The Dead Cow Lecture

First year students at Purdue Vet School were attending their first anatomy class with a real dead cow.   They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet.

The professor started the class by telling them, "In Veterinary medicine it is necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor.  The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the animal's body."   For an example, the professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt of the cow, withdrew it, and stuck his finger in his mouth.

"Go ahead and do the same thing," he told his students.

The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes, but eventually took turns sticking a finger in the butt of the dead cow and sucking on it.

When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and said "The second most important quality is observation.   I stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my index finger.   Now learn to pay attention.  Life's tough but it's even tougher if you're stupid.

The Greatest Speech of the 20th century

Spoken in a movie The Dictator, starring Charlie Chaplin, this speech must qualify for the best, or at least one of the best speeches of the century.  Spoken almost 80 years ago, it is still applicable.  Perhaps as much so today, as then.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

WHO WAS ROBERT TODD LINCOLN?

He was the only child of Abe and Mary Lincoln to survive into adulthood - with his three brothers having died from illness at young ages. Believe it or not, Robert lived until 1926, dying at age 83. But along the way, he sure lived a remarkable life.
For starters, he begged his father for a commission to serve in the Civil War, with President Lincoln refusing, saying the loss of two sons (to that point) made risking the loss of a third out of the question.   But Robert insisted, saying that if his father didn't help him, he would join on his own and fight with the front line troops; a threat that drove Abe to give in.   But you know how clever Abe was. He gave Robert what he wanted, but wired General Grant to assign "Captain Lincoln" to his staff, and to keep him well away from danger.   The assignment did, however, result in Robert's being present at Appomattox Court House, during the historic moment of Lee's surrender.
Then - the following week, while Robert was at the White House, he was awakened at midnight to be told of his father's shooting, and was present at The Peterson House when his father died.
Little Eddie died at age 4 in 1850 - probably from thyroid cancer. Willie  was the most beloved of all the boys. He died in the White House at age 11 in 1862, from what was most likely Typhoid Fever.  Abe grieved the hardest over Willie's death. It took him four days to pull himself together enough to function as President again. Lincoln had a temporary tomb built for Willie, until they could return home with his body to Springfield , and he often spent long periods of time at the tomb.

I guess Tad was a real hellion. None of his tutors could control him, which is why he grew up unable to competently read or write. He was a momma's boy, he had a lisp and was probably mildly retarded.   He died at age 18 in 1871, most likely from the same thyroid cancer Eddie had died from, suggesting a genetic flaw.
But - back to Robert. Following his father's assassination, he moved to Chicago with his insane mother, and brother Tad, who was 12 at the time. Robert finished law school and practiced the craft for a time, while constantly struggling to keep crazy Mary in check. As she had done as First Lady, Mary went on shopping binges that far exceeded common sense, driving what was left of the family fortune into bankruptcy, and leading to violent disputes between Robert and she.
Robert also had torrid battles with Mary to keep her from destroying Lincoln's private papers, not just for their financial worth, but for their historic value also, with Mary forever trying to tear them apart and burn them in fireplaces.   In fact, her irrational behavior (she was probably schizophrenic) grew so destructive that Robert had to have her put away, with his signature signing her into a psychiatric hospital, where she stayed locked up for three months. Mary never forgave him for it - and they remained estranged from then on - until Mary died at age 63 in 1882.
Worth noting, as a deceased President's wife, Mary had petitioned Congress for a pension, and she got one! She received $3,000 a year, a sizable sum back then.
Of profound interest, as an adult Robert wrote there was a lot of distance between his father and he - caused mainly by Abe's being absent so much of the time during Robert's formative years. Abe was forever gone on state wide judicial circuits, or campaigning for office - or serving in the state legislature.  Robert writes that his most vivid memories of his father were seeing him pack his saddle bags to be off again. Nonetheless, Robert respected his father - and he wept obsessively the night he was killed.
In 1868, Robert married a senator's daughter and they had three kids - two girls and a boy, Abraham Lincoln's only grandchildren. Their son, whom they named Abraham Lincoln II (but whom they called "Jack") would die in 1890 from an infection arising from having a boil pierced under his arm. He was 15 at the time.
The two daughters, however, lived fairly long lives, one living until 1938 to die at age 69, and the other until 1948, dying at age 72.

The last direct descendent of Abraham Lincoln would be the child of one of Robert's daughters - Abe Lincoln's great grandson - a guy named Bud Beckwith, who died married but childless, in 1985.
In his own right, Robert made quite a life for himself.  He got into politics and was highly regarded in those circles.   In fact, he served as Secretary of War under President Garfield, and incredibly, was with him when Garfield was shot at the Washington train station.   Then some years later, Robert would also be present when President McKinley was gunned down in Buffalo.
 

In later years, Robert would grow a beard.  He would serve in other political appointments and ambassadorships, and later became president of the Pullman train car company, a booming enterprise back then, and a position he would hold for the rest of his life.   Robert was an avid amateur astronomer, and even had an observatory built into his Vermont home, which is better described as a mansion, really; but anyhow - the telescope was so well built and powerful that's it's still used today by a local astronomy club!    And below is his house.

 

 

Abe Lincoln once said he doubted Robert would do as well in life as he had done. You sure wouldn't know it from the pad Robert lived in, huh? Beyond that, Robert was several times offered the chance to run as President or Vice-President, with his every time refusing the offer, so - Old Abe's assessment of his son was way off the mark, wasn't it? Of course, who knows how much 'being Abe's son' influenced Robert's success in life?

But anyhow - now for the most incredible thing there is to know about Robert Lincoln.
In his 20's, Robert was standing on a train platform in Jersey City - buried among a crowd of passengers attempting to buy sleeping births from a haggard conductor - when the train moved. Robert was standing so close to the train that it spun him around and sent him dropping into the space between the train and the platform - a perilously tight place to be - against a moving train threatening to crush him! Suddenly a hand grabbed Robert by the neck of his coat and pulled him onto the platform.  It was a quick action by a solidly strong man that may well have saved Robert's life.  That man was Edwin Booth, the brother of John Wilkes Booth . . .who had murdered Robert's father.


Below is Robert's sarcophagus at Arlington National Cemetery , where he's buried with his wife and son Jack.

The National Debt Limit explained easy

Here's an easy to understand comparison of the US Budget deficit compared to an average American family.    Solution to the problem?    Kick the can on down the road and let the next generation deal with it.

CLICK HERE FOR SHORT VIDEO EXPLANATION

A Cheap faith

How the Apostles died

Matthew
Suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by a sword wound.

Mark
Died in Alexandria, Egypt , after being dragged by horses through the streets until he was dead.

Luke
Was hanged in Greece as a result of his tremendous preaching to the lost.

John
Faced martyrdom when he was boiled in huge basin of boiling oil during a wave of persecution In Rome . However, he was miraculously delivered From death.
John was then sentenced to the mines on the prison Island of Patmos.  He wrote his prophetic Book of Revelation on Patmos . The apostle John was later freed and returned to serve As Bishop of Edessa in modern Turkey.  He died as an old man, the only apostle to die peacefully.

Peter
He was crucified upside down on an x-shaped cross.   According to church tradition it was because he told his tormentors that he felt unworthy to die in the same way that Jesus Christ had died.

James
The leader of the church in Jerusalem, was thrown over a hundred feet down from the southeast pinnacle of the Temple when he refused to deny his faith in Christ. When they discovered that he survived the fall, his enemies beat James to death with a fuller's club. This was the same pinnacle where Satan had taken Jesus during the Temptation.

James the Great
Son of Zebedee, was a fisherman by trade when Jesus Called him to a lifetime of ministry. As a strong leader of the church, James was ultimately beheaded at Jerusalem. The Roman officer who guarded James watched amazed as James defended his faith at his trial. Later, the officer walked beside James to the place of execution. Overcome by conviction, he declared his new faith to the judge and knelt beside James to accept beheading as a Christian.

Bartholomew
Also known as Nathaniel was a missionary to Asia. He witnessed for our Lord in present day Turkey. Bartholomew was martyred for his preaching in Armenia where he was flayed to death by a whip.

Andrew
Was crucified on an x-shaped cross in Patras, Greece. After being whipped severely by seven soldiers they tied his body to the cross with cords to prolong his agony. His followers reported that, when he was led toward the cross, Andrew saluted it in these words: 'I have long desired and expected this happy hour. The cross has been consecrated by the body of Christ hanging on it.' He continued to preach to his tormentors For two days until he expired.

Thomas
Was stabbed with a spear in India during one of his missionary trips to establish the church in the sub-continent.

Jude
Was killed with arrows when he refused to deny his faith in Christ.

Matthias
The apostle chosen to replace the traitor Judas Iscariot, was stoned and then beheaded.

Paul
Was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor Nero at Rome in A.D. 67.  Paul endured a lengthy imprisonment, which allowed him to write his many epistles to the churches he had formed throughout the Roman Empire. These letters, which taught many of the foundational Doctrines of Christianity, form a large portion of the New Testament.

Perhaps this is a reminder to us that our sufferings here are indeed minor compared to the intense persecution and cold cruelty faced by the apostles and disciples during their times for the sake of the Faith. And ye shall be hated Of all men for my name's sake: But he that endureth to the end shall be saved. Matthew

JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR YOU!

He died for you.   He said (Matthew 10:32 & 33): "Everyone therefore Who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven; but whosoever denies Me before others, I also will deny before My Father in heaven".

A Prophecy to me to save