Prayer

As a follow-up to my Barney Williamson "Does God Intervene?" post a few days ago, I thought of this tonight. As you probably know, three hikers had been missing on Mount Hood in Oregon with two of them being from Dallas. Yesterday, one was found dead (sheesh, can you imagine freezing to death?) but the other two have not been found. It does not look good. But tonight, on Fox 4 News, I learned that the local church of one of the men held a prayer vigil this afternoon, with the pastor leading the congregation with: "We pray that [they] will be found. But we remember that God alone can save." Questions. Questions. Questions. Has God chosen not to intervene? Can prayer change that? Can God be persuaded to change his decision not to intervene? Does it matter as to the number of people that showed up at the vigil to pray? No one talks about these questions. And although everyone must have thought of them at one time or another, we feel guilty for having those thoughts enter our minds. Don't we?

Joe Barbera . . .

. . . might mean nothing to you. Knowing that he is half of the team of Hanna-Barbera might ring a bell. Joe Barbera died today at the grand old age of 95. The partners, who teamed up while working at MGM in the 1930s, then went on to a whole new realm of success in the 1960s with a witty series of animated TV comedies, including The Flintstones, The Jetsons , Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo and Huckleberry Hound and Friends.

I Refuse To Link . . .

. . . to a Sports Blog that thinks its appropriate to post about a bar sponsored pillow fight between a girl in lederhosen and another girl in a short skirt. Disgusting.

$412,375.00

There are a ton of "law blogs" on the Internet. From law school students, to professors, to defense lawyers, to public defenders (my 8th future wife?). This one was a great assessment of a "special prosecutor's" bill to Dallas County in connection with the Fake Drug Scandal.

Random Cop Thought

When you think about it, isn't it odd that a cop has the absolute discretion to write someone a warning instead of a ticket? No standards. No guidelines. Some people get a break while others do not.

A TxDot Engineer's Dream Girl

Brit's Crazy Dress

My Next Wife Is 26 Today

Christina Aguilera

From The "Update"

I like the word "Rumors" in the first sentence and the "According to reports" phrase in the second. I bet this is a done deal or the Messenger would never have run with it. (I heard the rumor on Friday.)

How Much Did You Pay In Taxes Last Year?

The Drug War Clock updates every second. (And these figures are based on 2003 date.)

Lexus . . .

. . . runs a ton of commercials during Christmas season promoting one spouse giving a Lexus as a gift. Does anyone ever scream, "How are we going to pay the mortgage?" after such a gift?

I Saw This Sign . . .

. . . at a Fort Worth convenience store yesterday. I assume it has something to do with protecting kids, but I really don't know what it means.

I Don't Know

That's Silly

"The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web." Mailing it in. Edit: George Will on this morning's "This Week": "It’s about narcissism, which is why a mirror is absolutely perfect. So much of what is done on the web is people getting on there and writing their diaries as though everyone ought to care about every one's inner turmoils. I mean it’s extraordinary."

StumbleUpon

I think this is great. A quick download creates a little toolbar on your browser with a "StumbleUpon" button. You click it and it takes you to a random website that you are probably interested in (you set up a checklist of interests in the beginning). Some screen shots and explanations are here. You can go straight to StumbleUpon here. I messed with a little this morning and I think it is great. Really great. That button just stares at you daring you to push it.

Random Weather Thought

I was of high school age on April 10, 1979 when a violent tornado hit Wichita Falls. I remember that night my family in Bridgeport went across the street to the neighbor's storm cellar (remember those?). When the wind kicked up that night, everyone was gun shy because of what had happened in Wichita Falls earlier in the day. I stumbled across the page of photos of the damage cause by the storm. Fascinating stuff.

"That's Where I Draw The Line"

CNN had a special on tonight about racism in America. This woman from Vidor, TX made the program. She discriminates against blacks but, it seems, not against cheeseburgers. Lots of cheeseburgers.

I Triple Don't Know