People I Meet - Things I Learn

From idea to final product in about an hour, by Jeff Spohn

2010-03-26T17:34:00.001-07:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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This is how we come up with new ads for facebook

2010-03-26T13:59:00.001-07:00

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Untitled

2010-02-26T10:31:00.001-08:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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I've moved! (kinda)

2010-01-27T21:55:00.000-08:00

So as you can see, I'm not that active here. But! I do twitter. A lot. So follow me over at twitter.com/danieljbittner . See you there!

Something I learned in NYC

2009-06-09T21:05:00.001-07:00

When looking for a quick sandwich in downtown NYC, try to be more specific when asking the locals, "where's the nearest subway?"

Chances are, you'll follow the directions arrive at the location, only to be staring blankly at a flight of stairs that go beneath the street with no trace of an aroma that smells remotely pleasant.

People I Meet - A stranger friend

2009-06-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was following up on a lead based on some bargain hunting I'd been doing on Craiglist. The item: A stainless steal designer lamp for a mere $20.

After I arrived and looked the lamp up and down disapprovingly (that's what you do to items when you're "Craiglsiting") I decided to forgo my usual bartering. $20 seemed fair and I didn't feel like asking for $15 after I had driven 20 miles out of my way to pick it up, only to be possibly turned down (weak, I know). Besides, I liked their immaculate interior design, so I gave them a pass.

As a walked back to my truck, prize in hand, I felt my stomach drop out. Not literally (as that would be rather disturbing and inappropriate) by figuratively, as I came to the realization that I had locked my keys in the car (being distracted while getting out earlier by a phone call to home).

I stood in the middle of the road, set the living room lamp down and pursed my lips. This solved nothing. Actually, it started raining. I then manically pulled on my truck door. Again, nothing.

After knocking on the door of the lamp sellers I explained my situation and was invited in. Now I was really glad I didn't get into a nasty bartering session (not that I've actually been in one, but I can imagine).

A few minutes later I had completed a call to my insurance company and help was on the way. Daniel, the former owner of the lamp and current owner of the house, was in his late 20

s and graciously offered me dinner and various chocolates. I munched on the chocolates out of politeness...and because I really like good chocolate.

As we waited, I soon learned that he was a builder and that he and his wife designed and built their home together, and on the weekends he was the pastor of a small local church.

The most unexpected part of it all was when we started talking about hobbies. He shared that he was a filmmaking enthusiast and had worked on several short films. I couldn't believe it! I started talking about filming Dialtone and within minutes his Mac was on the table and I was showing him The Man on YouTube. Our animated conversations were soon cut short by a knock at the door. My truck was ready to be unlocked.

Only 5 minutes later I was ready to head back home, lamp now secured within the vehicle. But first, I gave my new found friends a copy of Dialtone, exchanged contact info and promised to keep them updated on our next project at their request.

As I drove home, I reflected on my initial misgivings of driving that far out of my way for a dumb lamp, but smiled in the dark knowing that my journey and the ensuing impromptu meeting was more than coincidence.

There are still good random people in the world, just waiting for you to lock your keys in your car and invite you in, offer you dinner and chocolate and perhaps even has the same interests.

But it's not just a small world. It's God's world, and I'm happy to be in it.

Something else I learned

2009-05-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Frozen hashbrowns do not make good mashed potatoes.

I consider myself a mashed potato connoisseur, and in light of this I decided to test out a potentially time saving idea I recently had involving frozen hashbrowns.

The main problem was the consistency. Boiling the frozen bits took no time at all, but draining them was a chore. I had to pretty much use a press method with the colander in order to get the excess water out. The result was soggy potato strips that seemed to have potential, but upon mixing they failed to fully blend.

My heavily textured goop was returned to the kettle in an attempt to steam even more of the excess water out and to get a softer texture and the resulting mash after another mixing was very similar to your typical bowl of potato goodness. The only difference however, was that the starch content was much too high for some reason and thus this potentially time saving procedure was checked off my to-do list, not to be repeated in the near future.

If only I had added cheese this whole thing probably would have worked. And bacon. I love bacon.

Someone I met

2009-05-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

I met an interesting lady at the barbershop. She was very energetic, and animatedly jabbered as she cut my hair. She told me about her 20 y/o son and how he needs to find a job. She also was quite confident with how short she thought my hair needed to be. I agreed on both accounts.

"I notice you're hair sticks up in the front a little. You do a good job trimming your sideburns. So did you want a mohawk?"

She was rather random, but amusing.

Another Lesson Learned

2009-05-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

Don't trust small jumper cables. Thicker cables transfer power much better than the flimsy ones you might have in your car. Also, if you don't have a pair, I'd say that the longer the better.

Example: I tried jumping a friends car tonight with his small cables and after 15 min of nothing really happening I ran into the nearby store and bought some monster cables. They were long enough to circle around about 40 cars, which was great because I didn't feel like driving over to the other side of the parking lot where his car was. In about 5 minutes we were in business.

Lesson Learned

2009-04-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Don't promise daily posts if you were hoping that the announcement will somehow be the source of motivation to fulfill said promise.

My problem is that whenever I sit down to write something, even if I have in my mind that it will only take a minute, I inevitably end up with a post the size of a short novel and am thus burned out from writing anything else.

So, be prepared for short, Twitter sized posts.

Can I link Twitter to my blog and my Facebook Status? Now that would be nifty.

The people I meet - The things I learn

2009-04-16T22:08:00.001-07:00

I have been inspired to write about someone new I met or something new I learned every day. Between Blogger, gmail stati,Facebook and Twitter I'm not sure which I want to update more, but suffice it to say that updates will be made.

I'm looking forward to this!

Live Blogging from San Antonio

2009-01-07T13:27:00.001-08:00

Hello all,

I've decided to clean the dust from my blog a bit with a new post, albeit this post is just to direct you somewhere else for a few days.

I'll be live blogging on San Antonio for the SAICFF starting tomorrow, so make sure to follow along at GermaneProductions.blogspot.com

See you there!

Brief Update

2008-09-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

Hello!

Now that I'm sure no one comes here for updates I think I'll post a little something.

Daniel's Quickfacts:

Campaign: After many months of work we came out ahead of our opponant in the primary and ended up at 54.5%. We're hoping that Palin will bring out more R's this next time around. Pretty dismal turnout, but we did well considering that we are in a swing district and Obama hype is in the air. 'Course being across the water from Portland is kinda telling in that regard.
Campaign: Stephen came over to give me a hand for three weeks. He'll be back in the beginning of October and leave a week after the Election. It's nice to have extra help, and by the time he shows up again we'll really need it.
Dialtone: We are getting close to being done! Our final edit has been completed and we are finalizing the score.
Dialtone: The Craig Bro's TM are doing a superb job on the score. All involved have been amazed by how much good music enhances the film.
Dialone: We are currently working on dialog audio correction, sound fx, visual fx, scoring, and color grading.

That's all for now!

VOIGHT: My concerns for America

2008-07-29T11:17:00.000-07:00

From the star of National Treasure 1 & 2, Transformers, 24, and also the father of Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight has some pretty good thought on Obama.

From the Washington Times

We, as parents, are well aware of the importance of our teachers who teach and program our children. We also know how important it is for our children to play with good-thinking children growing up.

Sen. Barack Obama has grown up with the teaching of very angry, militant white and black people: the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers and Rev. Michael Pfleger. We cannot say we are not affected by teachers who are militant and angry. We know too well that we become like them, and Mr. Obama will run this country in their mindset.

The Democratic Party, in its quest for power, has managed a propaganda campaign with subliminal messages, creating a God-like figure in a man who falls short in every way. It seems to me that if Mr. Obama wins the presidential election, then Messrs. Farrakhan, Wright, Ayers and Pfleger will gain power for their need to demoralize this country and help create a socialist America.

The Democrats have targeted young people, knowing how easy it is to bring forth whatever is needed to program their minds. I know this process well. I was caught up in the hysteria during the Vietnam era, which was brought about through Marxist propaganda underlying the so-called peace movement. The radicals of that era were successful in giving the communists power to bring forth the killing fields and slaughter 2.5 million people in Cambodia and South Vietnam. Did they stop the war, or did they bring the war to those innocent people? In the end, they turned their backs on all the horror and suffering they helped create and walked away.

Those same leaders who were in the streets in the '60s are very powerful today in their work to bring down the Iraq war and to attack our president, and they have found their way into our schools. William Ayers is a good example of that.

Thank God, today, we have a strong generation of young soldiers who know exactly who they are and what they must do to protect our freedom and our democracy. And we have the leadership of Gen. David Petraeus, who has brought hope and stability to Iraq and prevented the terrorists from establishing a base in that country. Our soldiers are lifting us to an example of patriotism at a time when we've almost forgotten who we are and what is at stake.

If Mr. Obama had his way, he would have pulled our troops from Iraq years ago and initiated an unprecedented bloodbath, turning over that country to the barbarianism of our enemies. With what he has openly stated about his plans for our military, and his lack of understanding about the true nature of our enemies, there's not a cell in my body that can accept the idea that Mr. Obama can keep us safe from the terrorists around the world, and from Iran, which is making great strides toward getting the atomic bomb. And while a misleading portrait of Mr. Obama is being perpetrated by a media controlled by the Democrats, the Obama camp has sent out people to attack the greatness of Sen. John McCain, whose suffering and courage in a Hanoi prison camp is an American legend.

Gen. Wesley Clark, who himself has shame upon him, having been relieved of his command, has done their bidding and become a lying fool in his need to demean a fellow soldier and a true hero.

This is a perilous time, and more than ever, the world needs a united and strong America. If, God forbid, we live to see Mr. Obama president, we will live through a socialist era that America has not seen before, and our country will be weakened in every way.

Jon Voight is an Academy Award-winning actor who is well-known for his humanitarian work.

Campaigning

2008-07-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

I find that I have a tendency to write really long posts, if and when I actually post. This obviously takes a lot of time, and thus I tend to push blogging way down on the priority list. This is obviously not a good thing, as I feel I have a responsibility to keep certain folks updated. If you are not one of those folks, that’s okay, you can still read my posts.

In any event, I plan on updating more, but with shorter entries.

But to start it off, I’ll bring you up to speed.

First I’d like to say that my multi-month vacationing marathon around Eastern Europe and Australia has been interesting and enjoyable. The weather has been consistently nice, and the food is fantastic. The natives, however, are just as stuck up as ever against us Yanks. Regardless, that hasn’t stopped me from perfecting my surfing pro-skills and diving the Reef just about every day.

Oh wait; this is a blog post, not an addition to my summer wish list (which I've been meaning to start). Sorry.

Some folks still have no idea that I’m in still in WA, but in fact I’m working in Vancouver and will be until at least December.

I am the campaign manager of a senate re-election race, as well as the executive assistant to the CEO of a marketing firm. My day is split in two, focusing on the business in the mornings, and working on the campaign in the afternoon. Thankfully my boss is the same for both jobs, but it still can be confusing when trying to keep track of two very fast paced schedules.

Probably the most diverse of the two jobs would be campaigning. I run the Senator’s schedule, coordinate endorsement and fundraising meetings, take all the campaign phone calls that come in, recruit volunteers, and file the contributions that come in with the Public Disclosure Commission every week (they keep track of all funds received and spent in every race for public office in the state).

I work with a WSU grad, Jami, who is our communications director. She does our press releases, updates our website and Facebook page, and coordinates our events with our volunteers.

“Doorbelling” makes up a large part of campaign work. Studies have shown (don’t ask me when or where) that physically handing information to someone and giving them a quick pitch, as opposed to strictly sending them mail pieces, cements the name of the candidate in their mind and acts a follow up to your other name recognition efforts (road signs, parades, etc.). All this is done with the hope that the ever forgetful voter will recall his sentient of good feeling or trust towards the candidate that he has perhaps gained when it comes time to check the box near his name.

I have plenty of stories of what happens on some peoples doorsteps, but for starters let me just say that the average voter, yes we’re talking register voters here, is horrendously under-informed (A.K.A Ignorant).

Most of the folk I talk to know only who they are voting for in the Presidential race. Other than that they don’t seem to care, at all. This apathy drives me out of my mind because they have no idea how much more state politics affects their everyday lives as opposed to national politics. :end of rant:

Another thing I've learned is that a lot of voters like to vote for the winner. It seems that if the voter percives a candidate as being likely to win, they will join what is called the "bandwagon" effect.

Well, thats all for now. Check back for more frequent (albeit random) updates from the life of a campaign manager. If you dare.

My Pal Is Married!

2008-05-15T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I’m back. Again. The past two weeks has been a whirlwind of activity, only, a whirlwind that goes on for two weeks (which normally doesn’t happen in real life, thankfully). However, unlike the destructive nature of whirlwinds, the past two weeks have been positively inspirational, recreational, and educational.

First I’ll start with the Inspirational –

Two weeks ago I flew into Charleston, SC to take part in one of my best pal’s wedding. Tait Zimmerman and Lauren Fitzhenry made solemn and Christ-honoring vows to each other under the full blessing of both their parents.

I, and the other two interns (Christopher and Jason), met Tait right at the start of our internship. This provided us the opportunity to encourage (and tease) him during his two year pursuit that finally concluded in marriage.

The outdoor setting was beautiful, the family and guests were happy and excited, and the spirit of the entire event was one of great encouragement.

This couple, young as they were, got it. They understood the importance of the family and the structure God had outlined for it. They entered a covenant together with much more maturity and council than most couples do throughout our entire nation. Because they have heeded the many years of advice they each have received from their parents and godly influences in their life, I know that Tait and Lauren will be might weapons in the hands of the Creator in their new life together.

Congratulations!

I'm Back!

2008-04-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

After about three straight months of pure scheduling mayhem I have finally arrived at a time where I can sit down, think for a moment, and realize that it's not going to get any easier!

So, I've made up my mind to return to my blog and my loyal readers, come what-may.

Thanks to the dedicated updates from Stephen and Jacqueline, everyone should be well aware of the happenings of the larger faction of the Bittner clan.

I, on the other hand, have much explaining to do.

To bring everyone up to speed, I completed my third session in the Senate during the same week the movers packed away all of the family stuff.Our biggest accomplishment this year was to finaly pass a law to tighten a loop hole regarding sex offenders. After three years of work, we finaly did it! You can read, and watch, the story here and here.

After that I was hosted at the Rowlands home for a week. During that week my family and I said our goodbyes to each other and I remained behind.

With about five days left of "free time" before I had to head down to Vancouver for my new job, I hurriedly worked with the rest of the GP Crew and organized an insane 4 different film shoots. Somehow we pulled them off thanks to the amazing coordination from many different volunteers.

I then headed down south to my new home in Washougal, and my new job in Vancouver. I have been graciously welcomed into the home of Jon and Sarah Russel for the extent of the elections. I am becoming welcomed by their 2 year old daughter, Eve, who I think is leaning towards liking me.

I now split my work day working for a national consulting group as an executive assistant to the president/national consultant, and also working as the senate campaign manager for the same guy. He is the Senator I have been working for in the Senate for the past three years.

The campaign has been very interesting so far as well as the consulting work. I will be sharing those interesting tid bits in the days to come.

So, that pretty much brings everyone up to speed to where I'm at (with the exception of a few details).

I have recently taken a liking to the ever popular, private social networking site, Facebook. I have many pictures and updates that are there that I probably won't post on this public blog, just because I'd rather not share them with un-friendy's of the campaign, such as local newspapers, that are just waiting to find out things that could be used as cannon fodder.

So....if you don't have an account you should at least check out the site and see how many folks you know are already there (I should be getting paid by Facebook for this).

That's all for now! I'll be back! Sooner!

Physics of life at 40 below

2008-03-20T23:26:00.000-07:00

As I sorted through my files this eveing before I back up my hard drive, I ran accross this article that I tucked away when my family thought that we
were heading to Alaska last year.

I instantly thought of my Zimmerman friends up there and thought I'd post this so that the rest of you "lower 48'rs" can see what AK living is like.

A father wakes, rolls out of bed and steps on cold carpet. He grabs a flashlight and shines it outside the window. The thermometer reads 40 below zero, the only point at which the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales agree. The red liquid within his thermometer is alcohol; mercury freezes at 38 below.

His little boy wakes, dresses and hands his father birch logs to add to the wood stove. The logs are heavy, cut last fall and not properly dried. The green wood contains almost 50 percent moisture, compared to about 30 percent in cured wood. The logs hiss amid other burning logs. They give off no heat until the moisture is driven off.

Outside, the car is plugged in. The father remembered the night before to activate the heating element that warms his antifreeze, which in turn keeps his motor oil just viscous enough to allow the pistons to move. A heat blanket, another northern adaptation, has kept the battery at about 20 degrees Fahrenheit, just warm enough to permit 50 percent of the cranking strength available in summer.

After breakfast, the mother dresses her boy so he can wait outside for the school bus. She pulls a big pile hat over his head, knowing that's where the human body loses the most heat, followed by the neck, the sides of the torso under the arms, and his groin.

Mother and son walk outside, crunching the snow on the driveway as they break the bonds between snow crystals. The dry snow is cold enough to prevent skis from gliding. The air is so cold it robs the interface between ski and snow of heat produced by friction that creates melt water on which to glide in warm temperatures.

On the road, car headlights cut through the ice fog that hangs over the road like cotton candy. Exhaust, about 250 degrees in the tailpipe, cools to minus 40 in less than 10 seconds after it comes out of the vehicle. Water cooled that fast turns into tiny particles that make up ice fog. Cars and trucks aren't the only things that make ice fog. Any source of water vapor will do, including people.

Waiting for the bus, mother and son turn to the sound of a nearby train. Though the train is more than five miles away, a temperature inversion makes it sound as if it's coming down the street. The inversion, created when warm air rests on top of colder air, acts as a tunnel in which sound waves bounce for great distances.

The boy sees a raven flying above the ice fog and points to it. Ravens often roost close to town during a cold snap. As the black bird flies through the air, its hyper metabolism keeps its body temperature at about 107 degrees. Through various adaptations, most animals are bothered very little by the cold, though chickadees adapted to life at bird feeders will probably die if people stop feeding them now.

School is rarely closed by cold weather in Alaska (the Fairbanks North Star Borough has no official temperature cutoff), so the bus arrives on time. The mother walks back into the house, her toes tingling as her extremities go through a normal cycle of warming and cooling. Her toe temperature rises to 68 degrees after falling to 50 while waiting for the bus.

The father starts a sluggish car engine. During the cold start, his engine spews a large amount of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and a whole slew of hydrocarbons. After five to 10 minutes, heat from the engine warms the gasoline, which changes more readily to vapor, allowing more gas to ignite and reducing the pollutants out the tailpipe. As he pulls out of the driveway and into the fog floating above the street, his car bounces due to a tire that has retained a flat spot. He bumps down the road slowly until the tire warms enough for the rubber to become more flexible. Life rolls on

-Ned Rozell
ALASKA SCIENCE

:hibernating:

2008-02-12T18:49:00.000-08:00

Well, for those of you who are in close contact with me you probably know that I am currently infatuated in a plethora of activities which are constricting, and or otherwise inhibiting, my ability (or energy) to update this blog on a more consistent basis.

And the fact that I just wrote that obnoxious paragraph just proves how stretched out I am.

Currently I am working once again as the Session Aide to a Senator here in the WA State Senate. In my spare time I am helping dad get our house ready to sell, as we are moving to the East Coast next month. I am also working as a contractor doing web work.

But that is just part of my day.

The rest is filled with the thousands of unknown known’s (a quote from Donald Rumsfeld that you should Google) that pop up when you are producing a film.

Brian and I have been working tirelessly to keep DialTone on schedule and shot before we move in March. Thanks to a fantastic crew we have been doing very well so far and are well on our way to getting it done in time.

In any event, I’ll be taking a break from blogging here for the next month or so. You will find me over at germaneproductions.blogspot.com instead.

By the way, if you support Christian filmmaking please consider making a donation to Germane Productions. We need you help! It’s amazing what costs are incurred when you make a film, but trust me, it costs!

Thanks for reading! I’ll be back soon.

Freedom is the meaning of Christmas

2007-12-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

No matter what your opinion may be on our nation's involvement in the Middle East, I think that you will find this article very encouraging. I know I did, especially with my Dad spending Christmas over in Kuwait today.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8TOKSM80&show_article=1

Merry Christmas to all of you. I'm grateful for such great friends and family!

The Home School Family !

2007-12-21T14:02:00.000-08:00

If you come from a home educated background you probably will find this funny.

Thanks to Brian and Kaitlin for sharing this.

http://www.doublesharpevideo.com/HomeSchool2/Homeschool2.html

"Where have you been?"

2007-12-18T23:53:00.000-08:00

I have obviously been neglecting my readers here, but I do have something to share that I think you will find very interesting.

My time away from this blog has been spent over the past two months creating, and now managing, a website and forum all designed with you in mind (this include my loyal blog stalkers;).

As you know, I am interested in movies and filmmaking, and have recently decided to take a big step forward to go ahead with an idea that's been swimming around my head for a while.

The idea is to create a network of concerned young Christians who are also interested in Christian films, but who just don't have the experience, tools, or time to complete a film on their own. From this dilemma (which is actually great potential in disguise) springs Project DialTone by Germane Productions.

Me and and a guy named Brian, the guy I produced The Processes with while working in the Senate(read post below), are collaborating together again to produce a short Christian film which will be entered in the San Antonio Christian Film Festival next fall and we need your help to do that!

"But what can I do, I don't the difference between gaffers tape and video tape?!"

Well you see, gaffers are in charge of all the lighting in movies, and they use lots of tape to keep cords out of the way, and video tape, well...you get the idea. In any event, it really doesn't matter what you know about making movies.

If you do have experience in a certain aspect of the movie making process then you definitely would be a great help, but this project was designed for the everyday Christian who would just like to get involved in any capacity.

You could help us organize our schedule, find props, research rental lists or available shooting locations and much, much more. And the beauty of it is, you can do it all online! If you don't live nearby, it doesn't matter. There's plenty to do from a distance, and we have created an online forum to organize such things

"So whats the movie about?"

Well, it just so happens that you can see for yourself by going to GermaneProductions.com. Let me just say, however, that I'm positive you will find it intriguing. Brian has done a stellar job with the story and I'm sure it will leave you thinking about
how you live your life as a Christian.

"What if I don't have much time?"

Well, the most important thing right now is for as many people to read the script as possible and then to tell us what you thought. We need your feedback!

What was your initialresponse? Did you finish with unanswered questions? Do you have an idea to
make the story better?

Your input on the script is our greatest need right now as we must have it nailed down by the New Year.

"So, how do I get involved?"

Go to the website, register, and head to the forum!Once you sign up you will also get access to exclusive content on the site that you should find, at the very least, interesting.

GermaneProductions.com

Join the team today!

Life in the Middle East

2007-11-19T23:22:00.000-08:00

Many friends and acquaintances have asked me about my Dad and what he does exactly over in Kuwait. Typically I tell them that he is a Warrant Officer in the Army and that he is heavily involved in Logistics, which he is, but I haven’t really known all of the specifics.

So, for the benefit of all those around (including me), I decided to send Pop a good ‘ol fashioned email and ask him first hand about his duties are overseas.

I sent the email at around 11:30 PM my time, which is about 10:30 AM (11 hrs. ahead) his time,
and by the time I woke up I was excited to find that he had found time to answer my questions.

So, for those who were curious, enjoy.

Please feel free to comment with any other questions you might have. I know dad would be happy to answer them.

_________________________________

What is your title?

My rank which goes with my title is Chief Warrant Officer five, and I hold the position as the Theater Ground Maintenance Technician for South West Asia (SWA). I am assigned to Third Army ARCENT (Army Central Command) which is headquarters is in Georgia. I am the forward element working for CFLCC (Coalistion Forces Land Component Command).

Who exactly do you interact with on a weekly average, and who do you report to?

My direct officer that I report to is Colonel Tunstall who is the Deputy G4. He is my rater on my Officer Evaluation Report. In turn Colonel Tunstall works for Brigadier General Hodge who is the Director of Operational Sustainment. General Hodge is my Senior Rater who endorses my performance and provides guidance on short term and long term goals which he has envisioned. This provides me with a focus of his expectations and how I can further make him successful.

Is Kuwait relatively safe?

It depends on which aspect we look at. As far as insurgency, roadside bombs, snipers, IEDs, and suicide bombers go the answer is definitely YES. Now, as far as safety on the roads the answer is a resilient NO.

There are posted speed limits, 120 KM being the average, but no one ever pays attention to speed limits, turn signals, or any other basic fundamental rules of the road. Here it is simply a matter of boldness and defensive driving.

I typically stay out of the main flow of traffic so that I am not apt to get involved in any mishap. The accidents that happen here seldom have survivors due to the rate of speed. If we see an accident in Washington, it is really not all that often. However, here it is a daily repetitive occurrence.

Do you ever get to leave the base?

Actually, I can leave whenever I need or want to. But based upon the previous question and answer, I really only leave the base when I need to travel for missions. I do not travel for the sake of seeing thousands of acres of sand, and one camel does look like the next.

What is your preferred mode of transportation inside and out side of the post?

I walk to and from work each day, to include the dining facility, etc…. However, when I need to walk more than a few blocks I resort to the Suburban.

As far as off post travel goes, naturally I take the Suburban. The last time I traveled to Iraq, I took the Suburban to the flight line then a Blackhawk to Camp Ali Alsaleen, then a twin prop C12 into Baghdad. So dependent upon the purpose of the trip, transportation varies.

What type of food do you eat? Any perks here?

Well for breakfast I basically stick to oatmeal with a little brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins. On the side I will have a piece of fruit and a couple of strawberries. Lunch and Dinner primarily consist of a salad, prime rib, steak, shrimp, crab legs, lasagna, spaghetti, cold sandwiches’, tortellini, tacos, burritos, chicken, fried catfish, baked salmon, deep fried white fish, or any combination of the above on any given day.

To be perfectly honest, you can pretty much determine what you will be eating based upon what day of the week it is. The food is fairly tasteless and not really enjoyable, but that is probably due to the fact that I am not with my family.

The perks here are the Baskin Robbins located in the dining facility!!!!! But as for me and my stomach, this is not a perk!!!! I view it as Satan's temptation, and I must admit I am doing just fine in resisting.

What do you find most exciting about your duties?

I like the diversification of responsibilities and interaction that I have with all the fundamental aspects of how the Army functions. Whether it be transportation assets, communications electronics, missile command, Tank and Automotive Command, contracting, new equipment fielding (MRAP), maintenance, refurbishment, or working with item managers back in the States I find that there is never a dull moment and that my direct knowledge and leadership ensures that the right mixture of assets and planning is in place to ensure that the needs are being met across the battlefield.

What part of the day do you look forward to?

If there is a part of the day I look forward to it would be the morning, because I now know that I am one more day closer to going home to my family.

How does your work week function (hours of duty, time off, breaks)?

Do I need to remind you, I am a CW5!

(Editors bragging note: There are only about 60 Warrant Officer 5's in the whole army.
They are roughly the equivalent of a Colonel, but typically specialize in a very specific field. Dad's field is Maintenance and Supply, or Logistics.)

All kidding aside, I typically work 7 days a week. I go to the office around 0800 and I leave at 1800. From there I grab a bite to eat and go to the gym. I try to stay as busy as I can so that I do not have to think about where I am, and that I am not with my family.

What are some things most Americans don't know about the Middle East?

That the quality of sand here is so poor, that they have to import sand in order to make quality cement!!!!

Do you ride camels to work?

No, but it would be interesting to say the least.

Where do you live and what are the conditions?

I live in a two story brick apartment complex. I have all the amenities that a western apartment has. There is a small kitchen with stove, microwave, refrigerator, toaster, and of course a coffee maker. Inside my room is a entertainment center, desk, dresser, closet, end table and bed. Additionally, there is central heat and air, telephone, and wireless Internet.

So, for a single man, I guess the living conditions would be great. However for a married man who longs to be with his family, there is nothing that can replace the loneliness of each passing day.

Filmaking Genious (Update: Video should work now)

2007-11-03T15:38:00.000-07:00

I know I still owe you all an update about my father and what he does over in Kuwait, but I'm currently caught up in some other exciting film projects that will soon become public.

The first project coming soon is the result of mine and Brian's (if you don't know who his already you will soon) families getting together for an evening.

The second is a project that promises to be exciting, educational, and beneficial to those who have ever watched a movie and have had even the least bit of interest in making one but really can't do it all themselves.

In any event, to preface the post about my dad I thought that I would share with you all a film that my siblings and I made when our parents went on a lunch cruise in Seattle and we were left alone at our home on Fort Lewis trying to think of something creative to do. Being a military family, the theme to us was fairly obvious to us.

The film was shot on the decrepit family s-vhs analog camera and and then digitized a year later. This was our first film and we were proud of it in all of it's imperfect splendor (and we remain so to this day).

Please share how this feature film has momentarily changed your life.

Please note: I use the DIVX player because it allows the highest quality streaming experience (which is essential with this film short). Just install it once and you never have to do it again. It's safe and free.

The one and only keyword search phrase for the month...

2007-10-25T21:29:00.000-07:00

"interesting humrous articles"

Thank you Google for somehow directing that lost, wandering user to my site. Even if I only get the ones that can't spell.

America the Pitiful

2007-10-25T01:10:00.000-07:00

BUT FIRST A PAID NON-POLITICAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

Many projects are going on behind the scenes in my little world right now, but soon a few will emerge. Namely, a new post is coming giving an update on what exactly my father does over in Kuwait, the embedding of my latest production (The Process) here in full semi-HD will take place, and a super secret project that every young person even slightly interested in christian films will undoubtedly be interested in will be revealed.

AND NOW WE'RE BACK:

We now shift our focus onto the world around us and return to the sad economical reality which is our nation and ask ourselves once more, "Just when will the outsourcing stop?", and "How do we solve the problem related below?".

Report: Many U.S. Parents Outsourcing Child Care Overseas

My Summer in Review : The Process

2007-10-04T20:45:00.000-07:00

Well, with summer pretty much over I find myself looking back into the past (i.e. sifting through my unorganized My Pictures bin) and calmly reflecting upon the events and adventures which took place over the summer months and I've decided to write a series of posts to make up for the things which I failed to jot down earlier.

As many of you know, right after I returned from my San Antonio internship with VF, I started working again in the Senate as a session aide to a Republican State Senator. The legislative session was 120 days long this year.

Many great things were learned and experienced in the office, but one particular project stands out, a project that had little to do with actual work and more to do about what my job is.

Confused? That's why we did this project.

You see, not many people know how difficult it is to get bills turned into law, and espesially, what the legislative staff go through in order to make things happen. So halfway through session my supervisor and I decided to use our lunch breaks to show what we do using my camera and his ideas.

The film, entitled The Process, is a behind-scenes-look of the legislative process, albeit with a humorous and slightly exaggerated paradoxical spin. It was also a no-budget, script-it-as-you-shoot-it, last minute scramble of a project, complete with bad audio and shot on a camera the size of a P&J sandwich. There, that ought to kill high expectations.

Our initial story took many twists and turns throughout the project with Brian at the creative helm. He came up with most of the story ideas while I, as the camera operator and guy in charge of all things technical, murmured softly in my proverbial corner about how impossible a certain shot he wanted might be, or how the how audio would sound even worse if we shot in a certain room.

Brian is mostly the star, being the advertised "real-life legislative staffer", with myself and this years college intern, Josh, playing our respective positions. For our additional cast we threatened, pleaded, blackmailed, and, in one case, scheduled a dinner with the office's former intern (making him drive down from Seattle), over the course of two months in order to fill some pretty fantastic roles.

Casting cost us a few friendships, but who needs friends who won't act in your movies? Think about that when you meet a new friend.

In conclusion, I have been working on getting a high quality online version available, but with it being 23 minutes long I've had to do some searching for a good host (I'm trying Stage6 and DIVX right now). So until I unveil the project online to everyone (a few friends and family have had forced exclusive viewings), a few mid-production photos will have to suffice.

Random Facts for the Day

2007-09-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Because I know that a majority of you drink lots of java I figured I share these interesting bits about coffee as shared by Uncle John’s Legendary Lost Bathroom Reader (Hey, it's more reputable than Wikipedia).

________________________________________

What is America’s favorite drug?

You guessed it - caffeine. We use more caffeine than all other drugs - legal or illegal - combined. Want to know what the stuff is doing to you? Here’s a quick overview.

BACKGROUND

If you start the day with a strong cup of coffee or tea, you’re not alone. Americans ingest the caffeine equivalent of 530 million cups of coffee every day. Caffeine is the world’s most popular mood-altering drug. It’s also one of the oldest: according to archaeologists, man has been brewing beverages from caffeine-based plants since the Stone Age.

HOW CAFFEINE PICKS YOU UP
Caffeine doesn’t keep you awake by supplying extra energy; rather it fools your body into thinking it isn’t tired.

When your brain is tired and wants to slow down, it releases a chemical called adenosine.
Adenosine travels to special cells called receptors, where it goes to work counteracting the chemicals that stimulate your brain.
Caffeine mimics adenosine; so it can "plug up" your receptors and prevent adenosine from getting through. Result: Your brain never gets the signal to slow down, and keeps building up stimulants.

JAVA JUNKIES

After a while, your brain figures out what’s going on, and increases the number of receptor cells so it has enough for both caffeine and adenosine.

When that happens, caffeine can’t keep you awake anymore … unless you increase the amount you drink so it can "plug up" the new receptor cells as well.

This whole process only takes about a week. In that time, you essentially become a caffeine addict. Your brain is literally restructuring itself to run on caffeine; take the caffeine away and your brain has too many receptor cells to operate properly.

If you quit ingesting caffeine "cold turkey," your brain begins to reduce the number of receptors right away. But the process takes about two weeks, and during that time your body sends out mild "distress signals" in the form of headaches, lethargy, fatigue, muscle pain, nausea, and sometimes even stillness and flu-like symptoms. As a result, most doctors recommend cutting out caffeine gradually.

CAFFEINE’S EFFECTS

Good: Caffeine has been scientifically proven to temporarily increase alertness, comprehension, memory, reflexes, and even the rate of learning. It also helps increase clarity of thought.
Bad: Too much caffeine can cause hand tremors, loss of coordination or appetite, insomnia, and in extreme cases, trembling, nausea, heart palpitations, and diarrhea.

Widely varying the amount of caffeine you ingest can put a strain on your liver, pancreas, heart, and nervous system. And if you’re prone to ulcers, caffeine can make your situation worse.
If you manage to consume the equivalent of 70 - 100 cups of coffee in one sitting, you’ll experience convulsions, and may even die.

CAFFEINE FACTS

The average American drinks 210 milligrams of caffeine a day. That’s equivalent to 2-3 cups of coffee, depending on how strong it is.

How you make your coffee has a lot to do with how much caffeine you get. Instant coffee contains 65 milligrams of caffeine per serving; coffee brewed in a percolator has 80 milligrams; and coffee made using the "drip method" has 155 milligrams.

Top four sources of caffeine in the American diet: coffee, soft drinks, tea, and chocolate, in that order. The average American gets 75% of their caffeine from coffee. Other sources include over-the-counter pain killers, appetite suppressants, cold remedies, and some prescription drugs.
What happens to the caffeine that’s removed from decaf coffee? Most of it is sold to soda companies and put into soft drinks. (Cola contains some caffeine naturally, but they like to add even more.)

Do you drink more caffeine than your kids do? If you correct for body weight, probably not. Pound for pound, kids often get as much caffeine from chocolate and soft drinks as their parents get from coffee, tea, and other sources.

In keeping with my CC fraud awareness theme

2007-09-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

Pavarotti Protégé

2007-09-06T15:29:00.001-07:00

After taking a break from my blogging for the past couple of weeks I feel somewhat obligated to break back into the habit by posting an article of genius and humor, though not obligated enough to actually do so just yet.

For now, I’d like to share some video clips which detail the storybook like journey of a humble cell phone salesman as he takes a stand to fulfill his life long dream. Granted, this whole thing is somewhat sentimental and contains opera, but I think you’ll find the story of Paul Potts interesting, and for you guys, not completely devoid of manliness.

Just watching the judges rolls their eyes when this everage Joe, in need of an orthhodontist appointment or two, announces what he plans on doing is worth the watch.

Start with this clip and then go down.

Semi-Finale

2007-09-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Finale

2007-09-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

hillbilly holiday

2007-08-14T22:51:00.000-07:00

Whilst driving through the hills the other day I came upon this sign and decided that it deserved an honorable mention, especially noting the way in which wedding is spelled. All the best to Big Ed & Joe Elle.

Who's side are you on?

2007-08-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

In a world of frivolous lawsuits it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between real issues and petty claims.

In this article, a man having allergic reactions to dairy products requested a major fast food restaurant to hold the cheese, but they didn't. So when he ate the burger in a darkened room he went into convulsions.

Now he is suing for 10 million on behalf of "two counts of negligence, one count of intentional infliction of emotional distress and one count of punitive damages."

Who's responsible?

http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/2007081043/Man-says-hold-the-cheese-claims-McDonalds-didnt-sues-for-10-million/

Bush sees new threat.

2007-08-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

We all know that our President hasn't always made the best moves in policy, but ya know, you gotta love a guy who sticks to his guns no matter what.

Surprise

2007-08-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

Fear not. I have indeed survived the trip, in spite of what a few of you have obviously assumed. I must say, however, that the gracious outpouring of care from anonymous users is reassuring... I think.

In any event, here are a few photos from our 2 1/2 day hike. The first day was toughest. The previous week of torrential rain had converted all of our upward trails into streams and thus we were soaked from head to frozen toe by the time we set up camp at 2,500 feet. The next day we covered another 1,000 feet and then descended about 3,000. It's hard to imagine how steep 1,000 feet is, but suffice it to say that we had a to take a break about every 15 min. to catch our breath and drink, or find, water.

A few more details will follow once Benj, the real photographer, posts his album.

Off to conquer the world

2007-07-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

It's currently 1:00 am on Monday morning and our family has just returned from a fantastic three day family camping event named Camp Dwight in Sisters, Oregon. More on that later.

We have just traveled the 5 hours back home and right now I am busily packing my junk into neat little backpack compartments. I like neat little compartments.

Christopher Berkompas, three of his brothers, my brother, and yours truly will be heading into the great unknown within the Olympic Mountains in about 4 hours. Please stay tuned to see if I survive.

Free Security Check

2007-07-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

What it takes to find me

2007-07-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

Anyone who has a blogger account probably is using Google Analytics, and if not they are missing out on fantastic useless information.

I enjoy seeing where people live who happen upon my blog (hello you two from Kaiserslautern) and how they got here. However, I am sorry to report that my wit and genius are not what brings people here every time (this is more or less a confession to myself). In fact, I found a very interesting list which shows what Google search terms it takes to land an unsuspecting Internet searcher into my little world. Take a look.

1. chatbots morphing
2. "jonathan berkompas"
3. "corporal punishment" +"doug phillips"
4. ebay scam buy it now email
5. ebay scam want full name, ebay id, shipping address
6. numberedsteps.blogspot.com
7. ebay art fraud

I'm afraid after looking at this list that I am not well advertised by google. You can't even search for my name and get here, but if you search for morphing chatbots and Doug Phillips mixed with a little corporal punishment..tada! Thats Daniel! Go figure.

Take a look and tell me which ones are yours so I can start writing the content you are apparently looking for.

My professional response to the ACLU

2007-07-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

Ebay Scam Exposed

2007-07-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

Typically when you go to buy something off of ebay there is one main way that you determine is the seller is legit or not, check their feedback. However, I discovered that even this safeguard has its limits and that you need to dig even a little deeper.

A friend of mine found an amazing deal on a 3ccd HD video camera (for you non-video people this means really expensive) and it was brand new. However, he had some questions because this camera, typically priced at $9,000, was being sold for $1,600.

I checked the site out, saw fantastic feedback, and thought it might be an honest deal...until I read some of his unique payment terms. Basically it read like, "I have a right not to sell this item to the bidder if I have not been contacted first by email at this address."

Why email? Why first before bidding? Well, I thought I would take on the role of average Joe gullible Internet buyer and find out.

-------------

From: Djbittner04
To: martinboars@aol.com

im very interested in your camera. im okay dealing outside of ebay to if thats what you likw to do

thanks.

Dino J.

(I figured this guy, like most scammers, will not have mastered the art of english grammer and composition).

-------------
Sir we will do the transaction trough eBay , butnot paypal because I can't use my account , it is upgrating. If you want to buy it now for $1600 let me know and I will tell you how to proceed next
reply me soon
-------------
From: Djbittner04

sure. i'm game dude. im veery interested. but why did you list paypal as accepted payment at the same time you posted that people should contact you first?

Thanks
------------
Because I wish to leave feedback for the buyer .
if you want to buy the canon right now reply me your eBay user id, full name and shipping address and I will contact eBay and they will tell you how to proceed next
reply me soon
-----------
From: Djbittner04

okay. sounds good. user ID : splintered_light Full name : Joquine Bittner

5439 Saint Charles Loop NE
Olympia, WA 98516

I look forwardard to hearing back from ebay for confirmation
-------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: I used a fake first name above to see how he was going to use it, though I gave him my real user ID so he wouldn't get suspicious.
-----------

Have you received the payment invoice?
let me know please
thanks
-----------

CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW

---------------------------------------------------------------
From: Djbittner04

yep. Just got it. fur some reason it ended up in my A0l spam filter. don't you hate it when aol tries rto protect you from spammers? it's like, stop it stupid aol. anyway, what do I do now?

----------
NOTE: I couldn't resist an inside joke.
----------

Now you have to make the payment as they adviced you .
how you were adviced?
let me know when you can complete the payment so i can arrange the shipping
thanks
----------
From: Djbittner04

well, i got two emails from ebay that adviced me. one was ebay info on how too wire transfer you many for the good deal on "my" soon camera, and the other was from ebay saying that you were probably a scam artist. which one did you send?

--------

AfFter waiting three hours for reply it was obvious that he knew that I was pulling his chain. I sent him another note two hours later just to see if he would reply at this point.

-------
From: Djbittner04

I just told you that i was adviced by emal from ebay. what next? I can complete the transaction tomorrow when I have more money in my account. will that work.
thanks

-------

Yes it works

-------

THE END

This entire email exchange took place in the course of about 1 1/2 hours, an attribute of the speed style prefered by these artists. As you can see, after I identified that I wasn't as interested as I seemed, he was still was open to the fact that I might still send him money. These guys don't give up!

5 things to watch out for for:

1. Don't trust good feedback alone. This guy somehow conned a good law abiding ebayer into giving up some essential account info, hacked in, and then proceeded to list about 10 rather expensive items (PlayStation 3, video camera, home theatre systems) both at rock bottom price, with each ending within a couple seconds of each other.

2. Check out the sellers other items for sale if you have suspicions. In my case, the fact that several other items were going to be sold at around the same time indicated an irregular technique for for the real seller. This method would allow the scammer to glean as much money as possible in very little time and then trash the account.

3. Beware of 1 day auctions. This again indicates someone wanting to do a lot of business really fast. This is a big thing to look for, but rather hard to spot. Look carefully for when the item was listed.

4. Never, never, NEVER complete transactions outside of ebay. This guy said that he needed to do it this way so that he could leave feedback for me (that doesn't even make sense), and cleverly sent me an email from "ebay" with my account info on it (see picture above).

5. Don't give out your real name. Ebay already knows your real name and they use this information in conjunction with your username when they send you something. To simulate this security feature, the scammer asked for both of my names, and then walla...they now appear in my really fake genuine ebay confirmation email! Genius!

Some other tips as:

If you get a suspicious email from any company wanting your banking or otherwise confidential info, ALWAYS make sure that the links they want you to click on will direct you to an https: site as opposed to non-secure http: site.

If you see suspicious items being listed on ebay, don't bid on them until you know (beyond a reasonable doubt) that it is safe. If you think it is a spoof listing, report the item to http://pages.ebay.com/help/contact_us/_base/index_5.html .

Don't ask me why I got started on this extended tangent, but I hope this info will come in handy in the days to come.

If you have an ebay tip of any type please share it here.

Very interesting article by the Wall Street Journal

2007-06-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

Illegitimacy has risen despite--indeed, because of--legal abortion.

A must read.

http://opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110010227

When Liberals are screaming "Radical!", take notice.

2007-06-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Conservative Backlash In Full Color

2007-06-07T17:57:00.001-07:00

In a World where liberalism dominates universities, Hollywood, and politics, it is refreshing to see a team pull together and make a statement against the mainstream media.

After witnessing Michael Moore's approach to issues in Fahrenheit 9/11, a young, small budget, conservative filmmaker by the name of Evan Maloney decided to use the same template and "reveal the ugly truths about academia that you won't see in their glossy admissions brochures."

As one would expect, Maloney is having trouble getting a major distributor, such as Miramax, Sony, or Paramount Pictures, to get his film into theatres nationwide. However, his topic is not a complete secret, and many young people want to see this. According to stats available at indoctrinate-u.com, over 21,000 people have requested local screenings as of 6/2/07.

"Our Education. Their Politics."

How True.

My Weekend Off

2007-05-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

There’s a beeping down the hallway. A woman sits in the seat across from me. I look up. She’s hunched over in discomfort. A baby cries from across the room. There’s an outlet next to my chair. I plug in my laptop and write.

Well, today is the day after I have finished my time in the Senate for this session and I really don’t have the time to write this post due to a Friday deadline for a small film project. But I figure that I should jot a few details of the day for my own sanity.

To start with, this morning found me driving back home from the logging town of Aberdeen some 50 miles from home. Some of my siblings and I had spent the night with some friends after a night of city orchestra practice and I needed to get back to Olympia for a political action committee meeting.

Now, granted I obviously am interested in politics, but racing to a PAC meeting the day after leaving the Senate is not the break I was expecting.

The meeting went well, I got a communist red t-shirt, complete with white star, that encourages people to register to vote in the name of revolution, and I ended up being commissioned as a legislative district coordinator for the PAC (Faithand reedomNetwork.us). Ok, so far.

Then noontime emits its unseen call of the hungry and leads mom and I to investigate a small ritzy French restaurant (located in a quant downtown Olympia house). Now, I warned my date that this place was probably not open, but it was decided (and I was not part of that particular committee) that we should investigate anyway.

We get to the door, see people inside, and walk right in. Right into a private wedding party.

I shut the door behind me, turn around, and find myself standing next to the bride, who had just stopped in the middle of some sort of address. All of the well dressed guests were staring right at me in grim silence.

Not knowing what to do I did the obvious. I smiled, made a few remarks, told the groom he was definitely unworthy, and took a sip of the champaign.

Actually, what I did was duck into the next room, nervously chatted with the chef (who doubles as the Senate chef during session), promised to come back, and then tripped over the many large gift bags that littered the doorway on my way out.

I should have made the speech.

Then we get to a restaurant for lunch. Peace at last. We are seated. Mom is dismayed that there is no seating with a view. I notice that I am squeezing lemon juice onto the table, obviously missing my water. “Excuse me sir, those people left their table over there by the window, could we move?” The waiter shrugged in the affirmative.

Thinking that we were leaving over the fact that mom’s side salad (an item not on the menu but demanded) was smaller than a regular salad, our waitress cries loudly, “What’s wrong? Are you leaving?” My upheld lunch menu disguises my identity as I pass by to our new table.

Then, an urgent call comes from HQ. Little sister is in need of a black shirt for the symphony concert tomorrow night. Thus, after we finish our lunch, we head to the place that has just a little bit of everything…Value Village.

Now, don’t get me wrong, my pride does not prevent me from going to a thrift shop every now and then or buying used goods, but some places ought never to frequented. And my visit reminded me why. All of the scary people!

I try to keep mom focused on the single task at hand as we pass a vastly overweight youth trying to keep a plastic Darth Vader strapped to his face. I glance at the Men’s section. Used suspenders, frayed paper binders, and 70 year old ties line the wall. An employee staggers past as he bellows to a co-worker that they ought to stamp their time card differently. He then staggers away.

Finally we return home. Only to find that one of my siblings had crashed his bike and torn the muscles in his shoulder, the very same shoulder with which he was scheduled to use while playing cello in the Aberdeen symphony.

So off he and I go to ER.

As the sun goes down and my laptop monitor goes up, I glance over at a couple entering the ER reception area. The wife staggers towards the desk as her husband looks around and actually saunters into the men’s restroom. “I’m in labor!” the woman bellows as she walks towards the wheel chair sitting in front of me. The shocked receptionist grabs for the PA microphone and soon the woman is carted away.

The husband then returns to the scene, confused as to where his previously easy to track wife had disappeared to. As his dragging feet softly faded down the hall I wonder how long I'd have to wait for the doctors to yank by brothers arm straight again.

There’s a beeping down the hallway. The woman sitting in front of me remains mostly motionless and hunched over. A tired baby cries once again from across the room. I glance at the outlet next to my chair and unplug my laptop. While leading Stephen, arm now in a sling, back to the truck I hope aloud that my day had run out of adventures.

Computer Talk

2007-05-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

With the rise of technology, many people are starting to wonder if computers will ever get too smart for their own good.

I honestly don't think that a global robot take over is right around the corner, but I do wonder how far artificial intelligence has gotten.

Here's your chance to see a very interesting conversation between two chat bots, ALICE and Jabberwackey, who are trained to communicate in a chat room type setting.

http://discovermagazine.com/2007/brain/i-chat-therefore-i-am/article_print

The Race

2007-05-17T02:05:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s good to see that my friends are definitely thinking about and watching the presidential race as it unfolds. The general apathy among many young Americans, and most Christians, is quite disturbing these days.

The youth culture would undoubtedly make a huge difference in public policy if it just started by turning down the iPod, picking up a paper, and paying attention to what’s going on.

Anyway, back to your comments:

Anonymous said...

Heh. I really really hope that Hilary gets smashed.

No arguments there. Can you imagine the amount of respect our nation would lose if it were run by a woman? Let alone another Clinton.

Daniel Berkompas said...

No one in particular, mostly because I don't approve of any of the candidates, Republican and certainly not Democrat. I won't waste time on Obama or Hillary, we wouldn't vote for them anyway (obviously). Both main R candidates are adulterers and Giuliani is pro-death, besides the fact that McCain is listed as the 6th most liberal Republican. Not good. Time to see what the Constitution party puts up.

I agree that McCain and Giuliani both have more than their share of severe family troubles and political baggage that make them none too desirable for true conservatives.

Bryce said...
Hi Daniel,I would support Rep. Ron Paul(www.ronpaul2008.com), and was happy to see that he is giving constitutionalists an option in the primaries.Bryce

Thanks for brining that up Bryce. The more I watch Ron Paul the more I like the guy.

Though his whining voice can be difficult to take in strong doses, this Doctor from Texas has a strong style that really gives conservatives a glimmer of hope. He sticks to his guns in debate, makes valid (and sometimes controversial) points about our foreign policy, is pro-life, is a strong gun rights activist, and just strikes me as someone with good old fashioned guts.

However, Rep. Paul needs much more publicity to really get near the celebrity status of Giuliani, McCain, and even Romney. His recent tiff with Giuliani has people abuzz, and he’s practically on every post under the user generated DIGG site under 2007 Election, but he seems to be getting shunned by the media.

Patrick said...
Well, I haven't thought much about it. I've heard most candidates were not all that good. I'll have to do some more researching I guess.This country is in God's hands!!!

Keep the nose to the grind stone the saying goes (You know why? Back in the day when millers ground corn between massive grindstones, the mill room would fill with explosive dust. If the miller keeps a good eye out for any sparks between the grindstones and work with the distance between them accordingly then the town won’t have to worry about picking up the mess when the he blows his operation to high heaven). There’s your history tidbit for the day.

Archangel_06 said...
Daniel,Long time no talk. personally it might come down to the lesser of two evils, Bill-ary, oops I meant Hillary, is just another way to get bill back into the big white building in D.C. As for Obomma, well, isn't aiding a terrorist against the law. who knows if that man can be trusted, same with Hillary. With the way this election year is going I might not even vote.

Well, I’m sure there will be a better alternative than then one of these two scary individuals, but who that will be, and how conservative he will be, is anyone’s guess right now.

Hannahlee said...
What about Fred Thompson? Has anyone heard anything good about him? I read something where he's compared to Ronald Reagan. We should could use another Reagan!

Ah, the talk of the town. This guy has been a personal favorite ever since I heard about him in January. Trouble is, he hasn’t announced any plans for candidacy yet, though that doesn’t necessarily stop him from jumping in soon.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows Giuliani at 25%, eight points more than Arizona Senator John McCain’s 17%, and Fred Thompson, who has not even entered the race, just a single point behind McCain at 16%.

He’s got the stardom. He’s got the money. And, he’s got the values.

Abortion
"I am prolife."– Fred Thompson
"Roe v. Wade was bad law and bad medical science." – Fred Thompson

Terrorism
"I warned that there should be no place on Earth where terrorists can rest and train and practice their deadly skills. I meant it. I said that we would act with others, if possible, and alone if necessary to ensure that terrorists have no sanctuary anywhere."– Fred Thompson

Gay Rights
"We ought to be a tolerant nation. I think we ought to be tolerant people. But we shouldn't set up special categories for anybody. And I'm for the rights of everybody, including gays, but not any special rights. " – Fred Thompson

Civil Unions
"That ought to be left up to the states. I personally do not think that that is a good idea, but I believe in many of these cases where there's real dispute in the country, these things are not going to be ever resolved. People are going to have different ideas. That's why we have states. We ought to give great leeway to states and not have the federal government and not have the Supreme Court of the United States making social policy that's contrary to the traditions of this country and changing that overnight. And that's what's happened in a lot of these areas. " – Fred Thompson

Gay Marriage
"Marriage is between a man and a woman, and I don't believe judges ought to come along and change that. " – Fred Thompson

Gun Control
"I'm against gun control generally. You know, you check my record. You'll find I'm pretty consistent on that issue… The court basically said the Constitution means what it says, and I agree with that."– Fred Thompson

Anonymous said...
Well you couldn't just not vote. There is always a better candidate out there, and always a worse. So why not keep the worst ones out of office?

That’s right. Don’t throw your vote away. Do some research and vote for the best candidate out there.

Better yet, find a campaign you can be a part of. They could use every bit of help out there. Trust me, there’s something you can do.

thevaguequeen said...
I'll vote Republican, to keep Hilary out of the White house, but I'm not sure which candidates is the best at this point.

Time will sift a few things out. But after that hopefully there is a clear conservative runner that we can all push for.

Jkplayschess said...
no more blogging for you?

There. Happy now?

Who are you watching?

2007-04-02T14:00:00.001-07:00

Assuming that you are a politically involved individual (which I really hope you are), what presidential candidate are you rooting for in the '08 election? I know it's pretty early in the race, but there are some interesting traits of note in regard to the top candidates. Any thoughts on the race so far?

Recent Floor Action

2007-03-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

The past three months have already seen the legislature entertain hundreds of written mandates, regulations, State code, and other such legislation. Among these bills have been several highly unneeded and highly controversial bills.

With a Democratic Supermajority (over two-thirds in both the House and Senate) and a very liberal Governor, the whole legislative process seems like a joke. There is no balance, there is no fair play, and every committee is more or less a dictatorship.

It can be completely infuriating to stand by and watch as the majority does pretty much what they want.

At the beginning of session there was many a floor comment by Democratic leadership expressing the hope that everyone will get along. But as would come to find out, their definition of “getting along” pretty much meant that there would be less controversy if Republicans would just shut up, sit down, and ask no questions.

For example, the senate has just recently wrapped up a two week floor session to hear all Senate bills that had been passed out of Senate committees. During this time, strategy and scheduling are key and it just so happens that Democratic leadership sought to exhibit these measures in their efforts to approve a highly controversial sexual education bill.

This measure would eliminate all “abstinence only” programs from the public schools in our State and mandate a “medically accurate” curriculum. This not only strips the decision making authority on this issue away from each public school district, but also implements a curriculum that is controlled by the State (a very nasty loophole just waiting to be exploited by the sodomites).

The democratic leadership knew that this was going to be an issue of much controversy so they attempted to strong arm the issue by scheduling the bill right before the 5:30 dinner break. Republican leadership responded by requesting the issue be tabled until the following day or at least until after dinner, but their counterparts thought they had their opposition just where they wanted them.

But then the amendments started coming, and coming, and continued to come. And with each amendment came another floor speech by a pleading Senator.

Two hours of more amendments and floor speeches later, the Democrats didn’t feel like they had their opponents up against a wall anymore and the Lt. Governor started gripping at them about ruining his dinner break. Granted, everyone on the floor knew that the bill would pass, but the fight continued for another hour until the amendments ran out.

With the dinner break long since over, the legislature had to vote on the bill and move on through the night. And vote they did. But move on they did not.

Following the passage of the bill, every one of the Republican Senators walked off of the floor in protest, thus hindering further bill passage.

It is reassuring that on moral issues we typically have two consistent Democratic swing votes, thus upping our vote count from 18 to 20, but this still keeps us under two-thirds and without much teeth.

However, as the events of this night show, there are still a few good men and women who are willing to sink their gums into the super-beast of the majority in the fight against the ever increasing socialist form of government our State seems to be morphing into.

Persevero!

Want to help save the world from pollution? Buy a Hummer

2007-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=188

Legislative Session 2007

2007-03-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

In the coming days I hope to post updates on the many events that transpire here in the Washington State Legislature.

As an aide to a Republican State Senator, I witness all manner of behind the scenes conversation, debate, argument, and the many other forms of politicking that you’ll never see on your states equivalent of C-SPAN.

As a pretext, I should share that the Republican party in Washington State fared none too better in the past elections than in the rest of the nation and thus we have seen some pretty startling legislation this year with Democratic supermajority in both the House and Senate. Granted, I'd be the first to tell you that the Republican Caucus isn’t the political salvation of conservatives everywhere, but I’ve witnessed firsthand the progression of the liberal agenda on the State level when Democrats are in power and frankly, it’s not a pretty sight. Now, I can’t speak in this regard when it comes to our Federal counter parts, as there seems to be a rather large blurry line between D’s and R’s, but it certainly hold true when we are talking about State legislatures.

Anyway, I think you all might be interested in hearing about some of the brazenly bold moves the folks on the other side have pulled off as well as hearing about some of the courageous stands that been made on behalf of traditional rights and values.

As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.

Our Adventure

2007-02-12T22:54:00.000-08:00

Though I miss the wonderful time I was able to share with Jason, Tait, and Christopher during our internship, I am glad to be back with my family. I am also glad to return to the Washington State Senate for legislative session 2007 and resume my position as a legislative aide to a Senator from north-east Washington.

I hope to keep you all updated on some of the events that I encounter in the legislature as it has already been a very interesting session. However, I’d like to share a few photos from a little trip that I took with a very special person.

Right before I left for my fall internship at VF, I had made a promise to a very intelligent, blond haired, blue eyed girl that I would take on her on a locomotive journey for her birthday. Regrettably, when the time came to go on the trip she caught a cold of some sort and we had to postpone until I returned from San Antonio.

Roughly six months later, Josephine Alexandria and I finally made our way to the quaint little rail station of Lacy-Olympia for a day of adventure and life long memories.

Moving On

2007-01-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

Based on the absence of my past consistently sporadic posts, one might assume that some sort of change has taken place in the past month, and indeed it has. After our end-of-the-year dinner, of which I have written about previously, we interns had about one week to pack up and peruse our routes of departure.

For Tait and I, the return home would be a permanent one, based on the fact that I had a previous job waiting for my return, and Tait has been itching to sell half of Alaska now that he is a licensed realtor. For Chris and Jason it was a different story. Both of them accepted offers to return to San Antonio after the winter break to resume work at Vf, though they would now return as staff.

My father flew to San Antonio during this time period and I had the privilege of introducing him to each member of the Forum team. What a blessing to show off my dad to everyone I had worked with, and of course the staff was very gracious as they gave him a report on my work and character. There is not a better feeling in the world than knowing you had worked hard and made your father proud.

After tossing my four months of living essentials (and non-essentials) into the back of the car, dad and I made our way to Washington with only four days before Christmas. You may recall the severe storms that shut down Denver airport around that time. Providentially, as we made our way home we seemed to be only on the edge of the storm. As we passed many emergency vehicles, wrecked cars and trucks in the ditch, and road closures all around, we were blessed to make our way home safely.

I would now like to tell you what I will be very busy with for the next 94 days or so, but since I have just completed my Subway meatball marinade sandwich (a meal choice that won’t happen again) and cup of water, I am now being beckoned back to the place where a great struggle takes place each year, starting the second Monday of the first month of January. Can you guess where that might be? Till next time.

Our Film Project, Part 2

2007-01-21T22:50:00.000-08:00

We first set out by thinking of the questions we would be asked when we returned home by members of our families and our church. The questions we anticipated included a definition of The Vision Forum Inc., the roles we played at VF, aspects of intern life, an explanation of some of the activities we participated in, and what exactly we learned at the conclusion of our internship.

From there we made a time line on our whiteboard and wrote out how much time we wanted to give to different sections. Jason sorted through music with a program called URGE, Chris edited the outlines we had all worked on for our interviews, Tait kept spitting off great ideas and worked on our story board (his initial efforts are displayed here), and I worked on our scheduling and planning while attempting to extract from the other guys as many ideas and insights as possible.

From the onset of our internship we exchanged ideas and worked on our interview outlines, but the real work started right before we left for the F&F Tour. As I started looking at the schedule and planning what needed to happen next, we all realized that even with five weeks before our deadline, time was moving faster than we were.

As our trip to Boston neared, we were able to complete some last minute planning and coordinate time to film our interview segment. Initially I assumed we could get our segment done in three hours, but considering lighting and camera set up, as well as mic checks and aesthetic concerns (“I think that book should go there.” “Well I think it should be out of the picture completely. ”), it turned out to be more like 7 hours (6:30 PM-12:30AM). After we finally left the office that night we wondered if there was any good material produced. After all, when you sit in a chair for over an hour, with bright lighting and a live camera rolling, all while trying to shape your thoughts on four months of various learning experiences and business training, not all thoughts come out as clear as you might have wished.

After doing the interviews we then hopped on a plane to assist in the F&F, a once in a lifetime event which we were able to experience in a very unique way. The entire time we were in Boston, Plymouth, Lexington, Salem, etc, I had my little HandyCam ready to capture the highlights of the trip. However, by time we returned home I realized that only some of the best of these clips had to fit in a very brief segment. Sorting out the 4+ hours of footage was a chore in itself, but what I did was give each guy a large segment of raw .avi footage, have them cut out all pointless or ill shot scenes, and then render this new, cleaner segment into another full .avi file and put in on my 250 GB external hard drive. This made my job much easier in finding a specific shot and put it into the film.

As time moved at a quicker pace than our progress, we soon found out that a lot of the interview footage had to be cut out because it was too long. This meant reshaping our story structure. After working all night two days before our premier, we realized that the story needed voice over’s to help it flow better. After borrowing some gear, we did the recording that needed to be done, but later found out that it was done in Mono instead of Stereo. This proved to be a major problem when we actually showed our presentation and discovered that whoever hooked up the DVD player to the sound board had only connected one channel, and guess which one was left unconnected.

Finally, the day before I needed to submit our completed project to our supervisor for his review, we made a final push to get the film done. We worked from 10:30 PM through 8:30 the next morning and then handed our finished production in at noon. Since I was doing the final edits towards the end of the project, none of the other guys had any idea what the completed product actually looked like when I put the DVD into the player at our company end-of-the-year dinner.

Thankfully, with the exception of the audio problem (a quite inconvenient issue that was resolved after first trying my backup, then narrowing the problem down to a few plugs and settings on the sound board), our project was brought to a satisfying conclusion. Though it was far from perfect, all four of us were happy to have the opportunity to work on this special film project together. We learned many things and will always remember this period of our internship.

Our Film Project Part 1

2007-01-01T14:32:00.000-08:00

One of the final requirements we had before finishing our time at the Forum was that of producing an end-of-the-year film detailing in some way our experience as interns.

As we started looking into how we were going to approach our project, we heard that previous intern classes had made somewhat of a tradition in portraying a humorous look at the internship. These films have been highly successful and very entertaining, but upon some group consideration we decided to choose a semi-documentary styling instead of the comedy. This decision was not made because we thought that our approach would be better than those of the past, but we really wanted to capture the opportunity to sincerely express our gratitude while sharing some of things we learned and experienced.

After brainstorming on the the first steps to take we decided that different job descriptions needed to be issued. Christopher was in charge of the script and story, as well as raw footage review, Jason was to investigate prospective music selections and write the credits, Tait was in charge of storyboarding as well as inputting written verses or credits into the video editing program, and I was appointed as the leader of the project, as well as the camera man and editor.
After seeing how much work needed to be done, we all agreed that our10-15 minute film plan was a rather ambitious project with the time we had, but we decided to give it all we had. All the way up to the last hour of our deadline...

Thoughts on F&F 2006

2006-12-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

I was overwhelmed with the amount of significant landmarks and remnants of essential places and people who persevered during America's formative years. As is said that, "History is always interpreted", it was refreshing to hear the many historic lectures given by Bill Potter, Paul Jehle, and Doug Phillips, as seen from a providential perspective. That is, acknowledging that the hearts of both the kings and the commoners, and the resulting blessings or consequences, have been, and always will be, in the hands of God.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Faith and Freedom Tour was observing over 20 families work, learn, and travel together. It was encouraging to see fathers taking the information given at each historic site by such historians, and make sure that they were understanding how important each monument, historic site, or graveyard was in the structure of our history.

This ties into one of the most interesting parts of the tour as we visited the old graves in Salem, the infamous city which was the birth place of the witch trials. I was shocked to hear that, at the heart of the several factors that led to this historic atrocity, were a couple of pre-teen girls who got together and decided against following the guidelines of their fathers. They wanted to discover their life mates regardless of the consequences or the guideline, and thus became involved in occult practices.

The aftermath of this rebellion resulted over 120 people being accused of being accomplices of the devil, 19 men and women hung, and a man, who suggested some good ol' corporal punishment for the possessed little girls, having stone after stone laid on his chest until his ribs caved in.

Several years later, the girls, now women, publicly confessed to their actions and confirmed that the accusations were made out of family spite, anger, and an effort to eliminate those who actually accused them of being involved in witchcraft.

Many principles can be drawn from this piece of history, especially as the story is further investigated, but what I took away was the importance of parents always being aware of the spiritual condition of their children, for children to obey their authorities regardless of whether or not they know why (a lesson for all of us), and for us never to make final judgment based on the accusations of someone else.

While this may seem pretty basic, I know that I have a lot to learn from the story of Salem. And I can also say that the parents who I met on the trip were certainly on the right path to keeping their children's hearts.

The Faith and Freedom Tour

2006-11-19T04:37:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for my live blogging idea. Time seems to be in such abundance when you're sitting in an airport on your way to an interesting destination. But then there's the issue of reality.

So, in light of the fact that I have received a few reprimands from you, my readers, for making promises I can't keep in regard to daily updates, I do hereby apologize.

While Tait faithfully hammered out the details of the day on his blog (till insane hours of the night), I sat at a little desk across our small room chopping up video clips I had shot throughout the day on my trusty handy cam. I had the idea of posting video clips of trip here on my blog, but now I am thinking about saving the material for a later release date (a project that will soon be due).

So, if you are willing to redirect your rotten vegetables to your local compost, I will once again make an attempt to give you my perspective of this past and very exciting week in Plymouth, MA. over the next few days.

Q&A

2006-11-10T21:21:00.000-08:00

First, I would like to say that I have greatly appreciated the interest I have received from you, my viewers, since the start of my time here in Texas. I hope that, during the course of my writings, you have found articles of interest, insight, and even encouragement.

Second, I am sure that you have a few questions about my time here, the intern household, etc. Thus, I am opening this post for any questions you may have about any aspect of my internship so far. I would be very interested on hearing from each one of you, though, you don't even have to identify yourself(dear blog stalkers:).

Thanks again for stopping by.

Destination Unknown

2006-11-02T19:41:00.000-08:00

Not too long ago, Christopher was nearing another 365 day cycle of life and, in light of this fact, the rest of us were trying to figure out what we could get him. Chris nonchalantly mentioned a list of VF products he was interested in, but then said that he would probably just buy them himself. So we congratulated him, theoretically stuck our hands in our pockets, and forgot about this whole birthday thing…or so he thought.

As I continued to run through ideas of something to do, Tait went and talked to Mr. Gobart, the CS department chief, and came away with some great ideas, particularly a hiking trip on the second largest rock in North America concluded by an authentic German meal in the town of Fredericksburg.

We brought our idea to Mr. Turley and asked if there were any assignments for us on that particular day (Saturdays are usually reserved for community service projects). We soon found out that Mr. Turley did in fact have an assignment for us - to rectify damages made behind our warehouse by an individual who seemed to have mistaken the area for the city landfill. After hearing the mission run down, it was soon determined that we could formulate this slight deviation as part of the bigger plan.

“Chris, we just found out that we need to be at the warehouse around 6 A.M tomorrow morning.” His shocked response couldn’t have been better. The reason for the early start time was that the Enchanted Rock, our planned climbing location, was over 2 hours away and usually filled up pretty fast.

The next morning found four halve awake interns in a dark back alley, picking up trashed building supplies and tree trimmings, while we talked about the strenuous day of work ahead of us with a family in the country.

After driving through many miles of winding, single-lane, Texas countryside, we all saw in the short distance a large rock formation followed by signs indicating a nearby state park. We all grinned as Christopher mentioned how much he would like to trek up the massive rock.

As we approached the area of interest, one of the guys mentioned that we should at least drive in the park, but then the issue of paid parking came up. As we all debated whether or not we should waste the money to see something we couldn’t enjoy, I drove my car closer to the ticket man. In the midst of this debate, I spoke up. “Well Chris, I think it’s time that we tell you something.” Silence. “Happy Birthday!”

By this time I think Christopher was ready to smack at least one of us for pulling his leg the whole time, but excitement over our new scheduled day of events quickly changed this initial reaction.

I’m sure you’d like to hear what happened next, but as I think I’ll let the pictures we took tell the rest of the story.

San Antonio Independant Christian Film Academy

2006-10-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

I hope to tell you more about this wonderful event in the future based on a behind-the-scenes point of view, but until then, please visit the website of twin brothers Alex and Bret Harris for live blogging throughout the week. The Harris’s are very unique, mature, and purposeful young men who are making a huge contribution to VF by informing those who could not attend what material is being discussed. I hope to relay some of the conversations I have had with them, as well as with all of the speakers from both the past and upcoming days.

http://www.therebelution.com/blog/

En Garde!

2006-10-11T21:06:00.000-07:00

When I first heard that our intern class would be given the opportunity to receive fencing instruction I was rather surprised. Why fencing? What significance does it have?

Before we began our lessons, Mr. Phillips gave us a lecture on the significance of fencing and how it relates to our internship. The article below, written by Mr. Phillips and posted on his blog, entails the points made during our introduction to the idea of fencing.

Perhaps the most unusual element of the Vision Forum training is the requirement that the entire intern class study fencing. Under the delightful and expert instruction of Andrei Samorodov, a former Russian fencing champion and Soviet/Russian military officer, the Vision Forum men are learning the disciplines, execution and proper competitive technique of the Épée. I am so very thankful for Coach Andrei (founder of the Alamo Fencing Academy) who provides the men with excellent private instruction at an exceptional price.

There are five goals to the Vision Forum fencing program:

1. Mental: Train the men to have fertile, quick, analytical minds which think strategically in conflict situations. (Fencing is largely a mental discipline.)

2. Physical: Cultivate the physical component of the Vision Forum internship’s preparation for life and manhood by exposing the interns to intense work-outs, challenging physical disciplines, and actual combat.

3. Historical: For nearly six-thousand years the predominant weapon of choice for self-defense and warfare has been the sword (in its many incarnations). Numerous practical and spiritual applications can be drawn from understanding the history and application of this weapon.

4. Friendship and Teamwork: Provide the interns with an unusual opportunity to grow in friendship and appreciation one for another as a team of men committed to a common goal, thrown into an environment with which they were completely unfamiliar, who must learn to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

5. Spiritual: Learn to understand the numerous applications and relevant spiritual analogies to be drawn from fencing, (including the biblical teachings regarding the sword and the life of the Christian) such that their knowledge and experience with fencing can be a tool for practical encouragement and instruction of others.

Our instructor, as Mr. Phillips mentioned, has as colorful and exciting history. Mr. Andrei Samorodov, a former Soviet Military Special Forces Officer, was one of the very last immigrants from the Soviet Union to seek political asylum here in the United States. Pressure to murder civilians from the higher ups in his branch of the Army created the circumstances to which he was given two options: commit murder or die; kill or be killed. This deterioration of events motivated the Captain to risk all, pack up his family leave Russia, and head for America.

However, with such short notice he was not able to enter the States with all of the necessary clearance and thus he attempted to enter illegitimately, an action which soon brought about detainment. Below is a section of articles which were posted in the New York Times regarding this part of his story.

After spending six months in an immigration detention center, where he gave U.S. intelligence officers a detailed briefing on the state of Russian battlefield communications and cryptography, Samorodov was granted political asylum in the United States on May 12, 2000…. …Samorodov’s defection emerged last fall when a San Antonio newspaper made an appeal to its readers to pay the air fare to bring the former officer's wife and children to the United States. They arrived three months ago from Stavropol under the same grant of asylum.

Regretfully, this story has been revised by the NY Times with a new article. The reason for this “correction” was explained to be the result of new information being brought to their attention. It just so seems that Russian officials informed the paper that none of the events told by Mr. Samorodov and recounted in the published article ever really happened, and that this officer was just a dismissed, has-been, troublemaker. http://www.freelists.org/archives/news/03-2002/msg00041.html

Once he gained his naturalization into the States, Mr. Samorodov began to support his family by giving fencing lessons and by performing handy man type jobs. Soon his skill as an instructor allowed him to completely devote his working hours to fencing instruction. Because of his skill as a teacher, his best students have taken top awards in State and National competitions, and his 13 year old daughter took the Silver Medal during the Youth Women's Epee Division in the 2004 U.S. Nationals.

As you might assume from the accomplishments related above, Mr. Samorodov is a wealth of information on fencing and is himself quite good at it. His career in the sport started when he learned to fight epée in his early teens. Soon he began to receive attention from many prominent colleges and sponsors as he quickly progressed. Soon he began to win oblast (city), and eventually district competitions, and gained very respectable and high paying sponsors to the point that he became a full time professional fencer.

I’m not sure exactly how VF crossed paths with Captain Samorodov, but one thing is certain, Mr. Phillips picked a good and thorough teacher. Our classes have exposed us to rigorous instruction, muscle burning drills, complete physical workouts, and the thrill of bashing each other with cutlery in a completely unorganized way (when rebuked by, “Guys! You are not gladiators!” we started learning that skill is actually involved in this sport). At the conclusion of each class, all four of us walk, sometime unsteadily, out the door sweating from every (and I mean every) pore in our bodies.

In light of his regard for family values, a strong tradition in Russia, Mr. Samorodov has a deep respect for the goals and focus of Mr. Phillips and The Vision Forum. Though he is not a saved man, he has been greatly encouraged to see an organization which seeks to encourage the development of character, discipline, and family unity.

I’m sure you will hear and see more of our fencing experiences in the coming weeks, but here is a little update from my perspective:
· Tait has assumed the style of a strong charging steed and is a determined, hard fighter.

· Christopher is very technical and thinks about every touch and quickly determines how to fix his weak spots.

· Jason is unpredictable. He studies different styles and tries out new methods with speed.
· I have been described as untraditional and as “one of those crazy lefties”.

· So far we have all fenced each other, several other members of VF, a few of Alamo Fencing’s best 8-12 year olds (skill has little to do with size), a United States Men’s Division National Champion, and a1972 Olympic silver medalist.

In conclusion, we are enjoying this unique opportunity and are trying to do our best to take capture of every aspect of the experience. As the days progress, more pictures will be posted. Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned…

At the Office

2006-09-25T22:09:00.000-07:00

Though I have plenty of experiences to share in great detail, I think that it is time to post on what we as interns are actually doing at The Vision Forum, and what I have learned so far.

To start with, the arrival of this past Monday initiated a new rotation of job assignments. Christopher left the quiet department of accounting to the fast paced atmosphere in the warehouse. Tait then filled Christopher’s void as I took over Tait’s chair in customer service. Jason, well, Jason remains in his little unchanging “IT world”, as he calls it.

Jason has done well in his department. Monday brought about some changes for him as well as the IT chief left for three weeks of vacation. The real test, however, came a few days ago when three of Mr. Phillips hard drives crashed in the same day. As Jason calmly tried test after test, made several phone calls to different manufacturers, and gulped down a Venti black which I delivered earlier that evening, he was finally able to give Mr. Phillips a promising report at around 8:30 PM. Failure in this department is not acceptable and can be very damaging. Thankfully, Jason has responded very well and is very much appreciated by the VF staff and Mr. Phillips.

Christopher thoroughly enjoyed assisting Mr. Short in the accounting department for the past few weeks. As his father is a CPA, some of those number crunching genes must have given him a great aptitude for this particular atmosphere. He made deposits, recorded payments, reconciled statements, and suggested Excel ideas whenever he saw a way to improve productivity.

Tait had to be practically shoved out of the customer service department. The interaction with the department head, Mr. Gobart, combined with the many different opportunities offered in the department, proved to offer an experience which he enjoyed and did not want to depart from.
I must say that the warehouse probably has the widest array of physical jobs to perform. An extensive account of a day in the warehouse would be as follows. The morning starts off with Mr. Coughlin giving me a multi page list of items to “pick” for the day. Isle numbers, shelve category, and the precise spot of every item ordered that day guide me to the right spot as I push a large shopping cart up and down each section. Once the items from one isle are placed in the cart, I then place them on a table which lies at the end of the row. Isle A has a table, isle B has a table, and so forth.

The next stage is to grab one of the hundreds of freshly printed packing invoices for the day, walk to the appropriate table (A,B,C…) grab the item(s), put them in a box or trey, and place them on the inspection table.

After inspection takes place, the items are then placed on a moving packing line. These items are then place in boxes deems appropriate size by the packer. After countless air packets are strategically secured around the purchase, the sealed box is then placed on the shipping line. The boxes are then scanned, a UPS label applied, stacked on a pallet, and then shipped out at the end of each day.

This is only the most basic daily activity of the day but I’ll leave the aspects of the warehouse for either Tait or Christopher to explain.

Things learned while working in the warehouse would include the importance of paying attention to detail (saves a lot of time and effort, just like anything else), and being diligent in what I may consider menial tasks (packing right saves lots of VF resources). Also, I have learned that everything I do in the warehouse becomes much more significant when I take the time to think about how many different family’s lives will be touched, maybe even turned around, by the materials they would soon receive…if I do my job right.

Now I have a new learning curve to develop in the Customer Service Department. New insights from this new perspective of business will soon be shared. Stay tuned.

The Vision Forum Photoshoot

2006-09-07T19:39:00.000-07:00

We got the call around 3 PM. The message was that we were to arrive at the planned location within the hour. With three cases of water in tow, we made our way towards an estate located on the outskirts of downtown San Antonio. The goal for the day was to assist those responsible for capturing photos pertaining to items which will soon be featured in Vision Forum’s 2007 catalog in whichever way necessary.

After admiring the upscale ranches we passed along the way, we finally drove up to a gate which guarded the entrance of a exquisite looking mansion, preceded by a winding loop through the front of the property. After entering the gate code we then drove up to and parked near a house/garage situated 200 yards away from the main residence.

Upon our arrival we gazed in wonder at the beautiful property and the enormous house. As we walked along we met the photographer and his daughter, who served as his assistant. After introductions were made we all split up, starting out on various tasks. Jason helped by getting the bottled water out of my trunk and putting them in an ice filled chest. Tait started offloading the photographer’s equipment from a truck, and Chris and I started pulling potted flowers out of Mrs. Phillips’s vehicle, who had arrived shortly after us.

By this time, Mr. Turley had arrived with props, ranging from books, trebuchets, armor, several different sword styles and a few helmets. After these were unloaded we interns all made our way in through large solid oak doors which lead into the foyer of the house. Marble tile covered the floor while two white carpeted staircases, each on either sides of the entrance hall, led to the upper level of the house. We walked through the doors, passed under stair cases and then found our way to a richly decorated office. If you have seen last years “Henty shot” with Joshua Phillips and Samuel Turley posing atop a bear rug then you have seen part of the office I am talking about. Tait and I started setting up light stands while Jason was looking for a place to plug in the power box, a mechanism which makes all of the lighting flash at once. Meanwhile, Chris started putting up the overhead lighting and I was re-assigned to go back to the office to pick up some more supplies.

By the time I arrived back at the country estate the new Henty shot was complete and the crew was moving props outside under Mr. Phillips direction. Josh and Sam changed out of their period costumes as Justice was fitted with an authentic Jamestown breastplate by two professional costume assistants, Tait and I. Mr. Phillips then proceeded to photograph Justice in various poses while the main photographer (I forgot his name, sorry) instructed Sam and Joshua on how to interact with a trebuchet (very nice piece of work, everybody needs a few).

Next on the schedule were some new Beautiful Girlhood shots. While setting up for this scene one of the first tasks was to refill a snack tray that was partly a prop and partly, well, a snack. Time and sunlight were going faster than desired so Jason and I sprinted a hasty return to the shooting location after refilling a tray with some fresh cheese and crackers. Soon thereafter the cameras started clicking. I must say that those girls really had a strenuous job, particularly the two who were sitting on a tree limb while holding a doll and book. But everyone around offered words of encouragement, advice, and/or cracked jokes, thus making the girls perform their best.

About a hundred shots later we then moved to a different location, all the while Jason and Tait were employed by either holding flashes in various places or helping the camera man test the camera for the best lighting settings. Chris helped move different items around while I stood by Mr. Phillips, holding the different cameras was not using at the moment. During the second shoot, two of the models, miss Mary Ellen Turley and miss Faith Phillips, were excused from a particular photo arrangement and thus sat together reading a book. Overhearing that a couple of words were proving difficult I offered to read the book to them. They excitedly complied and I sat down. This lasted until the entire photo shoot was pronounced complete and so I started to get to work on wrapping things up. However, Faith begged me to at least finish the chapter I was on, and so it was I who then complied.

With the sun starting to dip behind the horizon and the shadows of the many trees stretching far across the yard, we quickly started winding up cords, putting away props, taking down lighting structures, storing the wardrobe, and making sure we left everything just as we found it. At the end of the day it was nice to see that both the photographer and Mr. Phillips were pleased with the result of the entire event and that all the day’s goals were reached.

During the entire event I was impressed to see how well everyone worked together in such a high stress environment. This is not that anybody was stressed out, but with uncooperative sunlight and cloud cover, the heat, and the needed urgency to take all of the necessary shots before the sunlight was insufficient, certainly presented plenty of opportunities for anybody on the set to get a little short. Another thing I observed first hand, and was impressed by, was Mr. Phillips interaction with his children, particularly his sons. He treated them like men and they responded to him with the deepest respect. When he spoke they listened and when they spoke they chose their words carefully. What a great opportunity to witness the good fruit Godly child training.

Going behind the scenes of the catalog shoot was both interesting and exciting. I learned few things and felt honored to participate in the event. Now it’s up to our Creative Media department to go through the hundreds of pictures taken and find the ones that will best suit the catalog. It’s only one more week till we are scheduled to send the completed project off to the printers and eventually to your home. I’m sure your family will enjoy the new products as much as we have by building, testing, or by otherwise indirectly helping to produce them. Enjoy!

What makes your neighborhood unique?

2006-09-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

As I sit here in a different house, in a different neighborhood, I look back and remember the things which have made the place where I lived very unique. Here is a look into what happens with semi-average consistency around my home in Washington State. I am still observing the oddities around my place here in San Antonio.

______________________________________________________________

Home has always meant a great many things to a great deal of different people. Some say itÂs where the heart is; others insist itÂs where you hang your hat. But, whether you think about it or not, home may also be the place where many strange and perplexing activities might be observed.

I live in a suburb of Olympia in a housing community known as Marvin Gardens. Now this unassuming name, combined with my complacent initial overview of the area, left me with a content overall sense of complete security, peace, and privacy as my family and I moved in. The only qualities of my surroundings which I failed to investigate were the neighbors. Now for an uppity name like Marvin Garden, which after all is a valued property in the game of Monopoly, one might expect to have completely unobtrusive, sane, and apathetic neighbors. And that assumption was right, at least for the most part.

To give a few examples of were I was wrong in my assessment of the neighborhood I will relate a few of my experiences. To start with, there is the unknown citizen who drives at about 50 MPH up the road behind our house with a dog hanging out the passenger side window, barking continuously. This is done about twice a week and the dog can be heard for miles. Nobody knows were he goes or what he does, and I never hear them return. Many questions have since raced through my brain in response: What happens to the dog? Is this man part of an underworld animal ring? Or does the canine simply lose its voice on the return trip?

Another example can be taken from an immediate neighbor to the right of our house who lives a mostly quiet and peaceable life. But you know that the stillness of the air will soon become modified when the elderly house dweller starts dragging junk out of his backyard garage. Now to the average person this may seem like a good sign; an indication of attempted progress in purification. But I have come to know better. The stacks of lawn chairs and unidentifiable trash bag covered items strewn across my neighbors yard only indicates that he is yet going to grace the community with his synthesized rock organ. Presently I am then confronted with a very loud, prerecorded background track accompanied by my neighbor playing two or three different chords repeatedly. I then ask myself: Is the man deaf? Did he used to play in a band somewhere? Or is he simply making use of a piece of equipment which he previously thought was a necessity but has since been sitting in the garage for over twenty years?

Now the barking dog and this hypnotizing organ music may seem pretty abnormal, but they pale in comparison to the all out weirdness of some other folks I live by. There is a family of three that live in a huge house across from ours, but there are a few things that set them apart from Ã‚Âresident normalcyÂ as I call it. The first thing is that the homeowners never come out during the day, unless it is on the business of driving 100ft. to mailbox and back. The second thing of note is that the coupleÂs only son still lives at home, is in his mid-forties, and has never been married. This sonÂs daily activities consist of opening the garage door at around 10:15 each morning, backing the old truck out and parking it on the side of the house, opening the hood and tinkering inside for about 3 hours, returning the vehicle to the garage, and finally closing the garage door behind him. The third weird part about this family is that during the Christmas season we felt that it was our duty, as neighborhood newcomers, to distribute home baked goods throughout the community. Our last stop on our mission of good will was the home across the street. My sister and I slowly walked up the long, dark driveway and rang the door bell. Finally the porch light turned on, the homeowner opened the door, grunted something, and returned inside. His wife then came out, politely refused any and all of the treats we made, and retuned inside. From the moment the door was shut in our face, the questions again started. What exactly do they do indoors all day? Why is it necessary to drive to the mail box 365 days a year? What does their son find so interesting in the hood of that old truck? And did they think we were trying to poison them with our Christmas cheer?

The month of June marks the one year anniversary of our arrival to our beautiful house, and one year of contact with the residents of Marvin Gardens. The overall experience has been one of normalcy and enjoyment. But the events that happen in between the points of what is normal and what is not, are the things that truly make life amusing and colorful. And though I have not yet answered all of my questions in regard to motives of my neighborÃ‚Âs actions, I am content to know that I reside in a diverse and truly authentic American community. This is my neighborhood. A place where the oddities never end, and were each day is quite unpredictable.

Coming Soon...

2006-09-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

...A behind the scenes look at the 2007 catalog VF photoshoot. With preparations well under way, and with our graphics department working 14 hour days, we are getting closer to the publication of next years catalog. I have already seen, and tested, numerous new products which are under consideration and I can assure you that there is some good stuff on the way. The photoshoot is scheduled for tomorrow at a mansion in San Antonio. We interns will be present to help with lighting, props, entertainment of restless children, and whatever else in the world needs to be done. Pictures will be on the way soon!

An Intern Weekend

2006-08-25T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday the intern group drove to the outskirts of San Antonio, destined to help a new Christian family related to a VF staff member move in. As will hopefully be our custom, we were the first to arrive and got right to work as soon as introductions were made. With our help, the initial crew amounted to about six and work seemed to be going at a good pace. Then a few minutes later, two and then a third vehicle drove up and more smiling VF staff members pilled out and helped make short work of the oversized U-haul. With guys constantly going in and out of the truck and house we finished unloading the entire task in about an hour. Then after setting up some beds and rearranging some furniture we all left a very kind and grateful family behind with big start to life in the new community.

After leaving, we interns decided to make the most of our few minutes of free time and stopped along the sides of the old, winding, and decrepit Texas highway to snap a few pictures. First we pulled over at the top of a hill that descended , slightly rolling up and then down, finally ascending to the other side of embankment. This spot looked great for a snapshot so Chris and I jumped out. Unfortunately, Chris’s picture turned out much better than mine so you’ll have to go to his site for the great view. We then continued retracing our route home and stopped on the far side of a bridge which spanned a beautiful, yet foul smelling, river. The dark, rough, mature, and steadfast trees which grew along the bank stood in contrast to the cool, blue and flowing river which winded lazily through the landscape. After a few shots here, and a slight fright by a dead snake “lurking” on the water bank, we moved on. Our next stop brief photo shoot at an old church which blended well with the Texas colors of the land and just looked kind of neat.

We then journeyed on to another sort of destination which we knew would comfort us with somewhat of an at home-type atmosphere. That place was Costco. Now if you’re not part a big family then you really wouldn’t understand just why Costco plays such an integral part in life. In light of a kids perspective, there’s tons of books to sit and read, plenty of free food at every corner, and the often times happy ending of a Costco pizza or at least a pretzel. Any, so we were heading to Costco and started writing down the list of items we needed to buy. Apparently, our kind driver (note: Mr. Kent will not be specifically be named here as the driver) seemed to come to the conclusion that we needed more time to compile our list, so he missed the correct street and wound up driving over 4 miles in a circular attempt to reach our destination. “Isn’t this a nice drive?” he asked us all while smiling ear to ear. Three blank stares returned his carefree question. Then we all started laughing.

The last adventure of the day for me was to get my hair cut. Now this was no small chore because frankly I’ve never gone to a public barber in all my life. That may seem odd to you but averaging about 1 cut a month to the price of about $8 a cut for a period of about 19 years, there’s a savings of about $1,824. Good thinking mom. But as I was saying, I needed to get a cut so I stopped by the PX (Post Exchange) after a brief trip to the commissary. After viewing the average hair cut, a close shave around the head with a hair cutter followed by a electric shaver which left only a tuft of hair on top, I asked that my hair was not cut too short. The barber nodded in agreement and went to work. 10 minutes later she handed me a mirror. I was shocked. Now mom may nick me on the ear if I I’m being mouthy, but she would never butcher my head in this fashion. Oh well. Welcome the uncaring world I guess.

I have much more to share but this post is getting long so I’ll add more in a few days. I hope all those reading my blog, from my dear friends in Washington State to the friends and family of Chris, Jason, and Tait, will continue praying for us as we endeavor to serve with all our strength and energy in our work here at Vision Forum. Thanks for all of your support , from keeping up and commenting on our blogs to sending us “Care Packages” (want our address?).

I will work on keeping this site updated a little more consistently, so stay tuned.

Another Perspective

2006-08-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

For some great photos of this conference please visit Nathaniel Darnel's blog at http://persevero.blogspot.com/
Nathaniel is part of a two man team that is responsible for VF videography and the enjoyable Everyday News Network. The actual pictures were taken by VF Event Photographer Michael Fowl whose main job is that of leading the IT (Information Technology) department at Vision Forum.

The Entrepreneuriel Bootcamp

2006-08-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

A photo of yours truly during one of my first big assignments as a Vision Forum intern.

2006-08-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

VF's large warehouse. This is where we are all working for the first week or so. This way we can become familier with all of the products in as we work up in other departments.

2006-08-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

Pictured here (from left to right) are Jonathan Berkompas, Tait Zimmerman, and Christopher Berkompas. We as interns had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Tom Berkompas and Jonathan the in the days preceding the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp. Mr. Berkompas, who is a great photographer, took a few pictures and wrote a post about staying with us. The site can be found at berkompasclan.blogspot.com
By the way, the meal above was largely prepared by Mr. Berkompas. His great meals ultimately lead to his eviction but you'll have to read his blog for the details.

2006-08-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

We were given the task of assembling over 1200 notebooks complete with conference notes, a cover photo page, and a feedback form the day before the bootcamp. The task took about 5 hours of assembly line work.

2006-08-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

2006-08-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

All the colors of the Riverwalk.

2006-08-16T19:23:00.000-07:00

Henery B. Gonzalez Convention Hall. This is a huge facility in the heart of downtonwn San Antonio were all local big VF events are held.

2006-08-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is were the main seesion were held. There were over 1100 people registered and about 2000 chairs set up in this ballroom.

2006-08-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

A panel discussion during the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp.

2006-08-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Arnold Pent, author of Ten Peas in a Pod, autographs one of his books for two Bootcamp attendees.

2006-08-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

This photo was snapped during our take-down mission at the completion of the conference. There was a joke by some of the staff who said that they really couldn't gauge how long it would take to pack up since the interns had not been tested yet. Well, we all finished a whole hour ahead of schedule, if that means anything.

Lawton

2006-08-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

Well friends, I thought that I would have time to go every detail of my trip from Oklahoma City, thru Lawton and on to San Antonio but I believe the conveyance of the fact that I met many old mentors, some who did not recognize me since I was at church 10 years ago, should suffice for now. Following are some pictures from my visits.

The Cara Family have been a source of great encouragement all through the years we have known them. I stayed with their family two nights and enjoyed the company of their children. The unique thing about this family is that the father is part German and thus mostly communicates with all of his children in German. The language is also engaged when the kids want to say something to a sibling without company knowing what is being said.

I will post some more picture later of the the Allison family who are family friends and fellow home educators. Blogger is not working right now so I'll have to post later.

2006-08-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

My stay in Moore, which is right outside of Oklahoma City, was quite pleasant, though very hot. We arrived last Friday at around midnight and I felt the urge to jump in Grandma’s pool. Unfortunately her dog also felt an urge to escape from the yard so I was looking all over the 1 acre yard with a flashlight until I located the mischievous best wandering in a neighbor’s yard.

After multiple events the following day including a steak dinner and a play we returned home and dad prepared for his morning flight to Virginia. Then when Sunday came around I didn’t feel moved by the Spirit to get out of bed and take dad to the airport so Grandma filled the void and I woke up to an empty house. When she returned I was dressed and ready to attend church and play a few piano pieces which she had requested me to prepare for her Sunday school class. After Church my grandmother and I, along with a few of her church friends, went out to eat at a place called Pickles. After a brief rest at the house, we both ventured out again, though in modified warm weather friendly clothes, to participate in a Church wide outreach to the community. The plan was to give out bags of school supplies to the first 2000 kids that showed up, and it worked. There was free hot dogs, soda, outdoor games, face painting, crazy clowns etc. Grandma was supposed to run a booth but she asked me if I could work it. I did indeed take the position and had quite a bit a fun at it too even though I was in the 108 degree sunlight for two straight hours.

After the church event my Grandmother and I joined another group to a pizza parlor. However to my horror, the event clown showed up and waltzed right over to the rest of us. She was a really nice person but have you ever tried eating pizza at the same table as a clown?

I stayed a few more days with Grandma so that I could help her learn a few computer concepts including adding background texture and music to emails and basic graphic design. After that I then prepared for my solo drive to Lawton, my hometown. My next post will detail who I stayed with, who I met, and what I did all in two days.

Can Life Exists Without Internet Access?

2006-08-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

As I write, I am sitting with the three other Berkompas guys in an air conditioned vehicle which is parked in front of a Best Western hotel. We are not stealing wireless bandwidth but are merely verifying the hotels claims of free Wi-Fi. As we all type away here in the parking lot, one of the guys looks over to the inviting hotel pool a few feet away and wonders out loud if we could verify the aspects of that hotel commodity as well.

I arrived yester day afternoon around 5 PM and was the first intern of ’06 to enter the door. But my arrival as the first intern put me in the position to accept my first assignment, make copies of the house keys. Christopher (19), Jonathan (17), and Mr. Berkompas all arrived about three hours after I started setting up. We first met and then started planning for what needed to be done in the next 24 hours.

This afternoon found Jonathan and I searching for Fort Sam Houston and the post Commissary for groceries while Christopher and his father shopped for house essentials at Wal-mart. After sorting through the new items once we returned, we then met the landlords who stopped by to bring a temporary refrigerator in light of the fact that the main system was malfunctioning. Shortly thereafter, Tate Zimmerman was dropped off by an airport taxi upon his arrival from Alaska. We are still waiting for Jason to arrive from Virginia.

Please note thata the intern household will not be connected to cable internet until about next Monday, so all of my updates will have to made through these types of, err, creative methods.

Room in the Inn

2006-07-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Last night we stayed in Denver with the Roach family. We had met this Christ honoring family only briefly at a wedding, but surprisingly they were gracious enough to allow us weary travelers a nights lodging, and much entertaining conversation. We all talked well into the night and even when the clock struck midnight Chad, the oldest son of the family, and I spent another hour or so discussing various aspects of his business ventures and his work as personal assistant to Kevin Swanson, a pastor and inspirational home schooling speaker. Mr. Swanson actually stayed the night at the Roaches as well, along with his daughter, so that Chad could drop him off at the Denver International Airport the following morning at around 5:00 AM. I asked to go along and thus was able to talk to Kevin Swanson a bit more before he left.

Upon our return to the Roach’s new home, which is situated on 30 wide open acres of Colorado prairie, Chad and I quietly discussed Cindy Sheehan’s new property purchase (next to Bush’s ranch) and various topics concerning the conflict between Israel, the Hezbollah, and Lebanon over self made burnt bagels and non-concentrated orange juice (not a very promising omen for needed intern culinary skills).

We were in no hurry to leave this blessed family’s company this morning and thus only departed after joining in on the morning devotions, which concluded with a hymn. We then headed East across the corn filled flatlands of Kansas and then eventually headed South on I-35 towards Ponca City, Oklahoma.

The reason for this stop was to visit, upon my mother’s insistence, some long time friends whom I don’t even remember. I presume that it will be interesting to meet people whom I was supposedly playmates with back in the day. But then again, the encounter could turn into an awkward attempt of two parties trying make conversation on pointless topics in an effort to pass the time. In any event, I will let you in on what transpires this evening in my next post.

On the Road

2006-07-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Well the day finally came for me to make my way to San Antonio, though it was not without a many heartfelt goodbye. Dad and I are making good time in our travels and are cruising through the deserted Plaines of Wyoming on our second day of travel. After an overnight stay at the home of some friends we will depart from Denver tomorrow morning and hopefully reach Oklahoma City Friday afternoon.

My main reason for even applying for the Vision Forum internship lies with the deep respect I have for the ministry. My family encountered the wealth of information found at the Forum during a struggle between our church and the principles for which we stand. When we got our hands on a series entitled “Reuniting Church and Family” we were encouraged to find out that families throughout the nation were also facing the same issues we faced. Because of the advice we encountered during that time, we were able to respond to our church family in a way that would glorify God instead of resorting to anger and resentment which were quite ready emotions. From that point on, we have come to appreciate the great ways in which VF is actually making a difference in our culture, and it is my desire to give of my time and energy in whatever capacity to help make such a difference.

The details of a cross country trip can sometimes be very boring so I will only post events of interest. My next post will be coming from OKC tomorrow evening to inform you of some of the interesting things I have seen already and things that will transpire tomorrow, if any. I also plan on posting pictures soon. Stay tuned.

Yet Another Interesting Change of Events

2006-07-12T23:45:00.000-07:00

Well, the days all started slipping by as soon as I got the phone call. With all three of my classes churning out assignment after assignment in light of fact that all finals take place next week, I barely had time to think when a Mr. Kevin Turley from Vision Forum Ministries told me they would like to have me join their staff for a six month internship. I had applied several weeks earlier for the opportunity with a half hearted hope of being accepted, but when I heard that Vision Forum was only hiring 3-4 interns instead of last year’s 7,and that over 70 people had already applied, I really felt that the odds were slim. Of course if I use the term “odds” then I am implying my belief in chance, but since I believe that all things work together for good to them that are called to Gods purposes, then I must say I didn’t think I would be blessed with the job. Again, God has blessed the hard work of my parents in my life, and I get the benefit. I could never be the person I am today with their reproof and guidance.

Anyway, many have asked about the phone interview that I had, and wondered what was asked. Well, the interview was carried out by Mr. Turley (who is responsible for the hiring process of interns, among other things), as well as by the company President, Mr. Doug Phillips. As you could imagine, I was slightly apprehensive while waiting for the phone to ring on the morning of the interview, but once the tele-conference got underway my confidence starting rebuilding.

Mr. Phillips asked most of the questions in areas regarding my opinions on church government, dating, and salvation. He also wanted to know how I learned about Vision Forum, why I wanted to spend six months of my life there, if I was willing to be physically and spiritually pushed to my limit, and exactly what I wished to gain by taking on the internship. Mr. Turley interjected from time to time with questions of his own including asking me for my sources of news, whether I felt that President Bush was enacting traditionalistic policies, and what was one biggest things I learned while serving in the Legislature. I believe that most of these questions were not specifically designed to investigate my every thought on these subjects, but were used to measure how well I was able to interact, communicate and express myself on the various topics. At the close of the interview I told both Mr. Phillips and Mr. Turley that even if everything didn’t work out, the interview was surprisingly a pleasure. And it was.

So now I have less than two weeks to prepare myself for a long drive down to Texas and an exciting six month long internship at a company which I respect deeply. I admire Vision Forum’s high quality efforts to equip mothers and fathers throughout our nation with a wide array of tools with which they can prepare their sons and daughters to impact this dark world. I also look forward to being apart of such a great and effective team.

There’s more I’d like to share but my math book is beckoning me from the distant corner of my desk. I will keep you updated on the flurry of events that are transpiring here, while at the same time trying to get decent grades on my finals here at school.

The past six months...

2006-07-02T16:50:00.000-07:00

If you have been following my sparse and sporadic blog for any length of time, you will have come to the conclusion that I have worked in the Legislature, but that’s about it. Well, you deserve a little background for your valiant curiosity into my activities (which are not altogether always interesting). So let me explain.

I started my pursuit of a general education degree at Central Texas College, which is actually a satellite school based out of Texas, during November of ‘05. My first semester was focused on Government I and II. I must note that these classes were almost entirely consumed in more arguments and commentaries on various subjects between the students, more so than the teacher was actually able to teach. I only chose to take both of these classes at the same time because each course shares the same book (this matters when books cost over $100 dollars each).

During my semester in Government I found out about the Session Aid job for Senator Benton and applied. I spent countless hours writing and perfecting my resume and eventually, and with much prayer, sent it off. A week went by, followed by a succession of several more. Finally, two week before the session was set to begin I received a phone call from Senator Benton’s Legislative Assistant. He then told me that he had narrowed down the list of applicants to about three different people and was wondering is I still wanted the job. I did. He then called and asked if I would be able to come to the Capitol for an interview. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the interview and thus started to study all the valuable information on monster.com about interviews. To make a long story short, the assistant had already narrowed down who he thought would be good for the job and now only wanted to do a little personality checking.

Well, you all know the rest of the story but I would like to say that I can not in the least bit take the credit for the reasons for which I was chosen. This job was more than just source of income. It was a once in a lifetime educational experience and I knew that if I got the job it would be a gift of God. I also credit my success to my parent’s determination to raise their children after the Lord. I t is because of them and their efforts that I am able to exhibit the character qualities that I have today.

Now that the Legislative session is over I am once again immersed in my college studies. This time I am taking College Algebra, History II, and English composition I. The latter two classes do not challenge me very much, but the mountainous amounts of homework, combined with the fact that our eight week class is boiling down to be only a five week class due to various events, have made college algebra a course to be reckoned with.

I hope that this will provide my readers with a better sense of who I am, and at the very least, inform you of my current activities. With the knowledge that personal blogs can be very self centered and boring, I will be writing not only about my encounters with life’s interesting plights, but also offer discussion and my very informative commentary on our Nation’s current events.

Political Humor

2006-03-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

Hillary Clinton was spending the morning at a primary school in Oneonta,New York to talk to the children about her job as a US Senator.

After her talk, she offered question time.

One little boy puts up hishand, and the Senator asks him what his name was."Kenneth.""

"And what is your question, Kenneth?""

I have three questions: "First - Whatever happened to your medical health care plan?

Second - Why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office?

And third - Whatever happened to all the stuff you and President Clintontook when you left the White House?"

Just then the bell rang for recess.Hillary Clinton informed the kids that they would continue after recess.

When they resumed, Hillary said, "Okay, where were we? Oh, that's right,question time.Who has a question?"

A different little boy raised his hand; the esteemed Senator from NewYork pointed him out and asked him what his name is.

"Larry.""

"And what is your question, Larry?""

"I have five questions:First - Whatever happened to your medical health care plan?

Second - Why would you run for President after your husband shamed the office?

Third - Whatever happened to all the stuff you and President Clinton took when you left the White House?

Fourth - Why did the recess bell go off 20 minutes early?

And fifth - What happened to Kenneth?"

The biggest fight in the Legislature

2006-02-15T08:27:00.000-08:00

Many have asked me what the most significant bill in the legislature is for this session. Well, it evolves around the "rainbow troops". Senate Bill 2661 has appeared in the legislature in some form or another for over ten years, but without success. Unfortunately, this year is different.

I'll give you a little backgrounder on Senate Bill 2661, the “gay bill”. For the past 10 years this bill has surfaced in the State legislature and has been shot down every time, though it has been closer to success with each passing year. Now things have changed. Governor Gregoire has issued an official request for the bill in ‘06. This bill’s intent is to add the terms “sexual orientation”, in the list of areas where discrimination is prohibited, such as race, creed, nationality etc. The problem with this bill is that this legislation will protect a lifestyle, not a physical and unchangeable characteristic.

In both the House and the Senate it has met no opposition from the “D’s” and has even gained a swing voter from the Republican side in the Senate. Of course the media is hailing him as a bold, strong and courageous hero, but his fellow caucus members have quite an opposite opinion of his new stand on this issue. I even think he has been getting free Brokeback Mountain tickets from the press to congratulate his move to embrace open-mindedness and change…just a thought.

There were a few attempts to stall this legislation and, in a move which seemed like a joke, Senator Don Benton proposed two amendments to this bill. He stated that, while discrimination was wrong, if we were to protect a specific class of people based on their “Sexual orientation” we should also protect two other classes of people which he has seen discrimination against first hand, namely people with political party affiliations and also those suffering from obesity.

Yep, you read it right. But, the goal here was not actually to get the amendments passed, though doing so would be quite humorous. The point was made when the Financial Institutions Committee and those on the Senate floor both had their chuckles and voted against the amendments. The Senator then was able to pull the “discrimination” leg out from under the stood which the bills advocates stood on. Senator Benton then stated that this legislation was obviously not about beating out discrimination but was rather a first step in promoting a homosexual agenda.

On a side note, God, the Bible and Jesus were mentioned more times than I can count as liberal supporters tried to defend why this legislation is the right way to go. Isn’t it amazing that religion seems to be always taboo in public, especially the courts and the legislature, unless it is used justify immoral ideologies and practices?

Mid Session Update

2006-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

The session so far has been a blast. I could probably be more professional in my analysis of the my time here by using terms such as informative, interesting, exiting, and rewarding. But then again, I’ve been writing that way for the past four weeks, and it’s kind of refreshing to sometimes tone down your writing… on occasion.

Our big push this year is Jessica’s law, and other such legislation which addresses the national phenomena of an alarmingly growing sexual offender population, which is an issue that I believe, deserves everyone’s consideration. Recently I was on the road to work listening to a local talk radio station. The hosts where talking about what should be the focus of this years legislative session. I called up and was put on the air soon thereafter. “Many people don't realize how vulnerable their children are in these days, and I believe that our State legislature in particular should be producing stronger laws and placing tougher sentences on sex offenders so that the innocence of our children here in Washington might be protected." The host paused and replied that this was a very big issue that needs to be addressed and thanked me for the call. Though I am restricted from lobbying for bill while at work I’m sure not bound by that law on the way to work! Of course if I get fired on behalf of the ethics committee I’ll be forced to think other wise.

I have been flooded with questions from family and friends and so I have listed the most common questions below and will update the list in the future.

Questions:

How do you get to the Capitol? I drive.

How long is the commute? 15 minutes

How long is the 2006 legislative session? 60 days

What special privileges come with the job? Invitation to all Senatorial receptions, admission to closed caucus sessions, special elevator and Senate chamber access.

What do you do at the capitol? Answer calls, reply to constituent emails, open all snail mail, do research on other government officials for specific reasons, draft speeches and press releases, deliver bills to the “Hopper” to be officially recognized the following day as a newly dropped bill, and fulfill whatever duties the legislative assistant or the Senator might present.

What is the dress code? Suite and tie are required. Security will not allow anyone without such to be admitted into the Senate chamber offices or near the floor.

What are your hours? 8-5, Monday thru Friday on normal days, but have been notified that committee and floor actions may extend well into midnight on some nights and may even extend into the weekends, though there is no paid over-time!

What have you learned so far? That not all government officials are at the Capitol to further cultivates their egos. Those constituents are number one priorities to most Senators, and that they respond to every enquiry from the people of their districts.

How is security set up at the Capitol? The Capitol security consists of State Troopers and retired military personnel who are stationed throughout the campus.

Session starts today

2006-01-09T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Senate/House staff reception on Friday was a lot less formal than expected. With a sparkling disco ball, tons of pizza, loud music and unlimited alcoholic beverages, the atmosphere reminded me more of a college bar of sorts, more than a government sponsored reception. Not that I know what a college bar looks like, nor care to for that matter. All else aside though, the reception was an excellent opportunity to meet a few of the other interns and session aids with whom I will be working with. One thing of interest to find out was how far most of the interns had traveled to get to Olympia. Some where Yakima, Bothell, Pullman and other far distanced corner areas of the state. Also what I found surprising was the amount of money these college interns were paying to rent rooms and basements in people’s houses near the Capitol, the average price ranging around $500 a month! It just made me thankful that I still lived nearby.

Today is the start of a new day, a new experience and a new legislative session for Washington. I’m not sure exactly what all that this entails, but I most defiantly will find out soon. This session my Senator will be pushing some very interesting legislation, the most note worthy of which will be Jessica’s Law. You may have heard about the young Florida girl who returned from church with her parents one night only to be snatched from her bed later that evening by a man already convicted of kidnapping, rape and arson, only serving about 15 years for all offences combined. Jessica was later found dead two weeks later under a porch where she was buried was buried alive, after being raped. This new legislation has already been enacted by the State of Florida and Washington State will hopefully follow their lead in protecting the innocence and even the lives of children. The law would state that even first time sex offenders will be fined with a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison, with the possibility of the death sentence on some cases.
As a staff member of the Senate I am not allowed to lobby in any way for this bill, but wait till I tell you haw I was able to voice my opinion to hundreds of Washingtonians on the way to work.

Before the Storm

2006-01-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

I’m told that the peaceful days are over. Next Monday will be the start of the 60th legislative session in Washington State, and will be the beginning of an interesting and hectic (?) time.

This past week has been crammed with training courses, lectures and media presentations with the intent on better equipping the legislative staff. The courses are well intentioned but some of the stuff is just a waste of time. Take, for instance, the hour long course on how to send an email, or the four hour session on ethics (which was mainly about how staff cannot lobby for their member, why we can’t accept gives over $50 dollars from lobbyists, and why sexual harassment will get you fired [!}).

There is usually a personal supporting staff of about three people per Senator. First there is the Legislative Assistant, which is here year round to respond to constituents, then there is the intern, which is here during the session for college credit, and then the is the session aid (usually college grads), whose is also here for the session, and whose job it is to take calls, greet constituents (the voters), and conduct other such supportive activities.

The last few days of the week I have been more involved in the office. My responsibilities now include sifting through the snail mail, responding to calls for the Senator from the State Hotline, answering the office phone, and tracking constituent opinions.

Tonight, the Senate and House will be hosting a casual reception to welcome new staff and interns to the 2006 session. Aside from getting “free pizza, beverages, music, and fun” the purpose seems to be a chance to try and meet all of the Senate and House staff “before the storm”.

Next time I log in, I will address any interesting events in tonight’s get-together, as well as talk about the legislation we will be pushing this session (some really good stuff). By the way, I have been asked by the LA (Legislative Assistant) to think of a bill of ny own, which will then be given to the Senator and most likley presented to the legislative process. If you have any ideas on a new law or "anti" law then drop a comment.

Welcome

2006-01-05T06:20:00.000-08:00

Hello and Welcome to this new little corner of the web (can there be a corner in a web?).

I plan on writing about the days and events in the State Capitol from the viewpoint of a session aid to a senator here in Washington. As most of you (don't) know, the Legislative Session starts on the second Monday of the first month of the year, according to the constitution. So this past week has been filled with numerous meetings, lectures and other forms of communicating (sometimes needless) information so that all of the Senate staff will be prepared when the ninth of January rolls around.

More will be coming soon as I learn to manipulate the features on this site.

-DJ