January Blogger Awards

By my count, 44 BBC blogs were updated in January. This continues a a downward trend I've noticed over the past year. This coincides with my own 'change of pace.' As some of you may have noticed, I have switched to a more 'every other day' posting rate. This is not set in stone, but fits with my quality over quantity philosophy. Here are some of the best BBC posts from January:

Jess's Favorite Things
Kelly's Chargrabbeemicisaac
Elizabeth R's Snow White
Liz's Resolutions
Aaron on Capitalism
Meet Nata's Family
Lindy Reviews Juno
Lola's First Post
Steph on Ministry

The Blogger of the month award,
in a fairly tight race, goes to:
Kelly T & The Misadventures of 2

Back in Time

I just finished watching the first 'Back to the Future' movie in which Michael J. Fox travels backward to the time when his parents first hooked up. Now frankly, I don't believe time travel is even possible, but I do want to ask 2 questions that may spark a fun conversation. If you could travel in time...

1. What part of your life would you travel back to?
2. What time in world history would you travel to?

Life/Liberty Ratings

This is my last installment of 'by the issues' candidate ratings. This Sunday night we focused on abortion, stem-cell research, the right to bear arms, the Patriot Act, same-sex marriage, and other miscellaneous 'value' issues.

Here are the previous scorecards:
Foreign Policy Rankings: Paul 96, Thompson 94, Obama 87, McCain 86, Giuliani 85, Romney 82, Huckabee 79, Clinton 79, Edwards 77

Health Policy Rankings: Huckabee 94, Paul 91, Giuliani 88, Thompson 87, McCain 87, Romney 86, Obama 79, Clinton 77, Edwards 76

Economic Policy Rankings: Paul 94, Giuliani 90, Thompson 89, Romney 89, Huckabee 88, McCain 84, Obama 82, Clinton 76, Edwards 73

1. Ron Paul 97%
Paul believes life begins and conception and that the argument needs to remain there for the pro-life cause to succeed. As a medical doctor, Paul has delivered more than 4,000 babies and never considered performing and abortion. He believes we should negate Roe v. Wade (in fact, 'Roe' has since become a pro-life Christian and has endorsed Ron Paul). For Paul, the 2nd Amendment (right to bear arms) protects the rest. He voted against the Patriot Act which limits freedoms. He has a libertarian philosophy on many social issues (for example, he is against the 'war' on drugs). He believes marriage should be left solely to religious institutions and the government shouldn't have become involved in the first place. He's against affirmative action.

2. Fred Thompson 91%
Thompson is pro-life and had the endorsement of right-to-life before dropping out of the race. He thinks Roe v. Wade was bad law and bad science. He's for strict constructionist judges. He vowed to protect the 2nd Amendment and punish criminals severely. He vowed to defend the institution of marriage and ban same-sex marriage altogether.

3. Mike Huckabee 91%
Huckabee is pro-life and thinks Roe v. Wade should be overturned. He would appoint pro-life judges. He would stop the federal funding of pro-choice organizations. He thinks pro-life organizations need to put more focus on helping parents after they choose life. He's against embryonic stem cell research. He reminds us that gun rights were meant to protect us from the government. He owns firearms and enjoys hunting. He believes we do and should continue to legislate morality. He's against any ban on assault weapons. Marriage should be definded as b/w a man and woman at the federal level. Liberalism is a slippery slope.

4. John McCain 89%
Roe v. Wade should be overturned, but we should maintain exceptions for rape, incest and/or danger to the life of the mother. He's for conservative judges. He thinks we should put more focus on adoption and pro-life centers. He is for embryonic stem cell research. He believes gun laws fail to fight crime. Manufacturers should not be held liable for what their customers do. Only certain assault weapons should be banned. He voted for the Patriot Act. Marriage is b/w a male and female, but the issue should be left to the states. He's for limited affirmative action and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays in the military.

5. Mitt Romney 85%
We should overturn Roe v. Wade. Romney is a 'convert' to the pro-life cause, but believes abortion should still be allowed in cases of incest, rape and/or a threat to the mother's life. He'd be for conservative judges. Gun-criminals should be punished severely. Assault weapons should remain banned. The Patriot Act is good and valuable. He supports a federal definition for traditional marriage.

6. Giuliani 84%
He is personally pro-life, but politically pro-choice. The emphasis should be on reducing the number of abortions. We should put more emphasis on adoption. He's against all partial birth abortion. He vows to appoint strict constructionist judges. Stem cell research is OK if regulated. He strongly supports the right to bear arms, but was in favor of the ban on assault weapons. He's strongly in favor of the Patriot Act. He believes marriage should remain both a religious and civil institution. He's against same-sex marriage, but also against banning it. He supports affirmative action.

7. Barack Obama 77%
He's pro-choice. He voted against the ban on partial birth abortion. He is for funding embryonic stem-cell research. He thinks we need to get guns out of cities. He believes gun manufactures should be held liable for how their products are used. He voted for the Patriot Act with limitations. He opposes same-sex marriage, but thinks we should focus on gaining equal rights for same sex couples. The constitution is a 'living' document.

8. Hillary Clinton 76%
She is pro-choice. We should focus on reducing abortions, not banning them. She voted against the ban on partial birth abortions. We should allow embryonic stem cell research. We need tougher gun control laws. Manufactures are liable for gun related crimes. She voted for the Patriot Act with limitations. We should allow 'civil unions' so that gay couples can have equal rights. We should end "don't ask, don't tell."

9. John Edwards 75%
He is pro-choice. Abortions should be federally funded. He would never appoint an 'extremist' (read, 'pro-life') judge. He voted no on banning partial birth abortions. He wants to allow funding for embryonic stem cell research. We need more restrictions on guns. He's for federalized aviation security. He's for same-sex civil unions and thinks it's good to make 2nd graders aware of the legitimacy of same sex couples. We need more affirmative action.

Snow Camp

I am going to snow camp with the youth group for the weekend. I will be back Sunday night with the last installment of the grading the candidates.

Zen Master

Last year, I posted the 5 jobs I'd love if I weren't a pastor, but I recently discovered a 6th. In preparations for a small group study of various world religions, I took my first serious look at Zen Buddhism and, in particular, the role of a Zen Master. Basically a Zen Master gets to live at the top of a mountain and answer the philosophical questions of weary pilgrims with riddles (called Koans*) that are purposefully nonsense. As an added bonus, they get to hit people without legal consequences.

*Here's an example of a Koan:
Question from a Monk- What is meant by the pronouncement 'to go beyond the Buddha and the Patriarchs?'
Answer from a Zen Master- Poor Rice Cake

Online Romance

About 4 times each year I experience a minute long romance with some girl IMing me on MSN while claiming to be a Christian from Africa. It always turns out that they want to marry me so they can move to the USA and/or they want me to send money to help their family. I feel pretty confident that I can spot the fakers so, nowadays, I turn it around. Here's the end of one such conversation I had today:

liziata says:
i want to know if you have a women
The Matthew Never Knew says:
i have a girlfriend
liziata says:
hi you dont a wife. ok.
I can be your wife came from africa
a savant of god again i want to know your contry
The Matthew Never Knew says:
i live in africa
liziata says:
were do you live in africa
The Matthew Never Knew says:
ivory coast
liziata says:
ok
liziata says:
give me your number so can call you now
The Matthew Never Knew says:
I have no phone. My family is very poor.
Right now I am at an internet cafe in the city
do you think you could send me some money?
liziata says:
ok no bleme
The Matthew Never Knew says:
bleme?
Liziata signed off

Economy Ratings

In this weeks post, I rank the candidates in terms of their positions on federal spending/taxation along with their general approach to improving the US economy.

Foreign Policy Rankings: Paul 96, Thompson 94, Obama 87, McCain 86, Giuliani 85, Romney 82, Huckabee 79, Clinton 79, Edwards 77

Health Policy Rankings: Huckabee 94, Paul 91, Giuliani 88, Thompson 87, McCain 87, Romney 86, Obama 79, Clinton 77, Edwards 76

1. Ron Paul 94%
Paul wants to reduce the size of the federal government by cutting non-constitutional departments (and saving $500B/year with his non-interventionists foreign policy). He believes the government should have to balance its budget by law. Paul has never voted for a tax increase and, in fact, calls for a flat tax of 0%. He thinks we should return to the gold standard.

2. Rudy Giuliani 90%
Giuliani has a successful record of cutting spending and taxes in NYC. He believes all federal programs should be temporary. Giuliani has a 1 page 'simple' tax return available for viewing on his campaign website. He believes lower taxes for the rich equals a better economy.

3. Fred Thompson 89%
Thompson believes the federal government should be forced to balance its budget. He voted yes on across the board reductions in government spending. He believes the progressive tax ultimately hurts the economy. We should dissolve the IRS as we know it and require a super majority (60%) to pass new taxes into law.

4. Mitt Romney 89%
Romney thinks there should be line-item veto power in the executive branch. The Bush tax-cuts should be made permanent. The fair tax is flawed. New taxes should require a 60% vote to pass into law. To improve our economy we must limit regulations and let businesses negotiate their own overseas trading.

5. Mike Huckabee 88%
Huckabee supports the executive branch line-item veto. He ran a $845M surplus in the Arkansas government, but with a $505M net increase in taxes. He is for eliminating the income tax and replacing it with a fair tax in which consumption is taxed roughly 23%. Each household would receive a monthly rebate check to compensate for poverty level purchases.

6. John McCain 84%
We must stop earmarks and pork-barrel spending. McCain voted for reducing spending in the federal government. He originally voted against the Bush tax-cuts, but now wishes to make them permanent. We should ban internet and cell-phone tax and require a 60% super-majority to bring any new tax into law. McCain thinks unions are often out of control. He is pro NAFTA.

7. Barack Obama 82%
Federal spending increases should always be accompanied by cuts in other budget areas. We must stop pork-barrel spending. Obama, however, voted against reducing federal spending amounts. We should restore the progressive tax more and more, raise the minimum wage, create universal broad-band internet access and protect US intellectual property overseas.

8. Hillary Clinton 76%
New funding should be matched by budget cuts. She voted no on reducing overall federal spending. She voted against the Bush tax cuts, but promises to keep them for the middle class. We should keep the estate tax. New jobs from the clean energy industry will help boost the economy. She will work to strengthen unions.

9. John Edwards 73%
Edwards plans to add more agencies and programs to the federal government. He believes, in fact, that the federal budget is a moral document (we must aid overseas crisis at the federal level). He voted no on spending cuts. He voted against the Bush tax cuts. He voted against abolishing the marriage penalty. He wants to raise the minimum wage to $9.50. He thinks unions are what made great jobs great. He wants to create 1 million housing vouchers to help poor families move to better neighborhoods and rescue current foreclosures.

American Gladiators

One of my favorite shows as a kid was American Gladiators. I remember sleeping in on Saturday's and then watching 4 people compete in games that I could actually replicate with just a little creativity. So I was glad to see, a month or so ago, that NBC has made a new version of American Gladiators. I've watched the first 4 episodes and they've been great fun!

A New Low

According to this article, the number of abortions performed in the United States has reached its lowest level since abortion was legalized. This most recent count is from 2005 during which 1,200,000 babies were aborted. Even still, more than 20% of pregnancies ended in abortion. 30% of abortions takes place at 6 weeks or earlier.

On a related topic, Dr. Ron Paul has delivered over 4,000 babies and has never performed an abortion.

iRon

I was playing 'The Sims' the other day. It seems 3 or 4 times each year I get the urge to design a house, furnish it, and tell its resident when to wash the dishes. In any case, two nights ago I built a house for my real life girlfriend and got her a job as a political campaign writer. Unfortunately, she ended up so tired that she fell asleep in the road after exiting her carpool, but the whole ordeal got me to thinking about being part of a political campaign. I'm especially interested in debates and answering questions in ways that both represent one's true positions and appeal to the general audience. So I'm going to try my hand at writing campaign answers for Ron Paul (my favorite candidate). I think Dr. Paul does a great job of answering questions, but I also think I could answer them in a slightly different manner that would help his overall campaign. So here's Q/A #1...

As President, would you lead us out of Iraq?

Absolutely. I would begin bringing troops home on my very first day in office. Of the top candidates, I'm the only one that actually voted against this war. And while some of my friends have since changed their mind on the matter and joined me in this purpose, they have done so with very different motivations. You see, my position on Iraq is not motivated by partisanship or politics. It's motivated by philosophy. I am the only candidate with the foreign policy of our founding fathers: Non-interventionism.

The establishment in Washington has taken us so far from our roots, that most people are only vaguely family with the nature of non-interventionist policy. It is NOT pacifism. It simply goes to war only when defense is necessary. It is NOT isolationism. It encourages free trade and friendship between the nations. It's a philosophy that calls us to stop policing the world and to make our own business our top priority. We should not have troops in 130 countries around the world. We would be much better served to have them home defending our physical borders. We would be much better served putting those billions of dollars back into the hands of the American citizens. We would be much better served by avoiding the 'blow back' that results in our constant presence overseas. Non-interventionism is a superior philosophy in terms of our security and our economy. And I'm the only candidate giving voice to our philosophical heritage.

Domestic 1 Ratings

In this week's look at the top 9 candidates, we discussed their views on Education, Health Care, Energy dependence and the environment. Below I will rank the candidates in these regards:

Last week: Foreign policy rankings (Paul 96, Thompson 94, Obama 87, McCain 86, Giuliani 85, Romney 82, Huckabee 79, Clinton 79, Edwards 77)

1. Mike Huckabee 94%
Huckabee encourages use of the Voucher system for school choice and homeschooling. He says we need more arts/music in school b/c they are just as important as math/science. Huckabee stood up to the teachers union in Arkansas. He's for privatized health care, but with a change of focus to preventative health instead of always responding to emergencies. We should be stewards of the environment while exploring all technologies to obtain energy independence.

2. Ron Paul 91%
Ron Paul wants to eliminate the entire Department of Education and move control of our schools back to the states and local boards. He favors the voucher system to increase quality. As a medical doctor, Paul understands the problems in the health care industry and feels we should change our direction back to a fully privatized system by reducing regulations and rewarding healthy habits. He reminds us that making profits in the energy industry is not evil, but the federal government should not be subsidizing the industry. We should read both sides of the Global Warming debate and stay informed.

3. Rudy Giuliani 88%
In our country, colleges are working great, but k-12 is a mess. Giuliani says this is b/c colleges are primarily privatized and k-12 is led by the federal government. We should move control back to the states and encourage the voucher system to increase quality. He's also for privatized health care and would encourage a $15K tax credit to help the uninsured buy their own insurance. Global Warming is a reality and we must invest in all technologies to combat it.

4. Fred Thompson 87%
We should let the states try the voucher system. He voted for No Child Left Behind, but now thinks its critics were correct. We need to encourage the traditional family unit if we want to better our children. We have the best health care system in the world, but it will only remain that way if we make it more and more privatized. We should shift the focus to preventative and modernize the industry. Thompson is skeptical that Global Warming is caused by man, but sees energy independence as a national security issue.

5. John McCain 87%
McCain doesn't say a whole lot about education except for agreeing with the standard republican positions on vouchers. He says we need to get rid of bad teachers. Health care should be privatized. A $2.5K tax credit will help the uninsured. The drug companies are getting rich at our expense. Climate change is real and nuclear power is the solution.

6. Mitt Romney 86%
Education needs to be controlled at a local level. Romney is for the Voucher programs and performance based teacher salaries. We should privatize health care and let the states get creative with their given health care markets. Global warming is a reality and we should invest and subsidize new energy technologies.

7. Barack Obama 79%
We need more programs for 0-5 year olds and we need to move toward universal Pre-K. We also need more after school programs and the first $4k of college should be free. No Child Left Behind was a good idea, but needed more funding. His health care plan would cover most of the currently uninsured. We need to break down the borderline monopolies in the industry to lower costs. We need to double our energy research budget in pursuit of independence form foreign oil. Nuclear power is OK.

8. Hillary Clinton 77%
We need more $ for teachers, a fully funded Pre-K, more after school programs, and programs to help parents parent. Vouchers should only be for public schools, otherwise we are abandoning them. Health care should be a private/social blend to cover every American citizen. We can fund this by repealing the Bush tax-cuts for the rich. Global Warming is caused by man and we are obligated to increase our research budgets and demand our industries to meet new standards.

9. John Edwards 76%
We should increase salary for urban teachers. We should move toward a universal Pre-K. Student loans should be through the Department of Education. If students are willing to work, they should go to college for free. We should teach that same-sex marriage is valid in grade school. All citizens should have health insurance and, in fact, it is required in Edwards' plan. Global Warming is made by man and we must respond, but nuclear power is not an option.

Unity of Churches

I've gotten some good and interesting feedback from my "True Unity" sermon since Sunday, especially in the area of cross-denominational unity. The dream of having area churches unite in a more visible way seemed to resonate, but many wondered how we can practically accomplish this.

Pastors may have the opportunity to participate in local pastor get-togethers. Some towns have combined services on certain holy days. But I'm interested in hearing some ideas that you have or have tried in the area of cross-denominational unity. I'm a big believer that area churches have a responsibility to show the surrounding community that we are one in the Spirit.

SC Debate Scores

7 Ron Paul - Lone voice for non-interventionism
6 John McCain - Came across steady and strong
4 Rudy Giuliani - Clear and concise
3 Fred Thompson - Similar to McCain, but less
3 Mitt Romney - Seems to make stuff up
3 Mike Huckabee - Still seems too smooth to me

Foreign Policy Ratings

Below I will rank the top 9 candidates in terms of foreign policy:

1. Ron Paul 96%
Ron Paul is the only candidate of the top 9 who is a non-interventionist. In other words, he doesn't feel that the USA should have troops in 130 countries. This does not mean that he's a pacifist (he believes in war when declared by congress) or an isolationist (he believes in free trade and friendship). Paul believes that our constant interventionism actually plays a part in producing our conflicts. He'd rather not be in the UN, instead remaining completely sovereign. Instead of intervention, we should spread democracy by example. Paul is the only candidate that voted against the war in Iraq (Obama would have, but wasn't in office). In regards to immigration, Paul is against amnesty and for an amendment ending birthright citizenship. If you want a non-interventionist candidate, he's your only choice.

2. Fred Thompson 94%
Thompson believes in 'peace through strength.' He voted for the war in Iraq and doesn't believe we should have a time-table to exit. He is the loudest voice for claiming that Iraq would be nuclear by now if not for the removal of Hussein. He supports stronger missile defense, support for Israel, and no amnesty for illegal immigrants. If you want a classic peace through strength candidate, he's probably your pick.

3. Barack Obama 87%
Obama is one of only 2 candidates against the war in Iraq, though he wasn't in office at the time of the vote. Obama wants all troops out of Iraq by March. Obama believes in diplomacy and international coalitions to intervene in the problems around the globe. He supports meeting with enemy leaders. He supports a Palestinian State. He thinks we should increase legal immigration and provide illegals with an in-house pathway to citizenship (albeit at the back of the line, so to speak). If you want a democrat who's been against the war in Iraq consistently, he's your only choice.

4. John McCain 86%
McCain is a former Prisoner of War and is for a very strong military. He believes the key to fighting terrorism is better military intelligence. He voted for the war in Iraq and strongly praises the recent surge as necessary and effective. He thinks would should finish our mission in Iraq even if it takes 100 years. He is against 'torture' of POW's, but is more 'liberal' than most of his fellow republicans when it comes to how to deal illegal immigrants. If you want to finish the job in Iraq no matter what and how long it takes, he's your man.

5. Rudy Giuliani 85%
Giuliani helped NYC through 9-11. He favored the war in Iraq and thinks it's ridiculous to constantly be talking about withdrawing in the midst of the war. He was for the Patriot Act. He thinks the key to defeating terrorism is to discredit the worldview. He said we do not need to try to understand why terrorists attack us, we just need to stop them from doing it. He is against deporting illegals so long as they are children, sick, or reporters of crime. Our foreign policy should be to actively spread democracy, whatever it takes. If you think we have an obligation to stop terrorism by spreading democracy via the military, vote for Giuliani.

6. Mitt Romney 82%
Mitt is yet another interventionist, but with a bit more of a diplomatic side than most of his fellow republicans. He favored the war, but thinks it has been mismanaged. He supports the surge and rejects a time-table for retreat. He thinks we should strengthen our alliances in the Middle East and try to modernize Muslim culture. This, he believes, will make them less likely to breed terrorists. Islamic Jihad hates the west and wants us gone. In regards to immigration, he's big on an employer verification system so illegals can't get jobs so easily. If you think Islamic Jihad wants to take over the world and it has nothing to do with us, he's probably your man.

7. Mike Huckabee 79%
Huckabee is another interventionist who favored the war in Iraq and doesn't support a time table for ending said war. He thinks the surge is good. We should win the war on terror by using overwhelming force. The goal is to defeat terrorism, not spread democracy. If he believed Iran had Nuclear weapons, he'd attack them without or without congressional approval. He's against amnesty, but with some allowance for a pathway to citizenship. He recently spoke of support for ending birthright citizenship. Huckabee seems to insert the most popular aspects of other foreign policies into his own. If you like what he's chosen, he's your guy.

8. Hillary Clinton 79%
Clinton voted for the right to fight Iraq, but now regrets that vote. She wants to bring the troops home by 2013 and flood Iraq with financial aid to cleanse the country. She supports global coalitions and UN involvement to solve world problems. She's against 'english immersion' for immigrants and for a path to citizenship for illegals. If you supported the war in Iraq, but have since changed your mind and think we should do nearly all foreign policy through the UN, she's your woman.

9. John Edwards 77%
Edwards, like Clinton, voted for the President's right to lead a war in Iraq, but then changed his mind and voted against funding the troops. He believes in UN diplomacy and throwing money at world problems. Besides the vote against funding the troops, he's nearly identical to Clinton. If you like Clinton, but don't like the idea of a female President, Edwards is for you.

To America's Pastors

Click HERE to read a great article I found by Bill Barnwell entitled "An Open Letter to America's Pastors and Church Leaders in Support of Ron Paul for President."

And for you Canadians!!!

And for you fans of LEGO's and/or the gold standard, here's a fun Ron Paul Video:

Winter Cleaning

The following blogs have not been updated in over a year. As per policy, they will be deleted unless updated within the next 48 hours. If you are, or know, the owner of these blogs, post now or forever hold your peace:

Brent I
Ben C
Geoff H
Karen W
Kate P
Luke C
Megan S
Tim C
Chris W
Corey T
Tammy C2
Travis T
Mark W
Bob P
Matt P

Unity

I preached on Sunday about true unity. Here is my basic outline.

Intro:
1) We all want unity
2) Unity is hard to find
3) Unity is serious to God

What true unity is NOT
1) It's not about isolating a group from other views
2) It's not about ignoring the differences b/w views
3) It's not about 100% agreement on every issue

What MUST we agree on
1) That God exists and cares
2) That Jesus is Messiah, Son & Lord
3) That Jesus rose from the dead

What is true unity
1) It's found in following Jesus
2) It's an attitude of love
3) It's our great weapon in evangelism

Conclusion
1) In essentials unity
2) In non-essentials liberty
3) In all things charity

NFL Playoff Predictions

Don't bet based on my guesses
2005: 6 right, 5 wrong
2006: 4 right, 7 wrong
2007: 5 right, 6 wrong

WILD CARD ROUND
Seattle over Washington
Jacksonville over Pittsburgh
Tampa Bay over NY Giants
San Diego over Tennessee

FIRST ROUND
San Diego over Indianapolis
New England over Jacksonville
Dallas over Tampa Bay
Green Bay over Seattle

CONFERENCE FINALS
San Diego over New England
Dallas over Green Bay

SUPER BOWL
San Diego over Dallas

*all picks subject to complete inaccuracy

How to Enjoy Heaven

One question I run across quite often can be worded as follows: "How will I enjoy Heaven if I know some of my unsaved loved one's are suffering in Hell?" For now, I can only think of 6 possible answers to this question. Which position(s) do you hold?

1. We won't remember 'lost' people
2. Joy will outweigh sorrow
3. We'll understand justice and be content
4. We'll find out that the wicked are annihilated
5. We'll find out that the wicked are converted
6. Joy in heaven doesn't imply an absence of grief

3rd and/or Bust

I was reading a political-analysis article the other day which made good sense. The author was claiming that the big indicator in today's Iowa Caucus is 3rd place. For the democrats, there are 3 key players: Clinton, Obama & Edwards. The 3rd place finisher on the Democratic side will be the real 'loser' of the Iowa caucus. On the Republican side, it's the opposite. In Iowa, 1st & 2nd place are pretty much rapped up by Romney & Huckabee. The real prize is 3rd place, and it's up for grabs b/w Thompson, McCain, Paul & Giuliani. The 3rd place Democrat loses, the 3rd place Republican wins.

My Prediction
D: Obama, Clinton, Edwards
R: Romney, Huckabee, Thompson, McCain, Paul, Giuliani

Resolutions

I'm not ready to make my 2008 New Year's Resolutions. Instead, I have started another, albeit private, blog. On my private blog I will do 2 things. 1) I will summarize my day in a few sentences and 2) I will provide some daily stats on what I did. At some point(s) during each month, I will compile the statistics and interpret them on this blog.

What are your 2008 Resolutions?
My 2006 New Year's Resolutions
My 2007 New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!