NOTE: This was a very hard article to write, as it required revealing some vulnerabilities, which I hate doing. But I've come to realize that GOOD writing, the kind of writing that changes people, is about being willing to be vulnerable. This morning I had a reminder of something I felt needs sharing. I was driving to work and about 5 miles from home, I realized that I had not kissed my wife goodbye. I turned around and went home, and gave her a kiss godbye before heading back to work. It ...
Before I begin, let me apologize for once again gracing the pages of JU. I promised I would leave, and I fully meant it up until I discovered a couple of (two months old) messages from former JUers. As many of you know, there was a great deal of conflict that erupted over things that occurred between me and the family of another JU member almost three years ago. While many lies were spread (such as the fact that I NEVER raised my children in a home without utilities or had my wife isolated wi...
(Note: This article's a little later than I'd like, but it's been a busy past week) GID'S TOP 3 RULES FOR WATCHING A MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK: 1. The movie is not the book! 2. The movie is NOT the book! 3. The movie is NOT THE BOOK! If you're going to see "Prince Caspian", and you remember these three rules, you may thoroughly enjoy the movie. Forget them, and it will be a long 2 1/2 hours. For those not up to speed on the "Chronicles of Narnia", "Prince Caspian" tak...
I finally got a chance to see Ben Stein's controversial movie Expelled, last night. I've read a number of reviews on the film, and was eager to view it for myself. Please note, my review is based on the movie itself, and not on a careful vetting of the accusations it presents. I do intend to spend some time looking into the assertions made by the movie, but have not as of yet done so. The first thing that hit me was not covered in any movie reviews for or against the movie. The camera wo...
I drive a 1999 Chevy Suburban. For the uninitiated, these vehicles (2WD) top out at just over 20MPG. As most of my miles are higway mileage, that's a fair average. Of course, I push for the extra miles by coasting downhill, staying at 55MPH, keeping my tires inflated, etc, etc. I decided to do a little research into what it would take to buy a "greener" vehicle. As I live in a rural area, there's a lot of open country in which I drive. As I checked out the stats, I quickly realized my vehicle...
Several years ago, my brother manned a suicide hotline. In the course of doing this, he would often refer troubled callers to the Covenant House for help. About the same time, I was seriously considering giving a year's service to the Covenant House. I had received the paperwork and was looking it over and it was a topic of discussion among us (we were sharing a place at the time). One of the requirements of the Covenant House is that its volunteers must spend a specified amount of time in pr...
I've finally found the political compromise that will end the smoking debate once and for all. And I actually have Al Gore to thank for it. It will also add the benefit of helping to solve our national health care issues in the process. So it's a win for everyone. The plan is modelled after Gore's "Carbon Credits" plan. The idea of the carbon credits, for the uninitiated, is that you pay for the pollution you create. It's kind of a special indulgence for the new millenium (if you don't kno...
I just finished with my last final of the semester. And the news is good, although I won't know for certain HOW good until next week. In Business Management, Business Communications, and Network Security, I received "A" grades. In the first two courses, that's an accomplishment, because the instructor does not liberally hand out high grades. In Marketing and Accounting, I received a "B". In Marketing, I was points away from an "A", but the "B" should still keep my average in good shape. In...
The state of Texas reported a few weeks ago that two of the children seized in the raid of the FLDS ranch were pregnant and about to give birth. Now, they are admitting that one of the young ladies was of age. The woman, Pamela Jeffs, it turns out, is 18. And the article goes on to say that the other young woman also may be 18. The question, then, is what did Texas officials know and when did they know it? If these women lied about their ages to obstruct, then there's really not much that ...
As the news of Hillary Clinton's defeat rolls off the wire (it may, for the record, be greatly exaggerated -- see later in the article), it's fair to say that she has noone to blame but herself for her downfall. See, Hillary made the tremendously fatal mistake of playing the experience card. Right now as the peasants are lining up with pitchforks at the White House gates, experience is the last thing they want to see in a Presidential candidate. They want to at least hold on to the illusion t...
Last weekend, I went back to the college where I finished up in December for graduation. It came on top of a long week, which meant that I was thoroughly and utterly exhausted by week's end. Add to that an extremely uncomfortable bunk in the trailer we stayed in and I was happy to get back home. We rolled in late Friday night instead of waiting for Saturday (besides, it was parade day up here on Saturday!). We've got one full week of classes left, then finals next week. I've got two group pro...
Gideon records is proud to announce the release of the latest single from their new group, Run OMC. Run OMc is composed of Senators McCain, Clinton, and Obama, who although they are fierce opponents, basically sing the same song. Here are the lyrics to their new single, "Vote This Way": OBAMA’s Part There's a independent voter That's really got my motor Runnin’ till Election Day, Said “Yo’ Momma, I be votin’ for Obama cuz Oprah wants to see...
Gideon records is proud to announce the release of the latest single from their new group, Run OMC. Run OMc is composed of Senators McCain, Clinton, and Obama, who although they are fierce opponents, basically sing the same song. Here are the lyrics to their new single, "Vote This Way": OBAMA’s Part There's a independent voter That's really got my motor Runnin’ till Election Day, Said “Yo’ Momma, I be votin’ for Obama cuz Oprah wants to see...
A couple of months ago, I built a computer on speculation, figuring to use it to make a couple of needed extra bucks. This was before the contract jobs were coming at a steady pace, when I thought we might need the extra scratch. It's a solid computer, Athlon 4400+ processor, 1GB RAM (that's what came with the package; I will upgrade later), 2-160GB Seagate SATA hard drives, and a DVD burner with lightscribe. I put it all together for $300 ($350 before rebates, but those are in now, so I can mar...
I'm not a big fan of sex education in the schools. I think it's a shame that it is even debatable as a necessity, and I almost always disagree with the perspectives of those teaching it. Ideally, sex education should be taught at home in a proper environment. But it's that word "ideally" that muddies the waters. And it is because of that that abstinence only sex education should not be the choice for public schools. See, I'm among the crowd that refuses to concede failure. I am not going t...