New York, THE BIG APPLE....

The missus and I will be making the trek to New York, New York very soon for a little get away.

We plan on staying in the ultra-swank New York Marriott Marquis on Broadway. We have tickets to see Chicago and hope to make it to Mama Mia, Phantom or The Producers.

We both have seen Phantom (in New Orleans, not on broadway), but liked it enough that we could see it again and again. Holly got to see Mamma-Mia while we were in London, but I missed it because, like an idiot, I was working. The Producers is supposed to be pretty amzaing too. I think we may have to try it out.

We would like to see as many of the New York sites while we're there as neither of us have been before... not sure what all we'll squeeze in. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

B

MS Politics at its best

Our legislators are at it again.

Two years ago, the State of MS committed to Northrup Grumman that it would provide ~$40 million in incentives in 2004. This would obstensibly help create 2,000 jobs in Mississippi and help NG get more contracts for ships. NG in turn would spend nearly twice that amount of their own money to expand their MS operations.

So, Barbour proposed a ~$108 million bond package that included money to meet this commitment as well as dollars for other MS industry (Baxter Healthcare in Cleveland and Viking Range in Greenwood). The Senate approved this action 42-0.

Then the House got involved and turned $108M pkg into a nearly $400M boondoggle, replete with racial quotas, university and junior college dollars, bridge repairs and lots of other pork. The Guv has promised to exercise his veto. All this in light of the usual MS budget shortfalls.

In response, NG has decided not to commit their $80 million to expand MS operations as was previously planned.

Links to most of the articles about this fiasco are posted on the Mangolia Report.

Another side of the marine shooting of the unarmed Iraqi

Click here to read an email from a Marine who presents a different side of the story we keep hearing in the press about the shooting of the wounded iraqi insurgent earlier this week.

Breaking into the blogosphere

Welcome.

Just so you know, I have been for quite some time both intrigued and terrified by the prospect of beginning my own web log. In addition to my general apprehension about publishing portions of the limited contents of my brain for all of the internet to examine, I have struggled to find a name for such a web destination which would succinctly and wholly describe who I am. This past week a phrase was revealed to me; simul justus et peccator. Translated it means “simultaneously righteous and sinful” and was often employed by Martin Luther to describe his condition as a Christian. Of course, the idea is not original to Luther as God expressed the same description of man through the writings of the Apostle Paul to the Roman Christians.

14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[3] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a
slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

So now, with an appropriate name, I really have no choice but to set aside my fear and begin writing, sharing my thoughts with whomever would see fit to stop by. I do not intend for this to be a place where only theological ideas are discussed, but I believe this phrase of Luther’s frames the perspective from which I write about all things. I imagine I’ll post some ideas about sports, family, friendship, community, current events and the like. My hope is that you’ll stop by now and then and that while you’re here that you will take the time to reflect on these ideas and share your insights.

Thanks for stopping by.

wb