Merry, Merry Christmas

Wow! I can't believe Christmas is in two days. To me, it seems that this year has zoomed by faster than any other. I still have some shopping to finish up but the brunt of it is done, thank goodness. I pray that people won't be so distracted by "Santa clause" that they lose the entire reason for Christmas. This special day is remembered for Jesus being born on this earth among us and to later save us from our sins. God loves us lowly humans so much that He sent His only son to this earth to die for us. I just pray that everyone will remember that and that they will have a blessed Christmas!! -John 3:16

Just another crazy picture of us girls.

Girl's Night Out

A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I decided to have a girl's night out and have some photo shoots. It didn't end up being all girls, Jared and Chase decided to join in on the fun. We searched in Jena and Rachael's closet for the coolest clothes ever!! We all had a wonderful time. We also decorated cupcakes and sang karaoke. Hopefully soon, we can do it again.

HaPpY ThAnKsGiViNg

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you all stuffed yourselves until you couldn't move. Always remember to give thanks to the Lord for allowing us to live and giving us the choice to be with Him.

Malcolm Gladwell was born in the United Kingdom on September 3, 1963. He was raised in Canada but now is a citizen of New York City, New York. Mr. Gladwell graduated from Toronto's Trinity College in 1984 and began his career at The American Spectator. He is currently a staff writer for the New Yorker. His first book published in 2000, The Tipping Point became an international best-seller.

His article about Lizzie Grubman is quite intriguing. One night she drove her father's Mercedes - Benz S.U.V. and parked it in a fire lane. Later, she backed into 16 people, injuring them. Grubman thought it was in drive when it was really in reverse. She claimed that it was an accident and from Mr. Gladwell's opinion it was. When Ms. Grubman hit the accelerator, she didn't press the break right away, she didn't press the break at all, in fact she pushed on the accelerator even harder. Mr. Gladwell was trying to explain how some people can be diagnosed with "unintended acceleration" or "pedal error". This usually affects short people, old people, women, and people who are unfamiliar with the vehicles. Lizzie Grubman was short, a woman and had only driven her father's car twice. It was concluded that what Ms. Grubman did was indeed an accident and that it was caused by unintended acceleration.

This news article was very interesting to read. Now I know why certain people press the accelerator when they should press the break.

http://realclearpolitics.com/historyfavorsrepublicansin2010.com
Author: Karl Rove

Mr. Rove was born on December 25, 1950 and currently resides in Washington D.C. He was the Deputy Chief of Staff(and later became known as the "architect") for President Bush until he resigned in August 2007. Rove was a political consultant specifically for republican candidates.

Obama seemed to receive a lot more votes from certain ethnic places than any previous democratic candidate in 2004. He got nearly 3.3 million more votes from African-Americans than did John Kerry and most of them were between the ages of 18-29. Over a third who voted republican in 2004 switched sides and voted for Obama. Mr. Obama got 4.6 million more votes from the Hispanic than Kerry did in 2004. Many people didn't even show up to vote. Some who were republican changed parties and voted either independent or democratic. This outstanding victory for Obama might have been more personal than partisan. On the other hand, Republicans gained legislative seats across the region. Now in Tennessee the house and senate have GOP majorities for the first time since the Civil War. In 2010 this could matter because the Census could allocate four congressional districts.

The point Rove is trying to make is that history will favor republicans in two years. Good years follow bad years. For this to happen Republicans need to step up and be offensive and defensive in certain issues. They can't sit back and allow democrats to run over top of them.

Many people are disappointed with the outcome, but now that Obama is going to be our new president, republicans need to stand behind him and if Obama allows, help him through this time of disaster...

Capitalism

"The Rise of Capitalism"

What I got out of this story was that this author was not a big fan of capitalism. He says that everyone is in competition and that most people do not accumulate as much "wealth" as others. Capitalism is not perfect but it is better than socialism or communism where the government controls everything. The point of capitalism is to be competitive with one another and to achieve goals. He also thinks that because he does not wake up rich, it is capitalism's fault. You have to work hard and be motivated to make money and make a life for yourself; that is capitalism.

"One of These Days"

The case with the dentist is that he didn't have a degree but yet he performed operations and also had a crummy office full of spider webs and dead insects. He didn't seem to care for the Mayor who needed to have a wisdom tooth pulled. When the dentist looked at the Mayor's mouth, he told him that he would have to pull his tooth without anesthesia. This frightened the Mayor but he braced himself for the worst. The dentist thought of this procedure as his revenge on the Mayor and everything he has cost him, as well as twenty dead men. After the extracting of the tooth, the dentist gave the Mayor a clean cloth and explained to him how to clean the area, In conclusion, I think that both of these stories were trying to convince the reader that capitalism has failed and the people should do something to stop it. They also seem to be linear because they are telling the readers from beginning to end.

John Coleman

John Coleman is the founder of the cable network and the Weather Channel which began in 1982. Thanks to Mr. Coleman, we can watch weather on our cable TV 24 hours a day and get up to date local forecasts. Coleman refers to TWC as "his baby". He has been an amazing weatherman since 1953. The Weather Channel is located in Cumberland, Georgia.

The main reason Mr. Coleman started TWC was because he wanted to inform people on the latest updates and news. He wanted people to live in the exciting 'weather of the moment'. Now that he is no longer a part of TWC, he is disgusted with the way it is. "It's all about animals, gardening, etc. They lost focus on covering the weather." Coleman thinks the new CEO's of TWC should have local weather bureaus and more updates to make the weather more meaningful for the viewers. All in all, Mr. Coleman is disappointed in the new weather channel and realizes that "his baby" will never be the same. How discouraging for someone to begin a wonderful program and see it go down the tube.

Buying the War

This video was interesting to listen to. I know George Bush has not been the best President but we need to give him credit for all he's been through. He's had to deal with things like the twin tower attacks only a year after he was sworn into office. I don't know about you, but I would rather have a president who will go to war and destroy the terrorists and things linked to them than a president who wants to "discuss" issues with them. The latter option is just the ticket to make us vulnerable like we were in 2001. I also thought it was "different" to see all of the American flags immediately after the 9/11 attacks. I don't understand why we can't be this patriotic all of the time. It seems that we only do this when something tragic happens to our country. Also, many were praying for the lives that were lost in New York, Penn., and the Pentagon. Never do I see these people praying any other time, only when a major catastrophe occurs. I know the war has continued for a long time, I don't understand why but I support President Bush and my country for whatever decision they make. I feel safer at night when I know that the terrorists are being "contained" or taken care of. Not knowing what the future holds is frightening to some but I know that the Lord will lead me through it.

The "bad storm"

Well, we're still feeling the affects from that horrific storm on Sunday afternoon. Our area including my house is still out of cable and Internet service. Hopefully soon we will get it back. I know how tough it is for students who use the Internet, especially those doing online courses. Lets just pray we get it back soon.

Hugh Hefner

I liked how the essay was written, it flowed and was easy to understand. However, I don't agree with what Mr. Hefner does and why he does it. Porn is disgusting and immoral. No one should be exposed to it. I think it reveals women(and men) as being nothing higher than animals. They shouldn't be treated as so. We are all equal in God's eyes, and as imperfect humans, we will see things or objects that catch our eye and somehow can't walk away from them. Pornography is one of these issues. Today, it will pop up on your computer screen for no apparent reason, and if you're a person very easily convinced you will find yourself logging onto the website watching this horrid event. Sooner or later, you will be addicted. This can lead to disadvantages for that person: ruin your mind, relationships and so on. Seeing these "nasty" images will only please someone for so long; then what? Don't let your physical attractiveness to the opposite sex get in the way of your standards and morals(that is, if you have any). I don't know about you, but I think people who watch this don't really have much of a life. They should get out more and explore new interesting things. Read a good book, hang out with friends or family, play with their animals; anything that keeps their mind going. I know that I'm in college and should learn to "adjust" to this culture that I was born into, but if I start to allow myself to accept certain things that I know are wrong, then what arguments will I have to discuss with those who already "accept" it? Even though my beliefs are different than some, we should all set ourselves to high enough morals. This way we don't have to lower ourselves to view this outrageous stuff. http://8491.openphoto.net

Mr. Marlowe

Marlowe