The lyrics are touching… I thought I’d share it this week with you all.

Papa, can you see me?
Papa, can you find me in the night?
Papa, are you near me?
Papa, can you hear me?
Papa, can you help me not be frightened?

Looking at the skies
I seem to see a million eyes
Which ones are yours?
Where are you now that yesterday
Waved goodbye
And closed its doors?
The night is so much darker.
The wind is so much colder

The world I see is so much bigger now that I’m alone.

Papa, please forgive me.
Try to understand me.
Papa, don’t you know I had no choice?

Can you hear me praying,
Anything I’m saying,
Even though the night is filled with voices?

I remember ev’rything you taught me
Ev’ry book I’ve ever read.
Can all the words in all the books
Help me to face what lies ahead?
The trees are so much taller
And I feel so much smaller.
The moon is twice as lonely
And the stars are half as bright.

Papa, how I love you.
Papa, how I need you.
Papa, how I miss you
Kissing me goodnight.

Taylor has responded well since making his comeback

Former New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee has become the latest cricketer to voice his remarks about the recent captaincy dispute involving Ross Taylor, head coach Mike Hesson and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), saying that he believes Taylor’s return to the national side after taking a prolonged break would have been one of the hardest things he has had to have faced in his international career.

Taylor gave up the captaincy after New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka due to the fact that NZC officials, along with Hesson told him that he would no longer be in charge of the limited overs squads.

However, instead of remain as skipper of the Test side, Taylor stepped down from all three leadership positions and wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum was named as his successor almost immediately.

Taylor missed New Zealand’s trip to South Africa, but returned for their home series against England.

During Taylor’s absence, New Zealand were battered left and right during their Test series against the Proteas, but managed to mount an impressive comeback during the ODI series, which they ended up winning 2-1.

While Hadlee sympathises with Taylor’s frustrations of having been forced to give up the captaincy, he admired the former captain’s fighting spirit.

“I find it very interesting how Taylor reacted,” Hadlee told ESPNcricinfo. “In some ways I’m a little disappointed that Taylor decided to exile himself for a period of time.

“If you fall off the horse you get back on it, and I can’t imagine an All Black rugby player who was captain then was replaced not make himself available to play again as soon as possible.

“Clearly Taylor had been affected in some way and needed to get his mind right. It was his call, but I’m not sure it was good thing because when he gets back into the side it’s going to be quite an uneasy period for him, and other team-mates, knowing that he walked away.”

Hadlee clearly stated that he was unimpressed with the way Hesson handled the captaincy issue, but since then both Taylor and Hesson have had a meeting and agreed to let bygones be bygones, but the ex-captain did admit that his relationship with Hesson would still take some time to develop.

“There were clearly mixed messages, which have been well documented,” Hadlee said. “Taylor had clearly been hurt and offended, perhaps not so much by the decision but how it came about because it was done before the first Test. That decision should have been made in the review after the tour.”

The former New Zealand all-rounder supports the split captaincy route many of the major international teams have started taking and believes that McCullum is an excellent replacement, especially given the fact that he has a vast amount of experience in all three formats of the game.

“At the moment Brendon McCullum is doing all forms and clearly struggling in the Test team, but I think that is more to do with resources available rather than issues with him personally,” he said. “He has shown his true colours, especially as a leader, in the one-day format so that is pretty encouraging.”

The main problem Hadlee believes McCullum is facing in Test cricket is whether to be an aggressive batsman, who looks to play a quick innings, or whether to be a more fluent batsman, who takes their time to score their runs.

“The big problem Brendon is facing at the moment is how he, himself, plays the game as a batsman,” Hadlee said. “Does he open or drop down the order? Does he play aggressively, take high risks, which if he fails can set a bad example or take a more circumspect role that goes against his instincts? He’s caught in between with how he should play but that is what the selectors have left the left him with.”

Now that Taylor’s episode has been resolved, all eyes are back on troubled opening batsman Jesse Ryder, who earlier last month stated that he was planning to return to the national team by June or July this year.

Ryder was dropped from the national team in March last year after getting into a fight at a South Africa hotel bar with another gentleman.

Since then, Ryder has not represented the national team at all, but he did play for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year and plans to do so this year as well.

Ryder has also signed a contract with Wellington and has already caught the attention of the national selectors with his outstanding performances in both the Plunket Shield and HRV Cup.

Hadlee is pleased to see Ryder cleaning up his act and has no doubts that he can become an instrumental part of the national team in the years to come, but he noted that NZC should not tolerate anymore controversies or bad behaviour.

“When Jesse is ready to come back that will be great for our game, but the most important thing he needs to do is obey a set of rules and protocols,” Hadlee said. “If you are going to break them it doesn’t set a very good example, if Jesse can get away with things. We can’t have any more controversy. If he’s willing and able to do that he’ll be a great asset to our game.”

Taylor has responded well since making his comeback

Former New Zealand all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee has become the latest cricketer to voice his remarks about the recent captaincy dispute involving Ross Taylor, head coach Mike Hesson and New Zealand Cricket (NZC), saying that he believes Taylor’s return to the national side after taking a prolonged break would have been one of the hardest things he has had to have faced in his international career.

Taylor gave up the captaincy after New Zealand’s tour of Sri Lanka due to the fact that NZC officials, along with Hesson told him that he would no longer be in charge of the limited overs squads.

However, instead of remain as skipper of the Test side, Taylor stepped down from all three leadership positions and wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum was named as his successor almost immediately.

Taylor missed New Zealand’s trip to South Africa, but returned for their home series against England.

During Taylor’s absence, New Zealand were battered left and right during their Test series against the Proteas, but managed to mount an impressive comeback during the ODI series, which they ended up winning 2-1.

While Hadlee sympathises with Taylor’s frustrations of having been forced to give up the captaincy, he admired the former captain’s fighting spirit.

“I find it very interesting how Taylor reacted,” Hadlee told ESPNcricinfo. “In some ways I’m a little disappointed that Taylor decided to exile himself for a period of time.

“If you fall off the horse you get back on it, and I can’t imagine an All Black rugby player who was captain then was replaced not make himself available to play again as soon as possible.

“Clearly Taylor had been affected in some way and needed to get his mind right. It was his call, but I’m not sure it was good thing because when he gets back into the side it’s going to be quite an uneasy period for him, and other team-mates, knowing that he walked away.”

Hadlee clearly stated that he was unimpressed with the way Hesson handled the captaincy issue, but since then both Taylor and Hesson have had a meeting and agreed to let bygones be bygones, but the ex-captain did admit that his relationship with Hesson would still take some time to develop.

“There were clearly mixed messages, which have been well documented,” Hadlee said. “Taylor had clearly been hurt and offended, perhaps not so much by the decision but how it came about because it was done before the first Test. That decision should have been made in the review after the tour.”

The former New Zealand all-rounder supports the split captaincy route many of the major international teams have started taking and believes that McCullum is an excellent replacement, especially given the fact that he has a vast amount of experience in all three formats of the game.

“At the moment Brendon McCullum is doing all forms and clearly struggling in the Test team, but I think that is more to do with resources available rather than issues with him personally,” he said. “He has shown his true colours, especially as a leader, in the one-day format so that is pretty encouraging.”

The main problem Hadlee believes McCullum is facing in Test cricket is whether to be an aggressive batsman, who looks to play a quick innings, or whether to be a more fluent batsman, who takes their time to score their runs.

“The big problem Brendon is facing at the moment is how he, himself, plays the game as a batsman,” Hadlee said. “Does he open or drop down the order? Does he play aggressively, take high risks, which if he fails can set a bad example or take a more circumspect role that goes against his instincts? He’s caught in between with how he should play but that is what the selectors have left the left him with.”

Now that Taylor’s episode has been resolved, all eyes are back on troubled opening batsman Jesse Ryder, who earlier last month stated that he was planning to return to the national team by June or July this year.

Ryder was dropped from the national team in March last year after getting into a fight at a South Africa hotel bar with another gentleman.

Since then, Ryder has not represented the national team at all, but he did play for the Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) last year and plans to do so this year as well.

Ryder has also signed a contract with Wellington and has already caught the attention of the national selectors with his outstanding performances in both the Plunket Shield and HRV Cup.

Hadlee is pleased to see Ryder cleaning up his act and has no doubts that he can become an instrumental part of the national team in the years to come, but he noted that NZC should not tolerate anymore controversies or bad behaviour.

“When Jesse is ready to come back that will be great for our game, but the most important thing he needs to do is obey a set of rules and protocols,” Hadlee said. “If you are going to break them it doesn’t set a very good example, if Jesse can get away with things. We can’t have any more controversy. If he’s willing and able to do that he’ll be a great asset to our game.”

Take mother’s love as an example. Any good mother will feed, care for, clean, and protect their child regardless of the kid’s temperament. Sure, it’s easier to care for a laid back, calm child. But a screaming, constantly dissatisfied child will still endlessly receive love and care.

Enter a deadbeat dad.

Loving a dad who is not around can be hard to fathom, but the key is showing him care and concern during the times you can. His birthday. His random visits (if ever). Holidays.

Many times, men are afraid of rejection. Men are terrified of being a failure. Men can also be in denial about their responsibilities. Definitely a dead beat dad.

When you show love and affection, you open a door for honest vulnerability in that your dad cannot use the excuse that your life is better without him. This is by no means true. The presence of a father empowers and energizes his children. Yes, the ideal situation includes involvement. However, contact can spark the potential only a dad can activate.

So, take a stab at loving without expectations. Surprise him no matter how unworthy he is. You never know what’s going on in his head… make it nothing but positive energy coming from you.

Ashraf has vowed to stop the conspirators from ruining his plans

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has revealed that there is a conspiracy brewing within his own administration that threatens to derail the country’s hopes of bringing international cricket back to its shores and stop the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from taking place on time.

Despite the conspiracy, Ashraf has vowed to push forward in helping bring international cricket back to Pakistan and host a successful inaugural edition of the PSL.

“I am aware there is a conspiracy to keep Pakistan isolated in the cricket world,” he said. “But we have not given up hope and we are confident we can organize the super league T20 and also this will lead to revival of international cricket in Pakistan.”

However, Ashraf refused to reveal the people that wanted to keep Pakistan isolated, but announced that plans for the PSL were on track.

“I know there are people who are pessimists and who don’t believe that the PSL can be held nor do they see the revival of international cricket in our country,” he added. “But the PCB has not given up hope and is neither dejected.”

But, the PCB chairman did admit that Pakistan were facing tough time since no international team has toured the country for four years after the Sri Lankan national team were ambushed by armed militants in March 2009, leaving eight locals dead and six players injured.

“Obviously when you take into account that no test team has played in Pakistan since 2009 and teams are reluctant to come here it is a tough situation for us,” he said. “Because we believe apart from perceptions international cricket can be held in Pakistan safely.”

There has also been growing speculation in the Pakistan media that the PSL could be held in the United Arab Emirates if international players are not given NOCs from their respective cricket boards.

However, PSL managing director Salman Sarwar Butt recently revealed that over 50 international players had expressed interest in participating in the PSL and the PCB were just waiting for them to be given the NOCs needed to play.

Sources within the PCB also revealed that Ashraf was extremely disappointed with India and Bangladesh’s lacklustre effort to help revive international cricket in Pakistan.

Ashraf has vowed to stop the conspirators from ruining his plans

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has revealed that there is a conspiracy brewing within his own administration that threatens to derail the country’s hopes of bringing international cricket back to its shores and stop the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from taking place on time.

Despite the conspiracy, Ashraf has vowed to push forward in helping bring international cricket back to Pakistan and host a successful inaugural edition of the PSL.

“I am aware there is a conspiracy to keep Pakistan isolated in the cricket world,” he said. “But we have not given up hope and we are confident we can organize the super league T20 and also this will lead to revival of international cricket in Pakistan.”

However, Ashraf refused to reveal the people that wanted to keep Pakistan isolated, but announced that plans for the PSL were on track.

“I know there are people who are pessimists and who don’t believe that the PSL can be held nor do they see the revival of international cricket in our country,” he added. “But the PCB has not given up hope and is neither dejected.”

But, the PCB chairman did admit that Pakistan were facing tough time since no international team has toured the country for four years after the Sri Lankan national team were ambushed by armed militants in March 2009, leaving eight locals dead and six players injured.

“Obviously when you take into account that no test team has played in Pakistan since 2009 and teams are reluctant to come here it is a tough situation for us,” he said. “Because we believe apart from perceptions international cricket can be held in Pakistan safely.”

There has also been growing speculation in the Pakistan media that the PSL could be held in the United Arab Emirates if international players are not given NOCs from their respective cricket boards.

However, PSL managing director Salman Sarwar Butt recently revealed that over 50 international players had expressed interest in participating in the PSL and the PCB were just waiting for them to be given the NOCs needed to play.

Sources within the PCB also revealed that Ashraf was extremely disappointed with India and Bangladesh’s lacklustre effort to help revive international cricket in Pakistan.

I must admit, I’m having trouble. I’m yet to find the perfect technique that doesn’t involve him pissing on his own face or me using my hand as a piss shield and causing splash back of epic proportions. I tried using a muslin but it wasn’t absorbent enough, I tried directing the hose towards me, but that ended badly too. My new technique involves using a small handheld flannel but I’ve only had dry rehearsals with this trick so waiting for the wet performance before I call it tried and tested.

Of course, I could reach out and ask for guidance, do a google search or two, but I’d rather find my own way. That and I’m so stubborn that I’m likely to ignore anything anyone says anyway.

Tackling a willy though seems easy compared to tackling my own frustrations with having a new born, again. Second time around I thought I’d be cooler, calmer and collected, but I’m not. I’m the same stressed idiot that I was first time around. I wouldn’t say that I had forgotten what it was like, more like moved that memory to an archive hoping I never had to open it again and remember what an unreasonable jerk I sometimes was… and now, a poem!

My tolerance disappears,
My patience has thinned,
My calmness needs to be underpinned

I rock and I swing with him under my wing,
I pat and I sing, but no peace does it bring
I raise and I dip, I’m losing my grip,
So I change my tact, place him on his back,
And let him wail away, but I’m still in dismay,

Nothing I try, seems to satisfy
His wants or needs, for which he pleads
In the end I quit, as a dad I forfeit

My whole starts to frown, I’ve let us all down,
My pride crumbles in a heap
For all I want is us all to sleep

And so the inevitable does occur,
It falls down to her
His steadfast mother
Who can settle him like no other

She’ll comfort him with her voice
And her breast if that is his choice

He’ll doze once by her chest
And finally we’ll all get some well deserved rest!

Not only were 80,000+ jobs lost, the unemployment rate also rose to 5.1 percent. This was up from 4.8 percent in February. And both January and February employment reports were revised lower. As of the end of March, the US has lost over 230,000 jobs. March was the steepest loss in 5 years. March also was the 3rd month in a row of job decline. What we know now is that the economy has contracted. The US unemployment rate was not expected to reach 5.1% until the end of 2008.

The unemployment report demonstrates how the subprime credit crunch, along with the down turned housing market are rippling across all the sectors: construction, manufacturing, retail, housing, etc. Recession shows deep links between assumingly independent sectors of the US economy.

One of the hardest hit sectors is construction. For the last 18 months, construction industry jobs have been falling. March revealed that an additional 51,000 positions lost. Fewer and fewer houses are being built.

How do fewer houses being built affect the economy? Fewer homes affect not only construction jobs, but also affects manufacturing, less building materials being produced. It affects real estate agents not selling properties. It affects insurance agents not insuring properties. The number of manufacturing jobs lost was 48,000+. One manufacturing section steeply hit was building materials makers, including lumber yards, drywall producers and other materials. Home Depot cut 970 jobs and reported on April 4, 2008 that it was planning to cut another 500 jobs.

The March report also showed that automakers shed jobs. Michigan’s state unemployment rate is now 8.2%. Consumer spending, especially of big-ticket items, is much lower. With unemployment rising, and homes less valuable, Americans are holding off their purchases.

Americans not spending is also affecting the retail sector. The number of retail jobs lost exceeded 12,400. The largest job losses came from sellers of building materials and appliances, both linked to the housing industry.

Housing and subprime credit crunch fears have gone on to affect areas not directly tied to these sectors. Professional and service sector jobs lost 35,000. Up to now, this sector has made jobs, not lost them.

Problems in the financial markets have not ended. Banks and mortgage brokerages cut 5,000 jobs. The largest losses came from “credit intermediation” companies.

One sector which is being heavily affected is service sector temporary jobs. Some economists see this as a sign that the job market is not going to recover any time soon. Alan Krueger, former chief economist for the Labor Department said that

“Temporary help is one of the first places companies cut when things are bad and one of the first places they add when things begin to get better. But they are still cutting,” Krueger said. “This report strikes me as ominous.”

Publishers, broadcasters and telecommunications companies lost 6,000 jobs. Daily newspapers from the San Jose Mercury News to the New York Times have cut reporters and editors, over 750, in less than a month. Advertising sales and circulation are down. Many smaller papers are more affected, with some cutting as many as 40% of their journalists. The Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune each cut 100 jobs.

Advertising agencies have also cut staff, including: include:

* BBDO North America

* Fallon

* GSD&M

* Lowe Lintas & Partners

* Mediacom

* Publicis & Hal Riney Inc.

* Young & Rubicam

Y&R cut 100 people, Lowe Lintas cut 30 people, BBDO North America, 100 jobs.

The grim picture told by the Labor Department rang recession alarms. It is no longer a question of whether or not we are in recession. Now it is a question of just how deep the recession is and how long it will last. In the first week of April, alone, 38,000 new people went on unemployment. And this last week, Bernanke predicted that the unemployment rate would rise even further.

Are you trying to figure out where you are going to attend college in the future?  Do you feel overwhelmed or maybe not even sure where to begin?  Every year, we get students who transfer to TCU simply because they chose the wrong college.  I don’t want this to happen to you.  So, for my next few blogs, I want to write about what I have learned from these transfer students (and also from being in Admission for eighteen years), so that you will have a better idea of what to look for when choosing a college.  Let’s start with the basics:

1. Find a college with the major you are considering.   This is not as easy as you think.  If you have a major, then of course, find colleges that offer this major.  Most students change their major at least once before they graduate, so consider what other majors the college offers.  Here’s a thought: Find a major that you think is fun and easy.  You say “What!  You want me to slack off in college?”  Not so, Tonto.  At TCU, every major is challenging.  However, everyone’s idea of fun and easy is different.  I’ll bet that your idea of F&E is not the same as your parents’ or your BFF.   If you think something is fun and easy, then it’s because you are good at it.  I had a student tell me that he did calculus to relax.  Wow!  Not my idea of a relaxing activity. But, he came to TCU, majored in Engineering and was very successful.  Why?  Because he did calculus all day.  Here’s the equation:  Calculus/Fun = Engineering/Fun.If you are not sure what is F&E, you might check out our Areas of Study. It is a terrific place to learn a little about the different majors that we have.  If you find something that sounds fun, go to the link at the bottom of the page and you can read more at the department’s website.  If you are still interested, go to the catalog and read the course descriptions.  If every class in that major like sounds drudgery, then move on to the next major.  Another way to get to know yourself better is to write down a list of all of the majors that really interest you and then another list of majors that sound just awful.  Then, look carefully at those lists.  What do all of the interesting majors have in common?  Are they about people, or are they very analytical?  What about the majors on the awful list?  Do they require a lot of math or writing?  If you can find the similarities, you can learn more about yourself and what interests you.  That way, if you do have to change your major, you will know more about your likes and dislikes and can make a more informed decision.  Of course, you can also go to Career Services for help, too.Bottom line:  Whatever you do, find a college that has more than one major that sounds interesting.
   

   It’s your ticket to college

2. Find a college that will admit you.  Sounds easy, right?  Not really.  What you will find is that most college representatives will not give you a simple answer when you ask what it takes to be admitted to their college.  It’s not because they are trying to obfuscate the truth, but because we look at more than one factor when we consider a student for admission.  So, if you come to my table at a college fair and ask me what GPA it takes to get admitted, I cannot answer you, except with something like “It depends.” Why? First of all, GPAs can vary from one school to another.  A GPA of 3.5 from one high school may be at the top of the class and at a different school at the bottom of the class.  GPA is the most variable criterion, dependent on other elements.  Instead of admission based on one criterion, most colleges, especially private colleges, do what is called holistic admission.  We look at the whole person, including a student’s test scores, GPA, activities, grades, quality of the coursework, where you are living, what major you are considering and the quality of your essay—among other things.  Geez!  That is why we cannot answer when you ask about only about GPA or SAT scores.  My recommendation is to find out what it takes to be competitive for admission at a school.  If you fit within the range, great.  If not, but you are close, apply anyway.  Why?  Because colleges have certain criteria that they are looking for in a student that might make you more attractive than the average student.  Let’s say that we are trying to increase the number of students from your state, or your high school, or we want more Music majors.  It could be that you are attractive to a college, even though you do not fit the general criteria for admission.  I suggest that if you are close to what a college would typically admit, apply and see what happens.  If you are really off the admission mark, well…you need to consider other options.

That’s it for now.  Next blog:  “Size Does Matter” and “Location, Location, Location.”

I don’t remember much else from it. I don’t remember her questions, or what the house looked like, or why she kept trying to talk to me when I was obviously running late.

When I awoke, I had the strangest sensation that I should attempt to remember the dream and I thought that seemed ridiculous, because the dream was so inconsequential.

Later on today, as I was being down on myself for all the work I hadn’t done yet, I started to think about all the things I didn’t want to be doing anymore. The various jobs and responsibilities I had signed myself up for that somehow don’t seem to fit right anymore. Some that squeeze a little too tight, making me feel like I can’t quite breathe and others that are a little too loose making me slough them around with me uncomfortably. I started to wonder how I forgot to shop around, even a little bit, before choosing my path.

I got to thinking about that dream again, about the reality of that dream in my own life right now.

I was in high school.  I had the entire world of possibility at my fingertips, and I was rushing past it. Moving too fast past the person in my life, afraid to be scolded and embarrassed by my teachers when I arrived late. Rather than focusing on the great things I had going for me, rather than looking towards the future, rather than getting up an hour earlier to be allow myself time to get to class, I chose a life of rushing and found myself standing panicked and alone in the empty high school hallway while the classes carried on without me.

There are so many parallels that can be drawn from that little dream and my current life. Strangely, there are enough that I can’t really tackle them all in this post without bunny trailing in too many directions. Not only does it relate to my current life, but to be honest, its a testament of how much time I wasted in high school as well; rushing, ignoring my teachers, avoiding the world at my fingertips. However, that is in the past and there is nothing I can do about the mistakes I made as a careless high school student.

Truthfully, all of us on any given day (especially those of us in North America), have the world at our fingertips. It doesn’t matter that I bypassed the opportunities high school gave me, I am only 22 and hopefully have many years to accomplish much of what I want for my life. In the same way, no matter where you are at in life, you too have the opportunity to seize the world in your hands. Whether you are 15 and  standing alone and panicked in that high school hallway, or maybe your 35 and find yourself standing in an office you dread, or perhaps your 50 or 80. Your life is yours, and the world is  waiting for you to realize what your purpose is.

Can I tell you something about me?

I am 22 years old, I have been working non-stop for 2 years. I am a legal assistant, mostly full-time. I am also a youth leader and a media director at a local church. These three jobs alone take up every waking second of my life. When I am given a day off at one, one of the other jobs eats up that “free” time faster than I can blink my tired eyes. If they don’t, it is because I am tired enough that I don’t accomplish anything with my day off except sitting on the couch. I started this year with a handful of miniature goals, the whisper of a plan, and the vow that within 52 weeks I would have done something about my life. It seems, even with the idea of making changes this year on my heart, I was afraid to even whisper the words, “I am unhappy with everything I am doing.” So I chose to list miniature goals that would give me a bit of satisfaction, amidst my larger frustrations.

The truth is, my life has me rushing so fast I can barely breath. I am rushing past opportunities, people, lessons, and those miniature goals. And for what? To put a paycheque in my savings account, that doesn’t pay for anything substantial because I’m still living at home? What am I really doing, and why am I so afraid to say that everything I started two years ago is not getting me where I expected it might?

When you rush, not only do you make it impossible to catch your own breathe, but you don’t see what’s happening on the sidelines. How many people really need you right now? What kinds of things could you have been doing, if you’d only taken a pitstop and met that one person you didn’t see?

I will never know what I missed in the first five minutes of almost every high school class I was enrolled in. I will never know which people I missed the opportunity to meet because I continuously come running blindly into work at the last second. I will never know what other opportunities I could have stepped into, had I not rushed to apply myself to every job that was placed before me. What would have happened if I had shopped around a bit, or stopped to breathe every once in a while?

There are two things that stand out to me from my little dream.

The first is the blur of rushing past the person and the house I was apparently living in, causing me to miss her words and even my own surroundings.

The second is finding myself standing panicked and alone in an empty hallway when the blur finally subsided.

These two things scare me, and motivate me to figure out what it is I actually want to work towards. I need to stop sloughing my life around with me, and instead slough off the stuff that is not necessary to carry me towards whatever life I want for myself. I don’t want to find myself standing alone, worried about what I didn’t get done or who is going to scold me, while the people I thought were around me carry on with their lives. And I don’t want to reach the end of my life, only to realize that I allowed myself to stay stuck and unhappy because I was too afraid to be scolded. Too caught up in the schedules of life, and not the living of life.

So I suppose its time to ask myself, what do I really want from life, now that I’ve finally admitted this is absolutely not it.

Click here for an illustrator’s impression

We are very much like that. A zero has no value when it stands alone. It still has no value when grouped together with a bunch of other zeros. When the zero follows a “one”, it has value. When a bunch of zeros follow a “one”, the value increases exponentially.

This is how we determine the purpose of a “mit”.
When I admit that being a good person is not enough to inherit eternal life, I permit Jesus to take control of my life. This gives me the courage I need to omit my old ways of thinking and acting and commit my everything to Jesus. When I commit to following Jesus, I begin to emit kindness and peace. This makes submitting to Jesus easy.

Being committed means that I choose to fulfil what I have promised. Being submitted means that I follow, in other words, I commit something to the consideration or judgement of another.

Take a bold step and move from being in control of your own agenda (committed) to altering your life in obedience to God and His word (submitted).

Jesus makes it very plain that it is an either/or decision. We cannot live for Christ and live for ourselves. As Paul explains, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me” (Galatians 2:20 TEV).

From a self evaluation point of view, I think I have a pretty good handle on life and my intuition has never failed me. I’m not saying everything I have to say is gold and I’m sure I’ve given some pretty rotten advice a time or two, but sometimes it feels like the only one who listens to me is Beanie.

I can think of at least 3 instances just in the past couple of months where this has happened. Usually, when someone tells you it’s a bad idea to be doing what you’re considering doing, and you do it anyway and end up with less than ideal repercussions, you’d think you’d learn your lesson. Well, let me tell you, some people just do not. I have those friends that ask for my oh so valued opinion, and then come back to me later and say, “I should have listened”. Well yeah. You should have. But you didn’t. Now, in some way you’re screwed, and when you ask me next time, you’re not going to listen then either, so why bother. Maybe I should start giving the opposite advice to what I really think.

This is not to sound like everyone should do exactly as I say because I’m a “know all, be all” but sometimes when you need advice, it’s because you’re lost and you’re looking for guidance. If you come to me for that, I take it very seriously as your well being may very well be at stake. But if you’re not going to listen to a word I say, at least give me the satisfaction of saying “I told you so”.

A third load of secret documents on the controversial cancellation of gas-fired power plants in Mississauga and Oakville have suddenly been found, Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli admitted Thursday.

The bombshell announcement left opposition parties incredulous just over a week into the administration of new Premier Kathleen Wynne — whose government is already facing a contempt of the legislature motion for not releasing all power plant papers.

“It’s disappointing we didn’t know about it,” Wynne told the legislature under heavy fire from the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats, who said the acknowledgement is proof the minority Liberals cannot be trusted.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said “this kind of trick” reminds him of former premier Dalton McGuinty’s government, whose officials found a second batch of documents last fall adding fuel to the political fire surrounding the gas plant issue.

The resulting furore prompted McGuinty to prorogue the legislature last Oct. 15, the same day he announced his resignation.

(Editorial note – I’ve made TONS in my lifetime!!)

Within hours of the news that Tesco’s ‘all beef hamburgers’ contained 30% horse meat, these quips hit the internet…………

These Tesco burger jokes are going on a bit. Talk about flogging a dead horse….

Hesson is still infuriated with New Zealand’s dismal performance against South Africa

New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson has announced that the national side still have a long way to go before they can consider themselves to be one of the powerhouses of Test cricket.

Hesson’s comments come after New Zealand were thoroughly embarrassed in their recently concluded two-Test series against South Africa, where they were dismissed for 45, their third-lowest Test score in history, during the first Test at Newlands in Cape Town.

Despite having turned their fortunes around with a 2-1 victory over the Proteas in their ODI series that followed, Hesson was still fuming over the 2-0 loss in the Test series.

”In Test cricket, we’ve still got a long way to go,” Hesson said. “We’re a long way off the pace in Test cricket, we have to acknowledge that, and we know we have a lot of work to do.”

Hesson was also quick to admit that his side has been completely “outplayed” by the South Africans, but did point out that all-rounders James Franklin and Grant Elliott, along with emerging left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan, played an instrumental role in steering New Zealand to victory throughout the ODI series.

“We had a few new faces and a few older ones that came back and they were really keen to make an impact and they did,” Hesson said. “When they came back, they lifted the whole vibe. We were a bit down after the Test series, there was no doubt about that. We were clearly outplayed.

“But the work we put in between then and the end of the tour, mentally as much as anything, was pleasing. We attacked that first game with real aggression and I think we stuck at that throughout the whole series.”

New Zealand are currently taking on England on home soil and Hesson believes the national team could be given a huge morale boost if they were able to topple England in the upcoming three-Test series, which gets underway on March 6 in Dunedin.

“We want to improve with every series,” Hesson added. “[However] We’re not world beaters yet.”

Hesson is still infuriated with New Zealand’s dismal performance against South Africa

New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson has announced that the national side still have a long way to go before they can consider themselves to be one of the powerhouses of Test cricket.

Hesson’s comments come after New Zealand were thoroughly embarrassed in their recently concluded two-Test series against South Africa, where they were dismissed for 45, their third-lowest Test score in history, during the first Test at Newlands in Cape Town.

Despite having turned their fortunes around with a 2-1 victory over the Proteas in their ODI series that followed, Hesson was still fuming over the 2-0 loss in the Test series.

”In Test cricket, we’ve still got a long way to go,” Hesson said. “We’re a long way off the pace in Test cricket, we have to acknowledge that, and we know we have a lot of work to do.”

Hesson was also quick to admit that his side has been completely “outplayed” by the South Africans, but did point out that all-rounders James Franklin and Grant Elliott, along with emerging left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan, played an instrumental role in steering New Zealand to victory throughout the ODI series.

“We had a few new faces and a few older ones that came back and they were really keen to make an impact and they did,” Hesson said. “When they came back, they lifted the whole vibe. We were a bit down after the Test series, there was no doubt about that. We were clearly outplayed.

“But the work we put in between then and the end of the tour, mentally as much as anything, was pleasing. We attacked that first game with real aggression and I think we stuck at that throughout the whole series.”

New Zealand are currently taking on England on home soil and Hesson believes the national team could be given a huge morale boost if they were able to topple England in the upcoming three-Test series, which gets underway on March 6 in Dunedin.

“We want to improve with every series,” Hesson added. “[However] We’re not world beaters yet.”

It appears that Karma is not fond of anyone and she will turn on you in many mysterious ways. For instance, what do you think the chances of your girlfriend looking for directions online and discovering a picture of you cheating on her are? I’d like to think pretty high.

24-year-old Marina Voinova of Perm, Russia was looking up an address on a website called Yandex Maps, which is an alternative to Google Maps in Russia.

But there’s one KEY difference.  If the Google Maps street view cameras get a shot of you, they automatically blur your face.  Yandex Maps doesn’t blur faces in street view.

And Marina spotted her fiancé, Alexander, on the map . . . with his arms around another woman. She confronted him, and he admitted he’d been cheating on her.  He apologized and swore it didn’t mean anything but Marina had already made up her mind that she was dumping him.

Marina says, quote, “At first I regretted searching for that address on the Internet, but eventually realized that it was silly to blame the Web for my boyfriend’s unfaithfulness.”

It will eventually happen, so when were you caught cheating?

For example, Emily Post’s Etiquette suggests that “excuse me,” “pardon me,” and “I beg your pardon” (this last phrase a rarity today)

all express your awareness that you’ve inconvenienced someone else.

Whether you bump into someone, interrupt someone, make a request, acknowledge an  error, leave a conversation, get up from the table, or acknowledge any other faux pas (such as burping), an “excuse me” politely shows you recognise that you may have inconvenienced someone.

Debrett’s A to Z of Modern Manners defines the situation in which an “I’m Sorry” is best:

A sincere apology should always be offered when your actions have had a negative impact on other people.

When you take responsibility for your own actions, it’s difficult for people to stay angry or upset at you.  It also lends credibility to your character as an honest and respectful person.  Even if you don’t understand why you should apologise, giving a sincere admission shows that you respect the other person’s feelings.  (Manner Reminder: that’s what manners are about: respect!)

Although it is common for the English to apologise for other people’s actions, and it’s the Canadian way to apologise for everything – resist that urge. Constant and needless apologies devalue the word and lessen the impact of a genuine and heartfelt phrase.

Bonus Tip: Admit the fault as you apologize. E.g. I’m sorry I dropped the cup, I’m sorry I hurt your feelings, I’m sorry I was so late are all more effective than solely I’m sorry.

As we have been reflecting on God’s extreme love for us this month, today especially I want to share my thankfulness that Jesus Christ died for our sins.

Once for all.

Now that’s true love!

…

 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. —1 Peter 3:18

Beloved, please give your heart an extreme makeover! Accept the free gift of God’s love, mercy and grace. It is as easy as A…B…C…