-- -- If you have been meditating on becoming an inventor, you should consider that a 40-hour work week will become your vacation time out of a 56-hour work week. ;-)

-- "The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been." -- Henry Kissinger

-- "If it feels good, do it. If you have problems, blame somebody else." -- George W. Bush, President
- "A Great Moment in Presidential Speeches" - David Letterman Show, 07/28/2008

-- "China's Path to World Power" --
*************************************************************************
-- "Why Not to Be the Richest Man in China - TIME" --
*************************************************************************
July 30, 2008
Small Business Saves The Economy's Bacon

There are a host of reasons why small business employment numbers should have been anemic in July. But, they weren't. As a matter of fact, small business kept overall job growth from moving into the red.

The ADP National Employment Report showed non-farm employment rose by only 9,000 jobs. That is one of the worst showings in several years.

Large businesses, those with over 500 employees, lost 32,000 jobs. Middle sized businesses, those with between 50 and 499 employees lost 9,000 people.
-- "Foreclosures on million-dollar homes surge - Mortgage Mess - MSNBC.com" --

Small businesses, those with less that 50 people, added 50,000 jobs.

The odds against small business pulling all of the load were considerable. In theory, high energy costs and tight credit should be shutting down the ability of companies of modest size to stay open, let alone expand.

Without any direct help from the Fed or the banking system, small businesses must, in many cases, be financing whatever success they have out of their own operating cash flow.

As the economy moves toward the Fall, the open question is whether small business can continue to buck the overall trend. The answer to that is, without some support for credit and commodities price relief, the answer is probably no.

Douglas A. McIntyre

-- -- Thought of the day --

-- "The mark of a great player is in his ability to come back. The great champions have all come back from defeat."

Sam Snead, 1912-2002, Golfer

-- What kind of way to the top will you choose? --

-- "Josephson Institute of Ethics: The Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship" --

-- >> "One day man will connect his apparatus to the very wheelwork of the universe [...] and the very forces that motivate the planets in their orbits and cause them to rotate will rotate his own machinery.” — Nikola Tesla

-- -- "Nikola Tesla, in his heyday in the 1890s, was a rich and famous inventor and held more than 700 patents. He is better known for developing alternating current (AC) electricity. -- He was also naive. - Thomas Edison, who saw Tesla as competition, did all he could to undermine Tesla's work. It worked. A series of patent lawsuits left Tesla with no money or credit, despite his many inventions. He died broke in 1943." --
-- -- "Muzz.com > Nikola Tesla" --

-- "Wireless ELECtricity" -- "The Dream Of Nikola Tesla's Became True. Scientists Managed To Power Up Small Devices In Electromagnetically Controlled Fields, Without Using Power Up Gadgets, Without Cables! They Transfered Electric Energy Into Them Using Transmission Cirquits! They Call It Witricity Or Etricity.."

-- "There are two kinds of people who never amount to much: those who cannot do what they are told, and those who can do nothing else." -- Cyrus Curtis

-- -- "After falling short of its projected profits, Success magazine declared bankruptsy in 1999." (Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader)

-- -- Hang in there: "...the total number of millionaire households in the USA dropped by 11% -- from 3.7 million in 2001 to 3.3 million in 2002." (Things are rough at the top.)

-- "Gates once again tops list of America’s richest"

-- "ABC News: How to be the Next Bill Gates" --

-- There is always death and taxes; however death doesn't get worse every year.

-- -- "Debt disasters of the rich and famous."
-- -- "Special Report: Why going broke is a fact of life in America" --

-- "I got a good tip from my stockbroker the other day. He said, 'For only 39 cents, I can super size those fries for you.'" - Jay Leno

-- -- Job Security --

A woman, searching for a job, inquired about the benefits. The Personnel Manager informed her they had group health and life insurance, but the costs were deducted from the employee's pay.

-- She said, "My last employer had full health coverage, as well as five years salary for life insurance and a month's sick leave AND they paid the full premiums."

-- "I can't help but asking madam why you would leave a job with such benefits," the interviewer replied.

-- The woman shrugged her shoulders and said, "The company went bankrupt."

-- "Identity Thieves Target Job Seekers" --

-- "It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours." -- Harry S Truman

-- "NYT: Millions face years without jobs - The New York Times" --

-- "Job applications in 140 characters or less" --

-- -- "Is The New Bankruptcy Law Working?"

-- "U.S. Courts Bankruptcy Basics Videos" --

-- "Which jobs have highest rate of depression?"

-- -- Seventy-three percent of CEOs have thought about quitting their jobs in 2003. -- That is up from fifty-four percent in 2000. In addition, eighty-six percent say they have been "kept awake at night" worrying about their rivals" -- BusinessWeek 12/22/2003 --

-- "Twenty-nine percent of people in their late 60s were working in 2006, up from 18 percent in 1985, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over the next decade, the number of workers who are 55 and older is expected to increase at more than five times the rate of the overall work force, the BLS reported."

-- "Always On - One Third of Employees Feel the Need to Stay Connected 24/7 - NYTimes.com" --

-- "He who lives with his memories becomes old. He who lives with plans for the future remains young." -- Unknown
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-- -- Corporate Study:

-- After a two year long study, the National Science Foundation announced the following results on corporate America's recreation preferences:

-- The sport of choice for unemployed or incarcerated people is: Basketball. [President Barack Obama is the exception]

-- The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is: Bowling.

-- The sport of choice for front line workers is: Football.

-- The sport of choice for supervisors is: Baseball.

-- The sport of choice for middle management is: Tennis.

-- The sport of choice for corporate officers is: Golf.

-- -- Conclusion: -- The higher you are in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become.

-- In 1960, the ratio of the average Fortune 500 CEO's pay to the US president's salary was 2-to-1. Today, this ratio is around 30-to-1.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * "A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain." Robert Frost * * * * *

-- "Neither a borrower nor a lender be; For loan oft loses both itself and friend."-- Shakespeare (Lord Polonius, in Hamlet)

-- "The Hidden Pain of Being an Entrepreneur - AOL Small Business" -- "On the one hand, history may show that an absolute irrational belief by the visionary entrepreneur may be the only thing that leads some companies to success. On the other hand, it's also the main cause of many a company's failure. So how do you know if you're the cure or the disease?"

-- "The first mistake in public business is the going into it." -- Ben Franklin - (2,000 years ago, the Greek philosopher Epictetus said, "We are disturbed not by events, but by the views that we take of them").

-- "Feeling down? Get happy, dammit! - Behavior - MSNBC.com" --

>>>>>>>>>> Stress

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while. Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

-- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller

* Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today...I did.

-- "Westinghouse DVD, America's Greatest Industrialist, Tesla, Edison, technology" --
-- "Westinghouse Trailer Inecom" --

-- -- Thought of the day: --
-- -- "The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing."
-- Michael E. Gerber, Author of The E-Myth Revisited

-- In 2003, the minimum wage in the United Kingdom was £4.20 per hour. In the United States it was $5.15. In China it was 18 pence (29 cents), and in India it was 7 pence (11 cents). Ref: Sunday Times (UK)

-- "Making Money, the How-To Way - New York Times" --

-- "Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." -- Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.

-- "Where the wealthiest suburbs in America are"
-- "bizjournals: Business Pulse Surveys"

-- Don't see problems, see opportunity.

-- "10 Tips: How to be a 'freecycler' - Extreme Consumerism - MSNBC.com" --

-- "RICH" PUBLICATIONS ON THE RISE FROM 1997-2007 ACCORDING TO THE STANDARD PERIODICAL DIRECTORY --

-- You've heard of people working 'til their dying day. Well, don't say you're too old to invent. Good old Colonel Harlan Sanders started out with his Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe, his trade secret, and became a millionaire when he was nearly seventy. --

-- You say you plan on seriously working on your idea later, when you have time? You say that you have no time to do it now? - How many times have you heard of some new product that just came out on the market and you said, "I thought of that thing years ago. It could have been me that invented it. Well, it could've??"

-- How many hours in a day do you need, 'cause when you were a teenager, you didn't go to bed sometimes until the sun came up? - You're older now..what's the matter? What's the difference? Do you have to go to bed early? - You are grown. Stay up another hour or two and work on your invention.

-- You say that it's too big a project and that you don't know where to start? -- What have I been telling you? -- That's precisely why the Inventors Association is here for you; to show you how, to inspire you and to help you.

-- You can do it!

-- You say that you don't have any money, or enough money, or don't know how to find money, or that you've always been unlucky.

-- Well, let's face it. As long as you're going to be around to be a burden on yourself and society, you can be of service. "No man is completely worthless. He can always serve as a horrible example." ;-))

-- -- "I didn't say it was YOUR FAULT."
-- -- "I said I was going to BLAME YOU."

Patent Attorneys who are helping the Inventors Association of St. Louis

-- Edison had been working weeks, months, and many hours in the day on his incandescent light bulb. And finally, Success!

-- He ran upstairs to wake his sleeping wife to share with her--shouting, "I DID IT!!"

She rolled over and said those memorable words--spoken by women ever-after: "Shut the damn light and come to bed!" :-))

-- GADGET NATION: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ECCENTRIC WORLD OF INVENTION by Steve Greenberg, hit bookstores nationwide in late April, 2008. This book showcases more than 100 inventors from coast to coast. Some are huge successes, others are deep in the red--but all are fascinating fun to read stories. Gadget Nation truly captures America's can-do spirit of invention. www.gadgetnation.net --
-- Gadget Nation Book Release --
-- -- Energy Efficient and Time Saving Gadgets --

-- "Steve Greenberg Visits An eBay Success" --

From: Joseph Scott
Subject: Free Inventor's Resource: www.PatentBuddy.com
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009 10:57 AM

If you wish, you can have your members check out our site. They can register at no charge and create a dashboard that will show when and how many times their patents have been cited as prior art, create discussion groups, research other inventors and patent attorneys.

www.PatentBuddy.com

Let me know if you have any questions.

Joe Scott, President
www.PatentBuddy.com
jscott@PatentBuddy.com
www.twitter.com/PatentBuddy
www.linkedin.com/in/jgscott

-- --> "Go Hire a Great Patent Lawyer" --

----> > "The Legal Side of Inventing" --

-- --> We're Off to See The Wizards
-- --> Top Law Firms -- and ambulance chasers

-- "Attorneys and Agents Registered to Practice Before the USPTO" --> >
-- "Patent Attorney/Agent Search" --

-- " Information Technology" --

-- I promised earlier to give the names of Patent Attorneys who are helping the Inventors Association of St. Louis. --
I sincerely hope that you will contact any one of these listed when in need of an Intellectual Property Attorney:

-- Mrs Grace J. Fishel -- 2200 Westport Drive Suite 202, St. Louis, MO 63146 -- 314-878-0440 - Fax: 314-275-7693 Fishel@theapplicant.com [ * ]

-- Kevin L. Klug -- 11237 Concord Village Ave., St. Louis, MO 63123 -- 314-849-2273 -
-- Bio: Kevin Klug's law firm, Klug Law Office (http://firms.findlaw.com/klugk/), was founded in 1993. Mr. Klug is licensed to practice law in the state of Missouri, the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and also before the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.

-- Before entering law school, Mr. Klug was employed in R&D with Storz Instuments where he was using UNIX while working on ultrasonic intstrumentation. At Emerson Electric, he worked on embedded computing for airborne radar systems. He then became an Assistant Professor of Avionics at Parks College of Engineering at St. Louis University. Mr. Klug personally holds patents in the medical electronics field.

-- Mr. Klug specializes in the prosecution and litigation of patents, trademarks, and copyrights. He is able to offer legal guidance in a midwest location for those persons or organizations which are seeking an attorney who is scientifically and technically strong.

-- Mr. Klug holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla, an MS degree, also in Electrical Engineering, from Washington University, and his Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University.

--> --> --> > When the light of genius turns on, call
--> > Charles C. McCloskey, LLC -- 13321 N. Outer 40 Rd. Ste. 100, Town & Country, MO 63017, 636-527-9962
ccmlaw@socket.net

-- --> With a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Notre Dame, Chuck served his country well as an Army officer. He has had prior employment in engineering projects throughout the United States. He graduated with a JD degree from St. Louis University Law School in 2001. He ran for the Missouri House of Representatives in 2002 and keeps active in politics.

--> --> --> > Service Summary --

1. Selection of new idea protection including patents - copyrights - trademarks.

2. Drafting provisional and utility patent applications for mechanical, electro-mechanical, and electronic inventions to safeguard novel and useful ideas.

3. Writing non-disclosure agreements and licenses to cover communications.

4. Selecting the form of new business such as corporation, limited liability company, or sole proprietorship to control risk exposure.

5. Drafting the documents to organize and to create your new business.

6. Writing and negotiating business contracts and agreements to implement your new idea.

7. House calls to confer with you or to inspect an invention.

--> --> > Contact Charles McCloskey to obtain the legal protection and benefits that are rightfully yours. -- Chuck has extensive experience in preparation and prosecution of patent applications for medical equipment, packaging components, chemical processes, and many other mechanical and electrical devices."

~ Douglas D. Churovich, Attorney at Law, from Polster, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have extensive experience in most aspects of intellectual property law, including the prosecution and litigation of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition and Internet law.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Douglas D. Churovich, Esq.
Polster Lieder Woodruff & Lucchesi, L.C.
12412 Powerscourt Drive, Suite 200
St. Louis, Missouri 63131
Tel: (314) 238-2400
Fax: (314) 238-2401
e-mail: DChurovich@PatPro.com

-- "Dennis Donahue" - DD&A
-- Office: 314-995-3977 -- Mobile: 314-605-5892
9648 Olive Blvd., Suite 226, St. Louis, MO 63132
iplaw@dennisdonahue.com www.dennisdonahue.com

Every great success starts with a great idea...
...and those ideas are the building blocks of a solid business.

Protecting your innovations and your brand is crucial for surviving and thriving in today's tough business environment.

At Dennis Donahue & Associates, we take a comprehensive approach with each of our clients, from small inventors to multi-billion dollar corporations.

We start by listening to your goals and identifying your valuable technologies and other intellectual property.

Together, we then implement strategies to protect your business and maximize your potential in the marketplace as cost effectively as possible.

We also fight to ensure those ideas are safe from predators seeking to illegally profit from your innovations worldwide.

If you are seeking solid IP protection from highly experienced counsel who will work within your goals and budget, contact:
IPlaw@DennisDonahue.com

Patents
Trademarks
Copyrights
Trade Secrets
Licensing Agreements
IP Portfolio Management

-->> "General Information Concerning Patents, Attorneys and Agents" <<--

-- Daniel S. Klotzer -- 4579 Laclede Ave #210, St. Louis, MO 63108 -- 314-616-7111 - Patent Agent

-- Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP Attorney Profile:
-- Jeffrey L. Michelman --

-- -- Thought of the day --
-- "Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles."

Og Mandino 1923-1996, Speaker and Author of The Greatest Salesman in the World

~ The judge warned the witness, “Do you understand that you have sworn to tell the truth?” -- “I do.”
~ “Do you understand what will happen if you are not truthful?” --
~ “Sure,” said the witness. “My side will win.”

Disorder in American courts

-- These are from a book called 'Disorder in the American Courts' and are things people actually said in court, word for word, taken down and now published by court reporters that had the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And in what ways does it affect your memory?
WITNESS: I forget.
ATTORNEY: You forget? Can you give us an example of something you forgot?
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Now doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?
WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam?
_________________________ ___________
ATTORNEY: The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
WITNESS: He's twenty, much like your IQ.
___________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?
WITNESS: Are you shitting me?
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: And what were you doing at that time?
WITNESS: getting laid
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?
WITNESS: Yes.
ATTORNEY: How many were boys?
WITNESS: None.
ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
WITNESS: Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get a new attorney?
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?
WITNESS: By death.
ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated?
WITNESS: Take a guess.
____________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?
WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.
ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?
WITNESS: Unless the Circus was in town I'm going with male.
_____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
WITNESS: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
______________________________________
ATTORNEY: Doctor, how many of your autopsies have you performed on dead people?
WITNESS: All of them. The live ones put up too much of a fight.
____________________________ _____________
ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to?
WITNESS: Oral.
_________________________________________
ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?
WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.
ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?
WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.
________ ____________________________________
ATTORNEY: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?
WITNESS: Are you qualified to ask that question?
______________________________________
And the best for last:
ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
WITNESS: No.
ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?
WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?
WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

-- "Facebook Friendship? It's Complicated for Judges and Lawyers - NYTimes.com" --

-- "Can the law keep up with technology? - CNN.com"

-- "A CEO's face tells you the company?s success - Careers - MSNBC.com" -- "People high in assertiveness are often insufferable. So, even though they may get their way, they're choking off relationships with the people around them,"

-- "Intellectual Property Today"

-- -- "EconomicalServices - The Global Hub for Outsourcing"

-- -- Grandma and the Lawyers --

Lawyers Should Never Ask A Southern Grandma A Question, If They Aren't Prepared For Her Answer.

In a trial in a Southern small-town, a prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly elderly woman to the stand.
He approached her and asked, "Mrs.. Jones, do you know me?" She responded. "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr.. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me.

You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot, when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. - Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs.. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"

She again replied, "Why, yes I do. I've known Mr.. Bradley since he was a youngster, too.

He's lazy, bigoted and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was 'your wife.' - Yes, I know him."

The defense attorney almost died. - The Judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you to the electric chair!!

--"Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP - Intellectual Property Law" -- Top Ten Questions You Should Ask Your IP Attorney; And The Answers You Should Look For

BEST COMEBACK LINE OF THE YEAR

- If you have ever testified in court, you might wish you could have been as sharp as this policeman. He was being cross examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the police officer's credibility....

Q: 'Officer -- did you see my client fleeing the scene?'
A: 'No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away.'
Q: 'Officer -- who provided this description?'
A: 'The officer who responded to the scene.'
Q: 'A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?'
A: 'Yes, sir. With my life.'
Q: 'With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?'
A: 'Yes sir, we do!'
Q: 'And do you have a locker in the room?'
A: 'Yes sir, I do.'
Q: 'And do you have a lock on your locker?'
A: 'Yes sir.'
Q: 'Now why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with the same officers?'
A: 'You see, sir -- we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room.'
- The courtroom EXPLODED with laughter, and a prompt recess was called. The officer on the stand has been nominated for this year's 'Best Comeback' line -- and we think he'll win.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- "New Program Offers Bloggers Free Legal Help" --

-- The grandfather was now living with his son and daughter-in-law and their young family. It was his time in life, that time when he had lived a full life and was lucky to have been taken in. His wife was gone and he knew that he should pass his knowledge down to the younger generations.. but no one it seemed listened to a doting old man. -- He stood back. He didn't butt in. He so much as bit his tongue. He knew and felt that his son and daughter-in-law must be left to be the obvious parents. Yet, he felt there must be someway for him. He would, gradually, in his grandfatherly way, try and teach his grandson..
-- "Jimmy, when I was a small boy like yourself, I had my duties and chores to do. I got up early every morning. I went out to the barn and milked Bossy, our cow, so that we could have fresh milk for breakfast. I brought in a pail of water that I dipped from the cistern. And before I left, I chopped firewood for the cookstove, -- brought an armful in for the hearth. I then carried out the ashes from our old Franklin stove to dump in a lowspot. And then I helped my mother before eating my breakfast and running off to school. My dad was already up and about to the south forty. --
I didn't have a bus to pick 'me' up at 'my' door. No, siree, I had to walk to school -- two miles there and back. I got to play only at recess 'cause I had my job as a stockboy, working at the green-grocer after school. I made fifty-cents a week and was mighty glad to get that. Then I came back home to help my mother and father, and then I did over three-hours of homework before cleaning-up and going off to bed. And.." He was finally interrupted by the child, who was bored by those 'good old days stories;' saying to all at their table to hear, "Gee, grandpa, aren't you glad you're living with us now?" :-))

-- --> "Teenagers from Hell" --
"Teenagers these days are out of control. They eat like pigs, they are disrespectful of adults, they terrorize their teachers." (Aristotle, Circa 350 BC)

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.

But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

"We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. The Grandfather would eat alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner together. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?"

Just as sweetly, the boy rsponded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. The tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled --
Charlotte Broughton