Life Along the Homeschooling Journey

Thursday night YouTubin'

2011-03-24T20:38:00.001-05:00

Cowboy Junkies night ...

Sun Comes Up, It's Tuesday Morning

Cause Cheap Is How I Feel

Misguided Angel

Sweet Jane (even twenty-three years later, it's still an awesome version of this song!)

Editoonial of the Day, 03/02/2011

2011-03-02T15:10:00.002-06:00

I'm okay with that.

Sunday afternoon YouTubin' 02/27/2011

2011-02-27T16:36:00.000-06:00

In a '70s disco mood today ... happier music.

First up, the Bee Gees and "Stayin' Alive"

Next, the Bee Gees again with "You Should be Dancing"

Thelma Houston with "Don't Leave Me This Way"

Sister Sledge with "We Are Family"

Donna Summer with "Last Dance" (on an appearance on The Tonight Show with the late Johnny Carson)

Enjoy!

Editoonials of the day, 02/23/2011

2011-02-23T14:34:00.001-06:00

Editoonial, 02/01/2011 edition

2011-02-01T06:10:00.002-06:00

Sunday Night You Tubin' -- Post Packer NFC Championship version ...

2011-01-23T19:16:00.000-06:00

Stevie Nicks' new album, In Your Dreams, is scheduled for a May 3 release, and Reprise is giving away one song, "Secret Love," with pre-orders ... of course, it's on YouTube (yay!):

Stevie sounds absolutely wonderful here, and I'm eager to get the new album.

The song is a song from the Fleetwood Mac Tusk era, and appeared on the 1980 Almanac album of demos and unreleased tracks:

It's amazing how Stevie's voice keeps improving and how close it is sounding to her voice of the late 70s/early 80s in this song.

The Pack is Super Bowl XLV Bound!

2011-01-23T18:25:00.000-06:00

Photo: Green Bay Press Gazette

Congratulations, Green Bay Packers! Wishing you the best as you head to Dallas ...

Picture of the Day, 01/05/2011

2011-01-05T13:35:00.000-06:00

From WSJ.

Ahhhh ... not perfect, but much better.

Congratulations Gov. Walker

2011-01-03T13:18:00.001-06:00

Gov. Scott Walker was inaugurated as the 45th governor of Wisconsin today -- here is the text of his speech.

You have a big job ahead of you, and we are praying for wisdom and guidance from the Lord as you perform your job.

Congratulations, Gov. Walker!

Picture of the Day, 12/11/2010

2010-12-11T10:20:00.000-06:00

Source: AP

Editoonial of the day, 12/11/2010

2010-12-11T08:34:00.000-06:00

Editoonial of the day, 11/20/2010

2010-11-20T14:16:00.000-06:00

Veterans Day 2010

2010-11-11T07:39:00.000-06:00

Thank you.

35th anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

2010-11-10T11:13:00.003-06:00

Remembering these 29 men who lost their lives on November 10, 1975, and their families.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

by Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.

With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.

Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.

They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.

And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.
© 1976 Moose Music, Inc.

I Voted!

2010-11-02T15:33:00.000-05:00

Did you?

Saturday Night You Tubin'

2010-10-09T18:01:00.002-05:00

In a 70s and 80s mood again ...

Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone by Glass Tiger:

Lady from the Mountains (Sorcerer) by Buckingham Nicks (1974):

Seven Turns by the Allman Brothers Band (ok so I'm in a very early 90s mood too):

But I thought he could self-fund ...

2010-09-08T16:11:00.001-05:00

I received this in the mail today.

Since May, we've heard from the various pundits around the state that we need to support Ron Johnson because he has money and can self-fund.

Therefore, I will not be sending him anything.

Don't we have enough of this kind of "representation"?

2010-09-03T16:57:00.000-05:00

Is this really the type of person we want representing us? Isn't it time to take a look at a genuine, respectful, consistent conservative? Take a look at Dave Westlake, who will look you in the eye, and who will not shy away from tough questions.

Dave Westlake radio ad

2010-09-02T20:12:00.001-05:00

2010-09-01T15:29:00.001-05:00

Research the candidates -- watching commercials does not consitute research! http://ping.fm/z7xYB

Editoonials of the day, 08/13/10

2010-08-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

Yeah, It's Kind of Like That -- Monday Edition

2010-07-26T17:43:00.002-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Breaking News, 07/20/2010

2010-07-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

Documents show media plotting to kill stories about Rev. Jere-- Squirrel! Ooo, Lindsay Lohan begins her jail sentence today!

2010-07-08T06:08:00.001-05:00

I want Dave Westlake to be my next senator: http://ping.fm/NaHmb

2010-06-24T12:34:00.001-05:00

Trying out ping.fm ... seeing how it works!

Yeah, it's kind of like that, 06/06/2010

2010-06-06T16:27:00.000-05:00

Yeah. This has been my experience too ...

From a friend on Facebook; also tracked back to here.

Memorial Day 2010

2010-05-31T07:52:00.002-05:00

Quote of the Day, 05/28/2010

2010-05-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

"You don't need to formulate the truth."

-- WTAQ radio host Jerry Bader, on President Obama's answer that the White House will be "formulating" a response in regards to whether the White House offered Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) a job in exchange for dropping out of the Senate primary.

Has Obama lost Mr. Tingly Leg?

2010-05-28T08:57:00.002-05:00

“Idiotic cerebral meritocracy." Wow.

Lost?

2010-05-24T19:31:00.002-05:00

Never watched it.

Yeah, it's kind of like that, 05/21/2010

2010-05-21T20:27:00.000-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

This is one of the things I need healing after my PCUSA years ... lots of trust issues to heal from. :-(

Praying, studying and reflecting is helping a lot.

YouTubin' 05/19/2010

2010-05-19T20:47:00.001-05:00

Twenty-Five Miles by Edwin Starr:

Yeah, it's kind of like that, 04/27/2010

2010-04-27T17:14:00.002-05:00

Rep. Jeff Wood Gets 45 Days in Jail

2010-04-19T16:36:00.000-05:00

Now can he be expelled from the Assembly? Especially since he has two other OWI charges to still deal with?

Wood still faces O-W-I charges for driving under excessive medicines in Monroe and Marathon counties, and has said he’ll fight those charges. As part of his sentence, Wood’s driver’s license is revoked for two years and three months. After that, he’ll have to be sober when driving for two years – breathing into a tube before he can start his vehicle. He must also undergo additional drug treatment.

Editoonials, 04/16/10

2010-04-16T17:08:00.000-05:00

Leaving the PCUSA

2010-04-12T08:04:00.001-05:00

I withdrew my family's membership from our PCUSA congregation yesterday. It was hard and sad, but it is a decision long in the making. I've had many issues with the denomination for a number of years, and was hoping that the congregation would have been able to remain immune or to resist what was happening, but over the past few years, the influence crept in and through a handful of people who were influential, the congregation became infected, and sadly, efforts made by orthodox believers were not successful. So we felt there was no other choice for us but to leave.

Through a lot of prayer, research, study and discussion, the Lord is leading us on a different path, one that our family hopes and prays will glorify Him.

Onward. Forward. No looking back.

More detail later ...

News alert, translated

2010-04-09T07:53:00.000-05:00

News alert:

Controversial Michigan Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak to retire, Fox News confirms

Translation:

My polls have tanked, and there is NO WAY I'm going to get re-elected after selling out.

Easter Weekend 2010

2010-04-03T08:21:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter ... I'd like to leave you with a couple of videos:

In Christ Alone

That's My King!

The Talk

2010-03-26T14:52:00.002-05:00

H/T James T.!

We The People

2010-03-20T07:34:00.002-05:00

B/T Maddypie.

Yeah, it's kind of like that, 03/03/10

2010-03-03T14:32:00.000-06:00

Cabin fever has hit our house big time in the past few days. The kids are tired of always having to put all the winter gear on and we are definitely looking forward to just putting on light jackets and going outside. Sigh.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Why I haven't been writing much

2010-02-22T10:27:00.000-06:00

Lots going on ... hopefully in a couple of months I will be able to write more.

Picture of the Day, 02/22/10

2010-02-22T10:26:00.000-06:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

State of the Union Speech Preview

2010-01-25T08:51:00.001-06:00

Post-season CHOKE

2010-01-24T21:25:00.002-06:00

And ... Minnesota does not disappoint!

Sunday Night You Tubin', Classic Fleetwood Mac Edition

2010-01-17T20:06:00.001-06:00

Live from about 1970 or early 1971 (before Jeremy Spencer left), from the Kiln House album:

I really liked Danny Kirwan's contributions to Fleetwood Mac ... it's too bad he went off the deep end.

From 1975, the first year of the Buckingham/Nicks era (it would be cool to pull out and dust off some of these gems for future tours):

Also from 1975, "Why," from the Mystery to Me album:

Enjoy!

Monday Night You Tubin' -- Real Men of Genius Edition

2010-01-11T19:38:00.002-06:00

Enjoy!

PSA, 01/06/10

2010-01-06T14:25:00.000-06:00

see more Epic Fails

Happy New Year 2010!

2009-12-31T21:28:00.002-06:00

May you all have a blessed 2010!

Merry Christmas 2009

2009-12-24T07:34:00.003-06:00

Matthew 1:18 - 2:22 (The Message):

The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.

While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—'God saves'—because he will save his people from their sins." This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: Watch for this—a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Immanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us").

Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. But he did not consummate the marriage until she had the baby. He named the baby Jesus.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, Judah territory— this was during Herod's kingship—a band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East. They asked around, "Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We're on pilgrimage to worship him."

When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified—and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religion scholars in the city together and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"

They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:

It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land,
no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel."

Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars from the East. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, "Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I'll join you at once in your worship." Instructed by the king, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the place of the child. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time!

They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother. Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him. Then they opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh.

In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they worked out another route, left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country.

After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him."

Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod's death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: "I called my son out of Egypt."

Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.) That's when Jeremiah's sermon was fulfilled:

A sound was heard in Ramah,
weeping and much lament.
Rachel weeping for her children,
Rachel refusing all solace,
Her children gone, dead and buried.

Later, when Herod died, God's angel appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt: "Up, take the child and his mother and return to Israel. All those out to murder the child are dead."

Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother, and reentered Israel. When he heard, though, that Archelaus had succeeded his father, Herod, as king in Judea, he was afraid to go there. But then Joseph was directed in a dream to go to the hills of Galilee. On arrival, he settled in the village of Nazareth. This move was a fulfillment of the prophetic words, "He shall be called a Nazarene."

Editoonial, 12/24/09

2009-12-24T06:49:00.002-06:00

Twas the Night Before Christmas, A Response

2009-12-23T14:12:00.005-06:00

'Twas the week before Christmas, when Congress met,

So eager they were, to pile on the debt;

They knew it was wrong, deep down in their core,

But golly gee whiz, they must spend, spend some more;

With constituents distracted by holiday cheer,

Why, this was their chance, to spend more this year;

So the politicians huddled, they plotted, they planned,

$1 trillion, $2 trillion, how much could they scam?

And that’s when it happened, Reid and Pelosi stood up,

“What’s another $2 trillion, the voters are chumps!”

They raised the debt ceiling with nary a care,

And once that was done, they didn’t stop there;

More rapid than eagles, agendas were set,

They whistled and shouted, “No, we’re not done yet!”

“On health care, on taxes, on Carbon Cap-and-Trade,

“We’ll say it’s the rich, but everyone pays!”

“And for those who oppose us,” Reid and Pelosi insist,

“One call to the White House, you’re on the enemies list!”

And so they proceeded with their devilish plans,

Big government to all, constituents be damned.

*******************************************

Sharon Chorost
Tucson, AZ

*******************************************

Thanks to James T. for sharing this!

Picture of the day, 12/21/09

2009-12-21T17:21:00.000-06:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Nailing the Global Warming Scam in 2 Minutes

2009-12-21T15:02:00.004-06:00

Update: I have decided to remove this video because when I posted it, I was not aware that Nick Griffin is a very controversial figure (he is a part of the British National Party). I posted the clip because I agreed with what he said in regards to the global warming scam.

My apologies if I offended anyone.

As our Senate is about to pass the health care bill ...

2009-12-19T16:42:00.002-06:00

... remember this warning from Ronald Reagan -- from 1961:

How I'm feeling today

2009-12-19T07:57:00.000-06:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Sarah Palin on The Tonight Show

2009-12-15T09:28:00.002-06:00

This has been out for a couple of days, but it is awesome!

So Gov. Doyle's going to Copenhagen

2009-12-11T18:24:00.001-06:00

How is this getting paid for, since we don't have like, you know, any money?

Editoonial, 12/11/09

2009-12-11T15:29:00.002-06:00

The American Dream 2: Shirking Responsiblity?

2009-12-11T07:00:00.003-06:00

I was reading the WSJ.com article, "American Dream 2: Default, Then Rent," with the expectation about how these families who got stuck in these upside down mortgages decided to take a safer, more fiscally responsible route and rent.

Not quite.

There was something about the whole article that rubbed me the wrong way, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

People's increasing willingness to abandon their own piece of America illustrates a paradoxical change wrought by the housing bust: Even as it tarnishes the near-sacred image of home ownership, it might be clearing the way for an economic recovery.

Very true ... people have to default on their mortgages for a variety of very legitimate reasons, including job loss, being in a very upside down mortgage which coupled with the current economy does not make for a good mix, or being saddled with another big expense (i.e., medical). There should be no stigma attached with these.

This piece focuses on two people: schoolteacher Shana Richey and fireman Jay Fernandez, who both were in upside down mortgages and are now renting homes in the same neighborhood.

As I continued reading through the piece, I found what bothered me: the lack of remorse, the lack of willingness to learn from past mistakes and work towards a more fiscally sound future.
Some are leaving behind their homes and mortgages right away, while others are simply halting payments until the bank kicks them out. That's freeing up cash to use in other ways.

Ms. Richey's family of five used some of the money to buy season tickets to Disneyland, and plans to take a Carnival cruise to Mexico in March. Mr. Fernandez takes his girlfriend out to dinner more frequently. "We're saving lots of money," Ms. Richey says.
Don't pay your mortgage and you get to go to Disneyland and on a cruise. Sigh.

Where is the gratitute that you were given this gift, the remorse for making such a poor financial decision, and the resolve for becoming more fiscally responsible? Where is the commitment to cut back, to simplify, to prioritize, to live either within or below your means? Where is the commitment to start saving money?

So where are they now?

For Mr. and Mrs. Richey:
On one trip, they drove by [the house they are now renting]. It was bigger than their house on Caspian, had a pool with three waterfalls, and boasted a cascading staircase that Ms. Richey says she could picture her daughters descending on prom night.

And for Mr. Fernandez:
With an income of about $8,300 a month and a rent of $2,200, Mr. Fernandez says he now has the wherewithal to do things he couldn't when he was stretching to pay the mortgage. He recently went to concerts by Rob Thomas and Mat Kearney. He also kept his black BMW 6 Series coupe, which has payments of about $700 a month.

There is nothing wrong with occasionally treating yourself or your family -- there isn't. There is a moral obligation to pay this -- defaulting shouldn't be done so that cash can be freed up to live lavishly in other ways. Remember, with these mortgage defaults, someone has to pay for it, and in these cases it is the taxpayers who will be receiving the double-whammy, from both the government programs to deal with this stuff and from the banks in the form of tighter credit and more fees, and eventually, higher interest rates.

My family fortunately is in good shape with our mortgage and home equity loan and should have the HEL paid off within a few months, and the mortgage, if we put our nose to the proverbial grindstone, within three years. As Glenn Beck advises, "... be beholden to no one."

Where is our Daniel Hannan?

2009-12-10T15:15:00.003-06:00

Mr. Hannan was just on Neil Cavuto's show talking about the increased British taxes on bankers' bonuses, as well as the proposed global taxes being supported by PM Gordon Brown and President Nicholas Sarkozy. I was reminded of the speech above.

Who will our Daniel Hannan be, standing up with such frank language, to Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid about the out of control spending, the spiraling debt, and the incredible burden being placed on not only our children, but children for generations to come?

Quote of the Day, 12/09/09

2009-12-09T08:54:00.003-06:00

"...and Socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people's money. It's quite a characteristic of them."

-- Margaret Thatcher

H/T Sykes.

Tuesday Night You Tubin' -- The Band edition

2009-12-08T19:18:00.002-06:00

First off, "The Shape I'm In" (from The Last Waltz):

"Don't Do It"

Finally, from Robbie Robertson's excellent Storyville album, "What About Now?"

Sen. Harry Reid: Ignorant of History

2009-12-07T12:25:00.002-06:00

Reid Compares Opponents of Health Care Reform to Supporters of Slavery

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid took his GOP-blasting rhetoric to a new level Monday, comparing Republicans who oppose health care reform to lawmakers who clung to the institution of slavery more than a century ago.

The Nevada Democrat, in a sweeping set of accusations on the Senate floor, also compared health care foes to those who opposed women's suffrage and the civil rights movement.

Unfortunately, Sen. Reid was so busy trying to demononize his opponents and score political points that he apparently did not check his historical references prior to throwing out these accusations:

The history lesson appeared to have some of its partisan wires crossed, however. It was Sen. Strom Thurmond, then a Democrat, who famously and unsuccessfully tried to filibuster the Civil Rights Act of 1957. And in the 19th Century, it was Republicans who led the charge against slavery.

Oh, and for a bit more historical correction ...

1912 Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive (Bull Moose/Republican) Party becomes the first national political party to adopt a woman suffrage plank.

Sen. Reid, this is a very important debate, and it is not the time to go on these types of attacks. If this legislation passes, it will fundamentally change this country. The American people deserve better. We deserve an open, honest debate. We do not need historically inaccurate sniping.

You are the Senate Majority Leader -- it is time to lead.

Editoonial, 12/04/09

2009-12-04T10:19:00.001-06:00

Yeah, it's kind of like that, 11/30/09 edition

2009-11-30T10:08:00.001-06:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Are the wheels coming off of the bus?

2009-11-30T08:27:00.004-06:00

From a friend, this appeared on Yahoo's front page this morning: 7 stories Obama doesn't want told.

The seven stories?

He thinks he’s playing with Monopoly money
Too much Leonard Nimoy
That’s the Chicago Way
He’s a pushover
He sees America as another pleasant country on the U.N. roll call, somewhere between Albania and Zimbabwe
President Pelosi
He’s in love with the man in the mirror

Read the whole thing.

Ouch.

The "Second Wave"? "Phase Two of the Global Credit Crisis"?

2009-11-28T15:39:00.001-06:00

Wow.

No wonder the drive by media is not reporting much, if anything, on this -- Max Keiser, economist and RT contributor, is very critical of the Obama Administration in all this.

Glenn Beck has been sounding the alarm on all this financial and economic stuff for a long time, and has been picking up the pace ... this past week, he encouraged his viewers to work hard at paying off all their personal debts, including mortgages/home equity loans, so they are beholden to no one.

We are working to get our home equity loan and mortgage paid off, and if we really push hard, we conceivably could do it inside of three years; two if we really cut out a lot of stuff.

This is all going on and what is our drive by media focusing on? Tiger Woods. Black Friday deals.

H/T James T.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T18:26:00.003-06:00

May each and every one of you have a blessed Thanksgiving this year ... please take a moment to express gratitude for what you do have, even in these hard times.

And for some humor ... the classic "Turkeys Away" episode of WKRP in Cincinnati:

Enjoy!

Veterans Day 2009

2009-11-11T06:43:00.001-06:00

Remembering all who served and all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Thank you and God bless.

34th Anniversary of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

2009-11-10T05:00:00.002-06:00

Thirty-four years ago today, the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald occurred. This video of Gordon Lightfoot's song is a wonderful and moving tribute to the men who lost their lives on November 10, 1975.

Taking a day off from the health care stuff ...

2009-11-08T13:23:00.002-06:00

I just need a break from it, so I'm not going to discuss it for the rest of the day.

Compare and Contrast

2009-11-07T12:52:00.004-06:00

President Obama, 11/05/09:

President Bush, 09/14/01:

Obama's Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting

After news broke out of the shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas, the nation watched in horror as the toll of dead and injured climbed. The White House was notified immediately and by late afternoon, word went out that the president would speak about the incident prior to a previously scheduled appearance. At about 5 p.m., cable stations went to the president. The situation called for not only his trademark eloquence, but also grace and perspective.

But instead of a somber chief executive offering reassuring words and expressions of sympathy and compassion, viewers saw a wildly disconnected and inappropriately light president making introductory remarks. At the event, a Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian affairs, the president thanked various staffers and offered a "shout-out" to "Dr. Joe Medicine Crow -- that Congressional Medal of Honor winner." Three minutes in, the president spoke about the shooting, in measured and appropriate terms. Who is advising him?

Anyone at home aware of the major news story of the previous hours had to have been stunned. An incident like this requires a scrapping of the early light banter. The president should apologize for the tone of his remarks, explain what has happened, express sympathy for those slain and appeal for calm and patience until all the facts are in. That's the least that should occur.

Wednesday Night You Tubin'

2009-11-04T18:14:00.002-06:00

I'm in a late 1970s / early to mid 1980s mood tonight ...

Nick Gilder's "Hot Child in the City" (full version):

Kim Mitchell's "Go For Soda" (yes, it's a cheesy '80s video, but it's a good song):

Jay Ferguson's "Thunder Island":

Rep. Paul Ryan October 2009 Town Hall

2009-11-03T15:02:00.002-06:00

In four parts:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Take the time to watch it all, as it is very informative.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

2009-11-02T16:05:00.001-06:00

H/T Sykes.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T08:21:00.002-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

And for your musical enjoyment, a couple versions of Fleetwood Mac's "Sisters of the Moon:"

From the 1982 Mirage tour:

From the 1980 Tusk tour:

Enjoy!

An observation I saw on the House health care bill ...

2009-10-30T08:53:00.001-05:00

It is five times as long as the Torah.

God covered everything he needed to tell humanity using 1/5 of the words.

Precisely.

FAIL of the day, 10/24/09

2009-10-24T15:19:00.001-05:00

see more Epic Fails

Is Obama Poised to Cede U.S. Sovereignty?

2009-10-17T14:28:00.001-05:00

Wow.

H/T James T.

Yeah, it's kind of like that

2009-10-11T22:07:00.001-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I Can Has Cheeseburger pic of the day ...

2009-10-05T15:22:00.003-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

We're Number 3! We're Number 3!

2009-09-25T07:53:00.005-05:00

Ok, this is sounding better -- We're Number 3! Forbes has us listed as the third ... wait ... worst state in which to do business in the country?!?!

Forbes ranked Wisconsin 48th on its 2009 list, down from 43rd in 2006. States are measured in six categories for businesses: costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life.

Wisconsin ranked near the bottom of the list for growth prospects, at 45th, and economic climate, at 41st. The state ranked between 35th and 37th in three categories: business costs, labor and regulatory environment. The state ranked high only in the quality of life at 11th.

Sigh. Thanks again Gov. Doyle and Senate and Assembly Democrats!

The 2010 elections can. not. come. soon. enough.

Hey wait -- We're Number 9! We're Number 9!

2009-09-23T17:30:00.001-05:00

We're Number 9!

What? What's that? We're the ninth highest in median property taxes paid?

The full top 10 list for median property tax, from highest to lowest: New Jersey ($6,320), Connecticut ($4,603), New Hampshire ($4,501), New York ($3,622), Rhode Island ($3,534), Massachusetts ($3,406), Illinois ($3,384), Vermont ($3,281), Wisconsin ($2,963) and California ($2,829).

Doh! Never mind.

We're Number 42! We're Number 42!

2009-09-23T16:01:00.003-05:00

Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!! We're Number 42 ... oh wait, we're number 42 out of 50.

Largely because of its high individual income tax rate, Wisconsin fell to 42nd in a ranking of states’ projected 2010 business-tax climates.

The analysis by the Tax Foundation, a group that generally opposes business taxes, has the state falling from 38th a year ago.

The analysis factored in corporate, individual, sales, unemployment and property taxes.

Wisconsin's decline in the rankings was largely blamed on the state's creation of a new income tax bracket that taxes 7.75 percent on taxable income over $225,000, according to the report.

The state with the best 2010 ranking was South Dakota, which climbed up from second place for 2009.

The worst ranking went to New Jersey, it’s fourth-consecutive year at the back of the pack.

What's that? Down from 38? Well, at least we're not New Jersey.

Maybe it's time to look for a job in South Dakota ... sigh.

Thanks, Gov. Doyle and Senate and Assembly Democrats -- great job in running this state into the ground.

Mr. Tax-Law-Writing-Tax-Evader

2009-09-23T14:51:00.002-05:00

(H/T Fred.)

New Resource Site

2009-09-15T07:39:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard (in other words, if you depend on the drive by media for your news), there has been a couple, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, who have been posing as a pimp and prostitute, and going to ACORN offices asking for tax advice or finding out how they can qualify for a loan. The results are shocking, and as a result, the Census Bureau has pulled ACORN off of the 2010 Census and the Senate just passed an amendment cutting off taxpayer funding to ACORN.

Mr. O'Keefe and Ms. Giles are under (selective) investigation by the Baltimore State's Attorney (who happens to be an Obama supporter) for illegal wiretapping. They are in my prayers, that they are vidicated from these charges.

Mr. O'Keefe has said there are more videos, and he will be releasing one each day.

Andrew Breitbart's Big Government is now in my resource list.

Starting school thoughts

2009-09-01T15:33:00.004-05:00

It's been a tough summer all around -- for various reasons. The schools started here today. Yay! We started back into a schoolish routine at the beginning of August and are getting back into our school schedule this week after a couple of days being out of town.

As you may have noticed on my sidebar, we use the Five In a Row unit study curriculum. It is a wonderful, flexible, gentle curriculum, and it is my plan to blog about it this school year. Something else new to our school year is the incorporation of Sue Patrick's Workbox System -- it is my goal to have it up and running for both kids this year.

We are also cutting back on some things and will be utilizing opportunites afforded by our homeschooling groups more this year. It is also my goal to try to be home more this school year and accept activities that fall during our days in town.

First up: we are going to do a mini study on the history of Labor Day, utilizing the In The Hands of A Child and Living Books Curriculum materials, which I got as freebies from CurrClick.

Looking forward to a wonderful, learning-filled, delight-directed year!

The ad NBC and ABC won't run

2009-08-28T09:39:00.002-05:00

So I'm going to help out a bit ...

The National Barack Channel, along with it's counterpart, PMSLSD, have been programmed out of my channel line up already (the Heather Blish incident by NBC26 was the last straw for me). I do like our local All Barack Channel affiliate, and do for the most part appreciate Jake Tapper, but if they continue to censor opposing views, they will be programmed out too.

Ten Minutes Well Spent

2009-08-27T08:20:00.003-05:00

The American Form of Government

H/T Fred.

Update: Here it is from YouTube (thanks Peter):

The Government Can

2009-08-25T15:57:00.001-05:00

Summary of Favre un-un-retirement

2009-08-21T10:20:00.003-05:00

America's Culture of Blame

2009-08-17T13:10:00.001-05:00

Sunday Night You Tubin'

2009-08-16T20:43:00.004-05:00

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin:

Amen and Praise the Lord!!!

That's My King -- Do You Know Him?

2009-08-11T18:21:00.000-05:00

H/T James T.

Maturity

2009-08-11T11:35:00.000-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

What I'm NOT doing tonight

2009-07-22T19:19:00.000-05:00

I'm NOT watching the press conference.

I'll listen to Charlie's and Rush's analysis tomorrow. Better use of my time.

I may have to get one of these

2009-07-22T15:51:00.003-05:00

From here.

Or maybe this one ...

Going to the dentist this week ...

2009-07-19T19:08:00.001-05:00

... shouldn't have this happen, but I like the picture anyway:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Quote from 1944

2009-07-18T09:18:00.002-05:00

H/T Real Debate.