Thursday, January 31, 2008

 

Night


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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

 

Number 6!

The mother of #'s 1, 4 and 5 made it official today:

Number 6 is on the way!

Hallelujah!

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Aftermath...

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#'s 1, 4 and 5 were over for a visit.

Film at 11:00...

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

 

The Plant


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Twenty-five-or-so years ago, my father had his first heart attack and subsequent quadruple bypass. This plant is a cutting from a plant that was given to him while he was recovering. The main plant has been transplanted and is still kicking in a corner of my dining room. I don't even know what kind of plant it is. This is a low res shot - I was just playing with the digital zoom.

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Monday, January 28, 2008

 

If Diet Coke was liquor...


I'd be a candidate for rehab...

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A warning too often ignored...

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Lord Acton is the gentleman who gave us the dictum:
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Most people don't add the rest of the quote:
"Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority."

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Interlude III

"Liberty is not the power of doing what we like, but the right of
being able to do what we ought."
- Lord Acton


Lord Acton is the gentleman who gave us the dictum:
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Most people don't add the rest of the quote:
"Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority: still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority."

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Sunday, January 27, 2008

 

Classroom


This is my CCD classroom.
The latest lecture was - and will be - on liberty and the nature of truth.
I say will be because the good Father stopped in and talked about vocations, so I get to finish up the lecture next Sunday.

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Saturday, January 26, 2008

 

Cat

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This is Cat. Cat is his name. When I want him, I just holler "CAT!" usually preceded by an Anglo-Saxon adjective. He is my cat, inasmuch as a cat can be anyone's. Like all cats, Cat is a pain in the rear - but he doesn't care. He is housebroken - that's right, no kitty litter. I've had many cats, but this is without a doubt the best cat I've ever sort of owned.

The vet's secretary thinks I'm mean because I won't name him. I've tried to explain that Cat is his name, but she doesn't get it. Women...

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Friday, January 25, 2008

 

I'm heartbroken!

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Or not...No Carville? No Begala?

Clinton News Network (CNN) is putting a muzzle on Clinton's attack dogs until after the primary is settled in response to a complaint by Obama's campaign.

Now if they'd just put a bag over Carville's head when he's on screen. Now cut that out! Behave yourself!

Paper, not plastic.

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Usually, I swim.

I don't care for working with dumbbells, but I force myself to do it anyway.
Ordinarily, I swim on Fridays but I had to run some errands on the other side of the universe so I worked with the weights instead.
I get more exercise than any other fat guy I know.
Fat lot of good it does...

Thursday, January 24, 2008

 

Smoke on the Water

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This is a must see...

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It's January and cold...

and Global Warming apparently ain't happening after all...

Scientist says Earth could soon face new Ice Age - no doubt due to Anthropogenic Global Warming.*
...the Earth passed the peak of global warming in 1998-2005,” said Khabibullo Abdusamatov, head of a space research lab at the Pulkovo observatory in St. Petersburg...

“By the mid-21st century the planet will face another Little Ice Age, similar to the Maunder Minimum, because the amount of solar radiation hitting the Earth has been constantly decreasing since the 1990s and will reach its minimum approximately in 2041,” he said. Mankind will face serious economic, social, and demographic consequences of the coming Ice Age because it will directly affect more than 80% of the earth’s population, the scientist concluded.

I'll like as not be pushing up daisies by 2041, or I'd be laughing my ass off at you purveyors of AGW* nonsense.

More good - or bad - news here:

Instead of global warming, and based on actual observations that are fully verifiable by all, our life-giving Sun is telling us that we should prepare for a period of increasingly cold winters, already signaled by the early arrival of substantial snow in most European mountain ranges, Arctic ice reforming at an unprecedented rate and three recent ice and snow storms across wide areas of the US, killing over 50 people and causing major havoc for hundreds of thousands (all by mid-December) - you can ignore me, but you can’t ignore Nature itself. Temperatures across the world are not increasing as they should according to the fundamental theory behind global warming - the greenhouse effect. Something else is happening and it is vital that we find out what or else we may spend billions of Dollars needlessly.


Do tell...

Full disclosure - these (my?) experts don't necesarily agree with other (your?) experts. Experts seem to be like assholes...well, you get my drift. At least these guys are calling for more research instead of trying to shut the opposition up by declaring the question settled.

*As AGW is more and more being shown for the hoax it is, the PTB are pushing "Climate Change" in place of "Global Warming." Nuh-unh. They aren't getting off that easily. Climate change happens; AGW has a cause.

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Out and about -

And colder than an Eskimo...


...Pie?

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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

 

Moonshadow

Shot in my backyard in natural light at about 2:45 am.
The moon was so bright it cast my shadow even under a porchlight.

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Bonus shot -

This was actually shot on the 21st. It is the moon seen through an old silver maple.
Shot with a flash.

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Tuesday, January 22, 2008

 

LIFE!

Reuters photo

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Heath Ledger Dead at 28.

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Heath Ledger was found naked on his bed with sleeping pills nearby. Cause of death was not immediately known; an autopsy is to be performed tomorrow.

Sorry, kel!

 

Waiting for spring...

Not THE motorcycle...
It snowed again - not much at all -last night.
This is sitting in the side yard waiting to be dragged into the garage, where it will act as an impediment to smooth marital relations until the wife is allowed to park in the garage again.
Come spring, it will become roadworthy once again. My brother seems to think it is the perfect bike to let Dad ride, although I suspect Dad is long past the time he should be on a motorcycle.
It is a 1977 - I think - Honda CB750A that belongs to my brother. I totalled one of these about 15 years ago on I-65 in downtown Indy, but that's another story.

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Monday, January 21, 2008

 

From the "To Do" list...

Look for this on my radio station on the other blog.
Coming soon!
****

I'm copying it from vinyl to mp3 format. It's part of an enormous pile of old LP's I'm slowly converting. I'm not sure when this was recorded, but it is a mono recording. According to the label, a stereo recording was available.
So little time...

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Sunday, January 20, 2008

 

0 degrees...

But the sun was bright and the sky as blue as I've seen...
The ice crystals in the air acted as a prism and made a rainbow - it didn't translate well to a photo, however. Took this on the way into class this morning; it's the steeple of the education building.

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

 

Made a trip into the big city...

Stamp machines get fancier every day.
The book of stamps I got was about the worst quality I've ever seen.
WTH. Postage is postage.

Friday, January 18, 2008

 

I like java...

World's best coffee maker plus purty good brew....

Means that I may be able to live through today after staying up 'til 4:00 am working on an online course...




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Thursday, January 17, 2008

 

Happy Birthday!



Karl, Krystyn, and Stacy
The little ones on the left turned 26 today.
The young woman on the right turned 24.

 

Reading Material

Just arrived from Amazon - reading material for the next week or so!
Reviews to follow! (amazon.com and Shelfari)

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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

 

Let women be subject to their husbands...

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The most misunderstood and misinterpreted - and by some reviled - passage in scripture is Ephesians 5:22-33:

22 Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord: 23 Because thehusband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the saviour of his body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject to Christ: so also let the wives be to their husbands in all things. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and delivered himself up for it: 26 That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life: 27 That he might present it to himself, a glorious church, not having spot orwrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So also ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourisheth andcherisheth it, as also Christ doth the church: 30 Because we are members of hisbody, of his flesh and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave hisfather and mother: and shall cleave to his wife. And they shall be two in oneflesh. 32 This is a great sacrament: but I speak in Christ and in the church. 33 Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular love for his wife as himself: And let the wife fear her husband.



****1/22/08 Update: I have modified this post considerably because I wanted to rethink the entire presentation and recheck references to the teaching of the Fathers. If and when I repost, it will be a) better researched and b) more coherent.****

In the meantime...please read Nancy Cross's wonderful article on the subject at Catholic Answers.

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Interlude II

This is tougher than I thought it would be. I take lots of pictures some days; some times I look at a daily file and can't figure out which to post. Other days I don't "see" anything worth shooting, or I'm not satisfied with anything I've shot.

Because I tend to stay occupied* I sometimes forget to post pictures I have taken. I got home at 2:00 am on the 15th and had to deal with a minor crisis when I got home, so didn't get to the computer until about 4:00. Sat there for about 30 seconds and decided I didn't want to deal with it. WTH, there's always later.

Got home at 2:30 this morning...


*Notice I typed "occupied" not "busy."

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Morgenweg mit dem Hund...


Seems a neighbor with a large dog lets it out for its morning walk sans leash at about the same time as I take mine out with a leash, so for the last couple of days, I've been walking one while "training" the other. Multitasking...
Worry not - the BB gun is set for "ouch" not penetrate, and I have a baseball bat for when I figure out which "neighbor."

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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

 

...and Fruit


No Exotic Birds...

Sorting through the fruit supply. We always buy too much and have to occasionally weed out the semi-rotten stuff.

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Monday, January 14, 2008

 

Tower at dawn



Sunday, January 13, 2008

 

It's my party...


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Colts lose


Dang.


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It's my birthday!

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Woo-hoo.


**** Update:

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Saturday, January 12, 2008

 

Oatmeal? Fie!


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Friday, January 11, 2008

 

Red Eye

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Interlude - To: 365 Bloggers

I've now gone to most of the 365 blogs and deposited comments on the ones that looked like they were being maintained. I didn't know anyone, but WTH. You only go 'round once in life, so you might as well say "Hi!" to everyone.

I like to say, "Hi!" or wave to complete strangers; the puzzled looks are priceless.

Feel free to comment. Visit my other blog, lots to see and do. Feel free to throw rotten fruit at your monitor.

Welcome!

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Thursday, January 10, 2008

 

War of the Rebellion trivia

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What would Lew think? It's for sale, by the way!

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Flood

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These pictures taken from a pedestrian bridge across the Wabash River in Lafayette.


Floods in the area have killed three and forced the evacuation of several hundred. Up to ten inches of rain in a matter of hours created havoc in Benton, White, and Carroll counties.

Two people I work with have lost property, one lost nearly everything. This is the 2nd "100 year flood" in the last few years. My guess is that if you live in a flood plain, you're going to get it sooner or later.

****
A developer in Clinton county is selling lots along Campbell Creek. Hint to prospective buyers: if your lot is behind a levee, it probably isn't a good idea to build there.

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Paperweight





Flowers in glass.

 

Paperweight






# posted by hoosiertoo @ 4:53 PM 0 Comments

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

 

Nightwalk Lafayette

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Downtown Lafayette at night.



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# posted by hoosiertoo @ 11:39 PM 3 Comments

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

 

I Can See for Miles...

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Remember when I said I lived on the eastern fringe of the prairie? Here's what that looks like.

This is actually one of the more wooded areas, due to the proximity of the Wildcat creeks. Trees grow mainly along creeks and fencerows and swampy areas. If you look at the photo of the fall foliage in the slideshow in the sidebar, that is 100 miles due south of here. Same state, almost a different planet.

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# posted by hoosiertoo @ 3:44 PM 1 Comments

Monday, January 07, 2008

 

Andrew Olmstead - R.I.P.

I'm dead, but if you're reading this, you're not, so take a moment to enjoy that happy fact.

- Final Post

# posted by hoosiertoo @ 11:52 PM 0 Comments
 

The back lot at night...

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...is only slightly less impressive than during the day.
This is the last sight I see before I leave work.






The crucifix hangs over my desk.

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# posted by hoosiertoo @ 10:28 PM 1 Comments

Sunday, January 06, 2008

 

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

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The Christmas stuff goes to the attic for another year. On the one hand, I'm sorry the Christmas season is over. OTOH, it'll be nice to move in my house without running into a decoration of some sort.

A 7 ft tree takes up a substantial chunk of 1248 sq ft!

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# posted by hoosiertoo @ 4:16 PM 0 Comments

Saturday, January 05, 2008

 

Snotty Scotty

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His "real" name is MacLeod (highly original - but I didn't name him.)

Elise named him Macaroni.

Macaroni it is.

I call him Mac - when I call him anything printable. I got him when his original owners moved to a place that wouldn't allow dogs. He's a little over a year old and about as hyper as terriers usually are at that age.

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# posted by hoosiertoo @ 4:07 PM 0 Comments
 

New stuff in the Sidebar...

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Media Master link: Click and play hoosiertoo's "radio station" in Windows Media Player. I'll update the albums periodically, likely music you've never heard, or at least not in a long time...

Anne Haslam is the featured album.
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Daily Mass readings from MyCatholic.com.
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Church Directory: Go exploring Christian blogs. The links change, so fresh links pop up every time you visit. I've already found a couple of blogs I like!

Being able to play with the code is the major reason I haven't switched to the new templates. Enjoy!

1/07/08 - update: Check out Fr. Sirico's Fox interview on entrepreneur-as-vocation on the YouTube video.

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# posted by hoosiertoo @ 1:39 PM 0 Comments

Friday, January 04, 2008

 

Coming to the aid of the victim...

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Even if the South had abolished slavery by 1888, like Brazil, that would have left a whole further generation of people to grow up in slavery. Usually, if we see someone being assaulted or robbed or raped, and we are able to protect them from the attacker, it is our moral duty to intervene. We do not comfort ourselves that in time the attack will "naturally" end, and so everything will be all right. No, everything will not be all right. Every moment of the attack is more harm and more of a wrong done. It is our duty, if we are able to do so, to come to the aid of the victim immediately. - Kelley Ross, PhD, here


Could the argument hold true for victims of abortion as well? While a limited protest, amounting to praying on street corners, has it's place, is there a time, actually an imperative, when one must go to the protection of the unborn? If so, when?

Should violence be ruled out? Why? Is violence even morally wrong in this narrow instance? If violence was necessary - acceptable even - to sever our ties from Britain and to free slaves, then how much moreso should it be acceptable to protect the life of the unborn?

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The report from the Evangelical Alliance says "violent revolution" should be regarded as a viable response if government legislation encroaches further on basic religious rights. The church is urged to come to a consensus that "at some point there is not only the right but the duty to disobey the state".
- Christians ask if force is needed to protect their religious values by Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Sunday Telegraph 5/11/2006

The only leverage the State has to compel your obedience is the threat of violence. If "at some point there is not only the right but the duty to disobey the state," then is violence in the defense of principle a duty as well? Hmmmm. Our Founding Fathers certainly thought so...

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# posted by hoosiertoo @ 9:03 PM 0 Comments
 

$2000.00 oil leak...


More fun from the world of trucks:

This is a Caterpillar C-12 engine in a Freightliner. It takes 25 hours at $65.00 per hour - we work cheap - to tear this engine down enough to get to the source of the oil leak behind this gear case and repair it.

# posted by hoosiertoo @ 7:30 PM 3 Comments

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