Monday, March 16, 2009

Some Photos...


This makes me think of Betty Boop. Not sure if they were going for that look or trying to send me a message that I just didn't get...

A couple of great fellows.


Alex the Great.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Has the whole world gone wacko?

Why yes, yes it has.

Check out this article: A Mid-Wife Crisis.

This author is dead wrong on so many levels.

Do I believe her when she says that everyone struggles? Yes. But she doesn't have the slightest clue about why she is here on this earth, what marriage is for. And, most of all, she doesn't even have a glimmer of understanding about what happiness is.

Love to hear what others think.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Sportsmanship at the Olympics

There have been a lot of people calling for an investigation into the age of several Chinese gymnasts. Many of these people didn't seem to care about how old they were until they started to beat U.S. gymnasts and win gold medals.

My take is this: an important part of sports is that the rules be respected. The international body that makes rules for gymnasts has determined that they need to be at least 16 to compete in the Olympics. And the IOC has determined that a passport is an acceptable document for an athlete to use as proof of age. In the case of the Chinese gymnasts, it is possible that these two rules might be in conflict. There is evidence that the girls are actually younger than 16. But they have valid passports that say otherwise. And since they are valid passports they are acceptable to prove age, even if they contain incorrect information.

What would I do? Two things.

1) Change the rules going forward to state that documents like passports will be accepted but if valid proof surfaces that the documents contain incorrect information the athlete may be subject to removal from the games.
2) Do a thorough investigation into the ages of the Chinese gymnasts. If they are found to be over 16, great. If not, they lose their medals and are banned from participating in future Olympics. Any other result would be contrary to the spirit of sportsmanship that the Olympics are about.

Of course the proof would have to be conclusive...otherwise, the investigation would have to side with the Chinese gymnasts.

On another note, did you see the stories about the Cuban and Swedish athletes that were thrown out of the Olympics? Just had to shake my head.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

In Defense of Marriage

Last night I saw the following headline from a story on CNN.com: "Is Marriage Really for White People?"

My response? No. Marriage, between a man and a woman, is a basic building block of the family and can and should be sacred, wonderful, and fulfilling. The family is critical to the well-being of both individuals and nations (see The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

Fortunately, the story itself doesn't come off the way the title does. The writer is actually someone who is looking to get married that just hasn't done so yet. It does bring to mind the attacks that are being leveled on marriage (and therefore families) from two sides: some people say that marriage isn't necessary or needed. And others want to expand the definition of marriage to the point that it will eventually include anything and everything.

Both are wrong. Marriage, done right, is a desirable goal. Like the writer of the article, I too dreamed of being married and having a family. When I was a teenager I often wished that I could zip forward in time to when I was 30...because I would be married, have kids, be happy. For me, this dream came true. And it has been everything that I wanted it to be, and more.