POSTED 8/5/09

short Video:

The SP 4449 Streamlined steam locomotive passes through the Michaiana area (I think Niles) as it makes its way west to Portland, Oregon. I have no other information on this event. Click on picture below.

POSTED 8/3/09

From our friend Bill Bowker:

What is So Unique about the Year 2012?

The year 2012 has, in recent years, become the subject of a great deal of excitement, fear, and controversy. Many people believe that the year 2012 will result in some sort of enormous cataclysm, perhaps the end of the world, and will signal a great shift in life as we know it. This belief is based both in an understanding of cosmological alignment of earth in relation to other celestial bodies, and to the galaxy itself, and in an esoteric Christian eschatology built on top of earlier Mayan beliefs that was formed sometime in the 16th century.

The cosmological importance of 2012 is believed to be a great alignment, occurring on 21 December of that year. Some people believe that when the sun rises on that day, it will rise directly in the middle of the Milky Way, representing an alignment of the Earth, the Sun, and the Galactic Center. This is said to cause a great shift, some say in the consciousness of life on the planet, some say on the planet itself. Skeptics, however, point out that this alignment is purely visual, and does not actually represent a true alignment with the Galactic Center. The perceptual alignment is caused simply by the 26,000 year gradual precession of the equinoxes.

Others believe that what is occurring on 21 December is not simply a perceptual alignment, but a true shift in the Earth’s alignment to the Milky Way. Our Solar System is orbiting the Galactic Center in an orbit that takes approximately 225 million years to complete, and during its orbit it moves up and down, crossing the central plane roughly every 33 million years. Believers in this theory hold that on 21 December, 2012, our solar system will be crossing this central plane for the first time in 33 million years. There is some scientific evidence, however, that suggests our solar system actually crossed this plane roughly 3 million years ago, giving us another 30 million years before we cross it again.

The other major interpretation of 2012 as a special date relates to the Mayan calendar, and a certain interpretation of it. The Mayan calendar, technically the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, is a base-20 calendar which counts forward from 11 August, 3114 BCE. The calendar can be easily represented in a base system including five major subdivisions: the k’in, the winal, the tun, the k’atun, and the b’ak’tun. A k’in is equal to 1 day, or roughly 1/365 of a year; a winal is equal to 20 days, or 20 kin, or 1/18 of a year; a tun is equal to 360 days, or 18 winal, or roughly 1 year; a k’atun is equal to 7,200 days, or 20 tun, or roughly 19.7 years; and a b’ak’tun is equal to 144,000 days, or 20 k’atun, or roughly 394 years.

These dates are usually represented with decimal places between them. So that, for example, a date 788 years into the cycle, or 2 b’ak’tuns, could be represented as 2.0.0.0.0, and the date twenty days later would be 2.0.0.1.0. According to the Popol Vuh, a book compiling creation myths of the K’iche’ Maya, we are living in a fourth world, created after the third world ended at the start of the 13th b’ak’tun. The Mayan Long Count date of 12.19.19.17.19 will occur on 20 December, 2012, making 21 December the start of the 13th b’ak’tun, or 13.0.0.0.0. It should be noted, however, that the Maya themselves never seemed to think this date represented any sort of end of the world, and there are a number of stelae that reference dates well past the beginning of the 13th b’ak’tun.

POSTED 7/3/09 TIP-OF-THE-HAT TO BOB CONWAY

POSTED 7/3/09 TIP-OF-THE-HAT TO BOB CONWAY

POSTED 4/22/09

POSTED 4/10/09

From Bill Bowker: 

A preacher retired and moved to the country to enjoy life and practice his hobby of yard work.  Needing a lawn mower, he headed into town to buy one.  On the way he saw a sign advertising a lawn mower for sale.  He stopped at the house and a young lad came out to greet him.  

The preacher asked about the lawn mower and the kid said it was behind the house.  The two went to look at the lawn mower. The engine was sputtering along at idle speed.  The preacher increased the speed of the engine and mowed a few strips. Satisfied that the mower would do the job they settled on a price of $25.00.  

Later in the day, the young lad was riding his bicycle when he spied the preacher pulling on the engine starter rope.  The kid stopped and watched for a couple of minutes.  He asked, "What's wrong?" 

The reply came, "I can't get this mower started.  Do you know how?" 

The kid said, "Yep." 

"Well, how do you do it?  Tell me!", the preacher yelled.  

The kid replied, "You have to cuss it." 

The preacher rose up indignantly.  "Now you listen here.  I am a preacher and if I ever did cuss, not saying I have, I've forgotten how to do it after all these years." 

With a wise look on his face well beyond his years, the kid said, "Preacher, you keep on pulling that rope and it'll all come back to ya."

POSTED 4/10/09

From Michael Ringler:

The Bank Robbery   

An armed hooded robber bursts into the Texas Bank and forces the tellers to load a sack full of cash.  On his way out the door with the loot a brave Texas customer grabs the hood and pulls it off revealing the robber's face.  The robber shoots this brave Texan without hesitation!   

 He then looks around the bank to see if anyone else has seen him.  One of the tellers is looking straight at him and the robber shoots him also.  Everyone else, by now is very scared and looking down at the floor.  

The Robber calls out, "Did anyone else see my face?"   

There are a few moments silence, and then an old man, while still looking  down,  tentatively raises his hand and says,    "I think my wife may have caught a glimpse of you."

POSTED 4/10/09

From Bill Bowker: 

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 

"How heavy is this glass of water? " 

 Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. 

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.  

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. " 

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!" 

And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:  

 * Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue. 

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them. 

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. 

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker. 

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

 * If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it. 

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others. 

* Never buy a car you can't push. 

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on. 

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. 

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late. 

* The second mouse gets the cheese. 

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. 

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live. 

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person. 

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. 

* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box. 

" A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

POSTED 1/16/09

FROM BILL BOWKER

This is very interesting and not the ending I had expected!!!!

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town.  From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.  The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.    

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family..  In my young mind, he had a special niche.  My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.  But the stranger...he was our storyteller.  He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with 
Adventures, mysteries and comedies.   

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future!  He took my family to the first major league ball game.  He made me laugh, and he made me cry.  The stranger never stopped   
Talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.   

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)   

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.  Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors.  Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.  My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol.  But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular 
Basis.  He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.   
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex.  His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.   

I now know that my early concepts about relation ships were influenced strongly by the stranger.  Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.   

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family.  He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first.  Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?.... ... .    



We just call him 'TV.' 

(Note: This should be required reading for every household in America !)   

He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'

POSTED 3/27/09

From Michael Ringler:

POSTED 3/27/09

From Bill Bowker:

FOR THOSE WHO LOVE THE PHILOSOPHY OF AMBIGUITY, AS WELL AS THE  IDIOSYNCRASIES OF ENGLISH:
 
1.  DON'T SWEAT THE PETTY THINGS AND DON'T PET THE SWEATY THINGS.
2.  ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA, FLOOR.
3.  ATHEISM IS A NON-PROPHET ORGANIZATION.
4.  IF MAN EVOLVED FROM MONKEYS AND APES, WHY DO WE STILL HAVE MONKEYS AND APES?
5.  THE MAIN REASON THAT SANTA IS SO JOLLY IS BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHERE ALL THE BAD GIRLS LIVE.
6.  I WENT TO A BOOKSTORE AND ASKED THE SALESWOMAN, "WHERE'S THE SELF- HELP SECTION?" SHE SAID IF SHE TOLD ME, IT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE.
7.  WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?
8.  IF A DEAF CHILD SIGNS SWEAR WORDS, DOES HIS MOTHER WASH HIS HANDS WITH SOAP?
9.  IF SOMEONE WITH MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES THREATENS TO KILL HIMSELF, IS IT CONSIDERED A HOSTAGE SITUATION?
10.  IS THERE ANOTHER WORD FOR SYNONYM?
11.  WHERE DO FOREST RANGERS GO TO "GET AWAY FROM IT ALL?"
12.  WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU SEE AN ENDANGERED ANIMAL EATING AN ENDANGERED PLANT?
13.  IF A PARSLEY FARMER IS SUED, CAN THEY GARNISH HIS WAGES?
14.  WOULD A FLY WITHOUT WINGS BE CALLED A WALK?
15.  WHY DO THEY LOCK GAS STATION BATHROOMS? ARE THEY AFRAID SOMEONE WILL CLEAN THEM?
16.  IF A TURTLE DOESN'T HAVE A SHELL, IS HE HOMELESS OR NAKED?
17.  CAN VEGETARIANS EAT ANIMAL CRACKERS?
18.  IF THE POLICE ARREST A MIME, DO THEY TELL HIM HE HAS THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT?
19.  WHY DO THEY PUT BRAILLE ON THE DRIVE-THROUGH BANK MACHINES?
20.  HOW DO THEY GET DEER TO CROSS THE ROAD ONLY AT THOSE YELLOW ROAD SIGNS?
21.  WHAT WAS THE BEST THING BEFORE SLICED BREAD?
22.  ONE NICE THING ABOUT EGOTISTS: THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE.
23.  DOES THE LITTLE MERMAID WEAR AN ALGE BRA?
24.  DO INFANTS ENJOY INFANCY AS MUCH AS ADULTS ENJOY ADULTERY?
25.  HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE A CIVIL WAR?
26.  IF ONE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMER DROWNS, DO THE REST DROWN TOO?
27.  IF YOU ATE BOTH PASTA AND ANTIPASTO, WOULD YOU STILL BE HUNGRY?
28.  IF YOU TRY TO FAIL, AND SUCCEED, WHICH HAVE YOU DONE?
29.  WHOSE CRUEL IDEA WAS IT FOR THE WORD 'LISP' TO HAVE 'S' IN IT?
30.  WHY ARE HEMORRHOIDS CALLED "HEMORRHOIDS" INSTEAD OF "ASSTEROIDS"?
31.  WHY IS IT CALLED TOURIST SEASON IF WE CAN'T SHOOT AT THEM?
32.  WHY IS THERE AN EXPIRATION DATE ON SOUR CREAM?
33.  IF YOU SPIN AN ORIENTAL PERSON IN A CIRCLE THREE TIMES, DO THEY BECOME DISORIENTED?
34.  CAN AN ATHEIST GET INSURANCE AGAINST ACTS OF GOD?

POSTED 1/28/09 - THANKS BILL BOWKER

COLD IS A RELATIVE THING. .

 65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Michigan plant gardens.

60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Michigan sunbathe.

50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Michigan drive with the windows down.

40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, and wool hats.
People in Michigan throw on a flannel shirt.

35 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Michigan have the last cookout before it gets cold.

20 above Zero
People in Miami all die.
Michiganders close the windows.

Zero:
Californians fly away to Mexico.
People in Michigan get out their winter coats.

10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Michigan are selling cookies door to
door.


20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Michigan let the dogs sleep indoors.

30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Michiganders get upset because they can't start the
Snowmobile.

40 below zero):
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Michigan start saying...'Cold enough fer ya?'

50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Michigan public schools will open 2 hours late

Bill Bowker shares a story about a stranger who moved into his home.

CLICK HERE

POSTED 1/16/09

From Bill Bowker (11/15/08):

A couple was celebrating their Golden Wedding Anniversary on the beaches in Montego Bay , Jamaica . Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town. People would say, 'What a peaceful & loving couple'.

The local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage. The Husband replied: 'well, it dates back to our honeymoon.

Explained the man: 'We visited the Grand Canyon, in Arizona , and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon, by horse. We hadn't gone too far when my wife's horse stumbled and she almost fell off. My wife looked down at the horse and quietly said, 'That's once.'

'We proceeded a little further and her horse stumbled again. Once more my wife quietly said, 'That's twice.'

We hadn't gone a half-mile when the horse stumbled for the third time. My wife quietly removed a revolver from her purse and shot the horse dead.

I SHOUTED at her, 'What's wrong with you, Woman! Why did you shoot the poor animal like that, are you friggin crazy!?'

She looked at ME, and quietly said, 'That's once'

And from that moment...... we have lived happily ever after.' 

From Bill Bowker (11/15/08): (Bill, altered slightly to be politically correct.)

The Legionnaire and the Buffalo
 
A Legionnaire walks into a cafe with a shotgun in one hand and pulling a male buffalo with the other. He says to the waiter: 'Want coffee.'

The waiter says, 'Sure, Old Timer. Coming right up.'

He gets the Legionnaire a tall mug of coffee. The old guy drinks the coffee down in one gulp, turns and blasts the buffalo with the shotgun, causing parts of the animal to splatter everywhere and then just walks out.

The next morning the Legionnaire returns. He has his shotgun in one hand, pulling
another male buffalo with the other. He walks up to the counter and says to the waiter 'Want coffee.'

The waiter says 'Whoa, Old Timer! We're still cleaning up your mess from yesterday. What was all that about, anyway?'

The Leginnaire smiles and proudly says: 'Training for position in United States Congress: Come in, drink coffee, shoot the bull, leave mess for others to clean up, disappear for rest of day