DaVinci Code wasn't enough..

Look out, there's some new blasphemy coming this way.

Tomorrow, a new 'documentary' called The Lost Tomb of Jesus is being released.

It claims to have found the body of Christ in a limestone ossuary. It also presents 'evidence' supporting the previous blasphemies of the DaVinci Code.

In the words of the documentary's director, Simcha Jacobovici, "It's mind boggling. It's an altered reality."


I'll let you reword 'altered reality' into a more- concise form.

Common Sense, and Common Cents

Issue 23 of Regenerate Our Culture magazine holds a lot of fun stuff on economy, economics, taxes, and other matters pertaining to money and the management thereof - check it out if you have the time: ROC

However, what I wanted to take the time to comment on is the article by Seth D. Willard - Penny Wise, Dollar Wise.

I fear that many people will read Willard's article and will never really realize or appreciate the whole value of his approach to spending and saving. Many people, young(er) and old(er) will read it and say, "Yeah...yeah....that's right..." and the reality of what it means to them when they pull out their wallet will totally go in one ear and out the other.

I've seen it happen, - many times. And that's why I'm taking the time to reinforce, if I can, to repeat, to highlight and underline, the principles that he brought forth.

I had to smile while reading Willard's article, because my own upbringing and dealings with money and family were (are) so very similar to his. He's a young man from Minnesota, homeschooled, well acquainted with country life, and he's also on the right track with his pocketbook.

There's a reason why I'm being so serious about this. Statistics are giving a rather clear picture of a rather clear problem with today's spenders. In 2005 American households saved an average of negative .5%, and in 2006 that figure has slipped further, with savings standing at negative 1% of after-tax income. In other words, more is going out the door than is coming in.

The United States has not seen negative savings of this kind since the Great Depression. And it's not because there isn't enough money being earned. It is, simply, because there is not enough money being saved, or rather, too much money being spent.

(So keep this in mind, because your local bank really does appreciate the money people put in savings accounts - even if they're not showing it.)

Let me develop a bit: Money is nothing more than a currency. And a currency is nothing more than a spending commodity. It stands as a medium with which we can universally receive wages and convert them into a more tangible form of wealth. Money, in and of itself, doesn't do much for us. We can't eat it, wear it, live in it, or any of the other necessities of life. This is where the concept of purchasing comes in - we can exchange money for goods, and goods for money, and we convert tangible items into money, and money into directly tangible items.

Properly managing a spending commodity is obviously a skill that's being lost by the handlers of today's money. It's not because it's such a complicated skill to learn either, in fact, it's such an uncomplicated thing that most people totally miss the rudimentary points of how to flip a coin and go on to rant about the economy and the politicians.
Let me make this concept very simple: Money management is composed of two factors- Saving, and Spending. Actually, we'll make that three - Earning, Saving, and Spending.

Earning is converting your labor into wages. You now have a spending commodity.

Saving is saving. Savings are the part of your wages that you don't spend.

Spending is converting your spending commodity into a less fluid, more tangible form.

The Point of Saving.
Saving, is simply, not spending. So what's the point of 'not spending' a 'spending commodity'?
Let me put this in a very practical, mechanical perspective. My 1995 Ford F350 Powerstroke is having a problem right now (nothing unusual for a Ford I know) that is pretty much the same problem that today's money handlers have. When that diesel is running, it's gotta do some saving if it's going to start the next time - that's what the alternator's job is. It charges the batteries when the engine is running, as well as supplying all the services with a 12V current. Problem is, right now, due to a regulating diode being out, it's not charging the batteries. So every time I start, the batteries get weaker, until there's nothing left. Simply put, that's what Americans today are doing with a savings rate of negative 1%.

That's the very basic reason for saving. Without it, you'll be one of those [d]river [r]eturns [o]n [f]oot, [f]ound [o]n [r]oad [d]ead Fords.

There are more reasons why saving is a great thing. Let me tell you about this young fellow I know: Like Seth Willard, he was homeschooled, grew up working with dirt and bugs and chickens. He grew up working with his dad, and as soon as he had a few pennies to rub together, he started saving. At sixteen he assumed a full-time administrative position in the family business, and he continued to save. Not long ago, at the age of nineteen, he purchased a fifty acre farm. And people wondered, 'How'd that happen'?

The Point of Spending.
Whichever way you cut the cake, we ultimately save so we can spend. Spending is the fine art of converting our hard-earned money back into tangible forms. We will always need food, or clothing, or transportation, or a home. The problem is that this conversion, though it is as easy as clicking a button or swiping a card, has become ultimate hole in the pocket for today's money handlers. The money is being converted into things that disappear, into things that are worth a fortune today and nothing tomorrow.

And then they wonder where the money went. They can't make ends meet. They're in debt because they spent more than they earned, and they spent it on -they can't even remember what, at least there's nothing much to show for it. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? (Isaiah 55:2)

And they'll read Seth Willard's article and say, "Yeah... yeah...that's right. Wish I had some money to save".

If that's you, listen up, because I'm going to give you a few secrets on how to make this conversion of cash into cow the most efficient, not the least efficient link in the chain. It's not hard, it's not complicated, and it's not magic. It's all about common sense and common cents. Penny wise, dollar wise.

Wise spending is the exchange of money for something of equal value. When you get a paycheque, take a look at it and think of how much that money is worth. If you leave it in the bank (in the right kind of account) it will hold that value. Question is, when this money gets converted into some form of equity(spent), will the value of that equity hold? Is it worth it, to spend this money? (What happens to chips and candy?)

If you're reading this, and if you're someone who handles money, I'm giving you a challenge. If you're a working man, and if you meet this challenge, I'm guaranteeing you that five years from today, you will own your own home.

Here's the challenge: Every time you dig in your pocket, every time you pull out your wallet, ask yourself this question: What will the retained value of this conversion be? Will it simply disappear, or will it be useful for years to come? And if that's not enough, do recall the words, A fool and his money are easily parted.

You see, the overspending that we see today is not simply spending too much. It is simply the sum total of a year's useless expenditures. It's the money that's frittered away, hither and thither, and at the end, you have nothing to show for it. (Except some debts.)

Your money will disappear, but you're the one who determines whether the value of it disappears. You can retain the value of your paycheque - first by wisely saving, and then by wisely spending.

Cost of living included. If your lifestyle isn't worth what it's costing you, time to make some changes.


Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. (1Corinthians 4:2)

So... what was your last purchase worth?

A few rambling thoughts...

Let me tell you a little bit about what you're about to read. I started writing this with no intention of ever publishing or blogging it. It was early one morning, and it was time to sort out a few thoughts, so I started writing, and I was intending to file it away somewhere, and leave it.

But some weeks passed and the Lord began to impress me to share it. At least, part of it. So, some more weeks have passed, and now I'm going to share it. At least, part of it - slightly adapted.

I write this as a boy who stands on the threshold of manhood, twenty years old.
And from this vantage point, I look forward upon the hills of life to be lived. A life to be lived to glory of God, Who has given this life to me. And I by His grace have given myself to Him, so that this life, which I live, will not be my life at all, but Christ, Who liveth in me.

From this minor ridge, I stand and look back over the fields and farms of youth, the lawns and gardens of childhood, even over the doldrums of toddler days, and I also look forward over fields yet unplowed, over life yet unlived. This view holds the thrill that must have thrilled Daniel Boone as he stood on his first ridge setting out into the unknown. I see that there are hills that have never been climbed, cliffs that have not been scaled, oceans that have never been navigated. I see that there are challenges no human has met before, there are battles yet to be fought, and victories that must be won. There are tragedies yet untasted, there are adversities yet unseen, dilemmas undeliberated, sacrifices that have yet to be made. There are days yet undawned, sorrows yet unknown, and joys yet to be experienced.


This, my friends, is the frontier of the future. Advance I must, retreat I cannot. It is not possible to move faster or slower, for time's relentless hands bring it on with a constant and unrelenting rate. Whether scaling a cliff or traversing a desert, it will not change pace, but will continue to test; continue to challenge. This is a frontier that has no end, except for future frontiers of eternity. No man knows, nor can know, the events that will lie ahead, but God indeed is the One Who sees, and Who knows, the terrain that I must travel.

This is a frontier that calls, as all frontiers have, and all frontiers will, for men of valour, and for women of virtue. And in doing so, it calls for that which is not common to humanity. The boldest bravery that I can muster up as a mortal man is insufficient to conquer this frontier for eternity. The most valiant of men have fainted behind us in the kaleidoscope of history, because all vigor and all valour that finds its source within the mortal man will prove to be a mortal figment of a mortal imagination.

Only the Immortal has conquered this mortality. And only on the strength of that immortal victory can we be conquerors in this battle. And with that Immortal One dwelling in this mortal one, one day this mortal flesh will be filed in the morgue, but the immortal victory of Christ which was wrought in me will ascend the final frontier of eternity. -And I pray, my friends, that this victory is wrought in you too, because you also face this frontier.

‘God made man upright, but he has sought out many inventions.’ And the frontier of the future that lies before us still calls, not for inventions, not for machines and devices, not even for muscles or money, but for upright men – men of valor, and women of virtue. Men and women who will not only live victoriously, but who will also die victoriously. And the only way I can meet this challenge, and answer this call, is that I be found in Him, not having my own righteousness – not walking after the flesh, but after the spirit.

And here I find one of the greatest challenges on this frontier: Verily, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. This is where the valiant are divided from the cowardly. This is where those who walk after the spirit are divided from those who walk after the flesh. This is where my mortal and fallen flesh must be mortified, and this is where the Spirit of the Son of God must be raised up.

The future is truly a frontier for all humanity. And as all frontiers have been, and all frontiers will be, it is conquerable only in the present. Right here, right now, in the present. No one has ever committed future sins, nor has any man yet built a reputation on things that he 'will do'. The past is comprised of the completed present, and the future remains that frontier which is one step ahead of the present. Yesterday was once 'a today', and today was once 'tomorrow', but our winning or our losing takes place right here, right now, in the present.


Pause with me here and survey this wild, untouched, unknown, unexplored frontier. We all will traverse a frontier upon which no man has set foot before. We will either conquer it, or it will conquer us. But you and I can be more than conquerors - through Christ Jesus in us, the hope of glory. Right here, right now, in the present, this frontier of the future can be conquered, through mortifying our mortal flesh, and the regeneration of our minds by the immortal victory of Christ.

Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart.

Modesty Survey Results Go Public

The Modesty Survey results are out!








(Except you knew that already.)

What you may not have known in detail was that when they first went public yesterday at 12:30 noon EST, by 2:30 PM, it had to be pulled due to a large influx of traffic that took down the server. It was restored later in the afternoon.

So you can browse now.

I contributed to the survey, and I thought it was a bit time consuming to fill it all out, but phew, I think it takes just about as long to read throught the results and responses as it did to do my part. :P

The vote results are all interesting, but if you want the best part, take some time and read the answers to the open questions - you won't want to miss them, guy or girl.

Labour Force Survey - January 2007

Resource citation: StatsCan The Daily

I know most of my readers probably don't read statistics reports or get excited about them. I know that stuff is for mostly for market analysts and stock speculators - and for odd people like myself who seem to take interest in such boring data. But these trends and shifts do reveal certain things - for example this result:

Ontario's unemployment rate rose by 0.3 percentage points in January to 6.4%, due to an estimated 32,000 additional labour force participants.
Over the past 12 months, 88,000 (+3.2%) adult women have entered Ontario's labour force, while the number of male participants has increased by just 18,000 (+0.6%).

I'll let your imagination work that through the laws of averages, but this little piece of information is revealing a disturbing trend. It's telling us something about the women of society, it's telling us something about the men of society, and it's telling us something about the families of society.

This is what a society that has spurned the primary duties of life looks like. The fact that there are more women working than should be working is obvious, but far more perilous is the evidence that there is an extreme surplus of deadbeat males.


Guys, get to work. (Unfortunately, it's not likely that many of them will read this.)

Principles of Communication - (Part Three) The Real-Life Theatre

In case you haven't noticed, my blogging time is usually early in the morning, or late in the evening, or both. It's either the tail end of my day - or the tail end of my night. So if you come across evidences of this in my posts, just remember that 'love covereth a multitude of transgressions'. :P

So, if you've read the previous two 'parts', it's evident that I put a fairly strong emphasis on the foundational role that communication plays in relationships. Now it's time to take a little look at the role that relationships play in communication. All our communications, in this world and out of it, take place in one or more categories of relationship.

There's the category of strangers - better known as 'public relations' (PR).
There's the category of business relations.
There's the category of friends.
And there's the category of family.

'Public relations' is that area of general everything. We can't address the public personally and individually because we neither know them nor they us. For most of us however, because we're not newscast anchorpeople, PR occupies a fairly small portion of our communication, even though it comprises the largest share of of humanity. This category is the target of political sciences and all manner of other similar efforts.

Then there's business. (All of these categories are bound to overlap in some way, by the way.) Business relations are work relations. They may be people we work for, or work with. This category is more weighty than the first because we are handling people's money, and time, and goods. This is the category of communication where we need to be willing to 'put our money where our mouth is'. Believe me, business relations bring in plenty of problems every day that need to be resolved. It'll bring intimidating salesmen, irate customers - and also some great friends.

Friends. And this is where the relationship scale tips toward the personal side. Friends are great - they're people we share with, people we work with, and people we play with. Friends sharpen us - 'as iron sharpeneth iron'. And sometimes, friends even become family. :P

Oh yes, the family. This is the inner sanctum of all human relationships. This is the category of relationship where all comes to the test. If we thought 'putting our money where our mouth is' was easy, try putting our actions where our mouth is, and when we think that's easy- try putting our heart where our mouth is! We don't get away with anything, do we?
This is where all that talk gets tested in real life. We live together, eat together, grow up together, (or grow old together,) work together, play together, (fight together... might as well put that in there) - and we have all those witnesses to make sure we don't get away with anything. On top of it all, we have the complexity of honoring parental authority, and being an example to our siblings.

Sometimes we feel so confident, well-grounded, and articulate when talking with our friends - and then we face our parents and it all evaporates. Why? Because we have no covers! The more personal the relationship is - the more vulnerable we are to each other. But that vulnerability is an incredible blessing because it's what probes and proves us. It's where every one of us is going to have to learn the reality of relationships, and the elements of communication.

But there's one step even more personal than our relationship with our family, and that's our relationship with our Creator. This is vulnerability at the highest form - the creature before the Creator. We might be able to get away from our family, but we can't get away from God. Our family might know us, but God knows our hearts. He will probe us, and prove us, and more than that, He will cleanse us with burning live coals.


And then, we who were of unclean lips, can stand before Him, and say "Here am I; send me".

Principles of Communication - (Part Two) Communicating Successfully

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,
and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen
the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a
live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And
he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine
iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of
the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here
am I; send me. (Isaiah 6:5-8)

Lord, take away our iniquity, and purge our sin. We are of unclean lips - lay the coal of your Spirit upon us, for then, and only then, can we be sent as your messengers.

As I previously mentioned, communication is so integrally tied with relationships that the two become inseparable. Now for each type of relationship, there is a corresponding type of communication. But even so, the success of each relationship, whether it be a business relationship, a friend/friend relationship, a parent/child relationship, or a husband/wife relationship, is inherently tied to the success of the communication that runs that relationship. Obviously, the communication of a marriage relationship is significantly more personal than that of a business relationship, and the parent/child relationship is more complex than the friend/friend relationship. Each of these require a different type of communication, but they all require successful communication if they are to be successful relationships.

The principles of successful communication, as I have learned them, seem to go in pairs. For each rule, there exists a clarifying corollary. For each point, there is a fundamental counterpoint. Now, I won't make this into another Prof. Wiio job, but I'll try to lay it out so that it will provide some tangible principles for us to work on.

Rule # 1: Communication is all about listening.
Actions speak louder than words - and listening is one those actions. You see, lack of this is what usually begins the frustrations of communication breakdowns. If I don't pay appropriate attention to what you are saying, you can put great effort into getting your point across to me, and it never gets there. When you're listening to someone, put effort into maximizing the efficacy of their words. Maybe they're hard to understand - maybe they have a hard time putting their thoughts into words in a way that is clear and concise. Do it for them. Pick up the strain of thought, and if necessary, paraphrase it to yourself in the way that you would have expressed that thought. You may edit words, but never, never, edit the thought.
1.1 - (corollary counterpoint of rule #1) Listening is not-
clamping my lip, biting my tongue, or grinding my teeth. Listening is not about sitting there and feeling myself hard done by. Listening is not about being quiet until I can talk again. It's not about sitting there looking a bit spaced out - thinking what I'll say as soon as you've finished. Ultimately, listening is not about me, it's about you.
1.2 - (the clarification corollary)
Don't assume that you've understood it - establish that understanding by giving intelligent feedback of what you understand me to be saying.

Rule # 2: Don't pick fights, resolve problems.
An antagonistic, combative approach to a problem will rarely result in successful resolution or successful communication. Make no mistake, we won't be able to avoid being on the receiving end - but here's a little secret: It takes two to fight. So if someone launches into us in attack mode, and we really feel like we need be on the defensive, forget it - it's not even worth the effort. Defensive communication is the very mark of insecurity and immaturity. It only makes us vulnerable and aggravated. If we're wrong, admit it. If we are secure, there is no need to be defensive. Hear it out, determine the real problem, and take steps to resolve it.
2.1 (corollary counterpoint) Don't Duck the Difficulties.
Sometimes for the sake of peace, we avoid the touchy issues. We pass over the problems to get away from the stress of dealing with it. Been there, done that - there's a word for it, and it's procrastination - forget it. Which is more stressful, an unresolved problem or a resolved problem? Don't make issues out of non-issues, and don't make non-issues out of issues. If there's a problem, deal with it. If there's no problem, don't make one.
2.2 (clarification corollary)
This, of course, takes wisdom. If we don't know how to resolve a problem, first we need to admit that fact, and secondly, we need to seek counsel. Absolutely every challenge that comes our way is one more learning opportunity. Don't duck them, catch them.

Rule # 3: Communicating Honestly.
In all this, there is no principle more important than to be honest in all things. I can spend a lot of time listening to you, but if I'm only hearing what I want to hear, my listening is in vain, and your speaking has profited nothing. Likewise if I'm talking to you, and only saying what I think you want to hear, we may have all the appearances of successful communication, but it is nothing more than an illusion. And illusions lead to disillusions, and disillusions to delusions.
3.1 (corollary counterpoint)
Honest communication is not me giving you 'a piece of my mind'. It is not me telling you all about the speck in your eye. Honest communication is about me removing the beam out of my eye, so that you and I can look each other clearly in the eye when we speak, with malice toward none, and charity toward all.
3.2 (clarifying corollary)
So what happens when you're trying to be honest, and I'm not? What happens when you're trying to communicate, and I'm not? When you're doing your best, and I'm doing my worst? (Firstly, if that 'me' is 'me', send 'me' back here.)

Well, this challenge is a very real life challenge. I don't have a cure, but I can tell you that it takes patience, it takes prayer, and it takes perseverance. And sometimes, it comes not out except by prayer and fasting. These situations exist to keep us humble, and on our knees. They may be a veritable fiery furnace, but I assure you that any trial that comes our way will be a refining fire if we 'take it to the Lord in prayer'.

I could go on and on with more technicalities of communication, but you know what, all of it is summed up in one verse - James 1:19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:



We're still learning, and trust me, we won't ever exhaust that frontier of challenges. Sometimes it exhausts us, but 'lift up thine eyes, for redemption draweth nigh'.

I don't know, does this need a third part?

Principles of Communication - (Part One) Eliminating the Fundamental Obstruction

So... I'm sitting here trying to think of a good slick beginning to what I'm trying to get started on, but maybe I'll drop the frills for now and 'cut to the chase'.

Communication. And communication skills.

First I'm going to give you a link, and once you have tired of that, you may at your convenience and leisure peruse this attempt of mine at communicating (to you) what I have learned in the last decade or so about the building blocks of successful communication.

I'm not necessarily thinking about rhetoric/eloquence/thought articulation, (which I aptly demonstrated lack of with the start of this post) but of the communication that is absolutely essential to any human relationship. Or perhaps rather, to the success of any human relationship. Communication, after all, only exists because humans were made to relate to their fellow humans.

Communication is more than the ability to talk. I can go outside and talk my teeth out to the wind, but that's not communication.

Communication is more than the ability to write. I can write until the end of the world, but writing, of itself, is nothing more than a black hole.

Communication is, simply, communication. It's what connects you and I right now. You're reading what I wrote and perhaps comprehending my thoughts. Without communication, my thoughts remain inside this skull, and your thoughts do the same. But when this mysterious thing called communication takes place, my thoughts enter into your mind, and you then have a connection with me. ( Now of course, if you take the time to comment, we may be able to reciprocate that phenomenon, and we'll have a two-way connection going.)

But it seems that whatever the method of communication, whether writing, or talking, or one of the many other elements that add to these, there are occasionally 'breakdowns'. Something happened, somewhere between my brain and yours, and the thought which was converted into words, which was transmitted, received, and converted into thought, became something different in your mind than it was in mine. (But in this environment, there's a good probability that things are going smoothly. And to put your mind at ease, I have no intent to demonstrate a 'breakdown of communication here.)

I think I'm going to have to break this down into two parts, or this will run rather long for a blog post. We'll get to the building blocks of successful communication, but first we need to dig for a foundation - we need to eliminate

Obstructions to successful communication


If you're old enough to be reading this, I'm sure you've realized by now that in this world, there are some people that can be pretty hard to get along with. And this is not so much insight as it is hindsight - communication makes or breaks a relationship. If we there is successful communication between two people, there is a successful relationship between those two people. And if there is a breakdown in communication between those two people, then there is that much breakdown in their relationship.

'Growing up', I believe that pretty much any one of us has experienced a 'communication meltdown'. For example, one of those incidents where a communication episode with our parents over some domestic conflict deteriorates to the point where things start overheating, people get upset, and usually at that point any hope of a resolution for the conflict in question is likely not to be fulfilled in that episode. And I'm not kidding that these incidents often result in tears, anger, and even rebellion.

So where does this breakdown occur? I assure you that it does not occur anywhere in the empty space between my brain and yours - it is purely reactionary. That reaction occurs in my mind and heart, and in your mind and heart.

What makes it happen?

From experience I can assure you that the number one factor that fuels a communication meltdown is - pride. And likewise the number one factor that fuels a relationship breakdown is - pride.

So what do we do? Start arguing about which one of us has the worst pride, and was in the wrong? And the whole cycle starts over again. James wrote in absolute truth If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

You see, pride makes it impossible for us to bridle our tongue. Why? Because it causes us to deceive our own heart. And if we are deceiving our own heart, how is it possible that we can expect ourselves to be capable of successful communication? Under these conditions, our communication module has only two modes - talking, and not talking. Under these conditions, 'being honest and open' means 'here, I'll give you a piece of my mind'.

Here's the crunch point: Communication is not about talking. Successful communication is about listening. I guarantee that any tense discussion can become successful communication by simply - listening. Listening until there's nothing left to say. And then still listening.

So the single fundamental obstruction to successful communication is an unbridled tongue, and the tongue cannot be bridled because the heart is deceived, and our heart is deceived because of our pride.

I assure you that this pride can only, and will only, lead to shame and isolation, but in humility we are lifted up.

Coming up next, principles of successful communication for successful relationships.

The Google/Blogger deal is almost four years old, but sometime between the second-last time I posted and the last time I posted, they made some administrative changes, and some database changes, and then wanted me to switch over to their 'new and improved' googleblogger.

So I complied, without any pain on my part, but hats off to them, some of the feed syndications that deal with principlething.com suddenly got my whole two dollars worth of blogging last year in one shot.

So, though I have no authority to act on behalf of Google, I apologize for any inconvenience caused by this renovation on their part.

This too shall pass...

Last week I was faced with one of those insignificant but major decisions that have been backburner issues but suddenly need to be dealt with.

This is it: This domain, this very one, expires shortly.

That's right, it's been one year and all I've put into it is two dollars.

So, major decision that I'm not going to waste too much time on - pay $6.50 for renewal or let it go and forget about it.

Well, to make a short story long, I renewed it. For better or for worse.

So that's the history - now for the news: I herewith pledge that this year shall see a rise in my blogging on a minimum ratio of 1:1 to my investment. So that means three times more blogging in 2007 than 2006.

Well, I've been needing it anyways.