Vinegar and Honey: Seasons Of Life

Vinegar and Honey: Seasons Of Life

Seasons Of Life

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that each of them had reported correctly, because they had each seen but one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end,when all the seasons are passed.

If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, the fulfillment of your fall.

Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult seasons and better ones are sure to come.

"To everything there is a season,a time for every purpose under the sun."

Ecclesiastes 3:1 KJV

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical�

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical�

IRS, Fed Reserve, gold, taxes

Reformed Voices: Learn the 10 Commandments

Reformed Voices: Learn the 10 Commandments

Learn the 10 Commandments

Is it possible to learn the 10 Commandments and be able to recall them in any order in under 12 minutes? You may be surprised.

part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A64HS79546o

part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1NS0EPXkss

Spiritual Juxtapostioning - Part Two | Verum Serum

Spiritual Juxtapostioning - Part Two | Verum Serum

Spiritual Juxtapostioning - Part Two

Scott on April 7, 2009

To me, one of the most striking juxtapositions in the Christian faith is the contrast between Light and Darkness.

Isaiah 9:2 - The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined.

John 1:5 - The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

Not that the contrast of Light and Darkness is of such a complex nature that it takes theologians and philosophers to make the comparison. On the contrary, it is one of the most fundamental and obvious contrasts in the natural world. But in the spiritual and metaphysical economy of things, Light and Darkness take on monumental and eternal significance.

Non-Christian have at times objected to the idea that they are walking in darkness. They frequently equate darkness with evil, so when they hear someone claiming that they are living/walking in darkness, they take offense. However, the intent of using the term darkness is not to equate it with evil, but to instead equate it with a lack of awareness and/or understanding,

In other words, if someone was born in a cave in complete darkness and this person lived their entire life in that darkness, they would have no idea what darkness was because living in the dark cave, they would have never seen the thing called light. Thus they would have nothing with which to compare their darkness. No amount of explaining what darkness is would make a difference until someone showed them light. It is only in the presence of light that darkness is revealed and understood.

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave brings these ideas into play in some respects, adding the nuance of shadows as well. However, I like a different story involving darkness, light, and people in a cave:

-

THE CAVE PEOPLE (Adapted from a story by Max Lucado)

LONG AGO, or maybe not so long ago, there was a tribe who lived in a dark, cold cavern. The cave dwellers would huddle together and cry against the chill. Loud and long they wailed. It was all they did because it was all they knew to do. The sounds in the cave were mournful but the people didn’t know it, for they had never known the joy of life.

But then, one day, they heard a different voice rise above their pitiful wailing. “I have heard your cries,” it announced, the words echoing through the cave. “I have felt your chill and seen your darkness. I have come to help.”

The cave people grew quiet. They had never heard this voice. The message of hope sounded strange to their ears.

“How can we know you have come to help?” asked one of the tribe.

Out from the shadows stepped a figure they had never seen before. “Trust me,” he answered. “I have what you need.”

The cave people peered through the darkness at the stranger. He was stacking something, then stooping and stacking more.

“What are you doing?” one cried, nervous. The stranger didn’t answer.

“What are you making?” one shouted even louder. Still no response.

“Tell us!” demanded a third.

The visitor stood and spoke in the direction of the voices. “I have what you need.” With that he turned to the pile at his feet and lit it. Wood ignited, flames erupted, and light filled the cavern.

The cave people turned away in fear. “Put it out!” they cried. “It hurts to see it.”

“Light always hurts before it helps,” he answered. “Step closer. The pain will soon pass.”

“Not I,” declared a voice.

“Nor I,” agreed a second.

“Only a fool would risk exposing his eyes to such light,” declared a third.

The stranger stood next to the fire. “Would you prefer the darkness? Would you prefer the cold? Don’t rely on your fears. Look to the light and take a step of faith.”

For a long time no one spoke. The people hovered in groups covering their eyes. The stranger stood next to the fire. “It’s warm here. Come, join me.” he invited.

“He’s right,” one from behind him announced. “It is warmer.”

The stranger turned and saw a figure slowly stepping toward the fire. “I can open my eyes now,” she proclaimed. “I can see.”

“Come closer,” invited the fire builder.

She did. She stepped into the ring of light. “It’s so warm!” She extended her hands and sighed as her chill began to pass.

“Come, everyone! Feel the warmth,” she invited.

“Silence, woman!” cried one of the cave dwellers. “Dare you lead us into your folly? Leave us and take your light with you.”

She turned to the stranger. “Why won’t they come?”

‘They choose the chill, for though it’s cold, it’s what they know. They’d rather be cold than have to change.” The stranger looked sad.

“And they would rather live in the dark?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes, they would rather live in the dark,” said the stranger.

The now-warm woman stood silent, looking first into the darkness and then at the man in the light.

“Will you leave the fire?” he asked.

She paused, and then answered, “I cannot. I cannot bear the cold.” Then she spoke again. “But nor can I bear the thought of my people in darkness.”

“You don’t have to,” he responded, reaching into the fire and removing a stick. “Carry this to your people. Tell them the light is here, and the light is warm. Tell them the light is for all who desire it.”

And so she took the small flame and stepped into the shadows.

-

Two Easters ago, I worked with my good friend (who was also the worship pastor of the church we were attending at the time) to put together an Easter service that would provide, not just the traditional Easter story (which is perfect all on its own), but that would also provide some additional opportunities and some other forms to convey the truths of Easter to the unchurched. I knew this Max Lucado story and had always felt that it needed a little more fleshing out, thus I adapted it and tweaked it a bit into the form that you see above. I am not sure if Lucado wrote it with Plato’s Cave Allegory in mind or if it was just coincidence. What I find fascinating is that Plato, almost 2500 years ago, seized upon the ideas of darkness, light and shadow and saw within them analogies to life and human existence.

For those times in my life when darkness has arrived in some form and has dimmed my view of my faith and has obstructed my view of Christ, it is only the undimmed and unwavering light of Truth and Grace that clears away the darkness and the shadows that accompany it. Sometimes I am unaware of the darkness. It comes gradually, like the loss of light with the setting sun. Then I am immersed in my own unique brand of dark, shaded by pride or anger or arrogance or judgmentalism.

Until…BAM! The Light breaks through the darkness and reveals the room of shadows in which I had been living. And then I am again reminded of the quote from John Newton that I mentioned in Part I:

My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: That I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Saviour.

What is Birkat Hachamah? - Birkat Hachamah

What is Birkat Hachamah? - Birkat Hachamah

What is Birkat Hachamah? An Overview of this Rare Blessing

G‑d made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night . . . And it was evening and it was morning, a fourth day.—Genesis 1:16, 19 One who sees the sun at its turning point should say, "Blessed is He who reenacts the works of Creation." And when is this? Abaya said: every 28th year.—Talmud, Tractate Berachot 59b Every 28 years the sun returns to the same position, at the same time of the week, that it occupied at the time of its creation—at the beginning of the fourth day of creation. A special blessing – called Birkat Hachamah, "the sun blessing" – is recited to mark this event. Due to the rarity of this event, this blessing is customarily recited amid large public gatherings of men, women and children. This year, we will perform this special mitzvah on the morning of April 8This year, 5769, we will perform this special mitzvah on the morning of April 8 (the morning before Passover). The blessing is traditionally preceded and followed by a short selection of Psalms and prayers. The existence of nearly all life on Earth is fueled by light from the sun. Every morning without fail, the sun rises in the east and bathes us with its sustaining rays, causing flora to grow and, through the process of photosynthesis, providing oxygen for all fauna. Some may call this phenomenon nature. We will gather on April 8th and declare otherwise: "Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the universe, who reenacts the works of creation."

Rally: Too Flashy For Our Liking | The Big Picture

Rally: Too Flashy For Our Liking | The Big Picture

David Rosenberg, the soon-to-be former Economist for Merrill Lynch, had a very prescient commentary last week about the 25% four week rally on Friday:

As for this 25% rally in three weeks – the consensus has swung to the view that this is a real inflection point. One warning. We saw this happen in late 2001 and early 2002 too … big, big rally; early cyclicals flew; the markets thought we were in for a V-shaped recovery … it was longer away than many at the time believed and many were burnt as a result. And keep in mind that the ‘second derivative’ on growth began to improve in the fourth quarter of 2001, and the S&P 500 still did not bottom for another year.

Currently, the equity market is priced for $70 on earnings on a going-forward basis, or a 75% rebound. And with retailing stocks up 30%, leisure/accommodation up 35%, and the homebuilders up 40%, the market is priced, amazingly, for a revival that is led by the consumer! (in fact, the only S&P sector that is now trading at P/E multiples that are at post-2001 highs is the consumer cyclical group). If we see that in the next year, we will be the first to hang up our Hewlett Packards. Being up 25% in a year and staying bearish … well, shame.

Achieving that in less than a month – come on. Too flashy for our liking.

In fact, let’s learn from history. The only times we have ever seen the stock market surge close to this much in such a short time frame were:

* December 1929
* June 1931
* August 1932
* May 1933
* July 1938
* September 1982

Only in September 1982 and in May 1933 was the equity market embarking on a new bull phase. But guess what? By the time the S&P 500 surged 25%, it had already crossed above its 200-day moving average. So call us when the S&P 500 crosses the 1,000 mark – another 20% to go. That is how deeply entrenched this particular bear market has been – that even after this massive rally, the onus is still on the bulls! Consider as well that on 4 of the 6 occasions that the equity market staged such a huge rally over such a short time period, it relapsed. So we are going to wait this out, acknowledging that we could be late to the party. We still feel the downside risks are too high to be involved.

Ashes Ashes All Fall Down: We're Coming Home!

Ashes Ashes All Fall Down: We're Coming Home!

We're Coming Home!

Many years ago, when I was teaching history at a high school in Texas, one of my students was diagnosed with cancer. A rare cancer. She underwent aggressive treatment in Texas, and then in California. And about 6 months after her initial diagnosis we all received an email from her dad that started with the following words: "We're coming home!" While the email appeared optimistic and excited on the surface, I knew that my student was coming home to die. The cancer was not in remission. All treatment options had been exhausted. Within two months she would be gone.

Today I look at America and those words, "we're coming home!", rattle around in my weary brain. The markets are up, 72,000 people attended the national collegiate basketball semi-final in Detroit this past weekend (20,000 more than had ever attended in the past), many restaurants in my community are up 20% in sales from this time last year. And yet even a cursory glance at the underlying economic numbers makes one wince with pain: U6 unemployment at 16+% and growing by close to a MILLION individuals per month, Consumer Debt still tipping the scales at over 15% of GDP, a crashing import-export economy, government-sponsored (and taxplayer funded) bailouts and rescues for criminal banking and financial sector CEO's, etc.

We're coming home! When fifteen year old Clara came home---full of smiles and hugs and love---she did so knowing that the end was near. She was determined to make the very best of her final days, surrounded by family and friends. Her parents knew that their daughter would soon die, and as devout believers in a Christian God, they gained strength from the knowledge that their precious child would soon be in "a better place". But despite their faith, Clara's parents were destroyed. For them, he death of their only daughter would kill them as well. And in many respects, they too came home to die.

I believe that the American people are beginning to understand that the future is bleak. So many jobs destroyed, so little savings, no safety nets, no honest government to care for them, no access to health care, no hope for the future. And millions upon millions of Americans are, in a final gasp and haze of debt spending, maxing out all of their remaining credit cards, and going to basketball games and dining out and seeing the world! One last hurrah before they too reach the end.

We're coming home.

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical�

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical�: "Family of Irving 'Bud' Feldkamp,
Dies in Montana Plane Crash
Owner of the Nation's Largest Privately Owned Abortion Chain,"

The Oil Drum | The Next Five Years: Peak Lite and the Current Oil Picture

The Oil Drum | The Next Five Years: Peak Lite and the Current Oil Picture: "Conclusions

While the oil industry is historically cyclical"

Conclusions

While the oil industry is historically cyclical, I believe we are approaching the point at which the industry will no longer be able to build out enough new projects to stay ahead of demand. This could manifest itself as peak oil, in which case the rate of depletion permanently overtakes the rate at which new production comes online. Or it could first manifest as peak lite, in which case new production still stays somewhat ahead of depletion, but can't keep up with new demand. In either of these situations, I think the historical cyclicality of the oil industry will disappear. In early 2008 I thought we had reached that point, but it appears that we had at least one more cycle ahead.

While it is too early to tell with a high level of confidence just where we are on the depletion curve, the summer of 2008 provided of taste of life in an oil-constrained world. The current level of underinvestment and the prospect of higher taxes are setting up another situation in which spare capacity erodes, leading to higher oil prices and greater volatility. Add to this the prospect of a global oil production peak, and I have trouble seeing a case where oil prices will remain stable in the coming years.

As an investor, I use blue chip oil stocks as a defensive measure against much higher prices. I am not one who subscribes to the idea that oil companies are going to be put out of business by running out of oil, or by ethanol, algal biodiesel, or any other combination of alternative fuel technologies. In fact, I strongly believe that if an alternative technology begins to look attractive enough, oil companies have deep enough pockets to shift their business in that direction. But I think that's unlikely to happen any time soon.

As a consumer, it would probably pay to evaluate just how much higher prices might impact your budget - and then take action. Can you sustain oil prices that return to $150/bbl or more? Even if you can, do you want that uncertainty hanging over your budget? If not, then it would be prudent to take steps to minimize the personal impact of high oil prices. Steps to consider include utilizing more fuel efficient transportation, public transportation, ride-sharing, and if possible locating closer to your place of employment.

Plan ahead and don't get caught off-guard like so many did last summer. It is only a matter of time before history repeats itself. Here's hoping our political leaders make policy decisions that won't worsen the impact.

Chicago Boyz � Blog Archive � Environmentalism and Reality

Chicago Boyz � Blog Archive � Environmentalism and Reality:
Pittsburg
"sol vason Says:
March 25th, 2009 at 6:19 am

When I moved to pittsburgh, pa in 1970 the polution index ranged from a low of 100 to a high of 300. Environmentalists took no pride in these numbers. The closed down the steel mills and all the other smokestack businesses. Drove them overseas to India and China, I suppose. By 1980 our air was clean and there weas massive unemployment. Many Pittsburgers left town. During that time I could hire PhDs for $7.00/hour. People with 30 years on-the-job experience for $6.00.

Soon other industries left town. Pittsburgh used to be the #3 city in the US in terms of corporate headquarters. Today it is not in the top 300. Even the Mellons and Heinzs sold out and left town.

But now Pittsburgh has clean air. And because so many people have left, very high property taxes. And laws that keeep new imndustries out. Today our graduates all leave town to find new jobs. Except the dumb ones.

Obama says he is going to pass laws to eliminate the cycle of boom and bust. Because no one can gaurantee permanent boom this means we will have permanet bust."

Chicago Boyz � Blog Archive � Environmentalism and Reality

Chicago Boyz � Blog Archive � Environmentalism and Reality

From time to time if I am stuck conversing with a die-hard environmentalist, I will ask them what they think the WORST thing that has happened with regards to the environment is, in their opinion. I usually don’t listen to their reply to closely and then tell them what they OUGHT to be saying

The Fall of Communism and End of Socialism

Under Communism prior to Deng Xiaoping, mainland China was a starving wasteland with few consumer goods, frequent famines, and millions living in caves (no joke). After Deng unleashed his reforms in the countryside, which migrated to the cities, the Chinese government removed the boot of this failed dogma and unleashed a nation of hard charging entrepreneurs and traders. For years the overseas Chinese were some of the most successful business people in Asia - now they were free to raise the standards of living of their own people.

Power plants were built - millions of homes didn’t even have heat - and the country roared to life. New cities were built, highways, ports and railways crossed the country, and now China is the manufacturer for a huge variety of what you have in your house today.

And what did the Chinese consumer want? They wanted what YOU have - a car (bicycles went by the wayside as soon as they had the money), a nice flat, overseas travel, air conditioning and heat in the winter, electricity to power their myriad consumer devices and appliances, and food of all types (especially meat products). An explosion of manufacturing and consumption erupted throughout the country which hasn’t abated (may be slowing a bit now due to the recession).

While Chinese Communism was abandoning Marxist economic principles (but keeping the dictatorship of the state, a core theme), India was abandoning its inward-focused socialism. In the 80’s India began some tentative reforms which also brought the economy to life, as Indians’ overseas were also known as prosperous businesspeople, like the overseas Chinese. Like the Chinese - the Indians wanted what Western consumers had - cosmetics, cars, clothes, air conditioning, power for appliances, more types of food, and all the rest. While their economy was still tied to a democracy (and thus couldn’t run over the rights of everyone in pursuit of development) they focused more on services and managed an incredible run of growth which led to Mumbai being one of the most expensive cities in the entire world to live in.

Don’t forget Brazil - Brazil also moved away from many socialist principles and the economy started to grow to keep up with its burgeoning population, who also want many of the comforts that we take for granted in the West.

China, India and Brazil represent a giant mass of humanity, the most populous countries in their respective continents, all of whom featured BILLIONS of consumers “voting with their feet” (through their actions, since they didn’t really leave) and showing that what they wanted wasn’t a simple, spartan zero-footprint life but in fact the cars, power, air conditioning, and higher end food (meats and not simple grains) that are bemoaned in the West.

IF ONLY - I tell the environmentalist - that you would have allied yourself with Socialism and Communism, two ideologies that made some of the most ambitious and entrepreneurial people in the world poor and impoverished - you would have been able to keep those countries “down”, with few cars (except for the elite) and a tiny infrastructure which is tied to limited consumption.

I remember when East Germany fell - and saw a brief interview with an East German intellectual - saying that he wished for a “third way”, other than the capitalism of the West when the wall fell - but that never happened.

Another opportunity lost for the environmentalist… after all barbed wire, guard towers, and shoot-to-kill orders are a small price to pay for the absence of cars and carbon, right?

A completely bankrupt ideology, which has been blasted to oblivion in the developed world. Their moment, like that of the East German intellectual - never comes when people are given a chance to live their lives fully.

2009 March 25 � Count Us Out

2009 March 25 � Count Us Out

Obama's Selective Service Certification

Brutally Honest: What is that?

Brutally Honest: What is that?

a sparrow

Conversion Diary: Could I have stopped the war? - The diary of a former atheist

Conversion Diary: Could I have stopped the war? - The diary of a former atheist:
"'If you are what you should be,
you will set your whole world on fire.'
~ St. Catherine of Siena"


Dedication for Seven Storey Mountain
"I seek to speak to you, in some way, as your own self. Who can tell what this may mean? I myself do not know, but if you listen, things will be said that are perhaps not written in this book. And this will be due not to me but to the One who lives and speaks in both."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A couple weeks ago I was reading Seven Storey Mountain and came across a passage where Thomas Merton talks about the beginning of World War II, and says in passing:

If I had accepted the gift of sanctity that had been put in my hands when I stood by the [baptismal] font in November 1938, what might have happened in the world?

In the context of that section of the book, it's clear that he was basically asking, Could I have stopped the war? At first I hardly noticed it, thinking of it as a poetic hyperbole to drive home the point that we should all try to be holy. A few pages later, however, that sentence still nagged at me. I went back and re-read it, as well as the paragraph that followed:

People have no idea what one saint can do: for sanctity is stronger than the whole of hell. The saints are full of Christ in the plenitude of His Kingly and Divine power: and they are conscious of it, and give themselves to Him, that He may exercise His power through their smallest and seemingly most insignificant acts, for the salvation of the world.

Those thoughts have continued to nag at me over the past couple of weeks. When I see distressing stories on the news or think of the issues that most disturb me, an inconvenient thought keeps popping into mind: Could I have stopped this?

What I mean, of course, is not that there's any chance I could have done much at all through my own efforts; it's a shorthand way of saying, "If I had really died to myself, if I had fully stepped out of the way to let God's love and strength flow through me like a firehose instead of the feeble drip that the world sees now, what could he have done through me?"

Though it seems unlikely that God would use me to effect worldwide change on a major issue, it's certainly not impossible. Also, as Amy points out so well, one thing that is certain is that people who truly surrender their lives to God will have a huge impact on the world in some way or another, even if nobody ever knows their names.

Later in the book Merton describes a Russian Catholic woman who moved into the slums of Harlem to help the people there. After observing the amazing things that God had done through her, he writes:

It is a tremendous thing, the economy of the Holy Ghost! When the Spirit of God finds a soul in which He can work, He uses that soul for any number of purposes: opens out before its eyes a hundred new directions, multiplying its works and its opportunities for the apostolate almost beyond belief and certainly far beyond the ordinary strength of a human being.

So could I have prevented any of those horrible things I hear about on the news each night had I been a saint? The weight of my sins starts to feel awfully heavy when I realize that the answer is, "Maybe."

Kitco Commentator's Corner

Kitco Commentator's Corner

Resurrection Of Economic Idiocy

Lyndon Johnson’s Un-Great Society and Roosevelt’s depression era social programs did not solve the problems they purported to address. Rather, they extended the pain and suffering of their programs’ victims and worst of all taught them to belly-up to the taxpayer trough forever. We are saddled with generations of uneducated losers, who have sunk their collective psyche into a myriad of social problems passed down repeatedly from indigent lazy parents who learned from their parents.

The latest version of this socialism-destruction designed and being implemented by the Obama team of adult children, will in our view multiply the current criminally inspired disaster, extending it for years.

Greenspan and those congressmen-bankers formed a union of free money to avoid a simple and normal recession in 2000. Now nine years later, its economic payback time for violation of standard economic principles that made our nation great. Unfolding tragedies will be legendary.

This Time It Really Is Different

The strength and foundation of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights have served our nation well since 1776. Our current disasters, however, threaten the very existence of America.

The rule of law, which is the glue for domestic and global commerce, is being openly questioned. Our political leaders, in their frustration of dealing with their own instigated messes, threaten to abrogate legality of contract rules operating our country. This over-reaction is extremely dangerous.

When that pack of congressional hyenas were screaming at AIG’s leader yesterday they crossed the line into illegal, open warfare attacks on AIG’s derivative bonus babies. AIG’s new CEO-leader incidentally, basically volunteered to clean-up AIG’s problems and had nothing to do with these current challenges instigated and installed by Hank Greenberg who wisely got himself tossed-out in 2005. Greenberg made the mess not the current innocent CEO.

Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency - articles -

Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency - articles -: "Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency"

DEBUNKING THE OBAMATOIDS � Count Us Out

DEBUNKING THE OBAMATOIDS � Count Us Out

3/19 Obama citizenship !!!

Cooking with the Sun | Energy Bulletin

Cooking with the Sun | Energy Bulletin: "Cooking with the Sun
by Carl Etnier

The sun is getting stronger every day, and I've started cooking with a solar oven again. Friday I cooked up a pot of potatoes in my oven from the Solar Oven Society. Yesterday it was a black bean stew--there wasn't quite enough heat from the day in the sun to cook the beans completely, but half an hour on low heat on the range finished their cooking. Today a pot of beets cooked in the sun."

CLICK

Justified - “Just As If I’d Always Obeyed” � Already Not Yet

Justified - “Just As If I’d Always Obeyed” � Already Not Yet

“For He has made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor 5:21

Picture a moral ledger sheet with every word, thought, deed and motive of yours entered on that sheet. Most hope the good will outweigh the bad. The problem is that all of our deeds are stained, all are unclean and impure. There is no such thing as a positive ledger sheet - except in the case of Christ. His ledger sheet was perfect. So at the cross, our ledger sheet was charged to Christ, all our sin; and so His ledger sheet is credited to us.

“Justified” is not “Just as if I’d never sinned.” That is a great truth. But it is actually better than that: “Just as if I’d always obeyed.” God has credited the very righteousness of Jesus Christ to every believer.

Keep Foods Fresh - How to Keep Foods Fresh Longer

Keep Foods Fresh - How to Keep Foods Fresh Longer: "How to Keep Foods Fresh Longer"

Glenn Thrush's Blog: Ten happiest, saddest House districts - POLITICO.com

Glenn Thrush's Blog: Ten happiest, saddest House districts - POLITICO.com

March 14, 2009
Categories: Green

Ten happiest, saddest House districts

Gallup has set up a very cool site that breaks down data from its "well-being index" by congressional district -- and you can browse by map or in list form. So, I decided to take it out for a spin.

The Oil Drum | Mexico: A Collapse Update

The Oil Drum | Mexico: A Collapse Update: "As the downside of nitrogen injection in the Cantarell field becomes apparent, it is difficult to see the nitrogen injection ramp up in he KMZ field having any medium or long range benefits to the Mexican economy. As Cantarell has fallen from 905 million barrels in 2004 to 430 million barrels in 2008, the decline in the next two years is very clear. Even Pemex has recently predicted 255.5 million barrels in 09. Propping up oil production with nitrogen injection leads to a cataclysmic decline in only a few years as the experience of the Cantarell field shows."

Why watching CNBC could destroy your life

Why watching CNBC could destroy your life

Oath Keepers: Oath Keepers: Orders We Will Not Obey

Oath Keepers: Oath Keepers: Orders We Will Not Obey

List of orders these folks will not obey!

The Rise of the American Patriot � td blog

The Rise of the American Patriot � td blog: "The Soetoro-Obama Game Plan"


!!!!!!!!

Gods of the Copybook Headings

Gods of the Copybook Headings: "A copybook was an exercise book used to practice one's handwriting in. The pages were blank except for horizontal rulings and a printed specimen of perfect handwriting at the top. You were supposed to copy this specimen all down the page. The specimens were often proverbs or other quotations from the bible, or brief admonitory sayings—the ones in the poem illustrate the kind of thing. These were the copybook headings."

With this as background, it is hard to disagree with the general opinion that "The Gods of the Copybook Headings" is a clinging to old-fashioned common sense by a man deeply in need of something to cling to. Certainly there is cause for us to feel the same way in these troubled times.
--------------------------------------------------

The Gods of the Copybook Headings
Rudyard Kipling-1919

As I pass through my incarnations in every age and race,
I make my proper prostrations to the Gods of the Market Place.
Peering through reverent fingers I watch them flourish and fall,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings, I notice, outlast them all.

We were living in trees when they met us. They showed us each in turn
That Water would certainly wet us, as Fire would certainly burn:
But we found them lacking in Uplift, Vision and Breadth of Mind,
So we left them to teach the Gorillas while we followed the March of Mankind.

We moved as the Spirit listed. They never altered their pace,
Being neither cloud nor wind-borne like the Gods of the Market Place;
But they always caught up with our progress, and presently word would come
That a tribe had been wiped off its icefield, or the lights had gone out in Rome.

With the Hopes that our World is built on they were utterly out of touch,
They denied that the Moon was Stilton; they denied she was even Dutch;
They denied that Wishes were Horses; they denied that a Pig had Wings;
So we worshipped the Gods of the Market Who promised these beautiful things.

When the Cambrian measures were forming, They promised perpetual peace.
They swore, if we gave them our weapons, that the wars of the tribes would cease.
But when we disarmed They sold us and delivered us bound to our foe,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "Stick to the Devil you know."

On the first Feminian Sandstones we were promised the Fuller Life
(Which started by loving our neighbour and ended by loving his wife)
Till our women had no more children and the men lost reason and faith,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "The Wages of Sin is Death."

In the Carboniferous Epoch we were promised abundance for all,
By robbing selected Peter to pay for collective Paul;
But, though we had plenty of money, there was nothing our money could buy,
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings said: "If you don't work you die."

Then the Gods of the Market tumbled, and their smooth-tongued wizards withdrew
And the hearts of the meanest were humbled and began to believe it was true
That All is not Gold that Glitters, and Two and Two make Four—
And the Gods of the Copybook Headings limped up to explain it once more.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

As it will be in the future, it was at the birth of Man—
There are only four things certain since Social Progress began:—
That the Dog returns to his Vomit and the Sow returns to her Mire,
And the burnt Fool's bandaged finger goes wabbling back to the Fire;

And that after this is accomplished, and the brave new world begins
When all men are paid for existing and no man must pay for his sins,
As surely as Water will wet us, as surely as Fire will bum,
The Gods of the Copybook Headings with terror and slaughter return!

Read more >> Options >>

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Deception at Core of Obama Plans

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Deception at Core of Obama Plans Krauthamer

t the heart of Obama's radically transformative economic plan, a rhetorical sleight of hand so smoothly offered that few noticed.

The logic of Obama's address to Congress went like this:

"Our economy did not fall into decline overnight," he averred. Indeed, it all began before the housing crisis. What did we do wrong? We are paying for past sins in three principal areas: energy, health care, and education -- importing too much oil and not finding new sources of energy (as in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf?), not reforming health care, and tolerating too many bad schools.

The "day of reckoning" has now arrived. And because "it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we'll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament," Obama has come to redeem us with his far-seeing program of universal, heavily nationalized health care; a cap-and-trade tax on energy; and a major federalization of education with universal access to college as the goal.

Amazing. As an explanation of our current economic difficulties, this is total fantasy. As a cure for rapidly growing joblessness, a massive destruction of wealth, a deepening worldwide recession, this is perhaps the greatest non sequitur ever foisted upon the American people.

At the very center of our economic near-depression is a credit bubble, a housing collapse and a systemic failure of the entire banking system. One can come up with a host of causes: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pushed by Washington (and greed) into improvident loans, corrupted bond-ratings agencies, insufficient regulation of new and exotic debt instruments, the easy money policy of Alan Greenspan's Fed, irresponsible bankers pushing (and then unloading in packaged loan instruments) highly dubious mortgages, greedy house-flippers, deceitful homebuyers.

The list is long. But the list of causes of the collapse of the financial system

Never waste a good crisis, Clinton says on climate | Reuters

Never waste a good crisis, Clinton says on climate | Reuters: "Hillary Clinton told an audience on Friday 'never waste a good crisis,' as she highlighted the opportunity of rebuilding economies in a greener, less energy intensive model."

Michael Boskin Says Barack Obama Is Moving Us Toward a European-Style Social Welfare State and Long-Run Economic Stagnation - WSJ.com

Michael Boskin Says Barack Obama Is Moving Us Toward a European-Style Social Welfare State and Long-Run Economic Stagnation - WSJ.com

Twelve Year Lows ? | The Big Picture

Twelve Year Lows ? | The Big Picture: "Twelve Year Lows Are Extremely Rare"

SEE THE GRAPH

321energy :: Tumbling in the East :: Scott B. MacDonald

321energy :: Tumbling in the East :: Scott B. MacDonald

Tumbling in the East

by Scott B. MacDonald
KWR International
February 27th, 2009

The broad swath of land from the Baltic to the Black Sea and into the Russian heartland constitutes what is often called Emerging Europe. Over the last few weeks, this area caught the attention of the financial press due to rising concerns that the earlier build-up of external debt is beyond the region’s means of repayment -- a factor that could have a wider ripple effect into Western European banks and through them into those economies and the world at large.

Since the end of the Soviet Union in 1992 and the movement of most Eastern European countries into the European Union, a considerable amount of capital was pumped into the region. That process accelerated at the beginning of this decade as there was a race to converge between countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia and Lithuania with their counterparts in the rest of Europe. Money flowed into these economies from both public and private sources. However, the private sector, led by Austrian, Italian, Greek and Swedish banks, led the way, investing capital in infrastructure, human capital, and housing. By 2008, Austrian banks had lent an estimated 70% of their country’s GDP in countries to the East, including Hungary, Ukraine and Russia. The problem is that the large spurt of growth, the race to economic convergence and the overall improvement in living standards came on borrowed money, reflected by sizeable current account imbalances throughout the region. Now with global export markets faltering and capital markets choking, Emerging Europe sits on an estimated $1.7 trillion in debt, including some $400 billion coming due this year.

The reduction in capital flows is something shared by most Emerging Markets, but it is the most pronounced in Eastern Europe. According to the Washington-based Institute of International Finance (IIF), private flows fell from a massive $392 billion in 2007 to $254.2 billion in 2008 and are projected to plunge to $30 billion this year. This is a massive shortfall for a region that has become addicted to cheap money and presents a number of dangers.

First and foremost, the drying up of cheap credit will be reflected by a more pronounced economic downturn in 2009. Last year, Ukraine, Hungary, Belarus, and Latvia went to the IMF for help (along with Iceland and Pakistan). This year, Ukraine, still struggling with the collapse of international steel prices, could end up going back to the IMF for a second time. Other potential candidates include Turkey, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria. Russia still has over $300 billion in foreign exchange reserves, but that buffer is falling and the country’s banks are increasingly turning to the state for assistance. Indeed, Russia is forecast to make net repayments of about $49 billion to commercial banks. As long as commodities are down – which many expect through 2009 and into 2010 – Russia will be challenged due its heavy dependence on natural gas and oil exports. The bottom line is that "Emerging Europe" has become "submerging Europe".

A second danger is to Europe’s banks. While U.S. banks have traditionally been major players in Latin America and Asia, Eastern Europe has been the domain of German, French, Italian, and other Western European banks. While German and French banks have been a little more prudent this round, that is not the case of their counterparts in Austria, Sweden (lending to the Baltics), Italy, Greece, and the Netherlands. A series of bank loan and bond defaults throughout Eastern Europe could have a strong negative impact on many struggling Western European banks, raising difficult questions for government authorities in Vienna, Stockholm, and Athens. And the reaction thus far from Western European capitals has been to stop the flow of credit, making matters worse, penalizinf good borrowers alongside bad.

The third danger is the impact of a major financial/economic crisis within the European Union. Can the EU withstand an even deeper economic crisis than the current one, complete with collapsing banking systems and sovereign defaults? This is a very significant question – would the Germans, French and Dutch be willing to bail out their fellow EU neighbors in Latvia, Hungary and Bulgaria? What kind of support can be given to Austria if its banks start to default?

The European Central Bank has limited powers and the decision for a massive, coordinated bailout would require something that has not yet occurred – a rapid, coherent decision-making process emerging from the EU’s headquarters in Brussels. This is not likely. As Ambrose Evans-Pritchard noted in The Telegraph on February 15, 2009, "Berlin is not going to rescue Ireland, Spain, Greece, and Portugal as the collapse of their credit bubbles leads to rising defaults, or rescue Italy by accepting plans for EU ‘union bonds’ should the debt markets take fright at the rocketing trajectory of Italy’s public debt (hitting 112% of GDP next year), just revised up from 101% - big change), or rescue Austria from its Habsburg adventurism." While many developed countries can survive large public sector debt burdens (like Japan, Italy and Belgium), the current environment makes the rapid absorption of a large amount of debt, which would have to be financed by bonds or loans, potentially more difficult than usual.

The global economy is in a precarious state. The most recent IMF economic forecast, updated at the end of January 2009, projects that world growth will fall to 0.5% this year, its lowest rate since World War II. According to the Fund: "Despite wide-ranging policy actions, financial strains remain acute, pulling down the real economy. A sustained economic recovery will not be possible until the financial sector’s functionality is restored and credit markets are unclogged." The IMF is already forecasting the Euro area’s real GDP will contract by 2% in 2009, with 0.2% growth in 2010. Our concern is that the ripples from a series of corporate and possibly sovereign defaults in the East roll into Western banks. This may initiate another round of upheaval that could tip over already strained credit systems – beyond what national governments can handle and what the EU is willing to deal with. This could set in motion more significant power shifts, with the Euro being a possible victim, parts of Eastern Europe falling into socio-economic turmoil -- with perhaps a slide in governments toward more authoritarian forms of rule -- and weakening the appeal of Western institutions and capitalism. If nothing else this is an old-fashioned crisis in capitalism and its impac

The Wisdom of Crowds and Obamanomics

The Wisdom of Crowds and Obamanomics: "A 2007 study by Arnerich & Messina illustrated the stock market's efficiency in stark terms. Since 1994 there have been only two years in which more than 50% of professional money managers were able to beat the S&P 500 index. In 1997 only 11% of managers beat the index."

Eyc Eyc esp effect of Obama popularity and stock market

"The United States of America Does Not Torture"

"The United States of America Does Not Torture"

My concern with President Obama is his speeches seem to be written to sound profound while leaving out substance.

His plans to manage the deficit do not reflect anything like reality. He announces a plan to halve the deficit in the same year he increased it by $1 trillion dollars. His foreign policy so far is more notable in it's absence than in it's accomplishments. Given posturing and threats from North Korea, Sec State Clinton announced that she personally did not believe North Korea could enrich urianium (in apparent disagreement with virtually everyone else).

Russia is signing weapons supply agreements with Iran and expanding security arrangements and we say nary a word about it.
They also announced that they will build a naval base in Abkhazia, an province in another country which is in rebellion, and who's government is recognized by nobody.

Russia "in self defense" moves mobile missiles to the border of Poland after we deployed an ABM battery there. People do not understand the technology involved. An ABM has no offensive power. If you set off an ABM next to a T72 tank, it wold likely not disable the tank. If you set off a nuke on an Iskander missile, you would destroy an entire city. Our response? "well really we made no response. however we have announced that defence spending will be reduced...
To me, this feels like ... 1935... pacifist posturing, defense cuts, inward looking policies bordering on socialism, while potential opponents gain in strength and confidence.

Russians turn off the gas in Ukraine, Obama's response, silence. Russias message? to Ukraine, "none of your friends in the west will help you" to the West "we can turn off your heat whenever we want, remember this when you set your foreign policy".

In Iraq, Obama set a timetable to leave. I hope he is right. Bush handed him a victory in Iraq. It isn't too late for him to turn it into a defeat.

Pakistan's new government is showing itself to be weak and indecisive. I hope a stronger role in Afghanistan helps resolve this situation... I hope Obama can stay the course and that the military has decisive leadership on the battlefield.

And on Torture Michael, I have followed your articles for years. I think we need to define what torture is and work within that framework.

Michael thankyou for being a voice of reason that helps filter out the shrill political rhetoric.

Getting My Eat On - The Dax Files

Getting My Eat On - The Dax Files
southern favorite, Country Fried Steak with Milk Gravy and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

Country Fried Steak
INGREDIENTS:
4 (4 ounce) cube steaks
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 3/4 teaspoons ground black pepper, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup lard
1 cup milk
DIRECTIONS:
1. Season meat with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper; set aside. In a shallow dish, mix flour with 1 teaspoon of the pepper. Dredge each steak in flour. Dip in beaten egg, then dredge in flour again.
2. Heat lard in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Fry steaks 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
3. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the dredging flour into oil. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of skillet. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes, or until thickened and bubbly. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons pepper; gravy should be quite peppery.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
• 5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
• 13 ounces butter, room temperature
• 5 ounces Romano cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup and 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 45 minutes; drain. Stir in butter, cheese, garlic, salt and oregano. Mash with a potato masher or with an electric mixer
Talk about putting the pounds on…Damn!

Acne | ArthurDeVany.com

Acne | ArthurDeVany.com

Acne

I have had several questions about acne lately. There is an easy answer: its the carbs. Not the good carbs in fruit and vegetables, but the bad, starchy, sugary carbs in bread, pizza, pasta, chocolate, rice, beans, potatoes, french fries, and sugar- or fructose-laden drinks. It is not the fat in your diet, though trans-fats are implicated. Milk may contribute to the problem.

Loren Cordain just released a book on acne. He has done the most impressive research on the subject. You can find his book at AcneCure. In the book he quotes a doctor who studied the problem with his many patients who concluded:

“The internal treatment of acne vulgaris must depend on the symptoms presented by each individual patient. . . As regards the diet, it is usually important to restrict the amount of carbohydrate and fat, and sweets, cakes, pastries, puddings, jam and marmalade, pig-fat, chocolate . . . Plenty of fresh fruits and green vegetables and lean meat, fish and poultry should be taken.”

Loren agrees with that assessment and adds,

“As you will see in later chapters most of this nearly 70 year old advice is right on target. However, 70 years later it can now be supported from clinical dietary trials that have shown how sugary foods and high glycemic load carbohydrates like those listed above can adversely influence the hormones that are directly involved in causing acne. The recommendation to eat fresh fruits, green vegetables, lean meat, fish and poultry now makes perfect sense with our
new understanding of how diet can influence the hormonal, cellular and molecular underpinnings of acne.”

The rest of his book backs that up and advises how to cure acne. You will also reduce your general level of inflammation and lose weight, almost all fat, on this diet. It is the diet I follow and recommend too.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 am and is filed under EvolutionaryFitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

confabulation

confabulation

CHILDS

interpretation of the bible

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says, ‘The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that.

Anyway, God said, ‘Give me a light!’ and someone did.

Then God made the world..

He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet.

Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Aden.

Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn’t have cars.

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel.

Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check.

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh’s people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, english food and no cable.

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments.

These include: don’t lie, cheat, smoke, drink, dance, or covet your neighbor’s stuff.

Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother.

One of Moses’ best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town.

After Joshua came David.. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn’t sound very wise to me.

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets.

One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore.

There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don’t have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, ‘Close the door! Were you born in a barn?’ It would be nice to say, ‘As a matter of fact, I was.’)

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats.

Jesus also had twelve opossums.

The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him.

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount.

But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn’t stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead.

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again.

He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum.

His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.


Stolen without remorse from… The Children’s Bible in a Nutshell

While Rome Burns | The Big Picture

While Rome Burns | The Big Picture

READ THIS:
et me make a few people upset. When someone comes to you and starts showing you charts that tell you to invest for the long run, look at their assumptions. Usually they are simplistic. And misleading. I agree that if the long run for you is 70 years, you can afford to ride out the ups and downs. But for those of us in the Baby Boomer world, the long term may be buying green bananas. If you start in a period of high valuations, you are NOT going to get 8-9-10% a year for the next 30 years;

New service unmasks blocked telephone calls

New service unmasks blocked telephone calls: "A basic version of TrapCall is available for free.

Premium versions of the service can record mobile telephone calls, transcribe voice messages into text messages, and reveal names and addresses of callers along with their telephone numbers.

Premium versions are available for monthly fees of 10 dollars or 25 dollars."

Kitco - Commentaries - Ned W. Schmidt

Kitco - Commentaries - Ned W. Schmidt: "Schmidt's Gold Thoughts"

Why did Congress frantically pass the PorkPlan, despite Republican pleas for more time, only to have the law sit on Obama’s desk through a long leisurely weekend?? � td blog

"“Denver Airport Murals”. REALLY weird"

Bad Example

Bad Example Jokes

LITTLE RALPHY ON MATH

A teacher asks her class, 'If there are 5 birds sitting on a fence and you shoot one of them, how many will be left?'

She calls on little Ralphy.

He replies, 'None, they will all fly away with the first gunshot.'

The teacher replies, 'The correct answer is 4, but I like your thinking.'

Then little Ralphy says, 'I have a question for YOU. There are 3 women sitting on a bench having ice cream:

One is delicately licking the sides of the triple scoop of ice cream. The second is gobbling down the top and sucking the cone. The third is biting off the top of the ice cream. Which one is married?'

The teacher, blushing a great deal, replied, 'Well, I suppose the one that's gobbled down the top and sucked the cone.'

To which Little Ralphy replied, 'The correct answer is 'the one with the wedding ring on,' but I like your thinking.'

LITTLE RALPHY ON MATH

Little Ralphy returns from school and says he got an F in arithmetic.

'Why?' asks the father?

'The teacher asked 'How much is 2x3,'' I said '6', replies Ralphy.

'But that's right!' says his dad.

'Yeah, but then she asked me 'How much is 3x2?''

'What's the f*cking difference?' asks the father.

'That's what I said!'

LITTLE RALPHY ON ENGLISH

Little Ralphy goes to school, and the teacher says, 'Today we are going to learn multi-syllable words, class. Does anybody have an example of a multi-syllable word?'

Ralphy says 'Mas-tur-bate.'

Miss Rogers smiles and says, 'Wow, little Ralphy, that's a mouthful.'

Little Ralphy says, 'No, Miss Rogers, you're thinking of a blowjob.'

LITTLE RALPHY ON GRAMMAR

Little Ralphy was sitting in class one day. All of a sudden, he needed to go to the toilet. He yelled out, 'Miss Jones, I need to take a piss!'

The teacher replied, 'Now, Ralphy, that is NOT the proper word to use in this situation. The correct word you want to use is 'urinate.' Please use the word 'ur-i-nate' in a sentence correctly, and I will allow you to go.'

Little Ralphy, thinks for a bit, and then says, 'You're an eight, but if you had bigger tits, you'd be a TEN!'

LITTLE RALPHY ON GRAMMAR

One day, during lessons on proper grammar, the teacher asked for a show of hands from those who could use the word 'beautiful' in the same sentence twice.

First, she called on little Suzie, who responded with, 'My father bought my mother a beautiful dress and she looked beautiful in it.'

'Very good, Suzie,' replied the teacher. She then called on little Michael.

'My mommy planned a beautiful banquet and it turned out beautifully.'

She said, 'Excellent, Michael!' Then the teacher reluctantly called on little Ralphy.

'Last night at the dinner table, my sister told my father that she was pregnant, and he said 'Beautiful, just f*cking beautiful!''

[Yeah, Michael f*cked up his answer, but he's an ass-kisser, so teacher gave him a pass]

LITTLE RALPHY ON GETTING OLDER

Little Ralphy was sitting on a park bench munching on one candy bar after another. After the 6th one a man on the bench across from him said, 'Son, you know eating all that candy isn't good for you. It will give you acne, rot your teeth, and make you fat.'

Little Ralphy replied, 'My grandfather lived to be 107 years old.'

The man asked, 'Did your grandfather eat 6 candy bars at a time?'

Little Ralphy answered, 'No, he minded his own f*cking business.

Sept. 08: Someone tried to orchestrate the collapse of US/world financial & political systems � td blog

Sept. 08: Someone tried to orchestrate the collapse of US/world financial & political systems � td blog

One of the smartest women in the world is Catherine Fitts who was a Federal Government insider and Assistant Secretary of HUD years ago. She disclosed all the details concerning the Black Budget which flows through the US banking system to hold it up and $trillions are being parked at all times from one bank to the other.

It is my theory that those in control of the Black Budget wanted to move the funds elsewhere for whatever the reason, and the FED pulled the plug.

The Oil Drum | USA Gulf of Mexico Oil Production Forecast Update

The Oil Drum | USA Gulf of Mexico Oil Production Forecast Update

USA Gulf of Mexico Oil Production Forecast Update

Posted by ace on February 9, 2009 - 3:49pm
Topic: Supply/Production
Tags: deepwater, gulf of mexico, oil production, original [list all tags]

Here's an update of USA Gulf of Mexico (GoM) oil production using the most recent EIA data. GoM production peaked in June 2002 at 1.73 mbd and is forecast to continue declining.

Graphs

The Oil Drum | Discussions about Energy and Our Future

The Oil Drum | Discussions about Energy and Our Future: "A Visit to Chevron's Kern River Heavy Oil Facility"

R-Squared Energy Blog

R-Squared Energy Blog: "Countries with the highest per capita energy consumption in 2005* (in kilograms of oil equivalent per person)

Based on International Energy Agency data for 2005, the most recent year for which IEA has data. Note: Numbers have been rounded off

Source: World Resources Institute

Qatar 19,466
Iceland 12,209
Bahrain 11,180
Kuwait 11,102
United Arab Emirates 10,354
Luxembourg 10,138
Trinidad and Tobago 9,736
Netherlands Antilles 9,057
Canada 8,473
U.S. 7,886"

InsideCatholic.com - Eight Responses to the Pro-Choice Mindset

InsideCatholic.com - Eight Responses to the Pro-Choice Mindset

Obama's Posse o' Change

Obama's Posse o' Change: "Obama's Posse o' Change"

The list of thugs!

Vinegar and Honey: To Everything There Is A Season

Vinegar and Honey: To Everything There Is A Season

To Everything There Is a Season

To everything there is a season,a time for every purpose under the sun.
A time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal ...a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance ...a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to lose and a time to seek;
a time to rend and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent and a time to speak;
a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
Daniel 2:21-22 KJV

The Big Picture

The Big Picture: "Agnotology: Culturally constructed ignorance, purposefully created by special interest groups working hard to create confusion and suppress the truth."

R-Squared Energy Blog: Renewable Diesel Primer

R-Squared Energy Blog: Renewable Diesel Primer

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical�

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical�: "Today's Consumer Report

Today's Consumer Report

Verizon bundle internet. Blazing fast!!
Verizon"

BizzyBlog

BizzyBlog: "Timothy Geithner, pictured at right in an AP photo, is Barack Obama’s nominee for Treasury Secretary.
Timothy Geithner, pictured at right in an AP photo, is Barack Obama’s nominee for Treasury Secretary.

Mr. Geithner will, among many other duties, oversee the Internal Revenue Service.

How odd, to say the least, that Mr. Geithner has had tax filing and payment problems going back over 15 years involving self-employment taxes for both himself and his paid help, as well as with the employment of someone who for a time did not have proper legal status to remain in the country.

You would think that such things might place a cabinet nominee, especially to head Treasury, in jeopardy, and to cause the president who nominated him to have second thoughts.

Mr. Geithner will, among many other duties, oversee the Internal Revenue Service.

How odd, to say the least, that Mr. Geithner has had tax filing and payment problems going back over 15 years involving self-employment taxes for both himself and his paid help, as well as with the employment of someone who for a time did not have proper legal status to remain in the country.

You would think that such things might place a cabinet nominee, especially to head Treasury, in jeopardy, and to cause the president who nominated him to have second thoughts."

The hundred years' war in Palestine | The hundred years' war | The Economist

The hundred years' war in Palestine | The hundred years' war | The Economist

Why they fight

And Gaza, remember, is only one item in a mighty catalogue of misery, whose entries are inscribed in tears. The Jews and Arabs of Palestine have been fighting off and on for 100 years. In 1909 the mostly Russian socialist idealists of the Zionist movement set up an armed group, Hashomer, to protect their new farms and villages in Palestine from Arab marauders. Since then has come the dismal march of wars—1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, 2006 and now 2009—each seared by blood and fire into the conflicting myths and memories of the two sides. The intervals between the wars have not been filled by peace but by bombs, raids, uprisings and atrocities. Israeli settlers in Hebron today still cite, as if it were yesterday, the massacre of Hebron’s Jews in 1929. The Arabs of Palestine still remember their desperate revolt in the 1930s against the British mandate and Jewish immigration from Europe, and the massacres of 1948.

RGE - Let’s “hope and pray that Hirsch is wrong” about our oil supply

RGE - Let’s “hope and pray that Hirsch is wrong” about our oil supply
But analysts also agree on something else: When the recessionary tide finally recedes, all of the factors that drove oil to its record high last summer will once again be exposed, and crude will again soar to record highs.

Environmental Capital - WSJ.com

Environmental Capital - WSJ.com: "Cushing is apparently getting close to storage capacity; Platt’s figures it can hold another 2 million or so barrels. But Cushing’s bulging tanks mean that U.S. oil prices are losing touch with reality, argued the FT’s Alphaville blog:

Essentially that means once Cushing storage nears capacity WTI will become increasingly depressed versus other crude grades and therefore disconnected from real oil supply/demand fundamentals. As a result it will no longer be a good indicator of US crude prices."

Square Foot Garden Update and Lessons Learned | Frugal Dad

Square Foot Garden Update and Lessons Learned | Frugal Dad

Square Foot Gardening, a How To | Frugal Dad

Square Foot Gardening, a How To | Frugal Dad

Language of the Perpetual Poor | Frugal Dad

Language of the Perpetual Poor | Frugal Dad: "How to identify members of this group:

* Can recite the last five winners of American Idle (that’s not a typo) from memory
* Haven’ t picked up a book since high school
* Never stretched to learn a new skill at work, but complain about being passed over for promotions"

Do You Suffer from Destination Addiction? | Frugal Dad

Do You Suffer from Destination Addiction? | Frugal Dad

Midas Letter - 5 New Forces to Drive Gold Higher

Midas Letter - 5 New Forces to Drive Gold Higher: "5 New Forces to Drive Gold Higher
By James West
Thursday, January 8, 2009"

Big Hollywood � Blog Archive � Video Exclusive: A Revealing Morning With Sarah Palin

Big Hollywood � Blog Archive � Video Exclusive: A Revealing Morning With Sarah Palin

321energy :: Where We Are Headed: Gold, USD, Oil :: Daniel Smolski

321energy :: Where We Are Headed: Gold, USD, Oil :: Daniel Smolski

The Oil Drum | Discussions about Energy and Our Future

The Oil Drum | Discussions about Energy and Our Future

Midas Letter-Gold, Silver, Commodities, Economics, Investment

Midas Letter-Gold, Silver, Commodities, Economics, Investment

Asia needs to fully wake up to the scale of the West's economic crisis - Telegraph

Asia needs to fully wake up to the scale of the West's economic crisis - Telegraph

The fall-out in Japan has already shattered the authority of premier Taro Aso. His approval rating has dropped to 21pc. The cabinet is in revolt. The world's second biggest economy no longer has a functioning government.

Credit Suisse warns that Japan could slide into deflation of minus 2pc by the autumn. Since interest rates are already near zero, which means that real rates will rise as the slump deepens – the surest path to a liquidity trap.

Kyohei Morita from Barclays Capital estimates that Japan's GDP shrank at an annual rate of 12.2pc in the fourth quarter. "It's shocking," he says. Singapore has already reported. Fourth-quarter GDP contracted at an 12.5pc annual rate.

Taiwan's exports fell 28pc in November. Shipments to China dropped 45pc. Korea's exports dropped 18pc in November and 17pc in December.

Financial Armageddon: Hard Times Call for Creative Solutions

Financial Armageddon: Hard Times Call for Creative Solutions
Most posts on Financial Armageddon are meant to raise awareness about what is really going on nowadays and what I believe lies ahead. Even so, I'm sure many visitors are also interested in learning what they can do to protect themselves. While a great deal of useful information can be found by reading through the blogs and other resources featured in the right hand column, I occasionally take the opportunity to highlight strategies and insights that could prove especially usefull to individuals (and families), investors, and businesses. etc

Obama is hit by 'affair' smears following claims that attractive aide was banned by his wife | Mail Online

Obama is hit by 'affair' smears following claims that attractive aide was banned by his wife | Mail Online

Carville predicts scandals to overshadow Democrats, Obama | Republican Liberty Caucus of Illinois

Carville predicts scandals to overshadow Democrats, Obama | Republican Liberty Caucus of Illinois

There are several burgeoning scandals right now in Democratic circles:

* Blagojevich is accused by federal prosecutors of conspiring to sell Barack Hussein Obama Jr.’s former Senate seat to the highest bidder.

* Former low-rated talk show host Al Franken is being accused of stealing an election — with the help of Obama’s ACORN organization — in Minnesota.

* Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) is alleged to have not paid his taxes.

* Former Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s White House chief of staff, is accused of shenanigans regarding his property taxes in Chicago.

* Obama himself was alleged in the U.K. press to have had an ongoing affair, which, just like the John Edwards scandal, has not yet been covered by the U.S. media.

Barack Obama The Naked Emperor | Pakistan Daily

Barack Obama The Naked Emperor | Pakistan Daily

I HOPE we make it!!!!!

GraphOilogy: Chart of the Day

GraphOilogy: Chart of the Day

Information Warfare: Why Arabs Believe In Force Fields

Information Warfare: Why Arabs Believe In Force Fields
This easy acceptance of fantasies is exploited by leaders throughout the Middle East, and the Moslem world in general. Leaders who know better, build on these fantasies as a way to maintain their control over the population. The problem is a dirty little secret in the Moslem world, that leaders and academics don't even like to discuss it openly, much less with infidels. But it is real, and you can read all about it in the local media, or overhear it in the coffee shops.

Donna Brazile wants to ban ignorant bloggers who “bloviate.” � td blog

Donna Brazile wants to ban ignorant bloggers who “bloviate.” � td blog

John Adams:
Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform, alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness require it.

Tom Paine 'Tyranny'

CHARMING, JUST CHARMING: "Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value."

Thomas Paine