The New American Bible for Catholics: With Revised New Testament and Revised Book of Psalms by Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
Book Reviews
Catechism of the Catholic Church
Author: U.S. Catholic Church
Rating: 5
Review: This book was produce with by the Roman Catholic Church after the Vatican II Council. It goes over the Doctrine of the Church, and explains many things about the prayers and processes of the Church. It is a MUST read for any Catholic and I feel any Christian as well. Unfortunately I'm guessing most Catholics haven't read it. If you are Catholic and don't have a copy, you should get one!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7)
Author: J. K. Rowling
Rating: 4
Review: Over all the book was pretty good as usual. Harry continued to have his "issues" and there for a short bit, I thought he had lost Ron as a friend, but that worked it out as I should have probably figured. The real kicker was that Dudley and Draco both became "friends" (of sorts) with Harry. Interesting twist. The last chapter was written as if it was from someone other than J.K. Rowling though. It was of a totally different style, badly written and it didn't feel like it belong in the book. (Hence the 4 of 5 rating.)
Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen
Author: Fulton J. Sheen
Rating: 5
Review: Bishop Sheen lead an interesting life in Christ. His studies and travels are awe inspiring. His writing abilities keep you turning the pages to learn more of his life. I only wish I could have heard him "live" on TV and met him in person. For those of Christian belief, reading his words would be of benefit.
1. Lose 50 pounds. - Several good things happened this year, but that wasn’t one of them, I went up 20.
2. As a Watkins Business Owner, my goal was to hit Silver Manager by today, 31 December. I did not make it, but I was close, real close!!
3. Own two multi-unit homes/appartments/etc. - Didn’t start on this project at all.
4. Start doing Tax Liens again. Due to many issues, I never started this project.
Here are some of my primary goals for the year 2005:
1. Have my Didactic section of my current PhD program done by the end of March 2005.
2. Have my Intial Draft of my PhD dissertation complete by December 2005.
3. Obtain my CISSP Certification by the end of June 2005.
4. By the end of December 2005, obtain and sustain Executive Level with Watkins.
5. Lose 50 lbs. (I’ve already started on this, effective today, and actually effective two weeks or so ago!!)
6. Get back into rental properties.
I KNOW I can reach all of these goals, I just need to re-condition myself to not be lazy as I was this past year. I think I took a couple years off in fact.. Not anymore!!
If you are reading this, please check back in with me in a year and force me to post my results.
I’m VERY surprised at the lack of TV coverage of the events in Asia right now! Yes, there is SOME coverage, but this should be all over the screen!!
This is the worse earthquake in over 40 years, and the biggest Tsunami in many more years! As of this AM there are about 70K people confirmed dead, and many thousands more still listed as missing!
I personally think this event is bigger than 9/11 and should have strong coverage so we know what is going on!! Yes, 9/11 was a terrorist act, and needed coverage too, and so should this, which is a “natural” event!
Well, today brings to us the beginning week of the next round of no fun! People bringing back the hunderds of thousands of dollars worth of products they received from their friends and loved ones that they don’t want or don’t like!! Yep, someone brings you a gift from their heart, and we take it back to the store for something else. In most cases, I’m betting that the giver was giving something THEY wanted…
I’m hoping this year is a bit better than in the past for these retail folks (I did retail for a year, more as a learning experience and until I could get my mind on what I wanted to be doing now, so I know how it goes…) with the strong use of the gift cards. I hope more people are buying these cards than getting gifts that the other person didn’t want….
I’m a member of ISSA (Information Systems Security Association), which is supposed to be people that are in a systems security position in their company, or that run a systems security/auditor company. These people should be aware of what exploits are out there, know how to counter them and how to fix the issues on their computer. In my eye they should be very well versed on what tools are used by the crackers out there (to me a cracker is a person that breaks into a system for mal intent, a Hacker is a person that discets THEIR systems and code to learn more about what the system and code can do, a GOOD Hacker does not break into other peoples systems anymore, it’s too cheap (IE FREE in many cases) to get the operating systems you would want, and code you can use to learn on your own systems) are using.
Last month at the ISSA Chapter meeting we had a security audit/training company come in and show us some of the current tools available freely on the Net that were being used by the script kiddies and in some cases Pros. They even used some on a mock network.
The person doing the demo, an ISSA member himself, received at least one email from a participant and member stating that he should not be showing us and using such tools.
ISN’T THAT WHAT THIS GROUP IS ALL ABOUT? LEARNING MORE ABOUT THEIR INDUSTRY (Data Security and Integrity), AND LEARNING HOW TO THWART IT?
Ok, I ask you, if you are a company and about to hire another company to come in and do some business consulting for you, do you ask for the Principles SSN number? Asking for the EIN number, yes, I can see that, as you need it to pay the bills with, and you can, if you so desire check out the business history of the company. But give out the Principles SSN? In over 20 years of professional business life, I’ve never heard it until this past couple of days.
In the process of helping a client company with their business plan, and getting them ready to go speak to, and land, VC money, we were introduced to a man that was billed as The Consultant for this company. This guy was rude, overbearing and asked for the following things, specifically:
1. Reference letters from my VC contacts.
2. A copy of our business plan format in detail from a like client.
3. My and my business partner’s Social Security Number so he could do a criminal and credit history report.
Now his pissed because we won’t give him that info. We charge from $14K to 100K for working with a company on their business plan, and presentation to VCs. We take 1% of the company, non-dilute able, to introduce them to the VC. Our credit history and criminal history are none of his damn business. I SOOOOOO wanted to hand/send him a bill for $15.1M for the VC list, and the business plan (and I would have even written it for this client!!), but didn’t want to get in a pissing match, which it appears he wants to…
Company credit history would be of import to this transaction, and I have no problems giving him the EIN number for the company, pointing him to our bank, etc. But our company is two months old… We have three clients, and while the client list is growing, we are too new to have a strong reference list!!
Over the years I have meet several people that have net worth of over $5M US, and that live off of that wealth. Meaning they are invested in such a way that they are able to live off of the profits of their wealth. That is a major undertaking and takes some work up front to set it up.
Many of these people are very friendly and in most cases you won’t even know they have that wealth!
I recently met a man that falls in the catagory that he is now able to live off of his wealth (and probably some off of his wife’s income as a Medical Doctor). The down side is he flaunts his wealth in many ways, and has a mighter than though attitude..
This is from a person that has had significant wealth and that at one point didn’t have to work again if he didn’t want to. (Long story there, that may make it’s way here.) During that time, few, except for my inner circle knew I had that wealth and that I didn’t have to work. (I wanted to work at the time…)
I’ve had several people ask me more about my Shamanistic life, so I thought I’d start it out by explaining my beginnings on this path of life!
In 1980, I was stationed in Germany (Stuttgart, a GREAT city!!) in the Army and had a two many room in the barracks to myself. One night when I came home from work, I had a new roommate asleep on my bed (the only one that was made, I guess he figured they made it for him??). I had spent over 35 hours at work that day, so I was pretty beat up from a lot of emergencies (I was a Cardio Vascular Tech and a Combat Medic, with civilian Paramedic License and a lot of non military emergency medicine experience), so I woke him up, asked him to move to his bunk, flipped the pillow over and crashed.
The next day, when I got up, George and I introduced ourselves to each other and left to report the motor pool, and I to the Internal Medicine clinic to work for most of the day then down to the ER.
George was a Mescalero Apache Indian from New Mexico. Over the next few days we started building a friendship. He was very lonely and missed the reservation VERY much. He quickly became, what we called in the Army, a Barracks Rat, meaning he never left his room except to go to the Enlisted Club on base and drink. Which he did a lot of in the room as well.
So, as a friend, I took him with me every time I left base and he didn’t have to work. At first he didn’t want to go, but I started forcing him to come with me. We had a blast, and he got to see another country other than the his Nation Lands, the two Army bases in the US he was on for training, and the towns outside those bases.
After 6 months of his tour he was recalled to the States and discharge because his Father had passed away. When I came back from work that day, his stuff was gone, and there was a note on my bed saying good bye, he had my address and he would stay in touch!
I thought, well, another friend has moved on, time to morn the “losing” of a friend again.
About 4 months later I rotated back to the States for Special Forces Selection and SF Medic Training, but was allowed to take 10 days of Leave to visit my Wife and parent’s, etc. The second day I was home, there was a nock on the door, so I went to answer it, and it was George. He asked if I would come up to the Res with him, as he wanted to introduce me to his Mother and others on the Res. I said sure, and I was VERY excited about it!
I spent a bit over a week there (or about a week) and spent a lot of time with the Nations Shaman asking hundreds of questions about various aspects of life, health, etc.. Many I had “my answers” to, but I wanted to know more. Many of his answers were what I felt. On the third day Dancing Bear, the Shaman, asked me why I was asking all these questions of him, as I was a Shaman and always had been, find the answers on my own.
That night I and the rest of the next day I sat in The Sweat Lodge with George (Sleeping Eagle) meditating and learning new things. On my last day at the Reservation, Dancing Bear performed the Blood Brother cerimony on George and I, and then, to my surprise announced to the Nation that I was from that day forward to be known as a Shaman of the Nation! What a feeling that was!!
I have this Journey thoughout the years (and it has been a bit over 20 years now since this has happened) and I look forward to assisting the Nation and all other Peoples and Nations over the years!
Aho Dancing Bear, I miss you in the present, think of you in the past, and dream of you in DreamLand!
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