The Ogunbase Blog

NaNoWriMo, Redux

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:18:00 +0000

Sorry blog readers. With school and work, there haven't been regular updates. I will be undertaking the NaNoWriMo challenge again. For those of you who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it is an abbreviated version of National Novel Writing Month. Starting November 1, I will begin work on a 50,000 word novel. The goal is to have the 50,000 words written by the end of November. I will finish it this time! Some of you know that I have attempted this before, but I didn't properly manage my time to keep up with the output. This year will be different. I'm far more focused, and driven.

If anyone has a suggestion for the plot, please advise. Thanks!

On Fatherhood...

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:16:00 +0000

First of all, Happy Birthday to my younger boys, Elijah and Malakai! Today, they are 4 years old. Time certainly flies when you're having fun. It feels like just yesterday that they were born. Jen had a C-Section with them, so I spent the first hour of their lives with them. Singing and talking to them, just the three of us. In terms of memories, that experience is definitely in my top five.

So for most of the month, my two older sons, Taye and Quddus have been in California, visiting their grandparents. They spent a week with Jen's parents, and then a week with my parents. Well, last night I was talking to my Dad, and he was just praising them. Praising how well they behaved, how respectful they were, and just overall how impressed he was with the parenting of Jen and I. As he said these things, I realized that he had a part in the disposition of his grandsons.

You see, I've been fortunate in that I grew up with two fathers. My biological father went home to be with the Lord when I was 11. What he instilled in me was an overall sense of self-esteem. A sense of self worth which sometimes borders on arrogance. My stepfather, my mother's second husband, has been in my life since I was 4. We haven't always gotten along. In fact, for years, I thought I hated him. But, I realize that I thought he was coming in to try to usurp the role as my Dad, from my Dad. But, someone once showed me why he was the way he was. It wasn't his goal to have me be a good kid. He wanted me to become a good MAN, which is the goal of any man who parents little boys. There were times he was hard on me, but I have since realized that those times weren't malicious. He just wanted me to have that seemingly endless well of internal strength that I still think he has. That strength where everything seems to be falling apart, but as a man, you present the positive to your family and charge forward, rather than wallowing in worry and despair.

So, to hear that Jen and I are doing an excellent job with our boys, from someone who helped (despite my own efforts to thwart him) me become the man I am today meant a lot. But Dad, you had a part in it. A major part. Thank you.

20 Questions on the Obamacare Issue

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:34:00 +0000

I feel bad, dear reader. I've not left you with a decent post in nearly a month. I'm sorry. I'll get better. As you know, the geniuses in government are debating this healthcare debate. Liberals are saying one thing. Conservatives are saying another. As a result, uninformed people are springing up on Facebook and other forums with hyperbole and vitriol.

A good friend of ours, Teresa, posted this article on her Facebook. The article is written by a gentleman named Robert Tracinski. I will be posting the questions here in their entirety. I do this because so much changes on the internet, and some really good content ends up disappearing over time. I know this, because I spent 2 hours last month searching for a GQ article on the failed internet company Boo.com. What's upsetting is that I came across the article about 8 months ago, and didn't think to save the text on it. Anyway...here are the questions.

1. The government has been "reforming" health-care for sixty years—tax breaks for employer-provided health-insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, encouraging HMOs and managed care, and government health-insurance at the state level in Massachusetts, Maine, Oregon. Government health-care has expanded until it is now more than 50% of all health-care spending. Yet after sixty years of government "reform," the problems with health-care are just getting worse. So why should we believe that even more government is the solution?

2. President Obama keeps telling us that he's not trying to get rid of private health insurance. But the bill being debated in Congress would require all new insurance policies to be offered through a government-run exchange, in which the rates that can be charged and the coverage that has to be provided will be dictated by the government's so-called "Health Choices Commissioner." Employer-provided health-insurance will fall under the same regulations in five years. How is this insurance going to be "private" if the government controls everything about it?

3. A video on YouTube shows Barack Obama back in 2003—only six years ago—saying that he is in favor of a "single payer" system. The "single payer" is government, so this means he was in favor of socialized medicine. And just a few weeks ago, Barney Frank—one of the Democratic leaders in the House—said that he considers the current bill a step toward "single payer." So when Obama and the Democrats tell us this bill won't lead to a government takeover of health-care, why should we believe them?

4. Medicare is broke. Social Security is broke. Federal tax receipts are falling, and Congress has already voted on trillions of dollars of stimulus and bailouts in the last year. The national credit card is maxed out. So how can you justify voting for a bill that will require even more money that we don't have?

5. The health-care bill that is being discussed includes huge taxes on businesses to force them to provide more health insurance for their employees, as well as a whole set of mandates telling health insurance companies who they have to cover and what they have to cover them for. This is an enormous increase of costs for businesses and insurers. Have you considered how they're going to pay for all of this, or whether they will even be able to pay for it? How many of these companies will go out of business or lay off more workers after the government forcibly increases their expenses?

6. One of the main demands of the health-care bill is that insurers are required to cover people with "pre-existing conditions." That's like getting insurance on your car after you crash it. It's just a way of getting someone to bail you out for something that has already happened. This isn't insurance, it's a handout. So doesn't that mean that the rest of us will have to pay more for our insurance to absorb the cost of those handouts?

7. The health-care bill will mandate what costs insurance companies have to cover. For example, they will have to pay for routine check-ups and physicals, or they will have to provide every woman with maternity coverage. But what if you don't want to pay for that extra coverage? Right now, if you're young and healthy and don't need frequent check-ups, you can save money with a high-deductible insurance that doesn't cover them. Or if you don't want children, or already have children, you can save money by dropping the maternity rider on your policy. By taking those choices away from us, won't this bill actually make our insurance more expensive, not less?

8. A lot of people have been upset about Congress passing bills that they haven't had time to read—and they haven't even finished writing the health-care bill yet. But what I want to know is, with a bill this big and complex, have you taken the time to read it and understand it? Can you really say that anyone has had the time to figure out how all the parts will work together and what all of the consequences will be? With a bill this big, is it even possible to figure out all of that and really know what you're voting for?

9. President Obama and the Democratic leadership are making us a lot of promises about what we will get and what we won't get from this health-care bill. But what is or isn't in this one particular bill is not the end of the story. For example, how many times has Medicare changed over the last forty years? As more and more of us become dependent on the government for our health-care coverage, won't we have to worry about what some future Congress or some future bureaucrat will decide to cover or not cover?

10. The defenders of the health-care bill claim that it's going to lead to all sorts of savings, not by actually cutting any services or denying care, but just by finding "inefficiencies" that will save money. Do you think this is remotely plausible? When has anybody ever said, "This project has to be lean and efficient—let's get the government do it"?

11. One of the ways that has been proposed for government-provided health insurance to save money is by substituting Medicare reimbursement rates for market rates when paying doctors and hospitals. But many private hospitals and medical practices have said that if they have to accept these lower rates, they can't cover their expenses, and they will go out of business. So doesn't this bill guarantee an immediate shortage of doctors and medical services?

12. Medicare cuts costs by paying lower rates to doctors and hospitals, who then shift these costs to those of us with private health insurance, who get charged higher rates. But if the government takes over and starts dictating Medicare reimbursement rates for everyone, who will the costs get shifted to then?

13. When the government starting portraying people in the financial industry as villains and started limiting their pay and subjecting them to more regulations, banks reported a "brain drain" as smart and well-educated people left the industry or went overseas looking for better pay and less stress. But the term "brain drain" was originally coined in the 1960s when doctors and medical researchers left Britain to escape socialized medicine. Aren't you afraid we might see the same kind of brain drain from the medical profession here in America?

14. Do you know the meaning and significance of the term "quality adjusted life year"? (For this question, you will need the answer, which you can supply if your congressman is forced to admit that he doesn't know it—preferable after some stammering and a long, awkward pause. "Quality adjusted life year" is a term used under socialized medicine to determine whether elderly patients are allowed to get expensive drugs or treatments, depending on some bureaucrat's calculation of how many good years they have left. You should ask your congressman: Can you assure us that the same thing won't happen here?)

15. One of the proposals for how the government is going to save money is that it's going to have a panel of medical experts who will dictate from Washington, DC, what the proper medical practices are that should be paid for, and what practices are supposedly "wasteful" and "unnecessary." Won't this mean interfering with decisions that would normally be made by me and my doctor? And won't this discourage innovation by requiring any new idea to get approved by a board of establishment "experts" before a doctor can even try it out?

16. Government-run health-care is not some new, untested idea. In Britain, it has led to a "postcode lottery," where the medical procedures you are allow to get depend on where you live. In Canada, it has led to a shortage of doctors and waiting lists for major surgeries. In America, Medicare ended up costing far, far morethan anyone expected. Massachusetts and Maine spent enormous amounts of money to extend government coverage to very few people. The Oregon Health Plan may not cover your cancer treatment—but it will cover assisted suicide. Given all of this experience, what makes you think that somehow this will be the exception that will avoid all of the problems that government health-care has always led to?

17. Why does "reform" always mean more government? Are you aware of proposals that have been put forward for free-market reforms of health care? Congress has already approved Health Savings Accounts, where individuals buy their own high-deductible health insurance and save money tax-free, which they can use for their out-of-pocket health-care expenses. This gives people more control over their spending on routine medical treatments while keeping them covered for a serious illness, and it allows them to keep their health insurance if they change jobs. But this program has been limited in size. Are you open to ideas like this, for free-market reform of health-care?

18. A lot of doctors say that medical malpractice insurance is what is really driving up health-care costs. Doctors have to charge more to cover their expenses, and they also have to practice "defensive medicine," ordering unnecessary extra tests just to make sure they can defend themselves in court if something goes wrong. So why isn't tort reform—for example, limiting excessive jury awards in malpractice lawsuits—being considered as part of health-care reform?

19. What part of your decision on this bill, if any, is affected by a consideration for liberty, individual rights, and the Constitution? Would you consider opposing this bill forno other reason than because it gives more power to government at the expense of the freedom and property rights of private businesses and individuals? Would you consider opposing it simply because it grants powers to the government that are not authorized anywhere in the Constitution?

20. Thomas Jefferson said, "A wise and frugal government which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government." Notice what is not on his list: government-provided housing, or government-provided food, or government-provided health care. And Jefferson's views on the role of government were widely shared by America's Founding Fathers. So my question is: Please explain where you disagree with the vision of our Founding Fathers, and why.

Marion Jones and Mistakes

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:55:00 +0000

Earlier this afternoon, the Ogunbase family was at H.E.B., doing a little shopping. I picked up a box of gumbo mix, but then decided it wasn't needed. As I was walking to put it back, my lovely bride hissed at me to come back. As I walked back toward her, Marion Jones turned the corner in front of me.

When the Summer Olympics are on, I only watch a few things. Judo? No. Archery? No. But swimming and the track & field events? Absolutely. I'm glued to the screen, and will DVR them, even if I already know who won. I like swimming, but the sprint events in track and field are loves for me. I was watching when Michael Johnson ran the 200m in 19.32 in Atlanta. I watched this past summer as Usain Bolt ran a superhuman 9.69 100m (which he actually slowed down for). I also watched as Marion Jones destroyed her competition in Sydney, in 2000.

But, Ms. Jones didn't win with just what God gave her. She added to it, with performance-enhancing drugs. She was found out, and actually served six months of jail time for lying to a federal grand jury. In addition to that, her entire body of work from September 2000 on has been removed from the books. It's as if she never ran. She had to give up her medals. The other women who ran relays with her had to surrender their medals.

I got to thinking about that. She spent her entire life training for the Olympics. Everything she'd done from what should have been the pinnacle of her career is erased. Could she have beaten those other women with what God gave her? I think so. I mean, plenty of people take performance enhancing drugs, but plenty of people DON'T run 10.65 100m.

Ms. Jones was very kind and gracious, despite my interrupting her Sunday shopping with her children. When I asked who she was, there was brief flash of shame/worry. I wonder if she thought I was going to berate her for her mistakes. But she asked me for my name, looked me in the eye and shook my hand. But I regret this meeting. I regret that I didn't convey to her that even though she fell through her own choices, I still loved how I felt watching her compete. I especially regret that I didn't convey to her that Jesus loves her. I wish I had expressed that to her. Because I think that's something that she may know, but needed to hear.

I want to go deeper into this, but I have a 4-5 page research paper due in less than 6 hours, and I don't even have an outline.

This is the FINAL Time I...

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:19:00 +0000

...will mention Michael Jackson on my blog.

When he died, I was saddened, because I'd never seen him in concert, he left behind 3 children, and was a real contributor to music. However, some of the things I've heard in the last week and a half have been truly idiotic. Stupid. Moronic. I'll post one, and then after that, no more Michael Jackson on The Ogunbase Blog.

My lovely bride pointed me in the direction of this gem from the very wise Lil' Mama, from that show America's Best Dance Crew.

"Jesus Christ touched so many people. The story that they gave of this man...He healed people. Michael Jackson did the same thing, not only with his music, but with his performance and his personality."

No. That wasn't a typo. In the eyes of this dim 19 year old, Michael Jackson's impact on the world was like that of Jesus Christ.

I'm in disbelief that I can't even think of anything snarky to say. To compare the impact of the King of Kings (who is still making an impact, more than 2000 years since He LEFT the earth) to Michael Jackson is insulting. At BEST, Jackson will be remembered for another 50-60 years. I would hope some of that will be his music. But his memory will probably go something like this, "Michael Jackson was one of the best entertainers to ever walk the earth. It's too bad he ___________" (fill in the blank).

No, Lil' Mama. Michael Jackson's impact is nowhere near that of Jesus Christ. You should be ashamed of yourself for saying so.

The King of Pop

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:21:00 +0000

So by now, everyone has heard, Michael Jackson, the King of Pop has died. Ever since I heard, I've been trying to put together a blog post, one that would accurately capture my feelings about this. I don't know that I'll be able to. For years, I've been conflicted about Michael Jackson. One of the most important albums of my life was the "Bad" album. It was the first vinyl album I purchased, and one that I purchased on tape as well. I have memories of dancing to the "Thriller" album with my cousins Joel, Lendale and Shonnie, while in my late father's basement. I saw "Captain EO" at both Disneyland and Epcot Center in 1988. I remember that a music video by Michael Jackson was something far different than a music video by any other artist. For example, the video for "Remember the Time" excited me as much as the first time I saw "The Matrix". When he and Janet made the video for "Scream", I thought my head would explode from the sheer awesomeness.

When I started dancing, it was my goal to be able to moonwalk (one which I haven't reached, but will). Michael Jackson inspired the dance moves for an entire generation of performers such as Usher, B2K, Marques Houston, Ginuwine, Chris Brown, etc.

Yes, the man had his personal issues, but no one will ever be able to deny his talent. I hope that before his death, he came to know Jesus Christ. If he did, then he will truly be able to Rest In Peace.

You will be missed Michael. Thank you for entertaining us for these years, and showing me how to feel the music.

Universal Demand Law

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:01:00 +0000

I came across this while reading about the ROM machine. If I had $15,000 and NO DEBT, I would probably buy one. Exercise for 4 minutes a day? I'm all about it. They are available cheaper on eBay, and once we complete our Debt Snowball, I may save for one. But, the head of manufacturing of the ROM machine, Alf Temme, has some good insight and some good ideas. I was at another one of his sites, and I'm going to post the text in its entirety, because I thought it was that good. You can find the original article here.

Mr. Temme, I hope you don't mind my posting your ideas here. I just love the insight and look forward to more.
********************************************************************************

Universal Demand Law

The Universal Demand Law makes clear what outcomes to expect from placing demands on anything living and, more importantly, what outcomes to expect from NOT placing a demand on anything living. Worst of all would be to give support to anything living that could survive without support.

The word DEMAND here is to be understood as placing a load on anything living and as "requiring or requesting something urgently and forcefully". It is not to be understood as in "supply and demand".

Not only does this law govern human affairs, it actually affects all aspects of life in all things living. This law of nature makes abundantly clear that Mother Nature is not a socialist but instead an apparently heartless and mean practitioner of laissez-faire economics.

Violations against this important law of nature are punished by Mother Nature with outcomes that are totally unexpected by most that have no knowledge of this most powerful and as yet not widely known law discovered by me around 1975. It deserves to be taught in schools and specially in universities. It should be mandatory to be applied by politicians whenever they are creating new laws and regulations. It should also be retroactively applied to existing laws and regulations to strke them from the books if they fail the UniversalDemandLaw litmus test. That would result in far fewer laws and regulations on the books and it would restore and preserve more of our freedoms. It would prevent the majority of economic and societal disasters created by so many undoubtedly well-intentioned laws and regulations.

This law applies to anything living such as a single living cell, or a cell tissue, a whole organ, an entire person or animal, groups of people, a leaf of a tree, a branch or a whole tree.

The 4 points of the Universal Demand Law

1. If a demand or overdemand is made on any living thing, it will strengthen and/or improve that living thing. The greater the demand the greater the potential improvement.

2. If a demand is decreased on any living thing or support is given to a living thing that would survive without such support, the living thing will weaken and/or deteriorate. The lower the demand, the more deterioration.

3. If the demand on any living thing is too great it will break or malfunction . . . . . .

4. . . . . from which the living organism will recover, and will emerge stronger than before it was broken, IF IT WAS NOT BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR.

The Universal Demand Law as tested against the real world:
To test and demonstrate the theoretical validity of any Universal Law, the best method is to test it against known outcomes in the physical real world.

Some examples

1. RUN OVER BY A TRUCK
If you are run over by a truck, the demand likely is a too great overdemand and the body will be broken beyond proper repair.

2. BREAKING A MAJOR BONE
If you break a major bone in arm or leg and it is a clean break, and it is not broken beyond proper repair, then the place where the bone mends will be repaired by the body with denser bone tissue and it will be stronger than before the break happened.

3. PARENTS DISCIPLINING THEIR CHILDREN
If parents place a demand on their children, even if it is a slight overdemand, those children will have a good propects to develop into reasonably well functioning adults.

4. PARENTS NOT DISCIPLINING THEIR CHILDREN
If there is no demand placed on children, they more likely will deteriorate and more likely develop into poorly functioning adults. Click on "Parenting"

5. WELL INTENTIONED SOCIALISM
If you take the natural demands of normal daily life away from adults by placing them on one or other form of socialist program such as welfare for example, the Universal Demand Law predicts that they will deteriorate further.

6. EQUAL EDUCATION FOR ALL IS NOT GOOD
If students are subjected to equal education for all, the Universal Demand Law predicts that only a small percentage of the students (perhaps 20%) are subjected to the proper demand to induce optimum learning improvement and 40% or so may have an over-demand and another 40% may have an under demand resulting in the predictable disappointing outcomes that can be expected according to the Ubiversal Demand Law, namely deterioration and failure in the group on which equal education for all results in an under-demand and mental overload for the group that is not sufficiently mentally equipped for the demands placed upon them, with the resulting breaking and malfunctioning. Most members of this latter group will still benefit from the over-demand if they were not broken beyond repair.

7. ADVERSE EFFECTS FROM LOWER REQUIREMENTS
Lowering University entrance requirements for special ethnic groups is counter to the Universal Demand Law and can only lead to other than the loftily envisioned and doubtless well-intentioned outcomes.

8. PROHIBITION ALWAYS FAILS
According to the Universal Demand Law, placing a heavy demand on illegal drug use will only increase the consumption of illegal drugs. According to the Universal Demand Law, prohibition is the wrong way to proceed against hard drugs or similarly desired (but generally un-desirable) substances or services (prostitution). Giving people the freedom to fail is always the lesser of the evils. Good advice and education is the best prevention or remedy. The role of parents is to give valuable advice and guidance to their children in their formative years. The role of parents is not to keep their children in a straightjacket for life. Similarly the function of Governments is to give valuable advice to the governed. The function of Government is not to keep its constituents in a straightjacket of freedom restricting laws and regulations for life.

9. MUSCLE STRENGTH
Placing a demand on muscles makes them stronger. Conversely, taking a demand off muscles will cause them to atrophy (a leg in a cast for six weeks will have lost a lot of muscle tissue). The health of a person confined to a hospital bed (or any other bed) will deteriorate very rapidly because demand is taken off the entire body. Specially when that person is given sedatives because that will keep that bedridden person even from making movements and from employing any muscles, adding to muscle deterioration.

10. LANGUAGE IMMERSION COURSES
Placing a heavy demand upon immigrant children by teaching them in an immersion course the language of their new adoptive country will render them fluent in that new language in record time. Conversely, taking the demand off them by coddling them with lessons taught in their native language will handicap them for long periods of time and may prevent them from ever fully integrating in the society of their new adoptive country.

11. EMOTIONAL DEMANDS
A person enduring adverse human experience such as losing loved ones or going through a divorce or being subjected to other mental pressures, will emerge stronger as a result of the adverse mental demands or will succumb to them and be mentally broken in the process if the demands were too great where they broke the person beyond repair.

12. PHYSICAL HANDICAPS
People born with physical handicaps may be mentally strengthened by the extra demands placed upon them through the constant mental demands placed upon them (dealing with the handicap) and will excel in life beyond expectations. Others will not benefit from the extra physical demands when society will try to offset the demands by over-compensating for those demands with institutionalized social support for physically handicapped people.

The list of examples that prove the Universal Demand Law is endless. You can test the UD-law yourself with examples of your own and you will find that it holds true in every instance.

It is difficult to determine the right dose of demand
Since all living entities, including people, have different levels of capacity to tolerate demands placed upon them, it is difficult to determine what constitutes a demand and what will be an over demand or a demand that will break the living organism beyond proper repair. What may be an under demand for one, may be an over demand for another. The most effective method for maximum result may be a slow and gradual increase of demand to slightly past the point of failure. THat would constitute a small overdemand but would not break the living organism beyond proper repair.

The importance of the UD-law.
The discovery of the Universal Demand Law is extremely important to the future of the human condition because it explains in all instances the reason for success or failure of human endeavors. The UD-law will shed light on many aspects of all things living and on the functioning of their subcomponent parts.

Naming of laws that govern the workings of things within the Universe.
I prefer the term “Universal Laws” to describe the absolute unassailable laws by which the Universe seems to function. Unfortunately this term has been confusingly used to describe many other concepts as well, including metaphysical and religious concepts.

Known Universal Laws and this recently discovered Universal Law.
A well known Universal Law is the Universal Law of Gravitation discovered by Sir Isaac Newton. Newton’s law is also referred to as the law of gravity. Another well known Universal Law is Einstein’s Law of Relativity. Both of these laws seem to be subject of dispute about their Universal applicability and correctness. An additional newly discovered Universal Law is this one, Alf Temme’s Universal Demand Law.

Very essential knowledge to understanding the Universe
It is very likely that most everything that happens and everything existing within the Universe could be adequately explained if all Universal Laws were known and correctly interpreted.

Most Universal Laws remain undiscovered and religion, myths and misinformation fill the void where human knowledge and understanding is lacking.
Unfortunately the human race has not as yet discovered much about Universal Laws. Consequent to this lack of knowledge and lack of understanding, humans are subject to a lot of wonderment and awe about many things and happenings within the Universe.

Where knowledge and understanding are lacking, myths and religion and misinformation fill the void. Interestingly, most religious writings do not portray their Gods and deities as dictators. They rather portray their Gods and deities as wise and tolerant guides that give their constituency all the freedom to fail while teaching and proposing the methods and the guidelines for actions and behavior with which to succeed.

Practical application of UD-Law to exercise.

I have been involved in the development of a very clever but very expensive exercise machine called ROM (www.FastExercise.com ). This machine gives maximum results for minimum time investment. The full daily workout on the ROM requires EXACTLY 4 minutes (never more). Also here the rule applies: Where knowledge and understanding are lacking (in exercise) myths will fill the void. The objective of exercise is to place a demand on muscles which in turn will place a demand on tendons and joints and on the cardio-vascular system. To achieve optimum results from exercise the demand on all body systems involved in the exercise should be such that all the systems are slightly traumatized (damaged) but not damaged beyond proper repair. The ROM machine follows the Universal Demand Law to near perfection in that it adaps its workload every second during its 4 minute workout to precisely slightly over-match the user's ability to perform work so that a slight overdemand results and slight damage and slight pain will be invoked.

Following the ROM exercise the muscles, tendons and joints must have at least a 48 hour recovery time to repair the slight "damage" that has been induced by the exercise. All bodily systems, that were subjected to a small over-demand, will emerge better and stronger after the 48 hour recovery period.

Predictable patterns

Universal Laws are laws of nature that apply to observed highly predictable patterns of occurrences in nature or the universe as a whole. Universal Laws apply to patterns of behavior or outcomes that can be predicted with near 100% accuracy.

Such observed patterns of outcomes or behavior were observed by Newton, Kepler, Faraday, Pascal, Boyle, and the like and the laws of nature, or universal laws, observed and described by them became known as laws with their names attached to them, such as Newton's Law, Law of Pascal, Kepler's Law. Law of Faraday, Einstein's Law, Boyle's Law, Heisenberg's Law etc. So you could call this Universal Demand Law "Temme's Law" but I think "Universal Demand Law" is better and certainly more descriptive. Maybe Temme's UniversalDemand Law?

I discovered the pattern of predictability of this law that I eventually named "Universal Demand Law". I became very convinced by the universality of this law starting around 1970, but I was still unsure about its universal applications to all things living. Around 1985 I had gained enough confidence in the law to give it the name of Universal Demand Law and in 1999 I decided that the law appeared unassailable and ready for publication. It would be a great service to society as a whole and the economy in particular if the law became known and applied by all government bodies around the Globe so that all new law proposals could be tested against the Universal Demand Law for their efficacy before they were to be enacted as laws . People could use the law to improve their personal lives and modify their decision making processes as well.

The UD-law explains why many actions taken by humans have such unexpected and often disappointing not intentioned outcomes.

If you wish to comment or have some suggestions on more examples that support the universal applicability and validity of my "Universal Demand Law", please feel free to email me at alf@fastexercise.com

Alf Temme

Jesus and the Law

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 02:29:00 +0000

So, I had this paper due for my Philosophy class, and some friends said they wanted to read it. I was originally going to post the paper here, but MS Word doesn't mix well with Blogger, so the formatting got all wonky, and it bothered me. Email me, or send a message to my Facebook and I'll send you a copy of it. Please be gentle...

Take Photos With Your Murdered Child!

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Last week, I discussed the murder of George Tiller, aka "Tiller the Killer". However, I neglected to go through the feeds on my Google Reader. If I had, I'd have seen this horrific scene brought to public awareness by Ingrid Schlueter of Slice of Laodicea.

Seriously, murder your kid, then have a "memorial service"? I don't even have words for this.

(H/T: Slice of Laodicea)

P.S. Ingrid and her husband Tom are expecting a beautiful baby girl in a few weeks. Please pray for their family.

Should a Murderer Be Mourned?

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:39:00 +0000

This article will offend some of you. Most of my regular readers know that offending people is something I care little about. If you're offended, there isn't much I can do about that. All I can do is speak my mind, and the truth. If you want to leave, click here. You've been warned.
********************************************
Dr. George Tiller, also known as "Tiller the Killer" was killed as he went through the motions of being an usher at his church on Sunday, May 31, 2009. Why "went through the motions"? Because someone who regularly murders human beings for a living is just going through the motions at church. I also have to wonder about a "church" who would have a known murderer serving in any capacity, but that's not the point. My point is this, if this man had been known for killing over 60,000 3 month old cooing babies versus that many unborn babies, would the public be as sympathetic? No. He murdered unborn human beings for MONEY. This isn't a man who was a saint. He was a killer. Would there be this much outpouring of sympathy if he were Hitler, Stalin or Mao? Of course not. The only tragic thing is that this man wasted his life, taking the lives of others. I'm assuming he wasn't saved. Is that arrogant? Probably. But someone who kills people for a living, in what appears to be an unrepentant manner is probably not saved. I really don't view his death as a tragedy.

Doug Phillips, the Director of Vision Forum Ministries, has written an excellent piece on Tiller. I linked to it, because the text is a bit long. He handles his post with far more tact than I do. Check it out.

Movement

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:07:00 +0000

The Ogunbase Family is moving. Yes. Again. I know. Well, why the move?

A couple weeks ago, I was laid off at my job. So, in the course of seeking other employment, I applied for an advertising company that was looking for reps for New Orleans, Austin and Memphis. Well, since we decided that we'll never leave Texas (unless I go here for seminary, and then head right back), and we consider Austin to be home, I applied for the position.

After a longer interview process, an offer was made, and we are moving to Austin!

Pros: H.E.B., Bush's Chicken, the Brushy Creek Sprinkler Park, employment, large savings in monthly expenses ($1250/mo current rent vs $760/mo future rent).
Cons: Saying good-bye to LifeChurch Fort Worth, lifelong friends we've made here, as well as a couple of my best friends.

We're hoping and praying that this will provide the stability for us to get on our feet financially, and actually get ahead.

To all of our friends in the DFW area, thank you for inviting us into your lives and hearts, and you are always welcome in Austin!

Host a Home Bible Study? Pay Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Sat, 23 May 2009 11:42:00 +0000

Oh, I wish I were joking. When I read the article, I was hoping that World Net Daily was just playing a practical joke. But no. It's no joke. The County of San Diego is wanting to force a couple who holds a home Bible study to spend thousands of dollars to obtain a Major Use Permit. As anyone who has ever lived in California (land of tolerance and diversity) can attest, nothing comes easy or cheap, when the government is involved. For example, in the mid 1980's the La Mesa Family Fun Center was torn down to make way for a new freeway, specifically the 125. I graduated high school in 1998, and they were STILL working on 125. Why? Because of lawsuits and the legal red tape required to build anything in the state.

According to the article,

a Major Use Permit is one that often involves traffic and environmental studies, compliance with parking and sidewalk regulations and costs that top tens of thousands of dollars.

Seriously? For a home Bible study? Even worse, if the couple does not obtain the permit, they'll be fined.

When government oversteps their bounds, it's time for new government. That's all I have to say on that.

This hits me particularly hard, as I grew up in San Diego County. But this is just the beginning. Once Congress gets around to passing the Hate Crimes bill, we're going to be hit with fines, jail, or (as commenter Olivia suggests here) re-education camps.

Make no mistake my fellow believers, they are targeting us. Am I worried? No. Am I annoyed? Absolutely.

A Brilliant Post and Some Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:25:00 +0000

My good friend Jessica wrote this amazing blog post. I have linked to it, but I'm going to post the text in its entirety, and put some additional thoughts underneath. Thank you for this inspirational post Jessica!

I Want to Be THAT Christian!
More and more, I have been convicted in the way I think and act. I am seeing so many people crying out for change and have finally realized that I passionately desire change in our world!
I have been a Christian all my life, and never before have I seen what we are facing now. I have felt that burning in my heart for God’s will to be done, for His kingdom to reign here on earth and inside me, but I have never felt it as strong as I do now. I have this fiery, passionate, vehement desire…burning through the depths of my soul, crying out for God in a way I have never experienced before.
Yet, I do not know what to do with it. I do not know how to be THAT Christian. I do not know what it is to be passionately seeking God, no matter what trial falls upon me. I do not have the experience to know what to do with this fervor inside me.
I mean, I have had major experiences with God in my life. I have seen miracles; I have experienced mighty blessings… God has never let me get further than my fingertips could reach out and touch His.
However, THIS is different. This is not an experience. This is not the “mundane”, fire-insurance having, Christian do-gooder slide through life. THIS IS DEEP. This is a groaning, a deep stirring in the deep dark recesses of my soul, and I am MOVED. I am crying out for change. Not our current political leader’s definition of change, but Godly change. A change toward revival.

I read my friend’s blogs and talk to them about their lives. I read the news; I see the way the world is around me. People’s lives are broken. The economy is shaking, marriages are crumbling, and businesses are going under. People are struggling with things that they never thought they’d struggle with. The world is changing, and not for the better.

I believe that this is not solely because people are breaking the “Big Ten” as they are written. I believe it is the gray-area sin of compromise. I know this is my biggest problem! Making many many teeny tiny little changes in the way you view things will end up getting you so skewed from where you should be! I see it my own life all the time. Uttering a curse word when I am angry, watching a TV show I know I shouldn’t watch because it is funny, even staying up late when I know I have an appointment in the morning I can’t be late for and might be if I am too tired to get up….and for that matter BEING LATE to things. All of this compromise gradually changes our worldview, and makes us more open to making (and accepting) larger changes later.
Accepting abominable sins as human rights and allowing people to do heinous things in the name of self-expression and such… CHRISTIANS are accepting these changes, and not even batting an eyelash! We have people like this who are passionately spreading feel-good "Christianity" (as this blog discusses) around as truth and we aren’t recognizing that it is happening until it is too late! It is time for us to wake up. We have to, or it will be our ruin.

A good friend of mine put this quote in his blog.

"It's a tragedy for anybody to go to hell. But it seems to me, that the tragedy of all tragedies, is the oft-repeated Judas tragedy. Where you hang around Jesus, but end up belonging to Satan. That's the real tragedy." -John MacArthur

I do NOT want this to happen to me, my children… anyone!

I had a dream last night. The short of it is, my enemy was waging battle against me, and in the end decided that the best way to hurt me would be to take my child rather than to kill me. This was devastating. So much so that I woke up shaking, sweating, and crying. As was I was recounting the dream to my husband, I realized that this is true. I realized that Satan has it out for us and he wants to take our children. This is the time for us to step up - WAKE UP- and get ourselves straight! The devil is coming for our CHILDREN! I for one am deciding to wage WAR on Satan. He will not get me, and he WILL NOT get my children! I don’t know how to be THAT Christian, but I have a feeling this is a good way to start.

I don’t know how to change. I don’t know where to start, but I am figuring that if it took small changes to get to where we are, we can make small changes to get back to where we should be. I started today with getting rid of the cable we just don’t need. TV is an idol in this house and I am sick of it. It’s probably an idol in yours too. We turn it on all the time and it has taken so much away from ourselves, God, our family as a whole… it’s terrible, and it’s gone. I have to admit I kept the limited basic so that we can watch a few shows we like, but in two weeks the current season is over and then the TV is staying off, even for prime time. Maybe we’ll even fully cancel it.

I just realized another part of my problem. It happens every time I begin to make changes in my life. People around me. Not that they are doing anything wrong, it’s just that if they aren’t feeling the same way as me, it makes it hard to remember sometimes. I’m not sure if that’s clear. It is like when you are on a diet and everyone around you is eating cake. It is REALLY hard to stay on the bandwagon at first.

I pray that I will get over that hump and keep my fire no matter what people around me are doing. I ask God to give me people around me with the same heart, so that we can grow together and incite change together. But when I am alone, Lord, would you give me the strength to do mighty things and be a mighty warrior for you all by myself.
When the fiery darts come, Lord, would you make me strong and courageous and able to withstand the trials the enemy throws at me. Would you cause me to be shaken, to dredge out all of the terrible things in my life and make me clean before you and before the world, Father. Use me for your Kingdom, Lord. Make your will apparent in my life, and cause me to be a changed person. Cause me to be broken before you and to be the woman you want me to be. Please allow me to be a mighty witness for you.
I don’t want to be mediocre. I don’t want to be the Christian who never does anything exceptional. Yes I know I am saved and I am going to heaven when I die, but I want more than that. I want to be passionate. I want to be a strong tower… a shining light for my Lord. Please make me that, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!!

Some verses I’ve been thinking on this week:

Romans 8:36-39
As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.

Psalm 42:3
Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell.

Who wants to join me!?

You know what? It is HARD. The burden is just the first step. I want to ACT on it. Even as I sit here thinking of all the ways I compromise, I still have trouble making the decision to say "Ok, I am done with these wordly things and I am going to turn toward righteousness!" Cuz, I'll be honest... I LIKE tv. I LIKE doing stupid things I shouldn't do...we all do. It's our sinful nature. But God is stronger than that, and He has called us to be more than conquerors! Ooo I am FIRED UP! Read Romans 8.

WOW! She hits it right on the head when she mentions "the sin of compromise". Satan is smart. He has to be, in order to have deceived so many people for so long. But he knows that a direct, frontal assault upon us won't work. People in general are hesitant about change or any direct attack upon what they believe. So, he resorts to the play that has worked best..."Has God really said?" He's been using that same play for since The Fall. If there were a football team that ran the exact same play every time they stepped on the field, would we fall for it? No! But because we're fallen people who are genetically predisposed to sin, it's easy.

I recently read "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis. It's a series of letters from a senior demon to his nephew, who has been assigned to lead a man down the path to Hell. But in it, Screwtape advises against a direct assault upon the man, but to gradually chip away at him. An erosion of his faith and ideals. It is the same thing that is happening these days. Everyone would be wise to read Matthew 7:15-29. Jesus warns about false teachers, as well as the eternal consequences of building your spiritual house on sand.

I look at the lives of His disciples, as well as the Apostle Paul and know these men had encountered Him. They were willing to suffer whatever was given, because they HAD to get the Gospel out into the world. There wasn't another option for them.

I want to be THAT kind of Christian as well. A "Jesus freak" or "Bible Thumper". However, I don't want the approval of the world. In fact, I'd rather offend the whole world, and please my Master in Heaven, than be politically correct. What does the life of such a person look like? Well...it's time to dig deep into Scripture, and carve out prayer time so I can find out. Because I'm lost otherwise. Without Jesus, my life is meaningless. Nothing matters more than my relationship with him. I do not want to be one of the Matthew 7:21-23 people, who have the jersey, but aren't on the team.

The Real Tragedy

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:45:00 +0000

"It's a tragedy for anybody to go to hell. But it seems to me, that the tragedy of all tragedies, is the oft-repeated Judas tragedy. Where you hang around Jesus, but end up belonging to Satan. That's the real tragedy."

-John MacArthur

A Music Recommendation

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:49:00 +0000

Jaime Flor, a good friend of mine, has been playing guitar since I've known him (we were in Junior High school together), and is quite talented, not only as a guitarist, but also songwriter. He has put together a band and they are working on some songs, and will be touring. Give them a listen.

Reminds me quite a bit of The Smashing Pumpkins, which I'm sure Jaime will be thrilled about, as they are one of his influences. He hasn't posted my favorite song of his, titled "Coming To An End". Hopefully this blog post will inspire him to do so.

Jaime...if you ever need a fill-in bass player, let me know!

Click here to hear Jaime Flor and Restless Minds.

What If?

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:44:00 +0000

I have contact with people who are at various stages of belief in Jesus. There are those who are fully devoted followers of Christ, as well as those who are atheists.

Nichole Nordeman had a great song called "What If", which came out in 2005 on her album, Brave. I will include the lyrics below. I highly recommend that you head over to Project Playlist so you can listen to it.

What If by Nichole Nordeman
What if you're right?
And he was just another nice guy
What if you're right?
What if it's true?
They say the cross will only make a fool of you
And what if it's true?
What if he takes his place in history
With all the prophets and the kings
Who taught us love and came in peace
But then the story ends
What then?
But what if you're wrong?
What if there's more?
What if there's hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He's more than enough?
What if it's love?
What if you dig
Way down deeper than your simple-minded friends
What if you dig?
What if you find
A thousand more unanswered questions down inside
That's all you find?
What if you pick apart the logic
And begin to poke the holes
What if the crown of thorns is no more
Than folklore that must be told and retold?
You've been running as fast as you can
You've been looking for a place you can land for so long
But what if you're wrong?

A Great Quote

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Sun, 03 May 2009 04:10:00 +0000

Ken Silva over at Apprising Ministries doesn't pull any punches. In this gem, he makes it clear that today's church is seriously lacking men with (as he calls it) "strong spiritual backbone".

In his post, he includes a quote from A.W. Tozer. The quote is so inspiring to me.

If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting.

Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, denounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom.

Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath.

(H/T to Ken Silva, Apprising Ministries)

Change Indeed...

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:55:00 +0000

(H/T to World Net Daily)

So it begins...

It's really just a matter of time before a pastor is prosecuted under the Hate Crime Law (H.R. 1913) , which President Change will most certainly sign. What will really be interesting is how many of the "churches" will back down for fear of losing their tax-exempt status, prosecution, etc.

Hate Crime laws are stupid. They really should be called Thoughtcrime laws. For example, (under this proposed law) if I were to refer to Mario Lavandeira as a mental midget and say "I would like to backhand him", I could be prosecuted under a hate crime law, because he is a homosexual. Interestingly enough, he could be prosecuted as well, because I'm black. But if one of my white friends were to take the same action, they could be prosecuted. I wonder if it's a hate crime if it is a person of your same race. I wonder how it would work in mixed race people. If Taye committed a "hate crime" against someone who was black, would it be dropped to a misdemeanor because he's half black? Probation?

See how asinine these things are? Criminalizing thought. Just like in 1984. I swear, the Orwell Estate needs to cut me a check for the publicity I'm giving this book. It seems like I mention it at least every other blog post. Well, if there weren't so many parallels between that society and this one, I wouldn't have to.

My fellow believers, get ready. We are under attack. It isn't direct, but incremental. The devil has been using the same playbook since the Garden (Genesis 3:1). The idea is for us to compromise in little things so often that when we realize where we are, it's too late. I warn you now, we continue letting these little things go, they will come for us and our children. It's not a matter of if, but when.

"If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

Check Out P+T Revisited!

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:31:00 +0000

Yes. It's a shameless plug, I know. But have I ever attempted to sell anything on this blog? No. Check out Pergamum and Thyatira Revisited, my new blog. On it, I discuss and show you the things that are going on in the churches of today, as we march toward the Last Days.

Things are interesting, and I suspect we're just getting started. So, check it out!

Pergamum and Thyatira Revisted.

Thanks to Mrs. Jessica Best for her blog shout out.

What Would I Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:35:00 +0000

I've been having some difficulty lately. I should probably read my Bible more to figure out this quandary I'm having. You see, I know that it's a matter of time before the government starts coming door to door to confiscate firearms or to run "checks" on us. This isn't tinfoil hat wacked out conspiracy theory. It's what will happen. Given my stances on homeschooling, government, my belief in Jesus, and utter distaste for Washington D.C. (especially President Change), it's a matter of time before they visit me.

I know I am responsible for my family. But would I be able to sit there and let them march us off to their "re-education camps" at the Ministry of Love? Would I turn in our weapons? Would I be willing to defend my household, violently if needed?

As Christians, we are supposed to follow the laws of the land, be good citizens. But what if those laws infringe upon those whom God has placed in our care?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Can anyone provide me some verses to think on?

Bill St. Clair has his thoughts on the matter.

A Prayer Challenge For All Christians

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:20:00 +0000

I was on Slaughter of the Sheep and I came across an article which Chrystal had linked to over at Until Jesus Comes, a blog written by Heidi Swander. The original article, written by Jack Kinsella, was a good one, and I linked to it, so you can read it.

However, Heidi had posted a new article, which she titled "Pray For Your Pastor! Don't Quit!".

Heidi's words are much more eloquent than mine, but the message needs to get out. We must continually pray for our leaders, because as her post states, there are "prayers" being directed to the devil for the destruction of Christian pastors and the churches they lead.

I am issuing a prayer challenge to all those who are depending on the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation.

The Church of Satan has set aside the 6 pm hour (WORLDWIDE) to pray for the demise of the Christian church, and especially our pastors.

We must lift our shepherds up in prayer, all day every day. So, the prayer challenge? During the 7 pm hour (no matter where you are), pray for Christ's church, and the leaders He has placed into authority roles. Pray that these men remain Biblically sound, that their faith remain strong, that their strength be renewed as they take on the important task of feeding the Word to each of us, and that their own lives reflect their time spent with Him. This is important. If the body of our enemy can unite to come against us, then we can unite to build up our pastors and the body.

Please send Heidi's post, as well as this blog post from me via email, MySpace, Facebook, and any other type of social media. Get this message out there. We need a worldwide prayer movement for our pastors, who are under constant spiritual attack.

Disciplining Children

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:20:00 +0000

I'm a pretty fair parent. My children are as well behaved as they are because Jen and I are consistent with our discipline. However, there are times where I give the boys a pass on certain behaviors. I occasionally think that I may be behaving harsh with them, which is why I give them the passes...and I don't want to be seen like a giant ogre.

But, my goal is not to raise good kids who like me. I would love for my kids to love me and think I'm awesome. But I have a responsibility to Him who created me, as well as the children, to raise good ADULTS. Adults who will do what is pleasing to the Lord, whether they like me or not. You see, God has loaned these children to me for a season. But, they are His. It is my job to be a faithful steward with His children. So, since I want to do what is pleasing to the Lord, I'm going to take care to make sure that these kids, these babies, grow up with a better sense of responsibility and accountability than I did. Part of that includes spanking them, when spanking is needed.

What brought about this post? I read an awesome post last night. She does a great job of explaining much better than I do. So click here, and read it!

A Scene from The Matrix in Today's World

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:04:00 +0000

You're probably wondering why I referenced The Matrix as the title for this post. Let me direct you to an opinion piece which was posted by an online acquaintance. I will post the entire article in its entirety, due to the previously mentioned article deletion which plagues Mainstream Media news sites. I have linked to the original source as well. Thanks Sonnet!

When President Barack Obama signed his executive order to allow human embryos to be mined for their stem cells in order to help older, more powerful humans, there was much excited applause.

The applause came from so many, their eyes bright, lit as if from within. It came from those who believe in scientific progress as the answer to the problems of the modern world, believing as fervently as any monk on the slopes of Mt. Athos believes in the Resurrection of Christ.

In signing the order last week, the president said that the Bush administration, which strictly limited such research, had offered a false choice between science and morality. He said his new order "is about ensuring that scientific data is never distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda—and that we make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology."

There it was. Ideology, a pejorative applied to faith, offered up during Lent by our president.

As a Greek Orthodox Christian, I'm troubled by all of this, as are many Roman Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims and others who are taught by the faiths of our fathers that life is sacred. And I know there are many who belong to these faiths and see nothing wrong with stem cell research.

But many of us watch in quiet horror as America rationalizes the conversion of life into a medical product to further other lives, as our culture ignores the cost to our humanity.

Proponents of stem cell research dress themselves in pure reason, as a counterweight to what is often unfortunately referred to as religious superstition (Obama's "ideology"), but there is something about the political selling of it that speaks to a salvation of sorts, too, particularly for our loved ones whose bodies would be helped by such research.

Science for the scientists, yes, but perhaps more than that for those who hope such research will provide much-needed cures. So more human embryos are cracked open, the life inside them used to protect us from diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, now stalking the once-youthful but still politically powerful Baby Boomers.

The applause washed over Obama all week, from biotech investors and especially pro-abortion rights groups, because if embryos are a product fit for dissection, it follows they are property, not life. Naturally, establishment media editorialists and political writers praised it, even supposedly neutral news accounts trumpeting this as a victory of light over darkness.

"It's a difficult and delicate balance," said Obama. "And many thoughtful and decent people are conflicted about or strongly oppose this research. And I understand their concerns and I believe that we must respect their point of view. But after much discussion, debate and reflection, the proper course has become clear. ..."

He is a gracious man trying to be reasonable, fulfilling a campaign promise. Though I disagree with him, I've always felt the decency in him. But as he spoke, I couldn't help but think of someone else.

The drowning man.

When I was a boy about to go swimming with my friends, I was warned about the drowning man. And just then I knew, with the rapture of scientific certainty, that President Obama was also warned as a boy.

It may have come from his mom, or grandparents, or some camp counselor at the edge of the water, an adult responsible for his safety. The kids knotting up in groups on the shore, sand hot on their feet, bright sunshine overhead, eager to jump in.

We all were warned, each of us, you too. As parents, my wife and I told our boys, and Barack and Michelle most likely have told their girls. All kids lucky enough to grow up and become parents will warn their young if they have even the slightest sense of responsibility.

You stay away from the drowning man.

The drowning man isn't an individual, exactly.

The way I remember things, it was the figure of a man drawn in some first-aid pamphlet of long ago, a dangerous hieroglyph thrashing in the water, threatening those who approached.

The drowning man wasn't evil. He wasn't good. There was no history to him.

His dreams and kind acts didn't matter. His betrayals and bitterness weren't counted against him. If he had any sins, their residue wasn't apparent in his expression. There was no face, at least not one with clearly defined features.

Only a head and arms waving in the water, the drowning man going down.

The grown-ups told us that when you're swimming and you see someone struggling and thrashing, you call for help. You might extend a towel or a shirt as a rope. But you don't go near, because you might get grabbed.

Panicked, the drowning man wants what all life wants, to continue. He can't comprehend that he's pushing you down to push himself up. It's not his fault. He's afraid. He's drowning. He's dying.

But we're all dying, aren't we? And what happens to us, as we take other lives, in order to live?

jskass@tribune.com">jskass@tribune.com

I bring up The Matrix because in the film (and I'm sorry if you haven't seen it, go buy it from Wal-Mart on DVD), there's a scene where Morpheus is explaining the war between the machines and humanity. In this scene, it shows a field of pods, each pod containing a human being. Each human was "grown" and used to power the machines. Once they'd outlived their usefulness, they were liquified into fuel which fed the other humans. It sounds disgusting doesn't it? The thought should turn your stomach, unless you happen to be Dexter Morgan or another sociopath.

Well, with President Change removing W's Executive Order which limited the harvest of human embryos for their stem cells, I immediately thought of that scene. I'm vehemently opposed to the harvesting of human embryos for anything. For in-vitro, fertility, disease research anything. I don't care if I had Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and was sterile. Those are human beings that are being used as guinea pigs and test subjects. Can anyone explain why there hasn't been a SINGLE discovery made using embryonic stem cells? If there had been, you'd have been bombarded with it all over the news. I think I may have a reason. Perhaps God (remember Him?) doesn't want His creation used like lab rats. Yes, He created rats. However, He didn't send Jesus to die for rats.

But, this issue of embryonic stem cell research is just the symptom of a larger problem. The REAL issue is that there is a disdain for life which has penetrated the culture. In the almost 40 years since Roe vs Wade millions of babies have been killed. However, what else has happened is the gradual acceptance of this infanticide as normal and a "right". There is no respect for human life. But, the backlash of this will be coming soon.

The "Baby Boomers" are only surpassed in their selfishness and sense of entitlement by the children they have brought into this world. However, Baby Boomers have the sense of entitlement down to an art. While they brought us good things like the Civil Rights Movement, the man on the moon and civil disobedience, we also have the fallout from them. Sexual "liberty", no fault divorce (which has led to the rise in single parent households and separation of children from their fathers, along with a corresponding rise in crime and poverty), general cynicism and outright rebellion, to name a few. There's also the ridiculous amount of debt that we have. Brought to us courtesy of the Baby Boomers, who taught these same financial principles to those in my generation, which has led to the largest economic collapse that the world has ever seen. Why? Sense of entitlement.

This embryonic stem cell thing is an issue because the Baby Boomers are getting older and having health issues. Since they're on a quest to live forever (plastic surgery, cougars, etc), and DESERVE IT (in their own minds), they want to find any way to help aleviate their aging. They think they've found the Fountain of Youth that Ponce de León searched for. Who cares if you have to kill a bunch of embryos to get it? It's what *I* want. It's what *I* DESERVE!

It's this same attitude which will lead to increased taxes over the next 15-20 years as these people start to retire. In their quest for material things, very few of them had the good financial sense to set aside money for retirement. So what will they do? Run to Big Daddy for their handout, just like they're doing now when looking for bailouts. Make no mistake, the same companies receiving Federal Bailout money are most likely headed by Baby Boomers.

This same generation is going to expect their children, my generation, to support them in their old age. They're going to want us to pay for Medicare and Social Security, regardless of how high our taxes go. They don't care about us. They proved that when they dumped us into day care centers, so they could pursue their "toys" (Cars, boats, houses, etc). They proved that when they started viewing us as "inconveniences" and killed more than 50 million of us because it was "their body and choice".

As hard as it seems to believe, my generation is far more selfish than that before us. So, when our taxes go up to pay for Medicare and Social Security, we're not going to take it. We may not lead a revolution. However, you're going to hear the call for forced euthanasia. You will hear people get on the news, and in the same way they talk about "my choice" when related to baby killing (aka "abortion"), they will say things like, "Our parents need to do the PATRIOTIC thing, or the GREEN thing for our planet and die with dignity for the GREATER GOOD".

WHOA! Mind blowing, isn't it? But it doesn't seem that far fetched. Not when you consider that most children of Baby Boomers grew up watching MTV and have seen scenes of wealth, and "do it because it feels good", etc. I think it makes perfect sense that the same generation that has crapped on their children, will be put to death by their children.

Again, this will be a symptom of the problem. The BIGGEST problem? Sin. All of this can be attributed back to a single choice (that word doesn't sound so good, does it? Especially when others are making the "choice" if you live or die) that Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden. The world has been suffering ever since.

However, there is an alternative. You don't have to live in a hopeless world, devoid of love and giving of self. Jesus came to earth and was brutally murdered, so that you can be in communion with God for all of eternity. However, He wants you to believe in Him, but also to REPENT (which means turn away from) of your sins. Turn away from them. You're not going to be perfect. But the mark of a true believer and follower of Jesus is not going to be a continuous pattern of sin. There should be a change when you receive Jesus and repent. Then, find a good Bible believing church and get involved.

Scripture should be the final authority in that Bible believing community. Although you have a pastor, you should also read the Bible for yourself, so you can know if what you're being taught aligns with what God has set forth in His Word.

Oh, and to get an idea of how relevant the Bible is for today's world (because some fool will say, "The Bible was good for BACK THEN, but it isn't relevant today"), read Romans 1:21-32.
***********************************************************************

When I started writing this post, I didn't intend for it to end with my advising people to call on Jesus for salvation. However, the more and more I wrote, the more it came to me that the problem isn't President Change or embryonic stem cell research. That's just a symptom of the true disease, which is sin in our world. Fortunately, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I hope that my words aren't a hinderance if God is drawing you to Himself. I am, as the apostle Paul said, "a bond-servant of Christ Jesus".

Another Reason to Homeschool

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:31:00 +0000

I suspect this may end up being a regular feature on The Ogunbase Blog. When we last discussed homeschooling, I outlined some reasons why we choose to homeschool. Well, our allies across the pond have provided yet another reason for me to keep my boys at home with me.

(H/T to Ingrid of Slice of Laodicea)

I'm going to post the full article in the text of this post, because News sites have this nasty habit of deleting their articles. I have linked to it above as well.

Parents face possible court action for withdrawing their children from lessons on gay and lesbian history.

More than 30 pupils were pulled out of a week of teaching at a primary school which included books about homosexual partnerships.

The controversial content was worked into the curriculum at George Tomlinson School in Waltham Forest, East London.

The council has declared that children who missed the lessons will be viewed as truants.

The ruling means some families could breach rules that children should not be absent for more than 19 days a year.

Sanctions include spot fines, parenting contracts and ultimately court action.

The parents, who objected to the lessons on moral and religious grounds, said the content was more appropriate to secondary age pupils.

Pervez Latif, whose children Saleh, ten, and Abdur-Rahim, nine, attend the school, said he knew of up to 30 withdrawals from the lessons.

The 41-year-old accountant said Christian and Muslim parents had objected to the theme linked to Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month.

‘We as parents did not receive any guidance that this was going to happen,’ he added. ‘There was just a newsletter mentioning the week and that certain themes would be taught.

‘I didn’t want my children to be learning about this. I wrote a letter to the chairman of the governors explaining that I would be taking my children out of school and he wrote back saying that there was no other option.

‘If I am faced with court action, then I will just explain that these are my views. It was also very difficult explaining to my nine- and ten-year-old boys why they were being removed from school.

‘I found it difficult to explain topics such as homosexual relationships at such a young age.’

One story covered in a lesson was King and King, a fairytale about a prince who turns down three princesses before falling in love with one of their brothers.

Another book, And Tango Makes Three, features two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who fall in love at a New York zoo.

Sarah Saeed, 40, took her eight-year-old daughter out of school during the week.

She said: ‘It is not an appropriate age for the children to be learning such matters. We have our own way of explaining things to them and they should not be subjected to this.

‘I was aware they were going to be learning about homosexual relationships through stories.

‘If the council takes action against me I will tell them that I told the school beforehand I would be taking my child away if they did not change their policy.

‘She has a 100 per cent attendance record otherwise. This is the only time and this is the only choice I had.’

Parents have a legal right to withdraw their children from religious education and sex education lessons – apart from science lessons which cover biological reproduction as part of the national curriculum.

A spokesman for Waltham Forest Council said: ‘As part of the borough’s policy of promoting tolerance in our schools, children are taught that everyone in our society is of equal value.

‘At George Tomlinson, parents were invited to meet with teachers and governors several weeks ago to discuss what work would

be taking place throughout the national LGBT History Month and how this work would be delivered.

‘Regrettably, some parents chose to remove their children from school.

‘The council does not condone any unauthorised absence from school and action has been taken.’

Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, said: ‘It is a fundamental principle of education law that children must be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents.

'It is outrageous for a school or local authority to think it can ride roughshod over parents and impose lessons upon children that arouse such widespread concerns.

‘The only action that needs to be taken is to offer an apology to the parents concerned.’

George Tomlinson is close to a school which launched a gay version of Romeo and Juliet called Romeo and Julian – also to mark the alternative history month.

So, tell me again, why should I send my kid to school outside of my home? So they can be indoctrinated against my will? And then when I decide I don't want them hearing it, I can be prosecuted? Make no mistake, Britain leads the way, but this will happen in the United States in the near future. Sooner than you or I think.

My Most Important Post

noreply@blogger.com (Yemi Ogunbase) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:18:00 +0000

These last few weeks have been interesting. To even call this "interesting" seems to minimize the profound effect this time period has had on my life.

The 5 or so of you who have read my blog from the beginning have watched me chronicle parts of the last couple years of my life. I've discussed politics, faith, business and a whole variety of things, as evidenced by the list of Labels/Topics in the sidebar.

However, the blog was a way for me to get thoughts out. Express myself. Therapy, if you will (a friend of mine says to F#@% Therapy, so perhaps my blog was a way of doing that). When I first started blogging, I was going to write these brilliant articles, which people were going to love. I was then going to put ads up, and then make a ton of money like Michael Arrington from TechCrunch. I realized a few things...Michael Arrington has worked his tail off to generate the kind of income he does from his blog. He also has the hassles that come with generating the income he has. In addition to that, it seems he's passionate about what he's doing. I don't know that I was ever passionate about blogging. Perhaps writing for fun, but not to the point where it becomes a job. So, I've been searching. Searching for passion. Something that would move me.

For a long time, I thought it was money. So I'd jump from income opportunity to income opportunity, job to job, etc. Each time something didn't work out, I thought it was an issue with the opportunity or job itself. "Oh well, the leads they were giving were crappy" or "Well, marketing is the most important part of that deal, and my sponsor didn't tell me that". Excuses and justifications for lack of achievement flowed from me. So I thought perhaps my mindset was all messed up. I thought I wasn't sowing seeds of prosperity. So I went and spent a small fortune on books and media to improve my mindset. I think I have well over 1500 unread emails in various email accounts from different "success gurus". I also have a 5 shelf bookcase filled with various books on improving self-image, financial success, leadership, etc. If you name an author in the self-improvement field, chances are good that I have a book or audio program by that person. However, as Tyler Durden from Fight Club states, "Self improvement is masturbation". If you can get past the "ewwww...yucky...masturbation" part of the quote, and consider the meaning of it, you'll understand my folly in collecting these items. If you still don't understand...well...that's another blog post for another time.

So I read books, made lists, vision boards, listened to audios, rid myself of negative people, said affirmations and got what? Nothing. My personal life goal a couple years ago was to be a millionaire by 26, and a billionaire by 36. Why am I not? Because for me, the price is too high. Now, what does that mean? What it would cost to be a high income earner isn't worth it to me. It would be like paying $300,000 for a box of Cheerios. The time away from my family for what would likely result in a life of comfort isn't worth it to me. Some say I'm quitting, giving up. Perhaps. But I've chased these things. I have earned over $10,000 in a month. It was a good feeling, in the moment. I spent some money, had fun, made some memories. But in the end, I felt empty.

What about all of my positive self-image and positive thinking? Everyone who knows me, knows I think very highly of myself. So why did I feel like I was drifting through life?

God made it known to me that the reason I wasn't satisfied with pursuing worldly ideals is because I'm here to be IN the world, but not OF it. So earning a whole lot of money isn't going to fulfill me? No, was the answer. I started thinking of the story of the rich, young ruler who came to Jesus (Matthew 19:16-30), asking what he had to do to gain eternal life. Jesus told him to sell what he had, give it to the poor and follow Him. The scripture tells us "When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth". This man stood in front of God in the flesh, heard what he had to do to enter into the kingdom of God, and went away SAD! He was so consumed with his possessions, that they'd consumed him.

I'm so ashamed with how I've spent my adulthood. It's been spent "playing church". I've gone around for the last 10 years of my life, claiming "I'm saved! Jesus is getting me into Heaven!". Why? Because sometime 10 years ago, I prayed a prayer, and have been running around acting unrepentant since then. I haven't behaved like someone who is grateful to the God in Heaven who thought enough of me to send His only Son to die for me and everyone else. I've been treating Jesus like a life insurance policy past the contestability period (during the first 2 years of a life insurance policy, the company has the right to contest anything in the application. After that, MOST of the time, they have to pay the death claim. So if you put non tobacco on the application, and then decided to take up smoking 3 years later, they have to pay). I've been behaving like I had no cares, no worries. Praising Him on Sundays, spitting on Him during the other 6 days with my actions and lifestyle. It's not that I am claiming to have lost my salvation. I've been debating whether or not I actually HAD salvation.

What brought this about? I just finished reading Hard To Believe by John MacArthur. The book discusses how the gospel has been watered down to a series of nonconfrontational messages, and how Jesus has been turned into a personal genie. It also discusses how there is a cost to following Jesus, and how one has to determine if it is a cost they are willing to pay.

For me, it's no longer a question. It's no longer about chasing money, the Porsche 911 Turbo and the huge house with 17 LCD flatscreens. It's about leading a life which is pleasing to Him who created me and Him who saved me. It is also about letting as many people as possible know about the goodness of the gospel and that there is an answer. One doesn't need a secret or a positive self image for fulfillment in life. One needs to believe and repent.

I don't know what direction my life will head in. Have I been called into ministry? I'm learning to hear the voice of God. I haven't heard that. But I won't rule it out until I hear from above. I'm going to go Matthew 6:19-34 on this.