Happy Purim

To all you who know what that is, great. I don't.

Sometime I'll do a bit of study on Jewish traditional holidays so I know when someone is referring to Esther's account of Haman casting lots to decide when to exterminate the Jews. But that will have to wait for another time... ;-)

But in any case, happy Purim to you.

You ask, why are you even writing this? Well, because of not knowing enough, or anything about Purim, I got thinking.

I'm hoping for the time when we can celebrate Obamanation Day here. It will be the commemoration of the embarrassing defeat of Barrack Obama in a mid-term disgrace ousting...

Yes, I dream a lot.

And I'm Karl . . . .

Gary L. and Paula Packer

Gary L. and Paula Pearson Packer

New mission president
Published: Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010

Seven new mission presidents and their wives have been called by the First Presidency to begin their service about July 1. The only couple I know are my sister, Paula, and her husband, Gary. Here's the brief biological sketch as it appeared in the Church News of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

Gary Lowell Packer, 59, and Paula Pearson Packer, five children, Democratic Republic of Congo Lubumbashi Mission; Compton Bench Ward, Farmington Utah North Stake. He serves as the executive secretary to the Area Presidency of the Africa Southeast Area and is a former temple missionary in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple, real estate missionary in the Africa Southeast Area, bishop, high councilor and missionary in the Franco-Belgian Mission. Retired corporate vice president and commercial department manager, First American Title Insurance Agency of Utah. Born in Brigham City, Utah, to Lowell Wight and Dorothy La Venna Marble Packer.

Sister Packer serves as the assistant executive secretary to the Area Presidency of the Africa Southeast Area and served with her husband in the Johannesburg South Africa Temple and Africa Southeast Area and is a former ward Relief Society president and counselor, ward Primary president, counselor in a ward Young Women presidency and ward Relief Society teacher. Born in Provo, Utah, to Glenn Laurentz and Ardith Amelia Hunsaker Pearson.

This newly created mission is considered a 'hardship mission' so the period of service for my sister and her husband will be 2 years rather than the customary 3 years. What does that mean? It means they probably won't get to shower or eat normal food for 2 years. They may live in a flat with dirt floors and have to carry water in buckets from a shared source. Shared with crocodiles, lions, hyenas and other dangerous wildlife. Probably...

I'm Karl, and I can't wait to begin hearing how things go for them.

Are Microsoft Users Idiots or Victims?

You decide, but not until you go read this posting in the Linux Gazette.

http://linuxgazette.net/170/starks.html

And yes, I'm still Karl...