Blog pick

Here is a blog I’ve recently found that I thought was very interesting. We’ve all seen the pics in Link magazines but there is where it comes from, teens doing their part to reach the world.

visit their site here

Asking… Why did the Chicken Cross the road?

I did not write this but my aunt forwarded this to me and I thought it was pretty funny.

SARAH PALIN:  Before it got to the other side, I shot the chicken, cleaned and dressed it, and had chicken burgers for lunch.
BARACK OBAMA:  The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change!  The chicken wanted change!
JOHN MC CAIN:  My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
HILLARY CLINTON:  When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road.  But then, this really isn’t about me.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don’t really care why the chicken crossed the road.  We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not.  The chicken is either against us, or for us.  There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY:  Where’s my gun?
COLIN POWELL:  Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.
BILL CLINTON:  I did not cross the road with that chicken.  What is your definition of chicken?
AL GORE:  I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY:  Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it!  It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken’s intentions.  I am not for it now and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON:  Why are all the chickens white?  We need some black chickens.
DR. PHIL:  The problem we have here is that this chicken doesn’t realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he’s acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.
OPRAH:  Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I’m going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE:  That chicken crossed the road because he’s guilty!  You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN:  To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
DR SEUSS:  Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I’ve not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY:  To die in the rain, alone.
GRANDPA:  In my day we didn’t ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
ARISTOTLE:  It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
ALBERT EINSTEIN:  Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS:  Did I miss one?

Discipleship 2.0

Recently I’ve been reading back over older letters and series like “The Weakness Revolution – How You Can Make It! pt 1-3” (1998) and “You Can Make It” pt 1-2 (1999)

The interesting thing about reading old letters aside from the fact that the Word is just as good and applicable today is that it shows how far we have come, how this was a real purging time and years of the “bottom line” and how the Family and us as individuals are better prepared for the coming days. It’s been ten years since most of these letters and for those of us old enough to remember the first read and times when and what we were doing it is good to read them again and see how far we have come and for future kids and joinies it is interesting to see how this was preparing us for working more with the spirit world and the next generation disciple. If the early MO letters were the foundation of our faith with several updates and service packages this was the start of a real new version were things begin to really change, and not spiritual “patches” but a reload of discipleship that we all needed. Many could not take the new version, had hardware that was outdated or not compatible, help us always to be for the updates and reformats that we need to facilitate farther discipleship change in our minds, hearts and lives!

An eeeasy PC?

Today I helped someone with their new mini PC so I approached it as a product test drive, here is my assessment.

As far as practical and light it was wonderful, what you right away feel is the wall, there is no desktop and task bars for people familiar with other full PCs. This is basic to the bone, not only that but most (if not all) of the options are Internet driven, so no Internet, no use. I would have thought there at least would be some kind of writing editor on there so you can write notes on a bus or train where there is no signal, there was only google docs, and like all google products you need Internet connectivity.

I like the keyboard, it was small but still usable even with my large hands, not sure how it would be after writing long emails and blog posts but it is primarily a web tool, but even that was impaired with the lack of screen you actually get or fitting the page size to the browser so you do not need to scroll both horizontally and vertically, it’s just to much. which brings me to another point, there is no right and left clicks on the mouse touch pad making things a bit frustrating.

I’m guessing these are just web toys, they do not have CD or DVD ROMs in them only USB and Ethernet access so you need to bring pics, movies or songs to it with a USB flash drive or some other media like external HDD, I did not try sound or graphic capabilities on this one.

Really this should not be billed as a “mini PC” but a web tablet in folding PC style. really if you have 300 dollars get your self a handheld an portable keyboard for it as overall those have more functions at least at this time. This kind of thing is still in infancy and i really have doubts it will even be a viable option for long as full size computers keep dropping in price and people know the difference from a PC that can do as much as long as a desktop and one that only looks like one.

I’d see the use of this in my photography to view back pics as it is bigger then my LCD screen on my camera and maybe to check mail on the go and web surf but really I;d send that money on any number of things before this.

As for a “affordable PC for the worlds poor”, I’d say, we can do better then this, really, it might be great for a poor school provided they have Internet for the web, mail, wikipedia, and google docs, messenger, world clock(?) and Skype, but it will just get them frustrated for the above mentioned reasons, and for those reasons also it is not as great a gift for your older child that you might think it could be.

I just spent an hour trying to help a middle aged woman how to turn it on and get on a network and google search and it is a painful bunch of steps compared to my old XP computer I’m writing this from. Developing schools just need an equivalent to MicroSoft’s Notpad/Wordpad (with a spell check) a Calculator, and Paint to do school and be creative, they don’t need Internet driven content as these big international companies seem to think. as for the rest of us it just fills another small gap in our consumer imagination for something new and different, something more we might wish we could have that we do not really need or serve us much lasting purpose.

Your Bottom Dallar

What do you do when you go bank corrupt? Borrow from someone even more in debt? That is what is playing out now over the 700 billion the US is giving banks, and other countries around the world are imitating. The US is trillions of dollars in debt, ten point two trillion, so much so that the NY time square clock has run out of digits.

The government has already spend/lost 2 trillion dollars from their pension fund now they want to take from tax money, the money that usually goes to running the country, government salaries, politicians, and pet projects and give it to the banks who mismanaged the rest of your salary already.

Doesn’t it frighten you how fast stuff hits the fan, and all of a sudden these big corporations like AIG and others just fold? More alarming are the sweeping changes that happen in these bills in congress that give the government so much power? We saw this on 9/11, a new “homeland security department”, now with this financial problem they have a new “Office of Financial Stability”. And now will get ownership stakes in these banks. All they need to do is cause some identity problem and everyone will be lining up for a chip in their heads by the new “Department of Registry”, Remember Dad’s letter “Registration”.

The few man at the top just keep on getting fewer. We always read about rich bankers and huge bonuses, but why in the last few years have we seen these rich millionaires willing to work in government for peanuts? First over were John Snow (a director of banks and corporations), then Paulson and his little squire Neel Kashari a 35 year old who is in charge of distributing the 700 billion both left Goldman Sachs for government salaries, did they know something we don’t? Why would you choose a 6 digit gallery with a sinking ship when you had a 9 digit one, yachts and everything, smells fishy?

Oil was going skyrocket all summer, over one hundred dollars a barrel, the media hyped it up and it was a real problem for us at the pump, now it is dropping and the media is making a big deal that it is falling and we are able to actually get something for our money these days while it is still work the paper it is printed on, I’m sorry the rich companies are not making the huge profits they made off of us all summer but for the media to use words like “plummet” because gas is finally at a 1 year low and $80 a barrel is still not as low as it was in the recent past and they are far from losing money off of it.

I’m a little surprised the Family is not more focused on this event, this is as big a deal as the Great Depression that hit the US 70 years ago, we have never seen anything like it in our history and we should be preparing and stocking up while our money is still worth it in shops, Dad always reminded us and I know it will hit us very hard in this winter/Christmas once the ripples reach the little guys, once shops and governments run short and cash is scarce, I’m not a doomsday person but I do understand billions and trillions don’t come from the rich guys pockets but ours and bills and consumer products are what make cash, these banks and their international reach will start collecting loans and investments from small businesses and retailers and many will go bank corrupt and others will be the monopolies that will be able to put the prices anywhere they like.

I live in europe, last year I was back in the US and paid in dallars, they got me lots of stuff there that was both cheeper price-wise and compaired to Euro exchange rates. I have a one dollar bill in my wallet left, it is not worth changing into Euros or my local currency so I want to see how worthless it gets in the next little while.

Enjoy the modern conviniances while they are still around, this is an exciting time in world history as we know the happy ending, but it will hurt and change our lives once the crunch comes to our local shops and lives.

The end is here, it’s only the begining!

Ol’ dog turns 3…2

That time of year again, JayDay!

Well it is not to important to me though I am glad it is also many other people’s birthdays and I take joy that they are having their ’special day’, and I’m fortunate to know a few people that I can write birthday greetings too and pray for on this day, our day. I do not usually post on this day as I’m not to positive during it, but I thought I always take pics of others that this day would be a good one to point it back at me for once, well I used a mirror but you know what I mean. I went for a honest shot, just as i was at time of the inspiration just to mark the passage of time as a notch on the proverbial tree.

Blessing gifts in my life today in order as they happened:

A long internet chat and wishes from a real long-time friend that I have not been in touch with for so long.

My wonderful and loving sis is going to help me and my camera with a little addition to my kit.

A good friend and my shep, gave me some words from the REAL J-Man (Jesus), cool!

3 cherubs and their angelic mother sent the sweetest wishes and love my way.

While waiting to pick up some freinds in town I ran into some teens I know who were having a worse day then me and I was able to encourage them that God is in control, like our chance encounter.

Despite myself life is good, and now I get another year to help make everyone elses lives even better (with the Lord’s grace), here I come for my “surprise” birthday cake!

200 and counting

Well this is my 200th post on this blog. While I am not the most avid blogger, (though I do run 4 blogs with combined viewership of nearly 30,000) I do find it has been quite a journey, since January 1st 2006 with 200 posts, 172 comments, 14,454 visits coming from every continent except Antarctica.

To be more exact it has been 997 days, or 2 years, 8 months and 23 days (42 weeks), or 86,140,800 seconds, thanks to this great site (timeanddate.com) that did all the counting for me.

From starting out just commenting on news, movies and funny things to trying out on you my readers stories and thoughts (some of which have been reprinted as Refelctions, and one travel article is being printed in a academic publication in Slovenia this month), ramblings, music impressions and personal photographs it has become a potpourri of things that make my life as a Family single guy different then most others personal family-orientated blogs.

While I do not understand who would have time to read and follow a lame blog as mine I am happy to have met many of you via this format and find like-minded bloggers and follow the blogging experience together that is a wonderful thing and way to express our faith, heritage and hopes to each other and others of the life we live for others.

As I start the next century of posts I look ahead to where this blog can still grow and it is almost endless, I have a long way to go in writing, creative story telling, and there are always new things and ideas as the web, witnessing and technology continue and new avenues to try new things in this blogosphere, and I will do my best to help bring them to this little page as they happen.

Thank you all for bringing me into your lives in this way!

A mental round-up

Well it has been so long since a proper post I thought I’d just use this to wrap up thoughts in my head for you all.

Newsletter: Some have gotten my first little newsletter that i did at the beginning of the month for those interested in seeing it you can contact me and I’ll send it to you and add you to my mailing list if there is another one. Thank you all who have commented and replied so kindly, if I have forgotten to thank anyone personally I do so here.

Books/Writing: I have been stuck on the “40 years of family music” book for some time in the MWM era, so much InfoStore reading on that time and it is very complex. Does not look like it will be done by the end of this year anymore.

On other writing I have started to keep a book of “that’s a novel idea” of things that come to mind or visual things I see or hear on a daily basis that might be useful if i ever get around to writing a novel. so many things happen every day and so they will start to be written down, if you are near me you might end up in book, like i ever will have time, but it is a good mental exercise and better to have it and not need it I think.

I wrote a tourist story for a magazine and still waiting to see/hear if I win anything (Nikon cameras) if I get in the top three places.

Thinking of writing lyrics to a song, never done anything like that before, but worth a try since there are musicians in my home, not sure on what yet.

Photos: My camera has a blog! since “Canonetta” is nearly one year old and we do so much together I started a new blog of pics so to not crowd this one out to much with pictures of everything I do, but that one will.

Home: lots is happening with our youth band, a concert on the 27th that I am helping logistically with, music is the key and we are meeting many youth already.

Layout is never done, endless Offencive things to do, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is still a long way off.

Listening: Sprit Tree band just relessed a 10 track album (Creation to Caos) that is pretty cool, will review it soon for this blog, you can find 5 sample tracks at thier site: www.myspace.com/spirittreeband or thier official site at www.spirittreeband.com

Still here

No, I refuse to be another blog that dies and never sees new posts, I’ve detested everyone who does not post at least once a month and then I go quite for almost two months myself.  Well I am still here but been so busy since my last post. Those who got my newsletter have a little idea, so much work, pics, stories, and life comes at you fast. Well i’m off again, this time for a little holiday time with some folks from other homes on the seaside for the last rays of sunshine but I hope I will have a renewed determination to post again at least a few of the things that happen when I have time.

Till then, God bless you all!

Exit the System

Well, we just came back from another wonderful witnessing experience at Exit. Every time is different but the same high of happiness and joy of living for others. I will not post a photo diary like years past as there was to much to see and do for one blog post. I did take lots of pictures that I have posted here and here . We did “free hugs” and real rockin’ street music with like seven guitars and three drums, and a box skit, a real blast and many many souls and people brought to decisions.

It’s still a revolution!