Monster Jam 2009

The Monster Truck lineup included (the legendary) Gravedigger, Mopar Magic, Maximum Destruction, Eradicator, El Toro Loco, Bullfighter, Backdraft and Stone Crusher. Mopar Magic had the honors of being the first truck "in the air", but it was the futuristic SUV Maximum Destruction, that finished in first place that day.

Hockanum River Canoe Race 2009

Fair weather and a swift current made for ideal conditions at the annual canoe race on Sunday. The course begins in Vernon and finishes in East Hartford. This video clip was made in Manchester by the New State Road bridge.

SEPTUPLE

according to www.pantheon.org:

Origin of the names of the days
The names of the days are in some cases derived from Teutonic deities or, such as in Romance languages, from Roman deities. The early Romans, around the first century, used Saturday as the first day of the week.

As the worshipping of the Sun increased, the Sun's day (Sunday) advanced from position of the second day to the first day of the week (and saturday became the seventh day).

Sunday: The name comes from the Latin dies solis, meaning "sun's day": the name of a pagan Roman holiday. It is also called Dominica (Latin), the Day of God. The Romance languages, languages derived from the ancient Latin language (such as French, Spanish, and Italian), retain the root.
French: dimanche; Italian: domenica; Spanish: domingoGerman: Sonntag; Dutch: zondag. [both: 'sun-day']

Monday: The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon monandaeg, "the moon's day". This second day was sacred to the goddess of the moon.
French: lundi; Italian: lunedi. Spanish: lunes. [from Luna, "Moon"]German: Montag; Dutch: maandag. [both: 'moon-day']

Tuesday: This day was named after the Norse god Tyr. The Romans named this day after their war-god Mars: dies Martis.
French: mardi; Italian: martedi; Spanish: martes.The Germans call Dienstag (meaning "Assembly Day"), in The Netherlands it is known as dinsdag, in Danmark as tirsdag and in Sweden tisdag.

Wednesday: The day named to honor Wodan (Odin).The Romans called it dies Mercurii, after their god Mercury.
French: mercredi; Italian: mercoledi; Spanish: miércoles.German: Mittwoch; Dutch: woensdag.

Thursday: The day named after the Norse god Thor. In the Norse languages this day is called Torsdag.The Romans named this day dies Jovis ("Jove's Day"), after Jove or Jupiter, their most important god.
French: jeudi; Italian: giovedi; Spanish: jueves.German: Donnerstag; Dutch: donderdag.

Friday: The day in honor of the Norse goddess Frigg. In Old High German this day was called frigedag. To the Romans this day was sacred to the goddess Venus, and was known as dies veneris.
French: vendredi; Italian: venerdi; Spanish: viernes.German: Freitag ; Dutch: vrijdag.

Saturday: This day was called dies Saturni, "Saturn's Day", by the ancient Romans in honor of Saturn. In Anglo-Saxon: sater daeg.
French: samedi; Italian: sabato; Spanish: sábádo.German: Samstag; Dutch: zaterdag.Swedish: Lördag; and in Danish and Norse: Lørdag ("washing day").

REPRISE

REPRISE

Having a sense of purpose and direction is key to personal fulfillment. Music can serve as the catalyst for change and growth. It can evoke inspired thoughts and deep emotions, and lead to improvements in one's environment, by making mundane things like housework more tolerable. Putting on a favorite record or picking up a musical instrument and learning to play can lead to a renewed personal and social perspective.

CLOCKWORK

Does everything in life happen according to a predetermined plan? This question has been explored throughout history by philosophers and physicists alike. In the 17th century Sir Issac Newton formulated his laws of mechanics, which were used to explain things like planetary motion, machine design and even daily cause and effect; in terms of mathematical absolutes. Later it was proven by Albert Einstein that even though the universe functions mechanically, there are certain discrepancies and phenomenon which make it work in a less predictable manner. In the case of daily events, the influence of individual free will seems to be at odds with a ruling predestiny. Without individual choice, a predetermined plan would succeed undeterred, while the possibilities seem endless when individual choices are at play every moment.

The concept of predestiny is often thought of as being associated with divinity. An omniscient supreme being, supporting human free-will, would be aware of continuous changes while holding to a prescribed ideal. Looking at the problem statistically, forecasted models based on individual life histories and character traits could lead to ongoing predictions of human reactions. Billions of cause and effect relationships, projected against both the master plans and the forecasts of free choices, would yield appropriate dynamic courses.

Faith in the divine aspects of life nurtures a cooperative mechanism, whereby choices are made in congruence with purpose. Health, creativity and imagination then have a reciprocal benefit on successive interrelations. Ideal guiding principles in harmony with free will afford the best realization of a predetermined plan.

Meritocracy

Our union is preparing to go out on strike next month if they don't reach an new contract agreement with the company. They argue that we aren't in a financial crisis like so many other companies right now, and that certain cuts shouldn't be made based on the national economy. I really don't want to be out on the picket line, but if that's what they decide then it's what has to be done. Unions are important to have because they keep a system of checks in place to prevent labor abuses. Still, I suppose concessions will have to be made. The industry has changed and the company has to keep pace with the global advances in technology and services. But it's truly amazing what can be accomplished over a telephone line. Ubiquitous high-speed data interconnections and applications make it so people can communicate better every day. I'm glad to have been a part of the team that has installed and maintained the local telecom infrastructure. Now I just hope that everything gets figured out at both ends so we can continue in the positive direction that the technology is headed.

I think that kids who become involved in the boy scouts benefit socially and academically.