Something to Ponder ... Plato

Mankind will never see an end of trouble until... lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power... become lovers of wisdom.

~Plato, The Republic

Ouch of the Week ... Houston WR goes boom

Fast forward to about the 1:10 mark for the real action...

looks like the marching band put on the toughest hit of the night

The Facebook Song

Something to Ponder... Alexander Woollcott

I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work. We are supposed to work it.

~Alexander Woollcott

Socialism -- Part 2

This is a prime example of why Socialism as a government model has and will never work...

more to come

Christmas is Coming... How much will you spend?

This is a great idea!!!!

FREE BOOKS ... for Review

Thomas Nelson Publishers has set up a new program to get bloggers to read and review their books. Today I signed up to be a reviewer. The gist is simple: pick a book from their list, read it, and write a review on your blog and at Amazon on the book's page. I just requested my first book. What In the Word Is Going On? by John MacArthur.
I can't wait for it to arrive so I can get started. They have books from all of their genres. I think there were about 10 to choose from right now. If you love books and can write a 200 word review (good, bad, or ugly) this might be for you. They have a website set up for the project. Check it out.

Link Dump 10/29/08

Manly Advice from Robert E. Lee (Plus a Book Giveaway)
The Bible for those with a Tiny Attention Span
Mark Richt Family and Adoption
Ready Meals
I’m Tired of Whining Christians
The Sex Talk with your Teen
Why I’m Voting for 98% Pro-life John McCain rather than 100% Pro-legal-abortion Barack Obama
95 Theses for the American Church, Part 2: Community
Eric Watt-Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
The Osteen Review 90% of Evangelicals Won’t Write
Mark Driscoll, Michael Horton Analyze Osteen’s Prosperity Gospel
Jason’s Deli Owner: Restaurant Industry Should Remove HFCS From Its Menu And We’ll Lead The Way
DVDneXtCOPY iTurns Removes iTunes DRM with Virtual CD Burner [Featured Windows Download]
Zviewer Aggregates Online TV in a Full-Screen Browser [Featured Windows Download]
Buy $25 Restaurant Gift Cards for $2 [Saving Money]
Schuller Son: It’s Not My Dad’s Fault
Are We Preaching The Same Message Jesus Preached?
Frustrated With Politics & Christians
Will “Values Voters” Sell Out?
Characteristics of A Leader...
Suffering for Christ
taylor mali on what teachers make

Something to ponder... Carl Sandburg

A politician should have three hats. One for throwing into the ring, one for talking through, and one for pulling rabbits out of if elected.

~Carl Sandburg

Something to Ponder ... congressmen

There are always too many Democratic congressmen, too many Republican congressmen, and never enough U.S. congressmen.

~Author Unknown

Something to Ponder ... George Jean Nathan

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.

~George Jean Nathan

Something to Ponder ... Bill Vaughan

A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election.

~Bill Vaughan

Blogs I like ... The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus

While cleaning up my Bloglines account (I still have more to go) that I should set a series of posts about blogs that I really like/ find useful/ informative/ etc. So here is the first installement. I'm looking to make this a Sunday thing.

The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus

I have posted several favorites from this blog here. The blog posts a new cartoon(s) nearly every day. Toes are stepped on, thoughts provoked. conscience stirred, adn some quality discussion usually ensues. If you have never taken the time to check it or add it to you reader, you really should. I'll wrap this up with a favorite toon from the blog...

Something to ponder... Sydney J Harris

Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be.

~Sydney J. Harris

Is Socialism part of our mission?

I will be working on some posts coming up to the election that largely deal with the issue of Socialism. One of the candidates is, I feel, truly wanting to lead our country in that direction. I have a lot to process and put into intelligent thought. Here are some of the points/ thoughts I am working out:

• what is socialism?
• is socialism a Biblical model based on the early church?
• is socialism a good model for modern churches?
• is socialism a good model for government?
• would it really help our economy if truly implemented?

In the meantime, don't be afraid to add a thought or two on the subject if you have any.

Link Dump 10/25/08

Beat the Sugar Habit: 3 Steps to Cut Sweets (Mostly) Out of Your Life
$5 Million Fine for Bogus Weight Loss Claims
Why We Get Pruned...
Helpful Books on Penal Substitution
Pa. man defeats 15lb Dennys Burger
Discipleship Shortcuts
Worrisome thought
Pornography, the Heart, and Sermon Prep
Doing church or being the church...
Seven Christians Killed in Mosul, Iraq
Attention Pastors: Keep Your Penis In Your Pants!!!
Putting Together My ‘What If…’ Emergency Information.
Rescue My Music from Windows Media Player WMA to MP3? [Ask Lifehacker]
Turn an Old Cell Phone and Headset into a "SkypeCell" [DIY]
Clean Your Workspace—and Keep it That Way [Workspace]
Leading Your Church Through Challenging Economic Times
7 Common Cooking Mistakes
Kung Fu Satan
Clown Car Fail
I'm not Voting for a Man, I'm Voting for Generations of Children and their Right to Live
Stop the Laziness! 6 Simple Ways to Start Exercising Today
Hank, McCain, and Palin all in the same song.
MCFUNERAL
5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow
A Speeding Ticket Gone Bad
How Not to Help the Poor
The Bible for those with a Tiny Attention Span
Giant spider eating a bird caught on came
Photo of the Day: Real 'Cheeseburger' Doughnut from Donna's Donuts

GO IRISH ... Beat Huskies (Ty too)

It looks like the Irish should have their way with a largely inept football team Saturday night. That's where I hope there isn;t a problem. The Huskies have nothing to lose and everything to gain with a national audience. That said, I think taht Charlie will have the biys ready to take care of business. My score: ND 45 Washington 17

No wonder teenage boys have healthy hearts...

The Stink in Farts Controls Blood Pressure...

“Now that we know hydrogen sulfide’s role in regulating blood pressure, it may be possible to design drug therapies that enhance its formation as an alternative to the current methods of treatment for hypertension,” said Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Solomon H. Snyder, M.D., a co-author of the study detailed in the Oct. 24th issue of the journal Science.

besure to check out the whole article...

Something to Ponder... T S Eliot

An election is coming. Universal peace is declared and the foxes have a sincere interest in prolonging the lives of the poultry.

~T.S. Eliot

Something to Ponder ... Ogden Nash

"Middle age is when you've met so many people that every new person you meet

reminds you of someone else."

-- Ogden Nash

Something to Ponder ... Russell Baker

"Is fuel efficiency really what we need most desperately? I say that what we really need is a car that can be shot when it breaks down."

-- Russell Baker

Something to Ponder ... Japanese Proverb

"The reverse side also has a reverse side."
-- Japanese Proverb

Something to Ponder ... Herman Melville

"A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things."

-- Herman Melville

Something to Ponder ... Paul Valery

"The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us."

-- Paul Valery

Something to Ponder ... Francois Fenelon

To just read the Bible, attend church, and avoid "big" sins --

is this passionate, wholehearted love of God?

-- Francois Fenelon

Something to Ponder ... Frank Zappa

"Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff."

-- Frank Zappa

Link Dump 10/6/08

Christian Convert Burned Alive in Saudi Arabia
kung-fu election -- fun time waster
NOVA Attacks Bible In Upcoming Episode
Bailout And Government Owned Church Mortgages
New Blogging 10 Commandments Given to Church Leaders
The Modern Church Historical
Create a Secret Data Stash with a Fake Phonejack [Weekend Project]
One Hundred DIY Skills Everyone Should Have [DIY]
Get Your Furnace Ready For Winter [Heating]
Watch Innovate08 General Sessions
Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make
Pickled Jalapeños (Escabeche)
6 Excruciatingly Simple Steps to Creating an Awesome To-Do List
Yama Vac Pot - now on my Christmas wish list
The Dream is Over. The Endless Day Has Begun. - powerful testimony
The Leadership Structure of Earliest Christianity-- Was it Hierarchial?

Stayin' Alive ... White Sox take game 3

Behind a great performance by John Danks the White Sox live to fight another day. To be honest, I think that the matchups favor the Sox from here on out. We'll see this afternoon.

Well Said... A. Bartlett Giamatti

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.

-- A. Bartlett Giamatti

As I write this, there are 6 teams who still have a season... 2 of them could be done tomorrow. Fans of those teams hang on every pitch. Fans of the other teams wish that they could endure that pain...

Something to Ponder ... Arthur Koestler

"The more original a discovery, the more obvious it seems afterwards."

-- Arthur Koestler

You thought Jon Gruden was intense?

"Wait 'til next year"... AGAIN

Two straight division championships, not 1 playoff win. Who wants to volunteer to be the reporters to ask Lou the obvious questions tonight? There is not enough Aquafina in the world to sooth this one. The Cubs did not show up plain and simple. The Dodgers came to play, the Cubs thought they could cruise... pitchers and catchers report in about 16 weeks...

Something to Ponder ... Robert Jackson

The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish."
-- Robert Jackson

Boldin Knocked out

GO IRISH... Beat Stanford

Something to Ponder ... Herbert Agar

"The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear."

-- Herbert Agar

Well Said... Newt Gingrich

Congress was designed by the Founding Fathers to move slowly, precisely to avoid the sudden panic of a one-week solution that becomes a 20-year mess.

—Newt Gingrich

Why do you love baseball?

Thought Provoking... LB Graham

Christianity is not about moralism, and Christian fiction shouldn’t be either. Christianity revolves, not around good behavior, but around God’s mercy shown to man in the death and resurrection of Christ. However, even though we know this to be theologically true, I think we struggle to remember this as we go about our daily lives…

3 minutes of crack blocks...

Something to Ponder .. Kierkegaard

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards."

-- Soren Kierkegaard

Dave Ramsey's Common Sense fix to the money crisis

Years of bad decisions and stupid mistakes have created an economic nightmare in this country, but $700 billion in new debt is not the answer. As a tax-paying American citizen, I will not support any congressperson who votes to implement such a policy. Instead, I submit the following three steps:

Common Sense Plan.

I. INSURANCE
A. Insure the subprime bonds/mortgages with an underlying FHA-type insurance. Government-insured and backed loans would have an instant market all over the world, creating immediate and needed liquidity.
B. In order for a company to accept the government-backed insurance, they must do two things:
1. Rewrite any mortgage that is more than three months delinquent to a 6% fixed-rate mortgage.
a. Roll all back payments with no late fees or legal costs into the balance. This brings homeowners current and allows them a chance to keep their homes.
b. Cancel all prepayment penalties to encourage refinancing or the sale of the property to pay off the bad loan. In the event of foreclosure or short sale, the borrower will not be held liable for any deficit balance. FHA does this now, and that encourages mortgage companies to go the extra mile while
working with the borrower—again limiting foreclosures and ruined lives.
2. Cancel ALL golden parachutes of EXISTING and FUTURE CEOs and executive team members as long as the company holds these government-insured bonds/mortgages. This keeps underperforming executives from being paid when they don’t do their jobs.
C. This backstop will cost less than $50 billion—a small fraction of the current proposal.

II. MARK TO MARKET
A. Remove mark to market accounting rules for two years on only subprime Tier III bonds/mortgages. This keeps companies from being forced to artificially mark down bonds/mortgages below the value of the underlying mortgages and real estate.
B. This move creates patience in the market and has an immediate stabilizing effect on failing and ailing banks—and it costs the taxpayer nothing.

III. CAPITAL GAINS TAX
A. Remove the capital gains tax completely. Investors will flood the real estate and stock market in search of tax-free profits, creating tremendous—and immediate—liquidity in the markets. Again, this costs the taxpayer nothing.
B. This move will be seen as a lightning rod politically because many will say it is helping the rich. The truth is the rich will benefit, but it will be their money that stimulates the economy. This will enable all Americans to have more stable jobs and retirement investments that go up instead of down. This is not a time for envy, and it’s not a time for politics. It’s time for all of us, as Americans, to
stand up, speak out, and fix this mess.

For more info, and how to contact your congressmen... GO HERE

A few questions for the Sox as the series begins...

• Will the Siox get past the "just happy to be here" syndrome?
• Can they find a way to win a game in a dome?
• will the veteran experience overcome some of the speed of the Rays?
• Does anyone remember that Ozzie was a Ray?
• Will the blackouts continue when the Sox come back to town?
• Will they still be in this series when they come back?
• Can Vasquez keep the game in check for the Sox to have a chance?
• Does Alexi Ramirez have more "hero moments" in that bat?

WE SHALL SEE THIS AFTERNOON...

A few Cubs questions after the loss...

• 

Should the Cubs have tried harder to win Sunday in the hopes of getting the Mets rather than the Dodgers?

Is the bullpen that bad that Dempster had to stay in long enough to give up the big one?

Did anyone see any cats or goats at the stadium last night?

Can Z keep his cool tonight, even if it gets tough?

Does Torre hold a mental edge on Pinella?

Will anyone in the ineup adjust to the pitching other then Derosa?

Will the loss be just what this tem needs to fire up for the playoffs?

"Do they still play the blues in Chicago..."?

TUNE IN TONIGHT FOR THE ANSWERS.

Reggie Bush ... Meet Sheldon Brown

Something to Ponder ... JRR Tolkein

"It's a dangerous business going out your front door."

-- JRR Tolkein

Go Cubs Go ... The story of the song

The dream is alive...

After last night's thrilling 1-0 victory over the Twins, the White Sox have claimed the final spot in the 2008 playoffs.

While the road to the World Series is most definately a rough one for the Sox, the dream of a cross town Series is alive.

The blackout by the Sox fand was one of the coolest things I have seen in a while in a baseball stadium and I can see it becoming a tradition.

GO CHICAGO BASEBALL!

Deshaun Foster gets blown up