pHatLip

I don’t know a lot about metallurgy, but I do know that some knives are cheaply manufactured, do not hold a sharpened edge well, rust easily, and may even break easy. There are also many different knife manufacturers, and some may actually offer a lot of glossy marketing, or try and push their products based on the name, yet fail to deliver a quality product. I’d like to know which metal makes for an all-around good, and long lasting knife. Specifically, one that will hold its edge well, is resistant to (rapid) oxidation, and does not break easily.

Question: How many people feel that in considering the current stimulus bill, our elected officials need to consider cutting out some pork for a change?

Maybe not all of it, but certainly some of this proposed spending doesn't have merit. I say, CUT OUT THE PORK!

Each year as Christmas draws near I notice more and more people refusing to use the words “Merry Christmas” opting instead to say happy holidays. Just last month while returning home from out of town I read a billboard which announced the upcoming “Holiday Parade”. Honestly I don’t know how I’m supposed to get excited about a holiday pageant when its promoters purposely leave out the word that explains the principle reason for celebrating. I mean what are we celebrating anyway, consumerism? If that’s the case then this year is no cause for a celebration.

The word “Holiday” is a contraction of holy and day, and its true meaning and use has a religious connotation. That is to say, the word is generally used to describe special days of rest which are observed by Israel, God’s people, as handed down from God through Moses (see Leviticus chapter 23). And even though today this word is more commonly used when referring to vacation time taken from work, this doesn’t change in any way it’s original and weightier meaning.

So, I put this question to you; as more and more people begin to realize the true meaning of the word “Holiday”, will they then begin to say Happy Winter Solstice Day instead?

In Spanish when wishing someone a Merry Christmas we say, Feliz Navidad. The word feliz of course means happy, and navidad is from the Latin natividad which when translated to English is, nativity. Many other cultures allude to the birth of Jesus Christ when wishing someone well over the holidays, and its meaning is prominently mentioned in the language and clearly recognized as the principle reason for celebrating the season. Is it so wrong to believe in a merciful God that sent His only son to die hanging from a tree so all the peoples of the Earth can enjoy a relationship with Him? Is it so wrong that nonbelievers should justify efforts to remove any reference to the Christ even when said belief is guarantied protection under the law by our Constitution? Oh but it’s ok to believe in a bearded elf that lives in the North Pole and once a year delivers gifts, which he carries in a great bag set upon a sled drawn by flying reindeer, to all the inhabitants of the Earth. So how about it then, will you say Happy Winter Solstice Day? And while your thinking about this…

Is there really cause for a mid-winter celebration; for which ancient cultures also celebrated some form of god or gods and connected the winter solstice to their beliefs in birth and rebirth by the way? And, is the change from lengthening nights to extended periods of day light a good enough reason to run out and purchase gifts, food and wine? People all over the globe are willful consumers and except for our egocentric wants, we don’t need a good reason to spend money, we do it year round. So I say, if not the birth of Jesus Christ, why bother celebrating anything at all? This year spread some good cheer and wish someone a Merry Christmas! Seek out the truth and may God Bless You!

I'm a new dad. This year my wife and I will celebrate our daughter's first Christmas together. Of course she is just a baby and has no idea about what's going on, but eventually she will be old enough to reason and this has me wondering. Should we tell our daughter the truth about Santa Claus? My wife thinks we should encourage her to believe in Santa, and says that I shouldn't attempt to rob her of her childhood when I grew-up believing in a Santa. But I figured it out early. We didn't have a chimney! And what's up with all the Santas, everywhere you go there is someone dressed in a Santa suite with an obviously fake beard? I just don't want to encourage a belief in a marketing gimmick. So, should we tell the truth or not tell and let our daughter figure it out for herself?

President Elect Obama was asked what type of dog he would buy his daughter, and later on CNN is suggesting some alternatives for the new first family. It's not even a critical issue for the times, and it's like the media almost wants to force them to adopt from a shelter. Why don't they let the Obamas' decide for themselves?

Before answering stop and consider how entertainers don't live the same reality that the average Joe does. That while the general public wakes every day to rush out to work for meager wages, successful entertainers wake to head out to the gym, to eat a nice breakfast, and then return home to relax in a plush sitting room and leisurely skim over the paper for their next cause. When all the while they remain waiting for their agent to call them with their next big job. Meanwhile by the same time that phone rings, you've probably dealt with a dozen different problems at your job and not come anywhere close to earning the amount of money he/she dropped at the gym and the fancy restaurant where they probably paid more than it cost to make the meal (and I don’t mean including the gratuity). Don't get me wrong, I realize there are many just causes that deserve awareness. I just wish they'd keep it on the stage.