Thursday, June 30

Amusing Video

Can you see your grandma doing something like this?

Check it out. You can right click it and "save target as", or you can stream it.

Enjoy.

I Must Regretfully Decline Your Invitation to Appear in Court:


By Shane M. Ridenhauer

Dear Office of the Clerk,

I was pleased to receive your gracious request for my presence at the small get-together to be held in your exalted halls on Thursday the 28th of July. Be assured that I was grateful for the warm tidings offered by you, the Wapello County Sheriff's Department, and please know I am fully aware of your overflowing social calendar. Therefore, it is with no small sense of remorse, particularly in light of the many previous engagements of ours that I have had cause to break, that I must regretfully decline your invitation.

Gentlemen and ladies, do not for one moment imagine that I am unaware of the lengths to which you have surely gone in this matter. I am humbled to think of the many uniformed servants you have sent zig-zagging back and forth over the tri-county area, merely to deliver my invitation—especially considering that I have relocated frequently in recent months, and have even been without a proper address for weeks at a time.

I would love to attend your criminal hearing! If not for several pressing personal matters, I would certainly join you in court.

The first of these matters is the distressing state in which I find my automobile. Were she only roadworthy, she would carry me to the scheduled proceedings with alacrity. Alas, her undercarriage blooms with cancerous expanses of rust. Her engine wheezes and coughs like an asthmatic hound. And from beneath her issues an ominous black puddle, which portends a failing transmission, a cracked block, or worse. I fear that to operate her would be to put my very life in peril!

The second personal matter precluding my acceptance of your kind invitation is, I am afraid, financial. Gentlemen, my monetary affairs are in an unfortunate state. Business responsibilities, as prominent men such as you must appreciate, must supercede all social niceties, and, to be perfectly frank, it is presently beyond my means to attend even to those. In fact, I believe my colleague, Mr. Dutch Haney, who by no small coincidence is mentioned prominently and repeatedly in the documents summoning my presence, is a mutual acquaintance of ours. Knowing, as you must, Mr. Haney's rather coarse fixation on compensation for damages to personal property, and my sensitivity to baseness of any sort, my reluctance to attend your gathering requires no further elucidation.

I feel an especial pang of regret that I will not be there to bask in the presence of the Hon. Claude Gerber, a man with whom I have passed many an engaging and stimulating afternoon—a true gentlemen, that one, a true character. I hoped with all my heart he did not mean it when he said he never wished for me to darken his door again, and I take this invitation as evidence my hopes were not in vain.

And Officer Schepke... Fair, fair Lilly Schepke. You were meant for gentler things than to stand to the right and chuckle over tired old anecdotes—as well as charges of grand larceny, grand theft auto, public drunkenness, domestic assault, and discharging a firearm within city limits.

No, perhaps it is for the best. How quickly you would grow tired of me, I'm sure, were I to surrender to self-indulgence and the court-appointed bailiff the morning of July 28. I would certainly bore you, or worse yet, etiquette would require that I remain in your company for not less than five nor more than seven years.

I will, therefore, take my leave; I assure you, gentles, that the disappointment is all mine.

Sincerely,

Shane M. Ridenhauer

Wednesday, June 29

What Matters (Part II)

So I was browsing some of my favorite websites this morning and came across the following article. It's sad how warped priorities can become.

Over the years, we've had plenty of cars on which we wanted our money back. Of course, all of them together wouldn't have added to a tune-up of one German businessman's automotive bane. Ferrari has refused to return the purchase price of a Ferrari 360 Stradale Challenge to the Berlin resident, who says the car is too slow. Outraged that his $200,000 supercar tops out at 175mph on the autobahn (and according to an independent expert), instead of the advertised 186mph, the man is taking Ferrari to court.

I love cars as much as the next guy, (maybe more depending on who the "next guy" is) but come on; "outraged" because of 11mph? The man was also quoted as saying "I could've bought a Porsche for much less and got this performance."

I wonder if this man knows or understands that Jesus died for him? I wonder if he knows that it's easier for a camel to pass through the needle's eye than it is for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. That's not a literal needle's eye. This needle's eye refers to a small opening in the wall to the city that you had to come through if you arrived after the doors where shut. A camel would have to get down on it's knees to pass through, thus making it very difficult. Christ isn't saying it's "impossible" for rich men to inherit the kingdom, just that it's hard.

So often we tend to consider "things of this world" to be blessings. My favorite definition of a blessing is this: "Anything we've been given that draws us to a closer walk with Christ." By that definition riches and things of this world can be blessings if used correctly, but just the fact that they make life easier or mor comfortable does NOT make them blessings. Would your house be a blessing if you put it's care and upkeep before your walk with Christ? Would your job be a blessing if pursuing it meant compromising your Christian principles? I could go on and on, but we each know our own things in our lives that we call blessings, yet we so easily forget to use them to bring glory and honor to the Father.

Hold your blessings in an open palm recognizing always that we are but stewards and ALL things are our Fathers.

Tuesday, June 28

What Matters?

Wal-Mart heir John T. Walton died yesterday when an experimental ultra-light aircraft he was piloting crashed.

"I think all you can say is he was just a good man and today, you grieve," Jay Allen, Wal-Mart senior vice president of corporate affairs, told The Morning News of Springdale.

When I read that it made me wonder what people would say about me if I died. What would my colleagues say about me?

In March, Forbes magazine listed John Walton as No. 11 on its list of the world's richest people with a net worth of $18.2 billion.

Read the Yahoo news article here

As I read the article I thought of Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Not that I thought the article was about boasting, but rather my mind went to the Biblical concept of Faith Based Salvation. Romans 3 and Romans 4 are excellent chapters to remind us that we can not earn salvation no matter what works we achieve here on this earth. We are as filthy rags in the sight of a perfectly holy God. Only through Christ's imputed (Romans 4:24) righteousness may we approach the throne.

Good works should spring forth from our lives, as fruit, out of a loving and infinitely thankful heart for what Christ has suffered for us, not out of a attitude of "earning" Christ's love.

God Bless.

Monday, June 27

Nothing in Particular

Went to Indiana this weekend. Good times. I got to hang out with some star wars pez dispensers. That was a good time.

Chris got engaged this weekend to Janelle(sp?) Sinn. Holy Cow didn't see that one coming. Wish them both God's blessings.

I called Kenton Snyder last night on my way home, and we had a great conversation about where we're at spiritually. We talked about things that have helped us grow, and topics we've been studying. I love encouraging and edifying spiritual discussions with friends. I had some great talks with Vince this weekend too. This weekend was very spiritually uplifting for me all around.

Thanks to all who made it a great weekend. Thanks Janel for riding out with me and helping to keep me awake by serenading me. ;) Ok, so it really wasn't "serenading" per se', but definitely a lot of singing. :) good times.

Thursday, June 23

Clearing the Waters

Just to clear up any confusion:

My birthday was yesterday June 22nd. I was born in 1981 which makes me 24 years old.

Interesting fact I just learned from Tammy Sauder (Thanks Tammy):

If I send you an email and mistype my blog address so that it reads http://lrknapp99.blogpsot.com it will NOT bring you here. Check out where it takes you.


Is that not wierd?

Wednesday, June 22


This reminds me of Dona and Michelle. :)
posted by Luke

Shari decorated my room for my birthday!
posted by Luke

Holy Cow

This is the most impressive basketball clip I've ever seen. I don't care how many times they had to try before they made these shots, the fact that they were made blows my mind. Especially the one where it bounces off the wall, then the floor and then backwards into the basket...dang yo.

Click on the "uncut" clip. If you have dial-up it'll take a long time to load...but man, it's worth it. Let me know what your favorite shot is.

Tuesday, June 21

Personality Test

Julie had this test on her blog. I'm not sure what I think about my results. I need some opinions.

This morning I scored this:
ESFJ

Extroverted: 67%
Sensing: 50%
Feeling: 50%
Judging: 89%

Yesterday morning I scored this:
ESFJ

Extroverted: 44%
Sensing: 1%
Feeling: 12%
Judging: 89%

The J. Butt profile is kinda abstract.

I'm a "Provider Gaurdian"...hmm..

Read this tell me if you think it fits. I don't know. There are some things that kinda ring true...but others I'm not so sure about. Be honest here people. Do you think I fit this mold? Which parts do I fit, and which parts don't I? Brooke, I'm expecting a long comment from you. I know you have an opinion. :D

Monday, June 20

See, I'm not TOO bad

Check out this quiz. :)

I am nerdier than 48% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!

Sunday, June 19

Wow...Wow...Wow!


Jr. High Boys Camp was an amazing experience. Simply watching the administrators pull of the logistics of feeding and organizing 114 boys was a blessing.

The kids were extremely cooperative. No one was seriously injured.

Jaron and I had a great cabin full of kids.

The worship was wonderful!

Camp cheers were great. The enthusiasm blew me away.

I got to have some of the Kaeb cousins in my cabin. Blessings!

Here are some pictures.

Thursday, June 16

Run with patience

Endurance Training: Caleb Models Spiritual Stamina
Greg Laurie

Caleb is one of the unsung heroes of the Bible. He stands as a shining example of one who never lost his edge spiritually. He himself said at age 85, "I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and coming in" (Joshua 14:11 NKJV).

At that point in the history of God's people, the Israelites had finally made it to the long-awaited promised land, and Joshua was dispersing portions of it to the various tribes. Caleb suddenly spoke up and asked for the land he had surveyed. In response, Joshua granted faithful Caleb what he asked. Yet the old man proved he had not yet exhausted his courage, for then he said:

Here I am this day, eighty-five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me . . . Now therefore, give me this mountain [the land of Hebron] of which the Lord spoke in that day. . . . (Joshua 14:10-12 NKJV)

The other guys must have thought old Caleb was senile. Hebron was not some beautiful green pasture; it was one of the most treacherous mountainous areas of the promised land. Worse, formidable adversaries, identified as the three sons of Anak, lived there. No one wanted to take them on except 85-year-old Caleb, holding up that muscular old arm, saying, "Give me this mountain."

I love his boldness. Caleb ran up the mountain. He slew his adversaries. He was victorious. He had been strong all those years, and he finished well.

Let me share some principles with you from Caleb's life that can give us this spiritual stamina we need to run and indeed finish in the race of life.

1. Follow the Lord 100 percent. Scripture says again and again that Caleb "wholly followed the Lord." It's in Joshua 14:8-9 and verse 14 too: Joshua blessed Caleb and gave the old man what he asked because “he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel."

This is clearly a key to Caleb's spiritual success. But what does it mean to "wholly follow the Lord"? It means that you must fully follow our Lord not halfheartedly, but completely. One hundred percent. Are you wholly following the Lord your God? If you are not, you will be picked off eventually. It is only a matter of time until you become a casualty in the race of life.

2. Don't compromise-stand your ground. At the risk of being personally ostracized, Caleb took a stand for what was he knew was true. He knew he needed to be more concerned with God's approval than man's. And he was rewarded.

As you walk with the Lord, you will face many temptations to cave in to peer pressure, to do what everybody else does. But if you are going to fully follow the Lord, then, like Caleb, you must make this principle operative in your life. Stand firm-seek God's pleasure, no one else's.

3. Take God at His Word. Caleb didn't win immediate entrance to the promised land. First he had to wander around with those ungrateful, complaining Israelites for 40 years. They said things like "We remember the good old days back in Egypt, where we had garlic, leeks, and onions." Despite the Israelites' childish clinging to fictitious memories, Caleb hung on to the promises of God. He knew God would be faithful, regardless of the time frame. Caleb trusted God's word to him. We can do the same.

4. Long for fellowship with your God. Caleb asked for a place in the promised land called Hebron. There is something interesting thing about the name Hebron, which, in the original language, means "fellowship, love, and communion." Hebron is where Abraham met with God face-to-face and received the promise of the new land in the first place.

Caleb yearned for fellowship with God. While the other Israelites longed for Egypt, Caleb longed for Hebron. While the others looked back, Caleb looked forward. While others wanted to please themselves, Caleb wanted to please God.

This is an essential key to spiritual longevity. You must always move forward. You must always seek to grow spiritually and never look back. That's what will keep you going. If you are living this Christian life for others' applause, you won't make it. You have to run empowered by your love for God.

Wednesday, June 15

Heat Pumps

I love being an engineer. :) This morning two co-workers and I talked about geothermal heat-pumps for a half hour. One of the mechanical designers is trying to design a system, and he can't find any hard data out there on how they save money. That conversation morphed into a discussion on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)system. That got us onto the topic of green roofs. Then we moved on to electricity and Edison. Ahhh...the joys of engineering.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm heading to Jr. High Boys camp. Chris will be there too. This will be the first time I've ever been involved with it. I'm really looking forward to it. I've heard nothing but good things. If you think of it, say a prayer for our weekend. May God be Glorified!

Monday, June 13

Rainbows & Kittens


right side of the rainbow
posted by Luke


Left side of the rainbow
posted by Luke


Sunset that created the rainbow.
posted by Luke


kitten with sunset in the background
posted by Luke

What a Find!!

I've been looking for this for awhile now. Wow...

Napoleon Dancing

I laugh everytime I watch it.

Interesting Morning


yeah, that's a kitten, and yes, I'm at work
posted by Luke

Let's see...where to start this story. Well, we've had three kittens at our house for a few days now. My sister Sandy brought them over. They were going to take one of them when they moved into their new house, and mom was going to keep the other two as "mousers" around our place. Well, the one that Sandy's kids were going to take disappeared a couple days ago...no idea where it went. So, we're down to two kittens at our place. Ok...so this morning starts out, normal morning...until I get to work and get out of my car. The first thing I hear when I step out of my car is a very loud mewing...yeah...that's right, as in cat noises. They're coming from my hood...yeah...that's right, my hood. So I pop the hood and out jumps a kitten...that's right, a..ok, enough of that. So now I am at work, with a kitten crawling up my pant leg to jump up onto the desk as I type.kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk/*kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk mddddddddddddddddddddp3
H+

That was the cat...no lie. So I call my mom and she's calling my sister to come and get the cat. Wow...


yeah...it wants to type.
posted by Luke

Friday, June 10

Answers

Here's a copy of the quiz I posted a few days ago, in case you missed it. Look at comments for the answers.

1.Soteriology is the study of what?

a.Sin
b.Salvation
c.Satan
d.Social Effects

2.Ecclesiology is the study of what?

a.The book of Ecclesiastes
b.Man
c.Death
d.The Church

3.Pneumatology is the study of what?

a.Pneumonia
b.Death
c.Wind
d.The Holy Spirit

4.What is Theology Proper the study of?

a.Man
b.Christianity
c.Sin
d.God

5.What is Eschatology the study of?

a.Death
b.The Holy Sprit
c.Sin
d.The End Times

6.Anthropology is the study of what?

*hint* It's a three letter word.

7.Hamartiology is the study of ________.

a.Sin
b.God
c.The End Times
d.The Church

8.Which is not a division of angelology?

a.Nephilim
b.Cherubim
c.Satan
d.Seraphim

9.What is the study of the Bible called?

*hint* It's not as hard as it sounds.

10.Archaelogy is a very important aspect of the history of Judiasm and Christianity
that brings insights to all the other "ologies".

a.True
b.False

Thursday, June 9

Bless You!

May God bless each of you for your kindness and encouraging comments. Here's a brief update on my father.

He'll be in the Hospital at least until sometime Friday depending on his pain and his progress. He has three fractures in his pelvis; two on one side and one on the other. He has one fracture in his hip. His pinky is also fractured and badly cut. His elbow is broken. They did surgery last night on his elbow and put in a plate and some pins to help it heal correctly. They also needed a pin in his pinky and he needed a bunch of stiches. I think they got the pin in, but the doctor who was supposed to do the stitches didn't show up. :( Mom said he's on morphine, so the pain is minimal. They said with his pelvis and hip injuries he'll be confined to a wheelchair for awhile. That's going to be a big adjustment for all of us, so keep praying for that! Dad's already trying to figure out how he can work in his chair. :) That's my dad. And mom trying to figure out how to keep him from working while he heals. :) That's my mom.

Your prayers are REALLY REALLY appreciated. Keep 'em coming!

Tonight was my last night teaching VBS. I really enjoyed it. What a blessing. I'm going to Ben Knochels bachelor supper tomorrow night, so I won't be able to make the last night of VBS, but I'm looking forward to spending some time with the Knochels. :)

Wednesday, June 8

Prayers Requested Please.

I just got off the phone with my mom. My dad is in the emergency room with a broken elbow, a broken pinky, and possible fracture in his hip after falling off a roof he was helping to tar-paper today. A roll of the tar paper began falling off the roof, and dad tried to catch it. He landed on concrete, so that explains the broken bones. I know my family would sincerely appreciate your prayers. My father is 62, and he's been in several physical accidents in the recent past. Not only does his body have a more and more difficult time recuperating, but his spirit does too. Please pray that he would feel the presence of God in his heart stronger than ever.

I will be in Macomb, IL on business tomorrow so I won't be posting, but I would really appreciate comments on this blog letting me know you said a prayer when you read this.

I've said before how much I appreciate everyone who reads this and leaves comments. Please help me out now in this time of struggle. Also, feel free to email this request to our mutual friends.

God Bless

uh huh...

So, I really have nothing to post about today. VBS went well last night again. Justin Koch read trivia questions to the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders until their parents showed up. I kept score. :) It was fun. I like trivia. Speaking of trivia...Here's a few trivia questions I found interesting.

1.Soteriology is the study of what?

a.Sin
b.Salvation
c.Satan
d.Social Effects

2.Ecclesiology is the study of what?

a.The book of Ecclesiastes
b.Man
c.Death
d.The Church

3.Pneumatology is the study of what?

a.Pneumonia
b.Death
c.Wind
d.The Holy Spirit

4.What is Theology Proper the study of?

a.Man
b.Christianity
c.Sin
d.God

5.What is Eschatology the study of?

a.Death
b.The Holy Sprit
c.Sin
d.The End Times

6.Anthropology is the study of what?

*hint* It's a three letter word.

7.Hamartiology is the study of ________.

a.Sin
b.God
c.The End Times
d.The Church

8.Which is not a division of angelology?

a.Nephilim
b.Cherubim
c.Satan
d.Seraphim

9.What is the study of the Bible called?

*hint* It's not as hard as it sounds.

10.Archaelogy is a very important aspect of the history of Judiasm and Christianity
that brings insights to all the other "ologies".

a.True
b.False

I'll publish the answers when interest in the questions starts to wane. :) Or if you want to email me for the answers I can do that too. Enjoy.

Monday, June 6

I survived

My first night of VBS went well. I like the group of kids Brit and I are teaching. They remind me a lot of my old class back in the day. :) The theme for VBS this year is the fruits of spirit. The two that we talked about tonight were Love and Joy. Brit came up with the idea of having them share with the class tomorrow something they did during that day that exhibited those characteristics. We also talked a little about the difference between a "crush" love and Christ's love. If anyone thinks of it this week prayers would be appreciated.

Here's a picture of Joe noodling...not a bad catch 'eh.
posted by Luke

complaint

I hurt. I hurt all over. Between baseball and noodling/hogging and walking about 500 miles in a river, I feel like someone kicked my butt.

For those of you who don't know what noodling is check this out. Dang Joe..how'd you like to get ahold of a 64 pounder? The guy in the article is definitely a graduate of "crazy-go-nuts university". Dang.

Gotta Check This Out!

Ever heard of trunk monkeys? Yeah...pretty cool.

For a brief rundown of my weekend check out Joe's blog. The highlight was either Joe coming to the surface of the river after losing a 20 lb catfish, (yeah, he was ticked) or else Kirby sticking his foot in his mouth again.

Friday, June 3


I would really really like to own this bike someday. Man...It's even PURPLE!! Go K-STATE!
posted by Luke

Smart Lawyer

Joe Knochel forwarded this to me today. I got a kick out of it. Many of you have probably already heard it.

A Lawyer runs a stop sign and gets pulled over by a
police officer. He thinks that he is smarter than the
cop because he is sure that he has a better education. He decides to
prove this to himself and have some fun at the officers' expense...........

A... Officer says, "License and registration,
please."

B... Lawyer says, "What for?"

C... Officer says, "You didn't come to a complete
stop at the stop sign."

D... Lawyer says, "I slowed down, and no one was
coming."

E... Officer says, "You still didn't come to a
complete stop. License and registration, please."

F... Lawyer says, "What's the difference?"

G... Officer says, "The difference is, you have to
come to a complete stop, that's the law. License
and registration, please!"

H... Lawyer says, "If you can show me the legal
difference between slow down and stop, I'll give
you my license and registration and you give me
the ticket, if not you let me go and no ticket."

I... Officer says, "Exit your vehicle, sir."

J... At this point, the Officer takes out his
nightstick and starts beating the ever-loving
crap out of the Lawyer and says: "DO YOU
WANT ME TO STOP OR JUST SLOW DOWN?"

Weekend

It's looking like I have another full weekend.

Tonight at 6:30 I'm singing at the Washington nursing home with the Young Group. Then we're heading to Tammy Sauders afterwards. Kirby is going to come to Tammy's, and we're going to head to Taylor around 9-9:30. I'm really looking forward to being in Taylor this weekend. I haven't seen Joe in a long time (old roommate) and I miss him. There are also some KS people coming Sat. evening, so it should be a good time. Angie Sutter's getting married on Sunday.

Right now I need to go eat an early lunch so I'm ready for a meeting this afternoon. We're going to be discussing the lighting design for the new Apostolic nursing home in Morton! Fun stuff. :)

See ya Monday!

Thursday, June 2

Another Base Down the Drain

BLOOMINGTON, MN—The Pentagon announced Monday that Camp Snoopy, the largest indoor family theme park in America, is one of 34 major bases scheduled for closing as part of a vast military repurposing and realignment designed to save almost $50 billion.

"We never enjoy having to close a base," said Anthony Principi, chairman of the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure Commission. "But Camp Snoopy is a relic of America's Cold War past. Everything in the facility—from the Petting Zoo to the Extreme Trampoline to the Pepsi Ripsaw Roller Coaster—was conceived at a time when America's primary military threat was the Soviet Union. After careful evaluation, we determined that the only thing Camp Snoopy was enabling our soldiers to fight was boredom."

According to an official Pentagon statement delivered Tuesday by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, most of the 300 men and women stationed at Camp Snoopy will be honorably discharged in a ceremony to be held in front of the Rock 'N' Wall.

Camp Snoopy Gen. Manager Craig Freeman said the camp's decommissioning "came out of nowhere."

"Certainly these last couple years have brought drastic changes in the national attitude toward combat readiness," Freeman said. "But we thought our location in America's northern defensive tier, combined with our many indoor roller coasters and log-flume rides, would shield us from the military's increased emphasis on small-unit tactics. I suppose that was naive."

Ranking managers and others in highly trained positions will be posted at other bases in the Mall of America.

"I heard a rumor that I'm going to be shipped out to the Lego Imagination Center," Coordinating Concessions Manager Steve Voorhies said. "I'm still in shock. I had a distinguished food-service record here—a record I could be proud of—and now some desk jockey at the Pentagon sends me to the mall's South Avenue quadrant? It's bull."

"Well, I guess I knew when I signed up that they could do whatever they wanted with me," added Voorhies, who has applied for a transfer to Jillian's Hi Life Lanes in the mall's Party Central.

"We've been supplying them with everything from disposable paper goods to uniforms," said Debra Czynsci, the chief military and entertainment sales liaison for the Cedar Fair Management Corporation. "That was close to half a billion dollars annually pumped into the Twin Cities economy. Now, with this facility shutting its gates, we're going to have massive layoffs of our own."

The Pentagon said that the Lego Imagination Center, the Underwater Adventures Aquarium, A.C.E.S. Flight Simulators, and various other Mall of America attractions made Camp Snoopy "redundant."

Insiders, however, suggest that misappropriations issues involving Cedar Fair, which was once investigated for charging Camp Snoopy $479 per case of Thirsty Linus FunCups, factored heavily into the decision to decommission Camp Snoopy.

Brig. Gen. Roy Haemer, who oversaw the Pentagon's Midwest base-closing study, denied suggestions that the camp's closure was politically motivated.

"It may seem counterintuitive to close bases during wartime," Haemer said. "But not a single member of the forward-line units operating in Iraq and Afghanistan trained at Camp Snoopy. Tens of thousands of them visited the park, but the fast-paced gaming environment of the Ultimate Zone has little or no bearing on squad-level combat in a desert environment, and maneuvering around the Kite-Eating Tree will do nothing to prepare a soldier for the arid scrub of the Afghani steppes."

Haemer added that California's Camp Snoopy at Knott's Berry Farm is being kept open primarily due to the Red Baron Ride, which he described as "a real hoot."

Mr. Adobe

He's back folks. Go check out Chris' return to photo blogging

He sure is a talented one eyed monkey trainer he is.

Plus, Joe's back in business. You can find his link to the left. It's a fine day in blog land....and in Morton.

Wednesday, June 1

hmmm

So, I'm sitting here at work this morning, not a whole lot to do. I've been reading some energy usage guidelines in ASHRAE 90.1. I'm seriously considering boring you with some of the details..hmm...Did you know that lighting consumes the majority of energy in a building? That surprised me. I would've guess Air Conditioning. However, that's not far off. Cooling comes in second. Lighting accounts for 5% of total U.S. energy consumption. People should replace their standard incandescent bulbs with flourescents. It would make a huge difference. Check it out. And that's with ONE bulb!

Just 10% of the energy that goes into a standard light buld comes out as light. The remaining 90% is given off as heat! However, with a flourescent bulb almost 100% of the energy that is put into the lamp comes out as light. Cool huh?!

Yeah, that's tall.
posted by Luke