More Costa Rica Trip Pics

Zip Line!

Weeeeeeee, that was too fun. This was a Canopy tour thru the trees of the Jungle. Can you see the other platform in the picture with some of my team mates?

The unfortunately reality for many in a Third World country. This man stood outside of the Churches gate while we had VBS with the Kids. I was told that the bottle in his right hand is Rubbing Alcohol that he was drinking.

One of the neighborhood kids in San Jose William and I posing for my camera.

Pastor Walter and his wife of the local Church in San Jose, Costa Rica we worked at.

Off we go

Well today is the day we are departing for our mission in Costa Rica. It has been a crazy week leading up to this point. Satan is really trying to do his work and in some small instances we are letting him in. But we have to continue to remind ourselves that he will be defeated and the Lord reigns over all. In him we shall reign as well.

Some of the things that we ask that you pray for as we are there.
* Alycia and I that we can make it the ten days without much of what is the norm for us after a year of marriage.
* Our Teams Health that our bodies will carry us thru to be the Lords Hands
* Team Unity
* That Vacation Bible School will go smooth and the local Costa Rican kids will 1. come to the Saving Knowledge of Christ 2. Those kids who are already believers will grow in strength 3. seeds will be planted in the others.
* Just plain fun
*Safety in Travel

Well when we return there will be an update until then have a blessed week and look forward to seeing and talking to y'all when we return with many great stories.

His Hands in Costa Rica

EXTRA EXTRA UPDATE!

Whole Foods bans sale of live lobsters
By LIZ AUSTIN, Associated Press Writer Thu Jun 15, 7:55 PM ET
AUSTIN, Texas - Customers craving fresh crustaceans will have to look beyond Whole Foods Market Inc. after the natural-foods grocery chain decided Thursday to stop selling live lobsters and crabs on the grounds that it's inhumane.

The Austin-based grocer spent seven months studying the sale of live lobsters from ship to supermarket aisle, trying to determine whether the creatures suffer along the way.
In some stores, they experimented with "lobster condos," filling tanks with stacks of large pipes the critters can crawl
inside. And they moved the tanks behind seafood counters
and away from children's tapping fingers.

Ultimately, Whole Foods management decided to immediately stop selling live lobsters and soft-shell crabs, saying they could not ensure the creatures are treated with respect and compassion.
"We place as much emphasis on the importance of humane treatment and quality of life for all animals as we do on the expectations for quality and flavor," John Mackey, Whole Foods' co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement.

Animal rights activities were thrilled with the decision, not just because of the way lobsters are harvested, shipped and stored but because of the fate that awaits many of them — being dropped alive into a pot of boiling water.

"The ways that lobsters are treated would warrant felony cruelty to animals charges if they were dogs or cats," said Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

But other scientists and seafood industry officials said Thursday that lobsters have such primitive insect-like nervous systems they don't even have brains and can't experience pain the way animals and humans do.

For example, lobsters can shed a claw that's stuck between two rocks and move on like nothing happened, said Diane Cowan, a marine biologist who studies lobster behavior in Maine.
"They certainly have a nervous system and respond to external stimuli, but whether you can call it pain I don't know," Cowan said.

About 183 million pounds of lobster are caught each year in the United States and Canada, and about 25 percent of that is sold live, according to the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine.

"People who want lobster will have lobster," said Bill Adler, executive director of the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association. "If this particular chain does not want to serve it, people will go elsewhere."

From now on, Whole Foods will only sell frozen raw and cooked lobster products at its more than 180 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, said Margaret Wittenberg, vice president of quality standards. And the chain will only deal with suppliers meeting their standards for humane treatment, handling and processing.

Whole Foods leaders will reconsider the decision if they see evidence that it's possible to ensure lobsters and crabs are treated humanely throughout the supply chain, she said.

Fumes:
All that can be said is how silly this whole thing is that they take such care of Lobsters but yet Human life can be wasted. Sad Sad comentary on our society these days. As the writer said they are CREATURES.

Happy Ending for Lobsters? Huh, what?

Article Briefs:
Dallas Morning News Business Section June 10th
Happy Ending for lobsters at Whole Foods
Atlanta - Just like TV's Jeffersons, the live lobsters at a whole foods Market here are movin' on up.

These Crustaceans are part of that grocery chain's test program, which seeks to make the lobsters' trip from sea to sale more humane. Thus, the ones that wind up at the Whole Foods location in the well-to-do Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta get their own Separate "lobster condo", a cooler, more hospitable water temperature and a dimly lit tank away from glass tapping children.

"We wanted to treat them less like merchandise or a curiosity to be shown to a kid," Said spokeswoman Amy Schaefer.

The measures are in place until at least Thursday, when managers at the company's head office in Austin will decide whether such changes go far enough to ensure that lobsters are being treated compassionately. If they decide the lobsters are not treated well enough, Whole Foods has said it will stop selling live lobsters altogether.

Animal rights groups say it is about time someone paid attention to the plight of the shellfish, which are routinely starved before sale and kept in what activities say are unnatural conditions that are stressful and cruel.
...
"Isn't this ridiculous?" asked Robert K. Pidgeon, director of purchasing for Inland Seafood, an Atlanta based distributor of live crabs and lobsters

Fumes:
Have I been living under a rock that just so happens to be under da sea with sponge bob? I have missed their "plight" by all these lobsters with their sit ins at the Capital and at the White House. I guess they also do not allow pens and paper to be placed in the tanks at stores in fear that they might make up little picket signs and start walking in single file line around the tanks.

LOBSTER CONDO- are they joking? So the only way I can think of to be compassionate to these lobsters is to put little billboards up on the bottom of the ocean selling said Condo's and let them make the choice to live there. Or we can take out an ad in the local papers selling them.

Condo for sale in High Class neighborhood of Atlanta. All glass inclossed Individual Condo with cooler temperatures and dimly lit space for those seeking romantic evenings alone. No children allowed.

Less like Merchandise? Huh? They are in a store and for sale thus becoming Merchandise.

Their going to eaten!! So how is living in a "Condo" going to create a happy ending for the Lobsters? That will be cracked, baked, buttered and eaten.

Wouldn't a happy ending be growing old with your Lobster Bride with 12.5 kids and 46.5 grandkids in a ranch style home near the ocean (or in the ocean for lobsters). Then dying in your sleep with no pain? Wouldn't that be a happier end than living in a "condo" until slathered with butter? Crazy me I guess.

I am not much of a Shellfish kind of guy but this is kinda scary to think where this type of thing might lead this weakening country.

When will this craziness end? Or will it get worse? My bet is it will get worse before ever getting better, that is if it will get better. What is a true compassionate demise of a Lobster when you really sit down to think about it.

Bring it on

Have you ever had one of those weeks where most things seem to be going against you? Where you end up fighting harder for everything that normally seem too easy. This week has been that way for me especially at the office.

Being in Sales your livelihood depends on, well, Sales and when you are not getting them it tends to be very frustrating. This is one of those weeks that my sales should have been here in large numbers. But they were scarce since my first sale was Friday afternoon at 3pm when our deadline is every Friday at 4pm. Cutting it close. Skunking on the sales board is not a badge of honor and in my sales carreer of 7 years it has only happened 4 times. So when you are close to doing that again it hurts and ya tend to personalize it.

As I stated this should have been a walk in the park for this next weeks publication due to our office having a Job Fair (Plano Centre, June 13th from 9am to 2 pm) next week Tuesday. Usually those companies not attending want to advertise so they can be at your fair without having to have a representative be there in person. But they were all backing off from Advertising this next week, at least for me and not my cohorts in the office.

Laying out my frustrations to my wife this morning and her being the smart one that she is made mention that our Missions Trip is upon us in a week. This mission is to have our great group of kids lead a Vacation Bible School for street kids in the country of Costa Rica. We will also be assisting in the construction of Facilities and homes for those same kids. This means that the Lord will be honored and Glorified within our Work.

The Lord is hard at work in the group of kids that we are leading there as well. Along with our own lives, even though I could be helping in his construction in my life a lot more and not hindering it from time to time as I sometimes do.

My wife reminded me that the evil one is there to take us out of the game in anyway that he can. If that means mentally like he is doing to me here at work he is going to try his darnest to do so especially before the Lords name is Glorified and spread.

As I am writing this the Lord is showing me how awesome he is and best of all how to respond. The song "Bring it on" just came on in my iPod by Steven Curtis Chapman. Mind you it is on the Shuffle feature right now so that makes it far cooler that it just "popped up".

Some of those lyrics:
Now, maybe you’re thinkin’ I’m crazy
And maybe I need to explain some things‘
Cause I know I’ve got an enemy waiting
Who wants to bring me pain
But what he never seems to remember
What he means for evil
God works for good
So I will not retreat or surrender
...
Bring it on
Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow
Bring it on
Let the trouble come, let it make me fall on the One who’s strong
Bring it on

My wife reminded me this morning that the evil one will bring it on to us leading up to our trip and in life. But Steven then reminds me to say "BRING IT ON"!!

God Bless,

Why do we not honor effort anymore?

Matt Chinchilla rushed to the head of an American Airlines Center line for NBA Finals tickets Sunday after his number was called during a lottery. "This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me," he said.

Does anyone have a problem with this picture and this story?

Here is another little snipit for you to ponder as well and let us see if you see the same issue that I do.

Earlier Sunday, more than 1,000 fans were assembled at the American Airlines Center box office for the ticket lottery. Stephen Loloi, 20, of Plano, had been there all night."I was here at 10:30; I was one of the first 20 or so people in line," he said. "Nothing's been open, so I haven't been able to eat or drink anything."

First of all I think the people are crazy for standing in line for hours and sometimes days to buy tickets for anything. The longest that I have been in line to support a team or a band has been maybe max 2 hours. For those here in Dallas do you recall the woman that sat outside of Ikea for 7 days to get FREE furniture for her home? Yes she was married and had multiple kids. Yes it would be great to have all new furniture but to put that before your family for a week that is just crazy to me. Anyone else?

But that is not my Fume Focus it is on the "fairness that seems to be prevalant in society today. The Mavs as most of you know beat the Phoenix Suns to enter the NBA Championship game. This is where people stopped life for hours to wait in line to purchase tickets for the games vs the Miami Heat. As one portion read there is one Stephen Loloi who was in the top 20 of liners waiting to purchase tix. It does not actually say where in line he ended up in line to actually purchase tix.

The prob I have is that they do this whole Lottery system with tickets these days. So for those sitting in line for hours maybe days can end up at the end of the line while the last person allowed into the lottery can then be first. I have never been a part of these lotteries for tickets but I still do not agree with it.

OK I do not agree with sitting inline for anything for 12 hours either but his effort should be rewarded with buying tickets in the order that he was there. He put in the effort to get there and sit there. When did we loose first come first served?

Take a look back at the attached photo and see Mr. Matt Chincilla run past the throngs of people who were there before him. What if the Ikea lady sat there for a week only to be put in a lottery system like this and end up getting nothing? We are now and have been for years being "fair" by punishing those that deserve the reward of the effort.

One side note on Mr. MC on his statement "this being the best thing that has ever happened to me". Come on dude experience life and ultimately experience the Lord. Life will be better than getting a free pass of everyone before you to buy a pair of tickets to a Basketball game of which you can watch on TV.

What is the purpose of this lottery system? Can anyone explain this to me?

xiP kroY weN,New York Pix

Ground Zero.

As they cleared the site this cross stuck out for them.

The neat thing is they have kept it and have it on display

as you can see.

Here is what what I got that Hearts New York!

No XXL for you!!!

The eagle sits atop Grand Central Station with the Chrysler building behind it.

The cookies on Midwest Airlines.

Alycia and I at Katz's Deli in the Lower East Side.