In the Land of the Brother Leader

a facinating look at Libya, by Michael Totten.

Narnia Explained

Here is a fabulous letter by John Mark Reynolds (thanks, Hugh Hewitt) to a fictitious friend, who is borderline religious, about the Christian underpinnings of the Narnia story.

It's a bit lengthy, but it explains many things about C.S. Lewis's writing, things that are sorely missing from today's "myths". Even why our "Big Science" is a myth! Things such as the tension between "self" and "things", the existence of life on other planets, the slate of world religions, the value of humor (or jollification!) and why the political/theological extremists in our society can't be jolly... It's all in there for you to ponder!

Housing costs update

I found this article on MSN this morning... "Where the Affordable Houses Are"... here's the summary for the Northwest:

NORTHWEST:
Prices in the Northwest have been driven upward by proximity to California, so great deals are scarce. The median price in Portland, Ore., rose 20% and edged ahead of its sister city in Maine this past year, $254,000 vs. $249,000. And the Seattle area (home of all those Microsoft millionaires) has a $325,000 median.

The best deal our there? College Station, TX.

The Truth On the Ground

By Ben Connable, a major in the Marine Corps. (washingtonpost.com) An excerpt:

It is difficult for most Americans to rationalize this optimism in the face of the horrific images and depressing stories that have come to symbolize the war in Iraq. Most of the violent news is true; the death and destruction are very real. But experienced military officers know that the horror stories, however dramatic, do not represent the broader conditions there or the chances for future success. For every vividly portrayed suicide bombing, there are hundreds of thousands of people living quiet, if often uncertain, lives. For every depressing story of unrest and instability there is an untold story of potential and hope. The impression of Iraq as an unfathomable quagmire is false and dangerously misleading.

Christmas Cards and the Internet

Last night, the wife and I were in a bind... Christmas is coming up quickly, and we hadn't even started on the Christmas picture. It was approaching 8pm, which is get-ready-for-bed time for child(1) & child(2). (software engineers tend to refer to their children by ordinal position by order of birth...) But, we decided, we must do something about this picture problem.

So we hurriedly dressed the kids in their Christmas garb, grabbed the "Elf" (digital camera), put the kids in front of the fake, white-lighted tree, and commenced an impromptu photo shoot. The results were great! We probably took about 50 pictures in the span of about 10 minutes, then downloaded them onto the computer for editing and selection. We took a brief intermission to actually get the kids into bed, and then got back to work. We were able to remove red-eye, crop, and rotate the pictures ntil we were satisfied with our final choice. Then, it was on to Costco.com to upload the image and choose our card's style & orientation. After making those selections, we were able to center the picture to our liking in the "card template", and then add our 3 line, 60 character custom message. Finally, we could preview the result, and place our order. We pick them up tomorrow evening at 4pm.

This is amazing stuff! We were able to go from zero to order-placed in about 45 minutes. From the comfort of our own home! For you older folks out there, did you ever think you would see anything like this in your lifetimes? It frightens me to contemplate the kinds of things that my children will be doing before I'm gone.

One idea for the Costco folks... it would be great if I could upload my Christmas letter and a mailing list, pick out some stationary and a font, perform a mail merge, have the cards and letters stuffed into envelopes, addressed, stamped, and dropped in the mail. I'll give 'em until Christmas '07 to get this ready.

Thank You Al Gore!

Baby Blogging

Darn I'm cute!

2005 in review

By James Lileks.

System Overload!!!

For those of you who think you're pretty good at multiple choice tests, try this one out. Please complete it within 10 minutes. If you can get half of them correct, I'll send you a prize.

Diabetics Rejoice!

This really is good news... and I hope that this (or some other new technology) takes off soon. I hate having to prick my daughter's finger all the time (HT: Instapundit, and the "Good News Guy"):

Good News for Diabetics
Monday December 05, 2005 (1137
PST)

ISLAMABAD, December 05(Online): A non-invasive glucose sensor that can fit in the eye to measure sugar levels in body fluids has been developed by University of Pittsburgh researchers.

The new sensor could spare people with diabetes from having to prick their fingers several times a day to check their blood sugar levels. The research appears in a recent online issue of Analytical Chemistry.

The researchers created a thin plastic sensor that changes color based on the concentrations of glucose. They plan to embed the sensor material into contact lenses worn in the eyes. People wearing the sensors could check their glucose levels by looking into a specially designed mirror.

The mirror, similar to a woman’s makeup compact mirror, would have a color chart. While looking in the mirror, the wearer could measure his or her glucose levels by comparing the color of the sensor in their eyes to the color chart on the mirror.

The sensor turns red when it detects dangerously low glucose concentrations and turns violet to indicate dangerously high glucose concentrations. Green is the color for normal glucose levels. The researchers say it will be at least a year before the sensor is tested on humans.

pan-Arabism

Another link from Instapundit this morning. "Americans are aiding and abetting pan-Arabism". An interesting read... I say that because the piece challenged my way of thinking about middle-eastern country, particularly along cultural and political lines. I'll concede that the author knows far more about this topic than I do, but I saw far more of pointing out problems with "Americans' ways of thinking" than offering a "new approach".

Perhaps this deserves a closer read, but for now, it's off to work.

Government Spending Analysis '70-'05

...for the years 1970-2005. Check out the chart. (from Instapundit)

The author of the accompanying commentary (Kash Mansori) points out that the areas in which the Bush Administrations spending has trended upwards are Gov't Heath Insurance and Military.

"What strikes me about this chart is that while spending on Defense and Homeland Security (the red line) has indeed risen quite sharply under the Bush administration..."

...uh, the striking feature on the chart isn't that Military spending has "risen quite sharply" in the current admin, it's that it DROPPED so sharply during the Nixon/Ford/Carter admins, and then again during Bush41/Clinton. Going from over 7% down to barely 3% is a much bigger drop than increasing from 3% to 4%. For goodness sake, we liberated 2 countries! Does he expect that to be free? Maybe Bush should have checked prices at Wal-Mart before pulling the trigger...

Urban Sprawl

I live in a state that absolutely despises "sprawl". Oregon loves its "Urban Growth Boundaries". So do speculative land developers. If you own the right 50 acre tract adjacent to the expanding boundary... gold mine. Before long, Centex will buy it from you and put up 500 homes, which they will sell for $200K - $300K each.

While this is great for real estate agents and mortgage brokers, it's not for families. My blossoming brood can't afford a much needed 4 bedroom house in our suburban hometown of Tualatin. The last one we looked at was $400K! Not likely when we're choosing to have the wife stay home and raise the kids. Home prices like this pretty much require a 2 income household. As for my brother and his wife, who live up in Beaverton, I know they'd really like to buy a house. But they've decided to have his wife stay home, too, and they're currently in an apartment, and the price for an "entry level" home in this metro area is approaching $200K. I'm pretty sure that wages for entry-level positions at Nike or Intel aren't adequate for that kind of a mortgage. Anyway, this just re-affirms Glenn' statement that:

"...most efforts on the part of urban planners to reduce sprawl seem to make things worse, and to enrich incumbent landowners at the expense of the poor and the middle class"

Three Reasons I haven't been posting much...

Best Christmas Letter Ever

... at least that the wife and I have written. We penned it last year, Dec. 2004. Published here in it's entirety in honor of Tristan (HT: Hugh Hewitt) and Maddie.

------------------------------------------------------------------
Is there any hope?

We trudge through our lives, going about our routines, day by day. Good things happen, bad things happen. We get a taste of both. Of course, we like to dwell on the good things, especially in letters such as this. But what if the bad things overwhelm us? What if it is impossible to break away from the bad things? Is there any hope?

Last April 16th, our lives took a sudden and unending detour. Our 6-year-old daughter Madelaine was diagnosed with “type 1” diabetes. Since that day, our family has stopped being “normal.”

Juvenile diabetes is not something that a person “grows out of”. There is no cure, and it requires daily vigilance. It is not caused by eating too much candy, fast food, or drinking too much pop. You can’t treat it with a healthy diet or a lifestyle change, like you can with “type 2“diabetes. There are neither pills nor remedies. Up until the 1920’s, this condition was fatal. That’s when “artificial” insulin was discovered. I often think about the fate of families before that time… a child who starts losing weight, and can’t get enough to drink. The strange smelling breath, and heavy, labored breathing… then the sudden loss. My heart grieves for them, and for all people who have had to endure living with a disability.

Did anything good happen this year? You bet! Maddie, under the care of her capable mother, leads a very normal life. She does have the “finger pokes” throughout the day to monitor her blood sugar levels, and the injections of insulin, too. But in her words, “It’s not about getting sick, it’s about believing God will give you the help that you need.” She’s started 1st Grade, and loves her new school, teacher, and friends. She’s a little evangelist, too. We’re glad that we put her in the public school system, so she can develop that gift. She’s shared the Good News with one of her friends already, and is making plans to talk with all other the kids in her class. We only wish we were that brave! Maddie was also a member of the heralded “Tualatin Donuts” girl’s soccer team, and is continuing up the ranks in the AWANA program. The priceless moment this year with Maddie came when we were at the pediatrician’s office the day she was diagnosed. Dr. Thomas was telling us about a treatment that may be able to help, but it was a real “long shot”. When he said those words, Maddie got a horribly concerned look on her face! She had conjured up an image of a HUGE, LONG NEEDLE that would SLOWLY AND UNMERCIFULLY be stuck into her body, and kept there, for a LONG TIME… she was quite relieved when she learned that this was a “figure of speech”.

Gabrielle is now 3, and has started pre-school. She’s following her sister’s footsteps through Community Christian School. She is very outgoing, and loves to be the center of attention. She loves to dress up, do her hair, and wear “makeup”. Often, she will change her clothes 2 or 3 times a day… sometimes even coming downstairs with an outfit that matches! She is a total sweetheart, too. She recently told Darla, “Mama, I love you too much!” She also came of age this year to enter the AWANA Cubbie program. Between pre-school and AWANA, she believes that she has “arrived”, and would be happy to tell you all about it. Gabrielle’s “moment” this year was an afternoon when she decided she’d help out cleaning the house… by polishing her bedroom furniture and bathroom fixtures with Vaseline. Tom discovered this when he went to fill the bathtub and sat down on the closed toilet seat. His pants got a nice coating as he slipped off onto the floor! And then Gabrielle got a chance to do some REAL cleaning. There is never a dull moment with Gabrielle around!

Darla has taken a break from teaching nursing school, but still works as a labor and delivery nurse a few days a month. She continues to attend Bible Study Fellowship, where she’s serving as a discussion leader this year. Darla’s real ministry, though, is keeping our family running and raising our 2 daughters… no small task when you’ve got a child with diabetes in the mix. And now, with that routine somewhat under control, God has blessed us with Maier Baby #3, who is “due” on May 21st! After 2 miscarriages in the past year-and-a-half, we are very happy to finally be welcoming a new member to the family. The big decision now is whether or not to find out if we’re having a son or a daughter… the current plan is to wait it out. Unless, of course, Darla has a moment of weakness while walking by an ultrasound machine up on her unit…

Tom has managed to make it through the whole year only hearing the words “YOU’RE FIRED” while watching “The Apprentice” on Thursday-night TV. That means that he’s still employed by VW of America, rooting out defects from the company’s software systems. (He can get you a deal on a new Volkswagen or Audi, if you interested…) Tom continues to volunteer as an AWANA leader, now into his 3rd year of mentoring 5th and 6th grade boys. He is also serving at our church in the “Community Groups” ministry. And on the home front, he does exactly what Darla asks of him, as any good husband should. At least most of the time.

So, is there any hope? We’ve seen 365 more sunrises, endured 260 more afternoon commutes. We’ve completed another trip around the sun. But there’s more to it than just the daily grind. We’re on a journey that has a start and a finish, each day writing another page in the “episodes of our lives.” Looking back, there have been some really hard times but also many blessings. Through our troubles, we’ve developed relationships with people we would have otherwise never met, and deepened those that already existed. It means so much to hear someone say, “We’ve been praying for you.” It’s so comforting to know that we can trust God to give us strength when we just want to quit. Without experiencing sorrow, we can’t really appreciate joy. Without realizing how broken we are, we wouldn’t long for something better. Until you’re face-to-face with tragic loss, you can’t appreciate all you’ve gained. There is hope for the burdened and the weary. We are promised rest. Oh, how I long for the day when we enter that rest, when everything is made new! That’s the Good News, and the reason for this Season. Yes, there certainly is hope!

I will never measure up...

...but I don't think anyone will ever be able to touch this guys christmas lights display!

and, in case you think this has been "staged" in some way, here's the "proof".

This isn't true

...but it is funny! I pulled it from the comments section of this post on Althouse. (HT: Instapundit)

You need to report that as the NY Times would report it.
--------------------
Blacks, Women, Hardest Hit by Declining Unemployment Payments

Memphis, TN -- The Department of Commerce's announcement concerning the
historic level of unemployment last month is no consolation to Mychal Brown.
Brown, who is African American, had his unemployment relief payments cut off
last month, a situation that Senatory Harry Reid described as "Despicable...
Thuffering Thuccotash."

Like thousands of other African Americans near Memphis, Brown lost his
benefits when he obtained work in a factory opened by food processing company
that had relocated from New Orleans following the failed Bush Adminstration
relief efforts. Experts blame the decrease in unemployment benefits on the Bush
administration, and a stingy, ultra-right wing conservative Republican Congress.

Haley Barbour, an extremist right wing conservative republican governor
from Mississippi, said that it was unfair to blame falling unemployment payment
rates on President Bush. Barbour, who was the RNC chairman, stated "of course
you're going to have dropping unemployment payments when there are more jobs."
Princeton Economist Paul Krugman noted that "the unemployment scandal is
just another example of the Bush lies." House leader Nancy Pelosi asked, "now,
do you see what we're up against?"

Still, the scandal means little to Mychal Brown, an honest, hard working
African American man. All he knows, is that his unemployment benefits were cut
off. "That's a payment of $790 a month I don't have coming in any more."

The Department of Commerce noted that the jobless rate of 4.8% was an
historic low, especially coming in the Fall, which is typically a time of higher
unemployment rates.

Jayson Blair contributed to this article
---------------
See? It's not hard to write like the NY Times. You just need to drink a big
cup of the Kool Aid, and you can do it too.

Glory days

Randy Cunningham, past and present. (from The Belmont Club)