Lost in Time

Who Appointed Me “God”?

2012-03-28T18:26:00.001-04:00

I recently shared a story with a close friend that always makes me smile when I tell it, and always reminds me that I’m not “all that.” When we lived in Louisiana, I gave the Sunday’s children’s sermon at Ingleside United Methodist Church and was chaplain for the Mother’s Day Out program.

One Sunday morning when I was giving the children's sermon in Baton Rouge, I said to the kids "watch this, it's fun" and stood up and faced the congregation. I told everyone to stand up (no "please"), and they did. Then I told them to raise their hands in the air and shake them back and forth (again, no "please"), and they did. I told them to sit down, and they did.

I turned to the kids and asked, "Did you see that? Do you know why all these grownups did what I told them to do without even saying please?" and a little voice in the back said, "Because you're God?"

I was stunned into speechlessness and instantly humbled.

Not me; not Ingleside United Methodist Church, but
you get the idea.

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-25T21:07:00.000-05:00

Source Unknown

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-16T19:44:00.000-05:00

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-15T20:44:00.001-05:00

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-14T21:19:00.000-05:00

"La Bella Notte" with the real Lady and Tramp

2012-02-14T18:15:00.000-05:00

Fans of the 1955 Disney Classic Lady and the Tramp, one of the American Film Institutes “100 Greatest Love Stories of All Time,” will be excited to learn that it is now available in a “Diamond Edition” on Blu-ray and DVD. In honor of this significant event, Walt Disney Studios created a video clip with real dogs re-enacting the unforgettable spaghetti dinner scene. It’s impossible to resist the sparkle in Lady’s eyes as she shares spaghetti and meatballs with Tramp. Resisting those meatballs won't be a problem.

To see the scene from the 1955 animated film, click here.In case you’re not familiar with Lady and the Tramp, it is the story of a lovely, refined, American cocker spaniel (Lady) who becomes involved with a roguish mutt, the Tramp. Lady and the Tramp is also the film with the wonderfully-nasty, singing Siamese cats (video here).

Lady and the Tramp was the 15th in the Disney “Animated Classics” series.

"La Bella Notte" with the real Lady and Tramp - Knoxville DVD | Examiner.com

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-13T12:47:00.001-05:00

Image: inmagine.com

Source Unknown

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-11T15:48:00.000-05:00

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-09T13:42:00.000-05:00

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-08T10:56:00.000-05:00

Vote for Marriage NC | VoteForMarriageNC.com

2012-02-07T13:19:00.001-05:00

This is a screen shot of an ad running on the 'net ( Vote for Marriage NC | VoteForMarriageNC.com). The group is apparently anti marriage equality, and the headline asks:

Should gay marriage activists redefine marriage for everyone in North Carolina?

That should be a simple yes/no opinion question, but in the text of the ad there are two conflicting questions, followed by the Yes and No check off fields:

Do you believe the voters of North Carolina should decide the definition of marriage?
Or should gay marriage activists redefine marriage for everyone?

No matter which way one votes, what is one voting in favor of? This is sort of like the question "Would you like to be stabbed in the eye with a knitting needle or given a million dollars? Answer yes or no." It's easy enough to answer if you want to be both stabbed in the eye and given the money, or if you don't. However, "yes" or "no" does not indicate which you are choosing, if you have a preference.

By the way, as far as I can tell, gay activists are not trying to redefine marriage for everyone in North Carolina (or the United States, for that matter), but to expand the legal definition of marriage (or--in my view--remove the discriminatory aspects of the current law).

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2012-02-07T12:26:00.001-05:00

Keeping the dark from the light...

2011-12-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

My husband just came in from outdoors and said, "It's cool in the shade, but it's warm in the sun. Any ideas how we can separate them?" "Separate the shade and the sun?," I ask, thinking I guess we could burn down all the trees. No. He had mentioned a while ago taking ONE of the dogs for a walk and this was a continuation of THAT conversation. Silly me--I forgot to put my mindreading cap on this morning.

S'long 2011!

2011-12-27T13:47:00.000-05:00

A Christmas Parody ('Twas the night before...)

2011-12-17T22:36:00.002-05:00

bob’s

many nights

before Christmas…

by Rocky Etier (translation by bob)

‘‘Twas a night in November, and to Mama’s alarm

Christmas music was playing all over the farm.

Long before Christmas the madness had started;

She once had the spirit but it had departed.

The dogs and the cats did not seem to mind it;

They knew that their dad was the one who’s behind it.

And though he could not leave the stereo alone,

They’d all get their treats, a toy or a bone.

Then from the kitchen there arose such a ruckus

The cats and the dogs thought that lightning had struck us.

Dad stuck in his head to see what mom had done

And discovered that Mama was just having fun.

Wearing her jeans and one of her hoodies,

She’d covered the table with all kinds of goodies.

Egg rolls and bagels and cream cheese so white

Shared space with the candies, and nothing was “lite.”

She blasted her music, a lot of it punk;

Dad started to think “the old lady is drunk.”

There was too much food on that holiday table,

But she kept serving more, who knew she was able?

Now cupcakes! now, cookies! now, latkes and pralines!

On, cheesecake! on, pastas! on mushrooms and ice creams!
She piled food high, to the top of the wall!
And yelled at the dogs, “Don’t dare touch it, y’all!”

As nestlings decide when it’s time to de-nest,

Mama decided “it’s time to get dressed.”

We were all kinda scared what she might put on,

What holidaywear, dear Mama would don.

But then, in a twinkling, we heard her come back;

And over her shoulder she carried a sack.
I got out of the way to let her pass by,
And noticed that Dad was rolling his eyes.

She was dressed all in pink, from her head to her toe,
And the tilt of her head said “she’s ready to roll.”
She put down her bag and began to unpack it,
Resulting, of course, in an unearthly racket.

Her eyes how they twinkled! Her dimples how merry--

As she pulled out a pie; I think it was berry!

I started to wonder if this was a dream

When out came some sprinkles and chocolate whip cream.

A cork from champagne she held tight in her teeth,
As she told us to join in the holiday feast.

She served lots of crackers and a bowl full of dip,

Salsa, cannolis, and even prune whip

She poured the champagne in a tall crystal flute

And asked everyone, “How ‘bout a toot?”

A wink of her eye, like a shot from a gun,

Warned the festivities had only begun.

She spoke not a word as she filled all our plates,

And brought out the beer and the figs and the dates.
And laying her finger aside of her nose,
And giving a nod, a toast she proposed!

She sprang from her chair, and started to shout,

(the wine had gone straight to her head, there’s no doubt)

But I heard her exclaim, ‘fore she dozed on the couch,

"One more holiday song and you’re getting’ thrown out!"

Happy Whatever!

2011-12-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

AllVoices: Citizen Journalism Gone Bad

2011-10-03T09:54:00.001-04:00

Note: I spent five months as a writer for AllVoices.com. Dedicating all my time to writing, I seldom checked what anyone else might be posting. Being lazy, I never checked the site out when I decided to join, but instead relied on information supplied by someone else. When I became aware of the plagiarism and pornography extant on AllVoices, I had to seriously reconsider my position. When I found an article that included a graphic description of sexual activities involving a child, I could neither read the entire article nor continue writing for AllVoices. Although AllVoices management will sometimes delete plagiarized or pornographic articles when brought to its attention, it's like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon. I was not affected by payment issues, particularly because there is a $100 minimum for payouts, and I had not quite reached that amount. The amount I earned, and could continue to earn, is insignificant to the damage being connected to the site would do to my reputation and psyche. Sadly, there are technical advantages writing for the platform which I enjoyed and regret that I couldn't continue.

There is something noble about citizen journalism, the concept of members of the public "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information." It sounds so, I dunno, democratic. The type of citizen journalism practiced on the internet allows—anyone who has one—the opportunity to share an opinion as well as news.

Since simple explanations are often the most efficient, here is citizen journalism as defined by About.com – Journalism, “Put very simply, citizen journalism is when private individuals do essentially what professional reporters do - report information… it's basically all about communicating information of some kind.”

Technorati offers a platform for citizen journalists who must submit a sample of their work before being accepted as a writer, and that employs a cadre of editors to check the work before it’s published. Some other sites allow self-publishing with oversight, assign articles, or allow writers a narrow field about which to write. Some limit the types of content or news they accept, others will accept anything (or just about anything). Some of them pay, some of them don’t.

One of the things that some people don’t appear to understand about citizen journalism is that it is written by citizen journalists. As such, they are expected to have a decent command of spelling, grammar, and writing skills in the language of their audiences. It would make as much sense for a site to become identified with atrocious writing as it would for a news-oriented site to become identified with pornography.

Some people “sleep around,” I “write around.” I like to have a home base for which I do the majority of my writing and other sites for articles that don’t quite fit the environment of my home base, either because they are highly opinionated, controversial essays, personal or autobiographical, or they are on a subject that isn’t included in the home site’s coverage. In so doing, I’ve sampled a half-dozen or so sites, some that were an okay match, and I occasionally contribute to three or four of them.

A friend recommended AllVoices.com, a citizen journalism news site that welcomes all writers, allows self-publishing, and does not employ editors. I like the immediacy of self-publishing—seeing what I’ve written available to my thousands of fans (ahem…) as soon as I’m satisfied with the article. I believe I can communicate well enough, I have a decent grasp of spelling and grammar, and I have honed my writing skills in various positions over the course of decades. I have no delusions of being a great writer, but I think I’m okay.

AllVoices allows anyone from anywhere to write, and the site has thousands upon thousands of writers worldwide. It concentrates on stories that are of interest to North America (not necessarily about North America, but that’s apparently the area it and its advertisers/sponsors want to reach. There are many languages spoken in North America—English, French, and Spanish being among the most common. AllVoices provides them with important news stories, such as…

In an article headlined “Anwar Al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen Airstrike,” the author (identified as “latestnewsupdate”) writes, “…tribal sources told AFP that Awlaki was killed leadership an temperament strike which enjoin two vehicles guidance Marib province, an al Qaeda stronghold in eastern Yemen leading Friday. The 40-year-old, who was born in extra Mexico, was linked to the 2009 Christmas eternity “underwear bomber” design — a narrowly foiled stab to disaster up a passenger jet approaching Detroit.He was also linked to the failed Times make good drab attempt guidance May last year and the November 2009 bulwark Hood shooting, impact which 13 people were killed by a gunman at the U.S. legion base.Al-Awlaki, born grease New Mexico, has been linked to al Qaeda…” Need I add [sic]?

An article titled “Blue Water Wallpapers” would seem to herald a lifestyle article about a style or brand of wallpaper that is available, or perhaps a line of desktop wallpapers. Written by the same author as the Anwar Al-Awlaki article, who claims to be from NYC, NY, it is comprised of the following information, “water wallpaper, water scenes wallpapers, free water wallpaper, wallpapers, computer wallpaper free, under water wallpapers, blue wallpaper, under water wallpaper, free computer wallpapers, blue water wallpaper, water wallpapers for desktop, computer wallpapers, pc wallpaper free, water drops wallpapers, water desktop wallpaper, water fall wallpapers Tags: blue wallpaper blue water wallpaper computer wallpaper freecomputer wallpapers free computer wallpapers free water wallpaper pc wallpaper freeunder water wallpaper under water wallpapers wallpapers water desktop wallpaperwater drops wallpapers water fall wallpapers water scenes wallpapers water wallpaperwater wallpapers for desktop.”

In writing about the always-newsworthy Kim Kardashian, this prolific journalist reported, “Kim Kardashian’s N-u-d-e Play-boy Photoshoot For Magazine, No one can axe her she is the bloom of nature , gorgeous female spell the world so hot and sexy Kim. Kim Kardashian doesn’t stay out of news for violently long. Soon proximate news of her leaked sex tape with ex-boyfriend Ray J, Kim Kardashian is once again in the news again for her virtually nude images shot thanks to Playboy magazine.”

The important thing to remember is that writers get paid (a nominal amount) for writing for AllVoices.com (“Local to Global News”). However, many of the sites’ best writers are stampeding away from it because of payment issues, rampant plagiarism and pornography, and lack of oversight. (My departure was due to the pornography issue—I didn’t want to be associated with a site that allows graphic pornography, especially one including descriptions of children engaged in sexual acts.)

Lest you think that there is only one prolifically bad writer at AllVoices, here is a paragraph from an article published today by Vicky247 who is based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan: “For decades, the current vernacular cultural helped consolidate the idea. Film and literature devoted to the supreme skill character to succeed in an environment that respected the moral effort, or at least the promise of prosperity and wealth.” The title? “The End of the American dream?” And perhaps it does describe the death of the American dream of success, as well as the dream of competent citizen journalism.

Parts excerpted from: AllVoices: Citizen Journalism Gone Bad - Technorati Business

KidVid: Bump Up the Spooky Season Spirit with Goosebumps - Technorati Family

2011-09-30T22:58:00.000-04:00

KidVid: Bump Up the Spooky Season Spirit with Goosebumps - Technorati Family

Looking for appropriate entertainment for a Halloween tween sleepover? Scholastic recently released two Goosebumps DVD’s for kids, with episodes from the 1990’s Fox series. Goosebumps - Attack of the Mutant and Goosebumps - Ghost Beach are the latest titles in the DVD series; each contains three episodes...

Read more: http://technorati.com/lifestyle/family/article/kidvid-bump-up-the-spooky-season/#ixzz1ZUklyD2v

Anwar Al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen Airstrike

2011-09-30T21:42:00.000-04:00

Anwar Al-Awlaki Killed in Yemen Airstrike

I read it on AllVoices.com...

"Awlaki was killed not tell dissimilar particular suspected al Qaeda operatives, the Yemeni defense ministry oral. The balance did not elaborate on the event of Awlaki’s death.However, tribal sources told AFP that Awlaki was killed leadership an temperament strike which enjoin two vehicles guidance Marib province, an al Qaeda stronghold in eastern Yemen leading Friday.

"The 40-year-old, who was born in extra Mexico, was linked to the 2009 Christmas eternity “underwear bomber” design — a narrowly foiled stab to disaster up a passenger jet approaching Detroit.

"He was also linked to the failed Times make good drab attempt guidance May last year and the November 2009 bulwark Hood shooting, impact which 13 people were killed by a gunman at the U.S. legion base.Al-Awlaki, born grease New Mexico, has been linked to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) attempted bombing of a U.S. passenger jet due to Detroit on Christmas day, 2009, and was thought to be a leader of the group.

"A U.S. qualification real confirms to CBS News major desire correspondent David Martin that al-Awlaki was killed. Yemen’s Defense envoy was first to tell CBS News of the strike, but apt previous reports which turned out to serve as erroneous, the relatively rapid U.S. confirmation is crucial, further bolsters witness accounts that it was a U.S. drone investigate that killed the al Qaeda figure.

"The Associated press reported that an incog outset said the U.S. believes al-Awlaki was killed importance a query by U.S. jets and drones on his convoy.The US-born extreme Islamist cleric and suspected al-Qaeda master Anwar al-Awlaki has been killed influence Yemen, the country’s defence delegation reported. US administration officials confirmed the reports, according to US media.
Awlaki, of Yemeni descent, has been on the voyage in Yemen being December 2007. The US had named him a “specially individual prevalent terrorist” over his alleged role in a number of attacks and US pacesetter Barack Obama is said to have personally ordered his killing."

Marijuana Movie Night

2011-08-16T12:59:00.001-04:00

Whoa! Get off your high horse; I’m not trying to persuade you to light up a joint, put on a film, and groove. On the other hand, I wouldn’t try to dissuade you, either.

There are three documentaries on DVD with summer 2011 release dates: Hempsters Plant the Seed (June 28), High Times Presents Nico Escondido’s Grow Like a Pro (July 26), and A NORML Life: The American Marijuana Revolution (August 16). We haven’t seen a good film about pot since Reefer Madness, so it’s time to indulge (in marijuana-related films, not marijuana; although I am still going for daily glaucoma screenings…just in case).

Hempsters starts with Woody Harrelson’s challenge to Kentucky state law. He planted four feral hemp seeds (1996) and was subsequently arrested. Brought to trial and acquitted, Harrelson became a leading activist in the fight to legalize hemp. Also participating in Hempsters are Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Ralph Nader, Julia “Butterfly” Hill, Donna Cockrel, the Kentucky Hemp Growers Co-op, Alex White Plume and the Lakota Indians, and Gatewood Galbraith, an independent who is currently running for Governor of Kentucky.

Hempsters is not about fighting for your right to party—it is about sustainability and “going green.” Director Michael Henning provides a mini-curriculum on the history of hemp in the United States; its prospective uses; health, legal, cultural, scientific, industrial, and ecological considerations. Viewers will discover that “any product that can be made from petroleum oils can also be produced by hemp,” and that “Hemp is a durable fiber that can be used for paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food, and fuel."

Visitors to the High Times website are rewarded with everything they’ve always wanted to know about grass but didn’t know whom to ask. Where else can one purchase a pot leaf cookie cutter or “Veterans of the Marijuana War” membership kit? (Never mind; forget I asked.) It only makes sense that a video be produced for those interested in the agricultural side of the subject.

Designed for both the beginner and the advanced grower, High Times Presents Nico Escondido’s Grow Like a Pro features tips on “everything from indoor growing, to greenhouse techniques, to outdoor cultivation.” With two hours of “comprehensive cultivation coverage,” the documentary is a short course in marijuana propagation. In addition to the bonus material offered, this “unparalleled film contains never-before-seen footage of America’s top medical grow facilities.”

Arriving at retailers next week, A NORML Life: The American Marijuana Revolution is a chronicle of the “state of medical marijuana in America through interviews with patients, caregivers, activists and doctors.” NORML is the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, and has advocated the decriminalization of cannabis for over forty years.

Featured in A NORML Life: The American Marijuana Revolution are interviews with NORML conference attendees, as well as participants in Seattle’s Hempfest 2010. Directed by Rod Pitman, who was also involved in Hempsters, A NORML Life: The American Marijuana Revolution reveals research and data about marijuana and its use. With an emphasis on medical and political (tax money) issues, it is an interesting look at an issue that affects millions.

Originally published: http://technorati.com/entertainment/film/article/marijuana-movie-night/#ixzz1VDB492rk

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2011-08-16T12:37:00.000-04:00

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2011-08-09T14:30:00.000-04:00

Oh! Those Cynical Women!

2011-08-05T18:28:00.001-04:00

Hilarious Voiceovers On Animal Documentaries | PBH2, Video Before It's Viral

2011-07-08T11:53:00.001-04:00

Hilarious Voiceovers On Animal Documentaries | PBH2, Video Before It's Viral