As a writer of inspirational Historical Romance, I’m always drawn to an interesting tidbit from the annals of old that smacks of real life romance.

While I was doing research for my most recent Revolutionary Faith post about the history of Valentine’s Day, I came across a sweet love story between a man and a maiden that took place during the American Revolution. The story swept me up with its simple detail, yet it’s depth in the characters involved.

This love story took place in South Carolina and began with a spirited teenager named Behethland Foote Moore. Although born in Virginia, her parents relocated to South Carolina when she and her two brothers were quite small. Behethland’s father died two years later, and her mother remarried a Captain Samuel Savage, who brought his new family to a residence on the Saluda River.

Behethland attended a school in Camden known for its excellent reputation. In 1781, due to an outbreak of smallpox, she was inoculated against the disease by a British surgeon. After recovering from the vaccination, Behethland returned home, only to find her town and its inhabitants on the brink of skirmishes between the King’s soldiers and the Continental Army.

Rather than succumbing to fear, the sixteen-year-old stood up to the British on more than one occasion, resisting their efforts to steal apples, preventing them from killing her family’s sheep, and protecting the life of one of her father’s servants by throwing herself between the British soldier’s fists and the boy. She must have startled them with her bold behavior because she survived each incident unscathed.

Her next act of bravery proved even more risky, as she and two other teens conveyed dangerous intelligence information by canoe in the middle of the night. Her heroic act saved the Continental troops under Colonel Henry Lee.

Perhaps it was her feisty courage or perhaps it was her beauty, but the next morning, when a young American officer rode up to her front door, the fires of romance began to kindle. The dashing twenty-one-year soldier was smitten, as was Behethland. Their courtship began soon after.

Although her step-father did not approve of the match, the way of a man with a maiden won out. Behethland and Captain William Butler were married in 1784, after the Revolutionary War ended.

Captain Butler (no, not the Clark Gable one from “Gone With The Wind”) became a member of the State Convention that adopted the United States Constitution and served in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1787 to 1795. He served in the United States Congress from 1801 to 1814 and commanded the South Carolina forces as Major General in Charleston from 1814 to 1815.

While her husband served his country and managed their plantation, Behethland bore him eight children and oversaw the education of each. Among her children’s notable occupations were several United States Congressmen and a Governor of South Carolina.

An anecdote about Behethland touched my heart:

During a terrible rainstorm one day after school, her eleven-year-old grandson saw a child “of humble means” without any protection from the weather. Despite the jeers and laughter of his companions, the young boy gave the child his arm and held his umbrella over her uncovered head. Although mocked by his friends, the boy received praise from his grandmother, who observed his generous and kind behavior.

The incident was evidence of Behethland’s legacy of love and courage, now expressed in her progeny.

Behethland Moore Butler died at the age of 88. She is buried at the old Butler Methodist Church five miles north of Saluda, South Carolina, near her husband and children. She now rests five miles from where she first saw a Continental Army officer arrive on her porch—a meeting that would change her destiny forever.

“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” (Proverbs 30:18-19 NIV)

If for some reason you can’t open it up, it’s a video of yours truly and my friend Steve Carter leg pressing 1,000 pounds multiple times. Perhaps this doesn’t sound so amazing to you weight-lifting blog-reading types, but I’m six feet tall, 185lbs, and can’t even bench press my own weight, so this is actually pretty darn incredible.

1000 Pounds

I previously accomplished the feat of leg pressing 900 pounds, which spurred a fun response from some of my writer friends. One in particular has asked me to create a blog post featuring things that weigh 1,000 pounds, or the equivalent of what I can leg press ten times. Here is that list.

• In the American measuring system, 1,000 pounds is a half-ton.
• The internet says that if you were to cut a killer whale into three equal-sized parts, each would be about 1,000 pounds.
• The median weight of a male polar bear is about 1,000 pounds. (Yes, I could probably leg press a polar bear if he cooperated. Maybe if I gave him a Coca-Cola.)
• Speaking of Coca-Cola (or Pepsi, which I prefer), that would equate to about 1,334 standard 12-ounce cans, or a little more than 111 12-packs of cans.
• I mentioned that I weigh 185 pounds. While I can’t even bench press my own weight, I leg pressed more than five times my own weight (5.4 times, actually).
• 1,000 pounds equals $1571.80 in US Dollars, but those are British pounds (their currency) and so it doesn’t really apply to this list.
• Someone in Pennsylvania made a butter sculpture that weighed 1,000 pounds.
• Adult male sea lions in California can weigh up to 1,000 pounds.
• An eight-month-old baby elephant in the Oregon zoo weighed about 1,000 pounds at the date of the article connected to the link I posted.
• Certain types of horses can weigh around 1,000 pounds.
• 120 gallons of water weighs about 1,000 pounds (actually a little less).
• According to this site, a blue whale’s heart weighs about 1,000 pounds.
• 50 reams of 500 8 1/2 by 11″ sheets of paper weigh 1,000 pounds. That’s 25,000 sheets of paper.
• Or, if you want to take the environmental approach, 1,000 pounds of paper is about 12 trees.
• Cows can weigh 1,000 pounds. I suddenly want steak…
• So do some moose, oxen, and bison.
• In smaller terms, we would need between 571 and 1,000 gray squirrels to equal 1,000 pounds, depending on their weight (16-28 ounces).
• This ice cube maker is 1,000 pounds.
• Snowmobiles can weigh 1,000 pounds.
• This guy was executed via a machine described as a “shooting gallery of steel” in Nevada in 1913.
• Someone actually took the time to figure out how much a million dollars weighs. If a million dollars in $1.00 bills weighs 1.1 tons, that means that a half a ton (1,000 pounds) would equal about$445,000 in $1.00 bills. (If my math is wrong, oh well. It’s a LOT of money either way.)
• Apparently Christina Aguilera, 5’2″, weighed 100 pounds in March of last year (or so she claims). That means that I leg pressed ten Christina Aguileras.
• A barrel of honey weighs 100 pounds, so I leg pressed ten of those too.
• Since mama grizzly bear weighs 400-500 pounds and papa grizzly bear weighs 500-600 pounds, it’s conceivable that I could leg press them both at the same time. (Baby grizzly bear can watch. Maybe I’ll give him a Coca-Cola too.)
• Really, really big cougars can reach 200 pounds. I could leg press five of them as long as I wasn’t distracted by them trying to eat me. (***NOTE: these are the large cat-type, not the older-woman-going-after-younger-men type. I won’t venture estimates for how many of those kinds of cougars I could leg press.)
• Two bales of cotton weigh about 1,000 pounds.
• As an author, I deal with books a lot. A hardcover book weighs about a pound or two, so that means I could leg press between 500 and 1,000 of them. Paperbacks weigh less, so I could get more literature on the press. Ah, but here’s the kicker: if I used my wife’s Kindle 3 (8.5 ounces), I could leg press about 2125 of them. Given that each Kindle 3 can hold 3,500 books, I could leg press 7,437,500 e-books, or a little more than a fifth of the entire Library of Congress’s collection of books (if they were in e-form).
• Your standard North American beaver weighs about 99 pounds, so I could leg press about ten of them, each with a stick in its mouth.
• And finally, speaking of beavers, we end our list with a bit more pop culture: according to the internet, Justin Bieber is fabled to weigh between 120 and 130 pounds. I could leg press between 7.7 and 8.3 Justin Biebers.

Well, that’s my list. If you have things to add to it, please post your findings in the comments section. Tune in next week when I introduce my replacement, Benjamin Lucas Powell, a good friend and a great writer, who will be taking my place here at Reflections in Hindsight.

Read Part 1     Read Part 2

These are the two examples I gave, and, quite frankly, they boggle the mind.

1. With his breath, God created Canis Majoris, a star so large, that you could fit 7 quadrillion earths into it. That’s enough golf balls to cover the entire state of Texas 22 inches deep. That’s BIG. But our God is BIGGER. Psalm 33:6–“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.”
2. He sees all of Time. At the same time. All in one massive glance, just as you do when you hold a timeline (a.k.a pencil) in front of you. Ps 133: 4–Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all.” KNOW—present tense, indicating God’s ability to see ALL of time in His present tense.

That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me. But we can’t stop at being “impressed.” We must act on it, and as writers, this fresh perspective of our amazing God can and should change how we view what we write.

Last week, I pointed out that such knowledge frees us to release the stress of having to “do it all.” It frees us from the urge to over-extend ourselves resulting in burn-out. It frees God to work and get all the glory for the results.

But there’s more. Knowing that God is in complete control of our writing career timelines not only frees us from stress, but it gives us the confidence to move forward in the plan He has for US.

How often do we mentally categorize other authors according to how “important” they are? Multi-published, best-selling, big-name authors have “arrived.” They’re at the top. The unpublished are at the bottom, always looking up, dreaming, wishing. (Side note: the longer I’m around the publishing industry, the more I realize that no matter where a person is at on someone else’s “scale of importance,” he/she usually feels like they’re still at the bottom. Insecurities are a bear to contend with!)

The truth of the matter is that in the Christian writing world there should be no categories. God doesn’t have them. Why should we? In His eyes, our writing career timeline (carefully molded and created by HIM) are perfection, no matter how long they are, no matter how high they reach on the almighty “Scale of Importance.”

Destroy the scales! They are heavy boogers and weigh us down with insignificance and discouragement. Yes, maintain respect for those who have gone before, but let’s not think more highly of them than we ought. Your Writing Career Timeline is unique. It’s special, crafted by God’s own hand. So give Him the glory, and be proud that He loved you enough to make your career different.

Remember, because you know that the Creator of Canis Major and the Master Overseer of Time called you to write and with infinite wisdom crafted your writing career timeline, your perspective on fellow authors is free to change. You can knock down unhealthy pedestals and, with respect, view others as equals, no matter who they are.

Throughout this series, I’ve come back and again and again to the idea that we can view our writing careers as a timeline held in God’s hand, just as we hold a pencil in ours.

Let me challenge you to find a unique pencil. One that’s never been used before. One that stands out (no yellow Dixon #2s!). Keep it in a place where you’ll always be able to find it. When you doubt your calling, grow impatient, feel worthless or overwhelmed, take your “Timeline” and write it all down. Then remember, God knows where you’re at. He’s already written “the end.” The author and finisher of your writing career has a firm grasp of your pencil, and if you’ll let him, the story He’ll write will blow you away.

–April W. Gardner is the author of the Creek Country Saga and

the Sr. Editor at the literary site, Clash of the Titles.

Play It Again. Read the review here.

Also today, as a special treat, Tracy has several gift offers to accompany a purchase of Play It Again, including the full e-book copy of my novel, Meander Scar.

Tracy Krauss, author of ‘edgy inspirational fiction’, is launching her book  PLAY IT AGAIN on Feb. 21. You can help her achieve ‘best seller’ status by purchasing the book at amazon.com TODAY – and receive all kinds of cool free gifts while you’re at it!

Here’s how:

1. Go to the Landing Page on Tracy’s Website

2. Buy the book at amazon.

3. Go back to the Landing Page and fill in the form with your name, email and purchase number

It’s that easy! You’ll be directed to your free gifts and all you have to do is choose which ones you want.

About the book:

An unlikely duo meet in Play It Again, a story of love, life and faith. Sparks fly when an ex-rock and roll junkie and a stuffy accountant rendezvous at a local resort, but neither are prepared for the emotional entanglements, family complications, and threat from the past that unexpectedly resurfaces. Set in the 1980s, this story brings two opposing forces together in a clash of romance and danger, while its musical undertones highlight the theme that God can turn anything into beautiful music. Play It Again is the much anticipated prequel to Tracy’s debut novel And the Beat Goes On. Find out where Mark Graham’s journey began in this, the story of his parents.

What others are saying about PLAY IT AGAIN:

“This is one of the best contemporary novels I’ve read all year. . . Not only was it well-written, but it was edgy in that the story dared to be honest. . . I can see this touching a lot of people who have thought about God but have been afraid to move forward.”

-  Michelle Sutton, author of more than a dozen inspirational novels

“This book is hot property, and grabs your interest from page one.”

-   Yvonne Pat Wright, author of From Spice to Eternity

Author bio:

Tracy Krauss is a high school teacher by profession, and a prolific author, artist, playwright and director by choice. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan and has gone on to teach Art, Drama and English – all the things she is passionate about. After raising four children, she and her husband now reside in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, BC where she continues to pursue all of her creative interests. Her first two books were both nominated for the ‘Indie Excellence Book Awards’ for religious fiction in 2011.

FREE STUFF:

Here’s just a sampling of the FREE e-gifts from generous supporters:

-          An e-copy of Lisa Lickel’s award winning novel Meander Scar

-          Sample chapters from The Promise of Deer Run by Elaine Cooper, Warring Spirits by April Gardner, and The Right Person by Stacy Padula

-          Beautiful downloadable art cards by author and artist Brenda Hendricks

-          A free subscription to ‘PixApple’

-          You copy of Frazzled No More by Shelley Hitz

-          A cool ‘Daily Scheduler’ developed by author Janalyn Voigt

-          And much more!

All if you buy your copy of PLAY IT AGAIN at amazon.com on Feb. 21!  All links will be operational on the ‘Landing Page’ at www.tracykrauss.com/ 

DISCLAIMER: This ‘Best Seller book launch’ has been coordinated with the help of the ‘John 3:16 Marketing Network’ and many other generous supporters. The free gifts are deliverable electronically over the internet or by email by individual authors and supporters. They are not in any way associated with, nor deliverable by, amazon.com  

Disclaimer: I don’t currently use the site, nor receive any compensation from it. ~Lisa

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        I am looking for stories from both professionals, as well as everyday men and women of all ages, for my blog on body and self image. In the short time it has been up, I have already interviewed a NYC Plastic Surgeon and may get a story from an Olympic Athlete. I need more stories and observational articles. Therapists welcome! Eventually, these will be made into a book. Private citizens will be anonymous. Experts and pros will be credited. You can check out my other books: The Virgin Diaries and Ain’t No Sunshine: Men Reveal The Pain Of Heartbreak. Both on Amazon. Arkstories.com has all the information. To get the blog guidelines, click the link that says Body and Self Image Blog.

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            Chic Galleria Publications, LLC is currently looking for editorial articles on activities to do with children around the house during the summer. Specifically we are looking for articles directed toward activities for children under the age of 10. We are asking you to submit a minimum 250-plus word article in print-ready format within the next few weeks. We ask that you include a short 2-3 sentence bio about your client (or yourself) for a promotional byline at the bottom of the article. You are welcome to include a URL link back to their (your) website. We would also like a thumbnail photo of your (yourself) client and at least 1 hi-res photo that will go well with the article. We do not copy content from other websites without permission. If you do not have a photo, please let us know. Videos are also welcome for consideration. You are not able to send attachments when you respond, so please let me know you have photos and I will supply an email address. Please be aware we are looking for informative articles, not to promote a business or product. We don’t want just facts. If you own a business, you may link it in your bio at the bottom of the article. PR submissions, please follow the above instructions for submitting articles from your client.

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Basically, I’m seeking your most interesting travel experiences about how you used your wits to get into good travel encounters and how you got out of close calls or dangerous travel situations.

My series will consist of travel tales by countries and by themes. If you contribute one or more travel stories to my series, I’ll gift you with the eBook or audiobook in which your tales are included. Your tales can be credited to you or anonymous (goodness knows, I protect the innocent, the guilty or the embarrassed by promising anonymity!). You can submit your tales to me by email, snail mail and/or we can do a Skype, Google or iChat interview. Your travel tales must, of course, be your own and not essentially published anywhere else. What’s most important to me is the psychology behind your travel experiences. Thus, it is very good if you include your thoughts, feelings, sensations and actions in your tales.

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            Chic Galleria Publications, LLC is currently looking for editorial articles on antique stories. Specifically, we are looking for stories about your personal experience with an antique. How did you find it, does it have special meaning to you, do you know its history? We are asking you to submit a minimum 250-plus word article in print-ready format within the next few weeks. We ask that you include a short, one-sentence bio about your client (or yourself) for a promotional byline at the top of the article. You are welcome to include a URL link back to their (your) website. We would also like at least 1 hi-res photo that will go well with the article. You will need to send this after you respond and I give you my email address. We do not copy content from other websites. If you do not have a photo, please let us know. Videos are also welcome for consideration. Please be aware we are looking for informative articles, not to promote a business or product. PR submissions, please follow the above instructions for submitting articles from your client.

We are unable to give you an exact publishing date at this time, but your article will publish within the next month or so on http://pinkpigantiques.blogspot.com or possibly other blogs that we manage. We can certainly let you know which blogs! Once you have reviewed this email, I ask that you respond to this request and let me know if you are interested in contributing a guest article or two or more!

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            http://everydayproductsandmore.blogspot.com/ This blog is PR Friendly! Let me help you spread the word about your product! Word of mouth is a very valuable resource. If you are interested in my honest opinions and reviews of your product, feel free to contact me! I’m more than willing to review and/or host a giveaway for any items(s) that I find appropriate for my family. Children’s products/items, family products/items, grocery or personal products, etc. I think personal experience sells a product to potential buyers. My reviews will be honest and contain all the necessary product and company information needed to inform my readers. Giveaways must be sent to the winner by you. I will contact the winner for their shipping information and then get that information to you. I will post my review with product photos within 2 weeks of the products arrival. Every review and giveaway that I do is advertised on my Facebook Fan Page and Twitter and my Blog.

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The Jerk Magnet, by Melody Carlson

A Kingston High Book

YA

Revell

c. Jan 2012

ISBN: 9780800719623

$12.99

Pretty girls don’t always get the good guys, high school junior Chelsea Martin learns.

A geeky frump, especially since her mom died, Chelsea suffers from awful teeth, hair and skin, and hides from her image. Worse than zits, her dad blindsides her with a double whammy: he’s getting married again and they’re moving. Chelsea barely knows her new drop-dead gorgeous stepmom2B and grudgingly accepts her advice for new clothes, skin and hair treatment and confidence-building exercises. Realizing she has the chance to start all over in a new city, Chelsea decides to go for it and by the time she’s made friends with the new neighbor girl Janelle and others in her church youth group, school begins.

Since she understands what it feels like to be the one never chosen, a complete makeover from the outside in helps Chelsea deal with prejudice from a direction she never considered. While most of the guys hover over the new hot-babe Chelsea, the girls keep her at arm’s length. Janelle comes clean when they have a heart2heart. Chelsea’s attracting jerk guys who want more than clueless Chelsea can provide. The two of them cook up a scheme to give their friends a lesson they can’t learn in class, but Chelsea’s new-found faith in Jesus may be the only true friend she has left if they bomb.

This is a such a sweet book. I wouldn’t hesitate to give it to the girlchildren in my life. There are lots of tips about what really counts in life, how to read hormonal guys and to consider a person’s true motives. Empathy and sympathy go hand in hand in good relationships. Melody Carlson has a huge, lengthy career, and her high school fashion and talk feels natural to me, although I know the bits and pieces of high school life she shares are more what I wish than reality. With teachers in my family, I dislike the portrayal of predator teachers, but I know they’re out there and the students’ instincts and actions are correctly portrayed in this piece of fiction. The pacing of the story kept me turning pages, the premise achieved without feeling like every loose end is tied up in a pink bow and delivered with sweets.

Available January 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

♦♦♦♦◊ reflections

I messed up. Ugh!

“So, sorry,” I said to the producer.

The inspirational videos we filmed this past Saturday needed to be done just right because of its potential outreach. And when I fumbled on a word during the shooting, I cringed. No doubt, we had to “take it from the top” again.

But then the producer gave a quiet chuckle. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I can take the best of all recordings and edit to create the one that will sound just fine.”

I grinned with relief.

She was taking God’s approach. When observing our life, He takes the bad, the good, the messed up, the lousy, and the great and, molded in His hands, He creates a life that is, indeed, fine.

So amigos, why do we fret when disappointments disrupt our days? No doubt, it’s part of the shooting in the film of life.

For example, when disappointments leave us discouraged and dizzy with confusion. And an invitation to a pity party slips under the door of our heart—time to take action.

Here are five steps to ditch those dreaded feelings that come with every disappointment:

1. Someone said disappointments are God’s appointments. Clever but true. When we’re let down, God is up—up to something. Often, something bigger, better and more wonderful.
2. Disappointments always bring friends of negativity, self-condemnation. (If only I should have’s and also insecurities. But using Jesus’ broom, we can sweep them all out with one swoop of His truth.)
3. When disappointment strikes, time to fight back. The best weapon: gratitude. Think back to ways God had brought results that exceeded our  expectations. Gratitude cancels a destructive attitude.
4. Disappointment is a test. An exam to see how strong is our faith. Better put—where do we place our faith—in circumstances or in the King of the universe?
5. Be confident because when God is filming in the studio of His love, He’s taking all the flaws, glitches, mistakes, disappointments and editing them to show us that in the end, a life that is just fine.

He is the divine producer, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Father, thank you for the workmanship you have prepared. Thank you for your design that is bigger than the setbacks of life, greater than the disappointments we experience, more profound than the times we mess up. Show us, Lord, to see beyond the glitches of life to gaze at the larger plan for our life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

• What is the biggest disappointment you have faced lately?
• How can you see beyond it?
• What has God’s Word promised you?

Janet

I was immersed in my early morning devotions recently when my eighteen-pound cat came bounding into the living room. Without so much as a kitty-hello, my tomcat was obviously on the prowl. And he was staring at the wall above the fireplace.

I couldn’t see a thing. But then I heard it—a tiny scratching sound. It was small, barely discernible and, in the early morning quiet, it was startling. Something was inside the wall.

Trying not to panic, I finished my devotions, occasionally glancing up to make sure that no creatures were lunging through my plaster wall. I called the critter patrol people who know everything there is to know about critter invasions.

The kindly gent showed up early the next day and assessed the situation, only to provide more theory than fact. Perhaps it was mice (my cat had found a few), perhaps it was (gulp) bats. Then, in his just-the-facts approach, he informed me that one out of five homes in my neighborhood of aging homes has bats somewhere. He said it was good that, at least so far, we had never had a bat in our house.

Good? I say that, if I had ever find a bat in my house, I will be gone faster than you can cry “Bats in the Belfry!” And we don’t even have a belfry.

These are the kinds of problems I envision when one lives in the rural places. But I live in the city. Even so, we are still susceptible to critters, no matter where we live. It is a critterful world. (Yes, I know that is not a word)

There are many kinds of critters that invade our lives, and some of them are quiet and barely discernible. The critter specialist (yes, that is his title) said that every opening on the house should be tightly sealed. Even the smallest hole can allow an infestation.

Sort of like our spiritual selves.

We have cracks in those houses as well—areas of weakness that can allow infestations of sin if we are not sealed against the enemy. Envy, lust, bitterness, anger—these are just a few of the “pests” that can invade our hearts and live quite comfortably in the warmth of our welcoming recesses. While they may start out small, they can quickly multiply, becoming powerful beasts that can overtake us. Unless we are on our guard.

Best to seal our souls against those small critters by staying in God’s word and praying for wisdom and holiness.

“ Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter: 5:8 NIV)

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

Whitney Houston

Anyway, there’s a predictable pattern of reaction from the media, from social networks, and from other celebrities. It’s horrible, but true, and most of it infuriates me. Here are two of my observations regarding Whitney Houston’s recent passing:

1. The media was well-prepared–too well-prepared. I think we all know by now that major media outlets have obituary files and footage already picked out for most of the world’s major celebrities, so all they have to do is pull out that file, mash together that footage and have the anchors/reporters practice going through some of said celeb’s lifetime highlights, low periods, and everything in-between before going on live and presenting the obituary.

That means that these news outlets not only have those files and footage, but that they update them regularly, and they also probably prioritize them based on who they think is going to croak first. In a way, this is a totally heartless and cold approach to the death of an important person, but if you stop and consider it, isn’t that kind of news exactly what everyone is supposed to get? Even-tempered, unbiased reporting of the facts?

I still don’t think I like it, though.

2. Idiots used Whitney’s death as a chance to advance their own agendas. This is the reason why I felt I should write on this topic today. I’m flummoxed at some peoples’ stupid behavior in response to Whitney’s death. If you thought the media outlets were bad for being well-prepared for Whitney’s death, you’ll be disgusted at some of the things coming out of celebrities’ mouths and from social networking sites like Facebook.

Two examples in particular really made me fume. Tony Bennett, who, for our younger readers, is a very famous singer/performer from yesteryear, made one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever heard after a celebrity’s death: he said, “I’d like to have every gentleman and lady in this room commit themselves to get our government to legalize drugs. So they have to get it through a doctor, not just some gangsters that sell it under the table.”

Tony Bennett

Look, I’m not going to comment on the validity of his argument. Maybe he’s right, maybe not. But that’s not the point. The point is that he stood up in public and used Whitney Houston’s death to advance his own agenda. Wow…what a way to pay tribute to a friend–use their death to tell the government that drugs should be legalized. How do you think the population would have responded if reputable pastor like Rick Warren (not that he would) came out in public and said that everyone should accept Jesus and live fulfilled lives so they don’t end up like Whitney Houston? The universe, including a lot of Christians, would throw a conniption fit. To sum up, Tony’s comment was poorly-timed, and inappropriate.

Here’s another dumb thing I saw, this one on Facebook:

Yes, I know this is Steve Jobs and not Whitney.

I used Steve because I saw this meme used after his death first–and also because the one I found with Whitney had a picture of her with her chest halfway hanging out. You get the idea, though, right? Millions “cry” when a celebrity dies, but no one cries for the millions dying from AIDS in Africa, or from ethnic cleansing/genocide, or from hunger.

::Sigh::

I won’t argue with the premise. Yes, the world is a place of a profound injustice, and this does a good job of showing that discrepancy. That said, this is just as opportunistic and inappropriate as Tony’s comment above for exactly the same reason: the author is using a tragedy to advance their own agenda at the expense of the departed person immortalized in their meme, as if subtly implying that somehow, it’s partly Whitney’s or Steve’s fault that millions are dying. Or, at the very least, such memes are made to make us feel guilty about how we react to celeb deaths.

I’m probably not the best example of how to react to a celebrity’s death because I generally don’t spend much time following their lives in the first place. That said, you’re getting my opinion anyway.

When Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson died, and even more so when Steve Irwin (the Crocodile Hunter) was skewered by a stingray a few years back and died, I felt very sad. I didn’t go out and place flowers or notes or teddy bears on their graves (or in front of their chain of Apple stores like folks did with Steve Jobs), but their deaths impacted me (less with Steve Jobs, as I’m only a recent convert to the cult of Apple).

The meme above makes the assumption that we stupid, spoiled Americans care more about a person (who has actually affected our lives in some way) than we do about those suffering and dying around the world. Honestly, I’m sure that is the case with a lot of people, but to use a celeb death as an opportunity to guilt-trip the rest of us, including people close to Whitney or Steve or Steve or Michael, is wrong.

Sorry, but you’re just being a jerk. You haven’t considered how many people those celebs actually did touch in a profound way, who are already hurting at the loss of a friend, family member, or loved one (celebrity), upon seeing your meme, feel guilty and used as a part of a scheme to raise awareness for an issue that most people would already agree with anyway. In other words, your timing sucks because you don’t have the balls to try to promote your ideas in a time of normalcy and instead do it at the expense of someone’s death and others’ grief.

Alright. I’m done ranting. I’d love to get your thoughts on this. Next week, stay tuned for a much anticipated post, probably the second-to-last one you’ll get out of me here at Reflections: Things that Weigh a Thousand Pounds (aka things that I can leg press).

-Ben

A Biblical Feast:

Ancient Mediterranean Flavors for Today’s Table

(Fifteen thousand copies originally published by Ten Speed Press as

A Biblical Feast: Foods from the Holy Land for Today )

www.abiblicalfeast.com

6” x 8”. 108 pages. Index. Menus.

ISBN 13: 978-0-615-27635-9. Perfect binding

NEW: 22 full color food photographs plus illustrations. Entirely re-edited.

$15.95 paper with flaps

A land of wheat, and barley, and vines,

and fig trees, and pomegranates;

a land of oil olive and honey.

DEUTERONOMY 8:8

Herb-coated goat cheese, pungent garlic and leeks, succulent lamb, fresh sardines, fresh fava beans, honey sweet dates, crunchy pistachios and almonds … Although we usually think of the ancient Hebrews and early Christians eating only “manna from heaven” and the oft quoted “loaves and fishes,” the Bible tells us that a cornucopia of delicious foods sustained the inhabitants of the Jordan River Valley. Many ingredients like lentils, leeks, garlic, almonds, figs, olives, wine, barley, and honey remain staples of the contemporary Mediterranean kitchen, yet we know little about their rich legacy.

As much a cookbook as a reference book, A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Flavors for Today’s Table is inspired by the 84 primary foods mentioned in Scripture. The appropriate biblical verse heads each of the almost fifty kitchen-tested recipes, as does the explanation of the ingredients’ culinary, historical and spiritual links. Twenty-two full color photographs and specially commissioned illustrations make it easy to reproduce the dishes.

Mainly, A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Flavors for Today’s Table demonstrates that the people of the Holy Land were simple folk who ate uncomplicated yet wholesome food that up to now has never gone out of style. Ideal for schools, libraries, churches and synagogues, and Bible study groups. Menus provide new ways to celebrate every occasion, whether secular or religious.

Sample recipes

Salads and Dips

Cumin-Laced Garbanzo Bean Spread

Sesame-Almond-Nigella Sprinkle

Lentil Salad with Watercress and Goat Cheese

Main meals

Jacob’s Pottage of Lentils

Barley, Mustard Greens, and Mint

Saffroned Millet with Raisins and Walnuts

Breads and Desserts

Ezekiel’s Bread made with AUTHENTIC biblical ingredients such as pulse flour, natural yeast, and “fitches” (small seeds)

Dried Fruit and Red Wine Compote (Harosset)

Abigail’s Fig Cakes

Herb-Coated Yogurt Cheese (make your own cheese!)

Beverages

Wine

Reviews: http://www.kittymorse.com/a-biblical-feast

Catholic Digest

San Diego Jewish Journal Online

Heritage radio March 2011

San Diego TV Channel CW

Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun (May 2011)

ABOUT KITTY MORSE

www.kittymorse.com

Kitty Morse was born in Casablanca of a French mother and British father. She is the author of nine cookbooks, including The California Farm Cookbook (Pelican Publishing), and Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from my Moroccan Kitchen, a finalist for Michelin Australia’s Best Food Book, and a Chronicle Books best seller now in its ninth printing. Bon Appétit magazine selected one of her menus as Moroccan Cuisine: Cuisine of the Year. She has taught cooking nationwide for close to three decades, including a class hosted by Julia Child to benefit the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Kitty has been a guest on radio and television here and abroad, and has led 23 annual gastronomic tours to her native Morocco. Her books have been translated into German, Polish and Czech. She is an adjunct professor of French at Palomar College, San Marcos (CA). She resides in Vista, CA.