Good Morning: It's Wednesday
April 25, 2001!
BIRTHDAYS: Oliver Cromwell, 1599; Guglielmo Marconi,
1874; Harold Lloyd, 1894; Edward R. Murrow, 1908; Ella Fitzgerald, 1918;
Meadowlark Lemon, 1932; Al Pacino, 1940; Talia Shire, 1946.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY:
On this date in 1898, in response to her action against
us yesterday, the U.S. formally declared war on Spain.
On this date in 1901 New York became the first state
to require license plates on cars.
On this date in 1945 U.S. and U.S.S.R. troops met in
friendship. As the Second World War neared its end, American and
Soviet soldiers met at the Elbe River.
On this date in 1945 also the United Nations Conference
opened.
MEANINGLESS FACTS: The first automobile to offer
seat belts was the 1950 Nash... The Mayflower was just over 106 feet long
and carried 102 Pilgrims... After the original thirteen states, Vermont
was the next state to be admitted in 1791.
TRIVIA: Who is Martin Waldseemuller and why should
we remember him?
Russell Baker said, "Is fuel
efficiency really what we need most desperately? I way what we really
need is a car that can be shot when it breaks down." It probably
wouldn't catch on... On to the real stuff!
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Thanks to LBS: Saddam and George
Saddam Hussein and George Bush meet up in Baghdad for
the first round of talks in a new peace process. When George sits down,
he notices three buttons on the side of Saddam's chair. They begin talking.
After about five minutes Saddam presses the First Button. A boxing glove
springs out of a box and hits George in the face.
Confused, Bush carries on talking as Saddam laughs. A
few minutes latter a second button is pressed. This time a big boot comes
out and kicks George in the shin. again, Saddam laughs, and again Bush
carries on talking, not wanting to put off the bigger issue of peace between
the two countries. But when the third button is pressed and another boot
comes out and kicks George in the privates, he's finally had enough, knowing
that he can't do much without them functioning well. "I'm going back home!"
he tells the Iraqi. "We'll finish this in two weeks at my place."
Two weeks pass and Saddam flies to the United States
for talks. As the two men sit down, Hussein notices three buttons on Bush's
chair and prepares himself for the Yank's revenge. They begin talking and
George pushes a button, Saddam ducks, but nothing happens. The corner of
George's mouth curls up just a little. A few seconds later he presses the
second button. Saddam jumps up, but again nothing happens. Bush breaks
into a full grin. When a third button is pressed, Saddam jumps up again,
and again nothing happens. Bush falls on the floor laughing. "Forget this,"
Saddam says. "I'm going back to Baghdad!" Bush breaks into a full laugh
and says, "What Baghdad?"
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Thanks to M/M Riverrat: A great story .....
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law,
and four-year grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was
blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But
the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult.
Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk
spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated
with the mess.
"We must do something about Grandfather," said the son.
"I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor".
So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather
ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather
had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the
family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his
eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him
were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old
watched it all in silence.
One evening before supper, the father noticed his son
playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What
are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a
little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up." The four-year-old
smiled and went back to work.
The words so struck the parents that they were speechless.
Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken,
both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's
hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of
his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither
husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk
spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe,
their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they
absorb.
If they see us patiently providing a happy home atmosphere
for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their
lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are
being laid for the child's future. Let's be wise builders and role models.
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Thanks to LBS: It is amazing how evil our nation
is becoming!! L.B. Here is one of my poems on the subject
I am not a prophet, nor am I a prophet's son,
But--the demise of the U.S.A. surely has already
begun.
The U.S.A., as I've known it, has faded into the past,
And the coming of the demise, through evil, has been
cast.
When murder has become so meaningless that we're killing
our unborn,
And aiding many of our elderly to die, our future becomes
forlorn.
When homosexuals and lesbians roam the streets at will,
When "so called" christian churches allow their pernicious
swill;
When lying and cheating are rampant among the rulers
of our land,
And divorce is the rule of the day, and crime has the
upper hand;
When sinful pleasure is increasing and morality has decayed,
Before the almighty hand of GOD, the cost cannot be defrayed.
Ancient Rome is a prime example and pre-Christ Israel,
as well.
They both faded out of existence, for GOD had sounded
their death knell.
Do you think the U.S. of A. is any better than either
of them,
When we turn to sin and dis-obey those good moral laws
from HIM?
SO---even though I'm no prophet, nor am I a prophet's
son,
History should teach us a lesson--that sin, we should
always shun.
For, if we fail to live morally and commit such heinous
sins,
If we fail to turn our lives back to GOD and, our evil,
we fail to cleanse,
We haven't learned history's lesson--and history will
never defeat itself,
Then man, in his sinful folly, will always help it to
repeat itself.
By L. B. Strawn
March 30,
1996
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ANSWER: Simply put, Martin Waldseemuller is the
guy who gave America its name. A German mapmaker and geographer,
Waldseemuller was under the impression that Amerigo Vespucci had discovered
the New World and so named the land in his honor. We should be grateful...
he could have named us Vespucci or even after himself, in which case we
would be singing "Waldseemullerland the Beautiful".
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