I'm watching FRINGE. It kind of hearkens back to the crazy days of the X-Files. One thing...

Do those establishing shots with the location names in BIG floating chrome letters annoy you, too? I understand the need not to look like the aforementioned X-files with its little green teletype captioning, but come ON !
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I am not sticking my head in the sand, nor the donkey's mouth, nor the oliphaunt's bum.

I am terminally sick of the "Grea-a-a-a-at Depression" talk. There are major adjustments being made on Wall Street, and unConstitutional bailouts (when Shepherd Smith intoned that we have "nationalised AIG" I thought I would have the vapors. Then again, he's dreamy - household meme...sorry.). The US is not teetering on the monetary brink, unless...

The MSM revels in any downturn, and gleefully flogs it into a CRISIS ! Many of our economic woes stem from the populist panic induced by the gloom-sayers on ABCCBSNBC News, The Dread Dormomoo coined a term:

Optinomics. Maybe reporting on the good things in the economy. There are some.
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The 4-chan / anonymous prank hacking Sarah Palin's personal email is pure dastardy. A lowest-common-denominator pop-culture internet meme generator, 4-chan revels in the obtuse. I recommend prosecution. The puppy needs its nose rubbed in its mess.

Oh, and for the media having the vapors over Palin's personal email having some official biz mixed in: nothing nefarious here...move along. I have a business email address. I also have a personal email address. Sometimes I do business on my personal email, not because I am hiding correspondence from future sub poenas, but because IT HAPPENS. Someone asks a question in a personal email, and I hit "reply".

ZOMG!!!! How unethical.

I am really worried that our political system has slipped irredeemably into mere dirty tricks and ad hominem attacks, becoming a tennis match with poop instead of tennis balls, high in fiber, but not much else.

In short,what this country needs is an enema.

Canada needs one, too. (Warning:an unpleasant woman saying unpleasant things disguised as journalism)

The Original Cyberpunk

has an amusing experiment going here. Unbeknownst to me, it is an invite only. When I read the entries, I had a story spring fully formed, as from Zeus' brow. Vidad interceded, and it was put up.

I crashed the party here.

Be sure to read the other pieces first.

I wonder at the (self?) deceptive nature of politics. The Obamanites making accusations and excuses which are...questionable to any onlooker; the McCainoids shooting back, though with apparently more candor, at least as far as the Veep is concerned. (I say this as one dissatisfied with both candidates.) I recognise the foofooraw over Sarah Palin as a backhaded compliment to her. Barry-O and his posse are afraid that Hanoi John has made an astute tactical move in his choice of VP running-mate. I wonder especially at the Left's ability to speak lies, looking you in the eyes at high noon, and apparently all the while believing them as well.

Shortly after I got married, back when marriage licenses were carven on rocks, I was hired to do product photography for a small North Carolina variety store chain. One of my first tasks was to photograph a stack of washcloths. Thrilling. I folded them in quarters, and took the shot. My boss, Charlie S***s, took me back to the studio, and showed me How It Is Done.He proceeded to put two of the cloths together, fold them into quarters, arrange them so the fold faced the lens, stacked more of the same, then took the shot. Quite a difference. He caught the vibe of my ethical quandary, and then said "We're not trying to fool anyone. We just want them to look as good as they really are. Thick and thirsty." Here I learned a cardinal rule of photography: Terry cloth loses fifty percent of it's apparent weight when photographed. Shame that doesn't work for people.

I also learned that Niven and Pournelle's Inferno gave an apt asessment of the fate of ad men in Hell. They stand in piles of dung, excreted by themselves. Instead of mouths, they have a second anus. A cursory viewing of AMC's Mad Men will show the utter justice of this image. Likewise a perusal of punditry in the US.

I didn't last long in the job.

A friend of mine several years ago was pushing me to run for the State House. His strategery was of concern to me. He insisted that I should run as a Democrat, because that would be the only way to get elected in our State. That way I could Work for Change from the inside.

I opted out. Didn't much care for the idea of the alien probing my family and I would have to endure at the hands of the newsies, either. Hmmm...I may have more candidates for the ad-men's fate.

Lies upon lies, and the pols believe that we will swallow them like a tasty treat. Sadly, too often we do.

The Dread Dormomoo and I took a couple of days off, and lo, the Earth did NOT spin off its axis, nor are dogs marrying cats, except maybe in old musical cartoons. It only took thirty years, and now I'm hooked. We left Thursday afternoon, met with Vidad, Rachel, and their younglings at Fuji outside Nashville. Sushi was the order of the evening, and we all had a good time. As I have become accustomed to driving late and long on the way to convention gigs, I opted to push on to our destination, Chattanooga, where we found lodgings at the La Quinta. We have stayed at far worse places. The loathesome practice of motels allowing pets in-room makes me nervous about anyplace anymore, but LQ is a clean and neat place, this one newly renovated. We awoke Friday morning, and breakfasted at the City Cafe Diner downtown. Their food is wonderful, and is also far better than their website.

Sated, we drove to the Tennessee Aquarium, where we spent at least six hours wishing we had brought a rice cooker. The DD has been to the Aquarium more than once before, on homeschool junkets, but it was my first experience there. I cannot recommend it more highly. It is fun, pretty, breathtaking, informative, and other adjectives I am too tired to access.I got to pet a shark, as well as a stingray. There was one ray that would come up the side of the tank, partway out of the water to be petted. It acted like a cat! The shark felt rough and peculiarly dry to the touch. The rays were smooth, almost slick, but not slimy. Really neat creatures. The Tennessee River Aquarium follows the habitats and creatures from the headwater streams down to the Gulf. I was in awe of the engineering required to duplicate those environments indoors. They did an outstanding job. I will leave the Aquarium website to tout itself, but allow me to encourage you all to GO. There are even year passes to the entire museum system - even family passes. You can get a major discount, and the chance to enjoy super-cool and groovy learnification at many and varied museums. (Ha! The spell checker couldn't even handle "learnification"!)

Speaking of coinages, on the way home on I-565 in Huntsville, we saw a highway sign pointing to the "Agribition". What is that, farmers Being Uppity in public? That is worse than the '50s elementary school portmanteau word "cafetorium".

Downtown Chattanooga has a circuit of electric buses that go from the Aquarium area to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo and points between. And it is a free ride (though they do have a donation box by the exit. It's just good form to donate. You're saving the Earth, you know.

Saturday, we got up, and opted to go to Lake Winnepesauka, a MOST excellent family amusement park dating from the 1930s (View their website with Winders Explorer). It is a smaller, more laid-back park than the big names like Six Flags and Busch Gardens, and as such, is far more attractive to the likes of us. It is fully outfitted with higher-tech rides, but it also has a full complement of older rides, including a couple of truly unusual ones. The Fly-o-Plane pictured above dates from the 1940s, and is built like a battleship. The operator, who had all his teeth -this is not a "carnie" operation- told us that it was originally built for the Air Corps as a trainer. You can control altitude, and move the wings with the stick, and you can roll 360 degrees by shifting your weight. Most riders wind up upside-down for most of the ride. The planes are classic in their styling, but also have a little Flash Gordon action, with a cluster of rocket tubes in the tail. After Dubya-Dubya-Eye-Eye, the trainers were released and converted to amusement park rides. This is the only one running here in the States.

The Boat Chute was, well...let the site tell you:

The Boat Chute was designed and constructed by the founder of Lake Winnepesaukah, Carl O. Dixon. Built during the winter of 1926-1927, it was the first ride in the park and remains one of the most popular rides today. The Boat Chute is the oldest mill chute water ride in the United States according to the National Amusement Park Historical Association. No matter its age, a thrilling splash into the cool waters below awaits all guests!

It is a very long, dark tunnel (hmmmm, I wonder why it is so popular...) through which up to six people can ride in a boat. You can cuddle REAL close. So I'm told. We were in the front seat, as I observed it to be the safest. We bumped our way slowly through the very dark tunnel, and I shrieked "There's something moving in the floorboards!" to the amusement of all. We rounded a 180 degree turn, and saw the light at the end of the tunnel. We also saw a chain-driven hill, which pulled the boat up, and up, and over into a long free-fall hill which levels off at the lake surface and SPLASSSSSHHHH! We went through a fountain of feathered spray of our own making, funnily drenching us all. Except me. I got a little damp. Heh. It is a really great ride, slow, cool on a hot day, and crazy wet at the end.

I am not an amusement park freak, saving my pocket-change 'til I can afford the Next Big Coaster trip. I AM, however, sold on Lake Winnie! There are even places where the little ones can play without tickets!!!

Then we came home.

We DID succumb to curiosity, and stopped by WORLD FAMOUS UNCLAIMED BAGGAGE
in Scottsboro, AL, where we watched people buy other people's clothing. It is a colossal waste of time, because collectors and flea market and fleaBay geezers show up first thing in the morning and buy up the primo stuff.

OH! A commercial Word for Eidson Restaurant. It is the classic "Friday night out, after church on Sunday" restaurant. Excellent food, comfortable surroundings, swell tea, and cloth napkins, too. I had a Reuben sandwich with crisp shoestring fries, and the DD had broiled red snapper with green beans and marshmallow yams (which had a hint of orange in the flavor). The sweetened iced tea is endless, and not too sweet When you visit Chattanooga, check out Eidson. You will NOT be disappointed. It is the sort of restaurant you make excuses to be able to go to.

The DD and your Aardvark had a wonderful time away, and found that we can stand each other when no-one else is around. This is an important skill when the kids are growing up and going away.

Just under two million souls were moved out of New Orleans to Points More Safe in a couple of days.

Hmmmmm....

In less than ten days, all the Illegal, undocumented workers could be merrily on their way home.

Just sayin'. And I didn't even have to bring up Germany.

It piques my curiosity whether-or-not the Left Blog-o-Versetm, those champions of one's sexual right to do anything with anyone, anytime, anywhere, will cut Susan Palin and her daughter some slack regarding Miss Palin's unmarried preggerosity.

Isn't it cute when I exhibit naive optimism?

Your Aardvark is suffering from the predations of time, and he is learning to deal. The predilection of oldsters - and no, he does not think of himself in those terms - to long for "the good old days" is beginning to be understandable. Things that evoke fond memories are becoming more important. Old-school TV shows like Supercar are neat, and hearken back to more pleasant days, at least in memory; remembrance casts the past in a roseate glow that causes him to recall even the Cuban Missile Crisis with wistfulness.

Ahhhhh, the Cold War...good times.

Scent is a powerfully evocative agent. The Aardvark now eschews the sprays and scents proffered by the corporate media machines, body sprays that cause the wearer to smell like Bargain Night at a joy house*: Axe, Tag, and other such brands easily pronounced by the public schooled. He finds himself drawn to the classics: bay rum, Old Spice (that despite Hannibal Lecter's disparaging comments), and a new-old cologne called "Cigar" which the Aardvark heartily recommends, even though it is French, as it conjures tweeds and fragrant smoke, and Substance.

Your Aardvark still cannot bring himself to Moisturise...much.
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He is currently working on a roadside ad campaign for a local deli (yes, a deli , one with meats and cheeses sliced whilst you wait, which sells a Philly Cheese Steak as good as one can find south of PA. NOT the self-styled gas-station sandwich counters that sell a baloney, mayo and American cheese on white and call themselves a "deli". Oy.

The signs will be done in the spirit of the venerable Burma Shave campaign. Pics to come.

* A line graciously lifted from Keith Laumer's Retief story "The Brass God". The Aardvark read this in the '70s, and found the phrasing to be the most evocative description of loathsome overdone perfumery ever penned.

Here is an excerpt of an email I received from a convention that we have a good history with:

Is there an option to have shirts that are made of organic cotton or hemp? If so, how much more do they run?

Also, we are asking everyone involved with K**********n on any level to please provide us with information on what resources were used. We are trying to track everything as best as we can, so that afterwards we may offset the impact of our convention with the purchase of carbon credits. No other convention (that we know of) is following any environmental standard, and as responsible members of our community, being carbon neutral (or carbon negative) is what we're striving for. Hopefully through our actions, we can influence other conventions in our area to follow suit.

I am shocked at how this Ponzi-esque scheme of environmental indulgences designed to increase the Green in Al Gore and cronies' portfolios has impinged on my life and business. I may well have lost this convention with my response, but one must have principles:

As to resource information, it is akin to asking a vendor "How much didja make??"
I was an environmental studies major in college, and it really pains me to see such effort and money going to no effect. (Heck, we still compost!) Carbon credits are the Green equivalent of buying indulgences to get out of purgatory. I do not wish to line Al Gore's pockets, as many of the carbon credit "brokerages" are firmly linked to his finances. We use environmentally friendly chemicals where we can - if they do the job- and we are even coming out with a line of organic tees printed with water-based inks under our "Lifetees" banner (We could go water-based for your printing if you wish.). We strive to be good stewards of our planet....I have danced to several tunes, and followed many fads in my life. This is not one of them.

Please, please, someone explain in words of three syllables or less how paying protection money to Carbon Credit companies offers ANY benefit to the environment. It seems rather to be a semi-private-sector tax self-imposed to modify behavior, which may be the sole point, and I've sussed it out.

I am unconvinced that the current eco-movement has a clue, or the ability to keep more than one factor in mind at a time. Carbon is VITAL to life. We are carbon-based. Plants take evil carbon dioxide IN, and release oxygen into the atmosphere, which we carbon-based lifeforms breathe, exhaling CO2 for the plants, and the Wonder of Life goes on. The plants LIKE carbon dioxide. Vegetarians should like it, too, 'cos their zucchinis, and marrows, and alfalfa sprouts wouldn't BE without it.

Humankind is natural. We are a part of the environment, as is oil, as is uranium. All the environmental eeeeeee-vils come from the environment. People, another part of the environment, process the mineral wealth of our planet. We have made life on earth quite comfortable, at least in the West where we have bothered to learn the processes, rather than worship the rocks. Interesting, those in the West who seem inclined to worship the rocks would rather we return to a pre-industrial life. I do not personally care to poop in a chamber pot, or in a hole in the woods. (Ooooh, reductio ad absurdum!)

Really, though, I am loath to reveal my resource usage to anyone. It's hard enough to get enough ground bald eagle feathers for that perfect shade of ink...The shell of the spotted turtle is the perfect scoop for getting ink out of the buckets, and the compound eyes of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly provide the perfect iridescence for some of our glitter inks. (Wow. If all this gets out, what would people think of me? )

If it isn't the real thing, I'm sunk.

Last week, as you recall, Will, Penny and Dr. Smith...

As most of my reader know, I'm in a medical research study for a BPH treatment. It consists of periodic injections to reduce testosterone production. I was apprised of certain possible side-effects. The obvious one is not a problem, thankfully. My libido is fine, thank you very much. However, I have some other less-than-fun things going on in my life. I have gained no weight, but my extant avoirdupois seems to be shifting to my abdomen. No six-pack, here...think of a keg. Meh.
The Aardvark seems not as sexiful as he once was.

That is really not that bad, comparatively speaking. My real problem is anger. Now, I have allus had a temper, but with zero being Nirvana, and nine being thermonuclear devastation, with kicking the dog and then dropping cinderblocks on it for good measure, well, I am currently going from 0 to 8 in five seconds. This is not good. Neither is it fun, and I had been worrying over it. Couple of days ago, whilst in a lucid and calm moment, I was discussing with The Dread Dormomoo and Loen my concern, when it hit me: "I'm in a medical trial!!". So-o-o-o-o-o...if I AM in fact receiving the real drug, and not a placebo, it may well explain the situation, and we can all handle it a bit better, with expectation of its being temporary.

If otherwise I am receiving coloured saline, I am having an Unpleasantness, one which needs to be dealt with. That or I am an Unpleasantness, the thought of which really makes me angry. Very, very....

Fortunately, I don't have a dog. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.

Cunning Dove has knocked loose a thought.

OW!

I am ceaselessly amazed at the profusion of...stuff... that the Earth provides. Look at how many CARS have been made in 100+ years. Look at all the junk cars there are, all made of material mined from the Earth. Go to your local supermarket, and stand in awe at the magnitude of the produce there, and then realise that this is multiplied many times in your town, and then in all the cities and towns in your state, throughout all the states and territories of the Union, and then throughout all the countries on our little ball of mud and iron. All that food, cajoled, coaxed, even wrested from the dirt. Go to a superstore, look at all the things, in ceaseless proliferation. Think of all the other superstores, emporia, mom-and-pop stores, and tiendas filled with things, all made of earth-stuff.

Despite the whinging of the eco-left, the jaundiced Greens, we are not running out. Plenty of coal, iron ore, aluminum, molybdenum (yes, even molybdenum, Dr. Ehrlich.), even petroleum. Even if oil is running out -which I question- we have huge quantities of alternatives which we can convert to over time.

Unless you look at the night-lights of Earth from space, you can scarcely tell from orbit that man has made a dent on the planet. We six billion are so small, and our world is so comparatively huge.

You could fit 9141 people per square mile in the space of Alaska, the entire six billion population of the planet. NYC is far more densely populated. (I once offered this datum to a "WE are overpopulated...unsustainable...UNSUSTAINABLE!!!" person, who then asked "But why would they want to live like that?". Clearly off her meds.

Our planet is barely populated. Certain areas are very populated. The map above (2006) shows the majority of Earth as lavender,,,or is it whitish-purple? That color signifies a population density of 0-50 persons / sq. km. Yes, much of the land is in the unpopular weather regions, but the land area is there, and could be used in a pinch. Of course, one would not wish to devote arable land to high-rises. Land use planning is an important discipline.

The main issue is Earth's provenance. We are well supplied with food and materials. The starving are invariably enjoying the benevolence of corrupt regimes, where most of the West's charitable giving winds up in the warehouses of despots, and the people are not free to pursue happiness, or Jeffersonian profit.

The problem is not the Earth's. As the psalmist wrote:

Psa 24:1 "The earth is Jehovah's, and the fullness of it; the world, and those who live in it."

That's my energy and resource platform.

During the long drive to Animazement, the crew and I stopped at a gas station, and Link (he cosplays the Zelda vidya game character) picked up a couple of the now ever-present
May-hee-CAN snacks. One was SPONCH. The Urban Dictionary defines it thusly:

A shortbread cookie topped with four marshmallows, two pink and two white, with shredded coconut, and often found with a squirt of jelly on top, and, occasionally, sprinkles. Sponch originates in Mexico and is manufactured by Marinela Bakeries.

See photo above.

The other was a chocolate sandwich cookie called "LORS".I can find nothing online about it; not even the bakery site owns up to it. The blue packaging was a manic wild man or caveman as its decoration.

The packages were not touched on the drive.

Early Sunday morning, there was a power failure in the area, so the hotel fire alarm dutifully went off, and the guests all streamed out of the facility be-jammied and grumpy.
Once it was determined that there was no conflagration, we hiked up eight flights to our room, and lay back down. Link remembered the snacks and hauled them out. First he opened the SPONCH!. He offered it to me, and I went to take a bite, until the...aroma...hit my nose. It had a the redolence of industrial waste. I could not even attempt to eat it. Next he offered up the LORS. I thought "It's a chocolate sandwich cookie. How bad could it be?".

Never ask that question.

It tasted...brown. That is pretty much it. Oh, and sweet. Brown and sweet. It was then I had the epiphany.

The Mexican illegal - er undocumented - migrants are NOT really coming for better jobs. They are running from their snack foods.

Not sure I can blame them.

At last, someone besides Fred Allen gets me.

Your Slogan Should Be

Weatherly. Uncommonly Made, Uncommonly Good.

The Slogan Generator

Of course, I REALLY like this one:

Your Slogan Should Be

Weatherly. What's the Worst that Can Happen?

The Slogan Generator

WHAT A TEAM!!!

Between Obama and McCain, I think we can beat whatever the world can throw at us.

Scant weeks since Le Nègre Magique prescribed the cure for our gasoline ills, and McCain & Co. filled the prescription, we see petrol prices plummeting. "Properly inflate your tyres." Obama intoned. McCain and crew then gave out gauges to insure that it would be done. And what did the Aardvark enjoy on his trip to Sunny Florida? Gasoil approaching $3.50 a gallon. Paradise on Earth. I can see the Millenial Dawn tracts as we speak. "Millions Now Living Will Never Pay $5-a-Gallon for Gas ".
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Brokeback Church's Rick Warren interviewed both Obama and McCain. Ebony and Ivory. It accomplished precisely what was intended, and at the end of McCain's more substantive interview, I found myself nodding and saying "Y;know, I could live with this...."

The emergent church births emergent socialism. "But Warren isn't Emerging...!!!". When you lie with dogs you are bound to get fleas. (He wrote a foreword for a book written by Dan Kimball titled The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations - Kimball is a leader in the movement).
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(MOAR)

Contrary to the popular opinion that your Aardvark is a tool of Big Oil and Our Friend Mr. Atom, I was an environmental studies major in college. I was also a waiter, though I was not in the theater department. Being loquacious, I happened to mention to a couple of ladies from Vermont who were enjoying our prandial offerings the fact of my major, and my interest in alternative energy and sustainable organic gardening. They acquainted me with the Grandpa's Knob project in the early forties.

The first large-scale wind turbine built in the United States was conceived by Palmer Cosslett Putnam in 1934; he completed it in 1941. The machine was huge. The tower was 36.6 yards (33.5 meters) high, and its two stainless steel blades had diameters of 58 yards (53 meters). Putnam's wind turbine could produce 1,250 kilowatts of electricity, or enough to meet the needs of a small town. It was, however, abandoned in 1945 because of mechanical failure. (Answers.com)

On a hilltop in Rutland, Vermont, "Grandpa's Knob" wind generator supplied power to the local grid for several months during World War II. The Smith- Putnam machine was rated at 1.25 megawatts in winds of about 30 miles per hour. It was removed from service in 1945.(www.eia.doe.gov)

Wikpedia continues:

In 1941 the world's first megawatt-size wind turbine was connected to the local electrical distribution system on Grandpa's Knob in Castleton, Vermont, USA. It was designed by Palmer Cosslett Putnam and manufacturered by the S. Morgan Smith Company. This 1.25 MW Smith-Putnam turbine operated for 1100 hours before a blade failed at a known weak point, which had not been reinforced due to war-time material shortages

Not a bad go for 67 years ago. While I do not relegate wind power to cloud-cuckoo-land, I recognise that it is only a facet of the Answer to our energy needs. Do we need wind power? Yes. Do we need nuclear power? Yes. Coal, fusion, solar? Yes, yes, and yes.

We need maser power satellites, too. AND we need oil. Our current civilisation is built upon oil technology, and it is that industrial base which will engineer the next technological revolution. To generalise, politicians operate in the shade of half-truths, and out-and-out lies.They parrot special interest lines to divide the rest of us, following the most important rule: Let's you and him fight. Get 'em out of the way. Let the venture capital crowd do what they do best, let the energy biggies do what they do best. Your lights, TVs and computers run with nary a flicker, and your espresso machines do not sputter out at need. This is where we are. To continue this happy circumstance, we MUST drill for more oil, looking to the future. The issue is not whether it will lower gas prices today. That is a herring of the red persuasion. The point is that in the coming decades, will we be able to continue our current level of technology, while at the same time developing the power tech of the future?

To borrow from a comment I made over at PL's: let's not saddle our children with the opportunity to live as a developing nation. We need a robust industrial base to produce the next generation of energy sources. That alone is reason to increase domestic production now, so we CAN produce the sci-fi technology needed tomorrow.

C'mon, it's the 21st Century. I'm still waiting on my rocket pack, not to mention my Li'l Atom Home Reactor.

I feel so cheated.

.

Well, Washington has warned Israel not to attack Iran, proof yet more that the US has no clue about national sovereignty.

Iran has every right to build nuclear anything within its borders. Israel has every right to pursue its national agenda. The Duchy of Grand Fenwick can build pinot-derived Q-bombs if they so choose. The US has every right and responsibility to shut its collective gob and tend to its own business.Just because our leadership is willing to have our borders invaded, and our border agents held at gunpoint on our side of the border by May-hee-can soldiers does not mean that we have any imperative, moral or otherwise, to be the world's Mary Worth.

Maybe you should consider that thought come November.

With their new slogan, "Live Brightly", will SunChips become the preferred snack of the militant atheists?

It has been an insane summer here in Goat Bog. A bit of surgery has the Dread Dormomoo out of commission for three more weeks (not bed-ridden, but movin' mighty slow - her recovery is going well, it just takes time). We guys are taking turns at chores and household maintenance, and have discovered that we can't keep up with what the D.D. did at a regular pace. We all feel like slugs.

We have two crews out at conventions this weekend: ConnectiCon and MechaCon.
Those of us at home, Loen, Zoomerdog and I are prepping for Otakon, the huge anime-fest in Baltimore next weekend. The Confusticated One and Riatsila will be back Monday to help.
THEN, the following weekend, Riat and I will head to Orlando for AFO, one of our favorites, even though it is in Florida, in mid-August, when you need SCUBA gear to breath because of the humidity. But it IS at the Wyndham....

All this is to give reason for my conspicuous absence here. Sitting down to blog becomes a luxury. I do want to continue for the sake of my many reader.

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One thing that troubles me is the practice of singing hymns about the Bible. Songs like "Holy Book Divine", and "Give Me the Bible" seem to cross a line into bibliolatry. Singing songs about the Word of God is one thing. Singing a hymn to a book is a bit out there. Just a thing with me.

Y'know, I think it's less about the message, and more about just holding the thing together.

Has anyone thought about how breathtakingly fast the US (and Europe) have moved onto an environmental war footing? Spain has moved into draconic mode by lowering speed limits, and limiting air conditioning settings. Some of our esteemed leaders are suggesting same.
Obama claims that we can do away with the need for new oil drilling by getting tune-ups and properly inflating our tyres.

If I make 100K per year, and save ten cents of each dollar, I'll never have to work again!

Point: the public policy eco-movement is falling into place suspiciously quickly. Of course "they" have known that we would get to this point of oil need, with no new drilling or refining capacity. The "crisis" has appeared, and the reaction by Our Leaders appears kneejerk and cobbled-together, but I wonder....

Just waiting for another shoe to drop.

It has seemed odd to me that the tinfoil helmet brigade, and others like them, have not made the obvious connection. Word is that the Apollo astronauts experienced UFO sightings in space, and on the moon, besides sighting possible alien structures on the Moon. They are adamant on the point, insisting that we were given the word to mind our terrestrial business. You hear a lot about this on Coast-to-Coast AM, as well.

I have yet to hear anyone talk about Apollo 13. Oxygen tank explosion, or a UFO pot-shot?
Was it the first salvo of a shooting war? Did we cave?

Jack Chick, Hal Lindsay, Tim LaHaye, I apologise.


Yep, I have apparently been wrong. My taking doctrinal pot-shots at dispensationalism and the whole Left Behind thing may have been ill-advised, if not out-and-out erroneous. Trust me people, I hate being wrong, but this is so important to us all.

When you think of "The Beast" in Revelation you think of this:

Rev 13:11-17 MKJV
(11) And I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. And it had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke like a dragon.
(12) And it exercises all the authority of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and those dwelling in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
(13) And it does great wonders, so that it makes fire come down from the heaven onto the earth in the sight of men.
(14) And it deceives those dwelling on the earth, because of the miracles which were given to it to do before the beast, saying to those dwelling on the earth that they should make an image to the beast who had the wound by a sword and lived.
(15) And there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might both speak, and might cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
(16) And it causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or in their foreheads,
(17) even that not any might buy or sell except those having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of its name.

Facility of speech, the ability to bring people together in their awe of your ability to speak to the Issues of the Day, international adulation; all point to a miraculous ability as a communicator. Even when you say nothing of note, the masses hang upon every syllable. Iraqis, Germans, Israelis, Americans, what a disparate bunch to be enthralled by your person. The Germans are in a veritable furor over you!

You really say nothing, but the People receive it as wisdom from on high. Again, a miracle.

Jack, Tim, Hal, I'm sorry. Nero wasn't the one. Barack Hussein Obama is The Beast. Gotta be.

I hope I can get the letters in his name tot up to 666. That would be AWESOME .

Home again!

Got a call Monday from the Medical Study people. "Your appointment is Tuesday at 9:30.
Come with a full bladder." Yaaaaaaay! Sounds like a party.

I am an obedient patient, so I did as told. Dr. N. took my BP, and did not glower at me. My new BP pills have done the trick. 110 over 80. My head is NOT going to pop.

OTOH, over two months after the first series of shots, things are getting back to normal, which is not great. After peeing in the machine, which is precisely as fun as it sounds, I find that things are as they were before. OK, it is a double-blind study, some get the goods, some get sterile water.... I have less than a year 'til I get the goods for sure, and then we'll see.

I have experienced some peevishness that turns out to be a side-effect of the treatment, if in fact I am getting the real deal. If not, well, I guess I'm just being a jerk.

Hello Mr. and Mrs. America, and all the ships at sea...


Your Aardvark is reporting from Fort Wayne Indiana, attending IkasuCon, and wondering why.
The event is more the size of a very large party, rather than a small convention. the otaku and cosplayers seem very small and alone in the medium-sized Wayne Convention Center. Attendance is wa-a-a-a-ay down from last year. There is a higher-than-average percentage of costumed con-goers at this one, rather good, most of them.

We are staying at the attached Hilton, at a reduced con rate, which is OK. The waitresses at the restaurant are attentive, and don't overcharge (if you get the buffet, but only eat oatmeal and fresh fruit, they charge accordingly, which is nice, as I dislike eating $16 oatmeal, even when it is GOOD oatmeal.

I find myself attending cons for individuals. Of course, I'm here to sell shirts, but the attraction is the individual. This con, it is Tristan MacAvery, the English dub voice of creepy Gendo Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion. He writes improv texts, bizarre fiction, and is a funny, funny guy. Our conversations generally devolve into doing Charles Nelson Reilly at each other. We are both good mimics, but he gets paid for such, so I take the moral high ground. HAH!

So, Ted has made noises about stopping by. Maybe we'll grab a gnosh at King Gyros next door.
-----------------------------

So here is the rant, borne out of burned-outness. Fan-beings, if you are going to use Japanese words (or ANY words), LEARN TO PRONOUNCE THEM.

YAOI - "Yahweh" is God's Name..."Yow-ee" is close enough for your little fetish.

HENTAI - Ummm...it is not "hen-TAY". "Hen-TIE" is the term for your tentacle pr0n and other such.

GODOT - The character from the Phoenix Wright game is not "go-dot". "Guh-DOE" is more like it (although"Godot" is pronounced in Britain and Ireland with the emphasis on the first syllable i.e. /'gɒ.dəʊ/)

DALEK - The pronunciation is "dah-leck" not "Day-leck" or "DAR-leck". Where the heck does the "R" come from?

GYRO - The Greek sandwich is not a "JYE-roh". That is a rotating device which helps missiles stay properly oriented. It is also the name of Scrooge McDuck's inventor friend.
The sandwich is pronounced "yee-roh"

We have a shirt that says :

The secrecy of my job prevents me from knowing what I'm doing

It does NOT say
The SECRET of my job...nor "The SECRETARY of my job...".

Public education is SO great.

------------------------------

Wow...I feel the love. Just had a taciturn young man in a red shirt and a dog collar say
"I'm sorry Mr. McLeod didn't come." (that is a paraphrase). This is me, being chopped liver.
I kid...what's not to love about the McLeod?

Things churches have taught me.

Things churches have taught me.

Presbyterian: You go to church on Sunday. Once.

Episcopal: Wherever you find four Episcopalians, you're bound to find a fifth. And the Book of Common Prayer rocks (just not the NEW one).

When I attended both Presbyterian and Methodist churches: You can believe in sovereignty and free will at the same time.

Baptist: Color-blind guys can do AMAZING chalk drawings and lead one to Christ.

Assembly of God: You may be God's Man of Faith and Power on Sunday night, but you're still an unemployed loser come Monday morning.

Churches of Christ: We speak where the Bible speaks, but where the Bible is silent, we mumble.

(fill in town) Christian Center: Children distract from the grup's praise & worship. We'll put 'em in a nursery and let 'em watch videos.
--------------------------------------------------

Different groups, different stuff. HOWEVER, there is one overarching Truth in all these groups, however imperfectly communicated or implemented:

Jesus is the Son of God, and He is Lord. The truth will out, if you just look for it.
There are a few things that this brings to mind:

I am 51 years old. I've been a churchgoer since being a toddler, a committed disciple since I was 12.

39 years following Christ.That's as old as Jack Benny. One thing that I have struggled to do is to follow the Word. I tend to stay away from books about the Latest Truth-Fad (Pray the Prayer of Jabez, and push God's buttons for fun and profit! ). C.S.Lewis referred to the problem of "Christ-and". Jesus' teaching isn't enough; you need summat else as well.

The something else generally revolves around Preference and Opinion. "I know, but..."

• I know that Jesus said that He was "the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.(John 14:6), but that's just not fair to the Norse Pagans.
• I know that Jesus said to be baptised, but isn't just praying a prayer a lot simpler, and less messy?
• I know the Word teaches to meet on the first day of the week for communion, but I think it would have more meaning if we did it once a quarter.
• I know that Jesus prayed that we be one, as He and the Father are one, but I think it's neat that there are so many different and contradictory groups, so we can all find a place where we are comfy.

Like that....

Jesus also said: "Truly I say to you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter into it." (Mar 10:15) Little children tend to be trusting, accepting, and as a rule, obedient. They do not suffer from nuance, or sophistication.
Got my daughter in a jam. When she was wee, her mom and I told her to clean up her room, and put her toys away. We came back later to find...nothing done. I waxed wroth, and asked why she had not put her toys away? "But Daddy, where is 'away'?"

We assumed a programming element that was not there. She did not argue, but neither could she accomplish the task.

Jesus tells us what is required of us, desired of us. He makes it plain. When issues arose in the New Testament church, the Spirit of God led Peter, Paul, James, John, and others to give instruction so as to fix the situation. (Mental meander: it seems to me that all the talk of the Gospels' "religion OF Jesus" versus Paul's "religion ABOUT Jesus" comes from those with no real desire to bow the knee, and so adopt a pose of theological sophistication to obviate the need for it. This from a college religion major. HAH! I found a more useless major than English Lit or Womyns' Studies!)

The key, though, is to submit to the Word. " It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life. (John 6:63)

Joh 12:48 He who rejects Me and does not receive My Words has one who judges him; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Joh 14:24 He who does not love Me does not keep My Words, and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me.

What's the point? If we strive to follow the Gospel teachings, the words of Jesus, and the instruction of His apostles, divisions will decrease dramatically. If we delete "Yes...but..." from our thinking, we will have less strife. If I truly behave as though Jesus is my Lord (and as Roger Bush says "You spell Lord 'B-O-S-S'."), and that I am not smarter than the Son of God, or more clever than His apostles, then I will come far closer to being conformed to His character than if I insist upon my own way, my own opinions, and my own blather.

There are two verses that give me hope and comfort. Here is one::

(KJV+)Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.

(CEV) Welcome all the Lord's followers, even those whose faith is weak. Don't criticize them for having beliefs that are different from yours.

(Aardvark's Paraphrase): Invite someone with a different opinion to the Bible study, but not so you can "fix" him.

The other is:

Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye are otherwise minded, this also shall God reveal unto you: (MKJV)

Php 3:15 All of us who are mature should think in this same way. And if any of you think differently, God will make it clear to you. (CEV)

Read Phil 3 for the context.

Jesus was about unity, NOT uniformity
Likewise Paul, and the other writers.

Hear what Paul saith:

Eph 4:1 Then I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the calling in which you were called,
Eph 4:2 with all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love,
Eph 4:3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 one God and Father of all, the One above all and through all and in you all.
Eph 4:7 But to each one of us was given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Here is the baseline for unity in the Body of Christ.

A side note: The heretic or "factious man" is not necessarily one who teaches false doctrine. He is one who insists "my way or the highway" (factious - Adjective - inclined to quarrel and cause divisions.).

Jesus prayed that we (the church) would be one (in unity), even as He and His Father are one. (If modalism is correct, then the church is just one person as well. The Bible language is not gooey here. The equation must balance. Plurality in unity on one side = plurality in unity on the other.) We are to be obedient to His Word as little children: trusting in God's loving desire for the best for His kids. If Jesus says to do something, we do it. If He says NOT to do something, we don't do it. If He says nothing about a thing, then we do not argue about it and make it a test of fellowship.

When Paul dealt with the problem of Christians knowingly eating meat sacrificed to idols, he was dealing with an issue of love. If my eating prime rib offered to Chthulu causes you, a younger or weaker brother to think that worship of The Elder Gods is a pretty neat and tasty proposition, then I am to go for the salad bar instead. It is not loving my brothers and sisters to insist on MY way if it causes them to stumble.

1st Corinthians 13 is not a pretty assemblage of words to be read at weddings (as if anyone is going to pattern their marriage by that anyway. Pass the pre-nup .) It is instead to be the way we live our lives in toto : relationships, work, family, church. You know...Life.

So here we have the main ways toward church unity.

For my next trick, I shall plug the black hole at the center of our galaxy.

It has been a busy week at Chez 'Vark.

We have returned from G-fest, and are prepping for IkasuCon in Ft. Wayne, IN. I love Ft. Wayne. Pretty downtown area, with a great convention center, and good affordable eateries.

The Dread Dormomoo went under the knife, as well. Nothing drastic, nor life-threatening, but it was surgery, and she is experiencing the discomfort of recovery. Feel free to pray for her. The only thing that approaches the discomfort of being in hospital for treatment or a procedure is staying in the room with the patient. I wrote about hotel ettiquette at one time, and hospital staff while helpful, are also loud in the wee hours, and not yelling over medical emergencies. Just yakkin'. The furnishings are apparently chosen to remove any question as to whether or not you are staying at the Hilton. There is NO such thing as a comfortable hospital room chair. The straight wood chair with padding had sharp angles thet dig into your back. The padded rocker is built precisely at the wrong angle, and Torquemada would be proud of the fold-out "sleep" chair, wherein occurs no sleep, but much exercise of the twisting and squirming variety in the vain attempt at finding a comfortable position.

She was in the semi-outpatient 23-hour program. The doctors and nurses were good, and helpful; the purchasing agents for the hospital, less so.

The DD is doing well, and is being a Good Girl, not overdoing it.


We give you our latest t-shirt offering. Not an endorsement, certainly advantage-taking.

Heh.

In case anyone thinks I'm huffing hard vacuum, here is what I'm talking about.

And of course, it's Japan wot's doing it.

They've gotta power those giant robots somehow !

Well, I just got back from Chicago, where Riatsila and I attended G-Fest, the daikaiju (giant monster) convention. Godzilla, Mothra, like that. This is our third year at G-fest, and the second of our printing their con T-shirts. J.D. Lees of Manitoba has parleyed his love of Tokyo-stomping critters into a well-produced fan magazine (G-Fan) and a major player in the fan convention world. Godzilla and Co. are rarified fan objects, but J.D. and his crew pull a stellar group of guests and (ahem) dealers to attract a stellar group of fans to the Crowne Plaza O'Hare hotel for a weekend of costumes, movies, toys, t-shirts, and the camaraderie to be had in cheering on your favorite monster in battle.

We enjoyed the pizza of Chicagoland (Al's Pizza is amazing), the fireworks from the 13th floor in a 180 degree panorama of flame and color, and alas, we mourned the passing of Larry Harmon, the real Bozo, the only clown not included in the Aardvark's Axis of Grease-paint Evil. Our business was record-breaking for the con.

Thanks, J.D. and all.

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Our trip was nine-plus hours by Aard-van, traveling at 70 MPH. Senator John Warner (R, VA), is actively working against my best interests. After thirty-plus years of Congressional inaction re: domestic oil production, Warner is fielding the idea of returning to the 1970s. Maybe he wants to dig out his Saturday Night Fever outfit. He wants to study the benefits of a return to the double-nickel. Yep, 55 MPH nationwide, good buddy. We can surely conserve our way out of this fuel crisis. And I have fairies at the bottom of my garden.

Conservation plays a (small) part in the overall solution, but with the oil companies prevented from exploring for domestic oil by Congressional fiat, we will have no solution that maintains the lifestyle to which we are accustomed. You know, the lifestyle that feeds the world's hungry (when hoarding dictators let their people partake of our largesse), that produces new technologies which usher in the future, and that has cleaned up a polluted nation, and rehabilitated moribund wildlife populations. Ten years ago, our representatives whined that drilling and building new refineries wouldn't do any good for ten years, so we should do something else, which turned into nothing else. The same song is being warbled again by politicos and pundits alike: ANWR is no answer. Oil shale is too hard to make profitable. Drilling off Florida will lower beachfront property values (the same values that will plummet when no-one can drive there).

There are a plethora of "alternative energy" options out there, but compared to the existing petroleum-based economy and infrastructure of the US, they are nothing more than classified ads for ecological living in the back of Mother Earth News.

Here's an idea. Make NASA do summat useful. put up BIG solar-panelled satellites in geosynchronous orbit. Convert the electricity thus produced to microwaves (a maser would be perfect), then beam it down to rectifying antennas in the Mohave desert and similar wastelands. The rectennas convert the unending supply of Sun-power to electricity, where it is put into the grid for toasters, TVs and washing machines to run off of. And electric cars.

Like it or not, though, our world runs on oil, and it will not easily give it up, thus we must increase our current supply so as to birth the future energy systems into the world. Effective wind power, solar power, geothermal, even zero-point energy for the Keelynet crowd, all must be built up from the present modes. Congress has done nothing but obstruct, mandate, and bloviate for decades where energy policy is concerned, and now Sen. Warner and his ilk want to punish The Peeeee-pul, guys like me, and Billiam, gals like PL and CunningDove with a 55MPH speed limit, when THEY have stood in the way.

Obama wants to "examine" nuclear power, but sez "we have to look at nuclear waste".
Ah, the nuclear waste that would be reduced by 90% if Congress had not legislated against the recycling of nuke waste back into usable fuel. John Adams had it right.

"One useless man is a disgrace, two are called a law firm, and three or more become a Congress."

We must have conservation. Yes.

We must have increased production of oil from domestic sources. THAT is called homeland security.

We must have new alternative energy sources.

We must have nuclear. It works, and Utah squawking aside, the waste is containable. Read about vitrification, which turns nuclear waste into a solid block of glass.
I wpould let 'em store some in my back yard. Besides, it's the 21st Century. Where's my Li'l Atom Home Atomic Pile? And my rocket pack? I want my rocket pack.

It is not either/or stupid binary thinking. We need them ALL, but we need the oil FIRST. Not instead of. Merely first

DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELVES TO BE PUNISHED FOR CONGRESS' INACTION.

This is not advocacy, merely the Aardvark using his golden eyeglasses to prognosticate. If our representatives do not get hearing aids and start listening to the folks back home, if they do not BEGIN representing us, then the only options left for true "change" will be starving Washington by removing the economic feeding tube on a national basis and sending no money to D.C., or the people actually uprising and throwing them out by main force.

I hate Jabberjaw.

I LOVE this video!

Bigger is NOT always better.


What a weekend! We had three conventions: Wizard World in Chicago, ColossalCon in Cleveland, and PersaCon in Huntsville, AL. Wizard is a huge media con held at different venues across the country, and it was a dog. WA-A-A-A-A-Y too many dealers, thus, too much dollar dilution. Everyone is apparently buying the newshype about gas prices, and were not in the mood to buy t-shirts, or videos, or PVC figures of catgirls. We did a fifth of what we reasonably should have done. Meh. Not for lack of trying.

Mr. McLeod and Friend were at Colossal, and for the weekend, lived up to its name. It was made of win. Very good time.

The Dread Dormomoo, Loen, Zoomerdog, and I were at PersaCon 6, a little event that we have been with from the beginning, and is at the forefront of the Aardvark fanbase.
You think I'm kidding. I get hugged frequently and well, with much sincere glad-handing.
We get treated like rockstars at that con. I have realized that at 51, I am not Teh Hotness, and I am becoming comfortable in the role of Con Poppa. It's kind of neat. There are kids who would be VERY happy if we would adopt them. We are apparently Cool. What amuses me is that much of our persona derives from our being Christians.
Not religious freakchildren. Disciples.

Overall, the weekend went very well. I hope the Wiz experience does not dishearten GG and Co. Effort was made, but the con just did not deliver. The dirty little secret is: most cons pay for MUCH of their cost with the Dealer Table fees. The Dealers pay for the con in large measure.The more dealers, the more dealer's fees. However, if you have five t-shirt dealers, and fifteen sellers of PVC catgirl figures, you reach the level of diminishing returns, given a finite population of customers. The Con promoters get their bills paid between the dealer and the attendee registration fees, but the dealers come away eating Burger King on the way home, instead of Logan's Roadhouse or Cracker Barrel.

We had sushi, nonetheless. It's what we do.

I may get canned for "objectionable content", but oh, well. I am REALLY tired of the whole presidential circus. Such a choice we have. Obama, the Affirmative Action candidate, who is still in the running precisely because it is cooler to be black than to be a woman. If McCain had opted out of the public money, he would have been piled on as a flip-flopper or worse (I AM amused to see McCain-Feingold come home to roost). Obama is merely reacting to political reality in going against his pledge. McCain would be painted as a liar, an oath-breaker, and would likely be accused of kicking his dog. Obama's wife should be muzzled. His overt socialism is scary, but the wholesale lust for socialism of his followers is more frightening still. Perhaps I should say their stupidity. Change for change's sake is rarely wise. Undefined change for change's sake bodes ill for the Republic. Obama is smart. I think that he may be more clever than smart, in a trickster kind of way.

RINO McCain is little better. He MAY have a little better understanding of business and economics than Obama. May. He served his country, suffered as a POW, and that is laudable. Now, he is an old white moderate, trying to play the conservative card. I do not trust him.

To forestall the knee-JERK accusations, I WOULD support a sensible black candidate, a Constitutional one, like Walter E. Williams or Thomas Sowell. I supported Alan Keyes in his last candidacy.

I find it ironic...NOT in the Alanis Morisette fashion...that a black candidate ultimately seeks to enslave the entire nation to the State. Obama's version of State's Rights.

Neither candidate is looking hopeful re: getting our military out of the mid-east. Ron Paul has made it clear (and as a Congressman, he is privy to much that the hoi polloi is not.) that bin Ladin's beef is with our presence in their territories, on their sacred land, as 'twere. The longer we remain in the Middle East, remaining militarily, seeking to mold the area into a sandier version of US (wasn't that a clever bit, then?), the more we will have problems with terrorism. (Of course, with an enemy like terrorism, we'll never be shed of the problems. You can kill men with bullets and bombs. You can't kill an "ism" except with another "ism". Or an "ity".)

The Constitution Party candidate, Florida pastor/political activist Charles O. “Chuck” Baldwin, is pretty much Moral Majority material. The platform is sound, but the pro-life drumbeat serves to alienate many who would otherwise sign on. (May sound odd for a pro-life marcher to say that, but I'll deal with that another time.) Realistically, this is the Invisible Party.

Bob Barr's candidacy: He is the Libertarian Party candidate. I hope he likes herding cats.

And I'm libertarian.

Green Party: The presidential contenders are as follows:

Jesse Johnson
Cynthia McKinney
Kent Mesplay
Kat Swift

Oh PLEASE! Let Cynthia McKinney win the nomination. Please.

a-HA!

I believe to have stumbled upon the Problem.

Hymns with content, with honest instructional and worship value, are perfectly fine. Great, even. Their intent is to edify the singer/hearer, and to offer praise to God. Where I have trouble is another class of song, them wot serve to manipulate you into a response or action, the hymnal analogue to a Steven Spielberg movie. To praise the Maker of All is laudable in the extreme; to inspire fellow believers to greater acts of faith and service is devoutly to be wish'd. A sentimental song designed to push buttons is low and not worthy of being sung, whether it moves one to guilt, and so to "make a decision" (what's wrong with that? It is not reasonable. It does nor proceed from knowledge of God and His Word, rather it springs from emotional jiggery-pokery. Feelings change and fade; God's Word does not.) or to become teary at the thought of seeing Mother over on the other bank of Jordan, on that evergreen shore, where the roses never fade, O glory.

Hmmmm...maybe I have a new career as a popular hymn writer.

O, glory.

Your Aardvark feels...uncomfortable. He is struggling to fight the predations of peer-pressure. There is a rough crowd hard at work, and the Dread Dormomoo is in with them. Never thought I'd see the day. She and her buddies are out at all hours (She rolled in at 3 AM Sat.morning) doing I-don't-know-what-all. Actually, I DO know exactly what is going on.

Hymn-singing.

The Diana singing is a local institution, drawing around 3000 lovers of a capella gospel singing from all over. A bunch of folks from our congregation get together and drive caravan-style the thirty some-odd miles to the event. Your Aardvark is not with them. He is not fond of crowds, and is also not fond of hymn sings. Actually, he is a hymn elitist. Congregational worship is dear to heart, and we are instructed to sing and make melody in our hearts to the Lord, teaching one another thereby. What knots this Aardvark's tongue is what he terms "cracker hymns": the songs that are naught but sentimental and escapist tripe, about:"over there", "won't it be wonderful", "this world is not my home, I'm just a-passin' through", like that. Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are meant to instruct us, as well as to express praise to God. Wallowing in treacle does neither. Many of the songs grow out of Depression-era and Wartime, times that cried for escape. Revivalism also wrought terrible things, with songs of limited and simplistic theology.

The Aardvark once wrote a paper on "The transition from psalmody to hymnody in the American Free-church tradition. Yes, like NASA, he can make wonderful and important things boring. The singing of psalms and other scripture set to tunes was the standard of the church. Into the 1700s hymns, poetic expressions of praise and doctrine became The Rage. One of the most sublime hymn writers was Isaac Watts. Here is one of his treasures from 1707:

Alas! and did my Savior bleed
And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—
And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine,
His Soul in anguish stood.

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died,
For man the creature’s sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give my self away
’Tis all that I can do.

Amazing work. Then a Ralph Hudson in 1850 was deeply moved in a revival when the song was sung, and was apparently also moved to write a badly-needed chorus for the hymn

At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light,
And the burden of my heart rolled away,
It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!

The style meshes so perfectly.

Perhaps hynmnodic licensure is the answer.

Point: good quality rules. Hack-work drools. The classic "grand old hymns" speak. The "galloping gospel" types babble and whinge.

Aardvark got his reasons...so why does he feel like the guy who beats his wife when he gets drunk...just 'cos he doesn't like to go to hymn-sings?

IMPORTANT NOTE: The DD understands, and in no-way trips him into feeling thus.

"I'll fly away, O glory...."

Pick-up lines that just won't do.


"You like women...I like women...we have SO much in common.
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From the ridiculous to the sublime dep't.


The underlying a priori of the Plumbline is that The Bible is inspired by the Spirit of God, and is our source of authority in Things Christian, and Things Churchy. To do other than
described in the Scriptures is like playing Monopoly by the rules of Parcheesi.

Point being: if we do NOT do as (assuming) God says, then we may as well come up with our own ways of dealing with God, and seeking to please Him. Things like sacrificing babies, having sacramental sex to encourage crop fecundity, killing those who disagree with our personally authorised practises.

If we are our own authority in things spiritual or religious, then one thing is as good as another, now isn't it?

Such a Goodie!












I have a friend, a fellow enjoyer-of-cigars, eater-of-sushi, and a law-enforcement guy.(deputy sheriff). He once lived in California, and did security work at Paramount. Himself turned down a role as a Klingon extra in one of the movies. I wanted to dope slap him when he related the tale, but as he is built such that the Trek guys offered him a Klingon role, I thought it wise to refrain.

The other day he called and said he needed to see me. He dropped by the house and when he did not serve me papers, I figured it was a friendly visit. He handed me the patch you see here on the condition that I would not hug him. A guy at Paramount was throwing out a bunch of old Trek stuff (these people NEVER learn). He gave my pal a few goodies, including this patch. Riatsila and I did some quick web searching, and found that this insignia is from Star Trek - The Motion Picture. It is a medical insignia from a uniform. who knows? Maybe DeForest Kelley or Majel Barrett wore it. It is clearly period, as they make patches differently now, and the fraying indicates it was removed after being used.

It makes me happy. Thanks, Deputy!

Just an odd bit day. Thoughts and prayers for Rachel Lucas' situation. I am horrified at the callousness of people who ignore a person's emotional pain to advance their own agendas. The believer and non-believer alike are capable of such; believer who takes the opportunity to use a funeral to "evangelise" the heathen, and the atheist who seeks to "evangelise" an agnostic who may be wavering toward faith in...something, and who is unfortunate enough to be culturally literate in her blog titling. Faugh. There is a time to confront, and a time to dummy up, be a pal, and be a leaning post if need be.

Kudos to Roci, Pretty Lady, and all others who supported RL in her embattled state. To the others, nuts to you.

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The Confusticated One has taken me to task about Capitalisation for Emphasis. I forget the word he used. Pompous, pedantic, Pretty Lady-esque.

He knows I have done this for years, and have not been coat-tailing PL, but lest I give offense, I shall Rein It In.

BUT. The British variant spelling is back. I worked so hard to quit, too.

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Gas prices. ZOMG!! The end of Western civ. American families must forego their Disneyworld vacations, and must stay home eating baloney, and playing on the Slip 'n' SlideTM. Pucky of the equine variety. Eat a couple of Burger King meals instead of Cracker Barrel or IHOP. Stay at Motel 6, Budget Inn, or at a nice Mom & Pop motel, instead of Hilton, Sheraton, or even Best Western. (Motel 6 allows pets, so be aware.)
You can have a lovely vacance , and still drive the minivan. Your Aardvark travels much, and he knows, especially about the minivan.

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Character is what you are in the dark. Christian life is what you do outside the church building.

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Things medical

Had a BP reading of 190 / 107 yesterday at my local doc's. The BPH trial has my BP checked each visit, and Dr. N. has given me a hard stare on more than one occasion, so I took the opportunity to get a new prescription. Yaaaaaay! pills.I'm so thrilled. Can't you tell? Now my head won't pop!! No-one is telling me that I need to drop 40 pounds, but I do. Any suggestions? I can categorically say that Atkins no longer works for me. I know I need to do more as far as walkies are concerned, so we'll see what the Summer brings. The NP wrote the scrip after saying that I need summat else so I won't have a stroke. That was cheery news. Dunno if he was just being dramatic, or if I should have blanched when he said that. Might have dropped my reading! I should ask for leeches.


I'm not worried or anxious, which frankly surprises me, being that I am having mortality issues. Death is a nuisance. I am offended that I have to die. I will have words with Adam. Such words I plan to have with Adam. I'm not scared of dying...I don't think. I just don't WANNA. "Everybody wants to go to Heaven, but no-one wants to die."

Oh dear, I hope I don't offend someone who DOESN'T want to go to Heaven.

COME OUT OF HER?

Rev 18:4 And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that you may not be partakers of her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues.

There is a type of person who picks verses like others pick ripe fruit, squeezing gently, inhaling the aroma, choosing the piece that most suits their needs of the moment. That need may be comfort, or inspiration, or a need to bolster one's own angle on things. The idea of context is apparently foreign thinking to them.

Allow me to impersonate the type:

I am unhappy with America, unhappy with strictures the US places upon me ( taxes, number of spouses, like that ) and because it is self-evident that I cannot be wrong, then the nation and its laws certainly must be. How may I Biblically justify myself?

A-HA! COME OUT OF HER! That's it! I must dig into the Book of Revelation, and see what God says about the heinous apostasy that is certainly the YouEssofAY, because the revelation is just like reading the NY Times, if the Times were inspired by the Holy Spirit, rather than...other spirits.Of COURSE it's about the US...EVERYTHING is about the US.

Except that the book of Revelation was written specifically for the Christians of the first century. "A Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to declare to His servants things which must shortly come to pass." (Rev. 1:1) . As Jesus warned the Jewish believers in Matthew to leave Jerusalem when they saw the siege beginning which led to the utter destruction of Jerusalem, So he warns the believers in Roman environs to "come out of her" spiritually and physically before the ultimate destruction of Rome.

Jesus was talking to the Christians of that day, in the Rome of that day. Our nation is not analogous to Rome. It is merely another nation in the long roster of ethnae , with Christians resident who are commanded to be good citizens within Scriptural bounds, and to pray for the leadership, and not to be whiners and complainers.

Well, that kills most talk radio.

I took the online Myers-Briggs personality test.
Now you know what you're dealing with.


Your Type is
ENFJ
Extroverted Intuitive Feeling Judging
Strength of the preferences %
11 12 25 56



Qualitative analysis of your type formula

You are:

* slightly expressed extrovert
* slightly expressed intuitive personality
* moderately expressed feeling personality
* moderately expressed judging personality


Famous ENFJ-ers
Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Clara Barton (Founder of the American Red Cross),
Ronald Reagan

slightly expressed extrovert, huh.
Summat isn't right, here.

Humpty Dumpty Revisited

“When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.” --Through the Looking-Glass

Humpty-Dumptification of language is so commonplace as to elicit an "Oh come ON...that's just the way people talk.". It is the less-than-literate cousin to Orwell's doublespeak. On an assembly line job years ago, I used the word "invaluable" (yeah, I know...). There was some misunderstanding, so we got out the dictionary, as they did not believe that I was the most reliable one at hand, and found it to mean "valuable beyond estimation". The dissenters said that where they came from, "invaluable" meant "worthless". These same people burn down trailers when they throw a liquid marked "inflammable" on a kitchen grease fire to put it out.

"Idolatry" is a fun one. Writers of Popular Christian Books pen multiplied volumes on how "putting ANYTHING before God is idolatry."

No. Worshiping an inanimate object AS God is idolatry. "Well...what about people who are all addicted to American IDOL and don't go to church when it's on...?!?"

They're just stupid.

The upshot is, there is a level of authority to correct language. A major frustration I continue to have is the people who pull Things Religious from their nethers and foist them upon the Masses as Truth. Some months back, I issued a challenge for anyone to PROVE Scripturally that one must "Pray the Sinners Prayer and ask Jesus into your heart" in order to become a Christian. I offered a cash prize.

There have been NO takers.

Now, this could appear to be an "angels on the head of a pin" issue to some, but let me ask this: If I were to say to you : "I have a gift of a million dollars for you, because I love you and want you to be happy. I need for you to come to my house and pick it up.", would you get the moolah if you stayed home watching American Gladiator ?

Would the money be any less a gracious gift because I require you to come get it?

The Author of our faith instructed Peter, and when he was asked how to be rescued by the panicky Jews on Pentecost, Peter said "Repent. Be baptised to have your sins remitted. You will receive the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

No prayer. Just an acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord (Repentance demonstrates this), and then obedience to that Lord (be baptised for the remission of sins).God then resuscitates you with the Holy Spirit.

Faith in Jesus as Lord: Puts to death the Old Man of Sin, nailing him to the cross.

Baptism: Buries the Old Man (see Romans 6) and you are raised from that death into new life.

Receiving the Holy Spirit: Divine CPR.
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It is simple. It is sensible. It is what the Bible teaches. Every popular radio preacher and Huckstervangelist teaches something else. Let me encourage you to challenge EVERYONE who teaches the "Sinners Prayer / ask JEEEEE-zusss into your heart" to prove to you Biblically (and contextually) that it is true.

You preachers and teachers: Be careful, guys. Remember what happened to Mr. Dumpty.

And once again: I offer $200.00 (Two hundred dollars) to the first person to prove the doctrine to be Biblically authorized.

Well come to my old college roomie and his sweet wife. After all these years, he's still listening to me rant.


I've had almost a week to muse on things, and all the goodies that I did not write down have flown the coop. Old things are coming back, though. I watched a couple of episodes of Voyager today, and found it to be Not Bad. We are currently waiting with bated breath on J.J. Abrams' new Star Trek movie. Wow. I hope it doesn't Kirby as badly as Frakes' treatment of Thunderbirds.


We have a new Capt.Kirk shirt in the works. You'll see it here first. Keepin' the franchise alive by making fun of it.