Charmaine sends this out to the AUL good-guy list,

It's nearly Independence Day, and, here in the Yoest household, that means a road trip!

Friday afternoon, Jack and I are filling up our black Suburban and taking our 'Penta-posse' -- our five kids -- to Charlottesville, VA, for our 14-year-old son John's all-star baseball tournament. How wonderful to spend July 4th in a city steeped in American history near the University of Virginia (my alma mater!), which was founded by Thomas Jefferson just a few miles from his Monticello home.

John Yoest, age 14
[Pitched a no hitter on his JV team -- as an 8th grader]
Photo Credit: Hannah Yoest

But although the calendar -- and the heat index -- says it's July 4, in my heart it feels like late November.

Independence Day has always been a kind of early Thanksgiving for me. I think about the sacrifices made by the Founding Fathers and their families, and of the blood shed by patriots so that America could be free, and I am so very thankful to be able to raise my children in the greatest country in the world.

The Founders wrote in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

In naming three inalienable rights as endowed by humanity's Creator, the Declaration's authors were recognizing something unique and beautiful about being human. Taken together, those rights enable all the goods necessary for human flourishing.

More than that, the order in which the Founders listed the rights carries special meaning; it reveals the way one right flows from another. The right to liberty -- the freedom to thrive -- flows from the right to life, and from that liberty flows the ability to seek the happiness that will give one's life meaning and purpose.

I'm so honored to be working with the AUL team to further the understanding that the right to life enshrined in our Declaration extends to all humanity and includes the unborn.

The right to life is the foundation of all the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. This is what we must teach our children on this family holiday, so that they and their children and their children's children may continue to live in a free country long after you and I have left this world.

My friend and AUL colleague Bob told me today about a wonderful Fourth of July tradition in his family. Every year, he and his wife host a barbecue that is highlighted by having one of the children present, usually his own daughter, read out loud the entire Declaration of Independence.

Jack and I like that idea so much that we are adopting this as a Yoest family tradition. I think we'll have Helena, our 12-year-old who has a dramatic flair, read the Declaration of Independence before we watch the fireworks after John's baseball game. If you'd like join us in that tradition, click here for a printable copy of the Declaration.

Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy Fourth,

Charmaine, and the Yoest family

P.S. On Monday, the AUL team will be back at the job of defending the right to life, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. For the latest news on President Obama's high-court nominee, visit Sotomayor411.com. It's a one-stop resource we've created to share in-depth background and analysis from our legal team on Judge Sotomayor, including detailed information on why she is worse on life issues than retiring Justice David Souter.

Join Fight FOCA

Thank you (foot)notes:

Follow us on Twitter.

Pro-Abortion Hispanic Group: Sotomayor Set Policy, Not Involved in Legal Briefs, by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor, July 1, 2009,

"Although the Senate will have a significant amount of materials to wade through, Charmaine Yoest, the president of Americans United for Life, has seen enough to say Sotomayor is pro-abortion and worse than Justice David Souter, whom she would replace.

Yoest points out that, during Sotomayor's time on the PRLDEF's board, its efforts "included no less than six briefs in five abortion-related cases before the Supreme Court -- pushing aggressively for an interpretation of abortion rights that would eliminate most or all state and federal abortion regulations while requiring state and federal funding of abortion."

In two of the legal briefs, "the PRLDEF's briefs took positions more extreme than those of Justice Souter, who joined with the court's majority to uphold restrictions the fund wanted struck down," Yoest added.

Ultimately, "Justice Sotomayor has never disavowed any of the PRLDEF's briefs, which are packed with the kind of extreme rhetoric more typical of left-wing blogs than of serious legal documents." "

U.S. appeals court upholds Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortion, By Catholic News Service

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortion is constitutional, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a 6-5 decision June 24.

"The head of Americans United for Life, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case and assisted the state with the litigation, said the "ban protects not only the unborn, but also the health and welfare of women."

"We are thrilled that the 4th Circuit followed clear U.S. Supreme Court precedent and upheld Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortion - which is more accurately called partial-birth infanticide," said Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO.

"It is a law that the vast majority of Americans are justified in supporting," she said. Opponents of the ban are expected to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the appellate court's decision.

The 2003 Virginia law makes it a felony to perform a partial-birth abortion, but it never went into effect because its constitutionality was challenged by a Richmond doctor who said the procedure can be necessary to protect the life of the mother. He also said the ban could prevent doctors from performing legal procedures for fear they would be prosecuted. "

From PA Pundits - International
"the relentless pursuit of common sense" - A Variety of Opinions From Various Writers -
"Only the pro-life group Americans United for Life has made a significant campaign against Sotomayor's ascension to the high court, calling her record on abortion rights "worse than [current Justice David] Souter's." Still, the fight should pick up once Sotomayor's confirmation hearings begin July 13."

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Jack and Charmaine This is wedding anniversary week in our household: We celebrate for 7 days.

Men's Health magazine reminds us why marriage works. The April issue from last year has six compelling reasons to marry, by Anna Maltby.

Anna is a woman.

But the advice is still good,

If you are susceptible to vice, find a wife. She'll save you from yourself -- and improve your life -- in a variety of ways...

1. Increase your pay A Virginia Commonwealth University study found that married men earn 22 percent more than their similarly experienced but single colleagues.

[VCU is a terrific school located in Richmond, Virginia. Usually Conservative. Good.]

2. Speed up your next promotion
Married men receive higher performance ratings and faster promotions than bachelors, a 2005 study of U.S. Navy officers reported.

[If the Army wanted you to have a wife, it would have issued you one, goes the old joke -- it looks like the military is a-changing its perception of the value of a helpmeet.]

3. Keep you out of trouble
According to a recent U.S. Department of Justice report, male victims of violent crime are nearly four times more likely more likely to be single than married.

[Your Business Blogger(R) has not been in a bar fight since getting married. But every few years I got to get the caps replaced on those cracked up front teeth from an altercation back in single days. And I wish that ringing in my ears would stop...]

4. Satisfy you in bed
In 2006, British researchers reviewed the sexual habits of men in 38 countries and found that in every country, married men have more sex.

[Don't go there...]

5. Help you beat cancer
In a Norwegian study, divorced and never-married male cancer patients had 11 and 16 percent higher mortality rates, respectively, than married men.

[Charmaine is forever pestering me to get a(nother!) physical. Goodness, I had one back in the 90's. And the colonoscopies every 5 years are her idea too. Such a pain in the ...]

6. Help you live longer
A UCLA study found that people in generally excellent health were 88 percent more likely to die over the 8-year study period if they were single.

The accountability and friendship of marriage works.

Excuse me now, I've got some yard work to do.

As one academic studying the men-marriage-maturity transformation wrote, "A rake, now out raking leaves,"

Thank you (foot)notes:

But we actually celebrate two anniversaries.

Two constants every man needs.

His car.

His woman.

Jack and Charmaine 1990 (Order may not be important to some.)

Even as Charmaine and I are moving into our 20th year of marriage toward that death do us part part; the other anniversary is a milestone of over two decades.

Alert Readers are thinking, I know Jack -- how did he do it?

Without a coffee cup holder...?

The Germans do not believe that people should drive and drink...coffee. Ergo, no coffee cup holder in that old model.

So the ride has been a series of spilled hot fluids. And I would do it again.

Kisses Sweeter Than Wine - Andy Williams, Peter Paul & Mary

20 years; one owner
Your Business Blogger(R) and The Dude

Financial Expert Larry Burkett believes that a man should own but one car and run that car 'til the wheels fall off then repair and repeat.

Replacing is poor stewardship of resources.

It is also Biblical and is based on the Babe Bargain: A man should be the husband of but one wife.

Replacing is poor stewardship of resources.

A car and a girl. What more could a guy want?

Larry Burkett continues,

Let's face it. The majority of new automobile sales in America are made because of the buyers' wants, not needs. Often they are just tired of their cars; they look old and out of date, or they need repairs to put them back into top condition, or their neighbors or coworkers have acquired new cars.

Lyrics to KISSES SWEETER THAN WINE here. My favorite version is by Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt.

In May of 1987 Your Business Blogger(R) bought a new car from American Service Center in Arlington, Virginia from former Redskin football player Joe Tereshinski.

My two investments; my two May anniversaries.

Follow us on Twitter: @JackYoest; @CharmaineYoest

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Alert Readers know that Your Business Blogger(R) advises students and clients to memorize important presentations.

Brute memorization is mocked by educracrats, the union thugs well-meaning liberals who run public education.

Brute memorization is loved by home-schoolers, the brilliant parents and students who are get education right.

There are some facts that must be learned. Must be memorized.

Our Penta-Posse was home-schooled for a season. And have now moved into the public school system. (High school sports beckon.)

The idea for this YouTube comes from The Dude. His elementary school teacher once asked about the presidents and who followed who. The Dude knew the answer, and volunteered a bit more.

"It seems that you know all the presidents," says The Dude's teacher. "Can you name them in order?"

"Sure," says The Dude. "How do you want them? Forwards ...or backwards?"

Here are the presidents in order Washington to Obama:

And reverse order Obama to Washington:

What to learn the State Capitals and the presidents in order? Then order States and Capitals and the Presidents by Jerry Lucas

Posted at 9:04 PM | Permalink
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We spent time on the presidential primary campaign trail.

We can tell you: Sarah Palin has never eaten a donut.

Sarah Palin, mother of 5
Impossibly thin
credit: The Dude

We saw Sarah Palin up close and learned what is most important to Hollywood and others -- that the TV screen adds 10 pounds...and that even more that being smart is being thin.

Palin is impossibly thin for a woman with five wee ones. Marathoner or not.

Alert Readers know that Charmaine also has five children and has run three marathons. Charmaine knows about the work needed for women of a certain age to maintain an ideal weight.

Sarah Palin thinness does not come easy.

The thinness we witnessed is the result of solid discipline and hard work. A real prerequisite for high office.

Old:
Men don't make passes
To a girl who wears glasses.

New:
Liberal men don't make passes
To a girl who surpasses.

Smart women are now Republicans. Has to be true: A Democrat said so.

See Sarah Palin's a Brainiac by Elaine Lafferty,

Elaine Lafferty is a former staff correspondent at Time magazine and the Irish Times of Dublin, features editor at MORE magazine, editor in chief of Ms magazine. The former editor in chief of Ms. magazine (and a Democrat) on what she learned on a campaign plane with the would-be VP.,

Now by "smart," I don't refer to a person who is wily or calculating or nimble in the way of certain talented athletes who we admire but suspect don't really have serious brains in their skulls. I mean, instead, a mind that is thoughtful, curious, with a discernable pattern of associative thinking and insight. Palin asks questions, and probes linkages and logic that bring to mind a quirky law professor I once had. Palin is more than a "quick study"; I'd heard rumors around the campaign of her photographic memory and, frankly, I watched it in action. She sees. She processes. She questions, and only then, she acts. What is often called her "confidence" is actually a rarity in national politics: I saw a woman who knows exactly who she is.

As Charmaine has said, "Palin is authentic."

Your Business Blogger(R) took the Penta-Posse on the past two Republican rallies here in Northern Virgina: Fairfax and Leesburg.

23,000 showed up for McCain and Palin in Fairfax. Some 9,000 showed in rural Leesburg -- a third more than expected, traffic jams at 6am. (In contrast, 400 show up for Democrat VP nominee Joe Biden.)

The Penta-Posse were volunteering until shunted off to the bleachers as the cute kid backdrop behind the podium. They loved it. They love politics.

Republicans are now
the party of the working man

The offspring know where to sit and why: young political animals, Roe Effect on the way.

The Dude is taking pictures of the line-up of politicians, learning who's who on the GOP bench. Then Pro-Life Frank Wolf gets up to speak.

"Get his picture," I say to The Dude. "It's Frank Wolf!"

The (pre-teen) Diva turns to me and asks, "It he married to Naomi?"

"Not likely..."

These are five fun kids.

The Yoests outside the McCain national headquarters in Northern Virginia.

Bob Livingston working the phones at the McCain HQ in Virginia.
photo credit: The Dreamer

Posted at 2:45 PM | Permalink
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Charmaine and Jonah at National Review both had speaking gigs at major schools.

Q: Who Knew?
A: No one.

Charmaine lecturing on campus

I drove the wife and The Dreamer, The Dude, The Diva, The Dancer, and Baby Boo* down to Mr. Jefferson's University so Charmaine could speak on women in leadership at Darden, UVa's business school. The first thing we see are well-armed police.

Uniformed dark blue. Unsmiling.

I ask the sergeant about his job and the small gaggle of 150 women, "Crowd control?"

He looks me over. I'm holding a four-year old's hand: I am not a threat.

I am the conservative.

The cop's face moves a millimeter into what passes for a smile. His head shakes a millimeter into what passes for no.

His eyes return to the assembly. He's looking for trouble.

I speak to one of the organizers about the number of attendees, the marketing of the event...the security. (Your Business Blogger(R) cares about such things; teaching Business at the Northern Virginia Community College. Where James Carville also taught.)

The event planner whispers, "We didn't publicize the event...we weren't sure who would come..."

Even though Charmaine spent ten years at UVA, earned her Ph.D. and taught (Politics and the Family) the organizers were fearful. Charmaine, a woman and a conservative who worked for Huckabee, Pro-Life, now a president and CEO of a law firm, might cause two horrors on the Campus Grounds:

1) A violent campus protest, or, worse,

2) A good conservative turn out.

The police were out in force to keep pie throwing liberals away from the conservative speaker.

Or keep a woman from making a citizen's arrest.

Or having a Democrat scratch KKK on our monster SUV, the Huck-a-Truck.

Jonah Goldberg
and wife Jessica Gavora

The police were there to protect us from the Brown Shirts with the party of death.

The police are on the side of law and order...so far.

We have been lucky with Charmaine's public speaking in academia.

It's particularly odd because the majority of the time I speak on a college campus -- even when debating a liberal -- I'm told that I'm the first conservative they've had there for a while and that I was brought in for "balance."
You'd think if that were the case, the various administrations would at least want some credit for providing equal time.
Even though, even a brief perusal of almost any college or university's events calendar will quickly show that they could have the entire masthead of National Review speak month after month and it still wouldn't equal balance...but the idea that simply inviting one or two objectively conservative speakers every couple years provides ideological balance is just absurd.

The joke is even bigger when you discover as I have at numerous schools that many professors tell their students they shouldn't go hear conservative speakers.

Jonah Goldberg gets this right: students should get both sides of any debate.

That would be, well, Fair and Balanced...

* Alert Readers know our five children are also known as the Penta-Posse.

Posted at 7:48 AM | Permalink
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Bill Maher doesn't care much for babies. And less for marriage.

Charmaine on PI
with (the liberal) Bishop Spong.
Part One, circa 2002 Charmaine made over a dozen appearances on his old Politically Incorrect show.

So all our paths have crossed a time or two in the Green Room in his LA studio.

Usually after Your Business Blogger® just changed a stinky diaper on one of the infant Penta-Posse .

I probably did not make a compelling case for fatherhood...

Anyway.

Charmaine did work on Bill Maher's eternal perspective.

At one point Maher asked us, not rhetorically, "So what is death; a dirt nap?"

Maher sums up neatly the atheist's worldview: there is no God, no Heaven.

No Hell.

At death, it all ends on this celestial sphere. A dirt nap in a grave.

Dinesh D'Souza addresses atheism in his New York Times best seller, What's So Great About Christianity?,

From page 274,

What's So Great
About Christianity?"If sex is unhooked from the old moral restraints [marriage], there are going to be unwanted pregnancies [babies]. Here we get to atheism's second sacrament, which is abortion. [The first sacrament is orgasm.] The real horror of abortion is not that a woman kills an unborn child

but

that a woman kills her own unborn child. [Emphasis mine.]

The guilt in doing this, for all morally healthy persons, can only be tremendous.

So it is necessary for atheism to pave the way for abortion with a clear conscience.

The first step is to get rid of God, because then there is no spirit of the dead child to disturb the conscience, no hell to pay for violating the commandment against the deliberate taking of life."

Politically Incorrect,
Part 2One pregnancy in five ends in a miscarriage.

Charmaine and I had one. We still dream of that baby. Now safe on the other side.

The death still hurts and time does heal. But how much more would the hurt be if the mother was responsible for the loss of the baby?

How much more the pain if the mother murdered her baby?

The guilt these women feel must be horrendous.

Can Obama feel no pain?

I will take their heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh.

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The Dude is competing for first string quarterback on his football team. But the coach needed him for a defensive play. The Dude went in. The play came his way. The Dude maneuvered for the open field tackle.

The first rule of marriage for men is knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

"Let's not worry mom...until we have to," I said. "The more information we can give her, the better we all will feel." The Dude understood. Uncertainty causes the real pain in life.

While The Dude was dealing with his pain, we all in the ER were subjected to a more intense pain: Keith Olbermann on MSNBC.

While waiting in the ER Keith Olbermann was complaining that the RNC showed footage of The Towers going down. This reminded us all that we are at war and maybe we still need a war leader. Rather than talk about Obama's inexperience, Olbermann was miffed that such carnage would be replayed reminding us we live in a dangerous world.

But I think Olbermann was really upset about Sarah Palin.

No one in the elite circles or the media (redundant, I know) understands Sarah and Todd Palin and their five kids.

The Palins are on a family mission.

Somewhat like the Blues Brothers, they are on a mission from God. Our liberal friends do not quite understand this. The Christian prays for guidance and accountability.

The Dude's forefinger knuckle -- note chip on side

Big families know this sense of purpose and the marriage partner who happens to get the ball, get the call goes into the game.

Todd is not the VP nominee. Sarah is.

I am not a CEO. Charmaine is.

Real men understand the talent and the gifts that only women have can be used in these unusual times. Like the ancient Jewish judge, Deborah, Sarah is being lifted up to help John McCain get the country on the right track; to bring the country to victory over evils foreign and domestic.

The American people understand this and love Sarah Palin.

Feminists understand this and hate Sarah Palin.

The story has a happy ending:

The Dude made the tackle.

Keith Olbermann got fired.

Sarah Palin will be elected.

See The Complete Married Man's Guide To Spousal Responses

See The Dude's other big break during the Huckabee presidential campaign.

Not everyone who appears on MSNBC is an elitist.

Posted at 8:39 AM | Permalink
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The Dude broke his hand in a football game for the Yorktown Patriots. Charmaine and Your Business Blogger(R) and Baby Boo sat with him yesterday as a cast was applied and immobilized his hand.

The Dude was not in especially good spirits. And friends rallied around him to encourage and commiserate. To lightly cheer him on.

Teenagers who showed compassion?

Lots of adults, too showed real interest -- and not just the coaches....

Lyndon LaPlante It seems that The Dude was indeed lifted up. But Charmaine and I noticed something more. The giving, the compassion, the caring did more for the giver than the getter.

The Dude was injured and would play again in a few weeks. However, we were able to get the briefest glimpse of the good, the Divine that is seen in small acts of charity.

Life's real challenges are designed, it seems, not for the afflicted but for those who surround the sufferer. Life's pitfalls, large and small, reveal the character of the bystander.

Does the onlooker render care or complain? What does the Good Samaritan do?

Another football story, a few years ago, came out of Texas. It's the story of Lyndon LaPlante who scored a touchdown. Lyndon has Down syndrome . The Dallas Morning News reports:

Keller Senior with Down Syndrome Fulfills Dream

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News

The home crowd at Keller ISD Stadium rose to its feet as soon as Lyndon LaPlante jogged onto the field during the fourth quarter Friday night.

The fans went wild during LaPlante's 99-yard touchdown run, which ended with him being mobbed in the end zone by his Keller teammates.

Never mind that the pre-arranged play didn't count. It fulfilled a dream for LaPlante, a senior who has . . .

Watch the video clip here.

Continue reading at the jump.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 11:42 AM | Permalink
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In the Yoest household kitchen Answer: She's not married to Todd Palin.

On CNN yesterday Charmaine reinforced the point that women can succeed in any position at any level, if she has a deep support system. Beyond the government safety net.

The best support system is to marry a guy who will embrace the family mission, the family business. A husband who is not distracted by interns at 2am.

And will lift up his wife when her time comes...

And I'm not just talking pregnancy.

About half of all women who enter into a Ph.D. program do not finish. When Charmaine was working on her disertation at the University of Virginia, Your Business Blogger(R), MBA, and Charmaine's parents, Mom, Ph.D; Dad, Ph.D; Brother, Ph.D. and Penta-Posse gathered together and strategized on the path to make sure that Charmaine was in the half that got 'hooded.'

The extended family decided to invest in Charmaine.

Money was key but not the entire issue. Wisdom and logistical support were the real needs of house hold and five little ones.

Extended family and a hubby who will sacrifice for the family mission is the solution to whatever success the family, the mother, the mission will achieve.

Todd Palin is my kind of guy. Like me, he married way over his head and is not afraid to let the world know.

We are both married to CEO's who advance the family mission. Our extended families have made sacrifices and investments to advance very talented women, very talented wives.

If more feminists had devoted husbands, maybe they'd enjoy more success. As well as the other benefits of marital bliss (re Five Children...).

And this is the real reason the liberals hate Sarah Palin. She is normal.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Fish on a bicycle by Ray Troll Feminist icon Gloria Steinem can be blamed for a lot problems these days in verbiage and communication in the battle of men vs women.

But not this phrase.

Gloria Steinem writes to Time Magazine,

"In your note on my new and happy marital partnership with David Bale, you credit me with the witticism A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. In fact, Irina Dunn, a distinguished Australian educator, journalist and politician, coined the phrase back in 1970 when she was a student at the University of Sydney."

Credit should go to Irina Dunn, graffiti artist and Australian Senator from the Nuclear Disarmament Party.

And made popular more by U2.

Posted at 10:31 AM | Permalink
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Obama is the smartest man in the room. I know this is true because his campaign staff told me so.

During the Iowa Caucuses, Your Business Blogger(R), Charmaine and Penta-Posse stayed at the same hotel as many of the other presidential candidate staffers.

We all often talked in the elevators or at the coffee bar. The Obama staff would remind us that Obama, the smart academic law professor (for 12 years!) was brilliant and well briefed...of course.

This made Obama's statement at Saddleback all the more interesting. He said that abortions have not gone down in the last eight years.

Abortions, in fact have declined over the last eight years.

Did Obama, the smartest man in the room, not know this simple fact? Was he poorly briefed?

Or did Obama, with the best staff money can buy, know the truth and say otherwise?

Was Obama being duplicitous a politician from Chicago, or perhaps he cannot remember a simple fact that he volunteered?

Charmaine was at Rick Warren's Saddleback church for the civil questioning and examines Obama's contradiction in an article up on National Review Online.

She reviews Obama's new marketing and messaging campaign.

Absolute Reduction
Barack Obama and abortion.

By Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D.

Milling around the media room after the Saddleback Forum, I learned that while John McCain was onstage talking with Rick Warren, Barack Obama was sitting down backstage to an interview with David Brody of CBN News. Brody took the opportunity to press Obama on the issue of his record of opposition to legally protecting babies who are born alive after an abortion.

Obama became visibly irritated and replied to Brody: "I hate to say that people are lying, but here's a situation where folks are lying."

Read the rest here.

Charmaine Yoest is president and CEO of Americans United for Life. She served as compaign adviser to the Mike Huckabee presidential campaign.

See Charmaine's previous article in NRO: Huckabee and McCain -- The Enthusiasm Gap

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Following is from a Naval Aviator. The Dude, pictured on left with Baby Boo a few years ago at the Air Force Academy, loves jets and jet noise and wants to fly.

Charmaine is not so sure.

The Air Force crashes about 75 jets in routine training accidents apart from the war zones. The Navy budgets two jet losses per carrier per deployment.

Producing a number of widows, orphans and grieving families.

Even training is dangerous.

Our cousin Will was an F-18 pilot after graduating from Harvard.

He assures us that Naval Aviation is safe.

Except when it isn't.

Subject: Oyster Here . . I Think We Need To Rig The Barricade [ To Catch This Thing ] !

Here's a personal story of an F-18 pilot's . . at o'dark thirty . . with the carrier's barrier in place. The barricade's an impressive 20 foot high stiff net, that can be stretched across the deck to ' capture ' birds during extreme emergencies.

" Oyster, here. This note is to share with you the exciting night I had the other month. So There I was .

. . manned up with pins pulled on the hot seat for a 2030 night launch on the Hornet about 500 miles north of Hawaii. I taxied off toward the carrier's island where I did a 180 and got spotted on Cat number 1. They lowered my launch bar into position and the take-off routine began. On the run-up, all systems appeared to be ' in the green.'

After waiting the requisite 5 seconds to make sure all my flight controls were OK, I turned on the exterior lights, then shifted my eyes to the catwalk to watch the deck edge dude move his head while clearing me, left and right.

With the back of my helmet, I touched the head rest for...what was coming.

The Hornet cat shot is pretty impressive. Particularly at night. As the cat fired, I clicked in both afterburners...and I am along for the ride. But just prior to the end of the stroke there's a huge flash with a simultaneous B-O-O-M ! ...

continue reading at the jump.

This article has been circulating on the web. Credit to John Howland's USNA-At-Large.

Be sure to read Your Business Blogger(R) getting bested by his pre-teen Diva. And no, this is not a case study for women in combat. Read The FireDrill: Practice Success to Avoid Failure,

Your (Army) Business Blogger[R] had no business in the cockpit. My instructor was a Vietnam vet with MigKlr license plates on his truck.

He said the F-14 was a "Man's Plane." He sounded sexist. He explained that the old-generation hydraulics required real strength -- after a couple of hours, even the manliest studs needed two hands on the stick.

No place for girls.

Or so I thought.

But I was wrong, again.

I bring the Five-kid Penta-Posse to Oceana Naval Air Station to show them how macho military men (like their father) defeated Communism.

We get invited to some F-14 training. I climb in the simulator. No photography is permitted. And a good thing, too...

Alert Readers know that the F-14 is now retired.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 3:49 PM | Permalink
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Two items for June 18th:

1) It is a day of remembrance in Your Business Blogger(R)'s household, and
2) Charmaine gave speech.

Charmaine's talk was on the impact that women can have in our culture.
See her From Femme to Fatale.ppt Power point presentation.

MEDIA ALERT: Charmaine to speak at the EPC 28th Assembly

Charmaine's talk reminded us of the eternal values. Life and Death; this side of eternity and beyond.

At a recent funeral -- they seem to come faster and faster as we get older and older -- we talked about burials. Cremation, well, lights our fire and speeds up that dust-to-dust transition.

Charmaine asked what we plan to do with the ashes, where on earth to put them. We talk about the extended family's burial plots.

"Where do you want to get buried?" She asks.

"37º18'N, 137º55'E," I say.

"What?"

"The Sea of Japan," I remind her. Women!

"What's there?" she wonders.

Bonefish.

June 18th is the day we remember the loss of USS Bonefish.

My father, then only a teen-ager from Jersey, left high school, went to war and was assigned to the submarine, USS Bonefish. Just before the final mission of the Bonefish, my father walked off the gangplank - transferred to another assignment. Another man took his place.

On its eighth mission, on June 18, 1945, the Bonefish was lost fighting the enemy in the Sea of Japan, with the loss of all 53 officers and men. It was the last U.S. submarine sunk in World War II...

The article was first published by a number of outlets including the Virginian-Pilot in my hometown.

Posted at 10:38 PM | Permalink
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Al Gore, Jr played high school basketball. Al Gore, Sr was a Senator, a very important man in Your Nation's Capital. Gore Sr never watched his son play. Never watched a game. Never. Dad was too busy.

But there is a highway named after Gore, Sr. And Junior got a Nobel Peace Prize.

Every dad does it different, I guess. And the kids turn out different...

The Dreamer rowing stroke:
closest rower to the coxswain Alert Readers will remember Your (insufferable) Business Blogger driving 20+ hours to watch a five minute boat race.

The Nationals competition was held in Oakridge, Tennessee, Al Gore's home state.

Yorktown High School from Arlington, Virginia had a very respectable showing. We didn't win, but we did watch.

It was important: We Were There.

Business consultant guru, In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters writes and lectures that for important meetings people show up. In Real Life, IRL.

If it's big: be there. In person. Live. Not just in spirit, in the flesh.

Important events: Births, Deaths, Marriages...Kids' competition.

The Dreamer, winner of Most Valuable Rower The Crew Team had their awards banquet and The Dreamer was recognized.

We are so proud of her. It's a Happy Father's Day indeed.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Yorktown Crew 2007 - 2008Alert Readers will recall that Al Gore, Jr., did not carry Tennessee when he ran for president. I would submit that his home state voters didn't want him as president, because his dad didn't watch him play a basketball game: His dad really didn't care; his voters really didn't care either.

Real men know that it is not all about them, "it's about the children" as our liberal friends constantly remind us.

Dads must be crazy -- crazy about his kids.

Al Gore, Sr. was a very smart, very accomplished man. And he wasn't crazy.

Maybe the country would be better off if he was.

See: Teamwork & Rowing: 2008 National Scholastic Championship, Oak Ridge, TN

Your Business Blogger(R) of Management Training of DC, LLC, is a licensed agent for the William Oncken Corporation presenters of Managing Management Time(TM) fondly known as Monkey Management.

UPDATE: Yorktown Crew 2008 Spring Sports Night Awards

Posted at 11:19 AM | Permalink
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Hannah painting in Peru, 2007

Dear Family,

Hi! It's the end of my first year at Yorktown High School and I am planning to join my church’s mission trip to the Dominican Republic this summer. Last year I had the amazing experience of witnessing to Peruvians in the Callao Festival, Lima, Peru. I was able to watch as thousands were brought to Christ. With memories of last year dancing in my mind I can only dream of how awesome this year’s mission is going to be.

This year I want to be an asset to my team and need your help getting me there. I'm raising the money needed to devote to the mission trip which will be from July 23-30. Support goes toward food, logistics, rooming, and baseball equipment (for ministry to younger children in the Dominican Republic). Your support would mean so much to me this year, helping me reach my goal of $1,600. Even the smallest donation can make all the difference. If you’d like to send support online, you can do that at mcleanbible.org/rockevents.

Direct link for donations: HERE

Over the last year I’ve grown closer to Jesus and want to extend that feeling to others through ministry. I've been taking my friends to church and spreading God's word at school and in my sports activities. My electives also include art as a medium I hope to expand in as a ministry tool. This year I’ll be joining the Children's Ministry team, and the General Missions team, where I will be able to interact with all the groups and see all the various ways the Gospel can be spread. Other teams on the mission include: Drama team, Choir, Baseball, Clowns, and Construction.

Last year I was on the construction team, but this year I think I'm better suited for Children's Ministry. Last year the Construction team was delayed by circumstances and I was able to join with other teams and street evangelize. I had the opportunity to witness to Special Needs kids at a children’s school where we washed the kids’ feet, and once we were able to start construction, I was able to help paint the alleyway of the woman’s house we were working on.

Your support this year would mean the world to me and thank you so much for whatever you can give! The smallest donation counts. If you don’t want to donate online, any checks you donate need to be made out to Mclean Bible Church, Dominican Republic Mission; and Hannah Yoest needs to be written in the left hand corner. (The mailing address is: P.O. Box 9300 McLean, VA 22102)

Thank You so much for your help and love, please keep me in your prayers!

Love and Thanks,

Hannah

Posted at 10:04 PM | Permalink
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Virginia GOP Convention
2008, Richmond, VA Your Business Blogger(R) is honored to be a delegate to the Commonwealth of Virginia GOP Convention.

We will be driving down this weekend with a partial Penta-Posse to vote for the future leadership of the Commonwealth and the Nation. The Convention will be a terrific education.

I hope to get the kids into a smoke-free/smoked-filled-back-room deal-doings. Everyone loves kids.

Except the baby-killing Obama. No, no -- Barack X. Obama has never performed an actual abortion.

That I know of.

He just votes for letting babies born alive ... to die. Obama opposed the Born Alive Infants Act. Not even Hillary Clinton did that. Not Ted Kennedy.

Goodness, not even the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) lobbied against the Born Alive Infants Act.

Obama against
Babies born alive
Warning: explicit images
thank you Catholic Fire

Thank you (foot)notes:

Nobody hangs up when a kid callsJeff Frederick is out-polling John Hager for Republican Party of Virginia chairman on the Family Foundation Blog.

Can Pro-Choice Gilmore win? Here's how.

See The Convention Is Almost Here.

Watch The Diva and The Dude work the phone bank in the Des Moines Presidential primary,

Dick Cheney is the headliner for the dinner on Friday nite.

Where are the strongest grass roots? It's not with the Obamanation.

Your Business Blogger(R) of Management Training of DC, LLC, is a licensed agent for the William Oncken Corporation; presenters of Managing Management Time(TM) fondly known as Monkey Management.

Posted at 11:25 AM | Permalink
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The Dreamer scored in the 93rd percentile in Math for her grade in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I promised her a reward night out -- But a daddy-daughter-dinner-date at Subways won't be happening.

A good deal of her education was in homeschooling where Your Business Blogger(R) worked with her on that topic that counted: Counting. The hard sciences that "girls don't do well."

Not good in Math? Not my girls. My expectation was that they would do well in the quantitatives. (Parent and teacher expectations are the biggest variable in the success of students.) My wife is a genius with SPSS and regression analysis . The Dancer and The Diva are rabid readers and love 'rithmatic -- and are bloggers.

The Penta-Posse are outliers on the bell curve of school age young'ums.

So. I promised The Dreamer a night out. But not at Subway. The restaurant is off the good-guy list for two reasons:

1) The company doesn't care for homeschoolers, and

2) They can't spell.

Our friend Don Wildmon at the American Family Association sends this along,

Subway tells home schoolers: We will not allow you to participate in our contest. Subway discriminates against home schoolers.

Subway, the sandwich restaurant, wants to hear your child's story – unless he or she is home schooled.

The national chain's "Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest" offers prizes and a chance to be published on the Subway Web site and in Scholastic's "Parent & Child" magazine but specifically excludes home schoolers. Subway's website states:

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Contest is open only to legal residents of the Untied (sic) States who are currently over the age of 18 and have children who attend elementary, private or parochial schools that serve grades PreK-6. No home schools will be accepted.

Subway will probably say they excluded home schools because of the main prize ($5,000 worth of athletic equipment to the winning child's school). But Subway could have given it to a local park, church or school of the winning home schooler's choice.

Subway's Web site promotion not only misspells "Untied (sic) States," but offers the grand prize winner a "Scholastic Gift Bastket (sic) for your home."

Subway's leadership clearly does not understand the value of homeschooling. In addition to learning how to spell, we are keeping our kids clear of the public schools' Family Life Education: Which is, as is commonly known, Sex Ed taught by liberals. When almost 20% of teens have herpes -- one would hope that this objective fact might persuade our feminist free-lovers that the condom classes might not be working.

Nope. The public payroll sex trainers are working even harder.

Here's some of what appears in Family Life Education for grades six through eight,

6.1 The student will learn that there are many health care and safety agencies in the community.
No need to talk with mom or dad, or aunt Sally or uncle Joe. The Planned Parenthood abortion clinic is just around the corner.

6.7 The student will be able to describe the etiology, effects and transmission of the HIV virus.
Clean needles for drug users? Contaminated blood supply? This is more important than spelling or math? The school will not reveal the detail of homosexual sex acts in the spread of the HIV virus. I did see a very nice man who teaches the course, however.

6.8 ...[E]valuate ...sexuality, and gender stereotyping...
The feminists are determined to get women in combat in the armed services.

7.7 The student will recognize that sexual behaviors are conscious decisions...
The public schools are a bit confused even about their own world view: homosexuality is a conscious decision; a preference -- not an orientation. FLE lurched into the truth.

So Subway supports only public schools, can't spell and doesn't like homeschoolers.

Dinner at Subway? No sirree -- We all are a-going to Chick-fil-a.


Chick-fil-A

Thank you (foot)notes:

Tom Peters once remarked that excellence should permeate an organization, especially for managing the perceptions of the customer. This is why managers make so much money. Airlines, in the consumers' mind, must understand that if the tray tables are dirty, the airline doesn't do engine maintenance.

The Army taught if boots were not shined, the soldier couldn't shoot straight.

If Subway can't spell, their food will make you [sic].

Send an e-mail to Subway President Frederick A. DeLuca. Tell him you will not eat with them anymore until and unless they allow home schoolers to participate. ©2008 Doctor's Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor's Associates Inc.

This is an unpaid endorsement of Chick-fil-A.

See some commonsense at The sexual ‘revolution’ that keeps on turning

This is a cross post from Pro-Life Unity.

Posted at 10:36 PM | Permalink
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The Dreamer writes, The Dude, a dominant male homo-sapien, attempts to explode a bottle of diet coke with mentos. Commentaries by The Dreamer and The Diva. Grip by The Baby Boo.

This is a typical Penta-Posse activity when not in the class room and distracted by getting a conventional education.

Proving that the public schools are good for something...

No animals were harmed in the making of this film.

Happy Memorial Day!

The frustrated attempt:

Success:

Posted at 11:28 AM | Permalink
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Launching area for the crew regatta
click on image for live feed web-cam Building Teams and Teamwork is the mantra of the modern manager.

How does a manager take a group of talented individual contributors and motivate them to, well, pull together as one unit in the same boat?

Last year The Chronicle of Higher Education lurched into the truth in an article All for One.

It was a story on rowing.

And in it Your Business Blogger(R) read a business lesson.

For both my business practice and The Dreamer's crewing at her high school.

Race Course
Click on image for live feed
web-cam The Oak Ridge Rowing Association and the Scholastic Rowing Association of America is sponsoring the 2008 National Scholastic Championships in Oak Ridge, TN. Several thousand visitors will go down to the river and pray for blue skies and flat water.

We are packing up the monster Huck-a-truck and the Penta-Posse (minus The Dreamer traveling with her team) and will gas-guzzle our way to the Volunteer State to watch our girls compete at the regatta.

With a monster carbon footprint.

Listening to the Oak Ridge Boys .

(Ain't America great or what?)

The Women's Freshmen Eight will row at 10:15am on Friday the 23rd. Please check the schedule.

The Women's coach was able to persuade decision makers to allow his team to use the Invictus. A new and faster boat used by upper class men at their high school.

Where tenths of a second determine winners, the perception of crewing a world-class shell can make the difference. If the women think they are faster, they will be.

Rowing is 90 percent mental, the other half is physical.

Apologies to Yogi Berra.

Scholastic Rowing Association
of America
Regatta 2008
Which brings us back to Notes From Academe, in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Writer Scott Smallwood visited the Cambridge University Boat Club in the UK to write about the yearly Oxford-Cambridge competition.

Alert Readers will recall that Charmaine and Your Business Blogger(R) read at Oxford and attended our first rowing event on the narrow creeks that pass for rivers at ox ford.

Duncan Holland, the Cambridge coach with some 20 years experience, helped Dutch rowers to an Olympic medal. He well understands that even though he's got winning seasons, only one race matters as a condition of (enjoyable) employment:

Beat Oxford.

Picking eight rowers seems like an easy task for a coach,

With rowing machines that can spit out reams of numbers about how fast and hard every rower can pull, what's so hard about choosing a team? Why not just pick the eight strongest guys and be done with it? It turns out...that team dynamics are trickier than that. The eight who are eventually chosen will be not necessarily the fastest individual rowers, but the best combination of rowers.

Smallwood continues,

Quintus Travis, a past president of the boat club and now treasurer, puts the mystery more bluntly: "There are always a couple [of rowers] who are stunted, but somehow they make the boats go faster."

The Brits can be brutal.

Mr. de Rond is a professor at Cambridge's Judge Business School and is studying the Cambridge athletes and the team and the coach,

...de Rond sees the answer [of the faster boats] in how team members bond. He draws a comparison from a 2005 paper in the Harvard Business Review by Tiziana E. Casciaro, of Harvard, and Miguel Sousa Lobo, of Duke University. The pair studied likability versus competence. Their work boils down to this: When choosing whom to work with, do you pick the lovable fool or the competent jerk? People, especially managers, often say they value competence above all. But in practice, they'll often trade some of that competence for likability. And that may not be so dumb.
Mr. de Rond doesn't think any of the Cambridge rowers are incompetent. No matter how lovable you are, you can't get in this boat unless you're a top-notch rower.

But here the Cambridge rowers become a self-directed team. Something business managers talk about but seldom see,

When the tentative roster was chosen," says [de Rond], Dan wasn't originally on the list." The other men successfully lobbied the coaches to put him in the varsity boat, even though by the numbers he was a borderline choice. Now, he says, [Dan's] social skills -- he's the class clown, really -- have improved the psychology of the entire team.

Like the coaches, this is where managers work their magic. To assemble a team that maximizes strengths and minimizes weaknesses, as Peter Drucker said.

So the women's coach got a better boat for his team. Coaches and managers get paid to figure out the immeasurables; the intangibles that go into building a winning team.

This Freshman Women's coach has got it figured out.

If he reported to me, I'd get him a raise...

Yorktown Crew Boosters Thank you (foot)notes:

On April 7, 2007, in the 153rd match-up: Cambridge beat Oxford.

This is a cross post from Management Training of DC, LLC.

All for One by Scott Smallwood was published on May 4, 2007 in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

See video from the Stotesbury Regatta.

From The New York Times, From a World-Class Rower, Tips to Sharpen Technique. Watch the video on how to film a rower's movement and a slide show on training.

Mix It Up

“There’s this saying that ‘Miles make champions,’ ” Michelle Guerette said. So she spends up to five hours a day on the water, doing a variety of workouts. Mix these pieces into your own sculling training:

BUILDING BLOCKS A base training session “addresses fitness, feeling and rhythm,” Charley Butt said. As with a runner, he said, what matters is “how a rower gets in the miles.” He advised rowing for 25 minutes at 75 percent of full pressure at a stroke rate of 16 to 20. Then, he said, paddle for 5 to 10 minutes and repeat. Maintaining a low stroke rate allows you to concentrate on technique.

Stan Hudy will not be at the races. A loss for us all.

Posted at 12:26 PM | Permalink
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The Diva's root canal
credit: Dr. Eric Arbuckle Our family has endowed a chair -- not at the local university -- but at our dentist's office. You can use it if is not booked. We treat the chair like a fractional ownership of a Gulfstream G4.

The Penta-Posse has busted out more front teeth than an entire hockey team.

Your Business Blogger(R) is also minus a front tooth due to a basket ball mishap. Non-stop dental work is required to correct alterations caused by various bar-fights from decades past.

Dentistry, however modern, builds character...in parents.

I never really trust a man until he's had a child in a dental chair.

The Diva's tooth trials began with a base ball bat. One of The Dude's team mates was out of the dug out.

"Don't swing that bat in the stands...!"

When contact was made there was a mess: the crying, the wailing, the gnashing of teeth...

And that was just me. Not The Diva. She's got a high tolerance for pain. She's may have even more testosterone than me.

She also got smacked with a field hockey stick.

So. After a few years of patch work her tooth nerve has been removed, the canal filled, my wallet emptied.

And it still hurts. Me, not The Diva.

This is what passes for suffering in our soft times.

The Diva and Your Business Blogger(R)
on set at the Leadership InstituteThank you (foot)notes:

And this is why the country should vote for John McCain.

He knows real suffering.

Obama knows nothing.

The Diva at a piano recital circa 2004 Sports have been very good to our household. We are looking forward to the benefits of Title IX.

Posted at 9:29 AM | Permalink
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Charmaine giving a lecture
on abortion at Princeton Rakes, Cads and leering Don Juans -- that is to say: all normal men -- have been attempting to seduce women for 4,000 years.

Our institutions of higher learning have noticed this and are helping out. No, not helping the parents, not the girls, not our culture.

Nope. Your local college administrator, acting in place of the parents, has now made it possible for the young women to undress in front of the young men in the privacy of their own (parental-paid) room.

This is not the No-Tell Motel. It is the college dorm room.

Higher Education has been working for decades to help separate not the women from men, but women from their clothes in front of men. And now the colleges and the men have succeeded.

The colleges, Your Business Blogger(R) would suggest, are acting less loco prarentis but just plain loco.

Charmaine recently appeared on CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck Show Monday, May 5, 2008 to discuss the emergence of co-ed dorm rooms on college campuses.

Watch the clip here at the Family Research Council. Sorry for the extra clicking.

"Professor" Diana York Blaine
Womyn's Studies

Normal people think co-ed dorm rooms are lunacy.

But the "professor" on the left is a typical Leftie that passes for normalcy on the local college campus.

Womyn's Studies Professor and lunar worshipper Diana York Blaine offers Alert Readers Full Disclosure on helping college men in learning all about the modern womyn. The nutty professor Blaine teaches at USC. It is not known if clothing is optional.

Higher Education at its best.

Research Institutions pride themselves on 'advancing scholarship.'

These days, Higher Ed is advancing an agenda.

And it is not a pretty site.

Thank you (foot)notes:

But sure to catch Charmaine's recent appearance on FOX News March 1, 2008 where she debated the prevalence of shock-style -- nasty -- advertising in the media. Click here to view the video -- please forgive the extra click on thru on the FRC site. Now that's a Pretty Woman.

Full Disclosure: Charmaine has taught Politics and the Family at the University of Virginia; Your Business Blogger(R) teaches Business at the Northern Virginia Community College.

Blaine tells us on her site that,

Dr. Diana Blaine is a PhD philosopher, writer, adventurer, bon vivant and buttkicker. She's read and studied how gender dynamics function in our culture...

Emphasis mine. Some lady. Email us your comments.

Posted at 12:00 PM | Permalink
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This is a guest post by The Diva. The script was written by The Diva. Really.

Talent on screen, The Diva ; Camera-Direction, The Dude;
Grip #1, T-shirt, clapper, The Dancer;
Grip #2 ALL paper, Baby-Boo
My name is Helena Yoest, and I was harassed by the principal of my school because of a shirt.

Ok, so I went to class, just like a regular school day, I had the shirt on, no one was offended or anything by it.

Then my teacher- Mr. Young- says "Mrs. Schaffner wants to see you"

I walk over to her in the hall, she was talking to some other teachers with one or two students flocking around her.

She stops talking when she sees me, pulls me over to a corner, and says plainly

"you can't wear the shirt"

Wow. 5 minutes into the day and I've been caught in this t-shirt. (say sarcastically) Shoot.

I say very politely "may I go get something from my locker?"

Mrs.Shaffner says, "eh, yes"

So I go down to my locker to get a piece of paper, it's a magical piece of paper that gets me out of trouble.

National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day From the American Life League.

Actually, it states my civil rights and how I CAN wear the shirt, no harassment.

I hand over the letter and she hands me a t-shirt with the school name on it. Oh joy.

So I head to the bathroom to change and I hear her say, "were going to have to visit the principal about this."

So there I am, in the principal's office. Mrs. Annan (the principal) reads the letter Mrs. Shaffner is babbling about how they've never had this happen before, while Mrs. Annan is reading.

Mrs. Shaffner gets called away to do vice principal stuff and

Mrs. Annan pulls up a chair to sit beside me. "How do you know about this political issue?" she asks. "My mom" I say.

"What would you think if a kindergartner went up to you and asked you what it is?" she says pointing at my shirt.

"I would say 'it's where doctors and hospitals kill babies'"

You should've seen her face when I said that. "I just don't want you to be uncomfortable."

She leads me to a bathroom "you can turn it inside out, or you can change, whichever you want" so I change into this ew yucky t-shirt with the school name on it, so they would be happy and quit bothering me.

This is how it was in the classroom:

"Whydya change your t-shirt?" my classmates ask.

"She made me" I say, which isn't stretching the truth.

I went to art, and my teacher came in the middle of it and said

"walk with me" so I walk with him and he says "you can change into your shirt now, or after art, what do you want?"

I changed after lunch.

Can you believe that?

The principal of an elementary school, pressured and manipulated a 5th grade student to do her wills.

The principal, of all people! Wow.

Growing, Growing...Gone Pro-Lifers are the new Progressives.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Please send us your comments!

The Penta-Posse L to R: Baby-Boo, The Dancer,
The Diva, The Dude, The Dreamer
The Roe Effect
The American Life League sponsors the annual trouble-making event. The Dude was also spoken to by school officials. But no action was taken against him.

The "magical piece of paper" from the American Life League.

See The Roe Effect

The Diva protesting at the Afghan Embassy, 2006
She is no stranger to controversy

The Diva making phone calls for Mike
at the Huckabee for President headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa
Video Credit: The Dreamer See The Dude's post on the Abortion T-shirt at Panzer Commander.

Posted at 7:01 PM | Permalink
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Charmaine, right at her Little Rock office
The Face That Launched Me A 1,000 miles.
Chip Saltsman's office is next door on right. Saturday nite Huckabee came in three points down in South Carolina. So close -- a mere field goal. But still a loss.

Charmaine's leave of absence had come to an end. This meant one thing to Your Business Blogger's household:

Road Trip.

We started packing up the Penta-Posse after Huckabee's Saturday evening concession speech and set the alarm for 0:darn-thirty, military time and left Virginia for Little Rock on Sunday morning. We arrived at Charmaine's office some 16 hours later late last night.

Nobody got hurt. (This trip anyway.) (We've got the best kids on the planet.)

We knew that the campaign would fly Charmaine home, but we thought we could drive home and visit kin along the way. A little delayed Christmas and New Year's -- Charmaine worked through both this year. We would also be implementing a lesson from World War II and Vietnam:

To Decompress.

After WWII the returning troops returned via slow ship transport with their buddies and slowly adjusted from combat to the idea of civilian life and regular sleep, regular food. And adjust to the idea that nobody was gunning for you.

Much like a presidential campaign...

Vietnam vets had no such decompression. They went from battlefield to seat 3B to USA tarmac in 24 hours. No wonder a few had such difficulty with re-entry. There was no time to cry.

We wanted to drive some 2,000 miles to learn from the wars. And learn from the war.

While I was a-driving cross country with the Hucka-Truck full of MacDonald's wrappers, Charmaine was eating steak with Ed Rollins, Chairman; Jim Pinkerton, Senior Adviser and David Polyansky the Chief Operating Officer. They were saying goodbye.

Ed picked up the check. He's a class act.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Ed bought the steaks instead of watching some football game. Where the NY Giants beat the Packers 23 to 20 in overtime. Ed has his office in New York. He gave up watching the playoff game to huddle-adieu. Ed knows how to coach a team...

Mike Huckabee is preparing for the next debate on Thursday in Florida. We will continue to cheer him on in any way possible.

We look forward to rejoining our Cherrydale Baptist bible study!

Posted at 8:27 AM | Permalink
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The Dude's broken wrist
on the campaign (ski) trail Your Business Blogger has the rambunctious Penta-Posse on the road supporting Huckabee for President. Alert Readers ask,

"How do you do it?"

The one word answer,

"Noise-canceling-headphones."

And I would follow-up: "Nobody gets hurt."

I can't say that any more.

On the way home from New Hampshire I steered the Hucka-Truck with the Penta-Posse for a day of night skiing at Pat's Peak.

Charmaine suggested that taking five children out on the slopes is a formula for trouble.

Skisbootsglovesgoggleshelmetspolescoats X 5 + Your Business Blogger = Charmaine is right again.

So. Under close parental supervision -- meaning within cell phone range -- The Dude and The Diva were doing a Double Black Diamond double time.

Their first run down the Diamond was slow, deliberate and measured in keeping with our family motto of Safety First.

Their second run was faster. The Dude took a jump, grabbed some air, ate some snow.

That was the only thing he ate that night. He took the pain like a trooper. Better than me.

I wonder about the coming physical therapy though...

Thank you (foot)notes:

Jeffrey Lovallo, MD, installed the cast. The Dude got the cast in black. In memory of the diamonds. No complications and the cast should be off in six weeks.
Dr. Lovallo,

is currently an upper extremity consultant to the Washington Redskins and the DC United professional soccer team. He is a consultant for DePuy Medical, the leading total shoulder joint replacement company in the US. As a total shoulder arthroplasty consultant for DePuy, he has produced a state of the art video on total shoulder replacement.

Posted at 4:40 PM | Permalink
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Boo, The Diva and The Dancer
with Your Business Blogger's
Mao Man Bag (for diapers) I asked the woman why she wanted to work for us.

"The Terrorists are trying to kill me."

I knew this was not to be an ordinary job interview.

Charmaine and I were hiring a housekeeper in the early 90's, and Mrs. C was referred to us, because she was well qualified. She used to own a day-care business.

In Peru.

And her husband was a manager for a manufacturer for a US based company. The rebel communists, the Sendero Luminoso -- or Shining Path -- had picked up the local company organization chart and began picking off the managers in quick order.

A well executed plan.

Like a good org chart shaped like a pyramid, the terrorists started at the bottom and were working their way up the corporate ladder fast.

The hierarchy of the career path was easy to follow for the Shining Path. The communists are nothing if not consistent. Just as they were in Stalin's day, the communist's were executing the managers, killing their way up the org chart.

Mr. C thoughtfully decided to leave the company, wanting to spend more time with the family...in another country.

So Mrs. C packed up her two girls and hubby and moved to America and was given earned asylum. I admired her resilience. Her ingenuity. Her gumption.

Her green card.

Filled with compassion, as is my nature, I hired her and her valid status.

We learned a bit about Peru and the kind of terrorism that kills immediately and immediate family. The terrorists, with the accent on the last syllable. We learned that the people of Peru loved freedom, hated communism.

Cameron Diaz
with Mao bag in PeruSo we were surprised that the well-briefed commie babe Cameron Diaz would go to Machu Picchu, Peru with her trendy, yet practical, Mao Bag with bold Red Star and well-placed slogan Serve the People in the ever- popular military drab olive green.

Peruvians did not appreciate her "style."

The nation of Peru is still healing from the almost 70,000 murdered by the Shining Path. Not quite the head count of Stalin or Mao, but still a not-too-shabby benchmark in the Commie Accounting.

Cameron Diaz did apologize for her thoughtlessness.

But it is not just the thoughtless commies in Hollywood who are insulting the people of Peru. Our very own (elected) commies Democrats in Congress are insulting Peru.

Democrats are insulting the government of Peru by modifying trade deals. Not content with attempting to run our lives here in the States, the Dems are micro-managing in Peru. And are screwing up a good trade deal.

But Your Business Blogger wants to assure our friends in Peru that the American People are not represented (so to say) by the Democrats in our Congress. That our government really wants free trade and free people to do business.

So we put The Dreamer, our first born, on Copa Airlines this morning out of Dulles Airport with a suitcase full of new shoes for children in Lima.

The Peruvians fought communism and are now fighting Democrats, the least we can do is support these freedom fighters.

The Dreamer, being brighter than Cameron Diaz, did not take her Mao bag to Peru. She is taking our good will and a big heart and a suitcase full of shoes.

To make a difference one child to one child.

The Penta-Posse minus The Dreamer
at a Potomac Nationals minor league game in
Northern Virginia. We won beating the Salem Avalanche,
farm team for the Houston Astros.

Thank you (foot)notes:

The Dreamer blogs at A Different Kind of Drama. Visit for another shot of the Mao bag.

Last year, when our church went to share Jesus with the people of Peru, they found many children arriving to Bible studies in bare feet. . . this year, our group from McLean Bible Church will arrive with over 500 pairs of shoes so that they can practice "Feet-First" evangelism.

Your Business Blogger bought the Mao bag on a trip to China. It was, I believe the only item in the entire country that was not violating American intellectual property.

Continue Reading »

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Northern Virginia
Unlimited Youth
Football Association Alert Readers know that we've moved around a bit.

Which means new schools, piano teachers, friends, coaches.

The Penta Posse has taken each uprooting and replanting as normal.

As we constantly remind them: We are not normal...

Anyway, The Dude has always been lucky to find the best coaches in sports.

The Hurricanes Maryland state champions Our luck continues in our move back to Virginia from Maryland. After some checking around, we learned that there is no local Pop Warner football league in Northern Virginia.

But we may have found something better for our boy.

The Northern Virginia Unlimited Youth Football Association is just what The Dude was looking for. The league's motto is,

"Let the Big Guys Play!"

The program is designed for 6th-8th Graders Only (11-14 Years of Age), and most important:

No Weight Limit, No Experience Needed

The NOVA UYFA tag line continues,

"Prepare Yourself For High School Level - Come Experience The Fun!"

If you are looking for an advanced level of football for high school prep. Contact Joe or leave me a comment.

Or come to the FREE conditioning camp:

July 16th is the start of our Conditioning Camp. Time: 6pm to 7:15pm Place: White Oak Elementary School

The minimum weight is 130 pounds, so players are big. And serious.

Email me for questions.

Thank you (foot)notes:

One of the challenges that this league is facing is a government bureaucracy. Your Business Blogger has wrestled a bit with bureaucracies and managing bureaucrats and working with bureaucracies well understands the challenges. The local government employee/zealots have made it difficult for the budget-conscience league to market to the general population. The most common marketing effort for the local sports teams is to place temporary roadside signage.

But the local governing jurisdictions are hammering the leagues with litter-laws, and other special big-government applications.

Joe Whibley, the Executive Director of NOVA UYFA says word of mouth works to identify football players.

"We are always looking for more players to join," and Joe asks that we all help, "advertising...spreading the word...and recruiting for us."

The counties are not yet silencing blogs as a media outlet. This is an unpaid endorsement for the Northern Virginia
Unlimited Youth Football Association.

See What Is The Best Predictor of Successful Leadership? See Management Training.

NOVA UYFA is Endorsed by the Northern VA High School Coaches Association

Continue Reading »

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Charmaine, Your Business Blogger
Penta-Posse at the Grand Canyon
Easter 2005 In this political season, every Presidential Candidate will be in church on Easter.

A photo op, if nothing else.

Two Easters back we traveled west on business and celebrated Easter in Arizona.

Your Business Blogger had the Family celebrate our Faith with tax supported Freedom at the government owned and operated Grand Canyon.

I remember asking the officiating pastor at Sunrise Service if liberals were attempting to shut down the event at Mather Point. Church/State and all that.

He said, "We've been having [Easter sunrise service] for decades. No one has bothered us." Preaching on public land. Imagine.

Alert the (main stream) media. Call the ACLU.

The sponsoring church secures the permit and 1,600 people show up well before dawn. To watch the sun rise.

Which makes for the perfect photo op.

Be sure to visit Pro-Life News. To see this Faith in action.

Pro-Life News TV

See the press release at the jump.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Peter Shinn at Pro-Life News TV is the tech-guru for Your Business Blogger.

Easter at the Grand Canyon? Maybe not necessary...Finding God in a Technical Memo.

Continue Reading »

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Ronald Reagan
addressed the 1984
NRB Convention Charmaine and The Diva flew south to Orlando, Florida this morning for the annual NRB convention and exposition. Charmaine's team will be manning the Family Research Council's trade show booth.

President Bush at a previous
NRB convention
Reagan and Bush appreciated the NRB. And so, it seems, some of the current (GOP!) presidential candidates also appreciate the gathering of Jesus-loving media professionals. Charmaine is scheduled to link up with Mitt Romney on Sunday and John McCain on Monday. She'll do updates here and at the FRCBlog.

If you are anywhere near Orlando or at the convention -- go visit the FRC booth!

Thank you (foot)notes:

See 7 Steps in Making Money at Trade Shows
Which answers the following issues for trade show attendance:
Why are we here?
Get professional help.
Logical Logistics.
Center of Attention.
Propaganda.
Follow Up.
Return on Investment.
I am an enthusiast for Trade Shows. But remember, the purpose is to sell.

See Charmaine at last year's convention Lawyers and Good Books for the Middle Kingdom.
Blogging from NRB: Calm Before the Storm.

Is John McCain Courting the Religious Right?

Charmaine Debates the Mitt Romney Presidential Bid on FOX

Continue Reading »

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No ‘cookie-cutter’ solutions: Family expert Charmaine Yoest says creativity, flexibility are keys to resolving work/family issues

Charmaine Yoest acknowledges that creative solutions to juggling work and family are never easy. “That’s part of why I study it as an issue.”

By Elizabeth Kiem [from May 14, 2004]

Charmaine Yoest, a doctoral candidate in U.Va.’s Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics, is an up-and-coming young expert on family policy issues.

Charmaine Yoest
Photo by Andrew Shurtleff By normal counts, her 10 years at the University have been hyper-productive: Her papers on the subject are prolific, as are her media appearances, congressional testimonies and academic presentations. She has written a book on working mothers and is completing a second on parental leave policies.

But Yoest's career must be viewed in the context of a not-so-typical doctoral student’s family life -- she is the 39-year-old mother of five children, ranging from age 10 to infancy.

"I hope it’s inspirational to some," she said of her ability to pursue her studies and career even with a full capacity mini-van. "Obviously I couldn’t do what I’ve done unless my husband was willing to live a nontraditional life as well."

Yoest acknowledges that her domestic situation, with close family near by to step into the child-care breach and a husband willing to reduce his workload significantly to help raise children, has been unusually conducive to her career. Nonetheless, she would like to see more families adopt a "nontraditional lifestyle" to accommodate childrearing and professional equality among the parents.

There is such an emphasis on work and family that sometimes the family gets lost because people are so focused on ‘how can we facilitate work? she said.

A regular on the political talk-shows, Yoest is careful with her words, aware of just how politicized the debate has become. She is quick to emphasize that her pro-family stance in no way negates her advocacy for women to pursue careers and advanced education, as she has done. The mission, she says, is to find creative ways to do both -- and women require the participation of spouses and employers to do so.

Continue reading at the jump.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Originially published by UVA Insider May 2004.

Continue Reading »

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If you would like to be added to our good-guy Christmas Card list please email us.

Read about London's John Calcott Horsley and the business of the first Christmas card at the jump. And the original meaning of "merry."

Continue Reading »

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After an evening of lit drops, the Penta-Posse poses for their candidate, Michael Steele for Senator for Maryland.

Research shows that a bumper sticker has an in-kind equivalent value of $250 to the political candidate. Smart campaigners will also put the bumper sticker on the driver's side front bumper to greet on-coming traffic.

The Roe-Effect will take effect sooner or later.

Lord willing, tomorrow.

The Steele Family

From Steele's web site, His Agenda for Economic Empowerment,

Economic empowerment creates opportunities poverty will never let you see. Whether you are an employee looking for a better job, or a business owner working to expand your company, you must be empowered to turn your hopes into action, and turn opportunity into ownership. The Steele Agenda for Economic Empowerment contains policies devoted to increasing homeownership, business ownership, and the prosperity of Maryland families.

Vandalized Stop Sign
in the Nuclear-Free Hippie Zone
Tacoma Park, Maryland

Steele has an uphill battle in the Commie counties close to DC and Baltimore.

Maryland is a Blue State full of Red Diaper babies.

Save for mine.

More from the Steele website,

Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele was the first African-American ever elected to statewide office in Maryland. Michael made history once again in October 2005, when he announced his candidacy for the state's open seat in the United States Senate.

Since taking office as Lieutenant Governor with Governor Robert Ehrlich in 2003, Michael has produced real solutions to the real problems facing Marylanders. The Lt. Governor has lead the fight to improve access to better-performing schools; worked alongside law enforcement officials to reduce crime and secure communities; strengthened the state's minority business program to foster greater entrepreneurship; and worked with Maryland conservationists to protect the environment for future generations.

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The Diva on Piano The Baptist Convention of Baltimore and Delware is sponsoring a music camp. Starts this Sunday and spaces are filling up.

Cost $99 per child -- We'll be sending our Penta-Posse.

Call Bryan at 410 -dot- 695 -dot- 5374 to reserve a spot. Reservations can also be made at the door at First Baptist Church in Laurel, Maryland. Or email Bryan at BPatrick AT FirstBaptistLaurel dot org

Or email me.

Was this helpful? Do comment.
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Thank you (foot)notes:

Cross posted at Jack Yoest.

Posted at 11:58 AM | Permalink
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Cross Post from Jack Yoest and Frugal.

Nearing the half million mark Your Business Blogger has two bar bets that I always win:

1) I've been fired from more jobs than you, and

2) I've got more miles than you. On my car, that is.

And the key to longevity is routine maintenance. And the key to maintenance is a competent mechanic.

The Dude pulling maintenance I've retained The Dude for the basics. And sometimes more.

He works well with little management supervision.

Call for rates.

Was this helpful? Do comment.
Consider a free eMail subscription for this site.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: The Dude is eleven and employment could run afoul of labor laws in your state. Check local listings before asking for a quote.

Posted at 9:53 AM | Permalink
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Cross post from Jack Yoest with Savage.

Vince Lombardi once said, "The Green Bay Packers never lost a football game. They just ran out of time."

Coach Scott Grebenstein must be saying the same thing. Running out of time and innings in the final championship game Sunday afternoon with the Maryland Cardinals. Score: Savage behind Cardinals, 11 to 12, to place second.

He led the Savage Spirit baseball team this weekend on a series of wins and a "slaughter rule" upset over the Maryland Mud Hens.

It started Friday nite. Your Business Blogger packed up Charmaine and the Penta-Posse into the monster SUV for two nites in Aberdeen, Maryland. Home of the Cal Ripken Stadium complex. Opening Day Tournaments.

We saw old friends from Charlottesville baseball allstar days. Charmaine teared up. Not me. Although it was windy andblowingdustgetsinyoureyesandwateruptogetdustout.

(Hint: moving 11 times in 15 years of marriage is too many good-bys. Too many hellos.)

Anyway. The team played well. The Dude played well.

The Dude pitching

Wind up

Delivery: 3 up, 3 down

The Dude can hit The Dude got his first over the fence home run on Sunday.

Congratulations Savage Spirit on a great season's opener!

Was this helpful? Do comment.
Consider a free eMail subscription for this site.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Cal Ripken Baseball

Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink
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My mother is the oldest of seven children and several of my aunts and uncles leave near my grandmother, so when we are able to visit for Christmas, we have a huge family gathering. The church they all attend has an annual live Nativity Scene that we love participating in. Here's the wide shot -- this year, Jack and I got to be Mary and Joseph, while the girls were angels, the Dude was a shepherd, and the Wise Men on the left include two cousins and my uncle.

The Dude was thrilled -- the donkey made an aromatic contribution to the evening. . .

Baby Boo wanted to be an angel, too and kept saying, "I dressed, I dressed" . . . but as you can see, he drew the line at the halo. . .and the posing thing? Forget it!

Important note: We are posting from my uncle's house, scamming off his wireless -- he said to be sure and mention that this post is coming to you courtesy of a Yellow Dog Democrat! He posted today his Top Ten Christmas Memories. . .

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Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother Ruth's house we go. . . .

Time for Christmas! After this brief nap.

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"Hey, Mom, come quick!"

Heart stops. What's wrong??!!

"Get your camera." It's just the Dude, with a Cuteness Alert. "You gotta get this for the blog!"

So here's our sweet Dancer, ready to hit the road. My Mom and Dad headed over the river and through the woods, to my Grandmother's house, taking our middle three kids with them -- we can't take off till the weekend, so we'll meet them down there.

While I had the camera out, I recorded the Diva singing a Christmas carol, and I played it tonight for Baby Boo. He kept saying her name over and over, and cried until I played it over several times.

When I called to make sure they had arrived safely, she got on the phone with him and he broke out in laughter, and started saying her name again over and over.

And then he whispered: "I luff oo."

Merry Christmas everyone. Drive safely.

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Double over-time.

Final score: 13 to 14.

The Hurricanes lost the Regional Semi-finals by one point.

Here's how intense it was. We went into the fourth quarter at 0-0. . . we scored, and thought we'd won. But the Aztecs scored in the last minute of the game. . . and we ended up in double over-time.

The Final Prayer

These boys fought their hearts out.

Coach James Bell gave the boys a great final speech. I don't know how he did it, because everyone was so devastated. But he stepped up and reminded them what an honor it was to have come so far. And challenged them in facing defeat, to develop character.

It still hurt just as bad. But it was a great, and graceful, effort that showed real leadership.

So sadly, this week, no Breakdown. But I do have Pastor Bob's final prayer for the team.

Thanks Coach Bell, Coach Giddy, Coach Bob, Coach Chandler, and Coach Patrick and the rest of the Hurricanes for a great season.

Next year . . . Florida.

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The Regional Semi-Finals for the Pop Warner Eastern Region are today at High Noon. The Hurricanes are squaring off against the North Philly Aztecs.

Thanks to all of you who have written with words of cheer and interest -- and to the rest of you with no interest at all: thanks for humoring me.

As it turns out, the Aztecs weren't the only ones doing a little spying on the opposition. . . .

We celebrated my birthday Thursday night by watching game tapes with 20-some rowdy ten-year-old boys. Hey, first things first!

Bedside Reading
As I was driving to drop the Dude off for the tape-watching, I told him that I'd always wanted to see game tapes and hear a coach walk through them. 'Cause frankly, my Football for Dummies reading is only taking me so far. It still all looks like a swirl of red and black out there on the field. I'm doing well if I can follow my boy. Seeing the ball -- bonus.

I got my wish. When we arrived back to pick him up, they were still going strong. They were going over last week's cliffhanger frame by frame.

Then they capped it off with the spy tapes of the Aztecs themselves. Late into the night!

And I can't tell you what it is . . . but we've got a plan, man.

High noon, baby. High noon.

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Philly Aztec Coaches Scouting the Hurricanes

The Quest for the Championship is starting to get pret-ty intense.

When we arrived at the stadium this morning, for the 2nd round of the Regional Playoffs, competing for a berth to the Semi-Finals, my friend Sabrina (otherwise known as "Isaiah's Mom") whispered in my ear: "We've got scouts here. From Pennsylvania."

I tried to be surreptitous as I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough, the Aztec coaches from Philly were easy to spot holding down their own row up at the top of the stands. Sabrina's husband, Pastor Bob, said they were taking notes and writing down numbers.

I have to remind myself that none of these coaches get paid a nickel. And last time I checked, gas prices were still around $2.35 a gallon.

Well, they certainly got a game to see. Our undefeated team, which hasn't seen the end of a game without being in double-digits all season, found themselves headed into the fourth quarter winning by only one point. 7 to 6.

And the other team had the ball.

The Big Play: Fourth and Goal

Our coaches preach to the boys all the time: "Nobody beats us in the fourth quarter."

But today, well, it wasn't looking so good. All we had to do was just hang on. But the other team drove down the field and time was running out.

Finally we were facing Armageddon. FIRST down on the SEVEN YARD LINE.

My boy was out there on the defensive line. I could barely breathe. It hurt so bad to think: we weren't going to Florida. . . no, we weren't even going to the Regional Finals!

Fourth and goal. On the four yard line. I could hardly watch the play. I didn't want to watch our opposition cross the goal-line. . .

#1 Martin, #3 Bob, #2 Justin, #6 Davelle
But I didn't. They didn't. They did not score.

Nobody beats us in the fourth quarter!

I still can't believe it. But it's true. The Hurricanes kept the opposition from scoring inside the red zone for (more than) four downs.

We're headed on the road.

The Littlest Linebacker with Head Coach James Bell

Julius Weems
In the post-game coaches' talk, Hurricane President, Julius Weems, a former football superstar at University of Maryland, told the boys that, ultimately, they won the game with their hearts.

Finally, in a new Reasoned Audacity tradition, here is this week's Breakdown celebration!

And let's not forget the Cliffhanger: What will next week be like up against a team (we're Div II brackets) whose coaches want to win badly enough to drive down here just to scout out our team? C'mon back next weekend and find out.

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I hope you all had a happy halloween! We had a great time following Boo around and trying to keep him from diving at every candy bowl he saw with two hands. . .

Anyway, this post is meant to make you smile. But also: I'm looking for some advice!

I would like to have put this picture up bigger and with better resolution. But even cut down to 280 pixel width and degraded to 66% quality as a JPEG, it still has a load time of 2 seconds.

I see large, clear pictures on other sites. But I can't find any info on how to do that and keep my load time down.

For example: look down at the post on the football championship. Those pictures had so much detail in them that they were showing load times of over 10 seconds. So that's why they look so terrible -- I had to just keep making them smaller and cutting the quality to get them anywhere near tolerable load times.

I use Macromedia's Fireworks to edit and compress the pics. I've tried compressing in the Microsoft Office Picture Manager program, but don't get any better results there.

Can anyone help?

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Pop Warner Football
We won!! The Laurel Hurricanes won the Maryland State Championship and will be advancing to the Regional competition next week in Pennsylvania. The goal -- on to the Superbowl at Disneyworld in December!

In fact, the celebration tonight was tinged with a timeline. "I love you guys," said Coach Bell, "but only 'till Tuesday. Then it's back to work." Tonight was a fantastic win, but these kids have been dreaming of -- no, really working toward -- making it to Florida all season long.

State Champions!!

Though it was hard to say who was happier, the kids or the coaches tonight. They both earned it. It's a privilege to be on this team, and really interesting to watch how these coaches have negotiated between giving each kid a pat on the back when he deserves it -- and a kick in the backside when needed. . . they are ten years old after all.

We asked Coach Bell what he did to produce such winners year after year.

"Discipline," said Bell, a former Marine. "[We] teach the boys to listen and learn on the field and listen and learn in the classroom."

He also teaches them to win.

Laurel Hurricanes, Maryland

But teamwork starts with fun. To begin the pattern of listening and learning as a team, Coach Bell taught the boys the Hurricane's post-game celebration chant. The Breakdown.

And here it is. Courtesy of the Dreamer, we've got a 0.41 second clip of the Hurricanes doin' the Breakdown.

Did I mention: the State Champion Hurricanes??!!

Julius Weems and Bob Washington

Mom and Dad at the game

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The Dude with Coach Giddy

The score yesterday was 24-0. We're headed to the 'ship! As in champion-ship.

But from the coaches' post-game fire-and-brimstone lecture, an onlooker would have thought we had lost.

A part of me wonders if they are being too hard on the boys. Another part of me remembers the gut-wrenching loss from last year. After an undefeated season, watching nine-year-old boys walk off the field in tears, the trophy eluding them.

And as I watch some of the other teams wander onto the field, while ours marches out crisply, I see that the emphasis our coaches put on discipline makes a crucial difference. Maybe the fundamental difference.

Win or lose, that's a lesson that translates to life.

A win in this coming Saturday's game gives us a ticket to the regional brackets. . . the prize at the end of our trek through the Eastern Region of Pennyslvania, NJ and New York, is a berth to the Pop Warner Superbowl at Disneyworld the first week in December.

The boys are talking about sunscreen; some of the parents are singing "M.I.C. . K.E.Y. . ."

But what does it take to get there?

I'll let you know what I find out.

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Put Me in Coach!

8:30 at night. Practicing under the lights. The winner of Saturday's game plays in the State Championship.

I remember vividly the day three years ago that "my baby" walked in the kitchen with his dad and announced -- with such excitement: We got me signed up for tackle football.

I looked at my little will-o-the-wisp boy, and tried to share his enthusiasm. I glared at his father.

Now I'm busy studying Football for Dummies, and he's turned into the Dude and worries about making weight.

Tonight, I went to pick him up and they were still practicing, late into the night. Coach Bell was drinking a Coke. As I stepped onto the field, heard the crunch of the pads, the surreal glow of the lights with the generator hum in the background, I felt a palpable thrill of excitement.

The state championship. In our sights.

Prayer Huddle

Last year, this same team was undefeated in the regular season. Had not even been scored against. We lost in the playoffs by one touchdown.

Any Given Sunday -- Any team can win. Or lose.

You can see it in the coachs' eyes; their taut intensity: not going to happen this year.

"You just play this next game. Let us worry about the one after that."

The Equipment Manager

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Well worth the LAX to DC red-eye! Only two more games till the state championship. . . And on to Orlando!

/br>

Yeah, that's my sweet baby boy pummelling the kid in blue. Football is so primal. . . I'm amused when I hear these otherwise ladylike mothers at the games screaming to their sons: "C'mon and hit somebody!"

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. . . Princess Shoes!" (The Dancer with her fashion consultant.)

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Baby Boo headed to Justice Sunday II. Tired warrior; the next generation. . .

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We were all headed out in the Black Rocket. I was reviewing with the Penta-Posse what they could expect from the day.

Some of the details were not received with enthusiasm.

Anarchists. Clearly.
Election Night 2004

The Dreamer decided she had some better ideas, and offered them. In a tone of voice which was, shall we say, ill-advised.

"And what," said I, "makes you think [the part she didn't want to do] is up for discussion?"

"I was just trying to offer a compromise," she replied. (Still with the 'tude.)

"Well," I responded, "This isn't a democracy." (Okay, so that was a little snarky. . .)

Jack decided to clarify: "No, this is a benign dictatorship."

Then, from the far back, the Dude (lovin' the fact that his sister was in trouble) chimes in:

"No, this is ANARCHY!"

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The Diva and The Dude
with The Nephews

"Mom, c'mon, make some noise!"

One of life's great joys: a major league baseball game with a ten-year-old boy. Bright lights. A summer breeze. The Sosa Swing.

"Woah. Mom. Check it out. 96 mph!"

Finally, I felt so guilty that I was having all the fun sitting next to the Dude that I offered to switch seats with Jack so he could enjoy the play-by-play commentary.

And the Orioles won.

Leaving the stadium, we paused for a moment in front of a beautiful memorial, honoring our veterans who made the supreme sacrifice. We are indeed eternally grateful. . . both to them, and to you who are serving today.

Right Thinking Girl asks all the right questions on LiveBlogging Baseball.

Attaboy talks about the fellowship and the Great American Pasttime at Attending Services.

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Thank heaven for little girls for little girls get bigger every day! Thank heaven for little girls they grow up in the most delightful way! Those little eyes so helpless and appealing one day will flash and send you crashin' thru the ceilin'. . .

George Stephanopoulos
and Ali Wentworth
Credit: Andrea Renault/Globe
Shortly after she became engaged to George Stephanopoulos, Alexandra, "Ali" Wentworth and I were riding the elevator up to tape Politically Incorrect. George was, at the time, one of Washington's most eligible bachelors, so the engagement was a Big Deal here in the Nation's Capital. Just to make conversation, I asked Ali if it was weird for her personal happiness to be such a big media event.

She looked at me quizzically, shrugged, and replied: "Well, it would have been the same if I'd married a rock star."

Oh. Right.

Well huzzah for high expectations. She was actually quite pleasant, so I'm glad to see that my cynically low expectations for their union appear ill-founded. The Big News now is the arrival of a new Stephanopoulos: their second daugher, Harper.

You can read all about it at the Celebrity Baby Blog, which is a hoot. But they missed the news of another important recent baby girl arrival, blog baby: Caitlyn King!

Caitlyn King

But she's a celebrity here: look at that cute face. Caitlyn is the daughter of Jeffrey King at [defunct blog]Three Fingers. Daddy and daughter and mom are doing fine.

The years go by too fast . . . we're thanking heaven for our first baby girl, who turned twelve this week. Before you know it, you turn around, and they look like this. . .Happy Birthday, baby, I love you.

My sweet Dreamer
Photo credit: Helena Yoest

So Congratulations George and Jeffrey! And welcome Harper and Caitlyn.

While I am all teary over my baby girl's birthday, my husband, Jack is gearing up for battle with the boys. He insists I send along to you new fathers his battle-plan -- W. Bruce Cameron's 8 Rules for Dating my Teenage Daughter, a must-read for every dad with a daughter. He thinks you might want to keep it handy. . .

Rule One: If you pull into my driveway and honk you'd better be delivering a package, because you're sure as heck not picking anything up.

Rule Two: You do not touch my daughter in front of me. You may glance at her, so long as you do not peer at anything below her neck. If you cannot keep your eyes or hands off of my daughter's body, I will remove them.

Thank you to Mudville Gazette for Open Post

(** And if this trackback belongs to you:» http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2576807, please contact me: I owe you a link! **)

Update: Thanks to Wizbang with Carnival of the Trackbacks XV for helping to celebrate.

Update: Big Congratulations for another girl-baby blogger! June 6th, 2005 “BORN” Lillianne Grace Ransom. Newport Beach, CA. 8 pounds, three ounces. Posted by Greg Ransom at PrestoPundit, alerted byMusing Minds at Congratulations to the Ransoms

The world is a better place.

28 June 2005, Up Date on another baby girl alerted by Marla Swoffer.

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Posted at 7:36 AM | Permalink
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The Dude and Boo
Keepin' Tabs on the Sitemeter

If you are a new reader, finding your way here through Instapundit, Powerline or Townhall, I want to welcome you. (Thank you Glenn, Scott and Jonathan.) If you are a returning reader, I want to thank you for your support.

Some of you may remember, from when I wrote about becoming a "Marauding Marsupial," (!) that my ten-year-old son, the Dude, has this thing about me catching up to Instapundit. He'll stumble down the stairs in the morning, still sleepy, "So Mom, what's the number?" 'Though he doesn't need me to tell him: he checks the Sitemeter himself. He'll report the numbers to me, complete with my hourly run-rate.

Some time last week, I walked into the office to find him at the computer. I asked him what he was reading, and he startled as if he was looking at porn. . . yes, you guessed it -- Instapundit.

So imagine the excitement around here when The Link hit on Thursday. Then, Friday morning, Powerline and Townhall linked. I walked into the office to find the Dude and his trusty sidekick, Boo, monitoring the situation.

I thank you all for stopping by. I appreciate you! And I am grateful for your comments and support.

So let me know what you think, and do keep coming back. Do it for the Dude!

Posted at 11:13 PM | Permalink
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Every time we've made the left turn onto Eisenhower Drive, and passed through the imposing brick gates of Arlington National Cemetery, I've been overwhelmed with emotion. Family members of those buried at Arlington National Cemetery are given a special pass and may drive onto the Hallowed Grounds to visit the grave of their loved one. It's an enormous honor which makes me feel humbled.

The Penta-Posse
at Arlington National Cemetery

My husband's father served thirty years in the United States Navy, and died the year I married into the family, so I didn't know him well. And the fact is, after a lifetime of nine-month Mediterranean tours, wars, and rumors of war, there is a lot my husband doesn't know as well.

However, over the 15 years that we've been married, I have gotten to know my mother-in-law well. She doesn't talk either about the sacrifices she made, but there is one story that she has told me several times.

Once, when my father-in-law was out on tour, and she was home with three small children, the car broke down and, of course, she had to take care of it. My husband marched up and said, "Don't worry, Mom, I'll fix it." He was about five years old at the time.

My mother-in-law laughs. . . the little man, takin' care of things. But it makes me cry.

We owe a lot to our military families.

When we visited Arlington this past week, we passed at least three funeral ceremonies on the way to Section 64. I lost track of the fresh graves and the still-standing tents, either just vacated by other grieving families, or awaiting the afternoon's fresh, raw sorrow.

As we pulled up on Bradley Avenue, an Air Force honor guard was marching precisely back to their bus after a ceremony for an airman who had been a POW in Korea. While we searched for my father-in-law's headstone, an empty horse-drawn caisson lumbered past, and settled briefly in the shade nearby, awaiting their next assignment. . .

We found my father-in-law's headstone: The front has the Christian Cross with the old Chief's Curriculum Vita. Chief Yoest cut high school to catch World War II. He retired with rows of ribbons and a "v" device, and pinned butterbars on his boy. He now has a grandson, The Dude, who bears his name and wants to be a Navy pilot.

The reverse of the stone is blank, awaiting the inscripton for Chief Yoest's high school sweetheart, his wife, Jack's mom, "Babcia" (Polish for Grandmother), who is still with us. In the end, they will be buried together, an honor she earned.

As we turned to go, the Diva took her jingle-bell necklace from around her neck, and left it on the headstone. A fitting tribute for a warrior.



Sailors, rest your oars.

We drove back down Bradley Avenue -- past a fresh grave covered by a tarp. In front of us, sparkling in the bright sunlight of a gorgeous day, stretched row after row of white marble markers, orderly, peaceful, some weathered, others new and crisply chiseled . . .

I turned to the Penta-Posse. "I want you to look," I said. "I want you to understand, that each one of these headstones represents someone who gave their life so that you could be free."

They were quiet and solemn. The weight of it is beyond measure.

The Dreamer said, "Don't cry, Mom."

We made the right turn onto Eisenhower. We drove slowly toward the exit, passing the drive to the Tomb of the Unknowns to our left, until we came to a crosswalk thronged with tourists. The guard on duty motioned to the crowd to stop, and we drove through, passing through the gates, back to a busy day, leaving behind -- the curious crowds, the chattering school children. . . and the silent stones.

Other Memorial Day Links:
Blackfive with "Opening the Gates of Heaven."
Intel Dump

Marine Corps Moms

LaShawn Barber's Corner

See Traffic Jam

Posted at 9:28 AM | Permalink
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This one's for our Milblogger friends!

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll

Posted at 12:13 AM | Permalink
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Children: The new status symbol. So says Simon Doonan at The New York Observer:

Onto the landscape of Manhattan, a new and lethal status symbol has alighted—and it’s causing the J.A.P.’s and WASP’s of the Upper East Side to quiver with envy. No, I’m not talking about those impossible-to-find strings of oversized Lanvin pearls wrapped in black mousseline. Or, for that matter, those $20,000 Rochas dresses that are selling before they hit the racks.

Yes, I’m talking about THE THIRD CHILD. Call it the Grace Kelly Syndrome. You can even call it the Demi Moore Syndrome. Either way, three is the new two! That critical third child—quite possibly the status symbol of this decade—will get you more Park Avenue cred than a fleet of Bentleys.

(Wait, I'm still stuck on the $20,000 dress. . . give me a moment. . . )

So if "three is the new two," then how 'bout five??!! Woohoo! I'm in! I've got kid cred!

Here's my favorite quote from the article -- Liz Lange, maternity-wear designer: "Many of the customers she met when she first opened her eponymous store back in 1998 are now on their third or even fourth child, she reported."

Italics in the original.

Yes, imagine. What kind of alien being would have a fourth child? To be serious: a lucky one. (A Peter Lawler kind of alien, an alien just passing through. . . )

It's nice for a change to read that having more children is becoming trendy because many people do tend to look at the Penta-Posse a bit strangely when we are out and about.

"Mom, people are staring at us."

"I know honey, I know. Stand up straight. Smile."

Today's Ballet Performance
Diva, Dreamer, Dancer

The truth is, each child brings richness and joy exponentially. This last week the Dreamer hit her ballet mark, the Dude hit a triple, the Diva hit her note, the Dancer hit her brother and Boo hit his stride . . .

A tip of the bonnet and new, must-read blog over at feminine-genius. They are on my "read every day" list.

Posted at 11:23 PM | Permalink
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A dear friend called today to say that she is moving. Great news for her and her family; not so great for those of us who love them.

So I set off for the grocery with Dreamer, Dancer and Boo, my heart heavy. I went through the routine motions of parking and getting Boo out of his car seat with my mind a million miles away.

Then Dreamer came up behind me with one of those grocery carts that has a plastic car on the front for Dancer and Boo. (Who knew he had gotten big enough to sit up there?)

The look on Boo's face as he grabbed that stearing wheel!

Who knows, maybe I'm not the only one who had a sad day. I thought I might share the sight that made me smile . . .

Posted at 11:19 PM | Permalink
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If you are coming over from LaShawn's Corner, welcome!

With the writing I've been doing on women in combat, I've been thinking a lot about the differences between men and women, moms and dads. A lot of people want to argue that there isn't much difference.

But my friend and mentor, Steve Rhoads, wrote a book this last year Taking Sex Differences Seriously which lays out all the evidence that, in fact, moms and dads, while equally important, are not interchangeable. (You can find a direct link to get this important book on the left sidebar!) For example, moms are better able to hear their baby's cry than dads are. Strange, but true.

This week was the Dude's tenth birthday, so we had the cousins over last night. The Penta-Posse plus Two were camped out in the family room, including the Dancer, who hasn't been feeling very well this week. The physical space separating us included stairs and a door. . .

In the middle of the night, I woke up, for no obvious reason, so started trying to go back to sleep. But I couldn't. Something felt wrong. I listened carefully. I heard nothing. Or was there something faint?

I decided to check on the kids since I was awake, and as I opened the door to head down the hall toward the family room, I heard the Dancer crying as if her heart would break. She was curled up in a ball on the couch, the blanket on the floor, her body cold, her head hot.

Why didn't you come to me, baby? I asked.

It was dark. . . I was scared. . .

I got her some medicine, took her to our room, and got her settled in snugly. She burrowed in and went to sleep immediately. With the commotion, Jack woke up. What's going on?

Over the years, with five kids, we've had our fair share of multiple kids throwing up, so he's been a part of plenty of night-time traumas.

But, usually, mom is the one who hears the first cry. It's just what moms do.

Posted at 9:54 AM | Permalink
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Who's in charge here?

Yeah, baby. No contest. It's the little big man in the middle . . . (check out that face!)

Posted at 9:53 PM | Permalink

Made a quick stop through the Big Easy on the way to Austin. Hit Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets and then headed to Bourbon Street.

Several people warned me about the seamier side of the notorious party promenade, but I hoped the Penta-Posse would be distracted by all the excitement. You would think I would have learned my lesson from Gilgamesh (see below)...

Each one of the Posse ('cept Boo!) chose a New Orleans feathered mask and we joined the crowds walking down closed-off Bourbon Street. It was lightly raining, but we loved listening to the bands -- particularly the trombonist playing Pink Panther -- and the Dancer and I grabbed hands and danced with joy in the middle of the street.

Finally, exhausted and foot-weary, we turned back toward the hotel.

The Dude slipped his hand into mine and leaned in closely. Lowering his voice, so his sisters wouldn't hear, he asked intensely: "Mom, what are those women thinking of?"

So, I guess he noticed the Hustler Club after all.

Looking at the exploitation and degradation of the female form through his eyes, how could I explain their inability to blush? How could I explain the pornographer's ability to sell such a perverted conception of "empowerment" and "freedom?"

We're hoping the Posse will learn a bit of history on this trip. But they may learn more about life.

Posted at 8:44 PM | Permalink
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We got up at 0-dark-thirty this morning, put the Penta-Posse in the truck -- still in their pajamas . . . and headed West. I am attending a Liberty Fund conference this weekend in Austin, organized by Fred Turner (see Gilgamesh post below) on epic, and my husband has a trade show in Vegas at the end of the month -- and, as everyone knows, Austin and Vegas are right next to each other -- so we decided to take the kids along for the ultimate field-trip to the Grand Canyon.

Fred has had us reading the Odyssey, and the Aeneid, as well as his own epic poem, Genesis, about the settlement of Mars, in preparation for the conference. So I think I'll blame the insanity on him: all the epic adventure inspiration. Well, adventure, yes. . . but I guess I overlooked the conflict, destruction and general mayhem storylines, as well. . .

Stay tuned. Will they survive the Odyssey in the SUV?

Posted at 11:06 PM | Permalink

I recently read the epic poem Gilgamesh for an upcoming Liberty Fund conference, organized by Frederick Turner, in Austin. (Fred is the renowned poet and author of a modern epic, Genesis, about the settlement of Mars.)

In my ongoing attempt to expand the Penta-Posse's literary horizons beyond the Adventures of Captain Underpants, I snapped up an audio reading of Gilgamesh when I saw one at the library. On our next road-trip to see Jack's mom, I felt like quite the uber-mom when the Penta-Posse became engrossed in the story of Gilgamesh, the ancient king of Uruk and his friend Enkidu, a wild man who lived among the beasts.

Problem: a key element of the story is Enkidu's transformation into full humanity . . .through seduction by a harlot.

The print version read that they "lay together" and she "taught him the woman's art." That probably would have gone over their heads. The audio version, however, translates her "welcoming" him pretty explicitly. We're riding along enjoying the story and all of a sudden we hear, "she spread her. . ." Total brain freeze! I looked over at Jack and I could see his brain racing, "Where is the off button, where is the off button?!!?"

Then, that particular phrase turned out to be a refrain in the poem. No, no! Where is the off button??!!
Finally, the story moved on to tamer things.

Total silence in the back. Jack and I were still not quite breathing.

Then, suddenly, we hear the Diva: "EWWW! That's gross!"

So, it's official: Gilgamesh is gross. On the other hand, maybe this could be a new, more classic, approach to sex ed in the schools . . .or not.

For the record, the Dude did think that Gilgamesh's fight with the ferocious Humbaba of the seven terrors, was "tight."

Posted at 9:18 AM | Permalink

The Dude (with the help of the Diva) discovered that Gandalf has something to say about audacity on PlayStation 2. They worked very hard to get the quote for mom's blog. And it's perfect:

For ourselves there is no hope. This is our final act to give Frodo time -- time to end the evil that marshalls before us.

We now give witness that the day of men faces the final test. The eye of Sauron will be upon us, mistaking our audacity for power.

We must hold his gaze long enough for the unthinkable to become real. For hope to conquer all.

At first, the Dude gave me only the part of this quote about audacity -- that evil would mistake it for power. And I was disappointed. Where is the inspiration in that?

But it's all in the context: sometimes we are powerless; sometimes we do confront circumstances and opposition that are overwhelming. I loved Lord of the Rings for the reminder that it is a great honor to give your all on the side of good, standing against evil, even if it costs you everything. And even the weakest among us has a part to play.

You just have to go with Gimli! "Certainty of death! Small chance of success. . .What are we waiting for?" There's audacity!

(Thx for LOTR transcript.)

Posted at 12:27 PM | Permalink

Today was completely taken over by getting Boo's vaccinations up-to-date. He had to get five shots. I hate getting my kids vaccinated. If I could morally justify it, I wish I could be a free-rider. . .The very thought of watching someone take a needle and inject my perfectly healthy baby boy with a virus that used to kill people makes me uneasy.

And then, of course, mom is the one who has to hold the baby down while they do it.

Sweet: the Dude was very unhappy about the idea of his little brother getting shots, and wanted to be nearby and watch over him, too.

So, I kept thinking of Aaron Burr! The man who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel was orphaned at two years old after his mother died from a smallpox innoculation.

One wonders: would history have taken a different turn if that little boy had had a mother?

To think that I am scared of shots now. What a debt we owe to the people who took those early vaccines. . .

Posted at 12:30 AM | Permalink
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