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WITandWISDOM(tm) - February 4, 2004
ISSN 1538-8794

~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS:

Don't ask "What if it doesn't work?" Instead, ask, "How will I feel if I don't even try?" - Suzanne Zoglio, organizational psychologist

~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS:

John Achord, a veterinarian from Hermiston, Oregon, and his wife, Julie, enjoy weekend afternoon horseback rides with friends, riding along nature trails that would be difficult to access on foot.

Before each ride John prays that God will give them a safe and pleasant ride and that they will meet someone along the trail that they can help in some way. One particular day last summer was no exception.

Down the trail at a place where John's group intended to stop and rest, a distraught woman offered another prayer. Her ride had ended in an accident causing serious injury to her horse. "Dear Lord," she pleaded, "please send a veterinarian!"

John and his group arrived just after the woman's prayer for help. A dazed woman stepped out of the shelter and asked, "Which one of you is the veterinarian?"

"I am," said John.

John examined the horse and took proper action, saving the expense of flying an emergency veterinarian in to do the exam. Later he asked Julie, "How did she know that one of us was a veterinarian?"

"I don't know," she puzzled.

On learning of the woman's prayer, John felt a sense of awe. God had not only answered his prayer, but had used him to answer the prayer of another.

By Karen Fisher, Hermiston, Oregon

Source: Adventist Review, ISSN 0161-1119, (c) October 2003, http://www.adventistreview.org/

Submitted by Mary Thayne

~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT:

Reader's Digest Challenge

By Will Shortz

You have just 90 seconds to win at this game! Below we've given you 20 words. Combine each one with another word that starts with the same two letters as that given word. The right answer will create a familiar compound word or two-word phrase. Check out the example, and then see how many you can nail in a minute and a half. Answers will follow.

EXAMPLE: BASKET BALL

01. Tattle __________ 11. Liquor __________

02. Boom __________ 12. Common __________

03. Pet __________ 13. Sharp __________

04. Secret __________ 14. Wonder __________

05. Freeze __________ 15. Acetic __________

06. Hot __________ 16. French __________

07. Welter __________ 17. Bargain __________

08. Sesame __________ 18. Stocking __________

09. Touch __________ 19. Calico __________

10. Carrot __________ 20. Simple __________

HOW DO YOU RATE? 18-20 You're cool under pressure! 15-17 Decent. Did the clock get to you? BELOW 15 Think about suing your school.

RD CHALLENGE ANSWERS

Were you confused by our compound constructions? Or were you easily able to beat the clock?
01. Tale; 02. Box; 03. Peeve; 04. Service; 05. Frame; 06. House; 07. Weight; 08. Seed; 09. Tone; 10. Cake; 11. License; 12. Cold; 13. Shooter; 14. Woman; 15. Acid; 16. Fries (or fry); 17. Basement; 18. Stuffer; 19. Cat; 20. Simon.

Submitted by Sherry Purdy

~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING:

After miles of back roads, and then simple paths in the mountains of West Virginia, the census taker reached the shack with tin roof and buckboard siding. Waiting until the mountain man emerged from his two seater outhouse, he explained that his reason for coming was to find out how many people lived in the US.

Gooollleeee, said the mountain man. I am sorry you came all the way up here. I don't have the faintest Idea.

Source: Monday Fodder mailto:dgaufaaa@iohk.com?subject=Subscribe_Monday_Fodder
http://www.fishermansnet.com/Monday-fodder/

~~~~~~~ TRIVIA:

DETROIT (AP)

More than 200,000 computers spent years looking for the largest known prime number. It turned up on Michigan State University graduate student Michael Shafer's off the-shelf PC.

"It was just a matter of time," Shafer said.

The number is 6,320,430 digits long and would need 1,400 to 1,500 pages to write out. It is more than 2 million digits larger than the previous largest known prime number.

Shafer, 26, helped find the number as a volunteer on an eight year-old project called the Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search.

Tens of thousands of people volunteered the use of their PCs in a worldwide project that harnessed the power of 211,000 computers, in effect creating a supercomputer capable of performing 9 trillion calculations per second.

Shafer ran an ordinary Dell computer in his office for 19 days until Nov. 17, when he glanced at the screen and saw "New Mersenne prime found."

A prime number is a positive number divisible only by itself and one: 2,3,5,7 and so on. Mersenne primes are a special category, expressed as 2 to the "p" power minus 1, where "p" also is a prime number.

Source: Peninsula Daily News, December 11, 2003, http://peninsuladailynews.com

WITandWISDOM™ ISSN 1538-8794 - Copyright © 1998-2003 by Richard G. Wimer - All Rights Reserved
Any questions, comments or suggestions may be sent to Richard G. Wimer.