Today Might Be The Day!

We are almost there, will we break the 6999 over at the dear old Dow! I am thinking the folks that do business in America might think that the government policies to come are a disaster. They must not think that Democracy can function under a socialist rule.

This should put it into perspective!

Sham Wow

Sham:

fake: something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be

feign: make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"

imposter: a person who makes deceitful pretenses

Wow:

impress greatly; "The speaker wowed the audience"

belly laugh: a joke that seems extremely funny

Interesting Presentation On The "Credit Crisis"

I think it would be more accurately called a Greed Crisis mixed in with a Gambling crisis but this was informative.



Now this is the where the Government, the bankers and Wall Street have a problem. They want to continue to make huge profits and become more and more powerful. They want you to continue to have credit available to you so that you can continue to be indebted to them. They do not want to change their ways and they do not want you to change yours. That is why saving has become a dirty word. When you save it is money you have and they do not have access to gamble with.

In fact the financial system that this video describes will never be sustainable and will always lead to collapse when followed. Nobody wants to live within their means. Nobody wants to have to give up all the useless toys and gadgets. It is time to let the correction that must occur to take place. We need to feel the pain to return to a balanced system and then get back to work. We need to save money, spend only what we have and return to an ownership society to prosper in the future.

Low Flow Toilet Shoot.

Here is the HD version by a real pro! Thank you Tyler.

Back in 1994 the government mandated new water capacity standards for toilets. This was the first taste I had of just how inept the government is at accomplishing most anything. They took a noble idea and completely fouled it up. For years we suffered with the very toilet that was put out of it’s misery in the video above. This is what I know about government.

1. Any project the government takes on will always cost more than twice as much as it would if the same project were undertaken by private interests.
2. A government project will always cause more problems than it will solve until eventually innovative non-government business are allowed by the government to design and implement real solutions.
3. The government gets involved in any project to grow itself and never admits mistakes or takes responsibility for wasting the tax payers money because the government knows what is best for you even when you do not.

This low flow toilet had to be flush multiple time per use and as a result did not save water at all. The only thing this toilet provided by the government did was drive us up the wall. Rest in pieces low flow toilet it was not your fault that you were so poorly designed.

Jack Crevalle

Scott called me up again to see is I wanted to do a quick fishing trip in the afternoon. I am happy to say we did!

Jack are such a great fight they really make the drag sing as they  strip the line off the spool .

Will We Soon Go Below 7500

The Dow was at 7553 only hours ago. Will it soon be at 6000? How low can it go? These are exciting times and, except for the power grab by the current administration under the guise that if they are given complete power over our American economy they can fix everything, I could half way enjoy show.
The free market and democracy are not to blame here it is a government who refuses to allow the system to correct itself by every artificial mean at their disposal. They are truly taking us from the already mildly socialist government we were becoming into a full blown socialist dictatorship!

Paintball to the Eye!

Lincoln vs. Darwin: Two Birthdays, Two-Hundred Years Ago

This is an interesting little article from somewhere. Thanks Valerie.

Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were two very influential men, who shared little in common except their birthdays. They were both born on February 12, 1809 – 200 years ago this past Thursday. That’s right. Lincoln, the American president, and Darwin, the English naturalist, came into the world on the same day!
Lincoln and Darwin came from opposite sides of the Atlantic, and they shared an opposite world view. One of them believed that “all men are created equal”, while the other believed that no man was created – period. Each man taught and promoted and fought for his respective “cause”. And the influence of both men has been widespread and far-reaching – even into the 21st century.

Let’s take a closer look at “equality”. Most evolutionists in America say they believe in equality, but is that consistent with the theory they espouse? The truth is, you can’t really believe that “all men are created equal” unless you believe in a Creator God. If we were to change the wording to, “all men evolved equally”, would it be true? Would it work? Such a statement doesn’t even fit the evolutionary theory! There is no equality in evolution. Rather there is “natural selection” and “survival of the fittest” – processes which do not treat all creatures equal or give them all the same opportunity to survive and thrive. Are we Americans OK with that? Well, Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin liked the idea of eliminating “inferior” peoples just as “natural selection” eliminates the weak, the diseased, and the problematic. They were, at least in part, inspired by Darwinian theory. And even here in America many are fine with eliminating unwanted babies or unwanted elderly (you know, we’re just giving “natural selection” a little help!) Friends, we must face the fact that belief in evolution gives rise to inequality.

The good news about Darwinism is that in a just-published Gallup Poll, it was found that only 39% of Americans believe in the evolutionary theory as it is normally taught in our schools and universities. Just 39%! A majority of Americans still believe in “intelligent design” by an Almighty, compassionate God. This, in spite of evolution being taught as the only viable explanation for our origins. Even in Darwin’s own Great Britain, half of them still believe in a Creator God and 43% said they believe in a “young earth”! I am guardedly optimistic that as the evolutionary theory enters its third century, we are not buying it. We are giving it a big thumbs down! It doesn’t sound right, look right, feel right, or work right in everyday life. Perhaps God is granting us success in our warfare against this false teaching: “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
I think it’s safe to say that our nation and world are better off today because of Abraham Lincoln. I wish I could say the same for Charles Darwin ...

Rich Howell

More Evident With Every Passing Year Of My Puny Little Life!

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

1 Timothy 6:6-11

Tampa Bay Downs

This morning I went to the horse track with a couple of friends who like to record images. It was a cool misty morning and the race horses were chugging their way around the track to warm up for the days races. It was a lovely sight!

Climbing

Great Stop Motion

La La Land

A Day In The Life of Frequency 453.500

Today was Gasparilla Pirate Fest 2009 and Tampa’s finest were very busy babysitting the tens of thousands of parade attendees. The audio below is a recording of the day from 6:30am – 10:00pm. It is a concentration of Tampa Police Departments communication. It is not in real time but instead it is recorded using a voice activated recorder so there are no time gaps as there were in the original time line.

 

To understand what is occurring use these two list of codes while listening

SIGNAL CODES

10 CODES

Fishing The Warm Water Discharge

My buddy Scott called me up Wednesday evening and say we need to try stink bait out on the west side of Gandy in the outflow of the Bartow Power Plant. The temperature was close to 45°and the outflow from the plant was steaming and very warm! The fish were biting all over the place!

Frozen

Not as dramatic as I had hoped but I do not think it ever got into the 20’s.

It's Cold But I'm Warm!

Thanks for the fire place dad were still enjoying here!

Check back tomorrow I am going to try and freeze the back yard solid tonight!

Debt and the Church

The bigger and shiner the church the more debt they seem to be in. Can "God's" people live within their means in this modern American society? The AP article below chronicles what will certainly be a new trend for big spending churches as the economy continues to fail. The article states that Schuller is watching his life’s work crumble. This is a great example of how our life’s work is not what it is about. God’s work is economy proof and will never fail. God’s work is about changed lives not crystal cathedrals.

Televangelism empire in chaos over family split

By GILLIAN FLACCUS – 1 day ago GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (AP) — Once one of the nation's most popular televangelists, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller is watching his life's work crumble. His son and recent successor, the Rev. Robert A. Schuller, has abruptly resigned as senior pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. The shimmering, glass-walled megachurch is home to the "Hour of Power" broadcast, an evangelism staple that's been on the air for more than three decades. The church is in financial turmoil: It plans to sell more than $65 million worth of its Orange County property to pay off debt. Revenue dropped by nearly $5 million last year, according to a recent letter from the elder Schuller to elite donors. In the letter, Schuller Sr. implored the Eagle's Club members — who supply 30 percent of the church's revenue — for donations and hinted that the show might go off the air without their support. "The final months of 2008 were devastating for our ministry," the 82-year-old pastor wrote. The Crystal Cathedral blames the recession for its woes. But it's clear that the elder Schuller's carefully orchestrated leadership transition, planned over a decade, has stumbled badly. It's a problem common to personality driven ministries. Most have collapsed or been greatly diminished after their founders left the pulpit or died. Members often tie their donations to the pastor, not the institution, said Nancy Ammerman, a sociologist of religion at Boston University. Schuller, with a style that blends pop psychology and theology, has a particularly devoted following, she said. "Viewers are probably much less likely to give when it's not their preacher they're giving to," she said. "There's something about these televised programs where people develop a certain loyalty." Today's increasingly fragmented media landscape is also to blame, said Quentin Schultze, a Calvin College professor who specializes in Christian media. Church-based televangelism led by powerful personalities filled TV in the 1980s, but now only a handful of shows remain, he said. Among the struggling ministries are those of Oral Roberts and the late D. James Kennedy of "The Coral Ridge Hour" TV show. "I don't see a scenario for maintaining a TV-based megachurch anymore. The days of doing that in the models of Schuller and Jimmy Swaggart and Oral Roberts are over," Schultze said. "It's amazing to me that the 'Hour of Power' was able to keep going as long as it did." Through a spokesman, Schuller Sr., his family members and other cathedral officials declined to comment. The younger Schuller, 54, did not respond to an e-mail requesting an interview. The elder Schuller, who called his weekly show "America's Television Church," founded his ministry in a drive-in theater after moving to Southern California in 1955. He studied marketing strategies to attract worshippers and preached a feel-good Christianity, describing himself as a "possibility thinker" and spinning his upbeat style into a 10,000-member church and a broadcast watched by millions worldwide. The church's main sanctuary, the Crystal Cathedral, is a landmark designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson, with a spire visible from afar amid Orange County's suburban sprawl. Thousands make the pilgrimage to see where the broadcast is filmed before a live congregation. The Schullers consider the church a family business and the younger Schuller's 2006 appointment was sanctioned by the Crystal Cathedral's parent denomination, the Reformed Church in America. But the church announced on Nov. 29 that Schuller Jr. had resigned as senior pastor, just a month after he was removed from the church's syndicated broadcasts. In a news release, Schuller Sr. said: "Robert and I have been struggling as we each have different ideas as to the direction and the vision for this ministry." The church has since instituted a rotating roster of high-profile guest preachers, including Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church, the Chicago-area megachurch, and evangelist Luis Palau. Schuller Sr.'s daughters and sons-in-law remain involved in the church, some in key roles. But Juan Carlos Ortiz, the interim senior pastor, hopes to appoint a senior pastor with no ties to the Schuller family within two years. On the church Web site, concerned members and TV fans have posted hundreds of comments protesting the upheaval, with some indicating they have stopped giving or will leave altogether. Several angry viewers have launched petitions to get the younger Schuller back. Melody Mook, a 58-year-old medical transcriptionist from El Paso, Texas, said she stopped her $25 monthly donation and is looking elsewhere for her spiritual needs. She said she dislikes the guest pastors. "I feel hurt and confused and I'm not sure that I want to sit and watch when I know there's problems beneath the surface," she said. "You feel like you're in somebody else's church every Sunday." Others said they felt betrayed that the Schullers couldn't put God before their family spat. "They have not been forthcoming at all," said John Dewart, an insurance agent from New Jersey who's watched for 30 years. "Why can't a father and son work together for the glory of God? That's my big question."

Super Hole Sunday

Today is the day of the big “Game” everyone is excited and having a wildly fun time. Individuals are building prestige and fortunes are being made. The whole system works because in the back of everyone's mind they have a belief no mater how small that they could be rich and famous too. This is a great time to remember that without exception everyone that witnesses Super Bowl 43 will be dead at time goes by, some sooner, some later but we will all die. No one who is dead has any place in the land of the dying, all is lost.

When all the excitement of the game is over the, when the thrill is gone, when your faith in the now is lost and you still find gaping hole at the very heart of your being. Life is more than this world and this time. We are not mere players of games and consumers of products. God has created each one of us to be His child and loved of enough to leave us the choice. I chose to follow Jesus many years ago and I would not have it any other way. When the big game is over and there is still a hole in your life fill it with Jesus He is a perfect fit.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

The games of this life are better enjoyed when you have been set free with the truth. Sure they will not have the same importance they once had but that is a small price to pay for true love and a peace that passeth all understanding!