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WITandWISDOM(tm) - September 14, 1999 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions." - Naguib, Mahfouz (E-zine: DIVERSIONS DIGEST http://www.worldstart.com/diversions.htm) ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: EVEN BY THE VERY SMALLEST An army runner was saved from instant death by, well . . . you'll see. As he made his way across the dead and dismembered bodies strewn across the ravaged battlefield back to his company with orders from the battalion commander, the sound of bullets and bombs had been silenced. With a relative sense of safety, he walked on being thankful that, at least for a while, there was a calm in the senseless storm. Approximately two-thirds of the way across the devastated field, he was suddenly stopped by an unusual sight. It hovered right before him, at perfect eye level. At first, he thought that he was suffering from fatigue and was seeing a mirage. "It can't be," he said to himself, "not out here in the midst of a raging war!" But it not only was real, it came right up to him and stopped no more than three inches from his face. He started to step forward when it lunged forward, pushing him a couple of steps backward. And then it happened! A gigantic shell hurled through the air and landed right in the very spot from which he had been literally pushed. "I would have been killed!" he gasped. "I would have been killed!" But that little object, probably less than an ounce in weight, kept him from losing his life. It was a definite miracle because he had not seen one since he had gone off to war . . . and surely not right out in the middle of an all-out war, in the midst of an awful battle. But it was there, and it did save his life. The Psalmist foretold it in Psalm 91: l when, under inspiration of God who sent that very little object to save a life, he said, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." The strange little object? It was a butterfly! W. A. Spicer and Helen Spicer Menkel in "The Hand That Still Intervenes" published by Concerned Publications, Inc., Box 1024, Clermont, Florida 32711. Copyright 1982. (Ross Hughes Mailto:RnBHughes@aol.com) ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: TEST YOUR BRAIN ON THESE . . . (Answers below ) Q1. There's one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contestants. What is it? Q2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? Q3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables? Q4. At noon and midnight the hour and minute hands are exactly coincident with each other. How many other times between noon and midnight do the hour and minute hands cross? Q5. What is the only sport in which the ball is always in the possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball? Q6. What fruit has its seeds on the outside? Q7. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle? Q8. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters "dw". They are all common. Name two of them. Q9. There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them? Q10. Where are the lakes that are referred to in the "Los Angeles Lakers"? Q11. There are seven ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Taking a base on balls - a walk - is one way. Name the other six. Q12. It's the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it? Q13. How is it possible for a pitcher to make four or more strikeouts in one inning? Q14. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet, that begin with the letter "s". TEST YOUR BRAIN ON THESE . . . ANSWERS: A1. Boxing. A2. Niagara Falls. The rim is worn down about 2 and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute. A3. Asparagus and rhubarb. A4. Ten times (not eleven, as most people seem to think). A5. Baseball. A6. Strawberry. A7. The pear grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the whole growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems. A8. Dwarf, dwell, and dwindle. A9. Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses. A10. In Minnesota. The team was originally known as the Minneapolis Lakers, and kept the name when they moved west. A11. Batter hit by a pitch; passed ball; catcher interference; catcher drops third strike; fielder's choice; and being designated as a pinch runner. A12. Lettuce. A13. If the catcher drops a called third strike, and doesn't throw the batter out at first base, the runner is safe. A14. Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, snowshoes, stockings, and so on. (George Dunkelberg via E-zine: BILL'S PUNCH LINE Mailto:bills-punch-line- subscribe@onelist.com) ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: As the three ladies picked up a menu, each put on a pair of glasses. "I really only need mine for close reading," explained the first. Remarked the second, "I only use mine when the light is bad." The third confessed, "I rarely wear mine - except when I want to see." (E-zine: THE FUNNIES Mailto:andychaps_the-funnies- subscribe@egroups.com) ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: EARTHQUAKE INFORMATION FROM THE USGS http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/ DESCRIPTION / LINKS: Latest Quake Information (Maps and lists of recent earthquakes); What's New or Interesting; Hazards and Preparedness; Earthquake FAQ; Earthquake research; Links to related sites on the web. PUBLISHER: US Geological Survey, Geologic Division, Menlo Park, CA, USA. SPECIAL LINK: Turkey Earthquake http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/study/turkey/ (E-zine: BEST WEB LINKS http://www.kuca.com/join.html) |