Listen up, Monster-in-the-Closet!
Pay attention, Thing-Under-the-Bed!
And you, shadow-men, vampires and demons,
All you scary things, dead and undead.
You'll only get this one warning -
You no longer rule the night.
The Watchman's making his rounds now,
And you'd best just stay out of sight.

The transcript of the tape indicates that bin Laden refers to statements from U.S. soldiers in Iraq, taken from a BBC interview that aired in an exclusive report on ABC News in July. You might might have seen two soldiers with the 2nd Infantry division, Corporal Joshua Lake and Specialist Michael Vassell, speaking candidly about their experiences in Iraq–-apparently bin Laden was watching ABC because right after that he also complained that "Desperate Housewives" was never the same after the first season.

No sign of Steve Fossett yet. AP reports--

Searchers looking for Steve Fossett have come across six uncharted plane crashes, but none of the wrecks sheds light on what may have happened to the multimillionaire adventurer.

In regard to that, I got this letter:

I realize that Ed Dames states that Mr. Fossett is dead, however, I have dowsed (1926 hours Central Time Zone, September 8, 2007) for Steve's location and state of health and my pendulum indicates that Mr. Fossett did not make a forced landing and that he is alive and uninjured. His general location is within 150 miles outside the search area to the southeast.

When I asked if Steve was alive, I got a good, strong, immediate response to the affirmative.

Sorry Ed... I gotta go with what I know.

Also, this doesn't necessarily mean that he will be found alive. The Air Force is searching for something, just not Steve Fossett. Fossett may be expended to promulgate the cover.

ABC News is reporting:

The Department of Homeland Security has eveloped a new office to use spy satellites to secure U.S. borders and protect the country from natural disasters.

Department of Homeland Security officials testified Thursday before the House Homeland Security Committee about the program and faced extensive criticism about the privacy and civil liberty concerns of the new office, called the National Applications Office.

The purpose of the National Applications Office is to provide the Department of Homeland Security and civil, state and local emergency planners with imagery and data from satellites run by the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.

Committee members expressed concern about abuse of the satellite imagery, charging that Homeland Security had not informed the oversight committee about the program.

"What's most disturbing is learning about it from The Wall Street Journal," said Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss.

On Wednesday, September 5, 2007, members of the National Research Council’s Beyond Einstein Program Assessment Committee released a study that suggests five space missions as part of NASA’s "Beyond Einstein" program. One of them is the Joint Dark Energy Mission.

The Dark Energy Mission would study a mysterious force, called dark energy, that is hypothetically thought to be accelerating the expansion of the universe.

NASA and the Department of Energy initially asked the NRC to access projects in five physics/astronomy areas but after a year of research and study the NRC group decided that dark energy had the greatest potential to produce the most scientific information.

"Dark energy," or as it’s known in my house as, "coffee."

Last week’s first hour guest, Jim Marrs was in the news this week.

According to transcripts of the technical debriefing following the Apollo 11 mission, astronauts Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins told of an encounter with a large cylindrical UFO even before reaching the Moon," U.S. investigative journalist and researcher Jim Marrs documents Mr. Aldrin further officially presented his encounters with apparent Extraterrestrials on CNN's Larry King Show.

Jim Marrs further presents that Mr. Aldrin said, "The first unusual thing that we saw I guess was one day out or pretty close to the Moon. It had a sizable dimension to it". Aldrin said the Apollo crew at first thought the object was the Saturn 4 booster rocket (S-IVB); but, he added, "We called the ground and were told the S-IVB was 6,000 miles away."

Mr. Aldrin described the UFO as a cylinder, while Armstrong said it was "really two rings" Two connected rings". Collins also said it appeared to be a hollow, tumbling cylinder. He added, "It was a hollow cylinder. But then you could change the focus on the sextant and it would be replaced by this open-book shape. It was really weird."

Even more strange was the experience of Mr. Aldrin and Mr. Armstrong, after they reached the Moon. I’ll refer you to www.coasttocoastam.com for that.

Finally:

Mice containing a mutated human gene implicated in autism exhibit the poor social skills but increased intelligence akin to the title character’s traits in the movie "Rain Man," researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

"It’s an attempt to replicate, as best we can, a complicated disease that has as a symptom an inability to use language effectively," said Dr. Thomas Südhof, chairman of neuroscience and senior author of the study, which appears online in Science Express and will be published later in Science.

In the  latest study, the researchers introduced a mutated human form of the neuroligin-3 molecule into mice. They then tested the animals’ social interactions by exposing them to an unknown mouse in a cage. The genetically engineered mice spent less time near the strange mouse than their normal littermates and the modified preferred to spend time with inanimate objects just like Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man" and kept complaining that it was "going to miss Wapner . . . definitely going to miss Wapner."

On Thursday morning we were discussing the difference between the upcoming generation of working women and how, in general, there appears to be a lack of ambition in young people.  With the help of Dr. Brene Brown we were exploring if this was true across the country and if she was seeing it in her practice.

She related what she said was a fairly typical enounter with an undergrad student who hadn't turned in a paper and when questioned why it was finished said, "Because I went out last night."

When Prof. Brown said, "Well, that's a choice that you made and there are consequences for that," the young woman replied, "But I paid for this class."

Thanks to several callers and e-mailers confirming that this phenomenon is real and pervasive with the upcoming generation of young women and men, we got this letter that gave us all hope.  Perahps it can be a conversation starter for you too.

Dear Ian and Margery:

I am a 24 year old woman, a recent graduate from a four year school (in five years, typical), and have recently come to a realization that unless I start working very hard and get another degree, I'm not going to be what I want to be.

I think it takes that realization, which is incredibly depressing, to ignite the inner fire that inspires one to constantly set and meet goals.  Also, I think knowing and understanding the steps to getting to a bigger goal is a very important step to growing up these days.

A few things that I was afraid of:

1.  Failure
2.  The word "No"
3.  Change
4.  Disappointment
5.  Being Vulnerable

I'm constantly working to get out of the entitlement mindset.  It is a long journey, but I have faith in myself that I will succeed, I will meet my goals, and I will eventually rule the world - or at least my own world.

Thank you for addressing this issue.  I think its important to know what this generation is thinking - and believe me, this is an entire generation's mindset.

God Bless,

Cara

by Ian Punnett

First of all, you'll have to pardon the disjointedness of the following blog:  I dreamt it early on Tuesday morning and I'm trying now to get it down as best as possible.

In fact, when Margery turned to me at about 4:15am and said, "You ever plan on getting up?" I'm not sure exactly how I phrased it but in my mind I said something like, "Hey, I'm blogging here."

This is what I remember from my alpha state:  Thank you to Andrew Zimmern for being such fun during the "Chit-Chatterday" broadcast.  It was a pleasure to share air with you but after watching "Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern" on Monday night before I went to bed, I'm not sure I want to share a meal.

So let me say this now:

Should we ever be out to eat, Andrew, no conch penis for me, please.  Watching you eat conch penis on TV is entertaining but none for me, please.  Not even a little conch penis in my salad as a garnish or chopped up in a conch-dog.  If  the restaurant where we are eating are serving conch penis fritters all wrapped up in deep fried batter and served with dipping sauces, you can have mine.  After watching "Bizarre Foods" the other night, I have a new life goal:  To live out my years 100% Conch Penis Free.

Oh yeah, and no "jellied moose nose" for me either.  Ever.  I shouldn't even have to stipulate that but just in case . . .

Also, thank you for all the responses to my blog about "loss."  More thoughts are coming on that soon, I just don't feel like writing about that yet.  Glad many of you have.

Our "Ian and Margery State Fair Field Trip" was so wildly successful beyond anybody's expectations that Margery and I must say "y'all rock" again.  It was hard to pick a favorite event but my favorite moment everyday was when the participants put on their name tags and grabbed the yellow, knotted rope just before we started walking.  "Wow, there really is a rope!" was heard often.

There was one more piece in my dream-blog but that one escapes me now so in its place I offer you this " Christian theological reminder" from Colleen:

Who was the third man to walk on water?

1st was Jesus.

2nd was apostle Peter

The third was this guy:

by Ian Punnett

I've been away from the blog for a while.  While I have avidly read others and follow up commentary in the various chats, I have had so much on the plate to chew over over things on line.

The family, the show, the fair, church stuff, it's all been a much lately.

Then I got the word last night that a friend of mine that I had worked with a couple times (never in the Twin Cities) had been killed when his car left the road and landed upside down thirty feet down the embankment.

My friend was a newlywed who's had a couple of tough breaks lately.  Many years ahead thinking of my friend and what might have been if he had made that turn.  I'll miss him.

And so I was already in that grieving place when I got this e-mail this morning about somebody else in mourning that I wanted to share.

It's so well written that I think it speaks for itself--and sums up how many of us feel when a loved one dies, like my friend Jeremy and this boy, Sam:

Ian:

I often wonder what the meaning of life really is all about... why do some die and some live... what good would ever come out of a 4 year child suffering and dying after months in the hospital and after 4 major surgeries... I listen to your show every morning and I am glued to the "happy boy!"  I believe that happy boy is for me... to make me happy and to start the day off on the right foot.  I believe that everyone should have their happy boy moment what ever that may be... but where was the happy boy for poor little Sam and his family?  From the day he was born at the mere weight of 4 lbs to the only 20 lbs at 4 years of age... where was his happy boy? ... but as I look back and think about my memories of this beautiful little boy... I think back of a "happy boy."  Sam was a boy that smiled and smiled often... in fact when I think about my many encounters with Sam... it has always been the joy and excitement in his face that has made the visit less painful...Perhaps the meaning of his life was not so much what we could do for him and his family but what he did for us...  Sam was here to give joy to his parents, to his family and to all of us that came in contact with him... Sam was a fragile little boy , but had the strength to carry on and even through everything ... still found time to smile... Moments before Sam died, his mother came up to him and as she said his name... he looked up at her and with the little strength he had... he smiled... As  I grieve... my emotions get the best of me and I often ask why... but as I look through it all... I see that the one constant is that Sam was brought to this Earth to make us all appreciate our families a little more and whatever is going on in our lives... we need to take the time to smile.... in my book Sam is the "true" meaning of a happy boy!  May God bless Sam and his family.

"D"

"D":

There are answers to your questions but I am inclined to just hold on those for a while.  In the meantime, I'll just be with you in the questions and look forward to seeing what other mights have to say.

God bless, D, and remember that you cannot "do grief" wrong.