Happy New Year

Well, 2008 has come and gone.

Life moves fast doesn't it?

Thanks to everyone who stops by to read this blog. Hopefully it has added something to your life in some way.

First of all, thanks to God for another year of life and for all of the blessings you have poured into our lives in 2008. This year was another year that had many ups and downs. Kayley's first year of firsts. Another year at NC. Coaching two sports. My car being totaled. The loss of my grandma. Summer softball league. More masters classes. New friends. New church. Adjusting to Meg working from home. And many, many more memories. 2008 will definitely be a year to remember.

For 2009, my resolution is to grow closer to God. To listen to Him more intentionally. To have a healthier prayer life. To give Him more control over things I still try to overcome myself. To get in shape. Also, I hope to be a better father and husband to my girls and for our family and friends to have a year of good health and fun memories.

To everyone, have a safe New Year celebration and I will talk to you again next year.

Western Blindness

Are "Western" civilizations oblivious to the Jihad movement taking place in many parts of the world today?

Islam, the religion of peace, is drastically being changed to conform to a divisive interpretation of the Koran. Forget the economy. We have a much bigger battle (on a much bigger scale) and the average person either lives in a bubble or gives into the propaganda. The website below is a great resource for news and information that never makes the newspaper headlines, never makes the nightly newscast, and never comes up in everyday conversations. Read some articles. Browse some of the provided links. Make an educated decision.

Jihad Watch

Because non-Muslims in the West, as well as in India, China, Russia, and the world over, are facing a concerted effort by Islamic jihadists, the motives and goals of whom are largely ignored by the Western media, to destroy their societies and bring them forcibly into the Islamic world -- and to commit violence to that end even while their overall goal remains out of reach. That effort goes under the general rubric of jihad.

Jihad (in Arabic, "struggle") is a central duty of every Muslim. Modern Muslim theologians have spoken of many things as jihads: the struggle within the soul, defending the faith from critics, supporting its growth and defense financially, even migrating to non-Muslim lands for the purpose of spreading Islam. But violent jihad is a constant of Islamic history. Many passages of the Qur'an and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad are used by jihad warriors today to justify their actions and gain new recruits. No major Muslim group has ever repudiated the doctrines of armed jihad. The theology of jihad, which denies unbelievers equality of human rights and dignity, is available today for anyone with the will and means to bring it to life.

Jihad Watch is dedicated to bringing public attention to the role that jihad theology and ideology plays in the modern world, and to correcting popular misconceptions about the role of jihad and religion in modern-day conflicts. We hope to alert people of good will to the true nature of the present global conflict.

P90X

I'm out of shape.

I get tired easily. Running up the stairs makes me short of breathe. I no longer have abs. My body fat percentage has probably doubled. I'm 10-15 pounds over my ideal weight for my body type.

Eight years ago, I was an All-Ohio athlete in track and field. I was a collegiate athlete as well.

Now? I'm ashamed of myself, my "nonathletic" lifestyle, and this habit of over indulgence.

Sometime this week, I will be receiving my new workout program. The program is called: P90X. Maybe you've seen the TV infomercials? Well, I gave in. The system usually sells for $120, but I bought mine off Ebay for $49.99. Can't beat that. From what I have heard and read about the program, it works wonders. It kicks your butt. It's intense. And, most importantly, it gets you back in shape. As I looked through videos on YouTube, I knew this was the right thing for me. The people using P90X weren't 350lbs and 185lbs after 90 days. They were real people who, like me, had life interrupt their health. With a little time a day and a commitment to the program, these people had amazing results.

So, as I go through this 90 day program, I thought I would use my blog as a motivator. Talk about my ups and downs. Document my progress. Maybe throw up a few pictures here and there(towards the end I'm sure).

Who knows, maybe my P90X journey will motivate you to get healthier. The only lifestyle changes I'm going to make are more exercise and no eating after 7:00pm.

See you later. See you soon.

Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds You

Ah, Irony.

Has anyone seen or heard Barry Obama lately? In recent press conferences and with general journalist questioning, President-Elect Obama's "aura" can be summed up with one word: agitated.

In other words, the same people that mysteriously forgot the meaning of unbiased reporting are now getting under Mr. 44's skin.

And to think, Barry hasn't even set foot in the Oval Office yet.

All presidents and would-be presidents struggle with “the bubble” – the security detail and the always-there reporters that impose barriers to any spontaneous interaction with the outside world.

But Obama seems to be struggling particularly hard, particularly early.

Four years ago Obama was an Illinois state senator who was on his way to the U.S. Senate. Next month, he will become one of only a handful of modern presidents who has not endured a similar bubble as a governor or top U.S. official before taking office.

Obama seems to be tiring of the journalists who have followed him daily since the campaign.

Those close to the Obamas have spoken to the media less and less since the election. Calls and e-mails to close friends and associates of the Obamas were not returned.

“My husband and I have been asked not to speak with the press about the Obamas,” one of them wrote in an e-mail. “They would prefer that we stay out of the papers for now.”

Yahoo News

For over 20 months, Barry graced the cover of every magazine in print, had his pictures digitally enhanced to show a "heavenly glow" surrounding 'The One,' cut the rug with Ellen Degeneres, performed a "one-trip-hits-all" photo op around the world, and flashed those pearly whites as much as he possibly could.

Now?

Barry's a little depressed. A little agitated. A little uncomfortable. A little less "out there."

In a world that is becoming increasingly more chaotic, economically gloom, politically unsettled, and morally eroded; we have a president in the wings who has never...ever...made an important decision that has significantly influenced our lives (besides anointing every Democrat...besides Gates and Jones which I applaud...to the Dream Team).

I want you to succeed Barry, I really do...

But come on...

Suck it up 44

Cavs Addict

They win when they play awful (which is almost never). They win when they play so-so. They win when they play good. They win when they play really good. They win when they play great.

And they win when they play lip-smacking, forehead-slapping, trash-talk yapping, chalk-toss clapping, ain't nobody in the gym got enough gunners jacking to save their butts from a royal zapping by the King and his Court at full-throttle thrashing.

We are all witnesses.

What a show.

Can we just fast forward to April and May, and get on with the playoffs right now?

No, on second thought, let's wait. These Cavaliers games are too delicious to be so, well, cavalierly dismissed. This is what great basketball looks like.

Look long. Look hard.

In the words of Anchorman Ron Burgandy, don't act like you're not impressed.

At roughly the one-third mark of this NBA season, the Cavaliers are 25-4. That's 25-4. Winning percentage: .862. Repeat: .862.

At their current pace, the Cavs would finish the season with a record of 71-11.

That is not a typo.

As a point of reference, if a Major League Baseball team finished the season with a winning percentage of .862, its won-loss record would be 140-22.

That's where we are with this supersonic start by your Cleveland Cavaliers.

Of course, the defending world champion Boston Celtics are even a little better than that. Which is perfect.

Let the Celtics with their histrionic twins of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, plus the much more professionally comported Ray Allen, have the spotlight.

Let Team Green accept the genuflecting worshipping from the masses.

Let the Cavs sit quietly in the weeds. Overlooked and underrated.

There have been no Sports Illustrated cover stories, or inside the cover stories, for that matter, on the Cavs. There have been no ESPN ad nauseum special reports, a la "To Retire or Not To Retire, The Brett Favre Saga" centered on the sensational start by the Cavs.

Oh, sure, there is the occasional casual mention during NBA broadcasts to the effect that, "Oh, and Cleveland is having a nice little season so far. ... but here comes Kobe on the break!"

In Boston, Garnett's phony camera-hogging mugging and Pierce, the tearful drama queen — could you ever imagine Larry Bird or Bill Russell crying on the court? — dominate and manipulate the media coverage.

And, as always, Kobe is Kobe. All for Kobe. And the Lakers are Hollywood's team.

So lah-de-dah!

That's all sizzle.

The steak is in Cleveland.

This year, in this NBA season, what's happened in Cleveland is more significant than what's happening anywhere else.

And it ain't the meat. It's the motion.

It's a nearly perfect offense. A flawless triggerman (Mo Williams), two gunslingers (Delonte West, Daniel Gibson), two maniacal, indefatigable rebounding machines (Ben Wallace, Anderson Varajao), the 7-3 geek-o-matic, who can drain a 3 or drop step your laundry onto the floor (Zydrunas Ilgauskas), and, of course, the bombastic global icon/man-child (two years younger than Grady Sizemore!), who was dropped lovingly within our midst one score and four years ago, for the expressed purpose of leading the local congregation out of the wilderness and into the promised land.

The Chosen One. Who are we to argue?

The defense?

Suddenly, inexplicably, inescapably, irrefutably world class. Even The Chosen One has chosen to play defense, and he's even more scary crazy when he does that. They defend intelligently, ferociously, unselfishly.

They get the ball, they share the ball, they play the game the right way.

Every night is a clinic. NBA 101. Winning basketball. They space the floor, protect the ball, make the extra pass, crash the boards. Nobody cares who scores. Nobody pouts. Everyone is comfortable in their role. The chemistry is so pristine it's frightening.

Trade deadline? Forget it. They need nothing. Except good health. Barring a major injury to a key player, everything is in place. All systems are go. They are healthy. They are happy, and they are a certifiable load for any NBA opponent on any NBA night.

They are the best team in the NBA right now. Better than Boston, though the country and the major media choose to ignore it, which is fine. Check back with them in May and June.

They are the best team. They have the best player, and, as ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy said on Thursday's telecast, "It's not even close."

LeBron James is playing at a level so high you at times question the credibility of your eyeballs. It makes you take the impossible for granted. Once merely great, he is now even greater. Is that even possible?

In this Cavaliers season, yes. There is no more watchable team. No more appealing style of play. Not one nit you can pick with this team. One-third of the way into this NBA season, the best player in the league plays on the best team in the league.

He and it are freight-training their way through their schedule.

Pass the chalk.

Jim Ingraham

Christmas 2008: Part 3

More traditions...

Christmas morning at our house and Nana and Papa's for Christmas presents and lunch.

Pictures from the morning...

















And tonight at Grandpa K's...

Merry Christmas

A great read...
The Man Behind Christmas

Christmas 2008: Part 2

Another Christmas Eve tradition. Meg's parents came over to visit for a few hours this afternoon and then we made our way to my Grandma W's house for my Mom's side of the family.

Here are some pictures from the evening...

One Solitary Life

This past Sunday night, Megan and I went to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. The singing was great. The dancing was great. The scenes and props were great.

However, the ending was both moving and surprising. It ended with a live nativity scene. While the nativity scene played out, the following was read aloud...

He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in another obscure village, where He worked in a carpenter shop until He was thirty. Then for three years He was an itinerant preacher. He never had a family or owned a home. He never set foot inside a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place He was born. He never wrote a book, or held an office. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. While He was still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against Him. His friends deserted Him. He was turned over to His enemies, and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had - His coat. When He was dead, He was taken down and laid in a borrowed grave. Two thousand years have come and gone, and today He is the central figure for much of the human race. All the armies that have ever marched and all the navies that have ever sailed and all the Parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as this 'One Solitary Life.'

New York Yankees

It's official. Just when I thought that I couldn't dislike the Yankees anymore than I already do, the "Evil Empire" does the unthinkable.

In a matter of a few weeks, the New York Yankees committed 423.5 million dollars (in this economy?!?!) to THREE...yes...THREE baseball players. C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira.

I hope they miss the playoffs. I hope their new stadium is cursed.

Those 'Damn Yankees' I tell ya.

Christmas 2008: Part 1

As the Christmas holiday unfolds, we have to squeeze in as many family gatherings as we we can. It's really not that difficult. We have always made it work and it is a lot of fun. Tonight we exchanged gifts with my parents and brother. Even though we will see them on Christmas, the intimacy of the exchange cannot be duplicated away from home. Everyone seemed to enjoy his or her gifts and it was nice to relax in the comfort of our own home. Kayley REALLY made out in the gift department. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that she might be a bit spoiled :)

Here are some pictures from the evening:

Warning: Global Cooling Part 2

And this by Bill Sussman...

Last week, soon-to-be President Barack Obama met with former Vice President Al Gore to discuss global warming. In a brief presser following their closed-door rendezvous, Obama proclaimed, "the time for denial is over."


Ironically, as Obama yammered, Louisiana hurriedly prepared for a powerful cold front which would arrive the following night. The wintry storm ultimately dumped 6 inches of snow in Livingston Parish and dusted New Orleans with its earliest snowfall since records were accurately established in 1850. And the deep-south cold snap was not an isolated event.


For most of the United States and much of the world, this has been one of the colder autumns in well over a decade, with reports of unseasonable snowfalls and plummeting temperatures from the American Great Plains to the Alps of Europe and into the inner reaches of Asia. Even China's official news agency reported that Tibet had suffered its "worst snowstorm ever" in October. In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month, and ranked it as only the 70th-warmest October in 114 years. In fact, it's likely that 2008 will go down as the coldest year since in the United States since 1997.


So who's in denial?



Obama's inverted hyperbole hardly anomalous. Similar blunders splatter in the faces of the global whiners regularly. On February 13th of last year the Midwest was getting hammered with an unusual dose of bitter Arctic air. Minneapolis, Minnesota, woke up to -4°. Chicago had snow and a temperature of 19°. So ferocious was the weather that Maryville College in St. Louis was forced to cancel its screening of Al Gore's global warming manifesto, An Inconvenient Truth.

As the storm quickly raced east, Washington, D.C. braced for its biggest snowfall of the season. Coincidently both the House and Senate had planned major climate convocations for the following day. Alarmed by the weather forecast, a notice was fired off to BlackBerrys across Capital Hill:


"The [House] Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing scheduled for Wednesday, February 14, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building has been postponed due to inclement weather."

The title of the scheduled hearing was, "Climate Change: Are Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Human Activities Contributing to a Warming of the Planet?"


Despite the House of Representatives' move to bag their global warming meeting because of non-global warming weather, undaunted, the Senate blindly went forward with theirs. Foreign bigwigs had been called to Washington for this summit and cancelling it would have created great inconvenience-and embarrassment for their Senate host, Senator John McCain. As the dignitaries cruised from their D.C. hotels through the snow-covered city in gas-guzzling 4-wheel drive Suburbans, they witnessed the fluffy white evidence of the biggest snowfall of the season. In addition, the temperature was a stunning 11° below normal. Acting oblivious to the reality outdoors, McCain foolishly addressed the assembled group and said, "The debate is over, my friends. The question is, what do we do?"

What you should do, Messer's Obama, Gore and McCain, is realize the debate is over -- there is no global warming. Yes, between 1970 and 1998 there was a minor warming of a mere .34°F, as verified by the NASA satellite records. However, there has been no notable increase in the global temperature since 1998, (humiliatingly confirmed even by the United Nations). Furthermore, your designer greenhouse gas-carbon dioxide-is neither a pollutant nor a problem.

However, the facts are not getting in the way of their agenda.

Obama's plan to "stop global warming" is the same one that's been touted by Gore, and identical to the plan rolled out last week by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Without a vote of the people or the state legislature, CARB approved a roadmap for how California would implement its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. It's a liberty-sucking roadmap complete with new taxes, economic inflation and a heavy dose of Big Brother.

The centerpiece of the plan in an elaborate cap and trade scheme which will punish businesses with increased costs -- costs that will be passed on to the consumer. Automobile CAFE standards will be increased and the production of plug-in vehicles mandated, thus forcing upon the struggling car dealers contraptions that will not be embraced by the consumer. Building codes, already a major pain for anyone doing any construction in the Golden State, will become more imposing in order to appear "green".

Worse yet, utility companies will have to provide 33% of their electricity from non-fossil sources. This extreme provision is unattainable for a number of reasons. First, environmentalists are privately opposed to wind farms because they require large swaths of land to house the mills and adjacent power lines. They believe such development will certainly threaten obscure species. Second, while solar is an efficient utility, especially residential rooftop applications, it requires a capital outlay that most consumers can't afford (for the standard house about $20-30,000 after government subsidies).

The environmentalists also dislike hydro-power. In fact, the eco-freaks are gaining significant traction to eventually tear down one of California's most strategic hydro-generation facilities at the O'Shaunnesy Dam near Yosemite. And nuclear power? Despite the fact that it's emission free, Obama and crew loathe nuclear because of its ancillary radioactive waste (even though all the waste, from all of the nuclear power plants ever operated in the U.S., could be easily stored in a building the size of an average high school gymnasium).

And then there is Big Brother. Buried within the 1,700 pages of the Federal 2005 Energy Policy Act is a clause that will surely be at the forefront of the new energy plan both in California and in Obama's America. Section 1252 of the Act mandates the use of the Smart Meter, a tool your utility provider has probably told you will eliminate the need for a human to read your gas/electric meter each month, and will allow the utility to adjust energy costs based on time of day usage. This is all true.

However, the Smart Meters are rigged to be remotely controlled. If it's deemed you are consuming too much energy, an unseen bureaucrat will have the ability to selectively decrease the amount of power flowing into your home. Along with this Orwellian scheme, the Feds are working with appliance manufacturers to roll out major appliances with similar remote sensing devices. During periods of peak demand your washer, dryer, furnace or air-conditioner will also be governed by an unseen bureaucrat and powered down. An obscure Federal government document procured for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory entitled, Smart Meters, Real-Time Pricing, And Demand Response Programs, in 2007, explained how these systems work:

Under certain predetermined peak periods, the utility interrupts or cycles the appliance [including air-conditioning, furnaces and water heaters] to achieve its system goal of reducing peak usage and thereby reduce the cost of electricity for all customers...In most cases customers do not "notice" or suffer adverse consequences for the interruption or cycling.

All of these insane moves by the government are being imposed upon us because of carbon dioxide -- which is not a problem. CO2 accounts for less than 4/10000ths* of our planet's atmosphere (.00036%). And what percentage of the miniscule amount of CO2 is produced by human activity, including the utilization of fossil fuels? According to a thorough analysis by the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center -- a research wing of the U.S. Department of Energy -- only 3.207% -- all of this global whining over an atmospheric component so tiny, it is difficult to comprehend.

Allow me to repeat this critical fact:

Carbon dioxide comprises less than 4/10000ths of the earth atmosphere and of that amount, a mere 3% is generated by mankind.

And how much has CO2 increased in the atmosphere over the past 150 years? Approximately 35%. A 35% increase and still the gas comprises less than 4/10000ths of earth's atmosphere.

Are you still worried about the dangers of CO2?
Me, neither.

Are you beginning to understand this is a manufactured crisis?

Good...because it only becomes more devious.

Let's talk about greenhouse gases. Water vapor is earth's most effective and abundant greenhouse gas, accounting for 95% of the greenhouse effect. In terms of weather, we refer to water vapor as humidity. Depending on where you reside, many of you know the effects of high humidity. On a warm, humid summer day, you can't move about outdoors without beads of perspiration breaking on your brow. On those same nights the water vapor laden air seems heavy and the temperature has a difficult time dropping to comfortable sleeping levels. This is because humid air tends to hold its temperature. What you are witnessing is the greenhouse effect doing what it's supposed to do -- retain heat. Without the greenhouse effect, the earth would be a ball of ice void of life. It's astounding how today this life-dependant atmospheric factor has become the environmental bad guy. "Greenhouse gases are killing us," we are constantly told.

Curiously, research I culled from the Department of Energy fails to list water vapor as a greenhouse gas. This is incredibly disingenuous, given that, in reality, water vapor is the 600 pound gorilla in the greenhouse. After water vapor, the remaining five percent of the greenhouse gases are, in order of concentration: CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, and a variety of other minor gases, including ozone, carbon monoxide, and chlorofluorocarbons. However -- stay with me here -- it must be noted that methane is 21 times more potent than CO2 when it comes to retaining the sun's heat, and nitrous oxide is 310 times more effective than CO2. Carbon dioxide is actually a puny player in the greenhouse game.

Since the Department of Energy and other government climate gurus choose to ignore the mighty greenhouse effect of water vapor, for the sake of the following proposition so shall I. Let's eliminate water vapor from the equation for a moment and focus only on the remaining five percent of greenhouse gases. Human contribution to the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is realized primarily through the burning of fossil fuels, but also through important processes like manufacturing cement (the chemical reaction necessary to its production releases CO2) and even farming (plowing a field exposes microscopic organic matter in the soil, causing the carbon-laden organisms to die, thus releasing CO2 into the atmosphere). Accounting for the individual concentrations and potencies of the other greenhouse gases (sans water vapor), the contribution of carbon dioxide emissions created by human activity accounts for only 2.33% of the earth's greenhouse effect.

Now, when we reconsider water vapor into the math, humankind's carbon-dioxide footprint is reduced to .117% of the greenhouse effect (that reads one hundred seventeen thousandths of a percent).

To say we're being hoodwinked by these jamokes is an understatement. There is no planetary emergency caused by an abundance of carbon dioxide -- and even if the CO2 created by our activities was an issue, the earth has mechanisms in place to accommodate. Just like the water vapor that eventually returns to earth as precipitation, working its way into a deep ocean or subterranean aquifer, airborne carbon dioxide is absorbed by large repositories called "sinks" which include everything from the atmosphere itself to the oceans to the plants, rocks and dirt.

If anyone is in denial, it's those who still believe in global warming.

Just A Moment

It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment.

As moments go, that one appeared no different than any other. If you could somehow pick it up off the timeline and examine it, it would look exactly like the ones that have passed while you have read these words. It came and it went. It was preceded and succeeded by others just like it. It was one of the countless moments that have marked time since eternity became measurable.

But in reality, that particular moment was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb.

The omnipotent, in one instant, made himself breakable. He who had been spirit became pierceable. He who was larger than the universe became an embryo. And he who sustains the world with a word chose to be dependent upon the nourishment of a young girl.

God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created.

God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen. He stretched against the walls and floated in the amniotic fluids of his mother.

God had come near.

He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter. The hands that first held him were unmanicured, calloused, and dirty.

For thirty-three years he would feel everything you and I have ever felt. He felt weak. He grew weary. He was afraid of failure. He was susceptible to wooing women. He got colds, burped, and had body odor. His feelings got hurt. His feet got tired. And his head ached.

To think of Jesus in such a light is—well, it seems almost irreverent, doesn’t it? It’s not something we like to do; it’s uncomfortable. It is much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation. Clean the manure from around the manger. Wipe the sweat out of his eyes. Pretend he never snored or blew his nose or hit his thumb with a hammer.

He’s easier to stomach that way. There is something about keeping him divine that keeps him distant, packaged, predictable.

But don’t do it. For heaven’s sake, don’t. Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out.

It all happened in a moment. In one moment … a most remarkable moment. The Word became flesh.

There will be another. The world will see another instantaneous transformation. You see, in becoming man, God made it possible for man to see God. When Jesus went home he left the back door open. As a result, “we will all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52)

The first moment of transformation went unnoticed by the world. But you can bet your sweet September that the second one won’t. The next time you use the phrase “just a moment, … ” remember that’s all the time it will take to change this world.

Max Lucado

Warning: Global Cooling

I think it is great that America and the world is cleaning up its "dirty" act. The greener the better, right? I'll be happy to recycle and replace my light bulbs. Heck, I'll even change my middle name to Green for the right price.

Becoming "green" will have a huge upside when it comes to changing the way we live. It is the beginning of a wonderful transition that will leave the Earth in a better condition than we found it.

But, global warming?

Seriously? Al Gore's documentary was a brilliant piece of information, but for each alarming fact...there is enough evidence to debunk the entire dilemma.

It's the Earth. It's cyclical.

It's comical and fleecing at the same time...

The year 2008 has officially been the coolest year of this century - but
U.N. climate change alarmists are sticking by their arguments for global warming ... The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports world temperatures have dropped to levels not seen since 2000.

However, the WMO has been vigilant in informing global warming skeptics that temperatures still remain about 0.3 degrees Celsius above 1961-1990 averages. WMO scientists say the trend is due to La Niña cooling the globe and reducing water temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean. They predict temperatures will increase again one year after La Niña's cooling trend.(WorldNetDaily)

Scientists skeptical about the assertion that climate change is the result of man's activities are criticizing a recent AP report on global warming, calling it "irrational hysteria," "horrifically bad" and "incredibly biased." ... They say the report contained sweeping scientific errors and was a one-sided portrayal of a complicated issue.

David Deming, a geology professor at the University of Oklahoma, says, "The mean global temperature, at least as measured by satellite, is now the same as it was in the year 1980. In the last couple of years, sea levels have stopped rising. Hurricane and cyclone activity in the northern hemisphere is at a 24-year low, and sea ice globally is also the same as it was in 1980."

Bill Koenig

Ben Stein: My Confession

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we ar e all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu If people want a crèche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,


Ben Stein

Ohhh...That Iranian Building on 5th Avenue

Who would have guessed? Who cares about Saks 5th Avenue in New York City, I'm going to visit Tehran on the Hudson!

Federal authorities moved in Wednesday to seize control of a New York City office building partially owned by a company with ties to the Iranian government.

The government alleges that Assa Corp., the building's owner, is a shell company for Bank Melli, which is accused of facilitating the movement of nuclear materials for the Iranian government. Officials contend that Bank Melli was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of Assa Corp. and its management of the Fifth Avenue building, which generated rental income that was sent back to Iran.

The sole employee of Assa, Mohammad Hassan Dhghani Tafti, engaged in a number of curious moves to apparently hide his employment status. His access to Assa accounts drew added attention from federal authorities. Between 2000 and 2007 more than $17 million was deposited into one of the seized accounts.

"This scheme to use a front company set up by Bank Melli -- a known proliferator -- to funnel money from the United States to Iran is yet another example of Iran's duplicity," said Stuart Levey, Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

Bank Melli is known to handle funds for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and its Qods Forces. Those groups are believed to help fund activities tied to the Taliban, Hizballah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Robert Spencer

This is just another story buried in the headlines. Another story that shows how America and other nations around the world are asleep at the wheel when it comes to the War on Terrorism. We have no clue.