Uh Oh. Your Water Bottle May Be Toxic If you're trying to save a buck or two by reusing the plastic bottle your water or soda comes in, you may be risking your health. The Canadian Press reports that dangerous bacteria and potentially toxic plastic compounds have been found in reused plastic water bottles that were intended for a single use only. This is how bad it is: If the same bacteria were found in a city's water supply, it would be shut down. Researchers from the University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta conducted a study of water bottles in the lunches of students who attended a Calgary elementary school. Had the bacteria in those bottles been found in the tap water, health officials would have had to issue a "boil water" advisory. Specifically, the researchers found bacterial contamination in about a third of the samples collected from the kids' water bottles at the school, and some samples even showed evidence of fecal coliforms. "If a town water supply had fecal coliforms in it, it would have to be shut down," lead author Cathy Ryan told The Canadian Press. Where did the bacteria come from? Most likely, it originated from kids' hands and mouths as they reused the bottles without properly washing them or allowing them to dry, Ryan explained. She said some of the bottles hadn't been washed for months. The study was small--just 76 bottles at an elementary school were analyzed--but Ryan is convinced the results would be the same anywhere else. Here's the gotcha: Wash those bottles too much and toxic chemical compounds, some of which are carcinogenic, can migrate out of the bottles and into the liquid you put inside of them. It's probably best to use the bottles as they were intended: once. The study results were published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
Read This. You'll Buckle Your Seatbelt Joe R. Thompson III has a new found faith--in God and seatbelts. After losing control of his Jeep on Monday evening in Blue Springs, Missouri, the 18-year-old was catapulted at least 25 feet in the air and landed in utility wires. That saved his life. The Jeep clipped the other car and rolled over as many as five times, ripping off the fiberglass top. Since Thompson was not wearing a seatbelt, he was ejected from the car, flew through the air, and bounced off three power lines. His leg got caught in a wire--either a telephone wire or a grounding wire--and he grabbed with his hands for the other. And then he hung on. For dear life. "I just kept saying a prayer over and over," he told The Associated Press the next day. "God was definitely in control." Since the wires were insulated, he wasn't electrocuted. The driver of the other car, Justin B. Elam, immediately ran over to the Jeep to check on the driver. "I just started saying, 'Dude, turn off my car.' He looked around at first, he couldn't find me. Then he looked up and saw me," Thompson recounted. When authorities called Thompson's father to tell him his son was hanging on for dear life, Joe R. Thompson II rushed to the scene. "I was told he was hanging on for dear life," Joe Thompson II explained to AP. "I didn't know they meant he literally was hanging on for dear life. We asked him how long he could hold on, and he said, 'I can hold on as long as it takes.' His arms were turning blue because it was cold, but otherwise he was fine," the elder Thompson said. "And don't forget, this is a great story to remind people to wear seat belts." You got that right.
THE MOUSE TRAP A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a mouse trap. Retreating to the farmyard the mouse proclaimed the warning: "There is a mouse trap in the house, a mouse trap in the house! "The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mouse trap in the house, a mouse trap in the house!" "I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse," sympathized the pig, "but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers." The mouse turned to the cow. She said, "Like wow, Mr. Mouse. A mouse trap. Like I am in grave danger. Duh...NOT!" So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mouse trap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mouse trap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. His wife's sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well and a few days later she passed away. So many people came for her funeral, that the farmer had the cow slaughtered, to provide meat for all of them to eat. So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a mouse trap in the house, the whole farmyard is at risk. -- Author Unknown
A weary minister returned home and explained to his wife that he had spent all day trying to convince people that it was the duty of the rich to help the poor. "Were you successful?" his wife asked. "Half successful," he answered. "I convinced the poor."
Crash Course: Alfred Hitchcock Scary! Hitchcock's 'Birds' Comes True Nineteen sheep grazing on snow-covered fields in southern Germany were killed by a flock of hungry ravens that swooped down and attacked the animals in a gruesome and bloody scene reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 thriller movie, "The Birds." In that film, aggressive birds tyrannized a small town in the United States by flying in and killing animals and people. "There's a lot of snow in the area. The birds are hungry so they attack my sheep," shepherd Juergen Fritz told Reuters. "I have seen the Hitchcock film. But I'm experiencing it live." Fritz was unable to protect his flock of 500 sheep against the killer birds and has lost about $2,000 so far. "The worst thing is that I can't do anything about it. You're not allowed to shoot the ravens because they are protected animals," he lamented to Reuters. The attackers, which are thought to number 50 or 60, are living in a nearby rubbish site. "It's a full-blown attack on the sheep. They use their beaks, their feet. They pick out the animals' eyes," Dietmar Ernst, a police spokesman in Loerrach, told Reuters. "As soon as one starts the attack, the others all follow. But they're especially aggressive this year." Apparently, such attacks are common when food is scarce So what is Fritz the shepherd going to do? "I'm going to leave this area." Hmmm...isn't that what they did in "The Birds"? It's enough to give you the shivers. The END ************************* LB 59
Boycott the Middle Eastern Oil Importers > > > > I think this is a great idea! > > > > Subject: Boycott the Middle Eastern Oil Importers > > > > The Old Gasoline Problem: Just won't go away but maybe we can help > make a > > difference. > > > > > > > >GASOLINE SOLUTION! > > > > > > > > > > > >We CAN buy gasoline that's not from Middle East. > > > > > >Why didn't George W. think of this? Gas rationing in > > > > > >the 80's worked even though we grumbled about it. > > > > > >It might even be good for us! > > > > > > > > > > > >The Saudis are boycotting American goods. We should > > > > > >return the favor. An interesting thought is to > > > > > >boycott their GAS. Every time you fill up the car, > > > > > >you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of > > > > > >Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don't > > > > > >import their oil from the Saudis. > > > > > > > > > > > >Nothing is more frustrating than the feeling that > > > > > >every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money > > > > > >to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and > > > > > >my friends. > > > > > > > > > > > >I thought it might be interesting for you to know > > > > > >which oil companies are the best > > > > > >to buy gas from and which major companies import > > > > > >Middle Eastern oil. > > > > > > > > > > > >The Largest Importers of Middle Eastern Oil: > > > > > > > > > > > >Shell............................205,742,000 barrels > > > > > >Chevron/Texaco...................144,332,000 barrels > > > > > >Exxon /Mobil.....................130,082,000 barrels > > > > > >Marathon/Speedway................117,740,000 barrels > > > > > >Amoco.............................62,231,000 barrels > > > > > > > > > > > >If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports > > > > > >amount to over $18 BILLION! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Here are some large companies that DO NOT import > > > > > >Middle Eastern oil: > > > > > > > > > > > >Citgo....................0 barrels > > > > > >Sunoco............. ..0 barrels > > > > > >Conoco............. ..0 barrels > > > > > >Sinclair............... 0 barrels > > > > > >BP/Phillips.......... 0 barrels > > > > > >Hess...................0 barrels > > > > > > > > > > > >All of this information is available from the > > > > > >Department of Energy and each is required to state > > > > > >where they get their oil and how much they are > > > > > >importing.They report on a monthly basis. Keep this > > > > > >list in your car; share it with friends. Stop paying > > > > > >for terrorism............. > > > > > > > > > > > >But to have an impact, we need to reach literally > > > > > >millions of gas buyers. It's really simple to do!! > > > > > >Now, don't wimp out at this point...keep reading and > > > > > >I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of > > > > > >people!! > > > > > > > > > > > >I'm sending this note to about thirty people. If > > > > > >each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = > > > > > >300)... and those 300 send it to at least ten more > > > > > >(300 x 10 = 3,000) ... and so on, by the time the > > > > > >message reaches the sixth generation of people, we > > > > > >will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers! If > > > > > >those three million get excited and pass this on to > > > > > >ten friends each, then 30 million people will have > > > > > >been contacted! If it goes one level further, you > > > > > >guessed it..... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!! > > > > > >Again, all you have to do is send this to 10 people. > > > > > >How much would all that take? If each of us sends > > > > > >this e-mail out to ten more people within one day > > > > > >300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted > > > > > >within the next eight days!
In a message dated 2/11/03 7:35:15 PM Pacific Standard Time, nash4077@mail.777.net.cn writes: << We are happy to inform you that we offer an alternative to Bankruptcy. We have an 8-year track record of successfully TERMINATING our client's debt. NOT consolidating, TERMINATING. This is what we can do for you: * Terminate your major credit card debt and unsecured loans. YOU PAY NOTHING!! (No department store cards or gas cards) * STOP harassing phone calls!! * STOP debt collectors dead in their tracks! * STOP making payments immediately! * EMPOWER you to take control of your life. This is NOT a new loan, credit card or a debt consolidation program. Unlike Bankruptcy, this is completely private (no public disclosure) Bankruptcy will damage your credit for 10 years; our program only affects your credit for 9 months. YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR HOME, CARS OR ANY OTHER ASSETS!! We have a 100% Money Back Guarantee. The cost for our services is a one time payment of 1995.00 All forms of Payment Accepted. For additional info call 24 hours 8OO-320-9895 ext 6256
Looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have...... My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning. My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes too, but I can't remember getting E-coli. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets. We played with toy guns, cowboys and Indians, army, cops and robbers, and used our fingers to simulate guns when the toy ones or my BB gun was not available. Some students weren't as smart as others or didn't work hard so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. That generation produced some of the greatest risk-takers and problem-solvers. We had the freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system. We all took gym, not PE... and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now. Flunking gym was not an option... even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym. Every year, someone taught the whole school a lesson by running in the halls with leather soles on linoleum tile and hitting the wet spot. How much better off would we be today if we only knew we could have sued the school system. Speaking of school, we all said prayers and the pledge and stayed in detention after school and caught all sorts of negative attention for the next two weeks. We must have had horribly damaged psyches. I can't understand it. Schools didn't offer 14 year olds an abortion or condoms (we wouldn't have known what either was anyway) but they did give us a couple of aspirin and cough syrup if we started getting the sniffles. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything. I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself. I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, PlayStation, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital cable stations. I must be repressing that memory as I try to rationalize through the denial of the dangers could have befallen us as we trekked off each day about a mile down the road to some guy's vacant lot, built forts out of branches and pieces of plywood, made trails, and fought over who got to be the Lone Ranger. What was that property owner thinking, letting us play on that lot. He should have been locked up for not putting up a fence around the property, complete with a self-closing gate and an infrared intruder alarm. Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed! We played king of the hill on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48 cent bottle of mercurochrome and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat. We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked (physical abuse) ... and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home. Mom invited the door to door salesman inside for coffee, kids choked down the dust from the gravel driveway while playing with Tonka trucks (remember why Tonka trucks were made tough... ..It wasn't so that they could take the rough berber in the family room), and Dad drove a car with leaded gas. Our music had to be left inside when we went out to play and I am sure that I nearly exhausted my imagination a couple of times when we went on two week vacations. I should probably sue the folks now for the danger they put us in when we all slept in campgrounds in the family tent. Summers were spent behind the push lawnmower and I didn't even know that mowers came with motors until I was 13 and we got one without an automatic blade-stop or an auto-drive. How sick were my parents? Of course my parents weren't the only psychos. I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck. To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were f rom a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that we needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How DID we survive?
<< We are happy to inform you that we offer an alternative to Bankruptcy. We have an 8-year track record of successfully TERMINATING our client's debt. NOT consolidating, TERMINATING. This is what we can do for you: * Terminate your major credit card debt and unsecured loans. YOU PAY NOTHING!! (No department store cards or gas cards) * STOP harassing phone calls!! * STOP debt collectors dead in their tracks! * STOP making payments immediately! * EMPOWER you to take control of your life. This is NOT a new loan, credit card or a debt consolidation program. Unlike Bankruptcy, this is completely private (no public disclosure) Bankruptcy will damage your credit for 10 years; our program only affects your credit for 9 months. YOU WILL NOT LOSE YOUR HOME, CARS OR ANY OTHER ASSETS!! We have a 100% Money Back Guarantee. The cost for our services is a one time payment of 1995.00 All forms of Payment Accepted. For additional info call 24 hours 8OO-320-9895 ext 6256
Telemarketers' New Tool Invades Privacy So you think you're so smart, paying $40 for a TeleZapper gadget you installed on your phone to thwart telemarketers' annoying phone calls. Guess what? The telemarketers have a new tool to invade your home privacy that will zap the TeleZapper. (The TeleZapper works by faking the tones of a disconnected number, so the telemarketers' automated dialers hang up.) The Associated Press reports that Castel Inc., which makes the automated dialing programs many telemarketers use, has created a new software program called DirectQuest that is immune to the TeleZapper. Find out how the TeleZapper works. It also has a feature that lets a telemarketer transmit a phone number or text message to residents' caller ID displays, which allows the telemarketer to dodge phone company privacy services that automatically reject phone calls that do not provide caller ID information. This is what this battle has come down to: "It's a privacy arms race," Robert Bulmash of the privacy group Private Citizen, told AP. "The industry is crowing that 'We don't want to call people that don't want to be called,' and at the same time it's calling them." Tips on what to say to telemarketers to make sure they never call you again. Telemarketing is a huge and very profitable business. Telemarketers attempt 104 million calls a day. In 2001, that resulted in sales revenue of $660 billion. Hang on! Help is on the way with the Federal Trade Commission's "Do Not Call" list that will begin accepting names this summer and start operation in the fall. Telemarketers who ignore the list and call phone numbers on it can be fined up to $11,000 for each violation. Most telemarketers will be forbidden to call the homes of people who join a national "do not call" registry under legislation that passed the House of Representatives on February 12. Find out how it works. The END ************************* LB 59
Supreme Court to Hear Telemarketer Case CHICAGO (AP) - The telemarketer's pitch is familiar: Please give money to help a deserving charity. But when all but 15 percent of the money goes to the telemarketer itself, is it really charitable? The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case Monday in which Illinois sued a telemarketer that kept 85 percent of the money it raised on behalf of a veterans organization. ``That's fraud,'' Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said. ``This has crossed the line.'' The problem is, the line has never been explicitly drawn. The charity in the case the high court has agreed to hear, VietNow, had an agreement with Telemarketing Associates Inc. in which the charity got 15 percent of the money and the fund-raiser kept the rest. Illinois sued the marketing company in 1991 on grounds of fraud, but the state Supreme Court dismissed the complaint on free-speech grounds. Lawyers for Telemarketing Associates have argued that the company is protected by the First Amendment, and that states unhappy with such arrangements should go after the charities, not the fund-raisers. Illinois contends that the Constitution does not protect telemarketers that fail to disclose they are keeping most of the money they raise in a charity's name. Telemarketing Associates' argument, ``if you stretch it to its logical conclusion, is that the First Amendment protects fraudulent speech,'' Madigan said. Forty-five states, the Better Business Bureau and the U.S. Department of Justice have filed briefs in support of Illinois' case, but past U.S. Supreme Court rulings have favored companies that solicit money for charities. In 1988, the high court barred states from placing strict regulations on professional, for-profit organizations that solicit charitable contributions. Although charities often use telemarketers that pay them considerably more than the 15 percent VietNow got, many such organizations believe a ruling in favor of the state could hurt their ability to raise money. ``That could be very detrimental for the vast majority of charitable organizations who are honest and ethical in their fund-raising practices,'' said Peter Shiras, interim president of Independent Sector, a coalition of more than 700 charitable groups that filed a brief in support of Telemarketing Associates' case. Shiras says his coalition believes organizations should be held accountable, but that state prosecutors might be able to arbitrarily decide what is fraud if Illinois wins its case. Lawyers for Telemarketing Associates did not return telephone calls seeking comment. The case is Lisa Madigan v. Telemarketing Associates, 01-1806. On the Net: Supreme Court: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/ 03/01/03 13:32
Trivia -------------- 1) How did the ice-cream sundae get its name? - The sundae was created in Evanston, Illinois, in the late nineteenth century to get around a Sabbath ban on selling ice-cream sodas. It was dubbed Sunday but spelled with an "e" instead of a "y" to avoid religious objections. 2) How long are the antlers of the puda, the smallest deer in the world? - They grow up to 3 inched long. The puda, found in northwest and southwest South America, is about 14 inches tall to the shoulder and weighs about 20 lbs. 3) How much does the blue whale, the worlds largest mammal, weigh at birth? - Two tons. Fully grown, it will weigh as much as 150 tons. 4)In the game of badminton, what do we call the thing we hit with the racket? - A Shuttlecock 5)Who played Captain Hook in the film "Hook"? - Dustin Hoffman
Subject: GAS PRICES....PASS IT ON. Join the resistance!!!! We are going to hit close to $3.00 a gallon by the summer. Do you want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. Phillip Hollsworth, offered this good idea: This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around last April or May! The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas. It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT, whoever thought of this idea, has come up with a plan that can really work. Please read it and join with us! By now you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $1.50 is super cheap. It is currently $1.97 for regular unleaded. Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at $1.50-$1.75, we need to take aggressive action to teach them that BUYERS control the marketplace....not the sellers. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take action. The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we hit someone in the pocketbook by not purchasing their gas! And we can do that WITHOUT hurting ourselves. How? Since we all rely on our cars, we can't just stop buying gas. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together to force a price war. **************************************************************** Here's the idea: For the rest of this year, DON"T purchase ANY gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), EXXON and MOBIL. If they are not selling any gas, they will be inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other companies will have to follow suit. ******************************************************************* But to have an impact, we need to reach literally million! s of Exxon and Mobil gas buyers. It's really simple to do!! Now, at this point... keep reading and I'll explain how simple it is to reach millions of people!! I am sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at least ten more (30 x 10 = 300)... and those 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) ... and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will have reached over THREE MILLION consumers! If those three million get excited and pass this on to ten friends each, then 30 million people will have been contacted! If it goes one level further, you guessed it...... THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE!!! Again,all you have to do is send this to 10 people and DON"T purchase ANY gasoline from EXXON and MOBIL.That's all. If you don't understand how we can reach 300 million and all you have to do is send this to 10 people.... well, let's face it, you just aren't a mathematician. But I am... so trust me on this one. How long would all that take? If each of us sends this email out to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 MILLION people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!! I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you! Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on. PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $1.30 RANGE AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK
You Won't Believe This Phone Bill! There's no avoiding taxes and death--and apparently phone bills. David Towles, who passed on to his great reward in December 1997 at the age of 60, received a Sprint phone bill last week. For 12 cents. For a call he (supposedly) made on February 16, five years after he died. Sprint did a good job of tracking him down to try to get their 12 cents. The address was right: Hillside Cemetery, Evergreen Section, Auburn, Mass. 01501. The END ************************* LB 59
Dick Forrey, Vietnam Veterans >Association > >We asked our local Target store >to be a sponsor of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall >during our >spring recognition event. We >received back a reply from Target management that >"veterans do not >meet our area of giving. We only >donate to the areas of the arts, social actions, gay >and lesbian >causes, and education." > >" My thought: If the Vietnam >Veterans Memorial Wall and veterans in general, do not >meet their >donation criteria, something is >wrong at Target. We were not asking for thousands of >dollars, not even >hundreds, but simply sponsorship >of an endorsement for a "memorial remembrance." > >As follow-up, I E-mailed the >corporate headquarters and their response was the >same. Personally, I will >NOT be purchasing anything at >Target Stores again. If the Vietnam Veteran or >Veterans in general do >not meet their area of giving, >then why should I, as a Vietnam veteran, spend my hard >earned money >in their stores? > >Please pass this on to as many >people as you know. > >Sincerely, > >Veterans Helping Veterans > >PS: Target will also not allow >the Marines to collect for Toys For Tots during the >holidays > >
This is quite thought provoking! > > Satan's Meeting (read even if you're busy) > > Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In > > his opening address he said, > > "We can't keep Christians from going to church." > > "We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and > > knowing the truth." > > "We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with > > their savior." "Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our > > power over them is broken." > > "So let them go to their churches; let them have > > their covered Dish dinners, but steal their time, so > > they don't have time to develop a relationship with > > Jesus Christ." "This is what I want you to do", said > > the devil. "Distract them from gaining hold of > > their Savior and maintaining that vital connection > > throughout their day!" > > "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted. "Keep > > them busy in the nonessentials of life and invent > > innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he > > answered. > > "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, > > borrow, borrow. Persuade the wives to go to work for > > long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each > > week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their > > empty lifestyles. > > Keep them from spending time with their children. As > > their families fragment, soon, their homes will > > offer no escape from the pressures of work!" > > "Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear > > that still, small voice." > > "Entice them to play the radio or cassette player > > whenever they drive...to keep the TV, VCR, CDs and > > their PCs going constantly in their home and see to > > it that every store and restaurant in the world > > plays non-biblical music constantly. This will jam > > their minds and break that union with Christ." > > "Fill the coffee tables with magazines and > > newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours > > a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. > > Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order > > catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter > > and promotional offering free products, services and > > false hopes." > > "Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and > > TV so their husbands will believe that outward > > beauty is what's important, and they'll become > > dissatisfied with their wives Keep the wives too > > tired to love their husbands at night. Give them > > headaches too! If they don't give their husbands the > > love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere." > > "That will fragment their families quickly!" > > "Give them Santa Claus to distract them from > > teaching their children the real meaning of > > Christmas. Give them an Easter bunny so they won't > > talk about his resurrection and power over sin and > > death." > > "Even in their recreation, let them be > > excessive...have them return from their recreation > > exhausted. Keep them too busy to go out in nature > > and reflect on God's creation. Send them to > > amusement parks!, sporting events, plays, concerts, > > and movies instead." > > "Keep them busy, busy, busy!" > > "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, leave > > with troubled consciences." > > "Crowd their lives with so many good causes they > > have no time to seek power from Jesus. Soon they > > will be working in their own strength, sacrificing > > their health and family for the good of the cause." > > "It will work!" > > "It will work!" > > It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to > > their assignments causing Christians everywhere to > > Having little time for their God or their families. > > Having no time to tell others about the power of > > Jesus to change lives. I guess the question is, has > > the devil been successful at his scheme? > > You be the judge! Does "busy" mean: > > B-eing > > U-nder > > S-atan's > > Y-oke? > > Pass this on, if you aren't too BUSY! > > > > Thank GOD, I wasn't too busy to pass this on!! Hope > > you enjoyed it now have a blessed day!
Passenger Finds Chilling Note In Luggage By Cathryn Conroy, CompuServe News Editor On March 2, Seth Goldberg of Cranbury, New Jersey took a flight from Seattle to San Diego. Inside his suitcase were two "No War with Iraq" signs that he had picked up while he was in Seattle. When Goldberg opened his luggage after he reached San Diego, he found a card inside notifying him that the bag had been opened and searched. That's standard procedure. Nothing unusual there. What was unusual was the handwritten note on the card, apparently from the Transportation Security Administration baggage handler who did the inspection. The note said: "Don't appreciate your anti-American attitude!" It's not just your luggage that's being inspected. Find out what else the government knows about you when you travel. Goldberg told The Associated Press, "I found it chilling and a little Orwellian to have received this message." He's sure it was the baggage handler who did it since the suitcase's zipper pulls were sealed with nylon straps when he claimed it, which indicates an inspection. AP reports that federal TSA officials are investigating. If a TSA employee placed the note, "we will take appropriate and swift action," TSA spokesman Brian Turmail told AP. "That is not appropriate behavior and not within the very high expectations we hold...and that the American public has a right to expect." Smart packing means less hassle at the airport. Packing tips from the TSA. Meanwhile, Goldberg explained why he picked up the signs in Seattle. "In New Jersey there's very little in the way of protest, and when I got to Seattle I was amazed how many anti-war signs were up in front of houses."
True Story... > > > > > > > >At the prodding of my friends, I am writing this story. > > > >My name is Mildred Hondorf. I am a former elementary > > > >school music teacher from Des Moines, Iowa. I've > > > >always supplemented my income by teaching piano > > > >lessons-something I've done for over 30 years. > > > > > > > >Over the years I found that children have many levels > > > >of musical ability. I've never had the pleasure of having > > > >a protege though I have taught some talented students. > > > >However I've also had my share of what I call "musically > > > >challenged" pupils. > > > > > > > >One such student was Robby. Robby was 11 years old > > > >when his mother (a single Mom) dropped him off for his > > > >first piano lesson. I prefer that students (especially boys) > > > >begin at an earlier age, which I explained to Robby. But > > > >Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to > > > >hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student. > > > > > > > >Well, Robby began with his piano lessons and from the > > > >beginning I thought it was a hopeless endeavor. As much > > > >as Robby tried, he lacked the sense of tone and basic > > > >rhythm needed to excel. But he dutifully reviewed his > > > >scales and some elementary pieces that I require all my > > > >students to learn. > > > > > > > >Over the months he tried and tried while I listened and > > > >cringed and tried to encourage him. At the end of each > > > >weekly lesson he'd always say, My mom's going to hear > > > >me play someday. But it seemed hopeless. He just did > > > >not have any inborn ability. I only knew his mother from > > > >a distance as she dropped Robby off or waited in her > > > >aged car to pick him up. She always waved and smiled > > > >but never stopped in. > > > > > > > >Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons. I > > > >thought about calling him but assumed, because of his > > > >lack of ability, that he had decided to pursue something > > > >else. I also was glad that he stopped coming. He was a > > > >bad advertisement for my teaching! > > > > > > > >Several weeks later I mailed to the student's homes a flyer > > > >on the upcoming recital. To my surprise Robby (who received > > > >a flyer) asked me if he could be in the recital. I told him that > > > >the recital was for current pupils and because he had dropped > > > >out he really did not qualify. He said that his Mom had been > > > >sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still > > > >practicing. "Miss Hondorf...I've just got to play!" he insisted. > > > > > > > >I don't know what led me to allow him to play in the recital. > > > >Maybe it was his persistence or maybe it was something > > > >inside of me saying that it would be all right. The night for > > > >the recital came. The high school gymnasium was packed > > > >with parents, friends and relatives. I put Robby up last in > > > >the program before I was to come up and thank all the > > > >students and play a finishing piece. I thought that any > > > >damage he would do would come at the end of the program > > > >and I could always salvage his poor performance through my > > > >"curtain closer." > > > > > > > >Well the recital went off without a hitch. The students had > > > >been practicing and it showed. Then Robby came up on stage. > > > >His clothes were wrinkled and his hair looked like he'd run an > > > >eggbeater through it. "Why didn't he dress up like the other > > > >students?" I thought. "Why didn't his mother at least make > > > >him comb his hair for this special night?" > > > > > > > >Robby pulled out the piano bench and he began. I was surprised > > > >when he announced that he had chosen Mozart's Concerto #21 > > > >in C Major. > > > > > > > >I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light > > > >on the keys, they even danced nimbly on the ivories. He went > > > >from pianissimo to fortissimo...from allegro to virtuoso. His > > > >suspended chords that Mozart demands were magnificent! > > > > > > > >Never had I heard Mozart played so well by people his age. > > > >After six and a half minutes he ended in a grand crescendo > > > >and everyone was on their feet in wild applause. > > > > > > > >Overcome and in tears I ran up on stage and put my arms > > > >around Robby in joy. "I've never heard you play like that > > > >Robby! How'd you do it?" Through the microphone Robby > > > >explained: "Well Miss Hondorf...remember I told you my Mom > > > >was sick? Well, actually she had cancer and passed away > > > >this morning. And well....she was born deaf so tonight was > > > >the first time she ever heard me play. I wanted to make it special." > > > > > > > >There wasn't a dry eye in the house that evening. As the people > > > >from Social Services led Robby from the stage to be placed into > > > >foster care, I noticed that even their eyes were red and puffy > > > >and I thought to myself how much richer my life had been for > > > >taking Robby as my pupil. > > > > > > > >No, I've never had a protege but that night I became a protege... > > > >of Robby's. He was the teacher and I was the pupil For it is he > > > >that taught me the meaning of perseverance and love and > > > >believing in yourself and maybe even taking a chance in > > > >someone and you don't know why. > > > > > > > >This is especially meaningful to me since after serving in > > > >Desert Storm, Robby was killed in the senseless bombing of > > > >the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in April > > > >of 1995, where he was reportedly....playing the piano.
