Ain't Complicated

SMBI: Days of Elijah

OK. I won’t do this often. Very rarely, in fact. For the record: I am not a YouTube fan.

I learned about this video from one of the singers (and fellow blogger), Hans Mast.

Hans Mast, live and in concert!

I’m calling your attention to it because my family and I heard them live in Lebanon (Oregon). We really enjoyed that program, even if the venerable Urie Sharp wasn’t the director.

Oh, I didn’t mention these are the Sharon Singers from Sharon Mennonite Bible Institute (SMBI).

May this song encourage you. And warn you.

Behold, He comes!

We live in perilous times, as in the days of Elijah and as in the days of Noah.

Prepare!

CFL Broke?

If you’ve had the misfortune of breaking a compact fluorescent light bulb, please accept my regrets (if you’re going to take care of the mess “properly”, anyway).

Here’s how the EPA wants you to clean it up:

Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

Have people and pets leave the room, and don’t let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.

Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces

Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.
Check with your local or state government about disposal requirements in your specific area. Some states do not allow such trash disposal. Instead, they require that broken and unbroken mercury-containing bulbs be taken to a local recycling center.

Did you actually think all you had to do was sweep up the mess and dump it in the nearest garbage can?

Ha!

PS: It’s worse for carpet, rugs, clothing, bedding, and such like. If you really want to know, click the link above.

Mexico: Check Out This View!

Or at least check out these view “establishers.”

My wife Ruby and I were in Guaymas Valley (Mexico) again; this time, the last part of June. And we stayed with Margaret Miller again. (Did I already tell you that in an earlier post?)

For breaks and entertainment, I experimented with various “frames” for some pictures.

southern view out the outhouse

looking east now, the length of the back porch

vertical view out of a jug
(me looking into a homemade clothespin holder/hanger)

Read it all

FLDS Update: Media Silence

Here’s a story I saw in the Salt Lake Tribune:

Arrest warrant issued for woman whose bogus tip allegedly triggered FLDS raid

The Colorado woman alleged to have sparked the raid on the polygamous FLDS ranch in Texas with bogus tips may be on the run.

On Monday, an arrest warrant was issued for Rozita Swinton after she failed to show up for a court hearing on charges of violating her probation for one of two other false-reporting cases against her, court administrator Lori McKager told Salt Lake City’s 2News.

Swinton is accused of violating her probation stemming from her 2007 guilty plea for telling police she was a 16-year-old girl who was suicidal after giving birth.

Authorities have linked her to a phone number used to call a Texas crisis center thought to have triggered an April raid where more than 460 children were removed from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints’ Yearning for Zion ranch in Eldorado, Texas.

Folks, that’s a two-day old story, posted on their site almost 48 hours ago early on the morning of July 15.

Look, I keep up on the news. So why haven’t I heard or read about this until this morning…and then only because I saw it about it over at WizBangBlog?

This story appears to me to be as significant as the original raid and all the media piling-on of the FLDS.

In my personal relationships, let me be as even-handed, balanced, and just as I want the media to be.

Oh. 😯

In that case, maybe I should just let the media be the media.

The King’s in Town!

King of Jordan visits Central Oregon

Central Oregon is abuzz over news of a bona fide blue blood in their midst.

King Abdullah Hussein of Jordan arrived in Bend this week to embark on a motorcycle trip through the Pacific Northwest with his family….

OK, I want to know why I wasn’t informed.

I know people in Central Oregon. Your assignment is to get me a photo or two of the king and/or one of his family.

Don’t let me down!

PS to the monarch: I plan to be in Madras this weekend. See you there!

PS to srs: I know you read this once in a while. I know you go on motorcycle trips once in a while. I know you go to that part of Oregon once in a while. Now’s the time for you to do the right thing (see Assignment, Previous).

Men Only

I know. That sounds kinda femaleophobic.

When you see the photo clip, you may also think it’s ageophobic.

And the fact is, what you’re about to see is specifically for men of a certain age.

I saw it an hour ago or so in Woodburn, Oregon.

Can you tell me where in Woodburn?

There’s a lot of good the needs doing out there. All kinds of good deeds are still going undone.

No wonder Dr. Laura likes to say, “Now go do the right thing.”

Well, doing the right thing isn’t just for men in a certain age bracket.

You know that!

Yes, of course you do.

So then, let’s do it, folks!

(And if it takes 18-25-year-old men leading the way, then lead on, guys!)

We need to get a domino effect going out there.

Sunscreen Alert

Generally, I do not apply sunscreen to me, so this doesn’t apply to me directly. 🙄

But I still find this interesting (thought I didn’t read much more than what you see here):

Four Out of Five Sunscreens May Be Hazardous to Your Health

A consumer advocacy group has a warning for parents who think they’re protecting their family with sunscreen: You may be getting burned.

The Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based nonprofit, has released an investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreens that says four out of five don’t adequately protect consumers and may contain harmful chemicals.

The group says that some of the products of the nation’s leading brands — including Coppertone, Neutrogena and Banana Boat — are the poorest performers.

[…]

Few health recommendations have had as damaging an effect as the advice that you should never leave your house without sunscreen. Wearing sunscreen effectively blocks your body’s production of vitamin D, which happens naturally when your skin is exposed to sunlight. In fact, sunscreens reduce vitamin D production by as much as 97.5 to 99.9 percent.

“So there you are,” as Hank the Cowdog would say.