Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically....Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.
~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one.
~ E. B. White

Intelligence is not to make no mistakes, but quickly to see how to make them good.
~ Bertolt Brecht

It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.
~ Rene Descartes

I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.
~ Woodrow Wilson

It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer.
~ Albert Einstein

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.
~ Winston Churchill

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Here is a very private way to gauge your loss or non-loss of intelligence. So take the following test presented here and determine if you are losing it or are still a MENSA candidate. OK, relax, clear your mind and . . . begin.

1. What do you put in a toaster?

The answer is bread. If you said, "toast,” then give up now and go do something else. Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, "bread,” go to question 2.

2. Say "silk" five times. Now spell "silk.” What do cows drink?

Answer: Cows drink water. If you said, "milk,” please do not attempt the next question. Your brain is obviously overstressed and may even overheat. It may be that you need to content yourself with reading something more appropriate such as "Children's World.” If you said, "water" then proceed to question three.

3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a greenhouse made from?

Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass. If you said "green bricks,” what are you still doing here reading these questions? If you said "glass,” then go on to question four.

4. Twenty years ago, a plane is flying at 20,000 feet over Germany. If you will recall, Germany at the time was politically divided into West Germany and East Germany. Anyway, during the flight, TWO of the engines fail. The pilot, realizing that the last remaining engine is also failing, decides on a crash landing procedure. Unfortunately, the engine fails before he has time and the plane crashes smack in the middle of "no man's land" between East Germany and West Germany. Where would you bury the survivors - East Germany or West Germany or in "no man's land"?

Answer: You do not, of course, bury survivors. If you said ANYTHING else, you are a real dunce and you must NEVER try to rescue anyone from a plane crash. Your efforts would not be appreciated. If you said, "Don't bury the survivors" then proceed to the next question.

5. If the hour hand on a clock moves 1/60th of a degree every minute, then how many degrees will the hour hand move in one hour?

Answer: One degree. If you said "360 degrees" or anything other than "one degree,” you are to be congratulated on getting this far, but you are obviously out of your league. Turn your pencil in and exit the room. Everyone else proceed to the final question.

6. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales. In London, 17 people get on the bus. In Reading, six people get off the bus and nine people get on. In Swindon, two people get off and four get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea, three people get off and five people get on. In Carmathen, six people get off and three get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven. What was the name of the bus driver?

Answer: Oh, for goodness sake! It was YOU! Read the first line!!!

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Hugs are life's rainbows. ~ Chinese proverb

I might be Maximus or hutch. I am NOT bas!

Good point - you could never be basMAV! If you are loved by both enigma and Kevin King you must be okay!

Okay, I dub thee "Joan Munford" wife of John and purveyor of truth!

Welcome to the zoo Joan!

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Is there bias on the war coverage? Click Here
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You're a poet! I like John M. but he is much too young for me. Guess I'll just be Tug.

I love Enigma and Hack too, like brothers or sons. I don't want to see them waste their time on here re bas. Both of them are too smart for that. Where is Git? We need some humor on here!

Tug

I've been out of town and out of touch for a week and what do you do? You accuse me of being Dollar. Come on now.... I'll have you guys know I've been called much worse by much better.

I've got to get us at 2:00 a.m. and drive to the airport for a 5:00 in the morning flight. If I wasn't so whooped and needing a couple of hours sleep I'd come after the whole bunch of ya!

Talk soon.

Dollar.... I mean Git

P.S. Seriously... $$$$$ ??????

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You may not be at war with Islam, but Islam is at war with you! If we lose.... They will follow.

There could never be another dollar!

Take care,
Tug

I am Cal and banned myself, or am I Emily.

Remember bas/MAV, just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean they are not out to get you!

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Fighting for truth, justice and the American way, while ignoring the ignorant!

Some cultural analogies that I find insightful . . .

"Paranoid" is a song by Black Sabbath, appearing in the album originally named War Pigs.

Some of the lyrics are the following:

"People think I'm insane."

"All day long I think of things but nothing seems to satisfy.
Think I'll lose my mind if I don't find something to pacify."

"I need someone to show me the things in life that I can't find.
I can't see the things that make true happiness, I must be blind."

Lead singer Ozzy Osbourne once bit the head off a bat while on stage, giving himself a rabies scare and leading to many denouncing him as a psychopath and Satanist. He was arrested in 1982 for urinating on the historical site the Alamo, just one of his many anti-social antics.

In 2002 Osbourne, as a befuddled father, and his family made it to MTV in a hit "reality sitcom," called The Osbournes, a video journal of their "wacky" (i.e., dysfunctional) life. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show, noted for its frequent use of foul language, which was bleeped during MTV broadcasts (at least in the United States), topped professional wrestling as cable TV's most-watched programming.

This kind of "warrior spirit" (i.e., "wacky" side show) referenced in my post Major Rosie Rant isn't one that promotes rational debate and true understanding. If I want childish name-calling and irrational rants, I'll look for Rosie's new show or watch re-runs of The View.

Wow, Denise, you're full of surprises. Didn't figure you for a Black Sabbath fan!

Knowing past & current cultural trends keeps one from being "narrow-minded" and naive

I knew a few fans, though, & lamented their destructive lifestyles. They did have a begrudging respect for mine, though, and we could still be friendly.

How very pathetic. Your defense for being accused of attacking veterans is to attack veterans. Now that is a novel approach.

No basmati, actually, I am smart enough to know when not to roll in the gutter with a close minded person. That doesn't make me thin-skinned basmati, it makes me more mature than you.

Unlike you, I don't turn argument in to personal assaults.

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Please help stop the genocide in Darfur

The way I see it, there are good veterans and evil ones (same as for every human being). You have soldiers that gave their lives for the sake nof others and to liberate others from opression (i.e. thos ein WWII) and then you have the bad apples of Abu Ghraib and baby killers in Vietnam. The worst are the ones running secret and illegal intelligent operations that deal with eliminating others for political reasons (The retired major used to bragg about this).

I am with you in calling for a stop of the genocide in Darfur. Seems our troops are again in wrong place when a need to stop ethnic cleansing arises.

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Making you think twice......

If I had a dollar for every question banmani ignored and left on the bloggs I would be as rich as, well, Cheryl Crow ("I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting.").

And you thought her boyfriend was half nuts.

Perfect job for banmani- "toilet paper checker".

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Why you can’t believe banmani

I'm sorry you feel I "attacked" you because you were a veteran. First I've heard of your military service, but whatever. I do know Trey Hoffman has never worn a uniform, but he's with the troops in spirit.

You keep on believing what you want to believe and the world will keep right on spinning, Mixer!
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Why bother to BAN troublemakers if you're just going to let them RE-REGISTER?

why didn't you answer all the questions bas? While I have you here, let me ask a question, when I enlisted my service obligation was for 6 years, I could do two active with 4 years active reserve, ot do 3 and 3, or do 4 active and 2 inactive, now my question is this did this policy change after the 70's and if not where did the other year go?

I yam what I yam...Popeye

When I was in the Army, I did three years active duty, then they had a program called "Try one" which was a one year USAR active reserve stint, which I did. Didn't continue because the commute to/from college was a grind. The remainder was inactive reserves, I think it was two years.

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Why bother to BAN troublemakers if you're just going to let them RE-REGISTER?

You were in the army?? How many people did you kill?? How many times did the US Army Kill more than 32 people in villages in Vietnam, how many times did US Backed regimes in Mexico, Argentina and Chile massacre more than 32 people in common killings in the 1980s. How many people in Iraq died because YOU voted for GHW BUSH Twice?? You are complicit in the murder of over 100,000 people every year, you may be an idiot who believes that everyone should have a hand gun, but your idiot REPUBLICAN policies have killed more people on a daily basis than one headf*$#^k kid from South Korea ever could dream of, you have blood on your hands and blood on your ballots.... Why is this society so violent, it is because republicans and morons think that guns do not add to crime, it is because you vote for people like Lynn Westmoreland who have no idea what they are talking about in a time when we need leaders who are concerned about the world, not just their congressional district... Did you know, Westmorleand voted more than once against a law that would make child neglect a felony in the state of Georgia... Why would he do that, does he even have the testical fortitude to answer??? DO YOU???

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." — George Walker Texas Ranger Bush-Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

What MOS were you?

I think field 37 or 96!

The years go by way to quick, thank you

I yam what I yam...Popeye