Whispering Activist Record - 2002
http://www.therealmartha.com/WAR/index.htm - Central for updates
Opinions and ideas, mine and from others, that everyone can use to get involved, make a difference and lighten the load. Find hoax busters, media hype alerts, timely info, controversy, common sense, commiseration, empathy, household tips, easy recipes, critter stuff, variety links, and a little humor along the way.

Please maximize screen, and accept my apology if that still doesn't show all text without scrolling side to side. In Explorer, clicking the favorites box off should free up the necessary space. Killing one over-long URL helped, no idea what else to try. Breaking lines is liable to create a worse mess. Try to excuse the oddities, I'm between ye olde rock and the hard spot here. You can probably decide if scrolling is worth the effort by what you can easily see.

This is a monster catch-up, explanation below. I don't expect anybody to read everything right away. There ain't no pop quiz at the end - relax ... enjoy whatever catches your eye, I'm working on fixes. Regular readers can zip on by the intro bits for new visitors.

Search tip for special interests: Hit Crtl key, then F - type in key word - hit find. Fire will take you to a story about a specially painted truck, with pic and all other firefighter references; statue will go straight to that subject. Handy trick for mail or faves list too. OK to abbreviate - val for valentine, vet for veterans, or veterinarian ... the function can be periodically cranky, hit find again if no results show.

Help yourself to anything you like here. I am rather proud of the above, rare luck though it was. Graphics are not my best department - loved the background, had to try - just couldn't think of the right text. Helen Hufford, K9car4@aol.com, gets that credit and whichever imp lives in Picture It! for popping in the font and adding the highlight intended for a frame. I know better than arguing.

Below was a photo of the Vietnam women's memorial in DC, taken by Helen on a recent visit. Her daughter, Amy Taylor, DJAJT@aol.com, colorized it and I added Helen's wording. When borrowing, a link back here is nice - no one'll have a hissy if we spot something used without credit. More about ego confusion encounters later.

Vietnam women's memorial is by Glenna Goodacre
http://www.glennagoodacre.com/lrgvietimage.html

Excellent Maxine 'toon from Veterans Day coming up too, and how you can help on an important new vet project.

Don'tcha love the look in President Bush's eyes? The State of the Union address was, without a doubt, unusually coolest. While listening to the whys and hows, I saw, "Because we can," sparkling. Right on!

I still can't stand politics or politicians as a group in general. In fact, this will be the last page using poli-garboo, unless it's a major piz-m'off, such as the firefighter flag-raising statue. What a horrible waste and loss. That section will stand here as a reminder to the PC idiots: we ain't gonna take no more, never - don't try. PC, BS, all the alphabet soup stirs up crazies I'll do better without. Reader input will always be welcome, I'm simply not going out of my way to import opinions from now on. Time to get back to the original real people focus - gettin' on with gettin' back up and at it in plain old day-to-day life. A lot of straight thinking and useful suggestions from a variety of sources follow in random order. If I try to organize it all at this point, it'll be 2003 before this page is done. Oddly enough, I am completely capable of putting together a whole newspaper, artwork, editorial and ads, by myself (48-pager was biggest). Ha! That's a piece of cake, all done on a nice big layout table. Possibly Front Page publishing program is trying to make me feel at home - playing hell again, stretching itself beyond the screen right now - having too much fun here.

One of my favorite comments lately, "Pages reading like a newspaper," was most appropriate, and taken as a great compliment. Sometimes takes me a week to read the Sunday paper. Usually takes at least a week to finish one of these pages. One reason I don't often concern myself with immediate happenings - this is all intended to stand as a record for me as much as anything. Same goes for my other interests, to save the good stuff, as if in a library. I don't have a lot of time for personal mail, at least not long newsies - this is my way of keeping in touch all around - and keeping track of me (latest grip-loss), again, state-of report follows shortly.

Try to consider picking the parts that interest you as flipping through the paper or a magazine. Skip whatever you don't care about. Everything is here for personal reasons. Writing/editing works as a coping mechanism - an extremely valuable release valve. I am working on a who/why/bio section to further explain the motivation and specifically to ask for support as anyone may see fit too. For now, suffice to say, while I do have the time (ordinarily), and feedback is all very rewarding, what I do not have is endless resources.

About twice the usual mail has been coming in since doing Navy and K-9 updates, both are getting quite a bit of circulation. All will go to the good of one new very important reality check project I have in mind. Timing is ripe for Vietnam vets in particular - many are being jerked around by the VA trying to disallow treatment of service-related medical problems, all of which is a disgraceful, inexcusable crock of crap. Now that they know Americans do care, it's time for public outcry. Remember, and for those of you who don't, these vets were spit on and called every vile name in the book for serving their country. No wonder the vast majority hasn't felt up to fighting their own government by themselves. Also remember, these men and women are not getting any younger, aches and pains are causing more serious disability every day.

An excellent for instance: A blow to the jaw that knocked out all but the front tooth on one side, never properly treated, causing TMJ. If you don't know about TMJ, that's what Burt Reynolds was suffering from when the speculation was AIDS. His was a movie stunt gone bad, nevertheless, his range of difficulty is a perfect example of the damage extent the original injury creates, leading to later distress, physical and mental.

Most dentists won't touch TMJ, making it even harder, obviously, to find a specialist connected with the VA. This one run-around has been going on for years - it's by no means unique. Yep, we're all behind the new generation, let's not forget, or stay lazy, about who we owe. I am not as far as strategy set-up yet. Whatever tactic, documentation will be essential - specific dates and names of all involved, particularly any VA employee who has been less than helpful. The power of the 'net puts a whole new light on those in need of an attitude adjustment.

Update: Feedback starting to come in, watch for info next page. Hope to have published within two weeks.

If you don't have one handy around the house, go find a vet to adopt. Start at your local VFW hall. From VFW calendar: Feb. 23th, US Marines raised flag on Mt. Suribachi - Battle of Iwo Jima, 1945

Send a Valentines Day card to any hospitalized veteran
http://members.aol.com/veterans/valentinesday/ - Mailing addresses for veterans hospitals and clinics

Courtesy of Colleen, Crech43@aol.com HBCB Graphics

Mr. Bush has suggested all Americans do two years service to man - 4,000 hours - OK, this is what I'm doing. Think of it like public TV, the entire Whispering Activist support effort is dependent on those able to support the support. I don't want to have to go to memberships or passwords - that would limit access to those who need the help the most. I will list names, and depending on what all develops, donations may eventually be tax deductible. Listings will probably include a short message as requested. I'm not that far in my thinking for set-up yet.

Other plans, including a brag page for outstanding military promotions/awards and spots for more action pix are already pushing limitations under current paid-for space. I don't begin to understand the geek techy terminology regarding bandwidth and such. Bottom line is avoiding the inevitable mess by securing space ahead of demand. It would be a lovely luxury to establish a new domain, mostly for easier organizing and search engine placement value - not necessary, all can be handled under existing once the cap is raised.

Freebie servers are not an option. You may have noticed those precious little overload messages that are appearing on even not-so-popular pages on the bigger once-upon-a-time gratis deals. Nooooo, can't be happy with their irritating ads being shoved on more people - that would make sense you see - they have to screw people who don't want to see their hard work flushed.

Oh, do I sound a little cranky? It was only a matter of time, which is why I never went that way in the first place. But to add insult ... I can't even tap my unused Aol space right now, ridiculously optionless as it is. That's a different can of worms. Basically the powers that be are idiots advertising for new subscribers when they can't take care of reliable uploading or display ... should one be fool enough to try even a modest personal page.

Side note: If you happen to be thinking about getting into building pages for whatever reason, you don't have to go to the expense of a domain name or host right away. Compare options available on any of the regular mail servers that offer creative space. It's never a lot, but enough to tell you if you'd like to continue/expand.

Any subsidy you feel appropriate will be most welcome. Please make check or money order payable to Martha Jones, 11469 Olive Blvd. #236, St. Louis, MO, 63141. Tax deductible is also a possibility ad-wise, maybe even only by linking - you know your accountant better than I do. The pro will know what's kosher.

The old-fashioned way will have to suffice here, although I realize it's not convenient. I don't have a credit card option or any of the new donation options because I can't trust outside service reliability in general and have been burned by a stolen number that still isn't straightened out.

Now here's a deal you can't refuse ... for every $15, I'll send one of my cookbooks, "Holiday Lifestyles of the Culinarily Inept." If you go to mail order page: http://members.aol.com/AltMartha/buythebook.index.html, if you can get the page to open, you'll notice the regular deal is three for $15. I will honor that, all goes into the same pot anyway, the extra will simply help get progress moving faster. I suppose my printable regular order form would serve as sort of back-up receipt. In any case, it's a good reminder: http://www.therealmartha.com/orderform/index.htm. That page is not afflicted by Aol unreliability.

Please do understand, except for a coupla books if so requested, all you're buying is basically air and a good feeling. No promises, no "say" - suggestions/requests are always welcome, demands will put your check in return mail, no matter how big. There is no schedule to report, no definite time frame. The brain-o-dex might flip out for good or I could drop dead tomorrow. We all could, not worth stressin' over. Nope, nuttin' for your interest but

All the happiness in the world to you, for whatever you may manage. Keep yer toes crossed anyway :)

State of: Missouri, "Show-me," what was the question??? Had my first found-glasses-on-face-while-searching-for-them the other morning and quite the memorable spider-in-pants experience. It was dropping down while I was pulling up ... if you get my drift. Gawd, I've even had a ongoing can opener trauma. While that might not be a big deal to some, my Queen Can-ivore personality is all bent out of shape, which, coincidentally is what was happening to cans. So, Walgreen's has a deal, I buy two to be safe. Neither one is worth a damn. All is not lost though, between one of the two new, the three have managed to cover each other's disoperation. Number one even magically started working solo, briefly, much to TheBub's amusement. All I can say is Murphy is winning. And those are just highlights ... full moon? All month?

Rexanne assured me Mercury would cease retro havoc after the 8th. Could be, something finally allowed/enabled/finagled the update on www.TheRealMartha.com intro. Heavens to Betsy, or should that be Mergatroid? (Hmmmm, Mercury's long-lost, black sheep brother the asteroid?) It would be nice to know which one handles which type conundrum. Rexanne is working on the cards of life right now, possibly we shall have these answers soon ...

Then there's the state of that age, when the Phenobarbital dose that wiped out the Heaven's Gate cult might give me two hours of decent rest. (Yes, I did steal that line, ain't no better way to describe it.) Another apropos, customized naturally: I was put on this earth to accomplish an express number of goals. I'm so far behind, I'll live forever.

I also blame the Super Bowl, which I honestly thought was scheduled for three weeks ago, based on assorted, unrelenting "the game" hype. Even though I do not care about football, nor did I realize why all the rah-rah, obviously there was a virus in the air. I got a clue when they started putting Rams stocking caps on newborns. That's as far as I'm going on the subject except that I am sorry St. Louis lost. At least they pulled out of that embarrassing three points. It is rather nice the Patriots won purely for namesake. SendaFriend.com has a nice "If they'd known" comparison tribute ...  if the NFL Patriots had known they weren't supposed to win, and on down the line through history. The pop-up ads are a giant pain, and there's no telling how long it'll be there, worth a look though - try http://www.sendafriend.com/patriots/.

Anywhich, I wanted the Rams to win so there'd be no Black Monday here - Bub said it wasn't too bad after all. Most of the people he works with aren't from here. Different story at lunch, the regular joint was almost deserted. No doubt, based on visiting KC the year the Royals lost the World Series. Whole town was dysfunctional. Cut into my party time dang it. Sorry, I plain don't "get" or appreciate sports, or the mania attached to sports in general.

Boxing, however, real boxing, OK! Go figure. And happiest B-day to Ali. Always liked him, as an invariably unique (think about it) original. He's still the prettiest too :) Another oddball thingy, had that piece set to go when bite-boy showed up in the news.

http://www.cnn.com/cnnsi/boxing/news/2002/01/29/tyson_license_ap/index.html - Tyson, one sick puppy. Can't figure out why he's still around. I was doing the weekly "man-on-the-street" interviews the day after he pulled that first stunt. I clearly recall true venom in all comments.

Aussie's daily wisdom, "Out of My Mind" (www.woogly.com), the day after current story was devoted to "really, really" not liking Tyson. "It ain't just that he's a bad boy - there's bad boys with a certain charm - it's that he puts on this pitiful 'I'm a victim' act. A victim of ... his own mental deficiencies and uncontrollable tendencies to do violence? If it's really not his fault, really just an innate lack of control over his own rages, then he should be painlessly put to sleep like a mad dog. Start over on the wheel of karma and hope for a better brain. The man more or less illustrates what people mean when they say, 'moral imbecile,' and given that he's said to have bit Lennox Lewis on the leg last week, I think it's fair to say that he doesn't learn from experience."

I like boxing and Ali for several reasons, also know the down side. I think boxing satisfies/relieves anger in me somehow. Even seriously thought about trying it once, until Sis pointed out the hit back part. Truth told, my mind was more on the male scenery available in a gym. Female boxing is about as bad it gets. Thoroughly disgusting watching the one's husband who's her trainer.

Putting gloves on my stepsons and throwing them outside whenever they got stupid worked quite well, I didn't let 'em back in until they were cooled off. Got where it was easier for them to talk it out. I don't question the value of sports in most learning/teaching cases. The rub is pro salaries and not-so-swell role models in my not-so-humble opinion. Possibly, hopefully, now that we know the true hero distinction, more money might finally find its way into rewards for people who deserve the merit. Would be nice if those who see themselves as gods and those who buy into the waste, saw fit to set up a "tithe" for cops, firefighters, teachers or myriad other service people/programs so miserably underfunded. Something to chew on ...

In any case, recent assorted weirdies may have contributed to a variety of odd and interesting links floating my way. Or maybe I was paying better attention since swearing off the poly-ticks (notice that's multi-blood suckers), and getting back to priorities. This project did start for the most part because Buster was shook, because we were shook. I wanted to remind people to be aware of critter feelings - how to deal with odd behavior and the importance of a little extra patience and time expense. K-9 heroes in the spotlight always works for the good of respect for all animals. Dogs responsible for the final security check on Air Force make a heavy think-on. In the middle of immediate pandemonium, some idiot posted advice why you must abandon animals in case of evacuation - yea, that'll help, packs of starving dogs competing for food. If only I'd been able to personally wring that neck. My written rebuttal wasn't nearly as satisfying, but at least anyone who was thinking along those lines had a chance to rethink. Shame on me for letting myself be distracted, hopefully our four-legged forgotten members of society will forgive me as I try to make up the slack.

Most of the following are not the type of articles featured in the usual critter publications, don't recall where I found them now either.

http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/030/metro/Homeless_dogs_find_a_welcome_in_Mass_+.shtml -The 1,500-mile round-trip drive had a singular mission: to import dogs to an area where they are few because spaying and neutering programs have been successful in so many Massachusetts communities

http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?j31309172&w509707 - Abilene Mayor Grady Barr announced a special retirement fund for the long-haired Czech-born German shepherd, part of Abilene’s finest from 1996 until last fall.

Rhythm & Hues, Inc., is an Academy Award winning studio that produces character animation and visual effects for feature films, commercials, television, theme park attractions, interactive games and music videos. This calendar is dedicated to search and rescue dogs and their human partners who are true American heroes. All proceeds go to the NASAR SAR Dog Section. Order from The Rhythm & Hues Website, or call (310) 448-7500.

http://www.rhythm.com/ - Rythym and Hues, the folks who make animals talk, (among many other snazzy Hollywood visual effects) for such movies as “Cats & Dogs,” “Dr. Dolittle 2” and “Babe,” for which they won an Academy Award for best visual effects.

http://www.nasar.org/about.shtml - National Association Search and Rescue

http://www-hsc.usc.edu/~rneville/sayings.html - Not the same old dog quotes

More critter links below

Of course, great flag-wavers will always be included

http://www0.mercurycenter.com/breaking/docs/text013002.htm - State of Union address text

http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/ - links, video - way cool set up

"My call tonight is for every American to commit at least two years - 4,000 hours - over the rest of your lifetime to the service of your neighbors and your nation." This is what President Bush spoke of in his State of the Union address. http://www.citizencorps.gov/about.html

Hope your holidays were moooost enjoyable - not as far behind as I thought with leftover New Years. Chinese starts Feb 12th - the year of horse. Grooviest, we could all use as many new starts as possible.

Things not to do at New Year
This came from a Chinese New Year collection from I won't say who. As tempting as it was to lift more, after checking a date that didn't seem right, a lot more of the "facts" from the non-Chinese source didn't jive. In any case, I thought these were perfectly peachy rules, primarily the first two, for Chinese, US, wherever, declare-your-own ...

Avoid housework on New Years day! This activity runs the
risk of washing or sweeping away good luck right out of your
house. For the same reason, avoid washing your hair on the
first and last day of the New Year.

It is also considered unlucky to use anything sharp on New
Year's day - knives, scissors, even nail clippers. The action
of the sharp blades risks cutting the threads of good fortune
brought in at New Year.

There's a declare-my-own, either that or - gasp - work a day ahead. Bub's b-day is the 12th. He's gotta have his chicken-fried chicken chunks, gravy and real live smashed taters. Dang, there are times spoilin' will back fire. Fortunately, lumps are preferred. For the rest of the story, No Guts, No Gravy: http://members.aol.com/AltMartha/gravy.index.html (a way-back page)

It is important not to use language which is negative.
Having an argument on New Year's day is to be avoided at all costs.

Words related to sickness and death are to be avoided. This
even extends to the use of words which sound like the words
for death or sickness.

To avoid any association with death, any slaughtering of
poultry or livestock is carried out on New Year's Eve. Finally,
care must be taken not to stumble or to break anything - this
would be indicative of bad luck ahead.

Loads of links are available on any search engine for more info on getting into the Chinese spirit.

Keeping New Year's Resolutions
(Maddening practical)

Want to give yourself a chance at keeping your resolutions? Instead of just making them, take it one step further by planning a response to temptations to break them. What will you do the first time you decide to sleep in instead of jumping up and going to the gym? How will you respond to your daily, mid-afternoon chocolate craving?

Like the wise coach said, "the best offense is a good defense." By planning your response, you'll be more likely to successfully fend off occasional temptations. From http://roseys.net/newyears2002.htm - and these links also from Rosey, subscribe: Rosey1001@aol.com      

Winter Recipes 
http://199.185.138.2/boulet/winterfood.html
Winter / Seasonal recipes - Recipezaar 
http://www.recipezaar.com/browse/01110F0AA
Casserole Recipes 
http://www.donogh.com/cooking/casserol.shtml
Recipe Notes | Newsletter Index - Winter 
http://recipenotes.com/newsletters/winter.asp
Recipes Winter 2000 - 2001 
http://www.gleanerlife.com/recipe.htm
Winter Food Chart: Nutrition, Health, Cooking and Recipes 
http://www.foodfit.com/healthy/healthyWinterFoods.asp
Cold Weather Camping and First Aid
http://www.isd.net/stobin/document/coldhnt3.html
Soup-er Recipes for Cold Weather Camping
http://www.northerntrailspress.com/soup.htm
Frugal Camping Tips  
http://members.aol.com/frugally4u/campingtips.html
Cold Weather Camping Guidelines 
http://www.troop79.org/Camping/cguide.html
Guide to Safe Scouting: Winter Activities 
http://www.bsa.scouting.org/pubs/gss/gss13.html
Index of Cold Weather Sports and Activities 
http://www.fabriclink.com/pk/coldindex.html

Family Fire Safety
Have you checked your smoke alarms lately?

More than 4,000 fire-related deaths occur each year in the United States. Yet less than two out of 10 families have a planned escape route or have rehearsed a home fire drill according to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA).

The NFPA states that in a typical house fire, you have just two or three minutes to exit safely. That is not much time, especially if you're coming out of a deep sleep, the house is dark, and you have several children sleeping in other rooms. An escape plan is essential!

NFPA suggests using these simple guidelines in developing your escape plans:

* Include all family members, even small children, when you practice fire drills - and practice the escape plan at least twice a year.
* Decide on a central meeting place outside your home, and stay outside at all times. Never re-enter a burning house.
* Designate two ways to exit each room in your home and show these exits to your children.
* Keep the emergency number 911 posted by all telephones in your home. In a panic, someone might forget what to dial.
* Keep all windows and doors unobstructed and in working order.
* Practice general fire safety and, in a non-threatening way, teach your children how to be safe. Having them read age-appropriate books on fire safety is one way to do this.

Called I am Januyere the colde, 
In Christmas season good fyre I love. 
Yonge Jesu, that sometime Judas solde, 
In me was circumcised for man's behove. 
Three kinges sought the sonne of God above; 
They kneeled downe, and dyd him homage, with love 
To God their Lorde that is mans own brother. 
From Sheapheards Kalendar, printed by Richard Pynson, 1497 

January, like February, was introduced into the Roman calendar by a legendary king of Rome, Numa Pompilius (c.715-673 BC), who named it in honor of Janus, the god of doors and openings (Latin janus, a door). Janus is represented in Roman art as a man with two faces, one looking backwards and one forwards, implying that he stood between the old and the new year, holding both in regard. The ancient Jewish New Year, which began on March 25, continued for a long time to have a legal standing in Christian countries. In England, it was not until 1752 that in legal, as in popular circles, January 1 became New Year.

Janus is the male equivalent of one of the versions of the goddess Juno-Janus, who, in her two-faced aspects of Antevorta and Postvorta, looks simultaneously forward and backwards, as Janus does.

In modern Asatru, January is called Snowmoon.

In American backwoods tradition, the January full moon is called Wolf Moon.

In the Celtic calendar, the first 20 days of January are in the month of Beth, the birch tree, representing beginnings and purification, white being the emblematic color. This month is dedicated to the Mother Goddess. From January 21 is Luis, the rowan, dedicated to Morrigan and with grey as its emblematic hue. In the13-month goddess calendar of Lux Madriana, the month of Hestia continues till January 22, followed by the month of Bridhe.
 
Saint Basil came from Caesaria. 
He holds a book and paper, and carries an ink-stand. 
He writes in the book, and he reads from the paper. 
"Basil, do you know how to read? Basil, do you know any songs?" 
"I have learned how to read, but I don't know any songs." 
And he leaned upon his staff to say his alpha, beta. 
The staff was of dry wood, and it put forth green branches. 
Boys' door-to-door carol for St Basil's Day, Greece 
 
Ring out the old 
Ring in the new 
Ring out the false 
Ring in the true. 
Traditional 
 
No one ever regarded the first of January with indifference. It is that from which all date their time, and count upon what is left. ~ William Hone, Every Day Book Vol. I, 1878 
 
If January calends be summerly gay, It will be winterly weather till the calends of May. ~ Traditional English weather proverb 
 
Happy, happy New Year 
Till next year, till eternity, 
Corn on the corn stalk, 
Grapes in the vineyard, 
Yellow grain in the bin, 
Red apples in the garden, 
Silkworms in the house, 
Happiness and health 
Until next year. 
Old Bulgarian greeting
 
The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. ~ Edmund Burke, British statesman and author, born January 1, 1730, speech on the Middlesex Election, 1771 
 
Superstition is the religion of feeble minds. ~ Edmund Burke, reflections on the Revolution in France 
 
I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue! ~ Barry M. Goldwater, US Senator, born January 1, 1909, speech, San Francisco, July 17, 1964
  
4713 BC, the first Julian Day, has nothing to do with Julius Caesar. The Julian time scale is used by astronomers, along with Universal Time, to get around the dating problems that arise from the perspective of our planet with its myriad of time zones. Julian time was invented by Joseph Scaliger (1554 -1609) and he named it after his father, Julius. No one knows why he chose January 1, 4713 BC as its starting date. 
 
  46 BC: Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar.

In 59 AD, the notorious Roman emperor, Nero, instituted the Juvenalia festival, originally on December 24. It commemorated, of all things, the first shaving of his beard at the age of 21, symbolizing his transition from youth to manhood. The Juvenalia was a theatrical festival which was turned by succeeding emperors into a spectacle of chariot races and fights between wild beasts, celebrated on January 1. 
 
New Year's Day is a holiday in 162 nations of the world. In Britain there is an old custom that you should take nothing out of the house today, not even garbage. If you must carry something out, make sure to bring something in first. The best thing is a coin, hidden outside on New Year's Eve.

Many parts of the world see in the New Year with noise. Often church bells are rung to bring in this special day. Originally, the noises were to drive away evil spirits that might darken the coming year. Bonfires were once lit for the same purpose, as well as to urge warm weather back to earth. 
 
There is an old British superstition that said the household would have a year's bad luck if the first visitor had fair hair, flat feet or eyebrows that met in the middle, or if the person carried a knife. 

In old Persia, now Iran, people used to exchange eggs at New Year, as modern Christians do at Easter, to suggest new life. 
 
In Greece, many people bake a vasilopitta, a nut and lemon cake named after St Basil, who died on this day in 379 AD. The cake contains a coin; to find it in one's slice guarantees a year of good luck.
 
Polish tradition is for vagabond players to put on street pantomimes on New Year's Day. Gypsies, too, are on the streets, fortune telling. 

A century ago Sicilians ate lascagne cacate, or "crappy noodles." To eat any other sort of pasta was considered bad luck, "Whoever eats macaroni today will have a bad year."
 
In Madrid, Spain, at the stroke of midnight each person eats twelve grapes. The cinemas will even stop running a movie at midnight to allow the patrons to eat their grapes. 
 
As in many parts of the world, in Japan the New Year is brought in with noise. Here, temple bells sound, ringing out the old year. Then the joyano-kane, or nightwatch bell, rings in the new with precisely 108 chimes. This, according to Buddhist tradition, helps free mankind from the 108 earthly desires. The chiming of bells rings in the New Year in England as well as in Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia and Romania. 
 
Kwam Suk Pee Mai! (Thai for Happy New Year!) Today Thai children will exchange presents with family and friends, and the general populace will present Buddhist monks a thanks offering of rice and other food. 
 
Happy Ta'u Fo'ou! from Tonga. Boys and girls go in groups from door to door serenading the populace. Some will make a joyful noise on harmonicas, guitars, drums and ukuleles, making up hymns and songs for the occasion. Like trick or treaters, they will receive goodies for their efforts. 
 
Just as at Christmas and Easter, the people of Trinidad are known sometimes to "feed" the dead at New Year. Food, drink and even tobacco are left on a table for the deceased. No information is available about whether it is ever taken. 

The Russians don't have Santa Claus, even though Saint Nicholas is patron of Moscow. They have Grandfather Frost (D'yed Moroz) at New Year, with his comely assistant Snegourka the Snow Maiden who bring presents to children on this day. 
 
The Russian have New Year trees instead of Christmas trees, with more than 50,000 decorated trees erected in Moscow public places and 700,000 in private homes of Muscovites. 

In the former Yugoslavia, on New Year's Day, the people light the candles on their New Year's tree and open their gifts. The day is traditionally one big party with music, fine food and dancing. 
 
Families in Paraguay rearrange the little figurines in their nativity scenes and address the baby Jesus as NiF1o del AF1o Nuevo - Baby of the New Year. Before he was NiF1o de la Navidad - Baby of the Nativity. 
  
In an old English custom, people would take the first egg from a young hen to church on New Year's Day. Those who were destined to die in the coming year would be revealed to the asker, wearing a crown of thorns. 

In Nigeria there was formerly a men's ritual festival held every other year in December and January, called Ndok. Because of its associations with renewal, gradually Ndok became identified with the West's New Year celebrations. A masquerade, this cult involved the sacrifice of a rooster and the making of much noise.

Both the ancient Greeks and the Romans gave New Year's gifts, the latter calling them strenae. From that word the French derive their word E'trenne, a New Year's gift. Tatius, King of the Sabines, was given, one New Year's Day, some branches cut from a forest sacred to the goddess Strenia (strength) - hence the name.

The French were once big on New Year's Day which they called Le Jour d'Etrennes. Gifts were exchanged all round. Last century, the Rue des Lombards in Paris would be choked with wagons loading up the pastries made there - delicacies in the shape of pagodas, churches and so on.  

More than 300 years ago there was a strange custom in Staffordshire, England. On New Year's Day the lord of the Essington manor had to take to the manor of Lord Hilton, a goose, and drive it three times around Hilton's hall fire. He then had to take the bird to the cook, who prepared it for Lord Hilton. It makes you wonder what sort of bet Essington's ancestor had lost! 

Gloves were commonly given in Britain for New Year's presents, or a sum of money (so called glove money) with which to buy them. 

At this century's beginning, a Dutch child would retire to bed at an early hour and rise early on New Year's Day. It was customary for greeting cards to be in that day's mail. 
 
An old custom for New Year's Day in Radnorshire and Herefordshire, England, involved farmers burning at dawn a hawthorn branch (or bush) with its twigs bent to form a globe. They carried it over 12 ridges; if it went out before the twelfth, a bad year for crops was assured. They would extinguish the bush with cider, singing Auld cider! in a low monotone while bowing nine times for luck. 
 
From Westmoreland and Cumberland, England comes the ancient custom of riding stang. A stang was a staff used by two persons to carry a water vessel, a cowl. Crowds would gather on New Year's Day and whoever would not join them was hoisted on a stang and carried to a pub where he could be liberated or sixpence. Women were treated with more dignity - and carried in baskets. 
 
On the Greek isle of Carpathos, a white dog is brought into the house today and fed baklava to ensure the householders' strength of body and soul for the coming year. 
 
At Kydoniae in Asia Minor, a tray is left out for the visiting St Basil (a Greek saint who is like Santa Claus), so he can refresh himself with fish, jellied pork pie, fish, some vasillopitta (Basil-cake) and a glass of water 

January 1 is traditionally the date of the circumcision of Jesus Christ. In Syria, Christian men and children visit one another to exchange presents and have coffee and pastries. Because the women are so busy entertaining, they do their visiting on January 2. 

A few of the above are similar to pieces used on my regular New Years page, http://www.therealmartha.com/newyear/index.htm
Yes I do realize February is almost gone, at this rate, I might catch up by April - those files are around here somewhere.

ABC's of Patriotism

A--Accept that you're not alone. The people of the United States will stand strong and united through any crisis.

B--Buy America. Help the wounded economy make a full recovery.

C--Celebrate today, because you're part of one of the greatest nations beneath the sun.

D--Don't panic because of what you hear on the news or read in the paper.

E--Embrace the ones you love and cherish family values.

F--Fly the flag proudly. Many have fought and died for it.

G--Greet each dawn with optimism. Remember President Franklin Roosevelt's words: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself ..."

H--Honor the constitution and all the liberties it grants you. Honor the liberties it grants other Americans as well. Many fought to give you these privileges.

I--Instill a sense of American pride in your children. Teach them the many reasons why they should be glad to be part of this great nation.

J--Join the ranks of those who refuse to be bullied or frightened by foreign aggressors. Do your part to help your nation and your neighbor.

K--Know the Pledge of Allegiance and treasure the meaning of the beautiful words: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

L--Love your neighbor with all of your heart.

M--Measure the United States by all of the privileges and opportunities it grants you every day. Unlike the citizens of many other countries, you can do anything you want, become anyone you want to be.

N--Never lose faith that this country will succeed in the face of adversity.

O--Offer hope. Everyone could use some.

P--Pray, and remember our motto is: "In God is our trust."

Q--Quit dwelling on the negative. Focus on making this nation even better tomorrow than it is today in the spirit of the founding fathers.

R--Remember those who have fought for this country and honor them.

S--Support our troops overseas. Keep their morale up.

T--Think about how lucky you are to be part of this great nation.

U--Use your skills and talent to the best of your ability in order to make this country a great place to live.

V--Vote. Don't throw away one of your greatest rights.

W--Wear a smile instead of a frown.

X--X-ray the heart of the nation, and you'll find that it's beating stronger than ever. The eagle has grown new wings and is taking flight.

Y--Yield to the overwhelming feeling of national pride that's all around.

Z--Zealously treasure your freedom, and do all you can to defend it with the heart of a true patriot.

After being nailed by a Daisy Cutter, binny-boy made his way to the pearly
gates. There, George Washington greets him. "How dare you attack the nation
I helped conceive!" yells Mr. Washington, slapping b-boy in the face.

Patrick Henry comes up from behind. "You wanted to end the Americans'
Liberty, so they gave you death!" Henry punches b-boy on the nose.

James Madison comes up next, and says, "This is why I allowed the federal
government to provide for the common defense!" He drops a large weight on
b-boy's knee.

Similar beatings follow from John Randolph of Roanoke, James
Monroe, and 65 other people who have the same love for liberty and America.
As he writhes on the ground, Thomas Jefferson picks him up to hurl him back
toward the gate where he is to be judged. As Osama awaits his journey to his
final very hot destination, he screams, "This is not what I was promised!"

An angel replies, "I told you there would be 72 Virginians waiting for you.
What did you think I said?"

Warning, PC sensitive ahead - as there always be. If ya can't take an ethnic ribbing, best skeedaddle now.

At a small airport terminal in Texas, three strangers awaiting their shuttle flight start conversing about the recent worldly events. One was Native American. Another was a cowboy from West Texas. The other person was a devout Arab Muslim.

During their conversation, they began to discuss their cultural history. The Native American stated "once my people were many, now we are few."

The Muslim then chimed in and arrogantly said, "once my people were few and now we are many."

The cowboy looked at the Muslim, shifted the toothpick in his mouth and said with a sly grin, "That's 'cause we ain't played Cowboys and towel-heads yet."

"Now this really annoys me: All these people getting on the Internet and
saying Nostradamus predicted this. If Nostradamus were alive today his name
would be Miss Cleo and he'd be charging $2.99 a minute." - Jay Leno

I think our number one problem is that nobody wants
to take responsibility for anything, but don't quote me.

ISP morons self-declare god-status, a sampling of aggravation

While that's not a Geocities message, no doubt Geo is the worst offender as far as I can tell, always have a problem with script error messages too. It's getting to where I hesitate to go to or list any freebie site link.

A cost for free e-mail? You bet! You're already "paying" for
your free Microsoft Hotmail (http://www.hotmail.com) or Yahoo!
Mail (http://mail.yahoo.com/) account with inserted ads and
links. Now, it looks like you'll be giving more for free e-mail.

Providers offer the basic e-mail product for free, and then
entice users to buy extra features. At Yahoo!, for example,
basic e-mail storage is limited to 4 MB, unless you're willing
to pay $9.99 for 10 MB. Want to hear your e-mail over the
phone? That will cost you $4.95 per month.

When 2 MB of messages stack up in a free Hotmail Inbox, the
account is put on "hold" until some of the backlog is deleted.
It'll cost you $19.95 per year to boost the capacity to 10 MB,
which also gets you Web space at MSN Communities.

Other free mail providers include Netscape
(http://home.netscape.com/webmail) and Excite
(http://registration.excite.com).

A spam filter is gratis at Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail, while
you can auto-forward or auto-reply with an Excite account.
Whatever provider you select, remember that what's
free today might not be tomorrow.

Hopefully your provider won't just collapse. But just in case,
you should never rely on Web storage for vital messages or
information. Always make a local backup!
From Kim Komando newsletter

The other big buggie - nothing new though - save me from every (s)he-it screamin' whinin' primadonna. Or as Rexanne put is so succinctly, those frantic about themselves. What really flattens me is the stuff they're worried about - ain't worth going to the trouble of asking to borrow 99 percent of the time. Most recently laughable was the idiot with "Don't even think about it ... all property of ... " plastered all over. Oh, puhleeeeze - I'd seen it all before, several times, and I know none of it wasn't his originally." Joke's on their huffy puffies anyway, straight from a rather well-known horse's mouth:

There is no way that I know of to absolutely protect an image.
You can add code to prevent the right-click menu from popping up,
you can disable copy and paste, but all anyone has to do is press
the Print Screen key on their keyboard to copy an image of their
entire screen to their clipboard. Then all they have to do is paste it
into a graphics program and crop out the parts they don't want.

If it's something that absolutely must be protected, then it's
probably best not to put it online.

I found the above truly hilarious, was a new one on me. Can't wait to try it :) Ornery, pure ornery - however, when I shared with one friend, "I did this long ago, before I learned other ways, but I had forgotten, geesh."

Aha - exactly like good ol' Burt's "How ignorant you are depends on which part of the country you're standing in ..." Always loved that line, from Smokey and the Bandit. Have used it frequently for a variety of circumstances - usually as a reassuring OK, which answers the last question below.

Thought for the day, week, year

Most people are happy to lend their work, even customize, at least the ones who've been around for a while. Here's a nice token of appreciation to keep on hand. It was a special request, making it somewhat unique. Meant primarily for taggers, anyone would enjoy.

And thank you Sandy, twice! And thrice, just added the AirHead above :)

Poor, poor terrorists
Greg Crosby
http://www.newsandopinion.com/cols/crosby.html

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com - The International Committee of the Red Cross is worried that the captured al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists being held at our naval base at Guantanimo are not being treated fairly and humanely. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other assorted humanitarian aid groups have also jumped on the bandwagon to make human rights demands, quote from the Geneva Conventions, and point their accusatory fingers at America's supposed mistreatment of these poor fellows.

I, too, am very concerned about mistreatment of these Taliban and al Qaeda chaps. As a matter of fact, I'm so moved by their plight, that I purpose we take up a collection for them. Maybe stage a few rallies. March on Washington. And let's ask the movie stars and recording artists to get together and do a televised concert to aid the poor, poor terrorists who are being held against their will by the nasty ol' United States government.

It sounds to me like they might need some hot shot defense lawyers to hurry down there to save them. A dream team for the terrorists. And you know who the attorneys would be. It's always the same oily guys. Dershowitz, Cochran, Bailey. Can't you see the televised circus? Dershowitz with his convoluted logic, Bailey with his phony theatrics, and Cochran with his rhyming sound bites. Just the thought of it all makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Brrrrr.

We'll need the United Nations to send inspectors down there to "oversee and monitor" the situation, too. These UN representatives will bring some sorely needed necessities for the prisoners. The items should include the things that would make the detainees feel most at home. Things like maggot-infested food, dirt, lots of sand, dirt, camel dung, dirt, and enslaved women and children. Ah - home sweet home!

Just in case some of us may have forgotten, (well, it has been four months since the terrorist attacks and we Americans have such short attention spans!) these are the people who want us dead. These are the people who hate anyone who isn't a fundamentalist Muslim. These are the people who are suicide bombers. These are the people who murder innocent men, women, children and babies and call it the will of the Creator. These are the people who will literally do anything to see western democracy destroyed. Remember the World Trade Center? Remember the Pentagon? Remember the 3,000 dead? Remember that guy in the plane with the shoe bombs?

I've got my own ideas on how to deal with these monsters - and in a way that they could appreciate. Let's get a bunch of jetliners - the kind that can be operated pilot-less from the ground. I don't know how many prisoners there are in Guantanamo Bay, but send down enough of these jets to accommodate all of them. Strap them all into the planes and set the automated pilot on a course for the highest peaks in the mountains of Afghanistan. Tell them in their native languages (so they will fully understand what will happen to them) that they will be crashing into the sides of the mountains really soon. "Have fun, boys! Say hi to all the virgins in the other world for us!" "Write when you find Allah!"

See? That's MY suggestion of proper treatment for these dirt bags. Think the ICRC will go for it? I don't know why they wouldn't - as far as I can tell, this would be "fair and just" treatment in the truest sense of the words.

You know what upsets me?
People with absolutely nothing to do with their lives, so they complain how the US is treating the prisoners or "detainees" from Afghanistan.

Do you know why they are complaining? They see a picture on the news or the Internet and they see someone who is shackled and blindfolded and walking with two armed guards behind razor wire. This picture tells them they are treated unfairly. Here is what I see ...

I see a thin, sickly looking person who under severe mental duress from being bombed, was cleaned up, given a haircut to prevent infestation of parasites, and given new clothes and shoes to wear. I see a person  who is given three nutritious meals per day and a bed to sleep on in a tropical climate, not the cold desert floor of Afghanistan, eating worms, bugs, and goat. I see a person who will be able to get relief from their pains and illnesses without paying a dime for medical expenses. They will get rest, educated, and their mental stress levels will have dropped tremendously because they were taken out of a combat area and will not be shot at again.

I see these people blindfolded and shackled behind razor wire. I  have the intellectual ability to understand why they are this way. For those who do not have this ability, let me explain it to you. They are  blindfolded to protect  US soldiers. These people can not plan to destroy something if they can not see it. They are shackled because these same people have proven they will easily give up their lives to kill just one American.

The razor wire is a mental deterrent, just like the little alarm company warning signs most of you out there have on your home, but don't have the actual alarm system. You would think many times over before actually trying to cross that razor wire. For all of you people out there thinking how bad
these poor detainees have it under such strict guard, you need to do a lot more thinking about other things in your life.

I was born September 11th, 1966, and every birthday I have from now on will never be a happy one. Why? Because as I am out somewhere trying to have a nice dinner, someone will have a candle or a ribbon or something, crying about the anniversary of a national tragedy. And then I will think, about how insignificant my one little birthday actually is compared to everything else that had happened on that one day.

It boggles my mind that there are actually people out there in this world, in leadership positions, head of companies that actually think that we are doing something wrong when it comes to protecting our nation and our people. These same people will be the first ones to complain about something that happens to them when they are vacationing outside this country. They will ask why the US does not do anything about their misfortune. These are the same people who complain about taxes and how bad their lives actually are.

I am not afraid or ashamed to speak my peace. I am an American, my father fought for this country, and was willing to die for it.

Dr. Steven Tomaselli
Uvalde, Texas

Did a quickie search, this kind of letter has been debunked before. Nothing popped up - I'd run it anyway, either way - hard to argue with common sense, wherever it originates. Cheers to the next too, often this kind of approach sticks to a lame-brain better than the usual.

A letter home from Camp Guantanamo

Dear Mom,

What can I say? War is hell, but Guantanamo is fabulous. Temps are hovering in the low 70s, finally got rid of that rat's nest the Talibans called a beard, and am eating better than we ever did at Osama's. I've already put on 10 pounds. When I get out of here, I'll bring you a box of Fruit Loops. When do I get out of here - now there's the question of the millennium. But, hey, who's in a hurry? Like I said, they feed us, let us shower, pray, write home. They even gave us a mattress, prayer mats and a copy of the Koran. What a bunch of twits.

Speaking of which, have you been following the news about our maltreatment here? It's a hoot. Amnesty International and a bunch of other bleeding-heart organizations have been giving the Americans hell for being "hard on us." They said that shaving our heads and beards was a human-rights violation because it humiliated us. I'm telling you, who needs Comedy Central? Me? I'm just happy to be rid of the lice, but don't tell anybody. Ha, ha. Our self-anointed protectors also say that making us live in these open-air pens is cruel. Obviously, they've never lived in a cave.

We've got a roof - remember those? - and plenty of shade. The soldiers watching over us are sweating like pigs in their tents while their guys still in Afghanistan would probably trade their baby sisters for a weekend in my "cell." Anyway, all us guys are loving the attention, as well as the distraction. We're just waiting for the right moment when we can get back to business. All that training wasn't for nothing. One chance, that's all I need, and a Marine's aortic valve will be my breakfast. I hope it's a woman. Nah, just kidding, Ma. The sexes here are totally equal, and women act and talk just like men. If they were our women living under our laws, we'd have to shoot every last one of them. But so typical of these Western psychos. Americans don't realize that they're their own worst enemies. They're so consumed with doing the right thing, with being sensitive (even soldiers have gender-sensitivity training, for Allah's sake) and not hurting anybody's feelings, that they're practically rocking us to sleep at night.

Hey, tell Amnesty International I need cable! And while they're at it, I could use some Dasani. This local stuff is a tad cloudy. As far as I can tell, the only American with any spine or sense is that dude Rumsfeld. Of course, he was a soldier before John Gray started carrying on about Mars and Venus. Are Americans stupid or what? They believe that men are from Mars and women are from Venus. Yeah, right. Anyway, Rumsfeld understands that we would disembowel any American without hesitation or regret. He seems to get it - that our whole purpose in life is to destroy America. We don't hate freedom, Mr. Prezzie Bush; we just hate you and all your stinking ilk. That goes for all you hyphenated-Americans, too. Think hard. We shoot our own mothers for stepping outside their houses without our permission, and you think we'd hesitate to rip out a soldier's jugular when he bends down to make sure our handcuffs aren't bruising our little wristy-poos? You gotta love 'em, Ma. We've used their naivete against them before; we'll do it again and die happy. Well, I better go now. They just called us to prayer (die laughing here), and I'm hoping for a quick nap before dinner. Ciao for now.

Love, Muhammad Mohammed Achmeed.

Gotta love this ditty, 'specially 'tween the lines

Dear US citizen:
Thank you for your recent whinny-assed letter criticizing the treatment of detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And, we sincerely appreciate that you've already copied Hillary.

As part of the Administration's Liberal Empathy Training Program, you'll be pleased to learn that the Administration has decided to place one detainee under your exclusive care. Your detainee is scheduled to be delivered to your personal residence Monday. The detainee is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you strongly recommended in your letter of admonishment. It will be necessary that you hire your own caretakers. We will also conduct weekly inspections, of course, to assure that your detainee is actually being cared for in the manner you personally prescribed.

His meal requirements are simple, but we strongly suggest using menus that do not require utensils. While he does bite, the rabies test was negative, although he does have a bad case of body lice that we haven't completely remedied.

Although he is a sociopath and very psychotic, we do welcome your promised efforts to overcome that "attitudinal problem" with your promised counseling and home schooling. He's extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or light bulb. We do not suggest that you ask him to demonstrate these proficiencies at your next bridge party. He also has the ability to make a variety of lethal bombs from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, not withstanding that it may conflict with your moral values or disrupt your
maid's daily routine. Please heed the large orange notice attached to your detainee's cage. "Does not play well with others."

Your detainee generally bathes quarterly, with the change of seasons, assuming that it rains, and washes his clothes simultaneously. That should help with your water bill.

Be assured, your detainee absolutely loves pets of all kinds, but is especially fond of cats and dogs. He prefers them roasted. You take good care of our detainee now.

My call on the whole stinkin' pile? Prisons are not meant to be country clubs, mystified though the addled seem to be on the matter.

On pacifism

While the novel concept of pacifism may have a niche in abstract thought, it's a principle that's self-defeating in reality. For pacifism to exist and flourish (and not be brutally stamped out), it requires the wars, hostilities, and conflicts of the past to sustain itself. Without the freedom of speech that blood was spilled for, it could not be voiced; therefore pacifism owes its existence to the very actions it professes to abhor, actually even causing more bloodshed by inaction and indifference to danger. This is in keeping with the true cardinal rule of the left - liberalism always accomplishes the exact opposite of its stated intent. Thanks Lou, a.k.a. The Philosophic Warrior: http://community-2.webtv.net/lveronie/doc/

Surprise Valentine Tube

Paper towel tube
yarn
red tissue paper
aluminum foil
snack food
paper
scissors
glue

Cut a section from a paper towel tube to make it a little shorter. For a
handle, run a piece of yarn through the inside. Cut and glue a strip of
red tissue paper around the edge of each end of the tube. Cut slits in the
tissue for fringe.

Cover the tube with glue and aluminum foil. Add cut paper hearts. place
small snack food inside the middle of the tube. Stuff the tube ends with crumpled
tissue paper.

Chicken Valentino
My contribution, as foodie editor, to Rexanne's Web Review
http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html
"Web Sites and Insights"

The beauty of this recipe is that it will wait while you enjoy candles and wine or whatever distraction may come along ... It was prepared for me by an amorous Italian who claimed he invented it. Ordinarily, I have to mess around with any recipe. This one was so perfect in its simplicity, tampering was limited to bestowing the title.

Submerge boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your favorite spaghetti sauce to bake for a minimum of 45 minutes at 350. Check, when the pink is all gone, they're basically done - just waiting to be topped with a few slices of Provolone cheese right before serving. Turn to low, or proceed. Only takes a few minutes for the cheese to bubble and brown. Serve with garlic bread (you'll both be eating it so relax), salad and a side of pasta - the perfect V-day dinner.

While it's true it's just as easy to fall in love with a good cook as a bad one, the good are few and far between. The force behind the decision to step into the unknown frequently is romance. Somebody should know what they're doing. Chickie V is one of many "Wowees" featured in "Lifestyles." The culinarily inept must keep their spirits up in the beginning, best to pick guinea pigs with healthy appetites. Then, they must be trained to be honest and the cook must learn to take positive criticism. Some of my best teachers were men I never dreamed to be possessed of knowledge beyond the barbecue.

If you tend toward matchmaking, get your checkbook out right now and order books for all your single friends. Then, go meet my soldiers who are single: http://www.therealmartha.com/WARK9/index.htm. That isn't why I "adopted" them - my yenta self reappeared shortly after I became a "mom" and insisted we get back to work. That is another project expansion coming up. Listings (not tacky ads) will be free for all military personnel. There will also be a limited introductory free membership offer. A number of civilians are already listed here: http://www.therealmartha.com/Selective%20Singles/index.htm

Back to the adoption subject: Consider taking a service member's family under your wing. Or at the very least, looking in on a neighbor. All kinds of things/problems, over and above loneliness, could be happening that can become overwhelming. As an example, one friend's pay was misdirected. His wife was too embarrassed (why I don't know) to ask her family for help. It was simple enough to straighten out but would have gone on uncorrected if another friend hadn't become concerned.

Maybe there's not a "real" problem. Nonetheless, any parent newly alone would appreciate a break for themselves. Offer to take kids to a movie, for ice cream, walk the dog ... check the oil in the car, drop off a homemade meal for Mr. Mom, hundreds of things anyone can do to help ease the load and loneliness. Put yourself in their shoes for ideas.

From Sarah, founder of AdoptSoldier: http://members.tripod.com/adoptsoldier
Some people have e-mailed me recently about getting overseas mail returned to them. Unfortunately deployed units move around a lot and sometimes it is very hard to track them. Most of the people who have contacted me sent letters back in October/November. I know this is frustrating but in most cases we do not have updated addresses for units moving around. There is not a whole lot the staff or myself can do in these cases. I do apologize, but that is one of the "consequences" of military life.

CLINTONVILLE, Wis., Jan. 21 (AP) — Three fire trucks built by a company in this east central Wisconsin town are heading to the East Coast this week to help replace equipment lost in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.

Workers at Seagrave Fire Apparatus had one of the trucks painted with a red-white-and-blue mural on both sides showing a firefighter raising an American flag.
"I am so proud that a small city of this size can help out a city like New York," said Diane Eastman, a lifelong resident of the area, who brought her daughter to see one of the trucks.

Seagrave started rushing to build 54 custom fire trucks for New York after receiving an emergency order in October estimated at about $25 million. It normally takes up to a year to build a fire truck.

The New York Fire Department lost about 95 pieces of equipment when the World Trade Center was destroyed.

Seagrave, which employs about 350 people, has supplied fire equipment for New York since 1918, when some city trucks were still drawn by horses. Many Seagrave workers have personal ties to New York firefighters, who often visit the company to inspect the trucks.

"There's been a lot of outgoing emotions that have gone along with this," said George Kanugh, Seagrave's marketing and sales manager.

The first three trucks are to leave Wisconsin on Tuesday morning. They will make a stop at the company's New Jersey office, where workers will finish equipping them.

New York firefighters will have the trucks next month, ready for service, while Seagrave finishes the rest of the order, Kanugh said. On each truck, workers fixed a medallion commemorating the firefighters killed in the attacks.

The day after the terrorist attack, Seagrave workers from New Jersey arrived at the disaster site trying to repair burned and disabled trucks.

Originals from the firefighter flag-raising statue fiasco
The word tracks and names probably feel indelibly imprinted right now.
The wound will heal, outrage will fade, the scar remains.

Issue: We've all seen the famous photograph of firefighters Dan
McWilliams, Billy Eisengrein, and George Johnson raising a flag,
Iwo Jima-style, over the ground-zero wreckage of the Twin Towers.
It's stirred pride in the hearts of most Americans, regardless of
our race, color, creed, sex, etc.

According to the Associated Press ("Flag-Raising Statue Draws
Criticism," 1/11/02), "A statue based on the famous photograph of
the flag-raising at the World Trade Center site is being criticized
because the three white firefighters in the picture have been
transformed into one white, one black and one Hispanic. Some
firefighters and their families say the 19-foot bronze is political
correctness run amok and an attempt to rewrite history.

The $180,000 sculpture is expected to be erected this spring at
the Fire Department's Brooklyn headquarters in tribute to the 343
firefighters killed in the attack.

Action Item: As Carlo Casoria, who lost his firefighter son,
Thomas, said, "They're rewriting history in order to achieve
political correctness." As most people know, the men depicted in
the Iwo Jima monument, fashioned after another famous photo, are
the individuals shown in the picture. No one would have dreamed
of replacing those heroes.

No one should replace these three modern heroes, either.

The decision to represent different races was made by the bureaucrats
in charge of the New York Fire Department, the makers of the statue,
and the property-management company that owns the department
headquarters building and commissioned the work. You can contact them,
along with the New York City Council, with the information below.
Let them know what you think ... the three firemen in the original picture
deserve to be the ones on that statue.

There's no predicting pinhead planning, might want to keep contact info handy.
In the meantime, how long can it take to block letter a worthy after-curse and fire off a fax?

Fire Department, City of New York
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta
9 MetroTech Center
Brooklyn, NY 11201-3857
Phone: 718-999-1455
Fax: 718-999-2789
Contact form: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/mail/html/mailfdny.html

The Council of the City of New York
City Hall/Room 5
New York, NY 10007
Phone: 212-788-7100
Fax: 212-788-9296
Email: feedback@council.nyc.ny.us

Forest City Ratner Companies
Bruce C. Ratner, president
1 Metrotech Center North
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: 718-923-8400
Fax: 718-923-8700
Email: info@fcrc.com

StudioEIS
Elliot Schwartz, president
35 York Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: 718-797-4561
Fax: 718-797-4562
E-mail: info@studioeis.com

No telling how long related links will be accessible

Firefighters Win Battle Over Ground Zero Statue
http://www.newsmax.com/showinsidecover.shtml?a2002/1/17/162132
http://www.nydailynews.com/2002-01-21/News_and_Views/Opinion/a-138834.asp - Excellent overall anti-PC
http://www.toogoodreports.com/column/general/goodtree/20020120-fss.htm - Beth at her scathing best - not to be missed! In case it disappears due a war that may happen over a butcher job the editor there did to another* story, here's an excerpt.

"Supporters of the statue claim that it is representative of all Americans. How can I put this strongly enough yet printably polite? Ah yes ... horse hockey pucks!

"If the proponents of said statue really wanted to be representative of the American people, they would have made at least one and one half of the people in it women. The argument against so doing is that it wouldn´t be representative of reality. My response is — so this is??? Where does one draw the line between reality and fiction? Women were victims, women were rescuers, and women serve as fire fighters, so how come no women?

"OK, let´s forget the women argument. How come no Orientals or Native Americans? Why only a black man, a Hispanic man, and a Caucasian man? It can´t be because they make up the majority of the New York City Fire Department. Blacks and Hispanics only account for around 3 percent of the force."

*More from Beth, pure gold as a matter of fact, on abortion - exactly the way it was "writ" below.

A few more real people responses, from discussion groups, and e-mail

I sent off a couple of not so nice letters to the addresses you sent with the article about the statue. I told them that if they changed it, all it would say to people is that, "We are proud of all Americans, unless they're white." It is absolutely ridiculous trying to change that. I'd like to see them change one of the faces on Mt. Rushmore just because they are all white. Sorry, lost the credit on this one

As many times as I've seen that picture I can honestly say
I never noticed what the nationalities of the three men were.
All I saw in my eyes were three firefighters standing amidst
rubble holding up or looking at our flag, the whole point
of the picture was to say that, "Our flag was still there!!"
No matter what happens, who tries to hurt us, WE the
American people will never cower to terrorism. It
wouldn't have mattered whether is was a black man
there, a Chinese, Hispanic, a white guy, or a freaking
blue Smurf, the meaning is the same!!!
If they are going to erect a statue depicting this
particular picture then it should remain true to
the original picture. Don't doctor it for
some insecure bigot who won't leave the race
issue alone! I see no colors and I think most
people don't, especially in a situation such as
when this photo was taken!! Enough said?
Alrighty then ... stop whining!! Char (more from Char below, different subject) 

This issue is getting way out of control. The statue should be of the likeness of the actual firefighters, no matter what race they are. It just so happened that it was three white guys. What is important is all the dead be recognized in a plaque commemorating their bravery. People are too hung up on race. My wife is black, we do not care about these issues. Just honor all the people who died that fateful day! Larry

Ya know, I hope the American people keep the balls they grew since 9/11~!!!!!!!!! S. Clements

Comments are still welcome to be added here. We, the people, proved speaking up works. What I don't want is bitching or questions about black as not capitalized. I edit according to the AP style book, down capped is correct, like it or not. The writers did not use Afro-American. Lazy editing will let a variety of mistakes that happen to look right go by. Rank, military or otherwise is not usually capped either. Capped is correct only when used as a formal title before name. Now, does police Capt. John Jones look right? It is. Abbreviations rules vary between rank and rating, and in usage as description or title. Are we having fun yet?

Side note (from a regular dictionary): I questioned "native" as capped, to find that Native American also refers to Hawaiians of Polynesian descent and in Canada and Alaska, in particular, American Indian is still preferred as a useful distinction from Eskimos. I have no agenda or axe to grind. White bread looks, white bread name, the only real prejudice I've ever felt was lack of a degree salary-wise. Once, way back when, after a concentrated effort to improve my typing, I was seriously torqued to hear they wanted a minority. I got over it.

As any editor will tell you, race is always a hot potato (possible advertiser loss) - as an editor with no one but my readers to answer to, I thoroughly enjoy and respect my freedom to use whatever makes a point the way I want it made. To put that another way, don't let the door hit ya on the way out. Political correctness flat sucks, always has, always will. As also proven by statue BS, sniveling and yapping, by ignorant, waaay off-base opinionators worsened the bite. True, common sense won - by no means without rotten, unpardonable cost. For the hundredth time, I repeat, when everybody quits worrying about everybody else's religion, race and anything else that's nobody's else's business, there will be no wars required. Of course I want peace, but not one minute before every deserving ass is kicked, hard, and "business" lessons learned.

Here we go again, I thought this was an extremely cool graphic. I also saw it as potentially offensive. To my pleasant surprise, after an informal survey, response was positive. One women added that her men often dressed and painted in like style. Quite a few interesting topics came up in the process. Watch for features on future pages.

And now the ultimate for sensitive, sticky, delicate
No wonder the last few weeks have been insanity unlimited, controversy has been flying non-stop. I'm sick of it and more than burnt after collecting and editing. Again, this is last heavy-on-politics page. I'm used to dealing with morons and antiquated attitudes regarding animal welfare, and I'm better at it. Can't do it all well.

The following was posted to a list, my response follows. Adding a better-considered preface now strikes me as pertinent. I never had an abortion decision to make. Possibility yes, reality no, followed by immense relief. Timing/circumstance was always the pits, on top not being cut out to raise kids in the first place. I "escaped" - which puts me no where near qualified to judge, or make monumental decisions for any other existing life.

The Bush administration is proposing a new rule that would allow states to classify a fetus as an "unborn child." While the government says this would make more women eligible for prenatal health care, pro-choice activists say it's just an attempt to make it easier to outlaw abortion by elevating the rights of a fetus. What do you think?

There are few topics touchier than abortion, however, anyone with half a brain realizes it must be left to individual choice. "Status" of any kind should never be an issue concerning proper health care for anyone. Unfortunately, it doesn't take even half a brain to realize how many people in a variety of status circumstances go without care, and die, every day, because of ridiculous BS rules and regulations. Hopefully, stirring up the qualification questions one way will help straighten out the whole mess. This would be one to keep tabs on and jump in on whenever possible. Keep we the people and our tax dollars in mind.

That was basically off the top of my head, even though, individual choice and safety has always been my thinking. Health care expense has been a problem at various times, and could very well be again at any given wrong interval. Is there ever a "good" time to fall ill? Sore questions to which there are no easy answers.

I was behind on reading posts that day. By the time I got to them, starting with a subject head, "Enough, too emotional, lighten up," there wasn't much point to reading the rest. I might be in a mood to consider adding more opinions here later, if anyone manages to say it better than Beth, I'll be amazed. It is a complete pleasure to present this, "writ" as it was, not one word jacked with or cut. Tsk, tsk to the other editor for losing his balls, "mine" are still intact.

May I Legislate Your Testicles?
By Beth Goodtree

The government’s latest proposal to change the status of a fetus in the State Children's Insurance Health Program (SCHIP) may be commendable in its intention. But the ramifications are far from commendable and, as such, this proposal needs to be reworked before it rewrites some long-fought and hard-won basic civil liberties.

The government’s latest idea would be to call a fetus a child from the moment of conception, thus effectively giving the unborn fetus a new legal status. The supposed intention of this is to allow public money to be used for prenatal care for lower income expectant mothers. However, all may not be as it appears.

Who could argue with health care for pregnant women and their babies? It should be as natural and forthcoming, regardless of ability to pay, as childbirth itself. And in most advanced countries it is. But not in ours. Could it be that certain factions have been withholding such basic and logically necessary health care to use as a lever to further their own specific agendas? Let’s consider the abortion issue. Again. (But in a slightly different way.)

To declare a fetus of indeterminate age as a person more than touches on the religious issues, it bangs smack up against some of the most fundamental beliefs of many people. When does a mass of dividing cells become a person? We have been debating that issue for more years than I have extra pounds and daily hissy fits. For that matter, what is a person?

Is a person merely an organism with potential to be self-aware, or is it only an organism that is self-aware, or does it need to have a "soul"? For that matter, is there such a thing as a soul? And if so, when does it enter the body? We can debate this until the bovines come home to roost, and we will never agree. Heck, science hasn’t even proven the existence of a soul. I’m not sure they’re even working on it.

So it seems obvious, at least to me, that the point at which a mass of cells becomes a person has to be left to the realm of spirituality and religion, and is therefore an individual decision. This is essentially what was decided in Roe v. Wade. Abortion was a personal decision and the state should not impose itself.

Yet giving the status of personhood to a newly formed fetus is a very dangerous first step in having the state declare an unknown such as when actual personhood occurs as a truth. It also cuts both ways in a legal sense that is not being widely debated.

Many years ago, I had two friends who got pregnant around the same time. One was a planned and much anticipated pregnancy, the other was definitely the fault of a defective birth control product. Both women knew they were pregnant almost immediately. The one who had gotten pregnant through no fault of her own made plans to have an immediate abortion. She was scheduled to have it in the third week of her pregnancy. The other woman was involved in a fatal car crash in her third week of pregnancy. Her husband was killed, she lost the three-week old fetus, and she was left incapable of bearing any more children.

The woman who lost her fetus in the car accident, sued the people at fault for the loss of her unborn child and lost. It was decided that a three-week collection of cells did not constitute a baby. Yet the same law that prevented her from punishing those responsible for the loss of the only child she would be able to bear from her dead husband also allowed my other friend to get a much-wanted (and in my opinion, a necessary) abortion.

This new status for a fetus would give women like my friend in the car accident legal recourse if their unborn children were harmed. This is a good thing. But it also seems to declare that the unwanted mass of cells that began to form when my other friend’s birth control failed, now have precedence, or merit at least equal treatment over her wishes for her own body.

This whole issue of personhood should be dropped. There must be a better way of writing the law to avoid this issue and yet ensure that all pregnant women get the necessary health care. Designating a fetus at any stage as a person strikes me as just another attempt to dictate to a woman what she can and cannot do with her uterus. I would have no problem with this as long as there is equal treatment under the law.  Therefore I propose companion legislation allowing women to legislate what men can and cannot do with their testicles!

I truly fail to see anything offensive above, have no idea what motivation the nutless wonder had for screwing with the piece. His loss, my gain - regular readers may remember it was the other way around a few months ago. I was waiting on documentation of statistics and a few hard to believe sections in one article when Beth asked me not to run it. She had the opportunity in the higher traffic site, on the condition it was a first run. Will be interesting to see what happens next - what goes around, comes around. Stay tuned!

Goodtree is good, no question - I've known it since she gave me a few humor pieces last year ~ http://www.therealmartha.com/Skewed_Views/index.htm ~ Skewed Views presented by The UnBlonde Sheep, poking holes while tending to the general shearing of BS

More responses to daily topics and general e-mail discussions
If no credit is attached to a piece, or it's not clearly marked as a paraphrased example, it's mine, in this color.

Do you think reporters needlessly put themselves in harms way? When something goes wrong do you think they deserve it?

Idiots going for glory deserve exactly what they get.

Do you fear terrorist attacks now as much as you did right after the attack and why or why not?  

I'm in a quiet little 'burb of St. Louis, MO. Not a lot to worry about in general but worth keeping my eyes open. I have been surprised there haven't been attacks on small towns just to "prove a point." Doesn't mean there won't still be.

I was in OKC 9-11, of all places, on top of that city, in FAA (Fed. Aviation) student housing. Mike was in Fed. building which happens to be the school for the whole country. Not just young trainees either, I think they send 'em to school forever actually. Point being, a lot of experience concentrated there, easy to wipe out in one or two strokes - yea, I was paranoid. No clue as to what the enemy would do next - or even, at first, who the enemy was. Whole atmosphere in the city was eerie/edgy to say the least.

I'm sure I wouldn't have felt that level of vulnerability at home. I did what I do whenever I need to act on something, which is write. That's what got my first mailing going and that turned into pages right away - trying to make/pass some sense around while everybody was running around nuts about rumors and media BS. Recording my feelings and just plain doing something made me feel less helpless.

The urgency has passed but there's still lots more coming to deal with down the road, including unexpected side effects, good and bad.

Should the USA give money to Afghanistan?

We can give them tools and show them how to use them to rebuild, and educational material to become self-supportive. "Teach a man to fish" thing ya know. There's a limit though. We have plenty of starving kids and adults out of work, living in rat-infested or worse hovels right here at home, everywhere. Would be nice to take care of our own (this is a very old peeve). Too much help is never a good thing, makes people lazy and expect they're entitled to more. That goes for the whole world.

Do you think we will ever get over the attack and go back to normal or stop talking about it on a constant basis?

We will never get back to "normal." Talking about it is a necessary part of healing, no matter to what extent each person has been affected. Hopefully we have all learned from the experience - to appreciate life and that freedom must never be taken for granted and to participate more positively in that life, with family, friends and strangers.

A day will come when we no longer ache. A day will come, when we no longer cry. A day will come, when we no longer ask the unanswerable 'why?' Our hearts will be less empty, our eyes less unseeing, our fears less painful. We will rise above the maddening events of that one tragic day in September, but we will never, ever forget. We will not forget those who gave their all for the chance to save some life. We will not forget those who were left behind to carry on. Some tomorrow, we will rejoice, we will embrace the deserved eulogies of every hero our nation has had the honor to know. Not today, for today we still grieve, but on that tomorrow, we will embrace, standing together for the rest of the world to see and know, we are America. Helen

Sure we will, but it will be a long time, and we will not be 'normal,' again in our lifetime. TSG

I think that we need to remind those who seem to forget the horrific things that have rocked our world, as soon as the images are taken off of TV. Ya know the types of people I mean ... time for those with the red, white, and blue flying on their cars to replace the faded and tattered ribbons, flags, etc. with new and fresh.

I'm glad the news did stop showing the same pictures over and over again, the people did need time to regain their sense of balance. OK, I'm balanced again ... but that doesn't mean I have forgotten or will ever forget what the idiots attempted to do to our nation. I am still mad, I am still pissed off, I am still grieving for all of the senseless loss of precious lives ... and my blood pressure rises to uncontrollable levels when I hear someone saying, "OK, it is in the past move on." Move on to what ??? Our nation will never be the same, our lives will never be the same. I am soooo sick and tired of the politically correct, "Oooh, we don't want to offend someone."

Thank heavens for friends like you (meaning Helen, this was a forward) who will allow me to express my feelings and understand where I am coming from, even if I don't use those "50-cent college words." Nina

Wait, they're going for 50 cents? Each? Whoa, get me a collegiate dictionary. We are The People, and for years nobody has listened to us because those who were complacent, while they might disagree with something, didn't stand up to be counted. They just shook their heads and went on. Now, most are demanding to be counted. If this continues, we will see change, and we will see change for the better. WE, our foreparents, built this Nation, and we dearly love and respect it. NOBODY, can take that feeling away from us. Many had lost sight of Honor and Integrity, because we were denied it's very existence during the clinton years. 9/11 gave us regrets, and it also gave us power, the power we as Americans thought we had lost. THAT must never be forgotten either, we are still THE PEOPLE~!

This may look like more effort than you may feel like putting forth to digest. Do it anyway. Points are clearly made and all belong on the front burner. Bossy little bitch ain't I? Sorree, flu bug bit me, I don't feel so very good on top of the usual here today, back tomorrow, almost-over-the-hill body circus.

I added the protester bit before I sent to my list, with my reply, and Helen's - she sent start up.

Same thing was going around very shortly after 9-11, now's a good time to recycle for reactions to all the "rights" paranoia BS. Coincidentally, another friend sent the same day (this time) with the comment, "I want my country back." No sh*t - what we all have to do is start supporting that very thing, as in who deserves rights, not the ones hiding behind them.

A protester said to his girlfriend, "I'm on my way to pick up my unemployment check. Then I've got to go to the university to see what's holding up this month's Federal Education Grant. Meanwhile you can go over to the free clinic and check up on your tests. And right after I stop by the Welfare Department to see if they will up our eligibility limit again, I'll meet you at the Federal Building for the demonstration against this rotten, oppressive establishment ...!"

Yessiree folks, there's a lot that needs to be addressed, in a quiet, orderly fashion. No one listens to screamers for long. In other words, we all need to be expressing our feeling to neighbors, at home and at work (carefully there, losing your job won't do anybody any good). Certain messes took a long time to develop to the point they have, it'll take a lot of work to clean them up.

Helen's intro: I don't know who the author is but I think it is well said.

This is an editorial written by an American citizen, published in a Tampa Newspaper.

Immigrants, not Americans, must adapt

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Americans. However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to America.

Our population is almost entirely comprised of descendants of immigrants. However, there are a few things that those who have re