Michele profile picture

Michele

.. ..

About Me


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ABOUT MICHELE

The one thing I can say about myself with certainty is that I continue to change. With age comes new experiences and challenges that continue to mold us and shape us into what we will ultimately become.I have recently faced a number of challenges in my life that have made me look at the world somewhat differently than I did just a few months ago. And I can say that with adversity we become stronger...
I think I have accomplished most of what I strived to accomplish. I was successful in my career, I purchased my house, I have grown into an emotionally well balanced individual. All those things which seemed to be so important when I was younger seem to pale now in the light of day. It is kind of a "so what" now that I look back on how much energy was expended in accomplishing those things.
So now I think the things I missed along the way are more important to me. My garden, taking time to write and paint, enjoying the summer breeze or the scent of the spring flowers. I do not think the life in the fast lane is what life intended. But as we all know we have to eat and have a place to lay our head. But what we loose sight of in this world is that is all that is really necessary. All those things that we thought were so important to have the cool car and the latest fashions are really just fantasy. The real things in life are not purchased.
It is funny that about ten years ago when I went through my breast cancer I woke up after it had recovered and there was a hint of this new reality, but with time it faded again and I fell back into the old philosophy. Now ten years later without a life changing event, I begin to see the light ahead of me again. But now it is ten years later and there is less time ahead then there would have been had I heeded the realization then. Oh well enough about that for now.
Lets see about Michele...I am single I have remained that way by my own choice. Currently my sister and her two sons are my room mates. I have two dogs that I love very much and with the death of my mother last year I inherited a cat. I really love animals my neighbors laugh at me because I plant vegetables in my garden every year and expect the wild life to consume them. I have bird feeders out year round and I have squirrel feeders too. My house was built on what used to be a forrest so my lot is wooded. There is a lot of displaced wildlife in my neighborhood over the last 15 years as they continued to develop this area. I see turtles, possoms and the occasional raccoon. We have rabbits that run the neighborhood as well (and I am pretty sure they are the ones eating my garden).
I enjoy my solitude most of the time but I have begun to step into the world a bit more than I used to. And my intention is to do more of that as I get stronger again in my conviction. I have been volunteering for friends of feral felines over the last couple of years but I need to extend that to some more important work as well. I have not yet decided what yet.
I heard a sermon the other day on the radio, I listen to Pastor Greg Laurry on a show called The New Beginning. Anyway, I heard that God molds our lives and gives us experiences that will shape us into what he ultimately wants us to be. We have gifts and learned lessons. This comes to fruition between about 45-50 years old. So I have been asking myself if that is why my perspectives are changing. If there is a plan for me and I will see it very soon. If I am not already doing what was intended for me, then now is the time that things will be changing. I look forward to what the Lord has instore for my life...



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THE HOUR OF THE WOLF
That time sometime between dusk and dawn when you should be asleep but all those things that haunt you come up and keep you awake. - I am using this as the theme for my journal.
Well it has been months since I have had any time to make an entry in my journal. Finally here I am. To bring everything up to date my dad and his wife arrived in July as anticipated. His wife stayed until the 15th of August and then she went to Singapore to get the house ready for Dad to join her. He is retiring now at 73.He is still visiting and is planning to join her sometime in mid September.He visited with friends & family, got some of his medical visits completed and took care of last minute business. I will be sad to see him go...
My sister finally had her surgery in mid August also. The tumor was the size of a grapefruit but it is finally gone. She has been recovering at home and it was good to have Dad here to help me take care of her. I needed someone at home while I was at work during the day. She is doing a lot better now but at first it was very hard for her. Now she is getting up some and moving around. She is still not healed and they said it will be a couple of months before she is back to normal.
I went on a trip with my job last week for something called team building exercizes. If you recall I just had gone through a kidney surgery in April and perhaps the exercise was not the most intelligent move. I apparently sprained my neck and back severely during the trip. The doctor put me down with muscle relaxers, steriods and pain killers for a week trying to get the swelling and inflamation down. I tell you what that was painful, it was so painful I was sure I had herniated a disc in my back but the MRI said I did not. I did have a bone spur but the violent symptoms I was experiencing were the sprain of the mucles and tendons. Whew! All those years as an insurance adjuster and I never knew how bad it really could be. I read about people getting this injury in car accidents all the time but I never imagined anything like what I just went through. To say you feel sore is an understatement.
Well I am back to work tomorrow but I still feel a burning when I sit up for too long so I hope that I have recovered sufficiently not to reinjur myself. I must admit I felt pretty stupid having to tell them what happened. It would be different if the course had been more strenuous but it was minimal, I was just not in sufficient shape to perform the tasks most likely due to the health problems I have had over the last year. I need to get into some exercise program to rebuild my stamina. But not quite yet, I had better recover sufficiently first...
My nephew Eric just had his 21st birthday this weekend. We did take him out to a dinner at an italian restaurant. It was all we could do to make it through an hour meal before we had to come home and lay down. What a bunch we turned out to be this year. He had a party to go to so it did not interfere with his fun. I can not believe the youngest is now 21. How the time flys...
I had my friend and her daughter staying with us for awhile too. But now she has gotten her room mate and moved into a house so we have more room again. I was functioning with seven people in the house for awhile there and it was a bit crowded since it is a four bedroom house. We made due however, that is what couches are for. I did a lot of cooking which I enjoy but do not usually do because there is no one to eat but me. I was told I am a good cook though I like what I call real food - normal food, not very fancy. It was fun having everyone here for awhile and now I miss all the commotion. But we adjust as the circumstances change.
I did not have much time in the pool this year. Just a little. And now it is fall beginning. I really need to get it cleaned out good as the leaves are beginning to fall into it again this year, but I have not been up to taking care of it. I am going to pay someone to come and do the initial work on it so as not to strain my back while I am recovering. Then hopefully I can keep it up from there. I did enjoy my garden this year. We had a good crop of tomatoes but the little animals ate all the other stuff. The green peppers never came up again this year. We purchased a St. frances statue for the garden and some little rabbits. I thought the rabbits were appropriate since that is who I suspect is eating the garden veggies. I put pic's in of the new garden and the wall we put around it this year. They are in my slideshow...Well I better go looks like company has come over.
Later
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"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place. "
- Margaret Mead
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WINTER BLONDE
As a trucker stops for a red light, a blonde catches up. She jumps out of her car, runs up to his truck, and knocks on the door. The trucker lowers the window, and she says "Hi, my name is Heather and you are losing some of your load." The trucker ignores her and proceeds down the street.
When the truck stops for another red light, the girl catches up again. She jumps out of her car, runs up and knocks on the door. Again, the trucker lowers the window. As if they've never spoken, the blonde says brightly, "Hi my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"
Shaking his head, the trucker ignores her again and continues down the street. At the third red light, the same thing happens again. All out of breath, the blonde gets out of her car, runs up, knocks on the truck door. The trucker rolls down the window. Again she says "Hi, my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!"
When the light turns green the trucker revs up and races to the next light. When he stops this time, he hurriedly gets out of the truck, and runs back to the blonde. He knocks on her window, and after she lowers it, he says...
"Hi, my name is Kevin, it's winter in Michigan and I'm driving the SALT TRUCK!"
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The next time someone asks you a dumb question wouldn't you like to respond like this?.....
Yesterday I was buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for Cleatus the wonder dog at Wal-Mart and was about to check out.A woman behind me asked if I had a dog.
What did she think I had, an elephant? So on impulse, I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again. Although I probably shouldn't, because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.
I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry and that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story.)
Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's butt and a car hit us both.
I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard!
WAL-MART won't let me shop there anymore.
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Subject: Are Rednecks REALLY DUMB ?

A redneck was stopped by a game warden in Central Mississippi recently with two ice chests full of fish. He was leavin' a cove well-known for its fishing.

The game warden asked the man, 'Do you have a license to catch those fish?'

'Naw, sir', replied the redneck. 'I ain't got none of them there licenses. You must understand, these here are my pet fish.'

'Pet fish?'

'Yeah. Every night, I take these here fish down to the lake and let 'em swim 'round for awhile. Then, when I whistle, they jump right back into these here ice chests and I take 'em home.'

'That's a bunch of hooey! Fish can't do that.'

The redneck looked at the warden for a moment and then said, 'It's the truth Mr. Government Man. I'll show ya. It really works.'

'O. K.', said the warden. 'I've got to see this!'

The redneck poured the fish into the lake and stood and waited.

After several minutes, the warden says, 'Well?'

'Well, what?', says the redneck.

The warden says, 'When are you going to call them back?'

'Call who back?'

'The FISH', replied the warden!

'What fish?', replied the redneck.

Moral of the story: We may not be as smart as some city slickers, but we ain't as dumb as some government employees.

You can say what you want about the South, but you never hear of anyone retiring and moving North.
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EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DAILY DIARY
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
2:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
9:00 pm - Chased my tail in circles! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!
EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DAILY DIARY
Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am.
Bastards.
Tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage. Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe.
MMMM , Makes one wonder????
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My Interests


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I have not had the time to send out the Birthday Greetings individually so I hope the sentiment is adequate...
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APPLE TINI IS MY FAVORITE...

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Creativity and Weaver of Fate

A spider totem teaches you balance --

between past and future, physical and spirit, male and female.

She is strength and gentleness combined.

She awakens creative sensibilities and reminds you that the past is always interwoven with the future.

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Save rain forest land by clicking a button!

Please help me! Go to the Race for the Rain Forest at Care2.com. Just click on a button and somewhere in the world, you'll save up to 15 square feet of rain forest, prairie, or wetlands, -- you choose! Corporate sponsors show their logos when you click, and in return, they pay for the habitat saved.

- Care2.com's Race for the Rain Forest

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I would also like to introduce one of my new friends. Her products are in support of rain forest preservation. Please take a look at her site:

http://www.myspace.com/therainforestexpress

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Fund Food For Abused and/or Neglected Animals. Go to the website and click on the purple button in the center of the screen. Advertisers on the site will donate food based upon how many clicks on the site. You view the advertisements and they donate.

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http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?si teId=3

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In 2006, visitor clicks funded 29,723,714 bowls of food for animals sheltering in sanctuaries. This is slightly down from the 2005 click totals -- please click daily and tell your friends, family and colleagues about The Animal Rescue Site, too!

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I'd like to meet:



Top this for a speeding ticket:

Two California Highway Patrol Officers were conducting speeding enforcement on I-15, North of MCAS Miramar. One of the officers was using a hand held radar device to check speeding vehicles approaching near the crest of a hill. The officers were suddenly surprised when the radar gun began reading 300 miles per hour. The officer attempted to reset the radar gun, but it would not reset and turned off. Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact locked onto a USMC F/A-18 Hornet which was engaged in a low flying exercise near the location. Back at the CHP Headquarters the Patrol Captain fired off a complaint to the USMC Base Commander.

Back came a reply in true USMC style:

Thank you for the message, which allows us to complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Hornet had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked onto your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, an air to ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also automatically locked onto your equipment. Fortunately the Marine Pilot flying the Hornet recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert status and was able to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched and your hostile radar was destroyed. Thank you for your concerns.

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News From Apple

Apple Computers announced today that it has developed a computer chip that can store and play music in womens breast implants.

The iBoob will cost between $499. and $599.

This is considered to be a major breakthrough, because women are always complaining about men staring at their breasts and not listening to them.

Thanks to Apple, everyone is now happy!

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WHERE TO BUY AMERICAN GASOLINE.

Are you aware that the Saudis are boycotting American products? In addition, they are gouging us on oil prices. Shouldn't we return the favor? Can't we take control of our own destiny and let these giant oil importers know who REALLY genera tes their profits, their livings? How about leaving American Dollars in America and reduce the import/export deficit?

An appealing remedy might be to boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up your car you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia . Just purchase gas from companies that don't import their oil from the Saudis.

Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that every time I fill up my tank, I'm sending my money to people who I get the impression want me, my family and my friends dead.

The following gas companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell, Chevron/Texaco,Exxon /Mobil, Marathon/Speedway, Amoco

And CITGO oil is imported from Venezuela by Dictator Hugo Chavez who ha tes America and openly avows our economic destruction! (We pay Chavez's regime nearly $10 Billion per year in oil revenues!)

The U.S. currently imports 5,517,000 barrels of crude oil per day from OPEC. If you do the math at $100 per barrel, that's over $550 million PER DAY ($200 BILLION per year!) handed over to OPEC, many of whose members are our confirmed enemies!!!!! It won't stop here - oil prices could go to $200 a barrel or higher if we keep buying their product.

Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco
Conoco
Sinclair
BP / Phillips
Hess
ARC0
Maverick
Flying J
Valero

Murphy Oil USA Sold at Wal-Mart , gas is from South Arkansas and fully USA owned and produced. *Not only that but they give scholarships to all children in their town who finish high school and are legal US citizens..

All of this information is available from the U.S.Department of Energy and each company is required to state where they get their oil and how much they are importing.

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TOP 8 MORONS OF 2007

AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership. He received a $26 million severance package. Perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence.

Police in Oakland, CA spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, 'Please come out and give yourself up.'

An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from his own bank accounts.

A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas Kwik Stop and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.

Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words: 'Give me all your money or I'll shoot', the man shouted, 'that's not what I said!'.

A man spoke frantically into the phone: 'My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart'. 'Is this her first child?' the doctor asked. 'No!' the man shouted, 'This is her husband!'

In Modesto, CA, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun. Unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket.

Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, CA, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22 foot boat, going. It was very sluggish in almost every maneuver, no matter how much power they applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted into a nearby marina, thinking someone there may be able to tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition The engine ran fine, the out-drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard.

NOW REMEMBER...THIS IS TRUE.
Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer!

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Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith, Where there is despair, hope, Where there is darkness, light, Where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, not so much to be understood as to understand, not so much to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in dying that we awake to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

They walked in tandem, each of the ninety-two students filing into auditorium. With their rich maroon gowns flowing and the traditional caps. Dads swallowed hard behind broad smiles, and Moms freely brushed away tears.

This class would NOT pray during the commencements ---not by choice, but because of a recent court ruling prohibiting it.

The principal and several students were careful to stay within the guidelines allowed by the ruling. They gave inspirational and challenging speeches, but no one mentioned divine guidance and no one asked for blessings on the graduates or their families. The speeches were nice, but they were routine until the final speech received a standing ovation.

A solitary student walked proudly to the microphone. He stood still and silent for just a moment, and then it happened. All 92 students, every single one of them, SNEEZED!!!! The student on stage simply looked at the audience and said, 'GOD BLESS YOU'. And he walked off stage.

The audience exploded into applause. This graduating class had found a unique way to invoke God's blessing on their future with or without the court's approval.

This is a true story. It happened at the University of Maryland

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"The heaven, even the heavens are the LORD's, but the earth has he given to the children of men."

[Psalm 115:16]

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When things in your life seem almost too much to handle

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous 'yes.

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed..

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small st uff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents.. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.

The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

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Come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. V. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. R. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

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God designed us to live in relationship with others. He wants us to help each other grow. None of us will reach our highest potential by ourselves. We need people in our lives to encourage us, and we need to encourage the people in our lives and help them reach their potential. The word “encourage” means to “urge forward.” Many times you can see things in other people that they don’t see themselves. You can see their strengths and talents. You can see that God has a special plan for them even though they may be going through a difficult time. Don’t assume that people see what you see in them. Take a moment and encourage them either with a kind word or a simple note. There might be a special gift you can give that will remind them of their goal or dream. In whatever way you can, urge the people in your life to keep moving forward. If you’ll be a people builder and help others fulfill their dreams, God will help you fulfill your dreams also, and you’ll live in blessing all the days of your life.

A Prayer for Today

Father in heaven, thank You for the people You have placed in my life. Help me build them up and find creative ways to urge them forward to Your glory. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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Scripture Reference: John 13:34-35

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples --when they see the love you have for each other."

Scripture Reference: Luke 15:4-7 .

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says,'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. ' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

-Jesus

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Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.

Help us remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can't make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.

Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares .

Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together .

Heavenly Father , remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love.

Working for God on earth doesn't pay much......but His retirement plan is out of this world…

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Music:

I am old school - I have always been a fan of heavy rock, heavy metal as the music of choice. I still like that "anger" music.

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But recently I have expanded my music choices. I find I enjoy Native American Flute Music, Celtic, Salsa and some Alternative.

I have always been a fan of classical music in direct contradiction to my Heavy Metal but that is most likely because Classical music was played for me as a young child and I recognized it as something familiar and/or because lets face it folks they are works of art. Poetry for the ears.

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WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

WWF online activists have been achieving conservation victories for the past 10 years and can take great pride in their accomplishments.

Their successes include increasing funding for the conservation of tigers, rhinos, elephants, great apes, sea turtles, and migratory birds; creating a marine protected area in the Florida Keys; and stopping a beluga whale hunt in Russia.

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WWF is active around the world, saving wildlife, protecting habitats, and addressing global threats. But wildlife conservation and nature conservation begins with each of us - and each of us can make a difference. Whether you choose to get involved by making environmentally-conscious consumer decisions and green choices in your daily life; taking action for sound environmental policy through WWF's Conservation Action Network; traveling to unique habitats to see the extraordinary diversity of life on Earth; or making a financial contribution, by getting involved through WWF, you can ensure a living planet for future generations.

Join WWF's free Conservation Action Network and help protect Earth from the enormous threats it faces. You will receive timely, concise email action alerts on important environmental issues that make it simple to participate in campaigns and achieve conservation successes.

WWF has a strong history of wildlife conservation and nature conservation results, and with your support, we can achieve many more victories. When you become a member of WWF, you join a family of more than 4 million people around the globe working together to protect our precious natural lands, animals, and environment for future generations.

WWF and its members are part of the solution. Your conservation and wildlife management efforts can make a difference. Please join our conservation and wildlife management efforts, and together, we can be a force for nature.

www.worldwildlife.org

The primary threat to polar bears is the sharp decrease of sea ice coverage occurring as a result of climate warming.

Although some females use snow dens on land for birthing cubs, polar bears are almost completely dependent upon sea ice for their sustenance. Any significant changes in the abundance, distribution, or existence of sea ice will have effects on the number and behavior of these animals and their prey, the Service says.

"Just 10 more years of current global warming pollution trajectories will commit us to enough warming to melt the Arctic and doom the polar bear to extinction," said Kassie Siegel, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's Climate, Air, and Energy Program. "We urgently need to address global warming, not just for the sake of the polar bear but for the sake of people and wildlife around the world."

..

STOP GLOBAL WARMING!!!
This is my local chapter:
environmentnorthcarolina.org

WHERE IS YOURS?

glitter-graphics.com

World's Protected Areas Threatened By Climate Change, New Study Shows - ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2007) — Climate change will affect national parks, forest reserves and other protected areas around the world, in some cases altering conditions so severely that the resulting environments will be virtually new to the planet, according to a study presented at the U.N. climate change talks in Bali, Indonesia.

Smaller Storms Drop Larger Overall Rainfall In Hurricane Season - ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2007) — Researchers have found that when residents of the U.S. southeastern states look skyward for rain to alleviate a long-term drought, they should be hoping for a tropical storm over a hurricane for more reasons than one. According to a new study using NASA satellite data, smaller tropical storms do more to alleviate droughts than hurricanes do over the course of a season by bringing greater cumulative rainfall.

glitter-graphics.com

Melting Ice Displaces Walruses In The Russian Arctic - ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2007) — Some 40,000 walruses have appeared on the Russian Arctic coast, a phenomenon that scientists believe is a result of global warming melting Arctic sea ice.

Nitrous Oxide From Ocean Microbes Could Be Adding To Global Warming - ScienceDaily (Dec. 10, 2007) — A large amount of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide is produced by bacteria in the oxygen poor parts of the ocean using nitrites according to Dr Mark Trimmer of Queen Mary, University of London.

glitter-graphics.com

Did you know that by using a tea bag without a string and a tag attached we prevent 3 million pounds of paper from being deposited in landfills – isn’t that incredible? I can add so many other concepts like this, as can everyone. And that is my point – we all have to do whatever we can to help the environment. Whether you believe in global warming or not – the overall concept of reducing paper usage, changing light bulbs, really recycling – these are all worth the effort for all of us...

glitter-graphics.com

Movies:


Science Fiction:
Independence Day, Preditor, Ghosts of Mars, The Fifth Element, Lost in Space, War of the Worlds, Lifeforce, Cocoon, Strange Invaders, Invaders from Mars, They Live, Starship Troopers, Galaxy Quest, Alien Quadrilogy, Star Wars,Pitch Black, Chronicles of Riddick, Star Trek...
Vampires:
Dracula, Blade Trilogy, Dusk till Dawn, John Carpenters Vampires, Underworld, Van Helsing, Lost Boys...
glitter-graphics.com
Horror:
Dawn of the Dead, The Stand, Children of the Corn, Resident Evil, Texas Chainsaw Massacre...
glitter-graphics.com

Fantasy:
Godzilla, Terminator, Congo, Indiana Jones, Armagedon, Total Recall, I Robot, Ultraviolet, Rein of Fire, The Mummy, Planet of the Apes,Pirates of the Carribean, Matrix Trilogy...
glitter-graphics.com .
Childrens Fantasy:
Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Narnia, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jumanji, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, Final Fantasy, Masters of the Universe, Littlefoot, Veggie Tales...
(yes I am watching them)
glitter-graphics.com

Other:
The Bourne Identity, Witness, King Arthur, Striking Distance, Forrest Gump, As Good as it Gets, The Devil Wears Prada, The Pelican Brief, Grumpy Old Men, Man on Fire, Pearl Harbor, Lethal Weapon, Beverly Hills Cop, Golden Child, The Green Mile, Black Hawk Down, XXX...
glitter-graphics.com
ART
Cochrane Mural
For those not living in the WEST, Cochrane is NW of Calgary and east of Banff , in the foothills of the Rockies . This mural was unveiled last week at the Cochrane Ranch House.
Each tile is 1 foot square and has its own individual picture. Each tile is by a different artist. All of them placed together form this huge mural. You can click on each of the tiles to see them in detail.
Check out the horse's eye.
LOOK CLOSELY BY CLICKING ON ANY PART OF THE MURAL.
http://www.muralmosaic.com/Cochrane.html
I was unable to get the link active so I urge you to paste it in your browzer and take a look. The mural is constructed of 12 rows of 18 individual paintings which make up the mural design, you can click on the individual tiles to see the paintings which make up the mural. Well Worth the time! The site also displays a number of additional murals to view, as well.I hope you enjoy!
glitter-graphics.com

Television:

SCI FI CHANNEL RULES!!!
Star Gate SG-1, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Alien Nation, Babylon 5, Crusade, Kindred the Embraced, The Stand, Prey, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Revelation, Total Recall 2070, V, Earth 2, Roswell...
OTHER:
UNCC Channel, HG Home and Garden, NGC National Geographic Channel, APL Animal Planet, HIST History Channel, EWTN ...
ASTRONOMY
The world's best-selling astronomy magazine
A Magnetar Flare
A giant Magnetar flare is incredibly bright and emits as much radiation energy as the Sun does in hundreds of thousands of years!
How is it done? Even theorists aren't sure. What scientists do know is that the energy comes from these stars' intense magnetic fields, which are trillions of times stronger than the magnetic field on Earth's surface - hence, astronomers call these objects "magnetars."
One model predicts a surface disturbance, or star quake, on a neutron star shakes its intense magnetic fields. The shaking causes the magnetic field lines to merge and release huge amounts of energy in the process. This process is similar to what happens during a flare on the Sun, but much more energetic -
Neil Gehrels, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Know the Four Basic Types of Galaxies
Four Main Galaxy classifications exist:
Elliptical Galaxies have shapes that range from round to long and thin. They contain old stars, little gas and few star forming regions. Giant ellipticals are the largest galaxies, while dwarf ellipticals rank as the smallest.
Spiral Galaxies look like pinwheels, or would if their orientations all were face on to our point of view. Spirals contain a central bulge surrounded b a disk, and many spirals (such as the milky way) feature a contral bar from which their arms originate.
Irregular Galaxies generally appear featureless. They don't fall into either elliptical or spiral catagories. Many have star-forming regions.
Astronomers classify peculiar Galaxies unusual in one or more ways such as brightness, amount of dust or shape. Peculiar galaxies generally form because of gravitational interactions between galaxies.
Nebula Nomenclature
Astronomers divide nebulae into four catagories:
Emission Nebulae glow red because their hydrogen atoms absorb ultraviolet radiation from nearby hot stars and reemit it as redish light.
Reflection nebulae shine with a bluish tint because they reflect and scatter starlight. Earth's clear daytime sky appears blue also because of scattering.
Planetary Nebulae (named two centuries ago because they appeared disk like) form from Sun Like stars near the end of their lives. The star;s outer layers slowly expand away from the hot core until the core no longer illuminates them.
Dark Nebulae, huge clouds made of dust and cold gas, block the light from stars and birght nebulae behind them.
http://www.astronomy.com
glitter-graphics.com
SHELL'S POETRY CORNER
There is a confusion of the soul
It is like the eye of a storm
With the violent winds that tear apart
That which was still and warm
With confusion comes the coolest mist
It consumes that which it can touch
A dreadful enemy disguised
That has taken far too much
A dark winged shadow is poised above
Awaiting such a final swoop
And from his mouth he spits the flame
The cries for help are mute

On the ground I stand alone
Looking fearfully above my head
Awaiting the dragons second pass
Which will surely leave me dead
VICTIM
Yes a timeless victim trapped within the eyes
To touch the gentle winds that set us free
A timeless victim not unlike the child
As the timeless shadows capture me
The sunrise glows fire over the black mountain range
Burning with desire to line the cold heart
the fire's restricted but can not be contained
It builds the pressure as seams burst apart
Thoughts are searching for that which seems lost
A fantasy created by desolation
Slicing clear the blackness of the sky
And leaving only lifes devastation
The quiet must whisper the violence in pain
The tortured screams in empty cries
But from them we can hear no sounds
As we look to deeply into the empty eyes
Startled again by the unknown sounds
That challenges to mesh with eye and mind
Covered by the drifting deep of anguish
That leaves too many paths yet to find
Eyes scatter memories of the broken worlds
Who lives a dream yet dies unborn
Fragmented memories in the crimson blood
Entrapped in the raging storms
Shadows lost with the rising of the soul
As night absorbs the cooling sounds
Void is the life not filling the needs
Void is the unfound
The disillusionment that brought
The silver shadowed flashes by fire
The astonishment that took
The rebirth of lifes desire
Are we all not searching for truths unseen
As scarlet as the blood that spills
From the darkened echo in the cloudy sky
And the utter silence kills
Far too much ice within the eyes
Waiting for the darkened hours
Trapped with in the veil of the struggle
Engulfed in the surge of the power
Jasmine beauty brilliance of the sky
Silent spindrift claims the flesh
Left in the emptiness of the dusty eyes
Remembering the sweet stillness of death...
glitter-graphics.com

Books:

J.R.R. Tolkien,Brahm Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Tennessee Williams, Morris West, Cornell Woolrich, Bary N. Malzberg, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Robert Bloch, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Ann Rice, Nora Roberts...

Albert Einstein, Isaac Asimov, Gregory Benford, Ben Boca, Ray Bradbury, David Brin, William J. Kaufmann, Frederik Pohl, Robert Silverberg, Allan sandage, Hyron Spinrad, Connie Wilis,E.A. Wallis Budge, Thomas Bulfinch...

glitter-graphics.com

Do not get the impression that I am well read for I am not, really. I have a number of books in my collection that are varied works accumulated into pulications and scienfic information accumulated into publications. Some of the authors are those involved in those groups.

glitter-graphics.com

In Memory of my Grandma

glitter-graphics.com

In Memory of My Mother

glitter-graphics.com

Heroes:

Let's Say Thanks
If you go to the web site http://www.letssaythanks.com/ you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?
I sent mine, now you send one too!
EYE ON MEDICAL COMMUNITY
Disrupt an Enzyme, Destroy Drug-Resistant Superbugs
New method prevents the transfer of antibiotic resistance (killing the stronger bacteria in the process)
By Nikhil Swaminathan
In the continuing battle to counter growing antibiotic resistance, a new finding may help keep our current arsenal of antibacterial agents from having to be scrapped and replaced by an as yet unrealized new infection-fighting therapy.
By targeting an enzyme that bacteria use to swap genetic material, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have stopped the microbes' ability to spread, among other advantageous mutations, resistance to antibiotics.
RELAXASE IN ACTION: Scientists determined that interfering with the enzyme DNA relaxase could stop the spread of antibiotic resistance within a bacterial population.
It turns out bacteria are very social," says Matthew Redinbo, a U.N.C. associate professor of chemistry, biochemistry and biophysics. "They pass genes between one another that keep one another intact." He adds that this transfer can occur between bacteria of either the same or different species.
But as Redinbo and colleagues report in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, if the mechanism for this genetic transfer is blocked, the selective death of the antibiotic-resistant members of a bacterial culture is somehow triggered.
"We designed the whole thing to stop [the] transfer of genes," Redinbo says. "The biggest surprise was that stopping transfer also killed the resistant bacteria." He notes that his group does not know exactly how antibiotic resistant bacteria are killed off, but that interfering with the way a cell manipulates its DNA often causes cell death.
The DNA process disrupted by the U.N.C. team is called conjugation, which occurs when two bacteria sidle up to one another and punch holes in each of their outer membranes, allowing one microbe to shoot a single strand of DNA into the other. This mechanism is achieved via an enzyme called DNA relaxase, they noted, which acts as a gatekeeper, both initiating and ending the movement of the genetic material between the bacteria.
Scott Lujan, a graduate student in Redinbo's lab, made a key discovery: The DNA relaxase molecule has two "catalytic weapons" that allow it to perform its duties of breaking apart DNA strands. (Most other enzymes only have one; DNA relaxase needs two in order to contact the strands of DNA in the donating bacterial cell.) This finding alerted the team that in order for a chemical to disrupt DNA relaxase, it would need to block both catalytic sites on the enzyme.
They settled on bisphosphonates, which have already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to battle osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease. Two drugs, clodronate and etidronate (aka Didronel), blocked DNA relaxase and, as a result, conjugation. An unexpected result of this disruption, however, was the fact that the antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria that were trying to pass their genes along actually died when their DNA relaxase was shielded.
Redinbo says that his group is studying mice carrying infections in their gastrointestinal tract, skin and muscle tissue to see if the new mechanism for disrupting DNA relaxase is effective in the mammalian body. But he adds that "a clinician could use these approved drugs right away if faced with a resistant bacteria."
glitter-graphics.com
Researchers find way to multiply blood stem cells
U.K. scientists were able to multiply blood stem cells from mice by 150 times, a finding they hope could lead to an efficient production of blood stem cells in the lab that would then be able to multiply in the body to renew a patient's blood supply. The blood stem cells could benefit patients with cancer or blood diseases and would ease demands on blood donor supplies, the researchers said. BBC (7/15)
Laser-activated dye could combat superbugs, study says
British researchers found that indocyanine green dye, which is used in medical diagnosis, can target various types of drug-resistant bacteria, such as Staphyloccus aureus, when triggered by a near-infrared laser. The laser-activated dye, which attacks the DNA and membrane of bacteria, could be used to treat skin infections and cut the need for oral or infused antibiotics for more severe problems, the researchers said. Reuters (6/30)
Changes in genome may explain link between age, disease
Scientists learned that the levels of methylation -- the main mode of epigenetic alteration -- in an individual's DNA sequence can change over time as a result of environmental or nutritional factors. The findings indicate that abnormal methylation levels can contribute to the development of diseases such as cancer by switching genes on or off at the wrong time or in the wrong location, a genetics professor said. Yahoo!/Agence France-Presse (6/24)
Study: Gene therapy prolongs lives of dogs with cancer
A form of gene therapy that involves tricking certain types of cells to generate hormones with a muscle-building effect has extended the lives and improved the quality of life of dogs with cancer, a U.S. study found. VGX Pharmaceuticals has applied for FDA clearance to test the treatment in humans with cancer cachexia, a company researcher said. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (6/16)
Tech firms develop "ECG on a chip"
Monebo Technologies and Freescale Semiconductor have developed "ECG on a chip," a product that combines heart-monitoring software and embedded-processing technology. "ECG-on-a-chip solutions will result in new generations of ECG products," a Freescale official said. Arizona Republic (Phoenix), The (6/17)
glitter-graphics.com

My Blog

Food for Thought!

   Subject: From Richmond Times-Dispatch Letter to the Editor from a Cuban . . . From Richmond Times-Dispatch, Monday, July 7, 2008 ~ Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch: Each year I get to celebrat...
Posted by Michele on Sat, 13 Sep 2008 06:28:00 PST

2008 Dove Awards Third Day - Call My Name

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYK_Bemj29s ...
Posted by Michele on Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:01:00 PST

Solar Energy with No up front costs and No change in Power Bill! What an Idea!

body {background-image: url('http://dl8.glitter-graphics.net/pub/362/362588z5ydjxei8 n.jpg');background-attachment: fixed;background-repeat: repeat;}   It is funny that I have started to ad...
Posted by Michele on Wed, 29 Aug 2007 06:15:00 PST

For Those Born Between 1930-1979

READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH BY JAY LENO. IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930s, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!! First, we survived being b...
Posted by Michele on Sun, 12 Aug 2007 08:42:00 PST

How Dare Gun Control Activists use Virginia Tech Murders

In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech Murders instead of focusing on what we can do to make things better the incident is being used in a political ploy to further the efforts of the lobbyists in favo...
Posted by Michele on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 06:42:00 PST

Separation of Church & State - Was it a benfit or a detriment

I have really gotten my dander up again over this separation of church and state thing. Telling children they can not pray in the schools, loosing the exposure that was in the schools to help children...
Posted by Michele on Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:51:00 PST

Medical Malpractice - Is there accountability?

There is something that has been on my mind for over two years now so I guess I will express myself here. When I worked for the plaintiff's law firm, I became familiar with an area of law known as "Me...
Posted by Michele on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 12:38:00 PST

I'm getting tired of Fraud

I have to say I am getting really tired of being a victim of this credit card fraud thing. Of course no one is willing to do anything about it nor do they care. First I get a package at my house with ...
Posted by Michele on Sun, 18 Feb 2007 02:13:00 PST

Seat Belt Laws, What is the Deal?

I guess I did not realize that this blog thing was supposed to be a medium with which to express my views on things. (Like anyone really cares what I think) But if it is then I guess I should do so si...
Posted by Michele on Sat, 17 Feb 2007 10:11:00 PST

Controversial : No FEMA Needed Here

The Mining Journal News, Marquette , Mi. This text is from a county emergency manager out in the western part of Michigan state after a snow storm last winter. WEATHER BULLETIN Up here in the Nort...
Posted by Michele on Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:20:00 PST