This one is for Nate

Jennifer Ellison might not be a Supermodel, but Celebopedia elevates her above the masses:

A performer whose talents span a number of genres -- acting, singing, modeling -- British beauty Jennifer Ellison is a blonde bombshell who has won a place in the hearts of millions.

Celebopecia fails to mention that she, at one time, dated Steven Gerrard, one of England's most famous soccer players. They've since broken up.

As for men, Jennifer is quoted as saying:

I don't go for pretty boys or guys who take an hour to get ready. I like proper men.

Now I don't know if she's talking about anyone in particular, but the evidence does seem to say something, doesn't it?

Union Hypocrisy

I was visiting Nate's and saw where he specifically went to a non-union grocery story for some beer. That prompted me to share a recent situation up here.

Seems the unions are picketing Wal-Mart for not paying it's employees enough. It turns out that the protesters were being paid an hourly wage less than the Wal-Mart employees.

If the union truely feels that the employees aren't being paid enough, how can they justify paying a lower rate to protesters working standing outside in the Alaskan winter when the Wal-Mart employees are warm in a building?.

Also, isn't a persons salary, especially if they are adults, a private issue strictly between them and their employer? If the Unions think they have such a good idea, why don't they start a business themselves, based on their business model, pay the salaries they demand, and see how it all works out.

My Father-in-Law was a contractor. His last big project was a hotel that he funded himself. He had everything he had tied up in it and when his hotel employees threatened to 'go union' he promised that he'd lock the doors if they did. Knowing the Big Old Stubborn Swede, they backed down.

And he paid them well too. There were a few who took summer jobs at the hotel and said that they made enough to life off of and weren't going back to college. At the end of the summer he'd fire them and make sure they finished college. At his wake, I heard this story and a few others where successful adults thanked him for helping them becoming the independent people that they grew into.

The union would have never done that for them.

Back in the Day...

Long long ago, in a house far far away, when Santa Clause would bring me gifts, I believed in him, of course. The clincher for me was the physical evidence. We would leave him cookies and milk and he'd always eat them. In the morning, there would be proof that he had been there.

The eaten cookies were more convincing to me than the gifts. I kinda knew where the gifts came from, but the cookies were something altogether different.

Now I watch my son, when Santa is presented on tv, and have to supress a grin, lest he begin to suspect the ruse. I can see the wheels turning and the belief fomenting

I am so blessed to be able to share the joy, awe, and wonder of the season with another generation through the intimate relationship of father/son and yet I wonder if [son] is getting the true message of Christmas. Is the big fat jolly red herring distracting him from the True Meaning of Christmas?

He does know the Nativity Story, he'll point out Baby Jesus in the manger. Maybe I worry to much. I am now a parent who'll be leaving out cookies for Santa Dec 24th.

Doldrums

The loss of Billy seems to have taken the wind out of my sails. That and I've been working till 2:00-3:30am the last week on a side job and now I'm home sick with the creeping crud (maybe lack of sleep?).

I'm not ready to drop this blog, but is one of my lower priorities.

I am expecting the wind to pick up in a few days...

Cyber Mortè

Guess you all know by now that Billy D is folding up In Deo Veritas.

His insight, humor, and support will be sorely missed by me and all the members of what I think of as a loosly knit cyber clan.

I've hit some low points doing this, but I always come back because I want to. Even when I don't post for a few days, I know I'm going to be back.

I've thought about pressuring Billy to hold out and see if his heart changes in due time, but I think he's already thought long and hard about this and knows what is best for him.

This is a loss for us, his readers and friends. It feels almost as if his doctor has told us that he has a week, maybe 10 days, then he'll be gone. Some, as with the Virgin Queen, the loss is instant (but we still hold hope that she'll return, a hope that fades a little each day till it's just a little stale ice cube subliming into nothingness).

Hey, but I'm being selfish. It's not about me and what I want. At another level, I'm happy for Billy, he has his ministry in his church, a job that is rewarding, a loving family, and probably more since there is a depth of character in that guy.

Magnum Potato Gun

Check this out. They say it's a 12', 15 pound 2x4, but I think it looks more like a 4x4.

Thanks to resurgemus for finding it.

The Nature of Sin

There is a trial here where a 24 year old guy who was living at home murdered his mother.

Seems that he wanted a bigger house for her and he thought the insurance would provide it so he tried burning the existing one down. His mom was upstairs sleeping at the time and was unable to get out. She did dial 911, but died of smoke inhalation.

It's easy to look at this guy and think what a total idiot.

I see the nature of sin being highlighted here. Namely that he was willing to cross the line and do something that he knew he shouldn't do. He was willing to live with some sin. But it ended up going further, out of his control, to something he never imagined.

How many of us sin, being prepared to live with the consequences we expect? How many times are the consequences bigger than we expected?

Moral Courage

This weekend I had the honor of witnessing an act of moral courage.

I saw someone, at personal risk, do the right thing so someone else would benefit.

Nothing more will be said to protect the brave.

Got Game?

The White Buffalo, one of Vox's Ilk, launches a gamesite.



After the burst of the Dot.Com bubble I can only think that all web business sites now have a dozen or so more hurdles to overcome than any other business when it comes to getting financial support. That being the case, I think you oughta go check out SlingDot and see what it has to offer.

Bears, Liberals, and Rape

In response to the discussion going on at Vox's, I'd like to share a little Alaskan Brown (Grizzly) Bear story.

A number of years ago, a few young (20something) liberal couples went tent camping in bear country (anywhere in the bush). Being liberals they didn't bring guns and trusted the bears to not act like bears in the presence of civilized people.

In the evening, a Brown Bear came into the camp site and got some food. He (she?) took the food about 20' away and proceeded to eat it through the night. The meal survived the night, but I don't remember if she survived the mauling. Her campmates tell of hearing her crying "he's eating my arm" and "oh, no! He's eating my guts" throughout the night. This ordeal is fully documented in the book North American Mankillers.

Her friends associates cowered in the tent all night long and did nothing while listening to her moans and groans throughout the night.

Liberals seem to take the same ineffecitve approach to rape as they do to bear maulings. They deny it can be provoked and they aren't prepared to defend themselves when it threatens them or their friends or family.

Bear experts and hunters will suggest that if they build a large fire, made lots of noise, or even charged the bear as a group, the bear may have abandoned the girl it was chewing on. They did nothing, but I wonder if they wished that there was a government agency that would show up and tranquilize the bear and save the girl.

On second thought, they might have done something to help while cowering in their tent. They may have pinned little red ribbons on their shirts as a protest of bear maulings. Liberals do seem to think that helps.

Maybe if Vox posted a picture of the appropriate colored ribbon on his blog, the liberals would realize that he does care about women.