Bugs Bleat 1Q 08: January 2008

Volume 10, Issue 04 Friday, January 25, 2008

Hello All,

COMMUNICATION NOTICE: We are switching Internet Service Providers and, as of February 28, our e-mail address will change. You can contact us at kc5hii@gmail.com.
~~~~~
This week, we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr’s. Birthday. Thanks to one of my favorite comics, “Grand Avenue” for these quotes;
"Let No Man Pull You Low Enough To Hate Him." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Forgiveness is not an occasional habit, it is a permanent attitude." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?" - Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
“The time is always right to do what’s right.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thanks to [http://www.comics.com/comics/grandave/]
~~~~~
It’s been quiet in the house with just Annette and me. We know that MamMaw is happy now but we still miss her. Vanessa shared her thoughts about her grandmother Dorothy with us.
~
Daddy, I was just thinking about Mammaw Dorothy and I wanted to share this with you and Mom.

Mammaw always worked hard
She walked to work for years.
Mammaw always liked to stay busy.
Mammaw gave me gingerbread men when I came to see her at the bakery.

Mammaw always had a cat.
Mammaw always named her cat "Baby".

Mammaw loved to cook.
Mammaw made the best meatloaf.
Mammaw made sweet potato puff for me every year.
Nobody ever made dressing like Mammaw.

Mammaw was always glad to see us when we came to visit.
She asked us to stay longer and come back soon.

Mammaw loved pretty things.
She liked to shop at JC Penney.
She always bought the nicest Christmas presents.
Mammaw walked all the way home from Warnock's with a new lamp.

Mammaw was beautiful.
She had the prettiest thick, curly hair ever seen.
Mammaw was petite and energetic.
Mammaw always smelled very clean.
Mammaw liked to get her hair done at the green beauty salon across from Smitty's.

Mammaw never learned to drive.
Mammaw liked to go out for fish at Ole Feed House.
Mammaw liked coconut cake and Diet Coke.

Mammaw let Mom sit in her lap even after Mom grew up too much to sit in her lap.

Mammaw remembered my birthday.

Mammaw loved us in her own quiet way.
~~~~~
Congratulations, David & Dana Caldwell!
Carson Duke Caldwell arrived at 4:45 p.m. on Jan. 22nd. He weighed 7#, 10 oz., and is 20" long. David reported that Mother and Baby are doing great.
~~~~~
Each week the Defense Department highlights military personnel who have gone above and beyond in the war. [http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/] - - Jason Kimberling
Hometown: Rathdrum, ID - - Awarded: Bronze Star

On a sweltering 115-degree day in August 2006, Staff Sgt. Jason A. Kimberling was part of a 3-person security force assigned to a convoy of 15 Afghan National Police (ANP) officers and 20 members of the Afghan National Army (ANA).

A highway checkpoint in Qalat Province had come under attack, and the convoy was sent to assist. As Kimberling’s convoy searched for the enemy, they were attacked by more than 100 well-trained, well-equipped Taliban fighters. The coordinated ambush began with a rocket propelled grenade (RPG) that landed only about 5 yards away. After several RPG rounds had been fired from a base about 325 yards away, a barrage of machine gun fire began to spray the group from only about 55 yards away and came from a different direction.

The driver of the security forces Humvee, a fellow airman, created cover with the vehicle, allowing Kimberling to jump out and return fire. Their position was hit by an RPG that knocked down Kimberling and his driver. As Kimberling was recovering from the blast, he saw two enemy gunmen heading toward them from a house just 35 yards away – from a third direction. Kimberling exposed himself to gunfire to kill the two gunmen. His actions allowed the ANP and ANA members to regroup, killing additional enemy fighters.

Soon another round of shooting began from enemy fighters, and Kimberling did not hesitate to move from his protected position in order to return fire, giving an ANA soldier the opportunity to successfully throw a hand grenade into the enemy’s position.

The convoy was then able to move away from the ambush site and onto higher ground, though still under enemy fire. Kimberling exposed himself a third time to enemy fire so that he could use a satellite phone to communicate with the tactical operations center to coordinate air support that eventually ended the battle and allowed the convoy to return to base.

"And if all of that wasn't enough, during the attack, Sergeant Kimberling had the situational awareness to call in close-air support from nearby Dutch NATO aircraft that were patrolling the area," said Col. Thomas Laffey, 366th Mission Support Group commander. "He achieved this while under very heavy fire for more than two hours."

An estimated 20 enemy combatants were killed in the firefight, without a single casualty among the security forces, ANA or ANP. Kimberling was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor and the Army Commendation Medal for his actions.
~~~~~
Greetings,

I am preparing to head back to Iraq at the end of this week.

We've added a lot of new material to the site in the past week, including updates on units I've embedded with [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/commanders-update-9.htm] and stories published during 2007 [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/general-lee-comes-home-part-2.htm], and links to news items, like a profile in the New York Times [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/news-flash-frontline-blogger-with-a-soldier%e2%80%99s-eyes.htm].

If you haven't been to the website recently, we have added new archive pages that can be accessed [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/archives-table-of-contents.htm].

News that my book, Moment of Truth in Iraq [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/moment-of-truth-in-iraq.htm] (which will be published in April 2008) is now available for special advance purchase has prompted renewed interest in my first book Danger Close, and we've republished the first chapter of that book [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/danger-close-chapter-one.htm].

Also, at the suggestion of readers, my Dragon Skin body armor is up for auction on E-Bay. You can read why [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/news-flash-dragon-skin.htm], and follow the bidding [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=260203742022&Category=36071&_trksid=p3907.m29].

As always, reader support is greatly appreciated, especially as I organize and assemble the gear needed for this next embed. Without the generosity of readers, this mission could not go forward. And during this election year when important decisions will be made on Iraq, front line news will be critical for identifying political truth-tellers.
~
I'll be back in the war in a few days. Meanwhile, two new dispatches are up on the website: Men of Valor VI [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/men-of-valor-part-vi-of-viii.htm] and General Reassignment [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/news-flash-general-reassignment.htm].

Please help support the mission by considering an advance purchase of my new book (due out in April), Moment of Truth in Iraq [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/moment-of-truth-in-iraq.htm]. Thanks also to readers who have bid on the Dragon Skin body armor [http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260203742022&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D260203742022%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1] up for auction on E-Bay, even while knowing that it shouldn't be used in combat, because those funds will go directly to supporting my mission in the weeks and months ahead.

V/r,
Michael Yon
~~~~~
Harvey C. Couch - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harvey Crowley Couch, (21 August 1877–30 July 1941) was an Arkansas entrepreneur who rose from very modest beginnings to control a regional utility and railroad empire. He is regarded as the father of Arkansas Power and Light Company and other electric utilities now part of Entergy, and helped to mold the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway and the Kansas City Southern Railway into a major transportation system. . . .
Read the full bio [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_C._Couch#Early_life]
~~~~~
Jeroen van der Veer, Chief Executive of Shell Corporation sent this analysis of Shell Energy Scenarios to the company employees this week. It’s an interesting outlook on our future.
~
Dear Colleagues

In this letter, I'd like to share reflections about how we see the energy future, and our preferred route to meeting the world's energy needs. Industry, governments and energy users - that is, all of us - will face the twin challenge of more energy and less CO2.
This letter is based on a text I've written for publication in several newspapers in the coming weeks. You can use it in your communications externally. There will be more information about energy scenarios in the months ahead.
By the year 2100, the world's energy system will be radically different from todays. Renewable energy like solar, wind, hydroelectricity and biofuels will make up a large share of the energy mix, and nuclear energy too will have a place.
Mankind will have found ways of dealing with air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. New technologies will have reduced the amount of energy needed to power buildings and vehicles.
Indeed, the distant future looks bright, but getting there will be an adventure. At Shell, we think the world will take one of two possible routes. The first, a scenario we call Scramble, resembles a race through a mountainous desert. Like an off-road rally, it promises excitement and fierce competition. However, the unintended consequence of "more haste" will often be "less speed" and many will crash along the way.
The alternative scenario, called Blueprints, has some false starts and develops like a cautious ride on a road that is still under construction. Whether we arrive safely at our destination depends on the discipline of the drivers and the ingenuity of all those involved in the construction effort. Technical innovation provides for excitement.
Regardless of which route we choose, the world's current predicament limits our maneuvering room. We are experiencing a step-change in the growth rate of energy demand due to population growth and economic development, and Shell estimates that after 2015 supplies of easy-to-access oil and gas will no longer keep up with demand.
As a result, society has no choice but to add other sources of energy - renewables, yes, but also more nuclear power and unconventional fossil fuels such as oil sands. Using more energy inevitably means emitting more CO2 at a time when climate change has become a critical global issue.
In the Scramble scenario, nations rush to secure energy resources for themselves, fearing that energy security is a zero-sum game, with clear winners and losers. The use of local coal and home grown biofuels increases fast.
Taking the path of least resistance, policymakers pay little attention to curbing energy consumption - until supplies run short. Likewise, despite much rhetoric, greenhouse gas emissions are not seriously addressed until major shocks trigger political reactions. Since these responses are overdue, they are severe and lead to energy price spikes and volatility.
The other route to the future is less painful, even if the start is more disorderly. This Blueprints scenario sees numerous coalitions emerging to take on the challenges of economic development, energy security and environmental pollution through cross-border cooperation.
Much innovation occurs at the local level, as major cities develop links with industry to reduce local emissions. National governments introduce efficiency standards, taxes and other policy instruments to improve the environmental performance of buildings, vehicles and transport fuels.
As calls for harmonization increase, policies converge across the globe. Cap-and-trade mechanisms that put a cost on industrial CO2 emissions gain international acceptance. Rising CO2 prices accelerate innovation, spawning breakthroughs. A growing number of cars are powered by electricity and hydrogen, while industrial facilities are fitted with technology to capture CO2 and store it underground.
Against the backdrop of these two equally plausible scenarios, we will only know in a few years whether December's Bali declaration on climate change was just rhetoric or the beginning of a global effort to counter it. Much will depend on how attitudes evolve in Beijing, Brussels, New Delhi and Washington.
Shell traditionally uses its scenarios to prepare for the future without expressing a preference for one over another. But, faced with the need to manage climate risk for our investors and our grandchildren, we believe the Blueprints outcomes provide the best balance between economy, energy and environment.
For a second opinion, we appealed to climate change calculations made at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These calculations indicate that a Blueprints world with CO2 capture and storage results in the least amount of climate change, provided emissions of other major manmade greenhouse gases are similarly reduced.
The sobering reality is that the Blueprints scenario will only come to pass if policymakers agree a global approach to emissions trading and actively promote energy efficiency and new technology in four sectors: heat and power generation, industry, mobility and buildings. It will be hard work and there is little time.
For instance, Blueprints assumes CO2 is captured at 90% of all coal- and gas-fired power plants in developed countries in 2050, plus at least 50% of those in non-OECD countries. Today, there are none. Since CO2capture and storage adds cost and brings no revenues, government support is needed to make it happen quickly on a scale large enough to affect global emissions. At the very least, companies should earn carbon credits for the CO2 they capture and store.
Blueprints will not be easy. But it offers the world the best chance of reaching a sustainable energy future unscathed, so we should explore this route with the same ingenuity and persistence that put humans on the moon and created the digital age.
The world faces a long voyage before it reaches a low-carbon energy system. Companies can suggest possible routes to get there, but governments are in the driving seat. And governments will determine whether we should prepare for a bitter competition or a true team effort.
~~~~~
ALB Expands Possibilities for Furniture Fire Safety

New Hal-Free ANTIBLAZE(R) Flame Retardant Protects Flexible Foams at Lower Loadings
BATON ROUGE, La., Jan 24, 2008 / -- Flexible foam producers and users now have an extremely effective and more environmentally appealing alternative for flame retarding the foams used in furniture and automobile seats, thanks to an innovation from the worldwide leader in flame retardants, Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB).
Albemarle has introduced ANTIBLAZE(R) 117HF, a new, halogen-free flame retardant designed to provide a safe and highly effective alternative to halogen-based flame retardants in flexible furniture and automotive foams.
Additional benefits of ANTIBLAZE 117HF flame retardant are its high efficiency - achieving the same reliable protection as existing flame retardants with up to 30 percent less product - and excellent non-scorching performance.
The human health and environmental profile of ANTIBLAZE 117HF flame retardant has been tested extensively. Using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria, the product also has been found to be non-persistent and non- bioaccumulative.
"As a socially responsible producer of flame retardants, we recognize the need for foam and furniture makers to offer products that ensure consumers the highest level of safety and value," said Steve LeVan, Albemarle division vice president of flame retardants.
"Our new ANTIBLAZE 117HF flame retardant lets foam makers and end-users achieve exceptional fire safety and material performance, as well as a strong health, safety and environmental profile, which is consistent with our mission to provide innovative and sustainable products to the marketplace," LeVan said.
Critical fire safety performance; lower usage levels; and an excellent health, safety and environmental profile, make ANTIBLAZE 117HF flame retardant an ideal solution for foam makers.
ANTIBLAZE 117HF flame retardant is produced at Albemarle's Orangeburg, S.C. facility and is now commercially available.
~~~~~
This week we read; “The face-changers” by Thomas Perry.
Now we’re reading; “The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War" by David Halberstam
We plan on reading: “The innocent man” by John Grisham, “A war of gifts: an Ender story” by Orson Scott Card, “Death benefits: a novel” by Thomas Perry, “Sliver of truth” by by Lisa Unger.
~~~~~
http://www.shelfari.com/BugsBleat/shelf?ec=7D790D174EFS18012
~~~~~
If you’d like to write Dr. Antoon, he’d like to hear from you. This is his current address, the latest of the three federal prisons’ he’s been in.
Patrick Antoon #06669-010
Federal Prison Camp-La Tuna
P. O. Box 8000
Anthony, NM/TX 88021
~~~~~
The photos on the front of this week’s “Bleat” include photos of our recent EMT Refresher Training.
~~~~~
We’ve now got several addresses on the web for "Da Bleat." For the latest issue, go to http://www.bugsbleat.blogspot.com. Last quarter’s issues can be seen at http://www.bugsbleat4Q07.blogspot.com.
Our photos are posted at http://www.bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com.
~~~~~
Feel free to share the "Bleat" with any and all. That's why we publish it.
~~~~~
Recipe(s) of the week - - - This week we share a recipe Vanessa created to the delight of her eldest. - - - Josiah’s Ratatouille Movie Soup

2T butter
2T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic finely minced
3T all purpose flour
One 32oz carton chicken broth
1 to 2 plum tomatoes, chopped (I use canned diced tomatoes, drained.)
1 to 2 cups roasted chicken, torn into small pieces
½ of a 10 oz box frozen chopped spinach (well drained)
½ recipe Parmesan Gnocchi (recipe follows) OR ½ container packaged gnocchi
1 to 2 cups milk/half and half/or heavy cream
Salt, black pepper and rosemary to taste
Fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Fresh Basil

Slowly cook the onion and garlic in the olive oil and butter until onions are transparent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the flour, stir, and cook a little longer.

Add just enough broth to deglaze the pan, and then transfer onion mixture to a crock-pot. Add tomatoes, roasted chicken, spinach, and gnocchi to crock-pot. Season with salt, black pepper, and rosemary to taste.

Add remainder of broth and the milk then the gnocchi.
Let cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Garnish with cheese and Basil.

Best served with fresh Italian bread for dipping.

Basic Potato Gnocchi
[CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com]

(Word to the wise – The flour goes in last after the potatoes. Don’t make the mistake I did of mixing all the dry ingredients first!)

5 Idaho Potatoes
2 egg yolks, at room temp
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 ½ cup all purpose flour

Bake the potatoes in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Peel and mash. In a large bowl, mix the egg yolks, salt, nutmeg and mashed potatoes, then add the flour, a little at a time, until a dough forms and holds together. The dough should be soft but firm enough to roll.

On a floured board, roll small amounts of dough into small cylinders about 1 ½ inches in diameter; cut each cylinder into ½ inch pieces. With a floured knuckle press a dent into the center of each gnocchi gently. Don't press all the way through, just deep enough to hold some sauce.

The potato gnocchi goes in the soup after the liquids. Be sure you have time to let it cook in the crock pot for a while so the gnocchi will be thoroughly cooked.

(You may want to make the gnocchi ahead of time and refrigerate it. It will save time plus make the gnocchi easier to shape.)
~~~~~
First Baptist Church Open Taco Supper is coming Feb 21, from 5-7:00 pm. Tickets are $8 each.
The meal includes beverage & dessert.
~~~~~
BreakPoint
With Chuck Colson
A Career Marked by Dignity
1/25/2008
Wilberforce Award Winner Al Quie

Former Minnesota Governor Al Quie remembers hoboes—as they were called—showing up at his family’s dairy farm during the Great Depression. “Evidently our farm was known as a place where they could get a meal,” says Quie. His parents always served their unexpected guests in the formal dining room—a place usually reserved for holidays or for a visiting Lutheran minister. The lesson Al learned was simple, yet profound: Respect the dignity of every person.

Indeed, upholding human dignity has been a hallmark of Al Quie’s decades of public service and ministry—and the reason why last week he was honored with our 2008 William Wilberforce Award. We give the award every year “in recognition of exemplary witness for Jesus Christ, perseverance, and selflessness in combating social injustice and advancing Christian values in the face of opposition.”

A former state senator, congressman, and governor of Minnesota, Al cites two accomplishments that give him a great sense of gratification: the first, landmark legislation mandating public education for handicapped children. The second, fair-employment legislation that abolished job discrimination against African-Americans.

At the time, both segments of society were treated as second-class citizens. But Al had learned from a father who treated hoboes as honored guests. So when Al pushed for the legislation, he gave his fellow legislators only one reason: “It’s the right thing to do.”

Al Quie is also a man who, at the height of the Watergate scandal, reached out to a disgraced advisor to President Nixon: one Chuck Colson. Seven months into my prison term, I was facing a pair of family crises. Al called and said he was going to go see the president to ask Gerald Ford if he, Al, could serve the rest of my prison sentence. I was overwhelmed. His willingness to lay down his life for me was a turning point: I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ was real.

After retiring from political office in 1983, Al did not go into business or lobbying, as many politicians do. He began serving on the Prison Fellowship Board of Directors, where he fulfilled his passion for reaching out to society’s outcasts: prisoners. He then joined the Prison Fellowship staff, not as a national leader, but as a state director out in the frontlines of the ministry. Later he became president, and he has been my closest friend and colleague over the years.

Today, at age 84, Al still spends hours ministering in prisons—especially at the aptly named Albert H. Quie Unit in Lino Lakes, Minnesota. There, in 2002, he helped Prison Fellowship launch the InnerChange Freedom Initiative® for prisoners willing to invest hard work in turning their lives around through biblically based character development. Quie is a mentor, teacher, and even surrogate father and grandfather to many of the men—modeling his faith in Christ.

“The guys know that he lives out what he talks about,” says John Byrne, director of the Minnesota unit. “It really gives them a boost to know that someone of his background and experience wants to spend time with them and cares about their growth.”

For Al Quie, it is simply the right thing to do—to treat everyone with dignity. As his parents did. As William Wilberforce did. And as Jesus does.

Learn more about the Wide Angle worldview video series with Chuck Colson and Rick Warren—perfect for small-group Bible studies!

Learn more about the InnerChange Freedom Initiative.

Marisa Helms, “Former Governor Honored at 80th Birthday Celebration,” Minnesota Public Radio, 19 September 2003.

Catherina Hurlburt, “Ford’s Faith,” The Point, 3 January 2007. (Describes Al Quie’s connection to a former president.)

The BreakPoint Web site and BreakPoint WorldView Magazine feature Colson’s commentaries as well as feature articles by other established and up-and-coming writers to equip readers with a biblical perspective on a variety of issues and topics. © 2008 Prison Fellowship
~~~~~
Words of the Week:
stoic: indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; also, one who is stoic.
quietus: final acquittance, as from debt; also, rest; death.
adventitious: added extrinsically; not essentially inherent.
callow: immature.
permeate: to spread or diffuse through.
effusive: excessively demonstrative.
nolens volens: whether unwilling or willing.
disheveled: in loose disorder; disarranged.
from Dictionary.Com
~~~~~
"Youth, which is forgiven everything, forgives itself nothing: age, which forgives itself everything, is forgiven nothing." - George Bernard Shaw

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." - Dorothy Parker

"A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." - Sir Winston Churchill

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus

"If we did all the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astonish ourselves." - Thomas A. Edison

"A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience." - John Updike
~~~~~
Link List
[http://gasprices.mapquest.com]
[http://thelighthousechurch.publishpath.com/]
[www.terryscomputertips.com]
[www.mcc2000.net]
[http://blog.safetyservicescompany.com/Default.aspx]
~~~~~
BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
http://breakingchristiannews.com/

After Much Prayer, Coach Tony Dungy Decides to Continue Coaching
Midwest Radio and TV Personality Faces down Her Own Experience of Abortion to Bring Hope and Healing to Others
Director of True Love Waits in the Philippines Shares Testimonies with Nashville Students
Commentary: Unexpectedly Finding New Hope at the 2008 March for Life

Former Warlord/Witch Doctor Who Got Saved Confesses to Demonic War Crimes Knowing it Could Earn Him the Death Penalty
Christians to Unite in Prayer for London
Coalition of Hollywood Professionals to Pray for End to Writer's Strike
Two Kenyan Women Vow to Wear Sackcloth in Public as a Sign of Repentance and Mourning for Their Country

New Generation of Pro-Life Activists Claim their Movement is Becoming "Predominately Youthful while the Abortion Rights Movement is Aging"
Best Treatment for Kids’ Colds could be Saltwater
"Hundreds of thousands" make Decisions for Christ in Unprecedented Response to 3-D Movie, Godman, shown in India
Study Compares Mental Health of Believers vs. New Age Practitioners

President Bush's Proclamation on Day Commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Pro-Life Movement is Alive and Well on the Eve of the 35th Roe v. Wade Memorial
Baptist Church in Vietnam receives Official Government Recognition
Christian Organization Wins Trust of Mothers in India Caught in Prostitution—Will Rescue 300 of their Children

Kenyan Missionaries Share Salvation Testimonies
Study Finds that Chatting Boosts Brain Power
Pragmatic Pastor Exhorts Male Parishioners to See Doctor after Four Men in His Congregation Die in One Week

Drowned Man Comes Back to Life with No Negative Side Effects after Having No Pulse for an Hour
Baby Rescued As Frozen Embryo from Hospital during Katrina Turns One
New Issue of RELEVANT Magazine Reveals Political Opinions of Young Christian Voters

310 2nd Ave SE
Albany, Oregon 97321
541-928-2642
E-mail
US Orders: 1-866-358-7426
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GCF: Potato Problem

Emailed to me another humor list (Pastor Tim's Clean Laugh List) -Tom Subscribe to Pastor Tim's Clean Laugh list at the website: Subscribe

If this was forwarded to you, please consider your own subscription to Good Clean Fun. It's free! A smile will enhance the quality of your life. Just send an email to: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit the Good Clean Fun web site http://www.kcbx.net/~tellswor/ Unsubscribe info for Good Clean Fun is at the end of this email. This email was scanned by F-Secure before it was sent.
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Upon going away to college, my former brother-in-law received a hand mixer from his mother because of his fondness for mashed potatoes. Later that semester, she asked him how the mixer was working for him.

"Not very good," Terry said, "the potatoes keep flying all over the kitchen."

After a perplexed pause, his mother asked, "Terry, did you cook the potatoes first?"

To which a surprised Terry responded, "You have to cook the potatoes first?"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: City That Never Sleeps

Emailed to me from another humor list (Marty's Joke of the Day) -Tom To subscribe to Marty's Joke of the Day, send a blank email to: martysjotd-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Our family was dazzled by the sights and the bustling crowds during a visit to Manhattan. "This is the city that never sleeps," I told my eleven-year-old daughter.

"That's probably because there's a Starbucks on every corner," she observed.
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Did I Say That?

Emailed to me by a friend (Thanks, Bud) -Tom
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Police in Los Angeles, California had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a lineup. When detectives asked each man in the lineup to repeat the words: "Give me all your money or I'll shoot," the man shouted, "that's not what I said!"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Playing House

Emailed to me another humor list (Good Clean Funnies List) -Tom To subscribe The Good Clean Funnies List, (not to be confused with this list, which is Good Clean Fun) send an email to: gcfl-request@gcfl.net with subject = add
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A little girl and a little boy were at day care. The girl approaches the boy and says, "Hey Tommy, wanna play house?"

He says, "Sure! What do you want me to do?"

The girl replies, "I want you to communicate your thoughts."

"Communicate my thoughts?" said a bewildered Tommy. "I have no idea what that means."

The little girl smirks and says, "Perfect. You can be the husband."
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Password Protection

Found at The Shark Tank (Computerworld) -Tom http://blogs.computerworld.com/password_protected
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A technician created an account for a new system user, who tells the tech that he has a hard time remembering things like usernames and passwords.

The tech suggested that he could write it on a small piece of paper until he memorized it, then destroy it, emphasizing that he shouldn't write any other information on the paper in case he lost it. The tech added that it would be the same as writing his PIN on his ATM card.

The user reached in his wallet and pulled out his ATM card and said, "Like this?"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Tattoos

Emailed to me another humor list (Tickled by Tony - Clean) -Tom Subscribe to the Tickled by Tony list by sending an email to: tickledbytony_clean-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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When my brother-in-law was on leave from the Navy, he brought home a heavily tattooed friend.

We all sat down to Sunday lunch and my four-year-old nephew couldn't take his eyes off the man's colorful arms.

Curiosity finally got the better of him. Politely, he asked the visitor, "Didn't your mother give you paper to write on?"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Laws of Cartoon Motion

Found posted in a humor newsgroup (rec.humor.funny) -Tom
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"I KNOW this defies the law of gravity, but, you see, I never studied law!"
-Bugs Bunny, High Diving Hare (1949)

1. ANY BODY SUSPENDED IN SPACE WILL REMAIN SUSPENDED IN SPACE UNTIL MADE AWARE OF ITS SITUATION.
Daffy Duck steps off a cliff, expecting further pastureland. He loiters flippantly until he chances to look down. At this point the familiar principle of 32 feet per second takes precedence.

2. ANY BODY IN MOTION WILL TEND TO REMAIN IN MOTION UNTIL SOLID MATTER INTERVENES SUDDENLY.
Whether shot from a cannon or in hot pursuit on foot, cartoon characters are so absolute in their momentum that only a telephone pole or an outsize boulder retards their forward motion absolutely. Sir Isaac Newton called this sudden termination the stooge's surcease.

3. ANY BODY PASSING THROUGH SOLID MATTER WILL LEAVE A PERFORATION CONFORMING TO ITS PERIMETER.
Also called the silhouette of passage, this phenomenon is the specialty of victims of direct pressure explosions and reckless cowards who are so eager to escape that they exit directly through the wall of a house.

4. THE TIME REQUIRED FOR AN OBJECT TO FALL 20 STORIES IS GREATER THAN OR EQUAL TO THE TIME IT TAKES FOR WHOEVER KNOCKED IT OFF THE LEDGE TO SPIRAL DOWN 20 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS TO ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE IT UNBROKEN.
Such an object is inevitably priceless; the attempt to catch it, inevitably unsuccessful.

5. ALL PRINCIPLES OF GRAVITY ARE NEGATED BY FEAR.
Psychic forces are sufficient in most bodies for a shock to propel them away from the surface. A spooky noise or an adversary's signature sound will induce motion upward, usually to the cradle of a chandelier, a treetop or the crest of a flagpole. The feet of a running character or the wheels of a speeding auto need never touch the ground, ergo fleeing turns to flight.

6. AS SPEED INCREASES OBJECTS CAN BE SEEN IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT PLACES AT ONCE.
This is particularly true in tooth-and-claw fights, in which a character's head may be seen emerging from a cloud of altercation at several places simultaneously. This effect is common as well among bodies that are spinning or being throttled, and simulates our own vision's trailing retention of images. A "wacky" character has the option of self-replication only at maniac-high speeds and may ricochet off the walls to achieve the velocity required for self-mass-liberation.

7. CERTAIN BODIES CAN PASS THROUGH A SOLID WALL PAINTED TO RESEMBLE A TUNNEL ENTRANCE, OTHERS CANNOT.
This tompe l'oeil inconsistency has baffled generations, but at least it is known that whoever paints an entrance on a wall's surface to trick an opponent will be unable to pursue him into this theoretical space. The painter is flattened against the wall when he attempts to pursue into the painting. This is ultimately a problem of art, not science.

8. NECESSITY PLUS WILL PROVOKES SPONTANEOUS GENERATION.
Dangerously palpable objects - such as mallets, dynamite, pies and alluring female attire - can be manifested from what might previously have been considered "thin" air, but only when the friction of immediate jeopardy makes the object's appearance imperative. The controversial "pocket" theory suggests these objects are drawn from unseen recesses of a character's costume, or from a storehouse immediately off-screen, but this merely defers the question of how any absolutely apt object is instantaneously available.

9. ANY VIOLENT REARRANGEMENT OF FELINE MATTER IS IMPERMANENT.
Cartoon cats possess more deaths than even the traditional nine lives afford. They can be sliced, splayed, accordion-pleated or disassembled, but they cannot be destroyed. After a few moments of blinking self-pity, they re-inflate, elongate, snap back or solidify.

10. FOR EVERY VENGEANCE, THERE IS AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REVENGEANCE.
This is one law of animated cartoon motion that also applies to the physical world at large. For that reason, we need the relief of watching it happen to a duck instead.
_ ____________________________ _
\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Amnesiacs Anonymous meeting \ /
\ _/ will be held at ah, \_ /
/ / er, gimme a sec... \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / "Government's view of the \ \_/ ////
\ / economy could be summed up in a \ /
\ _/few short phrases: If it moves, tax\_ /
/ / it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. \ \
And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
- Ronald Reagan
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / Exercise" is a dirty word. \ \_/ ////
\ / Whenever I hear it, \ /
\ _/ I wash my mouth \_ /
/ / out with chocolate. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / Procrastination is my sin \ \_/ ////
\ / It leads me in much sorrow. \ /
\ _/ I intend to mend my ways. \_ /
/ / In fact, I'll start tomorrow. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / You know those wheezing and \ \_/ ////
\ / popping noises the refrigerator \ /
\ _/ makes? It just means that it's \_ /
/ / making ice. I'm not getting old. \ \
I'm just making ice!
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / I hope they don't raise the \ /
\ _/ standard of living any higher. \_ /
/ / I can't afford it now. \ \
_ ____________________________ _
| Thomas S. Ellsworth |
| tellswor@slonet.org |
| http://www.slonet.org/~tellswor |
|____________________________|
Stop for a visit, leave with a smile! To join Good Clean Fun, email: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.Com To leave Good Clean Fun, email: good-clean-fun-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.Com Or visit the Good Clean Fun web site at http://www. slonet.org/~tellswor/
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While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.'

'No problem, just let me in,' says the man.

'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.'

'Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,' says the senator.

'I'm sorry, but we have our rules.'

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter

is waiting for him.

'Now it's time to visit heaven.'

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.'

The senator reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.'

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. 'I don't understand,' stammers the senator. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?'

The devil looks at him, smiles and says,

'Yesterday we were campaigning...... Today you voted.'

Thanks to Jeanette Ford
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NEW TORNADO POLICY for Dallas-Ft. Worth area
In case of possible tornadoes sweeping through the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, we ask that all residents take shelter at Texas Stadium. We are certain that a touchdown will not occur there.
Thank you for your cooperation,
National Weather Bureau

Thanks to Joe Mullins
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Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton's great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse thief and train robbery in Montana in 1889.
The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription:
Remus Rodham; horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.'

Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton for comments.

Hillary's staff of professional image adjusters sent back the following biographical sketch:
Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad.
Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed.'

Thanks to Jeanette Ford
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Sermon Message

Sister Margaret had spent weeks preparing the first grade children for their first Communion, stressing the solemnity and importance of this sacrament.

Much to her chagrin, during Mass on the big day, one boy in the front row was talking and giggling nonstop. Finally, unable to put up with it any longer, she whispered to the lad seated next to her, "Please go up there and tell that one he's done enough talking and had better stop, right now!"

Without question, the boy rose and walked to the front... and delivered Sister Margaret's message to the surprised priest in the middle of his sermon!

Received from Steve Sanderson.

(-:][:-)

A Wise School Teacher

A school teacher sends this note to all parents on the first day of school:

"If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I'll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home."

Received from Joe.

(-:][:-)

A Day in Court

After a laborious two-week criminal trial in a very high-profile bank robbery case, the jury finally ended its 14 hours of deliberations and entered the courtroom to deliver its verdict to the judge.

The judge turned to the jury foreman and asked, "Has the jury reached a verdict in this case?"

"Yes we have, Your Honor," the foreman responded.

"Please pass it to me," the judge declared, as he motioned for the bailiff to retrieve the verdict slip from the foreman and deliver it to him.

After the judge read the verdict himself, he delivered the verdict slip back to his bailiff to be returned to the foreman. He then instructed the foreman, "Please read your verdict to the court."

"We find the defendant NOT GUILTY of all four counts of bank robbery," announced the foreman.

The family and friends of the defendant jumped for joy at the sound of the "not guilty" verdict, and they hugged each other as they shouted expressions of divine gratitude. The defendant's attorney turned to his client and asked, "So, what do you think about that?"

The defendant looked around the courtroom slowly with a bewildered look on his face and then turned to his defense attorney and said, "I'm real confused here. Does this mean that I have to give all the money back?"

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

Van Problem

The fist knocking on the door belonged to a cop. Bracing for the worst, the yard foreman opened the door. "Is that yours?" asked the officer, pointing to a company van that was jutting out into the narrow street.

"Uhh, yes it is," said the foreman. "That is, it's our company's."

"Would you mind moving it?" asked the officer. "We've set up a speed trap, and the van's causing everyone to slow down."

Received from Steve Sanderson.

(-:][:-)

A Hiking We Will Go.....

Last summer, my husband took me camping for the first time. At every opportunity, he passed along outdoor-survival lore.

One day we got lost hiking in the deep woods. He tried the usual tactics to determine direction -- moss on the trees (there was none), direction of the sun (it was an overcast day), etc., etc.

Just as I was beginning to panic, he spotted a small cabin off in the distance. He pulled out his binoculars, studied the cabin, turned, and led us right back to our camp. "That was terrific," I said. "How did you do it?"

"Simple," he replied. "In this part of the country, all the TV satellite dishes point south."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

-=+=-
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Madeleine Begun Kane Latest Columns - - http://www.madkane.com/madness/ - - Is Black The New Teflon?
January 13th, 2008
The impression I’ve been getting lately is that every barb and criticism aimed at Obama is almost bound to be characterized as racist by Obama surrogates.

Isn’t there something wrong when a candidate (or commentator) has to fear the racism card each time he/she says something negative about a black candidate? Something that would be just fine to say about a white one?

And shouldn’t Obama be required to meet criticisms on the merits? Everyone else is … or certainly should be. Not only does this better serve the voters, but it also helps candidates prepare for the general election.

By cloaking himself in a coat of black Teflon, Obama belittles genuine racial grievances and stifles real debate. He even demeans himself.

And now, a limerick:

Is Black The New Teflon?
By Madeleine Begun Kane

Obama’s campaign has an ace:
It’s a joker, that card they call race.
Every Hill-team critique
Draws their racism-pique.
Can’t attack him: He’s black! That’s their case.

http://www.madkane.com
http://www.madkane.com/notable.html (Notables Weblog)
http://www.madkane.com/bush.html (Dubya's Dayly Diary)
Subscribe to MadKane Humor Newsletter (weekly) here:
http://www.madkane.com/email.html
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"Don't strive for recognition, but work for achievement." -- Vanessa Malone
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Everyone needs a tree like this one -

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.
While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.
When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation.. His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.
Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.
'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' he replied 'I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.' 'Funny thing is,' he smiled,' when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before.

Thanks to Steve Card
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The History of Aprons........

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears .

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved h er apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that "old-time apron" that served so may purposes.

REMEMBER:

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw

Have a great day
Sandy Thurmon
Mary Kay Beauty Consultant
(www.marykay.com/sthurmon)

Thanks to Norma Kay Rowe
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"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true, given the source, right? The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed, and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President. In essence, 2/3's of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What are we so unhappy about?'' Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time, and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough.

Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all, and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital if required.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings.

Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.
This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks are unhappy about??

Fact is we are the largest group of ungrateful spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the President who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The President who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same President who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The President that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called ever y name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?

The Commander-In Chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it...are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have
volunteered to serve and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.

They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. Ho w many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells and when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like OJ. Simpson to write a book about "how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way"... Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

We are among the most blessed people on Earth, and should thank God several times a day or at least be thankful and appreciative.

"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

This was not written by Jay Leno, but does close with a quote from Leno that someone added and whoever forwarded this left out Craig Smith's name and thought Leno must have penned it.

The commentary was written by Craig R. Smith and published on WorldNetDaily.com at Thanksgiving, 2006.

Thanks to Larry and Sandy Barnes
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The yellow shirt had long sleeves, four extra-large pockets trimmed in black thread and snaps up the front. It was faded from years of wear, but still in decent shape. I found it in 1963 when I was home from college on Christmas break, rummaging through bags of clothes Mom intended to give away. "You're not taking that old thing, are you?" Mom said when she saw me packing the yellow shirt. "I wore that when I was pregnant with your brother in 1954!"

"It's just the thing to wear over my clothes during art class,

Mom. Thanks!" I slipped it into my suitcase before she could object. The yellow shirt became a part of my college wardrobe. I loved it. After graduation, I wore the shirt the day I moved into my new apartment and on Saturday mornings when I cleaned.

The next year, I married. When I became pregnant, I wore the yellow shirt during big-belly days. I missed Mom and the rest of my family, since we were in Colorado and they were in Illinois But that shirt helped. I smiled, remembering that Mother had worn it when she was pregnant, 15 years earlier.

That Christmas, mindful of the warm feelings the shirt had given me, I patched one elbow, wrapped it in holiday paper and sent it to Mom. When Mom wrote to thank me for her "real" gifts, she said the yellow shirt was lovely. She never mentioned it again.

The next year, my husband, daughter and I stopped at Mom and Dad's to pick up some

furniture. Days later, when we uncrated the kitchen table, I noticed something yellow taped to its bottom. The shirt!

And so the pattern was set.

On our next visit home, I secretly placed the shirt under Mom and Dad's mattress. I don't know how long it took for her to find it, but almost two years passed before I discovered it under the base of our living-room floor lamp. The yellow shirt was just what I needed now while refinishing furniture. The walnut stains added character.

In 1975 my husband and I divorced. With my three children, I prepared to move back to Illinois . As I packed, a deep depression overtook me. I wondered if I could make it on my own. I wondered if I would find a job. I paged through the Bible, looking for comfort. In Ephesians, I read, "So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will be standing up."

I tried to picture myself wearing God's armor, but all I saw was the stained yellow shirt. Slowly, it dawned on me. Wasn't my mother's love a piece of God's armor? My courage was renewed.

Unpacking in our new home, I knew I had to get the shirt back to Mother. The next time I visited her, I tucked it in her bottom dresser drawer.

Meanwhile, I found a good job at a radio station. A year later I discovered the yellow shirt hidden in a rag bag in my cleaning closet.

Something new had been added. Embroidered in bright green across the breast pocket were the words "I BELONG TO PAT."

Not to be outdone, I got out my own embroidery materials and added an apostrophe and seven more letters. Now the shirt proudly proclaimed, "I BELONG TO PAT'S MOTHER." But I didn't stop there. I zig-zagged all the frayed seams, then had a friend mail the shirt in a fancy box to Mom from Arlington , VA. We enclosed an

official looking letter from "The Institute for the Destitute," announcing that she was the recipient of an award for good deeds. I would have given anything to see Mom's face when she opened the box. But, of course, she never mentioned it.

Two years later, in 1978, I remarried. The day of our wedding, Harold and I put our car in a friend's garage to avoid practical jokers. After the wedding, while my husband drove us to our honeymoon suite, I reached for a pillow in the car to rest my head. It felt lumpy. I unzipped the case and found, wrapped in wedding paper, the yellow shirt. Inside a pocket was a note: "Read John 14:27-29. I love you both, Mother."

That night I paged through the Bible in a hotel room and found the verses: "I am leaving you with a gift: peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn't fragile like the peace the world gives. So don't be troubled or afraid. Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really love me, you will be very happy for me, for now I can go to the Father, who is greater than I am. I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do, you will believe in me."

The shirt was Mother's final gift. She had known for three months that

she had terminal Lou Gehrig's disease. Mother died the following year at age 57.

I was tempted to send the yellow shirt with her to her grave. But I'm glad I didn't, because it is a vivid reminder of the love-filled game she and I played for 16 years. Besides, my older daughter is in college now, majoring in art. And every art student needs a baggy yellow shirt with big pockets.

Thanks to Anne Oldham
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I don't know just how true all this is, but it does make some sense to me. And it sounds just like something God would do, so I'm passing it on to you. Here is just a short list of examples of "Whole Food Signatures."

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocados and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Grapefruits, Oranges, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes

Thanks to Ricky and Sarah Shepherd
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Natural Highs

1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake (vanilla or strawberry).
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15 The beach
16. Finding money in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Looking into their eyes and knowing they Love you
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.
23. Laughing at an inside joke with FRIENDS
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies.
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38 . Holding hands with someone you care about.
39.Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for God has given us another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you've done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

Thanks to Anne Oldham
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D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio) is a digital voice and data protocol specification developed for use in amateur radio. D-Star compatible radios are available on VHF and UHF amateur radio bands. In addition to the over-the-air protocol, D-Star also provides specifications for network connectivity, enabling D-Star radios to be connected to the Internet or other networks. D-STAR is the result of research by the Japan Amateur Radio League to investigate digital technologies for amateur radio. To date, other than ICOM - no other amateur radio equipment manufacturer has chosen to include D-Star technology.
Contents

History
1999 – Funded by the Japanese government and administrated by the JARL, investigation was put into finding a new way of bringing digital technology to amateur radio.
2001 – D-Star is published as the result of the research.
Unknown Date – Icom enters the construction of the new digital technology by offering the hardware necessary to create this technology.
Unknown Date – The conclusion of all this work is the digital technology for amateur radio called D-Star.[1]

Technical details
D-STAR transfers both voice and data via digital encoding over the 2 m (VHF), 70 cm (UHF), and 23 cm (1.2 GHz) amateur radio bands. Voice is encoded as a 3600 bit/s data stream using proprietary AMBE encoding, with 1200 bit/s FEC, leaving 1200 bit/s for data encoding. On air bit rates are 4800 bit/s over the 2 m, 70 cm and 23 cm bands. Digital only data can be sent at 128 kbit/s only on the 23 cm band. Radios providing data service use a RS-232 or USB connection for low speed data (1200 bit/s) and Ethernet for high speed (128 kbit/s) connections to allow easy interfacing with computer equipment.[2]

Importance of Digital Technology and D-STAR
As long as the signal strength is above a minimum threshold, the quality of the data received is better than an analog signal at the same strength. Graph supporting evidence of this[[1]] Capable to linking repeaters together and through the Internet. May talk to another HAM radio in a different state.

Another important aspect of D-STAR technology is its ability to send large quantities of data to emergency responders in the event of a disaster. Served agencies can instantly relate to sending "email" or a "word files" to someone. The data sent can be high-volume, where traditional amateur radio "modes" are capable of getting a message through albeit slowly, D-STAR can place documents into the hands of those that need them most - fast image, text and document data exchanges.

ARRL Alabama Linked Repeater System

The enhancement of the Alabama Linked Repeater System is one project of the ARRL Alabama Section. The ultimate goal is for Alabama to have a state-of-the-art, 24/7 statewide repeater system. This repeater system will connect amateur radio operators throughout the state, and be a vital mechanism linking agencies such as, National Weather Service, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, EMA’s and Red Cross during times of severe weather and disasters. This link would be a backup and supplement the existing statewide HF Alabama Emergency Net system on 3.965MHz.

Digital Repeater Systems will enhance the Alabama Repeater Link System.

Alabama amateurs are pioneering D-STAR use and leads the nation on new digital radio communications technology. Digital repeaters using ICOM D-STAR technology are being located in throughout Alabama and can connect state amateurs together and the outside world via the internet.

This project is comprised of three parts, first, this is the Alabama ARRL project to upgrade and enhance the state wide linked repeater system. Second. this will provide more emergency communications capabilities of ARES, Southern Baptist, EMA’s and others and third this will help radio amateurs continue to be productive in radio innovations. All three of these show the contribution and justify the use of amateur radio.

Radio clubs and groups throughout Alabama are considering adding a D-STAR repeater systems in their area. This is a great project for clubs and groups. Fund raising and the dedication to install and use this new technology will greatly benefit your club. Some clubs are finding that grants are available.

Digital is the future of radio communications and many advantages are being realized. Digital uses smaller bandwidth, is BPL tolerant, digital data transfer, GPS position, automatic IDs and more.

Thanks to Joe Mullins
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Some of these are good ideas and kinda neat!

1. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.

2. Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.

3. Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

4. Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.

5. Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers and put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.

6. Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily.

7. No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.

8. Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it.

9. Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.

10. Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and * ta da! -- static is gone.

11. Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.

12. Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!

13. Reopening envelope If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily.

14. Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs It's a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair...

15. Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass fill it 1/2" with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid, mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!

16. Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it "home", can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works & you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!

Thanks to Jeanette Ford
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| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
January 23, 2008
Burning Batteries

Today's Safety From the Heart message is from Ron Kneisler.

This is a post related to some dangers with rechargeable Lithium Ion Batteries.

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/85/8551sci1.html

Thanks,
Ron
----------------------------------------------------
| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
January 21, 2008
Think About Safety

Today's Message is from Charlie Collins (a Pasadena Albemarle employee).

Safety is NOT something you wished you should have thought about after an injury. THINK about safety before, during and after any job.
"Safety: the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury or loss." Webster's Dictionary copyright 1981
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TOURBUS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -:) - :)- :)
Volume 13, Number 16 -- 08 Jan 2008
Tourbus Home -- http://www.InternetTourbus.com
+---------------------------------------+

TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPICS: Internet Collapse / HDTV / Ubuntu / Hackintosh

In today's TOURBUS, you'll find out if the Internet is going to curl up and die, as some smart people are predicting. I have some advice for folks who want to buy an HD TV, and a rundown on the new features in the latest Ubuntu Linux. You'll also learn how to build your own Hackintosh out of spare parts. And finally, some advice on upgrading your old computer monitor. Read on!

------------------------------------------------
Internet Collapse - Is The Sky Really Falling?
------------------------------------------------

YouTube serves over 100 million videos per day. Is that putting too much strain on an aging Internet infrastructure? Over the past two decades, there have been voices crying in the technology desert, claiming that the end is near... the Internet is doomed to collapse under its own weight.

In these apocalyptic forecasts, the culprits range from spam to viruses to video-hungry masses, even to all out cyber-terrorism as potential reasons for the Great Crash of the Internet. Are these doomsday warnings correct? Is the Internet going to go "Poof!" and vanish in a cloud of greasy black smoke?

http://askbobrankin.com/internet_collapse.html

--------------------------
Guide to Buying an HD TV
--------------------------

So you wanna buy an HD TV... but you don't even know what the acronym stands for. Let's start with a definition... HDTV stands for High Definition Television. Compared to standard-definition TV, HDTV has almost seven times more pixels on the screen. Unlike the television broadcasts of the past 50 years, you can now see the blades of grass on the football field, or that flaw in Katie Couric's makeup.

But do you know the difference between analog and digital? Should you get 720p or 1080p? And what's up with those Co-ax, RCA, S-Video, Composite, Component, S-video, VGA, DVI, and HDMI inputs? Oh, and did you know that you DON'T need to have cable or satellite service to get HDTV broadcasts?

Read on to learn everything you need to know about HD TV, and see my reviews of three HD television sets:

http://askbobrankin.com/buying_an_hd_tv.html

...and while we're on the subject, maybe you'd like to watch free HDTV on your PC, or learn how to use that big 50-inch TV screen as a computer monitor:
http://askbobrankin.com/free_hdtv_on_your_pc.html

http://askbobrankin.com/tv_as_computer_monitor.html

-----------------------------
What's New in Ubuntu Linux?
-----------------------------

Linux has long been a techie stronghold, not quite so appealing to the everyday computer user. But Ubuntu is often heralded as Linux for the average user. The new Ubuntu Linux "Gutsy Gibbon" release puts a little more polish on the Linux desktop and moves the focus toward everyday users.

Is Linux now ready for the masses? Or is it still a geeks club? Check out the cool new features in the Ubuntu Linux version 7.10 release. This free operating system just might have everything you need...
http://askbobrankin.com/ubuntu_linux_gutsy_gibbon.html

---------------------------
Build Your Own Hackintosh
---------------------------

What’s a Hackintosh? Some call it the Frankenstein of the computer world. In short, it means installing and running Mac OS X Leopard on an Intel-based PC built with off-the-shelf parts. For many years, Apple computers would only run on special hardware that was based on Motorola processors. If you wanted to run Apple software, you had to do it on Apple hardware. But ever since Apple came out with a version of OS X that runs on Intel-based computers, some techies have been on a crusade to build custom PCs and install Mac OS X on them.

Why would anyone do that? Well, reasons vary. Some enjoy stickin' it to Da Man, while others do it just for sheer techie cred. And some do it to save a buck, since Apple hardware is notoriously more costly than equivalent Intel-based machines. It turns out you can build a Hackintosh PC for about $1000 less than a similar iMac. But is it Safe and Legal? Get the full Hackintosh story here:

http://askbobrankin.com/build_a_hackintosh.html

----------------------------------------
Time to Upgrade Your Computer Monitor?
----------------------------------------

A reader asked me this question about upgrading her monitor: "I have a really old monitor with a small screen that's starting to flicker. I'd like to upgrade to something nice that will handle web browsing, office applications and online video. What do you recommend?"

When Monitors Go Bad... it sounds like a bad TV show. But when your monitor starts to flicker, if the colors are fading, if the screen image is warped, or the text looks fuzzy, then it's time to dump that bad boy and look for a spiffy new monitor.

If you're still suffering with an old 14 or 15-inch monitor, you'll be surprised at the extra productivity (and reduced eyestrain) that comes with the affordable large screen monitors available now. Personally, I find it hard to do without my DUAL 22-inch monitor setup!

If you want to upgrade your monitor, here are some up-to-date, unique monitors that you should consider, from Basic to Elite to Excessive:
http://askbobrankin.com/upgrade_your_computer_monitor.html

+---------------------------------------+
That's all for now, see you next time! -- Bob Rankin
+---------------------------------------+
==[ Tourbus Rider Information ]==
The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238 Copyright 1995-2005, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved Tourbus News Service - http://tourbus.com/news.html Subscribe, Signoff, Archives, Free Stuff and More at the Tourbus Website - http://www.TOURBUS.com
========================
.~~~. ))
(\__/) .' ) )) Patrick Douglas Crispen
/o o \/ .~
{o_, \ { crispen@netsquirrel.com
/ , , ) \ http://www.netsquirrel.com/
`~ -' \ } )) AOL Instant Messenger: Squirrel2K
_( ( )_.'
---..{____} Warning: squirrels.
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The Pump Handle. A water cooler for the public health crowd.
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/

Here are links to items posted on The Pump Handle over the past week:

** "Science Debate 2008 Gets a Boost" by Liz Borkowski The American Association for the Advancement of Science is co-sponsoring the campaign to devote a presidential debate to science. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/science-debate-2008-gets-a-boost/

** "WV Lawmakers Push Whistleblower Protections for Mine Workers" by Celeste Monforton West Virginia state legislators have introduced a bill to strengthen the state's laws to protect mine workers who raise concerns about unsafe working conditions. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/24/wv-lawmakers-push-whistleblower-protection/

** "Another Censored Environmental Report (Arctic Drilling Edition)" by Liz Borkowski A report on Arctic oil and gas exploration delivered at an international conference is missing 60 recommendations that scientists had compiled for politicians. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/another-censored-environmental-report/

** "Occupational Health News Roundup" by Liz Borkowski The U.S. is still having trouble ensuring that injured veterans get what they need; plus, California tallies the costs of occupational illness associated with chemical exposure, Indianapolis pork-plant workers develop a mysterious neurological illness, and half of Wal-Mart's workers are now signed up for the company's health plan. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/occupational-health-news-roundup-49/

** "The Right to Know Nothing" by Les Leopold The history of the Right to Know law helps demonstrate why recent changes to it are problematic. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/the-right-to-know-nothing/

** "Democratic National Committee Should Learn from APHA" by Celeste Monforton The Democratic convention will be held in Denver, where rooms in union hotels are scarce. The DNC should follow the American Public Health Association and adopt a policy on holding conferences in cities with sufficient rooms in union hotels. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/democratic-national-committee-should-learn-from-apha/

** "Friday Blog Roundup" by Liz Borkowski Bloggers report on what elected officials and candidates are saying and doing about climate change; plus, there's news on professional guinea pigs, cloned beef, and concerns about medical brain drain. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/friday-blog-roundup-58/

** "Water, Power, and Dollars: Allocating Limited Resources" by Liz Borkowski Three stories in the news this past week illustrate the difficulties we're encountering with limited resources and how different parties address them. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/water-power-and-dollars/
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Weekly Toll - - http://weeklytoll.blogspot.com/
Death In The Workplace w/News & Updates
John Donne - ...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
A partial list of workplace fatalities.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008
UPDATE: 2 (3)Killed in Johnson County Accident

A paramedic and a woman who was pregnant have been killed in accident on US 460 in Johnson County KY. t happened around 9am near the Johnson-Magoffin County line. Bob Dixon, the Paintsville Fire Chief says emergency crews were sent to a minor accident to check out a woman who was pregnant. Dixon says as the paramedic and the woman were walking towards the ambulance they were hit by a coal truck that had slid on the icy roadway. Both were killed The paramedic has been identified as 33-year old Christa Burchett. She was taken to local hospital where she was pronounced dead a short time later. The chief says that 24-year old Erica Brown (And Baby Brown which makes that three) of River and her unborn child were pronounced dead at the scene. Christa Burchett had been employed as a paramedic with Paintsville Fire-EMS since August 2005. She had been named Assistant Chief and Director of EMS in April 2007. She had been a paramedic since 2003. She leaves behind a teenage daughter. Another paramedic was injured. Brian Moore was treated and released from a local hospital The chief say that US 460 was slick and very icy at the time of both accidents. The truck also hit a Johnson County sheriff's car and another parked car. No word if charges will be filed against the driver of the truck. Kentucky State Police say he is Leslie Spence. videos

There are a few people who have concerns with this report and maybe this should have been another issue the was brought up with the S-miner bill. The individual who has written this letter to several editors is an esteemed forensic engineer in vehicle incident reconstruction and he knows his stuff.

To the Editor:

What a tragedy that young Erica Brown, her unborn baby, and first responder Christa Burchett were so brutally killed by an out of control coal truck. I am writing to point out some inaccuracies in the story that was printed today.

It said “Preliminary investigation shows that the accident was caused by icy road conditions.” This is false. Icy roads are inanimate, do not have brains, and cannot cause anything. What is true is that accidents are caused by people driving inappropriately for the conditions.

Second, the Kentucky State Police said that speed does not appear to be a factor. Do they really mean that if this truck had been traveling at a lower speed it would have slid anyway? Or are they saying that it is all right to continue to travel the speed limit under icy conditions even though doing so causes loss of control as in this case? Good grief.

Last, the KSP said the truck was carrying the amount of weight permitted and was not overweight. This is half true. Incomprehensibly, our state legislature years ago decided to allow coal trucks on certain roads to weigh fully twenty tons more than the much safer Federal limit of 80,000 pounds. Consequently this truck almost certainly weighed about 120,000 pounds. So, it was legal, but from a safety standpoint, grossly overweight.

Now will the legislature do the right thing and roll back coal truck weights to a safer limit, or will it take one hitting a loaded school bus? And will law enforcement spend more time promoting safety and less making excuses for killer coal trucks?

http://weeklytoll.blogspot.com
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NEVER FORGET! We're listing the names of our soldiers killed weekly. These records can be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/

01. Staff Sgt. Justin R. Whiting, 27, of Hancock, N.Y., died Jan. 19 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky.

02. Lance Cpl. James M. Gluff, 20, of Tunnel Hill, Ga., died Jan. 19 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

03. Sgt. Michael R. Sturdivant, 20, of Conway, Ark., died Jan. 22 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident during convoy operations. He was assigned to the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.

04. Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, 24, of Iowa City, Iowa, died Jan. 25 in Barikowt, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire while conducting combat operations. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.

~~

Soldier Missing from Korean War is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Pfc. Billy M. MacLeod, U.S. Army, of Cheboygan, Mich. He was buried Saturday in Cheboygan.

Representatives from the Army met with MacLeod’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the secretary of the Army.

MacLeod was a member of Company B, 32nd Infantry Regiment, then making up part of the 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, operating along the eastern banks of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. From Nov. 27-Dec. 1, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces overran the U.S. positions, forcing their southward withdrawal. Regimental records compiled after the battle indicate that MacLeod was killed in action on Nov. 28, 1950.

Between 2002 and 2005, three joint U.S.-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated an area with two mass graves on the eastern shore of the Chosin Reservoir. They were believed to be burial sites of U.S. soldiers from the 31st RCT. The teams found human remains and other material evidence. Analysis of the remains subsequently led to the identifications of eight individuals, including MacLeod.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of MacLeod’s remains.

For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169.
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Please remember to pray for the American soldiers stationed everywhere around the globe and especially in Iraq. Times have been and are very tough and it would be nice if you would all just say a prayer for their safety and for their families.
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"September 11 WDYTJWD" W. P. Florence
Justice first, then peace."
"September 11" Never forget.--Tony Moses
"ONE NATION UNDER GOD ...the only way"--Phillip Story
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Keeping my head down but face toward Heaven" - - Jody Eldred, ABC News Cameraman in Kuwait
"Remember Pearl Harbor? Remember 9/11!" --"Bug"
Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. - - George Carlin
"Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!" - - Queen E. Watson
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Activities and Events of Interest
~~~~~
To all members and prospective members, the next AR-1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team meeting will be Saturday, February 2 at the AR-1 Cache in Little Rock. [http://www.ar1dmat.com/]
~~~~~
First Baptist Church Open Taco Supper tickets-they are $8 each.
It is Feb 21, 5-7:00 pm @ First Baptist Church & includes beverage & dessert.
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Scheduled Activities
~~~
CQ CQ all Hams. We have restarted a 2 meter net on the Willisville repeater, 146.655, every Tuesday evening at 7 PM. Please check in and spread the word. We would like to get some renewed interest in amateur radio and the ARKLA Amateur Radio Association. Will be listening for everyone next Tuesday night.
~~~
Columbia County Amateur Radio Club meets Every second Thursday @ 7:00 p.m. Union Street Station. And YOU'RE invited. Net is every Sunday at 20:30 on 147.105.
~~~
MCC - Mom's Day Out - Every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 2.$10 for the first child, $5 for the second. Call 234-3225 for reservations.
~~~
MCC - Nursing Home Ministry - Meadowbrook Every Tuesday from 10 to 11 am. Taylor, the last Thursday each month.
~~~
Men's Prayer Breakfast held every Tuesday morning at 6 AM in Miller's Cafeteria. If you aren't a regular participant at the Men's Prayer Breakfast, you're missing some great food, fellowship and inspired teaching of the Word. Hope to see you there.
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Emergency Phone Number 911
(Fire, Police, Ambulance, Sheriff, etc. )
Central Dispatch 234-5655
(Non - Emergency Number)
Direct Numbers
Ambulance - 234-7371 (24 Hour)
Jail - 234-5331 (24 Hour)
Poison Control - 800-222-1222 (24 Hour)
http://www. aapcc. org/
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"There is not enough darkness in the world to put out the light of one candle."
"Laugh whenever you can and cry if you need to." -- "Bug"
"I read the end of the book. We win!" -- "Bug"
"We may not be able to cure the world, but we don't have to make it sicker." -- "Bug"
"There just ain't enough fingers for all the holes in the dike." - - "Bug"
"It's no big deal doing what God tells you to do. A big deal would be NOT doing what God tells you to do. Just ask Jonah." - - Paul Troquille
"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in ... and how many want out." - - Tony Blair
"Information is the currency of democracy." - Jefferson
“Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est.” Knowledge is power. - Francis Bacon
"The problem is here and now. The time for talk is past. The time for action is now."
Comments on the first Earth Day - James F. McClellan via "Fuzzy" Thurman
~~~~~
Hope you enjoy the newsletter.
Again, thanks to all our contributors this week.

God bless and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Jer 1:1, 4-8 John 18:15-17 1 Cor 1:26-30 Isa 40:29-31 Acts 10:42-43 http://www.e-min.org/
God is Good and Faithful CU 73 IC JFM CSP NREMT-I KC5HII

P. S. If you'd like to be added to the distribution, just drop us E-mail at KC5HII@Magnolia-Net.Com. We offer "Da Bleat" as text, a "Blog" and as a newsletter with pictures in Word and PDF format. The latest issue is usually updated sometime Saturday. For the "Blog" version just go to one of the several addresses on the web. For the latest issue, go to http://www.bugsbleat.blogspot.com. Older issues can be found at http://www.bugsbleat_q__.blogspot.com, where _ is the quarter (1, 2, 3, or 4) and __ is the year (05, 06, or 07). We also have a site [http://bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com/] where we post photos that I like.
Let us hear from you if we can switch you over to the "Word" or "PDF" version of "Da Bleat".
If you'd prefer to read "Da Blog" version, just drop us a note at KC5HII@Magnolia-Net.Com and we'll switch you from e:mail delivery to "Da Bleat" Blog. We appreciate your encouragement. We also appreciate your communication when you desire to be taken off our mail list. If you are on this mail list by mistake or do not wish to receive "Da Bleat," please reply back and tell us to discontinue service to you. This email was scanned by Norton AntiVirus 2008 before it was sent.
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Bugs Bleat 1Q 08

Blog Archive

About Me

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: Potato Problem - - Photos

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: Potato Problem