Meteorology- the new social science- day 2

This just in from The Center for Panic.

OMG!!!!!!
It was 105 on Wednesday, 93 today, only 80 degrees tomorrow.
At this current rate of decrease, it will be cold enough
to freeze nitrogen into frosty lumps on the sidewalk
in a few short months!!!!

WE ARE DOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMD!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Drat that Bush administration.

Meteorology- the new social science

This just in from The Center for Panic.

OMG!!!!!!
It was 99 degrees Tuesday, 105 on Wednesday.
At this current rate of increase, it will be hot enough
to smelt copper on the sidewalk

in a few short months!!!!

WE ARE DOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMD!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Drat that Bush administration.

Almost Heroic

The company I work for has a "Hero's Corner" in
its newsletters . These accounts of Awareness,
Courage , Compassion, and sometimes True Bravery
are good reading.
A co-worker in Brooklyn relates the following story...

I almost made the Hero's Corner.

I saw two teens breaking into a car.
I recognized the car as one from my route,
so I called 911 and gave a description of the car and of the youths.
When the Police arrived and nabbed the youths they claimed it was their father's car.

The Police allowed them to use their cell phone to call their father to come out of the apartment building where they lived.
He showed his ID and vouched for his own kids.
They said they were just bored and wanted to see if they could break into their father's own car.
After the Police left I told him I was the one who called and that I didn't recognize his kids.
I added that I couldn't figure out why anyone would break into their own family car. That's why I called 911. He told me it's was ok, he understood.
After I walked away I heard him yelling
and as I turned I saw him slap one kid
across the head yelling, “Give it to me!”
The kid handed him something.
One of the neighbors later told me the kids
were after his stash of pot,
which he hides in the glove compartment.
.

.
I almost made it.

Ed
Brooklyn,NY

"Tempus Fugit", isn't that Latin for "Hot Fudge" ??

Having cooked some really fine meals at home,
I hauled up the water smoker and
smoked some ribs (spare ribs ,long ends mostly)
at Dad's campsite Tuesday, the Fourth.

They were the worst I have made.
I didn't start with enough coals so the heat never got up to where it needed to be,
adding more charcoal during cooking made the meat too smoky, and the thickest pieces looked suspiciously rare. Though the riblets on the bottom rack just above the water pan came out Tasty, the ribs were only barely edible. Disappointing, but the rest of the meal was good, and Dad and Mom had some hot dogs to keep the kids satisfied.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade;
when oversmoked-under-cooked ribs, make soup!

We had great green bean soup Wednesday and Thursday!

Life is good, been too busy to blog about it.
Saw "Superman Returns" and "Click" at the Drive-In Theater
last week. I need to write about it.

Jimmie Bratcher was at church last weekend.
Great blues music!! Got a CD - "Red" .
Wow. Great sound.

Also his book about living your dreams,
and not taking them to the grave...
thoughts that had been troubling me even before I saw 'Click'.
The film has a strong message among
the silly Adam Sandler potty humor.
"Tempus Fugit."

Not a new thought of course, no popular Latin quote is,
but as we age , the weight of its truth shakes us- well, me.
"Time Flies. "

Sure does, and though I know the journey ends beyond the grave,
the speed of the travel is sometimes breathtaking.
I don't know if my tombstone will be as interesting as this .
But that man left something to ponder.

"All the little things in life add up to your life.
If you don't get it right then nothing else matters.
It gets lonely in the promised land by yourself."

So glad to spend the 4th with family.
So blessed to have them. So many memories,
some deluxe genuine pit BBQ quality,
and some poorly cooked ones

....but those make the BEST soup later!




Posted by Picasa

Hope this photo comes through. During the playing of 'The Star Spangled Banner', the Bald Eagle, Challenger, flew in from the camera tower in center field at the College World Series in Omaha. He flew swiftly toward his trainer on the mound, then circled slowly around 2d base before coming in for a landing. Glorious.  

My son boldly predicts one of the teams in the championship series of the CWS a day before the tourney started. Great fun, in and out of Rosenblatt Stadium, come to the College World Series if ever you get the chance. 

Contest the Absurd.

Why go to the trouble ??

The uncontested absurdities of today
are the accepted
slogans of tomorrow.

They come to be accepted
by degrees,
by precedent,
by implication,
by erosion,
by default,
by dint of constant pressure on one side
and constant retreat on the other
- until the day when
they are suddenly declared
to be the country's official ideology.

~ Ayn Rand

The House votes on the
Marriage Protection Amendment next month.
Let your Congressman hear from you.

Contest the absurd 'expansion' of the
definition of marriage that judges have
created.

Why I Love 'Best of the web'...

..Because, out of all the headlines, in all the papers ,

James Taranto finds ones like these:

'This Isn't a Truly Diverse Place, Not for Hildabeasts'
"College Votes to Let In Male 'Hildabeasts' "--headline, Guardian (London), June 8

Is There a Doctor in the House?
"Health Status of Ill. Politician Unknown"--headline, Associated Press, June 7

Then Again, They May Be Dead
"Fossil Mounds May Be Oldest Life on Earth"--headline, CNN.com, June 7

You Thought It Was Supposed to Say 'Thou Shalt Now Commit Adultery'?
"Panel Edits Ten Commandments"--headline, Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.), June 7

Must've Been Pretty Wrinkled
"Gonzalez Backers Press Suit After 6 Years"--headline, Associated Press, June 7

That's a Lot to Drink
"Two Stranded Near Mathers Gorge on Potomac"--headline, WRC-TV Web site (Washington), June 7

Bad News for Chile First Lady
"Honeymoon May Be Over for Chile President"--headline, Associated Press, June 6

Where's Don Quixote When You Need Him?
"Residents Debate Windmills on Great Lakes"--headline, Associated Press, June 6

It's Bush's Fault!
"Hurricanes Delete Fate From Cup Equation"--headline, USA Today, June 7

What Would Heroin Users Do Without Drug Experts?
"Drug Experts Advise Extra Precautions in Heroin Use"--headline, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 6

Why Not Just Go Cold Turkey?
"Bush Admin. Wants to Cut Meth Use 15 Pct."--headline, Associated Press, June 1

Next Reuters Exposé: Check Not Always in Mail
"Virginity Pledgers Often Dishonest About Past"--headline, Reuters, June 1

South Vietnam and East Germany Are Back!
"Nations Split at AIDS Meeting"--headline, Thanh Nien News (Vietnam), June 2

'They Don't Take American Express'
"Songwriter Charged With Growing Pot"--headline, Associated Press, June 1

A Good Reason to Move to the Suburbs
"Nicole Kidman's Urban Sex Ban"--headline, BANG Showbiz, June 1

What Would Earth Do Without JAXA?
"JAXA: Small Asteroids Not as Threatening to Earth"--healdine, CNN.com, June 2

Cliff Was Pretty Relieved Too
"Brooklyn Woman Rescued After 24 Hours on Cliff"--headline, WNBC-TV Web site (New York), June 2

Thanks for the Tip!--LXXVII
"Health Tip: Save Your Feet From Blisters"--headline, HealthDayNews, June 2

'Win One for the Zipper'
"Clinton's Visit to Put Zip in Dems' Fundraising Plans"--headline, Denver Post, June 7

Say... WHAT!!!

I know this joke has made the rounds,
I can't resist re-telling it...

After getting nailed by a 500lb bomb,
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi made his way to the pearly gates.
There, he is greeted by George Washington.
"How dare you attack sons of the nation I helped conceive!"
yells Mr. Washington, slapping Zarqi in the face.

Patrick Henry comes up from behind.
"You wanted to end liberty,
so the Americans gave you death!"
Henry punches him on the nose.

James Madison comes up next, and says
"This is why I allowed the Federal government
to provide for the common defense!"
He drops a large weight on al-Zarqawi's knee.

al-Zarqawi is subject to similar beatings from John Randolph,
James Monroe, and 65 other people who have the same love
for liberty and America.

As he writhes on the ground, Thomas Jefferson
picks him up to hurl him back toward the gate
where he is to be judged.

As al-Zarqawi awaits his journey
to his final very hot destination, he screams :
"This is not what I was promised!"

An angel replies:
"Abu, I told you there would be
72 Virginians waiting for you, idiot.
What did you think I said?



.
.
.
Proper credit to these folks.

Errr, Mr Pharmacist, do you have one that doesn't trigger any symptoms of Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia ???  

Got Phobia?

So then 668 is - Neighbor of the beast.
Was June 6th ,666 the 'Yahtzee' of the beast?

Amazing how many people are fixated on 666.
There are pages and pages of google links to the
Roman numeral and Binary number that equal 666.
Many are tshirt sellers and garage quality rock bands,
lots of people apparantly wish to identify themselves with the beast,
reminds me of the folks with large tats and extreme piercings
whose sense of self worth is directly proportional to the number
of little old ladies and milquetoasts they intimidate.

That the calendar says 6 6 6 ,
or the total at the register is $6.66,
or your cough syrup brand is 666
is meaningless.
Never the less, there IS signifigance in the Number,
the Mark, and the Image of the Beast,
and Revelation is the only book of the Bible
that pronounces a blessing on its readers,
so read it for yourself.

Of the opinions on the meaning of '666' recapped here,
this seemed the least speculative:

"I confess that I don't know what this number means.
I am certain, however, that there are more than 666 interpretations.
Everyone seems to have an opinion. Since God doesn't explain the meaning,
apparently it's not important for us to know....
...The reason God gave us any information at all,
I believe, is so that believers alive in that day will
have a clear identifying sign that the one in world power
is Satan's masterpiece."
(J. Dwight Pentecost, Prophecy for Today, 1961, p.114)

PS
This may not post till the 7th...
Superstition? ...BUZZZZZZ.
Conspiracy? ...BUZZZZZZ.
World Dominion? ...BUZZZZZZ.
Slow Inarticulate Writer? DING !!

"Thinking not only of the passing of the departed patriots,
But remembering the glory of thair spirit."
--Richard W. Peterson

 

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife

For this Memorial Day, I wanted to gather all the information I could and
compose a tribute to my Great Uncle who died 88 years ago this month,
but I've been so busy with work and running with the kids to their sports
activities that this is still rough, even by "The Half S Ranch " standards.
-
William Alvah Staley was part of Company L, 167th Infantry, 42nd Division.
He died in a gas attack on 29 May 1918 at Baccarat , France.
-
I learned that the Division Chief of staff for the 42nd "Rainbow", the officer
responsible for coordinating the formation and deployment of this division was Colonel Douglas MacArthur.
A chapter of a doctoral thesis on General MacArthur contains the following, perhaps we can glean some of William Staley's life from the times and events:

-
"The 42nd "Rainbow" Division assembled at Camp Mills near Garden City Long Island,
New York between mid-August and mid-September 1917. (The 42nd Division was a melding of National Guardsmen from 26 states, William must have met men from all over the country) It began its deployment to Europe on 19 October,( 9 days after William's 18th birthday - how did he celebrate? ) and had all arrived in France by 1 November 1917.
From 7 November 1917 to 13 February 1918 (I wonder what the family sent him for Christmas.) the division was in training behind the front lines. This training was a requirement because of the short time between the division's formation and deployment to Europe. It was also essential because nearly all of the division's artillery pieces, crew served weapons, and heavy equipment were of French or British manufacture. Training in Europe also allowed the division to train with French veterans of trench warfare... The 42nd Division did not enter the line until February 16, 1918 when it occupied a quiet sector of the line near Luneville. Normal practice was to introduce new units into quiet sectors. (How did 18 year old William handle the wait for combat?)By the end of March, the 42nd Division would see significant defensive combat near Bacarrat.
(Where Willaim died 2 months later. What did he experience in those 2 months?
Do any letters home exist?)

There were 268 days between February 16, 1918, when the 42nd Division entered the line and November 11, 1918 when the Armistice took effect. During this time, the 42nd Division participated in combat for 162 days, the third highest total for the twenty-nine divisions assigned to the American Expeditionary Force (AEF). It also suffered the third highest number of casualties, and advanced the third longest distance of the AEF divisions. German intelligence reports rated the 42nd Division as one of the three or four American divisions on a par with elite French and British shock divisions. " http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09292002-133302/unrestricted/Tehan.pdf
pages 81- 89
-
I gather that William died in a defensive battle, though his death came one day after this event:
"Near Cantigny on May 28, 1918, the U. S. 1st Division launched the first American attack of the World War." Perhaps the American forces were attacking at Baccarat also. From- http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/iib_iji/iib_iji.asp
(The above site mentions Company L of the 167th in action in July of 1918.
)
-
I am grateful for his sacrifice,
and that of the thousands of soldiers who
never came home. I hope I can live a life
worthy of what it cost them.
It is an honor to serve this nation in the forces
which protect our country and our way of life.
Let us never cease to give honor to whom it is due.

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
Til all success be nobleness And every gain divine!"
(America the Beautiful, Katherine Lee Bates).

Veterans Plaza - Remembering Those Who Served Honoring Those Who Died 

Our local Veteran's Memorial 

William A. Staley 10 Oct 1899 - 29 May 1918 

page 2 

Poem 'The Glory of Their Spirit'
When destiny demanded and country called,
They in answer left our rolling hills
and great river valley and learned the arts of war.
Then, on and beneath restless waves of the deep
in endless skies and across vast oceans to island shores
on broad plains and barren hillsides, in dark forests,
on snow-covered mountains and in the rubble of smashed villages
and cities they faced and fought, with valor and dedication,
those who challenged our ideals and freedom and,
in the very vortex of combat were then greeted and embraced by Death.

The soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen were not born
to die in the youth of their lives - yet they did.
they were not born to die deaths of violence - yet they did

By cruel and broad circumstances of war, they gave their lives
that we might live our lives in liberty and peace

Never should we forget their ultimate sacrifice

We now in their memory carve their names in stone
and enshrine them in our hearts,
we now cast in eternal bronze, figures who in sorrow and
in the long, long thoughts of youth
reflect on the last measure of devotion given by those we now honor
and we join their mute and motionless yet eloquent presence
in their silent meditation.

Thinking not only of the passing of the departed patriots,
But remembering the glory of thair spirit.
--Richard W. Peterson



 

The Veterans memorial in our county contains the name of my Great Uncle, William A. Staley, the eldest brother of my Grandpa. 

'sär-"ka-zm: noun

From http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/sarcasm

Main Entry: sar·casm
Pronunciation: 'sär-"ka-z&m
Function: noun
Etymology: French or Late Latin; French sarcasme,
from Late Latin sarcasmos, from Greek sarkasmos,
from sarkazein to tear flesh, bite the lips in rage,
sneer, from sark-, sarx flesh; probably akin to Avestan
thwar&s- to cut
1 : a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain <tired of continual sarcasms>
2 a : a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual b : the use or language of sarcasm <this is no time to indulge in sarcasm>
3 : The recent "Capitulate Now" post on The Lazy Half S Ranch. synonym see WIT

Regarding the "Capitulate Now" post,
Anonymous said...
?!
you need to study your history more,
and learn that actually the first nuclear
centrifuges that Iran bought were sold to them
by Americans. 1978.Study some more, you know.
You would not want to make such ignorant comments
somewhere else. You know, for your own sake.
Why should an anonymous care about YOUR white ignorance!?
Saturday, May 20, 2006 12:53:49 AM



_______________________________________________
Why should an anonymous care about YOUR white ignorance!?

Gee, thank you for caring about my (presumed white) ignorance enough to leave an anonymous comment. Very charitible of you.
(BTW, the centrifuge sale was 10 monthes before the Iranian revolution)

Please tell me what was "ignorant" about my post? It wasn't an attempt at an exhaustive history of the Iranian Nuke plan.
Google one if you like.
It was an attempt at sarcasm.

Let me explain-
Bleeding hearts on the left want the US to swoon and bow at any sabre rattling threats or moronic letter writing of the Iranian puppet-of-the-mullahs, er , President.

Those of us on the right would have preferred the death penalty given to Moussaui and wish no compromise with people who are invested in the destruction of ourselves and allies.

The joke, you see, anon (can I call you that?) is that we CAN give in to demands and desires of the terrorists and islamic radicals with strong action against them.
A twist was, I don't want to send centrifuges , reactors, or uranium, just live weapons. Get it? HA,Ha,ha.

I am new at this blogging, I thought the tone of this post was clearly sarcastic.

However, to be perfectly clear,
I would certainly rather deliver nuclear weapons to Iran via cruse missile, airplane or FedEx than to allow the Iranian snakes to have the means to carry out their STATED threats to free people and nations.

Please write again soon!

Regards ,
A (presumed white)ignoramous

Laughter, the best medicine.

Larry posted this in a discussion about "The daVinci Code":

Here's what a minister friend of mine (who also has a Masters in ancient history) said about The DaVinci Code, which I think is quite fitting:


As a historical commentary on church history
and the life of Jesus it is so laughable
that I am embarrassed for every Christian,
especially pastor who has reacted to it so negatively.
For those who are doing special series like
Exposing the DaVinci Code Myth
or Debunking the Lies of Dan Brown
and his DaVinci Code, how about doing a series
called I'm Sorry that I have not taught
the basics of orthodoxy and church history
because I have been too busy teaching politics
so it is no wonder you are bothered by
something silly like the DaVinci Code.

The fact that there are Christians, and a lot of them at that, who can do anything but laught at the silliness in The DaVinci Code is a sad commentary on the state of Christian discipleship and the ability of the church to fulfill its teaching function. (Doesn't say much good about our school systems, either.)
______

Contending for the faith entails preparation to respond to questions from honest seekers of truth, and the books, DVD's, websites ,etc. that equip the church to do the work are worthy efforts. But, boycotts, other-cotts, and rage are less effective than laughter at sticking a pin in this puffed-up movie.
-Terry

Broken Hammer

It's funny that people who would never say,
"All I need to know about the Kennedy assination
I learned from 'JFK' by Oliver Stone."
or, "All I need to know about biology
I learned from the swamp scene in 'King Kong'. "
or "All I need to know about physics
I learned from Wile E. Coyote in 'Looney Toons'."

Will write as if all they needed
to know about Christianity is in "The daVinci Code".

The flick sure stirs up the anti-Christians

at the MSN movie review site.

Like

these

confused

bubbling fonts of ignorance

( Caution- some reviews contain obscenities)

The 'Code' is but another tiny hammer of thousands
that have aspired to break the anvil
for 2 millenia.


The hammers wear out.



The Anvil remains.

"OK Houston, we've had a problem here."

I haven't had much time to post lately,
Mary's birthday, the usual soccer, baseball, softball whirlwind, etc.

Mother's Day we went to Henderson,NE for Mary's Niece's graduation and party.
Nice time, amazing how she has grown,
Caitlin is a gifted artist on her way to college.

We planned to be home around 11:30.
On the way home, the alternator quit,
we finally limped home about 1:30 am .

I felt a little like Jack Swigert in Apollo 13-
flipping switches and watching the ammeter closely .
We powered down everything but the headlights.

The battery was 5 years old, and fading fast so,
after a phone call to our mechanic friend Joe,
we stopped at Wal-Mart and I bought a new battery and tools.
(Dad taught me better than to travel without a few tools, ooops.)
Life's still good, it was late enough the kids slept throughout,
and left the worrying to the parents, as kids should;
and we made it home.
I got the old alternator out this evening after some struggle,
but need the pulley changed on it before I can put the new one in.
I got the pulley off the old one,
but I'll have to have the parts store get the other one off,
my old impact wrench wouldnt budge it.
Have to finish the job tomorrow.
Still cheaper than payments,
unless I need Prozac before the job is done.

As we were driving up I-80 with headlights fading, I asked Mary:
Q: What's worse than having to put an alternator in a paid for $2500 minivan?
A: Having to put an alternator in a $2500 minivan that you owe $5000 on.
Glad it's paid for.

While wrestling with the brackets, bolts, wires, power steering reservoir, etc...
Q:What's worse than changing the alternator on a 3.3 liter
Mitsubishi motor in a Plymouth V'ger?
A : &*%$#!! , NOTHING.

I didn't kick her ...this time.

Had a great time this weekend with
Aunts, Uncles and Cousins 1st,2nd, etc.
Many kids and grandkids of my Grandfather Staley,
the one who's title I stole for this blog.

Good food, good conversation, great people,got some
interesting photos, including one of my Grandpa's
elder brother , William, who died in Baccarat,
France in "The War To End All Wars" which I will post
soon.

Some I met for the first time.
One cousin for the second time.
Anita then age 10, was in town visiting her Aunt and Uncle's
home at a family gathering where she asked my Mom if she could touch
Mom's belly- she had never touched a pregnant tummy before.
Anita said I gave her a strong kick,
I assured her I wouldn't kick her anymore.

FRESH FROM THE CUBE: Who Are They?

http://www.thepeoplescube.com/red/viewtopic.php?t=720

Who Are They?

WATCH THE VIDEO!

WHO ARE THEY?

• They trekked thousands of miles in searing heat...
  
• They crossed the border risking life and limb...
  
• They get paid peanuts...
  
• They do jobs others refuse to do...
  
• Some people back in their own country treat them with little respect...
  
• They live crammed together in substandard conditions...
  
• They rarely see their families...
  
• They have to learn a foreign language and culture...
  
• They recognize only one flag...
  

WHO ARE THEY?

Click here to find out!

Disclaimer:
While this video and attached script are clear in meaning and message,
www.Thepeoplescube.com is a parody site and
the posted comments you read when you click the link
to find out "Who they are" need to be taken in that light.

Who are they, indeed?