Samantha Pierce

With Christmas fast approaching the great commercial juggernaut is on the move ready to part you from your money. There was a sign at the front of our local Walmart last Friday that read, "4 Saturdays left until Christmas." Many of you will have to venture out into the sea of materialism to hunt for toys for the wee ones in your lives. For those of you who don't have any at home I've devised a list of rules to help keep you on the good side of the parents of the wee ones. The list is entitled, How to buy toys for other people's kids so that they won't end up hating you and wanting to throw you and the toys out of the nearest highrise window . 1. Don't buy any electronic noise making toys that don't have volume control. 2. Don't buy any electronic noise making toys that don't have an on-off switch. 3. Don't buy any electronic noise making toys that need those tiny batteries that are only sold in that store on the other side of town that

Discoshaman responds to those who chose to paint the upheaval in Ukraine right now in terms of east vs west, America vs Russia, and/or left vs right. Left-wing/ Right-wing -- for once in my life I don't care. Ukrainians are people, not geopolitical pawns. And they want to be free. Can we all get over ourselves and set aside the partisan bickering long enough to say yes to democracy in Ukraine? It really is self centered to try to make this about the US or internal US politics. This about the people in Ukraine deciding for themselves, sans tampering by candidates or anyone else, who they want to govern them!

Fox News has aired some footage of what they believe to be vote fraud and voter intimidation caught on tape in the Ukraine. The report says that the footage has been aired on Ukrainian televison. There's nothing up on the Fox News website about it though. I'll keep looking to see if I find anything. Update: All About Latvia has a translation of an audio tape that may be evidence of vote tampering. (Thanks to commentor Jens-Olaf at Le Sabot ). Nothing about the video tape yet though. Update 2: Take a look at a doctored tally sheet from the Ukraine election. You can get a fullsized copy by email if you ask nicely.

Acts 19 28 When they heard this they were enraged, and cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with the confusion; and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who where Paul’s companions in travel. 30 Paul wished to go in among the crows, but the disciples would not let him; 31 some of the Asiarchs also, who were friends of his sent to him and begged him not to venture into the theater. 32 Now some cried one thing, some another; for the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander motioned with his hand, wishing to make a defense to the people. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all with one voice cried out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” A bit of background on this passage. Demetrius, a silversmith in Ephesus, was dismayed tha

TulipGirl and Discoshaman have been blogging the goings on in Ukraine for the past few days I'll link some of the first and last posts (as of this posting) from their blogs. TulipGirl Ukrainian Election Run-Off Ukraine Election Update Post-Election Ukraine "The struggle is just starting!" $21 Million Dollar Bribe? DiscoShaman A Dispatch from the Barricades in Kiev! Update from Kiev Photos from the Front Behind the Scenes -- How and Why the Ukrainian Election was Stolen, Part I More from Independence Square NPR has been doing some great live reporting from Ukraine. I can't help but compare the reaction of the Ukrainian people to that of folk here in the US who when their party lost the election (a fair one I might add) actually contemplated leaving the country. If it's important to you stay and fight just as the Ukrainians have.

My parents, sisters, and grandmother are on the road right now and should be ringing the door bell in about an hour. They are in charge of the Thanksgiving meal today. I'm just supposed to make pies but I'm procrastinating. I'm looking forward to the chaos that is about to descend on my house. It will be entertaining for a while. By tomorrow I'll probably be ready to do bodily harm to someone though. But isn't that what family is all about? Making you laugh, cry, and contemplate assault with a deadly weapon all at once. Happy Thanksgiving all! Thanks to all who read and to those who comment.

So leave it to the boys to get a stomach bug the weekend we were having friends from church over for dinner. I spent two days cleaning the house, one day cooking, and three days comforting sick kids and washing everything they threw up on. The sheets on each of the boys' beds got changed three times in one day. We ran out of clean clothes for Ethan on Sunday night and were up doing laundry at 11:00 at night. They seem to be recovered today. No one woke up in a puddle to their partially digested dinner in the middle of the night. We sent Ethan off to school, so far they haven't called and asked us to come pick him up. Isaiah is roaming around upstairs looking for trouble. (He found some and was exiled to the downstairs by hubby. Of course he went right back up once hubby was out of sight.) Sophia is blissfully unaware of all the drama that has been going on around her.

From Erin H in Oregon: No follow up stories as yet, but the "Civil War" game with University of Oregon is this Saturday. I'm wondering if their suspensions will be lifted before the game. How is this behavior not unacceptable enough to have their scholarships canceled and get them kicked out of school? I have enjoyed your blog tremendously, haven't spent much time looking at your husband's yet, but as a long time Internet user just awakening to blogging I am impressed with the impact that is possible here. I just looked at one today in which it seems at least one person was enlightened to the true agenda of the ACLU - although I admit I was a bit stunned that the ACLU is seen as benign by most people. I guess I live in my own little world here in rural Oregon. Thank you so much for responding. I admit I didn't really expect a response, especially with you being the mommy to a new baby, but I do appreciate it. I have to admit that I almost didn'

I got an email yesterday with this link and the comment, "Thought you might be interested........my husband asked the obvious question.......what if it were four white guys and a black man with a white wife?" So I click on the link to see what's what. First thought, how did that mascot get past the PC police? Aren't there some womynists or something somewhere on that campus who are emotionally traumatized and oppressed by that mascot? Then I read the article. Groan, why did these fools have to be black? And why does the article give more detail about these boys' game stats than it does about what they did? About half the video clip talked about football as well. Under age and in a bar? Hmmm... Am I surprised by the incident? No, stupid people come in all colours, shapes, and sizes. Had it been me in that situation those boys would be sporting some bruises and a limp (one of my personalities has a violent streak and she doesn't get out much). As to the q

I was going to write a post about what a long and crazy day I've had but I just don't have the energy. Anyway, LaShawn has a post up on evolution . No fur is flying, so far people seem to be behaving themselves.

The entire world is focused for days on a single shooting in Fallujah, yet we had maybe 40 seconds of "Hostage Slaughterhouses". Two bullets fired by an American gets more press than any three car bombs killing and wounding dozens. What is WRONG with these people? Joel Gaines No Pundit Intended 1. Thousands of Arabs from different countries have been killed or captured. Some were from Iran, checksum, Afghanistan and other countries. 2. Several sites for beheadings tortures and videoing 3. Captured victims with miserable states 4. Mutilated bodies and one of them was a limbless body for a western woman whose throat was cut, face was disfigured and her limbs were amputated! 5. Large amounts of weapons and using worship places for that. 6. Lists of those who were kidnapped and beheaded and other lists of names of targeted people 7. Some documents related to the previous beheaded hostages like the Passport of the Japanese S Kudo who was beheaded few weeks ago! Hammor

A Detroit area ABC affiliate ran an investigative piece on Gary Ezzo and his BabyWise shadiness, Baby Care Controversy . "It is dangerous to do it the way he describes," Pediatrician Dr. Rosemary Shy says of Ezzo's technique. "It puts these babies at risk for jaundice, at risk for dehydration, and at risk for failing to thrive, all of which we've seen." TulipGirl has some links to information about the dangers of the Ezzo program. Update: TulipGirl has more on this Ezzo story.

I had a phone conversation with dad today. He mentioned that he likes Condi Rice. He also threw in that he wishes she would keep better company. Couldn't let me get off scot free. He's a bit peeved that she's younger than he is though (he's only one year older). Dad complained that all he had to show for his years were three daughters, two of whom are Republicans (not a good thing in his eyes). I had a real good laugh over that conversation.

This is pretty close to home. you are mediumspringgreen #00FA9A Your dominant hues are cyan and green. Although you definately strive to be logical you care about people and know there's a time and place for thinking emotionally. Your head rules most things but your heart rules others, and getting them to meet in the middle takes a lot of your energy some days. Your saturation level is very high - you are all about getting things done. The world may think you work too hard but you have a lot to show for it, and it keeps you going. You shouldn't be afraid to lead people, because if you're doing it, it'll be done right. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything. the spacefem.com html color quiz

you are lightcyan #E0FFFF Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well. Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working. Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation. the spacefem.com html color quiz Not too far off the mark. Via Stereo .

Cosby Stands by Comments on Black Community 'And I'm Not Stopping, Either' NEW YORK (Nov. 11) - Bill Cosby says the opinions he's expressed in his controversial prodding of fellow blacks are consistent with what he's done as an entertainer for more than 40 years. In several forums this year, the 67-year-old Cosby has criticized some black children for not knowing how to read or write, said some had squandered opportunities the civil rights movement gave them and unfairly blame whites for problems such as teen pregnancy and high dropout rates. ''I didn't take this as a job,'' Cosby told CNN's Paula Zahn in an interview that was to air Thursday night. ''I took this as an emotion. No, and I'm not stopping, either.'' As a young comic in the 1960s, Cosby said he didn't want to be like other black comedians and talk about race issues. ''I don't play that,'' he said. ''You're not going to

Haven't seen this here abouts in a while. The 43rd Christian Carnival is up at Digitus, Finger & Co.

People in the main stream media keep taking pot shots at bloggers. Their main argument seems to be that we're a bunch of bumpkins who don't know how to be real journalists like them. I've been content to let these folk complain away about bloggers. It's their newspaper/magazine/news network, they can say whatever they want. Then I read Empire Strikes Back which starts out, "Now that the election is over, major news networks can turn their attention to real foes, like bloggers." It is followed by a quote from a former CBS reporter dumping on bloggers because we're not "real" journalists to which I responded, Bloggers aren't trying to be journalists. We're bloggers. If what we do doesn't look like old style journalism where's the beef? When I blog I don't hold myself to any journalistic standards (which seem to be heading down hill these days). I hold myself to my own personal standards of integrity that require me to cal

To all those who served and fought before and those who serve and fight now for this nation, thank you. Veterans Day Some of you think Veterans Day is about glorifying war - that's wrong. It's about recognizing that there are people in America who hate war as much as you do, but went anyway. There are people in America who hate war as much as you do, but they hope - they dream perhaps - that our children won't have to go later, if they go now. Veterans Day is recognition of that dream, that hope. This post at Ramblings' Journal reminded me of the tradition of wearing red poppy flowers when I was a kid. Back then, in another country, it was Armistice Day and we wore the flowers to remember wars and the warriors who fought them. I also remember collecting pennies for war widows and orphans. It's a tradition I lost when my family moved to the states. I think I'll revive it for my kids.

The Thankful Thursday post isn't up yet at the BadgerMum but I'm still thankful. (Update: BadgerMum's list is up now.) I'm thankful for fond childhood memories. I'm thankful for a morning out of the house with friends. I'm thankful for freedom and those who defend it. I'm thankful that my baby is strong enough and healthy enough to sock me in the eye. I'm thankful that I'm almost all the way back to being able to run faster than my two year old. What are you thankful for?

My favorites list is getting too long again so it's time to update my blogroll. Here we go and in no particular order. Double Toothpicks : Chronicling The Culture Wars From a Christian Worldview Blogging The Worldviews Behind The News Unapologetic Apologia. Memento Moron: Remember, Thou Art Stupid : First they came for Logic, and I did not speak out, for I did not think logically. Then they came for Reason, and I did not speak out, for I did not think reasonably. Then they came for Thesis and Synthesis, and I did not speak out, for I did not think synthetically. Finally they came for me, and I could no longer think for myself. Read the explanation to the blog name . The Great Separation : All is not quiet on the News Front. A Separation is Brewing. A chronicle of the suffering of the persecuted church. What if? Imagine the possibilities. Next Right : "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing

Bush Taps Gonzales to Serve as Attorney General Nominee's Anti-Terror Legal Strategy Faces Scrutiny By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP For one thing, Cabinet appointments typically get a much easier ride in the Senate than lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court - another job for which Gonzales has been widely considered to be in the running. And lawmakers from both political parties would be reluctant to be seen blocking the first Hispanic attorney general and risk alienating one of the nation's fastest-growing voting blocs. [Emphasis added] Maybe there is something wrong with me, but as I sat reading the article noted above I was struck by this one particular sentence. Now granted, I may be misunderstanding the syntax, or getting my context clues wrong, but are they really saying what I think they are saying? Would the fact that he would be the first of his nationality to hold that position be more important than the content of his character? Help me out here. Please tell me I am

Reading this made me cry: "Sometimes, all you've got is God." Between the service's electric guitar religious tunes, marines stepped up on the chapel's small stage and recited a verse of scripture, meant to fortify them for war. One spoke of their Old Testament hero, a shepherd who would become Israel's king, battling the Philistines some 3,000 years ago. "Thus David prevailed over the Philistines," the marine said, reading from scripture, and the marines shouted back "Hoorah, King David," using their signature grunt of approval. The marines drew parallels from the verse with their present situation, where they perceive themselves as warriors fighting barbaric men opposed to all that is good in the world. "Victory belongs to the Lord," another young marine read. Read the rest at Army of One .

Assume all questions put to you are rhetorical and therefore do not need to be answered. Assume that the people who asked the questions aren't interested in the answers anyway. Example : "...you haven't answered any of the questions put to you by anyone here." "The questions asked here are rhetorical. People already have my answer so why should I bother. People who have so much invested in 'white assimilation' are too biased to seriously introspect why that is and what is says about how they really feel about black people." (See here for more context.) Honestly, how can you just roll up on somebody and start mouthing off about "white assimilation," "white things," "black things," and start making judgments about the value that people place on their culture based on who they associate with and then clam up when you are asked to explain your self?

Pajama Pundit has a round up of some of the immediate post election reactions to President Bush's re-election. It includes the good, the bad, and the down right ugly. I can't believe that people are going through all this drama because President Bush was re-elected. Everyday somebody else is carrying on about how the world is going to go to hell in a hand basket because President Bush won the election. Some are busy floating conspiracy theories about how the election was rigged in the President's favour. Now the loss by Kerry is being blamed on those evil right wing conservative evangelical Christians. That's right y'all, the Vast Right Wing Conspirators have finally made their move. We conservative-evangelical-fundamentalist-Republican-Christians with the power to make the sky fall have taken over the country so watch yourselves. Go ahead and keep talking trash about so many people in the electorate and see where it gets you.

Okay, time to try to post something of substance. In Christian circles people are always talking about what roles women should play in the home and in the church. Tons of books, magazine articles, and blog bandwidth have been dedicated to the topic. For weeks now one question has been repeating itself over and over in my head. What are the men doing? We spend so much energy telling women that their role is to submit, to be help mates, to be supportive. What are the men doing while the women struggle with this Herculean task? Maybe I don't get out enough but I find it interesting that so little energy is spent on exploring what roles men should play in the home and the church. That's just not right. Now I don't have any answers about what the roles of men should be. I'm just trying to encourage some individuals who know more than me to take up the task. The issue of women's roles has been done to death I think. Time for some equality. Time to put the boys under

Hubby's got more pictures up of the kids up on his blog .

For those who have enquired I started and finished the baby sling on Saturday morning. It took me less than 20 minutes. That included the time it took for me to look for my scissors (that I never found), my rotary cutter, and my tape measure (that I didn't find until after I didn't need it). It also includes the time it took to clear off my cutting table and re-thread the sewing machine twice. All in all I spent maybe 5 minutes cutting and sewing. Using the sling is pretty easy too. And the more often you use it the better you get at using it (isn't that always the way it goes). There are no straps or anything to fiddle with, adjusting it for comfort is pretty simple, and your hands are free to do all of that house work that you are just dying to catch up on (not). Sophia seems pretty content with being carried in the sling as well. When all is said and done that's really all that's important. Go ahead and give making your on baby sling a try. Even the sewing

It's Thankful Thursday over at The BadgerMum . I'm thankful for having two nights in a row where I didn't have to deal with Sophia waking up and crying for an hour or more. I got so much sleep last night that I didn't know what to do with myself. I'm thankful for the website I found with the instructions for making a baby sling. The store bought ones cost an arm and a leg. Today I spent about $8 on two yards to fabric that will yield two slings. I'm thankful for being able to get out and do some light gardening. Over the past couple of days I've raked up a few piles of leaves and cut back some dead plants to neaten up the front yard. What are you thankful for?

Oh m'gosh! In all of the election excitement I almost forgot. 21 years ago today I first set foot on these American shores. I was very disappointed that there wasn't any snow all over the place. Below is an excerpt from the About Me section of my very much neglected website dealing with that great journey oh so long ago. Things were cool on that little island; my parents were even nice enough to provide me with two other playmates. Sun and sand, hanging with my dad and his students, my grandparents on the farm. Then there was the big move when I was seven. We were going to go to America, New York City to be exact. How wonderful I thought! I would get to see my cousins and I would get to see snow and have snowball fights all the time (we went in November). The reality, I sat next to my dad on the plane and watched him cry as our homeland shrunk below us. I cried too because I thought if daddy's crying I should too. I was very disappointed when we landed. We didn't walk

Sophia likes her mommy. She is happiest when she is being held. Unfortunately this leads to many tasks left undone because they require two hands. I have a front carrier but Sophia has to be wearing the right kind of clothes to fit in it and it takes a bit of work to get her into the thing. So I went looking on the internet for baby slings. I once saw a woman in the grocery store managing two young kids, breast feeding a baby in a sling, and pushing her shopping cart without crashing into anyone. I was very impressed by her mommy skills. Anyway, I found a website with instructions for making your own baby sling . Very useful since these things tend to cost an arm and a leg. I'll be heading out to the fabric store tomorrow after Ethan heads off to school to pick out my fabric. If all goes well my sisters- in-law will probably get baby slings for Christmas.

Sigh, finally this whole election mess is over. Kerry's conceded. The world hasn't ground to a screeching halt or anything. So now what?

The shadiness has begun . Hope this all gets straightened out. (Via Instapundit )

Sis 1 called up last night to do a survey for her statistics class. You know, are you male or female, what county do you live in, do you plan to vote, and who are you going to vote for? According to hubby (he talked to sis 1 more than I did about the survey) my mom's response to "who are you going to vote for" was, "Is this a trick question?" Sis 2 is still on the down low regarding he political affiliation. Update 6:09 PM: I was just on the phone with sis 2. She and my parents are on their way to their polling place. While we were talking I realised that this is the first election where all the adults in the family are eligible to vote. Cool. Sis 3 (a natural born citizen) will be old enough to vote in 5 years. Then it will be a real family affair.

A sobering sampling of the brothers and sisters in Christ who have given their lives for the faith.

"Both sides had get-out-the-vote armies primed for action, plus lawyers deployed across the country ready to throw any photo finish into court at the first sign of polling-place irregularities." MSNBC News Services Updated: 3:54 p.m. ET Nov. 1, 2004 As I sit here at my desk, putting things away and tidying up in preparation for emancipation from the daily bondage of the 9 to 5 (which we all know usually ends up to be more like 6) world, a small, and frankly annoying, voice whispers to me, "Get your game face on." Do I play a team sport? No, generally I do not play well with others. Do I play and individual sport? No, I tend to lack the coordination skills necessary. So what do I need to get a game face on for? The game of Survivor: Polls of Fury , set to be played tomorrow on a nationwide level. In light of the "well, it could happen" mentality that seems to have gotten seriously out of hand, a quasi techno-phobic, non-people (and might I add anti

The Voice of History When it comes to historical hindsight, modern Christians have a tendency to believe that we would always have sided with the angels, particularly when it comes to opposing institutionalized evil. We believe, for instance, that we would have been abolitionists decrying the injustice of slavery in Britain and America. We believe that if we lived in Germany in the 1930s we would have recognized the inherent threat of Nazism and openly condemned Hitler's regime. And we white Southern Christians have no doubts that we, unlike our parents and grandparents, would have stood with Dr. King and our other civil rights leaders in fighting to end racial segregation.

I've been wondering about what I should do with my Blogs for Bush logo after the election. Should I quietly retire it to signal the passing of the election? Or should I leave it up to show support for the President during the brouhaha that is sure to follow the closing of the polls tomorrow night? I was looking forward to the end of this political season with the election tomorrow until I realised that the 2000 election fiasco opened a door that may never be closed. If you don't like the vote count litigate. I'm sure that the campaign lawyers are all sharpening their daggers as I type to plunge them into the backs of the American people on behalf of their candidate. No matter what the out come of tomorrow's election is we will be subjected to one legal challenge after another. Actually, they didn't even bother to wait untill after the election to begin the legal wrangling. At least I don't live in one of the swing battleground states. That would have me ou