Where's George hits

As of today I have had ten hits this month. I have included a Map of the US with my hits on it. It includeds a legend for the map, too.

Number of Hits	State Color
No Hits
Less than 5
5 to 14
15 to 44
45 to 64
65 or more

What Kind of Soul Are You?

You Are a Seeker Soul

You are on a quest for knowledge and life challenges. You love to be curious and ask a ton of questions. Since you know so much, you make for an interesting conversationalist. Mentally alert, you can outwit almost anyone (and have fun doing it!). Very introspective, you can be silently critical of others. And your quiet nature makes it difficult for people to get to know you. You see yourself as a philosopher, and you take everything philosophically. Your main talent is expressing and communicating ideas. Souls you are most compatible with: Hunter Soul and Visionary Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Memories of a friend

Three years ago today the wreckage of the airplane carrying a friend and his family was found in a farm field. My friend's name was Larry Lawson, his daughter was Lisa Lawson. The airplane was piloted by Larry's brother, Dan. Lisa's fiance was also on board. Larry and Dan had flown to Chicago to pick up Lisa and her fiance to bring them to Iowa for Christmas.

I first met Larry at church he was always so friendly. He was also a volunteer firefighter/EMT for the Altoona, IA fire department.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Your Vocabulary Score: A

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Election fallout

I feel like I live in a land of spoon-fed idiots. The voters have decide to let the Democrats do their thinking for them. I fear what will happen over the next two or more years. Constant investigations and an impeachment hearing of President Bush done out of spite over Bill Clinton's impeachment. I fear what will happen to Iraq when the Dems force us to leave before Iraq can defend itself against the insurgents and Al-Qaeda. They have been saying it's another Vietnam and now they have the chance to muck things up and prove themselves right.

On a local note the Democrats control both houses of the state legislature and the governorship for the first time in 40 years. Here come all the Touch Play machines again, into every place that has room enough for one.

I could be over reacting to all of this, it could end up meaning nothing. The Dems in the U.S. House and Repubs in the Senate could just cancel each others plans out. And once again nothing gets done about anything. I just fear that the Dems will screw up the economy by allowing the president's tax cuts to expire.

I guess the best we can do, as citizen, is hang on for dear life because the ride is gonna get bumpy from here on out. And work even hard to get some common sense elected in the next election. Maybe the citizen who elected these idiots will wake up and see what they've done to the country. One can only hope!

Muslim insurgents behead 14-year-old Christian boy

Attack happened at Iraq plant where victim was running electric generator

Posted: October 31, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com


A website in Assyria is confirming that a 14-year-old Christian boy who was working a 12-hour shift maintaining an electric generator has been murdered by Muslim insurgents.

The Assyrian International News Agency said the tragedy was reported by an Assyrian language web page at www.ankawa.com.

The youth was identified as Ayad Tariq, who lived in Baqouba, Iraq, and was at work on Oct. 21 when a group of "disguised Muslim insurgents" went into the power plant shortly after his shift began at 6 a.m.

The website reported the insurgents asked him for his identification and, according to other witnesses who hid and stayed alive to report on the attack, questioned his identification card's reference to him as a "Christian."

Are you truly a "Christian sinner," they asked.

"Yes, I am Christian but I am not a sinner," he replied.

The insurgents then called him a "dirty Christian sinner," grabbed his limbs and held them while beheading him, the witnesses reported.

They were shouting, "Allahu akbar! Allahu Akbar!" during the murder, witnesses said.

An organization called AssyrianChristians.com said they are the indigenous people of Iraq, with a population that has been in the Middle East from the time of Christ.

However, they have faced a number of purges by the region's rulers over time, including the present attacks by powerful Islamic factions across Iran, Iraq and neighboring nations, officials said.

Only two generations back, Assyrian Christians made up 20 percent of the population of the Middle East, but during the Assyrian Genocide of 1915, an estimated three million Christians were slaughtered there, the organization said.

Current estimates are that there are about 2.5 million Assyrian Christians in Iraq.

Kenneth Scott LaTourette wrote in "A History of Christianity" that the Assyrian Christians became the first nation to accept Christianity, and one of the largest missionary-sending peoples in Christian history.

"The Assyrian Christians are one of the last remaining Christian communities in the Middle East," said Rev. Ken Joseph Jr., of the Assyrian Christians organization.

Tens of thousands of Assyrian Christians have fled their traditional homelands in recent months, officials confirmed.

I wonder if the Mainstream media will cover this story?

The beginning of winter already?

Yesterday the local weather forecasters were saying there is a chance of snow tonight or tomorrow. There is a freeze warning for tonight also. I like snow but I just feel like I'm not ready for snow or winter yet. I don't know if it's just because it's so sudden this year or maybe I'm just getting old, I don't know.

How Logical Are You?

You Are Pretty Logical

You're a bit of a wizard when it comes to logic While you don't have perfect logic, you logic is pretty darn good Keep at it - you've got a lot of natural talent in this area!

How Logical Are You?

Bulldoze Pluto? I Don’t Think So

By Jeffrey Bennett
University of Colorado
posted: 31 August 2006
10:05 am ET

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has spoken on the status of Pluto. The only thing missing when they announced the decision at their press conference was the “Mission Accomplished” banner. Yes, I’m afraid this matter is about as settled as the Iraq war in 2003.

You’ve probably heard the basics: Pluto is no longer to be considered a “real” planet, but will instead be part of a new class of objects called “dwarf planets.” These midgets may number anywhere between a handful and hundreds in our own solar system, depending on how you count them and how hard we search for them with more powerful telescopes. But no matter how you cut it, this new definition takes away any pretense of Pluto being a member of the same elite, planetary club as Earth and Jupiter.

As a scientist, I think this was a pretty good outcome, though some of the justifications used to achieve it are dubious. But as a teacher, textbook writer, and builder of scale model solar systems, I have some reservations. In particular, for the model solar systems I’ve helped develop on the University of Colorado Boulder campus and on the National Mall in Washington, DC, I have to ask: Should we now bulldoze Pluto?

A little background: Pluto was discovered in 1930, at a time when astronomers were searching for an object thought to be causing slight perturbations to the orbits of other planets around the Sun. Neptune itself had been discovered in just this way in 1846, after scientists used perturbations in Uranus’s orbit to predict the existence and location of an “eighth planet.” Neptune was found as soon as astronomers pointed telescopes to the calculated position, which is I like to say that Neptune was discovered with physics and mathematics, and only confirmed with a telescope.

Over the ensuing decades, a few scientists claimed to see ongoing orbital discrepancies and embarked on a search for a “ninth planet” that might be causing them. Pluto was found during this search, though about 12 full-moon-widths away from the predicted position. And though hailed as a planet upon discovery, its status gradually became suspect, as we learned that its orbit is much more tilted and elongated than that of any of the other planets, and that it has a mass much less than 1% that of Earth. Worse, reanalysis of past observations suggested that the claimed orbital discrepancies had simply been errors in measurement, making Pluto a solution to a nonexistent problem.

It's official: IAU demotes Pluto

The world's astronomers have removed Pluto's planetary status.
Francis Reddy

August 24, 2006; updated August 25
Astronomers meeting in Prague have decided by a wide margin that Pluto no longer merits consideration as a full-fledged planet. The historic decision follows a week of sometimes contentious debate over how to define a planet.


Jocelyn Bell Burnell, an expert on neutron stars at the University of Oxford in England, moderated the proceedings with the help of some playful visual aids. A blue toy balloon stood in for Neptune, while a plush toy of Disney's cartoon dog Pluto played the ninth rock from the Sun. Applause followed this morning's critical vote at the International Astronomical Union's (IAU) General Assembly meeting.

"I was relieved," says Caltech's Michael Brown. Brown's January 2005 discovery of Xena (officially, 2003 UB313), which is larger than Pluto, forced the IAU to address this long-simmering issue. "Scientifically, there is no question this is the right way to go," he says. "Eight is enough."

"I am delighted that rationality has prevailed," says Richard Conn Henry of Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University.

However, not everyone is happy with the decision. The American Astronomical Society 's 1,300-member Division of Planetary Sciences — the world's largest group of planetary scientists — recommended acceptance of the original proposal announced last week. If passed, this would have retained Pluto's status and declared three other bodies — Xena, the largest asteroid, and Pluto's largest moon — planets as well.

"I just think the IAU has embarrassed itself," says Alan Stern, principal investigator for NASA's New Horizons mission to Pluto. "If you read the definition that they have adopted in that room today, it is scientifically indefensible."

"I think there's going to be a protest," says Mark Sykes at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson. "A minority of the astronomical community passed this."

So, what is a planet?
Following fractious public and closed-door discussions, Pluto no longer makes the cut. Astronomers agreed to define a planet as "a celestial body that is in orbit around the Sun, has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a ... nearly round shape, and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit."

Objects that meet all but the last requirement — like puny Pluto and asteroid Ceres — are to be classed as "dwarf planets." But a proposal that would give these objects and the "classical" planets — Mercury through Neptune — equal solar-system stature failed.

Everything else in the solar system — comets, moons, and the rest of the asteroids — will be known as "small solar system bodies."

"Tell me where else in astronomy we classify objects by what else is around them?" objects Stern. "It's ridiculous."

"I think there will be a lot of people who just choose to ignore it," Sykes adds.

Nature vs. nurture
A week ago, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) presented its first attempt to define the word planet. If an object orbited the Sun and had enough mass that its own gravity forced it into a nearly round shape, it would qualify. If passed, this meant Charon, Pluto's largest moon; Ceres, the largest asteroid; and the Kuiper Belt object nicknamed Xena would immediately join the rank of planets.

But at least a dozen additional objects orbiting in the Kuiper Belt beyond Neptune also would qualify under this definition — and possibly as many as 53. "Many more Plutos wait to be discovered," Richard Binzel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology noted.

Many astronomers found this potential explosion of planets troubling. "Maybe planets shouldn't be so special," Sykes counters.

Others said that pushing Pluto's moon Charon to planetary status went too far. "There was a little over-reaching with this thing about 'plutons' and making Charon a planet," Stern says, "but the core ... was all pretty good." The term proposed for Pluto-like objects — "pluton" — was roundly rejected in early discussions, largely owing to its well-established use in geology.

But scientists who study how planets interact were the most perturbed. The original definition looked only at an object's physical nature without regard to its orbital environment.

During Friday's debate, Julio Fernández of the University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay, suggested an alternative that defined a planet as "by far the largest body in its local population." This would keep Pluto, Charon, Ceres, and the Kuiper Belt objects from graduating to planets.

Debate continued Tuesday when the IAU's planet-definition committee put forward only a slightly modified version of the original definition — one that avoided any reference to a planet's orbital environment. "They have presented practically the same resolution as before," Fernández complained during the discussion. Astronomers hammered out a compromise in closed-door negotiations that afternoon.

"They've put together a hastily drafted definition that's purely dynamical," explains Sykes. "Perhaps there could have been a more dynamical definition that achieved their goal that would be better crafted, but unfortunately they just didn't have the time."

Sykes argues that, under the adopted definition, a Mars-mass planet discovered at 200 astronomical units would be classed as a dwarf. (An astronomical unit is the average distance between Earth and the Sun.) "There are some common-sense issues with this," he adds.

"I think the demotion of Pluto into the realm of other minor objects outside the orbit of Neptune is the most consistent thing to do to straighten out the nomenclature of our solar system," says William Blair at Johns Hopkins University. "However, I don't find the wording of the official planet definition to be very clear, and hence it will continue to be open to interpretation."

"Pluto should never have been called a planet," Brown says. "The only reason Pluto exists in its current orbit is that Neptune keeps it there and protects it." Neptune forces Pluto — and many other icy objects, called plutinos — to go around the Sun twice for every three Neptune orbits.

"Pluto and Xena never fit in," Brown notes, although he admits he's wistful about missing the opportunity of having discovered the tenth planet. "We have a chance now to actually educate people on how the solar system really works. I think that's exciting."

Iowa State Fair Attendance

DAY 2005 2006
Thursday 71,691 73,997
Friday 92,662 92,704
Saturday 100,041 108,331
Sunday 103,921 92,553
Monday 88,201 85,483
Tuesday 92,369 90,201
Wednesday 90,525 94,333
Thursday 82,368 81,998
Friday 82,215 77,505
Saturday 103,875 103,663
Sunday 94,775 112,295

These are the attendance figures for the eleven day run of the Iowa State Fair. Last year It had over 1 million in attendance and I expect it will be the same this year.

I attended the fair twice this year, the first time was on the first Thursday with both of my sisters, a brother-in-law, and both nieces. My younger sister and brother-in-law live in New York state and came home on vacation to go to the fair. They usually come home earlier in the year so they miss the fair. This year they decided they wanted to go.

The second time I went was on Wednesday, August 16. I went by myself, I usually go the first day alone and then another day with my older sister and my nieces. I like to go alone because I can do what I want, when I want, for as long as I want. That's what I like about being single too. I guess I'm just selfish that way! Usually during fair-time my older sister and I go to Living History Farms. That is not going to happen this year, I don't think. Sister and nieces are too busy at their jobs. Maybe next year. Click here to visit Living History Farms' Web site. I would like to volunteer or work there one year, I need a salary though.

Star Trek Devotion

EARLING - Around since the 1960s, Star Trek has been a favorite television show for generations. With its foundation in science fiction and its use of catch phrases like, "Beam me up, Scottie," it has captured the interest of people around the world, along with the imagination of two men from Earling.
John Schulte, Minneapolis, MN, and Tom Schulte, Earling, are brothers devoted to Star Trek, having been interested in the show since they were kids.


After reading the books as a child, Tom says that he was hooked.
"I've been a Star Trek nut since the original series came out," he said, with John stating that he has watched the show since the early 1970s.
Although the brothers have been fans since then, they did not actively participate in any groups until becoming adults. After surfing the internet, Tom found Star Fleet International.
A fan-based organization of over 4,000 people, Star Fleet International is a national Star Trek fan club existing since the 1970s. The group is comprised of small groups throughout the United States, each with their own crew members.
Because of Earling's location, Tom joined the USS Saint George, a correspondence crew that meets online. While other groups in larger cities can get together to have meetings, Tom's group chats online.
"There are around two dozen people in Iowa that belong to Star Fleet International," said Tom. "but in the immediate area, I'm the only one."
Tom became the science and charity officer of the USS Saint George,a fictional ship reseambling the one on the voyager series. He then held the office of the executive officer Vice President and now is a Commander.
It is the task of the officers to inform the group of new advances in their field in real life, such as medical breakthroughs, much like an officer would on a ship.
With his group meeting online, Tom says that although it is his main hobby it does not consume much of his time, as he usually only spends a couple of hours a day going online to their chat room.
"Its as much of a time commitment as I want it to be," he said.
Although his main interaction with the other members is through the internet, both brothers also go to two conventions every year in Minneapolis, MN and Fargo, ND.
"We have a lot of fun when we physically get together," said Tom. "We have a lot of costumes and everyone really gets into their characters."
Although the group members join to have fun and companionship, they also serve a larger purpose in charity work.
Groups like Tom's cut out coupons to send to those in the military while others will do work with groups like Toys for Tots.
The group members are then given their rankings based on the amount of charity work they have done.
Although Tom has been a member of Star Fleet International since 2000, John did not become involved until Tom took him to a summit consisting of a meeting, a golf event and a charity raffle.
Since then, he has started his own group in Riverside, the fictional future birthplace of Captain Kirk, called the USS Riverside. He is the commander of the "ship." His son Trent is also involved.
"The main interest for me is the community service," said John. "but it's also the friendships that you form when you have a common bond with people."
Although the club is a main hobby for Tom, he also works as a nurse and is the commander of Post 16 in Earling, which is another main interest of his.
Tom states that while its use of technology is a big reason why the show has been so popular, people are also drawn to it because of its optimistic view of the human condition.
"Star Trek had the first public kiss between a white male and a black female and the commander is a woman that is just as respected as everyone else," said Tom.
He explains that this is one of the main reasons that he is so interested in the show, as along with featuring scientific advancements, it also has a theme of understanding and cooperation.
"The reason it lasts longer than the other science fiction shows is that it's really a message of what we could happily be in the future. Everyone is equal."
With this vision of equality and happiness, John and Tom continue to become more and more involved in their hobby. With charity events, conventions, and a little imagination, their Star Trek voyage looks to be a great one.

Could You Pass 8th Grade History?

You Passed 8th Grade US History

Congratulations, you got 7/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade History?

The "Worst" of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann -- 06/27/2006 - Media Research Center - Media Reality Check

3rd Place Cable Host Uses “Worst in the World!” Segment to Savage Conservatives & His Competitors

The “Worst” of MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann

"Believe it or not, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann says he's not biased. In March he told C-SPAN his philosophy was to 'go after power. You don't go after a Republican or a Democrat.' Last June he told the Houston Chronicle that while his world view included elements from the 'liberal play book,' his on-air approach is strictly even-handed. 'My point of view is about delivering information and context,' Olbermann claimed. 'It has nothing to do with a political point of view.'

But those who watch Olbermann's weekday Countdown program know he regularly seeks to please the far left with liberal agenda segments, ranging from whether George W. Bush is the 'worst President ever' to promoting loopy theories that the Republicans stole the 2004 election.

Olbermann has now helped the Media Research Center quantify his anti-conservative bent. Beginning one year ago this week, Olbermann has picked his choice for the 'Worse,' 'Worser,' and 'Worst Person in the World!' As he told a TV writer last December, 'It's a euphemism for somebody who's wrong and egregiously stupid and abusing their own position.'

To find out what irks Olbermann, MRC researchers examined every one of his 'Worst' segments from their debut on June 30, 2005 to this past Friday, June 23. While many of his targets weren't political (last week he scolded a Chinese restaurant that served meatballs made from cats), about a third of the time (33%), Olbermann's wrath was aimed at a notable liberal or a conservative, or someone flailed for an ideological stance, such as on March 15 when he castigated 'doubters of global warming' because yellow sand was falling from the sky in South Korea.

For someone who claims his editorial decisions have "nothing to do with a political point of view," Olbermann has thrown nearly all of his punches at conservatives. Of the 197 politically-salient designees, nearly nine out of ten (174, or 88%) attacked conservative targets or ideas, compared with 23 nominees (12%) in which liberals were on the receiving end of Olbermann’s ire. Among those attacked by Olbermann: Bill Frist, Donald Rumsfeld, Antonin Scalia, Rick Santorum, Tom DeLay and Pat Robertson (four times). Never targeted: Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, or even William Jefferson, the Congressman alleged to have stuffed tens of thousands of dollars in bribe money into his freezer. (See the complete listing of Olbermann's liberal and conservative targets.)

Among the few liberals he did criticize: Representative Cynthia McKinney, for slugging a police officer, and New York comptroller Alan Hevesi, for telling graduates that Senator Charles Schumer would like to "put a bullet between the President’s eyes." But Hevesi was just the runner-up that night; Olbermann decided his Bush hate wasn’t as bad as the Filipino cab driver who accidentally rammed a hearse, sending a corpse flying out of its coffin and into traffic.

Olbermann uses his podium to attack his non-liberal media competitors, especially FNC host Bill O’Reilly, whom Olbermann disparages as "the big giant head" or "Ted Baxter," the dim anchor from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. O’Reilly has been a target 42 times; in contrast, Olbermann has only badmouthed Saddam Hussein twice, most recently on Friday after learning that the ex-dictator’s "hunger strike" actually amounted to skipping only a single meal.

Olbermann’s other media targets: Rush Limbaugh (11 times), Ann Coulter (9), Brit Hume (4), Neal Boortz (3), Glenn Beck (3), the New York Post (2) and columnist Michelle Malkin (2), whom Olbermann rudely called "crazier and dumber than we all thought" and a "nitwit." Sneering at conservatives may make Olbermann popular among left-wing bloggers, but his bias makes him the obvious choice for "Worst Anchorman in the World."
— Brad Wilmouth and Rich Noyes"

Chill out over global warming

I agree with him completely, too many activists, without any kind of credentials, are hijacking scientific research for their political goals.

David Harsanyi staff columnist Denver Post

You'll often hear the left lecture about the importance of dissent in a free society.

Why not give it a whirl?

Start by challenging global warming hysteria next time you're at a LoDo cocktail party and see what happens.

Admittedly, I possess virtually no expertise in science. That puts me in exactly the same position as most dogmatic environmentalists who want to craft public policy around global warming fears.

The only inconvenient truth about global warming, contends Colorado State University's Bill Gray, is that a genuine debate has never actually taken place. Hundreds of scientists, many of them prominent in the field, agree.

Gray is perhaps the world's foremost hurricane expert. His Tropical Storm Forecast sets the standard. Yet, his criticism of the global warming "hoax" makes him an outcast.

"They've been brainwashing us for 20 years," Gray says. "Starting with the nuclear winter and now with the global warming. This scare will also run its course. In 15-20 years, we'll look back and see what a hoax this was."

Gray directs me to a 1975 Newsweek article that whipped up a different fear: a coming ice age.

"Climatologists," reads the piece, "are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change. ... The longer the planners delay, the more difficult will they find it to cope with climatic change once the results become grim reality."

Thank God they did nothing. Imagine how warm we'd be?

Congratulations Steph!

Today was the last high school graduation of my nieces and nephews. Today is also Steph's 18th birthday. My mom and I went to her graduation at the high school. It was pretty good for a small town. The commencement speaker was a retiring teacher. Steph had a party at her house so her grandma and I went for a while. She had several people attend, she even had a visit from a teacher.

Steph plans on working this summer and then attending the local community college for 2 years and then transferring to the University of Iowa.

Video of Glenn Beck's New TV show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NnIx711GI8

I can't wait for this to start.

Boycott the Boycott Supporters!

Today is the big immigrant boycott day. I found a list in my local newspaper of business that will be closed today in supposrt of the illegal immigrant boycott. I think those of us who are here legally should give them a taste of what a real boycott can do to their economy. I think we should not shop at these businesses tomorrow, but only these businesses.

Do you think it was a coincidence that they planned this on May 1st? For anyone too young to remember, May 1st was the day the Soviet Union would hold big parades to show the world how great their economy was doing and how strong their military was. Now what was it that happened to the Soviet Union? Oh, that's right! The USA beat them, drove them to their economic downfall. One day without these illegals buying anything will mean nothing. They either bought what they needed yesterday or they will buy it tomorrow. In the long run today will mean nothing to the economy. What it will effect is the rest of the country's attitude toward them and what it is exactly they want. Imagine how you would feel if some one snuck in to your house in the middle of the night and set up residence there? Then when you called the police to have them removed they tell you that they can't, or won't do anything about it because it is not a priority. How would you react? Would you sit back and welcome even more in to your home or would you do everything in your power to get the illegals out and stop any future illegals from getting in?

Here's the list:

These businesses have told Iowa organizers of a National Day Without Immigrants that they will close today :

Des Moines
•El Rodeo restaurants, 1234 E. Euclid Ave.; 7420 Douglas Ave.; 1310 N.W. 118th St., Clive
•South Union Bread Cafe, 1011 Locust St.
•Centro Restaurant, 1011 Locust St.
•Raccoon River Brew Pub, 200 10th St.
•Tasty Tacos, 1418 E. Grand Ave. ONLY THIS LOCATION
•Raquel’s Pastry, 1828 Hubbell Ave.
•Lara’s Bakery, 1800 N.W. 86th St., Clive
•Letty’s Beauty Salon, 1705 E. Grand Ave.
•L’ Grand Beauty Salon, 1500 E. Grand Ave.
•Botas Rancho Grande
•Tamales La Rosa
•La Favorita Mexican Grocery store, 1700 E. Grand Ave.
•La Tapatia, 1704 E. Grand Ave.
•El Azteca Mexican Restaurant, 400 Locust St.
•Suenos Felices, 505 Euclid Ave.•Plaza Mexico, 3841 E. 14th St.
•Tiendas de La Cruz, 40074 S.E. 13th St.
•Diaz Auto, 120 E. Euclid Ave., 1711 S.E. 14th St., 3205 E. Douglas Ave.
•El Maya Mexican Restaurant, 1246 E. 14th St.
•Modas Marilyn, 4120 S.E. 14th St.
•Tacos Mariana’s, 2225½ University Ave.

The Dangers of Thinking

This is from an e-mail I received from my sister. I thought it was hilarious! I went from a registered Democrat to a registered Republican.

The Dangers Of Thinking

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then -- just to loosen up.

Inevitably, though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker.

I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself --but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

That was when things began to sour at home. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my wife about the meaning of life. She spent that night at her mother's.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself.

I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

One day the boss called me in. He said, "Listen, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."

This gave me a lot to think about. I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confess, "I've been thinking..."
"I know you've been thinking," she said, "and I want a divorce!"
"But Honey, surely it's not that serious."
"It is serious," she said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking, we won't have any money!"
"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently. She exploded in tears of rage and frustration, but I was in no mood to deal with the emotional drama. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door.

I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche. I roared into the parking lot with NPR on the radio and ran up to the big glass doors... They didn't open.
The library was closed.

To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night. Leaning on the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a Poster caught my eye, "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked.

You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinkers Anonymous poster.

Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker.

I never miss a TA meeting. At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was, "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting. I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home. Life just seemed . . . easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking.

I think the road to recovery is nearly complete for me.

Today I made the final step . . . I registered to vote as a Democrat!

Mom's birthday is today

Today is my mom's birthday. This is the first birthday she has celebrated since Dad passed away. She doesn't really celebrate her birthday any more.

What Are They Afraid Of?

I was on ICR's Web site today and saw this article. The last paragraph voices my thoughts exactly. I have thought that since all this furor over evolution only in the schools started. It basically says that evolutionists don't want anything else taught because they are afraid that evolution won't stand up under scrutiny and they don't like the implications of there being a creator. A creator would mean a higher authority and that means they would have to be accountable to Some One higher. It would seem they are happy with no accountability.

Subject: Ode to Email

I received this in an e-mail from a friend. This is just a few of the bogus rumors e-mails that are going around. Any time I get one of these rumor e-mails I go to www.snopes.com to check it out.

**Thank You**

** My heartfelt appreciation goes out to all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send me "forwards" over the past 12 months. **

**Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy.**

**Extra thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat crap in the glue on envelopes, because I now have to go get a wet towel every time I need to seal an envelope. **

**Also, I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.**

**Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains. **

**I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.**

**I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.**

**I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS. **

**I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants, even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day. **

**I no longer go to shopping malls because someone might drug me with a cologne sample and rob me. **

**I no longer receive packages from, nor send packages by, UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise. **

**I no longer answer the phone, because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore and Uzbekistan. **

**I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers. **

**I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike. **

**I no longer have to buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.**

**I no longer worry about my soul because at last count I have 363,214 angels looking out for me. **

**Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. **

**I no longer have any money because I gave them to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 258th time) but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special email program. **

**Yes, I want to thank you so much for looking out for me that I will now return the favor! **

**If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 7 minutes, a large pigeon with a wicked case of diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p. m. (CDT) this afternoon. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician.**

Pass the potato

Help get my potato to all 50 states! - on - PassThePotato.com!

Six Months Already

It's hard to believe that my dad passed away 6 months ago today. I still miss him every day. I still catch myself thinking "I can't wait until Pop gets back so I can ask him about this." Then I realize he isn't coming back and the tears start again. I'm even crying as I type this right now. I didn't think I could miss a person as deeply as I miss him.

Happy Birthday Linda

Today is my little sister's birthday. She is 13 months, 18 days younger than me. She is living and working in West Point, New York for now. Her husband is in the US Army and he is stationed at the United States Military Academy. He will have served for 20 years this spring. I miss her not being close during the holidays and birthdays.

I hope she has a good day.

Hamas Promises To 'Liberate' Rest Of Palestine

KCCI.com - News - Hamas Promises To 'Liberate' Rest Of Palestine

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- With a landslide election victory under his belt, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh promises to complete what he calls "the liberation of other parts of Palestine."

The militant group's leader didn't clarify which territories he was talking about or what strategy he'll use.

In a victory news conference, Haniyeh said Hamas took more than 60 percent of the vote in Wednesday's parliament elections. The Hamas leader said he doesn't expect President Mahmoud Abbas to resign.

Abbas' Fatah Party took a hard loss in the election. Election officials said Hamas won 76 of the 132 seats in the Palestinian parliament.

The election outcome could have a devastating effect on the peace process. Hamas has dedicated itself to the destruction of Israel, and Israel and the United States both regard Hamas as a terrorist group. And a senior Hamas official said Thursday that recognizing Israel and negotiating with it are, "not on our agenda."


President George W. Bush said Wednesday that the United States will not deal with Hamas unless it renounces violence.

Iowa Republican Party :: News Item

"A person who kidnaps, rapes and murders a child could be sentenced to death under a Senate bill introduced Monday, the first day of the 2006 session.

Seventeen of 25 Republican senators are co-sponsors of Senate File 2010.

GOP leaders have been trying since last spring to engage Democrats in a debate to revive the death penalty. Iowa hasn't had a capital punishment law for 41 years."

I don't know if the death penalty will be a deterrent to future crime but I do know it will stop that person from re-offending. That is reason enough, in my mind, to warrant it.

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

Your Birth Month is January

You are a natural leader who is able to stand up when no one else can. Strong and powerful, you tend to overshadow those around you. Your soul reflects: deep love, fascination with life, and a distinctive persona Your gemstone: Garnet Your flower: Snowdrop Your colors: Black, dark red, and dark blue

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

What Does Your Birthdate Mean?

Your Birthdate: January 6

You tend to be the rock in relationships - people depend on you. Thoughtful and caring, you often put others needs first. You aren't content to help those you know... you want to give to the world. An idealist, you strive for positive change and dream about how much better things could be. Your strength: Your intuition Your weakness: You put yourself last Your power color: Rose Your power symbol: Cloud Your power month: June

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?