No matter how long the run, the last mile is the hardest. Ten mile run? The last one will hurt. Go three miles the next day? The last mile will be just as difficult. Same with riding bike.
I think that's a metaphor for life. It often seems that going through difficulty is disproportionately difficulty within sight of its end.
I guess that's really the same basic dynamic as anticipiss.
I'm trying to picture the particular activity delicately left unspecified in this news story, and for the life of me I can't figure it out. At least not with any of those machines I've ever used. Can you figure it out?
Car Wash Vacuum
And I am sure this could have happened anywhere. That it took place in Michigan is just coincidence.
I went up to Home Depot earlier this afternoon to get the wood and hardware I'll need to build tomorrow's platform. I've thought this one through eight different ways and I think I've got a setup that will both work and be secure. But I haven't figured out how I'm going to get that 4x8 sheet of plywood up the stairway and in position. Hmmm.
We watched the first half of Meet the Press before leaving for church this morning. That was the segment during which Colin Powell endorsed Obama for President. Of course that's the big headline - the endorsement. But IMHO the way in which he did it was at least as noteworthy as the endorsement itself. He spoke clearly and repeatedly about his respect for McCain. There wasn't a hint of any personal attack whatsoever. Powell criticized some of McCain's positions but the focus was clearly on those positions, not on McCain. What he did say about McCain as a person was very complimentary.
Powell's reasons for endorsing Obama were based on two factors. The first was Obama's suitability for the position. For example, more than once he described Obama as intellectually curious. As a former teacher I understand that virtue. The other factor was what Powell perceives as the negative and critical spirit of the Republican party. He cited some of the campaign tactics being used by the Republicans as examples. Again, he assigned responsibility for those tactics to the party, not to McCain - a gracious move.
I disagree with Colin Powell's decision. And my reasons for supporting a McCain presidency are in spite of what I think are valid issues raised by Powell. I, too, have been very disappointed with the tenor of the Republican campaign. And I agree with Powell that McCain's response to the economic crisis has seemed to change almost daily, suggesting an uncertainty that doesn't bode particularly well.
I almost hesitate to say this, but I *think* that, all other things being equal, I might vote for the Democratic nominee, something I've never done before. But all things are not equal. Obama says the issue of when human life begins is "above my pay grade." His voting record, his party's platform and his recent statements on the subject all indicate that as President he would support abortion as a legal option for any pregnant woman, regardless of the stage of her pregnancy.
Economic prosperity comes in a distant second to a person's right to life. So do healthcare and international issues. Intellectual curiousity is a very good thing but it pales in comparison to respect for human life.
The Bible makes it clear that life begins at conception (see Ps. 51:5 et al). That makes abortion murder. That may be a harsh thing to say, but a harsh reality is a reality nonetheless. And that makes abortion a deal breaker for me. While my respect for Mr. Powell grew significantly this morning - and it was already pretty high - and while I agree with much of his analysis of the two candidates, I must come to a different conclusion because of the abortion issue.
Is single-issue voting shallow and overly simplistic? Perhaps, unless that issue is the murder of thousands of persons every year.
IMHO
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