The IRS as health care enforcer

Republicans assail IRS provision in health care bill

Excerpt:

Subcommittee on Oversight ranking member Charles Boustany (R-La.) said the IRS provision in the bill "dangerously expands, in an ominous way the tentacles of the IRS and it's reach into every American family," he said today during a press conference.

"This is a vast expanse of power," he said.

Boustany said the bill would allow the IRS to confiscate refunds if there are penalties for not buying health care.

Lawmakers have questioned whether the IRS can handle the increased workload to oversee, administer and collect penalties for people who don't buy health insurance.

"This is increasing tax liability and tax scrutiny," said Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.).

Comment: Earlier post

My new No Soliciting Sign

retroplanet.com

Comment: Detail on sign here. I don't mind (normally don't mind!) unsolicited visitors but Saturday morning at 10 am J/W's were at the door. Enough already!

If you appreciate satire

Blog post critical of Kevin Bauder and Central Seminary: A Letter from *Dr. Richard V. Clearwaters to Kevin Bauder

Excerpt:

No doubt you are a bit familiar with me and the ministry God gave me in the not too distant past. I had humble beginnings, being born in Kansas into a Christian home. However, I turned from God in my teenage years. He lovingly brought me to Himself through the tragic loss of my brother and through an old fashioned, three week evangelistic meeting in Washington State.

God led me to train for ministry at the Moody Bible Institute. It was there I learned the essentials of Bible Institute training – The English Bible, gospel music, and personal evangelism. At this school, I heard the men who shaped my philosophy of ministry – men like R.A. Torrey, Billy Sunday, G. Campbell Morgan, and Griffith Thomas. From here, I received further training at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kalamazoo College, and the Chicago University.

From my early days as a Christian, I knew God had called me to the pastorate. As you may know, The Lord allowed me to pastor in Wilton Center, IL, Kalamazoo, MI, Cedar Rapids, IA and then Minneapolis, MN. My last pastorate spanned over four decades and was certainly full of God’s rich blessing. Many great revivals took place during my tenure as the pastor! Many people were saved! God even allowed me to found the Pillsbury Baptist Bible College and the school which you now lead.

It may seem strange that I am writing to you since my decease, but it is not nearly as strange as some of your recent writings are to me. I have noticed with great consternation, the e-posts you have placed on sharperiron.org and other places. As the founder of Central Baptist Theological Seminary, an Independent Baptist Seminary, it is not a little troubling to me.

A response: A Letter from *Dr. J. Frank Norris to Kevin Bauder


Excerpt:

No doubt you are a bit familiar with me and the ministry God gave me in the not too distant past. I had humble beginnings, being born in Alabama.

God led me to train for ministry at Baylor University and then at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It was there I learned the essentials of filtering out what wouldn't help me become powerful.

From my early days as a Christian, I knew God had called me to the pastorate. As you may know, The Lord allowed me to pastor in Fort Worth, Texas, and amazingly, in Detroit, Michigan, at the same time. That's a trick no one had perfected before, or since. It's only now that these NEW EVANGELICAL ratbags are doing their 'campus' churches as a big TV screen preaches to their folks.

It may seem strange that I am writing to you since my decease, since it is tough for dead folks to get decent DSL, to say nothing of how my fingers crumble on the keyboard. But it is not nearly as strange as some of your recent writings are to me. I have noticed with great consternation, the e-posts you have placed on sharperiron.org and other places.

Comment: Read both! There's more than a laugh here!

2 predictions (I hope I'm wrong!)

• Minnesota will lose to Xavier tomorrow
  
• Pelosi's health care debacle will pass
  

Prosper Loss = $ 38.13

Comment: My 8th charge off .... lost $ 38.13 on this one. I am still net positive

Standard & Poor's 500 components

Index Component Weights of Stocks in the S&P 500

Comment: Index trades as SPY

What do the Nexus One and IPad have in common?

Google's 'Nexus One' Trademark Application Denied

Excerpt:

Google Inc.'s trademark application for its Nexus One cellphone has been denied, according to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruling filed last week.

The ruling, which has been noted on several blogs and news sites, says Google's application was denied because of "a likelihood of confusion" with a related trademark held Integra Telecom Inc., based in Portland, Ore.

Integra's "Nexus" trademark was registered in 2008, according to public records. The company offers a telecommunications service under that name, according to its Web site.

The ruling noted trademarks can be denied based on a likelihood of confusion over appearance, sound and meaning. Google now has the opportunity to submit further evidence in support of its application, according to last week's ruling.

Comment: See earlier post about the IPad

Absolutes Convictions Opinions and Questions

Comment: From ESV Study Bible "True Theology: Knowing and Loving God"

Excerpt:

Where an issue falls within these categories should be determined by weighing the cumulative force of at least seven considerations:

1. biblical clarity
   
2. relevance to the character of God
   
3. relevance to the essence of the gospel
   
4. biblical frequency and significance (how often in Scripture it is taught, and what weight Scripture places upon it)
   
5. effect on other doctrines
   
6. consensus among Christians (past and present) and
   
7. effect on personal and church life
   

These criteria for determining the importance of particular beliefs must be considered in light of their cumulative weight regarding the doctrine being considered. For instance, just the fact that a doctrine may go against the general consensus among believers (see item 6) does not necessarily mean it is wrong, although that might add some weight to the argument against it. All the categories should be considered collectively in determining how important an issue is to the Christian faith. The ability to rightly discern the difference between core doctrines and legitimately disputable matters will keep the church from either compromising important truth or needlessly dividing over peripheral issues.

Baseball still played at the Metrodome

Winter Ball Never Sleeps or Shivers at Metrodome

Excerpt:

Ron Petrich, now an assistant professor of education at Augsburg, a small Minneapolis college, doubles as the scheduler and matchmaker for college baseball games at the Metrodome. Since 1984, he has kept the Dome humming with games, practices and scrimmages almost around the clock from February through April, when winter finally eases. The Metrodome may have said goodbye to major league baseball, but for now, it remains a Teflon-roofed lifesaver for more than 100 college, high school and other amateur teams throughout the upper Midwest.

And no more so than this winter. In February, Petrich said, he was receiving five or six calls a day from coaches with snow-covered fields as far away as Kansas and Illinois. That made for some creative scheduling.

Nebraska-Kearney, where the Yankees’ Joba Chamberlain once pitched, played two doubleheaders in 17 hours over two days. Valley City State, an N.A.I.A. program from North Dakota, scheduled two doubleheaders on one day — at 7:30 a.m. and 9:45 p.m. Kansas and Eastern Michigan shifted their Feb. 22 doubleheader to the Metrodome from Lawrence, Kan., to avoid a snowstorm.

The Metrodome had more available dates than usual this year because two trade shows canceled and it will not host an N.C.A.A. men’s basketball regional. Even with the University of Minnesota playing 28 baseball games and 16 softball games at the dome, Petrich said he had enough slots to accommodate a record 240 college games and 420 over all without booking any between 2:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. That, he said, was a first.

“This year, everything broke right,” he said.

For more than two decades, the Metrodome — the home of the Twins until their move to Target Field this year and of the Vikings, who are still residents — has provided Midwest colleges a place to play early in the season.

Using the dome allows leagues like the Division III Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to spread their regular seasons across four months instead of backloading games in April and May.

“It’s a very nice convenience for us,” said Chris Olean, the interim coach at St. Thomas, an M.I.A.C. member from St. Paul.

The field is used so much that the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which operates the Metrodome, covers the dirt base cutouts with artificial turf to reduce wear and tear. Although the Dome’s future is in doubt, a proposed plan calls for tearing it down and building a retractable-roof stadium for the Vikings that could also accommodate baseball, said Bill Lester, the commission’s executive director.

Petrich books time in four-and-a-half-hour blocks, so teams usually play doubleheaders with seven-inning games. Rent ranges from $300 to $500 an hour for high schools and small colleges to $2,000 for a single University of Minnesota game. Admission for small-college games is $5 for adults and $3 for students. Concession stands are closed, so some fans bring coolers.

With so many teams wanting the field — 55 colleges used it last year, according to sports facilities commission records — not all the start times are prime. Olean said St. Thomas played a game last year at 5 a.m., and Augsburg Coach Keith Bateman remembers a 4 a.m. doubleheader.

Comment: Sad to think that some want to tear it down

TurboTax: Help with Direct Debit

Direct Debit When E-filing

Unfortunately I'm one of the filers who owes money! To both the State and Federal governments.

I had scheduled the direct debits to occur yesterday but nothing happened.

I contacted Turbo Tax and they directed me to the above resource!

How do I check the status of my direct debit transaction?

To verify the date that funds will be withdrawn from your account, or to confirm that funds have been transferred, call one of the following numbers:

• (888) 353-4537
  
• (800) 829-1040
  

I called the IRS (the first number) and they were very helpful. Thank you Carolyn (IRS agent). Direct debit to happen tonight.

More

When will my account be debited?

The IRS debits your account on the day your e-filed return is accepted. However, it can take the bank up to five days to complete the transaction and update your account information.

Please check with your bank or financial institution for the date of debit. We recommend that you wait five days after the e-file return is accepted before inquiring as to when the debit occurred.

Is "Deemed into law" constitutional?

Slaughter House Rules

Excerpt:

We're not sure American schools teach civics any more, but once upon a time they taught that under the U.S. Constitution a bill had to pass both the House and Senate to become law. Until this week, that is, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi is moving to merely "deem" that the House has passed the Senate health-care bill and then send it to President Obama to sign anyway.

Under the "reconciliation" process that began yesterday afternoon, the House is supposed to approve the Senate's Christmas Eve bill and then use "sidecar" amendments to fix the things it doesn't like. Those amendments would then go to the Senate under rules that would let Democrats pass them while avoiding the ordinary 60-vote threshold for passing major legislation. This alone is an abuse of traditional Senate process.

But Mrs. Pelosi & Co. fear they lack the votes in the House to pass an identical Senate bill, even with the promise of these reconciliation fixes. House Members hate the thought of going on record voting for the Cornhusker kickback and other special-interest bribes that were added to get this mess through the Senate, as well as the new tax on high-cost insurance plans that Big Labor hates.

So at the Speaker's command, New York Democrat Louise Slaughter, who chairs the House Rules Committee, may insert what's known as a "self-executing rule," also known as a "hereby rule." Under this amazing procedural ruse, the House would then vote only once on the reconciliation corrections, but not on the underlying Senate bill. If those reconciliation corrections pass, the self-executing rule would say that the Senate bill is presumptively approved by the House—even without a formal up-or-down vote on the actual words of the Senate bill.

Democrats would thus send the Senate bill to President Obama for his signature even as they claimed to oppose the same Senate bill. They would be declaring themselves to be for and against the Senate bill in the same vote. Even John Kerry never went that far with his Iraq war machinations. As we went to press, the precise mechanics that Democrats will use remained unclear, though yesterday Mrs. Pelosi endorsed this "deem and pass" strategy in a meeting with left-wing bloggers.

This two-votes-in-one gambit is a brazen affront to the plain language of the Constitution, which is intended to require democratic accountability. Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution says that in order for a "Bill" to "become a Law," it "shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate." This is why the House and Senate typically have a conference committee to work out differences in what each body passes. While sometimes one house cedes entirely to another, the expectation is that its Members must re-vote on the exact language of the other body's bill.

As Stanford law professor Michael McConnell pointed out in these pages yesterday, "The Slaughter solution attempts to allow the House to pass the Senate bill, plus a bill amending it, with a single vote. The senators would then vote only on the amendatory bill. But this means that no single bill will have passed both houses in the same form." If Congress can now decide that the House can vote for one bill and the Senate can vote for another, and the final result can be some arbitrary hybrid, then we have abandoned one of Madison's core checks and balances.

Comment: The US Supremes would have a field day with this!

Duck and Cover

House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it

Excerpt:

After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.

Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers "deem" the health-care bill to be passed.

The tactic -- known as a "self-executing rule" or a "deem and pass" -- has been commonly used, although never to pass legislation as momentous as the $875 billion health-care bill. It is one of three options that Pelosi said she is considering for a late-week House vote, but she added that she prefers it because it would politically protect lawmakers who are reluctant to publicly support the measure.

"It's more insider and process-oriented than most people want to know," the speaker said in a roundtable discussion with bloggers Monday. "But I like it," she said, "because people don't have to vote on the Senate bill."

Comment: As for Duck and Cover reference, click the link.

IRS: 2 agents for 4 ¢

Bob Shallit: IRS visits Sacramento carwash in pursuit of 4 cents

Excerpt:

Arriving at Harv's Metro Car Wash in midtown Wednesday afternoon were two dark-suited IRS agents demanding payment of delinquent taxes. "They were deadly serious, very aggressive, very condescending," says Harv's owner, Aaron Zeff.

The really odd part of this: The letter that was hand-delivered to Zeff's on-site manager showed the amount of money owed to the feds was ... 4 cents.

Inexplicably, penalties and taxes accruing on the debt – stemming from the 2006 tax year – were listed as $202.31, leaving Harv's with an obligation of $202.35.

Zeff, who also owns local parking lots and is the president of the Midtown Business Association, finds the situation a bit comical.

"It's hilarious," he says, "that two people hopped in a car and came down here for just 4 cents. I think (the IRS) may have a problem with priorities."

Now he's trying to figure out how penalties and interest could climb so high on such a small debt. He says he's never been told he owes any taxes or that he's ever incurred any late-payment penalties in the four years he's owned Harv's.

In fact, he provided us with an Oct. 22, 2009, letter from the IRS that states Harv's "has filed all required returns and addressed any balances due."

Comment: A failure to be reasonable. I'm not surprised.

Lindsay sues E-Trade

Comment: Report: Is Lindsay Lohan's $100M E-Trade Lawsuit Bogus?

Taxes done!

Comment:

We used Turbo Tax online. I think I've been using Turbo Tax for 20 years (with the exception that I used another tax product one year). The last two or three years we have used the on-line edition.

Tax preparation is never fun, but Turbo Tax makes it painless.

Romans 13:6-7

For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

The Democrats "March to Folly"

If Democrats ignore health-care polls, midterms will be costly

Excerpts:

As pollsters to the past two Democratic presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, respectively, we feel compelled to challenge the myths that seem to be prevailing in the political discourse and to once again urge a change in course before it is too late. At stake is the kind of mainstream, common-sense Democratic Party that we believe is crucial to the success of the American enterprise.

Bluntly put, this is the political reality:

First, the battle for public opinion has been lost. Comprehensive health care has been lost. If it fails, as appears possible, Democrats will face the brunt of the electorate's reaction. If it passes, however, Democrats will face a far greater calamitous reaction at the polls. Wishing, praying or pretending will not change these outcomes.

...

Voters are hardly enthralled with the GOP, but the Democrats are pursuing policies that are out of step with the way ordinary Americans think and feel about politics and government. Barring some change of approach, they will be punished severely at the polls.

Now, we vigorously opposed Republican efforts in the Bush administration to employ the "nuclear option" in judicial confirmations. We are similarly concerned by Democrats' efforts to manipulate passage of a health-care bill. Doing so in the face of constant majority opposition invites a backlash against the party at every level -- and at a time when we already face the prospect of losing 30 or more House seats and eight or more Senate seats.

For Democrats to begin turning around their political fortunes there has to be a frank acknowledgement that the comprehensive health-care initiative is a failure, regardless of whether it passes. There are enough Republican and Democratic proposals -- such as purchasing insurance across state lines, malpractice reform, incrementally increasing coverage, initiatives to hold down costs, covering preexisting conditions and ensuring portability -- that can win bipartisan support. It is not a question of starting over but of taking the best of both parties and presenting that as representative of what we need to do to achieve meaningful reform. Such a proposal could even become a template for the central agenda items for the American people: jobs and economic development.

Unless the Democrats fundamentally change their approach, they will produce not just a march of folly but also run the risk of unmitigated disaster in November.

Comment: Article written by Democratic pollsters!

ObamaCare: Counting votes

Can Nancy Pelosi Get the Votes?

Excerpt:

The House passed its version of the health bill in November by 220-215. Of those 220, one was a Republican who now is a no. One Democrat who voted yes has died, two Democrats who voted yes have resigned, and one Democrat who voted no has resigned as well. So if everyone but the Republican votes the way they did four months ago, the score would be 216-215.

But not everyone is ready to vote that way. The House bill included an amendment prohibiting funding of abortions sponsored by Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak. The Senate bill did not. Mr. Stupak says he and 10 to 12 other members won't vote for the Senate bill for that reason. Others have said the same, including Minnesota's James Oberstar, chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Dan Lipinski, a product of the Chicago Democratic machine.

Mrs. Pelosi may have some votes in reserve—members who would have voted yes if she needed them in November and would do so again. But we can be pretty sure she doesn't have more than 10, or she wouldn't have allowed the Stupak amendment to come forward at the last minute the first time. She also might get one or two votes from members who voted no and later announced they were retiring.

But that's not enough—and there are other complications. Voting for the Senate bill means voting for the Cornhusker kickback and the Louisiana purchase—the price Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid paid for the votes of Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu. It's not hard to imagine the ads Republicans could run attacking House members for sending money to Nebraska and Louisiana but not their home states.

To be sure, Democratic leaders say they want to repair the Senate bill by subsequent legislation that could be passed with 51 votes in the Senate under the reconciliation process. But they have yet to produce such a bill. It can't include the Stupak amendment, which experts say doesn't qualify for the reconciliation process. And there's no way they can credibly promise the Senate will pass it. Senate rules allow many forms of obstruction. The reconciliation process is littered with traps.

The Trouble With 'Reconciliation'

Excerpt:

Pro-life House Democrats are deeply disturbed by the Senate abortion-funding language. Blue Dogs are upset by the fact that the Senate bill adds hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit. Liberals are angry that it doesn't include a "public option." Democrats from Republican-leaning districts are concerned about backroom deals that greased it through the Senate. And some Democrats are unhappy with the Senate bill's tax on the "Cadillac" insurance plans of their allies in Big Labor.

...

If Democrats use reconciliation to enact health-care reform, this fight isn't likely to end this year. Democrats are resorting to reconciliation because that would allow them to avoid a Republican filibuster. That leaves Republicans free to use the same process to repeal ObamaCare that Democrats are using to enact it. It means that for the next several election cycles every GOP Senate candidate can campaign on the promise to be that 51st vote for repeal.

House Democrats are being asked to cast a potential career-ending vote based on their faith that the Senate, with Mr. Obama's blessing, will undo all the disastrous elements of this bill. A year ago that trust might have existed. Today, after all the ugliness this process has created and all the intra-party acrimony it has caused, that trust appears to have disappeared. Some House Democrats have told reporters that they won't make Mr. Obama's latest deadline for passing reform (March 18), and Mrs. Pelosi seems unable to deliver the votes she needs. It seems the beginning of a revolt is underway among House Democrats.

The political costs to Democrats of the epic misadventure that is health-care reform have become more evident every day. The president made his 52nd speech on the subject yesterday but appears increasingly unable to affect the outcome. It's now all on the speaker's shoulders.

House Democrats would be foolish to trust a process that has deeply alienated the American public. Republicans know that and are determined to make House Democrats think hard about the price they will pay for passing this health-care monstrosity.

Comment: There's wisdom in the super-majority! Read Why does the filibuster survive?

Home Computer - 2004

Scientists from the RAND corporation have created this model to illustrate how a "home computer" could look like in the year 2004. However the needed technology will not be economically feasible for the average home. Also the scientists readily admit that the computer will require not yet invented technology to actually work, but 50 years from now scientific progress is expected to solve those problems. With teletype interface and the Fortran language, the computer will be easy to use.

Comment: Click for full sized image. You've got to wonder what the double ship-style steering wheels would be for!

When governments run out of money

Greece hit by strikes, riots over austerity plan

Excerpt:

Serious street clashes erupted between rioting youths and police in central Athens Thursday as some 30,000 people demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government's austerity measures.

Hundreds of masked and hooded youths punched and kicked motorcycle police, knocking several off their bikes, as riot police responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades.

The violence spread after the end of the march to a nearby square, where police faced off with stone-throwing anarchists and suffocating clouds of tear gas sent patrons scurrying from open-air cafes.

Police say 12 suspected rioters were detained and two officers were injured.

Rioters used sledge hammers to smash the glass fronts of more than a dozen shops, banks, jewelers and a cinema. Youths also set fire to rubbish bins and a car, smashed bus stops, and chopped blocks off marble balustrades and building facades to use as projectiles.

Thursday's strike — the second in a week — brought the country to a virtual standstill, grounding all flights and bringing public transport to a halt. State hospitals were left with emergency staff only and all news broadcasts were suspended as workers walked off the job for 24 hours to protest spending cuts and tax hikes designed to tackle the country's debt crisis.

Riot police made heavy use of tear gas during the start-and-stop clashes throughout the demonstration, including outside Parliament. Strikers and protesters banged drums and chanted slogans such as "no sacrifice for plutocracy," and "real jobs, higher pay." People draped banners from apartment buildings reading: "No more sacrifices, war against war."

The demonstrators included hundreds of black-clad anarchists in crash helmets and ski masks, who repeatedly taunted and attacked riot police with stones and petrol bombs, at one point spraying officers with brown paint. Shopkeepers along the demonstration route hastily rolled down their shutters, while a few blocks away, people sat at outdoor restaurants, nonchalantly continuing their meals.

Comment: What do you think will happen in the US when real cuts come?

Loonie parity

Canadian dollar likely to trump US greenback: experts

Excerpt:

The Canadian dollar, or loonie as it is affectionately called here, is likely to soar above parity with the US greenback this year, experts at a Canadian bank said Wednesday.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Canada (CIBC) chief economist Avery Shenfeld said the Canadian dollar had already gained several cents in recent weeks as the market firms up expectations of an interest rate hike in July.

If as expected, the central bank "is out in front of the US Federal Reserve by a couple of quarters" in raising interest rates, the Canadian dollar could reach 1.02 dollars versus the US dollar by September, before dipping back to 0.97 dollars by year end," Shenfeld said.

The Bank of Canada has maintained its key lending rate at a historic low of 0.25 percent since April 2009 to help bolster a fragile economic recovery, but is widely expected to review its position mid-year.

CIBC said other factors were also aligning to push up the value of Canada's currency such as increased demand for oil, minerals and fertilizers; resurgent capital markets; and global debt fears.

"If the capital markets finally get an appetite for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) then Canada could be one of the first places to see the benefit of foreign inflows," said CIBC analyst Zafar Bhatti.

Or "if the investing world starts looking for a place to park capital in the wake of deteriorating sovereign credits then Canada would look very attractive," Bhatti said in a report.

Since the beginning of the year, the Canadian dollar has appreciated 2.5 percent against the US dollar and more than seven percent against the euro.

The loonie last achieved parity with the US greenback in 2008, and previously hit a record 1.10 dollars in 2007.

Comment: On a trip from Thunder Bay to Fort Francis, we stopped at some small Canadian town for coffee and a scone. I paid with a US $ 20. The change Canadian was more than $ 20. It was confusing. Back in the days when the dollar meant something

“Attention - Drunks”

Romanian street sign warns drivers of 'drunk pedestrians'

Excerpt:

Officials in Pecica, a village town about 13 miles from the Hungarian border in the country’s west, ordered the bright red signs, complete with the phrase “Attention - Drunks”.

Comment: Weird

Desktop technology in 16 years

• Dumb terminal for 2 years. No PC. Terminal was on 24 x 7. You would come to work, hit the enter key ... enter a password and you were live on the mainframe. No email (we did have Mainframe mail but we only got about 3 mails a week!)
  
• Windows 3.11 for a number of years. First time with Outlook!
  
• Windows 95 from about 1996 until 1999. We had to reboot at least once a day.
  
• Windows NT from the end of 99 until about 2004. I had a series of great PCs. Seemed like every other year I had a new PC
  
• Windows XP in 2004 on a Dell laptop. First laptop
  
• Upgrade to XP SP1 in 2005
  
• Windows XP SP2 on a Lenovo laptop in 2006. I'm still on this same laptop but now XP SP3
  

Observations: Windows NT was the first Windows operating system that really seemed to work! Solid. Back on Windows 95 I had Internet access for the first time. I did web (Intranet) work for the first time. If one hosted an Intranet site, manager would approve Internet access. People would come by my cubical and I would show them CNN!

Bosses in 16 years

Today yet another change of managers. I attempt to list my managers over 16 years

• Jeff W for 2 years in Colorado
  
• Gap
  
• Steve H for 1 year in Minnesota
  
• Steve G for 2 years (up to the end of '99)
  
• Gap with either no boss or string of change
  
• Mary M for 6 months in 2000
  
• Stan ? (for 6 months ??)
  
• Cheryl T for about a year
  
• Forgot the name for a short period
  
• Steve K for several years
  
• A string of bosses over a period of 6 months. Crazy time. I think this was 2004. I applied for the job myself but was turned down. A peer (and a close friend) likewise applied but was turned down
  
• Randy L for a very short time. To a man (and woman) his subordinates would not work for him. All who could leave took other jobs!
  
• George S for 2 years
  
• Tom B for 3 years
  
• Three months with no boss
  
• Terry N for 8 months
  
• To today .... Denise R
  

Best ones: Jeff W (my first one!). Steve K (probably the most supportive). Cheryl T (the kindest). Tom B (very professional). Steve G now retired. Jeff W works in my building and I see him frequently. (Reads like 2 Chronicles!)

The case for sexual purity

1 in 6 Americans infected with herpes

Excerpt:

About 16 percent of Americans between the ages of 14 and 49 are infected with genital herpes, making it one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases, U.S. health officials said on Tuesday.

Black women had the highest rate of infection at 48 percent and women were nearly twice likely as men to be infected, according to an analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

About 21 percent of women were infected with genital herpes, compared to only 11.5 percent of men, while 39 percent of blacks were infected compared to about 12 percent for whites, the CDC said.

There is no cure for genital herpes, or herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), which can cause recurrent and painful genital sores

Comment: All the years of sex education and the availability of condoms really hasn't accomplished much! A heart change and a submission to the authority of the Word of God is needed!

Concepción moved 10 feet!

Chile quake moves city 10 feet

Excerpts:

The massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile more than a week ago moved the city of Concepción at least 10 feet (3 meters) to the west, seismological measurements indicate.

The violent temblor — the fifth most powerful quake ever measured — shifted other parts of South America as well, from the Falkland Islands (located just east of the southern tip of South America) to Fortaleza, Brazil, situated on that country's northern coast.

...

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina and across the continent from the quake's epicenter, moved about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) to the west. Chile's capital, Santiago, moved about 11 inches (28 cm) to the west-southwest. The cities of Valparaiso and Mendoza, Argentina, northeast of Concepción, also moved significantly.

Comment: Pretty amazing!

It's all about supply and demand!

Black Barbie Sold for Less Than White Barbie at Walmart Store

Excerpt:

A photo first posted to the humor Web site FunnyJunk.com and later to the Latino Web site Guanabee.com shows packages of Mattel's Ballerina Barbie and Ballerina Theresa dolls hanging side by side at an unidentified store. The Theresa dolls, which feature brown skin and dark hair, are marked as being on sale at $3.00. The Barbies to the right of the Theresa dolls, meanwhile, retain their original price of $5.93. The dolls look identical aside from their color.

Editors at Guanabee.com said the person responsible for the photo told the Web site that it was taken at a Louisiana Walmart store. The person did not return e-mails from ABCNews.com.

A Walmart spokeswoman, who could not verify the exact store shown in the photo, said that the price change on the Theresa doll was part of the chain's efforts to clear shelf space for its new spring inventory.

Comments:

• My wife never had a Barbie doll. My daughter never did either!
  
• I think they are stupid! Legos are my toy of choice!
  
• WalMart is not pricing human beings! They are pricing dolls
  
• Want the price to go up ... buy more of them!
  

Sister Theresa and her prayer for healing

Actually happened as I walked into work today.

A woman came up to me and asked if she could pray for my healing!

She tapped me on my shoulder and said "can I pray for your healing?"

My response. I've been handicapped for 22 years (actually 22 1/2). I told her I was a Christian and God gave me grace every day.

I asked her name ... "Theresa"

Short Sales are ‘Tailor-made for fraud’

Program to pay homeowners to sell at a loss

Excerpt:

Should the incentives prove successful, the short sales program could have multiple benefits. For the investment pools that own many home loans, there is the prospect of getting more money with a sale than with a foreclosure.

For the borrowers, there is the likelihood of suffering less damage to credit ratings. And as part of the transaction, they will get the lender’s assurance that they will not later be sued for an unpaid mortgage balance.

For communities, the plan will mean fewer empty foreclosed houses waiting to be sold by banks. By some estimates, as many as half of all foreclosed properties are ransacked by either the former owners or vandals, which depresses the value of the property further and pulls down the value of neighboring homes.

If short sales are about to have their moment, it has been a long time coming. At the beginning of the foreclosure crisis, lenders shunned short sales. They were not equipped to deal with the labor-intensive process and were suspicious of it.

The lenders’ thinking, said the economist Thomas Lawler, went like this: “I lend someone $200,000 to buy a house. Then he says, ‘Look, I have someone willing to pay $150,000 for it; otherwise I think I’m going to default.’ Do I really believe the borrower can’t pay it back? And is $150,000 a reasonable offer for the property?”

Short sales are “tailor-made for fraud,” said Mr. Lawler, a former executive at the mortgage finance company Fannie Mae.

Last year, short sales started to increase, although they remain relatively uncommon. Fannie Mae said preforeclosure deals on loans in its portfolio more than tripled in 2009, to 36,968. But real estate agents say many lenders still seem to disapprove of short sales.

Under the new federal program, a lender will use real estate agents to determine the value of a home and thus the minimum to accept. This figure will not be shared with the owner, but if an offer comes in that is equal to or higher than this amount, the lender must take it.

Mr. Paul, the Phoenix agent, was skeptical. “In a perfect world, this would work,” he said. “But because estimates of value are inherently subjective, it won’t. The banks don’t want to sell at a discount.”

There are myriad other potential conflicts over short sales that may not be solved by the program, which was announced on Nov. 30 but whose details are still being fine-tuned. Many would-be short sellers have second and even third mortgages on their houses. Banks that own these loans are in a position to block any sale unless they get a piece of the deal.

“You have one loan, it’s no sweat to get a short sale,” said Howard Chase, a Miami Beach agent who says he does around 20 short sales a month. “But the second mortgage often is the obstacle.”

Major lenders seem to be taking a cautious approach to the new initiative. In many cases, big banks do not actually own the mortgages; they simply administer them and collect payments. J. K. Huey, a Wells Fargo vice president, said a short sale, like a loan modification, would have to meet the requirements of the investor who owns the loan.

“This is not an opportunity for the customer to just walk away,” Ms. Huey said. “If someone doesn’t come to us saying, ‘I’ve done everything I can, I used all my savings, I borrowed money and, by the way, I’m losing my job and moving to another city, and have all the documentation,’ we’re not going to do a short sale.”

Comment: I have a perfect real life example. Owner bought the home for $ 245K in 2006 and made numerous upgrades. Owner has $ 300K in mortgages. Zillow values the house at $ 219K. Owner is seriously under water. Owner proposes sale to a non-profit for $ 150K with proviso that mortgage company write off loan and government does not consider written off loan to be taxable income for the seller. I don't see how it is likely that foreclosure will be avoided. The bank (not Wells Fargo!) has a responsibility to get the max for their organization (their stockholders!).

There is no way the home will sell for a price to make it painless for the owners. It will likely go into foreclosure. The home will sell for market value. The owners will be the losers and may end up filing bankruptcy.

Homestead Mills - Cook Minnesota

homesteadmills.com


Comment: Try their Buckwheat Pancake Mix. We have this every Saturday! With real maple syrup. We used to buy the mix at Lunds. Now we order direct from the mill. A Minnesota company!

Harsh but accurate

Is Hayworth ad mocking McCain offensive?

Excerpt:

Sen. John McCain's re-election campaign is decrying as insulting an online ad by GOP Senate challenger J.D. Hayworth that mocks McCain, R-Ariz., by defacing his picture with some sort of blue warpaint.

"Ads like this have no place in the Republican primary, and J.D. Hayworth should immediately take it down and apologize," said Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., a strong McCain ally.

The ad, which appeared on the widely read Internet news site the Drudge Report, apparently is a play on the science-fiction movie "Avatar," which is up for Best Picture in Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony. It shows McCain's photo defaced with blue stripes and says, "John McCain: Nominee for Best Conservative Actor."

“Ex-Congressman J.D. Hayworth should immediately apologize and and take down his latest online ad, which is an outrageous offense to John McCain’s lifetime of honorable service to our state and nation, and insulting to Native Americans here in Arizona and across America," said Shiree Verdone, McCain's campaign manager. "Mr. Hayworth is welcome to debate the challenges facing our state and nation, but this kind of character assassination has no place in the Republican Party, and Mr. Hayworth should ashamed of his campaign for running it.”

When asked for a response to Kyl's complaint, Hayworth spokesman Jason Rose told AZ/DC: "We respectfully decline the request and would encourage Senator McCain to get a sense of humor. After all, if Sunday's show did have an award for best election year flip-flopping and transparent conservative conversion, the incumbent would surely win the Oscar."

Comment: I like John McCain, but I would vote for change in AZ!

The Charity of Grace Groner

Secret millionaire gives fortune to alma mater

Excerpts:

Grace Groner lived through the Great Depression, so saving money was her expertise.

Nobody knew just how much she had saved until she died in January at age 100 and left $7 million to Lake Forest College, her alma mater.

...

Groner found ways to save money. She shopped for clothes at rummage sales and walked places instead of buying a car.

"She did not have the (material) needs that other people have," William Marlatt, her attorney and longtime friend, told The Chicago Tribune. "She could have lived in any house in Lake Forest but she chose not to. … She enjoyed other people, and every friend she had was a friend for who she was. They weren't friends for what she had."

She lived in a one-bedroom house in Lake Forest and worked for Abbott Laboratories as a secretary for 43 years. Groner never felt the urge to keep up with the lavish Lake Forest lifestyle, but she did splurge occasionally.

...

The source of her wealth, it turns out, emanates from $180 stock purchase she made in 1935. She consistently reinvested her earnings and grew the purchase into a $7 million fortune.

The money will help about 1,300 Lake Forest students pursue internships and study-abroad programs that they may not have had the chance to take advantage without Groner’s hefty donation.

Aside from the $7 million donation, she also left her small house to the college, which will house scholarship winners who benefited from her donation.

Comment: The Grace Groner house

WellsTrade® brokerage account

WellsTrade® brokerage account

Comment: I've just started using it. 100 free trades a year!

On wedding "traditions" created by the bridal industry

The Myth of the $18,000 Wedding

Excerpts:

Author Rebecca Mead exposed a similar data problem in her 2007 book "One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding," where she cites a $28,000 average figure from a survey conducted by Conde Nast Bridal Group magazines.

"If a bride has been told, repeatedly, that it costs nearly $28,000 to have a wedding, then she starts to think that spending $28,000 on a wedding is just one of those things a person has to do, like writing a rent check every month." Mead writes.

Research has found that Mead's instincts are correct -- our spending choices are greatly influenced by purported norms because the brain attaches itself to "anchors" when making decisions.

...

Consumers' willingness to pay can be easily manipulated because we often don't have a good handle on our preferences or a rational baseline for the decisions. Economic theory suggests that forces of supply and demand are independent, and it's the enthusiasm to pay a particular premium that determines market prices. But consumers are often at a loss on how to assign value, so as Ariely demonstrates, it's just the opposite: Market prices themselves influence consumers' willingness to pay.

Combine anchoring with clever marketing and you've got an expensive right of passage in the making. Mead, for instance, investigates a number of wedding "traditions" created by the bridal industry, including the engagement ring, invented by diamond producer De Beers in the 1930s and 1940s.

...

As Mead told me: "There's a lot of stuff people spend money on at weddings that isn't about the core of a wedding, which is getting family and friends together and celebrating."

Perhaps along the commitment to "honor and cherish" we should add a new vow: "Before spending five figures -- on a lavish party, luxury vehicle or anything else -- I promise to ponder whether the purchase aligns with our deepest values and enhances or compromises our financial well-being. And I promise to look critically at my anchors."

Comment: For my children!

I think that we should put more emphasis on the 25th anniversary!

Soccer: Should The 'Paradinha' Be Banned?

Should This Move Be Banned?

Excerpt:

The tactic, which in Portuguese means "little stop," was first popularized by Pelé in the 1970s but has recently been adopted, and sharpened, by many leading Brazilian players and by an increasing number of stars from other countries, like Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The paradinha (pronounced par-a-JEEN-ya) is performed on a penalty kick by the shooter, who pauses unexpectedly before striking the ball—or even swings his foot through the air several times—before making contact. It's designed to throw off the goalkeeper's timing. When executed properly, the move can have jaw-dropping results.

Last month in a Brazilian professional game against São Paulo, an 18-year-old striker for Santos, whose name is Neymar, lined up to take a penalty kick. He began jogging slowly up to the ball, then suddenly accelerated his pace, then stopped abruptly, almost backpedaling. São Paulo's goalie, Rogério Ceni, jumped off his feet toward his right side, leaving Neymar, who has been dubbed by some as "the new Pelé," free to kick the ball into the opposite lower corner for an easy goal. The striker, who is being courted by a slew of European teams, high-fived a teammate and celebrated with a short samba dance as the crowd went wild and the announcers screamed: "Paradinha! Goooool!"

"He should take advantage of doing this while it's still permitted in Brazil, because when he goes to Europe he won't be able to do it," Mr. Ceni, the goalkeeper, said after the game, complaining that Neymar's paradinha was more of a "paradão," meaning "big stop."

Comment: I'm not much of a soccer fan but found this interesting. Read the article first. You may need to watch the video a couple of times.

16th

I am having a little private celebration for making it to my 16th anniversary at my current company. Because one is not to blog about work I am not mentioning the company by name.

Wow this last year has been tough! I thank God I made it through this year.

James 1:2-4, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

Comment: Background on how I arrived at my current position

My hopes and thoughts about my job:

• That I see myself as an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ!
  
• I am thankful for the Christian friends that I have at work (although none are my close co-workers!). There is a bond among us!
  
• I am thankful for my lovely wife (of 35 years) who is a co-worker. We pray together about many things including our jobs!
  
• I pray for the grace to live out the ethic of the Christian life here! I falter many times (to my shame!)
  
• In this day and age when many good people have lost jobs, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ for my job!
  

When we buy inexpensive shoes or t-shirts or plastic toys are we indirectly exploiting the poor who made the product for a relative pittance?

Is My Shirt a Sin?

Excerpt:

We must differentiate between low wages (low to us anyways) and forced, child, or slave labor. It is not a sin to pay someone in the Philippines a wage that seems absurdly small to Americans. Hourly compensation costs for employees in the manufacturing sector in the United States was $30.56 in 2007. In Mexico hourly compensation averaged $3.91; in the Philippines $1.37. This is much lower than compensation in the U.S. But then the U.S. compensates at a lower level than does Europe. Manufacturing workers in Germany, for example, average $50.73 an hour. In Norway they make $55.03. Part of the difference in compensation stems from purchasing power disparities (a buck goes farther in some countries than others) and varying levels of governmental regulation.

But by and large we are not bothered by Norwegians making a lot of money. We are, however, concerned about the poor in the Two-Thirds world. Probably every American would agree that workers in America are better off than workers in the Philippines. We would all like to see Filipinos live more comfortable lives. But just because $1.37 seems low to us, does not mean MNCs are unjust to pay Filipinos 4% of what U.S. manufacturing workers make.

For starters, workers in developing countries are less productive. This doesn’t mean they don’t work as hard or aren’t as bright. Productivity may be lower because the equipment is more primitive, proper training is less emphasized, management structures are less effective, or the infrastructure is less developed. Whatever the reason, the output of a worker in America is more than the output of workers in most other countries. Companies cannot survive by paying the same wage for less productivity.

More to the point, it can hardly be considered exploitative labor when, in many cases, people in other countries are eager for our manufacturing jobs. If we insist that MNCs pay workers in Mauritius what you can get in Grand Rapids, the MNCs will simply pull out of places like Mauritius. We will feel good about doing something for the poor (and perhaps for spending more money to buy American), but the workers in Mauritius (which is one of the better off African countries) now have less access to Western capital, one less opportunity for a job that by their standards is pretty decent. Good intentions, by themselves, count for very little. Sometimes they do more harm than good. Sound economics are needed if we are to actually help the poor and not just our consciences.

Comment: Comparative advantage. Another great Kevin DeYoung article! Image source: the Economic Research Institute for Northeast Asia

First Energy: My latest stock purchase

Yahoo Finance Profile: FE

Comment: Buying for the 5.6% dividend rate. We'll see how this turns out (There's got to be a better way to make 5% than what I've been trying!)

CNN Interactive Forecast

CNN Interactive Forecast


Comment: Click through for interactive feature

Illegal construction according to the state of Pennsylvania

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property.

It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania .

This guy's response is hilarious, but read The State's letter before you get to the response letter..

State of Pennsylvania 's letter to Mr. DeVries:

SUBJECT: DEQ
File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec 20; Lycoming County



Dear Mr. DeVries:



It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:



Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.



A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.



The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2010.



Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action..



We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.



Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.




Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:


Re: DEQ File
No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County




Dear Mr.Price,




Your certified letter dated 12/17/09 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .




A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.'




I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose.. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.




These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.




My first dam question to you is:



(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?




If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued. (Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)




I have several dam concerns. My first dam concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer.




The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.




If you want the damed stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.




In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).




So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2010? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice by then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.




In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your dam step! The bears are not careful where they dump!




Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.




THANK YOU,





RYAN DEVRIES & THE DAM BEAVERS

Comment: My son sent this to me! Thanks

The Pacific Northwest and a megaquake

Northwest at risk of earthquake like one in Chile

Excerpt:

The disaster in Chile has brought new attention to an undersea fault along the Pacific Northwest capable of producing the same type of mega earthquake and inflicting heavy damage on bustling cities like Seattle, Portland and Vancouver.

The fault has been dormant for more than 300 years, but when it awakens -- tomorrow or decades from now -- the consequences could be devastating.

The last rupture unleashed the largest known quake to hit the Lower 48 -- a magnitude-9 that sent tsunami waves crashing into Japanese coastal villages.

Recent computer simulations of a hypothetical magnitude-9 quake found that shaking could last 2 to 5 minutes -- strong enough to potentially cause poorly constructed buildings from British Columbia to Northern California to collapse and severely damaging highways and bridges.

Such a quake would also send powerful waves rushing to shore in minutes. While big cities such as Portland and Seattle would be protected from severe flooding, low-lying seaside communities may not be as lucky.

The Pacific Northwest "has a long geological history of doing exactly what happened in Chile," said Brian Atwater, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Washington. "It's not a matter of if but when the next one will happen."

The Pacific Northwest fault behaves much like the one that broke offshore Chile that triggered a magnitude-8.8 quake. Shaking lasted 2 1/2 minutes and the temblor destroyed or badly damaged 500,000 homes.

Located just 50 miles off the coast, the 680-mile-long Casacadia fault is part of several seismic hotspots around the globe where plates of the Earth's crust grind and dive. These so-called subduction zones give rise to mountain ranges, ocean trenches and volcanic arcs, but also spawn the largest quakes on the planet.

There's an 80 percent chance the portion of the fault off southern Oregon and Northern California would break in the next 50 years and produce a megaquake.

Comment: Interesting

Myth? "Christian parenting techniques produce godly children"

The Myth of the Perfect Parent

Excerpts:

Proverbs 22:6 has been widely adopted as both psychological premise and theological promise, despite the widespread recognition that hermeneutically, the Proverbs are not promises from God, but general observations and maxims. (Ironically, if King Solomon did pen this proverb, as many biblical scholars believe, he himself failed to exemplify its truth: In his old age, he abandoned the teaching and example of his father, as "his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been" [1 Kings 11:4].)

Despite these problems, entire formulas and programs have been created to divine and instruct on the kind of parental training that will secure the desired outcome. At least one of these programs, claiming to instruct in God's ways of raising children, has sold in the millions. A few of the more stridently conservative writers are so confident of their parenting methods and outcomes, they describe child-training as a risk-free venture analogous to staking out tomatoes, training dogs, and teaching mules, only loosely veiling B. F. Skinner-like techniques with swatches of strategically placed Bible verses.

...

One parenting writer warns, "If our parents' approach seemed close to biblical parenting, yet bore bad fruit, we can be certain it was not biblical." We can know this, he asserts, because God's Word gives us exactly what we need to raise godly children, and if we correctly apply the principles, "parents will not be disappointed."

An entire branch of Christian parenting takes this tack. "Observe and learn from winning parents," one writer advises. Winning parents are those whose children are "obedient" and "respectful," who "know God's will," who "live faithful Christian lives," he writes. We should be imitating those parents "who are successful, not those who fail."

Comment: Before I had kids ... I had parenting all figured out!

LastPass

The Easy, Any-Browser, Any-OS Password Solution

Excerpt:

LastPass uses a single master password to log into your account, sure, and if you lose that, you have to jump through quite a few hoops to get it back. But it is, technically, recoverable.

Comment: Official site lastpass.com

I'm thinking about trying it out. Any thoughts or perspectives? The multi-platform appeals to me as I am Windows at work and Mac and Linux at home

Miscellaneous

• An important 2nd Amendment case: Chicago gun ban goes before Supreme Court
  
• We had 8" of pink stuff added to our attic on Saturday. We had 12" of rolled insulation and now 8" on top of that.
  
• I am praying daily for a brother who is in the last days of his life. His name is Tim and he is a Pastor in the Twin Cities.
  
• It is starting to feel like Spring. We still have heavy snow cover. Medicine Lake is still frozen solid (and thick enough for cars to drive on). But these days with highs above freezing are a welcome relief to Winter
  
  

Confusion over credit reporting

FREECREDITREPORT.COM FORCED TO FACE THE MUSIC

Excerpt:

Like the song says, he should have seen it coming at him like an atom bomb.

The singer of those FreeCreditReport.com jingles might sound a bit less peppy now that the Federal Trade Commission is making the company behind the ads -- credit bureau Experian -- face the music. Heavy-handed disclosures aimed at ending years-long confusion over free credit reports will begin to appear in the ads next month. The changes are among new consumer protections enacted by Congress in the 2009 Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act.

In one disclosure viewed by msnbc.com, the top of the FreeCreditReport.com Web site was covered with a large grey block with type that read: "You have the right to a free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com ... the only authorized source under federal law," with an obvious link to the site. Consumers who still want to sign up with FreeCreditReport.com would have to scroll down and enroll in the paid service offered by Experian.

"That's what we were aiming for," said Maneesha Mithal, an FTC attorney. "Congress wanted the disclosure to be really prominent."

Many Web sites, including FreeCreditReport.com, claim to offer free credit reports, but do so only as a come-on for costly credit monitoring subscriptions services.

The pay site: www.freecreditreport.com

The free site: www.annualcreditreport.com

Comment: I used the free site this year. I actually prefer the ww.myfico.com which while a paid service has very clear reporting, ID theft alerts, and other tools.

Tsunami Quiz

Tsunami Quiz: Ten Facts on Killer Waves

Comment: I got 9 of 10 correct. 8 I knew hands down ... 2 I guessed ... one correctly. Answers on the bottom of the linked page; so don't scroll down until you answer the questions. In comments post your score

Top 10 Quakes

Graphic source

Wiki: Ring of Fire

Tie employment to credit check?

States may ban credit checks on job applicants

Excerpt:

Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society for Human Resources Management said they run credit checks on at least some job applicants, compared with 42 percent in a somewhat similar survey in 2006.

Employers say such checks give them valuable information about an applicant's honesty and sense of responsibility. But lawmakers in at least 16 states from South Carolina to Oregon have proposed outlawing most checks, saying the practice traps people in debt because their past financial problems prevent them from finding work.

Comment: I can see it if someone works directly with money .... like a teller! Otherwise I am not sure. Thoughts?

James: The author and the epistle

James: The author and the epistle

Comment:

Our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) class is set to commence the Epistle of James on 3/14. I've prepared a 5 page handout with background and overview information. If interested click over to my 4BYA site and either view online or download

How vulnerable is the US to quakes?

Are We Prepared for an 8.8 Quake?

Excerpts:

Fortunately, we do not expect a magnitude-8.8 earthquakes to be widespread in the United States. Such large magnitude earthquakes require very long faults that are capable of rupturing all at once. Only two such faults appear to have the capability to generate very large earthquakes: the Cascadia subduction zone along the coast of Washington, Oregon, and Northern California and the Aleutian subduction zone along the southern coast of Alaska.

Geologic evidence suggests the Cascadia fault last ruptured in 1700 and generated a 9-magnitude earthquake. In 1964, the Aleutian fault generated a 9.5-magnitude quake. The only other fault of comparable length is the San Andreas fault, but it appears to rupture along shorter segments and generate slightly smaller earthquakes.

Paradoxically, one effect of very long fault ruptures is that the shaking generated at the far end of the fault will be reduced by the time it travels to the other end of the fault. Distance is your friend in the earthquake business. Thus, the threat from these very large earthquakes is duration not strength of shaking. For example, the 1964 Alaskan earthquake lasted more than 4 minutes, whereas the magnitude-6.9 Loma Prieta quake in 1989 lasted less than 10 seconds.

...

Beyond California, there are many areas — Oregon, Washington, Utah, the New Madrid region that includes Memphis, the Southeast and Northeast — that are facing major earthquakes and are not doing enough about it. The lack of significant earthquakes in those regions in the modern era has left policymakers with only the possibility of disaster and not a ready example of what can happen.

Of the areas outside of California, the central United States remains my greatest concern. A major earthquake similar to those that occurred in the early 1800’s would devastate the region and have a serious impact on the national economy.

Comment: