ADD and Video Games

Did you know that from 1999 to the present, the number of kids being treated for ADD has increased more than 100%! American's spend $30 billion on the diagnosis and treatment of ADD. What is causing the increase in attention deficit disorder? One possible cause of ADD in young Americans is the video game industry. I said possible. But, think about it!

Someone sits down to play a video game. The games completely stimulates the brain. After a while, the brain becomes accustomed to the activity that is has difficulty slowing down. When the game is over, the brain is unable to settle down to a relaxed state, thus causing emotional disturbances. Medical stimulation is required to keep the brain functioning without the video environment. The brain gets addicted!

The rest of the world is boring compared to a video game. Ever try and get a video gamer to sit down to play a board game? Nothing is as engaging like a video game. It is hard to do. I am not pinpointing the problem with this one activity, but it is something to be studied.

Remember the story

Luke 2:1-20...And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

A Christmas Gift

"And, it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus...," Luke 2:1.

We all know the story. When I was growing up, I heard the story at least twice during the season: once at the church service before Christmas and on Christmas Eve. Then, I never questioned the story and after many years, I find little reason to question it now. It was a miracle! You cannot question miracles. So, I learned to ignore all the critics who argue about the time of year being wrong, how a woman can't get pregnant without having sex, or even, Jesus was just a man.

"'Tis the Season," as we languish in line at the retail stores. It is the season to over stress ourselves because we can't find the toy that our spoiled brat wants. We stress over the fear that their gift they got thier officer manager is not as good enough compared to the person in the next cubical. Then, there is my favorite "you shouldn't have" when you forgot to get someone a present who just handed you one. This aren't examples of how we are to conduct ourselves at Christmas. This is how we have been programmed to be at Christmas. This stress is too great for some. Christmas sees the highest rate of suicide than any other season.

Our command is to be unafraid of the day and to be of full of joy (Luke2:10). How many people do you know who are more glad Christmas is over than for it to arrive? How many of us take a year or more to pay off the gifts we give because we put them on credit? How many toys do we see laying around after 5 minutes of play? Think about it. How much joy do you see during Christmas. We say it! Do we really feel it?

I know, questions. However, I feel they are really important questions. We must connect with the way Christmas should be remembered. We are going in the wrong direction. With this in mind, I made a vow last year, that I would not put one gift on credit. It is Christmas Eve and I have kept that vow. There is no gift precious enough or needed enough to pay more than it is worth in interest.

I cannot give a gift comparable to the one given me over 2,000 years ago in a small, desert village. I will share my gift with anyone who wishes it because I cannot give it away. It is a miracle given to all men, women and children. Christmas is about the greatest miracle Man has ever been given.

"Weather,' you gotta love it.

Every one talks about the weather. In most places around the country it's either cold and snowy or warm and dry (relatively speaking, of course). In West Tennessee it is not that way. You gotta love West Tennessee weather. I think we are going to change the spelling from 'weather' to 'whether' because we don't know 'whether' it is going to be hot or cold, rainy or icy.

Let me give you an example of our 'whether.' Monday last week, we have ice and the schools were closed. Friday, the mercury popped 70 in some places. Last night, the temperature dropped to 12 degrees. BURR! (For us!). Tonight and tomorrow morning, we are supposed to get a 'wintry mix.' Friday? We are expected to have thunderstorms. You gotta love it!!

On average, we have as many tornadoes during the winter months as we do in the Spring. But, this isn't something new. It's been that way for the last 20 years or so. In 1980, they had a tornado in a nearby town that changed the route of the...wait for it...Christmas parade! It blew the roof off the bank. It's freaky. But, we love it. Do you know how boring it would be here without such freaky weather?

Mastering the Season

I think I finally have it figured out. It has been a struggle for many families across the country trying to figure out how to plan the holiday visitation rounds. For the last 10 years, it has been a stressful time for my family when it comes to Christmas dinners and gift swaps. It has been really difficult since my parents are divorced and having in-laws.

When I was growing up, I knew where I was going every Christmas. When my parents got divorced it all went down hill. It got decidely worse when I got married. Two families went to four and then it went to six plus families to make visits to every year. Just when it got bad, my in-laws moved to another state. It was terrible. "Hold on! Cancel Christmas!"One year, I stayed at home and didn't go anywhere.

Finally, I think we have it all figured out. For now...



Merry Christmas! To those that do and condolences to those who don't! It'll pass soon!

Majel Barrett dies

On December 18, 2008, Magel Barrett Roddenberry passed away in Southern California. For those who don't know, she was the actress that played three pivotal parts in the Star Trek franchaise: Nurse Christine Chapel on the orginal Star Trek, Lwxana Troi in the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and the ships computer in almost every series. She worked to keep her late husband's, Gene Roddenberry, dramatic visions alive. Not only was she famous for her roles in Star Trek, Majel produced and appeared in the series, Earth: Final Conflict, which was another story written by Gene Roddenberry. Her final appearence will be in the upcoming Star Trek movie set to release in 2009.

Others of Star Trek fame have already left us for the final frontier, DeForrest Kelley (1999), James Doohan (2005). Gene Roddenberry passed away in 1991.

Best Buy Keychain Fraud, Part II

Oh, let me tell you what happened. I took the receipt and key chain and talked to the returns cashier. Now, get this. They did charge us for the key chain, but they deducted the amount, $1.29, from a DVD that we bought. So, the key chain was free, IN A ROUND ABOUT WAY!

I have almost had all I can stand of Best Buy.

Fire up the stove

There is a great chance of an ice storm brewing in the West Tennessee area. If you need kerosene, you better get it. There are times when it seems necessary to buy a generator for the house. I will have to look into this. We have central heat. If the power goes out, it will get very cold in the house. I better check on my kerosene stock too.

Another fish tale

Yes, it is a pain in the butt to keep fish. You have to do water changes. You have to clean the gravel. The filters get all nasty and need to be changed. There is a lot of work. Technology and science have changed the way we keep fish. We had fish when I was growing up. My mom would clean out the 10 gallon tank every time it got cloudy, which was once a week. There was no one around to tell us about the nitrogen cycle. There were no remedies. Today, it is much easier. You just have to resist the impulse to pour all the water out and start all over.

But, there are great benefits to keepign an aquarium. There is a peaceful feeling about fish and their environment. It is really amazing how by just sitting and watching them, you stress seems to fade away. The water coming out of the filter has a great calming effect. I would not be able to sleep without the tank in the living room humming away. Air stones work to ease tension as well. I imagine that each bubble is a care of the day, floating off to the surface and dissipating. There is even something natal about sticking a few fingers in to the warm water.

It is easy to lose yourself with aquariums. If you decide to get one, they are a great source of release. But, a warning...they are hard work to start up. The benefits, you will find, are greater than the effort.



( I was going to post a pick of one of my tanks, but they need cleaning. )

Christianity in the US

Much to the chagrin of our Christian naysayers, Christianity is alive and well in the United States. As much as atheists would like to admit, they are not moving very far forward in reducing religion in America. When I was shopping, the racks were full of shirts and hoodies with 'Jesus' and 'God' written on them. Even Books-a-Million had Christian tshirts for sale and selling them like hotcakes. Mainstream America is still very much Christian and it shows no signs of changing.

I'm not saying give up on your ideals atheists, but you need to come up with a new plan. Instead of openly and loudly challenging Christianity, you should try a more subtle way. You know, like the snake in the Garden of Eden. I'm sorry if that is too 'religous' for you, but it is hard to come up with metaphors that are common enough for every one to understand.

Fish are people too

Well, honestly, not exactly. I have found over the years that fish are more that just hidden creatures in the water. I have kept fish for almost 10 years and have found they are pretty much on par with pet lizards, birds, cats and, at times, dogs. Naturally, the biggest draw back is that you can't take the out on the town, except for bettas. More about betta later.

If the truth be known, fish have different personalities, modes and are quit trainable. You can train goldfish to move a ball from one end of an aquarium to another. Oscars can be trained to bat a ball around or swim through hoops. You can pratically spend as much time with your fish as you can a cat. then, there are other cirtters too. I have kept crayfish, crawdads to some of you, and they are a real hoot. Yep, there is more to fish other than just floating around.

But, I was horrorified when I learned that people in Japan eat live fish. No, I am not talking about college kids swallowing goldfish. I am talking about taking a fish, scaling it, gutting it and frying it ALIVE! If you are interested, search YouTube for 'eating live fish.' You may not want to watch, but there it is.

Oh, about the bettas. As some of you know, bettas are air breathing fish and usually live in vases and cups. They are quit comfortable in this as they don't do a lot of swimming around even in the wild. Any way, I travelled from Colorado to Tennessee with a betta setting in my car's cupholder. He just continued on like everything was normal.

Later, I tell of the health benefit associated with keeping fish.

Disban Unions

A hundred years or so, the factory worker was overworked and underpaid. A fantastic new thing called a union, helped the workers with better salary and benefits. It would be argued that unions helped shape the economy of the countty. Now, it's time for the unions to shape up and ship out. It was apparent when the unions agreed to cut worker salaries that unions have out lived their usefulness. Now, don't get me wrong, unions have done good for the nation and it's working class.

The United Auto Workers have killed the American auto industry. Our cars are overpriced and the quality of American cars, bluntly, suck. Now, the American Big Three are in trouble and the UAW is doing very little to help sustain their existence. When the Big Three asked for help from the government, the UAW refused to compromise on reducing worker salaries. You have to give to get UAW. Now, more or your union workers will be out of work because of layoffs. Wouldn't it be more logical to reduce salaries to help the economy AND your union workers? Oh, I'm sorry, does that get in the way of your greed?

Thanks to the US Senate, the Big Three will not be getting extra money to stay afloat. It's not the government that let you down, it is your union workes. The UAW needs to step out of the way to save the economy.

I got my new cell phone today. It took me about a week to decide what phone I was going to get. I settled on a LG Dare through Verizon (since I have had good luck for 7 years with VZW). I don't really want to say 'I settled' because it was a long, exhaustive research project to figure out what phone to get. I had a Motorola V9m. It was an excellant phone and it still is. I plan on keeping it for a back up. All of the phones, most of anyway, didn't seem to be much of an upgrade. My V9 maybe two years old, but some of the other phones are less than what I already have. The Dare is new, touch screen and part of the newer generation of phones. Every thing was just another cell phone, rehashed into something 'new.'

I would recommend a Dare for anyone looking for a new phone. The touch screen gets some getting used to, but it is a good phone.

What's My Line?

Recently, I have been watching a lot of old tv shows on YouTube. My favorite has been "What's My Line?" I began to miss a lot of the grand personalities that that have left us over the last 20 years. The actors and comedians truly made up the Golden Age of Hollywood. There is no single actor that I can think of who could mirror Cary Grant in style and grace. Where are the glamour girls such as Jayne Mansfield and Janet Leigh? Their like, I am afraid, shall not soon pass our way again.



Then, I started thinking about a 'modern' "What's My Line?" I started thinking about which movie stars would appear as a myster guest. Would Tom Cruise appear? What about Kate Blanchett? I am sure there are those that would like to appear. But, there are none equal to Jimmy Stewart! Where have they all gone?

Or, is it possible that "What's My Line?" was just that rare special television shows? It is considered one of the best television shows ever produced.

Just a thought! LOL!

The New Day

I just love the evenings. No matter what the day brought you can think better of it because tomorrow is a new day. What ever you screwed up today, you have a chance to screw up something else. Better yet, what you screwed up today will come back to haunt you tomorrow. That's okay, because you get the chance to start over again on another new day with the chance to screw up something totally different. Fear not! You can always get something right. Then, the next new day, you get the chance to do something good again. You can mix it up any way you like. Screw something up one day and get something right on the next new day.

The upshot is that no matter what has happened in your life, the next day is what you make of it. No matter how bad it is, tomorrow can be better. Don't let people get you caught up with what you have done, because you can make it right or even better the next day.

4 hours later

I had one of those days yesterday. No, the car didn't overheat nor was I late for work, but I did spend 4 hours in an emergency room bed. I started having chest pain, well for me chest pain. I had no idea what it was I had never had chest pain before. I tried to shrug it off. After an hour I had to go see a doctor. We chatted for about 15 minutes and an EKG later, after I played it down to anxiety,I left with a script for nitro. My instructions were to return to my doctor the next day for a stress test. If the pain got worse, go to the ER. From there I left and went to Wal-Mart to get the script filled. As I wandered around the store the pain got stronger. Ooppss, off to the ER.

That was the quickest trip to an ER bed I have had since I broke my leg. Heart monitor, O2 sensor, a hellatiously painful BP cuff and O2 were hooked and I thought, OMG! They took the blood for cardiac enzymes and my history. I laid there. Four hours later, they practically kicked me out the door. "You're not having a heart attack. Your blood work is fine. keep you appointment for tomorrow. Have a nice day."

Out the door I went. I have to admit that after the nitro patch they gave me my symptoms went away. But, as I walked down to the car, the pain started coming back. After I got home, I ate a bowl of cereal and after an hour, went to bed. I still had some discomfort in my chest.

Obviously, I made if through the night. I am soon off for my stress test. I would start to worry, but I'm afraid my chest will start hurting again with NONE cardiac symptoms. LOL!

UFO attacks the Pentagon

I am in a discussion on YouTube about the dynamics of aircraft collisions and the damages caused at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Why do unanswerable questions lead to the most outrageous conclusions? I have not been able to wrap my mind around this. One theory (a term I use loosely) suggests that a UFO destroyed the section of the Pentagon that is normally attributed to Flight 77. There is even a photo of the saucer near the site. Is is easier to believe an alien spacecraft or our own government did the damage on Sept 11th than an attack my terrorists?

If not a UFO, then it was an A3 plane used by the Navy. Another theory is that a cruise missile did the damage to the Pentagon. Either of these theories are possible. How probable are they when all the other evidence is examined? How about this one...the government was storing classified evidence recovered from the Roswell UFO crash and needed to be destroyed to get rid of the evidence before it had DOD had to comply with a court order?

I have one question for the conspiracy theorists that I have not really seen an answer for. Where are the people that boarded Flight 77? If a 757 did not crash into the Pentagon, where are the people who boarded the plane at Dulles airport? There were 59 people, excluding the 5 terrorists who board the plane. They have to be some where! The speculation must be that they are all hiding in the Federal Witness Protection Program or imprisoned some where. The former would allow for one of the passengers to break cover and contact family. This would allow information to be leaked out. The latter would preclude any information leaking to the public.

I have sit and thought about this whenever someone brings it up. Is it me? I think I am a pretty ordinary guy with slightly higher than average intelligence yet I cannot see the things that people are accusing the government for. I know the government isn't perfect and intentionally done things in to past, but to kill over 3,000 people just to justify a war.

IJDK

Government Tracking Cellphones

I usually don't copy and paste stuff, but I found that this was important.


FOIA docs show feds can lojack mobiles without telco help

By Julian Sanchez | Published: November 16, 2008 - 10:45PM CT

Courts in recent years have been raising the evidentiary bar law enforcement agents must meet in order to obtain historical cell phone records that reveal information about a target's location. But documents obtained by civil liberties groups under a Freedom of Information Act request suggest that "triggerfish" technology can be used to pinpoint cell phones without involving cell phone providers at all.
Related Stories

* Court: warrant needed to turn cell phone into homing beacon

Triggerfish, also known as cell-site simulators or digital analyzers, are nothing new: the technology was used in the 1990s to hunt down renowned hacker Kevin Mitnick. By posing as a cell tower, triggerfish trick nearby cell phones into transmitting their serial numbers, phone numbers, and other data to law enforcement. Most previous descriptions of the technology, however, suggested that because of range limitations, triggerfish were only useful for zeroing in on a phone's precise location once cooperative cell providers had given a general location.

This summer, however, the American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation sued the Justice Department, seeking documents related to the FBI's cell-phone tracking practices. Since August, they've received a stream of documents—the most recent batch on November 6—that were posted on the Internet last week. In a post on the progressive blog Daily Kos, ACLU spokesperson Rachel Myers drew attention to language in several of those documents implying that triggerfish have broader application than previously believed.

As one of the documents intended to provide guidance for DOJ employees explains, triggerfish can be deployed "without the user knowing about it, and without involving the cell phone provider." That may be significant because the legal rulings requiring law enforcement to meet a high "probable cause" standard before acquiring cell location records have, thus far, pertained to requests for information from providers, pursuant to statutes such as the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) and the Stored Communications Act.

The Justice Department's electronic surveillance manual explicitly suggests that triggerfish may be used to avoid restrictions in statutes like CALEA that bar the use of pen register or trap-and-trace devices—which allow tracking of incoming and outgoing calls from a phone subject to much less stringent evidentiary standards—to gather location data. "By its very terms," according to the manual, "this prohibition applies only to information collected by a provider and not to information collected directly by law enforcement authorities.Thus, CALEA does not bar the use of pen/trap orders to authorize the use of cell phone tracking devices used to locate targeted cell phones."

Perhaps surprisingly, it's only with the passage of the USA PATRIOT Act in 2001 that the government has needed any kind of court order to use triggerfish. While previously, the statutory language governing pen register or trap-and-trace orders did not appear to cover location tracking technology. Under the updated definition, these explicitly include any "device or process which records or decodes dialing, routing, addressing, and signaling information."

Triple the output

In two days I have tripled the output of my blog when compared to last month! WOW! That is a new record for me. My wife says that I should post more often, but I have yet to figure out what I am suppose to talk about. We'll just have to move it a long and see what happens.

Best Buy Keychain Fraud

If you purchased anything at Best Buy recently and took home a free Guitar Hero key chain, check your receipt. November 29th, we went into our Jackson, TN Best Buy and bought a few items. While at the cash register, we were asked if we wanted a free Guitar Hero key chain. I commented that as much money Best Buy makes they could afford to give away a lot of free stuff. We took out stuff home, including our free key chain and found that we were charged $1.29 for the key chain.

Now, you can laugh if you want to. But, IF this was done intentionally, think about how many key chains they sold for free on Black Friday and the following weekend. A single store could have made a $1,000 or more just on key chains. Make that nationwide and you have $100,000s of extra income. This is fraud.

I called Best Buy's customer relations. Michelle informed me that the key chains were indeed intended to be free but wasn't sure where the mistake came from. It was suggested that I take the key chain back for a refund and that I must do it within 30 days (within the normal return policy period).

Check your receipts and see if you were a victim! Complain is you were.

Oprah Heresy

If you take a look around You Tube, there are some serious videos about Oprah Winfrey. I knew there was something weird about her but I could not put my finger on it. Now, I have found the confirmation about my feelings. Oprah is a New Age fanatic. Oh, I don't have issues with most New Age beliefs. Most New Agers are quiet folks who don't try to spread their message around to convert others. Oprah, on the other hand, it using her television presence to spread a new cult. The Cult of Oprah.

Here's a look...



In this clip, Oprah is pounced on by her audience. It's funny.

It's not about Christianity vs the World, but how a person with a 20 million person audience is trying to convert folks from one religion.

Remember, Don't Drink The Kool Aid.

Okay Barack!

Since you have won the election, don't screw things up! I sincerely hope that all of your constituents voted for you for the right reasons. If you do screw things up, don't forget to keep your head down. Hell, just keep your head down anyway.

Sarah's got style

It is a toss up whether SNL and Tina Fey's portrayal of Sarah Palin is hurting of helping the McCain campaign. I can tell you one thing, Sarah has style. She is a forty-something person (just like me); full of energy and wants to see change. I think that Sarah would be a great assist to the American political system.

You GO GIRL!!!

GO VOTE!!

I did my civic duty this past Saturday. It doesn't really matter who you vote for. The important issue is that you go vote.

VOTE!!

VOTE!!

VOTE like your future depends on it. IT DOES!!

Hey California!!!!

If you live in California, vote YES to PROP 8!

If you don't live in California, you better research Proposition 8. If it passes in California, your state will be the next to work on the bill. Do your research. VOTE!

A month

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PT Pain

It has been six weeks since I had my shoulder surgery. The doctor is happy with my progress. Physical therapy seems to be going good too. They say I am doing very well for six weeks post-op. My PT success may be due to the fact that I take Percocet and Flexiril before each treatment. I am glad they are happy.

I came home from PT yesterday and without hours I started getting a really bad headache. So bad that I had to take additional Percocet to get rid of it. I believe it is tension because it seemed to start at the back of my skull and work forward through my brain. I don't know if it was the result of my therapy or something else. I will have to talk to them tomorrow and see what they think.

Well, today, right now, I am starting to get another headache. I have taken something light for it and see how it goes. Maybe it will not be as bad as last night.

Are you looking for ET?

One of the coolest things I have been involved with is the project known as SETI@home. I am looking for ET by downloading collected radio data from the SETI Institute. My computer processes the data looking for signals from ET.

Don't get this confused with little green men. This is REAL science. Below are my stats. If you want to participate, you can find more information at SETI@Home

Return home

I have made it back from my 'vacation.' My insurance denied my out of state physical therapy and I was sent home. I did not want to leave. I feel very bad about it. I think the guys understand. I hope they do anyway.

Vacation

I'm off on a 4 week 'vacation.' It's not really a vacation because I will be sweating it out in the hot, steamy climes of southern Mississippi. Gotta watch out for those gopher turtles.

I may have some internet access, but I am not sure what it will be like. Caio!

Dems need a vocabulary lesson

"Strategic Reserve" means an item stored up for use in dire need or emergency. If the Democrats want to use the strategic reserve to ease the fuel crunch, what are we going to use in emergencies? We may be paying out the butt for oil, but it has not reached emergency proportions. Not by a long shot. We need to open new areas outside the US and pull that oil. Leave the oil inside the US for what it is intended for reserve.

Wake-up Pelosi!!

Sick of blondes?

Oh my God! I have been looking though the blogs that are available at Blogger. I have found that three or four blogs keep popping up. I guess they are wanting to be movie stars, but come on! Don't flood the blog with pictures of cute, probably spoiled blonde kids. If you are not careful you will feed the appetite of a pedophile that has a hunger for blonde kids. A stalking might cut their career short.

I know. You are proud of the talent of these blondes but it is not necessary to have more than one blog. I mean, one is enough!

Obama flip flops

The latest war on words between the Democrats and Republicans partially stems on the decision making of Obama. Apparently, has changed his mind about several issues, most notably his flip flopping. I can't understand one thing (well, more than one, but you get the jest). Can't a man change his mind? It is strange for the Republicans to get on Obama for changing his mind, when they have done the same thing. We all do. Part of our nature is to love one thing to day and hate it tomorrow.

It appears that in politics, you can't change your mind. Thank God, I am not a politician. The opposition would be all over me.

Blacks only for Obama

I was watching news clips of Obama's trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. In almost all the clips, Obama was shown with a multitude of black soldiers with only a few paltry number of white soldiers. It looks like the old story of having 'token blacks' in businesses and videos has been turned around to show 'token whites.' This is odd because 18% of the US military force is black. If you will notice in these videos, there should be more white soldiers present just by the fact that they are larger proportion.

According to CNN, the videos were taken by the US military. Just what are they trying to show? Those videos are set pieces that do not represent the proper picture. My conclusion? Most of the soldiers who support Obama are black and the white soldiers do not. Makes you wonder.

Healthy video games

In June I made a comment about video games being good for you. I played tennis, golf and bowled on the Wii today. It was pretty good. I wish my bowling score was good in real life as it was on the Wii. I sucked at gold. I was not really surprised. I suck at gold in real life and have played very little in my life. I even managed to break a sweat playing tennis.

I managed to play these games because I only needed on hand. It was a good thing that I am right handed and didn't need my left at all. I wonder if it would be good therapy on my shoulder. I think I will wait and not try two handed games until much later.

Slideshow

I have added a slide show to my blog. There are various pictures including some home screens designed for the Motorola Q. If you would like the have the home screens for your Q, let me know by making a comment showing interest. I will get them to you. Be sure to include your email address in your comment.

The pain of therapy

When I had my shoulder worked on I thought it was going to be the best thing. At the moment I am re-thinking my actions. I have had three days of physical therapy and it has been the most painful thing I have had to endure since I had my surgery. I know it is necessary to my recovery but, my God, it is painful. If it weren't for the pain pills and ice, I would be in deep trouble.

Today was the worst. I suspect it was because I had therapy less than 18 hours before. I have the weekend to rest. Hopefully, Monday's visit will be better.

Bragging Thomas

I have been told that the SOA head git, Thomas, has taken delight in his banning me from the SOA forum. Why would you brag about banning someone who was brokering peace? That does not make much sense. But, then again, not much of what Thomas has done makes much sense.

Much to my surprise my post was not deleted and has been further commented on. Too bad I don't know what is being said. I am sure that I will find out before too long. I just hope his bragging bites him in the ass.

Immaturity in the SOA

There have been many things transpire between {HW}HALO and SOA clans. I won't go into depth because it would take up too much space. This morning, I made a bold move and attempted a conciliatory move toward SOA offering my hand if I had offended anyone. I opened an account on the SOA forum and posted my move. In response, I was blocked from the site. My peace offering was dismissed out of hand. Things will continue until SOA feels that their honor has been satisfied.

It takes a great deal of maturity to accept an apology. SOA certainly lacks this maturity. They had rather continue the feud than to be mature enough to accept an apology. The blame solely lays with Thomas, the SOA ring leader. So be it.

My mind is clear.

Dems, Dump Obama!

Okay Democrats, it is time do dump Obama. It did not take him long to start changing his tune about the war in Iraq. He has gone from complete withdrawal after his inauguration to an indefinite presence in Iraq. I am sure that you anti-war folks are pretty miffed about his change in tune. I am shock, but not too surprised.

Can you take a more blatant slap in the face than that? It is not too late to push him out and make Hilary your nominee. Take Obama out of the race before he starts lying his ass off.

Sitting on the bench

As much as I like to play HALO, I am forced to take time off until I am more healed. It is difficult for me to compete effectively so soon after my surgery. Hopefully, I will be able to play in a week or two. I will have to wait and see.

Choosing a school

My oldest will soon be entering his senior year in high school. Already the letters are coming in. The first one was from The Citadel in South Carolina. It is the third largest military school in the US following West Point and the Virginia Military Institute. I keep thinking that it is too soon for him to start looking, but I guess it isn't. In nine months he will out of school and should have made a choice. I did tell him not to get into too big a hurry, because more schools will be contacting him.

We'll have to see what we get in the mail for a few months.

Clan ID

I have played with lots of pics to find a great image foe me to use as a clan ID. I may have found it. What do you think?

Flexing muscles

So, Iran is conducting military maneuvers. All countries do that. So, Iran is launching tactical missiles. The United States military frequently conducts tests on it's missile inventory. Iran is flexing its muscles in response to the saber rattling of Israel and the United States. It does not hurt for Iran to conduct such exercises. If I were Iran, I would be concerned with Israel. Israel is well known for its preemptive strikes against neighboring countries. Iran has felt the sting of Israel before. It is easy to understand why Iran is concerned about Israel.

I am worried about Israel too. I am afraid they are going to start something then get the US involved. If Israel starts something with Iran, Israel asked for it. I am not in favor of supporting Israel carte blance. If Israel is attacked, I would support actions to support them. But, if Israel takes an overly aggressive stance, let them defend themselves.

HALO 3 for PC

There has been much stir about HALO 3 being ported to PC. The closest estimate I have seen is Sept 2009. That would be great. The outside time frame I have read is sometime in 2013. That would suck! HALO WARS maybe ported for PC before 2013. I don't see Bungie missing out on the additional revenue. Of course, it is all up to Microsoft. At any rate, the sooner the better.

Any one there?

Does any one read these thinhg? I was wondering because there are so few comments. I have only gotten one comment, and that was really a plug for the commentators own personal blog. I don't guess it really matters and I understand. Irarely go read other blogs. Hell, it's hard enough just getting me to post.

If you stop by and have read this, take a moment to comment. I would appreciate it even if it is negative.

Thanks for stopping by. Come again!

Soldiers Of America=Twits

Now that the shock value has worn off, this isn't about the US military. It is about a group of idiots that play HALO, but have no inkling of independent thought. They are childish twits. The founder, Thomas, got banned for violating our server rules. Now, Thomas has made it his mission to run a smear campaign against {HW}. Who cares? Right? Well slander is just that...slander or, better, lies.

It also appears that Thomas has snared a member of another clan to join in. So, now there are two groups of twits. I invite anyone and everyone, who isn't banned, to come and play {HW}. Come see for yourself.

Thomas, I have something for you!



All in jest, of course.

Out for a spell

I'm having surgery done today on my shoulder. If I am not back in a few days, you know why.

See ya later!!

Stack 'em deep

We have heard stories told but the ancients that the dead of their enemies would pile up as they were killed. I always thought that kinda odd. I found out that this is possible. Last knight while playing HALO, I managed to pile up a stack of the opposing team to where they made a nice barricade in front of me. If you play it right, use a lot of grenades, you can get the enemy to pile up as they fall.

A reverse medical bill

Yesterday, my wife's soon to be 80 grandfather spent 4 1/2 hours sitting in a orthopedic doctors office waiting to be seen. He is a better man than I am because I would have left after 2 hours of waiting. I have done that in the past. His appointment was at 3:30 in the afternoon and he wasn't seen until 7:30. It wasn't until I called the clinic and told them that this man was diabetic and had not eaten since 1 did they rush him in to be seen.

I don't know about many people, but this is outrageous behavior for a so-called medical professional. Not once did any one offer a sincere apology for the delay, they did not offer another appointment the next day. Naturally, and of course, they changed him the full price for the visit. As I said, he is a better man than I am.

When are the doctors going to start treating patients a people and not points to tally up at the end of the day? It is a small wonder that they don't stack their surgical patients as deep as they do their office visits. If they did the number of hospital deaths would explode.

I guess modern, technological medicine through the Hippocratic Oath out the window. this doctor certainly played with the potential of causing harm. That would be a no-no for the medical professional. IF they even cared.

Reviews suck

It has been established that I am a gamer, novice to be sure. In my games we use macros to help new players with instructions and help nuisances out the door when they have over stayed their welcome. Macros are great for that. They save time when tying to post a website or boot someone without missing a lot of game play.

I had a Logitech G15 keyboard the worked really nice, but I need to go back to a more Office specific keyboard. That worked for about two weeks and I ran into a problem because I didn't have my macros. (Missed the capability actuality.) So I went and bought a Razer Lycosa gaming keyboard. Its sharp, sexy and the reviews were great. Oh, it is a good keyboard for gaming. BUT, the macros are limited to only 16 keystrokes. With the G15, you can write 50 or so keystrokes. The upshot is that the Lycosa is practically useless for macros. Sorry Razer, I have to get a different brand.

Of course, I should have taken into account the issue with the great reviews. The more a reviewer likes a product the worse it actually is. This goes back to movie reviews. Never trust a review that finds more pros than cons. I am going to start having employees open packaging so I can read the fine print on the inside.

Did you see that?

Several years ago, I saw a strange creature lurking in the woods not far from where I live. I have told a few people about it and even reported it to a clearing house, but I've not made a big deal about it. It does seem that there are a lot of people who have seen things (animals) that they cannot identify. We aren't talking about city folks being in the woods and getting scared; that would be one thing. We're talking about people who have hunted and fished all their lives; and that is completely different.

The latest person I have run across to see something strange is very practical man. I think of him as being honest and level headed. His story wasn't fanciful and made quite a lot of sense. It wasn't wild or silly. I believe he had an encounter with an animal he had never seen before.

Oh, we are talking about bigfoot. I forgot to mention that. There have been lots of bigfoot sightings in West Tennessee over the years. For some reason, the sightings have never caught national attention. I suppose that is a good thing. We get picked on enough as it is.

A bigger HALO

It seems that my life is being consumed with HALO. Not that I am complaining. In an older post, I said you could know me as 'MC Church.' Since then, I have joined a clan*. Now you will know me as {HW}Church. And, you won't miss me on the highway either...



I have a plan for the from window, but I have to wait until I have a little money.

*Okay, before anyone out of ingorance starts calling me a racist and stuff, notice the spelling of the word 'clan.' The racist 'klan' is spelled with a 'k.' HALO clans are groups of like minded individuals like families. There is no racist agenda here.

Video games good for you?

Finally, there is a video game that is 'good for you' as well as being good for you to play. The Wii Fit is Nintendo's latest contraption to hit the fitness market. It might be great. I don't like it all that much. It talks too much and I don't think it explains what it wants to you to do. Five minutes and I was off of it. LOL!

"ID Please"....."No"

I cannot believe that people have had the option of not showing ID when traveling by air. Some stupid loophole, which is now closed, allowed travelers to refuse to show ID if they agreed to go through a more thorough security screening. Their argument...I should not have to provide ID when traveling inside their own country. Granted! I agree. But, dumb ass, when you buy a ticket, the airline knows who you are and frequently require you to show ID when getting your ticket. Don't you think that the government already knows you are traveling? That information is open to the government because the airline checks the Terrorist Watch List. You did buy the ticket, right?

Airline safety is a real issue. You can't travel by air and be anonymous. The government checks you when you buy a ticket. You can't really hide when traveling by air. Wake up!

Why Obama?

I can understand the many reasons for voting for Obama. I think that we just need to come to grips on just why. White folks are voting for Obama because he is the Democratic candidate or because they feel that he has the better plan than the Republicans. None have said they are voting for him based on his race. Why are Blacks voting for him? I have seen it many times on television that they are voting for him because he represents the future or because of his historical significance of his running. In other words, it sounds like they are voting for Obama just because he is race and not because of his stance on the issues.

What gives? What is the real reason to vote for Obama? I certainly hope that it isn't just because he is Black. That would be doing a great harm to the Afro-American citizenry and to the nation as a whole. Elections are about change, not race. Make the right decision when voting for President. It's about issues, not race.

Ole Miss BITE ME!

Since the 1940s, the McKenzie High School has been known as the McKenzie Rebels, sporting the icon 'Colonel' of the University of Mississippi as it's mascot. The McKenzie Rebels were proud to use the mascot. Now, Ole Miss has decided that the McKenzie school system in Tennessee, can no longer use the mascot.

Attorneys from the University of Mississippi in Jackson, MS have notified the school system that the mascot is copyrighted material does not have permission to use the 'Colonel." McKenzie, Tennessee is a city of 5,500 people in rural West Tennessee approximately half way between Memphis and Nashville. The high school is going to have to spend $15,000 to remove the mascot from the basketball court. Fortunately, Ole Miss was gracious enough to give the school a few years to get the work done.

Bite Me, Ole Miss!! You don't even use the mascot any more. What harm does a small town cause by using the mascot? The school makes little money selling t-shirts with the 'Colonel.' It has been a source of pride for more 60 years. What about the othe shcool systems that use the mascot? You gonna harrass them too?

Food for fuel?

The news of the day is that there is a food shortage coming. Duh! What news reporter climbed out from under a rock and figured that out? The first thing they do is try and find a cause. For some reason, they have fixed their sights on the growing ethanol market to supplement gas. Unfortunately, they have targeted the wrong thing.

The bigger issue is that the American government has for decades paid American farmers not to grow food. Millions of people around the world are starving and farmers are getting paid not to grow food. Farmers are paid about $14.3 billion a year (average from 1995-2004). The cost is not so terrorizing when you realize that the land laying uncultivated and children as starving in the United States and around the world.

Time to look at the real causes. Wake up! Put the blame where it goes.

Blue in the face

There is a lively debate going on at the History's Mysteries board at Beliefnet.com about a fundamental Christian trying to prove the Bible to atheists and agnostics. But, sides are determined to show the other side wrong. They are both turning blue in the face trying to convince the opposing points of view. The Bible is not a book of science and should not be treated as such. I really don't feel that you need to prove it to those who do not believe.

The Bible is a history of the Jewish (partly), Christian and Islamic (partly) faiths. Let me repeat, it is not a book of science. It is a book of miracles. The miracles cannot be explained or duplicated. They need to be understood in the context they are presented and not used for any other purpose. When the sun stood still for three days, that was a miracle. Science will tell you that it is impossible for the earth to stop turning or change the length of the day. I accept that. It was a miracle that cannot be explained by religion nor by science, but only by the omnipotent God.

I do not understand the need for some Christians to prove their faith to others. That is why they call it faith, because you don't have to fully explain it. I don't know enough to begin in starting to convince non-believers. I refuse to start Bible-thumping.

The Long Night Passing

Well, for me the night ended around 11 pm. The most severe weather had passed leaving nothing but showers. In my county, there were no deaths and very few, if any, injuries. I got out this morning and went around our town and saw very little damage, but I did find a few limbs down. So far, at 9:40 am on Wednesday, there have been 27 (?) in Tennessee with others in Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama. The storm system is still moving east reaching the Smoking Mountains and Atlanta.

Many people have commented that this storm system was unusual. On average for Tennessee, we have tornadoes year round and frequently in January, November, December. It's not common, but it does happen every few years. Weather in Tennessee is such a strange bird.

Buying a car

In the last post, I ranted a little about people knowing the truth. We had to buy a new car because mine was recently totaled. We went to a car dealership and drove several different models before picking one out. We didn't get out first choice because of the monthly amount over a short term (48 months). We took the number two car with a good monthly payment within the time we wanted.

We felt something didn't' seem right. I have a theory..."you always get screwed no matter how good the deal is." It has been three days since we brought home our new car. For those three days, we have felt like we had been screwed. I have been tossing and turning for almost an hour thinking about this transaction. I feel that I need to get it out of my system so I a here, expressing myself so I can go to sleep.

Does buying a car have to leave you with an empty feeling? That might be greatest industry standard the auto industry has.

Seeing the truth

I have great issues with people at the moment. (Well, some people anyway.) Can any one tell what truth is? IF you believe something is true, does that make it so? That sentence contained two things that are opposites, a belief and a truth. It doesn't matter if you believe the sun is up (while I write this) but it is the truth. Two totally different things...

I like to express the example above by the following: 1+1=2. It's the truth. There is no way around it. When you believe something without supporting evidence then the equation turns into (≅) 1 + (≅) 1 ≅2. The ≅ stands for information that may or may not be entirely accurate and that is subject to interpretation. Either or both parts of the left side of the equation may be true, false or questionable, but either makes the right side questionable. It may not be the truth, but it is based on belief.

Unfortunately, Man has always struggled with the truth. Maybe we aren't able to process what is really true and what is belief. I believe in God, but there is no real evidence to support that at truth. How do we manage what is true and what isn't?

The Waiting Game

Recently, we had a tree limb fall on house and we lost power, cable and phone. I called all three companies to have my services re-connected. I was the most disappointed with AT&T. Terribly so because the repair main acted irresponsible and ignorant. We decided to drop AT&T's phone service and try broadband telephone service through our cable subscriber.

After two weeks of waiting for the connection, the waiting game begins. As many of you know, most service companies set an appointment to within a 4 block. Charter set one for between 8 and 12 today. I have to wait, kill time (Heaven forbid clean or anything like that) until the guy comes which will probably be nearer noon than 8. Why can't they be a little more specific about their times? I could have gone and gotten a donut. LOL!!

The big concern is that I am not disappointed in the new phone service. That is another day.

Who wears a HALO?

I wear a HALO! I have gotten hooked on the game HALO. It started with my oldest son. He started playing the game. From there, he found the web series Red Vs Blue. I fell in love with the slap-stick comedy based on the HALO game and made with the game. Now, I am playing HALO! You never know, if you are a HALO player, you might get sniped by MC Church!


PS

I don't recommend the series Red Vs Blue if you have sensative hearing or have kids. It is rather strong on language.

Too many things

Yeah, I know it has been a few weeks since I made a post. There are just too many things to talk about and so little interaction. How would I know if I hit a popular subject. They never talk about my blog on CNN or the Tonight Show. I guess I am too ordinary to be noticed.

I guess the real reason I have not posted much is because I really don't know how to put things in place without preaching or sound like I am trying to educate the world to my existence. I am sure that the world is not very interested in me at all. Let me take that back...I am sure there is a terrorist some where that reads all blogs to glean information for a possible attack. Names, addresses, phone numbers and more private information might be important. Who knows? The CIA may be reading this searching for the same information. Hopefully, they won't attack me but put me on their 'list.' LOL!

It's the New Year

Happy New Year everyone. I am sure that there are a lot of resolutions floating around. I made only one...to lose a few pounds. Why do we make resolutions on January 1st and what makes them more powerful, meaningful than resolutions made anyone other time of the year? I think it is funny and some psychologist needs to look into that.

As it is, I hope everyone is eating their black-eyed peas. It is supposed to bring you good luck. I've not had mine yet, or even bought any. Time to run to the store!