Chapter 70.2: Cars of the Future

The other day, two different press announcements crossed my desk touting the importance (and novelty) of environmentally friendly cars and fuel. Now, I'm quite pleased with the 35 miles per gallon I get from an old Honda that's closing in on 200,000 miles, but I wouldn't mind driving a car that looks like what you see above. The "Wingless Bird" is called the Aptera -- Greek for "wingless flight" -- and it's not yet in full production. But it is a hybrid that is claiming 300 mpg. Of course, that comes with a caveat: the all-electric version only goes 120 miles per charge (think northern New Jersey to central Connecticut), or 600 miles in the plug-in hybrid (the one that gets upwards of 300 mpg). Doing the incredibly simple math, that means it holds two gallons of gas. I can hold more than that in my little red plastic jug for the lawnmower.

If this vehicle becomes a reality, it could do wonders for transportation. Think of it, you have a full tank and a plastic jug in the passenger compartment and you can go 1,200 miles or so. I suspect you won't go any faster than 45-55 miles per hour, but if you've got the tunes cranking, that'll be enough, right? And girls will look at you (as they pass) and say, "Damn, that guy's car looks cool."

The other option is to drive from Paris to Timbuktu using chocolate as fuel. Sounds like a fantasy. Well, yeah, in a way it is. These Brits aren't dropping nuggets of Cadbury into the tank. They're using biofuels that began life as waste chocolate that was converted to cocoa butter.

Their trip is basically a publicity event, and if I were from Timbuktu, I'd be a little offended. They chose the destination because "Timbuktu is renowned as being the back of beyond, the furthest place away that you can possibly imagine and if we can make it there with bio-fuel there's no reason why motorists can't use it on the school run or on their commute to work," said Andy Pag, one of the Euro-tree-huggers behind the wheel.

While a three-week trip through the Sahara sounds like a good way to promote a solar-powered car, Pag and his pal John Grimshaw will drive a chocolate-powered truck ("lorry" for my British and Irish friends) to promote Ecotec, which I've never heard of before this article.

All in all, I'd say there's a bright future for publicity of environmentally friendly cars. I'm all for it. As long as you can keep the prices at a reasonable level and make fuel accessible, I'll drive anything earth friendly.

Chapter 70.3: What I Really Want to Do Is Direct

This is my first attempt at posting a video on my blog. I don't know if there are size limitations. (I'm already assuming there's limited interest.) But this is one of the early interactions between our puma, Riley, and his new little sister, Oreo. There's no audio to this, so don't worry if you don't hear anything.

Anyway, aside from wanting to experiment with video, this post is to show our cats for the children they are.

As always, comments are always welcome. Especially you, Cammy.

Oh, it's a large file because I don't know yet how to compress video from a camera.


Ok, this was a failure. Some other time.

Extreme Halloween Donates 3,101 Meals to Needy Families in South Florida

Right before the Thanksgiving weekend, Extreme Halloween Network announced a Black Friday/Cyber Monday Promotion. Many shoppers took advantage of the sales, and Extreme Halloween Network was able to raise over $500 for the Daily Bread Food Bank, which equals to approximately 3,101 meals to needy families in South Florida.

A big thanks to all the shoppers that participated in the event!

Chapter 70.15: Food for Thought

The Winter Meetings are upon us, and Omar has begun with an incomprehensible move. Lastings Milledge to the Nationals for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider. I don't mind the departure of Milledge, but wasn't Billy Beane supposedly interested in him? Does this mean that Beane's holding onto Dan Haren and Joe Blanton?

Last I heard of Ryan Church, he was Frank Robinson's whipping boy. And while Schneider's a good catcher, I'm not sure he's going to stay long; with Johnny Estrada and the re-signed Ramon Castro already in the fray, I can't help but think that one of the two newcomers is about to be shuffled off. I'd keep Schneider, unless he can bring back a starting pitcher.

God, this off-season is almost as frustrating as last September was!

10 Things to Do with All that Halloween Candy

According to an article at parenthood.com, here are 10 things to do with all that Halloween candy:

Every family has its own methods of getting through the post-Halloween mounds of joy. Some let their kids gorge themselves for a day or two. Others dole it out a little at a time. Some parents even ban the candy bars altogether. For some nutritionists (and dentists!), Halloween candy is downright scary.

Whatever candy camp your family falls in –– there’s more to do with candy than eat it. If your Halloween candy is still sticking around, check out these ideas of what to do with leftovers:

1. Recycle it. Practice instant recycling. Screen the candy your kids bring home. After throwing away any unwrapped goodies, take out any candy your children don’t like or you don’t want them to have and then send that candy back out the door with other trick-or-treaters.

2. Freeze it. Put the chocolate bars right in the freezer to save them for later. Frozen chocolate takes longer to eat, so children can’t wolf it down so quickly.

3. Bake it. You don’t have to freeze the candy to keep it fresh. Kept in an airtight container, it will last long after Halloween. Later, you can bake surprise cupcakes. Push a soft candy into the middle of the batter in each cup before baking. Decorate the icing with more candies. You can also substitute bits of chocolate bars in your favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe.

4. Melt it. Save chocolate to bring a taste of summer into your home long after you’ve put away the sunscreen. Melt chocolate for s’mores any time of year. Place a chocolate bar and a marshmallow between two graham crackers on top of a paper towel. Microwave for about 20 seconds.

5. Stuff it. Gather the leftover goodies and stuff them into a (homemade or store-bought) piñata. Crack the piñata open at Christmas or wait until your child’s birthday.

6. Create it. Professional artists create sculptures from candy, why not kids? Make mosaics with hard candy. Cover sturdy cardboard with wax paper, aluminum foil or paper. Then instead of tiles, use candy to create a design and “grout” it with stiff icing. To make sculptures, stick soft candy, apples and marshmallows together with toothpicks.

7. House it. After Halloween, kids can’t wait for Christmas. Save Halloween candy for gingerbread houses.

8. Wear it. Make a candy necklace. You’ll need an assortment of lollipops and colorful candies with twist-wrap ends to make this idea from the National Confectioners Association. Cut a 14-inch strand of thin twine or fabric ribbon. Tie one end of a wrapper of candy or lollipop stick tightly to one end of ribbon or twine (leave about two inches of ribbon free for tying at the end). Attach candy by knotting the ribbon around the wrapper ends or lollipop sticks until the necklace is complete. Leave two inches at the end. Tie the ends together and wear the latest in edible jewelry!

9. Decorate it. Create Christmas ornaments from candy. To make a train, take a long pack of gum and glue on round candy for wheels, a square piece for a smokestack, and something round for the bell on top. Attach a loop of gold thread or ribbon for hanging. Look at simple geometric illustrations (such as are in coloring books) for other ideas. Coat your ornament with an acrylic sealer so it won’t deteriorate and you don’t draw bugs.

10. Share it. Take your leftover candy to the office. Even if your co-workers who are parents are sick of the stuff, chances are your younger colleagues will relish childhood memories as they reach for another Mary Jane or Butterfinger. Or better yet, fill a coffee can with candy and bring it to your local nursing home, homeless shelter or a charity for the staff to enjoy. Add a note that says, “Thanks for all the good work you do.”

Take a Break from Online Holiday Shopping with a Free Christmas Game

Don't let online holiday shopping stress you out! Go to SantaSuits.com and check out their wacky holiday game, Santa Dress Up. The free online Christmas game lets players dress up old St. Nick as wacky characters for the holidays with such styles as "Sumo Santa", "Elvis Claus", "Super Santa" and more. Just drag and drop a variety of shirts, pants, shoes, hair and accessories onto Father Christmas to create a unique Santa of your own on this fun holiday site.

"Everyone gets so stressed and wacky during the holidays that we wanted to create a free online Christmas game to let people have fun with our holiday site," said Shari McConahay, marketing director for SantaSuits.com and the Extreme Halloween network. "We hope our customers have so much fun playing "Santa Dress Up" that they'll want to dress up as Santa this year themselves!"

If you're inspired to dress up like Santa Claus yourself, go to SantaSuits.com and select a santa suit of your choice.

Chapter 70.1: Turkey Time!

Ah, Thanksgiving! One of those uniquely American holidays that we should all be thankful for. Not only does it allow most of us to enjoy a four-day weekend, it also focuses on two of my favorite things: family and food. (I'd add football too, because it sounds good with the other "f" sounds, but I'm really a baseball guy.)

This year, my wife and I have gotten a break. For the first time in a few years, we've not volunteered to host Thanksgiving. I'm really glad, too, because work for me was very busy, and with the new kitten, Oreo, we've had a lot more tasks taking up our time than usual.

But enough about me. It's time for us all to go over the river and through the woods to the in-laws' house. Watch some football, drink some beer, eat lots of food, and laugh into the night. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone! And if you're waking up early to partake in the various Black Friday sales, drive carefully. There are other nutjobs on the road too. Man, what's the deal with all the 4 a.m. store openings this year? That's a different topic...

Chapter 70: Don't Squeeze the Charmin When You Wipe Your Tears

Mr. Whipple has died. Dick Wilson, who played the supermarket manager in hundreds of commercials (more than 500, according to this article in the Washington Post), passed away on what happened to be National Toilet Day.

Personally, I have amassed an astonishing amount of worthless information in my tiny brain about all manner of trivial matters; yet, even I had no idea there was a National Toilet Day until last week. (Before Mr. Whipple died, mind you. It happens to be a family member's birthday, which became a source of amusement for me and that person's spouse. Tee hee hee!) Whether I'll continue to celebrate the day in which we remember that only 20 percent of the world have access to "improved sanitation," is anyone's guess.

But I enjoyed the Post article, because it was willing to ponder things I'd not seen in print before. I've only talked about these things with my wife and random friends and drinking buddies in bars. Things like: Why do people in commercials wipe toilet paper across their face? How bad was toilet paper in the '60s? Do bears who shit in the woods need soft "bathroom tissue"? And is the aloe in multi-ply toilet paper good for the pipes?

Alas, now poor Mr. Whipple has flushed off his mortal coil. Say hello to the Ty-D-Bowl man, for us.

Christmas Celebrations 2007

This fun website on Christmas Celebrations is just for those of you who love Christmas and the favorite customs that are honored, year after year. They have all kinds of fun stuff and goodies to help you make some very merry memories, including articles on office Christmas parties, history of Christmas cards, Christmas party activities and more. There’s even an article on regifting etiquette!

And if you’re having your own Christmas celebration, don’t forget to have Santa make a guest appearance! Check out a full selection of Santa suits at www.santasuits.com.

Spread Goodwill and Charity by Shopping on the Extreme Halloween Network

From November 23 - 26, shoppers on the Extreme Halloween Network can buy anything from unique kids costumes to Santa Claus suits, and a portion of the sales will go to the Daily Bread Food Bank. Can you think of a better way to give back to the community?

"It's important to everyone at Extreme Halloween to give to those less fortunate," said Shari McConahay, marketing director of the Extreme Halloween network. "We hope when customers are thinking about purchasing their unique kid costumes, Santa Claus costumes and other holiday dress-up items they'll think of visiting Extreme Halloween, knowing that a percentage of their purchase will go to such a good cause."

Last month as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Extreme Halloween Network raised more than $1,500 for Susan G Komen Foundation with our "Think Pink" costume promotion. So mark your calendars and help Extreme Halloween meet or beat that amount during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend.

Identifying your skin undertones

You have a warm skin undertone if:

You look best in gold jewellery,corals,browns and dark greens.

Foundation colour:Vanilla Ivory & Golden Beige.

You have a neutral skin undertone if:

You look good in both silver and gold jewellery and most colour.

Foundation colour:Nude ivory,Nude Vanilla,Nude Beige,Nude Amber.

You have a cool skin undertone if:

You look best in silver jewellery,pinks,mauves and pastels.

Foundation colour: Rose Ivory & Apricot Ivory.

After Halloween Sale Extended!

Our After Halloween Sale has been extended until November 21, 2007, so while you are getting ready for Thanksgiving, you can take advantage of the sale before the Christmas holiday shopping rush that ensues the day after Thanksgiving!

Here are some ideas:

• The obvious: SAVE BIG on next year's Halloween costumes, accessories and decorations.
• Increase your Thanksgiving celebration by having dinner in costume! Make a fun new tradition out of it: reinact the Pilgrims and Native American Indians Feast or maybe just some silly Turkey Hats for some holiday fun!
• Get a jump start on the holiday with our Santa Suits and holiday costumes.
• Pick our some early holiday gifts: many children ask Santa to be a princess or a super hero for Christmas (HINT HINT!!)
• Magic makes a great holiday gift whether the recipient is a novice magician just starting out or a seasoned professional, Wizards Apprentice Magic has magicians supplies for any age or level magician.

Chapter 69.95: The Cat Trial of the Century

As the owner now of two cats, I can't help but respond to this recent article that appeared in the New York Times. Apparently, a bird watcher shot a cat with a .22 calibre rifle because he believed it was killing the birds. He doesn't deny that he shot the cat. The point of contention in the suit is whether the cat was feral.

I don't know how the law treats questions of feralness (ferality?), but this sounds like a clear case of animal cruelty to me. We took in a stray kitten just this week, gave it a name the other night, and are slowly introducing it to our other cat -- who probably wishes he had a .22 in the closet right now that he could use on the small quadriped that's taking some attention away from him -- and I'd say this cat is no longer feral. She's quite comfortable living here, accepting our pets and attention in return for lots of purrs, soft mews, and an inordinate amount of methane gas. (Surely those field mice and moles have worked through you system by now, Oreo. What on earth is wrong with your intestines?!)

Beyond that, how can a man who loves animals shoot and kill a cat? Is he not human?

Humans care for those who are less fortunate than themslves, like Texas toll collector John Newland, who named Mama Cat. The cat lived under a toll bridge but gladly accepted food and toys and bedding from Mr. Newland. I won't get into the vitriolic debate between bird bloggers and cat bloggers, who are writing hateful posts about the other, but I'll say this: a man who would kill a defenseless animal (I don't think the claws and teeth were any threat to the admitted cat killer) is no better than a thief. He deserves punishment.

I don't think it's as heinous a crime as rape or murder of a person, but it's despicable and cannot be condoned. The two years and $10,000 he faces seem appropriate to me.

Thanksgiving Roasted Turkey Dinner Recipes

Thanksgiving is on Thursday, November 22, 2007

The cavity of this large turkey is filled with fruit, onion and seasoning. It's roasted breast side down and turned during cooking.

Ingredients:
1 whole turkey (18 to 20 lbs)
1 (granny smith) apple, quartered and seeded
1 large (navel) orange, quartered
1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
2 whole garlic cloves
1 tsp Montreal steak seasoning
1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup)
Salt and pepper
Butter-flavor oil spray
1/2 cup water1/2 cup white wine

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl combine the fruit, onion, garlic and seasoning. Place fruit mixture in cavity of the turkey, tie legs to hold this inside. Brush turkey with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray a large roasting pan with a buttery oil. Place turkey breast side DOWN in pan; add 1/2 cup water. Bake uncovered for 2 hours. Remove pan from oven and place turkey breast side UP in roasting pan. Add wine to roaster; baste every 30 minutes, for about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 more hours. Turkey is done when internal temperature in thigh is 180 degrees. Transfer turkey to cutting board, remove the fruits and onion and discard. Tent the turkey with foil and let stand 15 minutes before serving

Notes: This makes for a turkey that is full of flavor, moist, tender, and golden brown.

Number of servings: 8 - 10

Chapter 69.93: If I Only Had a Name

The little girl has been christened with a name. Meet Oreo. Her mom wouldn't allow any clothing-related names that dad suggested, such as Tuxedo, Mukluk, or Bowtie. (All right, I actually didn't suggest Bowtie -- even I think that's a dumb name for a cat.) Since little Oreo has been confined to my wife's home office for the past few days, I suggested we name her after the cat from The Office. However, I couldn't picture either of us calling this cat Sprinkles, and that cat's life ends badly. No one needs to be saddled with that kind of ominous name. And Fart Monster wasn't kind either, though incredibly appropriate so far.

And mom wasn't keen on Orca, either. But Oreo's coloring, which inspired the Orca appellation, led to her eventual name.

Oreo also has a job. Like most kids these days, she's comfortable with technology and has already become quite familiar with the keyboard, the CD-ROMs, and of course the mouse. So Oreo has become the IT Specialist -- as seen above. Note: the photo a couple posts ago of a kitten with a toy computer is not actually our little Oreo but an incredible facsimile. That post was created before this little bundle of shaky nerves (she likes coffee, too) entered our yard and our lives.

We Owe It To Our Children

Today I submitted a letter to the editor in the Grants Pass Daily Courier. It's an experiment. Since local citizens openly opine and moralize on their favorite issues, I figured, why not me? Let the conversation with the culture begin.

We Owe It To Our Children

Family restoration is one of the most urgent needs of our day. As the family goes, so goes the nation. The home is the foundation of faith and virtue, and when the family crumbles, the entire structure of society is at risk. Today divorce and dysfunction are so common as to appear normal. Is it any wonder that a nation of broken vows and broken homes has produced so many broken contracts and broken laws and broken lives.

But here’s a note of optimism. It’s never too late for parents to turn their hearts toward home. A spark of conscience may yet ignite the hearts of fathers, and prompt them to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to their families. Men and women may yet devote themselves to honoring their God and their country through faithfulness in marriage and a commitment to train up virtuous sons and daughters.

The prophet Malachi declared God’s promise to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest [He] come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction” (Malachi 4:6). Clearly, God is serious about families; and fathers in particular.

Parents, let your marriage and your family be your most important earthly project. Men and women, let your faith in Christ be the uniting focus of your home. Moms and dads, let your career path, your finances, your leisure, every choice you make be consistent with your commitments to lead and guide your children into the next generation. You owe it to your kids. You owe it to your country. You owe it to your God.

Pastor John Sleadd
Coram Deo Church

Bandages are sexy?

New scans from Famitsu reveals Ada’s bandaged look for Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles. The game came out this week so more news should be out shortly. I’m definitely picking up a Wii Zapper so this is on my short list of titles I’m interested in, but $50 is pretty steep.

In addition to the snow suits shown previously, this is an exciting trend of variant/new outfits for familiar characters. I’m not a fan of bandages as a fashion statement though.

Chapter 69.9: New Arrival

We've been blessed with a challenge. An abandoned kitten discovered our home the other day, and -- despite our established cat's initial objections -- we've brought this little girl into our family. She's going to be a handful, I'm sure, but she's starving for attention and love.

Her big brother will be getting lots of love and attention too, as he's got to know he's still #1. But in time we hope he'll be a good older brother. We expect he'll let us know pretty soon whether he can handle the change, and it will have to be on his terms.

Thanksgiving Tribute

Three cheers for the English Pilgrims who founded the Plymouth Colony in America and celebrated their first harvest with a Thanksgiving Feast.

We know them as a group of English Separatists who broke from the corrupt, state church to form a “civil body politic” based upon steadfast Christian principles. Their efforts in self-government and private industry flourished, and the foundations of a new, freedom loving, Christian nation were laid. Independence from an oppressive English empire followed, as did the formation of a constitutional republic, based on the rule of law rather than the will of a human monarch. We celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in remembrance of God’s blessing upon these Pilgrims and this nation at the outset.

Benjamin Hart describes the Pilgrims in his book, Faith And Freedom: The Christian Roots of American Liberty.

A group of separatists, under the leadership of John Robinson, formed a house-church congregation in the home of Postmaster William Brewster in order to avoid arrest and execution. Many of Robinson’s followers were at one time, well-to-do Englishmen, with good educations from Cambridge University, and had bright futures ahead of them if they had merely conformed themselves to the English Church. Instead, they lost their homes and all their possessions to tax collectors, officers of the state, and unscrupulous shippers. They were unwelcome in their native country because they believed that the Bible, not the king of England, should be the final authority, not only on matters of faith, but in all areas of life. In their view, James came under the rule of Christ, Christ did not come under the rule of James. Their insistence on this one point caused them many personal hardships—but in the end would make possible the emergence of the freest, and most fervently Christian society in the history of man.

It is fitting that we give thanks to God for His hand of mercy and care upon those who established our nation. The flight of the Pilgrims from persecution in England and from moral corruption in Holland reminds us of the plight of Christians today. On the one hand the antagonistic, secular state seeks to marginalize sincere faith through its persistent campaign of multiculturalism and moral relativism in the public schools and legal institutions. On the other hand the American cutlure is awash in self-absorbed materialism. The Evangelical Church has all too often compromised the Gospel call of redemption in order to be “seeker friendly” and relevant. Rarely do we hear about taking up our cross these days.

Perhaps it is time to call the saints out of the culture again. The Bible warns us to not be unequally yoked with unbelievers, and commands us to be separate from them (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). It states that those who accommodate the world system act as enemies toward God (James 4:4). It’s important to not equate separation from the world with isolationism, however. The Pilgrims certainly didn’t view things that way. Plymouth Plantation Governor William Bradford wrote,

Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone to many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; the glorious name of Jehova have all the praise.

Puritan Governor John Winthrop of Colonial Massachusetts wrote,

For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken...we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God...We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us til we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going.

I thank God for the work of the Pilgrims and the Puritans who labored before us to build a Christian nation founded upon the principles of freedom. They are part of the great cloud of witnesses who surround us and cheer us on in our walk of faith (Hebrews 12:1). I pray the legacy of freedom we received will be cherished and advanced until our Lord returns.

Digital Picture Contests for Best Santas

SantaSuits.com is sponsoring digital picture contests for the best adult Santa suits, funniest Santa suits and even the best pet Santa.

Categories for the digital picture contests include "Santa of the Year," "Most Original Santa," "Funniest Santa," "Jr. Santa," and "Pet Santa." The Grand prize "Santa of the Year" winner receives $500 in Extreme Halloween Network Gift Certificates that can be used at any of the networks 11 websites.

For more information on SantaSuit.com's digital photo contests, visit http://santasuits.com/entryform.htm for official rules and entry information.

Chapter 69.8: A Mathematician's Proposal

In my daily search for new and interesting news, I recently came across an interesting post on the site of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. It was written by a mathematician who was expanding on remarks Paul Krugman made in his blog about economics.

Krugman wrote, "I'll be using this space to present the kind of information I can't provide on the printed page -- especially charts and tables, which are crucial to the way I think about most of the issues I write about." Krugman then introduces a graph that presents a picture of income distribution in the country by displaying the share of total income earned by the richest 10 percent of Americans.

The mathematician, Michael C. Burke, then goes into an interesting discussion about Krugman's observations on the seemingly idyllic period of the 1950s -- the time during which "Middle Class America" became the symbol that it was for much of the '70s and '80s and into the '90s. America's golden period of equality. Krugman had supplied a chart of income distribution, which showed a relative flat period in which income was more equitably shared. In case anyone was unclear, such equality no longer exists in America. Since the 1980s -- the late '80s especially (and I suspect that has a lot to do with the tax reform act of 1986, though I'm no economist) -- the United States has seen its share of income diverge quickly. To show that this isn't simply about which party is in power, the Democrats were in power in Congress during the late '80s and the Republicans had their Newt Revolution in the mid '90s, when Krugman's "Great Divergence" occured; moreover, Reagan and Clinton were the presidents at those respective times.

But Burke has a broader comment to make. He calls for teachers -- especially college professors -- to redesign their curricula.

[M]y larger point here is that the content of our thoughts and the depth of our understanding are dependent on the tools we bring to the task. What we think is intertwined with how we think. And the ability to think in terms of quantitative data, in terms of tables and graphs, is indispensable for understanding our modern world. This should be part of what we teach all our students -- not just students in selected courses or selected majors.

With that aim in mind, I would propose that we begin by redesigning our freshman and sophomore writing programs in order to place a significant emphasis on working with quantitative data, and on the visual representation of that data. We write, after all, to figure out what we think. And we ask our students to write so that they will learn how to think.

This is not the first time I've heard this argument, but I think Burke proposes it well. I don't work as a professor, though I was trained as a teacher, and I've toyed with the idea of tutoring math and English on the side -- perhaps as soon as next fall. Burke is right, in my opinion, but I'm not sure whether his direction is the right one; I think he's right that we need to inform our youth better about how to think and how to recognize absurdities in mathematical "answers." But I think it goes beyond teaching freshman.

I heartily recommend that everyone read John Allen Paulos's book Innumeracy. He cleverly points out how badly most Americans -- not simply students -- handle simple math problems. Percentages, probabilities. He helps readers recognize the flaws in their reasoning. If we can teach a couple generations of Americans how to reason, boy that would help improve our state in the world.

Holiday Costume Outlook

Guitar Hero III - I picked this up the other day and hope to have some costume pics next week. Once again there is at least one alternate outfit, but there are a whole bunch more color and style variations. Hopefully there are more than what I’ve seen already.

Virtua Fighter 5 Xbox 360 – I haven’t had time to pick this up, but I’m both excited and a bit intimidated by its promise of 75% more items to buy/unlock over the PS3 version.

Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles – RE games almost always have extra costumes although I’m not sure how useful it will be since you don’t see your character that much. These snow outfits are new. Most likely they are just tied to a new level and not something that is unlocked. We’ll see.

Folklore – Aside from VF5, this probably has the most costume potential. It’s been out for a few weeks and I’ve been waiting to see if there is some holiday sale before committing.

Soul Calibur Legends – None of the footage or screens I’ve seen so far reveal extra outfits. This is going to greatly depend on impulses at the store that week.

Rock Band – I don’t know if there are featured characters like in GH so that will determine whether outfits are involved. At this point I’m only planning on buying the game (that is if the GH controller still works with it) and picking up drums whenever they become available (I already have mics).

Chapter 69.7: Random Q&A on a Sunny, New York Morning

Q: Why do commuter trains scheduled to arrive at a certain time sometimes arrive several minutes later?
A: A variety of reasons, most of which are beyond the control of the train's engineer or conductor. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Read a book. Do a puzzle. Catch up on sleep.

Q: Why is it cold in early November when the sun is shining so brightly and the sky is blue?
A: It has to do with direct sunlight and the angle of the planet. The earth is actually closer to the sun during the winter -- at least in the Northern hemisphere. But the sun's rays strike a more glancing blow across the Northern hemisphere at that time. Seasons change. Talk to the moon.

Q: Why did Mets third baseman David Wright win the Gold Glove award?
A: Because it's a popularity contest, like most things in life. He works hard, plays hard, everyone likes him, and he deserves to be liked. In a few years when he has the inevitable bad year or one of his parents gets sick or, God forbid, dies, and he lashes out at the fanbase that doesn't seem to understand why he can't hit .315 and hit 30 homers every year, then he'll look back and question why he plays a kids game. Then it'll come back to him, and he'll rebound with an MVP-caliber season. Because he's a damn good ball player, that's why.

Q: Why do bad things happen to good people?
A: Because Einstein was wrong, and God does play with dice. In fact, the Almighty has a bit of a problem, but he refuses to go into a 12-step program because he doesn't believe in a higher power. Who are we to tell God he's wrong?

Q: Why is oatmeal bland?
A: It's a twist on the previous two questions. Good things happen to people, but they're not necessarily exciting. And working hard isn't always its own reward, sometimes you need a lower cholesterol count too. Think of oatmeal as your quest to win the Gold Glove award. Most players don't think of it that way, but then strikeouts are on the rise too. Go figure.

Q: Are there aliens?
A: Of course. They stream in over the border every day. I've met legal aliens, and they work hard and care about their families, and I'm generally happy to know them.

Q: No, I mean space aliens?
A: We've sent about two dozen people to another planet. Some did a fly-by, twelve walked there; they all returned. These days we keep our space aliens in near-earth orbit.

Q: Seriously, I mean beings from another planet?
A: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.

Q: Why won't you answer my questions?
A: I've answered everything you ask. You simply don't like all my answers. Next time, don't vote for me. The personal accolades are nice, but I'm just happy to help out the team.

The Missional, Family-Integrated Church

John Sleadd, November 5, 2007

What does it mean to be a missional, family-integrated church? It means that families are equipped as a team to live a Great Commission lifestyle. As families study the Bible, worship, pray and serve together, they are molded into ambassadors for Christ. Their homes become places of ministry for the Gospel.

Family-integration is not an end, it is a means. It is a method by which we further God’s kingdom through discipleship. A family-integrated church strives to teach sound doctrine to all ages inclusively in order to fulfill the Great Commission. This is wonderfully suited for training new believers and the un-churched as well. The establishment of household embassies, led by disciple-making fathers, creates a missionary network able to minister to people all over a community.

Family-integration is more than establishing a like-minded community of believers. Pastor Mark Driscoll, in his book, Confessions of a Reformission Rev, writes: “Without a clear definition of what a missional church community is and does, tragically, community will become the mission of the church. Consequently, the goal of the people will be to hang out together in love, like the family they never had. While this is not evil, it is also not sufficient. If taken too far, this can lead to the heresy of participatory redemption, in which the goal is to have authentic friendships and a loving community instead of repentance and personal faith in Jesus Christ as the means of salvation.”

Evangelism is the short term work of proclaiming the Gospel to all who will hear. Discipleship is the long term training of those who come to faith by hearing that Gospel. The beauty of a family-integrated model of discipleship is that it carries the work of ministry to the next generation.

Coram Deo is committed to uniting church and home, with a missional purpose, for the benefit of both. We believe God has strategically placed men in the crucial discipling role of leading their families and raising their children in the fear and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). When men recognize the missionary potential resident in their homes, a fuse is lit that leads to a powder keg of ministry, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail.

Coram Deo Church is calling men into the Lord’s service in obedience to the Great Commission. Our goal is to equip ambassadors. May God stir the hearts of men into the glorious service of expanding His kingdom.

Chapter 69.6: This is Fun!

Before I go too far, I was looking for an image to depict juvenile aliens, and when I found the one I finally selected I couldn't help but laugh. Every once in a while, the world needs a little PG-13 in an otherwise family site.

Anyway, back to my point: While I'm nowhere near the pace I need to reach my goal of 50,000 words, I'm enjoying the story I've created for my NaNo WriMo entry. It's a quasi-science fiction work. I won't go into too much detail here, but I'm writing about alien abductions (no, I've never experienced one, thank God) and college. And it's chock full of goofy stuff and oddball characters, which is as I like it. I generally write serious stuff in which some characters might have a good sense of humor, but I've been reading a lot of Christopher Moore the past year or so, and I'm really enjoying the funny, irreverent way he can tell a story. This is my homage to Christopher Moore.

Hopefully, some of my fellow writers will visit. Stop for a moment and sip a cupa coffee. Talk some trash, or spin a yarn, or cast aspersions. I won't judge.

Failing Forward In Church Planting

When I was asked to take over as pastor of Coram Deo Church I was told to expect turnover in the congregation. It happened. It was painful. I decided to do some research on church planting and survivability to help me put things in perspective.

It appears that most new churches in America never make it to their third birthday. The ones that survive often end up with a different group of people from those who started it. I discovered some interesting advice online to help me, copied and pasted below.

(http://www.nextinitiative.net/)
Are You Called To The Extreme Sport of Ministry?
Start with a crowd, not a core group.
The larger the seeker crowd, the more potential impact of the Word of God.

(http://www.churchplanting.com/)
There are two inexcusable things people will not tolerate for more than two weeks – guaranteed. You need ...
1. a healthy and safe nursery (you knew that already)
2. a kick a%$ message at least 80% of the time.

(http://reformed.net/ncd/snapper.html)
The church planting reality is quite different from the rosy picture promised. The Church Growth Movement may not have done anything to change membership growth for most congregations.

(http://www.acts29network.org/article/church-planting-landmines)
Learning from failure is a key concept in life and successful church planting. When asked about his hundreds of failed attempts to invent the lightbulb before experiencing success, Thomas Edison simply said that he had discovered all the ways not to produce the lightbulb. Church planting is no different. It needs to be seen as a process of 'failing forward.'

On the one hand, it seems that Coram Deo needs a nursery, a celebrity speaker and a crowd to be successful. On the other hand, perhaps the church growth hype should be ignored. Maybe it’s best to stay true to our vision. So what exactly is the vision?

Coram Deo is called to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We delight in the things of God and in the fellowship of one another. We call ourself a family-integrated, disciple-making church. Our passion is to release the power of the God’s Word and Spirit in the heart and home of every Christian. Our goal is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. We regard our homes as multigenerational embassies of discipleship, hospitality and ministry where the Gospel is lived out. We believe Christian fathers are an undertapped spiritual resource for the advancement of the Lord’s kingdom. We believe the faith that flourishes at home has the power to transform and restore the culture.

Such a vision is counter to the latest church growth marketing strategies. It may seem like a recipe for slow growth or failure. But I am optimistic. Revival may be on the way. “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6). I invite you to join me as we “fail forward” together.

Sincerely,

Pastor John

After Halloween Costume Sale!

Our biggest sale of the year! 20% OFF

After Halloween Sale Details

Featured Baby Costumes on Sale

Featured Boy's Costumes on Sale

Featured Girl's Costumes on Sale

Featured Women's Costumes on Sale

Featured Men's Costumes on Sale

What to do with all that Halloween Candy??

So Halloween night is over and your sugar rush is still on high speed! Here's an awesome idea for using up some of your Halloween candy and still keeping the Halloween spirit and celebration going strong:

Make a chocolate and candy Haunted House centerpiece for your Halloween party this weekend!

• Chocolate Hershey bars made great walls and roof.



• Nonpareils make great shingles on your roof.



• Line up a Candy Corn fence



• Jelly Beans create a stone pathway effect.



• "Fun Size" candy bars like Snickers and Baby Ruth make great coffins in the graveyard.



• Orange slices can be the headstones.



• Pumpkin and Ghost Marshmallow Peeps and gummy worms are a haunted addition to the graveyard.



• Mix and match from whatever candy you have leftover- be creative and have fun!
  

For more details, see the full recipe and instructions on the FoodNetwork.com

Clinton vs. Giuliani, Halloween Matchup

In a fun article on Halloween costumes, Americans were polled on the leading presidential candidates:

The Associated Press and Ipsos asked Americans to pick which candidates would make the scariest Halloween costumes. Naturally, frontrunners Senator Hillary Clinton and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani won in their respective political parties (there were separate polls for the two parties). Clinton led Democrats with 37% while Giuliani had 14%, and no other candidates broke 6%, giving them resounding wins. And we found this interesting: "While a predictable two-thirds of Republicans picked [Clinton], she also was the choice of 18 percent of Democrats. Among members of her own party, that made her second only to Giuliani as the scariest costume."

Take the poll yourself here.

Moviefone's Best Horror Movies Countdown

Picture from www.best-horror-movies.com

The Movie Fone Website has been running a countdown all October of the 31 scariest movies of all time. Their #1 was just announced yesterday and here is a countdown of their top 10 scariest horror movies of all time:

10. 28 Days Later (2002)
9. The Haunting (1963)
8. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
7. The Thing (1982)
6. The Sixth Sense (1999)
5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
4. The Shining (1980)
3. Psycho (1960)
2. The Exorcist (1973)

and the #1 Best Horror Movie of all Time:

1. Halloween (1978)
Oft-emulated but never equaled, John Carpenter's moody masterpiece is as terrifying today as it was 29 years ago. Vacant-eyed Michael Myers is soulless evil personified, the score bone-chilling, the cinematography eerily sublime and the overall impression unshakeable. Put simply, it is horror perfection.

See MovieFone's entire list of the Best Horror Movies