Augustine's Argument For the Existence of God

                          Image via Wikipedia

You can read a summary of the argument here:

I would characterize this as a variation on the argument from transcendence: there are immaterial realities "out there" in the cosmos that imply a supremely intelligent being.

Note that this argument, like many, is rooted more in philosophy than reductionist science. Science is a wonderful tool, but those who limit their view of reality to what may be demonstrated in a test-tube are limiting themselves. As someone has said, "if the only tool in your toolkit is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail". If God is in fact a person, it is logical that you would need more than a test tube to discover him. Coming to know God is going to entail both reason and intuition.

"The clues are out there".

And that's the way the Augustinian Ball bounces.

Aquinas, Anselm, Augustine and the Existence of God

I was asked this at another site.

Do you think the classical proofs by Thomas Aquinas, Anselm of Canterbury or Augustin are of help [in demonstrating the rationality of belief in the existence of God]?

I answered thusly:

Yes, I do. Not as rigid mathematical proofs, but for showing the reasonableness of theistic, and specifically Christian, belief.

I came to believe in the existence of God from a very simple teleological argument -- from cartoon to cartoonist; from man, infinitely more complex and valuable than a two-dimensional cartoon, to man's Creator. It may not be philosophically rigorous, but it was persuasive.

The Kalam argument promoted by William Lane Craig is very powerful, and the Argument from Transcendence (the proof from the immaterial existence of Logic) I also find persuasive.

Peter Kreeft in his Handbook of Christian Apologetics, has 20 arguments for the existence of God. Among these, I like the argument from human desire, the moral argument, and the argument from conscience. I suppose you could bundle them all up and create an argument from Coherence -- a theistic belief "makes sense" of the data of life, while an a-theistic belief, to me, is not just highly improbable, but utterly incoherent.

And that's the way the transcendental Ball bounces.

Quote of the Day: Neither Destiny nor Duty

" Man at last knows that he is alone in the unfeeling immensity of the universe, out of which he emerged only by chance. Neither his destiny nor his duty have been written down. The kingdom above or the darkness below: it is for him to choose". -- Jacques Monod

*+*

Jacques Monod was a Nobel Prize-winning French biologist and a friend of Albert Camus. He was a proponent of the view that life on earth arose by freak chemical accident and was unlikely to be duplicated even in the vast universe. Monod believed we are merely chemical extras in a majestic but impersonal cosmic drama—an irrelevant, unintended sideshow.

He used this bleak assessment as a springboard to argue for atheism and the absurdity and pointlessness of existence. (source: adapted from Wik.)

*+*

The question to ask would be, "how does Monod know this"? Does Monod, a finite being, have infinite knowledge? Does he know what he "knows" with scientific certainty, or has he extrapolated from science, a finite enterprise limited to the observable material realm, into the realm of philosophy and thought and the meaning of life?

And that's the way the Ball bounces.

Wanted: A World Sugar-Daddy

"The recent failure of the British Treasury auction, two similar flops in Germany, and a very near miss in the US all prefigure a world with too much debt and too few sugar daddies willing to cover it." -- Mark Steyn

Obama's solution to "too much debt" -- more debt.

When debt is the problem, how can we think that more debt is the solution?

Furthermore, since the West is aborting its future, exactly who do we think we are going to pass the debt on to?

Has the West reached its high-water mark?

Stay tuned...

And that's the way the I-Wish-There-Was-A-Get-Out-Of-Debt-Free-Card Ball bounces.

Thank God For Jews!

"Though Jews make up less than 3% of the U.S. population, they have won more than 25% of the Nobel Prizes awarded to American scientists since 1950, account for 20% of this country's chief executives and make up 22% of Ivy League students...."

Talk about "over-achievers"!

They have excellent pedigrees -- Moses, David, Solomon (wisest man on earth), Saul of Tarsus, and, of course, the greatest Jew who ever lived... Jesus of Nazareth.

Maybe ingesting Scriptures generation after generation is good for your mental development -- now THAT would be a research project!

Or, maybe living according to, or attempting to live according to, God's revelation has a positive effect on one's mental development. Now THAT would be a research project!

Or, maybe because Jews have had to live by their wits among hostile Gentile nations they have developed a superior genetic pool. Now that's a study that will NEVER be done because secular scientists who claim to believe in a darwinian survival-of-the-fittest model for all life in all other contexts absolutely refuse to "go there". All of a sudden, they jump up into the "upper story" (as Francis Schaeffer calls it) and into the "created equal" ethos of Christian thought.


And that's the way the inquiring Gentile Ball bounces.

Who Cares? Americans, That's Who.

David Marshall in The Truth Behind The New Atheism, quoting Arthur Brooks, Who Really Cares?

No European country gives as much, on average as the United States of America.

The closest, Spain, gives less than half.

* Americans give 3 1/2 times as much as the French

* Americans give 7 times as much as the Germans

* Americans give 14 times as much as the Italians

Americans are far more likely to:
* Volunteer
* Help a Stranger
* Give money back when long-changed in a store

Anecdotally, my experience in Africa confirms this. The Americans, Christians, are THERE, with their wealth, their know-how, their energy, and that distinctly American "can-do" spirit.

The world would be an incalculably poorer place, in every way, without the United States of America, and Americans, in it.

Sometimes, this just needs to be said.

And that's the way the Ball bounces.

Apologetics 315

I came across an excellent Christian Apologetics resource site the other day -- lots of links to debates, courses, etc.

Here it is:

http://apologetics315.blogspot.com/

Check it out!

And that's the way the apologetical Ball bounces.

"I am the resurrection and the life"

"Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to... Rise from the Dead the Third Day.

Such was the Son of God's identification with humanity that he became man, lived under the Law, was baptized (though he knew no sin), and experienced death. He went down into death, and came up and out the other side. We do not have this ability within ourselves -- as even atheists will admit!

That is why Jesus, and Jesus alone, can say, "I am the resurrection and the life -- no man comes to the Father, but by me".

If you have no interest or desire to know the Father, or to live in his presence, then this will not concern you. Your wish will be granted by eternal separation from God. But, if you do, Jesus is, most assuredly, the only way, the only provision, to the Father.

And, he assures us, "anyone who comes to me, I will in no way turn away". That's a generous offer.

As a young man, I was saved not by going to church, but by reading and hearing the words of Jesus Christ. They have saving power.

Why? Because he is alive today and speaks today.

"I am the resurrection and the life -- no man [person] comes to the Father, but by me".

I heard Jesus speaking -- I hope you will, too.

And that's the way the Easter Egg bounces.

Who Is This Man?

Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great
and he will divide the spoils with the strong
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

*-*
Who is this talking about?
*-*

This Is Not Right! (A Good Friday Meditation)

On this day, a lord humbled himself and took the form of a servant

- This is not right!

On this day, an innocent man was killed by cruel and unjust men

- This is not right!

On this day, an innocent man died for transgressions he did not commit

- This is not right!

On this day, hands that had healed the sick were pierced with iron nails

- This is not right!

On this day, feet that had travelled to proclaim God's message of reconciliation were nailed to a cross

- This is not right!

On this day, a rebellious world kicked God out of the world he had made

- This is not right!

On this day, God was killed by his creation

- This is not right!

On this day, a son was sacrificed by a father in order to save others outside the family

- This is not right!

"Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to...

TO BE CONTINUED...

A Maundy Thursday Meditation

On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he ate a final meal with his disciples. It was the Jewish Passover, a meal commemorating the Jews' miraculous preservation and deliverance from Egypt. Like all situations Jesus enters, he transformed the Jewish Passover into something wonderfully new, a last supper of the incarnate Son of God with his disciples and friends, prior to his execution.

The clock was ticking.

I remember as a young believer, converted from atheism, being struck by the passage in Luke where Jesus said "with desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you". Jesus, the divine Son of God, desired to have a last meal with his friends and disciples before he laid down his life for each and every one of them.

This last meal is now commemorated as part of Maundy Thursday observances. Maundy is from the Latin word from which we get the English word "mandate"; it means commandment. What was his commandment? That his disciples love one another.

Part of this final gathering was Jesus' act of servanthood, when he took off his outer robes, put on the garb of a servant, and did what a servant of Jesus' day did: he washed the feet of his disciples. And he told us to go and do likewise.

As Christians, we should be people of the cross, yes, but also people of the towel.

We don't always manage to do this, but there it is. Jesus laid down an ethical mandate, an "ought", which is with us still and which, along with the parable of the Good Samaritan, has had a positive leavening effect on society, whether overtly Christian or not. The words of Jesus cannot be taken back. They are "out there". And they have transformed human reality, human society, and, best of all, human hearts.

There never was a person like Jesus. There will never be another like him. Of royal pedigree, he didn't think equality with God something to flaunt, but rather took the form of a human being. Being found in human form, he took the form of a servant. Being found a servant, he did Yahweh's will -- healing the sick, raising the dead, preaching good news to the poor. As the climax of his life of servanthood he become obedient to Yahweh unto death, even unto death on the cross, for wrong-doings he had never done.

And so it is in this context that the Son of Man earnestly desired fellowship with his disciples.

The Bible is full of images of eating as a form of communion and fellowship. It pictures a great banquet to be held when Jesus returns to be reunited with his followers. Christians who commemorate the Lord's death in the Lord's Supper look forward to the day when we will all eat together in that great marriage supper of the Lamb. Meanwhile, since the banqueting table is open to all, we long for others to be drawn in as well, and, in our imperfect attempts at witnessing and apologetics, we seek to point others in the right direction -- the direction of the One who said,

"Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come into him, and he will sup with me and I with him".

May you hear his gentle knocking in your heart.

And that's the way the grateful Ball bounces.

Italians Quake

According to Reuters, an Italian scientist predicted a major earthquake around the Italian city of L'Aquila weeks before the earthquake struck the city on Monday, killing dozens of people. The scientist was duly reported to authorities for spreading panic among the population.

Echoes of the free-speech suppression plaguing Canada, the UK and, coming soon to a legistlature near you, the US.

Mustn't Say Unsettling Things. Unsettling speech might make Italians quake; better wait for the real thing.

This provides us an update to the old chestnut about not yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theatre. Mustn't yell "Earthquake coming!". But what if it turns out to be true?!

Think about it.

It's OK to tell people humankind faces imminent collapse due to global warming, but not to predict a local earthquake.

The scientist would have been better off if he had predicted an earthquake caused by global warming. Then, he would have received media coverage and adoration.

It's not what you say; it's how you say it, and what secular gods you bow down to.

My prediction: Mark Steyn's gonna have something to say about this.

And that's the way the shaken, not stirred, Ball bounces.

King trumps Queen

There's a photo making the rounds of the internet -- you have to hunt for it -- showing Barack Obama bowing before the Saudi King. That's America, the world's superpower, prostrating itself before muscular, oil-wealth Islam. The Saudis spend millions if not billions annually importing Islam to TROTW. The city or state that you live in likely has a mosque built compliments of the Saudis. Islam is on the move, and the accommodating West seems powerless to stop it. Worse, it doesn't even seem to want to.

There's also photos more readily available of Obama and his wife declining, as US protocol demands, to bow before the Queen of England; the Obamas apparently decline to even give the queen a polite nod; in fact, Michelle Obama seriously breaks protocol, not to mention good manners, by bear-hugging the elderly and nearly-frail Queen. "American woman, stay away from me."

All this around the same time Obama's administration handed out a sex phone line number instead of Hillary's.

If George Bush and his wife had done this, they would have been subjected to media ridicule and excoriation.

But the media gives Obama a pass because he is "one of theirs".

It's not just what happens. It's how it's viewed and presented.

And that's the way the Ball genuflects, er, bounces.

What, Me Worry? *Updated*

First Barack Obama gives the British PM a DVD collection of hollywood hit movies in the US/Canada Region One format, which is incompatible with TROTW (the rest of the world), and now he gives the Queen of England (where I am hanging out at the moment), an iPod -- and, according to Drudge, SHE ALREADY HAS ONE.

If he keeps this up, along with everything else that's been going on -- ill-fated appointments, recession profligacy -- Obama is going to quickly go from media poster boy to Alfred E. Newman.

Me? I'm not going to worry about it.

And that's the way mad magazined Ball bounces.

*UPDATE*

Rhode Island should worry. See comments.

Earth Hour Redux

Is it just me, or does Earth Hour seem to swing around sooner each year? At least it's better than New Year's Eve, which doesn't even get underway until midnight. It's hard to stay awake. Earth Hour happened here in Toronto at 8:30 pm and was all wrapped up in, er, an hour.

The City celebrated C02 consciousness by hosting a big electric rock concert. Apparently I'm the only person in Toronto who sees the irony in this.

Me, I forgot all about Earth Hour.

I watched a Monk episode.

Season Four.

Life is good.

And that's the way the Monk-loving Ball bounces.

Is There a Doctor in the House?

North Korea is pointing missiles, peace continues to elude the Middle East, and Fargo is flooded out.

But, enough about that -- let's talk about pizza.

I bought four on-sale frozen pizzas today at Metro. Dr. Oetker's Ristorante Pizza Speciale, Dr. Oektker's Ristorante Pizza Generosa, Dr. Oetker's Casa di Mama Ultimate Pepperoni, and Dr. Oetker's Casa di Mama Ultimate Deluxe.

So, yes, there is a Doctor in the house, or, to be more exact, the freezer.

The weird thing is where these pizzas came from. You would think Canada, maybe the US. But, no. They are from Germany. I can't even imagine the economics or logistics of making these things -- probably in some former derelict munitions plant in the former East Germany -- and then shipping them -- frozen -- all the way to Canada.

But, I guess it's done. Maybe, given the tanking of the Baltic Dry Index, shipping rates have dropped to the point where you can order a take-out pizza from Germany, and they'll deliver free to Canada.

I know I'm going to like them -- each pizza is topped with richly spiced tomato sauce and a delicious blend of mouth watering toppings for the ultimate bold, filling, and satisfying pizza experience.

And that's the way the mouth-watering Ball of pepperoni bounces.

If I have one later today, I'll post an update with the Doctor's prognosis.

*UPDATE*

Meaty. Tasty. Homer Simpson would approve.

What Time Is It?

For the answer, go here:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Right now, there's a four-hour difference between Toronto and London, England. For Charlottetown PEI, (hint: same time zone as Halifax) the difference is only three hours -- that's less than the time zone difference between Charlottetown and Phoenix Arizona, which is currently four hours.

What time is it where you are?!

One Thumb Up, Way Up!

This just in from the National Post--

"A Helsinki software developer who lost his thumb in an accident has replaced it with a prosthetic that doubles as a USB drive. The man's fake thumb looks like a real one, but its nail can be removed plugged into any computer. It can hold up to 2GB of information, photos, music and video.

'When I'm using the USB, I just leave my finger inside the slot and pick it up after I'm ready,' he said."

I'm saying one thumb up, way up, on this one.

The NP went on to add:

"He should meet this Toronto man, who is replacing his missing eye with an embedded webcam."

Wow! I'm gonna keep an eye out for this guy!

And that's the way the thumbs-up! Ball bounces.

The Sky Is Falling! The Sky Is Falling!

Oops. Wrong headline.

Shoulda been: The Ice Is Melting! The Ice Is Melting!

According to the latest AGW reporting, if greenhouse gases rise EVEN SLIGHTLY ocean levels could rise seven metres.

Yikes -- talk about a disproportionate response!

I had no idea we live on such a precarious planet.

Since C02 is generated by the mere act of breathing, I suggest we have a national hold your breath day.

We'll all breath in, and then, just hold it!

And that's the way the barely-breathing Ball bounces.

The US is Going to the Dogs

I'm sitting in the Red Carpet lounge at PHX - Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix. I'm asleep. Because I'm here for an early flight to San Francisco. I'm flying to San Francisco so I can then fly to Toronto.

Don't ask.

At any rate, HLN is on, and the news is weird.

The first article is about Soup Kitchens for Dogs.

I Kid You Not. Well, why not. After all, they're only human. And what dog wouldn't want to slurp up a batch of chicken noodle?

The second article is about service animals -- they're not just dogs anymore. Some are gerbils, apparently. People with service animals have the right to take their service animals everywhere they go -- supermarkets, restaurants, etc. And organizations that "discriminate" face big-time fines and reprimands.

Well, one legally blind gal has a seeing-eye horse. That's horse, as in h-o-r-s-e. There's a shot of her going through a supermarket. The implications of a horse in a supermarket or restaurant are not a pretty sight.

Have a great Sunday.


And that's the way the SFO-bound Ball bounces.

Air Canada says, "Sorry..." *UPDATED*

*UPDATE*

After successfully selecting and reserving my seats on Air Canada, thanks to blogger Bryan, I got an email from Air Canada announcing an "Itinerary Change".

How exciting!

After scanning the new information carefully it appears the only difference is this: Air Canada has overridden my selection of aisle seats and bumped me to window seats for both flights. To add insult to injury, they characterize these new seat assignments as "Seat Selections".

Selections indeed. But, by whom?

And that's the way the bounced Ball bounces.




This is the third time in a row I have been unable to book my seat selection with Air Canada. I took about 10 minutes to scrutinize the seating chart for each flight -- coming and going -- and then selected what I thought was the most advantageous seat for each flight.

I then pressed "Continue".

Here's the message I got:

"Sorry...

Your booking is confirmed. Not all your seating and meal preferences or your special needs could be confirmed. If you wish to confirm your preferences, please contact Air Canada Reservations for assistance. (68004)"

Did they include the number to reach Air Canada Reservations in their message? No, they did not.

The last time I took them up on their suggestion to call Air Canada Reservations for assistance, I was put on hold for 45 minutes, until I finally, sensibly, gave up.

Why do I even bother?

(In fairness to Air Canada, I had a perfectly fine flight up to Toronto today from Phoenix. I managed to cop an unoccupied bulkhead seat. And, I'm thankful for their safety record.)

And that's the way the fly-by-night Ball bounces.

Air Canada and United -- A Partnership that's up in the Air

We flew down in Phoenix on Friday on an Air Canada codeshare flight with United Airlines.

An Air Canada codeshare flight is much better in every way.

The last time I booked Air Canada to Phoenix, I went to the seat assignment screen, pored over the available seats, carefully selected the two I wanted, and, voila!, got a "This operation cannot be completed" message." (When we got to the airport, Air Canada had assigned us seats about 12 rows apart. At least each seat was a middle seat -- you wouldn't want to have to sit by a window or an aisle.)

A codeshare flight is even better. With a codeshare flight, you select seat assignment, and it gives you the "This operation cannot be completed message" right away. This saves time, and you've still got an excellent chance of being assigned middle seats!

When I got to the airport, I had to check in at the United desk, because this wasn't really an Air Canada flight; it was a United flight pretending to be an Air Canada flight. What this means is that the check-in line is much shorter, and the staff friendlier.

I get to the woman checking baggage. She notes my Aeroplan number and the AC-Gold status. I inform her I don't think I'm really gold. She says it's in the computer, so, enjoy it! I used to be Air Canada Super-Elite in the days I flew over 100,000 miles annually with Air Canada. But those days ended shortly after 9/11. Anyway, Air Canada hasn't gotten around to letting United know, so, as far as United is concerned, I'm "Gold". Who am I to argue with the official computers of Air Canada and United Airlines?!

Anyway, because I was Gold, I didn't have to pay the $15/bag that United would have charged. We're up $30!

Plus, I'm told that our seats on the leg down to Phoenix from Denver are booked in the Economy Plus section -- more legroom, and we didn't have to pay the $60 each to get it. I'm up $150!

We get to Denver. I sense the connecting flight to Phoenix is overbooked. I can smell it. There are a bunch of stand-bys, and it's not looking good for them. I sit poised to pounce. The announcement comes on: "Ladies, and gentlemen, we are in an oversold position...". I pounce. I'm at the desk. I'm first in line. We're offered two free round-trip tickets anywhere United flies in the continental US if we are willing to go out on the next flight. I take it.

How do you put a value on them? I would say at least $500 each. So, now we're up $1150.

Downside: a four-hour wait at the Denver airport. Wait? Wait! I'm Gold. I've got Red Carpet lounge privileges. I show my boarding pass. The United guy waves us on through while continuing his phone conversation.

We luxuriate in the Red Carpet lounge.

Wait a minute. What about my car rental? I've booked an off-airport rental with Hertz -- did you know that PHX Phoenix airport has the highest airport car rental fees in the nation? They are unbelievable. There's a city tax and a state tax and a stadium tax and an airport tax and a tax tax, and a -- you get the picture. I'm already saving money by booking off-airport. But now we won't be getting in until later. I've got 16 days on the contract, two efficient 7-day periods, and two extra days at $60/day -- exhorbitant. I do the math. If we can do without a car Friday evening and Saturday, I can re-book the rental for Sunday morning and save $120 minus taxis. Minus $50 for taxis, we'll save another $70.

I redo the Hertz reservation. We end the day up $1220.

To top it off, the United jets were clean and new, and the service was impeccable.

Thanks, United!

All in all, a pretty good travel day.

And that's the way the Ball bounces -- from Toronto to Denver to Phoenix.

Skill-Testing Question

Does this Hillary outfit remind you of anything?

A Seinfeld episode, maybe?

Are You Kidding Me?

The woman was in a public place.

Through no fault of the airline she was late for her own flight. She charged at the staff and went into a frenzy. Her actions were caught by an alert Cathay Pacific employee. The video got posted on YouTube. Millions watched it.

Now, Cathay Pacific has apologized and offered the woman an upgrade on her next flight with Cathay Pacific.

I'm perplexed. The woman was in a public place. She made a public disturbance. She assaulted another woman. She could have held up the entire plane if her baggage had to be removed. And now Cathay Pacific is apologizing because the woman's behaviour was posted on YouTube?

If some action was necessary, shouldn't the woman have been fined and possibly arrested for assault, rather than rewarded with an upgrade and return of frequent flier points?

I could be wrong on this one. Perhaps the video shouldn't have made its way to YouTube and so maybe Cathay Pacific has some sort of liability over this.

Any thoughts?

The Wisdom of Solomon...

A Canadian traveling to the US was recently instructed to turn off the motor of his car by the US Border Guard. He responded by counter-instructing the US Border Guard to say "please". They each repeated their respective demand, back-and-forth, a couple of times. Then the Canadian was pepper-sprayed by the US Border Guard.

Who do you side with on this one?

My verdict: the Border guard.

The rationale:

* Crossing into the US (or any other foreign country) is a privilege, not a right.

* Border crossings in the age of terrorism are not places to fool around. A US border guard faces imminent threats daily. The Canadian may just be making a fuss, or he may be involved in creating a distraction while someone else does something much more serious. The border guard is responsible for resolving the situation rapidly and effectively. His safety, or the safety of his colleagues, may depend on it.

What do you think?

* * *

For what it's worth, I once advised my wife to use the border crossing line up as an opportunity to get rid of some car garbage in a nearby waste bin. When we got up to the border guard, he told us to never, ever, get out of the car again while in line at a border crossing -- we could be shot.

This was just after 9-11. My wife was not amused.

We keep our garbage to ourselves, now.

Another time, we had a huge bag of fresh dog food confiscated. We had repackaged it into an airtight plastic container, and could not prove that it was made in the USA (which it was). Homeland Security -- keeping the USA free from meat products which may contain illicit pork, lamb or beef! The guy dumped it into a huge container. The Port Huron, MI guys must specialize in illicit dog food confiscation. I hope they don't get paid by the pound...

And that's the way the border-crossing Ball bounces.

Ouch!

This from the Cooper Hotel Liquidation website:

*+*

Cooper Hotel Liquidation is best known for this quote:

"For the price of a nights stay, you can purchse the entire contents for you're very own.

*+*

I spot four errors. Can you spot more?

John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Ravi!!!

OK, no Paul, George, or Ringo.

But, Ravi Zacharias and John Lennox WILL be speaking at the Atlanta Civic Center tonite at 7pm (EST) on the topic "Is Faith Delusional"?

For those of us not in the Atlanta area, we can view this event live via their webcast.

Ravi Zacharias is one of the world's top Christian apologists. Let's see: what are his four criteria? Origins, Purpose, Meaning, and Destiny -- I think I got them all. And, John Lennox, as I recall, is a very likable person and persuasive speaker.

Log on to the following link at 7pm (EST) to watch the webcast:

http://wm.thegospel.com/ravi.wmv

Joe Agnost -- you know you want to watch this!

Technical Directions: You will need Windows Media Player (or equivalent) in order to play this webcast. If you want to view the webcast with a Mac (and who doesn't!) and need more information, go to their website:

http://www.rzim.org/USA/Events/CivicCenter2009.aspx

Soooo True.

"Washington is engaged in the doomed project of attempting to re-inflate a credit bubble." -- Mark Steyn

So true.

When TMD (too much debt) got you into the mess you are in, more debt is not the solution.

And that's the way the recessionary Ball bounces.

The Way the Ball Bounces to Africa and Back

The Ball has been bouncing around lately... to Africa, and, now, on my way back!

I'm sitting in the Kilimanjaro Cafe in the Manda Hill Shopping Center in Lusaka, Zambia. The Kilimanjaro has a good, solid internet connection, and a decent cappuccino.

Life is good!

I've just completed a 7-day intensive Apologetics course at the Trans-Africa Theological College in Kitwe, Zambia. We had 31 students this year. For pre-work, I had them read and review The Case for Christ and The Case for Faith, two excellent apologetical books by Lee Strobel. For the exam, I asked them to write on African Apologetics, and an African Response to a Rival Religion On the Ground in Africa.

I got some very thoughtful responses.

Here's a photo I took on the bus trip down to Lusaka this morning. The bus was packed! (They always are -- they don't leave until they are full!).

Update -- can't upload the photo... life IS good; but it's not THAT good!

I'll upload the photo when I can...

And that's the way the stymied Ball bounces.

Oxford, UK

I'm in Oxford England this morning -- except, it doesn't look like this. There's been a huge snowfall across the UK that has impaired or shut things down.

I'll be visiting the OCMS -- Oxford Centre for Mission Studies this morning, and then taking the bus down to Heathrow, Terminal 5 (the new one) for the 10 hour flight down to Lusaka, Zambia. I think I've got a bulkhead seat, which should help with this long, tiring flight down.

And, then -- the brilliance of the African morning sun as the plane disgorges its passengers at the airport terminal. I'll be met by my beloved missionary friends, and the adventure will begin.

First stop -- the Kilimanjaro Cafe in the Manda Hill Mall in Lusaka -- my last, best chance at a decent internet connection before the 5 hour drive up to Kitwe and the copper belt.

I'm Off To Africa

I'm leaving for the UK and Africa today.

I'll be teaching Apologetics at the Trans-Africa Theological College, while visiting an amazing continent with amazing people -- part of God's wonderful world.

I feel the beat, and feel like dancing!

I'll try to post some updates on my other blog -- goodnewsforzambia.blogspot.com, but in the past this has proved difficult.

Meanwhile, stay warm, woodchuck-chuckers!

"Surprising Arizona"

What a super, super, Super Bowl.

A great showing by the upstart Arizona Cardinals.

America at its finest.

Arizona almost had the Superbowl.

Oh, well.

That's the way the footBall bounces.

PS -- we're heading north to Toronto tomorrow on Air Canada after a simply super Phoenix-Tucson vacation.

Love the desert!

The Apostrophe Protection Society Aint Gonna Like This

In Canada, the singing of the national anthem has been banned by a school in New Brunswick. Too controversial.

Meanwhile, across the pond, the Birmingham City Council has declared war on the apostrophe. The council said the move to ban apostrophe's from public sign's had been taken for the purpose's of consistency and to avoid cost's and confusion over whether place name's should ever take an apostrophe.

It's kind of like the Tim Hortons, Wendy's thing. Wendy has one; Tim doesn't -- and they used to be owned by the same company. Yike's!

Mr. John Richards, founder of the Apostrophe' Protection Society, characterized the decision as “absolute defeatism.”

And I could not agree more! Understanding where to place apostrophes is the characteristic of a clear-thinking mind.

Meanwhile, Martin Mullaney, of the city’s transportation scrutiny committee, said Birmingham had been phasing out apostrophe's since the 1950's.

It is my theory that for every dropped apostrophe theres an apostrophe in a place where it doesnt belong. So, it all balance's out in the end.

And thats the way the Ball bounce's.

"It's Cold Out There, Woodchuck-Chuckers!"

Down here in Phoenix, the sun is shining, the sky is blue, and all is well.

I understand that those unfortunates in the more north-easterly parts are experiencing a bit of cold. Fear not! Joe Agnost is on the earth to assure you all, as you shiver in your without-power homes that this is just a spot of weather you are experiencing. The over-arching story, the Big Story, is that the globe is warming, it's got a fever, it's on fire!

And, if you think it's cold out now (that's weather), just imagine how much colder it would be, if not for the warming planet (that's climate!).

Joe offers climate lessons for $5. I've just had my first lesson.

I feel like a Mel Bay student after lesson one. I can name the six strings!

And that's the way the chillin' in Phoenix Ball bounces.

Here's A Good One...

Two York University students from Nigeria have been charged with fraud after someone made off with $115,000 in unauthorized withdrawals from a TD Bank account.

According to the National Post, someone threatened a TD employee working at a Pickering branch with death and received confidential banking information from her.

Police tracked the suspects to a Toronto home, raided the place, and seized thousands of blank business cheques, high-end printers and counterfeit Canada Post stamps. They also found dozens of business cheques believed stolen, letters to be mass-mailed regarding a fake lottery win, and personal information from thousands of people across the country and in the U.S.

It's the Nigerian scam imported to Canada.

Ah, the joys of Canadian multiculturalism.

The Thousand Year Global Warming Reich

The ingenuity of global warming alarmists never ceases to amaze me.

I mean, where do you go after you've said that

a) the earth is warming,

b) the earth "has a fever",

c) the earth "is on fire",

d) "we have five (eight, fifteen - whatever) years to save the planet,

and we face

e) massive flooding of coastal areas,

f) death of untold numbers of species,

g) increased tree mortality rates,

h) the melting of the Arctic and Antartica,

i) increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes

j) the traumatic death of hapless ice-flow polar bears,

j) extinction

AND IT'S ALL OUR FAULT !!!!

and people still aren't willing to hand over their their wealth, their lifestyles, and their futures to the scientific-social-political elite?

How about a 1,000 year global warming reich, and dust bowls. That's right, dust bowls, like right out of the 1930s.

The damaging effects of climate change are now declared to be "irreversible", according to the Ms. Susan Solomon of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who defines irreversible as lasting a thousand years.

She also poses the threat of US 1930s-style dust bowls across specified parts of Europe, Africa, North America, and Australia.

“This aspect is one that is poorly appreciated by policy makers and the general public and it is real,” said Mr. Trenberth, who was not part of the research group.

No, it is not "real". It is a prediction. It is only as good as the reliability of the prediction. And futuristic climate science is a very imprecise science indeed; driven not by objective science but to at least some extent by rapacious funding grants, egos, and anti-western ideology -- we have been very, very bad people to invent the internal combustion engine and to develop and use gas to drive our cars and coal to fuel our homes and electrical generation plants to provide a comfortable life -- we should be punished.

The research in Ms. Solomon's report was supported by the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy. And was done, we should remind ourselves, during George Bush's tenure in office.

Which should be enough in itself to entirely discredit the report in the minds of many.

And that's the way the bowled-over Ball bounces.

The Silver Lining: Global Warming Extends Life-Expectancies!!!

According to groundbreaking new U.S. research, life-expectancies have been rising over the past few decades by about three years, with five months of that attributable to environmental factors. Since we all know that the globe has been warming during this period, and since anything bad that happens gets attributed to global warming, we should be able to safely attribute anything good, such as longer longevity, to global warming as well. Now that's good news!

And, it gets even better! Since the planet is warming, has a fever, is on fire, and is about to go nuclear, this means we are going to live longer and longer and longer. We're gonna live foreverrrrrrrrr!!!!

Wait a minute. The study doesn't attribute increased longevity to global warming, but to improved air quality in US cities. Improved air quality? You mean to tell me that all the time that environment-hating George Bush was in office, the air in US cities was getting slowly and steadily better? The sneak! Has he no shame?

I'm all for good science, and good environmental practices -- such as working to eliminate pollutants (real pollutants, not life-giving C02). Clean air is good!

And that's the way the breathing easier Ball bounces.

Now, everybody take a deep breath.

Global Warming Death Rise: Oh, the Inhumanity!

We're still down here in Phoenix, enjoying that lucky old sun. USA Today has a blaring headline today reporting that deaths due to global warming are up more than 100% across Western US states.

If that isn't alarming enough, expert alarmist Phillip van Mantgem of the alarmingly alarmist U.S. Geologic Survey says, "Very likely the mortality rate will continue to rise".

Deaths have more than doubled. The mortality rate is on the rise. And becoming risier by the day. And it's all because you continue to drive your stupid car and buy your stupid food at the grocery store and obstinately refuse to adopt a more earth-friendly hunter-gatherer lifestyle!

But wait a minute. Didn't we report recently that more Americans die from excessive cold than excessive heat? What's going on here?

What's going on is this: the USA Today article dealing with deaths, death-rates, and mortality-rates is not talking about human beings (that's so passe). No, they are talking about something that matters, are you ready for this, trees. Trees. We're talking arbicide, not homicide.

Still, using the language of human mortality is a pretty catchy hook. I predict journalists are gonna fall for the hook, hook, line, and sinker.

But what about the "happening faster than expected" alarmist sub-text? Surely they didn't miss a chance to throw that in? Not at all. Right on schedule, here it is:

"Climate changes in mountain regions... are occurring at a much faster pace than has generally been recognized."

Did you catch that? It's not just climate change -- that we could handle. It's climate changes!!!!!!! And THEY are happening at a much faster pace than we thought. They are happening so fast, I find myself having to type faster jst 2 kp up.

So, there it is. Yesterday, we were merely doomed. Now, we are not only doomed, we are doomeder heading for doomedest.

Meanwhile, Drudge is reporting today that a Pew poll has global warming rated dead last as an American priority.

Dead last! Now that's a global warming death statistic even I can get behind.

And that's the way the still-cruising-after-all-these-years Ball bounces.

Global Warming Causes Insanity!!!!

Flint Michigan's John Tomlinson says we should pray for global warming.

How deluded is that?!

Even worse, he thinks it's cold outside !!!

Clear evidence that global warming cause insanity.

Actually, we've known that for some time -- they're called C02 offset credits.

And that's the way the C02-friendly Ball bounces.

Four More Years!

A year of two ago Al Gore said we had eight or maybe it was 10 years to save the planet. To which I said, "Great". Eight more years of global warming hysteria and then we can all get on with living our lives on this frying pan of a planet called Earth. I've got it marked on my calendar, so I'll know when the jig is up.

News today is even better.

Global warming alarmist-in-chief Jim Hansen has announced that President Barack Obama, will have exactly four years to save the world from the destruction of global warming. Four more years! Four more years! Then we can get on with living our wretched little lives without being bombarded with bombastic bumpf from the bombastic buffoons of bumpf over there in the global warming corner.

So, I've got no problem with the four-year timeline. It's an improvement over Gore!

But it does seem just a little too convenient that Barack Obama has exactly the next four years -- exactly one full term in office -- to save the world. If he had six years, he couldn't do it without re-election; if he had three years, he would have a year left to twiddle his thumbs (creating environmentally-friendly energy while emitting scant extra C02 from the exertion involved).

But no, in the grand unfolding of the cosmos, Barack gets inaugurated into a four-year term this week, and then he has exactly four years to save the world!

Message to Obama: forget about the economy. Forget about the threat of the economic collapse of the western world. Forget about the threat of Islamic terrorism and oppression. Forget about all the people who don't have enough to eat now. What's any of that when the planet is on fire, and you only have four years to SAVE THE WORLD !!!!!!!!!

* * *

Four years from now the alarmists will be saying the anomalous cool spell has given us a reprieve, and we now have... four more years.

And that's the way the cool-as-a-cucumber Ball bounces.

Canadian Geese, Whaaa?

I heard the news today. Oh boy! An American announcer down here referred to the birds that got sucked into the engines of the US Airways jet as "Canadian Geese".

"Canadian Geese"?! Doesn't everybody know that the bird is a Canada Goose, and when you've got more than one, you've got Canada Geese?!

Come to think of it, why hasn't PETA come to the defense of the innocent Canada Geese whose lives were so cruelly snuffed out by the US Airways jet? Is it because they were "Canadian" Geese? Is this a racist thing?

Gotta tell ya. My self-esteem is shot and I am insulted, insulted I tell you, that my identity as a Canadian has been so savagely trashed.

Somebody better build me a basketball court and fast, or there's no telling what I may do.

And that's the way the made-in-Canada Ball bounces.

Global Warming: An Opportunity That's For The Birds

I'm going out on another limb. The miracle on the Hudson -- the rescue of the 155 lives from the downed US Airways plane -- has caught America's/the world's attention. The crash itself is being blamed on birds.

I'm predicting that at some point in all of this an alarmist will blame the increase in birds on global warming. What better disaster scenario than planes falling from the sky -- all because you drove your SUV to the Circle-K for a root beer and failed to get rid of all your 100 Watt light bulbs?

And that's the way the I'm-drinking-something-called-Diet-Dr.-Thunder-Ball bounces (in Phoenix).

Christianity vs. Militant Islam -- Explained

An airplane filled with 155 Americans crashed into the Hudson River today after take-off from LaGuardia. Militant Islamist: "Praise Allah!"

All 155 human lives were saved. Christian: "Praise the Lord!"

All human life is precious in God's sight. God does not desire the death of the wicked, but rather that everyone repents and believes on the Provision that he has made.

"It's Cold Out There, Woodchuck-Chuckers!"

Global warming continues to wreak havoc with weather around the world. Flinty Flint Michiganers are hunkering down. Flint just broke a 95 year old record for heat. No, make that cold. And, change global warming to climate change.

Meanwhile, over in Madison Wisconsin, civic officials are drafting draconian measures to deal with the global warming planet-is-on-fire emergency -- measures which include plans for food shortages, a fuel-less USA, etc. I think Madison is also the marijuana capital of the USA, but I could be wrong on that.

At any rate, I suggest they take the plans and use them for fuel.

And that's the way the luxuriating in Phoenix, AZ (where it's warm) Ball bounces.

PS. Our Air Canada jet was unable to take off from Toronto yesterday morning -- it was frozen. The water lines in the jet were frozen, and, when these were investigated, they discovered the extreme cold had caused a fuel line leakage. Our 9:15 am. flight left for sunny Phoenix 5 1/2 hours after scheduled departure. But we did arrive safely. For which we are thankful.

Global Warming: Upping the Ante

Because the world is pretty much busy getting on with living its life and ignoring the global warming doomsayers, global warming alarmists have learned that the only way to get fresh media attention is to up the ante with ever more alarming alarmist alarms.

The good news is the alarming alarmist alarms should not be a cause for alarm; they should be recognized for what they are: propaganda; over-heated (if you will pardon the expression) rhetoric.

The latest to weigh in is Hillary Clinton.

According to Hillary, the world, because of global warming, faces wars over food, wars over water, wars over arable land. Followed by extinction.

Extinction. She actually said that. "It threatens our very existence".

About the only thing the alarmists have left I figure is nuclear annihilation. I'm not sure if nuclear annihilation is actually worse than extinction, because extinction sounds pretty damaging and permanent, but nuclear annihilation at least sounds worse and is dramatic and plays into existing doomsday fears. So I might as well go first, get it on record and save the alarmists some effort. So, here goes:

"Because of global warming, we face the prospect of nuclear annihilation". There. I said it.

You saw it here first.

And that's the way the going-out-on-a-limb Ball bounces.

Phoenix Looking Good!

We are headed to Phoenix today. Thought I should check the weather. Here it is:


Weather forcast for Phoenix, AZ

22°C | 5°CWed

22°C | 5°CThu

22°C | 5°CFri

22°C | 4°C

I'm guessing it's going to be around 22°C (72°F)

An Ice Age Is A Nice Age

Apparently Russian scientists haven't got the message about anthropogenic global warming (AGW).

Pravda is reporting (and has it ever been wrong) that we're on the brink of an Ice Age which could last 100,000 years. Don't count on the environmentalists to be alarmed. Unless it could somehow be attributed to western economic success and capitalism, they would probably insist that we do nothing, since this is merely nature doing its thing.

Meanwhile, Al Gore is advocating civil disobedience to ensure that no new coal plants are built. I guess there's already enough to supply his Tennessee mansion.

And that's the way the snow Ball bounces.

Global Warming Causes Body-rings to Melt!!!

Global Warming Causes Body-rings to Melt!!!

Wait a minute. Did I say melt? I meant freeze.

Slovenia registered its lowest temperatures ever, as in Ev-er.

Germany's meteorological institute is warning that metal "earrings" on people’s bodies could freeze.

Ouch!

I'm getting rid of my nose ring, pronto!

And that's the way the warm-as-ice Ball bounces.

Bundle up, Wisconsin woodchuck-chuckers, it's cold out there!

Dateline Oshkosh, Wisconsin:

39 inches of snow.

Average temperature 15.8 degrees F. 6.3 degrees below normal for December. Nine days with below zero temperatures.

The 10th coldest December since weather records began in the 1880s.

If someone doesn't get a handle on global warming soon, we're all going to freeze to death!

Bundle up, woodchuck-chuckers, it's cold out there!

And that's the way the icecube Ball bounces.

"It's Cold Out There, Woodchuck-Chuckers!" *Updated*

I recently gave up posting satirical observations on the whole global warming frenzy. It just got too easy. Two, three, four, even five items a day that ran counter to the mainstream narrative that the planet was over-heated, had a fever, and was on fire.

I assumed that global warming alarmists would just hunker down while reciting their mantra over chattering teeth, "when it's hot it's climate, when it's cold, it's the weather".

But I want to mention this one: Right now it's 78 degrees below zero in Alaska. Seventy-eight degrees below zero. Canadians will say, "ah, but what is that in Celsius??? My friend, at -78 degrees, I don't think it much matters. You better hope that your Stanfields were inspected by No. 10 on a good day and that your wife doesn't lock you out of the house.

One more thing. It's been reported that more people die in North America from cold than heat. The environmentalists hope it stays that way.

And that's the way the frozen-north Ball bounces.

*Update*

The current temperature in Tok, Alaska has risen to -40 C.

Proof that the planet is warming and global warming is real.

WhY WorrY? Be An Atheist

The Globe and Mail has an article on the advantages of atheism.

Here's my response:

Fearing where you may end up is a perfectly valid reason to turn from sin to God. Jesus, faithful man that he was, spoke more of hell than heaven. He wasn't called "Saviour" for nothing. And he didn't endure the cross just for the fun of it.

The fallacy of thinking you should just get on with "being good for goodness' sake" is the idea that a person can be truly good without God's help. We sin in deed, word, and thought, making us utterly unworthy of, undeserving of, and unsuited to God's heaven. To think otherwise is astonishingly misguided and misapprehending of our human condition.

That God has made a way for us is good news. That man should say one way isn't broad enough, or this way isn't the way we had in mind, is the height of arrogance -- the reason we are in this mess in the first place.

And that's the way the Ball bounces.

Global Warming's Perpetual Emotion Machine

According to the latest at Toronto's Globe and Mail, planet Earth faces a “perpetual food crisis” because global warming will "likely" lead to massive widespread crop failures "possibly" as early as 2040 to 2060.

Why worry about real, actual people who haven't got enough to eat now, when you can worry about "likely", "maybe", "might-happen" shortages 50 years out?

If it's not driven by western/white guilt, we're not interested.

Not Just Your Average Joe

"Bean" thinking about buying a cappuccino maker but wondering if it's a good use of our discretionary cash, whether it makes good investment sense, etc. Bean dragging my feet on it for a year. Unlike Chicago school bureaucrats who, as reported on Drudge, just went out and bought 30 cappuccino/espresso machines for $67,000.

30 machines for $67,000 !!! Do you see how much easier it is when you are spending someone else's money?!?

But not everyone was as pumped as they obviously were: "We... look at it as a waste of money because the schools... weren't prepared to implement them into the curriculum".

Implement them into the curriculum? Cappuccino machines are part of the curriculum? The schools weren't ready for them? Do they need to hire consultants to get to ready? For $67,000 USD I will develop a kick-bean, double-shot cappuccino readiness-plan -- hold the froth!

As a bonus, I'll throw in teaching the kids how to spell "curriculum" and "cappuccino" at no extra charge.

It's probably more than they're getting now.

And that's the way the caffeinated Ball bounces.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

For the last eight years Foreign Affairs has formally advised Canadians to stay out of Gaza.

Many Canadians have chosen to ignore these warnings.

As a result, since June 2007 Canada has launched not one or two or three but six operations to get one hundred and fifty five Canadians out of Gaza. I assume that these efforts are paid for by taxpayers and that the government is not reimbursed for its efforts.

If so, my question is this: who are these people, and why are we paying to assist in their removal from Gaza when they have been warned to stay out?

Hockey Night in Punjabi

Every once in a while I have a "this can't be real/this can't be happening" moment. A couple of years back, it was "Little Mosque on the Prairies". The first time I saw the ad for this show, I assumed someone had hacked the CBC site, but no, this was real and the folks at CBC are now mighty proud of their little comedy piece about those wacky Muslims.

Tonight was another one of those moments.

I was trying to find out the schedule for the next Canada Juniors hockey game. I ended up at cbcsports.ca. And what did I see? Hockey Night in Canada -- in Punjabi. Punjabi? Canada's taxpayer-funded network is spending taxpayer funds to broadcast in Punjabi?! This is, apparently, in addition to broadcasting in Mandarin. A CBC spokesperson said how proud he was that the CBC was opening Canada's game to new audiences. Opening the game to new audiences? You mean the punjabi-speaking immigrants can't speak either English or French, and the CBC feels obligated to serve them hockey in their native language?

If there are immigrants who need hockey in Punjabi because they can't speak English, shouldn't the taxpayers' money be spent to teach immigrants, you know, English and French?

I still haven't been able to figure out when the next Canada Juniors game is. Maybe if I learned Punjabi....

And that's the way the English-speaking Ball bounces.

"Too Early For Flapjacks?"

Here I am all bundled up in my L.L. Bean, along with the view from our back "sunroom" window this fine New Year's Day morning.

Thank you, God, for a wonderful world!

We went for New Year's Day "flapjacks" at the Charlottetown Hotel this morning -- through the ice and snow and wintry weather. With my size fourteens, I was the good king Wenceslas to my wife's Page.

I think we saw an Al Gore snowman on the way, but it may have been an eliptical allusion.

* * *

A New Year's Day Prayer: "God, you are God. May you display your divine power on Earth in 2009 -- in the realms of government, science, economics, and religion. Truly, only You are God. And with the advent of this new year, we take a step closer to the moment when [spoiler alert] Christ returns to establish his righteous rule on Earth."

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Happy New Year!

A Mike Duffy Sighting

PEI is a small place. We were eating with friends once and the Premier of the province walked in. As I recall, we didn't even bother acknowledging him in our conversation. It's a small place and even prominent people are "locals" who are likely to drop in for a coffee.

Which brings me to Mike Duffy, PEI's newest Senator and one of the Harper Eighteen. We spotted Senator Duffy yesterday at the Charlottetown Hotel. We went over and congratulated him on his appointment and I gave him a complimentary copy of my Christian CD "Love Lifted Me" (www.firesong.ca).

He and his posse of close relatives could not have been more gracious.

A good pick by a good Prime Minister.

!!! Storm Surge Warning !!!

There's a storm surge warning in effect for all of Prince Edward Island -- the entire island !!!. I know this is all my fault -- we should have changed our bulbs to low-C02, and we didn't. Curse you, global warming!

This may be my LAST POST. If you don't hear from me, you'll know what happened. My final words. Agnostic Joe, there IS A GOD. (And no, his name is not Al Gore !!!)

The wind is howling. I think I see the waters rising.

This could be it.

Glug.

Glug.

STORM SURGE WARNING: Queens County Issued at 3:23 PM AST SUNDAY 21 DECEMBER 2008
WATER LEVELS UP TO 1 METRE ABOVE NORMAL ALONG WITH POUNDING SURF EXPECTED ON MONDAY. THIS IS A WARNING THAT ELEVATED COASTAL WATER LEVELS ARE EXPECTED IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EAST OF NEW YORK AT FORECAST TIME IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY INTENSIFY THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT WHILE FOLLOWING A TRACK THAT WILL TAKE IT THROUGH THE GULF OF MAINE LATE THIS EVENING AND INTO THE GULF OF ST LAWRENCE ON MONDAY. SNOW WILL BEGIN LATER THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE UNTIL THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ARE FORECAST TO BE BETWEEN 20 AND 30 CENTIMETRES FOR THE ISLAND. ALSO STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS NEAR 100 KM/H ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM. THESE STRONG WINDS COMBINED WITH SNOW WILL PRODUCE BLOWING SNOW GIVING REDUCED VISIBILITIES. THE SNOW IS EXPECTED TO END OVERNIGHT AND CHANGE BRIEFLY TO RAIN IN THE EAST AS WARMER AIR IS PUSHED IN WITH THIS SYSTEM BY DAWN MONDAY. THE WARM-UP WILL BE SHORT-LIVED AS COLD AIR RETURNS MONDAY MORNING. AS THE LOW MOVES OVER THE GULF OF ST LAWRENCE LATER MONDAY STORM SURGE CONDITIONS WILL OCCUR OVER THE COASTAL AREAS OF PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND (PARTICULARLY THE NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT SIDE) WITH HIGH WATER LEVELS AND POUNDING SURF CAUSING COASTAL EROSION.

Coastal Erosion? Yikes! We live NEAR THE COAST. Our house, our home, my CDs, my DVDs, all going, going...


http://tinyurl.com/9mu3s4

Gl...

Conspiracy Theories: Did Muntadhar al-Zaidi Act Alone??

As published in today's National Post Letters section...

The tapes of the George Bush shoe incident were clearly doctored. No one could get off two good throws in under three seconds. The evidence is overwhelming. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there was a second shoe-ter.

Intelligently Designed, or Lucky Pond Scum?

What the PM Should Do: Senate Full-Stack

PM Harper should appoint to the Senate every person who has been the victim of a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case.

This would include Ezra Levant, Mark Steyn, Stephen Boissoin, Scott Brockie, and Chris Kempling for starters.

We would then have a Senate stacked with persons who understand the fragility of our fundamental rights and the oppressive tendencies of state-sponsored ideologues.

GM and a Street Called Dead: A Question For The CAW

The CAW spokesman is speaking on TV. He's the guy who says the unions have contributed nothing -- nothing -- to the problems of the Big Three - GM, Ford, Chrysler. I have a question for him:

Should financial bailouts be also offered to the non-union Canadian auto industries, e.g, Toyota, etc.? Are they not just as entitled to a bailout as the CAW unionized shops?

If not, why not?

Meanwhile, Mark Steyn weighs in:

"Detroit was the industrial powerhouse of the world fifty years ago. Now it’s a basket case. They did that to themselves. There’s no reason for Congress to collude in doing it to the rest of America."

GM and a Street Called Dead: Mexico Rising

We're Number Three!

According to today's Globe and Mail --

"Mexico has knocked Ontario off its perch as North America's pre-eminent auto-producing area.... Mexico's rise means that for the first time ever, Canada has declined to No. 3 behind the U.S., which leads, and Mexico."

First, the UAW/CAW wanted its workers to be paid unheard-of wages for working.

Then, they wanted to be paid for not-working (lay-offs, plant shut-downs, etc.).

Then, they wanted early retirement and inflation-guaranteed pensions.

The trajectory of their demands was that they wanted to be paid an infinite amount for doing infinitely little.

They enjoyed these excessive benefits for a generation. They should be grateful for them. But, as someone has said, "all good things must come to an end". And that time has come.

Why shouldn't impoverished Mexicans have their chance at a better life? Maybe, just maybe, instead of hating the company that feeds them, they will be grateful.

I wish the members of the UAW and the CAW, and the communities they live in, well. But, the writing's on the wall.

It's time to start preparing for a career outside of GM, Ford, and Chrysler. Brush up on your marketable skills. Put on your best game-face. And start looking.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Inimitable Mark Steyn

"In the year ahead, NRO will be your one-stop shop for a narrow doctrinaire tightly defined brand-new moderate centrist extremist fundamentalist neo-theo paleo-Palin transnational isolationist Beltway-elitist swamp-dwelling country-club oogedy-boogedy RINO-squish redneck girlyboy gun-nut big-tent wide-stance reform conservatism we believe can sweep the nation. And we’ll be hammering out this exciting new platform in real time, right here, around the clock."

There is only one Mark Steyn.

The Sloppy Logic Of Global Warming Alarmism

Is it sloppy thinking, sloppy reporting or sloppy science?

According to the latest article at livescience, Scientists have proved "beyond a doubt that global warming is real. Now they have to figure out just what to do about it."

No, they don't. If all they've done is prove that global warming is real, they have to next prove that a) mankind is the dominant cause of this warming, b) this warming is harmful to the planet on a net basis, and c) combating this warming is possible, feasible and desirable.

Anything else is just sloppy alarmism.

The article goes on to talk about a new treaty to control the emission of greenhouse gases, "which have grown by 70 percent since 1970."

No, they haven't. Another sloppy, misleading statement.

What's missing is the key qualifier "manmade" in front of "emission". And then this manmade portion, which has allegedly grown by 70%, should be shown for what it is -- a tiny sliver of the overall greenhouse gases produced by this gorgeous planet.

The article is at:

http://tinyurl.com/5qkcks

For a dissenting view, go here:

http://tinyurl.com/5laabm

h/t Drudgge

Islamophobia vs. Amishophobia

Militant and even supposedly moderate Muslims complain at every turn about "Islamophobia". It's a complaint that Canada's Human Rights Tribunals are very sympathetic towards -- Must Not Tolerate Islamophobia. Must Process Each Complaint Of Islamophobia.

Well, what about the Amish -- you know, those weird fundamentalist religious dudes in the strange black clothing who offered unqualified forgiveness to the crazed shooter who recently shot up their school and killed their kids.

Why is it that Canada is (supposedly) plagued with Islamophobia and not a peep about Amishophobia?

What could the difference possibly be?