Collins Country

California Cell Phone Law

Well, it didn't take me long to find something to rant about, did it?

I read a statement by a man who calls himself Mr. Traffic.  My comments are in red.

LOS ANGELES 9/15/06: KENNY MORSE, better known as “MR. TRAFFIC” to his viewers on TV, listeners on radio and millions of readers on the Internet, is coming out AGAINST the signing of the new California Cell Phone Law offered by Sen. Joe Simitian, and being signed into law today by the Governor.

The new law, which won’t even go into effect until JULY 1 of 2008, will only carry a $20 fine for using a cell phone that is not “hands-free! Why does the amount matter?  The fine for speeding is generally in the hundreds and I haven't seen that stop people from speeding.

This law mirrors the ones in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and the District Of Columbia where ALL studies show that not one life has been saved by these laws.  [How can anyone possible determine the amount of accidents that have not occured.  He's just being silly here.] 

….and MANY studies show that it is NOT the having it in your hands which makes the difference…..IT’S THE TALKING.

I suppose Mr. Traffic would like to make a law against talking in moving vehicles? 

What about people who talk to themselves, or are yelling at other drivers, or are singing along with the radio?  what about passengers?

I propose that it might actually be listening that causes the problems.

Studies pubished all over the world, and in the U.S. in pretigious

(Mommy, what's "pretigious?") medical journals, have shown that a human talking to a disembodied voice, hands-free, or in their hand….is simply NOT paying attention to the road! [does that mean that if the voice has a body it is safe to talk?]  

According to another article: "Driver distraction, which includes cell phone use [I would like to draw attention the this statement ..."which includes cell phone use"] , is estimated [ An estimate is a guess] to be responsible for a minimum of 25 percent of all motor vehicle accidents. [may I also point out that the 25% pertains to all motor vehicle accidents (not just fatalities): cars, trucks, boats, scooters, motorcycles, trains and maybe planes (I couldn't verify that).  Also, this article does not list what part of that 25% are blamed on cell phones] But that estimate is quite low, according to AAA's Williams. Another expert, who chose to remain off the record, said that that figure "could be [ okay.  Could be? How scientific]much closer [how much closer?  38 percent?] to 50 percent."  Again, I don't see how anyone can determine this...there are too many factors involved.

How many more children have to die this way [How many have already died?  How many have died because they were aborted?  Abused?  Fallen off of trees and tall buildings?] before our despicable politicians will start to honestly protect the public. 

I have an idea.  Let's ban children from vehicles...it will save their lives, and the lives of those who are distracted by them.  Actually, passengers in general are distracting.  Pets, too.  And don't forget radio talkshow hosts.  No scenery either, and I'd like to put bad weather on the agenda as well.  Let's get rid of everything that distracts us.  Then we will be safe at last.

They have seen all the data [I still want to know where and what this data is]...and STILL pass laws like this!!!  Other counties, like most of Western Europe, have BANNED cell phone use while a vehicle is in motion….[When did it become acceptable to use "everyone is doing it" as a persuasive argument?] why can’t our Federal Government do the same?  Simple answer. $$$$$!!!

Mr. Traffic might be right about the government's reasoning, but unless he is willing to foot the bill for lost revenue (that could be used for free lunch programs and libraries for poor children LOL), he's gonna have to deal with it.

For the record:

I am not actually opposed to the cell phone law.  What I am opposed to are ignorant assumptions and bald faced lies that are promoted as fact.  I do get up on my high horse when I read drivel such as quoted above.  Give me cold, hard, unadulterated facts and I will give you my respect, sir!

On IDLE talk

Defining Moments

I recently read a blog by cindeerella and one comment accused her as being "hurtful and vengeful."    Words are powerful and accuracy is important.  From what I read, there was no vengeful intent (to get revenge) toward anyone.

Main Entry: venge·ful
Pronunciation: 'venj-f&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: obsolete English venge revenge
: REVENGEFUL: as a : seeking to avenge b : serving to gain vengeance
- venge·ful·ly /-f&-lE/ adverb
- venge·ful·ness noun

If anything, it might have been defensive.

Main Entry: ¹de·fen·sive
Pronunciation: di-'fen(t)-siv, 'dE-"
Function: adjective
1 : serving to defend or protect <defensive fortifications>

It is important to remember that when we post, many people will read it; some will agree and some will not.  The disagreements tend to get very personal, because when a person states a belief the general understanding is this:  "If I believe I am right, and I live according to this belief, then it stands to reason that the people who do not believe this way are wrong."  Naturally, the person who disagrees will feel a bit defensive.

If you do not believe that other choices are wrong, then you cannot really believe your choice is right.  You CAN however, believe that you are doing what's best for you.  If that's the case, it is best not to imply that your choice is the right choice according to GOD, but the best choice according to your understanding of what  God wants for you personally (Unless, of course, it is a specific, literal command such as "Thou shall not steal"!). 

We are told to work out our OWN salvation with fear and trembling, and it is our duty to start there.  Most people agree that how we dress is not a salvation issue.  That being the case, it does not fall within our commission from Jesus to speak out on it in a manner that implies it is. 

In the end, all this infighting and so forth makes us a poor representation of Christ to others and I hope we can at least agree to disagree.  And let's enjoy the areas that we are gifted in: Homestead lore, cooking, gardening and living the good life! 

Pagan Holidays

We don't really celebrate Easter or Ressurection Sunday.  That sounds horrible, but even more than Birth of Christ, Ressurection Day is a daily celebration!  There are few days that go by that I do not thank the Lord for His sacrifice and mercy!

It's sounds like I am contradicting myself, when I go on to say: we do have a tree and exchange gifts at Christmas...I love the Holiday seasons! 

At Easter, we blow out the egg shells and dye the empties and use them as a decoration (And eat scrambled eggs LOL).  We have a basket of candy and a ham dinner (well, once in a while, anyway). 

Those family traditions (and others that are not tied in with any religious holiday) are fun for us, but we never confuse them with our Christian beliefs.  So, while we don't have specific religious activities planned for those days, we DO try to be reverant, thankful, and worship-ful (is that a word?) all the time...

So, here is an interesting bit on the orgins of Easter (NOT the ressurection of Christ):

Goddess of Fertility

Easter got its name from Ostara, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility and rebirth. European tribes celebrated the beginning of spring at the vernal equinox, when day and night are equal in length, by blessing seeds for growth and placing colored eggs on an altar. They believed that this ceremony would bring them fertility for the upcoming year.

Christian missionaries noticed that this pagan celebration took place around the time of the resurrection of Christ, so they adopted Easter as a Christian holiday to increase conversions to Christianity.

Easter Hare

The Romans believed that all life proceeded from an egg, so the egg came to symbolize birth and rebirth. Christians regarded eggs as the seeds of life and attributed them with the symbol of Jesus' resurrection.

The rabbit was used in early Easter celebrations to symbolize fertility, perhaps because these animals give birth to multiple offspring at a time. Anglo-Saxon mythology says that Ostara changed her pet bird into a rabbit to entertain a group of children, and the rabbit laid brightly colored eggs for them.

Easter was once celebrated by giving colored eggs to children and later evolved to hiding them in the grass, where they had supposedly been laid by a hare. Children referred to this Easter mascot as the "Easter Hare," which later became known as the "Easter Bunny."

Easter Bonnet

When Christians adopted Easter, they paired this festival of springtime with a sermon. Following the tradition of dressing up for church, Easter Sunday became a special occasion to wear your very best clothes. In fact, many regarded Easter as the first time to wear a new dress and "Easter bonnet". In the early 1900's families would to stroll to church and home again on Easter to show off their "Sunday best."

Easter Basket

The Easter basket evolved from a Catholic tradition, where each family brought a basket of food to mass on Easter Sunday to have it blessed for the evening meal. Later, children would use Easter baskets to gather colored eggs and candy.

Visit the following sites to learn more about the origins of Easter traditions:

• http://www.web-holidays.com/easter/history.asp
• http://www.factmonster.com/spot/easterintro1.html

PUN-nies

Here are the ten first place winners in the International Pun Contest:

1. A vulture boards an airplane, carrying two dead raccoons.
The stewardess looks at him and says, "I'm sorry, sir, only
one carrion allowed per passenger."

2. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the
other and says "Dam!"

3. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire
in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't
have your kayak and heat it too.

4. Two hydrogen atoms meet. One says "I've lost my electron."
The other says "Are you sure?" The first replies "Yes, I'm positive."

5. Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during
a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

6. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.  "But why?", they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he said," I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

7. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of
them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan. " Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

8. A group of friars were behind on their belfry payments, so they opened up a small florist shop to raise funds. Since everyone liked to buy flowers from the men of God, a rival florist across town thought the competition was unfair. He asked the good fathers to close down, but they would not.  He went back and begged the friars to close. They ignored him. So, the rival florist hired Hugh MacTaggart, the roughest and most vicious thug in town to "persuade" them to close. Hugh beat up the friars and trashed their store, saying he'd be back if they didn't close up shop. Terrified, they did so, thereby proving that only Hugh can prevent florist friars.

9. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and, with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him (Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good) a super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

10. And finally, there was the person who sent ten different puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Day 4 - Information challenge

 I was just curious about the homestead process and found this informative site,  Homestead National Monument of America.  Below is an article on the basic plan and there are a couple of links if you want to read a copy of the Homestead Act or see the map of states that participated.

What was the Homestead Act?

The Homestead Act of 1862 has been called one the most important pieces of Legislation in the history of the United States. Signed into law in 1862 by Abraham Lincoln after the secession of southern states, this Act turned over vast amounts of the public domain to private citizens. 270 millions acres, or 10% of the area of the United States was claimed and settled under this act.

A homesteader had only to be the head of a household and at least 21 years of age to claim a 160 acre parcel of land. Settlers from all walks of life including newly arrived immigrants, farmers without land of their own from the East, single women and former slaves came to meet the challenge of "proving up" and keeping this "free land". Each homesteader had to live on the land, build a home, make improvements and farm for 5 years before they were eligible to "prove up". A total filing fee of $18 was the only money required, but sacrifice and hard work exacted a different price from the hopeful settlers.

The Filing Process

People interested in Homesteading first had to file their intentions at the nearest Land Office. A brief check for previous ownership claims was made for the plot of land in question, usually described by its survey coordinates. The prospective homesteader paid a filing fee of $10 to claim the land temporarily, as well as a $2 commission to the land agent.

With application and receipt in hand, the homesteader then returned to the land to begin the process of building a home and farming the land, both requirements for "proving" up at the end of five years. When all requirements had been completed and the homesteader was ready the take legal possession, the homesteader found two neighbors or friends willing to vouch for the truth of his or her statements about the land's improvements and sign the "proof" document.

After successful completion of this final form and payment of a $6 fee, the homesteader received the patent for the land, signed with the name of the current President of the United States. This paper was often proudly displayed on a cabin wall and represented the culmination of hard work and determination.

The Homestead Act remained in effect until it was repealed in 1976, with provisions for homesteading in Alaska until 1986. Alaska was one of the last places in the country where homesteading remained a viable option into the latter part of the 1900s. The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 substantially decreased the amount of land available to homesteaders in the West. Because much of the prime land had been homesteaded decades earlier, successful Homestead claims dropped sharply after this time.

The Homestead Act of 1862 is recognized as one of the most revolutionary concepts for distributing public land in American history. Repercussions of this monumental piece of legislation can be detected throughout America today, decades after the cry of "Free Land!" has faded away.

Copy of the Homestead Act  

Map of Homesteading States

Thy Neighbors

I’ve been mulling over some comments or blogs that I’ve read recently.  The summary is “Why do we talk about non-homestead things on a homestead blog?”  I have noticed that tendency as well, and felt bad, at first.  I was determined to post only homestead-ish entries from here on out.

Then I started thinking about “old-days homesteaders.”   They were often separated from their neighbors by miles and didn’t have gas powered cars.  So, when they got together on Sundays for Church (once a month or whatever) or into town for flour, sugar and fabric, that was their opportunity to get to know each other beyond their farms/ranches.

In more recent years, men would gather on porches at the general store and ladies chatted over back fences.  We HSB folk are also seperated by many miles (sometime oceans!).  Now of course, we have telephones, and email.  And blogs.

So I say, keep talking about whatever you feel like sharing (Obviously, there are rules of conduct within that scope, but I think you all get my meaning).  I will pretend I’ve bundled up my family for the long trek into town for supplies, or that I am leaning over my back fence enjoy the company of my good neighbors!

New Year resolutions