FRED MCNAUGHTON – Our friend and Lancaster native, Keith Baum is serving with SEND INTERNATIONAL and is currently traveling in Taiwan.  We had the opportunity to interview Keith live on the air, along with SEND Regional Director, Scott Powell about how SEND’s staff in Japan has been affected by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergency.

SEND International has 43 adult missionaries and 32 children serving in Japan.

Current conditions that are affecting the missionaries and their families are…

• Major aftershocks from the earthquake

• Scarcity of food and supplies

• Lack of train service

• Blackouts and Brownouts

• Gasoline is limited.

• Okutama Bible Chalet is closed because of food shortages and lack of train service.

• CAJ (Christian Academy of Japan) is closed this week because of the lack of train service, but virtual classrooms have started for the students.

Other current factors in Japan:

• Three embassies are advising nationals to leave.

• Three airlines are suspending flights to Tokyo.

• One mission organization has evacuated wives and children.

You can help SEND be an integral part of meeting the needs, physically and spiritually, of those who have been affected by the events in Japan, by visiting their website and making a donation.

Listen to our interview with Keith and Send Regional Director Scott Powell.

FIVE FUN FREE FAMILY THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND!!! March 4, 5, & 6

5) Lancaster’s First Friday – tonite (March 4) 5p-9p – exhibitions, live music, theatrical performances, artist receptions, and more.

4) Film Night Double Feature – Free Event at Millersburg Assembly of God Church – Sat. & Sun. at 6PM. New Harvest Productions “Decisions” and “The Transformation of Timothy Straw”. A love offering will be accepted.

3) Steven Courtney live will be in concert, tonite (Fri) at Crossings Community Church, Columbia, PA – 7:00 PM
http://stevencourtney.com/

2) McCaskey Gospel Choir in concert – Sunday, 4pm – Christ Lutheran Church – Lancaster

1) MCC Quilt Preview, Today and Tomorrow (Fri and Sat) 517 Trout Run Rd. Ephrata. Check out Lisa’s visit.

WJTL’s Lisa Landis shares a Christmas memory.

EDDIE DANIELS – Yesterday I posted a blog about a mystery food lurking in the WJTL refrigerator. Without any evidence, I went ahead and accused Lisa Landis as being the culprit who left the baggie of UFO (Unidentified Food Object) and it turns out I was correct. Eat your heart out, Gwenda Gumshoe!

In a comment left on the blog, Lisa confessed to leaving them in the fridge and identified them as sugar plums.

Seriously? Sugar plums?

They exist?

I’ve never seen a real-life sugar plum. Actually, I’ve never seen a photo of one. Or a drawing, even. The only time I’ve ever heard of them is in the Christmas poem where the kids have “visions of sugar plums” dancing in their heads. But in all the books I used to see this poem in, the accompanying drawing reveals the kids are actually dreaming of candy canes.

So now I’m left with even more questions that I’m too lazy to Google on my own. Are sugar plums a natural food, or are they sweetened and man-made, like candied apples? Do you just eat them with your fingers? Do they have pits? Are they actually plums, or do they just happen to have plums in their name?

I’ll be honest, seeing as how this was my first encounter with sugar plums, it may have ruined me on them even before I’ve had the opportunity to taste them. Sorry sugar plums. I’m prejudiced against you now.

Lisa said I could throw away the sugar plums. So I did.

Eddie Daniels, Video Guy
eddie@wjtl.com

EDDIE DANIELS – It’s probably wrong of me to assume it was Lisa Landis who left this mystery food in the WJTL refrigerator. But since she’s on vacation this week and not here to defend herself, I’m going to do it anyhow.

Lisa is my prime suspect mostly because she has a history of bringing in random food items such as the one(s) pictured below. The only other person who uses the fridge on a regular basis is John, but he’s very good at making his usual sandwich, banana, and yogurt disappear during the lunch hour.

But my biggest concern isn’t who left these weird deep-red mystery items in an unsealed plastic bag. My concern is what are they? I haven’t bothered to smell them because I’m not that brave. They appear to be small plums. Or large cherries. Or beets. Or something else I haven’t thought of.

I’m also not sure why they are all three in different stages of decay. One seems perfectly round, one looks a little bruised, and the third looks downright smooshed.

Have a look. What do you think they are?

Eddie Daniels, Video Guy
eddie@wjtl.com

Jul 27 2010 – READ THE UPDATE ON THE MYSTERY FOOD HERE!

2009 – Lisa takes the Kids Cookie Break behind the scenes at the Castle Roller Rink

LISA LANDIS – This mom had a fantastic Mother’s Day Weekend.  Mind if I share?

First, I got to giveaway “Funky/Silly Bandz” on the Kids Cookie Break, making life easier for the mom’s whose kids’ are running all over creation trying to find a store that hasn’t sold out of the latest trend ( thanks to Olde Mill House Shoppe Lancaster for donating the Bandz).

Second, I got to redeem myself as an auctioneer for Friendship Community, taking on WDAC’s Mike Stike and WGAL’s Jere Gish to see who could raise the most money for Friendship.  I am happy to announce I had the highest bid ($625) for a rocking horse crafted by a Friendship resident. Hah! Even with all of the promises and bribes from the auctioneers (including my own bag of tricks aka silly bandz, cds, books), this mom worked hard to make up for brining in the least amount of money last year. Now to be honest, I did go last, which seems to be the winning spot. If the Freakonomics geeks would study this one I’m confidant they’d conclude, “the last person up to bat at the auction block always hits a home run.”  What made me most proud was that the three of us combined brought in more money for Friendship Community this year than last!!!

And finally, my Third weekend highlight (remember last hits the home run), my family spoiled me with brunch at “Wish You Were Here”, the latest “Central Market Cookbook”, an original book written and designed by my son with songs, poems, pictures, etc. and even dinner cooked by my 12-year old son Alex who is a marvel in the kitchen. It was pancakes for dinner. And we’re not talking out of the box. I’m talking the most amazing pancakes made from scratch with chocolate and cinnamon cream.

So as you see this mom had a marvelous mom’s day. And a big thanks to my mom for making it all possible

Happy post-Mother’s Day to mom’s everywhere.  I close with a few thoughts to make you smile:

Dumbwaiter: One who asks if the kids would care to order dessert.
Full Name: What you call your child when you’re mad at him.

QUOTES

A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.  ~Peter De Vries

Sing out loud in the car even, or especially, if it embarrasses your children.  ~Marilyn Penland

And funny joke:

A Sunday school teacher asked her class why Joseph and Mary took Jesus with them to Jerusalem.  A small child replied: “They couldn’t get a baby-sitter.”

EDDIE DANIELS – This afternoon Lisa and I were in Hershey for the annual PAB (Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters) Awards. WJTL was up for (and received) two awards: Outstanding Website (and yes, this was before our big website overhaul!) and Outstanding Program Designed for Kids.

I was happy to accept the award for our website and Lisa accepted on behalf of the Kids Cookie Break! It was fun meeting other people from a variety of TV and radio stations from across the state! Here’s a quick video of Lisa and I accepting the awards for WJTL. Is it just me, or do I look scared to death? Just for the record, I wasn’t…I think I was more concerned about whether or not there would be coffee refills.

There was.

The Men’s Choir Performs Jambalaya

Lisa Talks to Captain Coco