Super Bowl Buzz?

I do not watch American Idol or any kind of so called reality show. I still feel bad for this young woman's tragic story which you all know better than me. I just hope her appearance in the Super Bowl would have happened anyway and not because of the buzz factor. But then y'all know I can be a cynic about these things.


Ed




http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090114/people_nm/us_hudson


Jennifer Hudson to sing at Super Bowl




Wed Jan 14, 5:54 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actress and recording star Jennifer Hudson will sing the U.S. national anthem at the Super Bowl in her first public performance since the shooting deaths of her mother, brother and nephew, her Web site said on Wednesday.

The former "American Idol" contestant and Oscar-winning "Dreamgirls" actress will open the NBC broadcast of the National Football League championship on February 1 in Tampa Bay, Florida, with her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Rock veteran Bruce Springsteen already has been announced for the coveted half-time slot during the game, usually the most watched U.S. television broadcast of the year.

Hudson's Super Bowl gig will come five days before she is due to sing in Los Angeles at the 2009 MusiCares Person of the Year show, an event leading up to the 51st annual Grammy Awards on February 8. Hudson's self-titled debut release is nominated for a Grammy as best R&B album.

In October, Hudson's mother, brother and nephew were shot to death in her hometown of Chicago. Authorities have charged Hudson's estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, with murder in the slaying of her family members.

Hudson, 27, competed in the reality talent show "American Idol" in 2004. She was eliminated midway through the competition but revived her career with a critically acclaimed performance in the 2006 musical "Dreamgirls," which earned her an Academy Award as best supporting actress. Last year, she co-starred in the movie "The Secret Life of Bees."

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; editing by Steve Gorman and Mohammad Zargham)

Bye Bye Bush

George is now at the end of his stay and yes he has earned some of the barbs thrown his way but let me only discuss the national security issue. One thing you have to know about the topic is that its the ultimate tip of the iceberg. You have no idea what goes into that little piece of white that sticks out of the water. I have no idea.

The reason why I have an appreciation for it is reading this series of books. The books are thick and extremely detailed. Although they are works of fiction a lot of the circumstances, thought processes , behavioral patterns and political climate are based on our world. Just about everything could have happened.

Read the books and you will be taken to the behind the scenes world of politics and national defense. It's so easy to criticize the end product from what is available for consumption in a left leaning newspaper. Believe me, I have gone years listening to Keith Olbermann. And he has had absolutely nothing positive to say about Bush. In a way Col. Jessep was right when he said " I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it." That in this twisted world we have heavily armed people who would love to pick on unarmed unsuspecting civilians. With that reality we entrust certain people with the thankless job of curtailing the urge of those heavily armed people. It's like making a sausage. You enjoy the end product but so much grimness goes into the process.

All I am saying is that you can only judge what you can see. Read the Tom Clancy books and broaden your mind a bit from a mind shaped by minute clips on the evening news and comedians ' monologues. Then maybe you can appreciate just a little bit more what went into "keeping the nation safe" .

Ed



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090116/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_s_farewell



In farewell speech, Bush says he kept nation safe

*

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer Deb Riechmann, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 20 mins ago
Featured Topics:


President George W. Bush waves as he leaves the room after giving a farewell AP – President George W. Bush waves as he leaves the room after giving a farewell address to the nation, Thursday, …

WASHINGTON – As Americans get ready to turn the page on George W. Bush, the president offered his own first draft of history, saying that while his policies have been unpopular there can be little debate about the results: "America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil."

In a farewell address to the nation Thursday night, Bush harkened back to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a time when the public rallied around him and his approval ratings soared.

"As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11," Bush said in a prime-time address from the East Room of the White House. "But I never did."

Leaving office with the highest disapproval rating since Richard Nixon, Bush said, "You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."

A bookend to eight years indelibly marked by terrorism, two wars and recessions, the 13-minute speech was Bush's last opportunity to defend his record before leaving office on Tuesday. His next scheduled public appearance will be greeting President-elect Barack Obama on Inauguration Day.

Seemingly upbeat and confident, Bush called the inauguration of Obama, the first black president, a "moment of hope and pride" for America.

The nation's 43rd president remained defiant about his own record. He claimed foreign policy successes in Iraq and Afghanistan while crediting his administration for improving public schools, creating a new Medicare prescription drug benefit and finding more money for veterans. With the United States facing the worst financial crisis in generations — under his watch — Bush said his White House took "decisive measures" to safeguard the economy.

"Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks," Bush said. "And there are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right."

Bravado gave way to nostalgia as soon as Bush left the podium. He walked alone down the red-carpeted hallway toward the residence. Then he returned to the room — full of about 200 Cabinet secretaries and allies, advisers and friends — still on their feet, cheering. Bush and first lady Laura Bush greeted the guests. Across the room, their daughter, Barbara, wiped tears away with both hands. Her twin sister, Jenna Hager, touched her on her shoulder as their father said his goodbye.

Bush's presidency began with the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil and ends with the worst economic collapse since the 1930s.

"These are very tough times for hardworking families, but the toll would be far worse if we had not acted," he said. "All Americans are in this together. And together, with determination and hard work, we will restore our economy to the path of growth."

On national security, he highlighted his administration's efforts to equip the nation with new tools to monitor terrorists, freeze their assets and foil their plots. But he also acknowledged some of his controversial policies, including the terrorist surveillance program and harsh interrogation of suspected terrorists.

While there has not been another attack on U.S. soil, the number of terrorist acts around the world has increased, Iran has gained influence in the Mideast, North Korea still hasn't verifiably declared its nuclear work, anti-Americanism abroad has emboldened extremists' recruitment efforts and a safe haven for terrorists remains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Bush said he leaves with a "thankful heart." He expressed gratitude to his family. "Above all, I thank the American people for the trust you have given me."

That trust, however, has eroded over the years. His approval rating soared to 90 percent after the Sept. 11 attacks, but he's leaving office as a new Gallup Poll puts it at 34 percent. That's up from 25 percent just before the November elections, reflecting a bump that presidents commonly get just before they leave office.

___

On the Net:

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

My Life is Good

http://katcarneo.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/bdo-and-tags/

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/music/item/36/My_Life_is_Good_playlist


My Life is Good (Live Acoustic ) by Randy Newman

Songs available for listening here


Tagged by katcarneo
http://katcarneo.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/bdo-and-tags/


Got this from an online friend of mine Kat. Can't even remember how I discovered her blog middle of last year but I was researching a post. I liked what I saw so I kept the blog in the bookmarks and I eventually linked her blog to my blogspot when it dawned on me I could do it for blogs I liked .

Anyway about this exercise, I had seen it a dozen times on multiply but because it was from my niece's classmates (grade school age) , I prejudged it and never even opened any of the posts. It took a blog entry from Kat for me to take it seriously. To all the kids in Multiply , sorry for my discrimination from a fossil like me. This was fun after all.
If it seems like a lot of these songs are from movies . I probably knew them before the movies came out. Goes to show you that quality knows no time or fad.

Don't forget to listen to the songs .



Instructions:
Put your player on shuffle and hit the 'Next' button to get your answer to every question. You must indicate the title and artist, no matter how far-fetched it sounds. Tag people who might be interested in doing this same thing. No cheating.


WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?- Never My Love- The Association.
My Tita Rose would be proud that this song leads it off. Nice gentle song with harmonies. If this makes a good answer to that question then tell me.


WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?- Rollercoaster of Love- The Ohio Players . If the song sounds familiar , this is the original. Remade by Red Hot Chili Peppers and on the Beavis and Butthead Movie. As if this really was my purpose but the more I look at it, the more it seems to make sense.






WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?- Just Wanna Be Your Everything - Andy Gibb .
This sounds like the motto of every used car sales man turned politician. Of course y'all know what happened to Andy Gibb.




WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?- For What It's Worth- Buffalo Springfield. This is a nice sounding song then you realize it's about a protest . http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=3035
Played in many movies: Forrest Gump, He's Got Game, Lord of War and a reinterpretation on the Muppet Show.




WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?- Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) - Jimi Hendrix . Now if a song about 5 alarm chili came up then this would be 100% true. I still have no idea what Jimi was singing about. Love the song. First heard it live . Not by Hendrix (even I am not that old) but by Stevie Ray Vaughan who opened for Men at Work (Cargo Tour 1983). You might remember the intro playing in the Segal Film Under Seige right when wacko Tommy Lee Jones decides to call Washington and let them know he has taken control of a battleship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_Child_(Slight_Return)






WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?- Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa .

Maybe the weirdest song on this list and still very catchy. Does not answer the question since it's about a garage band and the cliches (humble beginnings, cheap equipment , complaining neighbors, dreams of stardom ) anyone with an alternate interpretation let me know.




WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?- Beware My Love - Paul McCartney and Wings (Live)


" No, no, no.
I must be wrong, baby, yeah.
But I don't believe that he's the one,
But if you insist,
I must be wrong, I must be wrong,
I have to leave,
And when I'm gone,
I'll leave my message in my song,
That's right.
Beware, my love,"

Up to you if that's my life story

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?- We're an American Band- Grand Funk Railroad

(See Joe's Garage)

Who didn't have that rock and roll dream? Everybody with big pants and backwards ball caps that's who.


WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?- The Kids Are Back- Twisted Sister.
No comment





WHAT SONG WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?- Foxey Lady- Jimi Hendrix .
The bride will love/ hate this. I know Garth lip synched to this in Wayne's World.




WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?- Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith .
Truly ironic. First noticed this in a video so long ago they were not even called videos. And yes he had big lips back then.




WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?- Do Wah Diddy- Manfred Mann .

Bill Murray/ Harold Ramis/ John Candy enuff sed.






WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?- Sign In Stranger- Steely Dan

I love all kinds of artists but if I had to narrow it down to two this is one of them. The odd part is all of Steely Dan's songs are all inside jokes so yeah it is the biggest secret. Listen to wicked piano playing here.





WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?- Sympathy for The Devil- Dave Matthews
I swear this is not rigged. Listen to this song with just one guitar playing.



WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?- Round and Round -Ratt

Again so true. Oh the mid 80's where every other artist was a quasi metal band from L.A.



HOW WILL YOU DIE?- Up Around the Bend- Credence Clearwater Revival

Jan & Dean reference anyone? Still a great song that will put a smile to your face.,


WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?Hocus Pocus - Focus
- its not everyday you get to hear a strung out flute player. Excellent yodelling and no lyrics . Take the plunge.




WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?- The Other Me- Joe Jackson
I truly love Joe Jackson, saw him twice in 1989 and 1991. This song was new in the latter concert and if I recall he introduced this song as what if you could be with two different people at the same time. If you know someone who has totally the wrong concept of commitment, let them hear this.




WHAT MAKES YOU CRY? The Dance - Garth Brooks
This is so true for the people in the article below. I remember reading this article when it came out but had never heard the song until about 8 years later. Read it to feel sad and to appreciate the ones you love who are gone and are still here.


http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138505/12/index.htm



WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST? Chuck E's in Love- Rikki Lee Jones

This is a great song and can also be seen as ironic in context of the question. Listen to the story.



IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? Green Onions - Booker T and MGs
I love this song and the band. It's also an instrumental. Although one of their hits was a song called Time is Tight.




WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?- Tell Me Something Good - Rufus and Chaka Khan

Excellent funk song. And she was so young when she did this.






WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS? My Life is Good (Live Acoustic ) by Randy Newman

I told you earlier if I only had to narrow my favorites to two , well this is the other one. Again I will let you decide it's relevance and what a way to end the playlist. Thanks to all who have ever done this and please if you have send me yours. Thanks for reading and listening to mine.


Ed

Slice of Life Jan 14 2009

Today my Tito (uncle) Benny and I were discussing how long coffee should sit in the press before you plunge and pour.






I am also his roommate in the office so when he settles back down in his desk he fiddled with laptop like he usually does. Then he calmly blurts "yeah it's 4 minutes" . I asked him if he was in the Starbucks website and he said no he was looking it up in



Martha Stewart



I then asked if there was a section in the website on


tax evasion.




He corrected me and said Martha Stewart's crime was

insider trading

I then said "Oh, I was thinking of Wesley Snipes".



I then joked without laughing that "yeah you can see why I get them confused. "


He also replied in a tone of voice that did not betray laughter but implied we were on the same page that " yes , I can see why you get them confused".





Looking back at this semi funny moment today I thought to myself" I have a cool roommate"





Ed

Personal Theory Arizona Cardinals plus their role model

After the last heavy post , I think we could use some levity, although if you don't follow sports I don't know how light you will find the first part. The second part will be about a guy who I think is a role model. So read that if you are a fan of good examples and stories of never giving up. Also click the links in blue for a better appreciation .

I.

First of all just know that nobody expected the Arizona Cardinals to be playing this Sunday. Experts and fans alike just bewildered by this turn of events. I have my own original conspiracy theory

About halfway through the season the Cardinals as a whole said to themselves in complete secrecy : " Hey! This division is so weak , let's treat the remainder of the schedule like the exhibition season. You know win just enough to take this sorry ass division. We will get back home field after we win the first two road games. These wins will be cemented because in the back of their heads our opponents will think they are here by default. "

Have any better ideas?



II .

Seriously, one of the real reasons why Arizona is turning heads is because of the guts, perseverance, talent, determination, faith and positive outlook of a guy called Kurt Warner. You can say this is deja vu all over again.

Back in 1999 when he was making his first run with the St. Louis Rams everybody said the same thing: " if this guy's story was a script you would throw it out for being too corny". In fact since 2001 Kurt was not always the dominant quarterback in his team. But instead of sulking and being jealous at whoever young hotshot the coaches put out on the field, Kurt was there like an older brother and constantly helping and offering insight. Of course he kept his brain and his body ready for the inevitable opportunity to do it himself.

Watching a lot of sports over the years and also proclaiming to have some faith in a higher power, I am usually turned off by athletes public declaration of religious beliefs. Maybe because of that parable of Jesus , the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. But because I know their story , Tim Tebow gets a pass and so does Kurt.

And that's what makes Kurt worthy of me putting in front of you. He is not selfish, he is a team player and a consummate professional. His Rocky Balboa like story I will leave for the links to tell you.

Ed

October 18, 1999
Holy Smokes
Rams quarterback Kurt Warner is lighting up the NFL, thanks largely to an unwavering faith that has been tested time and again
Michael Silver

The music blared, the crowd went wild, and St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner stood in the middle of it all, a heavy dose of rapture rushing through his veins. Then Warner, the hottest player in pro football, raised his hands and pointed triumphantly to the heavens. Virtually no one noticed. Though Warner is St. Louis's biggest football sensation since Jim Hart, he and the 300 other worshipers at the St. Louis Family Church last Friday night were preoccupied with praising a truly supreme being. "I love you. Jesus!" a college-aged woman across the aisle from Warner yelled as a five-piece band kicked its upbeat groove to a cacophonous climax. Onstage six singers belted out the chorus as Warner and the rest of the congregation joined in: "All things are possible! All things are possible!"

It was a mantra that might have borne repeating 40 hours later by a much larger but no less fervent gathering at the Trans World Dome. With 65,872 fans screeching their approval, Warner and the Rams continued to defy conventional football wisdom, this time with a 42-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers that reverberated throughout the NFL. Not only did the 4-0 Rams end a 17-game losing streak to the Niners, their longtime NFC West tormenters, but St. Louis—St. Louis!—also ended the day as the league's lone unbeaten team. Warner, the 28-year-old Arena Football League emigrant, continued to embarrass scouts everywhere by setting new standards for a first-year starter, among them a heretofore unheard of 14 touchdown passes in his first four games, two more than the Rams threw all last year.

On Sunday, Warner threw for 177 yards and three touchdowns—in the first quarter. His final stats were surreal: 20 completions in 23 attempts for 323 yards and five scores, boosting his league-leading quarterback rating to an astronomical 136.0. Yet there's no way to quantify Warner's commanding pocket presence, his ability to release the ball just before the rush arrives or the amazing array of passes he can throw with chilling accuracy. Somehow Warner, a player so lightly regarded that the Rams exposed him in last February's expansion draft, is playing like a natural-born thriller. "He's in a zone, and I've never been around anybody who's this hot," Dick Vermeil, the Rams' 62-year-old coach, said after the game. "[Rams owner] Georgia Frontiere believes in astrology; maybe that's the only way to explain it."

To Warner it's far less mysterious. "I've been doing all these interviews lately, and people are looking for the secret to my success," he says. "I tell them it's my faith in Jesus Christ, and they don't want to hear that. So they ask me the same question, again and again, even though they've already gotten the answer. The Lord has something special in mind for this team, and I'm really excited to be a part of it."

Such proclamations serve as a red flag for even the mildest of cynics, but once you meet Warner and hear his story, it's awfully tough to question his faith. He is as grounded and solid as a redwood, and it's certainly no accident that he has emerged as the anti-Ryan Leaf, a quiet leader who exudes maturity, was handed nothing and is grateful to be earning a '99 salary of $250,000, the league minimum for a second-year player. By overcoming doubt and adversity at every turn, he has also earned the right to have his faith taken at face value.

Faith has guided Warner along his unlikely path to football prominence, from his lone year (1993) as a starter at Division I-AA Northern Iowa to his three years with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League to a 1998 stint for NFL Europe's franchise in Amsterdam, where he walked each night through the city's red-light district on his way to church. He clung to his dream of playing in the NFL, even when it seemed he didn't have a prayer. After being cut by the Green Bay Packers in the summer of '94, Warner returned to Cedar Falls, Iowa, and got a job at a 24-hour supermarket. He worked out at his old college practice field by day and stocked shelves by night, without much sleep in between. "That was obviously a very humbling experience," Warner says. "I was making $5.50 an hour—and I was darn happy to get it. I'd tell the other guys at the store, 'I'll be playing football again someday,' and they'd look at me like I was some guy who just couldn't let go."

If that had been the low point for Warner, his story would be compelling enough. But the word "struggle" is a relative term in the Warner household. Kurt's 10-year-old adopted son, Zachary, suffered brain damage and has been blind since his biological father dropped him accidentally during his infancy. In April 1996 Zachary's mother, Brenda, whom Kurt was dating at the time, lost both her parents when their house in Mountain View, Ark., was leveled by a tornado. You want a low point? Imagine Brenda and her two young children (daughter Jesse is three years Zach's junior) sitting in the stands of a Barnstormers game that spring while a typically rowdy Arena League crowd ragged on Kurt for serving up interceptions. "There was a lot of drinking in those crowds, and Kurt was struggling," Brenda recalls. "No one knew he had been dealing with a tragedy. I'd say, 'Could you please try to watch the profanity? I have kids here.' Sometimes they'd listen; sometimes they wouldn't. We heard every word in the book."

At that point Kurt, who was raised Catholic, got deeper and deeper into fundamentalist Christianity. He and Brenda married in 1997—his elaborate proposal included a house strewn with rose petals and an electric WILL YOU MARRY ME? sign across the backyard fence—and he adopted Zachary and Jesse soon thereafter. Warner starred for the Barnstormers in '97, yet his quest for better opportunities seemed snakebit, or at least spider-bit: While honeymooning with Brenda in Jamaica, Kurt awoke one morning to find that the elbow of his throwing arm had swelled to the size of a baseball, thanks to a voracious arachnid. As a result the Chicago Bears canceled a tryout upon his return. Warner then completed what he considered a "horrible" workout for the Rams, but he had fans in the organization, chiefly personnel director Charley Armey and assistant coach Mike White, who persuaded the team to sign him. St. Louis then sent him to play for the Amsterdam Admirals. After leading NFL Europe in passing yardage and touchdowns in the spring of '98, Warner earned a job as the third-string quarterback for the 4-12 Rams last season. He appeared in one game, completing four passes in 11 attempts for 39 yards.

He moved into the backup role this summer, and when starter Trent Green suffered a season-ending knee injury in an Aug. 28 exhibition game, the Rams put their season in Warner's hands. "I thought he could be a solid backup, a guy we could get by with," Vermeil says. "When Trent went down, I told our team we could win with Kurt. I didn't expect him to play well enough that we'd win because of him."

Outsiders were aghast. Warner was worse than a no-name—he was often confused with Curt Warner, a standout running back for Penn State and the Seattle Seahawks whose pro career ended with the Los Angeles Rams in 1990. Last year Kurt got a call from the office of his own agent, Mark Bartelstein, asking if he could appear on a radio talk show to discuss the 1983 Sugar Bowl. Hello? Warner called Bartelstein and cracked, "Sure, I'd love to. I was 12 at the time, and I remember watching it on TV."

Six weeks after Green's injury everyone is getting hip to Warner's name, as well as his game. Highly drafted quarterbacks typically don't shine until their third season, if ever, but Warner, with all his minor league seasoning, burst onto the scene like an old pro. His accuracy is uncanny, and he shows poise, toughness and an aptitude for reading defenses in a hurry. Playing Arena ball, with its condensed field and wide-open style, helped Warner perfect the art of making quick, decisive throws. "A lot of young quarterbacks struggle to adjust to the speed of the game," says Vermeil. "That's something you can't glean from watching them practice. This kid slows the game down a little bit, and part of that's because of what he went through in the Arena League."

Warner's size (6'2", 220 pounds) and speed are unexceptional, but his arm strength is impressive, and the touch on his passes is as soft as fleece. He can make all the throws, as he proved with his touchdown passes against the Niners: a hard, 13-yard slant to wideout Isaac Bruce after freezing the safeties with a pump fake; a willowy, five-yard fade to Bruce in the back left corner of the end zone; a crisp underneath pass to Bruce that the brilliant receiver caught in stride and turned into a 45-yard score; an airtight, 22-yard strike to well-covered tight end Jeff Robinson in the middle of the end zone; and a picturesque, 42-yard toss to Bruce along the right sideline.

San Francisco threw a variety of blitzes at Warner, but he never flinched—which wasn't surprising to his teammates. The Rams witnessed Warner's calm under fire each day during training camp, as offensive coordinator Mike Martz made a point of chewing him out as loudly as possible. "When Trent was healthy, Kurt was the whipping boy," Bruce says. "[Martz] would communicate with Trent through Kurt. Now [third-stringer] Joe Germaine is the whipping boy." Says Martz, "We made a conscious effort to put pressure on Kurt. I would just wear him out, but none of it fazed him."

Warner's unflappable demeanor is aided by the perspective he gets at home. Zachary, after all, is a walking miracle: Doctors initially told Brenda, who was working as an intelligence officer in the Marines at the time of his accident, that her son would probably not survive, and if he did, would be lucky to ever sit up. Brenda got divorced shortly after Jesse was born, enrolled in nursing school and met Kurt at a country-music dance club in Cedar Falls. At the end of the night she told him she had two children and added, "I understand if you never want to see me again."

Now flash forward to last Friday evening, as the Warner family, which now includes Kurt and Brenda's one-year-old son, Kade, dined at a pizzeria near their church. Zachary, who attends elementary school and can see some objects from extremely close range, held up a crayon the color of artificial turf and joked, "Look, Dad, it's a Trent Green crayon." As Jesse, now seven, patiently served her older brother cheese sticks and french fries, a waiter brought a complimentary sampler plate for Kurt, the city's sudden celebrity.

The Warners are refreshingly rattled by the hoopla: Their phone number was listed until they changed it last week. If endorsements are in Kurt's future, you can exclude headwear ("I look terrible in caps," he says), tools ("He's the world's worst handyman," says Brenda) and razors. Warner, who has what backup quarterback Paul Justin calls "an 11 o'clock shadow," refuses to shave, relying instead on a beard trimmer to reduce his perpetual scruff. "People ask me all the time, 'When is your son going to shave?' " says Kurt's mother, Sue. "The answer, Fm afraid, is never."

The more you watch Warner interact with his family—and reaffirm his faith—the less stunning his phenomenal ascent seems. He appears to be sincere, unabashed and unspoiled. "Kurt's the most grounded person you'll ever meet," says Rams cornerback Todd Lyght. "Even though he's off the Richter scale right now, there's no way he'll let this go to his head."

Though the Rams and Bartelstein are talking about adjusting Warner's contract, he says any raise he receives for 1999 will be donated to Camp Barnabus, a Christian retreat in Purdy, Mo., for special-needs children and their siblings. Last week, during an interview with ESPN, Warner broke into tears three times. "On the football field I keep my emotions tied up inside," he says, "but when Fm with my family, I let them out. Zach has been such a blessing to me. He falls down, really hard, about 10 times a day, but he gets up and just exudes pure joy. He couldn't care less about football, but he touches my life so much."

At church last Friday pastor Jeff Perry gave a sermon that touched Warner to his core. "Mordecai said to Queen Esther when she had to save the Jews, 'You have been brought into the kingdom for a time such as this,' " Perry told the rapt congregation. "That could apply to everyone here." When the sermon ended, Perry called Warner to the front of the stage and uttered a special blessing for Sunday's game: "Lord, give him sharpness and clarity. Let him be bold and perform beyond the realm of his skills."

Warner buried his prickly face into his hands, then closed his eyes and smiled. Perry was preaching to the choir.



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Links:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2003/janfeb/12.14.html

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-59120157.html

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/398/Its_so_easy_to_do_when_everyone_is_watching_

http://www.jesuscentral.com/ji/jesus-parables-teachings/jesus-teachings/jesus-humility.php

http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/Capon_3705.htm

http://bible.cc/luke/18-13.htm

http://cornholiogogs.multiply.com/journal/item/500/National_Champion_Tebow_Could_Have_Been_Aborted_in_Makati_

I Just Find This So Sick Part 2 and its worse

The Face of an Idiot

For those of you who just joined us. This is Part 1. Again just heard this on CNN while driving and lucky I have a barf bag in the car. The first one I featured happened in Saudi. This one is in Northern California. Of course the idiot was more concerned about his compensation than his daughter. Then he calls the cops. Then again you would stupid as a prerequisite of being an idiot.

Ed

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/01/13/daughter.for.sale/

Police: Man sold teen daughter into marriage for cash, beer, meat

Story Highlights
Third party set up marriage between 14-year-old girl and 18-year-old man, police say

Groom was supposed to give the girl's father cash and cases of beer, soda, meat

When groom didn't pay up, father called the cops, say police in Greenfield, California

Such arrangements are normal in Mexican state where family is from, police say

By Ashley Broughton
CNN

(CNN) -- A California man sold his 14-year-old daughter to an 18-year-old man for cash, beer and meat -- then called police when the prospective bridegroom didn't live up to his end of the deal, authorities said Tuesday.

Marcelino de Jesus Martinez faces felony charges, according to police in Greenfield, California.

Marcelino de Jesus Martinez, 36, of Greenfield, California, was arrested Monday and booked into the Monterey County Jail, Greenfield police said in a statement. He faces felony charges of receiving money for causing a person to cohabitate, police said.

Martinez had arranged through a third party to have his daughter marry the older teenager, identified by authorities as Margarito de Jesus Galindo, of Gonzales, California. In exchange, Galindo was to pay Martinez $16,000 and provide him with 160 cases of beer, 100 cases of soda, 50 cases of Gatorade, two cases of wine, and six cases of meat, Greenfield Police Chief Joe Grebmeier told CNN.

All those involved in the case are from the western Mexican state of Oaxaca, the police chief said. In the Oaxacan community, such an agreement is "normal and honorable," he said. "In California, it's against the law."

In Oaxacan culture, the food and beverages are provided by a prospective bridegroom for the wedding, Grebmeier said.

Authorities believe the young girl went with Galindo willingly, and no coercion was involved, he said. However, the girl is four years younger than California's age of consent, although the law does allow 16-year-olds to marry with parental consent.

"The 14-year-old juvenile moved in with Galindo and when payments were not received, the father, Martinez, called Greenfield PD to bring back the daughter," according to a written police statement.

KSBW: Cops say dad sold daughter for beer
The girl was reported as a runaway juvenile on December 18, Grebmeier said, and police took a missing-persons report and put out a flier.

But "as we investigated, it started to develop into something that may not have been a runaway," he said, and police began to believe Martinez wanted them to bring back his daughter, since he had received no payment.

On January 2, Galindo and the girl returned from a trip to Soledad, a town a few miles north of Greenfield, and were interviewed. Police learned the couple had never married, but had engaged in sexual relations, Grebmeier said.

Galindo and Martinez were neighbors at an apartment complex and were apparently from the same area in Mexico, the police chief said. A third party was brokering the marriage deal, he said, and is cooperating with authorities. But the young couple apparently left for Soledad before the negotiations were complete.

Martinez was arrested Sunday after undergoing additional questioning by police, Grebmeier said. He remained jailed Tuesday.

Galindo was cited for statutory rape and released, Grebmeier said. The girl was returned to her family, he said, as authorities believe she is in no danger. However, police reported the case to child protection officials.

The Greenfield area has had a large influx of Oaxacans. A presentation on understanding Oaxacan culture is posted on the Greenfield police Web site.

"Arranged marriages are common in several cultures, and this is not an issue among consenting adults over the age of 18," police said in the statement. "But California has several laws regarding minors, the age of consent and human trafficking."

Police are trying to be culturally sensitive, Grebmeier told CNN, but "when I'm in Mexico, I have to respect Mexican laws. When you're in the United States, you have to respect United States laws. That's the bottom line."

He said he wanted to send a message to immigrant communities that such behavior is unacceptable. He said his department has long heard rumors of children as young as 12 being sold or offered for sale. The Greenfield police statement said arranged marriages between young girls and older men "have become a local problem."

Greenfield is about 140 miles southeast of San Francisco.

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What Are You Prepared To Do?

Or so the line goes from the movie the Untouchables. Said by Malone with his last breath. Remember the Buffalo Bulls. This is not another football story. This ain't no party. This ain't no disco, this ain't no fooling around. The Bulls in 1958 gave it all up. That's what they were prepared to do. I think the world is a better place for it. They truly defined by their actions what a team was. Make sure you watch the whole thing . The video coupled with the original story will do a better job than I can. At the very least watch from 3:43 to 4:03. Twenty seconds is not gonna kill ya. This was life back in 1958. This moved me and it might move you.

Ed





http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=buffalo58&campaign=rsssrch&source=south+florida+bulls


In 1958, the University of Buffalo football team won eight of nine regular-season games and was awarded the Lambert Cup as the best small-school program in the eastern United States. Team co-captains Nick Bottini and Lou Reale received the trophy during a Sunday night broadcast of "The Ed Sullivan Show" and dined that evening in Manhattan's famous Toots Shor's Restaurant.

Days later, the Bulls were invited to face Florida State in the 13th annual Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla. -- still the school's only bowl bid in 102 years of football.

In anticipation of their trip south, players were measured for new sport coats at The Kleinhans Company in downtown Buffalo. But before fabric for the coats ever was cut, the university learned that the team's two African-American players, starting halfback Willie Evans and reserve defensive end Mike Wilson, were not welcome in Orlando.

The Orlando High School Athletic Association, the Tangerine Bowl Stadium's leaseholder, prohibited blacks and whites from playing together. Despite the protestations of the Orlando Elks Lodge, the bowl game's sponsor, the Bulls would be allowed to participate only if Wilson and Evans did not play.

The university and coach Dick Offenhamer left it to the team to decide whether to accept the bid. The players gathered in a basement room of Clark Gymnasium on the Buffalo campus to take a vote. Bottini and Reale held small paper ballots in their hands, but before they could pass them out, the players spontaneously and unanimously rejected the bid.

"We weren't the same team without Willie and Mike," guard Phil Bamford remembers. "Whether they were benchwarmers or stars, we wouldn't have been the same team." ( more in original story )