Naval Military Day in Town

On Saturday in town was the Military Day and there were great things to do. Mom was at some Young Women's training and I took the three youngest + Hans, who meet up with a buddy, into the Naval base and we got to play.

We went on some war ships that are still active with Torpedo's, Submarines and more. On some of the boats we could not take pictures. We also had some fun on some of the older boats like we did when Hans was little.

In these pictures you see Zander and JoJo on the muzzle of a tank and Erik is in one of the floating life tents that save them when in trouble. In order to activate it you pull 25 meters worth of cord and then puff...it breaks open it's case and becomes a life tent boat raft type thing for 10 people.

You see above a picture of Erik on the helm of the boat. Here is one of Hans from long long time ago.




Have a great Memorial Day!!!!

Sichuan Earthquake Relief

I am sharing with you some photos and links that I got from a friend in China. As you know I have been over there a lot and although no one I know directly was hurt by this there are family members that have been affected by this. Here is the email and I DO NOT take credit for the photos...but want to share them.

"I was going to write a long sobbing email asking for your help before I realized that my words would be pale in comparison to these photos taken from a make-shift hospital from a town in Sichuan. Remember that this town is NOT the epic center, I can't imagine what that would look like.

I've attached some less gruesome photos with this email, there are a lot more here, please take a look (warning: not for the faint-hearted):

http://bbs.city.tianya.cn/new/tianyacity/Content.asp?idWriter=16661580&Key=277877630&idItem=63&idArticle=597833&page_num=1


I guess this earthquake really hit me because the proximity to my home. Couple provinces over, these people lying on the cold concrete parking lot could be my grandparents, my aunts, and my nephews. The truth is that I've seen photos of hungry African children before, I cringed, I sighed, and clicked on "next article". However sad it is, people care more about things closer to them. Therefore I figured you guys are probably more attached to this disaster and are more willing to help. If you are looking to contribute to the current disaster relief effort, the Red Cross China has published the account information to receive donations, please follow this link:

http://shanghaiist.com/2008/05/13/red_cross_society_earthquake_sichuan.php

Please note "Sichuan earthquake donations" /"四川地震捐款" when you make the donations. The Red Cross is also accepting blankets and tents. Every little bit counts.

Kids Are Quick

Kids Are Quick . . . .
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TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America.
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America?
CLASS: Maria.
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TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the
floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
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TEACHER: Glenn, how do you spell 'crocodile?'
GLENN: K-R-O-K-O-D-I-A-L'
TEACHER: No, that's wrong
GLENN: Maybe it is wrong, but you asked me how I spell it.
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TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water?
DONALD: H I J K L M N O.
TEACHER: What are you talking about?
DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.
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TEACHER: Winnie, name one important thing we have today that we didn't
have ten years ago.
WINNIE: Me!
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TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.
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TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I.'
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.'
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TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry
tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.
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TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.
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TEACHER: Clyde , your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.
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TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when
people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher
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I don't know to whom I should give credit...but I would if I could. Laughter is a great medicine