Blog Activity

It is tremendously difficult to keep a blog active with only a few posts and only a few commenters. We are busy, we pretty much know where everyone stands on the issues, and little variety makes for a dull page. (It seems to me that when we split the family news off from this blog, activity slowly declined and until today, it was pretty much dead.) I changed the look of the page, but what really needs revamping is the content, and we also need greater participation. The election season is ramping up and there are many discussion-worthy topics to blog about, but we are not limited to politics, of course. I know some of my siblings are afraid to post or comment because they fear that someone will disagree and that somehow that disagreement will hurt family relationships. We are all mature adults and we have family bonds that go beyond differences of opinion, so please don't fear such an outcome.

Herd Mentality

If there is anything that firmly demonstrates the herd mentality of the media, it is all these news stories about an 89-year-old crank's prediction that the world would end today. People often predict the end of the world. They are always wrong and always will be. Was there something about this particular prediction that was newsworthy? The today there are news stories that the world still exists. Really! Did reporters expect their readers to be surprised? Why was this inanity a major news story?

Too close for comfort

"The diplomatic staff of all NATO countries are our targets," said Ehsanullah Ehsan, a Taliban spokesman, told Reuters via telephone from an undisclosed location. "We will continue such attacks. Pakistan is our first target, and America is our second." Article printed on Friday, May 20, 2011

Unfortunately my family and I are in close shooting range being just 900 miles away from where Bin Laden was killed. We are on the highest alert we can be here at the Embassy in India. We are a NATO country Embassy and we are diplomatic staff. We are asked to vary our routes, and keep a low profile. We kind of do that any way. Although I don't live in fear...I do ask for your prayers of safety for us here. I will be leaving the country next week with Ganae and Jeshua for our two month summer break. Leonardo will stay a while longer with Elise, who is also working as a student summer hire at the Embassy and they will leave in Mid-June. Any way...I look forward to being home. If any of you need to get a hold of me during the next two months, you can reach me on Jonathan's old phone number which is 512-297-5757, or Leonardo's parents home number which is 512-448-2871 beginning June 1.

Teresa