In case you haven't decided who to vote for yet...
I think this little film here can be highly informative:
http://atomfilms.shockwave.com/af/content/this_land
Regards,
Basil
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Thursday, September 30, 2004
For No Reason...
The Weekly Reader
My daughter as a new 2nd grader has started receivieing a weekly periodical called "The Weekly Reader" for young kids who are just learning how to read. It's four pages long, perfect for a 2nd grader as far as I'm concerned. The first issue was about the presidential election. It features a page on Bush and a page on Kerry. Excellent, that's about all I can stomach on the matter.
We reviewed the facts:
Bush has a cat named India.
Kerry has a bird named Sunshine.
Bush was born in Connecticut, and is currently president.
Kerry was born in Denver Colorado, and is currently a senator from Massachusetts.
Bush likes blue.
Kerry likes blue.
Bush's favorite childrens book: "The Hungry Caterpillar"
Kerry's favorite childrens book: "Robin Hood"
There's a photo of bush as a child dressed up like a cowboy riding a pony.
There's a photo of Kerry as a child on a sailboat wearing a life vest.
***
So after reading the little magazine, there's a series of questions on the back and a place where you can cast your vote. "Who are you going to vote for?" I ask her. (I'm thinking: Kerry, Kerry... It was the choice of book that did it for me. Bush likes a children's picture book, and Kerry likes a great classic work like Robin Hood. An actual chapter book!)
My daughter quickly points to Kerry.
"Why" I ask? "Why not vote for Bush?"
"Because he likes to keep fighting for no reason."
~ Basil
The Weekly Reader
My daughter as a new 2nd grader has started receivieing a weekly periodical called "The Weekly Reader" for young kids who are just learning how to read. It's four pages long, perfect for a 2nd grader as far as I'm concerned. The first issue was about the presidential election. It features a page on Bush and a page on Kerry. Excellent, that's about all I can stomach on the matter.
We reviewed the facts:
Bush has a cat named India.
Kerry has a bird named Sunshine.
Bush was born in Connecticut, and is currently president.
Kerry was born in Denver Colorado, and is currently a senator from Massachusetts.
Bush likes blue.
Kerry likes blue.
Bush's favorite childrens book: "The Hungry Caterpillar"
Kerry's favorite childrens book: "Robin Hood"
There's a photo of bush as a child dressed up like a cowboy riding a pony.
There's a photo of Kerry as a child on a sailboat wearing a life vest.
***
So after reading the little magazine, there's a series of questions on the back and a place where you can cast your vote. "Who are you going to vote for?" I ask her. (I'm thinking: Kerry, Kerry... It was the choice of book that did it for me. Bush likes a children's picture book, and Kerry likes a great classic work like Robin Hood. An actual chapter book!)
My daughter quickly points to Kerry.
"Why" I ask? "Why not vote for Bush?"
"Because he likes to keep fighting for no reason."
~ Basil
Friday, September 24, 2004
Regarding the Presidental Election
I've so far not really paid any attention to Kerry. I've planned on not voting for Bush, which in my mind means: voting for Kerry.
However, with this story, I think I can hear Kerry say something that I believe is right on:
MSNBC - Kerry: Bush has wrong priority in war on terror: "I don't view these people as conservatives," Kerry said. "I actually view them as extreme, and I think their policies have been extreme, and that extends all the way to Iraq, where this president, in my judgment, diverted the real war on terror which was Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida and almost obsessively moved to deal with Iraq in a way that weakened our nation, overextended our armed forces, cost us $200 billion and created a breach in our oldest alliances."
Amen!
Basil
I've so far not really paid any attention to Kerry. I've planned on not voting for Bush, which in my mind means: voting for Kerry.
However, with this story, I think I can hear Kerry say something that I believe is right on:
MSNBC - Kerry: Bush has wrong priority in war on terror: "I don't view these people as conservatives," Kerry said. "I actually view them as extreme, and I think their policies have been extreme, and that extends all the way to Iraq, where this president, in my judgment, diverted the real war on terror which was Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida and almost obsessively moved to deal with Iraq in a way that weakened our nation, overextended our armed forces, cost us $200 billion and created a breach in our oldest alliances."
Amen!
Basil
Monday, September 20, 2004
Friday, September 17, 2004
Are All Muslims Evil?
This is a question I frequently find me asking myself. Well, I'm still not certain about the answer.
One friend pointed out to me that Muslims do not believe in a God (Allah) of Love as we Christians do. Well, I've never read the Quran (spelled Koran in English when I was younger), and so I don't really have any impression to speak of. My impression of Muslims comes from what little bit I read of in the media (pretty much always terrorism) and the few encounters I've had with real Muslims in the real world (like the kind Muslim woman who told my wife: "we Muslims don't persecute and hate Christians. In fact the only time in my life I would be obligated as a devout Muslim to kill you would be if you tried to convert me." - she wasn't joking...)
Needless to say, such thoughts coming from an assumed "ordinary Muslim" make one think that the religion is wholly evil and without and possibility of peace existence in the world.
Anyway, with those thoughts as a background for my own impressions of what Islam is all about, I am happy to say I discovered a web site today that seems to indicate (at least some elements of Islam) have at least some virtuous conceptions.
This web site:
What do Wahhabis Think About 9/11?
is about a sect of Islam (or maybe you could call it a denomination?) that is making it a point of trying to deny the allegation that all Muslims are Terrorists, or that "true Muslims" even support terrorism.
Well, I think it is worth reading some of these pages for a balanced perspective.
Regards,
Basil
This is a question I frequently find me asking myself. Well, I'm still not certain about the answer.
One friend pointed out to me that Muslims do not believe in a God (Allah) of Love as we Christians do. Well, I've never read the Quran (spelled Koran in English when I was younger), and so I don't really have any impression to speak of. My impression of Muslims comes from what little bit I read of in the media (pretty much always terrorism) and the few encounters I've had with real Muslims in the real world (like the kind Muslim woman who told my wife: "we Muslims don't persecute and hate Christians. In fact the only time in my life I would be obligated as a devout Muslim to kill you would be if you tried to convert me." - she wasn't joking...)
Needless to say, such thoughts coming from an assumed "ordinary Muslim" make one think that the religion is wholly evil and without and possibility of peace existence in the world.
Anyway, with those thoughts as a background for my own impressions of what Islam is all about, I am happy to say I discovered a web site today that seems to indicate (at least some elements of Islam) have at least some virtuous conceptions.
This web site:
What do Wahhabis Think About 9/11?
is about a sect of Islam (or maybe you could call it a denomination?) that is making it a point of trying to deny the allegation that all Muslims are Terrorists, or that "true Muslims" even support terrorism.
Well, I think it is worth reading some of these pages for a balanced perspective.
Regards,
Basil
Thursday, September 09, 2004
The Garage Sale is Over
just in case you are wondering...
Meanwhile... I haven't been blogging much lately. James is doing a nice job of blogging for us all, and I'm doing most of my posting over THERE as comments to his blog.
Life and death in this world of ours have been crazy lately. We should do something about it.
Let's all panic.
Just kidding.
I don't really have anything to blog about, so I guess I'll go now.
Regards!
basil
just in case you are wondering...
Meanwhile... I haven't been blogging much lately. James is doing a nice job of blogging for us all, and I'm doing most of my posting over THERE as comments to his blog.
Life and death in this world of ours have been crazy lately. We should do something about it.
Let's all panic.
Just kidding.
I don't really have anything to blog about, so I guess I'll go now.
Regards!
basil
Friday, August 20, 2004
Garage Sale
FURNATURE
BABY CLOTHES
BABY THINGS
KID STUFF
TOYS
JUNK
The key to a good garage sale as far as I am aware is:
** cheap prices
** lots of signs
If you can get people to come, they will look around. If they see some little piece of junk that's cheap, they will buy it.
So, in the spirit of American Consumerism ("my junk is your treasure"), I'm pleased to announce that we are having a garage sale today.
Here's the "Garage Sale Cam" so you can check out how things are going:
Click Refresh on the page to reload the image.
What? All you see is an empty driveway? Well, then it could be that either we haven't started yet, or it is all over (you snooze you lose). We plan on starting about 2:00 today (Friday August 20) and running until 7:00 PM tonight. Then tomorrow we will start bright and early in the AM (maybe 8:30 or 9:00 - that's what I mean by "bright and early") and run into the mid afternoon.
Hope to see you there!
Basil
FURNATURE
BABY CLOTHES
BABY THINGS
KID STUFF
TOYS
JUNK
The key to a good garage sale as far as I am aware is:
** cheap prices
** lots of signs
If you can get people to come, they will look around. If they see some little piece of junk that's cheap, they will buy it.
So, in the spirit of American Consumerism ("my junk is your treasure"), I'm pleased to announce that we are having a garage sale today.
Here's the "Garage Sale Cam" so you can check out how things are going:
Click Refresh on the page to reload the image.
What? All you see is an empty driveway? Well, then it could be that either we haven't started yet, or it is all over (you snooze you lose). We plan on starting about 2:00 today (Friday August 20) and running until 7:00 PM tonight. Then tomorrow we will start bright and early in the AM (maybe 8:30 or 9:00 - that's what I mean by "bright and early") and run into the mid afternoon.
Hope to see you there!
Basil
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