Barb’s Blog » Archive for June 2008
My Summer Project
For as long as I can remember now, I have wanted a digital SLR camera. Today I finally purchased a fine camera, the Canon 40D. The thing has come with 4 CD’s of software to install and 5 manuals to read. Today I took about 180 practice shots, and I think I am really going to like the camera. A few test shots so far: American Goldfinch #1 American Goldfinch #2 Titmouse at the feeder First Obstacle? I need help threading the strap. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
Terrorists and Rights
From Fox News: Last week the Supreme Court ruled that terrorist detainees held by the U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay can challenge their detention in federal court. Commentators called the ruling a major blow to the Bush administration and looked to the White House for its next move. But any effort by this White House to roll back the Boumediene decision surely would fail, given its breadth and political realities. That leaves open a question for Congress: Should terrorist detainees have more rights, the same rights or fewer rights than American citizens? If Congress does nothing, it’s made its choice: more rights. Now Watch This (USA Wake Up!) … Read entire article »
Filed under: News Items
Pop Tarts
After today, I needed some Brian Regan Humor. (I might need to loosen up my schedule) … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
The Vine
A vine is taking over our yard and freaking my mom out. Any idea what it is? I think we have ruled out Virginia Creeper or Kudzu, but not sure…. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
Cell Phone of the Future?
The Nokia888 You dont have to carry it in your pocket or on your wrist. You can carry it anywhere, in anyform. You can roll it, bend it, put on your clothes like a clip. It also makes some form changes that makes it more ergonomical: i.e. when you want to talk on the phone, the body form turns into the form of the good old telephone. It uses liquid battery, speech recognition, flexible touch screen, touch … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
How Do I Look?
Psalm 139:14 declares, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Many Christians associate this verse with their pro-life beliefs. It makes sense as the verse before it mentions “thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” This and other verses just means to us that life begins at conception. Recently though, I have wondered if it isn’t more than just when life begins. Could it be the context of Psalm 139:14 is the incredible nature of our physical bodies? The human body is unique, the most complex organism in the world, and that complexity and uniqueness speak volumes about the mind of its Creator. Every aspect of the body, down to the tiniest microscopic cell, reveals that it is fearfully and wonderfully … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Love is not a Feeling
“Besides,” I went on, “love is not a feeling.” “Not a feeling?” asked the tall girl. “What else could it be?” “Love is a commitment of the will to the true good of the other person. Otherwise, how could people getting married promise to love each other? You can’t promise to have a feeling.” Read more here … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Stoke Fear
People who know me well, know that I believe in one race – the human race. I believe that we can all trace our ancestry back to Noah, and before that Adam and Eve. Ok, so after the tower of Babel we dispersed, moved to other parts of the globe where changes of skin coloring took place. Big deal. I can appreciate the differences. If all the flowers were the same color, how boring would that be? With that said, I get a little angry when I see headlines like, "Obama says Republicans will use race to stoke fear ." That’s funny. The only ones mentioning race for the most part are Obama’s minister, church, and the affiliates to the church. The article goes on to speak of division, again, I must point any blame … Read entire article »
Filed under: News Items
Little White Lie
This came to my inbox this morning from someone who reads Mountain Wings. I really liked it, although the end part I might disagree with as I believe our God is omnipresent, however it is a very cute little story. “I am a senior citizen and I take my position as an elder in my community seriously. I believe that everything I think, say, or do, could be felt, heard, or seen by somebody. I believe that my thoughts, words, and action s have the potential to influence those around me. I want to be a good example to those who ”could be following me.” Recently, a neighbour asked me to tell a “little white lie” to pacify a situation. I said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that for you. It would be against my principles.” She was … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Another Sister’s Birthday
In our family, spring brings on a slew of birthdays in a row, starting in April, and not slowing down till end of June. The addition of Petra to the family didn’t change that. No sooner have we calmed down from Linda’s birthday, it’s time to celebrate another. This photo was taken of Petra (on the left) and I before a dance. Mom had made both our dresses and we are modeling for the camera. Petra, may all … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
Debt and Covetousness
Money is a terrible master, but it’s a good servant. I don’t think that I am a materialistic person, however we learned in a sermon by Dr. Michael Duffy in church a few Sundays ago, that ‘wanting stuff’ is basically in our fallen nature. He went on to say, “You don’t really have to teach a child how to want stuff, you do have to teach them to SHARE.” He defined covetousness as “valuing stuff over relationships.” It’s a destructive sin. It’s a trap and a lie we believe (hence the commerical ads on television making us believe we need the latest and greatest). It never bring satisfaction, in fact, intensifies the lust. Enough is never enough. Mike Duffy went on to share that if you didn’t believe that we don’t have enough stuff, take a look … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
The Air Car
Some time back I blogged about the Tata Nano Car . Now it seems it has developed into something perhaps better in these oil-crazy times. The Air Car. Runs on compress air Offers zero pollution Low Running Cost Sounds perfect doesn’t it? You don’t even have to look for your keys, it runs on an access card. Oh, and better yet, not one hair on a polar bear was disturbed. Where are these environmentalists? Why are they not petitioning for concentrated research on … Read entire article »
Filed under: News Items
Actions and Words
“A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home,” said Drew Johnson. Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research goes on to say, “Al Gore is a hypocrite and a fraud when it comes to his commitment to the environment, judging by his home energy consumption.” Why is Mr Johnson saying this? Wasn’t Al Gore supposed to update his home to be more “green” like George Bush’s home? (See Barb’s Blog, A Tale of Two Houses) Well indeed Al Gore was SUPPOSED to do so, especially after it came out that he used 20 times the national average. (Also see Barb’s Blog Al Gore: Practice What you Preach) Well, according to Tennesee Policy Org: After the Tennessee Center for Policy Research … Read entire article »
Filed under: News Items
Firefox 3
This Tuesday Firefox 3 will arrive. The new features cover the full range from huge and game-changing to ones so subtle you may not notice them until you realize that using Firefox is just somehow easier and better. The range of improved features is similar — whole back-end systems have been rebuilt from scratch, while other features have been tweaked slightly or redesigned in small ways. Overall the result is the fastest, safest, slimmest, and easiest to use version of Firefox yet. Anyway, you might like to see a Field Guide in preparation. Have a look HERE! … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Dad
It’s Father’s Day here in the U.S. I couldn’t let it pass without some mention of my sweet dad. He was the best of men. He is very missed. I found this poem on the internet and I thought to share it: … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Linda’s Birthday
I love my big sister. Today we celebrated her birthday. (It’s really the 16th) George invited all of us to The Bayou in Havre de Grace. Most of us feasted on crab cakes. They were perfection. We had a great time with little Conner and Aiden. Images of the celebration are HERE In honor of my sister’s big day though, I have put together a slide show, images taken over the years, with music in the background that she … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
Rising Gas Prices, Rising Blood Pressure
My mom went to her doctor the other day, and for the most part the doctor was pleased with her test results. He praised her for lowering her cholesteral, but had to mention, “Your blood pressure is a bit high.” She responded, “Well before I came here I had to buy gas today and drive to your office.” They shared a laugh, and he didn’t chastise her in understanding. Why am I harping on this subject of the price of gas? Because we all live it, and frankly it’s deeply affecting our lives. As you know, and I blogged about previously, this week, Republican senators blocked a Democrat-sponsored bill that would have imposed a “windfall profits” tax on the five major oil companies. According to Bill O’Reilly: The GOP says the bill would not have lowered gas … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Forget Presidents, Vote the Democratic Congress OUT
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) makes the claim “Since George Bush got into office…[gas prices saw a ] 250% increase.” The truth of the matter is the day Democrats took control of Congress, January 4, 2007, gas prices averaged $2.33 per gallon, according to AAA. Today, the national average is $4.04 – a whopping $1.71 increase per gallon in less than a year and a half. Who is Barbara Boxer? She’s the brainchild of the Boxer Climate Tax Bill which was a deceptive piece of legislation that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged would raise the price of gasoline at the pump BY ANOTHER $1.40 a gallon! Ok, so while you and me suffer at the high cost of gasoline, these democrats in congress can only think of ways to make it worse? They … Read entire article »
Filed under: News Items
Campaign Money Trail
I got an email from Ann Coulter today. She asks: “Do you know which special interest has given more money to the Obama and Clinton campaigns than any other?” Not Labor Unions Not the Green Lobby Not NEA nor AARP The answer is WALL STREET. According to CNNMoney.com, Wall Street securities and investment firms have given over $35 million to Democratic candidates this election cycle. And the amount they’ve given to the Clinton and Obama campaigns is nearly five times the amount they’ve given to McCain. Can this be the end to Democrats saying that Republicans are the party of money and big business? I never believed it anyway. After all, the Kennedys and everyone in Hollywood who love liberals have always had money. … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Saying Goodbye
The ornaments of your house will be the guests who frequent it. ~Author Unknown Yesterday we had to say good-bye to Jared. It was nice to have his company. If only for a little while, I had in my home “a camera friend” which Laura has wished for me to have for years now. Mom got to feed and spoil yet someone else. Laura got to pick on (and be picked on by) yet another “brother”. For Miquel, was able … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Ellicott City, Maryland
Yesterday we took Jared to Ellicott City, Maryland. I thought it would be a great place for a fellow like him who likes to take photos, to take advantage of all the history and picturesque venues. He loved it. I did learn some things, for instance, I didn’t know it was once called Ellicott Mills. In 1772, three Quaker brothers from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, chose the picturesque wilderness, upriver from Elk Ridge Landing (known today as Elkridge, … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Jared and the Groundhog
Well as our guest Jared soon found out, not only is our place a nuthouse, it’s part zoo. We seem to have aquired a groundhog that has decided to make its home in our yard. Jared quickly went about getting its picture. Jared got some fabulous shots up close. Knowing the limitations of my camera, I just had fun taking photos of Jared getting the groundhog. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
First Gig
When my son got back from Northland, the members of the band (Ryan, Simeon, and Doug) presented him with newly written music and a deadline of June 6th at Chapelgate Presbyterian Church for their first gig. After much practice (in our barn) the day was here. They are really talented and their efforts paid off last night. They connected very well. I was happy that I wasn’t the only proud parent there (some brought earplugs). I took a ton of photos … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
If You Were President
This was from an email Lisa sent me: So, I was talking to this little girl Catherine, the daughter of some friends, and she said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there with us - and I asked Catherine – "If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?" Catherine replied – "I would give houses to all the homeless people." "Wow – what a worthy goal you have there, Catherine." I told her, "You don’t have to wait until you’re President to do that, you can come over to my house and clean up all the dog poop in my back yard and I will pay you $5 dollars. Then we can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Everyday
…is starting to look the same around here. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED TORNADO WATCH 447 IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA IN MARYLAND THIS WATCH INCLUDES 13 COUNTIES THE ATMOSPHERE IS FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE THE GREATEST THREATS…BUT THERE IS ALSO A RISK FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES. HEAVY RAINFALL AND CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
Picking Up Jared
Miquel made a few good friends at Northland, but the one he spoke of most was Jared. When Miquel asked if he could spend a few days with us I said yes right away. Since Jared lives in New Jersey, they decided he would take the ferry to Delaware and we would pick him up. The trip from our house to Lewes, Delaware would prove to be a two and a half hour trip. As we got into … Read entire article »
Filed under: General
Cooking Class #8: Sweet & Sour Pork
The next category for Laura’s cooking class was to cook a meat. She selected Sweet and Sour Pork. Ingredients: To Serve 4 1 lb lean boneless pork 2 T. Dry Sherry salt and pepper 1 egg 3 T. Flour 3 T. oil 2 Carrots 2 Onions 1 Cucumber 1 Garlic Clove ¼ c. ketchup 2 t. Soy Sauce 2 T. Vinegar 1 T. Brown Sugar 1 T. Cornstarch 1 ¼ c. Water Cut meat into ½ inch cubes. Put into a bowl with sherry and seasoning and marinate for 30 minutes. Lightly beat egg. Dip pork … Read entire article »
Filed under: Personal
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