ALL THE REST —  August 17
  

For the Birds
The Penguin

One might not think that a black and white bird would be very well camouflaged. The penguin appears to stand out from its environment. Actually it is very cleverly camouflaged. In the water when seen from above, the animal’s black back resembles the dark sea. When a predator spots a penguin from below the waters, the gray white vest makes the bird look like a patch of sky.

The penguin, unlike most birds, does not have hollow bones. For most birds the hollow bones provide a strong but lightweight skeleton for flight. The penguin’s bones are solid, providing weight for ballast. God doesn’t make mistakes. Of all birds, the penguin is the most fully adapted to water. Their thick coat of feathers provides a smooth surface that is impenetrable to water. Their streamlined bodies glide through the water easily. The birds use their wings like arms in a crawl stroke, and steer with their feet. They can swim at speeds of more than 25 miles per hour. When they want to leave the water, they can leap as much as 6 feet from the water's surface onto a rock or iceberg.

The largest penguin is the emperor penguin. It stands about 3 1/2 feet tall and weighs about 80 pounds. The breeding behavior of this penguin is rather unique. The female lays a single egg then leaves to feed. The male incubates the egg by himself, cradling it between the top of his feet and his stomach. For two months the male goes without food. He stays on the frozen nesting grounds, warming and protecting the egg in temperatures as cold as - 40 F. By the time the egg has hatched, he has lost a third of his body weight. When the female returns to care for the chicks, the male is free at last to return to the water for food and rest.

Sources: The Unbelievable Truth – Jeff Rovin | Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia
   
 

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life's pathway, the good they do is inconceivable."

Joseph Addison

 

The Coal Miner

A news item this morning was about a local coal miner. It seems that
his avocation was painting, but since he couldn't afford to buy canvasses he simply painted on the wall of his small cottage. Unfortunately, a gang of youths broke into his cottage earlier this week and defaced his paintings. Yesterday the young miscreants were charged in court with having ... "corrupted the murals of a miner."

 

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"A guy driving a Yugo pulls up at a stoplight next to a Rolls-Royce. The driver of the Yugo rolls down his window and shouts to the driver of the Rolls, "Hey, buddy, that's a nice car.  You got a phone in your Rolls? I've got one in my Yugo!"

The driver of Rolls looks over and says simply, "Yes I have a phone."

The driver of the Yugo says, "Cool!  Hey, you got a fridge in there too? I've got a fridge in the back seat of my Yugo!"

The driver of the Rolls, looking annoyed, says, "Yes, I have a refrigerator."

The driver of the Yugo says, "That's great, man!  Hey, you got a TV in there, too?  You know, I got a TV in the back seat of my Yugo!"

The driver of the Rolls, looking very annoyed by now, says, "Of course I have a television.  A Rolls-Royce is the finest luxury car in the world!"

The driver of the Yugo says, "Very cool car!  Hey, you got a bed in there, too?  I got a bed in the back of my Yugo!"

Upset that he did not have a bed, the driver of the Rolls-Royce sped away, and went straight to the dealer, where he promptly ordered that a bed be installed in the back of the Rolls.  The next morning, the driver of the Rolls picked up the car, and the bed looked superb, complete with silk sheets and brass trim.  It was clearly a bed fit
for a Rolls Royce.

So the driver of the Rolls begins searching for the Yugo, and he drove all day.  Finally, late at night, he finds the Yugo parked, with all the windows fogged up from the inside. The driver of the Rolls got out and knocked on the Yugo.  When there wasn't any answer, he knocked and knocked, and eventually the owner stuck his head out, soaking wet.

"I now have a bed in the back of my Rolls-Royce," the driver of the Rolls stated arrogantly.

The driver of the Yugo looked at him and said, "You got me out of the shower for that?"

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Worker's Creed:

We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much for so long with so little, that we are now qualified to do anything with nothing!

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A lion walks into a restaurant and orders a hamburger. "What does a lion know?" thinks the waiter and charges the lion twelve dollars. After a while, the waiter's curiosity gets the best of him. He goes over to the lion, casually wipes down the table, and says, "Say, you know -- we don't get too many lions in here!"

The lion says, "I bet not. Not at these prices!"  

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Tina, the Hollywood agent, was so upset by her inability to find work for a singer that she began to sob for her in front of her client.

Her client tried her best to comfort her, "Don't cry for me, Agent Tina."

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Two attorneys went into a diner and ordered two drinks. Then they produced sandwiches from their briefcases and started to eat.
The owner became quite concerned and marched over and told them, "You can't eat your own sandwiches in here!"

The attorneys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and then
exchanged sandwiches. 

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TRUE FACT ...

Humans begin laughing at two to three months of age. Six year olds laugh about 300 times per day, while adults laugh from 15 to 100 times per day.

SOURCE: NYT, Dr. William F. Fry, Stanford University

Why is "abbreviation" such a long word?

Daily Miscellany Comics

Have A Great Day !

Phillip Bower

Soul Food for August 17

History for August 17