Losing Ground

I'm really losing ground. I've gained another 20 pounds and can't seem to get things under control. I'm still over 50 pounds down from my highest, but still. Pray for me.

The Battle Goes On

Still battling my weight. My weight loss stopped, and I gained about 10 pounds back. Thankfully so far I have just been bouncing those 10 pounds on and off but not gaining any more. It has been nearly three years since I started losing weight, so I guess that is a good sign that I have not gained it all back in that time. Let's hope I can get back on track again soon.

Nearly a Year

Since my dad got sick. Early February, I caught the flu. I was careful not to visit my dad for a few days, but he eventually did catch the flu. He wouldn't go to the doctor for three days until finally I had to take him to the emergency room. They tested and he had both flu and pneumonia. They admitted him.

He was just starting to get better when he complained about his side hurting. Turned out to be his colon had burst and infection was setting in. They did an emergency colectomy and gave him a colostomy bag. Then a day later we were visiting him and there was blood on the sheet which we reported to a nurse. Supposedly the doctor checked it and said everything was okay. Five o'clock the next morning we get a call from the hospital that he had internal bleeding and they were losing him and to hurry to the hospital. When we got there they had revived him from being clinically dead.

He never really regained his strength after that. He pretty much stopped eating and would only suck on crushed ice. One evening I got to the hospital and he demanded "Where have you been?" As I'm explaining I realize from what he is saying that he doesn't recognize me and thinks that I am one of the nurses.

His family doctor told him that if he did not start eating and moving around that he would die. We finally got his permission to insert a feeding tube, but when I got to the hospital the next day he had torn it out. He was moved to a nursing home later that day because he had been in the hospital a month and he had medicare. Got him settled into his room, watched the nurse feed him a little food which I took as a good sign. Left and promised to come back the next day, Saturday.

Saturday late early afternoon was the school carnival which we took the kids to. After that we decided to go straight to the nursing home rather than home for lunch first, it was around 2 o'clock. When we got there I could recognize his breathing as like my mom did the last 6 hours of her life. I went down the hall to find a nurse and ask how long he'd been like that. I was waiting at the nurses station when finally someone told me to go back to his room as the nurse was there. I walked into the room to be told that he had died while I was waiting to see the nurse. Thankfully my husband was with him and was holding his hand when he died.

No one had told me how bad he really was. All such a shock, especially after losing mom only 10 months earlier. I always felt that if he got past 6 months that he'd do okay, but I really do think that in the end he just gave up. He was in the hospital for over a month with nothing to do but lay there and think. I believe he finally decided just to let go and be with mom.

Weight Loss hiccup

Since my last post I lost 8 pounds and then gained them back over the holidays. Having a bit of trouble getting back on track. I keep losing and gaining the same 5 pounds over and over again. Hopefully I can get back to work on this. I know I need smaller portions, but when I'm eating I forget that I was only going to have a little bit and I eat too much.

Olive Green

You Are Olive Green

You are the most real of all the green shades. You're always true to yourself. For you, authenticity and honesty are very important... both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

What Color Green Are You?

Five More

I've lost five more pounds. That makes a total of 80 1/2. I've been losing about a pound a week. Slow but steady. Should take me just under two more years to get to my goal weight. Seems like forever, but those two years will still happen whether I choose to lose weight or not. Might as well make them work for me. I cannot believe how many inches I've lost, yet don't look that much smaller. I've lost like 8 from my bust, 8 from waist and 8 from hips. But I'm still big. The other thing is that my shape is different. The last time I was at this weight - on the way up - I was shaped differently. I know because this was the weight I was when I got married 18 years ago and I KNOW things didn't hang like this then! That and the fact that once I started losing weight from my face, I've developed what mom used to call "turkey neck". You know, those vertical folds of skin on the neck. Why didn't I lose this weight when I was still young??? For once I think I might actually get there. I've been at it for a year and a half and just keep going. I've never managed to stay on a diet or program for longer than about 3 months or so. Then I'd lose interest and start eating, and that would be that. All the weight would come back, and then some. Went to the NBC site and ordered a Biggest Loser mug for my morning coffee. Helps me stay focussed. Got my husband a shirt with that on it. He's lost about 70 pounds so far as well. We've never been thin together. When we met we were both considerably overweight. We were both "coming off of" diets and on the way up. We've gained and lost in tandem all these years. Either we're both up or both down. Of course in the midst of all this dh managed to go through a period of vomiting (that no cause could be found) and lost 20 pounds that way. No fair! But he's better now. Healed spontaneously though he had every test known to man. Glad for that, it was worrying.

On the Way

I know I've mentioned wanting to lose weight. Well, since December of '05 I've now lost 75lbs. That's great, but would be better if that put me at my goal weight. Unfortunately it doesn't. It does, however, place me just about half way there. In this case, I must keep remembering that the glass is half empty, not half full!

Oy Vey

Wow, I was complaining about how bad things had been, how my dad was driving me crazy. Well, now he had died as well. I feel guilty for having complained about him. Isn't that the way of it? He's left me the brand new house so we are in the process of moving. Have a buyer for this one so that works nicely. But I still can't believe that in 11 months I have lost both my mom and dad. It's just so surreal. Keep thinking I'll wake up and find it was a nightmare.

Snooze

They should only allow single people to have snooze alarms on their clocks.

THAT Long??

Wow. Eight months since I've posted anything. Have things in draft that I never finished.

It seems like a lifetime since I wrote.

My mom died in April.

Their new house is done.

My dad's hearing, and walking is getting worse.

He seems to be forgetting more.

He's lonely.

He's driving me crazy.

World Upside Down

This was written on June 16th 2006

I see my last message told of my ADD and also my parents move here. So much has changed.

My mom had been feeling tired since the move, and was a bit depressed. Also had kind of lost her appetite. She'd seen the doctor, but for an 86 year old woman who just packed up a house and moved 3000 miles, none of those symptoms seemed unusual.

She had been on a blood thinner, and when she went for a monthly blood test, they said her blood was too thin. Stop taking it, and retest in two days. This we did over and over until finally a new test was ordered because the blood was still too thin.

The morning of March 31st I took her for another blood draw, and as we were in the registration area, I noticed that she was a bit jaundiced (yellow). That afternoon the doctor's office called to say that her liver enzymes were abnormal, and that if the whites of her eyes went yellow, or she had stomach pain to take her to the emergency room. When asked, she said that she didn't have stomach pain, per se, but it was uncomfortable and she was rubbing her stomach to make it feel better. Between that and her jaundice I took her to the ER.

They did an MRI and then the most blunt, insensitive doctor I've ever met arrived to tell her she had a tumor on her pancreas. As she started to look frightened, I said something like "Well we don't even know if it's malignant or benign yet." With that, the doctor said, "Oh it's cancer".

more to follow

How Time Flies

I see that August was the last time I posted. It's not that nothing has been happening, but rather that EVERYTHING has. My parents have moved closer so we can take care of them. In their mid eighties they are still in pretty good shape, but the decline Is starting. We didn't really know because we had left the state ten years ago and only saw them on once a year visits. But now, seeing them nearly every day, we can see the decline.

One amazing thing that happened is that due to a change in medication, we discovered I had been suffering from undiagnosed ADD all these years. With the change in medication, the fog lifted.

Myths of the Middle East

Myths of the Middle East

---

© 2000 WorldNetDaily.com

I've been quiet since Israel erupted in fighting spurred by disputes over the Temple Mount.

Until now, I haven't even bothered to say, "See, I told you so." But I can't resist any longer. I feel compelled to remind you of the column I wrote just a couple weeks before the latest uprising. Yeah, folks, I predicted it. That's OK. Hold your applause.

After all, I wish I had been wrong. More than 80 people have been killed since the current fighting in and around Jerusalem began. And for what?

If you believe what you read in most news sources, Palestinians want a homeland and Muslims want control over sites they consider holy. Simple, right?

Well, as an Arab-American journalist who has spent some time in the Middle East dodging more than my share of rocks and mortar shells, I've got to tell you that these are just phony excuses for the rioting, trouble-making and land-grabbing.

Isn't it interesting that prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, there was no serious movement for a Palestinian homeland?

"Well, Farah," you might say, "that was before the Israelis seized the West Bank and Old Jerusalem."

That's true. In the Six-Day War, Israel captured Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem. But they didn't capture these territories from Yasser Arafat. They captured them from Jordan's King Hussein. I can't help but wonder why all these Palestinians suddenly discovered their national identity after Israel won the war.

The truth is that Palestine is no more real than Never-Never Land. The first time the name was used was in 70 A.D. when the Romans committed genocide against the Jews, smashed the Temple and declared the land of Israel would be no more. From then on, the Romans promised, it would be known as Palestine. The name was derived from the Philistines, a Goliathian people conquered by the Jews centuries earlier. It was a way for the Romans to add insult to injury. They also tried to change the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina, but that had even less staying power.

Palestine has never existed -- before or since -- as an autonomous entity. It was ruled alternately by Rome, by Islamic and Christian crusaders, by the Ottoman Empire and, briefly, by the British after World War I. The British agreed to restore at least part of the land to the Jewish people as their homeland.

There is no language known as Palestinian. There is no distinct Palestinian culture. There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians. Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians (another recent invention), Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc. Keep in mind that the Arabs control 99.9 percent of the Middle East lands. Israel represents one-tenth of 1 percent of the landmass.

But that's too much for the Arabs. They want it all. And that is ultimately what the fighting in Israel is about today. Greed. Pride. Envy. Covetousness. No matter how many land concessions the Israelis make, it will never be enough.

What about Islam's holy sites? There are none in Jerusalem.

Shocked? You should be. I don't expect you will ever hear this brutal truth from anyone else in the international media. It's just not politically correct.

I know what you're going to say: "Farah, the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem represent Islam's third most holy sites."

Not true. In fact, the Koran says nothing about Jerusalem. It mentions Mecca hundreds of times. It mentions Medina countless times. It never mentions Jerusalem. With good reason. There is no historical evidence to suggest Mohammed ever visited Jerusalem.

So how did Jerusalem become the third holiest site of Islam? Muslims today cite a vague passage in the Koran, the seventeenth Sura, entitled "The Night Journey." It relates that in a dream or a vision Mohammed was carried by night "from the sacred temple to the temple that is most remote, whose precinct we have blessed, that we might show him our signs. ..." In the seventh century, some Muslims identified the two temples mentioned in this verse as being in Mecca and Jerusalem. And that's as close as Islam's connection with Jerusalem gets -- myth, fantasy, wishful thinking. Meanwhile, Jews can trace their roots in Jerusalem back to the days of Abraham.

The latest round of violence in Israel erupted when Likud Party leader Ariel Sharon tried to visit the Temple Mount, the foundation of the Temple built by Solomon. It is the holiest site for Jews. Sharon and his entourage were met with stones and threats. I know what it's like. I've been there. Can you imagine what it is like for Jews to be threatened, stoned and physically kept out of the holiest site in Judaism?

So what's the solution to the Middle East mayhem? Well, frankly, I don't think there is a man-made solution to the violence. But, if there is one, it needs to begin with truth. Pretending will only lead to more chaos. Treating a 5,000-year-old birthright backed by overwhelming historical and archaeological evidence equally with illegitimate claims, wishes and wants gives diplomacy and peacekeeping a bad name.

( from www.worldnetdaily.com )

Facts about the land of Israel

A list of facts

1. Nationhood and Jerusalem - Israel became a nation in 1312 B.C.E., two thousand years before the rise of Islam.

2. Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.

3. Since the Jewish conquest in 1272 B.C.E. the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.

4. Arabs have only had control of Israel twice - from 634 until the Crusader invasion in June 1099, and from 1292 until the year 1517 when they were dispelled by the Turks in their conquest.

5. For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.

6. Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in Tanach, the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran. There are vague references to Jerusalem in the Hadiths - stories about Mohammed - that he stopped his night journey (which the Koran explains took place in a dream!) at the "farther mosque" (or "distant place"). Muslims explain that this means "at the edge of the Temple mount", although no direct reference to Jerusalem or the Temple Mount is made.

7. King David established the city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.

8. Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Some Muslims (i.e. those between Israel and Saudi Arabia) pray with their backs toward Jerusalem.

9. Arab and Jewish Refugees - In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.

10. The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.

11. The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.

12. Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own peoples' lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.

13. The Arab - Israeli Conflict - The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.

14. The P.L.O.'s Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them with weapons.

15. Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.

16. The U.N. Record on Israel and the Arabs - Of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.

17. Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.

18. The U.N was silent while 58 Jerusalem Synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.

19. The U.N. was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

20. The U.N. was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.

(from www.middleeastfacts.com )

Why do Arabs need more land?

Long Time No See

So much going on I haven't had time to write. Not that there is anybody reading but me, but I feel guilty aboutnot filling these pages. I know how disappointed I am when I go to my favorite blogs and they haven't been updated. It's such a downer.

What's That Smell?

So I'm sitting at the computer and my son age 10 comes in. About that time I smell "something" and ask him if he's been burning something. He says no, but I can still smell something. It isn't until I go in the kitchen to work a little more on supper that I realize the problem. You see, I had been making a batch of yogurt, and since our oven has a pilot light, I incubate the yogurt in the unlit oven. Er, um, I really need to put a post it note on the oven door to NOT turn it on when there is yogurt inside. You are right if you assume that I turned on the oven to 375 and it was the plastic yogurt bucket melting that I smelled. Thankfully it was the handle which had melted first, and the top rim of the lid, the bottom was okay, and I was able to get it out of the oven succesfully. Did I ever tell you about the time my husband was drying his golf shoes in the oven?

Guess I'm Okay

Your IQ Is 105

Your Logical Intelligence is Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Above Average Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

Do You Mind if I Rant?

It happened..a second time in a week. DH wanted a new mouse for his computer. At first he wanted cordless, so I went looking. I found one we could afford but it was the last one and the package had been opened. I am always highly suspicious but decided to get it. It didn't work.

Today the same thing. Found one I could afford, last one, package had been opened. Different store. Brought it home. Doesn't work.

When someone returns something like that, you'd think they would check it to be sure that it works!

Wild Ride

So I'm putting the laundry from the washer to the dryer. I close the door, turn it on, and I hear a "thump" every time it spins. I'm thinking, "Hm, I don't recall any shoes in there to make that noise, I wonder if a bunch of jeans could make that noise?" Then I hear "Eeerrrooooowww", and realize that Little Kitty is in the dryer! I open the door and I see his tail sticking out from under clothes. I dig him out and he goes flying out of the dryer. Life hasn't been the same since Little Kitty came to live here!

Home Again

DH is home again from the hospital. Got him there at 6:30 this morning to prep for 8:30 surgery. Went home and crashed for a couple of hours. He was ready for home around 1:30. Good news, the surgery went well. Bad news, it will probably be more than 3 weeks recuperation time. We've got two weeks sick time, and two weeks vacation time to use for this, but after that... The children and I swung by McDonalds to get some lunch to eat in the park before going to pick up their Dad. Get all the way to the park, open the bags, and theirs contained the french fries, and two toys, but no burger or nuggets, so had to drag all the way back over there and explain. I hate when that happens! At least the folks who we dealt with truly seemed to care, and apologized. Much better than when the attitude is that you are the one at fault for complaining.

Planned?

Saw a book a number of years ago, by someone like Pat Robertson. The premise was that the breakup of the Soviet Union was planned as a way to get aid from other countries, regroup, and get strong and then it could be an aggressor again. That it had done so in the past. As time goes on, and Putin continues as he is, it becomes more likely the scenario wasn't as absurd as it first seemed.

Fixing Social Security

I personally think the first thing would be to use all Social Security funds only for paying out Social Security claims. I believe at the moment that the money is kept in the general fund and used for "whatever". So besides the fact that there aren't as many paying in, and more and more making claims, the money isn't actually set aside.

I also think "what goes around, comes around". The baby boomers wanted to have the "choice" to abort babies. Now they aren't going to have a choice to retire at 65. I wonder how the social security numbers would be without the 46,023,191Total Abortions since 1973

More True Life

Latest around here. The other morning I get a call from my husband's work saying that he was having chest pains, sweating, and passed out. They had called the rescue squad and I needed to meet them at the hospital. I left the children with friends and got to the hospital.

Hospital was packed. I got there at around 1:45 and didn't get in the ER to see dh until about 4:30. By that time bloodwork had been done, ekg, etc., and it was decided that he had not had a heart attack, but that it was his gall bladder acting up (again). He's now seen the specialist, and scheduled to have it removed next week.

"We Have A Pope"

That was quick! Apparently there were 4 votes and that was it. Joseph Ratzinger. The following was in Hal Lindsey's column.

"The prophecy labels the new pope "the Glory of the Olive." The Benedictine Order is known as the Olivetans and has as its symbol the olive branch. The new pope, though not of that order, chose as his name Benedict XVI."

And the World Changes

With all this talk about the Pope, and Italy, I got to thinking about how things have changed. I last was in Italy in 1973. I flew in to Ireland and after a visit to England, went to the continent and by train to Italy. I don't remember getting my passport stamped except in Ireland. I can't imagine that they no longer use the Lire for money, but the Euro Dollar instead. The exchange rate was L1,000=$1.62 And the word for thousand, in Italian was "Mille" which sounds like Million.

Strange thing about memories. I remember the exchange rates for England, Italy and Greece (from '72). England was nearly $2.50 to the pound, Italy was L1000=$1.62, and the drachma was 30 to the dollar. There is no more Lire or Drachma, only the Euro. And in spring of 1985 the dollar and the pound were nearly equal.

Sometimes I think I'd like to go back to Europe. Back to Italy and Greece. But then I know that they have changed so much, I'm afraid I might be disappointed. I am not by nature a prejudiced person, but I don't know how I would feel to going to Europe and seeing lots of Muslims.

I watched a movie the other day. It was "Mrs. 'arris Goes to Paris" with Angela Landsbury, and Omar Sharif. It is supposed to be Paris in the 1950's. I actually cried after seeing it because it shows a Paris that will never be again.

Immigration is such a touchy subject. As an American, I know that apart from the Native Americans we are all immigrants. But the difference is that because there was limited ways of getting here, for example through Ellis Island, it was all pretty much done legally, and many were sent home if they failed the health exam. Once here they embraced being here and becoming "American". Today's immigrants, it seems, don't have that same feeling of wanting to become American.

Life Goes On

Well, that was a month to remember. Terri Schaivo, Pope John Paul II, Prince Rainier of Monaco all died. Prince Charles finally got to marry Camilla, and now we are waiting to see who will be the next Pope. I read a prophesy by St. Malachy about all the Popes until the end time. According to this person, there will only be two more Popes until the end of the world. Other sources say that there could be others between the last two listed. For each pope there is a short descriptive that they have linked to all the previous popes. That leaves two popes and two descriptives.

"According to the prophecy, the next Pope will be the second last Pope Gloria Olivæ ("Glory of the Olives"). Will it be someone from the Mediterranean (Italy, France, Spain)? Or will it be perhaps someone with olive skin (say, from Latin America)?"

So who knows what will happen. I don't believe every claim of prophesy, but I do believe that it can exist.

No Statue of Limitations for Murder

There is no statute of limitations for murder

This email comes at an appropriate time. BlogsForTerri has been contacted by several national groups asking to join forces with BlogsForTerri and the Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation in fighting back the euthanasia movement in the U.S., strongly supporting an investigation of possible injustices that may have resulted in Terri's starvation and dehydration, and helping people to understand the difference between a life-supporting "Will to Live" and the euthanasia-supporting "Living Will." Strategic planning for this action is ongoing and will intensify later next week after the Mass for Terri. As previously announced, BlogsForTerri is expanding it's membership to an even 1000 bloggers and is increasing it's posting authors to at least 20.

From an attorney, by email:

There is no statute of limitations for murder.

NOW is the time for Governor Jeb Bush to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the entire sad saga of the court-ordered starvation and dehydration of Terri Schiavo, and to empanel a grand jury to indict whoever needs to be indicted.

NOW is the time for him to take action. If he was unwilling to be held in contempt of court while she was alive, he at least owes her and the Schindler family and all residents of Pinellas County who depend on the Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney and DCF for protection to find out what happened and to hold people accountable, no matter their position.

Now is the time.

Please send this out on your e-mail lists and ask people to send it on to their trees. Press Jeb to act to uphold Florida law now.

Another Goodbye

Heard last night that Pope John Paul II passed away in Rome last night. He was Pope for 26 years. I remember when he was elected. I was in England visiting some friends. Paul VI had died, and been replaced by John Paul I in August of 1978. I had gone to England in late September and was with a family that didn't watch much TV. One day my friend said "There's a new Pope", and I replied that that was a couple of months earlier. She said to me that no, "That Pope died, and there's a new one". My thought was God saying he was the wrong choice. Who knows. I do know that I feel that he is a Godly man who tried his best to hold the line from liberal thinking. Wonder what the next one will be like?

It's Over

Just read the news that Terri Schiavo has died. She lasted 13 days after her feeding tube was removed. Seems to me she was pretty healthy when they pulled it AND had a will to live. Michael probably thinks that all his problems are now over, but I'm afraid he is going to learn that his troubles have just begun. Their is such a web of lies between Michael, lawyer Felos, Judge Greer, the hospice, his "fiance's parents, and others that it is such a scandal.

We pray for Terri's soul to be with God and at peace.

Helpless

I have never felt more helpless in my entire life. I know that in Florida an innocent woman is slowly, and horribly starving to death. The Judge calls giving water to her "experimental treatment".

I have thoughts that if Terri is allowed to die, that I would rather live somewhere else. Except most countries are even worse when it comes to this type of thing.

Where is the mass media? Why isn't 60 Minutes, or Dateline NBC, or any of the other investigative reporting shows doing a story about this? There is such reasonable doubt about how Terri got into this state, and what "this state" actually is. Why hasn't someone with money paid for a special show on tv to show Terri's true condition to the American public?

Day Five

At mid day today, Terri will have been without food and water for five days. I hear she is fading fast. If ever there was a time I have felt helpless, this is it. It is so frustrating.

May Be Hope Yet

I just read this on www.blogsforterri.com
Because she had been subpoenaed as a Federal witness they say that she qualifies for the Federal Witness Protection Program. Let's hope they act quickly.

03.22.05

Terri Schiavo Qualifies for Federal Witness Protection Program
By The Empire Journal

Whenever a government witness is placed in danger, a government attorney may apply for the services of the federal Witness Protection Program in order to protect a witness against dangers that may be related to the witness’ testimony.
For the complete story:

http://www.theempirejournal.com/49127_terri_schiavo_qualifies_fo.htm

Reflection

Woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I realized I was so thirsty, and my mouth so dry, that I could hardly stand it. Then I thought of Terri. She's now been without food and water since Friday, four days ago. What is the world coming to when we will starve a woman. Taking someone off "life support" like a ventilator and having them die within minutes is one thing. But not feeding someone and letting them starve to death over the course of a week or two is something else entirely.

Stoves

Anyone who finds a wonderful vintage stove, but is unable to convert it between natural gas and propane might be interested in the following:

AGS10 - Natural gas or propane regulator - $42.50 ea order form

This regulator allows you to convert your stove from either natural gas to propane or from propane to natural gas with just a flip of the cap.

http://www.antiquegasstoves.com/pages/parts/gas.html

Latest on Terri

Been praying all weekend. I'm a little confused by exactly what happened, but they managed to get a law passed, and the President signed. Now the family can appeal to a federal court to have the tube reinserted. I am hoping that given the extra time, that DCFS can do an investigation and take custody at the very least.

Another VERY interesting thing. Throughout this, the main reason that Michael has had, and the judge agreed, was some supposed one liner comment that "I wouldn't want to live like that" while watching a movie with someone on "life support". That is the justification that Michael has given, and that is the supposed reason that the judge has ruled in Michael's favor. Now, in an interview on Larry King Live, is this statement, as usual:

Asked why he has persisted in his decade-long effort to end his wife's life despite the wishes of Terri Schiavo's parents and others who love her, Schiavo said: "Because this is what Terri wanted. This is her wish."

But later in the interview he said THIS:

Shortly after saying his determination to end Terri's life was about her wishes, Schiavo changed his story in the King interview. Asked if he understood her family's feelings, he said: "Yes, I do. But this is not about them, it's about Terri. And I've also said that in court. We didn't know what Terri wanted, but this is what we want. ..."

The interview aired Friday.

I Can't Believe It

They removed Terri Shiavo's feeding tube yesterday.

Big Surprise

Our 4, almost 5 year old daughter talks all the time. So last night when she was sitting with a book telling the story, I didn't give it much thought. It was a book that we've read to her a lot, one of the Richard Scarry books. Until she said, "What's o-v-e-r-b-o-a-r-d?" I told her, and she continued. She was indeed reading! I knew that she knew her alphabet, but there she was reading.

Help is Getting Closer

House Unanimously Passes 'Terri's Law II'

WASHINGTON, March 17 /Christian Wire Service/
Christian Coalition of America commends the United States House of Representatives for unanimously passing "Terri's Law II" late Wednesday night which will effectively save the life of Terri Schiavo in Florida where she was scheduled to be starved to death on Friday.

Christian Coalition especially commends the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Jim Sensenbrenner, (R-WI) and Congressman Dave Weldon, (R-FL), both authors of "Terri's Law II" and House leaders, Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay, (R-TX) for fast-tracking this critically important bill. Chairman Sensenbrenner teamed up with Congressman Weldon to sponsor "The Protection of Incapacitated Persons Act of 2005" (which replaced the "Incapacitated Persons Legal Protection Act of 2005" sponsored by Congressman Weldon).

Christian Coalition activists are urged to immediately contact both of your Senators and urge them to vote for the Sensenbrenner/Weldon House bill when it reaches the Senate floor most likely on Thursday. Senator Mel Martinez, (R-FL) has sponsored the Senate bill, S. 539, the counterpart to the Weldon bill. It is anticipated that Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, (R-TN), will bring the just-passed House bill to save Terri Schiavo's life directly to the Senate floor today.

Community

While reading my favorite blogs, I got to thinking about community. When I was growing up, we lived in a neighborhood. People had been there forever. They moved in when they were young marrieds, raised a family there, grew old there, and died. Then the cycle would repeat itself. Because of that stability, everyone knew everyone. Kids didn't dare do things because any window of any house might open and an adult shout at you, by name, that you oughtn't to be doing whatever it was. And most likely, by the time you got home, your parents already KNEW what you had been up to!

Those days have changed. Recently we were driving to town, and I commented that I thought a particular house was for sale. Turned out it had been sold, bought, and resold. There are any number of houses around here that we've seen sell, and then be up for sale again. I'd be interested in the new "average" time a family stays in a house.

Which brings me to blogs. We have destroyed community in our own towns by moving so often. But with the internet and things like blogs, we are recreating it somewhat. For example, having been to Ukraine for the adoption of my son, I regularly read various blogs by expats (English or American) living in Ukraine, and have corresponded somewhat via email with them. I have made friends via various Yahoo groups, and eventually met some of them. In the pre Internet days, I met one of my dearest friends via the Countryside Contacts page of Countryside magazine. We've been friends for about 13 years now. We lived in California, and she in Indiana. We now live only about 90 miles from one another and get together on a regular basis.

We are starved for that sense of community and are recreating it where ever we can. There has been an incredible interest in the Amish and Plain churches. This is because of their modesty, and the sense of community that everyone admires and wishes for.