Saturday, July 05, 2003

Car Shopping

My mom just called to ask if I want to go car shopping with them. They are still with only one car since they gave the Explorer to the Cooties back in April. It hasn’t been an issue with Dad in California with his contract. But I think that’s getting ready to end and he’ll need to have a car.

They’re looking at the Subaru Outback and the Toyota Highlander.

So I’ll be gone for a big chunk of the day.

LATER:  When my mother called she said the goal was to get out before it got hot. She then called me a bit later to say she was running late. When I got to their house, the thermometer in my car was reading 91 degrees (at 10:45am). So we were out in the hottest part of the day. Yay!

We went test driving both cars. This is going to be my mother’s car, so she drove them. Both are nice, have their pluses and minuses. I freely gave my two cents. What’s interesting is that one of them wants one and the other wants the other, I think. So since they’re not planning to buy until next week, they have a week to hash it out. Basically it comes down to whether or not they want an SUV or a car--both have 4-wheel drive, they both have about the same cargo space. I’ll be interested to see which one they decide on.

Posted by at 10:06 AM
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Made

I was channel surfing last night and happened upon Made on MTV. I missed the first 10 minutes or so, but I was pretty much hooked from the first few seconds (and the blurb on the info screen my cable offers).

This episode was about Katie, a high school junior from Vermont who is a tomboy that wanted to enter a beauty pageant. I’m not sure what her motivation was since I missed that explanation, but I’m sure it had something to do with a particular boy and a posse of girls she calls The Armani Girls™ (one of which happens to be Miss Teen Vermont).

Anyway, MTV provided her with a coach in the form of a former beauty pageant participant (winner?). I can’t remember her name, but it started with a K - Katie called her Coach K. She is a lovely gal with the requisite blonde hair, tanned (freckled), poised, yadda yadda yadda. She took one look at Katie and I think she wanted to run.

Katie is a true tomboy, she dresses in baggy clothes, no makeup, hair in a ponytail all the time, sometimes a baseball cap. She slouches and has a swagger. She’s really outspoken and says pretty much whatever is on her mind. She seems a little anti-girly stuff - she reminds me of me a little bit, although I wasn’t completely anti-girly stuff.

So, Coach K had a lot of work to do to get this girl ready for the pageant in one month. Yikes.

Posted by at 09:20 AM
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Air Force One™

Last night’s Special Report with Brit Hume was various interviews including one iwht Justice O’Connor (she has a new book out), one of the Oak Ridge Boys (he has a book out), a journalist who talked about Presidential golf (he has a book out), and a guy who’s an expert on the history of Air Force One™ (he has a book out).

Hmmm...I thought this was a news and analysis show.

Anyway, it was repeated this morning and one thing stuck out to me that I missed last night. Apparently GWB used to love to play Risk (the interviewee used the past tense, I immediately had the thought that W’s Presidency turned into a real-life version of the game somewhat, so maybe that took some of the fun out of the game). It seems that W would encourage his aides to play and “annihilate each other.” Heh. Then the guy mentioned that Bill Clinton loved to play Hearts while on AFO™.

Interesting.

Posted by at 09:14 AM
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Friday, July 04, 2003

Happy Independence Day!!

This post will remain at the top of the page for the entire day. I hope you all have a safe and happy July 4th.

Remember the men and women, who for the past 227 years, have given their lives in sacrifice to keep this nation free.

[Flag graphic courtesy of Brownielocks.com]

Posted by at 07:23 PM
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Lazy 4th

I’ve been lazing at home today. I have no plans to go out for fireworks (crowds, heat). I’ll watch them on TV in the comfort of my nicely air conditioned apartment.

I was online for a while early this morning. You may have noticed the tweak of the background. I updated my reading and listening lists. And I tried to figure out why my text boxes aren’t working still. That is a mystery, because I haven’t changed anything that should affect them.

I watched Spartacus and Spider-Man on DVD. I had never seen Spartacus before and borrowed it from my mom. I liked it but thought it was a little too long, I did doze off a couple of times, and it was very dated. No doubt it’s a classic story and I’m sure it was excellent in 1960, but it was hard to watch at times because of little things like the cheesy woods/forest set that was used three times for three completely different (unrelated) scenes. I know I’m speaking heresy to classic movie buffs. Remember, I said the story was good, ‘kay?

So now I’m online again while trying to decide between pasta and eggs for dinner (I need to go to the grocery store) and if I can handle another movie before flipping between the various channels that will have festivities coverage. Sounds sad, huh?

Actually, my parents are on their way home from a vacation at Niagra Falls - we plan to celebrate the 4th tomorrow with the requisite b-b-q (I think). And our church postponed the usual July 4th picnic to next weekend to make it a “Welcome to Your New Church Home” picnic for our new pastor, who just moved up this week.

Posted by at 07:09 PM
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Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism

Jared over at Thinklings has a great explanation of the difference between fundamentists and evangelicals. Those two terms are often interchanged, but they really mean different things, especially to the Christian you may be describing.

For instance, I would say that in my teens and early twenties I would have fallen firmly in the fundamentalist category. But as I’ve gotten older, wiser, and grown in my faith and understanding of grace I’ve moved more into the evangelical category. For example:

1. Human thought. Fundamentalists in general distrust scholarship and can be very anti-intellectual. Evangelicals on the other hand, believe all truth is God’s truth, that our minds are God-given, and that we insult God when we fail to think and use logic (or science when it is appropriate).

2. The nature of the Bible. Fundamentalists adhere to a literalism so broad, even they are doomed to violate it. (Stott points out: “Not even the most extreme fundamentalist believes God has feathers” (Ps.91:4).") Evangelicals, however, while believing that whatever the Bible affirms is true, add that some of what it affirms is figuratively or poetically (rather than always literally) true and is meant to be interpreted thus.)

The distinction may make a huge difference in understanding by those who don’t believe.

Posted by at 12:16 AM
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Thursday, July 03, 2003

TAR4 and India

No spoilers ahead, have no fear if you’re in a timezone that hasn’t seen it yet.

I will say this - when I saw the previews last week that showed India, I immediately thought of the horrors from season 2 and I knew we were in for a treat. And I say treat with a shudder.

This episode does not disappoint and confirms for me what have long known.

I will never go to India.

Posted by at 11:24 PM
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He Is Da Man

Muchas gracias to my Tech Support 2 (also known as Tony).

In 10 minutes he managed to upgrade my blog from pMachine 2.2.1 to 2.3. I know (and he does as well) that it would have taken me at least 10 times that amount of time to do it myself.

I’m very grateful for the techies who have helped me recently. Many thanks!

Posted by at 09:33 PM
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The Holiday Weekend Begins

Number of miles in my commute (one way):  33
Number of miuntes it took to go the first 5 miles tonight:  60
Number of minutes it took to complete the rest of the commute tonight:  30
Rush hour traffic in Washington, DC on July 3rd:  priceless

Posted by at 09:09 PM
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Virginians and Texans

I have a lot (an inordinate amount, really) of friends from Texas. For some unknown reason they think that the absolutely best place on planet Earth is Texas. Of course, I happen to think that the absolutely best place on planet Earth is anywhere other than Texas (Ah, you were expecting me to say Virginia, weren’t you? I like to keep people guessing...but I digress...)

Then I saw this, and I thought that it was too perfect.

Federal Judge Rules Virginians ‘Stupid as Texans’

(2003-07-02)—A federal judge yesterday ruled that citizens of Virginia are “as stupid as Texans” when he blocked enforcement of a law against infanticide which had been passed by the elected representatives of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Judge Richard Williams, a Carter appointee, brushed aside the Commonwealth’s arguments and immediately ordered suspension of the law banning partial-birth abortions, pending a trial in November on whether the law is constitutional.

“I’m using the Supreme Court precedent established in Lawrence v. Texas last week,” said the Judge Williams. “The Court said that the people of Texas are too stupid to rule themselves and, by extension, implied that those in other states also lack the mental ability to make laws through their elected representatives. The people of Virginia are likewise a dull-witted lot. “

The Judge went on to note, “It’s a good thing I caught this law before it went into effect, otherwise countless babies would have been denied the right to an involuntary death at the hands of a competent surgeon.”

There’s nothing like a little satire to mock yourself and your friends all in one fell swoop.  Satire provided by Scott Ott of Scrappleface.

Posted by at 06:51 PM
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Freckles or Tanning?

A gal from the Clerk’s office just dropped off some paperwork. I chat with her ocassionally, but it’s been a while since I had last seen her. She’s a platinum blonde (most likely from a bottle, although she looks to have been a real blond when she was younger, like most of us) with fair skin that freckles.

Today, as I approached the non-bulletproof window to talk to her, I thought maybe she had gotten too much sun and she was peeling. But no, she has huge splotchy freckles. And it got me to thinking…

1. Freckles are only cute on anyone under the age of 30.

2. If you freckle, you should limit your time in the sun and use a lot of sunscreen, especially on your face.

3. Don’t try to get the freckles to merge so that it looks like a tan. It’ll never work.

4. If your freckles are of the large variety rather than the dainty ones, wear a hat.

I freckle, and burn, and peel, and blister. I’m a prime candidate for skin cancer. So after a couple of stupid years in my 20s, I stopped attempting to tan because it never happens. So I’m pasty white all year round, but I look younger than I really am (or so I’m told) and when I’m really old, my skin will still be creamy smooth as opposed to the burnt leather you other people will be sporting.

Posted by at 04:49 PM
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BigWig’s File Cabinet, Part B

Yesterday I mentioned that BigWig has some photos and history from WWII.

Here’s Part Two.

[via mtpolitics]

Posted by at 04:04 PM
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America the Beautiful, and Dearly Loved

I don’t read A Small Victory very often, she’s not in my blogroll (although she probably should be. Anyway, I was visiting mtpolitics where he made reference to an old post ASV did on “What’s Not To Like” about America. Solonor moved the project to it’s own blog, where each state is represented with a post and the chance to add a comment of your own.

As Solonor said:

I was afraid it would turn into an “America - Love It or Leave It” post. Blech. I love America from the tip of its little nose to the top of its little toes, but I can’t stand shouts of empty patriotism. I
should have known better…

I watched as the comments came rolling in. They weren’t like that at all.

They came with humor.
They came with neat links.
They came with insight.
For those that left home, they came with longing.
They came with pride.

They came with love.

Go take a look.

NOTE: The stuff about my home state of Virginia is right on the money.

Posted by at 03:47 PM
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Communism Today?

Tony has a very interesting post with a list of 45 Communist Goals for America that was concerning enough that it was read into the Congressional Record in 1963. Tony then listed each one to see how far that list has progressed into reality by 2003. It’s more than a little scary. Click on the link to see the whole list, here are a few items to whet your appetite:

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

Posted by at 12:54 PM
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Alabama, Taxes, The Bible

Apparently, the Governor of Alabama thinks the Bible is instructing him to raise taxes in his state.

Is it robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, or a tithe taken from the wealthy to help the poor?

Whichever you believe, it all adds up to a proposed $1.2 billion tax increase for the wealthiest taxpayers in Alabama, if Gov. Bob Riley gets his way.

He says his Christian faith makes him sure this is the right thing to do.

Now I’m not disputing that Jesus said that we should help others. He did, several times, in fact. But did he mean that the government should do it or that we as individuals should do it.

I don’t know that the Governor needs to use Scripture to back up his point.

Reuters reports that in Alabama, nearly everyone pays state taxes, even families earning less than $5,000 a year. Those earning less than $13,000 pay a much larger percentage in state and local taxes than those at the top of the income ladder.

And so, Gov. Riley is out to rectify the situation with his proposed tax increase.

It does sound to me like rectifying the situation is exactly what he’s trying to do. Just call a spade a spade - past administrations screwed up by passing flawed state tax laws. So he’s encouraging the voters and legistators to correct that mistake. Because in this case, it doesn’t seem right that people who are making that little money should be paying a higher percentage in taxes than those who are making more.

Posted by at 12:13 PM
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