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30 Kasım 2012 Cuma

Gospel for the Mass: 12/23/12- Luke 1:39-45

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Joseph and His Life Activities

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A friend wanted some activities about Joseph and his life and this is what I found:

Activities

biblewise.com- Projects & Activities, Puzzles, Mazes, & Coloring, etc., Listen to the Bible Stories (online), Bible Stories and Discussion Questions

timetracts.com- The Story of Joseph

mssscrafts.com- Joseph in Egypt activities

Lessons

ministry-to-children.com- Joseph and His Brothers – Families (Preschool Bible Lesson)

daniellesplace.com- Joseph- A Very Colorful Story (lesson with activities)

hennypenny.ourjunction.com- Joseph (scroll down to several lessons for Joseph with activities for 2 to 5 year olds)

southfloridachurch.org- Click on the age you want (2 through pre-teens), then scroll down for Joseph lessons with activities

dltk-bible.com- The Story of Joseph (lesson with activities)

The Catholic Toolbox- Joseph and His Wonderful Coat Pre K – K Lesson with: Objectives, Word Wall, Bible Story with questions, Songs and/or Finger Plays, Activities, Crafts, Games, Snacks, Coloring/Puzzles, etc.

The Catholic Toolbox- Joseph and His Wonderful Coat 1st Grade On Up Lesson with: Objectives, Review, Vocabulary Words, Bible Story with questions, Activities, Crafts, Games, Snacks, Puzzles/Mazes/Worksheets, etc.

kirkofkildair.org- Joseph: Forgiveness and Redemption (lesson)

sermons4kids.com- Joseph and His Brothers object lesson with group activities, coloring, puzzles, Power Point Presentation, worship bulletin

calvarycurriculum.com- 6 lessons with memory verses, circle the correct words, true or false, fill in the blanks, puzzles, and color sheets.

- Joseph Is Sold By His Brothers
- Joseph and Potiphar
- Joseph in Prison
- Joseph Tests His Brothers
- Joseph Reveals Himself To His Brothers
- Jacob Moves To Egypt

kidsclubs4jesus.com- 5 lessons with puzzles, coloring sheet, Bible readings, questions, memory verses, key points, object lesson, drama, puppets, etc. (These files are set up and formatted so that they can be easily made into weekly booklets for your children's ministry, youth ministry, etc., with 4 sheets of legal paper and two staples).

- Joseph’s Pit
- Cupbearer and Baker
- Pharaoh and Joseph
- Joseph’s Brothers
- Joseph and Israel

baptistwaypress.texasbaptist.org- Joseph- A Person Who Honored God (lesson with activities)

Coloring

calvarywilliamsport.com- Joseph, son of Jacob coloring pages (several posted!)

calvarycurriculum.com- 6 lessons with coloring sheets

- Joseph Is Sold By His Brothers
- Joseph and Potiphar
- Joseph in Prison
- Joseph Tests His Brothers
- Joseph Reveals Himself To His Brothers
- Jacob Moves To Egypt

Crafts

ehow.com- Craft Ideas for the Bible Story of Joseph

gospelhall.org- Joseph- The Man of Many Dreams (Story Wheel)

*Check Lessons above for more crafts.

Games

christianpreschoolprintables.com- This is a file folder game for children who are working on color matching skills. These coats have multiple colors to match so children should be able to easily match single colors before playing this game. Mount the game boards to the file folder and cut out the rest of the coats for playing pieces.

books.google.com- You’re Forgiven Tag
This game will help your kids discover the need for forgiveness in their lives. (The Encyclopedia of Bible Games for Children’s Ministry by Group Publishing, page 29).

sundayschoolsources.com- Joseph and His Brothers Game Board Use this game board with questions of your own to play the game.

The Catholic Toolbox- Joseph And His Coat Of Many Colors (card game)
This is a variation on the popular game of UNO with cards depicting the colored coat of Joseph. Players are trying to empty their hands of cards by playing them to a common pile, matching cards by color, number, or action. The deck is made up of 4 sets of differently colored cards with numbers from 1 to 8. There are also 4 Wild cards, 4 Draw 2 cards, 4 Skip cards, and 4 Reverse. (I wanted to buy this game, but could not find it so I made one.)

The Catholic Toolbox- Joseph and His Brothers (file folder game)
Answer questions about Joseph & His Brothers and receive a bag of grain. The first person to collect 7 bags of grain (representing the 7 years of plenty), wins.

Mini Books

lambsongs.co.nz- Scroll down to these mini books to print out in black/white or color for free.

Joseph Gets A New Coat
Joseph Is Kind To His Brothers

Puzzles & Worksheets

gospelhall.org- Review puzzle for the story of Joseph and his betrayal by his brothers. Students must assemble a group of puzzle pieces with clues written on their sides. Use the questions and answers included in this puzzle or create your own.

More 365 Activities for Kids (do any of the Daniel puzzles, mazes, dot-to-dot, spot the difference, etc. from February 11 - 26)

Joseph’s Amazing Coat (maze)- Amazing Bible Mazes by Anita Reith Stohs, page 6. (Click on Sample and go to page 6.)

The Great Bible Big Fun Activity Book: From the Old and New Testaments by Toni Lind
A Special Coat- Joseph had a special coat. Find the coat that does not have a twin.

Joseph and His Brothers (find the hidden pictures)- Hidden Pictures Explore Hidden Treasures in God’s Word: PK – K by Linda Standke page 5

dltk-bible.com- Joseph puzzles (anagrams, crosswords, cryptogram, mazes, word-mining sheets, word searches)

biblewise.com- Joseph puzzles and mazes

sermons4kids.com- Joseph and His Brothers (word search)

spielemitderbibel.net- Joseph (crossword)

sermons4kids.com- Joseph and His Brothers (crossword)

sermons4kids.com-Joseph and His Brothers (decoder puzzle)

gardenofpraise.com- Joseph (fill in the blanks with word bank)

gardenofpraise.com- Ten Brothers (fill in the blanks with word bank)

The following activities are from: 365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications

Can You Find- Here is Joseph in his special coat. Can you find 12 black headed sheep in this picture? (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 18.)

Find the Difference- Here is Joseph showing off his special coat. Can you discover 10 differences between the two pictures? (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 19.)

Find the Mistakes- In this picture of Joseph and his coat, the artist made lots of deliberate mistakes. Find at least 10. (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 20.)

Find the Mistakes- Find at least 10 deliberate mistakes in this picture of Joseph being sold to the Midianites. (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 22.)

Joseph (maze)- The traders took Joseph across the desert to Egypt. Find the path that takes them to the pyramids of Egypt without climbing over any trees. (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 23.)

Which is Different?- Here is Joseph in prison in Egypt. Which picture is the odd one out? (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 25.)

Find the Difference- Joseph was taken out of prison to explain the dreams of the pharaoh. Find at least 10 differences between these two pictures. (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 26.)

Find the Mistakes- In this picture of Joseph explaining Pharaoh’s dreams, the artist has made lots of deliberate mistakes. Circle them all. There are at least 10. (365 Activities for Kids by Kregel Publications, page February 27.)

Class 12/2/12

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What are you doing in your classroom or home? I think it would be great to see what others are doing to exchange some ideas. I am constantly looking for new activities to do and I know others are too.

This is what I plan on doing with my first grade CCD class:

Review-

• Review - Sign of the Cross, Grace Before Meals, Glory Be

• Review- Last week’s Take Home Sheet

• Review- People at Mass using People at Church Cards.

• Review- Liturgical Objects at Mass (pew, stoup, altar, chalice, ciborium, Body of Christ, Blood of Christ, tabernacle, bells, lectern, ambo, Lectionary, missal, Book of the Gospels) using Liturgical Objects Used at Mass Cards.

Celebrating the Mass Lesson-

Profession of Faith

During the Profession of Faith we stand and declare what we believe in. In the Profession of Faith we state our belief in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit- the Holy Trinity. (Draw on the board the Trinity symbol with: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.).

The Creed is to be sung or said by the priest together with the people on Sundays and Solemnities. It may be said also at particular celebrations of a more solemn character. If it is sung, it is begun by the priest or, if this is appropriate, by a cantor or by the choir. It is sung, however, it is done by everyone together or by the people alternating with the choir.

If not sung, it is to be recited by everyone together or by two parts of the assembly responding one to the other.

Questions:

Do we stand or sit during the Nicene Creed? (Stand)

Is the Nicene Creed sung or said? (Either)

In the Profession of Faith what do we say we believe in? (Our belief in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit- the Holy Trinity.)

Celebrating the Mass Activity-

catholicicing.blogspot.com- Nicene Creed Craft: One God

Make craft according to directions. Have students trace the beginning of the Nicene Creed: "I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible." (Printed out on tracing handwriting sheet.) Glue prayer on a piece of construction paper. Glue the bottom part of the hand on the back of the prayer with the hand showing above prayer.

Nicene Creed Tracing Handwriting Sheet- Students write their name on the top line. Students then trace the handwriting sheet and follow directions above.

Lesson Plan-

Birth of Jesus and go over vocabulary words with students. Read story: “The Birth of Jesus” The Usborne Children's Bible by Heather Amery and ask questions from Take Home Sheet that will be sent home today. Note: When I read the story to the students I usually sit in the chair in the corner by the board and have the students sit on the floor in front of me. After the students have answered the questions about the story, I have them go back to their seats to continue with what is on the lesson plan (activity, craft, game, puzzles/worksheets, etc.).

Craft- Introduce craft: Where was Jesus born? (In a stable.)

Directions: Print out Christmas Nativity and trace pictures on paper to print out for students to color. Print out stable background for students. Have students cut out Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, and the lamb and color. Glue characters on stable background.

billybear4kids.com- Christmas Nativity
Scroll down to Christmas Nativity (Paper Doll Cut Outs)

mssscrafts.com- Stable background

Mini Book-

The Birth of Jesus (coloring booklet)

Have students read the mini book out loud in class by taking turns (each read a page) and take home to read to their parents. Students can also color mini book.

Game- Introduce game: What town was Jesus born in? (Bethlehem)

Birth of Jesus (file folder game)- Super Bible Game Book by Linda Standke, page 56 - 57

Puzzles & Worksheets- While students are doing puzzles/worksheets, etc. they may say a prayer. Students are asked to recite 5 prayers by the end of the year. A “We Know Our Prayers” chart is on the bulletin board. If the student can recite the prayer correctly, write the date on the chart, and they get to pick a prize from the prize bag.

Shepherds Find the Baby- Hidden Pictures: Explore Hidden Treasures in God’s Word PK - K by Linda Standke, page 17

Homework- Give each student a The Birth of Jesus Take Home Sheet for their parents to go over with them to review what we have done in class. Parents need to help their child fill this out and bring back to class the following week. Students that complete their homework and bring it back to class will be able to play Homeworkopoly. Each Sunday the students make a mini story book and/or story wheel in class. Students need to read these to their parents (or the parents read to them) the mini book and/or story wheel for homework.

What will you do in your classroom or home? Please comment so I can add the link to your blog to this post. We would love to see what you do!

Crafty Crafters: Punched Tin Candle Holder (Christmas)

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So how crafty are you?

What is your favorite religious craft you make for Christmas?

Here is a craft I make with my students using a tin can:

thecommonroomblog.com- Punched Tin Candle Holder

*Tip: Have the students draw a simple design on paper such as a star, cross, dove, fish, angel, etc. and attach to the can using rubber bands or tape. Remove paper after you punch holes into the can.

Please comment so I can add the link to your blog to this post. We would love to see what you do!

Gospel for the Mass: 12/30/12- Luke 2:41-52

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*Be sure to check out Gospel for the Mass Year C page right below the header for other days that you need Gospel for the Mass activities.

Disclaimer: The posts below contain links to other websites and the content of these sites are evaluated before they are included. These websites can change without warning making links inactive and/or the content altered. We have no control over other websites and we are not responsible for the content that they post.

Luke 1:39-45

Activities

catholicmom.com- Click on the month. Scroll down to the date for Coloring Page, Mass Worksheet, Crossword Puzzle, Word Search, etc.

Theresa at catholickidsbulletin.blogspot.com will post a link to an activity sheet that coordinates with the Catholic Mass. There will be pictures and activities each week to help little kids understand and appreciate the Mass. Most weeks, she will also highlight a Saint whose feast day falls within that week or a liturgical symbol they can watch for at Mass.

sadlierreligion.com- Scroll down to Gospel Reflection, Discussion Questions for the Gospel, and Proclaiming Faith Activities

loyolapress.com- Background on the Gospel and activities for groups and families

silk.net/RelEd/- Resources on the Sunday Readings

msssbible.com- Jesus Grows Up/Jesus in the Temple with tons of resources for illustrating the story, coloring pages/activity sheets, crafts, and songs.

sermons4kids.com- Losing Jesus object lesson with coloring page

sermons4kids.com- In My Father’s House object lesson with group activities, coloring, puzzles, quizzes

sermons4kids.com- Left Behind object lesson with group activities, coloring, puzzles, quizzes

calvarycurriculum.com- The Boy Jesus Visits the Temple #172 lesson with memory verses, circle the correct words, true or false, fill in the blanks, puzzles, and color sheets.

sundayschoollessons.com- Jesus is Lost in Jerusalem lesson

childrensermons.com- Home Alone object lesson

kidssundayschool.com- Jesus and Me: How does a child's life today compare to when Jesus was born? An activity to help kids relate to Jesus.

jesuswalk.com- The Boy Jesus in the Temple lesson with questions.

kidsclubs4jesus.com- My Father's Business lesson with puzzles, coloring sheet, Bible readings, questions, memory verses, key points, object lesson, drama, puppets, etc. (These files are set up and formatted so that they can be easily made into weekly booklets for your children's ministry, youth ministry, etc., with 4 sheets of legal paper and two staples)

sundayschoolsources.com- Jesus’ Childhood lesson with discussions, songs, crafts, games, questions, worksheets, memory work, etc.

The Catholic Toolbox- Jesus in the Temple lesson plan which consists of Objectives, Review, Vocabulary Words, Bible Story with questions, Activities, Crafts, Games, Snacks, Puzzles/Mazes/Worksheets, etc.

textweek.com- Lectionary, Scripture Study and Worship Links and Resources

Coloring

sermons4kids.com- Jesus in the Temple coloring page.

christiananswers.net- Twelve year old Jesus in the temple.

sadlierreligion.com- Color and cut out the Holy Family. (Grade 1 Chapter 3)

Crafts & Games

Young Jesus in the Temple (Story Wheel)- Bible Wheels to Make and Enjoy by Carmen Sorvillo, page 37 & 38.

sermons4kids.com- In My Father’s House group activities (crafts & games)

sermons4kids.com- Left Behind group activities (crafts & games)

Games that Jesus might have played with as a boy: (students can make these for crafts)

Ring and Pin- Make a handheld "ring toss" toy. (The Picture Book of Kids' Crafts and Activities by Roxanne Henderson, page 98).

crafts.kaboose.com- Stick & Ball Game-You can also make this with just a paper/plastic cup instead of a laundry scoop. Use a paper hole punch and make a hole in the cup near the rim to tie the string to.

books.google.com- Change Charades (Jesus Grows Up)- This game will help your kids identify positive behaviors that will help them grow up just like Jesus. (The Encyclopedia of Bible Games for Children’s Ministry, page 70 & 71).

You can change this game to: Brother/Sister, Son/Daughter, Friend, Neighbor and have the children tell you how you can be a good ______ (Brother/Sister, Son/Daughter, Friend, or Neighbor). Call students one at a time to stand behind a chair and to toss a beanbag. Other students wait in their seats until you call them for their turn.

Or write the above on the chalk board and have the students throw a suction cup toy at it. Wherever it lands, they must tell you how you can be a good ______ (Brother/Sister, Son/Daughter, Friend, or Neighbor).

Introduce game: When Jesus was twelve years old, he went to Jerusalem with his parents. The journey took four days and when they arrived the great city was crowded with visitors. Jesus saw many things in Jerusalem and was amazed at what he saw.

What did Jesus see in Jerusalem?

This is a memory game. Have the players seated in a circle. The first player begins by saying, "Jesus went to Jerusalem and he saw many things. He saw a ..........." He can say anything he likes, for example an orange, a pair of shoes, a camel, or a pet dog. The next player in line begins the same way but adds a second object after repeating the first. The third player also begins, “Jesus went to Jerusalem and he saw many things. He saw a ..........." He must repeat the first two objects and then add a third. So it goes on, but if a player can’t repeat or mixes up the order of the objects then he is out.

If you haven't got many players, the same children can keep adding more items. The game continues until one player remains or until time is up. Some lists get very long and are remembered for years by the players. A variation is to decide that the objects chosen must start with the letters of the alphabet in order, for example "apple, bat, cake...zebra." This makes it a little easier to remember. (You could also help the player if necessary so everyone can play).

The Catholic Toolbox- Jesus As A Boy Game (scroll down to Games)

The Catholic Toolbox- Jesus in the Temple (file folder game)- The objective of the game is to be the first to find Jesus in the temple.

Puzzles

Jesus Loves God’s House- Jerusalem was very crowded. The temple was crowded with the teachers of the Law. Can you find young Jesus? (Big Puzzles for Little Hands: Jesus’ Life and Lessons by Carla Williams, page 18).

sermons4kids.com- Maze

sewhttkr.home.comcast.net- Jesus as a Boy. Color all the spaces below that have a dot in them to see where they found him. Also on the page: Read Luke 2:46 and fill in the blanks to see what he was doing when they found him. Solution to this puzzle

sermons4kids.com- Word Search

sermons4kids.com- Word Search

joanyedwards.com- Word Search

sermons4kids.com- Word Shape

Jesus as a Boy- To find out what Jesus was like at your age, match the letter blocks with the blocks of boxes in the puzzle below. Then fill in the letters. (Wa-a-ay Cool Bible Puzzles by Nancy I. Sanders, page 39).

sermons4kids.com- Alphabet Soup

sermons4kids.com- Spiral

sermons4kids.com- Crossword

joanyedwards.com- Crossword

Quizzes

sermons4kids.com- Multiple Choice

sermons4kids.com- Multiple Choice

sermons4kids.com- Fill in the blanks

sermons4kids.com- Fill in the Blanks

29 Kasım 2012 Perşembe

It's Cheap, It's Easy, It's Winners And Losers the 2012 Elections Edition

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What can I say? I'm swamped with getting more NaNoWriMo done...

Losers: I mentioned them in an earlier post. The elite pundit class - especially the conservative ones who came to power during the Reagan administration 30 years ago - really got their butts kicked for publicly anointing their preferred candidate Romney when the stats said otherwise, and even going out of their way to mock the statisticians who focused more on polling results and provable trends.

Winners: Nate Silver and every other statistician who worked on the numbers, stuck to the arithmetic, and proved themselves far more accurate than the pundits who preferred "narrative" and "gut instinct" over facts. Arithmetic, bitches.

Next, the guy making xkcd will chart with unnerving accuracy the flow of Karl Rove's tears.

Winner: the Word of the Year, thanks to Bill Clinton and Nate Silver. Arithmetic.

Loser: Karl Rove. The "genius" for the Republicans, the man responsible for coming up with a winning strategy to get George W. into the White House, exposed by his own network on Election Night being completely out-of-touch YET AGAIN. Why Rove keeps getting treated as a genius is beyond me: his game-plan of playing to the base and do just the bare minimum to get enough independent voters to side with you (the "50-plus-one" plan) is half-lazy, half-reckless, and it relies too much on luck and a broken electoral system. Outside of 2004, when Rove tricked the Democratic leadership to back a weak candidate in Kerry (vulnerable to attacks on his military record and pro-Iraq War vote), this guy really didn't win anything (if it weren't for the Butterfly Ballot in Palm Beach County, Gore would have won Florida and the 2000 election). Rove's one true skill seems to be bluffing. Too bad Obama's a better game-player than Rove, eh?

Losers: The vote suppressors. In battleground states where the Republicans held control of the state legislatures and governorships, there were clear and open attempts to suppress minority, poor, and college-age voters in a blatant and coordinated effort to weaken the turnout of Obama's voting base. Like Pennsylvania. Like Ohio, repeatedly by a Sec of State John Husted who kept defying the demands of the courts (if anyone needs to see jail time over this, it's Husted). Like Florida, where Rick "Yes, I HATE This Guy" Scott tried to slash the voter rolls claiming non-existent fraud, and cut back on early voting days in an effort to cut back voter turnout in key counties like Dade and Broward. Good news is, it looks post-election that their efforts were for naught. In fact, by pushing so hard so publicly to disenfranchise voters across the nation, it seemed to have the effect of getting even more minority voters and college-age voters out to vote... more voters 2012 than there were in 2008.

Winners: Obama's ground game crew. Every volunteer, every campaign office organizer, every person who manned the phones and canvassed the neighborhoods and registered the voters. This was the antidote to the vote suppression efforts. If the Republicans wanted to suppress the vote: make sure there were enough registered voters to overwhelm any suppression. If the Republicans wanted to cut back on voting hours and early voting days: get more people to vote with absentee ballots that get around the restrictions. If long lines were gonna form up at the precincts: make sure the voters know that they have the right to stay in line even past closing hours. It worked.

Losers: Every Republican candidate who wanted to ban abortion and dismissed rape as an issue, especially the Senate candidates Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock. They got their asses handed to them and kept the Senate safe for the Democratic Party. As a side observation, a major Florida amendment ballot tried to limit abortion access to where the only exception allowed was "the health of the mother". Yes, the ballot DID NOT have an exception to rape/incest, which happen to be very popular exceptions for a vast majority of Americans (even the ones who profess being pro-life: even they know how serious the problem rape and incest are). Result: the ballot went down to defeat by a solid majority. Lesson to the GOP: DO NOT DISMISS RAPE AS A SERIOUS ISSUE.

Losers: Rick Scott. Thanks to his voter suppression efforts, our state was even more ill-prepared for the election turnout than in 2000, making us more a laughing stock than we were back then. Also, 8 of the 11 amendment ballots he and his legislative buddies pushed onto the election suffered major rejections, especially the amendment that tried to Court-Pack the state judicial system to make it more partisan (the amendments that passed were three tax exemption ballots for veterans, widows of veterans and first responders, and low-income seniors: I argued against them mainly because of their origins, the revenue cuts may prove minor given how these changes benefit a slight minority of the populus). Better still, the effort to get three State Court Justices voted off the bench - a clear attempt at forcing vacancies that Scott could fill with cronies - came back with all three judges getting 3/4ths of the vote to RETAIN, a huge slap in the face to Scott.
In short: BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
The big talk I'm hearing right now is how to kick Scott out of office in 2014 when he comes up for re-election. If the state Republicans had any sense, they'd look at Scott's poor polling and run a viable primary candidate to kick him out before the whole state does...

Winners: Marriage equality advocates and Pot Legalization advocates. Two states (almost three, I think one state is still counting ballots) voted in FAVOR of gay marriage rights, while one more state voted down a ballot that would have overturned a legislative pro-gay law. Two states voted to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, a huge salvo in the fight to end a broken and ineffective War on Drugs.

Winners: Women. Women candidates won elective office in huge numbers across the nation at both the state and federal level. Lemme double check, but I think nine women won Senate seats this election, a huge uptick in gender representation in the Upper House of Congress. Guess what, pundits? There was a War on Women, and the women fought back.

Losers: Senate Republicans. Not only did they fail dramatically to garner a slim hold of that wing of Congress - which would have combined with their solid hold of the House - but they lost major leadership from either retirement (Kyl, indy Senator Lieberman) or losing to more liberal Democratic candidates (Scott Brown losing to Elizabeth Warren). The incoming Democratic Senate make-up is going to be more liberal than ever before, and more than likely to weaken if not eliminate the Cloture rule (and by extension the filibuster), the biggest weapon the Senate GOP had in obstructing Obama's policy agendas.

Winner: Me. The blog traffic to my site bounced from single-digits to the hundreds thanks to my article on the Florida 2012 amendment ballots. Especially a huge crowd of viewers conducting search terms from Japan. Wow. Now, if I can get you new viewers to consider the fine possibility of buying my ebooks... wait, don't go! Sniff, it gets so lonely here...

Loser: Well, yeah, had to mention him sooner or later. Hi, Mitt.

Winner: Barack Obama.

And now, with his Anger Translator Luther:

Luther: "“I mean, you know how much money they spent trying to get rid of this? Millions, son! I said millions!"

Losers: Speaking of those millions, the billionaires who shipped tens of not hundreds of millions of dollars into unregulated SuperPACs in an effort to make Obama a One-Termer. What you all get for your value, dawgs? NOTHING! ALL THAT MONEY WASTED BWHAHAHAHA!

Instead of being afraid of how Citizens United may make it easier for the wealthy to win elections - which 2012 proved the opposite - there needs to be a genuine investigation into what happened with all that money that got funneled into Karl Rove's and others' SuperPACs. There seems to be a lot of waste happening there: not many ads made, almost no ground game like how Obama organized, a great number of reports of how the people "managing" the SuperPACs walked off with huge salaries and bonuses they paid themselves... I'm serious. Campaigning has turned into a BILLION-DOLLAR industry and there's little oversight: it's the perfect scam for con artists...

Winners: every person in Dade and Broward Counties who stood in line for 7,8, God love 'em probably 10 hours on Election Night. The Obama campaign made sure the word got out that the law ensures any person standing in line at the Closing time (7 pm EST) had the right to stay in line and get their vote in, no matter how late it got past that. This is democracy in action. While it was a damn shame they had to wait so long, God Bless Them for doing so. And next time, let's make it easier on them to get their votes in and counted.

Did I miss anyone?

The Middle East As The Center Of The Storm

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There is, once again, little peace between Israel and Palestine as disparate peoples as much as nations. There may be a ceasefire in place now with Gaza, but ceasefires can end without the resolution of both sides to stop the downward cycle of violence.

There is still an ongoing civil war in Syria, with tens of thousands dead, tens of thousands as refugees... and no honest solution in sight other than outright war that few other nations, including the bordering Turkey, have the stomach or budget to fight...

Iran has been living the horrors of occupation by their own leadership since the uprisings of 2009 (that an old blog entry from then is STILL getting hits on my little-viewed blog on a daily basis amazes me), combined with a global sanctions against the regime's nuclear program that's hurting the civilian economy but not the elites', leaving that a very unhappy place at the moment.

Egypt, coming off the high point of a relatively powerful yet low-on-body-counts uprising against their own dictatorship in 2011 and with a delicately well-managed crafting of that Israel/Gaza ceasefire, is now coping with an arrogant move by the newly elected President Morsi where he claimed sweeping extra-constitutional powers (basically making himself a new dictator replacing the old dictator), bringing the protestors back out into the same streets and gathering spots they've been at just one-and-a-half years ago. Good Lord, can anybody catch a break here...?

And Libya's not entirely stabilized either after the overthrow of (misspelled name here). The attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi is but a smaller part of ongoing street violence between the militants and the more open, pro-democracy groups trying to rebuild after decades of brutal dictatorship.

And this doesn't even include the ongoing quagmire that is the U.S. Occupation of Afghanistan, nor the ongoing unrest in Pakistan.

I have no solutions. I doubt anyone does, at least a solution that WON'T piss everyone off. I have pity for any person going into foreign policy as a career, if you ever get signed in to do a job in that region. Madness would be the only sane response the way things are going...