I LEARNED SOMETHING NEW

I visited Hootin' Anni's blog today. I had not been there in awhile. I should go there more often. She has a very interesting blog and I usually learn something. At the very bottom of her blog she gave instructions on how to do a mouse over so that the title of a picture appears. I tried it. It works. Here's an example. Put the mouse over my picture and you will see my name.

IN GOD WE TRUST

I'll bet this was a surprise to NBC...

NBC POLL

Do you believe that the word God should stay in American culture?

NBC had a poll on this question. They had the highest Number of responses that they have ever had for one of their polls. Here are the results:

86% to keep the words, IN God We Trust and God in the Pledge of Allegiance

14% against.

That is a pretty 'commanding' public response.

It is said that 86% of Americans believe the word God should stay..

Therefore, I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a controversy about having 'In God We Trust' on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why is the world catering to this 14%?

This information was posted on Jeanne's blog and I wanted to help get the message out.

It Doesn't Add Up

Let's Check the Math. . . .

A clunker vehicle at 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year of gasoline. A more fuel efficient vehicle at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year. So, the average clunker transaction will reduce US gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year. They claim 700,000 vehicles – so that's 224 million gallons / year. That equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil. 5 million barrels of oil is about ¼ of one day's US consumption. And, 5 million barrels of oil costs about $350 million dollars at $75/bbl. So, we all contributed to spending $3 billion to save $350 million. How good a deal was that ??? They'll probably do a great job with health care though!! Thanks for the e-mail Mike.

Christmas in September

I was so excited when the mail lady delivered a large box to our front door today. I knew what it was because I had been expecting it. Remember I told you a few days ago that I had won the one year bloggerversary giveaway from Sue at Beautiful Pear Tree Lane? As I am writing this I'm listening to the beautiful Rest & Relaxation music. It's a beautiful blend of music and ocean surf. I love it. This CD was part of the giveaway. I haven't seen all the blog giveaways, of course, but I really doubt any have been any better than this one. In fact, I doubt any have been as good. I will be pampering myself (Sue's suggestion) for a long time with all of these items. Of course the chocolate bar may not last too long. LOL. Here are the photos I took.

I love that Sue wrapped the packages in Christmas paper. It really made it seem like Christmas. I've always loved Christmas.

And here's our tub where I plan to really relax and take advantage of the "Me time."

Thank you again, Sue, for being so generous, and thank your dear Hubby again for me for drawing my name. I hope everyone reading this will go visit Beautiful Pear Tree Lane. You can click HERE to go there. I know you will find it delightful.

EPHESUS REVISITED

If you did not see my last post I hope you will go there and look at it first. I promised to post some photos today that we took when we were there in 1978.

The first picture is the facade of the library that was being restored. You can see all the scaffolding in this picture. I was glad to see the one in the video where the restoration was complete.

Wouldn't be fun if we could go back in time and go inside the library. The "books" would look a lot different.
Many tourists were walking down this road. You can see the library at the end. There were columns and statues on each side.
Our group was gathered for a devotional. Guess where Charlotte was. Well, somebody had to take the picture.

I can't believe I climbed all the way to the top. I sure couldn't do it now. Of course I was 31 years younger then.

The marble they used in these buildings and statues is so beautiful.
I thought this was interesting - a public toilet. Makes me think of the old outhouses.

Thank you for letting me share my memories and photos with you. This trip to Ephesus was part of a Mediterranean cruise. We also went to Israel, Egypt, and Greece. I have posted a few of the Israel photos in the past.

TURKEY FOR SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS

This is a little unusual for a Spiritual Sundays post, but when I saw this video I wanted to share it. The first part about Ephesus and the theatre there was so meaningful to me because of the Biblical connection. We went to Turkey in 1978 and what an awesome experience it was to be in that theatre and realize that this was probably where the riot broke out because of what Paul was preaching and teaching. (Acts 19) Walking down the street of the ruins of Ephesus was one of the highlights of that trip. We took a lot of pictures, of course, and I think tomorrow I will post some of those pictures, but for now, this is it.

The tour through the excavation of the houses was not available back when we went. And although the portion covered in the last part of the video (about the hot springs) was there, I had never heard of it until yesterday when I received a video about it in an email. Wow! What an incredible world we live in. And by the way, our God created it. It did not just happen.

Turkey - Ephesus, Pamukkale, Hieropolis, Izmir - ...
by chris2x

Be sure to visit the Spiritual Sundays blog if you would like to share a spiritual/inspirational post or read what someone else has shared on their blog. Click HERE if you need more information.

Post Script: Here is the link to another video with more pictures of the hot springs in Pamukkale if you are interested.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5mnl1_can-akin-pamukkale_travel?from=rss

WE NEED THE FACTS

Let Us Never Forget

AN OLD FOSSIL

I found this humorous - maybe because I'm a fossil myself. LOL

(This was an email from an old friend.)

IT'S HARD TO FIX STUPID:

I rode along with a friend of mine to see his insurance agent. He wanted to get insurance for an old pick-up truck he bought to use around his ranch.

The young clerk that came out to look at the truck asked, "Wow...how old is the thing anyway?"

"It's a 1965 Ford," my friend replied, "It's a fossil."

Later, we were sitting at her desk when she said, "I'm having trouble finding the information I need. Ford only lists a Falcon, Fairlane or Focus. I can't find a Fossil."

I WON!

I won! I won! Go to my other blog to see the wonderful giveaway I won today. Click HERE.

A WISE DOCTOR

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said, 'Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even one year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together.

So the doctor said, 'Okay, and what do you want me to do?'

She said, 'I want you to end my pregnancy, and I'm counting on your help with this.'

The doctor thought for a little and after some silence he said to the lady, 'I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you, too.'

She smiled, thinking the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued, 'You see, in order for you not to have to take care of two babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.'

The lady was horrified and said, 'No, doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!' 'I agree,' the doctor replied. 'But you seemed to be okay with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.'

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point. He had convinced the mom there is no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb. The crime is the same!

"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee." Jeremiah 1:5

What a wise doctor.

I'm Tired

I know the following quote is long but I think it is well worth the time it takes to read it.

"I am Tired" by Robert A. Hall
Robert Hall is a Marine Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.

This man makes so much sense that it is hard to believe he has served as a politician from Massachusetts.

"I'm Tired" by Robert A. Hall

I'll be 63 soon. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce, and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18 Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.

I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth around" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy or stupid to earn it. I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help But if they bought Mansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.

I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros, and Hollywood entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe, the freedom of the press of China, the crime and violence of Mexico, the tolerance for Christian people of Iran, and the freedom of speech of Venezuela. Won't multiculturalism be beautiful?

I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers" ; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to. I believe "a man should be judged by the content of his character, not by the color of his skin." I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of US Senators from Illinois.

I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the emancipation proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.

I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful. That thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress, that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his, that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. I Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News ? Get a clue.

I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America, while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue, or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.

I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three -bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough for me.

I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs.

And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana. I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military... Those are the citizens we need.

I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years-and still are?

Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let myself be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.

I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers-bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois, where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet as well.

I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers, and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught.

I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor. Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination, or big-whatever for their problems.

Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my grandchildren.

I don't know Robert Hall, but I'm grateful for his sharing his heart about this matter.