Bonheart at Covenant Home

We sponsor Bonheart, the little girl pictured on the left.

A Word About Covenant Home

My daughter worked at Covenant Home in Kisumu, Kenya for 4 weeks. Last Nov/Dec. Click on the link to learn more. I highly recommend them as a charity if you have a few spare dollars. Contact Ms. Pat Botwright at pebchm@yahoo.com for information on how to send a donation.

Hey GOP, How is GW Doing?

-UAE port deal
-Port security
-Katrina revelations
-Civil war in Iraq
-Warrantless wiretaps
-Torture, torture, torture
-Federal deficit
-Medicare Plan D
-Harriet Miers nomination
-Reduce National Guard numbers
-A disrespectful VP
-Unable to capture Bin Laden

Anyone want to add more 'missteps'?

Guess Who Wrote This Today

Today, with all three components of the "axis of evil'' -- Iraq, Iran, North Korea -- more dangerous than they were when that phrase was coined in 2002

George F. Will

Mini Flying Killer Robots

Have we learned NOTHING from the Terminator movies? Mini killer helicopters now?

RFID and the End of Times

I'm really into RFID as at least one previous post has shown, but this is good. Katherine Albrecht is warning Christians that radio frequency identification may evolve to become the 'mark of the beast'. She has written a book, The Spychips Threat: Why Christians Should Resist RFID and Electronic Surveillance, explaining why.

Another passage in Revelation describes a vision in which "a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image." Albrecht and McIntyre write, ""Interestingly, an implanted RFID device like the VeriChip could potentially cause such a tormenting sore if it is subjected to a strong source of electromagnetic radiation," such as a directed energy weapon.

Ummmm, okay. I hope you are feeling better soon (but what if she is right?)

A Democratic Energy Plan - Finally!

Barrack Obama gave a speech proposing a deal to automakers. The US government pays 10% of the major US automakers employee health insurance costs, ~$670 million in exchange for for a committment to producing more energy efficient cars.
Read more here.

The text of Sen. Obama's speech is here.

He's proposing a 3% increase per year in CAFE standards and also proposes to ramp up production and use of cellulosic ethanol as fuel (15% gasoline 85% ethanol). He would require all cars in the USA to run on 'flex fuel' by 2018.

Well at least it's a plan, something we've needed for more than 30 years.

Will GEICO Save You Money

It will save you more if you are educated. GEICO has recently been welcomed back to NJ (they must have been run out of the state at one time). If you are single, 30 yr old male lawyer with a Master degree you pay $1,686. If you are the same guy living at the same address driving the same car, but you have a high school diploma and you are a janitor, you pay $2,880. Evidently GEICO was able to correlate education with losses.

Ken Tappen, an analyst with AM Best, which tracks industry trends, said these rating factors may be "the wave of the future." Read more here.

I guess most insurance is based on some sort of discrimination.

I do hate that gecko and his stupid accent in any case.

Ash Wednesday

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent and a day of contemplating transgressions. Ash Wednesday occurs forty days (and forty nights) before Easter (not counting Sundays) and 44 days before Good Friday. At masses on this day, members of the church are blessed with ashes prepared by burning last years palms from Palm Sunday. The symbolism of the ashes probably derives from the near East tradition of throwing ashes upon oneself to signify repentence before G_d. Upon marking the participants forehead with ashes the priest says "Remember, man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return." The ashes are not removed until after sundown.

Happy Fat Tuesday

As of midnight tonight please cease all merriment for the next 40 days (and 40 nights). Begin fasting and self-flagellation (if you are into that sort of thing).

America for Sale

A report prepared by the United States House Rules Committee can be found here. It's a congressional report on how America is being sold to the highest bidder. It must be a minority report because it happens to be critical of Republicans.

A few examples of what is going on:

A confusing and expensive Medicare Program. The new drug plan so expensive that the Republicans had to lie about it's cost. Medicare Part D is a disaster.

An energy strategy that saves no energy. Now who helped write that energy policy again? Oh yeah, it's a secret, but Kenny Boy Lay was probably involved. Exxon Mobil had a 40% increase in profits and a 14% increase in their tax bill.

Polluters re-writing environmental laws.

A nation still vulnerable to terrorist attacks. The response to Katrina proved that beyond a doubt. 9/11 commission says we are not prepared. Biggest problem? The Republican controlled congress has failed in it's oversight of the executive branch of government.

A government run by political hacks. Heckuva job Brownie. In the Bush administration loyalty counts more than competence.

Fat cats get their defense contracts, but soldiers don't get their body armor. Did you hear that a new Zogby Poll says that 72% of soldiers think we should get out of Iraq? 250 billion dollars for Iraq thus far.

Drug companies get off the hook if their products injure Americans.

Corporate profits up (way up), American family incomes down. Friends don't investigate friends. Tax breaks and government contracts for those companies that move offshore. Oh yeah, and we have too much health insurance.

I'm Dangerous

You Are 34% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

My Religious Philosophy

You are Agnostic

You're not sure if God exists, and you don't care. For you, there's no true way to figure out the divine. You rather focus on what you can control - your own life. And you tend to resent when others "sell" religion to you.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

Want to Be a Tourist in Mongolia?

Go here for info. Thanks to Karina.