I've got 2 new issues to present: one a national horror and the other much more local, and hardly as catastrophic.
I'll get the really bad news out of the way: so, this Florida pastor, Terry Jones, in Gainesville officially decided to burn all those Qurans (Korans). He previously threatened to burn them on 9/11 last year, but the bastard was caught and forced to take vow to never threaten an act like this again. This time, he says he burned them by order of a majority rules vote of an online poll. The poll excluded any option to not punish the Quran, but instead listed several other punishment options for the Quran, such as shredding, drowning, facing a firing squad, and finally, burning. As you can see, the burning got the most votes. So, after pledging not to do any of the mentioned, he broke the promise and burned who-knows-how-many Qurans on April 1st. I found it kind of ironic that this happened on April Fool's Day - some joke. Ignorant of the act was America, while citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan revolted against the burning on a nearby United Nations building. All the while, at least 12 of these people were killed, several injured. Why anyone would feel this strongly about something that doesn't even interfere with their life, and knowing that their actions would make national news, is beyond my, and most everyone else's moral-valued thinking.
On a lighter note (yet still not real happy) there have been some major weather issues going on where I am. A long line of horrific severe thunderstorms plowed through our area last week. The first day it stared out just super windy, then it was stormy, you know, thunder and lighting and all that jazz. Kind of fascinating, actually. Then, next day comes along and it's real nasty. You look out your window at noon and everything's just soaked.
Our poor dog - we stuck her outside when the rain calmed down a bit, figuring she could manage underneath our covered lanai. Of course while we're gone, the storm kicks up a notch (or ten) and we see grass getting mowed by the wind - literally, it was sheared off like a buzz cut, with shavings all over the roads. Oh, and get this - our skimpy basketball hoop, which is not attached to the ground, stayed upright the entire time. But my precious, 3-year-old weeping willow snapped in half. All of the branches are gone, and all that's left is the trunk. I'm sure that willow's weeping now.
Anyway, that night was not the kind of night where you fall asleep to the pitter-patter of rain on your roof - instead, a tornado warning went off that night; I could hear the sirens out on the streets.
The next morning, I got several texts from my friends saying they weren't coming to school. My doting mother took me anyway. Well, those girls didn't miss much - there were 2 tornado warnings and a fire drill. Of all days to choose to do a fire drill, how stupid can you be to pick that day?
I missed the bus because I couldn't find it anywhere on the ramp (hey, you don't exactly have 20/20 vision in pouring rain, constant thunder & lighting, plus 40+ mph winds!) I wasn't alone - most guys from my bus stop couldn't find it either. We actually saw it pull out of school campus, and we all ran after it hoping maybe it would stop for us. Too late - the bus pulled out on the main road and honked at us, while a guy who had made it on was mocking us, smiling and waving at us suckers. Everyone was drenched, our clothes vacuum-sealed to our bodies, our shoes squelching, and our umbrellas inside-out. My mom came and rescued us, yet she still laughed at how pathetic we looked. Driving into an enormous puddle in the road in our neighborhood, the car almost stalled. The tires were completely underwater.
Yesterday, the lake was muddy with eroded soil and at least 6 inches to a foot higher. Not that my lake is of unusual size or anything, but with the amount of distribution that would have to occur to make every area of the lake the same depth, that much depth increase is a huge difference. Despite the wet surroundings, that day actually had beautiful weather that came out of nowhere - sunny, clear skies, gentle breeze, nice temps.
~sleepinl8
I'll get the really bad news out of the way: so, this Florida pastor, Terry Jones, in Gainesville officially decided to burn all those Qurans (Korans). He previously threatened to burn them on 9/11 last year, but the bastard was caught and forced to take vow to never threaten an act like this again. This time, he says he burned them by order of a majority rules vote of an online poll. The poll excluded any option to not punish the Quran, but instead listed several other punishment options for the Quran, such as shredding, drowning, facing a firing squad, and finally, burning. As you can see, the burning got the most votes. So, after pledging not to do any of the mentioned, he broke the promise and burned who-knows-how-many Qurans on April 1st. I found it kind of ironic that this happened on April Fool's Day - some joke. Ignorant of the act was America, while citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan revolted against the burning on a nearby United Nations building. All the while, at least 12 of these people were killed, several injured. Why anyone would feel this strongly about something that doesn't even interfere with their life, and knowing that their actions would make national news, is beyond my, and most everyone else's moral-valued thinking.
On a lighter note (yet still not real happy) there have been some major weather issues going on where I am. A long line of horrific severe thunderstorms plowed through our area last week. The first day it stared out just super windy, then it was stormy, you know, thunder and lighting and all that jazz. Kind of fascinating, actually. Then, next day comes along and it's real nasty. You look out your window at noon and everything's just soaked.
Our poor dog - we stuck her outside when the rain calmed down a bit, figuring she could manage underneath our covered lanai. Of course while we're gone, the storm kicks up a notch (or ten) and we see grass getting mowed by the wind - literally, it was sheared off like a buzz cut, with shavings all over the roads. Oh, and get this - our skimpy basketball hoop, which is not attached to the ground, stayed upright the entire time. But my precious, 3-year-old weeping willow snapped in half. All of the branches are gone, and all that's left is the trunk. I'm sure that willow's weeping now.
Anyway, that night was not the kind of night where you fall asleep to the pitter-patter of rain on your roof - instead, a tornado warning went off that night; I could hear the sirens out on the streets.
The next morning, I got several texts from my friends saying they weren't coming to school. My doting mother took me anyway. Well, those girls didn't miss much - there were 2 tornado warnings and a fire drill. Of all days to choose to do a fire drill, how stupid can you be to pick that day?
I missed the bus because I couldn't find it anywhere on the ramp (hey, you don't exactly have 20/20 vision in pouring rain, constant thunder & lighting, plus 40+ mph winds!) I wasn't alone - most guys from my bus stop couldn't find it either. We actually saw it pull out of school campus, and we all ran after it hoping maybe it would stop for us. Too late - the bus pulled out on the main road and honked at us, while a guy who had made it on was mocking us, smiling and waving at us suckers. Everyone was drenched, our clothes vacuum-sealed to our bodies, our shoes squelching, and our umbrellas inside-out. My mom came and rescued us, yet she still laughed at how pathetic we looked. Driving into an enormous puddle in the road in our neighborhood, the car almost stalled. The tires were completely underwater.
Yesterday, the lake was muddy with eroded soil and at least 6 inches to a foot higher. Not that my lake is of unusual size or anything, but with the amount of distribution that would have to occur to make every area of the lake the same depth, that much depth increase is a huge difference. Despite the wet surroundings, that day actually had beautiful weather that came out of nowhere - sunny, clear skies, gentle breeze, nice temps.
~sleepinl8
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