Sunday, August 31, 2008

Women in our Society


Much is being made of Senator McCain's choice of a woman for his Vice President. It seems to me that some folks in the blogosphere are using this (poor) choice as a way to attack his judgment. I can't argue with that. I wonder why he did it. 

Addendum:  Fran over at FranIam posts this explanation from Jo Trippi.
Now this from Robert Creamer.

I have a feeling that he is a misogynist. Misogyny is hatred (or contempt) of women. I don't think John McCain has a great deal of respect for women. He divorced his first wife and married his current one most likely for mercenary reasons. He has called her a c**t in public and is known as a womanizer.

But this is not about McCain. This is about the way we treat women in our world. One person who early in the election process declared vehemently that he would not vote for Senator Clinton was letting his misogyny show through. I mean it was obvious that he did not like her because she was a woman.

In our world there are societies where women are considered as chattel. They live their entire lives under the domination of a man. In some cultures the woman lives in her father's house. He arranges for her marriage, signs the marriage contract and delivers her to the husband who has complete control over her. She had to bring with her a dowry or "bridal price" to the marriage.

Women were not allowed to hold property in their own name and had to have a caretaker or trustee to hold their property for them.

For many women they do not even have the right to their own name. They start out life with their father's name and when they marry they change it to their husband's. This is slowly changing but I remember how much it bothered some people when my sister did not change her name.

Women in America have always been second class citizens. I recently saw a blog post describing how they were treated when they were fighting for the right to vote. They were thrown into prison cells, beaten, chained to cells and even President Wilson tried to get some of them committed. It was not until 1920 that the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote. Women in many jobs today do not make the wages that men make for doing the same work.

I have known widows who had to learn how to handle finances after their husband died because he would never allow her to have any money except for an allowance for the household.

There are so many misogynistic practices that go on in our world that we are not even aware of that I could not catalog them all. Dressing little boys in blue and little girls in pink is one example. Blue is a color that superstitious people use to ward off evil. Because little boys were more valued of course they were dressed in this color to protect them.

The world is changing. I have seen changes in my lifetime. Women are gaining. Women have property rights now. They are protected by laws (some of them too often ignored) and it is definitely inspiring to see qualified women (such as Mrs. Clinton) aspire to national office.

I still hold doors open for women but I do for men also. And it is all right with me if a woman holds the door for me (after all I am old now) - But the main thing is I look on women as equals. In fact I know some of them are superior to me. I have seen women with great executive ability. In the Order of the Eastern Star the Worthy Grand Matron is in charge of the state wide organization. My friend Betty Briggs was the Right Worthy Grand Secretary of the International Organization and believe me that takes a great deal of ability. There are women in positions of authority in Academic and business positions and they are good.

I guess my whole point for this post is that we need to respect each other as men and women (or women and men as it may be) and in doing so our world will be a better place.

Was I disappointed in John McSame's pick for a Vice President. Yes! Not because she is a woman but because for his first major choice he did not choose more wisely. I do not need to reiterate Ms Palin's shortcomings. There are enough people out there doing that. I just know that there are literally hundreds and thousands of women who would have been a much better choice. It says more to me about his judgment than it does about her qualifications.

I hope to live to see a woman as President of the United States. I was for Mrs. Clinton before I was for Obama. But I had little hope for her getting the nomination. You see I am a realist and I know that being a woman held her back. It is too bad. She would have made a good one. But to be honest, the more I see of Barak Obama the more I like him and his ideas. I am not 100% sold but I do think he will bring our country back to a place of respect in this world and I also think that his wife will make a great First Lady - ( I guess I could go on about that term also because I think it is sexist and antiquated - but I won't)

Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, jcs

Must work on this!

This site is certified 30% EVIL by the Gematriculator

VP



McSame looks like the cat about to swallow the canary. Found on Dependable Renegade who wants to know what is with him fiddling with his wedding ring. Inquiring minds want to know. What is/was he thinking (or was he?)

Sunday Thoughts


From One Mountain, Many Paths
An American Freemason Speaks Out for Peace

by Dr. Patrick Swift
Click book or here to go to the page and buy it for yourself,

I opened the book at random this morning and this is what came up.

"Beware, O believers in the Unity of God, lest ye be tempted to make any distinction between any of the Manifestations of His Cause, or to discriminate against the signs that have accompanied and proclaimed their revelation. This indeed is the true meaning of Divine Unity, if ye be of them that apprehend and believe this truth."

Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'ullah 24

On the facing page:

Then Peter began to speak to them: I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Acts 10:34-45
Christianity

I don't know why the book opened to this passage nor am I quite sure I understand the Baha'i faith. I have been to the Temple in Illinois and I have know several members of the faith and have found them to be very nice people with a deep faith. I do feel that I understand the spirit of the two pages. And that is that we are in reality all one people with many different manifestations of our spirituality and that we should respect all who attempt to do what is right and proper towards God as we understand it.

Unfortunately, in most religions, it doesn't work that way. People seem convinced that theirs is the only way to believe and they spend an inordinate amount of time telling others how to believe and how to live their lives. They claim that if you don't believe exactly as they do you will go to hell to be punished for all eternity. (As if a God called Love would do something like that to His creation?)

In the Baha'i faith a Manifestation of God is a Divine Teacher sent to teach Humanity religion. There have been many of them including Jesus and Mohammed. The statement above seems to be saying that we should make no distinciton between any of them but learn from them all. I can go with that. The Hindu religion was once explained to me as a religion that continually looks for the truth. I like to think of myself as that type of person. That is why I love this little book - because it is not limited to one faith tradition but takes wisdom from all of them and is trying to show the truth of the statement that has been one of my guideposts for many many years. "There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same."

Food for thought. Have a nice week.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Quote of the Day

"McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes but we're the ones who will pay for his flip flops."
-- Bill Richardson

Eye Opener


"In the past four years, however, the political terrain for the Republicans has grown more treacherous.

Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans in 2005 revealed the cronyism near the heart of the Bush administration. The open-ended wars in Iraq and Afghanistan sapped away the public’s trust in Republicans as the party of national security.

Nevertheless, the Democrats and the Obama campaign should not assume that some of the old tricks won’t be tried."
Go here to Consortium News to read about the dirty tricks that Republicans have played in our elections.

Wordzzle

I can't believe how long I have been doing this. Raven has me addicted. As always click on the button to see the guidelines.
And don't forget to go to Raven's Nest to see all the others.

The Ten Word Challenge is: pogo stick, ant farm, psychic, tin box, wall safe, Waterloo, surge protector, pneumonia, ravages of time, turtle


And for the Mini Challenge: Swollen ankles, opera singer, toothy grin, oil paints, potter’s wheel


“Come Phrog ,”said Saydie putting her pillowcase aside. She went to the wall safe and opened it. She had to switch off protection devise disguised as a surge protector to open the safe. She removed a tin box and took out a ring made from a mummified turtle. The ravages of time had taken their toll on it and it could no longer be considered a thing of beauty. It had originally been found on General Phrog (Phrog’s great great uncle) after the battle of Waterloo and had been passed down from Secret Leader to Secret Leader. The ring had been smuggled out of France in an ant farm by a psychic opera singer with a toothy grin. She was famous for her rendition of Un bel Di.



She was an eclectic artist and carried her oil paints and her potter’s wheel with her wherever she went. Her pogo stick was the main means of transportation for her and most of the time it got her where she wanted to go. The one time it didn’t work was when she had pneumonia.

Sayde placed the ring in Phrog’s hand and immediately fell to the ground where she was joined by Sayllie and the two of them chanted the secret mantra of adoration to the Secret Leader. If they did not do it just right Phrog's powers would be diminished and he would be unable to perform his duties.

As he rose to his feet to accept their adoration the girls noted his swollen ankles,. Oh great Leader they exclaimed. Let us cure your ankles. It must be very difficult. I suppose that is a residual effect of your long walk to get here after you were jilted by your fiancée.

Next Week's Ten Word Challenge will be: invincible, falling leaves, surge protector, two-year-old, fusion, grizzly bear, Jamaica, delivery, popsicle stick, caviar

And for the Mini Challenge: toad stool, liquid lunch, counting sheep, manacles, Jurassic Park

The Cat House on the Kings


Please take a look at their Web Site. And Consider donating.

Thanks to Shakesville for having this incredible story.

Friday, August 29, 2008

How Much is this Blog Worth?

This is neat


My blog is worth $10,726.26.
How much is your blog worth?

Specialis Procer Festive Board

Tonight Specialis Procer Lodge Under Dispensation held a Festive Board at the Machine Shed Restaurant in Des Moines. 16 members and Visitors were in attendance.
Brother Ron enjoyed himself as did we all.

S. W. Fredrick had arranged for a beautiful meal Pork Loin and Sirloin Tips served family style.
Delicious.
We all got to sit around one table and the fellowship was terriffic.
We had a great time and as I looked around the group I was very grateful for the Brothers who have helped to start this unique Lodge. Masons dining together and listening to papers is what we are all about. I think this is a great group and I am very pleased that we have started this Lodge.
Brothers Craig and John share a moment before the meal with Worshipful Master Timothy. Sorry Tim, I cut you in half. John lives in Mt. Vernon and drove over just for the meeting. That is dedication. I can't wait until he presents his paper.
Here is a better picture of Timothy and Craig.
Another look down the table. Brother Kurt shared a fascinating paper on the Chronology of the Masonic Degrees. (Be patient it takes awhile to load) He has taken most of the degrees and placed them in Chronological Order. Most of the attendees were able to take this reference home. He has also posted it to our Forum.
And, of course, I had to take some snaps of the decor at the entrance to the Machine Shed. Corney of me.
This little Piggy went to market.
And finally Craig asked me if I knew what this was. Do you know? Fortunately I did.
This was what Masonry was like in the early years. Brothers enjoying each others company around the Festive Board. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, jcs

Reaction

“Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain’s commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies — that’s not the change we need, it’s just more of the same,” said Bill Burton, Obama Campaign Spokesman

For the Record
by Melissa McEwan

McCain's selection of Palin is opportunistic, disingenuous, cynical, and an egregious insult to women in that it suggests women are: A) interchangeable; B) monolithic; and C) too unsophisticated to cast a vote based on issues.

Also for the record: Water is wet.

ADDENDUM
Interesting News Coming out about Governor Palin! - Here.

Quote of the Day


"If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponents as someone people should run from. You make a big election about small things."

Barak Obama

Found For Friday

It appears that all the Wal-Marts in Alabama are sold out of ammunition as of yesterday. A reliable source reported that one of the purchasers commented, “Russia may have invaded Georgia, but they shore as Hell ain't doin' it to Alabama!”


Few people know it, but George Washington actually was born a Texan. As a young boy, he used his Bowie knife and chopped down his father's favorite mesquite tree. His father returned from a hard day of riding the range, tending his Texas longhorns, and demanded to know who had cut down his prized mesquite tree.

"Father," said young George, "I cannot tell a lie. I chopped it down."

"That settles it," said his father. "Get packed. We're moving to Virginia. With an attitude like that, you'll never make it in Texas politics."
A young boy comes down for breakfast. Since they live on a farm, his mother asks if he has done his chores. 'Not yet,' said the little boy. His mother tells him no breakfast until he does his chores. Well, he's a little ticked off so when he feeds the chickens, he kicks a chicken. When he feeds the cows, he kicks a cow. When he feeds the pigs, he kicks a pig. He goes back in for breakfast and his mother gives him a bowl of dry cereal. 'How come I don't get any eggs and bacon, and why don't I have any milk in my cereal?' he asks. 'Well,' his mother says, 'I saw you kick a chicken, so you don't get any eggs for a week. I saw you kick the pig, so you don't get any pork or bacon for a week either. I saw you kick the cow so for a week you aren't getting any milk.

'Just then, his father comes down for breakfast and kicks the cat halfway across the kitchen. The little boy looks up at his mother with a smile, and says, 'you gonna tell him or should I?




ADULT
A person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.

BEAUTY PARLOR
A place where women curl up and dye.

CANNIBAL
Someone who is fed up with people.

CHICKENS
The only animals you eat before they are born and after they die.

COMMITTEE
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.

DUST
Mud with the juice squeezed out.

EGOTIST
Someone who is me-deep in conversation.

HANDKERCHIEF
Cold storage.

INFLATION
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.

MOSQUITO
An insect that makes you like flies better.

RAISIN
Grape with a sunburn.

SECRET
Something you tell to one person at a time.

SKELETON
A bunch of bones with the person scraped off.

TOOTHACHE
The pain that drives you to extraction.

TOMORROW
One of the greatest labor-saving devices of today.

YAWN
An honest opinion openly expressed.

and MY personal favorite:

WRINKLES
Something other people have, similar to my character lines.
It's the summer of 1957 and Harold goes to pick up his date, Peggy Sue. Harold is a pretty hip guy with his own car and a duck tail hairdo. When he goes to the front door, Peggy Sue's mother answers and invites him in. "Peggy Sue's not ready yet, so why don't you have a seat?" she says.

That's cool. Peggy Sue's mother then asks Harold what they're planning to do.

Harold replies politely that they will probably just go to the malt shop or to a drive in movie.

Peggy Sue's mother responds, "Why don't you kids go out and screw? I hear all the kids are doing it."

Naturally this comes as quite a surprise to Harold and he stammers, "Wha...aaat?"

"Yeah," says Peggy Sue's mother, "We know Peggy Sue really likes to screw. Why, she'd screw all night if we let her!"

Harold's eyes light up and he smiles from ear to ear. Immediately, he has revised the plans for the evening.

A few minutes later, Peggy Sue comes downstairs in her little poodle skirt with her saddle shoes, and announces that she's ready to go. Almost breathless with anticipation, Harold escorts his date out the front door.

Her Mom sends them on their way, saying, "Have a good Evening kids," with a small wink for Harold.

About 20 minutes later, a thoroughly disheveled Peggy Sue rushes back into the house, slams the door behind her and screams at her mother:


"It's The Twist, Mother! The Twist! It's called The Twist!"
Here are the top nine comments made during NBC sports coverage at the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:

1. Weightlifting commentator: "This is Gregoriava from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing."

2. Dressage commentator: "This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother."

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: "I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father."

4. Boxing Analyst: "Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them really that serious."

5. Softball announcer: "If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."

6. Basketball analyst: "He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces

7. At the rowing medal ceremony: "Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew."

8. Soccer commentator: "Julian D!cks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field."

9. Tennis commentator: "One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them...

Oh my God, what have I just said?"
One day George Washington's father was out inspecting the estate when he happened upon a dead indian in the apple orchard. He immediately sought George, who was in one of the pastures looking after the cows. Once he found George, he immediately took him to the place where he found the dead indian and, while pointing at the body, exclaimed; "George, are you responsible for this?" Whereupon, Geoprge replied; "Father, I cannot tell a lie. I did not chop down that Cherokee.
For all of you in education, with sons, grandsons, or who just love the things little kids say ~ a reminder that adult words are often taken literally....

A teacher noticed that a little boy at the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch, and not paying attention.

She went back to find out what was going on.

He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy.

The teacher told him to go down to the principal's office.

He was to telephone his mother and ask her what he should do about it. He did and returned to his class.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room.

She went back to investigate only to find him sitting at his desk with his 'private part' hanging out.

'I thought I told you to call your mom!' she said.

'I did,' he said, 'And she told me that if I could stick it out till noon, she'd come and pick me up from school.'

What do you get when you cross the Atlantic Ocean with the Titanic? Half way.

A pantheist: someone who worships God in the kitchen.

An Arkansas State Trooper pulls over a pickup truck on I-40. He asked the driver, "Got any ID? The driver replied, "'Bout what?"

There was one a dromedary whose fur was an amazingly close match in color to the desert sand, and he was almost impossible to see. Some called him 'the invisible dromedary', but in reality he wasn't invisible; he was just really well camel-flaged.

The health spa hired a church-going parasite to keep tabs on their clients. The whole ordeal was quite thorough pew tic.

A man bought a cattle ranch for his sons and named it the 'Focus Ranch' because it was where the sons raise meat.

The zoo wanted to hire the truck driver to haul the sick African Antelopes to the veterinarian. He declined. He didn't want to be the bearer of bad gnus.

and finally, an exchange between Groucho Marx and Margaret Dumont in Animal Crackers (1930):

Explorer: Then one afternoon I bagged six tigers. Six of the biggest tigers I ever saw.
Hostess: You captured six tigers?
Explorer: I bagged them. I bagged them and bagged them to go away, but they hung around all afternoon. They were the most persistent tigers I ever saw.

A man walks into a restaurant with a full-grown ostrich behind him. The waitress asks them for their orders.

The man says, 'A hamburger, fries and a coke,' and turns to the ostrich, 'What's yours?'

'I'll have the same,' says the ostrich.

A short time later the waitress returns with the order 'That will be $9.40 please,' and the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out the exact change for payment.

The next day, the man and the ostrich come again and t he man says, 'A hamburger, fries and a coke.'

The ostrich says, 'I'll have the same.'

Again the man reaches into his pocket and pays with exact change.

This becomes routine until the two enter again. 'The usual?' asks the waitress.

'No, this is Friday night, so I will have a steak, baked potato and a salad,' says the man.

'Same,' says the ostrich.

Shortly the waitress brings the order and says, 'That will be $32.62.'

Once again the man pulls the exact change out of his pocket and places it on the table.

The waitress cannot hold back her curiosity any longer. 'Excuse me, sir. How do you manage to always come up with the exact change in your pocket every time?'

'Well,' says the man, 'several years ago I was cleaning the attic and found an old lamp. When I rubbed it, a Genie appeared and offered me two wishes. My first wish was that if I ever had to pay for anything, I would just put my hand in my pocket and the right amount of money would always be there.'

'That's brilliant!' says the waitress. 'Most people would ask for a million dollars or something, but you'll always be as rich as you want for as long as you live!'

'That's right. Whether it's a gallon of milk or a Rolls Royce, the exact money is always there,' says the man.

The waitress asks, 'What's with the ostrich?'

The man sighs, pauses and answers, 'My second wish was for a tall chick with a big butt and long legs who agrees with everything I say.'
New use for Windex
I haven't checked 'snopes.com' to see if this actually works or not; But they say,

New use for Windex
I haven't checked 'snopes.com' to see if this actually works or not; But they say,

If you ever get the sudden urge to run around naked, you should drink some Windex first.

It'll keep you from streaking.







Thursday, August 28, 2008

Susan Eisenhower

"This is a moral failure not just a financial one."
"We can mobilize on the distant hills of hope..."
"Let us restore the hope and bring the change that our nation so desperately needs...Yes we Can!"

Barak Obama Tax Cut

Here is a Web Site where you can figure out the tax cut you would receive if Barak Obama were to be elected.

The Dark Matter Diet


A Weight Loss Approach Based on New Scientific Discoveries

Warning—The following statements have not been reviewed by the FDA, FCC, AMA, FAA, IEEE, or the US Meteorology Service, or any other regulatory branch of the US government or of any other government. Your results may vary.

I am sure you have all heard the buffalo theory regarding brain cells. The wolves kill the slow buffalo. The fast buffalo survive and breed, thereby improving the herd. Likewise, alcohol kills slow brain cells, allowing fast brain cells to thrive, and improving mental acuity. There is a similar mechanism at work increasing our waistlines. It is explained as follows.

Scientists have recently made tremendous discoveries regarding the nature of the universe and the "stuff" from which it is made. Years ago, everything was thought to be composed of either matter or energy. Einstein showed that matter could be converted into energy and energy could be converted into matter. They were equivalent. Scientists were convinced that the universe started in a "big bang", followed by a period of inflation and rapid cooling, followed again by the current state of steadily slowing expansion. The thought was that there were two end-state possibilities. The first was that the universe would continue to expand at an ever slowing rate which would never reach zero. The second was that the expansion would slow to zero, followed by an accelerating contraction, finishing up in a "big crunch".

The first new discovery was the presence of a great deal of never before discovered "dark matter". This dark matter, composed of something other than regular matter, appears to not interact in any way with regular matter except gravitationally. Great clouds of this dark matter surround every galaxy, helping to hold them together. Nobody has ever seen this stuff, but its presence it thought to be certain, since without its presence, galaxies would need to rotate much slower than they actually do. In fact, theory says that there is much more of this dark matter than there is regular matter. The total increase in mass was thought to increase the likelihood that the universe would, in fact, end up in the big crunch. However, further new evidence shows that, despite the presence of all this extra mass, the universe is actually expanding at an accelerating rate. It is not slowing down. It is expanding at an ever increasing rate, leading some scientist to speculate that in about 60 billion years, the universe will be torn apart in a "big rip", whereby all matter, including molecules and atoms and quarks and everything will be literally torn apart into a sea of energy. This increasing rate of expansion appears to be due to another new discovery, dark energy. This dark energy pervades the entire universe. It is everywhere. In fact, one theory holds that as the volume of space increases through the current expansion, the amount of dark energy per unit volume remains constant. Therefore, the total amount of dark energy is actually increasing. This is what drives the ever increasing rate of expansion, and lead to the projection of a big rip.

Doctors tell us that we need to restrict our calorie intake, reduce our consumption of fried junk food, thereby improving our health and controlling our increase in body size. I contend that they are wrong, and are in fact promoting the exact opposite of the proper way to improve health. I now put forth the "dark energy waistline reduction program", a painless way to keep our ever expanding waistlines in check. It has to do with the conflict between dark matter and dark energy in our body, and works like this:

The dark matter in our bodies helps to stabilize our size, holding our regular matter together. But this dark matter is losing the battle with the ever increasing quantity of dark energy, which not only drives the expansion of the universe on a large scale, and but also drives the expansion of our waistlines on a smaller scale. We may experience a big rip in 60 billion years. I am probably too old to worry about events 60 billion years in the future. However, the short term effects are still of concern. I believe that we are actually experiencing a "little rip" in the present time. Dark energy is collecting in our bodies, causing expansion. Waistlines are rapidly expanding, causing clothes to stretch and belts to burst.

Our intake of dark energy is largely uncontrollable. It happens purely through interacting with our environment. But this intake of dark energy can be slowed by reducing our physical activity. Every time we run, every time we walk, every time we exercise in any way, we increase our interaction with the environment, further increasing the amount of waistline expanding dark energy. As our respiration increases, we breathe more air, which contains dark energy. As our heart rate increases, the dark energy is rapidly distributed throughout our bodies, increasing the expansion tendencies. So the first step of this program is to dramatically reduce our physical activity. Do NOT exercise any more than absolutely necessary. Sit in front of the TV; read a book; take a nap. But do not perform strenuous exercise. It is deadly. In fact, think about the clothes in your closet. They exhibit limited movement and interaction with the environment. And yet, they get smaller every year. They do not increase in size, they get smaller. Due to their lack of movement, the dark energy they contain escapes, allowing their dark matter to take over, making them contract or get smaller.

We can counteract any unavoidable increase in dark energy by increasing our quantity of dark matter. The only way to do that is by an increase the consumption of regular matter, which must, due to gravitation attraction, include some amount of dark matter. This dark matter will propagate throughout the body, concentrating in the midsection. The increase in gravitational attraction due to the increased intestinal mass will help hold an expanding waistline in check, and prevent those embarrassing moments known as little rips. Dark chocolate, red wine, dark beer and red meat are especially good sources of dark matter. You can tell this by their color. Avoid light colored chicken or fish. You can tell by their light coloration that they contain less dark matter.

Studies have shown the health benefits of dark chocolate and red wine. However, the reason for their "goodness" has mistakenly been attributed to the flavanoids they contain. However, it is actually due to their dark matter content. Similar benefits have been shown for high protein diets, such as the Atkins diet. Again, the dark matter in the red meat is not given the proper credit for the effect of these diets. Light colored vegetables are especially notorious for their high quantities of dark energy. But it has been proposed that liberal applications of fats, especially pork fat, can cancel such dark energy. The exact mechanism has not been determined. This may explain why pork, although light in color, is actually healthy. Further study is warranted.

There is one slight caution. An excess of dark matter can cause sufficient contraction to allow the formation of very small, localized, black holes with our bodies. And as Stephen Hawking has shown, very small black holes decay rapidly. And it appears that the energy released during their decay is largely composed of dark energy. Broccoli is a dark vegetable. However, it has such high concentrations of dark matter that it promotes the formation of these small black holes, which then decay and turn into dark energy. This is characterized by a bloating effect, which can only be eliminated in the form of gas. But remember, much of the dark energy will remain in your body. So dark vegetables should be consumed very sparingly.

Additionally, cigar smoking, which required very little physical exercise, further reduces the absorption rate of dark energy. The dense clouds of smoke generated serves as a shield from the dark energy surrounding us. Furthermore, the smoke is high in dark matter. When pulled into our lungs, this dark matter is rapidly distributed to the rest of our bodies.

So here is the recipe for health and a controlled waistline:

- Minimal exercise.
- Increased consumption of red wine, dark beer, and red meat.
- Minimal consumption of light colored meat such as chicken.
- Minimal consumption of vegetables, dark or light.
- Balancing of any light colored vegetables or meat with liberal applications of pork fat or butter.
- Smoking one or more cigars every day.

Live long and prosper. Let me know how this works. Even if the effects or not immediately obvious, you can be sure that benefits are accruing.
Donald E. Mosier

John Kerry Said

"This election is a chance for America to tell the merchants of fear and division: you don't decide who loves this country; you don't decide who is a patriot; you don't decide whose service counts and whose doesn't. Four years ago I said, and I say it again tonight, that the flag doesn't belong to any ideology. It doesn't belong to any political party. It is an enduring symbol of our nation, and it belongs to all the American people. After all, patriotism is not love of power or some cheap trick to win votes; patriotism is love of country."

45 Years Ago today

An Historic Speech



And tonight I am looking forward to another historic speech.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

A Story about George

I have written about the T. S. Parvin Award in the past. It was my very great pleasure to run into the 1982 recipient of this award at George Carr's Funeral - J Kent Zickefoose, Capital Lodge No 110.

Kent was the first person ever to receive this award - I had fun seeing him again and even though it was 26 years ago I recognized him. I stopped him as he was walking by me and called him by name and it was really fun to be able to see him and visit with him. But this post is not about J. Kent. It is about the man who got him to the award ceremony and sat with him while he waited for the award to be presented.

That man was George R. Carr. Kent told me that in 1982 George arranged for him to have Credentials at Grand Lodge to get him there. Our friend Jerry Marsengill was behind it all but George did the actual work to get him the proxy vote and take him to Grand Lodge and sat with him until he was asked to come down to the podium so that the Grand Master and I could present him with that award.. He had no idea what was happening. But he was the first to get this award and George made it happen.

There were a lot of us who could have talked about George at the funeral. Every person there had at least one "George" story. Some people could tell about a kindness George performed for them. We would still be there a week later telling stories about George. I am honored to have known him. There was nothing artificial or phony about him. He had no axe to grind and he sought no title or pin to wear on his lapel. Perhaps that is why he was the recipient of the highest honor which can be given in the Scottish Rite.

I was having an e-mail conversation with someone about George. We mentioned that we missed George and that we really wished that more people had shared stories about this incredible man. We talked about how some criticize our Gentle Craft. And I made the point that it really didn't matter to me that George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Harry Truman or Earnest Borgnine were Masons but it did matter to me that George Carr was a Mason. His character exemplified Brotherly Love and relief and that is the Truth. 'Nuff said. Thanks for stopping by. ARTYAL, Hugs. jcs

The Convention

I don't need to Blog about the Convention when Di does such a great job at Forks. Go Read. j

Hillary Sayz

"... in 2008, he still thinks it's okay when women don't earn equal pay for equal work. With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart."

Recognize love and don’t take it for granted

Tim's Mom sends me his columns. Every once in a while he writes a pretty powerful column which deserves a wider audience and so I get to share them. This is really a great column. Take a minute to read and ponder.

Tim Engstrom, Pothole Prairie
Published Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Love is not a liking a whole lot. The two are completely different emotions.

It seems we are motivated too often by the people and things we like. It would do us good to focus more on the people and things we love.

Like is a selfish emotion. When you like something or someone, you do it because it personally satisfies you. I like cool cars. I like hamburgers. I like basketball. I like this movie. I like that actress.

Love is a selfless emotion. When you love something or someone, you want to give of yourself. Quite often, you would be willing to give to a great degree because of the love. Can people love unconditionally? I sort of doubt that people can attain that degree of love, but I’m sure dogs can love unconditionally.

When I was in East Windsor, Conn., for the death of my friend, 36-year-old Eric Wormstedt, there was a lot of love. He was loved by many people. And dogs. You could say there was friendship, camaraderie, fellowship, whatever you want to call it, but those words don’t quite fit the bill. Love is what was among us.

Eric was there. We could feel his presence, and it was felt in the love. When you boil everything in life down to what matters, the only thing that matters is love.

That was what Jesus Christ was trying to tell us. We let other emotions and rationales cloud our decisions but nothing but love matters.

Perhaps I understand the resurrection of Jesus better now. Forget for a moment whether it was a physical or spiritual or emotional resurrection and all the debates over divinity, doctrine and theology. Even forget religion for a moment. When thinking about love, Jesus is a good source, no matter who you are. Few can doubt that his disciples and friends felt all of his love shortly after his death. He was there, and his love remains felt by people to this day.

(By the way, don’t people seem to enjoy church mainly for the uplifting feeling they get — the love — more than the ceremonies, the doctrine or even many of the messages? I think so.)
Love your neighbor. Love your God. That’s pretty simple. In fact, we are told Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” That was wise to put the part about yourself in there.

Many people say you have to like yourself before you can like others. And I’d say that is true. I also agree when folks say you have to love yourself before you can love others. You can understand a lot about people if you can determine whether they like themselves and whether they love themselves.

When people are purposefully mean to others — because everyone they encounter becomes their neighbor — do they not love themselves?

There are a lot of people who spew hate who truly like themselves and they like others. They might like others to a point they describe as love. But something has happened in their past that prevents them from loving themselves and prevents them from loving others, or perhaps loving others beyond a small degree.

Also, people can like others and not love them. Usually, if they love others, they like them, too, but to be sure they can love them and not like them.

It’s hard to understand what’s actually inside other people or on their minds, I know, but this much I’ve learned: Recognizing every ounce of love you feel and trying not to take it for granted is powerful. Feel the love.

Take it in at a greater level. You’ll see how my friend Eric viewed life most of the time.
When I was in Connecticut, I really got the feeling that Eric will be in many people’s hearts for the rest of their lives. He didn’t have much money. He didn’t have many things. He didn’t have children or a wife. But he did have a black Lab, a round belly and the nickname of Buddha. He had an enormous number of friends and was the youngest son in a family with four sons, so he had family all over East Windsor. And it was incredible how there seemed to be no loved-more-than-thou division between his family and his friends at his funeral. We were all loved ones. We were all in this tragedy together, and yet we were blessed to have known Eric in the brief time he spent in this realm.

For no clear reason or for an unseen reason, I had the song “Love Boat Captain” by Pearl Jam in my head when flying back home, though it had been a long time since I heard it. My wife adores Pearl Jam, and I was looking forward to seeing her again. The song is about surviving when friends die. This is the line that was in my head, and it hits the nail on the head:

“Hold me, and make it the truth
“That when all is lost there will be you.
“’Cause to the universe I don’t mean a thing
“And there’s just one word that I still believe and it’s
“Love … love love love love
.”
Tribune Managing Editor Tim Engstrom’s column appears every Tuesday.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Tuesday





I picked up Rollen for Lodge tonight and one of Betty's water flowers was blooming. It is beautiful.


We had a great time at Lodge tonight. We raised Brother Chad and he was appreciative and impressed (as is everyone. No one expects what happens in the Third Degree.)


That makes three new members this month. We usually work on Thursday night but there is a Football game and we must not anger the Football Gods by scheduling a meeting on the night of the first game of the season. I don't like football - For one reason it means that summer is almost over and we are going to have Fall (which I love) followed by -- Ewwh Winter. Not looking forward to that.

In the meantime things are great. I am very busy. I had to do a lot of work on the computer today. Something exciting is happening but I am not allowed to talk about it.

I got back just in time to hear a classy lady say "it is appropriate that next week John McCain and George Bush will be together in the Twin Cities...." I know I am paraphrasing but I really do love those little snippets in speeches. I didn't get to watch all of her speech but it will be on-line soon if it isn't already.

Aren' tomatoes wonderful this time of year. I really home things go well for all of you. Thanks for stopping by. Always Remember That You Are Loved. Big Hugs, jcs

FranIAm has this posted on her blog. I used to watch this show. I love it.

Awarded


Dianne left me an Award over at her Forks Blog.
I am honored.
She said:

I’m passing the Million Dollar Friend on to JAY – BAILEY’S BUDDY. Jay was the very first person to recommend my blog to others, something I still can’t believe anyone does! Jay’s Wordzzle stories always make me smile, his Friday roundups are wonderful and his politics fill me with glee. And most of all Jay always responds with care and love.

I love Dianne's writing and her blog is one of the best. She gave me this just when I was beginning to feel that perhaps I was boring everyone. Or perhaps it is just that there is a lot going on in my life right now that needs my attention and I am not pissed at anyone (or almost no one) or anything and sometimes I have to stretch to decide what to put on here. So thank you Di. As I said I am honored. Thanks for stopping by, ARTYAL, Hugs, j

Monday, August 25, 2008

Marvelous Monday

I went to Des Moines to a Fund Raiser for my friend Matt McCoy who is beginning his campaign for re-election There are some mixed snaps of it which were held in the Cub Club. I wanted to support him and also check out the Club. It is really a nice place. After that I went to take pictures of the Consistory Honors Banquet. I up-loaded 109 pictures. You can see a few at the Consistory Blog. It was held in the Tapestry Lounge and it was an elegant affair. Click on the Tapestry picture below to go the the Consistory Blog and from there you can access the album.Here are the pictures of the fundraiser






































































I had a great time at both events. Thanks for stopping by. Hugs. jcs