Bug's Bleat - - GCF: After Christmas Thought - - Photos

  Madi Garcia is too photogenic to ignore.
  Ethan expresses himself.
  Vanessa glows in the morning light.

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: After Christmas Thought

  Jackie and Jo Ann "beautify" any gathering.
  Josiah and Jimmy showing off Josiah's new jacket
  Josiah shows of his "Speed McQueen" Shirt

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: After Christmas Thought

  Ethan and Josiah at their birthday
  Jackie, Mike and Jo Ann at Christmas

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: After Christmas Thought

  Ethan considers "touching" a glass bowl
  Our home with the "snowman" guard
  Jo Ann is a beautiful niece.

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: After Christmas Thought

  Josiah Contemplates Christmas
  Madi Garcia
  One of Annette's many plants in our living room.

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: After Christmas Thought

Volume 9, Issue 52 Friday, December 28, 2007

Hello All,

“Red Lights” and Traffic Signals - What color is a “Yield” sign?
Change is a consistent process and one that we subconsciously welcome. The very essence of progress is change. But change can also cause distress. As we get older, our bodies change. At first, this is what we want. Most kids want to grow up. Then, somewhere in our 20s or 30s (or later) we start looking for ways to hold on to the body we have. We don’t want to face the changes of age.
My epiphany came at age 40. It seemed that was when everything started to break down. I had to start wearing glasses. Thing hurt, that didn’t hurt before. Worldwide, adapting to an older body is the source of billions of dollars to business. This is spent on everything from Advil to Botox.
Just as our bodies change, so do our circumstances. It’s natural (at least in our society) that we are cared for by our parents, then we care for our children, then we care for our parents, then our children care for us. Of course this isn’t always a smooth transition. Some kids are basically left to raise themselves, either due to absence of their parents or lack of ability of the parents. Some parents never understand the joy of caring for children.
But the majority of us do follow the trend and we are cared for, then we care for others before it’s time once again for us to be cared for.
In our life, we enjoyed caring for our children and helping care for our grandkids. And we’ve experienced the joy and pain of caring for our parents. Today, it’s about 50/50 joy/pain caring for MamMaw Dorothy. When she’s able, she’s a real joy. Like Thursday evening at the Supper table. Annette noticed that MamMaw was feeding the dog much of her supper. Annette asked “Mother, why are you giving the dog your food? He’s already eaten.” To which, MamMaw just looked at us, shrugged, and continued to feed the dog. When Annette and I laughed, she did to.
But other times, like this morning, she’s confused and it’s a real challenge to maintain a smile. She’s not sleeping well and tends to call out to us over and over. We’ve learned to treat these times like we would a child who gets up in the night. We check on her, then explain that it’s still night and tell her to go back to bed. Then we try to ignore her for the hour or so it takes for her to fall back to sleep.
So, I’ve ended up writing on “Da Bleat” at 3:00 am instead of sleeping. But that’s still a very little cost to pay a fine woman back for all the joy she’s given to us over the years. Besides, it’s raining and who wants to sleep with the rain pattering on the roof and sidewalk?
Oh, yeah. The title subject of Signals and Signs? Well those are great examples of change in our lives. When I was young, we had “Red Lights” that hung over major intersections. Of course, they were actually Red, Yellow and Green lights, but we always just referred to them as “Red Lights” as in “Go to the third red light and take a left.” Now we have Traffic Signals that are composed of multiple lights on horizontal poles over the intersections. A typical installation will have 12 fixtures on four poles. But they still serve the same purpose and we still tell people “Go to the third red light and take a left.”
As for the signs, what color is a yield sign? If you’re over 40, most people will answer “yellow” because that’s what color a yield sign was when they took their drivers test. Younger folks will answer correctly, “red” because that’s the color of yield signs today.
This change in color doesn’t register with us because the meaning is the same. The signs are the same shape and located, mostly, in the same locations. So our brain just converts that red sign into the old yellow sign when we’re driving. I always get a kick out of asking older folks the color of the sign and then showing them that it’s changed.
They’ll often argue with me that the new signs may be red but the signs in their neighborhood are still yellow. Then the next day they sheepishly come back to admit that the signs in their neighborhood are red after all. They just never noticed. That’s the way much of the change in our life is. We hardly notice at all as we continue with our daily lives. But they are changing, instant by instant.
So change can be good or bad or neutral. It’s up to us to resist it, or embrace it or ignore it (at our own peril.) I guess knowing when to fight and when to flow is one of those things that come with age and experience. Maybe that’s called wisdom.
~~
"Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world." - A Course In Miracles
"Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict." - Saul Alinsky
"Who we are never changes. Who we think we are does." - Mary S. Almanac
"That's the risk you take if you change: that people you've been involved with won't like the new you. But other people who do will come along." - Lisa Alther
It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory. ~W. Edwards Deming
~~~~~
I may grudgingly accept change in some things but I hope my appetite for Greens and Turnips never changes. Tommye Croft was kind enough to pick some turnips for us from Jim Ball’s garden. They were great and went perfectly with the turnip greens and hot water bread that Annette cooked for Vanessa this week.
~~~~~
I hope my Christmas spirit never wears out. We had a great time this year. And Christmas eve started with Josiah and Ethan having a great “Lightening McQueen” birthday party at Burger King. David, Bobbie, Dusty, Zach, Teresa, and John joined Annette, Jimmy, Vanessa, Josiah and Ethan for a great time of cake, burgers, ice cream and presents. Josiah got a leather bomber jacket that you can see in the photos at the top of the “Bleat”
After the party, we took a break and Josiah and I took candy out to the South Plant Security gang. While we were there, we played on the fire truck and ambulance a little while until Bobbie called to remind us that it was time for us all to meet at our house for Christmas Eve supper and to open presents.
The next morning, I fixed one of my famous bacon, egg, biscuits and grits breakfasts before Vanessa, Jimmy and their boys had to leave for Louisiana. Then it was time to prepare Christmas dinner where we were joined by Claiborne, Mike, Jo Ann, Jackie, Frank and Stacy Garcia and their children as well as the McClellan gang. A great time was had by all.
~~~~~
Annette and I swapped out babysitting duties Tuesday and Wednesday so we could go to the movies separately and see National Treasure 2. I went with Frank and Stacy and Annette went alone. We both enjoyed the movie but the Cameo was FRIGID. They really need to turn the heat on in the winter.
~~~~~
“Refdesk” [http://refdesk.com/] has some great “end of year” sites.
http://refdesk.com/2007best.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071220/ap_on_re_us/ye_top10_stories
~~~~~
Thanks to your support of the many local organizations which depend so much on the support of the United Way! Total Albemarle Magnolia employee pledges totaled $24,254.95.
~~~~~
http://www.slate.com/?wpisrc=newsletter - - Yesterday, “Slate” reported on a story in the New York Times that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has approved a new rule allowing employers to either cut back or eliminate retiree health benefits [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/27/washington/27retire.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper&oref=slogin] when they reach 65 and become eligible for Medicare. The new rule comes in response to employers threatening to get rid of retiree health benefits as a whole if they couldn't get an exemption from age-discrimination laws.
That’s encouraging news for us older baby boomers.
~~~~~
“Slate” also reported on a Los Angeles Times look at how many in the military are beginning to question whether it makes sense to buy many of the humongous "mine-resistant ambush protected" trucks for Iraq [http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-mrap27dec27,1,2016997.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&ctrack=1&cset=true]. Robert Gates made acquiring the vehicles, which can withstand roadside bombings, a top priority when he became Defense secretary but now that violence has decreased many think MRAPs would be an unneeded expense that could end up hurting the overall mission as well as be a detriment for future wars.
~~~~~
PBS has a documentary titled “The Soldier’s Heart” You can watch it online here;
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heart/
~~~~~
Each week the Defense Department highlights military personnel who have gone above and beyond in the war. [http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/] - - Juan Ayala - Hometown: El Paso, TX - Awarded: Legion of Merit:

A secure Iraq requires competent local police and national army. In Iraq, U.S. commanders have helped achieve stability in former hotbeds of violence by building up Iraqi Security Forces, thanks to the creative efforts of soldiers and Marines, such as Marine Corps Col. Juan Ayala.

During his third tour in Iraq, from January 2006 to January 2007, Col. Ayala served as the Senior Advisor to the 1st Iraqi Army Division, based at Camp Habbaniyah. Numerous challenges faced Ayala and his 29-man team, as they operated daily in tandem with the Iraqis. The Division lacked soldiers, trained officers and equipment. The surrounding terrain proved hostile as well. In early 2006, Anbar province remained volatile, and the Iraqi Army often found itself engaged in battles with civilians allied with insurgents.

Over time, under Ayala’s guidance, the Iraqis increased their areas of responsibility and gained credibility among the population. Specifically, Col. Ayala revamped the staff functions of the Division, drawing up missions that fit its skill set. He collaborated with local imams and sheiks to obtain approval for operations. As a result of the built-up trust, the flow of actionable intelligence to the Division increased, as did the number of formerly hostile Sunnis to the Division’s ranks. So many ended up joining the Iraqi forces that they eventually gained a title: the “sons of Al Anbar.”

Ayala helped plan and execute 52 direct action patrols in the area, which yielded 25 captured insurgents. Ayala’s input resulted in the creation of a 24-hour joint Iraqi/Advisor Combat Operations Center, which helped obtain situational awareness on the ground. Other positive developments under Ayala’s tenure included equipment improvements and the purging of hundreds of bogus soldiers from the Division’s ranks. Under Ayala, the implementation of a Unit Tracking Program (UTP) was influential in maintaining accountability among the Iraqi soldiers in the Division.

Ayala often went on patrols, serving as a vehicle and convoy commander. He was hit twice by IEDs, but kept going out on missions to assess the Division’s ability in the field. He led 17 teams and 225 advisors at different levels of command, to improve the capabilities of the Division. Today, two of the Division’s Brigades, the 3rd and the 4th, function without coalition assistance.

For his efforts in building up the 1st Iraqi Army Division, Col. Ayala earned the Legion of Merit with Combat Distinguishing Device.
~~~~~
This week, we finished reading; "God's Harvard" by Hanna Rosin and “Dead Certain: the presidency of George W. Bush” by Robert Draper. I recommend both books.
Now we’ve switched back to fiction an we’re reading; “Shadow woman” by Thomas Perry
We plan on reading: "The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War" by David Halberstam
~~~~~
http://www.shelfari.com/BugsBleat/shelf?ec=7D790D174EFS18012
~~~~~
If you’d like to write Dr. Antoon, he’d like to hear from you. This is his current address, the latest of the three federal prison’s he’s been in.
Patrick Antoon #06669-010
Federal Prison Camp-La Tuna
P. O. Box 8000
Anthony, NM/TX 88021
~~~~~
The photos on the front of this week’s “Bleat” include Madi Garcia, Ethan, Vanessa, Jackie, Jo Ann, Josiah and Jimmy and Josiah modeling his new “Bomber” jacket.
~~~~~
We’ve now got several addresses on the web for "Da Bleat." For the latest issue, go to http://www.bugsbleat.blogspot.com
Our photos are posted at http://www.bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com.
~~~~~
Feel free to share the "Bleat" with any and all. That's why we publish it.
~~~~~
Recipe(s) of the week - - - French Bread - - Classic Four Ingredient Bread Recipe - - © Linda Larsen - -
Apr 23, 2006

Make this fabulous recipe for the best French Bread you've ever tasted. This is a classic Gallic treat: delicious, versatile, and impressive when made at home. But it's actually very simple to make!

Just five ingredients are all you need. Yeast, flour, water, salt, and sugar combine to make your whole house smell like a French bakery. There are just a couple of rules to follow.

Use a thermometer to take the temperature of the water. Yeast is a living organism and water that is too hot will kill it; then your bread won't rise. Knead for the amount of time specified in the recipe. And make sure that your oven temperature is accurate. An oven thermometer is a good investment. Enjoy this bread!

French Bread
2 packages dry yeast
2-1/2 cups warm water
1 tsp. sugar
6 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp. salt

Make sure water temperature is 110 to 115 degrees F. Place water in a large bowl and sprinkle with yeast and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes until yeast dissolves and starts to bubble. Stir in 2 cups flour and salt. Cover and let rise for ½ hour.

Then gradually stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. (Knead by pressing on the dough, then folding over and pressing with the heel of your hand.) Then clean the large mixing bowl, grease it with solid shortening, and place the dough in the bowl. Turn it in the bowl so the dough is greased (this prevents the top from cracking as it rises).

Cover the dough and let rise at room temperature for about 2-1/2 hours, until doubled in bulk. With your fist, punch down the dough. Divide in half and place one half on a lightly floured surface.

Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a 12x6" rectangle. Starting with the 12" side, roll up tightly. Seal seams and edges by pinching. Repeat with remaining dough.

Grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves on prepared sheet. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray the loaves with a bit of water, then using a blade, made a few slashes across the top of each loaf. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25-30 minutes until loaves are golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool on wire rack.

http://bakingdesserts.suite101.com/article.cfm/frenchbreadrecipe
~~~~~
BreakPoint
With Chuck Colson

A Rational Belief
12/28/2007
Faith in God

I’ve got to hand it to the new wave of militant atheists like Christopher Hitchens and arch-Darwinist Richard Dawkins. They are getting their message out, in best-selling books and in page-one articles in major newspapers like the Washington Post. Their message is simple: There is no God, and people who believe there is a God are simply being irrational. But is faith in God truly irrational?

The much-respected philosopher Alvin Plantinga is well-versed in the arguments employed by these atheists. He has debated his secular colleagues many times on the question: “Is it reasonable to presuppose that God exists?”

Their response, of course, is “no” because they believe only in physical phenomena and a material universe. Plantinga then asks them whether it is rational to believe that other people have minds. After all, there is scarcely more material evidence that other people have minds, as distinct from brains, than there is for God’s existence.

When the philosophers say “yes,” Plantinga argues that believing in God is just as rational as believing that other people have minds: Both conclusions reflect a faith of sorts.

There are other reasons why belief in God is rational, which I discuss in The Faith, my new book, to be published in January. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that the universe is the product of intelligence, not chance.

What’s called the “anthropic principle” says intelligent life is possible only because of a precise combination of “seemingly arbitrary and unrelated constants in physics.” As one physicist put it, it is as if the “universe knew we were coming.” And the billions of human cells that make up our body, we know function only because of intelligent information.

Thus, belief in God is far from an irrational leap in the dark, much less a delusion, as Dawkins says. Even Dawkins rates himself only a “6” on a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being certitude that God does not exist. “I cannot know for certain, but I think God is very improbable,” Dawkins said, “and I live my life on the assumption that He is not there.” That’s a bad bet.*

The great philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote that if there is no God, and you bet your life there is, you have lost nothing. But if there is a God, and you bet your life there is not, you have made an eternal mistake. Or put it this way: If Dr. Dawkins had been on the Titanic and was offered two lifeboats—one certain to sink and the other with a one-in-seven chance of staying afloat—he would not have chosen the one that was sure to sink. That would be irrational.

But there is another kind of evidence for the rationality of belief in God: that is, its impact on human lives and society.

As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, people noticed that, compared to the squalor and general hopelessness of Rome, Christians lived a profoundly different, more hopeful life. This difference made conversion to Christianity a rational choice.

The same thing is true today: Studies of evangelization show that people come to Christianity because it delivers the results. It changes families, which atheistic worldviews cannot.

All of this and more makes belief in God rational and makes one wonder what’s behind disbelief. Philosopher Mortimer Adler, one of the great intellectuals of the twentieth century, believed Christianity was true, but refused to accept it because it would interfere with his lifestyle. In time, he overcame that objection and became a Christian, which, given the evidence, was the only rational thing to do.

This commentary first aired on October 11, 2007, and is part four in a five-part series.

Please give a generous donation today to help Prison Fellowship and BreakPoint continue strong in the new year. Donate online or call 1-877-322-5527. Thank you!

The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters by Chuck Colson with Harold Fickett. Call 1-877-322-5527 to pre-order! (Suggested donation: $13)

For Further Reading and Information

BreakPoint Commentary No. 060322, “Expected Guests: John D. Barrow and the Anthropic Principle.”

BreakPoint Commentary No. 031219, “Lost and Found: Modern Science and Ancient Faith.”

BreakPoint Commentary No. 071008, “Suspended License: Hitchens’s Distortion of Christian History.”

BreakPoint Commentary No. 071009, “Nietzsche Would Laugh: Morality without God.”

BreakPoint Commentary No. 961010, “What about the Children?: Is Religion Child Abuse?”

Mary Eberstadt, “How the West Might Find God Again,” Mercatornet, 8 October 2007.

Joel Achenbach, “What Makes Up My Mind?” Washington Post, 23 September 2007, B01.

The BreakPoint Web site and BreakPoint WorldView Magazine feature Colson’s commentaries as well as feature articles by other established and up-and-coming writers to equip readers with a biblical perspective on a variety of issues and topics. © 2007 Prison Fellowship
~~~~~
Words of the Week:
finical: finicky.
calumny: malicious misrepresentation; slander.
persiflage: frivolous or bantering talk.
amity: friendship; friendly relations.
benefaction: the act of conferring a benefit; also, a benefit conferred.
hermitage: a secluded residence; a retreat.
gnomic: uttering, containing, or characterized by maxims.
multifarious: having great diversity or variety.
from Dictionary.Com
~~~~~
"Fearful as reality is, it is less fearful than evasions of reality ... Look steadfastly into the slit, pinpointed malignant eyes of reality as an old-hand trainer dominates his wild beasts." - Caitlin Thomas

"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something that one finds. It is something that one creates." - Thomas Szasz

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads." - Clement Clarke Moore

"At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year." - Thomas Tusser

"The only way to make a man trustworthy is to trust him." - Henry L. Stimson

"We have confused the free with the free and easy." - Adlai E. Stevenson

"The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself." - Wallace Stevens
~~~~~
Here’s the first month of our 2008 Bible Reading Plan. We thank http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/ for this one. I also have a copy of the whole year in PDF and as a Word Doc. If you’d like either, drop us a note at kc5hii@gmail.com.

January
01 Genesis 1:1-2:25
Matthew 1:1-2:12
Psalm 1:1-6
Proverbs 1:1-6
02 Genesis 3:1-4:26
Matthew 2:13-3:6
Psalm 2:1-12
Proverbs 1:7-9
03 Genesis 5:1-7:24
Matthew 3:7-4:11
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 1:10-19
04 Genesis 8:1-10:32
Matthew 4:12-25
Psalm 4:1-8
Proverbs 1:20-23
05 Genesis 11:1-13:4
Matthew 5:1-26
Psalm 5:1-12
Proverbs 1:24-28
06 Genesis 13:5-15:21
Matthew 5:27-48
Psalm 6:1-10
Proverbs 1:29-33
07 Genesis 16:1-18:15
Matthew 6:1-24
Psalm 7:1-17
Proverbs 2:1-5
08 Genesis 18:16-19:38
Matthew 6:25-7:14
Psalm 8:1-9
Proverbs 2:6-15
09 Genesis 20:1-22:24
Matthew 7:15-29
Psalm 9:1-12
Proverbs 2:16-22
10 Genesis 23:1-24:51
Matthew 8:1-17
Psalm 9:13-20
Proverbs 3:1-6
11 Genesis 24:52-26:16
Matthew 8:18-34
Psalm 10:1-15
Proverbs 3:7-8
12 Genesis 26:17-27:46
Matthew 9:1-17
Psalm 10:16-18
Proverbs 3:9-10
13 Genesis 28:1-29:35
Matthew 9:18-38
Psalm 11:1-7
Proverbs 3:11-12
14 Genesis 30:1-31:16
Matthew 10:1-23
Psalm 12:1-8
Proverbs 3:13-15
15 Genesis 31:17-32:12
Matthew 10:24-11:6
Psalm 13:1-6
Proverbs 3:16-18
16 Genesis 32:13-34:31
Matthew 11:7-30
Psalm 14:1-7
Proverbs 3:19-20
17 Genesis 35:1-36:43
Matthew 12:1-21
Psalm 15:1-5
Proverbs 3:21-26
18 Genesis 37:1-38:30
Matthew 12:22-45
Psalm 16:1-11
Proverbs 3:27-32
19 Genesis 39:1-41:16
Matthew 12:46-13:23
Psalm 17:1-15
Proverbs 3:33-35
20 Genesis 41:17-42:17
Matthew 13:24-46
Psalm 18:1-15
Proverbs 4:1-6
21 Genesis 42:18-43:34
Matthew 13:47-14:12
Psalm 18:16-36
Proverbs 4:7-10
22 Genesis 44:1-45:28
Matthew 14:13-36
Psalm 18:37-50
Proverbs 4:11-13
23 Genesis 46:1-47:31
Matthew 15:1-28
Psalm 19:1-14
Proverbs 4:14-19
24 Genesis 48:1-49:33
Matthew 15:29-16:12
Psalm 20:1-9
Proverbs 4:20-27
25 Genesis 50:1 - Exodus 2:10
Matthew 16:13-17:9
Psalm 21:1-13
Proverbs 5:1-6
26 Exodus 2:11-3:22
Matthew 17:10-27
Psalm 22:1-18
Proverbs 5:7-14
27 Exodus 4:1-5:21
Matthew 18:1-20
Psalm 22:19-31
Proverbs 5:15-21
28 Exodus 5:22-7:25
Matthew 18:21-19:12
Psalm 23:1-6
Proverbs 5:22-23
29 Exodus 8:1-9:35
Matthew 19:13-30
Psalm 24:1-10
Proverbs 6:1-5
30 Exodus 10:1-12:13
Matthew 20:1-28
Psalm 25:1-15
Proverbs 6:6-11
31 Exodus 12:14-13:16
Matthew 20:29-21:22
Psalm 25:16-22
Proverbs 6:12-15

http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com
One Year® is a registered trademark used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
~~~~~
Link List
[http://gasprices.mapquest.com]
[http://thelighthousechurch.publishpath.com/]
[www.terryscomputertips.com]
[www.mcc2000.net]
~~~~~
BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
http://breakingchristiannews.com/

# Colorado Couple, who Lost 3 Sons, Receives Gift of Triplets on Christmas Eve
# Illinois State Museum Honors Heroic Missionary's Life
# Honey Now the Antibiotic of Choice For Treating Wounds?
# Soldier Impacted by the Passion of the Christ Adopts Disabled Iraqi Orphan

# Prayer Alert: Pakistan in Volatile State after Benazir Bhutto's Assassination
# Baghdad Churches Were Overflowing at Christmas
# Denzel Washington Believes Prophecy, Spoken Over Him 33 Years Ago in His Mother's Beauty Shop, Is Being Fulfilled
# Young Football Hero Shares Testimonies of Healings

# WWII Vet Gives $10,000 Check to Salvation Army Bell-Ringer
# British Woman Wakes from Coma to Find She's a New Mom
# Soldiers Serving Overseas Will Experience a Christmas They Will Never Forget
# Inspirational Film Silent Night Starring Linda Hamilton to Air on TBN Christmas Eve and Day

# Michael W. Smith Talks about his New Christmas CD and the Special Quality Inherent to Christmas Music
# Alaskans Wearing "It's OK Wish Me A Merry Christmas" Buttons
# The Allure of Live Nativity Plays Where Anything Can Happen

# Memorial Service for Sisters Shot at Colorado Church Draws 3,000
# Consumerism, Capitalism and Christmas: Can They Co-Exist?
# Scientist and Mathematician, William Dembski, Discusses Book that Delineates Intelligent Design Exploration

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GCF: After Christmas Thought
From the Good Clean Fun Archives

If this was forwarded to you, please consider your own subscription to Good Clean Fun. It's free! A smile will enhance the quality of your life. Just send an email to: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit the Good Clean Fun web site http://www.kcbx.net/~tellswor/ Unsubscribe info for Good Clean Fun is at the end of this email. This email was scanned by F-Secure before it was sent.
---------------------------------------------

A few days after Christmas, my six-year-old son and I were talking. He asked, "Mom, is there a Santa Claus?"

"Well, what do you think?" I asked him.

He replied, "Well, the Play station that I got from you and my gift from Santa were wrapped in the same kind of wrapping paper."

He thought for a minute and said, "I'll tell you what ... you and Dad can go on buying me presents and let's just forget we ever had this talk!"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Christmas Turkey

From the Good Clean Fun Archives
---------------------------------------------

One year at Christmas, Mom went to my sister's house for the traditional feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, Mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store.

When my sister left, Mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey, then re-stuffed the turkey. She placed the bird(s) back in the oven.

When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird. With a look of total shock on her face, Mother exclaimed, "Patricia, you've cooked a pregnant bird!"

At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry. It took the family two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs.
_ ____________________________ _
GCF: Bus Driver's Christmas Cards
From the Good Clean Fun Archives
---------------------------------------------

I am a bus driver for high school kids. It is Christmas time and the kids all gave me cards and presents.

Now I'm thinking, "Man, I must be a good driver and the kids even like me."

I opened the cards when I got home. On the inside of one card it said: "Thanks for not killing us yet. We really appreciate it."
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Holiday Eating Tips

From the Good Clean Fun Archives
---------------------------------------------

I hate aspects of this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without gaining 10 pounds.

1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnogaholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later then you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Years, You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa. Position yourself near them, and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. You can't leave them behind. You're not going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean have some standards, mate.

10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over. But hurry! Cookieless January is just around the corner.
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Politically Correct Holiday Greetings

From the Good Clean Fun Archives
---------------------------------------------

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all;"

PLUS

"a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great, (not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country or is the only "AMERICA" in the western hemisphere), and without regard to race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, or choice of computer platform."

(Disclaimer: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher who assumes no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.)
_ ____________________________ _
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / I've gotten to the age where \ \_/ ////
\ / I need my false teeth and \ /
\ _/ hearing aid before I can \_ /
/ / ask where I left my glasses. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / Alarm Clock: \ \_/ ////
\ / A small mechanical device \ /
\ _/ used to wake up people who \_ /
/ / don't have children. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / If you have everything, \ /
\ _/ you value nothing. \_ /
/ / \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / \ /
\ _/ I have an exceptionally high Q.I. \_ /
/ / \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )______________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / Eventually you will reach \ \_/ ////
\ / a point when you stop lying \ /
\ _/ about your age and start \_ /
/ / bragging about it. \ \
_ ____________________________ _
| Thomas S. Ellsworth |
| tellswor@slonet.org |
| http://www.slonet.org/~tellswor |
|____________________________|
Stop for a visit, leave with a smile! To join Good Clean Fun, email: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.Com To leave Good Clean Fun, email: good-clean-fun-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.Com Or visit the Good Clean Fun web site at http://www. slonet.org/~tellswor/
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A businessman on his deathbed called his friend and said, 'Bill, I want you to promise me that when I die you will have my remains cremated.'
'And what,' his friend asked, 'do you want me to do with your ashes?'
The businessman said, 'Just put them in an envelope and mail them to the Internal Revenue Service, and write on the envelope, 'Now you have everything'.'

Thanks to Jeanette Ford
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Looking Heavenward

The temporary Sunday School teacher was struggling to open a combination lock on the supply cabinet. She had been told the combination, but couldn't quite remember it.

She went to the pastor's study and asked for help. The pastor came into the room and began to turn the dial.

After the first two numbers he paused and stared blankly for a moment. Finally he looked serenely heavenward and his lips moved silently.

Then he looked back at the lock, and quickly turned to the final number, and opened the lock.

The teacher was amazed. "I'm in awe at your faith, pastor," she said.

"It's really nothing," he answered. "The number is on a piece of tape on the ceiling."

Thanks to Jeanette Ford
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Please and Thank You

While on maternity leave, a woman from our office brought in her new bundle of joy. She also had her seven-year-old son with her.

Everyone gathered around the baby, and the little boy asked, "Mommy, can I have some money to buy a soda?"

"What do you say?" she asked.

Respectfully, the boy replied, "You're thin and beautiful."

The woman reached in her purse and gave her son the money.

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

Car On Fire

I had just pulled into a parking spot at the huge home improvement store when smoke and flames began pouring from under my hood.

Frantic, I bolted into the store and ran up to the first clerk I saw. As luck would have it, he was standing behind the courtesy counter.

"Please help," I gasped. "My car's on fire! I need a fire extinguisher!"

Without even looking up, he replied, "Aisle 12."

Received from Becky D..

(-:][:-)

An Interview With An 80-year-old Woman

The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady because she had just gotten married -- for the fourth time.

The interviewer asked her questions about her life, about what it felt like to be marrying again at 80, and then about her new husband's occupation.

"He's a funeral director," she answered.

"Interesting," the newsman thought. He then asked her if she wouldn't mind telling him a little about her first three husbands and what they did for a living.

She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. After a short time, a smile came to her face and she answered proudly, explaining that she'd first married a banker when she was in her early 20s, then a circus ringmaster when in her 40s, later on a preacher when in her 60s, and now in her 80s, a funeral director.

The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.

She smiled and explained, "I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go."

Received from Marjorie Brundage.

(-:][:-)

Thanks for What?

It's not an easy task to find yourself heading into the holidays when there's little joy in your life.

It had been a bad year, one that would be remembered for the loss of two loved ones, a year that saw financial despair and job loss.

Then there were the health issues. Not every day concerns, but life-threatening attacks.

Nothing, but nothing went right.

Still, the family gathered as always for the Thanksgiving Day feast. They came from all around the country to share once more in what was always a beautiful family tradition.

The setting was the same as always at Grandma's house. Aunt Esther would bring her famous sweet potatoes. Uncle Joe would play the piano in the great room. Mom would set the table while Dad ... well, Dad would watch football.

Aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters would hug that warm loving embrace that says it's been much too long.

Or would they?

"It's really not the same without her here," someone said. Uncle Peter pretended not to hear it and continued on with an almost believable smile on his face.

"Do you remember when George would tell that funny story about his first Thanksgiving turkey?"

"It was really not that funny, but to hear George tell it. You laughed because of him!"

There was an uneasy silence in the room.

"Time for dinner!" Grandma announced.

One by one, they all took their places at the table. There was an awkward moment when they discovered the two empty seats where they always sat.

"Maybe it's time for Sissy and Jack to move up to the big table," someone said.

"Yes, come sit here next to me," Uncle Peter motioned. "I could use some company right now."

"Okay, everyone bow your heads for grace," Grandma told them.

"Lord, we are gathered here once again in thanks for all your blessings. We are grateful to you for the bounty of this feast and for the family we share it with. Amen."

It was now the tradition of this family to take the time to share one thing they were each thankful for from the past year.

"Who would like to go first?" Grandma asked.

There was silence -- an uncomfortable moment that most everyone dreaded this year.

"Come, now. Who will start?"

Jack, now the youngest one there at the grown-up table, rose to his feet and tried to slip away.

Jack had lost his mother just a few weeks earlier after a long struggle with cancer.

"Jack, you have not asked to be excused," Grandma said sharply. "Perhaps you would like to begin?"

Oh, this was a tough moment. Grandma deserved the respect of a young man, but stirred in him a fire that only youth enjoy.

"Thanks? For what?" he said sharply. "Thanks for taking my mom? Thanks for Uncle Dan losing his job and having to sell his house? Thanks for the cancer that has taken all too many lives?" he said with anger in his voice. "Thanks for what?"

Most of the adults sat quietly with their heads lowered. Some struggled to hold back tears. It was a difficult time, and no one there went unaffected by the loss and tragedies of this past year.

Then suddenly a small voice could be heard: "Thanks for the love."

Heads raised slowly. Looking around the room to see who had spoken, you could hear the rattle of the dishes and the scraping of the chairs against the floor as some repositioned themselves to get a better look.

"Who said that?" Grandma said softly.

Nervously the young child raised his hand and could barely be seen in the far corner of the room.

It was the children's table, occupied this year by only two. The others had been promoted to fill the vacancies at the adult table.

"Jacob, please stand up," Grandma urged. "Tell us again. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?"

"I am thankful for the love. You can lose a job. God can call all of us home. What will always remain is the love. The love. I'm thankful for the love."

The stillness in the room was unsettling.

"I'm thankful for you, Jacob," someone said.

"Well, I'm thankful for ... ever having your mom in my life. Even if only for such a brief time," Jack's father said.

"I'm thankful for the memories," someone else added.

"I'm thankful for the chance to start over with a new career," Uncle Dan said.

"I'm thankful for cranberry sauce!" the little child yelled out.

Everyone was laughing. Jack returned to his seat as he listened to the others announce what they were thankful for.

"My golf score!"

"My new dress."

"My trip to the Grand Canyon last summer with our neighbors. It was awesome!"

Finally it went full circle right back to Jack.

There was a sudden hush in the room as everyone waited to see if he would join in.

Then looking up with tears in his eyes, Jack said, "Thanks for being my mom!"

Family rushed to his side, and surrounding him, they hugged, kissed, and held his hands.

"Let's eat!" Grandma said.

The young man in the corner whispered, "See, God? Thanks for the love."

by Bob Perks, http://www.bobperks.com

Received from FranCMT2.

(-:][:-)

Bus Driver's Christmas

I am a bus driver for high school kids. It is Christmas time, and the kids have all given me cards and presents.

Now I'm thinking, "Man, I must be a good driver, and the kids even like me."

I'm now home from work and have started to open the cards.

On the inside of one card it says, "Thanks for not killing us yet. We really appreciate it."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

-=+=-
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Brought to you by GCFL.net: The Good, Clean Funnies List A cheerful heart is good medicine... (Prov 17:22a) Mail address: GCFL, Box 100, Harvest, AL 35749, USA
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Madeleine Begun Kane Latest Columns - - http://madkane.com/newyearscontract.html - - IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED

What is it about December 31st that spurs fantasies of self-reform? Is it too much food and drink? Seasonal exuberance? Lunacy induced by crowds?

Every December, otherwise rational people make resolutions meant to transform them into organized, addiction-free souls with clean houses, healthy bodies, wholesome relationships, perfect children, and career paths soaring to the top -- the same vows they made last year and the year before that.

Can our resolutions endure past January 1st? Can we make it to year's end without ripping up our lists?

AGREEMENT entered into this ___________ (Date) by Husband and Wife (jointly called "Couple").

WHEREAS, New Year's Eve is coming and Couple feel compelled to make some vows:

NOW, THEREFORE, Couple make the following New Year's Resolution Agreement:

DIET:

1. Couple shall reduce their caffeine and cholesterol intake. Additionally, they shall not tempt each other with ice cream or chocolate, except on special occasions. The following are not special occasions:

a. National Notary Public Day

b. Air Conditioning Appreciation Day

c. American Aardvark Week

2. Husband and Wife shall modify their alcohol intake. Husband acknowledges that "lite" beer counts.

EXERCISE:

1. Couple shall join a health club and occasionally show up. Such attendance will entail actual use of equipment.

2. Couple shall encourage each other to exercise, but shall not be pushy. Remarks such as the following will be avoided:

"I did 30 minutes on the bike. How much did you do?"

If such remark is made, the proper response shall be: "I used more resistance, so there."

3. Couple shall not spend gym time staring at attractive torsos. When caught ogling, the proper defense is: "I was just checking out her (his) technique."

Husband and Wife will pretend to believe this.

4. When Couple cannot get to the gym, they shall make reasonable efforts to use their virgin exercise bike. In order to facilitate same, Husband shall remove his clothing from the bike and, for incentive purposes, try same on.

FINANCES:

1. Couple shall establish a college fund for their children. Additionally, they shall try to keep annual expenses below 110% of yearly income.

2. Couple shall create a budget for necessities such as housing, utilities, food, clothing, doctor bills, cable, bowling league, poker allowance, etc.

FAMILY:

1. Couple will spend more quality time with their children. Quality time is defined as periods when everyone is awake and nobody is yelling.

2. Husband will not criticize the children's choice of music ... until he stops listening to the Stones.

3. Couple shall not hit the children, no matter how severe the provocation, and shall limit discipline to scolding and confining them to their rooms. Couple shall remember to confiscate computer games before such confinement.

4. Couple shall make reasonable efforts not to spoil the children. Couple shall also make reasonable efforts to spoil each other.

5. Couple shall try to get along with their respective parents ... and shall forgive each other when they fail.

CHORES:

1. Husband shall not spend all afternoon doing a five minute chore.

2. Husband shall stop pretending he knows how to fix the plumbing.

3. Couple shall not feign incompetence in order to avoid certain tasks. For example:

a. Husband acknowledges that he knows how to operate the dish washer.

b. Wife admits she knows how to pump gas.

However, neither Husband nor Wife knows how to fill out health insurance forms.

RESOLUTION VIOLATIONS:

1. Husband and Wife shall not nag each other when they fall afoul of their resolutions. Gentle reminders, however, are permissible. The following are not deemed gentle:

a. "That's what you call a diet?"

b. "Get up you lazy slob and take out the garbage. Or have you already forgotten your resolution?"

2. The following are acceptable responses to resolution violations:

a. "If you consult our Resolution Agreement, you'll find it excludes beer and bon-bons."

b. "Honey, would you please refer to our agreement and, after having done so, take out the damn garbage."

3. Husband and Wife shall exercise restraint when resolution violations occur. They shall also take detailed notes...to get a head start on next year's list.

WHEREFORE, we affix our signatures:

(Husband)___________________ (Wife)___________________

http://www.madkane.com
http://www.madkane.com/notable.html (Notables Weblog)
http://www.madkane.com/bush.html (Dubya's Dayly Diary)
Subscribe to MadKane Humor Newsletter (weekly) here:
http://www.madkane.com/email.html
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"Don't strive for recognition, but work for achievement." -- Vanessa Malone
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This is an old posting attributed to Paul Harvey. But it's still worth a read as we enter 2008:

We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse. For my grandchildren, I'd like better.

I'd really like for them to know about hand me down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meat loaf sandwiches. I really would.

I hope you learn humility by being humiliated, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

I hope you learn to make your own bed and mow the lawn and wash the car.

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

It will be good if at least one time you can see puppies born and your old dog put to sleep.

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother/sister. And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he's scared, I hope you let him.

When you want to see a movie and your little brother/sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let him/her.

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush on a boy\girl, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.. And if a friend offers you dope or a joint, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your Grandma/Grandpa and go fishing with your Uncle.

May you feel sorrow at a funeral and joy during the holidays.

I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through your neighbor's window and that she hugs you and kisses you at Hannukah/Christmas time when you give her a plaster mold of your hand.

These things I wish for you - tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness. To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

Thanks to Ronnie Reynolds
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Dear Friends and Family:

My Dad was in the Army for 27 years, fought in WWII and Korea twice. I was born in an Army Hospital in Japan and have always had a Red, White and Blue heart.

When doing your Christmas card list this year, include one to the address below. Such a small gift could be a wonderful blessing to a hospitalized hero! These are special people who have sacrificed so much on our behalf !

Here's the address:

A Recovering American Soldier (OR substitute "Hero" for "Soldier")
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
Washington,D.C. 20307-5001

If you approve of the idea, you may want to pass it on to some friends.
Agape'

Dana Sigmon / Songwriters Ministries, Inc.
PO Box 1001 / Smyrna, TN 37167
615-459-0554 / Cellular: 615-305-7970
Main Ministry Site: http://danasigmon.org
Our Online Music: http://www.danasigmon.org/store/store.htm
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The Pump Handle. A water cooler for the public health crowd.
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/

The Pump Handle will be on hiatus for the rest of 2007. We wish
everyone a happy and healthy new year!
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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.

Marilyn Adams

Marilyn Adams lost her son, Keith 22 years ago when he "suffocated in a gravity flow wagon while helping with harvest on their family farm" and has been working toward the betterment of young farm workers every since her loss.

Marilyn's efforts have produced Farm Safety Just For Kids and now has 134 chapters and their goal is to increase public awareness and to understand of the hazards for children on the farm by providing individuals, families, and communities with educational opportunities and resources.

Besides the great find in this family built organization; Marilyn has been nominated for Volvo's America’s Greatest Hometown Hero program and if she is the "grand award winner selected from the Safety, Quality of Life and Environment categories, being named “America’s Greatest Hometown Hero” and presented with a new Volvo car every three years for the rest of his or her life at the annual Volvo for Life awards ceremony in New York City March 19, 2008. Three category winners will receive a $100,000 charitable contribution and two runners-up in each category win $25,000 charitable contributions."

The vote last through through Jan. 7, 2008 all it takes is a check mark so take a few moments and show your support for Marilyn Adams efforts in Farm Safety Just For Kids.

GOOD LUCK & THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK; you have already given many the gift of life through awareness and we wish Marilyn the best in her continued efforts.


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. Pfc. George J. Howell 24, of Salinas, Calif., died Dec. 21 in Riyadh, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was attacked by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Infantry Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York.

02. Senior Airman Nicholas D. Eischen, 24, of Sanger, Calif., died Dec. 24 in Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 60th Medical Operations Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

03. Sgt. Peter C. Neesley, 28, of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., died Dec. 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of an undetermined cause in a non-combat environment. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

04. Sgt. Bryan J. Tutten, 33, of St. Augustine, Fla., died Dec. 25 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

The Department of Defense announced the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Dec. 26 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered from small arms fire during dismounted combat operations.They were assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas. Killed were:
05. Capt. Rowdy J. Inman, 38, of Panorama Village, Texas.
06. Sgt. Benjamin B. Portell, 27, of Bakersfield, Calif.
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Please remember to pray for the American soldiers stationed everywhere around the globe and especially in Iraq. Times have been and are very tough and it would be nice if you would all just say a prayer for their safety and for their families.
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"September 11 WDYTJWD" W. P. Florence
Justice first, then peace."
"September 11" Never forget.--Tony Moses
"ONE NATION UNDER GOD ...the only way"--Phillip Story
"We have nothing to fear but fear itself." -- Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Keeping my head down but face toward Heaven" - - Jody Eldred, ABC News Cameraman in Kuwait
"Remember Pearl Harbor? Remember 9/11!" --"Bug"
Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity. - - George Carlin
"Stop telling God how big your storm is. Instead, tell the storm how big your God is!" - - Queen E. Watson
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Activities and Events of Interest
~~~~~
New Years!
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Scheduled Activities
~~~
CQ CQ all Hams. We have restarted a 2 meter net on the Willisville repeater, 146.655, every Tuesday evening at 7 PM. Please check in and spread the word. We would like to get some renewed interest in amateur radio and the ARKLA Amateur Radio Association. Will be listening for everyone next Tuesday night.
~~~
Columbia County Amateur Radio Club meets Every second Thursday @ 7:00 p.m. Union Street Station. And YOU'RE invited. Net is every Sunday at 20:30 on 147.105.
~~~
MCC - Mom's Day Out - Every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 2.$10 for the first child, $5 for the second. Call 234-3225 for reservations.
~~~
MCC - Nursing Home Ministry - Meadowbrook Every Tuesday from 10 to 11 am. Taylor, the last Thursday each month.
~~~
Men's Prayer Breakfast held every Tuesday morning at 6 AM in Miller's Cafeteria. If you aren't a regular participant at the Men's Prayer Breakfast, you're missing some great food, fellowship and inspired teaching of the Word. Hope to see you there.
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Emergency Phone Number 911
(Fire, Police, Ambulance, Sheriff, etc. )
Central Dispatch 234-5655
(Non - Emergency Number)
Direct Numbers
Ambulance - 234-7371 (24 Hour)
Jail - 234-5331 (24 Hour)
Poison Control - 800-222-1222 (24 Hour)
http://www. aapcc. org/
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"There is not enough darkness in the world to put out the light of one candle."
"Laugh whenever you can and cry if you need to." -- "Bug"
"I read the end of the book. We win!" -- "Bug"
"We may not be able to cure the world, but we don't have to make it sicker." -- "Bug"
"There just ain't enough fingers for all the holes in the dike." - - "Bug"
"It's no big deal doing what God tells you to do. A big deal would be NOT doing what God tells you to do. Just ask Jonah." - - Paul Troquille
"A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in ... and how many want out." - - Tony Blair
"Information is the currency of democracy." - Jefferson
“Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est.” Knowledge is power. - Francis Bacon
"The problem is here and now. The time for talk is past. The time for action is now."
Comments on the first Earth Day - James F. McClellan via "Fuzzy" Thurman
~~~~~
Hope you enjoy the newsletter.
Again, thanks to all our contributors this week.

God bless and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Luke 9:43-45 Eccl 1:9-10 http://www.e-min.org/
God is Good and Faithful CU 73 IC JFM CSP NREMT-I KC5HII

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Bug's Bleat - - GCF: Open and Shut Case - - Photos

Kids say Christmas to me.
  Brent Register
  Troy Moses
  Ethan and Josiah
  Zac on Stage

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: Open and Shut Case - - Dream Center Kids

 
 
 
 

Bug's Bleat - - GCF: Open and Shut Case

Volume 9, Issue 51 Friday, December 21, 2007

Hello All,

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the McClellan household. The snowman is on the porch. The Angel is in the yard (standing behind the Christmas Trees). The tree is up and surrounded with presents. Our annual Christmas “Trash” (over 100 servings) has been distributed.
We’ve begun our annual “25 Days Of Christmas” (yes, it used to be 12 days, but inflation is affecting everything) countdown. Annette gets to open a present (or two) a day. This is supposed to keep her occupied and away from her “real” presents. So far she’s opened her two “real” presents by “mistake.” She’s also opened several new DVDs as well as other stocking stuffers. Annette uses the same technique that my mother used when identifying packages. ... She doesn’t like to mess up a beautiful package with an ugly label or card. So a big part of our Christmas celebration is trying to figure out whose gift is in what package.
Many times we get to see a guy open perfume or a lady open a buck tool before we remember who was really supposed to get that package. It really adds a little mystery to Christmas morning.
I can’t really say anything about her opening presents when she’s been working so hard delivering food and presents to needy families the last couple of weeks. Of course she’s had a lot of help from Shelley and others, but “unstoppable” Annette is the driving force behind this activity.
I’ve always liked Christmas. It matches my mood. For instance, this morning, I came into the office to find a Christmas feast layed out in the conference room. There weren’t a lot of people at work on the Friday before Christmas but those who were feasted on candy, party mix, “pigs”, and assorted brittles and dips.
All our Christmases haven’t been perfect, but they’ve all been memorable. I’m going WAAAAY back to recall the first Christmas that I remember. My dad had purchased a HUGE Lionel train set for this, my fourth Christmas. The engine blew smoke (with the help of a small tablet that Dinah Sue, Charles and I quickly found other uses for) and had a real train whistle sound. The control was about the size of a small end table with two levers on it, one for speed and one for the whistle. It came with a crane car, a missile car, a searchlight car and a log car as well as the routine cattle, box, etc. The logs could be dumped and reloaded and the cattle could be unloaded and loaded again out of a pen.
I was playing with it, in front of the Christmas tree when someone knocked on the door. (I think that this was after my dad had died and we were living with grandmother in Taylor, on what is now US 371.) I ran to the door to discover a man covered in blood. There had been an accident and he was looking for help. Uncle Bob and my mother went out and started assisting the injured. It seems that another log truck had turned over in the curve toward town and these kids truck had hit a log and wrecked there pickup.
My mother ended up driving one of the kids to the hospital in Springhill. I sat in back and held the girls head.
I guess that was my first “ambulance” run.
~~~~~
A news item this week pointed out that, contrary to popular belief, on average; there are fewer suicides on holidays compared to other days of the year. And, there is a dip in suicide rates before and after the Christmas Holiday. It's thought that the gathering of friends and relatives, surround and protect vulnerable people. And, Christmas celebrations may evoke positive memories for those in distress. Also, there is an increased awareness of "safety-nets" available during this period (i.e. food banks, shelter and outreach programs.)
~~~~
XM Radio Subscribers can enjoy Christmas music on the following channels:
Holly* 103 Contemporary Holiday Hits
Holiday Traditions* 104 Traditional Holiday Hits
Music City Holiday* 105 Country Holiday Hits
A Classical Christmas* 106 Classical Carols
Special Xmas* 107 Novelty Holiday Fun
Classical XM Classics* 110 Traditional Classical
Channels 103-107 are also available online to subscribers.
~~~~~
The weather is supposed to turn colder this week, just like Christmas is supposed to be. I don’t mind the cold as long as the central heat keeps working. I remember cold mornings when we were kids. There were only three sources of heat at Grandmother’s where we lived. The living room heater, the bathroom heater and the kitchen stove. None of which were left on while we were sleeping.
I slept under a pile of quilts, snug and cozy but dreading having to get out of bed in the cold.
My mom or grandmother would light the living room heater, lay my clothes out in front of it to warm and then wake me. I’d run across the cold hardwood floors to the living room where I’d huddle on the oval rug in front of the gas heater getting dressed. The preferred technique involved rotating front, back and sides to the heater as you dressed so no side got too hot or too cold. By the time I was dressed, my breakfast was ready, served on the warm oven door.
Once I was dressed and fed, it was time to head to school, carrying my Roy Rogers school bag.
~~~~
As many of you know, Santa Claus received his ham license some time ago. His call is W6S, and he's operating on 20 meters [14.270 MHz] right now (5:45 p.m., December 18). If you've got youngsters in the house, thought you might like to know. 73,
Thanks to Bill Dailey, WB5FKG
~~~~~
Have you got your Christmas Feast planned? You might want to wait till after you’ve had Christmas dinner before reading Michael Pollan’s comments. He’s the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and writes in the latest New York Times Magazine about two stories that “may point to an imminent breakdown in the way we’re growing food today.”
The first is the rise of community-acquired MRSA (that’s Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a nasty antibiotic-resistant bacteria) and the growing body of evidence linking it to the overuse of antibiotics in industrial pig production.
The second is Colony Collapse Disorder [http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/bees-as-canaries/], which is wiping out many of the honeybee colonies that farmers rely on for crop pollination.
“We’re asking a lot of our bees. We’re asking a lot of our pigs, too. That seems to be a hallmark of industrial agriculture: to maximize production and keep food as cheap as possible, it pushes natural organisms to their limit, asking them to function as efficiently as machines,” Pollan explains, offering these stories as examples of the unsustainability of our current industrial-agriculture system.
He also discusses problems with fertilizing the nation’s corn crop with millions of pounds of nitrogen-based fertilizer. And when that nitrogen runs off fields in Corn Belt states, it makes its way to the Mississippi River and eventually pours into the Gulf, where it contributes to a growing “dead zone” - a 7,900-square-mile patch so depleted of oxygen that fish, crabs and shrimp suffocate.
If you’re up to it, you can read the full article at:
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/asking-too-much-of-pigs-and-bees/
~~~~~
A fresh look at an old standby: [http://www.mannyliban.com/room_to_live/room_to_live.html]
Thanks to Joe Tudor
~~~~~
While there are inequities in the system, Worker’s Compensation has provided medical care and compensation for untold numbers of US employees. And, under current laws, the use of open courts to deal with injuries and illness would be the death knell for many undeserving businesses. I’ve watched over the years as workers who were injured on the job were immediately cared for and received compensation for their injuries without having to resort to the court system. I’ve also seen “shyster” lawyers get honest workers to agree to give the lawyer 40% of their settlement for doing nothing. Under Worker’s Compensation, that money is coming to the employee practically automatically.
On the other hand, I’ve seen case after case of individuals not covered under the Worker’s Compensation law who were given exorbitant settlements by juries who were swayed by the “big bad business” vs. “poor little fellow” argument. Not only did this anger me, but it frustrated me that it was so easy to rob honest businesses. (Yes, I said rob. That’s what it is when someone get’s $250,000 for a broken toe that was the result of their own idiotic actions.)
Most Business will pay promptly for injuries they are responsible for. Just as most employees won’t blatantly steal from their employer. But we believe in the First Amendment here at “Da Bleat” so I invite you to check out this week’s “Weekly Toll” posting.
http://weeklytoll.blogspot.com
~~~~~
On Wednesday, Congress gave final approval to a plan that will spare millions of middle-class taxpayers higher tax bills for 2007.

The tax reprieve postpones for one year only an expansion of the alternative minimum tax, a parallel tax system enacted in 1969 to prevent very wealthy investors from using deductions and tax shelters to avoid paying income tax altogether. The alternative tax has ensnared a growing number of middle-class Americans in recent years because the 1969 law was not indexed to inflation.

The alternative minimum tax was originally known as the "millionaire's tax,'' but without Congressional action, as many as 23 million of the nation's 90 million taxpayers will be facing it when they file taxes next April, some with incomes as low as $30,000 to $50,000.

The tax was created in 1969 to prevent the very rich from using the many loopholes then available to avoid all federal income taxes. How did the tax's reach expand? In 1986, when President Ronald Reagan and both parties on Capitol Hill agreed to a major change in the tax system, the law was subtly changed to aim at a wholly different set of deductions, the ones that everyone gets, like the personal exemption, state and local taxes, the standard deduction, certain expenses like union dues and even some medical costs for the seriously ill. At the same time it removed and revised some of the exotic investment deductions. A law for untaxed rich investors was refocused on families who own their homes in high tax states.
~~~~~
Unlike taxes, Cadbury Chocolate's gorilla add is a spot of joy in this season.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54KOFdUWm8&NR=1
~~~~~
Now here's a reality check!

What is a 'billion'? The next time you hear a politician use the Word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about Whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, But one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.

A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division. Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans. Interesting number, what does it mean?

A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787.
C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family Gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??

And I still have to 'press 1' for English.

Thanks to Daphne Roberts
~~~~~
Michael Yon writes this week from England. Read what he has to say about British Troops, British Media and our activities in Afghanistan.
~
Greetings from London,

Been a long but productive year. Great progress in Iraq. The country has made a dramatic turnaround. But of course, there is still a long way to go, and sharper fighting in the months ahead before anyone should consider declaring this mission accomplished.

Please keep an eye on Afghanistan. When we watch, the politicians watch more closely. Iraq is improving month by month, but I believe we are in danger of ultimately losing the Afghan war.

Please click [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/one-step-forward.htm] for latest dispatch, One Step Forward.

I'll return to America on Sunday to close out the year and plan for spending most of 2008 in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thank you to all my readers for the support that makes my work possible.

Happy Holidays.
Michael
~
Michael Yon does not receive funding or financial support from any network, movie, book or television deals. He is entirely reader-supported. He relies on his readers to help him replace his equipment and cover his expenses so that he may remain in Iraq and bring you the stories of our soldiers. If you value his work, please consider supporting his mission. [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/support-next-dispatch-from-iraq/]
~~~~~
Each week the Defense Department highlights military personnel who have gone above and beyond in the war. [http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/] - - Marco Martinez:

In the spring of 2003, the 1st Marine Division drove north toward Baghdad – the tip of the spear that would lead the American assault against Saddam Hussein’s elite Fedayeen and Republican Guard throughout central Iraq. It was no easy road. Then-Cpl. Martinez’s actions during the battle of Tarmiya dealt the regime’s forces a serious blow – so much so that he was awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest decoration in the United States armed forces.

On April 12, 2003, Martinez, serving with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, responded to a call to reinforce a platoon that had been ambushed. Under fire, Martinez moved his team into supporting positions to assault the enemy force. He eliminated two hostile fighters on the initial attack after his squad leader was wounded by a grenade blast. Martinez took control and led the assault into the area where the ambush had originated. Martinez and his outnumbered men moved through and cleared a nearby building occupied by enemy fighters. As they entered another compound they took stronger small-arms fire from the hostile forces inside. Martinez and his men fought their way through the building and into a courtyard, where the Fedayeen continued to engage the Marines from a garden shed.

Martinez saw that the enemy left a rocket propelled grenade launcher and two rounds on the ground on their way to the bunker. As his team provided cover fire, Martinez ventured into the open and grabbed the RPG launcher and sprinted behind a palm tree. After enemy fire wounded a member of his team, Martinez fired an RPG, 15 yards from the shed. The hostile forces continued targeting Martinez – but his assault had allowed his men to safely evacuate the wounded Marine. While the rest of the team took care of the injured man, Martinez single-handedly attacked the bunker. Dodging bullets, he ran up to the shed and lobbed a grenade into the building, killing four enemy forces and ending the firefight.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England presented Martinez with the Navy Cross in May 2004. The first Hispanic-American to receive the Navy Cross since the Vietnam War, Martinez repeatedly credits the Marine Corps for turning his life around. Having been a member of a gang for several years as a teenager, Martinez became drawn to the Marines after an encounter with a recruiter as a high-school senior. Today, Martinez emphatically states that “All I ever am, or will become, I owe to my beloved Corps.”
~~~~~
Too many times we tend to forget the members of the military who are serving away from home. As a veteran of the U.S. Navy (65-69), I know what it means to be away from your family and loved ones. Holiday times can become especially lonely. Please see the message at the end of this email. It contains links that can be used to send messages of support to troops overseas.
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I have been sharing this with the Good Clean Fun list since in 1997. The poem has been circulated freely on the Internet, sometimes as “author unknown" but usually attributed to "A Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan" However, after September 11, 2001 it was attributed sometimes to "A Soldier/Marine stationed in Afghanistan." Sometimes it was attributed to a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force. I found that the piece was researched thoroughly by the folks at the Urban Legend website and I believe that their attribution of authorship is correct. That website, for the curious, is:

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/soldier.htm

The piece is attributed to James M. Schmidt, then a Lance Corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps, stationed in Washington D.C. The piece appeared in "Leatherneck" (Magazine of the Marines) in 1991.

That being said, the message of the piece is still just a powerful, regardless of the authorship. As a former Hospital Corpsman in the U.S. Navy, I have a profound respect for all members of the military, but especially for the U.S. Marines. Because of that, I have chosen to reproduce the original "Marine" version here. This version differs slightly from the one circulating on the Internet in that is contains some Marine-specific wording.

To all my Marine friends, Simper Fi.

- Tom (HM2 1965-69)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Soldier's Night Before Christmas
(Original Title is "Merry Christmas, My Friend")

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone, In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone. I had come down the chimney, with presents to give and to see just who in this home did live.

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see, no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree. No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand. On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind, a sobering thought soon came to my mind. For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen. This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more, so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door. And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone, Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene, Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine. Was this the hero, of whom I'd just read? Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan. I soon understood, this was more than a man. For I realized the families that I saw that night, owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play, And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day. They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year, because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone, on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home. Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye. I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice, "Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more. My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep, I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still. I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill. So I took off my jacket, the one made of red, and covered this Marine from his toes to his head. Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold, with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold. And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride, and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night, this guardian of honor so willing to fight. But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure, said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure." One look at my watch and I knew he was right, Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.
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Messages of Support:

You don't have to look too far to know of someone deployed overseas ... perhaps a member of your own family, or the family of a co-worker or friend. Let's not forget them this holiday season. I know the joy which results by receiving messages from "home". This year is it even easier than taking pen to paper. You can do it on the Internet.

Here are two web sites that can help.

The first is America Supports You. The web address is: http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx

Listed there several links. One can be used to send messages of support to our troops overseas. The other contains addresses where you can send letters to wounded service members. This service is free.

The second is Let's Say Thanks! The web address is: http://www.letssaythanks.com/

Let's Say Thanks is a service of Xerox Corporation and is also free. It is a web site that allows you to send a FREE printed postcard to U.S. servicemen and women stationed overseas. All you do is pick your favorite card, enter your message and then Xerox does the rest! You can't choose to whom the card is sent, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

Make a soldier's day today!
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As a final thought on my part, let me share a favorite prayer:

"Lord, keep our servicemen and women safe, whether they serve at home or overseas. Hold them in Your loving hands and protect them as they protect us."

Let's all keep those currently serving and those who have gone before, in our thoughts. They are the reason for the many freedoms we enjoy.

Thanks to Thomas S. Ellsworth
~~~~~
The Department of Defense today announced a contract award for an additional 3,126 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to be manufactured and completed by end of July 2008. Four manufacturers received the delivery orders totaling just under $2.66 billion.

MRAPs, with more than 1,200 in theater, have proven their value by saving the lives of warfighters by mitigating blast effects through the uniquely designed V-shaped hull and raised chassis. This contract award by the MRAP Vehicle Joint Program Office continues the rapid procurement and acquisition process for these life-saving vehicles with the release of four delivery orders resulting in a total of 11,941 vehicles in the life-saving fleet by mid-summer. The total approved acquisition objective for all services is 15,374 which includes vehicles produced for training and testing purposes.
~
I hope our local soldiers will get some of these. Two of our soldiers stopped by to thank us for flying the flag and helped me replace our torn flag with a new one that Annette had purchased. We’d been waiting for our grandkids to stop by and help us.
Our local units are deploying the first of the year. They’ll stay stateside for several months to complete their training and then travel to Iraq to join the forces there.
I gave these guys our email address and hope that we’ll be able to share their news with you.
~~~~~
This week, we’re continuing to read; "God's Harvard" by Hanna Rosin and “Dead Certain : the presidency of George W. Bush” by Robert Draper.
~~~~~
http://www.shelfari.com/BugsBleat/shelf?ec=7D790D174EFS18012
~~~~~
Great Books CD Series
Timing Is Everything
Some of the best literature in the world comes to us at a time when we’re not ready to receive it. Such as in high-school English class, when the classics merely seem old-fashioned. Or before life’s experiences have opened our curiosity to the real meaning of life. So some great books we simply pushed aside. Or if we read them, we didn’t really grasp how they spoke something of value to our own lives.

Here’s Another Chance at Greatness

This new CD series by Dr.Kenneth Boa—a fascinating teacher and prolific author himself—helps you delve into the greatest books ever written that were influenced by a Christian worldview. Each month you will receive a CD that gives insights into a particular book and its author—gems of knowledge and perceptions that give new clarity to what you’re already reading or whet your appetite to dive into the book.

Each CD includes a brief introduction from Chuck Colson, an audio version of Dr. Boa’s teaching (about 1 hour), as well as a printed transcript that you can download and print out. For each book, Dr. Boa will: Give you interesting glimpses into the life of the author, Explore the main themes of the book, Pull out some favorite passages (to give you a taste of the good stuff), Make some relevant connections to our lives today.
You will NOT receive the actual book on CD—or in print. But you can order the book from Amazon.com. For each book you buy, Amazon.com will donate part of the payment to the ministry of BreakPoint.

What Are These “Great Books”?

Here’s what you’ll get for the first 13 months:
Month 1: The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis
Month 2: The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
Month 3: Paradise Lost, John Milton
Month 4: Confessions, Augustine
Month 5: Pensees, Blaise Pascal
Month 6: The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan
Month 7: Christian Perfection, Francois Fénelon
Month 8: The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis
Month 9: The Love of God, Bernard of Clairvaux
Month 10: Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
Month 11: The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer
Month 12: The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis
Month 13: A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, William Law

And we’ve got at least 100 more books after that, both riveting fiction and nonfiction.

Don’t Miss Out on Any of Them!

Subscribe now for only $12 a month—one CD each month—and you can unsubscribe at any time. To subscribe, call 1-877-3-CALLBP
~~~~~
If you’d like to write Dr. Antoon, he’d like to hear from you. This is his current address, the latest of the three federal prisons’ he’s been in.
Patrick Antoon #06669-010
Federal Prison Camp-La Tuna
P. O. Box 8000
Anthony, NM/TX 88021
~~~~~
The photos on the front of this week’s “Bleat” include some of our favorite kids.
~~~~~
We’ve now got several addresses on the web for "Da Bleat." For the latest issue, go to http://www.bugsbleat.blogspot.com
Our photos are posted at http://www.bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com.
~~~~~
Feel free to share the "Bleat" with any and all. That's why we publish it.
~~~~~
Recipe(s) of the week - - - Baked Brunch Omelet - - "This is so easy to prepare and everyone raves about it. The best part is that you can put it together the night before and just pop it in the oven the next morning. Delicious!"

Baked Brunch Omelet
Submitted by: Carole
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour Ready In: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings

"A baked egg casserole with cheese, ham and green onions."

INGREDIENTS:
½ (1 pound) loaf white bread, cut into cubes
1 ½ pounds Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup cubed cooked ham
8 eggs 2 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped green onion

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Place half of the bread cubes on bottom of baking pan. Sprinkle with half of the ham and then half of the cheese; repeat.
3. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt, hot sauce and green onions. Pour egg mixture into pan.
4. Place pan on top of a baking sheet with a rim and place in oven. Pour water into baking sheet and bake for 60 minutes, or until eggs have set.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/PrintFull.aspx?RecipeID=20703&servings=12
~~~~~
BreakPoint
With Chuck Colson

Do It for Mom
By Mark Earley
12/21/2007
Divorce and the Environment

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

Is divorce bad for children? The data strongly suggests that it is. There is no shortage of studies that show a correlation between divorce and what social scientists call “adverse outcomes,” such as drug use, teen pregnancy, depression, and other bad things.

Yet, even with the data, many scientists and academics decline to tell people that they should stay married for the sake of children.

If Americans will not stay together for their children’s sake, would they do it to save the planet?

That is the question being asked in the wake of a recent Michigan State study. Researchers there found that divorce “exacts a serious toll on the environment.” How? It boosts “the energy and water consumption of those who used to live together.”

Why this should be the case is not hard to understand: Divorce turns what used to be one household into two. The efficient use of resources, including money that comes naturally to families living under the same roof no longer applies. In its place are two of just about everything. The researchers calculated that, as the result of divorce, an additional 38 million rooms had to be heated and lighted.

The impact of this divorce-induced consumption is not trivial, they say. The researchers calculated that if divorced couples had stayed married, the “United States would have saved 73 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 627 BILLION gallons of water”—and that’s in 2005 alone.

That is approximately as much electricity as American households use in three weeks and nearly as much water as all of American industry uses in an entire year.

Clearly, the study’s authors were right when they said that after blaming “industries for environmental problems,” it is time to look at the impact of households. But if you are expecting environmental groups to emphasize or even mention getting and staying married as a way to “save the planet,” well, you are mistaken.

The head of the Earth Policy Institute told the Washington Post that “shifting to more energy-efficient appliances is the answer, not trying to prevent divorce or trying to make divorce more difficult.” In other words, get divorced if you like—just make sure your new home has an energy-efficient dishwasher and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

No surprise here. Environmentalism, as Los Angeles Times columnist Gregory Rodriguez puts it, increasingly resembles a “religious awakening.” But, like most modern religions, its aim is to make the adherent feel righteous, not to be righteous.

Thus, given the choice between personal fulfillment and “saving the planet,” the choice is easy: The environment joins the kids on the list of those things whose well-being is sacrificed on the altar of our autonomy. Just as our children have to settle for “quality time,” “Mother Earth” will have to be content with energy-efficient appliances and a check to an environmental group. Any real sacrifice is for other people to make.

Of course, that does not change the impact that our choices have on both people and now, it seems, the planet. We can violate the moral order for only so long before the stones themselves begin to cry out.

Please give a generous donation today to help Prison Fellowship and BreakPoint continue strong in the new year. Donate online or call 1-877-322-5527. Thank you!

Roberto Rivera, “Do It for Mom!” The Point, 5 December 2007.

“A Really Inconvenient Truth: Divorce Is Not Green,” Michigan State University press release, 10 December 2007.

Juliet Eilperin, “Divorce Found to Harm the Environment with Higher Energy, Water Use,” Washington Post, 4 December 2007, A02.

Gregory Rodriguez, “Greenness Is Next to Godliness,” Los Angeles Times, 10 December 2007.

Meghan Daum, “Save the World: Stay Married,” Los Angeles Times, 8 December 2007.

See this table showing the “Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000” and this table and the “Estimated Use of Water in the United States in 2000—Total Water Use.” Also see “End-Use Consumption of Electricity 2001.”

BreakPoint Commentary No. 071211, “Fruitless Folly: Voluntary Self-Extinction.”

BreakPoint Commentary No. 071102, “Just Do It: Good Stewardship and Global Warming.”

Regis Nicoll, “The New World Religion: Environmentalism and the Western World,” BreakPoint Online, 31 January 2005.

The BreakPoint Web site and BreakPoint WorldView Magazine feature Colson’s commentaries as well as feature articles by other established and up-and-coming writers to equip readers with a biblical perspective on a variety of issues and topics.
© 2004-2006 Prison Fellowship
~~~~~
Words of the Week:
frangible: capable of being broken; easily broken.
draconian: excessively harsh; severe.
complement: something that fills up or completes.
unfledged: not fully developed; immature.
pari passu: at an equal pace or rate.
discursive: digressive; rambling; also, marked by analytical reasoning.
tocsin: a warning.
finical: finicky.
from Dictionary.Com
~~~~~
"Future shock [is] the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time." - Alvin Toffler

"I've never been poor, only broke. Being poor is a frame of mind. Being broke is only a temporary situation." - Mike Todd

"Astonishment is the root of philosophy." - Paul Tillich

"It is the formidable character of the species to routinely seek the improbable, the difficult, even the impossible, as a source of pleasure and self-justification. Who would try to write poems, or novels, or paint pictures unless he is an optimist?" - Lionel Tiger

"Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility." - James Thurber

"We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our worst enemies." - Roderick Thorp

"Mistakes are at the very base of human thought ... feeding the structure like root nodules. If we were not provided with the knack of being wrong, we could never get anything useful done." - Lewis Thomas
~~~~~
Link List
[http://gasprices.mapquest.com]
[http://thelighthousechurch.publishpath.com/]
[www.terryscomputertips.com]
[www.mcc2000.net]
~~~~~
BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
http://breakingchristiannews.com/

# Family, Lost in Snowy Mountains for 3 Days, Fights Fear with Faith and is Rescued
# White House Christmas Card Includes Scripture again this Year, Despite PC Pressure
# Uganda Planning to bring in the New Year with Christian Celebration
# Colorado Tragedy Shines a Light on the Ministry of YWAM to the World

# Five Women Raise Money for Billboard Advertisement to State the Real Reason for the Season
# Churches Remembering Soldiers this Christmas
# Former Redskins Quarterback Darrell Green Shares His Faith
# Christmas in North Korea

# Tennessee Woman Miraculously Healed of Painful Blood Disease
# Traveling Healing Teams Minister to First Nations in Canada
# Correspondent Chuck Holton Offers Encouraging Reports and Prayer Points from South Baghdad
# Preparations Underway for Huge 2008 Gospel Outreach to Orphans in Zambia

# Home School Mom Elected Head of South Carolina's Public Schools
# Mother and Daughter Reunited 14 Years After Father Abducted Daughter, Taking Her Overseas
# Ugandan Christians Believe Kampala Can Truly Become City of God

# Gunman's Family "Overwhelmed by Act of Christian Love and Forgiveness" as Victims' Families Meet Privately with them in Colorado
# New York City Approves the Public Display of a Nativity Scene in Times Square during this Christmas Season
# A Briefing, and a Sensible Response to The Golden Compass

310 2nd Ave SE
Albany, Oregon 97321
541-928-2642
E-mail
US Orders: 1-866-358-7426
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GCF: Open and Shut Case

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! A smile will enhance the quality of your life. Just send an email to: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit the Good Clean Fun web site http://www.kcbx.net/~tellswor/ Unsubscribe info for Good Clean Fun is at the end of this email.
This email was scanned by F-Secure before it was sent.
--------------------------------------------

Nathan is talking to his lawyer. "Here's the deal, Frank. If you're absolutely sure I'll win the case, I'll give you the business."

"Okay," replies Frank, "but before I can give you my opinion, I obviously need to know the facts."

So Nathan goes into great detail about his failed partnership and ends up saying, "So now you've heard everything, do you think I can sue my partner and get my money back?"

"Well," replies Frank, "from what I've just heard, it's clear to me that you will win. It's rare to have such an open-and-shut case."

Nathan goes very white when he hears this.

"What's the matter?" asks Frank.

"I told you my partner's side of the case," replies Nathan.
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Marine Recruiter

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

Serving as a Marine recruiter in western North Carolina, I found a young man who met all the requirements and was ready to enlist. I explained the importance of being truthful on the application and he began filling out his paper work.

But when he got to the question: "Do you own any foreign property or have any foreign financial interests?" he looked up at me with a worried expression.

"Well," he confessed, "I do own a Toyota ."
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Grace

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

Our son had only heard his grandfather pray at Thanksgiving, Easter, and other special occasions; when he typically would say a long prayer over the food.

One night, after a fun camp-out and fishing trip, Grandfather (to our son's surprise) asked a very brief blessing on the food. With a gleam in his eye, our son grinned at his grandfather and said, "You don't pray so long when you're hungry, do you Grandpa?"
_ ____________________________ _

GCF: Life Insurance

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

"Do you know the present value of your husband's policy?" the life insurance salesman asked his client.

"What do you mean?" countered the woman.

"If you should lose your husband, what would you get?" asked the salesman.

The woman thought a minute, then brightened up and said, "Probably a poodle."
_ ____________________________ _
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / The most efficient labor-saving \ /
\ _/ device is still money. \_ /
/ / \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / When I'm feeling down, \ \_/ ////
\ / I like to whistle. It makes \ /
\ _/ the neighbor's dog run to the \_ /
/ / end of his chain. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Learn from the mistakes of \ /
\ _/ others. You can't live long \_ /
/ / enough to make them all yourself. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / Birthdays are good for you; \ /
\ _/ the more you have, \_ /
/ / the longer you live. \ \
_ ____________________________ _
| Thomas S. Ellsworth |
| tellswor@slonet.org |
| http://www.slonet.org/~tellswor |
|___________________________|
Stop for a visit, leave with a smile! To join Good Clean Fun, email: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.Com To leave Good Clean Fun, email: good-clean-fun-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.Com Or visit the Good Clean Fun web site at http://www. slonet.org/~tellswor/
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4 Worms and a Lesson

A minister decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.

4 worms were placed into 4 separate jars.

The 1st worm was put into a container of alcohol.
The 2nd worm was put into a container of cigarette smoke.
The 3rd worm was put into a container of chocolate syrup.
The 4th worm was put into a container of good clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results:

The 1st worm in alcohol - Dead.

The 2nd worm in cigarette smoke - Dead.

3rd worm in chocolate syrup - Dead.

4th worm in good clean soil - Alive.

So the Minister asked the congregation -

What can you learn from this demonstration?

Maxine, who 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!"

Thanks to David Lamb
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Four Stages of Life

1) You believe in Santa Claus.

2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.

3) You are Santa Claus.

4) You look like Santa Claus.

Received from Doc's Daily Chuckle.

(-:][:-)

1 Corinthians 13 For Christmas

An interesting adaptation of 1 Corinthians 13 for Christmas. Enjoy.

If I speak in the tongues of Christmas materialism and greed but have not love, I am only a tinny Christmas song or an out-of-tune choir.

If I have the gift of knowing what Aunt Agatha will give me this year and can even understand last year's present, and if I have the faith that I won't get yet more socks and ties this year but have not love, I am nothing.

If I clear out the house and give everything to charity and my credit cards are snapped in half but have not love, what can I possibly gain?

Love is patient when the fourth store you've tried doesn't have a bottle garden.

Love is kind and lets the couple with only a few items go in front of you and your bulging shopping cart.

Love does not envy your friend who gets mega-presents from everybody.

Love does not boast about the expensive bike, the PlayStation 3, the TV, VCR, and computer your dad gave you.

Love does not attempt to out-buy, out-wrap, and out-give the rest of the family just to impress.

Love doesn't cut Aunt Flo off your Christmas card list because she forgot you last year.

Love is not self-seeking and leaves a copy of your Christmas list in every room of the house.

Love is not easily angered when the young girl at the checkout takes forever because she is just temporary staff.

Love doesn't keep remembering how many times your mom forgets you don't like Brussels sprouts.

Love does not delight in the commercial bandwagon but rejoices with the truth of a baby born in the stable.

Love always protects the family from Christmas hype.

Love always trusts that the hiding places for presents will remain secret for another year.

Love always hopes that this year more neighbors will drop in to your open house coffee morning.

Love always perseveres until the cards are written, the presents all bought, the shopping done, and the Christmas cake iced.

Toys may break, socks wear thin, but love never fails.

Where there is the feeling of the presents to guess their contents, and Mom going on about being good so Father Christmas will come, and searching through the cupboards to find your hidden presents, they will all stop.

For we think we know what we are getting, and we hope we know what we are getting, but when Christmas Day arrives, all will be revealed.

When I was a child, I talked with big wide-open eyes about Christmas, I thought that Christmas was all about me, I reasoned that Jesus should have been born more often. When I became an adult, I forgot the joy, wonder, and excitement of this special time.

Now we just hear about the angels, shepherds, and wise men; then we shall see them all the time. Now I know as much as the Bible says about the first Christmas; then I shall know just how many wise men there were and where they came from.

Now three things remain to be done:
- To have faith that the baby born in a stable is the Son of God.
- To hope that the true message of Christmas will not get discarded with the wrapping paper and unwanted gifts. - And the most important, to have a love for others like the one that God has for us.

Copyright 2001 Claire Jordan (caleb@eurobell.co.uk). Permission is granted to send this to others, but not for commercial purposes.
(Minor edits by GCFL.net)

Received from Mikey's Funnies.

(-:][:-)

Twelve Things You Probably Didn't Know You Could Do With A Fruitcake

1. Paint a few white and place them outside on the grass so people won't park on your lawn.

2. Use it as building material. (This is actually what the Ancient Egyptians used to build the Great Pyramids.)

3. Keep one under your pillow for home defense.

4. Send one to the junk mail company with a note asking them to take you off their list.

5. It's colorful, use it as a Yule Log.

6. Carve the Presidents' faces in it and submit as a science or art project.

7. Give one to your boss and tell him it's a life preserver.

8. Use it as a base for flower arrangements.

9. Donate to the local airport for use as airliner wheel blocks.

10. Grind a few up and give it back to your in-laws in a bag marked "lawn fertilizer."

11. For a community project, sink a few in the ocean and build an artificial reef.

12. Tie one to each foot when you walk through deep snow to keep your feet dry.

Received from Mikey's Funnies.

(-:][:-)

The Night Before Christmas (Legal Style)

Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter "the House") a general lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to a mouse.

A variety of foot apparel, e.g., stockings, socks, etc., had been affixed by and around the chimney in said House in the hope and/or belief that St. Nick aka St. Nicholas aka Santa Claus (hereinafter "Claus") would arrive at sometime thereafter.

The minor residents, i.e., the children, of the aforementioned House were located in their individual beds and were engaged in nocturnal hallucinations, i.e., dreams, wherein visions of confectionery treats, including, but not limited to, candies, nuts, and/or sugar plums, did dance, cavort, and otherwise appear in said dreams.

Whereupon the party of the first part (sometimes hereinafter referred to as "I"), being the joint-owner in fee simple of the House with the parts of the second part (hereinafter "Mamma"), and said Mamma had retired for a sustained period of sleep. (At such time, the parties were clad in various forms of headgear, e.g., kerchief and cap.)

Suddenly, and without prior notice or warning, there did occur upon the unimproved real property adjacent and appurtenant to said House, i.e., the lawn, a certain disruption of unknown nature, cause, and/or circumstance. The party of the first part did immediately rush to a window in the House to investigate the cause of such disturbance.

At that time, the party of the first part did observe, with some degree of wonder and/or disbelief, a miniature sleigh (hereinafter "the Vehicle") being pulled and/or drawn very rapidly through the air by approximately eight (8) reindeer. The driver of the Vehicle appeared to be, and in fact was, the previously referenced Claus.

Said Claus was providing specific direction, instruction, and guidance to the approximately eight (8) reindeer and specifically identified the animal co-conspirators by name: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen (hereinafter "the Deer"). (Upon information and belief, it is further asserted that an additional co-conspirator named "Rudolph" may have been involved.)

The party of the first part witnessed Claus, the Vehicle, and the Deer intentionally and willfully trespass upon the roofs of several residences located adjacent to and in the vicinity of the House, and noted that the Vehicle was heavily laden with packages, toys, and other items of unknown origin or nature. Suddenly, without prior invitation or permission, either express or implied, the Vehicle arrived at the House, and Claus entered said House via the chimney.

Said Claus was clad in a red fur suit, which was partially covered with residue from the chimney, and he carried a large sack containing a portion of the aforementioned packages, toys, and other unknown items. He was smoking what appeared to be tobacco in a small pipe in blatant violation of local ordinances and health regulations.

Claus did not speak, but immediately began to fill the stockings of the minor children, which hung adjacent to the chimney, with toys and other small gifts. (Said items did not, however, constitute "gifts" to said minor pursuant to the applicable provisions of the U.S. Tax Code.)

Upon completion of such task, Claus touched the side of his nose and flew, rose, and/or ascended up the chimney of the House to the roof where the Vehicle and Deer waited and/or served as "lookouts." Claus immediately departed for an unknown destination.

However, prior to the departure of the Vehicle, Deer, and Claus from said House, the party of the first part did hear Claus state and/or exclaim: "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Or words to that effect.

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

(-:][:-)

Mistletoe

The weary holiday traveler looked in disbelief at a bunch of mistletoe hanging above the luggage check-in center.

Turning to the attendant, he said, "Okay, I give up. Why is the mistletoe hanging there above the luggage scale?"

The attendant said, "So you can kiss your luggage good-bye."

Received from DOC'S DAILY CHUCKLE.

(-:][:-)

-=+=-
Rate this funny at http://www.gcfl.net/archive.php?funny=20060113
Brought to you by GCFL.net: The Good, Clean Funnies List A cheerful heart is good medicine... (Prov 17:22a) Mail address: GCFL, Box 100, Harvest, AL 35749, USA
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Madeleine Begun Kane Latest Columns - - http://www.madkane.com/humor_blog/2007/10/25/fishing-for-company/ - - Fishing For Company
I’m an insomniac and I must admit to taking a bit of solace at learning from a podcast that “zebrafish - a common aquarium pet - can have a genetic mutation linked to sleep problems.”

That calls for a limerick, don’t you think?

Fishing for Company
By Madeleine Begun Kane

I can’t sleep. I don’t know what to do.
Troubling thoughts seem to come, right on cue.
But my iPod distracts me
With news that attracts me:
“Sometimes fish get insomnia too.”

http://www.madkane.com
http://www.madkane.com/notable.html (Notables Weblog)
http://www.madkane.com/bush.html (Dubya's Dayly Diary)
Subscribe to MadKane Humor Newsletter (weekly) here:
http://www.madkane.com/email.html
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"Don't strive for recognition, but work for achievement." -- Vanessa Malone
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This is a special message from Randall Vaughn, Founder of E-MIN Global Ministries, and is not your regular Today's Seed message

If you have been a Today's Seed subscriber for some time, you know that I keep "extra" messages to a minimum, but from time to time I need to say more. Please take a few minutes to read this. If you are unable to read it now, please print it to read later.

We had to put a new roof on our home because of storm damage, and in deciding whether to re-roof a storage shed, the contractor gave this advice: "If it is worth keeping, it is worth covering. If it isn't, tear it down." We decided it was worth keeping, so we covered it.

I feel the same about Today's Seed. If it has been an encouragement or help in your life, I would say to you the same thing the contractor said to me. "If it is worth keeping, it is worth covering. But if it isn't. . ." then you must decide.

We need the "cover" of your prayers and your financial support. That is why I am writing you now, at the year's end.

When you cover E-MIN, what are you covering? People. Real lives like Joshua Goebel, a U.S. soldier who wrote on 12.17.2007:

"My name is Josh and the last three years of my life have been extremely hard. I am deployed to Kosovo. I have a Bible, but it is extremely hard for me to pick it up and read it. I thank God that through my frustrations in life, he can use e-mail and you guys to still let me hear His inspiring Word, which helps me pray and come a little bit closer to Him. Sometimes I really don't know what to say when I pray, but you seem to help me with the prayers and they always seem to be exactly what I need to be praying. So I just thought I would write you and tell you "Thanks" for going through with this daily mission of yours. Keep up the work. It has helped me greatly. Thanks again from your soldier and brother in Christ, Joshua Goebel."

I have received many other testimonials from people who accepted Jesus as Savior, renewed their relationship with Him, grew in their faith, were encouraged to "hang on" longer, or received answers to spiritual questions. Some abandoned plans to commit suicide because of something they read in a Today's Seed message.

God is using this work powerfully, but you are often unaware of these results because we cannot communicate all this in the few minutes we have with you each day. And because we are web-based and people cannot see us face-to-face, we are often perceived as less "real" than other ministries seen on TV or in church.

To respect your time, I will skip the details, but most people understand that any organization needs funds to operate, whether they understand all the details or not. They understand that without enough coming in, it will not be able to continue to operate as it is.

If you are one of those who support the ministry regularly, I want you to know how deeply you are appreciated! Words cannot express how much you mean to us.

But if you are like many who have never given a "second thought" as to what it takes for the message to appear in your e-mail every day or assumed we were doing all right because we haven't said much about support, please think about it now. This is a critical time for E-MIN.

If Today's Seed doesn't do anything for you, don't support it. But if it does, I will be direct and say,

"If we're worth keeping (to you), please "cover" us."

"Cover" us in your prayers, and "cover" us financially, if you are able. EVERYONE can do one or both, and they are equally important.

If you will pray for us, e-mail us at prayingforyou@e-min.org and let us know. Also, if E-MIN has helped you in some way, we would like to know about that too. (Same e-mail address.)

If you can help financially, it doesn't have to be a large amount. Just a modest gift from a reasonable number of subscribers would cover a lot of needs.

You can mail a check to our mailing address below, or give online at http://www.e-min.org/give.htm

Our support has also been low because many people think that things on the Internet should be "free". Many are, or at least appear to be, because they are funded by advertising, sales of products from their website, or they are the "web presence" of a larger organization.

We are not any of the above. We are just a traditional mission’s ministry laboring in a "non-traditional" mission field (the Internet).

I believe E-MIN has earned the privilege to ask you for help because of what we give to you every weekday. Please pray about your response. We need your help now.

In His service,
Randall Vaughn

P.S. There is still time to include us in your year-end giving! Donations to E-MIN are tax-deductible in the U.S. We will make sure it counts for 2007 if you need it to.

- Our mailing address: E-MIN, P. O. Box 559, Hayden, AL 35079 (USA)

- Online giving by credit or debit card & PayPal http://www.e-min.org/give.htm
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Moody's Investors Service said it has placed Chemtura Corp's'Ba2' corporate family rating under review for possible downgrade following the announcement that the US-based specialty chemicals maker's board has authorized management to consider a wide range of strategic alternatives.

Moody's (nyse: MCO - news - people ) said the review will examine the company's ratings given the lack of improvement in financial metrics over the past year, the potential impact of a slowdown in the US economy in 2008, potential further weakness in the company's Non-Flame Retardant Polymer Additives businesses, and the likelihood of additional restructuring charges.
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NBC says some find bookcase and Christmas lights offensive
Candidate wishing voters Merry Christmas upsets some folks

The latest effort to spread the idea that religion has no place in the public square comes as a response to a TV spot produced by presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. First, Click [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xn7uSHtkuA] to watch the 30-second ad by former Governor Huckabee wishing people a Merry Christmas.. Next, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKMDJ46G4M4] is a clip from the Today Show (Dec. 18), hosted by Meredith Vieira, on which Governor Huckabee was a guest. Vieira opens the interview talking about how some say the ad is sending an overt religious appeal to voters. Some have become so openly hostile to the Christian faith that they are upset when a candidate simply wishes viewers Merry Christmas and mentions that --after all-- Christmas is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. The governor is accused of putting a cross in the background of his add The 'cross' they find offensive is nothing more than a bookcase. The critics say also the three lights stand for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! What is disappointing is that the media grabs such a concoction and makes big news out of this add To me, these accusations are utterly silly, and biased. Watch the clip from the Today Show. There are those who feel that nothing religious, especially wishing people Merry Christmas, should be made by anyone seeking public office. That is the attitude of those who want to drive religion from the public square.

Thanks to Jake Miller
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Johnny the bagger...
If you have a minute, please watch the following video clip it is a beautiful story of Johnny, the grocery store bagger. It is very short, but it will remind you of why and how we make an impact in what we do. [http://www.stservicemovie.com/]
Thanks to Norma Kay Rowe
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| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
December 19, 2007
Safety Guards
Today's Message is from Jamie Lemley (a Pasadena Albemarle employee).

Many tools are equipped with a safety guard, for example, a table saw. The purpose is to keep you safe, so do not tie back or remove them.

REMEMBER
S - saving
A - arms
F - fingers
E - ears & eyes
T - takes
Y - you
----------------------------------------------------
| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
December 15, 2007
Christmas Safety Tips
By BRT Employee Tristan Watkins

The leading cause of Christmas tree fires and property damage was short circuit or ground fault (21%). In this category, electrical failure other than short circuit ranked second in number of fires, injuries and property damage with the exception of the "other known" category.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), cords and plugs were the leading type of equipment involved in the ignition of Christmas trees.

Safety points to remember:

Any string of lights with worn, frayed or broken cords or loose bulb connections should not be used.
Always unplug Christmas tree lights before leaving home or going to sleep.
Never use lit candles to decorate a tree, and place them well away from tree branches.
Try to keep live trees as moist as possible by giving them plenty of water daily. Do not purchase a tree that is dry or dropping needles.
Choose a sturdy tree stand designed not to tip over.
When purchasing an artificial tree, be sure it is labeled as fire-retardant.
Make sure the tree is at least three feet (one meter) away from any heat source and try to position it near an outlet so that cords are not running long distances.
Do not place the tree where it may block exits.
Safely dispose of the tree when it begins dropping needles. Dried-out trees are highly flammable and should not be left in a house or garage, or placed against the house.
----------------------------------------------------
| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
For the best chance of survival without significant permanent damage, it is important for a stroke to be recognized, diagnosed, and treated with clot-busting drugs within 3 hours.

The warning signs of a stroke include sudden onset of the following: headache, trouble seeing out of one or both eyes, numbness/weakness of the face, arm or leg (particularly on one side of the body), confusion, trouble speaking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination. These may be pronounced or subtle. The simple steps below can help you determine if a loved one may have suffered a stroke.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters.. S.T.R

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.

T * Ask the person to TALK - SAY A SIMPLE SENTENCE COHERENTLY (e.g., It is sunny out today).

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If the person has trouble with any of the above, seek emergency medical treatment immediately.

Thanks to Kay Babbitt
----------------------------------------------------
| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
A recent e-mail message claims that using cruise control can actually cause the vehicle to accelerate through the air if it hits standing water and hydroplanes. While the core claim (don't use cruise control in wet conditions) is valid, the message seriously mangles the facts and is therefore misleading and overly alarmist.

Certainly, using your vehicle's cruise control in wet or icy conditions can be dangerous. If cruise control is engaged when aquaplaning occurs, the driver's subsequent reaction could make the encounter worse than it may have otherwise been. For example, the driver may hit the brake heavily to disengage cruise control and this could lock up the wheels completely. Furthermore, drivers often move their feet away from the pedals when cruise control is engaged and they may also be a little less attentive than normal. In an aquaplaning situation the small delay caused by these factors could equate to the difference between a safe recovery and a serious accident. Also, an inattentive driver could hit the accelerator instead of the brake to disengage cruise control, and this could of course speed up the vehicle and lead to loss of control.

"... Cruise control systems are deactivated as soon as the brake is applied. As braking is usually an automatic reaction in most emergency situations, the scenario of cruise control causing an increase in vehicle speed is highly unlikely."

Thus, there is no inherent factor in the cruise control mechanism itself that could lead to a hydroplaning vehicle speeding up and flying through the air.

The bottom line? Using cruise control in wet conditions certainly can be dangerous but it will NOT cause your vehicle to speed up and fly through the air. Engaging cruise control in any road situation that is less than optimal is ill-advised. Such road situations include not only wet and rainy conditions , but also icy roads, high traffic, poor visibility and rough, narrow, hilly or excessively bendy roads. However, do we really need an unverified and factually dubious email forward to make us aware of such factors? I would hope that not using cruise control in wet or other potentially dangerous conditions would simply be common sense for any responsible driver.
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PRICE OF GAS AROUND THE WORLD
Prices are quoted in US dollars per gallon for regular unleaded.

Oslo, Norway $6.82
Hong Kong $6.25
Brussels, Belgium $6.16
London, UK $5.96
Rome, Italy $5.80
Tokyo, Japan $5.25
Sao Paulo, Brazil $4.42
New Delhi, India $3.71
Sidney, Australia $3.42
Johannesburg, South Africa $3.39
Mexico City $2.22
Buenos Aires, Argentina $2.09
... YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS ...
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia $0.91
Kuwait $0.78
Caracas, Venezuela $0.12
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TOURBUS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -:) - :)- :)
Volume 13, Number 15 -- 18 Dec 2007
Tourbus Home -- http://www.InternetTourbus.com

TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPICS: Digital Cameras / DRM Removal / Joost

In today's TOURBUS, you'll find my recommendations for automatic Digital Cameras and pocket-sized Video Cams. I also have tips on how to free your iTunes and Windows Audio music from the shackles of DRM. Learn how to get Free TV without worrying that thugs in dark glasses will come knocking on your door. Find long lost friends, or dig up dirt on yourself. And translate your home page into Martian. It's all in this issue of TOURBUS. Read on!

---------------------------------------------
Digital Cameras for the Casual Photographer
---------------------------------------------

Are you a camera klutz? Don't know the difference between an f-stop and a fill flash? Then today's new automated digital cameras are just the thing for you. Shouldn't it be EASY to take a perfect picture?

I want to aim the lens at my kids, the dog, or a beautiful flower, press a button, and get a great shot. I want my camera to auto-focus, adjust the exposure, turn on the flash, stabilize the image, find faces, remove red-eye, sit up, and bark on command. So I scoured the digital domain and found three cameras that fit the bill.

Just point and click, and they do the rest. Here are my picks for the top three automatic digital cameras for everyday picture takers...
http://askbobrankin.com/automatic_digital_cameras.html

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Pocket-Sized Video Cameras
----------------------------

Because digital video cameras are so popular, they come in all sizes, with many different feature sets. But when it comes to capturing video clips on the spur of the moment, smaller is better. If you're looking for a pocket-sized video camera with a price tag that's just as small, I have good news.

You don't have to spend a fortune to capture family memories or make viral videos with a digital camcorder that's small enough to fit in your pocket. I found three mini-sized video cameras under $150 that can create movie files that are ready to burn to a DVD or upload to YouTube. Here are my reviews:
http://askbobrankin.com/small_video_cameras.html

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"Out, DRM'd Spot!"
--------------------

Perhaps you've purchased music from iTunes and you want to play those tunes on a non-iPod music player. APPLE SAYS NO. Maybe you've become a Mac/Linux user, and you need your Windows Audio files in a standard, portable format. MICROSOFT SAYS NO. How about making backup copies of your music library? Or burning your favorite tunes to a CD so you can listen in the car? THE RIAA SAYS NO.

But that doesn't mean you can't. Yes, you CAN free your iTunes music from the shackles of DRM (Digital Rights Management). Yes, you CAN move your Windows WMA audio files to other operating system platforms. Yes, you CAN make a backup copy of your music to protect yourself from hard drive failure. And yes, you CAN listen to your music without a computer, on that expensive stereo system in the living room, in your car, or with a non-iPod music player.

If you're frustrated by the DRM protection roadblock, check out my big list of audio converters here:

http://askbobrankin.com/drm_removal.html

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Joost - Free Online TV?
-------------------------

If you remember the woman from Minnesota who was fined over $200,000 for downloading and "sharing" music with Kazaa, then you may be wary of Joost, which claims to offer free online TV. I investigated and learned that Joost's promise of free TV is for real, and 100% legal.

Joost transforms your computer into a TV screen, without a cable box or satellite dish. Currently there are offerings from CBS, Warner Brothers, MTV, and Comedy Central on Joost, along with sports and lots of music programming. But don't expect to find all your favorite shows just yet. To learn more about Joost, and how to watch television on the Web, read on...

http://askbobrankin.com/what_is_joost.html

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People Search - Finding People Online
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Are you searching for an old friend? Trying to find someone's street address or phone number? Maybe you're looking for information on a potential employee, or checking out tonight's hot date.

There are plenty of resources on the web to help you find people, and information about them. Some are free, but generally those can only dig up publicly available information. If you need to dig further, there are some fee-based online sleuthing tools that can help.

You might be surprised to see what you can learn about others, and what they can learn about you, with just a few clicks...

http://askbobrankin.com/people_search.html

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Free Online Language Translations
-----------------------------------

Here's an interesting question I got recently: "I have a site that attracts visitors from all over the world, so I often get emails in Spanish, French, and German. Is there a tool that will help me translate them to English? I also want to write back in their own language..."

Fortunately, there are some excellent (and free) online translation tools available. Remember the babel fish in "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy"? It could instantly translate from one language to another. The web version of Babelfish can translate words, paragraphs or entire web pages to and from English, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.

Babelfish can't translate text into Bostonese, Martian, Smurfish, Jive, Elmer Fudd, or Swedish Chef, but of course clever programmers have found a way. Read on to learn about Babelfish and eleven other online language translation tools here:
http://askbobrankin.com/free_online_translations.html

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

The Pump Handle will be on hiatus for the rest of 2007. We wish
everyone a happy and healthy new year!

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

** "EPA Administrator Ignores Law, Science, and Consistency" by Liz Borkowski In denying California's petition to set stronger tailpipe emissions standards, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson ignores the counsel of his own technical and legal advisors – and belies a previous Bush administration claim about addressing climate change by allowing state-level innovation. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/epa-administrator-ignores-law-science-and-consistency/

** "Tony Mazzochi Book Events in DC" by David Michaels Les Leopold, author of a new book about labor leader Tony Mazzocchi, will be reading and signing books at two DC events on January 7th. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/tony-mazzocchi-book-events-in-dc/

** "Explosion Kills 4 Workers at Florida Lab" by Celeste Monforton A violent explosion at a Jacksonville lab that manufactures a gasoline additive killed four workers and injured at least 14 people. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/explosion-kills-3-workers-at-florida-lab/

** "Energy Bill: A little good news for public health" by Celeste Monforton Although the new energy bill doesn't do as much as environmentalists and health advocates hoped, it contains provisions that should benefit public health. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/energy-bill-a-little-good-news-for-public-health/

** "Occupational Health News Roundup" by Liz Borkowski Nurses, construction workers, and cleaning industry employees have some new resources available to them; plus, news about journalists, poultry workers, and Ethiopian civilians conscripted into military service. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/19/occupational-health-news-roundup-45/

** "Asking Too Much of Pigs and Bees – and Workers and Waterways" by Liz Borkowski Michael Pollan's latest article uses the spread of MRSA and colony collapse disorder to illustrate the unsustainability of our food system. News about polluted waters and health problems among meat and poultry workers provide still more examples. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/asking-too-much-of-pigs-and-bees/

** "Erin Brockovich Revisited: New Evidence Linking Cancer With Chromium in Drinking Water" by David Michaels The journal Epidemiology has just published new evidence that drinking hexavalent chromium — also called chromium 6 — increases risk of stomach cancer. It's only the latest piece in an ugly saga that illustrates how polluters manufacture doubt to impede regulation. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/erin-brockovich-revisited/

** "Black Lung: Enough Study, More Action" by Celeste Monforton News about black lung disease often treats it as though it's a mysterious condition that needs more research – but we already know that the solution is to reduce exposure to respirable coal dust. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/black-lung-enough-study-more-action/

** "In Bush Administration, Public Health Loses Out" Susan Wood's new Boston Globe op-ed focuses on the Bush administration's failure to staff important health-related positions with qualified individuals willing to provide science-based advice — a problem that's particularly glaring when it comes to reproductive health issues. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/17/in-bush-administration-public-health-loses-out/

** "MSHA's Stickler: Will He Stay or Will He Go?" by Celeste Monforton The clock is running out on Richard Stickler's recess appointment to head MSHA, and it would be wise to keep him on. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/14/mshas-stickler-will-he-stay-or-will-he-go/

** "Friday Blog Roundup" by Liz Borkowski Bloggers address the Science Debate 2008 initiative, breast cancer, and a court decision on California's proposed tailpipe emission standard. http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/12/14/friday-blog-roundup-54/
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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.

“Depraved Indifference: The Workers' Compensation System” by Patrice Woeppel, Ed.D.

We have been waiting a long time for Patrice's book to be released. It will contain many family members experiences and Patrice's understanding of how the system works and what it will take to fix it. This book will add a new voice to the ranks, Patrice previously had no transactions with the system therefore no preconceived ideas and I feel this is a wonderful book for the families who will find acknowledgment and guidance and H&S to get a real feel for the families and injured.

Patrice has had a long career in hospital, health care and mental health administration, as well as serving on many state and community boards, and as a hospital board officer. But it was a fall with permanent injury, at a hospital at which she worked, that ended her career and created the impetus to write this book.

All across America’s workplaces; workers are being injured, killed or exposed to toxic chemicals from which they are dying. An estimated 66,000 persons die each year from occupational illnesses and injuries in our country: An epidemic of monumental proportions. Almost a century after the introduction of Workers’ Compensation; workers, their families, communities – all pay the price for the devastating human and environmental consequences of this failure to hold corporations accountable for their actions.

The stories in Depraved Indifference are the stories of ordinary people. Discarded and forgotten by their employers, denied medical coverage by the workers’ compensation insurers; many have been left to die, slowly and agonizingly, unnoticed by all but the ones who really care - their grieving families.

Depraved Indifference represents over five years of research and interviews. It lays bare a Workers’ Compensation system that cavalierly exposes workers to severe injury, toxic exposure and death; while throwing the major cost unto the family and the taxpayer, without fear of lawsuit, prosecution or even public outcry. It is a call to action.

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. 1st Class Jonathan A. Lowery, 38, of Houlton, Maine, died Dec. 14, in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas.

02. Pvt. Daren A. Smith, 19, of Helena, Mont., died 13 Dec., in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Polk, La.

03. Sgt. Austin D. Pratt, 22, of Cadet, Mo., died Dec. 15 in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in Baghdad, Iraq, in an incident that is currently under investigation. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), located at Fort Polk, La.

04. Pfc. Juctin R. P. McDaniel, 19, of Andover, N. H., died Dec. 17 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident in Taji, Iraq. He was assigned to the 524th Combat Service Support Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Shafter, Hawaii.

05. 1st Lt. Jeremy E. Ray, 26, of Houston, Texas, died Dec. 20 in Kanaan, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an enemy attacked using an explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas.
~~
Air Force Officer Missing In Action From 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 Maj. Perry H. Jefferson, U.S. Air Force, of Denver, Colo. He will be buried April 3, 2008 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

On April 3, 1969, Jefferson was an aerial observer on board an O-1G Bird Dog aircraft on a visual reconnaissance mission over a mountainous region in Ninh Thuan Province, Vietnam. The pilot of the aircraft, then U.S. Army 1st Lt. Arthur G. Ecklund, radioed Phan Rang airbase to report his location, but contact was lost soon after. An extensive, three-day search and rescue effort began, but no evidence of a crash was found. Hostile threats in the area precluded further search efforts.

In 1984, a former member of the Vietnamese Air Force turned over to a U.S. official human remains that he said represented one of two U.S. pilots whose aircraft was shot down.

In 1994 a joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), interviewed two Vietnamese citizens regarding the incident. The witnesses said the aircraft crashed on a mountainside, the pilots died and were buried at the site. They said two other men were sent to the site a few days later to bury the pilots. The team excavated the crash site described by the witnesses and found aircraft wreckage. No human remains were found.

In 2000, the remains turned over in 1984 were identified as Ecklund’s.

In 2001, a Vietnamese national living in California turned over to U.S. officials human remains that he said were recovered at a site where two U.S. pilots crashed. These remains were identified in 2007 as Jefferson's.

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 identifying Jefferson’s remains.
~~
Soldier Missing in Action From Korean War is Identified

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

He is Cpl. Robert S. Ferrell, U.S. Army, of Dallas, Texas. His burial date is being set by his family.

Representatives from the Army met with Ferrell’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 Feb. 12, 1951, Ferrell was assigned to Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, then occupying a position about 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea. The 503rd was providing artillery support for friendly units coming under heavy attack by Chinese Communist Forces. In danger of being overrun, the 503rd was forced to withdraw to the south. Records indicate that Ferrell was captured near Hoengsong, South Korea, during the fighting. He later died in captivity at the Suan Mining POW camp located about 40 miles southeast of Pyongyang, North Korea.

Between 1990 and 1994, the North Korean government repatriated what they claimed to be 208 sets of remains, including a 1991 turnover of several servicemen recovered near the Suan Mining POW camp. Ferrell’s remains, along with cold-weather clothing and uniform buttons worn by U.S. infantry, were included in the 1991 repatriation.

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 Ferrell’s remains.

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

God bless and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Luke 1:30-35, 38 Luke 2:6-8 Luke 2:1-6 Luke 2:12-14 http://www.e-min.org/
God is Good and Faithful CU 73 IC JFM CSP NREMT-I KC5HII

P. S. If you'd like to be added to the distribution, just drop us E-mail at KC5HII@Magnolia-Net.Com. We offer "Da Bleat" as text, a "Blog" and as a newsletter with pictures in Word and PDF format. The latest issue is usually updated sometime Saturday. For the "Blog" version just go to one of the several addresses on the web. For the latest issue, go to http://www.bugsbleat.blogspot.com. Older issues can be found at http://www.bugsbleat_q__.blogspot.com, where _ is the quarter (1, 2, 3, or 4) and __ is the year (05, 06, or 07). We also have a site [http://bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com/] where we post photos that I like.
Let us hear from you if we can switch you over to the "Word" or "PDF" version of "Da Bleat".
If you'd prefer to read "Da Blog" version, just drop us a note at KC5HII@Magnolia-Net.Com and we'll switch you from e:mail delivery to "Da Bleat" Blog. We appreciate your encouragement. We also appreciate your communication when you desire to be taken off our mail list. If you are on this mail list by mistake or do not wish to receive "Da Bleat," please reply back and tell us to discontinue service to you. This email was scanned by Norton AntiVirus 2007 before it was sent.
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