A Fitting Tribute.

Related Story.

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

Many indigenous leaders in Amazonas state defend the group, and on Friday hundreds marched through the southern town of Puerto Ayacucho to protest Chavez's decision. Some said they support government efforts including the granting of collective property titles to Indian groups but don't see the sense in kicking out missionaries who help the tribes.

Speaking through an interpreter, Tute, the tribal leader, said the Joti people have come to know the white missionaries as neighbors.

He said the villagers, who still speak only Joti, have not been pressured to abandon their beliefs and customs. They still hunt with blow guns and cook cassava over stone hearths in the ground.

But some changes have come: The missionaries have invented a way of writing the Joti language, and many Joti have learned it.

The missionaries say they stretch their donated funds to cover expenses of flying in food and supplies and airlifting tribe members to medical attention in emergencies via a short, grassy airstrip.

"There was never anybody who helped us like this before," Tute said. "It pains me to think of losing them."

With such a shortage of aid providers, one would think groups like NTM would be considered partners in the battle against poverty in Venezuela. However, it appears that Chavez is most interested in indoctrinating his people into his own brand of socialism and making sure that foreign influences, like the NTM, are replaced by his own form of "kingdom building."

Of course, the NTM expulsion was also aided by the recent careless word of televangelist, Pat Robertson, who advocated the assassination of Chavez by U.S. forces. Following Robertson's "apology," the Chavez administration promised to "more closely scrutinize and curtail foreign evangelical missionary activity." With Robertson handing them a gift by providing a reason to become more openly suspicious of evangelical groups, they are using it as a smoke screen to make good on that promise and further advance his Castro-backed, Socialist agenda.

Labels: David C. Price

Nearly 8 1/2 months after suffering a mild stroke, Tedy Bruschi played as if he had never been away from the New England Patriots.

The veteran linebacker participated in 64 of 77 defensive plays and recorded seven tackles in the Patriots' 21-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.

Good to have you back, Tedy. The Patriots, improving to 4-3, are still solidly in first place in the AFC East.

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

As I said in my last update, surgery went well...but little else following that did.

To start from the real beginning, two weeks ago when we began the process of planning for surgery, we told the nurses that K could not have Codine (allergic) or Morphine (does nothing for the pain). We knew this well, mind you, because we had just gone through this three weeks earlier after her first surgery (correction: 4 weeks, 5 days, my wife tells me...but who's counting). The only drug that seemed to help at all was one called Delauden. At that time, we requested that be the pain medication to be administered following the surgery.

OK, fast forward to yesterday. When K checked in, she reiterated during the first pre-op interview what drugs worked, what she was allergic to, and what didn't. Later, she went through it again with two other nurses before I got there and then we both spoke with yet another nurse AND the anesthesiologist before surgery, being assured once again that they got it.

The surgery concluded at about 3:30 and we were moved to the room at about 5:00. As the nurse began to hook the pain drip to the IV, Karen casually mentions something about the Delauden. "Huh?" said the nurse. "The Delauden... for the pain," says Karen. "Uh...,"replied the nurse. We looked at the injector and in bold letters..."MORPHINE." This particular nurse had been told nothing and had no idea about anything that had transpired earlier, this being what the surgeon ordered.

With my wife's arm being satisfactorily deadened for at least four more hours, we casually asked the nurse to please work on getting the correct medication before the block wore off at 9:00. "No problem, I'll put a call into the surgeon," declares nurse Denise. An hour later, we call back to the nurse to check on the progress. She's not heard back from the surgeon. OK, we'll wait, but please stay on top of it. Another hour passes...nothing. Yet another hour goes by and the surgeon finally called in a prescription, but the pharmacy has to deliver it up. Long story a little shorter, it's 9:15 P.M., the block began wearing off at around 8:45 and by now has worn off completely. The pain strikes with a vengeance. I make my way politely, but with great determination down the hall to have a "chat" with one of the nurses. They hastily make their way down to the pharmacy, get the drug, and get it into my wife's IV at around 9:45 P.M. In the meantime, Karen is in absolute agony, trying to control the pain of having her arm sliced open and screws drilled into her bone through deep-breathing (you know, the Lamaze stuff that pregant women do), tears quietly streaming down her face. Me, I'm breathing deeply, but it's not pain (except for the hurt I feel having to helplessly watch this)...I'm trying to keep my cool in the midst of incompetence.

Finally, the pain begins to subside a half hour or so later after a couple of other minor issues, and I begin to settle into my recliner for a little sleep since I had to be up and at work by seven the next morning. The floor we were on looked almost like a hotel with these really pretty rooms, so I'm thinking that recliner over there should be pretty comfortable. As I wearily lower my tired bones into the chair, I'm thinking it's not too bad so I push on the arms of the chair to "recline." I say "recline" because it doesn't really recline, it's more of a...a tilt (body stays pretty much in a sitting position but rared back as if one is sitting in a rocket ship waiting to be shot into orbit...of course, I had already been into orbit over the problems with K's medication). Not only does this chair do nothing more than tilt, but as soon as you take your hands off of the arms of the chair...it untilts (as if one who was prepared to be shot into orbit was suddenly and forcefully dropped back onto the lift off pad). Giving up, I throw three little blankets, the thickness of a worn sheet, on the cold, hard concrete floor and settle in for a series of naps in between the visits paid by the hospitality committee every couple of hours or so.

All in all, it was a lovely experience.

Labels: David C. Price

UPDATE II: 9:00 P.M. Surgery went well. It took about half the time as they anticipated which was great. The surgeon felt that she will have a full recovery. He also showed me the pictures he took of the surgery. The yuck factor was pretty high but not too bad. It’s kind of weird to see a picture of your wife’s arm dissected before you with a metal plate mounted inside.

Currently, Karen is resting well in a comfortable room. As for pain, she still feels like an amputee (at least as far as she thinks one might feel) since her arm has been deadened, but she is beginning to feel twinges of pain. This could still prove to be a long night…and short on sleep.

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

A high school in New Hampshire has eliminated the term “freshman” and will now refer only to “ninth graders” because it’s a gender-neutral term.

While they’re at it, may I suggest they replace the title “administrators” with “raving lunatics” as well.

Ridiculous Item of the Day: NCAA Goes On The War Path

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

THE PEARCEY REPORT
NOW OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED

Today marks the official launch of The Pearcey Report, a website of news, comment, information, and worldview. It can be viewed online at www.pearceyreport.com.J. Richard Pearcey is editor and publisher of the report. Rick has worked as a journalist, writer, and editor in the Washington, D.C., area since the late 1980s.

Best-selling author Nancy Pearcey is editor-at-large. Her most recent book is TOTAL TRUTH: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity. She is also the Francis A. Schaeffer Scholar at the World Journalism Institute.

There is much to explore in the The Pearcey Report. A few highlights:
News: The News section connects readers with breaking stories of the day from around the world -- in politics, international affairs, the arts, science, health, books, film, people, the odd tidbit, and more.

Comment: The Comment section features insight and opinion from a variety of observers and news outlets.

Articles: The Articles section offers a strategic and humane analysis of contemporary life, thought, and action. Expect to encounter the work of seminal Judeo-Christian worldview thinkers such as Francis Schaeffer, C.S. Lewis, Udo Middelmann, Os Guinness, and Nancy Pearcey.

Information: The information component opens the door to the wider world of U.S. and international media -- and to a life beyond the crisis of the moment. Thus, in addition to websites for columnists, think tanks, and activist groups, also available are resources for further study, travel, world cities, and more.

The website has already received praise for its design. The Pearceys want to thank webdesigner Tim Challies (www.challies.com) of Websonix for his expertise and terrific work in helping make The Pearcey Report attractive and engaging.

For more information about The Pearcey Report, see www.pearceyreport.com.
Or contact the Pearceys at Pearcey@pearceyreport.com.

Labels: David C. Price

Quebec voters are a famously tolerant lot. They elect many gay and lesbian politicians, and they seem to think that political leaders who don't admit to having smoked marijuana are lacking in joie de vivre.

One premier in the 1970's ran over and killed a homeless man and then was re-elected.

So nobody was particularly surprised when André Boisclair, a 39-year-old gay man who banters about his sexuality on television talk shows, became the instant front-runner in the leadership race to head the separatist Parti Québécois.

The real test of Quebecers' broad-mindedness began last month, however, with a published report about Mr. Boisclair's lively night life in Quebec City - complete with excessive drinking and cocaine use - while serving in the provincial cabinet in the 1990's.

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

According to a report in USA Today, the New Orleans Saints owner, Tom Benson, is working with Texas officials to permanently relocate the team to the Lone Star State. N.O. mayor Ray Nagin was none to slow to voice his disapproval, stating that New Orleans wanted the team back, but the owner could stay:

"I'm ready to go to the NFL and to (commissioner Paul) Tagliabue and say, 'Give us the Cleveland plan,'" Nagin added, referring to the league awarding Cleveland an expansion team almost immediately after the Browns moved to Baltimore after the 1995 season. "Whatever the Saints want to do, you let them leave, but they can't take our logo, they can't take our name, and you give us a promise to give us a franchise when this city's back."

This is a pretty big slap in the face to the city that has forked over millions of dollars over the last several years to develop and improve facilities for the Saints at Benson's demand.

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

Forty-one percent of respondents said Bush's presidency will be seen as unsuccessful in the long run, while 26 percent said the opposite. Thirty-five percent said it was too early to tell, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

In January, 36 percent said successful and 27 percent said unsuccessful.

The increasing pessimism about Bush's long-term prospects comes at a time when many polls have found the public increasingly is negative about Bush's performance and the direction of the country.

Seven in 10 said they want the next president to offer policies and programs that are different from the Bush administration's.

Only half said they wanted the next president to offer different policies in 2000, at the end of the Clinton presidency. By a 2-1 margin, people said the Bush administration has had a negative impact on politics and the way government works.

Labels: David C. Price

Labels: David C. Price

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch burglar phoned police after fleeing in panic when he found the corpse of an 89-year-old woman in a house he broke into in The Hague.

Police said they were still searching for the burglar who 'got the fright of his life.'

'He said he was the burglar and that he found a corpse,' a police spokesman said. 'He found the mortal remains in one of the rooms and left the home to call emergency number 112.'

Police were investigating if anything was stolen and believed the woman may have been dead for some time.

Labels: David C. Price

Asked if they would vote for a qualified woman for president, 13% of Americans in a USA TODAY Poll last month said no — including 16% of women, 10% of men.

That's about double the percentage who ruled out voting for a Jew, black or Catholic the last time those questions were asked, in 2003.

What's more, some of the 86% who said they would vote for a woman probably didn't mean it, says Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Poll at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Those surveyed "feel some social pressure to say the 'acceptable' response," he says, and may want to reflect the nation's aspirations as a land of opportunity.

The 34% who said "most of my neighbors" wouldn't vote for a female president may have given a more candid measure of the public's views.

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The teachings avoided religious discussions, Cole said. According to student surveys he collected through the time he taught intelligent design, 98 percent of the nearly 1,000 students he taught preferred a side-by-side presentation, he said.

'When it comes to the origin of life, it's been very much a closed market, and no opportunity to consider alternative explanation,' said Cole, who hopes to restore intelligent design this year. 'The majority of science teachers choose to avoid the subject because of the controversy; they would just rather not even teach it.'

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