Middle Eastern Rednecks...

This will be a rant.

In today's newspaper, I read this story about a couple of mentally disabled people, a brother and sister, were found hidden for the LAST 40 YEARS, in a concrete bedroom that stank of sweat and urine in the town or Beit Awwa, West Bank. Why, you might ask? Good question! It was because the Palestinian "family" of these two unfortunate and totally innocent people were afraid that the brother and sister would bring shame on their family! But here is the real kicker that makes me wonder if this family, or the society that they come from has any right to continue on... According to the article, the siblings are a result of a common acceptance and practice in Palestinian society of allowing the marriage and procreation of FIRST COUSINS!! Come on!! Here in the good ol' USA (land of the devil to islamofascists) we ridicule the idea of marrying first cousins. It is a common joke that only rednecks and backwater types do this sort of thing. Maybe it does happen here, but we have laws against it and certainly don't make it part of our accepted societal norms!

The father Ibrahim Musalmeh,(otherwise known at Billy Joe Ibrahim Bob) married his first cousin, and had eight children, five of whom were born with disabilities. Fortunately, I suppose, for those five, they died in childhood. Most likely from poor nurturing and care. These two survived with another apparently "normal" son, who most likely gets to have a normal life. The two disabled people, now adults were returned to the family, because they has no where to go. When checked in on again, the two were at least bathed and dressed, but still in the same room they have lived in for the last 40 years. Lucky them...

Apparently in Palestinian society, people born with disabilities are are considered a shame to the family, and are shunned accordingly. And due to this rather barbaric attitude, they don't bother with establishing care centers or institutions to help those unfortunate enough to be born into a family where they are screwing their cousins!

Who should be ashamed here? The family for thinking that shame has come down on them in the form of a disabled child because they were diving into the apparently very shallow gene pool, or the society that promotes this sort of behavior. Apparently this practice of marrying your toothless cousin is a way to keep inheritances in the family and it is not considered incest. Come On! Wake up People! Read your histories of instances of people dipping their stick into the same honey jar that they share with their brother! Take a look at the Hapsburg's for goodness sakes.

I don't know what the Israelis are so worried about from the Palestinians. Just let them keep this up and maybe they will breed themselves out of history.

This steams me so much because I know a bunch of kids and adults that have disabilities and they are filled with so much joy, love, and energy that there is no way they can bring shame to a family. I also hold to a Native American belief that those with these types of disabilities are considered to be touched and favored by the Great Spirit and are treated with respect and care.

Man... this world is whacked. No wonder there are wars. Sometimes, some people just need to die.

I hope I offend no one with this, but if I did, then maybe you need to look a little closer as what you consider acceptable behavior in a society.

Holy Crap... I am gonna be a Sunday School Teacher!

Yep, that is right! Earlier this year, the husband and wife team that were the adult leader/sponsors ask me and my wife to take over the Lutheran Youth Organization at our church, and we accepted. (With some trepidation, I think.) Along with the responsibilities of getting the kids involved in church and community activities, and raising money to go to the Lutheran Youth Gathering in New Orleans next year, it was also assumed that I would lead and or teach the High School Sunday School class. Yikes! Yes, as a good Lutheran, I attended Sunday School almost every Sunday and like most good Lutheran kids, pretty much disliked (not hated) going to Sunday School. Lets' face it! Sunday School was pretty dry for me. I did enjoy the stories and actually did learn something, but I think that my time would have been better spent doing it on my own. Who am I kidding? I would not have studied bible lessons. I just did not like Sunday School. I did enjoy attending church and liked confirmation class, except for the public questioning at the end. But enough of me.

I am now in charge of making Sunday School classes for TEENAGERS fun and interesting enough to come back to week after week. (I did not go to high school level Sunday School!) I know a number of the kids in the class, but some I do not. I do know that I get along well with kids and teenagers, and have scads of experience leading and being involved in kid activities. But never one that involves developing their faith and belief in God. Heck, and am still working on my own development! How am I gonna be able to help them!? My wife is part of this too and I have full confidence on her ability to help me, but she has even less experience at this sort of thing than I do! This will be as much a learning experience for her as it will be for the kids.

I have received a bunch of stuff from the previous adult leader, and it will help. I have also been combing the web for resources and have found some things that I can use. The advise the former leader told me was to not preach at the kids. Let the class kind of take it's own path. Be open to the kids, respect what they have to say, keep their confidences, and be willing to talk. I think I can do that, but there is still that level of fear that everyone has when charged with a new responsibility. I dare not let them know I am a bit nervous! Teenagers can smell fear like sharks smell blood in the water! That much I have learned in all my time dealing with kids.

I am sure that things will be okay. As I have thought on this subject for a long while, I keep coming back to a poster I was given for a birthday long ago by a member of the head of the Schmidt family.(get that, I even remember who gave it to me!) I had it on my bedroom wall when I lived with my folks. It was a picture of the Grand Canyon, but it was not the photo that I remember. It was the words printed on it. It said, "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me."

I guess in this case, that is all I need. I will let you know how things turn out.

Later!

Little bastards!

Com'on, com'on! Lemme at 'em! Lemme at 'em!


28

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Thanks to Chuck for this link!

I tried, I really tried!!

But I just couldn't do it!

Do what?!

Finish a book! Ack! I have not done that in a LOOOOOONNNG time!

Try as I might, I could not finish the book,"Christ the Lord: Out of Cana" by Anne Rice. This is the second in her new series. Rice, as you know is famed for her Vampire series but recently has turned to her refound faith.

I got the book as a freebie and decided to get the first book before reading this one. Well, the first one was not very good, and very dry to read. I was hoping this would be a better book and unfortunately, it was not. It is not that it is a bad book but it is just plain boring. If she is trying to retell the life of Christ and go into details that are not normally included in the Bible, then she failed. Yeah, she tells stories that come from biblical and unpublished texts on the life of Christ, but I think that having those simply translated would be a better read! I was really having a hard time reading this so I decided to quit. I just could not finish it! I did page ahead and read of Jesus' meeting with the devil in the desert and Rice's writing style that most people are used to came back for that chapter. That was a good chapter. I think that if Rice had attempted to write it in the style she is famed for, it would be a great read, but instead she took the simpler more restrained style and it did not work for me. I was disappointed.

But on a good note, the book I was reading before this one, "The Blade Itself" by Joe Abercrombie, is a rip roaring good yarn that only begins the series and I will definately be buying the sequels. The characters are well developed, the action intense, the plot very sophisticated and writing is fun to read. Best book I have read in a long time. Highly recommended!

Well that is all for now.

Later!

Oh Happy Day!

Just look what I found out! The Hobbit will be in good hands! For those who could never seem to get into the Hobbit (I am not one of them...) you will finally see that it is indeed a great book! Oh, and if you have not seen delToro's "Pan's Labyrinth", then rent it now and you will see why Jackson picked him to direct the Hobbit. And mark this! They mention sequels! I think that sequels drawn from the histories of the Lord of the Rings would make great film!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080820/film_nm/hobbit_dc_1

Jackson and del Toro to pen "Hobbit" screenplays.
Wed Aug 20, 4:53 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro's search for writers for "The Hobbit" and its companion film has ended, with the filmmakers deciding that no one is better suited for the task than they are.

Del Toro ("Hellboy," "Pan's Labyrinth"), who is directing the movies, will team with the "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker and "Hobbit" executive producer Jackson to adapt the J.R.R. Tolkien book and write its follow-up. Also joining them in the writers' room are Frank Walsh and Philippa Boyens, both of whom collaborated with Jackson on the "Rings" trilogy.

The news caps an eight-month search for a scribe to adapt the literary classic to the big screen.

"Hobbit," written by Tolkien for his children years before the "Rings" trilogy, follows a young Bilbo Baggins, who finds his comfortable life turned upside down when the wizard Gandalf takes him on a journey for a hoard of treasure that involves trolls, humans, Gollum and his ring of invisibility and a dragon named Smaug.

After Jackson and New Line resolved their differences over profit participation in the "Rings" films, Jackson said he would not write the scripts for the "Hobbit" movies because of other commitments. But in his role as executive producer, he does have approval over creative elements of the productions.

After del Toro came aboard the project, the two began a search for writers. Three factors came into play:

* The filmmakers saw their schedules open up.

* During the general discussions about the films, they realized how much affection they had for the material.

* They also realized that in order to make the targeted release dates, the process required people intimate with Tolkien's world of Middle Earth.

Considering all this, they chose to handle the writing honors themselves, along with Walsh and Boyens.

"Hobbit" and its sequel are being co-produced, co-financed and co-distributed by New Line and MGM, with New Line managing production and handling domestic distribution through Warner Bros., and MGM distributing internationally.

The films will be shot simultaneously, with principal photography tentatively set for a late-2009 start. New Line and MGM hope to release "Hobbit" in 2011 and its sequel the following year.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Reflections on Gen Con 2008

This is only my third year to GenCon, but it seems to be more fun every year. I learn more about what there is to do, more about the games available, and more about the way things work. Maybe after a few more years, I will know it all. This years Gen Con seemed to me to be slightly smaller in the sense that there were fewer vendors and maybe fewer attendees. It probably had something to do with the fact that Gen Con is spreading out around the Indianapolis Convention Center into the hotels and such that surround it. It is the biggest convention that Indy has and it is hard to believe that gamers are the ones that make it that big. The weekend was alot of fun and I will try to give you a little insight to the fun.

The Guys, The Girls, The Games, The Gear.

The Guys: The guys, well, were the guys. They are pretty much what you would expect from a bunch of gamer guys. There were the true gamer geeks that look like they have not had an ounce of exercise in years, no exposure to the sun, and poor grooming habits. But there were just as many guys who if you were to pass them on the street, you could not tell that they have role played for years, or that their favorite game is about killer zombies. I now longer associate the term gamer geek with my former description of a gamer. Because for every greasy haired, smelly, anti-social, flabby gamer, there is a well groomed, well dressed, in a relationship (possibly a father!)guy that probably is a CEO of a company. One thing they all have in common, is that they all love gaming, and they were all a bunch of fun to be around. Some of the guys at GenCon looked like real fools, dressed in funny costumes emulating heros that they could never physically be like, but it was Gen Con! Where else can you dress up like that if not at Gen Con!? They were probably in the costume contest and proud of their efforts. Heck, there was another gamer convention going on across the street at the football stadium at the same time, and those attendees were also dressed up like their heros that they could never be like, but for some reason, no one ever laughed at them on the street. (Indiana Colts Football Fans) Same love of gaming, just a different mindset in society toward them. I met some real gamer nerds, one of which really ruined the opportunity to enjoy a new game, but they were all good guys, something I could not say for the Colt fans I met on the street. We did a haunted historical walking tour, which was for the most part, more walking tour than it was haunted or historical, but along the way, we were interupted a number of times by drunk Colt fans who tried to make fun of some of the costumes worn, or simply because we were going on the same path as they were. No big deal, but annoying. Anyway, this is not a comment on the Colt fans, but on the gamer guys. They are a amazingly different group of guys that were a bunch of fun to hang out with and be associated with.

The Girls:
What can I say about the girls? Gamer girls are cool. Just like the guys, they come in all shapes and sizes, and all kinds of differnet models. Kids, high schoolers, college students, moms, and I am sure, grandmas. They are all cool. Some may be true nerds, but I like seeing gamer girls, just like I like to see girls who shoot and hunt. I just think it is cool. Now, if I was a teenage boy, (like my son) then Gen Con is a place of dreams! There are a large number of gals dressed up in fantasy type costumes that are just down right HOT! And those girls that are dressed up like Japanese Anime school girls are definately making some young boys dreams come true!! As my buddy Dave said, he doesn't know who created that look, but he wants to thank them! And corsets... Corsets were big this year, and well, I just really like what corsets do to the look of a woman's body. I did not get to game with any girls other than my own two, but I have in the past and I find it refreshing. It is one thing to game with a bunch of guys, but to game with a couple of gals brings a new level to the game. Women think differently than guys while gaming, and depending on the game, are often more of a challenge to play against than a guy. I like that my wife and daughter enjoy Gen Con. It makes it more fun for me, and it can be a fun family event for us all! They are gamer girls and that is ok with me!!

The Games:
I signed up for a couple of games, some of which I dropped or skipped, but the ones I did play were fun. I really enjoyed my game of Memior '44 which I got to play with my son, and my gaming buddies, Dave and Henry. We were playing the game as a team and on a game that was scheduled for 3 hours, we blew them away in less than 1.5!! We rocked and had a great time! It was not that the other team was bad, it was that we were pretty good and had some luck on our side. I think that to their disadvantage, was that they might have underestimated my son's ability to play this game and he kind of rocked them back on their heels when he started hitting them hard on his side of the board. WE even got to play with the creator of the game as our judge! Cool guy that Richard Borg. I got his autograph, being the gamer geek that I am. I also got to play Tide of Iron, a WWII simulation game that is a simpler version of the original version of the game Squad Leader. (Advanced Squad Leader now requires you give up your day job to learn it..) I was really looking forward to learning this game and I did enjoy playing it, but I was partnered up with a guy that tried way to hard to make it more like Squad Leader. Don't get me wrong, Squad Leader is a great game, but I did not have 6 hours to play this game and it was not supposed to be so complicated! It is an abstract game, but he tried really hard to make it something else. It kind of took the fun out of it for me. At least I got to play it and can play it when it avaialble, but I won't be buying it. The rest of my family was off to play Settlers of Catan, which my wife won. (yay for gamer girl!) Apparently they had a good time too. We also spent some time in the Training Grounds with the kids learning a new game or two and we demoed some games in the Expo Center. (BattleStar Galactica is the game of the convention this year. I would have had a copy if it had not sold out in the first day) If you come to Gen Con and don't play games, then why the hell are you there? One thing I did not do was any D&D. I felt kind of like a traitor to the game, but I had other things to do and so I quashed my guilty feelings on good food, drink, friends, and buying a few new games.

The Gear:
How many games do you know of? How many do you play? Well, there are so many games at Gen Con, it boggles the mind and intimidates the weak by walking through the Expo Center to look at them all. Never mind the t-shirts, the artists, the video games, the furries accessories, or the leather and swords. There are games frickin everywhere. And they are all for sale! Some cheap, some very expensive. It all depends on what you want. But the one thing that was the best thing of them all was not a game, but a gaming table by the Geek Chic company. (see photo below) For a mere $10,000 you can have a solid walnut, twelve person table, complete with writing pullouts, dice holders, cup holders, pen/pencil holders, dry erase top, velvet card top, book racks, walnut table top for eating on (if you were to use it as such) and complete shipping and set up. Oh my gosh was this cool. Words are not enough. Suffice it to say that this company is living up to it's motto and promise to gamers... "Come out of the basement!" This game table is a centerpeice. It was pretty neat and made many a gamer drool.

So that is about it for my reflections on Gen Con. It was a great time. You should go if you are a gamer, regardless of your intensity of gaming. It is way cool. I got to be a out and out geek for a weekend, and nobody cared. It did do one really cool thing for me... it really recharged my desire to game some more.. even RPG's which took a hit over the last year... Go get your gaming hat on!
Later!



This is my son's effort at the Miniature Painting Contest for ages 14 and under. It is WWII M-4 Hellcat coming out of cover of a forest. He worked really hard on this painting and diorama for the Gen Con contest.



Here is some of the competition that my son was up against. I know it is kind of hard to see, but the other two figures, which took first and second, do not look like a kid worked on them, unless the kids were painting savants! Either way we were proud of him. Oh, and the diarama base had to be removed because unbeknownst to us, it could only be a single figure for the 14 and under category. That was disappointing.



My absolute favorite miniature painting of the show. The reflection of the light through the stained glass window is painted on the floor and on the leg of the Lady Knight's armor. It was just the best painting I have seen in a while. The photo does not do it justice.



OOHH... the Geek Chic gamer table... if only I had the money. It was THE item of reknown at the con. I don't think they sold many though. If I were a rich man...



Here we are at the Memoir' 44 game. My son on the left and Henry on the right. The Panzer Lehr division mopped up at the Hedgerow Hell game! We were not supposed to win, especially since the game was balanced more to the Allied side in terms of numbers and such. But, sometimes, skill... and luck, win out over superior numbers!

More photos from Gen Con 2008

Some of the examples from the Spam Carving Contest that is an annual event at Gen Con. There were some fantastic carvings and a good use for Spam! Everything at Gen Con is a contest!

Cardhalla, the free to build card city! There are some really great works of construction here! It is free to build but at the end of the convention, you can help tear it down by tossing coins at the buildings, which after it is all down, are gathered and donated to charities. This year it is the Fisher House, a organization that give housing to wounded soldiers and their families during their recovery periods.

A view of Gen Con Expo Center. Literally millions of dollars worth of merchandise and hundreds of visitors. Some one heard on the radio that there were 70,000 visitors. I doubt that. Normal turn out is 30,000, but regardless, the place was packed, as you can see.


My kids spent some time in the training center, which is a free for all sort of room. Kids can hang out there, play games, work on crafts, wack each other with boffer weapons, or even play video games. It is a nice place and a good place to send the kids when the rest of the convention gets too much.

A busy but fun weekend ahead!

As soon as I get out of work today, the weekend begins! Tonight I am headed back to my childhood home for the Old Settlers Reunion, a small town celebration that I have not missed since I was born. It is a perfect picture of the type of celebration that you would expect from a town of 850 people. A midway for the kids, bingo, food, entertainment,and giveways for everyone, A huge beer tent for adults, teen dance, and lots of people coming back for a visit. Usually there are close to 15,000 people who come through this little town for the weekend. Often there is a high school reunion planned at the same time to make it even more fun. (My 25th is this weekend, but I only got notice of it 2 weeks ago...) It even has the traditional parade on Saturday, but this is one that does not feature a G.L.A.A.D. float, no anti war protestors, no politicians, well, okay, no Democratic Party politicians, and only good wholesome types of floats and participants. Lots of kids on bikes, horses or in costume. Lots of church floats, and floats dedicated to Veterans and active soldiers alike. This Old Settlers Reunion celebration has been going on for 121 years and is one of the oldest small town celebration in the State of Illinois and the nation. I will be taking the kids tonight to let them run free while I help out at the Bingo stand and legally take money from those who care to try their hand at the game.

On Friday, I hope to get the family up early and off we go to Indianapolis for GenCon Indy. The biggest and best four days of gaming. 30,000 gamers converge on Indy for gaming 24 hours a day. It is really amazing to see and visit. We are signed up to play a few games with people from around the country, my son is entering into a youth miniature painting contest, and we are hoping to have a bit of fun in downtown Indianapolis in the evening. I will post photos and updates on the weekend later.

So, if you read this blog and try to contact me in anyway electronically, chances are that you will not be able to. I will be either up to my eyeballs in bingo cards, or delirious from the gaming ecstacy that is GenCon.

L8r!

Arrrr... I's a pirate.

AYE MATEY!!! I got's me inventoried as a pirate. Take the test fur yerself if youse think you can handle the truth! My pirate evaluation sounds too much like me arch nemesis Chuck. (www.mirisdad.blogspot.com) There can only be one CEO of the Seven Seas, and it won't be him! Prepare to have yer vessel burnt to the waterline ya scurvy dog of a dog!

You are The Cap'n!

Some men and women are born great, some achieve greatness and some slit the throats of any scalawag who stands between them and unlimited power. You never met a man - or woman - you couldn't eviscerate. You are the definitive Man of Action, the CEO of the Seven Seas, Lee Iacocca in a blousy shirt and drawstring-fly pants. You're mission-oriented, and if anyone gets in the way, that's his problem, now isn't? Your buckle was swashed long ago and you have never been so sure of anything as your ability to bend everyone to your will. You will call anyone out and cut off his head if he shows any sign of taking you on or backing down. If one of your lieutenants shows an overly developed sense of ambition he may find more suitable accommodations in Davy Jones' locker. That is, of course, IF you notice him. You tend to be self absorbed - a weakness that may keep you from seeing enemies where they are and imagining them where they are not.




What's Yer Inner Pirate?
brought to you by The Official Talk Like A Pirate Web Site. Arrrrr!

The Geek chart

A friend of mine had this on her blog and I had to have it on mine! I am not sure where I fall on this chart. Certainly right there with the Trekkies and video game players, and role play gamers. I don't really fit into the SCA or Ren fair folk, because I actually know my history and I get paid to do it!

Things you come to expect in a small town...

Recently I was hit on the head by the realization that I am lucky to be living in a small town. It was when, early in the morning, I was playing with Gunnar, and along comes the older couple on their morning walk, right on time, with a hand full of MilkBone dog biscuits. This couple travels the street of my town and hands out dog treats to the dogs they meet along their walk, making friends with not only the dogs, but the owners. Gunnar has been the recipient of these treats now for the last few months, and like clock work, he (and I) expect them every morning at the same time. But it is not just them. Recently, my town lost one of those people you always expect to meet. I will call him Bicycle Ed. Ed rode all over town, collecting cans, picking up trash, commenting on current events, and generally being a good neighbor. You could always see him riding around, his bike basket filled with his latest findings, his cigarette dangling from his mouth as he rode, and a ready wave hello to anyone he passed. I think everyone in my town knew him. He died recently and I think the town is poorer for it. Come to find out, he was a WWII vet who was involved in the Normandy invasion. Never would have guessed it. I miss seeing him around. There are a number of these people you come to expect to meet on a regular basis in my town.

Other things I have come to expect; leaving your back door open and unlocked so that you neighbors can get in to borrow something, do a favor for you, or simply let the dog out. Having your yard mown while you are gone on vacation. Having the mayor call you by your first name. Being able to get behind the bar at your local restaurant to make a specialty drink. Knowing that for the most part, there is someone on your block at almost anytime, you can call on for help. The list goes on.

I moved out of a big town about 15 years ago and have never regetted it. Maybe you can find places that have these similar characters and expectations, but I doubt many of them are larger than 8,000 people in size.

I don't know why I am writing this other than I thought it needed mentioning. After all, the blog is FOR WHAT IT"S WORTH.

later!

I have a face on Facebook!

Check it out! I am on Facebook. Alot like MySpace but not as busy.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1400529011

I find it a nice way to waste some time when work is slow.

Later!

back packing with the scouts...

Last weekend I took four boys from the Scout Troop I belong to and went on a weekend backpack/pack-in camping trip. If you want to read about it in detail go to http://wwww.paxtontroop32.blogspot.com for the whole story! If not, here are a few photos from the weekend. It was hot, cold, humid, and buggy for the weekend but we had a great time doing some problem solving senarios that tested the scouts on their ability to think and work together to succeed. It really was a great time!

Later!

A new "FIVE YEAR PLAN" for Germany

Here is something my wife sent me recently... read carefully!

Simplfying the King's English!

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.

As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy.

The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w"with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.