Windsor Report

Having trouble understanding the Windsor Report?
Cartoon Church has a good summary of all you need to know.

Polish newspapers protest

Two Polish newspapers joined Amnesty International protest against repression in neighboring Belarus and blacked out most of their front pages.
An Amnesty ad on the bottom read "This is what freedom of speech looks like in Belarus."

On the record...

Its annoying to not be able to preview my blog entries before I post them on IE 5 (on Mac OS 9). I have to keep publishing it and making changes to get things the way I want.

This week's column: An unlikely source

Adolphe Charles Adam was born July 24, 1803. He was born in France, the son of a Jewish music professor at the Conservatoire.
His mother was the daughter of a notable physician.
Adam began to study music but preferred improvising as he went, rather than studying specific pieces or composers.
By the time he was 20 he was writing songs for Paris vaudeville houses.
By 1830 he had completed 28 works for the theater.
Adam is probably best known for his work in authoring the ballet Giselle. He wrote a number of other ballets and nearly 40 operas before his death.
In 1847 he opened the third opera house in Paris, The Theatre National, after feuding with the owner of The Opera, another opera house in the city.

Not only was "O Holy Night" composed by a Jewish composer, but a number of other Christmas songs were written or composed by Jews. "White Christmas" was written by Irving Berlin. "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" was written by Albert Hague. "We Need a Little Christmas" was written by Jerry Herman. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," "Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas" were written by Johhny Marks. "The Christmas Walz" and "Let it Snow, Let is Snow, Let it Snow" was written by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne. "Silver Bells" was written by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston. "I’m Getting’ Nuttin’ for Christmas" was written by Barry Gordo (Source)

The Revolution of 1848 closed The Theatre National and left Adam with overwhelming debt.
He briefly turned to journalism but settled on teaching composition at the Paris Conservatoire from 1849 till his death in 1856.
Placide Cappeaua was born in Roquemaure, France, north of Avignon in 1808.
Cappeaua was a wine seller and an occasional writer.
Although Cappeaua was not a regular at church, yet a parish priest knew of his writing abilities and asked him to pen a poem about Christmas in 1847.
On his way to Paris, Cappeaua, inspired by the Gospel of Luke, wrote "Minuit, Chretiens."
Once in Paris, Cappeaua met Adam and asked him to pen music for the Christmas poem.
Three days later, Adam wrote the tune and "Cantique de Noël" was premiered at midnight mass on Christmas Eve, 1847 in Roquremaure.
Not long after its debut, the song began to receive attacks from church leaders in France.
Cappeaua later left the church to join the socialist movement and adopted the more "extreme" political and social ideas of his day – such as opposition to slavery, inequality, injustice and other kinds of oppression.
It was also discovered that Adam was in fact Jewish and his reputation of composing ballets and operas was deemed incompatible with the composition of Christian songs.
The song was attacked not for the nature or subject of the song, but because of who wrote the song.
One French bishop denounced the song for its "lack of musical taste and total absence of the spirit of religion."
But despite being shunned from the church, the song lived on in the homes and hearts of the French.
And in 1855, American Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight published an English translation to the song, "O Holy Night."
Dwights’ strong anti-slavery views shown through in his translation with the lyrics: "Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother, And in His name all oppression shall cease."
And so today, we sing -- a Christmas song, shunned by the church, written by a French Socialist and a Jewish composer, translated by a Unitarian minister and written about a holy night when God became man to save us all from the oppression of sin.

Interesting day

It's been interesting today - that's for sure.
I got the phone call about the mistake in my story (see previous entry - I'm too lazy to link to it), found out my water pump is broken on my truck, filled out lots of paper work to close on my house, set up Dish Network at my new appartment, set up a new bank account (got a free stuffed horse for it - looks like my Angel Tree boy will get a stuffed horse for Christmas), sat through an interesting county commissioners meeting and well... I think that may be it.
I still need to pay my rent on the first (I hope the money from the closing on my house gets here in time) and I need to update my cell phone number to a local number.
I don't know that it's necessary, but I'm sure all you folks here in the Dallas/Ft Worth area might like me to have a local number (not that you ever call). But zip me an email if you want the new number when it changes.
I also still need to find a broadband internet service for the new place.
Apparently SBC is the only company that provides it. But I don't want to pay for a phone line I'll never use, just to get DSL. Oh well.
Sometime this week I need to complete drivers ed and edit two videos for Rob.
So its 10:16 and I'm going home.
Take care.

Talk of the office

This has been the talk of our office the last week or so: Meal deal surprise
What do you think?
Who do you believe?
Who do you think the author sided with?

What a goof

I believe this is the first time I did this, but I miss-attributed a quote to someone at city hall. And it wasn't even a quote from anyone, but a paraphrase/idea that I had hoped to get a quote on and forgot to ask.
I saw it in my notes, wrote it as a statement in the article and then some where during the editorial process, (while cutting and pasting) I slipped and added it in as a quote.
The city representative wasn't very happy. And I don't blame him. I apologized profusely and wrote a correction tomorrow. I hope it doesn't ruin things for future interviews.
Hopefully it will be my first and only mistake here. My second paper at The Journal I misspelled "Construction" on the front page and then months later, during late night cramming I miss-typed "Belton." Both ran with the errors.
It helps keep you in check I guess. What you write will be seen by the public. And the public will let you know when you make mistakes.

UMHB falls to Wesley in second round

Allman covered the game for a Delaware paper Saturday. What's up wit dat?

Thanksgiving dinners

Two dinners down, one more to go... mmmm.
Makes me feel a bit like a jerk, when I'll have three Thanksgiving dinners and some people won't have one.
We're so blessed.

David Crowder's thoughts

David Crowder posted these comments on his blog yesterday. They're in response to the passing of his friend and pastor Kyle earlier this month. I thought it was a very thoughtful commentary.

it really is just perfect. it’s the most beautiful cemetery i’ve ever been in. i realize it sounds like a juxtaposition to use “beautiful” and “cemetery” so closely but it’s immediately serene; peaceful. just what you’d hope. completely cinematic. the grave itself was a pile of flowers. i had expected to see dirt. that red texas-clay-dirt that i’ve seen covering every other newly covered grave i’ve stood beside. early morning, kids laughing and a mound of flowers. i’m certain the mound of dirt was somewhere under the flowers, but driving up to it it just looked like a 3 foot high pile of flowers, perfectly mirroring the rectangular shape of the hole he is in. i’ve never seen flowers piled 3 feet high in the shape of a rectangle. there were potted flowers that outlined the perimeter of the rectangle and they were all leaned over and inward, none of them sitting up properly, resting against the mound as it rose from the grass. it was so strange, absolutely foreign to look at. the slightest bit unnerving. these flowers leaning against flowers. it gave the appearance that as he went into the ground his beauty had drug all this on top of him. as if you’d spread a cloth over a table that had a rectangular hole cut in it and then placed something with weight over the hole and let go. it would drop past the surface of the table pulling the table cloth through the hole with it as it sank. this is what had happened here over night. the weight of his passing pulled at our surface, and the flowers filled the hole and piled up to keep the world from caving in on itself. it was the weight. i had felt the weight. there were six of us surrounding him, carrying him down the steps, slidding him into the car and it was all impossibly heavy. the flowers didn’t have a choice in the matter. this is where they had to be, they had been pulled by the force of his departure and wanted to be near him and saved us all in the course of their aspired proximity to him. it was beauty summoning beauty and falling, laying on itself until the hole was clogged. grace is a bunch of flowers falling over each other to be near a beauty that is too terrific a weight to keep on the surface for very long. we will miss kyle but we might be ok. for now there is grace enough to keep breathing.

UMHB to host first playoff game

This is from the UMHB Alumni office

Greetings from UMHB!

The Crusader Football Team has made it to the playoffs once again, and on Saturday, November 26, they will play their first-ever home playoff game. The "Purple CRUsh" began the post season last Saturday in San Antonio, beating the Trinity Tigers for the second consecutive year.

This week the Cru will be taking on the Wolverines of Wesley College from Dover, Delaware. Kickoff is set for 12:00 noon CST at Belton Tiger Stadium. Tickets go on sale today, November 22, 12:00-6:00 p.m., for current season ticket holders. The remainer of reserved seats will be available to the general public on Wednesday, November 23, from 8:00
a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Ticket sales will take place at the Mayborn Campus Center Ticket Office, located at the front of the Mayborn Campus Center (University Drive side of the building). All reserved seats cost $8.00.
General admission tickets will be available at the gate, along with any unsold reserved tickets. General Admission tickets cost $8.00 for adults and $4 for students (3 years old and older).

If you are in the area, come out and support the Cru as they make a run at a return trip to the Division III National Championship game in Salem, VA., on December 17. If you do not live in the area, you can listen to game via the internet by clicking here
You can also email the Cru and our coaching staff at kgoff@umhb.edu, letting them know you are pulling for them.

For complete information on the Crusader's season, click here.

We hope to see you in Belton on Saturday!

This week's column: Sarah had a mighty pen

Sarah Josepha Hale was born October 24, 1788 in Newport, New Hamsphire.
She was the third child born to Captain Gordon Buell and Martha Whittlesay Buell.
Her early education was from her mother, but later on she was an autodidact, or self-taught.
She married Freemason and lawyer David Hale in 1813 and continued her self-education.
She was widowed in 1822 with five children, four under the age of seven.
But in 1823 she published her first collection poems entitled, “The Genious of Oblivion” with support from her husband’s Freemason lodge.
She then went to work from 1827 to 1836 as the editor of Lady’s Magazine.
She later served as the editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, publishing only American manuscripts, from 1837 to 1877.
She was a champion of equal education for women and was the first to start a day care nursery for working women.
Before her death in 1879, she published over 50 differnet volumes of her work, including her most famous work, the nursery rhyme entitled, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Hale wrote the poem in 1830 and most believe the nursery ryhme was based a true story about a young friend of Hale’s who owned a pet lamb that she took to school at the suggestion of her brother.
Although some debate has been given as to whether Hale wrote the entire poem or if part of the poem was written by a schoolmate, Hale is still credited with its authorship.
In 1877 Thomas Edison recited the first stanza of the rhyme while testing his phonograph, making it the first audio to be recorded and played back succesfully.
But despite her many accomplishments, her greatest and possibly least known accomplishment was in persuading President Abraham Lincoln to create Thanksgiving as a National Holiday.
In her letters to President Lincoln, Hale encouraged him to have the, “day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival.”
Hale had championed the cause of Thanksgiving from as early as 1827.
“Thanksgiving like the Fourth of July should be considered a national festival and observed by all our people,” she wrote. “There is a deep moral influence in these periodical seasons of rejoicing, in which whole communities participate. They bring out . . . the best sympathies in our natures.”
Before war broke out in 1861, Hale believed Thanksgiving would help bring the country back together and keep us from the insanity of fighting each other.
“If every state would join in Union Thanksgiving on the 24th of this month, would it not be a renewed pledge of love and loyalty to the Constitution of the United States?" she wrote in 1859.
But President Lincoln did not declare the national holiday until 1863, after the War of the States had ravished the country.
Yet still, Hale had accomplished the goal she had set before her so many years before.
With thousands of handwritten letters, one lady made a difference in a country torn by war.
And now as we look back, maybe this Thanksgiving we’ll remember to give thanks to God and pray that He will continue to heal our nation and keep us from the insanity of fighting each other.

not this week's column

I'm scrapping this, but figured I'd post it here first for all the world to laugh at.
I decided against it for my column. Just didn't have the same interest, flair and handiwork I laid out in my head on the way home from work.

You know something, if I’m not mistaken -- I believe Thanksgiving is this week.
I only know this because our Thursday newspaper is printing a day earlier than normal.
But if you visited your local stores I doubt you’d have a clue -- that is unless you bought $50 worth of groceries and got a free bird.
I think America has officially skipped Thanksgiving this year.
I turned on my radio last week and two stations in the Metroplex were already playing Christmas music 24/7. I think they may have even skipped Halloween.
But despite the rest of America overlooking turkey day, I happen to enjoy the holiday.
I’d love to see us all return to a day when more emphasis was placed on giving thanks, rather than dreaming of how much money we’ll save at Early Bird Sales on Friday at 4 a.m.
So in order to give each of us more time to enjoy the holiday I’d like to propose a change.
Let’s move Thanksgiving to the second week of August.
After all, what is there to celebrate in August?
Canadians celebrate Civic Holiday on August first, but I can’t see Americans getting to psyched about that one.
And an August Thanksgiving would give us a welcomed break between the Independence Day parties and the unofficial end of summer, Labor Day.
An August Thanksgiving would give us one more reason to fire up the grill and hit the road to see relatives one more time during the summer.
With Thanksgiving in August we could waste the post-Thanksgiving Day lunch by lounging at the pool, lake or floating down the Guadalupe River.
An August Thanksgiving would also give us another two days off from work in the summer. One for the holiday and one for calling in sick because of the bad sunburn you got while lounging at the pool.
Of course with an August Thanksgiving it wouldn’t seem right to watch the traditional Home Alone on T.V. Thanksgiving night.
And an August Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without the Cowboys.
John Madden giving a turkey leg to a baseball player just seems un-American somehow.
But with an August Thanksgiving, each of us could say, “Thanks” and never fear that Christmas would try to steal our day away.
But until that day comes, I’ll just dream of a better time and place -- when Thanksgiving really meant something.

A little bummed

I'm a little bummed. For whatever reason blogger.com doesn't work well with my antiquated version of Internet Explorer, so I can't upload pictures to my daily picture blog, or my regular one, except through my cell phone.
I found a great Dilbert cartoon that I knew Mike would love, but he'll just have to click the link to see it.
Sorry.

I think we found our house

Annoying eye

I think I'm starting week three of "Eye Twitch 2005."
It's starting to get real annoying.

3 BDRM HOME NEAR LAKE WAXAHACHIE

Feel free to ignore this posting...
Its a reminder for me... Hey when you get your own blog you can do it too.
http://www.rentclicks.com/display.asp?adid=cdebcdc9-6bd5-4085-8c67-a0a3cb65c3e8

Want a teaser?

Need a teaser to read the Scott Adams book?

I didn’t see how he could deny the obvious. “Of course they do. Billions of people believe in God.”
The old man leaned toward me, resting a blanketed elbow on the arm of his rocker.
“Four billion people say they believe in God, but few genuinely believe. If people believed in God, they would live every minute of their lives in support of that belief. Rich people would give their wealth to the needy. Everyone would be frantic to determine which religion was the true one. No one could be comfortable in the thought that they might have picked the wrong religion and blundered into eternal damnation, or bad reincarnation, or some other unthinkable consequence. People would dedicate their lives to converting others to their religions.
“A belief in God would demand one hundred percent obsessive devotion, influencing every waking moment of this brief life on earth. But your four billion so-called believers do not live their lives in that fashion, except for a few.
The majority believe in the usefulness of their beliefs—an earthly and practical utility—but they do not believe in the underlying reality.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “If you asked them, they’d say they believe.”
“They say that they believe because pretending to believe is necessary to get the benefits of religion. They tell other people that they believe and they do believer-like things, like praying and reading holy books. But they don’t do the things that a true believer would do, the things a true believer would have to do.
“If you believe a truck is coming toward you, you will jump out of the way. That is belief in the reality of the truck. If you tell people you fear the truck but do nothing to get out of the way, that is not belief in the truck. Likewise, it is
not belief to say God exists and then continue sinning and hoarding your wealth while innocent people die of starvation. When belief does not control your most important decisions, it is not belief in the underlying reality, it is belief in the usefulness of believing.”

Talk amongst yourself - and the be sure to leave your comments.

Did I tell you?

Did I tell you?
Go and buy Shawn Michael's book, "Heartache and Triumph!"
Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.
If you're lucky, you can buy it.
But it's not supposed to be out till Nov. 22.
I just happened to get lucky and find a store that sold it to me last Sunday.
And yes - I finished reading it on Tuesday.
Awesome.
Even if you're not a great wrestling fan and Shawn Michael's isn't your best friend, the book is a great testimony to what God can do in a man's life.
Michael's made a complete 180 when he gave his life over to God.
Awesome.

You know its time to unsubscribe when...

You know its time to unsubscribe from a blog when...
- The latest entry starts with, "I know it's been a while..." and it's dated three months ago.

Free book...

Scott Adams, the author and creator of the Dilbert Comic strip is giving away free e-books.
I haven't read it yet, but I'm about to.
Let me know what you think about it.

Well it was interesting

I found something very interesting this morning that I wanted to post on my blog, but my Mac computer has been acting funny with cookies and blogger.com.
So, alas it didn't get posted and now I can't remember what in the world it was about.
I'm very sleepy today.
I shouldn't have gone to Corsicana last night. Or maybe I should have, but just come home after we ate.
I fell asleep in Rolly's recliner for probably an hour and a half before I headed home.
Then I pulled over and slept for another 15 minutes or so on the way home.
I'm such a pansie.
I'm having trouble adjusting to waking early and leaving work earlier.
Well, if I ever remember what I meant to post earlier, I will (if blogger works).
Back to the salt mines...

Doh

So, I got a new computer. Not bad. Apparenlty everyone knew I had the worst computer and I got a newer one.
Way to go.
But as i came to type today I couldn't figure out why I was getting some symbols mixed up. Apparently someone swapped the keys around on my keyboard before i got here.
I think they said they did it to the sports editor. I guess this is his old machine.
Anyways - it was funny for a bit.
Now back to the salt mines. I went from having nothing this morning to 3 or 4 suddenly, including 2 interesting investigative stories.
Hope I don't get type-cast for it.
BTW - thanks to Big Tim Storm for meeting me for lunch and picking up the tab.

Dish, Texas

A Texas town renamed itself to Dish, Texas last night in exchange for 10 years of free Dish Network Satellite.
I wonder what we could change Waxahachie too.

For the record

For the record...
I'm typing post 503 for my blog. Reaching 500 is like watching you odometer on your car turn over. So happy 500. Thanks for reading.

And BTW, my arm is propped up funny and half my hand is numb, my arm is starting to go numb too. Makes typing very slow and hard. I think I should readjust my arm.

Christians promo

Full Transcript Of Christian's Promo At TNA PPV Bashing WWE

The following is a transcript of Christian Cage's comments at Genesis this past Sunday:

So I guess you can imagine the question I got asked the most this week. "Are the rumors we're hearing true? Is it true you're going to TNA? And if so, why?" Well I'll tell you this much, I'll tell you this much, I didn't come out here to see the same damn guy say the same damn thing week after week after week. And I didn't come here to see a grown man, dressed like a doctor, pulling things out of another man's ass. And you can be damn sure I didn't come here because I got fired.

Which brings me to another rumor I wanna address and put to bed right now, the rumor that I got lowballed in a contract offer. Well that's not true at all. See I was offered a very hefty sum to stay exactly where I was. But the reason I came to TNA is the same reason why each and every one of you is in this arena right now, the same reason why everyone's watching Genesis live on Pay-Per-View. And that reason is that I love wrestling!

Now you know, I've been known to crack a joke or two, say something sarcastic, pull a rib. But I don't want anybody to ever forget the fact that I am, without a doubt, the best all around performer in this sport today. It's like this. I'm tired of egos and politics. I wanna see guys in this ring busting their asses. I wanna see wrestling reinvented.

Like last night, I turn on SpikeTV, I'm watching Impact-a little plug for you-and it reminded me of when I broke onto the national wrestling scene 8 years ago. There were two companies. One was old, stale, and lacking direction. The other one I was apart of. It was young, hungry, and cutting edge. Fast forward 8 years to this very moment, and there's still two companies. One is old, boring, and lacking direction. And the other one is TNA!

And I said this is something that I wanna be a part of. In fact, I wanna be the biggest piece of this puzzle. Which brings me to Jeff Jarrett. I've got two things to say to you. One-you should never wear white pants after Labor Day. And two-I've come to TNA to take the one thing that's eluded me my entire career. The one thing we can both agree on is the most important and prized possession in this sport, the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

So I want everyone right now to stand up and take notice that Christian Cage is here. And Christian Cage will fulfill his destiny. Because that's...how I roll!

Interesting week

Well, it's Wednesday night and rather than just wrapping up one paper today, I've been a part of three papers getting wrapped up this week.
Moving to a daily is definitly different.
And moving from editor to reporter is definitly different as well.
I have moments where I'm just sitting and waiting for phone calls and want to surf the net, but then I remember how dadgum slow my computer is and how upset I would get when my reporters would just sit around and surf the web.
I don't blame them (now for sure). Sometimes there's just down time.
It's weird. I've never been just a reporter except for a brief stint at Eastfield Community College.
That lasted for one semester and I think I may have written four stories.
So this is a whole new world for me.
I need to get out and meet more people so I can have more things to write about on my own.
I need to find more of my own assignments. So far I have one, which I started on on Monday - but my interview isn't until tomorrow.
I want to get out and start working different beats, but I'm cautious that I don't step on anyones toes.
And just an FYI, the paper is still looking for one staff reporter.
If you're interested, give me a shout and I'll see if I can help ya out.

This week's column: Returning home

It’s been five-years, but I’ve finally made my return to the Mega-Plex.
I was born in Dallas, raised in Dallas and graduated in Mesquite.
During college I moved to central Texas and Belton where I swore it would be a long time before I would ever consider returning to the Big-D.
But paths, passions and feelings can change quickly – sometimes overnight.
And now that I’ve moved back, I’ve moved in with my parents for a few weeks until final contracts are signed on my house.
A lot has changed in five years.
As I moved back into my old bedroom, which was painted lavender several years ago, I reflected on yester-year.
My first memory of our house in Mesquite was slightly traumatic.
We moved from 8751 Milverton in Dallas to Mesquite at the end of my freshman year.
Shortly after we moved I decided it was time to put my waterbed back together and began the process of filling the large mattress.
But watching a waterbed fill with water is about as exciting as watching an Austin College or McMurry University football game.
So I left my room and went outside to play football with my sisters.
Naturally football took precedence and it was several hours before I returned inside.
In the span of several hours, the hose filling my waterbed had popped lose from its connection and filled the entire end of the house with 1/2-an-inch of water.
Needless to say, my mom wasn’t too happy – until she found out she would be able to re-carpet the entire house for a small insurance deductible.
Now, more than 10 years later, my mom is ready to re-carpet the house, but unfortunately the waterbed is long gone.
As I look back and reflect, I remember the last time I lived at home with my family.
August 2000.
At the time I was 21 and ready to move to University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
My sisters Amy and Kara were in the room next door.
I remember randomly running into their room while they tried to sleep and jumping on top of both of them. I also had a “bad habit” of pulling off their covers while they tried to sleep.
But that last night I lived at home I remember I couldn't sleep.
I was so anxious to head to college.
Then in 2003 when I finally finished school, I was so independent I wasn't going to move back home. I wasn't about to “bum off my parents”, I was going to make it on my own.
But last night I started thinking about all the "what-ifs."
What if I had moved back home when I graduated?
I would have been able to spend more time with my family, including my sister Amy who left us at the age of 24 in March.
I might have found a job working in radio in Dallas.
I might have found a job at a daily paper - much sooner than I did.
I'd probably have less debt.
I wouldn't have my dogs, Payton and Precious.
I wouldn't have gotten to know David Tuma at all.
I wouldn't have gotten to know Berneta Peeples at all.
I probably wouldn't be best of friends with Allman -- my former landlord and fellow West Wing nut and wrestling fanatic.
I probably wouldn't be involved with Christian Wrestling Federation.
I probably would have never joined the Lions Club – at least not until I had many more gray hairs.
I probably would have never learned all I did about running a weekly newspaper.
I would have been able to see more of Amy while she was sick and in the hospital.
And the list goes on and on...
Some regrets, some blessings, but "what-ifs" never really get you anywhere.
So I'm going to stop and look to what's ahead instead.
I may have an imperfect past - but I have a spotless future.
So let's see where I go from here.
“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Phil. 3:13b-15

Make your life count...

This is from Jerico (former WCW and WWE wrestler)...

WWE.com: What will you remember most about Eddie?
Chris Jericho: Just how humble he was. He had two sides to him. He was very serious, but he had a really funny sense of humor. He was a really fun guy to be around when he was in that type of mood. And anyone who knows him knows about “The Cricket.” I’m not going to explain it, but those who know, know. And those who don’t, wish they knew about “The Cricket.” That was probably about the funniest thing you could say about Eddie. He was just a really cool guy. He had a real strong faith and belief in God, too. He was never afraid to talk about it, but he would never push it on anyone. He was a true family man and most importantly a warrior for God. He taught me so much about wrestling and about being a man and it is an honor to call him a true brother and friend.

Eddie Guerrero 1967-2005

WWE Superstar Eddie Guerrero passed away Sunday morning in his hotel room in Minneapolis.
The cause of death is unknown but some sources are sighting a possible heart failure.
He recently celebrated his 4th year of being clean and sober from substance abuse and was proud of his new-born faith in Christ.
He will be missed.
He made an impact on those around him and it's interesting to note that WWE CEO Vince McMahon made sure to point out Eddie's recent acceptance of Jesus in a press conference regarding his death.

Pray 4 me. Klove radio called me late 2day 2 interview 4 a position as a regional manager in waco. Im scheduled 2 start a new job in waxah waxah

--

Mobile Email from a Cingular Wireless Customer http://www.cingular.com

Moving back home

So I've moved back home for the next few weeks, until Thanksgiving weekend.
I'll be comuting to work each day, so if anyone knows of a Dart rail heading from Mesquite to Waxahachie - holla.
As I moved back into my old room (which is now lavender) and set some pictures on top of my dresser (which I've enjoyed since I was a mere lad at 8751 Milverton in Dallas) I began to think back about the last time I lived here.
August of 2000.
At the time I was 21 and ready to move to UMHB.
My sisters Amy and Kara were in the room nextdoor.
I remember randomly running into their room while they tried to sleep and jumping on top of both of them. Or pulling the covers off of them or any other mean big brother jokes.
But the last night I stayed here I remember I couldn't sleep.
I was so anxious to head to college.
Then in 2003 when I finally finished school, I was so independent I wasn't going to move back home. I wasn't about to bum off my parents I was going to make it on my own.
And last night I thought of all the "what-if's."
What if I had moved back home when I graduated.
I would have been able to spend more time with my family - including Amy.
I might have moved in with Matt at the time.
I might have found a job working in radio in Dallas.
I might have found a job at a daily paper - much sooner than I did.
I might have met a girl who rocked my world and whom I could marry (fat chance :-)).
I'd probably have less debt.
I wouldn't have my dogs, Payton and Precious.
I wouldn't have gotten to know David Tuma at all.
I wouldn't have gotten to know Berneta Peeples at all.
I wouldn't have gotten to know any people in Belton or at the Belton Journal.
I probably wouldn't be as good of friends with Allman - my former landlord.
I probably wouldn't be as involved with CWF.
I probably never would have joined the Lions Club.
I probably would have never learned all I did about newspapers.
I would have been able to see more of Amy while she was sick and in the hospital.
And the list goes on and on...
But "what-if's" never really get you anywhere. So I'm going to stop with them for now.
And look to what's ahead. What's coming.
I may have an imperfect past - but I have a spotless future.
Let's see where I go from here.

The purpose of Life

I'm doing a D-Now this weekend in Rhome, TX.
And the entire subject is Making Your Life Count.
Why are we here? What are we to be doing?
And I think Calvin and Hobbs summed it up pretty well today.

It is finished...

After some problems sending pages to the press - It is Finished.
And it is good.
Monday at 9 a.m. I report to the Waxahachie Daily Light.
But now I have to go meet my boss for dinner.
[]Deace.

It's the little things

It's the little things that make a paper great (in my opinion)...
It took me 30 minutes, but I really like the ribbon in the top left corner of the paper.
I designed the ribbon and then just put it on top of the text, but that just didn't look right.
So I went in and redesigned the ribbon around the masthead so the ribbon actually wraps around the text...
What do you think?

Signs your publisher or editor may get run out of town...

I'm leaving my job on my own terms. No one is forcing me out, but Michael and I began talking today about some ways/reasons a publisher or editor might get run out of town.
- Supporting a tollway on Main St.
- Supporting a Democratic Presidential Candidate in the current Republican President's hometown (this one has been done before)
- Demanding pay cuts for teachers
- Ending the local gossip column
What other ideas/stories do you think a publisher or editor could get run out of town on?

For the record..

For the record - nothing is going to get me down today.
Nothing.
Several people tried to get me down today with their lack of driving skills - but nope - I didn't let it.
I've got a hot coffee and its my last day at the company.
(How do I know its hot coffee? Because it says, "Caution: Contents Hot" on the cup. And it tried to burn my tounge, but I wouldn't let it.)
So anyways - nothing is going to get me down.
Not even someone calling me right now and getting mad that I don't have a place for a 4x12 color ad that they just found out about.

Woman...

Woman...
Woah - man....

50% of those surveyed plan to leave within 2 years

Communication Nation reports that 50-percent of those surveyed plan to leave their job within two years.
Half of workers don't have performance metrics. These people don't have goals or standards they have to meet.
Another large percentage of people don't think their boss is in the loop.
Interesting study.

The differences between Africa and America

Aaron sent me a link to see the difference between Africa and America.

Where's George?

Mike found this last week. It's a lot of fun when you have time to spare.
Otherwise it can be addicting.
You can track currency across the country.
Simply log in, type in the serial number on the bill and you can track where it goes or see where it's been.
Lots of fun.

New Office Slang

Mike found this over the weekend.
The New Office Slang
Be sure you don't crop dust in a cube farm.

This week's column: Must See TV

Must See TV

Well this is it. This is my last week in Central Texas – for now.
I have accepted a position as a reporter at the Waxahachie Daily Light.
Now I know some of you may be shocked, flabbergasted and others may be relieved to see me go, but I decided this was a move I needed to make to be closer to my family.
And if there was any question for me about moving, they were answered when Terri Covington sold my house in about two hours.
Seriously -- she put the sign in the yard at 10 a.m. and by 11:30 a.m. someone had come and seen the house and was ready to make an offer. She’s good. And I’m not ashamed to give her and her office a shameless plug.
I bought my house through her a year-and-a-half ago and I was glad to sell it through her as well.
But despite my leaving, I’m going to really miss this area I’ve called home for the last five years.
I’m even going to miss the people I’ve worked with for the last two-and-a-half years.
Allman keeps saying he could write a sit-com about our offices and it would be “Must See TV” and I think he’s right.
So to help him build his character list, I’ve decided to put together a brief bio of the characters for him.
David Tuma – The publisher and owner of The Belton Journal. There’s never been a more loyal guy to walk the face of the earth. Even when the Belton Tigers were down and out last year, he was their biggest fan. And no matter what you may say or do to him, if you’ve been privileged enough to be one of his friends – he’ll be there till the end. He’s prone to some exaggeration in his headlines and stories, but they all go to prove his loyalty to Belton and BISD: “Belton destroys the Wildcats 7-6” and “Wildcats squeeze by the Tigers 52-7” and “Belton demolishes the Knights 15-14.”
Elsie Wiley – The bookkeeper extraordinaire and the unofficial manager of the entire company. While David may be the official head of the company, Elsie is the neck that turns the head whatever direction she wants. Not only is she responsible for keeping track of billing for the Belton Journal, she also handles all the accounts and bookkeeping for The Harker Heights Evening Star. She has worked for the Journal for more than a decade and is often known for her no-nonsense attitude. She’s the calm after the storm. No matter who gets their feathers ruffled, Elsie has a way of calming people down. She also knows more about the company than anyone else. If she ever gets sick, the office is immediately moved to her bedside so she can continue to manage it.
James Love – Mr. Sincerity. There’s not a nicer or more sincere guy anywhere than James Love. James has the heart of a saint and the guitar skills of The Edge. He’s always working hard to make people happy and life easier for everyone around him. The editor of The Belton Journal and former editor of The Evening Star, has developed an unhealthy addiction to Starbucks – not the coffee as much, but the business itself. But I’m sure with a few free drinks at your favorite coffeehouse, he could be persuaded to find a new addiction.
Berneta Peeples – The sage of the company. At 87, Berneta has worked at the Journal since she was 13 and has no plans to quit anytime soon. According to her doctors she’ll live to be 115 and will outlive everyone else in the company. She has her own fan club across the country that use her for any and all genealogical and historical information about Bell County and Belton.
Kathy LaPell – The can-do woman. Whether it’s selling ads, building them or laying out special sections, Kathy has the can-do attitude it takes to put a paper to press. Despite the fact that she can’t say, “Toyota,” Kathy works hard and is always taking on extra tasks when called upon. She’s always the first to arrive in the morning and is willing to stay late when needed.
Michael Robinson – Salesperson extraordinaire. Michael must work 60 hours a week. Not only does he carry a full-time load at The Belton Journal, he’s also the sales manager for The Harker Heights Evening Star. Michael can be as straight faced as Ben Stine, but can crack up and have a good time with everyone else. Michael is often the comic relief for the company, with his off the wall questions and jokes when tensions rise at press time.
Susan Gibson – Mrs. Cool. Allman and I seriously think she may be addicted to downers because of how cool and calm she always is. No matter what comes her way, Susan is there with a smile and a cool, relaxed attitude. We’ve also recently discovered she may have an unhealthy addiction to Alan Jackson and football. Wait – that’s an unhealthy addiction to Alan Jackson and an extreme loathing for football.
Beth Van Sickler – Mrs. Organization. Beth has a plan and organization system of her own for everything. Her ads are organized in such ways that CIA agents have sought her advice on encoding top-secret information. She can find an ad that ran on page A3 20 years ago -- in seconds. She’s also become very adept at deciphering the top secret Journal code, known also as David and Michael’s handwriting.
Chris Allman – A once full-time sports editor for The Journal, Allman has now managed to reduce his work week to roughly five hours a week, for the same pay. Within those five hours Allman covers every sport in Belton and lays out six to eight pages a week of fine sports coverage. Although he never meets press deadline and never takes any pictures for the sports section, he does have his own cultic fan club, known as “Chris Allman’s Almonds,” because to enjoy his writing, you have to be completely nuts. Membership forms can be found at www.allmansalmonds.org.
Supporting Cast:
The Heitmillers – Whether it’s reporting the news or appearing in it, the Heitmiller family may soon take over the entire company. Brett, Blair and Bailey have all worked part-time jobs or as stringers for the paper and each family member has appeared at least 42 times over the past year within the editorial copy of the paper (mainly in Allman’s Random Ramblings).
Norm – No one knows who he is or where he comes from, but twice a year he appears for weeks at a time to sell specials in the paper. “It’s well read. Lot’s of white space. Very popular,” rings in the ears of everyone in the company by the time he leaves.
Ray Bottoms – One of the coolest guys in Belton. As a city employee, readers of The Journal voted him the top City Employee for 2004. We’re not sure what he does for the paper, but he comes in enough he must be on the payroll – and we love every minute of it.
Butch – Distribution Manager. Despite his tough name and exterior, Butch is a big softy, until you mess with one of his newsstands. He coordinates the distribution of papers across Belton each Wednesday afternoon. Rumor has it that he once broke a man’s pinky for paying for a paper with wooden nickels.
I think that about wraps up the cast of The Belton Journal and Harker Heights Evening Star sit-com.
Granted I’m sure there will be plenty of guest stars and special appearances by city managers, police chiefs and readers, but that will be up to Allman – that is if he can ever break away from his rough five-hours a week of work.

How rad was the West Wing?

Yeah, I said it. How rad was the West Wing last night.
I read a number of people's comments dissin' the show on the net.
People said the camera's looked like they weren't set right and dumb comments like that.
But I wanted to present a live debate - and bring the viewers in and make them think that it was a live debate, I wouldn't have worried too much about camera positions either. The out of focus shots and cameramen moving about drew me in to the debate.
It was rad. What'd you think?

What a show...

Well the 2005 CWF Year has come to a close. We wrapped up our year with a great show in Rockwall, Texas Saturday night.
I would say it may have been one of the funnest shows of the year. No one expected the outcome in the final match.
I believe we had two decisions Saturday night, which is always a blessing and the reason we do what we do.
So for those who missed it, here's a recap of the show (if you were there, feel free to leave your comments below):

Jesus Freak Rob Vaughn def Apocolypse for the CWF Heavyweight Title
Son of Thunder def Michael Malick
Phillip "The Bishop" Barron gave his testimony
Yours truly interviewed CWF Lightweight Champion Seven
Shiloh def. Chris Idol
Rob Vaughn called for a Battle Royal - Order of elemination: Michael Malick, Son of Thunder, Shiloh, Jesus Freak and then....
Seven came out as a late entrant. He dumped both Apoc and Chris Idol over the ropes....
Then he revealed his secret identity - Albert the Ref!

Oh man - what a finish! No one expected that! I don't even think Apoc and Chris Idol did. I know I didn't. Amazing.
And thanks to the guys in the back on the rib with my entrance music. Somehow I ended coming out to Michael Jackson - what's up wit dat?

So that's it. Our last show for the year is done and we're making plans for next year. So be sure to keep us in your prayers. Thanks!

Free Coffee

Exxon has a radio promotion running in the Austin/Central Texas Area for free coffee every Monday after the Texans win.
Looks like they're not too worried about losing money on the deal.
The Texans have only won once this year.
But fret not, you can still get coffee at half-off even when then lose.

waiting for the paint to dry

yup. It's more than just an expression tonight.
Although I'm actually waiting for the silicone to dry more than the paint.
I think the paint's finished drying, but I just replaced a molding around my back door and I covered the nails (and a few hammer misses) with silicone and I'm waiting for it to dry before I put a 2nd coat of paint on it.
And for the record - I hate Lowes. It took me an hour to get the boards I needed, paint and materials.
And most of that time was spent looking for the board (because no one would point me in the right direction) and then waiting in line, because there was only one register open. And then once I was getting rung up, the board i needed was missing a bar code. So I had to wait 5 minutes for someone in lumber to get a barcode number.
Then the number they gave the cashier was for something twice the price the board should have been.
So I said, "Forget it. I'll go get another board."
I went back to the back of the store, picked out a board, made my way back to the front and had to wait in line again before I could get rung up. My goodness.
And needless to say, there were three employees just standing around the front of the store talking to each other, not doing a thing during this entire process.
If you're gonna take a break - PLEASE do it somewhere where customers can't see you.
Don't piss them off more by standing around looking like you could help them but deciding not to.
ANYWAYS, the board is nailed up, the holes and cracks are filled and now I just have to wait for the silicone to try so I can put on a second layer of paint.
I wonder if I should sand it a bit first?
Hmmm. Maybe. If I can find some sandpaper in my house somewhere.
Alright, 20 minutes to go.
[]Deace.

This is funny...

Check out Brittney Spears...

http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?user=WovenAndSpun&tab=weblogs&uid=379177210

BTW, this is post 480 for me. Wow. 20 more and I reach 500.
Amazing.
Maybe I have too much free time. Or I just like to write about random, non-interesting things that no one else really cares about. Who knows.

Egg-xhibit

I think Grandma Blundell would have loved this...

BFA ready for annual Winter Exhibit
Berneta Peeples
Belton Journal

Bell Fine Arts Association will open its annual Winter Exhibit at a reception at Bell Fine Arts Center, E. 5th Ave. at N. Wall St. Nov. 13 with an Egg-xhibit and auction. An Egg-xhibit is definitely a first of its kind event in the Central Texas area and maybe worldwide. BFAA will auction some 50 to 60 painted ostrich eggs at the 2-4 p.m. affair.
These are part of the 84 ostrich eggs Jay Taggart gave BFAA to be painted, carved or otherwise decorated for sale by the association to help finance the restoration fund and other needs of Bell Fine Arts Center.
The eggs came from Taggart’s ostrich farm.
Some BFA members were given four eggs to transform into “objets d’arte.” Each painter could keep one egg, but the other three must be decorated, carved, painted or something, and retuned to The Art Center for the auction.
Along the way, some eggs rolled off the worktable and broke. That is really about the only way to break the thick shell of an ostrich egg, people say. But it astonishes what can be created from a broken ostrich eggshell, as the egg-xhibit will show as part of the annual Christmas Market.
Fred Fuller will be auctioneer.
The reception will include special exhibits by featured artists Sandy Dusek and Polly Strawn.
Polly Strawn will show her combination paintings and dimensional work in the recently designated Ruth Dawson Gallery. Polly Strawn, a long-time member of BFAA is also an art teacher and work in several areas of painting and crafts.
The small gallery honors Ruth Dawson, a charter member of Bell Fine Arts who served as president of BFAA for several terms, served on the board of directors, as chair of numerous committees, association secretary and treasurer.
She taught classes in several media, worked with special education students and conducted summer camps for children for many years.
She is a retired elementary school art teacher.
Sandy Dusek will be the featured artist in Old Church Gallery, the sanctuary of the 1874 Episcopal Church building.
The public is invited to the reception.
The Christmas Market will be open on special open-door days through the holiday season. The market will feature works by BFAA members.
berneta@beltonjournal.com

This week's column: Big brother is watching

A friend of mine, John Lochridge, recently sent me an article he had written for a local paper on RFIDs, Radio Frequency Identification.
I told him I hadn’t quite made up my mind on the issue – and still haven’t.
You may have seen other articles or even television commercials touting the helpfulness of the small “barcodes of the future.”
RFID tags are small microchips and antennas, used mainly in packaging and shipping, that’s assigned special serial numbers which can be transmitted to nearby readers.
The RFID tags can help computers keep track of inventory, product shipments or any number of details, via radio waves through non-metallic materials.
The technology has been available since the 1970’s, but not until recently has it been readily available or affordable for most users.
While retailers and businesses see RFID as a huge improvement in inventory tracking, many consumer groups and privacy advocates fear RFID is the beginning of a much broader scale of privacy invasion.
Katherine Albrecht, speaker, Harvard doctoral student, and the founder of Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN), warns that retailers are experimenting with new ways to implement RFID’s into every day products.
Experiments have embedded RFIDs into footwear and clothing -- including undergarments.
With readers in place, RFIDs can help retailers track an individual’s purchase from the moment they walk out of the store.
Like Cookies on the Internet, RFIDs can help retailers better understand purchase patterns and consumer use.
But retailers aren’t the only ones interested in RFIDs.
According to Lochridge, the FDA recently approved embedding RFIDs under a persons skin to keep track of a persons medical history and conditions.
Similar technology has been in use for a number of years with household pets.
A small RFID chip implanted in the back of a cat’s or dog’s neck can help veternarians find a pets owner if it's lost.
This year the Texas Legislature also proposed embedding RFID chips on cars across the state.
Texas state representative Larry Phillips (R-Sherman) proposed HB 2983, which included a portion calling for the embedding of RFID tags into vehicle registration stickers.
The RFIDs would allow car registration information to be read and collected by a scanner from a distance.
A car could be identified by readers in nearby vehicles, notifying law enforcement if the car was stolen.
The requirement for RFID tags was removed from the legislation as a result of negative public reaction regarding the issue.
Spring ISD in Texas has already embedded RFID tags into student IDs to track students across the district.
“Dallas residents can expect to hear more about RFID in the future,” Lochridge writes. “The Dallas technology community is very interested in the technology. According to the Metroplex Technology Business Council, there are over 100 local firms actively involved in the development of RFID technology.”
I've personally seen and read both sides of the issue and can understand both.
Many fear this is the start of the mark of the beast written about in the book of Revelation.
At what point will RFID tags become required for everyone to track and “spy” on individuals?
The problem with technology is that the more it encroaches on our lives, the less privacy we will have.
Take a look at the movie “Minority Report,” with Tom Cruise.
I think that's what we're heading to.
Advertising is becoming more and more targeted and RFIDs will help companies do so more efficiently.
What if everytime you walked in to a store or turned on the television you only saw products you were already interested in?
You don’t have to watch a commercial for a product you would never personally buy. There’s also the issue of safer travel in the future.
Researches are working on cars that drive and fly themselves.
Without the human interaction, there will be less possibility for human error.
But for that to happen, satellites and other devices will have to keep a constant tab on where vehicles are at, within inches.
Also, RFIDs would help airlines keep track of passengers and ensure the right people are boarding the planes.
We must either accept technology, or shun it.
If we accept it -- we will chose to give up a piece of our own privacy pie.
And each of us must decide how much we want to give up.
For information visit nocards.org, spychips.com and rfidjournal.com.

CWF in Rockwall

Just a reminder, the CWF will be in Rockwall for our last scheduled show of the year - this Saturday night.
The show will begin at 7 p.m. and it looks to be a good one.
Scheduled to appear: CWF Champion Apocolypse, CWF Lightweight Champion Seven, Shiloh, Chris Idol, Jesus Freak, Son of Thunder and Michael Malick.
Don't miss the FREE show. It'll be loads of fun.