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A BLESSING MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE |
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A BLESSING MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE |
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. . . except for the baking . . . WooHoo!!!
Prayers going up.
Merry Christmas!
Thank You for today's thread!
The string is held by the thumb, since this is the strongest finger.
I have a mongolian bow I bought while I was there. 6 shots of vodka made me think I had to have one. Couldn't belive the pulled it with their thumb and for finger. They did not tell me of the thumb hook.
Beautiful bow, made with real sinew.
I REALLY hate to have to keep on disillusioning people, but there is simply no way in hell anybody living in Mongolia in the 1200s (or now for that matter) was ever gonna draw a 166 lb bow. Figure about 110 lbs, absolute max and about 70 - 80 lbs for normal.
Read: Hebrews 12:12-24
Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. —Hebrews 12:13
Bible In One Year: Micah 4-5; Revelation 12
The cover of a recent Our Daily Bread pictures a leaf-strewn road through the mountains of Vermont. Those who use the road can enjoy a smooth and beautiful ride over difficult terrain. To make this possible, others had to work hard to chart the route, clear the trees, and level the rough spots.
In a way, all Christians are road builders. We are paving the way of faith for the next generation. The faithfulness of our lives may determine how difficult their journey will be. Will they have to repair the damage we have done to the road? Will they be able to build new roads for others to find the way to God?
To be good road builders, we must heed the advice found in God's Word. The author of Hebrews instructed us to live in peace and be holy (12:14), to make sure no one misses the grace of God, and not to permit a root of bitterness to grow and cause trouble (v.15).
Those of us who have come to Jesus owe gratitude to those who have made "straight paths" for our walk of faith (v.13). In turn, we must remember those who will follow us and make straight paths for them. Let's practice our faith in a way that makes it easy for others to come to Jesus and to follow Him. What kind of road builder are you? —Julie Ackerman Link
Merry Christmas EveryoneThe Old Mongols have their own technique for shooting, known as the "Mongolian release." The Mongols, if right-handed, keep their bow in the left hand, pushes it forward as the right arm pulls the string all the way back to behind the ear. The left arm is now fully extended, and the release is near. However, now comes an interesting part. Since this bow has immense power, the Mongols have to use a special technique to hold the string during the drawing of the bow and before the arrow is released. The technique is as follows: The string is held by the thumb, since this is the strongest finger. Still, it is not easy to hold 166 pounds comfortably. Thus, the thumb is supported with the index finger curling around, placed atop the outermost joint, exactly at the base of the nail. The other fingers are also curled, forming a fist. Even so, this is not enough. Hence, the Mongols use a special ring on which the string is hooked before release. This thumb ring, a cylinder that fits around the outer part of the thumb and protects its pad from damage as the string is released, is typically made from Chinese jade or agate, but leather, metal and bone is also known to have been used.
http://www.alighthouse.com/ofchristmas3.htm
"THE SANDS OF CHRISTMAS"
http://www.alighthouse.com/back2.htm
"CHRISTMAS MEMORIES FILL MY HEART"
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SALUTE!
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Good morning, LaDiva!! Good morning, Canteen Crew! Good morning, EVERYBODY! 
TROOPS!
Today's FEEBLE
YOKE :
A man and a woman who have never met before find themselves in the same sleeping carriage of a train. After the initial embarrassment, they both manage to get to sleep; the woman on the top bunk, the man on the lower.
In the middle of the night the woman leans over and says,
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm awfully cold and I was wondering if you could possibly pass me another blanket."
The man leans out and with a glint in his eye said
"I've got a better idea ... let's pretend we're married."
"Why not," giggles the woman.
"Good," he replies. "Get your own blanket."
Chicagoland Weather
| December 21, 2004 | |
| Chicago, IL | |
| Sunrise | 7:15 AM (CST) |
| Sunset | 4:23 PM (CST) |
| Hrs. of Daylight | 9 Hrs., 8 Mins |
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Good morning Everyone. Good morning to our AWESOME Military, our Allies, and their families. You know who you are. Thank you for all you do.
Thanks Diva for opening the doors to the Canteen today. And, for your continued support to our education!
Of course, you know this is just not right! I am here early, and still there are over 100 posts. Whatz a girl to do? Stay up all night to be the first in the doors?
Brrrrr......we are cold again this morning. Don't let that smile on my face fool you! I am NOT happy about this cold weather! However, it is warmer (19 degrees) than yesterday morning (9 degrees), but it has been so windy which makes is that much worse! You know, when I do win the big lottery, I will have to buy a condo on a nice, tropical island, then we can really have some Canteen beach parties!
I see some new faces here this morning, so let me make my rounds and mingle for a bit before getting into the job I get paid to do.
Now remember, the Canteen is always open
So, come on in and sit for a while. There's alway plenty of coffee, pancakes, conversation, silliness, and plain old BS.
On This Day In History
Birthdates which occurred on December 21:
1117 Thomas Becket archbishop of Canterbury
1537 Johan III king of Sweden (1569-92)
1804 Benjamin Disraeli (author, statesman: "No government can be long secure without a formidable opposition.")
1818 Lewis H Morgan, US, etnologist (Systems of Consanguinity)
1879 Joseph Stalin, [Dzoegashvili], Russian dictator; murdered at least 11,000,000 people
1892 Walter Hagen (golf champion: U.S. Open [1914 & 1919], British Open [1922, 1924, 1928-29], PGA [1921, 1924-27])
1908 Pat Weaver (President of NBC-TV, credited with the idea for Today and Tonight shows; father of actress, Sigourney Weaver)
1911 Josh Gibson, pro baseball player, "Negro Babe Ruth" (hit 800+ HRs)
1918 Donald Regan, White House staffer/US Secretary of Treasury (1981-85)
1918 Kurt Waldheim Nazi/4th UN Secretary-General (1972-81)/Austrian President (1986-92)
1922 Paul Winchell, NYC, ventriloquist (Jerry Mahoney, Knucklehead Smith)
1926 Joe Paterno (football coach: Penn State)
1937 Jane Fonda (Academy Award-winning actress/traitor)
1940 Frank Zappa (musician, songwriter, singer: group: Mothers of Invention)
1940 Ray Hildebrand, "Paul" of the duo Paul and Paula
1954 Chris Evert (tennis champion)
1959 Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo) (track star:
Today's classic warship, USS Santee (CVE-29)
Cimarron class fleet oiler converted to aircraft carrier
Displacement: 6,534 t.
Length: 559’
Beam: 75’
Draft: 33’9”
Speed: 18 k.
Complement: 860
Armament: 2 5”, 4 twin 40mm, 12 20mm
The USS SANTEE was launched on 4 March 1939 as ESSO SEAKAY under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 3) by the Sun Shipbuilding and DryDock Co., at Chester, Pa.; sponsored by Mrs. Charles Kurz; acquired by the Navy on 18 October 1940; and commissioned on 30 October 1940 as AO-29, Comdr. William G. B. Hatch in command.
Prior to her acquisition by the Navy, ESSO SEAKAY had been operated by Standard Oil of New Jersey on the west coast. During her commercial service, she set several records for fast oil hauling.
After commissioning, SANTEE served in the Atlantic. When American neutrality ended on 7 December 1941, SANTEE was carrying oil for a secret airdrome at Argentia, Newfoundland. In the spring of 1942, SANTEE's conversion to an aircraft carrier was begun at the Norfolk Navy Yard.
On 24 August 1942, SANTEE was commissioned as an escort carrier, Comdr. William D. Sample in command. The ACV was fitted with such haste that workmen from Norfolk were still on board during her shakedown training and her decks were piled high with stores. After conversion, nominally completed on 8 September, SANTEE reported to Task Force 22 and the first plane landed on her flight deck on the 24th.
After shakedown, SANTEE departed Bermuda on 25 October and headed for the coast of Africa. While the escort carrier was en route on the 30th, an SBD-3 scout bomber being launched from a catapult dropped a 325-pound depth bomb onto the flight deck. It rolled off the deck and detonated close to the port bow shaking the entire ship, carrying away the range finder and a searchlight base, and damaging radar antennas.
Nevertheless, SANTEE continued steaming with Task Group 34.2. On 7 November, the escort carrier, with destroyers RODMAN (DD-456) and EMMONS (DD-457), and minelayer, MONADNOCK (CMc-4), left the formation and, the following morning, took positions off Safi, French Morocco. SANTEE launched planes and fueled ships until Friday, 13 November, when she rejoined TG 34.2 and returned to Bermuda. The group departed that island on the 22d and anchored in Hampton Roads two days later.
After voyage repairs and drydock, SANTEE got underway with destroyer EBERLE (DD-430), on 26 December. On 1 January 1943, SANTEE anchored at Port of Spain, Trinidad. Two days later, with destroyers EBERLE and LIVERMORE (DD-429), she headed for the coast of Brazil. After disembarking passengers at Recife, she sailed to join Task Unit 23.1.6 at sea in tightening the noose on enemy merchant shipping and naval activity in the south Atlantic.
For a month, her planes flew antisubmarine missions and regular patrols. On 15 February, the escort carrier put in at Recife, remaining until the 21st. Back conducting routine sorties in the same manner, SANTEE operated from 21 February through 2 March when she again put in to Recife.
Her next period at sea, which began on 4 March, brought action. On 10 March, light cruiser SAVANNAH (CL-42) and EBERLE were investigating a cargo liner which had been spotted by SANTEE's aircraft and which had been tentatively identified as the KARIN, a Dutch merchantman. It turned out to be the German blockade runner KOTA NOPAN (ex-Dutch KOTA PINANG). As the EBERLE boarding party drew alongside, explosives placed by the abandoning crew detonated, killing eight boarders. On 15 March, SANTEE set out for Norfolk and anchored at Hampton Roads on the 28th.
Underway again on 13 June, with four-stacked destroyers, BAINBRIDGE (DD-246), OVERTON (DD-239), and MacLEISH (DD-220), SANTEE reached Casablanca on 3 July. Four days later, the escort carrier departed the harbor with a convoy of homeward-bound empties. No submarines were sighted, but one of her Avengers made a forced landing in Spain, and its crew was interned. SANTEE's small task group left the convoy on 12 July with orders to operate independently against Nazi submarine concentrations south of the Azores. She remained at this antisubmarine work until 25 July and managed to attack seven surfaced U-boats, at the price of two Dauntless dive bombers.
On the 25th, she joined a west-bound convoy, which reached the Virginia coast on 6 August. On 26 August, SANTEE, with destroyers BAINBRIDGE and GREER (DD-145), again headed into the Atlantic; and two days steaming brought them to Bermuda.
SANTEE made another convoy run from Bermuda to Casablanca and back to Hampton Roads from 29 August to 13 October. On 25 October, the escort carrier departed the east coast for Casablanca, reaching Basin Delpit on 13 November. Standing out of Casablanca the next day, she rendezvoused on the 17th with IOWA (BB-61), carrying President Roosevelt. After providing air cover for the battleship and her escorts for several days, SANTEE was ordered to the Bay of Biscay, where she engaged in antisubmarine work until the end of November.
As TG 21.11, SANTEE and a trio of four-stackers patrolled the North Atlantic from 1 to 9 December. The group was dissolved upon arrival at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 10 December, and SANTEE, minus her aircraft, stood out of Norfolk on 21 December, and headed for New York in company with battleship TEXAS (BB-35), and several destroyers. From 22 to 28 December, the escort carrier packed her hangar and flight decks with P-38 fighter planes at Staten Island. Getting underway in convoy on the 29th, she steamed unchallenged across the North Atlantic, reaching Glasgow on 9 January 1944.
Emptied of her P-38 cargo, SANTEE departed Glasgow in convoy on 13 January and returned to Norfolk on the 24th. She stood out of Norfolk on 13 February with destroyer escort TATUM (DE-789), transited the Panama Canal on 18 and 19 February and moored at San Diego on the 28th. There, SANTEE embarked 300 Navy and Marine Corps personnel and 31 aircraft for delivery to Pearl Harbor. She also took on 24 Wildcat fighters and Avenger dive bombers as her own instruments of war.
Standing out of San Diego Bay on 2 March, the CVE unloaded her ferried aircraft and personnel at Pearl Harbor upon her arrival on the 9th.
Escort carriers SANGAMON (CVE-26), SUWANEE (CVE-27), CHENANGO (CVE-28) and SANTEE, all former oilers, swarmed out of Pearl Harbor with a flock of destroyers on 15 March, heading southwest. Designated Carrier Division (CarDiv) 22, they joined the fast carriers of the 5th Fleet on 27 March and sped west to the Palaus. There, their planes of CarDiv 22 flew patrols over vulnerable tankers before setting course for Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides on 4 April.
In this, the closing phase of the New Guinea campaign, SANTEE fueled and provisioned near Espiritu Santo from 7 to 10 April; then sailed to Purvis Bay, Solomons, on the 13th. CarDiv 22 joined CarDiv 24 and a destroyer squadron on 16 April and set course for New Guinea.
SANTEE's air group aircraft aided in destroying 100 enemy aircraft and ripping up enemy airfields before the landings, prior to departing for Manus Island, Admiralties, on 24 April. Arriving at Seeadler Harbor the next day, SANTEE and her sister ships took on fuel and food; then sailed again on the 26th for Hollandia. From 12 May through 1 June, SANTEE traded in her own air arm for 66 Corsairs and 15 Hellcats and personnel of Marine Air Group 21. On 2 June, Carrier Division 22 started north for Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshalls. On 4 August, the CVE reached newly-won Guam. The 81 aircraft of Air Group 21 became the first planes to operate from the reconquered island.
After training exercises and the re-embarkment of her own planes at Manus, SANTEE got underway on 10 September and rendezvoused with Task Force 77 near Mapia Island. At Morotai in the Moluccas, SANTEE Avengers bombed ground installations. One plane was lost to the enemy, but SANTEE herself had no contact with the Japanese. By 1 October, the CVE was back in Seeadler Harbor.
Sailing from Manus on 12 October, SANTEE and accompanying combatants reached Philippine waters on the 20th. The escort carrier's gunners shot down an enemy plane during an air attack that morning, and her aircraft splashed two more.
At 0736 on 25 October, SANTEE launched five Avenger and eight Wildcat aircraft for an attack against Japanese surface units some 120 miles to the north. At 0740, a Japanese plane made a suicide dive on SANTEE with an estimated 63 kilogram bomb, crashing through the flight deck and stopping on the hangar deck. At 0756, a torpedo struck the ship, causing flooding of several compartments and a six degree list. Emergency repairs were completed by 0935.
Between 18 and 27 October, SANTEE planes shot down 31 Japanese planes and sank one 5,000 ton ammunition ship, in addition to damage inflicted by strafing during their 377 sorties. On 31 October, the CVE anchored in Seeadler Harbor for temporary repairs to battle damage.
Underway again on 9 November, she moored at Pearl Harbor on the 19th. Following more repairs, the escort carrier embarked 98 marines for transportation to the United States and entered Los Angeles Harbor on 5 December. SANTEE completed the year undergoing repairs to battle damage and general overhaul.
After post repair trials at San Diego, the escort carrier headed toward Hawaii on 31 January 1945, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 8 February. On 7 March, she got underway for Ulithi in the Western Carolines, altering her course en route to assist in the search for the B-24 which had disappeared while carrying Army Lt. Gen. Millard F. Harmon, before anchoring on 19 March. Two days later SANTEE steamed toward Leyte Gulf.
On 27 March, SANTEE departed the Philippines to provide air coverage for southern transport groups Dog and Easy en route to the objective area at Okinawa Gunto for the invasion of Okinawa Jima, the largest combined operation of the Pacific war.
On Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, SANTEE provided direct support to the American ground forces landing on Okinawa and she continued this duty until 8 April, when she turned to aid British carriers in denying the use of Sakishima Gunto airfields to the enemy. For 42 consecutive dawns, SANTEE's aircraft winged over target sectors in the East China Sea, with daily returns to Okinawa itself for routine ground support. On 16 June, SANTEE launched a fighter bomber mission against specified targets on Kyushu, Japan.
Pulling out of the Okinawa area that day, SANTEE reached Leyte Gulf on the 19th, where minor repairs were made. Out again on 1 July, she operated west of Okinawa from the 5th to the 14th, covering minesweeping operations. On 7 July, a tail hook broke on a landing aircraft, allowing it to clear all barriers, crash among parked planes, and cause a fire. Four fighters and two torpedo bombers were jettisoned, six torpedo bombers were rendered non-flyable duds, and one of the pilots of the parked aircraft was killed.
SANTEE was detached from the task unit on 15 July and proceeded to Guam, arriving at Apra Harbor four days later. Following flight deck repairs and general upkeep, the escort carrier got underway on 5 August for Saipan, engaging in carrier aircraft training for squadrons flown from that island en route. Anchoring in Saipan Harbor on the 9th, the CVE got underway for the Philippines on 13 August. SANTEE received word of the cessation of the hostilities against Japan on the 15th and anchored in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, two days later.
On 4 September, while en route to Korea to support occupation forces there, SANTEE was ordered to northern Formosa to evacuate ex-prisoners of war. On 5 September, the escort carrier received, from destroyer escort KRETCHMER (DE-329), 155 officers and men of the British and Indian Armies. These soldiers had been captured by the Japanese in Malaya in 1942. They were given medical aid and berthed on the hangar deck. The next day, SANTEE picked up additional men from destroyer escorts FINCH (DE-328) and BRISTER (DE-327), making a total of 322 officers and men. They included 30 American Army and Naval officers and men who had been taken on Bataan and Corregidor, and 10 officers and men from the Dutch Army and Merchant Marine, captured in Java. On 9 September, SANTEE disembarked the 477 evacuees at Manila Bay.
Five days later, SANTEE stood out of Manila Bay and steamed for Okinawa, anchoring at Buckner Bay on the 19th. Underway again the next day, SANTEE reached Wakanoura Wan, Honshu, Japan, on the 22d. From 24 to 26 September, SANTEE steamed along the coast, providing air coverage for occupation forces landing at Wakayama.
SANTEE departed Wakanoura Wan on 3 October, left her formation on the 6th to search for a missing PBM aircraft which had carried Rear Admiral William D. Sample, the ship's first commanding officer after her conversion to an escort carrier.
On 20 October, SANTEE got underway for Okinawa, arriving two days later at Buckner Bay. On 23 October, SANTEE got underway for Pearl Harbor, disembarking 375 passengers there on 4 November. The next day, SANTEE continued her role in operation "Magic Carpet" by embarking 18 marines bound for the west coast.
Anchoring at San Diego on 11 November, SANTEE remained there until the 26th, when she got underway for Guam on additional "Magic Carpet" duty.
On 27 February 1946, SANTEE departed San Diego and arrived at Boston Harbor on 25 March, via the Panama Canal. The CVE was placed in reserve on 21 October. SANTEE was reclassified on 12 June 1955 as an escort helicopter aircraft carrier, CVHE-29, and struck from the Navy list on 1 March 1959. On 5 December 1959, she was sold to the Master Metals Co. for scrapping.
SANTEE received nine battle stars for World War II service.
I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma.
I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true. Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me!
"No Santa Claus?" she snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through it's doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days.
"Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's. I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded , full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the folks who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't havet a cough; he had no good coat.
I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat.
I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going ."
I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.
Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.
I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.
