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WITandWISDOM(tm) - July 27, 2001 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse. - Helen Keller Source: Bits & Pieces, November 12, 1992, Copyright (c) Economic Press, Inc., http://www.epinc.com ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Helen Keller graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904, a tough assignment even for a person without disabilities. She finished with excellent reading knowledge of Greek, Latin, German and French: all in braille, of course. Some years later Woodrow Wilson asked her why she had chosen Radcliffe when she could have selected an easier college. "Because they didn't want me at Radcliffe," she answered, "and, being stubborn, I chose to override their objection." Author Unknown Source: Peter's Pearls, http://www.peterspearls.com.au ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: The following is a direct quote from the Center for Strategic and International Studies report on GLOBAL ORGANIZED CRIME; the author who introduces the story swears it's true. FBI agents conducted a raid of a psychiatric hospital in San Diego that was under investigation for medical insurance fraud. After hours of reviewing thousands of medical records, the dozens of agents had worked up quite an appetite. The agent in charge of the investigation called a nearby pizza parlor with delivery service to order a quick dinner for his colleagues. The following telephone conversation took place and was recorded by the FBI because they were taping all conversations at the hospital. Agent: Hello. I would like to order 19 large pizzas and 67 cans of soda. Pizza Man: And where would you like them delivered? Agent: We're over at the psychiatric hospital. Pizza Man: The psychiatric hospital? Agent: That's right. I'm an FBI agent. Pizza Man: You're an FBI agent? Agent: That's correct. Just about everybody here is. Pizza Man: And you're at the psychiatric hospital? Agent: That's correct. And make sure you don't go through the front doors. We have them locked. You will have to go around to the back to the service entrance to deliver the pizzas. Pizza Man: And you say you're all FBI agents? Agent: That's right. How soon can you have them here? Pizza Man: And everyone at the psychiatric hospital is an FBI agent? Agent: That's right. We've been here all day and we're starving. Pizza Man: How are you going to pay for all of this? Agent: I have my checkbook right here. Pizza Man: And you're all FBI agents? Agent: That's right. Everyone here is an FBI agent. Can you remember to bring the pizzas and sodas to the service entrance in the rear? We have the front doors locked. Pizza Man: I don't think so. Click. Source: WITANDWISDOM(tm) 1996 ~~~~ Claim: FBI agents holed up in a psychiatric hospital attempt to order pizza delivery. Status: True. In 1993, the FBI was assisting the Department of Health and Human Services in investigating health care fraud. A medical organization that ran psychiatric hospitals in nine different cities was under suspicion, and coordinated raids on all nine facilities were scheduled for the same day so that none of the hospitals could tip off the others. The unexpected bulk of records seized meant the morning raid at Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in Chula Vista turned into an all-day affair, and when the agent in charge of the investigation realized his men were running on empty, he attempted to order pizza from a local delivery outfit, placing the call now immortalized in this piece. And yes, they did get their pizzas -- but several agents had to drive over and pick them up. Source: http://www.snopes.com/humor/jokes/fbipizza.htm Submitted by Source: CoHu (Counseling and Psychology Humor) http://www.topica.com/lists/CoHu/ ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: My husband and I were standing in line at the Pittsburgh airport ticket counter. The wait got the best of me, and I left him holding our place while I looked for a seat. There were no chairs around, so I settled on a substitute - an opening in the counter where suitcases are pushed through to the ticket agents. As I sat there I noticed several people smiling at me. I became a little self-conscious when I saw a few of them nudge others to look in my direction. I squirmed around uncomfortably - and that's when I noticed the screen above my head flashing my weight in green lights every time I wiggled. By Jan Larkey, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Source: Reader's Digest, Copyright (c) May 1999, http://www.readersdigest.com ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: WRONG ABOUT WRIGHT Almost a hundred years ago, Scientific American, one of the world's most esteemed scientific publications, missed a great opportunity when it rejected an article by a man named A. I. Root. The author eventually sold his article, about two brothers in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina who had successfully flown a motorized aircraft, to the magazine, Gleanings in Bee Culture. The editors of Scientific American no doubt felt stung, having missed out on the Wright stuff. From: Isaac Asimov's Book of Facts by Isaac Asimov, Published by Random House Value Publishing, Incorporated, Sep 1991, ISBN: 0517065037 http://isbn.nu/0517065037/price Source: MailBits.com Trivia, Copyright (c) 1998-2001. All rights reserved. Http://MailBits.com/ |