Stolen Art Watch, Bill Reid Theft Leaves more Questions Than Answers !!!

Career criminal paid $20,000 for helping recover stolen artwork

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/01/30/bc-reid-heist-reward.html

The RCMP paid $20,000 to a career criminal for key information that led to the safe recovery of art treasures stolen from a B.C. museum last year, CBC News has learned.

Martin Weigelt was given the reward because the information he provided helped police recover all 12 pieces of the Haida artist Bill Reid's work, police sources told CBC News Friday.

The pieces, including bracelets, brooches and cuff links, were stolen in May from glass-enclosed, stone showcases from the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Three golden-coloured Mexican art objects also vanished.

RCMP spokeswoman Const. Annie Linteau confirmed Friday that an unspecified amount of cash was paid to an individual.

"I cannot go into more details," she said.

But Linteau said the person rewarded was not a suspect in the heist, meaning the money was not an incentive to the perpetrator or perpetrators of the crime to ensure the safe return of the Haida artist's works.

Weigelt, 42, has a long criminal history dating back to 1988, according to court documents. He has at least 55 convictions, which include breaking and entering, theft, weapons possession and drug trafficking.

He made news headlines in November 2006 when some Vancouver police officers snapped a trophy photo of him in the police department's lockup after his arrest. The photograph showed four officers posed smiling with Weigelt, who was wearing a white prison jumpsuit and looked distressed and had an injury to his face.

No charges laid
No one was ever charged in the art heist, and Linteau said Friday that police are still investigating the case.

In June, police searched two residences in Burnaby and New Westminster and recovered 10 of the 12 Reid pieces, as well as the three Mexican items. Investigators arrested three people, questioned them and released them without disclosing their identities.

Police conducted two more searches in July and August and found the last two pieces. The RCMP never said how they made the finds, except that all manner of techniques were used, including round-the-clock surveillance.

Art Hostage comments:

Interesting, what happened to the rest of the advertised $50,000 reward if Martin Weigelt only got paid $20,000 ?

How did this low level career criminal get the inside information ?

Who is in the shadows behind Martin Weigelt ?

What other concessions have been made by authorities ?

Just out of curiosity, what is Aaron Syberg up to these days ??????

Red and Blue

Final Figures

For you political junkies, here's a graphic showing how each county in the nation voted in the 2008 Presidential election. Notice how in New England only one county up in Maine voted for McCain. The Republican Party is indeed all but dead in our region of the country.



Farewell Poem

Here's a great poem by the recently departed Massachusetts writer John Updike about getting too old to die young.



It came to me the other day:

Were I to die, no one would say,

‘Oh, what a shame! So young, so full

Of promise - depths unplumbable!

Instead, a shrug and tearless eyes

Will greet my overdue demise;

The wide response will be, I know,

‘I thought he died a while ago.’

For life’s a shabby subterfuge,

And death is real, and dark, and huge.

The shock of it will register

Nowhere but where it will occur.

(From Endpoint, a new collection of Updike poems to be published by Knopf in September ‘09)

In Danger

People in Northampton are concerned because the gay store is for sale. Shops of that type don't always find a buyer.



Then again, if a store like that can't prosper in Northampton, where can it?

Missing Animals

I went over to the farm at Hampshire College to check out the animals. However when I got there not a creature was to be found anywhere with not even any footprints in the snow. Wonder where they went to?



I decided to walk a little ways up to the Hampshire College sugar shack, perhaps to purchase some of their delicious Pioneer Valley maple syrup. But alas, they were closed.



Some days you just can't win for trying.

Going Overboard

I've said before that I think alcohol should be illegal, but even I can't abide this silly political correctness controversy playing out in England. According to the BBC:



Drunken sailors" have been removed from the lyrics of a nursery rhyme in a government-funded books project.

But the Bookstart charity says the re-writing of What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor? has "absolutely nothing to do with political correctness".

The charity says that the shift from drunken sailor to "grumpy pirate" was to make the rhyme fit a pirate theme, rather than censorship.

"Put him in the brig until he's sober," has also been lost in the new version....

The original includes such suggestions as: "Shave his belly with a rusty razor", "Stick him in a bag and beat him senseless" and "Put him in the hold with the captain's daughter." The captain's daughter was a euphemism for a lashing from a cat o' nine tails.

This is the latest in a series of disputes over nursery rhymes. There were complaints in 2006 about pre-school children attending two nurseries in Oxfordshire being taught "Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep".

Last year, a story based on the Three Little Pigs fairy tale was turned down by a government agency's awards panel as the subject matter could offend Muslims. A digital book, re-telling the classic story, was rejected by judges who warned that "the use of pigs raises cultural issues".

However, a study in 2004 showed that nursery rhymes exposed children to far more violent incidents than an average evening watching television - including Humpty Dumpty's serious head injury.

That reminds me of the reformer who wrote in the paper that politicians were "spending money like a drunken sailor." A Navy vet wrote in and complained that as a former drunken sailor he resented being compared to a politician.

Hotboy

I like this picture someone sent me of Stephen Geoffreys:



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Northampton's favorite magazine:



More Endless Winter

You know we've had enough of winter when you see this:



It snowed again today, not much but enough to dust the frog statue over the container in front of Hamp's First Church where you give money to the poor.



I was surprised to hear an advocate for the poor criticize that statue because the frog seems to be happily relaxing, giving the impression that the poor are just lazily waiting for a handout.

Today in Amherst I ran into Local Buzzer Greg Saulmon.



He was at UMass to cover the rally on behalf of Jason Vassell, who was arrested a year ago over a fight that some say had racist overtones. I don't really know what to make of the case. While Vassell hardly seems the purely innocent victim his defenders claim he is, there also seem to be legitiment questions about how he's being prosecuted. To check out Greg's coverage click here.

Today's Video

I like this hot clip of Marines doing the Cha Cha Slide in Iraq.

Project 365 09 ~ Week 4

This week was full of amazing treats starting off with a visit from my brother. We had lots to celebrate starting with the success of his doctoral defense! Way to go, Dr. J! We also celebrated Christmas and my Mom's birthday - what fabulous festivities!

And what would a Sunday morning visit be without waffles with all the trimmings?

On a fiercely cold Monday, Justin and I ventured out to purchase a new phone. I'd been having some troubles with ours and with all the work I do on the phone, that just had to be resolved! Since we were out anyway, we figured we'd stop and warm up for a bit.

On Tuesday, Jinx was very interested in what had arrived in the mail. I recently decided I simply had to invest in a piece of art by the incredibly talented, love-powered Jessie, and this week it arrived. Can you guess what my word is going to be?

Love it! Check out Jessie's ongoing word-of-the-day project and get yourself an inspiring word here. I can't wait to put mine up!

And the beauty continued as I enjoyed my spa date. Thank goodness. This kind of self-care time was overdue. This is something I'm working in to my regular schedule. I find the beauty, serenity and body-care completely rejuvenating.

I feel truly spoiled this week. Look what the wonderful Jenn sent me! One of her gorgeous Unfolding Your Life Vision Kits! Jenn always inspires me with her creativity, beauty and generosity. I can't wait to play with the kit and share with you what I come up with! And have you heard about the Heart is Hot project? Talk about heartwarming! Thank you, Jenn!

This week we had someone in to draw up some preliminary ideas for our kitchen. I'm not sure where this will take us. Let's just say that if a dishwasher and non-pink tiles are in our future, I'll be happy.

And yay to finishing up the week with Shannon, the Movie Moxie. We saw Maman est chez le Coiffeur, a part of the Canada's Top 10 series at Cinematheque. What a heart-filled, tender film. I was really moved by it and its tale of love and heartbreak in a family.

Project 365 is my attempt to capture a year in my life through a photograph a day. On Saturday's I'll post the week's pics. At the end of the year, I'll create a video of all these precious moments. Feel free to participate at any time. Yours can be Project 347 or Project 292. It's up to you. See the results of my Project 365 ~ 2008 here.

Secret #4: Surrendering to Creative Cycles

I call them the dark days.

I think of them as stormy weather systems rolling in. They build in the distance. I can feel the pressure change, sense that something's coming. Soon clouds descend and I'm full on in the midst of a mood. I've made a study of this particular weather phenomenon. Here is what I've learned.

Characteristics of "The Mood"

• appearance of soul-gripping doubt
• heart-stabbing, knife-turning jealousy
• tendency to anger combined with desire to be verbally venomous
  
• disinterest in anything remotely resembling productivity
• complete denial of all positive indicators in favour of any and every negative sign
• patience meter reads 'empty'
  
• hypersensitivity to criticism
• fear, fear, fear, fear

Mood Predictors

Over time, I've discovered that storm patterns do have some key indicators. These dark days often arrive:

• when I'm not expressing myself creatively
• when something finishes
• the Tuesday before my period
• when I haven't had enough "me" time
• when I haven't had enough time with my honey
• after a disappointment
• when I'm overtired, overextended, mired in detail
• when there's something I need to say
  
• when I'm stuck in unending, repetitive routine
• when I'm undecided
• on the bridge
  
• and most often - for no discernible reason at all
  

Mood Survival

I've learned that these storms are part of my own personal landscape, the natural weather patterns of Jamie.

To weather the storms I...

• Come back to routines that I know work: morning pages and journaling
• Move my body. Walks and Nia work really well for me.
• Eat vitamin-rich foods... and chocolate.
  
• Admit I'm in a mood.
• Talk it out.
• Indulge in a pyjama day.
  
• Watch a tear-inspiring movie.
  
• Change something.
• Let myself feel what I feel.

What's the weather system like in your personal landscape?

Boehner Rising

For Obama it's Getting Harder.


House Minority Leader John Boehner

Occasionally congressional leaders become nationally known figures, like Tip O'Neil or Newt Gingrich did. More often they are more low-key, known to political junkies but not very well known to the average person. That was certainly true of U.S. House Minority Leader John A. Boehner until just recently. Now with the Republicans in full rebellion against the wasteful $800 billion spending bill currently being rammed through Congress (with more and more Democrats also expressing their misgivings) Rep. Boehner is emerging as the point man in the growing struggle to save the public from a major rip-off.

Amazingly, not a single Republican voted for the stimulus bill. President Obama, who was supposed to be the great unifier of a post-partisan era, has instead proven to be instantly polarizing and has completely alientated the other side after less than two weeks in office. But it isn't just against the stimulus rip-off that Republicans have united, they have also rallied behind their fast rising leader Boehner. According to Politico he received a hero's welcome last night:



The assembled Republicans rose in a standing ovation Thursday night when Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio showed them a C-SPAN video of the vote itself, according to people present. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) told the group that Wednesday’s vote reminded him of a roll call in 1993, when Republicans forced Democrats to pass a tax increase without a single GOP vote. And conservative Arizona Rep. John B. Shadegg offered a toast to many of his more moderate Republican colleagues who opposed the legislation.

“If the Republican Party takes care of America, America will take care of the Republican Party,” the former speaker said.

He then predicted Boehner, his onetime rival, would be speaker “at a speed that will shock Democrats,” according to one person in the room.

Gingrich appeared to be predicting that history will repeat itself and Obama, like the last Democrat president Bill Clinton, will lose control of Congress two years after taking office, a blow from which the Clinton presidency never recovered and which would be equally devastating to Obama.



In a statement on his website Rep. Boehner made the following statement on the worsening prospects for the stimulus bill:

“This was a bipartisan rejection of a partisan bill. Families and small businesses across America are struggling, and they are counting on their leaders in Washington for ways to strengthen our economy. House Republicans want to work with congressional Democrats on legislation that fulfills the goal set by President Obama: crafting a bipartisan plan focused on job creation. Unfortunately, the trillion dollar government spending bill before the House today was not that plan, and a bipartisan coalition of Members rightfully rejected it."

Indeed eleven Democrats walked out on Obama and joined the Republicans in trying to kill the bill. The total lack of bipartisan support for the stimulus bill puts Democrats in a position that no politician likes to find themselves in - standing alone in a do or die situation. With no Republican support, if the stimulus fails, as a rising chorus of economists predict it will, then the Democrats are trapped with 100% of the blame. This puts enormous pressure on the Democrats to give in, give up and compromise like mad to do whatever is necessary to get at least some Republicans onboard.

Fairness for All



I'm pleased to see the article this week in the Valley Advocate by Mark Roessler on the use of the publicy owned Academy of Music in Northampton to hold a public gathering celebrating the inauguration of Democrat President Barack Obama. I couldn't help but wonder whether a similar event would have been held had the election been won by Republican John McCain.

Still, I didn't think it was that big a deal, but according to Roessler the event violated the terms of the deed giving the once privately owned Academy to the city:

"First, said granted premises shall be devoted and used solely and exclusively for the delivery of lectures, the production of concerts and operas and the impressions and delineation of the drama of the better character; and such other kindred subjects as shall be approved by the unanimous vote of the Committee or board of management hereinafter named; but said premises shall never be used for political meetings or rallies or for the distinctive presentation of party politics."

I'll still give the city a pass, since no real harm was done, but I'm glad to see this issue being raised, because the use of public property for partisan purposes is a slippery slope. In fact I saw it at its worst when I lived in Springfield.

In Springfield in the Albano era, whenever candidates loyal to the local Democrat political machine ran for office, they were allowed to use the inside of City Hall to hold campaign announcements and press conferences. There was no doubt that this gave the favored candidates an advantage in how they appeared on TV and in photographs, impressing people by making it appear as if the candidates already belonged in City Hall. However, when critics of the local machine tried to use the facilities for their campaign affairs, they were told it was not allowed!



Enter into the picture Brenda Branchini (above) a local hairdresser who decided in 1997 to run for office and wanted to use City Hall for her formal campaign announcement. Branchini was a colorful character, whose Court Square shop was notorious for offering, for an extra fee, the option of having your hair cut by females in very skimpy lingerie. Sadly, that sexy side of her business overshadowed the other aspects of her candidacy, which was a shame because in many ways she ran exactly the kind of issues based campaign one always hoped to see in Springfield but seldom did.

Branchini was bold, sassy, unbossed and unbought, and at one point she held a campaign parade that included homeless people, dogs and cats, sex workers and radicals of all stripes marching down Main Street with flutes, whistles and horns and demanding to be allowed to hold an inside City Hall rally just like those candidates blessed by the political establishment were allowed to do. She was turned away, but the incident attracted media attention. Once it became public that City Hall was being used to stage campaign rallies for priviliged insiders that were forbidden to other candidates, the policy was correctly changed to close City Hall to all partisan political activity.

The situation in Northampton is not as serious as it used to be in Springfield, but lest it devolve in that direction, in the future Northampton should make a special effort to insure that partisan politics stays out of public buildings. In the meantime it seems Springfield is now backsliding, as I notice that an Obama celebration was also held in Springfield at its publicly owned Civic Center. Hey Brenda, it may be time for another parade!

Ruined Restaurant Icon

Photographer Karen Leaf found this age-worn Abdow's Big Boy statue for sale at an antique store. Is it from the Big Boy that was located in Chicopee, or on Riverdale Road in West Springfield or the one on Boston Road in Springfield's 16 Acres?



Found Gems

On a public computer at UMass I found these great pictures someone left behind. They are photographs taken on the UMass campus today showing the aftermath of the latest storm. They were probably originally intended to be put on Facebook or sent to a friend.

The UMass library across a sea of white.



Looking towards the science buildings.



Most of the ducks on the campus pond go south for the winter, but there are always a bunch that for some reason stay behind. With the campus pond nearly completely frozen, these hardy year-rounders are now confined to this small unfrozen section.



The delicate sparkling of the ice in the trees.



The moral - Don't leave photos in public computers or they may end up being seen by thousands.

Today's Video

People have been asking me whether I've started experimenting - as I said I might -with the sleep regimen suggested by Buckiminster Fuller that is supposed to give you thirty hours or more extra awake time. It works by sleeping only every six hours and then for only about a half hour per time. I haven't tried it yet and I don't think I'm going to. People have warned me that it could be bad for my health. It would also be really inconvenient to try to sleep wherever you happened to be every six hours. And how would I wake myself up after a half hour? Would I have to carry around a wind-up alarm clock? Chalk it up to one of those ideas that sound good in theory but are impractical in practice.

Lesson Plan- Fishers of Men (1st grade on up)

Fishers of Men


Objectives: The students will be able to
- retell the story of The Fishers of Men
- explain that Jesus had helpers and that we are all called to be Jesus’ helpers
- explain that people in all walks of life work together to bring God's love to our world



Review:
Prayer, Take Home Sheet, and vocabulary from last week’s lesson and also Objects Used as Mass cards: (show picture cards that we have done thus far)



Vocabulary Words: (Write words on the board and discuss with class)

Apostles- the first 12 men Jesus called to follow him
Good News- the message that God loves us
Synagogue- Jewish place of worship
Faith- belief or trust that someone will help and care for you
Missionary- Someone who brings the Good News of Jesus to others
Disciples- one of the 12 followers of Jesus
Christianity- religion that follows Jesus’ teachings
Capernaum- a town near Lake Galilee (show students this on a map or have one of the students find it on a map).
Lake Galilee- Israel’s largest freshwater lake. Much of the ministry of Jesus happened on the shores of Lake Galilee (show students this on a map or have one of the students find it on a map).
Fishermen- people who catch fish for a living
Romans- people from Rome (show students this on a map or have one of the students find it on a map).
Taxes- payment to help run a country



Plan:

Read story: "Jesus and His Disciples" and ask questions from Take Home Sheet that will be sent home today.



Activities:

Introduce activities: How many disciples did Jesus have?

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People object lesson with coloring page and puzzles

sermons4kids.com- You Have a Message object lesson with coloring, activities, puzzles, and quiz

sermons4kids.com- You Have a Message (group activities) crafts, songs, games, etc.

dltk-bible.com- The Twelve Disciples lesson with memory verse, teacher's guide, puzzles, take home sheet, coloring pages, crafts, etc.

children.calvarychapel.com- The Fishers of Men lesson with memory verses, circle the correct words, true or false, fill in the blanks, puzzles, and color sheets.

kidsclubs4jesus.com- Fishers of Men lesson with puzzles, coloring sheet, Bible readings, questions, memory verses, key points, object lesson, drama, puppets, etc. (These files are set up and formatted so that they can be easily made into weekly booklets for your children's ministry, youth ministry, etc., with 4 sheets of legal paper and two staples).



Crafts:

Introduce craft- Who said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”? What does that mean?


Fishers of Men Story Wheel:

This craft 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.

Directions: Print the top and bottom wheels out on cardstock. Cut out wheels. Cut out circle shapes on the inside line edge of the top wheel. Have children color wheels. Attach a brass fastener through the center of both wheels. On the back of the bottom wheel attach a strip of cardstock (at least 1 inch wide and 6 inches long) leaving half extended over the side (so you can turn the wheel). You can also draw an arrow on the top side of the strip on the end to indicate which way to turn the bottom wheel.

Fishers of Men Story Wheel (top)

Fishers of Men Story Wheel (bottom)



daniellesplace.com- Fishers of Men
Scroll down to: Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19 (This craft is a cute bucket of worms with the scripture on it.)


aokcorral.com- Easy Fishing Toy Set (craft to make)
Children make a fish then play like they are going fishing.

crafts.kaboose.com- Gone Fishing
The students make this easy craft then play Gone Fishing from a bucket. (Decorate craft foam fish with sequins, glitter, etc. and while you let it dry, do some of the activities below.)


Fish Crafts:

Japanese Wind Sock- Create a unique "kite"- the traditional Japanese carp wind sock. (The Picture Book of Kids' Crafts and Activities by Roxanne Henderson, page 178 & 179).

Magic Fish-in-the-Ocean Puppet- A cute craft that the fish actually swims and comes to the surface. (Crafts From Your Favorite Fairy Tales by Kathy Ross, page 38 & 39).

mssscrafts.com- Crafts for Fish

daniellesplace.com- Fish Crafts



Games:

Introduce game: Jesus knew his disciples very well. They were his friends. How well do you know your friends?

Who is knocking at my door?

Need: one chair

Directions: The students sit in their own seats while the one who is “It” sits in a chair in front of the room, with his back toward the other students. Someone is chosen by the teacher to go up and knock on the back of the chair or floor. When “It” hears the knocking he asks, "Who is knocking at my door?" The knocker answers in a disguised voice "It is I.” “It” has to guess who the knocker was. The knocker then becomes “It”.


Introduce game: Who are the apostles? What are their names?

applesaucekids.com- Simon Says Meets the Apostles
The idea of the game is to teach the name of the apostles.

Fish Games- 6 are posted here.

Following Jesus (Disciples Follow Jesus)- This game will help children understand that their actions can let others know they are followers of Jesus. (The Encyclopedia of Bible Games for Children’s Ministry by Group Publishing, page 75.)

gospelhall.org- The Twelve Disciples of Jesus Sunday School Activity
Who were the 12 disciples of Jesus? These pages will help your Bible class or Sunday School students know who these 12 ordinary men were.



The following games are free, however they are 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.

Disciples Memory Game or Go Fish Game- A fun way to review the names of the disciples.



Fishers of Men

Materials- large die, questions from Matthew 4:18-22

Make a die out of a large juice carton and put a ? mark on some (at least 3) of the sides of the die.

Cube Signs- Print, cut out, and glue on die to play Fishers of Men Game

Directions- The objective of the game is to get the most points by answering questions about Fishers of Men. Have a player roll the die on the floor in front of the class. If the die lands on a blank space, they do not answer a question. If the die lands on “?”, they are asked a question by the teacher about Fishers of Men. If the player answers correctly, they receive a point (you can use tokens, write it on the board, etc.). If they are not correct, they do not receive a point. Players must collect as many points as they can. The game is over when all the questions have been answered correctly. Whoever has the most points, wins. You can play this game individually or in teams. For an added challenge, you can also have “Lose 1 Point” and “Take 1 Point” on one or a couple of the sides of the die. When a player rolls “Lose 1 Point”, they must lose 1 point. If a player rolls “Take 1 Point”, they may take a point from any player they choose.


Questions: (Do not ask them in order) Questions are from The New American Bible

Where was Jesus walking when he saw the fishermen casting their nets? (Sea of Galilee)

How many men did Jesus see casting their nets? (2)

What were the names of the brothers that Jesus saw first? (Simon who was Peter and Andrew)

What did Peter and Andrew do for a living? (They were fishermen)

What did Jesus say to the fishermen who were casting their nets? (“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”)

What did Peter and Andrew do when Jesus said something to them? (At once they left their nets and followed him.)

Name the 2 sons of Zebedee. (James and John)

What were James and John doing when Jesus saw them? (They were in their boat mending their nets.)

Who was with James and John? (Their father, Zebedee)

When Jesus called James and John, what did they do? (They immediately left their boat and their father and followed him.)

True or False: James and Andrew were brothers. (False)

What were the names of the brothers that Jesus saw second? (James and John)

True or False: John and James were brothers. (True)

What was Peter’s other name? (Simon)

True or False: Andrew and Peter were brothers. (True)



Snacks:

Introduce snack: What did Peter and Andrew do for a living? They were fishermen.

enchantedlearning.com- Cup ‘o Fish
Make edible fish in the Sea of Galilee in a plastic clear cup.

familycrafts.about.com- Sailboat Snack


Introduce snack: What did Matthew do for a living? He was a tax collector.

homecooking.about.com- Cheese Gelt Coins

Get a round cracker and spread peanut butter on it. Cover with another cracker and you have edible money.



Puzzles, Mazes, Worksheets:

lambsongs.co.nz- “Come Follow Me!” by Jill Kemp- Booklet for the children to color and read.

Cover

Booklet


More 365 Activities for Kids (do any of the Fisher of Men puzzles, mazes, dot-to-dot, spot the difference, etc. from August 19 - 23).

psscentral.com- Fishers of Men
Cut and paste activity

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (fish maze)

dltk-bible.com- 12 Disciples puzzles (anagrams, crosswords, cryptogram, maze, word-mining sheets, word searches, etc.)

sermons4kids.com- Connect the dots in alphabetical order (dot-to-dot)
Matthew 4:19

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (word search)
Matthew 4:18-22

sermons4kids.com- Jesus Calls His First Disciples (word search)

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (crossword)
Luke 5:1-11

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (crossword)
Matthew 4:19

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (crossword)
Luke 5:1-11

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (jumble)
Matthew 4:19

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (alphabet soup)
Luke 5:10b

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (multiple choice)
Luke 5:10b

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (multiple choice)
Matthew 4:19

sermons4kids.com- Fishing for People (fill in the blanks)
Matthew 4:18-22



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.)

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY...a junk event?

Since I live with a bunch of males in the house, there's no question Super Bowl Sunday falls under the title of a "holiday" in our home. It's a time for good food, good friends and good drinks. With junking in my blood, my family is used to me incorporating a junk quirk of some kind with any event we host. Whether it's the Christmas buffet dinner spread atop the antique sled on the kitchen island, or the summertime Mexican grilling party featuring a chippy pink door as the table and sombreros filled with chips and salsa, I happily admit: I love to entertain with JUNK!

So, here's a peek at some junk items I'll be using Sunday, but shhhh, don't tell my family, maybe they won't notice! Since I love scales, the large one shown will hold the enchilada casserole, and the small one will hold a family favorite...bacon wraps....yum, yum!

This trio will hold more food...my father-in-law tells me the thing on the left is off a corn planter (it'll hold plates OR dinner rolls on Sunday). Chips and dips will fit nicely on the disc spool/

blade (thanks, dad!), shown on the right, and another hot food item will sit on the hot plate (front). It's actually the base of a lamp and a grate off an old stove...cool, huh?

Normally the corn chopper piece (actually two of them) are the legs that hold an old rabbit cage in our family room. I thought they were perfect! Don't you?

At Christmas the disc spool/blade (shown below) held pretty crystal garland, along with silver and clear Christmas ornaments.... A little shiny plus a little rusty = junk pretty! Isn't your mind just spinning right now thinking of all the neat things you can do with this?! Filled with pumpkins for fall, soaps and towels in a bathroom, and of course, chips and dip! Yes, the possibilities are endless!

And last but not least, this unique plate holder is actually an old album holder for records (remember them?) It sits on my kitchen counter holding my favorite dinnerware. This wonderful find looks exactly how I found it...nice and rusty! The large rusty disc spool will hold all the silverware.

So throw that beer and soda in an old metal tub (filled with SNOW, of course!), sit back and enjoy the junk...oops...I mean the GAME!

Disciples Cards

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.


Disciples Cards- A fun way to review the names of the disciples by playing Memory or Go Fish.

Literary Roundup

Stuff to Read

News from the world of literature is always interesting to me, perhaps because I'm a state of Massachusetts certified English teacher, or was until I let my license lapse. All I would have to do is take the test to get it back, but I'm not interested.



Ken Kesey once said that America co-opts its revolutionaries by showering them with money and honors. I doubt at the time he was thinking of his own co-Non-Navigator of the Merry Pranksters, Captain Skypilot Ken Babbs the Intrepid Traveler. I don't know about money, but lately Babbs has been collecting the honors. First he was invited to address the English Department at the Air Force Academy. Babbs is a decorated U.S. Marine pilot, but crossed military lines to speak to the Air Force instructors on how to teach the novels of Ken Kesey. He did arrive decked out in Marine regalia.



It was a challenging audience for the Captain, not exactly beatniks and Deadheads.



However, he said his talk went over well with the military types:

When I got up to speak I shed the blazer to reveal my flourescent orange loggers suspenders to great laughs and cheers. I started the talk with the question, "Is anybody here ready to have a psychedelic experience?" whereupon two cadets raised their hands and cried, "We are."

They were promptly expelled, just kidding, everybody got a good laugh....

Babbs was also honored recently by the Beat Museum. Here he is posing by the official Merry Prankster shirt worn by Neal Cassady.



This is a picture of Neal Cassady when he was a baby.



Just kidding. Here's the real Neal with Allen Ginsberg, no doubt at the time never suspecting that his clothing would be displayed in museums.



The Captain also attended a Dead reunion show (what he calls the "Leftover Dead") and took this picture of a giant turtle appearing on stage.



I'm surprised by how commercialized and mainstream the legacy of the Grateful Dead has become. I can't help but wonder, what would Jerry Garcia have thought of it all?

Style Over Substance



I am saddened to hear of the death of Massachusetts writer John Updike. Despite living in Massachusetts since 1959, Updike was considered the best example of a certain kind of urbane New Yorker style writer. He was indeed a brilliant stylist, although in my opinion Updike's writing often had more style than substance. The subjects of his books always seemed too small for the size of his talent. The Rabbit Runs series for which he was best known was a mean spirited trivialization of the American middle-class male, which made him well loved by leftist literary critics. But for all the praise he received, most of his books were more praised than read. His death was treated as the passage of a literary giant, but I predict Updike's reputation will fade with the passage of time.

Bad Call



Stephen King is not half the stylist Updike was, but I predict that King's books will still be read for generations to come. This 2006 novel was recommended to me because it is the first King book to have a homosexual as a lead character. Frankly I had stopped reading King. Ever since his near fatal accident King's books had become too dark to be fun.

The queer angle is minor in this book that has nothing to do with sex and everything to do with technology. Cell shows King returning to form with a story that is a good mix of funny and scary. Something awful starts happening to people who use their cell phones, which King himself makes known he has never owned. If you're sick of seeing everyone walking around talking on cell phones, then this book is your vengence.

Great God Google



Before he was an internationally known cyber-revolutionary Jeff Jarvis used to advise the company that does Masslive with the Springfield Newspapers. I'll bet today they wish they had offered a big sum of money to keep him. Now he has a book out about the wisdom of Google and its ethos of honesty and transparency. I haven't read it but I'll bet it's good. If you can't afford the book, Google itself gives away for free what it says are its ten most important principles for success online.

1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.
2. It's best to do one thing really, really well.
3. Fast is better than slow.
4. Democracy on the web works.
5. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.
6. You can make money without doing evil.
7. There's always more information out there.
8. The need for information crosses all borders.
9. You can be serious without a suit.
10. Great just isn't good enough.

For the background info behind each principle click here.

Endless Winter

More snow last night, so walking downtown at dawn today my woodland way was turned into a snow lined corridor.



Some canines conspired to trick their humans into taking them out so that they could meet and tell dog secrets.



Once downtown Northampton was clogged with snow.



Oh my, not a day for bike riding!



Hey Spring, we're getting more than a little impatient.

Today's Video

This terrible weather reminds me of an old video by Dinosaur Jr. the most successful band ever to rise out of Amherst. I saw their lead guitarist, J. Mascis, wandering around downtown last summer and asked him if I could take his picture. He responded with sign language, putting a finger to his lips and nodding yes. I quickly took the following photo without alerting anyone around us to the world famous rock star in their midst.