The Conceit of Government

Here is an excellent editorial by Peggy Noonan that hits the nail right on the head about the continued growing conceitedness of our politicians and judiciary members. Seems like the "servant" of civil service has been escaping them...

Thanks to Chris for the link.

Oddest eBay listing I've seen in a while...

Here is an eBay listing I came across by accident, which is one of the strangest I've come across yet. For $1000.00 starting bid, you can donate to "PLEASE SAVE BIPOLAR MANIC DEPRESSIVE OF VERY SAD DEATH." Evidently, this person's significant other has Bipolar Disorder and has endured the highs and lows of this illness, as well as the side effects of the medication that she's been off and on. (I have worked with several Bipolar kids, and it is a difficult illness to work with for both the patient and the therapist, especially since they are often some of the most prone not to take their meds.) This woman also has breast and uterine cancer and doesn't want to take chemotherapy, and her behavior has caused them to be evicted from their apartment and was arrested. It appears that this man is trying to raise money to obtain their next apartment, to cover moving expenses, to help advance his job at home for income, and hopefully, for her treatment. I really feel for the guy as well as this woman who has apparently gone through so much, but essentially "begging" on eBay seems to be a new approach. Perhaps I should start a "Support Queen Spoo Fund"...

Reversal of nature...

In an ironic twist, this 12-year-old girl in Ethiopia who was kidnapped to be a bride of one of the men who abducted and beat her, was rescued by three lions who guarded her until police and her relatives found her. She was treated for injuries inflicted--not by the lions--but by her fellow humans.

Divine Toast Intervention....

Here's another divine image that has been stamped on toast, like its predecessor, the Virgin Mary Grilled Cheese Sandwich (except they aren't selling it on eBay). They claimed this image of Cardinal Ratzinger appeared on their toast the morning the pope was elected, having been preceeded by a puff of white smoke before it popped out.

Grisly house of horrors

The work of abortion is already gruesome in nature, but here is a report of a truly grotesque scene of a Kansas City clinic that was inspected and found severely wanting (to put it nicely)....you just have to read it for yourself. Even the inspecting police detective was shocked. Here is a commentary that expounds on some of the grisly findings and includes some picture links that were taken during the inspection. Although he had already been disciplined in 2000 and 2001, the unkempt doctor in charge finally lost his medical license upon these surprise inspections. No other hospital would have been allowed to continue in this condition--thankfully it was caught, but most people look the other way when it comes to the business of abortion and the truth that lies behind it.

Flashback!

On a lighter note, it is apparently Pac-Man's 25th birthday. Remember that game? I used to play it on my old Atari game set, and used what little allowance I got to play it in the grocery store while my mom shopped around. I even watched the Saturday morning cartoon! Well, it definitely hasn't gone by the wayside, as it's been adapted or refurbished for today's technology.

Potential lessons learned...

I know it may seem unempathetic to critique a potentially tragic situation, but it seems that this whole situation with the disappearance of Natalee Holloway could have easily been avoided. This commentary by Barbara Simpson elaborates on several thoughts that I had already formulated while listening to the developments of this case. Firstly, her parents should have been aware--and suspicious--that on a trip of over 100 teenagers fresh out of high school, there were only 7 chaperones. That's nearly 18 kids per adult--a near impossible ratio for adequate supervision on an international trip! When I went on band trips in high school, there was one adult per four students. When I went on an art trip to Italy my senior year of college, there were 4 chaperones for 14 kids. They always kept tabs on what we were doing, and it seems that Natalee slipped through the supervisory cracks--both by the adult chaperones and by her friends. We could blame the chaperones, who were likely enjoying their own time on the beautiful island rather than watching the kids, but they were already stretched too far even with well-meaning intentions. Additionally, for such a smart straight-A student, it was less than brilliant for her to take off, in the middle of the night, from a bar, with young local boys and assume nothing would be fishy with that scenario. Hindsight is always 20/20, but perhaps this may be a lesson for parents, teens, and the touring groups particularly with young clientele to learn.

Ancient seed from Masada has germinated...

According to this article, a 2000 year old date palm seed--dated at between 35 B.C. to A.D. 65--sprouted and is approximately a foot tall. Nicknamed Methuselah, it was found at the ruins of Masada, presumably from a date that a defender of the mountaintop fortress ate. This is the oldest known seed to have been germinated and continues to grow successfully.

The latest speculation of how Jesus died...

Apparently, this professor thinks that Jesus died of a pulmonary embolism, rather than blood loss, which would have been significant. According to him, Jesus would have been at higher risk for blood clotting, because "'thrombophilia, a rare condition in which blood has an increased tendency to clot, is common to natives of the Galilee,' the researcher wrote." Funny, I thought crucifixion victims died of asphyxiation...

Kerry's not as "intellectual" as he would have you think....

Many people from the left side of the political spectrum have bashed President Bush's intellect, in particular, talking about how he only had a C average at Yale. However, Kerry did no better--in fact worse--than Bush did academically at Yale, as shown by his own release of his college transcript. He made 4 D's his freshman year alone, whereas Bush made only 1 D his whole college career. As the well-circulated pre-election "Resume of John F. Kerry" stated, he "graduated from Yale University with a low C average. Unlike my opponent George Bush, I have no higher education and did not get admitted to Harvard nor graduate with an M.B.A."--this transcript release gives only further confirmation of these statements. It's amazing how the whole spin machine flipped the poor grades as coming from Bush alone. In fact, it speaks additional volumes how Kerry excused his low marks: “I always told my dad that D stood for distinction,” Kerry said in a written response to reporters’ questions. In another article re: Kerry's scores, it states another of his stellar excuses for scoring a lower IQ on a Navy aptitude test than Bush had: "'I must have been drinking the night before I took that military aptitude test," Kerry told NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw." Yep, that must've been it.

Illegal aliens are criminals? Shocking!

Here is a judge that has some sense. If you're an illegal alien, you're arrested and deported as you should be. I'm not against the "Melting Pot" idea of America, but there is a legal way to do it...

The Republican roll-over...

As many of you know, the Republicans "compromised" with the Democrats in the Senate to not end the filibuster as long as the Dems promise not to except under "extraordinary circumstances." As a witty commentary by Ann Coulter posits, the Majority party allowed the Minority party to bully them into again letting them have control of the Senate's decisions rather than allowing the simple majority to win, regardless of the party affiliation. Allowing the minority to dictate...it's becoming a potentially dangerous and increasingly commonplace event in politics and other realms that needs to be monitored and modified to prevent being held hostage to the ideology of the few.