Back from camp

I was gone last week to east Texas, to church camp 2010, at Purley Gates. wow! the week flew by. I had no phone service, unless I wanted to climb up this huge hill, I could get it there. I've got pictures that I have to upload to Flickr, and videos to youtube. Some are here, and although the video for the teen choir isn't the best, it made me realize I really *should* invest in a handycam for when my camera can't cut it. The noodle game looked like lots of fun! My internet was misbehaving yesterday, so I couldn't upload more video. I have a pedometer, and found out I was walking about 2 miles a day at camp :O the food was ... food. Looked like school food for lunches. The chicken strips, mashed potatoes/gravy, and green beans was the best meal. We had goulash, my daughter asked me "what is it?" I told her "do you want me to tell you what I *think* it looks like? or what it actually is! To me it looked kinda like someone threw up. But it did taste good.

Pranks were played at camp - I read about the 'musical card' prank - you take the mechanism out of a musical card, set it under the sheet - when they lay down, it will start playing music - they get up - it will stop. It didn't quite go that way, but she was "where is that music coming from?"

The 2nd prank was played on ME. My *loving daughter* brought 2 rolls of plastic wrap, hidden away...I was on the bottom bunk sleeping, and she & 2 compadres waited almost 2 hours to make sure I was asleep - snuck over, and started running around the bunk, unrolling the wrap. They used up almost 2 rolls of it. Then when I woke up, heard something, yelled "WHAT!" they ran off giggling. Good thing I had brought scissors to camp for my crocheting, as I had to CUT my way out of that wrapping!

I did get her back however...Thursday I got a ziplock full of granola from the kitchen, and with help of a couple of the other girls, put it in the foot of her sleeping bag. She didn't find it at first, then snuggled down into it, and said "there's something crunchy in my sleeping bag...I think it's cereal...there's something crunchy... I have crunchified toes"... The girls back where she was were laughing and asking her if she needed some milk!

Another girl had a large rubber snake put in her suitcase - she opened it like 20 minutes later, and screamed.

11 kids went forward about salvation, around 14 for re-dedication, and the preaching was *excellent*. I am looking forward to next year, and one of the other ladies and I are going to see about bringing the younger ones to camp also - the 6/7 year olds and up. I think they would get something good out of camp. We'd have to rent a van to take them, as the 2 church vans are filled up with teenagers - we took 24 teens to camp this year.

OHHHHHHh on the way back, just after Jacksonville, and before Rusk, the right front tire blew on the van pulling the trailer. Not just blew, but it was a new tire, just put on the week before, and the whole center tread separated from the tire - the valve stem blew off - and when it did that, it broke the brake line - good thing Nettie was able to stop - A guy stopped - he asked what he could do, and he said he could give some a ride to Rusk, because we could not fit everyone in one van - he went and dropped off his neice and returned - his name was John, he has been home from Iraq 1 week, on leave - a very nice guy - So between his truck, the other van, and 2 adults riding with the wrecker, we were able to make it to Rusk to the DQ. I talked to him for a bit at DQ, turns out he was on the Gompers later when it was up in N. California. I knew it when it was down in San Diego. He was a recruiter for 3 years, and really enjoyed going into the schools dealing with the teenagers. He retires in 2 years, he wants to go into teaching. I think he'd enjoy it.

Anyway, we're up in Rusk with 1 van, 1 trailer, and 24 kids, 4 adults. (15 passenger van)...The wrecker driver knew someone who knew someone who knew the music director at First Baptist Church of Rusk... he drove over, and loaned us their church van! to get the kids home! We got home to the church a bit after 11 pm Friday night, and Royce & Nettie drove the loaned van back to Rusk on Saturday, and drove our van home again. This van! Almost back to town - the van starts shimmying again - turns out the spare needed a spare. Finally got it back.

These vans are on their last legs - the van that I had rode in all the way up to Purley, back, and drove with all those kids in to the DQ, the steering is loose,. Preacher brings it to the repair shop, they can't find anything wrong with it. The other van, the back side is like 3" to the left of the front end. We didn't pay much for the vans, they've done well so far, but I think it's time to replace them. Either that or find a repairman who CAN fix that steering on the light blue van. We've taken them out to Arizona, to the Navajo and Hopi reservations twice, to teach Vacation Bible School. We are hoping to be able to go back and teach again. My group is always the 5 and 6 year olds...and I love it. Ok I've rambled on long enough.

by the way, the Supreme Court struck down that Chicago gun ban - that warms the cockles of my heart!

I'm off for a bike ride down to where the road ends, out in the fields. Will take pictures of the rice fields out there :)

Big Texan Steak

the date of 08/26/09, Benjamin Monson, 22, 240 lbs of Twin Peaks, CA, in !!!! NINE minutes, 40 seconds, ATE a whole 72 oz Big Texan steak !!! It comes on the plate, with sides: a shrimp cocktail, side salad, dinner roll and one baked potato. In order to get it free, you have to eat it in less than an hour. Otherwise, you pony up $50. I can't imagine eating this much...or eating in less than an hour.

Obama, Unions and the oil spill

I was watching the business block this morning on Fox News, Forbes on Fox, Cavuto, Bulls & Bears, etc; and a blurb at the bottom was about this very subject. So I type it into google, and come back with this gem:

Does Obama Care More About Protecting Unions Than Cleaning Up Oil Spill?

Why hasn’t he accepted cleanup help from friends overseas?

Readers may recall that ABC’s White House correspondent Jake Tapper asked Obama this at the one and only formal news conference he has held since July 2009:

TAPPER: You say that everything that could be done is being done, but there are those in the region and those industry experts who say that’s not true. Governor Jindal obviously had this proposal for a barrier. They say that if that had been approved when they first asked for it, they would have 10 miles up already. There are fishermen down there who want to work, who want to help, haven’t been trained, haven’t been told to go do so. There are industry experts who say that they’re surprised that tankers haven’t been sent out there to vacuum, as was done in ’93 outside Saudi Arabia. And then, of course, there’s the fact that there are 17 countries that have offered to help and it’s only been accepted from two countries, Norway and Mexico. How can you say that everything that can be done is being done with all these experts and all these officials saying that’s not true?

Obama could accept help from overseas, but he would have to issue a waiver under the Jones Act which was passed in 1920 to protect America’s maritime industry. In other words, to save union jobs. After Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005 President Bush did issue a waiver.

Here’s more detail from the Heritage Foundation:

Within days of the oil spill, several European nations and thirteen countries in total apparently offered the Obama administration ships to assist in the clean-up of the Gulf. When asked about this, a State Department press spokesman refused to identify any offers of assistance.

According to one newspaper, European firms could complete the task in four months, rather than an estimated nine months if done only by the U.S. Working with the U.S., the cleanup could be accomplished in three months. The Belgian firm DEME contends it can clean up the oil with accuracy at a depth of 2,000 meters. Another European firm with capabilities is the Belgian firm Jan De Nul Group. There are also Dutch companies with similar special equipment capable of accelerating cleaning-up the Gulf. The Belgians and the Dutch are also long time NATO allies and as such partners in international security cooperation.

According to the article, no U.S. companies have the ships which can accomplish this task is because those ships would cost twice as much to build in the U.S. as they do outside the country. This is one adverse impact of the Jones Act, which Congress passed in 1920s. This piece of protectionism has only hampered an anemic American maritime industry. It also has prevented a quicker response to the oil spill. European firms do have the expertise to clean up the spill.

If other nations have the technologies to address this oil spill, then the administration does have the ability to accept their help: in response to Hurricane Katrina, for example, Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff temporarily waived the Jones Act in order to facilitate much-needed transport of oil throughout the country.

The Jones Act, which is supposedly about protecting jobs, is actually killing jobs. The jobs of fishermen, people working in tourism and others who live along the Gulf Coast and earn a living there are being severely impacted. There are also additional private sector jobs which are NOT being created in the United States since the Jones Act effectively prices U.S. based companies out of the ability to be competitive on the competitive global market.

Could it be that Obama’s strong ties to big labor is what prevents him from accepting the help that would clean up the spill and save the environment and the lives of those living along the Gulf?

Source.

And now..

They're up to 5-blade razors! This skit from Saturday Night Live, I remember seeing, and laughing at the thought of a 3 bladed razor.

Triple-Trac

Announcer.....Andrew Duncan
Caveman.....Al Franken

[ FADE IN on a caveman on his knees by a river ]

Announcer (V/O): In the dawn of civilization, long before the Bronze Age, man first began his search for the close shave.

[ The caveman takes a club and hits himself in the face. DISSOLVE to the announcer speaking to the camera against a black background ]

Announcer: Since then, man has been ardently striding to design the perfect shaving instrument.

[ Shots of various razors are shown ]

Announcer (V/O): From the straight razor, to the safety razor, to the injector system, amd finally the highly acclaimed twinblade cartridge.

[ The announcer picks up a twinblade and shows it to the camera ]

Announcer: Almost perfect, yet not quite the superlative groom. Introducing the Triple-Trac.

[ DISSOLVE to a close-up of the three-bladed Triple-Trac razor ]

Announcer (V/O): Not just two blades in one system, but three stainless, platinum teflex-coated blades melded together to form one incredible shaving cartridge, easily fitted into your old twinblade holder. Triple-Trac's triple-threat cartridge, with more close shaves than ever before. Here's how it works.

[ DISSOLVE to a cartoon showing a how the Triple-Trac shaves a whisker ]

Announcer (V/O): The first blade grabs at the whisker, tugging it away from your face to protect it from the second blade.

[ The cartoon shows how the Triple-Trac yanks painfully at the whisker ]

Announcer (V/O): Blade number two catches and digs into the stubble before it has the chance to snap back and injure you, pulling it farther out so that it is now ready for shearing.

[ The cartoon shows an even more painful whisker-yanking ]

Announcer (V/O): Triple-Trac's third blade, a finely-honed bonded platinum instrument, cuts cleanly through the whisker at its base, leaving your face as smooth as a billiard ball.

[ Finally, the cartoon shows the Triple-Trac completely shaving the whisker ]

[ DISSOLVE back to the announcer against the black background, holding up a Triple-Trac ]

Announcer: The Triple-Trac. Because you'll believe anything.

[ FADE ]

Rank stupidity

The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to overturn an appeals court decision that upheld Arizona's right to punish employers for hiring illegal immigrants.

This is stupidity on the part of the Obummer administration. It's already in Federal law, fines and stuff for employers who hire illegals, but how often is that enforced? it's NOT. They've called off all ICE raids on businesses also, now that he's in office. Not that they were doing it that often beforehand.

This administration is doing everything they can to undermine the United States, and bring it into line with "the government does everything for you" socialist line. The government, the be-all and end-all for this country. It will do everything for you, except wash your windows and wash your dishes. Got a complaint? It will take care of it for you, it will have a program that gives you taxpayer dollars for it.

Pretty soon with all the robbing Peter to pay Paul going on, Peter is going to get sick and tired of it, and stop paying. And the government is always assured of Paul's vote, because they are sucking on the government tit.

Air conditioning

Today's post is about the joy of air conditioning. I spent yesterday with no AC until around 5:30, due to a line being broken from the pole to our house, it was causing fluctuating power - we fried 3 power strips from Wednesday night around midnight to yesterday afternoon when the last one went POP POP POP and a nasty burned smell drifted around.

If not for the ceiling fan in the house, it would have been horrible. I don't know how people stood it down here in south Texas before the days of air conditioning. I guess I am spoiled by AC.

Obama is showing his Chicago roots, so is Rahm Emanuel by offering Sestak and Romanoff possible jobs for not running in their state elections. Their protests of "but everybody does it" doesn't wash. According to 18 US Code 600:

Whoever, directly or indirectly, promises any employment,
position, compensation, contract, appointment, or other benefit,
provided for or made possible in whole or in part by any Act of
Congress, or any special consideration in obtaining any such
benefit, to any person as consideration, favor, or reward for any
political activity or for the support of or opposition to any
candidate or any political party in connection with any general or
special election to any political office, or in connection with any
primary election or political convention or caucus held to select
candidates for any political office, shall be fined under this
title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

note the amendment from 1972:

AMENDMENTS
1994 - Pub. L. 103-322 substituted "fined under this title" for
"fined not more than $10,000".
1976 - Pub. L. 94-453 substituted $10,000 for $1,000 maximum
allowable fine.
1972 - Pub. L. 92-225 struck out "work," after "position,",
inserted "contract, appointment," after "compensation," and "or any
special consideration in obtaining any such benefit," after "Act of
Congress,", and substituted "in connection with any general or
special election to any political office, or in connection with any
primary election or political convention or caucus held to select
candidates for any political office" for "in any election".

I'd say this breaks the USC...and makes the administration liable for breaking the law.