BOTTOMLESS BLOG?

Well, intrepid and faithful reader friends, I have changed the setting on this blog to allow ALL my posts to appear on the same page!

Cool, huh?

Now I (and you) can scroll all the way down the page and see every post I've ever posted! Is that not cool or what?

I know. You're thinking, this bozo has had way too much ice cream! Well, you would be right.

I guess I'm amped because Kim Komando is on the radio from 5 to 7PM on Saturday instead of 12 to 2PM, the old schedule. Also, she (they) did away with the excessive use of canned audience applause and reactions to her comments during the program. At least that's the impression I'm getting from this my most recent session listening to her.

I could go on because, after all, this is THE BOTTOMLESS BLOOOOOG...

ONE RUSSIAN'S OPINION VERY PERCEPTIVE

This morning, while driving to my usual tennis venue for some exercise, I heard on the radio a talkshow host (Mike Broomhead, KFYI 550 AM) read a poignant quote from the Russian newspaper Pravda. In it, he states a (the?) Russian view of America's descent into Marxism. You can read it here.

This was an eye-opener and a wake-up call for me. Apparently, the world watches as our beloved USA descends into what our forefathers fled from: a world system which is detrimental to Christian values, ideals, and prosperity.

Will God indeed bless America if she goes astray from that which saved her in the first place, the gospel of Jesus Christ? No.

I shudder thinking of our collective freefall from our former perch atop the world's pedestal of admiration if we abandon the God who exalted us for righteousness' sake.

"RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTS A NATION, BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE." (Proverbs 14:34)

My hope and prayer was, and still is, that we as a people do not let that happen (or that God would give us the grace to resist the devil).

Understandably this article, written by a Russian writer for Pravda, has some grammatical and spelling errors. But his message is spot on --and inspiring (that a foreign opinion maker would duly warn us of our own downfall-in-progress in time to recognize what is happening, and to utilize the pen rather than the sword to effect a remedy sufficient to stop its deadly progression)!

Let me just quickly link a couple of blogs which support this article and inspire me to read their blogs for a different if not helpful viewpoint:

Artful Articulations

Matt Rodina

KUDOS TO MY I.T. (IDENTICAL TWIN) BROTHER

Now before all the alarmists over identity theft cry foul that I implicated (in a good way) my brother, who shall remain nameless, let me heap accolades and praise for a recent post in his most excellent blog, "The Machiavellian Messiah."

In it, he aptly lays blame for the auto industry meltdown at the feet of --who else?-- the Auto Industry and their Deliverer, Uncle Sam. I'm not implying that I have a better solution. I don't. But who can resist all the circus mayhem and commentary that goes with it?

Government Motors (see video below)? The new 2010 Grand Larceny (Unlimited Edition) from "GM?" I'll take the humorous side of life with the conservatives over the dire, command-economy death sentence from the left.

LET'S CALL IT THE EURO

Hey, government-backed readers of right-wing, homeland-security-threatening blogs like this one: just a little video humor to lighten the load for your viewing pleasure and enlightenment, compliments of FOXNews.

THE ROCK STANDS FIRM

I just wanted to post this video of Pastor Miles McPherson of the Rock Church in San Diego, CA brilliantly defending traditional (i.e., Biblical) marriage.

BUT I DIGRESS

I didn't know if I should post this, but here is a link to learn all about the "Largest Web Developer Site on the Net:" W3Schools.com

I have been studying their HTML tutorial and it has been fascinating and fun! Very thorough and informative. How many positive adjectives can I use here? Keep going!

Anyway, for those with time and desire to learn this stuff (I had both today), this is a good--if not the BEST-- place to start.

PROFESSOR PRAGER BRINGS IT HOME

Well, in scouring the Internet (because, in another sense, it needs it), I came across this video by talkshow host Dennis Prager on Townhall.com. Now keep in mind that Mr. Prager is Jewish by heritage and religious tradition, so he does not "toe the line" as closely as born-again Christians (the only kind there are). But his belief in God and moral values is admirable.

I posted this video because once in a while a high-profile political (or in this case, educational) figure says some things that are downright right. 

I would substitute "God's providence" for "luck" in one of his comments. But that's forgivable since he has not been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. THAT IS SOMETHING I PRAY HAPPENS TO HIM AND TO ALL WHO READ THIS. 

PATRIOT ACT BACKFIRES

Well, I finally found something to blog about once again.

This time it's another case of government abuse of power (what, in the USA???).

I only post this story for two reasons: because it involves a home-schooled child (with whom I sympathize because my own siblings home-educated their children); and because I have a sneaking suspicion that they are Bible-believing Christians.

Here is the link to World Net Daily's article:

Mother claims teen jailed by Patriot Act

Anytime a home-schooler, who is obviously innocent of this crime (no evidence was found to substantiate the search warrant), is persecuted "legally," I can't help but think of the logical conclusion of such misapplications of authority in the form of another Nazi/Stalinist/fascist/You-Name-It regime that commits unspeakable acts of horrible atrocities against fellow human beings (witness North Korea, Sudan, Somalia, etc.).

It is short and has a video as well. Read it, watch it, and speak your minds.

MEXICAN HISTORY UNCLIPPED

This past Monday, while I was driving around looking for work, I was listening to the radio (I think it was KFLR or K-LOVE) and heard the announcer play this clip from "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," wherein a famous line was uttered.

The famous "We don't need no stinking badges" disclaimer was first, though differently, stated by the actor Alfonso Bedoya playing the character Gold Hat. In the movie, Humphrey Bogart asks Gold Hat if he and his men are police. Gold Hat replies with the immortalized "I don't have to show you any stinking badges."

I think because the announcer, whose name I do not know, laughed and thought it was so funny, I shared in his delight at the irreverence and defiance in the character himself.

Well, that's all the multimedia mayhem for now. More to come...

WOW! CONSTITUTIONALIST GETS TESTED BIG TIME

I don't necessarily condone doing what this Tempe, AZ pastor did to resist the totalitarian overtures of the Border Patrol at the California-Arizona border. But if their tendency toward sacrificing our liberty for safety is of any concern, then this man definitely has a case for the Court of Public Opinion--and a cause for political change.

Since we are in the Era of Change, let us hope that such instances of unwarranted brutality are few and far between. 

His demonstration of civil disobedience to the Border Patrol may or may not be justified, but it is certainly admirable that he stood his ground to test the authority to its lawful (or unlawful) limits.

Kudos to the man and shame on the BP agents, useful idiots though they may be.

GOOD NEWS

I managed to find the video I posted on Wednesday April 8 on YouTube and replace the one I originally had there because of the annoying audio. Now when you load this page it will no longer play that video automatically.

Thank God for YouTube!

MY APOLOGIES FOR THE AUDIO

Sorry, dear readers, I posted a video on Wed., April 8 that plays automatically every time the page loads!

So until the subsequent posts crowd it off of this page, it will keep playing itself through (once, thankfully).

If you want to scroll down to stop it early, you can.

Great video, lousy feature.

THE MAKEOVER CONTINUES

Visitors to this blog may have noticed changes to its appearance, especially since being unemployed lends itself tremendously to such mundane tasks as experimenting with different colors and images around my blog. It's probably just a manifestation of what seems to be a popular malady these days: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Now I'm not hip on any of the weekly TV programs whose main characters may be diagnosing themselves as having OCD for ratings' sake. But I can say that waiting for a phone call from a prospective employer lends itself to OCB (Obsessive Compulsive Blogging) very well!

After changing colors and so on, several (hundred) times, over the last (unquantifiable) amount of time, I can safely say... that's enough!

Now is the time to blog and recover some semblance of rationality and sanity in my life before I am off to the next stint of full-time employment. I shall remember and treasure these last few moments of freedom until I am able to enjoy them once again.

CAUSE FOR PAUSE

I am posting this video from LeeStrobel.com because my Bible Study group is studying Lee's materials on "The Case For a Creator." Fascinating, informative, and enlightening come to mind.

Although this video segment is not in our DVD, it is still pertinent because Dr. William Lane Craig figures prominently in the discussions. If anyone can break down the arguments for and against the existence of God, he certainly can.

In all the hubbub, I have forgotten to acknowledge the 200th post on this blog! Actually, this is number 206, but who' s counting? (Answer: Blogger.com)

THE UNVARNISHED REVISED VERSION REVISITED (AGAIN)

I had the most unfortunate thought. 

I realized that when I post these blog entries, my email recipients receive the unvarnished "Publish Post," which may suffer further revisions upon closer scrutiny from their master (me), and thus be slightly different from what is emailed.

This I know because I send the posts to my own email address as well, and thus, can see what is being sent out.

And not only that: they miss the visual experience of the Worldview Window in all its glory!

Hmmm, I said. What if I just, from now on, send out a link to the blog and hope everyone reads it after I've made subsequent changes (if needed).  

This would be an extra step, i.e., more work for me.  Oh, well. At least you won't see as many of my mistakes.

Just a thought worth implementing.

PAPAGO PARK OR BUST

This beautiful photo is courtesy of Verizon Wireless (my cell phone). Taken at Phoenix's Papago Park on a day when I was unemployed (still am, but looking) and needing to "get out," I took advantage of some scenery last Friday.

The free program Picasa from Google makes it "easy." The hard part is getting the photos from my cellphone to MyVerizon to my computer, and by way of Picasa/Blogger, to the blog.

Also, I am filling in this paragraph in order to--so that---I can accomplish the mundane task of seeing the word wrap in action.

Hitting Enter until you reach this line is the "key" to a great wordwrap! I could have kept on typing to fill all that white space. But then you would have thought I was just "filling white space."

And you would have been correct.

VANITY FAIR

Every now and then, I get the itch to blog. But I lack the material or substance necessary to post something worthwhile. So I invariably (a word I heard a lot in college) like to ponder the abstract and come up with something more creative than substantial. You'll see what I mean in a moment (if you haven't already).

So far, the only thing I've done is blog. That is, I have executed the mechanical action of typing: composing (thinking, writing, editing, etc.) and posting-- all while soaking my right foot in hot water and Melaleuca oil to nurse a sore ankle after playing tennis this morning. But I digress.

With this my third paragraph, I have made precious little progress in affecting positive changes for the betterment of mankind in the world today. Cyberspace is several hundred alphanumeric characters more overloaded than it was twenty-four hours ago, at the hands of my complicit keyboard.

Perhaps today, I am more prose artist than practical activist--not that there's anything wrong with that (to borrow a trademark phrase from Seinfeld).

In these moments of quiet reflection, I am pensive about being pensive, and this is not a very lucrative activity to engage in. Writing for writing's sake (and mine) is a selfish pursuit. The Book of Ecclesiastes comes to mind. Where will this post finally end?

Just for good measure, I'm throwing in a link to the Pilgrim's Progress, and to Vanity Fair, in which Christian and his companion Faithful find themselves face-to-face with one town's worldly pursuits in all of their emptiness. I highly recommend the audio drama available at SermonAudio.com.

Thusly, my blog post has ended. And on that positive note, I bid you adieu.

STATE DEPARTMENT, APPROVE THIS VISA!

Okay, one more news story for good measure.

This one is about a heroic Iraqi translator for the US military in Iraq, and his indispensible help in fighting the bad guys. It makes my blood boil that everyone but the US State Department thinks he should get a visa to this country. Read this story on FOXNews.com and see what I mean.

Visa Denial Puts Heroic Iraqi Translator in the Crosshairs

That's all for now.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE BAD

Every now and then, I have the "stomach" to read Compass Direct News, the online source for "news from the frontlines of persecution" of Christians around the world.

Today's visit finds no shortage of stories about Islamo-fascist terrorism in countries where Muslims are free to practice their "faith" and Christians are their sacrificial lambs. 

It is good for us in the West to know what goes on in other parts of our world, particularly in those countries where the Devil's Religions are practiced with a vengeance. Witness Hindus in India and Muslims in Iran, where Satan enlists his swarms of officers to temporarily counter any progress made by the Kingdom of God in Christ. 

What Satan means for evil, God means for good to His people. 

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." 

Genesis 50:20 (New International Version)

BLOGGING FOR SANITY'S SAKE

Sometimes the only sane thing to do is blog.

After several hours of wracking my brain, reading classified ads and articles about career help, researching jobs on the Internet, looking at my finances (which are not dire yet), reading books (parts of them), I've come to the point where it's time to unwind. 

Here, therefore, is a cellphone camera photo from Canyon Lake! It was taken at about 5:30 PM while traveling along the road leading out of the canyon on the way home.