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WITandWISDOM(tm) - October 31, 2006 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: Don't be afraid to take a big step when one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in two small steps. David Lloyd George ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: "I study my Bible like I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf. I search the Bible as a whole like shaking the whole tree. Then I shake every limb— study book after book. Then I shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters. Then I shake every twig, or a careful study of the paragraphs and sentences and words and their meanings." - Martin Luther "Many years ago in a Moscow theater, matinee idol Alexander Rostovzev was converted while playing the role of Jesus in a sacrilegious play entitled Christ in a Tuxedo. He was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, remove his gown, and cry out, 'Give me my tuxedo and top hat!' But as he read the words, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted,' he began to tremble. Instead of following the script, he kept reading from Matthew 5, ignoring the coughs, calls, and foot-stamping of his fellow actors. . . . Before the curtain could be lowered, Rostovzev had trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior." - J. K. Johnston, Why Christians Sin, Discovery House, 1992, p. 121, http://isbn.nu/0929239512 President, John Quincy Adams, who proudly confessed, "So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read it, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens to their country and respectable members of society." - The Encyclopedia of Religious Quotations, p. 23, http://isbn.nu/0800714105 ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Longtime birders know that some of the terms used to describe bird groups can be highly unusual. Reader William Malarkey of Pottsville, Pennsylvania submitted this list, which includes 15 authentic terms... and five he made up just for fun. Can you tell which are which? William helpfully included a few easy ones to get you started, but you might be in for a surprise or two. Once you've zeroed in on the terms you think are fakes, check your answers below. And if you don't get 'em all, don't fret— a couple of these tripped us up, too! 1. Kettle of hawks 2. Peep of chickens 3. Fall of woodcocks 4. Gulp of swallows 5. Deceit of lapwings 6. Looming of vultures 7. Trembling of finches 8. Sord of mallards 9. Spring of teal 10. Siege of herons 11. Ridicule of mockingbirds 12. Walk of snipe 13. Piteousness of doves 14. Chain of bobolinks 15. Mew of catbirds 16. Mutation of thrushes 17. Bouquet of pheasants 18. Wake of buzzards 19. Squadron of pelicans 20. Smidgeon of widgeons Source: Birds & Blooms, November 2005, http://www.birdsandblooms.com Puzzle answer: The made-up terms in this list are numbers 4,6,11,15 and 20. All the rest are real. And yes, that really does include a "sord of mallards" and a "chain of bobolinks"! ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: A few months back I was taking my daughter to play with some friends whose mother is a good friend of mine. I told my daughter they lived in the boonies, since it takes a while to get there. On the way she piped up and asked, "Mommy, can Jesus see me at Breana and Austin's house in the boonies?" I told her that yes, He can see us there. She paused, then said, "Man, He's got good eyes!" By Meredith H., Ashland, Kentucky ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: For their book, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluiso asked 30 families around the world to buy a week's worth of groceries and display it for the camera. http://isbn.nu/1580086810 A family in Darfur, Sudan, had the most meager spread, with grains, sugar and salt provided by the United Nations and supplemented with purchases of limes, onions, salt and dried tomatoes. A week's bill ran to $1.23 for a diet of congealed porridge and soup, three times a day, seven days a week. Most abundant was a German family's cache of breads, fresh produce, meat, beer, milk and pizza for $494.19. Peninsula Daily News sources Source: Peninsula Daily News, December 28, 2005, http://peninsuladailynews.com |
