Dihydrogen Monoxide

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestions can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:

* is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of acid rain
* contributes to the "greenhouse effect"
* may cause severe burns
* contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape
* accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals
* may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes
* has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients

Contamination is reaching epidemic proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the midwest, and recently California.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

* as an industrial solvent and coolant
* in nuclear power plants
* in the production of syrofoam
* as a fire retardant
* in many forms of cruel animal research
* in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical
* as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use.

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You've got to love email! I received this and immediately got it because I know chemistry, but lots of people I know don't get this. Think about it a minute:

di = two
hydro = hydrogen atoms
mono = one
oxide = oxygen atom

Two hydrogens, one oxygen. Chemical formula: H2O, more commonly known as water.

See? You were scared for nothing!

Have a good day :-)

Prohibition

NOTE: I'm not promoting drinking. I don't drink myself, although have no problems if someone wants to imbibe RESPONSIBLY. Just thought this was pretty funny.

Seriously...would you actually WANT to touch these lips???

What's In Your Wallet?

I'm on a de-cluttering rampage. Today I'd like to talk about a humble yet indispensable object we all use that is so prone to clutter: the WALLET.

Like anything else, frequent small habits of cleanup help to keep the wallet neat. It's really nice to have all its information at your fingertips. Sometimes, for example if you're in an accident and someone else needs to get in touch with your doctor or significant other, it can be life or death.

I propose that the following items are essential, and everything else should go... What do you think?

1. Cash. How much is enough? I like to keep at least a twenty and a few ones, but I'd consider up to $100 might be a good idea. This can cover enough gas for your car to get home, a meal, or other small items you may need on a moment's notice.

2. Official ID like your driver's license. I also like to keep a copy of my car insurance and registration, since if you're stopped cops don't like you rummaging around the glove compartment. Don't routinely carry documents like your passport or birth certificate that have your birth date. If you have a Social Security card, make a photocopy and blank out your SSN.

3. Bank and credit cards. You probably only need one or two at the most for daily activity. Can you leave the rest (if you have them) at home?

4. Health information: your insurance card and your primary care giver's name, address, and phone number.

5. Business cards: a few of these might be handy in case you bump into someone with whom you want to exchange cards.

6. Photos? Try to only keep one or two that are most recent or most dear.

7. On an easily seen place of your wallet, the front or mounted to the first flap when you open it, put your name, address, and phone number. This is in case your wallet is lost.

Every evening, or every Saturday, or some frequent routine time, empty your wallet of receipts, business cards, notes, and whatever else you've added to it during the day/week. Get rid of the junk, and record or save the good stuff.

One more good thing to do: make a list of everything that's in your wallet, with pertinent phone numbers for credit cards and so forth. If your wallet is lost or stolen, you'll be more easily able to reconstruct everything.

Any Hero Mail

If you'd like to write to our brave soldiers, I've found a great website: Operation Write Home at http://operationwritehome.org/anyhero/.  This organization collects blank greeting cards for the soldiers to send home to their families, as well as distributes your own correspondence to military, especially to those personnel who don't receive many letters.

Here is the description from their website. Even if you're limited by time or physical challenges in what you're able to do, you can probably write a letter... What a great thing.

 

AnyHero mail

Each of our boxes of blank cards is topped off with a bag of “AnyHero” mail.

These are cards and letters (or, with kids they can be coloring pages) from people across America with messages of gratitude and encouragement inside. We call them “AnyHero” letters because they’re going to be given out by our contacts to those who get little or no mail. If they were “Any Soldier” they would have to go to the Army, so we keep away from branch-specific language.

How long does it have to be?
These notes can be short or long; we get folks who write 2-3 page letters, others who jot a note in a storebought notecard, and kids who draw elaborate pictures or color downloaded pictures for our heroes to display. All are welcome! If you choose to use a storebought card with a sentiment inside, please jot a short note along with it instead of just signing it.

Who do I write it to?
You can start your letter “Dear hero,” “To an American hero,” or a variation – or simply start with “Hello!” We use the term hero instead of soldier because then the letters can apply to any branch of the armed services.

Can it be typed?
Handwritten really gives these letters a personal touch; you can keep it short if you don’t want to handwrite a lot!

Does it need to be stamped on the back or have an envelope?
Neither are needed, but you may do both; the letters are placed in a ziploc bag on the top of our cards. Please don’t seal the envelopes, as our shippers review all mail before it’s sent.

Can I get others involved?
Sure! Letter writing is a great community activity; we’ve had schools, corporate offices, holiday parties, all sorts of groups have had cardsignings. We’ve even had folks set up a table at a local store or art festival and invite people to write a note to a hero, and some have carried postcards on flights to ask other passengers to sign them. You’ll be amazed at how many people would enjoy writing a note.

What should I talk about in a letter?
Anything! Thank them. Tell them the freedoms you’re grateful for. Share your life with them if you wish – describe your family, community, hobbies. They love to hear that life is going on well here at home – so send them a news clipping about a happy story in your hometown, or a cartoon that will make them smile. Tell them your pet’s latest antic.

What should I NOT talk about in a letter?
Politics, negative news, anger about the war or society. Our heroes need positive encouragement, so save these views for the water cooler Please read the Schools and Scouts page if you’ve got children writing letters so you can help guide them.

Six Phases of a Project

 Love it!

SIX PHASES OF A PROJECT
1. Enthusiasm. ("How could it hurt?")
2. Disillusionment. ("How were we supposed to know?")
3. Panic.
4. Search for the guilty.
5. Punishment of the innocent.
6. Praise and honors for the nonparticipants.

2008 Ad: Obama: Country I Love

This is a 2008 ad for Barack Obama. I've included the transcript below.

It's so fun to look through some of these and imagine if any of these ads might make it in 2012?

The website http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/ contains presidential ads from 1952 through to 2012. Trends change, but the desire to be elected remains the same. See what you think.

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Video Transcript: "Country I Love" for Barack Obama, 2008 Presidential Campaign

~soft music in the background~

I'm Barack Obama.

America's a country of strong families, and strong values. My life's been blessed by both.

I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents. We didn't have much money, but they taught me values straight from the Kansas heartland where they grew up:

Accountability and self-reliance.
Love of country.
Working hard without making excuses.
Treating your neighbor as you'd like to be treated.

That's what guided me as I worked my way up, taking jobs and loans to make it through college. It's what led me to pass up Wall Street jobs, and go to Chicago instead, helping neighborhoods devastated when steel plants closed. That's why I passed laws moving people from welfare to work, cut taxes for working families, and extended health care for wounded troops who'd been neglected. I approved this message because I'll never forget those values. And if I have the honor of taking the oath as President of America, it will be with a deep and abiding faith in the country I love.

~soft music fades out~

Is he clairvoyant? Or Something Else?

This video is amazing with its caution. Take a look. Then be careful -- and tell your kids to be careful too.