Do you know which of the following quotes is/are in the Bible?

1. Cleanliness is next to godliness.
2. God helps those who help themselves.
3. Confession is good for the soul.
4. Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.
5. Money is the root of all evil.
6. Honesty is the best policy.

Actually, only quote #4 is in the Bible.  The others commonly are believed by many people to be in the Bible, but they are not.  Quote #4 comes from Job 5:7.

If you didn’t know any of that, maybe you should read the Bible.  I have read it all the way through about 8 times (±1), and it still remains the most interesting book I’ve ever read.  Each time I read it, I learn many new things that eluded me before.

A friend and I are going to read it together in 2008 and discuss the passages on a regular basis, maybe daily.  We are using a Chronological List of Bible Passages to check off each set of chapters as we read them (3-4 chapters a day, which take 15-20 minutes to read).

In case you might be interested in reading the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in 2008, you can print out one of the following versions of that list here:

Early this morning, when I pulled up the shade of my bedroom window at 5:30 a.m., I saw an amazing site in the southeastern sky (more south than east).  It looked like the biggest, whitest, brightest star I’d ever seen.  Here it is, regular-sized and magnified (they aren’t very clear, since I was shooting through a screen):

 
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Of course, I knew that it couldn’t be a star, because no star is nearly that bright (except for the sun, of course).  I searched on the internet and discovered that it was the planet Venus...quite spectacular.

It reminded me of the “star” that led the three wise men to Jesus.  I don’t believe that it was an actual star, though.  I wrote about that last Christmas (see my Dec. 25, 2006 entry).  I also don’t believe that Jesus was born in December.  I am inclined to believe that He was born in late September or early October, during Sukkot.

Anyway, the “star” brought to mind Jesus’ gifts from the Magi: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Isaiah 60:6b is prophetic of gifts (gold and frankincense) that the Messiah, Jesus, would receive when He came into the world (Matthew 2:11b), as well as gifts He will receive as the earth’s King ruling in Jerusalem when people from every nation come to worship Him throughout the Millennium (Isaiah 2:3a; Zechariah 14:16a; Malachi 1:11).

The three gifts, given to Jesus at His first coming, were representative (and prophetic) of His three primary titles:

• King (Revelation 19:16), represented by gold;
• High Priest (Hebrews 4:14,15), represented by frankincense; and
• Savior (Titus 2:13), represented by myrrh (an embalming ointment, signifying Jesus’ eventual sacrificial death)

During the Millennium, Jesus will receive the gifts of gold and frankincense, since He will be the world’s King and High Priest.  But no myrrh will be presented to Him, since His death was once and for all (1 Corinthians 15:3; Hebrews 9:15,27,28).  Jesus was the “firstfruits” from the dead of those who never will die again (1 Corinthians 15:20).

By the way, yesterday I said I would show the whipped potatoes I made today.  Here is our turkey, as well as the steps I went through to process the potatoes (soaking, boiling, mashing, and whipping—see Whipped Potatoes recipe):

         
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I don’t really like to cook/bake, but I like what I make.  Plus, I like leftovers so that I don’t have to cook/bake for the next few days.  I made a point to lose three pounds this past week so that I can “overdo it” today and tomorrow.

I have made a few things today in preparation for tomorrow (Christmas).  First, I made butternut chocolate pudding.  I don’t eat all that many sweets because they are so unhealthful and fattening.  But once a year, I make this dessert and go “hog wild” over it.  As you can see, I got carried away on the first pan.  Oops.

Next, I made a batch of cornbread dressing.  I added jalapeño peppers to it; but when they are baked (which will be done tomorrow), they aren’t quite as hot/spicy.  Too bad.  Anyway, this dressing, stuffing, or whatever you want to call it is much better than any other that I’ve ever tasted.  That’s why it’s the only kind I’ll make, even though it is time-consuming.

Finally, I like to make whipped potatoes from scratch.  I chop up the potatoes into small cubes.  Then I soak them overnight in salt water to remove as much starch as possible.  Besides the fact that it changes to fat in your body, starch makes whipped potatoes less fluffy.  Tonight these potatoes will soak in the water; tomorrow I’ll boil, mash, and whip them.

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I always enjoy flying back into San Diego, my favorite city in the world.  Today, I was fortunate enough to do so during sunset.  As my plane descended near downtown, I pulled out my camera and snapped these:

       

       
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This is the fifth evening of Hannukah (Chanukah), an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the 2nd Century.  As you can see, although I am not Jewish, I still celebrate the Festival of Lights.  I believe that all Christians should, since Christian believers have been “grafted” into Judaism, according to Paul in Romans 11:16-19.

 
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There are mice in this house, and they’ve gotten into two bags of my snacks.  Had they wanted merely to cohabitate with me, I might have “looked the other way.”  But eating my snacks without my permission was going too far.

I went to buy some Decon to poison them.  While at the store, I ran into a friend (of many decades) who said that he also had had mice in his house.  His wife had gotten Decon and spread it around where the mice were.

In about a week, they began smelling dead, decaying mice, and it took some time to locate all of them.  After that, he bought mouse traps, since a mouse is not going to wander way from a trap, after being caught, and start reeking somewhere else.

So I got mouse traps instead of Decon, and I’m glad I did.  As the guy suggested, I placed a small glob of peanut butter inside of each one.  He said that they like peanut butter better than cheese.  So far, I have caught eight mice.  Here are two shots each of mouse #7 and mouse #8, recently deceased:

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Southwest Airlines has been running a special called “Fly 2, Get 1 Free!”  There is a list of select cities for each city where Southwest flies.  If someone flies two round trips on Southwest between select cities, from September 1 to November 15, 2007, then that customer is awarded a free trip.  The details are here (although Southwest may take down the page after the special is over):

Back in September, I scheduled two qualifying round trips.  However, on October 1, I discovered that one of my cities no longer qualified.  After calling Southwest, I was told that the lists of qualifying cities had changed and that an email had been sent out on September 6 informing customers of the change.  You can click here to read a copy of that email, if you want:

This calendar is stupid (sorry for the flash reflection).  You can’t really see it, but on October 28 it says, “Daylight Savings Time Ends (Clocks Back).”  However, that is incorrect.  DST actually ends next Sunday, November 4.

One of my friends had his 40th birthday today.  He likes chocolate cake (as I do), so I made one.

 
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A friend and I went to the Sonoma County Harvest Fair in Santa Rosa today.  For one thing, he wanted to taste lots of wines.  I rarely drink, so I didn’t mind being the “designated driver.”

The fair was fun.  My favorite part was all the free food samples, sort of like at Sam’s Club or Costco.  I can make a meal out of free samples (which I did).

At the wine tasting thing, my friend tried so many Zinfandels that I lost count.  So did he.  Frankly, I don’t think he would have been able to count past 10.

Afterwards, rather than purchase wine at the fair at exorbitant prices, he had me drive to Bottle Barn, where he proceeded to just about fill up a shopping cart with 69 bottles.  Oh yeah, everybody was gawking in disbelief.  I thought it was amazing, so of course I took a pic.  Back home, I also got shots of his cases of wine and, later, his wine cabinet:

   
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Here are some sunrise and other pics taken in the same place I took the full moon photos a few days ago:

     
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was back in New York again last Monday, speaking at Columbia University.  He is devoted to the return of the 12th Imam.  This article provides a good description:

I have come up to Northern CA for a couple of weeks.  On my way here, I noticed the full moon rising.  It was pretty spectacular, so I captured a few photos of it (with various camera settings) after I arrived:

     

Some people may not realize that the moon is full for only a single moment each month.  That moment is when the moon, earth, and sun are aligned with each other.  Since the moon is in continuous movement in its orbit around the earth, this exact celestial alignment lasts for only an instant.

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It’s “9/11” again.  It’s even Tuesday: the same day of the week as September 11, 2001.  That means the twin towers came down exactly 313 weeks ago today—and, with them, all semblance of normalcy for the USA and for the world.

I have seen enough evidence to accept that Osama bin Laden, Aymen al-Zawahiri, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (among others) masterminded and orchestrated the 9/11 attacks.  I know there are many who embrace various conspiracy theories instead.  I simply disagree with them.

In my examination and observation of views on both sides, it seems highly plausible and probable, to me, that radical Islam, rather than any other group, was behind the 9/11 attack.  To see just how radical, militant, and dangerous fundamentalist Islam is, I recommend viewing this video (especially to Americans, including moderate and peaceful Muslims):

Although I respect the point of view of anyone who disagrees with me, I have neither the time nor interest in engaging in ongoing, detailed dialogues with others who embrace various conspiracy theories.  I do not feel compelled to “convince” anyone that fundamentalist adherents to Islam want to destroy not only Israel but the USA, although I do believe that myself.  Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion, and I urge—even encourage—those who have beliefs that differ from mine to publish their views on web pages at their own websites for others to see and evaluate.

Anyway, I don’t want to talk about 9/11 or Islam anymore right now.  I’d rather talk about Jesus.  I spent much of today responding to an email that somebody sent me, asking this:

• What was the main point of Jesus' suffering and sacrifice? What was in it for God?

I am visiting in Raleigh, NC.  Today a record high temperature of 101° was set for this date.  That is fine with me; I like my weather the same as my chili: the hotter, the better.

Sitting out on the patio, I’ve hardly ever seen this many flies before (other than maybe on some beaches in CA).  They were attacking my oatmeal/fruit bowl before I found a fly swatter.  I whacked a few of them, but they were like a massive army and too numerous for me to overcome.  It wouldn’t surprise me if I hear from PETA.

   
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made it clear that, contrary to recent news reports, Tehran has not slowed its nuclear activity.  He also warned of a growing and imminent power vacuum in Iraq, which he said Iran is ready to help fill.  Aren’t these two factors, alone, good enough reasons for the USA not to make a hasty retreat from Iraq?

It is Friday the 13th.  Traditionally, for many, this is thought to be a day of “bad luck” and misfortune.

Well, I don’t know about that.  What I do know is that really hard times are coming.  It is inevitable.

If you want to be even more bummed out than you already are on this “unlucky day,” then read this brief commentary that I just finished writing:

I was in downtown Birmingham, AL, today.  Here are pics of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (bombed in 1963) and the Civil Rights Museum across the street:

 
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You can read more about the tragic bombing of the church here:

I am visiting friends in Alabama, and we attended a fun 4th of July party today.  The food was pretty rich and fattening (not things that I typically will eat), but it sure was tasty.  Here are a few pictures of the spread:

         

Also, I didn’t get pictures of any fireworks, although I did see some.  However, I did photograph a blooming red hibiscus outside that is exploding with color.

I was told that the blooms on this plant last no longer than one day, and that this one will be wilted by tomorrow.  Hmmmm...most likely, I will get shot of it tomorrow and put it alongside the one I took today, for comparison.

 
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Jesus and His disciples were on the Mount of Olives.  They asked Him what would be the sign of His coming and of the end of the age.  Jesus proceeded to answer their question with a series of statements that has come to be known as the Olivet Discourse.

Many, including myself, believe that what Jesus described parallels the first six seals described by John in the Book of Revelation.  I believe that the first six seals will encompass the first six years of the 70th Week.

The first answer Jesus gave His disciples was this:  “Watch out that no on deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4,5).  Now, listen to the 20-second statement given by Dr. José Luis de Jesús Miranda, who claims to be THE Christ Jesus, at his website here:

Growing in Grace

Many of you have read my commentary about the European Neighbourhood Policy.  Now I have added an additional presentation of it here:

Just any old full moon?  Nope...it’s a “blue moon.”  I really don’t know why it’s called that.  It just means that it’s the second full moon in the same month.  It usually happens about every 2½ to 3½ years, although it actually is possible to have two blue moons in one year.

Of course, the month of the blue moon differs, depending on where in the world you are located.  For instance, in the Americas, the moon was totally full (and was a blue moon) this evening, May 31.  However, from Europe to Australia, the blue moon will occur on June 30.  And in New Zealand, near the International date line, the blue moon will not be until July 30.

Anyway, here’s the blue moon I saw (click on it for a larger view):

Sorry, it’s not actually blue.  OK, how about this? 

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It looks like the new Creation Museum has opened in Petersburg, Kentucky.  I personally have very strong feelings about what this museum represents (a “young-earth” creation view), and they are not the feelings shared by many other Christians.

Many of those who embrace a “young earth” view of creation, along with those who embrace evolution, have one important trait on common:  They both believe that, under the “right” conditions and given enough time, it is possible for life to begin spontaneously, on its own.

“Young earthers” reject the idea that the earth (and universe) can be very old, because they are afraid that this would allow for life to appear (and evolve) without God’s intervention.  They continue to fall back on the old, tired argument that the word “day” (= yôm in Hebrew), in the first chapter of Genesis, MUST refer to a solar day, which is an absolutely FALSE assumption.

Evolutionists reject the idea that everything could be very young (besides the fact that all valid scientific measurements indicate that it is not), because they think that life had to have begun apart a Creator.  Nevermind that no viable fossil remains of transition forms between species have been discovered.  Charles Darwin himself even questioned his own theory of evolution, due to the lack of transitional links:

But why do we not find them imbedded in countless numbers in the crust of the earth? ... Why is not every geological formation in every stratum full of such intermediate links?  Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain, and this perhaps is the greatest objection which can be urged against my theory.

Do you know what time it is?  I don’t mean prophetically (in which case you might want to read my European Neighbourhood Policy commentary).  I mean literally, pertaining to the time on your watch or on the clocks you look at the most.  At least once a week, I go here:

I keep my watch and all the clocks around me adjusted, within 5 seconds, to the correct time.  My co-workers where I used to work referred to me as “Big Ben” because of my obsession with correct time.

For those who do not know much about Israel, and its very interesting history since it became a nation again in 1948, this might be of interest:

The Supreme Judicial Court of the Jewish People, better known as the Sanhedrin, has indicated that it intends to send a letter, translated into 70 languages, to all governmental institutions in the world.  This will include all Arab and Islamic nations.

The Sanhedrin’s primary focus is on getting the Third Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.  Read more here:

Many people have written me, concerning my commentary on the European Neighbourhood Policy.  Two common questions have surfaced:

1. Do you know the identity of the Antichrist?
2. What preparations have you, personally, made for the hard times ahead?

In response to the first question, I will say that the name “Javier Solana” has popped up a lot in all the research I’ve done during the past few months.  I cannot state, for certain, that he is “the one”; however, something I read today added another puzzle piece indicating that he could be.

I have believed in the existence of the Bible code for years.  On the following page, the entry for Saturday, April 14, 2007, describes how Javier Solana’s name comes up “on every Greek New Testament prophecy ascribed to the prophesied antichrist”:

http://cumbey.blogspot.com

On that page, as well, is a great deal of other information about Javier Solana.  I found all of it to be extremely interesting.

As for the second question, I have done some preparation for potential “hard times” ahead.  I have purchased cases of canned goods (tuna, salmon, vegetables), boxes of powdered milk, pasta, spaghetti sauce, beans, rice, raw oats, nuts, and other things.  I also have purchased three 7-gallon containers and three 6-gallon containers, all of which contain water (with a few drops of bleach added as a means of decontamination).

In the photos below, the two tall, black barrels contain 50 pounds each of raw oats.  Not pictured is the barrel with 50 pounds of rice.  Oh, and I’ve also purchased a case of toilet paper, as well as numerous tubes of toothpaste and other items that I use daily or frequently.

     
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Although this day commonly is referred to as Easter, I prefer to call it “Resurrection Day,” which also is the Feast of Firstfruits.  Yes, I absolutely do believe in the literal physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  He is risen indeed!

I do not believe, however, that the crucifixion of Jesus took place on “Good Friday,” as commonly seems to be accepted by most Christians.  Rather, I feel the evidence is overwhelming that Jesus was crucified on “Good Thursday.”

What I’ve always found amazing is something that took place on the very first Passover, thousands of years ago, when the Israelites were just about to depart from their 430-year stay in Egypt.  Each household was to take a lamb without blemish or defect; four days later, every lamb was to be slaughtered (Exodus 12:3-6).  Now look what they did with the blood of each lamb:

Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. (Exodus 12:7)

Consider that a few of the drops of blood, splashed on the top of the doorframe, would drip straight down, due to gravity, to the bottom of the doorframe.  This, then, would match the blood on the sides, top, and bottom of the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

What is even more amazing is that Jesus was crucified on the day of Passover.  Of course, this was planned by God to occur from before the foundation of the universe.  Understandably,

Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. (1 Corinthians 5:7b)

I find it extremely interesting that an orthodox Jewish group, the New Sanhedrin Council, has attempted to sacrifice a live animal at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  Read this article for more information:

Court nixes Passover lamb sacrifice at Temple Mount

Tonight, I went to see/hear Chuck Smith present a message at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa (CA).  He’s almost 80 years old but still has his wits about him and continues to be a very articulate speaker.

Chuck Smith’s compassion for the disadvantaged and the down-trodden is virtually unsurpassed.  He also is an excellent Bible teacher and has a Billy Graham-type ability to connect with people, which is a wonderful gift that God has given him.  I differ very little with Chuck Smith on most theological issues.

However, the substance of Chuck’s message tonight, concerning the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is something with which I adamantly and wholeheartedly disagree.  Unfortunately, multitudes of Christians have embraced this erroneous doctrine, believing that they will be “whisked away” to safety, by Jesus, prior to the onset of the 70th Week.

The Rapture definitely is a real event that will happen.  However, I am inclined to believe that it will not take place until as many as six of the final seven years have transpired.  To read more, see the following:

• Is the Pre-tribulation view of the Rapture the correct view?
• If the "day and the hour" of Jesus' coming are unknown, how can we know when it will happen?
• What could cause the apostasy of 2 Thessalonians 2:3?

Today I received an email from somebody in England, saying that he had found my lasagna recipe at my website and had made it.  He seemed to be very pleased with it.  In fact, here is what his email said:

Hi Ted,

I'm 26 and live in sunny old England, and was using Google to search for a recipe for a lasagna and it pointed me in the direction of your website. Reading your recipe certainly made the taste buds tingle so I thought I'd have a go at making it.

I'm not a regular cook although I know my way around a kitchen. Even so my folks were a bit apprehensive when I told them I was cooking for them. But it was a resounding succcess with all plates clean before they got back to the kitchen. It was very tasty, even my Mom who doesn't usually like lasagna thought it was great, and we still have some left for the weekend.

I especially liked the spinach and different cheeses in there with the Italian seasoning, better than any other lasagnas I have tried which were bland in comparison, it works really well and I'll definitely be trying it again.

Thank you and best wishes.

Tom

I don’t like to drive someone else’s car.  The main reason is that I don’t want to risk damaging it, nor be obligated to repair it.  But another reason is because it seems that most people do not seem to have their side mirrors adjusted properly, and I might not realize that until I’m already on the road.

I don’t know why, but most side mirrors are turned in too far, so that much of the back of the car can be seen by the driver.  Who cares about the back of one’s car?  Isn’t the point of mirrors to be able to see as much of the traffic behind and on both sides of the car being driven?

Here is the mirror configuration (left, rearview, and right mirrors) in many people’s cars:

   

Here is how the mirrors (left, rearview, and right mirrors) should be adjusted:

   

Notice that the side mirrors in the second group display a great deal more of the areas to the side and back of the car, where a car in an adjacent lane often is located.  When adjusting a side mirror, only a very tiny portion of the back of your own car should be visible in the mirror.

Incidentally, here is the view out the front window of a typical street in San Diego, one of the nicest cities in the world:

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Global Warming has been a huge news issue for awhile.  Personally, I do believe that it is happening.  As for the reason(s)...well, I have kept my eyes and ears open for any information about it.  I like to try to be have a “fair and balanced” point of view about things, when possible.

The bottom line for me, so far, is that I am not convinced that the increased CO₂ levels in the atmosphere primarily are due to the burning of fossil fuels.  Other than people, there are numerous natural phenomena that significantly affect climate on the earth.  Here is one article that impressed me:

Global Warming

In church today, a list was projected on the screen showing ways that “love” is incorporated into the Ten Commandments.  I thought it was very good, so I will include it below:

  1. “You shall have no other gods before Me” shows love is single-minded and devoted.
  2. “You shall not make for yourself an idol...” shows love’s faithfulness.
  3. “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God...” reveals love’s respect for its object.
  4. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy...” describes love’s intimacy.
  5. “Honor your father and your mother...” reveals love to be submissive to authority.
  6. “You shall not murder” expresses the value love places on others.
  7. “You shall not commit adultery” shows love to be pure.
  8. “You shall not steal” manifests the unselfish nature of love.
  9. “You shall not give false testimony...” is love’s truthfulness.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or anything belonging to your neighbor” is an expression of love’s unselfish contentment and what is best for others.

The other night I woke up with the thought that I should make a new homepage for my website—this after having had the same one for many years.  To have these images explained, click here:

We all tend to focus, primarily, on the things of this world, which we can see.  However, when we focus extensively on them, we can be demonstrating that God is not at the center of our lives.

Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:37,38).  He was making a reference to the First Commandment, which states, “You shall have no other gods before [or besides] me” (Exodus 20:3).  Essentially, making anything else more important than God qualifies as spiritual adultery in God’s eyes.

Now, look at what is written in the great ancient Book of Job, about how it will be for people who forget God:

Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? Can reeds thrive without water? While still growing and uncut, they wither more quickly than grass. Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. What he trusts in is fragile; what he relies on is a spider’s web. He leans on his web, but it gives way; he clings to it, but it does not hold. (Job 8:11-15)

Many people may not realize that Daylight Saving Time begins today (at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, March 11, changing to 3:00 a.m.).  So set your clocks one hour ahead, if you haven’t already.  When you change your clocks, it’s not a bad idea to change the batteries in your smoke detectors as well.

This year, the time change has been moved from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March.  This web page explains everything:

http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/b.html

By the way, this year, Daylight Saving Time will extend until November 4 (the first Sunday in November, rather than the last Sunday in October).  I like the longer days myself.

Only one of the following four parallelograms is a perfect square. Click on the one that you think is a square:

Tonight I went to the memorial service of an elderly friend, who passed away two days ago.  On a card, handed to everyone who attended, was a poem.  I liked it, so I will print it here:

I’m Free
Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free; I'm following the path God has laid for me.

I took His hand when I heard Him call; I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day to laugh, to love, to work, or play; tasks left undone must stay that way.  I found that place at the close of the day.

If my passing has left a void, then fill it with remembered joy.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss; ah yes, these things, I too, will miss.

Be not burdenend by times of sorrow; I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life’s been full, I’ve savored much good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief; don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your hearts and share with me; God wanted me now, He set me free.

Apparently, the Sanhedrin in Israel is very anxious to sacrifice an animal on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  In fact, they want to do it this coming Passover.  Read more about it here:

I think most people rarely ever think about how truly vast this universe is.  I think these interesting pictures demonstrate this quite well:

I am a stickler about spelling.  I also am a stickler about punctuation, which is why I created Ted’s Punctuation Guide.

I figure that with all of the “spell checks” available in most word processing programs today, there is no excuse to misspell words, other than possibly in casual emails or instant messages.  (By the way, “misspell” commonly is misspelled.)

I found the ten most frequently misspelled English words in the U.S. Media, for the period Jan. 18, 2006, through Jan. 17, 2007.  Here are those words, correctly spelled:

I have received several emails asking me whether or not I feel that the European Neighbourhood Policy, which went into effect on January 1, 2007, is an indication that we have entered the end-time period commonly known as the 70th Week.  Many prophecy websites declare that this is the case.

I do not know, although I believe it certainly is quite possible.  If you would like to read my response to one of those emails, go here:

Could the European Neighbourhood Policy
be the prophesied 70th Week Covenant?

I have said how Southwest Airlines is my favorite U.S. Airline (see my Jan. 6 entry).  On their flights, they most usually pass out free peanuts, although sometimes it’s pretzels.

I rarely eat my peanuts on a flight, unless I am famished.  Usually, I save up numerous packages of peanuts so that I can open them all at once and pour them into a peanut jar that I have.  I keep that jar in my car, as peanuts are my favorite snack while driving.

Today I opened 20 packages of peanuts and poured them into the jar:

#1:   #2:
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On which photo above, #1 or #2, do you think I used a flash?

My favorite airline to fly is Southwest Airlines.  I have flown them for over three decades.  One of my mottos is, “If Southwest doesn’t fly there, neither do I!”  I call them “SouthBEST Airlines.”

There are many advantages I have discovered that Southwest Airlines has over virtually all other U.S. Airlines.  For instance, they have:

• reasonable, inexpensive fares,
• on-time or early departures and arrivals,
• nice, big on-board luggage compartments,
• helpful, courteous, level-headed, stable, and humorous flight attendants,
• an excellent Rapid Rewards (frequent flyer miles) program,
• all leather seats and clean planes,
• free, reliable in-flight snack and beverage service,
• one of the best safety records of any airline,
• an extremely user-friendly, easy to navigate, easy to schedule website (www.southwest.com),
• extremely courteous, efficient, helpful telephone customer service representatives,
• ease, simplicity, and nominal charge ($25) in changing a reservation (no charge when doing it on a free coupon trip).

I like geography, and I learned where all the states (and capitals) of the USA were when I was young.  So I thought this web page, which my cousin showed me, was entertaining (you must have Macromedia Flashplayer installed on your computer for it to work):

The program is very picky.  You must be very precise where you place each state for it to be correct.  Therefore, you might want to use a completed map of the United States to help you out.  Have fun.  I did.  Other USA Games are here:

All this year, I will keep a 2007 calendar taped up on the wall nearby for quick and easy reference for future and past dates.  It’s not a calendar that I use to write on to remind me of things I need to do; I use my data bank watch for that.

I’ve made the calendar for a few friends, and most of them like using it the way I do.  I also like to keep track of the monthly phases of the moon.  Plus the back of the calendar has a list of holidays and observances for 2007.

If you would like one for yourself, click on each image below, click on the “Open” button, and print out the two pages on either side of one piece of paper.  Just change my name at the top of the calendar page to your name before you print it.  (The thin gray lines will not show up when you print the pages).