(7-4-2008): What Say You?
Happy Birthday America! On this Fourth of July weekend, I just
have to say that I am happy, proud, and blessed to be a
true-to-the-core, Patriotic, Red-White-& Blue, conservative
American male that loves his good old U.S. of A, supports the troops,
and most of all, takes time to pray for the troops in our military
branches. They need all the support that we Americans can give.
I think it's a shame that the men and women of our military often
do not get the help and support that they so desperately need, whether
that be in the form of armor and ammo for their weapons and their
trucks, armor for themselves, or even just a card and/or a care package
from caring American citizens, much like myself. I am physically
not able to serve in our military, because of my various physical
challenges, but there's something I can do... and that is pray
hard for the men and women that serve in it.
That said, I was listening to the
O'Reilly Radio Factor,
during one of his many shows concerning the upcoming political election
and ensuing race between Barack Obama and John McCain, (I listen to
loads of talk radio, in addition to Bill O'Reilly, like the
Mike Gallagher Show, and plenty of sports radio, (like the Scott Van Pelt Show, Sports Nation, and The Pulse, thanks to our
local affiliate for
ESPN Radio),
when I heard either Bill or one of the callers rant on about what each
candidate would or wouldn't do if he were elected President in
November. When it comes to politics, I try to keep up with it
some, so I know what the issues are and therefore who I will hopefully
vote for. Other than that, I could care less about watching most
of the news, local or national. News tends to depress me,
especially when most of it is bad. I care who gets shot, mugged,
and/or raped around town. That's someone's family member, and
most of all it matters to God. But what really grinds me is that
it seems to be all I hear on the news, whether it be from the TV,
radio, the Internet, or the occasional newspaper I might pick up.
There's plenty of positive news in the world. Why isn't the
media covering an equal share of the good and the bad news?
Speaking of positive news, I heard this piece on the Mike
Gallagher Show about a week or so ago. I don't know where the
mother and her 11 year old son were living at the time, but apparently
it was in an area that received lots of flooding. Therefore, she
and her son would have to make a trip to the basement of their home to
dry it out. The sad part of this is that I guess it got hot
wherever they lived, because she went to plug an electric fan into the
wall, and not realizing that she was standing in water, barefoot,
which, essentially, makes a very good electrical ground, she was
electrocuted. Here's the good part. Her 11 year old son,
who was on the basement steps, saw that his mom was essentially being
fried, ran down the steps and into the water to save her. Since
he had rubber soled shoes on, that essentially grounded him from the
electric current that was zipping through the standing water. He
then pulled the plug from the wall and saved his mother's life!
Is that a piece of good news or what? Let me know.
Opinions, opine-ings, etc. welcome. What Say You? As
Bill O'Reilly would say: "You're in the No-Spin Zone".
Essentially, this is my "No-Spin Zone". E-Mail or I.M. me.
(Info is in the "Contact Me" section at the bottom of this page).
Music: [Unknown]: "What Say You" (Opening bumper music from
the O'Reilly Radio Factor). (If anyone has heard it and knows the
artist, please e-mail or I.M. me, because I certainly don't; and I
listen to plenty of country music.
(6-29-2008): Just Being Me
You might say that I am a rather relaxed man, since I don't take to
leaving my comfort zone very well, because of my various physical
disabilities. There's days that I just want to sit back, relax,
and just lavishly thank God for just being me. After all, God
made me to be the best man that I can be for Him and to glorify and
praise Him each and every day.
That said, I was watching what little bit of national news coverage
that comes on TV, (not having cable or satellite; it's not much to pick
from), when I heard someone make light of the fact that California is
now beginning to marry same-sex couples, and it be legal, as it is in a
few other states in our U.S. of A. Personally, though I try to
respect others and their various lifestyles, religions, creeds, and/or
personalities, that doesn't necessarily mean that I agree with them,
Biblically; because I don't. God's Word condemns homosexuality...
with a passion. Not to mention that the prices of most
everything in our country, (food, gas, electric bills, etc) are going
up each and every day. Even though our nation isn't what it could
and should be for the Lord, I am happy and proud to say that I am a
true, red, white, and blue American male that loves my country,
respects my President, and most of all loves and respects God.
This being the week before the Fourth of July, (for American readers),
I just want to tell all of you that you should be proud and thankful
that you live in such a great, glorious land like the U.S. of A.
A lot of men and women in our nation's military and Armed Forces
have already paid the ultimate price and given completely of themselves
and their lives, so that others like you and me could know what it is
to experience freedom. Jesus Himself gave His own life on Calvary
over 2,000 years ago so that you and I could be eternally free from
Satan's curse of sin, and be able to spend eternity in Heaven with God
and His Son, Jesus, along with everyone else that's gone on before,
from Abraham to Zaccheus. Trust me, that's going to be a
wonderful time. The gift of Salvation is free. Jesus has
already paid the price, with His life. All you have to do is
sincerely believe within your heart that he was born in Bethlehem's
manger by the Virgin Mary, that He eventually went to Calvary to lay
down His life for your sins, and that He was placed in a borrowed tomb,
which He didn't need but for three days. Why borrowed? He
only needed the tomb for 3 days. It's recorded several times in
Scripture that He even told His disciples that He was going to have to
go to Calvary and lay down His life for the world's sin, and that He
would be crucified on a cross, and be placed in a borrowed tomb for 3
days and 3 nights. After which, God sent an Angel to roll the big
stone away from the door of the tomb. Jesus arose victorious over
death, hell, and the grave. That's the Gospel in a nutshell!
The birth, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ! He is knocking on your heart's door today.
Will you let Him in?
If you need more information on what the Gospel message is, or maybe
you want to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, there's a link to my
local church's website, Clearview Baptist. (Look under
"Sausage"), along with a link to email the church. You can also
email one of the local Christian radio stations that I have links for.
They should be able to help point you to the Lord. Also,
you can use the information in the "Contact Me" section at the bottom
of this page to email or I.M. me. May God richly bless you, and
may God Bless America!
(6-21-2008): Relaxey
This is just one of those days. A clear, sunny, lazy Saturday
afternoon. Sure, it's nice outside, maybe a chance for a shower
and/or thunderstorm. For me, it's just one of those days that I
could just fall asleep. I am generally a night owl, so I have a
tendency to burn the midnight oil (for the lack of a cornier cliche;
and I generally sleep late anyway (9:30-10:30 AM +). I guess I
have always needed a lot of sleep. When I am sleep deprived, I
tend to be a royal grouch. I guess I just need my relaxey time,
that's all.
Anyways, speaking of relaxey time, I did spend a relaxing evening with Kevin, one of my former classmates from
high school.
I graduated with him in 2001. I think our Senior class had,
like maybe, two or three. I was the Valedictorian, with a 4.2 GPA
(which amazed the socks off of my teachers). He was the
Salutatorian, next in line, with a 4.0 GPA). We both did well in
school together. And even now, after seven years, and a trip to
Kyrgzstan, he's still one of the few friends that I still have from the
school. Most everyone else has either went back to public school,
and/or dropped out, applied for their GED, working, and/or in trouble
with the law. Thankfully, Kevin & me are still good friends,
even though, until last night, we haven't seen each other since just
after graduation. He's one of the few male friends I still have.
He stays busy with college and work, so I don't get to see him
too often, but that certainly doesn't mean that I am not a good friend
to him. May God continue to richly bless you, Kevin!
(6-13-2008): Name That Tune
I am now one of many satisfied owners of an
Apple iPod Shuffle,
the BEST combination digital music player/USB flash drive in the world,
and have been, since I received it as a Christmas gift from my father a
few years ago. I have the G1 (First Generation), 1 GB model,
(which was the bigger of the two, chewing-gum-stick shaped models that
were available). It's rather awesome, that I can carry upwards of
240+ songs around my neck, and not have to contend with the hassles of
poking through the hundreds of CD's I currently have, just to pick out
a few to play on my battery powered CD player. That's where I
leave the uncertainty up to my computer, iTunes, and my iPod. I
just plug it in, and once iTunes loads and tells me that it's ready for
iPod disconnection (after it syncs), I just double-check the settings
on both the iPod settings and contents panes, (since I already have my
iTunes settings set to my personal preferences anyway), and making sure
the iPod software that's loaded on the iPod is up-to-date with the copy
that's currently on the Internet, I just click the "autofill" button on
the iPod contents pane, and let my computer, iTunes, and the high-speed
USB 2.0 connection do the rest. I never know what I will end up
with next. Maybe some varying styles of Gospel music, some
country, some Christian rock and/or rap... who knows. It
adds a little bit of musical pot-luck to my day, and now that I can use
my folding speaker system from electric power while at home, that makes
it even better, since even though it only uses four AAA batteries,
that's still expensive, since I don't use that many cells of that type.
That makes it that much more yupness for me.
I would like to give a big Clearview Yupness to all o' yall that may be
familiar with my blog there at the church. As you may or
may not know, the Sunday School teacher that I have not only known
since I first started coming regularly to Clearview, but most
importantly, took the time to lead me to the Saving Grace that's only
found in a relationship with the Savior Himself, passed away Monday
morning of this week from cancer. Mrs. Betty Maddox was her name.
She and her husband of 52 years, Lawrence, were not only two
sweet, caring, humble people that loved not only their church and their
Savior, but more importantly, they loved teaching children about the
Love of Jesus. I was one of those. Our church pastor asked
me to share my testimony of how she led me to Jesus that wonderful July
day in 1997, (July 27, to be precise), at her home-going service this
past Wednesday afternoon. It was through her leadership and the
leadership of my wonderful church there at Clearview that I was able to
be in Sunday School that morning, and thus be led by the Spirit of God,
through such a sweet lady like Mrs. Maddox. She's rejoicing in
Heaven with her Savior; and I have faith that I will one day meet her
there, along with the rest of my family and friends that have gone
before.
Listening to: [Squire Parsons]: "Beulah Land"
(6-7-2008): Politi-Puke
I don't have access to satellite or cable television, (and thus have had to make some
upcoming major changes
to continue to watch television. (Click the link for more
information). Therefore, I don't get to (nor do I choose to)
watch very much national news coverage concerning this whole political
campaign (particularly between Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton).
Personally, I'm not for either candidate; nor am I considered
Democrat, Republican, or Independent. When I vote in November, I
choose whichever candidate fits my moral and spiritual convictions.
I am very conservative and therefore don't stand for things like
higher taxes (which also jacks up the gasoline prices), and more
importantly, abortion. As a patriotic, Christian, American male,
I firmly believe that the taking of a defenseless baby's life, at any
stage, for whatever reason; is a sin against the laws of God and the
inerrant teachings of the Bible. Having said that, I have to say
that from watching what little slice of news coverage concerning the
political campaign and the corresponding Democratic and Republican
primaries that have been going on since the Caucus in Iowa, back in
January; it royally makes me want to BARF! Sure, most, if not all
political campaigns often include some amount of negativity and
mudslinging. But, if you ask me, this takes the cake. I'm
not really sure who to vote for when election time comes in November,
since, in my personal opinion, I haven't seen much from either ticket
worth casting a ballot for. I guess I'll have to just wait and
make my best personal choice, using my own judgment and common
horse-sense.
Speaking of horses, I don't follow much horse racing, since I don't
gamble money. But, after hearing about the horse that finished
second in the Kentucky Derby, then had to be euthanized, thanks to a
broken leg or foot. I'm generally not big on animals, but I do
have to say that when it comes to breeding horses for racing; I think
the ultimate quality of the horse has dropped; for the sake of speed
and winning races. I think a major problem with this horse was
that his legs could not support the weight of the rest of his body.
(His legs were too thin). I think a lot of it has to do
with inbreeding, which if done too often, (in any animal), will weaken
the genetic line; and produce offspring with defects such as this.
I feel sorry for this horse's owners, trainers, doctors, and
everyone else involved in the care of this horse. Something needs
to be done in order to ensure quality racing horses, while also not
endangering their lives, simply by racing them. It almost makes
me think of Barbaro, a horse that had similar trouble after the
Preakness race a few years ago. He fought and fought, but
eventually lost his battle. Very sad.
All in all, a good week in the Yupness? files.
Listening to: [Gold City]: "Another Red Sea"
(5-25-2008): The Most Famous Words in Motor Sports
"Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"... Those four words are like
Mozart and a symphony orchestra to most any motor sports fan, such as
myself. Yes, it's that time of the year again. Memorial Day
Weekend, a time where we, as Americans should take time to think about
and reflect on what really counts in this country, our great land known
as the United States of America. I can sum it all up in one
word... FREEDOM! Most countries in this world simply don't
know what it really means to know the experience that most every
American at some point has taken for granted. A lot of men and
women in our military branches and our Armed Forces have paid the
ultimate price and given completely of themselves,... of their
blood, sweat, tears, and most importantly, their lives; so that
Americans such as myself could know what it really means to live in a
nation so great, so mighty, and most of all, so democratically free as
what we have here in the good old U.S. of A.! God bless all of
our military, Navy, Army, National Guard, and the families of our
servicemen and women that give of themselves each and every day out on
the battlefields of our land so that Americans like you and me can live
each day in not only political and democratic freedom, but most
importantly spiritual freedom; as only our Savior Jesus Christ could
give when He gave of Himself nearly 2,000 years ago at the Old Rugged
Cross on the hill of Calvary. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so
that you and me could be free from a life of sin, spiritual death, and
eternal damnation in Hell forever; and be able to one day spend
eternity with Him in Heaven. If you are reading this, and you
need more information about what it means to be a Christian, or maybe
you want to accept Him as your Savior, but you need some specific Bible
verses, go to the "Sausage" section, and there's links to not only my
local church, (where I accepted Jesus), but also to the two main local
Christian radio stations, Joy FM 107.1 and Spirit FM 90.3. Any of
them will be able to help you out. As always, you can always
email or send me an instant message to reach me. Information is
there also. God bless all of you wonderful Americans, God bless
our troops for what you all do to keep us safe each and every day; and
God bless America!
In addition to the Memorial Day Weekend, the Sunday before Memorial Day
Monday is always home to the annual running of the Indianapolis 500.
It is run at the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway,
located in Speedway, Indiana (just outside of Indianapolis). Each
year, many drivers will compete in nearly two weeks of qualifications
and time trials, followed by "bump day" (where the drivers that are not
currently in the race will compete and run four-lap time trial runs to
try and knock the last driver, out of the famed field of 33 drivers,
out). They call it "on the bubble". Then there's
"carbureation day", the final tune-up day before the big race, where
the teams can tweak and tune their cars, (within the rules, of course),
in a last ditch effort to squeeze as much power out of the engine and
therefore more speed. There's also many race related festivities
on this day, such as the "Pit-Stop Challenge", where teams will pair
off in twos and at the green flag, will accelerate down a section of
the pit lane and into a special space on that same pit lane,
specifically for the challenge. There, they will be timed, and
each team has to complete a four tire change, along with a five-second
(approximate) simulated fueling. The winner of which will
progress to the next round, and hopefully at the end of the day, win a
big trophy, lots of prize money, and perhaps a donation to a charity of
his choice. I'm not sure how all of that works. Then
there's Sunday... the big race. After all of the usual
Memorial Day festivities, most noticeable is the military fly-over, the
invocation, our Nation's Anthem, the playing of Taps, and the
traditional singing of "Back Home Again in Indiana" by Jim Nabors.
(He played Gomer Pyle on the Andy Griffith Show), then it's time
for the race, always started by those four famous words...
"(Ladies &) Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!"... then a
few pace and warm-up laps later it's down to racing. 500 miles,
200 laps, 800 corners (it's a rectangular track, with about 9 degrees
of banking per corner, and flat in the "short chutes" and on the front
and back straights). It's a relatively flat track, but for some
drivers, one mistake, either on-track, or during one of many pit stops,
can be the difference between winning and going home. It's a very
interesting race!
(5-14-2008): Yee-Haw
I may be considered a modern-day, up-to-date, suburban American male,
but that certainly doesn't mean that I don't sometimes have somewhat of
a redneck side to my seemingly relaxed personality. I can relate
to comedian
Jeff Foxworthy, when it comes to some of his "You Might Be a Redneck If..." jokes. With my recent fascination with
lawnmower racing,
you could maybe add that to the list of his sometimes off-color redneck
jokes. Me? I just think that lawnmower racing is not only
very manly, (although there are probably plenty of women that
professionally race them regularly), but to most Americans, very
dangerous and very unusual. You have to be insanely physically
fit and not be scared to fall off a lawnmower, in order to drive one
well enough to race competitively. For me, since I have the
series official computer game (also available for Xbox), (see
"Sausage"), it's about the closest I've personally come to the
high-speed, four-wheeled, bladeless insanity known as the United States
Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA). It's interesting, believe
me.
On to a more emotional note. From watching the news lately, I
can't help but feel sorry for not only all those helpless victims from
the big earthquake in China that's killed upwards of about 10,000, with
many more missing and otherwise unaccounted for; but also this food aid
mess going on in Myanmar (or Burma, as some call it). Yes, the
people need food, water, and the necessities of life, after the trouble
they have been through in recent days. But personally, what
really gets my undies in a bunch, is hearing on the news, (particularly
ABC World News with Charlie Gibson,
that many of these desparate men, women, and children are basically
getting the leftovers, to put it plainly. Spoiled and/or stale
food as well as possibly bad water, not to mention that any additional
aid that may be getting in is being sifted through by their government,
so that they get the better items, while the common people that
desperately need this stuff, basically get what's left... the
leftovers. Trust me, that's not how our Lord would have it.
He gave His best for us when He gave His life on the Old Rugged
Cross to pay eternally for our sins. So, we should give our best
to others, which includes the desperate, hurting, hungry people of
Myanmar. We should give them not only food, water, clothing, and
anything else we can think of, but more importantly, the Love of Jesus
and the way of Salvation!
Something for the other corrupt governments of the world to chew on.
Point made, opinion voiced. Verdict in. Case Closed.
Music: [NewSong]: "Jesus to the World"
(5-2-2008): Show Him The Money
The last half of this week was very exciting for not only me, but also my favorite Gospel
radio station,
Joy FM. This was their share-a-thon time, which is a special time
where they take six days out of each year; (three days each in the
spring and fall), to ask the listeners to support the radio station
with their financial gifts. Yes, it takes a lot of money to run
even a Christian radio station. Joy FM is an exceptional station.
Not only do they have a good quality signal in most areas, and
excellent audio quality thanks to an all-digital (and digitally
remastered, for the classics), computerized playlist, but they have a
dedicated staff that is committed not only to playing the best in
Southern Gospel music and related music programming, such as "
The Gospel Greats"
with Paul Heil, but also countless other locally produced programs, as
well as short features by some of the best national Bible teachers and
Gospel preachers in the country; but most importantly, Joy FM has a
staff that is committed to serving the Lord faithfully each day through
their lives, families, churches, and their own personal devotional time
with God, not to mention that they will be faithful to pray for your
various needs when you ask them to. That's what I like about Joy
FM. The local affiliate for the area, WTTX 107.1 FM, used to be
owned and operated by my local church (look under "Sausage" section).
But, thanks to the lack of funds in recent years, and not to
mention the bogus pledges of a few listeners that just wanted to make
trouble, the station had to be sold to
Positive Alternative Radio,
(the parent media organization for not only Joy FM, but contemporary
sister station Spirit FM). It's a shame that people would make
bogus pledges to a Gospel radio station that does it's best to lift
high the Blood-Stained Banner of our Lord Jesus Christ. It not
only breaks the hearts of those that operate the station and other
faithful listeners that send in their support pledges each month, but
most importantly it breaks the heart of God Himself.
With that rabbit trailed, caught, and safely put back in his hole, I
just have to say that if there are any regular readers of my blog, and
I'm sure there are a bunch; that listen to Joy FM and are encouraged on
a regular basis, please be sure and send in your pledge of support if
you have called or sent one in on-line. The station needs your
support to stay on the air proclaiming the Gospel of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
(4-25-2008): Polyg-A-Palooza
I am an emotionally sensitive man. I have to say that I feel
sorry for the 400-ish children and parents that were part of the Texas
compound run by polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs. Even though
he is in jail serving time, (and I pray every day that he will NEVER
get out), I can't help but feel sorry for and feel sympathetic for these
children. Personally, I think that being under that man's
leadership and control has hurt them greatly, not only physically
(since they were forced to marry and bear children at such a young age
to much older men), but emotionally, and psychologically (since they
were separated from their parents for the most part), and cut off from
the outside world. Think about it... No television, radio,
no access to a computer, video game, or even a newspaper.
Personally, just the lack of my computer for even a short time in
the repair shop would drive me up a freaking wall. Yes, I know I
am just rambling on about my own personal feelings, but from the
perspective of one of these children (as of last news check, were in
Texas foster care), I can't really say just how they feel, since the
whole experience has undoubtedly warped their sensitive little minds.
I could probably say that they are really scared, in shock, and
not to mention wondering what in the bull-doo is going on, since just
being in foster care is a good case of culture shock; especially after
being in the compound for pretty much their entire lives. As a
Christian, I have to say that I pray that this entire mess will be
sorted out as quickly as possible and that these children and their
parents will be reunited soon. But, I am sure that I will be
hearing a lot more about it on the news. Hearing about it just
makes me want to BARF!
On a lighter note, I have to say that I enjoy blogging. Blogging
allows me to freely express my personal thoughts on most anything of
interest, whether it be from something I watch on TV and/or the news,
hear on the radio, maybe even read on the Internet. A lot of
times, however, my blog may consist of some random musings or tidbits
about my own personal life... my faith, my family, myself.
You never know. I guess that's what makes blogging such an
interesting and expressive hobby. And, a secondary note...
I will be listening to more of my iPod, since I now have a
smaller speaker system. That's a definitely big yupness.
Music: [Brad Paisley]: "Online" (I heard it on the
radio a few days ago, and it sort of reminds me of myself). I am a huge Country music fan.
(4-19-2008): Two And A Half Brains
I am a sitcom buff. New or old... funny or stupid...
combo of all of the above. I enjoy most generally any
sitcom on TV. Most notably, for me, is the CBS hit "Two and a
Half Men". The character that plays the son of one of the two men
obviously has more brain power than the two men combined. I just
think it's outrageously funny, not to mention a little bit stupid.
The show sort of reminds me of myself... funny and stupid
at times.
What I would like to know is why modern day politicians seem to have
about as much brain power as the two men in "Two and a Half Men".
It seems like these days all they care about is raising taxes
(and not to mention gas prices), and sending people up in space, when
there are plenty of good quality opportunities to help out our own
homeland. Think of the poor, the disabled, and the homeless.
With as much money as the American politicians send up into space
to fund only God knows what, we could help out plenty of people not
only here, but in some of the third-world countries around our great
Earth. Personally, I have nothing against space exploration,
other than it is a waste of money. Sure, a lot of useful products
that we Americans use every day wouldn't be here if it were not for
space exploration and technological advances from NASA. But, I do
think we Americans should think more about what really matters in our
country.
On the lighter, more emotional side of things, I did watch the end of
the candlelight vigil in Blacksburg, to mark the one year anniversary
of the massacre at Virginia Tech. I don't attend the college, so
I really can't say just how I feel about the whole issue of guns on
campus, or how it all relates to those who are mentally challenged.
As an American, I do remember those that lost their lives during
the shootings. and have sympathy for their families during their time
of loss and sorrow. However, as with the terrorist attacks of
September, 11, I do have to say that when it comes to security on
college campuses like VA Tech, we have a long way to go and a lot of
work to do. VA Tech is healing, but it will take some time, just
like the rest of America. God bless all of you!
Music: [Bon Jovi]: Bad Medicine
(4-13-2008): For the sake of the Olympics
I enjoy sports. This includes professional baseball, football
(American NFL/Arena Football; as well as International football...
soccer, to us West of the big swimming pool known as the North
Atlantic Ocean), NBA, Motor Racing, (Formula One, Indy Car Series,
Champ Car, some NASCAR, and maybe even some AMA Supercross or some
powerboat racing thrown in). In general, I am a sports fan.
Some I like better than others.
But watching the local and network station news lately makes me rethink
a lot of my views about sports;... most notably the integrity of
the sports. I have most noticed this during the recent coverage
airing on most every network affiliate news segment concerning the
Chinese-Tibetan protests during just about every Olympic Torch Relay
that has taken place. Personally, I am not pulling for either
side during the Olympic games... I remain neutral in their
"family feud". As an American, I can't say how I really feel
about the whole thing, (from an athlete's point of view), since I have
and will never compete in the Olympics. But just as a common,
everyday, concerned (and somewhat irate person), I have to say that
personally, I have to agree with some of the news media as well as some
of the other blogs and articles I have recently been reading as I have
been trying to keep up with the torch's relay route and pending
protests... concerning the fact that in past years, China's human
rights record (as well as a few other countries), has not been all that
great. Given that I am not a member of the
International Olympic Committee (IOC),
nor have any connection whatsoever to either the Olympic games, or to
anyone sanctioning or monitoring them, I really can't give you an
accurate view of whether or not we should or should not attend and/or
take part in the Opening Ceremonies and/or the games themselves.
That's for Jacques Rogge and the rest of the IOC guys to decide.
If I were an athlete, I would just have to say that if you do
compete in the games; practice well, compete to your fullest ability,
and most of all, be fair and sportsmanlike. I think it was on one
of the
Fox News.com blogs, where
some computer tech person from China said that the Olympics should be
about global unity and sportsmanship through Olympic sports, but that
these protests have added an unneeded political ulcer to the already
insanely upset stomach of the Olympic community. This whole mess
is bull-doo and really torques my jaws.
Point made, opinion voiced. There. I rest my case.
Now, either kiss & make up so we can all enjoy the games; or
just keep on protesting and get yourselves into some deeper and
smellier legal doo-doo.
Music: (Not listening to anything as of yet, but this will most
likely reflect my wide tastes in music, reflected within my cassette/CD
collection, as well as in my
iTunes library and my Apple iPod Shuffle playlist). Rock On, America!
(4-11-2008): Live & Well (again)
Welcome to Yupness? my website; or as a lot of sites are now,
blogs. What is Yupness?, you may ask? Just a simply
designed collection of my random musings, thoughts, and opinions on
what goes on in my day to day life as a happy, proud, Patriotic
Christian American. Sometimes I may rant, I may rave, sometimes I
might even make you laugh. It's all based on whatever my opinion
is on a particular subject. I don't use Word Press or any
complicated design or HTML editor; so this is fairly easy to maintain
for me. Feel free to browse, and be opinionated. Feel free to
rant, rave, or just give your opinion (see "Contact Me" section below
and check the
postings
page to see if your submission is up. (Mind you, they will need
to be reviewed by myself for cleanliness concerning language, since
this is a Christian blog.), but PLEASE, keep the foul and/or obscene
language, obscenities, and other rudeness to a bare minimum.
Remember, this blog is maintained by a Christian person. So
I would appreciate it greatly if you visitors please try and keep it
that way. More coming.
Sausage (Links)
| My Home Church |
| Local Southern Gospel Radio Station |
| Singing News Magazine: The Official Printed Voice of Southern Gospel Music |
| Gospel Music News: The Official U.S. Southern Gospel Music Newspaper |
| Southern Gospel News (A Comprehensive news source for everything concerning Southern Gospel Music) |
| The Gospel Greats (Nationally Syndicated Weekly Radio Program hosted by Paul Heil) |
| Springside 1-(800)-38-MUSIC: Your Source for Everything Southern Gospel |
| Local Contemporary Christian Radio Station |
| 108 WYYD: "Today's Best Country & Your All-Time Favorites" |
| WVTF Public Radio: Your NPR Station |
| Radio IQ |
| 96.3 WROV: The Rock of Virginia |
| 96.9 WYMY: La Ley (Goldsboro/Raleigh/Durham, NC) (in Spanish) |
| La Preciosa 94.5 FM: (WGBT: Eden/Winston-Salem/Greensboro/High Point, NC): in Spanish |
| WVBE 100.1 FM/610 AM: "Vibe 100" |
| Bluegrass FM |
| WKDE 105.5 FM: KD Country "The Greatest Country of All Time" |
| News/Talk Radio 105.9 WLNI |
| WBRG-AM "Supertalk 1050: The Sports Authority" |
| ESPN Radio in Virginia
(Consists of: WGMN-AM 1240 Roanoke; WVGM-AM 1320 Lynchburg;
WBLT-AM 1350 Bedford, WMNA-FM 106.3 Gretna/Danville, 93.3 FM
Timberlake/Lynchburg) |
| BOB-FM: 106.9/97.3 WLEQ "Good Times, Great Oldies" |
| Apple Computer: The Best site on the web (At least for me) |
| Mozilla Foundation
(Official Website for the Open Source software foundation that makes
Firefox, Thunderbird, and Sea Monkey, as well as other great programs). |
| Mozilla Home Page, (Offical Website for the Firefox Web Browser, and the Thunderbird email client). |
| NVU, (Official Website for the open source HTML editor software). (Major thanks to them, I designed my blog with it). |
| Jeremiah (Blog for web designer and Mac user Jeremiah Cohick. (Part of the reason why I got into blogging). |
| Ryan Harne.com (Blog for former Live Wire music producer Ryan Harne, of Spirit FM fame. Another interesting click). |
| Men's Health Magazine |
| Web MD |
| Cerebral Palsy Connection (A Man's life and musings with CP, much like myself. Very informative and worth a click). |
| United Cerebral Palsy Association (Another informative website related to Cerebral Palsy). |
| David Ring Ministries (Official Website for Evangelist David Ring), (He also has Cerebral Palsy, just like me.) |
| That 70's Show |
| Official Website for Comedian Jeff Foxworthy |
| United States Lawn Mower Racing Association (USLMRA) |
| Lawnmower Racing Mania 2007 PC/Xbox (Insanely Awesome) |
| DXing.com Short-wave radio information portal |
| Prime Time Shortwave (English Short-Wave Broadcasting Schedules for North American Listening) |
| Passport to World Band Radio (Comprehensive Printed Short-wave radio listings and information source) |
| Bill O' Reilly.com: The Home of the O'Reilly Radio Factor |
| The Mike Gallagher Show |
| The Sean Hannity Show |
| Fox News Channel |
| ESPN Radio |
| Code 11 |
| Code 11 MySpace Page |
| About My Blog & Me |
| Website Updates Page |
| Blog Archives Page |
| Blog Postings Page |
Contact Me
| E-Mail: jsaves (at) lynchburg (dot) net |
| Notes
to visitors: when sending me email from my blog (comments on
entries, or general website rants, raves, and/or complaints), substitute
(at) for @, and (dot)
for a period, (with no spaces allowed), and add "Comment from Yupness?" to the "subject line" of
the email message. Thanks. |
| IM: (several options: see next lines below) |
| AIM/AOL: ggangstaz413 or JoyFM1039 (add "[at] aim [dot] com" or "[at] aol [dot] com", respectively, for email). |
| MSN/Windows Live: saviorjandme or yupness413 (add "[at] hotmail [dot] com" for email) |
| Yahoo: baywatch0024 (add "[at] yahoo [dot] com" for email) |
| ICQ: 380667830 |
| (Or, just download and run a "universal" IM program such as Trillian). (Basic is free) |