Random

~ The Korean hostage crisis continues -- so does prayer. This is one of those situations in which the Taliban has more to gain by holding on to the hostages than even in negotating for something else that might make them happy. Their greatest desire right now is to show the world that they're in control -- that they are powerful people who can yank everyone's chains. If there is a negotiated end to this thing they lose their platform. So there is probably not a lot of motivation to wrap things up quickly.

~ Richard Mouw on "young earth," creation, evolution.

~ 4% of Americans don't have land line phones at home, relying instead on cell phones. We're among them. However, there are times when we're tempted to get a land line because the mobile phone coverage here is spotty and when we want to make or take a call we have to stand in a certain part of the house. But so far we've resisted.

~ "Young adults are leaving the church in droves."

~ Scientists have discovered the universe's largest known planet, made of mostly hydrogen, temperature of 2,300°, 20 times larger than Earth, 1,400 light-years away. NASA has not announced an exploration mission nor have the Russians attempted to claim it. There are benefits to distance.

~ Japanese go for American weddings in Paris -- and Hawaii -- and even closer to home, but not mentioned in the Telegraph article, Guam. There are 10,000+ Japanese weddings on Guam every year -- nearly 25% of the overseas Japanese weddings.

~ More than one million saved.

~ Lisa Dy sent us a picture that she took of Cheryl and me with one of the sailors from the Armada de Chile during the Guam Liberation Day parade last month. He's the guy in white. Cheryl is the one in red. And I'm the one with the ASU cap and trendy fashion lenses.

~ First mentions in the NY Times -- The Simpsons, iPod, George W. Bush, and his successor Barack Obama. (via)

~ Careers of the future and a quotable: "One warning: Job burnout does not come from long hours, it comes from not being able to have an impact at work, according to Ayala Pines, author of Career Burnout: Causes and Cures. The fastest job burnout is in burn units because nurses can't alleviate pain. Thus, it's not hard to imagine that providing medical assistance to the terminally ill might be a rapid ticket to disenchantment and burnout."

This is where the writer is mistaken. There are lots of people who thrive in high stress areas. They do so by defining "impact" differently than most people -- thankfully.