Of Summertime, Dragonflies, and Little Girls

Tags

CA., Crestline, dragonflies, Lake Gregory, neon blue dragonfly, orange dragonfly, Photography, summertime joys

The Captain, originally uploaded by Shirley Buxton.

After last week’s Wednesday night service, Jerry and I drove to Crestline, getting to bed around 2:00 am on Thursday.  We were delighted that Melody, one of our neighbors here in Lake Havasu went with us. We spent a couple of cool, wonderful days with the thrust of our time–at least for Melody and me–being spent in scouting around the countryside experimenting with photography. We’re both enthusiastic amateurs. My favorite shot is this orange dragonfly. I love this picture. Click on it to go to Flickr where you can see a larger version and where you will observe his little “feet” clamped around the stick, and his “hands” clasping the “steering wheel.”

On our way home from Lake Gregory on Friday I spied these two little girls playing in the water. I checked with their dad and he said, “Sure you may take a picture of them.” The picture is not too good as I was standing above them, but it made me happy to see those children playing, probably  with few cares in this world.

It’s summer. Relax, gad about, have fun…and for a few minutes or an hour or two, try to forget your troubles. Admire a dragonfly. Stop to watch little girls who play on the sandy shores of Lake Gregory…or on one of the ocean beaches, or a riverbank near you.

Edit: Wednesday evening   Jay, take a look at these. I’m really wanting a good picture of one of these neon blue dragonflies, but so far I have not had a spectacular shot.

Just a fair shot in my opinion.

Now this one up here, though not very colorful, is talented–an acrobat. Is this the kind you have in your neck of the woods, Jay?

// <![CDATA[//

One more long blue one. Look closely and you will see his gossamer wings folded neatly.

Racism In Tennessee

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racism, Sherri Goforth, Tennessee Senate

Her name is Sherri Goforth and she has been working for the Tennessee State Senate for 20 years, reportedly with a stellar record. But if this report is accurate–and I have no reason to believe otherwise–she has acted in an irresponsible and disrespectful manner. It seems she sent an e-mail featuring a picture of two cartoon eyeballs set against a black background and meant to depict President Obama. The image featured a succession of presidents in dignified and stately positions until the final picture of Obama. She has acknowledged her bad decision and apologized for the offensive nature of the e-mail.

Awful. I wish these things did not happen.

Source: Fox News

Click here to read more on the story from The Tennessean.

ABC from Inside the White House? Terrifiying

Tags

ABC, liberties, stolen liberties

Can this possibly be true? I do not understand what is going on in our country! Government owned banks, automotive plants…and now news stations run from inside the White House? What gives with this? Ever watchful must we be. This is our country with freedom and glory purchased at bloody price. We must not sit in uncomprehending complacence as degradative change snatches away our liberties and silences our voices. If this report is true, it is terrifying.

ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA; NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE
Tue Jun 16 2009 08:45:10 ET

On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care -- a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm!

Highlights on the agenda:

ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House.

The network plans a primetime special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.

MORE

Late Monday night, Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Ken McKay fired off a complaint to the head of ABCNEWS:

Dear Mr. Westin:

As the national debate on health care reform intensifies, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with ABC's astonishing decision to exclude opposing voices on this critical issue on June 24, 2009. Next Wednesday, ABC News will air a primetime health care reform “town hall” at the White House with President Barack Obama. In addition, according to an ABC News report, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, WORLD NEWS, NIGHTLINE and ABC’s web news “will all feature special programming on the president’s health care agenda.” This does not include the promotion, over the next 9 days, the president’s health care agenda will receive on ABC News programming.

Today, the Republican National Committee requested an opportunity to add our Party's views to those of the President's to ensure that all sides of the health care reform debate are presented. Our request was rejected. I believe that the President should have the ability to speak directly to the America people. However, I find it outrageous that ABC would prohibit our Party's opposing thoughts and ideas from this national debate, which affects millions of ABC viewers.

In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda. If that is the case, this primetime infomercial should be paid for out of the DNC coffers. President Obama does not hold a monopoly on health care reform ideas or on free airtime. The President has stated time and time again that he wants a bipartisan debate. Therefore, the Republican Party should be included in this primetime event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime.

Respectfully,
Ken McKay
Republican National Committee
Chief of Staff

Source: Drudge

God’s Ordinary Extraordinary People

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extraordinary people, God's church, musicians, praise singers, San Diego, San Jose, workers for God

There are some wonderful people in this world. One of them is Lisa, who for several months now–at her own expense–has, almost every Sunday, flown from San Jose to San Diego to be in service with Andrew at his church, and to take care of all the music. I’m not exactly sure of everything she does, but I know she works with the praise singers, teaches new songs, gives piano lessons and plays the keyboard for the worship service. Flies down Sunday morning, and back home Sunday evening. Is that not the most unselfish, awesome thing.

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had occasion to think of people who work so hard for God, and who often get little recognition. Now I understand that when we sincerely work for God it is not to gather the applause of men, nor to have our names blazed across newspapers or scribed on magazine covers or beamed over the internet. But I don’t think it hurts to consider those who on a consistent basis live sacrificial lives that serve to propagate the Gospel…and to benefit mankind in general.

I’ve learned of a little known preacher, who will probably never grace the platform of a general conference, nor is one who flies cross-country on a regular basis, nor one who is likely to preach at his district camp meeting, who in the past few days was directly led by God to minister to another pastor and to another church. As he prayed in his own church, God spoke to him: “Go to ___________.” The service was in progress at the church where the minister was directed to go, and that frustrated pastor strongly felt to wait–just wait. Do nothing. He waited in silence, the entire congregation merely sitting still. Then the auditorium door opened and the first minister walked in…and ministered to the pastor and to the entire congregation.

Their names may never be known, their deeds little published, but God has a mighty arsenal of ordinary, extraordinary people. Thank you.

Happy Birthday to the Masche Sextuplets

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Masche 2nd birthday, Masche sextuplets on Today Show, Masche sextuplets pictures, Masche sextuplets turn two, multiple births, sextuplets

Today is their birthday. Two years ago in Phoenix, six tiny Masche babies were born–all healthy. They live here in Lake Havasu, but I have never seen them. Sure hope I come across them in the grocery store or somewhere. Adorable, aren’t they. Happy birthday babies!

Source: ETonline.com

More pictures here.

Sad

Tags

AZ., divorce, Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu City, library, marriage

A couple of hours ago in the library checkout line, I stood behind a cheerful looking group consisting of two fairly young, attractive women, with five well-dressed children–children ranging from 5 or 6 to 10 years old, I would say. The women were conversing as I joined the line.

“Well, did you get remarried,” said one lady to the other.

“Uhh, no. I didn’t. But we have two kids together.”She waved a hand toward a couple of the youngsters.

“Same with me. We have three. I’ll never get married again.”

It made me sad.

It made me sad because of the children. It made me sad because of their daddies. It made me sad because of their mommies. It made me sad because of their pappys and of their grannys. It made me sad because of our country. It made me sad because of our world. It made me sad because of God’s Word.

IQ

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2-year-old genius, England, intelligence quotient, IQ, IQ tests, London, superior IQ

An old saw goes something like “Every crow thinks hers is the blackest” referring I suppose to the understanding that most parents see their offspring as exceptional; beautiful and intelligent. Truth be known, most children are average. Has to be that way, doesn’t it, given the definition of average. It’s just that as parents we are sure ours are the exceptional ones, our children leaving the average in the dust. Come around then to asking grandparents about their little gaggle, and scores burst off the charts.

Enter Karina Oakley, 2 years old, who lives near London and who along with professor Stephen Hawking and Microsoft founder Bill Gates has an IQ of 160. Not just according to her mother, who had noted her daughter’s exceptional language and memory skills, but determined by a 45-minute IQ test in which she was challenged in verbal ability, memory, handling a pencil and numbers and shapes.

At the end, the professor found that she had a special bias towards words, with a ‘wonderful imagination’.

‘Karina is a lovely, responsive and friendly little girl,’ said Professor Freeman. ‘She is more than very bright and capable, she is gifted.’

The professor noted that Karina gave imaginative responses to questions. For instance when asked, ‘What do you use your eyes for?’ she answered, ‘You close them when you go to sleep’ and then also said, ‘You put your contact lenses in them’.

Source: Mail Online

I’m curious today about your thoughts concerning IQ. How important do you consider a person’s intelligence? Does a brilliant person make for a “better” person? Do they accomplish more? Are they more dependable? How about character and integrity? In your opinion, is there any correlation? Are such people happier than us average ones? Less happy?

I’ve confessed before to my enjoyment of working with bright youngsters; those with keen eyes, an awareness of their surroundings, full of questions (so that you’re driven nearly batty, at times), an ability to understand nuance and abstract thought. I love that. On the other hand, I’ve known Down’s Syndrome children who are loving, who make me laugh, and who are exceptionally musical. And I’ve known scores of average children.

Children grow up, giving us then low IQ adults, average ones, and those with superior IQs. Does it make a lot of difference? Are adults with superior IQs happier and more productive? Which group makes the best neighbors, friends and co-workers?

Interesting.

 

Javelinas On the Boulevard

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image of nursing Javelina, Javelinas, Javelinas in town, wild pigs

I had planned the day so that in the early evening Jerry and I could drive to the island where I wanted to take sunset/lake pictures. Around 7:00, I gathered camera gear including my tripod; Jerry drove and I chose the route, saying, “Turn here. Stop. A bit further…etc.”

The days are long so that the sun was still too high for what I had in mind, I thought, so we pulled into the spectacular Refuge Golf Course, and I prowled around a bit there. Elusive birds fluttered in the trees, bunnies bumped along, their tall ears aflame with the lowering sun, and a black long-legged bug skittered in the parkway. I poked my camera his way. Jerry patiently waited in the car.

We had gone from the golf course and were driving down London Bridge Road, when ahead of us on the side of the road was a group of what appeared to be pigs. People had stopped on the other side of the street, their attention directed to the animals. “Turn around, Jerry. Turn around.” Obediently, Jerry made a u-turn and pulled in beside the people who were watching the animals from the opposite side of the street.. They smiled at us. “Never seen anything like this,” one lady said. “I’ve lived here in Lake Havasu for years, and I’ve never seen these animals come into town.”

I was enthralled, had my camera in hand, and being the adventurous soul I am started across the street. “Wonder if they’re friendly,” I had said when we first started talking, and the man said, “Yep. I walked up real close to them. Here I’ll walk with you.” Their lack of fear and seeming tameness was amazing. They would have crossed the Blvd. except for people shooing them back into the undergrowth. Between their weed and cactus munching a couple of the babies nudged into their mom and had a bit of milk to wash down the prickly stuff.

By the time we arrived at the island, the light had gone and I couldn’t take good pictures, but I was happy; I had met the Havalina, and had pictures to prove it.

Robots in Your Bloodstream

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cancer, cancer treatment, Haifa, ILSI-Biomed Conference, Israel Institue of Technology, medical robots, newest cancer treatment, robots, Tel Aviv, ViRob

I know too many people who have cancer; I’ve observed their struggles. In the middle of the night I have thought of them and their battles and I have prayed for them. I’ve watched some of them “beat” the illness; I’ve watched others die. So when I see a development such as this which has some promise of effective cancer treatment, it always excites me.

This treatment is quite different from others, involving a miniature robot who can literally crawl through the human body, diagnosing and treating as it chugs along.

The next big step in cancer treatment might be small enough to balance on a grain of salt.

Researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have developed a miniature crawling robot, called ViRob, that can crawl through your lungs, find a tumor, and zap it with drugs. The bot, which is one millimeter long and four millimeters from end to end, can snake its way through the body, slipping into blood vessels and navigating through the respiratory and digestive systems, Innerspace style.

Other mini-robots have been designed to take a voyage into the body. But thanks to tiny arms that help it grip vessel walls , ViRob is the first microbot that can tunnel between different body cavities. It’s controlled by an electromagnetic field outside of the robot that creates a vibration that propels ViRob forward.

In lab tests, the robot has traveled up to nine millimeters per second and can commute through body fluids ranging from blood to bile, making it a versatile tool that can race through a vein and burrow into an organ. Its designers even hope to accessorize it with equipment such as a wee camera and a mini pair of tongs, to get that close-up view of those alveoli at work.  The researchers are officially introducing the device at the upcoming ILSI-Biomed Conference in Tel Aviv.

Source: Discover Magazine