Bug's Bleat - - GCF: Women's Intuition

Volume 10, Issue 42 Friday, October 17, 2008

Hello All,

A headline in today’s paper caught my eye; “Nucor Reports Sales Doubled.” How could the Charlotte, NC based steel maker have profits soaring when the economy is “Tanking?” Maybe, the end of the world isn’t as close as the media, government and the rest of the doomsayers would have us believe.
As Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself.” This statement has never been truer than now. And this fear won’t be held at bay by federal programs that cater to the fear mongers.
I encourage you to go out and invest in banks and companies that swim against the tide of fear. We can turn this stampede around by getting out of it ourselves.
~~~~~
If you’re one of those folks who “need” something to fear, we invite you to read Chuck Colson’s “Break Point” article below, entitled: “In Case You Can Still Sleep” The problem with irrational fears, like grips our economy at this time, is that we ignore the real dangers threatening us.
~~~~~
Daylight Saving Time/Summertime Period Ends - Nov 2 (US) and Oct 26 (EU) - - Check out this website for more information about Daylight Saving Time - - http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/ - - Did you know? - The official spelling is Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight SavingS Time.
Saving is used here as a verbal adjective (a participle). It modifies time and tells us more about its nature; namely, that it is characterized by the activity of saving daylight. It is a saving daylight kind of time. Because of this, it would be more accurate to refer to DST as daylight-saving time. Similar examples would be a mind-expanding book or a man-eating tiger. Saving is used in the same way as saving a ball game, rather than as a savings account.
Nevertheless, many people feel the word savings (with an 's') flows more mellifluously off the tongue. Daylight Savings Time is also in common usage, and can be found in dictionaries.
Adding to the confusion is that the phrase Daylight Saving Time is inaccurate, since no daylight is actually saved. Daylight Shifting Time would be better, and Daylight Time Shifting more accurate, but neither are politically desirable.
Worldwide daylight saving - - Today, approximately 70 countries utilize Daylight Saving Time in at least a portion of the country. Japan, India, and China are the only major industrialized countries that do not observe some form of daylight saving.
~
Hummm . . . And they all three are major economic powers . . .
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Plastic e-newspaper reader will hit U.K. market next year - Londoners may be able to get their daily newspapers delivered to their breakfast table next year when an electronic plastic reader comes on the market. Conceived at Cambridge University and developed by Plastic Logic, the device the size of a place mat will allow users to download newspapers and read them at home or on the road.
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Ban on U.S. mercury exports gets Bush's approval - - President George W. Bush on Tuesday signed a bill that will end all U.S. exports of elemental mercury by Jan. 1, 2013. The law will "protect millions of the world's vulnerable citizens, particularly pregnant women and children, from the deadly threat of mercury poisoning," said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a key sponsor. Because the U.S. is one of the world's leading mercury exporters, the ban is expected to have a significant effect on worldwide availability.
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Rail-safety act includes pricey requirements for rail industry - - The Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2008 has some costly provisions, including a requirement for positive train-control technology, which could cost the rail industry more than $4 billion. Groups including the American Chemistry Council say that is a good thing: "Anything that improves the efficiency and the overall reliability of the system is certainly good for customers," said Marty Durbin, managing director of federal affairs for the ACC.
~~~~~
Arkansas: A Hauntingly Great Place to Celebrate Halloween.

Arkansas River Valley - -Discover what dark secrets lie in Fort Smith during the month of October by riding the "Murder and Mayhem Trolley" on Friday and Saturday evenings. Tales of pirates and lost love set the stage for a spooky Oct. 31 at Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton.

Central Arkansas- -There is no shortage of ghoulish and scary things to do in central Arkansas for Halloween. You can choose from EMOBA's Haunted Cathedral, the Little Rock Zoo's Boo at the Zoo, Benton's Spook City, Murder at the Old Arsenal "whodunit," the Big Boo!-seum Bash at a variety of museums around the area, the Halloween Hike at Pinnacle Mountain State Park to Sherwood's Halloween Carnival.

Eastern Arkansas- -Visitors to the Delta will be living dangerously during the Halloween season as ghosts, gremlins, goblins and all sorts of questionable creatures will be throwing parties. Pumpkins, candy, costumes, tales of the unknown and things that go bump in the night await you.

Ouachitas- -You can pay homage to one of the all time great mystery writers in Mena as one of Agatha Christie's classics, The Mousetrap, is performed.

Ozarks- -Big, big cats can be intimidating during daylight but at night it's magnified to almost unthinkable proportions. You can visit the big cats at Turpentine Creek in Eureka Springs in the dark - if you dare. Chances are you'll meet some ghostly reminders of what took place almost 150 years ago at Prairie Grove's Haunted Battlefield Tour. And be on the lookout for the creatures who lurk under the bridge during Hardy's Trail of Terror.

Timberlands - - October 25 is the date for Washington After Dark at Williams Tavern Restaurant, located in Historic Washington State Park. After enjoying fine dining at the restaurant, guests will light their candle lanterns and accompany an interpretive guide as he takes them through selected sites in town that have some "unexplained" happenings in their history. For more information, phone 870-983-2684.

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM
One Capitol Mall / Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 / 1-800-NATURAL / (501) 682-7777
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Magnolia Lions Club Fundraiser - October 30 - Grilled Hamburger Take-out Supper $6.00. Hamburger, Chips, Cookie & Soda. Pick up at Brookshire's Parking Lot - 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
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It's almost time for Albemarle’s 2008 Health Fair! - Please mark this date on your calendar and plan to attend!! Thursday, October 30 - Maintenance Complex Communications Room - 10:00 - 12:00 1:00 - 3:00

A few of the booths that will be set up this year:


Albemarle Medical
Flu shots (Nancy will BEGIN giving flu shots on October 30!)
Magnolia Massage
Chair massages
Columbia County Extension Service
Healthy food demonstration
SAU Nursing Department
Height/weight/blood pressure
United Blood Service
Blood donation - the van will be parked in front of the Maintenance
Complex - be sure to bring the normal identification!!
Alzheimer's Association
Magnolia Respiratory
Marshall's Medical
Magnolia Health Care
Cholesterol checks
Extreme Image
Anthem BCBS
Physiques
Curves
Arkansas Prostate Cancer Association

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Don’t forget to use GoodSearch [http://www.goodsearch.com/] when you search the Internet!
~~~~~
Many of you will remember Jim Keith who worked in the Brine field for many years. Funeral services were held Friday, October 17, at First Baptist Church in Magnolia.
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DarynKagan.com - - October 17, 2008 - - It happens time and time again with the stories I feature on this website. That thing someone would never pick to happen to them changes their life for the better. Today's featured story fits right into that category. May it give comfort and perspective to anyone going through a hard time today. Today's Story: The Blessing She Would Never Ask For
Carolee Carmello says cancer saved her life. "How could that be?" you ask. The illness she would've never asked for changed the way she lives each day. [http://darynkagan.demo.nimbussoftware.com/overcoming/stories/ov_081017_blessingindisguise.html]
~~~~~
LEADERSHIP TRAINING INTERNATIONAL
HELLO FRIENDS AND PARTNERS,

How can you tell if God has spoken to you? One of the easiest ways is to see if what He said comes to pass. What the Lord told me in the year 2002 is coming to pass here in Tanzania. The spirit of violent Islam is raising its head. This month Muslims are trying to push the president, Kikwete , who is Muslim, into a corner. They want him to evoke Sheria Law as the law of the land. This is the equivalent to forcing people into Islam. In one of these pictures you see the Bible College students praying to the Lord to intervene in this situation. The radical Muslims also want to annex the island of Zanzibar from the mainland Tanzania. This is for the sole purpose of turning the island into a Muslim state.

This is the time of Ramadan which is the Muslims fast. Recently non-Muslim people were eating their meal when radical Muslims broke into their compound and hauled them off to jail. The police cooperated by allowing them to be put in a civil jail.

Last month I preached a Leadership Conference for Pastor Paulo Samweli in the town of Singida which is dead center of the nation. He is the most powerful pastor in the region and has the ear of the president. Recently in a meeting the president made an interesting observation and told Pastor Paulo, “You Christians let the Muslims just push you around”. So far President Kikwete has remained moderate and we pray the Lord keep him so.

We have five students from the island of Zanzibar. It’s not a coincidence. There may come a time in the near future when no white person can preach the Gospel there. God has His undercover agents in training in our school right now. They are willing to risk their lives for the preaching of the Gospel.

It’s not often a person gets to see exactly how their lives can make a difference in a nation. This I consider to be the greatest blessing and challenge I have ever known in ministry.

In closing, please know how much I appreciate your prayers and financial support. I could not do it without you. The grace of the Lord is helping Debbie and me in our time of separation but it is still difficult. Recently we were hit with some very big needs so please be in agreement with us for special provision at this time.

Sincerely your servant in Christ,

Paul David Troquille
~~~~~
The Lighthouse Church - - http://thelighthousechurch.publishpath.com/
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An Obituary printed in the London Times........ Interesting and sadly rather true.

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust, by his wife Discretion his daughter, Responsibility, and his son Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;

I Know My Rights.

I Want It Now

Someone Else Is To Blame

I'm A Victim .

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Thanks to Gary Foreman
~~~~~
Each week the Defense Department highlights military personnel who have gone above and beyond in the war. [http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/] - - Joseph Gibson - - Hometown: Morris, OK - -
Awarded: Silver Star

As the helicopter full of Rangers touched down that April night, Gibson and fellow soldiers found themselves dodging enemy small arms fire less than 50 meters away. Gibson’s platoon sergeant would later say the enemy small-arms and machine-gun fire began less than a minute after the group disembarked the helicopter. Among the two Ranger casualties was a soldier with a life-threatening gunshot wound.

Transporting wounded soldier over an uneven field with irrigation ditches and through enemy fire was a challenge, but the Rangers’ dedication to each other motivated Gibson to get his friend to safety.

“It was my buddy; I didn’t want to quit, Gibson said later. “For a while, it was just me on one end of the litter.”

Gibson’s actions are credited with saving the soldier’s life. The soldier returned home safely to see his wife and newborn child.

After assisting in this medical evacuation, Gibson and the Rangers continued on with their mission. They began to clear a field with tall grass and canals near the helicopter landing zone. The Rangers knew enemy fighters were still in the area, even though most had fled when the soldiers touched down. While clearing the field, Gibson stepped on a terrorist hiding in a ditch under some grass. Initially, Gibson continued for a few more steps past the terrorist. But following his gut instinct, Gibson turned around to investigate what he’d stepped on. The terrorist moved to kill Gibson and the Rangers. Gibson grabbed the muzzle of the terrorist’s rifle as the terrorist began to fire. Gibson wrestled the terrorist to the ground and gained positional control. He struggled and later stripped the terrorist of his weapon. The terrorist then gripped Gibson’s rifle. Without the ability to use a firearm, Gibson engaged the enemy with his hands. The terrorist ripped off Gibson’s helmet and all his night vision optics, then began to reach for something hidden in his clothing -- the detonator to his suicide vest. The terrorist screamed “Bomb!” in English.

As Gibson worked to stop the terrorist from detonating his vest, the terrorist had maneuvered into a position that was cutting off Gibson’s circulation. Gibson, in an effort to save himself, began to hit the terrorist as hard as he could. His blows rendered the terrorist unconscious.

“I got my weapon into his stomach and fired,” Gibson said. “He came back to consciousness after that, [but] I knew I got him. I stood up and neutralized him.”

“Rangers are proven over and over again in battle,” Navy Adm. Eric Olson, commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, said in presenting Gibson with his Silver Star Medal. “Rangers are glorified in Hollywood movies, but you aren’t actors. You are real men who make real sacrifices.”

Gibson said he is honored to serve as a Ranger and have saved his fellow soldier’s life. Following the incident, Gibson re-enlisted to fight with the Ranger platoon he accompanied that night.
~~~~~
The latest from Michael Yon, the foremost “milnews” blogger on the web.
~
Please see drive with me on The Road to Hell [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/].
V/R, Your correspondent,
Michael
Http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php
~~~~~
Last week we watched [Ratings are my own]:
Spartan (2004) [6] Starring Tia Texada ... Derek Luke ... Val Kilmer
My Geisha (1962) [8.6] Starring Shirley MacLaine ... Yves Montand ... Edward G. Robinson ... Robert Cummings
Firehouse Dog (2007) [7] Starring Josh Hutcherson ... Bruce Greenwood ... Bill Nunn
His Girl Friday (1940) [8.8] Starring Cary Grant ... Rosalind Russell ... Ralph Bellamy ... Gene Lockhart
The Quiet Man (1952) [8.9] Starring John Wayne ... Maureen O'Hara ... Barry Fitzgerald ... Ward Bond ... Victor McLaglen ... Mildred Natwick
My Favorite Wife (1940) [8.5] Starring Irene Dunne ... Cary Grant ... Randolph Scott ... Gail Patrick
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Last week we read; Forced out : a novel / Stephen Frey. Mars life / Ben Bova.
We’re currently reading; Into the storm : a novel / Suzanne Brockmann.
We intend to read; The ghost war / by Alex Berenson. - - The shadow of Reichenbach Falls / John R. King. - - They marched into sunlight : war and peace, Vietnam and America, October 1967 / David Maraniss. - - In a strange city / Laura Lippman.
We recommend: The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder
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http://www.shelfari.
com/BugsBleat/shelf?ec=7D790D174EFS18012
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Photos on the front of this week’s “Bleat” include; Members of Cub Scouts Pack No. 32 and No. 96 recently participated in a wildlife improvement project at the Albemarle Training Center. Logoly State Park supplied a park ranger to teach the children bat facts, myths and habitat. The Scouts constructed enough bat houses to be used at the Albemarle wetlands and to take some home. This project was provide by Albemarle Corporation to enhance the environmental awareness of youth, and to improve the area wildlife habitat. Pictures include the scouts; Tommy Smith, Patrick Mosier, C.J. Smith, Joey Karr, Preston Kacsir and Matt Sweetwood. And Albemarle SET team members; Steve Card, Paula Mosier, Buddy Kyle, Celia McQuistion, Eric Eades, Linda Miller, Merci Pierce and Wayne McQuiston.
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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.bugsbleat3q08.blogspot.com.
Our photos are posted at http://www.bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com.
If you want to see more photos of April’s train wreck in Magnolia, go to http://www.bugsbleattw.blogspot.com/
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Feel free to share the "Bleat" with any and all. That's why we publish it.
~~~~~
Dr. Pat Antoon’s Address:
Pat Antoon 06669-010
Federal Prison Camp
P.O. Box 9300
Texarkana, TX 75505
Be sure and keep him in your prayers.
~~~~~
Recipe(s) of the week - - - Braised Collard Greens - - Submitted by: THYME4MA
Prep Time: 20 Minutes - - Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 1 Hour 20 Minutes - - Yields: 8 servings

"My Grandma Ollie-Belle made the best 'greens.' This recipe is as close to hers as I could come. The 'pot-liquor' is the key to great greens!! Serve with fresh green onions and black-eyed peas with rice."


INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds collard greens - rinsed, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 pounds fresh ham hocks
½ pound salt pork
3 quarts chicken stock
1 cup chopped onion 2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons white sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar


DIRECTIONS:
1. Place ham hocks, salt pork, onion, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and sugar in a large pot with the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Stir collard greens into the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, or until greens are tender. Season with red wine vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Braised-Collard-Greens/Detail.aspx
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Southern Fried Chicken - - Submitted by: Cindy Garrick
Prep Time: 15 Minutes - Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 35 Minutes - Yields: 6 servings

"A heritage recipe, both simple and reliable: chicken in a batter of salt, pepper, flour and paprika, quickly fried in hot vegetable oil."


INGREDIENTS:
1 (3 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
salt to taste ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1 quart vegetable oil for frying


DIRECTIONS:
1. Season chicken pieces with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roll in flour.
2. Add ½ to 3/4 inch oil to a large, heavy skillet. Heat to approximately 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). Place chicken pieces in hot oil. Cover, and fry until golden, turning once, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southern-Fried-Chicken/Detail.aspx
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Cheesy Baked Grits - - Submitted by: ABBYLADYBUG
Prep Time: 15 Minutes - Cook Time: 1 Hour 10 Minutes - Ready In: 1 Hour 25 Minutes - - Yields: 12 servings

"I had this at a party at a colleague's house. I've loved cheese grits for years, but these are by far the best I've ever had."


INGREDIENTS:
1 quart milk
½ cup butter
1 cup uncooked grits
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup butter
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese


DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2. Bring the milk to a boil in a pot over medium heat. Melt ½ cup butter in the boiling milk. Gradually mix in the grits, and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and season with salt and pepper. Beat with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth. Mix in the Cheddar cheese and 1/3 cup butter. Transfer to the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until firm.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheesy-Baked-Grits/Detail.aspx
~~~~~
BreakPoint
In Case You Can Still Sleep
By Chuck Colson
10/17/2008

Preventing a Nuclear Nightmare

The title of an article in a recent issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists asks, “How can we reduce the risk of human extinction?”

According to the authors, the probability of “succumbing to natural hazards,” like a comet or asteroid hitting us, is quite low. While killer asteroids seem to frequently threaten the Earth on television and the movies, mercifully, that’s not the case in the real world.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for man-made hazards. Despite the end of the Cold War, the threat of nuclear war remains. The organization behind the “Doomsday Clock,” which purports to show how close we are to nuclear annihilation, is once again asking us to think about the unthinkable. Happily, that’s exactly what some very smart people are doing—including some whom I respect deeply, like former Secretary of State George Shultz and former Senator Sam Nunn.

In a Wall Street Journal op ed piece, Shultz and Nunn, along with Henry Kissinger, and William Perry made the compelling case that the “accelerating spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear know-how, and nuclear material has brought us to a nuclear tipping point. We face a very real possibility that the deadliest weapons ever invented could fall into dangerous hands.” And remember, a rogue nation that gets a nuclear weapon can give it to a terrorist, who can bring it to America in a suit case. That’s why Shultz and others have proposed specific steps the U.S., Russia, and other nations should take to lead us away from that catastrophic “tipping point.”

If that sounds like a tall order, it is. But, given what’s at stake, nothing less will do. And remember, Shultz, Nunn, Kissinger and Perry are no bunch of starry-eyed dreamers: they are some of the most-respected and experienced figures on the world stage.

So, when they say that the reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons is a worthwhile, achievable goal, I pay attention. Especially as a Christian: the traditional notion of deterrence, which was based on mutually-assured destruction and spoke of a “balance of terror,” was at best morally-problematic.

It won’t be easy to do what Nunn and Shultz and others are calling for. What’s needed is the commitment to goals such as controlling the use of production and highly-enriched uranium and the spread of the technology used to make nuclear weapons.

There’s another initiative that’s important. It’s called the Nuclear Threat Initiative, founded by Ted Turner and Sam Nunn, which seeks to reduce the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

But that commitment will only happen if the people insist on it. And for that, we need to be informed. A good place to start is with the DVD “Last Best Chance.” It depicts our worst nightmare but also depicts what we can do to prevent it from coming true. I also recommend the book edited by Georg Shultz: Reykjavik Revisited: Steps Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons. You can come to our website, BreakPoint.org, to learn how you can get a copy of the DVD and the book.

The events of the past few weeks have demonstrated that the unthinkable has a way of happening--whether we want to think about it or not. And, as USA Today put it, “a financial apocalypse isn’t nearly as scary as a nuclear one.”

But we still have a chance to prevent the latter if we act now.

For Further Reading and Information

Read the Hoover Institution report Reykjavik Revisited: Steps Toward a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, edited by George Shultz. You can also watch the conference online.

George Shultz, William Perry, Henry Kissinger, and Sam Nunn, “Toward a Nuclear Free World,” Wall Street Journal, 15 January 2008.

Anders Sandberg, et al., “How Can We Reduce the Risk of Human Extinction?” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 9 September 2008.

Learn more about the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

John Diamond, “A Financial Apocalypse Isn't Nearly as Scary as a Nuclear One,” USA Today, 9 October 2008.

© 2008 Prison Fellowship - - http://www.breakpoint.org/
~~~~~

Words of the Week:
legerdemain: sleight of hand.
plaudit: enthusiastic approval.
euphonious: pleasing or sweet in sound.
sobriquet: a nickname.
otiose: ineffective; also, being at leisure; also, of no use.
waylay: to ambush or accost.
misprize: to despise; also, to undervalue.
expeditious: characterized by speed and efficiency.
from Dictionary.Com

~~~~~
"Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." - Plato

"Against stupidity the very gods Themselves contend in vain." - Friedrich von Schiller

"Many wealthy people are little more than janitors of their possessions." - Frank Lloyd Wright

"God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." - Voltaire

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." - Dwight D. Eisenhower

"Men are more often bribed by their loyalties and ambitions than by money." - Robert H. Jackson

"If there is anybody in this land who thoroughly believes that the meek shall inherit the earth they have not often let their presence be known." - W.E.B. Du Bois
~~~~~
BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
http://breakingchristiannews.com/

Canadian Christian Voters Voice their Views with National Election at Hand
Aimee Herd (October 14, 2008)
"The most important issue has two sides to it: care for creation and care for the most vulnerable…"
With Canadian voters going to the polls in the country's national election, Christian Week asked an important question of the Canada's Christian constituents:"What is the most important issue for people of Christian faith in Canada to consider when they vote in October?"
Below are a few excerpted answers from respondents; read the full article at [http://www.christianweek.org/features.php?id=34].
"The most important issue has two sides to it: care for creation and care for the most vulnerable. The two are interconnected in that the most vulnerable suffer the most from abuse of the environment. This emphasis flows from Christ's example plus the prophetic mandate to care for orphan, sojourner and widow. " -Mark Parent, MLA, Nova Scotia
"The most important issue of this election is judges making laws. All freedoms are jeopardized when appointed, unaccountable individuals arbitrarily write the laws of the land. … Judges across the country are now making new laws every year, changing the foundational fabric of the nation." -Charles McVety, president, Canada Christian College
"What could be more important than the right to life itself, protecting our precious little ones and sparing their families the devastation of abortion?" -Marlene Tersigni, St. Catharines Right to Life
Source: News Staff – ChristianWeek.org

310 2nd Ave SE
Albany, Oregon 97321
541-928-2642
E-mail editor@breakingchristiannews.com
US Orders: 1-866-358-7426

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GCF: Women's Intuition

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

If this was forwarded to you, please consider your own subscription to Good Clean Fun. It's free! Just send an email to: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Also known as 'woman's intuition', this sixth sense thing is no myth. Women seem to know what's going on in their man's life almost better than he does.

Why is this?

In the early 90's, researchers discovered that women have more connections between the brain's two hemispheres than men do. It's these connections that allow them to put together a puzzle from seemingly unconnectable pieces.

That, and they go through all your stuff while you're in the shower!
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Newborn Utterance

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
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The birth of our second child, a daughter, came after a long and difficult labor. But it was definitely worth it when our beautiful little girl emerged, perfect in every way.

Later, in my room, my husband looked at her tenderly, with tears in his eyes. Then as he glanced up at me, I expected him to utter something truly poetic.

Instead he asked, "What did we decide to call her again?"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: The Penny

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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My husband and I had just finished tucking our five young ones into bed one evening when we heard sobbing coming from three-year-old Billy's room.

Rushing to his side, we found him crying hysterically. He had accidentally swallowed a penny and was sure he was going to die. No amount of talking could change his mind.

Desperate to calm him, my husband palmed a penny that he happened to have in his pocket and pretended to pull it from Billy's ear.

Billy was delighted. In a flash, he snatched it from my husband's hand, swallowed it and demanded cheerfully, "Do it again, Dad!"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Building Permit

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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A Zoning Board had just been set up in a new community. A householder went to the office to request permission to build a small toolshed in his backyard.

"Have you a plan?" asked the director.

"Oh, yes," said the householder, who showed him a map of his neighborhood, the dimension of his yard, and a sketch of the shed.

"That looks fine," said the director. He pulled out a piece of paper, wrote a few words on it, Xeroxed it, and said, "Here's your permission."

A month later, a neighbor in almost exactly the same situation also wanted permission for a shed in her yard. She went to see the director, got as far as a secretary, and made her request. "Thank you, Mrs. Smith," said the secretary, taking the documents. "Telephone me in two weeks and I'll let you know what the director's decision is, or what further steps are necessary."

"But," groaned Mrs. Smith, "a month ago my neighbor got permission right away."

"Oh, yes," said the secretary, "but that was before we finally got organized."
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Sentry Duty

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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A new soldier was on sentry duty at the main gate. His orders were clear. No vehicle was to enter unless it had the proper sticker on the windshield.

Now, a huge Army car came up with a General seated in the back. The sentry yelled, "Halt, who goes there?"

The chauffeur, says, "General Wheeler."

"I'm sorry, I can't let you through. You've got to have a sticker on the windshield."

The General said, "Drive on!"

The sentry said, "Hold it! You really can't come through. I have orders to shoot if you try driving on without your sticker."

The General repeated, "I'm telling you, Corporal, drive on!"

The sentry walked up to the rear window with the gun at the ready and said, "General, I'm new at this. Do I shoot you or the driver?"
_ ____________________________ _
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ /A Consultant is someone who takes\ /
\ _/ the watch off your wrist \_ /
/ / and tells you the time. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Something that cost $25 to buy \ /
\ _/ several years ago \_ /
/ / now costs $50 just to repair. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / I can handle pain \ /
\ _/ ... until it hurts. \_ /
/ / \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Experience: What you get \ /
\ _/ when you don't \_ /
/ / get what you want. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / "As long as there are tests, \ /
\ _/ there will be prayer \_ /
/ / in public schools." \ \
_ ____________________________ _
| Thomas S. Ellsworth |
| tellswor@kcbx.net |
| http://www.kcbx.net/~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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"THIS FINANCIAL CRISIS IS WORSE THAN A DIVORCE. I LOST HALF MY MONEY AND I STILL HAVE MY WIFE."
Thanks to Daphne Roberts
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Four worms and a lesson to be learned!!!!

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.
Four worms were placed into four separate jars.
The first worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The second worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The third worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.
The fourth worm was put into a container of good clean soil.
At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:
The first worm in alcohol - Dead
The second worm in cigarette smoke - Dead
Third worm in chocolate syrup - Dead
Fourth worm in good clean soil - Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation - What did you learn from this demonstration???
Maxine was sitting in the back, quickly raised her hand and said, 'As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won't have worms!'

That pretty much ended the service

Thanks to Waneta
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The Presidential election was too close to call.
Neither the Republican candidate nor the Democratic candidate had enough votes to win.
There was much talk about ballot recounting, court challenges, etc. , but a week-long ice fishing competition seemed the sportsman like way to settle things.
The candidate that caught the most fish at the end of the week would win the election.
Therefore, it was decided that there should be an ice fishing contest between the two candidates to determine the winner.
After much of back and forth discussion, it was decided that the contest take place on a remote frozen lake in northern Minnesota.
There were to be no observers present, and both men were to be sent out separately on this isolated lake and return at 5 P.M. with their catch for counting and verification by a team of neutral parties.
At the end of the first day, Jo hn McCain returned to the starting line and he had ten fish.
Soon, Obama returned and had no fish.
Well, everyone assumed he was just having another 'bad hair' day or something and hopefully, he would catch up the next day.
At the end of the 2nd day John McCain came in with 20 fish and Obama came in again with none.
That evening, Harry Reid got together secretly with Obama and said, 'Obama, I think John McCain is a low-life, cheatin' son-of-a-gun.
I want you to go out tomorrow and don't even bother with fishing.
Just spy on him and see just how he is cheating. '
The next night (after John McCain returns with 50 fish), said to Obama, 'Well, tell me, how is John McCain cheating?'
Obama replied, 'Harry, you're not going to believe this, but he's cutting holes in the ice. '
Experience Counts!!

Thanks to Greg McDaniel
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Little Mary Pat had a box of very small kittens that she was trying to give away, so she had them out on the street corner with a sign "FREE KITTENS" next to them.
Suddenly a big line of big black cars came up with a policeman on a motorcycle in front.
The cars all stopped and a tall man stepped out from the biggest car. It's Senator Obama.
"Hi, little girl, what do you have there in the box?" he asked.
"Kittens" Little Mary Pat says. "They're so small, their eyes are not even open yet."
"What kind of kittens are they?" he asked.
"Democrats" says Little Mary Pat.
The tall man smiled, returned to his car and they drove away. Sensing a good photo opportunity, Sen. Obama called his campaign manager and told him about the little girl and the kittens.
It was planned that they would return the next day, have all the media there and tell everyone about these great kittens.
The next day, Little Mary Pat is standing out on the corner with her box of kittens with the "FREE KITTENS" sign and the big motorcade of black cars pulled up with all the vans and trucks from ABC, NBC, CBS, BET and CNN but no FOX for some reason..
Everyone had their cameras ready and then, Sen. Obama got out of his limo and walked up to Little Mary Pat.
"Now, don't be frightened," he said, "I just want you to tell all these nice news people just what kind of kittens you're giving away today."
"Yes sir," Mary Pat said, "They are all REPUBLICAN kittens."
Taken by surprise, Sen. Obama said, "But yesterday, you told me that they were DEMOCRATS."
Little Mary Pat says, "Yes, I know. But today, they have their eyes open."

Thanks To Waneta
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Paul Newman

A Michigan woman and her family were vacationing in a small new England town where Paul Newman and his family often visited.

One Sunday morning, the woman got up early to take a long walk. After a brisk five-mile hike, she decided to treat herself to a double-dip chocolate ice cream cone. She hopped in the car, drove to the center of the village, and went straight to the combination bakery/ice cream parlor.

There was only one other patron in the store: Paul Newman, sitting at the counter having a doughnut and coffee.

The woman's heart skipped a beat as her eyes made contact with those famous baby-blue eyes. The actor nodded graciously, and the star-struck woman smiled demurely. Pull yourself together! she chided herself. You're a happily married woman with three children; you're forty-five years old, not a teenager! The clerk filled her order, and she took the double-dip chocolate ice cream cone in one hand and her change in the other. Then she went out the door, avoiding even a glance in Paul Newman's direction. When she reached her car, she realized that she had a handful of change but her other hand was empty. Where's my ice cream cone? Did I leave it in the store? Back into the shop she went, expecting to see the cone still in the clerk's hand or in a holder on the counter or something. No ice cream cone was in sight. With that, she happened to look over at Paul Newman.

His face broke into his familiar warm friendly grin and he said to the woman: "You put it in your purse."

Received from Jean.

(-:][:-)

Phonetic Problem

Many hymnals have a hymn called "Gladly the Cross I'd Bear."

It seems that one week when the church secretary was typing the Sunday bulletin, she asked the pastor which hymn would come just before the sermon. He replied with the above-mentioned hymn.

The following Sunday the bulletin read:

Hymn No. 134: "Gladly, the Cross-eyed Bear."

Received from Donald Leininger.

(-:][:-)

Potato Jokes

Why did the potato cross the road?
He saw a fork up ahead.

How do you describe an angry potato?
Boiling Mad.

Why didn't the mother potato want her daughter to marry the famous newscaster?
Because he was a commontater.

Why wouldn't the reporter leave the mashed potatoes alone?
He desperately wanted a scoop.

What do you say to an angry 300-pound baked potato?
Anything, just butter him up.

What does a British potato say when it thinks something is wonderful?
It's mashing!

What do you call a baby potato?
A small fry!

Received from AcraMax Jokes.

(-:][:-)

Combination Prayer

I needed some supplies from a Sunday school cupboard that was seldom used and was secured with a lock. I didn't know the combination, but our clergyman offered to give it a try.

Father Jack placed his fingers on the lock's dial and raised his eyes heavenward for a moment. Then he confidently spun the dial and opened the lock.

Seeing how impressed I was with this demonstration of faith, he smiled and confided, "The numbers are written on the ceiling."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

Resistor

My seven-year-old son, Nick, received a snap-together electronic kit for Christmas. He learned that if you put a resistor in line with the speaker, it lowers the volume from the speaker.

During the six-hour car trip home from my parents' house, Nick had had about enough of his five-month-old brother's constant crying in the car. So he said, "I wish I had a resistor in my ear!"

Received from James Pittman.

(-:][:-)

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Madeleine Begun Kane Latest Columns - -

http://www.madkane.com
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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Carl was a quiet man. He didn't talk much. He would always greet you with a big smile and a firm handshake.
Even after living in our neighborhood for over 50 years, no one could really say they knew him very well.
Before his retirement, he took the bus to work each morning. The lone sight of him walking down the street often worried us.
He had a slight limp from a bullet wound received in WWII.
Watching him, we worried that although he had survived WWII, he may not make it through our changing uptown neighborhood with its ever-increasing random violence, gangs, and drug activity.
When he saw the flyer at our local church asking for volunteers for caring for the gardens behind the minister's residence, he responded in his characteristically unassuming manner. Without fanfare, he just signed up.
He was well into his 87th year when the very thing we had always feared finally happened.
He was just finishing his watering for the day when three gang members approached him. Ignoring their attempt to intimidate him, he simply asked, 'Would you like a drink from the hose?'
The tallest and toughest-looking of the three said, 'Yeah, sure,' with a malevolent little smile.
As Carl offered the hose to him, the other two grabbed Carl's arm, throwing him down. As the hose snaked crazily over the ground, dousing everything in its way, Carl's assailants stole his retirement watch and his wallet, and then fled.
Carl tried to get himself up, but he had been thrown down on his bad leg. He lay there trying to gather himself as the minister came running to help him.
Although the minister had witnessed the attack from his window, he couldn't get there fast enough to stop it.
'Carl, are you okay? Are you hurt?' the minister kept asking as he helped Carl to his feet.
Carl just passed a hand over his brow and sighed, shaking his head. 'Just some punk kids. I hope they'll wise-up someday.'
His wet clothes clung to his slight frame as he bent to pick up the hose. He adjusted the nozzle again and started to water.
Confused and a little concerned, the minister asked, 'Carl, what are you doing?' 'I've got to finish my watering. It's been very dry lately,' came the calm reply.
Satisfying himself that Carl really was all right, the minister could only marvel. Carl was a man from a different time and place.
A few weeks later the three returned. Just as before their threat was unchallenged. Carl again offered them a drink from his hose.
This time, they didn't rob him. They wrenched the hose from his hand and drenched him head to foot in the icy water.
When they had finished their humiliation of him, they sauntered off down the street, throwing catcalls and curses, falling over one another laughing at the hilarity of what they had just done.
Carl just watched them. Then he turned toward the warmth giving sun, picked up his hose, and went on with his watering.
The summer was quickly fading into fall Carl was doing some tilling when he was startled by the sudden approach of someone behind him. He stumbled and fell into some evergreen branches.
As he struggled to regain his footing, he turned to see the tall leader of his summer tormentors reaching down for him. He braced himself for the expected attack.
'Don't worry old man, I'm not gonna hurt you this time.'
The young man spoke softly, still offering the tattooed and scarred hand to Carl. As he helped Carl get up, the man pulled a crumpled bag from his pocket and handed it to Carl.
'What's this?' Carl asked. 'It's your stuff,' the man explained. 'It's your stuff back. Even the money in your wallet.' 'I don't understand,' Carl said. 'Why would you help me now?'
The man shifted his feet, seeming embarrassed and ill at ease. 'I learned something from you,' he said. 'I ran with that gang and hurt people like you. We picked you because you were old, and we knew we could do it, but every time we came and did something to you, instead of yelling and fighting back, you tried to give us a drink. You didn't hate us for hating you. You kept showing love against our hate.'
He stopped for a moment. 'I couldn't sleep after we stole your stuff; so, here it is back.'
He paused for another awkward moment, not knowing what more there was to say. 'That bag's my way of saying thanks for straightening me out, I guess.' And with that, he walked off down the street.
Carl looked down at the sack in his hands and gingerly opened it. He took out his retirement watch and put it back on his wrist. Opening his wallet, he checked for his wedding photo. He gazed for a moment at the young bride that still smiled back at him from all those years ago.
He died one cold day after Christmas that winter. Many people attended his funeral in spite of the weather.
In particular, the minister noticed a tall young man that he didn't know sitting quietly in a distant corner of the church.
The minister spoke of Carl's garden as a lesson in life.
In a voice made thick with unshed tears, he said, 'Do your best and make your garden as beautiful as you can. We will never forget Carl and his garden.'
The following spring another flyer went up. It read: 'Person needed to care for Carl's garden.'
The flyer went unnoticed by the busy parishioners until one day when a knock was heard at the minister's office door.
Opening the door, the minister saw a pair of scarred and tattooed hands holding the flyer. 'I believe this is my job, if you'll have me,' the young man said. The minister recognized him as the same young man who had returned the stolen watch and wallet to Carl.
He knew that Carl's kindness had turned this man's life around. As the minister handed him the keys to the garden shed, he said, 'Yes, go take care of Carl's garden and honor him.'
The man went to work, and over the next several years, he tended the flowers and vegetables just as Carl had done.
During that time, he went to college, got married, and became a prominent member of the community, but he never forgot his promise to Carl's memory and kept the garden as beautiful as he thought Carl would have kept it.
One day, he approached the new minister and told him that he couldn't care for the garden any longer. He explained with a shy and happy smile, 'My wife just had a baby boy last night, and she's bringing him home on Saturday.'
'Well, congratulations!' said the minister, as he was handed the garden shed keys. 'That's wonderful! What's the baby's name?'

'Carl,' he replied.

Thanks to Waneta
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WHAT HAPPENS IN HEAVEN

This is one of the nicest e-mail's I have seen and it is so true:

I dreamed I went to Heaven and an angel was showing me around.
We walked side-by-side inside a large workroom filled with angels.
My angel guide stopped in front of the first section and said, "This is the Receiving Section."
Here, all petitions to God said in prayer are Received."
I looked around in this area, and it was terribly busy with so many angels sorting out petitions written on voluminous paper sheets and scraps from people all over the world.
Then we moved on down a long corridor until we reached the second section.
The angel then said to me, "This is the Packaging and Delivery Section." Here, the graces and blessings the people asked for are processed and delivered to the living persons who asked for them."
I noticed again how busy it was there.
There were many angels working hard at that station, since so many blessings had been requested and were being packaged for delivery to Earth.
Finally at the farthest end of the long corridor we stopped at the door of a very small station. To my great surprise, only one angel was seated there, idly doing nothing.
"This is the Acknowledgment Section," My angel friend quietly admitted to me. He seemed embarrassed.
"How is it that there is no work going on here?" I asked.
"So sad," the angel sighed.
"After people receive the blessings that they asked for, very few send back acknowledgments ."
"How does one acknowledge God's blessings?" I asked.
"Simple," the angel answered. Just say, "Thank You, Lord."
I asked,"What Blessings should they acknowledge?"
"If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world."
"If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy."
"And if you get this on your own computer, you are part of the 1% in the world who has that opportunity."
Also..... "If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...You are more blessed than the many who will not even survive this day."
"If you have never experienced the fear in battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation..
You are ahead of 700 million people in the world."
"If you can attend a church without the fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death, You are envied by and more blessed than three billion people in the world."
"If your parents are still alive and still married...You are very rare ."
"If you can hold your head up and smile, You are not the norm, You're unique to all those in doubt and despair."

Thanks to Waneta
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Definitions according to Webster:

Socialism: any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods (wealth).

Socialist: one who advocates or practices socialism.

Direct quotes:

Obama - "... a redistribution of wealth is necessary." ... we want to spread the wealth around."

Biden - "... we want to take money and put it into the pocket of the middle class." (note: the "take" is from you, the taxpayer - any taxpayer)

Griffin (Alabama's fifth congressional district Democratic candidate) - "...I think America's greatest enemy is America and its Imperialism. And I think that ... uh ... we have nothing to fear from radical Islam. . . . I don't fear radical Islam."

Thanks To Daphne Roberts
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PREPARE for a new America: That's the message that the Rev. Jesse Jackson conveyed to participants in the first World Policy Forum, held at this French lakeside resort last week. He promised "fundamental changes" in US foreign policy - saying America must "heal wounds" it has caused to other nations, revive its alliances and apologize for the "arrogance of the Bush administration."
The most important change would occur in the Middle East, where "decades of putting Israel's interests first" would end. Jackson believes that, although "Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades" remain strong, they'll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House. "Obama is about change," Jackson told me in a wide-ranging conversation. "And the change that Obama promises is not limited to what we do in America itself. It is a change of the way America looks at the world and its place in it."
Jackson warns that he isn't an Obama confidant or adviser, "just a supporter." But he adds that Obama has been "a neighbor or, better still, a member of the family." Jackson's son has been a close friend of Obama for years, and Jackson's daughter went to school with Obama's wife Michelle. "We helped him start his career," says Jackson. "And then we were always there to help him move ahead. He is the continuation of our struggle for justice not only for the black people but also for all those who have been wronged."
Will Obama's election close the chapter of black grievances linked to memories of slavery? The reverend takes a deep breath and waits a long time before responding. "No, that chapter won't be closed," he says. "However, Obama's victory will be a huge step in the direction we have wanted America to take for decades." Jackson rejects any suggestion that Obama was influenced by Marxist ideas in his youth. "I see no evidence of that," he says. "Obama's thirst for justice and equality is rooted in his black culture."
But is Obama - who's not a descendant of slaves - truly a typical American black?
Jackson emphatically answers yes: "You don't need to be a descendant of slaves to experience the oppression, the suffocating injustice and the ugly racism that exists in our society," he says. "Obama experienced the same environment as all American blacks did. It was nonsense to suggest that he was somehow not black enough to feel the pain." Is Jackson worried about the "Bradley effect" - that people may be telling pollsters they favor the black candidate, but won't end up voting for him?
"I don't think this is how things will turn out," he says. "We have a collapsing economy and a war that we have lost in Iraq. In Afghanistan, we face a resurgent Taliban. New threats are looming in Pakistan. Our liberties have been trampled under feet . . . Today, most Americans want change, and know that only Barack can deliver what they want. Young Americans are especially determined to make sure that Obama wins." He sees a broad public loss of confidence in the nation's institutions: "We have lost confidence in our president, our Congress, our banking system, our Wall Street and our legal system to protect our individual freedoms. . . I don't see how we could regain confidence in all those institutions without a radical change of direction."
Jackson declines to be more concrete about possible policy changes. After all, he insists, he isn't part of Obama's policy team. Yet he clearly hopes that his views, reflecting the position of many Democrats, would be reflected in the policies of an Obama administration. On the economic front, he hopes for "major changes in our trading policy."
"We cannot continue with the open-door policy," he says. "We need to protect our manufacturing industry against unfair competition that destroys American jobs and creates ill-paid jobs abroad."
Would that mean an abrogation of the NAFTA treaty with Canada and Mexico?
Jackson dismisses the question as "premature": "We could do a great deal without such dramatic action." His most surprising position concerns Iraq. He passionately denounces the toppling of Saddam Hussein as "an illegal and unjust act." But he's now sure that the United States "will have to remain in Iraq for a very long time."
What of Obama's promise to withdraw by 2010? Jackson believes that position will have to evolve, reflecting "realities on the ground." "We should work with our allies in Iraq to consolidate democratic institutions there," he says. "We must help the people of Iraq decide and shape their future in accordance with their own culture and faith."
On Iran, he strongly supports Obama's idea of opening a direct dialogue with the leadership in Tehran. "We've got to talk to tell them what we want and hear what they want," Jackson says. "Nothing is gained by not talking to others." Would that mean ignoring the four UN Security Council resolutions that demand an end to Iran's uranium-enrichment program? Jackson says direct talks wouldn't start without preparations.
"Barack wants an aggressive and dynamic diplomacy," he says. "He also wants adequate preparatory work. We must enter the talks after the ground has been prepared," he says.
Jackson is especially critical of President Bush's approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
"Bush was so afraid of a snafu and of upsetting Israel that he gave the whole thing a miss," Jackson says. "Barack will change that," because, as long as the Palestinians haven't seen justice, the Middle East will "remain a source of danger to us all."
"Barack is determined to repair our relations with the world of Islam and Muslims," Jackson says. "Thanks to his background and ecumenical approach, he knows how Muslims feel while remaining committed to his own faith."

Thanks, merci, vielen Dank, hartelijk bedankt,
E. Daphne Roberts
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My father always said:
‘Show me who your friends are, and I’ll show you who you are’.
That was true then and still true today.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright, radical black racist, spiritual mentor to Obama for 20 years. "GODDAMN America!" "Aids was made by the government to destroy blacks."
Father Michael Pfleger, radical racist, a campaign contributor to Obama, in addition to being yet another "spiritual mentor." Obama got a $225,000.00 earmark for Pfleger’s church when Obama was in the state legislature in Illinois.
ACORN, abused the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 by forcing banks to make hundreds of millions of dollars in "subprime" loans to often uncreditworthy poor and minority customers. Major contribution to collapse of our financial system. Obama was an attorney and trainer for ACORN.
Bill Ayers, Organizer of the Weather Underground, admitted: "Guilty as hell, and free as a bird. It's a great country." Hosted Obama’s initial fund raiser/introduction to politics in Ayers home.
Penny Pritzker, heads Obama camp National Finance Committee, was president of Superior Bank - massively failed and she literally bought her way out of jail paying $460 MILLION fine; was the very epicenter of subprime loan scandal that would come to eat this nation’s financial system alive.
Jim Johnson, Fannie Mae CEO, former head of Obama’s vice presidential selection committee.
Franklin Raines, Freddie Mac CEO (formerly, forced to resign), Part of Obama’s advisory group (but resigned after credit collapse). Made at lease $50M while taking down Freddie Mac and using ‘accounting errors’ to hide the true solvency of Freddie Mac.
Tony Rezko, convicted on several counts of fraud and bribery, awaits sentencing. Bought property adjacent to Obama’s home and on the same day that Obama bought. Later sold part to Obama at a discount.
Frank Marshall Davis, friend and adviser to Obama while he was growing up in Hawaii has been identified as a member of the old Moscow-controlled Communist Party USA.
Rashid Khalidi, Prof. Columbia University, a harsh critic of Israel, has held a fundraiser for Obama. Woods Fund co-founder. Obama and Bill Ayers served on the board of the Woods Fund.
Mazen Asbahi, Chicago lawyer, appointed as Obama camp national coordinator for Muslim affairs. Obama was in a photo, in traditional Muslim clothes, hanging with Muslim radicals such as Mazen Asbahi and anti-Semite Rashid Khalidi.
If elected, can you imagine the list of those receiving Presidential pardons from Obama on his way out of office?

Thanks to David Lamb
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Housing Crisis Explained-must read - - David Lamb

SHOT IN THE FANNIE MAE
The History of a Financial Disaster

1997
>> Fannie Mae is a GSE (Govt. Sponsored Entity) regulated by Congress.
>> Fannie Mae buys mortgages from other companies.
>> It is backed by the taxpayers for all losses, but keeps all profits.
>> President Clinton loosens Home Loan Requirements.

1998
>> Banks begin making thousands of bad loans,0 down, no documentation, for 120%! (1998 – 2008).
>> Executives at Fannie receive huge bonuses if loan targets are met.
>> Franklin Raines and Jamie Garelick from the Clinton Administration are appointed to run Fannie Mae.

2003
>> President Bush proposes a new oversight committee to clean up Fannie Mae, but Democrats derail the effort.
>> Rep. Melvyn Watt, (D-NC) Committee on Financial Institutions & Consumer Credit. stated, “I don’t see much other than weakening the bargaining power poorer families to get affordable housing.”

1999 - 2004
>> Raines earns $100 million in bonuses.
>> Garelick earns $75 million in bonuses.
>> In 2004, Enron collapses, congress investigates, Executives Skilling & Lay go to jail, for fraudulent bookkeeping.
>> Congress responds with the Sorbanes- Oxley Act, more heavy regulation of corporations.

2004
>> An OMB investigation finds massive fraudulent bookkeeping at Fannie Mae.
>> False numbers triggered executive bonuses every year.
>> Congress holds no hearings, no one goes to jail, or is punished.
>> WHY NOT?

1999 -2005
>> Fannie Mae gives millions to Democratic causes, examples: Jesse Jackson & ACORN.
>> Fannie Mae pays millions to 354 congressmen and senators, from both parties.
>> Who got the most money?

Top 4 Recipients
#1 Sen. Christopher Dodd, (D-CT) Chairman of the Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs Committee
#2 Sen. Barack Obama, (D-IL) Federal Financial Management Committee
#3 Sen. Chuck Schumer, (D-NY) Chairman of the Finance Committee
#4 Rep. Barney Frank, (D-MA) Chairman of the House Financial Services Committe

2005
>> Franklin Raines & top execs are forced to resign from Fannie Mae.
>> They do not go to jail.
>> There is no media “perp. walk.”
>> They keeps all of their bonuses
>> They finally pay $31.4 million in civil fines.

2005
>> The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act is sponsored by: #325 Sen. John McCain, (R-AZ) Armed Services, & Commerce, Science, & Transportation
“If Congress does not act, American taxpayers will continue to be exposed to the enormous risk that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pose to the housing market, the overall financial system, and the economy as a whole.”

2005
>> None of the top 4 recipients support the legislation.
>> The reform act is blocked by Democrats, never even making it out of committee.
>> None of the politicians return any of the money, tainted by fraud.

2008
>> Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac go bankrupt and the govt. takes them over completely.
>> Lehman Brothers, goes bankrupt from investing in bad mortgages.
>> AIG get $85 million in loan guarantees, after insuring bad loans & projects.
>> Taxpayers will ultimately pay BILLIONS.
>> Did government involvement in the mortgage market work out?
>> How will even MORE government involvement make it better? Do you want to be Sweden?
>> McCain favors revising regulations & loan standards, selling off Fannie & Freddie.

SOURCES
>> Congressional Record, 5/25/06
>> “Hannity & Colmes,” Fox News, 9/16- 9/17/08
>> Herald Tribune, 4/18/08
>> New York Times, 9/13/03
>> www. govtrack.com, 9/17/08

Prof. Dennis Jantz, 2008

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/fanniemae.asp
http://www.positivelybarack.com/2008/10/10/shot-in-the-fannie-mae/
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Being dismayed recently when a family member of mine said to me with great resignation that there’s nothing we can do about the things happening in our country. These words came from someone who in the past has been a great prayer warrior.

What is happening was my question??? Why are we Christians settling and not issuing a battle cry and falling to our knees and taking our country back?

We allow ourselves to be stripped of the right to pray at school functions and in school, we have the 10 commandments removed from government places and are told we cannot pray in school. What in the world is going on and why are we being apathetic?

Why aren't we praying? Our God is a mighty God who is waiting patiently for us to raise our voices to heaven to stop the tide of the anti-Christ actions in our world today.

There has never been a time in 2000 years that we can do nothing, never a time that we must sit back and allow the evil in men's and women's hearts to take over our world. We should be very afraid because our apathy is leading us to perdition.

It is time for all Christian Americans to raise the battle cry and take our nation back.

We are great at passing stories and pictures around the internet, but where are our prayers and prayer warriors praying? God parted the red sea, Jesus raised himself from the dead, and we can bring our country back to its Christian roots but we must begin to pray, to pray as if our country and our lives depended on it, because they do.

Okay prayer warriors, here is your challenge, start those prayer chains. Stop those who would take God out of our country and our government. Raise up good men to lead us and protect us.

But we should not rest on our laurels and allow ourselves to be taken further off the path of Christianity and to have God removed from our presence in our schools, courts, government and businesses. Invite God into the fray. Ask that His power rest upon us and give us the victory. Ask him to raise up a mighty army to defend us and to protect our country as he did in days of old. Let us be victorious beginning NOW. The battle is His but we must call on Him without ceasing and unite our voices and hearts in prayer and fasting.

'Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.'

I Thess 5:16-18

....Continuous Prayer is the answer to this attack on the USA.... Please pray the Will of God will prevail through our continuous prayers to HIM...

Remember Prayer Can... Move Mountains

Thanks to David Lamb
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| Safety from the Heart |
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October 16, 2008
Thank You to Local Fire Fighters
Today's Message is from Dick Waller (a Pasadena Albemarle employee).

I sent this out not long ago but, since this is fire prevention month, I'm sending it again! GOD bless all of those that protect us.
....................................................................

You stay up for 16 hours. He's been up for 48 straight.
You take a warm shower to help you wake up. The rain in the middle of the interstate keeps him awake.
You complain of a 'headache', and call in sick. He's chilled to the bone, hasn't eaten all day, has the flu, and then runs into a burning building.
You drink your coffee on your way to the mall. He pumps on a five-year-old's chest on the way to the hospital.
You make sure your cell phone is in your pocket. He makes sure the pass device on his pack is working.
You talk trash about your 'buddies' that aren't with you. He watches his buddy fall through four floors.
You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls. He walks down the highway looking for the motorcyclist's missing limb.
You complain about how hot it is. He wears fifty pounds of gear in the middle of July and drags a body out of 1600 degree flames.
You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order wrong. He hasn't seen a meal since the last shift ate breakfast.
Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes. He's worn the same stinking, wet, grungy clothes for the past 24 hours....no time for a shower.
You go to the mall and get your hair redone. He holds the hair of some college girl while she's puking in the back of the ambulance.
You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over. His shift ended 2 hours ago and he's on for another 24 hours at a station thirty miles away.
You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight. He calls his girlfriend to tell her he made it back alive....then leaves abruptly for another fire.
You yell and scream at the engine that just passed you because they slowed you down. He's in the back of the engine, going to cut somebody out of their car only to find out that they're dead and their daughter is barely alive.
You roll your eyes as a baby cries. He cries as he hears his new born cry in the hospital....but he was taking a drunk teenager in when his boy was born.
You criticize your fire dept. and say they're never there quick enough. He blows the air horn while the person in front of them refuses to move while talking on their cell phone and doing their makeup.
You hear the jokes about fallen firefighters and say they should have known better. He feels the floor give way while he's carrying an old lady from her bedroom and tosses on to the hard floor and falls into the unknown.
You see the bright lights when you go by. He sees the broken bodies lying around the car.
You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't. He looks into buying a bullet proof vest because he has been shot at trying to save the shooting victim's life.
You stay at home and watch TV. He takes his spare time to wash the wagon, restock the ambulance and maybe call his mother to tell her not to worry-he'll be home the next night.
You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable. He tries to sleep on his spring board bed, but keeps getting woken up by the gong and bell, ah, one hour of sleep, it should do till tomorrow night.
You sit there and judge him, saying that it's a waste of money to have them around. Garbage truck workers make more than he does, but it's not for the money, it's for the people who don't appreciate what he does.
If you support your local firefighters, next time you see one thank them for what they do.

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| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------
October 14, 2008
Deer Season
Today's Message is from Chet StRomain.

Well, fall is here & for many folks that means deer season. I was doing some research on the web concerning injuries from falls & came across the study in this link: http://www.injuryprevention.org/states/la/deer/deerstan.htm

It deals with elevated deer stands and serious injuries. Its pretty interesting. If you don't have time to read it.....bottom line: Use a safety harness; don't drink alcohol; emphasize safety to those that hunt.
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The Pump Handle. A water cooler for the public health crowd.

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

** "Occupational Health News Roundup" by Liz Borkowski Many employers are raising health-plan deductibles and co-payments instead of increasing premiums; a Massachusetts coalition is addressing high rates of occupational injuries among immigrants; and a nursing shortage can lead to nurse burnout as well as patient-safety concerns. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/16/occupational-health-news-roundup-85/

** "Miners want another hearing on drug testing rule" by Celeste Monforton The United Steelworkers and the United Mine Workers have sent letters to Asst. Secretary of Labor Richard Stickler asking for additional hearings and a longer public comment period for its proposed rule on mandatory drug and alcohol testing for workers in the mining industry, after logistical problems with the first hearing effectively prevented hundreds of witnesses to testifying. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/miners-want-another-hearing-on-drug-testing-rule/

** "MSHA's E-Hearing: A "Logistical Nightmare" from MSH News Due to logistical issues, many people trying to attend a hearing on MSHA's proposed drug-testing rule were turned away. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/mshas-e-hearing-a-logistical-nightmare/

** "Lesson for Labor Department on Open Access" by Celeste Monforton The Labor Department has failed to post certain attachments to public comments about its risk-assessment rule, citing copyright issues. Several of these documents are, in fact, freely available to the public because they were published in open-access journals or were U.S. government works. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/lesson-for-labor-dept-about-open-access/

** "Another Worker Dead from Bayer CropScience Explosion" by Celeste Monforton After being hospitalized for 43 days, Bill Oxley became the second worker to die from a massive explosion at the Bayer CropScience facility in Institute, WV. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/13/another-worker-dead-from-bayer-cropscience-explosion/

http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/
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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.

Scaffolding collapse kills 1 SEPT 10, DETROIT, MI -- Workers were dismantling scaffolding at a project near the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit this evening when the scaffolding collapsed, killing Gilbert Danz, 29, of Roseville. Federal records show that the worker's employer, a steel construction company based in Shelbyville, has had 30 violations of safety rules since 2003. The construction is part of the $230 million Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project, scheduled for completion in December 2009.

Railroad worker killed by tanker car SEPT 10, TERRE HAUTE, IN -- Philip T. Myers, 42, of Clay City, was working with another worker on the property of Tangent Rail Products today when he was struck by a tanker car that had derailed. Authorities are unsure as to why the tanker, which was being pushed slowly down a railroad spur, derailed. Mr. Myers, an active member of the Rail Road/Teamster Union, had worked as a railroad engineer for Indiana Rail Road for over 16 years. He is survived by several family members, including his wife, children, and grandparents.

Fall claims silo builder SEPT 10, MINNEOLA, KS -- Phil Love, 39, of Wichita, died en route to a hospital this morning after falling 120 feet. Mr. Love was building grain silos at a co-op in southwest Kansas when he fell from the scaffolding. Clark County Sheriff said he suffered massive head trauma and internal injuries.

Worker killed in building collapse SEPT 10, CHESTER, VA -- Scott Gioradano, 38, of Disputanta, was found dead today after the building in which he was working collapsed. The building he was working in at Chester Village Green, a mixed-use development, was about 80% completed, and authorities are unsure what caused it to collapse. A nearby witness said she heard the crash and saw more than a dozen workers fleeing from the crumbling building. "They came running out fast," she said. "There was so many of them, you couldn't keep count."

Worker killed at lumber mill SEPT 9, LACLEDE, ID -- A 54-year old employee of Riley Creek Lumber was killed in an accident at their mill in Laclede early Tuesday morning. The name of the victim has not yet been released.

Road construction worker killed SEPT 9, PRINCE GEORGE, VA -- Road construction contractor Antonio Tenorio, 43, of Lanexa, was working this morning in a marked work zone when he was struck by a dump truck that was backing up. Paramedics rushed to the scene but Mr. Tenorio had already passed away. The incident is under investigation.

Worker electrocuted at Wal-Mart SEPT 9, WALPOLE, MA -- Romulos Santos, 47, a native of Brazil who was living in Somerville, was killed today while working with a remodeling team at Wal-Mart. Police said the work crew had accidentally cut through electrical cable and that Mr. Santos was trying to restore the power on his own when he came into contact with live wires. He was pronounced dead at Caritas Norwood Hospital.

Worker crushed by forklift SEPT 8, VINELAND, NJ -- Julio A. Rivera, 37, was working at Rudco Products Monday afternoon when another employee lost control of a forklift and the machine pinned Mr. Rivera against a trash compactor. He was transported to South Jersey Healthcare-Regional Medical Center but pronounced dead shortly thereafter.

Worker dies at oil and gas well pad SEPT 9, GRAND JUNCTION, CO -- Talliesin Dodd Hayden, 38, of Butte, Montana, died from injuries sustained yesterday in an accident Halliburton's Laramie Energy well pad. Mr. Hayden was providing wireline service when a cable broke, causing a 29-foot long, 100-pound tube to strike him in the head. He died Tuesday afternoon at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand junction from multiple injuries, including head trauma.

Worker dies after trench collapse SEPT 6, SEATTLE, WA -- A construction worker who survived a trench collapse on Thursday has died from the injuries he sustained. Steven Dale Slee, 28, was working at a Rainier Vista construction project when 7,000 pounds of compacted dirt fell from the side of a trench. Rescuers used an airbag and ladders to reach him.

Man killed in industrial accident SEPT 6, CHATTANOOGA, TN -- A worker at ACME Industrial Piping reported Saturday that he had found a man crushed under a gate that had fallen on him. The gate weighed several thousand pounds. Michael Reid, 55, a painter employed by Pro-Coat, was sandblasting the gate when it fell. He was pronounced dead at the scene. “Both (ACME and Pro-Coat) are family businesses, very tight knit,” said ACME President Jim Bailey. “Anytime something like this happens, it gets to the heart of the whole industry.”

Construction worker falls 40 stories SEPT 4, NEW YORK, NY -- A subcontracted construction worker Anthony Espito, 43, was working to dismantle a crane Thursday outside a Manhattan skyscraper when he apparently lost his footing and fell 40 stories to the concrete below. Mr. Espito, who was killed instantly, had been wearing a safety harness, but it was not attached to anything. "When this happens, it's heartbreaking," said Pedro Cedeno, an ironworker at the site. "It's like your own family." Said another, ""This happens. We live with that."

Worker crushed by well-drilling rig SEPT 4 ,CHESTER COUNTY, Pa. - A Lebanon County man was killed when a well-drilling rig toppled over at a work site in Chester County Thursday afternoon. The rig's 25-foot mast struck and killed 44-year-old Gregory Martin, of Myerstown, officials said. Martin was working as a driller's helper at the time.

Machine operator dies in tractor accident SEPT 4, NOGALES, AZ- Jaime Lillywhite, 43, a well-known local heavy machinery operator died instantly on Thursday morning after being trampled by the track of a 49-ton Caterpillar D9 tractor. According to the Nogales Police Department, Lillywhite "was pinned by a portion of the track" and suffered "massive trauma to the upper torso."

Industrial accident claims one SEPT 4, MARTIN COUNTY, TX -- Auturo Urias of Midland was working by a caliche pit off Highway 349 today when his car stopped working. He had gotten under the car to fix some hydraulic problems and asked another worker to start the engine, not realizing that the truck was in gear. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at Midland Memorial Hospital.

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. Sgt. Reuben M. Fernandez III, 22, of Abilene, Texas, died on Oct. 11 of wounds sustained when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Majar Al Kabir, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

02. Spc. Geoffrey G. Johnson, 28, of Lubbock, Texas, died on Oct. 12 of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

03. Sgt. Michael K. Clark, 24, of Sacramento, Calif., died Oct. 7 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire while on dismounted patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

04. Pfc. Scott G. Dimond, 39, of Franklin, N.H., died Oct. 13 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an IED and his patrol was engaged in a small arms fire attack. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 172nd Infantry Regiment (Mountain), New Hampshire Army National Guard, Milford, N.H.

05. Pfc. Christopher A. McCraw, 23, of Columbia, Miss., died Oct. 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire while on dismounted patrol in Nasar Wa Salam. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

The Department of Defense announced the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Oct. 14 in Qazi Bandeh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were:
06. Spc. Cory J. Bertrand, 18, of Center, Texas
07. Spc. Stephen R. Fortunato, 25, of Danvers, Mass.
08. Sgt. Preston R. Medley, 23, of Baker, Fla.

09. Sgt. John M. Penich, 25, of Beach Park, Ill., died Oct. 16 in Karangol Village, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from indirect fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
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Please remember to pray for the American soldiers stationed everywhere around the globe and especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. 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 - - Coming Events
~~~~~
Ducks Unlimited Banquet, Saturday, October 25, Main Event Pavillion. For tickets or more information, contact Blake Hogue, Tommy Surles, Greg Harrell, or Genia Harrell
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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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Interested in getting in touch with the Banner-News through e-mail?
E-mail addresses for communicating with the newspaper’s various departments are: news@bannernews.net For news and sports items, Coming Events, Diary, Church News, school and civic events.
advertising@bannernews. net For retail and classified advertising.
circulation@bannernews. net To start, stop or cancel newspaper delivery or for comments about delivery.
outfitters @bannernews.net For Office Outfitters, the office supply division of the Banner-News.
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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
“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 John "Fuzzy" Thurman
~~~~~
Hope you enjoy the newsletter.
Again, thanks to all our contributors this week.

God bless and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Col 3:17-23 Heb 12:7-11 1 Cor 12:3-6 Luke 24:25-27 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@suddenlink.net
. 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, 07, or 08). 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@suddenlink.net 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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Bug's Bleat - - GCF: Long Line

Volume 10, Issue 40 Friday, October 03, 2008

Hello All,

Sorry we missed last week’s issue. Dusty and I helped unload a truck load of emergency supplies at our Disaster Medical Team Warehouse in Little Rock last Saturday. I’m really proud of how hard he worked as well as how smart he worked. I assigned several shipping containers to him to inventory. Each container (about 2.5' x 2.5' x 4') is marked with the contents and weight on the outside (i.e. surgical gloves - 147 lbs) and has an inventory sheet on the inside listing the exact contents (i.e. Surgical Gloves size 6 - 100 pr, Surgical Gloves size 6.5 - 100 pr, etc.) We had to inventory any containers that had their seals broken while they were in South east Texas.
Shortly after assigning the job to Dusty, I looked over and he had another young person and one of our team doctors working hard inventorying the containers. Dusty was telling them how to do it and advising them how to keep count of large quantity items. That’s my boy.
~~~~~
And, with everything that happened over the last two weeks, it’s a good time to go to our “Happy Places”. I asked Dinah Sue what she remembered about our childhood. Here’s some of her memories, added to some of mine;
I remember the great dirt clod wars we had when the garden was tilled. I remember sitting on the ice-cream maker forever and not even liking vanilla ice cream. I remember Aunt Iris taking us to the lake often to swim. Uncle Bob teaching us to drive on country roads. I remember eating great vegetables from the garden and how I was so glad my father didn't want me to work in his garden. I
remember not wearing shoes all summer except for church. I remember sitting for hours on grandmother's front porch and no one talking much. I remember eating pomegranates off of Miss Nobies bushes.
I remember catching fire flies in “mason” jars. Lying on the Turtle Hull and watching shooting stars. Walking to town and the time a couple of state police officers bought us an ice cream cone. Riding on top of the hay truck. Riding on the back of Henry Lee’s Chevy Convertible as we all traveled to the Red River. Shooting fireworks at Christmas. Going to the School Halloween Carnival. Playing “Red Rover” or “Hide and Seek.”
What do you remember?
~~~~~
Just about everyone I know, watched the Vice-Presidential Debate this week. Sarah did a good job, but so did Joe.
~~~~~
Remember the quote from “Men In Black” about A Person (one) vs People (many)? Kay (Tommy Lee Jones Character) says in the movie; “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals ...” This was proven again last week when thousands of Washington Mutual investors made a “run” on the bank, sending it crashing into insolvency. As a result of the “run” WaMu was seized by government regulators and its branches and assets sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the biggest U.S. bank failure in history. A bank failure precipitated by the panic of it’s clients. Their deposits were federally insured. They weren’t in danger, until they panicked and brought the bank down.
Now, WaMu was having loan problems before the run and was looking for a buyer. But the panic nearly caused the sale deal to collapse before it could be finalized.
Now, with headlines such as “biggest U.S. bank failure in history” the herd is charging back and forth across the economy, wreaking more havoc. After 9/11 I made money in the stock market by buying stocks at low prices while the “herd” was selling them. In fact, I bought airline stocks that week.
This is another opportunity for us “Persons” to cash in on the panic of “People”.
~~~~~
Of course, these are scary times. But not as scary as the “Peoples” FEAR would indicate. Of course our government is responding to their FEAR by trying to restore confidence in our economy. Today, the House of Representatives voted for the 700 billion bailout (which included some sweet pork to make it go down easier) and the President signed it into law.
I contend that this was, in fact, unnecessary except for the FEAR running amok among the populace. And this FEAR probably won’t be abated by the biggest bail-out in U.S. (and maybe world) history.
~~~~~
More results of FEAR “Sour economy tied to psychology that fed gas panic” [http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2008-09-28_D93G1K6O1&show_article=1&lst=1]
~~~~~
And speaking of FEAR, everyone should read this article from Investors Business Daily. It is very revealing on where we may very well be headed financially. Some may be fine with this. If you are, read it to ensure that you are an informed voter.

No matter whether you consider your personal political brand as liberal, moderate or conservative you probably won't want to hear what this article has to say, but you need to. Click on the link below or copy and paste it to your search engine.
[http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=302137342405551]

Thanks to David Lamb
~~~~~
Meanwhile, as our FEAR for our economy consumes all our resources, our enemies are attacking our soldiers worldwide. Over the last two weeks 30 soldiers died in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
~
We really need to be thinking about the WAR instead of our IRAs.
~~~~~
The tamale recipe in Da Bleat reminds me of a question I heard once: "Why is it - the less they do to prepare your food, the more it costs?" You can easily prove this true by comparing: Steak tartar - raw hamburger, $18 for an appetizer portion at Emeril's Delmonico, Tamales - 3 page recipe (as listed in Da Bleat), lots of equipment, at least 8 hours to prepare - $3/dozen at any roadside stand.
hmmm....
Thanks to Joe Tudor
~~~~~
Do you remember the shock of high gas prices? Wait till you see your heating bill this winter. But you don’t have to be a victim. Here are some steps you can take to cut those astronomical heating bills that are bearing down on you this winter. (Thanks to Alan Zibel, AP business writer)
Buy a programmable thermostat. You can get them for around $40, give or take $15. We installed one a few seasons ago and were amazed at the immediate difference in our utility bills. You should see up to a 20% reduction in your heating bill with a programmable thermostat. And saving 20% will help even you folks on natural gas, which is forecast to cost 26% more this winter.
Seal leaks around doors, windows, electrical outlets, etc. Any place that cold air leaks in, also allows warm air to leak out, requiring you to heat more air for your home. And sealing leaks should be done before adding insulation. If you have major leaks in your home, more insulation will have negligible effects.
But, once you’ve done the simple things, the next most economical thing to do for a home is add insulation, if it is lacking.
And, if you have to replace a furnace, consider an energy efficient natural gas furnace. We installed one a few years back and it really made a difference. However, the savings won’t work out unless you need a new furnace anyway.
So, get busy and make your home more energy efficient. It will save you money and it will save the country fuel.
~~~~~
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of water chlorination in the U.S.
This week marks the 100th birthday of the nation's first water-chlorination program, in Jersey City, N.J., a public health milestone in terms of preventing bacterial and viral pathogens such as typhoid and cholera. "There's no question that chlorinating our drinking water was one the greatest public-health advances our nation has seen," said Joan Brunkard of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. News & World Report [http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/09/25/water-chlorination-and-12-other-lifesaving-innovations-that-rarely-get-credit.html]
~~~~~
Bill to bar exportation of mercury sent to president
A bill sponsored by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama that would ban the federal sale and export of elemental mercury has been sent to President George W. Bush. The measure is designed to keep the neurotoxic element safely stored and to prevent its environmental release, and the bill was crafted with the consultation of industry groups including the American Chemistry Council. [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gebq2V8Z2y5bM2j1ZJNdwQNf7kgwD93GGMK80]
~~~~~
http://www.eyeblast.tv/Public/Video.aspx?rsrcID=2036
~~~~~
Congratulations to Sid Moore, HP-900 boardman, who competed in the U.S. Senior Amateur Champion Golf Tournament in Fort Worth, TX. this past weekend!
The USGA Senior Amateur Championship is open to amateurs who have reached their 55th birthday and have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 7.4. Sid started out in a field of 2,393 entries and was among 64 players advancing to match play following a week-end of stroke play. Sid was seeded 16th in match play on Monday, 9/22, but was defeated in first-round action with a score of 152, 2 and 1.
We're very proud of Sid who is a lifelong golfer, but was competing (most likely) against a lot of retired golfers who have much more time to devote to the sport than Sid does!!
~~~~~
SKYWARN TRAINING
A Volunteer "Storm Spotters" class is scheduled for Magnolia Hospital on Monday October 6 from 18:30 (6:30 PM) - 21:30 (9:30 pm). This will be a video Conference type class. If you'd like to attend, let me know and we'll reserve a place for you.
~~~~~
Congratulations to John and Christy Cochran on the birth of Carson John Cochran who was born on Monday, September 22!
~~~~~
Magnolia Lions Club Fundraiser - October 30 - Grilled Hamburger Take-out Supper $6.00. Hamburger, Chips, Cookie & Soda. Pick up at Brookshire's Parking Lot - 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
~~~~~
Congratulations to R. Eric Williams on his recent induction into the Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers.
The Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers is a nonprofit organization that recognizes outstanding chemical engineers and provides support for the University of Arkansas Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering.
~~~~~
We extend our sincere sympathy to Jackie Cottrell (Area I loader) whose wife, Karen, passed away.
Funeral services for Karen Cottrell were held Wednesday, October 1
~~~~~
Our company keeps sending us notices that we’ll have to report “Total Body Fat” on our insurance renewal next month while our local HR folks tell us we won’t need to know that number. Well, if you’re worried about it, here’s a site that Kay found that calculates body fat for you. Now, sleep soundly. [http://www.am-i-fat.com/body_fat_percentage.html]
~~~~~
Medicaid recipients across Florida challenging the nightmare of the old and disabled: to be forced from comfort and familiarity into a nursing home.
Advocates charge that nursing homes, afraid of losing money, have successfully pressured politicians to make qualifying for community care more difficult. They have filed a federal lawsuit seeking class-action status on behalf of nearly 8,500 institutionalized Floridians.
"There are very, very, very few people who cannot be cared for outside in the community," said Stephen Gold, a Philadelphia disability lawyer who, along with AARP attorneys and others, is representing the group. "Why should the state give a damn whether you put the money in the left pocket of the nursing home or the right pocket of the community?"
Americans who qualify for Medicaid and get sick or disabled enough to require substantial care typically have little problem gaining admission to a nursing home. But obtaining Medicaid-supported services at home, such as visits from an aide, is substantially harder and often involves a long waiting list, even though it may cost the government less.
"There's a lot of concern that the nursing home industry is very powerful in many states and has made sure that a lot of Medicaid dollars go to institutional care as opposed to home and community-based care," said Toby Edelman, an attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
~~~~~
Don’t forget to use GoodSearch [http://www.goodsearch.com/] when you search the Internet!
~~~~~
DarynKagan.com - - Near Drowning Victim Reunited With Her Hero - - http://darynkagan.demo.nimbussoftware.com/heroism/index.html - - 30 years ago, Nikki McFarland was a little girl playing in a lake with her sister when she got into big trouble. A stranger named Dick Becker came to her rescue and saved her life. It's something Nikki never forgot and was determined to say, "Thank You" for, even when she had no idea where her hero was 30 years later. Turns out, he was practically next door.
~~~~~
The Lighthouse Church - - http://thelighthousechurch.publishpath.com/
News - Monday, September 22, 2008 - jimmy Malone
Wow, it's been a while, huh? So much has happened in the last month and a half that I can't tell it all. The bad news is that we are looking for a new church location. The good news is that God is opening up doors of ministry for us in Franklinton, a town 25 miles north of here. With the hurricanes of the last three years, a lot of new people are moving into the area. The Assemblies of God (our fellowship of churches) does not have a church in that area. We have agreed to move there.
When two of our families moved to north Louisiana following Gustav, it left us starting over again from scratch. God spoke to us from Genesis. When Isaac was disputing with the local herdsmen over a well he had dug, the Bible says he "dug another well". More on that later, but for now-we are digging in.
God is really blessing this new endeavor!
Pastor Jimmy
~~~~~
HELLO FRIENDS AND PARTNERS,

How can you tell if God has spoken to you? One of the easiest ways is to see if what He said comes to pass. What the Lord told me in the year 2002 is coming to pass here in Tanzania. The spirit of violent Islam is raising its head. This month Muslims are trying to push the president, Kikwete, who is Muslim, into a corner. They want him to evoke Sheria Law as the law of the land. This is the equivalent to forcing people into Islam. In one of these pictures you see the Bible College students praying to the Lord to intervene in this situation. The radical Muslims also want to annex the island of Zanzibar from the mainland Tanzania. This is for the sole purpose of turning the island into a Muslim state.
This is the time of Ramadan which is the Muslims fast. Recently non-Muslim people were eating their meal when radical Muslims broke into their compound and hauled them off to jail. The police cooperated by allowing them to be put in a civil jail.
Last month I preached a Leadership Conference for Pastor Paulo Samweli in the town of Singida which is dead center of the nation. He is the most powerful pastor in the region and has the ear of the president. Recently in a meeting the president made an interesting observation and told Pastor Paulo, “You Christians let the Muslims just push you around”. So far President Kikwete has remained moderate and we pray the Lord keep him so.
We have five students from the island of Zanzibar. It’s not a coincidence. There may come a time in the near future when no white person can preach the Gospel there. God has His undercover agents in training in our school right now. They are willing to risk their lives for the preaching of the Gospel.
It’s not often a person gets to see exactly how their lives can make a difference in a nation. This I consider to be the greatest blessing and challenge I have ever known in ministry.
In closing, please know how much I appreciate your prayers and financial support. I could not do it without you. The grace of the Lord is helping Debbie and me in our time of separation but it is still difficult. Recently we were hit with some very big needs so please be in agreement with us for special provision at this time.

Sincerely your servant in Christ,
Paul David Troquille
~~~~~
Each week the Defense Department highlights military personnel who have gone above and beyond in the war. [http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/] - - Sean Kane - - Hometown: Los Altos, CA - - Awarded: Bronze Star

On an August evening in 2007, Staff Sergeant Sean Kane was conducting a meeting with a local Iraqi leader with other members of the 3rd Heavy Combat Brigade Team. These sorts of face to face interactions are absolutely vital to winning the support of the populace and defeating the insurgency. During the courtyard meeting, the outer layer of local security forces allowed a seemingly harmless passer-by to proceed towards the gathered Americans and Iraqis. Like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the unidentified man came closer and closer to the crowd and began to chant prayers when Kane realized what was approaching.

Iraqi security saw the suicide vest on him, panicked, and ran away. As the Iraqi security guards ran from the would-be suicide bomber, Kane charged towards him. Kane put himself between the unarmed civilians, which included a family of 13, and the sadistic terrorist, Kane raised his weapon and at that moment the bomber detonated. Saving Kane and his fellow soldiers one of the Iraqi leader’s sons tackled the bomber and took the majority of the blast.

Only ten feet from the blast, Kane was hit by the severed torso of the would-be killer and knocked to the ground. In the gore, smoke, and chaos ensuing after the explosion, Kane, dazed but focused, dragged himself to the entrance of the courtyard to guard against further attacks.

By intercepting the bomber while all others fled, Kane’s split second decision saved the lives of three other soldiers, an interpreter, and many civilians. For his courage in staring down a terrorist and saving the lives of all those at the meeting, Staff Sergeant Sean Kane was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor.
~~~~~
Steve Downey sent us the story of a Marine who has been denied the medal of honor under some sort of unusual circumstances.
"This is a case my friends and I have been watching for months, but it came to an end this last Wednesday. I have it from Marines that were there that Sgt. Peralta was shot in the face, in the chest and leg, knew he was going to die, and when the grenade rolled by him, he grabbed it and tucked it into his body to save his fellow troupes!. On Wednesday of this week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made his final decision in this mater. A Navy Cross will be the award. He was said to have made the decision a few weeks ago, but did the final sign-off on it Wednesday. "What's wrong with this picture?" Read for yourself............" [http://www.rafaelperalta.org/]

I told Steve that the report I saw said that there was some doubt about either he was conscious when he fell on the grenade. But this whole thing seems to smell. If his commanding officer and fellow soldiers supported it, why did the Sec of Def have to convene a committee? And if he was unconscious, why the Navy Cross? Looks like his family gets a slap in the face either way.

Steve replied; "Exactly! I heard it from guys that were close by ( and even this could be rummer) that the main problem is that one of the three rounds might have been accidental friendly fire. "So What!" There is always a committee involved, by the Sec of Def has no business in it. He's trying to Micro Manage."

I think this is another example of bureaucracy run amok. I think the best honor for this Marine is the line below "Sgt. Rafael Peralta to be remembered for bravery, not awards."

IRAQ: Sgt. Rafael Peralta to be remembered for bravery, not awards.
If history is any guide, the odds are against the idea that President Bush, or his successor, will overrule the Pentagon and award the Medal of Honor to Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta as several lawmakers and a Latino veterans group have suggested.

It would not be unprecedented, however. President Carter overruled his secretary of defense to bestow the medal on a Marine who fought at Guadalcanal.

But in most cases, the original decision stands, according to a report done by the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress in 1998.

The Marine Corps nominated Peralta for the Medal of Honor for having smothered a grenade during house-to-house fighting in Fallouja, Iraq, in November 2004, losing his life but saving other Marines.

Reconsiderations are best based on the discovery of new facts or some sort of problems with the process, and neither seems the case with Defense Secretary Robert Gates' decision late last week to award the Navy Cross rather than the Medal of Honor.

In its report, the research service notes that the Medal of Honor is meant to be restricted to those cases of heroism that are beyond debate or dispute.

In explaining Gates' decision, military spokesmen made just that point: There is disputed evidence about whether Peralta was already clinically dead when the insurgents tossed a grenade at Marines. Also in dispute is whether his body showed the kind of wounds that would be expected if he had tried to smother a grenade.

There is no dispute, however, among the Marines who fought beside Peralta. Five told Marine investigators that they saw Peralta, already gravely wounded, reach out and scoop up the grenade.

In comments published in the Marine Corps Times yesterday, Sgt. Major Carlton Kent, the senior enlisted Marine, urged Marines not to let their anger at the medal decision detract from their respect for Peralta. Kent was part of a committee that had recommended the Medal of Honor for Peralta.

When recruits come to boot camp, Kent said, they will learn about Peralta in the same context as other Marine heroes, including the legendary "Chesty" Puller, possibly the most famous Marine in history.

"Sgt. Peralta will be remembered for his actions, not the award he did or did not receive," Kent said.
-- Tony Perry, in San Diego

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2008/09/if-history-is-a.html
~~~~~
The latest from Michael Yon, the foremost “milnews” blogger on the web.
~
The French and NATO are challenging reports from me and a Canadian newspaper about existence of a secret NATO/ISAF document. This secret document describes the battle during which 10 unprepared French soldiers were killed. The document is real. If the French and NATO continue to challenge its existence, they face embarrassment.

Please read Totally Wrong?.[http://www.michaelyon-online.com/]
~~
Please read Death in the Corn III of III. [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/] You won't want to miss it.
Meanwhile, NATO and French officials are intentionally misleading the public in regard to a secret military report describing the deaths of ten French soldiers. I've carefully read the secret report. There is no doubt that NATO and French statements are being carefully designed to mislead people at home.
~~
The French and NATO are intentionally deceiving the public regarding circumstances surrounding the deaths of 10 French soldiers.
Please read: French and NATO Intentionally Deceiving the Public [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2166:french-and-nato-intentionally-deceiving-the-public&catid=34:dispatches&Itemid=55]
~~
Please look at these photos. [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2217:whatzis&catid=34:dispatches&Itemid=55] I shot them today in Jalalabad. One of the photos contains an old-style camera. Some of the other photos are truly "whatzis?"
Your help in identifying the objects is appreciated. Please leave comments.
Thursday will be a very big day here. Stand by.
~~
I am very happy to announce the opening of my first photography exhibit. During my travels I have taken thousands of photos, only a small portion of which have been published. Some of these images will be on public view for the first time when Picture Perfect Frame Shop in Lakeland, Florida, hosts the Moment of Truth in Iraq Photo Exhibit. From September 25 to November 8, the gallery will feature forty images which have been specially prepared for this event. All images will be available for purchase, along with copies of my books Moment of Truth in Iraq and Danger Close. The proceeds will help fund my work in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Although I will be in Afghanistan, I cordially welcome everybody who can make it. If you’re in the Central Florida area, please come see the exhibit. It will really mean a lot to me.

Picture Perfect Frame Shops, Inc. Exhibit Hours :
4525 South Florida Avenue, Suite 28 Mon, Tue, Wed , + Fri 9am-6pm
Lakeland, Fl 33813 Thur 9am-8pm
863-644-9951 Sat 9am-4pm

Grand Opening on September 25 starting at 9:00 a.m.
~~
The latest dispatch is posted. Please click [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/].
~~
I'm "free-ranging" in Afghanistan without soldiers. Very interesting country. Please stand by for lots of raw information in the upcoming dispatches.

Meanwhile, we are improving the resolution of the photos in past dispatches on the site. Please click [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141:gates-of-fire&catid=61:archive-2005&Itemid=106] to see photos in higher resolution.

V/R,Your correspondent,
Michael

Http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php
~~~~~
Last week we watched [Ratings are my own]:
Double Wedding (1937) [7.5] Starring William Powell ... Myrna Loy
I Love You Again (1940) [7.5] Starring William Powell ... Myrna Loy
Love Crazy (1941) [7.5] Starring William Powell ... Myrna Loy
Leatherheads (2008) [6.5] Starring George Clooney ... Renée Zellweger ... John Krasinski
Café Metropole (1937) [7.5] Starring Loretta Young ... Tyrone Power ... Adolphe Menjou
Girls' Dormitory (1936) [7.5] Starring Ruth Chatterton ... Tyrone Power
This Above All (1942) [7.5] Starring Tyrone Power ... Joan Fontaine ... Thomas Mitchell
Second Honeymoon (1937) [7.5] Starring Tyrone Power ... Loretta Young
~~~~~
Last week we read; Sniper one : on scope and under siege with a sniper team in Iraq / Sgt. Dan Mills. The last patriot / by Brad Thor.
We’re currently reading; Swan Peak : a Dave Robicheaux novel / by James Lee Burke.
We intend to read; Executive privilege / Phillip Margolin, - - - - Forced out : a novel / Stephen Frey. - - Sarah : how a hockey mom turned the political establishment upside / Kaylene Johnson. - -
We recommend: Sniper one : on scope and under siege with a sniper team in Iraq / Sgt. Dan Mills.
~~~~~
http://www.shelfari.
com/BugsBleat/shelf?ec=7D790D174EFS18012
~~~~~
Photos on the front of this weeks “Bleat” include a shot of David and I at the 1976 Sidewalk Art Show, Zac at the Swimming Pool, and two abstract shots from my “favorites” directory.
~~~~~
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.bugsbleat2q08.blogspot.com.
Our photos are posted at http://www.bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com.
If you want to see more photos of April’s train wreck in Magnolia, go to http://www.bugsbleattw.blogspot.com/
~~~~~
Feel free to share the "Bleat" with any and all. That's why we publish it.
~~~~~
Dr. Pat Antoon’s Address:
Pat Antoon 06669-010
Federal Prison Camp
P.O. Box 9300
Texarkana, TX 75505
Be sure and keep him in your prayers.
~~~~~
Recipe(s) of the week - - - 3-Cheese Pasta Bake

From: Campbell's Kitchen
Prep/Cook: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular, 98% Fat Free or 25% Less Sodium)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded two-cheese blend
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 cups cooked corkscrew-shaped pasta

Directions:
MIX soup, cheeses, milk and black pepper in 1 ½-qt. casserole. Stir in pasta.
BAKE at 400̊F. for 20 min. or until hot.
TIP: Use 2 cups of your favorite shredded cheese for the 8-oz. package.

Nutrition Information

using Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup Calories 560, Total Fat 26g, Saturated Fat 15g, Cholesterol 70mg, Sodium 1015mg, Total Carbohydrate 51g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Protein 28g, Vitamin A 13%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 59%DV, Iron 13%DVusing Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Calories 541, Total Fat 24g, Saturated Fat 14g, Cholesterol 69mg, Sodium 868mg, Total Carbohydrate 51g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Protein 28g, Vitamin A 13%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 60%DV, Iron 13%DVusing Campbell's® Condensed 25% Less Sodium Cream of Mushroom Soup Calories 553, Total Fat 26g, Saturated Fat 14g, Cholesterol 70mg, Sodium 880mg, Total Carbohydrate 51g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Protein 28g, Vitamin A 13%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 59%DV, Iron 13%
~~~~~
BreakPoint
Cost and Opportunity
By Chuck Colson
9/26/2008

What's $700 Billion Worth?

Call it sticker shock. Across America, folks are outraged at the government’s rescue plan for the nation’s financial system. I understand—$700 billion is a lot of money.

But let’s get some perspective. Some estimate that the United States will spend more than $400 billion this year alone on foreign oil. So $700 billion is less than what we will be spending on foreign oil this year and next, putting money in the pockets of the likes of Saudi Arabia (which is an exporter of extremist Wahhabi Islam) and Venezuela (whose volatile leader, Hugo Chavez, makes no bones about hating the United States).

Talk about a transfer of wealth—it’s a bailout! Given the vast stores of oil off our shores and up north in Alaska, we don’t have to be pouring that much money overseas for oil. Finally, Congress has yielded to the will of the American public and has let the ban on offshore drilling expire. Good. Let’s start drilling and begin to make a dent in the $400 billion we send overseas each year.

That’s $400 billion that goes up in smoke, but in the rescue plan it is $700 billion actually invested in assets. That’s not a bailout. The government will be purchasing troubled mortgage-based assets at depressed prices. These are assets that are now currently clogging the nation’s credit system. And remember, if we don’t do this and the credit system shuts down, businesses and individuals will find it hugely difficult to get loans, and the economy will grind to a halt. The cost of such an event would be incalculable.

The key here, as many financial analysts have pointed out, is that the U.S. government, and hence the taxpayers, actually stand to profit from this plan. When—not if, but when—the housing market stabilizes and recovers (as it always has), the government can then sell those assets it purchased in many cases, perhaps most cases, at a profit.

So people are outraged about buying mortgages, but they seem indifferent to the fact that we’re sending $400 billion a year overseas for foreign oil.

Yes, there is risk involved in this plan. But one man’s risk is another man’s opportunity.

Just ask Warren Buffett. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, has just invested $5 billion in the investment bank Goldman Sachs. Buffett, the nation’s premier investor and bargain hunter, is no fool. He knows an opportunity when he sees one. The Times of London reports that, on paper at least, Buffet’s investment in Goldman Sachs has already appreciated over $700 million dollars.

As this financial crisis spreads uncertainty throughout the markets and across Main Street, there’s another opportunity on the table—that opportunity that we Christians have to witness to our neighbors.

How you react to this crisis—in conversation with friends, in helping a family in trouble, in how you live within your means—will speak volumes about the confidence you have in Christ and in the sovereignty of God.

Now is the time for the Church to do as it has always done in difficult times: to reach out to those who are hurting, to give hope to those who fear, and to point to the God who owns “the cattle on a thousand hills.”

Now there’s an opportunity we dare not miss.
~~~
BreakPoint Commentaries
The Wrong Message
By Mark Earley
A Closer Look at the 'Twilight' Series

Note: This commentary was delivered by PFM President Mark Earley.

Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series has been getting a lot of press lately—especially since the fourth book in the series, titled Breaking Dawn, was released on August 2 to huge sales. And come November, the movie version of the book will be hitting theaters nationwide.

The message you might have heard is that these teen romances take a strong stand against sex before marriage and are therefore a great way to get that idea across to kids.

Well, ordinarily I’d be overjoyed about a popular mainstream series of books for girls with a pro-abstinence message. But in this case, I’m a bit more concerned than overjoyed.

You see, there are other messages in the Twilight books that are very real and very strong. And some of those messages are downright alarming, and you and I need to know about them.

Our blog, The Point, goes into the books in much more detail. But the basic storyline is this: A teenage girl named Bella falls in love with a mysterious, much older vampire named Edward. She wants to become a vampire like him so they can be together forever. He refuses to have premarital relations with her, and that’s the message that many parents and educators are concentrating on, and feeling good about.

What they’re failing to notice is this: Bella is completely without self-confidence. She’s constantly putting herself down and treating her boyfriend as some superior being, using terms like “god” and “angel” to describe him. She looks down on herself just for being human, and wants to lose her humanity as soon as possible.

In turn, the vampire Edward has disturbing habits like sneaking into Bella’s room and watching her sleep, eavesdropping on her and her friends, encouraging her to deceive her father, and even disabling her truck and kidnapping her to keep her from seeing other friends.

Put all this together, and you have one very unhealthy relationship—and this is what’s being viewed by far too many teens and adults as the greatest romance since Romeo and Juliet.

Just to cite one of the most obvious concerns, we’re living in an age of Internet predators, where it’s easier than ever for criminals to reach teenage girls and lure them away from home. And here we have these books celebrating a girl who’s willing to throw away her family, her friends, her identity, and her life for a stalker with controlling, even abusive tendencies.

Is this really something parents should be pushing? Are we trying to create a generation that’s naïve, gullible, and lacking in self-worth, or a generation of intelligent, strong young people who can stand up for themselves and for what is right?

I want my daughters to practice purity, but I want them to do it because they know and embrace God’s will, and because they understand that they’re created in God’s image and have infinite worth and value.

I don’t want them to do it—or to do anything—because they have no will of their own and are being dictated to by some boyfriend who makes them feel inferior. And I certainly don’t want them idolizing a character in a book who lets herself be treated that way.

So the bottom line is, be sure you are reading what your kids are reading. That’s a message that my family—and families everywhere—ought to take to heart.
~
For Further Reading and Information

Gina Dalfonzo, “’Twilight’: The Old Bait-and-Switch,” The Point, 31 July 2008.

“No Sex Please, We're Vampires,” Newsweek, 21 July 2008.

“The Truth About Teen Girls,” Time, 11 September 2008.

Gina Dalfonzo, “In Love with Death,” National Review Online, 22 August 2008.

Gina Dalfonzo, “Fiction Matters,” The Point, 26 August 2008.

Turn the world right side up. Learn about the 2009 Centurions Program and apply to study Christian worldview with Chuck Colson!

“Playing It SAFE: A Good Idea in Tough Economic Times,” BreakPoint Commentary, 25 September 2008.
“The Bill Comes Due: Consumption and Crisis,” BreakPoint Commentary, 24 September 2008.
“Accounting for Disaster: Wall Street, Congress, and You,” BreakPoint Commentary, 23 September 2008.
“Faith, Not Fear: God and Wall Street,” BreakPoint Commentary, 17 September 2008.
“White House Meeting Fails to Yield Bailout Deal,” Washington Post, 25 September 2008.
“Key Lawmakers: We Have a Plan,” CNN, 25 September 2008.
“US Oil Import Bill to Top $400 billion this Year, Says Petroleum Intelligence Weekly,” Business Wire, 7 March 2008.
“Warren Buffett Stake in Goldman Sachs Earns $783 Million Return,” London Times, 25 September 2008.

© 2008 Prison Fellowship - - http://www.breakpoint.org/
~~~~~
Words of the Week:
misprize: to despise; also, to undervalue.
proponent: an advocate.
beneficence: the practice of doing good.
undulate: to move in waves.
scion: a descendant; an heir.
numismatics: the collection and study of coins.
edify: to instruct and improve.
melee: a confused conflict.
capitulate: to surrender under agreed conditions.
panache: dash or flamboyance in manner or style.
verbiage: an overabundance of words.
fettle: a state or condition of fitness, order, or mind.
slugabed: one who stays in bed until a late hour.
donnybrook: a brawl or dispute.
littoral: on a coastal or shore region.
from Dictionary.Com
~~~~~
With the fighting going on in Washington today, these seemed apropos;

'Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.'- Ronald Reagan

'The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' - Ronald Reagan

'The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.' - Ronald Reagan

'Of the four wars in my lifetime , none came about because the U.S. was too strong.' - Ronald Reagan

'I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.' - Ronald Reagan

'The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination.' - Ronald Reagan

'Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.' - Ronald Reagan

'The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.' - Ronald Reagan

'It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.' - Ronald Reagan

'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

'Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.' - Ronald Reagan

'No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.'- Ronald Reagan

"There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered." - Nelson Mandela

"There is nothing more horrifying than stupidity in action." - Adlai E. Stevenson

"How absurd men are! They never use the liberties they have, they demand those they do not have. They have freedom of thought, they demand freedom of speech." - Soren Kierkegaard

"Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes

"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe." - H. G. Wells

"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself." - Anais Nin

"Perhaps the mission of those who love mankind is to make people laugh at the truth, to make truth laugh, because the only truth lies in learning to free ourselves from insane passion for the truth." - Umberto Eco

"A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation." - H. H. Munro

"Everything has been figured out, except how to live." - Jean-Paul Sartre

"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end." - Igor Stravinsky

"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good." - Samuel Johnson

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein

"The Great Depression, like most other periods of severe unemployment, was produced by government mismanagement rather than by any inherent instability of the private economy." - Milton Friedman

"Our memories are card indexes - consulted, and then put back in disorder, by authorities whom we do not control." - Cyril Connolly

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have. - - Gerald Ford
~~~~~
BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
http://breakingchristiannews.com/

Former Abortionist, Now Pro-Life, Gives Powerful Testimony on Capitol Hill
Homeschooling Surges in America
Kirk Cameron says He'll Kiss Only His Wife—Even on the Set
Keeping a Prophetic Perspective in a Wonderful, Weird, Wired World
November Election High Stakes: The Next President Will Tip the Courts in America
Postcards and a Day of Prayer for Zimbabwe
Breast Cancer Vaccine Shows Promise
Archaeologists Find Another Clay Seal from King David's Palace

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GCF: Long Line

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

If this was forwarded to you, please consider your own subscription to Good Clean Fun. It's free! Just send an email to: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
---------------------------------

There she stood in the line at the post office, a line that wound its way almost out the front door.

A fellow customer spoke to the elderly lady waiting to buy some stamps. "Ma'am, you must be very tired. Did you know there's a stamp machine over there in the corner?" He pointed to the machine built into the wall.

"Why yes, thank you," the lady replied, "but I'll just wait here a little while longer. I'm getting close to the window."

The customer became insistent. "But it would be so much easier for you to avoid this long line and buy your stamps from the machine."

The woman patted him on the arm and answered, "Oh, I know. But that old machine would never ask me how my grandchildren are doing."
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Tense

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
---------------------------------

An English teacher at Michigan State University spent a lot of time marking grammatical errors on her students' written work. She wasn't sure how much impact she was having until one overly busy day when she sat at her desk rubbing her temples.

A student asked, "What's the matter, Mrs. Sheridan?"

"Tense," she replied, describing her emotional state.

After a slight pause the student tried again ... "What was the matter? What has been the matter? What might have been the matter? ... ???"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Class Reunion

Emailed to me from another humor list (Daily Humor) -Tom To subscribe to Daily Humor, send a blank email to: Daily-Humor-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
---------------------------------

I was in a department store dressing room when I overheard a woman in the next booth make disparaging remarks about the clothes she was trying on. Finally, an attendant knocked on her door and asked if there was a specific color or style she could get for her.

"I need a dress for my class reunion," the woman answered. "I don't care what color or style, as long as it makes me look twenty pounds lighter and ten years younger."

From another dressing room I heard a woman call out, "Make that two."
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Dog Grooming

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
---------------------------------

A friend took her dog to the parlor for a haircut and asked what it would cost. Being told that it would cost her $50, she was outraged. "I only pay 30 bucks for my own haircut!"

The groomer replied, "That may be true. But then you don't bite, do you?!"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Picture Menu

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
---------------------------------

I stopped at the local Burger King for a cold soda and was reading the menu over the counter. I noticed a sign to the side that stated "Picture Menu Available".

I had to ask the clerk what it was for and she told me that they had a number of customers who couldn't read and they used that. Of course I asked how such a customer would know this picture menu was available and her answer was the classic,

"Well, it says so on the sign, doesn't it?"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Chinese Astronauts

Emailed to me from another humor list (Bonehead of the Day) -Tom To subscribe to Bonehead of the Day, send a blank email to: BoneheadOfTheDayAward-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
---------------------------------

China's leading Xinhua news agency reported the successful launch of the Shenzhou VII. The report came with astronaut chatter, gave detailed moment to moment tracking over the Pacific Ocean, included technicians staring at the launch screens, and was window dressed with clapping, cheering, and everything else you've seen before in science fiction films.

Trouble is it was announced hours before the launch happened.

China would only explain it as a "technical problem."

Watch for China's announcement tomorrow that the problem was traced back to the time machine they invented next month.

The complete story can be found here:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24406109-23109,00.html
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Marathon Football

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
---------------------------------

After spending all day Sunday watching football games on television, a man fell asleep in his lounge chair, spending the entire night in there.

His wife woke him in the morning. "It's twenty to seven," she called.

"In whose favor?"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Shhh!

Emailed to me by a friend (Thanks, Dawn) -Tom
---------------------------------

On a visit to the library I happened to notice a man and a woman, both deaf, signing with intense gestures, apparently in a heated debate. The man said something; and the woman seemed upset. She started signing her reply very fast, to the point where the man couldn't understand a word; she also signed in big, wide gestures, which is the equivalent of volume.

Finally, looking strained, her companion took her hands, "silencing" her. Then he signed, very small and slowly: "You don't have to shout, I'm not blind."
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Software Engineering

Emailed to me by a friend (Thanks, Paul) -Tom
---------------------------------

At a recent computer software engineering course, the participants were given an awkward question to answer:

"If you had just boarded an airliner and discovered that your team of programmers had been responsible for the flight control software, how many of you would disembark immediately?"

Among the ensuing forest of raised hands only one man sat motionless. When asked what he would do, he replied that he would be quite content to stay aboard. With his team's software, he said, the plane was unlikely to even taxi as far as the runway, let alone take off.
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Phone Service

Emailed to me by a friend (Thanks, Howard) -Tom
---------------------------------

Classmates at college were lamenting the cost of long distance phone service and debating the relative advantages of AT&T, MCI, and Sprint.

"I've found CTC to be the cheapest plan around," offered one.

"CTC? Who are they?"

"You know," he responded. "Call Them Collect."
_ ____________________________ _
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / Did you ever notice: \ \_/ ////
\ / If you put the 2 words "THE" \ /
\ _/ and "IRS" together \_ /
/ / it spells "THEIRS"? \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / If it weren't for electricity \ /
\ _/ we'd all be watching \_ /
/ / television by candlelight. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Q: Are birth control \ /
\ _/ pills tax deductible? \_ /
/ / A: Only if they don't work. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / \ /
\ _/ Few women admit their age. \_ /
/ / Few men act theirs. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / A Freudian slip is when \ /
\ _/ you say one thing \_ /
/ / but mean your mother. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Time may be a great healer, \ /
\ _/ but it's also \_ /
/ / a lousy beautician. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / The speed of time is \ /
\ _/ one-second per second. \_ /
/ / \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Asking dumb questions is easier \ /
\ _/ than correcting dumb mistakes. \_ /
/ / \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / It is not what teenagers know \ /
\ _/ that bothers parents. \_ /
/ / It's how they found out. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_|\\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Life is wonderful. \ /
\ _/ Without it you'd be dead. \_ /
/ / \ \
_ ____________________________ _
| Thomas S. Ellsworth |
| tellswor@kcbx.net |
| http://www.kcbx.net/~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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Two mothers were talking about their sons. The first said, "My son is such a saint. He works hard, doesn't smoke, and he hasn't so much as looked at a woman in over two years."

The other woman said, "Well, my son is a saint himself. Not only hasn't he not looked at a woman in over three years, but he hasn't touched a drop of liquor in all that time."

"My word," the first mother said. "You must be so proud."

"I am," the second mother replied. "And when he's paroled next month, I'm going to throw him a big party."

Thanks to Waneta
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Random Musings

Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctr Alt Delete' and start all over?

If raising children was going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor!

Brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever.

I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die of natural causes.

When weeding a garden, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it was a valuable plant.

The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFO1’s like they used to?

In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it seem normal.

How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out."?

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?

Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed?

Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Thanks to Waneta
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An atheist was walking through the woods.
'What majestic trees'!
'What powerful rivers'!
'What beautiful animals'!
He said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him.

He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him.

He looked over his shoulder again, & the bear was even closer. He tripped & fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw & raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out, 'Oh my God!'

Time Stopped.
The bear froze.
The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky. 'You deny my existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident.' 'Do you expect me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer'?

The atheist looked directly into the light, 'It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask you to treat me as a Christian now, but perhaps you could make the BEAR a Christian'?

'Very Well,' said the voice.

The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, brought both paws together, bowed his head & spoke: 'Lord bless this food, which I am about to receive from thy bounty through Christ our Lord, Amen.'

Thanks to Robert Lyons
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A new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners. At one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.

Therefore, he took out a business card and wrote 'Revelation 3:20' on the back of it and stuck it in the door.

When the offering was processed the following Sunday, he found that his card had been returned. Added to it was this cryptic message, 'Genesis 3:10.'

Reaching for his Bible to check out the citation, he broke up in gales of laughter. Revelation 3:20 begins 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.' Genesis 3:10 reads, 'I heard your voice in the garden and I was afraid for I was naked.'

Thanks to Don Dumas
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Repairing the Washing Machine

My wife and I were newly married and I was trying to impress her with my technical expertise.

I was trying to repair our washing machine but was unable to
determine where a loose wire belonged. After working at it for several minutes, I decided to consult the experts.

I took the wire along with all the details (model, serial number, etc.) of my machine to a local repair shop. I explained my situation to the technician, who looked at the wire for several minutes. He said he thought it looked familiar, but he couldn't tell me where it belonged either.

Taking the wire, he said he would have to consult with some colleagues who were working in the back.

After several minutes, he reemerged with the wire in hand. He said they decided the mystery wire had nothing to do with the operation of my washing machine. It was the underwire from one of my wife's bras.

I'm sure the technicians in the shop had a nice laugh at my expense. I was still red-faced and embarrassed when I returned home to tell my wife about my discovery.

And she hasn't stopped laughing yet!

Received from Mike Nicholas.

(-:][:-)

Bravest of the Brave

Top brass from the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps were arguing about who had the bravest troops. They decided to settle the dispute using an enlisted man from each branch.

The Army general called a private over and ordered him to climb to the top of the base flagpole while singing "The Caissons Go Rolling Along," then let go with both hands and salute. The private quickly complied.

Next, the admiral ordered a sailor to climb the pole, polish the brass knob at the top, sing "Anchors Aweigh," salute smartly, and jump off. The sailor did as he was told and landed on the concrete below.

Finally, the marine was told to do exactly as the Army and Navy men had done, but in full battle gear, with pack filled with bricks and loaded weapon carried high. He took one look at the Marine general and said, "You're out of your mind, sir!"

The Marine commander turned to the others. "Now THAT'S guts!"

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

Las Vegas Churches

This may come as a surprise to those not living in Las Vegas, but it is a very spiritual city, with more Catholic churches than casinos!

Not surprisingly, some worshipers at Sunday services will give casino chips rather than cash when the donation tray is passed.

Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method of turning the chips into cash.

They send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan monastery, where the patient and detail-oriented men sort and count the chips. The chips are then taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in.

This is done by the chip monks.

You didn't even see it coming, did you?

Received from Dave McDowell.

(-:][:-)

Sick Leave

I really needed a few days off from work, but I knew the boss wouldn't give me time off. I thought that maybe if I acted "crazy," then he would tell me to take a few days off. So, I hung upside-down from the ceiling and made funny noises. My co-worker asked me what I was doing. I told her that I was pretending to be a light bulb so the boss might think I was desperately in need of a few days off.

A few minutes later, the boss came into the office and asked, "What in the world are you doing?"

I told him I was a light bulb. He said, "You are clearly stressed out. Go home and rest for a couple of days." I jumped down and walked out of the office.

However, when my co-worker started to follow me, our boss called out, "And where do you think you're going?"

She said, "I'm going home too. I can't work in the dark."

Received from Tom Compton.

(-:][:-)

25 Things Worth Thinking About

1) Give God what's RIGHT -- not what's LEFT.
2) Man's way leads to hopeless end; God's way leads to endless hope.
3) A lot of kneeling will keep you in good standing.
4) He who kneels before God can stand before anyone.
5) In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma, but never let him be the period.
6) Don't put a question mark where God puts a period.
7) Are you wrinkled with burden? Come to the church for a faith-lift.
8) When praying, don't give God instructions -- just report for duty.
9) Don't wait for six strong men to take you to the church.
10) We don't change God's message; His message changes us.
11) All churches should be prayer-conditioned.
12) When God ordains, He sustains.
13) WARNING: Exposure to the Son may prevent burning.
14) Plan ahead -- it wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
15) Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory position.
16) Suffering from truth decay? Brush up with your Bible on a daily basis.
17) Exercise daily! Walk with the Lord.
18) Never give the devil a ride -- he will always want to drive.
19) Nothing else ruins the truth like stretching it.
20) Compassion is difficult to give away because it keeps coming back.
21) He who angers you controls you.
22) Worry is the darkroom in which negatives can develop.
23) Give Satan an inch, and he'll be a ruler.
24) Be ye fishers of men -- you catch them, and God will clean them.
25) God does not call the qualified; he qualifies the called.

Received from Rick Widdison.

(-:][:-)

Bank Line

With only two tellers working at the bank, the line I was standing in was moving very slowly. As I waited, I began to fill in my withdrawal slip. Not sure of the date, I turned and asked the woman behind me.

"It's the fifth," she replied.

A man from the back of the line advised, "Don't write it in yet!"

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

Birthday Gift

The man walked over to the perfume counter and told the clerk he'd like a bottle of Chanel #5 for his wife's birthday.

"A little surprise, eh?" smiled the clerk.

"You bet," answered the customer. "She's expecting a cruise."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

Sleeping Leg

A lady had been exposed to strep and needed to visit the doctor's office just to have her throat swabbed for a culture. She sat in the waiting room for quite a while with her legs crossed, reading a magazine while other patients came and went. Suddenly her turn was called, but when she stood up to go in, she discovered her leg was "asleep." Not wanting to keep the nurse waiting, she limped and staggered toward the inner office door. She noticed one elderly lady nudging another who sat beside her, as the two of them sympathetically watched her painful progress.

Two minutes later, her procedure completed and her leg back to normal, she walked easily back into the waiting room. As she strode past the two elderly ladies, she overheard one whisper triumphantly to the other, "See, Myrtle, I TOLD you he was a wonderful doctor!"

Received from Pastor Tim.

(-:][:-)

Answering Machine

I purchased a telephone-answering machine with a prerecorded message that used a male voice. When Mother returned from vacation, I forgot to mention it to her.

The next Saturday, the phone rang and the machine answered. After the message, there was a pause and the caller hung up. A second time and the same result. Then the phone rang a third time. I heard, "This is your mother, I think. If I am, please call me."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

-=+=-
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Madeleine Begun Kane Latest Columns - - http://www.madkane.com/ogling.html - - My Close Encounter (I Think) With Paul Newman
September 27th, 2008
I awoke today to the sad news that the great Paul Newman has died. Paul Newman has always been one of my favorite actors. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I encountered him many years ago in a New York bar. At least, I’m pretty sure I encountered him, but you be the judge. Here’s a column I wrote about the incident way back when:

OGLING EYES
I was ogled last night by a very handsome, classy looking, much older man. Now most women (and I'm no exception) are secretly gratified by the occasional gawker ... unless catcalls and droopy drawers are involved. (Okay, maybe not the sponsors of the Anti-Ogling Addendum to the ERA.)

Unfortunately, I'm such an unobservant person, that I usually have to trip over an ogler to notice him. Here's a recent exchange with hubby Mark:

Mark: Did you see that guy leering at you?

Me: What guy?

Mark: The one you just stepped on ... over there on the stretcher.

However, even I couldn't fail to catch last night's ogling. It lasted forty-five minutes, well beyond the flattering stage into the "keep your lascivious eyeballs to yourself, buster" stage.

But here's the thing -- I'm almost positive (although not lie detector positive) that those ogling eyes (and the rest of him) belonged to Paul Newman.

Yes, I know that sounds unlikely, if not downright absurd. What would Paul Newman be doing anywhere near me? And even if we did briefly and serendipitously share the same piece of real estate, surely he could find something better to eye. And why wasn't he busy dodging hordes of autograph hounds pestering ... and ogling ... him?

All good arguments! I'd be inclined to agree with you ... except for a few details:

* He looked just like you'd expect Paul Newman to look without the help of movie makeup.

* Our encounter (assuming we had an encounter) took place in New York City, across from Lincoln Center, a theater and concert hall haven -- a place that sees its fair (or unfair) share of celebrity traffic.

* We "met" in the kind of spot you have to know about to know about, a hidden away, second floor, non-touristy bar smack in the middle of tourist-central. Precisely the sort of place a celebrity might hang out (and hide out) if he's waiting for his actress spouse to finish a Lincoln Center play or a Broadway performance. An ideal locale for celebs who "vant to be alone."

* He was smoking a cigar. Scratch that. He was making love to a cigar in a way that nobody but a hotshot movie star would dare to do in public.

I almost forgot the most important piece of evidence: My husband Mark, who witnessed the ogling orgy while sitting across the bar from our great pal Paul, backs up my ID. And no, he didn't get even slightly jealous. In fact, his very words on the subject as I sashayed out the door (I just couldn't help myself), were, "Hahahaha. I'm with you, and he's not."

I should probably do something about this -- something of a journalistic nature. Like researching Paul Newman's current appearance sans makeup, his recent whereabouts, the bar's American Express receipts, and Joanne Woodward's acting gigs.

Between the Internet and a few phone calls, I should be able to crack this thing wide open in a matter of hours. I should really get started right away, or tomorrow at the very latest.

On the other hand, I have tons of other stuff to do, and there's really no rush. In fact, if I stall enough, the trail will grow cold.

And there will be no way to prove it wasn't Paul.

http://www.madkane.com
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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Military Losses 1980-2007

Military Losses, 1980 thru 2007 Whatever your politics, however you lean, and however you feel about the current administration, this report should open some eyes. As tragic as the loss of any member of the US Armed Forces is, consider the following statistics:
The annual fatalities of military members while actively serving in the armed forces from 1980 through 2006 - by any cause.
1980 ......... 2,392 (Carter Year )
1981 ......... 2,380 (Reagan Year)
1982 ......... 2,319 (Reagan Year)
1983 ......... 2,465 (Reagan Year)
1984 ......... 1,999 (Reagan Year)
1985 ......... 2,251 (Reagan Year)
1986 ......... 1,984 (Reagan Year)
1987 ......... 1,983 (Reagan Year)
1988 ......... 1,819 (Reagan Year)
1989 ......... 1,636 (George H W Year)
1990 ......... 1,508 (George H W Year)
1991 ......... 1,787 (George H W Year)
1992 ......... 1,293 (George H W Year)
1993 ......... 1,213 (Clinton Year)
1994 ......... 1,075 (Clinton Year)
1995 ......... 2,465 (Clinton Year)
1996 ......... 2,318 (Clinton Year)
1997 ......... 817 (Clinton Year)
1998 ......... 2,252 (Clinton Year)
1999 ......... 1,984 (Clinton Year)
2000 ......... 1,983 (Clinton Year)
2001 ......... 890 (George W Year)
2002 ......... 1,007 (George W Year)
2003 ......... 1,410 (George W Year)
2004 ......... 1,887 (George W Year)
2005 ......... 919 (George W Year)
2006 ......... 920 (George W Year)
2007 ......... 899 (George W Year)

Clinton years (1993-2000): 14,107 deaths
George W years (2001-2007): 7,932 deaths

If you are surprised when you look at these figures, so was I. These figures mean that the loss from the two latest conflicts in the Middle East are LESS than the loss of military personnel during Bill Clinton 's presidency; when America wasn't even involved in a war! (Unless you include Bosnia or the disgrace of Mogadishu, Somalia when Clinton failed to respond to terrorists) Remember 'Blackhawk Down'?
In addition, I was even more shocked when I read that in 1980, during the reign of President (Nobel Peace Prize winner) Jimmy Carter, there were 2,392 US military fatalities! From what? How?
I think that these figures indicate that many members of our Media and our politicians will pick and choose the information on which they report. Of course we all know that they present only those 'facts' which support their agenda-driven reporting. But why do so many of them march in lock-step to twist the truth? Where do so many of them get their agenda? Obviously there is one shared agenda. Could it be from the most powerful Democratic family of the decade? Do you want further proof? Consider the latest census of Americans.
It shows the following FACTS about the distribution of American citizens , by race:
European descent ........................69.12%
Hispanic.................................12.5%
Black.................... ...............12.3%
Asian.................................... 3.7%
Native American.......................... 1.0%
Other.................................... 2.6%

Many media lead us to feel the military death ratio is off balanced compared to the distribution by race in America. Here are the fatalities by RACE over the past three years in Iraqi Freedom. Do the comparison yourself.
European descent(white) .................74.31%
Hispanic.................................10.74%
Black.................................... 9.67%
Asian.................................... 1.81%
Native American.......................... 1.09%
Other.................................... 0.33%

I was surprised again. Our mainstream media continues to spin these figures (for political gain) . Nothing more. It's all about politics. I hope that during the time between now and November, intelligent Americans can decipher: the facts from the spin, the spinners from the leaders, those who seek even more power from those that seek justice, and the dividers from the uniters.
Over the next months let's be good listeners and see and hear who tries to divide our nation; and who wants to unite our nation. Who wants to control how our money is spent and who wants our money spent the way we would spend it. Who seeks power and who seeks justice? Who spins the facts and who is genuine.
(These statistics are published by Congressional Research Service, and they may be confirmed by anyone at: [http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf]

Thanks to Daphne Roberts
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Cell phone vs. Bible

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carr ied it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several time a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.

Thanks to Waneta
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Debates Don't Always Reveal Character
My father was a model American.
By TAYLOR B. STOCKDALE

As Sarah Palin and Joe Biden prepare for Thursday's vice presidential debate, I am pulled back to the last time an unknown candidate appeared on the national stage in such a forum. It was 1992, when my father (John McCain's senior officer in Vietnam), Adm. James B. Stockdale, appeared on stage to debate Al Gore and Dan Quayle.
Anyone over 30 will probably remember the spectacle. Messrs. Gore and Quayle were engaged in a bitter battle when, late in the race, my father accepted Ross Perot's invitation to be his running mate. That decision created a rare, three person vice-presidential debate.
In an attempt to introduce himself to the American people, my father began with the philosophical questions "Who am I? Why am I here?" But as the evening wore on, he struggled.
Watching that debate from the front row in Atlanta was a surreal experience. My father, a bona fide war hero, was trying to adapt to a format of discourse utterly foreign to him.
The debate hall was noisy, hot and nasty. My mom took a bad fall just before coming out to sit down. She, the strongest woman I know, broke into tears as she was overcome with emotion. Her four sons tried to console her.
Messrs. Gore and Quayle had arrived with armies of political handlers and were sequestered in large, lavish rooms to prepare for their one night to show each other up. My dad arrived with his family and one coach at the last minute. We were put in an RV just off the stage.
Dad entered the race reluctantly, and only due to the deep gratitude he had for the aid Mr. Perot extended to him and my mom while he was a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
As everyone saw that evening, he was not a politician. He was a fighter-pilot ace, a Medal of Honor recipient, and a wonderful dad and human being. During his eight years as a POW, he slit his scalp and beat his face with a stool to prevent his captors from parading him in the streets for propaganda purposes. He gave starving men his food rations when he himself was starving. And at home, after his release in 1973, he was a respected leader, scholar and writer. He considered himself a philosopher.
He studied the Greeks -- specifically Epictetus, an ancient slave and stoic who espoused the idea that individuals have free will and absolute autonomy over all matters within their control. He believed we must not wallow in self-pity when the chips are down, but rather recognize that we have the power to choose how to respond to everything.
My father adopted this philosophy while a graduate student at Stanford University in the early 1960s. So he never took pity on himself -- ever. Not as a POW when he was tortured, forced to wear leg irons and to live in solitary confinement. And not after the debate. He knew he had put himself into that arena.
And yet on this particular evening in 1992, the country saw someone who looked confused and weak. Without knowing who he was or what he did for his country, most Americans turned off their TV sets and formed an opinion of him based on a 90-minute debate.
So while Mrs. Palin's background and political acumen are completely different from my father's, she and her family are going through an experience I recognize. They are trying to define themselves in a short time-span, within a loaded political context.
From personal experience, I doubt if someone can really be known in this type of atmosphere, and I empathize with her family members who suddenly have to explain things that shouldn't need explanation.
As for my dad, this will mark the first vice presidential debate since he died in 2005. I've wanted to write about it for a long time, but he wouldn't let me. Now I want to set the record straight: He was an example of what this country should be all about.

Mr. Stockdale, the son of Adm. James B. Stockdale, is assistant head of the Webb Schools in Claremont, Calif.

Thanks to Sam Boggs
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A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punchline. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again.. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Thanks to Gary Foreman
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"Blue Rose"
Why do I always have to be the one that starts to do laundry and there's no detergent? I guess it was time for me to do my 'Dollar Store' run, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags and Clorox. So off I go.
I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout counter only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man that appeared to be about sixteen-years- old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there..
This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice, 'Mommy, I'm over here.' It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and Also startled as he turned and saw me standing so Close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes Widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, 'Hey Buddy, what's your name?' 'My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother,' he responded proudly. 'Wow,' I said, 'that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Hal.' 'Hal like Halloween?' he asked. 'Yes,' I answered. 'How old are you Denny?
'How old am I now Mommy?' he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle. 'You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass by.' I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because he was the center of someone's attention.
He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.
Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son.
She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him... I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow and pink roses in God's garden, however, 'Blue Roses' are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a 'Blue Rose' and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.
She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, 'Who are you?' Without thinking I said, 'Oh, I'm probably just a 'daffodil or maybe even a dandelion,' but I sure love living in God's garden.

Thanks to Ricky and Sarah Shepherd
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| Safety from the Heart |
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October 3, 2008
Safety Tips
Today's Message is from Bridget Goode (a Pasadena Albemarle employee).

SMOKE ALARMS……. test all smoke alarms place an alarm on each floor to give advance warning practice a family fire drill of what all members of the family would do if the smoke alarm went off

MATCHES AND CIGARETTE LIGHTERS……. do not leave where children can get them store matches in a non-combustible container

DRYER VENTS…….Fires can start from lint collected in dryer vents, clean them out regularly, along with cleaning the filter after each load.
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| Safety from the Heart |
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October 1, 2008
Today's Message is from Brenda Pritchard (a Pasadena Albemarle employee).
..
OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH! DON'T FORGET YOUR ANNUAL MAMMOGRAM. BREAST CANCER ISN'T JUST A FEMALE DISEASE.
Male breast cancer is real and can be just as dangerous as breast cancer in women. It is expected that over 1,000 men will be diagnosed with male breast cancer each year. Because men often wait to report the symptoms of male breast cancer, the disease is more likely to have spread, leaving many men with less hope that treatment will lead to recovery. http://www.cancercenter.com/male-breast-cancer

The Rose is Houston area's preeminent non-profit breast health care center. http://www.the-rose.org/
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| Safety from the Heart |
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September 25, 2008
TAILGATE TOPIC – Travel and Maintaining your health - From the Center for Disease Control website www.cdc.gov
http://www.bcbs.com/coverage/bluecard/bluecard-worldwide.html
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| Safety from the Heart |
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September 24, 2008
Today's Safety From the Heart message was submitted by Keith Black.
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Carjacking
Prevention
Beware of Dangerous Situations

Carjacking is a serious, traumatic and often violent form of vehicle theft. It is a crime of opportunity that threatens an individual’s personal safety.

Carjackers utilize particular conditions to select their victims, targeting vulnerable, unaware and/or unprepared people. It is important to appear confident and be aware of your surroundings at all times, especially when driving at reduced speeds and stopping or parking at:

Intersections controlled by stoplights or signs
Garages and commuter parking areas, shopping malls and grocery stores
Self-service gas stations and car washes
Drive-thru banks
Residential driveways and streets where people are often get into and out of cars
Freeway exits and entry ramps

The key to avoiding this crime is prevention. It is a good idea to think about what to do if you became a carjacking victim. You can reduce your risk by considering the following precautions:

Keep all doors locked and windows up when driving
Keep your valuables out of view
When possible, do not drive alone in remote or unfamiliar areas
Service your vehicle regularly to ensure it is working properly
Travel on main roads as much as possible
Try to drive in the lane nearest to the road’s center to distance any would-be pedestrian attacker and to avoid being pushed to the shoulder
Drive on well-lit streets at night When stopped in traffic, leave enough space between vehicles to allow you to move forward
Do not park next to high-profile vehicles such as vans that could conceal a suspect When walking to your car have keys in hand, and enter your vehicle quickly
Do not pull over if a suspicious driver motions you to do so If you feel you are being followed by another vehicle, do not drive home If you are involved in a minor accident or think your car was hit intentionally, do not check the damage in a remote area – motion the other driver to follow you to the nearest police station or open business to exchange information
If you are in an accident, take your keys and purse or wallet with you when you get out of the car

For more information:
The National Safety Council
http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/road/car_jacking.aspx
Philadelphia Police Department
http://www.ppdonline.org/prev/prev_auto_carjack.php

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| Safety from the Heart |
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September 23, 2008
In Case of Emergency (ICE)

Help paramedics identify you and notify loved ones during an emergency – put your cell phone on ICE.

Most people carry cell phones, but research shows that more than 75% of people carry no details of who they would like contacted in the event of an emergency that would leave them incapacitated. Emergency responders are trained to look for the codeword ‘ICE’ (In Case of Emergency) on the cell phone of a person who is unable to give personal information.

To program ICE into your cell phone:

Access the address book feature of your cell phone Enter the word ICE plus the name in the name field Enter the phone number of the person or persons who need to know about you in case of an emergency

Multiple ICE Contacts
You can have more than one emergency contact - list them as ICE 1, ICE 2 and so on.

Number Hints
Because your ICE contact is a duplicate of a current contact, place an * after the phone number to let the proper caller ID display.

Make sure your number is not PIN protected

REMEMBER - ICE provides valuable contact information to emergency professionals, but should be used in addition to, not in place of, other more standard forms of identification. Cell phones can be damaged; contact information could not be retrieved. Some phone users program PINs, or other blocking actions that would prevent emergency personnel from accessing contact information in the phone. Please make sure to carry a hard copy of your emergency contact information on your person, in your wallet, purse, etc.
http://www.stpaul.gov/index.asp?NID=1572
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The Pump Handle. A water cooler for the public health crowd.

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

** "Senators Press OSHA on Diacetyl" by Celeste Monforton Four U.S. Senators have written to Labor Secretary Chao and OSHA Asst. Secretary Foulke expressing serious concern that "OSHA has failed to make significant progress in addressing the continuing hazards" of diacetyl. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/senators-press-osha-on-diacetyl/

** "Director of NIH resigns" by revere Elias Zerhouni, who presided over tumultuous years at the National Institutes of Health, has announced his resignation. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/director-of-nih-resigns/

** "Occupational Health News Roundup" by Liz Borkowski The U.S. government is substantially increasing benefits for veterans suffering from milder forms of brain injuries; virtually every career employee of the Long Island Railroad applies for and gets disability payments soon after retirement; and a Cambodian woman once enslaved in a brothel now fights human trafficking. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/occupational-health-news-roundup-83/

"Former Solicitor Opposes DOL Risk Assessment Rule" by Celeste Monforton J. Davitt McAteer, who served as acting Solicitor of Labor for nearly two years, submitted formal objections today on DOL's proposed risk assessment rule. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/former-solicitor-opposes-dol-risk-assessment-rule/

** "Involving the Public in Scientific Decisions" by Olga Naidenko A new report from the National Research Council finds that public participation in scientific decisions regarding the environment can be useful, and gives recommendations on integrating that involvement. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/involving-the-public-in-scientific-decisions/

** "Environmental Health News on BPA and Much More" by Liz Borkowski Environmental Health News, long a favorite resource of those interested in environmental health topics, is expanding; recent pieces on bisphenol A show how they're tackling issues in more depth and from multiple angles. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/environmental-health-news-on-bpa-and-much-more/

** "MSHA's Too Busy to Tackle Black Lung" by Celeste Monforton Twelve years after a federal advisory committee recommended an overhaul of the regulations to protect coal miners from developing black lung disease, MSHA head Richard Stickler says it's just one of those things his agency doesn't have time for. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/mshas-too-busy-to-tackle-black-lung/

** "Friday Blog Roundup" by Liz Borkowski Bloggers are thinking about food, White House intervention in chemical reviews, and evaluating global HIV/AIDS efforts. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/friday-blog-roundup-93/

** "Public Health Rocks!!" by Celeste Monforton Undergraduates are embracing the field of public health http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/19/public-health-rocks/

** "Sarah Palin's Supreme Discomfort" by Celeste Monforton Sarah Palin couldn't name any Supreme Court cases besides Roe v. Wade when Katie Couric asked her, so we've listed a few she might consider mentioning if a similar question comes up in the vice-presidential candidates' debate. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/sarah-palins-supreme-discomfort/

** "Molecular history of the HIV whirlwind" by revere Analysis of genetic data suggests that HIV was introduced into the human population sometime between the end of the 19th century and the 1930s; it took larger sociopolitical and economic forces to turn the virus into a pandemic. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/molecular-history-of-the-hiv-whirlwind/

** "Tobacco Tactics for Climate Change Denial" by Liz Borkowski American News Project has posted a new video segment about how tactics used to defend tobacco are now staving off action on climate change, and it features commentary from David Michaels. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/tobacco-tactics-for-climate-change-denial/

** "Occupational Health News Roundup" by Liz Borkowski NIOSH researches ways to reduce musculoskeletal disorders among healthcare workers; OSHA cites three companies involved in the March crane collapse in Manhattan; and former New England Patriot Ted Johnson wills his brain to researchers studying the effects of brain injuries. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/occupational-health-news-roundup-84/

** "Another Environmental Health Book Causes Controversy" by Liz Borkowski Poisoned Profits: The Toxic Assault on Our Children, by Philip Shabecoff and Alice Shabecoff, links toxic products to a rise in childhood disease and death. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/30/another-environmental-health-book-causes-controversy/

** "Comments Galore on DOL's Risk Rule" by Celeste Monforton Despite a short 30-day comment period, dozens of interested individuals and organizations provided comments to Asst. Secretary Leon Sequeira about his proposed so-called risk assessment policy. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/comments-galore-on-dols-risk-rule/

** "DOL Rejects Request for Public Hearing on Risk Rule" by Celeste Monforton The Labor Department has rejected calls from numerous public interest groups and even the chairman of its legislative oversight committee to conduct public hearings and extend the time period to provide feedback on its worker health risk assessment proposal. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/dol-rejects-requests-for-public-hearing-on-risk-rule/

** "MSHA Spokesman Ga-ga over McCain" by Celeste Monforton When he applauds McCain for insisting he will cut government spending, does that mean that MSHA spokesman Matthew Faraci supports a slash in MSHA's budget? http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/29/msha-spokesman-ga-ga-over-mccain/

** "Friday Blog Roundup" by Liz Borkowski Bloggers highlight MacArthur "genius grant" fellowship winners, public comments opposing the proposed HHS rule, and problems with our domestic and global response to HIV. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/friday-blog-roundup-94/

** "Spilt milk in China" by revere The Chinese food contamination scandal continues to widen, and it appears that the problem may not be as limited as once thought. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/spilt-milk-in-china/

http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/
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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.

Conference call participation - Should anyone find themselves wanting to voice their own opinion concerning workplace safety issues potential solutions and preventative measures we are looking for individuals who are interested in participating on a regular basis in our bi-weekly conference calls. For more information please contact Mary Vivenzi at mvivenzi@usmwf.org
~~~
I read several articles that were good reads: so please have a look.

Acting Tough: When Cameras Leave, OSHA Penalties Wither Which by the way this seem to be a great site. Well written and on the ball. [http://www.propublica.org/feature/acting-tough-when-cameras-leave-osha-penalties-wither-917/]

Feds set to issue new crane standards, Required testing comes amid deadly accidents [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080919/BUSINESS/809190399/1003/BUSINESS]

Bush Shirks Role as Top Labor Cop [http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/09/labor_cop.html]

The day 'Jumbo' exploded, A reported faulty boiler exploded at the York Rolling Mill on Aug. 10, 1908. [http://ydr.inyork.com/ci_10400964]

Farmworkers exploited, even enslaved, in Florida [http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/article798738.ece]

Affected Kimberly workers to rally for mill [http://www.postcrescent.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080906/APC0101/809060535/1979]

Immediate action needed to prevent 'industrial manslaughter,' says expert [http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/sdmc-ian091608.php]

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/

The Department of Defense announced the death of seven soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Sept. 18 when the CH-47 Chinook helicopter they were in went down in the vicinity of Tallil, Iraq. Killed were:
01. Chief Warrant Officer Corry A. Edwards, 38, of Kennedale, Texas, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard, Grand Prairie, Texas.
02. Sgt. Daniel M. Eshbaugh, 43, of Norman, Okla., who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Oklahoma National Guard, Lexington, Okla.
03. Staff Sgt. Anthony L. Mason, 37, of Springtown, Texas, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard, Grand Prairie, Texas.
04. Sgt. Maj. Julio C. Ordonez, 54, of San Antonio, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard, Grand Prairie, Texas.
05. Chief Warrant Officer Brady J. Rudolf, 37, of Oklahoma City, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Oklahoma National Guard, Lexington, Okla.
06. Cpl. Michael E. Thompson, 23, of Harrah, Okla., who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Oklahoma National Guard, Lexington, Okla.
07. 1st Lt. Robert Vallejo II, 28, of Richland Hills, Texas, who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 149th Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade, Texas Army National Guard, Grand Prairie, Texas.

08. Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez, 34, of El Paso, Texas, died Sept. 20 in Islamabad, Pakistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 86th Construction & Training Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The Department of Defense announced the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Sept. 17 in Gerdia Seria, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Killed were:
09. Sgt. Joshua W. Harris, 21, of Romeoville, Ill., who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion 122nd Field Artillery, Illinois Army National Guard, Robbins, Ill.
10. Capt. Bruce E. Hays, 42, of Cheyenne, Wyo., who was assigned to the Wyoming Joint Forces Headquarters, Wyoming Army National Guard, Cheyenne, Wyo.
11. 1st Lt. Mohsin A. Naqvi, 26, of Newburgh, N.Y., who was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry, Fort Benning, Ga.
12. Staff Sgt. Jason A. Vazquez, 24, of Chicago, Ill., who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion 122nd Field Artillery, Illinois Army National Guard, Sycamore, Ill.

13. Staff Sgt. Brandon W. Farley, 30, of Grand Prairie, Texas, died Sept. 18 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained Sept. 17 when his mounted patrol was attacked by enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades in Able Monti, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

14. Sgt. Jerome C. Bell Jr., 29, of Auburn, N.Y., died Sept. 19 while supporting combat operations in Farah province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

The Department of Defense announced the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Sept. 20 in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were:
15. Staff Sgt. Nathan M. Cox, 32, of Walcott, Iowa
16. Pvt. Joseph F. Gonzales, 18, of Tucson, Ariz.

17. Cryptologic Technician Third Class Petty Officer Matthew J. O’Bryant, 22, of Duluth, Ga., died September 20 in the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. O'Bryant was assigned to the Navy Information Operations Command Maryland, Fort Meade, Md.

18. Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Taylor, 25, of Charleston, S.C., died Sept. 21 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he received small arms fire during dismounted operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), located at Fort Polk, La.

19. Capt. Bruno G. Desolenni, 32, of Crescent City, Calif., died Sept. 20 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the Joint Forces Headquarters, Element Training Team, Oregon Army National Guard.

20. Chaplain (Col.) Sidney J. Marceaux Jr., 69, of Beaumont, Texas, died Sept 14 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., from a non-combat related illness. Following evacuation from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, he was assigned to the Warrior Transition Brigade, Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

21. 1st Lt. Thomas J. Brown, 26, of Burke, Va., died Sept. 23 in Salman Park, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his patrol came under small arms fire during dismounted operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.

22. Staff Sgt. Ronald Phillips Jr., 33, of Conway, S.C., died Sept. 25 in Bahbahani, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

23. Capt. Michael J. Medders, 25, of Ohio, died Sept. 24 in Jisr Naft, Iraq, of wounds suffered when a suicide bomber detonated a vest during operations. He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.

24. Sgt. William E. Hasenflu, 38, of Bradenton, Fla., died Sept. 28 in the Jaji District, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when his unit was ambushed by enemy forces using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

25. Pfc. Jamel A. Bryant, 22, of Belleville, Ill., died Sept. 27 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident while on patrol in Wahida, Iraq. He was assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.

26. Spc. Christopher T. Fox, 21, of Memphis, Tenn., died Sept. 29 in Adhamiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when he encountered small arms fire while on patrol. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

The Department of Defense announced the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Sept. 29 in Yakhchal, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device during mounted operations. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C. Killed were:
27. Capt. Richard G. Cliff Jr., 29, of Mount Pleasant, S.C.
28. Sgt. 1st Class Jamie S. Nicholas, 32, of Maysel, W.Va.
29. Sgt. 1st Class Gary J. Vasquez, 33, of Round Lake, Ill.

30. Pfc. Christopher A. Bartkiewicz, 25, of Dunfermline, Ill., died Sept. 30 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his dismounted patrol using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany.
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Soldier Missing From The Vietnam War Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Sgt. Timothy J. Jacobsen, U.S. Army, of Oakland, Calif. He will be buried on Oct. 4 in Ferndale, Calif.
Representatives from the Army met with Jacobsen’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.
On May 16, 1971, Jacobsen was one of four U.S. soldiers and an unknown number of Republic of Vietnam (R.V.N.) Marines who were aboard a UH-1H Iroquois helicopter. The crew was on a combat assault mission near Hue, South Vietnam when they came under heavy enemy ground fire as their aircraft touched down at the landing zone. The pilot tried to lift off, but the damaged aircraft struck a tree line and exploded. A few days later, a search and rescue team recovered the remains of some of the Vietnamese Marines, but there were remains still trapped under the helicopter wreckage. No remains for the U.S. soldiers were recovered.
In 1994, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident. The team surveyed the crash site and found wreckage consistent with a UH-1. The next year, another joint team excavated the site and recovered human remains, but they were not those of the U.S. soldiers.
In 2002, a joint team traveled to Hue and interviewed two Vietnamese citizens who showed the team two re-burial sites associated with this incident. In 2006, another team excavated the two sites and recovered human remains from one of them.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Jacobsen’s remains, which were recovered in 2006. The other U.S. soldiers associated with this incident are still unaccounted-for.
~~
Air Force Pilots Missing From The Vietnam War Are Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two U.S. servicemen, missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
They are Capt. James E. Cross, of Warren, Ohio; and Capt. Gomer D. Reese III, of Scarsdale, N.Y., both U.S. Air Force. Cross will be buried on Oct. 10 in Warren, and Reese will be buried in the spring in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C.
On April 24, 1970, these men were flying a U-17B light aircraft on an orientation flight over Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. Their aircraft was struck by enemy ground fire, crashed and burned. Other U.S. aircraft in the area flew over the crash site and did not see any movement or receive any beeper signals or radio transmissions from the two men.
Between 1994 and 1998, joint U.S./Lao People’s Democratic Republic (L.P.D.R.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted several investigations of the incident in Xiangkhoang Province and surveyed the crash site. Teams interviewed Laotian citizens who claimed to witness the crash, and the citizens turned over human remains they said were associated with this incident. The remains were consistent with human bone, but were too small to yield meaningful biological characteristics.
In 2004, another joint team re-surveyed the crash site and recovered life-support equipment, including a seat belt buckle consistent with those found in a U-17 aircraft.
In 2007, another joint team excavated the crash site and recovered human remains and crew-related items. In the spring of 2008, a team completed the excavation and recovered more human remains and non-biological material.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
~~
Pilot Missing In Action From The Vietnam War Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Col. David H. Zook, Jr., U.S. Air Force, of West Liberty, Ohio. He will be buried Oct. 4 in West Liberty.
On Oct. 4, 1967, Zook was on a psychological warfare operation over Song Be Province, South Vietnam, when his U-10B Super Courier aircraft collided in mid-air with a C-7A Caribou. The C-7 pilot said he saw the other aircraft hit the ground and explode. Several search and rescue attempts failed to locate Zook’s remains.
In 1992, a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), investigated the incident in Song Be Province. The team interviewed Vietnamese citizens who witnessed the crash and saw remains amid the wreckage. The team surveyed the site and found evidence consistent with Zook’s crash. While later examining the evidence recovered from the site, a small fragment of bone was found.
In 1993, another joint team excavated the crash site and recovered a bone fragment and non-biological material including small pieces of military clothing. In March 2008, a final excavation was conducted and more human remains were recovered.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and also used dental comparisons in the identification of Zook’s remains.
~~
Soldier Missing In Action From WWII Is Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is 2nd Lt. Ernest E. Martin, U.S. Army, of Hanover, Mont. He will be buried on Oct. 11 in Ellensburg, Wash.
Representatives from the Army met with Martin’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of Secretary of the Army.
In November 1944, the 109th and 112th Infantry Regiments, 28th Infantry Division, were attacking east through the Hürtgen Forest in an attempt to capture the German towns of Vossenack and Schmidt. On Nov. 4, the Germans counterattacked in what would become one of the longest running battles in U.S. history. Martin, a member of C Company, 109th Infantry Regiment, was reported missing in action near Vossenack on Nov. 10.
In 2000, a German construction company found human remains in an unmarked grave while clearing wartime unexploded ordnance from the Hürtgen Forest. The remains, along with military rank and branch insignia were turned over to U.S. officials.
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 Martin’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 and Afghanistan. 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 - - Coming Events
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Asbury United Methodist Church will have a fish fry SATURDAY, September 27, from 5-7 p.m. at the church located at 1300 E. University. Tickets are $10 a plate for adults and $5 a plate for children under age 12. To purchase tickets contact Ann Whitehead at 870-234-6722 or Paula Wooley at 870-596-2946.
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Life Touch Hospice will have volunteer training from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 30, Oct. 2, 7, 9 and 14. All meals and materials will be provided. For more information call Life Touch , Hospice office at 234-9112 or Abby Cate at 866-378-0388.
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The Family Readiness Group of the Arkansas Army National Guard will conduct a fundraiser, THURSDAY, October 2, 5-8 p.m. at Pizza Inn. For information , call Amanda Franks 904-9532. ~~~~~
Ducks Unlimited Banquet, Saturday, October 25, Main Event Pavillion. For tickets or more information, contact Blake Hogue, Tommy Surles, Greg Harrell, or Genia Harrell
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Scheduled Activities
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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.
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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.
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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.
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MCC - Nursing Home Ministry - Meadowbrook Every Tuesday from 10 to 11 am. Taylor, the last Thursday each month.
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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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Interested in getting in touch with the Banner-News through e-mail?
E-mail addresses for communicating with the newspaper’s various departments are: news@bannernews.net For news and sports items, Coming Events, Diary, Church News, school and civic events.
advertising@bannernews. net For retail and classified advertising.
circulation@bannernews. net To start, stop or cancel newspaper delivery or for comments about delivery.
outfitters @bannernews.net For Office Outfitters, the office supply division of the Banner-News.
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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
“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 John "Fuzzy" Thurman
~~~~~
Hope you enjoy the newsletter.
Again, thanks to all our contributors this week.

God bless and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
1 Tim 1:1-5 Ezek 44:10,13-14 Ezek 44:5 1 Sam 17:38-40 Psa 35:11-15 Prov 3:5-6 Psa 23:1-3 Mat 11:28-30 Phil 4:6-7 Psa 106:24-25 http://www.e-min.org/
God is Good and Faithful CU 73 IC JFM CSP NREMT-I KC5HII

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