It is the day after the elections of 2009 and the Tea Party Patriots have scored big against the White House Machine. Success only emboldens the Tea Party crowd. But, like the Patriots of 1776, even setbacks serve to galvanize them into more committed action. All this serves to set up 2010 as an exciting mid-term election.
Speaking of politicians. How about the "Blue Dog Democrats"? They are as offensive as the RINOs on the other side of the isle. The fence they straddle has for a long time been a flat surface on which they could lounge in comfort. Now that fence has grown spikes and it is rather uncomfortable. That's good. They must now get off they duff and take a stand. May they get what they deserve!
We have now had six consecutive days of sunshine. In fact the sun has been out in its full glory more in the first four days of November than in the first 25 days of October. This October being recorded has the 6th wettest October in Texas since record keeping began. Praise God for the sunshine!
It used to be that November was a month of "little" activity in the Hall household and we would wait for it's arrival for a much needed lull following our church's PTL PARTY on October 31st. Something happened this year and I have managed to commit myself to 20 of the 30 days of November. (I should fire my scheduler.) Now I am looking for December for a lull in the calendar. But Christmas season somehow does not produce lulls in one's schedule. So alas, maybe January.
This is such a nice day today that it deserves a picnic. So I am off to get some hamburger buns and I am grilling for supper. Everyone is welcome to come on over tonight (5 PM) for burgers and chips. Notice how I just scheduled another event in November. Only 9 more days left to fill up!
Blessings.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Home From Honduras
Reflections on my recent trip to Honduras abound as many good things occurred that were very encouraging to see. Last week I went with two other men to hold seminars for pastors and their wives in the cities of Talanga, El Porvenir, and Guaimaca. Seeing friends from years past is always a true blessing. I have been very fortunate to develop friendships with about a dozen Honduran pastors. It is an honor to serve these brothers who labor in obscurity yet are doing good jobs of shepherding God's people under their care. Many of you know that it is Leonard, Jack and my heart to minister to pastor's in remote areas where they have very few opportunities to attend seminars for encouragement and education.
As I reported earlier, we saw God show up (always a good thing!) and heal marriages which were falling off the cliff. Eight people were healed of things such as tumors, depression, and pain in various parts of the body. Physical healing is always an amazing thing to participate in as God brings healing as a result of his unending goodness and love for us. The pastor's deep expressions of gratitude for coming and sharing with them is incredibly humbling. It makes the cost of going seem insignificant compared to the hope and encouragement given to fellow co-laborers of the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tidbits of the trip for those who were not in church last Sunday. At El Porvenir there were two pastors who walked over 4 hours to attend the seminar. This is incredibly inspiring to continue onward in my own efforts to pastor were I am placed. (In my very first seminar I conducted in Omjon, Philippines one woman pastor started on Wednesday morning and arrived at 5:00 PM on Thursday to get to the closing session of the seminar.)
One of the hardest things for me to get used to during my travels to these remote places is the lack of hot water. How to bathe without going into shock each morning is always one of the major challenges of the trip. Each morning you take a deep breath and get the torment over with as quickly as possible. The 'deep breath' is to stifle the primal scream of anguish that wants to rise within me as good water runs down my back. The food is almost always good. And in those few times when you do not get enough to eat there is always the supply of Snickers and Butterfingers waiting to supplement the diet!
The flowering trees of Honduras are so gorgeous. Pictures (at least my pictures) do not do justice to their beauty.
As I close this entry let me give praise to the Lord for those in Honduras who serve in conditions most Americans would never submit too. So to Jorge, Carlos, Danilo, Henry, Elmore, Santos, Luis, Alvin, and the many others in the remote areas of central Honduras - WELL DONE.
As I reported earlier, we saw God show up (always a good thing!) and heal marriages which were falling off the cliff. Eight people were healed of things such as tumors, depression, and pain in various parts of the body. Physical healing is always an amazing thing to participate in as God brings healing as a result of his unending goodness and love for us. The pastor's deep expressions of gratitude for coming and sharing with them is incredibly humbling. It makes the cost of going seem insignificant compared to the hope and encouragement given to fellow co-laborers of the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tidbits of the trip for those who were not in church last Sunday. At El Porvenir there were two pastors who walked over 4 hours to attend the seminar. This is incredibly inspiring to continue onward in my own efforts to pastor were I am placed. (In my very first seminar I conducted in Omjon, Philippines one woman pastor started on Wednesday morning and arrived at 5:00 PM on Thursday to get to the closing session of the seminar.)
One of the hardest things for me to get used to during my travels to these remote places is the lack of hot water. How to bathe without going into shock each morning is always one of the major challenges of the trip. Each morning you take a deep breath and get the torment over with as quickly as possible. The 'deep breath' is to stifle the primal scream of anguish that wants to rise within me as good water runs down my back. The food is almost always good. And in those few times when you do not get enough to eat there is always the supply of Snickers and Butterfingers waiting to supplement the diet!
The flowering trees of Honduras are so gorgeous. Pictures (at least my pictures) do not do justice to their beauty.
As I close this entry let me give praise to the Lord for those in Honduras who serve in conditions most Americans would never submit too. So to Jorge, Carlos, Danilo, Henry, Elmore, Santos, Luis, Alvin, and the many others in the remote areas of central Honduras - WELL DONE.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Sunny Days Are Here Again
Two weeks ago I attended the Texas State Fair. It rained that day. And it has been raining ever since. Eight inches of rain in the past two weeks. Cloudy and overcast everyday. North Texans were on their knees pleading for sunshine. Waiting and waiting and waiting. Wednesday night I MADE MY CONFESSION TO A FRIEND. I was responsible for all the rain. It was because I went to the State Fair. Within twenty-four hours the skies cleared and the sun was back in its rightful place. All is well again. The past two weeks made us all yearn for God's Country (KANSAS) where in their state song the line "where the skies are not cloudy all day" rang true to our hearts. After the past two weeks it makes a person wonder how those poor souls survive in the Great Northwest.
Last Wednesday night, after making my confession, I felt so good that I invited a couple over to the house following the church activities to roast marshmallows over a new outdoor fire pit I had recently purchased. As earlier noted, it had rained eight inches and everything was soaked (including the firewood). This was no problem. Earlier in the day I discovered some lighter fluid left over from some distant grill out and figured I could use the lighter fluid to soak the wood and get it to burn enough to dry out and thus I would be in 'tall cotton' with a roaring fire amidst the wet wonderland. Alas there was not enough lighter fluid to complete the task so it was nip and tuck as to whether we could get the wood dry enough to stay burning. But God is good and with some newspaper and prayer we succeeded in getting the wood finally burning. Then I strode into the house to get the marshmallows only to discover the bag of marshmallows in the cupboard was a bag of miniature marshmallows! I can say that roasting miniature marshmallows is a real waste of time. They burn quickly. They have little taste. And the effort expended is not worth the reward received. Lessons learned through this futile event are: 1) Buy a full bottle of lighter fluid, 2) Dry out wood in the kitchen stove first, and 3) Buy bigger marshmallows!
Papa Was A Rolling Stone (playing in the background) sure takes one back down memory lane!
Three days from now I will be in Honduras. My two traveling companions, Jack and Leonard, and I will be conducting seminars for pastors. One never quite knows what to expect at these seminars. Last year it was marriages that were about to be ended that was the side issues we dealt with amidst the seminar. I am happy to report that the marriages are still together and improved. I am eager to get the recent update from the pastors and their wives. Another time in the Philippines it was a surprise to us to have a pastor tell us that he did not know he could show Grace to his church. Law was all he knew. It will be good to again rub shoulders with the pastors of Talanga, Honduras.
May everyone have a blessed day.
Blessings
Last Wednesday night, after making my confession, I felt so good that I invited a couple over to the house following the church activities to roast marshmallows over a new outdoor fire pit I had recently purchased. As earlier noted, it had rained eight inches and everything was soaked (including the firewood). This was no problem. Earlier in the day I discovered some lighter fluid left over from some distant grill out and figured I could use the lighter fluid to soak the wood and get it to burn enough to dry out and thus I would be in 'tall cotton' with a roaring fire amidst the wet wonderland. Alas there was not enough lighter fluid to complete the task so it was nip and tuck as to whether we could get the wood dry enough to stay burning. But God is good and with some newspaper and prayer we succeeded in getting the wood finally burning. Then I strode into the house to get the marshmallows only to discover the bag of marshmallows in the cupboard was a bag of miniature marshmallows! I can say that roasting miniature marshmallows is a real waste of time. They burn quickly. They have little taste. And the effort expended is not worth the reward received. Lessons learned through this futile event are: 1) Buy a full bottle of lighter fluid, 2) Dry out wood in the kitchen stove first, and 3) Buy bigger marshmallows!
Papa Was A Rolling Stone (playing in the background) sure takes one back down memory lane!
Three days from now I will be in Honduras. My two traveling companions, Jack and Leonard, and I will be conducting seminars for pastors. One never quite knows what to expect at these seminars. Last year it was marriages that were about to be ended that was the side issues we dealt with amidst the seminar. I am happy to report that the marriages are still together and improved. I am eager to get the recent update from the pastors and their wives. Another time in the Philippines it was a surprise to us to have a pastor tell us that he did not know he could show Grace to his church. Law was all he knew. It will be good to again rub shoulders with the pastors of Talanga, Honduras.
May everyone have a blessed day.
Blessings
Friday, October 2, 2009
October Treat
Yesterday I went to the Texas State Fair for the first time in 9 years. It was fun with not much changing since I last visited. But I will share three experiences.
First, I rode the Ferris wheel on the midway for the first time. I was surprised at how little motion there was. I grew up riding on Ferris wheels that were open bench/cart seating that would swing at the least bit of starting and stopping. The 'Texas Star' has a heavy cage that would take King Kong swinging it to produce any significant motion. Still, the view from 200 feet off the ground is spectacular.
The second experience was found at the auto show, specifically the Ford area. Ford had a humanoid robot that was amazingly advanced. It really did converse with the audience on a wide range of topics. It was totally absorbing to watch a robot pick at random someone from the audience and talk with them. This was a cool exhibit.
The third experience was humbling. Coming upon a trio (guitar, saxophone, trumpet) playing in a public area there were two men listening and dancing to the music with utter disregard to the people passing by. I have passed by similar scenes on other occasions with young men doing their break dancing or whatever. They were great at their dancing and knew it and wanting those passing by to see their 'greatness'. But this scene was different. The two men were mentally handicapped. They also were rhythmically challenged. (Note: The two aforementioned conditions are not related for I, too, am rhythmically challenged. No other comment is needed. :) ) As those passing by would look at the two dancers, there was the inevitable laugh at the two men. Yet the men were lost in their enjoyment of the music and were totally oblivious to those who thought they were the 'funny little men'. As I was watching this scene finishing an ice cream cone so I could go board the aerial tram, the Lord impressed upon me there was really only two free men within my eyesight! These two men were copying David as he 'danced before the Lord. David was caught up in his enjoyment of the Lord and danced with all his might, not caring what others (including his wife) thought of him, his style, or whatever. David danced because he loved the Lord. The world could laugh, but David would nevertheless dance!
--- Oh, to be free to dance as David and these two men danced.
Chicago - 0, Rio de Janeiro - The World
We now know that Chicago was the first to be eliminated from the 2016 Olympic consideration. I think the biggest mistake Chicago made in their last effort sales pitch before the Olympic Committee was in the makeup of the delegation traveling to Copenhagen. It was fine for President "O" and his wife to travel to Denmark, Oprah probably did just fine as well. But for the life of me I can't figure out why the rest of the delegation was comprised of former Olympians. I'm sure the vote would have been much better for Chicago if the bulk of the delegation was comprised of ACORN members instead of former Olympians. After all, what do Olympians know about rigging votes?
Blessings
First, I rode the Ferris wheel on the midway for the first time. I was surprised at how little motion there was. I grew up riding on Ferris wheels that were open bench/cart seating that would swing at the least bit of starting and stopping. The 'Texas Star' has a heavy cage that would take King Kong swinging it to produce any significant motion. Still, the view from 200 feet off the ground is spectacular.
The second experience was found at the auto show, specifically the Ford area. Ford had a humanoid robot that was amazingly advanced. It really did converse with the audience on a wide range of topics. It was totally absorbing to watch a robot pick at random someone from the audience and talk with them. This was a cool exhibit.
The third experience was humbling. Coming upon a trio (guitar, saxophone, trumpet) playing in a public area there were two men listening and dancing to the music with utter disregard to the people passing by. I have passed by similar scenes on other occasions with young men doing their break dancing or whatever. They were great at their dancing and knew it and wanting those passing by to see their 'greatness'. But this scene was different. The two men were mentally handicapped. They also were rhythmically challenged. (Note: The two aforementioned conditions are not related for I, too, am rhythmically challenged. No other comment is needed. :) ) As those passing by would look at the two dancers, there was the inevitable laugh at the two men. Yet the men were lost in their enjoyment of the music and were totally oblivious to those who thought they were the 'funny little men'. As I was watching this scene finishing an ice cream cone so I could go board the aerial tram, the Lord impressed upon me there was really only two free men within my eyesight! These two men were copying David as he 'danced before the Lord. David was caught up in his enjoyment of the Lord and danced with all his might, not caring what others (including his wife) thought of him, his style, or whatever. David danced because he loved the Lord. The world could laugh, but David would nevertheless dance!
--- Oh, to be free to dance as David and these two men danced.
Chicago - 0, Rio de Janeiro - The World
We now know that Chicago was the first to be eliminated from the 2016 Olympic consideration. I think the biggest mistake Chicago made in their last effort sales pitch before the Olympic Committee was in the makeup of the delegation traveling to Copenhagen. It was fine for President "O" and his wife to travel to Denmark, Oprah probably did just fine as well. But for the life of me I can't figure out why the rest of the delegation was comprised of former Olympians. I'm sure the vote would have been much better for Chicago if the bulk of the delegation was comprised of ACORN members instead of former Olympians. After all, what do Olympians know about rigging votes?
Blessings
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Choice Is Ours
I spent last Friday evening at our church's youth and men's camp out. Since I did not want to fish all night as was the plan of most of the guys, I left when the Park gates were closing and returned home to sleep in my own bed rather than in a tent. After supper, when the first round of fishing commenced, I found myself in camp with our church's youth pastor, Joe Yosten. As the sun set, we were adoring the absolute beauty of the lake and sky and the beauty of the campsite and park. As we commented on the great job someone did in marking this spot for a campsite and also for making this park so beautiful, it struck us how important a role God gave mankind in fashioning this earth into a thing of beauty. It was a moment of relaxed enjoyment in the stillness and beauty of the night.
In stark contrast to this experience, a couple of days later I found myself watching a news video of several Chicago youth beating another youth to death. It was horrific to watch - the ugliness of the scene played out before the world thanks to us by a cell phone video camera.
Two experiences. One so beautiful. One so hellish. Both brought to us by the choices men made.
Everyday we have choices to make. And those choices will result in our creating a beautiful, desirable environment or a hostile, ugly environment. The choice of order or chaos. The choice of beauty or trashiness. The choice of peace or discord. On and on, each day presents us with choices. What will your choices today produce in the world around you?
On a different subject. I purchased a bike yesterday. Several men in our church are bike riders so I thought I might join them on a trek some day. One of the men told me I needed to get in shape and build up some stamina so I would not bail out after a quarter mile into our trek. So now I must start a conditioning plan. Here is my plan. Two miles down the road is the nearest convenience store and I figure if I make it that far I will reward myself with a double cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. After all, I do need calories in order to make it back home! After three weeks of this daily program I will be ready to go all out to the Pizza Hut!
Blessings
In stark contrast to this experience, a couple of days later I found myself watching a news video of several Chicago youth beating another youth to death. It was horrific to watch - the ugliness of the scene played out before the world thanks to us by a cell phone video camera.
Two experiences. One so beautiful. One so hellish. Both brought to us by the choices men made.
Everyday we have choices to make. And those choices will result in our creating a beautiful, desirable environment or a hostile, ugly environment. The choice of order or chaos. The choice of beauty or trashiness. The choice of peace or discord. On and on, each day presents us with choices. What will your choices today produce in the world around you?
On a different subject. I purchased a bike yesterday. Several men in our church are bike riders so I thought I might join them on a trek some day. One of the men told me I needed to get in shape and build up some stamina so I would not bail out after a quarter mile into our trek. So now I must start a conditioning plan. Here is my plan. Two miles down the road is the nearest convenience store and I figure if I make it that far I will reward myself with a double cheeseburger, fries, and a shake. After all, I do need calories in order to make it back home! After three weeks of this daily program I will be ready to go all out to the Pizza Hut!
Blessings
Friday, September 11, 2009
Eight Years Later
The date 9/11 will never be forgotten in America or the Muslim world. It will be remembered for wildly different reasons. The loss of lives on 9/11 was shocking to observe and mourned because of their innocence in all things related to the event. This is one of the fundamental things about America and the morality which it embraces. America mourns the loss of innocent life. The pictures in the Muslim world were vastly different. Rejoicing over the loss of innocent lives seems to abide in their embraced morality. Seldom do we find Americans gleefully celebrating the loss of life of the innocent. We see this as tragic and seek to avoid it as much as possible. Even in war, civilian causalities caused by American firepower is surprisingly low because of our desire to spare the innocent. America is set apart in this aspect.
Throughout history most nations/empires made little effort to make a distinction between the enemy and the innocent and so all became pawns to be expended serving the goals of the leaders. Whole civilian populations were killed or enslaved as a routine part of warfare. This was the norm. And then along comes America. She has led the world in setting a standard in protecting the innocent. Have we done this perfectly. No. But the intent and effort in cherishing and protecting the innocent, even in wartime, is remarkable in light of past history. It is a tribute to the Judeo/Christian moral base which underpins our morality. Our moral underpinnings, based on Biblical truths, were greatly revealed in the aftermath of 9/11 compared with other cultures.
One side note on the above morality of sparing the innocent. The disturbing nature of abortion is the complete abandonment of this principle which America has so long cherished. To embrace abortion so easily, as America has done, is truly an open attack from within rejecting America's earnest desire to protect the innocent.
Yesterday's Personal Saga
I survived the visit to the oral surgeon yesterday. Actually I did pretty well considering my history of such endeavors. Praise God for his gift of nitrous oxide (or whatever it is). A few highs and lows of the visit, literally, were: my normal blood pressure is around 118/80. Blood pressure when first sitting in dental chair: 180/121. Yes I can literally feel my blood pressure increase as I walk into the dentist office. Nitrous oxide relaxes me to 121/? during the tooth extraction. After everything is over, I relive in my mind all that has happened and begin to get light headed and "white as a sheet" (though never completely fainted.) So while lying on the chair 'recovering' they check my blood pressure again: 77/51. At this point they told me to take my time and not feel rushed to leave. Ha, at that point I could not have crawled out of the building if I wanted to. But eventually my blood pressure returned to normal and I walked out like a champ - minus one wisdom tooth. But it was an hour of highs and lows!
Blessings
Throughout history most nations/empires made little effort to make a distinction between the enemy and the innocent and so all became pawns to be expended serving the goals of the leaders. Whole civilian populations were killed or enslaved as a routine part of warfare. This was the norm. And then along comes America. She has led the world in setting a standard in protecting the innocent. Have we done this perfectly. No. But the intent and effort in cherishing and protecting the innocent, even in wartime, is remarkable in light of past history. It is a tribute to the Judeo/Christian moral base which underpins our morality. Our moral underpinnings, based on Biblical truths, were greatly revealed in the aftermath of 9/11 compared with other cultures.
One side note on the above morality of sparing the innocent. The disturbing nature of abortion is the complete abandonment of this principle which America has so long cherished. To embrace abortion so easily, as America has done, is truly an open attack from within rejecting America's earnest desire to protect the innocent.
Yesterday's Personal Saga
I survived the visit to the oral surgeon yesterday. Actually I did pretty well considering my history of such endeavors. Praise God for his gift of nitrous oxide (or whatever it is). A few highs and lows of the visit, literally, were: my normal blood pressure is around 118/80. Blood pressure when first sitting in dental chair: 180/121. Yes I can literally feel my blood pressure increase as I walk into the dentist office. Nitrous oxide relaxes me to 121/? during the tooth extraction. After everything is over, I relive in my mind all that has happened and begin to get light headed and "white as a sheet" (though never completely fainted.) So while lying on the chair 'recovering' they check my blood pressure again: 77/51. At this point they told me to take my time and not feel rushed to leave. Ha, at that point I could not have crawled out of the building if I wanted to. But eventually my blood pressure returned to normal and I walked out like a champ - minus one wisdom tooth. But it was an hour of highs and lows!
Blessings
Thursday, September 10, 2009
T - Minus 6 Hours
I wonder what the "T" stands for? After a short night of sleep in which I awoke every hour on the hour waiting for this day to arrive I finally got up to jot down my random thoughts during the night about going to the dentist in 6 hours. Spend a moment with me as I write because you will see what a wimp I am when it comes to dentists.
** What is the difference between a dentist and an oral surgeon? The dentist pulls teeth while the oral surgeon does tooth extractions.
** Pain-free dentistry? Surely this is an oxymoron. In reality I can say I have never been in physical pain because of dental work. However, the emotional anguish more than makes up for the lack of physical pain.
** I remember the time I passed out in the dental chair before the dentist even touched me! Yes, I was an adult at the time.
** Back in the old days when you were required to get a blood test before your got married I decided that I would distract myself from the mandated needle work by reciting scripture verses. After the alcohol rub and with the approach of the needle I started to recite John 3:16. I didn't even make it though the verse before I was out cold!
** Irrational fears are real. Praise God I only have just this one. And roller coasters, heights, snakes, blood, needles, missed free throws, missed 3-foot putts, cottage cheese, lima beans, broken bones, lack of cookies, and maybe one or two more that I may have overlooked.
** Random thought at 3:15 AM - "I wonder if the oral surgeon is sleeping better than me?"
I am listening to Maurice Ravel's Bolero as I type this post. Bolero is my all-time favorite classical piece of music. I first heard it while watching Torvel and Dean (Canadian figure skating couple) skate to this music at the world championships. They scored perfect 10's. Everyone was astounded at their performance. It was the first time a perfect score had been given in the pairs competition. The music had much to do with the dramatic and fantastic routine. Ever since hearing this piece in the early 80's I have loved it.
Last nights President's Address: How convenient it is to have DVR. Last night I had activities at the church to attend to so I was did not get the chance to watch the real-time teleprompting session from President "O". Catching up to it later I noticed we have gone from 47 million uninsured to 30 million uninsured. If we hold out another 90 days perhaps he will lower the figure to 15 million which is about where most authorities say the true number lies.
The census figures show that there are 13 million poor children not covered by insurance. Yet every state has some variety of a CHIP program. How can we still have uninsured children? Studies have shown that there are about 6.5 million children enrolled in a CHIP program that did not report this fact on the census forms. Children who have not enrolled in a CHIP program but go to the hospital for treatment are enrolled in the program by most hospitals (so as to be reimbursed for their services) during their stay at the hospital. In effect this means that there is no poor child not eligible for insurance unless the parents absolutely refuse to avail themselves of this program.
My reflections on President "O" calling for civil discourse on health care reform. In his mind, civil discourse translates into "agreeing with me." Any disagreement, by his definition, means that one is mean spirited, uncivil, and should not be listened to (shut out of the discourse.) Of course this will not happen so it will be a bumpy ride until some form of reform is forced upon use from the Washington Cartel.
Bolero is finished and I need to get some errands run before I head to the dentist/oral surgeon/Armageddon. Next time you read my blog I'll have one less wisdom tooth!
It is now T - minus 5 hours.
Blessings
** What is the difference between a dentist and an oral surgeon? The dentist pulls teeth while the oral surgeon does tooth extractions.
** Pain-free dentistry? Surely this is an oxymoron. In reality I can say I have never been in physical pain because of dental work. However, the emotional anguish more than makes up for the lack of physical pain.
** I remember the time I passed out in the dental chair before the dentist even touched me! Yes, I was an adult at the time.
** Back in the old days when you were required to get a blood test before your got married I decided that I would distract myself from the mandated needle work by reciting scripture verses. After the alcohol rub and with the approach of the needle I started to recite John 3:16. I didn't even make it though the verse before I was out cold!
** Irrational fears are real. Praise God I only have just this one. And roller coasters, heights, snakes, blood, needles, missed free throws, missed 3-foot putts, cottage cheese, lima beans, broken bones, lack of cookies, and maybe one or two more that I may have overlooked.
** Random thought at 3:15 AM - "I wonder if the oral surgeon is sleeping better than me?"
I am listening to Maurice Ravel's Bolero as I type this post. Bolero is my all-time favorite classical piece of music. I first heard it while watching Torvel and Dean (Canadian figure skating couple) skate to this music at the world championships. They scored perfect 10's. Everyone was astounded at their performance. It was the first time a perfect score had been given in the pairs competition. The music had much to do with the dramatic and fantastic routine. Ever since hearing this piece in the early 80's I have loved it.
Last nights President's Address: How convenient it is to have DVR. Last night I had activities at the church to attend to so I was did not get the chance to watch the real-time teleprompting session from President "O". Catching up to it later I noticed we have gone from 47 million uninsured to 30 million uninsured. If we hold out another 90 days perhaps he will lower the figure to 15 million which is about where most authorities say the true number lies.
The census figures show that there are 13 million poor children not covered by insurance. Yet every state has some variety of a CHIP program. How can we still have uninsured children? Studies have shown that there are about 6.5 million children enrolled in a CHIP program that did not report this fact on the census forms. Children who have not enrolled in a CHIP program but go to the hospital for treatment are enrolled in the program by most hospitals (so as to be reimbursed for their services) during their stay at the hospital. In effect this means that there is no poor child not eligible for insurance unless the parents absolutely refuse to avail themselves of this program.
My reflections on President "O" calling for civil discourse on health care reform. In his mind, civil discourse translates into "agreeing with me." Any disagreement, by his definition, means that one is mean spirited, uncivil, and should not be listened to (shut out of the discourse.) Of course this will not happen so it will be a bumpy ride until some form of reform is forced upon use from the Washington Cartel.
Bolero is finished and I need to get some errands run before I head to the dentist/oral surgeon/Armageddon. Next time you read my blog I'll have one less wisdom tooth!
It is now T - minus 5 hours.
Blessings
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