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1. Until about the year 1100, most people in Europe had only one name. With population
increasing it became difficult to distinguish among people, so surnames were added. These came from
four primary sources: a man's occupation, such as John Cook, or Miller; location, such as John
Overhill or Brook; patronymical, such as John's son (Johnson); and characteristics, such as John
Small, Short, Longfellow, and so forth.
In addition to the need for identification, one occupation had to go a step further: the
fighting men. In the Middle Ages combatants wore heavy suits of armor which made them
unrecognizable. To prevent friend from fighting friend, each knight identified himself by painting a
colorful design on his armor. In this manner was born the family coat of arms.
3. Mr. and Mrs. Lambert took a round-the-world trip from England. At Japan's Kobe, they
saw a Buddha statue in the window of a shop. It was of white ivory, about 1 1/2-in. tall, with a happy
round face and stomach, sitting on a pillow of embroidered Japanese flowers. The Lamberts liked it
and the price was a giveaway. The seller told them that Ho-Tei would bring good luck.
The statue was placed in Mrs. Lambert's case on their trip to Manila. That night, she had a
terrible toothache. The doctor had medicine, but it was no help. At Manila, a dentist drilled one tooth
to the nerve and the pain was almost unbearable.
Then to Sydney, Australia. While on board the ship, they had changed stuffs and the Buddha
was somehow changed to Mr. Lambert's baggage. That night, he had an awful toothache. No doctor
was on board and he took one aspirin after another. Nearly mad with pain, he got off at Sydney and
was aching as before. Two days later at another port, Mr. Lambert saw another doctor but he told
him nothing was wrong. When he returned to the ship, his teeth were aching. At another port, he told
the dentist to start pulling all teeth until he said to stop. The doctor pulled one. There was no more
aching, and so he concluded that was it.
At Chile, South America, they visited his mother. When shown Ho-Tei, she loved it and they
gave it to her. She had good teeth, but within a few hours, all her teeth were aching. Few days later,
Mother returned Ho-Tei, saying it did not suit her.
The ship went to England. The Lamberts had no toothaches because Ho-Tei was in the
storage room with other baggages, they having bought other stuffs. The next morning in England,
friends visited them. They gave Ho-Tei to a woman to show her husband. All that day, they did not
see the woman, which was thought to be strange. But the next morning, she came with pale face and
swollen mouth.
Then, came the realization! They recalled dates, diaries and their hairs rose in horror. They
finally decided to give the statue to a Japanese curio shop in London.
4. Those electronic devices which check for concealed weapons are not exactly new.
Centuries ago, one of the palaces in Chang-an, the ancient Chinese capital now known as Sian, had
gates made of lodestone--a natural magnet. If a would-be assassin came through the gate with a
concealed dagger, the lodestone would pull the hidden weapon like an invisible hand. Startled, the
individual would involuntarily reach for the weapon. Trained guards, watching every moment, would
then grab him.
5. The battle of El Alamein had raged fiercely through the hours of the day when the heat
was most intense on the sands of North Africa. When it seemed that the British had nearly reached
the limits of their endurance, with an almost nonexistent water supply, they were suddenly surprised
to see large numbers of the elite desert German army throw up their hands in surrender. They came
stumbling in, with parched protruding tongues and thick swollen lips, begging for water, even just a
sip.
What had happened was that, as they overran the previous British position, there was a
newly constructed water main there, and the German soldiers had shot holes in it and drank deeply.
However, the main was not in use for fresh water, and was being tested out by pumping seawater
through it. What the Germans unwittingly drank was water from the Mediterranean Sea. The more
they drank, the greater was their thirst in the battle. Thus was decided the issue of this crucial
engagement.
6. The four panels of a door in your home have in relief the sign of the Cross. This is no
accident. The Woodcraftsmen's Guild in England in the Middle Ages took as their motto the words of
Christ, "I am the Door." Then they wrought in each door the sign of the Cross. It is a beautiful
pattern, suiting both the hand and the eye.
8. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the 500 most used words in the English
language each has an average of 23 different meanings. The word "round," for instance, has 70
distinctly different meanings.
9. It has often been noted that the past events of history are often repeated many years later.
But this old saying has never been more dramatically borne out than in the striking similarities found
in the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, John Kennedy was elected just a century
later, in 1960.
Lincoln was warned not to attend Ford's Theater on the night he was shot; Kennedy was
warned not to visit Dallas.
Both men were shot on a Friday, in public view, while sitting happily and at ease beside their
wives. Both were shot from behind, the fatal bullet in each case entering the back of the head.
The men who succeeded Lincoln and Kennedy to the presidency were both named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson was born in 1808, Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in 1908. Lyndon Johnson was a
Democrat, a Southerner, and a former Senator, and so was Andrew Johnson.
John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and was later found in a tobacco storage barn
(warehouse); Lee Harvey Oswald shot Kennedy from a book storage warehouse and was found in a
movie theater.
Both assassins were shot down before they could be brought to trial.
10. In 1644, the crew of a French ship, bound for the West Indies, prepared for a burial at
sea. Such burials were common then, but this one affected even the most hardened seaman. Death
had come for one of the children aboard, a bright and pretty little girl named Francoise who, with
her parents, was bound for the French island of Martinique to begin a new life. Francoise had died
suddenly after a short illness.
Wrapped in canvas, the little form lay unmoving on the deck as a priest intoned the prayers
for those who are buried at sea. Suddenly, there was a faint mewling sound and a quiver of
movement within the canvas. Quickly, the covering was ripped open. And out jumped a little kitten.
The mourning mother explained that it had belonged to her daughter and had been her
constant companion. "Then", said the captain, "your child must be alive, as all sailors believe no
animal will stay near a dead body."
The child was alive. And she grew up to make history. She was the famous Madame de
Maintenon who married King Louis XIV in 1683 and ruled France with him until his death 31 years
later.
11. Foretelling the future is becoming a popular--& highly paid--business. But few
soothsayers will ever be able to equal the record of Jules Verne in predicting what's ahead for the
World.
First & foremost among all science-fiction writers, Verne reached the peak of his writing
career before the start of the 20th century. In his books, he prophesied atomic submarines, the
military tank, skyscrapers, aircraft, television, earth-moving machines, talking pictures, & a host of
other modern inventions.--And not only did he predict them, he explained how they would work.
But Verne's most uncanny forecast of things to come was his detailed description of a voyage
to the Moon. Verne described a Moon rocket long before anyone dreamed of such a thing, & even
told of a dog that would be sent up first--as the Russians did--to test the projectile.
Most amazing of all, however, in his book "Around the Moon", this fantastic man actually
described the place from which a Moon rocket would take off. These are his words: "Everyone in
America made it his duty to study the geography of Florida. As a point of departure for the Moon
rocket, they had chosen an area situated 27 degrees North Latitude & 5 degrees West Longitude."
That location is only 80 miles from Cape Kennedy.
15. The Russians actually took the lead in the UN to create a Jewish state.
In 1947 and 1948, Gromyko, deputy foreign minister of Russia, strongly advocated the
formation of the Nation Israel. Gromyko declared that it would be unjust to deny the Jews the right
to realize their aspirations to have a state of their own. He reminded the UN how the Jews had
suffered and said that the time had come to help the Jews not by words but by deeds.
It was through Gromyko's persistence that the Jews even won the right to appear before a
UN committee to plead their cause.
When the Arabs were attacking Israel after its formation, Russia came to her rescue by
supplying artillery and airplanes when all other nations refused to help her. Russia had high hopes
for the fledgling country, and anticipated that Israel would be their long-sought-for toehold in the
Middle East. Many of the Jewish leaders had been born in Russia.
16. By the year 1916, World War I was going badly for England. She was in a desperate
plight due to shortage of gun powder. Up until then, gun powder had been made from nitrates taken
from mines in Chile, South America. But with German submarines controlling the sea lanes, Britain
was unable to obtain the precious raw material.
At this time, Chaim Weizmann, a brilliant Jewish scientist, discovered how to make gun
powder from nitrogen that was taken from the air. Eighty percent of the air we breathe is nitrogen!
This changed the course of the war.
In appreciation, Lloyd George, representing the British government, told Dr. Weizmann to
name his reward. He requested that Palestine be declared national homeland for the Jewish people.
Consequently, the Balfour declaration was drawn up and signed on November 2, 1917. The letter
reads:
I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of his Majesty's Government, the
following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations, which has been submitted to, and
approved by, the Cabinet. His Majesty's Government views with favor the establishment in Palestine
of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the
achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may
prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights
and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.
I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist
Federation.
Yours sincerely,
17. Timmerman is a dissident journalist who was expelled from Argentina. "I have lost all of
my fantasies about Israel", he said about the time since September 27, 1979, when tears of emotion
broke his arrival greetings. "But not one of my convictions! That means that Israel is not the open
society I thought & not the peaceful democracy I thought. It is a xenophobic, totalitarian society. I
thought as Jews we had a tradition of saving lives. And then to come here & see the cruelty Jews are
capable of. I didn't like the gang of criminals, the totalitarians, in Argentina, & I don't like them here
either."
18. When Britain gained the mandate to govern Palestine in 1918, Hebrew was added to
Arabic and English as one of the official languages. When the Jews began to return there was wild
confusion, for each one spoke the language of the nation from whence he had come.
A Jewish newspaper editor, by the name of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, had foreseen that when the
Jews returned to the land they would need a common language, and he devoted his life to the
restoration of the Hebrew language. Hebrew had not been a major language in Palestine since the 6th
century B.C. The religious leaders felt that it was sacred, and that it should not be used for ordinary
conversation.
19. In February, 1896, Theodor Herzl, a brilliant Austrian journalist, published a pamphlet
The Jewish State which swept through the Jewish world like a tornado. Within a few months, Zionist
groups were springing up in Jewish communities everywhere. The pamphlet advocated a Jewish
nation in a Jewish national land. "We shall live at last as free men on our own soil."
20. Rabbi Marc H. Tanenbaum, national interreligious affairs director of the American
Jewish Committee in New York said, "The evangelical community is the largest & fastest-growing
block of pro-Israeli, pro-Jewish sentiment" in the United States. The most prominent spokesman
among Jewish leaders for the more hesitant point of view toward the evangelicals is Rabbi Alexander
Schindler, head of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, a reform organisation. "Why does
organised American Jewry continue its flirtation with the Christian right?" he said. "We know the
reasons, of course. Most Jewish leaders are willing to forgive anyone anything as long as they hear a
good word about Israel,"
21. In the Middle Ages, in many lands, a "badge of shame" was placed on the Jews. In some
places, it was a patch of red or yellow worn on the breast or arm, on the shoulder or on the hat. They
were confined, like corralled beasts in ghettoes.
German states considered them as slaves of the emperor, and they were outrageously taxed
and plundered. In most European countries, they were prohibited from owning land, and were
excluded from the schools and the universities.
The 9th and 10th centuries were largely an era of peace for Jews in Europe, although
England did banish all Jews from the realm in 1020.
The first Crusade began in the 11th century to take the Holy Land from the Moslems. But
the Crusades turned out to be as much against the Jews of Europe as against Moslems in the Holy
Land. "Kill a Jew and save your soul," was the cry.
In the year 1298, great persecution swept Europe and hundreds of thousands of Jews were
killed. In 1350, the Black Plague engulfed Europe, killing one-fourth of the population. Jews were
blamed and one-half of the Jews in Europe were murdered.
In 1353, Jews were totally banished from France. Spain and Portugal also refused them
entrance. Germany banished all Jews from Prague in 1560. Spain in 1492 forced 800,000 Jews into
the sea, most of whom died from exposure and drowning.
In 1411, the Roman Catholic Church instituted the Inquisition. Tens of thousands died. Jews
were scarcely considered human beings.
22. One of the chief minerals in the Dead Sea is potash. It has enough potash to provide for
the needs of the entire world for 2,000 years. Why is potash so valuable? It is used as a potent
fertilizer. When the population explosion begins to usher in famines, potash will become extremely
valuable for food production. It is also used for explosives.
24. If you would like to keep your feet on the ground, carry some responsibilities on your
shoulders.
25. Mystery is but another name for our ignorance; if we were omniscient all would be
perfectly plain.
26. Opportunities drop in your lap if you have your lap where opportunities drop.
27. Opportunity does not batter the door off its hinges when it knocks.
28. America is built on violence! Violence is its religion from start to finish! From the time
the kids get to school & beat each other up, till the time they go to war to kill each other, that's
America's religion!--And violence is caused by anger.
29. What is a miracle? I know of nothing else but miracles. Every hour of the light & the
dark is a miracle. Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. Every square yard of the surface of the
Earth is spread with the same; every foot underground swarms with the same. The sea is a continual
miracle. The fishes that swim, the rocks, the motions of the waves, the ships with men in them. What
stranger miracles are there?--Walt Whitman
30. If we are to possess power, we must surrender all desire to use it for our own ends.
There is a difference
Between conversion of the head, and conversion of the heart.
Between being led by the Holy Spirit and led by your own imagination.
Between being persecuted for "righteousness' sake," and being persecuted for "foolishness'
sake."
Between "contending for the faith" and striving for your own opinion.
32. Almost 50 years ago, when Dr. Mosinsohn of the Hebrew College of Jaffa was touring
America, he remarked at the University of California:
"Think of all the great religious leaders who have come out of the East. Moses arose in the
East; Buddha, Confucius, Jesus and Mahomed all arose in the East. And we say to you people of the
West, with confidence, that if you will restore the Jew to his ancestral home, it will not be long until
we give you another great religious leader who will perhaps transcend all who have gone before."
33. During the Middle Ages, this supposed identity of the Antichrist as a Jew was to cause
many anti-Semitic outbreaks. Dramas were written and produced which showed how Jewish demons
would help the Antichrist to conquer the world, until the second coming of Christ would annihilate
both the Jews and the Antichrist together.
When these mystery plays were enacted, armed forces were needed to protect the Jews and
their quarters from the fury of the mob. Though the pope and his councils had insisted that Jews
should not be killed--merely isolated and degraded until they became converted--this made little
impression on mobs that had been stirred into hysterical fear by these Antichrist plays.
34. French Undersea Explorer Jacques Cousteau estimates that the vitality of the seas, in
terms of fish and plant life, has declined some 30% to 50% in the past twenty years.
Testifying before a UN symposium on the environment in Geneva, Swiss Marine Explorer
Jacques Piccard warned abruptly that if nothing is done, all the oceans will be dead before the end of
the century.
35. A pessimist can hardly wait for the future so he can look back with regret.
37. Just because the river is quiet, don't think the crocodiles have left.
38. Many years ago a Chinese traveller, returning to his country after a journey in Europe,
wrote this description of a piano:
"The Europeans keep a large four-legged animal which they can make to sing at will. A man,
or frequently a woman, sits down in front of the animal & steps on its tail, at the same time striking
its white teeth with his or her fingers, when the creature begins to sing. The singing, though much
louder than a bird's, is pleasant to listen to. The animal does not bite, nor does it move, though it is
not tied."
39. The main purpose of the modern educational system is to destroy faith in God & His
Creation & His Word, the Bible. It's the Devil's own system.
40. You've either got to believe God's Word or believe the lies of education, the lies of vain &
profane babblings of science falsely so-called. Paul sure had them nailed down for the liars they are!
41. The Devil has spent billions of Dollars to try to debunk the Bible! The whole modern
educational system is built on the Devil's lies & he only allows enough truth to get mixed in to get you
to swallow the bitter pill of all of his lies.
42. What makes resisting temptation difficult, for many people, is that they don't want to
discourage it completely.
45. A Scottish shepherd was once asked if his sheep would follow the voice of a stranger. He
replied: "Yes, when they are sick, but never when they are well. A sick sheep will follow any body."
No wonder false shepherds get quite a following in these Laodicean days!
47. If you're taking a beating, cheer up; God is just stirring the batter to bring you a
blessing.
49. No one learns to make right decisions without being free to make wrong ones.
50. The man who drinks now & then usually drinks more now than he did then.
52. To love a person is to give him power over us. God loves us, & He has given us that
terrible power over Him. We can make Him suffer terribly. We can scorn Him & ignore Him.
54. Before releasing advertising to the newspapers, let me suggest that we submit our ads to
the final judgement of the cleaning lady. If she doesn't know what we are talking about, change the
ad.
55. In the central place of every heart there is a recording chamber; so long as it receives
messages of beauty, hope, cheer, and courage, so long are you young. When the wires are all down
and your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then, and then only,
are you grown old.
--Douglas MacArthur, on 75th Birthday
56. Children who have been taught, or conditioned, to listen passively most of the day to the
warm verbal communications coming from the TV screen, to the deep emotional appeal of the so-
called TV personality, are often unable to respond to real persons because they arouse so much less
feeling than the skilled actor.--Bruno Bettelheim
57. For what else is sleep but a daily death which does not completely remove man hence nor
detain him too long? And what else is death, but a very long & very deep sleep from which God
arouses man?--St. Augustine of Hippo
59. "All the World," said the Quaker to his wife, "is queer, except me & thee, & sometimes I
wonder about thee!"
62. It is not necessarily the well-adjusted man who makes the World a better place...
Certainly Jesus was poorly adjusted to the society in which He lived and moved, but He gave the
World such mature insights into human nature that we have not yet grasped their full significance.
63. Exercise stimulates many of the same adrenal responses as caffeine & nicotine--but at a
rate you can live with. It also rejuvenates your blood's supplies of oxygen & releases mood-elevating
chemicals in the brain. So try a few jumping jacks the next time your eyelids are at half-mast.
Depression & fatigue are often the result of not getting enough exercise.
67. The curious mother asked her daughter why she drank her milk in kindergarten but
refused to at home. The child replied, "When the teacher says, 'Drink your milk', she means it, & you
don't".
68. The flesh loves excitement. It is always ready to jump up & run somewhere. It hurries us
into action. The Holy Spirit does not. Satan rushes men. God leads them.
69. Patience is a most necessary qualification for business; many a man would rather you
heard his story than granted his request.
70. How poor are they who have not patience! What wound did ever heal, but by degrees?
--William Shakespeare