| Friday, June 30, 2006 |
| Free Prose Friday |
1. If you haven't already visited the site, look at the photo that was recently posted at Magic Bean Buyer. Beware: You'll fall out of your chair laughing.
2. I have great ideas but no capital.
3. Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the U.S. and winner of the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize -- back when that meant something -- spoke these words that are still true today: In the battle of life, it is not the critic who counts; nor the one who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better.
The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends oneself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he or she fails, at least fails while daring greatly.
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. I've just placed him in the top-five of my favorite historic figures.
4. Here's an idea: Joe Napalm's 1st Annual Up in Smoke Cigar Repartee. It would be an invitation-only gathering of Christian men and women interested in networking and sharing a premium cigar. Of course, I would emcee the event. I need a logo, though... |
posted by Joe Napalm @ 11:04 AM   |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, June 28, 2006 |
| Yankee Fairies |
 Many of the storefronts in Ann Arbor, MI, have fairy doors that are only inches tall built into their facade. The owner of this fascinating website (click here) photographs and documents each one.
And, no, I don't lose man-points for posting this. In fact, I gain man-points because my wife will think this is cute and, therefore, assume that I'm a cuddly, wuddly schnookie-ukums and ... Oh, nevermind. I do lose points. Sigh. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 1:58 PM |
|
|
|
| Saturday, June 24, 2006 |
| Old Dog, Old Tricks |
I just learned how to use "alt" tags. In order to see the handiwork, hover the cursor over the picture below to see a description. Hopefully your browser supports the tags.
About as handy as a pocket on a shirt, huh?
Above is a picture of padlocks on the Ponte Vecchio -- the famed bridge in Florence. When lovers lock the padlock and throw the key into the Arno River below, legend has it that their love will last forever. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 4:15 PM |
|
|
|
| Friday, June 23, 2006 |
| Free Prose Friday |
1. "Why don't you slip into something more comfortable ... like a coma." - Maxine.
2. Wouldn't it be great if North Korea tested their new intercontinental ballistic missile and we blew it out of the sky with an interceptor missile launched from an island in the Pacific? That would make for good TV.
3. Manlaws.com is a fun website*.
4. There's nothing better than barbeque with three good buddies at the local eatery.
5. I'm absolutely furious at Congressman Murtha's slanderous remarks about the U.S. Marine incident in Haditha, Iraq. On MSNBC's Hardball, Murtha told Chris Matthews: "Well, I'll tell you exactly what happened. One Marine was killed and the Marines just said we're going to take care -- we don't know who the enemy is, the pressure was too much on them, so they went into houses and they actually killed civilians."
What about due process, Murtha?! The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, which you swore to support, states, "No person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law ..."
6. Where is the white cat? Or should I say, le blanc chat?
* Joe doesn't condone the drinking of Miller Lite. German beers are soo much better. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 8:36 AM |
|
|
|
| Wednesday, June 21, 2006 |
| Wussification |
Does this image of English soccer player Wayne Rooney provoke you to anger or a sense of guilt? If you said yes, then you're a wuss. You can pick up your Hello Kitty toaster here.
When I first saw this image, a few things passed through my head: Braveheart, World Cup soccer, England futbol, intensity, determination.
However, some see this ad and think: Crusades, crucifixion, offensive, shameful.
I can go on and on about the wussification of the white male. You've seen my blog referencing Shelby Steele's white-guilt article. And you've seen plenty of ads selling hair care products to metrosexuals.
This isn't just happening in America. The whole point was driven home during my visit to England.
On the first day in London, our tour director pointed out someone flying a flag with a red cross on a white background -- St. George's Cross, or the national flag of England. She told us that there is a dilemma in England about flying the flag: The flag is popular partly because football-inspired nationalism, but it also viewed as a shameful symbol of military expeditions by European powers to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims (the Crusades of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries).
The English flag has been banned in some schools and prisons -- similar to the US flag -- because of its apparent implied racism. It's been wussified.
It's time we got back our God-given masculinity. We should start by eating a full rack of ribs and then carpet bombing Fallujah. Somewhere in there insert a Tim "The Toolman" Taylor man-grunt. You know you wanna. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 4:59 PM |
|
|
|
| Tuesday, June 13, 2006 |
| Yep, I'm Back, but... |
... I'm mad as a hornet.
Before I blog about my amazing experiences in England, France and Italy, I need to get something off my chest. I have been haunted for days about something and I need to blog in order to organize my thoughts about it.
While in Europe, a girl -- you could make the case to say young woman -- seemed to latch onto me during our touring excursions. At first it didn't make much sense. I was the sit-in-the-front-of-the-bus-and-listen-intently-to-the-tour-guide type and she was the lie-in-the-back-and-complain-about-walking-too-much type. For about the first ten days, I don't think we traded more than five words. She was a beautiful girl, but she had a poor attitude. I was warned early on in the trip that her poor behavior caused problems at school and with her peers.
She was trouble. Her name: Diana.
In France, an autistic girl who was with us lost her camera and I watched as Diana showed concern and helped the girl calm down and search for the camera. I approached Diana after the episode and told her that I thought it very mature that she would care so much. She said that she could be nice if she tried. I told her that it would be better to be naturally nice and have to force herself to be mean, not the other way around. From that moment on, she followed like a little puppy.
During our free time, she went off with her friends. On the bus, she still sat in the back. And at the hotels, again, she would disappear with the other kids. But during the walking portions of our excursions, she would hang out nearby. At first she said it was because the locals left her alone. Later, she admitted that it was because I didn't complain like the others.
On our last day, she wrote me a note and handed it to me at the airport -- she was staying behind with family. She said that I could read it when I got bored. Here is a portion: Dear Mr. Francis!
Today is the day that you're leaving. That makes me a little sad. Believe it or not, I have learned a lot from you. The bus is now moving, so my writing might get bad. I really just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed "hanging" with you, poking you, and teaching you to be a critic.
Out of all the people I got to know, you were definitely the best person I met. Thanks for the new view on life because that has changed my perspective on life and the people that come in and out of my life. Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. Thanks for being there.
What's bothering me is this: During our walks she told me that her father has been in and out of prison. Her brother is serving eight years for burglary. Her mother is a weak parent. Her home life has been a wreck since the beginning.
Now, she is responsible for her own actions. She isn't innocent of all her poor decisions. And maybe she just had a childhood crush on me. But I truly believe that she enjoyed the boundaries and hanging out with an adult who was fair and honest. I hope she recognized Joy that she had never seen in her parents.
What could she have been like if only God-fearing, loving parents had raised her?
And that's why I'm flustered. Don't you just want to choke some parents? This young girl could have been so much more. I get so mad to see the results of parents' selfishness when I examine their children's lives. I mean real mad -- mad and sad at the same time.
So, please pray for Diana. Pray that she will come to a relationship with the Father that she didn't have with her father. Pray for her safety. Pray for a miraculous salvation. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 9:09 PM |
|
|
|
| Thursday, June 01, 2006 |
| 50 Pence For 7 Minutes |
I only have 7 minutes to blog. Pardon the misspellings and grammar errors.
BK, I visited The Eagle and Child in Oxford yesterday. I bought you a t-shirt (They didn't have anything more exciting like a mug or wall-hanging). I had to run there and back. More on that later...
Heather, Bath was wonderful. I wasn't expecting much, but it is definitely worth seeing again.
All others, I'm looking. Wesley, I'll get you a miniature David. Yes, we'll see it. Dad, I'll get you something in Rome since you haven't been there. Jacob and Ethan, I'm looking for picture books with castles, knights and gore -- no luck, yet.
We're off to France today. Hopefully, I can post at the hotel. We're doing well. Good group. |
| posted by Joe Napalm @ 2:16 AM |
|
|
|
|
|
