A New "CAFE" To Visit

Not this type of cafe, but this is an interesting photo. Image Credit : Urban 75

A former Senate majority leader and a founder of Sun Microsystems urge creation of new CAFE standard: Carbon Alternative Fuel Equivalent.

In a move that would massage the governments response to being addicted to oil imports, Tom Daschle, the former Democratic Senate majority leader, and Vinod Khosla, a founder of Sun Microsystems, put forth an opinion in the New York Times that calls for a fundamental change in the way the government measures the "petroleum mileage" of a vehicle so that ethanol mix would become a positive factor in the automobile's mileage assessment.

Excerpts from the New York Times -

Op-Ed Contributor
Miles Per Cob
By TOM DASCHLE and VINOD KHOSLA - Published: May 8, 2006 - Washington

ON Wednesday, the White House proposed to overhaul fuel economy standards for automobiles by making them "size based," with differing requirements for big and small cars. Automakers worry that any revisions will hurt their business; environmentalists oppose the administration's plan, and its earlier proposal for revising mileage standards for light trucks, as not going far enough. But a debate on Corporate Average Fuel Economy, known as CAFE, misses the point; if we are serious about reducing our dependence on imported oil, we need to shift our focus.
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We need to upgrade to a new CAFE: Carbon Alternative Fuel Equivalent. This new CAFE will measure "petroleum mileage" and give automakers incentives and credits for increasing ethanol consumption as a percentage of fuel use of their vehicles, not least by promoting flex-fuel vehicles, which can run on either gasoline or E85 fuel, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. This approach promises several significant benefits.

First, it could set America free from its dependence on foreign oil. As Brazil's "energy independence miracle" proves, an aggressive strategy of investing in petroleum substitutes like ethanol can end dependence on imported oil.

Second, switching from gasoline to ethanol produced from perennial energy crops like switch grass can slash our carbon dioxide emissions.

Third, it could build on a comparative advantage of American automakers. American auto manufacturers are churning out hundreds of thousands of flex-fuel vehicles. Their foreign competitors make far fewer. Promoting these vehicles will help our automakers build on their already strong market share.

And fourth, by encouraging the production of ethanol and new renewable fuel technologies, this new CAFE standard could invigorate rural communities in America's heartland and innovation and research centers along its coasts.
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So instead of squabbling over a mile a gallon here and a mile a gallon there, let's move to a new CAFE standard that offers Americans a fresh chance to work together to meet some of this country's most pressing challenges.
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This is a start at the Federal level. Now, if only we can get California more than four E85 stations, three of which are dedicated to fueling government vehicles.

Congress Discusses Lowering Tariffs On Ethanol

Question: Does it make sense to swap one energy resource supply dependency to another potential resource supply dependency?

These excerpts from the National Association of Convenience Stores -

Members of Congress Fuel Talks on Ethanol Tariff
News & Media Center - May 10, 2006

WASHINGTON -- U.S. House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said on May 9 that a temporary reduction of the U.S. tariff on ethanol imports would help ease prices at the pump, reports Reuters.

"We don't have enough ethanol in production today. It's coming on board, but if we were to temporarily reduce the tariff on ethanol coming into our country, I think that would ease the pressure that's out there, resulting in lower gasoline prices," Rep. Boehner told reporters.

Last week, President Bush called on Congress to lift the current tariffs on ethanol imports. When asked if the House and Senate had enough votes to lift the tariffs, Boehner told reporters, "I think it's possible."
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"Lifting the tariff would be a victory for the oil companies, a kick in the face to rural America where the ethanol comes from, and leave consumers with the same high gas prices we have today," said Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which is the committee that would review tariff legislation.

Rep. Boehner commented to Reuters that not all ethanol industry representatives are opposed to the idea of easing U.S. ethanol import tariffs.
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"Our two countries need to accelerate their cooperation … Brazil and the United States should combine their strengths to contribute to the region's economic, social and political development," notes the op-ed. "We both face challenges to our energy security from the sharply rising worldwide demand for energy … But amid this new energy threat, we also have an opportunity to fashion a win-win response that could benefit both our countries."
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In all truthfulness, we need to have the issue of ethanol supply, as we do for petrol fuel supply, be our own. Open up ANWAR for more oil, create more refineries, and internally expand the distilling of ethanol through tax incentives.

Michael Yon - A Three-fer Tucked Into A Two-fer

Not a rose by any name. From “Why We Write”. Photo Credit: Michael Yon

Two dispatches from Michael Yon show the contrasts of fighting a war to win (Iraq) and fighting a war to show a momentary (Afghanistan) effect.

The first highlights how Iraqi security forces are responding to the training and conviction our military forces are imparting to their efforts. Stories from Baquba with link and full credit going to the Washington Times and their correspondent Maya Alleruzzo.

Excerpts from Michael Yon: Online Magazine –

One More Reason For Hope

An Iraqi Warrior is fighting for new life in America after an assassination ambush by insurgents riddled his body with a dozen bullets but failed to extinguish this soldier’s force of life. I’ve been paying close attention to this story for months, having heard many of the “behind the scenes” events that eventually led Iraqi Captain Furat to American soil. The following series of photographs was shot by Washington Times correspondent Maya Alleruzzo as the platoon of Iraqi soldiers with whom she was traveling was ambushed by insurgents in Baquba.
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I was told that a battalion of our own soldiers at Fort Benning recently gave Captain Furat a standing ovation for his courage and sacrifice in the war to rid Iraq of terrorists.

Please read this story, and know that if it were not for the Washington Times and their correspondent Maya Alleruzzo, along with those quiet Americans, this Iraqi hero would be dead.

But today he lives. In Georgia.
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The second dispatch deals with the developments in Afghanistan and the reasons why some reporters write.

Excerpts from Michael Yon: Online Magazine –

Why We Write

Soldiers on the ground hold our helicopter pilots in extreme regard. I’ve never heard a real combat soldier calling pilots “fly boys” or anything disrespectful. If I were willing to share my closest combat helicopter photos from Iraq, folks would understand just why the infantry loves our helicopter pilots.
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I’ll be thinking about our troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa and so many other places while I go into seclusion to write. I’ve written pointedly about Afghanistan recently, and will post a couple more dispatches about the place before getting settled. My remarks about Afghanistan have angered many readers and I understand that. I appreciate that many folks have strong political aspects; certainly, they have been blunt sharing their viewpoints, so I knew many would be angry before posting those words, but I was speaking important truths. I care about our soldiers and our people and will not go silent when a man should speak.
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Many people in my generation and younger — keep asking me about this “Joe Galloway” who I keep saying people should listen to. Joe Galloway is one of the finest war correspondents our country ever produced. Joe ranks with Ernie Pyle, but Joe is a lot meaner than Ernie. Plus, Ernie had the “advantage” of dying in combat with our Marines. Joe has somehow survived all his extreme bouts with combat. Joe lived with the soldiers and told their stories, eventually writing an incredible book called, We were Soldiers Once… And Young. My copy is here on the desk beside me. So when Joe talks, old sergeant majors and old generals — and most of current top military leadership — listen. And when these old veterans talk, we should all listen. They know war. We should listen more to our veterans than to politicians. We are more likely to get straight answers about war from warriors than we are from politicians and most of the media.
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Like Ernie Pyle once noted, nobody is more plainspoken than combat soldiers. The ones I met in Afghanistan call that the “forgotten war” but unless things change dramatically, 2007 will be a year everyone remembers in Afghanistan.

I figure my part is telling what I saw when I was there.
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The Two Faces Of Radical Activism

Image Credit: Garold W. Sneegas - nativefish.org

A win for PETA as it works within the system. No animal costumes, no blood on fur, no sign carrying whiners. Just stock holders wanting to talk with management.

This from the PETA Media Center –

PETA WITHDRAWS 3M SHAREHOLDER RESOLUTION AFTER COMPANY IMPLEMENTS ANIMAL WELFARE PROPOSAL
May 8, 2006 - Contact: Holly Mattern 757-622-7382

Norfolk, Va. — Following negotiations with 3M, PETA has agreed to withdraw a shareholder resolution that the group planned to present at 3M’s annual meeting in St. Paul tomorrow, May 9. PETA’s resolution called on the company to formally adopt an animal welfare policy that would extend to its outside contract testing laboratories and include social and behavioral enrichment measures for the physical and psychological well-being of the animals used in the company’s experiments.

3M has now posted its existing animal welfare policy on its Web site that includes these measures. The company has also agreed to publicly issue an annual report regarding compliance with the animal welfare policy and continue discussions with PETA on animal testing issues.

“We are delighted with 3M’s response to our proposal,” says PETA’s director of regulatory testing, Jessica Sandler. “We look forward to working with 3M to ensure that the company uses as few animals as possible and leads the way in improving conditions for those animals who are still used.”

Copies of the resolution are available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Link Here>>

And this the very next day -

PETA Tells Middle-School Students To Not Eat Fish
KFMB News 8, San Diego - Last Updated: 05-09-06 at 1:19PM

Say no to fish. That was the message People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals were telling students at a protest outside an Ocean Beach middle school.

Monday's event at Correia Middle School encouraged students to stop eating fish. PETA members said fish feel pain, just like any other animal.

They also said eating fish is not the healthy alternative it is made out to be.

"Many people don't know that fish isn't a health food," said Chris Link of PETA. "It's full of lead, mercury and other heavy metals, as well as PCBs, which can accumulate in your body and cause cancer."

PETA members also handed out trading cards to students.

In fairness, many studies have shown that some fish contain healthy Omega-3 fatty acids.
Link Here>>

Just when you get to thinking that PETA is adopting a mainstreaming strategy, they go and do this. Let's be honest, the agenda is to have all humans eat only vegetables – somebody tell ‘em We’re Omnivores.

I’ll tell you what PETA, you teach all fish to live out of water … and then we humans, all of us, will eat only vegetables.

W e' r e W a i t i n g .........................!

Let The Insults To The System Begin

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

Moussaoui, the infamous "20th" highjacker files an appeal to have a new trial. He claims to only be part of a second wave of attacks and that he had never met with lead hijacker Mohamed Atta or any of the other terrorists that carried out the 9/11 attacks. He requested a new trial to prove his innocence to the September attacks. His appeal was rejected.

Excerpts from the Washington Post -

Moussaoui Fails in Bid to Withdraw 9/11 Guilty Plea
By Jerry Markon - Washington Post Staff Writer - Tuesday, May 9, 2006; Page A16

Facing transfer to the nation's toughest federal prison, Zacarias Moussaoui served up what may be his final legal surprise yesterday: The al-Qaeda conspirator said he was not involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror plot after all and wants a new trial to prove it.

His efforts were immediately rejected by a federal judge.

In a motion in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Moussaoui sought to withdraw his guilty plea and be granted a new trial "to prove my innocence of the Sept. 11 plot.'' The filing came four days after he was sentenced to life in prison, a punishment determined by a jury that heard Moussaoui testify during a seven-week sentencing trial that he had planned to fly a fifth hijacked airplane into the White House on Sept. 11.

Now, the French citizen says that testimony was "a complete fabrication.'' In an affidavit accompanying the motion, Moussaoui said he never met lead hijacker Mohamed Atta, didn't know the other 18 hijackers "or anything about their operation" and was taking flying lessons in the United States only to train for a second wave of attacks.

He also offered measured praise for the U.S. legal system he has spent the past four years attacking. Moussaoui said he lied on the stand because he assumed he would be executed "based on the emotions and anger toward me for the deaths on Sept. 11.'' But he was "extremely surprised" at the jury's verdict, he said, and now believes "it is possible I can receive a fair trial even with Americans as jurors.''
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Even Moussaoui's attorneys acknowledged in a footnote yesterday that their motion could not be granted under federal rules, but they said they were filing it anyway "given their problematic relationship with Moussaoui."
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Yesterday's motion was another twist in the case of Moussaoui, the only person convicted in the United States in connection with the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Moussaoui, 37, pleaded guilty last year to taking part in a broad al-Qaeda conspiracy to crash planes into U.S. buildings that led to the Sept. 11 attacks.
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We all know how this system works, spare a life, and support a phalanx of lawyers, judges, court clerks, MSM journalists, liberal cause/sympathy supporters, and etc. This will be the first of many challenges and "insults" to the system.

Hey Zackie, do you think that claiming to have regret that you were picked up before you were able to fly a plane into the White House might make a nation of innocent people be hostile toward YOU?

Guess what; feel good that the system saved your life so that you can participate in a bizarre form of capitalism ... The American Legal System.

A Fish Out Of Water

In a world of his own ... David Blaine floats in his water-filled sphere.
Photo Credit: Brendan McDermid

The amazing David Blaine, was good, but not world record breaking. His performance stunt captivated the attention of New Yorkers and an East Coast television audience but in the end, he did not even get all of the chains and handcuffs off, his feet were still bound when he came out.

Excerpts from The Sydney Morning Hearld -

Blaine damaged
By Dylan Welch and David Braithwaite
May 9, 2006 - 11:16AM Sydney Australia Time

Illusionist David Blaine has been rescued by divers after failing to hold his breath underwater for a record breaking nine minutes.

Blaine managed to hold his breath for seven minutes, eight seconds before starting to shake and blow bubbles out of his mouth.

Blaine spent the past week submerged in a plastic sphere in New York City's Lincoln Square in preparation for his world-record attempt.

The Herald's New York correspondent, Mark Coultan, watched the two-hour US television special which climaxed with Blaine's stunt.

"He failed - he got to seven minutes, eight seconds,'' he told smh.com.au.
"He was a very sick puppy when he came out - it was horrible to watch, quite frankly.

"He started to shake after seven minutes and blow bubbles out of his mouth so they've gone in and got him.

"He wasn't exactly unconscious but he was losing it.
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Yesterday Blaine described his seven days in a sphere of water as "horrific", saying he had never experienced pain like it before.

"I think the time has started to really take its toll on my body. It has started to become horrific in many, many ways.

"Every muscle doesn't just ache, it feels like a sharp shooting pain, like a knife being stabbed."

Blaine's skin had shrivelled and pruned, and he was concerned for his muscles, which had begun to atrophy.
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Public interest in the spectacle was huge, with thousands of people flocking to the Lincoln Center in downtown Manhattan to stand in line and get a chance to make brief eye contact with the water-logged magician.

In a society increasingly weary of in-your-face reality television, it seems that Blaine's self-declared magic trick has been elevated to art.

Even president of the Lincoln Centre Reynold Levy, whose centre has played host to such performers as Placido Domingo and Yo-Yo Ma, is quick to jump on the Blaine bandwagon.
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The Times reported comments by Ann Sheridan, who popped in to visit Blaine on Thursday night and drew comparisons with contentious New York public art project The Gates that covered Central Park in saffron last year.

"It's like The Gates ... nobody understands what The Gates meant, but everybody went and saw them."
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It was fun but a little unfulfilling. Kinda' like a muffed magic trick. Great photo opportunity though!

60 Minutes Over-reaches On E85 Expose

"There are oil fields in Texas, and that is called their black gold. And I think Iowa, that's our green gold." Image Credit: CBS News

I know that CBS News and 60 Minutes think their hearts are in the right place but the piece they just ran on E85 had some very big flaws and the largest one wasn't the swipe they made at the "Big" oil companies.

First, they mentioned that California was somehow a model leading the conversion of gasoline stations to ones that carry E85 FlexFuel. California has ONLY four (4) ethanol capable fuel stations and three of them are for the exclusive use of the U. S. Government.

Second, there is the actual availability of "Corn" based ethanol; It is limited very limited given its current growing production.

Excerpts from CBS News -

The Ethanol Solution
Could Corn-Based Fuel Help End America's Dependence On Imported Oil?
May 7, 2006

60 Minutes traveled to Brazil to see how they made it work. Brazil had two problems: they grew more sugarcane than they could sell and their economy was being strangled by the high price of imported oil.

Making ethanol out of sugarcane solved both problems. In cities like Sao Paulo, with 18 million people, they call ethanol "álcool," and it’s sold at every gas station, right alongside gasoline.

Ethanol really took off in Brazil when "flex-fuel" cars went on sale four years ago. These cars gave drivers a choice: they can use gas, or ethanol, or any combination of the two. Because ethanol is cheaper, the law of supply and demand took care of the rest.

There’s already a substantial supply of ethanol here in the U.S., where the fuel is made from corn instead of sugar-cane.
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But it's not a simple switch to make. Out of about 170,000 gas stations in the U.S., only 650 sell E85. And, the engines in conventional cars may not perform as well with E85, and could be damaged by it.

In Detroit, they’ve solved the car problem by making small modifications to a standard engine’s fuel-supply and injection systems. That produces the same kind of "flex-fuel" cars they’ve been selling in Brazil, and it doesn’t cost any more than a conventional car.

Flex-fuel autos adjust automatically to whatever's put in the tank – gas, ethanol, or any combination. You can convert a standard car into a flex-fuel vehicle, but you would need a skilled mechanic and some parts to do it.

And ethanol isn’t new to the auto business: the first Model T's ran on it.
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Another board member, Polly Granzow, says, "There are oil fields in Texas, and that is called their black gold. And I think Iowa, that’s our green gold."

The folks at the plant showed 60 Minutes how they do it: huge trucks filled with corn come into the plant every day and unload their cargo into what is, in reality, an industrial-sized distillery.

In a maze of pipes and tanks, corn, water and yeast are mixed and fermented into beer. Operators keep track of everything on computers.

"In 48 hours, each fermenter will make about 15 percent volume beer," Plant manager Scott Dorow explains. It's not stuff you want to drink. "It's non-filtered, and, but it's very sweet-smelling. And you can definitely tell it's beer."

Then, under high temperatures, the mixture is distilled in a giant version of an old-fashioned corn-liquor still. What emerges at the end is ethanol, which is nearly pure alcohol. Trucks carry it to a nearby railroad line. For the farmers who own the plant, ethanol is more than just a new way to make money.

"Ethanol has been one of the best-kept secrets that is out there. We know it’s a good product. We know it's good for the economy. We know it’s good for the environment," says Granzow.
And more and more people are seeing it that way. To meet rising demand, the plant will expand to double its capacity by next year. But the farmers who run the place are already thinking beyond that: to a new process of making ethanol from cellulose, instead of corn. This would be much cheaper, because cellulose is found in everything from prairie grass to agricultural waste to wood chips.
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Oil industry executives, taking heat from Congress over their multi-billion-dollar record profits, favor a different approach. They want to spend billions find to new sources of oil, which is more expensive to produce, instead of switching over to E85.
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"It's my understanding that the petroleum industry in general says "ethanol — fine," but not in favor or E85. Is that true?" Rather asked.

"No, that's not correct," Cavaney replied. "The six largest refiners said that they support the E85 in their facilities as long as the mixture arrives and meets the government specifications for that. But we must understand that the market is exceptionally limited."
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"What we don’t wanna do is over-promise to the American public what can be done with these alternative fuels, and then under-deliver," says Cavaney.

But some states, like California, are already moving to deliver E-85 to more gas stations by helping pay the cost of adding the E-85 pumps. Professor Kammen from Berkeley says the process would be a lot less expensive than the oil industry’s estimate of $200,000 per station, and wouldn’t take that long.

"The transition is pretty easy. It looks like its $30,000 to $40,000 per gas station to change over and have ethanol-dedicated pumps," he says.

"Are we talking three years? Five years? 20 years?" Rather asked.
"I think it's less than that, actually." Kammen replied. "I would bet that we will have enough ethanol stations within two to three years' time, at most.
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Cellulose to ethanol conversion have not proven to be economically viable as yet for dedicated production (still a theory), plants are currently dedicated to corn which is in limited supply.

This from MAXINE post linked in preamble comments -

The entire 73.6 million acres of corn harvested in 2004 would supply only 15.5 days of gasoline replacement. There simply is not enough land available to produce enough corn or other crops for ethanol to make a significant dent in gasoline demand. Moreover, current environmental policy encourages taking agricultural land out of production, not expanding production. (ht: Henery Lamb)

MAXINE opines, you decide ... this report over-reaches!

Insane Blaine Is At It Again

American magician David Blaine floats inside a water-filled glass sphere where he is spending seven days and nights underwater at the Josie Robertson Plaza at Lincoln Center in New York May 5, 2006. Blaine, who is now on his fifth day underwater, receives regular treatment for his skin from his medical team. At the end of the stunt titled 'Drowned Alive,' Blaine will attempt to hold his breath under water longer than any other human has ever accomplished. Photo Credits: REUTERS/Mike Segar, Brendan McDermid & AFP/Getty Images/File/Brad Barker

Noted street magician and performance artist David Blaine (most noted for being able to levitate oneself without appearent props ... on the street), becomes a fish for one week before he re-submerges himself for an attempt at a world record.

Excerpts from AFP via Yahoo! News -

David Blaine growing weak from breathtaking new stunt
Fri May 5, 1:48 PM ET

NEW YORK (AFP) - US illusionist David Blaine, who has been submerged since Monday in a water-filled sphere in downtown New York, is growing weak and will receive medical attention over the weekend, his spokesman said.

"Doctors are concerned that he's weakening. They are going to work with him through the weekend, trying to stabilize both his diet and his training regimen," spokesman Pat Smith told AFP.

"His skin is peeling very badly on his hands. Those are our biggest concerns right now," Smith said.

The spokesman said Blaine, 33, is "telling the people 'I feel great,' ... and he's determined" to see his seven-day stunt through to the end.
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Blaine said that after the week is up, he would come out and be handcuffed, wrapped in 150 pounds (68 kilos) of metal chains and dropped back inside the sphere.

He aims to hold his breath for about nine minutes, while escaping from the chains. The current world record for a human holding his breath is eight minutes and 58 seconds.
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A Day Of Mourning At MAXINE

2 Corinthians 4:7-12; 16-18 (NIV)

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

May serenity and peace find all who are mourning a tremendous and irreplaceable loss on this day.

Personal Post - Passing Of A Family Generation

Image Credit: ecj

Edmund Everett Jenks passed on at approximately 9:45 AM this Saturday morning, May 6th, 2006, of complications brought about from congestive heart failure.

He was 83, a loving father, a consistent and caring husband/partner, a loyal brother, an independent living human, a very good cook, a lover of all things Hawaii, an Elk, a member of the Navy during WWII, a really good salesman, a talented carpenter, a romantic, a fun namesake, a conservative voter with a ready opinion, a man who knew how to forgive, a great patriarch, and the last direct link to the Jenks family of his generation.

We believe he knew God and that God has received him in His domain. He passed away in peace and with little stress with a timing that had the knowledge and power of God written all over it.

Long Live Edmund Everett Jenks

Michael Yon - Dust "Up" At Camp Bastion

Camp Bastion by night. A calm before the storm. Photo Credit: Michael Yon

Over at Michael Yon: Online Magazine, Michael has posted a series of pictures that tell the story of a storm in Afghanistan. Michael, and his friend, Steve find themselves in the middle of an Afghani plain, at an encampment of tents when the weather turns. (a great piece of photojounalism, really).

Michael writes -

Camp Bastion, Afghanistan

On Camp Bastion, I walked outside and there it was: a tremendous dust storm boiling from the South. The storm brought at least two bolts of lightning and much cool air, followed by a hard, blowing rain. The dust turned to mud. The sky cleared. The air was nearly still. But off to the West, there it was again: a different dust storm rolling in, this one at a 90 degree angle from the first storm.
Visit & Enjoy>>