As a longtime Christian, there is an attitude among my contemporaries that I can only describe as incomprehensible. Countless books have been written documenting end times theories based on probably the most misunderstood piece of literature EVER! And virtually all of them have revolved around a fear of the end times. This is silly. Christ will return when He chooses, and, according to MY theology, at least, that should be a time of JOY, not fear and dread, for Christians. The only w...

Recovery from a cycle of dependence requires an acknowledgement that one IS dependent in the first place. That's the core principle of twelve step groups, and, I feel, SHOULD be the core principle of welfare and benefit recipients (seriously, "Welfare dependents anonymous" is NOT a bad idea). I'm speaking as one who has BEEN there. In 2001, we went to the WIC office to renew benefits for our three young children. When told we didn't qualify, I was initially shocked. We were a low income famil...

OK, folks, do me a favor. Look at the secondhand on your watch right now. Look at the secondhand again when you finish reading this article. Then calculate the number of seconds you spent reading this article. Divide the number of seconds by five. Multiply your result by one million. That is how much the federal government will have spent in the time you were reading this article. ONE MILLION DOLLARS every FIVE SECONDS. That's right...in slightly more time than it takes an NFL runnin...

America has an undisputable pollution problem in its larger cities. All one has to do is to drive into any larger city and view the pea soup thick haze that cloaks the community on many days, but which its citizens are so accustomed to breathing their minds mistake it for clear air. While many see the end results of our excess as being a harbinger of doomsday, I am inclined to disagree. We have within our grasp the power to control pollution; the need to do so just hasn't occured to many of u...

The Texas legislature, in its infinite wisdom and attempt to hide as many taxes as it can, is proposing a water tax. While the tax is minimal (13 cents a gallon for all gallons used after 5000 gallons per month), it is the principle that frightens me. Water is a substance essential for life, and it is bad enough that we have to pay to obtain it. But to add things such as water to the tax base only serves to increase the tax burden on the lower class. The intent here is noble, don't get me ...

"News" from Florida (my source was a blog,and I haven't verified the story, but it did get me to thinking). Apparently a legislator in Florida wants a law regulating online dating services. While the bill proposed at present would require these services to inform their clientele if they do background checks on their customers, it's only a quick step towards mandating them. A law requiring a web based dating service to notify its clientele if they perform background checks is,in short, a to...

I am an onion ring afficianado. In my quest to lose weight, the occasional order of onion rings is a "must have" for maintaining sanity. Over the years, in every place I have lived, one of the first things I have done is sought out the best onion rings in the community. While the occasional tavern or local restaurant has provided inspiring rings, the two most reliable places I have found, depending on your region, are Sonic Drive Ins and Culver's Frozen Custard. Here are the ground rule...

A few articles ago, I reported I was in blogexplosion limbo. I am happy to report that is no longer the case (with THIS site, anyway...the blogspot site is still in limbo...the good news is it's picking up points without spending them). I like the blogexplosion concept. I will probably like it a lot more when I pick up a few more points (for those who haven't done so, they can link on my sidebar to blogexplosion; it's an excellent way to bring more traffic to your blog).

Well, the pope's gone,and the cardinals will meet next week to determine the next pope. I have come to grips with the fact that I won't be selected, but after much soul searching, I decided to endorse who I consider to be an equally qualified candidate. He is a longtime priest and spiritual advisor, and is almost singlehandedly responsible for the surging success of bocce ball in the United States:

Found the following picture on the internet. Not sure if it's real or bogus, but you have to give this guy points if it's legit:

Well, I came across the following at a gadgets site. I am having a hard time deciding if it's a hoax or not, would appreciate your help on the matter. The following was found on the website, Link :   expand your culinary sophistication without leaving your cube? Look no further than the Fundue™ - the World's first desktop USB fondue set. With features like an LCD display, blue LED glowing heater element and fireglow USB cables you'll be the MacDaddiest, most svelte lemming in th...

Suddenly, I don't feel so bad. I took PB's referral to blogexplosion (those who are interested may want to follow the link off the sidebar; I could use the referrals), and tried to register my JU site. First time through, rejected. I resubmitted, and now am still awaiting their approval. Meanwhile, I got a blogspot site (also linked on my sidebar; with much the same articles as here, only a couple of them are unique to the sister site), which is also awaiting approval. I am tearing my ...

Boise, Idaho has an ordinance against full nudity in public, making an exception for "artistic purposes". So, a strip club decided to test the law by promoting an "art night", during which its patrons were supplied with sketch pads and pencils. The city objected. That's a glib explanation, granted (the article appears in Yahoo's "Oddly Enough" News), but it does bear repeating that one person's art is another person's pornography. What I do not understand, and will repeatedly fail to under...

As a drug legalization advocate, I am often misunderstood. I do not use drugs; in fact, I don't even drink alcohol. Outside of marijuana, I can think of no illegal drug that I would use if it were legalized. But it's not just personal choice that drives my political leanings in this area. It is the experience of one who has consistently seen two sets of justice applied in this area. Our local DA was recently arrested on federal drug charges that would have meant up to 60 years in prison...

 After reading this very funny story from our own SPC nobody special ( Link ), who got the idea after reading this very funny story from our own hunter of lobsters ( Link ) (which are really just "cockroaches of the sea" anyway, but I digress), I thought I'd relay one of my own slum stories. After moving out of an air conditioned slum in one part of town (air conditioned because of a 2 inch crack in the corner of the kitchen), which, despite being a slum, had no backed up sewage pipe b...