Tuesday Mishmash

It's cool this morning so it feels good to be up and around doing things. Lately it's been extremely hot here in San Diego, actually I'm in Santee. I should note that I'm still Karen of Scottsdale but for the next month or two I'm a six-hour drive away. An hour ago I watched President Bush give a speech to Navy and Marine personnel at Coronado Naval base. I wish I could say I was there but I watched it on TV which was probably better since nobody was in my way. You could see from the camera angles that downtown San Diego was shrouded in fog. When I got up this morning it was foggy here in Santee which is about 15 miles from the coast. The sun is out now and I hope it stays cool for a while. Did I mention it's been hot here? Oh yes, I did. And I think I mentioned last week that my parent's air conditioner is dead. It was 91° in the house yesterday. Mom and I had to go to the neighborhood clubhouse for a while to cool off in the air conditioning. I spoke with my wonderful husband a little while ago. He is still in the hospital but he's doing good. It's nice to hear his voice and to hear him say how much he misses me and loves me. Of course he also tells me that it's nice to hear my voice and hear me say those things to him too. I'll be glad when he gets home so he can e-mail me. A month ago we rediscovered instant messaging and had fun playing around with it from one end of the house to the other end of the house. If you have read my blog for very long then you know that Norm and I can be rather silly sometimes. I started writing this entry at 10 a.m. and now it's nearly 1:30 p.m. It seems I have been interrupted about two dozen times. Mom wanted me to explain to her how to do something on the computer but I ended up getting so involved in the project that I forgot all about what I had started doing earlier. Then we decided it was time to eat lunch so I had an avocado, tomato, Romain lettuce, and cheddar cheese burrito. Yummy! Okay, onto other things. Sunday we had a guest speaker at my father's church. Joe Dallas, noted author, speaker and program director of Genesis Counseling, gave an inspiring talk on improving the Church's response to sexual sin. The Sunday before that we had a group of men from San Diego Teen Challenge sharing their testimonies of how God has changed their lives through the program and help them overcome addiction to drugs and alcohol. I would encourage you to check out both web sites linked to in this paragraph so you can learn more about these groups helping people overcome addictions. Having watched TV for the last couple of days I am struck by the devastation of lives and property caused by hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast. I lived for 10 years in Morgan City Louisiana and spent many happy times visiting New Orleans. My prayers go out to all of the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida who are dealing with the aftermath.

Life Equals Change

This statement was something I learned in graduate school while studying business management but in reality it is something I probably learned from the very beginning but never really thought about it. To live is to change because each day things are different than they were the day before. We are constantly aging and the world around us is constantly changing as it moves from one stage of life to another. Even the things that appear to be constant are in a continual state of change but we just cannot see it. Big changes have occurred in my life recently and even though I know that life is about change I still am caught by surprise. My husband is recovering from surgery and it may be six to eight weeks before we can be together again. I'm staying with my parents now until he recovers so my home is not my own. My life is not what it was a few weeks ago. Even though my life is in a constant state of change there is one thing I know that never changes and that is my God. God's presence is with me daily and he is also with Norm. I spoke with Norm on the phone this morning and was pleased to hear a strong and positive voice on the other end of the line. We had a bit of a scare last night as Norm had chest pains and a sudden drop in blood pressure. The physician's assistant I spoke with last night told me this was a minor heart attack (I can't remember the medical term he used) and it is not unusual for someone to have this occur after recent surgery. Norm told me he is feeling better and I can tell from his voice it was true. He believes he is right where God wants him to be and he is receiving the best medical care available because he is at Mayo clinic Hospital. He said the medical staff are very caring and are doing everything they need to do to help him recover. Knowing this is a great relief. When you are so far away from the situation as I am, you imagine all sorts of things and that is not good. For the past week, actually for the past three weeks, my emotions have been all over the map and so have my thoughts. My feelings really aren't the best gauge of what is happening. I remind myself that as often as I can. The way I feel about the situation does not change it nor does it really tell me what is actually happening. God is the one who is in control of this situation and I know from his word and from my own experience that I have nothing to worry about. What ever may occur I know that God will be with me and his grace will be sufficient to meet my present needs. As I learned from Bible studies in the past, I know that God's grace is just enough for what I need today just like the manna he fed the Israelites. They received just enough for each day's meal requirements. I'm trying to settle into a routine in my temporary home away from home. I've got my computer set up and I want to get back into regular blogging and my other computer projects. Instead of going to my own church I attend my parents church and that is a comfort because I am known there and not a stranger. My father is the pastor and my younger brother is the worship and youth pastor. I am in a very safe place to be in the arms of my family! Norm is glad that I am well cared for here and so am I. We're having a heat wave in San Diego right now and my parent's air conditioner has completely died with no hope of resurrection. At least we have tabletop fans. I am trying to think cool thoughts. Mom and I have discussed going to Barnes & Noble to enjoy the air conditioning and check out some new books. Unfortunately right now she is doing errands so I am at home with their dog Mitzi. One of the nice things about being here is that I can see my nieces and my grandmother who is 84 years old. Although my brother and his family are away for the weekend I will be able to spend time with my nieces before they start school in September. My grandmother lives very close to my parents home and she has an air conditioner that works! We were at her house last night and it was nice and cool. I am blessed that my family and I get along so well. My parents are my friends as well as Mom and Dad. My mom and I will be busy working on projects together while I am here. Enough for now -- my blogging muscles are tired. LOL

Good news!

Norm is out of surgery and the report is good. What they thought was a tumor turned out to be infected tissue around the spinal column in his neck. They removed a small part of the back of the vertebrae near the infection so they could treat the tissue. They've put him on antibiotics and I should be able to talk to him later this evening. I am so thankful and praise God for his hand of protection and grace upon Norm and myself. He may be going home in a couple of days. I will keep you posted. Thank you for your prayers and your kind notes of encouragement. I will remain in San Diego until he is fully recovered.

Norm Update II

Norm has a mass on his spine in his neck. They operate Wed at 1 p.m. AZ time. I have been relocated to San Diego to stay with my parents. My heart and mind are with Norm in Scottsdale. God is our hope and strength.

Update on Norm

My husband is not getting better. He has been in constant pain for 8 days. We can't even attempt chiropractor treatment. He saw a pain specialist today. The doctor doesn't think this is just a muscle problem. They changed his pain meds and ordered 2 MRI's of cervical & thoracic spine and blood tests for tomorrow. Tried to do an MRI today but it was too painful so tomorrow they want to give him a double dose of vailum first. Pray he can tolerate the tests and for the doctors to figure out what is causing his pain and that Norm can get relief from the pain. Because Norm does not have insurance we have to pay up front for these tests so we also need prayer for immediate financial provision. Thank you for praying. It's hard to see it sometimes but I know God is with us. In the hard times we still say blessed be His name and in everything we give thanks. My father reminded me today of what the Bible says about Abraham in Romans - "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed..." So I put my hope in Him who is able. (I write this to encourage myself and you also.) PS: I miss blogging but my mind is focused elsewhere.

Out of the Hospital

Norm is out of the hospital. No heart problems found but he is having severe muscle spasm in neck and shoulder on right side with no relief from pain meds. Took him to chiropractor but he could not give much treatment because of inflamed muscle. Treating with ice and herbal muscle relaxer but no relief yet from extreme pain. Will try chiro again on Wed. Thanks so much for your prayers and words of encouragement. Blogging on hold until he improves.

My Husband

I spent Thursday night at the hospital with my husband Norm. He is in intensive care cardiac unit because of chest pains and difficulty breathing. Their running tests and he's doing OK. I got home around five o'clock this morning and was able to get a few hours of sleep. My parents are here from California to help me. I'd appreciate your prayers.

Here's a True Nightmare

Michael Schiavo has been awarded Guardian of the Year by the Florida State Guardianship Association. (Hat tipping goes to Ambra at Nykola.com) How anyone could consider a man who used every trick in the book to kill his wife by denying her food and water as a guardian of the year goes beyond my imagination. For more outrage over this "public miscarriage of justice" see pro-life blogs for more of the specifics and fight4Terri where you can find a whole host of well-written letters expressing justified outrage over this award. Wake me up when it's over.

Cow Dreaming

I had this really weird dream last night. Someone came to our home with a cow and offered to sell us her milk. I don't know why I would dream about milking a cow because I don't even drink milk. It seemed as though I was laying in bed trying to sleep but I could see the cow and some people standing around her outside our house. Norm went to deal with the people but I couldn't sleep because of all the commotion going on around the cow. Suddenly people I didn't know were coming in and out of my house grabbing towels to wipe up the mess they were making outside. Then these people came in my house and started rearranging things and making a mess everywhere. At this point I woke up so I don't know what would've happened next. LOL I don't know why I had this weird dream and I didn't even eat pizza for dinner last night. When I first woke up this morning I had a vivid memory of my dream but now it seems rather faded the way dreams usually do later in the day.

My Brain Is Tired

I've worked all afternoon on the tech side of things on this blog. We have a fantastic thunderstorm starting so I'm getting off the computer now so I can watch the storm. Posting will resume tomorrow.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

A Work in Progress

In light of recent events on my blog I need to do some maintenance around here. I'm switching over to a new commenting system and eventually I hope to switch to a new blogging architecture but that part will come later. I want to save all of the comments from earlier visitors to my blog so I will have to manually copy and paste each comment on previous entries prior to installing the Halo scan commenting system. Hopefully I will get it done today. I will return to normal blogging as soon as possible. If you're new to my blog and you just can't get enough of me please feel free to peruse the archives.

Rainy Day Reflections

The attention I my blog has received today reminds me of an experience from my high school days. When I was a freshman in high school I decided to run for student council secretary. During the campaign period students running for office would put up posters all over the hallways asking for votes. I wasn't well-known or popular among my peers except as "that girl in the wheelchair." (I was the only student in a wheelchair at my high school.) A few people put posters up on my behalf since I was unable to do it myself. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I entered the building and began seeing posters with my name on the walls. It was a very odd feeling and I was rather embarrassed to see my name there. I don't know why it was embarrassing but it just was. Today I'm finding my name around the blog world and I feel odd by all of this weird attention. I don't know how some bloggers put up with the nasties -- it gets old real quick. Attention is nice when it's good or at least fair. Today not only is my wheelchair squeaking from the high humidity of our rainy day but now my blog is squeaking as well. In case you're interested I didn't win the election for student council secretary at Morgan City High School. I didn't give up trying for public office entirely so while in college I was elected to the Grossmont Community College Associated Students Board of Directors. That experience of public office was enough and I have never run for office again. :-) 3 Comments: At August 09, 2005 10:17 AM, gam said... Thanks for your blog Karen. I really enjoy reading it and have a laugh, think and wonder at times.You rock!!!!gam, formally from Phoenix now living back home in England.Hugs........gam At August 09, 2005 10:42 AM, Karen of Scottsdale said... Gam: Thanks! It's nice to receive such nice remarks. I hope you see this as I don't have any way to contact you. Send me an e-mail sometime. At August 09, 2005 11:55 AM, LB said... Hang in there, Karen. It's a trite and worn phrase, but it's true.I've built up a community of readers who e-mail me all the time with encouraging words during times like this. I hope you will be such a fortunate blogger.The worst part of blog-wide criticism, I think, is that people who agree with you on just about everything else, usually other conservatives, turn rabid when they find ONE thing you don't see eye to eye on. From liberals, I expect the venom. But from fellow travelers with whom you've shared so much?Such, as the saying goes, is life. If I neglected to say this before, I'll say it now: Welcome to the blogosphere!And be firm.

Now We Know How The MSM Really Sees Itself

Welcome La Shawn Barber and Michelle Malkin readers! So this evening Norm and I are watching Law and Order - Criminal Intent on NBC. At roughly 10 minutes before the end of the program during the pivotal moment of the episode when they are about to get the accused to confess, the drama is interrupted with "This is a special report from NBC news." Living in a post-9/11 world these thoughts begin to race through my mind when a network show is interrupted with such an announcement: 1. Terrorists have attacked a major city in the United States. 2. The President or some other important leader of our nation has been assassinated. 3. A threat of terrorism, such as a dirty bomb, has been announced and will affect us immediately. 4. The space shuttle has crashed. 5. Some other such terrible tragedy that affects our country had occurred. Instead, an NBC newsreader informs us that ABC news anchor Peter Jennings had died. Your heart stops pounding and you realize that the MSM (mainstream media) really believes the death of one of their own is so important that we must know it before the next commercial break or evening news report. Incredible! I'm not making fun of the fact that Peter Jennings, probably a nice man to know personally, has died an untimely death from cancer. But I am astounded by the hubris of the MSM to believe the announcement of his death warrants such immediate attention by our country. Addendum: Eulogies for Peter Jennings are appropriate for his contribution to the MSM and they will be on all newscasts this evening and tomorrow. Interrupting regularly scheduled broadcasts should be reserved for critical news announcements only. 08/08 Addendum part 2: Somehow I think that if a major sporting event had been interrupted last night during a pivotal moment like when the batter hits a grand slam or a touchdown is just scored or a winning basket or goal is made in the final seconds of the game some of you might feel different. Like I said before, eulogies for Peter Jennings are very appropriate and believe it or not, I think his career and contribution to journalism deserves a lot of attention from the media. My condolences go out to those who knew him well. I show no disrespect for Peter Jennings by saying that NBC could have waited a few minutes to make the announcement. If you don't agree with my point about the appropriateness of program interruption for such news that's fine. Since this is my blog I've taken the liberty of deleting nasty comments because I don't have to tolerate people being disrespectful to me or others in stating their disagreement with me on my blog. Others have already done so on their own blogs. Thankfully most of the trolls will not be back and that's fine with me. I appreciate those who have shared their opinions politely. If you think you're comment did not warrant deletion then chalk it up to the fact this blog is mine and mine alone. :-) Come back and see what else I have to say on other topics. I don't normally stir up this much trouble! 25 Comments: At August 07, 2005 9:37 PM, Anonymous said... Just another way for them to try to prop up their dieing pathetic attempts at revelence. The MSM has been doomed since Rupert Murdoch decided to start his own network. At August 07, 2005 9:43 PM, Mark said... Karen, I have to disagree with you on this one...the death of Peter Jennings is a major story. The networks may have declined in relevance (well, not may have - they have), but for a couple of decades he was a nightly fixture in millions of his households. God bless his survivors... At August 07, 2005 9:49 PM, Norm said... As a veteran of 25 years as a news reporter and anchor, Mark I have to disagree with you. The passing of Jennings is sad. The passing is a story but not a Major Story calling for a Special Bulletin. The story will be lead on every local newscast across our nation, that too is questionable. At August 07, 2005 9:53 PM, Anonymous said... I think it is a major story. Maybe it depends on how old you are. I am 46 and Peter, Tom and Dan - regardless of their politics - are MAJOR figures in American life.Think of this: This country invariably turns to the networks at times of major news and special reports. With Peter Jennings, Tom Brokaw, (and yes, even Dan Rather), always there during these times of crisis, now all three are gone from their respective networks. Until this county is faced with a huge story, the loss of all three will not be as pronounced. Whether I agreed with all of their politics or not, I have to admit it will be strange to have a major breaking story in this country - and none of them will be there. At August 07, 2005 10:06 PM, Anonymous said... Of course he deserved a "special" bulletin.He worked tirelessly as a JOURNALIST and not some bloviating no nothing "talking head" like Rush Limbaugh. He worked hard to get facts and stories that were of import, that really impacted all of our lives and not the "Laci" type stories that most of the "media" adore shoving down our throats.Many of us grew up watching him on TV. I will always remember him broadcasing from Munich. He was a part of OUR history and as such, a notice of his passing is more than warranted. One of the last grand old JOURNALISTS has just passed and you make fun and belittle that fact.Really...how Christian is that? At August 07, 2005 10:30 PM, Garrett O'Hara said... Key statistic: 10 minutes before the end. You'd think they could skip an ad or two to break the news and then resume the program. That's why there's MSNBC in case NBC viewers want more details.Hey anonymous #2, have some guts and identify yourself if you want to question anybody's judgment. At August 07, 2005 10:34 PM, Anonymous said... 10:06 PM Anonymous did not seem to read the whole Blog or has ADD! I thought Karen was quite clear. I read no belittling of Jennings. BTW, whats with the Christian comment. Talk about belittling!! At August 07, 2005 10:48 PM, Norm said... Anonymous, I don't understand the name calling of Rush. Is that your way of being CHRISTIAN? At August 07, 2005 11:10 PM, Anonymous said... This post has been removed by a blog administrator. At August 07, 2005 11:47 PM, vbspurs said... Karen, Law & Order might well be the only network series I watch, but in this case, I think an announcement of this calibre was warranted.I didn't like Peter Jennings' slanted views, but the death of one of the former Big Three (Brokaw, Rather, Jennings) of the past 2 decades, does really merit an interruption.As for Anonymous, trolls are trolls are trolls are trolls.So said a wise woman by the name of Getrude Stein.Cheers,Victoria At August 08, 2005 4:33 AM, Michael said... Feh. It was a rerun anyway. At August 08, 2005 5:33 AM, Vulgorilla said... The TSM is pretty full of itself. Few people ever survive lung cancer, so it was a foregone conclusion that Jennings would pass on. To actually assume that viewers would actually treat it as a news event as important as 9/11 is hysterical....Oh, and I didn't typo the 2nd word (acronym) in my post (TSM)...it stands for "Terrorist Supporting Media", of which Jennings was a key supporter/cheer leader. I can't say that I'll miss him, as I didn't watch him. At August 08, 2005 7:24 AM, dancinfool said... Would you have written the same column if the breaking news was about a missing white woman? At August 08, 2005 7:45 AM, Anonymous said... Rock on Karen. Let's see, how can I acknowledge this fabulous perspective publically? Ah yes, a link!- Ambra Nykol At August 08, 2005 8:44 AM, Father of 3 said... Karen, I must disagree on this. I didn't find out about Mr. Jennings passing until this morning when I turned on the tube. I wasn't a big fan of his, but I remember when the towers fell on 9/11 and the only news station I could pick up with an antenna was ABC. I saw a human side of a news anchor, one who was visably shaken. It made me connect.He had, weather for you liked it or not, an impact on the American sceen. Though I wouldn't have liked my favorite show interupted, we, weather we like or not, are at the mercy of the networks and their programing. If you want less interuptions, get a pay channel with all its filth, or get lost in a great book.Cheers At August 08, 2005 10:06 AM, Anonymous said... This is a big news story for those of us who are older. I don't see anything wrong or liberal about a Special Bulletin for this man. At August 08, 2005 11:52 AM, Anonymous said... This post has been removed by a blog administrator. At August 08, 2005 11:56 AM, E. Nonee Moose said... This post has been removed by a blog administrator. At August 08, 2005 11:59 AM, Anonymous said... This post has been removed by a blog administrator. At August 08, 2005 1:24 PM, Anonymous said... This post has been removed by a blog administrator. At August 08, 2005 2:27 PM, gam said... Greetings from across the pond. I've so ejoyed reading you blog. Thanks for making me smile.gam. At August 08, 2005 2:56 PM, Sam said... Could they have waited 10 minutes? Yeah, probably. I mean, were they trying to scoop ABC on the passing on one of their own or something?In general, though, while I don't necessarily know whether or not he deserved a Special Bulletin, I can definitely understand why he did it. He was THE newsman I watched growing up, and in times of crisis (9/11 comes to mind for me) I instinctively turned to him over anyone else over the years. And I am sure I am one of millions who feel the same way. At August 08, 2005 3:28 PM, Michael B said... When this many anonymous comments are deleted it's usually a sign that the owner of the blog can dish it out but can't take it. At August 08, 2005 4:03 PM, Anonymous said... Or more likely that too many readers can't stomach any views they don't agree with and feel they must respond rudely.I'm sorry, but the fact that a lifelong chain smoker dies of lung cancer isn't very high on my priority list. Just because he was a news anchor doesn't make it anything more. The networks wouldn't have broken into the last 10 mins of a highly rated TV show if it had been a Hollywood celebrity or athlete. He was one of their own, and they too often rate themselves above other mere mortals. At August 08, 2005 4:08 PM, Anonymous said... The networks have broken into programming for much less.

Murder In Scottsdale - Too Close To Home

This morning, as we drove away from home, we noticed TV crews parked on the street about three blocks from our home. Norm and I are the curious types so we made a U-turn to find out what was going on. We spoke with a cameraman and reporter from KPHO TV 5 who told us there was a shooting during the night at the home they were parked in front of and someone had died. The reporter asked me if I'd like to be interviewed on camera regarding the incident but since I did not know the people involved I declined the offer. What was I going to say? All I can think of was -- what a tragedy! Norm drove me to my appointment at the hair salon and then he returned later to video the TV crews while they were filming their interviews and live reports for the noon newscasts. When I returned home this afternoon I checked TV 5's web site to find out what actually happened. The sad story goes as follows: At 9:55 p.m. Thursday evening a woman enters the back to door of the home of her former in-laws. She proceeds to shoot her former father-in-law, a 74 year old man, and then shoots his wife several times. While this is happening their 11 year old granddaughter escapes the house and goes to a neighbor to call for help. Meanwhile the woman leaves the home on foot and police find her a few miles away carrying a semi automatic handgun. She was apprehended and is now in police custody. The former mother-in-law died at the hospital last night and her husband is in critical condition. The 11 year old granddaughter was unharmed physically. This is such a tragedy and so close to my own home. We never heard the sirens last night. My prayers go out to that family. Norm went back to the street this afternoon to video the TV crews doing their five o'clock live reports. I guess you can't get the reporter out of someone once it's in their blood. Norm was in radio and TV broadcasting for 30 years and most of that was behind the microphone as a DJ, or on the scene reporter as well as TV anchor and later radio station manager. You can see Norm's video footage here of the TV crew at work. It will play when the page loads; be sure to turn up the volume to hear Norm's voiceover. 2 Comments: At August 06, 2005 8:55 PM, Anonymous said... Good stuff. Get back from a meeting in Denver (General Council of the Assemblies of God) and discover a pelethera of additions to your blog. Good to hear Norm's voice. Doesn't sound much older! At August 08, 2005 8:51 AM, Father of 3 said... Great job Norm!!!

Does a wheelchair make a person nonhuman?

Have you heard of the new documentary called Murderball? It's a film about men who play quadriplagic rugby. For those unfamiliar, quad rugby is similar to wheelchair basketball. Guys who play those sports are some tough dudes! I have not seen the film but I found this review of the film and nearly fell out of my chair when I read this quote by the reviewer: "The highlight of the film is how it manages to humanize these athletes for us." This makes me laugh. I have never felt nonhuman because of my wheelchair and I have never sensed that others view me that way. I'm not dissing this reviewer but I just wonder if there are any people out there who see someone in a chair and see a cantalope instead of a person? Anyone care to comment? ;-) 2 Comments: At August 05, 2005 10:40 AM, Garrett O'Hara said... Makes somebody unhuman? That's only if somebody's idea of "human" is merely physical, and unfortunately, such people do exist. At August 08, 2005 6:18 PM, Thomas More said... I was going to comment, but I think the commenter on the site you linked to said what I was going to say, and said it well. In many situations, people often view other people as symbols, and not as individuals. It's got nothing to do with being "non-human." But I think you knew that.

Being a Good Neighbor

As a follower of Christ Jesus I endeavor to live by the Golden Rule -- treat others as you would want to be treated. Now I have to be the first to admit that I don't always live up to that example but it is a practice that I have made a part of my daily life. So I want to be a good neighbor in the blog world by thanking La Shawn Barber for her kindness and consideration to little bloggers like myself. Yesterday she kindly link to an article I wrote about embryonic stem cell research and its connection with the pro-abortion on demand crowd. Because of that link I have received over 80 visitors to my blog since yesterday! I received a couple of nice comments and e-mails regarding my article and I would certainly appreciate more comments (pro or con) but I understand that many people do not comment when they read someone's blog. I hope that I can continue receiving the higher traffic to improve my rankings in the blog ecosystem. Last night I was able to also be a good neighbor in my own neighborhood as well. My neighbors across the street, Joe and Olga, are nice couple who have helped my husband and I more times than I can count with the little things like giving someone a ride etc. Olga had a brain injury about 15 years ago from a head-on car accident in which she almost died. She doesn't walk very well and is embarrassed to go out in public because she gets confused easily and is afraid people will make fun of her. I try and talk to her every once in awhile but often it's a one-way conversation with her doing most of the talking and me just listening and encouraging. I noticed last evening a fire truck was parked across the street in front of their house and I knew that her husband had gone bowling for the evening. Norm and I went across the street and saw the paramedics attending to her in the carport. It turned out that she had fallen and bumped her head and was bleeding so she called 911. They wanted her to go to the ER to make sure everything was OK because she acted confused. I assured them that was her normal state of behavior because of her brain injury. We could not track down her husband because he didn't take a cell phone with him so I told her I would go to the ER with her. Norm took me to the hospital and I waited with her until they checked her out. Norm would've stayed with us but he had a meeting so I told him to go ahead because I would be okay and the meeting was across the street from the hospital. It turned out my neighbor was OK with just a scrape on her scalp and a goose egg bump where she hit her head against the brick wall. Apparently she had gone into the backyard and lost her balance and fell backwards against the wall but was able to get up again. She was very glad that I went with her because she knew she couldn't answer a lot of questions they would ask about her insurance etc. at the hospital. Olga is really sweet but it is very tiring to spend a lot of time with her because she asks you the same questions over and over again. I realized that it was important for me to be there both as her advocate and as her friend. Her husband didn't get home until 11 p.m. so she stayed with my husband and I until he returned. We were at the ER for almost 3 hours which really isn't too bad when you consider most of the time it's a six-hour wait. I told Olga over and over again not to be embarrassed about what happened but to realize that I'm just a nosy neighbor who is watching out for her whenever possible. She thanks me for being a nosy neighbor. I thank God that she wasn't seriously hurt and I thank God that I was able to be a good neighbor. Even when you can't walk and you need someone to help you do the daily things in life you can still be a good neighbor and be there for someone often by just listening and offering comfort and reassurance that everything will be okay. If we all acted as good neighbors I bet the world would be a better place. It's true even if it does sound like a Coca-Cola commercial. :-)

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Welcome La Shawn Barber viewers! Make yourself comfortable and look around. I've been actively blogging since April 2005 so check out my archives for some interesting stories and videos. There's been a lot of talk recently about embryonic stem cell research and how it is going to help disabled people like myself. I'd like to give my viewpoint on this very important issue. For the sake of brevity let me summarize a few points regarding stem cells and research using the two types of stem cells. 1. Stem cells are valuable because they can grow into other kinds of tissue which could possibly allow regeneration of damaged tissue in the human body. 2. Adult stem cells come from umbilical cord blood and other areas of the human body and they do not cause damage when they are extracted. Currently, there are at least 65 conditions in the human body that are treated using adult stem cells. 3. Embryonic stem cells are extracted from human embryos and the embryos must be destroyed in order to extract the stem cells. Supposedly they have the ability to become any kind of human tissue and to reproduce themselves indefinitely. When out of their natural environment they are hard to control and grow into tumors and other unwanted tissue. After 24 years of research on both mice and human embryonic stem cells there are no treatments using embryonic stem cells. Did you know there had been 24 years of research on embryonic stem cells? I didn't know this until I started reading about it on the Internet. Funny how the mainstream media and Liberals forget to mention that fact. Additionally they never tell you that there has been ongoing research for many years on both adult and embryonic stem cells without the aid of government funding. In 2001 President Bush allowed taxpayer funds to be used on the approximately 78 embryonic stem cell lines that had already been created prior to that date. To my knowledge no embryos were destroyed using taxpayer funds. In May of this year the House of Representatives passed a bill to remove the taxpayer funding restrictions and allow researchers to destroy the over 400,000 excess human embryos in cold storage at fertility clinics around the country so that those embryonic stem cells can be used in research. If research on embryonic stem cells has been going on for over 24 years without taxpayer funds then why do we need it now? After 24 years there has been no treatments developed from embryonic stem cells. Those laboratories using embryonic stem cells were getting them from wherever they can find them and thus destroying human embryos in the process. Contrary to what mainstream media and Liberals want you to believe, there is no law against embryonic stem cell research and, prior to President Bush's action, there was no taxpayer funding of it. Another myth that the liberals in this country want you to believe is that there is a cure just around the corner if only it would be allowed to come about through taxpayer funding. The truth is embryonic stem cells are not yielding treatments of any kind even after 24 years of research using them. I believe this lie is being perpetrated not because they believe they will be saving lives through embryonic stem cell research but because they want to keep abortion on demand legal. This is why they want to have this research paid for by taxpayer dollars. They want to get the federal government involved to legitimatize abortion on demand. Liberals knew they could not legalize abortion on demand through the legislative process because the majority of people in this country view abortion on demand as morally repugnant. So, they used liberal judges who made up a so-called right to privacy not found in the Constitution. Because of advances in science we now know more about how life begins in the womb and we can clearly see that what is happening during an abortion is killing a precious human life. Now liberals need to find another way to keep moral and ethical support for abortion on demand and the way they are doing that is by creating a need for destroying human embryos. Yes, it's true, that President Bush and Senator Frist are both suggesting that only those embryos already destroyed be used for research. It sounds good in theory but from my view it is a slippery slope. A whole class of humans will be used solely for the purpose of research that has not yielded anything useful in the way of a treatment. Don't believe the lies! Adult stem cells are the only ones that have provided any kind of treatment. We do not need the government getting involved in medical research because there are plenty of pharmaceutical and biomedical firms who are doing research without the help of the government. Furthermore, the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution have established that it is the role of our government to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If we get government involved in the process of destroying human life in order to save human life we are putting ourselves at great risk. It's a risk I'm not willing for the government to take on my behalf. 6 Comments: At August 03, 2005 5:04 PM, Garrett O'Hara said... Well written. Very good work. At August 04, 2005 4:21 PM, Renee said... I just finished a chapter on stem cell research for an entry level science class I am taking. Luckily I have a good instructor who knows both sides of the issue and therefore the instructions was not pro or con, just stating all information on both sides. BTW, I cam over from La Shawn's site. I think I will stick around :-) At August 04, 2005 5:11 PM, JannyMae said... Thanks for helping get the truth out about stem cells! I'm so tired of seeing and hearing people say that, "President Bush is against stem cell research." At August 08, 2005 6:30 PM, Thomas More said... Just curious: how do you feel about fertility medicine? Because the embryos (I would call them blastocysts, but whatever) that are used come from fertility clinics, and many are created that are just thrown away. So what would you have done with the 400,000 nascent humans? Would you have these fertility treatments outlawed because they destroy what you believe to be a human being?Slippery slope, indeed. At August 08, 2005 11:04 PM, Karen of Scottsdale said... Thomas: I have concerns about fertility clinics and the thousands of unused embryos. I have read that many couples donate their unused embryos to other couples so they can have a child. My biggest concern is that taxpayer funds not be used in the destruction of embryos for scientific research because the government needs to protect the rights of the defenseless. At August 09, 2005 8:34 AM, Thomas More said... What sort of "concerns" do you have? Because it seems to me, if you believe these embryos are humans, throwing them away as part of fertility treatments would be as bad or worse than using them for research.Seems to me that you would advocate outlawing these practices, whether the government funds them or not. A human is a human is a human, right?I agree with Michael Kinsley on this:http://slate.msn.com/id/2090244/

It's Norm's Birthday!

To celebrate his special day I took my husband out for lunch yesterday and today. We went to Charleston's, one of our favorite restaurants in Scottsdale, and Norm indulged in his favorite dessert -- bread pudding! We told the waitress it was Norm's birthday so she should put a candle on his pudding. I sang "happy birthday" to him and he blew out the candle. Later when the waitress brought our bill she said that dessert was on the house. We were not expecting that but really I'm not surprised because we go there so often and they are quick to show their appreciation of our patronage. Today, I took Norm out for lunch again but this time we went to Rock Bottom, another one of our favorites in Scottsdale. When we finished our meal our waiter gave us a business card with a handwritten note on it from the stranger who bought our lunch. The waiter pointed out this wonderful person who turned out to be a salesman at VMI. VMI makes wheelchair accessible vans and this man noticed that we were driving a van from a different company so he wanted to let us know he would be happy to sell us a van from VMI when we are ready to buy a new one. Norm and I went over and introduced ourselves and told him that it was Norm's birthday. Everyone at the table thought it was pretty cool. So did we! It always amazes me the way God provides the unexpected things for us. You see, we've been having a hard time financially this year but somehow we have survived. Today we got a free lunch and yesterday Norm got a free dessert. My birthday is in October so I can't wait to see what God is going to do then.