As we all enjoy the day with family and friends I want to take the time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. As much as we may go back and forth on the issues I think we at TMV are a family and I am most appreciative of everyone. So Merry Christmas to all !

With Christmas Eve upon us I thought I’d offer my annual post on the origins of the Christmas Star (per astronomy) and thus offering thoughts on when he was really born. Most of us know that Christ was not really born in December or the year zero. A number of people have tried to look first to the Bible for clues about what the star did and when, then they went outside the Bible to find events fitting those clues (one of the best studies can be found here) Looking to the text of the Bible we...

“Spirit, are they yours?” Scrooge could say no more. “They are Man’s,” said the Spirit, looking down upon them. “And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!” cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. “Slander those who tell...

The 90 year old husband of Queen Elizabeth was hospitalized with chest pains earlier today and was given a stent to repair a blocked coronary artery. He is likely to spend Christmas in the hospital but is expect to make a full recovery.

Few of us pass the holiday season without at least one viewing of a Christmas Carol. But what many do not know is that there was a story behind the story, and the influence that it had on the author. In Dickens time it was quite common for one man to support not only his own family but the families of his and/or his spouses siblings. Dickens had a great burden on his back and it was not getting easier as his publisher informed him that sales were slacking and he might get reduced royalties over...

If you never played with an erector set you were certainly familiar with the product. The set was the invention of a man named Alfred Carlton (A.C) Gilbert. It would take pages to list all of the toys that he helped to invent but they include virtually every type of educational toy from chemistry sets to some of the most popular versions of model trains. He was also a pioneer in providing benefits to his employees ranging from on site child care to free health insurance. During the First World War...

According to CNN there is a deal to resolve the impass on the payroll tax cut. Details are sketchy but the House GOP has a conference call scheduled for 5pm EST/2pm PST. Since the Senate is out of town the deal would presumably be for the House to pass the 2 month cut for now and then work on a full extension later.

In recent weeks everyone from bloggers on the net to pundits on the networks have been discussing the issues of partisanship versus unity. Some have argued that it is more important for us to work together and to put partisan topics aside while others argue just as strongly that voters elect people to office to fight for the issues they believe in and thus it is necessary to be partisan. As the title of this posting suggests, I think that to some degree both sides are right, which is why I am issuing...

It has often been said that you should be careful of what you wish for because often there will be very unexpected consequences. Looking at the current situation of international politics I have been thinking of this a lot lately. To offer a more local example, I live near the community of Lodi, California. For many years Lodi was known by police across the country as being one of the safest places to live, virtually crime free. While the local police did a good job that was not the main reason for...

Breaking news that North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il has died at the age of 69. Early word is that he died of a heart attack aboard one of his luxury trains while on a ‘tour’. South Korean forces and US forces in South Korea are on high alert. Given that in the past North Korea has dealt with crisis situations by launching missiles and staging attacks on South Korean territory that is not unreasonable. At the same time after the death of Kim Il Sung there were some agreements reached...

Vaclav Havel, the leader of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia during the late 1980′s has died at the age of 75. Havel is credited not only with inspiring the revolt which led to the collapse of Communism in his own country but also with helping to start the dominos falling all across Eastern Europe. He was for decades a leader of the underground opposition in the one party state, risking prison or death at the hands of the dictatorship. I remember the amazing events of 1989 and how quickly...

A sweet Christmas video, and thankfully some of our brave troops are coming home

Well not really… But they did get 61 Senators from both parties to participate in a secret santa gift exchange. Given the season I think we should all be able to just enjoy this story without bringing politics into the mix…

Saudi officials have executed a woman for practicing witchcraft. According to this post it seems that they have a system for finding witches.

The NTSB is proposing a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones while driving but the ban would not apply to hands free devices or to use by passengers. Although it would not eliminate the mental distractions caused by cell phone use, the ban would eliminate the physical distractions caused by holding the phone itself. While I would rather that people exercise the common sense idea of not using a phone while driving it seems this kind of a law may be needed to stop the idiots who don’t exercise...

In a move that would excite even Sheldon Cooper, scientists at CERN have made major progress in the quest for the Higgs boson. As discussed here, the Higgs boson is what some refer to as the God Particle, a theoretical (or perhaps now not so theoretical) object that could help explain how the universe works. Although this is a major simplification, objects like quarks and electrons are thought to help provide the energy of the universe but there remains a question as to how mass is obtained. The...

In all the debate over the payroll tax cut the gorilla in the room has been Social Security (and Medicare) and the fact that both face future problems with solvency. Some would argue that since they are currently secure we don’t need to worry about things but to me that is like arguing that the cliff is still a half mile away so I can continue to race towards it at 70 miles an hour. While I can still probably stop in time doing so later will be harder on the system and run a greater risk of...

Democrats are spending 1 million dollars for ads for the January 31st special election in the 1st District of Oregon. Given that the district has been in Democratic hands since 1974 and is widely considered to be safe for the party it seems odd to me that they are spending so much money. I can’t see the race really being that close but perhaps it is.

Word just coming in that accused child rapist Jerry Sandusky has posted $ 250,000 bail and will thus be out of jail and free for the holidays. We do live in a society where you are innocent until proven guilty so Sandusky has every right to post bail and await trial. But one hopes this time he won’t be allowed to run a childrens camp.

A long time actor best known for his roles on Dragnet and M*A*S*H, Harry Morgan has died at the age of 96.

Word just in that former Illinois Governor Soprano will spend 14 years in prison. He is likely to appeal but that is not expected to impact when he reports to prison. I would guess he will report after the holidays as they are usually more flexible with these types of convictions.

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and US entry into the Second World War. Sadly we are quickly approaching the time where we no longer have living survivors and Pearl Harbor may gradually become an abstract historical event rather than a true harsh experience. Whenever I think of the attack I am reminded of one of the more impressive stories of the day. At the time the attack began ships all over the harbor were in the process of rendering the colors for the day. On the...

Early exit polling from Russian parliamentary elections suggests that Russian President to Be Putin and his United Russia political party will win far fewer seats than they have in previous elections. In previous votes United Russia had routinely won a 2/3rds supermajority which allowed Putin to basically govern by decree. The returns this time suggest that United Russian may not even win a simple majority in the Duma, forcing them to work with other parties. Putin is still expected to win the Presidential...

Word coming out this morning that Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) will offer a compromise proposal to extend the payroll tax cut. Details have not been released but it is likely the compromise would be a mix of the two failed proposals from last week. Now whether the GOP will accept the compromise or not remains to be seen though in the end neither party wants to be seen as preventing a tax cut extension. Like many ‘temporary’ tax cuts this one is likely to remain for a while.

Every year the Marine Corps celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the Marines with a birthday ball. This was the first year that gay Marines could bring their loved ones. Here is a truly special story about one Marine’s experience.