Lead Poisoning

The fact that Lead is a danger has been know for some time, but, it is a good idea to be reminded once in awhile how dangerous it actually is. It is most hazardous to children.

When a child ingests or inhales lead it is absorbed into the blood, bone and organs. Over 1/3 of all lead ingested is deposited in the kidneys and liver where it replaces needed metals such as iron and zinc. It then interferes with the formation of enzymes and blood. Some of the lead, when ingested, gets deposited in the brain where is can cause neurological damage. Lead can also be deposited in the bone where it decreases bone density and may slowly leach into the blood.

Children are most affected because their brains are still growing and developing. The affects can be chronic or acute and lethal. The affects include:

*Lower IQ *Anemia *Tremors *Depression
*Decreased Brain Volume *Renal Disease *Hypertension
*Physiological Problems Including Difficulty Controlling Anger
*Decreased Hearing *Decreased Growth *Cardiovascular Problems

According to the CDC and Surgeon General, lead poisoning from deteriorating lead-based paint and remodeling houses is the greatest environmental threat to children.

Other common sources of lead poisoning are: chewing on keys and charms, cooking with ceramic potter containing lead, Mexican candy, Eating off of ceramic dishes containing lead, Toys with lead in the plastic or paint, lead in soil from leaded gasoline and lead brought home on clothes of adults from work.

In adults, the affects of lead poisoning are: Increased levels of birth problems, increased incidence of Dementia and Alzheimer's, Transference of lead to a fetus and Decreased ability to absorb vitamins D and Calcium.

Lead poisoning is a serious problem in St. Joseph County Indiana. 70% of the houses in St. Joseph County were built before 1978 when lead was still added to paint.

St. Joseph County has approximately 60 confirmed lead poisoned children each year. Since the testing rate is low, there is actually an estimated 250 to 500 kids poisoned each year. This does not include the many hundreds of children that test high but below the legal definition of lead poisoning. Those children have similar but somewhat less sever health effects.

***All information in this post was provided by the St. Joseph County Health Department

What Would Your Agenda Be?

Whether it is in the business world, your personal life or your spiritual life, we all hate to have our time wasted. It's frustrating. I remember in a business sense of this, I had a lending institution work really hard in setting up a day and time to go to lunch with me. When the day arrived, I was prepared. I went into the meeting with a plan on how this lender could work into my business plan and how I could work into theirs. I went into the meeting anticipating what questions they may ask...what are my goals etc..

Instead, I sat there in disbelief for an hour while one of the people monopolized the conversation talking about sports. Every time myself or the other person tried to sway the conversation back to real estate, this person that pushed for the meeting just kept talking about sports. It was very frustrating. Don't get me wrong, I love talking about sports, but I have friends that I talk sports with. This was a business meeting, and it was perhaps the biggest waste of time for a meeting that I had ever had. But it did teach me a lesson. When I ask to spend time with someone that normally does not spend time with me on a regular basis, I better have an agenda. I need to build into that person that I am asking to spend time with. That other person needs to come away with value, just as I need to come away with value.

I wish that it was a lesson that I had learned sooner. I remember a couple of years ago, I had asked one of my pastors to meet with me. I thought it would be fun to just "hang out" with the person. I had no agenda and, looking back, I wasted that persons time. He and I are friends and this person is far too kind to ever say that I wasted their time. But that is what happened. It was an opportunity that I had, to be around a person of great influence in my church and community, and I feel that I completely blew it.

The point of all of this, is that I have an opportunity. An opportunity within the next 2-3 weeks to sit down for dinner with someone of influence on a local and national level. That person is United States Congressman Joe Donnelly of Indiana's 2nd District, which I happen to reside in.

Joe sits on the House Finance Committee and on the Subcommittee for Housing and Community Development. So, as a REALTOR, I am extremely excited to sit down with Joe over dinner with 3 other people of my choosing.

I have every intention on making this a very respectful dinner, but that does not mean that I will not go into it without some speaking points. After all, this person knows the President Of The United States and has direct influence on policy that effects the economy, banking and the housing market.

What Would Your Agenda Be? What Questions Would You Ask? How Would You Communicate Your Speaking Points? Would You Be Open Minded?

Feel free to leave your answers, and please have something else to say other then comments about his vote for the health care legislation.

Helping Kids With Cancer Smile

This is a photo of some of The Sunshine Kids. The Sunshine Kids is the National Charity for Prudential and is a National non-profit organization that supports positive group activity trips for kids with cancer. Locally, The Sunshine Kids are based out of Memorial Hospital and the kids are from all over this area. From the Illinois state line to the Ohio state line to 1/2 way down Indiana and up into Southern Michigan. The money that we raise locally, stays local to help these brave kids that are in this picture among others.

Some of the kids just got back from a ski trip in Colorado this past week. In total, there were 15 kids at our last event. When you see these kids, you have to admire their courage and strength. They make me realize how the big problems that I feel I have, really are small ones.

This picture was taken Saturday during our annual auction benefit/fundraiser at the Mishawaka FOP. If you could not attend, then you missed out on a GREAT time! From the "piggy raffles" to the silent auction to the live auction, it was just an awesome experience that I am so proud to be a part of for the 2nd year in a row and I am already excited about planning for next years event!

Next year, our event will be on Saturday March 19 at the same location. We are not sure who the band is going to be yet, or the exact times yet. But it is sure to a great time.

Our early numbers show that we sold about 325 tickets and had an attendance of about 293 people and raised somewhere around $20,000 before backing out dinner expense and hall rental. Among the highlights of the auction was the Derek Jeter autographed jersey during the live auction and seeing the look on my wifes face when she found out that I was high bidder on a dinner for myself, 3 guests and Congressman Joe Donnelly at Carrabba's in Mishawaka.

So, put Saturday March 19 in your calendar for next year! It will be casual dress and you will be supporting a great cause.

Gossip

Kimberly and I were struggling to find something to watch to the other day on TV and came across a movie that had 2 of our favorite actors in it. The movie is called "Doubt" and it stars Kimberly's favorite actress Meryl Streep, and one of my favorite actors Phillip Seymor Hoffman, so we were bound to like the movie......and we did!

The movie is about a priest, Hoffman, who is accused of an improper relationship with an alter boy by a nun played by Streep. There is more to the story, like the mother of the alter boy and such but I really don't want to spoil anything else about the movie.

But the reason for this post, other then to tell you to watch this movie, is more about a scene that stuck with me then about the movie itself.

The scene is about a sermon called "Gossip" and it's effect once "Gossip" is out there. Now, there is not anything going on that I can think of that would keep me thinking about it, other then it has great imagery on what "Gossip" is.

Please take the time to watch this great 3 minute clip on "Gossip" I don't think you'll be disappointed and hopefully you will come away with a different perspective as I did.

My 09 Year In Review

At this time each year, it is popular for everyone to look back at the year we just finished and take a look at what happened. So, I will drink the kool-aid as well and do a "year in review" post as well. Here is what I can remember off of the top of my head:

In January, I remember us still feeling the effects of an economy in shambles and the "Hope" that a newly elected president brings us. I also remember the governor of Illinois getting taken out of office for trying to sell a senate seat. Then, my wife had sunny 101.5 pull a birthday prank phone call on me claiming to be someone named "Rod" who was looking for a house and was recently unemployed because he lost his job as governor of Illinois.

In February, President Obama passed a housing recovery act that banks have only started to use in the past 2-3 months. I also remember that it was very cold and that the Steelers beat the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. We refinanced our house.

In March, the $8,000 first time buyer tax credit was passed. I won a few awards from Prudential at our awards lunch one of which was "Listing Agent Of The Year" for the 2nd year in a row.

April had a lot going on! On the news that ND was having President Obama speak on campus for graduation that was coming in May, there were a lot people that started protesting around the campus. New Spring Church in South Carolina played "Highway To Hell" during their Easter service, which I thought was pretty cool. Cooler still was when snipers took out pirates that had hijacked a US ship. April was also when the first reports of "Swine Flu" broke out and had everyone in a panic.

In May, I was part of a large group of people that was able to help raise over $15,000 for local kids with cancer called "The Sunshine Kids". Obama spoke at the ND commencement, again lots of protesting going on. And, Fannie Mae needed more bailout money from our government.

June was a tough month for me as someone that I was trying to help committed suicide. Elkhart county still had unemployment around 18%.

In July, an article that included me, was on the front page of the South Bend Tribune which discussed the great deals that there were out there in real estate. The house that I had listed that was featured in the article just closed the last week of December for $177,400.

In August, I was once again part of an article that was on the front page of the South Bend Tribune. This time it was an article about a persons options when facing foreclosure. Taylor Bean and Whitaker was dropped as a FHA lender which was big news in the mortgage industry. Bank of America and Wells Fargo were both verbally abused by our government for not offering more loan modifications to troubled home owners.

September brought me to a U2 concert at Soldier Field in Chicago. My Detroit Lions beat the Redskins which was there first win in more then a season. It was announced that long time Tiger broadcaster Ernie Harwell was diagnosed with inopperable cancer.

October, Kimberly and I celbrated our 16th wedding anniversary. President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize and we bombed the moon on the same day. I had my first meeting as part of the Indiana Leadership Academy for Realtors.

In November, Kimberly and I flew out to LA and hopped a cruise ship down to Mexico for a short vacation. The Lions actually won a 2nd game, this time against the Browns.

In December, I met Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels.

I probably left some stuff out, but that was what my year looked liked in short.

God Complex

I was watching this movie called Malice about a week ago, and instantly knew that I was going to use a scene from it in a blog post. The question was, how am I going to use it? I am still not sure even as I am writing this post, I just know that it is an incredible scene from a pretty good movie that was made in 1993 starring Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman. It is a movie that I have watched several times, and has some really good performances by some really good actors.

The scene is about a Doctor who is so good at what he does, that he has a "God Complex."

Can you imagine being so good at something that you think you are God? So good at something that the people around you worship you in a way, and just want to be around you? What a power trip that must be.

Would you want to be that good at something? I know I would like to say that I would not, but I would probably be lying.

I guess my point is, no matter whether you are a Doctor, a Pastor or simply a Realtor. We can all get caught up in thinking that we are more then what we actually are. It is important to stay humble and in awe of the actual God.

Enjoy the clip!

Adopt A Family and The Homeless Shelter

This morning, I posted on my Facebook page a Haiku. Here it is: God is with the poor----And God is with the broken----Let us be with God.

So, in the spirit of that post, here is an opportunity for all of us to impact Michiana.

There is a family in the inner city of South Bend that I was contacted by earlier this week that is in need of food for Thanksgiving and Christmas along with gifts for Christmas. This is a single mom that is on disability. She has 4 kids that are her own and 2 addition kids that she has legal custody over. The kids are ages: 12, 10, 9, 5, 5 and 4. One of the 5 year olds is a boy and the rest are all girls. I thought that it would be awesome to help this family out.

The other opportunity to impact Michiana is through the homeless shelter. Here is a list of the shelters current needs:

Aspirin, Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Diapers, Swimmer-all sizes, New Socks and Underwear for both Men and Women, Feminine Hygiene Supplies, Towels and Wash cloths, Cough Drops, Laundry Soap, Umbrella's, Children's School Uniforms, x-large to xxxxl shirts, Ear plugs, Interview attire/clothing for women (sizes 18 and up), Interview attire/clothing for men (xl & xxl shirts and pants larger than size 46), Women's Dress shoes (sizes 8 and up), Men's shoes (size 9-14)

This project is something that a group of people just decided to do. It is not company sponsored in any way shape or form, so feel free to help out where you can with what you can. YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

For how to donate or help, you can contact the following people in the following ways:

Barry Skalski 574-370-8156 or by email BarrySkalski@sbcglobal.net
Michelle Zarobinski 574-876-8674 or by email Michelle.M.Zarobinski@wellsfargo.com
Bill Calahan 574-310-0011

Starting on Monday, there will be a drop off station located inside of the building located at 202 Lincoln Way East in Mishawaka. It is the building that National City Bank, Prudential One Realty, Wells Fargo and Metropolitan Title occupy.

If we collect enough, we may be able to sponsor more than one family!

Great Speech, Great Movie

Ray, people will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. "Of course, we won't mind if you have a look around," you'll say. "It's only twenty dollars per person." They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it; for it is money they have and peace they lack.

And they'll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game, and it'll be as if they'd dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they'll have to brush them away from their faces.

People will come, Ray.

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again. Oh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

Perseverance

As I type the name Derek Redmond, most of you probably have no idea who he is. Most people have no idea what his story is, until you hear it or read about it. Then, it all comes back to your memory.

Derek Redmond trained most of his life for one moment. That moment was to take place in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. Derek was a world class sprinter who was one of the favorites to win the 400m sprint race. And that moment is what he will always be remembered for.

You see, Derek did not win the race, nor did he come in 2nd, 3rd or 4th place. But instead, he finished dead last....way behind everyone else in what could be the slowest time ever ran in the Olympics. So why is this so memorable?

About 150m's into the race Derek heard a loud "pop" and then fell to the ground in excruciating pain. His hamstring had tore. There was a groan from the crowd and then silence from it as everyone stared wondering what had happened.

The rest of the sprinters had already passed the finish line, and people with stretchers were on their way out to carry Derek off the track. Then, Derek got up and started to hop on one leg to finish the race that he had started. Suddenly, from the crowd, emerged Derek's father on to the track to help him get to the finish line to a standing ovation of 65,000 people.

This my friends, is perseverance.

What is there in our lives that we have been trying to accomplish that seem so close yet so far away? Are we seeking help? Are we leaning on God to get us to that finish line? Sometimes, it is not about finishing in 1st place. Sometimes, it is just about finishing the race.

Here is the video version of what happened that day in Barcelona:

Teamwork, Leadership and......Ducks?

I just got back from a 2 day leadership meeting in Bloomington that was put on by the Indiana Realtors Leadership Academy (IRLA). One of the presentations, oddly enough, was about what we could learn from the teamwork and leadership that is displayed by ducks. That's right, Ducks. I really found this interesting and thought I would share it with you along with some of my thoughts.

Did you know, that as each duck flaps it wings, it creates and "uplift" for the bird following? By following in a V formation, the whole flock adds 71% more flying range then if each bird flew alone.

Some thoughts on this were: People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier they are traveling on the thrust of one another. As Leaders, we need to cast vision in a passionate way to encourage others to share in that vision. As teams, we need to help one another and to offer encouragement and support. How would this look in business? In my church?

Did you know, that whenever a duck falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone? It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the duck immediately in front.

How often do we let ego get in our way? This "I can do this on my own attitude" will not only isolate us from others that can and want to help, but it puts that goal off into the distance and makes it harder to obtain. It is usually better to stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.

Did you know, that when the lead duck gets tire, it rotates back into the formation and another duck flies at the point position?

How often, as leaders, do we not recognize how many other leaders we have behind us? Leaders that want to share in our burdens. Leaders that, if given the opportunity, may be able to take our group to another level not yet obtained. How often do we get so burned out, that the only way to fix our burn out is to completely step away from the situation? I see this happen in church leadership frequently. I myself have even experienced this. Sometimes, true leadership is knowing when to step aside and letting someone else lead for awhile. Then, stand by that new leader and offer support and encouragement.

Did you know, that when in formation, the ducks quack from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed?

How often do we encourage those that are leading us? We need to make sure that our "quacking" from behind is encouraging----not something less helpful or damaging.

Did you know, that when a duck gets sick or wounded, that 2 ducks will drop out of formation and follow it down to help protect it? They stay with the duck until it is either able to fly again or dies. Then, they launch out on their own with another formation or catch up with the flock.

Are we standing by the people around us when they are in need? Or, do we turn a blind eye and say "too bad that happened"? Being part of a team is being there in the good times and the bad.

7 Seconds

Have you watched the movie "Seven Pounds" yet? I think it is a pretty good movie. Not a great movie by any stretch. I just think that it is an interesting movie about trying to right a wrong, guilt and not being able to forgive yourself. I think the most interesting line in the movie is when Will Smith is doing a voice over and says this:

"In 7 days, God created the world. In 7 seconds, I shattered mine"

That's a pretty profound statement to make.

Lately, I can't help but to think of that line with some of the events that have been taking place in our world. Senators and Governors who have worked extremely hard for years and years to get to a certain level only to see it all come crashing down around them. Don't get me wrong, I am not feeling sorry for them. A person has to deal with the situations that they created and they were the first people in line to condemn others only to give in to that same temptation later down the road.

It is interesting though, how a decision made in 7 seconds, can have an impact on you and those around you for the rest of your lives. So, the questions that come to my mind are these:

Am I surrounding myself with people that build me up? People that will hold me accountable? People that are not affraid to voice their opinions, even if those opinions are ones that I don't want to hear or are contrary to mine? Am I surrounding myself with people that have a firm foundation in their life? Am I surrounding myself with people that will be truthful? Am I putting guard rails and rumble strips up to keep me on the right path?

I feel that I am doing that. I have a wonderful wife named Kimberly. And some truly great people that surround me that I can rely on. How about you?

Auction Item Photos and Starting Bids

Autographed Keith Richards Guitar. Starting Live Auction bid at $2,400




Autographed John Cougar Mellencamp Guitar. Starting Live Auction bid price $300


Signed Jack Nicholson photo. Starting Silent Auction bid price at $150


Autographed Willie Nelson Lp. Silent Auction starting bid price at $125


Autographed Dan Quayle Photo. Starting Silent auction bid at $40



Autographed Bruce Springsteen Photo. Silent Auction Starting bid at $300


Autographed Billy Joel LP. Starting Silent Auction price at $175



Autographed Hillary Clinton for President Poster. Silent Auction starting bid $125



Signed Clint Eastwood Photo. Silent auction starting price at $125




Autographed Eric Clapton Guitar. Starting bid price $4,000

The Sunshine Kids, Helping Kids With Cancer Smile

Prudential realestate has a national charity called The Sunshine Kids. This 501 (c)(3) non for profit is based out of Houston, Texas and is devoted to sending children that have been diagnosed with cancer on trips with positive group activities.

Purdential One Realty of Michiana has been participating with this charity for a few years. Every year, Prudential One Realty has an auction/fundraiser that occurs sometime in the spring. The money that we raise, stays local to help local kids from Memorial Hospital.

This years fundraiser, Helping Kids With Cancer Smile, is being held on May 16, at the Mishawaka FOP which is on 12th street. The event runs from 5:00 p.m. and will last until close to midnight. We have live entertainment from Darryl Buchanan and BLAMMO, a polish buffet and of course, the auction. The dress code is casual, tickets cost $30 each and can be purchased by calling me at 574-370-8156. This is going to be a great event, with lots of fun and is a great way to make an impact on our community.

About 1 year ago, I was approached about the possibility of taking lead on the auction portion of the event, which I agreed to do. I recruited a few agents to help and a couple people from outside Prudential to help as well. Below is a list of items that my team has compiled. I think you will agree, it is a very impressive list. There are gift certificates that could be won in a raffle by purchasing a $1 ticket and there are items that could sell for thousands. We are still adding items, but here is what we have and what categories they look to be in.

Piggy Raffle Items (items that could be won by purchasing a $1 ticket)
$50 Portrait Package
$25 Gift Certificate to Reggio's Restaurant
$40 Gift Card to Famous Daves BBQ
Bob Evans Gift Basket
Avon Gift Basket
Dinner for 2 at The Bonefish (bang, bang shrimp anyone?) Valued upto $45
$25 gift certificate to Doc Pierces
3 Pizza's from Papa Murphy's
$25 gift certificate from The Woodfire in Dowagiac
$25 gift certificate from Hacienda
Pizza, 4 drinks and 100 tokens from Chuck-E-Cheese
Dinner for 2 at Don Pablo's
$50 gift certificate for Auto 1
$20 gift certificate from the Boat House Restaurant
2 Oil changes from Zolman Tire
A Can Safe
A CD Case Safe
$20 gift certificate from Hackers Golf and Games in Niles (there are 2 of those)
Autographed Photo of Chicago White Sox Pitcher Matt Thornton
Autographed Ornament of Ara Parseghian
Autographed Mini Mini Football of Ara Parsghian
Candle Basket
Knitted Yellow Blanket
6 items of choice from Del Taco
A SNUGGIE
Ace Hardware Basket
3 Lunches at Penn Station
2 Basket meals plus desert at Culvers of Mishawaka
Golf Michiana Package

Silent Auction Items
Whole House Carpet and Tile Cleaning from A & R Extreme Clean $500 Value
Taste of Michiana Gift Card Tree (various rest. from our area)
Avon Gift Basket
Candle Gift Basket
Realtor Gift Basket
Golfing at Juday Creek
Water Pik
Dog Basket
Cat Basket
Art Work
Sculpture
AS SEEN ON TV Gift Basket
Ryan Newman Autographed Hat
Spa Package
Tony Dungee Signed Mini Helmet
Andre Dawson Signed Photo
Reggie Jackson Signed Photo
Billy Joel Signed LP
Bruce Springsteen Signed LP
Clint Eastwood Signed Photo
Hillary Clinton For President Autographed Sign
Jack Nicholson Signed Photo
Willie Nelson Signed LP
Dan Quayle Signed Photo
Notre Dame Football Tickets (vs. Mich. State and Boston Coll.)

TIP BOARDS
Chick-Fil-A Nugget Tray
Wii
Wii Fit
Pizza A Month For A Year from Little Caesars
Pizza A Month For A Year from Papa Johns
Charlie Weis Signed Football
Golf Michiana

LIVE AUCTION (These are the big ticket items)
Dinner for 5 Including Congressman Joe Donnelly at Carrabba's
Autographed Larry Bird Jersey
A Trip to Las Vegas
Dinner for 5 Including Mayor Jeff Rea of Mishawaka at Carrabba's
Autographed Joe Montana ND Jersey Framed
Autographed Peyton Manning Jersey Framed
Play Like A Champion Today banner signed by Lou Holtz and Charlie Weis
Autographed Eric Clapton Guitar
Friday Night Cruise on the River with Drinks and Hoers Devours
1988 Football signed by Lou Holtz and 5 others (national championship year)
Keith Richards Autographed Guitar
John Cougar Mellencamp Autographed Guitar
Autographed Mohammad Ali Boxing Glove

Obama and Guns

This morning in my men's bible study group, someone made a comment about gun prices going up because people are afraid that President Obama is going to take away our rights to gun ownership. I too have seen these gun prices rise since the election. I made the comment to my group that people are worried about the wrong issue when it comes to guns. And, at my friend Augie's urging, I will explain what I am talking about. But before I do, you need to know, that I voted for our current president and I do own a gun and my wife has a weapons permit so that she can carry her .22 or 9mm if she chooses to. And she is deadly accurate with them, kind of cool, huh?

Anyway, it is my belief that the focus has been misplaced. I do not believe, for a second, that President Obama is going to take away our rights to gun ownership. I don't think he is even going to try to. Don't get me wrong, I do not believe that President Obama is pro gun. I just don't think he is going to try to take them away. For one, Vice President Biden has a weapons permit to carry and IS pro gun ownership. Another reason, is that 65% of the democrats that hold office are pro gun ownership. But I also do not think President Obama is going to fight this perception of him wanting to take away guns. Why would he want to? The pro gun ownership part of this country is creating fear, which is driving the price of guns up, which makes it harder to buy them. In other words, the very people that want their guns are making harder for themselves to buy the guns that they want.

What I do think President Obama is going to try to do though, is to make it harder to buy the ammunition. President Obama is a very smart man and he knows that he cannot tamper with the constitution, but there is nothing in the constitution about the right to own the ammunition that you put in the guns. I don't think that he is going to ban bullets, just make it harder for people to purchase them. There is talk about having every bullet that is manufactured be marked with its own individual serial number. The cost of manufacturing ammunition will sky rocket, making it harder to buy the bullets needed.

So, whether you are pro gun or anti gun, that is for you to decide. I just thought that I would throw out a different perspective as to what is going on with gun ownership.

Swine Flu, The News and Priorities

Because of the job that I have, I drive around in my car a lot. And, since I am in my car so much, I have XM Radio to give me a variety of listening choices. This morning I was listening to CNN and they spent, what seemed like, a half hour talking about Swine Flu. I found this interesting, at first, because I had never heard of Swine Flu before and it sounded like this was some sort of big deal the way CNN was reporting it and devoting so much time to it.

Come to find out, there are 8 known cases of Swine Flu in the United States. A couple of these cases are in Texas and the rest are in California.

CNN interviewed Dr. Sanjay Gupta asking him various questions about this version of Flu. Dr. Gupta stated, and I am sumarizing, that the strain of Flu is hard to detect from other strains of Flu and he wasn't sure about treament. Maybe Thera-Flu would work, is what he said.

So, where am I going with this?

Why is CNN spending this much time on something that sounds like, well, the Flu? Don't get me wrong, I am sure that these 8 people are very sick and I hope that they recover. But a 1/2 hour on the FLU?

Why not spend that 1/2 hour talking about how there are an estimated 744,000 people in the United States that are homeless? What if they talked about how the average age of the homeless is 7 years old? What if they talked about how an estimated 13 million children in the US that are going hungry every day?

What if they had talked about how people can go out and help others in need? Think about the impact that could have. But, I guess, helping other people does not get ratings. Putting fear into people, I guess, does. What does that tell you about The News and Priorities?

My Birthday And The Radio Prank Call

Today is my 39th birthday. To celebrate my birthday, my lovely wife Kimberly, thought that it would be awesome for me to be pranked--She was right! She signed me up to receive a prank phone call from the morning crew at Sunny 101.5, a local radio station that is very popular in the area. I've received a lot of phone calls, emails and text messages asking how they can hear this prank phone call again. So, here is the link to it. Click on the one that says "I Need An Expensive House" and have a laugh at my expense! Enjoy:

http://www.sunny1015.com/features/birthday_call.shtml

Rumble Strips and Guard Rails

Sometimes there is nothing you can do when someone self destructs, as I happened to witness recently. The person secretly lives two lives, and before you know it, one life explodes into the other and destroys them both along with the people that they care most about. When I see this happen, it saddens me and reminds me of a message that I heard at my church a year or two ago called "Rumble Strips and Guard Rails".

The premise behind the message is that there are things that you can do, that once done, there is no going back to the way things were. An affair if you are married, drinking-if you are an alcoholic, drugs, abusing a spouse either mentally or physically, the list can go on and on. Those are the Guard Rails.

The Rumble Strips are the warnings that lead up to the Guard Rails. This could be things such as: going to a bar with the guys-if you are an alcoholic, meeting with a member of the opposite sex in a private setting, hanging out with someone that you know will tempt you with a drug because they'll be doing that drug, a feeling of anger or resentment toward someone, or maybe staying up late so that you can be alone on the computer.

Both the Rumble Strips and the Guard Rails are important to know and recognize. Without the rumble strips, by the time you realize you are at the Guard Rail, it's too late. You're crashing through it because of too much momentum. Usually, when I see someone crashing through the Guard Rails, it is because they either ignored the Rumble Strips-or it is because they never bothered to install them in the first place. Do you know what your Rumble Strips and Guard Rails are?

I HOPE

Other than the lead up to my wedding day to my wonder wife Kimberly, I cannot think of an event that I have anticipated so much. With the inauguration on Tuesday, we will begin a new chapter in the history of our great nation. Barack Obama has inspired millions of people with a message of Hope. Here are some of my thoughts about our new President:

I HOPE he can lead us out of this economic mess.
I HOPE that a nation that has been very divided for the last 12-14 years can come together to support him.
I HOPE that he is even smarter than what he sounds (which he sounds very smart).
I HOPE that the secret service protects him well.
I HOPE that the countries expectations are not more than he can handle.
I HOPE that his 2 daughters are allowed to be kids.
I HOPE he can protect our nation from another attack.
I HOPE he leads with great morality and integrity.
I HOPE he gets to keep his BlackBerry.
I HOPE he can find the time to play some hoops now and then.
I HOPE he maintains the same amount of contact through social networking that he did during the campaign.
I HOPE he holds Americans accountable for our actions, just as we will for his.
I HOPE he makes the right decisions, if I agree with them or not.
I HOPE he is transparent.
I HOPE he stops predatory lending.
I HOPE he has the courage to stand up to the leaders of both parties for what he feels is right.
I HOPE that he will be one of the greatest presidents we have ever had.
I HOPE that I will get a chance to meet him someday.

Day Of Service

On Monday, January 19, the Corporation for National and Community Service is teaming up with the Presidential Innaugural Committee to offer a broad number of opportunities for you to serve your community on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. There is something special about serving and working for a cause bigger than self interest. I know I always feel great after serving. There are a wide variety of serving opportunities that have been set up for Monday, you can get more information on them by clicking here: http://www.usaservice.org/content/home/

There are events scheduled at: Little Flower Food Pantry in South Bend, Feed The Children in Elkhart, Food and Clothing drive at Sav-a-lot in Dowagiac, various Martin's locations are having food drives throughout Michiana, Food and Clothing dive at The Window in Goshen. These are just a few of the places to serve in Michiana. Most of these are short 1-2 hour events that will not take up your whole day and make you feel good about helping people in need.

Food Drop 2009

This morning, between 2,500 to 3,000 people came together to unload 7 semi-trailers full of food and personal care items. They did this despite extremely cold weather. They did this even though about 10 inches of snow fell over night. They did this in order to help the less fortunate in our community. They did this to tell people that they matter to God.

The yearly food drop is one of the many reasons that I love Granger Community Church and the people that attend there. In a time of economic problems everywhere. Through our giving, we were able to to donate 6,160 boxes of food and personal care items to 9 diferent community agencies and to 13 different neighborhoods. We were able to effect an estimated 3,000+ families today from Niles to Elkhart to Mishawaka to the west side of South Bend. For more information check out www.GCCWired.com