| Friday, September 30, 2005 |
| Free Prose Friday |
1. Fridays with BJ (You know? Like "Tuesdays with Morrie"?) Heh, heh.
2. Man, do I love caller ID. BJ can't prank call me as much! Remember when Chuck prank called me at Pomeroy and complained about white powder coming out of his computer? He had me going for about 5 minutes. Wow, was that embarrassing.
3. Matthew's pep-talk: "Whatever you do, don't suck." Thanks, Matthew.
4. A news report said that last month we--the "royal" we--set a record for late credit card payments. I, personally, don't have any credit cards. And check out gas prices over $3.29 per gallon! I heard recently that the US has not built a new refinery since the 1970s. And with today's strict environmental laws, it would take 10 years to build a new one and cost nearly $3 billion. So gas prices are here to stay. Now can you see the importance of avoiding unnecessary debt? I do.
5. We have a new Chief Justice! Was everyone else, like me, holding their breath and hoping that the proceedings would go smooth? And that Judge Roberts would be confirmed? It felt like we were walking on egg shells for a couple of weeks. Why is that? Why did we tip-toe around the abortion issue and hope that it wouldn't come up? It's a moral issue, people!! It should've come up!!
My hope for the next Supreme Court nominee is for someone who is in-your-face morally upright, righteous and just (In-your-face humble? Hmmm...) I'd like to see it play out in front of America. |
posted by Joe Napalm @ 5:03 PM   |
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| Tuesday, September 27, 2005 |
| Arrrrgggghhhhh! |
| I went to bed in the third quarter! |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 8:22 AM |
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| Sunday, September 25, 2005 |
| Sunday Thoughts |
| Please pray for Jacob. His proud parents would be grateful. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 10:54 PM |
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| Saturday, September 24, 2005 |
| More Unbelievable |
No sooner do I post my "Unbelievable" blog, I run into this: weatherwars.info. The guy that runs the website was a meteorologist at KPVI-TV in eastern Idaho. I say "was" because he recently quit his job as an on-air personality to pursue his theories full-time.
He theorizes that Hurricane Katrina was a weapon of the Japanese mafia group Yakuza. He believes that airplane contrails are used to modify the weather. And he thinks that the Former Soviet Union developed technology to control the weather with satellites (He says hurricane names like Ivan and Katrina add proof). He contends that there are three kinds of weather: natural, intentional and accidental.
Well, I ran into this website purely by accident on Friday at about 4:30 PM. I got in the car to go home about 45 minutes later and tuned in to the Big Talker with Phil Williams on NewsTalk 100.3. Just a couple of miles down the road a caller called in and mentioned the website! Phil Williams asked her a few questions about it and she defended the websites claims!
The lady that called cited gas price increases as proof that the government was controlling the weather. Can you believe it? This is someone in Knoxville that you've probably stood beside in the grocery aisle. I wanted to throw my hands in the air and give up on people. Do people really believe in that nonsense? Oh, yes! Check out the links on the website. Phew! Nutcases!
How is it that people can speak with authority on theories and ideas that they know very little about?
So your tired of my ranting? You'll find this site equally fascinating. The US Government is using research at the University of Fairbanks, Alaska, to develop HAARP (High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program)--advanced Tesla technology used to boil the ionosphere therefore modifying weather or disrupting human mental functions.
I warn you, though. Being a former member of this nation's intelligence network, I can tell you that a secret government agency will log all of your Internet activity if you click on any of the links in this blog. It's true! I should know.
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 12:35 PM |
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| Friday, September 23, 2005 |
| Free Prose Friday |
1. I've been watching all of the politicking during the Judge John Roberts nomination. What I think is sad is that here is a man that deserves an unanimous nomination, but both parties feel that they have to politicize the whole event. Would Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., pass a Senate Judiciary Committee vote today? "Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at the touch, nay, you may kick it about all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening" - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
2. Is price gouging really a concern in a free-enterprise market? When either supply or demand change, prices change. I would yarn on about my opinions, but usually someone smarter than me says it better.
3. Don't you love it when someone says, "I hate to do this, but..."? Or "I'm don't want to point out someone's mistake, but..."? That little word "but" negates everything before it. It's a very underhanded word. Is it possible to avoid using "but" in our conversations? Hmmm... |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 2:25 PM |
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| I Ran... |
| ...1.6 miles with the boys yesterday evening! Ethan struggled a bit, but Jacob ran every bit of it. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 8:23 AM |
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| Wednesday, September 21, 2005 |
| My New Workout Buddies |
On Monday evening, I asked the boys if they wanted to join me on a run Tuesday afternoon. They both were excited about it. In fact, yesterday morning Ethan's first words out of bed were, "Today we get to run!"
After I went home yesterday afternoon, all four of us changed clothes and headed over to the Seymour Intermediate School track. Ethan and Jacob were bragging that they could run three--or even five--miles. But I got them to agree to one mile (or four laps).
Jacob, Ethan and I started running. About halfway through the first lap, Jacob started to struggle. I think he just got bored. But Ethan was running with gusto. Ethan and I completed two laps and then decided to walk a lap. And then we ran a lap and walked a lap. And then we ran another lap to finish up the mile.
At that point, Ethan wanted to play a game. He decided that every time we passed a line we would change our running pace. He would call out "Slow!", "Medium!", or "Fast!" And I would follow his lead until we had finished another lap.
Jacob, not wanting to be outdone, decided that he wanted to run a lap with me after Ethan and I finished. So, we ran a lap.
Heather had been walking the entire time and was about a half a lap in front. I encouraged Jacob to run until we caught her. That meant that we had to run another lap.
In all, Ethan ran five laps. Jacob ran about 3 1/2 if you figure all the times that he ran. And I got in 7 laps. Granted, my laps were at their pace. But it's a start!
My new workout buddies are excited about the Thanksgiving race in downtown Knoxville. Our goal is to run every other day until we've worked up to 8Ks.
Tomorrow we're back at it... |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 10:28 AM |
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| Tuesday, September 20, 2005 |
| Unbelievable |
I once heard that "you can tell a man that there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure."
A couple of weeks ago a friend emailed about 20 of her friends--including me--an interesting story. The email said that this August would be a great time to view Mars. It said that Mars would be closer to the Earth than it had ever been. Experts said that it'd be the closest that it had been in 60,000 years.
There was one problem, though. The email was a recycled email from two years ago. The dates had been changed. The event actually took place in August 2003. Granted, Mars is closer than it has been in the past. But in 2003 it was 35 million miles away. Now its' distance is 43 million miles and growing.
And then today a friend emails me a captivating story with three pictures of a large crocodile. The email stated:  This crocodile was found in New Orleans swimming down the street. 21 FT long, 4,500 lbs, around 80 years old minimum. Specialists said that he was looking to eat humans because he was too old to catch animals. This crocodile was killed by the army last Sunday at 3:00 pm, currently he is in the freezer at the Azur hotel. The contents of it's stomach will be analyzed this Friday at 2:30pm.
If you do a little research, you'll find that the story isn't accurate. The crocodile pictured above was shot and killed in the Republic of Congo, Africa. The reptile's vital statistics fell short of the claims made above: he was estimated to be 50 years old, about 16 feet in length, and weighed about 1,900 pounds.
Besides the research, there are some glaring problems. 1) The North American crocodile is rare and is only found in Florida's Everglades. 2) Why wasn't this story published anywhere else? 4,500 pounds is huge! The largest land animal in North America is the bison that weighs around 2,000 pounds. Our largest alligator weighs about 1,000 lbs.
Isn't it funny how people will believe just about anything they see on the Internet or email; or TV; or conversations overheard? Both the Mars and crocodile emails were sent with all seriousness and awe because the sender wanted to believe it or were comfortable believing it.
So I challenge you, the reader. Challenge complacency. Think. Commit. If there is such thing as truth, and if different views contradict one another, then make sure that the one you choose is the right one and that you have good reasons for believing it to be so.
Oh, look another email. Did you know that babies are born without kneecaps? Apparently, they develop them between 2 and 6 years of age.
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 7:31 PM |
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| Sunday, September 18, 2005 |
| Sunday Thoughts |
My blog is starting to form trends. I look forward to "Free Prose Friday" where I get a chance to unload thoughts that I've been mulling over throughout the week. Now I want to introduce "Sunday Thoughts".
I attend church three times a week. I co-teach Sunday School with my brother. And, therefore, I run into a lot of truths but also questions. So I'll share the truths. But I'll also share the questions and look for your responses.
This is what I've been thinking about for a couple of days:
Remember a post earlier that I entitled "Hate What God Hates"? Well, I can't get that off my mind. So I searched my PC Study Bible and began searching. Psalm 97:10 commands, "You who love the Lord, hate evil!"
I've for a long time said that love is a verb. It's not a mushy, warm feeling that you get. It is action. When you love your spouse, you show her. When you love your kids, you do things with them. When you love your friends, you check on them and care for them with deeds. Those that see you from outside of your relationship recognize your love for others not because you say it, but because your actions prove it.
So is hate action, too? Jesus said to bless those that curse you, love those that hate you and pray for those that persecute you. But Revelation speaks of God's hate of the deed of the Nicolaitans. So, obviously, the Bible separates the doer from the deed. In other words, don't hate the person, but hate the evil deeds. How do we put this into action?
This week I'll be searching the Bible and what it says about personal obligation and national obligation pertaining to hate.
A man after God's own heart--David--wrote this in Psalm 139 (NKJV):
Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.
Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 8:52 PM |
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| Saturday, September 17, 2005 |
| Go Vols...Beat Florida |
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 3:01 PM |
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| Friday, September 16, 2005 |
| Free Prose Friday |
1. Just before Tennessee runs through the tunnel and through the T, they all touch a sign above the door just outside of the locker room that states, "I will give my all for Tennessee today." Many other football clubs have similar traditions. Notre Dame is probably the most well known with "Play like a champion today."
Why not bring this into the workplace? Before I enter my cubicle I could tap this and point skyward:
Something's brewing, and I suppose one of these days we shall
know what it is. Until then all that we little victims can do is play
unconscious of our doom. I found this quote in my readings of Mr. Midshipman Hornblower.
2. Stare Decisis (pronounced STAR-ee deh-SI-sis). Latin "to stand by that which is decided." The principal that the precedent decisions are to be followed by the courts. The doctrine of stare decisis is not always to be relied upon, for the courts find it necessary to overrule cases which have been hastily decided, or contrary to principle.*
3. I scribbled this down earlier in the week: Walk like you love the walk.
4. Why do I not care that many, many people have been cut from TennCare? I'm not a callous person. But here's some interesting facts: a) 25% of Wal-Mart's 37,000 employees in Tennessee were on TennCare. b) The average TennCare enrollee filled 5.56 prescriptions per month. That's an average! In simple terms, if four people are on TennCare and three only fill one prescription per month, the fourth person will fill just over 19 prescriptions that month! Wow! c) Communists for TennCare. Need I say more?**
* Definition from www.lectlaw.com
** I know it's a parody. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 9:17 AM |
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| Thursday, September 15, 2005 |
| I Yield the Floor to the Distiguished Gentleman from Opinion Jounal |
Because I'm preparing my text for Free Prose Friday, today I yield to Opinion Journal. It is one of many sources that I use for news.
One Tuesday, James Taranto wrote:
"Yesterday's opening of the hearings for Chief Justice-designate John Roberts were pretty dull. But we did cringe when Sen. Tom Coburn choked back Voinovichian tears, and we cracked up at Sen. Chuck Schumer's absurd oration, in the course of which, according to the Washigton Post he 'made 49 first-person references in a 10-minute statement that was, ostensibly, not about himself.'
"The highlight of the day was when Schumer tried to explain to Roberts what he means by 'mainstream':
They need to know above all that if you take the stewardship of the high court, you will not steer it so far out of the mainstream that it founders in the shallow waters of extremist ideology. As far as your own views go, however, we only have scratched the surface. In a sense, we have seen maybe 10% of you--just the visible tip of the iceberg--not the 90% that is still submerged. And we all know that it is the ice beneath the surface that can sink the ship. "So first Roberts is a steward on a ship, but he's also the captain, since he's steering. Then all of a sudden Schumer goes off the deep end, and Roberts becomes an iceberg threatening to sink the ship, which is being steered by . . . well, who the heck knows?
"Also, apparently taking his lead from Alan Dershowitz, Schumer practically borked his own daughter:
You have the potential to wield more influence over the lives of the citizens of this country than any jurist in history. I cannot think of a more awesome responsibility--awesome not in the way my teenage daughter would use the word, but in the biblical sense of the angels trembling in the presence of God. "We actually have to agree with Schumer's daughter. Roberts is going to be chief justice, and that's, like, totally awesome, dude." |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 4:22 PM |
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| Wednesday, September 14, 2005 |
| Dispute Resolution |
Say you're seated in a meeting with your peers. A dispute arises that is not easily resolved. The problem needs resolution quick, but you are deeply entrenched for your cause. Horns are locked and no one will give an inch. What do you do?
I say you do the same thing you did in third grade. Remember making decisions quickly? When recess is only 20 minutes, you need to pick teams and get on with the game. So you circled the recruits and you started, "Bubble gum, bubble gum in a dish, how many pieces do you wish." Or how about "One potato, two potato"? Also remember how few disputed the results. How can you? It's basic management and negotiation technique.
The boardroom dispute would easily be resolved like this:
Inky binky bonkey
Daddy had a donkey
Donkey died
Daddy cried
Inky binky bonkey
The person whose hand gets the "-key" of the last "bonkey" is out. Dispute resolved. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 2:02 PM |
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| Tuesday, September 13, 2005 |
| I'm Conservative, Therfore I Offend |
On my way back from lunch at Panera Bread (Mmm, I.C. Mocha), a guy on a motorcycle stopped behind me at the light at the corner of Papermill and Hollywood. Apparently, my "W The President" bumper sticker excited him. I had my windows down and he was going on about President Bush this and Iraq that. By the time we stopped at Lonas, he was really fuming. He started to get more animated--his head was bobbing and he got louder and louder. We turned opposite directions and he drove off shaking his fist.
But I couldn't make out his exact point because I didn't want to turn down the Rush Limbaugh Show. ...Winning to war on ideas.
And something else I've noticed: Supreme Court Nominee Judge John Roberts is brilliant. In fact, I don't know how he sits there listening to those wind bags. The senators have large staffs that have had weeks to prepare questions based on years of documents. And then the question is posed with a bias--conservative or liberal. And many times it's not really a question at all. But Judge Roberts answers the questions without notes and does so with conviction and without hesitation.
Also, I heard that Senator Kennedy stepped out of the hearings to appear on CNN. While the hearings were going on, Kennedy was commenting realtime on live TV while other Senators were questioning and Judge Roberts was answering. Why was he not in the hearings? To me, that's outrageous. I mean it's absolutely disrespectful and despicable. Low, very low. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 1:54 PM |
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| Monday, September 12, 2005 |
| Office Life |
| True, the "ball was in Dave's court," but the constant dribbling was really uncalled for. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 1:47 PM |
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| Friday, September 09, 2005 |
| Funky Prose Friday |
1. Of British historical novelist C.S. Forester, Ernest Hemingway wrote, "I recommend [him] to every literate I know." And because I consider myself a member of the literati, I am now reading the Horatio Hornblower series--what, what
2. I have been enjoying Wesley Son of Cornelius all week.
3. Last night we gathered for basketball, but only four of us showed up. We ended up playing very little basketball and sat around the picnic table talking. For me, that was more enjoyable than basketball. Jesse's involved with a sixth-grade ministry at Sevier Heights. Justin's involved in group discussions at church and is, I believe, filling in as a substitute for BJ this weekend.
4. I finished reading 1776 by David McCullough. It was a wonderful account, but I think it ended too abruptly.
5. Why is there nothing good on TV? We all say that; and,yet, there is still nothing worth watching. Or worse, there are some things that you needn't watch. But wouldn't it be safe to assume that TV programs are the product of the laws of supply and demand. There are more people across the country that are watching that crap than there would be that would watch something more wholesome. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 9:38 AM |
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| Wednesday, September 07, 2005 |
| Now I Weigh In on...Goos Fra Ba |
Sometimes things in the news and stuff that I run into during the day really ticks me off.
1. Leave it up to our elected representatives to politicize a natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina hits the coasts and drowns Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. According to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Hurricane Katrina is the fault of Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. In a column written by RFK, he states that the hurricane was due to global warming caused by the governor's opposition of the Kyoto Protocol.
2. A caller named "Jamie" called a local talk radio station and was worried about the displaced people from Louisiana that were due into Knoxville today. Why? He said that the crime rate will increase because "those kind of people" will bring looting, drugs and alcohol. And more people are worried that their property value will drop when a West Knoxville church puts up temporary housing for evacuees.
3. And I ran into this. Why do we play the blame game? Hind sight is 20/20. And Monday morning quarterbacks are always right.
OK, now I need quiet time.
I leave with this to think on:
The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887)
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 6:37 PM |
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| Tuesday, September 06, 2005 |
| Labor Day Activities |
I only have two muscles in my body that aren't sore, and I haven't been able to find them. Surely there are some muscles that weren't affected by all of the activities yesterday.
We woke up yesterday morning at 7 o'clock and met Mom, Dad and Wesley at Metcalf Bottoms in the Great Smoky Mountains at 9:30 for breakfast. Mmmm. We had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, hash browns, coffee and all of the accoutrements--all but the biscuits cooked over an open fire. Breakfast in the mountains near the rushing river is sublime!
"J", "E" and Wesley piled into the back of the truck and we followed to the Walker Sister's Cabin trailhead. Dad and I walked together of the two-mile hike while the boys followed behind playing with "Tatchew". Mom and "H" took many, many pictures of the wildflowers along the way. What a wonderful little hike. We explored the cabin, the barn and the spring house and the surrounding plants, rocks and wildlife. We did all of this in beautiful 70-degree weather in the shade of the tall hardwoods! Ahhh....
Mom and Dad watched the boys the rest of the afternoon while "H", Wesley and I met up with some close friends and canoed and kayaked. We started at the Little Pigeon River in Sevierville and drifted down along Highway 66 to the French Broad. The way I figure the trip was five and a half miles. We enjoyed seeing ducks, herons and even a snake, a river otter and a couple of beavers! Again, we did this in beautiful 80-degree weather in the shade of trees along the banks! Ahhh....
By the time we had done all of this is the time was approaching 7 PM. We drove to Mom and Dad's to pick up the boys and had time to swim in the pool for about thirty minutes.
All in all, it was a wonderful day spent with family and friends enjoying the wonderful weather and creation.
This coming weekend? Camping at Douglas Dam with family. Ahhh, the outdoors... |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 9:17 AM |
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| Saturday, September 03, 2005 |
| Goose Skin |
Does anyone else get goosebumps seeing the Pride of the Southland open up into the Power "T"? And then the football team rushes in for the first time of the season to Bobby Denton yelling, "It's football time in Tennessee!" Wow!
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| posted by Joe Napalm @ 9:18 PM |
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| Friday, September 02, 2005 |
| I'm sick |
| I was out of work sick with a fever yesterday. I feel yucky today. Therefore, there will be no post for Thursday or Friday. See you on Saturday... |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 10:44 AM |
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