Archive for December, 2003


Iran Relations

Wednesday, December 31st, 2003

Despite Iran’s persistent hatred for all things Jewish, America, being an Isreal ally, continues to pursue better relations. On the heels of the major earthquake that killed tens of thousands of Iranians, America has been one of the leaders in providing aid for the devastated region. Iran may not want a better working relationship with [...]

Get Your Grammar On

Wednesday, December 31st, 2003

The English language is whacked, and not in the good way. We’ve got all these rules like the “silent e” and “i before e except after c” but then are there 100 execptions to the rule. See how well you stack up with this grammar test, then come back and tell me I don’t know [...]

Unemployment Drops Further

Wednesday, December 31st, 2003

One last post in 2003, jobless claims have dropped to the lowest levels of President Bush’s term. Good news for the country, great news for people who need jobs.

Youngster Hero Saves Sister From Fire

Wednesday, December 31st, 2003

“She’s my sister, and I’m supposed to take care of her.” Leave it to the Boy Scouts to instill strong values. Michael Wedekamm ran through smoke and fire to save his little 18-month-old sister. Couldn’t we all use more of these positive news stories?

Pigeons Beat Internet

Tuesday, December 30th, 2003

The Internet is sure to demand a rematch, but apparently some pigeons delivered some photographs 20kms faster than the Internet could. Who says we’re constantly progressing?

Misbehaving Sprites

Tuesday, December 30th, 2003

After seeing the massive battle scenes from RotK yesterday (and no, that shouldn’t spoil your surprise) it’s easy to believe that all the computer generated soldiers didn’t want to fight. It’s one thing for an artist to craft those fine orchish features, but it’s an order of degree more difficult to make those models behave [...]

Return of the King

Tuesday, December 30th, 2003

Return of the King was truly epic. Fans of the series will not be disappointed. About the only thing bad I can say about it, was that 3.5 hours is a long time to sit in a crowded theatre with coughing, sneezing people. But it’s a small price to pay to enjoy the imagination of [...]

Questioning Faith

Monday, December 29th, 2003

Anyone who’s said they’ve never questioned their faith is either simple or lying. It’s the world’s greatest question—”Why am I here?” Ruth Tucker has written a book on this topic and setup a forum, of sorts, for people to ask/answer their faith questions online. Our world needs more discussion on matters of faith, rather than [...]

Good News for the Past Year

Monday, December 29th, 2003

A Look at What Went Right in 2003
By Bob Waliszewski
With the year drawing to a close, I’d like to zero in on the most encouraging happenings of 2003 as they relate to teens and entertainment. Drum roll please …??10. Barna Research Group reported that 51% of American teenagers say they read a Christian book in [...]

Mourning Receives Donor Kidney

Monday, December 29th, 2003

Alonzo Mourning was forced to retire from basketball last month because his kidney problems became increasingly worse. Yesterday we’ve learned that a volunteer donor had given Mourning the gift of a lifetime.

Keepin’ On

Monday, December 29th, 2003

Jim Thomson, a professional counselor, has some words of wisdom to share with the world. This week, his article is about the importance of play. Take some time this holiday season to play with someone, a child, a friend, a spouse. The old axiom is true, “Laughter is good medicine.

Garbage Man Donates $1M

Monday, December 29th, 2003

Michael DeGroote has made a fortune in garbage collection and trucking. Now he’s going to give some back… in the amount of $1.05 million. The money is going to a Canadian university for cancer research. Apparently, the dean of health sciences didn’t have any problem asking for such a large sum, but was quite shocked [...]

Survivors Continue to Be Found

Monday, December 29th, 2003

Three days after the quake, rescue workers are still finding survivors in Iran. A Norwegian worker said, “It’s never too late. We’ll continue.” Regardless of one’s politics or religion, every life is sacred and worth fighting for. Continue to keep these workers in your thoughts and prayers. [via Great News]

Down With the Dynasty

Monday, December 29th, 2003

Boy I hate the Lakers. It feels good to see them lose. And I must not be alone, because we’ve got writers putting together How To Beat the Lakers articles. Take it to heart fellas. Let’s go Spurs!

Jakob’s Yearly Top 10

Sunday, December 28th, 2003

Alert Box is home to the usability writings of Jakob Nielsen, a most visible figure in the world of Web design. Here’s his annual Top 10 Web Design Mistakes. We should all be paying more attention to our users as we design content and function for them. Previous year lists are worthwhile as well.