Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Was Suggested By Cindy


1st Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo
59 years old from Spanaway, Washington
August 18, 2009


Sorry for the presentation of this post, but haven't been feeling well and don't feel much like typing. You can read Sgt. Crisostomo's story here and here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

I Did It! Monday – Week 18

This week’s accomplishment is not something I did.  It’s something my Most Wonderful Husband (MWH) did.  He’s standing very near the edge of a very steep drop off looking out over the Shenandoah Valley.  This may not sound like much to you, but it’s huge for him.  He does not handle heights well at all.  So Hooray for MWH!!  I’m proud of how he’s facing down a life-long fear of heights. 

You’re invited to join I Did It.  Just blog about something you or someone else did.  Big or small.  Then head to I Did It! Monday and add your link.  While you’re there, check out what others have done.

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Thanks, Entrecard Friends

These wonderful blogs advertised with me this week.  Please go visit them.

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Flag Friday - Mexico

Symbolism and Colors:

Green -  The  Independence Movement  Hope

White -  The purity of the Catholic faith Purity

Red - The Spaniards that joined in the quest for Independence.
The blood of the National Heroes Union

The emblem-shield  symbolizes the Aztec heritage.  According to a beautiful legend, the gods had advise the Aztecs that the place where they should establish their city was to be identified when they saw an eagle, perched on a prickly pear tree, devouring a serpent.  They saw this mythical eagle on a marshy lake that is now the zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City.

The above information is from this site.

The following information comes from the Flag Counter widget in my sidebar.  There is much more to be found there about geography, government, population, economy, and military.

   
The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation had been making an impressive recovery until the global financial crisis hit in late 2008. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON. In January 2009, Mexico assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.

Population:
111,211,789  (July 2009 est.)

Languages:
Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (2005)

Government type:
federal republic

Capital:
Mexico (Distrito Federal)

Independence:
16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)

Currency (code):
Mexican peso (MXN)

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Thursday Thirteen – Things That Begin With W

1.  Wildcat – I love all the cats.  We have wildcats living here in Michigan.  My sisters saw one from their hotel balcony a couple of years ago.
2.  Wildebeest – Native to Africa.  Also known as a gnu.  A little scary looking aren’t they?

3.  Well – A source of fresh cold water.
4.  Whisper – You shouldn’t whisper in the dark what you aren’t willing to have shouted in the light.
5.  Wire – You can wire money.  Or send a telegram – a.k.a. a wire.  And you don’t even need a wire to do it anymore.
6.  Winter – It lasts too long, but it can be so beautiful when it snows.
7.  Wisteria – An amazing vine with beautiful flowers.

8.  Wheel – As they say, why reinvent it?

9.  Woman – …and God saw that it was not good for man to be alone…  So he made woman!  Isn’t he brilliant?
10.  Will – Free will, the will to do something, or Last Will and Testament.
11.  Wilderness – We recently spent a couple of days driving through the wilderness of Shenandoah National Park.
12.  Wolverine – This is the only kind we still have in Michigan.

13.  Wig – I remember back in the late 60s or early 70s when wig parties were all the rage.  I never could get an off-the-rack wig.  My noggin is too big.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

 The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wednesday Hero

Lt. John Madea


Lt. John Madea holds his daughter as she is baptized with holy water from the ship's bell of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46). This is the fourth person baptized aboard Tortuga since the ship's christening in 1988, and her name will be inscribed inside the bell as a tradition of the U.S. Navy.

Photo Courtesy U.S. Navy
Taken By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Geronimo Aquino

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

More from Uncle John

Do you talk to yourself?  Of course you do.  We all do.  I’ve been teased a lot recently for talking out loud to myself.  MWH doesn’t even listen to everything I say because he often assumes I’m talking to me.

Well, here’s the trivia from the bottom of yesterday’s page in my Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader calendar.

Experts say that about 80% of the talking you do in a day will be to yourself

So maybe I’m not so strange after all.  Uh uh.  That can’t be true.

So do you talk out loud to yourself?

I Did It! Monday

I think this is the biggest thing I’ve done in many, many years. Rick and I finally sealed our deck. At least the first coat! My sister, Maggie, helped. It took the three of us 8 and a half hours to finish. We took one break of about 15 minutes to gobble some lunch and finished as it was getting dark.

Getting started. That’s Maggie on the ladder.

They were sweet to me. I did take a couple turn on the ladder, but I mostly got to sit on the stool and paint the inside of the railings. All those posts are a real pain to stain.

Finally!!! The floor!!!

Maggie did the last strip of floor and Rick finished up the treads on the stairs.

I didn’t get to do any of the floor. They were probably afraid of what I’d look like if I got close to that much stain! Fortunately, it came off quite easily. I’m not usually so messy after painting. It was all those close places to get between that did me in!

It was a lot of work for someone not used to doing much manual labor. It was certainly worth it. The deck looks great! I was so exhausted I slept for 14 hours, then got up and took a 2 hour nap in my recliner!

Have you done something lately that you’ve been putting off? It can be big or small. Head over to I Did It! Monday to join in the fun. And be sure to check out what others have been up to!

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Thanks, Entrecard Friends

A big thank you to my advertsers this week.  Go visit them!

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Flag Friday - Thailand

Symbolism and Colors:

The Thailand flag was officially adopted on September 28, 1917.

Red is said to symbolize the blood of life, white the purity of the Buddhist faith, and blue the monarchy.  The blue and white stripes were added to the flag during World War I.

The above information is from this site.

The following information comes from the Flag Counter widget in my sidebar.  There is much more to be found there about geography, government, population, economy, and military.

  
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally following the conflict. A military coup in September 2006 ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat. The interim government held elections in December 2007 that saw the pro-THAKSIN People's Power Party (PPP) emerge at the head of a coalition government. The anti-THAKSIN People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in May 2008 began street demonstrations against the new government, eventually occupying the prime minister's office in August. Clashes in October 2008 between PAD protesters blocking parliament and police resulted in the death of at least two people. The PAD occupied Bangkok's international airports briefly, ending their protests in early December 2008 following a court ruling that dissolved the ruling PPP and two other coalition parties for election violations. The Democrat Party then formed a new coalition government with the support of some of THAKSIN's former political allies, and ABHISIT Wetchachiwa became prime minister. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed as separatists in Thailand's southern ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces increased the violence associated with their cause.

Population:
65,905,410 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)

Languages:
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and regional dialects

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Bangkok

Independence:
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

Currency (code):
baht (THB)

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Thursday Thirteen – Things That Begin With V

1.  Violets – Dad loved violets.  The wild ones that grew in our yard came from his mother’s yard.  We also planted some of those same violets on his grave.

2.  Victory – Before it meant peace, raising those two fingers meant victory.  They are also the American Sign Language sign for the letter V.

3.  Virtue – According to Dictionary.com:  1. moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.  2. conformity of one's life and conduct to moral and ethical principles; uprightness; rectitude.  3. chastity; virginity

4.  Valor – This characteristic is exhibited by our men and women in uniform.  The armed forces, police, and fire fighters are heroes every day.  Where would we be without them?

5.  Variegated Thread or Yarn – You can get some really beautiful effects using a thread that changes color over its length.  Check out this cowboy boot.

6.  Vinegar – The miracle liquid.  You can’t even count the different ways to use vinegar for cleaning and cooking.  One use I learned about recently is washing the area with vinegar if you’ve found ants in your house.  It washes away the trail markings and the ants don’t like it and will stay away!

7.  Violence – Violence has become a way of life for far too many people in the world.

8.  Vendor – Anyone who is selling something.  You can get almost anything from the street vendors in Washington, DC.

9.  Vending Machine – These machines have come a long way since I was a kid back in the dark ages.  Well, maybe not THAT long ago.  You can use a credit card to buy a bottle of water from a machine now.  Amazing.  I like seeing the Coke and Pepsi machines that have a single image spread across the front of two or three machines.  Very eye-catching.

10.  Vaseline – The guy who invented and packaged it ate a spoonful of it every day.  Yuck!

11.  Versatile – Corn is an example of a versatile plant.  It is used in the production of over 3500 different products.  This site has a great list of such products from tires, auto parts, baby food, cosmetics, wallpaper, and potato chips to breakfast cereal and cattle feed.  Every part of the plant is used.  The site also lists how corn is used in a number of products.  I was amazed at how many things use the cob.

12.  Venue – A fancy word for a meeting place.

13.  Value – Monetary value is fleeting and meaningless.  Things of true value can’t be bought.  Faith, family, friendship.  Love and trust in the eyes of a child.  What do you value most?

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Wednesday Hero

This Week's Post Is Via Gazing At The Flag


PFC Thomas Lowell Tucker
24 years old from Madras, Oregon
B Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
June 16, 2006


Flag Gazer has a great post up on the dedication of the PFC Thomas Tucker memorial.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

SpeedyFox 1.2

If you’re like me you’ve been getting frustrated with how Firefox seems to slow down more and more. 

Well, I found the solution.  As I was dropping Entrecards yesterday I visited Protechmedia.biz.  I found an article about a product called SpeedyFox.  It optimizes the Firefox database.  I downloaded and ran SpeedyFox and was amazed at the difference it made.  Firefox now starts and stops much more quickly.  It also loads sites faster and comes up with history quicker as well. 

I’m very satisfied with the change this has made.  And best of all, it’s free!  I would definitely recommend heading over and checking it out!   Thanks Protech!

I Did It! Monday

Last week, Rick and I drove Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.  It was amazing.  The views were spectacular.  Sadly, it was hazy so pictures of the sweeping vistas didn’t turn out well.  But here’s what I did….

I walked the trail to Dark Hollow Falls.  It was 0.6 miles from the parking area to the falls.  That doesn’t sound too bad, does it?  Well, in that 0.6 miles, the trail also dropped 440 feet!  It was exhausting to go down because it was quite steep in places.  There were steps made with logs across the trail in many places.  Here’s a picture of Rick way out ahead of me. 

He’s quite a bit lower than me and you can see how the ground drops away as we go down.  This was actually a part of the trail that wasn’t too steep.

This is what we walked down to see.  It’s a fairly small falls, but it was very pretty.  It did continue falling beyond this point, but neither of us was up to going any lower.  There were a number of us sitting on rocks and chatting.  We rested up for about 20-30 minutes.  Then we tackled the dreaded climb back up.

Once again, my wonderful husband is out in front.  I think you can see by the way he’s bent forward that it’s pretty steep here.  Not the steepest, but this is the only picture I have of the way back.  I kept a positive attitude and rested several many times going up.  I chanted a bit to keep myself going.  “One step in front of the other.  I can.  I will.”  Hey, it helped!

I did the happy dance when we made it to the parking lot!  There were a couple folks there that we’d talked to at the falls and as we passed each other coming up.  It was a brother and sister about our age and fitness level.  They didn’t think I was crazy at all.  Or at least they didn’t let on.

What have you done recently?  It doesn’t have to be as big as this walk to deserve celebration.  It doesn’t even have to be something you did yourself.  Why not head over to I Did It! Monday and join in.  And check out other accomplishments while you’re there.

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