I have far too much time on my hands, so I read a lot. I've been reading about a problem and I wanted to share the good news…Has anyone heard about the mysterious missing honey bees reported last week? Bee keepers all over the nation are reporting that whole colonies of bees are disappearing. Bee keepers on the West coast are reporting as many as 60% of their colonies have abandoned their hives, and on the East coast numbers are as high as 70%. Bees are also reportedly abandoning colonies all over Europe.

Why should you care? Well, this isn't about a honey shortage.  Most of the world's crops are pollinated by bees, so a lack of bees could be catastrophic to the world's crop production.  No one really knows what's causing the bees to go missing, but I've read that some believe it's mites, others think it's pesticides and Al Gore is blaming global warming. The latest and most plausible theory, however, is that radiation given off by cell phones and other high tech gadgets may be interfering with the bee's navigation system used to find their way back to the colony.

Did you know Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".  Hmm.

Like everyone else, I've been glued to the television watching the latest developments at Virginia Tech. Events like that remind us how fragile life is. Many times I feel guilty about the extra attention I get because of my disability and the fact that doctors assure me that my number will be up soon. As I've said so many times before, none of us knows when our time on earth will end. I feel so grateful the Lord has given me this time to prepare myself for the end of my earthly life and get right with God. I’m also glad God didn't call me home during my years at Auburn! At that time in my life, I called myself a Christian, but I didn't behave like one. My Salvation at that point was far from certain. For that reason, I do worry about the 20 or so victims in Blacksburg, Virginia. I would gladly have taken a bullet for any of those poor souls who may have needed more time to get right with God.

I know I'm beating a dead horse for many of you. I also know, however, that several people who read my blog are walking a dangerous line and have not fully committed their lives to Jesus.

Most people believe in God, even Satan does. But to receive salvation, we must turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do. "We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this way, no matter who we are or what we have done" (Romans 3:22). The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

To become a Christian, repent of your sins, and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Once you've truly accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord andSavior, and you've publicly proclaimed this by being baptized, you are saved and will have everlasting life. This is the way to heaven. The only way!

Have any of you seen the coverage of Bob Woodruf'f's return to ABC? It would be almost impossible to have missed it but in case you did, Bob was the co-anchor of ABC News who was seriously injured in Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded causing serious head trauma. I honestly had mixed emotions as I watched his triumphant return. It is obviously fantastic to see that he has recovered from such a devastating injury. To his credit, he focussed most of the attention on the incredible medical care he received and all the other soldiers and their families that are dealing with the same types of injuries every day. My mixed feelings emanated from the jealosy I feel that a celebrity who experienced this type of injury is bringing so much needed attention to the plight of all these poor soldiers who are being severely injured and maimed every day in Iraq.It is truly amazing how much attention a celebrity like this can bring to a cause. I would never wish ALS on anyone, but it would be so helpful to have a celebrity come down with ALS. It would tremendously help our efforts to get the word out about this dreaded disease.

 

My other observation was that Bob's injury is almost the exact opposite of ALS. His injury was instantaneously devastating. He and others with traumatic brain injury (TBI) then begin the long slow recovery process. Those of us with ALS on the other hand, start out normal, then slowly the brain and spinal cord begins to deteriorate. So, while someone with TBI is slowly improving, those of us with ALS are getting worse. It reminds me that I was praying for a brain tumor when my doctors began suggesting the possibility of ALS. At least a brain tumor, or even TBI gives you some hope of recovery. My belief in God's mercy is my hope. Thanks so much to all of you that continue to pray for my family and me.

I need to rant a bit. Is everyone else as sick of the negative political ads leading up to this year’s election as I am? Somehow, it seems worse this year.

I am so frustrated by politics as usual. I find it ridiculous to assume that members of a particular political party all hold the same beliefs on issues like abortion and stem cells, which are intensely personal. For the record, I support expanding federal funding to include embryonic stem cell research using excess embryos that would otherwise be discarded. I am obviously biased, and agree with blogger Eric Earling, that asking someone suffering from an incurable disease like ALS what they think about expanding research is like asking the family of a murder victim what they think should be done with the accused perpetrator.

Political parties have backs to scratch. It frustrates me to no end that the Republican Party is so controlled by the religious right, that they choose to appease the religious right, rather than support the will of the people! I know it's naive to think this way, but I believe my elected officials are placed in office by the voters to fulfill the wishes of the voters! Given that over 70 percent of Americans believe the government should support stem cell research, I believe it was unethical for President Bush to veto a bill that passed the House and Senate just to appease the religious right. I consider myself a Republican and a member of the religious right, but I also have the ability and the right to think for myself. On an issue this important, that has the potential to save so many lives, I am pissed off that President Bush would go against the will of the majority of Americans and veto this bill.

Finally, don't let anyone tell you that embryonic stem cell research isn't likely to lead to cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Juvenile Diabetes, Duchenne' Dystrophy, spinal cord injuries, and ALS. In June, privately funded researchers successfully implanted stem cells into the spinal chords of paralyzed rats partially restoring motor nerve function. We need the US Government to assist stem cell research through public funding. I won't even go into the fact that other countries like England, Korea, and China, to name a few, are rapidly passing the US in terms of stem cell research technology. Allowing those countries to take the lead in cutting edge healthcare technology has significant economic implications for the US.

Word!

Reprinted

Independence Day is not only a holiday; in sports, it's often...A DAY FOR FIREWORKS

By DAVID THOMAS

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

 

"Today, today, today..."

On July 4, 1939, with a crowd of 61,808 on hand for "Lou Gehrig Day" at Yankee Stadium, an ailing Gehrig stepped to the microphone, dressed in his Yankee pinstripes. Two months and two days earlier, the Iron Horse's streak of 2,130 consecutive games played had been stopped by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease with a difficult name to remember. Now it carries a more familiar name: Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Less than two weeks after his retirement had been announced, Gehrig bid farewell to Yankee fans with perhaps the most famous speech in sports history.

"Fans," he began, "for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Babe Ruth, the larger-than-life figure whose shadow covered much of Gehrig's career, stepped next to his former teammate. Their relationship had soured toward the end of their careers to the point that they no longer spoke to each other. But Ruth reached out to give his former teammate a warming embrace. Then Ruth spoke into Gehrig's ear. After five years, their silence broke.

It remains one of the most emotional moments in sports history and the most memorable moment on a historic day that has produced plenty of sports history.