Saturday, February 16, 2013

Meteors Over Russia

It seems like a scene from one of the doomsday movies, a large meteor landing somewhere in Russia. Friday morning it was on the morning news, a large fireball streaked across the sky over Russia making such a boom that it shattered windows. I believe that I heard them say that over 500 people were injured from the effects of the boom the meteor made. It is interesting that this happened on the morning before a large asteroid was to pass by close to our beloved planet.

The asteroid passed by without hitting the earth or causing any damage but maybe we should all realize that anything could happen at anytime. When something as big as an asteroid is heading toward the planet at an high rate of speed there is not much that you can do but pray.

It is indeed strange times that we are living in, could it be that we are living in the literal last days. I do not know where we are at on God's timetable but I do know that Christ will return to this earth some day; so please be ready to meet Him. If you are not ready to meet Him, call on His name and place your trust in Him. Trust Him to the point that you are willing to lay aside your sin and follow Him. If you place your trust in Him you won't have to worry about asteroids, meteors and such for He will be your Shephard, the gentle good Shepherd who takes good care of His sheep.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Death, the Uninvited, Unwelcome Guest

Zombie Book
Death, the great inevitable. The dark spectre of death has been lurking around the fringes of my life the past few days. Elderly friends taken off of life support, finding out a sick friend died a few weeks ago, watching my little girl tearfully tell a kitten goodbye prior to euthanasia, my wife's grandmother having serious heart surgery, all of these things dampen my spirit to the point that I cannot seem to think romantically for Valentines Day (of course that is probably due to a deeper problem of which I do not care to speak).

Death though a part of life is still an unwelcome guest that fills our hearts with dread and sadness at its coming. I am reminded by this intrusion of the dark stalker that there is only one hope for us all against this grim enemy, and what a hope it is. The great hope we have that serves as an anchor for the soul is Jesus, the one who conquered death and promised victory over death to those who place their trust in Him.

So death be not proud, though you may gorge yourself on the lives of those we love, you are a defeated foe and cannot hold captive the souls who belong to Jesus. Just as He arose from the grave, we who have placed our faith in Him will rise again.

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Death at Gettysburg



This is a short story I wrote after looking at some old photographs by Matthew Brady, a prolific photographer during the Civil War. I have started several novels or novellas but this is the first story I have published on Amazon. The book tells the story of what my be going through the head of a Confederate soldier on the Gettysburg battlefield. I would appreciate all who would be kind enough to check out this story. Being a writer is one of my dreams, I hope to publish more in the future.
Death of a Soldier at Gettysburg

Friday, February 8, 2013

NASDAQ Welcomes Health Insurance Innovations, Inc. (HIIQ), to The NASDAQ Stock Marke

globenewswire.com
Health Insurance Innovations [HIIQ] rings The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell in Celebration of IPO.

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) announced today that the trading of Health Insurance Innovations (Nasdaq:HIIQ) commenced on The NASDAQ Stock Market on February 8, 2013.

A photo accompanying this release is available athttp://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=17076
Health Insurance Innovations is a leading developer and administrator of affordable health insurance products, ancillary products, and lifestyle & discount services for the uninsured and underinsured. Health Insurance Innovations' scalable, proprietary, cloud-based technology platform allows for mass distribution and online enrollment in a large and diverse portfolio of affordable health insurance, ancillary, and lifestyle benefit offerings, and it enables members to access its products through its distribution partners anytime, anywhere. The health insurance products the company develops are underwritten by insurance carrier companies, and Health Insurance Innovations assumes no underwriting, insurance or reimbursement risk. Members can price and tailor product selections to meet their needs, buy policies, and print policy documents and identification cards in real-time.
"Health Insurance Innovations has designed a wide suite of products to fit the needs of individuals and families who would not otherwise have access to quality health insurance," said Bob McCooey, Senior Vice President, NASDAQ OMX Corporate Client Group. "Health Insurances Innovations' commitment to meeting the needs of the uninsured and underinsured market is truly impressive; we congratulate them on their IPO and look forward to our partnership in the years ahead."
By listing on The NASDAQ Stock Market, Health Insurance Innovations joins some of the world's most progressive and innovative companies, including more than 560 financial and insurance companies, more than any other U.S. exchange.
About NASDAQ OMX:
The inventor of the electronic exchange, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., fuels economies and provides transformative technologies for the entire lifecycle of a trade - from risk management to trade to surveillance to clearing. In the U.S. and Europe, we own and operate 23 markets, 3 clearinghouses and 5 central securities depositories supporting equities, options, fixed income, derivatives, commodities, futures and structured products. Able to process more than 1 million messages per second at sub-40 microsecond speeds with 99.99+% uptime, our technology drives more than 70 marketplaces in 50 developed and emerging countries into the future, powering 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Our award-winning data products and worldwide indexes are the benchmarks in the financial industry. Home to approximately 3,400 listed companies worth $6 trillion in market cap whose innovations shape our world, we give the ideas of tomorrow access to capital today. Welcome to where the world takes a big leap forward, daily. Welcome to the NASDAQ OMX Century. To learn more, visit www.nasdaqomx.com. Follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NASDAQ) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/nasdaqomx). (Symbol: NDAQ and member of S&P 500)
The information contained above is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing contained herein should be construed as investment advice, either on behalf of a particular security or an overall investment strategy. Neither The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. nor any of its affiliates makes any recommendation to buy or sell any security or any representation about the financial condition of any company. Statements regarding NASDAQ-listed companies are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should undertake their own due diligence and carefully evaluate companies before investing. ADVICE FROM A SECURITIES PROFESSIONAL IS STRONGLY ADVISED.
NDAQG
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
Jennifer Knapp
+1 212 401 8916

Heated Gloves on ebay

 Nordic Lectra Gloves   

Heated gloves are a novel gift idea for someone you know who enjoys spending time outdoors during cold weather or for someone who has to work out in the cold. Anyone who has spent anytime at all out in the cold knows that cold hands cam be very painful; heated gloves can help prevent this uncomfortable condition.

Regular gloves will help a little but heated gloves can give the extra heat to keep the hands comfortable while out in the cold. So if you are searching for that special gift for someone who spends time outside, consider buying a pair of electric gloves.

P.S. I usually do not write about stuff like  heated gloves but I have this pair of them for sale on ebay. If you are interested, check them out. They are new, I bought them as a Christmas gift for my dad and he gave them back. So check out the heated gloves @ ebay

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Not Giving 18% Tip at Applebies

I saw this story on Fox News and frankly was appalled by it. A lady pastor eating out at Applebies was very adament about leaving more of a tip than what was already added to the bill.

Some restaurants add an automatic gratuity to larger parties, evidently this is what happened with this lady pastor. Now if she had not of said anything and just not left anymore of a tip then all may have ended well; however, she could not resist writing something on the check that said something to the effect of, 'I give God 10% why should I give you 18%.'

A server took a picture of the bill that the lady had written this on and it got posted on the Internet. The server got fired and I believe that the Christian faith was dishonored by the pastors actions.

I am not going to rush to judgement on this pastor, she may have this strong conviction about tipping a higher percentage then she gives to God. However, that being said, in my opinion she came across as more stingy then pious. As a Christian and a waiter I have strong convictions an about tipping when I eatout.

I believe that Christians who go out yo est should be the nicest and best tipping patrons of a restaurant. As a Christian, how you act is a reflection on the body of Christ here on earth. If we are rude and cheap to our servers when we go out to eat, what does that say about Christianity. People may not realize it, but a vast number of waitresses and waiters do not know the Lord. Therefore, we want yo represent Him well in front of them. Additionally, it is the right thing to do if we are living our lives based upon the love of God.

Some may argue that they do not have the money to tip. If you don't have the money to leave a decent then do not go to a sit-down restaurant where you are waited on by people who make their living off of tips. The tip is s servers bring home pay, if you have a problem tipping don't waste a servers time of table instead why not try McDonalds.

Giant Snow Flakes in North Ga



The first big snow of 2013 in Blue Ridge, Georgia. There were some huge flakes coming down for a few minutes. Beautiful to watch not great for driving in the North Georgia mountains.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Average CSC Wait Times - Blue Ridge - Department of Driver Services

Average CSC Wait Times - Blue Ridge - Department of Driver Services

If you are planning on renewing your drivers liscence in theue Ridge area, the drivers license facility in Blue Ridge, Ga provides the estimated wait times on their website. Be aware that you also have to provide documentation verifying your identity now.