Tom's Thoughts

mmm-mmm good

2009-05-20T08:54:00.002-05:00

I got a couple of nice surprises last night. I was doing my weekly inspection of the hive, and the girls have about trippled in number and are drawing comb on about 8 of the 10 frames in the hive. So, I was able to go ahead and add a deep super (a deep "box") on top of the existing medium we started with.

The really nice surprise was that I had to scrape off some burr-comb (honey comb that the girls are building in places they shouldn't, like on top of the frames). The burr comb had some honey in it, so I got a taste of the fruits of their labor. Let me tell you, store bought honey shouldn't even be called "honey". By the time the distributers have mixed all the mass-produced stuff together with all the other honey from who-knows-where, it just doesn't compare to this!

Bee-sy

2009-05-18T14:42:00.004-05:00

Man....its been busy!

The new chicks are looking like adults, now. The bees have been home for 2 weeks now and I am thinking I may need to add a super to the hive, soon. The inverter for the solar battery backup is wired up to the battery bank and I have built one solar panel (3 more planned in the immediate future) and the charge controller is on order. Going by ACE hardware tonight to pick up parts to wire the inverter to the breaker panel.

I've been amazed how docile the bees are (right now, anyway--might be different when I try to collect the rent later this fall). Yesterday, I sat about a foot away from the hive entrance in a camping chair and just watched them come and go for about a half hour. Got strafed a few times, landed on once or twice and a clumsy girl ran into me once or twice, but they were all as gentile as could be. I lifted the cover on the hive top feeder just to check it and one landed on top. I just gently pushed her out of the way with my finger and she politely obliged so I could replace it. It's fascinating to watch them. Seeing their little pollen sacks on their hind legs full of red or yellow pollen as they land on the bottom board to carry it in. Amazing just how much the little ladies can carry. I think I see what the expression "busy as a bee" really means, now :)

Update -5/20
The solar charge controller was just delivered. Looks like I can now permanently connect the solar panels with the batters without worrying about overcharging!

Jefferson Quotes (Lest We Forget)

2009-05-14T09:46:00.001-05:00

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826):

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.

To take from one because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father’s has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association—the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.

To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” (Quoting Cesare Beccaria)

Bees Are Here!

2009-05-04T13:42:00.003-05:00

Let the adventures begin!

I drove 400 miles (round trip) yesterday to pick up the ladies (several thousand of them) and bring them to their new home. They seem to be happily exploring the homestead, now. I sat in a folding camping chair about 4 feet from the entrance to the hive this afternoon and just watched the comings and goings. They are fascinating little critters. They don't mind my bee-ing there in the least (probably be a little different once they have honey to protect).

I took this video while I was sitting there.

I got to go into a hive for the first time, yesterday, when the fellow I got them from installed them in my hive box. That really gave me a lot more confidence...I had been a little worried about it but it was a lot of fun. I even found the queen and we marked her to make her easier to find on future inspections.

Bees are Ready to be Picked Up

2009-04-29T16:00:00.003-05:00

Yeeeee Haaaaaa! Just got a call from the guy I'm buying my bees from that they are ready to be picked up. Going to drive out there Sunday afternoon (to Clinton, TN) and get the ladies. Kim has plenty of epi-pens, so I guess the mis-adventures will bee-gin!

Chicken Tractor

2009-04-18T16:19:00.005-05:00

Here's the finished chicken tractor. I can now roll my chicks to fresh grazing spots every day just by lifting one end and rolling. Cute, huh?

More Chicks!

2009-04-17T13:50:00.005-05:00

Ok, I've been having so much fun with the chickens I bought more. Tractor supply had some chicks in a few weeks ago, so I expanded my flock (now at 15). They had been staying in the basement (much to my wife's shigrins) until yesterday when it became obvious that they had grown too large for the box I had them in (they were escaping). Anyway, I was at Lowe's yesterday and happened on this insulated dog house with a roof that opens for cleaning. I need to make a better door for it (using cardboard, now, since they don't go out yet) and build them a run, but it's cute, huh?

Homemade Solar Panel Almost Ready!!!

2009-04-04T19:40:00.007-05:00

Spent most of the day working on the first solar panel for my array. Let me tell you, this is hard work...the cells are paper thin and break easily! These pics were taken before soldering, so you'll see the tabs I soldered to each cell sicking up because they haven't yet been connected to the next cell. I have them all tied together, and am reading abt 20 volts with no load. Should work nicely for charging my batteries. Now, the plan is to build a bunch more!

Prepping for the Smoke Test

2009-03-28T14:40:00.003-05:00

OK; got the inverter and Batteries in position next to the generator plug I wired in last year. Just need to get a 220 drier plug to wire in to the inverter so I can plug it in and wire the batteries up in parallel and to the inverter.

Also, I think I found a deal on "loose" solar cells I can wire up in series to build my own panels. Going to order them and build a panel for about a third of the price (if all goes well ).

UPDATE - OK, I ordered 50 surplus cells (3x6 inch solar cells). I did a lot of reading and pricing and decided I could build my own panels for about a third the price for the same wattage as the commercial panels. It won't be quite as pretty, but I'm a function over cosmetics kind of guy. Here's an article of how I'll probably go about it (has pics, too) http://www.mdpub.com/SolarPanel/index.html. Each panel will have 36 cells in it soldered in series giving me 64 watts at 18 volts (no-load) to charge my batteries. This will be enough for 1 panel with a few left over. If all goes well, then I'll invest in more cells for additional panels. This should cut my spending way down and allow me to build a bigger system than I had originally thought I'd be able to do (keep your fingers crossed).

Mosin AFTER Pics

2009-03-23T13:22:00.003-05:00

Thought you'd like to see the "after" pics of the Mosin after I cleaned it up and refinished it. Shoots SWEET, too ;)

Eclectic, ADD or Warrior Poet?

2009-03-20T08:56:00.004-05:00

I was thinking about all the crud I've posted on this site this morning. Posts on religion, Masonry, politics, photographs, gardening, beekeeping, chickens, poetry, firearms and so forth. This sight really doesn't have a theme or coherency...why is that?

Then, I realized that I'm probably a little ADD and my life and interest are like that, too. Basically, I am interested in EVERYTHING and have time for almost nothing. I love so many things, like astronomy, Bible study, alchemy study, building telescopes, firearms, etc, but haven't had much time for them, lately, with getting the garden going and taking care of the girls (chickens). So, as a consequence, I have to "rotate" my hobbies and activities. Currently, it's the garden, the hens, restoring the Mosin, and getting the battery backup working.

Well, is it ADD or is it something deeper? I'd like to think so. I prefer to call my ADD being a warrior poet:

The bushido warrior code of ancient Japan, the Shambhala teachings of Tibet, the chivalrous knights of medievil Europe, the ancient Greek warriors and our founding fathers (in my opinion) are all examples of this proud tradition. The Warrior-Poet retains a myeriously ancient auora, a member of the leadership class who guides with wisdom and courage. They are defined by their dedication to their crafts of warfare, and intellectual study and reflection. The Warrior-Poet is also a spiritual warrior. The warrior-poet understands their true relationship to the heaven and the earth. They understand that they embody the heavenly representation to the earth, and the earthly representation to the heavens. In other words, it is up to the warrior-poet to balance the cruel realities of the earth, while living by the standards of the heavens.

Hey, I didn't say I was a good Warrior Poet ;) but that's the goal.

Spring Pics from This Morning

2009-03-18T08:22:00.006-05:00

Took this walking out the front door to get in my truck this morning and go to work. Spring is here! I also noticed that my onions are starting to poke little sprouts through the soil :)

M-M-M-My-My Mosin (to My Sherona)

2009-03-16T10:22:00.007-05:00

He he - I've just got too many projects. Quick update on the solar project: gonna buy cables and try to hook it up to my house and test it sometime this week.

This is another of my projects (which I'm almost finished with). Meet Olga (seems like a fitting name). She is a Mosin-Nagant 91/30 (before picture) made in 1929 and, from what I can tell, has never been out of the case or fired. It does have a little "hangar rash", though. Mosins aren't exactly expensive rifles, but are very rugged and durable and excellent shooters. Since I have my Federal Firearms License I was able to mail order it from another FFL holder (yeah-call me a redneck, that's ok--everyone makes fun of the redneck until their car breaks down).

All the serial numbers match, it has the little armory marks punched into the wood and is in good condition (right down to the hammer and sickle etched into the receiver--cute, huh?). HOWEVER - like most from this era in good condition, its slathered in thick, sticky, nasty cosmoline! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmoline).

Anyway, after using brake cleaner on the metal and paint stripper on the wood, I've finally gotten all the cosmo off and am ready to refinish the stock (starting tonight). In a day or two, I hope to have some pics of a nicely refinished rifle back to its original beauty (or better).

I haven't test fired it yet, either. However, borrowing some Mosin head space gauges from a friend at work, it appears that the bolt is within manufacturer's tolerances, so it should be safe to shoot (a whopping, shoulder-dislocating 7.62x54r round!).

In tearing it down, I couldn't help but admire the simplicity of design. Just 2 screws to remove to take everything (except the butt plate--2 more for that) apart. The designers even made it so that the bayonet would function as a screwdriver in the field -- gotta love those darn commies. The only drawback to the design, I think, is that there is no gas porting other than the bolt's head space (and the business end of the rifle, of course). That's why it's critical for safety to check the tolerances. The Russians had more people than rifles, though, so I don't think safety was the principal concern in the design ;), however, they must have gotten a lot right because the thing was in service into the 1960's (even into the 90's by the Northern Alliance forces in Afghanistan and I hear rumors that they are still being used by insurgent forces in Iraq and Separatists in Chechyna ).

Stay tuned for the after photos and a range report.

Progress Report

2009-03-10T11:07:00.000-05:00

It’s been a while since I updated my progress on the backup power supply. I’ve been in touch with the good folks at Mr. Solar and am working through designing an expandable system. I’ll hopefully hear back again today on whether or not my proposed setup will work (as I’ve designed it) or if they have some recommendations and how much $$$ it’s gonna take. I’ve asked them if a 200 watt panel (sx3200B) would be ok with a Morningstar 30 amp controller (PS-30M) and if I’ll be able to easily add additional 200 watt panels, later, with this setup.

I picked up my batteries at my favorite store, Tractor Supply, the other day. They are the HEAVEST DANG THINGS! I’ve got 4 12 volt 105 amp deep cycle marine batteries that probably weigh 50 pounds each, at least. That gives me 420 amp hours of storage. I also now have the inverter I mentioned in an earlier post.

Next steps? Well, tonight, I am going to use a clamp-on ammeter to see exactly what the draw on my well pump is (surge and constant) to make sure the inverter will handle it. If not, I may have to drop back and punt and find another inverter as I don’t think replacing the pump is going to be practical or economical. Keep your fingers crossed!

I’m also going to stop at Auto Zone and pick up the heaviest dang battery cables I can find to link all the batteries in parallel and to the inverter and wire up an input to the house from the inverter. We’ll then be ready for the smoke test on the pump (one day this weekend??).

The Lambskin

2009-02-17T08:32:00.000-06:00

Author: Unknown

It is not ornamental, the cost is not great,
There are things far more useful yet truly I state,
That of all my possessions, there′s none to compare
With the white leather apron that all Masons wear.
As a young lad I wondered just what it all meant
When Dad hustled round and so much time was spent
On shaving and dressing and looking just right
Until Mother would say, "It′s the Masons tonight."
Then some nights she′d say "What makes you go
Away up there tonight in the sleet and the snow
You see the same things every month of the year."
And Dad would reply, "Yes I know it my dear."
For years I have seen the same things it is true,
And tho′ they are old, still they seem new,
For the hands that I clasp, and the friends that I greet
Seem a little bit closer each time we meet

Years later I stood at that very same door,
With good men and true, who had entered before.
I kneeled at the altar, and there I was taught
That virtue and honour can never be bought.
That the spotless white lambskin, all Masons revere
If worthily worn grows more precious each year.
That service to others brings blessings untold
That men may be poor, tho′ surrounded by gold.
I learned that true brotherhood flourishes there,
That enmities fade ′neath the compasses and square,
That wealth and position are all thrust aside,
As there on the level men meet and abide.
So, honour the lambskin and may it remain
Forever unblemished and free from all stain,
And when we are called to the great Father′s love,
May we all take our place, in the Grand Lodge above

Watts, Volts, and Bears (Oh My!)

2009-02-13T10:28:00.002-06:00

Man....planning this thing out has been a little harder than I thought it would be!

My problem has been that one of my goals is to power the well pump. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? Here's the issue, the well pump is 240 volt and American power is a frequency of 60Hz. Almost all the inverters you find out there are for 50Hz (European) and will not work with American equipment. Also, most of the companies that sell solar packages offer no support for 240 volt applications.

The other issue is startup wattage on a well pump. Depending on the horsepower, it could be A TON of wattage, initially, while the pump starts up. Most of the estimates I've found say about 3x the running wattage during startup. The numbers I've found on the blogs vary quite a bit (and I can't find the documentation that came with my pump), so I guess I won't know for sure until I try it. I might hook up the generator this weekend and see. If the generator can do it, the inverter shouldn't have any trouble as my gen has a lower surge output than the inverter.

Anyway, after doing a ton of Googling, I finally found an inverter to supply the voltage from the battery to the pump: http://www.theinverterstore.com/the-inverter-store-product.php?model=pwri3k24012w-top-rgb# .
Its a 3000 watt inverter with a surge capacity of 5000 watts, 240v at 60Hz...I've read blogs of others successfully using this inverter on deep well pumps. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

The other problem I was having was trying to figure out how to get the high amperage batteries on my budget. I'd find a good price online and then figure out that freight charges were going to absolutely KILL me! I was going to have hundreds in freight charges! Tractor supply to the rescue! I just happened to be in there last night buying chicken feed and scratch and walked by the battery rack. Guess what...they carry a Deep Cycle marine battery with 105 amps for $80!!! this was going to cost me anywhere from $130-$200 + freight. So, I think I'll be able to go ahead and get 4 of these from my friends at TSC and have 400 amp hours of battery life. So, some good news.

Anyway, the inverter will be in sometime next week. We'll let you know how the smoke test goes. I still need to start figuring out what changes I need to make to my electrical service box for the hook-up.

Already a little "scope redefinition"

2009-02-04T13:21:00.003-06:00

All right.....not even a few hours into this and I've already had to lower my expectations a little to meet the cost criteria (batteries, in this case). However, its not as bad as it sounds, when you think about it. The wattage and runtime estimates would be if you ran at THAT wattage the entire time, which is not really realistic. Since we're talking about an emergency situation, you would, naturally, be rationing your power consumption. So, estimate runtimes should actually be significantly longer than what is calculated since you will not be running at these levels for the majority of the time you are on backup power.

In my case, the main concern (and largest single current draw) is going to be the well pump, which is probably going to be about 1000 watts, but very infrequently and for short bursts. In fact, we could just do that all at once every day and just fill the bathtubs. Otherwise, peak consumption would probably only be around 500-600 watts. Not shown in the chart I made, above, but 600 watts for 4 hours would only require 240 amp hours of battery (5 hours w/b 300 amp hours).

I calculated the numbers in the spreadsheet as follows. I estimated the needed wattage and divided by the system voltage (12 volts), then multiplied by the desired runtime in hours and factored in an inefficiency factor of 1.2 to compensate for losses in the system. This gives the amp hours needed. The final columns calculate recharge time (for a totally dead battery) at a given wattage. I assumed a 7.5 amp recharge rate (this may be a bit optimistic, though).

That said, we may need to shoot low on the wattage and runtimes, for now, to get the system running, but make it so that we can go back and add additional batteries later. So, we'll see about trying to find around 400 amp hours of battery.

New Design and Construction Project

2009-02-04T10:20:00.005-06:00

OK, for the next month or two (or, realistically, knowing how long things usually take me, 4 or 5) I'm going to take on a new project (in addition to the numerous others I always have going on). With all the venerabilities of our commercial power grid (and its recent failures), I've decided to build a solar backup power source for the house. Sure, I have a generator, but what if we had a bad ice storm like they had just a couple hour drive north of us this week? I may very well run out of gas. Also, what if there were a mechanical failure on the generator? You should always have a backup and a backup for the backup :) As we are on a well that's 300 ft deep, no power means the well doesn't work (and, while I have a camping water filter and a nearby creek, I don't necessarily want to depend on it!).

Anyway, I'm a software developer, by trade, and we do well with beginning with a clearly-defined set of parameters and goals. So, here's mine (these may change based on future research and price if the project becomes too expensive or I find better ways or a good deal).

Total cost of the project needs to be below $1500
Provide a minimum of 1500 (preferably 2000) watts for at least of 4 hours
Be able to provide 110 and 220 volts AC at 60Hz (American standard) with either a true or modified sine wave and 12 volt DC
Be scalable for future upgrades in power generation and/or storage
Be somewhat portable/mobile
Be able to accept alternate means of charging besides the solar panels (AC, 12V car, generator, etc)
Not be an eye-sore
Easily maintained

I think these are all goals within the realm of possibility with existing, commercially available technology. So, now we will move on to research and component selection and then to the design and construction phases (future postings).

Here's a Google Sketchup of my initial vision of what it might end up looking like.

English

2009-01-28T11:37:00.003-06:00

What is the Wii doing to the English Language?

I just thought this was funny. I was talking to my daughter about why some of the games were not selectable when she is not using her "Mii". I caught myself saying, "you should use your mii, not my mii. Your mii has the games unlocked, but my mii doesn't".

Hive Almost Ready

2009-01-17T12:51:00.003-06:00

The home for my new girls (coming in Feb or March) is almost ready! Just a coat or two of white paint and it'll be ready for the girls to move in :)

Wiiiiiiiiiiiii! (And Wii Elbow)

2009-01-12T15:45:00.001-06:00

Got the family a Wii and a Wii Fit the other day. I've gotta say, it's a ball! But, you know what? It's pretty humbling being beaten at boxing by a 6 year old girl! She had us playing most of the day Saturday, since it was cold and raining and we couldn't really do anything outside. But I got one heck of a workout! My arms are KILLING ME today!

We did boxing, bowling, tons of tennis, yoga, step aerobics, skiing, and, after a trip to Wal-Mart, some light saber duels (The Force).

Anyway, the Wii is tons of fun, but keeping up with the 6 year old on it is going to kill me!

Explanation of a Passage I Didn't Understand

2008-12-19T15:26:00.003-06:00

I Can't take credit for this, but I thought it was good and wanted to share. This passage has perplexed me for a couple of years, now. I understood the overall theme, but couldn't grasp the imagery used. Anyway, I cut and pasted this from another website to put here. Enjoy.

Ecclesiastes Chapter 12, Verses 1-7

VERSE 1: YOUTH

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth": This alludes to the fact that as we grow older, each of us fondly remembers the glorious days of our youth when all things were possible. With the hindsight of age and experience, advice is given to youth to "gather the harvest while they are young" because as we age, we change and are not able to enjoy things with the same lightness of heart.

VERSE 2: MANHOOD

"While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened," refers to the fact that as we grow older, our eyes begin to fail. It is also an allegory to remembering back to the time when life looked bright with promise before the "twilight years" and "sunset years" of our lives.

"nor the clouds return after the rain:" Rest and recuperation take longer as we age.

VERSE 3: AGE

"In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble”, refers to no longer being able to take care of yourself.

"and the strong men shall bow themselves" refers to the body's degeneration process and the inability to physically walk without stooping.

"and the grinders cease because they are few," refers to the loss of teeth.

"and those that look out of the windows be darkened" refers to failing eyesight.

VERSE 4:

"And the doors shall be shut in the streets" refers to no longer being able to hear the noisiness of life due to deafness.

"and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird," refers to aged people being unable to sleep and arising early.

"and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low" refers to changes in the vocal chords which change and bring about a coarser and less melodious quality to the voice.

VERSE 5:

"When they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way."

Elderly people become unfamiliar with the speed of which the world changes. Also, as we become older, our reflex speed decreases and things that we once tackled with abandon; we are now more cautious to attempt.

"And the almond tree shall flourish."

Almond trees have large, delicate, snow-white blossoms. Figuratively, this means that our hair turns to white.

"And the grasshopper shall be a burden."

When we are young, hope springs eternal. The grasshoppers that plagued the farmers were something to be dealt with by completely replanting the field, as a young man can withstand a total loss and look forward to the hope of the following seasons. However due to his decreased energies, an elderly farmer would find that the loss of an entire year's harvest (and all the work of replanting) to be a devastation and the elderly farmer would not look upon the same issue as "lightly" as when he was a youth.

"And desire shall fail."

The dreams which take a long time to come to fruition are not as desirous in the elderly as in youth because they know they do not have the time to learn and work them to obtain the desired results. The gradual decrease in physical desire also diminishes in both male and female.

VERSE 6:

"Or ever the silver chord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken."

The loosed silver cord is believed to denote the spinal column and therefore the physical infirmities (stooped back) of age. The golden bowl is believed to denote the brain and the gradual decline of mental powers, which in dotage is described as senility.

"Or the pitcher be broken at the fountain."

Having a desire to urinate, but being unable to do so.

"Or the wheel broken at the cistern."

The body contains all its blood, (the cistern is full), but the heart's pumping action (the wheel) ceases.

VERSE 7:

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

This refers to "ashes to ashes, dust to dust", which are still the words voiced when we inter (bury) the dead.

While this verse may seem unduly depressing to some, as it describes the deterioration of each individual part of the body; it accurately describes our journey through life and makes us ponder on our choices.

While it describes the deterioration of our physical "temple", and the passages of time which happen to each of us, we must remember that our ending is the same as our beginning. The LORD created us, gave us HIS commandments of law and it is to him that we return...which is the final triumph...the one treasure in life that cannot be taken away.

If you have lived your life properly, the words take on new meaning. Old age is no longer "the evil days", but becomes instead reminiscent of the harvest...the love, the friendships, the experiences and the fond memories ...the true cornucopia of receiving the "plenty".

Kodak Moment (but No Pics)

2008-12-11T10:49:00.004-06:00

I had one of those moments that stick with you this morning. It turned out differently than I thought it would. We were a few minutes late getting to school this morning and car line was over. So, I parked my pickup, got Kiersten out and was walking her around back of her classroom to take her inside.

She looked up at me and said, "You know, Daddy, we aren't that late; you don't have to walk me in." She was talking about the policy where if the child arrives after roll call, you have to sign them in. She was right, car line had just ended and there were several parents scrambling to get their kids into the different buildings on her little campus.

I knew what was really going on, she wanted to be all grown up and do it herself. Swallowing my pride, I agreed (partially). I told her that I just needed to make sure she got inside before I left so I would walk to the gate with her and she could go the rest of the way through the small yard behind her classroom and go in by herself.

As agreed, I stopped at the gate and watched as my 6 year old daughter with her pink lunch box, pink winter coat that's just a little too big and the felt hat with the "pom pom" on top walked proudly across the yard with a bounce in her step and jumped up the steps to the sliding glass door of her classroom, where I could see several children already beginning their work or taking off their coats to do so.

She stopped at the top step and turned around to look back at me with a big smile. But instead of going in, she said, "Daddy, you forgot your hug and kiss!" With that, she ran back to me and gave me a big hug and kiss. She then ran back to the door and clumsily pulled the handle with all her weight to slid the door open and went inside.

Kinda funny, I thought. Too cute. One of those memories I wish I had recorded.

Pics from This Afternoon's Walk and Last Nights Hospitality at the Shrine

2008-12-06T14:07:00.007-06:00

I'm Not an Alarmist, but...

2008-12-05T10:38:00.004-06:00

Thomas Jefferson said, "the man that reads nothing is more educated than the man that reads only newspapers". I'm starting to believe it and see what he's talking about. Why is no one talking about numerous the big white elephants in the living room?

You've probably seen the almost casual glossing over of the media regarding the high probability of a biological attack in the next five years (example: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28006645/ ). What the article doesn't mention, nor have I seen mention of anywhere, are the actual findings of the The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism titled World at Risk, even though the report is out there for the public to see. The full report can be found here.

Anyway, here's an excerpt taken directly from pages 3 and 4. I find this infuriating!

They were agents on a mission and they came not at night, which might have looked suspicious, but in broad daylight. Hiding in plain sight on a city street in Atlanta, they walked the perimeter of one of America’s five biological laboratories where scientists worked on the world’s most deadly pathogens. They had come to this lab at Georgia State University in 2008 as part of their assignment to quietly case facilities designated as Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) labs, the highest level of biological containment, required for work with the most dangerous viruses. They were looking for even the slightest security vulnerability—anything that might give an edge to terrorists seeking to steal small quantities of Ebola virus or other lethal disease agents for which there are no treatments, no known cures.

These individuals discovered that in a number of places, the lab was unprotected by barriers and that outsiders could walk right up to the building housing these deadly pathogens. Around back, they watched and took notes as a pedestrian simply strolled into the building through an unguarded loading dock.

On another day, the same people went to San Antonio to check out another BSL-4 lab, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. They discovered that the security camera covered only a portion of the perimeter, and that the only barrier to vehicles was an arm gate that would swing across the roadway. The guards assigned to protect this facility were unarmed. Once again, these individuals walked the perimeter. This time they spotted a window through which, standing outside, they could watch the scientists as they worked with top-security pathogens. Now they knew exactly where the world’s most deadly pathogens were kept.

This was precisely the lethal trove that al Qaeda’s terrorists had been seeking for years. But luckily, these operatives on this mission were not from al Qaeda—they were from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, and they visited five of America’s labs that are designated BSL-4. For more than a decade, U.S. government inspection teams have traveled to facilities in the former Soviet Union and reported back on the poor security and lax practices used in storing biological pathogens. Now, this latest study by GAO has shown that when it comes to materials of bioterrorism, America’s vulnerability may well begin at home.

The GAO report gave high marks to three of the five facilities investigated. The investigators measured how the labs fared in 15 security control categories, and these labs met the standards for, respectively, 13, 14, and all 15. Among the 15 security controls were having armed security guards visible at all public entrances to the lab, full camera coverage of all exterior entrances, and closed-circuit television and a command and control center so that any security breach could be instantly known throughout the facility. But the two lowest-scoring BSL-4 labs passed in only 3 and 4 of the 15 categories—a score that is even more troubling because, as GAO noted, both still met the requirements of the Division of Select Agents and Toxins of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This is the government that we are depending on to protect us? Sounds like time for stepped-up personal responsibility, to me. They aren't going to be able to protect us.

On the Level

2008-12-03T13:35:00.002-06:00

I stumbled across this picture a few months ago and it really struck a chord with me. I couldn't remember where I had seen it, but finally found it again Monday. It shows George Washington attending a "Tent Lodge" during the Revolutionary War. The thing that struck me the most was where and how he was seated.

Other Masons will instantly recognize that he is NOT sitting in the East (symbolic east). It appears that the regiment's drummer, just an ordinary soldier, is sitting there. In fact, George is seated in what would appear to be the north or north east. There, he is seated on the ground with other officers and men, as equals, on the level, with a common soldier presiding over them all during lodge.

This, to me, is what Masonry is all about and why I love it so. Men meeting on the level with the sole purpose of promoting brotherhood and contributing to the development of each other.

Decorating Christmas

2008-12-02T13:31:00.003-06:00

Kiersten spent Thanksgiving at Mee Maw's and Pa Pa's and convinced them it was time to decorate for Christmas (she LOVES Christmas decorations). When we got home, I found myself doing the same thing with her :)

Anyway, this is a pic of her and Pa Pa's dog, Prissy.

What I Love About the Holidays (at Work)

2008-11-26T08:52:00.000-06:00

'Nuff Said :)

Sleepover

2008-11-22T11:28:00.001-06:00

For the Gardners Out There

2008-11-21T15:57:00.004-06:00

Here a little spreadsheet I worked up
Click Here
Just plug in the frost-free date in your region and it'll tell you approximately when to start seeds indoors and when to plant outside (use at your own risk) ;)
You may have to save it to your machine to be able to edit, if you have Excel.

Sheeple

2008-11-21T10:46:00.005-06:00

Sorry, but I'm going to get on my soap box for just a minute. I'll try not to do this too often. But what has happened to backbone and moral fiber in our country? Our generation seems to think that it’s the government’s job to protect us from ourselves not realizing that to prevent someone from failing also means to prevent them from truly succeeding, too. People, now, look for a handout rather than a hand-up, not realizing that accepting the handout makes you a servant to the government rather than the government a servant to you (a people by the government and for the government instead of the way it was intended). In effect, you would eventually loose your voice as more and more of the population becomes dependent on it, if we continue down this road.

We can't go into a military action without people asking "how long are we going to be there? When will we pull our forces out?" What happened to the generation that sang "we won't come home till it's over over there?" A generation that knew that some things were worth fighting for and that freedom has a cost; even if its the freedom of another country we are helping defend (to ultimately preserve our own). A generation that during the depression didn't want a hand out, they wanted a job to earn their own way (a hand up).

The more programs the government puts in place to “help”, the more that they actually tear down personal social responsibility and the opportunity for churches, friends, family and charities to do so, raising our taxes in the process and leading to less disposable income for us to devote to these causes as we see fit. After all, that will be someone else’s JOB, I don’t need to, right? I pay taxes, right? Case in point, look at the tax filings for the leading liberal leaders in our government; you won’t see a lot of charitable contributions. Why? You got it-they want the government to do it and do it with higher taxes.

Compare the actions of Katrina victims with those of Midwest farmers after raging floods. Katrina-“Where’s the government help? (baaaa) Where’s my free trailer? (baaaa) Where’s the food and water? (baaaa) Where’s….(baaaa baaaa baaaaaaaa)” Midwest farmers- “Well, I hope next year is better. I had better start rebuilding so I can be ready to get a crop in the ground.”

You know I actually saw where a man was going to be sued by the people in his neighborhood after Katrina because he had taken steps to provide for his family and had a small emergency food supply (just big enough for a few days for his family) on hand and wouldn’t share with his neighbors who took no such steps? Seems to me that he was responsible, looking out for his family, like every father should. He knew that in an emergency he could not depend on the Red Cross being able to provide relief immediately—it might take a few days at best, in a really bad emergency.

So, long term, we will see less and less of a place for churches and charities as the government tries to take over these roles and the churches and family bonds become weaker and weaker, until the government raises our children for us and tells us what to think, what we can and can’t say. Church membership will fall, moral values continue to backslide and no one is personally responsible for anything, not even themselves. Our schools are even rewriting history and indoctrinating (don't believe me: http://www.yorktownpatriot.com/article_25.shtml ).

A lot of lefties claim I don’t need to worry about protecting myself and family—I don’t need firearms. “Those are dangerous—someone might get hurt—that’s what the police are for”. Well, excuse me, but legislation will not prevent a criminal from having a firearm to do harm to me and my family, it only makes it harder for me to protect my family against an intruder that would now be better armed than me! Why do I carry a gun? Because a police officer is too dang heavy! What good is help being a 9-1-1 call away if there’s an intruder in my house or gun pointed to my head NOW?

Someone actually asked me once, “Would you shoot an intruder in your house?” Lemmee think about this; I live about 10-15 minutes from town, someone is in my house possibly intent on doing harm to me and my family….without a doubt I would. Would I give them warning to get the heck out of dodge; yes. Would I feel bad afterwards; probably. Would my wife and daughter still be alive; definitely! I’ll take the possibility of feeling bad afterwards if it means protecting my family.

Look at crime rates in London since their wonderful gun ban. You got it; the bad guys know the good guys are defenseless—even at home. I did a little research on London’s wonderful gun control. I found a case where one woman scared off three intruders that broke into her home to rob her with a CAP GUN. You know what? SHE WAS ARRESTED for frightening the youths (who broke into her home) with a realistic-looking gun and now there is consideration of banning all toys that look like weapons, there. This is just insanity!!!!!! This is what happens when government becomes too powerful and more worried about regulation that the REAL welfare of its people (and may be where we are heading). Why aren’t the youths being held more responsible for their actions? I found another case in England where the bugler that survived was given government assistance to sue the homeowner that was protecting himself. MORE INSANITY!!!

Don’t get me wrong, I am a law-abiding citizen and will continue to be such. But where we are headed is not what our forefathers envisioned.

At the birth of our nation, our country was ruled by a government that did not give individuals any freedoms. People were told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Our forefathers were tired of being controlled. They felt that the people were the ones to have the freedom. They believed that the people should make the laws. And that the people should govern themselves. They strongly believed that no one person or group should have control over another in a free society.

The people owned guns. Every household had a firearm that was used to put meat on the table, protect their property, and protect their lives. This was a common practice because the new world was a hostile environment and most of the land wasn't developed enough to sustain farming and industry. To a certain extent, the law was in each individual's hands. Most homesteads were miles apart with no contact with any source of law enforcement.

I believe our forefathers added the second amendment for two reasons. First was to preserve the individual's right to keep and bear arms to supply food to his family and to protect them from anyone that tried to take that right away. Second was to protect the 1st Amendment. Many people throughout history have been jailed or even executed because of what they said. The people of this country were about to say some things that were considered treasonous and without-a-doubt against the current laws. The people were granted the right to keep and bear arms in order to protect and defend their right to free speech.

Some will say that this is applied only to the militia; “you aren’t the militia, are you?” Well, actually, in the way the forefathers meant, yes, I am. Read the following:

TITLE 10, Subtitle A, PART I, CHAPTER 13
§ 311. Militia: composition and classes

(a) The militia of the United States consists of all able-bodied males at least 17 years of age and, except as provided in section 313 of title 32 under 45 years of age who are, or who have made a declaration of intention to become, citizens of the United States and of female citizens of the United States who are members of the National Guard.

(b) The classes of the militia are—

(1) the organized militia, which consists of the National Guard and the Naval Militia; and

(2) the unorganized militia, which consists of the members of the militia who are not
members of the National Guard or the Naval Militia.

I attended a military school in my youth and I was taught that it is the duty of every citizen, in times of war, to protect this country, and in times of peace, to be prepared. The last line of defense for any country may be the actual citizens one day. After all, to a great extent, it was the citizens of this country that actually earned our independence to begin with, using whatever weaponry they happened to have.

Anyway, what’s it all boil down to? (I didn't really mean to spend so much time on the 2nd Amendment when I started writing this--just sort-of happened). I think that the best thing our government could do for us is to get out of our way. Encourage a better society by not legislating it. As a people, we are the most generous society in history (studies show Southerners more so than North Easterners by almost twice as much in a 2005 study)…if we are allowed to continue to be. Look at other countries with even tighter control over the masses…almost no organized charity (except what WE give them or through the UN (yeah, that's effective -- don't get me started)). Promote personal responsibility instead of over-protection by the government. Encourage strong family and community ties by not taking the place of a family’s and community’s obligations to its own members. Allow me to contribute to the causes of Church, charity and community by not overtaxing me to pay for government programs I may not agree with to do the same (and thereby actually lowering how much money government needs to fund programs that are not as effective as a "civilian" counterpart). This would help strengthen the moral fiber of our country and lead to better citizens with actual morals and values, instead of the “sheeple” that our leaders seem to prefer.

For all the sheeple out there, I'll translate:

“Baaaaaaaaaaaaaa”.

Car Line

2008-11-18T12:37:00.002-06:00

hehe...just noticed (revised this post). Take a closer look.... :)

Ben's Worried

2008-11-15T04:47:00.005-06:00

I stumbled on these videos tonight and liked it. Thought I'd share.

Fall

2008-11-13T12:52:00.003-06:00

Trip Down the Trace

2008-11-08T19:44:00.005-06:00

We took a family drive this afternoon down the Natchez Trace. We decided to take one of the dogs with us, today, so Priscilla got to ride, too. First pic was taken on the old Trace, just behind the tobacco farm. Second one, of Kiersten and Prissy, was taken in front of the tobacco farm, and the third was actually taken on our own driveway when we got home (we aren't the only turkeys living here).

New Camera - Here's Some Pics

2008-11-05T08:12:00.007-06:00

Well...my Sony MVC-CD500 has been becoming more and more flaky...corrupting files as it burns the CD, etc, so, I decided to buy a new camera. Being as we just built a house this year and owe Uncle Sam some money, I didn't want to spend a ton of money this time. I've never been a big fan of point-and-shoot cameras (although they do have their place), but decided to get the Kodak EasyShare Z1285; mainly because of the price and because it still has a lot of manual settings I could control AND it will shoot a 29 minute HD video (assuming you have a large enough SD card in it) and it is supposed to have a better lens system (Schneider-Kreuznach was contracted to make the lenses for Kodak for this camera) -- and I'm a BIG believer that lens quality and aperture is everything.

Anyway, I got my new camera in the mail, yesterday. I guess, as far as a point-and-shoot, I like it better than most P&S cameras I've had or played with in the past. However, I'm not so sure that the quality on my old Sony, at only 5 mega pixels, wasn't a bit better for landscapes and distance pics than this one at 12 mps.

Anyway, as far as convenience, I guess you can't beat it, though. I mean, I stuck it in my coat pocket this morning and had it with me while I walked the dogs -- couldn't do that with the old Sony...guess that's worth something. I can still see me purchasing a higher-end camera in the not-so-distant future, but this one will bridge the gap until I can shell out the bucks and definitely provide a bit of convenience.

Sorry for the long review....anyway, here's some pics from my walk this morning and last night in the house.
They'll probably be lower-res from posting on the blog.

Mmmmmm.....Home Grown Eggs!

2008-11-03T10:40:00.002-06:00

My girls are producing -- And I'm Eating! :)

My New Toy

2008-11-03T08:39:00.003-06:00

OK, I know that this isn't a firearms blog and I know that my readers aren't firearms enthusiasts, but I just have to show off my new toy; a brand-spanking new AK-47 (Russian made--better quality than the Chinese, Chech or German ones). Took it outside and fired it yesterday morning before church (he he--I'm a redneck in a REAL rural area; you can tell :*) ). Anyway--this sucker ROCKS!! Less kick than my 12 gauge (which shocked me) but is LOUD! The thing echoed through the woods for what must have been 8 or 10 seconds.

Anyway, 'nuff of that...just had to show-and-tell :)

Remember Noble?

2008-10-30T13:26:00.002-05:00

Remember this fellow from my August 27th post? Look how he's doing now! He has about tripled in weight since we brought him home. Still not sure what the heck he is...but he's a good little buddy.

Baby's Got Back

2008-10-27T16:16:00.000-05:00

Sorry....couldn't resist the title :)

EGGS!!!

2008-10-25T19:27:00.002-05:00

Kim and I took little K to the symphony this morning and look what we found when we got home :). We also let the ladies free range for the first time today...it was a lot of fun to watch their antics.

So....Where's the Hot Tub?

2008-10-24T08:08:00.002-05:00

I dunno...seemd like she must be thinking something like that the was she was looking around :)

The Ladies are Here

2008-10-20T08:26:00.007-05:00

Thought you'd like to meet the ladies. There are six of them; they are all New Hampshire Reds (a breed developed from Rhode Island Reds). Last night was their first night in the hen house Kiersten and I built. I still need to finish fencing in their yard, so we won't let them out until tonight or tomorrow (also so they'll know that this is home and won't wander off if we open up the fence occasionally to free range).

We even ran power to it so we can heat their waterers this winter.

Nobody Here But Us Chickens

2008-10-17T10:12:00.001-05:00

Kiersten helping Daddy build the chicken coop.

Farewell to a Friend: Sasha 1993 - 2008

2008-10-13T08:57:00.004-05:00

Sasha is almost 15 years old. She has been with my wife and me for 10 of that, and her older son, Mike, before that. In that time, she has served, loved and protected our family more loyally than any other dog. She has truly been a central part of our family. She has been on so many cross-country trips and vacations I can't even count them all. In her younger and middle aged days, we even planned vacations around being able to take her with us. She was even working the crowd and in a place of honor at our wedding. She was much more than a dog, she was family.

Over the last few weeks, her legs have been failing her and I have been having to support her hind legs with a towel wrapped under her waste to support her for her to walk and over the last few days her teeth have been increasingly chattering with pain. The time has come to let our old and loyal friend, protector and companion go with dignity. We'll probably be saying our good byes tomorrow and lay her to rest in a place of honor on a hill in the back yard.

Thank you, Sasha, for always giving so much and expecting so little in return.

We love you.

I'll Bet This Guy's Job is Worse than yours!

2008-09-29T10:56:00.000-05:00

Ordered Bees Over the Weekend

2008-09-22T10:45:00.004-05:00

New hobby starting up; beekeeping.

Been researching it for several months now and decided to go ahead and take the plunge and become a beekeeper. My "girls" will be ready to pick up this spring, so now I've got to get busy putting a hive together for the girls and start getting the equipment together.

Btw- Noble is doing great. Here's a pic of me and "Nobes" taken over the weekend enjoying some quiet time.

The Front Fell Off

2008-09-19T10:27:00.002-05:00

Working for a barge company, I find this extremely funny! Kim sent this to me and I had to share.

Meet Noble

2008-08-27T15:45:00.003-05:00

Meet my new buddy, Noble. I found him the other day on the way to work scavenging on a dead turkey on the side of the road. He was covered in ticks, has a case of ringworm and a horrible case of worms. He's doing much better, now. We've had him a week yesterday. I have to keep him separate from the other dogs because of the ringworm, but he should be able to join the herd soon. When I found him, he was in so rough shape that we really couldn't tell what breed he was. Looks like he's a lab, now. He's got the webbed feet :) A friend that used to be a tech in a vet's office said that, based on his teeth, he couldn't be eight weeks old, yet.

He follows me everywhere when we're out and doesn't wander far from me. I was going to try to find him a home, but I think he's my dog, now.

Little K's Growing Up - Lower Elementary (First Grade)

2008-08-25T08:24:00.003-05:00

Can't believe it...my little girl is growing up and making me older. She's been going to Abintra Montessori since she was 2. She could only say about 3 or 4 words when she started. Today will be her first day in Lower Elementary (First Grade). She was all excited in the car ride with daddy today (as you can tell from the picture). It was funny, she's been there so long that we had a little cheering section from the guides (teachers) in Early Childhood (preschool) as we drove by after dropping her at LE...it was funny. I think her EC guides already miss her...but she's just in the building next door.

Anyway, I think Lil' K is doing better with the change than daddy :)

My Shack

2008-08-18T11:13:00.003-05:00

Welcome to KI4CKZ. Thought you might like to see my ham shack in the basement. My XYL has allowed me some space and I think I've got it set up pretty well. I have a jack I put in the wall behind the desk with coax going outside and buried to the 6BTV multiband vertical hidden in the woods you see outside the window.

Pic from This Morning

2008-08-17T10:06:00.001-05:00

Took this outside this morning while 'lil K was water painting. Thought I'd share. :)

PSK31 DX!

2008-08-14T20:07:00.002-05:00

Wow! I was working some PSK31 a little while ago and contacted an Austrian station on just 60 watts! I know a lot of operators do this all the time, but I haven't been too successful at DX in the past and I was excited. I did the great circle distance and it returned 4,961 miles! That's a personal record for me :)

PSK 31 is Cool!

2008-08-12T14:22:00.004-05:00

For those that don't know, I'm also a ham radio operator (KI4CKZ). Last weekend, I finally jumped into the world of PSK31. PSK31 is a digital mode that uses very little bandwidth. In fact, there can be several different conversations happening at the same time on the same frequency, using the same bandwidth as one SSB conversation (here's a good description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSK31). Its also pretty good in noisy band conditions where voice is totally out (and I'm pretty slow at Morse code (CW)) and at low power (QRP).

I tried, once before a couple of years ago, but could not get the interface to work. This time, with a new laptop and new RigBlaster Plug and Play, I had a much easier time. Anyway, long story short, with just a few hours under my belt over the weekend, I was able to easily add several new contacts to my logbook. I worked several stations in Canada, across the US and one station in Guatemala City. Pretty cool, huh -- over 1500 miles on less than 50 watts!!

Below, is a picture of what it looks like to operate PSK31 (this is not me operating, but just a pic I nabbed off the net). Basically, you use a PC linked into a radio through some sort of interface (there are several ways to do it). The operators type back and forth in real time.

I think I have a new favorite operating mode :)

Is This Me?

2008-08-08T08:40:00.002-05:00

At work, we are working through the Strengths Finder 2.0 program. One of the first things you do is take an online evaluation. It supposedly measures the 34 themes of talent determined by The Gallup Organization as those that most consistently predict outstanding performance. The greater the presence of a theme of talent within a person, the more likely that person is to spontaneously exhibit those talents in day-to-day behaviors.

Anyway, here's what the summary came up as when I took the test.

How well do you think these themes describe me?

Connectedness
Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger. Some may call it the collective unconscious. Others may label it spirit or life force. But whatever your word of choice, you gain confidence from knowing that we are not isolated from one another or from the earth and the life on it. This feeling of Connectedness implies certain responsibilities. If we are all part of a larger picture, then we must not harm others because we will be harming ourselves. We must not exploit because we will be exploiting ourselves. Your awareness of these responsibilities creates your value system. You are considerate, caring, and accepting. Certain of the unity of humankind, you are a bridge builder for people of different cultures. Sensitive to the invisible hand, you can give others comfort that there is a purpose beyond our humdrum lives. The exact articles of your faith will depend on your upbringing and your culture, but your faith is strong. It sustains you and your close friends in the face of life’s mysteries.

Belief
If you possess a strong Belief theme, you have certain core values that are enduring. These values vary from one person to another, but ordinarily your Belief theme causes you to be family-oriented, altruistic, even spiritual, and to value responsibility and high ethics—both in yourself and others. These core values affect your behavior in many ways. They give your life meaning and satisfaction; in your view, success is more than money and prestige. They provide you with direction, guiding you through the temptations and distractions of life toward a consistent set of priorities. This consistency is the foundation for all your relationships. Your friends call you dependable. “I know where you stand,” they say. Your Belief makes you easy to trust. It also demands that you find work that meshes with your values. Your work must be meaningful; it must matter to you. And guided by your Belief theme it will matter only if it gives you a chance to live out your values.

Responsibility
Your Responsibility theme forces you to take psychological ownership for anything you commit to, and whether large or small, you feel emotionally bound to follow it through to completion. Your good name depends on it. If for some reason you cannot deliver, you automatically start to look for ways to make it up to the other person. Apologies are not enough. Excuses and rationalizations are totally unacceptable. You will not quite be able to live with yourself until you have made restitution. This conscientiousness, this near obsession for doing things right, and your impeccable ethics, combine to create your reputation: utterly dependable. When assigning new responsibilities, people will look to you first because they know it will get done. When people come to you for help—and they soon will—you must be selective. Your willingness to volunteer may sometimes lead you to take on more than you should.

Context
You look back. You look back because that is where the answers lie. You look back to understand the present. From your vantage point the present is unstable, a confusing clamor of competing voices. It is only by casting your mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains its stability. The earlier time was a simpler time. It was a time of blueprints. As you look back, you begin to see these blueprints emerge. You realize what the initial intentions were. These blueprints or intentions have since become so embellished that they are almost unrecognizable, but now this Context theme reveals them again. This understanding brings you confidence. No longer disoriented, you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure. You become a better partner because you understand how your colleagues came to be who they are. And counterintuitively you become wiser about the future because you saw its seeds being sown in the past. Faced with new people and new situations, it will take you a little time to orient yourself, but you must give yourself this time. You must discipline yourself to ask the questions and allow the blueprints to emerge because no matter what the situation, if you haven’t seen the blueprints, you will have less confidence in your decisions.

Strategic
The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out alternative scenarios, always asking, “What if this happened? Okay, well what if this happened?” This recurring question helps you see around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere. You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make selections until you arrive at the chosen path—your strategy. Armed with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme at work: “What if?” Select. Strike.

Why Do These Things Happen?

2008-08-06T09:46:00.003-05:00

Ever look around at all the stuff going on in the world and wonder how a loving God could allow it to happen? Famine, starvation, murders, wars, freak accidents, disease, etc. If God really loved us, why would he allow it to go on?

Hmmmm....that's been a stumbling block for a lot of people, I think (me too, at times). But, you know what; I think it might be because we, as humans, can be short sighted (especially if we don't believe in eternity). I think there's no single answer for all situations, but several different ones (and I don't think I know all of them or even a lot of them, either).

What is 60, 70, 80 or even 90 years compared to eternity? For that matter, what's 10? Life is short, no matter how long you live, here. I found this in Ecclesiastes 9:11:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

Hmmm....life ain't fair, either.

I actually saw a video made by an atheist group that presented the example of a family in a car accident and a baby being killed and asked the question; which would make you feel better, believing in a God and wondering why he would allow this to happen or believing that there is no God and that things like this happened because there was no grand design? I guess that might hold water if you don't believe in Eternity and that there is something beyond this (I pray I am never in that situation, though! I'm sure I (and most people) would question things if I were as that's human nature).

But if there were no situations like this in the world? How would we learn the value of Faith, Hope, Charity and brotherly love? If you never needed help, how would you know the value of helping others? If you never needed anything, was never sick or in pain, how would you know the value of prayer and comforting others?

I guess that these points would not seem very valid to an unbeliever, but to a believer, I think they carry weight. I guess it all comes down to what you believe and if you think there's an eternity.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

2008-08-04T08:50:00.004-05:00

Forgive the crudeness of this article as it is cut and paste and assembled from NUMEROUS sources into my personal notes and, here, greatly condensed and annotated for brevity. Still, lot of food for thought. What kindled my interest in these topics were details (which I will not list as they are not proper for me to discuss outside the Order) contained in the Masonic Chivalric Orders' (Knights Templar) traditions and rituals. Researching these, I found links and references to so many other "mysteries" in history. Following these encouraged me to begin researching some of these historical references. Anyway, here's just a few points from my research (I have tons more on related topics or on topics only touched on, here). I hope you find these as fascinating as I do.

Friday, October 13th, 1307, the King's men moved against the Knights Templar and arrested many of them. (This is also why Friday the 13th is now considered unlucky). Although the Papal conspiracy with King Philip succeeded in obtaining various "confessions" under torture and a considerable sum of Templar wealth, the conspirators never found the ultimate Templar treasure itself -- which by now had been secreted away to Scotland. Even so, most of the Order was wiped out in the 10/13 raid (the leader, Jaques de Molay, was burned at the stake), and its members scattered across Europe ... and beyond. On March 22, 1312, the Church officially dissolved the Order by Papal Bull.

The Knights Templar had a large fleet based at La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast of France. Just before the mass arrest of the Order's members on Friday 13th, October 1307, a group of 24 Knights set sail in 18 galleys. They were not seen or heard from again.

The Order's battle flag, the skull and crossbones motif, popularly known as the Jolly Roger, soon became the symbol of pirates and privateers throughout the world, around whom stories of buried treasure abound. The whereabouts of the Knights and their treasure has vexed the imagination of many generations since that fateful Friday the thirteenth. (Note: The Templar legend of the scull and crossbones, itself, is a fascinating story, but that’s for another time.)

However, the Order did not cease to exist, many knights having managed to flee the purge. Despite Philip putting pressure on other European monarchs to come down hard on the Templars, this attempt to eliminate the Order outside France was not really very successful. Edward II of England, ironically Philippe's son-in-law, initially rallied to the defense of the Templars, though he was finally forced, by pressure from the French king and the Pope, to take action against the Order. This he did grudgingly, and only partially; though a few Templars were arrested, most escaped completely. Unlike their continental brethren, the English Templars, when brought to trial, received only light sentences, sometimes only a few years of penance served in abbeys and monasteries, where they lived in relative comfort and ease. Though they lost their lands to another Order, the Knights Hospitaller of Saint John, they were safe from the insane repression meted out to the French Templars.

In Scotland, then at war with England, the Papal Bull proclaiming the dissolution of the Knights Templar was never proclaimed, and technically the Scottish Templars were never dissolved! Many English and even French, Templars found a refuge north of the border; some may have fought alongside Robert Bruce at Bannockburn in 1314.

According to legend, backed up by some evidence, the Order maintained itself for a further four centuries. In 1689 the Viscount of Dundee was killed in battle at Killiecrankie; he was found to be wearing the Grand Cross of the Order of the Temple, a device dating from before 1307. In Lorraine, then part of Germany, only a few Templars were tried and exonerated, and in Germany itself the Templars openly defied their judges, threatening to rise up in arms against them, so their would-be oppressors declared them innocent.
Following their official dissolution many German Templars found refuge in the ranks of the Hospitallers of Saint John and the Teutonic Order.

In Spain the Templars defied their persecutors too, and found safety within other orders. In Portugal the Order was officially cleared of all charges and changed its name to the Knights of Christ, under which title they functioned well into the sixteenth century, devoting themselves to maritime pursuits. Vasco da Gama was himself a Knight of Christ, and Prince Henry the Navigator was a Grand Master of the Order. It was under the familiar red pattee cross that Christopher Columbus' (Salvador Fernandes Zarco’s) three ships sailed across the Atlantic to the New World. So, in many diverse ways the Templars survived the ostensibly fatal attack of October 13th l307.

At the time of the discoveries, Christ Knights were lead by Infante D. Henrique (Prince Henry, the Navigator) and the Portuguese navigators were members of the Knights. Salvador Fernandes Zarco (or Cristóvão Colon) was certainly no exception.

Run Futthark, in the book “Les Templiers – Moines et Chevaliers de la Lumiére” says that Columbus’ (Zarco’s) ships displayed the Templar cross symbol on their sails and concludes that Columbus (Zarco) had some relation with the organisation, in spite of its official extinction, and probably was a member of the Calatrava Knights, that succeeded to the Templars in Spain.

Why should a member of Calatrava Knights use the symbol of the Temple instead of Calatrava?
In Spain they were succeeded by Calatrava Knights; in Portugal they were succeeded by Christ Knights. Using the symbol of Templars instead of Calatrava, he was, certainly, pointing his secret affiliation.

Around 1395, Sir Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney, together with the Venetian explorer Antonio Zeno, attempted to cross the Atlantic. Certainly the reached Greenland, where Zeno's brother, also an explorer, claimed to have discovered a monastery in 1391; recent studies suggest he may even have reached what was latter to be called the New World. According to certain accounts, there is some intriguing evidence to indicate that he intended making for Mexico. If this is true, it would explain why, when Cortes arrived in 1520, he was identified by the Aztecs not only with the God Quetzalcoatl, but also with a blond-haired blue-eyed white man who had allegedly preceded him long in the past.

Henry's grandson, Sir William Sinclair, was also active at the sea. The husband of Sir James Douglas's niece, and brother-in-law to Sir James himself, he had been appointed Grand Admiral of Scotland in 1436, and was subsequently to become Chancellor as well. But his greatest achievement, which was to link him forever with Masonic and other esoteric traditions, lay in the sphere of architecture. It was under Sir William's auspices that, in 1446, the foundations for a large collegiate church were laid at Rosslyn. In 1450, the structure was formally dedicated to St Matthew and work proper began. While it preceded, another William Sinclair, probably the nephew of Rosslyn builder became the first member of his family to enroll in the Scots Guard and rose to prominence in the unit.

The building of Rosslyn Chapel was to take forty years. It was finally completed in the 1480's by Sir William's son Oliver Sinclair, a close associate of Lord George Seton, who swore fealty to Oliver Sinclair for life at this time.

In the Chapel, there are large plant-like carvings around the arch of the window are said to be Maize, or Indian Corn, or Sweetcorn, (there is some considerable confusion in the literature published about the chapel) a plant(s) that was unknown in Europe in the 15th century when the chapel was built. This has given rise to a belief that someone, in some way, connected with the chapel had gone to North America (or perhaps had contact with some who had been there?) for that was the only way such accurate depiction of this plant, only found in North America, could have been displayed in the chapel. (Note: there are also depictions of Knights Templar (two knights on a single horse) and men, apparently in poses from Masonic ritual wearing cable tows in the carvings of the Chapel).

Did Columbus know where he was going because someone had already been there? Hmmmm…..

I See You've Traveled Some

2008-08-04T07:35:00.004-05:00

Wherever you may chance to be;
wherever you may roam:
far away in foreign lands
or just at Home, Sweet Home;
It always gives you pleasure,
it makes your heart strings hum
just to hear the words of cheer -
"I see you've traveled some."

When you get the brother's greeting
and he takes you by the hand,
it thrills you with a feeling
you cannot understand.
You feel that bond of brotherhood;
that tie that's sure to come
when you hear him say in a friendly way,
"I see you've traveled some."

And if you are a stranger
in a strange land, all alone
If fate has left you stranded,
dead broke and far from home,
if a stranger stops and takes your hand,
it thrills you - makes you dumb,
when he says with a grip of fellowship,
"I see you've traveled some."

And when your final summons comes
to take a last long trip.
Adorned with Lambskin Apron white
and gems of fellowship.
The Tiler at the Golden Gate
with square and rule and plumb
will size up your deeds and say "Walk in,
I see you've traveled some."

(author unknown)

My Old Red Fez

2008-08-04T07:21:00.000-05:00

My old red fez had faded a bit, yet every time I look at it,
I view the past of memory’s door, scenes that will come again no more.
Voices and faces of yesteryear, through the magic of old red fez appear,
To remind me of the joys that once were mine,
And happy days with the mystic Shrine.

My old red fez has faded a bit, but that hasn’t dimmed my love for it.
For into this bit of old headgear, is woven the friendships of many a year.
It knows the touch of a friendly hand, and symbolizes – you understand,
The things that are so good and fine, in our beloved Shrine.

My old red fez has faded a bit, but still I am mighty proud of it.
Proud of the things for which it stands, the loyal hearts and willing hands.
Ready always to do their best, to meet with courage with every test.
Proud of the memories that still are mine, of the Noble men of the Mystic shrine.

My old red fez has faded a bit, and some day I’ll take leave of it.
But not without a friendly smile, for it has been mine for a long, long while.
And if allowed in some future state, on earth’s affairs to meditate,
Happiness will indeed be mine, as oft’ I think of the Mystic Shrine.

Here’s to the red fez and the men who have worn it,
May love and loyalty ever adorn it.
May the sun of good fellowship eternally shine,
In the hearts of men of the Mystic Shrine.

Seay Winery is Resuming Operations

2008-07-28T10:52:00.002-05:00

Well, much to the approval of my family, the Seay Winery is back in operation. Had to dismantle everything and pack it up when we moved to the new house and haven't had the chance, up till now, to get things going again. However, I'm happy to report that we now have our first batch since moving in the secondary fermenter, now. Its a lovely tropical fruit/zinfandel. So far, I'm pleased with the progress. Later on this week, I'll be starting up a batch of a citrus mango "ice" wine; so that'll be 12 gallons (60 750ml bottles) to replenish my diminished stock.

This is my wife's favorite of all my hobbies :) She says its a hobby of mine we all enjoy!

Warning Label on a Package of Peanuts

2008-07-25T07:23:00.003-05:00

"Warning: May contain nuts."

HUH???!!!!!!!!??????

Man, everything in this country is geared towards the "least common denominator"

If You Don't Make Mistakes, You Aren't Doing Much. But....

2008-07-24T09:08:00.002-05:00

I’ve heard it said that if you don’t make mistakes then you aren’t doing very much. I like that saying because I screw something up every single day of my life. It has also been said that it’s easy to be a holy man on top of a mountain. But is it? I don’t think you can even be a holy man on top of a mountain, only a judgmental, “holier-than-thou” type person. You know the type (thump, thump, thump).

OK, Tom. What the heck are you really talking about here and where are you going with this? Just bear with me.

I was reading in Romans ch 6 this morning:

1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2) God forbid. We who died to sin, how shall we any longer live therein?

3) Or are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

4) We were buried therefore with him through baptism unto death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.

5) For if we have become united with `him' in the likeness of his death, we shall be also `in the likeness' of his resurrection;

I’m not a formally-trained biblical scholar or anything, but I think Paul is telling us that, yes, you have been forgiven of your sins and will continue to be but that we need to change our ways and try to better ourselves (“We who died to sin” and “walk in newness of life”). Are we going to mess up? Yes. Are we forgiven when we do? Yes! Should we just keep living our lives however we want because we know we are forgiven? NO! (Hebrews 10:26 - 26) For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins 27) but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries) Are we exempt from the earthly consequences of our mistakes because we are forgiven? Nope. Will others judge us and our faith by our actions and mistakes? Unfortunately, yes—the eyes of the world are on us as Christians and they love it when we do mess up so they can say “why should I be a Christian if Christians don’t practice what they preach and act like that? Looks like he’s no different than an atheist to me!”

After pondering this for a few minutes this morning, I flipped over to Matthew 25, where the man gave his servants talents to manage in his absence. The response to the servant that did nothing was as follows:

26) But his lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I did not scatter;

27) thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back mine own with interest.

28) Take ye away therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him that hath the ten talents.

29) For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away.

30) And cast ye out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

So, what happened here? The other two servants went out, took some risks, did some work and profited. The last servant did nothing. By not risking anything he lost everything. Sounds a little like the holy man on top of the mountain, in a way, to me, in that he’s not engaged in life and trying to make a difference, taking a few risks and, yes, messing up every now-and-again.

I don’t want to read in too much here, but as I think about it, I think the man in Matthew 25 would have been really unhappy with the other 2 servants if they had lost the talents given to them in an attempt to profit, but I think they would have fared a lot better than the third who did nothing in that I don’t think he would have thrown them out. However, don’t quote me on that point.

I think my final point is this. Whether we like it or not, people that know we are Christians watch us and how we act. We are held to a higher standard (like it or not) because we claim to follow Christ. With that, comes a great responsibility to represent what we believe in (James 2: 18 - “Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith apart from `thy' works, and I by my works will show thee `my' faith”). Not doing so can carry great consequences and do irreparable damage to the spread of the gospel. Yes, we are forgiven for our mess-ups. Dust yourself off and get back on that bike and try again. However, be mindful of the path you choose and how you act, treat others and how you honor your obligations because, if you are no different from anyone else (or worse than unbelievers), why should anyone listen to us and choose to follow Christ? We are called to be just and upright and given the solemn charge to ever walk and act as such.

Who are You?

2008-07-18T08:18:00.003-05:00

What did you say, when you were a kid, when someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up? Was it a doctor? A lawyer? How about an astronaut or a police man (or woman). When people ask you who you are, what do you tell them? “I’m a software developer for some giganta-mega-corp” or something like that? That’s nice, you seem to have a good job, but after answering the question, I still know nothing about who you are, only where your paycheck comes from.

When I was a kid, I watched as my grandfather almost went absolutely nuts after retiring from The Southern Company. He had worked for that company his entire life, with the exception of serving in the Navy during WWII. He even managed to get his boss to exempt him from the company’s mandatory retirement age, somehow, for a few more years. My father retired briefly this past year, but is now right back at it. He told me he identified himself with his career and didn’t know what to do without that as part of his life. He felt that he had lost his identity.

I had a job a few years ago where I was on a plane every Sunday afternoon going somewhere and on one Thursday night or Friday morning coming home. I kinda wonder why I even bothered coming home as much as I was gone. Sure, the company had good benefits (pay), but who was I becoming? Who cared about me? All there was time for was the company. Lemme tell you, the glamour wore off that job real quick! I realized that I had really become a boring person that didn’t have much in common with anyone else except the people I worked with, and they were a different bunch every few months.

Anyway, here’s my point. Why is it that so many of us are what we do for a living? Why do we tie our identity and self-worth in what we do 8-12 hours a day with a bunch of strangers? Why isn’t it what we do with our families and in society that defines who we are? After all, our employers aren’t going to visit us in the nursing homes, hold our hands when we are sick or dying or come to our funerals to tell everyone what a good employee we were and what an impact we made at the company’s bottom line. That’s going to be our families, if they cared enough or even know who we are.

You know, when I grow up, I think I just want to be a good provider for my family, father to my little girl, husband to my wife, and have a decent job that allows me the means to provide well for them and be able to spend time with them. It’d also be nice if it were doing something I enjoy :).

Luke 12:34 "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

In the Beginning (Where I've Been)

2008-07-14T13:32:00.000-05:00

I don’t know what it is, but lately I’ve been examining my life in a lot more detail that I had previously. Maybe it’s that I’m approaching “official” middle age (although, who really knows how old I’ll really be—maybe this is my old age) or maybe I’m raising my daughter and looking back at my own life as I watch hers. Either way, I’m becoming more analytical of my passage.

As I see it, I’ve gone through 5 stages of my life, so far, although there may be some overlap in them and I may, later, identify other stages or phases.

1. Indoctrination
2. Rebellion
3. Questioning
4. Study
5. Contemplation

The indoctrination stage was probably through the pre-teen years. Parents tell their children, “don’t do this”, “do that”, “this is right” and “that is wrong” without a whole lot of explanation as to why (or at that age I didn’t hear or understand the whys).

Then, around the teen years, those hormones start flowing and anything your parents tell you is wrong and you are pretty-much going to do whatever you want to do. I think this stage lasts a lot of people their entire life and they just go on doing what feels good to them or what is fun or important to them. I think during this stage, a person thinks it’s important to “be the wheel” instead of understanding the importance of the cogs in the wheel and what or Who the wheel really is.

Then, hopefully, at some point, you begin questioning and you question everything (I guess some people might bypass this step and go directly on, but I didn’t). Are the things I’m doing that feel good and are fun, are they really good for me or am I really hurting myself and my development? Why is this right or wrong? What were my parents really trying to tell me? Is there a God? An Afterlife? Heaven? Hell? Who is God? What is the purpose of my life, if there even is one?

I think at this point, a lot of people give up (although they don’t admit it or even know they are at this stage of development) and become bitter a-theists or a-gnostics (I added the hyphen, intentionally, for emphasis)…some even go on the offensive attacking other’s beliefs to justify themselves. I have encountered some that consider themselves to be “happy”, but I really question what that happiness really is. It seems a bit empty to me.

When I was at this stage of my life, I went in a lot of different directions. I found myself attending a few Buddhist meetings when I was working in California, reading a lot of Eastern philosophy (Tao Te Ching, Wen Tzu, etc) even reading some Pagan and Wiccan writings. Nothing seemed to really fit, though, make much sense or hold true when I logically extended them. I guess that at this point, I eventually came back around to my upbringing in Christianity, but not with the same viewpoint of it as I had before. I see the motivations and the design of it differently than I previously did and it makes more sense, now. I guess that the questioning, study and contemplation all three have overlapped a bit for me.

I consider myself a logical thinker; sometimes too-much so and it leads me into questioning. I need evidence to accept things. For me, the turning point on if there was a God or not was a spring lounging in my hammock in the back yard. Nature just “fits”. Everything has a niche. Something depends on it and it depends on something else. Our agnostic school systems’ teachings tell us this is the byproduct of millions and millions and millions of years of evolution and natural selection and reject any concept or mention of intelligent design—although rejection of any possibility without evidence to rule it out IS against scientific method (Baconian method, for those who know the source of it).

Even if I were to accept it as true, I am left with two problems I could not get past. First, matter exists and it came from somewhere. Even the best physicists haven’t been able to go past the instant prior to their “big bang” and explain where the matter involved came from. And, secondly, if it is true, what triggered the process of evolution after the bang. Even if it started with the simplest organism, to me, it’s just too complex to explain away with a Godless evolution.

A single cell is made up of a bunch of things - it has an outer double membrane, a very complex protein 'skeleton', many types and shapes and sizes of little membraned spheres floating around, the nucleus, mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, the golgi apparatus, etc. ad infinitum. Now, each one of THESE is made of many, many proteins and lipids and carbohydrates.

A protein is made from a mixture of 20 amino acids, all linked up together like a string, and then tangled up into a structure. The simplest amino acid has 9-12 atoms associated with it, the most complex about 30. That's just a single AA.

Each protein is made from as little as about 9 AA's to thousands and thousands. Each membrane in just ONE of those little spheres floating around in the cell has millions of proteins and lipids (oh, a lipid has hundreds of atoms). The inside of the sphere has a few million proteins in it. The cell has a few thousand to a few million of the spheres. The nucleus has millions and millions of proteins and lipids. And the outer membrane has probably billions of proteins and lipids. Sorry to ramble, but the bottom line is that it is probably made of on the order of 10^11 or so atoms (that's a quatrillion or something like that).

My mind just can’t accept that you can randomly bounce that many atoms around and eventually have them bond in a way that forms a cell and, somehow, even if it did, “jump-start” it to life. Even over millions and millions of years I can’t see the factors coming together just right and at just the right time to take root in an environment that would perfectly support it. That cinched it for me that someone was in control of everything.

So, I’m now more in the study and contemplation stage of my life (although I’m sure every now-and-again it’s normal to sway back and forth a bit). Even up until a few months ago, I think I was questioning a bit. Was there really a God? Was Jesus real? Was there even any historical evidence of him? If so, was he who he said he was? I think Lee Strobel’s book “The Case for Christ” really helped me here. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.

I think I’m really just beginning the contemplation stage of my life, and am still in the study and occasional questioning stages. I see the transitions more as a fade than a hard and fast closing of one door and opening of another, so I think that’s normal.

So, I mentioned that I don’t see Christianity as I previously did, before…what do I mean? Well, it’s nothing radical if you were expecting it to be. I was raised with a strict view of the law, right and wrong, salvation, etc. Back then, it seemed like salvation was some sort of checkbook where you had to have the money in the bank to cover your checks, or something like that. It was like you had to earn salvation, somehow. I couldn’t understand grace and knew enough to know that it was an unachievable standard to become perfect, somehow and always obey every law. I also thought that it was only possible for one Christian church to be correct and that all others must be wrong and destined for hell (or maybe they were all wrong)…no matter how they tried. How could they all be right? Someone must be wrong? Right? If all or all but one is wrong, the others must be going to hell, right?

Then I stopped to consider a few things. First, the first century Christians did not have a Bible. They had what we consider the Old Testament and the oral teachings of the new faith and, in some churches, a few letters from the Apostles. It wasn’t for a couple hundred years that what we now call the New Testament was beginning to be assembled from the various writers. So, salvation could not have been dependant on the slicing and dicing and splitting of doctrinal hairs that we now have going on and the perfect observance of the Law, dividing us into all these different denominations that can’t agree on what these are and confusing the rest of the non-Christian world (and using it as ammo against the Christians, in the process).

I had to back up and look at it less closely for a while. Old Testament: “Every scripture inspired of God `is' also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness” (II Tim 3:16). New Testament: “Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill” (Mat 5:17).

Under the law we see that there were “sin-offerings” (sacrifices) to atone for sin (Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers). “And he said unto them, This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24). So, there is now a perpetual “sin-offering”.

So, in a nutshell, the Old Testament teaches us right from wrong, shows us what sin is and, more importantly, what the price of sin is (blood). In the New Testament, we still have right and wrong, but we now know the cost of our sins and that the price has been paid if we accept the gift and we have further writings of history to support our beliefs, provide inspiration and further clarify them. All the debates and hair splitting tend to divide and confuse (in many cases, unnecessarily) and make us all look bad. I think we loose sight of what is important in our beliefs and what is not and become too judgmental in our thinking. Basically, “if you don’t agree with this, you are going to hell” thinking, when what is really critical is if we have accepted Christ or not and try to follow Him. In other things, we should be tolerant and respectful of each other and find the common ground.

I think Romans 14 sums it up:

1Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.
2One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
3The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him.
4Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.
8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
9For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.
10You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.
11It is written: " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' "
12So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
14As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean.
15If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died.
16Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil.
17For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble.
21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.
23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.