Sunday, October 24, 2004

Letter From Little Miss Attila

I believe this BLOG Post to be very important. I encourage my readers, if any, to go HERE, read the entire Blog Post, and think about it very, very carefully!

And many thanks to Little Miss Atilla, whose blog I recommend very highly.

Letter to an Undecided Voter
I spend too much time preaching to the choir. This essay is different, because it is where I will lay my case out for re-electing George W. Bush. It is not for political junkies, but for people who only follow the news when they have a chance between their other obligations. I'm going to put it to you as straight as I can, and try not to inject a lot of emotion into this piece—though I promise I am passionate about it.

I want you to vote for the President, no matter what you might think of him as a man, or as a speaker, or as a politician. No matter which of his policies you might disagree with. And no matter what your party affiliation might be. I'll try to keep it short. I have high hopes that I'll at least get you to think about a few important issues. Please read this through, and if it makes you think at all, pass it along to your friends—whether I persuaded you or not. MORE...




Friday, October 22, 2004

ABC News: School Says Halloween Disrespectful to Witches

Can you believe this!!

Our family does not "observe" Halloween because it is anti-Christian, and not because we want to be "respectful" of Wicca!

ABC News: School Says Halloween Disrespectful to Witches:
"PUYALLUP, Wash., Oct. 21, 2004 -- A Washington state school district is canceling its annual Halloween celebration, and the explanation has some parents baffled.
'Let them have their 30 minutes of dressing goofy and having candy,' Silas Macon, a father of two school-age girls, said Wednesday outside Maplewood Elementary School after learning that the grade-school tradition of a party and parade in costume during the last half-hour of class before Halloween night won't happen this year in the district.
A letter sent home to parents Wednesday said there will be no observance of Halloween in any of the district's schools.
'We really want to make sure we're using all of our time in the best interest of our students,' Puyallup School District spokeswoman Karen Hansen said.
The superintendent made the decision for three primary reasons, Hansen said. First, Halloween parties and parades waste valuable classroom time. Second, some families can't afford costumes and the celebrations thus can create embarrassment for children.
Both of those reasons seemed sensible to the parents who spoke to ABC News affiliate KOMO-TV in Seattle. But the district's third reason left some Puyallup parents shaking their heads.
The district said Halloween celebrations and children dressed in Halloween costumes might be offensive to real witches.
'Witches with pointy noses and things like that are not respective symbols of the Wiccan religion and so we want to be respectful of that,' Hansen said.
The Wiccan, or Pagan, religion is said to be growing in the United States and there are Wiccan groups in Puyallup.
On the district's list of guidelines related to holidays and celebrations is an item that reads: "Use of derogatory stereotypes is prohibited, such as the traditional image of a witch, which is offensive to members of the Wiccan religion."
"I do lots of things that are not revolving around wearing a black outfit and stirring a cauldron," Wiccan priestess Cheryl Sulyma-Masson said in an interview with ABC News in which she explained that Wiccans, or Pagan Clergy, celebrate nature."
On the district's list of guidelines related to holidays and celebrations is an item that reads: "Use of derogatory stereotypes is prohibited, such as the traditional image of a witch, which is offensive to members of the Wiccan religion."


The article goes on to say that:
"We want to make sure our students are respectful of all religions and all cultures."


I'm Israel!!

Israel: "



You're Israel!

Though a victim in the past, you've learned very little from this and
have encouraged a cycle of violence in your life and the life of many you know.
 You're a little paranoid and somewhat schizophrenic, causing you to promote
both hatred and hope in cycling intervals.  Some of the paranoia is justified, as
a lot of people don't like you, but more people are helping you than you'd ever really
admit to.  At this point, you live on some valuable property and would benefit
greatly from just giving peace a chance.

Take the Country
Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid

"

Thursday, October 21, 2004

New York Post Online Edition: Heinz Kerry in a Pickle

New York Post Online Edition: news: "October 21, 2004 -- Teresa Heinz Kerry touched off a firestorm yesterday and was forced to quickly apologize by saying First Lady Laura Bush has never held 'a real job,' even though she's been a teacher, librarian and full-time mom.
'I don't know that she's ever had a real job I mean, since she's been grown up,' Mrs. Kerry told USA Today in making the case that she'd be a better first lady.
Bush adviser Karen Hughes said Mrs. Kerry revealed 'an unfortunate mindset that seeks to divide women based on whether you work at home or whether you work outside the home. I've done both and so has Laura Bush and both are difficult and both are rewarding.'"

Tereza Heinz Kerry revealed a mindset that obviously is trite and catty. She is sooooo privileged she can just say whatever crosses her mind - with no self-ensorship, no self-restraint, and no self-discipline. I'm not voting for a "first lady," I'm voting for a president, but in that the attitudes expressed by the wife of a candidate and tolerated by the candidate expresses a probable unity of thought, this makes me even more skeptical of sKerry than I already was!

I am just horrified that Ms. sKerry doesn't think being a full-time mother is a "real" job. It is just as much a "real" job as working outside the home is. In fact, being a stay-at-home Mother is even more important in the long run than anything a person does working outside the home! A SAHM is raising the next generation - hopefully to be nicer and better than Ms. sKerry!

Sorry, her remarks reflect on her husband - who is out hunting to prove he's a "real man" - and while I feel sorry for him, I wouldn't consider voting for him.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Daily Record Online: Election determines fate of nation

Daily Record Online

This article will only be online at The Daily Record Website, the original publication of this piece, until October 27, 2004. It is well worth reading, and I urge anyone who reads this to do so!

Kerry's Coalition Quagmire

Greg Lewis brings up a very good series of points regarding Kerry's diplomatic skills:

"Early in the Democratic Primary campaign in 2003, you infamously described America's allies in the war against international terrorism which is currently focused on the country of Iraq but which is also being quietly and clandestinely contested in hundreds of locations around the world as a 'trumped-up, so-called coalition of the bribed, the coerced, the bought, and the extorted.' You have also insulted Iraqi interim Prime Minister Allawi by presenting the impression that he is a 'puppet' of the Bush administration. Perhaps you will have the arrogance to repeat this charge to the face of a man who has endured a heinous attempt on his life while he was in exile in London and who courageously attempts to mold seemingly intractable opposing forces into a unified nation in Iraq today.

Where do you suppose America's allies' anger comes from in their responses to your utterances? Why do you suppose they choose to align themselves, not with a genuine war hero such as yourself, but with George W. Bush, who, according to you at least, dodged his responsibility during Vietnam? It may be that America's allies know something you don't know, Mr. Kerry. Perhaps they know that, based on your reckless and audacious disrespect of them and the serious lacunae in your vision of the international political scene, you are not the man they want to see elected President of the United States. Perhaps the American electorate knows the same. I, along with the leaders of the American allies, am counting on it."

Kerry says he will bring about a "real" coalition - of whom? France? Germany? both have said they would not join us in Iraq even if Kerry were elected. Having insulted the rest of our allies, just who will Kerry appeal to? Somalia? Sudan? Iran?

Give me a break!

Monday, October 18, 2004

Monday, October 18 / October 5 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Saints Peter, Alexis, Jonah, Philip, Hermogenes (Germogen) and Tikhon, metropolitans of Moscow. Martyr Charitina of Amisus. Martyr Mamelta (Mamelchtha) of Persia. Hieromartyr Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria. St. Damian the Healer and Saints Jeremiah and Matthew, clairvoyants of the Kiev Caves. St. Charitina, princess of Lithuania. St. Cosmas, abbot in Bithynia. St. Gregory of Chandzoe in Georgia. St. Eudocimus the Unknown, monk of Vatopedi Monastery on Mt. Athos. Namesday of New-Martyr Crown Prince Alexis.
(Greek Calendar: St. Methodia of Cimola.)
Repose of Nun Agnia (Countess Orlova-Chesmenskaya) (1848).
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

From: Prayers by the Lake. St. Nikolai of Ochrid and Zima
I

Who is that staring at me through all the stars in heaven and all the creatures on earth?

Cover your eyes, stars and creatures; do not look upon my nakedness. Shame torments me enough through my own eyes.

What is there for you to see? A tree of life that has been reduced to a thorn on the road, that pricks both itself and others. What else-except a heavenly flame immersed in mud, a flame that neither gives light nor goes out?

Plowmen, it is not your plowing that matters but the Lord who watches.

Singers, it is not your singing that matters but the Lord who listens.

Sleepers, it is not your sleeping that matters but the Lord who wakens.

It is not the pools of water in the rocks around the lake that matter but the lake itself.

What is all human time but a wave that moistens the burning sand on the shore, and then regrets that it left the lake, because it has dried up?

O stars and creatures, do not look at me with your eyes but at the Lord. He alone sees. Look at Him and you will see yourselves in your homeland.

What do you see when you look at me? A picture of your exile? A mirror of your fleeting transitoriness?

O Lord, my beautiful veil, embroidered with golden seraphim, drape over my face like a veil over the face of a widow, and collect my tears, in which the sorrow of all Your creatures seethes.

O Lord, my beauty, come and visit me, lest I be ashamed of my nakedness—lest the many thirsty glances that are falling upon me return home thirsty.

Monday, October 11, 2004

Monday, October 11 / September 28 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
St. Chariton the Confessor, abbot of Palestine. Prophet Baruch. Martyrs Alexander, Alphius, Zosimas, Mark, Nicon, Neon, Heliodorus and 24 others in Pisidia and Phrygia. Martyrdom of St. Wenceslaus, prince of the Czechs. St. Herodion, abbot of Iloezersk. St. Chariton, monk of Syanzhemsk (Vologda). (Greek Calendar: Martyr Eustace of Rome.)
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!


Saturday, October 09, 2004

Saturday, October 9 / September 26 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, Righteous Gideon, Judge of Israel. St. Ephraim, abbot of Perekop, Wonderworker of Novgorod.
(Greek Calendar: Martyr Cyra.)
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

Death, for men who understand it, is immortality; while for the simple, who do not understand it, it is death. And one should not fear this death, but ought to fear the perdition of the soul, which is ignorance of God. This is what is terrible for the soul! Life is the uniting and joining of the mind (spirit), soul and body; while death is not the perdition of these joined parts, but the dissolution of their union; God preserves all this even after the dissolution. Just as a man comes forth from his mother's womb, so does a soul come forth naked from the body. Some are pure and bright, some are spotted by falls, and some are black from many transgressions. That is why the wise and God­loving soul, remembering and considering the calamities and extremities that come after death, lives piously lest it be condemned and subjected to them. But the unbelievers, the mindless in soul, do not perceive and they sin, despising what is to come. Just as on issuing forth from the womb thou dost not remember what was in the womb, so on issuing forth from the body thou dost not remember what was in the body. Just as on issuing forth from the womb thou becamest better and greater in body, so on issuing forth from the body pure and undefiled, thou wilt be better and incorrupt, abiding in the heavens.

Mortal men ought to care about themselves, knowing in advance that death awaits them. For blessed immortality is the lot of the holy soul when it is good, and death eternal meets it when it is evil. Remember that thy youth is past and thy powers exhausted, while thine infirmities have grown and already the time of thy departure is near, when thou wilt give an account of all thy deeds; and know that there, neither will brother redeem brother, nor will father deliver son. Always remember thy departure from the body, and do not let eternal condemnation out of thy thoughts; if thou wilt act thus, thou wilt not sin unto the ages.

Venerable Anthony the Great.

Thursday, October 07, 2004

nousfromspring: All the Nous that's fit to print

Great new Orthodox Blog has started. This lady can write well, and has many things to share! Check it out!

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

OpinionJournal - REVIEW & OUTLOOK - Hullabaloo Over Halliburton: The Kerry campaign's Old Democrat tendencies

"Hullabaloo Over Halliburton: The Kerry campaign's Old Democrat tendencies."
Opinion Journal has struck again -


.... All that's needed to refute this smear campaign are the facts: Mr. Cheney's deferred compensation is a standard practice for retiring executives and an entirely legal way of spreading tax liability for previously agreed compensation, so it does not imply any continuing relationship with Halliburton. In order to re-enter public service, Mr. Cheney had to forfeit millions of dollars worth of stock options to avoid any conflict of interest. And he has zero control or even input regarding Halliburton's Defense contracts.

But the attacks have gone on for so long despite no evidence of impropriety that there must be something else going on here. That's what we mean by saying that voters can learn from a campaign's negative attacks: They sometimes betray the accuser's own biases. In this case, it is a prejudice against large corporations and preference for big government.


Don't the liberal realize that the big corporations are where the most jobs are? This is where the most and newest jobs will be created. Yet they continually tear them down. They assume big corporations are corrupt - well, so are small companies - in the same proportion that people in the gneral population are corrupt. That's what regulations are for and about - our tendency to be corrupt.

It's a fallen world, and we have to struggle against corruption, but there is a corruption in looking for corruption, too. That's what I believe I'm seeing among the liberals - corruption in the seeking corruption; repeating a big lie so frequently and so forcefully that susceptible people will believe it.

Neither the Dems nor the Reps have the Truth - that is only found in God. But a little moderation and dispassion is called for - especially in the Silly Season!

Center for Consumer Freedom

Center for Consumer Freedom

This has become one of my favorite websites! As a scientist, I deplore scientists who allow their own per-conceived agenda to influence their research and conclusions. What's next - imprisoning pregnant women to ensure they eat "right" and exercise enough?

Tuesday, October 5 / September 22 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Hieromartyr Phocas, Bishop of Sinope Prophet Jonah. Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope. St. Jonah the Presbyter, father of St. Theophanes the Hymnographer and St. Theodore Graptus. St. Peter the Tax-collector. St. Jonah, abbot of Yashezersk. The 26 Martyrs of Zographou Monastery on Mt. Athos, martyred by the Latins (see October 10). St. Cosmas of Zographou. Martyrs Isaac and Martin. St. Macarius, abbot of Zhabyn. St. Theophanes the Silent, recluse of the Kiev Caves. Repose of Abbot Innocent of Valaam (1828) and Blessed Parasceva "Pasha of Sarov", fool-for-Christ of Diveyevo Convent (1915).
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

THE SPIRIT OF ANGER
(St. John Cassian, "The Institutes")
-- We have heard that some people try to excuse this most destructive disease of the soul by attempting to extenuate it by a rather detestable interpretation of Scripture. They say that it is not harmful if we are angry with wrongdoing brothers, because God Himself is said to be enraged and angered with those who do not want to know Him or who, knowing Him, disdain Him. For example: "The Lord was angry and enraged against His people" (Psalms 106:40). And when the prophet prays and says: "Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor in your anger correct me" (Psalms 6:1). They do not understand that, in their eagerness to concede human beings the opportunity for pernicious vice, they are mixing the injustice of fleshly passion into the divine limitlessness and the source of all purity.
-- And so the monk who is on the way to perfection and who wishes to engage lawfully in the spiritual struggle must in every respect be free of the vice of anger and wrath. He should listen to what the vessel of election (Acts 9:15) commands of him: "All anger and indignation and uproar and blasphemy should be removed from you, as well as all malice" (Ephesians 4:31). When he says: "All anger should be removed from you," he makes no exception at all for us as to necessity and utility. He should strive to cure a wrongdoing brother, if need be, in such a way that, while bringing relief to one who is perhaps laboring under a rather slight fever, he does not get angry and bring upon himself the more baleful malady of blindness, so that as he sees the speck in his brother's eye he does not see the beam in his own eye (Matthew 7:3-5). For it behooves the one who wishes to heal someone else's wound to be healthy and untouched by any disease or illness, lest the gospel saying be applied to him: "Physician, heal yourself first" (Luke 4:23). And how will a person see to remove the speck from his brother's eye if he carries about a beam of wrath in his own eye?

Sunday, October 03, 2004

What The Election Is REALLY About

Alan Caruba has some interesting things to say about our national sovereignty. And his point is that we know where Bush stands - he believes we are a sovereign nation with the right to defend ourselves, while we cannot be sure where Kerry stands - he has voted and stated opposing things.

Sovereignty turns on the issue of who’s in charge. Is it the American people through their elected representatives and executive branch? Or is it the United Nations through its General Assembly and its Security Council? Is it a Europe divided between nations such as France and Germany who oppose the war? Or is it the Europe supporting our war? That Europe includes Spain, Italy, Poland and others who were the captive nations of the former Soviet Union; nations who now savor their sovereignty, their freedoms. More than thirty nations around the world have become “a coalition of the willing.”

Caruba concludes:

On November 2nd, Americans will once again determine whether the United States of America is a sovereign nation or whether it will go the way of Europe where member nations of the European Union continue to cede their sovereignty to an organization of unelected bureaucrats. Clearly, our membership in the United Nations did not deter us from exercising our sovereign right of self-defense. Freedom comes at a price. If our history provides a template, it is likely this generation of Americans will vote to pay that price.

This is also my take on it.

Sunday Rant

Domestic Policy:
I'm really tired, tired, tired of the liberalies screaming about lost jobs out of one side of their mouths and then condemning Bush and Cheney's prior ties to big business. Just who do they think hires people in the largest numbers? Little businesses? Sorry. I'm an entrepreneur and I own a little business. It has one employee - me. I have more work than I can do, but I can't afford to hire anyone because a minimum wage worker is too inexperienced and unmotivated, and an experienced, motivated person costs more than I can afford. So I'll have to stay small for a while longer. But a bigger business than I have can hire more people and pay them better than I can. And giving tax breaks and incentives to big businesses will lead them to be more productive and to hire more people!

So what is the disconnect there?

Foreign Policy:
The USA has bailed France's tushie out twice in the last 90 years. We liberated Germany, and to a large part because of US pressure and policies, the Soviet Union was prevented from totally overrunning Europe and has collapsed. After WW II, it was the US Marshall Plan that bailed the Europeans out economically. We created and maintained the Berlin Air Lift - saving the Berliners from starvation. Europe - especially the French, the Germans, the Austrians, the Belgians, the Swiss and the Italians OWE us.

So what have they done? Undermined us whenever and whereever they could. Most recently, they profiteered from the Oil for Food Program, along with the oh-so-smug and arrogant failures at the UN.

And these are the people that the liberalies want us to get permission from to defend ourselves? We were attacked. The perps have been traced not only to Afghanistan, but support for the perps and assistance in training them has been traced to Iraq.

The UN published 17 resolutions against Iraq in the past 15 years. Like an ineffectual mother who keeps saying, "Junior, now stop that, it isn't nice. -- Junior, if you don't stop that, I'll have to put you in time out. -- Junior, how many times do I have to tell you not to do that. If you don't stop I'll tell your father when he comes home. -- Junior!! Don't you dare do that again! -- Junior! I warned you, now go stand in the corner for 15 minutes. -- JUNIOR!!" the UN kept telling Iraq to stop working with weapons of mass destruction. There was no doubt that there were WMDs, they were even used on their OWN people - the Kurds. Intelligence, later proven to be faulty, indicated nuclear development was going on. Acting under that information AND with the 17 UN resolutions behind us, we formed a coalition of 60 nations and invaded Iraq - justifiably.

Now, sKerry wants us to think that because France has not been in and Spain withdrew from the coalition, that a coalition does not exist. France and Spain are not the whole of Europe, much less than the whole of the coalition.

sKerry wants us to have the permission of the UN to continue with our work in Iraq, but wants to talk unilaterally to N. Korea instead of using the pressure of a coalition - which we have - to reduce the threat posed by N. Korea.

They can't have it both ways. We have a coalition in Iraq, we are using a coalition in N. Korea. But with or without a coalition, the US will defend ourselves from those who would destroy us.

The poodle wants us to ask permission of the UN to defend ourselves. But the UN wasn't attacked - the US was attacked. (Maybe if the terrorists had crashed one of their planes into the UN building there might be some different words coming out of the mouths of the liberalies, but I doubt it.)

Maybe we need to protect ourselves from the liberalies who want to destroy our freedom in the name of wimpiness.

Sunday, October 3 / September 20 (Church Calendar) 18th Sunday after Pentecost

Commemorated Today
Afterfeast of the Exaltation of the Cross
Great-Martyr Eustathius (Eustace) Placidas, his wife Mary Theopistes, and their children Martyrs Agapius and Theopistus, of Rome Holy Martyr and Confessor Michael and his councillor Theodore, Wonderworkers of Chernigov. St. Oleg, prince of Briansk. Martyr John the Confessor of Egypt, beheaded in Palestine, and with him 40 Martyrs. Saints Theodore and Euprepius and two named Anastasius, confessors and disciples of St. Maximus the Confessor. New-Martyr Hilarion of Crete (Mt. Athos).
(Greek Calendar: Martyrs Artemidorus and Thallos. St. Meletius of Cyprus, Bishop of St. Kyr John of Crete, monk.)
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

Friday, October 01, 2004

OpinionJournal - Featured Article - Why We Back Bush: Five elected black Republicans make the case for the president.

This article is too good to miss!! I won't even quote it here. You need to visit the site and read it yourselves.

Suffice it to say, these 5 black Republicans - elected officials, all - have found NO "Do Not Enter" signs at the White House. On the contrary, they note that Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell are the two highest ranking black leaders in American history. They were appointed by a Republican, not a Democrat. Bush has "appointed more minorities to high-level government positions than any other president." Now, isn't that interesting. A White Republican has appointed more minorities to high-level positions than the Democrats!

Kerry is trying to divide the country by race - Not Bush.

Believe it or don't.

New York Post Online Edition: postopinion - Kerry Didn't Get it Done

New York Post Online Edition: postopinion

||Quote||
ON the day of the most important debate in their political lives, President Bush was in shirt sleeves consoling Florida hurricane victims, patting some on the back, hugging others and shaking hands with the tired relief workers. John Kerry had a manicure.

If ever there was a metaphor for the difference between these two candidates and their respective relationships with the American people, it was this. As The Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes put Kerry's problem so succinctly last night, "This is a man who really needs to go bowling."

For all the back and forth between the two men, the debate did nothing to change that reality. Kerry's pontifical performance was light on specifics, heavy on criticism and plagued by the inconsistencies that have characterized his positions on Iraq for more than a year.

While there were few fireworks, I suspect swing voters did come away with a few perceptions. First, Bush knows what he's trying to accomplish. He believes deeply in the rightness of the war in Iraq and its centrality to the larger War on Terror. His message is the same message voters have heard since 9/11 — we will go on the offensive to fight terrorists wherever they are found to keep this nation safe.

On the other hand, voters saw Kerry continue to struggle to define his position on the war — justifying his latest position, which is to call the war a mistake, while promising to bring new allies on board to fight for what he terms a "grand diversion."

||Unquote||

I'm convinced that Kerry is the Wrong candidate with the Wrong positions on the Wrong issues and running for the Wrong office! He strikes this Southern gal as a pompous A-- who smugly assumes because of his New England Brahmin background he will be able to convince the few reluctant Euros to join our 60 member coalition against the terrorists. Of course, by implying, nay, stating, that our coalition is inadequate, he has alienated those members already aboard.

He has no clue how arrogant he looks and sounds.
||Quote||
I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.

||Unquote||

Give me a break!

Trial Lawyers Picked The Wrong (Food) Fight

Trial Lawyers Picked The Wrong (Food) Fight:

||Quote||
"Trial lawyers generally aren't a picky bunch. They care about two things: making money and laying blame. Their trick is convincing a jury to disregard common sense and blame whomever happens to have the deepest pockets. That's pretty much what we saw last month at the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) conference, where trial lawyers and food cops plotted new ways to sue restaurants and food producers over obesity. But as we argue in an op-ed in today's Washington Times, the lawyers who see big bucks where the rest of us see breakfast have missed the mark by a wide margin.
The problem isn't breakfast -- nor is it lunch, dinner, or anything in between. Obesity's real smoking gun is America's growing problem of lethargy. "
||Unquote||

No, it isn't McDonald's fault that my tummy precedes my bosom! It's my own fault - for choosing the wrong foods, for not exercising enough.

There are lots of other food choices out there - I could even get a salad at McD's - if I wanted to! But I have, all to frequently, **chosen** not to!! It's my OWN choices and my OWN fault!

Time to stop making people the "victim of the day." Past time to tell folk to accept responsibility for their own actions - and the consequences thereof!

Did Lehrer Save His Softballs for Kerry?

NewsMax.com: Inside Cover Story

Check this out!

||Quote||
there were no queries to Sen. Kerry about his long Senate record of voting against defense appropriations, or his sponsorship of a bill to cut CIA funding by $6 billion a year after terrorists struck the World Trade Center in 1993, or Kerry's support of the nuclear freeze movement during the height of the Cold War.
Kerry wasn't asked why he teamed up with Jane Fonda to protest the Vietnam War while his band of brothers were still on the battlefield, or why he met with enemy leaders in Paris, or why he accused fellow soldiers of being "monsters" and "war criminals."

Most Americans would consider the answers to those questions extremely relevant to the selection of any U.S. commander in chief during a time of war.

But not Jim Lehrer. Instead, he focused on Iraq with question after question that suggested Bush had blown it.

||Unquote||

Read the entire article!

Kerry may be smoother, but Bush is a WYSIWIG kind of guy. I have no idea who Kerry is or what he stands for - other than being well groomed with a barber he brings with him, and getting a manicure when the mood strikes him. He has flip-flopped for the entire scope of his campaign. I'm ready for him to get specific, and to stick to his guns on issues - even when people in his own camp disagree with him.

Boortz has some interesting things to say in Nealz Nuze :

Skim down to Nealz Nuze, and select October 1:

||Quote||
OH...AND THERE WERE FLIP-FLOPS

Despite a decent performance, you don't think The Soufflé made it all the way through a public debate without a few whoppers, do you? Of course not. There were some big ones...we'll hit the high spots.

Jim Lehrer asked sKerry about the times he has accused the president of lying about Iraq. The Poodle replied that "Well, I've never, ever used the harshest word as you just did." In other words, Kerry says he never directly accused President Bush of lying. Let's go to the tape.

In December 2003, Kerry told a New Hampshire editorial board that Bush had lied about his reasons for going to Iraq. In September of that same year, Kerry did the same thing saying "this administration has lied to us." So if he thinks Bush is lying about Iraq, then he is lying about not accusing the president of being a liar, which he clearly has done. John Kerry has a problem with the truth. He just makes it up as he goes along.

Another example was when The Poodle was talking about Bush protecting the homeland. Kerry said "That's why they had to close down the subway in New York when the Republican Convention was there." The only problem with this?

Yep. ..you guessed it...the New York City subway did not close at all during the convention.
||Unquote||

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

OpinionJournal - The Florida Myth

OpinionJournal - Featured Article; The Florida Myth

I'm so, so, SO tired of people trying to create situations that didn't happen. In this piece, the story that somehow there was widespread voter intimidation against racial minorities in Florida in 2000 is addressed. One of the conclusions:

"... the idea that racial animus rather than all-around incompetence produced higher spoilage rates for blacks, or accounted for their misplacement on the infamously inaccurate "felon purge list," is fanciful at best. In Florida, as in many other states, the manner in which elections are conducted, including all of the essentials of the voting process, is determined at the county level.

"Which leaves the "stolen election" crowd with these inconvenient facts: In 24 of the 25 Florida counties with the highest ballot spoilage rate, the county supervisor was a Democrat. In the 25th county, the supervisor was an Independent. And as for the "felon purge list," the Miami Herald found that whites were twice as likely to be incorrectly placed on the list as blacks.

"The real spectacle here is that some Democrats are only too willing to exploit the painful history of black voter disenfranchisement for some short-term partisan advantage. And it just might backfire. Democrats played up the Florida fiasco in the 2002 midterm elections, repeatedly telling blacks that their votes hadn't been counted in 2000. Rather than being riled up, many black voters believed what they were told and stayed home."

Check out the entire article. Interesting

Friday, September 24, 2004

Start Of School Very Different For Parents Of Boys, Parents Of Girls - Glenn Sacks

Start Of School Very Different For Parents Of Boys, Parents Of Girls - Glenn Sacks: "Simply put, modern schools are not boy-friendly. This can be seen from the time boys enter school, when many of them are immediately branded as behavior problems. The line of elementary school kids who used to gather every day after school in my son's class for their behavior reports--all boys. The names of kids on the side of the chalkboard who misbehaved and would lose recess--all boys. The nine million children, many as young as five or six, who are given Ritalin so they will sit still and 'behave'--almost all boys.

Girls get better grades than boys, and boys are far more likely than girls to drop out of school or to be disciplined, suspended, held back, or expelled. Boys are four times as likely to receive a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder as girls, and the vast majority of learning-disabled students are boys. By high school the typical boy is a year and a half behind the typical girl in reading and writing.

Modern K-12 education is not suited to boys' needs and learning styles. Success in school is tightly correlated with the ability to sit still, be quiet and complete work. The fact that many young boys are bodily kinesthetic learners who crave physical, hands-on and energetic lessons is inconvenient, and is thus largely ignored.

The trend against competition and the promotion of cooperative learning strategies run counter to boys' natural competitiveness and individual initiative. Group projects and lessons in which there are no right or wrong answers, and from which solid conclusions cannot be drawn, tend to frustrate boys, who often view them as pointless.

Efforts to make schools gentler and to promote women's writing, while understandable, have pushed aside the action and adventure literature which boys have treasured for generations. In their place are subtle, reflective works which often hold little interest for boys."

What can I say - this guy is right! We need a revival of the "action and adventure literature" for our little boys. There is nothing wrong with giving boys and girls different assignments!

As the mother of 2 boys and one girl, I can tell you that boys need an entirely different approach to schooling and learning than girls do - not just because of their learning "styles" but because of their entire testosterone-soaked little brains.

However politically incorrect this may be, boys are different from girls! Vive l'difference!

In the name of "helping" girls, we have totally disregarded our boys. How about we go back to gender-based academies at least through middle school, and preferably through high school? Both girls and boys would get the educational emphases they need without the distractions of the other gender.

And just don't even get me started on our abandonment of the gifted children! That's another rant!

Why Conservatives Love Rathergate - Monte Kuligowski

"Everyone loves a story where a little David takes down a haughty Goliath."
This is a very cogent article about Blathergate.

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Thursday, September 23 / September 10 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Afterfeast of the Nativity of the Theotokos
Martyrs Menodora, Metrodora, and Nymphodora at Nicomedia. Martyr Barypsabas in Dalmatia. Saints Peter and Paul, Bishops of Nicaea. St. Pulcherius the Empress. Synaxis of the Holy Apostles Apelles, Lucius and Clement of the Seventy. St. Ioasaph, monk of Kubensk (Vologda). St. Paul the Obedient of the Kiev Caves. St. Cassian, abbot of Spaso-Kamenny and Cyril of White Lake Monasteries. St. Salvius, Bishop of Albi (Gaul).
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

-- There are five occupations which help to gain God's benevolence. The first is pure prayer; the second, psalmody; the third, reading the Holy Scriptures; the fourth, contrite remembrance of one's sins, of death and the terrible judgment; the fifth, work with one's hands.
-- If while still in your body you wish to serve God like the incorporeal beings, strive to have in your heart a secret unceasing prayer. For in this way your soul will come near to resembling the angels even before death.
From: Abba Evagrius on Prayer

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Reflections on how to vote: Orthodox Christians and the Presidential Election

Very interesting article! We are, indeed, either "Reluctant Democrats" or "Reluctant Republicans."

George Bush, Alvin Toffler and the Third Wave

Ran across this interesting place:

Alan Toffler and the Third Wave

Michael Finley is a futurist. In this executive summary of his article about Toffler's Third Wave theory, he discusses the Third Wave and it's effects.

I've been thinking about our society quite a bit lately. Don't know if it's because of my age, the silly season or what. Seems to me that we are in the midst of a major paradigm shift away from a corporate-based society and toward an entrepreneureal society. This is certainly in keeping with our historical roots, and was predicted in the 70's, 80's and early 90's by the futurist, Alvin Toffler and his wife Heidi. I read their books back then - wish I had kept them!

In this silly season, of the two candidates, Bush supports the inevitable shift, and Kerry attempts to stop "The Third Wave" predicted by the Tofflers. Can't say that Kerry is being particularly realistic about it. He wants to move toward the upshot of Toffler's Third Wave, individuation, diversity, and entrepreneurship.

It isn't comfortable to live through a major paradigm shift, and we can't rely on the practices of the past. Michael Finley points
out:
"In a not-always-pleasant way, the third wave began decentralizing the machine heart. Today is a time of transition, in which we witness the curious spectacle of massive second-wave-type enterprises adapting to the third-wave appetite for differentiation.
Take the coffee example. In the 1920s each town had its distinct coffee flavor. In the 1970s it was Maxwell House and McDonald's scalding coffee, from sea to shining sea. By the 1990s, an explosion of mom-and-pop coffeehouses took place across the country. Today you stop, as I did recently, at a coffee shop in Talladega, Alabama, and order a double latte of decaffeinated Kenyan with a finger of amaretto hazelnut syrup in .
Or you can have the best of all worlds, second wave McDonalds' standardization combined with third wave product choice, by walking into any of the 2,000 Starbucks coffee shops nationwide.
In retail, we have witnessed the second-wave juggernaut Wal-Mart break upon cities small and large, with the third-wave possibility of a single store selling 100,000 different items."

He goes on to point out:
"The clearest sign of changing politics is the decay of political parties. The day when a Franklin Roosevelt can put together astring of four elections by combining a handful of voter blocs(farmers, labor, intellectuals, the rural South, and the urban North) into a single lasting coalition is gone. Election todayrequires stringing together hundreds of splintered grassrootsgroups : the nonsmokers, AIDS activists, save-the-whales peopleand what-have-you.
Every group is passionate, and narrow in focus. It is in every way a more daunting process, and it is conducted, as making frankfurters should not be, in full view of the public. It is no wonder that no one, in the United States, in Japan, in Italy, or anywhere, believes in parties any more. Parties were a static second-wave, homogenized, massified function that do not seem relevant in the more volatile, diversified, heterogeneous third wave."

We are moving away from dependence on big government and big business and toward depending upon ourselves as small businesses and entrepreneurial enterprises take over the economy. The resiliant, those who can, in the words of the Marines, "improvise, adapt and overcome," in a positive way will be the ones who come out on top.

While no politician and no political party are perfect, some are more forward-seeing than others at various points in time. At this time, the party most capable of forward-seeing is the Republican Party. An example of this is the recommendation that small companies be able to work together to form blocs to obtain the same low rates for insurance that large corporations receive. They seem to realize that his is not the time for "warm fuzzy" feelings and making people "feel good." It is a time to help people to move from the previous paradigm into the
new paradigm.

This is very American! Although immersed in what Toffler called "the First Wave," the agricultural life, people who were forward-thinking moved away from their static societies and came to what became the US in a spirit of individualism and entrepreneurialism. We began to move through the Industrial Revolution and to leave our small farms to work in cities or to work for giant corporate farms.

In a return to the entrepreneurial and individual spirit of our forefathers, we see small businesses springing up like mushrooms in spare bedrooms and the corners of living rooms and dining rooms. A person with a computer and an internet connection can set up a business in less than 2 hours, and be making money at it in a couple of days. What isn't immediately perceptible is that these people DO have jobs! They just have a different kind of commute - across or down the hall instead of across the city or down the freeway. These people are not so much using traditional resources, but rather are manipulating the resources of other businesses. They are often "off the books" or in the "grey economy" in that they don't pay many (if any!) taxes and do not use many (if any!) tax-supported resources.

Many people have gone into entrepreneurial businesses in order to avoid being tax-supported. They don't want to be on welfare or on SSI - they see themselves as competant and capable of taking care of themselves better then the government can.

Kerry wants people to be taken care of by "Big Brother," entrepreneurs want to take care of themselves and Bush supports that position.

Kerry has a love-hate relationship with big business, entrepreneurs use big business to further their own ends, and Bush supports that position.

These are only a few reasons that I suspect Bush will win. He is improvising, adapting and overcoming by surfing well and riding that Third Wave, not fighting it.

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Where Kerry Stands on Iraq - A Kerry-English translation. By William Saletan

Where Kerry Stands on Iraq
A Kerry-English translation.
By William Saletan
Posted Monday, Sept. 20, 2004, at 3:27 PM PT

.... Solicitousness, spending, job training, public employment, crime prevention through economic aid. It sounds a lot like domestic liberalism. I'm sure Kerry would object to that simplification of his position. I'm sure he thinks all of his views are more complicated than I've outlined here. But we're about to have an election. We need a clear picture of how Kerry's position on Iraq differs from Bush's. This is it.

Finally! Someone can translate Kerry's Stands!! er ... Shifts? er ... Dances? er ... Oh well. And the beat goes on .....

ARMAVIRUMQUE: THE NEW CRITERION'S WEBLOG

ARMAVIRUMQUE: THE NEW CRITERION'S WEBLOG

Now, the New Criterion does point out that Blathergate is based on lies!

comment on annika's journal

annika's journal - a wonderful Blog!

What I don't understand is, why so few people recognize that Blathergate is simply another example of the dissolution of our values and mores! Burkett lied, and it took 6 days before someone stood up and said, "He lied, we fell for it," much less, saying, "It is wrong, wrong, wrong to lie."

Tuesday, September 21 / September 8 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
THE NATIVITY OF OUR MOST HOLY LADY THE THEOTOKOS AND EVER-VIRGIN MARY.
St. Serapion, monk of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery (Pskov). St. Lucian, abbot of Alexandrov. St. Arsenius, abbot of Konevits. New-Martyr Athanasius of Thessalonica. New-Martyr Alexander (Jacobson) (1930). (Greek Calendar: Martyrs Rufus and Rufianus. Martyrs Severus and Artemidorus. St. Sophronius of Iberia, Bishop) Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos: "Kursk-Root" Icon of the sign"; "Pochaev"; "Kholmsk"; and others. Repose of Elder Daniel of Katounakia, Mt. Athos (1929).
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

The story of Mary's birth is not found in the New Testament, but in the writings which are not part of the [canonical] scriptures. The tradition of this feast teaches that Joachim and Anna were a pious Jewish couple who were among the small and faithful remnant - "the poor and needy" - awaiting the promised messiah. The couple was old and childless, and had prayed earnestly to the Lord for a child, since among the Jews, barrenness was a sign of God's disfavor. In answer to their prayer, and as a reward for their unwavering fidelity to God, the elderly couple was blessed with the child who was destined, because of her own personal goodness and holiness, to become the Mother of the Messiah - Christ.

The fact that there is no Biblical verification of Mary's birth is incidental to the meaning of the feast. Even if the background of the event as celebrated in the Church is questionable from a historical point of view, the divine meaning of it "for us men and for our salvation" is obvious. There had to be one born of human flesh and blood who would be spiritually capable of being the Theotokos, and she herself had to be born into the world of persons who were spiritually capable of being her parents.

The feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, therefore is a glorification of the miracle of Mary's birth, of Mary herself, and of her righteous parents. It is the celebration as well of the very first preparation of the salvation of the world.
Theologic Website; Quoted from Orthodox Family Life, 1996(c)
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"It is regrettable that the immaculate conception, not to be confused with the virginal birth of the Saviour, is a concept of the Mother of God which the Roman Church assumed in 1854 and with which the Orthodox Church is in total disagreement. This concept holds that Mary was born without the stain of original sin brought upon all mankind by Adam and Eve. But the Orthodox position holds that since Jesus Christ is God, he is, therefore the only one who is without the original stain."
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia

Saturday, September 18, 2004

Victor Davis Hanson on al Qaeda and terrorism on National Review Online

Victor Davis Hanson on al Qaeda and terrorism on National Review Online

This is an interesting comparison of Western society, the US in particular, with Athens of the mythical period of Theseus. The problem is, it's too true to be good! This writer makes some terribly telling points.

Elizabeth

St. Elizabeth, Mother of the Forerunner

St. Elizabeth, Mother of the Forerunner

Saturday, September 18 / September 5 (Church Calendar)
Holy Prophet Zacharias and Righteous Elizabeth, parents of St. John the Forerunner
Saints of the Day

Commemorated Today
Holy Prophet Zacharias and Righteous Elizabeth, parents of St. John the Forerunner.
Martyrs Urban, Theodore, Medimnus, and 77 Companions at Nicomedia. Martyr Abdias (Abidas) of Persia. Martyr Sarbelus of Edessa. Martyrs Ththuil (Thithail) and his sister Bebaia. Virgin Martyr Rhais (Raisa) of Alexandria. Martyrs Juventius and Maximus at Antioch. Appearance of the Holy Apostle Peter to Emperor Justinian at Athira near Constantinople. Martyrdom of HolyPassion-bearer Gleb, in holy baptism David. Martyrdom of St. Athanasius, abbot of Brest, by the Latins.
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!

(From the Prologue from Ochrid)

The Holy Prophet Zacharias, father of St. John the Forerunner, was the son of Barachias, of the tribe of Aaron, a high priest in descent from Abia, and held the eighth degree of service in the Temple in Jerusalem.

His wife, Elisabeth was sister to St. Anna, the mother of the holy Mother of God. In the reign of King Herod, the child-slayer, Zacharias was serving one day in his turn in the Temple in Jerusalem. An angel of God appeared to him in the altar, and Zacharias was afraid. But the angel said to him: "Fear not, Zacharias," and informed him that his wife Elisabeth would bear a son in answer to their prayers, for Zacharias and Elisabeth were both old. When Zacharias doubted the words of the heavenly messenger, the angel told him: "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God," And Zacharias was made dumb from that moment, and did not speak until his son was born and he had written on a tablet: "His name is John." Then his mouth was opened, and he glorified God.

Later, when the Lord Christ was born and Herod began killing the children in Bethlehem, he sent men to find Zacharias's son and kill him, for he had heard of all that had happened to Zacharias and how John was born. Seeing the soldiers, Elisabeth took John in her arms -- he was eighteen months old at that time -- and fled from the house with him to a rocky and desert region. When she saw where the soldiers had driven them, she cried out to the mountain "O mountain of God, receive a mother with her child!" and the rock opened and hid the mother and child inside itself. Herod, furious that John had not been killed, ordered that Zacharias be cut down before the altar. Zacharias's blood spilled over the marble and became as hard as stone, remaining thus as a witness to Herod's wickedness. At the place where Elisabeth hid with John, a cave opened and a spring flowed forth, and a fruit-bearing palm grew up by God's power. Forty days after Zacharias's death, blessed Elisabeth also entered into rest. The child John stayed in the wilderness, fed by an angel and guarded by God's providence, until that day when he appeared by the Jordan.

Troparion of Righteous Elizabeth
(Tone 8)
The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears; and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundredfold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles. Therefore, O righteous Mother Elizabeth, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion of Righteous Elizabeth
(Tone 4)
Like the full moon, thou didst receive the light of righteousness from the Messiah, the noetic Sun, O Elizabeth beloved of God, and with Zacharias didst walk in all the commandments of the Lord. Wherefore, blessing thee with worthy hymns, we magnify the Lord, the most compassionate Light, Who illumineth all.

Righteous Elizabeth is my Patron Saint. On this day I am mindful of the example of obedience to God that she sets me.

Friday, September 17, 2004

ROCM Music Scores (English)

ROCM Music Scores (English): "http://www.rocm.org/e_scores.htm"

This is a wonderful site with much Russian Orthodox Music. Do visit it!

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Thursday, September 16 / September 3 (Church Calendar)

Commemorated Today
Hieromartyr Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia, and those with him: Martyrs Theophilus deacon, Dorotheus, Mardonius, Migdonius, Peter, Indes, Gorgonius, Zeno, Virgin Domna, and Euthymius St. Theoctistus, fellow-faster with St. Euthymius the Great. (services combined) Martyr Aristion, Bishop of Alexandria. Martyr Basilissa of Nicomedia. St. Pheobe, deaconess at Cenchreae near Corinth. Blessed John "the Hairy", fool-for-Christ at Rostov. St. Ioannicius, Archbishop of Serbia. New-Martyr Polydorus of Cyprus. Martyr Edward of England . (Greek Calendar: Martyrs Chariton and Archontinus. Emperor Constantine the New.) Repose of Priest Peter, fool-for-Christ of Uglich (1866).
O Holy God-Pleasers, Pray to God for Us!
(My thanks to the Protection of the Mother of God Parish for their list of Saints of the Day!)

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"Which is better: to pray with the lips or with the mind?" The answer is that we must use both forms: pray sometimes in words, sometimes with the mind. But it is necessary to explain here that mental prayer also involves the use of words which in this case are not heard, but are only pronounced within the heart.

St. Theophan the Recluse, The Art of Prayer.

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How is it possible to follow the political process and remain focussed on God? It is only possible through constant prayer - prayer even as we read impassioned words, prayer even as those words fall upon our ears. We must pray always - that we understand the truth and not permit the passions and misspeaking of politicians sway us. We must pray and avoid following that path of least resistance and allow ourselves to be swayed by the passions.

It is our responsibility to take part in the political process by becoming as informed as possible and to vote on the appointed days. Our vote should be consistent with the Mind of the Church which is the Mind of God. We must read and hear the words of all sides and apply the intellect God has given us in an attempt to understand all the issues and facts. We must fast and pray, asking God to illumine us and to show us the way He would have us follow.

May God, the True God, Who loves mankind, enlighten us and keep our feet walking in His Way.

Friday, August 20, 2004

7 / 20 August 2004

The one who is perfect in love and has reached the summit of detachment knows no distinction between one's own and another's, between faithful and unfaithful, between slave and freeman, or indeed between male and female. But having risen above the tyranny of the passions and looking to the one nature of men he regards all equally and is equally disposed toward all. For in him there is neither Greek no Jew, neither male nor female, neither slave nor freeman, but Christ is everything and in everything. .............
St Maximus the Confessor

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

5 / 18 August 2004

Marbles in My Pocket

I was asked by an acquaintance what Adult ADD was like. This was my response.

I've been ADD all my life. But I didn't "know" it until I was in my 50's! I thought it was some kind of character defect, and I struggled against it for decades.

But I'm now kind of resigned to it - or, more likely, accustomed to it. I admit function best in a *slightly* cluttered environment. If something isn't "in my face" I forget it's around or needs to be done. That's why I have to keep a calendar on the computer and have it pop-up the minute I turn on my computer every morning. that way I know exactly what I need to do. If I put away my current projects, I may not get back to them until they are past due because I won't think of them. So my desk will always be messy.

I'm the original "pack rat" - I see "something shiny" in the living room, pick it up and trek toward the kitchen to put it away. On the way, I notice "something shiny" in the dining area, put down the first object and pick up the second object and trek toward the bedroom to put it away. I stop by my office to check e-mail, and put the object down. After checking e-mail and playing a couple of computer games, I get up and go out to the kitchen to make lunch. There I see "something shiny," pick it up and take it with me toward the workshop. On the way, I walk through the family room, and notice one of the GKs left a game out. I put down the current object, start putting away the game, notice the rug needs to be vacuumed, get out the vacuum, notice the floor in the hall needs sweeping, put down the vacuum and go to get the broom. On the way to the broom I notice the game in the family room and get it picked up - but it doesn't fit on the shelf, so I "jam" it in one way or another, and head to the laundry room - I don't know why, I just go there. I turn around a few times wondering why I went there, and start back through the family room. Notice the vacuum is out, and hook it up, turn it on and start vacuuming. Notice that there are a few marbles and a chess piece on the floor, and turn off the vacuum to pick them up. Can't find the box and board for the chess set, so I drop the chess piece in "a" drawer (I'll probably never find it again when it's needed - only when I happen to open the drawer and notice it). Put the marbles in my pocket. It is now noon, we usually eat lunch at 11:15 or 11:30, and the poor ol' curmudgeon plaintively asks me about it. I fix lunch and we eat about 12:30 - not bad, only an hour late - and look around. The living room is not straightened, the family room is a mess, the kitchen is a mess, my office has something in it that belongs in the bedroom, and I've accomplished nada beyond vacuuming a 20 square inch area of the family room and preparing lunch. I have marbles in my pocket and I don't know why! This is my ADD. Someone else may have a different experience.

My dear ol' curmudgeon is very good about reminding me to do things. He gave up ever expecting a "neat-nik" kind of house. The kids think I'm a "space biscuit" (light and flakey). Long ago they told me, "Mom, we'll never know if you develop Alzheimers - you've been spacey all your life!" This is true! I have very little short-term memory and have *never,* not even as a child, been able to remember names (nouns) or descriptors (adjectives, adverbs). Found out, after several botched "memory courses" that this is probably genetic and has to do with whenter you have access to a particular area of your brain - apparently mine has been in hiding all my life!

I am an "organizational hobbiest." As my dear ol' curmudgeon will say, "It's another vain attempt at organization by the Space Biscuit!" The DKs just giggle and nod. They all know. And it *is* amusing. Thank goodness both the ol' curmudgeon, the DKs and the DGKs all have a sense of humor about it! They don't get mad (usually). Just a little exasperated and impatient from time to time, but they quickly get over it, and whatever set them off becomes the latest in a string of "my flake, the Mom" (or "my flake, the Wife") stories to use to regale friends and relatives.

So we ADD'rs have to make decisions and try to stick to them! We stumble and get side-tracked, but over time, we try to get to where we can handle things better and better. I don't ever expect to be perfect! It doesn't happen to anyone! But I can be a success at nearly anything I put my mind and determination to. I've managed to (in order):

get a BSN (nursing)
marry
have 2 kids
get a masters
have a third kid
move three times
go through a divorce
go through bankruptcy
marry again
*Convert to Eastern Orthodoxy* - best decision I **ever** made!
move several more times
teach in a university
marry off 2 kids
get a PhD
assistant direct choir
marry off the third kid
manage a complex computer-based Operating Room support system
start and run my own business
Enjoy the 10 grandchildren
enjoy my husband

I still struggle, at well past 60, to deal with my ADD, but I can look back and see that I compensated for it, and I know I will be able to continue compensating for it. It will always be with me, like someone with diabetes will always have that with them, but just as diabetes can be managed, so ADD can be managed. I just have to work a little harder at it than some other people do. But I'm really blessed by God. I have a husband who adores me - and I adore him right back - I have 3 wonderful children and 10 marvelous grandkids (my reward for not strangling the 3 kids when they were teens!). I'm respected in my career.

Well, That's what Adult ADD is for me. I have marbles in my pocket and I don't know why!

Saturday, August 14, 2004

Saturday 2 / 14 August 2004

Procession of the Precious Wood of the Life-giving Cross of the Lord. The Holy Seven Maccabees, their Mother Solomonia and Eleazar the Priest. The Nine Holy Martyrs: Leontius, Attus, Alexander, Cindeus, Mnesitheus, Cyriacus, Menaeus, Catunus and Eucieus.

Today is a "bleah" day. We have so many bills from the Ol' Curmudgeon's heart attack. Today was the day we sat down and worked on them. Bleah!

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The Orthodox Publishing Society has many resources for Palm OS's, including various prayers and services, Saint Commemorations and Fasting Typikon (in date book format), and the NT KJB in Ebok format (needs Palm Reader). They also have a Slavonic Tutor, Slavonic fonts, and some audio files. This is a marvelous website, and I highly recommend it!

Thursday, August 12, 2004

Thursday, August 12 / July 30 (Church Calendar)
Apostles Silas and Silvanus of the Seventy and those with them: Crescens, Epenetus, and Andronicus

Glory to God for All Things!

I was searching diligently on the web for the Akathist of St. George, when I ran across a reference to a Serbian Orthodox Church. I "went there" and have started a most rewarding e-corresondence with the priest. Fr. Rodney Torbic of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Carmichaels PA pointed me to a book I already had (duh!) (The Book of Akathists available from St. John of Kronstadt Press) is a wonderful resource, and I got it out immediately!

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OpinionJournal - Outside the Box

I'm finding, more and more, that Opinion Journal is a lovely place to find well-reasoned examination of issues - the logic that is generally missing during the "Silly Season" when politicoes are appealing to the emotions of the electorate. There are so many lies out there - by both sides - that it's nice to find a place that holds both sides accountable for what they say! Opinion Journal is free (as opposed to the web version of the WSJ, which is exhorbitant).

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Fr. Rodney Torbic suggested I should do some writing on healthcare ethics. Will have to think about it some, but it might be something I could do. Certainly, I see all of the seamy sides of healthcare being in the medical-legal end of things!

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

Wednesday 4 August 2004

Today I was surfing around and found this little jewel. Really like this concept.

Welcome to Blocklist.com

Since we're getting between 2 and 5 "trash" faxes daily, I'm going to sign up for it. Will let you know if it works.

Monday, August 02, 2004

Legal Nurse; This and That

Commemoration of the Holy Fathers of the First Six Ecumenical Councils; St. Macrina, sister of St. Basil the Great; St. Dius, abbot of Antioch; Opening of thr Relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov; Blessed Romanus, prince of Ryazan; Blessed Stephen, king of Serbia and his mother St. Militsa; St. Paisius of the Kiev Caves; NewMartyr Victor, bishop of Glazov (1934).
[Greek Calendar: Abba Diocles of The Paradise]
Repose of Blessed Abbot Nilus (1870); Elder John of St. Nilus of Sora Monastery
(1903), and Hieroschemamonk Anthony of Valaam (1862).

Holy Saints pray to the Lord for us!

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The ol' curmudgeon spent the entire day yesterday re-doing my laptop - I finally "gave in" and asked him to put XP on it. Now I have to spend most of today re-doing all my settings, downloading all the little utilities I love so much, etc. The ol' curmudgeon wants me to run all those utils past him - says I won't need most of them on XP. That's nice. XP is taking up so much of my hard drive space I'm gonna have to upgrade the dratted harddrive - which means redoing this again in a few weeks.

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I'm tired of feeling tired and aching. Other than the fibromyalgia and the arthritis, I feel wonderful and I have many things I want to do and just cannot. So I end up spending time on the computer and reading. At least it gives me the opportunity to read the Church Fathers and various theological works, and I end up praying a lot more than I used to. Not being able to get to and through the Divine Liturgy is a real drag, but Father brings the Holy Gifts about once a month, and I can listen to the Liturgy on the various CDs I've found and ordered on the WEB. The Greek Church has a streaming video of the Liturgy each week, but I really, really wish there were on from one of the ROCA Churches. In English. That would be marvelous.

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Well I have 3 cases subcontracted from another company, and I need to get them done by Friday. Time to comment about medical malpractice. As a person who reviews several hundred potential medical malpractice cases each year, I am constantly astonished at the total lack of communication between medical personnel (not just doctors, but nurses, physical therapists, dentists, etc) and patients and their families.

One of the problems is that medicine is not an exact science - despite what is shown on the medically-related shows on TV! Bad things happen to nice people because of the inherent risks of certain procedures and diseases.

I recently reviewed a case involving a very aggressive type of cancer - it has one of the poorest prognoses of any of the cancers. The patient died about 6 months after diagnosis. The family wanted to sue because the patient had complained of one symptoms that might or might not have been related to the cancer 1 month prior to the diagnosis, and alleged that if the cancer had been diagnosed a month earlier the patient would not have died. Sorry! It doesn't work like that. For the vast majority of cancers (with a very, very few, rare exceptions) a month or even 2 or 3 months delay in diagnosis will not affect the ultimate outcome. It might affect longevity by about the same length of time as the delay. But the family in this case didn't understand. They were sad and angry, upset and wanted to blame someone - anyone - other than their loved one.

People, there are risks to all things in our lives. We must understand that. There are no guarantees! That is why we are admonished so much by the Church Fathers to be prepared for we know not when the day will come that we will die - and will we be prepared?

I'm not saying that there are not cases of gross negligence. There are, and I've reviewed many of them. I have no problem suggesting trial strategies for these cases. But to sue a doctor for something he had no control over? I think that is totally outside the bounds of civilized behavior.

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Someone was talking about the McDonald's coffee case the other day. This was a personal injury case that occurred in 1994. Most people don't realize that the injured party was not driving the car, and that the car was at a standstill when the accident with the coffee occurred.

McFacts abut the McDonalds Coffee Lawsuit

This website has all the true facts about the McDonald's Coffee Lawsuit. Check it out and decide for yourself if McDonald's was culpable. There are a number of other websites that address the facts of this case.

I wish that people could see the two extremes that I see - the people trying to get something for nothing, and the people who only want recompense for things that happened because of gross negligence on the part of others who should have known better. There is such a difference between the two!

Elizabeth

Sunday, August 01, 2004

A Pearl

When a passion arises, when it is young and feeble, cut it
off, lest it stiffen and cause you a great deal of trouble.
It is one thing to pluck out a small weed and quite another
thing to uproot a great tree.

-Abba Dorotheos of Gaza

One of the members of the Orthodox Women's List posted this. What a beautiful way to express this. In our daily struggle, we need to recognize the passions and truly cut them down at the earliest stages possible.

Elizabeth

Saturday, July 31, 2004

Wanna Know What I Look Like???


Dr. Elizabeth sitting on front steps of home
January 2003. This was part of the picture set taken for our 25th anniversary - OK, about 8 months after the actual date, but the thought was there...
Today I posted this comment to the Incommunion blog:

Seems to me that saintliness involves making those minute-to-minute choices that align our lives with God's Will. The closer someone comes to that, the loser he is to sainthood. When we procrastinate, when we concentrate on our personal "druthers," when we avoid responsibility, we are choosing to not align our lives with God's Will. These are very small things, but they are telling.

God knows that I fail miserably in these minute-to-minute choices - and minute-to-minute I usually don't even recognize my failings! But as I look back on my day or my week, I see where I failed. Despite my intentions to improve, I fail again and again and again at the same, humdrum little choices. The Saint-Next-Door doesn't fail at them.

Lord, have Mercy upon us!

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Well, even as an old, conflicted public health nurse who did work in family planning for a while, I'm totally nonplussed by this:

I Had An Abortion Tee-Shirt

Can you believe it? Lord, have Mercy!

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I was referred to the Ecumenical Insanity Blog through Fr. Hans Jacobse's Blog (boy, I'm getting blogged-down... :-p.) check this out:

Ten Suggestions from the NCC

Goodness, I guess we should just tell those naughty Al Quaeda boys that they should stand in the corner for their misbehavior.

While I don't think war solves most international problems, on the other hand, occasionally it absolutely is necessary. The war on terrorism is just as much of a war as WWII - the stakes are just as high, if not higher. More people were killed at the Twin Towers on 9/11 than at Pearl Harbor - and the Twin Towers was filled with civilians, not military. The Pentegon lost more civilian employees than military members. So this is somehow not an action meriting our reasoned response? I don't think so!

Lord, have Mercy!

Elizabeth

Friday, July 23, 2004

Today is the Feast for St. Anthony of the Kievan Caves, Saints Leontius, Maurice, Daniel, Anthony, and the 45 Martyrs of Nicopolis in Armenia. Glory to God for All Things! Blessed Saints pray for us!
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The ol' curmudgeon is going through cardiac rehab, and I'm tagging along. Each session throws me into a "flare" of fibromyalgia, but the flares don't last long. Overall, I'm feeling a little better, I think. Having to go to rehab is "making" me exercise and I need that impetus. I got him an exercise bike because his hips are bothering him so much when he tries to use the treadmill. Now he has no excuse for not excercising! Of course, neither do I, except my own laziness. The ol' curmudgeon has set up the other TV downstairs in front of the bike. Now I just need to get a really cheap DVD/VCR to play DVDs and tapes while exercising. TV is such a vast wasteland. Ninety-nine channels of BLEAH programs and nothing to watch.
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Why do we need another "layer" of bureaucracy - the Intelligence Czar recommended by the 9-11 commission? Seems to me that just refurbishing the CIA Chief's position in line with the 1949 law that created the CIA would do it.
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Mr. Magnus, the big black cat, eats separately from "the girls" so they won't steal his food and so he won't eat theirs. Having a cat on a special diet is very interesting. The girls are convinced his food must be better than theirs. He's convinced their food must be better than his. I'm not convinced either food is better - just different. Figuring out how to get the Magnatronic to drink more water was a pain - but managed to do it. Now, if I could just keep them from using the corner of the dining room as a sand box I'll be happy.
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May God bless all who read this.

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Our "Journey to Orthodoxy" page is nearly complete. Just need to have the ol' curmudgeon check it over and be sure I didn't leave anything out.

Have a really bad nerve-pinch "catch" in my back today - I think there is a chiropractic visit in my near future. Got all but 4 cases completed, but those 4 are "bears." Don't think I can even pick one of them up with this catch in my back.

Interesting about the visit of Metropolitan Laurus to Patriarch Alexy. Many people are upset about it, but more are relieved that these conversations are going on. I don't think a reunion between the ROCOR and the Moscow Patriarchate will happen in my lifetime, but I do think it is going to happen in the next 30 or 40 years.

I'm continually stunned by the tasteless and sexually explicit ads on TV. There isn't a channel to go to in order to avoid them, unless I want to watch Disney, Nickolodeon or the 'Toons channel - to whicih I say "bleah." I don't think I would object quite so much except these ads are on during the day and in the early evening when kids are watching. What kind of information are they picking up with all the ads for aphrodisiacs, feminine products, incontinence and gastrointestinal products? One of the grandchildren asked if I used a certain product and just didn't understand when I explained that was not a topic for general conversation, and even if it were, it was none of his business.

Bah, humbug! I'm beginning to feel like Socrates when he went on his rant about the "younger" generation!

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Bamma's Place is almost ready for the first pages to be uploaded to the server. I'm really looking forward to getting past that point.

Wish the "silly season" had not started so early in the year. I'm sick to death of all the political mud-slinging. The innuendos and outright lies being told by people in all the parties are disgusting. It has gotten worse in the past several years, and I no longer vote "for" someone, rather I vote "against" the opponent. I no longer believe any political figure even tries to be objective and carry out policies that are best for the country. They are all self-serving, bought and paid-for by the various special interest groups. I won't discuss who I'm going to support here, but rest assured I will vote.

Family and friends are great comforts in times of trial. When the ol' curmudgeon had a heart attack in May, so many people rallied around him and supported me, it was so touching. Thank you to all!

Saturday, January 17, 2004

Still plugging away on the Calendars.

Still plugging away on the reading.

There just isn't enough time in the day to get everything done! [whine!]

Where are the reasonable people in this political season? Seems the Dems and Reps are all so extreme. After reading Zell Miller's book about the Democrats, I'm more and more disgusted with the national parties. Some of the things he said about the Dems applies to the Libertarians, too. We need people who will address the major issues in a reasonable way. The media isn't doing us any good with the slanted and innacurate reporting they do. What has happened to separating the factual news from the editorializing? This blog is editorial. It's in my little corner of the web, but certainly not on the front page.

How often will we have to re-live history because we don't learn from it? This is very sad. Ad hominem attacks just won't create viable national policies.

Monday, January 05, 2004

In my limited way, I've been creating an Orthodox Nativity Calendar. It's turning out to be much more involved than I ever imagined! First, I realised that the Calendar could not be a typical "Advent" calendar. First, most of them are rather trite, no matter how beautiful the background picture might be. Second, I didn't want my grandchildren to think that December 25 ended our celebrations - so I am taking it through Jan 7, the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist and Forerunner. Whew!

So, OK, it won't be "done" for this year. It probably will be an ongoing project, with additions of some sort every year.

So far, I have some saints for each day, along with a few of the Troparia and Kontakia. Next year I want to add an activity for each day, and maybe a craft and a song-page for each day. Eventually there will be a coloring page, a Scripture page, a Story page and a recipe page for each day, too. Whew!

Then I thought, How about a Lenten Calendar, too? So that's on the back burner, but with Lent staring us in the face in the next several weeks, I guess I'd better get it going soon! But since the Menaion is different for each day, I'll just stick to the weekly Triodion. A page for the Annunciation will be needed, of course. Any ideas out there? Contact me HERE and put "Nativity Calendar" or "Lenten Calendar" in the subject!

Thursday, January 01, 2004

Happy New Year!

Resolution: to read the major documents about the founding of our country:
Magna Carta
Mayflower Compact
Federalist Papers
Declaration of Independence
Constitution
various Presidential Inaugural Addresses and major speeches.

Good News: They are available for reading FREE on-line! I am constantly amazed at the amount of really good literature that is available on-line. Check out these places: Project Gutenberg, Kellscraft, The Federalist to name only a few places. I won't go into all the places I have found poetry (both great and sappy) and song lyrics.

Cheerio!