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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Subject: Engineers' Conversion Table

1. Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi

2. 2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton

3. 1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope

4. Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1
bananosecond

5. Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram

6. Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour =
Knotfurlong

7. 16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone = 1 Rod Serling

8. Half of a large intestine = 1 semicolon

9. 1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz

10. Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower

11. Shortest distance between two jokes = A straight line

12. 453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake

13. 1 million-million microphones = 1 megaphone

14. 2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles

15. 365.25 days = 1 unicycle

16. 2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds

17. 52 cards = 1 decacards

18. 1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 FigNewton

19. 1000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 literhosen

20. 1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche

21. 1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin

22. 10 rations = 1 decoration

23. 100 rations = 1 C-ration

24. 2 monograms = 1 diagram

25. 4 nickels = 2 paradigms

26. 2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University
Hospital = 1 IV League

27. 100 Senators = Not 1 decision



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The slow farmer . . .

A farmer stopped by the local mechanics shop to have his truck fixed. They couldn't do it while he waited, so he said he didn't live far and would just walk home.

On the way home he stopped at the hardware Store and bought a bucket and a gallon of paint. He then stopped by the feed store and picked up a couple of
chickens and a goose. However, struggling outside the store he now had a problem - how to carry his entire purchases home.

While he was scratching his head he was approached by a little old lady who told him she was lost. She asked, 'Can you tell me how to get to 1603
Mockingbird Lane ?'

The farmer said, 'Well, as a matter of fact, my farm is very close to that house I would walk you there but I can't carry this lot.'

The old lady suggested, 'Why don't you put the can of paint in the bucket. Carry the bucket in one hand, put a chicken under each arm and carry the goose in your other hand?'

'Why thank you very much,' he said and proceeded to walk the old girl home.

On the way he says 'Let's take my short cut and go down this alley. We'll be there in no time'

The little old lady looked him over cautiously then said, 'I am a lonely widow without a husband to defend me.. How do I know that when we get in the alley you won't hold me up against the wall, pull up my skirt, and have your way with me?'

The farmer said, 'Holy smokes lady! I'm carrying a bucket, a gallon of paint, two chickens, and a goose. How in the world could I possibly hold you up against the wall and do that?'

The old lady replied, 'Set the goose down, cover him with the bucket, put the paint on top of the bucket, and I'll hold the chickens.

The future is almost here . . .

Sunday, April 25, 2010

An Oldie . .but a Goodie . . .

Another oldie but goodie . .

A crusty old Marine Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event
hosted by a local liberal arts college. There was no shortage of
extremely young idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom
approached the Sergeant Major for conversation.

"Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man.. Is
something bothering you?"

"Negative, ma'am. Just serious by nature.."

The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, "It
looks like you have seen a lot of action."

"Yes, ma'am, a lot of action."

The young lady, tiring of trying to start up a conversation, said,
"You know, you should lighten up a little. Relax and enjoy yourself."

The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner. Finally
the young lady said, "You know, I hope you don't take this the wrong
way, but when is the last time you had sex?"

"1955, ma'am."

"Well, there you are. No wonder you're so serious. You really need to
chill out! I mean, no sex since 1955!"

She took his hand and led him to a private room where she proceeded to
"relax" him several times. Afterwards, panting for breath, she leaned
against his bare chest and said, "Wow, you sure didn't forget much
since 1955."

The Sergeant Major said in his serious voice, after glancing at his
watch, "I hope not; it's only 2130 now."

(Gotta love military time)

Men's tools explained

DRILL PRESS:
A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL:
Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, "Oh, shit!"

SKILL SAW:
A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS:
Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER:
An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW:
One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS:
Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH:
Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW:
A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK:
Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW:
A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST:
A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER:
Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER:
A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

PRY BAR:
A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER:
A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent to the object we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE:
Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

Son of a bitch TOOL:
Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling, "Son of a bitch" at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

English is a Funny Language

ONLY THE ENGLISH COULD HAVE INVENTED THIS LANGUAGE

We’ll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Then shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and three would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats , not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let’s face it – English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren’t invented in England ..
We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing,
grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham?
Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.
If you have a bunch of odds and ends
and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humani tarian eat?
Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.

In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
We ship by truck but send cargo by ship.
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
in which your house can burn up as it burns
down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out,
and in which an alarm goes off by going on.

And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother’s not Mop?

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT IF PEOPLE FROM POLAND ARE CALLED POLES, THEN
PEOPLE FROM HOLLAND SHOULD BE HOLES, AND THE GERMANS, GERMS.















=

The Long Goodbye . . .

Sunday, April 18, 2010

The Genie



A Husband takes his wife to play her first game of golf. Of course, the wife promptly hacked her first shot right through the window of the biggest house adjacent to the course.

The husband cringed, 'I warned you to be careful! Now we'll have to go up there, find the owner, apologize and see how much your lousy drive is going to cost us.'

So the couple walked up to the house and knocked on the door. A warm voice said, 'Come on in.'

When they opened the door they saw the damage that was done: glass was all over the place, and a broken antique bottle was lying on its side near the pieces of window glass.

A man reclining on the couch asked, ' Are you the people that broke my window?'

'Uh...yeah! , sir. We're sure sorry about that,' the husband replied.

'Oh, no apology is necessary. Actually I want to thank you.. You see, I'm a genie, and I've been trapped in that bottle for a thousand years.
Now that you've released me, I'm allowed to grant three wishes. I'll give you each one wish, but if you don't mind, I'll keep the last one for my self.'

Wow, that's great!' the husband said. He pondered a moment and blurted out, 'I'd like a million dollars a year for the rest of my life.'

'No problem,' said the genie 'You've got it, it's the least I can do... And I'll guarantee you a long, healthy life!'

'And now you, young lady, what do you want?' the genie asked..

'I'd like to own a gorgeous home in every country in the world complete with servants,' she said.

'Consider it done,' the genie said ' and your homes will always be safe from fire, burglary and natural disasters!'


'And now,' the couple asked in unison, 'what's your wish, genie?'

'Well, since I've been trapped in that bottle, and haven't been with a woman in more than a thousand years, my wish is to have sex with your wife.'

The husband looked at his wife and said, 'Gee, honey, you know we both now have a fortune, and all those houses. What do you think?'

She mulled it over for a few moments and said, 'You know, you're right. Considering our good fortune, I guess I wouldn't mind, but what about you, honey?'

You know I love you sweetheart,' said the husband. I'd do the same for you!'

So the genie and the woman went upstairs where they spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other.

The genie was insatiable.


After about three hours of non-stop sex, the genie rolled over and looked directly into her eyes and asked, How old are you and your husband?'

'Why, we're both 35,' she responded breathlessly.

'No Kidding,' he said.


'Thirty-five years old and you both still believe in genies?'





Whenever someone asks me, "Where can I get a picture of myself with Jesus?" I direct them here:

http://www.heavenlyimages.com/index2.htm

Justifiable Axe Attack? We report, you decide:

http://news.myway.com/odd/article/id/336344|oddlyenough|06-26-2003::13:10|reuters.html

We're having the neighbors over for a meal . . .

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1056706380904B253&set_id=

We're saved! Now, let's have a beer!

http://pub.tv2.no/dyn-nettavisen/arkiv/?archiveSection=1706&archiveItem=273590

Dang! If I had known about this I could have skipped college altogether!

http://www.rinkworks.com/bookaminute/classics.shtml

Why more and more toads are retiring to the Rockies

http://www.summitdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030530/NEWS/305300103

Hey, Guys! Here's a really romantic gift idea for the little lady!

http://www.lilmynx.com/

Cockpit is just a name . . . just a name . . .

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2003/2003-04-25-sw-naked-pilots.htm

Hey, man! Wanna do some squid?

http://legacy.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20030418-9999_7m18ccrime.html

The thong is over, but the melody does linger . . .

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20100416/D9F46EB80.html

And this is exactly why we need lots of male police officers . . . .

http://www.adn.com/2010/04/16/1228734/misshapen-bra-leads-to-fairbanks.html

Friday, April 16, 2010

Ewe've been had, ladies . . .

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article26670.ece

Um, ladies, this would probably work for me too . . .

http://articles.latimes.com/2007/apr/26/world/fg-rhino26

Vell, dar I vas . . . flying dis plane . . ven . . vhoos!

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/26/wallace_joins_the_swedish_airforce/

In case you ever have to search an inmate . . .

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/tsgtv/index.html?id=Misc99&link=TSGTVshlk

Shocking Headline of the Day, so far . . .

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269115,00.html

You wouldn't believe what surgeons are taking out of orifices!

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11755-appendixremoval-via-the-mouth-leaves-no-scar.html

The Future? It's Here!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/546025/special_toilet/

It's About Damned Time They Cracked Down on This!

http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/1362517.pig_sick/

The Old Crimefighter . . .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/6601655.stm

Why are they wasting it on monkeys and shrews?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6606927.stm

America: Land of Freedom

(This happens in Scandinavia all the time. No one thinks a thing about it):

http://www.krdo.com/news/23154510/detail.html

Octopus steals diver's camera . . .

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/822023-octopus-steals-divers-video-camera-while-its-recording

The Athletic Elephant

Now that's more like it . . .

I have both seen this before and have run it in The Paper once or twice. One irate reader complained. It's history. It happened. She needs to get over it.



This is an actual exerpt from a 1954 Home Ec. Text book
HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954
Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.
Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

A Happy Ending Massage . . .

Warning! Do not take a shower! Warning!

http://www.nature.com/news/1998/040216/full/news040216-2.html

A look at British dentistry . . .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3502813.stm

Terrorism Update . . .

Now the bastards are using piranhas!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2004/feb/20/markoliver

The Rx

My neighbor found out that her dog could hardly hear, so she took it to the veterinarian.
The vet found that the problem was the hair in the dog's ears. He clipped the hair & cleaned both ears, and the dog could hear fine.
The vet then proceeded to tell the lady that if she wanted to keep this from recurring, she should go to the drug store and get some "Nair" hair remover and rub it in the dog's ears once a month.
The lady went to the drug store and bought some "Nair" hair remover.
At the register, she asked the druggist about the proper use of it.
The druggist told her, "If you're going to use this under your arms, don't use deodorant for a few days."
The lady said, "I'm not using it under my arms."
The druggist said, "If you're using it on your legs, don't shave for a couple of days."
The lady replied, "I'm not using it on my legs, either. If you must know, I'm using it on my schnauzer.
"The druggist said, "You will probably want to stay off your bicycle for about a week."

Here girl, here girl . . .No wait! Back girl! Back!

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article152044.ece

High speed computer animation art

http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs13/f/2007/077/2/e/Animator_vs__Animation_by_alanbecker.swf

Those wild, elderly folk in Florida . . .

STD's running rampant in Florida retirement home; doctors blame Viagra and lack of sex ecucation.


http://www.clickorlando.com/news/9283707/detail.html

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Take Your Time Reading This . . .

In a nightmare I found myself nude in bed, and I was looking at a mirror on the ceiling, and I discovered that I am a Negro and I'm circumcised!

Quickly I sat up, found my pants and looked in the pockets to find my driver's license photo and it was that same color. Black.

I felt myself being very depressed, downcast, sitting in a chair.

But it's a wheelchair!

That means, of course, besides being black and Jewish, I'm also disabled!

I said to myself, aloud “This is impossible. It's impossible that I should be black, Jewish and disabled.”

“It's the pure and holy truth,” whispers someone from behind me. I turn around and it's my boyfriend.

Just what I needed!
I am a homosexual and on top of that with a Mexican boyfriend.

Oh, my God .... black, Jewish, disabled, gay, with a Mexican boyfriend, a drug addict and HIV-positive!

Desperate, I begin to shout, cry, pull my hair and Oh, Noooooo ... I'm bald!

The telephone rings.

It's my brother. He is saying, “Since mom and dad died the only thing you do is hang out, take drugs and laze around all day doing nothing. Get a job you worthless piece of crap ... any job.”

Mom?... Dad?... Nooooooooo... Now I'm also an unemployed orphan!

I try to explain to my brother how hard it is to find a job when you are black, Jewish, disabled, gay with a Mexican boyfriend, are a
drug addict, HIV positive, bald and an orphan.

But he doesn't get it.

Frustrated, I hang up.

It's then I realize I only have one hand!

With tears in my eyes I go to the window to look out.

I see I live in a shanty-town full of cardboard and tin houses! There is trash everywhere.

Suddenly I feel a sharp pain near my pacemaker ..... pacemaker?

Besides being black, Jewish, disabled, a fairy with a Mexican boyfriend, a drug addict, HIV positive, bald, orphaned, unemployed, an invalid with one hand and having a bad heart, I live in a crappy neighborhood.

At that very moment my boyfriend approaches and says to me, “Sweetie pie, my love, my little black heart throb, have you decided what you are going to wear to Washington to see Obama?”

Say it isn't so! I can handle being a black, disabled, one-armed, drug-addicted, Jewish homosexual on a pacemaker who is HIV positive, bald, orphaned, unemployed, lives in a slum and has a Mexican boyfriend, but please, Oh, Dear GOD, please don't tell me I'm a Democrat!

What’s the Difference Between Catsup and Ketchup?

What’s the Difference Between Catsup and Ketchup?

By Roxanne Webber

Just put it on your fries and don’t worry about it

There is no difference between catsup, ketchup, and catchup; those words are all commonly used to describe the tomato-based condiment. Technically, the words can apply to any sauce made from “the juice of mushrooms, walnuts, tomatoes, etc., and used as a condiment,” and they are usually qualified with the main ingredient (e.g., Heinz Tomato Ketchup), says the Oxford English Dictionary.

The New Food Lover’s Companion notes that the origin of the words (and the sauce) is ke-tsiap, a fish-based condiment that was popular in 17th-century China. According to Tracey Parsons, a spokesperson for Heinz, British sailors discovered ke-tsiap in the 18th century and brought it back to England, where people began tinkering with it. The early recipes published in 18th-century Great Britain called for “kidney beans, mushrooms, anchovies, and walnuts,” writes Andrew F. Smith in Pure Ketchup. Then the condiment spread to the American Colonies, where, Food Lover’s notes, tomatoes were added in the late 1700s.

The OED cites catchup as the oldest of the three variations, with the first citation appearing in 1690. Ketchup comes next, in 1711, and finally catsup appears in 1730. Parsons says that Heinz originally went with catsup, but the spelling was changed to ketchup in the late 1880s as a way to stand out from the competition, which was using the catsup variation. Now ketchup is the most commonly accepted spelling in the industry.

Observations on Growing Older . . .

~Your kids are becoming you...and you don't like them
...but your grandchildren are perfect!
~Going out is good.
Coming home is better!
~When people say you look "Great"...
They add "for your age!"
~When you needed the discount you had to pay full price.
Now you get discounts on everything like..
Movies, hotels, flights, but you're too tired to use them.
~You forget names ... But it's OK
Because other people forgot
They even knew you!!!
~The 5 pounds you wanted to lose
Is now 15 and you have a better chance
Of losing your keys than the 15 pounds.
~Your husband is counting on you
To remember things you don't remember.
~The things you used to care to do,
You no longer care to do,
But you really do care that you
Don't care to do them anymore.
~Your husband sleeps better on a lounge chair
With the TV blaring than he does in bed.
It's called his "pre-sleep".
~Remember when your mother said
"Wear clean underwear in case you GET in an accident"?
Now you bring clean underwear in case you HAVE an accident!
~You used to say,
"I hope my kids GET married ..
Now you say, "I hope they STAY married!"
~You miss the days when everything worked
With just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..
~When GOOGLE, ipod, email, modem ...
Were unheard of, and a mouse was something
That made you climb on a table.
~Now that you can afford
Expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.
~Your husband has a night out with the guys
But he's home by 9:00 P.M. ...next week it will be 8:30 P.M.
~You read 100 pages into a book before you realize you've read it.

How did Jefferson know?

Obviously, he was a man ahead of his time.

HOW DID JEFFERSON KNOW?


When we get piled
upon one another in large cities, as in Europe,
we shall become as corrupt as Europe .

Thomas Jefferson


The democracy will cease to exist
when you take away from those
who are willing to work and give to those who would not.

Thomas Jefferson


It is incumbent on every
generation to pay its own debts as it goes.
A principle which if acted on would save
one-half the wars of the world.

Thomas Jefferson


I predict future happiness for
Americans if they can prevent the government
from wasting the labors of the people under the
pretense of taking care of them.

Thomas Jefferson


My reading of history convinces me
that most bad government results from too much
government.

Thomas Jefferson


No free man shall ever be debarred
the use of arms.

Thomas Jefferson


The strongest reason for the
people to retain the right to keep and bear arms
is, as a last resort, to protect themselves
against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson


The tree of liberty must be
refreshed from time to time with the blood of
patriots and tyrants.

Thomas Jefferson


To compel a man to subsidize with
his taxes the propagation of ideas which he
disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.

Thomas Jefferson


Thomas Jefferson said in
1802:
'I believe that
banking institutions are more dangerous to
our liberties
than standing armies.

If the American people ever allow
private banks to control the issue of their
currency, first by inflation,
then by
deflation, the banks and corporations that will
grow up around the banks will deprive the people
of all property -
until their children
wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers
conquered.'

A Little Story About a Mouse . . .

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.
"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed this warning: "TThere is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."
The mouse turned to the pig and told him,
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said,
"There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . Alone.. ..
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- the sound Of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it. It was a venomous snake whose tail was caught in the trap.
The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital.
When she returned home she still had a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup.So the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient:
But his wife's sickness continued.
Friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
But, alas, the farmer's wife did not get well...
She died.
So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them for the funeral luncheon.
And the mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and you think it doesn't concern you, remember ---
When one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life.
We must keep an eye out for one another
and make an extra effort to encourage one another.
YOU MAY WANT TO SEND THIS
TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER
HELPED YOU OUT...
AND LET THEM KNOW
HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE.


- REMEMBER -
EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD
IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY.

OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER
FOR A REASON.
One of the best things to hold onto
In this world is a FRIEND.

A Marine: Blind double amputee, re-enlists:

Received this from a good friend who is a retired Marine Sgt. Major.

This breaks my heart and makes me proud at the same time.

Semper Fidelis

San Antonio Express-News
April 8, 2010

Marine Is First Blind Double Amputee To Re-Enlist
By Scott Huddleston, Express-News

After all he's been through, the only real regret Marine Cpl. Matthew Bradford says he has now is not being able to return to combat duty in Iraq.

But Wednesday, Bradford, 23, made Marine Corps history, becoming the first blind double amputee to re-enlist. In keeping with service tradition, Bradford was honorably discharged and allowed to say a few words as a civilian before re-enlisting.

"Sign me up, sir!" he told Lt. Col. David Barnes, who administered the oath of enlistment, extending Bradford's military career by another four years.

The outdoor re-enlistment ceremony was held a few hundred feet from the Center for the Intrepid, dedicated just 11 days after Bradford was seriously wounded in Iraq.

It was at the cutting-edge rehabilitation center, funded with $50 million in private contributions, that he began his arduous and painful journey in June 2007 to learn to walk again with prosthetic limbs.

He'll soon leave Fort Sam Houston to work with other wounded Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C. At the Intrepid Center, he had memorized the number of steps it took to get wherever he was going in the third-floor physical therapy department. The center became his "comfort zone," said his mother, Debbie Bradford.

"He's got to grow past it," she said. "He knows he can always come back."

So with a brief ceremony, delayed by about 20 minutes after the post was on lockdown for a visit by Vice President Joe Biden, Bradford's new phase of duty began. He said he wants to stay in the Marines "for as long as I can."

Bradford, who grew up in Winchester, Ky., and Dinwiddie, Va., had made up his mind that he was going to deploy as many times as the Marines wanted him to when he was hurt a few months into his first tour of Iraq.

A rifleman, he was on patrol in Al Anbar province and trying to help clear an area of roadside bombs when one of them exploded right under him the afternoon of Jan. 18, 2007.

Bradford lost his eyesight, and he had a fractured right hand and fragmentation wounds to the lower abdominal area. But what he said he hated the most was losing his legs. He required amputations below the knee on the right leg and above the knee on the left.

His physical therapist, Matt Parker, said Bradford put his complete trust in his rehabilitation team, at a time when the Intrepid Center was "extremely busy" with a first wave of severely wounded troops.

One of the first tasks was to use exercises to strengthen his trunk area.

"Every day, he would show up faithfully at 1 o'clock, despite having a full belly after lunch," Parker said. "He's done things most able-bodied people can't do."

During President George W. Bush's visit at the Intrepid Center in November 2007, Bradford caught the president's attention while climbing the center's 35-foot artificial rock wall.

"Good man, isn't he?" Bush said, according to news reports.

Since then, Bradford has inspired others by riding his hand cycle, with directions called out to him, in the Marine Corps Marathon. Last year, he hiked 10 miles of desert terrain in the grueling Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands, N.M.

Bradford credited his years of playing football and basketball as a youth, and the never-give-up attitude of the Marine Corps, with preparing him for his recovery. He's learned to read Braille and works on a computer with the aid of special software. Friday, he received a promotion to corporal, based on leadership.

The prayers and support of strangers and friendships he's made also have helped, his mother said.

"He just doesn't like the word 'No,'" she said. "He's lost a lot, but he's gained a lot."

She said she was proud to see her son take his oath of service in 2005, despite her worries about his safety. Seeing him take the oath again Wednesday, after his long ordeal, was even more wrenching, she said.

Bradford said he wants to focus his energy on others, now that he's come so far in his own recovery.

He said he hopes to help wounded Marines cope with anger, depression and other demons that can fester if there's not someone around to provide strong peer mentoring.

"I'm paving the road for the rest of them who want to stay in but think they can't," he said. "I'm ready to get back to work."

He did note one tinge of sadness - regret about having to say goodbye.

"It's going to be hard to leave my friends," he said.

Facebookers . . . be aware!

Your Facebook Apps Are Spying on You

Facebook privacy settingsSure, it's silly and fun to play Mafia Wars or to take one of the 2,345,678 quizzes on Facebook. When you install one of these apps, though, it gains access to any information you've designated as available to 'Everyone'. Per Facebook's Platform guidelines, this can include a huge amount of information, including your name, photo, birthday, location, job history, religion, political point of view, relationships, favorite books and movies, and so on. Much of this information is shared by default. It's the motherload for data miners.

Facebook requires each app to adhere to your privacy preferences and to have its own privacy policy, but it doesn't require apps to have a very good policy. Some, like Farmville's policy, are fairly comprehensive; others appear to have been written by 12-year-olds.

The Fix: Facebook recently introduced privacy controls that help limit what information apps can access. Use them. To start, log in and go to Account, Privacy Settings, Profile Information. Change any setting marked ‘Everyone' to Only Friends or Friends of Friends. Then go to Applications and Websites, What your friends can share about you, and uncheck most if not all of the boxes.

Even then, there's some information that Facebook simply won't let you withhold, including your name, profile photo, friends, fan pages, and geographic location, plus the networks you belong to. So think twice before you start harvesting virtual crops or install "Lover of the Day."

Do NOT let women view this video! Do NOT, I tell you!

Killer Jack Russell

Gnaw off your fingerprints; they'll never ID you:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/atlantic_highlands_police_says.html

Natural enemies . . .

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7588680/Polar-bear-steals-tripod.html

Is There a Problem, Officer?

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2010/04/when_the_cops_ask_you_for_id_d.html

Caling all chubby men, calling all chubby men . . .

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63D3U220100414?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FoddlyEnoughNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Oddly+Enough%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

You need to keep these things holstered . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100414/ap_on_re_us/us_odd_python_assault

Just what we need . . . in Congress . . . another super leech:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100414/sc_livescience/trexofleecheshasenormousteeth

This is the kind of lady I just love . . .

http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/local/east-volusia/2010/04/14/woman-70-hits-back-at-carjacker.html

Wonder if it works with humans?

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/821780-rabbit-whisperer-cliff-penrose-can-put-stressed-out-bunnies-in-a-trance

Will a Lava Lamp Work on Jupiter?

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/man-builds-centrifuge-to-see-if-a-lava-lamp-would-work-on-jupiter-20100415/

Dead Man elected Mayor . . .

He gets a lot more work done now . . . without all thos poesky phone calls:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/14/dead-man-elected-mayor-tennessee-town/?test=latestnews