Sunday, November 30, 2008

Salmon Spawning in Piper's Creek!

Very near my home is Carkeek Park, which is the home of Piper's Creek. About 12 years ago, the creek was stocked with Salmon. The Salmon have been returning to spawn regularly ever since.
This is very exciting to me, living in the middle of a big city, and Salmon are spawning about a mile and half away!

Thanksgiving is the "peak" of the spawning season. I headed down to the park today to check it out. The pictures of the fish didn't come out so great, but here they are!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Seems people weren't so frightened about a "theocracy" when public officials were blatantly faithful in the past.

President Lincoln, 1863:

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Supreme Court To Review Obama's Citizenship

A case that challenges President-elect Barack Obama's name on the 2008 election ballot citing questions over his citizenship has been scheduled for a "conference" at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Conferences are private meetings of the justices at which they review cases and decide which ones to accept for formal review. This case is set for a conference Dec. 5, just 10 days before the Electoral College is scheduled to meet to make formal the election of Obama as the nation's next president.

Read it all

Update 1/1/2009:
The Supreme Court declined to take this case. I was not a big believer in this line of questioning, but posted this for others at a political blog I frequent. I think there is little to no reason to think Barack wasn't born in Honolulu, where both of his parents lived when he was born.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama

Well, my guy lost. However, America has taken a huge step in living up to the promise of it's founding: Anyone, regardless of race (and I also think, regardless of sex) can become the President of the United States of America.

God bless America, and God bless President-Elect Obama. I was encouraged by his victory speech, where he referred to Lincoln, and his role in preserving the nation and freeing the slaves.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

New "Passion For Murder" Blog Post

Take a look at the latest from my uncle, Eric Miller, at the Passion For Murder blog. In this post Eric briefly makes the case he makes in his book Passion For Murder that Dr. Sigmund Freud was a serial killer.

An excerpt:

In Passion for Murder I wanted to get on record my thesis and the foundation evidence. Actually, I think a careful study of my book does offer sufficient proof that Freud looks like a serial killer, walks like a serial killer, and quacks like a serial killer--now I will follow up with detailed info of those he killed. In 1984 the criterion for indentifying a serial killer had not yet been developed by the Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI at Quantico laboratories. That actually came out in late 1984, after publication for my work. This is a great boon for me. I spoke in PFM of Freud's Homicidal Mania, We have learned a great deal about serial killers since publication of my work. And I myself was amazed at how Freud's hand (unlike O.J.'s?) fit into the glove. The focus of the serial killer profile now offers a great opportunity to show how Freud absolutely fits the profile--indeed, one might say the profile was made to fit!

This is fascinating stuff!