tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32717362011-08-27T15:12:00.019-04:00Mark ByronCommentary on Politics, Economics, Theology, Sports, and other things that pull my chatty-ring.
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E-Mail <br>
byronm at Warner.eduMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.comBlogger32621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1096372754137224932004-09-28T07:52:00.000-04:002004-09-28T07:59:14.136-04:00For those of you who are getting referred over here, I've been over at Typepad for over a year. Blogger does have some nice looking bells and whistles, including the ability to change the color of the text as well as the font of the text. If your getting started, Blogger is still worth the price.
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1090813353014786882004-07-25T23:38:00.000-04:002004-07-25T23:42:33.013-04:00The new Blogger tools seem to be nice, but not nice enough to get me off of my Typepad site. If you got here via a stale permalink, give the people who sent you here an e-mail and get them to update their permalinks, especially a certain UT law professor.
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-108206157189306932004-04-15T16:39:00.000-04:002004-04-15T16:44:29.920-04:00I'm still over at my Typepad site. It's been seven months. If you got here with a stale permalink, razz the folks who sent you here and get them to update their permalinks.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1064103455625555702003-09-20T20:17:00.000-04:002003-09-20T20:17:59.873-04:00I'm showing a friend of our, Warren Hoyt, how to use Blogger. He's got a web site for his ministry and is thinking of starting a blog or something like itMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062829596733317192003-09-06T02:26:00.000-04:002003-09-06T02:26:50.983-04:00He Went That-a-Way-The blog has moved over to TypePad
I'll keep this active as an archive, occasionally posting over here just to keep things from going stale.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062829511696214742003-09-06T02:25:00.000-04:002003-09-06T02:25:11.716-04:00In Praise of Blogger and YACCS-I don't want to leave Blogger on a bad note. The Pyra people have provided a solid public service in providing a free and easy way to spead your thoughts to a world-wide audience. It has its weak spots and its down times, but it delivers a product far in excess of its cost. They have, as the caring folks would say, done well by doing good. Google seems to have been Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062773901404508362003-09-05T10:58:00.000-04:002003-09-05T10:58:21.266-04:00Last One Off Blogger, Turn Out the Lights-Part IV-Hasta La Bye-Bye. I have just moved over to TypePad.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062769964536373492003-09-05T09:52:00.000-04:002003-09-05T09:53:46.890-04:00One Seagull Returns-The Texas Democrat Two-Step to the border ends as one guy decides to get real.State Sen. John Whitmire, the longest-serving Democrat in the state Senate, returned to Texas Wednesday from Albuquerque, where 10 of his fellow Democrats remain. Whitmire is taking a lot of heat for returning home, but he said that's where the fight must now take place.
"I just don't know what Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062768329367570762003-09-05T09:25:00.000-04:002003-09-05T09:25:29.363-04:00Last One Off Blogger, Turn Out the Lights-Part III-Jeffery Collins has moved over to TypePad. I may soon join him.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062765490663736942003-09-05T08:38:00.000-04:002003-09-05T08:38:10.710-04:00Orn'ry Henri-It looks like I finally get to see a tropical storm upclose and personal. Henri is about 100 miles east of St. Pete and heading this general direction, expected to make landfall a bit north of the Tampa Bay area near midnight. We're a good 50 miles inland, so storm surge stuff isn't a factor, but we'll still get a lot of rain. We're already getting some early drizzle thanks to Henri.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062736688946676172003-09-05T00:38:00.000-04:002003-09-05T00:39:14.210-04:00Edifier du Jour-Judges 1:27-3527 But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites persisted in living in that land.
28 It came about when Israel became strong, that they put the Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062735008710247092003-09-05T00:10:00.000-04:002003-09-05T00:12:04.553-04:00Hey Rocky! Watch Me Pull a Cucumber From a Hat!-Not again! Not another Christian company selling out to a secular media outfit. The VeggieTales people, Big Idea, wrote a new chapter in the company history, Chapter 11; self-financing the Jonah movie and a big lawsuit over changing video marketers forced the issueBig Idea has agreed to sell its assets—including copyrights to Bob the Tomato and Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062731846852328162003-09-04T23:17:00.000-04:002003-09-04T23:19:17.520-04:00Appologies and Counter-Posts-YACCS is still hosed due to a server crash. The YACCS site has them shipping a backup server and getting back up by Monday night. Well, it has been worth the price. I'm about this close to moving over to TypePad to provide a more robust package than Blogger. I had begrudged myself the money that a server would cost. However, I don't begrudge Eileen spending money on Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062690641396677442003-09-04T11:50:00.000-04:002003-09-04T11:50:53.283-04:00Edifier du Jour-Matthew 12:1-141 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat.
2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath."
3 But He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062689780587938662003-09-04T11:36:00.000-04:002003-09-04T11:36:20.553-04:00From Blue Laws to the Law of Green-I’ve got some misgivings about this story on Family Christian Store's decision to open from 12-5 on Sundays, starting first in Dallas and rolling out the policy nationwide. That link will require registration, you can pass on reading it if you like. Jason Steffans pointed out this interesting post from Jared Bridges-...the CEO of Family Christian Stores, Dave Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062627762312085672003-09-03T18:22:00.000-04:002003-09-03T18:22:42.436-04:00Evening Musings-Let's send some warm fuzzies over to Dr. Sulik. He's not in a very friendly mood. However, what he suggest that his bishop should do shouldn't be too hard. Given what his head is already at, his lips will already be in the general vicinity.
I don't have anything pithy to say about Paul Hill's pending demise. He won't inspire other Bible Belt jihadists, for he was already a Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062608064721677032003-09-03T12:54:00.000-04:002003-09-03T12:55:19.516-04:00Midday Musings-Someday I'm going to get out of "Give us this day my daily overheads" mode, but it isn't today. A four-hour (well, actually three, but it's supposed to go 6-10) night class in Melbourne yesterday on top of three hours of day classes yesterday makes Dr. B. a grouchy fellow (give thank always, Mark, give thanks always) this afternoon; I still need to get two classes prepped for Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062588399645500612003-09-03T07:26:00.000-04:002003-09-03T07:28:59.180-04:00Edifier du Jour-Jonah 1:1-41 The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying,
2 "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me."
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062523896917297082003-09-02T13:31:00.000-04:002003-09-02T13:32:33.410-04:00Conductor on the Tiberian Shuttle-Interesting David Warren piece (thanks to Bene Diction for the links) on his bolting from his Anglican (he's Canadian, IIRC) faith to the Roman Catholic Church There was a great schism behind our history, which involved the Reformation of the western churches; a huge tragedy, as the earlier division between East and West. I still think the Protestants walked awayMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062517769835578932003-09-02T11:49:00.000-04:002003-09-02T12:57:23.700-04:00Morning Musings-I just spend some time with the photographer from the Lakeland Ledger here in the office this morning; I just got off the phone with Cary McMullen from the Ledger talking about my blogging. If all goes well, I might get my first 15 minutes of fame on Saturday. To the best of my knowledge, I've never been a subject of any newspaper coverage other than the pro-forma graduation, Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062508904708310742003-09-02T09:21:00.000-04:002003-09-02T09:21:44.713-04:00The Check-Out Lane-Good piece on the movie industry by Michael Jennings over at Samizdata. Grab a super-size beverage of choice before starting; it's long but worth the time.
Interesting thoughts on poverty from the Gutless Pacifist. There's a post in this, but not right now.
Another one I might post on in the near future was this topic that Eugene Volokh started on religous tolerance. JoshMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062507171877564382003-09-02T08:52:00.000-04:002003-09-02T08:54:30.590-04:00Raise Your Steyn-Canada's gift to punditry's at it again, looking at Labor Day, progress and Psalm 8. Go thou and readest; we just got done looking at Psalm 8 in church a week ago. One of many keeper quotes-The Eighth Psalm describes the central fact of our modern existence. It was a lot less plausible when it was written, when man's domain stretched barely to the horizon, when ravenous beasts Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062496726144103742003-09-02T05:58:00.000-04:002003-09-02T06:00:46.876-04:00Edifier du Jour-Romans 7:12-1612 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the SpiritMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062451941944938192003-09-01T17:32:00.000-04:002003-09-01T17:32:43.150-04:00This Week in Blog History- In the mode of Grace hitting Texas, look back at Fay hitting the Lone Star State on a Friday-It's not nice to mess with high school football.
Here's an interesting post on Quantum Calvinism.
In a move that looks interesting in view of the Plano confab, the British Columbia Anglicans were having at it over blessing same-sex unions.
Was it only a year ago that Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062437334646438672003-09-01T13:28:00.000-04:002003-09-01T13:29:33.580-04:00Two Theological Musings-When I read this piece on the Pittsburgh diocese, my mind went to various space opera plots-"Prepare the shuttlecraft for separation." The escape pods will head towards the Plano homing beacon.
The other interesting tidbit of the morning happened via a Brazilian Google hit for "Ron Kenoly Heresy." No, nothing wrong with Mr. K, but I stumbled into some sniping at Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062421110802370422003-09-01T08:58:00.000-04:002003-09-01T12:47:17.203-04:00Morning Musings-Two points of advice to athletes. One-don't take women back to your hotel room. Bad things happen when you do so, even if everything seems "consensual" at the time. Two-don't go to bars. Even worse things happen there. I have the Steeler D on the football Florida Blogistas, so I'll have to keep an eye on Joey Porter's wounded kiester.
MCJ brings us an interesting piece laying Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062415956917094112003-09-01T07:32:00.000-04:002003-09-01T07:32:36.960-04:00Edifier du Jour-Psalm 1:1-31
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062359501781019522003-08-31T15:51:00.000-04:002003-08-31T15:51:41.680-04:00Afternoon Musings-We had a family from Winter Haven (daughter and granddaughter of one of our Lake Wales churchmates) in tow today, and we hit the grocery store on the way home. They were looking for a Mexican thin toast product called Bimbo; mom had much fun telling story of 9-year-old asking a clerk "Where are the Bimbos?"
Interesting change in church culture. A less-than-edifying Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062356268356550482003-08-31T14:57:00.000-04:002003-08-31T14:57:48.200-04:00A Theology of Economics-Part 3-Aliens in the Marketplace-Josh Claybourn linked to an interesting piece I think I've seen before from Robert Nozick-Why Do Intellectuals Oppose Capitalism? Nozick's basic premise is that the academic elite is used to being the best and the brightest, getting the best grades and all the kudos at school, yet get outearned by lower-performing students. Seeing that Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062299430446201042003-08-30T23:10:00.000-04:002003-09-04T23:45:16.166-04:00Evening Musings-Signs of the coming Apocalypse-an animated Humphrey the Humping Dog at a gift shop, down the street from a store with "Chaos, Confusion and Mayhem, my job here is done." plaque. Thankfully, I did not see Humphrey in action. Other than that, our Saturday excursion to Mount Dora went well.
Got to see some of the college football today and a few upstarts did well. Over a late Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062297196766180352003-08-30T22:33:00.000-04:002003-08-30T22:33:16.776-04:00The Original Hurricane Fabian-My mind went into history mode when I heard that there was a Tropical Storm (now Hurricane) Fabian forming in the Atlantic that might hit Florida next weekend. My mind went quickly past the 50s singer Fabian and went back to the turn of the century Fabians of England. The quick mental memory bank said "Influencial socialists, H.G. Wells was one of them." The link Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062292100372256902003-08-30T21:08:00.000-04:002003-08-30T21:08:20.436-04:00A Theology of Economics-Part 2.1-The Power of Greed-Quite a bit of feedback on the issues. Bene Diction points out some coffee slavery in Brazil (talk about the lesser angels of our nature!) and was a bit queasy about my Part II. Bene quoted Richard Hall's post in reply , adding I cannot weigh in on this debate for I have no degree and little knowledge. But, if I have a cup of coffee today, I canMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062245597786602952003-08-30T08:13:00.000-04:002003-08-30T08:32:27.070-04:00An Alabama Tax Reform Overview Before we go into the pros and cons from a economic or biblical perspective, let's see what they're voting on. Here's a summary document of the plan. The package would:
(1) Nearly double cigarette taxes from 16.5 to 31 cents a pack. That's actually a bit regressive, since poor people tend to smoke more. However, if you tax something, you get less of it, and if Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062240671281730902003-08-30T06:51:00.000-04:002003-08-30T06:52:22.850-04:00Edifier du Jour-James 2:14-2014 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
17 Even so faith, if itMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062208732374643472003-08-29T21:58:00.000-04:002003-08-29T21:59:45.130-04:00The Outsourcing Problem-One of the things that we went over in my International Finance class is the idea that if you can digitize a product, it doesn't matter where you produce it, since you can zap it around the world in seconds. We've seen Papa Blog frequently riffing on that, but the most recent bloggage that caught my eye was from Illinigirl. She links to a Buisness Week article on the Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062191088945076532003-08-29T17:04:00.000-04:002003-09-01T17:08:48.320-04:00Aftenoon Musings- Tony Blair's spinmeister, Alastair Campbell, got that sudden urge to spend more time with his family. Funny how politicians find that urge when they're on the hot seat.
Congressman Bill Janklow might be spending quality time with his new boyfriend Spike instead of his family; he's up on manslaughter charges for his killing a guy after running a stop sign at 70 MPH. Full Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062172598285904722003-08-29T11:56:00.000-04:002003-08-29T11:56:38.333-04:00Midday Musings-Mr. Austin, I appreciate your suggestion for Israeli diplomatic gestures. It takes me back three decades to junior-high, where we use that exact gesture-and-phrase. Not edifying, but fun nonetheless.
It looks like the Shiite is hitting the fan in Iraq; a bombing at the most prominent mosque in the Shiite mecca of Najaf killed 75. The head of that mosque, Ayatollah al-Hakim, is Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062170660422061212003-08-29T11:24:00.000-04:002003-08-29T16:47:31.240-04:00A Theology of Economics-Part II-Greed is-[Part one on Alabama's tax reform proposal is here] Richard Hall has been batting about the issue of capitalism the last week. In this post, he asks the question "...can anyone find anything in the teaching of Jesus that suggests I should be a 'maximiser of self-interest'? "
Yes and no. Should you be selfish? No. Are you selfish? To the extent that youMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062165026084917942003-08-29T09:50:00.000-04:002003-08-29T09:50:43.783-04:00A Theology of Economics?-Jason Steffans looks at a Tapped piece on the Alabama tax reform proposal. Republcan governor Bob Riley has championed an increase in property taxes and added state income taxes on the wealth and an increase in the amount of income that people can earn before paying income taxes.
The tax package is the brainchild of a tax lawyer named Susan Hamill, who found a so-so Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062163047751844032003-08-29T09:17:00.000-04:002003-08-29T09:17:58.043-04:00Front-Page Haiku
The Terminator
Proposition 13 props;
Jarvis endorsement.
Things are looking good for Ahnold. The mainstream press are starting to pay attention to Bustamante's former membership and endorsement of the millitantly racist MEChA Mexican-American student group, and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (Jarvis being the Prop 13 guy) backed Ahnold. The one LA Times poll that hadMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062159199020558882003-08-29T08:13:00.000-04:002003-08-29T08:13:19.056-04:00Towards a Good Muslim Europe?-This is a interesting Michael Vlahos Tech Central piece thinking about the growing Islamization of Europe. He spends time talking about the tolerance and multi-religious nature of the old Ottoman Empire, which included Greece and Serbia. However, if there is to be any syncratic movement like the early Ottoman era, it will most likely come from Islam.
Firstly, Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062154144786073812003-08-29T06:49:00.000-04:002003-08-29T07:12:32.763-04:00..and Sometimes, the Mid-Major Bear Gets You-Northern Illinois 20-Maryland 13, OT. How to warm a double-MAC alum's heart in the morning. Sorry, all you Twerp fans.
[Update 7:05AM-How did NIU get Maryland to play in DeKalb?]Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062151756891187172003-08-29T06:09:00.000-04:002003-08-29T06:19:21.866-04:00Day Tripper Trader- I'd like to make a quick squeal about this BBC piece which seems to want to scare off people from investing in the stock market. This quote seems to be about as honest as their David Kelly pieces.Alpesh Patel, a private investor and stock market pundit who has been trading full time since walking away from a career as a barrister seven years ago, is keen to dispel the notion Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062150599684999252003-08-29T05:49:00.000-04:002003-08-29T05:49:59.550-04:00Edifier du Jour-Psalm 27:4-64
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the LORD
And to meditate in His temple.
5
For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062124041467793062003-08-28T22:27:00.000-04:002003-08-28T22:27:21.446-04:00Praise Report-There hasn't been much blogging the last week, partly due to my efforts of doing a better job of being a professor and preparing more and blogging less during the day. However, my mind has been worried about my wife, who's been fighting off a bad bout of depression this week.
I can report that it now past-tense. A spirit of fear had been the cause of the depression, one that had Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062064360117695262003-08-28T05:52:00.000-04:002003-08-28T06:05:51.410-04:00Edifier du Jour-Proverbs 3:21-2621
My son, let them not vanish from your sight;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22
So they will be life to your soul
And adornment to your neck.
23
Then you will walk in your way securely
And your foot will not stumble.
24
When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
When Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1062016687047375532003-08-27T16:38:00.000-04:002003-08-27T16:39:16.703-04:00Talking to a Fiskee-I had a very interesting experience this afternoon. A year ago, I had ripped into a piece on Christians and Islam by the Lakeland Ledger's religion editor, Cary McMullen; I just got off the phone with him. Turns out he's doing a piece on religious bloggers and is coming out to do an interview with me later in the week. He seems to be a pleasant enough fellow over the phone andMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061982278321474132003-08-27T07:04:00.000-04:002003-08-27T07:13:42.730-04:00Edifier du Jour-Matthew 7:21-2321"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061938477985599422003-08-26T18:54:00.000-04:002003-08-26T18:54:38.023-04:00Evening Musings-The Gray Lady blows a headline-"Dean Readies Ad Blitz More Than Year Ahead of Election." Try five months. We'll be seeing both Iowa and New Hampshire before Valentine's day.
Has it been fourteen years since Michael Chang came out of nowhere to win the French Open? You don't have too many born-again tennis players, so Chang was a refreshing class act; having both he and Sampras Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061937482793567122003-08-26T18:38:00.000-04:002003-08-26T18:38:02.840-04:00Bush Gardens?-Good news (at least for Winter Haven) out of Talahassee-the cabinet has signed off on helping out Cypress Gardens. The deal looks like this; the state will buy an enviromental easement on the botanical gardens part of the park, keeping it from being developed, then selling the park to a private buyer to run the park. Given the large amount of development going on in eastern Winter Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061936714538422932003-08-26T18:25:00.000-04:002003-08-26T18:25:44.976-04:00The Check-Out Lane-Our Ag-Econ guy, Baggy-Slims, riffs on my quickie on ag subsidies from yesterday.
Nice thoughts from Mr. Steffans on the Ten Commandments issues, including a link to a very good Derb piece on the subject. Derb's actually on the side of the angels on this one. I'm all for having this one out in court, but I don't think civil disobedience is the route to go here.
Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061893029349386852003-08-26T06:17:00.000-04:002003-08-26T07:12:06.770-04:00Edifier du Jour-Philippians 2:3-11
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061839175812976892003-08-25T15:19:00.000-04:002003-08-26T05:55:00.903-04:00¡Yo Queirro Jefe de Béisbol!-Ben mentions this Taco Bell campaign"Buy a Beef Crunchy Taco, and we'll count that as a vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Buy a Chicken Soft Taco, and we'll count that as a vote for Governor Gray Davis."
I have to think that the intangibles here are great. Arnold is crunchy, Gray is soft. Ha!
Other possibilities-Taco Salad for Ueberroth-lots of green but not Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061836961335532452003-08-25T14:42:00.000-04:002003-08-25T15:01:03.970-04:00Midday Musings-A little breather after my hour with the Romper Room my Macroeconomics class, all 38 of them, the third largest class at Warner. However, it seems that I'm getting more across this semester-the first quiz and homework assignment should tell if my feelings are correct.
We were covering price ceilings and floors today, and I wondered why agricultural price supports manage to pass Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061822353835706312003-08-25T10:39:00.000-04:002003-08-25T10:39:13.826-04:00Crude Justice?-Chris Johnson reported on the death of pedophile priest John Geoghan, the scripture he quotes speaks of God's judgment. This report on Geoghan's murder wasn't pretty. He was strangled and beaten by a fellow inmate with an anti-homosexual streak. I'm not usually an AI fan, but this guy hits it on the head"Everybody in prison knows that prisoners who have attacked children are hated,Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061813518510642132003-08-25T08:11:00.000-04:002003-08-25T08:12:29.146-04:00Jehovah Rapha Versus the MD-I haven't seen any bloggage on this one, but I'm sure some Bright's going to make a quip on this piece on an autistic kid dying in a Milwaukee prayer meeting; they were trying to exorcise the kid, thinking the autism was demonic-related. I'm not sure if we would have heard about this if the kid had died at school or at a Little League game, for this is a piece that Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061806571222624922003-08-25T06:16:00.000-04:002003-08-25T06:18:52.943-04:00Edifier du Jour-Psalm 8:1-91
O LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth,
Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
2
From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.
3
When I consider Your heavens, Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061759570904924952003-08-24T17:12:00.000-04:002003-08-24T17:24:10.850-04:00Hospitality and the Church-I always get a chuckle out of churches that have a "Vistors Welcome" sign on their billboard; the Lutheran church on Cypress Gardens Road near our apartment has one. Do you ever see a "If we get any more people, we'll have to go to two sevices, so GO AWAY!!" sign?
However, once we get those people into the seats, do we make sure that they are welcomed and made part Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061756551917572132003-08-24T16:22:00.000-04:002003-08-24T16:22:31.910-04:00Afternoon Musings-Good news for Ahnold (however you spell it); Bill Simon has thrown in the towel. He hasn't endorsed anyone, but may not have to. There is an outside shot that McClintock could pick up enough conservative support to make him a viable alternative, but I think Schwarzenegger's anti-tax, budget-trimming speech of last week seems to make that a pipe dream. It would take a serious Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061751419794176002003-08-24T14:56:00.000-04:002003-08-24T15:51:35.593-04:00Sacramento Spelling Bee-What is the proper phonetic spelling of the next governor of California? "Boo-STAH-mon-tay?" Not quite. The cover of Time spells it Ahhnold. I've been spelling it Ahnold, with one h, and others have been spelling it Ahnuld.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061723927917107492003-08-24T07:18:00.000-04:002003-08-24T07:45:08.036-04:00Edifier du Jour-1 John 4:15-1815 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so alsoMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061638873071516912003-08-23T07:41:00.000-04:002003-08-23T07:41:31.933-04:00Morning Musings-The good judge has been suspended for his little stunt. The ALCU types and the Transi crowd are chortling, but it seems appropriate. If a judge gives the middle-diget salute to the law, that's not good for the law.
At what point will the Bush administration start tackling the ELF? I'm reluctant to call this terrorism, but when you torch a car dealership (thankfully no Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061636982486020462003-08-23T07:09:00.000-04:002003-08-23T07:09:42.513-04:00Edifier du Jour-Philippians 1:21-2621 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061563775216997972003-08-22T10:49:00.000-04:002003-08-22T10:50:04.003-04:00Theocon Trek-The Next Generation-Ben had an interesting post last night The day that Dr. Bill Bright retired to heaven marked the most recent departure of a leader of the social conservative movement. Francis Schaeffer and Dr. James Boice were among the first to go, and there are many more who are probably destined to leave us in the near future. Some of the other prominent social conservatives Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061557373232229832003-08-22T09:02:00.000-04:002003-08-24T17:19:29.386-04:00How To Fight The Culture War-Part I-Judge Roy Moore, Lawless West of the Pecos-The rest of the Alabama Supreme Court has gone against him, but Moore's still fighting for his Ten Commandments monument. I heard this quote on the radio this morningIf the `rule of law' means to do everything a judge tells you to do, we would still have slavery in this countryOn that basis, he's equating the removal Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061553430238707732003-08-22T07:57:00.000-04:002003-08-22T07:57:10.100-04:00Edifier du Jour-Jeremiah 24:4-74 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans.
6 'For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them up and not overthrow them, Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061500560680329482003-08-21T17:16:00.000-04:002003-08-21T17:16:00.730-04:00Jihad Isn't Mentioned in This Sura-This Bobby Sura for Cliff Robinson trade looks interesting. The Pistons had a log-jam in the middle with too many 4s and 5s. With Wallace and Okur and Rebraca and draftee Darko Milicic and newly signed Eldon Campbell, not to mention Big Nasty doing a 3-4 swing, the middle was well covered. Robinson was excess goods.
Sura gives the Pistons a legit scoring Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061500525499214312003-08-21T17:15:00.000-04:002003-08-21T17:15:25.536-04:00Word Up!-Blog has made the Oxford Dictionary. My favorate from this article is prairie-dogging for poking your head out of a cubicle to see something.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061480862950185772003-08-21T11:47:00.000-04:002003-08-21T11:49:22.360-04:00Midday Musings-School's getting back in session, with our second full day of classes and our beginning-of-year convocation. A 50-something local pastor gave the address. The good laugh line is that BMOC no longer means Big Man on Campus but Balding Man, Old and Chubby.
"Give me your whales, your chubbs,your huddled massives yearning to eat free." No, being overweight isn't a good claim for Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061457561398491142003-08-21T05:19:00.000-04:002003-08-21T05:19:21.500-04:00Edifier du Jour-Jeremiah 23:16-2416
Thus says the LORD of hosts,
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you.
They are leading you into futility;
They speak a vision of their own imagination,
Not from the mouth of the LORD.
17
"They keep saying to those who despise Me,
'The LORD has said, "Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061428467853861492003-08-20T21:14:00.000-04:002003-08-20T21:34:05.133-04:00Evening Musings-Got to sing When I'm 64 to my Mom tonight. She hit three-score and four today. Got word that my nephew is now walking at 10 months. Eileen's off at a woman's-retreat planning meeting tonight; when she gets back, we'll call her mom to wish her a happy birthday. Yep, both of our moms were born on August 20th.
Maybe Baylor can play Division III basketball this year? No, that wouldMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061426912965492762003-08-20T20:48:00.000-04:002003-08-20T20:51:19.176-04:00Ten Commandments Now! Ten Commandments Forever!-I don't think this is great PR for Alabama, even if they are on the side of the angles on this one; the Supreme Court has refused to stop the removal of a Ten Commandments statue in the state Supreme Court building. They haven't ruled on the case proper, but have refused to grant an injunction. If Chief Justice Roy Moore, who rode the Ten Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061425199486258572003-08-20T20:19:00.000-04:002003-08-20T20:31:10.100-04:00Welcome to the Tigris Roach Motel-...where the jihadis check in, but they don't check out. This was an interesting National Post piece looking at the various hard-cases heading to Iraq to do battle with the Great Satan."Far from a new Vietnam, we appear to be heading for a new Afghanistan, Somalia or Chechnya as the next battleground between Islam and the infidels," an official in Washington toldMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061387003371259732003-08-20T09:43:00.000-04:002003-08-20T09:45:10.546-04:00Morning Musings-Here's an example for my Macroeconomics opening lecture on supply and demand; there's new compitition for the Pfizer Riser. Glaxo has been approved by the FDA to offer Levitra (Levit-ra; expect bad jokes about magic carpet rides) as an alternative to Viagra. A third impotence drug is in the pipeline. OK, class, what happens to the demand for Viagra?
This confirms what I've beenMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061382969617414532003-08-20T08:36:00.000-04:002003-08-20T08:36:09.583-04:00Some Baptism Musings-This comments on this Amy Welborn post on liturgical music was a bit of an eye-opener. An interesting discussion broke out on Amazing Grace and how it didn't fit Catholic theology. Commenter Christine sums it up nicelyMy problem with "Amazing Grace" is its decidedly "decision theology" which makes more sense in a church body like the Baptists who only practice adult baptism. Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061373537753971142003-08-20T05:58:00.000-04:002003-08-20T05:58:57.603-04:00Edifier du Jour-1 Peter 4:12-1412 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;
13 but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061343333341295452003-08-19T21:35:00.000-04:002003-08-19T21:35:33.493-04:00Evening Musings-It looks like South Dakota will be in the market for a new Congressman; their lone member, former governor Bill Janklow, killed someone in a car accident where he seems to have run a stop sign. Looks like a good vehicular homicide case against someone with a history of being a leadfoot.
Baghdad didn't have the only autoboomer today; Jerusalam had yet another one. I loved the Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061325911802107742003-08-19T16:45:00.000-04:002003-08-19T16:49:55.520-04:00Afternoon Musings-Got a Google Hit for "Cruz Bustamante Biography." Check out who advertising there-Peter Ueberroth's campaign.
Patrick Ruffini's new Bush campaign site has a news feed function. I'll open it up to the Peanut Gallery-would you like that over to the left here? Patrick, you don't get to vote. I'm leaning against it (just a tad), for I don't want to seem too much of a Bush shill, Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061319149958506742003-08-19T14:52:00.000-04:002003-08-19T14:52:52.816-04:00Musings From a Conflicted Heart-This is making the Paleoeuropeans squeamish; the death toll is up to 15, including the top UN guy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. This is making plugs for an increased role for the UN more difficult.
I'd like to grieve more for the people killed in the building, but the people who died there remind me too much of the NPR reporter and her interviewees who took Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061309098529694362003-08-19T12:04:00.000-04:002003-08-20T22:10:00.293-04:00California Electric History Revisited-I've given up fisking Krugman much for the same reason I've given up Diet Pepsi; they both raise my blood pressure. However, I'm going to make an exception today. Other bloggers will take the whole thing apart, but I'd like to hit on one key paragraph in his The Road to Ruin-Incidentally, there seems to be a weird reluctance to face up to what happened in Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061307810653795552003-08-19T11:43:00.000-04:002003-08-19T14:53:59.640-04:00Midday Musings-Found a new plaything-the Blog This button on the Google Toolbar-I did the last three posts from it. It doesn't work for multi-link posts, but for one-timers, it's a nice toy. One minor problem; I have to have it move away from a Department of Theology default setting.
There's some bad news in Iraq; the UN HQ got bombed, killing ten. You, back there! Did you say "A good start"? Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061306861993633462003-08-19T11:27:00.000-04:002003-08-19T11:27:41.980-04:00Playing Second Fiddle's Hard Without a Bow-One more piece of good news out of Iraq:they've captured Saddam's VP. However, this VP is small-fry, only 20th on the most-wanted list.
Question? Where would Cheney be on al Qaeda's card list for US biggies? Second, most likely. That's not typical for most VPs.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061304554249110322003-08-19T10:49:00.000-04:002003-08-19T10:49:14.280-04:00Don't Tax You, Don't Tax Me, Tax the Hicks out in the Trees-Our ever-wise Polk County Commission may actually (GASP) cut spending if they can't agree to raise utility taxes from 2% to 7% for us who aren't in a city (where I live is just outside of Winter Haven city limits). Guess what they're likely to do; tax the hicks in the sticks.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061302088393732612003-08-19T10:08:00.000-04:002003-08-19T10:08:21.403-04:00Southern Strategy-Interesting WaPo piece on Lieberman running a centrist campaign. There are a few chucklers, including calling People for the American Way a "left-leaning" organization (if it leaned any more, it would be horizontal), but the interesting thing is that Lieberman is essentially trying Al Gore's strategy of 1988; ignore Iowa and New Hampshire and run as a southern moderate (at leastMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061299931566154962003-08-19T09:32:00.000-04:002003-08-19T09:32:11.603-04:00The Prodigal Returns-Patrick Ruffini has emerged from his hiatus; he's the webmaster of the President's campaign site, GeorgeWBush.com. I've known about this for a couple of months, shortly after his Rants page went dark, but the information was embargoed. I think I did say cryptically when the issue had come up on other blogs that he was working on a big project; here's the project.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061289842567729092003-08-19T06:44:00.000-04:002003-08-19T06:44:02.476-04:00Edifier du Jour-1 Peter 3:18-2218 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,
20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061238931108857532003-08-18T16:35:00.000-04:002003-08-18T16:35:56.403-04:00Afternoon Musings-Classes at Warner Southern start Wednesday, so I spent today dealing with last-minute schedule changes and putting the finishing touches on syllabi for my three traditional semester-long classes. I got a good chuckle as I was coming back from getting my big glass of ice water (Diet Pepsi methadone) from the cafeteria. One of our campus security guys was manning the "Auto Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061221324708997852003-08-18T11:42:00.000-04:002003-08-18T16:20:55.890-04:00Simon Sez-Drop Out-This piece is wondering whether Bill Simon will drop out and endorse Ahnold. I don't think he'll have to. Plenty of voters will vote strategicly. If I were in California and asked my opinion right now, I'd be supporting either McClintock or Simon, probably McClintock. However, if I see the race boiling down to a Ahnold-Cruz race, while my guy's stuck in single digits, I'd Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061220458537262692003-08-18T11:27:00.000-04:002003-08-18T11:27:38.586-04:00Midday Musings-Thanks to those of you who have been praying for my health; I just got back from a stress test, and my blood pressure has dropped back down from ~170/110 levels to ~120/80. I'm still going to stay off of caffeine and keep at the weight room, and keep taking my blood-pressure medication, but that new blood pressure reading does take a load off my mind.
Interesting Irving Kristol Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061203783294697712003-08-18T06:49:00.000-04:002003-08-18T06:50:11.843-04:00Edifier du Jour-1 Peter 2:4-64 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For this is contained in Scripture:
"BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION AMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061144326052861522003-08-17T14:18:00.000-04:002003-08-17T14:23:51.640-04:00Survivor Stories-Lee Ann Millinger, writing from metro Detroit, leaves a two parter on her time without power; here's part one. Bene Diction, up in Ontario, has another two-parter.Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061123200917632302003-08-17T08:26:00.000-04:002003-08-19T16:27:01.043-04:00We're #49!-There's an old joke that Alabama thanks the Lord for Mississippi, for they'd be dead last in more stats without them. Their state spending levels are among the lowest in the nation. That would lead many to suggest that taxes and spending are too low and need to be raised. However, that same logic gets applied on a national level when (usually) liberals point out that the US has smallerMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061118103697733402003-08-17T07:01:00.000-04:002003-08-17T07:01:43.720-04:00Edifier du Jour-Luke 5:17-2517 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.
18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in frontMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061069695345247762003-08-16T17:34:00.000-04:002003-08-16T17:42:17.956-04:00Afternoon Musings-Had a couple of good chuckles yesterday while doing errands. The first was the "Bad Cop! No Donut!" one that always gets my funny bone. The second I actually saw two examples of yesterday: you've likely seen one or two Brights have a Darwin fish decal on their back bumper, making fun of the various Chrisitan fish decals; this one raises the ante, with a bigger Truth fish eating Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061040767332693752003-08-16T09:32:00.000-04:002003-08-16T09:43:22.293-04:00Investor on the Roof-Eileen and I were watching a best-of-Broadway show on our PBS station yesterday, and they had Zero Mostel doing If I Were a Rich Man. One of the verses seemed to fit Warren Buffett all too well (italics added)The most important men in town will come to fawn on me--
They will ask me to advise them,
Like a Solomon the Wise--
"If you please, Reb Tevye?"--
"Pardon me, Reb Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061035997319307922003-08-16T08:13:00.000-04:002003-08-16T08:14:23.020-04:00Morning Musings-Don't blame the PGA for the blackout, for they sure aren't shooting the lights out at Oak Hill. They're having US Open numbers, with who's-he journeyman Shaun Micheel (that's the correct spelling) leading halfway through at -3; he's only one of only three guys in red. Mike Weir is two back and Tiger is AWOL at +6.
Of course, now the Democrats are blaming this on Big Oil (the Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1061034417857413502003-08-16T07:46:00.000-04:002003-08-16T07:46:57.876-04:00Edifier du Jour-1 Peter 1:3-93 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 who are protected by the power of God through Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1060989711138070802003-08-15T19:21:00.000-04:002003-08-15T19:21:47.760-04:00Hasta la Vista, Baby!-The Democrats are starting to see the writing on the wall; the voters have weighed the Gray Gentleman in the ballance and found him wanting. He's losing 58-37 in the latest Field PollMarkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1060969277175444372003-08-15T13:41:00.000-04:002003-08-15T13:42:24.480-04:00Blackout Musings-I'm surprised at the low level of looting that we've seen in this blackout, especially compared to 1977. That blackout made New York look like Rodney King LA in the general level of mayhem.
It it the post-9/11 sense of togetherness? A more law-abiding Millennial generation rather than a bunch of Boomers in the key youth demographic? A residual from the fixing-broken-windows Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3271736.post-1060964898276451102003-08-15T12:28:00.000-04:002003-08-15T12:32:38.423-04:00Political Employment at Will-I haven't, that I recall, talked about the recall process and whether it's a good idea. Some conservative commentators (this Howard Owens piece was on the viewer at the moment) have argued that recalls move us away from representative democracy and towards mob rule. Others have argued that mere incompetence isn't enough to warrant a recall.
What a recall system Markhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06498817505989370546noreply@blogger.com0