Question & Thought for Thanksgiving Day 2013!!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!!!

1. Question – Have you ever given George Washington more thought than just history? The more I know about this founder the more American I become.

2. Thought – Thanksgiving Proclamation
President George Washington
City of New York, October 3, 1789

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be. That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks, for his kind care and protection of the People of this country previous to their becoming a Nation, for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his providence, which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war, for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed, for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted, for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions, to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the People, by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed, to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord. To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and Us, and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

George Washington was the only U.S. President who did not attend college. Notice his prose. Wouldn’t you like to meet him someday?

Have a wonderful day!

Mark Remick

Question & Thought & ANDs…

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Question & Thought for November 27th, 2013!!!

Good Wednesday Morning! Careful on the road!

1. Question – How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?

2. Thought – I like the question once asked by Satchel Paige, that venerable alumnus of baseball: “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?” An honest answer to that question depends on an honest admission of one’s attitude. It has nothing to do with one’s age. As someone young at heart has written:

Remember, old folks are worth a fortune – silver in their hair, gold in their teeth, stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet, and gas in their stomachs.

I have become a little older since I saw you last, and a few changes have come into my life since then. Frankly, I have become quite a frivolous old gal. I am seeing 5 gentlemen every day.

As soon as I get up, Will Power helps me get out of bed. Then I go to see John. Then Charlie Horse comes along, and when he is here he takes a lot of my time and attention. When he leaves Arthur Ritis shows up and stays the rest of the day. He doesn’t like to stay in one place very long, so he takes me from joint to joint. After such a busy day I’m really tired and glad to go to bed with Ben Gay. What a life!

P.S. The preacher came to call the other day. He said at my age I should be thinking about the hereafter. I told him, “Oh, I do it all the time. No matter where I am – in the parlor, upstairs, in the kitchen, or down in the basement – I ask myself what am I here after?” (Laugh Again by Charles Swindoll)

Careful traveling! Definitely do not text and drive. Coming home from the gym last night, two people were jogging on the road. Dark clothes and all. Nuts! Take a break every 100 miles of driving. And drive defensively please!

rem

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Question & Thought for November 26th, 2013!!!

Good Tuesday Morning!

1. Question – Ever had a teacher not like you and thereby never listen to you when you had something important to say?

2. Thought – I’ve always had an uncomfortable relationship with math. I don’t like numbers for the sake of numbers. I’m not impressed by fancy formulas that have no real-world application. I particularly disliked high school calculus for the simple reason that no one ever bothered to tell me why I needed to learn it. What is the area beneath a parabola? Who cares?

In fact, one of the great moments of my life occurred during my senior year of high school, at the end of the first semester of Advanced Placement Calculus. I was working my way on the final exam, admittedly less prepared for the exam than I ought to have been. As I stared at the final exam questions, they looked completely unfamiliar. The exam looked more Greek than usual. I flipped through the pages of the exam for a while and then more or less surrendered. I walked to the front of the classroom, where my calculus teacher, whom we’ll call Carol Smith, was proctoring the exam. “Mrs. Smith,” I said, “I don’t recognize a lot of the stuff on the test.”

Suffice to say that Mrs. Smith did not like me a whole lot more than I liked her. Yes, I can now admit that I sometimes used my limited powers as student association president to schedule all-school assemblies just so that Mrs. Smith’s calculus class would be canceled.

So when I walked up to Mrs. Smith in the middle of the exam and said that the material did not look familiar, she was, well, unsympathetic. “Charles,” she said loudly, ostensibly to me but facing the rows of desks to make certain that the whole class could hear, “if you had studied, the material would look a lot more familiar.” This was a compelling point.

So I slunk back to my desk. After a few minutes, Brian Arbetter, a far better calculus student than I, walked to the front of the room and whispered a few things to Mrs. Smith. She whispered back and then a truly extraordinary thing happened. “Class, I need your attention,” Mrs. Smith announced. “It appears that I have given you the second semester test by mistake.” We were far enough into the test period that the whole exam had to be aborted and rescheduled.

I cannot fully describe my euphoria. I would go on in life to marry a wonderful woman. We have three healthy children. I’ve published books and visited places like the Taj Mahal and Angkor Wat. Still, the day that my calculus teacher got her comeuppance is a top five life moment. (The fact that I nearly failed the makeup final exam did not significantly diminish this wonderful life experience.) (naked statistics by charles wheelan)

Statistics! Fun Book!

A Christmas present list on the web site is now being populated. In this material world, if you have an idea for a “special” gift let me know and I’ll put it out there. Also, the comment section of the thoughts has been turned on.

mark

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It was interesting to get on the running machine yesterday and log on as a 61 year old. Hadn’t done that ever before. Cheers!

AND: A text yesterday from my 83 year old mom: Grandma Patsy! : HAPPY BDAY TO YOU I NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE STILL BE AT SCHOOL AT AGE 61!

Question – Thought & ANDs for 25 November 2013!!!

Good Monday Morning from Washington NC!

1. Question – Have we been led astray by the story of “David and Goliath?”

2. Thought – What happens next is a matter of legend. David puts one of his stones into the leather pouch of a sling, and he fires at Goliath’s exposed forehead. Goliath falls, stunned. David runs towards him, seizes the giant’s sword, and cuts off his head.

The battle is won miraculously by an underdog who, by all expectations, should not have won at all. This is the way we have told one another the story over the many centuries since. It is how the phrase “David and Goliath” has come to be embedded in our language – as a metaphor for improbable victory. And the problem with that version of the events is that almost everything about it is wrong. (David and Goliath, Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell)

Good Day! Thank you for this great book! It’s fun!

rem

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AND:Your thought this morning made me think… For me it’s not difficult to say why I believe in God. The bible says it, and Genesis explains in great details how everything came to exist… I find it sometimes harder to explain why I believe the Bible, I seem to be met more by unbelievers with “interpretation over the years have lost the true meaning of the Bible” I hear that “the Bible is symbolic” I personally don’t believe any of that, I believe in a literal translation of the bible, I know Jesus used parables for teaching… I have read about when the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered how close the translations were…

AND:Just finished attending Holy Mass with my wife… beautiful Gospel message today.

“From this time on you will be with me in paradise – JESUS”… this is His promise to one of the repentant sinner on the cross. Why then should we fear death?

And… I believe in GOD because it is even more impossible to prove that HE does not exist at all… hehehe.

Seriously, I think faith is a Divine gift. One must rejoice if he/she believes in GOD. It means you are invited. A person who has belief in a creator is inspired (meaning in Spirit) with GOD’s existence.

AND:Hey REM, enjoy your thought for today…Just found a book I’ve Had for a while just wasn’t God’s time for me to read it…Title..”The Man In The Mirror”, by Patrick Morley…I am thinking you might have given me this book before you left the guard..

AND:Thank you for the web site! I was just talking to one of my professors about a recent question you posted about high expectations in education and it was awesome to go back and send it to her!