Merry Christmas post

Thank you everyone for your comments, and excellent points. I've been blogging for over a year and never have I gotten such a response. I thank you for reading, and especially thank you for sharing your thoughts. I do have respect for the points each of you made.

What do I do with my tree now?

A great article from the Hillsboro Argus has some great ideas. Click here for more.

Merry Christmas... There, I said it.

I realize its suddenly become a taboo of sorts to say Merry Christmas.

We don't want to exclude or offend.

I mean, don't say "God bless you" when someone sneezes.

It's, "bless you", or "Gesundheit" to be really safe.

I noticed while shopping this year, many clerks didn't say Merry Christmas to me as I was checking out.

Some did, however, respond with a polite "thank you", "you too" or "Happy Holidays".

Bleh.

Some answered with a happy, "Merry Christmas to YOU", my favorite because it felt like they were almost relieved that it was suddenly okay to say it because a customer had said it to them.

Who ARE these people that we are worried about offending?

Has anyone EVER gotten a negative response for a "God bless you" or a "Merry Christmas"? The Christmas trees downtown are, what... "Holiday Trees" now? How many other holidays besides Christmas and Arbor day are represented by trees?

None.

Friends, its a Christmas tree.

The Christmas time nativity seen is what... a "Holiday Homeless Family"?

What will the mighty political correctness movement offer us next?

Can't we agree that its not offensive to say, or hear, a well intended salutation and move on to other more pressing matters in our world?


**** Update 12/31/05....
Thank you everyone for your comments, and excellent points. I've been blogging for over a year and never have I gotten such a response. I thank you for reading, and especially thank you for sharing your thoughts. I do have respect for the points each of you made.

Faaaancy Footwork

The NBA's Most Valuable Player, Steve Nash of my Phoenix Suns, is an amazing, amazing athlete. Check out this fantastic clip featuring his amazing footwork blending basketball and soccer.

Suns stats and stuff

** Phoenix is in a first-place tie in the Pacific Division after yesterday's 111-83 rout of Seattle. And the Suns haven't played with that guy Amare yet.

** Entering Tuesday, Phoenix was second in the NBA to San Antonio for least points yielded per possession.

** Seven Suns were posting career-high scoring averages entering Tuesday. They are Jones (10.2), Nash (18.3), Bell (12.4), Burke (4.8), Barbosa (13.9), Boris Diaw (10.6) and Eddie House (10.1).

** Shawn Marion ranks first in USA Today's Divergent Skills Gauge, a versatility scale that sums up dunks, three-point shots made, blocks and steals and subtracts fouls.
Marion's total of 101 entering Tuesday blew away the next closest players, Cleveland's LeBron James (62) and Seattle's Rashard Lewis (61).

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Hoodie

How cute is she?

Snow on my Jetta

NBC, Apple announce iTunes TV show deal

NBC Universal and Apple on Tuesday announced a deal that brings NBC television content to Apple’s iTunes Music Store. iTunes now offers more than 300 episodes of 16 shows, according to the statement.

Like ABC’s content, new NBC shows will be uploaded and available from iTunes the day after they’re broadcast.

The videos can be played back on any Mac or PC running the latest update to iTunes, and can also be downloaded and played back on Apple’s recently released video-capable iPods.

NBC TV content available on iTunes includes Law & Order, The Office, Surface, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Monk, the Sci-Fi Channel’s production of Battlestar Galactica, and classics like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Dragnet, Adam 12 and Knight Rider.

How to help...

Oregon Community Warehouse is a nonprofit agency in Portland that provides furniture and household items to people in need, at no cost. Their goal is to help low-income individuals and families improve their quality of life by providing the basic items needed to set up a home.

OCW works in partnership with over 120 social services agencies in the Portland metro area. These agencies refer those clients in need of basic household items, including women escaping domestic violence, individuals and families who have been homeless, elderly persons, people with mental and physical disabilities, migrant and refugee families, youth and adults recovering from substance abuse, and the working poor.

Your donations of furniture and household items go directly to people in need.

Visit http://www.oregoncommunitywarehouse.org/ for details. Or click here

News junkies rejoice!

CNN.com on Monday launched the CNN Pipeline, an on-demand broadband video service.

The cable news company said the new service is "designed to revolutionize the way people view news online." The company added the Pipeline service gives users control of multiple live video streams, CNN's video archives and on-demand news clips from CNN's newsgathering operation around the world.

Update: I didn't realize when I first posted this, you have to pay for it.

Bleh.

Almost a cool idea.

Sportscenter on the go!

Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN cable sports network is mulling a deal to distribute some television programs on Apple's iTunes music and video service, possibly joining its corporate cousin in a landmark deal, ESPN and ABC Sports president George Bodenheimer said on Monday.

Photo: (Monica Davey/Reuters)

No more knee whacking for you....

A judge has refused to clear the record of the man who whacked skater Nancy Kerrigan on the knee in 1994, likely ending his hopes to become a Navy SEAL.

Shane Stant says the Navy's special warfare unit will not accept anyone with a felony conviction.

Portland tops UCLA to win NCAA women's title

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Christine Sinclair scored two goals and Portland beat UCLA 4-0 in the NCAA women's soccer national championship game on Sunday.Angie Woznuk added a goal and an assist for the Pilots (24-0-2), who won their second title in three years. Portland beat Santa Clara 2-1 in the 2002 championship game.

This year, Portland became the only team other than North Carolina to finish an unbeaten season with a championship.

Left Photo: AP
Right Photo: JAMIE FRANCIS/The Oregonian

TiVo to let users buy movie tickets, check traffic

TiVo Inc. on Thursday said some customers can now buy movie tickets and check local weather on their television, yet another upgrade aimed at proving its set-top box is more valuable than ones made by its cable and satellite rivals.

The services, include access to the movie ticket system Fandango, online radio via Live365, and the ability to listen to Internet-based programing, or podcasts. Users can also view traffic, weather and personal photos from Yahoo Inc.

(PRNewsFoto/Reuters)

People! Step away from the Hotmail!

Microsoft Corp. said Friday that some people who use its Hotmail and MSN e-mail services are not receiving e-mail sent from Comcast Corp. accounts and other Internet service providers.

Verizon to Offer Cell Phone TV Service

Verizon Wireless has signed on as the first cellular carrier that will offer a broadcast TV network for mobile phones that Qualcomm Inc. plans to launch in late 2006.

Remember the movie "Face Off"?

Doctors who recently gave a French woman the world's first partial face transplant did not try normal reconstructive surgery first, raising questions about whether the operation was ethical.

Montgomery Marks Rosa Parks Anniversary

Hundreds of children marched today from the site where Rosa Parks made history 50 years ago, commemorating the anniversary of the day she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man.