The Barb Wire

Sunday, May 25, 2008

CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN! WOW!

This Disney film may be too scary and violent and dark for small children. Focus on the Family said as much, concluding it wasn’t a “family film,” NOT a “G”-rated film. It starts out with a woman screaming in labor (of course we’ve seen that on TV) –she is giving birth to a rival for Prince Caspian’s throne.

It helps to have read the Narnia series, and I admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve done that, so I can’t say how faithful the film is to the book, but that is supposedly a goal of the assistant producer, Douglas Gresham, the step-son of C.S. Lewis and heir to the Lewis copyrights.

Our family really liked this movie and thought it even better than the first one. The little girl, Lucy, is such a charmer and will remind you of our own Marta Bersinger in appearance and age. (We thought that in the first film, too.)

Again, the story is about Aslan’s kingdom, Narnia, a metaphor for an earthly kingdom where evil opposes good as on earth. Aslan is the Lion who gave His life for Narnia as Jesus did for the world, but He died and rose again in the first movie –and left the children to rule as kings and queens of Narnia, with this special status because they are the Daughters of Eve and Sons of Adam. The Children know He is their king, but at some point in the stories, they were sent back to London from whence they started, during WW II, until Prince Caspian sounded the horn that would summon all the King’s subjects to Narnia. They find that they, kings and queens that they really are in Aslan’s Kingdom, have a war to win, to help Prince Caspian defeat the evil that would take over the kingdom of men and wage war on Narnia as well.

Like people’s skepticism about Christ’s Kingdom, the people of both Caspian’s kingdom and Narnia don’t believe in the old stories of Narnia and Aslan so much anymore -- –but they find out that it really exists –and the evil unbelievers try to overcome it –as do evil people today. Like Lucifer, the Angel of Light, the devilish white queen (formerly queen in Narnia when evil ruled it) tries to tempt and lure the young men into her spell; it is significant that the boy who was once under her spell in the first movie, is now the strongest against her wiles.

Evil rises and rises in this story, in the form of evil soldiers and corrupt leaders who want to usurp Caspian’s rightful throne of his kingdom of men and defeat Narnia for opposing their plan –and it takes 5 very young people to stand against it –and so this is a film where youth are heroes and heroines –even more so than in the previous film –and it is moving and inspiring to see their courage BECAUSE THIS TIME THEY KNOW WHO THEY ARE! And they are not afraid to make the ultimate sacrifice if need be –as they are already hundreds of years old –having stayed and ruled in Narnia a long time before their return to England as ordinary school boys and girls.

I love the scene near the start where they are in a train station in their school uniforms –when the magic occurs –the trump is sounded by a Prince Caspian in trouble, and the kids find themselves back in Narnia and are not surprised but delighted.

There is lots of war, lots of fighting with swords, and a most amazing array of creatures and adorable talking animals –all brave because, after all, they are Narnians! And they know that Aslan lives –and so shall they!

It is little Lucy who has the greatest faith of them all – “a little child shall lead them.” Because of her faith, she summons Aslan when all hope appears to be gone.

If the scary issues are dealt with as “make believe,” I think children of school age will find this film thrilling. It will make them want to be brave against evil as daughters of Eve and sons of Adam, as queens and kings in God’s Kingdom. I think I’d show them the first movie first, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of course, it would be great to read the books also.

Make a Joyful Noise S.S. Class to ‘RAP up in June

Well, no, they aren’t rapping. But my Sunday School class for adults has learned how to navigate through choral music and even follow directions for a calypso rhythm section called the “engine room.” (My daughter taught this one.) They’ve learned about the scales, the pattern of the major scale in half-steps and whole steps, names of keys on piano and names of lines and spaces in music. We learned about musical symbols (sharps, flats, etc.) and note values and counting. We have two performances in June. The course will be offered again in the future. It was great fellowship and a time of learning which will enrich our appreciation and participation in musical worship.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

BOTTLE BAND a BIG BLOW-OUT! ~ CLC Honor Council

At least 65 kids, nursery through 6th grade, attended the annual Honor Council of the Christian Life Club of the Holland Free Methodist Church, last night. And the adults came out, too, whether or not they had children in the program, so we had a nearly full house. The biggest attendance in years.

Most delightful were the songs--"In My Father's House" and the one we got from the Wototo Children's Choir, "Put Jesus Higher/What a Friend we Have in Jesus." All with hand and body motions throughout! The melody of the African song ran through my head all night. I'd wake up and the song would be running!

Another musical highlight was Barb's Bottle Band --I had pre-tuned the bottles, adding and subtracting water in them --and my 15 students played a scale up and back--and then had two chords to accompany the "Books of the Old Testament Song," sung by Chrissy Rohrs. Some of our other children should know this song from Junior Church but we didn't ask them to sing it as they might've been off pitch and drowned out the bottles or made it hard for the 3rd and 4th grade to keep their beat and accompany the song. It sounded really cool as it was, with one singer. Very cute, kids!

Then the students performed pledges and each group recited a memory verse together. Then they were honored for their accomplishments --memorizing one Bible verse per month and attending squad meetings on a theme for each badge and verse. As usual, the kids whose moms work in the program know what's expected and their kids earn their badges. But almost everyone earned at least one badge and got bright blue banners with their names stitched on. Some got their Performing Arts award just for preparing for our bottle band performance. All received gifts from their teachers.

New skills. I think we'll do a rhythm band next year! or learn to whistle a happy tune in a 2-part partner song or a round. I will retain most of my students who will be 4th graders next year.

Other events at CLC include Missions Taste of the Nations Night with tastes of foods from the countries we study during our Missions Month, and also the first annual Talent Show, the annual Harvest Party with games and candy galore, (like an Indoor carnival, actually) and Fun Nights which are physical games (the favorite), and Craft Nights.

The April Talent Show was great with impromptu skits --with Paula the dog in a starring role --a Lego demonstration, a brass and sax quartet (excellent --5th graders), an African song by the bus kids, a Love Round by them and the Trail Blazers, two electric guitar solos, 3 piano solos, one ballet dancer, one recorder solo, two hula hoopers and a skip roper and whatever it was that Lucy did --some kind of thing attached to her ankle--a dazzling physical feat. O, the minister's wife played two flutophones/recorders? --one on each nostril! (She has her clarinet degree from BGSU, after all!)

Our squad, The Trail Blazers, will still have a summer swim party to look forward to. The whole church will be invited to the CLC roller skating party and in June we have the all church potluck dinner to honor the graduates. One family is opening their home for an all church swim party, and we have a week of evening VBS coming up in July. The Teen group is going to a Beach Week Ministry in New Jersey and the Bible Quiz team will go to Spring Arbor College to compete at "nationals."

Monday, May 19, 2008

THE LAB RESULTS THAT FOLLOWED ME TO CHURCH ONE DAY

Is it a sign? What is God trying to tell me? I was standing in the center aisle of the church yesterday and a friend came up to me with a damp-ish envelope --addressed to me from my gynecologist. She said she found it under the wheel of her car. I had ordered this report last Thursday afternoon and watched the mail for it on Friday and Saturday. I picked up the mail and put it in my car Friday morning after a hair appointment. My son Rob brought in the mail on Saturday. Both times, I had looked through the mail for my lab results and concluded it had not come.

They had told me via phone that because of the results, I probably should have a hysterectomy --though the results weren't cancer or even pre-cancer, necessarily --just atypical in a couple of respects.

The envelope had no glue to seal it shut, so dampened it had become at some point. So it was essentially open. Somehow it had traveled all the way to church, a considerable distance (10 minutes drive at least) --either under my son's or my car --although I didn't park anywhere near this lady if it had been in or stuck to my car and fallen to the pavement when I parked. I parked on the west side and she was on the south. And the wind probably was not blowing from north to south as it would have to to blow something from my car to hers.

So it's really a weird thing.

When I returned from my daughter's spring arts fest --where I was official videographer for her --she takes attendance by the videos and likes a record of their performances to show the students --I found another piece of mail lying on the driveway. So I assume my son (or I) dropped some mail on his (or my) way into the house Saturday and that one piece rode all the way to church stuck to his (or my) car somewhere.

Is that even possible???? All I know is that my lab results followed me to church one day--just like Mary's little lamb.

So is there a message from the Lord here? Of course, I should take the problem to Him and leave it in His hands. But does that mean I have the surgery? or not?

I wish the whole message were clear to me. I admit I haven't wanted to lose the uterus in case they take the ovaries, too, and make me not feel like myself. I was clinically depressed once in my life when pregnant --and I don't like messing with my hormones.

My daughter in law, the surg. tech, however, says, they would look at the ovaries in a hysterectomy and they CAN leave one or both if they have nothing noticeably wrong with them and if they are still viable and doing something for me.

All I know for now is that the gyn. thinks I should have the hysterectomy.

My husband says he wants to talk to him and the pathologist.

Meanwhile, did God make sure my lab results made it to church??? And why??? A matter for prayer and waiting on the Lord for peace and clarity.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP ADMONISHES GOVERNOR OF KANSAS

Here follows the subject of an interesting discussion from www.religionclause.blogspot.com

____________________________________
Many writers condemned the Church for bothering the Governor, trying to impose church on state.

MY REPLY:

The archbishop is saying abortion is homicide. He's saying the governor is a disgrace to her church and disobeying God by trying to be on both sides of the fence, expecting the Catholic vote. In fact, the church may not allow her to be on both sides of the fence. They could excommunicate, I suppose. He's at least really scolding her publically for all the church to hear the message.

Indeed, he is telling all the Catholics to vote and live their faith and quit being liberal about the moral issues. He's suggesting to all the church that they not support such candidates just because they have the label, "Catholic."

Granted, so many of the priests are charlatans and I would hope their pro-life support is sincere and not a cloak for, or distraction away from, the closeted homosexuals and pedophiles among their clergy.

The archbishop is trying to get Catholics to consider that their choices and beliefs have consequences --because that's what he believes, what THEY believe, and what the CHURCH teaches. And I agree with them.

Consequences: she should not have the Catholic vote for her pro-abortion stand. She can go to Hell for her unconfessed sin --for disagreeing with God about what is right and what is wrong. The church says the babies are fully human and therefore have a 'right to life' --which right the constitution also recognizes for all human beings.

The issue is the civil law as much as the church law. Do we want our nation's laws to protect life and stand for right against wrong or not?

The church stands for right --we are to be salt and light in the society. That's why the church RIGHTLY seeks to influence legislation and law. If we, the salt, lose our taste, our "saltiness," we lose our "preservative" quality --we fail to save humanity.

The Governor is part of the church --and she has lost her salt! The church rightly rails against such members --and probably ought to kick them out to bring them back to repentance--before God bars their entrance to Heaven. This IS serious. It's no mere threat of dire consequences (as some commentators have said.)

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Michigan State Research on Hyenas --Evolution Speculation Again!

Kay E. Holekamp is studying spotted hyenas in southern Kenya. She sees "profound similarities" with our own human species and concludes --in the words of Zimmer, the New York Times reporter, that "a complex social world has driven the evolution of a big, complex brain." It seems that "primates with a big frontal cortex tend to live in large groups." [Whoopdedo! so this makes animals our ancestors?]

Then notice the speculative verbs in the article: "Primates may be pushed into larger groups thanks to predators or to patchy sources of food like fruit trees. As their numbers grow, natural selection may favor social intelligence. The primates form long-term alliances with each other and compete with rivals. They begin to keep track of a larger and larger social network."

And then, "A boost in social intelligence can lead to an evolutionary edge for primates...." and so on and on.

The good scientist is speculating with an evolutionary bias that STILL doesn't sound like PROOF of anything --except what she can describe --their brains and their activities. Neither of which prove anything about how and when the hyenas came to be the way they are --and no evidence as to which creature was which creatures' genetic grandpa--if any. Most of what they find today is that the lines of the evolutionary "tree" (that is the bio-similarities used as evidence of evolution) aren't proving to be quite what Darwin thought --i.e. the evidence for his genetic lines aren't necessarily there. Of course primates and mammals are similar --they have design features in common because someone designed them to be that way. We have no evidence they were ever anything but socially adept hyenas bearing resemblance to humans in that feature.

Show me the evolution, boys!

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Doctor's letter to Blade on Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed, the Ben Stein Film

April 28, 2008

Dear Sirs:

What Expelled tells us about Darwinists is not new. In the 1980’s, a Newsweek article quoted an evolutionist saying he wished he were in something “more intellectually honest –like used car sales.”

In Yonke’s article, Prof. Carroll displays the typical attitude of evolutionists, saying scientists who don’t agree with the establishment can’t be considered “literate.” He refers to great earth age and descent from primates as “facts.” Yet, so much said about origins of life is conjecture with “evidence” interpreted to prop up a theory that life has no designing hand. Yet, many of us marvel at the “irreducible complexity” of DNA –and were doing so even before ID theorists used the phrase.

Debate confusion: those who oppose ID in the classroom wrongly believe the goal is to teach religion. Even atheist Dawkins speculated that aliens could have designed earth-life. Some ID scientists believe in common descent from lower life forms. All acknowledge natural selection within species. All Creationists are ID theorists, believing in an intelligence behind the origin of life–but not all ID theorists are 6-day creationists, Religious Right, or Bible believers. Some believe Darwin describes the Creator’s plan.

Some of us believe that God “spoke” things into being from His “Mind” with knowledge and power that exceed our own–-the way Christ performed miracles-–the way we can activate knowledge with a computer.

The biblical writer John says Jesus is the Logos through whom all things were created. I didn’t find evidence to contradict that in my science studies. One scientist in the film suffered for saying medical doctors did not have to believe or use Darwin’s theory of common descent to practice medicine. Yet, this is true. It’s also true that the theory lends itself to justify atheism, abortion, euthanasia, and eugenics –as Stein points out.

Sincerely,

Jonathan E. Rohrs, M.D.
_______________________________________

To this, the infamous liberal blogger, expired Catholic, Mud-rake, commented:

Odd that, although I went to a Catholic university and took many biology, chemistry and physics classes, I never found evidence that John was wrong either, Of course, Religious Studies was not located in the Science Building.

Posted by mud_rake at 9:38 AM

To which I replied:

Exactly, Mud-rake. You don't find any EVIDENCE to contradict a designer in your science classes.

--and in fact, the point the medical doctor was making is that the irreducible complexity of the cell is a good reason to conclude there was some kind of designer. Some intelligence had to put that cell together --it couldn't evolve from non-living matter in all its complexity and engineering genius without some intelligent agent.

So we aren't talking about "god" per se, but the scientific evidence for intelligent design behind DNA, the universe, etc.

Now that they've unraveled DNA, objective observers see more SCIENTIFIC evidence to interpret as support for design theory than for pure unguided Darwinistic naturalism. That's why there is a controversy.

The atheistic Darwinists are the hostile ones, fueling the rest of society's anger at those who would dare to question Darwin. Most people have just unquestioningly accepted that science proves Darwin --when, in fact, it does not. They are digging their heels in to suppress dissent and deny that those who question any part of Darwin can be scientists and they call the opposition "know nothings"--in part because so many of the true Darwinian scientists are atheists defending their religion of atheism.

It's not the ID scientists who are hostile to science; they are using it and drawing the only sensible conclusion --that some intelligent agent initiated life. I'm told that many of these ID scientists DO accept common descent of humans from primates as Darwin speculated would be proven by fossils (which speculation has not been proven by the fossil record to date.) They just disagree with Darwin' theory that the process was unguided,unplanned happenstance.

All fossils show is that some extinct creatures shared common design features with creatures living today. Fossils can't really show parentage. And shared DNA of primates and humans cannot account for the vast differences between the two--the fact that primates still beget primates and humans still beget humans--and the fact that nothing seems to be transitioning today --not even slowly. A common designer, however, could explain the shared features of DNA. AFter all, just because you and your pets have eyes and lungs and hearts, etc. doesn't prove you are "related" genetically by intergenerational descent from a common ancestor.

The Bible says each creature was designed to procreate after its own kind. That's what the present-day, observed evidence supports, incidentally.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Anthony Wayne Library Censors

For several years I have subscribed to the popular Campus Life magazine, a Christian magazine for teens, donating several issues to the A.W. school libraries. These magazines are wholesome, deal with topics of concern to youth, and do have a Judeo-Christian worldview --as would many of the students in that school. I learned that the librarians were not making them available to the students --except for one who may not be there anymore. She wrote a thank you note.

So I called the librarian who said to talk to the principal who never called me back. So I called the superintendent who said he would talk to the principal and knew the magazine to be good --and would have the principal call me. He didn't.

So many months later, I called the sup't. again who said he'd talk to the principal again and the principal called me.

He said he thought these would be nice to make available to the Campus Life Club but to have them in the library, the board would have to approve them. I said, I was on the board for 8 years, and I don't remember approving the new purchases or the donations received by the library. And I knew there were things in our library and on our reading lists for students that I and other Christian parents personally would not approve --such as The Invisible Man, the one which starts out with the incest and 3 in a bed. And that dreary book we all had to read before college featuring the debauched and jaded and mixed up Holden Caulfield -- books with profane language. Depressing books with suicide and death themes and occultic themes. I'll bet they have The Golden Compass Trilogy by the atheist promoting atheism to kids. Teachers showed R-rated films to kids under 16 --kids in 8th and 9th grade when my children were in school. Books featuring native American religious beliefs were common.

But when it comes to something wholesome and of the Christian religion, we are more worried about the appearance of state endorsement of that --than about state endorsement of atheism, loss of faith, bad language, immoral conduct, or other religions, etc.

Judy Blume books are in our libraries for children and are an example of themes that Christians object to. There is the one wherein a boy is a peeping tom --and at story's end, isn't sure if he'll quit that behavior or not. "Maybe I will; maybe I won't." And the one where the child is encouraged to "choose" her religion as though religions were just another life option. Yes, religion is a life option, but that's not the way parents who really believe want their children to see it. We devout people teach our children that our religion is Truth. We don't appreciate books and faculty who take our money to undermine or erode our religious teachings. In fact, it's because schools do this that so many parents are either home schooling or sending their children to religious schools, at great personal expense.

The school principal and I agreed that he would round up all the back issues if the library kept them and make them available for summer reading for the Campus Life Club attenders through the club. Meanwhile, I need to write the board of education and donate the magazines to the school library and give them sample copies and reasons why I think they should approve the donation. I think the libraries can rightly have Catholic Youth publications, Muslim Youth publications--or whatever religious youth magazines people want to donate. There aren't so many wanting to do this that it would overflow the magazine racks. And then I'd let the students take them at the end of the school year.

Campus Life helps students deal with real issues like parents' divorce, breaking up with steadies, drug and alcohol abuse and temptation, peer pressure, study techniques, friends, moral issues, fashion, Christian music, religious questions and they provide college guides to Christian schools. They also have a lot of humor and practical helps pertinent to a teen-ager's life.

Anthony Wayne T-shirt Controversy and Other Inconsistancies

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the legalization of abortion, a group of A.W. students wore t-shirts stating, "Abortion is Homicide." They were confronted by the administration 45 minutes into the school day and told to turn their shirts inside out or change them or else --or else they would be suspended for two days without the right to make up the work (taking F's.) When this didn't seem to motivate them, they were threatened with denial of participation in sports, senior skip days, prom, and walking at graduation. So the students caved and flipped their shirts. They said they wouldn't try it again, that their intention wasn't to be disrespectful to the school or facul-stration. (source: the Mirror newspaper, May 08)

Sup't. Granger claims that the school had previously forbidden "pro-choice" students to wear THEIR T shirts in 02. He said it wasn't that the school disagreed officially with their statement. The rationale: the shirts could cause "disruption" to the school day. Because one student had already complained and a teacher took some time to deal with it. Goodness knows, it would provoke discussion on a controversial topic on an infamous day in history --when the Supreme Court legislated from the bench. It would be a good day for history teachers to note this history-making event --when abortion became justifiable, and state's rights were usurped, under the constitutional "right to privacy." (Never mind that privacy had never justified the crime of abortion or any other crime behind closed doors previous to 1973.)

We wouldn't want that historical marker noted in our schools, would we? We wouldn't want them to hear how this Jane Roe in the case was said to be pregnant by rape --when she actually was not. Nor that the daughter born because the decision came too late for an abortion, became a pro-life activist herself because she was, in fact, NOT aborted. What a difference a birth makes!

The outcome: Sup't Granger is looking at a new dress code, and notes that Springfield disallows ALL lettering on shirts other than spirit shirts (I assume that means sports team advocacy.)

I remember when my children wore pro-life and Christian t-shirts to school without any fuss --and at the time, the faculstration was smart enough to see the difference between political or religious statement t-shirts and the drug and beer and nudity t-shirts that were disallowed. Dusney World also disallowed drug and alcohol-promoting t-shirts during those days and may still do so. (I didn't notice any political or religious statement t-shirts there either.)

The irony, in my view, is that the A.W. girls are allowed to dress like "Girls Gone Wild" at the football games. Someone I knew went to the alumni game and had to teach her children that what they were seeing was inappropriate and not right --as the teen girls were exposing their midriffs from below the navel to their sports bras --which is all they wore on top. Must've been a warm evening. So the mother wrote to Jim Connors, the school principal, and complained and got a very less than satisfactory response. He saw nothing wrong with that attire at a school event.

I say, Sup't. Granger, get more strict as you said you did not mind doing. Don't let the girls dress like trollops at any school events --require a belt and pants that aren't falling off of the boys --and disallow all statements on shirts --except support for the team --or school club identification --including religious clubs, drama club, advertising the school musical, choir and band t-shirts, teams, colleges, etc.

It's the fights over such trivia --people trying to dress any way they please --girls in shorts and skirts that barely cover their fannies --that drive a school to embrace school uniforms. It would eliminate the lawsuits and the administrators who won't enforce modesty but will restrict free speech on t-shirts.

I remember with fondness and humor a time when the A.W. school board was asked to approve a committee-created dress code --a committee with a board member, students, faculty and administrators on it --and the board member got the school board to change the skirt length from 4 inches above the knee to 2, reasoning that on short people 4 inches didn't leave much to the imagination. Some were furious whenever the school board actually did what the parents expected them to do and what they were elected to do --set policy --and not just rubber-stamp everything put in front of us.

More Women of Holland Church --two Sisters

We have a family in our church that I call the "gatekeepers in the House of the Lord." If the doors are open, the parents are there --and usually the daughters. They had a son, too, who died in an auto accident last year. And that's where I'll start.

The Conklin family of the Holland Free Methodist Church has been among the most blessed families for the beauty and talents and good character of their kids; their intelligence is unquestionably superior. The boy was an outstanding athlete when he died at 22. They're the kind who knock the top off the national school aptitude tests.

And they are a close-knit family. Which made the loss of their only son and brother especially heart-breaking --which it would be in any family, but these were "close" siblings, who enjoyed Sunday mornings and dinners out together every week. Who hung out together, often choosing family over peers.

Mom is the church custodian, costumer, CLC missions coordinator and crafts teacher, decorator for events, and choir member --putting her college degree in special ed to unique uses! Her husband, a retired engineer, now a courier for a legal firm, is a worship leader, board member, former athlete, and choir singer --they are "pillars" in the church, for sure.

Tim's death was devastating, but the family never pulled out of their steadfast attendance and church duty. They must have secretly asked God "Why?" and "Why, US??" and wondered where He was on that night when their boy drove off a curvy road late at night. But they didn't let it drive them off the deep end emotionally or spiritually interrupting their steadfast devotion--though I'm sure it tried their souls. I can just imagine the dark night of the soul it would be to lose someone so beloved.

Betsy and Andrea, both in their 20's, are both business grads and using their degrees in their careers. Betsy has the MBA --as does her new husband Trevor. Andrea is dating a grad student at U.T., a biologist. Both girls have sung in our choir most of their lives, as have their parents. And they are gifted when we do choreography, both slender, medium-tall girls, very pretty, one blonde, and one brunette. They are among our "core group" of church musicians, with talents for blending, harmonizing, doing ensembles and solos, though they don't aspire to do the latter; they sometimes get pressed into duty and do excellently. Good useful voices with great ear for pitch accuracy. I've no doubt that if they had the inclination and the confidence to pursue vocal training and school choirs, they would be right up there with the pros in performance skill. As it is, they are always a vocal asset in our music program and have loads of talent to keep on developing.

Both girls are working in our Wednesday night programs for youth and children. Betsy and Trevor have committed to the jr. high kids who have some pistols in there! And Andrea to the little children as a co-teacher of 1st and 2nd graders --and they have a huge class with some lively spirits in there as well. They have been faithful and effectual, resourceful and dedicated to Christ and His Church and to the kids they serve.

They are also faithful in Sunday School attendance all their lives, anchoring the young adult/20's class with their Mom and others who share leadership of that group.

We are very fortunate to have such a family in our church and hope that the girls will someday be blessed with children, too, to carry on the heritage and the tradition of a family who says, no matter what, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Clearwater Beach --Still Pristine!

We spent our last Florida Day at Downtown Disney, followed by a ride to Clearwater Beach on the Gulf Coast. We got there in bright sun at 3 pm and the first thing that happened: we were swarmed by black flying bugs on the sidewalk as my daughter was smearing sunscreen on the boys. Maybe the bugs liked the sunscreen, because we didn't have any problem thereafter. But at this point, the boys felt like victims in the movie The Birds --and were getting hysterical about these black flying insects who were relentlessly seizing on us --no stings that we noticed. The exasperated mother stuck the boys in the van all slathered with sunscreen.

Eventually, we all got to the water's edge on what my husband says the Travel Channel calls the whitest sand beach in the world. They had sales booths on the nearby boardwalk dock, and acrobatic break dancers, a big inflated water? slide, cabanas for rent and a cloud right over us much of the time --which I didn't mind for it was so BRIGHT with sun and sand and water. Even I got into the ocean where the waves were just big enough to be fun but not so powerful as to knock me down as I was trying to come out of the water.

There were some scenes to be sighted, a couple of beautiful girls like magazine models in bikinis, self-consciously strutting their stuff --and a couple of gals in their 70's at least --who were BIG, obese women in TEENSY bikinis --preening and strutting --well tanned --very leathery, wrinkly, saggy and frankly, REALLY unattractive. And we wondered WHY such tiny suits --why such un-self-conscious display? I think they may have been from a nudist camp, so free were they. Not that I looked better for being a few years younger than they --but I cover up what's far from ideal on me! And recommend it. But to each his own, I guess.

Disney Highlights --Journal Finale

Besides the ones I already mentioned, other "must sees" are here in my final installment.

Soarin' --Soaring --Flying is what it's like! 7 people sit in a ski lift chair with feet dangling. They provide a space under your seat for loose shoes and other belongings. You are swung forward over what must be a gigantic, seamless screen--and you are "flying" at various speeds over beautiful scenes --and you feel the sensations as though you really were speeding up over a mountain top --over trees and water, cities, forests, etc. You feel you need to lift your feet or they'll drag into the tree tops! A fabulous thrilling ride.
But too short! (Did I already mention this one? think so)

You want to get fast passes for this one --as the line was very long without the pass. Again, being disabled was another way to go in sooner. I don't know if our fast pass was necessary or helpful or not. One way or another, we didn't wait long.

Another event was an interactive comedy show, bringing in people from the audience on screens. The Laugh Floor by Monsters, Inc. My grandson laughed really loudly on this one, because they had a laugh-o-meter --and he wanted to help them reach the top.

Micky's Philharmagic --(like Philharmonic) This is a delightful 3D movie in the Magic Kingdom with a music/orchestra theme --good old Disney movie stuff.

It's Tough to be a Bug --inspired by A Bug's Life --was in the Animal Kingdom --this one is the one that scared the kids but was enjoyable for us adults.

Downtown Disney is a shopping area that's quite fun to visit. They have a big LEGO Store with a huge Lego dragon out front, a family with cameras, and lifesize dogs --all made of legos. There is a classic toy store with some of the older toys still available.

We went to see the Country Bear Jamboree which used to be a must-see event but seems a little "dated" now. Perhaps we were seated too close. Also General Electric's Carousel of Progress at the Tomorrowland side of Magic Kingdom. I still enjoy that one and think it is instructive about the development of electrical use in homes, etc. It was first seen by me and my family at the NY World's Fair in 1964?--along with It's a Small World and the Hall of Presidents.

My husband tells me that Kruschev saw It's a Small World at the World's Fair and determined that he would want to go to Disney World.

My son-in-law and the boys most loved the Buzz Light Year ride in The Magic Kingdom. ON that ride there were video game shooters for every rider to "man" and you could accumulate points for shooting at certain X targets --My son in law was really good at it and into the hundreds of thousands of points compared to my 20,000.

Dinosaur --in the Magic Kingdom was a ride in the dark with lots of scary creatures leaping at you. This scared the boys, too, and was when our grandson said he just kept telling himself Grandma's words, "It's just pretend! It's just pretend!"

Another EPCOT ride also featured dinosaurs, The Universe of Energy, featuring Ellen Degeneres as a comedic guide. It did explore the various sources of energy and the various advantages and problems of each. I didn't think it demonized any groups as liberals tend to do on this subject. It said our minds were unlimited resources and suggested hope for our energy difficulties would come through human ingenuity.

The Swiss Family Robinson tree house was climbed by the others in the family.

Regrets would be that we didn't take time to watch any parades and we didn't stay for the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom. But we did see the closing light show at EPCOT which is worth seeing --but a good idea to hug the fence around the EPCOT lake to reserve a place with visibility--as some of the light show is at lake level. We were also warned that it could get pretty smoky from the fireworks if you watched them downwind --which we did not.

Two reserved restaurant dinners planned by my daughter, our excellent tour guide --were the Liberty Tree Tavern at noon in the Fort Wilderness area of the Magic Kingdom --which is an early American tavern in an early american village with paddle wheel boat to ride and a train into the frontier --neither of which we did this trip. The Bear jamboree and one of the roller coasters is here.

And also a French Restaurant in the evening at EPCOT --which was very pricey with what seemed to me to be rather Americanized French food. We had a table with a view and it was a nice way to finish the day before the fireworks.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

The Disney Disappointments --Eisner Changes?

Maybe it was their CEO --one Disney employee told us that Eisner didn't like Figment of the Imagination event in EPCOT. So he had the ride re-designed to exclude Figment. NOw, Figment is back, but the ride is not restored to its former glory, music, etc.

Another disappointment for my husband was the change in music of the Peter Pan ride in the Magic Kingdom and he says the experience of flying out the window was missing. We thought the ride was better with that experience and the former music.

Small World and the Pirate rides seemed the same to me --though he thinks they backed down the traditional music on the pirate ride. They've added Captain Sparrow to the scenes for a comic touch.

The Tiki Bird pavillion announced itself as "under new management" --and it was irritating to hear Gilbert Godfrey's grating voice throughout and you couldn't understand the dialogue very well. They omitted the original comedy and music for a whole new approach and it just fell short. Previously, the music built in intensity more effectively and had a more native flavor --instead of the jazz. I guess they tried to make it more contemporary and they probably think people will come to see something if it's new. But it wasn't BETTER --it fell flat. They didn't do as much with the totem poles, etc.

My daughter and my husband rode on the test track for cars, a high speed ride. Afterwards, they concluded we could have all gone, but we didn't because Disney's promotion so emphasized the negatives as though some would not enjoy it but find it frightening, bad for heart and health. They felt it did not match the benefits of the former Motion building which it replaced --which was about the history of transportation and quite entertaining and educational.

The Spaceship Earth was much as we remembered it and a great experience.

At the Imagination building there is a 3D movie that was based on the theme of "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" --using those actors --only they shrunk the audience. This was a lot of fun, I thought

Monday, April 28, 2008

Disney Delights and Slight Disappointments

GREAT WEATHER --sunny, slight breeze, 70's and 80's, but lots of shady places to retreat to throughout the week.

First Day was the Wild Animal Kingdom. A Sunday, but the crowds were less than the other two parks. We went on the Jungle Safari --which was really great. Wheel chairs and scooters went through the lines like everyone else, same wait, but were ushered in to the ride separately. With many rides in the older parks, the scooter/wheelchairs are assets, because they do accommodate you in separate and much shorter lines--and they keep your family together.

On the safari, we saw animals "in the wild" --or seemingly so --elephants, giraffe, cheetah (a rare sight the driver told us), gazelle, hippos, rhinos, flamingos and other birds, and many other "wild animals" in the Disney Nature Conservatory --or whatever it was called. Really a fun ride with REAL animals, pretend poachers and nearly disastrous bridge --but not so wild that you needed seat belts in the big lumbering African-style (I assume) safari trucks.

IN that park, we saw a walking vine --really a girl on stilts with two extended stick arms --all green with a green painted face and we thought it was animated at first --as she would lean on a building and then come to life with her long limbs and hug the trees and maneuver steps into the woods --very fun to see.

The scenic Mt. Everest or Kilmanjaro or whatever it was --with the Buddhist temples in the foreground with fruit and vegetable offerings gave us opportunity to have a little Sunday School lesson about man-made idols that can't eat the offerings made to them --this was part of Asian section. They showed the baskets of laundry by the river, too. Africa featured grass thatched roofs and native music, drums for kids to play.

The mountain houses a roller coaster that my daughter did twice with her husband and once with her dad. They are not for me. I feel panicky and want out of those rides.

There was a kids' playground that enabled them to climb up rope net bridges as though from tree to tree, hanging on to a rope fastened at both ends --entirely safe but took some bravery and gave a feeling of "manly" accomplishment --then they'd slide down a chute.

The Lion King musical show was fantastic, a colorful, joyous "must -see", sort of "under the Big-Top." It's not the story as seen in the Broadway version--but a show featuring stilt walkers who were amazing and death-defying --considering all the dancing feet around them and the high speed movements. There were trapeze artists as comedic monkeys who put on a great show. Music and live singing from the movie and musical.

The Nemo musical on a stage with characters duplicating the roles of the fish puppets they maneuvered as they performed the songs --was also delightful. A shorter version of the movie about a father losing his little gold fish son to an aquarium.

We ate in a Rain Forest Restaurant --with furry animated animals about, and starry sky, complete with storm.

There was a 3D bug movie with characters from A Bug's Life? (Correct me, Steph, for the archives!) --I think it was in this park--and it was the first of the 3D experiences for the boys --with their seats activated and water sprinkled on them from these ferocious angry looking bugs and it scared the kids --and not just ours. I think they would have been ok had they seen some of the other 3D events first. So I started to talk to the boys about "it's just pretend --just make believe scarey --not really dangerous." We went on another ride and Jacob closed his eyes and said, "it's just pretend --just pretend!" We got into so many good rides that some of them have run together in my own mind, and I can't tell you which ride that was. They began to feel good about their ability to withstand scary things --and did better the next two days.

Their mom had planned our days and knew about the Fast Pass? tickets you get which tell you to come back to the popular rides at a designated time when you will get on quickly. They give out so many of these tickets in the early part of the day at the rides to spread the crowd out. Without them, you wait a designated amount of time which changes according to the length of the lines (we saw times ranging from 20 to 90 minutes) --though the handicapped scooter was another way to disperse crowds and get in sooner than one might otherwise. I think the newer park features where they made room for it, have the scooter families wait along with others until the end where they are split off --to discourage people from using scooters needlessly. It wasn't needless on my part. I couldn't begin to walk a place like this. It's one time when a disabled family member is a real asset!

This was supposed to be a low attendance time at Disney, but you couldn't tell at the other parks. We know some of the northeastern schools were on spring break --met some Vermont people who were, e.g. There were tons of little kids and strollers --way more strollers than scooters and wheel chairs. I felt sorry for some people who looked like they needed a chair or a scooter but didn't have them. My daughter had an umbroller stroller to carry a little cooler with drinks and treats.

I was amazed at how my family has such stamina --the boys, ages 8 and 6, didn't whine or fuss or ever ask to be carried --or beg to sit and rest at any point --and my daughter said she was doing fine. IN fact, they opted to walk home from Epcot rather than riding the ferry, and stood to watch a magician-entertainer on the way home. There were always these circus-type-clown-magician acts on the boardwalk at the Epcot Resort Area --hired by Disney.

In fact, for all that is said about obese Americans, it seemed that the vast majority at Disney were NOT terribly out of shape --and doing quite well at walking the huge parks all day long. Granted, the events give a sit down respite.

"God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance and have eternal life."--the Bible

POST-VACATION ROOT CANAL and Other Dreaded Procedure Follow Vacation

I knew they were to finish up my root canal today, but didn't remember when and couldn't remember the dentist's name so didn't call during the trip. The name came to me in the middle of the night as rhyming with palomino. The Dentist's office ans. service said they were in surgery this AM and not opening phones until 9 A.M. I thought my appointment was in the morning and earlier than I would like --but that's my hysteroscopy/D&C scheduled for NEXT week, I decided. Because after I rushed around, got dressed, ate breakfast and drove to Sylvania, they finally opened the office phone when I cell phoned them and said my appointment was at 2 PM.

Meanwhile my car developed an ominous whine/squeak, so I dropped down to AAA car care on Airport where the nice man didn't charge me to empty a few bottles of power steering fluid into my car --with the hopes that I would bring it back to him. Said their must be a leak somewhere. This ol' '95 Cadillac bought in '96 at reduced price for a nearly new car, hasn't had heat all winter --just a smidgeon of heat from the engine, I guess,as the windows would slowly defrost some, and I was able to get to church with teeth chattering. One repair place said it would need a new computer somethingorother to regulate the heating/AC at great expense --and AAA put in a new fan motor and it worked for a few days --but no more and since Rob was away at school, I didn't have my handy dandy driver to accommodate my car fix-it trips. So I just let it go --but I can't stand not having AC, so that's the next big expense. There are only 76,000 miles on this 13 year old big friendly roomy gas guzzler and my husband tells me it should go another 75,000 before giving up the ghost but wonders if we should look into a Prius --which he would drive and leave me the van, since I don't drive as often--however, he's not happy in "cars built for midgets," he says.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Last Stage of Disney Report --Lost Items --but not the final installment

We had been trying all week to be organized and keep our stuff in order. The first day I was at Downtown Disney, a shopping area near where we were staying when I noticed I didn't have my rings on and had left them at the hotel. They were not valuable except to me. There was a room safe, so I figured that meant the maids couldn't be guaranteed trustworthy. So I called the hotel and they gave me security and I reported that I had left my rings in the room and wondered if anything could be done about it before we got home --and they said they'd probably be alright but they might mention it to housekeeping. They were there when I got home.

A couple days later, we came to our room and found the safe standing open. My husband did that. But my big wad of keys was missing. So after checking my purse and some drawers, I called security and told them we stupidly left the safe hanging open and I was sure I had keys in there. Thought I remembered seeing them there. Security asked what use those would be to anyone. I said, well, if someone had an uncle in Toledo who was inclined to a little house burglary, keys and our ID info that was also in the safe could be used --say if someone copied keys and sent them to Uncle Mort. I knew this was far-fetched, but it also was risky to leave keys and other things out when we had a locking option. So after all that calling, I suggested my husband look in the van which had been driven by our kids while we flew, as he was downstairs puttering around doing goodness knows what men do when they are out puttering around--and he found them in the car. I felt bad for my suspicions and reported to the desk that the keys were found. Meanwhile the hotel had graciously sent out an alert for the keys to their housekeeping staff.

The first night there, my daughter heard a ruckus in the hall about 4 am --and the next morning we found someone had removed the battery from the scooter and unplugged the charger -- so after that, we kept it in the room. It managed to work MOST of the day at Wild Kingdom --in fact, it went dead on the way to the van in the parking lot --picked up a little (with prayer) --to get it on the lift on the back of the van. And it recuperated enough juice to get it upstairs to the room where we plugged it in for the next day. We had no shortage of power for our other long days at Disney.

One day, my husband left the room intending for me to follow --but he had my scooter keys and had to bring them back so I could take the scooter with us.

On the last day, we arrived at Detroit Airport and my husband put me in a wheel chair and our two heavy, huge carry-on duffle bags on the back of it and no one routed us
toward the tram when we got off the plane. They said, "follow the signs to the baggage claim." So jon wheeled me the whole length of the airport. There were a couple of those flat auto-people movers that you stand on --but otherwise, no one routed us to the tram that would've taken us most of the way. We found the Detroit Airport very user-UNfriendly --compared to Orlando, which had lots of helpful personnel.

When we got to our luggage, we engaged a fellow to push it on a cart and he led us to the parking garage, via elevators, etc. There was no way Jon could push me plus the 4 heavy bags. Plus we didn't know where to go --and the cart fellow was a guide. But Jon knew he didn't have the parking ticket for where we left our car. So he left me with the cart guy while he started off a couple of floors up where he thought he may have left the car. I sent the cart boy to help him look. And he returned and said no luck. so I asked, isn't there an electric golf cart used by parking personnel? O yes, right over here. Well, I said, could you go and get that person? so they rode off to find my husband --and then they found the car. But Jon had walked 3 levels or so looking for his car. Then he found the ticket where I was careful to have him stuff it in his wallet --he just didn't see it at first. I knew I had told him to do something specific with that ticket when I found it at the hotel on the dresser. But I couldn't remember whether he put it in his wallet or in the safe with the plane tickets or where. It was the wallet.

I was constantly looking for my cell phone --which was always in my purse --which isn't that big, but crowded. I tried to keep it in a center zipper pouch but it would sometimes land elsewhere. I'd work my hand around every which way--and the only way to find that cell phone was to empty my purse. We used them a lot to keep our party together.

When we went through airport security on the first day, I had a panic because I couldn't find the boarding passes that I had set on the chair where the inspector told me to put them while she checked my body for noises of hidden metals, etc. After that, I had set them on this table where our trays of belongings were placed because I had to empty my hands to put my sleep apnea machine in its bag within the duffle bag.

It was like that all week--moments of panic because we couldn't find things, couldn't remember the best laid plans. IT must be alzheimers! Although, I think it's been a life-long problem for me. I think Jon's problems seem newer.

I once had a dream that I had put my baby daughter in an airport lock box --and couldn't find her. In the dream I am looking everywhere for the right box. Looking for stuff --my lot in life!

Disney Trip - Part 3 --The Gecko

Day 2 --we see a gecko -a bright green Geico Gecko --in the corner of the room on the wall. This is something to show all the kids --who think it's real cool. It doesn't seem to be going anywhere, so we left it alone.

But two nights before we left, I was on the phone again, asking front desk if the vouchers had arrived and they still had not. We learned later that they were in the package department at the Dolphin. So later, while we were on our way to Clearwater Beach, someone finally transfers me to the package room at the Dolphin, where they do indeed have our mail from AAA. And I got them to agree to deliver them to the front desk at the Swan which is joined to the dolphin by a bridge, because we weren't going to get back before the package room would close and we needed the vouchers by the next day or else. But that night when I was still tracking the vouchers, I just hung up from the front desk when this gecko skittered from one shoulder to the other in front of me and down my arm and behind the night stand. I screamed. My daughter told my son-in-law next door that she thought it was some drunk in the hall --and her husband said, "No, I think that was your mother!" So she came in and brought two cups and chased the gecko along the wall behind the love seat in our room but couldn't get it. So I called the front desk and then housekeeping or security or somebody --who sent up a guy with a spray can.

I looked at it and said, "What are you going to do with THAT!?" He said in a foreign accent, "This is what we use to get the roaches and ants." I said, "Well, we don't want to be fumigated with poisen --and it's not a bug. It's a lizard." He seemed puzzled. I said, "You know, green, a lizard. About 6 inches long in total." He said, " A lizard? Green?" Yes, a lizard.

So he takes out his pen light and shines around and next thing I know, the exterminator man is on our bed --which was turned down by the cleaning staff --and pawing over our pillows and says, yes, he sees it. And Jon says, "You'll need a vacuum sweeper. Just let him get it tomorrow, Barb."

"Nothing doing. I'm not letting this guy slither over me in the night! Been there, done that!"

So the exterminator leaves and Jon leaves on some errand after grumbling about having the roach man on our bedding. I pull up the spread, take off the pillows. And Enrico comes back with a shop vac and a long dirty looking hose to drag over our bed. But he gets one of our towels and tells me to call up housekeeping if I need more. He says, "You still have 3 towels." And he spreads it on the bed and puts the shop vac on it after I explained that my husband was a little creeped out about the idea of the equipment being on the bed.

So Enrico puts his left hand on the hose --and his right hand on the switch and tries to turn the switch on at the same time he's trying to make contact with the gecko --so it races back and forth --Enrico spots it every time and goes back and forth, back and forth --and he's getting frustrated, I can tell--and embarrassed at his lack of success. I've told him a couple of times that I think he should turn on the sweeper first --and then zap the gecko. He says, No, that will scare him --the feel of the air. I said, No, Enrico, just try it. It's a vacuum --it doesn't blow air on it but sucks him in! As you get close enough, he won't have a chance against the suction. And at this point, I could see the gecko --by the electic outlets behind me where I was sitting on the love seat. So I said, do it --turn it on first --try it! and so, looking skeptical, the exterminator follows my directions and sure enough! Zaps the critter.

And that's the end of the gecko story. And sadly the end of the gecko, I assume.

Enrico said this was a first for him. How did I know!?

Disney Trip - Part 2 --The Voucher Fiasco

We try to register at the hotel and give them the papers we have from AAA who helped us with a "Disney package" that may have been worth a little discount on Disney tickets but little else. The hotel said they give no discounts to AAA. Anyway, they said, these were not the "vouchers" they needed. I didn't know anything about "vouchers." So after much running around by front desk folks, they sent us up to our rooms. They said if they didn't get the vouchers, showing we had already paid through AAA, we would be charged again and have to have AAA reimburse us. I would later learn that the AAA travel agent believed she had called both me and my daughter to tell us we needed to stop by for our Disney packages. And I suppose she did, but it sure fell off my radar and out of my memory--and my daughter said she didn't think she was told either --and she has a 'steel trap' mind, compared to me. I noted to AAA that I did remember that the airport ticket gal called me to tell me my plane reservations were confirmed --and to remind me to pick up the tickets --and again to try to sell me extra insurance --and to remind me of what time the plane left. And another gal called to have me pay for my AAA membership which expired in March.

Finally in our rooms, we look out the windows and note that we have a balcony but are looking on to a flat roof and the roof of a round restaurant, part of the hotel. Not a good view. I said to Antonio, the Bell Captain who took us to our room, "You know we asked for rooms with a view and had reservations." He said, "Call the front desk; I'll wait." (IN fact, we chose this hotel because they said they could get rooms with a view --whereas the Wild Animal Kingdom Lodge, where our daughter first wanted to stay, only had rooms looking on a parking lot --so we felt we had made a hotel choice on the basis of getting a view and therefore should get one.)

So I did, and they took a while to offer us something else. We had 2 rooms, adjoining and she said the adjoining room request was honored before our request for a view and she didn't know if she could find both together --but she managed. Meanwhile, we learned Antonio was Italian, did not admit to being Mafia, played guitar and bass in a band that performed around Orlando, was single still in his early 40's, had gone with a girl for 6 years but they broke up, etc. etc. He was very friendly, gregarious, and pleasant --waiting to move us again. We only had 4 bags since we sent many things in the van with our son-in-law and daughter and grandsons. But they were heavy bags on a cart so we hung on to our bell captain until settled.

As for me, I scheduled a "scooter" as I could never keep up or walk the distances of a Disney day. So I had a scooter delivered to the hotel by a company called "Walker Medical" --or "Mobility" or something. Which was actually a dollar cheaper than getting the scooters at Disney--and those could only be used at the park, whereas my rental was useful for me in the hotel, on the boardwalk which went to the swim area, the Hollywood Disney/MGm and Epcot.

We eventually got to the new rooms with a view of the Disney Dolphin Hotel and the lagoons around it --the board walk --all in the Disney Epcot Resort Area. We were in he Swan Hotel that faces the Dolphin. There were huge dolphins and swans on the top of the respective hotels --both were a green stucco with a peach stucco wave pattern and a pattern made of different style windows, some with balconies and some without. These new rooms for us didn't have balconies or the full length windows, but we settled. The view was great though the windows were dirty on the outside.

Next installment: the Gecko

Home Again, Home Again--Back from Disney --Part 1

Part I --the Credit Card Fiasco

We get on the plane and my husband realizes he has neither of his 2 credit cards. So we call Rob --who looks high and low in the house and can't find them. So after we get established in our hotel, I call Rob again and he goes to one of the cars at home as instructed by Jon, and sure enough, there it is. Between the seats.

But what about the other card? I call the bank. The 800 number. I finally get a live person and they want to know my password. I tell them what I think it is --but it isn't. I try another that it might be. They say they can't tell me if there has been any unwarranted activity on the card since I don't remember my password. All I want to know is where the card was last used to see if we recognize the purchases. Because if we don't, we had better cancel the card as someone else is using it! Sthe guy offers to put a hold on the card. I said, "no, no --wait until we look some more." And then I wondered, how can they put a hold on a card they aren't sure is mine! Boy, that would really tick somebody off, if any old stranger can do that! They seemed to believe I was me for cancellation purposes but not to tell me the recent expenditures so I could verify if his card was being mis-used.

During our plane ride, we had told Rob to call a couple of places where Jon knew he had shopped. He did. No luck. So I call the bank again, and get a different live person. This gal puts me through the rigmarole again and I ask for her supervisor --we finally go two supervisor/managers "up" --to talk to an intelligent person. And we tell him about our checking account and a recent check we wrote. NOW he's willing to talk to us, having seen that check in our records. (Although if someone had stolen our check book, they would have that info.) But he understood that the info we were asking for wouldn't be useful to a thief of our card. We wanted to know where the card had been used, so we could tell if we should try to cancel the card or not. The irony is that they were willing to stop action on the card without proving that we were US by a password -- --and then later, they wouldn't even do THAT! realizing that it was illogical to let someone cancel a card if they didn't know the password. But then I said, "Now, supposing our card really IS stolen and people are spending up the wazoo on it and you won't let me cancel the card!! because i can't remember a password.

The remedy they had was for us to go into a branch bank --except we were in Florida and our banks are in Ohio --and it was Saturday afternoon and our own branch bank was closed so we couldn't phone them.

But now Jon remembers that he went to the Rite Aid for an Rx. So we call there and the guy remembers that Jon came in. He said sometimes they put the credit card in the medicine bag when the customer comes through the drive-thru as Jon did. Sure enough, Rob found the 2nd card in the script bag at home in the kitchen. Jon had not opened it as he didn't need to pack this Rx for the trip.

But in the meantime, many phone calls were made --the bank was no help --until we talked to a 4th person who had some independent initiative to understand that all we wanted to know was if our card was being used to buy things back home or somewhere where we weren't.

Next installment: the AAA Voucher Fiasco

BEN STEIN'S "EXPELLED ~ No Intelligence Allowed --is a "Must See" for Both Sides of the Debate!

Ben Stein has made an excellent film. People of faith should support it. People like evolution-believing bloggers Mud-rake, Microdot, and Whynot should see this film, for their own enlightenment.

One fellow was ostracized in his career because he said MD's really don't have to believe Darwinism in order to be good MD's. Now, who said THAT before? I did, because my husband is an MD who does not believe Darwin's theory of origins and it does not affect how he practices medicine --except that he is very life-affirming, unlike some Darwinian physicians who believe in eugenics and practice abortion.

In the film, the famous atheist who just wrote a book defending atheism, what's his name, Dawkins, was interviewed and admitted that he didn't know how life began. And that some intelligent beings may have dropped us off on the planet.
What we learn from this film is that very successful scientists with great accomplishments have been fired for entertaining the possibility of intelligent design behind our existance --for doubting Darwin.

We learned that there is deep establishment prejudice against scientists who profess faith and/or question Darwin. We learn that atheists have shut the door on academic freedom in favor of their smoky orthodoxy.

We hear it from Germans that Darwin inspired Naziism. There is a running theme --that without faith in a Creator, we lose sense of the inalienable rights of man.

We just returned from Disney World. We saw again the Hall of Presidents which opens with the Declaration of Independence as our defining document --not the constitution --but the statement about the "Creator" endowing us with "certain inalienable rights."

Ben so describes the Spirit of Mudrake, you'd think he knew him. Everything I've heard on the blogs was in the movie: 1. Stein was told that real scientists don't doubt Darwin. (He proved otherwise.) 2. He was told there is no conflict between religion and evolution ---yet atheists are the most vigorous supporters of the theory. 3. The Public School science leaders want to convince us that there is no conflict between religion and science --because if parents and churches realized just how much conflict there was, they would get involved in opposing the militancy of the Darwinists. 4. The study of Darwinian orthodoxy does produce atheists.

The movie didn't do as much as it could have to teach the public the evidence for intelligent design in nature --or the evidence against Darwin's theory. Nevertheless, it showed that academic freedom is needed in the sciences.