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WITandWISDOM(tm) - April 18, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." - Lance Armstrong Submitted by B. B. ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Many years ago, when I was a freshman in a local Penn State branch campus, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and scheduled for a mastectomy. I attended an 8 AM class on the day of her surgery. One of my classmates was a friend of mine, my best friend's husband. He was a sophomore and already set in his groups of friends. Most mornings we just said hi to each other as he crossed the room to join his friends. On that morning, he sat next to me and stayed there during the whole class. He never once mentioned my mom; he just sat with me. Almost 30 years later, that still touches me as such a sweet act of kindness - the just BEING there beside me. And by the way - Mom was fine, and is still with us today! Source: Kind Words, mailto:Kindness-subscribe@PartnersInKindness.org ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: I'm a master multi-tasker. I eat breakfast while I drive. Even make calls while I'm steering. In one hour, I work five. I check scores while sending e-mail. It's called working while you play. I can exercise while reading. And I worry while I pray. I can shave while I am showering. I watch news while getting dressed. I drink coffee walking Fido. Maybe that's why I am stressed. Doing just one thing seems lazy. There's so much that must get done. So I'm dreaming while I'm working how to sleep while on the run. Copyright 2005 by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Mercer Island, WA Rhymes 'n Reasons/The Partial Observer: http://www.partialobserver.com/all_by_columnist.cfm?id=10 Submitted by Malladi Murthy in India ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: I read a story involving the Butterball Turkey Company, which set up a hotline to answer consumers’ questions about preparing holiday turkeys. One woman called to ask about cooking a turkey that had been in her freezer for 23 years. The operator told her it might be safe if the freezer had been kept below 0 degrees the entire time. But the operator warned the woman that, even if it were safe, the flavor had probably deteriorated, and she wouldn’t recommend eating it. The caller replied, “That’s what we thought. We’ll just give it to the church.” Submitted by Malladi Murthy in India ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: Percy Lavon Julian (April 11, 1899 – April 19, 1975) His house was firebombed. He lost his job on the eve of the Depression. He took on powerful, entrenched interests in the scientific establishment and overcame countless obstacles to become a world-class chemist, a self-made millionaire, and a humanitarian. Percy Lavon Julian was an American research chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants. He was the first to synthesize the natural product physostigmine. While at Glidden, his chemical synthesis of human steroids from plant steroid precursors would lay the foundation for the birth control pill and cortisone. During his lifetime he received more than 130 chemical patents. Julian was the second African American to receive a doctorate in chemistry. He was the first African American chemist inducted into the National Academy of Sciences, and the second African American scientist inducted from any field. He has been honored with a US postage stamp and a Nova TV program that is of intrinsic interest. He is one of the great scientists of the 20th Century. To see his commemorative stamp and learn more about this interesting man visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Lavon_Julian Nova: Percy Julian - Forgotten Genius (2007) DVD http://tinyurl.com/2j342m Submitted by R P Cly