Halloween 2006

Thanks for all the help Delvaux!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoHRYKiGAD8

One Man's Take on Revelations

Robert Conte, Jr. is a Catholic philosopher that (supposedly) figures out future events by interpreting the Bible. Some would say he's genus -- some would say he's crazy. Even if you don't believe what he has to say, it is still some interesting material. He correctly predicted in 2004 that the next Pope would be named Benedict. I guess only time will tell if he's right about the rest of this timeline...

2009/2010 to 2039/2040: the first part of the tribulation, including the first Six Seals and the first Six Trumpets.
2009: U.S. President Hillary Clinton becomes Prolife.
2009: Pope Benedict XVI suggests building a Church, a Temple, and a Mosque in Jerusalem.
2009: A small war among the Arab/Muslim nations consolidates power with extremist leaders. Iran and Iraq lead them.
2009/2010: Pope Benedict XVI dies. The next Pope, Peter the Roman, enforces true doctrine and practice.
The First Seal and First Horseman of the Apocalypse: World War 3
2010: New York City is struck by a nuclear bomb, sometime between June 1 and December 31.
2012: The Pope, Peter the Roman, is captured during the war, tried, convicted, blinded, and imprisoned.
July of 2013: Rome and Vatican City are struck by a nuclear missile, because the Arab forces could not hold the city.
2010 to 2018/19: World War 3. The Arab forces conquer Europe, Scandinavia, parts of Eastern Europe, northern Africa.
The Second Seal and Second Horseman of the Apocalypse: Worldwide Civil Unrest and Violence
2010/2011 to 2018/2019: the civil unrest is more widespread than World War 3, including rioting, street crimes, etc.
The Third Seal and Third Horseman of the Apocalypse: The Great Famine of the 21st Century
2013 to 2020 or so: Most severe in Europe, the great famine affects developed nations more than poor nations.
2013 to 2019: During the Famine, like the Prodigal Son, the Protestant Churches repent and seek unity with Catholicism.
The Fourth Seal and Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse: Death from a Variety of Causes
2014 to 2020 or so: Many others die from a variety of other causes (not directly from war, civil violence, and famine).
The Inter-war Period between World Wars 3 and 4
2020 to early 2030's: The Arab forces occupy and oppress a vast territory.
2020 to 2023: All Christian Churches are united in one holy Catholic Church with seven parts.
The Fifth Seal: The Great Martyrdom
early 2030's: Christians are massacred in the occupied territories. It will be more severe than the Jewish Holocaust.
The Sixth Seal: World War 4 - an all-out nuclear war
about 2033 to 2037: Spurred by the great massacre of Christians, with approval from the Angelic Shepherd, the U.S. and its Allies, and the great Catholic monarch, attack the occupied territories. The Allies call upon the help of Almighty God, and they win the war, but at great cost. Both sides use many nuclear weapons. Millions upon millions are killed.
about 2037: The most faithful Servants of God are given a visible Seal on their foreheads. They are protected by God.
The Seveth Seal is divided into Seven Trumpets - only Six of the Seven Trumpets are for this generation
First Trumpet (2038) Pieces of broken Comet Tempel 1 fall to earth and burn up 1/3 of the land.
Second Trumpet (2038) One large piece of the same comet falls into the ocean causing great destruction.
Third Trumpet (2038/2039) Nuclear fallout from the war, and ash from the fires of the comet, contaminate the waters.
Fourth Trumpet (2038/2039) Nuclear Winter, due to World War and the effects of the comet pieces.
Fifth Trumpet (5 months in 2039) Something like locusts, but not natural, afflicts anyone without the Seal.
Sixth Trumpet (late 2039 or early 2040) Three Days of Darkness kills 1/3 of humanity, then the planet is healed by God.
2040's and 2050's: the reign of the great monarch and the Angelic Shepherd; a time of relative peace and holiness.
last part of the 21st century: the great monarch's kingdom is divided into four less holy kingdoms.
22nd century: The world continues to become more sinful. Russia becomes the dominent world power.
23rd century: Africa, India, and China become allies and the dominent world power, causing much harm.
24th century: The reign of the ten kings begins. Nine of the ten kingdoms reject Christianity very thoroughly. The one that includes Israel tolerates Christianity. There is very much sin in the world, and even in the Church.
25th century - the 2420's: The Antichrist rises to power in the kingdom of the North (Europe). He fights within that kingdom to increase his power to the point of dictatorship.
2430: The Antichrist defeats the Christian king of the South (Israel, Middle East, Northern Africa). The Pope of that time, the last true Pope before the return of Christ, is killed.
2430/2431: The Antichrist defeats the kings of Africa and of the East; he now controls two more kingdoms.
2431: The other six kingdoms submit to him. The symbolic beast with ten horns and seven heads is the ten kingdoms led by these seven leaders: the Antichrist plus the six remaining kings.
2431 to 2437: The nearly seven years of the reign of the Antichrist.
the first half of his reign: the Antichrist consolidates power worldwide by military force; he greatly exalts himself.
the second half of his reign: the Antichrist loses a battle to Christians. He then tries to destroy the Church by giving power and approval to apostates and heretics. The false prophet is a woman who is an antipope. The two prophets of Rev. 11 preach the truth. They are killed, raised from the dead, and assumed into Heaven.
2437: The Antichrist attempts a fake ascension into the sky. The Archangel Michael throws him down; he is broken but not dead. His reign ends. Faithful Christians go out and preach the Gospel, seeking repentant sinners.
2437: Jesus Christ returns with the Virgin Mary. More time for preaching and repentence is given.
2438/2439: The Seven Bowls of God's Wrath (i.e. the Seventh Trumpet) is given to the unrepentent wicked of the world.
about 2439/2440: The first Resurrection, for those who died as martyrs (and perhaps some Saints who lived as marytrs)
Thereafter: Then Jesus ascends to Heaven (Second Ascension) and Mary is assumed into Heaven (Second Assumption).
Next: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit (Second Pentecost), this time on the whole world.
Then, beginning in the 2440's: The Millennium of peace and holiness, when Christ reigns, not in the flesh, but in the Eucharist, and through the other Sacraments, and through Tradition, Scripture, Magisterium.
* * * * * * * * * * * * The Millennium continues for well over a thousand years * * * * * * * * * * * *
And then: The events of Revelation 20:7-9 occur: a rebellion against all that is holy; but the rebels are destroyed by God.
And sometime after that: The General Resurrection of the just and unjust.
And at that time: God takes away Heaven and Purgatory and Earth and Hell. And God makes a new Heaven and a new Earth and a new Hell. But Purgatory is no longer needed "...and death shall be no more." (Rev. 21:4).

Saving the world, one laptop at a time

What a phenominal idea... OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) is a non-profit project that seeks to create a $100 laptop in order to educate the world's poorest children. With money saving ideas like a crank (for power) and no harddrive (USB ports instead), this could not only revolutionize technology, but how we educate.

More here: http://laptop.org/

My next purchase.

https://www.aerogrow.com/store/step1a.php

Thanks, guys -- I'll miss you too.

Movin' On

I just resigned yesterday. I am not a quitter and I do not give up easily, but the conditions at my job were so bad, I really had no choice. I will be starting at American Systems on October 16th as an FSO. They offered me a pretty nice raise and a lot of great benefits, so I'm making the move. Is it the right decision? Only time will tell.

This Nation Has Secrets -- Big Whoop!

I am so sick and tired of the media and their "earth shattering" news stories about how this nation has secret this and secret that. Those secrets are called classified information and millions of cleared citizens have access to those secrets everyday. Those secrets are what is keeping this country safe and what are keeping the bad guys out. I personally don't WANT to know what our government is doing behind those SCIF walls. There are some things we're better off not knowing. Can you imagine if we tried to orchestrate D-Day in this day and age? The plot would be leaked to the media so fast that our soldiers would be killed before they were even halfway there.

In my job, it is my responsibility to make sure that this country remains safe. I brief hundreds of people a year about what could happen to them if they divulged classified information. What a slap in the face to the security community for one Geraldo or Katie Couric to blast all over the news the whereabouts of our secret bases or the intricacies of our spying missions. I could be thrown in jail for divulging such things and even given the death penalty. What do they get? An Emmy.

The Solution for Everything!

I was talking to a good friend of mine yesterday about a decision that I may have to make in the not too distant future. I was quite confused about it, and didn't really know what to do. She gave me some great advice that I thought I'd pass on.

When you cant decide, flip a coin. The coin flip isn't supposed to make your decision, but it's supposed to tell you how you'd react to a decision. So if you act really upset when it lands on your "heads" decision, you'll know that the right decision is "tails".

I think I know what I need to do for this one. Thanks, Bobbe.

More Family Photos...

After my grandparents passed away, my family started to divide up the items. My aunt got all of the family slides and negatives. She had no where to keep them, and asked me if I could store them for her. I have about 2500 slides from the 1950s to the 1980s and about a hundred black and white negatives from the 40s. I've started scanning the black and white negatives and have found quite a few lost family treasures. The below pictures are some of my favorites.

Ode to Dawson's Creek (thanks, Rob)

Withering, torrid, tormented soul floating through life just

waiting for the moment

when clarity

will be obtained. Craning neck trying to peek around the next corner knowing that

whatever is next must be better than

what is.

With each step into the future, tears are shed for the past as

whatever is now can never be as good as

what was, and yet

what has not become is

what is

wanted most. Each new discovery is an adventure to be conquered and

with each heartbreak, the end of the

world. Sappy music to cry to as a soundtrack to off balance hormones,

whispers to ignore in a hallway of divas

while trying to master seven subjects in an eight hour day. And still,

what I

wouldn’t give to be fifteen again.

What are you when you're in the bathroom?

European! At least that's what I paid National Geographic $100 to tell me.

Apparently, my DNA results are back and my maternal lineage is from Europe, a part of hapologroup "W". This group makes up 10% of the world's population. I would post more, but I'm late for work. In the meantime, let this graphic representation of my maternal lineage satiate you.

One step closer...

Well, my DNA kit is in the final stages of being evaluated by National Geographic's third party lab. In a week or so, I should be able to find out where my mother's ancestors originally lived thousands of years ago. I will not be able to track my Dad's side unless I have a "Y" chromosome to test, so I may have to sucker my brothers or my Dad into giving up some cheek skin in the name of science.

I'll be sure to post my results when I get them!

Small Mishap.

For the Bibliophile.

http://www.librarything.com

Conference

I just got back from Atlanta, GA on Thursday. I went down there for a security conference. It's basically an organization that promotes security awareness and education. Once I got back from the conference, I decided to spice up our chapter's site a little bit and have spent the majority of the day working on it.

Free Dog!

So uh -- anyone want a dog? I've got this really cute one that I'll give up for free. He's perfect in everyway except he barks at EVERY GOSH DARN THING IN THE WORLD WHEN YOU TRY TO WALK HIM. We've tried choke collars, "gentle leaders", trainers, treats, psychology, and I've read 2 books. So far, NOTHING WORKS.

I know they turn bad horses into dog food -- can they turn bad dogs into horse food?

Meet Bailey

This weekend, John and I picked up our new pooch, Bailey. We rescued him from Howard County Animal Shelter, in the depths of scary Maryland. So far, he's been really good with a few minor issues. He knows "sit", "down", "come", "stay" (sometimes), "out" (to drop a toy) and he's pretty good on leash. He's housebroken, crate trained (with coaxing), is great with kids, and doesn't bark. Sounds like a dream come true eh?

He is very HYPER. If we do not walk him and play with him a lot to tire him out, I can forsee him being a handful. But we've been doing pretty well with it so far (granted, it's only day 3). He has an interest in our cat, Dawn, but doesn't chase her or bark when he sees her. Our big task will be getting her to tolerate him.

He also goes ballistic around other dogs. I am enrolling him in a behavior class, so hopefully that will get better. Because we have so many friends with dogs, I want them to be able to play and get along.

New Addition.

If all goes well with the approval, John and I will be adopting this cute little guy sometime this week! We went up to Columbia, Maryland tonight to meet him and we really fell in love at first sight. He's cute, smart, sweet and just all around lovable. We're trying to think of a name, so any suggestions are welcomed! The shelter has dubbed him "Rudy" but we're looking for something with more piazzas.

Growing Up.

As a child, I always envisioned adults as these demi-gods that could do no wrong. Every word that came out of my parents’ and older siblings’ mouths were gospel. I can remember one time asking my mother why we had to say prayers before each meal. She responded, “So you won’t choke on your food.” As a child, I truly believed that was the reason and diligently said my prayers.

A few months later, my father went on the Optifast program—it was a fad at the time, mainly because Oprah did it. For 3 meals a day for 6 months, Dad had to drink milkshakes. Kind of like Slimfast on steroids. I can remember sitting around the dinner table, all of us with plates of food and my Dad with his sole milkshake. Right before we started to pray I asked, “Why is Dad praying? He can’t choke on a milkshake!” Everyone laughed and I couldn’t understand why. In my own mind, I had asked a legitimate question! I think I was 20 or so when I actually realized you prayed before meals to THANK God for the food – not to save yourself from the Heimlich.

So after I moved out on my own, I slowly began to realize a lot of things that my parents told me were just plain bogus. Granted, they had their reasons for most of it, but it was certainly an eye opener for me to start to realize that my parents were not the smartest people in the world. Then my niece and nephew entered the world and it became even more apparent that parents are just winging it most of the time. It also amazed me to watch them repeat everything my sister said and did. I know we are preprogrammed to be brainwashed by our parents – it is nature’s defense mechanism. If we did not absorb so quickly, how would we learn how to walk, talk and function in society? Although, my niece is quite observant. Just a few weeks ago she said to my father, “You have four children and Michelle is the smartest.” Ha! Gotta love her.

Soon after realizing parents are well intentioned imperfect people, I entered the workforce and became another worker bee in the big cubicle hive gleaning all I could from my boss, the Queen. She knew all and was never wrong. I learned just about everything I know about management from her. She was a perfect supervisor, awesome mentor and friend. Now that I am a manager myself, I am beginning to realize that half of the time, my boss was probably winging it—as were my parents, and as am I. I am often asked many questions a day from my 3 employees and I have to make quick decisions. Decisions that could impact people’s clearances, jobs and lives. It’s quite a scary thought that this responsibility has been entrusted in a 27 year old that thinks you don’t have to pray before drinking milkshakes.

I really didn’t have a point to this when I started writing it. Except maybe that I’m having a bit of a reality check being in lower management. It’s weird when employees ask me if it’s ok if they have the day off. Half the time I think to myself, “Why are they asking me?” The other half of the time I’m thinking, “Holy crap, they’re asking ME!” I’m sure this will all wear off in no time and 20 years from now when I’m CEO of a mega conglomerate, I’ll wonder how I ever second guessed myself as a management fledgling.

Way Cool.

I just ordered my DNA kit -- get yours here and participate in this once in a lifetime oppourtunity!