Cycologist

Daniel's "new" Honda Shadow 600 cycle (2001 model). After a not-nice thief took his Honda scooter from the carport of his house (never recovered), which was his transportation in lieu of a second family car, he replaced it with this bike. Very nice, really clean, low miles, 50-60 mpg -- what could be better?

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David Sighting

Son David was in town for several days last week before heading to the beach with the Raleigh crew, and before starting back to grad school at Drexel University in Philadelphia later this month. Somehow the camera didn't surface at the right times when Dave was here, so borrowed this picture from Jen. She and Daniel and the girls drove up from Columbia to see Dave and sister Anna. L to R below -- Anna, David, Daniel. (Thanks for the photo loan, Jen.)

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Pastor Profile

The Sunday Charlotte Observer newspaper ran a front-page story on Steven Furtick, the pastor of Elevation Church where I've been attending. Read it here.

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Ellen at Seven

Enjoyed an afternoon and evening in Columbia for Ellen's seventh birthday party. It was a large event -- a dozen or so kiddos from babies to seven-year-olds, and most of their parents. Jen laid out a wonderful buffet of ingredients for a great burrito meal, then her always-delicious vegan chocolate cake with white icing.

I gave Ellen my present before the crowd arrived. It was sort of awkward to wrap so she had to hide her eyes while I brought it into the room:



The longed-for horsie -- plastic, but a horsie nonetheless.



Arianna had gotten a similar horse for a previous birthday. Instead of a horse, Jay got white designer contacts to throw off intruders -- you can't really tell if he's looking at you or not:



Jen has now done 12 of these (7 + 5) and is darn good at it:



Blowing out the candles. Check out Ruby, the little crumb-cruncher over Ellen's right shoulder. She'd as soon give you a hug as not -- a true party favor:



Seven is a happy age, at least for Ellen. (Actually, all her years have been happy ones.):



Arianna and her BFF:



Proud to be seven (especially when you get a great burrito supper). I sat down to read a story to the girls before the party and it suddenly dawned on me that Ellen could probably read it to me since they've been working on reading in homeschool. She took the story and began reading as if she was 12! I was blown away. If she came to an unfamiliar word (not often) she sounded it out almost without breaking rhythm and proceeded on. Arianna read some as well and did amazing for age 5 -- sounding out every word phonetically whether she knew what it was or not. This is not just grandfather talk. I know the difference between struggling reading and comfortable reading and Ellen was amazingly comfortable, line after line. Daniel and Jen have spent untold hours reading to the girls since they were little, and it shows -- books that are way beyond their "grade level." (They're currently starting The Chronicles of Narnia series for the second time, having just finished a couple volumes of the fairy tales of George MacDonald.) Their "ears" have become so accustomed to hearing what words sound like that they can repeat the sounds effortlessly in their own reading. Good job, girls! (And Dad and Mom.)



A great party! I failed to get a shot of Daniel on his new (pre-owned) Honda Shadow cycle that he got to replace the stolen scooter. It's a great looking bike -- black and shiny!

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GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness)

I mentioned John Robbin's latest book, Healthy at 100 (2006), in a previous post, predicting I'd probably reference it again. This is going to be long -- a lengthy quote from Robbins' book -- but I hope you'll read it and perhaps offer some feedback (comments) in response.

More than just a book on food and nutrition, Healthy at 100 touches on all aspects of life that characterize the world's longest-lived peoples. In the quote below, he describes the nation of Bhutan with which I (like most Americans) was relatively unfamiliar. But see what you think:

"The gross domestic product (GDP) is now routinely used throughout the industrialized world as a fundamental measure of a nation's level of success. It is taken for granted that the higher the GDP, the better a country is doing. This use of the GDP has become so ubiquitous that people often don't realize there are alternatives. Unbeknownst to many of us, the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has been taking a very different path, with remarkable results.

"Roughly the size of Switzerland, Bhutan is the only independent Buddhist monarchy in the world, and the only country in the world that practices the Tantric form of Mahayana Buddhism as its official religion. In April 1987, Bhutan's young monarch, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, was interviewed by the Financial Times. Asked about his nation's economic development, which was among the world's lowest, he replied, 'Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.'

"Though Bhutan has its problems, King Wangchuck's statement was not an idle remark. Under his leadrship, Bhutan has made Gross National Happiness its official index for evaluating development. As a result, the guiding principles of all Bhutanese policies have been to ensure that prosperity is shared across society, that cultural traditions are honored, the environment is protected, and the government is kept responsive to the real needs of the people. While economists in the West have scoffed at the king's ideas, calling them naive idealism, the results speak for themselves.

"Though household incomes remain among the world's lowest, the people of Bhutan have created one of the world's most intriguing societies. The nation has more monks than soldiers, not a single traffic light or mall, and a profound commitment to education. Forty years ago, Bhutan had no public education system, now there are schools at all levels throughout the country. The literacy rate, which was less than 10 percent as recently as the early [1990's], now tops 50 percent and continues to increase rapidly.

"When the current king took the throne in 1972, there was not a single sanitary hospital in the country. Now, all Bhutanese subjects have access to free healthcare. People entering hospitals with non-acute problems can choose Western or traditional medicine. Government policies ensure that people have a great deal of free time with their families, including maternity leaves. The elderly are provided for both by their extended families and by pension programs provided by the government. In 2005, Bhutan became the first nation in the world to impose a national ban on the sale of tobacco and on smoking in public places.

"As Buddhists, the Bhutanese don't kill animals for food. (If a cow dies naturally, though, they will eat it.) Most of their meals are centered on red rice, accompanied by chili peppers and other vegetables, all home-grown, with occasional cheese from local cows. There is not a single McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, or Pizza Hut in the entire country.

"Perhaps the most remarkable part of Bhutan's commitment to Gross National Happiness is a stunning dedication to preserving the country's natural resources. While the forests of all its neighboring countries have been decimated in recent years, Bhutan retains the highest original forest cover of any nation on earth. The hunting of animals is prohibited, as is fishing in the rivers. Livestock grazing, logging, and mining are strictly controlled and limited. Plastic bags are banned, as are two-stroke engines. There are stringent fuel-quality laws. The nation has an annual holiday to honor the king, but instead of pomp and parades, he has declared the holiday Social Forestry Day, and the people now spend the day planting trees. Consistent with the Buddhist doctrine of respect for all life, a constitution is currently being written which gives inalienable rights to wildlife and trees as well as to people.

"How has all this affected the health of the people? In a stunningly short time, the nation has experienced one of the most dramatic increases in life expectancy in world history. In 1984, life expectancy in Bhutan was 47 years. Only fourteen years later, in 1998, it had leaped to 66 years." (pp. 270-271)

Now -- the down side. Ever the balanced researcher, Robbins notes this in the chapter's endnotes regarding Bhutan's "problems:"

"To protect from being inundated by Nepalese refugees, Bhutan has cultivated an obsessive nationalism. Even Nepalese refugees whose families have lived in Bhutan for generations are not considered to be Bhutanese citizens, and have far fewer rights and privileges. Indeed, many were forced to leave Bhutan in the late 1980s, after census figures showed they would eventually overtake the country. Some of these former residents of Bhutan now live in dingy camps in southern Nepal. And even for Bhutanese subjects, the traditional way of life may not long survive. Television arrived in Bhutan in 2002. Children in this devoutly Buddhist country are now watching Baywatch and Worldwide Wrestling and beginning to clamor for Western consumer products."

So, Bhutan is no Eden.

Here are some things that struck me about this country and about which I would enjoy your comments if you are so inclined:

1. The idea of Gross National Happiness as a national goal. If happiness = contentment, what's right or wrong with this idea?

2. The idea of a national religion. (Americans are used to "freedom of religion." I don't know if non-Bhuddists are allowed to live in Bhutan.)

3. The idea of national policies like a total ban on tobacco sales and smoking in public places.

4. The apparent "benefits" of such a culture: steady rises in literacy and longevity.

5. A national priority ensuring "free time" and "time with families."

6. National prohibitions on hunting and finishing.

7. Inalienable rights for trees and wildlife.

Most of the above is culturally-contrary to our American way of life, though I found myself resonating with much of it. If you're interested in more on Bhutan, there is the Bhutan national web site and the Wikipedia article.

P.S. for any who read this far. I ended up with an extra copy of Robbins book and would be happy to send it to anyone who would like it.

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Argiope aurantia

Argiope aurantia is the commonly-called Black and Yellow Garden Spider, or Writing Spider, seen in gardens everywhere. Found these two in the bushes in front of the house.

From the Wikipedia article:

The web of the yellow garden spider is distinctive: a circular shape up to 2 feet in diameter, with a dense zigzag of silk, known as a stabilimentum, in the center. The purpose of the stabilimentum is disputed. It is possible that it acts as camouflage for the spider lurking in the web's center, but it may also attract insect prey, or even warn birds of the presence of the otherwise difficult-to-see web. Only those spiders that are active during the day construct stabilimenta in their webs.

A view of the back of one of them:



And a view of the underside of the other:



Right after I snapped the picture above, the spider dashed out onto the web to grab an insect that flew into the web. You can see Argiope carefully making a mummy out of him to have later for lunch:



It's amazing the amount of activity that takes place in the garden/bug realm that we rarely see.

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Questions and Answers

Most post-Palin/Gibson-interview chatter seems to say that Palin held her own, her one point of hesitation being on the subject of "the Bush doctrine." Charles Krauthammer notes that Charlie Gibson was the one who got it wrong, not Ms. Palin. Krauthammer's last paragraph makes the whole editorial worth reading:

"Yes, Sarah Palin didn't know what [the Bush doctrine] is. But neither does Charlie Gibson. And at least she didn't pretend to know -- while he looked down his nose and over his glasses with weary disdain, sighing and "sounding like an impatient teacher," as the Times noted. In doing so, he captured perfectly the establishment snobbery and intellectual condescension that has characterized the chattering classes' reaction to the mother of five who presumes to play on their stage."

Follow up: An hour or so after posting the above link to Krauthammer's editorial, I heard an NPR analysis of Palin's reply to Gibson's question about "the Bush doctrine." And they followed the same script -- that Palin didn't know what Gibson was asking for until he explained what "the Bush doctrine" is/was. I mention this, and the above, not in defense of Palin but as an example of how news cycles work and how little actual research is done (sometimes) by the media. Krauthammer was the first to use the phrase "Bush doctrine" and knows better than anyone what it means -- and that there have been four different iterations of that phrase since 9/11. But no one mentions "four" in the news reports. Instead of trying to trip Palin up, Gibson should have stated which version of "the Bush doctrine" he was asking about. And if Palin had been well-prepared, she should have asked, "Which version?" -- and listed the four that Krauthammer lays out.

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Cycle of Life

Just some shots from this morning's juice cycle -- plants from the earth, extract the minerals by juicing, then return the pulp back to the earth to nurture the soil and its residents. I read once where the purpose of plants is to be a conveyance vehicle (in the form of juices) for minerals that are in the soil -- minerals that are essential to human life. I like that picture of a God-given cycle of life. It fits perfectly with Adam's and Eve's original commission to be tenders of the Garden.

Here's what I started with today:



It yielded well over a quart of juice:



About 40 oz. after straining:



Four eight-ounce Ball jars full to drink later, almost eight ounces to drink immediately:



Then dig a hole in the flower beds and return the leftover pulp as a meal for the worms and bio-life in the soil. Cover with dirt and it will disappear within 3-4 days. (Note the volunteer tomato plant coming up on the left of the picture.)



Got a peppermint plant the other day to be able to crush some leaves into the quart jars of (decaf) sun tea I put out each morning. I put it in its own planter to keep it from spreading which it will do if given free rein in a garden:

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Tall Avocado

This is the tallest of the volunteer avocado trees -- over two feet. It may be because it is unencumbered by growth from surrounding shrubs. Most of the others are fighting their way up from under, or alongside, other bushes.

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Appalachian Journey

I came across an amazing web site that contains OLD documentaries made of lots of aspects of southern and Appalachian culture life, and other areas as well. The site is FolkStreams.net. I watched two of the videos and found them fascinating -- one on old gospel religion among Mississippi blacks, and the other on Appalachian music and culture, which I love.

The Appalachian documentary, called Appalachian Journey, is one of the Alan Lomax films which I've read about but have never seen. He was an American collector of folklore and music from all over the world. From the 1930's through the 1950's he went about filming and recording Southern culture mountain music (among others) for the Library of Congress and other institutions. This Appalachian film is one he produced. One of the things I most enjoyed was seeing the late Ray Hicks, the legendary tale-teller who lived near Boone, NC, before he died just a couple of years ago. People would come to festivals and shows and sit on the edge of their seats to listen to Hicks (whose Appalachian accent is barely understandable -- fortunately, Alan Lomax provided subtitles in the film) tell tales. He is featured prominently in this film, plus lots of OLD Appalachian music, an explanation of the blend of African/black influences on Appalachian music and on flat-foot dancing (the precursor to modern precision clogging). Stuff I've never seen before.

The Appalachian film is here. There are two viewing options: Real-Broadband and MPEG-4. Only the Real Broadband link works, but it requires the Real Audio player which most folks have. When it opens, you can expand the RA viewing window to 2x the original size for better viewing with no loss of clarity.

Coming on Strong

The last of my four tomato plants has decided to surge in September. It's seven feet tall and is flowering and producing fruit in clusters not previously seen.

Avo Orchard

Here's a composite of the Stonewood Avocado Orchard. Some of the pictures contain more than one tree, but all total there are 28 trees growing:



My friend Priscilla in California has a friend who owns an organic avocado orchard. He picked her a baker's dozen of avos and she sent them to me -- got here within three days of being picked. They have been delicious. Here are a couple -- one ripe and one that is still green from having been in the 'fridge. I don't think my avocado trees will make it through the coming winter, but wouldn't it be nice to go out the front door and pick one?

Severe Mercy

One of my best friends from high school, Rick, has been battling an extremely rare and aggressive cancer the last several months in Dallas. I have been a link between Rick and our high school class's email news list, forwarding updates on Rick's condition.

Rick's wife, Susan (Rick's high school sweetheart and also a good friend and classmate back in that day), called this morning with a post-op update. Following is the update I sent to our class email list. I share it here just as a window into the world of two souls who have endured a severe form of the mercy of God -- spared, so far, from cancer's ultimate goal. They are encouraged and hoping in God for grace to be completely free of Rick's cancer in the days ahead, and committed to making lifestyle changes that will support that outcome.

Their experience has dialed up my sensitivity in recent days to those who suffer, to my gratitude to God for what health I enjoy, and to practice more diligently what I preach. For all who live on praying ground, when you remember your own needs, a word of humble intercession on Rick's behalf will not go unheard in heaven:

Greetings All,

A good conversation with Susan this morning with an update on Rick's post-op status.

I won't repeat all that Susan shared with me, but let me summarize it this way: Our friend Rick has been through an unbelievable ordeal -- hell on earth, if you will. But, in spite of it all, by the grace of God he is pulling through.

I say "is pulling through" because the battle is far from over. Here are the highlights of what Susan shared with me:

•Rick will leave the hospital on Monday and return home. This will mark a major medical and emotional benchmark -- a sign that he is physically recovering and the ability to sleep in one's own bed and be among familiar surroundings.

•The doctors said that, on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10, Rick's surgery was a 12. (Nine and one-half hours.)

•He was connected to all manner of drainage tubes for a week or so, that caused excruciating pain, but is now free of those and is ambulatory, able to (slowly) get up from bed and move around.

•The doctors are very (cautiously) optimistic about what was accomplished in the surgery -- removing the vast majority of the cancer. They placed markers (that will show up later in MRIs) to be able to focus further radiation treatment.

•Rick will have to do more chemo and radiation, hopefully on an outpatient basis approximately every two weeks. The original chemo treatments were the strongest available to the doctors, and they don't think the future treatments will have to be that strong. But how much and for how long will depend on ongoing diagnosis.

•Because of the extreme rarity and severity of Rick's cancer, his doctors are going to present Rick's case to a medical conference next Friday. It will then be presented to the doctors at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to the doctors under whom Rick's primary physician trained. All of this to try to elicit further feedback on Rick's case and to share what's been learned with other doctors. Rick and Susan are both convinced that God led them to the doctors that have treated Rick -- that they could not have received any better medical treatment based on what they've learned through this experience given the rarity of Rick's cancer.

•Rick, of course, lost all his hair due to the chemo treatments, but is beginning to re-grow his facial hair which is a sign of the body returning to normal. Susan said that his bodily functions (stomach digestion, kidneys, etc.) are returning to normal and his blood markers are good -- more good news.

•Susan has been at the hospital non-stop the last two weeks and is looking forward to getting him home and feeding him juices and nutritious foods to give his body what it needs to heal. She was encouraged to hear her doctor put a strong emphasis on the need to build up Rick's immune system so it can do its God-given job of sweeping up remaining cancer cells. [WK note: What I've been sharing with Rick and Susan in recent weeks is the paradigm shift I've been through in my own life in recent years: that God designed the human body to be a self-healing organism, whether healing a minor scratch on the skin or destroying rogue cancer cells. Yes, in emergency situations, like Rick's, emergency surgery and treatment may be needed to arrest the progress of a disease -- every person has to make that decision. But in the end, cancer and other abnormalities will be self-healed as the body is given the nutrients it needs to perform that healing work. That's why diet, nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle are the best defenses against disease -- keeping the body in a place of health; giving it the upper hand against abnormalities that might erupt. Rick and Susan are committed to that perspective along with the medical modalities they've employed -- another reason to get Rick home so Susan can begin feeding him!]

•In the midst of all this difficulty, Rick and Susan were blessed with the birth of a new granddaughter a few days ago! (Both their children live in the Dallas area.) Rick hasn't been able to see the baby yet, but we can only imagine the pleasure he will have in holding that new little life in his arms after such a close brush with his own mortality.

As I said earlier, Rick "is pulling through." He is not completely out of the woods yet, but definitely seeing the edge of the forest as compared to the dark place he was in before the surgery. The doctors told Susan that had they not gotten to Rick when they did that he would not be with us today. So we thank God for the severe mercy that allowed the confluence of Rick's disease, his doctors' commitment, Susan's tireless support, and their determination to do everything healthful they can to win this battle.

Susan again extended her thanks to all who have expressed their love and prayerful support for Rick. Please continue to pray for his complete recovery, for the doctors' wisdom and decisions, and for God's healing grace to attend Rick's every moment.

Blessings to all,

William

Young and Old

"I often reflected on the needs that the old and the young have for each other as I sat on a bench outside the stucco house with Angel Modesto. His great-grandson, Luis Fernando, not yet two, usually was at his side. They seemed sewn from the same bolt of cloth. They walked at the same pace, with the gait of kinship. They had time and love and attention for each other. For long stretches, I would watch the tireless Luis Fernando romping and running and laughing, testing his legs and his arms and his place in the world, and daily growing more secure in the knowledge that the loving eyes of his great-grandfather countenanced with enormous approbation his every move. Each was aware of the other and shared their love with an unaffected ease. I felt having his great-grandfather in his life was as important for Luis Fernando's sense of well-being, now and in his future, as his having nursed from his mother's breast."

Those lovely words are from the pen of the late Grace Halsell, journalist and anthropologist, from her book Los Viejos (The Old Ones) written after spending two years in the 1970's with the people of Vilcabamba, a village in the Andes mountains of Ecuador. The Vilcabambas are one of three people groups that have been studied in recent decades because of their long life spans (the other two being the Abkhasians of southern Russia and the (better known) Hunzas of southern Pakistan.

All three groups are described by John Robbins in his most recent book Healthy at 100. I have never read anything of John Robbins that was not interesting, compelling, well-researched and thoroughly documented. (His other books include Diet for a New America, The Food Revolution, and Reclaiming Our Health.)

His descriptions of the values of these three people groups are moving, to say the least. They have been studied by lots of scientists and anthropologists, and Robbins has done a great job of culling this research for the best insights about their values, diets, and lifestyles. The quote above is typically descriptive of the gentle, intragenerational ways of these people. The contrast with our Western lifestyles is at once stark, discouraging, and embarrassing.

You'll probably read more quotes from this book in the days ahead as I make my way through it, but wanted to recommend it after just the first few chapters.

"Like a Moose Going After a Cabbage"

The title and link above are from the UK's Times article on the atmosphere in a local bar in Sarah Palin's Alaska hometown, where the locals had gathered to watch the guv's acceptance speech last night. The Brits, who love political theatre (note the spelling) better than anyone, are wildly taken with the rabid support for Sarah Palin.

Last night was one of the most entertaining evenings I've spent in a long time, watching the speeches of Huckabee, Juliani (who lit the place up), and then Palin. I said "entertaining" -- my interest in watching these events (as I did the Dem. convention) is to enjoy the theater and drama. And there was plenty of it last night. The energy in the Republican hall last night made the Democratic meetings look tame by comparison, Greek columns and rock stars notwithstanding.

I'm posting the five parts of Palin's speech for those who may have missed it and are interested. If you don't know all the players' faces (her family and other VIPs in the audience) you'll lose out on some of the enjoyment -- watch especially for the pixie-like youngest daughter of Palin -- too cute. Regardless of who wins this election, something historical is going to happen: either the first black President or the first female Vice-President. It's worth paying attention to both sides for that reason alone. (And should McCain win and decide not to run in 2012, we'll likely see Clinton vs. Palin -- now that would be some theatre!)

NOTE: I repeat -- I'm posting these videos purely for the enjoyment of political theater (which I found so much more entertaining than the Dem. convention -- that's why I didn't post videos from theirs). Since I'm not posting my political opinions, I'd appreciate not hearing yours. (Ah, the privilege of owning the blog!) Let's save that for another venue. Just sit back and watch the entertaining political process at work, warts and all (a process that would have been considered tame and subdued by the founding fathers):

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


Part 5:

Sunflower Sprouts

Hadn't sprouted sunflowers over the last couple of years and when I tried again recently, the seeds failed to sprout. So ordered new seeds and they sprouted promptly. I didn't know that sunflower seeds could "go bad" over time, but apparently they can.

Based on my previous experience, these sprouts will get about twice this tall, but they're ready now for clipping and eating in salads, sandwiches, and as a snack. They're easy to grow -- let me know if you'd like instructions:

Eco-Bags

Finally decided to stop contributing to the waste of paper grocery bags and get some permanent canvas tote-bags to take to the store. I never get plastic bags, and recycle both the paper and occasional plastic ones I come home with. But still was not happy with the process. The plastic glut in landfills goes without saying, but the amount of trees cut down to make paper bags isn't much of an alternative. Besides, my friendly EarthFare grocery store is exploring plans to begin charging shoppers for paper and plastic bags -- even the thin film plastic bags in the produce section. (EarthFare is always trying new ways to encourage customers to shop elsewhere.)

Found these bags at EcoBags.com, where they have a large selection. The canvas and straps are a lighter weight than I would have wanted, but I'll give them a try:

Pears for the Picking

I took these pictures out of the window on the back side of my house. The pear tree is in the yard of an older home that was here when my subdivision was built. A typical rural/country plot, it sits on 2-3 acres and is populated with several wild fruit trees, this pear being one of them. Every year the tree loads up with pears which mostly fall to the ground and rot. The tree never gets pruned and is so tall (40+ feet) that most of the pears are inaccessible. When I first moved here I asked the owner if he would mind if I gathered up some of the fallen pears, and even pick a few off the tree, and he said, "Okay" -- not enthusiastically. So I haven't asked again. It's a shame for this food to go to waste every year.

Whoa!

I just finished watching the introduction by Senator McCain of his running mate, governor Sarah Palin of Alaska. And Jiminy Christmas, she is impressive! (She has an 80% approval rating among Alaskans.)

I had only heard of her vaguely before today, but she is a huge breath of fresh air -- and a powerful speaker and communicator. A married mother of five, her fifth baby was born last April as a Downs syndrome child. I remember reading lately about how she laughed off advice to abort the baby, etc. Their oldest son is headed to Iraq in the Army in September, then three girls from high school down to grammar school age, then the new baby boy. Husband looks like a nice guy -- former commercial fisherman, now a manager in the oil fields in Alaska. (He's popular in Alaska where he's known as the "First Dude.")

The irony is that this woman has more experience managing "government" than Barack Obama! And I have a feeling that she would like nothing better than to go nose to nose with Joe Biden when it comes time for the debates. She has been an ethical reformer in Alaska and told the feds "Thanks, but no thanks" when it came to a decision to build the infamous "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska that was part of the huge (bogus) Highway Bill a couple of years ago. She told them, "If we need a bridge built, we'll build it ourselves." She's in the process of returning billions of dollars of windfall oil taxes to the residents of Alaska. Very interesting woman.

The Republicans have scooped the Dems when it comes to "breaking the glass ceiling" in Washington. She came onstage in a business suit (skirt), not a pants-suit, ready to do business. She's everything the Women's Lib movement could ask for except she's not a liberal! And the Republicans found her! Amazing.

Well, this has suddenly become interesting. Maybe I'll look at her and McCain differently after we learn more about her, but for the moment, I'm impressed.

Best Friends

I copied this picture and caption from the Dec 06/Jan 07 issue of Backyard Poultry magazine:

Best Line of the Convention

From the observant pen of Peggy Noonan:

"By the way, the best line of the convention so far? Ted Strickland of Ohio, when he echoed the 1988 Democratic convention joke about George H.W. Bush, that he was born on third and thought he hit a triple. Strickland said of George W. Bush that he was born on third and then stole second. It didn't get much attention in any of the commentary, but it's all people were talking about in the bars of Denver that night."

Last New Book

This new book by David Jeremiah just arrived this morning so I'll put it up -- and that will be all the books for a while. This was a sermon series preached by Pastor Jeremiah recently and I was able to supplement the text with further research, etc. Very interesting since it had a lot to do with current events vis-a-vis a biblical premillennial view of past, present, and future events. (Again, a nice "thank you" from Dr. J in the "Acknowledgements" section.)

Another New Book

Due out on September 2 is this book by Mark Sanborn, a corporate trainer and leadership consultant. I worked with Mark on the manuscript of this book last fall.

New Book

Over the last year or two I've written more than 500 short devotional "readings" for Turning Point Ministries (David Jeremiah). The ministry has used them in a variety of ways (audio CD's to listen to in the car, etc. -- I even hear them while on hold when talking with folks by phone at their ministry office in California -- to me, more interesting than listening to music).

They took around 150 of them and put them into a new book, along with an accompanying Bible verse for each daily reading: 1 Minute a Day—Instant Inspirations for the Busy Life. While the book is published by Thomas Nelson, one of the biggest Christian publishers, I don't see it on Amazon, etc. I think Turning Point is using it only as a gift book for donors within their ministry.

Anyway, nice to see one's efforts being put to good use (as Turning Point does with everything I write for them). (Since I've been asked various forms of the "writing credit" question, credit is given on the copyright page: "Special thanks to William Kruidenier for assistance in writing 1 Minute a Day.")

Do You Have a Personal Farmer?

New post today on the YardFarms blog.

I.O.U.S.A.

Today (August 21) a documentary will be shown in select theaters around the country called I.O.U.S.A. It's a documentary on the failing state of America's financial situation vis-a-vis the federal deficit and national debt, the credit crunch, etc. The web site for the film is here, and a list of theaters is here. It's a 2' 45" event -- the movie followed by a live broadcast of a discussion with Warren Buffett and others.

Here's the trailer:

Candidates Conversation

SATURDAY the 16th: Pastor Rick Warren (Saddleback Community Church) will host a two-hour conversation (not a debate) with John McCain and Barack Obama this coming Saturday at Saddleback Church in California. Rick Warren is probably the only pastor in America with enough clout to get both the candidates to participate in what is being called a "Civil Forum" on the issues in the campaign.

It will be from 5:00 - 7:00 pm (PST) and broadcast on FOX News and CNN. There will also be a live webcast of the event online from the Civil Forum website.

SUNDAY the 17th: Warren is going to deliver a sermon titled "Making Up Your Mind: Questions to Consider Before the Election" at his church on Sunday. It is supposed to be streamed live over the web though there is nothing posted yet on the Saddleback site as to time, etc. This is their webcasting site so I'm thinking this is where it will show up, but have no idea what time. If I find out I'll post the details.

Given Rick Warren's levelheadedness, I'm posting this info assuming this "Civil Forum" will indeed be civil and therefore productive.

Apple Most Valuable

Apple, Inc., is now the most valuable company in Silicon Valley, overtaking Google. The rise in its stock price, due to sales of recent popular products like the iPhone 3G, has pushed its market cap (shares x price per share) to $158 billion, overtaking Google's $157 billion value. Pretty amazing for a company that many said was dead just a few years ago. Read the story here.

Vegetable Garden at the White House?

The founder of Kitchen Gardeners International has started a movement to get the next resident of the White House to maintain a vegetable garden on the White House lawn. Hey -- it's our lawn -- should be our decision.

Elevated

Fun meeting today with Steven Furtick, founding pastor of Charlotte's Elevation Church (three locations). Started less than three years ago, it has exploded in growth and impact in the city. (They've baptized over a thousand people in the last two weeks. Here's a link to the video testimony of one of the guys that got baptized -- first time Elevation has had to bleep out part of a salvation testimony -- I love it.) Met with Steven to discuss an upcoming book project.

Pictured are (L > R) Lori Black, Steven's assistant; Steven Furtick, and Chunks, the church's exec pastor:

Why Macs Are Better

Bob Levitus is a long-time Mac columnist in the computer world, author of over 50 computer books. In this article he lists 12 reasons why college students should take a Mac to college instead of a PC. Whether you're going to college or to Starbucks, the reasons are still valid for anybody looking to buy a computer.

TIme Warner Road Runner PowerBoost

For those who have TW Cable Road Runner Internet Service, it just got faster again -- this time for free -- sort of. If you are a Road Runner Turbo subscriber ($10 a month extra), you now get the new add-on called PowerBoost for free.

Following is the copy that came in the email -- sadly, almost two weeks after the PowerBoost debuted, so I've been without it SINCE YOU HAVE TO POWER OFF YOUR MODEM AND RE-POWER IT ON FOR THE POWERBOOST TO BE ACTIVE. Once done, I could tell a significant speed bump in the way pages pop onto the screen.

Read the following and take advantage if you have RR Turbo service already:

Dear WILLIAM:

As part of Time Warner Cable’s commitment to provide the latest in technology and innovation, we are pleased to announce that effective Tuesday, July 29, we enhanced Road Runner Turbo with PowerBoost™. Now when bandwidth is available, on our Advanced Fiber Network, Turbo customers will experience faster download speeds (up to 16 Mbps)!

PowerBoost will last for the first few seconds of a file download. Once the PowerBoost burst is complete, your download will continue at your normal blazing-fast speed. PowerBoost will jumpstart a large file download and automatically reduce the overall download time.

PowerBoost activates automatically when network capacity is available and is FREE with Road Runner Turbo!

To ensure that you receive the full benefit of this new enhancement to your Turbo service, you may need to "re-boot" your cable modem by unplugging and re-plugging your equipment.

Sincerely,
Time Warner Cable Customer Care

Men's 4x100 Relay Video

Thanks to Priscilla for this link to the final leg of the men's 4x100 free relay that was so exciting. It's only the last leg, but there is a nice analysis portion at the end showing how the splits came off. I'm posting this for those who have PowerPC Macs instead of Intel Macs. The videos still won't play on the NBC site if you have a PPC Mac.

Best Relay Race in History

I'll try to find a YouTube video to post tomorrow, but if you missed the last race of the night on tonight's Olympic broadcast, you missed what everyone is saying is the best swim relay in history.

It was the men's 400 meter freestyle relay. Michael Phelps was on the team and they needed to win gold for him to keep alive his hopes of winning a record eight gold medals in one Olympics -- but the French team was favored to win. The French, in fact, had said they were going to "smash" the American team: "It's what we came here to do." Phelps swam the first leg and gave the Americans the lead, but it evaporated in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th leg -- until about 15 meters to go. The American swimmer had been gaining on the French guy slowly over the last 25 meters, drew even in the last 5, then out-touched him by .08 of a second, setting a new world and Olympic record.

It was amazing! The neighbors probably wondered what all the yelling was about I was yelling so hard, and crying when they won. And Phelps and the other guys went nuts on the deck. I'm sure someone will put this on YouTube and I'll try to post it tomorrow. (To watch videos on the NBC Olympics web site with a Mac, you have to have an Intel-based Mac -- how ridiculous is that?)

Here are the winners -- Phelps is on the left and the guy that saved the day on the fourth leg is on the right:

Salute Update

Noticed in the men's 400m IM swim awards ceremony in which the US took gold and bronze that both Michael Phelps (gold) and Ryan Lochte (bronze) "saluted" the flag during the national anthem. So at least we know there is no rule against doing it. (Not that I thought there was.)