http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/RecentBlogs Recent Blog Posts on Tehachapi News en-us http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/countygirl/8619 So I went to the park this weekend to catch some of my little brother's baseball game and to let my kids play at the park. I have one question. Do parents pay attention to their kids anymore? I mean obviously some do, but it seems like more and more kids are just running free unattended. My sister-in-law and I were trying to let our kids play on the playground equipment only to have about 5 kids ages 10-13 ( I'm guessing) take over one section of the swings. Ok, that is fine, but they were cussing up a storm. At one point they took their skateboards and started sliding down the slides with them. That is where I drew the line and spoke up. It would be a different story if no one was playing on there but there were at least 7 smaller kids playing on the equipment!! I told them that was extremely dangerous and against park rules. They did stop without any argument. Then there was this cute little 4 year old girl ( with no parent in sight) telling kids she's going to beat them up and even attempted to kick my two year old. She kept blocking the entry ways so kids couldn't get on the equipment and kept trying to hurt other children. Maybe someone was watching her from a far but they didn't seem to mind that she was terrorizing other kids. We were there for an hour. Not once did an adult speak to her or check up on her, nor did she check in with anyone. I have also been to another park in the city and had two children( ages 8 and 3 or 4, again guessing)  come to play alone! No parent in sight for about an hour! When the time came to leave I just couldn't do it with them there alone so I asked them where their mommy was. They said she was at home!!?? When they noticed I was leaving they started walking home. I almost called the sheriff's dept. because I didn't want them there alone so I was happy to seem them leave when I did. I know some of you will think I'm being extreme but I have three kids already I don't think I should have to watch other people's children also. Seriously though as a parent I don't know how people do it? I can under stand the older groups, but 3-7 or even 8?? This isn't the same Tehachapi it once was.  Maybe because of my husbands line of work and the horror stories I have heard about what can happen while your not paying attention keeps me a little closer than some. I don't know. Am I alone on this? Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:31:18 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/softballjoe/8618 If this years Senior High School All-star Game (Friday, June 15th @ 6:00pm) is not successful it may well the last time it is put on here in Kern County. This is a once in a life time event of YOUR KERN COUNTY SENIOR GIRLS.  Never again will they be able to play in a Senior High School All-Star Game!  We need everyone to get involved and to get behind this effort so it can become an annual event!  I no longer have children playing high school sports.  I just love the game. All profits will be used to award scholarships and insure next years game.  Please give us your help by getting involved and taking part.  It costs $30-$35 per player for Insurance, umpires, Commemorative T- shirts and etc.  Sponsor a player for only $40,  contact me today. I'll come by and pick it up!   If you can help out  Call   -  Joe  -  565-1808  Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:21:25 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/countygirl/8613 I thought this was an eye opening article my aunt sent me, and thought it would make for an interesting Mon. morning discussion. It's long but you pretty much get the gist of it in the first half. When grandmas go to jail for witnessing Posted: February 7, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern   By Janet Folger Arrested for sharing the Gospel? An expected outcome in North Korea, China or any Muslim country on the globe. But in Pennsylvania? Yep. Arlene Elshinnawy, a 75-year-old grandmother of three, and Lynda Beckman, a 70-year-old grandmother of 10 (along with nine others), were arrested for sharing their faith on the public sidewalk in Philadelphia, Pa., USA. They faced 47 years (the rest of their lives) in jail for spreading the Gospel because of a Pennsylvania "hate crimes" law that is nearly identical to H.R. 254 – the "hate crimes" bill reintroduced in Congress and said to be on the "fast track" in the House Judiciary Committee. This is the same bill that previously passed both the House and Senate and was killed only because of Republican leadership opposition in conference – something we no longer have. Don't believe hate crimes will silence your freedom of speech and freedom of religion? Think again.   Pastors in Pennsylvania are now seeking liability insurance to protect themselves from being prosecuted under the "hate speech" law. That's right. They are reacting to Pennsylvania's addition of "sexual orientation" to the state's hate crimes laws. Of particular concern was the expansion of the definition of "harassment" to include "harassment by communication" – which means one could be convicted based upon spoken words alone.   Their fear is a rational one. Hate crimes invariably lead to fines and jail time for those who "violate" them. Just ask Sweden's Pastor Ake Green. Green faced jail time for the content of his sermon. He read from Romans Chapter 1 – something that is no longer legal in Sweden.   The "hate crimes" – or more appropriately, "thought crimes" – bill is the single most dangerous bill in America. Along with its companion, the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act," or ENDA – "Thought Crimes for your Business"– is expected to pass this session of Congress. Bow to the homosexual agenda – endorse, embrace, subsidize and celebrate it – or go out of business. That's what it did to the largest and most respected adoption agency in Boston, Catholic Charities, who, by refusing to place vulnerable orphans in homosexual homes, was forced to close its doors. England's about to get a dose of the same.   But you don't speak out about homosexuality, you say? Think you're safe? Think again. Here are just a few examples I've highlighted my book, "The Criminalization of Christianity," where you'll find a whole lot more.   Protest Islam? That's a hate crime!   Maybe it had something to do with Sept. 11. Maybe it had something to do with the beheadings. Maybe it had something to do with what is written in the Quran. But Canadian Pastor Mark Harding doesn't believe the Muslim religion is one of peace. So when his local high school started handing out copies of the Quran and announced a policy of setting aside a room for Muslim students to pray during school hours, Pastor Harding protested. Didn't think it was a good idea – especially since Christian, Jewish and Buddhist kids weren't afforded the same opportunity.   After losing an appeal to Canada's Supreme Court Oct. 17, 2002, Harding was said to have "willfully promoted hatred" in violation of Canadian law that had just passed six months earlier. He was then forced to undergo two years probation and 340 hours of "community service" at the Islamic Society of North America in Mississauga, Ontario.   So, for the "crime" of handing out leaflets protesting a high school's pro-Muslim policy, Pastor Harding was ordered to do community service to further the very religion he morally opposed.   Harding, an evangelical Protestant, says his evangelism is motivated by love for the Muslim people (rather than hate). In fact, in a phone call used as "evidence" against him in the trial, Harding verbalizes that he loves them. He says he wants them to go to heaven. Yet he received more than 3,000 hate-filled calls – many of them death threats. Some motioned by running their finger across their neck from ear to ear. Upon entering court for his trial, he required police protection from a large crowd of Muslims who were chanting, "Infidels, you will burn in hell." Of course, that speech is loving.   Harding said, "I had a call from someone who said they were from (Louis) Farrakhan's (Nation of Islam) group, and they were going to break my legs." Adding, "Another caller said he would rip out my testicles." Can't you just feel the love? But instead of just "stuffing envelopes" to promote the Muslim faith, his punishment included Islam indoctrination under the direction of Mohammad Ashraf, the general secretary of the Islam center. Under penalty of going to jail, Harding was forced to undergo Islamic "re-education," which included reading a book called "Towards Understanding Islam," by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi, which provided a description of one who does not follow Islam, referred to as an infidel or a "kafir":   "Such a man ... will spread confusion and disorder on the earth," the book says. "He will, without the least compunction, shed blood, violate other men's rights, be cruel to them, and create disorder and destruction in the world. His perverted thoughts and ambitions, his blurred vision and disturbed scale of values, and his evil-spelling activities would make life bitter for him and for all around him."   "It was obvious that he intended to make sure I understood that I was a kafir," said Harding, who was forbidden from voicing any objections or saying anything negative about Islam or its prophet, Muhammad.   Harding, who had been prevented from speaking publicly about his case under a gag order, told WorldNetDaily: "He said he was my supervisor, and if I didn't follow what he said, he would send me back to jail."   Harding, 49, has suffered four heart attacks since 1997 and is unable to work in his cabinet-making trade because of his poor health. Yet he must travel three-hours to the Islamic Society of North America to complete his sentence. His attorney has entered a plea based on humanitarian grounds, due to her client's poor health, to allow him to complete his sentence at an Islam Center closer to his home. Isn't that nice? Perhaps, if he's lucky, he can be indoctrinated closer to home.   And speaking of indoctrination, thanks to the city council in Hamtramck, that shrill siren from Muslim mosques is now blasted five times a day just outside of Detroit. Whether your child is sleeping or you're on an important call, for about 15 minutes every day it's going to sound like a tornado drill outside your suburban Detroit home or business beginning at 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. so the Muslims will know when to pray. But if you were to ring church bells – which typically play music for two minutes once a week – in a Muslim country, you could be shot.   California 'hate crimes' law – pro-lifers automatic suspects   "Hate crimes" bill, SB 1234, was signed into law by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Sept. 22, 2004. SB 1234 creates a new hate-crime training requirement for law enforcement called "multimission criminal extremism." In addition to those categories already considered for special punishment under the term "hate crimes," the new multimission criminal extremism training adds "anti-reproductive-rights crimes."   That means if you are pro-life, you are an automatic suspect, and law enforcement is being specially trained on how to handle you. I wonder what that special "multimission criminal extremism" trains officers to look for. "Anti-reproductive-rights" T-shirts? Those who've passed "anti-reproductive rights" laws? Those who've debated the "anti-reproductive-rights" position? If I lived in California, I have a feeling my picture would be found at the local post office. If you think killing children is wrong, they're training people against you, too.   This law also expands "crimes" to include "speech" interpreted as "threats, intimidation and coercion." As long as a "victim" claims the speech makes them "feel" "intimidated," violators will be liable to penalties of $10,000-$25,000 and a year in jail.   "[And] any person who says they are 'fearful' because someone has said homosexuality is wrong could have the speaker arrested and jailed," according to James Hartline, California pro-family activist.   This will be used to criminalize expressions of biblical truth about homosexuality as "hate speech" and could very well target not just organizations who disagree with homosexuality, but Christian bookstores that carry books like "The Criminalization of Christianity" or another book already ruled to contain "intimidating" beliefs: the Bible. I agree with James Hartline who was quoted saying: "This is the worst bill ever put before the California Legislature – and that's saying a lot."   And now it's about to go federal: the "hate crimes" bill in Congress will pave the way for the very same thing. If you are for "hate crimes" legislation, you are also for the persecution of Christians. It's a package deal. There is no longer any doubt; that's exactly where it leads. Just ask Arlene Elshinnawy and Lynda Beckman.   If we are to stop this freight train aimed at our freedom from passing in Congress, we must work together and speak in a unified voice. Faith2Action and the Christian Interactive Network have reserved the website: www.StopHateCrimesNow.com that features Arlene and Lynda's stories in two 30-second television ads that you can help air. One hundred percent of donations will go toward airtime. With your help, we will place these commercials on cable news like Fox, CNN and MSNBC and earn additional media elsewhere. And if your organization is willing to link to www.StopHateCrimesNow.com , you will keep all your names and all new names generated. But most importantly, by sounding the alarm together, we have a chance of stopping it.   If the "hate crimes" bill or ENDA is passed by Congress, we are ready for Phase 2: sending veto pens to the president with individualized messages urging a veto.   One thing's for sure, if you value your freedom, you need to use it now. Yes, you have the right to remain silent, but if you use it very much longer, those are precisely the words you, your pastor, business owner or grandmother will hear before seeing the inside of a prison ce Mon, 30 Apr 2007 08:55:37 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/Msplacedintime/8600 Becareful everyone,  the snakes are out and about.  Yesterday around 4 pm walking out of my front door  was the first  rattler seen this year.  The little guy had one button and was too comfortable near my door-mat.  So a word of warning for ya'll walking and gardening! Sun, 29 Apr 2007 14:01:04 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/samheath/8594 An estimated 100 billion galaxies in the universe, with each containing an estimated 100 billion stars are truly astronomical numbers with which to conjure; and in many ways conjure is the correct word. In fact, it is just too vast, too huge for me to even imagine. And given the immensity of it all what to believe? Well one of the things I come up with is Don Knotts and Mayberry. With the passing of Don Knotts it occurred to me once more how badly we need to believe in Barney Fife and Mayberry. We Americans have been blessed with those like George Washington as our heritage. Those of us who experienced a Mayberry, Walton’s Mountain, and Norman Rockwell America prior to WWII are blessed with precious memories of the way things are supposed to be. We lived it and know what is missing in America today, what our leaders have squandered and frittered away by betraying such a wonderful heritage. Those of us who have lived long enough to look back far enough know what has been lost, and we can be excused for grieving over the loss. It was while contemplating this loss, thinking about Mayberry and other like things my mind turned to something philosophers and theologians have long pondered about a possible “hereafter.” My idea of heaven would be Mayberry, a place where only goodness and virtue prevailed, where there is no place for the evil men do. One of the things that has made it easier for me to contemplate my own death is the thought there will be those loved ones and friends who have gone on before me, those who are waiting to greet me upon my own passing. But I would not want them to be witnessing the failures, trials and tribulations I go through while in this present life. It could hardly be “heaven” where our loved ones and friends witness our ongoing struggles and helpless to intervene on our behalf. We read in the Bible a description of death comparing it to a seed being planted, one that will grow even as an earthly seed planted in the earth. Our earthly body even as that earthly seed is a promise of life coming forth, and will go through a transformation even as that earthly seed. My own thought is that we will be “born” into the heavenly life much like we are born into this life. Just as we know nothing at birth but become slowly aware of our surroundings, slowly learning and becoming self-conscious so I believe it will be in the hereafter. How else to cope with the shock of entering into the hereafter? No earthly seed could possibly survive being instantly transformed into its promise of the life it contains. The doctrine of the “Rapture” has people being transformed in the “twinkling of an eye.”  But I do not believe this transformation could take place without incorporating that parable of Jesus comparing death and resurrection with that earthly seed. It takes time for the seed to transform, and it will take time for us to transform in the hereafter, to become aware of our new surroundings without suffering the same shock should a seed not be carefully nurtured and given time to grow into its earthly body. It may be our loved ones and friends gone on before us will be “gardeners” tending us even as our earthly parents tended us as babies, and we in turn “tended” our own children. The Bible presents many thoughts on this subject, among them being that of earthly things being the pattern of things to come. While all of this is metaphysical, only speculation, nevertheless there is Mayberry. And for those of us who knew an America in which there was a Mayberry, those of us who knew Norman Rockwell’s America we live in hope of a heavenly Mayberry. Sun, 29 Apr 2007 10:29:48 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/8591 No words are needed here. This picture tells the whole story. Jim Richards Sun, 29 Apr 2007 04:39:38 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/samheath/8572 Will you be “Left Behind?”  The portents for worldwide disaster are visible to all and need no elucidation. It’s the story “If you are not paranoid you don’t see the whole picture.” Emerson was gifted in seeing the whole picture. Some one-hundred and sixty-five years ago he wrote, “But in a hundred high schools and colleges this warfare against common sense still goes on.” The Ivory Tower syndrome was well entrenched by the time Emerson made his remarks, and the recent furor over the failing schools of America continues to be rooted in the universities of America. This insulated world to itself so ignorant of the realities is led by fools that have no concept of the real world in which the rest of us live. Social promotion is a “gift” of the universities, a doomed system without any accountability. And when children are no longer taught reading, writing, and arithmetic here come the social engineers, all good university graduates, to “fix” the problem— Again; and again, all the while “in a hundred high schools and colleges this warfare against common sense still goes on.” What I said years ago of the schools is only more appropriate now: A system for failure could not have been better designed had it been done intentionally. Alas, our leaders in government, judiciary, media, in our schools are a product of a university system that does not deal with realities; so it is we have an America without any leaders dedicated to accountability and unable to deal with realities. But because of the world becoming increasingly dangerous, and this is a reality, it requires leaders who are both accountable and able to deal with realities. But where are such leaders to be found? The Iranian President’s vitriolic ranting tirades against the West, Christians, and Jews sure sound a lot like those of Hitler’s, even the voice and gestures are reminiscent of Hitler. Most certainly the crowds being whipped into a frenzy by Iran’s mad mullah are an exact replica of the crowds Hitler “preached” to. And since the whole world knows Caesar Bush had determined to “Get Saddam” before he even took office and without any plan whatsoever for fighting a war to win in the Middle East there is no want of Muslim propaganda to use against America. As some of us were pointing out at the time, without putting an actual face to the enemy and successfully demonizing him there was no hope of winning any kind of war, and given the stranglehold of political correctness it is easier to demonize Halliburton than Muslim fanatics. And when some of us call for bringing the troops home to secure our own borders we are labeled “defeatist” and “racist.” Since none of this makes any sense, least of all our leadership getting us involved in a Middle East quagmire where there is no hope of prosecuting any kind of successful war, it would be easy for anyone to think Bush a mad man confronting other mad men like Iran’s mad mullah. What would it take here in America to prosecute a successful war against the gangs and other criminals terrorizing our cities? While I experienced the problem in Watts back in the 60s, it was interesting watching Anderson Cooper’s segment “Stop Snitchin’ “ program. Like the attention now being paid to the vile and violent lyrics of hip-hop and rap, it is far too little and far too late. Nothing short of a totalitarian rule in America can now solve the problem. But that can happen overnight if a terrorist nuclear bomb goes off at LAX. During the Watts Riots I watched as the police and National Guard went in to restore order. The cops would ride four in a car emptying their guns into various stores and buildings, the Guardsmen in armored vehicles would fire .50 caliber machine guns down the streets, and an actual body count was never made. While I slept with a gun by my side, one guardsman I knew kept a box of hand grenades close by. Were it not for my being there, this would all seem like a fabulous story. But the situation that brought about the riots has only worsened, and the millions of illegal aliens invading from Mexico have only contributed to the worsening conditions in the cities and schools of America. While I applaud those like Cooper for airing the grievances, there is no satisfactory answer to quelling the violence in the cities short of martial law, securing our borders and expelling all illegal aliens. If this seems farfetched, the very same people saying it would take nearly a half-million troops in Iraq, a nation with a minuscule population compared to America, to have any chance of restoring order there refuse to see the same conditions building here in America, conditions that are spiraling out of control and inviting terrorism both from abroad and from within. America is an acknowledged anomaly in the history of nations, and given world events leading to WWIII may well be destroyed unless we come up with a leadership that puts America first. But equally anomalous is the tiny State of Israel; that it should even exist at all and its coming into being and its survival inextricably intertwined with America. It is here where the Bible must be credited to make any sense of this. I have my own beliefs about God and a hereafter, but dead may yet turn out to be nothing more than dead. I don’t know; and despite my many years of academic studies in theology and philosophy, I still have to say “I don’t know.” While I no longer stand in a pulpit as a Christian minister and my views about many things have changed over the years my personal beliefs are a comfort to me in many ways as they are to many others, but intellectual honesty requires I separate what I believe from what I know. For example, I believe there are saints and sinners, children of God and children of the Devil, but I don’t know that. I believe it because it makes sense to me, but I don’t know it as fact. My hope and belief is that when I die I will rejoin my loved ones and friends passed on before me; but I don’t know. However, even if you are not knowledgeable of eschatology you might be surprised at the credence being given the End Times as described in Scripture. Glenn Beck certainly seems to believe this, but it was when I watched the interview with Jon Voight I was impressed with Voight’s obvious concern, actually, he said “fear” for the direction he believes the world is heading. His thoughts and fears are no doubt fortified by his daughter Angelina Jolie’s experiences as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency. Joel Rosenberg’s “Epicenter” is not the ravings of a lunatic; far from it. My mentor Charles Lee Feinberg, Ph. D., Th. D. and Dean of Talbot Seminary was a Christian Jew; he referred to himself as a “completed Jew.” More than that, he was a fundamentalist Christian who believed the Bible and wrote several commentaries as well as being the leader selected by the Lockman Foundation for the New American Standard Bible, of which I have a treasured Pilot Edition signed and given me by Dr. Feinberg, and he was my guide while I studied the Bible and built my personal library of over 5,000 volumes of the very best of Biblical study books and commentaries. It was Dr. Feinberg who called my attention to possibilities of actual Biblical prophecies, some of the more profound being those of Ezekiel, whom God had appointed as a “Watchman.” Perhaps Ezekiel was describing his supernatural view of the universe when he wrote of “eyes all about.” For those of you that have not read this book of the Old Testament please do so, and for those of you who have read it, perhaps even studied it consider my article about galactic black holes possibly being the “eyes of the universe” in the context of the prophet’s description. Maybe Ezekiel had a vision of the universe he was trying to describe, maybe the “eyes” were satellites or TVs, but I believe he was describing a prophetic vision. The prophecies of Daniel in the OT and those of John in the NT together with those like Ezekiel’s and others may be in fact supernatural, and it would be marvelous if God were to intervene in world affairs, delivering us out of the darkness of fear, greed, and hatreds prevailing worldwide threatening nuclear Armageddon. Whatever anyone’s opinion, there is no disputing the fact that nothing short of supernatural can account for the tiny State of Israel being so prominent in world affairs; so I don’t wonder John McCain would tell Tim Russert Iran getting the bomb would mean Armageddon, or Condoleezza Rice mentioning “birth pangs” in relationship to the crisis building in the Middle East. To read only the book of Revelation seems too much like reading the daily newspapers today. We read God had appointed Pharaoh to his position of prominence at the time of the Exodus in order to show the power of the Lord in delivering his people. But according to the story, the Israelites had been crying out to God for nearly four-hundred years to be delivered from their “cruel bondage.” Now, we live in a world of over six-billion most of whom live in cruel bondage of one kind or another, a situation that has lasted far more than the years of bondage for those Israelites. The stories of the Bible are fascinating to read and I am grateful for those like Dr. Feinberg who taught me to study the Bible academically. But in all my years of Bible study, though I have departed from any kind of Christian orthodoxy there remains a “spirit of truth” throughout the book I cannot bring myself to deny. And what if Bush has been appointed by God to fill the position he holds as Bush claims, but being in the position of the Pharaoh of the Exodus rather than the deliverer of America? Whether or not it seems Bush is leading America on a course of destruction, and I don’t find any fault with those whose hopes are in God to deliver them, who believe in “looking up for their redemption draweth nigh.” Whatever your beliefs there is no discounting the dangers to an America in which “in a hundred high schools and colleges this warfare against common sense still goes on.” That this warfare against common sense is so evident in our own leadership brings with it the gravest foreboding concerning the outcome for America. It doesn’t matter what one believes about the Bible, what does matter is the self-fulfilling prophecy of any nation whose leaders are dedicated to power, greed, and corruption rather than being dedicated to the benefit of the whole nation. Along with the “miracle” of the State of Israel and its prominence both in Scripture and present world events there is the anomaly of so much scientific achievement and promise facing a growing dark and ignorant hatred by Muslim nations for all of Western Civilization. There is the growing possibility of Gog and Magog arising as alliances are forged against America and Israel. So, even with the risk to my own academic qualifications and credibility I increasingly place more credence in the Bible than the words of politicians to make any kind of sense of a world seemingly bent on its own destruction. But I am the beneficiary of the goodness America used to represent to the world, the beneficiary of the hope our nation once represented to We the People. And so much of this goodness of America was rooted in Scripture I don’t wonder that I am drawn more to this and the sincere goodness of those like my grandparents, Dr. Feinberg and Pastor Tyree Toliver than any other, and in this there is more to my mind of common sense to be found than anywhere else. Sat, 28 Apr 2007 10:40:43 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/weebles/8564 A little something sweet for the weekend... Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:24:39 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/weebles/8541 Anyone have any plans for the first of our warm weekends of 2007? It's my anniversary this weekend, so I'll be making the big guy spend a little cash on taking me out somewhere that doesn't have a drive-thru window :o) Fri, 27 Apr 2007 13:07:04 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/LoriMorales/8540 I've just exchanged a couple nice stories, on this site, about my forty one year marriage and it was really pleasant. Here's one of my funniest memories:  One Saturday afternoon in about 1970, I was working myself into a lather around the house - cleaning, cooking, laundry - the usual stuff.  My husband, who usually did yard work, home repairs, changed the oil on the cars, the usual stuff,  on Saturday  - was not very busy that day.  In fact, he was sleeping on the couch.  After several hours, I just kinda tapped him on the shoulder and told him I was "feeling a little put upon."  "OK honey," was the response.  He was (is) a very hard worker and so, I left it at that.  That evening, an hour or so after dinner was over, honey bunch asked me about dessert.  We never ate dessert (in those days), so I was surprised.  He went on to explain, "You said earlier that you felt like pudding, or something like that."  He had never heard that expression.  We went out for ice cream. Thought maybe someone else would like to tell a nice, or funny, story. Fri, 27 Apr 2007 12:52:35 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/rstott/8529 Well, as some of you may know my husband and I live in Fayetteville, NC where he is stationed at Fort Bragg.  This is the base where the 82 airborne soldiers that were killed this week are from.  This is a sad time for our community and has really hit too close to home.  My next door neighbor's husband is deployed and she had not heard from him since the attacks and was very worried but she was pleasantly surprised to wake up to a call from him this morning.  I hope every is praying for all of these families that have just lost their dads, brother, sons, ect...  Around here you never know anyone's situation the woman with three kids in the grocery store could be the woman who just lost her husband.  The community is really coming together but nothing can ever replace these men!  Here is a link to an article about all of the men. http://fayobserver.com/article?id=260843 Thu, 26 Apr 2007 21:10:15 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jperrone/8475 WELL ITS THAT TIME .TYLER AND I ARE COMING HOME AFTER LIVING IN STAR IDAHO FOR A WHILE. IF ANY ONE KNOWS IF SOME ONE HAS A HOUSE,GUEST HOUSE OR SMALL HOME FOR RENT . WE CAN PAY 500-700 PER MONTH WE WOULD BE VERY THANKFULL. ALSO WOULD BE WILLING TO DO SOME HOME IMPROVEMENTS AS I AM VERY WELL VERSED IN PAINTING.HEATING AND AIR  SWAMP COOLERS INCLUDED, TILE FLOORING  ALL TYPES,AND JUST ADOUT ANYTHING. I HAVE BEEN IN CONSTRUCTION TRADES FOR MANY YEARS. I DO ALSO HOLD A VALID COMMERCIAL DRIVERS LIC.  SO IF ANY BODY NEEDS A GOOD TRUCK DRIVER LET ME KNOW. I WILL BE IN TEHACHAPI BY THIS SUNDAY. THANKS ALL SEE YA SOON!!!!!!  PLEASE  E-MAIL ME  AT PRODRUMMER07@MSN.COM THANKS Wed, 25 Apr 2007 19:37:49 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/samheath/8446 Short of catastrophic events such as a nuclear bomb going off by accident or design there is little hope politicians are going to stray from their course of greed and corruption to solve the problems of America, and even less hope in my opinion for that of leaders in other nations. Say what anyone will, I continue to believe there is a Biblical scenario unfolding and the nations of the world are acting out this scenario. With the prevailing lunacy worldwide, I find myself increasingly drawn to philosophical speculation in an attempt to make some sense of it all. And though there is more than enough here on earth about which to speculate, there continues to be much in the stars as well. There was more to the story when I was writing about Emerson’s essay “Circles,” and his emphasis on the eye when addressing circles and spheres. Jesus said “The light of the body is the eye.” Visible light is such an infinitesimal part of the spectrum, but it is what we rely on to make our way through life. The pupil is a “black hole” with a surrounding iris that responds to light. The black hole of the eye, the pupil, admits light to be transmitted to the brain where the light is transformed into pictures to be interpreted by other parts of the brain. This is the way galactic black holes are thought to operate, pulling in the material around them including light that may “interpret” this material leading to galaxy formation. Much like our brains experience an “incandescent” moment before we take any action, such incandescence has been observed in galaxies and may be the result of black holes during their “interpretative” cycle and action is undertaken. It may be no coincidence, this linkage that might exist between the design of our eyes and the design of galaxy forming black holes throughout the universe. It may in fact be evidence of Intelligent Design where the operations in the universe dependent on the properties of light coincide with the way we function in reacting to light also, and even blind people are influenced by some wavelengths of the spectrum. And perhaps there is a connection between that “all-seeing eye” on our dollar bills and “secret” knowledge. Notwithstanding the Sphinx and the pyramids, stories of Atlantis, when I think about the unusual, not to use the word “miraculous,” achievements of humankind leading to space exploration and computers I cannot but help wondering if there is not some mystical influence involved, some relationship between the design and function of our eyes aiding our intelligence and that of black holes throughout the universe. Though Emerson mentioned several examples of the importance of circles and spheres in nature, of first importance the eye, I would call attention to the fact nature favors round trunks in trees and plants as well as many other things much as the universe favors orbits and the spherical shape of stars and planets. Where would baseball, basketball, and soccer be without spheres? Imagine baseball using square balls. This is much more than an amusing “imagine;” there is obvious intelligent purpose to the design of baseballs and basketballs, why they are spheres rather than blocks or rectangles, so why not black holes, stars, and planets? But if I were to ask someone why a baseball isn’t shaped like a square block they might reply “That is nonsense; it wouldn’t work.” And if I were to ask some scientists why the earth is a sphere rather than a square block their answer is no better than that of the reply concerning a baseball: “It wouldn’t work.” But there is no satisfactory answer to the question of why the earth is a sphere, and after all the facts and theories are exhausted all we know for a certainty is that otherwise “it wouldn’t work.” Well, of course we know an earth shaped like a square block wouldn’t work. What we do not know despite great advances in science and physics explaining so much is why the universe favors circles and spheres rather than squares and rectangles. And the politically correct science of the universities especially will not allow of the kind of intelligence involved with the design of a baseball being the cause of our earth being a sphere, though “it wouldn’t work” is not an answer and any student at the mercy of professors dares not question the why of this, nor do those scientists at the mercy of the universities for their academic credentials. And labels in lieu of understanding, labels like “gravity” and “magnetism” do not mystically convey understanding of these, which is why some scientists say the greater part of our universe is not only unknown, but unknowable. Even in animals, to peer deeply into their eyes is to see intelligence. But there is a marked difference between the kind of intelligence to be seen in the innocent eye of the partridge Thoreau described and that of a predator like an owl; and even as those wells and windows of the soul, human eyes declare our thoughts and intentions, just so with other creatures. Were we to be able to peer into a galactic eye, a black hole, would we be able to see intelligence there? Do cosmic forces determine life; do such forces control life on Earth? “The rise and fall of species on Earth might be driven in part by the undulating motions of our solar system as it travels through the disk of the Milky Way, scientists say. Motions of our solar system are similar to Earth’s biodiversity cycle.” Ker Than: Space.com But even should the theory prove to be true, which could be construed as giving some basis to astrology crediting the influence of the stars and planets on life, what other than intelligence could make the determination of what species are to be born, survive, or perish? In some fashion T-rex had to give way for humankind to be born and survive. But was there intelligence behind both the creation of dinosaurs and their extinction? I credit both benevolent and malevolent ID because it would take a diabolical mind to come up with something like T-rex. And I question some of the achievements of science like opening the door to nuclear bombs, whether the same kind of malevolent intelligence responsible for T-rex made such knowledge available to humankind that may yet be the cause of our own extinction. While I don’t want Gort calling the shots, it would be wonderful if Klaatu could come to our rescue. But what are the chances of intelligent life elsewhere in our galaxy or others? And even so, what if Michio Kaku and other physicists are correct in surmising that if other civilizations existed in other galaxies they may have reached our stage of nuclear development and destroyed themselves, this accounting for our not hearing from these other civilizations? The recently announced discovery of planet 581c is getting a lot of deserved attention. According to theory the newly discovered planet “should have an atmosphere, but what’s in that atmosphere is still a mystery and if it’s too thick that could make the planet’s surface temperature too hot.” The problem is that despite the hyperbole this newly discovered planet holds little prospect of any intelligent life, and all too often because of funding sources and some downright dishonesty such discoveries are propagandized rather than being held to strictly scientific interpretation and guidelines. While visible light is such an infinitesimal part of the whole spectrum, the conditions favorable to intelligent life is an even more infinitesimal part of such a spectrum, which is why there is room for debate whether our solar system, an acknowledged enigma, an anomaly in the universe may in fact be unique. Notwithstanding the hyperbole and even dishonesty to be found among scientists and in the universities there remains to my mind the entrancing thought intelligent life may yet be found elsewhere in the universe. Fancy takes many forms, and much of the fanciful has led to and found fulfillment in scientific discovery. And who knows but what science may yet discover black holes are in fact the “eyes of the universe?” Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:15:54 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/Colitas/8438 Hey Aero, did you hear that Rosie will not be co-hosting The View next season.  I bet you are happy :)  And supposedly it did not have anything to do with her anti-Bush comments.  Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:11:05 PDT http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/mimi/8430 http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=23089 Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:16:52 PDT