Yesterday was Father’s Day, a day to recognize the man of the family.  So why do we enjoy buying gifts for “Dear Old Dad” we would never buy for anyone else in our life?  Here’s an example:

• Superman boxers with a cape
• Bacon strip adhesive bandages
• Alcohol breathalyzer keychain
• Snore reducing pillow
• Tie

No I have not received any of the gifts listed above…well…ok…the tie…and it was Batman not Superman boxers…but anyway, to answer the question as to why we buy these gifts for ”Dear Old Dad”, it’s because the behavior of most Dads warrants a fun gift.  Dads have a way of reminding the rest of us, “Don’t take life too seriously…nobody gets out alive.”

Photo by Dave Gostisha

Today is my birthday, yes, 52 years ago my mother gave birth to a 7 lbs. 6 oz. baby boy born at 7:36 a.m., but that’s not what this day is truly about.  In the United States, “Flag Day” is celebrated on June 14^th as well. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on that day in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.

I am not certain if this occurred, but sometime earlier this week; past Presidents of the United States issued a proclamation urging U.S. citizens to fly the American flag for the duration of the week. The flag is also to be displayed on all government buildings. Some organizations hold parades and events in celebration of America’s national flag.

We are proud of the American Flag and the sacrifice and history it represents in the Mayhew household.  In fact, the American flag is one of the first objects my grandkids learned to identify, outside of the home, when they were just tiny-tots.  So although my Mother always felt this day was all about me, as most Mothers would, the rest of the country knows June 14^th as Flag Day.  Flag Day…what a great day to be born.

Enjoy Your Weekend

In February 2012, the U.S. Air Force removed the Latin word for “God” from the logo of an Air Force acquisitions office.  Now, a video tribute to the Air Force’s first sergeants was recently removed from the YouTube channel of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey because the video starts with, “On the eighth day, God looked down on His creation and said, ‘I need someone who will take care of the airmen’, so God created a first sergeant.”

Lost in the shuffle this month because of the news from the first paragraph, is another Air Force decision causing concern.  An Air Force base in southwestern Idaho has removed a Scripture-based painting from one of its dining halls after a complaint was submitted by an activist group that seeks to keep religion out of the U.S. military.  The painting is entitled “Blessed Are the Peacemakers” and the scripture to reference is written on the bottom, Matthew 5:9.

What’s next?  In my futuristic thriller, Donovan’s Law, the only place left to worship God is within the walls of a government sanctioned church.   If one is caught proselytizing in the name of Jesus outside  of the church walls, those who are not immediately executed are sent to prison.  Futuristic fact or fantasy fiction?  Only time will tell…

I believe most Americans were already aware that our “right to privacy”, to some extent, was slightly eroded after the attacks of 9-11 and the signing of “The Patriot Act”.  The only thing the Verizon scandal has done is to put the rest of our country on notice.  However, the National Security Agency (NSA) has been monitoring potential “threats” for decades.  So who are the NSA and how do they do it?

The NSA was founded in 1952 and is located in Georgia, Texas, Colorado, and Hawaii. Its job is to use the world’s most cutting edge supercomputers and arguably the largest database storage sites to crunch and sift through immense amounts of data. The information it gathers and analyzes blurs the line between reality and fantasy for most of us.  In a nutshell, the information is stolen.  Data from a foreign official’s laptop is taken by a CIA officer overseas, code intercepted by a Navy spy plane flying off the Chinese coast is confiscated, or, as disturbing as this may be to Americans, it also includes the gathering of U.S. phone records and internet search histories of individuals especially if you use Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Yahoo.

With the NSA and CIA working closely hand-in-hand, its most recent and notable success story was the hunt and removal of Osama bin Laden.  It continues to seek out Al-Qaida operatives and expose threats that would destroy the U.S.A. either internally or externally.  So is this “Big Brother” at its best?  Probably, but are we really surprised?  The Bible has been predicting a global government that will control how you buy, sell, and worship since the Book of Revelation was written in the New Testament approximately 2,000 years ago.  Do I think this is “that” government…no, but advancements in technology have definitely made government control more of a possibility.

http://www.rr.com/politics/topic/article/rr/55255090/86297413/NSA_The_finder_and_keeper_of_countless_US_secrets

• The oldest known goldfish lived to be 41 years-old. Its name was Fred.
• In 1987, a 1,400-year-old lump of still-edible cheese was unearthed in Ireland.
• About a third of all Americans flush the toilet while they’re still sitting on it.
• You’re more likely to get stung by a bee on a windy day that in any other weather.
• In the early ’80s, a toad was discovered that meows instead of croaking.
• An average person laughs about 15 times a day.
• Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.
• The average person is about a quarter of an inch taller at night.
• A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 600 m.p.h.
• Watch out for flying hockey pucks – they travel at up to 100 mph.
• Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn’t wear pants.
• The average bank teller loses about $250 every year.
• Every person has a unique tongue print.
• Pollsters say that 40% of dog and cat owners carry pictures of the pets in their wallets.
• Only 55% of all Americans know that the sun is a star.
• Even if you cut off a cockroach’s head, it can live for several weeks.
• Most American car horns honk in the key of F.
• The world population of chickens is about equal to the number of people.
• Every time Beethoven sat down to write music, he poured ice water over his head.
• It’s against the law to catch fish with your bare hands in Kansas.
• Most lipstick contains fish scales.
• Mosquitos have teeth.
• The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley.
• Most cows give more milk when they listen to music.
• Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark.

Enjoy Your Weekend

Photo by Athewma

“A cyborg is sent from the future on a deadly mission. He has to kill Sarah Connor, a young woman whose life will have a great significance in years to come”…(insert audible record scratch followed by a deep husky voice-over asking, “Wait, what?”) In a theme right from “The Terminator ” trilogy, a United Nations’ (U.N.) human rights expert warned that nations should agree to a moratorium on developing robots for war that can function autonomously before it is too late to stop their use. 

The human rights expert asked for a temporary freeze on producing or using so-called “killer robots”, saying it would give nations time to think through the implications of creating them while “the genie is still in the bottle” technologically.  His concern is that programming machines to kill without humans making decisions could encourage more wars and make it more difficult to hold anyone accountable for war crimes.  Are we really at the point where this has become a topic for discussion among our world leaders?  This must be where, with a collective global voice, we yell, “Uncle!”

“The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. But He replied to them, ‘When it is evening, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.” Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times?’” (Matthew 16:1-3)

http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/05/30/un-human-rights-expert-urges-moratorium-on-developing-killer-robots/

Photo by Ramzi Hashisho

Last week during an aggressive fire fight by the Houston Fire Department, four firefighters were killed and 14 were taken to the hospital when a portion of motel collapsed during their search and rescue attempt.  Fire officials said the fire was the deadliest in the 118-year history of the department. 

Those who made the ultimate sacrifice were Capt. Matthew Renaud, 35, who was with the department for 11½ years, Engineer Operator Robert Bebee, 41, who joined the department almost 12 years ago, Firefighter Robert Garner, 29, who joined the department 2½ years ago, and 24 year-old Firefighter Anne Sullivan who had just graduated from the Houston Fire Academy one month ago.

Please join me in praying that our gracious Lord will show His compassion for the firefighters and family members left behind (Psalm 116:5).

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/01/4-firefighters-killed-in-houston-fire-mourned/2380915/

Photo by Kevin Rohr

When I visited China a few years ago, I had the opportunity to eat deep-fried honey bees.  The funny thing is they taste like chicken…just kidding.  I did eat deep-fried honey bees but they taste sweet like honey and “yes” the stingers were removed.  Knowing bugs and insects have been on the food menu in other cultures for years, the following blog does not surprise me:

“Researchers say Thailand is showing the world how to respond to the global food crisis: by raising bugs for eating.  The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization released a study and handbook Tuesday on what they call ‘six-legged livestock’ — edible bugs and worms that can help meet global food demand that is expected to grow 60 percent by 2050. The agency says they provide a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

“The study was conducted in Thailand, where insects including crickets, grasshoppers and bamboo worms have long been a part of diets, especially in rural areas.  Entomologist Yupa Hanboonsong says about 200 insect species are eaten in Thailand. Cricket farming alone is already a $30 million industry there, but only a few other species have been commercially marketed.”

It might not be a bad idea to have a backyard BBQ soon and enjoy the taste of cow or chicken.  Who knows, this time next year we may be eating Rollie-Pollie burgers and flys.

Enjoy Your Weekend

http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/55255121/85538802/Thailand_urged_to_explore_edible_insect_market

A new Department of Homeland Security intelligence bulletin warns it could be “impossible” to stop 3D-printed guns, known as Liberators, from being made and getting carried past security checkpoints.  “This is a serious threat,” the law enforcement source said. “These could defeat magnetometers.”  A Magnetometer is a screening device used to detect weapons at high-profile events such as those attended by the President.  The only security procedure to catch the Liberator is a pat down. Can you imagine the time it will take to pat-down everyone each time we attempt to enter a major sporting event or entertainment venue? 

How can this gun get passed detection?  It is made primarily out of plastic and manufacturers may deliberately omit the unnecessary metal insert, leaving only a small nail and ammunition as the sole metal component. With the speed technology moves today, it will not take long for future designs to either reduce or eliminate the metal entirely.  In addition, decreasing 3D printer costs are likely to mean even more sophisticated printed guns will become easier to acquire. 

The most concerning part to me is unqualified gun seekers may be able to acquire or manufacture their own Liberators with no background checks.  The bulletin also stated, “Even if the practice is prohibited by new legislation, online distribution of these digital files will be as difficult to control as any other illegally traded music, movie or software files.”

…and based on the photo, they look like squirt guns so now our law enforcement officers will face an even greater challenge determining if the weapon being pointed in their direction is real or fake.  All I can offer in hope to the officers on the street is a quote from Matthew Chapter 5,  Verse 9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/23/govt-memo-warns-3d-printed-guns-may-be-impossible-to-stop/

Today is the day set aside for the wife seen sprawled in grief across her husband’s coffin.   It’s for the teenage son who swears he is going to be just like his dad as they spread his ashes across the ocean.  It’s for the little daughter who will never know how much joy it brought her daddy when he would be home on leave and go for those long walks holding her hand, talking about the flowers God made.  It’s for the parents that cry out in the night as they grip their daughter’s Purple Heart which she never knew she earned.  It’s for you and I who may not realize the sacrifice others have made on our behalf so we can enjoy the freedom that comes with being an American.

May God bless the families and loved ones left behind.  We thank you for sharing your family member with us and for the sacrifice both you and they have made.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2Corinthians 1:3-4)