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Volume 9, Issue 46 Friday, November 16, 2007
Hello All,
Magnolia Public Schools will observe the Thanksgiving holidays Nov. 21 through Nov. 23. Classes will resume regular schedules on Monday, Nov. 26.
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Speaking of school, Annette has been teaching Sexual Integrity Classes in South Arkansas Schools for Hannah House this fall and she was teaching in Taylor this week.
(The Hannah Medical Center, located at 251 Columbia 13, Magnolia AR 71753, (870) 234-8070 Phone, 1-866-74-Women Toll Free, is open Tue & Thu 12-5. Hannah Medical Center offers: pregnancy tests, abstinence education, parenting program, maternity & children’s clothes, peer counseling in pre/post abortion and adoption. HMC needs: prayer, ultrasound, financial assistance, volunteers).
Coincidentally, this week the CDC announced that the US had set a new record. More than 1 million cases of Chlamydia were reported in the United States last year—the most ever reported for a sexually transmitted disease, federal health officials said Tuesday. "A new U.S. record," said Dr. John M. Douglas Jr. of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report went on to say that infection rates for all three major STDs are increasing.
This in spite of the fact that “Safe Sex” is being pushed by major education and communication outlets.
Since volunteering to teach Sexual Integrity Classes, Annette has been compelled to renew her prayer for this generation. Some of the facts she is sharing with the youth of our area are: 1 in 4 teens will contract a sexually transmitted disease. 1 in 5 will get pregnant. Thirty years ago there were 2 main STDs and they were usually curable, today there are over 45 that are not considered curable. Condoms fail as much as 15% of the time. One in two sexually active persons will contact an STD/STI by age 25. At least 15 percent of all American women who are infertile can attribute it to tubal damage caused by pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), the result of an untreated STD.
It’s common sense to understand (and statistics confirm) that the more partners a person has, the more diseases they are exposed to and the more likely they are to contract horrible diseases. But you won’t see this on the popular media.
One commercial that really irritates me is the one promoting HPV vaccine for young women as a means of preventing cervical cancer. It’s true that the vaccine does help prevent contracting the HP Virus and thereby also helps prevent cervical cancer. But what the commercial doesn’t say is that it’s impossible to get the virus without being sexually active. This is just another way of misinforming the youth of our nation who know almost nothing about STDs much less pregnancy prevention.
Many of the youth Annette has met with have shared ideas about so called “safe sex” and pregnancy prevention techniques that would be hilarious if they weren’t so tragic. It’s almost unbelievable that these kids would be so ignorant when immersed in a culture that pushes sex on almost every TV show and movie. Of course, those shows and movies don’t address the facts. And they don’t have time (or the desire) to tell the truth about so called “Free Love.”
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Of course, this generation isn’t the first to grow up ignorant of the facts of life. I remember when I became curious as a child. Dinah Sue, Charles and I were playing one day when the “Facts Of Life” came up. I don’t know if they knew the correct details at the time, but they convinced me that I was woefully ignorant. So I asked my mother where babies came from. She sent me to my stepfather. He thought for a moment and started talking about the “Birds and Bees.” When I told him I didn’t understand what birds and bees had to do with babies, he sent me across the street to Dr. Wilson’s office. The kind Doctor set me down in his office, gave me a coke out of his personal cooler and asked me what my question was. After listening to me, he asked me if I knew to keep my pants zipped. I said “yes sir.” “Good” he said. That was the end of my education. If it hadn’t been for the older boy scouts in our troop, I might never have learned the truth.
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And while I’m on my “Soap Box” here are some statistics on Teens, Television and Family Communication;
- 25% of teenagers 13-17 can tell you that the US Constitution was written in Philadelphia.
- 75% of teenagers 13-17 know that the zip code 90210 is Beverly Hills.
- 52% of children ages 5-17 have a TV in their bedroom.
- TV is on in an average US home 7 hours, 12 minutes per day.
- Parents spend 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children.
It’s obvious that parents today don’t even have time to tell their kids to keep their pants zipped.
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Amgen and Johnson & Johnson’s strengthened the label warnings for their widely used anemia drugs, placing further emphasis on the risk that the medicines could cause heart attacks, a worsening of cancer and death.
Amgen’s Epogen and Johnson & Johnson’s Procrit — can be dangerous if overused.
The new warnings also state for the first time that the drugs’ risks for cancer patients cannot be excluded even at doses previously considered safe and routinely used.
The drugs are used by about one million Americans a year, mostly people with anemia caused by cancer chemotherapy or kidney failure. Combined sales worldwide were nearly $10 billion last year.
Procrit is the reason I can’t be on the US Olympic team. I use the drug to treat the anemia caused by my having “dog blood” and, since I’m taking a banned performance enhancing drug, (athletes have been caught using it illegally because it can increase the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity and help improve an athlete’s endurance) I’m banned from International competition.
Amgen said the new ... label calls for using the lowest possible dose that allows a patient to avoid blood transfusions. The guidelines allow its use with patients whose hemoglobin levels do not exceed 12 grams for each deciliter.
Man. I’d love to see 12 again. I haven’t seen a hemoglobin level that high since 2002.
New wording in the label calls for doctors to exercise restraint or possibly discontinue use for patients who do not reach the desired hemoglobin levels after 12 weeks of treatment.
Humm . . . I’ve been taking Procrit for a few years. Even though my numbers have been falling, they’re still higher than they would be without the drug.
But every time I see my Hematologist, I wonder where we’re going next.
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Two of my favorite movies star Andy Griffith, “No Time For Sergeants” and “Onionhead.” Both were released in 1958 and neither is available on DVD. SHESH! I get e-mail offers daily for mass drivel being released on DVD and they haven’t got time to give us some of the best entertainment from the late ‘50s.
Griffith earned a degree in music from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the 1950s he became a regular on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Steve Allen Show. He was featured in the Broadway play "No Time for Sergeants" (1955) for which he received a Tony nomination, and he later appeared in the film version. His film debut was in the provocative and prophetic “A Face in the Crowd” (1957) co staring Patricia Neal, in which Griffith gave a performance that has been described as stunning.
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This week, we read; “Katie: The Real Story" by Edward Klein a candid portrait of a folksy charmer, loving single mother, cunning businesswoman, feminist icon, and notorious diva.
Now, we’re reading; “The Race” by Richard North Patterson
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http://www.shelfari.com/BugsBleat/shelf?ec=7D790D174EFS18012
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A mutated version of a common cold virus has caused 10 deaths in the last 18 months, U.S. health officials said Thursday. Adenoviruses usually cause respiratory infections that aren't considered lethal. But a new variant has caused at least 140 illnesses in New York, Oregon, Washington and Texas, according to a report issued Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC officials don't consider the mutation to be a cause for alarm for most people, and they're not recommending any new precautions for the general public.
"It's an uncommon infection," said Dr. Larry Anderson, a CDC epidemiologist.
The illness made headlines in Texas earlier this year, when a so- called boot camp flu sickened hundreds at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The most serious cases were blamed on the emerging virus and one 19-year-old trainee died.
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A special account has been set up at Summit Bank for 14-year-old Katherine Herring. She was diagnosed with Arnold Chiaria Malformation, a brain disease that affects the brain and brain stem. She is the granddaughter of Yvonne Nipper and Robert Nipper of Magnolia. The name of the fund is KH Fund.
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A special account for Mrs. Bopie Booth (Nadine) has been set up at Farmers Bank. Donations raised will go to help with cancer treatment. For more information, call 234-0279 or 234-3469.
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Please keep this little girl in your prayers. This request is from a friend of Rebecca Montgomery at Grace Baptist. “My son-in-law's sister IVORY is 7 years old and this week she was riding her go cart and lost control landing her under a neighbors double wide that didn't have any skirting.
She was stopped by the floor and support beam by her NECK. She was air lifted to MUSC; This little girl is only seven years old and has her whole life to live. I ask you to lift her up to God in prayer. And if you wouldn't mind adding her to your Church prayer chain, we all know what God can do when we only have Faith and come together in unity.
Thank you SO much for your time and most importantly... your prayers.
If anyone wants to send cards you can send them to:
ivory watts
2912 hwy 9
Business west
Loril, sc 29569
There has been a ivory watts fund sit up at:
Conway national bank
Ivory watts
P.o. box 320
Conway, sc 29528
If you wish to contact her pastor you can do so at:
Lake salt Baptist church
Mike Matthews
Hwy 917
Finkley, sc
I so pray this information helps you.... praise the lord she is getting better.... love and prayers Nan
In Christ Almighty Love, Nancy aka Gods Girl Praying
Father, remind us that worship is not what we do on Sunday mornings, but how we live seven days a week.
Lift up our eyes, Father, that we might see our world as you see it. Help us respond as you respond to the hurts.
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Each week the Defense Department highlights military personnel who have gone above and beyond in the war. [http://www.defenselink.mil/heroes/] - -
Mark DeCorte:
The unique nature of the War on Terror calls for unconventional approaches to numerous missions. Joint service combat and non-combat operations have become more common over the last several years. While serving as a combat flight medic with the 33rd Expeditionary Combat Rescue Squadron in Afghanistan, Air Force Tech Sgt. Mark DeCorte was at the forefront of a successful Army-Air Force venture to improve rescue operations. DeCorte’s leadership and actions on the battlefield earned him the 2006 Expeditionary Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year award.
In 2005, the Air Force agreed to assist the Army in medevac operations. DeCorte served on the first enlisted team of flight medics in this undertaking. There were many challenges not normally associated with providing care to the wounded on the battlefield. First, the team of airmen had to operate out of a HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter, not the larger C-130 or C-17 the Air Force normally uses. Second, DeCorte and his team were directly involved in combat – unlike many medics who often enter the field after the action subsides. DeCorte even gave up his protected status under the Geneva Convention to provide more urgent care to the wounded.
Two missions in particular from 2006 illustrate DeCorte’s gallantry. DeCorte was called in to rescue a soldier who lost both of his legs. As DeCorte entered the pitch-black battlefield, enemy forces surrounded him on three sides. Wearing night-vision goggles, DeCorte assessed the wounded soldier and applied tourniquets while shielding him from explosions. While taking fire, DeCorte carried the man back to the helicopter and ensured a safe evacuation. On another mission, DeCorte moved in to rescue two wounded soldiers. During the landing, enemy forces fired on the men on the ground, wounding three more. The helicopter landed near a dangerous minefield. DeCorte jumped out, and sprinted 150 yards through the kill zone. He treated all five wounded and directed them back to the chopper – while carrying one of them. DeCorte fit all five soldiers in the helicopter designed to hold two.
While based in Kandahar, DeCorte flew on 63 such missions, and is credited with assisting 41 enemy kills and 36 rescues, while constantly resupplying coalition forces with supplies, water and ammunition.
In addition to being named NCO of the Year, DeCorte’s lengthy list of awards and decorations includes: the Air Medal with two devices, the Air Force Commendation Medal with two devices, the Air Force Achievement Medal with five devices, the Combat Readiness Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with one device, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, and the Global War On Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, among many others.
DeCorte’s record of service long predates his actions in Afghanistan. His 13 years in the Air Force includes a tour in Kosovo. DeCorte’s dedicated commitment to service extends to his family. His wife and brother are Air Force tech sergeants. DeCorte’s father, mother and uncle also served as USAF medical sergeants. DeCorte is currently stationed at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota.
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Greetings:
Please click here for a new dispatch, A Consumer Reports: Part II of II [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/a-consumer-reports-geared-for-combat-ii.htm]
A dispatch entitled "Thank You" was published this weekend. Please click [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/thank-you-2.htm] for that.
Many readers requested information on obtaining prints of the "Thanks and Praise" photograph. It has been added to the online gallery. Please click here for information.
~
A short but important pictorial is prepared for you.
Please make sure to read "Come Home." [http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/come-home.htm]
Yesterday was an excellent day here in Baghdad.
V/r, Michael Yon, Bagdad
Note: The reader support for improving and translating the site was excellent, but not enough to make it happen. We are looking at alternative ways to take this to the next level.
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America Supports You: Americans Can Text ‘Thanks’ to Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2007 – For those seeking a quick way to show appreciation for the troops' service far from home this holiday season, look no further than “Giving Thanks,” a new initiative from the Defense Department’s America Supports You program. (Video)
America Supports You connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
“This is a simple way to connect our citizens to our soldiers using modern technology,” Allison Barber, deputy assistant secretary of defense for internal communications and public liaison, said of the text messaging program.
The program, which already has received nearly 4,000 messages, officially kicks off at 6 a.m. EST Nov. 17 and concludes at midnight PST Nov. 22. Between those times, people wishing to express gratitude to the troops for their service can text a brief message to 89279. Each text message sent will receive a response from an active-duty service member in return.
Major mobile wireless providers, including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile, will provide access to the Giving Thanks text messaging program.
“We know that thousands of families will be sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner and thinking about loved ones who are far away from home serving their country,” Barber said. “We are counting on other American families to take a moment during their holiday celebration to think of those families and their family members who are serving and say, ‘Thanks.’
“The reassurance that others are thinking about them will mean a lot to our troops,” Barber added.
Those who send a message during the six days of the Giving Thanks program also will be directed to the America Supports You Web site. There, they’ll find a sampling of messages from the public and a running tally of how many messages have been received. They’ll also be able to read messages from the troops.
Some service members in Iraq and Afghanistan already have sent messages thanking the public for the support. Angie, an airman serving in Iraq, wrote: “Your support means so much, especially during the holidays. God Bless.”
Troops of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan also wrote to express their appreciation for the continued support they receive: “To all the great Americans who go out of their way to support all the Soldiers of the Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan -- Thank You.”
In an effort to reach the Hispanic community, which is represented in large numbers in the armed services, America Supports You is working with Interlex, an advertising, marketing and public relations firm with multi cultural capabilities.
“What we are doing is complementing the general market efforts to mobilize the Hispanic community to become involved in America Supports You,” said Rolando Rodriguez, Interlex’s managing director for public relations and community-based outreach. “Obviously that’s important because many Hispanics do consume different press than the general market would.”
The firm’s goal is to inform Hispanic communities that many Hispanic youth are serving in the military. “There (also) are a number of Hispanic families that (will be) impacted during the holidays because (the service members) are not sitting at the table with them, so it’s important to show their appreciation,” Rodriguez said.
MTV Tr3s, an American Spanish-language network launched in September 2006, is one way the firm hopes to reach America’s Hispanic community. The network reaches 30 million homes and 6.5 million Hispanic households across the country, Rodriguez said.
“MTV Tr3s has Mi TRL, (and) what they’re going to do is … live reads on their video countdown, which is their signature program,” he said. “They’re going to talk about, ‘Hey, support this initiative.’”
Mi TRL also will run a banner at the bottom of the screen promoting the text messaging program. In addition, the program will air a full screen of information on how to thank troops.
Interlex USA also is working to involve Hispanic celebrities to let the Hispanic community know that thanking a service member for their sacrifices this holiday season is as easy as sending a text message.
“When we talk about text messaging, Hispanics … out-pace all groups,” Rodriguez said, adding the text messaging group tends to be younger, much like MTV Tr3s viewers, who range from 12-34.
He added that his team is working to get the message out to Hispanic communities in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas through Spanish-language media outlets, as well as entertainment and sporting venues. These are the same types of venues that will carry information about the America Supports You Giving Thanks program to the general market, officials said.
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MapQuest Gas Prices, Pretty Cool http://gasprices.mapquest.com
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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
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The photos on the front of this week’s “Bleat” are of some of my favorite folks.
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Don’t forget to check out www.mcc2000.net
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We’ve now got several addresses on the web for "Da Bleat." For the latest issue, go to http://www.bugsbleat.blogspot.com
Our photos are posted at http://www.bugsbleatphotos.blogspot.com.
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Feel free to share the "Bleat" with any and all. That's why we publish it.
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Recipe(s) of the week - - - Creole Shrimp and Quinoa
Quinoa is an ancient Incan grain that is becoming popular in the United States. You can find it in the bulk-food section of large grocery stores, specialty-food stores and food co-ops. It is a small grain that opens up as it cooks, and adds interesting texture to salads, casseroles and side dishes. It is high in protein, has good fiber and contains no gluten.—Suzanne Butler, Culinary Consultant
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 ounces shrimp, uncooked
½ cup onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, chopped
½ cup celery, fresh, diced
½ cup bell pepper, red, chopped
15 ounces canned tomatoes, diced, no added salt
2 cups chicken broth, fat-free, low-sodium
1 cup quinoa
½ teaspoon thyme, ground
1/8 teaspoon cloves, ground
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon salt
Preparation
Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high. Cook the shrimp in a single layer in the skillet until they turn pink—about 3 minutes. Don't worry if they are not quite done because they go back into the skillet later to cook through. Remove and set aside on a plate with any liquid juice that accumulates from cooking the shrimp.
Add the onions to the skillet and sauté 2 minutes, or until they begin to wilt. Add the garlic, celery and peppers, and stir for 2 minutes.
Drain the tomatoes saving the juice for another use. Add to the skillet along with the chicken broth. Rinse the quinoa well and pour into the skillet. Flavor with thyme, cloves, cayenne and allspice. Mix well.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer while covered—10 to 12 minutes. Stir the cooked shrimp and salt back into the skillet. Bring up to serving heat.
Diet Exchange
Other Carbohydrates: 0.0
Very Lean Meat: 2.5
Fat: 0.5
Milk: 0.0
Vegetable: 1.5
Fruit: 0.0
Lean Meat: 0.5
Bread/Starch: 2.0
Nutrition Information
Calories 310
Calories from Fat 50
Total Fat 5 g
Saturated Fat 1 g
Cholesterol 130 mg
Sodium 550 mg
Total Carbohydrate 40 g
Dietary Fiber 5 g
Sugars 6 g
Protein 26 g
Vitamin A 25%
Vitamin C 60%
Calcium 10%
Iron 35%
http://lifescan.nutrio.com/content?page=414&cat=0&meal_display_preference=3&week_offset=-1&redirect_type=weeklymeals&pop=1&rec=19321
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BreakPoint
With Chuck Colson
Getting the Facts Straight
11/16/2007
Religion as Poison?
The outstanding film Amazing Grace hits shelves this week in DVD form—and it comes at a time when Christianity is under blistering attack. In his new book, God Is Not Great, subtitled How Religion Poisons Everything, anti-theist Christopher Hitchens states, “religion makes people do wicked things they wouldn’t ordinarily do . . . the licenses for genocide, slavery, racism, are all right there in the holy text.”
It is a rather empty accusation when put alongside a man like William Wilberforce, who as the film Amazing Grace shows, attacked and abolished the slave trade because of his Christian convictions. As you can see, that raises a difficult question for people like Hitchens: If Christianity “licenses” slavery, then why was the abolition of slavery, both in antiquity and in modern times, driven by Christians?
In ancient times in the Roman Empire, slavery was a fact of life—one which the writings of the Scripture reflect. But acknowledging social reality is not the same thing as “licensing” it.
When the Apostle Paul wrote to Philemon and when he wrote that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” he planted the seeds that would, one day, lead to the demise of the institution of slavery. Likewise, Paul included “slave traders” among those he identified as “lawbreakers.”
Sociologist Rodney Stark writes about the Church’s embrace around the third century of what he calls “a universalistic conception of humanity.” This conception “[liberated] social relations between the sexes and within the family” and “greatly modulated class differences . . . ” As Stark put it, “more than rhetoric was involved when slave and noble greeted one another as brothers in Christ.”
Given this liberating ideal, it was only a matter of time before Christians sought to eradicate slavery entirely.
It is true that Christians have not always lived up to the moral teachings of the faith: The record of the Church is not without blemish. But it is also true that when Christians kept and traded slaves, they were going against the teachings of their own religion. The theological question had long been settled.
Thus, when Spanish and Portuguese traders brought slavery to the New World, successive popes condemned the practice and even threatened to excommunicate slave traders and slave owners. And when in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, men like William Wilberforce in Britain and William Garrison in America led the fight against slavery and the slave trade, they led, like their early Church counterparts, motivated by Christian teaching on human dignity and equality.
Hitchens’s assertion that economic factors and not Christian abolitionists did away with slavery is, to put it mildly, absurd. Wilberforce and company succeeded despite the economic interests, not because of them.
When Christians obey their teachings, they are the greatest defenders of human rights in the world. Hitchens and company deny this, but the evidence belies them.
So here’s an idea: Buy a copy of the DVD Amazing Grace this week and host a viewing party in your home. What a great opportunity to talk with your neighbors about the real facts: how Christianity, far from poisoning everything, helped purify trans-Atlantic waters once filled with the sickening crime of human trafficking.
Apply today for the 2008 Centurions Program and study with Chuck Colson and other leading thinkers for one year. The deadline for applications is November 30.
For Further Reading and Information
Buy your copy of the film Amazing Grace today! Learn more about the movie.
Rodney Stark, The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success (Random House, 2005).
Charles Colson, “The New Chicken Littles: The Unfounded Fears of Atheists Today,” BreakPoint WorldView, September 2007.
BreakPoint Commentary No. 071115, “A Better Hour: Inspiration for Change.”
Learn more about the Better Hour Contest for high-school students.
Learn more about Loose Change to Loosen Chains and the Amazing Change movement.
Get your copy of the new small-group discussion and action book Creating the Better Hour: Lessons from William Wilberforce and the audio CD Engaging the Culture—Changing the World: Lessons from William Wilberforce. You can get both for $35.00.
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
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Words of the Week:
polyglot: speaking or containing many languages.
deleterious: harmful.
mercurial: changeable; temperamental; volatile.
gesticulate: to make gestures or motions.
perfervid: ardent; impassioned.
flaneur: one who strolls about aimlessly; a lounger; a loafer.
hector: to bully or harass.
aggrandize: to make or make appear great or greater.
from Dictionary.Com
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"Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences." - Norman Cousins
"Americans never quit." - Douglas MacArthur
"More common sense can be induced by observation of the diversity of human beings in a small town than can be learned in academia." - Louis B. Wright
"The idea was to prove at every foot of the way up ... that you were one of the elected and anointed ones who had the right stuff and could move higher and higher and even - ultimately, God willing, one day - that you might be able to join that special few at the very top, that elite who had the capacity to bring tears to men's eyes, the very Brotherhood of the Right Stuff itself." - Tom Wolfe
"I survived ... by mastering my own emotions ... a kind of private arrangement within oneself - an understanding of the heart and mind - that one's life and purposes are essentially good, and that nothing from outside must be allowed to impair that understanding ... I learned that one can live alone." - Wallis, Duchess of Windsor
"Once you fully apprehend the vacuity of a life without struggle, you are equipped with the basic means of salvation." - Tennessee Williams
"Pessimism is as American as apple pie - frozen apple pie with a slice of processed cheese." - George F. Will
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BREAKING CHRISTIAN NEWS
http://breakingchristiannews.com/
# Prayer Alert: After Powerful Cyclone in Bangladesh, Death Toll Nears 600
# Pregnant With Quintuplets, Russian Couple, Who Refused Doctor's Advice to Abort, Give Birth to All Five Daughters in Britain
# New Study Proves that Children Carry Positive, Long-Term Benefits from Church Attendance, Contrary to Claims by Atheists that it Harms their Development
# Prince Charles Visits London Pentecostal Church on His Birthday for Special Thanksgiving Service
# Anonymous Donor Gives $100 Million to Charities in Erie, Pennsylvania
# New Mexico Pastor Spends Week on Chick-fil-A Rooftop for Needy Children & Orphans in Africa
# Doctor Gives Scientific Explanation of How and Why a Morally Sick Culture Endangers Young Minds
# Scientists Claim to Have Found Simple, Inexpensive Solution to Help Insomnia and ADHD
# Colorado Supreme Court Gives Green Light to Restore Personhood to the Unborn
# Georgia's Governor Sonny Purdue Prays for Rain
# Soldier Who Has Undergone 19 Surgeries Has No Regrets—He'd do it again for "Nothing more than the thanks a soldier deserves"
# Oregon Rancher Rides across USA to find the "Stories of hardworking, honest everyday people in rural America"
# Archaeologist Discovers the Wall of Tower Built by Nehemiah
# Forget the Da Vinci Code—Italian Musician and Computer Tech Finds a Requiem Soundtrack of the Passion of Jesus in The Last Supper
# Christians Pray at Least One Hour a Week According to ChristiaNet.com Poll
# Just in Time for Thanksgiving; "Superfoods" to Make Your Holiday Healthy
# Xerox Corporation makes it Easy to Send a "Thank You" to U.S. Troops
# The Incredible Wisdom God Imparted to the "Sky Angel Cowboy"
# Phenomenon in the Sky—Comet Holmes Amazes and Baffles Astronomers
# Crime-Solver Seeks Help from Praying Christians through GodTube Video
# Why the Senate and House Were Right to Give French
President Nicolas Sarkozy a Standing Ovation
# The Under-Reported Prayers of Clarence Thomas
# A California Church's Worship in Focus; How Do Outsiders View Live Worship?
# Government Officials Not About to Let Chinese Threat to Ban Bible During 2008 Olympics Go Unaddressed
# James Dobson's Son Exhorts Christians Not to be Afraid to Defend Sanctity of Life and Marriage
# Indiana, One of Nation's Leaders in Faith-Based Problem Solving
# More Great Testimonies from Ex-Korn Musician Brian Welch
# American Idol Finalist Melinda Doolittle Traveled to Africa With First Lady Laura Bush on Mission to Eradicate Malaria
Support Bella—Send Hollywood a Clear Message That America Wants Good, Powerful Films
Breaking Christian News
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GCF: At the Restaurant
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.
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We took the family to one of those restaurants where the walls are plastered with movie memorabilia. I went to see the hostess about reserving a table.
When I returned, I found my 11-year-old daughter staring at a poster of Superman standing in a phone booth. She looked puzzled.
"Doesn't she know who Superman is?" I whispered to my husband.
"Worse," he replied, "she doesn't know what a phone booth is."
_ ____________________________ _
GCF: Pick One
Emailed to me another humor list (Good Clean Funnies List) -Tom To subscribe The Good Clean Funnies List, (not to be confused with this list, which is Good Clean Fun) send an email to: gcfl-request@gcfl.net with subject = add
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Our family was attending a wedding, and I sat next to my mom, who had my youngest sister on her lap. The groom was standing at the front as the bridesmaids walked up the aisle one by one.
Growing restless, my sister looked up at my mom and said, "So why doesn't he just hurry up and pick one?"
_ ____________________________ _
GCF: Chicken or the Egg?
Emailed to me from another humor list (Daily Humor) -Tom To subscribe to Daily Humor, send a blank email to: Daily-Humor-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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Recently a friend and I went out to eat late one Sunday morning. I was torn between ordering from the restaurant's breakfast or lunch menus, and finally asked the server to bring me both a chicken sandwich and an order of scrambled eggs. When she left, I said to my friend, "I wonder if I've just committed a faux pas."
"I don't think so, but I AM wondering which one will come first."
_ ____________________________ _
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / STRESSED spelled \ /
\ _/ backwards is DESSERTS. \_ /
/ / \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / The only thing wrong with \ /
\ _/ a perfect drive to work \_ /
/ / is that you end up at work. \ \
(((\ \>|_/ )_____________________( \_| \\\\ \_/ / \ \_/ ////
\ / My wife and I always hold hands.\ /
\ _/ If I let go, she shops. \_ /
/ / \ \
_ ____________________________ _
| 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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Buying Grades
One day a professor was giving a big test to his students. He handed out all of the tests and went back to his desk to wait. Once the test was over, the students all handed the tests back in.
The professor noticed that one of the students had attached a $100 bill to his test with a note saying "A dollar per point." The next class the professor handed the tests back out.
This student got back his test and $64 change.
Received from Thomas Ellsworth.
(-:][:-)
Caller ID Is a Wonderful Thing
The local paper, which I don't bother to subscribe to since I don't have a bird, calls every couple of weeks to try and get me to subscribe. With Caller ID this becomes a perfect opportunity. Here are some of the highlights.
Phone rings. I glance at the Caller ID and pick up the phone.
Me: "OK I'll take a subscription, but I only want it on weekends."
Them: "What?"
Me: "You want to sell me a subscription. I'll take it, but only for Saturday and Sunday."
Them: "We only offer it Thursday through Sunday."
Me: "Oh then never mind."
I hang up.
Phone rings. I glance at the Caller ID and pick up the phone.
Me: "I don't want a subscription"
Them: (silence) "What?"
Me: "You are calling to offer me a subscription. I don't want one."
Them: (silence) "Uh... OK."
I hang up.
Phone rings. I glance at the Caller ID and pick up the phone.
Me: "Hi! Is this Billy-Bob's Gun and Ammo Shop?"
Them: (silence)
Me: "I wanna buy a gun. You got any?"
Them: (silence)
I hang up.
Phone rings. I glance at the Caller ID and pick up the phone.
Me: "Good afternoon, Gainesville Sun circulation department.
How may I help you?"
Them: (silence) "Umm... Sorry. Wrong number."
I hang up.
Received from JOTD.
(-:][:-)
Wanna-be Mechanic
A man is applying for a job as mechanic that he really wants to get.
The boss says, "Can you roll your hard hat down your arm and pop it back on your head?"
The mechanic nods, confused.
"Can you play light saber with your wrench and another man's screwdriver?"
"Oh yes," says the mechanic.
"Can you bounce your screwdriver off the cement, grab it, whirl it around and put it in your belt like a gun?"
"Sir, I've been doing that for years!" says the wanna-be mechanic.
"Well in that case, I can't use you. I have 12 men doing that already!" says the boss.
Received from Julie Schaefer.
(-:][:-)
Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be
My next-door neighbor and I frequently borrow things from each other. Not long ago, when I requested his ladder, he told me he had lent it to his son. Recalling a saying my grandmother used to repeat, I recited, "You should never lend anything to your kids, because you will never get it back."
With that, he responded, "Well, it's not even my ladder.
It's my dad's."
Received from Thomas Ellsworth.
(-:][:-)
-=+=-
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For centuries, Hindu women have worn a dot on their foreheads. Most of us have naively thought this was connected with marriage or religion, but the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. has recently revealed the true story.
When a Hindu woman gets married, she brings a dowry into the union. On her wedding night, the husband scratches off the dot to see whether he has won a convenience s tore, a gas station, a donut shop, or a motel in the United States. If nothing is there, he must take a job in India answering telephones giving technical advice you can't understand.
Thanks to David Jones
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A man in Phoenix calls his son in New York the day before Thanksgiving and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough."
"Pop, what are you talking about?" the son screams.
We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the father says.
"We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her."
Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this." She calls Phoenix immediately, and screams at her father, "You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up.
The man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay" he says, "they're coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way."
Thanks to Laurel Becnel
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For those who never saw any of the Burma Shave signs, here is a quick lesson in our history of the 1930's through the 50's ( in some areas.) Before there were interstates, when everyone drove the old 2 lane roads, Burma Shave signs would be posted all over the countryside in farmers' fields.
They were small red signs with white letters. Five signs, about 100 feet apart, each containing 1 line of a 4 line couplet......and the obligatory 5th sign advertising Burma Shave, a popular shaving cream.
DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT SO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN ANOTHER CAR.
TRAINS DON'T WANDER
ALL OVER THE MAP
'CAUSE NOBODY SITS
IN THE ENGINEER'S LAP
SHE KISSED THE HAIRBRUSH
BY MISTAKE
SHE THOUGHT IT WAS
HER HUSBAND JAKE
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAINS ARE IN IT
DROVE TOO LONG
DRIVER SNOOZING
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
IS NOT AMUSING
BROTHER SPEEDER
LET'S REHEARSE
ALL TOGETHER
GOOD MORNING, NURSE
CAUTIOUS RIDER
TO HER RECKLESS DEAR
LET'S HAVE LESS BULL
AND A LITTLE MORE STEER
SPEED WAS HIGH
WEATHER WAS NOT
TIRES WERE THIN
X MARKS THE SPOT
THE MIDNIGHT RIDE
OF PAUL FOR BEER
LED TO A WARMER
HEMISPHERE
AROUND THE CURVE
LICKETY-SPLIT
BEAUTIFUL CAR
WASN'T IT?
NO MATTER THE PRICE
NO MATTER HOW NEW
THE BEST SAFETY DEVICE
IN THE CAR IS YOU
A GUY WHO DRIVES
A CAR WIDE OPEN
IS NOT THINKIN'
HE'S JUST HOPIN'
AT INTERSECTIONS
LOOK EACH WAY
A HARP SOUNDS NICE
BUT IT'S HARD TO PLAY
BOTH HANDS ON THE WHEEL
EYES ON THE ROAD
THAT'S THE SKILLFUL
DRIVER'S CODE
THE ONE WHO DRIVES
WHEN HE'S BEEN DRINKING
DEPENDS ON YOU
TO DO HIS THINKING
CAR IN DITCH
DRIVER IN TREE
THE MOON WAS FULL
AND SO WAS HE.
PASSING SCHOOL ZONE
TAKE IT SLOW
LET OUR LITTLE
SHAVERS GROW
Do these bring back any old memories?
If not, you're merely a child.
If they do - then you're old as dirt...
Thanks to Jeanette Ford
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The Arkansas Cow
The only cow in a small town in Oklahoma stopped giving milk. The people did some research and found they could buy a cow from Arkansas for $200.00. They bought the cow from the Arkansas farmer and the cow was wonderful.
The cow produced lots of milk all of the time, and the people were pleased and very happy. They decided to acquire a bull to mate with the cow and produce more cows so they would never have to worry about their milk supply again.
They bought a bull and put it in the pasture with their beloved cow. However whenever the bull came close to the cow, the cow would move away. No matter what approach the bull tried, the cow would move away from the bull and he could not succeed in his quest.
The people were very upset and decided to ask the Vet, who was very wise, what to do. They told the Vet what was happening.
"Whenever the bull approaches our cow, she moves away. If he approaches from the back, she moves forward. When he approaches her from the front, she backs off. An approach from the side and she walks away to the other side."
The Vet thinks about this for a minute and asked, "Did you buy this cow in Arkansas ?"
The people were dumbfounded, since they had never mentioned where they bought the cow.
"You are truly a very wise Vet," they said.
"How did you know we got the cow in Arkansas ?"
The Vet replied with a distant look in his eye,
"My wife is from Arkansas ."
Thanks to Robert Lyons
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An old man was grocery shopping with his grandson. The toddler was crying and at times screaming at the top of his lungs.
As the old gentleman walked up and down the aisles, people could hear him speaking in a soft voice... "We are almost done, Albert... Try not to cry, Albert... Life will get better, Albert..."
As he approached the checkout stand, he carefully brushed the toddler's tears from his eyes and said again, "Try not to cry, Albert... We will be home soon, Albert..."
As he was paying the cashier, the toddler continued to cry as a young woman in line behind him said, "sir, I think it is wonderful how sweet you are being to your little Albert."
The old gentleman blinked his eyes a couple of times before saying,
My grandson's name is john..........
I'm Albert..........
Thanks to Mary Alexis
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"Don't strive for recognition, but work for achievement." -- Vanessa Malone
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Madeleine Begun Kane Latest Columns - - http://www.madkane.com/humor_blog/2007/11/10/vive-la-brain-difference/ - - Vive La (Brain) Différence!
I usually don’t use the New York Post as a source of scientific info. But this report on brain differences between men and women is very interesting. (Hat tip to Kalilily.net)
Here’s an excerpt:
In her book, the Columbia professor explores the chemistry of male and female brains - and, using up-to-the-minute medical research, reinforces some cherished “Men Are From Mars” stereotypes:
* Women remember better - even things that happened a really long time ago.
* Men are better at map-reading. They also get turned on a lot easier.
* Women thrive on talking and spending time in groups; men like to do things on their own.
But all this isn’t quite as simple as it sounds. For example: A woman’s brain is, in fact, about 10 percent smaller than a man’s, even when factoring in physical size difference - but it also has a lot more going on, neuron-connection-wise.
In other words, writes Legato, “women get more brain bang for the buck.”
Thanks to Stone Age wiring, women also have a far greater capacity for understanding speech and body language, and have “elephantine” memories, especially when it comes to negative experiences.
***
Men are better than women at focusing on one task and completing it. Women’s brains excel at multi-tasking, which like many of their traits has origins in childbearing: “You’re not just going to sit and stare at your baby. You have to process a demand from your child and move on to different tasks.” In the brain, this means more connections across the corpus callosum, which divides the brain into two halves.
As you can see from that New York Post article’s dateline, it only took me a year to celebrate our differences with a poem:
Vive La (Brain) Différence!
By Madeleine Begun Kane
We gals and guys are diff’rent—
You must know that old cliché.
Now some scientists have proven
That our wiring’s night and day.
The brains of men are larger,
Which shall surely make them proud.
Will it hurt gals in the workplace—
Only big-brained folks allowed?
But women’s brains have neurons
Whose connectors are first-rate.
We are multi-tasking mavens,
And our memory’s just great!
With diff’rences so striking
(Guys and gals, I mean to say)
Our commingling’s quite amazing.
I’m surprised we all ain’t gay.
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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The Pump Handle. A water cooler for the public health crowd.
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/
Our First Blogiversary
November 16, 2007
Exactly one year ago today, we published our first post here on The Pump Handle. It’s been an eventful year, to say the least.
By far, our most popular post was David Michaels’s “Popcorn Lung Coming to Your Kitchen? The FDA Doesn’t Want to Know,” which publicized the first reported case of bronchiolitis obliterans in a consumer and the pathetic reaction from public health agencies. Of course this is just one piece of the larger butter-flavoring story, which we’ve been following since our inception, mostly focusing on OSHA’s superficial responses to a hazard that’s robbing workers of their lung capacity.
We’ve also kept ourselves busy advocating for drug-safety reforms at FDA; considering ways to improve occupational health and safety in the U.S.; monitoring White House attempts to seize more control over regulatory agencies; weighing in on the conflict-of-interest issues surrounding the bisphenol A risk assessment; and criticizing the CPSC for its lackluster response to lead-tainted toys and other unsafe products. As tragedy unfolded at the collapsed Crandall Canyon mine in Utah, we explored the problems that contributed to the disaster and ways to keep miners safer.
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/11/16/our-first-blogiversary/#more-648
Cal/OSHA Gets Tough for Hotel Housekeepers
Molly Selvin of the Los Angeles Times reports that California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) has issued a citation to a Hilton hotel at LAX airport for violations of the State’s rules to protect workers from repetitive motion injuries. She quotes Len Welsh head of Cal/OSHA:
“‘The LAX Hilton ‘did not follow policies that other Hilton hotels followed,’ Welsh said. He added that other chains had adopted a number of approaches to training housekeepers that could alleviate repetitive motion stress and had given workers leeway to break up tasks with rest time to prevent injuries.”
Devra Davis Takes Aim at the War on Cancer
Somehow, I missed Devra Davis’ powerful essay Off Target in the War on Cancer which appeared in the Washington Post last week. Davis, a well known environmental epidemiologist, is the author of the just published The Secret History of the War on Cancer. In the Post essay, she makes a very convincing case that there is much we can do to reduce cancer risk. While we don’t know all the answers, from a regulatory point-of-view it’s better to be safe than sorry:
Consider the icon of American cancer, the cyclist Lance Armstrong. He’s hardly alone as an inspiring younger survivor. Of the 10 million American cancer survivors who are alive five years after their diagnosis, about one in 10 is younger than 40. Could exposure to radiation and obesity-promoting chemicals help explain why, according to a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the rates of the testicular cancer that Armstrong developed nearly doubled in most industrialized countries in the past three decades? Should we wait to find out?
…and another thing on OSHA’s PPE rule
In my post yesterday “OSHA issues PPE rule: what took’em so long?” I forgot to mention that OSHA is giving employers six months to comply with it. Recall that this egregiously tardy rule simply clarifies when employers are supposed to pay for personal protective equipment (PPE). As Asst. Secretary Edwin Foulke repeated in his announcement yesterday, the rule: “only addresses the issue of who pays for PPE, not the types of PPE an employer must provide….the rule does not require employers to provide PPE where none has been required before…”
If the rule is only providing clarification about who pays for PPE, and OSHA estimates that 95% of PPE is already paid appropriately by employers, why is OSHA giving employers 6 months to fix a 5% problem? Back in 1978, under Eula Bingham’s leadership at OSHA, the agency issued a comprehensive standard to protect workers from lead poisoning. Did the government give employers six months to start protecting workers? Nope. Not six months, not even three months. Employers were given just 72 days to comply with the lead standard. Yet another example of how the U.S. regulatory system for protecting workers has eroded.
OSHA issues PPE rule: What took ‘em so long?
OSHA’s long-awaited rule on “who pays for personal protective equipment” has finally seen the light of day. Assistant Secretary of Labor Edwin Foulke made the announcement today in a telephone press conference; workers and employers should be able to read the rule in the Federal Register on November 15. The Agency proposed this rule more than 8 years ago, and in today’s statements, officials repeated that the final rule is very similar to the March 1999 proposal.
“…clarifications have added several paragraphs to the regulatory text.”
Several paragraphs in 8 years??? Well then, what took ‘em so long?
Chris Mooney Chronicles An Inconvenient Assessment
Over at The Intersection, Chris Mooney has a teaser about his terrific article “An Inconvenient Assessment,” chronicling the effort by the Bush administration, in cahoots with ExxonMobil-funded climate change deniers, to undercut a vitally important climate change report. The longer article appears in this month’s issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
While the report in question, officially known as Climate Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change, was issued in 2000, it was packed with information that could have informed a national discussion on the potential impacts of climate change over the last seven years. But the report was besieged by climate change deniers and disowned by the federal government.
Occupational Health News Roundup
Los Angeles jurors awarded $3.2 million in damages to six Nicaraguan workers who say they were left sterile after being exposed to the pesticide DBCP on Dole Foods’ banana plantations. DBCP has been banned in most of the world; California banned it in 1977, after DBCP was found to cause sterility in men working at an Occidental Petroleum plant in that state.
The Los Angeles Times’ John Spano explains some of the broader implications of this case:
The case was widely seen as a test of how the U.S. legal system responds to injuries inflicted through globalization. Because the harm occurred in Central America, the defendants had argued for years that the trials should take place there, rather than in the United States. Both sides considered the case a bellwether that would determine what sorts of claims would be pursued in the future.
Public Health Calls for TSCA Reform
At last week’s annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the organization adopted more than a dozen new policy resolutions which will guide its work into the future. Included among them was a call for “Congress to fundamentally restructure the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA)” so that more attention is paid to the toxic and ecotoxic properties of chemicals in commerce.
Flawed Study - Why the Congressional Hearing?
I had thought that with the Democrats takeover of Congress, we’d be done with Congressional hearings convened so anti-regulatory groups like the US Chamber of Commerce would have a platform to present unscientific studies that purport to show the enormous damage done by federal regulatory policy. Sadly, I was wrong.
Last week, the Chamber released the results of a “survey” of the costs to small business of compliance with the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002, known widely as Sarbanes-Oxley or SOX. The Chamber tried to find small businesses that might be impacted by the law and asked 5,000 to complete a simple on-line survey asking questions that encouraged the answers the Chamber wanted. But only 177 (3.6%) of the 5,000 businesses surveyed bothered to respond.
Coming from the Chamber of Commerce, meaningless surveys are no surprise. What’s shocking is that the House Small Business Committee, chaired by Rep. Nydia Velasquez (D-NY), is holding a hearing on Wednesday, November 14th, to tout the survey’s results.
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/flawed-study-why-the-congressional-hearing/#more-641
Justice for Chad Cook: What Took MSHA So Long??
November 12, 2007 in Confined Space @ TPH, Mining, Occupational Health & Safety, What does it take for MSHA’s Richard Stickler and the Solicitor of Labor to do their jobs?
Front-page newspaper stories about MSHA’s failures?
A letter from a grieving mother?
A petition signed by other family-member victims of workplace fatalities?
Apparently, it took all this and more for MSHA finally to decide that the November 8, 2005 coal truck accident at the Alliance Resources’ Metikki Mine which killed Chad Cook, 25, was work-related.
http://thepumphandle.wordpress.com/2007/11/12/justice-for-chad-cook-what-took-msha-so-long/#more-639
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This is a very touching video, something we all should remember. You don't have to forward this to anyone...... but you are free to if you feel so lead.
May God bless you and keep you all of your days.
In Christ’s service..
Brad Paisley and Sara Evans new Video: "NEW AGAIN"
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=b00db3c2afc128dc13b7
Thanks to Michael Thomas
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| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
November 12, 2007
Today's Safety From the Heart message was submitted by Joe O'Day.
WHAT IS A VET?
Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.
What is a Vet?
He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.
He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.
She or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.
He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL.
He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.
He is the parade - riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.
He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.
He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.
He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.
He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.
He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.
So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.
Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU."
Remember November 11th is Veterans Day!
"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag."
Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC
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| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
August 10, 2007
Today's Message is from Bill Flanagan.
What do you get if you google "off the job injuries"
The Results are In ..... American Workers safety concerns don't
reflect reality!
The National Safety Council estimates that off-the-job injuries and fatalities cost U.S. businesses almost $224 billion annually in lost productivity. Council research shows 9 out of 10 fatalities and over two-thirds of disabling injuries to workers each year occur off the job. According to data from the 2007 edition of the council’s "Injury Facts" an estimated 64,600 fatalities occurred in the home and community in 2005 – translating to about 57 percent of all recorded unintentional injury-related deaths.
The impact on deaths and injuries in U.S. homes and communities:
About 1 out of 16 people experience an unintentional injury each year.
About 39 percent of the deaths and 55% of the disabling injuries involve workers off the job.
A fatal injury occurs in the home every 14 minutes and a disabling injury every 4 seconds.
The five leading causes of fatal injury are falls; poisoning; choking; drowning; and fires and flames.
Smoke inhalation accounts for a majority of deaths in home fires.
A public fatal injury occurs every 19 minutes, and a disabling injury occurs every 3 seconds.
The four leading fatal causes of death in public places are falls, poisoning, choking, and drowning.
People 65 and older suffer nearly half of the fatalities in public injuries.
Source: National Safety Council, "Injury Facts," 2007 edition
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| Safety from the Heart |
----------------------------------------------------
August 13, 2007
Heavy Rains in Texas
Today's Message is from Becky Wofford (a Houston Albemarle employee).
With all the heavy rains we have had in Texas this summer, the potential for street flooding seems to be there each & every day. Ground already soaked by way-above-average rainfall tends to turn heavy rain into run-off immediately. The danger increases for those who take road trips to the Texas Hill Country, where the topography of hills, narrow creeks and draws has the potential to create a scary situation when heavy rains fall. Driving through flooded stretches of roadway is dangerous anytime, but particularly so when that water is moving.
Here are some things to consider, taken from an article in the Houston Chronicle by Shannon Tompkins:
About 18 inches of water moving a little more than five miles per hour produces about 1,000 pounds of pressure. Water displaces weight, so a typical vehicle in a foot of water has much less gravitational purchase on the roadway than when on dry ground. If the vehicle has large, buoyant tires (as do many pickup trucks), the "floating" effect is increased. Wet surfaces are slicker than dry ones, decreasing resistance to movement.
It doesn't take much water moving across a road to lift or move a vehicle. A typical vehicle trying to drive across as little as a foot of fast-moving water can be lifted or moved downstream, off the road and into serious trouble. If water over the road is 18 to 24 inches deep and moving with any velocity, it will sweep a car or truck off the road.
According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, more than half of all flood-related drownings occur when a person drives a vehicle into a flood. It seems many people driving pickups or SUVs believe their larger, heavier, higher vehicles make them less vulnerable to being swept off the road by just a few inches of moving water.
During one of the recent rain events in our area, Mr. Tompkins witnessed a river of water begin pouring across a Hill Country road near Uvalde during a heavy rain. Within minutes the boiling, churning water carrying all sorts of debris was at least three feet deep across the road where there was not supposed to be water. Once the rain slacked, a long couple of hours later, the water running over the highway began falling. As he watched, the driver of a one-ton, four-wheel-drive "dually" pickup got antsy and decided to cross the overflow. He started in the middle where the slightly peaked roadway is maybe an inch or two higher. About halfway across the flooded section where the water was still about 18 inches deep, the big truck began shifting sideways. Water was shoving it toward the edge of the road and the much deeper, churning water in the draw. The truck came within inches of being pushed off the roadway before it hit shallower water & solid footing. A half-hour later, the water had receded and the road was passable. The guy saved 30 minutes but could easily have lost his truck and maybe his life.
Take flash-flood warnings seriously. Don't make the mistake of believing that a little moving water can't sweep away that "big, honkin', four-wheel-drive pickup. It will. Pass this along to your buddies who may not believe it!
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| Safety from the Heart |
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August 7, 2007
Top Five Hidden Home Hazards
Today's Safety From the Heart message is from Keith Black.
Tips: CPSC Releases the 'Top Five Hidden Home Hazards'
August 6 2007
WHETHER it is an apartment, duplex or single-family residence, the home is a place that is supposed to give families a feeling of safety and security. For many Americans families however, an injury or death of a loved one can turn this place of happiness into one of tragedy.
Each year, 33.1 million people are injured by consumer products in the home. Some hazards are from products the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has warned about for years; others come from new products and technologies. To keep Americans informed of dangers, the CPSC has identified the "Top Five Hidden Home Hazards" associated with products that people may be using every day, but are unaware of the dangers that they can cause. These home hazards are often unseen or unnoticed by consumers.
"The home is where people feel comfortable and secure, but constant awareness is the key to keeping families safe," said Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "CPSC is aiming to increase awareness of the hidden hazards around the home in order to help consumers protect against these dangers."
With no or very little investment, incidents and injuries from these dangers are preventable. Simply by being aware of these "Top Five Hidden Home Hazards," many lives can be spared and life-altering injuries avoided, CPSC officials said.
1. Magnets: Today's rare-earth magnets can be very small and powerful making them popular in toys, building sets, and jewelry. As the number of products with magnets has increased, so has the number of serious injuries to children. In several hundred incidents, magnets have fallen out of various toys and been swallowed by children. Small intact pieces of building sets that contain magnets also have been swallowed by children. If two or more magnets, or a magnet and another metal object are swallowed separately, they can attract to one another through intestinal walls and get trapped in place. The injury is hard to diagnose. Parents and physicians may think that the materials will pass through the child without consequence, but magnets can attract in the body and twist or pinch the intestines, causing holes, blockages, infection and death, if not treated properly and promptly.
Tip: Watch carefully for loose magnets and magnetic pieces and keep away from younger children (less than 6). If you have a recalled product with magnets, stop using it, call the company today, and ask for the remedy.
2. Recalled Products: Once a product gets into the home, the consumer has to be on the lookout. Consumers need to be aware of the latest safety recalls to keep dangerous recalled products away from family members.
Tip: Get dangerous products out of the home. Join CPSC's "Drive To One Million" campaign and sign up for free e-mail notifications at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx.
3. Furniture, TVs and ranges can tip over and crush young children. Deaths and injuries occur when children climb onto, fall against or pull themselves up on television stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks and chests. TVs placed on top of furniture can tip over causing head trauma and other injuries. Items left on top of the TV, furniture, and countertops, such as toys, remote controls and treats might tempt kids to climb.
Tip: Verify that furniture is stable on its own. For added security, anchor to the floor or attach to a wall. Free standing ranges and stoves should be installed with anti-tip brackets.
4. Windows and Coverings: Children can strangle on window drapery and blind cords that can form a loop. Parents should use cordless blinds or keep cords and chains permanently out of the reach of children. Consumers should cut looped cords and install a safety tassel at the end of each pull cord or use a tie-down device, and install inner cord stays to prevent strangulation. Never place a child's crib or playpen within reach of a window blind.
The dangers of windows don't end with window coverings and pull cords. Kids love to play around windows. Unfortunately, kids can be injured or die when they fall out of windows. Do not rely on window screens. Window screens are designed to keep bugs out, not to keep kids in.
Tip: Safeguard your windows: repair pull cords ending in loops and install window guards or stops today.
5. Pool and Spa Drains: The suction from a pool drain can be so powerful that it can hold an adult under water, but most incidents involve children. The body can become sealed against the drain or hair can be pulled in and tangled. Missing or broken drain covers are a major reason many entrapment incidents occur. Pool and spa owners can consider installing a Safety Vacuum Release System (SVRS), which detects when a drain is blocked and automatically shuts off the pool pump or interrupts the water circulation to prevent an entrapment.
Tip: Every time you use a pool or spa, inspect it for entrapment hazards. Check to make sure appropriate drain covers are in place and undamaged.
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| Safety from the Heart |
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Okay - I don't like the blood and guts videos and pictures. But this is an incredible series...if they (we?) could figure out a way to do this without the gore, what a fantastic message!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZqP1fwtswk Family Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2gpRcFKAQ Chef
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb22mvWavsc Funeral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F86HwCpuu1I Shop Girl
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ8zztibaQ0 Factory
Thanks to Joe Tudor
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Activities and Events of Interest
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SATURDAY- December 8 Calvary Missionary Baptist Church will have a live nativity scene from 5:30-9 p.m.
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Leadership Magnolia Fundraiser Ole Feed House Fish Dinner (Drive Through Only) December 17, 4:30 - 7:30 pm $10 per plate
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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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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.
United we stand! Divided We Fall!
What do you have to give?
How much time does it take to inform a few people?
How long does it take to stand up and be counted?
How much does it hurt to sponsor someone to help do what you can't or unable to?
Every one works, everyone has someone they love. How can you afford not giving a piece of yourself? An hr a month, sign a petition, call your congress men and women, start a safety program where you work, print flyer's and pass them out, stop the next time you see a trench being dug and ask them if they know the requirements, get involved with environmental issues, write letters to families so they know someone cares, just get involved.
There is a list of Bills to the left of the blog and If these don't appeal to you I have have a much bigger list call me (859-266-5646), write me (2837 Yellowstone PKWY) or email me tammy@usmwf.org.
I can always find a way for you to get involved:
United we stand! Divided We Fall!
http://weeklytoll.blogspot.com
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NEVER FORGET! We're listing the names of our soldiers killed weekly. These records can be found at http://www.defenselink. mil/releases/
The Department of Defense announced the death of five soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died of wounds sustained when their patrol was attacked by direct fire from enemy forces in Aranus, Afghanistan, on Nov 9. They were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.
Killed were:
01. Capt. Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, of Torrance, Calif., who died Nov. 9 in Aranus.
02. Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman, 23, of Parker, Kan., who died Nov. 10 in Aranus.
03. Cpl. Sean K. A. Langevin, 23, of Walnut Creek, Calif., who died Nov. 9 in Aranus.
04. Cpl. Lester G. Roque, 23, of Torrance, Calif., who died Nov. 10 in Aranus.
05. Spc. Joseph M. Lancour, 21, of Swartz Creek, Mich., who died Nov. 10 in Aranus.
06. Spc. Jermaine D. Franklin, 22, of Arlington, Texas, died Nov. 9, in Jisr Naft, Iraq, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the
1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.
07. Staff Sgt. Patrick F. Kutschbach, 25, of McKees Rocks, Pa., died Nov. 10 in Bagram, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered in Tagab, Afghanistan, when his vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade and small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Stuttgart, Germany.
08. Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, 28, of Troy, Mich., died Nov. 9 while conducting combat operations in Aranus, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif.
09. Sgt. Joseph M. Vanek, 22, of Elmhurst, Ill., died Nov. 12 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry 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 Nov. 13 in Mukhisa, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during dismounted combat operations. They were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash. Killed were:
10. Sgt. Christopher R. Kruse, 23, of Emporia, Kan.
11. Cpl. Peter W. Schmidt, 30, of Eureka, Calif.
12. Pfc. Casey P. Mason, 22, of Lake, Mich., died Nov.13 in Mosul, Iraq of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms fire. He was assigned to the 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
13. Spc. Derek R. Banks, 24, of Newport News, Va., died Nov. 14 in San Antonio of wounds suffered Oct. 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion, 91st Troop Command, Virginia National Guard, West Point, Va.
The Department of Defense announced the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 12 in Bermel, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when the vehicle they were in was struck by an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Schweinfurt, Germany. Killed were:
14. Capt. David A. Boris, 30, of Pennsylvania.
15. Spc. Adrian E. Hike, 26, of Callender, Iowa.
16. Spc. Ashley Sietsema, 20, of Melrose Park, Ill., died Nov. 12 in Kuwait City, Kuwait, of injuries suffered in a vehicle accident. She was assigned to the 708th Medical Company, 108th Medical Battalion, 108th Sustainment Brigade, Illinois National Guard, North Riverside, Ill.
17. 2nd Lt. Stuart F. Liles, 26, of Hot Springs, Ark., died Nov. 13 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 122nd Aviation Support Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. The incident is under investigation.
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Marine Missing in Action from the Vietnam War is Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
He is Gunnery Sgt. Richard W. Fischer, U.S. Marine Corps, of Madison, Wis. He will be buried on Nov. 19 in Madison.
On Jan. 8, 1968, Fischer was assigned to M Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, on an ambush patrol south of Da Nang in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Fischer became separated from his unit and subsequent attempts by his team members to locate him were met with enemy fire.
In 1992 and 1993, joint U.S./Socialist Republic of Vietnam (S.R.V.) teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted three investigations and interviewed several Vietnamese citizens. The citizens said that Fischer was killed by Viet Cong and his remains were buried in a nearby cultivated field.
In 1994, a joint team excavated the burial site and recovered human remains and other material evidence including uniform buttons.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA in the identification of Fischer’s remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 509-1905.
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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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Scheduled Activities
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Columbia County Amateur Radio Club meets Every second Thursday @ 7:00 p.m. Union Street Station. And YOU'RE invited. Net is every Sunday at 20:30 on 147.105.
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MCC - Mom's Day Out - Every Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 2.$10 for the first child, $5 for the second. Call 234-3225 for reservations.
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MCC - Nursing Home Ministry - Meadowbrook Every Tuesday from 10 to 11 am. Taylor, the last Thursday each month.
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Men's Prayer Breakfast held every Tuesday morning at 6 AM in Miller's Cafeteria. If you aren't a regular participant at the Men's Prayer Breakfast, you're missing some great food, fellowship and inspired teaching of the Word. Hope to see you there.
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Emergency Phone Number 911
(Fire, Police, Ambulance, Sheriff, etc. )
Central Dispatch 234-5655
(Non - Emergency Number)
Direct Numbers
Ambulance - 234-7371 (24 Hour)
Jail - 234-5331 (24 Hour)
Poison Control - 800-222-1222 (24 Hour)
http://www. aapcc. org/
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"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
"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
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Hope you enjoy the newsletter.
Again, thanks to all our contributors this week.
God bless and GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!
Luke 5:4-7 Rom 1:21-23 Rom 6:17-19 Rev 22:20-21 Mat 28:11-15 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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