America’s Youth Increasingly Ask This Question…

May 11, 2013 by Leave a comment

Who Is Ben Ghazi?

Who Is Ben Ghazi? #benghazi #reportbenghazi

Who Is Ben Ghazi? #benghazi #reportbenghazi (Photo credit: charlesfettinger)

Carrie Ann Inaba, a judge on “Dancing With The Stars”, reportedly asked, “My dress was so hot, it made me wish I’d lined up a date! Who is Ben Ghazi, and is he seeing anyone?”

Madonna recently posed the question, “Who is Ben Ghazi, and why are the Republicans so obsessed with him? Why have I not heard of him before? He sounds like the kind of person I should know.”

A letter submitted to “Seventeen” magazine took the editors to task for failing to report on one of the “hottest guys on the planet.” The writer said she had overheard her parents talking about him like he is a bad guy, and asked the magazine to publish his contact info in hopes of getting a date with him.  She also wanted to know if Ben Ghazi likes girls who wear heels to school.

On Twitter, a young man asked “Sports Illustrated” if Ben Ghazi is the NBA player who announced he is gay.

A reader commented on “Lowrider” magazine’s website asking where the “Ben Ghazi” chat thread moved. He is sure it was there when he looked at the website before. He asked if the San Diego Police Department is involved in getting the discussion taken down; adding that they don’t like his 2007 Crown Victoria lowrider he uses for cruising.

The reality, which will crush those interested in getting to know him, is that Ben Ghazi is not a guy. It is a place where something happened. To find out what happened, you will need to change the channel, and watch something besides MSNBC and Comedy Central for news.

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Local Pastor Publishes eBook

May 5, 2013 by Leave a comment

A Tale of Two Brides

Legalism and Religion vs. Liberty and Relationship

by: Regner Capener

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 This book is remarkable for three reasons:

  1. It is written by a local pastor and member of the Sunnyside Ministerial Association
  2. The vision of Old Testament history is fascinating
  3. In the book, the author presents a vision of prophecy

In the recent past, this blog has often included reviews of books read by the editor.  This is no different.  What makes this post unique is, your humble editor is personally acquainted with the author.  Readers can be assured that there is no financial conflict of interest, as this blog purchased the book at full retail (currently under $5 at the Kindle Store on Amazon.)

Regner Capener pretends to autograph my Kindle in his home office in Sunnyside.

Regner Capener pretends to autograph my Kindle in his home office in Sunnyside.

The book does an absolutely amazing job of describing Old Testament events, especially as it relates to Queen Esther of the Persian Empire.  In fact, the author claims to have experienced visions from God into this period of history, and the book is a recounting of what he saw.

Capener says the visions he experienced included events in the past, and also in the future.  He adds that we as people are part of God’s unfolding plan, and we are given the choice of participating in it, or not.

Prophetic visions lead the author to believe that people have no idea how soon the return of the Lord is.

In an interview with this blog, Capener says:

Who wants to settle for second best when you have so much available?

Although Capener has self-published some books in the past, this is his first book picked up by a publisher (Destiny Image).  This is also the first book Destiny Image has published as an eBook first, with a paperback version set for publication later this year.  It is also available on the Nook from Barnes and Noble, and Kobo eReaders.

This book earns five out of five stars.

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What is a Man, and What Makes a Man Great?

April 21, 2013 by Leave a comment

7 MEN AND THE SECRET OF THEIR GREATNESS

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Eric Metaxas takes on the questions of “What is a man?” and “What makes a man great?” in his latest book.  He profiles seven Christian men, explaining Biblical values concerning manhood, something that is increasingly being lost in our society today.  The men he chose to use for reflection on these questions are George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Pope John Paul II, and Charles W. Colson.

The author is the current voice of BreakPoint radio commentaries.  He knew and worked for Chuck Colson, which makes the final chapter of this book more emotionally engaging for the reader.  While all the biographies in the book are good, it is different when the author is personally acquainted with the subject.  This comes through when Metaxas speaks about Colson.

While the subjects in this book are from the 18th century to the present day, the truths about manhood can be used to explore anyone of faith at any point in history.  Reflecting on real manhood, personal sacrifice, hard work ethic, faithful attitude, and the extraordinary events in the lives of those he profiles, the author hammers home how each of these men set an example of values that society can benefit from.

Whether it is encouraging individual freedom, opposing racism, honoring the Lord, or serving others through action, Metaxas finds a way to convey the positive attributes of each man he uses as an example, while staying positive and upbeat about how faith can be applied in a society that may not be accommodating.

This book is a solid work, and merits four stars out of five.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Using A Police Officer’s “Memory” As Evidence

April 8, 2013 by Leave a comment

Will Robocop style recording be coming to a police department near you? Perhaps so.  Technology may make it possible to record everything an officer sees and hears.  Their “memory” can then be entered as evidence at trial.

From the worldwide leader in on officer video with over 50,000 cameras in the field, from the name you trust most in law enforcement TASER International announces AXON Flex.

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Avoiding Overzealous Faith

April 7, 2013 by Leave a comment

Review of ACCIDENTAL PHARISEES by Larry Osborne

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It might come as a surprise that a mega church pastor would write a book warning Christians not be be overzealous in their faith during a time in which secular humanism is growing more dominant, but yet, the book is as relevant as it is timely.  Those that are familiar with the story of Jesus know that the ancient sect known as “Pharisees” were singled out for strong criticism by Jesus and his followers.  They had a reputation for being very legalistic in their interpretations of religious teachings.

This book warns modern day Christians of several ways they can be unwittingly trapped into becoming like the Pharisees of old. Osborne discusses pride, exclusivity, legalism, idolizing the past, the quest for uniformity, and what he terms “gift projection” in major sections of the book.

It is divided into seven parts, with three short chapters in each part.  At the end of every part, there are one or two pages of discussion questions, making this book suitable for small group study.  Osborne writes in a casual but direct style, making his points plain for the reader to pick up on.

Not content to point out deficiencies he sees in others, Osborne also confesses to several of the faults being addressed in the book.  He explains that his views on several topics have changed over the years, as he has developed his faith and relationship with Jesus.

Christians everywhere can learn lessons from this short book, which earns it 5 stars out of 5 in this review.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Google celebrates Easter with ... Cesar Chavez birthday tribute

March 30, 2013 by 2 Comments

Reblogged from Twitchy:

Click to visit the original post

Yep. While two billion Christians around the world celebrate Easter Sunday on this 31st day of March, Google is using its famous "Doodle" search logo art to mark the birth of left-wing labor leader Cesar Chavez.

For real:

Christians from all walks of life and political views expressed shock, dismay, and exasperation with Google's diss:

https://twitter.com/McShauno/status/318214263321792513

https://twitter.com/HelloQuella/status/318214410583814144

https://twitter.com/Legal_Citizen/status/318216478795116544

https://twitter.com/MFrat1992/status/318214326878097410

https://twitter.com/fabio_lamberti/status/318216703991500800…

Read more… 539 more words

Hey Google, Happy Easter, I mean Cesar Chavez birthday! Party on dudes, I'm sure Chavez would be glad to know you rate him higher than Jesus in your search service. He is probably spinning in his grave right now; you guys are so righteous. WTG!

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School Board Moves To Remove “Citizens” From Belief Statement

March 29, 2013 by 2 Comments

The Sunnyside School Board took steps towards eliminating the use of the word “citizens” in its belief statement at Thursday night’s meeting.

Board member Michelle Perry noted that often “citizens” can be seen as an intimidating word to some people who may not be here legally.  She said, “We should look for a more friendly word.  I think it needs to be “people” or “members” to be more cohesive and inclusive.”

In addition, school board members decided to change the word “parents” to “parents/families” since there are families in the community where children are not living with their parents.

The school board unanimously approved a first reading of the changes, and will consider finalizing them on a second reading at their April meeting.

If adopted the changes will effect the third part of the school district’s Belief Statement:

We believe it is the responsibility of parents/families, staff and the

citizens members of our community to ensure the development of

our youth.

<div style=”margin-bottom:5px”> <strong> <a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/rainesman6/belief-statements” title=”Belief statements” target=”_blank”>Belief statements</a> </strong> from <strong><a href=”http://www.slideshare.net/rainesman6″ target=”_blank”>Jason Raines</a></strong> </div>

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Excuse Me While I Save The World!

March 28, 2013 by 2 Comments

Review of Righteous Indignation

by Andrew Breitbart

righteous indignation

A free speech advocate, Andrew Breitbart believed in encouraging more engagement in the civil discourse.  To say it another way, he wanted to promote ideas and discussion where the left-wing “Democrat Media Complex” seeks to stifle discussion to promote their liberal beliefs.

Breitbart passed away in March 2012 at the age of 43, but made a serious impact in his short time on the national scene.  The book details his involvement with the Drudge Report, Huffington Post, other media outlets, and goes great lengths in explaining how and why the “BIG” sights launched.  (Big Government, Big Hollywood, Big Journalism, Big Peace)

The first impactful story that Big Government helped bring to the people led to the downfall of ACORN, a community organizing group tied closely to the election of Barack Obama.  You may recall the infamous videos of the “pimp and prostitute” seeking government grants to support their start up business of prostituting underage girls illegally brought into the country from Latin America.  Workers at ACORN offered tips and advice on how to get taxpayer funding, suggesting using code words to obscure the link to prostitution.

In his book, Breitbart discusses taking the story first to the mainstream media, who did not run the story because it was “too political.”  This played right into his hands as it exposed media’s leftist agenda of protecting liberals no matter the cost.  When the story went big, they were eventually forced to report on it.

Part blogger, part publisher, part activist, part provocateur, Breitbart is greatly missed for his entertaining antics and great courage under fire.  He never shrank when the lefties attempted to silence him by calling him “racist” and other such epithets.  His unwavering spirit in the face of repressive political correctness is an inspiration for all Americans.

The book gets 5 stars out of 5.  It is the best book on politics, pop culture, new media, and current events that I have read in recent years.

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Solid on Principles, Light on Details

March 22, 2013 by Leave a comment

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Book Review: Heaven’s Lessons

Ten Things I Learned About God When I Died

By Steve Sjogren

This book is part autobiography and part motivational. Sjogren recounts his near death experience (NDE), and uses it to draw lessons that can be applied to life. The book is brief, with an easy to follow style that makes it a quick read.

The author has divided the book into 10 chapters, with each one focused on lessons he has learned from his encounter with the afterlife. His lessons are simple, but not necessarily easy to follow. For example, “Don’t Fear Death,” “Be Thankful,” and “God is Big” are some of the chapter titles.

Steve Sjogren is a pastor, and seeks to impart spiritual truth in a direct way. Readers will come away feeling assured that there is a Higher Power, and that He is a loving God. It is an emotional appeal to humility and thankfulness even when we are under stress, fearful, or taking things for granted.

Recognizing his shortcomings, he boldly describes some mistakes he made in church leadership, and his continuing journey to learn about patience in dealing with grief and forgiveness. This is made even more remarkable given that several of these mistakes occurred after the author’s NDE.

This is a book that will leave the reader feeling energized and with warm feelings to their fellow human beings. As Sjogren says, “God loves irregular people.” It turns out, we are all “irregular people.”

The book is solid on principles, but light on details. What it lacks in sophistication, it makes up for with earnest emotion. I rate it 4 stars out of 5.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Samsung Chromebook Now Supports Extended Desktop

March 12, 2013 by Leave a comment

Samsung Chromebook

Samsung Chromebook (Photo credit: Cajie)

Image representing Google as depicted in Crunc...

What a difference a week can make!  In recent months, I have been using my Samsung Chromebook to make presentations on a weekly basis.  This week when I plugged my machine into the external display, I was shocked to find that it did not mirror the image on my screen.

After a little playing around (I did not understand why it was behaving different from the last time I did such a presentation), I found that the external display was now an extended desktop.  Yes that’s right boys and girls, this was accomplished by an upgrade to the Chrome OS, and was done in the background without me even noticing.

To accomplish the same thing with my aging desktop PC, I would need to buy and install new hardware in the form of a card.  Not so with my Google powered machine!

By the way, I am using the “stable” release of the operating system.  This feature has been available in the development channel for several months.

Also, a fix is now out that allows users of Netflix to instantly stream movies on the device.  This feature was lacking, but the promised solution is now available for all.  Life just keeps getting better and better with the Chromebook.

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