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According to modern folklore, a Blue Moon is the second full Moon in a calendar month. Usually months have only one full Moon, but occasionally a second one sneaks in. Full Moons are separated by 29 days, while most months are 30 or 31 days long; so it is possible to fit two full Moons in a single month. This happens every two and a half years, on average.

“Blue Moon” to Shine on New Year’s Eve
Andrew Fazekas
for National Geographic News
December 30, 2009

For the first time in almost 20 years, a bright “blue moon” will grace New Year’s Eve celebrations worldwide. (Take a moon myths quiz.)

If the skies are clear, revelers looking up at midnight will get an eyeful of the second full moon of the month—commonly called a blue moon. The last time a blue moon appeared on New Year’s Eve was in 1990, and it won’t happen again until 2028.

New Year’s Day (and eve) are just another day for some. Others embrace many rituals or behaviors characteristic of this annual celebration. Personally, I tend to become introspective around the birthdate rather than January 1st each year. If you party all night be careful. If you can’t be careful name it after me. Sorry, couldn’t help show my age by repeating and old expression. Seriously folks, be careful out there. Don’t miss out on 2010 by hasty decisions at the end of 2009.

Nope, I’ll say Happy New Year tomorrow.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

You know it has been a good year despite all the bad news when there is a Christmas story as compelling as the classic It’s A Wonderful Life. You wouldn’t expect Christmas and the ACLU to be present in a positive Yuletide story but there it is in all its wonder. What a great way to round out this week’s theme of Christmas stories to counter the war on Christmas but a report that not only does the ACLU smell bad but their piggy bank (aka sugar daddy) is a bit light this year.

Have you wondered why the American Civil Liberties Union hasn’t been carrying out its usual war on Christmas this season? There is a one-word explanation: money.

There’s no cause to gloat because ‘as we speak’ one can imagine there are many out there to take the place of the cash strapped benefactor the story identifies. Someone like George Soros or another fringe entity with more money than principles will undoubtedly rise to the dark side void left by another. But one can be pleased that one source for the war on Christmas has retreated if only temporarily.

If you haven’t already it may be time to consider the New Year. Reflection on the one passing may be a good place to start. Whether an introspective analysis or simply assembling plans for 2010 goals there is no shortage of items to consider. We can all do better. It’s a target rich environment filled with an array of items we can contribute are time and energy to even if much is in short supply these days.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Beyond lawyers and politicians the group fighting for the most despised category must be academics or academia or just plain teachers. Some of the other definitions for academic are on point: (from Princeton, Wordnet

marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

hypothetical or theoretical and not expected to produce an immediate or practical result

That pretty much sums it up. But to try and quell the angst this may produce for some reading this post a little compassion on their behalf. There are of course good teachers and bad teachers. When teachers are good they can be very, very good but when they are bad they are typical. Feel free to decide for yourself which category the professor in the story from the following excerpt belongs.

What kind of Grinch would recommend parents tell their toddlers that Santa Claus isn’t real? If you guessed a liberal arts professor at a prestigious east coast college, give yourself a grade-inflated A plus.

The magic and mystery I recall as a youngster at Christmas are among my favorite memories. I still vicariously enjoy the Santa part knowing another generation is experiencing that wonder again this year. As for the magic and mystery of the primary focus of Christmas it will endure in me as long as I breathe.

Someone should yank the tenure of Professor Pompous or banish him to a Charles Dickens’ novel.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Ah, more Christmas related stories to feature this year. The one presented here today addresses the primary focus of Christmas…… religion. As long as I can remember their have been challenges to religious beliefs. Thinking back to my earliest memories on the topic points to biblical stories themselves. It seems Jesus was confronted quite frequently by those who challenged what he had to say.

Every year at about this time, readers can count on a few Christmas-themed articles appearing in newspapers and magazines that question the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. It really is something to see the wide variety of people who get worked up over this ancient Christian belief.

I am religious but probably not in the conventional definition whatever that might be. I was raised Catholic and attended both private and public schools in my elementary and secondary education. It was not uncommon to be met with the ire of a nun when making inquiries about faith. Questions about that which was difficult to understand at an early age rarely produced the intended result. One quickly learned whom to ask and when. Lest you repeat the unfortunate mistake more than once.

Yet those early experiences did not cause me to abandon my belief in God or diminish my faith. Theologians and others who dedicate themselves to the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of religion ask questions and seek answers all the time. Then are those who present arguments against religion much like those who challenged Jesus in the biblical accounts eluded to earlier. That is to say some are genuinely seeking understanding and others are merely guided by a personal agenda that opposes the idea of religion or a particular religion. Determining which group they belong to is the task.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Thomas Sowell’s take on the liberal obsession with healthcare reform and the true intentions for passing flawed legislation exposes what may be the fatal flaw to Barack Obama’s first term as President. It is expressed in the title, ‘Unhealthy Arrogance.’

A case in point on President Obama’a arrogance from this week’s news is his characterization that the terrorist on Flight 253 is an ‘isolated extremist.’ Similar to that expression is the Obamanation effort to label the loyal opposition of the grassroots variety, meaning the public at large, as violent right wing extremists. This arrogance can translate to dangerous in pursuit of his agenda and some bizarre legacy.

If you’re unfamiliar with Thomas Sowell’s work the following references are provided. Otherwise you can follow the linked excerpt below to read the current article.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Thomas Sowell’s bio at the Hoover Institution

Thomas Sowell’s website

excerpt and link to the current article….
In short, this is not about improving the health of the American people. It is about passing something — anything — to keep the Obama administration from ending up with egg on its face by being unable to pass a bill, after so much hype and hoopla. Politically, looking impotent is a formula for disaster at election time. Far better to pass even bad legislation that will not actually go into effect until after the 2012 presidential election, so that the public will not know whether it makes medical care better or worse until it is too late for the voters to hold the administration accountable.

In an effort to continue providing inspiring or insightful stories and commentary this Christmas season another gem was found at Hot Air. The excerpt below is linked to the author’s blog as if presenting it here would have any real influence on sending traffic in that direction. But for readers of this blog it is offered as another breath of fresh air to maintain tradition and principled thought.

Like other Christmas posts featured here this week to counter the troubling trend in some circles to diminish or abandon traditional American values the piece by Doctor Zero strikes a familiar chord. One does not need to subscribe to a particular religion, philosophy or share beliefs or agree with those held by others to appreciate or respect an effort to express peace and joy any time it happens.

Some of the most generous and charitable acts for benefit of others occur during Christmas. It is an annual event that inspires good. To demean or diminish it seems, I dunno, Grinch-like. Are there other events that inspire good? Yes. Should they be acknowledged as well? Yes. But this week on this blog we’re talking Christmas in America. Because some seem to think it should be downplayed. Not a notion received well on this blog and other places.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Who can embrace the full meaning of the birth we celebrate in this season, without loving the sound of laughing children playing with new toys, or young voices raised in carols of sleigh bells, snow, and mistletoe? Those who don’t believe in the divinity of Christmas Day have no reason to injure the faith of those who do… and the faithful have no reason to suffocate anything that spreads joy through the world, on this day we take as proof that Heaven loves us, and wants us to be happy.

First homeland security princess Janet Napolitano said the systems worked in the Flight 253 incidents. Second, President Obama was uncharacteristically silent as an opportunity to pontificate presented itself. Third, Napolitano initiated damage control for her earlier pathetic appraisal of national security. Fourth, President Obama, for reasons we can imagine, broke his silence on the matter and part of a report from the Obama hijacked VOA News is below.

The president’s demeanor was serious as he faced reporters in Hawaii, where he is vacationing with his family. He talked about the steps that have been taken to improve airline safety since the attempted attack. And he sought to reassure the American people, saying that the government is doing all it can to keep the public safe and secure.

He said extra law enforcement officers will be put on many flights, and that the passenger screening process is being reviewed - including revising the computerized lists used to detect high risk individuals.

The president added that he is conferring with his national security team. He spoke of their determination to deal with the terrorist threat. “We will continue to use every element of our national power to disrupt, to dismantle and defeat the violent extremists who threaten us - whether they are from Afghanistan or Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia or anywhere where they are plotting attacks against the U.S. homeland,” he said.

President Obama urged Americans to be vigilant but confident as they travel during the current holiday season and throughout the coming year

Sorry Mr President but it appears the only ones concerned about national security are those you and your cronies have labeled violent fringe right wingers who attend tea parties. As far as extra law enforcement goes Barry, there is no extra. There’s what you have and what you use. There’s no extra. Review this if there is something you want to review. See below.

Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate CIA interrogations of high-value detainees came under attack Sunday from key figures in both parties.

The intelligence community has every reason to doubt your sincerity.

The White House will not weigh in on the case of the three Navy SEALs facing court martial for allegedly mistreating an Iraqi terror suspect believed to have been behind the slaying of four Americans in 2004

And it is fortunate those who serve in the military have their own leadership who inspire them as their Commander-in-Chief has abandoned that role.

Why do 2010 and 2012 keep coming to mind? Sorry, it’s just another rhetorical question. But feel free to answer if the notion strikes.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Barry from DC’s homeland security princess, Janet Napolitano, first stated the US national security system worked in referring to an attempt to detonate explosives on board a US airliner landing in Detroit on Christmas. Today she is stumbling over herself to produce damage control for her previous appraisal. No doubt this is taking place at the ‘urging’ of others in the Obamanation.

But let’s not focus only on the Obama Administration’s reaction to a failed terrorist attack. Failed only because the terrorist fortunately botched the assignment. Members of the US Congress are equally disappointing in their response to the event.

from the House Committee on Homeland Security…..

The reported act of terrorism – whether directly related to al Qaeda or not – and the response to it will be the focus of an oversight hearing next month. The Committee will get to the bottom of what did and did not happen with Mr. Abdulmutallab and what security precautions need to take place in the future.”

from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security….

WASHINGTON - Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., and Ranking Member Susan Collins, R-Me., announced Monday that they would convene a hearing in January to examine the layers of security meant to protect airline passengers from terrorist attacks but which accused terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab successfully evaded.

Hearings scheduled for January!!! So this is how are fine leaders respond to dropping the ball on national security. Not to worry folks, your elected and appointed leaders are on the job. They’re not concerned enough to interrupt their Christmas and New Year’s plans to deal with security breaches so you should not worry either. Just continue as before….. clueless.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Open thread: Obama’s statement on the Christmas Day jihadi attack; Perfunctory, hasty, and bloodless (Michelle Malkin)

Another event to once again raise the discussion on national security. Not like the status of US national security is ever erased from the American consciousness but one has to wonder if that includes the Obama Administration? The President has been criticized for not being more visible on this and other issues since heading to Hawaii on vacation. His security princess, Napolitano, stated after the Flight 253 incident, the first of two, that ‘the system’ was working properly. That someone was able to board a commercial aircraft and attempt to detonate explosives on final approach contradicts Napolitano’s conclusion. Unless only doing something after the fact is her idea of national security. And even then, simply notifying other commercial aircraft of the conditions on Flight 253 is of little value.

For those who missed it a Delta or Northwest (owned by Delta) flight, number 253, had a Nigerian passenger who attempted to detonate explosives on board as summarized above. A strange coincidence, or not, involved the same flight number on a subsequent flight in which another passenger was either detained and/or arrested for causing a disturbance. One troubling set of circumstances finds reports about the first incident suggesting the description of the ‘perp’ as a terrorist was premature and early reports about the second incident being characterized as a second terrorist attack. How’s that for a spot on press response?

Here’s a more recent account of the second incident.

A U.S. law enforcement official says an unruly passenger was detained Sunday when a Northwest Airlines flight landed in Detroit, Michigan, but he was later declared as not a security threat.

The plane was on the same route and carried the same flight number as one on Friday, when a Nigerian man allegedly tried to blow up Northwest Flight 253 just before landing.

In the latest incident, security personnel arrested a passenger upon landing Sunday because he was verbally abusive to the flight crew and had locked himself in the airplane bathroom for a long time.

The pilot radioed for emergency help. Passengers were evacuated and dogs sniffed the luggage which was spread out on the tarmac.

A law enforcement official tells news agencies that the passenger turned out to be a businessman who got sick during the flight .

And another recent update provides an excerpt on the initial incident.

Passengers have told investigators the man went into the bathroom for 20 minutes before landing, and then when he went to sit down, said he had stomach problems, and pulled a blanket on himself.

Just as the plane was getting ready to land, they heard a pop, smelled smoke and then saw the man on fire.

A Dutch passenger jumped on the Nigerian to subdue him, and blankets were used to put out the fire.

Does this brief review adequately establish Napolitano’s press statements are absurd? Certainly everyone is entitle to their opinion but you can guess that most Americans expect a different outcome in order to state the ’system worked’ when discussing US national security.

On the topic of President Obama’s silence on the matter in recent reports this blog’s reaction. It is reminiscent of an old expression about incompetence that begins with ‘better to be viewed as an idiot than….’. You probably know the rest.

Some related items are provided below on the explosive (PETN) reportedly used in the first incident.

a highly explosive organic compound belonging to the same chemical family as nitroglycerin—i.e., the nitric acid esters of polyalcohols.

PETN was introduced as an explosive after World War I. It is used by itself in detonators and detonating fuses (Primacord) and in a mixture, called pentolite, with an equal amount of trinitrotoluene (TNT) in grenades and projectiles.

PETN is a colourless, crystalline material that is generally stored and shipped as a mixture with water. It is less sensitive than nitroglycerin but is easily detonated. Valued for its shattering force and efficiency, PETN is the least stable of the common military explosives but retains its properties in storage for longer periods than nitroglycerin or cellulose nitrate (nitrocellulose) does. PETN is also used in medicine as a heart stimulant.

Yup, good old-fashioned human technology about a century old.

OSHA does not have a PEL for pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN), which is used both as a drug for preventing angina pectoris and as an explosive.

If you really need to know what a PEL is the following link explains along with many other items typcially covered on a MSDS or Material Safety Data Sheet. And one last related OSHA link.

OSHA has data on PETN. Now if only DHS had detection methods for this well-known explosive and implemented them to avoid a Flight 253 problem.

As a final note for this post a political point is in order. Bush bashers frequently express 9/11 happened on the Bush 43 watch so it was his fault. This blog has stated in the past that there is plenty of blame to go around regarding US national security. A couple of things to keep in mind. 9/11 was not conceived, planned or otherwise arranged by terrorists in less than eight months which is the time George W Bush was in office prior to the attack. Before that President Clinton completed two terms in office and posts here as well as information freely available elsewhere indicate some dropping of the ball as regards terrorism and Osama bin Laden, etc.

When Bush 43 took office and after 9/11 occurred it became his war on terror and he owned the problem. An unfortunate downside to pursuing public office. Post 9/11 the Bush Administration was successful on matters of national security for two terms. The same ownership transfer now applies to President Obama. Given the Flight 253 episode(s), Napolitano’s statement, Obama’s silence, the previous and now infamous warning by VPOTUS Joe Biden the national security situation is once more front and center.

Nothing about current US national security policy inspires confidence.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

I’ll be home for Christmas are familiar lyrics and just as familiar is the fact that those who serve in the military are likely to lament ‘if only in my dreams’ as the next lyric this time of year. In addition to all they do for our nation and regardless of their religious affiliation being away from family, friends and important events at home is one more burden they bear.

Today’s post is handed off by excerpt and link to someone who can speak to this topic from experience. A topic we all need to keep in mind. And one we can all find ways to help lighten the load. The least we can do for what they do for all of us.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

When I landed in Iraq, one of the first things I was told was, “In Iraq, every day is Monday.” And to that I’d add: “And the Grinch always steals Christmas.”

Especially for the men on the line, there is no weekly or even monthly rhythm of life like we have in the States. You just do what you do, day in and day out, until you go home. Then one day you go to the dining facility (if you’re fortunate enough to be working from a base), and there’s a cake and some Christmas decorations. A few days later, there’s another set of decorations. Your friends tell you “Merry Christmas,” then “Happy New Year,” and you just keep working. In my case, that meant preparations for a New Year’s offensive. For others, that meant another patrol. For still others, it meant another broken tank to fix, more rounds to load into the howitzer, or more time hunched over a radio.

Every now and then an article appears that begs for commentary. Not by the author but what the author writes. This one comes from WaPo and focuses on an old label, the glass ceiling, and electing a woman president.

This post avoids or ignores the introduction which focuses on trash talking during the 2008 presidential primary. For good reason, it should be avoided and ignored always even when it first appears.

Here’s an excerpt that seems to miss its own point.

Clinton erred strategically early on, ceding college campuses — including college women — to Obama. She also struggled with whether to portray her campaign as “historic,” debating the idea of a speech on gender for months. Focused on proving her toughness, she missed out on key endorsements from women, including Oprah Winfrey and Caroline Kennedy. Only when women began to see her as under siege during the New Hampshire primary campaign did Clinton begin to pick up steam among the constituency that would rally to her side for the rest of the primaries. But it was too late.

Let’s see. Hillary Rodham Clinton ‘missed out on key endorsements from women, including Oprah Winfrey and Caroline Kennedy’ as the result of trying to prove her toughness? How about the obvious choice for O-prah’s vote was O-bama? The Dems elite would anoint the Messiah as they did Kerry/Edwards the previous election. And Caroline would not endorse HRC on a ‘toughness’ issue? Uh huh. Right. Sure. NOT!

In a primary election one needs to convince the electorate and a major party one can WIN. This is after all politics. And if you believe gender is the sole reason a woman has not yet been elected president think again. Any time a candidate must overcome a serious obstacle to the public’s evaluation of their electability other attributes must render that negative meaningless.

Is gender an obstacle to winning elections? Sure. Can it be overcome? Sure, Golda Meir in 1969, Indira Ghandi in 1966, Margaret Thatcher in 1979 all beat the gender issue and one could say under considerably more challenging venues than in the USA. The list goes on and a link listing such things is available here

If women do not vote for women how is that a gender issue? But certainly the question is raised if a man does not vote for a female candidate. Hey, I’m a man. I voted for Sarah Palin even in light of her major obstacle, John McCain.

So drop the glass ceiling argument.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

Dec 24 2009

In the Christmas category on this blog is at least one post about that nasty trend of substituting Happy Holidays or Season’s Greetings for the traditional expression of Merry Christmas. This is a topic that needs to be addressed on a regular basis. Some time back in the forum on this site a topic kept a running account of Google’s propensity for announcing all manner of historical events and various milestones including birthdays of the famous except for the one that falls on December 25th each year.

This year was a bit of departure for the search engine giant. As of this writing they presented at least five ‘holiday’ related doodles with their logo in as many days. The fifth actually seemed to be some sort of compromise on past performance. It seemed to present, along with the universal peace sign, a silhouette that may be the Virgin Mary. I could be wrong.

In the spirit of what was just described comes a piece from the American Spectator that may warm your heart during Christmas time. Every now and then sanity prevails. Even if some of the participants in the story only did the right thing for the wrong reasons. Click on the link below.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

There’s the minister. The bell ringers. And that iconic piece of Americana called The Mall.

In this case the minister is the Reverend Phil Cockrell, the minister of music and worship at Country and Town Baptist Church. The bell ringers are the handbell choir from Country and Town. And the part of The Mall is played by Capital City Mall, a piece of American malldom that sprawls over a piece of suburban acreage over the river and through the still occasional woods of the Pennsylvania state capital of Harrisburg.

You know what’s coming here, don’t you?

Dec 21 2009

There are many Christmas stories. Not only the story of Christmas itself and other accounts related to this time of year, the season and the event. But personal anecdotes that demonstrate one reason Christmas is important.

One brief description I can offer is the time I took my daughter with me when delivering a contribution to the local food bank for lack of a better term(s). The idea was to not so subtly expose the young one to an up close and personal introduction to those who are less fortunate or in some sort of need which exceeds our own. It seemed fitting to take her along on one of my annual treks to try and do my part for others.

Her eyes grew wide as we entered the food bank and made our way toward the back of the building to deposit our contributions. Recipients of the bounty provided by the community were busy attending to their business as if no one else was there. The haphazard and nearly raucous temperament of some were the cause of my child’s wide-eyed response.

We didn’t stay long and had a discussion upon returning to the car. You can guess how that went. But it left an impression and for some hours during the remainder of the day the conversation continued. I believe my intentions were understood and the proper impression was made.

Although the idea of giving during this special religious occasion is not uncommon adding a little reality about life in general seemed a good lesson for a young mind. I have never of course regretted my choice on that day. The response from my daughter was as I had hoped.

There are more stories like this. An excerpt and link below presents another.

Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com

This is a story, first told in The HOYA newspaper at Georgetown University, that I re-tell in a new column about every ten years or so, each time from memory (rather than by looking at my previous columns on this subject) and with the differing perspectives caused by the passing of time — so, some minor emphases in details may change, but not the basic facts of the story.