tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13036061073476905382024-02-07T11:31:08.265-08:00According to Sam and JimCommenting on things that irk us, make us nostalgic, laugh out loud or just seem too weird to believeSam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.comBlogger436125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-77646375022251936512014-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:002014-02-03T06:00:11.116-08:00Of Course I Remembered You Baby. You're the Wife Right?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hey guys. Do you know that Valentine’s Day is fast approaching? Well, it is. The grocery stores and drug stores started stocking candy and cards the day after Christmas. The jewelry stores are advertising sweetheart diamond pendants or bracelets and the florists are flooding our mailboxes with heavily scented flyers to let us know they have roses and lilies and carnations galore.<br />
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Are you prepared to prove to your wife or significant other that you love her, really, really love her? If not, you are in a situation akin to stepping in one of Sam’s poop piles and not being able to extricate yourself cleanly no matter how hard you try. You would be well advised to not wait until 5 p.m. Valentines’ Day - on your way home from work - to stop at Costco and buy a bunch of flowers - the little lady will know: 1. Where you got them (which makes you look cheap); and 2. That you had forgotten what day it was until almost too late.<br />
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Husbands, especially, often look like total boobs when it comes to love and romance, so take heed guys.<br />
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The following is something I recently received from my Bellingham friend Maggie; she apparently received it in an email from her friend Norm. Even though Norm said on his email that this little gem was only for the intended use of its recipients and could not be copied, I’m copying it anyway and putting it here in my blog because it’s just too good not to pass on. Hope Norm’s okay with this.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>'ROMANTIC REPLIES FROM MEN'</b></span><br />
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A group of women were at a seminar on how to live in a loving relationship with your husband. The women were asked, "How many of you love your husband?" All the women raised their hands. Then they were asked, "When was the last time you told your husband you loved him?"<br />
Some women answered today, a few yesterday, and some couldn't remember.<br />
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The women were then told to take out their mobile phones and text their husband: *"I love you, sweetheart*." The women were then told to exchange phones with another person, and to read aloud the text messages they received, in response.<br />
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*Here are some of the replies:<br />
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1. Who the hell is this?<br />
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2. Eh, mother of my children, are you sick or what?<br />
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3. Yeh, and I love you too. What's up with you??<br />
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4. What now? Did you crash the car again?<br />
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5. I don't understand what you mean?<br />
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6. What did you do now?<br />
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7. ?!?<br />
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8. Don't beat about the bush, just tell me how much you need?<br />
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9. Am I dreaming?<br />
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10. If you don't tell me who this message is actually for, someone will die.<br />
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11. I thought we agreed you wouldn't drink during the day.<br />
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12. Your mother is coming to stay with us, isn't she???<br />
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Norm didn’t say what happened to the men who replied so stupidly to their wives, but you can use your imagination.<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-88463377632273004232014-01-30T16:00:00.000-08:002014-01-30T16:00:01.192-08:00Want To Send Me Into Beast Mode? Just Push My Button<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>S</b>ay! Have you jumped into your Beast Mode for the Super Bowl yet? Seahawks’ running back Marshawn Lynch is getting ready to run amok with his Beast Mode over those Denver Broncos.<br />
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But hey, if football doesn’t send you into Beast Mode, what does? A lady friend of mine wondered (facetiously, I hope) on Facebook recently, why people, especially guys, go into Beast Mode waiting for a woman to pull out of a parking spot. Is the woman texting all her friends, writing her memoirs, studying a map on how to get out of the parking lot, looking for her lipstick and keys . . . WHAT!? How many times have I waited on a woman to vacate a parking spot after she came out of a store and got into her car? There I am, blocking traffic with my turn signal on to indicate I’m going to take the woman’s parking spot if she ever backs out of it. And how many times have I just given up waiting and gone to another spot? I feel a HULK episode coming on just thinking about it. Beast Mode!<br />
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Seahawks’ fans say Marshawn Lynch is in his Beast Mode when he runs through the opposing team’s offense like an unstoppable freight train. Guys try to tackle him and all they can do is hold on for a ride and hope eventually enough of their teammates will join them to gang-tackle Lynch and bring him down.<br />
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Beast Mode is a pretty good metaphor for how we react to certain situations in our lives, isn’t it? Surprising how certain things like your dog pooping on your rug (Sam would never do that!), or some bozo cutting you off on the freeway, or the ATM machine telling you there’s no money in your checking account, can set you off.<br />
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Somebody dinging my truck in a parking lot sure sends me into Beast Mode. Someone not replacing the empty toilet paper roll in the bathroom (no names); not being able to assemble something easily or not being able to figure out how to do somethin g on my computer also can send me into Beast Mode. But those things are all small potatoes.<br />
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What really sends me into Beast Mode is someone telling me I can’t do something I really want to do and - in my own mind at least - believe I have the ability to do. I will just by golly show you I can, which, I suppose, may be kind of a good thing. I have accomplished many things in life because I wanted to prove other people wrong. Know what I mean? If the term “Golden Years” has any special meaning for me, it’s that I’ve reached a point in my life where I don’t really give a rip what other people think of me or what they think I’m not capable of doing. Like the Viagra commercial says, I’ve reached an age where I’ve learned how to get some things done in spite of obstacles - like writing and publishing books. If nobody ever reads my books, at least I’ve produced a few - and the agents and publishers who won’t help me? Look out people I’m in Beast Mode and coming through!<br />
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Anyway, come Sunday, Sam and I will be joining the rest of the Seahawks’ 12th man fans and cheering our team on. Say, don’t you wonder when women are going to insist that the 12th man be referred to as the 12th person? Just asking.<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-81824810443133093092014-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-27T06:00:07.349-08:00Gluten-Free Beer or Not, Friday Night's for Chug-A-Lug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">L</span></b>ast Friday I remarked that since I was retired I had kind of forgotten what Fridays were all about. But as luck would have it, I remembered and took Kathleen to a local brew pub for beer and nachos - had to leave Sam home, of course. Sorry Sam.<br />
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Did you know there is such a thing as gluten-free beer? Apparently, gluten can cause celiac disease and a type of dermatitis. So, sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful brew (sung to Gilligan’s Island theme). Take a long pull or two on your hefeweizen and I’ll enlighten you.<br />
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According to Wikipedia, gluten-free beer is beer made from ingredients that do not contain glycoproteins (gluten). People who have gluten intolerance can have a bad reaction to certain proteins in grains, such as barley and wheat, commonly used to make beer. Something called hordein, found in barley, and gliadin found in wheat, are types of gluten that can trigger symptoms in celiac and dermatitis herpetiformis sufferers.<br />
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“Coeliac (celiac) disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that damages the villi (little wormy finger-like thingies) of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. Celiac disease occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward. Symptoms include pain and discomfort in the digestive tract, chronic constipation and diarrhea, failure to thrive (in children), anemia and fatigue. Vitamin deficiencies are often noted in people with celiac disease. Celiac disease can lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers, and other autoimmune diseases.”<br />
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“Dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), or Duhring's disease, is a chronic blistering skin condition, characterized by blisters filled with a watery fluid. Despite its name, DH is neither related to nor caused by herpes virus: the name means that it is a skin inflammation having an appearance similar to herpes.”<br />
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So, I guess I might owe an apology of sorts to gluten intolerance sufferers. I’ve been pretty vocal about taking the gluten out of our foods, but man! If you can’t quaff a tall, cold one on a Friday night because of gluten intolerance that's harsh. My only question is, since it’s estimated that only 1 in 133 Americans or about 1% of our population have celiac disease why are we going so overboard (the typical American way) and eliminating gluten from nearly everything on our grocery store shelves?<br />
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Gluten be danged, Kathleen and I risked our lives to hoist a couple of locally brewed pale ales Friday night. We didn’t ask if our beers were gluten-free, but they tasted pretty darned good going down. I’m not usually a very enthusiastic imbiber of brew pub micro-brewed, handcrafted (or whatever they call them) beers though. Call me unenlightened and old fashioned, but I generally prefer the taste of good old Bud. I’d still drink Oly and Hamms too if they were still around and if I still drank much beer - which I swear I don’t (I only had two officer). Strangely enough, Bud is supposed to be fairly gluten free, because it is brewed mostly with rice rather than wheat or barley.<br />
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I wonder if dogs can be gluten intolerant? I’ve known a couple of dogs who really liked their beer. Sorry though Sam, this brew is not for you.</div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-67331611999311003072014-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-23T06:00:08.767-08:00Stuck for Words? Consult This Book of Witty One-Liners<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>Dear readers: please consider today’s blog a book review (of sorts). That way maybe Sam and I won’t get in trouble for plagiarism or for violating any copyright laws. </i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>D</b></span>o you enjoy witty sayings zippy one-liners, gotchas? Sam and I do too. I bought a book titled <i>Great One Liners</i> at Barnes & Noble the other day and Sam and I thought I should share a few laughs with you. The book was published by Platinum Press, L.L.C. and edited by Marcia Kamien.<br />
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I’ve always admired W.C. Fields’ ability to put life in its proper perspective, like when he says, (quoting from the book) “Everybody’s got to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another beer.” How about this saying from Dean Martin, “You’re not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.” Frank Sinatra chipped in his two cents by saying, “I feel sorry for people who don’t drink. When they wake up in the morning, that’s as good as they’re going to feel all day.”<br />
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Sam and I are betting more than a few Seahawks fans can relate to those sayings about strong drink, especially after Sunday’s playoff game against the 49’ers.<br />
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How about this saying for all you New Year’s resolutionistas on the importance of exercise: “Exercise can add minutes to your life. This enables you, at 85 years of age, to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $7,000 per month.”<br />
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“We could certainly slow the aging process if it had to work its way through Congress.”<br />
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“How about a fitness program for older folks called Pumping Rust?”<br />
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Moving on, I like these sayings: “What’s the difference between a Harley and a Hoover? The position of the dirt bag.”<br />
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Hey, “If carrots are so good for the eyes, how come we see so many dead rabbits on the highway?”<br />
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“The sooner you fall behind, the more time you’ll have to catch up.”<br />
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“Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a beer guy and a bald head, and still think they’re sexy.”<br />
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“The enemy isn’t conservatism. The enemy isn’t liberalism. The enemy is bullshit,” (according to Lars Erik Nelson).<br />
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“Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings. They did it by killing everyone opposing them.”<br />
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“We have 35 million laws, trying to enforce just Ten Commandments.” (How many times have I said that!)<br />
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“Some mistakes are too much fun to make only once.” (I’ll drink to that!)<br />
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“Forget health food. I’m at an age when I need all the preservatives I can get.”<br />
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“Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, ‘I think I’ll squeeze those dangly things and drink whatever comes out?’”<br />
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“I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.”<br />
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“Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.”<br />
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“Old aunts used to come up to me at family weddings, poking me in the ribs and telling me, ‘You’re next!’ They stopped after I began doing the same thing to them at funerals.”<br />
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Sam and I give <i>Great One Liners</i> three tail wags. It’s a fun read. Pick up a copy for yourself.<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-36058823606373345152014-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-20T06:00:14.698-08:00Locked Up or Not Cookies Are Not Safe Around Sam and Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">B</span></b>een caught with your hand in the cookie jar lately?<br /><br />Now there’s a new way for your mother, wife, daughter, whomever, to keep your sticky fingers out of those Toll House goodies, those buttery-rich Snicker doodles, those coconut macaroons and those oatmeal raisin chewies . <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/kitchen-safe/27959/">The Kitchen Safe</a> cookie jar, as advertised in the January/February issue of <i><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-magazine/package/index.html">Food Network Magazine</a> </i>(page 36), “has a lockable lid that keeps you from over-snacking.”<br /><br />But how can over snacking on cookies be a problem? Define over-snacking.<br /><br />The Kitchen Safe is a clear plastic box-like container that has a lid with a digital timer on the top. The advertisement for The Kitchen Safe says, “Fill it with cookies or candy, then set the timer. I’ll stay sealed for up to 10 days - with no override option. “<br /><br />No override option? For 10 days! What the . . .? Looks to me like the Kitchen Safe might succumb to a hefty crowbar though - or a small pipe bomb. I’m telling you man, you don’t want to get between Sam and me and our cookies! I am the original Cookie Monster. That dude on Sesame Street could never keep up with me when it comes to munching cookies. Sam has become quite the cookie monster too. If he even thinks I’m opening up a bag of cookies he comes a runnin’.<br /><br />When I was a kid my mother tried in vain to hide cookies from me. But I always sniffed them out. She got so exasperated she once hid some chocolate chippers in the wash machine. Shoot! I found them. “I can’t believe you can eat so many cookies my mom would yell at me.”<br /><br />Of course, I wasn’t quite the cookie monster my mother thought I was. I actually sold most of her cookies to neighbor kids. We lived in this low-cost housing project in Paso Robles. California, in those days and a lot of Fort Ord army families lived there too, and those Army brats (uh, kids) always seemed to have nickels or dimes (allowances I guess) to spend. One day a kid begged me to give him one of my mother’s cookies, but I made him pay a nickel for it and a young entrepreneur was born. Soon, every time my mother baked cookies the word went out and as soon as mom left the house a line formed at our kitchen window. A couple of times I made so much money selling cookies I was afraid my mother would find out so I ran up to the nearby neighborhood store and bought yo-yos or candy or something I could hide. I’m surprised my sister never squealed on me.<br /><br />One of those Kitchen Safes could be kind of handy, just not for keeping cookies locked up. Sam and I suggest broccoli or certain other vegetables be put in there. Ten days without eating some of that stuff would be wonderful. Sam thinks so too. He’s wagging his tail just thinking about freeing up some cookies!<br /><br /></div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-14419822172268510412014-01-16T06:36:00.000-08:002014-01-16T06:39:10.469-08:00Love Your Dog. You will Never Have A Better Companion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>S</b></span>am farted in my truck this week. I was driving him to the park for our walk when he cut loose with a big SBD phewy. The smell was so gross, my tongue swelled up, my eyes bugged out and I thought for a minute my life was over because I’d been gassed by terrorists.<br />
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It’s hard to believe Sam’s flatulence stems from what I feed him because he doesn’t eat that much. The reason I bring this whole flatulence thing up though is so I can talk about how much I love my dog - as we say in our wedding vows, “for better or for worse.” I vowed when I adopted Sam that I would love him always and that I would never forsake him. A little stink bomb now and then isn’t going to send me packing.<br />
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A lot of people do forsake their dogs. How sad. I don’t know about the rest of you but I almost can’t watch those television ads for the ASCPA where they show pictures of all those pathetic abandoned and abused dogs. OMG! It tears my heart out to see the looks on the faces of those poor animals.<br />
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I read in the local paper yesterday that a guy was facing felony animal abuse charges because he lost his temper with his girlfriend’s cockapoo who wouldn’t stop barking. The guy punched the little pooch, fracturing its skull, breaking its jaw and ribs; it had to be put down. How could a person do that? And I also read somewhere that some people dumped a dog out on a freeway off ramp and drove off without it; that actually happens quite frequently. Then there was the story about somebody kidnapping a little dog and demanding a $60 ransom to give him back to his owners. Only $60 though? What did that dog-napper need money for, I wonder - to buy a toke of our state’s newly-legalized marijuana? The stuff cost’s way more than that doesn’t it?<br />
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Sam and I like this pledge that I found on the LOTL Rescue animal welfare Facebook page:<br />
“ I will never move and not take you with me. I will never sell you for money. I will never put you in a shelter and leave. I will never just keep you for your puppy days. I will never let you starve. I will never let you hurt. I will never desert you when you get old and blind.” <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LotlRescue">https://www.facebook.com/LotlRescue</a><br />
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You also might enjoy reading a heart-rending story called <i>Tank the Dog </i>on the internet blog called "One Marine’s View." <span id="goog_1620893060"></span><span id="goog_1620893061"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> <a href="http://www.onemarinesview.com/one_marines_view/2013/03/a-dog-named-tank.html">http://www.onemarinesview.com/one_marines_view/2013/03/a-dog-named-tank.html</a> The story may be a complete fabrication, but it really speaks to the plight of some dogs and how loving them can turn their lives around. The story is about a black Lab left at a shelter by a young Marine who was shipped overseas to fight in Afghanistan. The dog was adopted by another guy who wasn’t bonding all that well with the dog until the new owner read a letter the Marine had left with his dog.<br />
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Enjoy your dog or dogs while you have them. You never know what unfortunate circumstances might separate you. Sam’s wagging his tail 'cause he's glad we're together. Me too!<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-13758927309116520162014-01-13T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-13T06:00:01.410-08:00When My Dog Sam Smiles That sure Isn't Genetically Modified<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>M</b></span>y box of Cheerios this morning asked me to “Share what Cheerios means to you (me).” I was supposed to do that on Facebook.com/Cheerios. Another side of the box said, “Smile” because (again quoting the box), “There’s something about the taste of Cheerios that kids never outgrow.”<br />
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Apparently some adults never outgrow what Cheerios means to them, because a bunch of moms recently talked General Mills into swearing off using GMOs in Cheerios. The moms are insisting we need to eat natural foods and GMOs ain’t natural.<br />
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You know what GMOs are right?<b> <u>G</u></b>enetically <b><u>M</u></b>odified <b><u>O</u></b>rganisms are plants or animals whose cells have been modified with a gene from an unrelated species to develop a resistance against insects or to increase nutrients - something like that. Apparently, GMOs have been part of our food chain for the past 20 years and we’ve just been a little slow to react.<br />
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Ten foods that reportedly have been modified genetically include: sugar beets, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, squash, golden rice, soybeans, oils, animal feeds and (very soon) salmon. And all those things show up in a wide variety of products on our grocery shelves. So now, not only do we have to quit drinking milk (lactose intolerance); anything with gluten in it (bread, etc.); sugar (candy and cookies!); meat, and anything else the vegan-Nazis care to outlaw, but we have to keep on smiling?<br />
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I don’t know about you but since I’m diabetic I don’t mind if GMOs are being used to manufacture sugarless foods, like the sugarless chocolate pudding I eat, the sugarless Popsicles, sugarless candy, etcetera. Those things all taste pretty good to me. I don’t have any problem with farm-grown fish and that sort of food either. Sam and I don’t generally eat fish anyway<br />
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I sort of like General Mills’ suggestion that we smile when we eat our Cheerios though, because we need to smile more. I don’t make New Year’s resolutions but I am trying to put more “smile” into this blog. It’s been too easy to get down on people and events. No more having Sam poop on things if I can help it.<br />
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Anyway, speaking of eating more natural foods, you remember Euell Gibbons? According to my unimpeachable reference source (Wikipedia, of course) Gibbons was an advocate of eating nutritious but neglected plants. “He typically prepared these with abundant use of spices, butter and garnishes. A 1974 television commercial for Post Grape Nuts cereal featured Gibbons asking viewers "Ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible." While he recommended eating Grape Nuts over eating pine trees (Grape Nuts' taste "reminds me of wild hickory nuts"), the quote caught the public's imagination and fueled his celebrity status.”<br />
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Alas poor Euell didn’t live to be one hundred years old as many of the natural food advocates think eating healthy will enable them to do. I’m smiling.<br />
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Personally, it makes me smile a lot to think GMOs might be the key to feeding our world’s ever-burgeoning and starving population. If we could see news reports of smiling children with their bellies full of GMO doctored food, that would be better than having to watch them starve to death. Organic farming will never be able to keep up with the world’s hunger.<br />
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And hey! Shouldn't you quit feeding your kid Ritalin and vitamins and other drugs if you want him or her to grow up naturally? Just saying.<br />
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Sam likes the idea of feeding the world’s starving children so much he’s grinning and vigorously wagging his tail. His smile certainly isn't genetically modified. Sorry Cheerios.</div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-59384658195252242262014-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-09T06:00:00.625-08:00Jane Pauley Says I Should Just Keep Reimagining Myself<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>S</b></span>am and I notice that Jane Pauley has a <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/jane-pauley-publishes-life-calling-article-1.1565697">new book out</a> titled <i>Your Life Calling: Reimagining the Rest of Your Life. </i>You remember Jane - a former Today talk show host? Jane says many of us have the opportunity to “re-imagine” our lives more than once because we are living longer than we used to.<br /><br />Jane says : You don’t have to get it right the first time; there is no most authentic “you” waiting to be revealed; reimagining yourself doesn’t mean a total makeover; you don’t need to have a passion for something; and trial and error are keys to growth.<br /><br />I like Jane’s assertion that there is no authentic “you” waiting to be revealed. I can’t tell you how many people wonder what God’s calling is for them and totally miss the point of why they’re even alive. I also like that Jane says you don’t have to have a passion for something. People make you feel like a failure if you don’t passionately want to do something with your life. I admit that people who achieve true greatness may very well have a passion they pursue relentlessly, thus achieving what most of us can only dream about. Still . . .<br />I don’t know if I can call it re-imagining myself or a passion, but lately I have developed a keen interest in engaging people in conversation, much like Jane used to do; maybe because I grew up in a family of seven kids and was raised not to speak unless spoken to. I find it fascinating to sit down with someone and learn who they are and what makes them tick.<br /><br />For example, I had a new crown fitted at the dentist yesterday and I had a fun and interesting conversation with the dental assistant. We talked about several things then the subject of spiders came up and she revealed to me how much she loathed spiders. The dental assistant said if she saw a spider crawling around the treatment room, she would call the dentist to kill it because she was just too squeamish.<br /><br />I think I’ve been reimagining myself in the image of my late grandfather who could and would talk to just about anybody, anywhere, anytime. I always admired him for that and I learned that it’s okay to open up a conversation with someone. It’s fun!<br /><br />In my lifetime I’ve been a grocery clerk, mailman, sawmill worker, policeman, real estate agent, restaurant cook, writer and editor, business owner and more. I always enjoyed the conversations I had with people when I worked at those occupations. Good luck getting anybody to have a genuine conversation with you when you’re a cop though. All that authority gets in the way.<br /><br />I don’t know if I’ll ever totally be what I wanted to grow up to be because I didn’t really want to be anything in particular (well, maybe a cowboy). But I’ve always been at least a B to B+ kind of guy and maybe someday I’ll achieve an A if I keep reimagining.<br /><br />Two wags of Sam’s tail to that!<br /><br /></div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-2408153323654764312014-01-06T06:00:00.000-08:002014-01-06T06:00:05.174-08:00Resolved Not to Make New Resolutions We Won't Keep<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>W</b></span>e’re baaaackk! Sam and I were on hiatus during the holidays, but here we are again. Hope all you loyal readers didn’t leap to someone else’s blog while we were gone.<br /><br />I don’t know about Sam but I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions anymore. I never keep them so why bother? I did make a resolution this past spring to lose weight and get back into some kind of shape (besides pear blobbo). So, I joined a gym and my plan seems to be working, albeit a little slower than I’d like.<br /><br />Three days a week I drive to Thrive. You like that? Thrive is the name of the gym I go to. Don’t ask me why it’s named that, I don’t know. But three days a week I go there, even after walking Sam for a mile. I’m dedicated. I even think the owners of the gym should make a TV commercial featuring me on the elliptical or stationary bike or some other piece of equipment, and as the camera pans up close to me I could smile big and cheesy and say, “I’m thriving! I’m thriving!” Huh?<br /><br />I got off to kind of a rough start at Thrive though. I went in there and told this young lady behind the reception counter that I wanted a six pack. She started laughing. A guy behind the counter laughed too and said, “We don’t allow drinking here.” My wife later told me I should have said I wanted a kegger. Smart aleck woman!<br /><br />Anyway, I lost 25 pounds this past summer and started looking and feeling pretty good. I attended my 50-year high school reunion and sneered at my old fat buddies, ‘cause I still got it and they don’t. And I’ve managed to keep about 23 pounds of the weight I lost off. I gained a couple back during the recent holidays, so it’s back to the old diet plan and the treadmill. But no worries.<br /><br />Still, I try not to make resolutions anymore because, I don’t know about you, but I seem to have this perverse reaction to resolutions - as in cheating on them in every way possible and totally destroying my resolve, thus seriously damaging my fragile male ego. That just doesn’t work for me, so no more New Year’s resolutions.<br /><br />Besides, I have to drive past a cemetery near my house on my way to Thrive and I can’t help but thinking, “Won’t be long now buddy- especially if you don’t quit stuffing your face.” <br /><br />Since I’m already thriving, I’ll skip resolutions and enjoy this life while I’ve still got the time. Why walk, around all pent up and bent over with angst and guilt because I broke my New Year’s resolutions? That just doesn’t make sense <br /><br />Just so you know, Sam and I have decided not to poop on stuff so much this year. In a more positive vein, Sam’s giving three wags of the ol’ Shih Tzu tail to this blog. Thanks for coming back!</div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-25637439323924344392013-12-17T08:34:00.003-08:002013-12-17T08:34:14.609-08:00Merry Christmas to All and to All A Very Happy New Year!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sam and I are taking a little time off from writing our blog. See you back here in the New Year. In the meantime, enjoy our archived blog postings. </div>
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-4721180789462045132013-12-13T06:22:00.000-08:002013-12-13T06:22:10.802-08:00Have A Holly (Red Berry Tree) and Totally Merry Christmas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam and Kathleen have been bugging me to tell them what kind of Christmas gift I want. Wait, was that singular gift or plural gifts?<br /><br />Truthfully, I don’t want much because I don’t need much - nothing actually. But I was thinking of the line in <i>It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas</i> that goes, “But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door.”<br /><br />I would like a holly tree for Christmas - you know, with the red berries (males I think). I’d like to plant one in our yard this year. Hopefully, Sam won’t be tempted to over-water it.<br /><br />Why do I want a holly tree? Oh, I’m so glad you asked. Nostalgia, of course! A holly tree reminds me of the best Christmases I ever had - at my grandparents’ house in Oregon. I loved my grandparents so much. Even though they’ve been gone many years now I still have their picture on my dresser bureau. I always felt happy and safe and warm at my grandparents’ home and a holly tree reminds me of the times I helped my grandma clip twigs from that tree to decorate her house. I don’t remember where she used the twigs - front door, fireplace mantle, around the family room with bunches of pine cones, possibly laid around the nut bowl, which had all kinds of nuts in it. We cracked and ate the nuts while opening our gifts in front of the roaring fireplace.<br /><br />My grandparents’ holly tree must have been six to eight feet tall and possessed an ample girth. Grandpa was good at growing trees as evidenced by the holly and the filbert tree (called hazelnut now) and the cherry and apple trees in the yard. I’ll never forget either how grandpa waged war on greedy gobbling birds that went after his cherries - he put rubber snakes in the branches, which scared the crap out of me the first time I climbed that tree. Grandpa also sat on his porch and plinked at the blue jays after his filberts with his .22 rifle.<br /><br />The holly tree was one of the first things my family saw as we pulled up in the driveway to my grandparents’ house in our station wagon loaded with kids and presents. That tree became sort of a beacon of the holidays for me - sort of like the Star of David pointing me toward happiness and hope. I always looked at that tree like it was a good omen as I trudged up the walk from the driveway to my grandparents’ front door.<br /><br />The holly tree couldn’t compete with the smell of the Christmas tree in the house of course, but no matter. Those red berries just made me think of Christmas so that to this day red is my favorite color and I still associate it with Christmas. The holly leaves were kind of prickly, but that just enhanced their beauty - the prickles meant that here was a thing of beauty not to be taken lightly or messed with unkindly.<br /><br />That’s how I think of Christmas, something beautiful and not to be taken lightly or messed with by greedy retail merchants and stupid government officials. May Sam and a Wise Man’s camel poop on people who would mess with Christmas. It’s our American tradition and one I personally would like to preserve for all the ages.<br /><br /></div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-35304177971990548802013-12-11T07:18:00.001-08:002013-12-11T07:18:18.826-08:00Does Lake On Mars Mean There Might Have Been Christmas Trees Too?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam asked me if I thought there were Christmas trees on Mars. <br /><br />“Gee, I don’t think so. It’s awfully dry and arid.”<br /><br />“Well,” Sam said, “I asked because I noticed you reading that article in<i> USA Today</i> about some geophysicists saying there once was a giant lake on Mars; maybe even more than one lake. Supposedly, the Mars Rover has found evidence of a lake.”<br /><br />“That was an interesting article, but I couldn’t help wondering if those geophysicists were engaging in some wishful thinking. For many years now our country’s scientific community has been telling us there might once have been life on Mars. One can’t help thinking the scientists are casting an eye on Mars as a future planet for us, you know, to escape to once global warming drives us off the earth. Or maybe the scientists are hoping they’ll learn something from the dryness of Mars that will tell us how to cope with our coming dryness. Who knows?<br /><br />“Remember those old movies where life on earth was ending and people were panicking to get on space ships to blast off to another planet? Remember? I used to watch those with total fascination.”<br /><br />“What really tickled me about that water on Mars article,” Sam said, “was the headline that said, ‘Martian swimming hole holds hope.’ Excuse me, but what imaginative writer came up with that swimming hole headline?”<br /><br />“I can just see little green people with big bug eyes and purple antennae wearing bikinis with leg holes for each of their three legs,” I giggled. “Do you suppose they wore suntan lotion? Or would their green skin coloring keep them from burning?”<br /><br />“Heck if I know,” Sam said. “But you know, I’m wondering if giant dinosaurs drank up all the water in the lakes and that’s what made them go dry.”<br /><br />“Heck if I know,” I said.<br /><br />“Do you suppose they water skied, inner tubed, belly boarded or any of that stuff?”<br /><br />“Heck if I know.”<br /><br />“You don’t know very much do you,” Sam growled at me.<br /><br />“Well, I’m not a scientist. But I can’t help wondering if the lakes on Mars dried up because of overdevelopment. You know how we’re overdeveloping our land here on Earth and squabbling over water rights?”<br /><br />“You might have something there,” Sam acknowledged. <br /><br />“I can just see the Martian media advertising water view condos,” I laughed.<br /><br /> “Wonder how much a condo with a lake view cost on Mars,” Sam speculated. “It would be nice to get one with a big window that we could stand our Christmas tree in front of, but a condo like that probably would cost more than you could afford, huh?”<br /><br />“Heck if I know.”<br /><br />“Will you quit saying that!”<br /><br />“Heck if I know! Besides, you started it.”<br /><br />“Aarggh! Sometimes you make me so mad I want to pee on your leg.”<br /><br />“I wonder if they had dogs on Mars?<br /><br />“Green Martian dogs? With two heads and six legs or something like that?”<br /><br />“Heck if I know.”<br /><br />“Will you quit saying that!”<br /><br />“I hope the Mars park department posted poop bags around the lake,” I said.<br /><br />“Oooh. Martian dog poop! Gross!<br /><br />“No more gross than yours.”<br /><br />“You don’t think so, huh?”<br /><br />“Heck if I know. <br /><br />“Wait now Sam, what are you doing? Put your leg down! Sam!”<br /><br />Merry Christmas everyone!<br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-72901085075496082013-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:002013-12-09T06:00:11.972-08:00Creches or Nativities Depict Message of Joy to the World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hark! The herald angels sing. Let earth receive her king!<br /><br />Kathleen and I attended a crèche festival at an Olympia-area church last evening. In case you don’t know what a crèche is here’s what Wikipedia says:<br /><br />“A nativity scene or crèche, also known as a manger scene, is the special exhibition of art objects representing the scene of the birth of Jesus. Nativity scenes exhibit figures representing the infant Jesus, his mother Mary and Joseph. Other characters from the nativity story, such as shepherds and sheep and angels may be displayed near the manger in a barn (or cave) as described in the gospel of Luke. A donkey and an ox are typically depicted in the scene, as well as the Magi and camels belonging to the Magi, described in Matthew. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_scene">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_scene</a><br /><br />“Saint Francis of Assisi, inspired by a visit to the Holy Land where he had been shown Jesus’ traditional birthplace, is credited with creating the first nativity scene, intending thereby to cultivate the worship of Christ. The first nativity exhibition was staged in a cave near Greccio, Italy. St. Francis' nativity scene was a living one with humans and animals cast in the Biblical roles. Pope Honorius III gave his blessing to the exhibit. Eventually, statues replaced human and animal participants, and static scenes grew to elaborate affairs with richly robed figurines placed in intricate landscape settings.”<br /><br />Oh little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie. The stars are shining brightly in royal David’s city. Joy to the world!<br /><br />Kathleen and I would like to collect some more crèches. We have two, one we bought at a Hallmark store and one we bought at the Crockett Art Museum in Sacramento, CA. We’ve liked the idea of collecting crèches since we helped sponsor a Crèche Festival in Bellingham, WA a few years ago. We’ve seen beautiful crèches carved in wood, fashioned in metal, pasted together with paper mache, fired as clay figurines; some feature precious stones, some are made of cardboard. It is fascinating to see how many different materials artists use to fashion a nativity scene.<br /><br />“A (weird?) tradition in England involved baking a mince pie in the shape of a manger to hold the Christ Child until dinnertime when the pie was eaten. The Puritans banned Christmas celebrations here in the 17th century, passing legislation to outlaw such pies, calling them "Idolatries in crust” <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_scene">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_scene</a><br /><br />“Distinctive nativity scenes and traditions have been created around the world and are displayed during the Christmas season in churches, homes, shopping malls and other venues, and occasionally on public lands and in public buildings. The Vatican has displayed a scene in St. Peter’s Square since 1982. In the United States, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City annually displays a Neapolitan Baroque nativity scene before a 20-foot blue spruce.<br /><br />“Nativity scenes have not escaped controversy. A life-sized scene in the United Kingdom featuring waxworks celebrities provoked outrage in 2004, and, in Spain, a city council forbade the exhibition of a traditional toilet humor character in a public nativity scene. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) indicates that animals in living displays lack proper care and suffer abuse. In the United States, nativity scenes on public lands and in public buildings have provoked court challenges, and the prankish theft of ceramic or plastic nativity figurines from outdoor displays has become commonplace.”<br /><br />An excellent article about crèches, written by Joe Cardenas, appeared a few years ago in a blog of the Heights School in Potomac, MD. The article was titled, “The Crèche, Its History, and its Meaning for Us this Advent. Sam and I urge you to check it out. <a href="http://onlyattheheights.org/2010/12/17/the-creche-its-history-and-its-meaning-for-us-this-advent/">http://onlyattheheights.org/2010/12/17/the-creche-its-history-and-its-meaning-for-us-this-advent/</a><br /><br />Poop on you if you don’t.<br /><br />For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. He shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.<br /><br />Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant. Hallelujah!<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-10518086428927699792013-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:002013-12-06T06:00:10.520-08:00Here's A Little Christmas Levity to (Hopefully) Make You Laugh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam and I are concerned that our blogs have been too serious of late so we thought a little levity might be in order today.<br /><br />We were imagining a conversation between the Lone Ranger and Tonto as they sat around the campfire out on the lone prairie.<br /><br />“Kemo Sabe,” Tonto says, ‘We need em Christmas tree.”<br /><br />“You see any trees out here on the prairie my friend?”<br /><br />“No. But Kemo Sabe, what you want for Christmas?”<br /><br />“Oh, just some silver bullets I guess.”<br /><br />“Every year you want same thing Kemo Sabe. Silver bullets! Those much hard to find and cost much wampum.”<br /><br />“Well, you asked me. “<br /><br />“You never kill anybody with silver bullets.”<br /><br />“No. They’re mostly just for show. What do you want for Christmas?”<br /><br />“Me want em new velour suit, get rid of buckskins.”<br /><br />“A velour suit!”<br /><br />“Yes Kemo Sabe. Royal blue, no fringes. Tonto tired of fringes.”<br /><br />“Are you turning weird on me Tonto?”<br /><br />“No weirder than you Kemo Sabe. Silver bullets. You think we be killing werewolves or vampires pretty soon, huh?”<br /><br />“I don’t know about that, but I think I’ll move my bedroll over by that cactus, give you a little more space.”<br /><br />Now we segue to the Flintstones.<br /><br />“Whad’ya want for Christmas Wilma,” Fred asks?<br /><br />“I think I’d like a new stone necklace darling. You know, one of those sparkly rock kind they call a diamond necklace?”<br /><br />“A diamond necklace! You know how long I’d have to work at the rock quarry to buy you one of those?”<br /><br />“Well, you did ask. I suppose I’d be willing to settle for a George Forman brontosaurus grill.”<br /><br />“Now you’re talkin’.”<br /><br />“What would you like Fred?”<br /><br />“I’d like a new bowling rock.”<br /><br />“That sounds doable.”<br /><br />“Yeah, and I’d like a new hunting bow too. And a camo body skin, and a brontosaurus whistle, and a . . .<br /><br />“Whoa, whoa big boy. You don’t give me that much money from your paycheck you know. Maybe I should get a job.”<br /><br />“Oh no you don’t Wilma. I don’t want to be looked down on by the rest of my caveman buddies because I can’t take care of my woman. “<br /><br />“Oh, Fred! Grab a hank of my hair now and drag me off to bed.”<br /><br />Okay Wilma. Yabba dabba do!”<br /><br />All right. Here’s one more scenario, this one between a priest and a penitent.<br /><br />“Forgive me father for I have sinned.”<br /><br />“For crying out loud, what did you do this time?”<br /><br />“I broke a commandment, number seven.”<br /><br />“So, if I add correctly, that’s 49 this month alone.””<br /><br />“Huh?”<br /><br />“Seven times breaking number seven. Seven times seven equals forty nine.”<br /><br />“Huh?”<br /><br />“Oh forget it!” You realize you’ve confessed this year to the breaking of all the commandments except though shalt not kill?”<br /><br />“I missed that one, huh?”<br /><br />“I guess, at least you haven’t confessed to it. Have you been doing penance - you know, your hail Mary’s and all that?”<br /><br />“Well, I might have forgotten some.”<br /><br />“You forgot? Dear God, what am I to do with you?”<br /><br />“Forgive me?”<br /><br />“Do I look like Santa Claus? You’ve been on my naughty list for way to long.”<br /><br />“But Father . . .!<br /><br />“Don’t father me! I’m washing my hands of you - get it, washing my hands?”<br /><br />“You’re not forgiving my sins?”<br /><br />“Sure I am. I’m washing my hands of them. Now you’ll have to excuse me I’m going to retire to my priestly quarters and drink a bottle or two of communion wine. You drive me to drink.”<br /><br />Merry Christmas y’all! Don’t take any wooden poop!<br /><br /> <br /><br /> <br /><br /> </div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-12195698997892794192013-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:002013-12-04T06:00:05.915-08:00Sneaky DNA Testing Is Nothing but Unlawful Gestapo Tactic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam and I want to make sure ALL you readers become aware of the fact that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is spending $7.9 million on a Gestapo-type violation of our civil rights.<br />
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Several news organizations and bloggers have reported that drivers recently were asked for samples of their breath, saliva and blood at a police roadblocks in Texas and other states.<br />
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Scott Gordon, reported for NBCDFW.com in an article titled <a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/North-Texas-Drivers-Stopped-at-Roadblock-Asked-for-Saliva-Blood-232438621.html">T</a><i><a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/North-Texas-Drivers-Stopped-at-Roadblock-Asked-for-Saliva-Blood-232438621.html">exas drivers get asked for saliva, blood at police roadbloc</a>k</i>, “Some drivers along a busy Fort Worth street on Friday were stopped at a police roadblock and directed into a parking lot, where they were asked by federal contractors for samples of their breath, saliva and even blood. It was part of a government research study aimed at determining the number of drunken or drug-impaired drivers.”<br />
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The NHTSA insisted participation was "100 percent voluntary" and anonymous. But Gordon reported one woman said it didn't feel voluntary to her -- despite signs saying it was. "They were asking for cheek swabs," the woman said. "They said they would give $10 for that. Also, if you let them take your blood, they would pay you $50 for that." At the very least, she said, they wanted to test her breath for alcohol. She said she felt trapped. "I finally did the Breathalyzer test just because I thought that would be the easiest way to leave," she said, adding she received no money.”<br />
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An NHTSA agency spokeswoman has confirmed the government is conducting the surveys in 30 cities across the country in an effort to reduce impaired-driving accidents. The survey in Fort Worth was done by a government contractor, the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, which is based in Calverton, Md.<br />
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But according to Gordon’s NBCFW.com article, a constitutional attorney Frank Colosi said, "You can't just be pulled over randomly or for no reason.”<br />
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The ACLU and other civil rights agencies reportedly are considering suing the federal government to try to shut down or limit the collection program. According to <a href="http://www.dailytech.com/Texas+Police+Ask+Drivers+for+Blood+Samples+Secretly+Test+Those+Who+Refuse/article33789.htm"><i>Daily Tech</i>,</a> blogger Jason Mick, Susan Watson, executive director of the Alabama chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union called the detention and sampling of drivers an "abuse of power,” remarking, "How voluntary is it when you have a police officer in uniform flagging you down? Are you going to stop? Yes, you're going to stop.”<br />
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In <i>Daily Tech </i>Jason Mick further quoted Alabama Governor Robert Bentley as saying he was shocked and outraged that a similar program had been carried out in St. Clair and Bibb counties in his state.<br />
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“I am instructing my Secretary of Law Enforcement, Spencer Collier, to investigate this issue,” Gov. Bentley said. “Like many people, I have questions about how and why these surveys were carried out along Alabama's roads. We need to find out from the federal government exactly what is being done with the information that was collected. We'll do everything we can to get to the bottom of the issue and make sure that the rights of our citizens are protected.”<br />
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Reports about this Gestapo police tactic also have appeared in the <i>Dallas Observer</i> blogs, <i>AOL Autos.com</i> and other internet sites.<br />
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<i>Fort Worth Star Telegram</i> blogger Bud Kennedy reported on Facebook that “Fort Worth Police Chief Jeff Halstead has apologized for allowing police to work the survey off duty. (He also went out of his way to publish the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration phone number and email for complaints).”<br />
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Here they are:<br />
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National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)<br />
Phone: 1-888-327-4236<br />
Website: <a href="http://www.nhtsa.gov/">nhtsa.gov</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NHTSA">NHTSA</a><br />
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Three bags of poop times - two or three - on stopping motorists to obtain blood, breath, saliva or urine samples - voluntary or not. If you want to read more about this issue go to: http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/11/19/5352309/fort-worth-police-stopped-motorists.html#storylink=cpy<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-75812924203811680452013-12-02T06:00:00.000-08:002013-12-02T06:00:00.745-08:00Sudden Wealth Disruptive, Catastrophic? Bring It On!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Every year when I ask the kids and grandkids what they want for Christmas they say “money!” so, that’s what they usually get - you know, $50 or $100 depending how flush I feel. I daydream sometimes that I could give them more, like $1,000 or $10,000, but that won’t happen unless I win the lottery or my books suddenly start selling like hotcakes.<br />
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Besides, Sam and I read an article by Robert Powell in <i>USA Today</i> titled "Don’t Bequeath Surprises", where Powell advised against surprising your loved ones with an unexpected inheritance after you die. That probably would hold true for surprising them with large money gifts for Christmas time too.<br />
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Powell said, “Anything financial that we send to another will always be a meteor from outer space crashing into the atmosphere of the recipient to which he or she must then adapt.”<br />
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Of course, Powell was talking about a LARGE amount of money. And he’s right, my kids definitely would consider a large gift from me an event of almost cataclysmic proportions, but hopefully, such a gift wouldn’t ruin their lives.<br />
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As far as Sam and I receiving a sudden large bequest of money for ourselves , we say, “Oh go ahead and crash into our atmosphere. Unexpected or not, a sudden burden or not, hit us with some massive green stuff and we’ll muddle our way through the challenges of this so-called “sudden money.”<br />
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According to a 2010 study called, "<a href="http://www.courier-journal.com/usatoday/article/3667643">Inheritance and Wealth Transfer to Baby Boomers</a>", commissioned by MetLife from Boston College’s Center for Retirement Research, and quoted by Powell, two of three baby Boomers who were 46 to 64 years old in 2010 were projected to inherit an average of $64,000. Wealthy boomer households were projected to receive up to a million and a half.. Alas, poor Boomers might only receive a paltry $27,000.<br />
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But Sam and I would take $27,000. We’d rather receive the million five and cope with the shortcomings of suddenly being rich, but something’s better than nothing. Sure, we’re going to hate going from dirt poor to filthy rich. Unfortunately, Sam and I don’t have a rich or even moderately wealthy relative, acquaintance or enemy anywhere within the known universe.<br />
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Powell is right though that suddenly coming into big chunks of money can disrupt your life. So-called “experts” say you should plan your transfer of wealth so you don’t upset your beneficiary’s apple cart. Between 2008 and 2009 bankruptcy filings for those with more than $1 million in assets increased by 73%, and <i>Sports Illustrated</i> says that 78% of former NFL players go bankrupt within two years of retirement. Even some lottery winners go bankrupt after winning hundreds of millions of dollars.<br />
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Donald Trump, Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson are among the rich and famous who went down the bankruptcy tubes after making millions. Strangely though, Sam and I don’t feel a bit sorry for those guys. We do kind of feel sorry for rapper M.C. Hammer, Best known for his 1990 hit “U Can’t Touch This.” Hammer filed for bankruptcy in 1996 with $13 million in debt after earning more than $30 million. Purchasing a $12 million mansion with a paid staff of 200 and hanging out with a 40-plus person entourage, led to his undoing.<br />
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Reportedly, even Abraham Lincoln filed for bankruptcy twice.<br />
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You might think someone lucky enough to win the lottery twice would manage not to go bust, but. Evelyn Basehore who a $3.9 million Pick Six jackpot in 1985 and then won $1.4 million in the same game just five months later, beating odds set at 1 in 15 trillion, gave too much of her money to friends and gambled away most of the rest of it. She reportedly now lives in a trailer park in Brick, N.J.<br />
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If you’d like to read more about unlucky lottery winners, check out the following website:<br />
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<a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/28/500-million-powerball-jackpot-the-tragic-stories-of-the-lotterys-unluckiest-winners/#ixzz2lngYxBIK">The Unlucky Winners | The Tragic Stories of the Lottery’s Unluckiest Winners | TIME.com</a> <a href="http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/28/500-million-powerball-jackpot-the-tragic-stories-of-the-lotterys-unluckiest-winners/#ixzz2lngYxBIK">http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/11/28/500-million-powerball-jackpot-the-tragic-stories-of-the-lotterys-unluckiest-winners/#ixzz2lngYxBIK</a><br />
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Three bags of poop on our lives becoming unraveled after winning or being bequeathed a large sum of money, but Sam and I are willing to take our chances. As Dubya once said to the terrorists, “Bring it on!”<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-44919691980534725252013-11-29T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-29T06:00:01.532-08:00Chemical Weapons Plan Makes Us See Red On Black Friday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam and I know today is Black Friday, but here is something to make you see red.<br /><br />A couple of blogs ago we tried to call attention to the fact that our oceans are becoming so trashed that there are vast islands of floating garbage out there. It’s totally disgusting. Now, there’s worse news. It is reported that “officials” of the<a href="http://www.opcw.org/"> Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)</a> are contemplating destroying Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons by dumping them at sea in international waters.<br /><br />Originally, the chemical weapons were supposed to be shipped to other countries, which would then dispose of them. But “other countries” balked at the idea. Imagine that! And even if they did take the chemical weapons, would they burn them as the U.S. is doing with ours?<br />
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<br />According to an article in <a href="http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/america-tonight-blog/2013/10/7/-the-long-costlyprocessofdestroyingchemicalweapons.html"><i>Aljazeera America</i></a> by Dave Gustafson, destroying chemical weapons by incineration is a long, costly process. “Since 1990, workers and robots at plants in six states and the middle of the Pacific Ocean have systematically destroyed some 55 million pounds of liquid VX, sarin and mustard agent in a variety of containers and weapons -- some dating back to World War I,” Gustafson reports. “The decades-long process of destroying all of America's chemical weapons is expected to cost around $35 billion, according to a recent estimate.”<br /><br />In an Associated Press article printed in the <a href="http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/viewart/20131116/NEWS01/131116016/Army-scrapping-4-US-chemical-weapons-incinerators"><i>Hattiesburg American</i>,</a> Jay Reeves reports, “The Pentagon spent $10.2 billion over three decades burning tons of deadly nerve gas and other chemical weapons stored in four states — some of the agents so deadly even a few drops can kill.”<br /><br />And the U.S. military estimates the final price tag for destroying America’s weapons will be at least $11.5 billion.<br /><br />Continuing to quote Reeves, “In Alabama, Oregon, Utah and Arkansas, crews are (now) either tearing apart multibillion-dollar incinerators or working to draw the curtain on a drama that began in the Cold War, when the United States and the former Soviet Union stockpiled millions of pounds of chemical weapons.<br /><br />“A $2.8 billion incinerator is being demolished in Umatilla, Ore., the Pentagon said, and work will begin soon to tear down a $3.7 billion incinerator at Tooele, Utah. Workers already have finished demolishing the $2.2 billion Pine Bluff Chemical Demilitarization Facility in Arkansas, the military said. The site is being cleaned up and will close officially<br /><br />“A $2.8 billion incinerator is being demolished in Umatilla, Ore., the Pentagon said, and work will begin soon to tear down a $3.7 billion incinerator at Tooele, Utah. Workers already have finished demolishing the $2.2 billion Pine Bluff Chemical Demilitarization Facility in Arkansas, the military said. The site is being cleaned up and will close officially.”<br /><br />Boy! That’s a lot of spondoolicks! No wonder other countries don’t want to deal with this problem. But going back to the Al jazeera article by Gustafson, so called experts say destroying Syria’s chemical weapons would require a lot of water (anyway), so dumping the weapons in the drink could have distinct advantages - but what about the potential environmental consequences?<br /><br />One smart aleck actually proposed destroying Syria’s chemical weapons in Syria. Go figure. According to an article in the <i>Wall Street Journal (WSJ)</i> by Naftali Bendavid, a Dutch foreign minister liked the idea of bringing (or building) a destructive installation (like an incinerator) to Syria, but apparently, that idea was too far out of the box.<br /><br />Moving Syria’s chemical weapons out of Syria, according to the WSJ is a “central element” of the plan for destroying their weapons stockpile.<br /><br />As Gustafson reports in AlJazeera, “The OPCW’s top priority is to prevent Syria from being able to make any more chemical weapons.”<br /><br />Okay. That’s cool. But dumping those weapons in the ocean which already is befouled in the extreme seems like a REALLY DUMB IDEA!<br /><br />If today’s blog doesn’t scare three bags of poop out of you Sam and I don’t know what will. Dumping chemical weapons at sea is an idea that doesn’t even hold water.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-9316909795203827492013-11-27T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-27T06:00:00.124-08:00I Want to Sin. I'm Thankful God Saves and Forgives Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam and I thought we should bow our heads with the rest of you this Thanksgiving and voice a little gratitude for our many blessings. Sam is glad for his warm bed, his toys and his bone. I am especially great full that when I freely confess my sins they are washed away by God’s incredible benevolence and grace.<br />
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I don’t know about you, but I struggle with sin, not so much committing a sin, but WANTING to commit it. I apologize if it sounds like I’m preaching at you non-believers, I’m just sharing how things are with me, and boy sometimes I want to commit a sin so badly I can hardly stand it. At those times I don’t even want to ask God for help. It is only through the working of his Holy Spirit within my soul - whether I ask for help or not - that I manage to avoid the sin I want to commit. I can take absolutely no credit for being strong, and even though I’ve resisted asking for help, God knows the struggles of my heart and comes to my rescue.<br />
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You know the seven deadly sins (as they are called)? I have committed or wanted to commit nearly all of them, except killing or giving false witness against someone. Here’s what the Book of Proverbs (6:16-19) in the <i>New American Standard Bible</i> says regarding the seven deadly sins:<br />
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“There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”<br />
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And then you’ve got your ten commandments God handed down to Moses: “You shall have no other Gods before me; you shall not make for yourself a craven image (of any other gods); you shall not take the name of the Lord in vain; remember the Sabbath and keep it holy; you shall honor your father and your mother; you shall not commit murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor; you shall not covet your neighbor’s house (wife, servants, donkeys, etc.).”<br />
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I like the way the Nicene Creed addresses sin: “Most merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what I have done and by what I have left undone. Have mercy on me and forgive me.”<br />
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I say thank you for things and particularly for forgiveness these days rather than just asking for them because I have discovered what the Bible says about faith is so true: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11: 1).<br />
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Thanks be to God for the assurance of help when I desire to sin and for forgiveness when I do. Dear readers I confess to you that even as I write I harbor sinful thoughts in my head and heart. I am like an addict. I will be sorely tempted to fall off the wagon as soon as I finish this blog. Three bags of poop on that!<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving one and all! May your hearts be stuffed with God’s grace and your face stuffed with good food. Let’s eat!<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-75305200187028866012013-11-25T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-25T06:00:01.809-08:00Free Tibet? Free Us From Tyranny of Do-Gooders and International Courts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam and I read in the <i>Wall Street Journal </i>that China’s former president Jiang Zemin and four other top Chinese officials were wanted in a Spanish court to face charges of alleged human-rights abuses in Tibet. Jiang Zemin served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002 and as President of the People's Republic of China from 1993 to 2003.<br />
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Okay, maybe Zemin was a bad guy, but what the heck gives the Spanish court the right to charge him and his buds with crimes that may have occurred in Tibet? Last time Sam and I checked our world map, Tibet was nowhere near Spain. Apparently, something called “universal jurisdiction” allegedly gives the Spanish courts the right to issue warrants to make the Chinese stand trial - if they ever set foot in Spain or other countries that have an extradition treaty with Spain. The <i>WSJ</i> points out it isn’t likely the Spanish warrants would ever be executed, but “the ruling would have symbolic impact in casting a further spotlight on human-rights issues in Tibet.”<br />
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As a lady friend of Sam and me used to say, “Oh, for cripes sake!”<br />
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How could this happen, you ask? Well, an organization calling itself <a href="http://www.cja.org/section.php?id=218">The Center for Justice and Accountability (C JA)</a> crows on its website that it “is providing legal advice and support to the legal team that initiated the Tibet Genocide Case pending before the Spanish National Court.” CJA says it has assisted with the second investigation initiated by Judge Pedraz which concerns the torture of Tibetans holding peaceful demonstrations and the killings of more than a hundred Tibetan priests. “Thousands of civilian Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese military since the 1949 invasion and occupation,” CJA says.<br />
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CJA’s stated mission is to be “an international human rights organization dedicated to deterring torture and other severe human rights abuses.” The organization, headquartered in San Francisco, California, was founded in 1998 with support from Amnesty International and the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, to represent torture survivors in their pursuit of justice. CJA's first client was a Bosnian torture and detention camp survivor.<br />
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You would be absolutely amazed at how many organizations like CJA there are and how many different international courts and tribunals exist in our world. Something called:<a href="http://www.pict-pcti.org/"> Project on International Courts and Tribunals (PICT</a>) sorta-kinda “polices” - these international courts and tribunals in the following manner: “They ask questions, such as what makes international courts effective? What are the functions of international judges? What mechanisms are in place to allow access to international courts by non-state actors and other disempowered constituencies? How are international courts funded? What are the relations between national and international courts? How are jurisdictional conflicts between international courts resolved? How are judges selected? What ethical standards should guide international judges and lawyers appearing before them? What renders some international courts more legitimate than others,” and so on.<br />
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According to Wikipedia, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_court">“international courts</a> are formed by treaties between nations, or under the authority of an international organization, such as the United Nations. Early examples of international courts include the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals established in the aftermath of World War II. Three such courts are presently located at The Hague in the Netherlands: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).<br />
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Judges and high-level staff of such courts may be afforded diplomatic immunity if their governing authority so allows.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_Peoples%27_Tribunal">The Permanent Peoples' Tribunal </a>is an example of an international opinion tribunal independent from State authorities. It examines and provides judgments relative to violations of human rights and rights of peoples. The Tribunal was founded in Bologna (Italy), June 24, 1979, by law experts, writers and other intellectuals. It succeeded the Russell Tribunal (or International War Crimes Tribunal), which, in 1967, exposed the war crimes committed against the Vietnamese people. The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal may use international human rights law or the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People adopted by the United Nations.<br />
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So, is it possible that one or more of these international courts or tribunals will bring U.S. officials to trial for enslaving African people or for what we once did to the Indians (uh, Native Americans)? Sam and I are so flabbergasted by the possibility - remember "<i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053084/">The Mouse That Roared</a></i>," we both suddenly feel an urgent need to go poop.<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-50013101221615780412013-11-22T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-22T06:00:02.453-08:00I'll Be Thankful If My Small Town Remains Undiscovered<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sam and I don’t want our favorite town to be “discovered.” We’re sure the local Chamber of Commerce and the business people in Fortuna, California, disagree as they call Fortuna “a wonderful place to raise your family.”<br />
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Located 300 miles north of San Francisco in the Eel River Valley of Humboldt County, Fortuna is to this day almost as bucolic as when it was first founded. But I have lived in several towns that were “discovered” as great places to live and they were ruined by too many people, shopping malls, traffic, crime and all that other detritus of too much growth.<br />
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Fortuna, where I attended high school (before Sam’s time), has miraculously escaped the rampant growth that ruins so many small towns. Since it’s located in California that’s a miracle, but there are very few jobs in Fortuna and tourism to the redwood country where it’s located sort of dies off during the cold, wet winters there. People think it rains a lot in Washington State, but I can tell you it rains a lot in Fortuna too. Situated on the Pacific Ocean near the middle of Humboldt County, Fortuna is in the redwoods which are a rain forest (RAIN). I remember many Easter Sundays ruined by downpours of rain and it was always iffy to plan a picnic in the summer.<br />
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In a recent USA Today article John Brady, writes, <i>In Search of A Special Town</i>, that many Baby Boomers are looking to escape the hassles of suburban living and live someplace with a small-town feel, where they can walk to shopping and restaurants, where they can easily make social connections, and where there is easy access to recreational opportunities. They often also favor small college towns where the college offers adult educational opportunities and music and art and stage productions.<br />
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I lived in Livermore, California for a time before it was “discovered.” In 1970, when I first located there it was a quaint little cow town of 19,000 souls where the teenagers wore cowboy boots and hats and trolled the main street in their pickup trucks on Friday nights. Then it grew. Developers realized land there was cheap and foresaw that people would be willing to commute half an hour or more to the Oakland/San Francisco bay rea if they could buy a cheap home. I used to say you could shoot a canon down the interstate highway near Livermore and not hit anything, but that has all changed. Livermore and its neighboring towns of Dublin, Pleasanton and Tracy have exploded with growth. For awhile, the growth was so rampant, the city of Livermore had to impose a building moratorium, but that didn’t last. Now Livermore and the surrounding areas consist of wall-to-wall housing tracts, factories, and PEOPLE! The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) runs down the middle of what is now a mega, multi-laned freeway and traffic, most of the time, is stop and go.<br />
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The same thing is happening to Bellingham, Washington, where I lived for nearly 30 years - maybe not on the same scale yet as Livermore, but Bellingham is rapidly losing its small towness. I was always slightly put off when I sold real estate in Bellingham and potential clients would tell me they didn’t want a tract house, but something with “charm.” That’s the problem with small towns - their charm. Bellingham is rapidly losing its quaint, small-town charm and housing there now is so expensive the average person can’t afford to buy.<br />
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Three bags of poop on Fortuna being “discovered.” May it always remain the small town of my dreams.</div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-74492404299635351642013-11-20T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-20T06:00:10.374-08:00Wilt Thou Have This Man or Woman In Heaven? Maybe Not<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Are you one of those people who cling to the belief that when you die you will be together in Heaven with your current marital partner for all eternity? Boy! If you are Sam and I hope you get along better during your time here on earth than some married couples we know.<br />
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Sorry to have to point this out, but most biblical scholars agree the Bible does not guarantee us eternal marriage; guarantee being a key word.<br />
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In an article titled <i><a href="http://www.catholic-convert.com/blog/2013/01/22/marriage-in-heaven-will-we-know-and-love-our-spouses-in-heaven/#sthash.o4RCHGyU.dpuf">Marriage in Heaven? Will We Know and Love Our Spouses in Heaven?</a></i> author Steve Ray writes, “the King James Version (of the Bible) says: “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.”<br />
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“The New American Standard Bible says: “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.”<br />
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“The New International Version (NIV) says: “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”<br />
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On the other hand, Ray says, “no reputable translation says this in a way to deny there are people continuing in love with earthly spouses.”<br />
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Apparently, we’ll love each other, just not be married. Stay tuned.<br />
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Many people, especially non-believers, point to Christ saying that people will “neither marry nor be given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven," (Mark 12:18-27) as proof there is no marriage in heaven. Jesus said this when he cleverly eluded the Pharisees’ trap of questioning him about who’s wife a woman married to seven different brothers would be in the hereafter.<br />
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Biblical scholars generally agree that if we believe in the resurrection, we shall be bound to others, such as our earthly spouses, in a spiritual love we cannot now comprehend. We will all be like angels in heaven and enjoy playing our harps together, but there won’t be any need “up there” for conjugal relationships. We may recognize each other as male and female, maybe even as former spouses, but we won’t need to be together as husbands and wives. We’re not going to establish marital homes in heaven and we’re not going to pro-create so, when you get up there put on your angel wings and don’t worry about being with old whosit. Think agape, not eros.<br />
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The Mormons do believe <a href="http://mormon.org/faq/together-forever">spouses can be “sealed” </a>together forever. They believe Jesus paved the way when he said, “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). If you want to know more about the Mormons' beliefs ask those young guys in white shirts and ties who ride their bicycles into your neighborhood and knock on your door.<br />
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It is clear that God did create man and woman to be together - at least here on earth. And theoretically, a marriage is supposed to be so good here on earth it reflects what heaven will be like. Tragically though, a lot of marriages aren’t anywhere near close to heavenly. <a href="http://christianity.net.au/questions/will_my_marriage_and_other_relationship_be_the_same_in_heaven">Unfortunately, the Bible just doesn’t give us much specific hope </a>regarding marriage in heaven other than saying, “He (God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things (including your spouse) have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)<br />
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Chances are you’ll probably feel relieved not to have to be married anymore when you get to heaven anyway (if that’s where you’re going). All those obligations and expectations and responsibilities of marriage will finally be over.. Unfortunately, I don’t suppose Sam and I will be together in heaven either. Poop on that!<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-74515603973576816502013-11-18T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-18T06:00:02.551-08:00Newly Awash In Oil, Should We Export Surplus We Produce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
According to a June, 2012, article in the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, by Angel Gonzalez, titled <i><a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304441404577480952719124264">Expanded Oil Drilling Helps U.S. Wean Itself from Mideast, </a>America </i>reportedly could cut its reliance on Middle East oil in half by the end of this decade.<br />
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That’s good news to Sam and me. According to an article in <i>B<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/">loomberg News</a></i>, Feb. 2012, by Barbara Powell, the U.S. Energy Department said the U.S. exported more gasoline, diesel and other fuels than it imported in 2011 - for the first time since 1949. </div>
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The Bloomberg article reported, “It was forecast that the U.S. would ship abroad 350,000 barrels a day more petroleum products than it imported in 2012 and 320,000 barrels daily in 2013, according to the department’s <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_772316894"></span>Short-Term Energy Outlook <span id="goog_772316895"></span></a>oil report .“<br />
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According to the<a href="http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/report/us_oil.cfm"> U.S. Energy Information Administration</a>, the share of total U.S. consumption met by liquid fuel net imports has fallen from its peak of more than 60% in 2005 to an average of 40% in 2012 and is expected to decline to 28% in 2014; that would be the lowest level since 1985.<br />
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But Sam and I don’t know if we like the idea of the U.S. is becoming a net-oil exporter. It’s great to not be dependent on foreign oil, BUT WHY do we have to send extra oil we produce here overseas - especially when we still are paying more than $3 a gallon at the gas pumps here?<br />
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An article in <i>The Christian Science Monitor</i>, by David J. Unger asks, <i><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Energy-Voices/2013/1107/Should-the-US-export-oil">Should the US export Oil?</a></i> Unger reports that “the US oil and gas industry's trade association is contemplating a push to lift a decades-old ban on US oil exports. The 1970's era law is no longer relevant, critics of the ban say, since oil production in the United States is booming and demand is waning.”<br />
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Unger reported that Blake Clayton, an adjunct fellow for energy at the Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a June policy memo, "Exporting energy is good for the economy. Letting drillers reap extra profits from selling crude oil overseas, if the market dictates, would provide greater incentives for drilling, stimulating new supply. It would also encourage investment in oil and gas production in the United States rather than abroad."<br />
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Gonzalez’ WSJ article quoted Marvin Odum, president of Shell's U.S. unit and head of its exploration and production activities in the Western Hemisphere saying, “The drop in American energy imports comes at a time when hundreds of millions in the developing world are beginning to consume more energy as they rise from poverty. We're very fortunate that this is happening. It enables resources to flow to emerging economies."<br />
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But Unger reported that former Rep. (now Senator) Ed Markey (D) of Massachusetts, in a March statement introducing legislation that would place a moratorium on US oil and gas exports said, "American oil should be kept here to benefit our consumers, not shipped to Europe or Asia to help boost oil company profits."<br />
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The shift from net importer to net exporter, according to Gonzalez’ WSJ article is “a result of technological advances that are unlocking new sources of oil in shale-rock formations, oil sands and deep beneath the ocean floor. This surprising bounty comes from the widespread use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a technique perfected during the last decade in U.S. fields previously deemed not worth tampering with.<br />
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“First developed in natural-gas fields, fracking yielded an unexpected oil boom that has redrawn America's energy geography," Gonzalez article says. "Abundant crude, combined with a huge refining base and waning demand at home turned the U.S. into a net exporter of refined products last year; the EIA expects that situation to continue beyond 2020.”<br />
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—Gerald F. Seib, Gregory L. White, Chip Cummins and Keith Johnson contributed to the<br />
WSJ article.<br />
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Unfortunately, fracking may have some environmental consequences our oil companies haven’t forseen. They say they’re taking measures to protect the environment, but then BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico comes to mind, not to mention the environmental degradation from gold mining, copper mining and so on.<br />
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“Export issues are something we’re going to have to address,” John Felmy, the chief economist for the American Petroleum Institute (API), the oil and gas trade association, told Bloomberg. “It’s a debate we have to have.”<br />
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Frack that! Don’t corporate types always try to accentuate the positive while ignoring the negative? Three bags of poop on corporate arrogance.</div>
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-38301765860770108482013-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-15T06:00:13.212-08:00Protecting Christmas A Good Idea, But Not from Sarah Palin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate, is touring the country promoting her new book, <i>Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas</i>. This is the third book Palin’s authored, which begs the question, “Will we never be rid of her!?”<br /><br />Palin launched her book tour in Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania. The city’s nickname is the "Christmas City" and because of its name it draws many tourists during the holiday season.<br /><br />The title of Palin’s new book is derived from Luke 2:10: “And the angel said unto them (the shepherd), Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” HarperCollins is the book’s publisher.<br /><br />David Freedlander says in an article in <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/13/sarah-palin-s-battleground-book-tour-for-good-tidings-and-great-joy.html">The Daily Beast</a>, “In her book Palin calls for bringing back the freedom to express the Christian values of the season. She asserts the importance of preserving Jesus Christ in Christmas—in public displays, school concerts, pageants, and our expressions to one another other—and laments the over-commercialization and homogenization of Christmas in today’s society.”<br /><br />Palin’s book costs $60, which leads Sam and I to believe she’s trying to raise political campaign funds as well as renew interest in Christian values. Maybe that beats hosting $1,000-dollar-a-plate chicken dinners. Other people apparently are questioning her real motives too.<br /><br />In his article titled <i>Sarah Palin’s Battleground Book Tour for ‘Good Tidings and Great Joy</i>,’ Freedlander writes, “It may look like a regular book tour, complete with stops at the Walmart Supercenter in Wausau, Wisconsin, and Barnes & Noble bookstores from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to Bloomington, Minnesota, and some few choice TV hits on theToday show, CNN, and Fox & Friends. But Freedlander says, “When Sarah Palin embarked on her own 15-city swing Tuesday in Easton, Pennsylvania, she plunged herself into the heart of a debate roiling the Republican Party between the moderate establishment on one hand and Tea Party fist-raisers on the other.”<br /><br />“Her message resonates with the average person,” insists Ron Devito, who runs the website US4Palin. He is quoted by Freedlander saying, “She supports limited government, free markets, low taxes, and our Constitution.”<br /><br />Josh Green, a political correspondent on MSNBC reportedly said in <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/">Bloomberg Business Week</a>, “Sarah Palin is an entertainer. She is not a politician anymore. She is the equivalent of Skid Row or one of those ’80s bands that is out on the state festival circuit with the carnies and the farm animals playing their greatest hits and trying to earn a dollar.”<br /><br />Here’s a review of Palin’s new book from a blogger named Patrick.<br /><br />“We bow to <i>New York Magazine</i>,” Patrick says, “Also, we pity them. They apparently listened to the full 4 1/2 hour audio-version of Sarah Palin's new Christmas book, in which she claims to declare war on the war against Christmas, and they wrote a funny piece about it. As <i>New York Magazine</i> explains in their article it turned out to be a modern method of torture.<a href="http://politicalgates.blogspot.com/"> The magazine created an interactive Christmas tree which you can click </a>and hear the book’s more memorable lines. Here are a few samples:<br /><br />According to Sarah Palin, quote:<br /><br />"Walgreens’ 24-page nationwide circular used the word holiday 36 times without one mention of Christmas.<br /><br />The war on Christmas is the tip of the spear in a larger battle to secularize our culture, and make true religious freedom a thing of America’s past.<br /><br />There are few things that anger a secular liberal atheist more than a horizontal plank intersecting a vertical plank — a cross — on public land.<br /><br />The logical result of atheism, a result we have seen right in front of our eyes in one of the world’s oldest and proudest nations, is severe moral decay.<br /><br />It’s about that little baby wrapped in swaddling clothes who arrived long before hope and change became political manipulations.<br /><br />Atheism’s track record makes the Spanish Inquisition seem like Disneyland by comparison."<br /><br />Sam and I would levy three bags of poop on Palin’s new book, but if listening to its audio sample is half as hilarious as Patrick says it is, it may just be a good way to start the “holiday” off with a little Ho! Ho! Ho!</div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-6898079705782848552013-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-13T06:00:11.253-08:00Is Your Daughter (or Son) Lying To You About Having Sex?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Can you believe there are companies pushing portable lie detector kits to find out if your child is lying to you? One internet ad Sam and I saw even suggested using a lie detector kit to find out if your teenage daughter was sexually active..<br />
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Another company’s internet ad says you can catch liars with its <a href="http://www.yoyo.com/p/spy-gear-lie-detector-kit-133949?site=CA&utm">Spy Gear Lie Detector Kit</a>. “Attach the sensor to the finger of the suspected person. Ask them a hard-hitting question and watch their reaction. If the lights on this toy lights up then it shows that the person is not telling the truth.”<br />
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If you’re not a DIY you can hire an outfit like the <a href="http://polytest.org/?gclid=CLCIxL_g4LoCFYY1QgodcngAowEstablished%20in%201987,">Global Polygraph Network</a> to administer a lie detector test for you. According to its ad, “GPN is the world's largest provider of polygraph (lie detection) services and referrals. With over 1,300 years of combined experience, we offer confidential testing on virtually any issue by experienced examiners and have hundreds of testing sites around the world to select from.”<br />
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But hey, if your daughter’s a pathological liar you can buy a product called Teen Screen, a semen detection system that allows parents to "monitor your child's sexual activity from the privacy of your own home by identifying traces of semen on undergarments or other clothes, sheets, upholstery or furniture.”<br />
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According to an article in the <i>Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald</i>, you “add a few drops of Teen Screen’s enzymatic sensitive fluid to a selected test area, then rub the area with blotting paper and bingo: a purple stain reveals the presence of dried semen - for days after the event .”<br />
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Literature from Evergreen Industries in Seattle, the manufacturer of Teen Screen, reportedly says, "Prevent your child from becoming a statistic. She brings the evidence home to you without even knowing it. It's the most powerful tool a parent ever had.”<br />
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The arrival of Teen Screen has horrified Australian adolescence experts according to the Morning Herald. "What a massive invasion of privacy! It blows trust and respect out of the window," the paper quotes Melbourne adolescent psychologist, Dr Michael Carr-Gregg.<br />
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The Morning Herald reported that Australian experts believe vigilant parents are the best protection for young people from risky early sexual activity. "It is really important for parents to connect and communicate with teenagers as they move into the teens. My advice is parents should know what your teens are doing, where they are, who they are with - without resorting to devices of this kind. And let your teen know that you know - that's a very powerful strategy," said the director of the Centre for Adolescent Health in Melbourne, Dr George Patton.<br />
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Experts say it’s best to bring up the issue of premature and premarital sex, before it happens.<br />
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In a <i><span id="goog_1830275397"></span>Parents<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1830275398"></span></a></i> magazine article titled <a href="http://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/teenagers/is-my-child-having-sex/">Is My Child Having Sex?</a> parenting expert Jan Faull, MEd says, “Voice your concerns. Talk of your hopes and dreams for your child's future. Explain that physical and emotional issues related to sex -- and this includes the possibility of a baby -- could ruin her future plans.<br />
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“To forbid your daughter to have sex or to deny her contraception is naïve,” Faull says, “to think that you can watch your daughter and her boyfriend at all times is unrealistic. Teens are very skilled about finding a way to satisfy their sexual urges. Telling a sexually interested or active teenager to not engage in sexual activity is like shoveling sand against the adolescent tide. “<br />
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And if all else fails, check out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPgpRw9tiuM">Jimmy Kimmel’s Youtube</a> video where he administers a lie detector test to a seven-year old boy. Three bags of poop on lie detector tests.<br />
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Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303606107347690538.post-41690408962625609552013-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:002013-11-11T06:00:12.861-08:00Holiday Music Makes Me Sentimental, Even Lachrymose<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was waxing nostalgic yesterday. Of course I had to explain to Sam that I meant I was becoming all maudlin about holiday music. That is to say I was becoming sentimental, emotional, lachrymose about holiday music (don’t ask me to explain lachrymose, okay?) This happens to me every year about this time. But I wasn’t self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, like Mary Magdalene weeping in her penance (where the term maudlin apparently comes from), and I wasn’t like a drunk crying in his cups. No, I was simply being sentimental.<br />
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I love the Thanksgiving through Christmas holidays. Every time I walk outside right now I can see gold and yellow leaves that remind me of fall and when I travel I see harvested farmlands that remind me of Thanksgiving and how thankful I am for my life and my loved ones. Every time I walk outside and smell the nearby fir trees they make me think of Christmas trees. The best holiday memories for me though are musical ones - not those from recorded artists but those in which I was personally involved; those magical musical moments when I raised my God-given voice to sing a song.<br />
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Possibly my favorite musical memory is the time my high school a cappella choir sang Christmas music at the <a href="http://www.eurekainn.com/">Eureka Inn</a>, a beautiful old Tudor hotel in Humboldt County, California. What a magical day that was. The inn was decorated in festive reds and golds, choirs from all around the county had come together to give a special concert. Mr. Swackhammer, <span id="goog_2132147164"></span><a href="http://fuhsdistrict.org/">Fortuna High School’<span id="goog_2132147165"></span>s </a>own <a href="http://www.juilliard.edu/">Julliard School of Music</a> conductor, looked dapper and oh, so handsome in his pin-striped suit, with his silver-gray hair flowing elegantly as he waved his talented fingers to coax the high notes and the low notes from us soto voce or basso profundo or fortissimo in perfect harmony. I can’t think of many times I’ve felt like I sang better than I did that day (remember David Westbrook?).<br />
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I’ve sung in a lot of choirs over the years. Another favorite memory is being in concert with the <a href="http://www.whatcomchorale.org/">Whatcom Chorale</a> in Belingham, WA. I loved it when we sang <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnK8V3BZNeM">Handel’s Messiah</a> in <a href="http://www.assumption.org/">Assumption Catholic Church</a> with its high arched ceilings, and its beautiful stained glass windows. I loved the bright red poinsettias at the altar and hearing the incredible tones of the big pipe organ soaring overhead. I loved standing among a hundred friends, all of us dedicated to bringing the joy of music to an appreciative audience.<br />
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And speaking of the Messiah, I also loved performing the <a href="http://kevin_haynes.tripod.com/handels_young_messiah.html">Young Messiah</a>, an upbeat version of Handel’s standard, with a Bellingham church choir a couple of times. I wondered how anyone could improve on what Handel wrote, but the Young Messiah is a magical work of absolute genius. I soloed in one of those performances and sang a duet with a lady who had a wonderful soprano voice. Wow! I still get goose bumps thinking about it. And my <a href="http://kevin_haynes.tripod.com/handels_young_messiah.html">Young Messiah CD</a> gets played over and over and over again every Christmas season.<br />
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A more recent happy holiday music memory is attending a concert performed by the 95-voice <a href="http://www.olympiachoral.org/">Olympia Choral Society </a>every year. Directed by Terrance Robert Bernard Shaw (that’s really his name), the Choral Society puts on a great show. The best part is the free admission and any donation Kathleen and I - and other people - make goes to help some local charity.<br />
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Sam and I wish you happy holiday music everyone. And that’s the straight Christmas glittered poop!</div>
Sam and Jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09334428379492463061noreply@blogger.com0