http://sciencefriday.com/segment/12/21/2012/birding-for-the-holidays.html

BIRDS

They are doing birding on Science FridayNPR today.  Particularly, the Christmas Bird Count

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornithology

Well, this is certainly news that I didn’t want to read today – Gerry Anderson, tv Sci-Fi pioneer and beloved icon of British nerds, has passed away at the age of 83.

I’m not sure how much Anderson’s career resonates with American readers, but to British nerds of a certain age Anderson’s marionette-powered sci-fi action adventures were a regular and welcome injection of derring-do and thrilling storytelling on kids’ tv before the era of on-demand tv and internet made finding such gems somewhat easier.

If I throw out some titles – “Thunderbirds”, “Captain Scarlet“, “Stingray“, “Space: 1999“, “UFO“, my personal favourite “Terrahawks” – you might get an idea of what I’m talking about.  Yep, mostly marionette-driven, mostly irony-free adventures which seemed like they came from a different time even when I was watching them as a kid.  But…

I am not sure about you, but I am tired of reading book or movie reviews where the reviewer seems to have completely missed the point of the book or the movie. Yes I do know and understand we all see things differently, but when they complain or say negative things about someones hard work, and have clearly not understood the point, is it the author at fault or their inability to comprehend? Another thing I dislike is telling the story in your review! Review and tell how it made you feel or think, let the reader of your review read the book and find out what happens. So there is no need for me to put a spoiler warning here.

Orpheus Lost – Janette Turner Hospital
Anyway enough ranting, this book is one of those, where most of the reviews on Goodreads seem to actually miss the point and…

I leave you with this and hope, whatever your faith and beliefs are, you enjoy your holiday at or close to this time of the year. Take care, enjoy those closest to you, and together we make the world a better place.

O Wisdom,
O holy Word of God,
you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care:
Come.

 O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel,
you showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush
and you gave the holy law on Mount Sinai:
Come.

 O Flower of Jesse’s stem,
you have been raised up as a sign for all people;
kings stand silent in your presence;
the nations bow down in worship before you:
Come.

 O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel,
you [not the systems of this world] control

at your will the gate of heaven:
Come break down the prison walls of death.

 O Radiant…

“Praise is God’s prescription for changing your environment.

Leah very well could have chosen another name for her son, a name that would not have brought him nearly so much blessing. After all, she was the unloved wife of Jacob, who preferred her younger sister, Rachel, to her. So wretched was Leah’s life that God showed her mercy and allowed her to have children while Rachel was barren. Even this, however, did not cause Jacob to love her. Yet, after naming her first son, Reuben—because God had seen and responded to her misery—and her second son, Simeon—because she was unloved—Leah chose to praise God in the naming of her third son. “God was evidently pleased with the name that Leah chose for her son. He loved Judah (see Ps. 78:67-68) and chose him to receive special favor. This was not so for Reuben and Simeon, Judah’s older brothers, or for…

RECEIVED THIS PIECE IN AN EMAIL FROM A FRIEND

.

 Worth reading.

 I don’t know who wrote this, but I thank God for the person who did.

.

Twas’ 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
When 20 beautiful children stormed through Heaven’s gate.
Their smiles were contagious, their laughter filled the air.
They could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.
They were filled with such joy; they didn’t know what to say.
They remembered nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
“Where are we?” asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
“This is heaven” declared a small boy. “We’re spending Christmas at God’s house”.
When what to their wondering eyes did appear,
But Jesus, their Savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
Then He opened His arms and He called them by name.
And in…

We’ve just come through a magnificent whining phase in our family. Yes, they’ve been sick so we need to cut them a little slack here and there. But the other night, Mommy and Daddy’s well of patience and compassion went dry as the Sahara desert in a dust storm.

Picture Mommy and Daddy sitting at the dinner table, book ended by snot nosed little tots in their booster seats, making a futile attempt at a short conversation, a rare occurence before 8:30pm in the house, when the whines of the 4-year-old begin. Then imagine those whines escalating rapidly to ear-piercing volumes, the kind that make you want to rip out your eardrums for relief. Meanwhile, across the table, the 2-year-old pushes her chair away from the table, ripping off her bib, tossing a fork across the room, shoving her plate across the table and declaring, “don’t like this!” Even though last week…

The NRA finally spoke about the Sandy Hook Massacre and will speak again soon:

The NRA is planning to hold a major news conference in the Washington, DC area on Friday, December 21.

Related articles

• NRA Responds To Sandy Hook Massacre (jtm71.wordpress.com)
• NRA Makes a Statement (trommetter.com)
• NRA Releases Statement on Sandy Hill Elementary Massacre (thetruthaboutguns.com)
• NRA Back on Facebook, Gives Statement on Newtown Shooting (webpronews.com)
• After massacre, the NRA can’t take the heat (tv.msnbc.com)
• NRA Breaks Silence, Promises ‘Meaningful Contributions’ (littlegreenfootballs.com)
• TEXT: NRA Releases Statement After Connecticut School Shooting (foxnewsinsider.com)
• NRA breaks silence, releases statement about Newtown shooting (wtvr.com)
• FULL, 100-Word Statement by the NRA on the Newtown CT Shooting (gestetnerupdates.com)
• The Sounds of Silence Coming Out of the Nra Is Deafening But They Finally Speak! (bonjublog.com)