Coaching Change at Nebraska

I wondered when this would come. When Steve Pederson (sp?) took over as Athletic Director at Nebraska and then railroaded out long-time assistant, turned head football coach Frank Solich, I knew something was amiss. Things in Nebraska football, which is almost like a religion in Nebraska (where I grew up), have been spiralling downward as of late. Massive blowouts by teams that were unexpected, materialized.

Steve Pederson was fired earlier this year and former coach Tom Osborne was appointed Interim Athletic Director. According to his press conference this morning, he met with the coaching staff mid-season and laid out benchmarks with them. The coaches knew finishing the season where things stood.

Gotta run, but wanted to give a link to this ESPN article on the subject.
http://http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3125379

I think there are those in Nebraska and those who follow Cornhusker football, who are probably happy with the outcome (my sisters and BILs included)

Would You Like to Write in Elvish?

Below is a link to an alphabet where you can write your name (and other things) in Elvish. It give a little flair to your everyday signature.

With so many Lord of the Rings fans out there, I thought you might enjoy the link.

http://www.starchamber.com/paracelsus/elvish/elvish-in-ten-minutes.html

Christmas with a Capital C

Here is a YouTube video by the group Go Fish. A reminder to call Christmas, Christmas and not fall into the politically correct "Happy Holidays" trap.

A new rock Christmas song: "It’s Christmas with a capital “C”. Since Christmas "Sales" began the week before Halloween, just a little reminder what it's about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAckfn8yiAQ If it is not active, please cut and paste it into your browser.

A Quote that says it all......

I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991

I think I know quite a few people who can agree with this quote. We have 10 bookshelves in our house, plus several boxes of books that we plan to sell or pass along to someone else via www.half.com or www.paperbackswap.com , etc. There is always a book or 10 in the reading pile on a variety of subjects. I am thankful that our children have inherited our love of books. Now, if I could just find time to finish some of those books I started............

Organic Ag Yields Higher Than Conventional in Recent Study

While promoters of conventional agriculture spread information that Organic Agriculture will not produce enough food to feed the world, a new 9 year study by Kathleen Delate of Iowa State University, dispells the notion that organic production doesn't yield as much.

http://www.eyebeam.org/reblog/archives/2007/11/another_study_shows_organic_ag_o.html

In fact, the studies findings are similar to those done by other universities.

After all, it is how agriculture survived for thousands of years until the last 50 years or so.

Alternative to Lead-Tainted Imported Toys

It seems that every day I receive a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall in my inbox listing another 5-10 children's toys, necklaces, etc. A few weeks ago someone on my email list shared a link to 10 American made non-toxic toys. I can't find the link right now, but if someone still has it, feel free to add it in the comments section and I will insert it into the post.

I am pleased to find that there some wonderful alternative toys sources out there with natural/organic materials and non-toxic finishes. If you are looking to support small family cottage style producers of great toys, you might want to shop here:

www.anaturalhome.com

Here is a link to the article describing their business:

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/07/11/19/organic.toys.html

Enjoy your shopping, from the comfort of your own computer and avoid the lines on Black Friday! I do !!!!

More Info about Vaccination Requirements

These are links to a couple of newsletters I receive. They address the threatened fines and jail time for parents in Maryland whose children did not have all their vaccinations.

There are links for both newsletters, but the information may be the same or similar.

Holistic Pediatric Association Newsletter

www.hpakids.org/hpaNewsletter/HPA_Newsletter_005.htm

Family Wellness First Newsletter

www.icpa4kids.org/wellness/0039.html

People need to start standing up for their rights, instead of being walked over, or pretty soon we won't have any rights left.

Interesting article on vaccination requirements

With so much going on with our nation's health these days (obesity epidemics, hypertension, high cholestrol and diabetes in kids, etc.), informed parents are questioning blanket recommendations for vaccinations. The jury is still out on their safety at least in what I have read.

Many believe the huge amount of vaccinations young children get have ties to the huge increase in autism and autism spectrum disorders (Aspergers, ADD, etc). The incidence of autism is now 1 in 166, which should alarm everyone. The new book by Jenny McCarthy, I believe, speaks to this as well. I heard her interview on Larry King Live a while back. Her book is linked here:

http://www.amazon.com/Louder-Than-Words-Mothers-Journey/dp/0525950117/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195346794&sr=8-1

The Crunchy Con blog has a post written today on the subject which is worth reading. Regular columnist Rod Dreher is taking a little vacation and has Erin Manning as his guest columnist/blogger. You can read a little about her from a post earlier today called Welcome Erin Manning at his blog.

Here is the link to her post:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2007/11/erin-public-health-private-con.html

I would love to hear your thoughts on it. It reminds me of the myriad of other public programs/mandates that have very private consequences. Please share your other examples.

Online Wish List

I just found a link to a neat idea. The website is a free online wish list. You can add items to it throughout the year. Think of the applications. You can make note of that item that your mom mentioned she would like. The next time you are giving her a gift, you have already got an idea that you know she'll love. Perhaps your teenage daughter mentioned a CD she would like, but she hadn't bought it yet, or you didn't buy it for her.

My children's birthdays are all within 5 weeks, with Christmas smack dab in the middle of them. So basically I collect ideas all year long and then need them within a month's time. It would be nice to have those ideas available so I could shop throughout the year. It would help the pocketbook too!

The website is www.baggle.com