Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2012

Say it isn't so Pat!

I really hate it when Pat Robertson agrees with me on a subject, it makes me think I MUST be wrong!  Pat has it right here though, Earth is far older than 6,000 years.  :-) Pat Robertson: “If you fight science, you are going to lose your children” | Science | an SFGate.com blog

The Holidays are here! Yay?

Dear World, Someone asked "What does Thanksgiving mean to you?" and I answered: "It means the season of endless socializing events I can't get out of is starting up. Dinners and parties and constant chatter. It means trying to think about gifts for people. It is the start of the hated holiday season, season of overwhelming confusion and stress... I can't wait until it is over! New Years day though, marks the return to calm and normalcy, where I can avoid people and not be seen as a jerk, that is my holiday, when it's over anyway." I could have gone on with comments about the endless commercialized pressure to DO-BUY-SPEND etc. but it's mostly the forced nature of the thing that gets to me.  I can't opt out no matter how much I really want to, not without being called a Grinch or a Scrooge or just a jerk.  So I suffer through it all and try to be nice about it.  Even though by the end of December I'm ready to explode, or maybe melt down.  I

Returning to Roots

Over the last year plus I have wandered far and wide in my mind and spirit.  I have gone from Lutheran to "Atheist" to Roman Catholic to wanting to be a "Generic Christian" and finally back to Lutheran again, back to where I began my life and where I intend to end it.  I can't go into all of the details of my thinking because it was not very logical at any point in the journey.  I did not actually go through a reasoned examination of my faith and make each of these rapid moves.  Instead what happened was that I got confused by the issues of creation and the first few chapters of Genesis.  In my confusion I first "felt" that I couldn't be a Christian if I found the first part of the Bible to be scientifically irrelevant.  So, following that feeling I sought rational reasons to reject theism.  Of course, if you start with the conclusion it's easy to find the supporting "evidence" you are looking for. God did not abandon me to this t

Love Seat

Izzy and Yoda

Sissy kissed me!

ldevich shared an Instagram photo with you

Hi there, ldevich just shared an Instagram photo with you: view full image "That's Serenity out by the buoy. " Thanks, The Instagram Team

Voter turnout?

I'm listening to a SciFri NPR discussion about the upcoming election. One of the sub-topics is how to increase voter turnout. What I thought about almost instantly was "What makes them think having even more uninformed gullible twits voting would be a Good Thing?" I say we actively DISCOURAGE voting so only people who really care would do it ;-) DON'T VOTE it doesn't matter. -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

Tiny homes hit the big city - CNN.com

It's getting big exposure now, I still would rather live in a tiny simple space than a big house.  Of course with 6 people a dog and two cats, this IS a tiny space :-) Tiny homes hit the big city - CNN.com

Blue now.

Just saying yes :-)

🌟Photo Collage🌟

Our Yellowstone Journey

   We are back from our trip to Yellowstone so I have a moment or two to post here.  On our first day, Wednesday 22 August, we traveled from Ceres to Oregon City and visited with Dan, Connie, Nicole and Travis.  Dan cooked up a big batch to meat on his new grill, yum!  On Friday the 24th we drove to Athol Idaho to Donnie and Louise's place out in the woods.  We went on a brunch cruise with Mom's friends Patricia and Todd and Serenity and I spent another day at the beach in Sandpoint and a day just hanging out with Donnie and Louise.  We played a lot of 10,000 there :-)    On Tuesday the 28th we drove to West Yellowstone and then spent the next two full days exploring there.  I'd like to go back and do some real hiking some day.  The weather was perfect the whole time, upper 70's and low 80's for the most part, except early in the morning when it was pretty cold.    On Friday the 31st we left for Elko Nevada on our way home.  South of Twin Falls and just north of J

Lunch at Preston Winery near Pasco

Dinner

Chef Dan

Hanging out with Mom and Dan

Under the grape arbor in Dan's yard. Nice start for our vacation.

Updated Vacation Info

A couple of changes to our vacation.  I've altered our route to go through the Grand Tetons and also to avoid Reno and Sacramento on our way home by going over Sonora Pass on highway 108 that drops us down into the valley at Sonora and home through Oakdale.  The other change is that we are going to leave Max at home with his mom and dad.  All involved agree that a 2500 mile + car trip with a 7 month old teething baby was probably not our brightest idea :-)   -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

Standing up to bullies

Standing up to bullies is a good thing .  Go Ecuador.  :-)  WikiLeaks exposed the utter moral bankruptcy of the American Empire and it's vassal states in Europe, therefore he must be punished, well I'm glad at least a few states have the cojones to stand up the Empire.  Not that they are without faults of their own I'm sure, but for sheer gigantic evilness they can't come up to the standards of the corrupt and murderous American Empire.  "Ecuador will not kneel," says president * Regional bodies meet over Assange saga By Eduardo Garcia QUITO, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Ecuador cast its dispute with Britain over asylum for WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange as a struggle against colonialism on Saturday, drawing growing support from its neighbors in the international diplomatic saga.   Incensed by London's threat to break into the Ecuadorean Embassy where the former hacker is taking refuge, President Rafael Correa's government has accused Britain of bu

Reconsidering that whole Catholic thing after one too many "Mary saved me from Zombies" stories

Last year in September, about eleven months ago actually, I declared that I no longer believed in God. I followed that up rather quickly with a declaration that I was going to convert to Catholicism. I did that and entered into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church last Easter. At first I was concerned over a few things like Mary and the Saints. It seemed that Catholics treated Mary as a Goddess almost on a par with the Trinity and the Saints as more minor gods. I found out that this is not really the teaching though. They emphasize the "Communion of Saints" which is said to include everyone, all of the Christians in heaven and those still on earth. The idea is that in the same way that you ask your pastor or a friend in church to pray for you when you have a need you can ask those in heaven to pray as well. I thought that sounded pretty reasonable. But now, I'm reconsidering that whole Catholic thing after one to many "Mary saved me from Zombies&qu

Reading at Lauds today

Ephesians 4:29-32 Guard against foul talk; let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners, otherwise you will only be grieving the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for you to be set free when the day comes. Never have grudges against others, or lose your temper, or raise your voice to anybody, or call each other names, or allow any sort of spitefulness. Be friends with one another, and kind, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ. May the Lord help me to recall these words today, and every day. -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

St Irenaeus (130 - 202)

One of my favorite saints is honored in the church today. I loved reading "Against Heresies" long before I became a Catholic. In fact reading Irenaeus and other very early Christian writers is what convinced me the Church has ALWAYS been Catholic. Irenaeus was taught by Polycarp, who was taught by the Apostle John, so he is very close to the first generation of Christians. From Universalis today: Irenaeus was born in Smyrna, in Asia Minor (now Izmir in Turkey) and emigrated to Lyons, in France, where he eventually became the bishop. It is not known for certain whether he was martyred or died a natural death. Whenever we take up a Bible we touch Irenaeus's work, for he played a decisive role in fixing the canon of the New Testament. It is easy for us, now, to think of Scripture – and the New Testament in particular – as the basis of the Church, and harder to remember that it was the Church that had to decide, early on, what was scriptural and what was not.

BBC E-mail: Nuns in West Bank barrier battle

I saw this story on the BBC News iPad App and thought you should see it. It is very sad that so many American Evangelicals side with non-believing Jews over their actual brothers and sisters in Christ in Palestine. :-( ** Nuns in West Bank barrier battle ** Nuns in the Cremisan valley, west of Bethlehem, are joining local Christians to fight the proposed route of the West Bank barrier. < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16656978 > ** Disclaimer ** The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have been verified. -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

BBC E-mail: Wavii rivals Facebook's news feed

I saw this story on the BBC News iPad App and thought you should see it. But the reason I'm posting about it is that Wavii is really pretty useless. :-) There is a huge campaign to hype this thing and it's only a feed for corporate crap. Real interesting stuff about science for example is impossible to get. Just nerdy tech crap, lame political and celebrity fluff, which they claim to be getting rid of, fluff that is. I tried to set up a feed for seismology and paleoanthropology and even just earthquakes or a generic "science" feed and all I got was links to movies! WTF? But if celebrity gossip and politics and Wall Street is your thing then go for it, I'm sure it's wonderful :-p~ ** Wavii rivals Facebook's news feed ** A Seattle-based start-up aims to create personalised news streams by scouring the internet for information. < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-17684406 > ** Disclaimer ** The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e

HE IS RISEN!

He is Risen Indeed! AMEN. Last night we all attended Easter Vigil at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Livermore. Lora, JD, Serenity and Max all went and witnessed my entry into full communion with the Holy Catholic Church through confirmation and first communion. Afterwards there was a pot-luck dinner and treats in the hall. There was even a cake with the names of all of us who were baptized and/or confirmed. Joining me on the cake were Mary, Maria, Lucas, Alex and Marissa. ;-) Over all it was a very long but glorious night. The mass itself lasted 3 hours, but of course we had to get there early, and we came from Ceres which meant we left the house at 6:30pm and didn't get home until 1:30am this morning. Thanks for coming with me guys, it meant a lot. :-) Happy Easter to all of my family and friends! I'm going to take a nap today for sure ;-) -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

Serenity & Max

World Autism Awareness Day

WAAD?  I have a lot to say, but I seldom manage to say it.  I guess I should say it mostly goes without saying.  In normal day to day conversations I am stymied by the lack of openings into which I can insert my commentary.  By the time an opening large enough for me to get my words into it arrives my words have become irrelevant to the current stream of conversation.  I want to shout out "Wait!  I have something to add to the stream from twenty minutes ago."  And I've actually done it, but it gets odd looks and there is the sad shaking of heads and there is the ignoring of the words spoken. Then again, when I do get into the conversation it tends to simply end, my monolog drives others into sullen silence or sends them dashing off on suddenly discovered vital errands.   What's my point?  I don't really have one other than this is World Autism Awareness Day so I'm trying to be more aware of my own autistic quirks today.  Oh Happy Day.  :-)' -- Larry Devich

Max

RCIA Class with the Bishop of Oakland

Here I am in the midst of the RCIA class from St. Charles in Livermore, along with the kids who are in their own class and Salvatore Cordileone Bishop of Oakland. I've since shaved the beard, and am now regrowing it. Fickle is my middle name :-)

Very cool

Dang, I forgot where I got this. I know it's in California but the photographer's name has escaped me :(

Language

I'm attempting to refrain from sarcasm, combative language, angry outbursts and so so forth.  So far my record this morning is about 5 minutes. :-)  I'm hoping to lengthen the time I can manage not to speak in those various improper ways.   I'm trying to put into effect the words of  Ephesians 5:29-32  "No foul word should ever cross your lips; let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners; do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal, ready for the day when we shall be set free.  Any bitterness or bad tempter or anger or shouting or abuse must be far removed from you--as must every other kind of malice.  Be generous to one another, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ."    I've gone so far as to start a stop watch a few minutes ago.  (Later)   I have now gone some time without being sarcastic or nasty or negative in my speech.  I first went 5 min

To Work or Stay Home?

Most of the time I don't think it really makes sense for a mom to go to work. This story tends to confirm that idea. I'm convinced virtually any kid would rather have mom (or dad, or both!) at home with them rather than have slightly more and slightly cooler toys. http://www.unschooler.com/2012/03/questioning-second-parent-income/ -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

Stupid Government Stuff AKA: Daylight Saving Time

Oh goody! It's time to give up an hour of sleep just because some jerk 19th century bureaucrat decided Ben Franklin was right. Well he wasn't! Studies have shown the habit of moving clocks his way actually costs extra energy and KILLS people due to increases accidents caused by tiredness. But hey, we are all just slaves so whatever Master says, we do it without question, right? We are all idiots. -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

For Julie ;-)

I rest my case

It is now official and scientifically verified, letting people vote is a stupid idea because 50% of the population is below average and stupid people make stupid decisions, in other words, democracy sucks. http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/03/09/scientists-say-america-is-too-dumb-for-democracy-to-thrive/?tsp=1 -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

I'm still contented

Really, does recognizing reality prevent one from being contented? I don't think so. Our dystopian disaster of a country can't change the fact I love my family. Nor does it alter God's love and provision for us. I still have food and shelter and entertainment. Life as a slave really isn't all that horrible these days. :-) -- Yrral Hcived We are living in a badly written mash up of A Clockwork Orange and Idiocracy. I wonder who the producers are?

Whatever

We are living in a badly written mash up of A Clockwork Orange and Idiocracy. I wonder who the producers are? -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

America is Dead

Drug testing, background checks, searches and seizures everywhere and anytime. Extra-judicial execution of citizens on the word of the President with no appeal possible. Religious freedom mocked by the press and government alike. America died long ago but now the corpse is really starting to stink, bad. I hate America. I loved the free republic it once was but this vile murderous empire it has become, I hate. Of course I recognize I am powerless to change it. Only armed revolt could turn back this tide of putrid totalitarian oppression. But the chances of that just making things worse are nearly 100%. Voting is pointless, the Supreme Court and the entrenched bureaucracy rules this empire, along with a congress with guaranteed seats 99% of the time and Emperors (presidents) Appointed by the rich and powerful. It's very depressing and sad. Especially watching as people struggle to fight it through things like the Tea Party, only to be deceived and subverted by the mainstream ruler

Derek and Max

Derek Domke and Max

The new Devich-Mayfield-Sletten House

Woo Hoo! No more 5 people a dog a cat and a rat in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment. We are moving to Ceres into this 5 bedroom house and my mom will be moving in with us too! We are all very excited! Thus the excessive use of exclamation marks. ;-)

Yuck

Even though we really need it I still don't LIKE it :-)

He saved me because he loved me.

Psalm 18:17-20 From on high he reached down and seized me; he drew me forth from the mighty waters. He snatched me from my powerful foe, from my enemies whose strength I could not match. They assailed me in the day of my misfortune, but the Lord was my support. He brought me forth into freedom, he saved me because he loved me. (From Matins this morning) -- Larry Devich I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

Max and Nicole

Max and Nicole , originally uploaded by ldevich . Cousin Nicole meets Max

Space Elevator!

For those who play Civilization or are Science Fiction fans this is familiar.  I'm pretty sure they are delusional about actually getting it built by 2050 but it would certainly be cool if they did :-) Obayashi's Space Elevator to Be Operational by 2050 February 27, 2012 by Range Space The holy grail of getting into orbit has always been the ultimate development of space elevators, long, thin strands that could ferry passengers and cargo into orbit at minimal expenditure. Now a Japanese company, Obayashi Corp, specializing in engineering and construction, announced that it aims to complete a space elevator by 2050. Obayashi Corp is building the  Tokyo Sky Tree , an observation tower under construction in Sumida, Tokyo, Japan, and has been the tallest artificial structure in Japan since 2010, and their plan calls for a 96,000 kilometers of carbon nanotube cables extending from an anchor point planted deep in the sea, into space, where it would be secured by a spaceport, which al

Testing

Testin , originally uploaded by ldevich . So, supposedly this should have automatically posted to my blog, but I didn't see it there, so I'm trying this instead. That is going to Flickr, where I should have all of my photos anyway, and uploading it from there.

Test post

So, everything I put on the blog is supposed to go to Facebook but it seems it doesn't always STAY there.

Big sister taking care of brother

Serenity & Max

Meditation on Matthew 2:7-12

What first strikes me as I read this passage today is the idea of the star guiding the wise men to Jesus so they can worship him. It tells me that God can use unexpected methods to bring us to the place he wants us to be. I have heard all sorts of explanations for the star of Bethlehem. Super Novas or conjunctions of planets or whatever. All I know is that the star was what God was using to guide these gentiles to the place where Jesus was to be found. Today God does the same thing, drawing us to the church, where we find Jesus present in the mass, body and blood, soul and divinity. He uses whatever means he needs to use in order to move us in the right direction. Always gently and lovingly guiding us forward so we will be with Him forever. The star can be a person who speaks to you of Christ, or a book you read, the Word of God in the bible or a work of art that makes you think about God or even just a beautiful church or a sunset or a flower. God can and does use anything an

Getting Max to take a nap

Right now :-)

From last summer

Our brutal winter continues

Matthew 1:18-25, again :-)

4:25am Today I am meditating once again on Matthew 1:18-25. Once more the name Emmanuel leaps out at me and brings me joy. God is with us! What could be better than that? God is with us, and we call him Father! Yes, that is even better I think. And we don't just call him Father, we call him Abba, Papa, Daddy! As a little child to a father are we to our God. He cares for us, loves us and protects us and we just sit back and look at him with love and say, "Daddy!" when we see him. He is with us everywhere and always, but in a very special way in the church, in His bride, our mother, the church. And in the church He is with us most importantly in the sacraments, in Baptism and in the Eucharist where we eat His very body and drink His very blood. I jokingly say sometimes "You are what you eat." This is so very true in the case of communion with the Lord. We become closer to Him in communion, he draws us in to him and we are His very body, as are our

Further meditation on Matthew 1:18-25

4:20am In reading over this passage for a second morning, and talking to Jesus about His coming to save us, I thought for while about my utter dependence on God. How everything I have, everything I am and everything I can have and can be, comes from the gracious hand of God. It seemed to me, as I pondered, that this dependence is so complete that if ever God stopped thinking about me I would cease to exist in that moment. But no, that can't be quite right. I think that the Lord has given us a truly independent existence. That we have true free will to choose Love, that is to to choose God. Of course without the grace of God even that is impossible to us, after all, faith itself is a gift of God. I'm not sure I can explain what I'm getting at here. While we are dependent on God for everything, our very existence even, we have still been created as eternal beings. Designed to live forever in communion with God, and only in communion with God can we find true fulfi

Meditation on Matthew 1:18-25

In this passage what jumped out at me as I read was the faith of Joseph, and the obedience of Joseph. It seems to me that most of the time we hear about the faith and the obedience of Mary, and surely she is the most amazing example of faith in the bible, but I don't think we should neglect to think about and honor Joseph for his faith. Joseph found that Mary was pregnant, even though they had not had relations. He came to the obvious conclusion but was trying to figure out some way of quietly ending things, without disgracing Mary. This passage doesn't say if Mary tried to explain to him what happened or not. I'm sure if she did he found it impossible to believe. Then an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. I wonder how often God speaks in dreams today? I know I have had a few dreams that seemed to give a vague sort of indication of what the solution to a problem might be, or a direction I should take was pointed out. But I have never had a dream like Joseph

Meditation on Mark 1:40-45

Gospel Mark 1:40-45 The leprosy left him, and he was made clean. A leper came to Jesus and kneeling down begged him and said, "If you wish, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched him, and said to him, "I do will it. Be made clean." The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean. Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once. He said to him, "See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them." The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter. He spread the report abroad so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly. He remained outside in deserted places, and people kept coming to him from everywhere. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This passage from the gospel of Mark is today's gospel reading for the mass. I heard a sermon on it last night at St. Charles a

Bacon and Love

I think that being God's Love in the world means reacting to life in a spirit of sacrifice, in a spirit of Love to neighbor, which in my case is my family mostly. When I see needs I should work to meet those needs, when I see sin I should forgive it and heal it. When I am frustrated I ought to recall Jesus on the cross giving His all for me and strive to respond in that same spirit. Here is a mundane example of how I have failed to do this up until now. I have a refrigerator in my bedroom in which I store my food, separate from the rest of the family's food. This is because I want to eat a certain diet and felt that I could better control what I ate by keeping my supplies apart the rest. However, I bought a large supply of bacon, and then did not cook it frequently enough to consume it before it went bad. Why did I do this? Because I was afraid the smell would let them know I was eating yummy bacon, and that would cause them to beg for some of my bacon. Yet because I d

A second meditation on Matthew 1:1-17

This morning I meditated again on Matthew 1:1-17. A thought came to me during my meditation this morning that God, being infinite in wisdom, knowledge, power and love, knew when he created the cosmos everything that would ever happen in it. I realized that He chose to create knowing full well the cost to Him that would be incurred by the rebellion of humanity against Him. That from the very beginning of His creative act he knew that He would take on human flesh and redeem the world. Somehow all of the pain and horrors of the world are outshone in eternity by the love between man and God and man and man and within God in the Trinity as well, I suppose. Since God is this infinite being of Love we can be assured that everything does work out for the very best. This thought doesn't really relate directly to the passage but it came to me as I sat and pondered it and talked with Jesus so I'm going with it as my thought of the day. My commitment today is to show forth that Love

A Meditation on Matthew 1

The Angry Gnome is turning over a new leaf. Or so I hope. Instead of political rants and self absorbed pouts I'm planning on sharing my morning meditations here instead. What do you think of that idea? I'm using Fr. John Bartunek's book "The Better Part." ( http://www.amazon.com/Better-Part-Christ-Centered-Resource-Personal/dp/1933271108 ) as my starting point, using the method of mediation he presents, Concentrate, Consider, Converse and Commit. Concentrate on the Lord in prayer, then consider carefully and prayerfully a gospel passage, converse with the Lord about it and finally make a commitment to really do something with what I've read. Below is the result of todays effort. This morning I read Matthew 1:1-17, that is the genealogy of Jesus. I considered this, as it relates how Jesus comes into the world, the real world of sin and death. The real world of history, the world of lust and hate and sweat and tears and hunger and pain. Not a floating s

New Toy... er tool

I just picked up a keyboard for my iPad that doubles as a protective case. It's from Logitech and so far I'm loving it. Right now I'm sitting across from Best Buy at a Starbucks having a cup of coffee while I kill time waiting for the next Rapid Bus back to Livermore. It took me about 30 seconds to hook it up and apparently it has enough of a charge to work for now. Which brings up the one thing I'm not all that thrilled about, charging. It turns out that you need to plug it into a computer to charge it! There is no dedicated plug to use, you charge it on a computer via USB and micro USB. That is really annoying because part of my logic and justification for getting this keyboard was the desire to get rid of my computer so I would not be tempted to play Civilization all day long anymore! <sigh> Ah well, I suppose I'll just have to keep it and use it for charging my keyboard and playing Civilization. The fates have spoken. -- Larry Devich I have lea

Max nap :-)

Dry

I'm out for another walk on a nice sunny day and there is no water in Arroyo Mocho, which is just plain wrong for February. :-(. Come on Oregon, send us some of that rain you are hogging!

American Politics

"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" ~ Isaac Asimov -- Larry Devich http://larry-devich.blogspot.com/ ---------------------------------- "It's not denial. I'm just very selective about what I accept as reality." Calvin ("Calvin and Hobbes")

American Politics

"Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'" ~ Isaac Asimov -- Larry Devich http://larry-devich.blogspot.com/ ---------------------------------- "It's not denial. I'm just very selective about what I accept as reality." Calvin ("Calvin and Hobbes")

Babies

BBC E-mail: Schoolgirl sailor triumphs after battle with authorities

More stupid govco employees determined to suck the joy out of life, nice she got away from them finally :-) ** Schoolgirl sailor triumphs after battle with authorities ** Sixteen-year-old Laura Dekker becomes the youngest person to sail round the world solo. < http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16656270 > ** Disclaimer ** The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have been verified. -- Larry Devich http://larry-devich.blogspot.com/ ---------------------------------- "It's not denial. I'm just very selective about what I accept as reality." Calvin ("Calvin and Hobbes")