Good Morning:  It's Tuesday October 2, 2001!

TODAY IS Phileas Fogg's Wager Day, from Jules Verne's "Around the World in Eighty Days".

BIRTHDAYS:  Nat Turner (slave insurrectionist), 1800;  Mahatma Gandhi (leader of the Indian independence movement), 1869; Groucho Marx, 1890; Spanky McFarland, 1928; Rex Reed, 1940; Don McLean, 1945; Charlie Brown (cartoon character), 1950; Sting (the singer), 1951.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY:

On this date in 1535 French explorer Jacques Cartier landed at what is now Montreal.

On this date in 1794 men stopped powdering their hair, ending a practice that had been in style for 100 years.  Still in fashion, however, was hair worn in long, simple braids called "queues" and tied with black ribbons.

On this date in 1810 the first Harvest Fair took place in Pittsfield, Mass.

On this date in 1835 the first battle of the Texas Revolution took place as American settlers defeated a Mexican cavalry.

On this date in 1866 the first tin can with a key opener was patented by J. Osterhoudt in New York City.

On this date in 1950 "Peanuts" premiered.  It appeared in just 9 newspapers back then, but today the trials and tribulations of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, and Woodstock can be found in over 2,000 worldwide.  It continues to be one of my favorites!

On this date in 1959 Rod Serling first beckoned Americans into the "Twilight Zone".

On this date in 1967 Thurgood Marshall became the first black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

On this date in 1985 Rock Hudson died of AIDS.  Shirley (Mrs. Pat) Boone rushed into his house, grabbed his legs, and "spoke in tongues" for a half hour in a futile effort to resurrect him.

On this date in 1988 Bobby McWaters and Ed Vantright completed 146.25 hours of nonstop tennis.

On this date in 1990 the Senate confirmed the Supreme Court nomination of Justice David H. Souter.

MEANINGLESS FACTS:  Queen Marie Anne, mother of 4-year-old King Charles II, closed every theatre in Spain for 11 years on the theory that his subjects should not be permitted pleasure denied to their monarch -- who was too young to understand plays... "Paby" Salas of Monterrey, Mexico, at the age of 51 lifted a 100 lb. dumbbell 100 times in 15 minutes, 10 seconds... Ginery Twitchell (1811-1883), a mail rider, traveled by horseback from Worcester, Mass. to Hartford, Conn. -- a distance of 60 miles -- in 3 hours and 20 minutes -- through snow 2 feet deep on January 23, 1846.  Believe it, or not.

TRIVIA:  In the Bible, who cooked and ate a fish out-of-doors?

     James Earl Carter, former President of the United States, provides our thought for the day:  "The experience of democracy is like the experience of life itself - always changing, infinite in its variety, sometimes turbulent and all the more valuable for having been tested by adversity."

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Thanks to PW:  Friendship Test
 
This is a test of the Emergency Friendship System forward it (and to me too I hope)

        ....... A Friend....

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you

(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
 
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life

(N)ever Judges
(O)ffer support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits

(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you

(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality
 
OK THIS IS A TEST TO SEE HOW MANY FRIENDS YOU HAVE!!!! PASS IT ON TO EVERYONE YOU CONSIDER A FRIEND OR WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AS A FRIEND. SEE HOW MANY TIMES YOU GET IT BACK!!

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Thanks to BC:  Thought for today...

Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed.

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From Andy Chapps:  Ode to the good old days! (How Old Am I? )

One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.

He asked what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The granddad replied, "Well, let me think a minute. I was born before TV, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens.

Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers. Clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air.

Your grandmother and I got married first and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother.

Every boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him how to use and respect. They went hunting and fishing together.

Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, 'Sir' After I turned 25, I called policemen and every man with a title, 'Sir.'

Sundays were set aside for going to church, helping those in need, and visiting with family or neighbors.

We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living here was a bigger privilege.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together, not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the  President's speeches on our radios. I don't remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

If anything said "Made in Japan',' it was junk.

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.

Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards. You could buy a new Chevy for $600. Gas was 11 cents a gallon.

'Grass' was mowed, 'coke' was a cold drink, 'pot' was something your mother cooked in, and 'rock music' was your grandmother's lullaby. 'Aids' were helpers in the Principal's office, 'chip' meant a piece of wood, 'hardware' was found in a hardware store, and 'software' wasn't even a word.

We were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap. How old do you think I am - ????

This man would be only 59 years old.

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ANSWER:  Jesus cooked and ate a fish out-of-doors:  John 21:9-15 -- "As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon and bread... Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine... So when they had dined..."

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Good Morning:  It's Wednesday October 3, 2001!

SPECIAL ENON BIRTHDAY:  Happy Birthday to Jesse Brown!

BIRTHDAYS:  George Bancroft, 1800; Sir Patrick Manson (British physician who discovered the mosquito's role in the spread of malaria), 1844; Gertrude Berg, 1899; James Herriott (author), 1916; Molly Cone (children's author), 1918; Gore Vidal, 1925; Madlyn Rhue, 1934; Chubby Checker, 1941; Lindsey Buckingham, 1947; Dave Winfield, 1951; Dennis Eckersley, 1954.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY:

On this date in 1632 the Massachusetts Bay General Court forbade the public use of tobacco.

On this date in 1789, President George Washington proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving Day.  It was to be observed on November 26th in honor of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.

On this date in 1851 a boa constrictor at the London Zoo swallowed a blanket, which it disgorged more than 3 weeks later.

On this date in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.

On this date in 1876 Johns Hopkins University opened in Baltimore.

On this date in 1942 America's first turbojet plane, the XP-59-A Airacomet, made its maiden flight in Muroc, California, going over 400 miles per hour at an altitude of 40,000 feet.  Because the plane, the direct ancestor of all American jet aircraft, was being tested under top wartime security, fake propellers were attached to its nose whenever it was on the ground so onlookers (who could have been enemy agents) wouldn't realize it was an innovative new type of aircraft.

On this date in 1951 Bobby Thomson's ninth-inning home run in the final playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers lifted the New York Giants to the National League pennant.

On this date in 1955 Annette slapped on her first pair of giant ears as "The Mickey Mouse Club" hit the airwaves.

On this date in 1960 "The Andy Griffith Show" premiered.

On this date in 1986 "L.A. Law" premiered on television.

On this date in 1990 East and West Germany were formally reunified after 45 years of division.

MEANINGLESS FACTS:  George Wythe (1726-1806), one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, was the first Professor of Law in America (College of William and Mary, 1779)... The Church of Balmaghie, Scotland, had a great swarm of bees nesting in its rafters for a century -- yet no member of the congregation was ever stung.  After exactly 100 years the bees disappeared and never returned... Dr. Josiah Bartlett (1729-1795), who cast the first vote for the Declaration of Independence, was the father of 3 doctors and the grandfather of 7 doctors.  Believe it, or not.

TRIVIA:  What food were Hebrews allowed to sell to foreigners but not permitted to eat themselves?

     "Be the change you want to see in the world" (Mohandas Gandhi, 1869 - 1948).

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From GCFL:

I was teaching my 4-year-old daughter how to unbuckle her seat belt. She asked, "Do I click the square?"

I said, "Yes."

She asked, "Single click or double click?"

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From PackyHumor (think about it...)

The company where my brother worked had a phone system that rerouted after-hours calls. If any calls came in on a certain line while he was working late, Dave knew it would be a wrong number.

It got to the point where, as soon as the phone rang, Dave would pick up and say, "Psychic Hotline. I'm sorry, but you've dialed the wrong number."

The callers would often reply with something like, "I didn't even ask to speak to anyone yet. How did you know I dialed the wrong...Oh!" (Click)

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Thanks to JLLH and LBS:  THE SLIDE RULE

A father took his two sons, ages seven and five to the playground.  The seven-year-old was very proud as he was able to read the sign with all the rules to his brother.  "Do not jump on the merry-go-round when in motion." "Go down the slide while sitting only." "Only one child on a swing at a time."  There were about twenty rules and the boys promised to obey them all, if the father would trust them and let them play without standing by. They said that they were too old to be watched and their friends would tease them calling them babies if Dad stayed.  He made them promise to be good and obey the rules, and left them.

When it was time to get the children, the father decided to watch them at a distance  for a while to see how reliable they were in following his instructions.  He found that they obeyed most of the printed instructions. That is, all but one.  They would get on the tall semicircular slide and go down head first or backward.  Angrily, he picked up the children and took them over to the posted regulations and made his seven-year-old read them aloud again.  Then he asked them what they had to say for themselves. The five-year-old answered immediately:  "Don't be silly Dad, you're the one who told us there's no use for a slide rule anymore."
Some of you younger readers will be asking, "What's a slide rule?"  I have to admit I often used one in college rather than a calculator (primarily because it cost over $100 to get a calculator that would do logarithms!). Of course, I also typed my term papers on a portable typewriter, and was thrilled when "Pong" was invented! (you younger readers may need to talk to your parents to fully understand today's message).

Things have changed.  There isn't much use for a slide rule anymore, any more than we need an abacus to count.  Some things don't change, though. Numbers are the same, whether they are calculated on a slide rule or a scientific calculator.
It's much the same way in religion.  Our methods of teaching people may change.  We may use television or radio (or e-mail!), methods that were unheard of 100 years ago.  But the message cannot change.  It must be God's Word.

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Thanks to HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH EZINE:  SOMEWHERE

….A mother is trying to make up her mind whether to let a surgeon do an operation on her only child that may take her life.

….A man whose son didn't come home last night is walking through a door marked "City Morgue."

….A man is sitting on his bed toying with a pistol while his wife is shrieking at him from the bottom of the stairs to come down and explain his recent whereabouts.

….A wife whose marriage has "gone on the rocks" is on a street corner flirting with a man she knows will destroy her fidelity.

….A young woman is being wheeled into the delivery room from which she knows that mother or child, not mother and child, will be wheeled out.

….A tired doctor is shaking his head and saying, "terminal cancer."

….And…a contented "Christian" is staying at home deciding against going to worship services, because after all, he doesn't really have anything to be thankful for.

-Anon. Write [email protected] to subscribe

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ANSWER:  The food that was to be sold to foreigners but not eaten by Hebrews -- Deuteronomy 14:21 -- anything that died of itself:  "Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself:  thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien:  for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God..."

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