tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78705652012-02-16T12:47:45.539-02:00This is like scrap paper... only brighter. I jot down the things I think about from day to day and through the magic of computers, anyone in the world can read it. Now don't you have some work to do? Reading this blog is likely to make you curse or cheer or cry... things you don't want to do in your office. The person in the next cubicle is going to hear you and think you're a nut. You'd better quit reading this blog now.Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.comBlogger1511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-27651083610431035482009-10-21T20:43:00.003-02:002009-10-21T21:21:28.151-02:00

Two hundred years ago Thomas Campbell wrote a document for a group of Christians who saw the divisions between churches and denominations as a great failure. He called all who express faith in God to find unity in the teachings of the Bible and to allow the Bible to be our only guide. Clearly, we've not been able to fulfill Campbell's vision in the past two centuries. Why?Can we not extend

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-51011678665924998632009-10-16T12:22:00.000-02:002009-10-16T12:38:17.302-02:00

I know some people watched The Prodigy and it changed their lives... I'm not one of them. It's a fascinating plot acted out by what looks like the night class of a "complete your GED in 4 weeks" school. But sometimes, when you sift through enough mud, you find a gold nugget.The question that this film asks, perhaps more succinctly than I've heard it asked before is, "If God refines us through

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-41902467679702610642007-08-29T10:47:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:22:53.781-02:00

I've been hearing quite a bit about New Orleans since we've just passed the two year anniversary of Katrina's devastation. A story on NPR, a visit by Good Morning America, the obligatory helicopter flyover showing rows of trailers, flat concrete pads where houses used to be and of course, archive footage of people holding "help us" signs.These are all intended to evoke sympathy and compassion and

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-64485079086208426122007-08-25T14:49:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:24:38.066-02:00

Well, I'm "picking up the pen" after a lengthy hiatus and I'm hopeful that I'll find some viable, creative spark still brightly burning in the shallow bowl that is my brain.I've found that I missed this outlet. I've got plenty of work to do, even now on a Saturday, a substantial portion of the garage is occupied by junk, my '66 Scout languishes outside, the divine Mrs. L and I are going to buy a

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1162843649584366222006-11-06T18:00:00.001-02:002009-10-17T01:25:56.961-02:00

Well, as my faithful readers know I've struggled with truckaholism for most of my life and until very recently, was successfully dealing with my condition. I have a support group and a good wife and with their help I had managed to suppress the symptoms of my disease.No more. All is lost. I broke down when the Yellow Dog broke down one too many times and I bought a big, red Dodge truck. I picked

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1156888909634575612006-08-29T18:55:00.000-03:002006-08-30T10:51:16.473-03:00

If you don't have a friend that can talk you out of buying a new truck you need to get one.The Yellow Dog is in the shop and it's going to cost a couple of bucks to get her back on her feet... and Ford's offering 0% financing for 72 months... and those new trucks look magnificent. They're safer. They get twice the gas mileage of the Dog. They have four doors. They ride smooth and have plenty of

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1155657002793312752006-08-15T11:28:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:27:21.230-02:00

If clothing fashion in the US generally follows European clothing fashion then I am about to drop some fashion revelation in your lap.Soon, the fashionable American male will be wearing his necktie in a whole new way. The tie itself will be slightly wider and have a more firm inner structure than today's ties. But the most important thing is how the tie is tied. In today's traditional style the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1155158971335043452006-08-09T15:16:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:28:42.854-02:00

I am ready for some Texas.I've never really believed Jon Bon Jovi to be a genius but if he's the one who first said "You don't know what you've got till it's gone" then his stock just doubled in my mind. If someone else said it first and he just used it... then he's just another millionaire "has been." Either way, the phrase has great value.The good doctor and I have been speaking in almost

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1155147374999825522006-08-09T14:45:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:30:03.678-02:00

Today is our last day in Oxford. We're off to London tomorrow and we'll fly home over the weekend. I'm looking back over the last five weeks and here is a quick overview of what I've observed.The English have an ill-founded superiority complex and are generally unfriendly.This is likely due to the fact that their food is terrible. Or maybe because their country is so crowded that you can never be

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1154896444559527962006-08-06T16:00:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:36:02.468-02:00

We've just returned from a short stay in Paris... and I'm happy to tell you that the Eiffel Tower is still standing.If you've never been to Paris you might not be able to grasp how that city is completely lousy with historic monuments and gilded statues and huge buildings. I don't want to hear one more comment about "American excess." Seriously, we'd be walking down a Rue de Something or other

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1154530614636202582006-08-02T11:56:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:39:57.033-02:00

The adorable Dr. Lewis, knowing of my disdain for cities and my love of countryside, planned for a weekend in the Kyffhauser Forest while we were in Germany. We stayed in Bad Frankenhausen (I enjoyed saying Bad Frankensusan) in a B&B that backed up to the forest.As we considered what to do in and around this little city I, of course, wanted to hike in the woods. Susan chose to drive to Lauscha,

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1154530538762595852006-08-02T09:33:00.000-03:002006-08-06T19:18:31.590-03:00

The best preparation for a trip to Germany, ensuring the enjoyment of those travelling, is a visit to England first. Here's a point-by-point comparison.When we beheld the complimentary breakfast buffet at our hotel in Wittenburg I got a little tear in my eye. It was a thing of beauty. Scrambled eggs, sausages, breads, fruits, yogurt, cereal, dark coffee... I still get a bit misty, remembering it.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1154521355192246532006-08-02T07:23:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:48:04.170-02:00

Our visit to Germany started and ended in Berlin, a city of 3.5 million. The city had a fascinating role in the Cold War as the most conspicuous example of East versus West. The wall is down now and the city has worked wonders to bring the former poverty and dilapidation of the east up to modern standards. Roads have been built. Buildings have been renovated and parks and monuments have been

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1153734202249828942006-07-24T05:45:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:49:16.514-02:00

We've just returned from a trip up to Wales. Wales is a part of the United Kingdom but is it's own country. The Welsh call their country Cymru. It has it's own language, very ancient and much like Celtic and Gaelic. All the signs are written in both Welsh and English. The Welsh people, in my three day experience, are much more friendly and welcoming than those I've met in England. When you think

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1153349375587642482006-07-19T18:37:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:50:28.128-02:00

A couple of random things since today I spent mainly cleaning and getting ready to be gone for a week.Overheard on the street last week and never, ever heard on the streets of Abilene: "I sure did fancy that mackerel pate."No lie, I actually heard a woman say this to her friend.I thought I would find the British to be substantially healthier than Americans, especially in this community where

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1153253488231767042006-07-18T16:48:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:53:29.895-02:00

We've heard much about punting the Thames. Come to find out the Thames is a nasty river and punting it is such a tourist attraction that punting the Thames is a pricey undertaking. So, spendthrifts that we are... we went punting the Cherwell.A punt is a flat bottom boat about 16 feet long. It's about three feet wide at the center and tapers to about 20" on the ends. The pole is about 16 feet long

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1153228209509426622006-07-18T09:38:00.001-03:002009-10-17T01:54:45.735-02:00

I've decided that one of the key differences between England and the US is a fundamental difference in the efficiency that directs decisions all across both of our cultures.England is an island nation, 241,000 sq.km... or slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. It is home to 60 million people.By contrast, the US dominates the North American continent, occupies 9.16 million sq.km and is home to

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1153176777221487252006-07-17T18:54:00.001-03:002009-10-17T02:00:04.936-02:00

My birthday was Sunday the 16th. I woke up to the sound of seagulls in Dover, England. I went downstairs with the Divine Mrs. L and my boys and ate a traditional English breakfast... one gently fried egg (very runny), toast, tomatoe, potato, coffee, juice, bacon and sausage. If you're ever offered an English breakfast sausage, politely refuse. If you're ever offered bacon, make sure you ask for

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1153173033035829072006-07-17T17:33:00.001-03:002009-10-17T02:02:52.126-02:00

We found Dover at the end of a couple hours of train riding. The trains were pleasant enough. Rocking gently along the English countryside, sitting in a "suite" of six seats facing each other with a small table, we talked, played games, watched the pastoral scenes of horses, sheep and wheat fields gliding by and dozed.Dover itself turned out to be something like Dodge City, KS. It's got a tiny

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1153149632428615452006-07-17T10:55:00.001-03:002009-10-17T02:07:57.977-02:00

Quite a bit's happened since last update. I've got a couple of days to write about so here goes...Saturday morning we woke early enough to pack up and leave our "home" at #10 Canterbury, Oxford at 7:15. We walked downtown and caught the bus to London. We rode the double decker for about an hour and a half and were let off on a bustling sidewalk. We promptly caught a cab and were off for a 10

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1152872397897154082006-07-14T07:06:00.001-03:002009-10-17T02:10:13.989-02:00

I made a comment yesterday about not seeing many birds here. There are trees and shrubs everywhere but not many birds. Then I began looking in earnest for the birds that I imagined must be living here and so, I began seeing them.There is a bird in our backyard that looks like a hybrid of a crow and a pigeon. The head is dark black, shiny with a crow's eyes and beak. The body then changes to white

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1152793472555514542006-07-13T09:01:00.001-03:002009-10-17T02:11:55.310-02:00

I wrote an entry last night on the couch and the battery warning came on so I plugged the computer in and left it till this morning. I got up this morning and finished my writing and hit the Publish Post button... and just like that, it was all gone. I can assure you that had that blog entry survived... the writing was so brilliant and lucid that women would have fainted, children would have been

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1152640586307135542006-07-11T14:55:00.002-03:002009-10-17T02:16:18.754-02:00

If you've read or re-read any of the old posts you know that I spent a bit of electronic space writing primarily about political things. I stopped writing when I got a promotion at my old job and haven't had the time to pick up the "quill" since. Now, I've got five weeks to spend with wife and family in merry old England (and Germany, France and Wales) and I'm looking forward to recording some of

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1129131772568483452005-10-12T13:33:00.000-02:002005-10-12T13:42:52.583-02:00

Click on the title bar to follow the link. It's a letter from Ayman-al-Zawahiri to Abu Musab Zarqawi. Zarqawi, you may recall, is now famous for beheading his captives and sending the gruesome videotapes to sympathetic "news" agencies. Zawahiri is an Egyptian doctor who professed allegiance to Bin Ladin in 1999 and recently has been one of the highest ranking Al Quaida members.If this letter

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1128961706145313062005-10-10T14:20:00.000-02:002005-10-10T14:30:43.166-02:00

If you'd like a more accurate picture of what's happening in Iraq than you are getting from CNN... check out the link above by clicking on the title bar. Michael Yon is on the ground in Iraq and has been riding in combat, life and death missions with the American military and with ISF.If it bleeds, it leads. CNN has a financial motive for running the "bad" news. They are just paying the bills.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1128441159577041982005-10-04T12:18:00.000-03:002005-10-04T12:52:39.640-03:00

There's much conversation these days about the injustice in New Orleans. On the far end (just past the line of lunacy) is the opinion that somehow, all conservatives and Republicans and primarily the Bush administration conspired to kill a few hundred black people by not letting them leave, blowing up the levee and controlling the weather. On the more rational end of the scale are the poeple who

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1127855256635470342005-09-27T17:37:00.000-03:002005-09-27T18:07:36.680-03:00

Been really busy with other things lately, so hopefully, in the absence of regular posts, I've driven away my last reader. That's pretty much the plan I had in mind when I began writing this thing over a year ago. Post regularly for a while. Get a couple of guys to read it regularly. Quit posting regularly. Lose the two readers. Seems to be working fabulously.Let's consider Louisiana, shall we?

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1126811657910703322005-09-15T16:05:00.000-03:002005-09-15T16:14:17.916-03:00

Autobiography in Five Short Chaptersby Portia Nelson1. I walk down the street. There's a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost.....I am helpless; it isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.2. I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place; but it isn't my fault.(I disagree

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1126188953500781112005-09-08T10:53:00.000-03:002005-09-08T11:18:58.480-03:00

The Wall Street Journal opinion page carried this article yesterday. It can give you some idea of the negligence of the city and state government in Louisiana. (Click on the title bar, where it says Muck Raking to connect to the article.)The blame is consistently being aimed at FEMA and George Bush and the National Guard and... well, anyone but the people who were paid to do the job that didn't

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1126112320735674812005-09-07T12:18:00.000-03:002005-09-07T13:58:40.780-03:00

I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.A small bird will drop frozen dead from a boughWithout ever having felt sorry for itself.-- D.H. LawrenceSlow gazelles get eaten. That's the law... that's the circle of life. Doesn't matter why they're slow. If they're old and worn out or young and unsteady they get eaten. If they're sick and weak they get eaten. If they are otherwise healthy but they

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1125434610521535842005-08-30T17:11:00.000-03:002005-08-30T17:43:30.573-03:00

I'm getting sick of hearing the chorus of... "it's not my war, no WMD's, Bush Lied, not in my name, give peace a chance, we should've tried diplomacy... "How glorious for you dissenters? What a great plan... you get milk and honey without having to do a thing. Someone's gotta milk the cow. Don't complain about the way the cow got milked while you're drinking the milk. Don't gripe about the bees

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1125071241049108422005-08-26T12:25:00.000-03:002005-08-26T12:47:21.076-03:00

My two little men have just about finished their second week of school at the new public school.The oldest, my rock star, was very excited about the larger school because a larger audience means a larger number of adoring fans. To expand the rock star analogy, he went from playing the nightclubs to playing the stadiums.The youngest, my Navy SEAL, was not so excited because this was a great

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1125002739986060282005-08-25T17:04:00.000-03:002005-08-25T18:24:33.006-03:00

I read Joe Klein's piece in Time magazine this week. The title is The Danger of Yellow Ribbon Patriotism. He begins by laying out the differences between our military and the general population. He lauds the discipline and service of the military and contrasts that with the way the rest of us are living. Klein calls it the "perpetual American Mardi Gras." The point is that we aren't living like

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1124729619223478512005-08-22T13:34:00.000-03:002005-08-22T16:00:00.170-03:00

When an AC condensation drain backs up and overflows, a little bit of cool, clear water runs down the walls and into the concrete slab. It is absorbed by the carpet and the pad. It is absorbed by the sheetrock and the insulation in the walls. It is pulled through the concrete, under the tile, under the walls, into every possible space. Doesn't sound too bad... until you call to find out what

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1124481749648498052005-08-19T16:27:00.000-03:002005-08-19T17:02:29.693-03:00

A friend mentioned the name Ira Hayes this morning and I looked up the lyrics to the Johnny Cash song that I knew so well. I went on to read the stories of the battles at Iwo Jima and how Hayes and the others in that famous photograph fared.Three of the six men in that photograph were dead within 21 days in the fighting that continued on that tiny island. One was hit by a mortar, another friendly

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1124398099861551082005-08-18T15:12:00.000-03:002005-08-18T17:48:19.903-03:00

The killer that terrorized Wichita, Kansas and called himself BTK has now delivered his confession. He's plead guilty to 10 counts of murder. He's being sentenced this week.What's most intriguing about this story is the absolute normality of this guy's life. We have an easier time swallowing the tattooed, satanic, drug using biker as a killer. But the Ted Bundy, the Dennis Rader, the next door

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1123773700512259612005-08-11T12:02:00.000-03:002005-08-11T12:34:40.816-03:00

Some people really hate business travel. They complain about the line at the rental car counter. They complain about the time it takes to go through the metal detector and the bag scanner. They complain about having to take off their shoes and belts and watches. They complain about the hotel. They complain about cramped airplane seating. They probably complain about all sorts of other things too

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1121959943618942692005-07-21T12:10:00.000-03:002005-07-21T12:32:23.666-03:00

http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/GTMO-menu.pdfAs you know by now, if you've got a pulse, Gitmo detainees are claiming abuses at the hands of American guards. They claim they are beaten. They claim they are humiliated. They claim they are mocked. They claim they are forced to watch the Koran being desecrated. (These claims gained some credibility after we saw the pictures from Abu Ghraib but

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1121791864902871992005-07-19T13:37:00.000-03:002005-07-19T13:51:04.913-03:00

If a person were to accidentally get the heel of their left hand between the sharp end of a wonderbar and the blunt force of a 3lb engineer's hammer that person could reasonably expect the blade of the wonderbar to go completely through the heel of their hand and meet the face of the hammer. Ask me how I know this.My fence project, my guitar lessons and my weight lifting are all on a temporary

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1121195201289271292005-07-12T15:42:00.000-03:002005-07-12T16:06:41.296-03:00

One of the only humorous stories to come out of the War on Terror is also one of my favorites. It involves an interrogation method that might not even violate the sensibilities of the bleeding heart, appeasement advocating, blame-America-first crowd.Here's how it works: Detainees are milling about their prison camp in Afghanistan or Iraq when three or four US soldiers enter the yard, escorting an

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1120850628485995712005-07-08T16:00:00.000-03:002005-07-08T18:02:42.156-03:00

It's really tempting to let the fourth of July be a day to enjoy barbecue and fireworks. It's easy to mow the yard and wash the car and spend the evening with friends, having a meal, having a drink, watching the colorful explosions in the night sky. But, few things that are easy are worth doing.Those fireworks are to remind us of the explosions of war, the bombs that burst in the air but couldn't

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1120162778675908152005-06-30T16:57:00.000-03:002005-06-30T17:19:38.696-03:00

I was in Fort Worth for several days last week... felt like a month. I think I'm allergic to concrete, steel and glass so when I get into a city the size of the metroplex I have a bad reaction. I just want to see some dry grass, a couple thousand mesquite trees and the heat waves of west Texas.Air conditioner in my truck is not working and this week we're over 100 degrees. Makes for a hot drive

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1119045381135083912005-06-17T18:32:00.001-03:002009-10-17T14:03:45.640-02:00

See a pattern with recent posts yet? I'll give you a hint... frequency. Now do you see it? Yep... I haven't posted in a while. Well, I'm stretching out my mental muscles and might not have my "A" game going today... here goes.I'm learning to play guitar. Not sure how this is really going to work since I seem to be functionally tone deaf, my singing being the key indicator. Also, I'm not sure my

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1117809094233199912005-06-03T11:24:00.000-03:002005-06-03T11:31:34.240-03:00

I had one of those moments yesterday where a dear friend thanked me for my help. He thanked me for doing something that I cannot imagine NOT doing.As I drove away I tried to remember how we got started. Who had done the first favor for the other? Who had first given of time or money for the other? In the classic "chicken and egg" model I can't tell you which one of us made the first

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1117231319093000012005-05-27T18:31:00.001-03:002009-10-17T14:06:56.375-02:00

Amnesty International has finally released a report about the prisoner abuses at Guantanamo.I don't know about you but I couldn't wait another day. My summer reading list wasn't full yet... and I needed a good comedy so I believe this report will fit perfectly.Calling out the US on it's human rights abuses is something like sending a shoplifting pre-teen to the electric chair. Amnesty knows that

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1117053822736638342005-05-25T16:57:00.000-03:002005-05-27T18:31:23.226-03:00

A secret source deep inside the bowels of the Blogger Corporate office tells me that Blogger execs are preparing to ask Mike Cope to stop soliciting comments.Mike's blog yesterday brought up a profanity printed on a tshirt worn in public. I don't own any shirts that have profanity on them and I don't really want to... but I've got some ideas for tshirts that haven't yet seen. How about you? Any

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1116877166957439912005-05-23T16:18:00.001-03:002009-10-17T14:09:32.172-02:00

Someday, thousands of years from now, when some advanced society digs up our era, they will find some amazing things. Their anthropologists will have a blast dissecting our lives and our largely constructed environments.When they dig up community pools, filled with children, dressed (or undressed, as the case may be) in skimpy little pieces of cloth held together by strings... will they think

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1116601618791244012005-05-20T11:43:00.001-03:002009-10-17T14:11:45.896-02:00

I don't particularly care if the Sith are avenged. Apparently, this lack of interest on my part puts me in an extremely small slice of America and only a slightly larger slice of the entire planet. I haven't seen the last two (three, four, who really knows?) Star Wars episodes... as a matter of fact I didn't see the first one until it was 10 or 12 years old. I don't know why but Star Wars and

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1116340879816948062005-05-17T11:14:00.001-03:002009-10-17T14:14:11.100-02:00

Much has been said about Newsweek's unsubstantiated report of the intolerable abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo. This has primarily been that the Koran (or Quran) has been touched by infidels and put in a toilet. There have also been claims that some Muslim prisoners have been tortured by being deprived of long pants during prayer time. They have also claimed that some Muslim prisoners were

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1116257405352847522005-05-16T11:57:00.001-03:002009-10-17T14:18:59.010-02:00

It's not something we hear very often in our church services or our classes but I think we would benefit from hearing it. Most of us are not quick to share this with the person beside us on the plane or the waiter or the guy in the office next to ours but they might benefit from it too. It's the story of our lives. It's the telling of how God is active in our daily lives. It's the way that the

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1115909744494809592005-05-12T11:29:00.001-03:002009-10-17T20:29:31.547-02:00

Hopefully your life is full enough that you are not "following" the Michael Jackson trial. If you have, however, seen the highlights on the news every night you know that Jackson is a full-blown, certifiable, cut-the-strings-of-reality WACKO. It's really sad to see him in this state because if you're my age you can remember him when he was young, good looking and nobody suspected his destination

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1115755691251624802005-05-10T16:09:00.000-03:002005-05-10T17:08:11.353-03:00

I love TV. You may not know it but I didn't have a TV in my house until I was in the 10th grade. I didn't grow up with all those shows that my friends grew up watching. I don't know all the TV related trivia that my wife knows. I really feel cheated (sarcasm) out of all that childhood TV experience that seems to unite my generation.Oh well, now I've got a TV and I pay for digital cable every

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1115409815605430072005-05-06T16:00:00.000-03:002005-05-06T17:03:35.716-03:00

Saw a show about the Army Rangers the other day. It was showing a Ranger competition called The Best of the Best. Two Rangers form a team that competes against other Ranger teams. They run obstacle course, swim, run, climb, shoot and conduct urban warfare exercises.In one of the obstacle courses we saw a Ranger fall off of a "wall" of telephone poles that he was climbing over. He fell nearly

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1115051334935284132005-05-02T13:07:00.000-03:002005-05-02T13:30:36.443-03:00

My nine year old son is a treasure. He's smart and funny. He's really got a great sense of style... didn't get that from me, clearly. He's articulate. He's generous. He's as intransigent as a pit bull when he wants something. He's clever and creative. He's got a very high emotional intelligence. He's an amazing, natural fund raiser. He's a gifted actor (got that from me) and singer (got that from

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1114802139401062222005-04-29T15:44:00.000-03:002005-04-29T16:22:15.190-03:00

I enjoy a tv show called Cold Case Files. This is a glossy retelling of cold cases, usually murders, that are solved many years after the crime was originally committed. These are inevitably solved by detectives who just wouldn't give up, trace evidence that is now technologically decipherable and sometimes by a witness who just waited too long to contribute to the police work. Anyway, they are

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1114723646035025842005-04-28T17:56:00.000-03:002005-04-29T13:14:40.573-03:00

I was looking at a map of the world yesterday and noticing how small Europe is compared to the US. My wife, the divine Mrs. L, and I measured the distance between London and France and found it be approximately the same as between Tulsa and Dallas. We found that Washington, Oregon and Idaho combined are about the same size as France. That's right... three states that define a very small, specific

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1114616392992680072005-04-27T11:39:00.000-03:002005-04-27T13:27:07.483-03:00

It frustrates my wife, the Divine Mrs. L, when she asks where I would like to eat lunch and I say something to the effect of, whatever you want to eat is fine with me. I really don't care where we eat because I'm easy to please. I really would rather her get her way because she does care. But she wants me to say what I want. Even if she disagrees with it and we end up eating wherever she wanted

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1114465255975329142005-04-25T18:22:00.000-03:002005-04-25T18:40:55.976-03:00

My wife and I gave some of our testimony about God's work in my life last night. The audience was a small group of college students who eat dinner with some of our good friends every Sunday night. As I remembered the pain, the stress, the suffering and then God's peace and patience and shocking faithfulness I was overwhelmed.God watched as a lifestyle and a job and a level of prestige all became

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1114117728243425672005-04-21T17:40:00.000-03:002005-04-21T18:08:48.246-03:00

I've been saying for many years now that Wal Mart will fall. Someday, they will be brought low. I don't know how and I don't know who will do it but there will be a day when we, or our grandchildren, tell the stories of shopping at Wal Mart, back in the day and the children gathered at our feet will not remember the largest retailer in current American history.I've also predicted some other

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1114010848395558502005-04-20T12:05:00.000-03:002005-04-20T12:27:28.396-03:00

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/496cjzrn.aspThe link above is to an amusing article in the Weekly Standard by the editor, Matt Labash. He spends some time interviewing and arguing with Ward Churchill. Strangely enough, they find common ground in Townes Van Zandt. Isn't it amazing that music really can soothe the savage beast?

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1113929218476675352005-04-19T13:25:00.000-03:002005-04-19T13:47:42.820-03:00

Down inside, there's a fighter. There's a guy who wants to punch the throats of those who oppose him. There's a pair of fists that stay clenched. There's a jaw that's set and eyes that are ready to shift into tunnel vision. They are looking for a fight. They are looking for a target. They are looking for a weakness. There's a lip and a nose, an eyebrow that's ready to bleed. The adrenaline is

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1113252674199119912005-04-11T16:51:00.000-03:002005-04-11T17:51:14.200-03:00

I'm off to Ohio for a couple of hectic days of business travel. If you're not a business traveler you may have this romanticized idea of what time "on the road" is really like. I know there are several around my office that believe those of us who travel on the company dime are living the good life out on the road. Allow me to dispel some business travel myths.Myth #1: We, business travelers are

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1112911393140411292005-04-07T17:59:00.000-03:002005-04-07T19:08:51.576-03:00

Sometimes I open up this blog and I write 500 words and erase them. I look at what I've written and it fails the "making this world a better place" test that I'm applying to my life. If you've read any of my work you are probably wondering how any of it passed... I've got to be honest and tell you that I don't always use that rule. Anyway, today I did. I find very little in me, in my own words to

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1112799621050588292005-04-06T10:33:00.000-03:002005-04-06T12:00:21.050-03:00

A friend of mine recently attended a conference at Disney World in Orlando. He was surrounded by the oversized cartoon characters, the moms and dads and the rosy cheeked children. He was surprised to find that a concert in the park was going to feature Danzig, a blatantly, unequivocally satanic, death metal band. The black leather, the blood, the skeletons, the upside down crosses are not exactly

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1111702067979859272005-03-24T19:27:00.000-02:002005-03-24T20:07:47.983-02:00

I read a story, probably fictitious about a college professor who tries to prove to his students that God doesn't exist. The professor's argument went something like this... If evil really exists and God created everything then God created evil and fails to live up to his own definition of himself... Several of his students argued with him and one of them finally seemed to "win" the argument.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1111619698681028942005-03-23T18:14:00.000-02:002005-03-23T21:20:11.900-02:00

In the midst of more pressing news about Iraq, Terri Schiavo and cloned buffalo in China you may have missed the very small (but comedically exploitable) news story about a shipful of gay and nudist passengers being denied entry into St. Kitts.I'm certain that this will turn into another referendum on gay rights and I predict that ultimately St. Kitts will have to issue some sort of apology to

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1111513679418967832005-03-22T15:15:00.000-02:002005-03-22T15:47:59.420-02:00

My wife, the divine Mrs. L, continues to work on her dissertation. Her class work is finished and all that remains now is "The World's Largest Research Paper." During her class work, she had an instructor who taught them, among other things presumably, that a method of critical thinking is to view decisions, our own and other's, as either Love based or Fear based. On the initial hearing, I

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1111445311761682322005-03-21T18:10:00.000-02:002005-03-21T20:48:31.763-02:00

The cool thing about being a father to two little boys is that their mother knows they need boyish toys. For instance, this weekend we went looking for a zip line so that the boys can risk life and limb, propelled by gravity, zipping across a steel cable that we'll suspend between two trees in our backyard. In order for the zip line to work well we may need to construct a tree house for them to

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1111182259284572612005-03-18T19:12:00.000-02:002005-03-18T19:48:34.876-02:00

This is my first post wherein I could be exposing myself to some sort of prosecution so for clarity... from now on when I use the word dollars, bucks or the symbol $ I actually mean bologna sandwiches. For instance, I may write something about paying a fine at the library that cost me $2.00. This would mean that I gave two bologna sandwiches to the librarian and she deleted my fine. Got it?

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1110819261593077632005-03-14T14:07:00.002-02:002005-03-14T15:01:44.673-02:00

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/349tpijp.aspEnjoy Matt Labash's editorial on Canada, (to borrow one of Matt's phrases) America's attic space.Then spend some time thinking about what it means to be American. What is it that is uniquely American? What is the American ideal? John Wayne? Abe Lincoln? Ronald Reagan? George Patton? Rambo?I'm not forgetting the women in

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1110562854961800492005-03-11T15:08:00.000-02:002005-03-11T15:40:54.963-02:00

I watched The Notebook last night with my wife. We had a free pay per view coming because our cable provider screwed something up and so we've been occasionally looking at the PPV offerings to see if there's something we wanted to see. Since we are not at all interested in Alien vs. Predator or Stripper Bowl 2005 we had to choose between I, Robot and The Notebook. I had heard good things about

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1110475807927930352005-03-10T14:55:00.000-02:002005-03-10T15:30:07.930-02:00

Reality TV has hit Iraq. The government run TV station has begun airing a show called Terror in the Grip of Justice. The show features terrorists, insurgents captured and tried for their crimes. It also has recently shown the families of the victims being allowed to talk about the crime and directly address the terrorists. It's part of the propaganda war that the Iraqi government is fighting

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1110403476271875072005-03-09T18:38:00.000-02:002005-03-09T19:59:29.233-02:00

I've read a couple of articles lately about how Bush's budget cuts are going to be bad for the poorest Americans, the homeless, the welfare recipients, the uninsured children, the working poor. All the while, the tax cuts that Bush made happen and wants to make permanent will only help the richest Americans. (I must be one of the richest Americans because I sure did get some of my money back last

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1110322676969981342005-03-08T18:55:00.000-02:002005-03-08T20:57:56.970-02:00

http://www.tonguetied.us/If you've not been reading the news carefully lately you might've missed the news stories that await you, should you follow the link above. The link leads to Tongue Tied, a website that collects and publishes stories of PC (Politically Correct) craziness from around the world. Enjoy. (I'll give you a moment to read some of these stories... I'll just be right here waiting

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1110216884788511102005-03-07T14:47:00.000-02:002005-03-07T15:41:53.700-02:00

In the last post, regarding voluntary euthanasia I asked the following questions:What's the difference between one shot of adrenalin that results in cardiac arrest and forty years of chicken fried steaks that result in cardiac arrest? What's the difference in one lethal dose of poison and a lifetime of smoking cigarettes? What's the difference in a terminally ill person walking off a cliff and a

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1109881736222205082005-03-03T17:41:00.000-02:002005-03-03T18:40:08.206-02:00

The plot line of Million Dollar Baby ends in the euthanasia of Maggie, the female boxer played by Hillary Swank. Maggie suffers a broken neck and becomes quadriplegic after leading a life of extreme physicality. The Clint Eastwood character, Frankie is ultimately the one who pulls the plug and injects Maggie with a lethal dose of adrenalin. (Oh, you didn't want to know how it ended? Sorry.) In a

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1109626102564636122005-02-28T18:56:00.000-02:002005-02-28T19:28:22.566-02:00

Looks like the BTK killer is in custody in Wichita, KS. This man, Dennis Rader was a Park City employee. He is married with two grown children. He had just become president of Christ Lutheran Church in Park City. He seemed absolutely, boringly normal (though not particularly tactful) to those people who knew him.Just in case you've not read anything up to this point about this case the killer

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1109280557669200322005-02-24T18:40:00.000-02:002005-02-24T19:29:17.670-02:00

Flat tax supporters are getting a little glint of excitement in their eyes today. The report comes back from Bratislava that Bush has made comments praising the Slovak Republic's flat tax. Bush has made several comments about reforming our tax system and I, for one, see the flat tax as the best proposal on the table.Our tax system now is so large and labyrinthine that it's become the metaphor for

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1109200870560977842005-02-23T18:49:00.000-02:002005-02-28T19:29:45.666-02:00

I don't know what the problem is... I'm trying to conjure up some anger about something... you know, to fuel my writing. I'm reading about Terry Schiavo. I'm reading about Bush visiting Europe and making nice with Germany and France. I'm reading about Michael Jackson's trial. I'm reading about mudslides in Cali, bird flu, Ward Churchill (who now admits he's not really Native American)... and I

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1109095610091584042005-02-22T15:40:00.000-02:002005-02-22T20:01:52.893-02:00

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship,design a building, write a sonnett, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying,take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure,program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.Specialization is for insects."--

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1109008703818043162005-02-21T15:43:00.000-02:002005-02-21T17:17:14.020-02:00

I watched a couple of killings yesterday. The most impressive were the ones on the National Geographic Explorer show called Predators at War. The show followed jaguars, lions, hyenas, cheetahs, African wild dogs and showed the dramatic struggles for life. These magnificent creatures killed gazelle, kudu, cape buffalo and even each other as they fought to survive. Primarily, the predators were

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1108501729312658802005-02-15T17:41:00.000-02:002005-02-15T19:12:05.613-02:00

As if we needed any more reason to get out of the UN we now have evidence that the Oil for Food program that was supposed to be keeping Iraqi children from starving was actually lining the pockets of UN inspectors and of course, the Hussein family. Who couldn't see that coming? Take three parts lunatic dictator, four parts greedy beauracrat, one part international embargo, one hundred million

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1108420511028770302005-02-14T19:43:00.000-02:002005-02-14T20:35:11.030-02:00

My sons were given the choice of a birthday party with their friends or a hunting trip with dear old dad. My oldest son, age nine, chose the birthday party. My youngest son, age six at his next birthday, chose the hunting trip.We're going to hunt the elusive feral hog. These are wild pigs, sometimes descended from domesticated pigs, sometimes descended from wild boar, sometimes descended from

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1107990254154108762005-02-09T17:33:00.000-02:002005-02-14T19:43:10.010-02:00

I read Ward Churchill's complete essay and addendum. I didn't want to just repeat what was being said on the news and talk radio so I found the complete text and read it for myself. You may do so at this address:http://www.kersplebedeb.com/mystuff/s11/churchill.htmlIt can be summed up by saying that America deserved what we got on September 11.Churchill says that we actually deserve much, much

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1107884388560795522005-02-08T15:14:00.000-02:002005-02-08T15:39:48.560-02:00

There will be plenty of military movies and tv shows this year. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan is an ongoing news event ensuring that we will see and hear from soldiers on a daily basis. This constant reminder that some of our citizens wear a uniform and carry a gun for a living forces the producers of tv, movies and even video games to address the military. Not that movies and shows about

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1107539363238863942005-02-04T15:24:00.000-02:002005-02-04T15:58:48.213-02:00

Al Jazeera jumped right on the story of the Mujahedin Brigade's capture and threatened execution of a toy soldier (the Mujahedin Brigade claimed he was an American soldier) last week. The Mujahedin Brigade produced a video showing an action figure named Cody in front of their black flag with a rifle aimed at his head. They threatened to kill Cody unless America released Iraqi prisoners within 72

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1107299765673629502005-02-01T20:59:00.000-02:002005-02-01T21:16:05.673-02:00

Sometimes I find myself angered about some ridiculous behavior and I distill my irritation into words as I write. Sometimes I find myself needing to pray and I am best able to express those prayers in writing. Today I find that I'm touched by the innocence and joy of the Iraqi people as they cast their first free votes. I saw families that dressed in their very best clothes, parents and children

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1106963535156820382005-01-28T23:38:00.000-02:002005-01-28T23:52:15.156-02:00

I just bought a book that was published for the Special Forces back in the sixties. I was looking for survival strategies that I could teach my boys. I got them... and a lot more. If you want to know how to make homemade napalm, I've got the recipe. If you are interested in destroying a bridge (any type) I know where to place the charges to bring it down, quickly and cleanly. If you want to know

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1106756585995031562005-01-26T13:48:00.000-02:002005-01-26T14:23:05.996-02:00

Have you seen Hillary Clinton? Have you seen her lately? Hillary will not commit to a presidential run in 2008 but she seems to be slipping into the sheep's clothing lately. Except for primary season (and Howard Dean) Democrats dress up in elaborate costumes to hide who they really are when they wish to woo the American voter. Remember John Kerry in his camo outfit going duck hunting? Well,

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1106603141235946852005-01-24T19:15:00.000-02:002005-01-24T19:55:36.063-02:00

I watched two ballgames yesterday. My wife of almost 11 years couldn't believe it because I used to not care at all about televised sports. Anyway, I watched the playoffs to see who was going to the Superbowl this year. As you know, the Eagles beat the Falcons and the Patriots beat the Steelers. I rooted for Atlanta and Pittsburgh. I love an underdog. I love to watch a team who's been told that

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1106259288437984252005-01-20T19:40:00.000-02:002005-01-24T19:12:55.903-02:00

Today, our President re-elect was re-inaugurated. DC was shut down. Secret Service took control of everything within 5 miles of the White House. High tech spookware spied on everyone, looking for the first hints of evil thoughts and evil deeds. There were concerts, black tie parties, white tie parties, live broadcasts, dignitaries, fancy dinners and all the requisite Washingtonian hoopla. The

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1106174644116173902005-01-19T19:07:00.000-02:002005-01-19T20:44:04.116-02:00

Sri Lanka, hard hit by the tsunami (and years of civil war before that) had the poor taste to look the gift horse in the mouth. They refused Israel's offer of food and medicine if Israeli military personnel would be on the planes that delivered it. Yes, they were willing to allow their citizens to continue to suffer and die if they had to tolerate the Israeli military being on their soil.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1106067679287623162005-01-18T14:46:00.000-02:002005-01-18T15:01:19.286-02:00

A church trip was almost over. The kids and the parents were almost home. Thirty more minutes and they would have been home. A Suburban rolled and many were injured. Innocent, young men and women were bruised, broken and scarred. Their families are at their sides. Their doctors are explaining the recovery processes that will take place as these kids navigate the rocky terrain back to health.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1105725137111353062005-01-14T14:38:00.000-02:002005-01-14T15:52:17.110-02:00

I'm just back from a business trip to San Francisco. I suppose most people think immediately of the Golden Gate bridge, those steep, narrow streets and the Piers. Several people suggested I see Alcatraz and Chinatown. I'm glad that I didn't. I went over the Golden Gate bridge into Marin county and I followed the signs to the Muir Woods. The Muir Woods are a grove of giant redwoods preserved in a

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1105134284208104032005-01-07T18:43:00.000-02:002005-01-07T19:44:44.206-02:00

I'm almost 35. I was born in the US. I've never been convicted of a felony. As far as I can tell, I meet all the minimum requirements to run for the highest office in our land. Besides the fact that I don't possess any political ambitions and the fact that I've never held any office, not even in high school, there are reasons why I could not be the President of the United States of America.

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1105044177757793042005-01-06T17:59:00.000-02:002005-01-06T18:42:57.756-02:00

The absurdity of capturing soldiers on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing them to US controlled property and then immediately bestowing on them the rights that are guaranteed to US citizens is mind boggling. There are elected officials in our own government who would like to see jury trials for all these prisoners of war, complete with defense attorneys paid for by the US

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1104955289776557522005-01-05T17:40:00.000-02:002005-01-05T18:01:29.776-02:00

If I thought anyone (besides my wife) read this blog I might take a moment to apologize for the lack of any posts in the last couple of weeks... but no one does. The new year has begun. Our preacher even mentioned the resolutions we Americans make and notoriously fail to fulfill. I somehow made it through the festivities without resolving to do or not do something this year. The divine Mrs. L

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1103731432068310922004-12-22T13:52:00.000-02:002004-12-22T14:03:52.066-02:00

I was shaving my head this morning, thinking everyone else in the house was still asleep when my 5 year old son yanked the bathroom door open and exclaimed, "It snowed. I was the first one to see it. It snowed." We live in a place where snow rarely falls so a snow, especially on a day when there's no school, is a great blessing. Both of my sons bundled up and ran outside to play in the cold,

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1103041250489054312004-12-14T14:05:00.000-02:002004-12-14T14:20:50.490-02:00

We started Eat Week at the office. This is a company tradition of dubious value. It begins with an email from Janice, coordinator of all things edible and part time receptionist. The email outlines the dates and times as well as the opportunities for involvement. Many employees bring food items that they've made and others, known collectively as the Rat Pack, donate money to a fund that buys

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7870565.post-1101929879942489902004-12-01T17:11:00.000-02:002004-12-01T17:41:29.916-02:00

Hey! The bandwagon is driving past. You're going to miss it. Target Stores will not be letting the Salvation Army bell ringers stand outside their stores this Christmas season. They have made the statement that they do not allow other groups to solicit on their parking lots and in order to maintain their integrity, they must not allow the Salvation Army to solicit Target shoppers. You know what

Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08185114498525906819noreply@blogger.com0