So are you getting the Flu Shot in this Present Pandemic?

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Today’s Blog Post

So are you getting the Flu Shot in this Present Pandemic?
So are you getting the Shot? It seems like a silly question as hundreds of people in our community have panicked after hearing the reports that they have in the media. Who wouldn’t get the Shot?

Personally I am not sure that I qualify yet. I am a healthy 65 year old. I have no hidden secret why I can get it first… no under lying reason… other than I am human and could get sick.

As I have checked around with some folks that are in the know… it seems that not as many people are dieing from this H1N1 Flu as do from the regular kind of Flu. At least that is what we have been told by medical professionals.

In our area when the vaccine was ready and being provided in local Malls as well as some other public clinics, people flocked by the hundreds – if not thousands to stand in line for hours to get the shot.

As the news media filled our thoughts with the reports from the sickness front, we heard how a young teen died, another lady that we knew of died, and a baby over here died… We were frightened to not get it. What if…? Will we be next…?

Then the media started picking up stories about certain people in the community – like Professional Athletes and CEOs of Hospitals – getting the shot before others. Cue Jumping – UNFAIR! How could these people be before anyone else!?!? The media lapped it up for almost a week. And people went nuts.

The truth is always “almost there” when the media reports anything. They tell whatever sells their product. WE ALL KNOW THAT! But yet we believe that what is said is the absolute truth.

This morning the one report that I read stated that Canada has already spent $1.5 Billion on this drug manufactured in a chicken egg… and this amount will likely reach $2 Billion or higher before this present crisis is over.

The Globe and Mail’s writers, Paul Wadie and Caroline Alphonso, state…
“Vaccinating Canadians against H1N1 is costing the country nearly twice as much as health officials expected and the tally could easily climb above $2-billion before the pandemic has subsided.

The national inoculation program is only a few weeks in, but $1.51-billion is already being spent, according to a review of estimates from federal, provincial and territorial governments. The actual figure is likely much higher because many provinces are still revising their costs while others have yet to release total estimates.

Even at $1.51-billion, the vaccination effort is proving far more expensive than health officials estimated. In September, provincial and territorial health ministers predicted the cost of buying the vaccine and delivering it at around $16 a dose, or $806-million in total based on the 50.4 million doses ordered. The total cost is currently running at about $30 a shot and climbing.” – End quote

Down the road the Opposition Parties will love this one in our Canadian Government. “IT IS THE CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT’S FAULT THAT THIS HAS PLACED OUR COUNTRY IN FURTHER DEBT!” Can’t you just hear the rants that will go on?

But the news media will be able to use that screaming from Opposition Parties to sell more of their stuff. The Flu Season will be over – but the reporter season is never over!

Did you catch that? $30 a shot! If I get this shot – it is costing me $30. No I don’t mean that I will have to pay that out of my pocket when I get it… but some day I will… in taxes… and that is just from this fall’s outbreak… not the next and the next…

Drug Companies are loving this. They are having a Bumper Year to say the least!

With the Hype that has been created by the news media and the millions of reports generated – by whoever – I am guilty for not getting the shot… and I am guilty if I get the shot without a VERY GOOD REASON. I cannot win! Then I am guilty if I get the shot and it costs $30 to be pricked… but if I don’t get the shot, the shot for me will go to waste. I really cannot win.

Though I will admit that I am at a high risk to get sick!

Take this weekend for example. I am off to visit in a Prison, then visit with a group of other ministers who have all been with sick people, then some personal visits with people that don’t qualify for getting a shot…. THEN I go to Ottawa… where the Politicians Live – and they come from all over the country where a lot of their people are sick and cough on them all the time!

I am attending a National Conference where a group of people from all over Canada will join me to share their ideas with each other… and they will carry in their germs to let me sample them. And none of the Conference Attendees will be eligible for the Flu Shots…

So are you getting the Flu Shot in this pandemic?

But then if was 91 years ago that the First Great World War was over. They had stopped the war with the signing of the Armistice on November 11. It was then that the germs uncovered and brought back by returning soldiers from that War… infected huge sections of the world’s population… and thousands upon thousands died – everywhere.

After this weekend… I think I will stay in my garage by myself… with only my carvings. I won’t buy a newspaper, turn on my TV or Radio and when I come out the Flu Season will be over… Everyone will either be dead or nothing will have happened…

Wikipedia relates about the Flu Pandemic of 1918…
“The pandemic lasted from March 1918 to June 1920, spreading even to the Arctic and remote Pacific islands. It is estimated that anywhere from 50 to 100 million people were killed worldwide which is from three to seven times the casualties of the First World War (15 million). An estimated 50 million people, about 3% of the world's population (approximately 1.6 billion at the time), died of the disease. An estimated 500 million, or 1/3 were infected.” End quote.

Sorry… I have to run now… gotta take my temperature… my throat feels like it has a tickle in it… I looked awful in the mirror when I looked a while ago… sheesh!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/cost-of-vaccinating-the-nation-hits-15-billion-and-climbing/article1360311/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flu_epidemic_of_1918

“Bahahaha! Toof! Toof! Bahahaha! Bahahaha! Pecuuuu! Pecuuuu! Kerbam! Pow! Pow! Katoooie! Katooie!”

Misty Hollow Carving
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My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

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Today’s Blog Post

The grass rustled slightly. Then it happened again. Some one was coming, fully armed, ready to do me in. I wasn’t sure who it was or how soon the ultimate attack would come. Then everything exploded.

“Bahahaha! Toof! Toof! Bahahaha! Bahahaha! Pecuuuu! Pecuuuu!”

Which was answered by… “Kerbam! Pow! Pow! Katoooie! Katooie!”

Then a very loud… “Your DEAD! I got you first.”

Does that sound a little like a battle in a foreign land?

Well the action took place about 55 years ago in the large lot just north of 1422 Elliott Street in Regina, Saskatchewan. I was 10 years old and my brother Glen was 5. He was a good sport and loved just playing with all of us. He made a GREAT “JAP”!

“Jap” of course was short and very negative for a Japanese person… particularly a “Jap Soldier” – that everyone hated with a passion. Our God given duty was to kill every Jap.

To change the setting but still act out in the same field the little brothers were declared to be “Gerrys” and on those days they were foulest of foul enemies.

“Gerrys” were of course Germans and we had switched from the Far East Conflict to the Eastern Front of the war with the rotten and hated Germans. Our God give duty that day was to kill every last German in that big open field. Oh how we hated the Germans!

Little Brothers made great enemies – so did little sisters. But the sisters often became bored easily while waiting in the grass for someone to shoot. They walked out of the field and played with their dolls, or the kitten or something that was plain stupid! What a bunch of “sucks”! All the boys were glad to get rid of them.

The date of this happening was around 1954 and the Second World War had ended about 10 years before that. The Japs and the Gerrys were all defeated.

The Korean War however was pretty fresh and people were very much in the war mode yet. It has started in June 1950 and ended in July 1953. We were playing war only one year after it was kind of over. For us War was real – very real!

Some of our dads on that street had fought in the WW II. Many of the dads didn’t want to talk about it. Some of them saw us playing and simply turned away. For them it was not a game.

In think the thing that fed our imagination the most was the stacks of comic books that came our way.

All of the verbal stuff that we used with our wooden guns, like… “Bahahaha! Toof! Toof! Bahahaha! Bahahaha! Pecuuuu! Pecuuuu!
Kerbam! Pow! Pow! Katoooie! Katooie!”… came out of the comic book pages. We simply sounded out what we were reading.

I was probably between 12 and 14 when I saw the full affect of that war on the men in our community. I was at my dad’s work place and one of bosses came over to talk to dad and me. The boss was very drunk, very early in the morning. I could smell the booze and heard the loud way that he talked. He was really obnoxious. Dad scooted me out of the way of the buffoon, and into the car so we could get away from the place.

When I asked dad why the man was like that… his answer didn’t make much sense at the time. “He is like that because he fought in the war. He drinks to cover up what he is feeling” Dad said.

As a young teen I couldn’t understand how alcohol would help you when it appeared to make you so stupid.

A lot of men that came home from horrible places tried to cover the deep emotions that they had.

As a man I now see the full extent of how bad it was for many. They couldn't face the long nights and the horrific images that kept coming back to them. So they drank lots.

“Bahahaha! Toof! Toof! Bahahaha! Bahahaha! Pecuuuu! Pecuuuu! Kerbam! Pow! Pow! Katoooie! Katooie!” – is not a game. It was real… and it was forever.

Today I remember the fallen soldiers. But I also remember the ones that struggled for a life time to shake away the demons that hounded them forever.

It seems very odd that today is the release of the new game entitled C.O.D. – or “Call Of Duty” – the newest and fastest and most realistic game that I have every seen. Talk about blood, guts and fears.

One fellow raved on about his newest purchase of COD. He intended to go home and play it all night… then go to work the next day… to return home and play it another night. “This is so real… it is totally awesome!”

So was it 65 years ago… “Bahahaha! Toof! Toof! Bahahaha! Bahahaha! Pecuuuu! Pecuuuu! Kerbam! Pow! Pow! Katoooie! Katooie!”

I remember.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.blogger.com/www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War

The Poppy Bullies

The Poppy Bullies

Dear Dominion Command of the Royal Canadian Legion;

I am afraid of you guys. And I am especially afraid of your lawyers, “Ridout & Maybee”. There I said it point blank. I doubt that anyone else in Canada is willing to stand up to you and your bank of lawyers. That is very sad. You have a group of bullies working right under your noses and you didn’t know it.

On October 23 your letter arrived informing a local Ganaraska Credit Union to stop their fund raising effort on behalf of soldiers families. The quote from Pete Fisher from “Northumberland Today” stated in his report…
“On Oct. 23, the Ganaraska Credit Union, which has branches in Cobourg and Port Hope, was served a three-page letter by Ridout & Maybee law firm representing the Royal Canadian Legion on trademark matters.”
End quote...

What a ‘Crock’! You are telling and threatening that your group owns the patent of the use of a poppy! Let me tell you that you DO NOT! We as Canadians own it. Our families gave their whole life and entire sections of their existence for it. In fact it is a world wide symbol that cannot be owned by one group – especially like yours. We bought it with blood, sweat and tears.

You see our families had members come home that would never be the same again.

Granted… you, or some one, did a good job of selling the public on wearing the poppy to remember fallen soldiers. To bear the grief of soldiers that gave so much is important. The regular appearance of the poppy selling/collecting, local old soldiers has been a norm in my 65 years of living for a long, long time. I am a War Baby - 1944 – and that battle has never been absent from life – EVER!

In fact you did such a good job of selling the public, even me, that each year I “buy” a poppy whether I need it or not.

I have six grandkids. My desire was to teach them that Grandpa cared. I did this by a simple little method – I wore the poppy all year long. I wore it by keeping the poppies that I have “bought” from the local poppy “sellers” each year. I displayed them inside my vehicle, on the roof, above the rear view mirror. I felt strongly that one day(or week) was not enough. Personally I wanted to do more to let my grandkids know what it was all about.

Each of my grandsons would ask me, “Grandpa, why do you have so many Poppies in your van?” To which I explained the “why in my life” and why I never forget.

Today I made the final decision. I went out to my vehicle and took all 15 of the poppies off the ceiling. I have stored them in a plastic bag and will not show them again.

You and your group can threaten the honest intentions of local group because they displeased you. And it appears that has happened without any dialogue or warning. That is a real shame.

I for one don’t have to put up with that. I withdraw my support this year for the Legion – but not for the soldiers. I honor the role the poppy plays in helping me remember the fallen soldiers that never made it home… but I do not honor the Legion.

Will I wear another poppy? I will think long and hard about it before I do. From now on if I wear it – it reminds me of the Legion and its actions this year… which I do not want to remember.

There are many other symbols that help me remember – like the army helmets from different members of our family that were discarded after the men came home. I kept them to help me remember.

I support the local Ganaraska Credit Union in their intentions to help the soldiers families. I do not support your group. But then what does it matter – I am not apart of either one. I am an outsider that is turned off.

I would like to know how much “poppy money” it cost you to buy into the law firms three page letter? I just bet that they didn’t do it for nothing.

You see I have a poppy at the top of this Blog. No I didn’t get permission – I just used it. It is MY POPPY – not yours!

Finally…
All my life I have witnessed what Bullies have done in communities around the world. If anything has come out of my 65 years of living it is… I avoid bullies. I will do anything I can personally protect my family and neighbors from the actions of bullies. I vote because of bullies… to make sure that they will not get that opportunity again to take control of whole countries… which then cause wars.

I was born during that horrible war where one Great Big Bully threatened everyone that didn’t agree with him, didn’t bow to him and didn’t revere him. His name was Hitler and as you well know he was a Bully.

His counter part in Asia and South East were the inglorious Japanese ideology of their time. That group of Bullies maimed the whole of the eastern world with their Bully Tactics. I lived there and witnessed the deep and horrible affect of the Bullies.

Paul Hallas, CEO of Ganaraska Credit Union needs to be complimented for his(their) idea and the willingness to do something for the soldiers. I also admire his(their) willingness to back down from a Bully and not cause further damage in their community.

But I do wonder what would have happened if Your Bullies would have actually sued them? My guess is that you would have been super big losers – even more than now.

I truly think your organization needs to write an apology to Paul Hallas and the Ganaraska Credit Union says. And I would suggest that you don’t use the Law Firm again… especially to write the apology.

Maybe some one, some where will see what kind of people your executive committee is all about and avoid them with a wide space.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2161947

Misty Hollow Carving
This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Hand Dryers in Restrooms ~ Interesting

Misty Hollow Carving
This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

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Blog Post for today…

Hand Dryers in Restrooms ~ Interesting

So the newest email that is arriving from a number of friends states…
“Everyone in the cleaning industry has always been told that hand dryers in restrooms are not sanitary, they spread germs and bacteria around. I always thought that this just came from the paper companies because they are loosing sales to the hand dryers. A couple of years ago, I was working with a rep, and I noticed that after he washed his hands and noticed that there were no paper towels, only a hand dryer he left the restroom with wet hands. I asked him about it. He said that hand dryers blow a lot of germs and bacteria around. He also told me to take a look under the hand dryer next time I was in a restroom. There is a filter underneath the hand dryer that is supposed to be cleaned on a weekly basis. I looked at one and it looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. It had layers and layers of caked on gunk (disgusting). Since then I will not use hand dryers in restrooms. Now this is where the story gets really interesting. The schools and universities that have had the H1N1 (swine flue) outbreak this year are being told by the health department that they have to take out all of their hand dryers and replace them with towel dispensers because the hand dryers are spreading disease. Please pass this along so everyone knows not to use hand dryers.”

Being the Detective I am - I looked this up on Urban Myths - http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/medical/a/hand_dryers.htm
and also
Hoax Busters
http://www.snopes.com/medical/swineflu/handblower.asp

As of November 9, 2009, both state that they are looking into it...

I want to go on record here and state that the Hand Dryer is DANGEROUS for some obvious reasons. But there is more to it than a dirty filter.

I can testify to the fact that, as a man, walking into the Men's Washroom is down right dangerous! The room is hot and moist... the Toilet is often not flushed... there is urine everywhere around the toilet seat and on the floor... and the surface stuff is drying - filling the air with "stuff molecules". The Urinal is often almost over flowing with a mixture of other men's Pee mixed with butts and gum and other stuff... it is dark in colour, stinking...and evaporating...

After I am done... I wash my hands and then leave the place using a tissue form my pocket... or a paper towel to open the door...

I NEVER TURN ON THE AIR BLOWER... that is simply circulating the smell of Hot tihS and Hot ssiP that has been air born for the last number of hours in that small cube called a bathroom as the wet stuff is evaporating. Turning on the hand dryer circulates all of the heavy molecules at a very high speed so you can breath a better mixture while drying your hands. In fact I try not to breath if some one else has turned on that blower, but holding your breath that long when you really have to go is downright dangerous. And standing at the Urinal, breathing into your own elbow while doing your thing is kind of ridiculous and dangerous.

The next best thing is to breath only through your teeth... not your nose... and then spit long and hard for the next 25 minutes after leaving the bathroom...

The alternative is to blow your nose hard - and if you don't the image of the tihS and eeP Icicles hanging from your nose hairs inside your nose and other nasal cavities can pretty much ruin your day... and you can smell the Icicles for hours afterward...

In regards to bacteria in the air... I am not sure... but I think that God gave us the ability to detect bad smells to keep us away from where bacteria might be - that way we survive as a human race...

Going into a closed, small, stinking, tihs and ssip smelling bathroom with a hand dryer is just plain stupid... but turning it on is tantamount to insane!

The email’s content warns of a dirty filter. That filter may be dirty – but if you don’t turn on the hand dryer – you still breath and the only filter you have are the long nose hairs – with icicles.

Now the real issue is... one time when I tried to leave the washroom... I had dutifully washed my hands... dried them with towels or whatever... then reached out to grab the door handle to exit... to find the tihs of another man wiped on the bright and shining handle... HE DIDN'T WASH HIS HANDS and NEVER HAS in his ENTIRE Lifetime!

After touching that handle I almost stayed inside - except I couldn't hold my breath any longer... and I gagged!

Now how many times have you washed the grime off your hands then left the bathroom at the restaurant to go to your table... pick up your hamburger and put the other man's "stuff" - whether you can see it or not... all over your hamburger...

That is kind of like licking that door handle in the Men's Washroom...

I watched a man stoop over while taking a woman's hand... and kiss her hand... “Good Lord, does he know if she has washed her hands or not...?” But that is another rant for another time!!!!

So… YES Hand Dryers in Public Bathrooms are Dangerous.

A simple conclusion can be arrived at. It is all about the old days. It seems to me that the drafty old outhouse was the answer... Any smell and evaporation went out through the looses boards, knot holes in the door and the drafty ceiling… even if the smell came up through the hole you sat on. It left the small room in a heart beat – or two.

If I can make one small appeal to the nem that read this. Clean up after yourself. Flush when you are done. Wipe up what you mess up. And as a precaution pull out your own shirt tail with your hand, grip the door knob as you open the door with your own shirt… then polish lightly before you leave.

What do you mean… “You DON’T want that “stuff” on your shirt tail?”

Well neither do I… NEITHER DO I!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.blogger.com/www.murraylincoln.com/

“Give Up All Hope of Having a Better Yesterday”

Misty Hollow Carving
This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

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Blog Post for today…
Setting this article up…(first by Murray Lincoln, Grandpa of Emma Lindsay, Father-in-law to Bruce Lindsay and the proudest Grandpa EVER!)

Yesterday, on a brilliantly, bright and sunny day a few hundred people gathered to watch the Playoff Game in the Saturday morning Kinsmen Football for ages 9 & 10 year olds.

My wife and I gathered with all the rest to witness the playoff game between the Steelers and the Eagles… the best two teams of the city! Our Granddaughter plays for the Steelers and has done very well as the only girl playing. I mean on all teams there is only one girl – and that is our Emma.

The game was very close… but in the end the Steelers lost to a little bit more powerful team… just a little bit (and whole lot more lucky!).

The game was very close.

Bruce has written the following to me with the idea that maybe we could publish his letter to Coach Joey” for all to read. But today’s Blog is Bruce’s letter to me as well.

Thanks Bruce… thanks a million!

“Give Up All Hope of Having a Better Yesterday”
By Bruce Lindsay

Hi Dad
I thought I'd send you a copy of the letter I've written to Emma's great coach. He is a High School student who is off to University after this year so won't likely coach Kinsmen Football again any time soon. I think it touches the heart of the whole winning and losing thing. You know how feelings come out in a championship game, even with 9 & 10 year olds. Nearly the whole team was crying at the end. What does a coach say except that he is proud of their effort? I know Coach Joey was crying on the inside too.

Last week when the senior team lost, the coach told me that two angry dads called him to accuse him of losing the game because of calling stupid plays. Coach John was actually feeling down already and the irate parents made it worse. Coach John told the dads that if they felt that way, they are welcome to coach next year. He said, “That usually shuts them up pretty quick.”

I told him he needs to see things as they are. The football team is made up of little boys who got very cold little hands and couldn't hold on to the football as well as normal. It is November after all.

My heart broke. I ached for him. As a soccer coach, I know how tough it is to not win. I know how coaches give their all to teach the players how to do their jobs. They rejoice with each success and try to be patient through the setbacks, all the while knowing that parents are losing patience and second guessing every move they make. I don't know if it counts as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but coaches need to have a quiet place to go to heal too.

Bruce
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
November 7, 2009

Dear Coach Joey
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for the excellent year our Junior Steelers have had. Thank you for all the time you have spent with all these little guys and the care and professionalism you have shown from day-one.

Thank you especially for choosing Emma to be your kicker. When you made the decision the day before our first game, I know there were parents questioning your decision. After all, she didn’t make a single kick last year. Thank you, THANK YOU for not giving up on her! Thank you for believing in her, and patiently sticking with her, even when she got no points in one game.

In the first game of the season, she kicked 3 extra point converts and has believed in herself ever since. Each game she improves. She set a Junior League record of 5 converts for 10 points in our first playoff game and, I believe, showed everyone that she is the best in the league now, kicking 3 more in the final. This year she went from a player who really wasn’t sure if she wanted to play, to a determined, confident player who believed she could help the team in many ways. She is confident in herself because you showed confidence in her.

Please don’t feel bad about losing in the final. As a fellow coach, I know there will be times you beat yourself up about it and wonder if you could have done things differently. I know there might even be parents who blame you or somebody else on the team for losing it. But remember that we all have to move on. I like to say we have to ‘give up all hope of having a better yesterday’. Personally, I thought we would win, with Emma’s converts being the difference in the game. It looked that way at half-time.

I hope that this letter will be like a cold glass of water to help you swallow the bitter pill of losing that game. Remember the good stuff. We went 7 & 2 this season. That is simply amazing! We had a great team and a lot of fun. We went to the finals and lost a great game. The lead changed 7 times. Every player left it all out on the field. It was a classic final.

Way to go Coach!

Sincerely;
Bruce Lindsay
Proud Dad of #62 Emma Lindsay, Steelers left guard and kicker.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Understanding this poor guy...

Misty Hollow Carving
This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

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Blog Post for today…

Understanding this poor guy...
So what’s with the Superman Photo/Costume – you crazy old fool!!? Let me explain…

A few weeks ago now our Ontario Government passed a new law that disallows anyone driving from using their “hand held anything”. It is for our own good I am sure. Many are distracted with what they are doing other than driving.

In an earlier post I mentioned some idiot friends of mine that regularly “Text” on their phones while driving full speed down the road. The part that drove me nuts was that I was in the vehicle with them – not driving!

Well lots has changed now since the new law. To our cell phone we have added a Blue Tooth ear piece so that if and when the phone rings I simply have to reach up and push the button on it – in the middle of my ear. To a cop it kind of looks like I am scratching my ear… but it is really me picking up the phone.

Now the fact that it nearly scares the beejeebbies out of me when the phone rings – RIGHT IN MY EAR – is another safety factor that the law didn’t count on.

To add to the humor of it all… only my daughters have my cell number(other than my wife) – and when she is with me – no one calls. To test it out I call my daughters, who are at work, and answer with, “What can I do for you Dad?” “Oh nothing I just needed to talk to someone as I was driving” is my reply.

Oops I forgot to tell you that the Blue Tooth thingie not only answers my cell phone call coming in, but it also calls out as well. When I need to I touch the button in the middle of my ear… the wee machine then gives a little bing bong… and the nice little lady inside that wee machine asks me if who I would like to call. I simply say, “Call Dana”, to which she asks, “Did you say, ‘Call Dana’, to which I reply, “Yes.” The wee little lady inside my ear canal then does her magic… the small tones then can be heard connecting me with my daughter.

I am not really sure if that wee lady is in the Blue Tooth… or in the Cell Phone in my pocket?!?!

Now some of you that are as old as and older than me can remember that busy-body woman in the rural town that was known as “Central”… and when you cranked the old phone box it woke her up to then connect you with the outside world. The one in my ear now does the same – only she is not big and fat like the other “Central” was… she can’t be… she is only ½ x ½ in size and that includes her casing!!! And if she is in my pocket I feel sorry for her!

Further….
“Aunt Bobbie” sent us an email yesterday with the following story in it. It totally sets up the rest of what I need to say about my new world… of gadgetry… small machines and my reactions.

I thought about the 30 year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a Blackberry that played music, took videos, pictures and communicated with Facebook and Twitter.

I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife as everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. Seems I have to take my hearing aid out to use it and I got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-ul-ating" You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then when I would make a right turn instead, it was not good.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop.

I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused but I never remember to take them in with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or Plastic?" I just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual.." Then it's their turn to stare at me with a blank look.”

What more can I say!?! I am now Superman! I have bifocals for my X-ray Vision, a super sensitive ear piece to let me hear anything – anywhere at anytime… so YES… the Photo is true!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

The Mystery of the Golden Calf

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Blog Post for today…

The Mystery of the Golden Calf
The Mystery of the Golden Calf has bothered me for a long time. For me as a Canadian that was born and raised in the western part of Canada and connected to all things rural – Cows and Bulls were part of my life. They were not something that a person “worshiped”.

Yet in the midst of the initial days of the escape from Israel the People of God stop for 40 days and 40 nights at the base of a mountain and then build a bovine made of gold… to worship. They do this because their leader has left them unattended for too long.

One of these kinds of mysteries will pop up in your life time every once in a while. This is a fascinating one that surfaced again when the latest National Geographic Magazine arrived.

The Nat Geo article explains at length the finding of the hundreds of thousands of Mummified Pets (animals) in Egypt. The Links below will provide the article for you to read on line.

One of the creatures that was revered was the Bull… an Apis Bull. The people lived near Memphis, Egypt which is now Mit Rahina…. South of the present day Cario.

From the Nat Geo article – Quote…
“And some animals were mummified because they were the living representatives of a god. The venerable city of Memphis, the capital for much of Egypt's ancient history, covered 20 square miles at its largest in about 300 B.C., with a population of some 250,000. Today most of its crumbled glory lies under the village of Mit Rahina and the surrounding fields. But along a dusty lane, the ruins of a temple stand half hidden amid tufts of grass. This was the embalming house of the Apis bull, one of the most revered animals in all of ancient Egypt.

A symbol of strength and virility, the Apis was closely linked to the all-powerful king. He was part animal, part god and was chosen for veneration because of his unusual set of markings: a white triangle on his forehead, white winged patterns on his shoulders and rump, a scarab silhouette on his tongue, and double hairs at the end of his tail. During his lifetime he was kept in a special sanctuary, pampered by priests, adorned with gold and jewels, and worshipped by the multitudes. When he died, his divine essence was believed to move on to another bull, and so a search for the new one began. Meanwhile, the body of the deceased was transported to the temple and laid on a bed of finely carved travertine. Mummification took at least 70 days—40 to dry the enormous repository of flesh, and 30 to wrap it.” end quote.

Isn’t that interesting? The people that Moses leads away from the slavery situation that they are in… do not easily give up what they knew best… worshipping a Bull.

There is much to think about here. It is possible then that a portion of the People Moses is leading were from the area of Memphis and knew much about the practice and processes used then. They knew about the Bull and worshiped this Bull.

However this was not God’s plan for them. He was not pleased and showed it.

I do not intend to conduct a lengthy Bible Study with these words. You can do that yourself with the Links below and use it around the Coffee Shop for your conversations.

I simply point to the way that these Chosen People carried over the habits into their next life – to their detriment. So much of what they had lived like was completely woven into the fabric of their lives. They could not stop being who they had become.

Who they had become was not necessarily who God had wanted them to be. They had lived in relative safety in Egypt for a long time. And in doing so they had not known any other way.

This is so much like we have become in the Church today. We have been so long in the culture of what we accepted as a Norm for Christians – that this is all that we can present to a world that is hurting and looking for an answer.

Yes I am still mulling over the message from “The Shack”. In the book it so strongly points to RELATIONSHIPS over INSTITUTIONS. At least that is what I caught. In building the Mega Million Dollar Debt – MMDD places to worship God – I seriously fear that we have lost who he is or what it is all about.

Willie’s story about Mack has deeply stirred me again(in “The Shack”). I have had these thoughts for a long time as I watched corrupted men lead. They bothered me. Now out of the Blue at the right time The Shack has opened a door to much more thought!

Thanks again Brenda! Whoah!

Taking a serious look at the Apis Bull… the Children of Israel did something really stupid… they carried a “whole lot of Bull” along with them!

The church today has carried “a whole lot of Bull” with it as well – into most of what it does. The Bull the church has isn’t the Apis Bull either… it is the power trip Bull, the MMDD Bull, the lack of relationships/look at the back of someone else’s head Bull and think that is Christian.

Not long ago a very mean man died. He thought of himself as a Christian. In fact he shoved and pushed his kind of “christianity” on other people(small c intended). I experienced the wrath that came with my not doing what he stated I should do. I suffered his “meanness” and had to live with it.

This man’s meanness was felt by many. I saw a young person vow that he would never attend church again – or subscribe to that kind of “christianity”. The man was so full of the Bull of Power and Control that it killed others.

It is so sad to see the total affects of all of this Bull. The children of this fellow do not attend church. Why would they?!?

I think God has a problem with THAT kind of BULL in Heaven. And if the person doesn’t get rid of it before they leave… well what are the alternatives…. ??????

Okay, Okay… I am ranting now. The book, “The Shack” and the stories of the Apis Bull, mummification of a Bull, and all the rest has started me thinking again….

Thanks Brenda… sheesh!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
www.murraylincoln.com

Source:
Crossing of the Red Sea
http://www.arkdiscovery.com/red_sea_crossing.htm
Nat Geo Article – Animals Everlasting
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/11/animal-mummies/williams-text
Golden Calf
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246635/jewish/The-Golden-Calf.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_calf
The Apis Bull
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apis_%28Egyptian_mythology%29