Consumer Backlash Against Celebrities

Catherine Donaldson-Evans of Fox News wrote an article yesterday called Consumers Fight Political Stars With Dollars. I have a few thoughts I'd like to add to her article.

I am one of many consumers who are sick and tired of Hollywood stars and celebrities using their "star power" to act as authority figures for their causes. I'm not talking about expressing their opinions; that's their right and I respect that right.

What really infuriates me is when some of them openly criticize this country yet reap all the benefits of performing in this country (hello Madonna, Elton John, Jessica Lange, Sean Penn, et al). In fact, many of them wait until they are in another country before they proceed to trash this country. Hey! Nobody is making them stay in the USA. Delta is ready when they are.

According to BBC News, World Edition, Elton John is quoted as saying, " stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of "bullying tactics" used by the US government to hinder free speech. " He used the backlash against the Dixie Chicks as an example. The only problem with his theory is that the backlash was not by the government, but by the outraged fans and consumers. In general, we Americans know bullsh!t when we see it. Spare me, Elton. You make these remarks about all this fear and neo-McCarthyism in my country, yet you were performing in New York at the time you made these remarks? It's not the government you should fear; it should be your fans. You know ... the ones who buy your albums and your concert tickets, but not your bullsh!t. Fans are fickle, but an angry fan feels betrayal and will put more effort into the backlash against you than into his/her collection of your artistic work.

Celebrities, stick with what you know: entertaining. You have something to say or an opinion to share? Get a web site and start blogging. However, stop acting like authority figures; you're not. You're all goldfish living in a fish bowl. You have no idea what's really going on in the world. It's time for you to get down from your podiums and swim back to your fantasy lives in your own personal million dollar fishbowl.

And word to Whoopi: the republicans didn't make SlimFast dump you, the owner of Slim Fast made Slim Fast dump you. The owner of Slim Fast is a democrat, not a republican.

Meeting an Old Friend

Ran into an old classmate this morning while I was shopping at Wal-Mart. It sure was good to see her again; I had not seen her since our 15 year class reunion. She was (and still is) the kind of person who is pretty on the inside as well as the outside. I always appreciated her kindness in school (you know how cruel teens can be). She is truly a real, genuine nice person. My heart felt so warm with sincere, compassionate vibes coming from her. The Lord is truly strong within her.

Wal-Mart/KD's Cafe

I had forgotten just how huge our Wal-Mart supercenter is.

The other day, I had to stop at Wal-Mart to pick up some items related to my job. It wasn't long before I was wandering up and down the aisles looking over everything they had. I think I'll go there tomorrow morning and plan on spending a couple of hours there. Now, if I just had the money to do the shopping I'd really like to do ;-)

At least I finally got the oil changed in my truck while I was there. The truck has turned over 70,900 miles, and those oil changes have got to keep it running for at least 200,ooo miles if I'm going to get my money's worth out of it.

In other news, some of us greenies decided to eat at KD's Cafe tonight ... just for the hell of it. I had the shrimp scampi, and it was delicious. It wasn't served the way Red Lobster serves shrimp scampi, but that's okay with me. It was a creative and tasty dish. KD certainly knows how to put ingredients together.

KD also has an infectious sense of humor. I had an argument with someone shortly before leaving to go to the restaurant. I almost didn't go because I was upset and didn't want to drag anybody down with my depression. The greenies there were very understanding and were helping me get over my frustration. However, it was KD who got me to smile and laugh. It was just what the doctor ordered. I was fine the rest of the evening. As an added bonus, the person I had the argument with was a lot nicer to me when I saw her again.

We have not had a "Greenie Party" since December 2002. It's hard to host one because there are so many of us and not everyone has large homes to accomodate a lot of people. Maybe when the weather gets a little cooler, we could rent some place for the afternoon/evening and have one then. It's pretty hot here in the south right now. I'm ready for winter again.

Time Off ... So Close

As of this writing, I'm getting ready to go to work.  I'm supposed to be off work the rest of this week, but I didn't quite get all my work done yesterday.  Sure, I could leave it, but I'm one of those people who would worry about it all during my time off.

I've got projects that I have planned that I am going to take care of during my time off.  It mostly consists of the pitch-and-toss variety.  It's time to clean out the clutter and reorganize; I guess illness in the family will do that to you.  All the storage containers, shelves, and cabinets are not going to do you any good unless you plan and act.  Now, getting the energy to do this ... that's another story.  I would take one look at my intended project, get this sense of feeling overwhelmed, and decide to get on the computer instead.  I've been reading books on how to become organized, and they all say the same thing:  it's not going to be done in a day.

Infidelity and Abuse in Marriages and Relationships

I have some random thoughts about recent events happening that are bothering me, and I feel the need to express myself.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger wrote a book a few years ago called Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives. Regardless of how you may feel about Dr. Laura, her past, and/or her political leanings, this book hit the nail on the head on why women stay in bad relationships and how they can escape from them. I have recommended this book to every female friend who was unhappy in her relationship or marriage, though I doubt any of them read the book.

In each case, my friends were justified in their dissatisfaction and/or unhappiness. However, each friend had a recurring mantra: "...but I love him, and I know he loves me too." No matter how confusing or how cruel his behavior was, every heart-breaking story of love abused and/or betrayed ended with some variation of that mantra. Sometimes, it was all I could do to keep from grabbing their shoulders and shaking some sense into them, screaming, "Are you listening to yourself? Do you realize what you're saying?" These are smart women who are blinded by their feelings for their men. If they could break free from the spell their husbands/boyfriends/significant others had on them, they'd see they were being mistreated, could do much better, and would leave. Even when it's blantantly obvious the spouse/significant other is cheating, abusive, neglectful, etc., each still wanted to hang on.

Actions speak louder than words. When your husband won't do anything around the house, but will zip out as soon as a neighbor calls asking him to do the same chore he's neglecting at home, that should be a red flag. When your husband doesn't take you out someplace, makes all the excuses in the world as to why, but then will go off with someone else to that same place, that should be a red flag. When he supposedly works all these overtime hours, doesn't get paid for these hours, won't do anything to demand payment for these hours, and still continues to work for that employer .... yes, red flag time.

Here are some of the behaviors I've witnessed or been told about by a few of my friends: unreachable by phone, acting different (short tempered, distant, defensive, etc.), neglecting chores at home, accusing them of cheating, withdrawing from family/friends, pointing out their spouse's flaws, the " I love you, but I’m not IN love with you " talk, secret e-mail accounts , up on computer to all hours , errands that should take 1/2 hour take much longer, claims to work overtime, yet no overtime on checks, too many visits to "friends", the "he's/she's just a friend" story, coming home late saying they " just lost track of time." This is a partial list compiled from http://www.survivinginfidelity.com. The complete list can be found here.

In the book Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives, Dr. Laura covered every situation, including the women who won't do anything to change the situation they're in. These women whine and cry and ask advice about their situation, but they do very little if anything about it. Dr. Laura advises them that their decision to stay in their unhappy situation should be respected. She also tells them they need to shut up and stop whining about it to other people. I couldn't have said it better myself. Years ago, some of us at work tried to help co-worker who was in a bad relationship; he was cheating on her and was blaming her for his cheating. She complained about it and about feeling trapped and asked each of us separately what she should do about it. Of course, we all said the same thing: dump his sorry butt. She did manage to leave him one time. We collected and gave her money and food to help her out. She went right back to him in less than a week. What's worse, he was overheard bragging about getting some money from her. As badly tempted as we were to ask for our money back, we kept our mouths shut. She quit work right after that. Whether it was out of shame or at her boyfriend's demand, I don't know.

No, I don't think I'm being too hard on any of them. I've been in an abusive relationship before. It was just a casual fling that lasted a little over a year, but I was manipulated and coerced into doing things that were ultimately painful. It was not until someone else showed an interest in me that I realized I was being used and mistreated. Of course, he blamed me, accusing me of "toying" with him and being mean to him. He got the message once I filed the police report against him. I won't go into detail of what I have heard about him since then, but I will say that I was wise to end the relationship and file that report. In my case, the warning signs that I should have heeded were: promises made but not kept, his not wanting anyone to know of the relationship, "don't call me ... I'll call you," "do it my way or I'll leave," blaming me for his behavior, claiming I was the one mistreating him when it was the other way around. I think that's when I decided to give celibacy a try. You know what? There's a lot to be said for it, but I digress ...

Here are some other web sites that are informative and can help you save your marriage/relationship or give you the strength to leave.

http://www.chatcheaters.com/
This site offers guidance, advice, and counseling concerning infidelity, both online and offline. It helps you spot the warning signs of possible cheating. According to this web site, cyber sex is the same as physical sex; the site explains why.

http://www.seeitandstopit.org/
Although this site focuses on teen dating abuse, the behaviors could also apply to the adult dating scene as well. In fact, a couple of scenarios grabbed my attention because some of these same abuses and excuses in the profiles were done to my above-mentioned female friends. In fact, I think this site is what started my thought processes that led me to write this entry. This site is helpful as it give examples on how to recognize abuse and stop it.

Before I close, I want to stress than men can and are abused in marriages and relationships, too. There are men who have been victimized in their relationships by women who cheated on them, abused them, neglected them, and/or took advantage of them in some way, shape, or form. I would also like to take this time to ask you, the reader, to make a donation to your local shelter for the battered and abused. It doesn't have to be money, it could be food, clothing, toys, personal hygiene items, books ... anything will help. You will help these poor souls to make that first step toward turning their lives around and giving them a chance for a happier life.

Another Open Letter to Soul Sister's soon-to-be Ex-Husband

Dude! What part of leave me alone in Soul Sister's e-mail to you do you not understand?

From November 2002 until last month, you have broken every promise you made to your wife. You'd neglect things around the house for months. However, as soon as your mistress (I'll call her Mindy) called wanting something done, you'd dash over there so fast you'd leave skid marks! Then you started using money (that should have been used to pay the household bills) and partied with Mindy and her friends feasting on Pizza Hut pizza and other take-out cuisine while your wife and step-daughter were home living on peanut butter sandwiches. You stopped paying the utility bills, so the phone and electricity were shut off. Of course, this didn't bother you ... you were staying with Mindy in her home. Meanwhile, your wife and step-daughter were driven from their home. You made it clear that you wanted them to leave. That violated her rights as your wife, but what did you care?

She eventually found a place of her own for her and her daughter. She kept trying to work things out with you, but you still chose to associate with that marriage-breaking adultress. It seemed like you came around only when you wanted something. Then, if your wife didn't give it to you, you'd turn on her and cut her down. You don't do this to someone you're supposed to love.

As she spent time away from you, she decided to go on with her life. Oh no! As soon as you found out other men were interested in meeting and becoming friends with her, you accused her of the very thing you were blatently guilty of. I can personally attest that she had been faithful to you, and your double standards don't hold water. Your accusations were uncalled for.

You even tried to make up crises as an attempt to get her attention and her sympathy. When you got in trouble with the law, she was the one who bailed you out. No one else. Just her. Did you know that paying your bail bonds left her in financial hardship? Did you ever pay her back the money she loaned you? You pushed her a little too far. The one night might have had a legitimate crisis, she decided to leave you to suffer in a mess of your own creation. Yes, I can imagine just how cold a trailer can get when it's only 24 degrees outside at night. Whose fault was it that the electricity didn't get paid?

Soul Sister realized that in order to get away from your manipulations, she needed to put some serious distance between you and her. Even her daughter was ready to leave! So, they packed up their stuff and made preparations to move. You did help her move; I will give you that. However, it got your attention, didn't it? Made it much harder for you to keep stringing her along, didn't it? Of course, that didn't stop you from trying.

Things were extremely unpleasant for her for a few months. You used that to try to convince her to move back to your town. You almost succeeded. However, between me and her friends in chat, she came to her senses.

Then she found her own place. Oh, how convenient for you! You just lost your trailer and needed a place to stay. All of a sudden, you want to move here, bring the kids and resume your marriage and family! You could have succeeded; you had her bamboozled into thinking you changed. When you left, she was loopy-headed thinking she was finally going to get her family back. However, you kept making promises you wouldn't keep. For someone who claimed to love his wife, you sure didn't show it.

You promised to fix her car, you came without the parts, you promised to come back the next weekend with the parts to do the labor, and you didn't show up. Not so much as a phone call. It was two weeks before you got a hold of her, and it was only to tell her you were in jail. Was Soul Sister too hard to find? No. You couldn't have someone else call on your behalf? No. She was counting on that promise to have her car fixed because the rental car's rates were eating her alive financially. She frantically sent you e-mails, literally begging you to hurry up and get here to fix the car like you promised. Nope, you were no where to be found. She was about to lose everything because she took you at your word, still trying to give you the benefit of the doubt even though you didn't deserve it.

You promised you'd be here with her last month. The date you promised came and went with no sign of you in sight. No phone call, no e-mail, no text messages ... nothing! It was the straw that broke the camel's back. She finally realized that she could not trust you, and the marriage was irretrievably broken.

She sends you an e-mail that plainly and clearly said, "I'm filing for divorce. Do not e-mail me, do not call me, do not come around me." Talk about opening the floodgates of communications!!! All of a sudden, you're flooding her emailbox with e-mails and ringing her phone off the hook "wanting to talk." It's too late to talk. You had your chance. You had lots of chances, and you blew them all.

What it looks like to Soul Sister and me is that you want to come around just often enough to keep her "hooked" on you because she still has feelings for you. You've been using her as your "safety net" for when you mess up so you have someplace to go or someone to bail you out if you get into trouble. The longer she is away from your influence, the stronger she gets, and the more clear-headed she gets about what she wants and how to go about getting them. Then you come around saying you love her, and it gets her all confused, just to keep stringing her along. Guess what? She cut the strings! That's why you've been going overboard with the e-mails and phone calls; you're trying to reestablish that "connection." She's onto your scheme, and she's not falling for it again.

You even had the audacity to come to her home at 2:30 Saturday morning to find out, "what's going on?" You got your answer. It was bad enough you rehashed your tired old lines to get her to take you back. However, you sunk low ... you brought up the kids and used them as leverage. When you saw it wasn't working, you brought up your mother and her poor health. When you saw that wasn't working either, you sunk lower than a skunked snake: you threated to perform a drastic act if she didn't take you back. That was the scummiest, lowest act of emotional blackmail you could have done. She and I came to the same conclusion: how dare you!

And to top it all off, you drove here in Mindy's van! I don't get it: she has stolen checks from your checking account (by your own admission) and bounced them. Instead of prosecuting her, you pay for the bounced checks and the fees. You gave her cash to pay for your probation fees and she kept the money instead and got you put in jail. Why are you still associating with her??? You claim to love your wife, but you keep going back to Mindy even after Soul Sister stated that renouncing all association with Mindy would be a requirement of reconciliation with her. And you want to know why we don't believe anything you say anymore? All you proved that morning was that you hadn't changed and you're still blaming everyone else but the real cause of the breakup: YOU.

Now, I'm going to clarify a couple of things:

First, I do not hate you. I just hate the way you've treated my friend the last 19 months. I do not trust you, especially after you made a threat concerning my job (by the way, my supervisor was advised of this threat). Ever since I met you, I have been supportive of the relationship you had with Soul Sister. I even defended your relationship against her parents and her brother. When I came to visit, I NEVER came empty handed. I helped out with groceries or gasoline expenses. I was not a mooch nor freeloader. I think I proved my friendship and support. I am not your enemy. I am merely expressing my feelings, based on my observations. I'm not out to trash you; I'd be using your real name if I was.

Second, Soul Sister and I care very much for your mother. We think the world of her. We know she's not in good health. However, it is too emotionally painful for Soul Sister to contact your mother at this time. Stop using your mother to make Soul Sister reconsider her decision to file for divorce. The emotional blackmail is uncalled for. You prevented Soul Sister from contacting your mother for a long time, claiming that your sister did not want your wife to call. Now, all of a sudden, your sister is allowing your wife to call and your mother is available for phone calls?

Your constant e-mails promising the world and your incessant phone calls have got to stop. It's time to face reality. You lost her. She told you more than once, "don't call, don't e-mail, don't visit." It means "leave me alone." If you continue to bombard her with e-mails and phone calls, you're leaving yourself wide open to be charged with stalking and harassment. Is that what you want? Considering your current circumstances right now, it would be in your best interest to back off and leave her alone as she has requested.

If you really truly love Soul Sister, let her go. It's over. Let her go.

Pardon the mess ...

If you've been to this site before, you know that this page looks radically different from the previous one. I'm making my journal the main page of the site. The site menu will be to the right. Nothing has been deleted ... yet.

I just feel a change is in order. I've done the frilly, fancy, graphic-intensive website thing, and now I'm ready to be taken more seriously for my writing. I'm not abandoning doing web graphics, but that's not the sole purpose of my site. I'm still keeping my other pages the same. This site is to allow me to express myself, whether it's my crafts, my poetry, my essays, my pictures, or my web graphics.

The biggest challenge ahead of me right now is to decide what to do with my webring data. I will probably have to move them to their own separate page or end my membership with them. To be brutally honest, I'm not getting the web traffic from them that they implied I'd get. I'm proud to be affiliated with Phenomenal Women of the Web and Designed by Women for what they represent; please don't misunderstand me. However, they have requirements as to where and how their webring information is to be placed. The trick is trying to comply without cluttering this Blogger template or creating an alternative page. Just from the way things are going, it looks like the alternative page will be the direction I take.

I love my weather decals, but I've got to figure out where the heck to put them. The missing children's banner is another matter altogether. It's important to me to want to keep it. However, unless it's placed prominantly somewhere for people to see it, it's not going to do much good.

I've removed the archive links because I'm going to create a site index page of all the blog entries. That will take some time, but look for it in the next couple of days.

So now, the renovation is underway ...

Food Ads

Remember the movie Falling Down with Michael Douglas as a recently-fired defense worker who loses it one day and goes on a lashout rampage against things he finds unfair? Remember the fast food scene in which he comments on how the food he was served NEVER looks like the food pictured in the retaurant ads?

The only reason I'm bringing this up is because I had a thought today at work. I was eating a Banquet Fried Chicken "tv dinner" for lunch, and I was looking at the box, then looking at my lunch. Of course, my lunch was not as appealing as what was pictured on the box. I wonder how small of a plate they used to make that piddly little meal look bigger on the package than it really was in the sealed tray?

I'm wondering just how long in this letigious society it's going to be before some greedy lawyer gets the idea to sue against deceitful pictures of various food items in ads, in stores, in restaurants, and on labels of packages. Hey, it could happen! Several people tried to sue the fast food restaurants for making them fat. It made the news and got some serious debating started.

I'm wondering if anyone ever got the idea to go to a fast food restaurant, order a Big Mac, then complain when he/she receives his/her order? "I'm sorry, this is not what I ordered. Yes, I wanted a Big Mac, but I wanted the Big Mac as it looks up on your menu board. This sandwich does not look like the Big Mac on your menu board. I don't care if you want to call it a Big Mac, but the sandwich you gave me does not look like the picture up there. If you can't give me a Big Mac that looks like the picture up there, then I want my money back."

With my luck, they'd ban me from the restaurant (LOL!).

E-mail Disclaimers

I've been receiving joke e-mails forwarded from friends who receive them from people who are using their work e-mail addresses to send them. How can I tell? Most of the time, the e-mail address is a dead giveaway. But, like all forwarded e-mails that are not cleaned up of coded tick marks and e-mail addresses of multiple recipients, there's this "disclaimer" at the bottom of many of these e-mails:

"The information transmitted is intended only for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that your access is unauthorized, and any review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this message including any attachments is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer."

Interesting! So what this disclaimer is saying is that I'm not authorized to read the joke because it was not originally intended to be read by me. Oh, God forbid the FBI comes knocking down my door for reading someone else's e-mail not intended for me and being notified of such! I'd better get off the Internet and bolt my doors right now! Oh, dread! Oh, worry!

Oh puhleeze!!!!

When it comes to jokes, cartoons, or other non-work or personal e-mails, these disclaimers are so annoying. They're impotent at best. Is someone really going to take the time to contact the author of the e-mail and tell him/her that they accidentally received it? What if someone sinister accidentally received it? Do you think a stern disclaimer is going to stop him from "sharing" the contents of the e-mail with others?

I know I'm bordering on the ridiculous here. What I wish people would do is clean up these e-mails to remove other people's e-mail addresses and the little codes and characters embedded into the contents of the e-mail.

It's not that hard, actually. Open up your WordPad program, then copy and paste original body of the e-mail onto the page. Then select "edit" then "replace" at the top of the screen. In the "find what" space, type in the "> " character with a space right after it. Leave "replace with" blank. Then click on "replace all." Do the same thing, but this time, remove that space after the ">" in the "find what" space. Doesn't the contents look better already? A little more adjusting might be needed, like deleting extra spaces to make two lines of text into one line of text. It doesn't take much time nor effort to "clean" up the contents and make them easier to read.

There is another benefit to this trick ... it reduces the bandwidth needed to send the e-mail. You might not think it would be important, but think about this: have you been on the Internet and it seems your service suddenly slows down or is slow when you log on? The main reason is bandwidth usage. The more bandwidth being used, the slower the affected Internet servers are. One e-mail may seem harmless. However, when you multiply that e-mail by millions of people, it adds up. That is one of the main reasons e-mail spam is so reviled and considered the scourge of the Internet; spam uses up A LOT of bandwidth.

Hmmm ... I started with one topic and finished with another. I guess that's my bohemian thought process at work. My mind wanders from one subject to another. :-P

Lookalike Celebrities

Just some casual observations:

Couldn't Traci Lords and Renee Zellweger look like sisters?

How about Catherine Mary Stewart and Kristian Alfonso?

Couldn't Lisa Zane play Madonna in a movie if she bleached her hair blonde? She even sounds like Madonna when she talks.

Just me, huh?

PC Game Triggered False Virus Alert

Note:  the following is diary of a series of events that occurred after an antivirus update on my computer.  This issue was resolved in a timely manner by Oberon Media and McAfee.  If something like this should happen to you, contact the software and antivirus companies involved to see if the alert may be in error.

Last night around 9:20 PM EST, my antivirus program McAfee had an update that required I restart my computer. When I restarted my computer, it alerted me that a file called gutterball.exe was infected with W32/Gaobot.worm.gen.e.

Gutterball.exe is the file that opens up the game Gutterball 3D, a 3D bowling game offered by IncrediGames, Oberon Media, and Skunk Studios LTD. IncrediGames is an offshoot of Incredimail, LTD.

The file sizes of the Gutterball installation files were different. The file size from the Oberon Media location was 7850 KB, the IncrediGames location was 7779 KB, and the Skunk Studio location was 6998 KB. I downloaded the installation file from Oberon Media and IncrediGames, and both times McAfee alerted me to the same infection and deleted the gutterball.exe file. However, when I installed the game downloaded from Skunk Studios, McAfee didn't detect any viruses, worms, nor trojans. I find this very interesting!

I retrieved the e-mail receipt from my files. I purchased this game from the IncrediGame web site, but the receipt came from Oberon Media. I have written Oberon Media expressing my displeasure and have asked for a refund. I promised an update as soon as I got some information.


UPDATE: 6/24/2004 6:20 PM EST

I received my first response from Oberon Media. The entire e-mail is as follows:

-----------------------------------------------
Below is the answer to the question you recently sent to the Oberon Media Support Team. If this response does not answer your question please use the link to update your question so we can take another look into this incident for you.


Almog Flitter 6/24/2004 9:44:50 AM
Dear customer,

We checked this issue several times as seriously as possible, and confirmed that our system is indeed virus free.
From time to time anti-virus companies publish false alerts. We suspect this is the case and are waiting for Mcafee to fix their definitions. We expect that soon, probably today. As soon as it comes, we will send it to you so you can enjoy our games to the fullest!


Once again, I would like to assure you that our system is safe and protected, and that no harm was caused to your computer by our games.


Thanks,

Almog Flitter,
Oberon-Media
--------------------------------------------

This still does not answer the question about why there are three different file sizes for the same game. However, I have to give them credit for giving me a timely response. My antivirus program just had another update, so we'll see. I will update as I get more information.

Update: June 25, 2004 12:20 AM

I received a second response from Oberon Media, confirming that McAfee made an error. I checked the virus info page on the McAfee web site, and, indeed, the update concerning this situation had been issued.

The entire e-mail received is as follows:

-----------------------------------------------------
Below is the answer to the question you recently sent to the Oberon Media Support Team. If this response does not answer your question please use the link to update your question so we can take another look into this incident for you.

Alon Hod 6/24/2004 8:08:13 PM
Dear customer,

Mcafee just released the following:

"An incorrect identification of some modified ASPacked files as W32/Gaobot.worm.gen.e has been identified in the 4368 DAT files. The 4369 DAT files are being released to resolve this incorrect identification."
(http://us.mcafee.com/virusInfo/default.asp?id=description&virus_k=101447)

The game may just work now.
If not, an update of Mcafee should solve the issue or you can update by download the 4369 DAT file from:

http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/dat_download.asp


It's clear Mcafee had a mistake here. As you can see we did our best to fix the problem and make sure you'll be able to enjoy your games as soon as possible!

If the game still doesn't work, just enter the original website you downloaded the game from.

Find your game and click Download, no need to purchase again, if you get limited time play, use your registration key we sent you in the confirmation letter.


Please don't hesitate to contact us at any problem, we will be happy to assist you a always.


Enjoy,

Alon Hod
Oberon-Media
---------------------------------------------

I did respond to let them know that I have received their information and that I appreciated the timely responses and solution to my situation.

My confidence has been restored in the company, and I have reinstalled the game and have been happily playing it.

Cramps from Swimming After Eating: A Myth?

You've heard that old saying, "Wait one hour after you eat before you get into the water or you'll get cramps." I used to think it was bunk. After tonight, I'm not so sure.

Now, I've eaten plenty of times before going into a pool, but it was to just be in the pool, not for any rigorous swimming or playing in the water. I never had any after-effects. People would repeat that old saying to me. I got the impression they believed that just stepping into the water after eating would cause all my muscles to convulse in a major cramp just because there was food in my stomach. Needless to say, I'd just blow it off and go about my business.

Tonight was water aerobics night. I was hungry and wanted some food before changing clothes for class. I stopped at the local KFC and got the three-piece chicken strip dinner. When I got home, I ate my dinner, talked to the 'rents and the dog, then changed into my bathing suit. Got the new suit from Making It Big, and it's going to take some time getting used to the cut of the style.

I arrived at the YMCA and got to the pool area where they were having swim classes. It was right at 7:00, so I wondered if we were going to have our classes tonight, especially since yesterday's class was cancelled due to the lighting storm. Finally, we were able to get into the pool and do our warm up exercises.

Our instructor couldn't join us in the water tonight, but she was able to tell us which exercises we would be doing. Then we started our cardio routine. We had four sections of six exercises: ankle touch front, ankle touch back, frog jog, side straddle hop, cowboy kick, and jogging in place.

Then they hit! Both legs just above the ankle area! Cramp city! I was hurting, but I knew that if I stopped, they would hurt even more. I slowed my routine down some to try to walk out the cramps. Once we got to the jog in place routine, I felt relief.

Once the cardio portion of the class was over with and we started doing the upper arm waterboard exercises, I forgot all about the cramping. That is, until classes were over and I headed toward the shallow-end ladder. Then my left calf wants to cramp and the right leg just above the ankle wanted to join in on the fun. Remembering what my sister told me, many cramps happen because the person inflicted with the cramp hasn't been drinking enough water. The instructor was nice enough to get me a couple of cups of water to drink to make the cramping go away. Five minute later, I was able to climb the ladder and get out of the pool.

I sat on the bench doing a lot of thinking as I dried off. I'm still debating as to whether or not that old saying is true. I do know, however, that tonight's experiences have made me see the old saying in a different light.

Dealing With Loss, pt 2

Since my last post, Maci's site underwent some changes and the page I was referring to is blank and "under construction." I can't go into detail because this involves a 14 year old girl, but let's just say a series of events have occurred, and I don't think her site will be updated anytime soon.

During the weekend, someone made a post on the green screen that a body was found at Oakland Cemetary (no joke). The poster's friend and mother saw the body and called the police. I will not mention the deceased's name, but it is my understanding that he had recently received news that he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. He was also still painfully mourning the death of his father. Last Saturday, the gentleman went to visit his father's grave and committed suicide. I can only imagine what his family is going through.

As I may or may not have mentioned before, I get inspirations from the darndest situations to write my poetry. I haven't had time to upload it yet, but I'll post it here for now until I do. I wrote this with that gentleman and a friend's husband's cousin (who suffered a sudden heart attack and died that same weekend) in mind:


Untitled

May God comfort his family in this time of grief
Their souls cry out his time on earth was too brief
Their hearts ache today with pain and sorrow
But time heals all wounds as they look toward tomorrow

He won't be forgotten, his family will revere
Their memories of him, of the time he was here
His laughter, his joys, his dreams, his tears,
Will still remembered after all of these years

Your loved ones still alive, you know who they are
Take the time to seek them, whether they be near or far
Tell them how you feel, you won't regret
The heart full of love and happiness you'll get

For when the time comes for you to grieve
The sudden death of a loved one, you will achieve
The comfort of knowing he knew how you felt
Despite the cruel cards of fate you both were dealt

I hadn't planned on writing the poem. It just happened. Many of my poems are written on the spur of the moment. I need to get my mini-tape recorder out of mothballs and keep it in my truck for when I get an inspiration while I'm on the road. They do happen frequently, but they usually disappear when I get to my destination :-(

Arabs want an apology???

I received this "letter" from my sister Pamela. Neither one of us know who the author is. If any of you knows who originated the following, please e-mail me at mundlingzone@spamcop.net. I am a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due. I agree with this "letter" 100 percent.

Letter Of Apology

For good and ill, the Iraqi prisoner abuse mess will remain an issue On the one hand, right thinking Americans will abhor the stupidity of the actions while on the other hand, political glee will take control and fashion this minor event into some modern day My Lai massacre.

I heard some Arabs are asking for an apology. I humbly offer mine here:

I am sorry that the last seven times we Americans took up arms and sacrificed the blood of our youth, it was in the defense of Muslims (Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 1, Kuwait, etc.).

I am sorry that no such call for an apology upon the extremists came after 9/11.

I am sorry that all of the murderers on 9/11 were Arabs.

I am sorry that Arabs have to live in squalor under savage dictatorships.

I am sorry that their leaders squander their wealth.

I am sorry that their governments breed hate for the US in their religious schools.

I am sorry that Yasir Arafat was kicked out of every Arab country and high-jacked the Palestinian "cause."

I am sorry that no other Arab country will take in or offer more than a token amount of financial help to those same Palestinians.

I am sorry that the USA has to step in and be the biggest financial supporter of poverty stricken Arabs while the insanely wealthy Arabs blame the USA.

I am sorry that our own left wing elite and our media can't understand any of this.

I am sorry the United Nations scammed the poor people of Iraq out of the "food for oil" money so they could get rich while the common folk suffered.

I am sorry that some Arab governments pay the families of homicide bombers upon their death.

I am sorry that those same bombers are seeking 72 virgins. I guess they can't find even one virgin here on Earth.

I am sorry that the homicide bombers think babies are a legitimate target.

I am sorry that our troops died to free more Arabs.

I am sorry they stopped the gang rape rooms and the filling of mass graves with dissidents.

I am sorry they show so much restraint when their brothers in arms are killed.

I am sorry that Muslim extremists have killed more Arabs than any other group.

I am sorry that foreign trained terrorists are trying to seize control of Iraq and return it to a terrorist state.

I am sorry every time terrorists hide they find a convenient "Holy Site."

I am sorry they didn't apologize for driving a jet into the World Trade Center that collapsed and severely damaged Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - one of our Holy Sites.

I am sorry they didn't apologize for flight 93 and 175, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, etc.

America will get past this latest absurdity.

We will punish those responsible because that is what we do. We hang out our dirty laundry for all the world to see. We move on. That's one of the reasons we are hated so much. We don't hide this stuff like all those Arab countries that are now demanding an apology.

We lost hundreds and made fun of a few prisoners. It was wrong. It dramatically hurts our cause. Now we're supposed to just stop and walk away from Iraq because a few were humiliated?

Not on my watch!!

Our compassion is tempered with the vivid memories of our own people killed, mutilated and burnt amongst a joyous crowd of celebrating Fallujans.

If you want an apology from this American, you're going to have a long wait. You have a better chance of finding those 72 virgins.

Cool Blog Alert: Wanderingblogger

The life of a truck driver written with a sense of humor. Check out Wanderingblogger's journal.

He's also sharing photos he's taken while on the road. You can view them on his picture journal.

Toshimitsu Takagi

When you have some time to kill, check out Takagism, a website by the Japanese artist Toshimitsu Takagi. It's a little left-of-center, but it's obvious this man has talent.

I found the Shockwave Theater and the Interactive Garden very interesting, although admittedly some of the Shockwave Theater "presentations" were too raunchy for my tastes.

I have to admit my favorites are the room games. At this writing, the Viridian Room is being featured on the site.

One word of warning: some of Takagi's artistic expressions involve nudity (including full frontal nudity) and bodily functions. If you are offended by these, then stick with the Crimson Room/Veridian Room games.

I'll give you one clue about the Viridian Room: not all the objects you find will be needed. That's what made this game harder than The Crimson Room.

June Gathering of the Greenie Gals

This month's get-together was a treat. Merle hosted the gathering at her house. It had threatened to storm, but it cleared up just enough to give us a beautiful view of the trees just before sunset.

It is truly amazing how a group of ladies who originally met on a local mesageboard can plan group gatherings and keep the interest going strong month after month.

We took several photos that evening. You can view the pictures here. Click your back button to come back to this entry when you're finished.

Water Aerobics

I'm still getting over a bad cold, but I felt better enough to go to my water aerobics class last night. I've paid for a six-week series of classes three times a week.

I must say that the classes are nothing like I thought they would be. Just because half to most of your body is under water doesn't mean your muscles don't get a workout. You just don't feel the stress of gravity on your body. The exercises will get your heart rate up and you will feel the impact in your legs, abdomen, and arms. Whoever came up with the idea of water aerobics was a genious.

The first time I took the class, I had to deal with foot and leg cramps during class and when I tried to get out of the water (I didn't drink enough water before the class). When I finally did get out of the water, my legs felt like rubber, and my right knee was killing me (the same knee I fell on -- twice -- when I slipped in the kitchen a few years ago). I was sore the next day. It's like when I'm in the deep end, and I'm doing my stationary bicycle exercise ... I don't realize how much I've done until I get out of the water. When I'm climbing out of the pool, gravity is NOT my friend, ha! ha!

I'm actually doing pretty well this morning. I'm not nearly as sore as I was the first time, and I'm ready to do another set. However, I'll have to wait until Thursday evening.

That's a hell of a switch -- actually looking forward to an aerobics class! Go figure!

The Value of Sleep

As I'm sitting here looking at the clock, I'm relieved to remind myself that I don't have to go to work tomorrow. Funny that you start appreciating the little things as you get older like sleeping late! I used to be able to stay up all night long. Not anymore! Taking a nap is something I look forward to. Maybe it's the sleep apena, but I take my sleep seriously these days.

One of the complications of having sleep apnea is that your nasal passages must be clear in order for you to use the CPAP machine. I've met two other people with sleep apnea, and we all have the same addiction to nasal sprays. I was able to be weaned off the spray sometime last year ... until I caught a cold. Then it was back to square one.

Oh sure, I could try to sleep breathing through my mouth. However, when you have sleep apnea, you tend to stop breathing, forcing your brain to wake up and kick start you back to breathing again. After a couple of those kind of nights, I would be a danger on the road. I can sleep sitting up, and sleep deprivation sneaks up on you without warning. I couldn't tell you how many times I've nodded off while sitting at my computer or watching television.

I've had some people tell me that they couldn't sleep sitting up, that they'd have to be lying down. My only response to that would be, "If you're tired enough, you'll sleep anywhere and in any position." For example, I watched "Breakpoint" on FoxNews this evening. It was one cameraman's story about his assignment as an embed with our troops invading Iraq. I listened to his story and watched the videos of our troops in action: on the job, during their breaks, and while they slept. The cameraman spoke of sleep deprivation and the toll it took on the soldiers and on themselves. One soldier was dead asleep on the hard ground in the middle of a violent sand storm. You can bet that soldier was exhausted.

From experience, I know that if I'm sleepy enough, I'll conk out anywhere. For example, I used to dread staying in a motel because their beds would be too hard for me. I'd be very uncomfortable laying on those beds, but if I was sleepy enough, I'd fall asleep. However, I usually got just enough sleep to keep from being totally exhausted. I'd wake up a couple of hours later with my back hurting from the hard bed. My mother suggested I take an air mattress with me to place on top of the mattress at the hotel. Oh man! Big difference!!! I wish I had known this before! Now when I travel, sleep comes easier for me. Of course, if I'm really desperate for sleep while traveling, I can sleep sitting up in a lounge chair, sofa, or even my vehicle if necessary. To me, they are more comfortable than a hard bed.

Before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I was visiting Soul Sister and her husband one weekend. It was one of those hot hazy summer afternoons, and I felt like laying in front of a fan and taking a nap. Soul Sister and her husband were drowsy themselves and dozed off on the couch in the living room. I went to my room, turned on the fan, and layed down on the air mattress atop the bed.

Next thing I know, I'm laying on my stomach on the floor looking at Soul Sister's feet as she's asking me if I'm okay. Apparently, I got too close to the edge of the mattress, the side collapsed, and I fell off the bed. The thing that still perplexes me is that I didn't wake up immediately after I hit the floor. The bed and mattress combined measured a height of 2 1/2 feet. Soul Sister and her husband heard a thud and went to investigate. She found me laying on the floor not moving. I didn't hurt myself ... well ... I did bang my right hand on the dresser as I rolled off the bed and hit the floor. I think about that incident and still can't believe it happened, but it did.

Shortly before my diagnosis, I started researching the effects of sleep deprivation. Some of the results are: memory loss, inability to concentrate, fatigue, irritability, headaches, etc. What I also discovered is that the human body will only take so much deprivation before it overrides the human will to stay awake. It could be as small as a microsleep (a period of a few seconds in which the brain goes into sleep mode despite the person's physical activity) or as serious as a sleep seizure (a longer period of time in which a person goes to sleep without warning). In other words, it will force sleep out of you if you neglect getting enough rest.

I see it's getting late, so I'll close for now. Nite! Nite!

Dealing With Loss

Within the last three years, Pierce County, Georgia lost seven young people to various accidents or crimes. The lastest tragedy involved three students from the Pierce County School system, one from the middle school, and two from the high school.

I did not know any of the people whose time was cut short by unforseen events. I do know people who were affected by those who are no longer with us.

I'm writing this entry because the latest accident involving three young teens and the father of one of them hit the community especially hard. My friend Wanda and her two daughters Becca and Christin were strongly affected.

Maci Gilleon, a student at Pierce County Middle School who personally knew the victims took the initiative to create a website and dedicate it to the memory of ALL seven victims. The site is hosted on Tripod and it is a work in progress. However, you have to admire the initiative this young lady took to try to do something positive to counteract the negative.

You can visit her site by clicking here.

Before I close this entry, I would like to request a prayer from you for the families of those whose lives were ended all too soon:

Beth Ann Raulerson
Ricky Sheffield
Amy Tatum
Kori Melissa Wynn
Mary Gaskins
Meghan Gaskins
Kelly Grady

Please say a prayer for the family of Patty Edwards. She was not a student but was the color guard coordinator for the Pierce County High School Band and the wife of Bob Edwards, the current band director for the high school.

Tyson the Skateboarding Bulldog

You have to go to this website and watch the movies! Anyone who says bulldogs are dumb or stupid hasn't seen Tyson in action. I've downloaded the movies ... they're so cool!

I'm even more impressed by how loving this bulldog is to a litter of kittens. He's like a doting mother! I've seen the pictures for myself. The site is making me rethink my attitude toward bulldogs.

Could The Tide Be Turning?

On FoxNews.com, there were two stories: one dated May 2004, and one dated July 2003 about bar and liquor store owners turning the tables on underage drinkers. The bar and liquor store owners are doing this by taking the underage offenders to court and suing them for damages. Those damages range from fines to suspended or lost liquor licenses to lost wages from stores being shut down for selling alcohol to underage drinkers. Right now, this is happening in California, but it looks like a prescedent may be set in motion.

Now, I am someone who has been on the receiving end of a lawsuit before, so I can relate. I honestly believe one should not sue unless all other options have been exhausted. However, in the case of the bar owners and liquor stores, I'm all for the lawsuits. The penalties for underage drinkers are not strong enough to truly deter them from committing the crime, and all the responsibility is heaped on the seller. As someone who has worked in convenience stores, I know first hand that underage drinkers (and smokers) will try every trick in the book to get what they want. They'll play on the cashier's/waitress's ignorance, weaknesses, ego, etc. Some will argue that the owners should be held solely accountable for letting the underage patron in. However, I believe that if the patron willingly and knowingly attempted to purchase something he/she is not old enough to do, he/she is just as guilty if not more so.

In another story by FoxNews, it appears that personal injury lawyers are attempting to target alcohol advertisers, accusing the advertisers of targeting their ads to underage drinkers. Now, various studies have consistently shown that there is no link between the alcohol advertisements and underage drinking.

The part of the article that got my attention was about how Coors responded to one of the lawsuits "...with a letter to the plaintiffs' lawyer putting him on notice to either withdraw the lawsuit or face a motion for sanctions — fines judges can impose for bringing frivolous litigation ..." In other words, they fought back.

Why am I bringing these stories up? Is it about alcohol consumption? No. It's about people stepping forward and forcing instigators to be held more accountable for their actions. Too many people are filing lawsuits to make money. Too many people are blaming others for their own bad behavior (I had a bad childhood, I was in a bad relationship, Pisces was in the cusp of Leo, blah blah blah). Instead of owning up to their own bad choices and bad decisions, they blame someone else (it's your fault I had to hit you; he should have checked my ID more closely; etc).

When I read that part about Coors sending their response to that lawyer made me want to jump up and shout, "Yes! Finally!" People and lawyers who are filing these frivilous lawsuits to make money need to be slapped with civil and financial sanctions. And yes, that includes the stupid lady who put a hot cup of coffee between her legs, scalded herself, and sued McDonalds for her stupidity.

The Impact of a Video

The image of 1000 words, or in this case maybe the video of a million words. It's one of those situations in which it will bug you if you don't see it, but then it will haunt you when you do see it. I actually viewed the video that showed the brutal beheading of Nick Berg.

This beheading was not quick nor painless. These terrorists actually took a sword/machete and sawed at this man's neck. After a few seconds of sawing, he'd change the position of the blade and work on another part of Berg's neck. It took about 30 seconds, and then the terrorist held up Berg's decaptitated head in the air for a good few seconds.

This is what we have to deal with right now. The foreign press keeps bleating anti-American news and terrorist groups are scaring the Iraqi people into not helping us help them. We've even got people here in our own country who may as well be our enemies with all the anti-American rhetoric they keep spouting under the guise of "freedom of speech." A reporter from Fox News this week stated that the terror group Hezbollah denounced the actions of the men who executed Berg. However, their reason was because it would take attention away from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.

Speaking of which, let's talk about the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal that anyone against the Iraq war or the United States loves to bring up. The actions taken by those involved in the abuse were wrong, and they should be punished. However, I do not believe the abuse from our troops is widespread as the media both foreign and domestic would allow you to believe. As for the pictures, all I have to say to those accused of abuse is ARE YOU THAT STUPID OR ARROGANT TO BE TAKING PICTURES OF THE CRIMINAL ACTIONS YOU'RE NOW BEING ACCUSED OF?

Donald Rumsfeld said that there were several investigations going on at other prisons to determine if there are other abuses. I feel the media needs to take a wait-and-see attitude before any more conspiracy theories are submitted.

In the meantime, our troops are risking their lives out there! They are civilized soldiers following rules of ethics against those who have no rules or ethics. I can only imagine the frustration they are feeling.

In my opinion, our problem is that we're trying to appease too many people. We're trying to follow the rules by the Geneva Convention of 1948, kiss the butt of the United Nations to get their help, and deflect the insinuations (if not outright accusations) from the foreign media. I say enough is enough. We need to let the Iraqi people and the terrorists know that they are either with us or against us, and we will start shooting those who are against us unless they prove otherwise.

I've been watching Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. I've heard various commentators state that the Iraqi people have been terrorized into submission for decades. It was further stated that we, as a country trying to help them, have an uphill battle in getting full cooperation. I can understand the Iraqi people's situation. However, if they don't start helping us more, someone just as brutal and oppressive as Saddam Hussein will take them over and put them right back where they started from. We want to help the Iraqi people, but they've got to step up to the plate and be willing to help themselves.

Getting back to Nick Berg, his parents have been publicly blaming President Bush for his son's death. I grieve for their loss and their anguish, but I believe they are out of line with their accusations. I firmly believe they were already anti-Bush and are using their son's death to fan the flames of their own rhetoric against the President. Their son went to Iraq of his own free will; no one made him go. President Bush did not execute their son. The FBI did not execute their son. The Iraqi police did not execute thier son. I feel there may be more to Berg's visit in Iraq than what has been released to the media, based on the fact that the Iraqi police picked him up and held him, and the FBI investigated him. However, that is something we will probably never know for sure.

Regardless of how anyone feels about the situation, the bottom line is an American citizen was kidnapped and brutally executed by terrorists. That should be enough to allow our troops to open a can of whoop ass on those responsible.

Commercial Observations

Personal Observation of 1-800-Pet-Meds Commercial
Remember the commercial in which a pet dalmation named Buddy is whining and biting himself as the little boy asks his mother what's wrong with him? Remember the next scene of a cartoon x-ray flea biting the dog as you hear another whelp from the dog? Noticed that they're now airing the same commercial, but they've deleted that last part (with the flea bite and sound byte) from that scene? I think the company got complaints about the original commercial. I was a little disturbed by it, too.

I like most of the commercials from 1-800-PetMeds, but the continuity is shot to hell in some of their commercials. But they still don't compare to the commercials for Advantage.


Personal Observation of Quiznos Commercial/Website
A while back, I saw a commercial for Quiznos Subs featuring what looked like dead rats with Mr. Potato Head facial features. One of the "rats" had a singing voice that would make nails on a chalk board sound heavenly. This is supposed to sell submarine sandwiches? I actually e-mailed the company my honest opinion. I basically said that if they insisted on using the rats, they might need to change their name from Quiznos to Queasnos. I forgot exactly when I posted my honest opinion (early February, I think), but I got a response from Clint McCaskill on March 24.

In all fairness, their sandwiches do look good, and I like the idea of submarine sandwiches being made then toasted. I would have been very willing to try one of their sandwiches. I was honestly repulsed by the singing rodents. When they decide to give the rats the boot, I may actually consider patronizing the establishment as I do enjoy a good sub sandwich, especially if it's toasted.

Did You Have to Say That?

Ever been in a situation in which someone like your co-worker, your boss, your parents, your spouse, your siblings, your friends, etc. feel the compulsion to tell you something that you were already blatantly aware of? Have you ever bristled at hearing something from someone that just did NOT need to be said?

For example, a childless couple being approached by family and/or in-laws, and someone invariably asks, "When are you going to have children? You're not getting any younger." Did they have to say that? It's their marriage and their business as to whether or not they wish to have children. In addition, they don't need meddling nosybodies putting pressure on them by reminding them of their biological clock.

I'm thirty-nine years old, and my mother still forgets herself. I may go to an oriental buffet restairamt that features seafood, and she'll say, "Enjoy your seafood, but I think you should avoid the sushi." I could have overlooked it the first time, but the second time I told her I was going to this restaurant, she commented, "I hope you have a good time. Just remember, don't eat the sushi." 'Scuse me, Mom, but did you have to say that? I'm old enough to know what sushi is and whether or not I want to eat it. If I want to eat raw fish wrapped in seaweed, I'm old enough to make that decision.

How about when you're telling someone about a potentially bad experience and how the actions of someone prevented the situation from getting worse? You make the comment toward that person in absentia, "Thank you, so-and-so!" Then another person in the same room is feeling sanctimonious and makes the comment, "You should be thanking God!." Oh, Lord, did he have to say that? He listened to a true story about an event in my life, and the first sentence out of his mouth is a criticism! And these are the kind of people who cannot understand why no one wants to engage on conversation with them about religion. To quote a bumper sticker I wish I had, "Dear God, please protect me from your followers!"

I get several e-mails from friends ranging from jokes to stories. The only e-mails I don't like are the chain e-mails. You know the ones ... down at the bottom where it instructs you to "send this to ten people, and you'll see the Taco Bell chihuahua dance across your screen" or "send this to everyone on your list so we can spread the word about this terrible injustice going on." Oh puhleeze! Did you have to say that? If it's funny or interesting enough, it will be forwarded on its own merits. Let's not use the Internet to spread rumors or lie to people to trick them into forwarding an e-mail.

Other than e-mail spam, the e-mails that really piss me off are the religious and/or inspirational story e-mails. Not because of their content, but because of the guilt-inducing instructions at the bottom that psychologically bully you to forward the e-mail to "everyone on your list." You know the drill ... comments like, "Funny how we forward dirty jokes to everyone, but we're choosier when we forward God's word to those on our list because we don't want to offend them, " and "Are you ashamed to send this e-mail, for Christ said if you are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of you," and "If you delete this, may God have mercy on your soul." To the origianl authors of those e-mails who put those words at the end of your stories, did you have to say that? First, I don't need you or anyone else to tell me what I can do with my e-mail. Second, if the message is interesting enough, I would be more than willing to share it with those who I think would appreciate it. Finally, using the above-referenced comments was very uncalled for. If you feel the need to include psychological threats to forward your message, you shouldn't bother sending the message.

Am I the only one who feels this way?

Gonna Make You Think

Okay, here is the scenario. You are a white parent taking your white child to a party. You were asked to bring a gift for the children to get as they draw numbers for it. At the party, there are various children of different races and ethnic backgrounds, although the majority of the attendees are white.

Now comes the time for the children to draw numbers for the gifts. It's your child's turn, and he/she draws a number for a particular gift. He/she has the gift in his/her hads and opens it to reveal a doll, and the race of the doll is black. How would you react? Answer honestly, because that answer reveals your true motive on how you teach your child to treat people of different races.

This is a true story. A friend of mine was telling me what she witnessed at this party she took her daughter to. She told me the white parents of the child who drew the number for the black doll were livid with anger. My question is, "Why?" The same parents felt like a "doll like that" had no business at that party. My question is, "Why not?" There were black children there, too. Let's turn the knife 180 degrees: how are the black parents supposed to react when their child opens up a gift to reveal a white doll? What's the difference? If it's a toy the child doesn't want to play with for whatever reason, maybe he/she can swap with another child.

Here's my opinion on the matter. The white parents who got angry about the doll were waaaay out of line with their anger. Their reaction told me more about how they feel about people of other races than anything they'd tell me verbally. Why do they feel it's shameful or an insult to be a white child with a black doll? I was told the doll was rather cute; it wasn't ugly. Their reaction smacked of a racist attitude.

It doesn't end there, folks. My friend's daughter offered to swap with the "offended" child; she honestly thought the doll was cute. Well, the grandparents found out, and they were ... shall we say "moritifed." Why would our granddaughter choose a baby of another race? Something's wrong with that child. Again, that reaction told me more about their true attitudes about people of other races than anything they would admit to my face.

People, please! Skin color should not be a deciding factor as to why you associate with different people. You associate with people because you have similar interests, similar values, etc. We all want to avoid people who would lie to us, lie about us, steal from us, hurt us, etc. Those kind of people come in all sizes and colors. Guess what? Decent people come in all sizes and colors, too. But those who choose friends or associates based on skin color only limit themselves.

Getting back to the question "how would you react," Answer that question for yourself honestly. Just remember that your answer will effect other people, not just you. Also, remember that what goes around comes around.

Exotic Treat: Hamburger Helper

How I miss being able to cook, when I had my own kitchen and could make my own meals! When you've eaten enough fast food, sandwiches, and microwave "heat and eat" meals, the hamburger helper I had at Soul Sister's house seems downright gourmet! And yes, I had some Dom Peri-Mountain Dew to go with that exotic Hamburger Helper!

Not sure if it's a southern thing, but all-you-can-eat buffets do well here in Waycross. I admit I tend to overdo it, but lately, it's the only time I get a hot meal. I don't have a kitchen right now, so cooking is out. Sometimes, Soul Sister will let me cook when I'm at her place.

This has been a frantic week!

We found out Monday that a major VIP is visiting my job next Tuesday. I can't say more right now other than a lot is hinging on this visit. It should go well as we always keep things up where I work. However, everyone has a bad day now and then; we just don't want to have one on the day of his viisit.

Tuesday, we had a surprise visit from a state auditor. In the office where I work, we are not notified of when the books get audited. They show up unannounced about every 12-24 months. This particular auditor has the reputation for being thorough and accurate. She's an extremely cultured, classy, down-to-earth lady who is fair and will work with you so long as she knows you're on the up-and-up with her. We fully expected her to work in our office for two weeks. In fact, this is what she told the officer who worked in Main Control. Color me shocked when I found out she was through Thursday afternoon! My books were in tip-top shape and it made her job much easier. At least it's over now. Of course, now I need to get back into my YMCA routine as I got off of it during this week. I started back this evening.

This was employee appreciation week at work. This morning, we were treated to a great breakfast buffet courtesy of the efforts of a few employees. It is people like these who make work pleasant. It is people like these who help to keep the morale up. Loved the eggs and smoked sausage, and one particular officer make some great sausage gravy! Man, it was delicious! When people at my job get together to have a cookout of some kind, we have some who (as we say in the south) can throw down some food!

Last weekend, I thought a friend of mine and her husband were headed toward a reconciliation. He promised to come back last Monday to fix her car. As of this writing, she has not heard from him. She was counting on his word that he would repair her car, and she was left in a bind. She has no operational car, and needs transportation to get to work. Several people have told her that she needs to get her divorce and leave him behind. All I know is that he's not helping his credibility by his actions. He'd better get his act together ... and fast! A person will only put up with so much.

Update 5/13/2004: We found out where he is, and his absence was beyond his control. I cannot go into more detail at this time.

Two Year Anniversary!

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the move from Tripod.com to GoDaddy.com with my very own domain name mundlingzone.org. Some of you may think I need a life, but it's a thrill to me, even two years later.

Speaking of anniversaries (but not necessarily good ones), next month will mark the one year anniversary of the passing of three people near and dear to a couple of friends of mine: Childhood Friend and her mother. In one week, they lost three close family members. Unfortunately, Soul Sister was having to find a home on the fly; at the time, no one either could or would help her. It seemed like I was her only friend. I truly wished I had the ability to clone myself so I could be at two places at the same time; I was torn up about it, so much so that I wrote a poem to try to describe my feelings. I still think about Childhood Friend and her mother and what they went through with their losses. How do you comfort someone who has been subjected to such grief? It's been almost a year, but my heart still aches for them.

Food and the word "Nasty"

Maybe it's a southern thing here, but I wish people would stop using the word "nasty" to describe food they don't like. Nasty means dirty, filthy, foul, and/or disgusting. It is very unfair to the cook to worked hard to prepare a meal, only to have somebody turn it down because, "it tastes nasty." Adults are just as bad as the children are about the overuse of this word. There are many words in existance that can describe disliked food more appropriately. Grrrrrr!!!


Soul Sister has a home!

After four months of stress, Soul Sister called me at work today to let me know she found a home of her own. She already had the keys and was moving stuff in. I was so happy and relieved for her that I cried when I got off the phone. This woman has had a string of bad luck, and having to live in a, shall we say "negatively critical environment" wasn't helping with her morale.

Her new home is great! The homes she had lived in while in Moultrie had no ice maker, no dishwasher, no washer nor dryer, and one home didn't even have working heat or air. This is a relatively new place with all the above-listed luxuries plus sturdy floors, new floor tiles, a fireplace, and a back yard with a fountain. She doesn't have a lawn, but her lot is covered with granite rocks. I am so happy for her!!!

I Hate E-mail Spam!!

I hadn't accessed my SpamCop account for a couple of days, so I was taken aback by 75 pieces of e-mail that were spam. I'd hate to think how much more spam I'd have if I were using Yahoo or Hotmail instead.

I recommend SpamCop for their ease and ability to report spam and for the filters they use for their e-mail. The $30.00 a year I pay for the account is worth it. Still, with 75 spam mails in my inbox, it was obvious I needed to add a few filters of my own.

The following domains are now blocked: consultant.com, winning.com, yahoo.co.hk, address.com, canada.com, attbi.com, hongkong.com, mail.com, and e-mail.com. Any e-mail with an address using these domains will not reach my inbox. In addition, if the word "mundlingzone" is in the subject line, that e-mail will be blocked as well.

It's a shame that those of us who don't want unsolicited e-mails have to resort to such measures.

YMCA

Back on April 6, I signed up for a three-month membership to the local YMCA (stands for Young Men's Christian Association). Here is my two-week report:

I have made some progress using the weight machines as I've been able to move the settings up one notch from my starting level. There is one machine I have am still struggling to do three series of 10 repetitions at its lowest weight setting, but I'm not giving up. As Susan Powter said in her workout video "Moving," when it gets too easy, it's time to increase the weights.

Tonight, I got into the pool for the first time. It felt good after using the machines. I started doing what I call the underwater bicycle, which is you move your legs as if you're riding a bicycle. I thought I was doing well, until it was time to get out of the pool. Every step I took getting out made me realize just how weak and worn out my legs were. Gravity was NOT my friend. I just posted to Soul Sister on the green screen that I am having trouble walking. I'm about to go bed because I'm so wiped out. And yet, I'm going back toomorrow night. Determined to get in shape, or glutton for punishment? Stay tuned!

Happy Easter!

Here it is Easter. People have made plans to go to church and/or prepare a large dinner for family members. Aunt Mavis will be coming over for Easter dinner, consisting of picnic ham cubed and slow cooked in the quart-sized crock pot, instant mashed potatoes with gravy, refrigerated southern style cornbread dressing (not bad!), beets, and English pea salad. My family doesn't believe in going all out to make a fancy meal these days; it's too much work and the cook doesn't get to enjoy the meal nearly as much as the rest of the family does. We thought about going out, but we decided to take it slow and easy at home today.

MREs and Emergency Kits

Found a website called Heater Meals. The site claims to sell "The Self-Heating Meal ... Comes with everything needed for A Hot Meal Anytime Anyplace." I'm very surprised at the cost of these meals: $3.99 for the basic meal and $5.99 for their "plus" version. Considering the packages never needs refrigerating AND have a shelf-life of two years, the cost is competitive. Most MREs (meals ready to eat) have been priced higher. Some sites are charging $129.00 for a case of twelve complete MREs. That's $10.75 a meal, and it's not even the self-heating kind! Uh, big difference! Seriously, check out Preparedness.com. Just do some comparison shopping. A quick search on Dogpile.com will show the various sites in which you compare prices.

Russ Chastain, a guide for Hunting/Shooting with About.com gave a favorable review of most of the Heater Meals. It might not be a bad idea to stock up on a few meals, like you stock up on batteries, fresh water, candles, dry matches, radio ... for, you know ... just in case.

All the fighting going on overseas and the after-effects of the September 11 attacks have made me think about getting/creating emergency kits. I've been to a few sites, and I must say I'm confused. There is so much to take into consideration as to what may be needed ... things we take for granted.

At the same time, I can't help but chuckle in disbelief about what's included in these kits that pass for "first aid," like small band-aids and non-aspirin pain reliever (similar to Tylenol). If someone is really injured or sick, band-aids and Tylenol are not going to begin to cover it. Some of these kits need to offer more real first aid products, like bandages, compresses, smelling salts, iodine, alcohol pads ... more serious stuff.

The Green Screen

One can read the most interesting topics on the Green Screen.

Today, someone posed the question, "What really happened in Sodom?" This person's position seemed to be that many people misinterpreted what the citizens of Sodom were doing that brought about God's destruction of the city. This person further theorized that many people claiming to be Godly were hypocritical because many of the laws in the book of Leviticus are not being adhered to while two verses were used to perpetuate "traditional abusive use of the Bible regarding homosexuals."

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I'm probably not the best qualified person to offer learned responses to this person's theories about the history of Sodom nor the verses in the book of Leviticus. I did, however, offer this response when another person posted this response, "... I'm just stating what the word says will happen if we don't turn to Him and live the way He has instructed. "

This was my two-cents worth on the subject:

Live the way "He" has instructed? The bible was written by man ... numerous men, actually. It is full of contradictions and inconsistencies. It has been interpreted and misinterpreted in several languages for hundreds of years.

These are my theories on the situation:

Many of the laws that you listed in your original post were written at a time in which clean water was not easily available and hygiene warranted numerous days of abstinence from certain activities to ensure proper healing or disease prevention.

Many of the laws were written forbidding tattooing, multi-textured garments, or certain hairstyles as a way to ensure identification and bonding of the Tribes versus the pagan tribes that surrounded them.

Even if you don't believe in Jesus, He did make a valid point: it is not what you eat that makes you unclean, it is what you say that makes you unclean.

I am by no means trying to diminish the significance of the Bible. It is still to be revered, respected, and used for guidance in how we are supposed to live our lives. I just don't believe it should be taken so literally that we spend more time arguing over verses than living as Godly people.

And of course, that is just my honest opinion.

My whole point was that the scriptures were written, interpreted, and translated into different versions of the book. None of us are going to agree as to which version is more accurate. All we can do is read the version that we understand best and pray that we're doing what God wants us to do. I do believe we shouldn't be hurting anyone in the process, just because we don't agree with their lifestyle choice.

Trolls Among The Internet Community

It's amazing how a couple of people can get in a chat room or on a message board and manipulate and bring out the worst in those around them. So much mortibo being expressed! Why do we as human beings resort to hurting others to feed a need to say, "I'm right; you're wrong?" Enflamed passions collide as each defends his/her own viewpoint as he/she would an endangered child. It's one thing to express a viewpoint and inadvertantly hurt someone by doing so. It's another thing to express a viewpoint with the dominant intent and purpose to hurt or anger someone; there lies the crime.

A True Story of God's Healing

Note: My sister Pamela, who lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin, e-mailed me yesterday. I thought I'd share the e-mail with y'all. She's not one to exaggerate. The following is in her own words.

Michelle


Greetings all!
Just a little note to anyone whose heart could use a smile.

Tuesday nite I was gathering some tools in my basement to use for a project at church on Wednesday. I was in house slippers, after all I wasn't working, just getting things ready. I bumped into and knocked off a table vice (you know real heavy) onto my right big toe. Do you have the picture, can you imagine what that would feel like? After icing my toe for 20 minutes or so I knew I would need something l little stronger than Motrin for a few days, so I drove (left footed) to the base emergency room (20 miles away).

X-ray revealed a thru fracture of my toe, it looked like an extra joint had been added. I could barely move / wiggle it, nor did I want to. The nice doctor gave me several Vicadin and permission to use them which I did as soon as I drove home in the snow.

On Wednesday I woke up to a nice swollen, bruised all over and quite painful toe. Took my drugs and went to church to help out (taking my tools, ice packs, house slippers, and of course Vicadin) I also used a cane to keep some additional pressure off my toe. I was a fairly good girl, staying off of my foot, keeping it up and iced as much as possible. It's important that you have this picture even though it isn't a pretty one.

On Wednesday nite I went to Bible study. My limp and cane attracted attention so before class began, I showed off my toe, everyone was impressed. My leaders began to pray then praise God for my healing. I couldn't believe my eyes at first, the purple began to fade, they kept praising and more purple faded, I could only whisper amazement (picture Pam speechless). After about 40 minutes of prayer and praise, mostly praise I could curl my toe (couldn't wiggle when we started). About 90% of the bruising was just gone! About 90% of the swelling was just gone! Most of the pain was just gone! I could touch the area where the fracture was and not cringe. I started walking, then jumping up and down. I was walking briskly around the church to show off my new toe, 'cause that was not the same toe I limped into church with that morning!

This morning, Thursday, I woke up, my foot felt a lot better than yesterday morning. There is still some residual bruising and aching. God spoke to me and said that's two weeks worth of healing and asked how I liked it, I love it!!!!!

I took a couple of aspirin, I'm still being good (for me) but I am so thrilled about my toe, I'm curling it as I write this. (yes, I am easy to entertain)

Just wanted to share this smile with my friends and remind you that our Lord is still in the miracle business these days, if you could use one, just begin to praise Him for the miracle you need, be willing to invest a little time to do this and expect him to come through.

Well I'll stop now, but He wont!

Hugzzz in Jesus

Pamela Mundling

All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet?

A few weeks ago, I ranted on the Green Screen about being charged extra the last two times I got a buffet-to-go from a local Chinese restaurant. Monday evening, I thought I'd give them one more try and made it a point to put less in my container. The lid closed easily as I made my way to the cash register. The cashier opened up my container and looked at the contents. I was still charged extra: $8.98 instead of $7.90. This was the same cashier who rang up my purchases previously. I probably should have asked why, but I was too tired and too hungry to argue. I have no one but my self to blame for paying it and walking out with my food.


I e-mailed some of my friends about my experiences, and a couple of them suggested that I call the manager and express my grief. It had not occurred to me to do that, but once I read that suggestion it made perfect sense. Another friend whom I e-mailed my experiences became miffed because the cashier opened up my container to see what I had and then charged extra. I even had a co-worker tell me that it looked like I was being discriminated against because of my body size (I don't want to go there). My supervisor told me that a restaurant shouldn't offer "all you can eat" if they're going to charge you extra for some of the contents.

Anyway, I called the manager yesterday afternoon. He was extremely friendly and took the time to answer my questions completely. As long as the lid can be closed on the container, the cost is $7.90. If the lid has to be bent to be closed or if it cannot be closed, then they have to charge extra; that has always been the policy. Also, if there is an excess of seafood items, they need to charge extra for that because the seafood items are much more expensive. Admittedly, I had a lot of braised shrimp in my container the last four times.

I explained to him how it seemed that the extra charges were added to my dinner cost coincided with the new cashier that works during the evening, that I had not seen the other two cashiers in a while. I'm embarrassed to say I did not understand everything he said in his answer, so the following is an assumption on my part based on what I could understand: in recent months, he had seen an increase in the amount of food being placed in the containers, and the restaurant was losing money. The other two cashiers I had referred to earlier apparently were not charging extra for customers overstuffing their to-go containers. When the new cashier started working in the evening, the manager started to reinforce their posted policy about being able to close the lid on the to-go containers, plus start charging extra if the customer had a lot of seafood items.

He was very apologetic about my dismay and confusion about being charged extra and not knowing why. He further stated that he did appreciate the repeat business I had given him and hoped that he was able to adequately answer my questions. I told him that I did understand and that I appreciated his taking the time to answer them and explain why.

On a final note, the restaurant is one of the few in town that are not charging their buffet-to-go by the pound.

The above entry was originally posted on the Green Screen. Since that post was made, several responses were made, perpetuating a "spirited" debate. A couple of posters disagreed with me and referred to me as a cheap glutton, but a large majority understood my viewpoint and felt the same way I did. Will I continue to patronize this restaurant? Probably, but not as often as I used to. Until I spoke with the manager, I was ready to completely write the establishment off my list.

It's Only A Dream (I Hope)

I've been having some weird dreams having to do with the end of existence as I know it. The theme is the same ... something runs out: electricity or food or gasoline or air or sunlight or whatever. The feeling is the same: hopelessness and anxiety. What I currently have is all I have, I cannot get any more of it, and I can't continue to exist without it. When it runs out, well, that's when I ask the million dollar question: then what? It's like I am too terrified to acknowledge what some people would believe to be the obvious answer. In these dreams, I look around, anxiously and repeatedly asking myself, "What am I going to do?" Usually, there are a few others in my presence who are in the same situation I am. We're all existing and asking each other questions about how to handle our situation. The dreams end there.

It's those kind of dreams that hang with me and make me think. I've seen two movies in the mid-80's in which the storyline was about a community grappling with the aftermath of a nuclear attack. The very things the characters took for granted were gone and would no longer be available in their lifetimes. Both movies ended the same, leaving the viewer with the understanding that there is no happy ending and there will be no happy ending.

Think about it: let's say (for the sake of the argument) something happened to the planet in which electrical current has been neutralized. Planes can't fly, cars can't run, buildings and streets go dark, and refrigerators and freezers have been rendered useless. This same force that neutralized all electricity has also poisoned the soil so nothing can grow.

Now, imagine sitting on your front porch and looking at your neighbors and/or their homes. They are in the same situation you are. You no longer have access to medicine, food, batteries, candles, matches, clothing, blankets, or other supplies you find yourself in need of stocking up on. What you have is ALL you have. You have to make due with that. One day, you're going to run completely out. You won't be able to turn to your neighbors for help because they'll be in the same situation. What's even worse, you might have to defend yourself, your family, and your supplies from thieves who will, in time, become bolder as they become more desperate for supplies.

Unnerving feeling, isn't it? What will you do when you run out of medicine ... candles ... food? You need food and some need medicine to stay alive. Everything you thought would be there is no longer there. Would you become a thief? Would you starve until you died? Would you become a cannibal? Would you terminate your life since you figure you're going to die anyway and want to avoid the pain of starvation? What personal values would you have to compromise to be able to survive? These are the hypothetical ponderings I have to make sense of these dreams.

Last night, I did have one of those dreams again, but this time it ended with some hope. In my dream last night, our "resources" were depleting quickly. We only had a matter of months before the "resources" would be completely gone. It was dark outside because the sun died. I remember wandering through an abandoned home and finding a couple of boxes of cereal, clutched by the hand of a corpse laying on the floor in the kitchen. I found two live children and a teenager hiding in the pantry for safety. Then a guy in his late 20's came in the house. We all talked about the pending situation and decided to travel together. We started walking outside until we got to my house. In reality, we don't have a basement, but in my dream, we had a basement. A strange man had a LARGE aquarium with an air chamber underneath it. Somehow, walking through the air chamber created static electricity, and the strange man was able to collect the charge and use it as a "resource." I remember walking out of the house and looking over the horizon with a feeling of hope and relief because the strange man found a renewable resource that would replace what was depleted. Of all my dreams that follow this theme, this was the first one that ended with hope.

When I was younger, I dreamt that my sister and I were in the living room with our parents. My sister and I were to be placed on the shuttle, and she and I were protesting it for reasons I don't remember other than we didn't want to go. Mom yelled at and argued at us; she would not relinquish her plans nor her decision. Suddenly, my sister and I are in the shuttle, and I remember looking down at the planet and feeling homesick. Then the earth explodes! My sister and I are then looking out the window into space where Earth used to be. Again with the million dollar question: what do we do now? After all, we can't go home, and we don't know of any planet, moon, or asteroid that could support life. Eventually, we're going to run out of supplies ... and air.

Such pleasant dreams from my twisted mind! No wonder I haven't been sleeping well!

I Have a Creative Dad

I thought I'd take a break to make this journal entry. I've working on Dan's web pages.

I walked by my parents' bedroom just now and saw the cart he made for my mother so she can wheel things from room to room since she can't carry anything with weight anymore. He made this cart from pvc pipes and joints. He attached wheels to the bottom of this three-tiered cart. She can roll it around the house with stuff on it, giving her more independence.

He's done extraordinary things when I was younger. He made a set of doll-sized bunk beds for me when I was six years old. He used spare wood and thin plexiglass for the bed part. I thought it was especially amusing when Snoopy (our beagle at the time) adopted the bottom bed for his own bed. I remember waking up on weekends to find him laying there looking at me.

Dad also made a rocking horse for me from an old sawhorse. No, it didn't exactly look like a horse, but I didn't care. I had an imagination. I played with that rocking horse for years until I grew to be too large for it (kids do that, you know).

His creativity never ceases to amaze me. Thanks, Dad!

Behavioral Results from "The Passion"

EVERYBODY is talking about Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of The Christ." I don't remember there being so much God-talk on the television and on the internet. This movie has, if nothing else, got people talking about God. That can be a good thing.

But then, the nut cases come out and ruin it for everyone else. These are the people who get off on a tangent and take the subject to the extremes. There are those who are declaring that those who view the movie will become anti-Jewish (puhleeze!) OR people who choose not to view the movie are going to hell (get out of my face with that bullsh!t!!!). Geez people! Granted, it's about a highly-revered biblical figure, but it's just a movie!!! Even though it is supposed to be an historically accurate interpretation of the scriptures, it is still a movie based on the vision of a man.

Everyone is entitled to their beliefs, and I will respect those beliefs. I do expect the same courtesy. However you may feel about the movie, remember that there are those who may or may not share your views. Please don't try to shove your views down their throats, even if you think the movie has moved you to warn people that they're sinning or unsaved or going to hell. We are all sinners and fall short of the Glory of God. We cannot judge who goes to heaven nor hell. Only God can make that judgment. And for those of you who feel the need to correct me because this is how I believe and you don't agree with it ... stay out of my face; I've had it with y'all.

I am choosing not to view the film at this time. My reason is simple: the part of the movie in which Christ is brutally tortured would be too upsetting to me; I couldn't take it. It doesn't matter if it was Christ, a thief, a child molester, an animal ... it doesn't matter! To witness a living creature being make to suffer horribly is too much for me. Even if someone were to break into my home to harm my family, I do not believe in torture. Instead, I believe in killing the @$$hole and putting him out of my misery, pure and simple.

Does it seem like I have an attitude? Yeah, you're right. I have a low tolerance for other people's bullsh!t ... other people's hidden agendas to their self-serving existance under the guise of "I'm dedicating my life to helping people in the name of God." Puhleeze! You want to help other people? Stop trying to help them so darn much; you're being too pushy. Live by example and let people come to you. Actions speak louder than words.

Lord, let me get off my soapbox ...