Thursday, December 23, 2010

Merry Christmas

http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/96bb9001-a25d-46fe-b362-7221c5d94532/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grjenkin/2133084777/



This is a rerun from last year. I like it, and I hope you do, too.

For the Christmas Tree, Garry used IFL Labs software for the fractal and Jasc animation software for the animation.



Thursday, November 11, 2010

Remember the Veterans

This is the day the Germans signed the armistice ending World War I, the war to end all wars. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 to be Armistice Day in remembrance of WWI vets. In 1938 it would become a legal holiday "dedicated to the cause of world peace."

Not until 1953, thanks to Kansas shoe store owner Alvin King, was Armistice Day expanded to celebrate all veterans and renamed Veterans Day. In many countries around the world this day is still known as Armistice or Remembrance Day.

My dad and his crew with the Eager Beaver

The Germans signed the Armistice to end the war to end all wars the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Wreath-laying ceremonies are scheduled for monuments around the Washington area, including the ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery laying the wreath is at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Veterans Day honors the young men and women who have fought or are still fighting.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Happy Constitution and Citizenship Day

Today is Constitution and Citizenship Day.

Two hundred twenty-three years ago today, September 17, 1787, the U.S. Constition was signed by the Constitutional Convention. Then the document was sent to the states to be ratified.

Ten Amendments were proposed by anti-federalists. Immediately following ratification of the new U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Congress passed the resolution for amending the Constitution. Those ten amendments were added as The Bill of Rights.

The Constitution was written by 55 men who had a single purpose, but many personalities. Here is a site where you can answer 11 questions (multiple choice) and discover which founding father was most like you. I am most like James Madison (1751–1836). That sounds good to me.

This special day also honors naturalized citizens. Are you sure you can pass the test to become a citizen? Here is a small sample of the test.


Monday, August 16, 2010

Vote for the Issues or the Party?

When selecting a candidate to vote for in a particular election, what is more important: political party or issues?

Several candidates around the country have placed TV commercials that do not mention any party. They focus on the issues that they see as important to their voters.

Here are a few candidates doing it:

  • Joe Donnelly running in Indiana for Congress
  • Stephanie Herseth running in South Dakota for Congress
  • Blanche Lincoln running in Arkansas for Senator
  • Alex Sink running in Florida for Governor
I have seen commercials for each of these candidates. It seems to be appreciated by the audience. It was not even noticeable that no political party was mentioned in the ad, except they were introduced as following the trend.

If the issues are more important than the party, I would like to see all political ads in any election campaign following this commercial format. This gives the candidate time to talk about his or her stand on the issues, and it gives the voters a chance to get to know a little about the candidate, almost personally.

Maybe this is taking the politics out of political elections, but I don't think that's so bad right now.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

What Is Your Greatest Asset?

I read this opening paragraph in an article by Greg Mallory and present it to all managers and supervisors.

Dirk Hughes, Luminant Academy director, likes to tell a story about a Luminant employee who came to him one day and said she’d like to be a supervisor. He told her there were only two questions she needed to answer. “What is the company’s most important asset?” “People,” she said. “Right answer,” he responded. “Now for the second question: Do you really believe it?”


Sunday, May 30, 2010

Gettysburg Address

In Memory - Memorial Day
On June 1, 1865, Senator Charles Sumnar commented on what is now considered the most famous speech by Abraham Lincoln. In his eulogy on the slain president, he called it a "monument act." He said Lincoln was mistaken that "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here." Rather, the Bostonian remarked, "The world noted at once what he said, and will never cease to remember it. The battle itself was less important than the speech."

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, for those who have gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but they can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead one take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God,shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.