Best wishes to all of our NVTH friends for Christmas and the new year.
We need a “meaning of Christmas” post and I have one in the works, but it will have to wait for later in the week; but for now let me just say I am grateful for all of you who frequent this place. We are very fortunate to have such wise and articulate commentors. Thank you for the gifts you give us all year long.
There are lots of people asking for money this time of year; as a matter of fact I believe there are lots of people asking for money all through the year, but this is the time of year we don’t necessarily give them the back of our hand … right off the bat, anyway.
Today I come to you with a message of concern for certain members of this worldwide community of ours who often are not the first ones we think of when we think of giving: your devoted, oft-taken for granted, bloggers. I don’t send money to a lot of bloggers, to be sure. If I tried to send a dollar to each of the 65 million of them here in the U.S. it would put a dent in the old Budzinski savings account big time. But that’s not a hurdle we need to address because of the 65 million probably no more than 23 merit compensation, and the two I have sent money to – The Other McCain and Ace of Spades – are worth far more than I could afford to contribute to.
Stacy McCain is Hunter S. Thompson with better political sensibilities and a slightly healthier lifestyle. Ace of Spades is the smartest and funniest guy you’ve ever met in your life. You should read their blogs several times a day, and you should send them money. Thus endeth the sermon portion of this blog post.
(If you want to contribute to either of them, on Stacy McCain’s site click on his “hit the tip jar” link which appears in approximately every other sentence, and on Ace’s site use the PayPal button in the left sidebar.)
The reason I send money to these two is I know they both are pretty much full time, committed, with no “day job” per se, and they provide, for me, an extremely valuable service (more on this later). Another one in this boat who does extraordinary work is Blog Fu, who I’ve never actually sent money to but did award him with some ammo after he won a contest here so we’ll count that as support. He also has a tip jar link in the right sidebar.
You probably know of others who for whatever reason you believe devote enough of themselves to the blog to deserve some cash as reward or just a token of recognition for jobs well done. Like I said besides these three there are probably 20 others worth paying and chances are they are some of the ones you read – so be a sport and show some love for all that uncompensated work.
This is not to diminish any other causes worthy of support at this time. Our family gives a lot to non-profits of all kinds and churches and such, the more typical charities you think of when giving to those in need, and we give exponentially more to those than I have given to any bloggers. So I strongly urge you to not walk past the Salvation Army ringer, to put some cans of food in the basket, give some toys for tots, surprise a charity or three with a $75 check or more. Just for the hell of it take the money you would have used on ammo or bon bons or another AK-47 for your collection in December and January and instead give it to a good charity or someone you know who is seriously in need. (We happen to have a reader here who is seriously in need but he/she has not relented on their anonymity and is perhaps not comfortable with handouts so I have been unable to send a contribution; if I find out more I may post about it). It is Christmas! Help relieve someone’s suffering and make this time of year happy for them.
But when I talk of supporting a blogger I am not at all talking about charity. What I am talking about is like paying the guy who towed your car back to Virginia after you broke down on the Beltway in some godforsaken part of Maryland in the middle of the night. That guy did you a big favor, saving you a lot of time and trouble, and by paying him you merely transmit the portion of your earnings to which he is entitled by virtue of him doing what you did not wish to do yourself.
I’ve been reading and writing and commenting on blogs for a really long time, dating to years before this blog was a gleam in anyone’s eye. Been through the argumentative phase, the substitute for yelling at the TV. Been through the recreational phase, which supplants video games and comic books. Now the major use I have is for blogs that save me time by aggregating and prioritizing information. If I trust the blogger’s judgment, I can reliably hit their blog when I’ve been away from the news and quickly find out what has happened that is significant. Since in my current phase I have almost zero time to meander the news sites I rely heavily on blogs to stay abreast of current events.
The Other McCain and Ace save me huge amounts of time, allowing me to focus on my job and earn money, so the least I can do is once in a while transmit some small portion of that money to them – because by flying without a financial net in order to do a seriously good job blogging, they do me an invaluable service when I hit their sites several times a day for all the new information they provide.
Other aggregating blogs that are of great use to me, and should also be on your must-visit list several times a day, are Hot Air and Instapundit. Although I’ve met both Michelle Malkin (and some of her bloggers at Hot Air), and Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, I don’t know what either of their financial situations is but I sense that they are not exactly dire. They are both outstanding Web sites and probably deserving of much more money than they get – if there were any justice in the world we would just take all the money going into NBC News and redirect it to Hot Air and Instapundit. But they are both very ad-driven and saying “support those sites for Christmas” would be like saying, “Get in the Christmas spirit and buy a Toyota!” Not exactly what I am referring to with this post.
And while we are digressing interminably, I will also share that my other multiple-visits-per-day Web sites are three more aggregators. (In fact, my typical Web behavior throughout the day is to visit about six or eight blogs and these three additional sites several times, occasionally clicking through to other sites they link. That’s about all I ever do on the Web, when I’m not watching AK-47 videos. I find it a very efficient way to stay informed.)
News aggregators can be evaluated, or categorized, by the measures of timeliness and prioritization: to what extent they tell you every single thing that is happening just as it’s happening, and to what extent what is happening that’s important.
Drudge Report is king of prioritization. Whatever is the biggest news of the day, it will be highlighted on Drudge, along with a plethora of other interesting and significant stories, so you have to visit there all the time just to check – although some big things may have happened that don’t show up there because it’s only a couple guys combing the news so their bandwidth is finite.
Free Republic is at the other end of the spectrum – unparalleled timeliness with almost zero prioritization. There is a community of hundreds of people all over the world constantly submitting news links, so if a bus runs off the highway in Peoria you will know about it right after it happens. By the same token, if during a press conference Tiger Woods’ head splits open and from the husk of his body emerges an alien being named Zastchur from the Planet Intercourse who announces that the Earth will be destroyed in 24 hours, that news story might be buried under 30 posts about crashed hard drives and Barack Obama’s financial dealings and such, so you have to scroll a lot.
Sort of a middle ground is Lucianne.com which combines the hundreds or thousands of contributors of Free Republic with a decent prioritizing mechanism at the top of the first page. They have someone tasked with watching all the incoming news, so if there has been a major news story or a really great column it is likely to appear at the top of Lucianne.com before you see it anywhere else.
With those three Web sites you can stay pretty darned well-informed in a very short amount of time. They also each have times they ask for money, and ways that you can send them money if you find them valuable, which I think would be a good thing to do and also helps bring this extensive rambling digression back in line with the original concept of the blog post.
So to tie this all back together: Let me say once again, it is Christmas so for the love of God, man, support a blogger. They save you time and, if they are not saving you time, then shame on you because they should be saving you time. You have a life to live. They are out analyzing and interpreting the world. Take a small portion of the money you are making while you are not having to analyze and interpret the world and send it to them as a token of appreciation for their doing so while you are at work. It is only fair and you are getting the better part of this bargain, I assure you.
And please don’t for a minute think this post is self-serving because this blog is and apparently always will be a mechanism for transmitting money AWAY from me rather than toward me. I learned rather early in life there are people in the world who have money streaming in to them, and people who have money streaming out from them, and I was in the latter group. That is my lot and I accept it. Those various ads you have seen in our sidebars over the years? I put them there for free because I like them and in fact I created almost all of them myself without consulting the subjects. They’ve all been causes I just believe in. This blog is a sidelight for all of us who post here, and consequently this is not among the 23 of 65 million I think you should consider giving money to.
Merry Christmas, everyone. If you are lucky enough to still be employed despite all the Democrats have tried to do, please break out your credit card and be generous during this holiday season!
Thanksgiving
By Ralph Waldo Emerson
For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I’m barely able to look ahead to the promise of the new year because the sheer insanity of the previous one is hard to shake loose of.
I mean, you’ve got the Democrats nominating a nobody for president, the Republicans nominating a Democrat for president – and both parties pissing off a lot of their faithful in the process – gas costing over $4.90 a gallon (before dropping to $1.60 a gallon, and all that entails), the next possible great depression rearing its head right after the political conventions, both the Redskins and the Cowboys demonstrating once again that, despite the hype, they both totally suck, our first black president, gun prices going through the roof, and global warming being finally revealed as a scam.
All in all, it’s the suckiness of the Cowboys and Redskins that will stick in my craw. A team cannot rise above the lowliness of its owner. In the early days of 2009, I will be rooting for the Eagles. I know how my bread gets buttered.
So for many of us, there have been the ups and the downs in 2008. Let’s hope 2009 is a year of pulling together, football aside. Let’s wish the best for our new president and our country. Let’s resolve to continue a tradition of cordial debate here at NVTH Blog.
Christmas. Anyone is allowed to enjoy it in the manner that they see fit. Christmas is most honored by Christians and it holds special meanings and traditions to everyone differently. I wish to share what Christmas has done for me over the years.
When I was young, Christmas was all about those presents. The Sears Christmas catalog couldn’t come fast enough. The pages had many dog-ears between me and my four siblings. Circling items and putting our names by them was no chore at all. We always had time to make changes or add items before that special day. Sing-along with Mitch Miller or the Ray Coniff Singers were always a good time. My mother started me early with Charles Dickens “A Cristmas Carole” and, since I was 8, I have either read the book or watched the movie (the version with George C Scott is absolutely the best..and closest to the book) every Christmas since. We would go to symphonies and/or choir/chorral performances and just listen to the music. Between roaming carolers and the church performances, we could really get some wonderful music. Good part was that the performances were free and you didn’t have to be a member of the church; all were welcome. We also made the roadtrips to find the best Christmas display. I have seen so many great ones from coast to coast and have many fond memories.
My parents are gone but I have tried to instill in my children some of the simple and wonderful pleasures of Christmas. They have some new traditions as well as some old. I find that I don’t search out the lights as much anymore. Nor do the “presents” command the day anymore. I’m more into Christmas giving nowadays with my time and money so that others might have a day of joy and understand what a true blessing the day brings. I still do my symphonies and search out those choirs at a church. Along with Ray Coniff and Mitch Miller I have found a group that absolutely beats all others. It is called Musica Sacra (Sacred Music) and is done by a group in New England. If I may coin a phrase, this music is absolutely heavenly. And, yes. I still do my Dickens.
In the future I’m sure I will do most of the same things I do today. I have found that the music is what drives my spirit and the Dickens is what keeps my heart open to remember that “people are our business”. Yes, it is a time of giving what you can to those that need. It is also about giving your love and joy which can touch others. When we can do what Jesus expected of us, everyone we touch benefits. What we all need to do is to “keep the Christmas spirit throughout the year” and not lose track of the meaning or the gift it gave us all.
With that I will say Merry Christmas, and GOD bless us-everyone.
I left yesterday around 4 in the morning for a relaxing vacation. On the road and headed for Wake Forest to pick-up mama. Imagine my surprise when we arrived. Seems that Hilly, the man hater, was doing a stump for the cracker po’ white vote. Before you could say “Yankees! Fire!” we were on the road again. This happened before breakfast and I’m just glad there wasn’t more of a delay.
Heading to Myrtle you have to go thru Chadbourn-the strawberry capitol. I couldn’t figure out what all the dust was off in the distance. Once we got to the single traffic light, we saw what the deal was. Can you say “strawberry festival?” We are talking bigtime here. The dust was from the hotrod riding lawnmowers-and those babies can really cook! We had outdoor barbaques, classic car show and parade. Life is good. The simplistic things of small towns and the south.
Moving onward without further interruption we made it to Myrtle where we settled in for a cool spring’s night. The spring “breakers” are gone and the bikers haven’t arrived yet. Just fishing, catching up on times with old friends (which for the older crowd consists of what ailments, what operations and who died), partaking (embibbing) of the favorite beverage(s), eating and soaking up the rays.
Now if you all are headed down this way, look me up. Otherwise I will check-in to see the news and update this post with what I’ve caught and how big. Maybe even some earth-shattering news if they re-open the Sante Fe restaurant. We’ll see.
Update 5/5 Soaked up some rays. Got extra zzz’s. Went fishing but caught nada. Same with crabs. We went and got ice cream and they make some monster banana splits. Toasted Almond and cheese with crackers. Dinner. Another slow day in paradise. I might do something tomorrow but don’t hold your breath!
A little over 2000 years ago, an amazing thing happened. Most likely it occurred sometime around spring — late spring. It was the most amazing thing that ever occurred. The word that spoke “let there be light” (okay, he may have stated Maxwell’s equations specifically long before Maxwell “discovered” them, but the general gist of it was let there be light) took upon himself flesh and blood. The one who set the worlds in motion became a human on a small one of those worlds. There are those that deny it would even be possible. How could a creator take on the “stuff” of what was created? It didn’t fit any of the mathematical models.
Born of a woman? So poor a woman that his first bed was a limestone feed trough? Come on now, that just doesn’t make sense. Even if this creator did want to contact the human race (why would he want to do that in the first place … a jumble of immoral, violent, ingrates that would love nothing more than to be rid of him).
Born under the law? He was the author of all just law. The righteous law is a reflection of his character. There was absolutely no need for him to have the law, for his very nature would do what was required by the law. He would no more do wrong than a cat would fly.
Why? That is the most amazing thing of all. The king had a people who rebelled against him. They wanted to throw off his rule — even though that rule was good, honorable, incorruptible, and perfect. The just penalty for this treason was death. The problem is that the creator was both just (he could not ignore the traitors’ treason) and merciful. Justice requires that all debts are paid. Mercy seeks to forgive those who have done what is wrong. A just and merciful creator pronounced the death sentence, then took the form of the traitor so he could take the place of the traitor. And that is why. The creator/word took on flesh and we celebrate that this season. We are not commanded to do so, but we choose to do so. It is not particularly the time, but it is worthwhile to set a time — and what better time than that which the people who had been traitors used to celebrate, but now with a different meaning.
Maxwell’s equations were spoken into the void and light could not help but come forth. Mercy was spoken by the father and the son became flesh and dwelt among us.
Remember the gift that this season is about. I would wish wars to cease, famine to stop, disease to be conquered; that will not happen in this age.
Remember the gift. It was for us that he came. I would wish everyone would love each other with sincere hearts, treat one another with kindness, theft and violence to be replaced with charity and compassion; that will not happen in this age.
Remember the gift. Now we are the children of God … it is not yet revealed what we shall become.
Merry Christmas
There’s still time to shop online: Not Made In China Toys
NMCtoys.com was developed by parents of two small children in 2007. We have made it our mission to provide quality toys that stimulate and challenge a child’s mind.
There was much news regarding the quality and safety of toys produced in China during the summer of 2007. We walked through the toy department of a big box retailer and could not find a toy produced outside of China. Gone were the wooden blocks, dolls and wooden trains we played with as children. These toys were replaced with cheap plastic toys that had character ties to movies and cereals. We then turned to the internet and were frustrated by the lack of alternatives. We experienced first hand the frustration and angst associated with taking away our child’s favorite toy that was recalled and routinely threw away toys within a few days or weeks of purchase due to poor quality. These experiences led to the development of NMCtoys.com.
NONE of the toys on our web site are made in China. Many of our toys have received awards and they all meet or exceed USA safety standards. For more on these awards see the award winning section of our site. Some of our toys even have a manufacturers lifetime guarantee.
We pledge that our toys will last. If they don’t we want to know!
Our toys are designed to foster your child’s imagination, improve their motor skills and bolster their self-esteem. When our daughter was starting Pre-K, we were delighted to discover all the benefits she would receive through play. Who knew that playing with blocks helps a child’s math and reading skills?
NMCtoys.com is not the manufacturer of toys. We are a retailer of quality European and American Toys.
It is that time of the year where the Christian world gets to celebrate a most favorable day-the birth of Christ Jesus. Or is it? The cards have started rolling in with funny scenes and sayings. The stores are actively pushing their wares under the “Happy Holidays” banner. What holidays? New Years Day is a holiday but we don’t give gifts. Chanukka is a gift giving time but we don’t get a holiday for it. What happened to Christmas? Now there is the real question.
Christmas isn’t gift giving. It is a time off to allow Christians the chance to worship the birth of our Savior. It allows all believers of different religions and non-believers alike to have a “holiday” from work or an excuse to do whatever. But Christmas is truly for Christians. Don’t allow the watering-down of its real reason. Don’t be politically correct and subvert its intent. Our savior is born and allow us to celebrate for His sake. Understand what this day is and call it by its name……..Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all. May God grant us peace.
