From Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda......

From one pumpkin to another!!!!!!!

A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"

The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin." God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff.

He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see."

 

You know you are living in 2005 when.......

You know you are living in 2005 when.......

1. You accidentally enter your password on the
microwave.

2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in
years.

3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your
family of 4.

4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to
you.

5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends
and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.

6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell
phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in
the groceries.

7. Every commercial on television has a web site at
the bottom of the screen.

8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which
you didn't have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of
your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn
around to go and get it.

10. You get up in the morning and go on line before
getting your coffee.

11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )

12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.

13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going
to forward this message.

14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this
list.

15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there
wasn't a #9 on this list.

Had a great weekend...

On Saturday, we got to see Phil and Austyn and on Sunday, Heather, Madison, and Andrew came over. How blessed we are to be able to see the grandkids grow... this is a nice place to be in life and it is even nicer that we are all so close...

Jonathan called and had a very busy week. He has been taking photos for the website of his employer... The Chickasaw Nation, and has many online now. The Chickasaw's had their annual meeting and it is a very important event. On Saturday, he and Randi and Kaitlyn spent the day there, before being rained out.

Hey... Tammy... we finally got the Mud Shower cleaned!!! haha... supposed to do that how many years ago??? haha....

I had to hire some hay put up, and they got it half done before the rains set in.... story of my life!

Hope everyone is doing ok... Heather is doing a bit better, or she was in a better mood... hahah Sunday...

from a friend of mine...... new church bells in the new church

new church bells in the new church

the days are kind of quiet in a small country town.
nothing much happens that would be called grand.
the peaceful serenity that the folks get used to
is about to be shattered by a grand clangging of bells.
today is sunday and the people gather 'round
to see a new building that is ready to be blessed.
a new church has been built and folks all over begin to cheer.
then the cheering subsides and the people wait.
they wait to hear the sound of something wonderful,
the sound of church bells ringing in the air.
the bells are sounded to the delight of all.
the sounds echoes through the valley.
nowhere is there a dry eye to be seen.
the glorious sound of new church bells
ringing from the top of the new church.
the congregation beging to move,
as they enter and sit in the new pews.
the minister stands proudly out in front
and gazes at his congregation.
they all know that the new church bells
signal a new day and a new life.
a new life for the faithful to gather together
and be blessed with hope and optimism.

joseph

Subject: Pasta Diet... From Joanna and Clinton Wilson.. thanks.. smiling.. haha....

Subject: Pasta Diet


ITALIAN PASTA DIET ... IT REALLY WORKS!!



1) You walka pasta da bakery.



2) You walka pasta da candy store.



3) You walka pasta da Ice Cream shop.



4) You walka pasta da table and fridge.



Also:



For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on
nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those
conflicting medical studies



1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.



2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.



3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart
attacks than Americans.



4. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.



5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.



CONCLUSION:
Eat and drink what you like.
Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

J.W. and JaNelle

J.W. and JaNelle ------------ please email us your email addresses...please.... thanks for leaving us a note on blog... It is REALLY GREAT TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL... stan and ann

INSPIRATION FROM TRAGEDY

INSPIRATION FROM TRAGEDY
by: Mike Dowdy

I just returned from a trip to New Jersey. While en route there, I was stuck in traffic on Interstate 81, just below the Virginia state line, (Bristol, Tennessee), due to a traffic accident with a fatality involved. This accident involved a tanker truck hauling a hazardous material load that developed a leak, which meant that we weren't going anywhere for several hours.

After being told by the Tennessee state troopers that we would be sitting still until the clean up was completed, I set my brakes on the truck and got our to stretch my legs. Other truck drivers did the same, and at one point there were 5 of us standing there by my truck, complaining.

Sitting right beside me in the left lane, were two elderly people in a Silverado pick up truck, which was loaded quite well. The man, (Joe), lowered his window and asked what was going on regarding the traffic situation.

Soon we were all talking with this couple. I mentioned that if I had known about this, I would have bought something to drink, (water), for I was becoming thirsty. The lady, (Anna), said that they had plenty of water, and sodas in the cooler in the bed of the truck, and offered everyone present something. While she was back there, she said that she had plenty of tuna salad made up, and asked if we would be interested in a sandwich.

After some urging from Joe, we agreed to a sandwich. While Anna was making the sandwiches on the tailgate of the truck, she was singing like a songbird. To be close to 70, (I guess), she had a remarkable voice.

When she finished making the sandwiches, and putting everything up, Joe raised the tailgate of the truck to close it. I noticed a Mississippi license plate on it. I inquired as to what part of Mississippi they were from. Joe said Biloxi. Knowing that Biloxi had been ravaged also by hurricane Katrina, I asked if they sustained any damage. Joe said that they lost everything but what they had on and what was in the pickup. All of us drivers tried unsuccessfully to pay them for their drinks and the sandwiches. They would have nothing to do with it.

Joe said that their son was living around Harrisonburg, Virginia and that they were going there. He was in the real estate business and that there was a home that became open, and that they were going to start all over there. Staring over at their age would not be easy.

I will soon be 48 years old, and I have to say that I have never eaten a tuna sandwich with side orders of reality and humility. These people lost everything except the pictures, important documents, and some clothes. Joe had managed to get their antique heirloom grandfathers clock into the bed of the truck and Anna got her china and silverware, but that was all. These wonderful people lost practically everything they owned and still would not accept any money for their food and drinks. Joe said that "it was better to give than it is to receive."

They sought refuge behind a block wall that he had built years ago, and they
watched their belongings and their home disappear in the winds of Hurricane
Katrina. Joe said that during all this he had one hand holding onto Anna and the other holding on to God. Their truck and their selves came out of Katrina
unscathed.

As I stated before, Anna was singing a song while making the sandwiches.
The song is titled "I know who holds tomorrow," an old gospel song. She knew
every word, and was quite a gifted singer of it. Have you ever heard it?

The chorus of this song is, “Many things, about tomorrow, I don't seem to
understand. But I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand."

There is no doubt, in my mind, who was holding both their hands.

Forget all of the politics that the news is striving on, and think about people just like Joe and Anna. If you can, help out with the victim’s relief funds. If you cannot, at least offer a prayer for everyone.

I know that these two elderly people got to this old country boy. I will always remember them. Joe and Anna, if by some strange way you or someone you know gets this, and shows it to you, God Bless you!

Mike Dowdy
Hartselle, Alabama

An opinion.... Speak up America! Sheehan has spent her sympathy

Speak up America! Sheehan has spent her sympathy

By Ed Koch, former Mayor, NYC


http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |

Cindy Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in action in Iraq on April 4, 2004, has become the face of the anti-war movement in the United States. While her grief is understandable, her rhetoric is outrageous.


As the mother of a son killed in battle in Iraq, she originally struck a sympathetic chord, whether you supported the war in Iraq or opposed it. One cannot help but empathize with the agony of a bereaved mother. But that has changed over the months, and I believe that many Americans who viewed her with sympathy no longer do so.


Many Americans, myself included, now see her as a person who has come to enjoy the celebratory status accorded to her by the radicals on the extreme left who see America as the outlaw of the world. These radicals are not content to be constructive critics. They are bent on destroying this country.


Some of them want to turn America into a radical socialist state. Others hope to create a utopia. But regardless of their agendas, how can Cindy Sheehan's supporters defend her shameful statement, "This country is not worth dying for."


While we recognize the U.S. is far from perfect, we are still head and shoulders above most other countries in the world in every respect. We remain the place where almost all others, given the chance, want to come to live. We continue to be the land of opportunity. We are the world's leading economy.


Yes, there is far too great a difference between the incomes of the rich and the poor. Yes, we haven't provided universal medical care as a matter of right for all of our citizens. Yes, minorities still suffer from discrimination socially, in housing, jobs and education. But we have a political system that for more than 200 years has allowed the electorate to work its will through regularly held elections. The government follows the will of the people, or it will no longer stay in power..


Those who rail against the United States have simply failed to sell their message to the public at large. They keep losing elections, local as well as national. Rather than broadening their appeal, they have narrowed it.


I supported and still support the war in Iraq, because our Congress and President had every right to rely on the advice of the CIA that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. On Sunday, September 25, 2005, Tim Russert of Meet The Press, summed up the situation prevailing before the war, saying, "…post September 11th, there was a fear of terrorism, an inability to know whether there were weapons of mass destruction by the public or by the media. George W. Bush said there were. Bill and Hillary Clinton said there were. The Russians, French and Germans, who opposed the war, said there were. Hans Blix of the UN said there were."


Iraq had fought an eight-year war against Iran resulting in a million casualties, using poison gas against the Kurds, who were citizens of Iraq, and against the Iranian army. Yes, since the 2003 invasion, we have not found any present supplies of WMD. Nevertheless, based on advice from CIA counterparts advising every member nation of the United Nations Security Council, the Security Council, including Syria, adopted Resolution 1441 unanimously, finding Iraq had weapons of mass destruction for which it had not accounted and advising Iraq that failure to account was cause for war. Iraq refused to account for them to the U.N. We and our allies were right to invade, notwithstanding that other countries, terrified by the prospect of terrorism against them and tempted by corruption at the UN masterminded by Saddam Hussein through the Oil-For-Food program and lucrative vendor contracts with Hussein's regime, did not join us.


As I have often stated, we have accomplished our original goal to prevent Iraq from threatening us or its regional neighbors. We should declare victory and get out. Yes, there probably will be a civil war among the Kurds, Sunni and Shia. If the UN — which is still under a cloud because of the "Oil for Food" scandal — decides to take a military role in Iraq to stop the civil war, we can join them at that time. Having accomplished our original mission, we should no longer be fulfilling the obligations of other countries, such as Germany and France which have had a free ride to date. Even in Afghanistan, the latter NATO allies, do not participate in combat duty, leaving that and the ensuing casualties for the U.S. to bear.


President George W. Bush summed up his views on Iraq when he stated, "When the Iraqi army stands up, the American Army will stand down." I have low expectations of that happening in the immediate future. The estimates provided by the Bush administration on our getting out range from two to ten years. I do not believe we should wait that long, because of the casualties that would be involved. We should get out now, leaving the UN in charge. Although I believe that we should leave Iraq, I do not accept Sheehan's outrageous statements.


Sheehan has joined those who rail against Israel, labeling Israel as the culprit with her comment, "You get America out of Iraq, you get Israel out of Palestine and the terrorism will stop." Is that why Sunni and other terrorists have intentionally killed thousands of Shia civilians, labeling them, according to al-Zarkawi, infidels? Is that why Arab fundamentalists have declared war against all Christians and Jews?


According to Wikipedia, on August 15, 2005, on the Chris Matthews Show, Sheehan said, "she would not have responded differently to her son's death had he died in Afghanistan rather than in Iraq. Sheehan argued that the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan was 'almost the same thing as the Iraq war.'" Remember, the UN Security Council authorized the invasion of Afghanistan and the war against the Taliban government.


Sheehan's personal attacks on President Bush include comments in a speech on April 27, 2005, when she said, "We are not waging a war on terror in this country. We're waging a war of terror. The biggest terrorist in the world is George W. Bush." Shameful.


According to Wikipedia, Sheehan wrote, "Casey was killed in the Global War of Terrorism waged on the world and its own citizens by the biggest terrorist outfit in the world: George and his destructive neo-con cabal."


In an interview on CBS, Sheehan referred to the foreign insurgents coming into Iraq, who are condemned as terrorists even by other Arab countries, as well as the U.S. and Great Britain, as "freedom fighters." On September 16, 2005, she said, "Pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq." On the one hand, she and her supporters urge that the National Guard be brought back from Iraq to be used in New Orleans, and on the other hand, she condemns their use there now.


In addressing a veterans' group on August 5, 2005, she demeaned herself with the use of truly outrageous remarks hurled at the President, describing him as "a lying bastard," "that jerk," "that filth spewer and war monger," and "that evil maniac."


Sheehan appeared this past weekend in Washington, D.C., leading the parade in a picture captured by the media that included Jesse Jackson, Julian Bond and Al Sharpton.


On Monday of this week, while Sheehan and her supporters were in Washington protesting at the White House against the presence of U.S. military forces in Iraq — those forces there at the request of the democratically elected Iraqi government — according to The New York Times, "Armed men dressed as police officers burst into a primary school in a town south of Baghdad on Monday, rounded up five Shiite teachers and their driver, marched them to an empty classroom and killed them, a police official said." Sheehan believes them to be "freedom fighters."


Of course, Sheehan has the right to state her opinion in a country she believes shouldn't be defended. We who disagree with her statements, we who believe this country deserves our thanks, love and willingness to defend it, also have the right to express our views. Speak up, America.

Is this why there was almost NO LOOTING in Texas after Rita??? HUMMMMM 

From Uncle Ivan, "TO MEET SUCH A MAN "...

A Story That Will Surely Touch You

TO MEET SUCH A MAN

I sat, with two friends, in the picture window of a quaint restaurant just off the corner of the town-square. The food and the company were both especially good that day.

As we talked, my attention was drawn outside, across the street. There, walking into town, was a man who appeared to be carrying all his worldly goods on his back. He was carrying,a well-worn sign that read, "I will work for food." My heart sank.

I brought him to the attention of my friends and noticed that others around us had stopped eating to focus on him. Heads moved in a mixture of sadness and disbelief.

We continued with our meal, but his image lingered in my mind. We finished our meal and went our separate ways. I had errands to do and quickly set out to accomplish them. I glanced toward the town square, looking somewhat halfheartedly for the strange visitor. I was fearful, knowing that seeing him again would call some response. I drove through town and saw nothing of him. I made some purchases at a store and got back in my car.

Deep within me, the Spirit of God kept speaking to me: "Don't go back to the office until you've at least driven once more around the square."

Then with some hesitancy, I headed back into town. As I turned the square's third corner, I saw him. He was standing on the steps of the store front church, going through his sack.

I stopped and looked; feeling both compelled to speak to him, yet wanting to drive on. The empty parking space on the corner seemed to be a sign from God: an invitation to park. I pulled in, got out and approached the town's newest visitor.

"Looking for the pastor?" I asked.

"Not really," he replied, "just resting."

"Have you eaten today?"

"Oh, I ate something early this morning"

"Would you like to have lunch with me?"

"Do you have some work I could do for you?"

"No work," I replied. "I commute here to work from the city, but I would like to take you to lunch."

"Sure," he replied with a smile.

As he began to gather his things, I asked some surface questions. Where you headed?"

"St. Louis."

"Where you from?"

"Oh, all over, mostly Florida."

"How long you been walking?"

"Fourteen years," came the reply.

I knew I had met someone unusual. We sat across from each other in the same restaurant I had left earlier. His face was weathered slightly beyond his 38 years. His eyes were dark yet clear, and he spoke with an eloquence and articulation that was startling. He removed his jacket to reveal a bright red T-shirt that said, "Jesus is The Never Ending Story."

Then Daniel's story began to unfold. He had seen rough times early in life. He'd made some wrong choices and reaped the consequences. Fourteen years earlier, while backpacking across the country, he had stopped on the beach in Daytona. He tried to hire on with some men who were putting up a large tent and some equipment. A concert, he thought

He was hired, but the tent would not house a concert but revival services, and in those services he saw life more clearly. He gave his life over to God

"Nothing's been the same since," he said, "I felt the Lord telling me to keep walking, and so I did, some 14 years now"

"Ever think of stopping?" I asked.

"Oh, once in a while, when it seems to get the best of me But God has given me this calling. I give out Bibles. That's what's in my sack. I work to buy food and Bibles, and I give them out when His Spirit leads."

I sat amazed. My homeless friend was not homeless. He was on a mission and lived this way by choice. The question burned inside ! for a moment and then I asked: "What's it like?"

"What?"

"To walk into a town carrying all your things on your back and to show your sign?"

"Oh, it was humiliating at first. People would stare and make comments. Once someone tossed a piece of half-eaten bread and made a gesture that certainly didn't make me feel welcome. But then it became humbling to realize that God was using me to touch lives and change people's concepts of other folks like me."

My concept was changing, too. We finished our dessert and gathered his things. Just outside the door, he paused. He turned to me and said, "Come Ye blessed of my Father and inherit the kingdom I've prepared for you. For when I was hungry you gave me food, when I was thirsty you gave me drink, a stranger and you took me in."

I felt as if we were on holy ground. "Could you use another Bible?" I asked.

He said he preferred a certain translation. It traveled! led well and was not too heavy. It was also his personal favorite. "I've read through it 14 times," he said.

"I'm not sure we've got one of those, but let's stop by our church and see" I was able to find my new friend a Bible that would do well, and he seemed very grateful.

"Where are you headed from here?" I asked.

"Well, I found this little map on the back of this amusement park coupon."

"Are you hoping to hire on there for awhile?"

"No, I just figure I should go there. I figure someone under that star right there needs a Bible, so that's where I'm going next."

He smiled, and the warmth of his spirit radiated the sincerity of his mission. I drove him back to the town-square where we'd met two hours earlier, and as we drove, it started raining. We parked and unloaded his things.

"Would you sign my autograph book?" he asked. "I like to keep messages from folks I meet."

I wrote in his little book that his commitment to his calling had touched my life. I encouraged him to stay strong. And I left him with a verse of scripture from Jeremiah, "I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you; Plans to give you a future and a hope."

"Thanks, man," he said. "I know we just met and we're really just strangers, but I love you."

"I know," I said, "I love you, too." "The Lord is good!"

"Yes, He is. How long has it been since someone hugged you?" I asked.

"A long time," he replied

And so on the busy street corner in the drizzling rain, my new friend and I embraced, and I felt deep inside that I had been changed. He put his things on his back, smiled his winning smile and said, "See you in the New Jerusalem."

"I'll be there!" was my reply.

He began his journey again. He headed away with his sign dangling from his bedroll and pack of Bibles. He stopped, turned and said, "When you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"

"You bet," I shouted back, "God bless."

"God bless." And that was the last I saw of him.

Late that evening as I left my office, the wind blew strong. The cold front had settled hard upon the town. I bundled up and hurried to my car As I sat back and reached for the emergency brake, I saw them... a pair of well-worn brown work gloves neatly laid over the length of the handle I picked them up and thought of my friend and wondered if his hands would stay warm that night without them.

Then I remembered his words: "If you see something that makes you think of me, will you pray for me?"

Today his gloves lie on my desk in my office. They help me to see the world and its people in a new way, and they help me remember those two hours with my unique friend and to pray for his ministry. "See you in the New Jerusalem," he said. Yes, Daniel, I know I will...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I shall pass this way but once. Therefore, any good that I can do or any kindness that I can show, let me do it now, for I shall not pass this way again."


"Father, I ask you to bless my friends, relatives and e-mail buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask you to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through your grace, In Jesus' precious Name Amen."

GOD BLESS YOU MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!

I put up some photos of the morning sky... Hurricane Rita to our south gave us some very beautiful skies this am. We had a cold front to our west with a long "roll" cloud from south to north in the western sky.. and Rita to our south with her fingers stretching out... Enjoy.. oh, and there a few shots of wiley coytee too.. haha.. enjoy..  

Little Boy Blue...

Be sure and check out little Boy Blue....

Jake's Welding Class open house tonight in Stillwater at Merdian Tech.

Great time had by all. Here is some photos from the night! Enjoy!

Hummmmmmmm... so true.. From Uncle Ivan...

from La....

Those of us in La. know who screwed up this disaster. Our Governor, the levee
board, the Corps of Engineers and the New Orleans Mayor are primarily to
blame with the incompetence of FEMA being secondary.

By the way, things have improved significantly. We give credit to our armed
forces who have taken the pressure off of local law enforcement allowing them
to regain control of our cities. I've often wondered why New Orleans police
have a reputation for being tough, no nonsense guys -- I now understand.

The looting here has been bad. You won't see it on TV, since we're not even
close to being newsworthy considering all the deprivation, death and suffering
being reported.

Our parish took in the first 600 evacuees, and put them up in one of our
brand new high schools located next to I-10. In l0 hours they had trashed the
school, torn out urinals, ripped the bleachers out of the gym and trashed the
classrooms and computers.

We moved them, plus 600 more to a place across the Interstate at an expo
center.

By Tuesday night, there were 3 car jackings and 3 armed robberies. So we had
to call in our deputies, police and Nat'l Guard troops to guard the evacuees.

Most of our law enforcement had been down in NO working the rescue mission.
The same stories apply to Baton Rouge, only multiply the numbers 10 fold. My
godson/nephew is the chief of the K-9 Department in Shreveport, 250 miles north
of Baton Rouge. He had been in NO working on the rescue till now, except he
has been called back to Shreveport tonight to protect against the looting there.

Mandy works for a doctor in a clinic next to our small hospital in Gonzales.
It's situated across the Interstate from the evacuee center. At 11 AM
yesterday (Thursday), the police locked down the hospital and the
clinic to protect them from looters. The clinic closed down at 2 PM and the
medical staff got escorts out of the vicinity.

The national news seems to carry a constant theme of Louisiana politicians
crying "shame, shame America". "Where's the government?" It's the mantra de
jour.

Our governor had the power to declare martial law and commandeer school buses
to evacuate the NO folks. She did not. Her news conferences are unscheduled,
unformatted ramblings, punctuated with tears and calls for help and
prayers......but not much information or direction. She has been noticeably absent from
sight today since the President toured.

Maybe I can't see the forest for the trees here, but I don't want any of you
"Americans out there" to accept any blame for the lack of immediate response
when it was clearly the responsibility of local and state government officials.

Frank H. Kean, III
1614 LaSalle Parc Baton Rouge, La. 70806

You have to love grandma's... from Heather..

The doctor that had been seeing an 80-year-old woman for most of her life finally retired. At her next checkup, the new doctor told her to bring a list of all the medicines that had been prescribed for her.

As the young doctor was looking through these, his eyes grew wide as he realized she had a prescription for birth control pills. "Mrs.Smith, do you realize these are BIRTH CONTROL pills?

"Yes, they help me sleep at night."

"Mrs. Smith, I assure you there is absolutely NOTHING in these that could possibly help you sleep!"

She reached out and patted the young Doctor's knee. "Yes, dear, I know that. But every morning, I grind one up and mix it in the glass of orange juice that my 16 year old granddaughter drinks... And believe me, it helps me sleep at night.

You gotta like Grandmas

Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda send this prayer for all..

This prayer is powerful, and prayer is one of the best gifts we receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.
Let us continue to pray for one another.


The Prayer:


Father, I ask You to bless my friends, relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of Your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit at this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self-doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace. Bless their homes, families, finances, their goings and their comings In Jesus' precious name.


Amen

From Heather... Letter From WWII Soldier Reaches Home

Letter From WWII Soldier Reaches Home
Son Thanked Parents For Birthday Gift

POSTED: 11:38 am CDT September 15, 2005

POOLE, Neb. -- More than 60 years after he sent it, the final letter
written by a soldier killed in World War II has made it home.

The letter somehow landed inside a newspaper dated 1915.

Nebraskan Gary Mathis found it after he bought a box of old newspapers
at a yard sale in Kansas. The letter's envelope had military post office
markings dated March 6, 1944.

Mathis ran an announcement and a picture of the letter in a local
newspaper, and word of mouth got to the soldier's sister.

Louise Kisling said her brother, Clinton Krotz, was an infantry soldier
in Italy during the war. He was killed in action about two months after
the date on the letter.

In the letter, Krotz thanked his parents for a wristwatch they had sent
as a birthday gift, as well as some candy and nuts.

Kisling said her only disappointment is that her parents never got to
see the letter.

Ms. Madison Ann Blankinship at 4 months and 10 days!

Lookie who came to see us last night!! Yelp, Ms. Madison came to visit last night, before the storms moved in, while mom and dad were practicing their baseball in town. She is a hoot. She can now almost get her legs under her enough to crawl, which will happen soon, I bet. She can turn over by herself and then turn back over. I was taking pics of her trying to do all this last night. You can see how she can get her legs under her in the new photos ... check them out.. enjoy the day!  

Hummm....haha.. from Heather Ann....,

I was sitting in a cafeteria recently, next to a woman who was engrossed in her newspaper.

One of the headlines blared: "12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed."

She shook her head at the sad news.

Then, turning to me, she asked, ";How many is a Brazilian?"

Ground Beef..... or.... Ground Turkey??? Check this chart out... for the FACTS... 

Duct tape or a nail... or.... from Uncle Ivan

Duct Tape or a Nail

A man dies and goes to heaven.

Of course, St. Peter meets him at the Pearly Gates.

St. Peter says, "Here's how it works.

You need 100 points to make it into heaven.

You tell me all the good things you've done,

and I give you a certain number of points for each item,

depending on how good it was.

When you reach 100 points, you get in."

"Okay," the man says,

"I was married to the same woman for 50 years

and never cheated on her, even in my heart."

"That's wonderful," says St.Peter, "that's worth three points!"

"Three points?" he says. "Well, I attended church all my life

and supported its ministry with my tithe and service."

"Terrific!" says St.Peter. "That's certainly worth a point."

"One point!?!!"

"I started a soup kitchen in my city and worked in a
shelterfor homeless veterans."

"Fantastic, that's good for two more
points," he says.

"Two points!?!! "Exasperated, the man cries.

"At this rate the only way I'll get into heaven is by the grace of God."

"Bingo, 100 points! Come on in!"

We often try to fix problems with WD-40 and duct tape or baling wire.

God did it with a nail.

AMEN

We received a special award from Austyn for Grandparents Day too.. Thanks Austyn for making if very special for us... and thanks to Andrew and Madison for coming over and sharing the day with us too... and Kaitlyn is walking... wow... great videos of her on Jon's site... we all watched her many times over the weekend... thanks for putting them online... our love to all .... thanks for the best grandparent day ever! 

Here is the menu for Grandparents Day....

Here is the menu for Grandparents Day Dinner at the Moffat Restaurant on Fairgrounds Road 

What a great weekend... thanks kids and grandkids... many times over... thanks....

My my my… what an almost perfect weekend!! Ann and I are fast being to love Grandparents Day in a way we have never appreciated it before!

It started Friday with lunch with Andrew Paul at his school, which we enjoyed very much. We did not get to make Austyn’s because we thought they ate at the same time, but found out later they don’t, but they are in schools that are cross town and there was only thirty minutes between lunch periods. Great Grandma Moffat ate with Austyn so he did have some of his Grand’s there... and she is way more important!

Then Friday, after a quick call to Jon to see when they were coming up … and discovered they were not (could be that Dad misunderstood the message last weekend… ha-ha) we confirmed to Heather we would watch the kiddos… on Saturday, which we did. Her and Paul had an engagement Saturday evening, and needed someone.. so of course, Mom and I stepped in GLADLY and watched the kids… and JAKE too…

On Sunday, Heather and the kiddos came over for lunch… and we had a great lunch… Ann made steamed pork chops, mashed potatoes and her famous gravy… and much more…. Then…. We ended up with a surprise dinner at the Phil Moffat Restaurant on Fairgrounds Road. It is a fairly new establishment, with Mr. Austyn Moffat serving as Head waiter, Tammy as head chef and the owner, Phillip Moffat. We were greeted in the rain at the door… and escorted into the waiting room where we were handed a menu and our orders were taken… Then after watching Austyn and Tammy play dominos and Austyn winning… we were seated and enjoyed a totally tremendous meal… see the photo of the menu…. And then after our great meal, we were presented with a very special orange certificate of appreciation for grandparents… IT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!
Thanks guys…..

And thanks to every one for the cards, calls, thoughts, etc… and for making “our” weekend so very special!!!

Andrew Paul was ready to head home about dark thirty Saturday night....  

Madison Ann came over last Saturday and then came back on Sunday to visit us along with her brother, Andrew Paul! 

Just FYI...

I just talked with Jon and he has to work in yard tomorrow and has another thing he needs to work on Sunday, so they will NOT be coming up... sorry to be the bearer of bad news... but wanted you all to know...
Later.. have a great weekend... d

I am so mad.....

first time ever that my batteries ran down in my camera... wow.. how uncool to carry a camera around without a charged battery!!
Anyway... Ann and I went to eat lunch with Andrew Paul Blankinship at his school.... today for grandparents day... and the battery ran down after just 8 shots.. so if you want to see what his school looks like just click on the album for today... NO PICS of Andrew.. sorry...

But I learned a lesson.. This is the first time I did not take my case, nor a charged battery... and yes I learned.. haha....

It was a great lunch... on our way we had to deliver a care package to H at work... we had a ham and cheese sandwich, plum, bananna, graham crackers, cheese, chips, milk water and .... it was great! All I know for now.. have a great weekend.. Have not heard for sure if Jon is coming up or not... might know later on..

s

About Cindy Sheehan from Melanie Shaklee...,

About Cindy Sheehan


What is most interesting to me is that the press gives this little bunch of people who
are protesting with Cindy so much air time without discussing Cindy's background.

This is a case of more press bias. It has been pointed out on just a couple of media
outlets that Cindy divorced her first husband and left her son with him to be raised
while she became a political activist for the Democratic Party. She had very little to
do with her son in his growing years. She remarried The 1st husband remarried.
The original father raised the son with his new wife. They miss their son and mourn
the loss of his life. They have stated that they are very proud of their son and that they
agree with the stance of America in Iraq and on terror. They said that their son was
eager to serve and to go fight the terrorists in Iraq. He volunteered. How many news
stations carried their interview? Not many. So the son dies in Iraq and then Cindy
shows up to make a stink. She gets an audience with Bush. That was not enough.
She goes to Crawford and demands another audience. How many news stations
carry the ongoing saga of Cindy? Practically all of them. Cindy didn't care about
her son. She let another woman raise him.

Cindy doesn't care about the other soldiers in Iraq. Cindy cares about her liberal,
feminist agenda and about using the death of her son to lobby against Republicans
and Bush.

And the press is helping her. Why?

Then 2 days ago, Cindy's 2nd husband filed for a divorce from Cindy. Cindy sounds
like a feminist opportunist who did not have the sense of responsibility to even raise
her own son. It looks like her 2nd husband is fed up with Cindy.

We middle Americans should be fed up with Cindy also. We should be fed up with the
press. They manipulate us into their "group think" and into the responses that they
want on their polls.

H. A. Brown

Another True Story From Uncle Ivan Moffat...

My parents who are your Grandparents were going to Yukon, OK. to see my Grandparents Grandpa Moffat & Grandma Moffat. Your Great Great Grandparents.
They were going through the great town of Piedmont and as they were going South on the road and they were going at least 15 M.P.H. according to my Mother and her hat blew off and she told my daddy that her hat blew off - the first thing he thought of was to holler ( Whoa Whoa as he thought he was driving a team of horses), so he finely stopped the old model "T" touring car he was driving, then he backed up and got out and got mother's hat.

They finely got to Yukon, OK. to see daddys mother & daddy - my grandparents.

Uncle Ivan & Aunt Freda

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uncle Ivan... Thanks for sharing this... we can not wait for the next installment!! Keep'em coming!!

Thanks again, Stan

PS... Would love to have some of the storys of your youth too... all the family can contribute... something, share a story about growing up, or something that has happened recently??? please, share with us... ie.. what is work like for you.. what goes on every day in your life, etc... or asking your spouse to marry you, etc.. Would love to have those stories for our family books... please????????? MAYBE ONCE A MONTH YOU COULD WRITE SOMETHING,PLEASE??? preserving history for our kids, grandkids... and in about 20 years.. great grandkids... haha.. or sooner.... hummmmm

DR BILLY GRAHAM'S NEW SUIT

DR BILLY GRAHAM'S NEW SUIT
In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited
their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor.

Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he
struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, "We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you." So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, "I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century.

Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of each passenger.

When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his other pocket. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat by him. He couldn't find it.

The conductor said, "Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it." Einstein nodded appreciatively.

The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

The conductor rushed back and said, "Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry. I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one." Einstein looked at him and said, "Young man, I too know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going."

Having said that Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My wife, my children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion.

You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am, I also know where I'm going.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE - A true story

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3
hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE - A true story

Susie is recouping at an incredible pace for someone with a massive stroke all because Sherry saw Susie stumble - - that is the key that isn't mentioned below -and then she asked Susie the 3 questions. So simple - - this literally saved Susie's life - - Some angel sent it to Suzie's friend and they did just what it said to do. Suzie failed all three so then 9-1-1 was called. Even though she had normal blood pressure readings and did not appear to be a stroke as she could converse to some extent with the Paramedics they took her to the hospital right away.



Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke
victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (ie . It is sunny out today) If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could
identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to 10
people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE,
you could save their lives.

Oh my goodness, now if they never fall over.... might be cool.... 

Welcome - Our Moffat Family Blog

Well, sad day here.. for the first time in my life, I don't own one cow!! Wow... I wonder if I can sleep tonight... I'm really sad. I had thought running cattle is something I could do like Dad, till my number was called.. but to keep family peace, it was time....
Talked with Phil just now and he said that Tammy was doing ok and is to see the
Dr. in two months. She had a spell with her heart and we all went into prayer mode... quickly.. and seems to have helped.. right Uncle Ivan??
Jon and family might come see us this week end and we are excited.. this is the balloon fest in stillwater this weekend.. will let everyone know when we can take balloon rides..
Jake is "burning rod" and having a ball! His instructor is trying to get him another 500 dollar scholarship.. and he is excited about that!
Saw Great grandma Moffat today. She is still having a time with her shoulder... She was going to have the Dr. check and see if the xray showed anything, but forgot yesterday... Grandparents Day at schools if this Friday. Ann is heading to Andrew's and Great grandma is heading to Austyn's... and then it will be Kaitlyn and Madison added to the mix.. haha.. love it ... love it...
I can see clear up here Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda's excited face about taking the train with Joanna and Clinton. Bet is was a blast. I sure hope I get to someday.. think that would be cool... even just to go a short ways would be a lifetime dream come true.. to ride the iron horse...

Welp.. all I know for now.. more later...

love to all... S

from Heather...

Highlights as of 1 p.m., Sept. 6, 2005, of the federal rescue effort in
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to information released by
the Department of Homeland Security.

Rescues performed 32,000

Shelters 559

People housed in shelters 182,000

FEMA responders 7,000

U.S. Coast Guard personnel 4,000

National Guard personnel 43,000

Active Duty Military 15,000

MREs provided (meals) 11.3 million

Water provided (liters) 18 million

Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Oh my goodness............. my goodness..... my goodness... 

This just about says it all....... wow!

U.S. Navy search and rescue swimmer Aviation Warfare Systems Operator 1st Class Scott Chun comforts a victim of Hurricane Katrina pulled from a rooftop in New Orleans as they fly to safety aboard a U.S. Navy SH-60B Seahawk helicopter

AP Photo/ U.S. Navy 

Voodoo Priest R Gregory Walstrom sweeps debris away from the base of the tombs in St. Louis Cemetery in New Orleans, Tuesday Sept. 6 2005. Flood waters still surround many of the tombs and Walstrom was keeping the area clean.

AP Photo/Dave Martin 

Can you feel the heat, how tired he must be...  

A National Guardsman pours water from a third floor window as he fights a fire in the Lower Garden District Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2005, in New Orleans, La. 

They found Ron Seitzer, who lives in the French Quarter, washing his cloths in the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Sunday... He had walked the 3 miles to get to the river to wash one change of cloths. He had no food, a small half full bottle of water, and three pennies to his name.... and "one change" of clean cloths! 

can you feel his pain... his disbelief... his amazment? wow.... 

can you imagine how hard it would hit you, after all you have been through, to survive, and then, go home??? 

From H! haha... how cute.. might be my problem, right??? haha hehehe 

Uncle Ivan, Aunt Freda, Cousin Clinton and Joanna.... world travlers... and a great story about dad! I can remember when this happened.. gosh....

HI STAN:
I am going to try and write you a story about your Dad, This is a true story.

Fredas brother Harry and I was flying around one Saturday afternoon, we went out over
the town of Piedmont then came back over the Stover place then back over our old home
place. As we were approaching our home place your dad was combining South of our house and he was going south on a selfpropeled combine then we came in from the north and we cut the motor on the plane and coasted in right next to him when we got right next to him we were right above the wheat then we pulled put the gas to it and did it roar and then we pulled up in the air and did it shake him up. The next day was Sunday and when we went to church he let me know about it. ha ha ha ha.
Well that is all of that story, some more later.
Your Uncle Ivan

P.S. Freda and I and Joanna & Clinton went to Ft Worth, Texas last Tuesday on the AM-
Track train and it toke all day we left Norman at 8:45 and got to Ft worth at 1:00 PM oh yes there were a couple from Stillwater that rode down with us and they
were going to stay 2 or 3 days. More about this later. OK

Tonight for all you star/planet buffs...... 

Andrew came over this weekend, but this is a pic from last weekend.. running behind.. haha.. Heard that Jon put up some new photos and video on his blog too.. check it out as well..  

Here is an awesome view of the Mars Explorer leaving the earths orbit for Mars....

Monday, September 05, 2005
Earth Departure Movie from MESSENGER spacecraft

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft captured several stunning images of Earth taken with its wide-angle camera during a gravity assist swingby of Earth on Aug. 2, 2005. The images were sequenced into an MPEG movie showing Earth through one complete rotation from the view from MESSENGER as it departed Earth.

The movie starts when MESSENGER was 40,761 miles (65,598 kilometers) above South America on Aug. 2. It ends when the probe was 270,847 miles (435,885 kilometers) away from Earth – farther than the Moon’s orbit - on Aug. 3.

The gravity assist allowed NASA to test several MESSENGER science instruments by observing its home planet. One of them the Mercury Dual Imaging System's wide angle camera which is used to capture these images.

Earth rotation with date and time (5.78 MB). Enjoy!!!

Cortney.. I missed your birthday.. I am sorry...

Cortney... sorry I missed your birthday.. hope it was a great one and you had lots of fun... Hey.. send us a pic.. huh??? please.. ??? and remember you and your mom were working on something for me.. or two somethings... family.. and a trip diary...??? haha...

later.. and many Happy Birthdays to come....


Love,

Uncle Stan!

Want to give and don't know how..

Here is a secure link to give.. I was thinking of this.. instead of a big lump sum.. whatever the amount you can afford to give.. maybe give it over 6 months or a year.. cuz they will need our help for a long time to come...

What can we say or ... that hasn't been said..

This says it all... Satellite photos of before and after... New Orleans... click to enlarge on photo..

Theory: Mad Cow May Have Come From Humans

By EMMA ROSS, AP Medical Writer
48 minutes ago



A new theory proposes that mad cow disease may have come from feeding British cattle meal contaminated with human remains infected with a variation of the disease.

The hypothesis, outlined this week in The Lancet medical journal, suggests the infected cattle feed came from the Indian subcontinent, where bodies sometimes are ceremonially thrown into the Ganges River.

Indian experts not connected with the research pointed out weaknesses in the theory but agreed it should be investigated.

The cause of the original case or cases of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, is unknown, but it belongs to a class of illnesses called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSEs.

Such illnesses exist in several species. Scrapie is a TSE that affects sheep and goats, while chronic wasting disease afflicts elk and deer. A handful of TSEs are found in humans, including Kuru, Alper's disease and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD.

All TSEs are fatal, untreatable and undiagnosable until after death. They are called spongiform encephalopathies because the diseases involve spongy degeneration of the brain.

The disease was not known to infect cows until 1986, when the first cases were noticed in Britain. About a decade later, a new permutation of CJD, which scientists dubbed variant CJD, started showing up in people there. Experts believe this new variant came from eating beef products infected with mad cow disease.

But where the cows got the disease remains a mystery.

The most popular theory is that cattle, which are vegetarian, were fed meal containing sheep remains, passing scrapie from sheep to cows, where it eventually evolved into a cow-specific disease. Another theory is that cows just developed the disease spontaneously, without catching it from another species.

However, a pair of British scientists now proposes the origin may be the bones of people infected with classical CJD, which they theorize ended up in cattle feed imported from South Asia.

Britain imported hundreds of thousands of tons of whole bones, crushed bones and carcass parts to be used for fertilizer and animal feed during the 1960s and 1970s. Nearly half of that came from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, said the scientists, led by Alan Colchester, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Kent in England.

"In India and Pakistan, gathering large bones and carcasses from the land and from rivers has long been an important local trade for peasants," the scientists wrote. "Collectors encounter considerable quantities of human as well as animal remains as a result of religious customs."

Hindus believe remains should be disposed of in a river, preferably the Ganges.

"The ideal is for the body to be burned, but most people cannot afford enough wood for a full cremation. ... Many complete corpses are thrown into the river," the scientists said, adding that the inclusion of human remains in animal bone material exported from the Indian subcontinent has been documented.

Britain was the main recipient of animal byproducts exported from India and Pakistan during the relevant period and was also a leader in feeding meat and bone meal to calves, they noted.

Finally, the similarities between the strains — mad cow disease, classical CJD and variant CJD — are sufficiently close to support the theory of a link among them, the authors argued.

"We do not claim that our theory is proved, but it unquestionably warrants further investigation," the scientists wrote.

Indian neuroscientists Susarla Shankar and P. Satishchandra of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bangalore, India, agreed the theory needs to be followed up, but urged caution.

"Scientists must proceed cautiously when hypothesizing about a disease that has such wide geographical, cultural and religious implications," they wrote in a critique published in the journal.

Relatives of people who die of suspected CJD are persuaded to bury their dead or cremate them, the two said. In most hospital-related deaths, bodies are not taken to Varanasi, the holy city on the banks of the Ganges, but cremated or buried nearer to home.

"Even in Varanasi, most Hindus do not put half-burnt bodies into the river," they wrote, adding that if bodies found in the Ganges did have CJD, there should have been a major epidemic of the disease in north India.

"Facts to support or refute their hypothesis now need to be gathered with urgency and great care," the Indian scientists said.

Free Credit Report Program Extends to East

Free Credit Report Program Extends to East



Beginning Thursday, people from coast to coast will be able to request free credit reports through a government-mandated program.

Overseen by the Federal Trade Commission, the program has been phased-in across the country, beginning last December in 13 Western states. The rollout then moved to the Midwest, South and, on Thursday, it extends to 14 Eastern states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all U.S. territories.

The program allows consumers to request a free credit report each year from any of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax Inc., Experian Information Solutions and TransUnion.

The free reports were mandated by Congress as part of consumer privacy legislation. They are intended to help consumers looking to buy homes or apply for loans or those worried about identity theft.

The last 14 states the program will include on Thursday are: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

___

On the Net:

Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov

Welcome - Our Moffat Family Blog

Here is a new IMAX MOVIE 3D trailer and info for you all... walking on the moon is name of movie

"NASA, Lockheed Martin, and Tom Hanks are making an IMAX 3D movie about the Apollo moon landings to give viewers something like the actual experience of being on the moon. Complete with actors playing astronauts, mockups of the Lunar Excursion Module, and fake moon surface, this looks to be a real kick. The website for the movie itself is all shockwave, but it contains some nice behind-the-scenes photos of the production. Here's a Quicktime trailer. All you lunar hoax conspiracy theorists out there can just consider this the remake, with 2005-class special effects."


for our movie buffs... bet this will be a neat experience!!

Regret THE Error . com

http://www.regrettheerror.com/

something different... when you make a mistake.. .. haha read thru these dandies.... ahaha......

be sure and check the source.. haha.. wow... amazing how even our news has to come from china!!

Hurricane Katrina takes heavy toll on environment



As Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on Monday, experts said it could turn one of the United States' most charming cities into a vast cesspool tainted with toxic chemicals, human waste and even coffins released by floodwaters from the city's legendary cemeteries.

Experts have warned for years that the levees and pumps that usually keep New Orleans dry have no chance against a direct hit by a Category 5 storm.

That is exactly what Katrina was as it churned towards the city. With top winds of 160 kilometres per hour and the power to lift sea level by as much as 9 metres above normal, the storm threatened an environmental disaster of biblical proportions, one that could leave more than 1 million people homeless.

"All indications are that this is absolutely worst-case scenario," Ivor van Heerden, deputy director of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Centre, said Sunday afternoon.

The centre's latest computer simulations indicate that by Tuesday, vast swaths of New Orleans could be under water up to 10 metre deep. In the French Quarter, the water could reach 7 metres, easily submerging the district's iconic cast-iron balconies and bars.

Estimates predict that 60 per cent to 80 per cent of the city's houses will be destroyed by wind. With the flood damage, most of the people who live in and around New Orleans could be homeless.

"We are talking about in essence having in the continental United States having a refugee camp of a million people," van Heerden said.

Aside from Hurricane Andrew, which struck Miami in 1992, forecasters have no experience with Category 5 hurricanes hitting densely populated areas.

"Hurricanes rarely sustain such extreme winds for much time. However we see no obvious large-scale effects to cause a substantial weakening the system and it is expected that the hurricane will be of Category 4 or 5 intensity when it reaches the coast," National Hurricane Centre meteorologist Richard Pasch said.

As they raced to put meteorological instruments in Katrina's path on Sunday, wind engineers had little idea what their equipment would record.

"We haven't seen something this big since we started the programme," said Kurt Gurley, a University of Florida engineering professor. He works for the Florida Coastal Monitoring Programme, which is in its seventh year of making detailed measurements of hurricane wind conditions.


Warning for years

Experts have warned about New Orleans' vulnerability for years, chiefly because Louisiana has lost more than a million hectares of coastal wetlands in the past seven decades. The vast patchwork of swamps and bayous south of the city serves as a buffer, partially absorbing the surge of water that a hurricane pushes ashore.

Experts have also warned that the ring of high levees around New Orleans, designed to protect the city from floodwaters coming down the Mississippi, will only make things worse in a powerful hurricane. Katrina is expected to push a 9-metre storm surge against the levees. Even if they hold, water will pour over their tops and begin filling the city as if it were a sinking canoe.

After the storm passes, the water will have nowhere to go.

In a few days, van Heerden predicts, emergency management officials are going to be wondering how to handle a giant stagnant pond contaminated with building debris, coffins, sewage and other hazardous materials.

He puts much of the blame for New Orleans' dire situation on the very levee system that is designed to protect southern Louisiana from Mississippi River floods.

Before the levees were built, the river would top its banks during floods and wash through a maze of bayous and swamps, dropping fine-grained silt that nourished plants and kept the land just above sea level.

The levees "have literally starved our wetlands to death" by directing all of that precious silt out into the Gulf of Mexico, van Heerden said.

It has been 40 years since New Orleans faced a hurricane even comparable to Katrina. In 1965, Hurricane Betsy, a Category 3 storm, submerged some parts of the city to a depth of seven feet.

Since then, the Big Easy has had nothing but near misses. Hurricane Lili blew herself out at the mouth of the Mississippi in 2002. And last year's Hurricane Ivan obligingly curved to the east as it came ashore, barely grazing a grateful city.

Source: China Daily

Does it not just break your heart??? Unbelievable! 

The AWESOME power of God. Never, Never, Never beleive of one second that we control things... just about the time we think we do... God shows us He still can do things his way... just to remind us... kind'a like Nathan told me one time ... how to raise my kiddos.. I needed to hit them between the eyes with a 2by4 to get their attention, then they might listen to me.. hahaha, yeah, right!!  

Friend of mine sent this to me. A full Jazz Funeral in the South, in the early 50's... just kind'a cool... 

A bit of the "Ole" days... about Enid, Bob Wills, etc...

Once upon a time TV station was located here
The Enid News and Eagle
Phil Brown / columnist

Once upon a time Enid had a television station -- KGEO-TV channel 5. The studios were located on the northeast corner of 2nd and Randolph in downtown Enid. The building is now occupied by Enid Transmission Specialists.

In late 1956, they moved the TV station lock, stock, barrel and employees to Oklahoma City, that is, everything except the transmitting antenna. It didn't make it.

They were moving the station to OKC where it would have access to a larger market -- where they could sell more advertising, and make more money. They changed the name to KOCO-TV. The station maintained its Enid symbols, however, for many years. Until a few years ago, the backdrop on the station's news anchor set was a wall-sized photo of Enid's huge grain elevators.

But, back to the tower and antenna that didn't make it. The 650-foot tower topped by a 193-foot, 22-ton transmitting antenna collapsed in a heap of crumpled metal in October 1956, when they attempted to move the antenna from its location east of Enid to the station's new 1,187-foot tower seven miles northwest of Crescent.

n

It was Sunday morning, and I was watching my favorite magazine-type news show on CBS TV with Charles Osgood. I think ol' Charlie's really good. In fact, he should change his name to "Charles Really Good." The show always has at least one or two off-the-beaten-path stories about people, places and things.

I got a real honk out of this week's treasure-hunting segment. Some guy who has made a fortune in computer software hid gold tokens redeemable for $1 million worth of jewelry. The clues to the hiding places were in an elaborate children's book he published. All of them have been found. One piece of jewelry was worth $450,000. Wow! That makes reading Harry Potter a waste of time, doesn't it?

One of the tokens was hidden in southwestern Oklahoma, but they never identified the finder.

Then this guy came on extolling the virtues of five present-day songwriters. At first I thought he might be mimicking Saturday Night Live, and this was a put-on, but when it became apparent he was sincere I began to feel like I had been transported to another world where bad is good, and vise versa.

He said this one guy spent five years in a log cabin out in the woods writing songs. Wonderful! He looked like he hadn't had a haircut or a shave in more than five years. The words of his song may have had some meaning, but I couldn't understand what he was saying. He just banged on his guitar and yelled -- screamed sometimes. That's good?

All five of these "artists" were sartorially challenged to say the least. They all strummed a guitar, and none of them could enunciate clearly.

What has happened to our music? How did it devolve, so to speak, to jungle drums, tribal chants, rhyming rants and screaming, twisting, gyrating meemies? What happened to the catchy melodic rhythms, and the soothing ballads?

Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys took some pretty harsh criticism during the 1940s and '50s, because ol' Bob drank too much and smoked too much. But his music and his band sounded like the Boston Pops Orchestra alongside these ? these, whatever they are. At least we could understand the words to his songs. No! I'm not an ardent country and western fan either, but the melodies and words of "San Antonio Rose," and "You Are My Sunshine" still run through my head.

I think I'll write a letter to ol' Charlie Osgood, and ask him if that Sunday segment about the songwriters was supposed to be a joke. It just wasn't as good as Osgood.

n

If you have wondered what the construction work is all about at the intersection of Garriott and Monroe -- it is the future site of Freddy's Frozen Custard. However, I'm told the name is misleading, and that they will also be serving hamburgers "to-die-for."



Brown is a retired News -- Eagle editor.

For Jon, Phillip and anyone else interested in photos, working with them, etc.. new deal sounds cool..

PayPal co-founder readies photo-sharing service

By Alorie Gilbert
http://news.com.com/PayPal+co-founder+readies+photo-sharing+service/2100-1038_3-5843575.html

Story last modified Fri Aug 26 13:25:00 PDT 2005





It's been awhile since Max Levchin's job forced him to pull an all-nighter.
But the co-founder and former chief technology officer of PayPal has found himself working around the clock lately to launch his new Internet company, Slide. The San Francisco company, which he started last year, is Levchin's first big plunge into an Internet start-up since cashing in on eBay's $1.5 billion purchase of PayPal in 2002.

The free service, which the 12-person company plans to open to the Web-surfing public on Monday, CNET News.com has learned, combines aspects of social networking, photo sharing, Web syndication and e-commerce. At the heart of Slide is a downloadable desktop program that indexes all the photos on the user's hard drive and creates a slide show at the edge of the screen.

News.context

What's new:
PayPal co-founder Max Levchin on Monday plans to launch Slide, a service that combines aspects of social networking, photo sharing, Web syndication and e-commerce in order to let members subscribe to one another's photo blogs.
Bottom line:
Slide builds on several recent trends in personal publishing and will find itself facing several rivals, including Yahoo and MySpace. But its simpler tools could give it a leg up on the competition.

More stories on this topic

From there, members can invite family, friends and other Slide members to view and save the member's photos and join Slide as a "friend" in the member's network. Members can also add one another's images to their own slide shows and alert one another to new albums. A set of access tools lets users publish their photos to as few or as many people as they wish, and subscribe to other people's photos.

Slide builds on several trends du jour, including digital photography, personal publishing and Web syndication. But the company has a lot of company in this intersecting market. Yahoo, News Corp.'s MySpace and a number of others are developing services that tie blogging, social networking and photo sharing together. Flikr lets users subscribe to photo feeds using the Really Simple Syndication, or RSS, protocol made popular by blogs. Imeem, a start-up that launched last week, is adding instant messaging to the mix.

"Consumers are learning to do more with digital content than just print out pictures and paste them into an album," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch. "Tools that let them edit, crop and share information and online content are coming into play, making it easier to get their stuff out."

Yet Levchin, who just turned 30 and has invested $1 million of his personal funds in the company, may have hit on the right way to make Slide stand out. He claims Slide's publish and subscribe tools are easier to use than other services, which require some technical know-how and a familiarity with RSS. The general public, including people like his mom, need simpler tools, he said. Jupiter's Gartenberg agrees.


"The key to taking it to the next step is getting to the point where you don't have to know what RSS or other technical concepts are," Gartenberg said. "You want to get to the point where you can just invite your grandpa to subscribe to your photos and all he has to do is click a few buttons."

Slide's "playback," or slide show, feature is unique too, Levchin said. The desktop toolbar looks like a strip of film with different photos in each frame, and it continually scrolls through a trove of stored images that people would probably rarely view otherwise. When consumers mouse over a particular shot, the slide show pauses and enlarges the image. The program gives people the option of e-mailing the photo from there.


The company plans to let members incorporate video, text and news headlines with photos too, creating multimedia "channels."

"I want it to be the preferred way people share digital media with each other," Levchin said, describing his vision for Slide.

For now, Slide works only on Windows computers, but the company is working on versions for the Macintosh.

Slide's business model is another distinguishing feature. Advertising is the main source of revenue for most competitors, but Slide plans to sustain itself on commissions from facilitating online shopping. It has already inked agreements with online shoe store Zappos.com and designer-clothing outlet Bluefly. The Web stores have agreed to maintain a Slide photo gallery of their products with links back to their stores. Slide members can subscribe to the photos, and whenever they purchase something, Slide gets a cut of the transaction.

The fact that Zappos is one of Slide's first partners is no coincidence. Levchin came up with the idea for Slide while watching his girlfriend browse for shoes online. She spent so much time scrolling through pages of shoes at Zappos that he offered to write her a program that would do it for her.

"The idea was to encourage her to spend more time with me and less time browsing for shoes," he said.



Copyright ©1995-2005 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved.

Words from God... from Uncle Ivan...

This will change ... let it run for a bit.. haha... it is an animated gif...
Stan

From Jon and Randi... and she has updated their blog too.... check it out!!

Randi started at a place called Eye-Q. It is an eye doctor about 5 blocks from my office. She is their office manager. She is now on her 2nd day, but picking it up very good.



Kaitlyn did well at her first day of day care. She hardly cried all day, and played with the other kids. She didn't eat that much, but Randi has just started switching her to a bottle, so that will take some time.



I have been helping with interviews for a position in our office. We finished the first day with 2 good candidates, so that is a big plus. We are still blowing and going with project after project with a long road ahead. But as the Project Manager, that is good for me! Haha.. J

God is like.. from Joanna and Clinton

A fifth grade teacher in a Christian school asked her class to look at TV commercials and see if they could use them in some way to communicate ideas about God.

Here are some of the results: scroll down.

God is like...
BAYER ASPIRIN
He works miracles.

God is like...
a FORD
He's got a better idea.

God is like...
COKE
He's the real thing.

(This is great)
God is like...
HALLMARK CARDS
He cares enough to send His very best.

God is like...
TIDE
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.

God is like...
GENERAL ELECTRIC
He brings good things to life.

God is like...
SEARS
He has everything.

God is like...
ALKA-SELTZER
Try him, you'll like Him.

God is like...
SCOTCH TAPE
You can't see him, but you know He's there.

God is like...
DELTA
He's ready when you are.

God is like...
ALLSTATE
You're in good hands with Him.

God is like...
VO-5 Hair Spray
He holds through all kinds of weather.

God is like...
DIAL SOAP
Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did?

(that one is my favorite)
God is like...
the U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination.

NOT A LOT GOING ON... HOWEVER...

Well, it is raining.. and raining.. and we need every drop..

first time in years it has rained in August!!

Grandson's back in School and lovin' it. Son Jake back in School and lovin' it too.. He is the OLE' man in his class! Always before, he was the youngest in his class for 13 years!! Jake and Great grandma went to town to get school supplies and they had a ball. He reported she was like a kid in a candy store, looking and cutting up, etc. and then she tried to pay with a counter check instead of regular check and Atwoods would not take it... wow.. can you imagine what happened after that... ??? Mom at the counter trying to pay with a check that the business would not take.. haha... yelp, she got ticked... you'll have to ask Jake the rest of the story....

Jon reported to Ann that Randi was hired in Ada by a Dentist/CPA office to run the deal! She will be great at that! I know it is an answer to some prayers there, as it is hard to make it with just one income. Randi has been looking hard for work and finally looks like something has come along that has all the things she loves to do in it.. how lucky!!

You know what, I really miss not seeing Kaitlyn more. I know the road between us runs both ways, but it is hard to get to see her as often as we would like. She is really growing up. Randi and Jonathan are doing a great job with her. Now they just need to have about a dozen more!!

Ann is trying to keep up with all the changes at her office. Seems that the wonders of the peter principle come into play there a lot. If you are our age, you know what that expression means!! Sometimes it helps to have someone driving the train... just an observation!!

Her dear friend Missy is now a chicken farmer. Her and Ann purchased a dozen chicks several months ago, and Missy fixed up a "chicken house and pen" and picked up some of her birds to enjoy some "homemade" eggs... I have to tease her! And now.. I think Jake and Ann have purchased a few of the chicks that lay the "COLORED" eggs... so now we have a new chicken farmer in the family... guess that is better than having chicken thieves in the family.. haha..

Phil and his office are cooking out all week for Driver Appreciation at Rains Trucking. How lucky! Our picnic table that was loaned out several years ago, is on it's way home, with a stop there this week for the drivers to use. ( I wonder???? reck'n we will get a sampling of the great food, for them using it, hehehahah.... !) Phil is so talented.. He is a whiz with photoshop, he and Jonathan both. Be sure to see some of Austyn's photos on Phil's blog.. cool cool cool....

Paul and his team are winning their ball games this summer, rolling over the other's but lots of points.. They have a solid team and they show up to play ball! and then they prove it! Now his goal is to hit one out of the park!! and he will! He reported that they have weaned their baby goats now too... but I think the thing he enjoys most is messing around with his new daughter!! She has him wrapped around her finger right now.. But then Madison has even got Andrew wrapped around it too.. haha..

Heather is doing good, and feeling better. She had a bit of a scare last week when she started feeling bad, but it was other things.. and it was not bad.

Tammy, still smiling and enjoying her teaching... Her and Jake and Phil headed to Bricktown last Saturday to eat and enjoy a movie... I think the boys enjoyed, not sure if Tammy did, haha, as the movie was "Dukes of Hazzard"... haha... They ate at Toby Keith's and said it was good food and atomsphere, too.

Ann and I kept Austyn, who was a hoot. He is on self entertainment mode.. and can play and play and play.

Sunday, Heather and Madison and Andrew came over and had lunch with us, and we kept the kiddos while she went home and got some things done, as she is now back at work. Ann and Jake took them home about 5ish..

Ann and I love the grandkids. How wonderful it is and how richly blessed we are to have them so close that we can see them often and watch them grow. It is amazing how much Madison changes in just a few days... and ... well you know.. haha....

Sure there are things I have left out, and I am sorry.. will try to refresh my memory and write more later.. if the memory comes alive!! haha..

May God deeply bless you and yours, forever!

S