Dalai Pop sets World Triple Sprint Record in Age Group.

I used to be a lot of things that I no longer am.  I used to be lost in my sin, now I am saved by Jesus. I used to have a big Afro, now I am bald.  I used to have 20/20 vision, now I have tri-focals and a detached vitreous humor in one eye.  I also used to run, and race occasionally, in 5K or 10K runs, or even an 8K ski race once.  I used to stand on my head, but now a herniated disk in my neck prevents this and reminds me to keep my head from being held for too long in an twisted or craned position.  Even an extended period on the bike can get my neck irritated.  These days, I don't do distance, and one of the reasons, besides the neck issue, is that I used to be a sprinter.  I used to be pretty fast.  I never liked slogging out several miles at some "pace" that allowed me to complete a boring distance.  I used to love the feel of pounding down the track or the trail for a short distance, just as fast as I could go. Pushing the ground away behind me. Chasing down a runner ahead of me. Giving a max effort until my vision closes in and I fall down at the finish, gasping. I liked that, and I have missed it.  Age catches up with us all.  I have hiked and walked and occasionally jogged a bit over the years, but I haven't sprinted hard in a long time.  I REALLY have missed it.

Well, now my son Joel has invented a Triple Sprint 500 that is made to order for the sprinter at heart.  It's a triathlon of the attentuated, intense variety.  The concept is to make a three event race that doesn't take a whole day, that caters to those who can't or won't do long distances, and one that is family friendly in that it each event can be watched in it's entirety.  Also, there is no hectic transitin from one event to the next. The competitors get to change outfits and go to the next event, warm up and go, after a recovery period.  They actually complete each event with a bit less than an hour between events. Joel selected the swim, bike and run to be completely different than any previous competition.  The total distance covered is only 500 meters, and the ultimate goal for a young, really serious sprint-minded athlete is to complete all events in under one minute aggregate time.  The 500 meters is broken down into a 50 meter swim, a 300 meter bike, and a 150 meter dash. 

So when Joel announced the first Triple Sprint 500 to be held Nov. 21, 2010, I signed up!  I haven't been swimming much, again neck issues allow swimming, but not distance. I used to be a strong swimmer years ago.  I have been biking short distances, say 3-4 miles fairly often at a brisk pace, and I actually tried to sprint about a month ago, and it felt good but very odd.  So I did what I could to get ready, within the physical constaraints of being a 58 year old who has to watch out for certain things like the old neck, who gets sore a LOT easier than I used to, and who still has it in his heart to BLAST OFF at top speed for just a few moments at a time. 

The race day came and went.  In the end, I was fairly happy with my results.  I maxed out all three events, not leaving any energy for the next event, but was able to recover between events enough to do the next one.  I didn't have anything left after the run, except to go eat, then sleep, then get progressively more sore form the lactic acid of anaerobic torching.  So here are my times: 50 meter swim: 45.xx sec. 300 meter bike: 33.xx sec and the 150 dash: 24.xx sec.  Total time 103.xx sec. This is literally a NEW World Record in the 55-60 age group. Joel has the exact figures written down.   A far cry from the ultimate 60 sec mark, but Joel managed to do all three events in about 75 sec.(also a World Record for all age classes) so 60 seconds is probably acheivable by a top athlete.  Another plus to this race is that a small amount of money will be collected from each contestant from now on, and the total will continue to build in a fund. The first person to break 60 seconds for the whole competition will get the jackpot!  I am content to be the World Record holder for my age for now, and hope to beat my own record next year, and hope someone else beats it by a big margin also. 

If interested in the next race schedule, let me know.

Watching Zimbabwe

Yesterday I was heavily bummed out due to a few setbacks.  But when I returned home, I found a note from Ryan Keith of  http://www.forgottenvoices.org/  . Here's some background info.  Last October, Gail and Abbie and I went to Zimbabwe.  We visited a Christian school with hundreds of students, no small number of whom were orphaned by AIDS.  The school had no electricity and no water, and the nearby medical clinic was in the same predicament for the last three years. It seems vandal/thieves had stolen the oil from the transformer on the nearby utility poles.  The transformer had overheated and was damaged beyond repair.  This had happened three or four years prior to our visit, so the power, and subsequently the well water, had not been available during that entire time.  The government-owned utility company had totally neglected requests to restore the power, even if a transformer was provided by outside sources.

  I climbed up on a rickety ladder to assess the situation, we took some pictures and notes, and Gail and Abbie proceeded through the week to minister to the orphans and others there and elsewhere in the area.  I submitted a report to Forgotten Voices, and we began to pray.  We also were able to raise some funds to send for the project to help in the acquisition of whatever materials and labor were needed to get the job done.  We didn't hear anything for months, then earlier this year, we were informed that because some American guy (I) had been climbing around on the electrical poles, the government decided to commit to repairing the transformer!  We were elated but cautious, due to the reliability of promises made by Zimbabwean officials in the past. As it turns out, they were true to their word this time around.  Yesterday Ryan Keith assured me the electricity was hooked up, and they had been able to acquire two 5,000 gallon water tanks and the plumbing needed to supply the school with water!!!!  This made my day, my week, and my year since we had been there. And it has vastly overshadowed my temporary and minor setbacks that had seemed so overwhelming before. We hope to return to Zimbabwe and see the results, and to do more for the beautiful people of former Rhodesia.
Please visit the Forgotten Voices Website and see the other great things being done there and in neighboring countries. You may be able to help more than you thought!!

Moving toward the light.

Today a nice crew of hardworking men (Bilingual Hispanics to whom I tip my hat) came to my office and installed an array of 30 BIG photovoltaic panels.  Another crew did the electrical hookups and controllers.  By 4:00, it was done!  I watched in amazement as 400+ volts (you didn't read that wrong) of sheer electric power surged through my system,  MAKING MY ELECTRIC METER TURN BACKWARDS!!!!!! Oh happy dance of joy!!!  Oh brightness and fireworks.!!!  You can't descibe the feeling of seeing that thing spinning in my favor. I had to turn on the air conditioning full blast to get that meter to spin forwards again! Woot!   A bit of the "stick it to da' man"  attitude, combined with an immense sense of civic responsibility, flooded over me.  I am green, I am green, I am green.  Actually more like camo, but I am green.  Now I await the final inspection, and installation by the utilty company of the new mandated meter that actually works right when it runs backwards, so I can KEEP the solar system turned on and bask in the warmth of that limitless supply of energy!  I'll keep you posted. 

The common ground between Christianity and Islam

One of the commonalities between Chrisitanity and Islam is their recognition of certain of the Old Testament prophets. Also, both believe Jesus was an important person in history. Both obviously believe in one all powerful Supreme Being. Both promote the ideas of the importance of loyalty to friends, kindness to the elderly, and a certain set of rules for pure living.  However, I think one of the most important facts about these belief systems is that each mandates that the beliefs they hold have huge consequences for the individual follower, and that it is required of each true believer to promote their faith as the true way.
     No one who has read the Bible and believes it to be true can escape the admonitions to reach out to others with the message of not just love, but the love of Jesus as the Supreme Creator ond ultimate ruler of the Universe.  To fail to believe in Jesus alone for one's salvation, according to Christian teaching throughout history, is to reject that forgivenesss and salvation. Jesus Himself was clear in His admonition that no one can be saved from eternal death and judgement except those that acknowledge Him and his forgiveness through His death and and resurrection, and submit to Him as King.  Furthermore, all followers of Jesus are to be a part of the spreading of His Gospel to all nations.  So, it is logical and natural for Christians to be both compassionate to all the downtrodden and oppressed, and to be concerned for the eternal souls of all people.  The motivation for telling others about Christ's forgiveness and salvation is the love for those they believe are going to be lost forever without Jesus' love. To fail to promote that which would help a lost person to be rescued would be, and is, a travesty of a weak or actually non-existent faith.
      Similarly,  true Muslims must follow the teachings of both the Koran and all the teachings of the accepted interpretations of Mohammed's words and the Koran.  They are compelled by their own sacred writings to do certain things, not the least of which is to promote the conversion of all unbelievers.  Now it is important to point out the motivation of the Muslim for conversion of infidels.  It is because they believe Islam to be true and are compelled by their religious beliefs to spread Islam to all the world.  I fully understand this and respect the tenacity with which the true Muslim attempts to do as his convictions tell him. But make no mistake, the Muslim does not want to convert infidels because he loves them and cannot stand for them to go to hell for eternity, apart from the presence of Allah.  He wants to see conversions so that Islam can be the religion of all, and perhaps so that he can earn more favor with Allah himself.  Islam is, after all, a religion that offers a hope of salvation only if a set of rules are followed precisely, and this salvation, for certain Muslims, can somehow be more assured if they do a special act, such as killing infidels.  I see nothing in Islam that compels the Muslim to love his neighbor as himself, to love unbelievers because they are worth loving, even if they are Christians or Jews, or any enemy person.
     Either Islam is true, or Christianity is true. It does not depend upon what any one person thinks, but whether the God of the Bible, the God of Love is really the one true God, or whether Allah, (who does NOT, according to his followers, love the world enough to die to pay the penalty for all our sins)  is really the one true God.
     So to all you Muslims out there, I understand that you may wish to live alongside me in peace, or you may wish to interpret your mission in life to be my extermination.  But I don't expect you to love me or care about where I spent eternity after I die.  However,  I want you to know that I, as well as all true followers of Jesus Christ, are concerned about where you will go when you die, because I love you, and I want to tell you that the love of God through Jesus is stronger than the iron hand of Sharia law, and will eventually prevail. 
    God's will be done.

Study World War II CLOSELY!

I grew up shortly after WWII, having been born just 7 years after the evil Hitler murdered himself.  My father was a gunnery officer on the USS Hyde.  He spent 4 years in the Pacific theater fighting the Japanese, while my Mom and sister struggled without him. I just finished a book called "Flyboys: A True Story of Courage", by James Bradley.  I cannot stress strongly enough the need for young people to read this book to get an understanding of the world at that time. If this generation does not have insight into the reality of powerful, wrongheaded, evil ideology and how it can affect the peace of the world, history will repeat itself... and it may then be too late to react.  Some may know a little about Hitler and his fantasy of Arien superiority. We often hear the terrible true statistic of the 6 million Jews Hitler and his followers were responsible for slaughtering.   Pure EVIL.  At the same time, how many Chinese did the Japanese kill, most often by the actual Samurai sword, or through neglect and torture in prison camps?  THIRTY million!!!  Why did they decide to sweep the Pacific of all opposition, dominate other sovereign peoples, torture, rape and maim millions of innocents as well as combatants.  Their leadership, headed by the Emporor Hirohito, decided they would treat the world to a renewed Samurai Spirit Warrior conquest, even though the true spirit of the Samurai had nothing to do with how they implemented their horrible war of atrocity.  Many times more people were killed in WWII by the samurai sword of the Japanese than were killed by the atomic bombs and conventional  bombing attacks combined!  The book details, often quite gruesomely, the beheading and eating of their enemies, including some of our POWs.  Cannabalizing their captured foes was one of the things the Japanese did that does not show up in our high schol text books, as far as I know. 
    Please do not misunderstand my motives in telling this.  I hold not the least animosity toward the Japanese people.  We have had numerous modern Japanese to our home and we pray for the nation of Japan, just as we pray for Germany and Afghanistan and Zimbabwe and other countries.  The point is that EVIL exists and can gain great power over short amounts of time by those who sell out to EVIL itself to promote their way of life and to reduce all adversaries to slaves or death.  (Approximately 125 million dead due to Communism).  Untold numbers are now dead and dying at the hands of terrorists who claim to be followers of Islam.  IF they get the weapons they want, they will take freedom from the whole world.... in your lifetime.  If Germany had obtained the bomb before us, we would have lost the war. God prevented that. And God will prevent future world takeovers by EVIL people, but he will use key people of his chosing to stop the EVIL.  Those key people include YOU and your generation.   The Baby boomers, sons and daughters of the War generation, will all be gone before you know it, and YOU will be responsible for wisdom, understanding , and discernment.  Make peace whenever you can. Trust in God, the true God of the true Scriptures, and pray for peace and seek peace.  And realize that sheer EVIL people, such as the Nazis, and the false Samurai, and the radical Islamists, when they come to your door, will subjugate you and kill you and your family, unless you are willing to take a stand.  May God lead you in your pursuit of both loving your enemies and protecting your loved ones and the innnocents of the world.

Too many DRUGS!

I saw a patient recently for a dental extraction, and in looking at the record, I was appalled to see a list of medications totalling 17! Yes, seventeen.  I am often reminded of some sage advice from a wise pharmacist, who told me that in order for the doctor to be certain to have a firm understanding of the various interactions between drugs, he or she should not have a patient on more than SIX drugs at a time.  No one can possibly predict the outcome of more than 6, let alone 17, different pharmaceuticals. Obviously, no studies could be done to determine what any given combination of 17 drugs would be. So please, watch out for yourselves and for perhaps your older friends and relatives.  If they are on more than 6 drugs, the only thing I can predict is that they are probably sick, perhaps because of the multiple unknown effects of all those drugs. You may want to recommend the physician try to reduce the numbers of prescriptions, by removing what they feel to be the least needed or least effective of the drugs.  And by the way, through no fault of the physician, the patient I saw also smokes a pack of cigarettes a day. That adds another drug, nicotine, to the 17, not to mention the host of other poisons in cigarette smoke.  Take care of yourselves, and I welcome comments, especially from my physician and pharmacist friends, and those who have seen the results of over-prescribing.

Moammar the Absurd

This is too ridiculous to be believed, but unfortunately it is true.  While much of our world was handwringing about the dangers of Glen Beck, a little known visit was paid to Italy by the dictator muslim Moammar Gadhafi (why is it these people seem to have a different spelling to their names every few years? You won't see President Reginaldo Reaganiski or Geogrio Brusch doing this.)
Background: Ghadafi and his Libya have invested hugely in Italy. Libya is the largest shareholder in Italy's largest bank, Unicredit SpA. Italy is predominantly Roman Catholic, by the way.
So on this visit, Ghadafi enlists a casting agency known as Hostessweb (!!!) to encourage 800 or so Italian women to come to a big lecture/meeting.  I say encourage, but really these women were PAID 80-150 euros (?) to attend! I am not and could not make this up!  The robe-clad leader emerged with a couple of his female bodyguards known as his "Amazon Women". Again, not making this up. 
At the meeting, apparently the muslim leader tried to convince the women to convert to islam. 
Okay, so turn the tables, imagine the Pope (or any western religious leader or even our President) going to Libya and having a meeting with 800 Libyan women where he tries to convert them to Christ after paying them to be there.  So we need to pray for Ghadafi, as he really has a lot of influence and is acting apart from God's will. He too needs Jesus. 

How to cook a wild duck

Julia Childs likely cooked domestic ducks, which were raised in pens and killed with an axe. They were probably very plump and tasty, having been fed a ton of who knows what.  Tonight I cooked the breast meat of two wild Mallard ducks that I shot last January. I put them a freezer bag with after soaking them for a day or so in garlic salt and water. After thawing, I pounded them with some pure natural tenderizer, and onion salt, then marinated them in olive and sesame oil, soysauce, a bit of red wine vinegar and a touch of Worchestershire sauce (pronounced however you like).  A few hours later, I sauteed the meat in hot butter until the center was just pink, then covered the juicy filets with all natural hot plum suace that I made recently from fresh plums. This dish was tender and succulent to the point of guily feelings.  No one should eat this well , I thought.  But we eat like this all the time, because we hunt and fish and make food out of things like apples and plums and elderberries.  To round out the day, I shot pellet pistol with the grandkids,  and earlier we went boating on our beautiful lake.  I also had to spend hours laying bricks, but it is honest work and the result is a retaining wall we can be proud of.  Hope you like my first blog.  Take a kid fishing and turn off the tv.