Dolphins Rescued!

Out of the many heartbreaking stories that have been published about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, every once in a while you find one that gives hope.

Trainers feared the worst for these six intelligent creatures when their home was destroyed. Miraculously, the dolphins were found in the gulf and have now been rescued.

For some reason, I have been captivated by the rescue of these dolphins. I guess it is because when you hear so many stories of tragedy, it warms your heart to be reminded that miracles happen in the midst of turmoil.

Here's the news story: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9343538/

Another Blow to Computer World

As if Microsoft wasn't enough of a monopoly already, a report released today announces plans of Time Warner to sell AOL off to the technology giant. Personally, I have never been a fan of AOL, but it is worrysome to see yet another competitor bite the dust.

Battle Over Freedom of Speech

A San Francisco judge proclaimed today that recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional, potentially spinning the case back up to the attention of the Supreme Court. How sad that we cannot teach children the values that our forefathers found so important. How sad that we cannot teach children the importance of reverence for our nation and its flag.

As a Christian, it's easy for me to say that I don't see a problem with seeing or hearing the words "under God". If one chooses to reject God and this line offends them, they can simply close their mouth in silence instead of speaking it.

I hear things all day long that offend me - language that people use sometimes, sexist or racist comments, ridiculous news items (like this one) that drag our government's attention away from where it should be, etc, etc, etc. Just because I'm personally offended doesn't mean that the offenders are not entitled to their freedom of speech. I can choose whether or not I want to listen or participate.

We cannot please everyone. It just can't happen. If people stopped worrying so much about listening for something to be offended by, there would be much less anger in the world. If everyone in the world were to take responsibility for their own words, actions and deeds we would all be better off.

Anyway, back to the phrase "under God". It could be a lot worse. God's message is all about love. A nation under God is one protected by His love. A nation under God is a grouping of people who live in respect for one another. A nation under God shows respect to our heritage and learns from mistakes made in our history. No, it's not a perfect nation. That cannot exist. It is a nation who strives to do right. I wish these things could be said of our nation.

Site Spotlight: c h r o m a s i a

If you are interested into photography, I just wanted to share this site. David J. Nightingale displays a beautiful new picture from his collection each day:

c h r o m a s i a
(http://www.chromasia.com/iblog/)

Brain Teasers

Here are a few stories to make you feel like a genius:

I went to McDonald's. I looked at the menu and saw that you could have an order of 6, 9 or 12 Chicken McNuggets. I asked for a half-dozen nuggets. "We don't have a half-dozen nuggets," said the teenager at the counter. "You don't?" I replied. "We only have six, nine, or twelve," was the reply. "So I can't order a half-dozen nuggets but I can order six?" "That's right." So I shook my head and ordered six McNuggets.

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I recently saw a distraught young lady weeping beside her car. "Do you need some help?" I asked. She replied, "I knew I should have replaced the battery to this remote door un-locker. Now I can't get into my car. Do you think they (pointing to a distant convenient store) would have a battery to fit this?" "Hmmm, I don't know. Do you have an alarm too?" I asked. "No, just this remote thingy," she answered, handing it and the car keys to me. As I took the key and manually unlocked the door, I replied, "Why don't you drive over there and check about the batteries; it's a long walk."

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Several years ago, we had an intern who was none too swift. One day he was typing and turned to a secretary and said, "I'm almost out of typing paper. What do I do?" "Just use copier machine paper," the secretary told him. With that, the intern took his last remaining blank piece of paper, put it on the photocopier and proceeded to make five "blank" copies.

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On Gas Station Sign: Coke -- 49 cents. Two for a dollar.

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My neighbor works in the operations department in the central office of a large bank. Employees in the field call him when they have problems with their computers. One night he got a call from a woman in one of the branch banks who had this question: "I've got smoke coming from the back of my terminal. Do you guys have a fire downtown?"

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I was sitting in my science class, when the teacher commented that the next day would be the shortest day of the year. My lab partner became visibly excited, cheering and clapping. I explained to her that the amount of daylight changes, not the actual amount of time. Needless to say, she was very disappointed

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Police in Radnor, Pennsylvania, interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message "He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth. Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.

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I was signing the receipt for my credit card purchase when the clerk noticed that I had never signed my name on the back of the credit card. She informed me that she could not complete the transaction unless the card was signed. When I asked why, she explained that it was necessary to compare the signature on the credit card with the signature I just signed on the receipt. So I signed the credit card in front of her. She carefully compared that signature to the one I signed on the receipt. As luck would have it, they matched.

Fight at the Pump

Over the last week, our bank accounts have all been hit one place that we can't get away from - the gas pump. In my hometown, prices jumped almost $1 in some locations. So what does the goverment do? Blame it all on Katrina. Is Katrina to blame? Well, I could see that if it was a slight increase. But $1? How much of it has to do with Labor Day travels? Who knows. This might cause people everywhere to unite to complain to the feds. Here's the article on MSNBC. Let's don't just accept the high prices and move on.

Other interesting facts about gas prices according to AAA...

• In May 2005, you could have expected to pay $6.21 in Amsterdam, $5.43 in Paris and $4.61 in Tokyo for your gallon of gas.
• The earlier figure in August for the US was $2.62. I've seen in the news that's around the current average, but since it's well over $3 everywhere around me I don't believe it. It's rare when gas prices in NC are so far above the national average.
• Over in Kuwait City gas was $0.68 last month, and the lucky drivers in Caracas (the capital city of Venezuela for all of you who are rusty on your geography) paid a meager $0.12.

The Devastation Continues

Please pray for the people experiencing the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. It's amazing to witness the power of a hurricane and other natural disasters. Just when we think we can control nature, we are soberly reminded that things are beyond our control. The devastation is unreal, but God is still in control.