tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87761262883440574742023-11-16T10:48:20.789-08:00The History ManThe History Man worked for <a href="http://www.footnote.com">Footnote.com</a> , an original historical document and genealogical site. Footnote was recently bought by Ancestry.com and "The History Man" was left out in the woods. It is sad to see the demise of something as significant as Footnote. I am currently looking for a Sales position with a solid company. Please contact me if an opportunity arises.The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-72622838854651667462011-02-01T15:40:00.001-08:002011-02-01T16:40:44.537-08:00Pacific Ocean Memories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW9yvw-jx32Dvj7NyPGyKsaknVn-7RKlA0MxavMeUtVgPrU0SzW6CDtvgsa1MprbghBIUox-OeNd2P9q6Yj7aBQcThFEg5ZQFPtiNe4h5loOn2-zfcl6FjyN5sTMhdNai0Ib9yB4g9pV1/s1600/Seaclff.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwW9yvw-jx32Dvj7NyPGyKsaknVn-7RKlA0MxavMeUtVgPrU0SzW6CDtvgsa1MprbghBIUox-OeNd2P9q6Yj7aBQcThFEg5ZQFPtiNe4h5loOn2-zfcl6FjyN5sTMhdNai0Ib9yB4g9pV1/s400/Seaclff.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568870299613048818" /></a><br /><br />When I was a kid my dad used to take the family to Sea Cliff Beach south of Santa Cruz in California. There was a pier there with a cement ship at the end of it. We would go out on the pier and fish. I remember cutting the bait and baiting the hook. We never caught much off of the pier, but I enjoyed it and I know my dad did. Later in life I wished that he was around when I had the opportunity to fish for Salmon and Steelhead. He would have really enjoyed that.<br /><br />He taught me to swim in the ocean when I was about 7 or 8. He would take me out where it was over my head and he would let me go and then back up. Once I learned how to swim we got half blow up rafts with a rope on the end and he taught me how to body surf. I really didn't like it very much because the water was so cold. <br /><br />When I turned twelve I remember a church trip to Santa Cruz. It was really funny because whenever I went to the beach I body surfed. When we got to Santa Cruz I started running to the water out of habit. One of the other kids asked me what I was doing and I told them I was going to body surf. It was at that time that I realized my dad had taught me something that most of the other kids had never done. I felt like the king of the world. From then on body surfing became my passion.<br /><br />As the years went by I went body surfing with friends. I never went snow skiing because my passion was the ocean. It didn't matter what month of the year it was and I never wore a wet suit. I think back now with wonder at my fortune. Someday I want to visit these places again and give it another shot ! :)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugqajkA2AxXainvcGwAgOYubl4neBMoBNWmv0hoYn6OenDKzUXAyO0syhN0bru1yODoSqnep3VWfnQlFkBwtLXZFrZHrIduCM3o7uJW-EVmw-qfj_batHeEw46bfUu4stj2yYH1VHtpKE/s1600/boogie+board.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugqajkA2AxXainvcGwAgOYubl4neBMoBNWmv0hoYn6OenDKzUXAyO0syhN0bru1yODoSqnep3VWfnQlFkBwtLXZFrZHrIduCM3o7uJW-EVmw-qfj_batHeEw46bfUu4stj2yYH1VHtpKE/s400/boogie+board.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568872515836755442" /></a><br /><br />The following is a song I wrote that I hope paints a picture in your mind for you. These are some of my greatest memories of the beach and body surfing. Anyone who has a love for the ocean like I do should relate to the words. The pictures all hold great memories for me.<br /><br />Please enjoy the journey!<br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/498645531/eb4fb001" width="200" height="100" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzPRjR-jD48V6-zl8hrpcES839isCVNi3QgVXJWNGVG1J-sLAjStV35svtEiiyZlhnPZpHz0p8V9QklpTWjsm5RvrX42sSXfoqjFCtePJS1NSjSNps230WhhtP_bCwk91GxBIApXYmAtk/s1600/SantaCruz_BeachBoardwalk_GiantDipper_Train_DSCN9394.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTzPRjR-jD48V6-zl8hrpcES839isCVNi3QgVXJWNGVG1J-sLAjStV35svtEiiyZlhnPZpHz0p8V9QklpTWjsm5RvrX42sSXfoqjFCtePJS1NSjSNps230WhhtP_bCwk91GxBIApXYmAtk/s320/SantaCruz_BeachBoardwalk_GiantDipper_Train_DSCN9394.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568878153031223666" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bg82qpZ3EuOCYpjdT9QGIOztH-zLnDzESSqgIBxBuR6a9XyZr_Ak09qEpFUdWCssyxfNZm5BTuODgvut307xQD89OWV5YzCLiAc4aogvIh8MhMeZD5bMSre2YSG27V9qvyfR-hVpMYKh/s1600/body+surfing.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Bg82qpZ3EuOCYpjdT9QGIOztH-zLnDzESSqgIBxBuR6a9XyZr_Ak09qEpFUdWCssyxfNZm5BTuODgvut307xQD89OWV5YzCLiAc4aogvIh8MhMeZD5bMSre2YSG27V9qvyfR-hVpMYKh/s320/body+surfing.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568878489663504306" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ClnvlmP76N_M3zSCS51XXGWCHrcblD0dy6ho6q_c-K7PbaLEg6A9KFqVPIIuSHonw5nwPe6Z-TFlOIDyGs5ACDaK3md8o1Fz9OMAgYQiwVqznAAFRdETCU9p15Df5-1Xqe3cBpLYPCGS/s1600/newport-beach-sunset.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ClnvlmP76N_M3zSCS51XXGWCHrcblD0dy6ho6q_c-K7PbaLEg6A9KFqVPIIuSHonw5nwPe6Z-TFlOIDyGs5ACDaK3md8o1Fz9OMAgYQiwVqznAAFRdETCU9p15Df5-1Xqe3cBpLYPCGS/s400/newport-beach-sunset.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568878884091530994" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2ndAauZtLmBtooawSkxvvCaxGbsgOVaGqPRqODmdYtM-FEaPieeCFwC66M5O8W083Fvf1VMhsbhOsvHfH1ix4GNMfE4gsLtW3u5kN9K_fW2BOIK1L14siwMfyyiy9H9Bkijm3G7micj0/s1600/Steamer+Lane.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2ndAauZtLmBtooawSkxvvCaxGbsgOVaGqPRqODmdYtM-FEaPieeCFwC66M5O8W083Fvf1VMhsbhOsvHfH1ix4GNMfE4gsLtW3u5kN9K_fW2BOIK1L14siwMfyyiy9H9Bkijm3G7micj0/s400/Steamer+Lane.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568881348007659842" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr-wxpb8G3gJQQIZwByZoDrIRoMzqxhRmQ50x651uhh9EO_aE-w1TOQxCPtwgmpt5OkcJ_m90blicFL_aEHAi_weFJsew8R4REXPlfiweCnGhNr0k7lXbeJKfC9fuJJMZrUynVzNtz2m_/s1600/Cylinders_Newport_Beach_California.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqr-wxpb8G3gJQQIZwByZoDrIRoMzqxhRmQ50x651uhh9EO_aE-w1TOQxCPtwgmpt5OkcJ_m90blicFL_aEHAi_weFJsew8R4REXPlfiweCnGhNr0k7lXbeJKfC9fuJJMZrUynVzNtz2m_/s400/Cylinders_Newport_Beach_California.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568879720045168066" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGSGDKIr33dUcRGOOyVx_ixbhSofmiHblNDHA0o3-IcsIIH8TPDi0Pcg1ojQt4KKy8PmPlgGBeQBQw7Rr9JnzrHrTqIubWtyxpYtWP77Ntjf0eQ6tzPhbCMeiI-Klf7wcRRMk59Bu3N0H/s1600/boardwalk+beach+3_08+033.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGSGDKIr33dUcRGOOyVx_ixbhSofmiHblNDHA0o3-IcsIIH8TPDi0Pcg1ojQt4KKy8PmPlgGBeQBQw7Rr9JnzrHrTqIubWtyxpYtWP77Ntjf0eQ6tzPhbCMeiI-Klf7wcRRMk59Bu3N0H/s400/boardwalk+beach+3_08+033.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568880231833903186" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eyFdt62Ma9KeGDMr89YELjtHxaOL4WPa9Iq1do_XQt3pqVKPjr5s_aMLvbp2J3dU2NSx-bahN-lvrOXpJC7DjgoyYL99WOfRfkKDOxVjIl9UdubNQABQ95IZIg1dnfVE0Krcsk37DKVm/s1600/ptReyesColorbig.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eyFdt62Ma9KeGDMr89YELjtHxaOL4WPa9Iq1do_XQt3pqVKPjr5s_aMLvbp2J3dU2NSx-bahN-lvrOXpJC7DjgoyYL99WOfRfkKDOxVjIl9UdubNQABQ95IZIg1dnfVE0Krcsk37DKVm/s400/ptReyesColorbig.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568880719705720514" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATZPB54XntBUfTdjBot5-Y6arBXGEMsGZyOzjErKGfsPixszTPxaJWSsUsm66FXu0WnXqwULpzcofeMsPNYNZxh2h7LfHjDJ-adFoRO03Wy43mC-baPdYh017QcZhZeeiHa1cjrRAAXQ0/s1600/Pt+Reyes.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATZPB54XntBUfTdjBot5-Y6arBXGEMsGZyOzjErKGfsPixszTPxaJWSsUsm66FXu0WnXqwULpzcofeMsPNYNZxh2h7LfHjDJ-adFoRO03Wy43mC-baPdYh017QcZhZeeiHa1cjrRAAXQ0/s400/Pt+Reyes.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568881090844846898" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko155hY7DgCTR-OnLHic2KwY5dBOQuWQ1ssQlvbehCjOEJno055FRT5M2do2ECN10Mxy-ewR02cF2Jd3JbEHkW6G8-1qRl8m_N32Hhvp29wfuGrcOsBDPCsdKCriEN3umd3pM9gSueK5w/s1600/MoonRise.jpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko155hY7DgCTR-OnLHic2KwY5dBOQuWQ1ssQlvbehCjOEJno055FRT5M2do2ECN10Mxy-ewR02cF2Jd3JbEHkW6G8-1qRl8m_N32Hhvp29wfuGrcOsBDPCsdKCriEN3umd3pM9gSueK5w/s400/MoonRise.jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568882096964126002" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-63944848047746758642010-10-12T11:42:00.000-07:002010-10-14T15:34:37.039-07:00What is Truth and How Do We Find It?When we hear about Jesus Christ we automatically think of deity and salvation. He lived just about 2000 years ago and His presence and teachings have not only survived but they are a major driving force in today's world. I don't think that there is a question that He lived during that recorded time. The questions that are asked begin with was He really God's son? Did He walk on water and perform the miracles that are recorded? Did He actually take upon himself mankind's failings through an atonement? Was He resurrected and does He still live today? According to the Bible and the writings and testimonies of His apostles there is no question. However, those writings have gone through translations by men, and in the time in between then and now there have been horrible events perpetrated in His name. There are thousands of churches that exist today all believing in the Bible as containing his word. These churches teach different things and interpret what is taught in thousands of different ways. What is interesting about that is that Christ taught <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> <br /></span><br />Where is this truth and what exactly is it? I want this freedom if it exists.<br /><br />The definition that we have of truth in Webster's Dictionary is the following:<br /><br />Main Entry: truth<br /><br />1 a archaic : fidelity, constancy b : sincerity in action, character, and utterance<br />2 a (1) : the state of being the case : fact (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : actuality (3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true <truths of thermodynamics> c : the body of true statements and propositions<br />3 a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality b chiefly British : true 2 c : fidelity to an original or to a standard<br />4 capitalized Christian Science : god<br /><br />— in truth : in accordance with fact : actually<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrTjPy3lwhmTzPYgMjeHEVCn_P3QQfIdpey6esX2kfZEnieivQX0bUD0P9TY1U1TpunqPfB67rkcqPWk80RJ1iS4ObdXkTlyQSEd_UpnY_gvZIrKs-View_x-zVp9fqrnCBIo7jFXSKfP/s1600/Truth.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbrTjPy3lwhmTzPYgMjeHEVCn_P3QQfIdpey6esX2kfZEnieivQX0bUD0P9TY1U1TpunqPfB67rkcqPWk80RJ1iS4ObdXkTlyQSEd_UpnY_gvZIrKs-View_x-zVp9fqrnCBIo7jFXSKfP/s320/Truth.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471250433210021426" /></a><br /><br /><br />There are conflicting things within this definition. I may be simple but to me something is either true or it is not. Some things that we believe to be true may turn out not to be. As we gain knowledge what we believed was true can change. Astronomy is a great example. I had an astronomy teacher tell me one time that 90% of what we learned would be lies. I lamented at wasting my time as I realized that he was correct. If we pick up a science book that is 30 years old we will be amazed how our previous perception of truth has changed. I say that tongue in cheek because I believe that they were not truths that were taught but beliefs. With that said, I cannot help but believe that there are eternal truths that govern all things that are unchanging. We may not know what they are, but I believe they exist. <br /><br />Either Jesus Christ really was the Son of God and did what he professed or it is the biggest hoax of all time. There is no in-between in my book, because things are either true or they are not. That may seem simplistic, but to me it makes perfect sense. The question is how to determine in our earthly mortality how we might discover these eternal truths, or if it is even possible. I can honestly say that to believe man alone when looking to answers to important questions is not possible. We might be receiving correct answers to questions but how can we know?<br /><br />Going back to Jesus Christ and the truth of His identity it seems important to see what He had to say about discovering truth. In James 1: 5 and 6 this is what we read:<br /><br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. <br /> But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><br />Now this makes sense to me. Since I cannot wholly trust answers from man and if there is a God then that is where I should get my answers from. Could it be that simple? It seems to me that if Jesus is what He says He is then this should be a sure fire way to gain that knowledge. It does say that I have to ask in faith nothing wavering. I take that to mean that before I ask any questions I need to consider things on my own. Once I have considered them to be possible and I really want to know then I should be able to ask God according to Jesus's words and receive an answer. How will that answer come? I know there have been experiences where people have seen and talked with angels, but I do not believe that is how we will get these promised answers. <br /><br />I Corinthians 2 Jesus has some things to say about this:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. <br /> But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. <br /> For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. <br /> Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. <br /> Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. <br /> But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. <br /><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYftNtfXpwGqiW_rIMqIbCql1ykMV5jr0FhnZXX7bRya0xIqViufdQzuwAHsMToWt5_kaSoBC_AfWDfv5-xE_hI9Y4DzFzZ0eEXSJ5KAP_P57hYdcwycct1eD4h5lUI5Zx8_o3Wt9gc9a/s1600/GodCreates-Man-Sistine-Chapel.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiYftNtfXpwGqiW_rIMqIbCql1ykMV5jr0FhnZXX7bRya0xIqViufdQzuwAHsMToWt5_kaSoBC_AfWDfv5-xE_hI9Y4DzFzZ0eEXSJ5KAP_P57hYdcwycct1eD4h5lUI5Zx8_o3Wt9gc9a/s320/GodCreates-Man-Sistine-Chapel.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471251303981689618" /></a><br />According to Christ if we ask God with real intent and faith then we are promised answers to our question through the Spirit that is mentioned as the Holy Ghost. To me that means that instead of hearing from the mouth of man, the spirit of God will give the answers to our questions through our own spirits which reside in our bodies. If we do what we have been admonished to do here, then we should receive answers to our prayers. That is right, it seems to me that is the real purpose of prayer. It is our way to have a two way communication with God. Are there restrictions on what we can ask God? I don't see any in these instances.<br /><br />How can we tell whether what we have heard is really the true. Is there some test that He gives us which will solidify our new found knowledge?<br /><br />In John 17 He gives us an answer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.<br /><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br />So once we receive His words then we need to act. Once we do that we will know whether the answers are from God (Who knows all truth) or from our own minds.<br /><br />This all makes perfect sense to me. If Jesus really was the Son of God then we should be able to test that through prayer as He has taught. We should also be able to ask any question that troubles our mind. If we can do that with faith, not wavering then this should work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0r8laZq8ApglQqzR2tEK40IwvpKpoK-aV08MePobFVYmtz_SuLPm-7owH_c7CPLxgegsK2DdkZ6tJGBft1iASe9wcCy_LPbpvHgjTXOniPgg05Ec_78Z9ih2f5svaNOHwrpdOFFBV-njQ/s1600/prayer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0r8laZq8ApglQqzR2tEK40IwvpKpoK-aV08MePobFVYmtz_SuLPm-7owH_c7CPLxgegsK2DdkZ6tJGBft1iASe9wcCy_LPbpvHgjTXOniPgg05Ec_78Z9ih2f5svaNOHwrpdOFFBV-njQ/s320/prayer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471252752152636802" /></a><br /><br />I cannot take personal credit for this bit of knowledge and insight. I have been taught these things from an early age and so I am sharing them with you. These truths are in all of our Bibles and yet how many people take advantage of this wonderful line of communication which has been given to us. If our Father loves us then I see no reason not to believe that He is patiently listening to our pleas and waiting to give us answers to important questions that we have. I have found that if I pray for awhile kneeling, then read out of the Bible for 10 minutes or so and then sit with pencil and paper for about 10 minutes each day I am amazed at what comes into my mind, or spirit and what I write on that paper. Let me leave you with how I have learned to pray. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4FHNTdnL_8WipWJG-awFbP0JQBp2akvjya1E65kUC1v61dvwur1OWCh2_pfKtErNpNaK03G3n2Scm-LIKbeU8YBNmUpcEDka7zM8OAYAwGVPOCgM-6GGs3kQWsCreR__fIp_OOJkjT5S/s1600/reading+scriptures.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 169px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF4FHNTdnL_8WipWJG-awFbP0JQBp2akvjya1E65kUC1v61dvwur1OWCh2_pfKtErNpNaK03G3n2Scm-LIKbeU8YBNmUpcEDka7zM8OAYAwGVPOCgM-6GGs3kQWsCreR__fIp_OOJkjT5S/s320/reading+scriptures.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5471253151247075810" /></a><br /> There are four steps to my prayers. The beginning and end are always the same, but the 2 steps in-between are from the heart. When I pray I use the words thee and thou when referring to God. Many people see this as to formal. I learned to converse in the German language, and with that I learned that thee and thou is the way you address close friends and family. You, is how you address strangers and those that you are not familiar with. Knowing that made a great difference for me. Hear are the 4 steps.<br /><br />1. Father in Heaven<br />2. I thank thee ...<br />3. I ask thee...<br />4. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.<br /><br />Again, this is not set, and I close in the name of Jesus Christ because I have a strong testimony that He did exactly what He professed to have done. I gained that testimony through this process. Good luck with this and may God bless you in your efforts to find truth. I might add that no matter what you have done in your life this avenue is open to you and God understands and loves you more than anyone does. He wants to hear from all of us.The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-11249504879720745192010-04-14T14:15:00.000-07:002010-04-19T10:56:13.235-07:00Can We Take a Step in the Right Direction?<embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/265800093/cadcc628" width="600" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />Life in the United States has changed greatly since I was a child. I would like to say that the times have gotten better and that the quality of life has improved, but I would have to say on each one of those points quite the opposite has occurred. We have become technologically minded and slowly but surely, small farmers have been put out of business, and rural land ownership has moved toward the cities. Large food producers have taken over genetically engineering our food. There is very little food consumed which is natural or unprocessed anymore.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mS1wIR89CUZKnx452X3aBK8gsbI90aLVQtBOOWBVWs1Wtuhlb2fZwTdA2Y7V0dW8fsC6mnHLEx2sXFFgG-VGMaGBru4CYYDdklS_ICGmwcDgVeUtA5hIqQDkeblYcatWhCyHSrtR59J9/s1600/San_Jose_California_aerial_view_south.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mS1wIR89CUZKnx452X3aBK8gsbI90aLVQtBOOWBVWs1Wtuhlb2fZwTdA2Y7V0dW8fsC6mnHLEx2sXFFgG-VGMaGBru4CYYDdklS_ICGmwcDgVeUtA5hIqQDkeblYcatWhCyHSrtR59J9/s400/San_Jose_California_aerial_view_south.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460400534069586418" /></a><br /><br />When I grew up in San Jose, Calif. there were orchards, and places to run. Now it is asphalt, cars, homes and businesses. There is traffic, lots and lots of traffic. We have built this asphalt society on false promises, debts and empty dreams. Just recently we have been reminded of this with the downturn of our economy. It was about 7 years ago before our latest crash that I was visiting my old stomping grounds. I was heading up into the Saratoga Hills in CA for a concert. While I was driving with my brother-in-law I saw a billboard on the side of the road advertising new tract homes starting at $1,000,000. I was amazed that anyone would think that was a good deal. The thing is, it wasn't up in the hills but it was down in the suburbs. I asked myself at that point how this could continue? It obviously couldn't. Now I am a home owner like so many in the US that has a mortgage that is under water. Fortunately we bought an older home so we haven't lost the equity that some have. Instead of working through things it is often easier and now acceptable to leave our troubles for someone else to clean up. Have things changed. I guess they have since we now believe that society does owe us a living.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqM-8sdcqb0TwXXh8JXr2cspvNu36fZ7pJ3uY3C4O_qPqJBQSxngq8bLpTwuK3MMQiDEEmCHx9iUlX1V5dW12k3hPwbvJcTDc7I0CRFZ_tXXrWqbPJzuYFyOZqURkBWwjQOp1lj2fC_1OW/s1600/underwater-hime-mortgage_0.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqM-8sdcqb0TwXXh8JXr2cspvNu36fZ7pJ3uY3C4O_qPqJBQSxngq8bLpTwuK3MMQiDEEmCHx9iUlX1V5dW12k3hPwbvJcTDc7I0CRFZ_tXXrWqbPJzuYFyOZqURkBWwjQOp1lj2fC_1OW/s320/underwater-hime-mortgage_0.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460402602716831394" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />What has caused this fiasco? While I was in college way back in the day, I took a Sociology Class. In the class we discussed the importance of the family unit in any society. In studying societies that had fallen, the disintegration of the family was the main cause of their demise. As the years have passed I have watched as moral values have declined and the nuclear family (mom,dad and kids) has gotten to a perilous state. If trends continue 40% to 50% of all marriages will end in divorce. Children in classrooms today are the exception, when it comes to a complete original family unit living under the same roof. There is no commitment anymore to spouse or children. With that non commitment we have become a me first society. That has spawned greed and arrogance as dominant forces in our society.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4AMNpraaX8qcSAkYX_M2U63lVmrhyeyogkOGX061ZJVKmoOXUXx9pZiF1KRvRA-PqB3F3ehHTKsnHUsEGvOGdGwClGwWt0PKhNxQwVhF6PXlkOOPQqM567re_TlG2wLMYhsgcsDXgzaE/s1600/wrong-way-driver.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4AMNpraaX8qcSAkYX_M2U63lVmrhyeyogkOGX061ZJVKmoOXUXx9pZiF1KRvRA-PqB3F3ehHTKsnHUsEGvOGdGwClGwWt0PKhNxQwVhF6PXlkOOPQqM567re_TlG2wLMYhsgcsDXgzaE/s320/wrong-way-driver.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460456232948903042" /></a><br /><br />Morals as a whole have gone into the sewer. No wonder marriages are failing at such an alarming rate. A PG13 movie and possibly a PG movie today would have been rated R a few years ago. R-rated movies would have been rated X not long ago. Raw sexuality is available for all ages on any computer which is hooked up to the internet. People are arrested all of the time for distributing child pornography. I bring this up because it is such a heinous crime. There was just a case locally where this was being done from a public library computer. Human kind is stretching the limits on how vile and immoral we can become, and there is an overall complacent acceptance. That line continues to inch out so why do we wonder where commitment and sacrifice have gone. Gay rights have been taken to new levels in many states. We think that we are the first society to embrace the practice. Gays have existed in every society and in just about every era. I believe that all people should have equal rights in most areas with the exception of the family. The definition of a family as husband wife and children should not only be preserved but fully protected as it stands. Society depends on this unit to exist and to thrive. What we call progressive ideas are often very old practices that have never brought true happiness. It doesn't matter what I say on these matters as to the convincing of others, but I can tell you that if we were to take our society today and try to implant it within itself just 20 to 30 years in the past, there would be a major social upheaval and rejection of our "progress state" would be certain. With all of the moral decline we have, we are slowly sinking into oblivion, while day by day, week by week, and year by year we continue to blindly accept our state. How long will it take for us to perish as a society? I do not know, but we are certainly on track and not slowing the process down.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvzLSRzfGxJQEc6KUNOz_ix1vIcVP68TmxL2cF3by544NuTRzJtE75NXDwNp6EBTmZIf2yoHVLiewhZ9yVOBFcVRDT0lpdkDtsE-ZoDgpTvPYVWRat65rbxrqKv02Tt5wOOtM181KGrCY/s1600/ratings.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 162px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqvzLSRzfGxJQEc6KUNOz_ix1vIcVP68TmxL2cF3by544NuTRzJtE75NXDwNp6EBTmZIf2yoHVLiewhZ9yVOBFcVRDT0lpdkDtsE-ZoDgpTvPYVWRat65rbxrqKv02Tt5wOOtM181KGrCY/s320/ratings.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460459724688150370" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Is there hope? There is about as much as there is with a runaway train on a downhill slope. When the crash comes, it will be tremendous and many will die. The survivors will pick up the pieces and they will start over. Hopefully they will have learned from the mistakes that were made. I kind of doubt that there will be lasting progress. I look at us and what we could have learned from history. We haven't, so how can we expect future generations to? We are so into our progress, money and things that we lose interest in what will truly bring us happiness. We actually believe that we are different from previous generations. Technology changes, but people, their needs and vices don't. With our technological arrogance we either do not believe that people will always be the same with the same needs and vices, or we ignore it for convenience and comforts sake.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimq7hpAOB9bjSQWScIwgDrY3LfiN0KdNFf6Syrx8TJVRB4nbbOIdR6AdeVGBWyKdEPzVm__wFfXA32heJoGXMEQ1RgQNE6FjrC7BG4AtdAbxKIZglMNaUQUkvn3nXxsylr25fUFZazdV8P/s1600/runaway+train+1_0_0.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimq7hpAOB9bjSQWScIwgDrY3LfiN0KdNFf6Syrx8TJVRB4nbbOIdR6AdeVGBWyKdEPzVm__wFfXA32heJoGXMEQ1RgQNE6FjrC7BG4AtdAbxKIZglMNaUQUkvn3nXxsylr25fUFZazdV8P/s320/runaway+train+1_0_0.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460462698162926498" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I believe that mankind is one family. I believe that we are all brothers and sisters in that sense. None of us are perfect or better than one another. We all make errors in this life. It is what we do to correct these errors that truly defines us. How do we know what is right, and what is wrong? I believe that we have had a light within us since birth whispering to us what fits within those parameters. Since we are not having a lot of success as a society right now, I am of the opinion that we are not choosing between right and wrong very well. As things remain as they are in the world I do not see us upgrading our position. Since we cannot depend on overall improvement it is my belief that we still can and will find true happiness by interacting positively within our own life sphere. There is always hope for individual and family progress and the attainment of joy. Admitting that we are wrong and then moving to change ourselves is always a step in the right direction.<br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/268957605/94ca14a" width="600" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxABne7UaY_AERWjbUrE-iRMAdBez-o7aqkkLdhwX4sn0z86HVnosdxeqfNWRg_BJtp_y7Go1W-FS2oCM1SPvlr1xo8T-itk_fe3sm3hOXfgo3sr1ubhIpPSPOjHph-DHv3Z_NST2WOfT/s1600/Our+Circle+in+Life_0.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIxABne7UaY_AERWjbUrE-iRMAdBez-o7aqkkLdhwX4sn0z86HVnosdxeqfNWRg_BJtp_y7Go1W-FS2oCM1SPvlr1xo8T-itk_fe3sm3hOXfgo3sr1ubhIpPSPOjHph-DHv3Z_NST2WOfT/s320/Our+Circle+in+Life_0.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460461370429421410" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-67812831762292980632010-03-25T14:38:00.000-07:002010-04-08T10:31:22.086-07:00Charity Is True Freedom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGfJpVx2QhlmrcRwW-bo4qYiJrRowzJn_S028uGx_aEQxmQqA5fqJtxR8IDpCIaIQ4CHBo_AZVpK7sI6HnIBGJSWIbMHqGP53QO3tgPL8elx81k7UcSr5CpCK9d7CxV_NsaZYLUPWvEy4/s1600/Freedom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGfJpVx2QhlmrcRwW-bo4qYiJrRowzJn_S028uGx_aEQxmQqA5fqJtxR8IDpCIaIQ4CHBo_AZVpK7sI6HnIBGJSWIbMHqGP53QO3tgPL8elx81k7UcSr5CpCK9d7CxV_NsaZYLUPWvEy4/s400/Freedom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457818740336969010" /></a><br /><br />Freedom is something I have been thinking a lot about lately. There have been so many different notions about the word throughout history. Here is a definition I found on the internet. It is quite lengthy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">free·dom</span><br /> /ˈfridəm/ Show Spelled[free-duhm] Show IPA<br />–noun<br /><span style="font-style:italic;">1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.<br />2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.<br />3. the power to determine action without restraint.<br />4. political or national independence.<br />5. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.<br />6. exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually fol. by from): freedom from fear.<br />7. the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.<br />8. ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country.<br />9. frankness of manner or speech.<br />10.general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation.<br />11.the absence of ceremony or reserve.<br />12.a liberty taken.<br />13.a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes.<br />14.civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.<br />15.the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.<br />16.the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">17.Philosophy. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination.</span></span><br /></span><br />The last definition here is one of the most interesting to me. I am a religious person as far as my beliefs are concerned. I believe that Jesus Christ was the literal Son of God and that through his great sacrifice we can be forgiven of our sins and thus return to He who sent us. Life is a test, and we work at it from moment to moment. To succeed we need to find joy and happiness.<br /> <br /><br />Whether Christ was the Son of God or not the concept of <a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_cor/13">CHARITY</a> which He taught is the greatest concept of freedom ever given. This to me is also our path to joy and happiness that is everlasting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhkiQ6tSsUxHwUYdoZKAT4irbrSefMzQnWtZeMeP1ncrlHqBYa5fKIm0R3aK0DUl3S9E-uxK9rHAVxo9pf5KYaStVFx8_rygo7CEEtOqAf_GnwcqWyFDSyorjveI-27LeuT5zSqaijnpQ/s1600/ws_Flight_of_Freedom_1440x900.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEhkiQ6tSsUxHwUYdoZKAT4irbrSefMzQnWtZeMeP1ncrlHqBYa5fKIm0R3aK0DUl3S9E-uxK9rHAVxo9pf5KYaStVFx8_rygo7CEEtOqAf_GnwcqWyFDSyorjveI-27LeuT5zSqaijnpQ/s320/ws_Flight_of_Freedom_1440x900.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457817882681028754" /></a><br /><br />Freedom is all of the things mentioned above but to me the most important concept of the word lies within ourselves. That is why Charity is such a powerful principal. To always think of others before ourselves is a foreign concept in the world today. We have come to believe that we should get something tangible in return for every effort which we put forth. Even if it is just a pat on the back, there should be something. Right? Charity tells us that our love for our fellow man should supersede all other values or principles. Sometimes it becomes difficult to know how we attain those heights when we live in a world where this is a foreign concept. <br /><br />I firmly believe that all people are inherently born with a knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. I also believe that at a very early age our pure vision is skewed by the environment within which we live. If we act against those feelings enough it is possible to extinguish that light. That is why children who have not been indoctrinated by the world may see a difference in the color of someone's skin but not in their humanity. <br /><br />No matter how hard we try during the early stages of life we are going to make many mistakes while we are growing and learning. When I say mistakes I am again talking about going against an inherent goodness and light which is within all of us. As life continues on we search for answers to life's most important questions. Where do we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going when this life is over?<br /><br />With that said I am at a point in life where I would like to experience this concept of Charity as much as possible before the end of my time here. <br /><br /> 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not <br /> itself, is not puffed up,<br /> 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, <br /> thinketh no evil;<br /> 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;<br /> 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.<br /><br />I believe that is how I will experience the purest freedom of body and mind that is possible. To get to that point can be one of the greatest mysteries of all. Some have turned to religion, while others have turned to seeking inner peace though meditation or possibly losing ones self in service. Some people think that they can get there through drugs of one kind or another, or even by indulging in whatever base desires or emotions lead them. Some think that money is the answer. It has nothing to do with happiness. The key is a balanced life, coupled with a clear mind and a desire to do for others. <br /><br />Words cannot express fully what a person feels as shown here, only doing can help us to understand if what is said is really true. Test the good ideas by trying them out in your life. As we do that we can see first hand how we feel and whether the feelings are lasting or fleeting.<br /><br />Life really is to short, and finding the answers sooner rather than later help us to make the most of what we have! I believe that we can be free even in the most desperate situations in life. Whether we are bound even unto death our minds can still provide us with freedom, love and hope. I truly believe that.The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-16798670039648206002010-03-10T13:55:00.000-08:002010-03-11T13:26:49.983-08:00Everyone Lives, Everyone Dies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsMSmTrZv_VQEzJyyxqlUhY-FbKf-jWgXUWYC9l5z4bLJUhaKiwktI51N8XEOQ_cNGuE3igfSx9hYowfPnI36pc7gu0mSnwYDSWBItbTxkoXYlSVKzGfLX0Hbu2t-hhARzrBhYeHix486/s1600-h/grief1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAsMSmTrZv_VQEzJyyxqlUhY-FbKf-jWgXUWYC9l5z4bLJUhaKiwktI51N8XEOQ_cNGuE3igfSx9hYowfPnI36pc7gu0mSnwYDSWBItbTxkoXYlSVKzGfLX0Hbu2t-hhARzrBhYeHix486/s400/grief1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447446685333442034" /></a><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/238589575/6326f449" width="700" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />The thought of death terrifies some people. I have had occasion to consider death at different times in my life and it has never taken on the appearance of the Grim Reaper with his scythe. The concern of death to me is that I will miss the person that has passed on.<br /><br /><br />When I was eight years old my Grandpa Johnson took me off to the side and told me that when he died and I walked by his coffin he would wink at me. The day soon came and we were filing by his open casket. I was not concerned that he had died, I only wanted to see him wink. My mom finally had to separate a disappointed little boy from his grandfather's casket. What a great gift he gave me, as I look back on it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewYGICTkzm62djDZSwMtH9A2C_TcbqYDC6OjYId8hjjDqNYT1a9YdBG4OZh3rNrRy6-ENkmkyEJQTmuUunlggZchnj3j5Bc23O8DXaBgCltbdVWDZbmPnxlKebL059owI9AxQVuPu4h6v/s1600-h/img063-0.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhewYGICTkzm62djDZSwMtH9A2C_TcbqYDC6OjYId8hjjDqNYT1a9YdBG4OZh3rNrRy6-ENkmkyEJQTmuUunlggZchnj3j5Bc23O8DXaBgCltbdVWDZbmPnxlKebL059owI9AxQVuPu4h6v/s400/img063-0.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447490731932354034" /></a> <br /><br />As I rounded the corner on 50 and have had some life changing experiences, death and the thought of it have become more preeminent in my order of thinking. The thought of my wife dying before I do worries me more than my own demise. Insurance has become more important an issue so that my beautiful companion is taken care of in case I pass on before her. Much of my calmness concerning death has to do with my understanding and faith in an afterlife. I do not know what it would be like without that. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o7jMEKplcgNkjshKHj38qBBbLtEB88GAe8UyIYQflNVj_8r4aRuZeC-HhhLWJM3m3mciGVKb0AAQataF6AsiDM9Grdi4iOB9uqtFMesI_bOQfc2Ve0140c4p_nAvrZnH5I_Hi5dAR3XF/s1600-h/grief2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 345px; height: 333px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9o7jMEKplcgNkjshKHj38qBBbLtEB88GAe8UyIYQflNVj_8r4aRuZeC-HhhLWJM3m3mciGVKb0AAQataF6AsiDM9Grdi4iOB9uqtFMesI_bOQfc2Ve0140c4p_nAvrZnH5I_Hi5dAR3XF/s400/grief2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447478560344499954" /></a><br /><br />Living here on this earth is a different story for each of us. Some have it easier according to our definitions than others. I know that there is misery and suffering beyond our imagination on this earth, and I am happy that I have not had to deal with that. I have also come to realize that human emotions and values are spread over a spectrum of endless points. We are a complex race with a certain amount of time here on this earth. What are we supposed to do with it and is there a point to our lives? Again, I believe that there is, and I feel that I understand what that purpose is. However, for those who do not have answers to these questions there is only birth and death. We live and then we die. What we do in between along with how and why those things are, or are not important, remains a mystery to them. That would be difficult for me to live with. I am the type of person that is continually looking for answers to questions. <br /><br />I love to look at the past now to see where we have come from. Finding people that have been truly happy, and then discovering the reasons why, build my faith in what I personally believe. How can we contemplate life and death and look at this world as as "per chance" and not as a creation of a divine being? I find it difficult and disappointing when I find someone that is truly an atheist. I feel bad for them, but also for all of those that they negatively influence. At the same time I can understand why they do not believe in a higher power. There has been so much blood spilled and suffering, that to believe would take some mighty answers with a convincing source. Fortunately for me I have experienced that. For that reason I am writing this in hopes that someone else can experience what I have.<br /><br />Here are words of a prophet that greatly influenced me. A prophet a person designated by God to deliver His word. The prophets name in this case, is Moroni. Here is what he said on how we can attain answers to our questions.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0B2wvEA4odGX5P0aPWSXMZgKgrxBJaU25nTFqEgVuhscGt6N8doGFYDa7gtmxPc4Lg1xnTjmkh8L3ucgtnLgPtb_3r_EiB2H4i3EopB7GNmI0E0-Sqeo0IZTMRQPQv9h81KxiLaA7FX-c/s1600-h/moroni_hide.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0B2wvEA4odGX5P0aPWSXMZgKgrxBJaU25nTFqEgVuhscGt6N8doGFYDa7gtmxPc4Lg1xnTjmkh8L3ucgtnLgPtb_3r_EiB2H4i3EopB7GNmI0E0-Sqeo0IZTMRQPQv9h81KxiLaA7FX-c/s320/moroni_hide.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447479303106616530" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">" Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br />There are answers to all questions. We just need to know how to ask them and then how to receive the answers. The quote above came from Moroni, who lived about 400 AD on the American continent. His people had just been completely annihilated. He wrote this promise at the end of a book named after his father, <a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents"><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">"The Book of Mormon"<a href="http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents"></a></span></span>.</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP8NHCQfg1TWzTrz_sInaJjbr6INkHHirJdzynkqnkkwIXU5IBdVyfKWz8Es7vrYr4Y-1aaecT1Cy5JNdj3Vw3jvLajuWDqfgRuLQ6Sh5alfHJcA6-yupggS1G92WCs80nuENzOPpRgnN/s1600-h/bom.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP8NHCQfg1TWzTrz_sInaJjbr6INkHHirJdzynkqnkkwIXU5IBdVyfKWz8Es7vrYr4Y-1aaecT1Cy5JNdj3Vw3jvLajuWDqfgRuLQ6Sh5alfHJcA6-yupggS1G92WCs80nuENzOPpRgnN/s320/bom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447157923148025058" /></a><br /><br />I would never push this on anyone. But I can personally testify that at the age of 18, I put this to the test. I received an answer to my prayers that was absolutely and unequivocally undeniable. I remember it like it was yesterday. Did it make me perfect and have I lived a life without shame? No. I have never claimed to be better than anyone else on this earth. However, I have answers to questions that I would have never had. Good luck on your journey here. If this helps you then I am happy. If it does not then I wish you well. One thing we all have in common ---- "Everyone lives and Everyone Dies." The questions are, what happened before we came here, what is the purpose of the part in-between, and is there more that comes after this life?<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/238589590/8dcf2d48" width="700" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBMacCb9Y23zN8lqWguenc5V6Ueu4MFYiPp4wCLQoDsxtl4w-Kd1kykjwTncV5bRPlaelTMsqbWZ7chxgfIJmrz0N_qZCZWSwgsHgBYsHkDgI8EaGRPt4G8w2eRIY-5Zm9G_lUQiKHj3p/s1600-h/Globe+-+Question+Mark.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBMacCb9Y23zN8lqWguenc5V6Ueu4MFYiPp4wCLQoDsxtl4w-Kd1kykjwTncV5bRPlaelTMsqbWZ7chxgfIJmrz0N_qZCZWSwgsHgBYsHkDgI8EaGRPt4G8w2eRIY-5Zm9G_lUQiKHj3p/s320/Globe+-+Question+Mark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447479606930432034" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-60538492136657034092010-03-01T09:01:00.000-08:002010-03-01T15:04:28.698-08:00Trials In LifeAs I have been thinking about life lately I have thought a lot about my blessings and how "Footprints in the Sand" has been so much a part of it.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=15331&w=294&h=294" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" height="294" width="294" style="border: 3px double #efefef;background: #333 url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat 50% 50%;"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br />As we begin life we are completely dependent on others. I have just experienced the birth of my 11th grandchild. First with my own children and then with their children I have witnessed this miracle many times. It never ceases to amaze me. I look at these little ones and see perfection. We have been fortunate to have healthy children with few deficits. As I look at them I marvel at their tiny features and how perfectly formed they are. I find their movements and their crying especially to be beautiful. I see the love that their parents have for them and the hope for a grand life. If only all children could come into this life with such love and expectations. However, that does not always happen and trials in life often times begin at birth.<br /><br />As we navigate our way through life we are given some tools to work with. Some are blessed with more tools than others. For some the navigation comes easy to begin with. For others, it doesn't. I have found through long experience that all of us have deficits. Some are hidden and so we begin to believe that we might be alone in our trials. There has never been anything farther from the truth. There is not a person born on this earth that will not have to face monsters in his/her life and make choices that will have negative effects on themselves and others. The very best of us is not perfect. To think that you are is in itself a major obstacle that needs to be overcome. <br /><br />Some trials involve sickness and deformities. Others are brought on by those around us. Then there are those that we bring on ourselves by our decisions and actions. Regardless of how they happen trials are a part of everyone's life. Why does it have to be this way? There must be a purpose to these trials. I do know that I would not be the person that I am without my own personal trials. Could I have been a better person had I not brought many of these trials on myself? There is not a doubt in my mind that is true. Because of that I work to with those that are younger than I am, trying to help them avoid those same pitfalls. Some will listen while others need, and are destined to experience things on their own. I will always tell people that it is better to learn from others negative life experiences than to experience them yourself. The physical ailments or any number of trials that are brought on by external sources are often considered unfair. They are, but that does not factor them out of our lives. We must choose then just how they will effect us. Will we grow from them and turn them to our advantage, or will we succumb to them with discouragement in defeat.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/232444799/af21f8b5" width="600" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />Death comes to all. It is a part of life. We do not generally choose when it will happen. There are so many different beliefs as to what the hereafter will bring. I have my own feelings concerning that. All of these things are important aspects of our existence, the trials we face, and how we then deal with life. Saying that I want you to know that I believe we are placed on this earth to learn and to grow through our own free agency. I also believe that there is a hereafter that will go on forever. Our time on this earth then is very short, but meaningful. The decisions we make here will pave our way into an eternal future. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya78TaUOPb1m3QfVm5fTtsbaZG9m9nLzWbKrbi_k9h_nr6jp-IHisz_Fm7r4JRVwPkwNHZzdw39XLD-wNRQ_wq39LJKjcHEdqEOjqsohtK2Aknxupa-8ty49w0PPqvLa0nVE3Ho3u_PbV/s1600-h/Life's+Designer.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya78TaUOPb1m3QfVm5fTtsbaZG9m9nLzWbKrbi_k9h_nr6jp-IHisz_Fm7r4JRVwPkwNHZzdw39XLD-wNRQ_wq39LJKjcHEdqEOjqsohtK2Aknxupa-8ty49w0PPqvLa0nVE3Ho3u_PbV/s400/Life's+Designer.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443804601935997650" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />How do you view the trials in your life. Are they roadblocks or opportunities. Do you hunker down and feel sorry for yourself, or do you stand up and change. I can honestly say that I have done both, many times. As life goes on I am trying more and more to understand life and what I am confronted with. I believe that God can and will direct us if we have the faith to let him. <br /><br />Out time here is short. Use it wisely and try to actually be thankful for your trials, realizing that through them you will understand life better than most. Look at these lessons as eternal and realize that it won't be long from now that they will end, but the lessons learned will stay with us forever. <br /><br />Last of all keep your head up. Realize that you are far from being alone. There is nothing that you have done in this life or you have gone through, that has not happened to others, both good and bad. If this gives just one person hope then I am happy that I have shared it with all!The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-15097938616890462010-01-28T10:25:00.001-08:002010-01-28T15:00:08.301-08:00The Question of Time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPokXdHwAKxsT6-Az0kq_21afK4KYgss9ohQp5m7MGZ8XcHalrwt9z0qddpPUTwaeCsFhs199kMoUvrU8J1r7HAo6OcWa-BQqe0aTmAXNbSR4HWhgaUgKVtMWHtp7xAQN5hVSOxWUq7v6/s1600-h/Spring-cover_pocket_clock3_open_clockface2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidPokXdHwAKxsT6-Az0kq_21afK4KYgss9ohQp5m7MGZ8XcHalrwt9z0qddpPUTwaeCsFhs199kMoUvrU8J1r7HAo6OcWa-BQqe0aTmAXNbSR4HWhgaUgKVtMWHtp7xAQN5hVSOxWUq7v6/s200/Spring-cover_pocket_clock3_open_clockface2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431925657373096178" /></a><br /><br />I think about time lost in a day. There are so many quotes about time and the preciousness of it. Don't waste your time. If you use every moment in time to do good then you will be happy. Don't let a moment of time slip by because you can never get it back again. The moment that time goes by it becomes the past.<br /><br />I remember finding cocoons when I was a kid that were open. There was nothing in them and I always wondered what had come out of them. Is there another dimension where time has a different measurement. If we could take time and plan each moment then we could really have fulfillment. However to do that would take to much time and would allow for no spontaneity.<br /><br />I have thought about what it would be like to look into the future and I have decided that it would not only be pointless but it would also scare me. Imagine going back a year in your life and seeing what happens in your life up until this point in time. Think about all of the trials you have faced, as well as sickness and despair. I don't believe I could take it. And yet as time happens one incident at a time we deal with it and are usually strong enough to continue on, leaving our moments in the past.<br /><br />When I look at my family I remember when my wife and I were young and newly married. Now my children are older than I was then and they have children. Time then can give us posterity. That can be the greatest gift of all if it is important to us. My wife and children are beautiful to me so time in this instance has been good to me. <br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/210055976/6074ff37" width="200" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />My body is slowly growing older and it seems that I have more ailments, aches and pains. In this instance time is against me. Who created time, or has it always just been there? When we measure it by our seasons it makes me wonder how many countless measurements there may be on other worlds with different seasonal rotations.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLsvSahL5_I4tlHowXnrEq_GiQ-vtOL9RensjcAsW1SpNaDXjn5Ul_4M0ZAz0LeImDq3rVyo7eTC3cCTNtdYXiojhkT5i_VxkjJS22Qvy9cxoE3qhe7lewh1FZ0OLvJ81Y4Q4e5I3dr7B/s1600-h/NASA_-_Black_Hole_Grabs_Starry_Snack.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLsvSahL5_I4tlHowXnrEq_GiQ-vtOL9RensjcAsW1SpNaDXjn5Ul_4M0ZAz0LeImDq3rVyo7eTC3cCTNtdYXiojhkT5i_VxkjJS22Qvy9cxoE3qhe7lewh1FZ0OLvJ81Y4Q4e5I3dr7B/s400/NASA_-_Black_Hole_Grabs_Starry_Snack.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431926548480890578" /></a><br /><br />A question that has been asked time and again throughout the existence of this world would be is it possible to travel through time. If so, how would we manage that? Would it be in a machine or through a black hole in space. Can we change our past or future. How fast do we need to go to travel faster than time. Did you know that the sounds that we hear have already happened. Did you know that the light that we see in the sky is very old light? The stars that we see might not even be there. We might be looking at an object that hasn't existed for thousands or millions of years.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lfXsWYLV1OpJs9Ea5en6Oujm5Ct9bowjv4N8wQes_y5jrs8eRsChwwhgSSeMRB4mrQtHsFCv2ssdn7R50wDkZhCNs0gkDWdRh5tnr88vqjdqmdYPtDbou-obqsIYaUIydd3JUjWXEI46/s1600-h/Time_on_the_Woter_-_Adobe.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lfXsWYLV1OpJs9Ea5en6Oujm5Ct9bowjv4N8wQes_y5jrs8eRsChwwhgSSeMRB4mrQtHsFCv2ssdn7R50wDkZhCNs0gkDWdRh5tnr88vqjdqmdYPtDbou-obqsIYaUIydd3JUjWXEI46/s400/Time_on_the_Woter_-_Adobe.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431927126718006386" /></a><br /><br />All of these things are related to time. Well time marches on and with it we all travel together on this earth. We are all going in the same direction and for some it is easier than others. We need to realize that time holds all of us captive. We do not know how long it will be relative to our existence but I do know that the time that we have is a gift. I am hoping that I can make the most out of it and then move on! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DcbzOAQjtzSMJYNoslhJwXnwhTxvMe32nQi2j8wKFT6QMXbkHyfYFXtqt7J8bPy6jEmPOddW-RHGJIugu3AF6dZPBuhy-AlBtCKnkbEr5gtalycq_NPqPpVrtF6aBnNQf6YwVcITT0im/s1600-h/abstract-hand-in-time-wallpapers_1693_1024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DcbzOAQjtzSMJYNoslhJwXnwhTxvMe32nQi2j8wKFT6QMXbkHyfYFXtqt7J8bPy6jEmPOddW-RHGJIugu3AF6dZPBuhy-AlBtCKnkbEr5gtalycq_NPqPpVrtF6aBnNQf6YwVcITT0im/s400/abstract-hand-in-time-wallpapers_1693_1024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431927430952020210" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-61271935755618547842010-01-14T15:03:00.000-08:002010-01-18T08:11:04.429-08:00The Doctrine of Non-Violence<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobb8tn41jvlMBeEuP0LYSfPah7QvBoZzZrdK_k3rQYbqhJ7NVmvLILGhbq-mwmKv2JrkMud_ALweFJwHxrQAEmFgXga35zMkna2__zcj7XFuHzA9vAg1Z5b1fPoIUxk9oWjEVerzbvSUu/s1600-h/Marching+to+Selma+1965+Voting+Rights.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhobb8tn41jvlMBeEuP0LYSfPah7QvBoZzZrdK_k3rQYbqhJ7NVmvLILGhbq-mwmKv2JrkMud_ALweFJwHxrQAEmFgXga35zMkna2__zcj7XFuHzA9vAg1Z5b1fPoIUxk9oWjEVerzbvSUu/s400/Marching+to+Selma+1965+Voting+Rights.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426740225103065426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-oGwF1mmdHmaB9VA1X3XZPyBMM0xSrlBUqAGytUuDEUlADHUCHulURLMV-FROtKIE5jDvH6VfyRVGLDCJ1Z2cL31wVn14HFrXq8btCBtSNB14wqAI37oBGIApYDYlDT7BeBKCZiIWYeq/s1600-h/freemen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-oGwF1mmdHmaB9VA1X3XZPyBMM0xSrlBUqAGytUuDEUlADHUCHulURLMV-FROtKIE5jDvH6VfyRVGLDCJ1Z2cL31wVn14HFrXq8btCBtSNB14wqAI37oBGIApYDYlDT7BeBKCZiIWYeq/s400/freemen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426745892263966882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPRu-dTFMipQaBrCBN2j0b8Ih99JAR66E7gjKFBVoL6Gc5miBh9cTk3t7Ns2XyirD-t2knprY9gcZdwc0QXipsI9IVGlCkf5opGe61hOaOWdEgd-SDW_XpJtySSczoEY82k_6dq1AxkI9/s1600-h/vote.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgPRu-dTFMipQaBrCBN2j0b8Ih99JAR66E7gjKFBVoL6Gc5miBh9cTk3t7Ns2XyirD-t2knprY9gcZdwc0QXipsI9IVGlCkf5opGe61hOaOWdEgd-SDW_XpJtySSczoEY82k_6dq1AxkI9/s400/vote.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426745646548247106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/197700049/19c3dcee" width="450" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed> <br /><br /><a href="http://www.footnote.com/page/110293404_martin_luther_king_jr_i_have_a_dream//">Martin Luther King Jr.’s- I Have a Dream</a> speech capsulizes the Civil Rights Movement better than any thing else that has been said. That is why families of all races gather around their TVs and the internet on the 3rd Monday of January each year to listen to it. <br /><br />I believe that when Dr King gave this speech he was specific in many ways. He was the obvious leader of the black civil rights movement in the US. In this speech he was not targeting Gay and Lesbian issues, or foreign issues for that matter. He had a big enough problem to deal with, without bringing others into it. It would be nice if we could always use non-violent measures to stifle greed, inequality, and other problems that cause caustic situations, but I am of the opinion that we cannot. <br /><br />At the time that Martin Luther King was using non-violent methods to conquer hate down in the south let's not forget that it was the scenes on TVs around the nation that caused our government to send in the National Guard to protect those students and allow blacks to vote. Am I against non-violence? I believe in non-violence coupled with outside pressure and possibly force. Without it there would have been no national recognition and action taken. Gandhi would not have accomplished what he was able to in India. There was also world attention and outrage brought to the surface in that situation.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/197700079/32ee8f2d" width="450" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />The Holocaust is a great example of how non-violence on its own is not enough. The Jews and many others were slaughtered by the Nazi's. They committed these atrocities in silence keeping the news to themselves. There was some word that got out but there was no concrete evidence that was presented to people world wide. The Jews for the most part were slaughtered without incident. They were pretty non-violent. Did that sway the Nazi's from their evil agenda? Did that stop them from murdering innocent men women and children? Not in the least. When our soldiers liberated those camps the American public along with the rest of the world was outraged. If we would have found out sooner, would we have helped them? I don't think there is a question that we would have immediately sent our troops over. Millions could have been saved.<br /><br />The point is that the nature of man is inherently evil. Non-violence can work in quite a few situations swaying those that can be swayed without violence. However, there are situations that call for action. Without it the oppression continues, even until extinction. If we had men and women in charge of things who were pure in heart and generally well rounded with goodness and virtue then our actions whatever they might be would be better suited for each example that appears.<br /><br />Since we are not in that position then we rely on our leaders to see these things. After they are elected, within the realm of their own knowledge and weaknesses, they make decisions. We can hypothesize all we want to, but in the end it comes down to the human spirit which in some cases has had the light of humanity extinguished. Trusting in the president to make correct decisions is all that we can do. That is why it is so important who we vote for!<br /><br />To believe that non-violence and understanding ones enemy’s position will solve all caustic situations is a dangerous and irresponsible position to take. Sooner or later the individual who believes this could very well find themselves in an untenable and possibly terminal situation.The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-46989355917308839072010-01-08T14:00:00.000-08:002010-01-25T12:17:35.391-08:00Dr King's "I Have a Dream"<embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/197750118/da91fd7a" width="250" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdURti7TyI1rrIjtfREeWOB2PEuYkq3sCD8PbedLtrHYHCWn8VaVYx_dZelIFrXLNyk9jqQNk1UZEGmcJm4HewCbFNY-z8QPB7k6w5hK9SmchOHKK_Ki_Ps_-Xb8q1aptxZ_ZcApMm8vAC/s1600-h/martin_luther_king3jpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdURti7TyI1rrIjtfREeWOB2PEuYkq3sCD8PbedLtrHYHCWn8VaVYx_dZelIFrXLNyk9jqQNk1UZEGmcJm4HewCbFNY-z8QPB7k6w5hK9SmchOHKK_Ki_Ps_-Xb8q1aptxZ_ZcApMm8vAC/s320/martin_luther_king3jpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426641295043914290" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUigC6BdbctWKWnNqt7W-pUy-UkoAE4WMf4N3xNTE-rVCwts2FHW4tMcG1KIxQyWkgOVCamm-ACjSe0_PA5yF4MiWNqQwQD73smy-MW_xv4IBycOQroAk56Cebct3tROOvZbZJsL9JkDhw/s1600-h/Senator+Kennedy+and+Bobbyjpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUigC6BdbctWKWnNqt7W-pUy-UkoAE4WMf4N3xNTE-rVCwts2FHW4tMcG1KIxQyWkgOVCamm-ACjSe0_PA5yF4MiWNqQwQD73smy-MW_xv4IBycOQroAk56Cebct3tROOvZbZJsL9JkDhw/s200/Senator+Kennedy+and+Bobbyjpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424521382360644306" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD29DZHLFWliFjK-yhreZoh8PZ-TGI4rwvw7_4kg5CaakeB9LII-4z47LkX11qMlflqVBaGaP6SsjXswA1AfUoDeITI8YgG_Aoo8RaatoXbiICKxn2d00HCIHUR7pJbiZjdeqNo4lZJHYP/s1600-h/Lincoln.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD29DZHLFWliFjK-yhreZoh8PZ-TGI4rwvw7_4kg5CaakeB9LII-4z47LkX11qMlflqVBaGaP6SsjXswA1AfUoDeITI8YgG_Aoo8RaatoXbiICKxn2d00HCIHUR7pJbiZjdeqNo4lZJHYP/s200/Lincoln.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424521243028613106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I have been thinking a lot about Martin Luther King Jr. as well as John and Robert Kennedy. For that matter Abraham Lincoln is a huge portion of the picture.One of my favorite songs in my teen years was Abraham Martin and John. My favorite version of the song to this day, is by Marvin Gaye. <br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/191779538/8bb61ef4" width="450" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br />From our countries beginning the constitution was set up that all men are equal. Yet, from the beginning of our independence the blacks were never free. It has always been impossible for me to imagine that one person might consider another as less than human, but that is exactly what many slave owners assumed. Maybe it was how they rationalized slavery, or maybe they actually believed it?! Native Americans as well as the Chinese and any other race that wasn't European white has gone through this same examination. However, the blacks have had much more to contend with because of their slavery roots, and being one of the central issues for the American Civil War. One of my favorite songs in my teen years was Abraham Martin and John.<br /><br /><br />In the beginning slavers went to Africa and picked up blacks as if they were cattle. They transported them under inhumane Nazi conditions to "The New World" to be sold on auction blocks to the highest bidder. We can look back in history to understand that this practice was not new. It was well entrenched, especially in the South before the very first constitutional convention took place, and was one of the issues considered when creating that great document. How is it possible that it took women so long to get the right to vote and blacks so long for any freedom to come their way when our own Declaration of Independence reads; "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."? When Dr. King in his "I Have a Dream" speech said that he the US needed to make good on a bad check given to his people, I'm sure referred to this part of our declaration and then to the Emancipation Proclamation as well as the 13th amendment.<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=14340&w=294&h=294" style="border: 3px double rgb(239, 239, 239); background: rgb(51, 51, 51) url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat scroll 50% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="294" width="294"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Today, we can look around our country and see concrete evidence that the notion of the slavers and the slave owners, as well as those prejudiced racists which reside in the borders of our country were wrong. Black people are among the most intelligent scholars in the nation. They are doctors, lawyers,politicians, police commissioners, teachers, and they shine in every other profession you can think of. They are some of the most gifted athletes, artists and musicians in our country. We have black Nobel Prize winners, along with scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and now even our President.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.footnote.com/page/110293404_martin_luther_king_jr_i_have_a_dream/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dr. Martin Luther King had a dream</span></a>. I group John and Bobby Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln with him because they all shared in this profound dream of equality, and in their deaths they all sealed this same dream with their blood.<br /><br />"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."<br /><br />According to what we have written and what we profess to believe as American Citizens, it should have always been this way and most certainly should be today. Whatever we need to do to root out the evil of racism and inequality in our great country, we need to be the generation that makes sure it happens. Shame on you if you don't!<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/197737266/62b935fa" width="450" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRkyq2jByF0nAwIN-zyt3UX01-hL7q7DjN6eX34Bz38niWdQmpmBvP4cFyh4UBaNCRqnQvc23DU-ozpYSd6lL-gHLtK65UxiV2PQ4CUbJEh9JbbqJ6KVDV2HIhzw9ZB8Q2Clkjs0VA1DQ/s1600-h/MLK.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRkyq2jByF0nAwIN-zyt3UX01-hL7q7DjN6eX34Bz38niWdQmpmBvP4cFyh4UBaNCRqnQvc23DU-ozpYSd6lL-gHLtK65UxiV2PQ4CUbJEh9JbbqJ6KVDV2HIhzw9ZB8Q2Clkjs0VA1DQ/s400/MLK.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424522719323396802" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5cKBKTPgFlLJUt_D7xXpyOsQw7LbnDEl0PrlIAZYzJuZn4A2Pu878hERL_6Qyx3ciJCZzjdHokPzMLrbPhPEyPALZNl0UtP8DSU-jQifKQBLFyrOoJvRtmKUgtZcHv68ECFZhjuhIw3p/s1600-h/MARTIN'S+DREAM.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5cKBKTPgFlLJUt_D7xXpyOsQw7LbnDEl0PrlIAZYzJuZn4A2Pu878hERL_6Qyx3ciJCZzjdHokPzMLrbPhPEyPALZNl0UtP8DSU-jQifKQBLFyrOoJvRtmKUgtZcHv68ECFZhjuhIw3p/s400/MARTIN'S+DREAM.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426642225085920322" border="0" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-74188514591466728612009-12-29T09:48:00.000-08:002009-12-29T12:32:30.214-08:00An Open Letter to Those Who Deny the Holocaust and Compare Isreal to Nazi GermanyTo Whom This May Concern!<br /><br />People have been hurt and mistakes have been made, but to compare the Jews to the Nazi's is absolutely unacceptable, and a lie. In fact, it is thoughtlessness bordering on pure and unadulterated negligence.<br /><br />The Nazi's objectives were to completely annihilate a race of people for no real reason. They were out for nothing less than world domination. Those who do not believe in a <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.footnote.com/page/110056803_nazi_concentration_camp_records/">HOLOCAUST</a> are ignorant and careless. The Nazi's were the aggressors with no provocation.<br /><br />The Jewish People settled in a land that was once theirs. Religious differences caused war and strife in the area. Escaping recently from near extinction they fought and have continued to. When there have been moments of peace with the Palestinians it has been interrupted by Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, and others lobbing rockets across borders and attacking innocent civilians with suicide bombers.<br /><br />Why is it that the pictures we always see now are only of the degradations to the Palestinians? Why aren't pictures of buses or marketplaces blown up by suicide bombers or rockets launched at Israel, shown alongside of them. A good picture to show would be the Israeli's picking up the pieces in the aftermath. When the Nazi's attacked it was unprovoked. The Israeli's are fighting back just like anyone would!<br /><br />It never ceases to amaze me how absolutely one-sided a person can be. There are always two sides to every conflict. Looking at it from the Palestinian side of things, I see a people that have been ousted from their land. In the beginning I believe there was a fairly harmonic relationship between the Jews and the Palestinians living in Israel. I believe that they were both thankful to have the English leave. Then hatred for the Jews and their religion in the region spurned more hatred and pressure on the Palestinians that lived with them. More Jews arrived from war torn Europe. As the pressure and accusations increased on both sides it caused a war. Since that time there has been nothing but agitation. The Palestinians are victims of this conflict. They are caught in the middle of a Jewish-Muslim conflict and the Palestinian's home is being used by the Muslims as a place to attack the Israeli's, knowing that they will retaliate. The Palestinians are not strong enough to keep these extremists out of their borders. Then the Muslim world uses the Palestinians as martyrs to sell their wares to the world.<br /><br />I don't know that there will ever be peace in that region of the world, but to blame it all on Israel is ludicrous, and lacking in judgment as well as fact. I for one am sickened by it all. I do not know all that Muhammad <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> taught, but if he was any kind of a prophet of Allah (God), then he taught peace. Here is an article that I found interesting. Perhaps you will as well.<br /><a title="View The Prophet Muhammad's Message of Peace on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/2034206/The-Prophet-Muhammads-Message-of-Peace" style="margin: 12px auto 6px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">The Prophet Muhammad's Message of Peace</a> <object codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,0,0" id="doc_523527588172783" name="doc_523527588172783" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="100%" align="middle" height="500"> <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=2034206&access_key=key-rtzqllnvwh2avt3do76&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="play" value="true"> <param name="loop" value="true"> <param name="scale" value="showall"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="devicefont" value="false"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="menu" value="true"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="salign" value=""> <param name="mode" value="list"> <embed src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=2034206&access_key=key-rtzqllnvwh2avt3do76&page=1&version=1&viewMode=list" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" play="true" loop="true" scale="showall" wmode="opaque" devicefont="false" bgcolor="#ffffff" name="doc_523527588172783_object" menu="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" salign="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" mode="list" width="100%" align="middle" height="500"></embed> </object>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-10295391396172635602009-12-21T12:55:00.000-08:002010-02-01T08:50:01.789-08:00Personalized Inspirational Wallpaper<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpEM0oEdiKRv3nL11NH2Is5Txo5bNSHaaNcrEAaf41UXBgLHIHlE_UT5nuFJGfnACclqBo3y_rA8fPEAWuUyUKle9XT2WTPYHcmWtO1YZgVyQDVaxPxeR7drMntOQtoxHI75Pf4OVftp2/s1600-h/Bethany_Hamilton2_0_0.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwpEM0oEdiKRv3nL11NH2Is5Txo5bNSHaaNcrEAaf41UXBgLHIHlE_UT5nuFJGfnACclqBo3y_rA8fPEAWuUyUKle9XT2WTPYHcmWtO1YZgVyQDVaxPxeR7drMntOQtoxHI75Pf4OVftp2/s320/Bethany_Hamilton2_0_0.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417807299733548370" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2vsyldHx3qWBCzXNS1gAola_7IfBYi5vU9RLt72CLXh-FTNZcIQ_5YJJ62eQAfWDarTetPsl3Hr8LvVLNTU6k92nNC5hBYL7kymPPIB-3zlkdNocpKxnAGGNWvYK4Ho6XH9OWAhSlSdk/s1600-h/Native+American.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2vsyldHx3qWBCzXNS1gAola_7IfBYi5vU9RLt72CLXh-FTNZcIQ_5YJJ62eQAfWDarTetPsl3Hr8LvVLNTU6k92nNC5hBYL7kymPPIB-3zlkdNocpKxnAGGNWvYK4Ho6XH9OWAhSlSdk/s320/Native+American.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417807147369211618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This is my second positive attitude entry in a row. It has been awhile since I have written and much has happened. No matter how much we want to dance in the rain, sometimes it seems like we are wearing cement boots. I have created different ways to keep myself motivated. I sit in front of a computer all day and it is important for me to stay focused on the purpose of life. I have created a few individualized wallpapers for my computer that are a bit different than those I have seen. I thought I would share them through my blog along with a favorite Cat Stevens song. The tune and lyrics are uplifting and easy! I sang this through the years with my 6th grade classes. Please enjoy this entry and feel free to use any of the wallpaper you find inspiring.<br /><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/178264287/e267fb14" width="1050" height="50" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJREE4Ki2ureA2QPJB6snuctRjtxYuuDRpuPV4YlMaOouE6qhKTKhcHaDVmzXLPk396LECTTGxG1a4vYzEu2JVTUUcfG2crwCr0w9tnL4BkWPWfsOitzTD1rTuquU_dUk8UmxTaondJWkc/s1600-h/Eye+For+Eye.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJREE4Ki2ureA2QPJB6snuctRjtxYuuDRpuPV4YlMaOouE6qhKTKhcHaDVmzXLPk396LECTTGxG1a4vYzEu2JVTUUcfG2crwCr0w9tnL4BkWPWfsOitzTD1rTuquU_dUk8UmxTaondJWkc/s400/Eye+For+Eye.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417804137750011730" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwg5qLLTc7i7Kk-61d4oUXr3uAQWmbcBuLK0PAXcKvtaOlIEMWy8Gvvi6K-pAlyxcC7OS5SynyH93eGEGzQcRR7SBw1_Sebv3YhNrXVh26vdUSyb4A9q0HdBvRT6nMXt5YMdX4Y_TdWUj/s1600-h/Surfing+and+Succeeding%21.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxwg5qLLTc7i7Kk-61d4oUXr3uAQWmbcBuLK0PAXcKvtaOlIEMWy8Gvvi6K-pAlyxcC7OS5SynyH93eGEGzQcRR7SBw1_Sebv3YhNrXVh26vdUSyb4A9q0HdBvRT6nMXt5YMdX4Y_TdWUj/s320/Surfing+and+Succeeding%21.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417808088108799714" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUwUyQQ8bHiVfbDZxEPBmiC5SdoT8qtz_egD-seaJJ6Ue8ZlUPed9Xy1dZz6nYS13974F-a7ldgEsnO6KfkcFs6PToGyqGBipgW2x_XDEI6uwuPf2K-cQuTOXrytVhP7BYzMnbNk0Q5Wo/s1600-h/Self+Mastery.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUwUyQQ8bHiVfbDZxEPBmiC5SdoT8qtz_egD-seaJJ6Ue8ZlUPed9Xy1dZz6nYS13974F-a7ldgEsnO6KfkcFs6PToGyqGBipgW2x_XDEI6uwuPf2K-cQuTOXrytVhP7BYzMnbNk0Q5Wo/s320/Self+Mastery.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417808383922852546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyuZqjYbv-7nRQPp5IzkvMpsmWJTf9JwS8NpfGOTz01lyPO3aRDKpkBndO7KPrybuCbV_Q5CAYQhMhuBJOEScQrFqkqmbKGImCq9CeiillAtDzTk8sGR6cZtvnu5gbuiYBVc7ILfYOsLB/s1600-h/The+Street+Sweeper.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyuZqjYbv-7nRQPp5IzkvMpsmWJTf9JwS8NpfGOTz01lyPO3aRDKpkBndO7KPrybuCbV_Q5CAYQhMhuBJOEScQrFqkqmbKGImCq9CeiillAtDzTk8sGR6cZtvnu5gbuiYBVc7ILfYOsLB/s400/The+Street+Sweeper.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417806660397972002" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtsXkgkhN_WqeDzXsKnrSZ5cTY1jncZW64quMOVaZbNeOWBMrRKf_DGzpr7r3AeifJ4yikS2v1FvCb1j969On8bBASyysma3bXvTKJrK0lZDVxit6wa3hB5ryEBeVG2h8cLyvx5GB7Fs9/s1600-h/Red+Cloud.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtsXkgkhN_WqeDzXsKnrSZ5cTY1jncZW64quMOVaZbNeOWBMrRKf_DGzpr7r3AeifJ4yikS2v1FvCb1j969On8bBASyysma3bXvTKJrK0lZDVxit6wa3hB5ryEBeVG2h8cLyvx5GB7Fs9/s400/Red+Cloud.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417829533299103634" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlHuNA9Wjb5ls_G07LDgrsSADR7LdPk2m-GyjYQV0iWnsD2Oc_t7DEelc9k59rFZ1yRoenVjzsIBWEJsmIznBaHtFRBZq9c64hG2wxr6zWpyW8RvhFV3m5tJ7bL5Zkgixupq0MTk0PCAq/s1600-h/Character.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlHuNA9Wjb5ls_G07LDgrsSADR7LdPk2m-GyjYQV0iWnsD2Oc_t7DEelc9k59rFZ1yRoenVjzsIBWEJsmIznBaHtFRBZq9c64hG2wxr6zWpyW8RvhFV3m5tJ7bL5Zkgixupq0MTk0PCAq/s400/Character.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433310540003032930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdurC1fTT5DrkXIcwyRSigEz_N2g3aUorIWxB71AzcX6RzQGjxdIgOoUiOENQSgyeuuyFPkJ80CA74C4AZFc20lqVG9XdHCKizgEsRMydGB8ISqgvQq-P1FrPQhGvotuZyKgj02PvbROw/s1600-h/Marriage.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVdurC1fTT5DrkXIcwyRSigEz_N2g3aUorIWxB71AzcX6RzQGjxdIgOoUiOENQSgyeuuyFPkJ80CA74C4AZFc20lqVG9XdHCKizgEsRMydGB8ISqgvQq-P1FrPQhGvotuZyKgj02PvbROw/s400/Marriage.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433310409252740082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QTodECnx9NOTIj2Nfa2KJ8-VHyZLiZr5nTN24AcScy_B9eX8f4F3Xt9vtTy2bwBAh2zXEoBzJwvl-sj7qBsQRwqkR4nn7-2GptLkuTmQemjZmp5p8zzzvIcvJjRQeh4T_g2snFKagjLe/s1600-h/Vista_wallpaper_The_storm_and_rain.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5QTodECnx9NOTIj2Nfa2KJ8-VHyZLiZr5nTN24AcScy_B9eX8f4F3Xt9vtTy2bwBAh2zXEoBzJwvl-sj7qBsQRwqkR4nn7-2GptLkuTmQemjZmp5p8zzzvIcvJjRQeh4T_g2snFKagjLe/s400/Vista_wallpaper_The_storm_and_rain.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433309426877677666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_WapkF4s4tmj014AI39Enaf5N1G2y-gsEVSmUP0Wd7pgj6eA8sqJBt2XsRjIn5oXP0D2hO-OunJQ6HKp1iKE0SJqUHr11CCnQX1mnB-ZXLJklfkEnhSARHJo4SukzH7N0b2EwWFiJ0dz/s1600-h/sunset1-with-sun-and-clouds-jesus-in-background.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix_WapkF4s4tmj014AI39Enaf5N1G2y-gsEVSmUP0Wd7pgj6eA8sqJBt2XsRjIn5oXP0D2hO-OunJQ6HKp1iKE0SJqUHr11CCnQX1mnB-ZXLJklfkEnhSARHJo4SukzH7N0b2EwWFiJ0dz/s400/sunset1-with-sun-and-clouds-jesus-in-background.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433309292008253298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqND_P2cChgMsQ5bjHX-kjZhZ_GVwx42l-HnfI_KXCSlOOMpK9EYf_3SBODgfWX5p0MCFPahSkpGcacjau9OfgRyF7IDSO60BzT43pA7C8V83rEhDZiOblWTAEkt-LrOcCtJKGPiUg9SlA/s1600-h/Love.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqND_P2cChgMsQ5bjHX-kjZhZ_GVwx42l-HnfI_KXCSlOOMpK9EYf_3SBODgfWX5p0MCFPahSkpGcacjau9OfgRyF7IDSO60BzT43pA7C8V83rEhDZiOblWTAEkt-LrOcCtJKGPiUg9SlA/s400/Love.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433315123038196786" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTb9UDNMeXWzI3NvZzW01-_8-9AjADS6aES19qQ0iVpKm0anDlAg_ADu8mTsE3UzHnyR_g-nHLZi0_RN4xk4wrw2bLNtgrTrx7lEbtM0xq6Txzd45UkkvJWYMSXoj6dxvZaYtxGF9Po2U/s1600-h/Dream.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTb9UDNMeXWzI3NvZzW01-_8-9AjADS6aES19qQ0iVpKm0anDlAg_ADu8mTsE3UzHnyR_g-nHLZi0_RN4xk4wrw2bLNtgrTrx7lEbtM0xq6Txzd45UkkvJWYMSXoj6dxvZaYtxGF9Po2U/s400/Dream.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433318223260293266" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-34809537257945853022009-12-02T09:16:00.000-08:002009-12-02T11:40:32.627-08:00Dancing In the Rain!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5vvqI0mX0jCNoUScZevKacI72CpVpWCr3RUggl6jVtchvUJJBwKi1m9AdsEPQIfTiegqaHW8h4wuPZFuVQX_kwFfg06ilpO_WJ7KqSmz40wGqAX_-3jPsNbvB1tcyb9_O_KZpM_VQ-lf/s1600-h/Rain-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG5vvqI0mX0jCNoUScZevKacI72CpVpWCr3RUggl6jVtchvUJJBwKi1m9AdsEPQIfTiegqaHW8h4wuPZFuVQX_kwFfg06ilpO_WJ7KqSmz40wGqAX_-3jPsNbvB1tcyb9_O_KZpM_VQ-lf/s400/Rain-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410696861060542850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqy6v6l4-mCxf8NxcpvarJY0EnPL5yxP5w_ARu8lNnzpq4WrxTlMvVkMnCW8n-1hgdu_yGlBTeZUo_om3NTkpDqRPAU3MFT-AMQBUnotkCSswwUZK_vdaxIie0c7wGpcyAGFqOenQ8smsB/s1600-h/dancing_in_the_rain%5B1%5D.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 322px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqy6v6l4-mCxf8NxcpvarJY0EnPL5yxP5w_ARu8lNnzpq4WrxTlMvVkMnCW8n-1hgdu_yGlBTeZUo_om3NTkpDqRPAU3MFT-AMQBUnotkCSswwUZK_vdaxIie0c7wGpcyAGFqOenQ8smsB/s400/dancing_in_the_rain%5B1%5D.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410696566761463282" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I thought I would take a different route today with this posting. I have been thinking a lot about life lately. It probably has something to do with my age (53)! I was up at my daughter's home in Washington and I noticed a saying on her wall....<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:lucida grande;" >Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass....</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:lucida grande;" >It is about learning to dance in the rain!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br />Normally I would have just let it go as a nice quote with some good meaning. It went deeper than that. I call myself the History Man because I am intrigued with the connections to my own life and our present time as a world civilization. History has shaped us into who we are today. Any little deviation in time could have given us a different today, maybe better, maybe worse. Collectively people have worked together or fought with one another, to determine our path. However, there have been certain individuals that have had a dynamic effect on the outcome of civilization. Some of these individuals have been good for mankind while others have not. Since I have worked for <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.footnote.com/">FOOTNOTE.COM</a> I have come to appreciate the effect that each of our lives have on others. Even if we are not one of these dynamic individuals we still play a great part in shaping what happens within our own sphere. When I first started in the job I now have, I wrote a poem for a Christmas letter to some of our clients. I built it around the word Footnote and found when I was done that my philosophy of life and individual importance had been expressed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaJalABF7bMJe2NjU4KUIScmUAOJ9tZkjAFCnJefRkLdkBE2DogldI2MzKwUqx6D6-98qwswo5URQFcuLl2ZFMd8GxfSKjEdzdegtbw94mCGpgoUsaVGA1M6M4ooOoy-W9ZsutuEmBhcC/s1600-h/Charlie's+scan_0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaJalABF7bMJe2NjU4KUIScmUAOJ9tZkjAFCnJefRkLdkBE2DogldI2MzKwUqx6D6-98qwswo5URQFcuLl2ZFMd8GxfSKjEdzdegtbw94mCGpgoUsaVGA1M6M4ooOoy-W9ZsutuEmBhcC/s400/Charlie's+scan_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410704287679974914" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With all of these things in mind I want to now come back to "Dancing In the Rain". Life is full of ups and downs. Sometimes the clouds are so thick and the rain is coming down so hard that despair sets in. I once had a very wise man tell me that the difference between disappointment and discouragement is a very thin line. Disappointment causes us to act while discouragement finds us giving in to the darkness. How we deal with that line determines whether we are happy or depressed. No one enjoys depression. The purpose of life in my opinion is to experience joy. I don't think many would disagree with that. We have a conscious choice to make. Do we get up when the clouds converge on us and dance in the rain, or do we give up for a time and distance ourselves from living. <br /><br />I do believe children have the answer. Everything to them is an adventure, or a miracle. They notice the small things like a mud puddle. I remember as I sit here how enthralled I was when I was a child with a big mud puddle. They almost seemed like lakes. Wading in up to my shins was a great adventure. Getting wet in the rain and then playing in it was a great joy. It was almost magical. It was my parents who had to tell me to come in out of the rain, probably because they didn't want me sick. As a child I didn't think about getting sick until it was driven into me. Until that time life in the rain was nothing but a great adventure. I am afraid that sometimes we mistake putting out the fire of life with wisdom. I will end by sharing a couple more pictures with you and a song by one of my favorites, Carol King.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwNHfF4coEbkyMyzmEmULd4eWNpLfMiWd_hyphenhyphenHhvq5T3grfgYZvQHkB5kXTQZTSdn8Z3lCPeZA_I9YzyT8osfNdlD0ZZOtBiNeojIZHjXyWbg9AuEUcdSmkIxBNNJOiBr05Y_p1ZRrf7hF/s1600-h/rain-dance.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMwNHfF4coEbkyMyzmEmULd4eWNpLfMiWd_hyphenhyphenHhvq5T3grfgYZvQHkB5kXTQZTSdn8Z3lCPeZA_I9YzyT8osfNdlD0ZZOtBiNeojIZHjXyWbg9AuEUcdSmkIxBNNJOiBr05Y_p1ZRrf7hF/s320/rain-dance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410725133087128642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UYHDU-Vwsvmi0Xms16109Y-6_VTFkLPjd0qsuGLjfnsahpWYyqPXS44pRVu6wzZiWhMAP91z0ojbxxaRcc-yG5CD42SUvjZfPNkE6Mh74wojgdHL8fmqDoeTprck96XCq3T0uAwhZtbk/s1600-h/Danicng+in+the+Rain+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8UYHDU-Vwsvmi0Xms16109Y-6_VTFkLPjd0qsuGLjfnsahpWYyqPXS44pRVu6wzZiWhMAP91z0ojbxxaRcc-yG5CD42SUvjZfPNkE6Mh74wojgdHL8fmqDoeTprck96XCq3T0uAwhZtbk/s320/Danicng+in+the+Rain+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410725021827818978" /></a><br /><embed src="http://www.4shared.com/embed/164212851/2f7c4c9c" width="320" height="100" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always"></embed><br /> <br /></span>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-15167323086069783932009-11-09T09:09:00.000-08:002009-11-18T07:28:20.620-08:00The Civil War Years<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRv8cx7xNVt9dkTywLn0PdZ7EzPARk6gj2W2_XlYM3ANHMAAsJTro0QFYy06IhngCwMzCLtyy2ODpwaE8UcZtisZ9QejOqCXijnaVl3VnS7xZkl4OZNFzqsix9yxKbnfDyY3Ie27JvXd8/s1600-h/civil-war-soldiers_0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 364px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRv8cx7xNVt9dkTywLn0PdZ7EzPARk6gj2W2_XlYM3ANHMAAsJTro0QFYy06IhngCwMzCLtyy2ODpwaE8UcZtisZ9QejOqCXijnaVl3VnS7xZkl4OZNFzqsix9yxKbnfDyY3Ie27JvXd8/s400/civil-war-soldiers_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402168539613255890" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The Civil War was a defining point in American History. Not only did a young nation come close to dividing itself, but the nations of the world watched in hungry anticipation hoping that this experiment with this new found democracy would fail. The war itself lasted 4 long years and turned out a seasoned and newly strengthened people. They would need this new found strength to battle through some of the most critical times in the history of the world. <br /><br />I believe that the most important thing to understanding the Civil War is to realize that Slavery was just a part of the reason it came about. Since the inception of the Constitution there were issues that were not only under debate at the time, but even in the afterglow of forming a Union, they were still smoldering. Those issues included slavery but were mainly based on the sovereignty of states. Before the United States of America was formed the 13 original colonies were independent entities. They governed themselves and had their own set of laws and boundaries. This did not die easy. They had also been ruled by a king that they considered to be a despot. The last thing they wanted to do when they gained their independence was to turn into what they had just left. We can see this in their newly written Constitution. Probably 80% of the Confederate Soldiers were fighting for the freedom of their states. Slavery was at the heart of the issue because of the dependency of the southern states economy on slave labor. I do not mean to take away from slavery as an important issue, but we never take the time to regard the other reasons that the Civil War began.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=13565&w=294&h=294" style="border: 3px double rgb(239, 239, 239); background: rgb(51, 51, 51) url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat scroll 50% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" width="294" frameborder="0" height="294" scrolling="no"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br /><br />In January of 1863 the Civil War did change. With the Emancipation Proclamation slavery was not only solidified as an important part of the American struggle but it rose to the top of list. Legally the slaves were free. Abraham Lincoln was hated by and many or more people than revered him. He struggled with the deaths of so many Americans on both sides as was so poetically expressed in <a href="http://www.footnote.com/spotlight/987/gettysburg_address_anniversary_november/">THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESS</a>, one of the greatest speeches of all time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDN_kAH1Co-55YBfNbaICXprA9qi7AEsI2-Qzeh4ZT9XbTzqt73kMsPAwtkVIM9EuRjZTBatI0sQma2kGSEAp5WVK0Y78N-d4yDrGKsOAd0AqxEkHw70SA6fLzbIXCvQTrh9YwnS7TVgn/s1600-h/abraham-lincoln1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtDN_kAH1Co-55YBfNbaICXprA9qi7AEsI2-Qzeh4ZT9XbTzqt73kMsPAwtkVIM9EuRjZTBatI0sQma2kGSEAp5WVK0Y78N-d4yDrGKsOAd0AqxEkHw70SA6fLzbIXCvQTrh9YwnS7TVgn/s400/abraham-lincoln1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402173258633984866" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />In 1865 the war finally came to an end with Robert E Lee surrendering to Ulysses S Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. There were a few pieces to take care of in the coming months and the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery would be ratified in December. Unfortunately Abraham Lincoln would not live to see that day come to pass. He was assassinated while attending a play at the Ford Theater on April 15th 1865. The United States lost one of it's finest men that night. <br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=350&w=294&h=294" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" height="294" width="294" style="border: 3px double #efefef;background: #333 url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat 50% 50%;"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br />The United States of America had fought among themselves but the Union remained. Working together they repaired the outward devastation, and the healing of inner wounds inflicted, began. As the country faced the remainder of the 19th century and came into the 20th, a new strength of unity would emerge in the advancements of the American People. They were destined to both then and now, leave their mark of liberty and democracy on the world.A <a href="http://www.footnote.com/page/109754927_american_civil_warunion_and/">COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF THE CIVIL WAR</a> can be seen here.The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-23429820539881145102009-10-27T15:01:00.000-07:002009-10-29T15:59:12.901-07:00Bullying - Why Does It Happen and How Can We Stop It?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBRLW94ldLs6eml8_08mUo5e7XzjpjX43UV1vaQnP39pFQPzzLjBtvON49vcJi4vcqb_SmtKcezxD2pst38WCEJeRK6GMdoXmp3vQ6gk8Nq39WdyhCH8FTZHpCLZA1KxUI49nkAmRwuye/s1600-h/bullies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQBRLW94ldLs6eml8_08mUo5e7XzjpjX43UV1vaQnP39pFQPzzLjBtvON49vcJi4vcqb_SmtKcezxD2pst38WCEJeRK6GMdoXmp3vQ6gk8Nq39WdyhCH8FTZHpCLZA1KxUI49nkAmRwuye/s200/bullies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397689611717249298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNMuUMuDHjq-y8uST2nuadHYoMA1YShqN3UCpHB2iy4WRe_msQTD82thiCYaiteoep-GWYIY0D-MGO0mq-uXpYMajmQwzZEiGanFK_ZQRH92kTs9m0uf6fuyddMU9ZBWFZIgUJHN7jcaD/s1600-h/Bullying+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUNMuUMuDHjq-y8uST2nuadHYoMA1YShqN3UCpHB2iy4WRe_msQTD82thiCYaiteoep-GWYIY0D-MGO0mq-uXpYMajmQwzZEiGanFK_ZQRH92kTs9m0uf6fuyddMU9ZBWFZIgUJHN7jcaD/s320/Bullying+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397689496217240674" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />All the way from kids to adults there are always those people who do not think of anyone else's feelings but their own. You have seen them, heck you might be one of them. Why is it so important to the bully's of this world, that other people feel like outcasts? I want to take just a minute and explore this.<br /><br />I knew a guy in high-school who fit this description perfectly. He wasn't a bad guy to be around when he wasn't on a roll. He wasn't the most popular guy around, and he was active in his church. There were a bunch of guys that he hung around with that were all "pretty normal guys". In the group there was this one kid that was "different". He wasn't as polished as the other guys were when it came to being social. He was clumsy. He seemed to be the one that was always making the "dumb mistake". His looks were different, and he just didn't have the tools to stand up for himself very well. He was an easy target. People say that boys will be boys,or girls will be girls. What does that mean. In this case I guess it meant that the easy target was fair game. The only group this particular socially inept guy had to hang with were these particular guys.<br /><br />Everyone in the group had goals. They all wanted to attain the rank of Eagle Scout, and they all wanted to serve actively in their church. Some were a year older than the others, but that didn't seem to matter. We'll call the socially inept kid Robbie and the one guy I remember really well, will be Charlie. I don't think Charlie consciously tried to make Robbie's life miserable, but whenever there was an opportunity to make him look dumb he took his best shot. He didn't hang around with Robbie one on one, but some of the other guys in the group did. As their teenage years went forward the group of boys grew. Still, Robbie took the brunt of the teasing and Charlie was always a part of, or responsible for the abuse. I don't think he really thought much about it until one by one all of his other buddies left the area. Charlie had goals to go and serve his church for a couple of years, and as high-school ended those dreams drew closer. As he began to prepare I started to see him change. He started to regret what he had done to Robbie over the years, and tried to make amends by doing things with him. All of the guys that Charlie grew up with attained the rank of Eagle Scout, except Robbie. All of the guys also either fulfilled their goals or created new ones and were pretty successful. All that is, except Robbie. Charlie kept track of him as well as he could and was never happy with his findings. Robbie's life had one roadblock after another, and finally his marriage ended in divorce, and he secluded himself pretty much from society.<br /><br />I've often wondered how Robbie would have turned out if Charlie had given him the breaks and true friendship he needed? The point is, we will never know. It is history. To often today I see the same scenarios playing out in the lives of children. I was a school teacher for 20 years and I always remembered my youth. I did what I could to be a buffer for the Robbie's that I saw. What causes kids to be mean? Is it a bad childhood, a low self esteem, a need for power and popularity? Maybe it is a way to make the perpetrators feel better about themselves, by making someone else the center of negative attention. There is quite a bit of speculation on this point. <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">I believe the main reason for bullying is that kids don't want to, or don't have the capacity to explore, or recognize the long-term consequences of their actions. If they could truly understand what the future could bring, not only into their own lives, but the lives of others, they would change. The rest of this article will give all of us a glimpse of the effects of bullying in some real situations.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't ever believe that these things cannot, or won't happen to you!</span><br /><br />Bullying is a word that has been around for a long time. The term has been revived in the last 10 years or so. History shows us some of the consequences of this action.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=13323&w=294&h=294" style="border: 3px double rgb(239, 239, 239); background: rgb(51, 51, 51) url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat scroll 50% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" frameborder="0" height="294" width="294" scrolling="no"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br />In 1883 Chicago, bullying was certainly an issue, but it wouldn't be until 1999 that the issue of bullying moved up the ladder of importance! It would take something big to catapult it forward in the public's eye!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=13325&w=294&h=294" style="border: 3px double rgb(239, 239, 239); background: rgb(51, 51, 51) url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat scroll 50% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" frameborder="0" height="294" width="294" scrolling="no"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br /><br />After this tragedy America woke up. There were articles posted, laws passed and a lot was done through conflict management programs to curtail this horrid practice. However, as technology continued to expand so have the opportunities for new types of bullying. Now those who were physically limited could also cause havoc in a silent way through the <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/news/parenting/bullies-who-leave-no-bruises/2007/10/25/1192941199459.html">INTERNET</a>.<br /><br />Who are the victims caused by tragedies such as Columbine. They are not confined to the incident itself, but instead, the tentacles reach out in so many directions that it is almost impossible to count them all. History changes, and with it we won't ever see what could have been if the bullying had never taken place.<br /><br />According to <a href="http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/bullies.html">PENN STATE RESEARCH</a> bullying can lead to suicide. This is a tragic end to a life that will never be lived. Accomplishments that could have helped society and possibly even the individuals that pushed the victim over the edge, will never come to pass. Those who caused the event will be changed - forever. Those who have been left behind will mourn their loss - forever. Can any good come out of this fatal event? I'm sure some will, but it will never compensate for what could, or would have been<br /><br />The following is just such an account. The incident involves a teenage boy who's picture looks like someone all of us know. His family is still struggling with the aftermath, and will continue to for the rest of their lives. The bully's in this case will never forget their part in this tragedy. It will affect them for the rest of their lives. The worst of it is, that the world was robbed of this boy's story. Consider this as the consequences of bullying. From this disregard of respect comes the story of <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7228335">A LIFE LOST</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5AiIFwwGgqwoDUDzcB03-RaYxjGH8KZLG-SbDkthSDt4n6OOsrR2pktiDfr8acyF7UGdN6gC7P0woWeXfJ2-rhc1BH2Cx1Xg3jI1QiOQM48EIYCVuQI3rr37dnWO_XZ5ogRI3YCbQQ2z/s1600-h/ht_Eric_Mohat_02_090401_mn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5AiIFwwGgqwoDUDzcB03-RaYxjGH8KZLG-SbDkthSDt4n6OOsrR2pktiDfr8acyF7UGdN6gC7P0woWeXfJ2-rhc1BH2Cx1Xg3jI1QiOQM48EIYCVuQI3rr37dnWO_XZ5ogRI3YCbQQ2z/s400/ht_Eric_Mohat_02_090401_mn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397720792633391506" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I have a confession to make. I am Charlie from the story in the beginning. I am responsible for the way I treated and bullied Robbie. I will never forget that. There is nothing I can do to change what happened. That part of history is over. I look at the face of this boy and I see Robbie. He looks happy and full of life. We will never know what he might have accomplished in his life because it is gone. I'm not a bad person and I don't know what caused me to be a heartless teenager with Robbie. I do know that because of the age I was at, I never looked at what the consequences of my behavior might come to. Had I known, I believe it would have made a difference. Good things have come from my particular situation, but they can never compensate for my failures with Robbie. This will always be with me. If I could say anything to other kids out there who can relate to this, I would say, take a good look at this article. You can learn from history. I am fortunate now to work for the internet history site <a href="http://www.footnote.com/page/109752507_us_historic_newspaper_archives/">Footnote.com</a>. I can read about past events and take life's lessons from them. Bullying has never been good. The bad consequences from it are innumerable. Some people are under the impression that they will be better from the experience. That is a lie as illustrated above. If you get nothing else from all of this, please remember the following truth.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Don't ever let anyone tell you that the best thing you can do is to learn from your mistakes. They will tell you it will make you a stronger person. It is true that to learn from your mistakes as I have is good. However, the best thing you can do is to avoid making the mistake in the first place. Learn from others! Learn from me. You will be a much stronger person than the one that makes the mistake, and you will be able to be the best that you can be. We can only lift people as high as we are in life.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kuNO2Toh5Mq0yd80tAE5j7FVLM4SMXTDaaSfEbpydeopk2CAf-rhd-Hm-A2IF44Qo99U-b9jHckFnKbsKoWuCg8_qEfXGvRMR55xdSCBLDPoOS1CWboxvj2K8ydJvsj6Pm95r607skZM/s1600-h/_wsb_490x472_Bullying..bmp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 385px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3kuNO2Toh5Mq0yd80tAE5j7FVLM4SMXTDaaSfEbpydeopk2CAf-rhd-Hm-A2IF44Qo99U-b9jHckFnKbsKoWuCg8_qEfXGvRMR55xdSCBLDPoOS1CWboxvj2K8ydJvsj6Pm95r607skZM/s400/_wsb_490x472_Bullying..bmp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397725556248054530" border="0" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-14431624159175573982009-10-20T11:47:00.000-07:002009-10-20T13:59:42.701-07:00Socializing on the Internet - Successes and Dangers!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxrCmKckk8nfv0QoXTQIoG2_kbzBUmO6tUNAspUq7pYFBuNQEstgqN1o725qjJ6beHhqgiNZWABMrQwJRPaZ0ViVml62C7FcCT2PJT8P0-KFGH6b-LMf72UvhaebRG4gDFZ8mbe84BjW_/s1600-h/myspace_logo.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWxrCmKckk8nfv0QoXTQIoG2_kbzBUmO6tUNAspUq7pYFBuNQEstgqN1o725qjJ6beHhqgiNZWABMrQwJRPaZ0ViVml62C7FcCT2PJT8P0-KFGH6b-LMf72UvhaebRG4gDFZ8mbe84BjW_/s200/myspace_logo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394787128930614498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljSQG6rxiWokPNpKYqkf9XGp8S8I88UohBGd2W_v-GbZ2S73OKtspLGJ8CH2aRRrWivA10494ZAHOtUrDZdG9y8pxR2xbv-hsFlc4BVrjpH4EX3yFFhH30shluEnt7TLOXgzhXI6OIKuj/s1600-h/Twitter-Logo.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhljSQG6rxiWokPNpKYqkf9XGp8S8I88UohBGd2W_v-GbZ2S73OKtspLGJ8CH2aRRrWivA10494ZAHOtUrDZdG9y8pxR2xbv-hsFlc4BVrjpH4EX3yFFhH30shluEnt7TLOXgzhXI6OIKuj/s200/Twitter-Logo.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394787016249538450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-xjBix0l0_n2KcglNcZhlrtb1tce9w9LdRBq_0wNKXUQjHJSboRyT6VesyZ9X3UwdPKBXRgAKmNdxcUAecXrbMlxqaEBm7dHps0EvuBdUsZ7DMB-fAXTZYY6ebfPVkMY5aG5YaBGzRsj/s1600-h/facebook+logo1.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-xjBix0l0_n2KcglNcZhlrtb1tce9w9LdRBq_0wNKXUQjHJSboRyT6VesyZ9X3UwdPKBXRgAKmNdxcUAecXrbMlxqaEBm7dHps0EvuBdUsZ7DMB-fAXTZYY6ebfPVkMY5aG5YaBGzRsj/s200/facebook+logo1.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394786890704348994" /></a><br />Facebook is a great site to connect with people you haven't seen for awhile. I have had the opportunity to do that in the last little while and I have found it to be quite interesting and fulfilling. I am talking about relationships that go back over 30 years. The social networking craze that now permeates the Internet realm has us closer to friends and acquaintances than we have ever been. It is a way to disseminate news at the speed of light. Opinions are formed and influenced every minute of every day through this medium. Entrepreneurs are seeing the future in this direction and are capitalizing on it. New sites are taking off at a phenomenal rate as demonstrated by Twitter. What has catapulted this into the forefront of technology and given it so much power and authority in the scheme of things?<br /><br />We all want to be heard. We all want to be noticed and praised for what we accomplish. We want these things but at the same time we do not want to be looked upon as arrogant or needy. The written word allows us to accomplish this safely. We can think about what we want to say and before we publish it we can rethink it and rewrite it so that it is polished. With the spoken word we do not have that luxury. I just reread this thought to make sure that what I wanted to say was acceptable. When I am done with this I will go over it again. If it is an important enough message I will have someone else read it before I publish it. Safety then is a big issue. We have also been taught that what is inside really counts. However, we know that this concept is often overlooked if the outside appearance is not what is expected. When we sit behind a computer screen we are all on equal ground. Our opinions will be weighted equally to begin with and we will have the luxury of being relaxed at the same time. For once we do not have to struggle with the spoken language to express ourselves!<br /><br />The opportunity to meet people is also an expanding Internet business. Again we can truly be polished the first time we meet someone. They can see us to begin with for who we really are and not with the quiet demeanor of an extremely shy individual, or the outspoken and fiery personality of ADD. The further I go with this the more idealistic it appears. So what are the downsides of all of this, if there are any? It seems that whenever something good happens we have a way of also making it bad. Sometimes, very bad! I do not see that happening as long as individuals communicating through the Internet are honest about themselves and others. Here in lies the problem and the danger. Often times individuals that do not have a high self esteem will build themselves up on a social networking site only to be discovered for who they really are when they meet in person. Not only can this be even more damaging to a person's self esteem than an initial personal meet would have been. but it can also cause individuals to be reclusive so they will not have to face the world as themselves. We often times like to appear bigger than we really are. A person who would not normally present themselves a certain way now have to make good on that in the real world.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DN4zURdKzo&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-DN4zURdKzo&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The sexting that is going on through cell phones is a great example of this. Most people would not expose themselves in front of others or a group, but given the fact that they can do this by themselves is almost exciting. Just like any other secret acts the long range consequences are not thought out. Here is just one of many articles on the Internet that espouses what other consequences can come from acting out. <a href="http://www.momlogic.com/2009/02/the_facebook_generation.php">What Caused This?</a> It is important for parents to monitor their children's time online. They need to have outside experiences.Too much Internet, if we are not careful can eliminate this very important part of life and personal growth.<br /><br />To carry this point even further here is an interesting article from the Washington Post. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/05/AR2009040501880.html">Crime Solving</a> The police have also seen that this venue of communication is not only informative for them concerning crime but dangerous to the individuals involved. They have also put out reminders that predators and other criminals have not only shown that they can use this resource for their crimes, but they are very good at it. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/19/social.networking.crimes/index.html">Predators and Thieves</a> I want to add here that these problems are all of ours not just young people. People of all ages can fall into these traps as has been shown in the past and current pornography addictions.<br /><br /><br />I would like to end this on a positive note. There are all sorts of good things that we can do with these social networking programs on the internet. We can stay contacted with friends for prized associations as well as business associates that might help us find employment when needed. We can communicate with people face to face that are on the other side of the world. We have the wonderful ability to leave tributes to loved ones digitally that will last forever whether that is through a Facebook application or another site on the internet that offers this service. Groups can get together to discuss solutions to problems or as in the case of Genealogists we can share our findings quickly with family members and loved ones. A great opportunity to do this resides within the company I work for and it is a free service.<a href="http://www.footnote.com/pages/">Footnote Pages</a> There are so many other great sites with golden opportunities out there for us that make our world even smaller, by giving us the ability to communicate. We just need to be careful with how we do this. Anyone can see what we do. In order to protect ourselves and our children we need to be aware.The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-27735754608812572082009-10-14T12:16:00.000-07:002009-10-19T15:09:40.401-07:00Gays, Mormons and the Proposition 8 Aftermath<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB19-VrJEnUxs1k2Wu3OpPBeDbFz68GmjLBWoDtl2bRR3krJcoDP8cXKjJ4eBdu26fa5q5bwg2EKYx9AZOZ0ToFqR4ez8xzgoWV2ogWSlUSZ4K39PuCFCQ9bJ19IVAd3Vtk7e21Zuc94N/s1600-h/Prop-8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrB19-VrJEnUxs1k2Wu3OpPBeDbFz68GmjLBWoDtl2bRR3krJcoDP8cXKjJ4eBdu26fa5q5bwg2EKYx9AZOZ0ToFqR4ez8xzgoWV2ogWSlUSZ4K39PuCFCQ9bJ19IVAd3Vtk7e21Zuc94N/s320/Prop-8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392589516621398034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1th5A0GS-AhAqGO8a3JvZ2_pxBn8EFYi5wchsobXCDvNJC8Khg7Uv38mGNQt1-H6gkKuUdUTXcdjQuNFPSyhuQ7q-K6-tvLoqW_eX0HfOKT7JluIwiUxfTsG93QLYACvPCIlL_g3iAdUL/s1600-h/prop8rsin1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1th5A0GS-AhAqGO8a3JvZ2_pxBn8EFYi5wchsobXCDvNJC8Khg7Uv38mGNQt1-H6gkKuUdUTXcdjQuNFPSyhuQ7q-K6-tvLoqW_eX0HfOKT7JluIwiUxfTsG93QLYACvPCIlL_g3iAdUL/s200/prop8rsin1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392589421260430594" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The recent comments by Dallen H. Oaks an apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have received a lot of press, much of it negative. As most of us know the Mormon Church was in favor of proposition 8 in California and aggressively backed it. The proposition won and with it the opportunity for Gays to be legally married and enjoy all of the same rights as heterosexual couples was denied. From the outside looking in, and especially these days with Gay Rights as publicized as they are, that just might not seem fair. However, from the view of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this is not the case.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The last time I checked, the Constitution of the United States allows its citizens to believe the way they want to and to have the freedom to speak up. That has not always happened, but when it hasn't the law has, or should have stepped in to rectify that right. When I was in my teens in California during the early 70's everyone knew about gays, but the topic was one of overall reproach in our country. The last thing anyone would do at that time was to "come out of the closet"! The only place that anyone knew that gays lived somewhat out in the open was San Francisco. About the time that 1976 and 1977 rolled around the Gays were beginning to come out and fight to be heard and accepted for who they were. I went overseas for those two years, and when I returned I was amazed and shocked at the change in perception of a practice that had been virtually taboo before I had left. I remember the Gay Bashing that went on in San Francisco and the rest of the state. Certain hateful individuals felt compelled and justified in pulling someone gay off the street and beating them, sometimes to death. Through all of this the Gay community was peaceful, and never seemed to react in anger. I admired them for that. As time has gone on Gays have been more and more accepted in society as a whole.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">That was about 30 years ago. Since that time a change has steadily come about concerning Gay Issues. Instead of a lifestyle that in the eyes of a general society is not acceptable and can actually damage our way of life, gay relationships are a casual topic of conversation and readily acceptable in a number of states. For the purpose of the writing I am doing here I will not label that change at this time as good or bad for society. We will just say that before this time it was not acceptable in any state, and that today the Gay lifestyle is accepted by some of our states as equal to the marriage of a man and a woman.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The United States of America is a free country. Gay or straight all are welcome here and we should be able to voice our opinions freely. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believes this as much as any organization in our Country. What they do not believe or condone is any effort to over power these rights by circumventing the law. America was built upon the precept of a people lead government, free elections, laws that are voted on and then passed by a majority. They believe that issues should be heard and then decided on by the people. They have always positively promoted good world citizenship within the ranks of their membership by admonishing them to study issues and vote in respective elections. Once decisions are made, individuals are asked to follow those laws or be subject to the penalties that coincide with them. All of these things are accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. At times this belief has caused the Church to experience bitter persecution. They have shouldered that burden and have paid the price.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Mormon Church has solid unchanging beliefs of what is right and what is wrong. They have had a lot of opposition concerning these beliefs, but they have not swayed or veered from them, as a church. Their opposition to gay issues happens to be one of those items that they truly believe stems from God. The following is what they believe as far as the institution of marriage is concerned. This was drafted and placed before the world in 1995 so that there would be no question as to the stand that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has taken concerning marriage and the family.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Family: A Proclamation to the World</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkI6MJS42yC-A5S-LdLCDW1BISDAXX7YYpZ8s_a4BmnYxFRFYI_SeLV79tSKTRvXksgXnvluBJg9QYHFobkfOlrNUMUW1YQJiiXq6avE7C9pDrb_G60pAWvAaeeB7QnS_-HZpgBF5pDLJ/s1600-h/The+Family+a+Proclamation+to+the+World+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 246px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkI6MJS42yC-A5S-LdLCDW1BISDAXX7YYpZ8s_a4BmnYxFRFYI_SeLV79tSKTRvXksgXnvluBJg9QYHFobkfOlrNUMUW1YQJiiXq6avE7C9pDrb_G60pAWvAaeeB7QnS_-HZpgBF5pDLJ/s320/The+Family+a+Proclamation+to+the+World+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392587426001076274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">After reading this it becomes apparent why the Mormons</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">are opposed to Gay Marriage and to the changing of the law which would make that a part of our society.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has never shied away from proclaiming what they believe. This particular issue happens to be at the center of their faith.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Because of this they, as a church, felt compelled to take a bold stand for Proposition 8 and do what they could to see it passed. They succeeded in their attempt and because of that they have faced stringent and at times violent opposition from a group that once professed peace.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">What else could have been expected from the Mormon Church with their professed beliefs that are tied to God as published.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I guess the real question lies in society. Maybe there is no God and because of that the church is holding back these wonderful new concepts that will strengthen us and help us to grow as a people and a society. Maybe the idea of a husband, wife and children is an outdated concept as far as what society is built upon, and what makes it strong.</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Maybe the evolution overall in society and the morals we originally built this nation upon are progressing for the better and can then surely be seen by a drop in crime, in the good things we have gained in the media, and in our neighborhoods. Maybe, just maybe addictions have gone down in the last 30 years and we are a happier people with more individual freedoms. We should all look at these "real" indicators and see what we think. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Is it also possible that there has been a decline in society and that the family situation from divorce and other accepted issues have hurt us as a people and have helped in the moral decline of our communities? Is there good and evil and if so, how can we recognize it? Is there a God and did he give us commandments that were steadfast and eternal or is that all a lie? The point here is that the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-Day Saints will not change. They won't. At the same time the church as a body teaches us to love one another and to help all of those in need. It teaches that we are all brothers and sisters on this earth and that we need to help each other along the way. It teaches as is stated in this proclamation that the family is the cornerstone of society and of eternity and the family as designated by God includes husband, wife and children.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It is possible to love others and not accept their lifestyles. It is also apparent that we can see if our "progression" in ideas and moral values has made us better, stronger and happier as a people, by the results. I spent two years in Switzerland, Austria and Germany from 1976 to 1978 on a mission for the Mormon Church. I hated to leave because of the love that I felt for the people there. Not just the people I taught and that accepted what I had to say but all of them. The members of the Mormon church do not consider themselves perfect, in fact far from it. We believe where much is given much is required. We also believe that we have the guidelines given to us from God that show us the way to be happy and free from the burdens of this earthly existence and that it is our privilege to share those with the world. With that knowledge we also know that the greatest gift given to all men and women is to choose which direction we head in this life. What we choose to do with our time here will determine our future with God. Mormons do not dislike the gay community, they are our brothers and sisters. We do not however agree with or condone their lifestyle and we will do whatever we can within the limits of the law to protect what we believe to be the sanctity of marriage.</span><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXd2ItopAGSlOsUieYtc2QabN6yueMpBuSPkQagulf-b_dGBTeF0CimaSELKt5A8dqdQbZgQkuJqzmtuuPtaAH1HabF2tJcZS96sGeBQ2DeU1Sx112zOLVxHe9A8DW2Zc6zcosLf9EWv6/s1600-h/CTR.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXd2ItopAGSlOsUieYtc2QabN6yueMpBuSPkQagulf-b_dGBTeF0CimaSELKt5A8dqdQbZgQkuJqzmtuuPtaAH1HabF2tJcZS96sGeBQ2DeU1Sx112zOLVxHe9A8DW2Zc6zcosLf9EWv6/s400/CTR.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392587770253882946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_7_KVbc2EpL0BYBOkb7sUx8ZR_CAaNSQtgyZMebn-SBgWRrFYnCJPpEo8dQobE3XOuQ80SVKiDOQ1dtMu1Jtt8uT1zcVEWbBs3bRPg0_iOzAx94Y3OC0p9VnY7A6jLJyt6wXFWlBivuz/s1600-h/ctr-ring.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs_7_KVbc2EpL0BYBOkb7sUx8ZR_CAaNSQtgyZMebn-SBgWRrFYnCJPpEo8dQobE3XOuQ80SVKiDOQ1dtMu1Jtt8uT1zcVEWbBs3bRPg0_iOzAx94Y3OC0p9VnY7A6jLJyt6wXFWlBivuz/s200/ctr-ring.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392588579339462818" border="0" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-46032957070819038132009-10-12T14:35:00.000-07:002009-10-12T15:14:37.144-07:00UFO's Fact or Fiction?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwSkB5gAVss8eitdCaEuhOntXcD0k1HmQ9q40JLnwekZLhhNRarhD7boxySjr4GZGIqvCv-FL6zQPiEiUPRxioUO77N2WOyowxG4ZUAdlZtFMKEs3_LJ5InSF6PYONvY4QIj2nKqu9Awf/s1600-h/ufo_picture_montana.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFwSkB5gAVss8eitdCaEuhOntXcD0k1HmQ9q40JLnwekZLhhNRarhD7boxySjr4GZGIqvCv-FL6zQPiEiUPRxioUO77N2WOyowxG4ZUAdlZtFMKEs3_LJ5InSF6PYONvY4QIj2nKqu9Awf/s320/ufo_picture_montana.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391840368820430786" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWBWnrx_-Bi_Yx1yMIH86OfLFzBMuonVDIwTPqmAI1uOJivsnSwnWVIQIiiJJ0j9_hyphenhyphenp3tVPhgD6jqUqBGHdyNA9sS44-qZqNiJe5stpBb17Fi2qY8ezMeQD_PS926UaocHx6w6Uc4cso/s1600-h/Area+51+Warning.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpWBWnrx_-Bi_Yx1yMIH86OfLFzBMuonVDIwTPqmAI1uOJivsnSwnWVIQIiiJJ0j9_hyphenhyphenp3tVPhgD6jqUqBGHdyNA9sS44-qZqNiJe5stpBb17Fi2qY8ezMeQD_PS926UaocHx6w6Uc4cso/s200/Area+51+Warning.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391832147715966370" /></a><br />Area 51 warning signs!! <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />UFO’s have been around since time has been recorded. The following is a sight that records such events in drawings. <a href="http://www.crystalinks.com/ufohistory.html">Crystal Links</a> . I find it interesting that there are still skeptics as to the validity of the volumes of information regarding this. The following is a video of concerning a very early history of UFO sightings in Japan.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WTUzWZwo3K8&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WTUzWZwo3K8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Not long ago the US government’s Project Blue Book files were released. You can find them in their entirety for free at <a href="http://www.footnote.com/documents/6283401/project_blue_book_ufo_investigations/">Blue Book Files</a>.<br /><br /><br />These are the US government files on UFO sightings. Some of them are humorous and most likely have no validity. However, some are very serious with no reason for the person to come forward with their stories except that they believe them to be true. It is obviously a controversial issue, but to find out the truth is of paramount importance in mans search for the answer, “Are we alone in the universe”?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=13068&w=294&h=294" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" height="294" width="294" style="border: 3px double #efefef;background: #333 url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat 50% 50%;"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br />I believe that there must be life on other planets. I am of the belief that the life there is very similar to ours. However, I don’t know if it is possible for them to travel through space to visit the earth. That is probably because we as a people are not able to ---- yet. I do not understand how anyone would think that with an endless amount of space and time that we would be the only planet that could sustain life. There are so many questions that are unanswered and that we really have no solid leads on. One, is the immensity of space. I once had an astronomy teacher in college tell me that 90% of what I would learn in the coming semester would be lies. If we were to pick up a science book that was written 40 years ago we would see what he meant by that. Every generation thinks that they have found the answers to things, when it is only one more step it the quest for truth. Things either are or they aren’t. To reach truth is a long and possibly endless journey for man. When it comes to perfect knowledge it is my opinion that we will never reach that pinnacle on our own. <br /><br />Whatever the answers are the process of discovery is fun and interesting. UFOs do exist in one form or another, of that I am convinced!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8jbR2NdYke1sDsEwm8AucgdgN3eTSG-zvWJHXluN0v7M2P9GMJq7bjwXsNAS-xkWsXhcB8FWErVj1vCQKylNz8FsqfV-k1Lpk8_DOblG591jUtR_RZR4ay3bQKT4Hwz_UzHp6NBqcuTQ/s1600-h/et_moon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8jbR2NdYke1sDsEwm8AucgdgN3eTSG-zvWJHXluN0v7M2P9GMJq7bjwXsNAS-xkWsXhcB8FWErVj1vCQKylNz8FsqfV-k1Lpk8_DOblG591jUtR_RZR4ay3bQKT4Hwz_UzHp6NBqcuTQ/s400/et_moon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391837973920922226" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-69534983225034003432009-10-09T13:55:00.000-07:002009-10-27T13:31:31.216-07:00Can The Newspaper Industry Survive?<iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=13012&w=294&h=294" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" height="294" width="294" style="border: 3px double #efefef;background: #333 url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat 50% 50%;"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br />Since the inception of the internet and free news, the historic version of newspaper reading and subscription has been spiraling downward. Can you blame the consumer for taking advantage of the digital age and the opportunity to get up to the hour and sometimes minute of world news stories? Large newspapers have slogged on down the road. They have tried to consolidate and to thin down in order to survive but it hasn’t helped. What is the destiny of the written page? It all depends on whether the modern day newspaper embraces the internet and becomes innovative in its door to door news approach, or continues to believe that it will win the battle by plodding on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpaG70nZNIr791MiAeJD0q-2_1YyhvkMqiPWU6FDdEYEXLGr-c4SJO0V8GPObQUuv41ukOP8tOX-7qTJf-stGgzV2SJQ00OzA3KHmEI_qYlNKsR3KxLhbDI1BQbrJ-UOZCW34c200Y6yp/s1600-h/Net+vs.+Newspaper.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 387px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcpaG70nZNIr791MiAeJD0q-2_1YyhvkMqiPWU6FDdEYEXLGr-c4SJO0V8GPObQUuv41ukOP8tOX-7qTJf-stGgzV2SJQ00OzA3KHmEI_qYlNKsR3KxLhbDI1BQbrJ-UOZCW34c200Y6yp/s400/Net+vs.+Newspaper.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390724502405117426" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RPVDa4-JSDdiUUT5qNTGg94pHDy8b-rZpiliPixorYb166rtkNHa3WGZCEfJXIRZ_fLh3u3PPNQ80UbuKvJwQfzLWXKMhJzzjPMnwMePyJHra6uGIQmyFtqf5sck8ovSHGoTOo1XGjuM/s1600-h/newsgraphwf1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7RPVDa4-JSDdiUUT5qNTGg94pHDy8b-rZpiliPixorYb166rtkNHa3WGZCEfJXIRZ_fLh3u3PPNQ80UbuKvJwQfzLWXKMhJzzjPMnwMePyJHra6uGIQmyFtqf5sck8ovSHGoTOo1XGjuM/s400/newsgraphwf1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390724807458169218" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />There are a number of ways that the newspaper industry can survive. However, many of the current executives have either given up or they are adhering to archaic notions. The first thing that they need to do is to embrace and make their #1 priority the digital direction of their paper. They need to restructure what they print and possibly scale down or be prepared to scale down their distribution both in outlying areas and days delivered. Embracing the notion of free classified like Craig’s List and other internet concepts will be important in the written work. Focusing more on the local news and happenings as well as thinning down unnecessary columns by pointing the reader to either their internet site or others, is cost saving and savvy. There are so many things that can be done to curb this trend and to revive an industry that is said to be on the way out, just like the telegraph. <br /><br />One of the things that Footnote.com is currently accomplishing is to take the <a href="http://www.footnote.com/page/109752507_us_historic_newspaper_archives/">historic us newspaper archives</a>, digitize and index them for posterity. This is a great way to preserve our history. Newspapers are a daily journal of the world and the local areas they represent. Footnote has partnered with Gannett in doing just that. Not only are Footnote and Gannett partnered in this project, but Gannett is also looking toward the future, with Footnote, by creating sites for remembering the past through historic newspaper headlines. Allowing readers to contribute to the newspaper is a great way to increase circulation. That is being done on this site as well. Along with blogging and all of the other social networking programs on the internet, our local papers need to utilize this venue in the written page as well. <br /><br />Bringing out historic us news for study will only strengthen the companies that are doing this by name recognition with their public offerings. If they then capitalize on change as far as their current philosophy and future newspaper distribution model is concerned they will not lose. <br /><br />Some of the historic newspapers that Footnote is now featuring include the Poughkeepsie Journal and Florida Today. Through Allen County Archives Footnote.com is also partnered in periodic publications of the San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Constitution and Chicago Tribune. Connecting the past to the present is another avenue that the digital age has brought to modern day newspaper subscription and distribution. With this being the information era our modern day newspapers should be able to adapt and thrive. Hopefully this will be the case and newspapers will survive!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKId-I7hTjKnP-rHLmjnkdoE0YLqUDuEwO6EJmPN-V8FyCC2NiZBbEXorhfuE8DbTN0cyXTdSK6MT2QN2Vg7tFjP5QbfFfgODS3uncomtIceJKHj8u7JuXY4QXFPLjAPD7ITC4LDSEcD/s1600-h/newspapers.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkKId-I7hTjKnP-rHLmjnkdoE0YLqUDuEwO6EJmPN-V8FyCC2NiZBbEXorhfuE8DbTN0cyXTdSK6MT2QN2Vg7tFjP5QbfFfgODS3uncomtIceJKHj8u7JuXY4QXFPLjAPD7ITC4LDSEcD/s320/newspapers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390728457398200482" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ05mZk53u0x4-qyDxe2MzE2Hj2S4BfmPqarQ9rWje4GzspKWYN-iQ-H8sEmgmKiUp4GbbQ9FGumiwl_K87yJzfvoXwCRRkIdjcizj5mOvo2vMuLiFUSOFzoBNun78RwK0ttAuXTcyzrws/s1600-h/12375908.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ05mZk53u0x4-qyDxe2MzE2Hj2S4BfmPqarQ9rWje4GzspKWYN-iQ-H8sEmgmKiUp4GbbQ9FGumiwl_K87yJzfvoXwCRRkIdjcizj5mOvo2vMuLiFUSOFzoBNun78RwK0ttAuXTcyzrws/s320/12375908.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390728350000113618" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-68210869918657074472009-10-02T10:04:00.000-07:002009-10-02T10:41:30.948-07:00What Is So Important About History?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEv6WKzEwKtb7vI4P3WxIAcSVJueUTT2wRWLUUcGQdb7gK0WxFEA6JeQOXJmV8iLu734spG8N2xN9ijBzbbX7Myz4RWm_LnAHecXIIyq_7WMne6-0MB2jdGmZNrAooqGKlSA7J9KMOY0R5/s1600-h/Dad+and+Uncle+CharlieJPG.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEv6WKzEwKtb7vI4P3WxIAcSVJueUTT2wRWLUUcGQdb7gK0WxFEA6JeQOXJmV8iLu734spG8N2xN9ijBzbbX7Myz4RWm_LnAHecXIIyq_7WMne6-0MB2jdGmZNrAooqGKlSA7J9KMOY0R5/s320/Dad+and+Uncle+CharlieJPG.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388059024963465106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i1t9e904Kkfh1eyiN-g-Yv_4w5xMmk6su4f9K17p-0iswtm9CUHKxmhqz0lldDfNMPtbmrs0MWRxdH_CRqV0OesyOXPhbDxeu4JC3aMZnfK6o7zczKMYeNk2S4XJpSpGPB7iuF9rW3ew/s1600-h/1966+Texas+Western+Basketballjpg.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5i1t9e904Kkfh1eyiN-g-Yv_4w5xMmk6su4f9K17p-0iswtm9CUHKxmhqz0lldDfNMPtbmrs0MWRxdH_CRqV0OesyOXPhbDxeu4JC3aMZnfK6o7zczKMYeNk2S4XJpSpGPB7iuF9rW3ew/s320/1966+Texas+Western+Basketballjpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388058941387019586" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyP7RkOmjaraSHaLPQUGyvXbADKFxJlgUdgqtYlV-U9g2Me_cuTgY5o_T1WHJL4sjlaV8ZlkbIfisEX6v8dkq_E-D7lP0HAKCeT5_IL2Vbxz9wTcoJ75TXM0E6UYbKRh0ZfjsQgmyQxyq/s1600-h/Sitting-Bull01jpg.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 153px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRyP7RkOmjaraSHaLPQUGyvXbADKFxJlgUdgqtYlV-U9g2Me_cuTgY5o_T1WHJL4sjlaV8ZlkbIfisEX6v8dkq_E-D7lP0HAKCeT5_IL2Vbxz9wTcoJ75TXM0E6UYbKRh0ZfjsQgmyQxyq/s200/Sitting-Bull01jpg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388058421511433074" /></a><br /><br />My students in my 6th grade elementary classroom used to ask me the same question every year. “Mr. Bell, why do we have to learn about history? What good does it do us?” It was an easy answer for me, which wasn’t always the case with 6th grade questions! I explained to them that people and their basic needs have never really changed throughout the ages. Improvements in life and changes to our world have occurred but people are basically the same. I talked to them a little bit more about their basic needs. They understood that kids in the past needed to feel loved and accepted. They had decisions to make whether right or wrong just like we do today. They needed food, water, shelter. They enjoyed beautiful things and they learned to speak and read. They played, laughed and cried. They were happy at times, and sad at others. Once my students became aware of this history took on a whole new meaning.<br /><br />Too often we think that we are special, perhaps better than those who have lived before. Possibly better by virtue of what we know? Or maybe we feel we are greater somehow than those who came before us because of the wealth that we enjoy? All of those notions are false. In fact those that lived before us per capita were much more committed to important things in life like family, friendship, trust and perhaps belief in God. Our “things” have caused us to lose sight of many of these values, and have caused us to become selfish. I had a cousin comment today how people can be so different in their views. Some of that is from the way we were raised but how do we get to the outer fringes of despair or ignominy? How do people get to the point where they have no regard for life or have no trust in their fellow men? There is not one of us on the earth that could not go down the path that another takes. Why is it that only some do?<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=4796&w=294&h=294" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" height="294" width="294" style="border: 3px double #efefef;background: #333 url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat 50% 50%;"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br />So why is history important? It allows us to see the successes and failures of others. We can then learn from them, and with that knowledge we can follow our own path which will hopefully take us to a better place. Even the unknowns in life are covered in history; death, sickness, a fall from grace. In each category there are those who have become miserable and those who have risen out of the ashes to enjoy life. The purpose of life in my opinion is to have joy. By definition we find it to mean;<br />1. To fill with ecstatic happiness, pleasure, or satisfaction. <br />2. To enjoy. <br />I would have to add “lasting” to this definition so it might conform to what I want out of life. Life is difficult enough for us without believing that we need to find all of the answers to it on our own. To learn from others mistakes is the best way to grow. The knowledge we gain will be greater than if we experience these pitfalls ourselves. A clear mind and a strong heart will help us to understand others and be able to lift them higher than relating to them because of our own failures would. As parents my wife and I never led our children to believe that we had all of the answers or that we were perfect. As they grew older and realized our weaknesses it was easier for them to understand us and accept us for who we are. It has always been the hope of my wife and me that our children will take the good from us and improve on the weak areas. Then, they will be better parents. That is learning from history.<br /><br />Taking the time to delve into the lives of those who have passed on can only bring us closer to them and make history personal. This will allow us to grow and to hopefully experience the true joy that can come through the life of a single human being. That is why we study history!<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=12899&w=294&h=294" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" height="294" width="294" style="border: 3px double #efefef;background: #333 url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat 50% 50%;"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-14609156906425569452009-09-29T08:18:00.000-07:002009-09-29T08:41:09.098-07:00Were the Founding Fathers Christians?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhNBGOEotHrPjvIjF5l6cHJNrJk8ANNgrDwoFjEGMYc1BvJAPMS0UA4UAwygWuAz9mS-Kv6ErBR6xHdbi2OYaRFsNu-fBght0Mc1HLYjdVfkhISmc5zYae87kixgoMnFNDrL2CQqHNsFd/s1600-h/Jefferson+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhNBGOEotHrPjvIjF5l6cHJNrJk8ANNgrDwoFjEGMYc1BvJAPMS0UA4UAwygWuAz9mS-Kv6ErBR6xHdbi2OYaRFsNu-fBght0Mc1HLYjdVfkhISmc5zYae87kixgoMnFNDrL2CQqHNsFd/s320/Jefferson+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386911193726114146" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJXqIkCTp36iXpTSyufLCiVB3wn4mYBpDP-ukcsgornExrMpCyi4lx5GDYdVtGWjwQs6QBvs_QZ_DFqOvJ_wkT4VTHYr6NuTTsAc3YWZI2vRxE8A6qXezUJqE6pbptZMPGxcx77ikrKqb/s1600-h/img-store-franklin-duplessis_135159305763.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 258px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJXqIkCTp36iXpTSyufLCiVB3wn4mYBpDP-ukcsgornExrMpCyi4lx5GDYdVtGWjwQs6QBvs_QZ_DFqOvJ_wkT4VTHYr6NuTTsAc3YWZI2vRxE8A6qXezUJqE6pbptZMPGxcx77ikrKqb/s320/img-store-franklin-duplessis_135159305763.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386910742544924098" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3-viiIVoWyYf03O1zR0WIgzpOBZHmIw69U4edNIpAA73Ncw8-g88R6viRZ8o1rYcYMv8Sn9x_0_TSH107OssUDRpjO_K7PIXLkFkVg2enAnJqCOa5AgA_hlRtv3Z7Y2coV9ofpSGz0-B/s1600-h/portrait_of_george_washington.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 262px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy3-viiIVoWyYf03O1zR0WIgzpOBZHmIw69U4edNIpAA73Ncw8-g88R6viRZ8o1rYcYMv8Sn9x_0_TSH107OssUDRpjO_K7PIXLkFkVg2enAnJqCOa5AgA_hlRtv3Z7Y2coV9ofpSGz0-B/s320/portrait_of_george_washington.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386909798226143074" border="0" /></a><br />It is my understanding that those who came over from <st1:place st="on">Europe</st1:place> were associated with religion. Most of those religions were based in Christianity. Did they all believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God? Not necessarily. Did the majority of them believe in God? Absolutely! The reason people came to the <st1:place st="on">New World</st1:place> was to escape tyranny and oppression. Much of that was religious, especially in the early stages of colonization. Did they have a good idea about what the truth really was? About as good as we do today. Not much has changed. We just have more denominations. <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Christianity was the moving force. Even the Deists attended church, and they were <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Christian</st1:placename> <st1:placename st="on">Churches</st1:placename></st1:place>. I believe the authors of the documents that now define our country were very careful not to include anything that would corral people, or cause religion to be interpreted as running any portion of our country. They were not sure what the truth in religion really was. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Everyone was searching at that time, as they are today. However, they did not forget God in any instance. They included Him and gave Him credit for their success, and for the future success of this nation. As for Jesus Christ and His divinity, they were not sure. The only thing they had to look back on was the persecutions, wars, and degradations of the past that were perpetrated in His name.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The Bible was pretty well accepted in America as the defining history of religion. Again the founders themselves were cautious in this instance. That could have possibly been because of the problems that man's interpretation of the book had caused throughout history. Our founding fathers were men of intelligence and direction. They were men with a vision and a purpose that was beyond their years. I truly believe that God inspired them to that end, and that they knew that. For this reason God is included in the documents.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">There will always be conflicting accounts. What the real truth is can only be felt individually. Did God have a hand in the destiny of this country? Personally I believe that He did and that the founding fathers were very aware of this. Do I believe that Jesus is the Christ? I most certainly do. Can I make others bow to that belief? No, and I don't care to. It is a personal journey that we take in this life. We need to respect that and honor that. It is our God given right. That I believe is what the founding fathers wanted to create.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=10649&w=294&h=294" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="294" width="294" style="border: 3px double #efefef;background: #333 url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat 50% 50%;"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-32732108615104273952009-09-24T15:23:00.000-07:002009-09-29T08:59:16.601-07:00The Jewish Dilemma!I just got finished reading a blog that was filled with information on the conspiracies of the Jewish people. It is amazing to me that so many continue to turn their eyes towards this group of people and blame their own and the worlds problems on them!<br /><br />It is interesting to me how the Jewish people are always looked at as bad guys. Is it because they are such a closely knit group, or is it their divine history? It almost seems to me that we are jealous of them because of the success that they have.<br /><br />They have been one of the most persecuted people throughout history. As long as they are on that end of the spectrum they do not seem to worry us. In fact at those times we actually feel for them. Once they start to make a little headway, they are moving in on others territory, or they are the major players in every bodies conspiracy theories.<br /><br />Doesn't anyone else see this as just a little weird? They finally have a place to call home, that was anciently at one time theirs. Of course they shouldn't have settled there because it belonged to others. It was okay for us to move the Native Americans off their land because it was Manifest Destiny, but the Israelis are bad for carving out a niche of their own when they had no place to call home.<br /><br />They are horrible people because they attack the Palestinians now. Do you think that we would hesitate to invade Mexico or Canada if they were lobbing rockets at us and nothing was being done to thwart it. None of this makes sense to me. Every Jewish American that I have met has been a decent hardworking person.<br /><br />I don't get it. Can somebody help me out here.<br />I am not Jewish. I am a devout Christian American with European roots.<br /><br /><a href="http://go.footnote.com/holocaust/"> "The Holocaust Collection"</a> <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfpORGgQ_xAm11Apr51hJBGRZ2YG4wJvc8IUWVn212cw6H261o_tSfidXw2Pyr-Rgr-DtjerXnFHaG5H8V5WKS6vJJZko513VVsaPmD7UrMs73igCUGVYr48emQC_t7H67ZBnmpb408Mv/s1600-h/footnotelogo-o.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 44px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizfpORGgQ_xAm11Apr51hJBGRZ2YG4wJvc8IUWVn212cw6H261o_tSfidXw2Pyr-Rgr-DtjerXnFHaG5H8V5WKS6vJJZko513VVsaPmD7UrMs73igCUGVYr48emQC_t7H67ZBnmpb408Mv/s200/footnotelogo-o.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386919309543325106" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-5254930815113876072009-09-23T10:47:00.000-07:002009-10-02T15:19:42.832-07:00The Long and Winding Road To Educational Reform!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBribYJHRjY6FM-HOSdUD3rrIMRkOLQfyrk7w0LaRpsBPcri_d7ZXwHs6LOgyT1ZMCdK6HuijATIWI0ayQ-JCiHUioUouZiPmQrr3xc97a4_cpMsuSPVQtsTWOsg8QxgapZOWjsVFbbST/s1600-h/back-to-school_0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 384px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHBribYJHRjY6FM-HOSdUD3rrIMRkOLQfyrk7w0LaRpsBPcri_d7ZXwHs6LOgyT1ZMCdK6HuijATIWI0ayQ-JCiHUioUouZiPmQrr3xc97a4_cpMsuSPVQtsTWOsg8QxgapZOWjsVFbbST/s400/back-to-school_0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388126356958730818" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Educational reform could be great thing if it was approached in the right way. Instead we have been in such a hurry to catch up with the rest of the world, that we have not taken the appropriate amount of time to calmly look at the situation, evaluate it, and make changes that are beneficial to our children. There have been some good intentions and then there has also been grandstanding and waste. Since we have been in such a hurry we have taken a winding road instead of the most direct route. One of the most controversial issues involved in education, concerns student objectives and assessments.</p> <p>I truly believe that in order to figure out where our deficits are, we need to not only have common objectives throughout the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>, but we also need to have a common assessment as to whether those standards have been achieved. Up until this point with the separation of objectives and assessment, educators have been scrambling to do whatever they can to measure up. Unless the goals and assessments are universal then we have opened up Pandora's Box.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>There will be posturing by states and districts to produce the best results. There will be unfair and unjust judgments concerning educational programs in certain areas and schools. Worst of all, there will be those who cheat in order to secure their positions.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>The point in having standards, and in proper assessment, is to assure that our students are getting the education they need to survive in this world. If that is not happening, then we need to take each individual situation and evaluate them based on their own situational circumstances. Then we need to form a plan to lift the position of the students in that area. We should never use such an assessment as a means of punishing. Instead, we should channel the help that is needed to that particular situation, so that student performance will improve. <o:p></o:p></p> <p>To often demographics and assets are not taken into consideration. They need to be in each case. Once changes are made then there should be a reasonable time period allowed to look for improvement. After all of those things have happened, then an assessment of the actual mechanics of the situation should be evaluated and dealt with. With national standards and assessments it is imperative that leave the administration and the fixes up to the individual states.<br /><o:p></o:p></p> <p>We have been in such a hurry to evoke reform that we have sacrificed good teachers, administrators and systems when the only thing that needed to be done was uniform objectives, assessments and non threatening assistance.</p><p>I realize that things are changing quickly and that critical thinking skills are paramount. That is not a reason for us to panic! If we can build a solid base as our predecessors did when they formed the constitution then we will have what we need to have a rock solid educational system.</p><p></p><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=12910&w=294&h=294" style="border: 3px double rgb(239, 239, 239); background: rgb(51, 51, 51) url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat scroll 50% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" frameborder="0" height="294" scrolling="no" width="294"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><p></p><p><br /><o:p></o:p></p>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-84585896691070255782009-09-21T14:53:00.000-07:002009-09-22T08:05:53.123-07:00Cap and Trade Treasury Documents - Were We Deliberately Lied To?<div class="storyText" id="story_text_19190"><p>Looking back is not something I usually do but with this Cap and Trade agreement I have to wonder how much trust we can put in the administration that we now have in Washington. Controversy abounds in the cost amount given by the administration for the Cap and Trade agreement. Documents released just last week shed new light by our Treasury Department on what those costs might be. Is this bill something that we wanted to pay for at this time? Why was this administration so interested in getting this passed right now?</p> <p>President Obama stated that the cost of this program would be about the price of a postage stamp per day for each American.</p> <p><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AJxtetj5B7Y&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AJxtetj5B7Y&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object></p> <p> </p> <p>The Bill was passed in June</p> <p><a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/24232.html"> Politico.com</a><br /></p> <p> </p> <p>The following article was written back in May.</p> <p><a href="http://www.factcheck.org/2009/05/cap-and-trade-cost-inflation/">Fact Check</a></p> <p> </p> <p>This was in the Wall Street Journal at the end of May</p> <p><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124588837560750781.html">Wall Street Journal</a><br /></p> <p> </p> <p>The following articles are just 2 of many that were published at the end of September with the release of these documents.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thepiratescove.us/2009/09/19/u-s-treasury-cap-and-tax-could-cost-300-billion-annually/#comment-125348"> News Article Cap and Trade</a><br /></p> <p><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/21/redact-and-withhold/">Washington Times Sept 21</a><br /></p> <p> </p> <p>Finally here is a video from Glen Beck back in June when the bill was being passed?</p> <p><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/clKj7VWVUu8&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/clKj7VWVUu8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object></p> <p> </p> <p>I personally do not see how this will help our economy right now. So, why did we pass it at this time. Now I have to question the reasonableness of the health care issues that are now being tossed around. There is only so much money available and we have already used that up by the trillion. I am paying more attention.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7-5R6c1igpNMsP6CXTDFWYeNrQ-oARXaDJ1T_WH_tEqhJK8ff2q1Q8n4UD1b2c2_lNM2aAPUmQYZXQiDRWqpJOdJfuoGdTXkgKQWUM1uPevqcmGMGEC4oiXZ98Eio3M9DqsV7JeQyIF4/s1600-h/Charlie-0004.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 156px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7-5R6c1igpNMsP6CXTDFWYeNrQ-oARXaDJ1T_WH_tEqhJK8ff2q1Q8n4UD1b2c2_lNM2aAPUmQYZXQiDRWqpJOdJfuoGdTXkgKQWUM1uPevqcmGMGEC4oiXZ98Eio3M9DqsV7JeQyIF4/s200/Charlie-0004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384045354975451826" border="0" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p>Take a look at the documents here<br /><a href="http://www.footnote.com/footnotepage.php?id=94437555">Cap and Trade Documents - US Treasury</a><br /><br />Add Comments!<br /></p></div>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-78851896702349717342009-09-16T16:00:00.000-07:002009-09-17T10:39:11.473-07:00So Much To Think About<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYlHt-uE0e9GqmK3CSZbcRn20qPmjOyO9XWD-wuFEwqzqm5Jt8EHAuUUUG2kzUVfHivbn-1-xOxZp5pH2nmPTtd6vt0BKyg5kJxaztfSRN8TwQ38c_xI9064YQY1zw9wURFtBpcAr9ULQ/s1600-h/world.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRYlHt-uE0e9GqmK3CSZbcRn20qPmjOyO9XWD-wuFEwqzqm5Jt8EHAuUUUG2kzUVfHivbn-1-xOxZp5pH2nmPTtd6vt0BKyg5kJxaztfSRN8TwQ38c_xI9064YQY1zw9wURFtBpcAr9ULQ/s320/world.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382484303755401154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I was reading a blog that was artfully done. The individual took on a controversial issue that he was passionate about. I happened to be on the other side of the issue. I was entranced with the arguments and inspired by the delivery. However, my own personal set of values could not agree with what was being stated. It is not that I didn't understand the passion of the person's position, I just did not agree with it. I believe that we can feel for, and be empathetic towards, and yet not agree with what others believe. There is so much animosity and judgment today harbored against those who disagree with us. The hate and the disgust towards others for their opinions is one of the most damaging things that we deal with in this world. It is difficult to know exactly what is right and what is wrong. The world has gone from black and white to gray and there are many who applaud that. I am not one of them. I believe that there is a right and a wrong.<br /><br />I consider myself to be an accepting individual. I have made mistakes in my life that have cost me periods of happiness. During those times I suffered because of my selfishness and my weaknesses. I could have gotten out from underneath my guilt by picking up the banner and changing my beliefs from what I know to be true to what I know to be false. By doing that I could have reasoned my way out of guilt, found allies to commiserate with me and finally buried that part of me. Instead of doing that I sunk down into the depths of despair. I was depressed and felt alone for a time. I never turned away from my beliefs or tried to blame others for the mistakes I had made. I was blessed to have a family that supported me through these times as well as others who were significant in my life. Through my belief I was supported through divine intervention and miraculously I feel that I am being helped up and out of the hole that I was in, back into the light.<br /><br />We all have decisions to make as to what is right and wrong. It should never influence the love that we have for our fellow men. It should influence however how we react to certain situations that conflict with those beliefs. If we are so easily inclined to throw off what we believe so that others will think highly of us and to escape the guilt we might feel, then we are like a ship without a rudder in this life, being tossed by the wind. In that situation our real self will never have a chance to surface into the light and enjoy the freedom that personal truth and resolve can give us. There are some who may call me closed minded, and they may be correct in many instances. That does not mean, however that I respect them any less as a human being or in my belief as a brother or sister. I will not however accept positions that I believe to be wrong and are against my values.<br /><br />Gaining the truth is a difficult task if we do not find a way to verify that it is truth. Again, only by divine intervention will we ever know the absolute truth. Is it possible to do that here on this earth? I know it is and I am thankful for that knowledge.<br /><iframe src="http://www.footnote.com/embed-spotlight.php?spot=12677&w=294&h=294" style="border: 3px double rgb(239, 239, 239); background: rgb(51, 51, 51) url(http://www.footnote.com/i/loadingAnimation.gif) no-repeat scroll 50% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" frameborder="0" height="294" scrolling="no" width="294"></iframe><small style="display: block;">Found on <a href="http://www.footnote.com/">Footnote.com</a></small><br /><br /><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:lucida grande;font-size:180%;" >A Lighthouse on the Point</span><br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >It’s black out, and I recoil, with the fear of a distant shore.<br />I’m gazing down, the pain is great, I cannot slam the door.<br />The clouds are heavy my course is set, there is little left within.<br />With the anchor tied around my chest beginning to descend<br /><br /><br />I realize that the rudders gone and time is lost in fog<br />My legs are heavy my body feels, as if I’ve just been flogged<br />Aboard the ship, the creaking ship, the ropes and rigging binds<br />So slight upon the darkened seas so small a spot in time<br /><br /><br />It’s hopeless but the crew’s intact still holding true to course<br />It’s the captain that has given up from a silent deadly force<br />Is it real you ask, or imagined, the danger that I face<br />It’s there to feel to touch and hear and even more to taste<br /><br /><br />The gales blow within my mind lightning strikes my heart<br />The beating stops it tightens up and threatens not to start<br />But slowly then the rhythms there I hear a clanging bell<br />I cling to something maybe hope it’s difficult to tell<br /><br /><br />Through the blackness and the gloom a silent ray shines through<br />It settles on my listless eyes, as a tender morning dew<br />It’s there and gone but now I hope with a quiet sure resolve<br />My eyes are set as I stand still, will my fear dissolve?<br /><br /><br />What is this luminosity that comes and goes tonight?<br />Will it bring me to the day, and make the darkness bright?<br />There’s a warmth the settles over me my feelings to anoint.<br />The fog is lifting there it is, a lighthouse on the point.<br /><br />C. Bell</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvxItQwtVt62NFwZpRAfBHoidomb8Ylx7Xm5OeYQn-mPr7XidoJgcEO_Fu8ueKDske2sn3Q99Q7oswTc-IJkhL-cBdX_TpPqS3W9qAD4mLundXu2Vq_FN_hXx13gENHgifWdvtgL0ft2z/s1600-h/Lighthouse+.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilvxItQwtVt62NFwZpRAfBHoidomb8Ylx7Xm5OeYQn-mPr7XidoJgcEO_Fu8ueKDske2sn3Q99Q7oswTc-IJkhL-cBdX_TpPqS3W9qAD4mLundXu2Vq_FN_hXx13gENHgifWdvtgL0ft2z/s320/Lighthouse+.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382483630336229058" border="0" /></a>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776126288344057474.post-69297919917644460182009-09-11T08:59:00.001-07:002009-09-11T09:00:31.999-07:00I can't think of a better way to remember 9/11 that this video that was sent to me in an email. Please take the time to watch it!<br /><br /><br /><br /><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mkWc_EKLs4E&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mkWc_EKLs4E&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="340" width="560"></embed></object>The History Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08287622162553404278noreply@blogger.com0