) ( ( ) Good Morning Family! ( \ .-.,--^--. ( Come on in. . . \* ) \\|`----'| - The coffee pot's on. . . .=|=. \| |// ...and we even have decaf, |~'~| | |/ tea, and hot chocolate! | | \ / _|___|_ ------ (_______) Today's topics include: 1. Welcome to new cousins 2. WHOPBOF site fight 3. The one-dollar bill TO OUR NEWEST COUSINS ~~ On behalf of the entire family, I'd like to extend a most hearty welcome to those cousins who came into the family fold this past week. We are very glad to have you with us and hope you'll stay and remain a part of our online family. As soon as you're comfortable with us and the list, please send in your Bower[s]/Bauer or Baur lines so we can all see how we're related to you. We do not have a fancy format for sending in records or queries to the list. Post as many as you wish! If the data has anything to do with Bower[s]/Bauer or Baur ancestors or any of the 81+ variant spellings we research that might help someone, please feel free to post it. Every scrap of information is appreciated. If you haven't visited the homesite of this list yet, you are encouraged to do so. Our home is Bower Community, located at <http://bowercommunity.com>. There, we currently have two sites: The Bower Family Homestead [a.k.a., the Homestead] is our primary homesite and the gathering place for much of our information. It waits to join us all in welcoming you into the family at <http://bowercommunity.com/homestead>. Smaller is our sister site, the Bower Cottage, which houses most of our projects including an online GEDCOM fed by cousins from our research groups. Find the Cottage is at <http://bowercommunity.com/cottage>. WHOPBOF SITE FIGHTS I received word from the WHOPBOF promoters that they are shutting down the site fights for lack of participation. It seems the "fad" of site fights has come to an end. According to WHOPBOF, they ".... would like to have a GRAND FINAL contest for all the YEARLY 1st place winners from all the years to challenge each other and run against each other for the GRAND FINAL CONTEST award. This would be held immediately following the year end [1st week of December]. All this would take us into like the 2nd week of December which still allows everyone to enjoy holiday without interference from the contest." We got into this together and so now, I bring it back to you. Do we want to have a go at the Grand Finals? If so, we do it; if not, I'll let the promoters know not to include us. At this point our direct competitors will be: Dec98: SCTISHLDY's Homepage <http://members.aol.com/SCTISHLDY> Dec99: Our Beautiful Garden <http://members.tripod.com/~MyLove2U/GlennasBuddies.html> Dec00: Bower Family Homestead (US!) :) There's one more yearly final competition coming up for 2001. We'll also compete against the winner of that contest. If you have a point that you feel the whole family should discuss, please use the CHAT: format to do so. Otherwise, please let me know your opinions privately at <ladyaudris@earthlink.net>. I'll let everyone know the results next Sunday. THE ONE-DOLLAR BILL I'm not one to copy someone else's work, but this time I must make an exception ~ I simply can't write it any better. The piece was submitted to me by Brenda Moore <kingsley@aol.com>, but appears to have been written by Ed Burns (I don't have his email addy). I present this piece to you in its entirety simply because of what it stands for and what we've just been through as a nation ... as a world. "Take out a one-dollar bill and look at it. The one-dollar bill you're looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. "It is actually material. We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice crisp look. "If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for the balance - A balanced budget. In the center you have a carpenter's T-square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury. "That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that dollar bill is something we should all know. If you turn the bill over, you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved. "If you look at the left hand circle, you will see a Pyramid. Notice the face is lighted and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the "All Seeing Eye", an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything. "IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking." "The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new order has begun." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776. If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully; you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery and is the centerpiece of most heroes' monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States and it is always visible whenever he speaks; yet no one knows what the symbols mean. "The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: "First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's beak you will read, E PLURIBUS UNUM, meaning "one nation from many people." "Above the Eagle you have thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows. "They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But, think about this: *13 original colonies, *13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, *13 stripes on our flag, *13 steps on the Pyramid, *13 letters in the Latin above the Pyramid, *13 letters in "E PLURIBUS UNUM", *13 stars above the Eagle, *13 plumes of feathers on each span of the Eagle's wing, *13 bars on that shield, *13 leaves on the olive branch, *13 fruits, *And if you look closely: 13 arrows. *And for minorities: the 13th Amendment. "Why don't we know this?" Your children don't know this and their history teachers don't know this. Many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade. Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care. Too many veterans never came home at all. "Tell everyone what is on the back of the one-dollar bill and what it stands for, because nobody else will!" Family ... it's truly what we're all about. I wish you a week filled with health, productivity, fun, and above all, filled with love and inner peace. ) ( ) _.-~~-. (@\'--'/. Colleen ('``.__.'`) `..____.'