daniel hammond

Testing from MacJournal

2010-03-15T08:52:00.000-05:00

I’m typing this in MacJournal. Thanks, MacHeist.

and here we go

2008-07-27T03:20:00.002-05:00

looks like a writer with media/hollywood influence interpreted the dark knight the same way i did. even threw in a little nod to 300 as well.

read the wall street journal op-ed piece by andrew klavan:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121694247343482821.html

politics in gotham

2008-07-20T01:37:00.003-05:00

george w. bush is the dark knight. did anyone else notice that? the right-wing undertones surpass those in 300.

shouldn't pandering at least be practical?

2008-07-11T13:59:00.001-05:00

politicians' fight for the hispanic vote confuses me.

they make themselves seem soft on illegal immigration because they think it'll make the immigrant crowd like them. it seems to me, though, that that would only appeal to the illegal immigrant crowd, and they can't vote. i'm willing to put my money on the probability that the majority of the legal immigrant crowd does not support illegal immigration because they have put the time and work into following immigration laws. based on what i've heard from that demographic, they see the value in that and consider illegal immigration a slap in their faces. and rightfully so. it makes sense to be indignant toward people who successfully take the easy, illegal road to get to the same place that law-abiding immigrants have worked so hard to get to.

so it comes down to this: it would make more sense for candidates to promote toughness on illegal immigration in order to obtain the votes of immigrants who actually have the right to vote.

a short course in brain surgery

2008-06-24T15:18:00.003-05:00

http://www.freemarketcure.com/brainsurgery.php

i know a lot of you have seen arguments like this and still hold fast to your support of socialized healthcare, but this is just another example of why that system's "compassion" should be called into question. i also know that there is some annoying right-wing rhetoric included in the video's narration, but just pay attention to the facts presented, and decide for yourself.

the temperature at which books burn

2008-05-27T17:04:00.001-05:00

"With school turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, the word 'intellectual,' of course, became the swear word it deserved to be. You always dread the unfamiliar. Surely you remember the boy in your own school class who was exceptionally 'bright,' did most of the reciting and answering while the others sat like so many leaden idols, hating him. And wasn't it this bright boy you selected for beatings and tortures after hours? Of course it was. We must all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. So! A book is a loaded gun in the house next door. Burn it. Take the shot from the weapon. Breach man's mind. Who knows who might be the target of the well-read man?"

Bradbury's 55-year-old vision is coming to pass. God help us.

nurishment for the politically bulemic

2008-04-09T15:40:00.002-05:00

i know there are some of you out there who still subscribe to the 9-11 conspiracies. particularly the "it was a missile, not a plane, that hit the pentagon" one.

this may be something you've seen:

now, for your own good, listen to this:

a clip from Glenn Beck's interview with James Meigs of Popular Mechanics about debunking 9/11 myths
http://mfile.akamai.com/6713/wma/glennbeck.download.akamai.com/6713/preview/06/09/debunking911-clip.asx

and read these two articles:

"9-11 Review: ERROR: 'Eyewitnesses Saw a Small Plane'"
http://911review.com/errors/pentagon/witnesses.html

"Popular Mechanics: Debunking the 9/11 Myths: Special Report"
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html?page=1

hucka-live

2008-01-10T09:12:00.003-05:00

omagah

2007-12-08T17:33:00.001-05:00

huckchuck

2007-11-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

see him

2007-11-11T13:41:00.000-05:00

hear him

2007-11-09T10:57:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, friends:

David Bazan Live at the Grey Eagle - 11.4.07

another (big) reason why i like mike

2007-10-22T13:36:00.001-05:00

finally, a good candidate who supports the fairtax.

from the pen of abe

2007-10-05T09:33:00.000-05:00

yet another reason why i love abraham lincoln (this is a letter he wrote to his brother):

Dear Johnston:--

Your request for eighty dollars, I do not think it best to comply with now. At the various times when I have helped you a little, you have said to me, "We can get along very well now," but in a very short time I find you in the same difficulty again. Now this can only happen by some defect in your conduct. What that defect is, I think I know. You are not lazy, and still you are an idler. I doubt whether since I saw you, you have done a good whole day's work, in any one day. You do not very much dislike to work, and still you do not work much, merely because it does not seem to you that you could get much for it. This habit of uselessly wasting time, is the whole difficulty; and it is vastly important to you, and still more so to your children, that you should break this habit. It is more important to them, because they have longer to live, and can keep out of an idle habit before they are in it easier than they can get out after they are in.

You are now in need of some ready money; and what I propose is, that you shall go to work, "tooth and nail," for somebody who will give you money for it. Let father and your boys take charge of things at home--prepare for a crop, and make the crop; and you go to work for the best money wages, or in discharge of any debt you owe, that you can get. And to secure you a fair reward for your labor, I now promise you that for every dollar you will, between this and the first of next May, get for your own labor either in money or in your own indebtedness, I will then give you one other dollar. By this, if you hire yourself at ten dollars a month, from me you will get ten more, making twenty dollars a month for your work. In this, I do not mean you shall go off to St. Louis, or the lead mines, or the gold mines, in California, but I mean for you to go at it for the best wages you can get close to home, in Coles County. Now if you will do this, you will soon be out of debt, and what is better, you will have a habit that will keep you from getting in debt again. But if I should now clear you out, next year you will be just as deep in as ever. You say you would almost give your place in Heaven for $70 or $80. Then you value your place in Heaven very cheaply, for I am sure you can with the offer I make you get the seventy or eighty dollars for four or five months' work. You say if I furnish you the money you will deed me the land, and if you don't pay the money back, you will deliver possession-- Nonsense! If you can't now live with the land, how will you then live without it? You have always been kind to me, and I do not now mean to be unkind to you. On the contrary, if you will but follow my advice, you will find it worth more than eight times eighty dollars to you.

Affectionately your brother,

A. LINCOLN.

stars, stripes, and the like

2007-09-06T09:06:00.000-05:00

mike huckabee and ron paul dominated the stage last night. i like mike. and as much as i disagree with ron's views on things, i like his style.

i'm really glad they were allowed to go at it like that, rather than being kept to rigid guidelines about how long they can talk (30 seconds) to whom (the moderator) about what (the question asked).

also, i watched the democratic youtube debate on cnn back whenever it was on, and as entertaining as it was, the questions are so much better when posed by professionals in the news industry, as they were last night. the republican youtube debate is scheduled to air on november 28.

ps: fred thompson is finally officially in the race:

voluntary imperative?

2007-08-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

"i demand an apology!"

sillier words are rarely spoken. i feel silly for even making this entry because this seems so obvious, but apparently, people just dont get it.

demanding an apology renders the subsequent apology meaningless.

assuming that the person demanding the apology does understand that, the only other reason i can think of as to why they would demand such a thing is because they think it will make them feel better to see the other party publicly admit error. even when that happens, however, the apology is rarely accepted. they say it's not enough even though it's exactly the thing for which they asked.

that leads me to believe that the demander never expected the apologizer to apologize in the first place. that way, they could just keep saying that they want the apology that will never come. once the apology is given, they still feel the need to make demands.

mouse with a sweet tooth, anyone?

on the drop

2007-06-06T08:07:00.000-05:00

to those of you who were griping about predictions of gas prices reaching 4 dollars a gallon this summer, i hope you've opened your eyes and stopped complaining. i told you that they might reach 3.17 or 3.20, like they have in the past, but then they'll go back down to the mid to upper 2.00's. now what's happening? they're taking a striking downturn ($2.79 and dropping). this is due in part to previously downed oil refineries being started back up again (not a nationwide no-pump-gas day). there's more supply, so the price goes down. it's that simple.

now, as far as laying the blame on someone for prices being "high," take into consideration the fact that oil companies get an average of about 8 cents per gallon sold to the public when the government gets an average of about 50 cents per gallon in taxes on that gas. stop blaming exxon, and work to get a major tax reform enacted.

enabling more refineries is, of course, just a short term fix to fuel costs. i agree that the long term solution is new technologies that would relieve us of our dependence on this oil, but you cant expect that to happen overnight while you prevent more refineries from being built because you want to preserve your precious coastal view. seeing a metal thing in the water is a small price to pay for cheaper gas. also, it's been proven that marine life thrives around these rigs. not to mention alaska's caribou population growing dramatically with the advent of their oil pipeline system.

all i ask is that you lighten up, enjoy life, realize how good things are, and smile a bit.

wise words

2007-05-04T15:47:00.000-05:00

shaunna posted this on her blog, and i liked it, so i'm posting it too:

"Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling... Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go... But, of course, ceasing to be "in love" need not mean ceasing to love. Love in this second sense - love as distinct from "being in love" - is not merely a feeling. It is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by (in Christian marriage) the grace which both partners ask, and receive, from God... "Being in love" first moved them to promise fidelity; this quieter love enables them to keep the promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run; being in love was the explosion that started it."

- C.S. Lewis

nice stuff

2007-04-18T15:17:00.001-05:00

the other day, as i was driving down 75, i saw the best thing. there was a car parked on the side of the road with its hazard lights flashing. the man and woman whose car it was were there. were they sad? no. they were dancing! right there in the grass off the side of the interstate. dancing together, enjoying the beautiful sunny day.

i also bought a pair of these yesterday:

update on mike mcclung

2007-03-31T19:21:00.001-05:00

new developments:

Hello Everybody,
I just wanted to shoot you an update on Michael. If you didn't get word earlier, Michael had a slight stroke on Monday. I spoke with him this morning. He is feeling much better. The physical therapist has released him from therapy because his walking has greatly improved. He will still need to take it easy though. He still has a little numbness on his right side, but that also has gotten a little better. He said that he may be able to go home Saturday or Sunday. He is at St. Joseph's Hospital, feel free to give him a call or stop by.

Thanks for all of your prayers.

God Bless,
Daniel Hoover
NorthStar Church
Worship Pastor

he who says prayers, let him pray

2007-03-29T09:42:00.000-05:00

background info: mike mcclung is an awesome guy who led a Bible study that i went to several years ago. my dad just forwarded this email to me:

Hello Everybody,
I wanted to drop everyone a quick note and let you know about Mike McClung. Mike was playing golf yesterday and started to get dizzy and lose his balance. He had not felt well over the weekend and knew his neck felt like it had a "crick" in it. Due to that and losing his balance while out at the golf tourney - he had a friend take him to an urgent care to get him checked out. The urgent care then sent Mike on to St. Joseph's where they determined that Mike had a mini-stroke due to an artery in his neck. They feel like he will make a full recovery but he is currently in ICU at St. Joe's until they feel good about moving him out. He is on some blood thinner and just does not have a lot of energy right now. Please pray for Mike and Heidi during this time and if you are down that way - drop by and let them know you are praying for them! I visited him today and he was in pretty good spirits. I will keep you updated as info comes in!
--
God Bless!

Daniel Hoover
NorthStar Church
www.northstarchurch.org
daniel@northstarchurch.org

as the subject of this entry says, prayers would be appreciated. thanks much.

in cold skies

2007-03-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

i picked up winged migration and infamous at blockbuster last night. i watched winged migration with peter, katie, and kristina. you guys, it is absolutely incredible. by far my favorite documentary now. incredible cinematography. we were scratching our heads trying to figure out how they got some of those shots. the birds it shows are beautiful; God's masterful workmanship really shines through how perfectly aerodynamic their bodies are, how skillfully they get their food, and how interestingly they interact with each other and their surroundings.

at melissa's request, after i watch infamous, i will update again with my thoughts and a comparison between it and capote.

no news is what?

2007-01-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

"no news is good news."

i have a problem with that idea. it dismisses the validity of gratitude and celebration. the expectation that things are supposed to be good, and only noteworthy if things go wrong, is a tragic -- and sometimes dangerous -- state of mind.

tragic: when parents dont praise their kids for doing something right, but only berate them when they do something wrong.

dangerous: the mainstream media. destruction and failure makes a good news story. success and accomplishment is boring. controversy for the sake of controversy. it stops being merely annoying and becomes dangerous when they deliberately influence public opinion on major situations (wars, etc.) by only showing the downsides and ignoring the good that is being accomplished and what is at stake if things go one way or the other.

all news should be presented, be it good or bad. "no news" is not an option.

again with the scapegoat

2007-01-03T13:57:00.000-05:00

"gotta blame him. gotta blame her. gotta blame this. gotta blame that. dont blame me."

that's all i hear when i hear about fast food politics and trans fat news stories. the same people who rally behind so-called documentaries like super size me are the same people who protest the banning of trans fats in restaurants. am i the only one who sees the contradiction there?

"it's mcdonald's fault that i'm fat. they shouldn't be so careless with how unhealthy they make their food. why is the government telling restaurants that they cant put trans fats in their food? we should be able to eat what we want."

i made a post on my livejournal a while back about a story about some folks who blamed the federal government for holding them down socially and financially, then refused to take advantage of federally-provided free transportation to a job fair. it's the same mentality.

passed down

2006-12-27T11:05:00.000-05:00

i've always known that one's parents are almost always one's most influential influences, but it's been brought to my attention that the influence doesn't even have to be direct to be influential.

i'll explain:
i've had numerous discussions with people about the way we should treat the mistakes that people make and the people who make those mistakes. generally speaking, between myself and the person with whom i'm having the discussion, i'm usually the one with the more strict, black and white, "actions bring consequences" opinion. those opinions have been misconstrued as being unforgiving, hateful, and closed-minded. as a result, i'd explain myself further, basically giving the whole "love the sinner; hate the sin" spiel.

i recently came across a comment that my dad left on the blog to which people at his work post comments to discuss books that they read. here's an excerpt from that comment:

"...I have a problem with "losing is unacceptable." ... When [someone] says losing is unacceptable, all I can picture is the tongue-lashing the players would get in the locker room after losing a game. Is it motivating to scold a team for losing, especially if they played hard (just not "hard enough")? When we scold, aren't we really saying, "You're a disappointment to me. You must prove your worth to me by winning cuz if you lose again, I'll have to be very angry with you." Sounds like something the white witch would say to Edmund in The Chronicles of Narnia. God is so different than that. I wouldn't say He's the OPPOSITE of that ("Oh, you lost the game, ah that's okay, maybe next time...just put a smile on your face"). God has that amazing ability to point out our errors and weaknesses in such a way we're built up, not condemned. He makes an appeal, not a tongue-lashing. Look at how Jesus rebuked Martha, or Peter. Yes, the words probably stung, but the only thing that remained after the stinging is the sense that God doesn't reject me, doesn't leave me on my own, but rather builds the relationship, creates the environment for redemption."

this is exactly what i try to get across when i engage people in those kinds of conversations. sometimes it doesn't come out as well as my dad put it. my point with this entry is that i cant think of a time when my dad specifically taught me these ideas word for word, but i still have them as my beliefs. i can only draw the conclusion that i learned from his example, not by words, but by lifestyle.