Merry Christmas!!!

I LOVE this new Christmas Carol:

YOU'RE HERE

a Christmas song by Francesca Battistelli

Hold on now, I gotta take a deep breath
I don’t know what to say when I look in your eyes
You made the world before I was born
Here I am holding You in my arms tonight

Noel, Noel
Jesus our Emmanuel

You’re here
I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior
King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
But You’re here

Don’t know how long I’m gonna have You for
But I’ll be watching when You change the world
Look at Your hands, they’re still so small
Someday You’re gonna stretch them out and save us all

Noel, Noel, God with us Emmanuel

You’re here, I’m holding You so near oooh oh
I’m staring into the face of my Savior
King and Creator
You could’ve left us on our own
Bbut you’re here, you’re here

Someday I’m gonna look back on this
The night that God became a baby boy
Someday You’re gonna go home again,
But You leave your spirit and flood the world with joy

You’ll be here, I’m holding You so near
I’m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could’ve left me on my own, but you’re here… You’re here
Hallelujah, You’re here
Hallelujah, You’re here

Listen HERE

Join in....

Interesting discussion about torture, will Obama do anything about it, will anyone be punished for it, and what can WE do about it. Come join in the discussion here:

Are we Men or Beasts?

Heads up!

Just read an excellent article by Frank Schaeffer: Why the USA is Screwed.... here's an excerpt:

We've gone to the last stop on a road paved with the mantra that no one is allowed to judge anyone else's behavior. The result is a culture that drives whatever vehicles suits it and global warming be damned. The result is a culture in which divorce is easy and common and all the definitive studies which prove unequivocally that the children of divorce, abandonment and instability bear lifelong scars, that in turn directly affect their ability to function in society, be damned (not to mention the economic problems of divorced families, particularly women, those who raise the children.)

(Note: How ironic that the right wing of the "Christian" community is taking a "stand" against gay marriage when gay marriage hurts no one and shows a salutary commitment to stability and the future, and when all studies show that the real marriage meltdown, in terms of actual harm to society that is measurable, is our tolerance of "no-fault" heterosexual divorce and its effect on kids and the economy.)

If the Obama presidency is to succeed, it's going to have to go far beyond policy and laws. President-elect Obama is going to have to become an evangelist.

Swan Song

It appears that Cheney wants to sing before his powerful position takes a final decent into history. I was listening to the beautiful Winter Song by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles as I read about his interview. One verse seemed somehow appropriate:

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
cause you're not where you belong;...

...and in my mind where he belongs is locked up for war crimes!

As Mitchel Bard, the author of the above linked article says,

...if Cheney is going to go on national television and endorse torture, I feel like he has tied the hands of the country. How can we change our image, both to the rest of the world and to our own citizens, if we allow a sitting vice president to confess to supporting a policy of torture and do nothing about it?

Unlike Mitchel, I have not been ambivalent about whether the incoming Obama administration should go after the Bush administration for the High Crimes and Misdemeanors they have committed! Bush and Cheney should have been impeached, but I guess its a tad late for that now, so what next...war crimes trial, Truth and Reconciliation Commission? David Latt says that:

...there are those who see the vice president's admission as part of a strategy to force the president to pardon him and all those named in the Senate Report: Rumsfeld, Meyers, and Rice. If Bush doesn't pardon them, they will certainly be pursued by those in the new administration who will not let-bygones-be-bygone.

It scares me to think that they could just get out of it by a pardon from the puppet president. The outrages of this administration inspired my very first blog, and my outrage has not lessened. For now I will go back to my Christmas carols and take comfort that this must surely be Cheney's swan song!

Let music sound while he doth make his choice;
Then, if he lose, he makes a swan-like end...

Joy to the World!

I'm in the mood for some Christmas music. I hope you enjoy it, too:

It should update as I find more songs. Merry Christmas (and/or Happy Holidays!)

Living Nativity

Our local Union-Bulletin reported on a collaboration on a living nativity scene two local churches are doing. I am not part of the production, but I think it will be worth visiting. What I like best is that it is interdenominational. I love to see people getting along and finding their commonalities!

When done in unison with another denomination, that partnership becomes part of the overall message, Olesen believes. "Doing this together melds volunteers and families and churches," he said. "Right now it seems like two congregations, but if all goes well, it will be an inspiration for other churches to join in."Having St. Clair as this year's director will bring new energy to the living nativity, said the Rev. Owen Frost of Stateline Community Church.

LIVING NATIVITY

The Milton Adventist Church will host "Journey to Bethlehem," Saturday and Sunday, 6-8 p.m. The event will feature the streets of the little town of Bethlehem, including people and live animals. The church is at 1244 N. Elizabeth St. Visitors are asked to bring nonperishable food items to be donated to a local food pantry.

For more information, call 938-3066.

Let boys be boys!

To The Best Of Our Knowledge's recent program

What Boys are Made Of

is a must hear, especially for me: a mother of three boys!

^_^

Let boys be boys. It's a hard thing to do today with concern over violence in schools and the seeming violence of boys' play. But what if, thanks to our culture of fear, boys are slipping through the cracks? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we take a look at the inner world of boys. We'll talk with the author of "The Dangerous Book for Boys" who says it's time to celebrate slingshots and skinned knees. And, we'll get to know a South African teenage boy named "Spud."

Fomentations

As I mentioned the day I voted, the flu has really gotten me this year. I was coughing so hard I though I was going to cough up a lung. The doctor prescribed Z-Pack and I did feel MUCH better by the time I finished the 5 days of antibiotics. But now it seems to be settling back down into my other lung. So far it is just a tight, hacking cough, but if it gets any worse, I'm gonna have to see the doctor again.

This got me thinking about other treatments I could do to help speed my recovery and I remembered when I had Pneumonia when I was nine. It was one of the two times I actually hallucinated due to fever and I know my parents were worried when I was still struggling after seeing the doctor. I don't remember if I had already finished my antibiotics or not, but my parents decided to help me heal by using a method my father had learned in Seminary. The treatment was very relaxing and I remember experiencing a lot of relief afterwards.

Since I heard a lot of other people coughing in the waiting room at the walk-in clinic I don't think I'm the only one fighting this nasty bug. So, instead of keeping this treatment to myself, here are the instructions as my dad told me today.

Hot and Cold Fomentations Preparation

1) Find a comfortable place for the "patient." It could be a bed, comfortable chair, or even a cushion of blankets on the floor. 2) Gather enough blankets to keep very warm. If a wool blanket is available it is the best. 3) You need very hot water in two basins (one could be the sink if it is close enough)and one bowl of ice water. - Keep water heating on the stove to replenish. 4) Two towels or thick cloths and two washcloths. 5) Dry blankets for afterwards.

Directions

1) The patient should lay down with as bare a chest as modesty permits and cover with the blankets. 2) Place feet in a basin of very hot water. Be sure not to scald, but add more hot water to warm it up when the water cools. This keeps the circulation flowing through the whole body. 3) Soak the washcloths in the ice water and place one damp cool cloth on the patient's forehead to keep from overheating. This should be refreshed in the ice water as needed. 4) Soak towels in the second hot water basin, wring out till just damp (not dripping) and apply the steaming towels to both the chest and the back of the patient. Recover with blankets. (If the patient feels too hot, or has sensitive skin a thin cloth can be placed in between for comfort.) 5) Every 10 minutes the hot towels need to be quickly removed and the patient's chest and back should be vigorously rubbed with the second damp ice water cloth. And then the re-heated and wrung out towels should be quickly replaced on chest and back. 6) This should be repeated a minimum of 3 times. You will know the proper effect is happening when you see beads of sweat on the patient's nose and face. 7) When complete, the patient should be rubbed down a final time with the ice water cloth. They should then be allowed to sleep at least an hour, warmly covered.

The effect this treatment has is to open all the blood vessels and get the blood circulating, then the cold water causes the body to close the vessels. This squeezes out the blood - speeding circulation. Then the warm water opens all the vessels again bringing in a fresh flow of blood. This helps the body clean out the infection in the chest. It sounds simple, but the effects can be dramatic.

I googled Fomentations to see if I could find an official description and this story is the closest I could come.

Be well!

---------Update--------
I had my Dad look this over, to make sure I had gotten it all correct and he did have a couple comments:

I know all the extra circulation will help the body. The immune system loves it.

That's the other result - drawing all the blood to the infected area brings all the white blood cells to help fight. The increased temperature also draws the white blood cells, just like inflammation does. So, in one way, it's somewhat like an artificial inflammation that helps the immune system target the area.

Prayer is also a wonderful atmosphere to surround the treatment with :-)

Thanks Dad!

To Celebrate

Tears of joy
And tears of sorrow
Mingle slipping down my cheeks
HE WON!
We’re one!
The times of hate and fear are dead!

I want to run into the streets
And sing and shout glad tidings out
To look into compatriot’s eyes
And see the spark of hope alive

But in my town
the streets are bare
And though a few my joy do share
More oft’ then not a frown or sigh
Communicates the fear and dread
That lingers, festers, tears and snares

I long to reassure them then
To clasp their hands
And ask them
Where their deepest fear abides
And then to gently with my words
Un-spin the truth from tangled lies

And reassure all hearts and minds
That even though we don’t agree
I champion the man they flee
BECAUSE he sees both sides
And takes the time to listen well
And takes a breath considering
Each point of view and heartfelt plea

Oh Nation, Neighbors, Countrymen!
A jagged fault line slices through
Dividing up our land
And cracking even family ties
A painful, yawning chasm opens wide

Stretch out your arms
And lift your eyes
To those upon the other side
A house divided cannot stand
So please, oh please, just take my hand!

~ Heather Ann

Romantic Interlude

I interrupt your regularly scheduled blog to bring you this romantic interlude. Not quite a month after Barack and Michelle tied the knot, my husband and I were married on November 1st, 1992. I cracked up when I heard that Obama had accidentally announced that they were about to celebrate their 15th anniversary, because it has indeed been 16 years!

Since I met the love of my life when I was only 15 (and he was 17), I have now been married to him for longer than I lived without him in my life! It is amazing how quickly time flies! Before we were married, we survived two years of me in California, and him in Argentina! It is always said that long distance relationships do not work, but we have proven to be the exception to the rule! That doesn't mean it was easy. Here is a poem I wrote in a high school History class during that time of separation:

YOU

i see your face
frozen in a black and white smile
looking up at me
i was there
the day they took that picture
making you laugh
but i can't remember how you looked
i just see you
frozen
and two dimensional

every now and then
something breaks
through the ice of my mind
and
for a fleeting second
i hear your laugh
see your eyes
and feel loved
and warm
but just as the ice begins to melt
and run into my eyes
i freeze again
and i'm left without even tears
just a stinging in my eyes
and an ache in my heart

if all my dreams should crumble
and blow away in the afternoon breeze
and all my goals
remain forever out of my reach
there's one
that i could never let escape me
never let allow to slip
between my fingers
to the ground

that
my love
is to once again
see your face
and feel your touch
to share our dreams
and talk
about days gone by
and things to come
to laugh
and have the wind carry our voices
blending as one
and to cry
and see our tears
falling
into one pool of sorrow
to be with you

You Can Vote However You Like!

You may or may not have heard this kids on CNN or YouTube already, but my husband had me look them up yesterday, and I'm hooked!



Those are some informed, happy and talented kids!

Overstuffed Ballot Box!

I was home sick with the flu, and thought I was going to cough up a lung, but finally the antibiotics started to kick in and I decided to finish filling out my ballot.

In case you're not familiar with Oregon voting, it is ALL done by mail in ballots. So, after filling it out, I stuffed it in its secrecy envelope, and then into the signature confirmation envelope.


I just had to document it for historic purposes! And then my husband and I drove down to the local police department.

That's where the Official Ballot Deposit Box is located, and usually I go there because I procrastinate till the last day. Tonight, I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to it on the way.

I dropped it in the box, but when I peeked in to make sure it had dropped all the way in - IT WAS JAMMED! I could see at least four other ballots sticking up! I almost stuck my hand in to shove them down, but I could see the officers inside looking my way. All my picture taking must have caught their attention. I walked my wrinkly, sick self down into the station and told them what was going on. They said they would call the County, and send an officer out to push them in. I decided to document the stuffed box, and snapped this before the officer got there.


I thought it was my ballot sitting there, but on closer inspection of the photo at home, I realized it was not. The signature was illegible to me, but just in case others might recognize it, I've pixelized it. It looks like there's GREAT voter turnout this year! Is your vote included?

James Dobson - Prophet?

The Matthew 25 website sent out a request to respond to the letter put out by the Focus on the Family Action website. Honestly, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

This letter, from an imaginary Christian in 2012, is so insanely biased and fear based, that anyone who takes it seriously would certainly not be voting for Obama to begin with.

On the other hand, I can see how many Christians could have their eyes opened to the spirit of fear spread by James Dobson. Perhaps this would give them a reason to look more closely at what Obama has actually said? Or perhaps that is just wishful thinking.

I listened to Focus on the Family's radio program when I was a young mother, but completely quit when I heard him laughing about the surprised look in a boy's eye when his shoulder was pinched in Dobson's recommended surprise discipline method. I know how much it hurts...I've had it used on me a couple of times. I understand that discipline is important, but laughing at a child's pain passes the line of acceptability in my book.

The following quote is not exactly the one I heard on the radio in 1996, but it describes the same act:

Dobson obviously enjoys the power that goes with authority, and, as we have seen, a bit of sadism is evident in his depictions of experiments on animals. We catch of whiff of it too, in relation to punishing kids, especially when they are teen-agers. His anatomically detailed instructions on how to squeeze a particular muscle in a toddler’s shoulder to administer a bolt of pain is inexplicably decked out with a gratuitous anecdote about how he himself (with his “rather large hands”) used the technique on some rowdy adolescents—this story reads like a soft core Death Wish script.

Perhaps because I am familiar with his "love of dicipline" I am particularly drawn to the passage in his 2012 letter that describes the horrors of liberals delving out punishment of their own: "The Justice Department soon began to file civil and criminal charges against nearly every Bush administration official who had any involvement in the Iraq war."

This is a bad thing? If evil was done in the dark, and hidden in secret papers, Dobson who proclaimes to work for a just and loving God, would surely rejoice when justice brought the wrongdoers to light! And why else would the Bush administration sign an "executive order that [has] prevented presidential papers from being released," unless they had something to hide?

I for one, hope that in this one instance, James Dobson's word is prophetic.

Woe to those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from the LORD,
who do their work in darkness and think,
"Who sees us? Who will know?"
Isaiah 29:15

The Funnies!

I find Doonesbury awesomely logical:

And with the stories of faulty voting machines The Wizard of Id rings too true:

Don't forget to vote!

A colleague sent me this great video:

Isn't that hilarious? I sent a version of it to my sister and got back this great response:

....[that's] so funny! I am a permanent absentee voter & I've already half filled out my ballot. As a matter of fact, I'm so involved in this election that I drove Will at 11:15 pm at night to the San Diego Registrar of Voters to register with our new address on the very last day you could! We felt it was something we would be telling our grandkids:

"Your grandfather made me watch political television for 6 months before the election. On the very last day to register to vote he realized that he hadn't registered yet. So we left in the dark of the night to drive through the quiet streets to the registrar of voters before it closed at midnight. On the way there we were stunned that the freeway was closed! So we had to detour to get there. We thought the republicans had done it on purpose! When we got to the registrar of voters we were stunned because there was a line to park - at 11:30 pm! The registrars were still outside the building helping people to register. The majority of people registering were young & ethnic. We knew at that point that Obama would win the election!"

:-)

Post Partum Depression

I was reminded of this post I made on my MySpace blog a while ago, and had a very hard time locating it due to the categories not working. So, I am re-posting it here for easier access, and to spread the word.

---------------------------------------------------

A friend's blog yesterday brought my attention to the Mother's Act I do not have time to write much now, but you can check out the links. I think this sounds like a very a dangerous Act and should be stopped!

Here is the video of the personal story of the mom who started the petition against it:

I posted a bit of my story in the comments. (I do not assume that anti-depressants are wrong for all people, but it does seem that they often do more harm than good.) If you agree please take time to sign the petition here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-dangerous-and-invasive-mothers-act

Here is video of NBC News coverage of this issue:

Wallowa

I've been wanting to post some of the pictures I got on our trip to Wallowa Lake over Labor Day Weekend. I'm finally making time.













Go kart rides coming later. ^_^

Help is Better than Hate

Can I be both Pro-Life and Pro-Obama?

This week I was told by two people that they were voting for McCain because abortion is just such a terrible thing. I totally agree that abortion is horrifying. I've seen the pictures. I've been pregnant, a joy for me each time. I know people for whom it was not a joy and abortion was the only option they saw available. I wish they would have felt differently, but I will not judge them for their decision, because I have no way of understanding what they were going through.

On the other hand, I really would like the amount of abortions in our country to be reduced. Realistically, I understand the number will never be zero, but what could be done to limit that number?

Faced with the two McCain supporters basing their votes solely on their pro-life convictions, I headed to Google and found some statistics. I was thrilled to find the Matthew 25 Network expressing the views I have held for so long:

Studies Show that Economic Support for Women and Families Reduces Abortion

• Economic assistance to low income families is correlated with a 20% lower abortion rate. Across the entire United States, this translates into 200,000 fewer abortions.
• In the 1990s, states with more generous grants to women, infants and children under the age of five as provided by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program had a 37% lower abortion rate.
• Higher male employment in the 1990s was associated with a 29% lower abortion rate.
• The abortion rate has declined most rapidly from 1990-1996 when there was an economic boom under President Clinton. While rates have continued to decrease, they have declined less rapidly in recent years when poverty rates have been climbing.

What this says to me, is that help is better than hate. When women face an unplanned pregnancy, do we say: "Wow - too bad for you. Don't ask me for a hand out - but you'd better not be a baby killer," or can we say: "Wow - this is a huge moment in your life, here are some programs to help you be the kind of mother you would like to be."

In conclusion, YES, I can be an Obama supporter and be Pro-Life! I haven't even gone into the topic of supporting life in other ways, such as less war, and less pollution. I believe this is a very important point to make this election year! Please don't be a single issue voter, and spread the news that you can support LIFE and OBAMA!

Praying for Pipelines

I just read this amazing article by Linda Hansen, where she speaks of why she disagrees with Sarah Palin's religious beleifs. She says:

She blew it. The Iraq war, she claims, is a "task from God." That's bad religion. But there's worse: She encouraged a crowd of fellow believers to pray for her pipeline project.

That's not just bad religion. That smacks of apostasy.

She also goes on to speak of what she does pray for. And I will warn that one descripton of a toddler she prays for is horrible! Sadly true, but not for young ears. So censor as necessary.

Chills!

Tears and Fears

I am currently listening to the democratic convention in the background as I study for my algebra final. (Although it is slightly behind since I paused it earlier - gotta love the DVR - and Bill Clinton is about to speak.) The enthusiasm of the historic moment was seeping into my thoughts as I figured quadratic equations, reviewed the remainder theorem and synthetic division.

Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by a voice speaking of how great a threat Iran is and that Barack Obama is "Dangerously Unprepared!" Unprepared for what? ..World War III? Why do they think conflict with Iran is better than discussion with Iran? Why is diplomacy being called weakness?

I must admit that my emotions are a bit frayed due to lack of sleep, but I burst into tears before the McCain ad was even finished. Is our country so full of fear and... shall I say "synthetic division" that we would vote for the candidate who is advertising conflict over peace? Say it isn't so....

I'm going to set up a poll in the side bar...will you tell me what you think?


----------Update-----------
Bill summed the diplomacy issue up perfectly:

"People, the world over, have always been more impressed by the power of our example, than by the example of our power!"

-Bill Clinton at the Democratic Convention 8/27/08

I like it!

I really like this video. It's catchy, to the point and makes me proud to be an Oregon Democrat!

By the way....I LOVED Michelle Obama's speech yesterday! Did you hear it?

Barack the Anti-Christ?

On CNN today it was reported that a McCain ad is hinting - not so subtlety - that Barack is the Anti-Christ! That made me do a double take. What? They mentioned a blog that was dedicated to the topic and they had a post about the ad. I was reminded of a short essay I wrote for a History class last quarter and decided this may be an appropriate time to share it. I first thought that the question the professor presented us was referring to racial cultures, but on reading closer I realized the text was actually talking about the cultural differences between the "blue and red" states of mind and geography.

• I would really love to hear your different views on this.

1. Do you believe the anti-christ is going to be a political figure as presented in the Left Behind series?
2. Do you think Barack or any current figure is possibly the anti-christ?

• Here is the essay question and my answer:

How should the effects of the ‘cultural wars’ on US society over the past 25 years be represented?

This is a hard question to address in any non-biased way, since the cultural wars referred to are still being fought today. "The struggle to define America" continues over the pervasive airwaves, around the water-coolers, and on into family reunions and around dinner tables on a daily basis.

I think that rather than sorting itself out and moving on America has become more divided and emotionally entwined than when the yuppies were first identified in the 80's. While there were definite strong differences between Democratic voters and Republican voters their different ideas about what constituted American Values has only grown deeper over the years to where it has reached the point where conversations between opposing sides almost impossible.

One of the factors in this inability to communicate comes from the mistrust of the other's sources of information. Right wing conservatives believe the "liberal media" distorts facts and sways the public toward secular abominations such as gay rights and anti-patriotism. While those on the left have grown continually more distrustful of the right wing talk show hosts and the opinions they spread as fact. This statement probably identifies my liberal leanings, which were seeded in the 80's when I debated my conservative classmate regarding the 1988 election.

I am not sure how this divide should be represented other than to show the trend toward an increasing animosity within our country. Perhaps more important is where it will lead us in the future. I have heard some predictions of it leading to rebellion against increasing executive power resulting in mass riots and civil war. I do not really think this will happen, although history has taught us that it is a real possibility. Probably the pendulum will continue to swing in one direction and then the other.

The historicism of some causes them to believe it will eventually come to rest in a millennium of good government and peace will fill the land. My own personal historicism causes me to be very uneasy with the amount of influence I have witnessed by religious leaders on our government as I see many fighting for an end to the separation between Church and State. I believe the Beast spoken of in Revelation is the evil power that results when faith and politics mesh. Here is a quote from Revelation 13:11,14, 16, 17 that I understand to illustrate this coercive power:

"Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, and he spoke with the voice of a dragon....he deceived all the people who belong to this world. ...He required everyone - great and small, rich and poor, slave and free - to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark..."

I believe the right wing's push against multiculturalism, and for preserving what they see as true American values, could lead our country to demand conformity from it's citizens. This feels especially ominous as the Executive branch of government expands the power available to it in the case of an emergency. I fear the backlash that could come against the non-conformists if our government pulls out all the stops in response to a natural or man made disaster. Ultimately, I do not look to our government for peace of security. My trust and hope is in the Creator of this world, and His promise to make it new.

Oh Dear!

Perhaps there is a deficit in my attention department:

I had just flipped the frozen hamburger patties that were slowly thawing in the frying pan when movement out the kitchen window caught my eye. A DEER was crossing the street from the apple orchard next next door to the neighbor's peach orchard! WOW! That didn't happen every day! I stood transfixed as she gracefully transversed the railroad tracks and suddenly it hit me - MY CAMERA!

I raced to grab it where it hung by the door, dashed through the office and jumped out onto the side porch. The passengers in an SUV were smiling incredulously as they looked at each other in disbelief, but all I could see of the deer were slender legs glowing golden against the green orchard. Dang! I missed her!

Well, she is still in the orchard...I stupidly yelled for my husband to come and see, but he didn't answer....no time to wait...should I follow? I dashed across the street, through the prickly weeds, up and over the rail road tracks and slipped in among the cool leaves of the orchard. No sign of her! I ducked under branches. The neighbors dogs barked in desperation to join the hunt. I pushed through the last row of trees and on the dirt path I was rewarded with perfect hoof prints: She had been here, but lingered no longer. Could I follow her tracks? No, she was probably halfway to the hills by now.
I headed back towards home, looking longingly down every row of trees.
Back over the railroad tracks gleaming in the sun. Across the street, through the office, into the kitchen, where I found the poor hamburger patties sizzling sadly on the stove. Sorry about dinner, dear!

Help Fight the Tobacco Lobby B4 Wednesday!

There is a vote scheduled in the U.S. House of Representatives which will take place this Wednesday - only two days from now! To get this vital protection into law, we will have to let our Members of Congress know now! Just click on this link and in less than two minutes you can make your voice heard: http://capwiz.com/narla/issues/alert/?alertid=10525366&type=co (The letter has already been written. You simply enter your name and address, and the letter is automatically formatted and sent to your Congressman when you click enter.)

This legislation would:
• Crack down on tobacco marketing and sales to kids.
• Require larger, more effective health warnings on tobacco products.
• Require tobacco companies to disclose the contents of tobacco products.
Today, tobacco companies enjoy a huge loophole in the law. While other products for human consumption must include a label that lists ingredients, cigarettes aren't required to be labeled. Tobacco companies have exploited this loophole to add a number of toxic ingredients to their already deadly product without their customers knowing. And they have manipulated their product to artificially increase the amount of nicotine in order to make it more difficult for people to quit smoking.
• Grant the FDA authority to require changes in tobacco products, such as the removal or reduction of harmful ingredients.
• Ban candy-flavored cigarettes that lure children into taking up smoking.
• Prohibit terms such as "light", "mild" and "low-tar" that mislead consumers into believing that certain cigarettes are safer when, in fact, they are not!
• Prohibit false health claims by tobacco companies.

(This summary is based on material prepared by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, for more detail on what the bill will do, please visit: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/reports/fda/index.shtml)

Not Mutually Exlusive!

The arguments between Christianity and Science seem to get more heated every time I look, so when I saw a link for a radio show called Quarks and Creation it immediatly caught my attention! I just finished listening to it and - WOW- it is wonderful!

I want to really write a full blog about it, with links and descriptions, but I don't have time right now. If you have questions about this topic, I highly recommend listening. For now you can find it in the "Caught my eye" box to the left.

Also, to my ear, the interlude music is lovely!

Lovely to my mind, is the way science explains ever more about God!

(Just a note - this is not at all like the Nightline program with Kirk Cameron that supposedly had a debate between creationist and evolutionist. That crocoduck sham was utterly embarrasing!)

It's deja vu all over again! (-q +n)

Iran nuclear talks stall, even with US at table

(Wordle made from Yahoo article above.)

No progress in Iran talks, so Europe, U.S. renew threats

"We are not looking for any more meetings. Give us a call in two weeks time and say yes or no," the European official quoted Solana as telling Jalili.

This is not diplomacy! And it reminds me too much of our government's actions of "diplomacy" before invading Iraq. Senate votes here at home, UN meetings, sanctions, etc...but it all came down to war, even though the info was WRONG! I surely hope this time it will have a happier ending, but it sure feels like deja vu all over again!

FEVER

My 3 year old woke up a little fussy this morning. I kissed him on the head and he felt a bit cool. I covered him up and thought he went back to sleep, but he started crying when I tried to leave so I brought him down to the bathroom. He was shaking when I laid him on the couch. I kissed his forehead again and he was burning up! It could't have been even 5 minutes from when he had felt cool! I got out the thermometer and it said 101.7! Out came the Tylenol and some Belladona to give it two punches. About 10 or 15 minutes later - up came the Tylenol.

As the morning wore on the fever continued to rise...101.9 ... 102.4 ... I've heard that you shouldn't worry so much about how high it actually gets, but rather on how the child acts. And he was laying on the couch, shaky, slight cough, crying intermittently, didn't want me to get too far away, and his eyes looked so sunken and dark against pale skin.

If it gets up to 103 I'm taking him to the Dr. I decided. Although they would probably just say "Virus."

I had given him Nux Vomica and more Belladona after he threw up, and his stomach seemed to have settled. The Belladona was not seeming to help the fever though as it stayed around 102 for quite awhile. Finally, I decided to check online and see if I could find something that better matched his symptoms and clicked fever in the mini symptom checker (linked in sidebar) then "stomach flu, with.." and decided that Arsenicum Album was the best match. It said: Anxiety, Burning secretions, Stomach Flu, Colds, Wheezing.



I checked his temp again - 102.7! I left him with his two big brothers (11 & 14) and ran to the Super1 to picked some up. When I got home they had just taken his temp and it was 102.4. Good, I thought, at least it's not higher!

I gave him the little pills and he got up and followed me to the kitchen! I laid him back on the couch and noticed droplets of sweat on his nose! I took his temp. 100.4!!!!! That fast!!! I couldn't believe it!

It's hovering around 100.2 now, and he is acting much more like himself. He started crying 3 or 4 times and asked for more - which I gave him (repeat doses as soon as good effect wans.) Now he is asking to go swim outside with his brothers (Maybe tomorrow!) and laughing at AFV!

I looked up the long description of Arsenica Album and saw that it mentioned leg cramps which had woken me up the other night, (and the flu bug got me a few days ago minus the fever) so I've taken some too.

Just checked on the little guy:

Sleeping Soundly!

Time Sketch

A quick sloppy sketch and a haiku on my relationship with time:

TIME

A train racing on!

Can I ever really board

or is it too late?

Homeopathy

I am hoping to write more about how my family and I have been helped by homeopathy. For now here are links to what I have written:

When we got the stomach flu I wrote about Nux Vomica, and how it helped. And recently I wrote about the insteresting eating associated with crows after my husband saw a white crow in WA.

As I write more, I will keep adding links in this blog. I also have a list of helpful links in the sidebar.

• Fever
• Nux Vomica
• White Crow

My Attempt at Gardening

With the price of food these days, I decided this was a good year to find a spot on our acreage of rocks and plant a garden. Now, you have to understand that I have NO green thumb at all! I usually kill anything I try to grow - overwatering, underwatering, forgetting to weed, placing it too far from the sun, or to near. I know I'm really late getting it started, but it was a really cold spring, so maybe I'm not really as far behind as I would have been.


(I can't get the pictures to line up the way I want them to... oh well.)

Are you smarter than a three year old?

Do you know what this is?

We sure couldn't figure it out. It was found on the floor of the car when we were cleaning it out, and we didn't know if it was trash or if it was an important componant that we should be holding onto. So at breakfast my hubby, my eleven year old and I were turning it over in our hands discussing the dilema.

"Ya, it looks like it might go to some sort of computerized thing..."

"Ya, that sounds about right."

"Any idea what?"

"No, you?"

"Nope."

A hush fell over us as we pondered the possible connection it could have to the car...the kids games... a radio...

My three year old, concerned by the silence wandered over and saw it in my hands as I turned it slowly, contemplating its correct use.

"What is that?" he asked seriously.

"I don't know," I replied. "It's a mystery, we're trying to figure it out."

"It's for the umbrella," he replied without hesitation.

"Oooooh, that's right," now it made sense! "It's from the umbrella I got him at the dollar store that got stepped on in the back seat!"

We all cracked up! We'd been totally bested by a three year old! I don't think we stopped laughing for 10 minutes at least.

So did you figure it out? Are you smarter than a three year old?