If a man will begin with certainties,
he shall end in doubts;
but if he will be content to begin with doubts
he shall end in certainties.

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

"If you shoot at mimes,
should you use a silencer?"

Steven Wright

A great little puzzle.

I got stuck on level 23

I want! I want! I want! I want!



Neil's wish list

You Are 83% New Jersey!

You are definitely Jersey. Well done, my friend. You are most likely from this great state, and you fit right in. Odds are, you love being Jersey!

How New Jersey Are You?

Well done magic and very unique

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time."
Steven Wright

Here is a little gem.

"Why does it have to be so loud?"
This is the first question the interviewer asks!

The video and interview gives us a rare glimpse
into the evolution from dancehall band to
Orchestrated arena shows with floating pigs and such.

My son Ian (age 8) wrote his first Haiku.
This is a particularly difficult form of poetry.
If you don't believe me try writing one!

A butterfly flies,
with caution in the blue sky,
beautiful insect!

Haiku (??) is a mode of Japanese poetry, the late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the older hokku (??), the opening verse of a linked verse form, haikai no renga. A traditional hokku consists of a pattern of approximately 5, 7, and 5 morae, phonetic units which only partially correspond to the syllables of languages such as English. It also contains a special season word (the kigo) descriptive of the season in which the renga is set. Hokku often combine two (or rarely, three) different elements into a unified sensory impression, with a major grammatical break (kire) usually at the end of either the first five or second seven morae. These elements of the older hokku are considered by many to be essential to haiku as well, although not always included by modern writers of Japanese "free-form haiku" and of non-Japanese haiku.
wikipedia.org

In a breathtaking blaze of glory, Nature puts on one of its most spectacular sky shows.

Reds, oranges, blues and greens create a flaming rainbow that stretches above the clouds.

But this circumhorizon arc, as it is known, owes more to ice than fire. It occurs when sunlight passes through ice crystals in high cirrus clouds. It is one of 15 types of ice halos formed only when the most specific of factors dovetail precisely together.

This blanket of fire, covering hundreds of square miles, is the rarest phenomenon of them all. It was spotted in the US on the Washington-Idaho border around midday last Saturday.

dailymail.co.uk

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."
Revelation 13:16-18

the end is near

It's National day in Sweden.

Up to now Sweden has had no special National Day, which in many other countries serves as the focus of widespread festivities and even a carnival-like atmosphere. Over the years, however, many Swedes have advocated such an observance. Toward the turn of the last century Artur Hazelius, founder of Skansen, Stockholm's open-air museum, tried to establish the 6th of June as such a holiday, since several momentous events in the nation's history have taken place on this date: Gustav Vasa - regarded as the founder of the Swedish nation - ascended the throne on the 6th of June, 1523, and the Instrument of Government of 1809 - in force until 1975 - was signed on this day. Observed as Flag Day since 1916, the day is, as from 1983, our official National Day.



hemslojd.com
about Swedish holidays
Sveriges Nationaldag

What is Egotism?

The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a national hero for his success as both a statesman and military leader. But despite his fame, power, and wealth, he considered himself a humble and devout Buddhist. Often he visited his favorite Zen master to study under him, and they seemed to get along very well. The fact that he was prime minister apparently had no effect on their relationship, which seemed to be simply one of a revered master and respectful student.

One day, during his usual visit, the Prime Minister asked the master, "Your Reverence, what is egotism according to Buddhism?" The master's face turned red, and in a very condescending and insulting tone of voice, he shot back, "What kind of stupid question is that!?"

This unexpected response so shocked the Prime Minister that he became sullen and angry. The Zen master then smiled and said, "THIS, Your Excellency, is egotism."

Neil's wild kingdom



I came downstairs this morning and went to sit down on the toilet. out of the corner of my eye I caught movement coming from the bowl! Just under the rim of the bowl was a spider the size of a half dollar! I mustered up the courage and with a wad of toilet paper I reached in and killed the spider. Deep breath, second attempt to sit down, another glimpse of movement! now a cricket is in the bowl for a morning swim! After dealing with the cricket my window of opurtunity had passed, so I took a shower and left for work. As usual, Nancy was walking to the door with me and as I open the door she usually runs out, but this morning she did not? She just stood there, I paused, this hesitation saved me! for coming off the porch and down the steps waddled a skunk! Nancy saved me from an absolutly horrible morning! You think this would be enough encounters with nature right? Nope! As I got out of the car to get the a package left out for me, a dog, growling, came running after me from the side of the house! I grabbed the package and ran, just getting into my car. With my heart racing, I drove off thinking, what a start to the day! route 24 to 78 to diamond hill rd, by this time my heart had calmed down and I was focussed on my first stop. Just then five deer ran accross the road right in front of me! The last one accross was a little too slow and its hoof caught the front of my car and spun around its head just missing my car! I am writing this from the 7-11 in Westfield. I am somewhat nervous about getting back on the road!

Conditions at the start of Hurricane season 2006



to see a larger pic click here for my weather page.

IKEA | DREAM KITCHENS FOR EVERYONE

amazing flash video!

IKEA | DREAM KITCHENS FOR EVERYONE