Still the light

Still The Light, By Cameo Smith (Mt. Wolf, PA)

Twas' 11 days before Christmas, around 9:38
when 20 beautiful children stormed through heaven's gate.
their smiles were contagious,

their laughter filled the air...
they could hardly believe all the beauty they saw there.

They were filled with such joy, they didn't know what to say.
Remembering nothing of what had happened earlier that day.
"Where are we?" asked a little girl, as quiet as a mouse.
"This is Heaven." declared a small boy. "we're spending Christmas at God's house."

When what to their wondering eyes did appear,
but Jesus, their savior, the children gathered near.
He looked at them and smiled, and they smiled just the same.
then He opened His arms and He called them by name.

In that moment was joy, that only heaven can bring
those children all flew to the arms of their King
As they lingered in the warmth of His blessed embrace,
one small girl turned and looked at Jesus' face.

And as if He could read all the questions she had
He gently whispered to her, "I'll take care of mom and dad."
When He looked down on earth, the world far below
He saw all of the hurt, the sorrow, and woe

He closed His eyes and He outstretched His hand,
"Let My power and presence re-enter this land!"
"may this country be delivered from the hands of fools"
"I'm taking back my nation. I'm taking back my schools!"

Then He and the children stood up without a sound.
"Come now my children, let me show you around."
excitement filled the space, some skipped and some ran.
all displaying enthusiasm that only a small child can.

and I heard Him proclaim as He walked out of sight,
"in the midst of this darkness, I AM STILL THE LIGHT."

Snow Quilts

Artist Simon Beck must really love the cold weather! 

Along the frozen lakes of Savoie, France, he spends days plodding through the snow in raquettes (snowshoes), creating these sensational patterns of snow art. 

Working for 5-9 hours a day, each final piece is typically the size of three soccer fields! 

The geometric forms range in mathematical patterns and shapes that create stunning, sometimes 3D, designs when viewed from higher levels.

How long these magnificent geometric forms survive is completely dependent on the weather. Beck designs and redesigns the patterns as new snow falls, sometimes unable to finish a piece due to significant overnight accumulations. 

The main reason for making them was because I can no longer run properly due to problems with my feet, so plodding about on level snow is the least painful way of getting exercise. Gradually, the reason has become photographing them, and I am considering buying a better camera. - Simon Beck

Thanksgiving in 2022

"Winston, come into the dining room, it's time to eat," Julia yelled to her husband. "In a minute, honey, it's a tie score," he answered.

Actually Winston wasn't very interested in the traditional holiday football game between Detroit and Washington.
Ever since the government passed the Civility in Sports Statute of 2017, outlawing tackle football for its "unseemly violence" and the "bad" example it sets for the rest of the world", Winston was far less of a football fan than he used to be. Two-hand touch wasn't nearly as exciting.

Yet it wasn't the game that Winston was uninterested in. It was more the thought of eating another Tofu Turkey. Even though it was the best type of Veggie Meat available after the government revised the American Anti-Obesity Act of 2018, adding fowl to the list of federally-forbidden foods, (which already included potatoes, cranberry sauce, and mincemeat pie), it wasn't anything like real turkey.

And ever since the government officially changed the name of
"Thanksgiving Day" to "A National Day of Atonement" in 2020, to officially acknowledge the Pilgrims' historically brutal treatment of Native Americans, the holiday had lost a lot of its luster.  

Eating in the dining room was also a bit daunting.  The unearthly gleam of government-mandated fluorescent light bulbs made the Tofu Turkey look even weirder than it actually was, and the room was always cold.  

Ever since Congress passed the Power Conservation Act of 2016, mandating all thermostats - which were monitored and controlled by the electric company - be kept at 68 degrees, every room on the north side of the house was barely tolerable throughout the entire winter.

Still, it was good getting together with family. Or at least most of the family.  Winston missed his mother, who passed on in October, when she had used up her legal allotment of life-saving medical treatment.  He had had many heated conversations with the Regional Health Consortium, spawned
when the private insurance market finally went bankrupt, and everyone was forced into the government health care program.  And though he demanded she be kept on her treatment, it was a futile effort.  

"The RHC's resources are limited," explained the government bureaucrat Winston spoke with on the phone. "Your mother received all the benefits to which she was entitled.  I'm sorry for your loss."

Ed couldn't make it either. He had forgotten to plug in his electric car last night, the only kind available after the Anti-Fossil Fuel Bill of 2021 outlawed the use of the combustion engines - for everyone but government officials.  The fifty mile round trip was about ten miles too far, and Ed didn't want to spend a frosty night on the road somewhere between here and there.

Thankfully, Winston's brother, John, and his wife were flying in.  Winston made sure that the dining room chairs had extra cushions for the occasion.  No one complained more than John about the pain of sitting down so soon after the government-mandated cavity searches at airports, which severely aggravated his hemorrhoids.  Ever since a
terrorist successfully smuggled a cavity bomb onto a jetliner, the TSA told Americans the added "inconvenience" was an "absolute necessity" in order to stay "one step ahead of the terrorists."

Winston's own body had grown accustomed to such probing ever since the government expanded their scope to just about anywhere a crowd gathered, via Anti-Profiling Act of 2022.  That law made it a crime to single out any group or individual for "unequal scrutiny," even when probable cause was involved.  Thus, cavity searches at malls, train stations, bus depots, etc, etc, had become almost routine. Almost.

The Supreme Court is reviewing the statute, but most Americans expect a Court composed of six progressives and three conservatives to leave the law intact.  "A living Constitution is extremely flexible", said the Court's eldest member, Elena Kagan. " Europe has had laws like this one for years.  We should learn from their example," she added.

Winston's thoughts turned to his own children. He got along fairly well with his 12-year-old daughter, Brittany, mostly because she ignored him. Winston had long ago surrendered to the idea that she could text anyone at any time, even during Atonement Dinner.  Their only real confrontation had occurred when he limited her to 50,000 texts a month, explaining that was all he could afford.

She whined for a week, but got over it.

His 16-year-old son, Jason, was another matter altogether. Perhaps it was the constant bombarding he got in public school that global warming, the bird flu, terrorism, or any of a number of other calamities were "just around the corner", but Jason had developed a kind of nihilistic attitude that ranged between simmering surliness and outright hostility.  It didn't help that Jason had reported his father to the police for smoking a cigarette in the house, an act made criminal by the Smoking Control Statute of 2018, which outlawed smoking anywhere within 500 feet of another human being.  Winston paid the $5,000 fine, which might have been considered excessive before the American dollar became virtually worthless as a result of QE13.  The latest round of quantitative easing the federal government initiated was, once again, to "spur economic growth."  This time, they promised
to push unemployment below its years-long rate of 18%, but Winston was not particularly hopeful.

Yet the family had a lot for which to be thankful, Winston thought, before remembering it was a Day of Atonement.

At least, he had his memories.  He felt a twinge of sadness when he realized his children would never know what life was like in the Good Old Days, long before government promises to make life "fair for everyone" realized their full potential.

Winston, like so many of his fellow Americans, never realized how much things could change when they didn't happen all at once, but little by little, so people could get used to them.

He wondered what might have happened if the public had stood up while there was still time, maybe back around 2012, when all the real nonsense began.  "Maybe we wouldn't be where we are today if we'd just said 'enough is enough' when we had the chance," he thought. 

Maybe so,Winston. Maybe so.

Mark Twain once said: “It’s easier to fool people than to convince  them that they have been fooled.”

The Sapling Within

Artist Giuseppe Penone carefully removes the rings of growth to reveal the "sapling within". By carving out the inside of a tree trunk and leaving the knots in place, they eventually emerge as tiny limbs.

Bald Eagle Feast

January of this year 2012, the weather stayed so cold in St. Louis, Missouri and Alton, Illinois that the bald eagles were cruising over houses in hopes of a quick meal. They could not access fish that were at the bottom of the river and had gathered together.

Some kind souls decided to feed the eagles so they would survive the cold spell. They gathered fish and started feeding the group of eagles huddled on the shore.

The photos below show what happened. A retired teacher took these photos in front of his home. Incredible!

A beautiful morning feeding the eagles, Jan. 2012

Once the fish were thrown, the eagles did not seem to fear the good Samaritans and word spread fast! 

Eagles vying for the fish, January, 2012

No zoom lens used here! The photographer was this close! 

Here are the men who were feeding them.

If Obama Wins, Move To Texas

The Country of Texas ~ since Texas is the only state with a legal right to secede from the Union . (Reference the Texas-American Annexation Treaty of 1848.) We Texans love y'all, but we'll probably have to take action if Barack Obama wins the election. We'll miss you too. Here is what can happen: 1: Barack Hussein Obama is President of the United States , and Texas secedes from the Union in summer of 2013. 2: George W. Bush becomes President of the Republic of Texas . You might not think that he talks too pretty, but we hadn't had another terrorist attack, and the economy was fine until the effects of the Democrats lowering the qualifications for home loans came to roost. So what does Texas have to do to survive as a Republic? 1. NASA is just south of Houston, Texas. We will control the space industry. 2. We refine over 85% of the gasoline in the United States. 3. Defense Industry--we have over 65% of it. The term "Don't mess with Texas" will take on a whole new meaning. 4. Oil - we can supply all the oil that the Republic of Texas will need for the next 300 years. What will the other states do? Gee, we don't know. Why not ask Obama? 5. Natural Gas - again we have all we need, and it's too bad about those Northern States. John Kerry and Al Gore will have to figure out a way to keep them warm.... 6. Computer Industry - we lead the nation in producing computer chips and communications equipment -small companies like Texas Instruments, Dell Computer, EDS, Raytheon, National Semiconductor, Motorola, Intel, AMD, Atmel, Applied Materials, Ball Micro-conductor, Dallas Semiconductor, Nortel, Alcatel, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. 7. Medical Care - We have the research centers for cancer research, the best burn centers and the top trauma units in the world, as well as other large health centers. The Houston Medical Center alone employees over 65,000 people. 8. We have enough colleges to keep us getting smarter: University of Texas , Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas Christian, Rice, SMU, University of Dallas , University of Houston , Baylor, UNT ( University of North Texas ), Texas Women's University, etc. Ivy grows better in the South anyway. 9. We have an intelligent and energetic work force, and it isn't restricted by a bunch of unions here in Texas , it's a Right to Work State and, therefore, it's every man and women for themselves. We just go out and get the job done. And if we don't like the way one company operates, we get a job somewhere else. 10. We have essential control of the paper, plastics, and insurance industries, etc. 11. In case of a foreign invasion, we have the Texas National Guard, the Texas Air National Guard, and several military bases. We don't have an Army, but since everybody down here has at least six rifles and a pile of ammo, we can raise an Army in 24 hours if we need one. If the situation really gets bad, we can always call the Department of Public Safety and ask them to send over the Texas Rangers. 12. We are totally self-sufficient in beef, poultry, hogs, and several types of grain, fruit and vegetables, and let's not forget seafood from the Gulf. Also, everybody down here knows how to cook them so that they taste good. Don't need any food. 13. Three of the ten largest cities in the United States , and twenty- three of the 100 largest cities in the United States , are located in Texas. And Texas also has more land than California , New York , New Jersey , Connecticut , Delaware , Hawaii, Massachusetts , Maryland , Rhode Island and Vermont combined. 14. Trade: Three of the ten largest ports in the United States are located in Texas. 15. More miles of railroad track that any other state in the Union. 16. We also manufacture cars down here, but we don't need to. You see, nothing rusts in Texas , so our vehicles stay beautiful and run well for decades. 17. Year around golf. This just names a few of the items that will keep the Republic of Texas in good shape. There isn't a thing out there that we need and don't have. Now to the rest of the United States under President Obama: Since you won't have the refineries to get gas for your cars, only President Obama will be able to drive around in his big 5 mpg SUV. The rest of the United States will have to walk or ride bikes. You won't have any TV as the Space Center in Houston will cut off satellite communications. You won't have any natural gas to heat your homes, but since Mr. Obama has predicted global warming, you will not need the gas as long as you survive the 2000 years it will take to get enough heat from Global Warming. Signed, The People of Texas P.S. This is not a threatening letter - just a note to give you something to think about! SLEEP WELL TONIGHT - THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU!!

Sad Story of Texting and Driving

Hi everyone – I’m Bobby Augusto, an account manager on the Small Business team in San Francisco. Fifteen months ago, I lost my 20-year-old daughter, Kimberly, in a car accident that began with a text message while driving. No family should ever have to go through what my family and I went through – it was horrible. Now I’m sharing our story in hopes that it will make people think – and maybe save a life.  

Here’s what happened:  

On May 30, 2011, I had come home from vacation and I went to bed late. I got a phone call around 1 a.m. from my ex-wife. She was crying. She said Kimi had been in a horrible car accident -- and the police couldn’t even tell her if Kimi was alive.

Apparently, Kimberly had gotten a call earlier that night from a friend who needed some support. He’d applied to the Fire Academy, and he was upset because his buddy got an acceptance letter that day, but he didn’t. My daughter was a pretty soft-hearted person -- she knew he liked Slurpees, so she went down to the local 7-Eleven and picked up a Slurpee and took it to him. On her way home, this guy texted her to thank her.

She looked down at the text and she shouldn’t have. I don’t know if she was trying to reply or just had taken her eyes off the road, but it was long enough for her to get in trouble.

She ran off the right side of the highway, then tried to correct and spun back across the road, hitting the center divide. It was pitch black, no lights anywhere, and she didn’t realize that her car was now in the fast lane, facing the wrong way. She thought she was off to the side of the road – but she wasn’t.

She got on the phone, called her mom and said, “Mom, I’ve been in a car accident. My God, this is totally my fault. I’m sorry. Oh look, somebody’s coming to help.” She told her mom she saw lights coming toward her.  

The last thing my ex-wife heard on the phone was the crash.

Kimi had told her mom where she was, so my ex-wife drove out there. The car was destroyed. Kimi was killed on impact. She snapped her neck and her lower extremities were unviewable. The coroner was called and pronounced her dead.

Needless to say, we were devastated. Most of my family’s background is in law enforcement, so we see tons of this stuff happening and it’s our worst fear. Well, our worst fear came to life. 

We had a beautiful service, which 750 people attended.  She was my oldest daughter of two. No parents should ever bury their kid, ever, especially for something as stupid as a text message.

At one point I thought, there’s no way I can live another day and not make sense of this. Now I’ve decided the only way I can make sense of it is to do whatever I can to help somebody else not feel what I’m feeling. Or keep one more kid from dying this way.

My passion now is having my daughter’s legacy live on by saving somebody else’s life. And if telling our story is something I can do to help, then I’d like to do that.

Kimi and I had had a hundred conversations about not texting while driving. In fact, the last time I saw her, we were driving and her phone had beeped for a text message. And I said, “What’s that sound?” She goes, “Oh, it’s my phone. It’s under my leg.” And I said, “What do you mean?” She goes, “Well, I know you tell me all the time not to text while I’m driving, so I leave it under my leg. That way, I know to check it when I get out.” I said, “Very good. Never do that; it’s very dangerous.”

Like so many teens, she thought she was bulletproof and that it would never happen to her. She only took her eyes off the road for two seconds, and I’m sure she thought it was no problem. And it cost her her life.

And then there are those she left behind. There’s no way that she, or anyone her age, could realize the hole they would leave in other people’s lives if something happened to them. One poor decision, just two seconds, and the world will never be the same for any of her friends or family. It is so incredibly painful.

The friend who texted my daughter that night felt horrible – really horrible. He’s going through hell over this. I’ve spoken to him a few times and he said to me, “Bobby, I’m never going to get past this. I don't even know if I can go be a fireman now.”

I sat him down and said, “The best thing you can do now is go be the best fireman you can and save somebody else’s life.”

I’ve talked to groups of kids since my daughter died and I say, “How many of you are 19? How would you feel if I told you you only had 366 days to live? How would you live your life?

“Now, what if I told you that you could live longer simply by taking your phone, turning it off and putting it in the back seat? Or better yet, downloading this app that tells other people that you're driving? If I told you that you would live longer than 366 days by just doing that, would you?” And all the hands go up.

My daughter died because she wouldn’t put her phone away or download an app that tells other people you’re driving. Even if she did the right thing 999 times out of 1,000, it took just that one time for her to lose her life. Just one!

And you know what? It was just a text message…and it could have waited.

Great Squirrel Story

Soldiers in Belarus found a little squirrel and brought it to the Warrant officer. The squirrel was very weak and about to die, so the officer took care of it, fed like a baby every 4 hours. 

3 months ago the guy left the army and now works as a taxi driver - and the squirrel is always in his pocket no matter where he goes!

Obituary of Common Sense

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

● Knowing when to come in out of the rain
● Why the early bird gets the worm
● Life isn't always fair
● Maybe it WAS my fault

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

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

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

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

Common Sense lost the will to live when criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

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

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

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
● I Know My Rights
● I Want It Now
● Someone Else Is To Blame
● I'm A Victim

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

Delta Flight 15

Here is an amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11:

"On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic. All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "All
airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination."

"No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, New Foundland. He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately--no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.

"While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the
hijackings.

"We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander, New Foundland to have it checked out.

"We promised to give more information after landing in Gander. There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that's nothing new! Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander. Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM! .... that's 11:00 AM EST.

"There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the U.S.  After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason." Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the U.S. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put.

"The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the air crafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane. In the next hour or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were U.S. commercial jets.

"Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC. People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada. Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed.

"Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm. We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament.

"We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning. Passengers were not
happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane.

"Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word. Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements.

"About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross.

"After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel. We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander! We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the U.S. airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while.

"We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started.

"Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the "plane people." We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time.

"Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days. What we found out was incredible.

"Gander and all the surrounding communities (within about a 75 Kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers. Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up.

"ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the "guests." Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes.

"Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration.

"Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were offered "Excursion" trips. Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests. Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft. In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers.

"Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they needed to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully. It was absolutely incredible.

"When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked li ke a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling. Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging
phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses.

"And then a very unusual thing happened. One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that.  But this time was different. I said "of course" and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days. He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers. He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte.

"He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte. He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000!

"The gentleman, a MD from Virginia, promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well.  As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education.

"I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a far away place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them. It reminds me how much good there is in the world."

"In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today’s world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good and Godly people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward."

"God Bless America...and the Canadians."

One Gutsy Little Mouse

The extraordinary scene was captured by photography student Casey Gutteridge at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire. 

The 19-year-old, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, who was photographing the leopard for a course project, was astounded By the mouse's behaviour. 

He said: 'I have no idea where the mouse came from - he just appeared in the enclosure after the keeper had dropped in the meat for the leopard. He didn't take any notice of the leopard, just went straight over to the meat and started feeding himself.'

'But the leopard was pretty surprised - she bent down and sniffed the mouse and flinched a bit like she was scared. In the meantime the mouse just carried on eating like nothing had happened.

But even a gentle shove does not deter the little creature from getting his fill... 'It was amazing, even the keeper who had thrown the meat into the enclosure was shocked - he said he'd never seen anything like it before.'

Project owner Jackie James added: 'It was so funny to see - Sheena batted the mouse a couple of times to try to get it away from her food.' But the determined little thing took no notice and just carried on.' 

Sheena was brought in to the Santago Rare Leopard Project from a UK zoo when she was just four months old. She is one of 14 big cats in the private collection started by Jackie 's late husband Peter in 1989. The African Leopard can be found in the continent's forests, grasslands, savannas, and rain-forests.

....so the mouse continued to eat the leopard's lunch and show the leopard who was the boss. Just proves no one can push you around without your permission.

IMPOSSIBILITIES IN THE WORLD

IMPOSSIBILITIES IN THE WORLD

1. U can't count your hair
2. U can't wash your eyes with soap
3. U can't breathe when your tongue is out

Put your tongue back in fool.

10 Things I know about you...

1) U are reading this
2) U are human.
3) U can't say the letter ''P'' without separating your lips
4) U just attempted to do it
6) U are laughing at yourself
7) U have a smile on your face and you skipped No.5
8) U just checked to see if there is a No.5
9) U laugh at this because you are an idiot & everyone does it too.
10) U are probably going to send this to see who else falls for it.

Baby Chimp and Mama Dog

After a mother chimpanzee who lived in a zoo died, one of the zoo's employees took the baby chimp home to care for it. It never crossed his mind that his dog, who had recently given birth would adopt the chimp and raise it with her pups. 


Judging by the look on her face at times, she is not quite sure why this particular offspring has hands to grab her with. Now that portrays unconditional love!

U.S. Navy Provides Senior Assistance

The United States Navy intercepted three boatloads of people off the coast of Miami today. This placed the Navy in an awkward position, as the boats were not heading to, but away from Miami towards Cuba . Another surprise finding was that they were loaded with Americans who were all seniors of pension age. Their claim was that they were trying to get to the Cuba so as to be able to return to the US as illegal immigrants and therefore be entitled to far more benefits than they were receiving as legitimate US pensioners. The Navy, it is believed, gave them food, water and fuel and assisted them on their journey. 


We are booking the next boat out; let me know if you want to come.

Fred Hoiboar

Todd,


Thought this might interest you as it mentions Camp Odayin.


Michele

Bored friends brainstorm big boar plan

At this year's Iowa State Fair you should definitely meet Fred Hoiboar.  Basically, a few years ago friends were sitting around at the fair and drinking beer.  They came to the conclusion that they could win the Biggest Boar competition. 

So all of them throw in some money. Since they're (almost) all Iowa State University fans, they name the boar Fred Hoiboar.

ISU head basketball coach Fred Hoiberg also throws in some money to help out. Hoiberg chooses a charity to support, Camp Odayin, a Minnesota camp for kids with heart disease like his.

The group is selling t-shirts to raise money, they've created a Facebook and twitter page for Fred Hoiboar.

The boar is being feed more than 20 pounds of food a day. They hope to be close to an all-time weight record for the boar by fair weigh in date.

You can learn more about Hoiboar at FredHoiboar.com

The Origin Story of the Movie "Rocky" as told by Tony Robbins

Little Life Lessons

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it  cheerfully.  

TWO.  Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational  skills will be as important as any other.  

THREE.  Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you  want.  

FOUR.  When you say, "I love you," mean it.  

FIVE.  When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.  

SIX.  Be engaged at least six months before you get married.  

SEVEN.  Believe in love at first sight.  

EIGHT.  Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.  

NINE.  Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live  life completely.  

TEN..  In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.  

ELEVEN.  Don't judge people by their relatives.  

TWELVE.  Talk slowly but think quickly.  

THIRTEEN.  When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why  do you want to know?"  

FOURTEEN.  Remember that great love and great achievements involve great  risk.  

FIFTEEN.  Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.  

SIXTEEN.  When you lose, don't lose the lesson.  
SEVENTEEN.  Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and  responsibility for all your actions.  

EIGHTEEN.  Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.  

NINETEEN.  When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct  it.  

TWENTY.  Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your  voice.  

TWENTY-ONE.  Spend some time alone.

When You Buy From A Mom And Pop Shop...

A friend posted this on Facebook and I thought it was really powerful!!

Occupy Golf Movement

WE NEED TO BE HEARD!!!

I am a member of golf's lower 99%. I am an indifferent golfer, and there's no way I could ever make it to the professional level. I will never put in the practice time to be the best. I will never have the shots, skills, or mental toughness to "make it" in the sport. I just never felt like working all that hard at it.

However, I am a part of the golfing community and, as such, feel I should be paid by the top 1% of golfers for what I do. It isn't fair that those players who have worked harder, have studied the game, have better equipment and are more skilled and dedicated should make all that BIG money.

Where's my share? I'm a Victim!

The top 1% should pay for my club memberships and green fees and lessons, buy me new clubs, balls, clothes and shoes, and pay me some of their winnings. They can afford it. They are "The Rich." The whole system should be changed to accommodate people like me. I think we should get together and occupy a golf course and demand that those who are better at what they do, pay for us who generally suck. Whining should get us something – maybe we'll make the cover of Time Magazine...and garnish some public sympathy.

Heck, during this election year we may even get a law or two passed by legislators who want our votes.

PS Don't mention this to tennis players. We thought of it first!

Two Quarters or a Dollar Bill?

A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, 

'This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.'

The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, 'Which do you want, son?'

The boy takes the quarters and leaves the dollar.

'What did I tell you?' said the barber. 'That kid never learns!'

Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store and says, 

'Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?'

The boy licked his cone and replied, 

'Because the day I take the dollar, the game's over!'