FReeper Canteen ~ Pancakes on Wednesday ~ 14 Apr 2004

Canteen Crew ~ Radix

[Radix]

For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday...
Thank the Veterans who served in
The United States Armed Forces.

Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom?
Support The United States Armed Forces Today!

 

Pancakes on Wednesdays

Welcome to Pancakes on Wednesdays

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Here is an amalgamation of trivial facts and seemingly useless data.

Do not forget to hit the hyperlinks.

We have links, lots of them.

From the Radixionary

NEPENTHES

A drug or potion bringing welcome forgetfulness.

This comes from Homer’s Odyssey, in which it was the name of the drug that Paris gave to Helen after he had abducted her to make her forget her old home. It derives from the classical Greek ne–, “not”, plus penthos, “grief”.

Expert plantspeople probably know it best as the botanical name for a genus of tropical carnivorous pitcher plants. As the pitcher plants contain liquid in which the captured insects drown, the botanical name would seem appropriate, though in this case the forgetting is terminal.

Some writers have suggested Homer’s potion was opium. Nicholas Culpeper, the famous herbalist, had this recipe for making a nepenthes draught: “Take of tincture of Opium made first with distilled Vinegar, then with spirit of Wine, Saffron extracted in spirit of Wine, of each an ounce, salt of Pearl and Coral, of each half an ounce, tincture of species Diambræ seven drams, Ambergris one dram: bring them into the form of Pills by the gentle heat of a bath”. That should be enough to make anybody forget anything.

The word—commonly found as nepenthe, lacking its final letter—is otherwise solely poetic or literary. One of its better-known appearances is in Edgar Allan Poe’s poem The Raven: “Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore! / Quoth the raven, ‘Nevermore’.” And here’s a slightly more recent example, from The Yellow Claw by Sax Rohmer: “I do not employ opium as an aid to my social activities; I regard it as nepenthe from them and as a key to a brighter realm”.

Happy Birthday 

Christian Huygens 1629

The most important of Huygens's work was his Horologium Oscillatorium published at Paris in 1673. The first chapter is devoted to pendulum clocks. The second chapter contains a complete account of the descent of heavy bodies under their own weights in a vacuum,.....

People who complain about paying their taxes can be divided into two types: Men and Women.

Happy Birthday 

Antole France 1844

A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance.

Happy Birthday 

Anne Mansfield Sullivan 1866

Annie Mansfield Sullivan Macy was a woman who accomplished a great deal, especially as the outstanding teacher of Helen Keller.

An accountant, a solicitor and an actuary were dining together at a fashionable restaurant.

"With income tax being so complicated, we accountants are all doing quite well these days," the accountant commented. To prove it, he pulled out a $5 note, applied a match to it and used it to light his cigar.

"With so many people engaging in tax avoidance, we lawyers are also doing very well these days," the solicitor mused. To prove his point, he got out a $100 note, applied a match to it and used it to light his cigar.

"With all the new requirements for certificates in the superannuation area, we Insurance Agents are doing even better," the agent said. To prove it, he wrote out a check for $1 million, applied a match to it and used it to light his cigar.

Happy Birthday

Arnold Toynbee 1889

British historian, known for his view of the past as a succession of civilizations rather than political entities.

 

A visitor from The Netherlands was chatting with his American friend and was jokingly explaining about the red, white and blue in the Netherlands flag.

"Our flag symbolizes our taxes," he said. "We get red when we talk about them, white when we get our tax bill, and blue after we pay them."

"That's the same with us," the American said, "only we see stars, too."

Happy Birthday

Rod Steiger 1925

Eigenvalues of a sequence of matrices

Happy Birthday

Jay Robinson 1930

I am an excellent driver

Another Jay Robinson

The Top 10 Things Overheard In A Tax Preparer's Office Prior To The Tax Filing Deadline

• No sir, the government does not want you to pay your taxes in pennies.
  
  
• I have a hard time believing that a garbage collector made $150,000 last year so for the last time, DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SOURCE OF INCOME!!!
  
  
• How cute... a tax form done in crayon.
  
  
• No sir, its do your taxes every year and renew your driver's license every 4 years, not the other way around.
  
  
• Just because you talk to your plants ma'am, you cannot, repeat CANNOT list them as your dependants.
  
  
• No Ms Lewinsky, your oval office "contributions" are not the same as when you check the dollar box at the top of your 1040 form.
  
  
• Even if you are a hooker, the number of orgasms you've had cannot count as a business expense.
  
  
• I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow your "Give me an extension and I'll give you an extension later at my place" argument.
  
  
• I take it that because you have decided to do origami with your tax form that you're not receptive to paying your taxes this year.
  
  
• Just remember the IRS motto, buddy: Screw us now, we'll screw you later!!

Happy Birthday

Anthony Perkins 1932

Happy Birthday

Frank Serpico 1934

......in the spirit with which Paul Revere lit the lamps in the tower, Frank coined the term “Lamplighters,’” for individuals who seek truth and justice, even when confronted with the prospect of great personal loss.

Happy Birthday

Loretta Lynn 1935

This straight-talkin' women-liberatin' song-writin' country-western star rose up from poverty to become one of the most popular and influential singers of the '60s.

Happy Birthday

Julie Christie 1941

Happy Birthday

Pete Rose (MLB) 1941

We are counting cards!

We ain't gambling

Would you like some trapezoids with your pancakes?

A trapezoid is a quadrilateral (has 4 sides) and has only one pair of sides parallel.

Today's Wednesday field trip takes us to Isabella Gardner's

On This Day

On this Day

1960 - The musical "Bye Bye Birdie" opened in New York City.

The plot revolves around rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie and the complications that arise when his agent stages a publicity stunt on The Ed Sullivan Show in which he will kiss one lucky girl from Sweet Apple, Ohio before being drafted into the army.

On this Day

1775 - The first abolitionist society in the U.S. was organized in Philadelphia with Ben Franklin as president.

I will be heard!

On this Day

1860 - The first Pony Express rider arrived in San Francisco with mail originating in St. Joseph, MO.

On this Day

1865 - U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth.

 He actually died early the next morning.

On this Day

1894 - First public showing of Thomas Edison's  kinetoscope  took place.

On this Day

1912 - The Atlantic passenger liner Titanic, on its maiden voyage hit an iceberg and began to sink. 

1,517 people lost their lives and more than 700 survived.

On this Day

1918 - The U.S. First Aero Squadron engaged in America's first aerial dogfight with enemy aircraft over Toul, France.

On this Day

1925 - WGN became the first radio station to broadcast a regular season major league baseball game.  The Cubs beat the Pirates 8-2.

On this Day

1939 - The John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first published.

On this Day

1953 - Viet Minh invaded Laos with 40,00 troops.

Don't forget the Maple Syrup.

Pancakes Wednesdays

Definitely

[Fawnn]

The grandkids have a similar program at church, called Logos. (Not sure on the spelling or if it's an acronym. I'll have to confirm that with the daughter.)

[StarCMC]

Ugh!! Souts=SCouts!!

LOL!! And I just got a phone call that said relief is not going to arrive, I have to go meet it! So I'm outta here again!! See you birds later!!

[Fawnn]

Warning: I'm about to get political.

I'm of the opinion that everybody should read this article from The Washington Times!

IS WAR A PLACE FOR A TOFU PRESIDENT? by Wesley Pruden

After discussing The Teflon President (Reagan), etc., Pruden makes an excellent point about why the K Candidate is the Tofu Candidate. Here's what I had to say about it on another thread:

...Monsieur Kerry is "the tofu candidate," with no flavor of his own, ready to absorb every flavor, taste, spice or savory, piquant or not, that touches him.

I love it!!! (What Leno et. al. keep forgetting is that it's like Rush has always said: For humor to be funny, it must contain an element of truth. Therefore, the "W is ignorant" joke attempts don't work! "The tofu candidate," on the other hand, couldn't be more perfect!)

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

From the men in the Military and the Canteen

[Soaring Feather]

- Worlds Thinnest Books

    


FRENCH WAR HEROES by Jacques Chirac

HOW I SERVED MY COUNTRY
by Jane Fonda

MY BEAUTY SECRETS
by Janet Reno

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN AIRPLANE
by John Denver

MY SUPER BOWL HIGHLIGHTS
by Dan Marino

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT BILL
by Hillary Clinton

MY LITTLE BOOK OF PERSONAL HYGIENE
by Osama Bin Laden

THINGS I CANNOT AFFORD
by Bill Gates

THINGS I WOULD NOT DO FOR MONEY
by Dennis Rodman

MY WILD YEARS
by Al Gore

AMELIA EARHART'S GUIDE TO THE PACIFIC

AMERICA'S MOST POPULAR LAWYERS

DETROIT: a Travel Guide

A COLLECTION of MOTIVATIONAL SPEECHES
by Dr. J. Kevorkian

EVERYTHING MEN KNOW ABOUT WOMEN

EVERYTHING WOMEN KNOW ABOUT MEN

ALL THE MEN I HAVE LOVED BEFORE
by Ellen de Generes

GUIDE TO DATING ETIQUETTE
by Mike Tyson

SPOTTED OWL RECIPES
by the EPA

THE AMISH PHONE DIRECTORY

MY PLAN TO FIND THE REAL KILLERS
by O. J. Simpson

And the world's Number One Thinnest Book ........

MY BOOK OF MORALS
by Bill Clinton
with introduction
by The Rev. Jessie Jackson

   
    

[Radix]

Lance Cpl. Dave Cecil, 24, of Mariposa, Calif., and a member of Renegade Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, calls out for the location of an enemy sniper who pinned him down for several minutes in Fallujah on Tuesday. Cecil was not injured in the attack.

After a long day at the office, I like to settle down with a nice cool brisk glass of Lipton® iced tea.

 

Lance Cpl. Dave Cecil, with Renegade Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, takes cover behind rubble after an enemy sniper pinned him down for several minutes in Fallujah on Tuesday.

After finally locating his ball on the back nine the Corporal decided that he was better off taking a "Mulligan" rather than risk losing another stroke.

 

Sgt. Tiesun Hochoan, 30, of Milliken, Colo., a member of Renegade Platoon, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, takes cover while on patrol Tuesday in Fallujah.

The world famous Twinkie monument in Iraq has unfortunately recently been defaced by Islamic graffiti artists.

 

Capt. Shane Morgan, from Eliot, Maine, listens as elders who brought their children to the School of the English Language on Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, speak to him on Tuesday. In addition to being an educational opportunity for the children, the school provides soldiers from Task Force, 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, a chance to collect useful information from the adults and parents who bring the children. Morgan is the commander of the 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment.

Despite the growing bonds between the culturally divided, there is simply no easy way to tell a village elder in Afghanistan that he really should have used a bit more of the Scope® in the morning.

 

A soldier talks with supporters as Hazem al-Aaraji, center, an aide to Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, listens at the Sheraton Hotel in Baghdad on Tuesday. Al-Araji was detained by U.S. forces soon after.

Sometimes the Hotel bell boys in Iraq tend to get emotional when they feel gypped by guests whom they consider to be poor tippers.

 

Marine Pfc. Carlos Rivera, left, from Oceanside, Calif., rests as Marine Sgt. Ryan Kennith Jones, from San Ramone, Calif., reads a letter from his girlfriend while at their outpost in Fallujah on Monday.

The lines for the air-conditioned latrines in Iraq have at times become inordinately long.

 

Soldiers stand guard during a patrol along the streets of Baghdad on Tuesday.

The "Duck Tours" are as popular in Baghdad as they are in many of the big cities in the USA which also provide the service.

 

Marines from the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, knock in a door while conducting a house-to-house search for weapons and insurgents in Fallujah on Monday.

As a symbol of appreciation for their devoted sacrifices in the fights for freedom, US Marines were recently awarded the "Key to the City" in Fallujah  which they  found themselves using with great glee.

 

Marines from the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, prepare to cross a street during a house-to-house search for weapons and insurgents in Fallujah on Monday.

Sometimes waiting for the "Don't Walk" sign to change at Iraq intersections can seem like an eternity.

 

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Duke move with weapons ready during a practice assault at Forward Operating Base Duke outside the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, on Monday. Soldiers staged at the base are awaiting authorization for a possible mission into Najaf to destroy the al-Mehdi Army and capture or kill its leader, Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Can you hear us now?

 

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment of Task Force Duke participate in a practice assault at Forward Operating Base Duke outside the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, on Monday.

Troops in Iraq have been engaged in practice runs for the upcoming Boston Marathon with a full set of web gear and battle array.

 

Just another day at the office for our Troops.

[Howie66]

"Cabbage *and* sour kraut. (Or sauerkraut, for the purists.)

We'd all get along!!! ;)"

I had a brain-fart and forgot the correct spelling. That is one of the hazards of suffering from CRAFT.

[Howie66]

I saw that report (along with the pic of Al Franken-wad), and dang near split a gut laughing my arse off! Too Funny!

[Fawnn]

LOL Or CRS (for those of us for whom CRAFT is too long to remember). ;)

[Howie66]

OIC!

That's good for the kids! My son does duty as a counselor with his youth group. It's really helped him to develop into a fine young Christian.

[bogdanPolska12]

Hi Star. Adam is driving my wife nuts :}}} of course Piotr is behind him. These two are inseparable. One does something, other follows.

Grzegosz and Monika as always are sleeping; I wish I could do that. I miss those child hood days.

I think I would need to step in soon. For I know Magda, before you know ---- oh Bogdan, my dear husband, can you take care of this, you are the father, they will listen to you – and I will be yeah right – sure they will :}}}}

Of course person who loves this the most is my Mom. I admire her. Grandmas are the best.

But how can you say enough to kids, they love to have fun.

Btw, for all our troops and their families, God Bless you from me and my family.


God Bless America, humble, simple polish guy
Bogdan

[Kathy in Alaska]

And the world's Number One Thinnest Book ........

MY BOOK OF MORALS
by Bill Clinton
with introduction
by The Rev. Jessie Jackson

Now that is a pair! LOL!!

[Howie66]

Hi Bogdan!

You're joining the Corps??

[Howie66]

Usually I have CRS....but some days it goes to CRAFT. My Wif tells me it's because I'm an "Old Thang". My son is more succinct...he just tells me that I'm so old that I fart dust.

[Howie66]

I just wish that those two would hook up with Chappaquiddick Ted for a night of drinking and cruising....

[Fawnn]

Oh come now! (There'd be room in the car for a few more! LOL)

[Kathy in Alaska]

Coal Miner's Daughter

[tomkow6]

Hi, Ma!

[tomkow6]

Hi, Ma!

[tomkow6]

Hi, Ma!