Message Board

what has happened to our values

1paparonthedude — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:18:40 GMT

folks we need to wake up !so many children will wake up this Christmas without toys and food in this country.so many elderly will die alone in nursing homes.not in other countries but right here in the us.why oh why can't we ever learn.maybe it would be better if this country and other nations fall then and only then will we really have in true family values and love for each other.executives making over 1million+ a year in bonus money,how many people would that help,but we need honest people to distribute it.wow.

Happy Birthday Jeff :)

Joyce — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 21:59:45 GMT

Hey Jeffrey

Happy Birthday my friend :)

May this be the best one ever...

God Bless

Love and Peace
Joyce

The Dancing Plague of 1518

BlueRhapsody — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 19:42:31 GMT

I had never heard of this:

In July of 1518, a woman referred to as Frau Troffea stepped into a narrow street in Strasbourg, France and began a fervent dancing vigil that lasted between four and six days. By the end of the week, 34 others had joined her and, within a month, the crowd of dancing, hopping and leaping individuals had swelled to 400.

Authorities prescribed "more dancing" to cure the tormented movers but, by summer's end, dozens in the Alsatian city had died of heart attacks, strokes and sheer exhaustion due to nonstop dancing.

For centuries this bizarre event, known variously as the dancing plague or epidemic of 1518, has stumped scientists attempting to find a cause for the mindless, intense and ultimately deadly dance. Historian John Waller, author of the forthcoming book, "A Time to Dance, A Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518," studied the illness at length and has solved the mystery.

"That the event took place is undisputed," said Waller, a Michigan State University professor who has also authored a paper on the topic, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Endeavour.

Waller explained that historical records documenting the dancing deaths, such as physician notes, cathedral sermons, local and regional chronicles, and even notes issued by the Strasbourg city council during the height of the boogying rage, all "are unambiguous on the fact that (victims) danced."

"These people were not just trembling, shaking or convulsing; although they were entranced, their arms and legs were moving as if they were purposefully dancing," he said.

Possible Causes http://tinyurl.com/5mpzrp

Lost at Sea

BlueRhapsody — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 19:33:44 GMT

A magazine has asked beachcombers to keep a sharp eye out for inflatable breasts after 130,000 went missing en route to Sydney.

Men's magazine Ralph had intended to distribute the toys free with its January issue.

It said the container left docks in Beijing two weeks ago but turned up empty in Sydney this week.

The magazine's editor Santi Pintado asked anyone with information on the current whereabouts of its freebie to get in touch.

He said: "Unless Somali pirates have stolen them its difficult to explain where they are. If anyone finds any washed up on a beach, please let us know."

In 1992, 30,000 Chinese plastic ducks destined for the US were washed overboard in a ferocious mid-Pacific storm.

While some eventually turned up in Oz, many embarked on a 15-year "endless odyssey" of the world's oceans before last year menacing the English coastline.

Last Nights Radio Show

Joyce — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 17:40:57 GMT

Hi All:

Last Nights show was successful, and I had several callers, and a lot to share..I hope some of you were able to catch it. I even did a shout out to the Board here at Jeff Bridges and Nicky :) Thanks to all who listened!!!

You can still listen to the show

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/judy-joy-jones-show/2008/12/04/joyce-lest-gods-angel-of-love

its an hour show!

Love and Peace
Joyce

"Give Me a Hug!"

Susy — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 16:38:22 GMT

give me a hug, please

History of Ice

znarf07 — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 05:11:28 GMT

Until two centuries ago, ice was just an unfortunate side effect of winter. But in the early 1800s, one man saw dollar signs in frozen ponds. Frederic Tudor not only introduced the world to cold glasses of water on hot summer days, he created a thirst people never realized they had.

In 1805, two wealthy brothers from Boston were at a family picnic, enjoying the rare luxuries of cold beverages and ice cream. They joked about how their chilled refreshments would be the envy of all the colonists sweating in the West Indies. It was a passing remark, but it stuck with one of the brothers. His name was Frederic Tudor, and 30 years later, he would ship nearly 200 tons of ice halfway around the globe to become the Ice King.

Ice Man Cometh

Nothing in Tudors early years indicated that he would invent an industry. He had the pedigree to attend Harvard but dropped out of school at the age of 13. After loafing for a few years, he retired to his familys country estate to hunt, fish, and play at farming. When his brother, William, quipped that they should harvest ice from the estates pond and sell it in the West Indies, Frederic took the notion seriously. After all, he had little else to do.

Frederic convinced William to join him in a scheme to ship ice from New England to the Caribbean. Tudor reasoned that once people tried it, theyd never want to live without it. During the next six months, the brothers pooled their money and laid out plans to ship their product to the French island of Martinique, where they hoped to create a monopoly on ice.

No one believed the idea would work. In fact, no ship in Boston would agree to transport the unusual cargo, so Frederic spent nearly $5,000 (a big chunk of the seed money) buying a ship of his own. On February 10, 1806, The Boston Gazette reported, No joke. A vessel with a cargo of 80 tons of ice has cleared out from this port for Martinique. We hope this will not prove to be a slippery speculation.

It did. Although the ice arrived in Martinique in perfect condition, no one wanted to buy it. Tudor desperately explained how the cold blocks of ice could be used in the stifling Caribbean heat, but islanders werent convinced.

After an inauspicious start, William pulled out of the partnership. The following winter, Frederic was on his own. Remarkably, he drummed up enough money to send another shipment of ice to the Indies. But when a trade embargo left much of the Caribbean off limits for two years, Frederic was left twiddling his thumbs. Meanwhile, the Tudor family fortune had dwindled in a shady real estate deal in South Boston.

Despite financial woes, Frederic persisted, and his ice business finally turned a profit in 1810. But a series of circumstancesincluding war, weather, and relatives needing bailoutskept him from staying in the black for too long. Between 1809 and 1813, he landed in debtors prison three times and spent the rest of the time hiding from the sheriff.

Breaking the Ice

Perhaps it was his Yankee entrepreneurial spirit, or perhaps monomania, but Tudor was obsessed with the idea that ice would make him rich. During the next decade, he developed clever new techniques to convince people that they actually needed ice, including a first ones free pitch. While living in a South Carolina boarding house in 1819, Tudor made a habit of bringing a cooler of chilled beverages to the dinner table. His fellow boarders always scoffed at the sight, but after a sip or two, theyd inevitably fall in love with his ice. Tudor traveled around the country and convinced barkeeps to offer chilled drinks at the same price as regular drinksto see which would become more popular. He also taught restaurants how to make ice cream, and reached out to doctors and hospitals to convince them that ice was the perfect way to cool feverish patients. The truth is that people never knew they needed ice until Tudor made them try it. Once they did, they couldnt live without it.

By 1821, Tudors business was strengthening. Hed created real demand for his product in Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans, and even Havana. But he still needed to refine his operation. Enter Nathaniel Wyeth, an innovator who became Tudors foreman in 1826. By using a horse-drawn plow to cut the ice into large grids, Wyeth invented a much faster harvesting method. He also put an assembly process into place. Laborers sawed the blocks apart and plunked them into canals to float them downstream. Then a conveyor belt would hoist the blocks from the water and carry them up to ice houses, where theyd be stacked up to 80 feet high.

Still, only one-tenth of the ice harvested made it to sale. Whats worse, the whole operation was incredibly unsafe. In addition to those towering stacks of ice, numb hands, sharp instruments, and frigid waters made the process dangerous. The 300-lb. blocks of ice could slide easily, knocking down men and breaking their limbs. Ice harvesters often developed ice mans knees, which were bruised and bloody from days of shoving solid ice.

Despite these drawbacks, Wyeths ingenious methods were a major improvement on prior harvesting practices. With the inventor by his side, Tudor asserted his long-fomenting monopoly and became known as the Ice King. Tudors reputation solidified in 1833 when he shipped 180 tons of ice halfway across the world to British colonists in Calcutta. The venture was so successful that it reopened trade routes between India and Boston.

Back at home, Tudor continued to dominate the scene. By 1847, nearly 52,000 tons of ice traveled by ship or train to 28 cities across the United States. Nearly half the ice came from Boston, and most of that was Tudors. He also maintained ice-harvesting rights to key ponds throughout Massachusetts. Even Henry David Thoreau watched Tudors workers harvest Walden Pond and waxed philosophic about the scene in his diary: The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges.

The End of the Ice Age

Frederic Tudor died in 1864, finally rich again. By that time, everyone with access to a frozen body of water was in on the action. Ice boom towns sprouted along the Kennebec River in Maine, where farmers found year-round employment. The 1860s became the peak competitive period of American ice harvesting, and Tudors company prospered. Even during the Civil War, when the South was cut off from ice supplies in the North, the ice industry continued to grow in New England and in the Midwest.

As American society grew more accustomed to fresh meats, milk, and fruit, the ice industry expanded into one of the most powerful industries in the nation. At the turn of the 20th century, nearly every family, grocer, and barkeep in America had an icebox. But ironically, Americas dependence on ice created the very technology that would lead to the decline of the ice empireelectric freezers and refrigerators. During the early 1900s, these appliances became more reliable, and by 1940, 5 million units had been sold. With freezers allowing people to make ice at home, there was little need to ship massive quantities across the country.

Today, the ice industry pulls in $2.5 billion a year, but its nowhere near as dominant as it used to be. Most of the business is from pre-packaged, direct-to-consumer ice (the stuff you buy for your beer cooler). Still, that doesnt mean we shouldnt be grateful. The next time you put your lips to a slushie, or an iced tea, or a chilled martini, or a cold beer on a hot day, take a moment to thank the crazy Yankee who had the vision to turn water into money.

Anyone remember hearing stories of family members getting ice blocks?

My grandfather was an ice delivery driver at one time.

movie charaters

znarf07 — Thur, 04 Dec 2008 02:15:04 GMT

100 Greatest Movie Characters

Full List: http://www.empireonline.com/100-greatest-movie-characters/

LOOK WHO #7

The World's Worst TV Show

Ann — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 20:25:58 GMT

Last night I went to get a sandwhich at this little informal restaurant. They had a TV on, and I couldn't change the channel, so I was subjected to a television show, whom I believe is the shallowest, most vapid, disgusting program I have ever seen. Its "Paris Hilton's My New BFF (best friend forever).
http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/parisbff/series.jhtml

These women compete to be chosen as Paris's new best friend forever.
Even if the thing is staged, and the woman are only acting when they cry over not being picked, think of the message this show could give to young girls who might take it seriously!!! This is what friendship is about!!! That Paris Hilton is a role model to aspire to!!! I can't stand it!!!

Ann

Here we go again!

Janie — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:52:09 GMT

Haven't been on much as I'm having some problems with my leg. I am having surgery Dec. 16 to remove the plates and screws from my leg. Then,next year I will have a knee replacement.
I've really had problems with my balance and my pain. I've had some "almost" falls and let me tell you...That's scary! I ended up hurting my other leg trying not to fall on my bad leg. When this happened,I remember my dr. telling me this was a life changing event. I didn't really understand that til now. I'll never walk the same again but at least I can walk and drive. Getting in and out of the car is hard sometimes but I have a handicapped sticker and it is a God send. Handicapped spaces are a God send. They have more space around them to allow me to open my door all the way. It's a lot easier to get around with that.
I will use a cane a lot but am thinking about going back to my hated walker. It gives me more balance and is sturdier then my cane. I can't afford to break this leg again.
Who would have thought a broken leg could have caused all these problems?

(in advance) happy birthday JEFF

TheFrenchGirl — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:20:40 GMT

Dear Jeff,

I would like to wish you a very very very happy birthday !

As you know, tomorrow December 4th is ALSO my birthday ( I'll be 35 years old ) , I'm leaving tonight to have a 4 days party in Paris with friends . That's why I wish you a happy birthday today and not tomorrow because I will not be home ...
Anyway, enjoy that special day with friends and family , be happy and have fun !!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone !
have a nice week end !
LOVE,
Helene

All are born equal

BlueRhapsody — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:45:47 GMT

Caracas:

Which Useless Man Are You?

BlueRhapsody — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:50:07 GMT

I am sorry boys I have not encountered any such thing for the girls. But maybe they can play too.

"Welcome to the Useless Man personality test. Based on your answers, we will assimilate your personality to one of the advice giving Useless Men of the website DearUselessMen.com.

Good luck and stay useless."

http://rumandmonkey.com/widgets/toys/testgen/4352/

Antipasto Misto

BlueRhapsody — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:39:21 GMT

One of my favorite meals.

cool code

znarf07 — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:12:30 GMT

Copy and Paste this code in the address bar and hit enter.......................

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i<DIL; i++){DIS=DI .style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5; DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++}setInterval('A()',5 ); void(0)

then this

javascript:function Shw(n) {if (self.moveBy) {for (i = 35; i > 0; i--) {for (j = n; j > 0; j--) {self.moveBy(1,i) ;self.moveBy(i,0);self.moveBy(0,-i);self.moveBy(-i,0); } } }} Shw(6)