December 31, 2013 at 10:10PM

See you all sometime next year, or at least chat with ya. Justin Taylor

December 25, 2013 at 03:49PM

Christmas, arguably, is the most important holiday of the year, at least according to children. Christians celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday that denotes the birth of Christ. Merchants celebrate Christmas as the busiest shopping season of the year. In most public places, an evergreen tree is set up and decorated with bright ornaments and lights. Christmas trees are common in many homes. Small towns and big cities put up "holiday" decorations. It's become a bit politically incorrect to call the decorations "Christmas decorations," since only Christians celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. We have Christmas traditions. These traditions vary from region to region, and even from family to family. Traditionally, Christmas is a day when families gather to share an enormous meal of traditional foods. But families are scattered in today's modern and mobile world, so often at least part of Christmas Day is spent in crowded airline terminals. On Christmas Eve, wide-eyed children are sent to bed with the promise that if they've been "good" all year, Santa Claus will come in the night and leave gifts beneath the Christmas tree and/or in stockings that have been hung by a chimney. The Christmas season is a season of goodwill. People are moved to be more generous with those who are less fortunate. Soup kitchens appear. The homeless and the poor are fed wonderful meals. Food banks have drives and collect food for the poor. Churches and civic organizations "adopt" poor children and provide them with gifts and their families with food. "It's too bad that the goodwill generated by the Christmas season doesn't last all year." We all say that every year. And it IS too bad. If the generosity and the goodwill of Christmas lasted all year, the world would be a better place for all of us to live. Today, "Father Christmas" and "Santa Claus" are one and the same; but historically, they are actually two different figures. The historic figure of Father Christmas began somewhere around the 17th century. The figure actually emerged as a resistance to the Puritan criticism of the traditional Christmas feast. Those who objected to the criticism of the traditional Christmas feast and saw it as a good "old-fashioned" Christian celebration created the figure of Father Christmas to give a voice to their protest. The earliest appearance in literature of Father Christmas was around the year 1616, in Ben Johnson's "Christmas his Masque." Father Christmas again appears in Thomas Nabbes's "The Springs Glorie" in 1638. Over the next couple of centuries, Father Christmas appears again and again under different names: Sir Christmas, Lord Christmas, and Old Father Christmas. Traditionally, Father Christmas did not bring gifts. He was simply a symbol of the Christmas season. Santa Claus was actually a byproduct of the mixing of cultures, ideas, and beliefs of various ethnic groups in America. He's a combination of St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, and others. He's a benevolent, gift-giving, jolly soul who loves children everywhere and magically brings the things they want to make their dreams come true. America is truly a melting pot. More languages are spoken and more religions are practiced in America than anywhere else on earth. Cultures merge, and the result is an improvement of all of the individual cultures. Father Christmas is magical. Father Christmas or Santa Claus or Saint Nick (whatever you want to call him), although not a flesh-and-blood human being, is nevertheless real. He is the symbol of all of the good that resides in the hearts of humans. Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated by Catholic and Orthodox Christians on December 6. The proper name for Saint Nicholas is Nicholas of Myra. Nicholas of Myra lived in what today is known as Turkey. Saint Nicholas is also referred to as Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker because of all of the miracles that he is said to have performed. Saint Nicholas was known for his generosity. He loved to put pennies in the shoes of those who left them out for him to find. Saint Nicholas is today usually referred to as Santa Claus. Nicholas was never canonized by the Catholic Church. His reputation evolved. Saint Nicholas is also referred to as Saint Nicholas of Bari because in 1087 the relics associated with him were secretly transferred to Bari. Sailors especially revere Saint Nicholas. He's known as the patron saint of sailors, and it is believed that Saint Nicholas can prevent sailors from drowning and being shipwrecked. Legend has it that as a young man, Saint Nicholas went to study in Alexandria. On the voyage, he saved a sailor who had fallen from the ship's rigging during a storm from drowning. A more colorful legend says that after Nicholas had saved the sailor from drowning, he (Nicholas) took the sailor to church with him. While Nicholas was praying, the sailor went around the church describing in great detail how Nicholas had saved him. Since the church elders were waiting for a "sign" to show them who their next bishop would be, they had no choice but to appoint Nicholas. Still another legend says that an evil butcher lured three young boys away from their families, killed them, and preserved their remains in barrels to be sold as ham to starving villagers. Nicholas saw through the scheme and resurrected the three boys by praying. The world has become a small place. We all know people of many different ethnic backgrounds. Because the world is a small place, it's important that we know about different winter holidays that are celebrated by people of different ethnicities and different religious faiths. Bodhi Day is a Japanese winter holiday that is celebrated the day that the historic figure Buddha experienced "enlightenment." Bodhi Day is usually celebrated on December 8. According to tradition, Siddhartha (who was the teacher from ancient India and founder of Buddhism) had just forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and decided to sit under a Pipul tree. He decided to simply meditate until he found the root of suffering, and how to liberate himself and others from it. There are many variations about what actually happened to Siddhartha. Some say that he made a vow to nirvana and Earth that he would find the root of suffering. Others say that while he was meditating he was sorely tempted by the Hindu god Mara. Still others say that he simply meditated entering deeper and deeper levels and finally confronted the very nature of self. All of the variations do agree that as the sun rose in the east, in the early morning, Siddhartha finally found the answers he sought, became enlightened, and experienced Nirvana. Bodhi Day is a religious holiday. It is widely celebrated also as Vesak during the fifth or sixth lunar month. In Zen, it is also known as Rohatsu. "Rohatsu" quite literally translates as the 8th Day of the 12th Month. It is most usual for Zen monks and laymen followers to stay up all night before Rohatsu meditating. Bodhi Day, like many Buddhist holidays, is a reminder to Buddhists that with the right effort and understanding, any person can become "enlightened." Advent is not so much a holiday as it is a season of some Christian faiths. The word "advent" comes from Latin and roughly translates to "coming." Advent is a period of time that lasts about four weeks. It begins somewhere around December 1 and lasts until Christmas. Advent is a period of time in which members of some Christian faiths wait for the second coming of Christ while preparing to celebrate the first coming. A similar celebration in Eastern countries is called Nativity Fast. Advent and Nativity Fast last different lengths of time, but the celebration is similar. According to some church calendars, Advent begins on December 1 each year. According to others, it begins on the fourth Sunday before December 25. So Advent can begin anywhere between November 27 and December 3. Some Christians believe that the Advent season's purpose is to serve as a reminder of the original suffering and waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah and the waiting that Christians today suffer as they wait for the second coming of Christ. Christian churches denote the Advent season by the use of a darker purple color in the vestments of their pastors and priests as well as wall hangings around the church. The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday. The word "gaudete" is a Latin word that is very roughly translated as "rejoice." The tone of the Christian churches becomes lighter and more hopeful, and the color pink is often added to vestments and wall hangings to denote hope. During the fourth century, Advent was a period of fasting. It began as most fasting periods begin, with a feast. Most all churches have relaxed the 40-day fasting associated with Advent now. There's a Hindu celebration called Navatri. Navatri translates literally as "9 nights" in Sanskirt, and that's how long the Navatri celebration lasts. There are 9 nights and 10 days during which nine forms of the female divinity Shakti/Devi are worshipped. The "Divine Mother" is worshipped in her nine different forms on each of the nine nights, and the tenth day is the culmination of the celebration. Navratri begins on the first day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashwin. The actual date that the Navratri begins varies, and it is determined by the lunar calendar, but it is roughly at the beginning of October. Different regions of India celebrate Navratri in different ways. In northern India, Navratri is celebrated by fasting on all nine days and worshipping the Mother Goddess in her different forms. In eastern India, the last four days of Sharad Navratri take on a particularly dramatic form. Beautiful handmade and decorated lifesize clay idols of the Goddess Durga showing her slaying the demon, Mahisasura, are erected in temples. The clay idols are worshipped for five days and thrown into the river on the fifth day. Navrati is divided into three sets of three days each. During the first three days, Durga (the invincible) is prayed to asking that impurities be destroyed. During the second three-day period, the "Mother" is worshipped and praised for giving spiritual wealth. During the final three-day period, the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati, is worshipped and thanked for supplying wisdom. Navrati is a Hindu religious observance that is considered the most sacred of all Hindu religious celebrations. Every home is expected to have a pot that represents the universe and a lit lamp that is the medium through which Navrati is worshipped. Diwali is the Festival of Lights. It's a Hindu holiday that celebrates the victory of good over evil. Diwali is a five-day festival that includes ceremonies, fireworks, and sweets. Hindu women dress up in fancy costumes and decorate their hands with henna tattoos for the fairs. Diwali celebrations begin about November 15, on the "new moon day of the month of Kartika." Diwali lasts either five or six days. There are many different myths associated with Diwali. One such myth celebrates the return of Lord Rama after a 14-year exile and his defeat of the demon Ravana. In this myth, the people of the capital of his kingdom (Ayodhya) welcomed Rama by lighting rows of lamps. Diwali literally translates as "row of lamps." Diwali is a significant Hindu holiday that celebrates the victory of good over evil and the lifting of spiritual darkness. Diwali is more popularly known as "the festival of lights," but the Hindu spiritual meaning is "the awareness of the inner light." The world is becoming a smaller place, and people from all countries are spreading out throughout the world. They take their customs and celebrations with them wherever they go. The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Suriname, Canada, Guyana, Kenya, Mauritius, Fiji, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Australia, much of Africa, and the United States are all countries where Diwali is celebrated. As Indians and Sri Lankans migrate to other parts of the world, Diwali migrates with them. In some countries, the Diwali celebration is contained almost entirely within the Indian community; in other places, Diwali has been incorporated into the general population, and people other than Hindus celebrate the victory of good over evil. The number 8 has special meaning in the Jewish faith. Eight represents supremacy, and the Jewish people's unique and very special role in history. Creation took only seven days. The universe and the planets were created in seven days, so since eight is one step higher it represents the Infinite. Hanukkah is a Jewish celebration that lasts eight days. It begins anytime between late November and late December. The purpose of the Hanukkah celebration is to commemorate the miracle of the oil after the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and also his defeat in 165 BCE. After driving the Syrians out of the Temple of Jerusalem, the Maccabees found only enough oil to keep the "Eternal Light" burning for only one day. A miracle occurred, and the oil lasted for eight days. Jewish families celebrate Hanukkah. They use a candelabra called a menorah that consists of nine candles. The tallest candle in the center is lit first, and then it is used to light each of the remaining candles — one on each of the eight days of Hanukkah — until all of the candles are burning on the final day. Families sing songs and play games. One game is called the dreidel game. In this game the children spin an inscribed top while singing "I Have a Little Dreidel." The children win (or lose) candy. Latkes (potato pancakes fried in oil) are the traditional Jewish food for Hanukkah. Children are given gifts, but it isn't Santa who brings them, and the gifts are not bestowed on only one day. Traditionally, children receive one small gift on each of the eight days of Hanukkah. Hanukkah and Christmas occur at about the same time of the year. While Christmas is a Christian holiday, Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. So in order to be "politically correct," many people now say and send "holiday greetings" that include both the Christian and Jewish celebrations. Kwanzaa is a celebration that lasts seven days every year, beginning on December 26 and ending on January 1. Kwanzaa is celebrated in every country around the world at the same time. Kwanzaa is a celebration that honors African heritage. The first Kwanzaa was celebrated between December 26, 1966, and January 1, 1967. The founder of Kwanzaa of was Maulana Karenga. He was born Ronald McKinley Everett, but later assumed the name Maulana Karenga. Karenga was a black political activist who founded Organization Us in 1965. Karenga was influential within the black community for several years. Organization Us was briefly associated with Malcolm X and the Black Panthers, but there was an internal disagreement over who should head the new Afro-American Studies Center at UCLA. When the dust settled, John Jerome Huggins and Alprentice "Bunchy" Carter, two members of the Black Panthers, had been shot dead. In 1971 Karenga, along with Louis Smith and Luz Maria Tamayo, were convicted of felony assault and sent to prison. The threesome were accused and convicted of torturing two women from the U.S. organization over a period of two days. Testimony by one of the women, Deborah Jones, was that Karenga, Smith, and Tamayo had beaten the women with electrical cords and a karate baton. They were forced to remove their clothing and they were subjected to burning with an electrical soldering iron. Maulana Karenga is still active in Organization Us. He lives in Long Beach, California, where he is professor of Africana studies at California State University. Maulana Karenga established the Kwanzaa celebration as a celebration of African heritage. Today many black people do celebrate Kwanzaa, but few of them hold the radical beliefs of Maulana Karenga. Boxing Day is a gift-giving holiday that is observed in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, among others. There are lots of variations of the story about how Boxing Day came to be and how it acquired the name. Boxing Day has nothing to do with men putting on boxing gloves, stepping into a boxing ring, and pounding the daylights out of one another. Boxing Day is actually a recognized public holiday. Some say that Boxing Day came to be because it was traditional back in feudal times for the lord of the manor to give boxes of practical goods to the serfs who worked for him on the day after Christmas. Another story says that the churches set up a special lockbox, where those who could gave money to those who had less. Still another legend says that because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, they were given the following day off and were allowed to "box up" the leftovers of the feast. Originally, Boxing Day was a day for giving gifts to the less fortunate and can actually be traced back to the Middle Ages. The traditional Christmas Box is a box made of clay like those used in artisan shops. Throughout the year apprentices, masters, visitors, and customers drop money into the box. It's like a public piggy bank. The day after Christmas, on December 26, Boxing Day, the box is broken open and contents are shared between the workers in the shop. Today the term "Christmas Box" usually refers to a gift or bonus given by employers to their employees. The John Gay poem sums up the meaning of Boxing Day: "Some boys are rich by birth beyond all wants, Belov'd by uncles, and kind good old aunts; When time comes round, a Christmas-box they bear, And one day makes them rich for all the year." Justin Taylor

December 24, 2013 at 09:03PM

I had to share this, take a second and read this, you will not regret it: GoodBuffaloEagle says, "Those who read this true story will be touched in the most wondrous way..." "The TableCloth" 12/24/2013 The brand new pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have everything done in time to have their first service on Christmas Eve. They worked hard, repairing pews, plastering walls, painting, etc, and on December 18 were ahead of schedule and just about finished. On December 19 a terrible tempest - a driving rainstorm hit the area and lasted for two days. On the 21st, the pastor went over to the church. His heart sank when he saw that the roof had leaked, causing a large area of plaster about 20 feet by 8 feet to fall off the front wall of the sanctuary just behind the pulpit, beginning about head high. The pastor cleaned up the mess on the floor, and not knowing what else to do but postpone the Christmas Eve service, headed home. On the way he noticed that a local business was having a flea market type sale for charity so he stopped in. One of the items was a beautiful, handmade, ivory colored, crocheted tablecloth with exquisite work, fine colors and a Cross embroidered right in the center. It was just the right size to cover up the hole in the front wall. He bought it and headed back to the church. By this time it had started to snow. An older woman running from the opposite direction was trying to catch the bus.. She missed it. The pastor invited her to wait in the warm church for the next bus 45 minutes later. She sat in a pew and paid no attention to the pastor while he got a ladder, hangers, etc., to put up the tablecloth as a wall tapestry. The pastor could hardly believe how beautiful it looked and it covered up the entire problem area. Then he noticed the woman walking down the center aisle. Her face was like a sheet.. "Pastor," she asked, "where did you get that tablecloth?" The pastor explained. The woman asked him to check the lower right corner to see if the initials, EBG were crocheted into it there. They were. These were the initials of the woman, and she had made this tablecloth 35 years before, in Austria The woman could hardly believe it as the pastor told how he had just gotten the Tablecloth. The woman explained that before the war she and her husband were well-to-do people in Austria. When the Nazis came, she was forced to leave. Her husband was going to follow her the next week. He was captured, sent to prison and never saw her husband or her home again. The pastor wanted to give her the tablecloth; but she made the pastor keep it for the church. The pastor insisted on driving her home, that was the least he could do.. She lived on the other side of Staten Island and was only in Brooklyn for the day for a housecleaning job. What a wonderful service they had on Christmas Eve. The church was almost full. The music and the spirit were great. At the end of the service, the pastor and his wife greeted everyone at the door and many said that they would return. One older man, whom the pastor recognized from the neighborhood continued to sit in one of the pews and stare, and the pastor wondered why he wasn't leaving. The man asked him where he got the tablecloth on the front wall because it was identical to one that his wife had made years ago when they lived in Austria before the war and how could there be two tablecloths so much alike He told the pastor how the Nazis came, how he forced his wife to flee for her safety and he was supposed to follow her, but he was arrested and put in a prison.. He never saw his wife or his home again all the 35 years in between. The pastor asked him if he would allow him to take him for a little ride. They drove to Staten Island and to the same house where the pastor had taken the woman three days earlier. He helped the man climb the three flights of stairs to the woman's apartment, knocked on the door and he saw the greatest Christmas reunion he could ever imagine. True Story - submitted by Pastor Rxx Rxxx Who says God does not work in mysterious ways... Justin Taylor

December 03, 2013 at 12:09AM

100 degrees and rising... Justin Taylor

November 28, 2013 at 06:04PM

Thanksgiving Lunch - Dinner with friends and new friends. Justin Taylor

November 21, 2013 at 05:09PM

Checked into room and ready for dinner. Justin Taylor

November 18, 2013 at 10:11PM

Thumbs up! Just previewed The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Funny, heart warming, and an adventure. Well worth watching this Christmas, when it comes out. :) Justin Taylor

November 15, 2013 at 03:19PM

All Hail Obama! The dictator and chief, has proclaimed all people in this country may keep their insurance plans. Oh wait, Congress makes laws not the president. So the house follows suit, creates and passes a bill to do exactly what the president said and promised, and what does Obama say? He promises to veto it. Platitudes, that is what I heard, empty platitudes. What about you? What do you think of the law that nobody read, and then passed, that the president helped pushed on all of us? And what about the new promises? Justin Taylor

November 11, 2013 at 12:57PM

Shifty" By: Chuck Chuck Chuck Yeager Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle," the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 ..." at which point my heart skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped. I told him "yes, I know exactly where Normandy is, and I know what D-Day was." At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland , into Arnhem ." I was standing with a genuine war hero ... and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said "Yes... And it 's real sad because, these days, so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in coach while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and who still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this. Shifty died on Jan. l7 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center . No wall-to-wall, back-to-back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right! Let's give Shifty his own memorial service, on line, in our own quiet way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the veterans. Rest in peace, Shifty. Chuck Yeager, Maj. General [ret.] P.S. I think that it is amazing how the "media" chooses our "heroes" these days... Elvis, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston & the like. "SHIFTY" - an incredible American hero. Please do me a favor and pass this on so that untold thousands can read it. We owe no less to our REAL heroes. Justin Taylor

November 04, 2013 at 05:37PM

“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.” —George S. Patton Justin Taylor

November 02, 2013 at 02:45PM

I was in Lake Oswego Thursday, and saw this purebred female great dane. She was bigger than a Shetland Pony. But such a nice dog. Justin Taylor

October 24, 2013 at 02:15AM

Nothing like tossing your cookies in full spew mode. First time in years. Oh, and it sucks. Justin Taylor

October 20, 2013 at 04:15PM

Well, it's official! I have some AMAZING, but shocking news! I'M EXPECTING!!! : ) A little over 10 weeks and counting. I know, I'm shocked too. I can hardly believe it myself. I wasn't going to post it, but since you're all my family & friends, I wanted to make it official. I'm too overwhelmed to keep it a secret!!!! Who would have thought that me... of all people would be expecting?! But I am!! I'm expecting Santa in just 10 weeks! Copy and paste if you have a sense of humor. Let's see how many people read the whole status. I know everyone won't! Justin Taylor

October 18, 2013 at 01:11PM

“I can live for two months on a good compliment.” - Mark Twain Justin Taylor

October 09, 2013 at 11:10AM

Have two tickets to go see the new Romeo and Juliet movie tonight at Pioneer Place Stadium 6. Anybody want to use the extra ticket? Justin Taylor

October 09, 2013 at 11:08AM

My truck is fixed... Now I just need a ride over to pick it up. Hmm... anyone available?? Justin Taylor

October 08, 2013 at 04:49PM

Sucks... I have TWO free tickets to see The Fifth Estate tonight at 7 pm. Only I have no transportation. An extra ticket for anyone that wants to drive... :D I dropped my truck off last week, was told at latest it would be done by yesterday. Nobody called me to say, it wouldn't so when I checked yesterday afternoon, I found out they were going to be a few more days at earliest, so I had to find a new place if I wanted to get it done. Fortunately they towed it for free to another shop, but the other shop will not be done until tomorrow. They got some wrong parts, and have to wait for the new ones, but knew they would not have time to do everything. The only good news, I will have a new clutch, with all the right fixes, new front headlight, and I may not need a new O2 sensor installed, as someone that worked on the truck in the last 7.5 years, never wrapped the wires up, so they were melted in half. After this fix, the next step will be getting DEQ and my registration renewal done before the month is over... but no vehicle, means no movie, unless I can find someone that wants to go... :-| Justin Taylor

October 05, 2013 at 01:30PM

Captain Phillips, a really good movie that comes out next week. I saw a preview of it this week and it is a testament to our military and how grateful we should be for them being their to to protect American Interests and shipping lanes. You may recall these events in 2009, but this is a look at all the events that transpired. I will have my review written soon and posted. Until then, here's one point, Tom Hanks does a stellar job of portraying the man, and his emotions as things progressed during the trying experience. Justin Taylor

October 01, 2013 at 03:00PM

Saw the Movie 'Gravity' last night, in 3D on IMAX. It was very, very good... The science was very accurate, and the special effects to make this possible was amazing. Not to mention the images were absolutely awe inspiring. It is well worth seeing on the big screen, I think it will have a much bigger effect than the small screen at home. With the sound and visual imagery, it has an effect that makes the 90 or so minutes just fly by... still writing up my review, so will post that link later. But two thumbs up!! Justin Taylor

September 17, 2013 at 02:30PM

"Santa Claus has the right idea: visit people once a year" - Victor Borge Justin Taylor

August 29, 2013 at 01:09PM

Ignorant people can be so cruel!! I'm posting this because I'm sick of being judged by how I look on the outside and my pain isn't visible... I have two of these illnesses as does some of my friends.... Not counting on one of my Facebook friends to copy and paste (but I am counting on a true family member or friend to do it). If you would be there for me no matter what then copy and paste this. I'm doing this to prove that someone is always listening. I care. Hard to explain to someone who has no clue. It's a daily struggle being in severe pain or feeling sick on the inside while you look fine on the outside. Please put this as your status for at least 1 hour if you or someone you know has an invisible illness (IBS, Crohn's, PTSD, Anxiety, Arthritis, Cancer, Heart Disease, Bipolar, Depression, Diabetes, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, MS, AS, ME, , Epilepsy, hereditary angio edema , AUTISM, Borderline personality disorder, M.D.,D.D.D., CFS, Histiocytosis,O.D.D, A.D.H.D, RSD, PBC,RLS etc.) Never judge what you don't understand!! Justin Taylor

August 29, 2013 at 01:07PM

gnorant people can be so cruel!! I'm posting this because I'm sick of being judged by how I look on the outside and my pain isn't visible... I have two of these illnesses as does some of my friends.... Not counting on one of my Facebook friends to copy and paste (but I am counting on a true family member or friend to do it). If you would be there for me no matter what then copy and paste this. I'm doing this to prove that someone is always listening. I care. Hard to explain to someone who has no clue. It's a daily struggle being in severe pain or feeling sick on the inside while you look fine on the outside. Please put this as your status for at least 1 hour if you or someone you know has an invisible illness (IBS, Crohn's, PTSD, Anxiety, Arthritis, Cancer, Heart Disease, Bipolar, Depression, Diabetes, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, MS, AS, ME, , Epilepsy, hereditary angio edema , AUTISM, Borderline personality disorder, M.D.,D.D.D., CFS, Histiocytosis,O.D.D, A.D.H.D, RSD, PBC,RLS etc.) Never judge what you don't understand!! Justin Taylor

August 15, 2013 at 07:45PM

My Brain seriously hurts right now... Justin Taylor

August 07, 2013 at 09:15PM

WHAT THE HECK?? Facebook has done it again!! Changed everything and REALLY SCREWED IT UP! I HATE IT!!!! Everything that was on the top left is NOW on the top right... it's irritating. Anyone else think so?? Justin Taylor

June 28, 2013 at 06:25PM

"Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes." - Jack Handey Justin Taylor

May 28, 2013 at 11:55PM

Apparently Facebook, according to the ads I see, has figured out that I am not only single, but that I'm short, fat and bald too... Hmm... Justin Taylor

April 03, 2013 at 01:50PM

Well I guess that is the downside to sharing something somebody else posted and then having a conversation about it... It can disappear without warning. Either FB didn't like sugar, boric acid and ants recipes... or the drunk slugs, were evil, or the original post or group had a problem. More reasons social networks like Facebook sometimes suck and proof that the content might not REALLY be yours. Now if I could remember that recipe... 1 cup sugar and two or three tablespoons of boric acid, with how much water was it?? Justin Taylor

March 28, 2013 at 09:29PM

I spoke for the first time in about 48 hours this evening... and the very first thing I noticed was my voice was almost gone. So very once I got the really bad creaks and cracks out, I said very few words... it just made me even more tired. I am still sweating, it has not ended yet. Another wasted day, nothing but sleep and agony... Justin Taylor

March 27, 2013 at 09:26PM

I think the fever finally broke today after I took some Motrin for the horrendous headache... I only had sweat pouring off of me for about 7 hours. My clothes and bed are completely soaked and wet. Justin Taylor

March 26, 2013 at 10:20AM

Ugh... nothing like having every muscle in your body hurt for no reason, while accompanied by a fever and lots of pain. I am so drained and feel like I was hit by a train or something. Off to sleep more and take some muscle relaxers to maybe help. Being sick sucks! Justin Taylor

February 22, 2013 at 12:15PM

Do you like at least some Masticating Thespians? Or perhaps you are one? Like if you do or are... :P Justin Taylor

February 19, 2013 at 11:16PM

Here's some Irony for ya... The less water you use as a community, as in the better you are at conserving and caring for our water, the MORE they charge for you to get that water. Here in Portland, everyone has been so good at conserving water, that now the reward, is it is costing the Portland Water Bureau too much, so they have to increase rates by another 7.8% and we already have some of the highest rates in the nation. Lesson... don't use as much water as possible, so they can afford to lower the rates... Like so many other things in this day and age in this country, there is No REWARD for those who conserve and save, even when it comes to a natural resource that actually should cost nothing. We should have a right to it, like we have a right to air, so that we can breath. Justin Taylor

February 17, 2013 at 11:54PM

Writing a paper for academic reasons, and citing your own book as a source. Priceless! Justin Taylor

February 11, 2013 at 01:08PM

Just a reminder and something to think about, perhaps even ponder in these troubling times. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." ▬ DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Justin Taylor

January 18, 2013 at 12:16AM

"Creative Leaders work to reduce complexity, slim down central staff, eliminate excessive layering, and create units of manageable size." (Hickman 2009 pg. 61) Can you name ANY current political leaders that fit this definition?? Justin Taylor

January 17, 2013 at 05:44PM

In the face of a budget crises here in the US, Obama finds in his infinite wisdom to actually propose a .5% raise to all government employees. Really?? I was reading an article the other day, perhaps last week about it, and I am now reminded as Congress battles over whether to increase the debt ceiling, so that we can go further into debt, and spend more money on more things we probably don't need. When is Washington going to start cutting expenses, and stop trying to create more government jobs, just to be able to say, the economy is rebounding... when every government job is that much more of a strain on taxpayers?? Yes, I love a raise as much as the next person, who doesn't?? But that raise was going to cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions every year. How do we get Washington to learn to spend less and not more, and cut the pork bellies and start tightening the fiscal belt, while at the same time, helping loosen and/or create policies that foster an environment of private sector job creation?? Justin Taylor

January 16, 2013 at 03:17PM

Ronald Reagan – 40th President of the USA (1981-1989) “There are those in America today who have come to depend absolutely on government for their security. And when government fails they seek to rectify that failure in the form of granting government more power. So, as government has failed to control crime and violence with the means given it by the Constitution, they seek to give it more power at the expense of the Constitution. But in doing so, in their willingness to give up their arms in the name of safety, they are really giving up their protection from what has always been the chief source of despotism government. Lord Acton said power corrupts. Surely then, if this is true, the more power we give the government the more corrupt it will become. And if we give it the power to confiscate our arms we also give up the ultimate means to combat that corrupt power. In doing so we can only assure that we will eventually be totally subject to it. When dictators come to power, the first thing they do is take away the people's weapons. It makes it so much easier for the secret police to operate, it makes it so much easier to force the will of the ruler upon the rule.” Justin Taylor

January 14, 2013 at 05:48PM

Abraham Lincoln said the following: "You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves." Justin Taylor

January 12, 2013 at 07:01PM

Democratic Congressman Kurt Schrader of the 5th District of Oregon is talking on a show called Straight Talk. I'm impressed and actually agree with just about everything I think he said. He was talking about how this Gun Control stuff is not very smart, because there are plenty of laws for Guns on the books already, and what we need to do is Change the Culture of Violence, because that is the only way we are going to change things in this country. The fact is we have a right to guns in this country, but we need to be smart about it... he said what I believe. Oh he also mentioned a story. He said that with so many budget cuts, that police and military are being downsized and funds are being diverted so they just don't have the means to protect everyone all the time. He had a friend that actually called the police with an urgent matter, a 911 call, and the Police could do nothing to help him. They were not ever going to be able to arrive... so the point of the story was, people like his friend want to know they can protect themselves, their families, and their property. It's scary when you think about it. He also talked about the fiscal cliff and how that needs to change dramatically too. He actually voted against the last deal, because it didn't do anything to solve the actual problem which deals with spending cuts. He talked about several things, and he is actually what he considers himself to be... a Centrist. Justin Taylor

January 10, 2013 at 03:26PM

I watched the opening remarks by VP Biden today on Gun Control. OK, I watched most of it and paid attention to about 2/3 of it. Too be fair, despite many differences in our beliefs and a couple of small parts of what he said. I do have to say, the media is being much less fair to what he actually says. ON both sides of the coin. Extremists either way seem to be having their way. Both the BAN everything groups and the Let's not talk at all groups. Obviously conversation should ensue, but also conversation shouldn't be a distraction from the fiscal crises... nor should it be about what kills people, but in fact should be about prevention in general a change of culture. Most of what VP Biden said was more about asking questions of the religious groups, and talking about the moral aspects of the issue and finding common ground, that does not impede on the second amendment. I can appreciate that. I just hope, they don't go do crazy road and do stupid stuff with their recommendations and I hope they leave it up to Congress and don't even try to use executive privilege. Just down the street from my house here in Oregon, in the Sellwood area, yesterday two men walked around with the so-called 'assault rifles' fully loaded, the same type used in the recent elementary school shooting, on their backs. One of them has a concealed carry permit and had a handgun on his hip too. Very visible. The reason they did this was to raise awareness that just because someone has a gun, doesn't mean they are bad or irresponsible. In fact they are normal regular young guns, exercising their right to carry if they so choose. It sparked a lot of 911 calls, and the police did stop and talk to them, to tell them they had. Of course the police also said, no laws had been broken and there was nothing they could do. The one guy said, if laws are passed preventing owning or buying certain guns, then this would be their one day that they were able to exercise their Constitutional rights. Still watching... what do you think? Justin Taylor

January 07, 2013 at 11:29PM

Gangster Squad. I saw this movie tonight. For those that don't know, it is based on a true story. Actually based on a book about a very dangerous and violent time in 1949. In Essence, Mickey Cohen, one of the most dangerous and violent mafia bosses of all time, controlled the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and, if he had his way, it would have been every wire bet placed west of Chicago. In order to maintain control of LA Cohen was willing to commit any all all acts of extreme violence. Cohen was poised to make the likes of Al Capone look tame and he had even cut ties with Chicago, because as far as he was concerned, he was God and LA belonged to him, like manifest destiny. Cohen had politicians, judges, and many in the police in his pocket and EVERYONE including the media and the law were afraid of him. It was seen as a deathwish to go against him, because Cohen lived a life of violence, he was born in violence and of course destined to die from it. The movie is violent, but the story is based on violence and a violent time. Everything that happened was never meant to be been told, because of the extremes that the police chief had to allow this special squad to take, allowing them to step outside the law and go to war. It is also rather funny, lots of light moments to break up the action and tense moments. Very well acted, by all the actors, with believable characters. Although it is not 100% true to the story or the book, because of events that happened last year, it is still very down to earth and realistic. However, it's not just a bunch of unnecessary fantasy violence, the violence, is used to tell a violent story, which I thought was from a very poignant yet real point of view. After the World War, the action to clean up LA was seen as a Domestic War, I could even equate it to a domestic war on terror, where extreme actions are taken to remove a blight on society and save millions of lives. This is not a family movie, but it is based on historical events, so it is worth it for those that like action and adventure and a well told story. Justin Taylor