Mercies and Musings

A Prayer Request For A Friend's Wife

2011-07-29T10:27:00.000-04:00

I have a prayer request for the wife of a good internet friend. Ann is in the hospital in Chicago undergoing a new therapy to arrest and possibly partially reverse an auto-immune disease that has put her in a wheelchair. This procedure is much like they do with bone marrow transplants, except they use the patient's own stem cells to reboot the immune system. Ann was doing OK until she got an infection that has caused severe pneumonia. She's now on a ventilator and feeding tube. Her new immune system is fighting the infection, but her doctors think they might have to do a procedure to remove the fluid on Ann's lungs. Ann is also extremely frustrated because the ventilator makes it impossible to speak. Please keep Ann and her husband Bob in your prayers. They are a truly beautiful couple!

Prayer request for a dear friend........

2011-07-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

I have a prayer request for a good friend of mine. Jody is a Viet Nam veteran and is now completely dependent on the V.A. for her health care since her husband lost his job due to medical problems of his own. Unfortunately she has developed a medical condition that is very painful and she desperately needs surgery to fix it, but her case has been stalled in the V.A. channels. Sadly, Jody's been advised by family members who actually work for the V.A. to not try to make any waves or her medical paperwork could disappear at the click of a computer mouse. Scary, isn't it? Jody's been waiting the better part of two months to have the surgery scheduled and if she has to wait much longer, it could well become a medical emergency. She's been in constant pain for much longer than that. Please pray that she'll get the medical help she needs sooner, rather than later.

Thanks!

Thank you, Lord, that someone cared.

2011-06-23T17:07:00.001-04:00

http://www.detnews.com/article/20110623/OPINION03/106230424/Firefighter-puts-panhandler%e2%80%99s-safety-first-%e2%80%94-despite-action-of-Detroit-cops

Last Updated: June 23. 2011 1:22PM .

Neal Rubin: Somebody cared
Samaritan and firefighter put panhandler's safety first — despite cops.

Mike Kozlowski will tell you up front that he swore at the police officer. You might have, too, if you'd been willing to do what he did in the first place.

Kozlowski, 27, was on eastbound Jefferson Avenue Friday morning, about to make the sweeping right turn into the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel. Straight ahead, he saw something odd: a black sedan, facing the wrong way, toward the cars exiting the tunnel into the United States of America.

In front of the black sedan, near the orange cones and orange-and-white barrels that mark the middle of the Randolph Street entryway, sat a man in a wheelchair. Idling in front of Mariners' Church, Kozlowski rolled down his window.

"I assessed the situation," he says. He left the Army in 2006, after two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq, but that's still the instinct. You stop, you observe.

If need be, you act.

The sedan, he quickly realized, was a Detroit police car. The man in the wheelchair was an amputee, probably in his 50s or 60s, missing his left leg and right arm. There were two officers in the car — man driving, woman riding shotgun — and the man was on the vehicle's loudspeaker.

"Get the bleep out of the road," Kozlowski heard. "Stop your bleeping begging. You need to hurry up."

As best he could with one arm, the man began to roll himself west, Kozlowski says, toward the sidewalk. Maybe intentionally, maybe not, the bumper of the car tapped the back of the chair.

Kozlowski threw his teal-colored Ford Escape into park, set the emergency brake, punched the hazard light, and stepped into the street.

Doing the right thing
Nine years ago, fresh from Notre Dame High in Harper Woods, Kozlowski swore an oath to defend his country.

He enlisted as a kid and mustered out, four years and 29 parachute jumps later, as a sergeant. On an early leave, he met a Canadian psychology student named Nicole who's now his wife and the mother of their 31/2-year-old girl. He runs the overnight shift for a food distributor in Detroit, and he was on his way home to Windsor when he walked across three empty lanes, grabbed the handles of the wheelchair, and pushed the beggar out of harm's way.

"I'll be honest with you," he says. "I don't give money to panhandlers." But there are ways you treat someone and ways you don't. Ways that make a situation better, and ways that don't. Ways you conduct yourself in a uniform, and ways you don't.

The police car swung around, facing Jefferson against tunnel-bound traffic, and Kozlowski approached the driver's-side window: "Is that so bleeping hard to get him off the road?" The officer barked back, the F-bombs bursting in air. "He's just a bleeping alcoholic," the officer said.

"No," Kozlowski said, "he's a human being. He's got someone, somewhere, who cares about him."

The officer gave Kozlowski five seconds to get back to his SUV. Kozlowski met the deadline. The police car pulled away, he says, and as it did, the officer in the passenger seat flipped him the bird.

Another good Samaritan
It's not easy being a police officer anywhere, let alone Detroit, and there are surely times when "pretty please" doesn't get the job done. Just as surely, it's poor policy to splash kerosene on a dwindling fire.

Kozlowski hollered a response out his window. The police car swung around behind him.

The policeman wrote him a nuisance ticket — no proof of insurance — even though the card in Kozlowski's glove box clearly say he's covered through October. He'll go to court and show it to a judge who's too busy to worry about the beggar and the language and couldn't do anything about them anyway.

The officer's name is on the citation. His initials are P.J. and his badge number is in the low 800s, and the department can find him if it cares to.

The Office of Public Information didn't return a call, but what could a spokesman say? It's OK to shout amplified profanities at a harmless, armless citizen in a public place?

The panhandler was still on the corner as the officer wrote the ticket, Kozlowski says, and the officer kept badgering him, telling him to move on. Silently, the man turned his chair and started the laborious journey across Jefferson.

Moments later, a fire truck stopped in the left lane. The driver hit the overhead lights, and another firefighter swung open the passenger door and jumped to the pavement.

The firefighter wore a uniform, too, the way the officer does and Kozlowski so proudly used to. He pushed the panhandler all the way to the north side of the street, Kozlowski says, through 10 lanes of traffic.

Then the truck rumbled off, the police car drove away, Kozlowski went home to his family and the panhandler went wherever panhandlers go, knowing that at least on this morning, somebody cared.

nrubin@detnews.com

(313) 222-1874

Strange.............

2011-06-23T00:15:00.000-04:00

I do not know what is going on, but at the moment I am not able to post replies on the blogs of others. I hope this is corrected soon!

Happy Father's Day! Because it's a dad's life! Enjoy!

2011-06-19T19:39:00.000-04:00

Big Cats cooling off in the Summer Heat

2011-06-05T18:27:00.000-04:00

It's not the heat, but the 1200 lb tiger that'll get ya! Hehe.........

Echoes of Eden......cat and barn owl friends......

2011-05-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

My friend Myr...............please ignore the commercial.

2011-05-18T20:32:00.001-04:00

Can I have a hug, please?

2011-05-14T19:18:00.000-04:00

Hope it gives you a smile!

Emmylou Harris: All My Tears.

2011-04-30T22:20:00.000-04:00

A favorite........

Home Sweet Home: EmmyLou Harris

2011-04-30T21:56:00.001-04:00

RAM Country on Yahoo! Music

Please ignore the commercial at the beginning.

Some days it's just not worth chewing through the leash............

2011-04-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

see more funny videos, and check out our Yo Dawg lols!

It's gonna quack you up!

2011-03-27T15:52:00.001-04:00

Wesley The Owl..........

2011-02-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

If you haven't read the book by Stacy O'Brien, you're missing a beautiful story. Here is a video of the author describing her life with Wesley.

Help for Lucinda...............

2011-02-13T16:41:00.002-05:00

For those of you who might never of heard of ETSY, it is a website based on the sale of handmade items, supplies for making said items, and vintage collectibles. As a beginning jewelry artist, I am a frequent visitor/buyer on the site and have made a number of friends there. To say Etsy is more than a site for buying and selling is an understatement. It is a COMMUNITY where people buy, sell, trade, teach, learn, and build real relationships. So it was with great sorrow I learned of Lucinda, an artist/seller who has experienced a terrible loss and of those who are trying to help her rebuild her life. Lucinda had already lost her mom a couple months ago, which I can tell you from recent personal experience is painful enough in itself. Now a fire has claimed the life of Lucinda's young son Kevin, her home, and pets. The thought of her anguish brought tears to my eyes and moved my heart to help in any way I can.

If you would like to help Lucinda's family, of course, prayer would be most helpful. Lucinda's family is going to need a lot of help to get back on their feet and prayer is essential in that happening. However if you would also like to contribute financially and get some cool stuff for yourself too, a site has been set up where you can buy donated items and all the proceeds will go to Lucinda's family. All you need is a Paypal account. There are hundreds of items to choose from in all price ranges, so you are sure to find something affordable and wonderful for yourself or a friend.

http://helpinghearts.bigcartel.com/products

Or if you'd prefer to simply send a donation:

Boardman Family Fund
Knight Communications
10150 Mallard Creek Rd.
Suite 201
Charlotte, NC 28262

GOD BLESS YOU!

Mother has passed into life everlasting.

2010-12-16T10:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends,I just wanted to let you know Mother passed away about 9AM this morning. Blessedly, her suffering was brief. Thank you so much for your prayers. We will be away for a few days.Much love to you and yours.

Christmas Flash Mob at the Food Court..........Hallelujah Chorus

2010-12-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

With MANY THANKS to Linda of Grandma's Page......

Nearing the end.............

2010-12-01T20:01:00.000-05:00

I just found a message on our answering machine from my sister. According to the hospice nurse, Mom is now on the fast decline. It could be hours, days, perhaps a week before Mom is finally free of this world and all the pain therein. It's hard, but it is what it is. Thank you for the prayers and love. It makes it just a little easier to bear these painful times.

The Day After Thanksgiving.........

2010-11-28T23:10:00.000-05:00

see more Hurr

My mother is very sick. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated

2010-11-21T21:56:00.000-05:00

I just got a call from my sister telling me the bug that's been going around at the nursing home finally got Mom. The greatest fear is that Mom will vomit and aspirate (inhale the vomit) into her lungs and get pneumonia. Mom's pretty miserable, not breathing well, won't eat, and has a fever. This bug supposedly passes in 24 to 48 hours. We're planning to leave on Tuesday to see her and the family over Thanksgiving. I haven't a clue how this will all work out. Your prayers will be greatly appreciated.Thank you!

What the.........................?????????

2010-11-09T15:01:00.000-05:00

see more Oddly Specific

They need a MUCH bigger tank.

2010-11-04T15:30:00.000-04:00

see more Oddly Specific

Big Cat Halloween! (YouTube Video)

2010-10-29T16:01:00.000-04:00

For those who don't know already, I have a serious fondness for big cats, particularly tigers. I hope you'll enjoy watching this video as much as I do!

NOTICE!

2010-10-28T20:55:00.002-04:00

see more Oddly Specific

Help!

2010-10-26T17:00:00.000-04:00

see more Oddly Specific

Trololo Cat (YouTube Video)

2010-10-24T14:28:00.000-04:00

Hilarious!

Beautiful Cake Wrecks............ oh my! (Youtube Video)

2010-10-23T21:31:00.000-04:00

Should you see this creature, RUN AWAY!

2010-10-19T14:10:00.000-04:00

see more Oddly Specific

ACK!

2010-10-18T16:10:00.000-04:00

see more Oddly Specific

How Long Have You Been Standing There?

2010-10-16T17:23:00.000-04:00

see more Oddly Specific

I'll have the no slice, please.

2010-10-15T13:10:00.000-04:00

see more Oddly SpecificNote: Baht is Thailand's currency. A cheese slice would be approximately $1.69 in American currency.

Nah, you're kidding me!

2010-10-08T23:21:00.000-04:00

see more Oddly Specific

Why no new posts, you ask?

2010-09-28T16:07:00.000-04:00

Because I'm totally bored with myself. I need a spiritual, mental, and physical closet cleaning. BTW, should you find my brain wondering around in your part of the world, please gently guide it home.Sigh.............

Dad is now in the everlasting arms of Father God.

2010-08-27T21:09:00.000-04:00

Just to let you know, my father-in law passed away a little while ago. We'll be away for a few days. Please keep our family in your prayers.Thanks.............

Father in law in hospital with broken hip...prayers welcome!

2010-08-20T14:35:00.002-04:00

We just got word that my father-in law fell and broke his hip this morning. It's too risky to do surgery to fix it, so his days in assisted living are over. He'll be transferred from the hospital to a nursing home.........if he lives that long. Your prayers for him and our family would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!

A girl after my own heart makes a gum wrapper prom dress.

2010-04-13T17:03:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIEt0-vCzdA

Stars and Stripes forever....a rustic wreath celebrating America.

2010-02-27T20:01:00.005-05:00

Remember the paper chains made from the gum wrappers of your youth? Well, this one (modern) kept getting longer and longer and I decided I wanted to do something unique with it. The stars are made of corregated cardboard with a bit of white acrylic craft paint, the bow is from an old florist basket, and the many feet of blue foil paper chain is wrapped around an inexpensive wire wreath from a craft store.

I think it came out pretty well! :)

Simple things that make me happy.......

2010-02-07T22:39:00.003-05:00

These are a few of my favorite simple pleasures........

A tiny troll angel with green hair that sits on my scanner/printer.

Daisies......wild ones that grow as weeds, Gerber daisies, any kind of daisy makes me smile.

Ducks!

Hubby practicing bass in the evening

Treasure hunting at the local thrift shop

cardboard

a warm husband on a cold night

morning kisses

The kitty half-time show during the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet

chewing gum

How about you all?

Thanks to Enchanted Oak (http://chrisalba-enchantedoak.blogspot.com/) for the idea!

URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: FRIEND'S BROTHER MISSING IN HAITI.

2010-01-13T20:29:00.001-05:00

I just spoke with my friend Myriam and learned her (half) brother was in Haiti when the earthquake hit. There has been no word from him and Myr has no idea where he might be. PLEASE pray for him and for the millions of Haitians and others whose lives have been destroyed by this earthquake. Approximately 40-45 thousand Americans live in Haiti and only a handful have thus far been found alive.

Thanks! I will let you know when I hear something.

A Prayer for Christmas 2009

2009-12-20T15:37:00.003-05:00

Heavenly Father, here it is December 2009 and it seems our lives are as complicated as ever. We have been through many changes and experiences this year, many happy and some not so. We give you thanks and glory because You have not abandoned us and have walked with us through every difficult situation. We give You thanks and glory for every beautiful thing You created. We give you thanks for health and for helping us to bear our suffering when health seems only a wistful memory. We thank you for our loved ones, both here on earth and those who now dwell forever in Your presence. We thank You for the food you have provided and the hands that provided it. We thank You for shelter and clothing and ask that you remind us to be generous to those who have nothing. We thank You for your protection from evil and ask that You would protect our men and women in uniform, be they military or police and firemen. We humbly pray for our government officials, that they might seek Your wisdom and act according to Your Will. Father God, thank you for the holidays and the special opportunities we are given to honor Your Son's birth and share Your love with others. Help us to remember that Your Presence in our lives means far more than presents under the tree.

In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Copyright: December 2009

Feel free to pass this prayer along to all whom need it, but I retain original publishing rights. Thank you.

NEXT!

2009-02-11T22:41:00.002-05:00

My mind is wondering around and about, considering something that might be worth posting. When it returns, I'll let you know. ;)

Thoughts on the 23rd Psalm........

2008-08-02T15:11:00.004-04:00

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Nothing particularly deep and intense today. It's just that it has always bugged me that this beautiful psalm is the one we most always associate with funerals and gravesite ceremonies. Not that I have a problem with it being used as a benediction, but it's become kinda expected, like passing gravy along with the mashed potatoes. But this is truly a Psalm for the living, not the dead, regardless of which side of the veil they exist.

Doubtless there are other interpetations of the 23rd out there, but here's mine.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Jesus, The Good Shepherd, is my leader, protector, and provider.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
I can rest peacefully knowing He's keeping watch.

He leads me beside still waters.
He will never leave me thirsty.

He restores my soul.
He heals my spirit.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
He's invested Himself in me.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
He is with me in the heat of battle, whether in a bunker in Iraq or the darkest recesses of my heart and mind.

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
His discipline and guidance are always for my good.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
Even if the enemy's at the door, I can refresh myself at his table in perfect peace and safety.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
His blessings are beyond earthy measure.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
No matter how I screw up, He loves me, wants the best for me, and will take me in.

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
When I'm done here, I have a home in the New Jerusalem.

Amen..........

With thanks to Kansas Bob for the inspiration. :)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick...............

2008-07-29T15:57:00.004-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_he_me/med_alzheimer_s_drugs;_ylt=ArRK0BmaKWp2TDL6NDa_9yGs0NUE
Experimental Alzheimer's drug shows early promise
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer 54 minutes ago

CHICAGO - For the first time, an experimental drug shows promise for halting the progression of Alzheimer's disease by taking a very new approach: breaking up the protein tangles that clog victims' brains.
The encouraging results, presented Tuesday at a medical conference, electrified a field battered by recent setbacks. The findings by Singapore-based TauRx Therapeutics Ltd. are only from a midstage study, so much more testing must be done.
But experts who saw the results for the drug Rember were heartened.
"These are the first very positive results I've seen" for helping patients maintain mental performance, said Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, director of Alzheimer's research at the National Institute on Aging. "It's just fantastic."
The federal agency funded much of the early research that led to drugs like Rember that target the tangles of Alzheimer's, made up of a protein called tau. For decades, scientists have focused on a different protein — sticky beta-amyloid deposits — but have yet to get a workable treatment.
The four Alzheimer's drugs currently available just ease symptoms of the mind-robbing disease, which afflicts more than 5 million Americans and is mushrooming as the population ages.

Proverbs 13:12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

How true these words are. Sigh...............

What would you do if I sang out of tune?

2008-06-30T17:33:00.001-04:00

If you're in need of a laugh today, this oughta do it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=T4_MsrsKzMM

Divine Punishment or mere Happenstance?

2008-06-29T21:57:00.008-04:00

2 Chronicles 7:14 (New International Version)

14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Weather. As the old saying goes," Everyone complains about it, but no one does anything about it." Well, everyone that is except the Chinese who want their Olympics Games to go off perfectly so bad, they're putting big money into the attempt to keep the rain away. Somehow I don't think the Chinese will succeed, but I suppose I can't blame them for trying. Sorry, I digressed for a moment.

Anyway, I don't know about you all, but I have friends who are looking at the numerous weather disasters happening in the U.S. this Summer and wondering what's going on. Frankly, I don't know what's going on either. Much of California is on fire, but then again, it seems to always be on fire, whether as the result of arsonists taking advantage of extreme drought conditions or storms containing minimal rain, but absolutely amazing amounts of lightning. A few days ago, lightning set off over a thousand forest fires, many that are predicted to not be controllable for weeks. Drought is taking a massive toll in other regions too.......parts of Oklahoma have been deluged while other parts are so dry, there will likely be no harvest this year. Parts of the lower Atlantic states are also in the grips of a major drought for the third year in a row. A couple Cat 1 hurricanes would do them a lot of good, but since Katrina and Rita, I doubt few in the region are praying for one in public.

And then there's the Mid West, where there was hundreds of feet of winter snow in some places and now Spring/early Summer thunderstorms have caused floods that have destroyed homes and businesses even in areas not designated as floodplains. Dams have failed in places as remote from each other as Wisconsin and Indiana. Levees are failing like dominos along the Mississippi. Worse than '93, they're calling it. All I know is that it's spooky to see places where I've lived, worked, and gone to school underwater for days. I can't help but be glad I'm not there.......and wonder how well I would cope with the situation if I was.

And me? Well, I live in the "Rust Belt", where manufacturing once provided 10s of thousands of jobs that are no more and where the mortgage loan mess has taken an even greater toll. We haven't been hit by floods or fires (yet), but the devastation is just as real. The economy was already bad here, but you know it's BAD when your state governor says there isn't even enough money to repair the roads this summer.

Is this the wrath of God or a withdrawing of His Protection? I don't know. I know that in the early 1800s, terrible earthquakes shook much of the South even turned the Mighty Mississippi back on itself. I can not imagine the horror of feeling the earth tremble and seeing sand geysers sending grit, gas, and dust many feet into the air, perhaps just moments after walking on that very spot. Nor can I imagine the Tamboro volcano exploding in 1816 and not only killing hundreds, but sending enough ash into the upper atmosphere to cause the Year Without Summer across most of the planet........causing crop killing frosts in July and August in the Americas, food riots in Europe, and cholera and typhus epidemics in Europe and Asia that killed hundreds of thousands. Did the people of that era think they had come under divine judgement? Some did. Some think America is suffering under divine judgement now. They said it was divine judgement when terrorists hijacked 4 planes and did terrible deeds that shocked the world on September 11, 2001 too. I know there is sin in the land that I love, but there is sin everywhere, some of it so evil as to be unspeakable. I also know the "sin district" of New Orleans survived Hurricane Katrina nearly intact, while churches and the homes of thousands were utterly destroyed. Is Greensburg, Kansas any more sinful and deserving of being wiped off the map by a killer tornado than any other small town in the heartland of America? Is America under divine judgement and does the above verse apply to Americans? I don't know. I only know that Jesus said the rebels who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them were no more sinful than the religious men who stood before questioning him about it......but that they too would perish if they did not repent. It would seem to me God is much more concerned with and about individuals than with nations. Can a huge nation repent of corporate hubris and idolatry? I suppose so, but only if its citizens acknowledge their own sins and repent first.

Good Night from America's "Rust Belt".

Psalm 34:18

2008-06-29T21:48:00.001-04:00

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

New Clue in the Fight Against Alzheimer's

2008-06-22T15:00:00.002-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080622/ap_on_he_me/sci_alzheimer_s_clue;_ylt=AiAV31.qp.39_lRi_6d_e4Va24cA

New clue to Alzheimer's found in form of protein
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON - Researchers have uncovered a new clue to the cause of Alzheimer's disease. The brains of people with the memory-robbing form of dementia are cluttered with a plaque made up of beta-amyloid, a sticky protein. But there long has been a question whether this is a cause of the disease or a side effect. Also involved are tangles of a protein called tau; some scientists suspect this is the cause.

Now, researchers have caused Alzheimer's symptoms in rats by injecting them with one particular form of beta-amyloid. Injections with other forms of beta-amyloid did not cause illness, which may explain why some people have beta-amyloid plaque in their brains but do not show disease symptoms.

The findings by a team led by Dr. Ganesh M. Shankar and Dr. Dennis J. Selkoe of Harvard Medical School were reported in Sunday's online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.
The researchers used extracts from the brains of people who donated their bodies to medicine.
Forms of soluble beta-amyloid containing different numbers of molecules, as well as insoluble cores of the brain plaque, were injected into the brains of mice. There was no detectable effect from the insoluble plaque or the soluble one-molecule or three-molecule forms, the researchers found.

But the two-molecule form of soluble beta-amyloid produced characteristics of Alzheimer's in the rats, they reported. Those rats had impaired memory function, especially for newly learned behaviors. When the mouse brains were inspected, the density brain cells was reduced by 47 percent with the beta-amyloid seeming to affect synapses, the connections between cells that are essential for communication between them.

The research, for the first time, showed the effect of a particular type of beta-amyloid in the brain, said Dr. Marcelle Morrison-Bogorad, director of the division of neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the research.

It was surprising that only one of the three types had an effect, she said in a telephone interview.
Morrison-Bogorad said the findings may help explain the discovery of plaque in the brains of people who do not develop dementia. For some time, doctors have wondered why they find some brains in autopsy that are heavily coated with beta-amyloid, but the person did not have Alzheimer's.

The answer may lie in the two types of beta-amyloid that did not cause symptoms.
Now, the question is why one has the damaging effect and not others.

"A lot of work needs to be done," Morrison-Bogorad said. "Nature keeps sending us down paths that look straight at the beginning, but there are a lot of curves before we get to the end."
Dr. Richard J. Hodes, director of the National Institute on Aging, said that "while more research is needed to replicate and extend these findings, this study has put yet one more piece into place in the puzzle that is Alzheimer's."

In addition to the Institute on Aging, the research was funded by Science Foundation Ireland, Wellcome Trust, the McKnight and Ellison foundations and the Lefler Small Grant Fund.
___
On the Net:
Nature Medicine: http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine

Small town dreams can come true........

2008-06-22T10:17:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Kansas Bob for posting this video on his blog. I don't usually watch "America's Got Talent", so would otherwise have completely missed Neal E. Boyd's tremendous talent and tender soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-7zYPT-jpA

The Zen of Sarcasm

2008-06-20T20:59:00.002-04:00

The Zen of Sarcasm

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me some space.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. Its always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force.' It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

21 Never miss a good chance to shut up.

22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

Tag, you're it!

2008-06-18T08:00:00.002-04:00

Dear Readers,

I've been tagged by my e-nephew/son, Wert, to tell you all 8 unboring things about myself. Whether there actually ARE 8 unboring things I can tell you about myself, I'm not sure.

1. I like musicians and artists. Yes, I find they're generally crazy messes of human beings, but they can also be great storytellers.

2. I am very fond of tigers and ducks. An odd combination for sure, but I like them for different reasons. However I am not particularly fond of geese.

3. I have grown accustomed to living in the state of confusion. Literally and figuratively.

4. I don't hate snakes, but prefer that they remain in their natural environment and far away from me.

5. Someone once told me I had great eyebrows.

6. I dislike the fragrance of tea roses.

7. Some of my closest friends are people I've never met.

8. My favorite gifts are good books.

Now I tag Wolfie and Kansas Bob! :)

PLEASE pray for flooding/tornado victims in Indiana!

2008-06-08T11:36:00.003-04:00

Please pray for the tornado and flooding victims in Southern and Western Indiana. My family is OK, Praise the Lord!, although my sister was unable to get home from the nursing home where my mother lives last night. Apparently a dam collapsed North of Columbus, Indiana due to the enormous amount of rain, nearly a foot in some places, sending flood waters South and overloading the rivers and streams. Some of the flood water has receded, allowing the reopening of I-65 and State Road 31, but a lot of people have been badly impacted. My brother-in law said he saw people being evacuated from their flooded homes yesterday by any means available, including canoes and marsh boats. Columbus Regional Hospital is closed until further notice due to the flooding and the small bridge connecting the hospital to the bridge having been damaged. I believe Indiana's governor Daniels has declared 41 of 92 Indiana counties disaster areas.

Above all else, please pray for no more rain until the flood waters fully recede and the situation has been brought under control! Terre Haute, Indiana has already been hit with over 18 inches of rain and more is expected due to what meterologists call the training affect.

Some uninteresting news...........

2008-06-01T17:12:00.002-04:00

It is my intent to start using this blog on a more consistant basis or at least as time allows. A great deal of that time will be spent in posting book reviews, some of which you may find utterly boring and others that may spark considerable controversy. I read everything from Christian romance to historial biographies to Sci Fi /Fantasy to old classics, so be prepared to be surprised. Also be advised that commentaries and musing on various other topics will be in the offing and while I rarely intend to intentionally tick people off, be forewarned that I say what I think and I don't do political correctness........ever.

Sincerely yours,

cr

Memorial Day: In Flanders FIelds

2008-05-26T10:51:00.005-04:00

In Flanders Fields
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing,
fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

We are losing 1800 veterans every day. If you know someone who has honorably served our country in uniform, I hope you'll think to listen to their story and thank them before it's too late.

Here's to you, Ed and Ada Nowak, (Europe) Floyd Kunz, (Pacific)(WWII), J.D. O'Leary, (Viet Nam), and Joseph Ravitts (Recently Retired) and all whom have served the U.S.A. honorably and well.

Bottomline Books........Buyer Beware.

2008-03-25T11:47:00.005-04:00

Ok, I admit it. I finally fell for the tv ad and the mail ads touting this fabulous book that offered cures for everything imaginable. You know, those two sisters on the imfomercial who seem so cute and funny who've done all this research and come up with all these home remedies for what ails ya? The book that costs only $39.95 and if you don't like it, you can send it back and owe nothing? I took the bait and ordered it.

A week or two later, the book arrived and it came as promised with all the little free side goodies. Problem was, the book did not contain only researched material, but was full of "We didn't try this cure for "whosawhatchamacallit", but it might work". Say what? " This might work " is the result of years of careful research? But when they actually quoted a so called "gem therapist", I knew the book supposedly full of wonderful cures was a complete crock. Trust me, I dig gemstones as much as any woman and I'm all for natural remedies, but I do not believe amethysts or any other rocks channel cosmic healing powers to the wearer. As for the free side goodies? Worth almost as much as the paper they're printed on. The old axion still applies. Free is generally worth what you pay for it.

Oh, btw, you can send the book back and "owe nothing", but they make it as difficult as possible to do so. I searched through all the paperwork for the instructions on how to return the book and found NOTHING definitive. Only after scrutinizing the invoice did I finally find an address in small type on the bottom of the form for "sending packages". And, yes, if you order one of these books and decide you don't want it, you're stuck with the return shipping costs. Granted, media rate isn't a lot compared to standard postage, but who needs to make a special trip to the post office at the price of gas right now? Intentional? Oh, you best believe it. They want you to pay for this book even if it means you only do so to avoid spoiling your credit rating.

Lesson learned? Just don't. Not even if Hugh Downs is on the imformercial. Anything that you sense is being over-hyped IS being overhyped.

The Gospel in India: People, you need to read this.

2008-02-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

http://branthansen.typepad.com/letters_from_kamp_krusty/2008/02/kumar-sits-in-t.html#comments

Just read it.

Wolfie, Wert, SolaMeanie, and KansasBob,

2008-01-29T12:59:00.000-05:00

Hubby and I were finally able to visit with my family over the weekend, delayed twice since December 23rd, once by a virus that we both caught and then the MLK weekend bad weather. The visit was bittersweet, as they have been the last couple years, but never moreso than now. My mother's mental condition continues to deteriorate and my sister has acknowledged that she is on the verge of no longer being physically able to manage our mother's care at home. Your prayers would be very welcome.

I think I'm going to go have myself a good cry for a while.

BTW, if any of you happen to have sleep apnea or know someone who does, seeking a specialist is imperative. It's taken a huge toll on my family and my sister strongly believes it plays an important role in the development of Alzheimer's.

cr

Attacking the messenger.........

2008-01-29T11:34:00.000-05:00

"I could care less, whether you "post" this on your sorry site, or not. You are an arrogant ignoramus, "approving" two others. Of course, your warm endorsement of (this person and his co-author) shows up on his blog. What shameless sluttery is this! It never ceases to amaze me, how one ignoramus (yourself) endorses two others and "presto!"; instant legitimacy! I think in your "heart of hearts" you know what a joke you are, and that your "Imprimatur" of these two anti-Christs impresses no one credible.

God have mercy on you!

Pastor (Not shown)"

Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, the above tirade came from a pastor as a response to another Christian's review of a new book considered controversial in Christian circles. (No, that reviewer is NOT me.)

(http://branthansen.typepad.com/letters_from_kamp_krusty/2008/01/grace-in-action.html)

However if you'll notice, not a single word of rebuttal is expressed regarding the contents of the book itself, but only an attack upon those who dare to express those ideas. And, please, don't bother bringing up the Apostle Paul's angry tirade about the Jewish Christians insisting Gentiles had to become Jews (circumsized) before they could become Christians. That was an entirely different matter and Paul didn't debase the Gospel or himself by calling people names like "arrogant ignoramus" or using made up words like "sluttery". (Still I can't help thinking that if Paul had even the slightest inkling at the time that his letters would someday become CANON, that he'd have expressed himself a little more carefully on that particular topic.)

The reason I bring this topic up is because I find this line of attack extremely worldly and needing of repentance. I see this injustice used frequently against politcal figures and I find it even more disturbing when Christians use it against each other. Jesus said we had to make a choice, Him or the world and also made it clear that using worldly means in the attempt to bring about spiritual ends will not work. While I find this behavior in a pastor particularly reprehensible, all of us need be on guard against using it ourselves against anyone, whether Christian or non-Christian......and may God have mercy on those who do.

Hope for those Affected by Alzheimer's

2008-01-11T16:21:00.001-05:00

From Yahoo Health News...

Arthritis drug may ease dementia: case-report
1 hour, 3 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In a new report, U.S. researchers describe the improvement in brain function that occurred in a patient with Alzheimer's disease just minutes after receiving an injection in the spine of the arthritis drug Enbrel (also known as etanercept).

For instance, just prior to treatment the patient was agitated and could not name the state. Ten minutes after treatment, he appeared calmer, more attentive, less frustrated and was able to correctly name the state. Further improvements in mental functioning, memory, and other cognitive parameters were noted at 2 hours.

Dr. Edward L. Tobinick, from the University of California at Los Angeles, and Dr. Hyman Gross, from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, describe the case in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.
Their observations are consistent with a study they conducted in 2006, in which injection of etanercept given weekly over 6 months led to significant improvements in mental function in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

In that initial study, the protocol approved by the institutional review board called for monthly cognitive testing. However, the researchers noticed that cognition often seemed to improve just minutes after treatment, which led them to their current study.

Consistent with their earlier observations, etanercept injection rapidly improved cognition
Studies have suggested that a protein involved in inflammation known as TNF-alpha is involved in the development of Alzheimer's disease, the investigators note. Etanercept blocks this protein. Further studies looking at the effects of TNF-alpha blockers on symptoms of dementia are warranted, the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: Journal of Neuroinflammation 2008.

Bruised and Smoldering...........

2007-12-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 42
The Servant of the Lord 1 "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations.
2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
3 A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4 he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."

The last few days have been very hard. One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Dan Fogelberg died last week of prostate cancer at the young age of 56. My 94 year old father-in law is in an assisted living facility, suffering significant back pain from a compress fracture he sustained in a fall, and can not use the phone we gave him. I missed spending Christmas with my elderly mother and family because my husband and I came down with a virus, a "gift" we decided it was best to not to share with them. My sister is taking accupuncture because the stress of taking care of our mother who has Alzheimer's is taking its toll...and Sis and I haven't gotten along too well lately. A friend of mine has been keeping cyber-company with people whom I consider to be arrogant and totally lacking in compassion and I don't know how to approach him about it without getting my head bitten off. I just read that the rival priests who serve in the Church of the Nativity started whacking at each other with brooms over the placement of a ladder....and shamefully it was caught on video tape. Today a woman I greatly admired and hoped would bring the chance of peace to her country was assassinated by terrorists. And I am pretty well convinced by the research I've done and the symptoms list that I have geneticly linked Panic Disorder. Yeah, I'm feeling emotionally bruised and like the last bit of light is about to go out. I don't know what the future will bring next and that scares me. Yet because of the promises of Isaiah 42 I have a bit of hope.......and that hope sustains the bruised reed and smoldering wick I am now. Nothing terribly profound today, I'm afraid, just holding onto hope.

Tony Snow:Though I walk through the Valley of The Shadow of Death....

2007-12-12T14:21:00.001-05:00

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/july/25.30.html

With thanks to kansasbob for his post on his own blog and the above link.

http://eye4redemption.blogspot.com/2007/12/unexpected-blessings.html

I normally look at politicians with a very jaded eye, but I love Tony Snow.

Life verse

2007-12-06T13:19:00.000-05:00

1 Corinthians 1:26-28 (New International Version)

26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are.

I have not been around much because I am battling a moderately severe bout of depression and it's been difficult to put even a single cohesive paragraph together. I am also accepting defeat and acknowledging I need help to deal with it, whether it comes in the form of a pill, talk therapy, or something else. I posted the above verses because they truly have become a lifeline to me, a way to remind myself that no matter what I go through in this life, God chose me to be His daughter, His servant, long before I was born and He can use even my weaknesses, including this depression, for His glory. I am not particularly wise or influential and whatever bloodline link I might have to European nobility/royalty has been "watered down" to nothing. I make mistakes that cause pain to myself and the people I love and I get angry when things don't go the way I think they ought. But God shows me time after time that regardless of how the world feels about this middle-aged homemaker who limps through life, He loves me and He can make something meaningful out of my life. And dear hearts, if He's willing to do that for me, imagine what He can do in your lives too.

God bless you, every one of you.

LifeHouse Everything Skit..........

2007-11-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

Friend Wert was kind enough to share this with me. Powerful stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

Do Not Love The World.

2007-11-11T17:18:00.000-05:00

1 John 2:15-16

“[Do Not Love the World] Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

John 15:17-19 (The Gospel of John)

17This is my command: Love each other.

18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Let us not imitate the world by engaging in hatred and condemnation towards one another.

Romans 8
1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Proof that one man who reads can make a difference.

2007-11-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/world/americas/01panama.html?em&ex=1191384000&en=3c73d178decdd922&ei=5087%0A

Acts of God?

2007-10-30T22:14:00.001-04:00

http://www.plain-truth.org.uk/current_issue/opinion.htm

I have always been uncomfortable with the idea of natural disasters being attributed to an Act of God. Hundreds of tornadoes touch down in the United States every year and unfailingly The Weather Channel documents at least one trailer home park having been destroyed during their rampages. Does this mean God hates trailer homes? Or say an ice storm cripples an area for days or weeks, toppling trees and breaking branches that take down power lines and turn roads into pathways of icy terror. Is that really God's angry judgement falling upon an entire state, province, or city, faithful and evil alike? Or could it possibly be attibuted as an act of an entirely different entity?

Are We Living in the First Days?

2007-10-30T21:57:00.001-04:00

http://www.plain-truth.org.uk/current_issue/cover_story.htm

I found this an interesting treatise from a different point of view. So many of the Godblog blogs/ websites are about the doom and gloom of "the last days", it's good to remember that the Christian life is still very much about joy, thanksgiving, and living the Good News.

Do to popular demand, we now have DSL!

2007-10-25T19:54:00.000-04:00

Or is it popular tantrum? Anyway, after years of being hounded by our families because dialup blocked their phone calls, tonight we have DSL. Now we can be annoyed by "anonymous" callers whether we're online or not. However now we can also download you tube videos faster than they play. Is faster better? So far, so good.

We also have a new cell phone, thoughtfully provided by our cell phone company with the help of a lovely young lady in India with not the best grasp of English. Hopefully with this one, we can phone people from within the house instead of being forced to make our calls while standing outside on the driveway. It's a tiny thing, I could hide it in the palm of my hand. Trouble is, I really do not like tiny phones. I want a cool Dick Tracy watch phone or a Star Trek TNG-like communicator, not this weird and dinky thing that makes me feel like I'm talking to myself. The Star Trek thingie would make me feel like I'm talking to myself too, but I wouldn't mind because it would double as a nice piece of jewelry. But then again, I want a lot of things. No, not a lot of things, just really cool things I need a man around to program for me. I knew there was a reason I've been married to an engineer for 29 years last Sunday. But no Blue Tooth please. I prefer my teeth the shade they are now.

Hell hath no fury like................

2007-10-16T10:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes there are no worse enemies than one's own family, except the in laws. No, I don't want advice or sympathy, I'm writing to blow off steam or else I'm going to explode. I am tired of being expected to genuflect before the wants of a family that mostly ignores us unless FIL is sick and then expects us to drop everything and come on a moment's notice. I'm sick of people who complain that they can't get ahold of us when they don't even have our correct phone number. I'm sick of people who become hostile/feel threatened over things they don't understand and apparently don't want to understand. I'm sick of being told nothing and being expected to understand everything. I am sick of melodramas, personal agendas, and people who get ragged off if you don't dance to their pied piper tunes. I am sick of people period. Now I understand better than ever why Jesus had to get away from people from time to time. All that recycled baloney is enough to drive even the Son of God away.

Except for those of you who want nothing more from us than genuine friendship, conversation, and to share some laughter and the occasional bout of tears.................. you, I love you more than I can express and I'm sorry if I haven't shown it lately. You are the dear people that help us not need the guys who speak gently and come bearing strait jackets and thorazine. A wise person once said, "Friends are the family you get to choose for yourself". Amen to that!

Yeehaw! We have phone service again!

2007-10-09T16:44:00.000-04:00

Believe it or not, our land line went out last Thursday and we just had service restored today. In a bizarre swist of fate, our cell phone company decided to update their service from analog to digital last week, forcing us to sit on the deck or in the driveway if we need to make a call with a now obsolete phone. Believe it or not, I really didn't miss being online all that much, although I thought of you, my friends, a great deal. (Yes, we still have dialup.......gasp.) I actually got back into reading a bit, which should spark some better blogging in time. However we did worry a bit about receiving timely news from our family should something go awry.

I do have good news to share concerning my 94 year old father-in law. Dad's doing much better than anyone expected, truly a miracle in the light he'd fallen and lay on the floor for 12 hours before he was found and taken to the hospital. It may be possible that he'll actually be able to go home and resume his life, although the family would rather he go into some sort of assisted living or at the very least get a Life Alert to wear. We'll see how it goes, but apparently Heaven's declared Dad's got some living left to do, however long or short that time might be.

To life! :D

It's been a heck of a week and a half.

2007-09-26T23:01:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know, my husband and I spent last week taking care of my mother while my sister and brother-in law took a short vacation. Mother is 89 and suffering from vascular dementia and various physical disabilities. Vascular dementia looks a lot like Alzheimer's, but is caused by arterioscorosis in the arteries and veins in the brain. Mom's been living with my sister since 2002 and unfortunately in the past two years has mentally regressed to the mental level of a three year old. My sister and I have opinions as to how and why that's happened, but that's a topic for another blog entry.

Frankly, I don't know how my sister deals with our mother's mental and physical condition on a daily basis unless it's through a mountain's worth of grace from the Lord. After a mere week, I was exhausted from the lack of sleep and trying to keep track of everything. Without my husband's help and copious amounts of vitamin B-12, I could not have done anywhere as well as I did.

Unfortunately when we got home on Monday after being on the road over 8 hours, we received word that my husband's 94 year old father had suffered a heart attack and a stroke and was in the hospital. He has since regained some strength and is able to get around with a walker, but it's slow going. His speech is still slurred, he has weakness on his left side, and it's uncertain how long he'll remain in the hospital. At least Dad's' stable enough to have been moved from intensive care to a regular room and we are grateful for that much improvement.

Where am I going with this, you might ask? I really don't know. I just know the mental and emotional roller coaster has been something else. I also know I need to evaluate my health and try to take some steps to improve my odds of not closely following in my parents' footprints of physical decline. Sometimes I think I got the worse of both genetic profiles. (My dad died 20 years ago from stroke/heart disease.) I hope prayer and medical knowledge will make the difference. If not, I pray for the grace to withstand what I do not understand.

A musing on the state of the world............

2007-09-13T12:20:00.000-04:00

From the beginning, Satan has had two agendas, domination and/or genocide. Now look at our world, A.C. Ancient Rome's goal was to dominate or destroy. Militant Islam's goal is to either dominate or destroy. Nazism's goal is to either dominate or destroy. Communism's goal is to either dominate or destroy. Saddam Hussein's goal was to dominate or destroy. The goal of the Apostate church of the second Millennia was to dominate or destroy. The anti-Christ will seek to dominate and/or destroy.

Rome fell.
The Apostate Church fell.
Nazisim fell.
Communism in Eastern Europe fell.
Saddam Hussein fell.
Militant Islam will fall.
The anti-Christ will fall.

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Amen

I have a cold.

2007-09-09T14:30:00.000-04:00

Next.

Please be patient. God isn't finished with me yet.

2007-08-28T12:26:00.000-04:00

Is anyone reading this blog? Hard to say. I'm still getting the hang of blogging and figuring out how everything works.

I am enjoying discovering new blogs through links from blogs where I already read/post and my list of blogs on favorites seems to be increasing every day. I enjoy being challenged to think and examine what I truly believe, although coming up with a thoughtful reply can mean some near sleepless nights. And sometimes what I intend to post and what I end up posting can be two different things. What I've discovered is blogging is an invitation to interact with others on varying levels. This might end up as a grand adventure or one heckofa mess.........I reckon time will tell.

In the meanwhile, if you're out there, I hope I haven't bored you to tears.

Much ado about stuff and such..........

2007-08-26T13:56:00.000-04:00

Maybe that's what this blog is really all about after all. Meandering here and there through cyber-space and taking in the sights. I've kept written journals in the past, but I've never felt terribly comfortable with spilling my guts for the entire world to see. But maybe, just maybe that's about to change. I'm reading historical books and becoming profoundly disturbed about the trends I'm seeing in American and world politics. I'm even more disturbed about the trends I'm seeing in the Church. I'm not entirely sold on "old time religion", but post-modern "Christianity" gives me the willies more and more. It would be nice if I could just go buy an island and let all this nonsense pass me by, but unfortunately there's not much I can do about being stuck on this planet.

BTW, have you ever wondered why God insisted upon humanity spreading out across the entire planet instead of staying in a huge metropolitian cluster? Could it be because He understands human nature far better than we do, including our desires to meddle where we don't belong and lord it over each other? Think about it........forcing humanity to spread out effectively limits the amount of power any earthy king/tyrant has to enslave a population and start wars, at least before the advent of aircraft carriers and H-bombs. Even the mighty Roman Empire fell when it overextended its reach and could no longer physically or financially support its military and infustructure. Ever wondered what our world would be like now if Archemedes's prototype of an early computer hadn't ended up at the bottom of the Aegan Sea 2000+ years ago? Start imagining Shakespeare's plays and sonnets having been written on a laptop instead of a quill and ink and let your mind go from there.

But that's just me..........thinking on such things that I dare not examine too closely 'less I scare myself half to death. :(

Driving with Dead People........

2007-08-24T20:49:00.000-04:00

For those of you whom are scratching their heads over this title, let me assure you it's a book title, not my latest hobby. "Driving With Dead People" is a book written by Monica Holloway, a woman about 10 years younger than me who grew up in the same towns I did. Names of people, major roads, and places have been thinly disguised, but remain quite recognizable to those familiar with the locale.

In all seriousness, I have to confess I read part of the book at our local Borders, but didn't buy it. Not that it's not good, but because I'm going to have to wrap my head around the idea of buying and finishing it. Not because the book doesn't have a happy ending, because it does, just not the kind of ending you necessarily think of as being happy. Yet if any book that drags into the hot blazing sun that which thrives best in the dark can have a happy ending, this one does. To put it bluntly, this is a book about dirty little family secrets in a small Mid-Western town known for being mean.........where a high school basketball coach once received death threats because he couldn't make a winning team out of farm boys with a lot of heart, but little natural talent. And its about putting the title of child rapist and the words depraved indifference on the faces of people I might well have sat beside in church thirty years ago. And it's about adding yet another name to "the list". It's about a demonic sickness/evil I do not understand and thank God I didn't have to endure. It's about healing that some eventually find, but illudes others. I know I'll buy and read it eventually. I'll probably pass it along to my sister too. But not yet.

25% of Americans read no books last year?

2007-08-21T17:24:00.000-04:00

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press Writer Tue Aug 21, 1:58 PM ET (As posted on Yahoo! News)

WASHINGTON - There it sits on your night stand, that book you've meant to read for who knows how long but haven't yet cracked open. Tonight, as you feel its stare from beneath that teetering pile of magazines, know one thing — you are not alone.

One in four adults say they read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and seniors were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.

The survey reveals a nation whose book readers, on the whole, can hardly be called ravenous. The typical person claimed to have read four books in the last year — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read any, the usual number read was seven.
"I just get sleepy when I read," said Richard Bustos of Dallas, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool.

That choice by Bustos and others is reflected in book sales, which have been flat in recent years and are expected to stay that way indefinitely. Analysts attribute the listlessness to competition from the Internet and other media, the unsteady economy and a well-established industry with limited opportunities for expansion.

When the Gallup poll asked in 2005 how many books people had at least started — a similar but not directly comparable question — the typical answer was five. That was down from 10 in 1999, but close to the 1990 response of six.

In 2004, a National Endowment for the Arts report titled "Reading at Risk" found only 57 percent of American adults had read a book in 2002, a four percentage point drop in a decade. The study faulted television, movies and the Internet.

Who are the 27 percent of people the AP-Ipsos poll found hadn't read a single book this year? Nearly a third of men and a quarter of women fit that category. They tend to be older, less educated, lower income, minorities, from rural areas and less religious.
At the same time, book enthusiasts abound. Many in the survey reported reading dozens of books and said they couldn't do without them.

"I go into another world when I read," said Charlotte Fuller, 64, a retired nurse from Seminole, Fla., who said she read 70 books in the last year. "I read so many sometimes I get the stories mixed up."

Among those who said they had read books, the median figure — with half reading more, half fewer — was nine books for women and five for men. The figures also indicated that those with college degrees read the most, and people aged 50 and up read more than those who are younger.

Pollyann Baird, 84, a retired school librarian in Loveland, Colo., says J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter fantasy series is her favorite. But she has forced herself to not read the latest and final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," because she has yet to file her income taxes this year due to an illness and worries that once she started the book, "I know I'd have to finish it."

People from the South read a bit more than those from other regions, mostly religious books and romance novels. Whites read more than blacks and Hispanics, and those who said they never attend religious services read nearly twice as many as those who attend frequently.
There was even some political variety evident, with Democrats and liberals typically reading slightly more books than Republicans and conservatives.

The Bible and religious works were read by two-thirds in the survey, more than all other categories. Popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries were all cited by about half, while one in five read romance novels. Every other genre — including politics, poetry and classical literature — were named by fewer than five percent of readers.

More women than men read every major category of books except for history and biography. Industry experts said that confirms their observation that men tend to prefer nonfiction.
"Fiction just doesn't interest me," said Bob Ryan, 41, who works for a construction company in Guntersville, Ala. "If I'm going to get a story, I'll get a movie."

Those likeliest to read religious books included older and married women, lower earners, minorities, lesser educated people, Southerners, rural residents, Republicans and conservatives.
The publishing business totaled $35.7 billion in global sales last year, 3 percent more than the previous year, according to the Book Industry Study Group, a trade association. About 3.1 billion books were sold, an increase of less than 1 percent.

The AP-Ipsos poll was conducted from August 6 to 8 and involved telephone interviews with 1,003 adults. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

CR's commentary: I read a few months ago that a huge percentage of Americans didn't own a single book, not even a Bible. I would guess that having the internet at one's fingertips means people are no longer having to "hit the books" for imformation or amusement.

revised for corrections..........

Musical musings.............

2007-08-18T21:11:00.000-04:00

Lately the Mr. and I have been getting into Celtic music. I think this is in part in response to the sameness of current popular music and partly because we are simply partial to music that doesn't blast our eardrums and consists of more than someone playing three chords on a guitar and a screeching vocalist. It doesn't hurt that I have a few drops of Irish blood floating around in my veins too. ;)

Some of our current favorites:

The Poozies
Cherish The Ladies
The Corrs
Gaelic Storm
Finvarra's Wren

Gaelic Storm may be the most popular Irish Pop band you've never heard. If the name does sound vaguely familiar, it could be because the group had a role in the movie Titanic. They've had various personnel changes in the eight years of the band's existence, but hearing the CDs from previous years and recent ones, performances haven't suffered much from one incarnation to the next. Trust me, these guys and the gal fiddle player have groupies! I never expected bagpipes (Peter Purvis) to sound so ethereal, never having heard them played in anything but funeral processions or the classic "Amazing Grace". Jesse Burns is also one of the most amazing fiddle players you will ever hear. Gaelic Storm has a concert DVD out and you can do far, far worse for a evening's entertainment. However be forewarned that this is secular music and some of the songs and humor are a bit off color.

Finvarra's Wren is composed of a family (and friends) of very talented musician/singers. Allison Perkins is yet another outstanding fiddle player and her 17 year old brother Asher is no slouch on the button accordian and concertina. Both have won Celtic music competitions here in the U.S. and have performed well in European competitions as well. Siobhan McKinney who occasionally accompanies the group on the harp is also a competition winner. Jim Perkins and his wife Cheryl are the main singers for the group and their voices blend beautifully. Terrance McKinney is also very accomplished on uillean pipes, a close cousin of the bagpipes. Again this is a secular band and some of the songs are a bit baudy in nature, but fairly typical of a somewhat more traditional Irish band. Jim and Cheryl are also very personable off stage as well as on. Cheryl generously spent a good bit of time talking "mountain dulcimer" with my husband after the recent concert, as they share a common passion for the unique instrument

I'll be adding more to this entry later.

Feeling tired.............

2007-08-15T16:42:00.000-04:00

“If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”- Romans 14:8

Howling at the blue moon...............

2007-08-12T14:02:00.000-04:00

I've been visiting various blogs in recent weeks and I've finally figured something out. People enjoy reading blogs when the bloggers don't take themselves seriously and the blogs are FUN to read. That doesn't mean they don't cover serious topics or constantly play the goofball, (Trust me, that gets really annoying after a while.), but that they can laugh at themselves and the sheer absurdities of life. I mean, how can you not love someone who is willing to show a photo of themselves looking like a scraggly accordian player who's been booted off the turnip truck? Who knows, maybe I'll go hunt up and post that 29 year old pic of me that my husband has dubbed "The Flying Nut", taken on our wedding day no less. A lot of people seem bent on living in misery (and making others miserable as well) when there's no need for it.......and I'm not going to be one of them. So I've decided I'm going to post here wherever I feel like posting, even if the joke's on me! As a wise man once said, "Life's too short to not have any fun!"

BTW, in my seven years online, I've used a lot of post names. Not for purposes of trolling, mind you, but for fun and to keep freaks from following me from messageboard to messageboard throughout cyber-space. Sometimes I play at "the royal connection", sometimes I go serious, and sometimes just plain goofy. I've enjoyed the royal goofy names the best. Sometimes I fancy myself as the decendant of knights and kings, but then apparently many, many Americans are distantly related to European royals. When someone did the late president Ronald Reagan's geneology, it turned out he was a very distant cousin of Queen Elizabeth II. But although I may play at royalty in cyberspace and get a kick out of being called Your Majesty and Your Grace, I can't think of a single legit reason why I've ever wish to trade being a regular ole' American for a royal title. For one thing, castles are too hard and expensive to keep up and people tend to get mad if you tax them too much. Plus no matter how good or bad you are as a ruler, there's always people with greedy fingers and delusions of grandeur are wanting to knock you off and take your place.....and they breed.

Anywho, that's all the insanity I'm going to inflict on you today. Have a simply awesome, splendiferous day! :))

What is life's meaning anyway?

2007-07-16T16:35:00.000-04:00

It is difficult enough to accept my mother's mental deterioration, to try to deal with what can only be described as short curcuits in her ability to think and put a few short sentences together. It can only be worse for my sister as she cares for my mother and tries to balance medications, so Mother can think a while longer and not have potentially dangerous physical side effects from the medications. Why is it that some people live life with zest even until their late 90s and others are doomed to simply exist?

I was just on the phone with my sister when she told me a friend of our mother's had been living more or less as a vegetable in a nursing home for more than 15 years. Tell me, what purpose does God have for allowing someone live essentially without a functioning brain....for FIFTEEN years? Obviously the woman is getting good care, but would anyone ever choose to live......no not live, EXIST this way? Have our medical advances only served to doom us to mere existence? No one seems to bat an eye when it comes to not going to heroic measures to "save" babies who are born with nothing but a brain stem. Why do we insist on prolonging the lives of people who no longer have anything resembling normal brain function?

I'm not interested in reopening debate about the Terri Shievo case, so please do NOT go there.

This is a test.

2007-07-11T12:51:00.000-04:00

Had this been anything other than a test, I would have given myself more instructions.