1. As I let go of my feelings of guilt, I am in touch with my inner sociopath.
2. I have the power to channel my imagination into ever-soaring levels of suspicion and paranoia.
3. I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else's fault.
4. In some cultures what I do would be considered normal.
5. My intuition nearly makes up for my lack of wisdom and judgment.
6. I need not suffer in silence while I can still moan, whimper, and complain.
7. When someone hurts me, I know that forgiveness is cheaper than a lawsuit, but not nearly as rewarding.
8. I am at one with my duality.
9. Blessed are the flexible, for they can tie themselves in knots.
10. I will strive to live each day as if it were my 50th birthday.
11. I honor and express all facets of my being, regardless of state and local laws.
12. Today I will gladly share my experience and advice, for there are no sweeter words than "I told you so!"
13. A scapegoat is almost as good as a solution.
14. Just for today, I will not sit in my living room all day in my underwear. Instead, I will move my computer into the bedroom.
15. I will no longer waste my time reliving the past; I will spend it worrying about the future?
16. The complete lack of evidence is the surest proof that the conspiracy is working.
17. Before I criticize a man, I walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he's a mile away and barefoot.
Thanks to humormatters.com
Monday, December 31, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
Last Holiday Ha-Ha
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religiouspersuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.
By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:
-This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal.
-It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting.
-It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.
This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher,
Merry/Happy/Joyful RamaHanaKwanzmas
Tim and Esther
_______________________________________________________________
A Politically Correct Christmas Poem
Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the North Pole,
were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
released to the wilds, by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear,
that Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!
The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh,
because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA,
And millions of people were calling the Cops,
when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe, had his workers quite frightened,
and his fur trimmed red suit was called "unenlightened".
To show you the strangeness of today's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.
He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation,
demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.
So...half of the reindeer were gone,
and his wife who suddenly said she'd had enough of this life,
joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz,
demanding from now on that her title was Ms.
And as for gifts...why, he'd never had the notion
that making a choice could cause such commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur...
Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot,
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific,
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.
No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish upon the truth.
And fairy tales...while not yet forbidden,
were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden,
for they raised the hackles of those psychological,
who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.
No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt,
besides - playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe
and Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed,
he just couldn't figure out what to do next?
He tried to be merry he tried to be gay,
but you must have to admit he was having a very bad day.
His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground,
nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might,
give to us all, without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy - with no indecision,
each group of people in every religion.
Every race, every hue,everyone, everywhere...even you!
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
"MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES, ENJOY PEACE ON EARTH"
May we remember the reason for the season, the Prince of Peace.
Merry Christmas to all!
Vesele Vanoce
Mele Kalikimaka
Feliz Navidad
Yukpa
Danistayohihv
Joyeux Noel
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Mo'adim Lesimkha
Buon Natale
Idah Saidan
Pax hominibus
Christumas Mangalangalangal
Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom
Nollaig chridheil
Thanks to Humormatters.com and flw.com
I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2008, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or sexual preference of the wishee.
By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms:
-This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal.
-It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting.
-It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher.
This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher,
Merry/Happy/Joyful RamaHanaKwanzmas
Tim and Esther
_______________________________________________________________
A Politically Correct Christmas Poem
Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the North Pole,
were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
released to the wilds, by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear,
that Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!
The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh,
because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA,
And millions of people were calling the Cops,
when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe, had his workers quite frightened,
and his fur trimmed red suit was called "unenlightened".
To show you the strangeness of today's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.
He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation,
demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.
So...half of the reindeer were gone,
and his wife who suddenly said she'd had enough of this life,
joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz,
demanding from now on that her title was Ms.
And as for gifts...why, he'd never had the notion
that making a choice could cause such commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur...
Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot,
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific,
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.
No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish upon the truth.
And fairy tales...while not yet forbidden,
were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden,
for they raised the hackles of those psychological,
who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.
No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt,
besides - playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe
and Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed,
he just couldn't figure out what to do next?
He tried to be merry he tried to be gay,
but you must have to admit he was having a very bad day.
His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground,
nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might,
give to us all, without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy - with no indecision,
each group of people in every religion.
Every race, every hue,everyone, everywhere...even you!
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
"MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES, ENJOY PEACE ON EARTH"
May we remember the reason for the season, the Prince of Peace.
Merry Christmas to all!
Vesele Vanoce
Mele Kalikimaka
Feliz Navidad
Yukpa
Danistayohihv
Joyeux Noel
Fröhliche Weihnachten
Mo'adim Lesimkha
Buon Natale
Idah Saidan
Pax hominibus
Christumas Mangalangalangal
Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom
Nollaig chridheil
Thanks to Humormatters.com and flw.com
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Never mind, how about...
OK, so all of the family that we are not doing much with has suddenly filled up our schedule this weekend. So, how about next Saturday, the 29th, would that interest anyone? We'll ask around tomorrow night, also.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Partaayy and more Ha Ha
First, who would be interested in a Christmas, End of School semester, Welcome Home super combination party at our house Friday, Saturday or Sunday night? Plenty of games and conversation, food, etc. The rest of the details can be worked out when we figure out who wants to come.
On With the Show
Subject: The Office Party
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: Everyone
RE: Christmas Party
DATE: December 1
I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23, starting at noon in the banquet room at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. No-host bar, but plenty of eggnog! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols...feel free to sing along. And don't Be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus!
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 2
RE: Christmas Party
In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year. However, from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to employees who are celebrating Kwanzaa at this time. Happy now?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 3
RE: Holiday Party
Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table ... you didn't sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads "AA Only" you wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed to handle this? Somebody?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 7
RE: Holiday Party
What a diverse company we are! I had no idea that December 2 begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating, drinking and sex during daylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs. Perhaps Luigi's can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party - the days are so short this time of year - or else package everything for take-home in little foil swans. Will that work?Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Overeaters Anonymous to sit farthest from the dessert buffet and pregnant women will get the table closest to the restrooms. Did I miss anything?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 8
RE: Holiday Party
So December 22 marks the Winter Solstice...what do you expect me to do, a tap-dance on your heads? Fire regulations at Luigi's prohibit the burning of sage by our "earth-based Goddess-worshipping" employees, but we'll try to accommodate your shamanic drumming circle during the band's breaks. Okay???
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
Date: December 9
RE: Holiday Party
People, people, nothing sinister was intended by having our CEO dress up like Santa Claus! Even if the anagram of "Santa" does happen to be "Satan," there is no evil connotation to our own "little man in a red suit." It's a tradition, folks, like sugar shock at Halloween or family feuds over the Thanksgiving turkey or broken hearts on Valentine's Day. Could we lighten up?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 10
RE: Holiday Party Vegetarians!?!?!?
I've had it with you people!!! We're going to keep this party at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death," as you so quaintly put it, and you'll get your freaking salad bar, including hydroponic tomatoes. But you know, they have feelings too. Tomatoes scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right now!
FROM: Teri Bishops, Acting Human Resources Director
DATE: December 14
RE: Pat Lewis and Holiday Party
I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Pat Lewis a speedy recovery from her stress-related illness and I'll continue to forward Your cards to her at the sanatorium. In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay. We hope that this change does not offend anyone.
On With the Show
Subject: The Office Party
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
TO: Everyone
RE: Christmas Party
DATE: December 1
I'm happy to inform you that the company Christmas Party will take place on December 23, starting at noon in the banquet room at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue. No-host bar, but plenty of eggnog! We'll have a small band playing traditional carols...feel free to sing along. And don't Be surprised if our CEO shows up dressed as Santa Claus!
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 2
RE: Christmas Party
In no way was yesterday's memo intended to exclude our Jewish employees. We recognize that Hanukkah is an important holiday which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year. However, from now on we're calling it our "Holiday Party." The same policy applies to employees who are celebrating Kwanzaa at this time. Happy now?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 3
RE: Holiday Party
Regarding the note I received from a member of Alcoholics Anonymous requesting a non-drinking table ... you didn't sign your name. I'm happy to accommodate this request, but if I put a sign on a table that reads "AA Only" you wouldn't be anonymous anymore. How am I supposed to handle this? Somebody?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 7
RE: Holiday Party
What a diverse company we are! I had no idea that December 2 begins the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which forbids eating, drinking and sex during daylight hours. There goes the party! Seriously, we can appreciate how a luncheon this time of year does not accommodate our Muslim employees' beliefs. Perhaps Luigi's can hold off on serving your meal until the end of the party - the days are so short this time of year - or else package everything for take-home in little foil swans. Will that work?Meanwhile, I've arranged for members of Overeaters Anonymous to sit farthest from the dessert buffet and pregnant women will get the table closest to the restrooms. Did I miss anything?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 8
RE: Holiday Party
So December 22 marks the Winter Solstice...what do you expect me to do, a tap-dance on your heads? Fire regulations at Luigi's prohibit the burning of sage by our "earth-based Goddess-worshipping" employees, but we'll try to accommodate your shamanic drumming circle during the band's breaks. Okay???
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
Date: December 9
RE: Holiday Party
People, people, nothing sinister was intended by having our CEO dress up like Santa Claus! Even if the anagram of "Santa" does happen to be "Satan," there is no evil connotation to our own "little man in a red suit." It's a tradition, folks, like sugar shock at Halloween or family feuds over the Thanksgiving turkey or broken hearts on Valentine's Day. Could we lighten up?
FROM: Pat Lewis, Human Resources Director
DATE: December 10
RE: Holiday Party Vegetarians!?!?!?
I've had it with you people!!! We're going to keep this party at Luigi's Open Pit Barbecue whether you like it or not, so you can sit quietly at the table furthest from the "grill of death," as you so quaintly put it, and you'll get your freaking salad bar, including hydroponic tomatoes. But you know, they have feelings too. Tomatoes scream when you slice them. I've heard them scream. I'm hearing them scream right now!
FROM: Teri Bishops, Acting Human Resources Director
DATE: December 14
RE: Pat Lewis and Holiday Party
I'm sure I speak for all of us in wishing Pat Lewis a speedy recovery from her stress-related illness and I'll continue to forward Your cards to her at the sanatorium. In the meantime, management has decided to cancel our Holiday Party and give everyone the afternoon of the 23rd off with full pay. We hope that this change does not offend anyone.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Holiday Ha-Ha
Since yesterdays was really good, but not that funny, I will try to make it up today.
Christmas Cake -- Real Good
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
Lemon Juice
Nuts
1 large bottle of favorite whiskey
Sample the whiskey to check for the quality.
Take a large bowl.
Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour one level cup and drink.
Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again.
Make sure the whiskey is still OK.
Cry another tup.
Turn off mixer.
Break 2 legs and add to the bowl.
And chuck in tup of dried fruit.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriber.
Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sif 2 tups of salt.
Or something.
Anything.
Check the whiskey.
Now sift the lemon juish and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something.
Whatever you can find.
Grease the oven.
Turn the cake tin to 350 gudrees.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Put bowl in cake tin.
Check the whiskey again.
Pour in rest of whiskey.
Druitcake guarantee tast reel good.
Verery relaxxing.
Good for strees.
Santa's Bad Day
The Birth of a Tradition
One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip, but there were problems everywhere.
Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.
Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked, and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys.
So, frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered that the elves had hidden the liquor, and there was nothing to drink.
In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider pot, and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor.
He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw end of the broom. Just then the doorbell rang, an irritable Santa trudged to the door.
He opened the door, and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't it a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?"
Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.
Thanks to www.humormatters.com
Christmas Cake -- Real Good
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar
Lemon Juice
Nuts
1 large bottle of favorite whiskey
Sample the whiskey to check for the quality.
Take a large bowl.
Check the whiskey again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour one level cup and drink.
Repeat.
Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add 1 teaspoon sugar and beat again.
Make sure the whiskey is still OK.
Cry another tup.
Turn off mixer.
Break 2 legs and add to the bowl.
And chuck in tup of dried fruit.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewscriber.
Sample the whiskey to check for tonsisticity.
Next, sif 2 tups of salt.
Or something.
Anything.
Check the whiskey.
Now sift the lemon juish and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Spoon. Of sugar or something.
Whatever you can find.
Grease the oven.
Turn the cake tin to 350 gudrees.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Put bowl in cake tin.
Check the whiskey again.
Pour in rest of whiskey.
Druitcake guarantee tast reel good.
Verery relaxxing.
Good for strees.
Santa's Bad Day
The Birth of a Tradition
One particular Christmas season a long time ago, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip, but there were problems everywhere.
Four of his elves got sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.
Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more.
When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where.
Then when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards cracked, and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys.
So, frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered that the elves had hidden the liquor, and there was nothing to drink.
In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider pot, and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor.
He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw end of the broom. Just then the doorbell rang, an irritable Santa trudged to the door.
He opened the door, and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said, very cheerfully, "Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't it a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?"
Thus began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.
Thanks to www.humormatters.com
Monday, December 10, 2007
Guess...
Wait for it...
Just a little longer...
Oh, make sure you have the sound where you can hear it...
Right about now, maybe...
Or now...
You definitely should have heard the chorus line by now...
YEAH!!!
To those who read my blog but are not familiar with me personally, I'll explain later.
To those who love me dearly, notice a theme in the first five songs?
Just a little longer...
Oh, make sure you have the sound where you can hear it...
Right about now, maybe...
Or now...
You definitely should have heard the chorus line by now...
YEAH!!!
To those who read my blog but are not familiar with me personally, I'll explain later.
To those who love me dearly, notice a theme in the first five songs?
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Evil Genius Continues
I was succesful in my first attempt. Thanks again, Jackson, for submitting your inquiry. Anyone else have a strange, off-the-wall, absurd, minute, grandiose, or any other adjective question? Dum-Dum wants Gum-Gum :)
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Thanks Jackson
Jackson,
First off, welcome to my strange and twisted world.
Your question: I have always wondered why certain hair turns gray earlier in life than other hair.
I shall do my best to answer this. I have to admit I was very intrigued by this question, then began to laugh as I read on. First thought I had: because there is no sunshine concerning the second part of your question, however, I know people that always wear hats, and still gre(a)(whatever)y quite easily.
Real Answers:
Dr. Desmond Tobin, professor of cell biology from the University of Bradford in England, suggests that the hair follicle has a “melanogentic clock” which slows down or stops melanocyte activity, thus decreasing the pigment our hair receives. This occurs just before the hair is preparing to fall out or shed, so the roots always look pale.
Moreover, Dr. Tobin suggests that hair turns gray because of age and genetics, in that genes regulate the exhaustion of the pigmentary potential of each individual hair follicle. This occurs at different rates in different hair follicles. For some people it occurs rapidly, while in others it occurs slowly over several decades.
In a February 2005 Science article (Nishimura, et al.) Harvard scientists proposed that a failure of melanocyte stem cells (MSC) to maintain the production of melanocytes could cause the graying of hair. This failure of MSC maintenance may result in the breakdown of signals that produce hair color.
There are other factors that can change the pigmentation of hair, making it lighter or darker. Scientists have divided them by intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) factors:
Intrinsic factors:
Genetic defects
Hormones
Body distribution
Age
Extrinsic factors:
Climate
Pollutants
Toxins
Chemical exposure
My summary: So, possibly the fact that the hair on our head is exposed to the extrinsic factors much more than the other hairs is a possible explanation for our cranial hair turning gray more quickly.
Some hairs such as eyebrows and eyelashes are not regulated by androgens, while androgens stimulate axillary, pubic and beard hairs to grow and some scalp hairs to undergo miniaturization. The major circulating androgen is testosterone which is enzymatically converted by 5 a -reductase to dihydrotestosterone in the hair follicle. Also, in another section of this article, new cranial hairs are called vellus, while the hairs that have obtained color are called terminal.
My summary: The major circulating androgen is testosterone, which would then make it easier for the body to keep certain hairs healthier longer than other hairs. Also, goosebumps cause hair to grow, possibly speeding the cycle of growth, and therefore causing the cycles to expire more quickly. I think I get more goosebumps on my head, legs and arms than anywhere else, therefore resulting in those to turn gray more quickly.
If this didn't help, sorry. I will attempt to look for more answers if you are not satisfied.
Thanks to www.aad.org and http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/grayhair.html
First off, welcome to my strange and twisted world.
Your question: I have always wondered why certain hair turns gray earlier in life than other hair.
I shall do my best to answer this. I have to admit I was very intrigued by this question, then began to laugh as I read on. First thought I had: because there is no sunshine concerning the second part of your question, however, I know people that always wear hats, and still gre(a)(whatever)y quite easily.
Real Answers:
Dr. Desmond Tobin, professor of cell biology from the University of Bradford in England, suggests that the hair follicle has a “melanogentic clock” which slows down or stops melanocyte activity, thus decreasing the pigment our hair receives. This occurs just before the hair is preparing to fall out or shed, so the roots always look pale.
Moreover, Dr. Tobin suggests that hair turns gray because of age and genetics, in that genes regulate the exhaustion of the pigmentary potential of each individual hair follicle. This occurs at different rates in different hair follicles. For some people it occurs rapidly, while in others it occurs slowly over several decades.
In a February 2005 Science article (Nishimura, et al.) Harvard scientists proposed that a failure of melanocyte stem cells (MSC) to maintain the production of melanocytes could cause the graying of hair. This failure of MSC maintenance may result in the breakdown of signals that produce hair color.
There are other factors that can change the pigmentation of hair, making it lighter or darker. Scientists have divided them by intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external) factors:
Intrinsic factors:
Genetic defects
Hormones
Body distribution
Age
Extrinsic factors:
Climate
Pollutants
Toxins
Chemical exposure
My summary: So, possibly the fact that the hair on our head is exposed to the extrinsic factors much more than the other hairs is a possible explanation for our cranial hair turning gray more quickly.
Some hairs such as eyebrows and eyelashes are not regulated by androgens, while androgens stimulate axillary, pubic and beard hairs to grow and some scalp hairs to undergo miniaturization. The major circulating androgen is testosterone which is enzymatically converted by 5 a -reductase to dihydrotestosterone in the hair follicle. Also, in another section of this article, new cranial hairs are called vellus, while the hairs that have obtained color are called terminal.
My summary: The major circulating androgen is testosterone, which would then make it easier for the body to keep certain hairs healthier longer than other hairs. Also, goosebumps cause hair to grow, possibly speeding the cycle of growth, and therefore causing the cycles to expire more quickly. I think I get more goosebumps on my head, legs and arms than anywhere else, therefore resulting in those to turn gray more quickly.
If this didn't help, sorry. I will attempt to look for more answers if you are not satisfied.
Thanks to www.aad.org and http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/grayhair.html
Fire and Ice
Sounds really cool, huh? Well, it's just another article concerning global warming. Once again, I do not doubt that the current global climate is changing, but just the fact I don't believe it is an end of the world crisis. If it was, we would already be long gone.
http://www.businessandmedia.org/specialreports/2006/fireandice/fireandice.asp
http://www.businessandmedia.org/specialreports/2006/fireandice/fireandice.asp
Monday, December 3, 2007
more funny stuff
This turned out reeeeeally long, but still pretty good
conservaphobia: noun. The fear of the American conservative political movement, often based on unfounded stereotypes and distortions.
You might be conservaphobic if:
You've never really listened to Rush Limbaugh because you're already sure that you disagree with practically everything he's ever said.
You refer to liberal Catholics, Protestants and Jews as "people of faith" but conservative Catholics, Protestants and Jews as the "religious right" or "radical religious right". (Maybe you have a thing for alliteration too.)
You think all white Republicans are racists and all black Republicans are sellouts.
You are a champion of first amendment rights except in public school classrooms and in front of abortion clinics.
You're glad you're not a Republican because after all, they want to starve school children and senior citizens.
You actually think that "liberal" and "progressive" are synonymous.
In your opinion, a government donation to the poor is somehow more effective than yours would be.
You only listen to and respect the views of "open-minded" people who think like you do.
You blame society's problems on "religious fanatics" and "corporate greed", never on the irresponsible behavior of individuals.
You Know You're a Liberal ....
Added 12/09/99 -- from Steve
If you think Rob Reiner had to stretch to play the liberal in "All in the Family"
If you think the answer to ANY crime, infraction, or injustice is counseling.
If you've spent no less than 30 years in the walls of academia and don't see how today could be too much different from the '60s.
If you think the criminal has more rights than the police who arrest this criminal, unless the crime is sexual harassment, or racism.
If you use the term 'open-minded' and don't care that it can't be defined in absolute terms.
If you think only white people can be racist.
If Clarence Thomas made you sick, Bob Packwood made you protest, but Bill Clinton is a victim of partisan politics. Added before I started keeping track of when I added new items :-)
If you think that teenager's sexual behavior is uncontrollable, but hardened violent criminals should be released on parole after serving a cut sentence in a "correctional institution".
If you think Maxine Waters and Sheila Jackson Lee are articulate geniuses but Justice Clarence Thomas, Dr. Alan Keyes and Dr. Walter Williams are dolts.
If you think Rush Limbaugh and Michael Reagan are mean spirited racists and promote hate crime but Maxine Waters, John Conyers and Louis Farakahn aren't and don't.
If you think that the Constitution is a living document and should be changed but the writings of Karl Marx are "written in stone".
If you think burning the United States flag should be Constitutionally protected but burning a cross should be outlawed.
If you think that tax cuts hurt poor people and are uncompassionate but taking 30% from their paychecks is compassionate
If your idea of hell is having to mind your own business and not meddle in other people's lives.
If you believe that posting the "Ten Commandments" in schools will hurt the children, but putting "Heather Has Two Mommies" or "Ask Alice" (on the internet) won't.
If you think that the American Dream could have only been accomplished in the '60s.
if you think that conservatives have no sense of humor then shudder at the idea of a Clinton joke.
If you actually do believe that Clinton doesn't know the definition of the words "alone", "is", or "correct".
If you believe that Columbus is a mean-spirit bringer of genocide, and never should have explored to the new world, which meant that no one would have religious or taxation freedom whatsoever.
If you think that the only way the tragedy in Littleton, CO could have been avoided was to restrict the access of the guns, two of which were bought on the black market.
If you actually think the multicultural movement of the '90s works better than organized religion.
If you don't want the Christian Right imposing their morality on you, but you want to impose big government on everyone else because they won't do the right thing.
Thanks to www.gargaro.com.
conservaphobia: noun. The fear of the American conservative political movement, often based on unfounded stereotypes and distortions.
You might be conservaphobic if:
You've never really listened to Rush Limbaugh because you're already sure that you disagree with practically everything he's ever said.
You refer to liberal Catholics, Protestants and Jews as "people of faith" but conservative Catholics, Protestants and Jews as the "religious right" or "radical religious right". (Maybe you have a thing for alliteration too.)
You think all white Republicans are racists and all black Republicans are sellouts.
You are a champion of first amendment rights except in public school classrooms and in front of abortion clinics.
You're glad you're not a Republican because after all, they want to starve school children and senior citizens.
You actually think that "liberal" and "progressive" are synonymous.
In your opinion, a government donation to the poor is somehow more effective than yours would be.
You only listen to and respect the views of "open-minded" people who think like you do.
You blame society's problems on "religious fanatics" and "corporate greed", never on the irresponsible behavior of individuals.
You Know You're a Liberal ....
Added 12/09/99 -- from Steve
If you think Rob Reiner had to stretch to play the liberal in "All in the Family"
If you think the answer to ANY crime, infraction, or injustice is counseling.
If you've spent no less than 30 years in the walls of academia and don't see how today could be too much different from the '60s.
If you think the criminal has more rights than the police who arrest this criminal, unless the crime is sexual harassment, or racism.
If you use the term 'open-minded' and don't care that it can't be defined in absolute terms.
If you think only white people can be racist.
If Clarence Thomas made you sick, Bob Packwood made you protest, but Bill Clinton is a victim of partisan politics. Added before I started keeping track of when I added new items :-)
If you think that teenager's sexual behavior is uncontrollable, but hardened violent criminals should be released on parole after serving a cut sentence in a "correctional institution".
If you think Maxine Waters and Sheila Jackson Lee are articulate geniuses but Justice Clarence Thomas, Dr. Alan Keyes and Dr. Walter Williams are dolts.
If you think Rush Limbaugh and Michael Reagan are mean spirited racists and promote hate crime but Maxine Waters, John Conyers and Louis Farakahn aren't and don't.
If you think that the Constitution is a living document and should be changed but the writings of Karl Marx are "written in stone".
If you think burning the United States flag should be Constitutionally protected but burning a cross should be outlawed.
If you think that tax cuts hurt poor people and are uncompassionate but taking 30% from their paychecks is compassionate
If your idea of hell is having to mind your own business and not meddle in other people's lives.
If you believe that posting the "Ten Commandments" in schools will hurt the children, but putting "Heather Has Two Mommies" or "Ask Alice" (on the internet) won't.
If you think that the American Dream could have only been accomplished in the '60s.
if you think that conservatives have no sense of humor then shudder at the idea of a Clinton joke.
If you actually do believe that Clinton doesn't know the definition of the words "alone", "is", or "correct".
If you believe that Columbus is a mean-spirit bringer of genocide, and never should have explored to the new world, which meant that no one would have religious or taxation freedom whatsoever.
If you think that the only way the tragedy in Littleton, CO could have been avoided was to restrict the access of the guns, two of which were bought on the black market.
If you actually think the multicultural movement of the '90s works better than organized religion.
If you don't want the Christian Right imposing their morality on you, but you want to impose big government on everyone else because they won't do the right thing.
Thanks to www.gargaro.com.
Monday, November 26, 2007
I need a little help
For one of my current classes, I am required to interview, and attend a service with someone of a different faith. My hope is finding someone who is Jewish, since this is the foundation of our faith, and similar enough that I would not feel like I am walking into Satan's lair. If anyone in San Angelo knows someone who would be willing to help, I would appreciate it greatly. Oh, and no, Catholic or Mormon is not different enough.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Zach-man
I just spent the last 7 minutes talking to a young man who is waiting in line to get on a bus, to take him to a plane, that is headed for Baghdad. He loves to swim, and he's headed for the desert. He's a lacksidaisical slacker like me, but he is taking on a mission for which half the people he is working for are ungrateful. He didn't have to sign up, but he felt like he needed to. For those who may say that we support this war only because we don't have to fight it, they are wrong. He is my closest cousin, and he is scared. Not right now, right now he's anxious. He's had his bags packed for a week, and has just been waiting. Now he's just ready to get it over with, and I pray all goes well, and he does come home soon. I don't want this war to end until all missions have been completed, and both countries are liberated and established. This cannot be done in a matter of weeks. It was twelve years between our Declaration of Indepence and our Constitution. That part only took them two or three years. We only had one easy to identify enemy, not thousands of disguised unidentifiable psychos, who find pleasure in death, and believe that the more they take with them the better. I don't love war, but I know that it is a necessary evil.
If any of this didn't make sense, I apologize. I am crying my eyes out, knowing that I may have just had the last conversation with one of my best friends. Please pray for Zach, his mom's name is Paula, dad's name is Richard, and his brother is Joe. Remember them all, because they need more prayer than I.
If any of this didn't make sense, I apologize. I am crying my eyes out, knowing that I may have just had the last conversation with one of my best friends. Please pray for Zach, his mom's name is Paula, dad's name is Richard, and his brother is Joe. Remember them all, because they need more prayer than I.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Proud to be an American
I thought of this while looking over my old posts. Skip down my playlist to the Star Spangled Banner, and make sure that you have found my post from September 24. If the letter didn't touch you the first time, it will definitely hit you for this Thanksgiving season.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Evil Genius
I had a thought the other day, and was wondering if anyone would be interested. I am lending my thirst for random knowledge to anyone who has a random question, and never has time to effectively search for an answer. If you have a "wonder why" or a "where did that come from" type of question, post it in the comments, and I will research and answer it to the best of my ability. So, ask away, and I will try to check daily.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Moosic
I tried to pick a list that appealed to the greatest percentage of populas, while maintaining my belief in making a joyful noise :) Scroll down and cheek eet out.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Just what you do not want to hear
Okay, maybe you do, but here is who I like for the next president. Ready... Mike Huckabee. I know I am not usually political in my posts, except for the global warming thing, letter from a soldier, okay so maybe I do venture into this realm occasionally.
Huckabee is the best candidate that fits most every conservatives bill. He is currently in fourth place nationally and was first at the recent Family Research Council's Washington briefing.
This is the address for his blog:
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.Home
This is the address for his biography page:
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=About.Home
I don't know if he is the perfect candidate, but I think he is the best option in the race, and one who I believe Dr. Dobson would support, after his recent comments.
Huckabee is the best candidate that fits most every conservatives bill. He is currently in fourth place nationally and was first at the recent Family Research Council's Washington briefing.
This is the address for his blog:
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Blogs.Home
This is the address for his biography page:
http://www.mikehuckabee.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=About.Home
I don't know if he is the perfect candidate, but I think he is the best option in the race, and one who I believe Dr. Dobson would support, after his recent comments.
Monday, October 22, 2007
I think I'm the last one to be tagged
Seven things blah, blah, blah. I was waiting for this moment.
1. I add letters and numbers in any kind of sequence. Example: If a license plate is "2VD-6Q1", I see it as 2 times (V/22nd letter of the alphabet) equals 44; divided by (D/4) equals 11; plus 6 equals (Q/17); divided by (Q/17) equals 1. It does not always work evenly, but there is often a challenge. ((((2x22)/4)+6)/17)=1
2. I also have a very strict shower sequence. Shampoo (leave in) (I use 2 in 1, not as bad for short hair), wash body (I do use body wash and a scrubby), rinse all, THEN, blow my nose and clean my ears. The last two must be done every time or I am miserable.
3. I love to play sports. I don't care what sport. I also must have my own equipment. I have my own football, basketball, soccerball, tennis racquets and balls, bowling balls, bocce ball set, softball everything, paintball equipment, golf clubs and shoes for bowling, tennis (actually designed for hard-court play), basketball, golf and of course, softball cleats.
4. If you are ever talking to me and I say something that seems to come from nowhere, don't ask how I got there. This is where I got the name for my blog. My wife asked once about a random statement I made, and after I finished tracing back the thought process, she had a headache. Sometimes, I forget some of the steps, which makes the explanation even more difficult.
5. I hate talking on the phone. I would rather be able to type, where I can make sure what I say is the way I want to say it, or speak in person, where inflection and body language are both available.
6. I am a control freak. This is why I can drive at high speed without flinching, but cannot stand rollercoasters, or other people driving. I don't mind being in tall buildings, as long as I am on a solid surface, but I get nervous on second floor balconies, especially if they lean downward.
7. I do not like things that are popular. I would say I am a non-conformist, but that has an anarchist connotation. (I may be a secessionist, but not an anarchist) This could be based on my schoolyears of always being the guy that everyone knew, but wasn't in the "in" crowd. I had friends or atleast acquaintances in every group, but always fit in best with the nerds and stoners. I played tennis instead of football. I cannot stand 99% of popular music, and occasionally will like it after a few years. This could be more for the memento than the actual music itself. I have the 90's channel on XM, and I hate half of the songs on their musical (or lack there of) merit, but listen anyway because it reminds me of a time when life was much simpler. I still cannot stand hip-hop.
OK, I don't know if any of this was amazing or revealing, but my wife and Ryan may be able to add to the list.
1. I add letters and numbers in any kind of sequence. Example: If a license plate is "2VD-6Q1", I see it as 2 times (V/22nd letter of the alphabet) equals 44; divided by (D/4) equals 11; plus 6 equals (Q/17); divided by (Q/17) equals 1. It does not always work evenly, but there is often a challenge. ((((2x22)/4)+6)/17)=1
2. I also have a very strict shower sequence. Shampoo (leave in) (I use 2 in 1, not as bad for short hair), wash body (I do use body wash and a scrubby), rinse all, THEN, blow my nose and clean my ears. The last two must be done every time or I am miserable.
3. I love to play sports. I don't care what sport. I also must have my own equipment. I have my own football, basketball, soccerball, tennis racquets and balls, bowling balls, bocce ball set, softball everything, paintball equipment, golf clubs and shoes for bowling, tennis (actually designed for hard-court play), basketball, golf and of course, softball cleats.
4. If you are ever talking to me and I say something that seems to come from nowhere, don't ask how I got there. This is where I got the name for my blog. My wife asked once about a random statement I made, and after I finished tracing back the thought process, she had a headache. Sometimes, I forget some of the steps, which makes the explanation even more difficult.
5. I hate talking on the phone. I would rather be able to type, where I can make sure what I say is the way I want to say it, or speak in person, where inflection and body language are both available.
6. I am a control freak. This is why I can drive at high speed without flinching, but cannot stand rollercoasters, or other people driving. I don't mind being in tall buildings, as long as I am on a solid surface, but I get nervous on second floor balconies, especially if they lean downward.
7. I do not like things that are popular. I would say I am a non-conformist, but that has an anarchist connotation. (I may be a secessionist, but not an anarchist) This could be based on my schoolyears of always being the guy that everyone knew, but wasn't in the "in" crowd. I had friends or atleast acquaintances in every group, but always fit in best with the nerds and stoners. I played tennis instead of football. I cannot stand 99% of popular music, and occasionally will like it after a few years. This could be more for the memento than the actual music itself. I have the 90's channel on XM, and I hate half of the songs on their musical (or lack there of) merit, but listen anyway because it reminds me of a time when life was much simpler. I still cannot stand hip-hop.
OK, I don't know if any of this was amazing or revealing, but my wife and Ryan may be able to add to the list.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
That's not what we meant
This was a sidenote in my reading assignment for homework.
Translating a product’s advertising slogan is especially tricky, because the product’s benefits have to be packed into just a few words. A poor translation can be embarrassing, as in the following examples:
Kentucky Fried Chicken’s slogan in English: Finger lickin’ good.
Meaning in Chinese translation: Eat your fingers off.
Otis Engineering Corporation’s slogan: Completion equipment.
Meaning in Russian translation: Equipment for orgasms.
Parker Pen Company’s slogan: Avoid embarrassment.
Meaning in Spanish translation: Avoid pregnancy.
Perdue Farms’ slogan: It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.
Meaning in Spanish translation: It takes a sexually excited man to make a chicken affectionate.
Thanks to Locker: Business and Administrative Communication, Seventh Edition
Translating a product’s advertising slogan is especially tricky, because the product’s benefits have to be packed into just a few words. A poor translation can be embarrassing, as in the following examples:
Kentucky Fried Chicken’s slogan in English: Finger lickin’ good.
Meaning in Chinese translation: Eat your fingers off.
Otis Engineering Corporation’s slogan: Completion equipment.
Meaning in Russian translation: Equipment for orgasms.
Parker Pen Company’s slogan: Avoid embarrassment.
Meaning in Spanish translation: Avoid pregnancy.
Perdue Farms’ slogan: It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken.
Meaning in Spanish translation: It takes a sexually excited man to make a chicken affectionate.
Thanks to Locker: Business and Administrative Communication, Seventh Edition
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I guess it's about time
As much as I miss my girls, I'm laughing and crying at the same time.
Things Kids Say about science
One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second.
You can listen to thunder after lightning and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it, you got hit, so never mind.
Talc is found on rocks and on babies.
Isn't inertia when something is moving, then it stops moving and keeps moving?
The law of gravity says no fair jumping up without coming back down.
When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
Rainbows are just to look at, not to really understand. (Remember this to keep life that much easier.)
South America has cold summers and hot winters, but somehow they still manage.
A vibration is a motion that cannot make up its mind which way it wants to go.
Genetics explain why you look like your father, and if you don't why you should.
Some oxygen molecules help fires burn, while others help make water, so sometimes it's brother against brother.
Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.
To most people, solutions mean finding the answers. But to chemists, solutions are things that are still all mixed up. (My personal favorite, kinda like doctors practicing)
I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.
Humidity is the experience of looking for air and finding water.
Rain is often known as soft water, oppositely known as hail.
The wind is like the air, only pushier.
A hurricane is a breeze of a bigly size. (Sounds kinda Pooh-ish)
A monsoon is a French gentleman.
Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound.
It is so hot in some places that the people there have to live in other places.
And, finally...
Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime.
Thanks to Rinkworks.com
Things Kids Say about science
One horsepower is the amount of energy it takes to drag a horse 500 feet in one second.
You can listen to thunder after lightning and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it, you got hit, so never mind.
Talc is found on rocks and on babies.
Isn't inertia when something is moving, then it stops moving and keeps moving?
The law of gravity says no fair jumping up without coming back down.
When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
Rainbows are just to look at, not to really understand. (Remember this to keep life that much easier.)
South America has cold summers and hot winters, but somehow they still manage.
A vibration is a motion that cannot make up its mind which way it wants to go.
Genetics explain why you look like your father, and if you don't why you should.
Some oxygen molecules help fires burn, while others help make water, so sometimes it's brother against brother.
Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.
To most people, solutions mean finding the answers. But to chemists, solutions are things that are still all mixed up. (My personal favorite, kinda like doctors practicing)
I am not sure how clouds get formed. But the clouds know how to do it, and that is the important thing.
Humidity is the experience of looking for air and finding water.
Rain is often known as soft water, oppositely known as hail.
The wind is like the air, only pushier.
A hurricane is a breeze of a bigly size. (Sounds kinda Pooh-ish)
A monsoon is a French gentleman.
Isotherms and isobars are even more important than their names sound.
It is so hot in some places that the people there have to live in other places.
And, finally...
Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a sun in the daytime.
Thanks to Rinkworks.com
Monday, September 24, 2007
Something I heard today on the radio
I know this is unlike my usual Mondays, but this really hit hard when I heard it on the Mark Levin show.
A Letter, Mark read back in April, from US Army Infantryman Sgt. Eddie Jeffers who was serving in Iraq. Sgt. Jeffers was killed in Iraq on September 19, 2007; he was 23.
(5/2/07) - A Letter from US Army Infantryman Sgt. Eddie serving in Iraq
I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.
I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.
There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own... but that are necessary for survival. I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets... who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.
And to think, I volunteered for this...
And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...or so I thought.
But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler.
I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed in action is Private First Class.
People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new.
The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy.
Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the internet...and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even jailed...for doing their job.
It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of President Bush.
They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.
America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It's not like World War II, where people rationed food and turned in cars to be made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a servicemember, its life as usual...the war doesn't affect you.
But it affects us. And when it is over and the troops come home and they try to piece together what's left of them after their service...where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.
We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.
Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.
Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's stop all the bad news and let's stand and fight!
Isn't that what America is about anyway?
I know many of you agree for the most part, but I felt it was good to get a reminder from one who we support. Thank you Father, for the men and women you have given us, to protect and defend this great country. Protect them, comfort them, and let them know, they are not forgotten.
A Letter, Mark read back in April, from US Army Infantryman Sgt. Eddie Jeffers who was serving in Iraq. Sgt. Jeffers was killed in Iraq on September 19, 2007; he was 23.
(5/2/07) - A Letter from US Army Infantryman Sgt. Eddie serving in Iraq
I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.
I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.
There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own... but that are necessary for survival. I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets... who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.
And to think, I volunteered for this...
And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...or so I thought.
But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler.
I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed in action is Private First Class.
People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward's war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new.
The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy.
Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the internet...and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even jailed...for doing their job.
It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of President Bush.
They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.
America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It's not like World War II, where people rationed food and turned in cars to be made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a servicemember, its life as usual...the war doesn't affect you.
But it affects us. And when it is over and the troops come home and they try to piece together what's left of them after their service...where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.
We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.
Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.
Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's stop all the bad news and let's stand and fight!
Isn't that what America is about anyway?
I know many of you agree for the most part, but I felt it was good to get a reminder from one who we support. Thank you Father, for the men and women you have given us, to protect and defend this great country. Protect them, comfort them, and let them know, they are not forgotten.
Monday, September 10, 2007
A little on the lighter side
A man convicted of robbery worked out a deal topay $9600 in damages rather than serve a prison sentence. For payment,he provided the court a check -- a forged check. He got 10years.
A man went into a drugstore, pulleda gun, announced a robbery, and pulled a Hefty-bag face mask over hishead -- and realized that he'd forgotten to cut eye holes in the mask.
A man successfully broke into abank after hours and stole -- are you ready for this -- the bank's videocamera. While it was recording. Remotely. (That is, the videotaperecorder was located elsewhere in the bank, so he didn't get thevideotape of himself stealing the camera.)
A man successfully broke into abank's basement through a street-level window, cutting himself up prettybadly in the process. He then realized that (1) he could not get tothe money from where he was, (2) he could not climb back out the windowthrough which he had entered, and (3) he was bleeding pretty badly. Sohe located a phone and dialed "911" for help...
Two men in a pickup truck went to a new-homesite to steal a refrigerator. Banging up walls, floors, etc., theysnatched a refrigerator from one of the houses, and loaded it ontothe pickup. The truck promptly got stuck in the mud, so these brainsurgeons decided that the refrigerator was too heavy. Banging up *more*walls, floors, etc., they put the refrigerator BACK into the house, andreturned to the pickup truck, only to realize that they locked the keysin the truck -- so they abandoned it.
Since school has just begun:
Dear Dad,
$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying veryhard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o ifyou would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hearfrom you.
Love,Your $on.
Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keepeven an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledgeis a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Love,Dad
And...
At a recent open house at a suburban high school,a parent wandered into a teacher's office that was empty, and lookedaround the room. Posted on the bulletin board was a list of sentencesthat the teacher's students have written on exam papers throughthe years. Other teachers contributed to the collection, too. The parent couldn't resist copying the list of sentences, including thesegems of creativity:By Peter B. Taub
Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Spices.
Benjamin Franklin produced electricity by rubbing cats backwards.
The theory of evolution was greatly objected to because it made men think.
Three kinds of blood vessels or the arteries, veins and caterpillars.
The dodo is a bird that is nearly decent now.
A thermometer is an instrument for rasing temperance.
To remove air from a flask, fill the flask with water, tip the water out and put the cork in quick.
A litre is a nest of young baby animals.
A vacuum is a U-tube with a flask at one end.
When you haven't got enough iodine in your blood, you'll get a glacier.
It is a well-known fact that a deceased body warps the mind.
The human is more intelligent than the beast because the human has more convulsions.
To remove dust from the eye: Pull the eye over the nose.
For head colds: Use an agonizer to spray nose until it drops into your throat.
For snake bite: Bleed the wound and rape the victim in a blanket for shock.
For asphyxiation: Apply artificial respiration until the patient is dead.
The process of turning steam into water again is called conversation.
A magnet is something you find in a bad apple.
Ammonium chloride is also silly maniac.
The school is ventilated by hot currents.
To collect fumes of sulphur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube.
Parallel lines never meet unless you bend one or both of them.
Typhoid fever may be prevented by fascinations.
Algebraic symbols are used when you don't know what you're talking about.
Geometry teaches us to bisex angles.
A circle is a line which meets its other end without ending.
Sound is a rapid series of osculations.
The moon is planet just like the earth only deader.
The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects.
An example of animal breeding is the farmer who mated a bull that gave a great deal of milk with a bull with good meat.
English sparrows and starlings eat the farmer's grain and soil his corpse.
By self-pollination, a farmer may get a crop of long-haired sheep.
If conditions are not favorable, bacteria go into a period of adolescence.
Dew is formed on the leaves when the sun makes them perspire.
Vegetative propagation is the precess by which one individual manufactures another individual by accident.
Sea water is has the formula CH2O.
A triangle which has an angle of 135 degrees is called an obscene triangle.
The hydra gets its food by descending upon its pray and pushing it into its mouth with its testicles.
Blood flows down one leg and up the other.
The cerebrum is a cavity in the head.
The hookworm larva enters the human body through the soul.
Thanks to anvari.org
A man went into a drugstore, pulleda gun, announced a robbery, and pulled a Hefty-bag face mask over hishead -- and realized that he'd forgotten to cut eye holes in the mask.
A man successfully broke into abank after hours and stole -- are you ready for this -- the bank's videocamera. While it was recording. Remotely. (That is, the videotaperecorder was located elsewhere in the bank, so he didn't get thevideotape of himself stealing the camera.)
A man successfully broke into abank's basement through a street-level window, cutting himself up prettybadly in the process. He then realized that (1) he could not get tothe money from where he was, (2) he could not climb back out the windowthrough which he had entered, and (3) he was bleeding pretty badly. Sohe located a phone and dialed "911" for help...
Two men in a pickup truck went to a new-homesite to steal a refrigerator. Banging up walls, floors, etc., theysnatched a refrigerator from one of the houses, and loaded it ontothe pickup. The truck promptly got stuck in the mud, so these brainsurgeons decided that the refrigerator was too heavy. Banging up *more*walls, floors, etc., they put the refrigerator BACK into the house, andreturned to the pickup truck, only to realize that they locked the keysin the truck -- so they abandoned it.
Since school has just begun:
Dear Dad,
$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying veryhard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o ifyou would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hearfrom you.
Love,Your $on.
Dear Son,
I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keepeven an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledgeis a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.
Love,Dad
And...
At a recent open house at a suburban high school,a parent wandered into a teacher's office that was empty, and lookedaround the room. Posted on the bulletin board was a list of sentencesthat the teacher's students have written on exam papers throughthe years. Other teachers contributed to the collection, too. The parent couldn't resist copying the list of sentences, including thesegems of creativity:By Peter B. Taub
Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Spices.
Benjamin Franklin produced electricity by rubbing cats backwards.
The theory of evolution was greatly objected to because it made men think.
Three kinds of blood vessels or the arteries, veins and caterpillars.
The dodo is a bird that is nearly decent now.
A thermometer is an instrument for rasing temperance.
To remove air from a flask, fill the flask with water, tip the water out and put the cork in quick.
A litre is a nest of young baby animals.
A vacuum is a U-tube with a flask at one end.
When you haven't got enough iodine in your blood, you'll get a glacier.
It is a well-known fact that a deceased body warps the mind.
The human is more intelligent than the beast because the human has more convulsions.
To remove dust from the eye: Pull the eye over the nose.
For head colds: Use an agonizer to spray nose until it drops into your throat.
For snake bite: Bleed the wound and rape the victim in a blanket for shock.
For asphyxiation: Apply artificial respiration until the patient is dead.
The process of turning steam into water again is called conversation.
A magnet is something you find in a bad apple.
Ammonium chloride is also silly maniac.
The school is ventilated by hot currents.
To collect fumes of sulphur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube.
Parallel lines never meet unless you bend one or both of them.
Typhoid fever may be prevented by fascinations.
Algebraic symbols are used when you don't know what you're talking about.
Geometry teaches us to bisex angles.
A circle is a line which meets its other end without ending.
Sound is a rapid series of osculations.
The moon is planet just like the earth only deader.
The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects.
An example of animal breeding is the farmer who mated a bull that gave a great deal of milk with a bull with good meat.
English sparrows and starlings eat the farmer's grain and soil his corpse.
By self-pollination, a farmer may get a crop of long-haired sheep.
If conditions are not favorable, bacteria go into a period of adolescence.
Dew is formed on the leaves when the sun makes them perspire.
Vegetative propagation is the precess by which one individual manufactures another individual by accident.
Sea water is has the formula CH2O.
A triangle which has an angle of 135 degrees is called an obscene triangle.
The hydra gets its food by descending upon its pray and pushing it into its mouth with its testicles.
Blood flows down one leg and up the other.
The cerebrum is a cavity in the head.
The hookworm larva enters the human body through the soul.
Thanks to anvari.org
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Worming Finale, until something else gets me fired up again
What happened to the report of our latest finding in the oldest ice core sample?
Why has no one said anything about the fact that the plant life contained within could only survive if the earth's temperature was at least 22 degrees warmer than what it is now?
The first results confirm that over the last 740,000 years the Earth experienced eight ice ages, when Earth's climate was much colder than today, and eight warmer periods (interglacials). In the last 400,000 years the warm periods have had a temperature similar to that of today. Before that time they were less warm, but lasted longer.
If you fill a glass with ice then top it off with water, when the ice melts, does the glass overflow? Why will the landmasses of the earth flood if a little bit of the glacier's freeze?
I heard from a climatologist this last week, that the increase in water depth will be a result of the expansion caused by heat, not the amount of ice that will melt. Still, I find it hard to believe a degree or two will cause that much expansion.
Why are the outskirts of the Antarctic getting warmer, while the center is cooling?
Doesn't this contradict the whole warming idea?
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/osu-atd021207.php
They are trying so hard to prove their theory, and continually come up short.
Why is some guy who helped develop the internet and lost an election the guru of global warming?
Because he is desperate to stay in the spotlight?
Why do some people have no personality?
Just a little jab at aforementioned person.
Why has no one ever included with those horrific pictures of polar bears floating on a block of ice, the fact that polar bears regularly swim over 20 miles at a time, and can swim over 60?
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/arctic/polar_bear/tracking/field_notes/index.cfm?uNewsID=110400
“Sea ice conditions can change quickly”
This is part of an article I found in Encarta. Notice that the last glaciation ended with a 13 degree rise in only 50 years. This is much more than our current 0.6 degree change in the past 120 years. Like I said in the beginning, I do not doubt a change in our current atmosphere, but I do doubt the effects of the Industrial Revolution.
Paleoclimatologists believe that, during the current Cenozoic Era, Earth's climate has been characterized by a series of glacial and interglacial cycles superimposed upon overall global cooling. Global temperatures progressively declined throughout the early Cenozoic and dropped quite suddenly about 2 million years ago, heralding a series of glaciations. However, fossil plants in coals from places such as northern Alaska, Greenland, and Svalbard (a group of islands belonging to Norway) suggest that there were warm episodes in the early and mid-Cenozoic Era as well.
The distribution of continents and oceans has changed throughout the Cenozoic Era until reaching that of today, with Antarctica becoming centered on the South Pole. About 30 million years ago, Antarctica had separated from South America and Australia; and a cold circum-Antarctic current was established. This isolated the continent from warm ocean currents and triggered the thickening and advance of the Antarctic ice cap. An extensive Antarctic ice sheet existed seven million years ago. Northern Europe and America moved northward into colder latitudes, and the ice sheets advanced from the South Pole.
The most recent glaciations have been more severe than those of the preceding portion of the Cenozoic Era. Because it is possible to date more of the events of the past 2 million years, much more is known about climate change during that period. The glacial-interglacial cycles have lasted about 100,000 years each, an interval that closely corresponds to the duration of changes in Earth's orbital position relative to the Sun. Evidence from deep-sea sediments reveals a pattern of slow advance of the polar ice caps, followed by sudden retreat due to rapid warming at the end of each glacial episode. The last major glaciation—10,700 years ago—ended with a 7°C (13°F) global temperature rise over a 50-year period.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
http://www.globalwarmingheartland.org/?gclid=CJCz2pygt44CFQ9wZQodFhomcA
Another site that may be enlightening to those who have suspicions.
Why has no one said anything about the fact that the plant life contained within could only survive if the earth's temperature was at least 22 degrees warmer than what it is now?
The first results confirm that over the last 740,000 years the Earth experienced eight ice ages, when Earth's climate was much colder than today, and eight warmer periods (interglacials). In the last 400,000 years the warm periods have had a temperature similar to that of today. Before that time they were less warm, but lasted longer.
If you fill a glass with ice then top it off with water, when the ice melts, does the glass overflow? Why will the landmasses of the earth flood if a little bit of the glacier's freeze?
I heard from a climatologist this last week, that the increase in water depth will be a result of the expansion caused by heat, not the amount of ice that will melt. Still, I find it hard to believe a degree or two will cause that much expansion.
Why are the outskirts of the Antarctic getting warmer, while the center is cooling?
Doesn't this contradict the whole warming idea?
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/osu-atd021207.php
They are trying so hard to prove their theory, and continually come up short.
Why is some guy who helped develop the internet and lost an election the guru of global warming?
Because he is desperate to stay in the spotlight?
Why do some people have no personality?
Just a little jab at aforementioned person.
Why has no one ever included with those horrific pictures of polar bears floating on a block of ice, the fact that polar bears regularly swim over 20 miles at a time, and can swim over 60?
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/arctic/polar_bear/tracking/field_notes/index.cfm?uNewsID=110400
“Sea ice conditions can change quickly”
This is part of an article I found in Encarta. Notice that the last glaciation ended with a 13 degree rise in only 50 years. This is much more than our current 0.6 degree change in the past 120 years. Like I said in the beginning, I do not doubt a change in our current atmosphere, but I do doubt the effects of the Industrial Revolution.
Paleoclimatologists believe that, during the current Cenozoic Era, Earth's climate has been characterized by a series of glacial and interglacial cycles superimposed upon overall global cooling. Global temperatures progressively declined throughout the early Cenozoic and dropped quite suddenly about 2 million years ago, heralding a series of glaciations. However, fossil plants in coals from places such as northern Alaska, Greenland, and Svalbard (a group of islands belonging to Norway) suggest that there were warm episodes in the early and mid-Cenozoic Era as well.
The distribution of continents and oceans has changed throughout the Cenozoic Era until reaching that of today, with Antarctica becoming centered on the South Pole. About 30 million years ago, Antarctica had separated from South America and Australia; and a cold circum-Antarctic current was established. This isolated the continent from warm ocean currents and triggered the thickening and advance of the Antarctic ice cap. An extensive Antarctic ice sheet existed seven million years ago. Northern Europe and America moved northward into colder latitudes, and the ice sheets advanced from the South Pole.
The most recent glaciations have been more severe than those of the preceding portion of the Cenozoic Era. Because it is possible to date more of the events of the past 2 million years, much more is known about climate change during that period. The glacial-interglacial cycles have lasted about 100,000 years each, an interval that closely corresponds to the duration of changes in Earth's orbital position relative to the Sun. Evidence from deep-sea sediments reveals a pattern of slow advance of the polar ice caps, followed by sudden retreat due to rapid warming at the end of each glacial episode. The last major glaciation—10,700 years ago—ended with a 7°C (13°F) global temperature rise over a 50-year period.
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
http://www.globalwarmingheartland.org/?gclid=CJCz2pygt44CFQ9wZQodFhomcA
Another site that may be enlightening to those who have suspicions.
Friday, September 7, 2007
De-Worming Answers (First Installment)
Why have there been glaciers and rainforests in Wyoming?
From Mississippi to Wyoming, Plants Once Danced to Fast-Changing Climate TuneNational Science Foundation News Release November 10, 2005 Scientists have discovered the first fossil leaves from a period of rapid global warming 55 million years ago. The leaves tell a story about plants alive during that time: a fast-changing climate allowed southern-dwelling trees and shrubs to move north in a hurry. In fact, plants spread from the Gulf Coast to Wyo.--a distance of some 1,000 miles--in 10,000 years or less. A sudden global warming, called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, raised global temperatures as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).
Why is the current temperature so horrible?
Is Global Warming Always Bad?
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2872
Global Warming is Good for You
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,854050,00.html
Why was there a temperature drop at the beginning of the dark ages (When the world was falling apart)?
The population of the Roman Empire shrank from 65 million in 150 to 50 million in 400, a decline of more than 20 percent. Some have connected this to the Dark Age Cold Period (100-700), when there was a decline in temperature globally which reduced agricultural harvests.[3]
Why was there a temperature rise (yes, this is not the first time) at the beginning of the High Middle Ages (AKA the Age of Enlightenment)?
CO2 science http://www.co2science.org/scripts/CO2ScienceB2C/data/mwp/description.jsp
Why is there not more discussion on the fact that livestock cause more greenhouse gas than all of the vehicles on earth?
Rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars, UN report warns
29 November 2006 – Cattle-rearing generates more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in CO2 equivalent, than transportation, and smarter production methods, including improved animal diets to reduce enteric fermentation and consequent methane emissions, are urgently needed, according to a new United Nations report released today. “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems,” senior UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official Henning Steinfeld said. (Hehehehe… he said methane emissions)
Why do I actually want a Hydrogen car? Well, this one is just because I think it would be really cool.
http://www.gm.com/explore/technology/news/2006/fc_fleet_launch_091806.jsp
Does the fact that there is an increasing number of 98.6 degree heat sources on the earth have anything to do with it?
The more one contemplates the infinitesimal effect caused by our minute spatial quantity, the more one is led to generate a negative answer.
From Mississippi to Wyoming, Plants Once Danced to Fast-Changing Climate TuneNational Science Foundation News Release November 10, 2005 Scientists have discovered the first fossil leaves from a period of rapid global warming 55 million years ago. The leaves tell a story about plants alive during that time: a fast-changing climate allowed southern-dwelling trees and shrubs to move north in a hurry. In fact, plants spread from the Gulf Coast to Wyo.--a distance of some 1,000 miles--in 10,000 years or less. A sudden global warming, called the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, raised global temperatures as much as 18 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).
Why is the current temperature so horrible?
Is Global Warming Always Bad?
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=2872
Global Warming is Good for You
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,854050,00.html
Why was there a temperature drop at the beginning of the dark ages (When the world was falling apart)?
The population of the Roman Empire shrank from 65 million in 150 to 50 million in 400, a decline of more than 20 percent. Some have connected this to the Dark Age Cold Period (100-700), when there was a decline in temperature globally which reduced agricultural harvests.[3]
Why was there a temperature rise (yes, this is not the first time) at the beginning of the High Middle Ages (AKA the Age of Enlightenment)?
CO2 science http://www.co2science.org/scripts/CO2ScienceB2C/data/mwp/description.jsp
Why is there not more discussion on the fact that livestock cause more greenhouse gas than all of the vehicles on earth?
Rearing cattle produces more greenhouse gases than driving cars, UN report warns
29 November 2006 – Cattle-rearing generates more global warming greenhouse gases, as measured in CO2 equivalent, than transportation, and smarter production methods, including improved animal diets to reduce enteric fermentation and consequent methane emissions, are urgently needed, according to a new United Nations report released today. “Livestock are one of the most significant contributors to today’s most serious environmental problems,” senior UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) official Henning Steinfeld said. (Hehehehe… he said methane emissions)
Why do I actually want a Hydrogen car? Well, this one is just because I think it would be really cool.
http://www.gm.com/explore/technology/news/2006/fc_fleet_launch_091806.jsp
Does the fact that there is an increasing number of 98.6 degree heat sources on the earth have anything to do with it?
The more one contemplates the infinitesimal effect caused by our minute spatial quantity, the more one is led to generate a negative answer.
Monday, August 27, 2007
TGIM
I think my wife will agree that this was badly needed today!
"Golden, Ripe, Boneless Bananas, 39 Cents A Pound."
- Ad in the "Missoulian" by Orange Street Food Farm
"Sure there have been injuries and deaths in boxing - but none of them serious."
- Alan Minter, Boxer
"I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."
- Alicia Silverstone, Actress
"During the scrimmage, Tarkanian paced the sideline with his hands in his pockets while biting his nails."
- AP report describing Fresno State basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian
"Two grand slams in a week - man, that's seven or eight ribbies right there."
- Bill Madlock, Baseball broadcaster (For my ladies - that can ONLY be 8)
"You guys line up alphabetically by height."
- Bill Peterson, Florida State football coach
"The internet is a great way to get on the net."
- Bob Dole, Republican presidential candidate
"I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada."
- Britney Spears, Pop Singer
"China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese."
- Charles De Gaulle, former French President
"It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice-President
"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system!"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President on the concept of a manned mission to Mars
"We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out."
- Decca Records Rejecting the Beatles, in 1962 (OOPS!!!)
"The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing."
- Dizzy Dean explaining how he felt after being hit on the head by a ball in the 1934 World
Series.
"If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight."
- George Gobel
"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas."
- Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery
"He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning regardless of what time it is."
- Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regime of heavyweight Andrew Golota
"I'm a 4-wheel-drive pickup type of guy. So is my wife."
- Mike Greenwell, Baseball player
"A bachelor's life is no life for a single man."
- Samuel Goldwyn
"I don't diet. I just don't eat as much as I'd like to."
- Linda Evangelista, Supermodel
"If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."
- Terry Venables
My thanks to GoodQuotes.com
"Golden, Ripe, Boneless Bananas, 39 Cents A Pound."
- Ad in the "Missoulian" by Orange Street Food Farm
"Sure there have been injuries and deaths in boxing - but none of them serious."
- Alan Minter, Boxer
"I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness."
- Alicia Silverstone, Actress
"During the scrimmage, Tarkanian paced the sideline with his hands in his pockets while biting his nails."
- AP report describing Fresno State basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian
"Two grand slams in a week - man, that's seven or eight ribbies right there."
- Bill Madlock, Baseball broadcaster (For my ladies - that can ONLY be 8)
"You guys line up alphabetically by height."
- Bill Peterson, Florida State football coach
"The internet is a great way to get on the net."
- Bob Dole, Republican presidential candidate
"I get to go to lots of overseas places, like Canada."
- Britney Spears, Pop Singer
"China is a big country, inhabited by many Chinese."
- Charles De Gaulle, former French President
"It is wonderful to be here in the great state of Chicago"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice-President
"It's time for the human race to enter the solar system!"
- Dan Quayle, former U.S. Vice President on the concept of a manned mission to Mars
"We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out."
- Decca Records Rejecting the Beatles, in 1962 (OOPS!!!)
"The doctors X-rayed my head and found nothing."
- Dizzy Dean explaining how he felt after being hit on the head by a ball in the 1934 World
Series.
"If it weren't for electricity we'd all be watching television by candlelight."
- George Gobel
"Traditionally, most of Australia's imports come from overseas."
- Former Australian cabinet minister Keppel Enderbery
"He's a guy who gets up at six o'clock in the morning regardless of what time it is."
- Lou Duva, veteran boxing trainer, on the Spartan training regime of heavyweight Andrew Golota
"I'm a 4-wheel-drive pickup type of guy. So is my wife."
- Mike Greenwell, Baseball player
"A bachelor's life is no life for a single man."
- Samuel Goldwyn
"I don't diet. I just don't eat as much as I'd like to."
- Linda Evangelista, Supermodel
"If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again."
- Terry Venables
My thanks to GoodQuotes.com
Monday, August 20, 2007
Ahhhh... The joy of Mondays.
Oh the joy of warning labels. It is said that most of the time someone was stupid enough to try the crazy warning in order for it to be on the label.
On a blanket from Taiwan: Not to be used as protection from a tornado. (it may provide a little)
Warning on fireplace log: Caution -- Risk of Fire. (That is what I hope for)
A warning on a pair of shin guards manufactured for bicyclists: Shin pads cannot protect any part of the body they do not cover. (Revelation!)
Warning on an electric router made for carpenters: This product not intended for use as a dental drill. (That could be painful)
On a bottle of shampoo for dogs: Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish.
On a hair dryer: Do not use in shower.
On Marks & Spencer bread pudding: Product will be hot after heating.
On a string of Chinese made Christmas lights: For indoor or outdoor use only. (What other options are available?)
On Sainsbury's peanuts: Warning: Contains nuts.
On an American Airlines packet of nuts: Instructions - open packet, eat nuts.
On some frozen dinners: Serving suggestion: defrost. (But I like it crunchy)
On a hotel provided shower cap: Fits one head.
On Nytol Nighttime Sleep-Aid: Warning: May cause drowsiness.
Warning on a cartridge for a laser printer: Do not eat toner.
A warning on a 13" a wheelbarrow warns: Not for highway use.
Can of self-defense pepper spray warns: May irritate eyes.
Warning on a Conair Pro Style 1600 hair dryer: Do not use in shower. Never use while sleeping.
Silly Putty package warning: Not for use as earplugs. (This one I can easily believe has happened)
On a bag of Fritos: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (There's always a catch)
Baby stroller warning: Remove child before folding. (There are sometimes that this one is tempting to break)
Household iron warns: Never iron clothes while they are being worn.
A fireplace lighter cautions: Do not use near fire, flame or sparks.
A handheld massager warns consumers: Don't use while sleeping or unconscious.
Warning on underarm deodorant: Do not spray in eyes.
Cardboard car sun shield that keeps sun off the dashboards warns: Do not drive with sun shield in place.
Warning on a sharpening stone: Knives are sharp.
Bottle water label warns: Twist top off with hands. Throw top away. Do not put top in mouth.
On a box or rat poison: Warning: Has been found to cause cancer in laboratory mice.
On a Domino's Pizza box: Caution: Contents hot!
Toilet bowl cleaning brush warns: Do not use orally.
Thanks to www.power-of-attorneys.com.
On a blanket from Taiwan: Not to be used as protection from a tornado. (it may provide a little)
Warning on fireplace log: Caution -- Risk of Fire. (That is what I hope for)
A warning on a pair of shin guards manufactured for bicyclists: Shin pads cannot protect any part of the body they do not cover. (Revelation!)
Warning on an electric router made for carpenters: This product not intended for use as a dental drill. (That could be painful)
On a bottle of shampoo for dogs: Caution: The contents of this bottle should not be fed to fish.
On a hair dryer: Do not use in shower.
On Marks & Spencer bread pudding: Product will be hot after heating.
On a string of Chinese made Christmas lights: For indoor or outdoor use only. (What other options are available?)
On Sainsbury's peanuts: Warning: Contains nuts.
On an American Airlines packet of nuts: Instructions - open packet, eat nuts.
On some frozen dinners: Serving suggestion: defrost. (But I like it crunchy)
On a hotel provided shower cap: Fits one head.
On Nytol Nighttime Sleep-Aid: Warning: May cause drowsiness.
Warning on a cartridge for a laser printer: Do not eat toner.
A warning on a 13" a wheelbarrow warns: Not for highway use.
Can of self-defense pepper spray warns: May irritate eyes.
Warning on a Conair Pro Style 1600 hair dryer: Do not use in shower. Never use while sleeping.
Silly Putty package warning: Not for use as earplugs. (This one I can easily believe has happened)
On a bag of Fritos: You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside. (There's always a catch)
Baby stroller warning: Remove child before folding. (There are sometimes that this one is tempting to break)
Household iron warns: Never iron clothes while they are being worn.
A fireplace lighter cautions: Do not use near fire, flame or sparks.
A handheld massager warns consumers: Don't use while sleeping or unconscious.
Warning on underarm deodorant: Do not spray in eyes.
Cardboard car sun shield that keeps sun off the dashboards warns: Do not drive with sun shield in place.
Warning on a sharpening stone: Knives are sharp.
Bottle water label warns: Twist top off with hands. Throw top away. Do not put top in mouth.
On a box or rat poison: Warning: Has been found to cause cancer in laboratory mice.
On a Domino's Pizza box: Caution: Contents hot!
Toilet bowl cleaning brush warns: Do not use orally.
Thanks to www.power-of-attorneys.com.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Time to laugh again
Chicago: A man was wanted for throwing bricks through jewelry store windows and making off with the loot. He was arrested last night after throwing a brick into a Plexiglas window...the brick bounced back, hit him in the head and knocked him cold until the police got there.
When Stan Caddell wanted to wash his Chevrolet, he backed the car into a foot of water in the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri. When he got out to clean the car, it floated away. Police were able to retrieve the vehicle some distance downstream. According to an officer on the scene, no action would be taken against the driver because "you can't ticket a guy for being stupid..."
Kentucky: Two men tried to pull the front off a cash machine by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though, they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the scene and drove home. With the chain still attached to the machine. With their bumper still attached to the chain. With their vehicle's license plate still attached to the bumper.
A man in Orange County Municipal Court had been ticketed for driving alone in the carpool lane. He claimed that the four frozen cadavers in the mortuary van he was driving should be counted. The judged ruled that passengers must be alive to qualify.
Another not so stupid:
A lawyer defending a man accused of burglary tried this creative defense: "My client merely inserted his arm into the window and removed a few trifling articles. His arm is not himself, and I fail to see how you can punish the whole individual for an offense committed by his limb." "Well put," the judge replied. "Using your logic, I sentence the defendant's arm to one year's imprisonment. He can accompany it or not, as he chooses." The defendant smiled. With his lawyer's assistance he detached his artificial limb, laid it on the bench, and walked out.
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him.
Arizona: A company called "Guns For Hire" stages gunfights for Western movies, etc. One day, they received a call from a 47-year-old woman, who wanted to have her husband killed. She got 4-1/2 years in jail.
Burglars in Larch Barrens, Md., tried to cut through a safe using a Laser Tag gun.
Germany: Oil of Olay no longer turning the trick for her, a woman decided that she would bathe in the milk of a camel (a modern-day Cleopatra). So she stole a camel from the local zoo (where *else* can you find a camel when you need one?) and transported it back to her house--where she realized that the camel's name was "Otto." (Editor's Note 2: She might not have gotten much milk from Otto, but she probably made a friend for life while trying to ...)
Newark: A woman was reporting her car as stolen, and mentioned that there was a car phone in it. The policeman taking the report called the phone, and told the guy that answered that he had read the ad in the newspaper and wanted to buy the car. They arranged to meet, and the thief was arrested.
Seattle: When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find an ill man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.
For all of my lovely teacher friends:
When asked for her occupation, a woman charged with a traffic violation said she was a schoolteacher. The judge rose from the bench. "Madam, I have waited years for a schoolteacher to appear before this court," he smiled with delight. "Now sit down at that table and write 'I will not pass through a red light' five hundred times."
A man walked into a Circle-K (a convenience store similar to a 7-11), put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled-- leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.
This week's Finale:
When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, robber James Eliot peered down the barrel and tried it again. This time, it worked.
Thanks to CrazyCriminals.com
When Stan Caddell wanted to wash his Chevrolet, he backed the car into a foot of water in the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri. When he got out to clean the car, it floated away. Police were able to retrieve the vehicle some distance downstream. According to an officer on the scene, no action would be taken against the driver because "you can't ticket a guy for being stupid..."
Kentucky: Two men tried to pull the front off a cash machine by running a chain from the machine to the bumper of their pickup truck. Instead of pulling the front panel off the machine, though, they pulled the bumper off their truck. Scared, they left the scene and drove home. With the chain still attached to the machine. With their bumper still attached to the chain. With their vehicle's license plate still attached to the bumper.
A man in Orange County Municipal Court had been ticketed for driving alone in the carpool lane. He claimed that the four frozen cadavers in the mortuary van he was driving should be counted. The judged ruled that passengers must be alive to qualify.
Another not so stupid:
A lawyer defending a man accused of burglary tried this creative defense: "My client merely inserted his arm into the window and removed a few trifling articles. His arm is not himself, and I fail to see how you can punish the whole individual for an offense committed by his limb." "Well put," the judge replied. "Using your logic, I sentence the defendant's arm to one year's imprisonment. He can accompany it or not, as he chooses." The defendant smiled. With his lawyer's assistance he detached his artificial limb, laid it on the bench, and walked out.
A pair of Michigan robbers entered a record shop nervously waving revolvers. The first one shouted, "Nobody move!" When his partner moved, the startled first bandit shot him.
Arizona: A company called "Guns For Hire" stages gunfights for Western movies, etc. One day, they received a call from a 47-year-old woman, who wanted to have her husband killed. She got 4-1/2 years in jail.
Burglars in Larch Barrens, Md., tried to cut through a safe using a Laser Tag gun.
Germany: Oil of Olay no longer turning the trick for her, a woman decided that she would bathe in the milk of a camel (a modern-day Cleopatra). So she stole a camel from the local zoo (where *else* can you find a camel when you need one?) and transported it back to her house--where she realized that the camel's name was "Otto." (Editor's Note 2: She might not have gotten much milk from Otto, but she probably made a friend for life while trying to ...)
Newark: A woman was reporting her car as stolen, and mentioned that there was a car phone in it. The policeman taking the report called the phone, and told the guy that answered that he had read the ad in the newspaper and wanted to buy the car. They arranged to meet, and the thief was arrested.
Seattle: When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find an ill man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.
For all of my lovely teacher friends:
When asked for her occupation, a woman charged with a traffic violation said she was a schoolteacher. The judge rose from the bench. "Madam, I have waited years for a schoolteacher to appear before this court," he smiled with delight. "Now sit down at that table and write 'I will not pass through a red light' five hundred times."
A man walked into a Circle-K (a convenience store similar to a 7-11), put a $20 bill on the counter and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled-- leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? Fifteen dollars.
This week's Finale:
When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, robber James Eliot peered down the barrel and tried it again. This time, it worked.
Thanks to CrazyCriminals.com
Friday, August 3, 2007
The number one reason I'm proud to be a Texan, maybe.
I finally figured it out. Most of ya'll :) that read this are also Texans, and have from time to time had to answer this question. I finally figured out a really good heart reaching answer that beats: We have more miles of coastline than any other state, if you melted all the ice we probably would be the largest, etc.
In the past few days, I have heard a lot about our soldiers who are fighting, and the sacrifices they have made and are continuing to make. Most of this has been on the Glenn Beck program, one I highly recommend. There are thousands of amazing stories throughout the history of the world of military bravery. If you are able to relate to the stories, in some way, they reach down and tug at your heart, giving you pride among many other emotions.
This is what hit me the other day. I am proud to be a Texan, just like I am proud to be an American, because men fought for my state. Men and women paid the greatest price, so that I am not currently living in Mexico. People who had a vision, and a hope, who were tired of the struggles and wanted independence. Men from all over our great nation came here to help us. Men who are now legends came to San Antonio, Goliad, San Jacinto, etc. because they believed in the same things. What other state can say that?
I am currently in the state of welfare and government gimmes, where no one has fought for anything that I know of. There is even a monument for one of the first Confederate losses to Union troops on the southern side of New Orleans. This place has more French in it than I really want to know. It has been almost two years since Katrina hit, and I know how bad the devastation was because I was here before pretty much anyone else. However, there are FEMA trailers in front of houses that are not in very bad shape. I can understand not having the time or money, or whatever else to get it fixed, but, there are also new cars sitting in front of the same houses. It's not that they can't afford it, it's that they don't want to do it, because they are living for free. There is no pride, and the longer I stay here the more I long for my fellow Texans. My roommate is even moving to Texas from Mississippi to get away from the corruption. He won't hardly ever be there, but he doesn't want to give them any more money than what he has to. By the way, if anyone knows someone in the Hill Country that has some rental property, please let me know ASAP.
In the past few days, I have heard a lot about our soldiers who are fighting, and the sacrifices they have made and are continuing to make. Most of this has been on the Glenn Beck program, one I highly recommend. There are thousands of amazing stories throughout the history of the world of military bravery. If you are able to relate to the stories, in some way, they reach down and tug at your heart, giving you pride among many other emotions.
This is what hit me the other day. I am proud to be a Texan, just like I am proud to be an American, because men fought for my state. Men and women paid the greatest price, so that I am not currently living in Mexico. People who had a vision, and a hope, who were tired of the struggles and wanted independence. Men from all over our great nation came here to help us. Men who are now legends came to San Antonio, Goliad, San Jacinto, etc. because they believed in the same things. What other state can say that?
I am currently in the state of welfare and government gimmes, where no one has fought for anything that I know of. There is even a monument for one of the first Confederate losses to Union troops on the southern side of New Orleans. This place has more French in it than I really want to know. It has been almost two years since Katrina hit, and I know how bad the devastation was because I was here before pretty much anyone else. However, there are FEMA trailers in front of houses that are not in very bad shape. I can understand not having the time or money, or whatever else to get it fixed, but, there are also new cars sitting in front of the same houses. It's not that they can't afford it, it's that they don't want to do it, because they are living for free. There is no pride, and the longer I stay here the more I long for my fellow Texans. My roommate is even moving to Texas from Mississippi to get away from the corruption. He won't hardly ever be there, but he doesn't want to give them any more money than what he has to. By the way, if anyone knows someone in the Hill Country that has some rental property, please let me know ASAP.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Stupid has no basement
That is the quote of the day. It never ceases to amaze me how stupid people can be. So, for a little humor on this Monday, I am giving a collection of stupid crook stories.
There are some places where you just shouldn’t do certain things. Don’t wear a meat suit in a pirahna shop. Don’t let your pet ferret get some exercise on a crowded subway. Don’t bring crack to church. And don’t try to burglarize a police department’s K-9 kennel. According to the Associated Press, three people were caught trying to break into a building used by police as their K-9 dog kennel.
When police caught them in the act, they tried to run away. Mind you they are running away from police dogs. If only they were dogs themselves or didn’t have smells, they might have had a chance.
It gets even worse. One of the burglars was caught and got bit by one of the K-9 units on the bum. The dog mind you, not the officer. If a cop bites you on the bum, I’m sure there’s some kind of brutality or sexual harassment complaint you could file.
BOSTON (FOX25) — Police have arrested a man who they say robbed a New Hampshire bank on Saturday morning dressed as a tree. The man demanded money from the teller and took off. He was arrested at his home late Saturday night.
A guy dressed as a tree tried to rob a bank. He didn’t wear a tree costume. He taped branches to his body with duct tape, you know for authenticity.
This really doesn’t make much sense. I realize that’s the understatement of the year, but I’m talking about just the context of the situation. If there were trees in the bank, then he might been able to use camoflauge or mimicry. That’s just not common sense. That’s something I learned in the sixth grade in life science and I flunked the course.
But once again, you have to love the yukmeisters that work in our nation’s television newsrooms. The story talks about how the guy really went on a “limb” in this robbery, and they hope he doesn’t “stick” up any more banks. It’s good to know Norm Crosby hasn’t left our hearts.
Jermaine Washington picked the wrong people to rob yesterday, cops said. Washington, an ex-con with 33 prior arrests, hid in the bushes along a dimly lit path in Manhattan's Riverside Park just after midnight, intent upon holding up the next two people he encountered, police said. Unfortunately for Washington, those two people were a pair of armed and uniformed rookie cops. "It was stupid criminal tricks," said a police source. "The guy didn't even look to see who was coming."
A cannabis smoker has been arrested after complaining to police that he was sold bad weed.
Hans-Juergen Bendt, 52, from Darmstadt, lodged a complaint about his dealer with police after he sold him seven ounces of "completely un-enjoyable" hash.
Not so Stupid-
A convicted fraudster escaped from a high security jail in Germany after climbing into a cardboard box and posting himself to freedom.
Max Friedener, 28, escaped from prison in Darmstadt after hiding in the box in the mailroom. He escaped from the mail van as it was driving away.
Stupid again-
Police in Wichita, Kansas, arrested a 22-year-old man at an airport hotel after he tried to pass two (counterfeit) $16 bills.
A convict broke out of jail in Washington D.C., then a few days later accompanied his girlfriend to her trial for robbery. At lunch, he went out for a sandwich. She needed to see him, and thus had him paged. Police officers recognized his name and arrested him as he returned to the courthouse in a car he had stolen over the lunch hour.
Swedish business consultant Ulf af Trolle labored 13 years on a book about Swedish economic solutions. He took the 250-page manuscript to be copied, only to have it reduced to 50,000 strips of paper in seconds when a worker confused the copier with the shredder.
Police in Radnor, Pennsylvania, interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth. Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.
For all the ladies-
Forty-five-year-old Amy Brasher was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, after a mechanic reported to police that 18 packages of marijuana were packed in the engine compartment of the car which she had brought to the mechanic for an oil change. According to the police, Brasher later said that she didn't realize that the mechanic would have to raise the hood to change the oil.
Dave so-and-so of Anniston, Alabama, was injured recently after he attempted to replace a tubelike fuse in his Chevy pickup with a 22-caliber rifle bullet (used because it was a perfect fit). However, when electricity heated the bullet, it went off and shot him in the knee.
Drug-possession defendant Christopher Johns, on trial in March in Pontiac, Michigan, said he had been searched without a warrant. The prosecutor said the officer didn't need a warrant because of a "bulge" in Christopher's jacket could have been a gun. Nonsense, said Christopher, who happened to be wearing the same jacket that day in court. He handed it over so the judge could see it. The judge discovered a packet of cocaine in the pocket and laughed so hard he required a five-minute recess to compose himself.
I'll find some more for next week.
There are some places where you just shouldn’t do certain things. Don’t wear a meat suit in a pirahna shop. Don’t let your pet ferret get some exercise on a crowded subway. Don’t bring crack to church. And don’t try to burglarize a police department’s K-9 kennel. According to the Associated Press, three people were caught trying to break into a building used by police as their K-9 dog kennel.
When police caught them in the act, they tried to run away. Mind you they are running away from police dogs. If only they were dogs themselves or didn’t have smells, they might have had a chance.
It gets even worse. One of the burglars was caught and got bit by one of the K-9 units on the bum. The dog mind you, not the officer. If a cop bites you on the bum, I’m sure there’s some kind of brutality or sexual harassment complaint you could file.
BOSTON (FOX25) — Police have arrested a man who they say robbed a New Hampshire bank on Saturday morning dressed as a tree. The man demanded money from the teller and took off. He was arrested at his home late Saturday night.
A guy dressed as a tree tried to rob a bank. He didn’t wear a tree costume. He taped branches to his body with duct tape, you know for authenticity.
This really doesn’t make much sense. I realize that’s the understatement of the year, but I’m talking about just the context of the situation. If there were trees in the bank, then he might been able to use camoflauge or mimicry. That’s just not common sense. That’s something I learned in the sixth grade in life science and I flunked the course.
But once again, you have to love the yukmeisters that work in our nation’s television newsrooms. The story talks about how the guy really went on a “limb” in this robbery, and they hope he doesn’t “stick” up any more banks. It’s good to know Norm Crosby hasn’t left our hearts.
Jermaine Washington picked the wrong people to rob yesterday, cops said. Washington, an ex-con with 33 prior arrests, hid in the bushes along a dimly lit path in Manhattan's Riverside Park just after midnight, intent upon holding up the next two people he encountered, police said. Unfortunately for Washington, those two people were a pair of armed and uniformed rookie cops. "It was stupid criminal tricks," said a police source. "The guy didn't even look to see who was coming."
A cannabis smoker has been arrested after complaining to police that he was sold bad weed.
Hans-Juergen Bendt, 52, from Darmstadt, lodged a complaint about his dealer with police after he sold him seven ounces of "completely un-enjoyable" hash.
Not so Stupid-
A convicted fraudster escaped from a high security jail in Germany after climbing into a cardboard box and posting himself to freedom.
Max Friedener, 28, escaped from prison in Darmstadt after hiding in the box in the mailroom. He escaped from the mail van as it was driving away.
Stupid again-
Police in Wichita, Kansas, arrested a 22-year-old man at an airport hotel after he tried to pass two (counterfeit) $16 bills.
A convict broke out of jail in Washington D.C., then a few days later accompanied his girlfriend to her trial for robbery. At lunch, he went out for a sandwich. She needed to see him, and thus had him paged. Police officers recognized his name and arrested him as he returned to the courthouse in a car he had stolen over the lunch hour.
Swedish business consultant Ulf af Trolle labored 13 years on a book about Swedish economic solutions. He took the 250-page manuscript to be copied, only to have it reduced to 50,000 strips of paper in seconds when a worker confused the copier with the shredder.
Police in Radnor, Pennsylvania, interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth. Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.
For all the ladies-
Forty-five-year-old Amy Brasher was arrested in San Antonio, Texas, after a mechanic reported to police that 18 packages of marijuana were packed in the engine compartment of the car which she had brought to the mechanic for an oil change. According to the police, Brasher later said that she didn't realize that the mechanic would have to raise the hood to change the oil.
Dave so-and-so of Anniston, Alabama, was injured recently after he attempted to replace a tubelike fuse in his Chevy pickup with a 22-caliber rifle bullet (used because it was a perfect fit). However, when electricity heated the bullet, it went off and shot him in the knee.
Drug-possession defendant Christopher Johns, on trial in March in Pontiac, Michigan, said he had been searched without a warrant. The prosecutor said the officer didn't need a warrant because of a "bulge" in Christopher's jacket could have been a gun. Nonsense, said Christopher, who happened to be wearing the same jacket that day in court. He handed it over so the judge could see it. The judge discovered a packet of cocaine in the pocket and laughed so hard he required a five-minute recess to compose himself.
I'll find some more for next week.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Challenge
I have now been challenged to ponder the meaning of life, soooo...
Neah, I haven't had that much time. It's Friday, so I am refusing to think too much.
Dandelions
In a field of yellow flowers, underneath the sun
Bluest eyes that spark with lightning, boy with shoes undone
He is young, so full of hope, revelling in tiny dreams
filling up his arms with flowers, right for giving any queen
Running to her, beaming bright while cradling his prize
A flickering of yellow light within his mother's eyes
She holds them to her heart keeping them where they'll be safe
Clasped within her very marrow dandelions in a vase
She sees love where
anyone else would see weeds
all hope is found,
here is everything he needs
Fathomless Your endless mercy, weight I could not lift
Where do I fit in this puzzle?
What good are these gifts?
Not a martyr or a saint, scarcely can I struggle through
all that I have ever wanted, was to give my best to You
Lord search my heart
create in me something clean
Dandelions
You see flowers in these weeds
Gently lifting hands to heaven, softened by the sweetest hush
a Father sings over His children, loving them so very much
More than words could warrant
deeper than the darkest blue
More than sacrifice could merit
Lord, I give my heart to you
Lord search my heart
create in me something clean
Dandelions
You see flowers in these weeds
My thanks to Five Iron Frenzy for a reminder of God's unfathomable love for his children. What good are the gifts that I bring to lay at Your feet. They are ashes, weeds, rubble, rags, failures, all utterly useless. But you recieve them as myrrh, gold and the finest gems. Father you know that I need you, more now than ever before. Please hold me in Your arms. Take me and mold me, clean me, restore unto me the joy of Your Salvation.
Hold on to Jesus
Hold on to Jesus, tell Him about everything.
Your dreams and your troubles; pure hearts desire one thing.
and mine is to know You,
mine is to break down and shatter to pieces,
and lose everything I've found.
I'm learning that nothing worth anything is cheap.
I'm learning the path is thin and the grade is steep;
and that the altars where we lay ourselves, will crack when tested
and that there's only One that turns our hearts to gold.
Hold on to Jesus, tell Him about everything.
Your dreams and your troubles; pure hearts desire one thing.
and mine is to know You,
mine is to break down and shatter to pieces,
and lose everything I've found.
I'm finding that I'm not who I once thought I was
I'm finding I'm powerless to obtain Your love
And that the only gifts I bring to You are rags and failures
and through a strange exchange You've made them myrrh and gold
Hold on to Jesus, tell Him about everything.
Your dreams and your troubles; pure hearts desire one thing.
and mine is to know You,
mine is to break down and shatter to pieces,
and lose everything I've found.
This is from my favorite group, The OC Supertones. I hope that this helps you through atleast one more day.
Neah, I haven't had that much time. It's Friday, so I am refusing to think too much.
Dandelions
In a field of yellow flowers, underneath the sun
Bluest eyes that spark with lightning, boy with shoes undone
He is young, so full of hope, revelling in tiny dreams
filling up his arms with flowers, right for giving any queen
Running to her, beaming bright while cradling his prize
A flickering of yellow light within his mother's eyes
She holds them to her heart keeping them where they'll be safe
Clasped within her very marrow dandelions in a vase
She sees love where
anyone else would see weeds
all hope is found,
here is everything he needs
Fathomless Your endless mercy, weight I could not lift
Where do I fit in this puzzle?
What good are these gifts?
Not a martyr or a saint, scarcely can I struggle through
all that I have ever wanted, was to give my best to You
Lord search my heart
create in me something clean
Dandelions
You see flowers in these weeds
Gently lifting hands to heaven, softened by the sweetest hush
a Father sings over His children, loving them so very much
More than words could warrant
deeper than the darkest blue
More than sacrifice could merit
Lord, I give my heart to you
Lord search my heart
create in me something clean
Dandelions
You see flowers in these weeds
My thanks to Five Iron Frenzy for a reminder of God's unfathomable love for his children. What good are the gifts that I bring to lay at Your feet. They are ashes, weeds, rubble, rags, failures, all utterly useless. But you recieve them as myrrh, gold and the finest gems. Father you know that I need you, more now than ever before. Please hold me in Your arms. Take me and mold me, clean me, restore unto me the joy of Your Salvation.
Hold on to Jesus
Hold on to Jesus, tell Him about everything.
Your dreams and your troubles; pure hearts desire one thing.
and mine is to know You,
mine is to break down and shatter to pieces,
and lose everything I've found.
I'm learning that nothing worth anything is cheap.
I'm learning the path is thin and the grade is steep;
and that the altars where we lay ourselves, will crack when tested
and that there's only One that turns our hearts to gold.
Hold on to Jesus, tell Him about everything.
Your dreams and your troubles; pure hearts desire one thing.
and mine is to know You,
mine is to break down and shatter to pieces,
and lose everything I've found.
I'm finding that I'm not who I once thought I was
I'm finding I'm powerless to obtain Your love
And that the only gifts I bring to You are rags and failures
and through a strange exchange You've made them myrrh and gold
Hold on to Jesus, tell Him about everything.
Your dreams and your troubles; pure hearts desire one thing.
and mine is to know You,
mine is to break down and shatter to pieces,
and lose everything I've found.
This is from my favorite group, The OC Supertones. I hope that this helps you through atleast one more day.
Global Worming
Yes that is spelled how I want it to be. I will go in to more detail later, but for now just a little snipit.
I will not argue that the current average global temperature has risen 0.6 degrees in the last 100 years. I will not argue that it may be caused by greenhouse gases. However...
Why have there been glaciers and rainforests in Wyoming?
Why is the current temperature so horrible?
Why was there a temperature drop at the beginning of the dark ages (When the world was falling apart)?
Why was there a temperature rise (yes, this is not the first time) at the beginning of the middle ages (aka the Age of Enlightenment)?
Why is there not more discussion on the fact that livestock cause more greenhouse gas than all of the vehicles on earth?
Why do I actually want a Hydrogen car? Well, this one is just because I think it would be really cool.
Does the fact that there is an increasing number of 98.6 degree heat sources on the earth have anything to do with it?
What happened to the report of our latest finding in the oldest ice core sample? Why has no one said anything about the fact that the plant life contained within could only survive if the earth's temperature was atleast 22 degrees warmer than what it is now?
If you fill a glass with ice then top it off with water, when the ice melts, does the glass overflow? Why will the landmasses of the earth flood if a little bit of the glacier's freeze?
Why are the outskirts of the Antarctic getting warmer, while the center is cooling? Doesn't this contradict the whole warming idea?
Why is some guy who helped develop the internet and lost an election the guru of global warming?
Why do some people have no personality?
Why has no one ever included with those horrific pictures of polar bears floating on a block of ice, the fact that polar bears regularly swim over 20 miles at a time, and can swim over 60?
As I said earlier, I will continue this at a later date, which will eventually include answers. Feel free to comment or question.
I will not argue that the current average global temperature has risen 0.6 degrees in the last 100 years. I will not argue that it may be caused by greenhouse gases. However...
Why have there been glaciers and rainforests in Wyoming?
Why is the current temperature so horrible?
Why was there a temperature drop at the beginning of the dark ages (When the world was falling apart)?
Why was there a temperature rise (yes, this is not the first time) at the beginning of the middle ages (aka the Age of Enlightenment)?
Why is there not more discussion on the fact that livestock cause more greenhouse gas than all of the vehicles on earth?
Why do I actually want a Hydrogen car? Well, this one is just because I think it would be really cool.
Does the fact that there is an increasing number of 98.6 degree heat sources on the earth have anything to do with it?
What happened to the report of our latest finding in the oldest ice core sample? Why has no one said anything about the fact that the plant life contained within could only survive if the earth's temperature was atleast 22 degrees warmer than what it is now?
If you fill a glass with ice then top it off with water, when the ice melts, does the glass overflow? Why will the landmasses of the earth flood if a little bit of the glacier's freeze?
Why are the outskirts of the Antarctic getting warmer, while the center is cooling? Doesn't this contradict the whole warming idea?
Why is some guy who helped develop the internet and lost an election the guru of global warming?
Why do some people have no personality?
Why has no one ever included with those horrific pictures of polar bears floating on a block of ice, the fact that polar bears regularly swim over 20 miles at a time, and can swim over 60?
As I said earlier, I will continue this at a later date, which will eventually include answers. Feel free to comment or question.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Ohhh, I'm into everything I hate!
As I am new to this, let me explain that I love music. I don't just enjoy listening to it, but I analyze almost every song I listen to. There are some groups that I just cannot stand to listen to, and others that everyone else hates, but I respect for one reason or the other. I'm saying this so that you know why I will often use a song's lyrics for my thoughts.
This comes from a group named Smalltown Poets. They are one of my favorite because you can feel their passion, and several of their songs require more thought than just stuff being laid out in front of you.
"I'm into everything I hate, my spirit is not moved, my members take the bait."
Why do we always grab on to things we know will hurt us. I know what God has said and as the song says, my spirit has no desire to sin. It is habit at times, and others, it's just stupidity. Immediately after I do something under the stupid category, I have the thought of "Where in the world did that come from. I didn't want that, and I've never wanted it before." (To all my peeps at home, don't worry, I haven't gone off the deep end, yet.) I am supposed to be a mighty man of valor, a prayer warrior, a light in a dark world, but right now I feel like I'm crammed into an already crowded closet, and the candle is taking more oxygen than I am. I am a stranger in a foreign land. I have yet to figure out why so many have moved back here. One of my coworkers (the only one that is a practicing Christian) said that he feels like its the new Sodom and Gomorrah, and the longer I'm here, the more I agree. If SA was ever destroyed, I'd move to the other SA in a heartbeat, or maybe South Padre. Yeah, that would be sweet, and God, I think I could really commune with you there. It's named after you, Father.
This comes from a group named Smalltown Poets. They are one of my favorite because you can feel their passion, and several of their songs require more thought than just stuff being laid out in front of you.
"I'm into everything I hate, my spirit is not moved, my members take the bait."
Why do we always grab on to things we know will hurt us. I know what God has said and as the song says, my spirit has no desire to sin. It is habit at times, and others, it's just stupidity. Immediately after I do something under the stupid category, I have the thought of "Where in the world did that come from. I didn't want that, and I've never wanted it before." (To all my peeps at home, don't worry, I haven't gone off the deep end, yet.) I am supposed to be a mighty man of valor, a prayer warrior, a light in a dark world, but right now I feel like I'm crammed into an already crowded closet, and the candle is taking more oxygen than I am. I am a stranger in a foreign land. I have yet to figure out why so many have moved back here. One of my coworkers (the only one that is a practicing Christian) said that he feels like its the new Sodom and Gomorrah, and the longer I'm here, the more I agree. If SA was ever destroyed, I'd move to the other SA in a heartbeat, or maybe South Padre. Yeah, that would be sweet, and God, I think I could really commune with you there. It's named after you, Father.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
First Post
Hello,
I just wanted someplace to put random thoughts that I have from time to time. The one that drove me to begin blogging, is the existence of Jesus. After reading a recent news story on AOL, I glanced through the comments on the bottom of the page to see what others were thinking. The story was loosely related to Christianity, and someone wrote blah, blah, blah, Jesus didn't exist, blah, blah, blah. I found this as a rather ridiculous comment for a few reasons.
Let me begin by saying I am not going to debate the godliness of Jesus for right now, just the stupidity of the comment that he doesn't exist. There are currently thousands of Jesus' south of the American border right now, and from what i understand, it was not exactly an uncommon name at the turn into Ano Domini. There is tons of non-biblical evidence that says there was a Jesus from Nazareth, born to Joseph and Mary, and descendant of Abraham and David. I do not have all the exact items in front of me, but I know this is much better outlined in The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. I have yet to find an historian that discounts the fact he existed. That is all for now.
I just wanted someplace to put random thoughts that I have from time to time. The one that drove me to begin blogging, is the existence of Jesus. After reading a recent news story on AOL, I glanced through the comments on the bottom of the page to see what others were thinking. The story was loosely related to Christianity, and someone wrote blah, blah, blah, Jesus didn't exist, blah, blah, blah. I found this as a rather ridiculous comment for a few reasons.
Let me begin by saying I am not going to debate the godliness of Jesus for right now, just the stupidity of the comment that he doesn't exist. There are currently thousands of Jesus' south of the American border right now, and from what i understand, it was not exactly an uncommon name at the turn into Ano Domini. There is tons of non-biblical evidence that says there was a Jesus from Nazareth, born to Joseph and Mary, and descendant of Abraham and David. I do not have all the exact items in front of me, but I know this is much better outlined in The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. I have yet to find an historian that discounts the fact he existed. That is all for now.
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