pops,” she said. Often the reaction is, “Miss Gillespie you should not be blowing that bubble gum any more!” After the first week, the students get used to seeing their teacher in a wheelchair.

First Kids score...

...a new swing set.

Very well deserved for what they will be going through.

Life in a fishbowl... 

New term of the day...

Alt A loans.

They are really messing people's lives up.

And then there are "Liar's Loans".

Point fingers if you will. Look in the mirror first.

Faith, hope, love...

One store is doing well...

...in these hard times.

Walmart. Lower gas prices, more money to spend.