The 4th Annual Shyne Like a Star Virtual Dance Party is HERE!

I'm so glad you're here.

Let's dance!

I believe that dance is for everybody,
that our bodies & souls long to dance!

And so each year on May 1st, I invite the world to dance for 15 minutes. Take 15 minutes of your day, turn the music up and get your groove on.

Dance while no one's looking.
Dance with your honey in the kitchen.
Dance while you wait for the bus.
Dance with your cat.
Dance at your meeting.
Dance while you make your tea.

Dance with all your heart.

And wherever you are, know that we are all dancing together!
Let the party begin!

Feel free to share your Dance Party experience! What's your soundtrack? Where did you boogie? Got pics? Video? Let's spread the joy of dance and let our spirits fly!



I love dancing to all kinds of music but in honour of our 13-year being-in-love anniversary, here's something my honey and I threw down to way back when on the dance floor we called home. (Romance is really individual, isn't it?)

Conference, End of Day 2

Sitting here in a hotel room with three other women debriefing about today's sessions and about whether Airborne makes you gassy.

The consensus is yes, Airborne makes you gassy.

We attended some great general and breakout sessions today, but now I'm on information overload.

Highlight of the day: Frances Chan, author of Crazy Love. You should check him out.

Lowlight: standing on cement steps through many, many songs. Speakers who repeat phrases ad nauseum. Sessions running way too long.

But I'm not one to dwell on the negative.

I am, however, one to dwell on gas.

Because I'm reminded of it about every three minutes, as are my co-staff.

OK, it's 12:15 a.m. and I'm not asleep yet, which I think is illegal.

I'm signing off. I loved reading your comments, just don't have time to reply in hotel lobby.

So, Ta-ta, or Toot toot for now.

Long Live the Queen!

I've mentioned our friend Gretchen on this blog in the past, and today I wanted to show you one of her recent works of art. Gretchen designs jewelry out of vintage costume jewelry and found items. Recently, she has come up with some very creative, clever, and funky rings. The necklace shown below features a pocket watch medallion with the word "Queen" in it as the focal point. Check out the vintage dice, wooden checker, and sweet little bird...."surprise" elements!

There are many others out there crafting jewelry out of buttons and other found objects, but none quite like the work of Gretchen's, a.k.a. Mimi Toria's Designs. She and Lani from Cottage Elements are embarking on a wonderful adventure, all beginning tomorrow with the opening debut of the French Flea occasional marketplace in Anoka, MN. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, you really must check this out! Gretchen and Lani will be joining several other equally talented women to offer their French-themed vintage items, architectural salvage, and home decor at twice-monthly sales. Visit either blog to get shop info. and future sale dates. You won't be disappointed!

Here's a shot of my great new necklace, shown on Marguerite Joni....that's right, she now has a name. How'd I come up with that? Even though I loved all the suggestions you all gave, I decided on this because Marguerite is the name of my Dad's cousin...it has such a worldly sound to it, don't you think? And Joni? Well, that's easy.....that's my sister's name and she told me to name her that!

The Amazing Gifts of Christine Mason Miller

A treasure arrived in the mail today. I was smiling ear to ear when I opened this box from Christine and look how pretty it was inside! It was so yummy to look at I might not have even opened it except...
I had to immediately put on that pretty bow. And as you know, once you've started unwrapping a treasure, there is simply no turning back.

And without a doubt, anything from the glorious Christine Mason Miller is a treasure. Her creative sass invited me into the blogosphere and the more I get to know her, the more she inspires me to the core. She's one of those people that makes you believe that it's simply a matter of fact that you can grow wings, so why don't you get started on that flying thing?

Every day I will be inspired by Christine, because this work of art will always be a reminder that...


You bet. And I love it all the more with such amazing adventuresses for companions. From the breadth of my heart, thank you, Christine!

Reno Pic of the Day

We have undermount lighting! How cool is that?

Lesson Plan- Mary is the Mother of Our Church (1st grade on up)

Mary Is the Mother of the Church


Objectives: The students will be able to
- identify that Mary is the Mother of the Church
- describe how we honor Mary
- recite the prayer Hail Mary from memory
- define assumption



Review:
Prayer, Take Home Sheet, and vocabulary from last week’s lesson and also Objects Used at Mass cards



Vocabulary Words: (Write words on the board and discuss with class)
Assumption- Mary being taken up body and soul into heaven.
Immaculate- free from sin
Ave Maria- Hail Mary



Plan:

gardenofpraise.com- Mary, the Mother of Jesus lesson with questions, memory verse, quizzes, puzzles, etc.

therealpresence.org- The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ

spirituality.org- Mary, A Role Model For Our Times lesson

dacapofoundation.com- Mary Mother of the Church lesson

christusrex.org- Mary - Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church

home.comcast.net- Blessed Mary, Ever Virgin, Mother of Divine Love
The Church’s teachings in Mary’s role, title, immaculate conception, assumption, etc.

ewtn.com- Overview of Church Teachings, Doctrines Explained, Apologetics, Devotions, Excerpts from Church Doctrines, etc.

harvestingthefruit.com- Exploring the mystery of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Mother of our Lord, Mother of the Church, Mother to all who call themselves Christian lesson with study questions, reflections, and action plan (for older students).



Lesson for Younger Students:

Introduction: Who takes care of you by fixing your meals, helping you dress, and nursing you when you are sick? (Mother)
Who may take the place of your mother in caring for you?

To what large family do you belong? (The Church)
When did you become a member? (At baptism)
Who leads the Church? (The pope)
Who is the pope? (Pope Benedict XVI) (write Pope Benedict XVI on the board)
The Church has a mother too. Do you know who she is? (Mary)

What did Mary say when God wanted her to be the mother of Jesus? (Yes)
Mary’s yes made her the mother of Jesus and of God’s family, the Church.

When did Jesus give us Mary to be our mother? (When he was dying on the cross.)
After Jesus went to heaven, Mary stayed on Earth to take care of the Christian family.

One day Mary went to heaven to live with Jesus. He did something special for his mother. Jesus took Mary bodily to heaven. When we die, our bodies will be buried in a grave. We will rise on the last day. The last day is when Jesus comes back to Earth to judge the living and the dead.

Mary has been holy all her life. So Mary was taken up, body and soul, into heaven. This is called the Assumption (write it on the board).

Mary takes care of us. She prays for us and asks Jesus to bless us. She helps us be like Jesus so that we can live forever with Him.

There are special times when Catholics honor Mary. The month of May is Mary’s month. (Print Mary and May on the board.) The names even look alike.

Mary has special feast days during the year. What do you think we should do on these days? (Try and honor her in a special way.)

How can we honor Mary? (By trying to be like her; by praying to her, by singing songs to her.)

Next Sunday, our church is celebrating the Crowning of Mary (write this on the board). A statue of Mary will be brought into the church and she will be crowned with a wreath of flowers. We call Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth. We will be able to give gifts of flowers to be laid at Mary’s feet during the celebration. Her special shrine with fresh flowers will be kept going all through May. We will pray and sing songs as well. One special and famous song will be sung, “Ave Maria” (write this on the board) which means Hail Mary.

Mary likes us to ask her for help. We should pray to Mary often. What might we pray to her?

Do you know any prayers to Mary? (Hail Mary)

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.


Discussion: It is important for us to honor our mom’s every chance we get. Our government thought it was important enough to give mom’s their own holiday. What day is this? (Mother’s Day)

Should Mother’s Day be the only day we take time out to thank mom though? Why or why not?



Introduce story: Who will always love you? Here is a story about a mother’s love for her son. Read story- Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Ask the following questions after reading the story:

1. Did his mother always like his behavior? No.

2. What would she do when he was really asleep? She would pick him up and hold him. She would rock back and forth and sing that she would love him forever as long as she was living.

3. What would she do when he was all grown up? She would drive over to his house and do the same thing when he was really asleep.

4. When she was too old to do that any more, what did her son do? He picked her up and rocked her back and forth. He sang that he would love her forever as long as he was living.

5. What did the son do when he came home after doing that to his mother? He went into his baby daughter’s room when she was sleeping. He picked her up and rocked her back and forth. He then sang the same song that his mother used to sing to him.

6. Who will always love you? Your mother.



Activities:

Introduce activity: What are the special prayers to the Blessed Virgin which are said with the use of beads consisting of the Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be to the Father (Doxology)? (The Holy Rosary)

fcpeace.com- Hail Mary (mini book)

fcpeace.com- Our Father (mini book)

fcpeace.com- Apostles Creed (mini book)

thatresourcesite.com- Rosary Mini Books The Joyful Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries, The Glorious Mysteries, The Luminous Mysteries). Encourage learners to put their thoughts and creativity to work creating these mini-books that they either illustrate, write or write and illustrate. Each book has 8 pages including a title and end page. Print out, fill in, cut apart and staple together. Glue onto our keepsake pages below to create a library of your child's work or document their learning.

thatresourcesite.com- Apostles Creed Mini Book

thatresourcesite.com- Hail Mary, Our Father, Glory Be, Apostles Creed worksheets (color or black & white version) to print out, cut apart on lines, and have children order correctly under a time limit.

thatresourcesite.com- Copy and trace worksheets for Hail Mary.




Crafts:

Introduce craft: Who is the mother of Jesus? Who does your mother love? Mother’s Day is coming soon so we are going to make something special for her.


Heart Picture Fame

Need: Craft foam cut into the shape of a heart with oval cut out of the center for child’s picture, sticky magnets, glue, glitter, items to glue onto frame, colored construction paper, stapler, crayons, magic markers

Directions: Stick sticky magnet on back of heart frame. Have students decorate their frames for their Mom’s. Show students how to make a simple envelope with the colored construction paper and staple. Students can decorate their envelope with crayons and magic markers and put their frame inside as a present for Mom. You can also use paper lunch bags to put present inside that the students decorate. Have students get help from their father or someone from home to find a picture of them to glue to the back of their frame so you can see their picture on the front side.



Introduce art craft: What do we need to make to go with the gift that we are making for our Mom’s? A card.

dltk-holidays.com- Mother’s Day Printable Poems and Cards
Print out cards and have students color and tape to their gift envelopes/bags after they have put their gift inside.



Introduce craft: Can you name a prayer to Mary? (Hail Mary)

emmausroad.org- Annunciation Craft
This craft will produce a decorative prayer book that when opened will present the “Hail Mary” (page 7 & 8). You can add other prayers from the Rosary to the book.

Catholicism.suite101.com- Children’s Rosary Projects



How to make a rosary:

Making a Rosary- Rosary background and information. Excellent step-by-step directions to make a simple rosary. (Kids Explore America’s Catholic Heritage, page 159-161).

rosaryarmy.com- How to Make Knotted Chord/Twine Rosaries

e-scoutcraft.com- Making a rosary using Seine Twine Mason Line, 6 gold pony beads, and a small piece of leather

domestic-church.com- How to Make Knotted Cord Rosaries

ehow.com- How To Make A Rosary for Kids

How To Make A Pocket Rosary



Games:

Introduce game: What’s a perfect game to celebrate Mother’s Day?

gameskidsplay.net- Mother May I?



Honor Your Mother Game

Need: 1 sponge

Directions: Cut the sponge into a large heart. Have the students sit in a circle. The teacher turns her back to the students and she says, "Pass, pass, pass." The students then pass the heart to their right around the circle. When the teacher says, "Stop," the child holding the heart has to say a reason why they love their Mom or whomever is taking care of them.



thatresourcesite.com- Hail Mary (color or black & white version) to print out, cut apart on lines, and have children order correctly under a time limit.

thatresourcesite.com- Questing is fun, open-ended, and easy. Simply fill in a word or phrase for each letter of the alphabet that could be associated with our Blessed Mother. Learners can play alone or in teams and keep track of who gets the most letters or play for points using the point gauge below.

Words Beginning With the Letters Points

AEIOUW= 1

DHLNRST= 2

CFGMPVJK= 3

QXYZ= 4

Total score for a fully completed A-Z Quest is 60pts.*

*Note: You may decide that extra points can be given for more than one answer in a letter. Be sure to establish rules at the beginning of the quest game.





The following games are free, however they can only to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.


Introduce game: Who is the Mother of our Church? Mary


Mary is the Mother of Our Church File Folder Game: The objective of the game is to answer questions about Mary to receive a letter tile and spell Mary.

Directions- Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder. (Title is in Bradley Hand ITC font and text is in Tempus Sans ITC font.)

Game Board- Print out Game Board, trim, and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last. (Text is in Bradley Hand ITC font.)

Question Cards- Print Question Game Cards out on card stock. Cut out Question Game Cards. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last.

Game Cards- Print out several pages of Game Cards on card stock. Cut out Game Cards. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last. (Title is in Bradley Hand ITC font and Letter Tiles are in Andy font.)

Letter Tiles- Print out several pages of Letter Tiles on card stock. Cut out tiles. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last.






Introduce game: Do you know the prayers in the Holy Rosary? Let’s find out.



Hail Mary File Folder Game: (A fun way to practice and see how well you know the Hail Mary prayer.)

Directions- Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder. (Title is in Harrington font.)

Game Board- Print out Game Board, trim and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last. (Title is in Harrington font. Text is in Tempus Sans ITC. Start/Finish is in Cooper Black font.) This file is in MS Word and can be changed any way you like.







The Lord's Prayer File Folder Game: A fun way to practice and see how well you know the Lord’s Prayer. (Catholic version of Debbie's ffg)

Game Board & Directions- Print out Game Board, trim and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last.








Name That Prayer File Folder Game: The objective of the game is to get to FINISH first by answering questions about prayers. Review prayers in the rosary. (Only use the question cards for prayers of the rosary.)

Directions- Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder.

Game Board- Print out Game Board, trim, and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last.

Spinner- Make spinner according to the directions.

Question Cards- (Questions are in MS Word and can be changed easily to whatever you want. Feel free to change the questions or use your own.) Print Question Cards out on card stock. Cut out Question Cards. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last. Use only the cards that reflect your student’s abilities





Rosary Bingo: Review the rosary while playing Bingo (15 cards)

Directions & Questions

Rosary Bingo Cards- Title is in Edda font. Spaces are in Tempus Sans ITC font.

Rosary Bingo Cards (1-5)

Rosary Bingo Cards (6-10)

Rosary Bingo Cards (11-15)



Snack:

Introduce snack: What would be a nice thing for you to do for you Mom on Mother’s Day? Discuss. Then talk about making breakfast for their mother and what they could make for her. Make a breakfast that they could make for their mother for Mother’s Day.



Puzzles:

silk.net- 3 Hail Mary word search puzzles

joanyedwards.com- Blessed Are You Among Women (word search)

silk.net/RelEd/- 3 Lord’s Prayer (word searches)

wordsearchfun.com- Apostles’ Creed (word search)

silk.net/RelEd/- Apostles’ Creed (word searches)

wordsearchfun.com- The Rosary (word search)

blestarewe.com- A Mass Prayer- The Lord’s Prayer (word scramble)

joanyedwards.com- Blessed Are You Among Women (crossword)

studystack.com- Apostles Creed (crossword)

blestarewe.com- About The Lord’s Prayer (crossword)

domestic-church.com- Joyful Mysteries (crossword)



These puzzles are free, however they can only to be used for classroom and personal use. They may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.

Mary is the Mother of the Church (word search)

Mary is the Mother of the Church (crossword)




Hail Mary puzzle- All you need is some heavy paper and a copy machine. Copy puzzle and have the children glue it on some heavy paper and color. Then have the children cut on the lines to make a puzzle. Have the children put the puzzle together to practice Hail Mary. Put puzzle pieces in an envelope or ziplock bag.







Hail Mary Puzzle #2- All you need is some card stock and a copy machine. Print puzzle on card stock and have the students cut on the lines to make a puzzle. Have the students put the puzzle together to practice Hail Mary. Put puzzle pieces in an envelope or Ziploc bag.







Our Father puzzle- All you need is some heavy paper and a copy machine. Copy the puzzle and have the children glue it on some heavy paper and color. Then have the children cut on the lines to make a puzzle. Have the children put the puzzle together to practice the Our Father. Put puzzle pieces in an envelope or ziplock bag. (Catholic version)



Worksheets:

Hail Mary worksheet- To find out how well the students know The Hail Mary, have the students fill out the worksheet using the word bank.

Lord’s Prayer worksheet- Fill out the worksheet with the students on the board.

sadlierreligion.com- We Believe
Mary, Model of Discipleship- Complete the activity by filling in the directions for praying the rosary. Grade 15, Chapter 19, (Pick the grade, type of visitor, and click on Go To. Look under Printable Activities and click on Chapters).

rssupport.org- Apostles’ Creed
Answer questions about the Apostles’ Creed.



This worksheet below is free, however it can only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.

Rosary (worksheet)- multiple choice and fill in the blanks



The following worksheets are from: 100 Activities Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Ellen Rossini

The Apostles’ Creed- Using the clues below each line, fill in the blanks to complete the Apostles’ Creed. (100 Activities Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Ellen Rossini, page 41).

The Rosary, Part I- In the left column, are the names of the fifteen mysteries. The right column contains brief descriptions of each mystery. Write the letter of the description next to the name of the correct mystery. (100 Activities Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Ellen Rossini, page 77).

The Rosary, Part II- Connect the letters from the previous activity in their final order to solve the dot-to-dot puzzle. (100 Activities Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Ellen Rossini, page 78).

The Hail Mary- Use the words in the word bank to complete the sentences. (100 Activities Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Ellen Rossini, page 79).

Understanding the “Our Father”- To increase your understanding of the “Our Father”, look up the Bible verses. On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions. (100 Activities Based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church by Ellen Rossini, page 109).



Homework: Prayers and Take Home Sheet (It is in MS Word and can be changed any way you like according to your student’s abilities.)

The Dance

Of Valley Politics



I've been to a lot of public meetings over the years. Many of them were quite dull, while others were more interesting. Many were a waste of time in terms of what was accomplished. Yet believe it or not, occasionally I attended a public meeting that I recall as having been informative and productive!

In the early days, I used to sneak around these public gatherings as an anonymous presence, positioning myself here and there, wherever I might overhear or observe something enlightening. But all that changed after I began appearing on the now defunct Dan Yorke TV Show on WGGB-TV Channel 40, first as a reoccurring guest and then later as a member of Yorke's stable of fill-in hosts. I soon became aware of the subtle transformations brought about in my life by appearing regularly on television.

No longer could I just blend into the background at public meetings, an intrepid spy in the midsts of the politicos. It wasn't long before politicians I had never met before were greeting me by my first name and talking to me as if we had always been friends. Some of them seemed nervous to have me around. Whenever I tried to inject myself into groups of people whom I suspected were having an interesting political discussion, I often discovered that I was mistaken. In fact it seemed that wherever I went, no one was discussing anything besides sports or the weather.

So with my cover blown, there didn't seem to be much point in my going to public meetings as much. Besides, in all immodesty, I probably have one of the best networks of informed whisperers and anonymous sources in the Valley. It's rare that I can't find out what I need to know if I'm really determined to know it, even if the information comes to me in forms that libel laws don't allow me to print. That may be just as well. If I told you everything that goes on around here, you'd burst into tears.

One thing that I have always found intriguing about public meetings is observing the complicated and unique rules of interaction among the governing class. A sociologist looking to study exotic manners, customs and rituals needn't go searching for a lost tribe in the jungles of Borneo. They need only pop in on a typical public meeting in Springfield.

For example, if you or I were going to a public event, we would simply arrive, open the door, and walk inside. Few politicians, however, would dare be so casual about their entrance. There's a hierarchy to it, with the least important people (the wanna-bees) always arriving first (they want all the time they can to shmooze before the meeting begins) while the most powerful dignitaries (who the wanna-bees wanna shmooze) arrive last.

The ultimate display of status is to arrive at the last possible moment, thereby guaranteeing that your arrival will be seen by everyone present while at the same time showing your contempt for the frustrated wanna-bees who were hoping you would arrive early enough to be approachable. The master of this technique is Congressman Richard Neal, whose impeccable timing always insures that the audience is already seated and thereby can't help but watch him march up the center aisle to his reserved front row seat. He does this while smiling and scanning the room with a look that somehow manages to acknowledge the audience in general but ignore any specific individual. He really has it down to an artform. I've sometimes thought they should give awards for such things.

Once the meeting is underway, the proceedings are ignored except by the cynical media and the clueless public. After all, the purpose of the meeting is usually simply to ratify in public a decision that was already made behind closed doors - and every true insider is already aware of what that decision is. Everything else is just play-acting for the public and the media. In the meantime, what you see are heads turning, necks straining and eyes darting in every direction, as everybody tries to size up just who is present and to place each attendee into a category reflecting their relative importance. Those categories and the way politicians respond to them are as follows:


Me at City Hall in 1992
The General Public - Easily recognizable because they are usually slightly nervous, confused and much too respectful toward the dignitaries at hand. The common taxpayer is the least important category and the most easily dismissed. If forced into an encounter with an everyday citizen, politicians usually adopt the "Big Ears" approach. That means letting the citizen do all the talking, while the politician appears to be listening intently, making it appear that they are sympathetic to what the taxpayer is saying while never actually committing themselves to a thing. Then the member of the public walks away thinking that the politician is a good listener and responsive to their point of view, nevermind that the politician's real views were never revealed. Springfield City Councilor Bill Foley has a special talent for employing this technique.

The Lords - If the public are the least important people present, then at the other extreme are what you might call The Lords. They are anyone in the room that you absolutely must see (or be seen by) in order for the meeting to be considered a success. Depending on your needs they might be anyone, but in general a Lord is any person who can a) get yourself or a supporter a job, b) get yourself or a supporter a government contract, or c) someone whom you are already politically indebted to where it might be dangerous if you didn't kiss their rear end everytime you meet.

The Snubbed - These are the people present that you are having disagreements with and want to show your displeasure towards by pointedly ignoring them. You or I, if we were having a disagreement with someone, would simply make our views known to whomever we disagreed with. In Valley politics however, such an honest and frank confrontation would be considered unforgivably bad form. Instead, you must treat those with whom you disagree as if they were invisible, no matter how often they come within your range of view. It is said that no one can snub you into quite so complete a feeling of non-existence as Springfield Newspapers president David Starr.

So the entire evening there are all these bizarre, yet finely tuned exchanges going on at the public meeting, as people angle and maneuver to engage their Lords or blank out those to be snubbed. It is a symbolic dance whose many subtleties would require a book in order to properly describe every nuance. Yet to an outsider observing the scene it might appear that nothing very remarkable was taking place.

But nearly everyone present is involved in a complex social waltz, whose ultimate effect is to prevent any possibility of an open, honest, spontaneous or sincere gesture of any kind. Still, at rare but key moments it is suddenly not like a waltz at all, but becomes a funky boogie where you can pick up points for style, with a deftly executed knife in the back separating the men from the boys.

It's a scene you can get sick of pretty quick, and a lesson in democracy no schoolboy's textbook can teach you.

Geokaput

If the preceeding article seems sorta familiar to some of you longtime regular readers, it's because it first appeared in the print version of The Baystate Objectivist around 1993. It's interesting, and sad, how well it still holds up after all this time. Since 1998, it has existed online at a Geocities website that was a predecessor to this one. But now Geocities is going out of business, as reported in TechCrunch:




Not with a bang, but with a whimper. Yahoo! is unceremoniously closing GeoCities, one of the original web-hosting services acquired by Yahoo! in 1999 for $2.87 billion. (Fun venture fact: Fred Wilson’s Flatiron Partners was an investor). In a message on Yahoo!’s help site, the company said that it would be shuttering Geocities, a free web-hosting service, later this year and will not be accepting any new customers....

There are plenty of other Website creation and hosting services out there, including blog platforms such as Wordpress, Blogger, and Typepad, as well as Website creation and hosting services such as Ning, Webs, Jimdo, Snapages, Weebly, and countless more. GeoCities never really kept up with the times, but always remained a decent pageview generator.

One of the pioneers of web-hosting sites, GeoCities gave users personal publishing tools and created “neighborhoods” within its web platform for users to be able to create pages, add a picture, text, a guest book and a website counter. Long before MySpace, Geocities was known as a place where teenagers, college students, and eventually others could impose their own garish taste upon the rest of the world.

So with Geocities headed into cyber-oblivion, I'm going to have to transfer all of my old stuff that's worth preserving from the Geocities site to this one. Some of it I might expand or update, if warranted. Others I may let slip with Geocities itself into the void. But in any case, if some blasts from the past start showing up here in the coming days and weeks, you'll know the reason why. Hey, I'll bet you'll find it fun to read some of them again.

Another 100 Day Verdict



In 1927 the great Austrian economist, Ludwig von Mises, wrote: “Whoever does not deliberately close his eyes to the facts must recognize the signs of an approaching catastrophe in the world economy.” He did not base his prediction of the Great Depression on specific economic policies, such as federal deficits, or improper money policy. It was based on the rise of philosophies antithetical to market capitalism and limited government, including fascism, socialism, and progressivism. The first 100 days of the Obama administration have been marked by a similar movement away from belief in the market system and individual liberty and towards belief in a centrally planned state....

The Economist, in its most recent issue, warned against calling Obama a socialist or a fascist. Yet if we accept a common definition of fascism as a system of private ownership of the means of production with government control, certainly the administration’s policies exhibit movement towards such a system. At the same time, if we define socialism as a system of government ownership of the means of production, then the Obama administration has moved us in that direction as well.

In The Road to Serfdom, Nobel Laureate Friedrich Hayek explained that socialism and fascism are really a common system based on the belief that central planning is superior to individual liberty and market capitalism. So it matters little whether the Obama administration is moving us towards socialism or fascism. It certainly is moving us away from market capitalism and limited government and towards central planning.

- Gary Wolfram


Down by the River

As little as a week ago there were no leaves on the trees. But spring has sprung, as you can see from this pic I took today of my woodland way into downtown Northampton.



The other day I was in Deerfield under the bridge over the mighty Connecticut. This was the view.



A woman was sitting under the bridge writing while watching the river flow.



There is lots of graffiti under the bridge, some of it of unusually high quality. For example, dig this abstract done in gold paint.



Do these sayings make any sense?



Some of the images are beautiful yet haunting.

Mary is the Mother of Our Church

This game is free, however it is only to be used for classroom and personal use. It may not be published on any websites or other electronic media, or distributed in newsletters, bulletins, or any other form or sold for profit.




Mary is the Mother of Our Church File Folder Game: The objective of the game is to answer questions about Mary to receive a letter tile and spell Mary.

Directions- Print out Directions, cut it out, and glue on front of file folder. (Title is in Bradley Hand ITC font and text is in Tempus Sans ITC font.)

Game Board- Print out Game Board, trim, and glue on the inside of the file folder. Make sure the directions are on the front of the file folder. Laminate or cover file folder with clear contact paper to make it last. (Text is in Bradley Hand ITC font.)

Question Cards- Print Question Game Cards out on card stock. Cut out Question Game Cards. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last.

Game Cards- Print out several pages of Game Cards on card stock. Cut out Game Cards. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last. (Title is in Bradley Hand ITC font and Letter Tiles are in Andy font.)

Letter Tiles- Print out several pages of Letter Tiles on card stock. Cut out tiles. Laminate or cover with clear contact paper to make them last.

Weekend treasures...

I know, I know...it's not the weekend anymore. The week is more than half over but quite frankly, I was too pooped to post till now. Do you mind if I share just a little taste of my weekend wares?
LOOK CLOSE....SAYS CARRINGTON, ND!!! I know it's a weight, but I wish I knew more about it!!

In Atlanta! Actually, Duluth

UPdate Thurs 7:13 am: I'm in Gwinnett Arena in Duluth. (Hello, Stalker, come get me, I know.) (Like I would have a stalker.) But you are not a stalker, so you could just come to the arena and look for me! I'm the one wearing khaki pants! You could have the arena people do a "Paging 2nd Cup Lid. Paging 2nd Cup Lid. Your bloggy buddy is here."

Just a quick note from the hotel lobby as I await the rest of my staff to meet here and head out to the first session of the conference.

I have to tell you all--this was the BEST flight I've ever had, which is a great SOO-PRISE! Thanks be to God!

And I was virtually worry-free. No nausea, no gripping fear that would've been embarrassing because I was seated right next to my boss. The first thing he did was hand me "the bag."

We ate at O'Charley's, which we do not have at home.

I've been listening to the reports on TV and have a tiny, tiny bit of fear about the arena and airports and all, but I do have sanitizer, which is scented like bubble gum, for the professional who has a wild side.

I was greeted with a long note from Jorge when I opened my suitcase, which was wonderful.

Life is good.

Thanks for praying!

Wishcasting Wednesday ~ April 29, 2009

What do you wish to read?

Be a maker of magic and a tender of wishes. It’s easy. Answer the wish prompt above on your blog and then add a direct link to your post in the box below. Support wishes by visiting other participants, leaving a comment saying “As (insert name) wishes for her/himself, so I wish for her/him also.” It’s that simple. There is great power in wishing together.

Return to Hodophobia with Willy Wiener

Today I'm departing with my church staff for the Orange Conference in Duluth, GA. The last time I flew was in June to the She Speaks Conference, and I wrote this post to expose my intense fear of flying to the world, because apparently I cannot stand to maintain one shred of pride on this blog and had to blab about that weirdness, too. So I'm re-running it here because I think it's relevant and helpful to me (there IS something redeeming in the post) as I prepare to take to the skies today. But I would love your prayers. See ya in a few, and I have a couple of posts for you while I'm gone. PS: Airborne tastes awful.

I just found out that I am afflicted, in the truest sense of that word, with a particular type of anxiety called "hodophobia," [HOE-doe-phobia] which is the "fear of traveling." And Jorge is now so accepting of my condition that he is "lovingly" calling me "Ho-do" for short.

Anyway, do I need to remind you of what I'm doing June 19? Hint: It involves leaving my bedroom.

Hodophobia is different from Pteromerhanophobia, which is not "fear of pterodactyls" but is instead the fear of flying. The diffference is, we hodophobes do not like traveling in any sense.

I'm not in love with flying, mainly because of motion sickness, but that can be fixed with medication, and I promise you, it will be. It will be. (If my seat mate only knew, he would be thanking God right now, because when I flew to Phoenix, I threw up.) But a general fear of traveling, I'm not so sure about that.

I have not been posting in detail about my stress level over this conference because I could just see you going, "O-kaaaaay ...." and X-ing me out forever due to my irrational nuttiness. For instance, in airports, my ears start buzzing and my vision blurs so that I have trouble reading anything, including pertinent information, which is sort of crucial to traveling. I feel paralyzed and dependent on everyone around me to lead me. And I'm making this trip alone.

After returning from Gatlinburg yesterday, I dreamed of the conference all night long. All. Night. Long.

I dreamed I was hanging out the back of a plane, which was not comfortable. (There wasn't room for me.) I dreamed I made the pilot angry. I dreamed I had lied about attending a conference and was sneakily trying to attend two conferences at once (sort of like the Brady Bunch episode where Peter tried to keep a date with two girls.) I dreamed I missed a flight. In short, I dreamed every bad thing you could dream about traveling, because, have I mentioned?, I'm a hodophobe.

Early this morning, Jorge talked me down off the ledge and away from cancelling everything. Here's the deal: Once I get to Charlotte (Thurs. eve.) I have no way to get to the hotel. There is no shuttle that night like there will be for the conference proper. I thought I was going to have to take a taxi. I do not know how to do this. I could not imagine calling, hailing, paying, tipping ... Apparently, I also have taxiphobia, which is not a real name but should be for fear of taxis.

So I started doing research on hodophobia, and I came across a set of 5 minute news videos where two doctors spoke to a news anchor about anxiety. One of the doctor's names, and I am not making this up, is Willy Wiener, which, if you find this unbelievable and want to verify, go here. I did not find Willy Wiener to be that helpful, but I'm sure he is a wonderful man.

However, there is a site called Living with Anxiety that I found somewhat helpful. Here is a prayer I lifted from that site, which I hope is OK since I pointed you there:

Prayer for a Special Need Like Not Wanting to Take a Taxi (OK, I added that last part).

Lord Jesus, You have said, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." With confidence in Your loving heart which offers rest to weary souls, I come to You in this my time of special need. In Your unfailing love, read the prayer that is written on my heart, and grant the grace that I ask of You, in accordance with Your holy will. In Your name I pray. Amen.

Simple, but effective for me. When I am in an airport, I may not be able to even utter a prayer, but he can read the prayer that is written on my heart.

Later, I sat through the sermon, which was about living your life as an example to others, among other subtopics. Looking at me in my paralyzation, would anyone want to trust in the God I worship? I felt so ashamed that ultimately my fear revealed a lack of faith. If I believe (to cite one of many examples of God's power) that God parted the Red Sea, do I not believe he can get me from the Charlotte airport to Embassy Suites? Am I afraid He can't read a map? Speak southern? Find me if I get lost? Help me count money for a tip? WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME???

God has worked out so many details for me to be able to do this conference--you wouldn't believe. I think I am supposed to go; I really do, but I think I'm under spiritual attack, too.

So I headed off to the grocery store. I turned on the radio only to hear Lysa TerKeurst speaking. I had to laugh. ["Ack! I can't get away from 'She Speaks!'"]

All through my grocery trip, I thought of the ordeal, turning it upside down and inside out, over and over. I started feeling so depressed and my self-esteem was plummeting.

When I got home, my husband stopped mowing the lawn to tell me that while I was gone, he arranged for a limo to pick me up at baggage and take me to the hotel. The driver will have a sign with my name on it, so there's no missing me. (I'll be the lady with kaleidescope eyes clutching her suitcase for dear life.) This company specializes in freaked out travelers. The fee and tip are paid in advance. If I cannot use the voucher offered by Proverbs 31 to get back to the airport, he will arrange a ride back. My husband loves me. My God loves me. I don't deserve the love or faithfulness of either, but there you have it.

In fact, I cannot explain people's general goodness toward me, except that God loves me through them. I am so humbled.

So now I've processed, to some degree, what has been eating at me for weeks and weeks and growing almost by the hour--I'm not kidding.

So do not X me out; God isn't through with me yet, as they say.

I can do this trip because with God (and the limo guy) all things are possible!

That's all the news from the land of Hodophobia.
Signed,
Hodophina

Reno Pic of the Day II - because I just couldn't wait to share

Almost there! And with the additional cupboards in the fridge doesn't look so big after all!

Neal Challenged

Democracy at Last



Keep cyphering Mr. President, in the meantime let's look at some political developments closer to home:


Dr. Fleitman
After years of not having any opposition, Congressman Richard Neal is finally facing a credible challenger, as reported in this morning's UMass Collegian:

United States Rep. Richard Neal, a University of Massachusetts journalism lecturer and former Springfield mayor, will face a challenger for his second district house seat for the first time since 1998.

Republican Jay Fleitman, chairman of Northampton’s Board of Health, a Republican ward chairman, and a former school committee member will run against Neal, who has held his seat since 1989.

Fleitman said he is running for a variety of reasons, but primarily because he disagrees with Congress’ recent spending moves.

“They’ve let loose with this almost criminal barrage of spending,” Fleitman said of the federal bailouts, furthering that “this government is accruing debt equal to the entire debt that the U.S. government has accrued in history prior to this.

“The chickens are going to come to roost on this, it’s going to burden the whole economy, the people who are going to be paying for this are you and your children,” continued Fleitman as an emphasis to students....

On whether the Fleitman campaign poses a challenge, Neal’s staff was silent, as his press secretary, William Tranghese, would not comment on the matter.

I wonder if Neal will explain to the students in his journalism class why his press secretary considered it best not to comment to the student paper. Interestingly, the UMass newspaper is located in Amherst, which is in the district and hometown of Congressman John Olver, yet the account in the Collegian of Neal's challenger is much longer and more detailed than the one that appeared in The Republican which is printed in Neal's district and hometown of Springfield. Once again, you have to leave the area in order to find out what's going on in Springfield politics.

No matter what your political persuasion this has to be considered good news. In a healthy democracy every public official should be forced to explain to the public every election cycle what they have done while in office and why they should be re-elected. It has been far too long since Neal has had to face such a reckoning.

However, both the Republican and the Collegian get it wrong when reporting when Neal last faced a challenger. The Republican said 1996 and the Collegian 1998, but actually Neal faced a Democrat primary challenge in the year 2000 from the crackpot activist Joe Fountain. But by any measure, it has been far too long since Neal has been required to defend his record in a seriously challenged election, and therefore nothing but good can come from Dr. Fleitman's candidacy.

In anticipation of a review of the incumbents record, let's take a trip in our time machine back to the days of The Baystate Objectivist and the now out of print Ogulewicz Chronicles, where former three term Springfield City Councilor Mitch Ogulewicz recounts his memories of Neal's first congressional campaign.



Bye Bye Boland

Originally printed in The Ogulewicz Chronicles

In February of 1988, Mitch Ogulewicz received an invitation to attend a secret meeting at the Salem Croft Inn in East Brookfield. The invitation came from Mitch’s friend State Representative Ken Lemanski (D-Chicopee). When Mitch arrived at the Inn he found himself at a gathering with Lemanski and various political operatives from throughout the Second Congressional District.



For nearly four decades, the Second District had been represented in Congress by Edward P. Boland (above with Silvio Conte, Charles Ryan and Ted Kennedy). A New Deal Democrat in the mold of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Boland was a popular and powerful congressman who held the number two position on the House Appropriations Committee, one of the most important committees in Congress because all spending bills at some point had to pass through it. That meant not only that Boland was in a uniquely effective position to attach special funding for his district to various bills, but also enabled him to “horse-trade” with other members of congress for legislation he wanted for his district.

Despite his enormous power and prestige, Boland never lost the common touch. There are endless anecdotes of his special kindnesses: an elderly woman looked out the window one snowy morning to find the congressman shoveling her sidewalk. He never came to the door and had she not seen him out her window, she would never have known who shoveled her walk. A poor single mother with several children heard her doorbell ring and found nothing there but a bag of groceries sitting on her front porch. She called in vain to a figure she saw hurrying down the street. It was Congressman Boland. He walked everywhere, and it was as common to see him strolling past your house as it was to see anyone else in the neighborhood. People said he was the last of a dying breed of politicians, those who never allowed themselves to become insulated in Washington and who always stayed in personal contact with their constituents.

Ogulewicz himself had an encounter with Boland that forever made a positive impression on him, even though at the time Mitch was working to remove Boland from office. In 1968 Boland faced the stiffest political challenge of his career when Mayor Charles V. Ryan ran against him in the Democratic primary. Mitch had a close political relationship with Ryan going back almost to his childhood, so on election day Mitch (who was on leave from the service) was standing in front of Armory Street School, campaigning for Ryan in full military uniform. Boland arrived at the polling place and began shaking hands. When he reached Mitch he noticed the Ryan button prominently displayed on his lapel.

Instead of moving on to greet someone else, Boland stopped, shook Mitch’s hand and told him that he was glad to see a young person participating in politics even if he was not a supporter. It was the kind of unnecessary kindness and interest in people that Boland was famous for, and in the cutthroat world of Springfield politics such deference to an opponent was especially unique. It was things like that which made even Boland’s political enemies concede that Eddie Boland was a class act.



Not that Boland was without his critics, some complained that he was too liberal for the district and, in his later years, that he had served too long. By 1988, there was some grumbling in certain quarters that Boland should step aside and let a new generation of Democrats take over. Many had expected Boland to retire in 1986, when his close friend and former roommate Tip O’Neil retired. He probably would have, except that congressional hearings were beginning the following year on the Iran-Contra scandal, in which members of the Reagan Administration were accused of funneling money illegally to rebel groups struggling to overthrow the Marxist government of Nicaragua. Congress had restricted the amount of money that could be spent on this effort in large part due to the fear that the United States was risking becoming involved in another Vietnam type conflict. It was Edward Boland who had written the restricting legislation the Reagan Administration had violated, commonly referred to as “The Boland Amendments,” and Boland wanted another term in order to participate in the hearings.

So 1988 looked to be the year Boland was likely to step down, and political maneuvering of all sorts was going on behind the scenes. Representative Lemanski, State Senator Martin Reilly and Springfield Mayor Richard Neal were regarded as the leading contenders to be Boland’s successor, although by the time Mitch attended the secret meeting in East Brookfield, Reilly had already been eliminated by a banking scandal created by the Springfield Newspapers. Although eventually cleared of all ethics charges, the process took a long time and in the meantime Reilly’s political career was ruined.

Lemanski told those gathered in East Brookfield that he had commissioned a poll to determine his chances of being elected to Congress. The results he received showed that it was a toss-up between himself and Richard Neal, and Lemanski believed that the statistics suggested that he could win. The problem was that it was impossible to openly campaign until Boland made clear his intentions. To run without an official announcement of Boland’s retirement would be perceived as rudely trying to force the Congressman’s hand, something that would alienate the Boland backers Lemanski would need to win.

Lemanski told those gathered at the Inn that he had spoken privately with Boland himself, who told him that he was uncertain of his plans. However, Boland promised him that once he had made up his mind, he would call Lemanski and give him advance warning of his intentions before alerting the media. Thus there was the need for Lemanski to keep things quiet for the time being, but Lemanski wanted those like Ogulewicz, who would be key players in his congressional campaign, to know the situation in advance so that they could act quickly if Boland tipped him off that he was retiring. With all participants sworn to secrecy, the meeting at the Salem Croft Inn dispersed.

And then nothing happened. Weeks passed, and then months passed, without a word from the Congressman on whether or not he would seek re-election. Talk of who would succeed him began to fade, as the deadline approached for candidates to file for the race. With no word from Boland, it became a universal assumption that Boland would seek one more term. After all, it was becoming too late for any successor to raise the money to mount a campaign. Never having heard anything from Boland as promised, Lemanski simply put his own political ambitions on hold until 1990.

Then one morning, just days before the filing deadline, Lemanski's telephone rang. It was Congressman Boland. He told Lemanski that he would announce his retirement to the media at a press conference to be held that afternoon on Hungry Hill.

The entire Second District was shocked, and the political scene was filled with questions. Why had Boland taken so long to make his intentions known? Who could run a credible campaign with such short time remaining? For that matter, who could even get on the ballot with such short time left to gather signatures? The whole thing seemed baffling and completely out of character for Boland to leave everyone in such a lurch.

Then as Mitch Ogulewicz was returning from the Boland press conference that afternoon to attend a meeting at City Hall, he was startled to see cars in the parking lot with bumper stickers that read “Neal for Congress.” Boland’s official announcement had barely been made an hour earlier and yet already there were cars with Neal bumper stickers? How did Neal know enough to print them? In the coming days there would be further revelations, such as the fact that Neal had already quietly gathered a huge campaign chest and was ready to outspend everybody. Again, people asked how could he have known?

The full circumstances behind the retirement of Edward Boland have never been made clear. Some say Boland simply woke up one morning and suddenly decided to step down. Others say that powerful political forces finally forced him off of the political stage against his will. All anyone knows for certain is that when the dust cleared, Richard Neal was the only candidate left standing. Neither Lemanski nor anyone else was in any position to run against him at that late date, and so a fringe candidate from the communist party became Neal’s only opposition.

The year 1989 began a period of unprecedented change in Springfield politics as the result of the departure of Mayor Richard Neal to Washington. When Neal was sworn in by House Speaker Jim Wright, the Speaker noted with astonishment that he couldn’t recall ever seeing a wide open congressional seat go so uncontested as Boland’s had. But then Speaker Wright was unfamiliar with the brutal power of the dominant political machine to crush all opposition in Springfield.


Richard Neal with Bax and O'Brien

Honor Roll



In a shameful episode last night the Massachusetts Democrats under the leadership of jackass House Speaker Robert DeLeo (above with Deval Patrick) voted to raise the sales tax. Of course that is the tax which hits the poor the hardest and will also hurt our chances of an economic recovery by slamming the business community. Fortunately, time exists to defeat this abomination when it reaches the State Senate. However, we should at least pause to acknowledge the brave state representatives from our Valley who voted against the sales tax increase.



Rep. Donald F. Humason (above)
Rep. Todd R. Smola
Rep. Angelo Puppolo
Rep. Sean F. Curran
Rep. Rosemary Sandlin

Now, who are the Western Mass Senators who will join this honor roll in the next phase of the battle?

Shake It Baby

Here I am this weekend at the UMass Renaissance House posing with my pal Billy.



Today's Video

This is Wolfmother.