Why Jersey Rocks

New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first
solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940.

New Jersey is a peninsula.

Highlands,New Jersey has the highest elevation along
the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida.

New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties
are classified as metropolitan areas.

New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky.

New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.)
than Havana, Cuba.

New Jersey has the densest system of highways and
railroads in the US.

New Jersey has the highest cost of living

New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the
nation.

New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is
sometimes referred to as the "Diner Capital of the
World."

New Jersey is home to Taylor Ham or Pork Roll.

Home to the best Italian hot dogs and Italian
sausage w/peppers and onions.

North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area
in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25
square mile radius.

New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis
Island.

The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine
ride by inventor John P. Holland

New Jersey has 50+ resort cities & towns; some of the
nation's most famous:

Asbury Park, Wildwood (Crest), Atlantic City, Seaside
Heights, Long Branch, Cape May.

New Jersey has the most stringent testing along its
coastline for water quality control than any other
seaboard state in the entire country.

New Jersey is a leading technology & industrial state
and is the largest chemical producing state in the
nation when you include pharmaceuticals.


Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being the
best you can buy.

New Jersey is the world leader in blueberry and
cranberry production

Here's to New Jersey - the toast of the country! In
1642, the first brewery in America, opened in Hoboken.

New Jersey is a major seaport state with a large
seaport in the US, located in Elizabeth.

New Jersey is home to one of the nation's busiest
airports (in Newark), Liberty International.

George Washington slept there.

Several important Revolutionary War battles were
fought on New Jersey soil, led by General George
Washington (when he wasn't sleeping).

The light bulb, phonograph (record player), and motion
picture projector, were invented by Thomas Edison in
his Menlo Park, NJ, laboratory. He also owned a home
and the first film studio in the nation in West
Orange. The first moving picture film was done there.

New Jersey also boasts the first town ever lit by
incandescent bulbs.

The first seaplane was built in Keyport , NJ.
The first airmail (to Chicago) was started from
Keyport, NJ.

The first phonograph records were made in Camden, NJ

New Jersey was home to the Miss America Pageant held
in Atlantic City.

The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named
the streets on its playing board after the actual
streets in Atlantic City. And, Atlantic City has the
longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt
water taffy.

New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area
outside of the Middle East countries. (Linden). One explosion there blew doors off and shattered windows in Elizabeth homes.

The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey, in the
Watchung Mountains. The NY skylines is visible.

New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world.
(Union, NJ!!!)

New Jersey had the first medical center, in Jersey
City

The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark, was
the first skyway highway.

New Jersey built the first tunnel under a river, the
Hudson (Holland Tunnel).

The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ,
which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.

The first intercollegiate football game was played in
New Brunswick in 1889 (Rutgers College played
Princeton).

The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden,
NJ, (but they're all gone now!). I saw the Godfather
in a drive in in Wayne NJ near the Willowbrook Mall.
The Passaic used to flood the area near the carwash
near the drive in. Gone now.

New Jersey is home to both of "NEW YORK'S" pro
football teams!

The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson,
NJ.

The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ,
by Maj. Thomas Armstrong.

All New Jersey natives:

Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen,
Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifah, Susan
Sarandon, Connie Francis Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron
Burr, Joan Robertson, Ken Kross, Dionne Warwick, Sarah
Vaughn, Budd Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Ginsberg,
Norman Mailer, Marilynn McCoo, Flip Wilson,
Alexander Hamilton, Zack Braff Whitney Houston, Eddie
Money, Linda McElroy, Eileen Donnelly, Grover
Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry
Lewis, Tom Cruise, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar
Romero, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Nick Adams, Kevin Fahey,
Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti,
Joe Pesci, Joe Piscopo, Joe DePasquale, Robert Blake,
John Forsythe, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norman
Lloyd, Paul Simon, Jerry Herman, Gorden
McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman,
Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Eva Marie Saint, Elisabeth
Shue, Zebulon Pike, James Fennimore Cooper, Admiral
Wm.Halsey,Jr., Norman Schwarzkopf (his mother was a
famous opera singer and his father investigated the
Lindenberg kidnapping also in NJ), the outlaw Sundance
Kid, Dave Thomas (Wendy's), William Carlos Williams,
Ray Liotta, Robert Wuhl, Bob Reyers, Paul Robeson,
Ernie Kovacs, Joseph Macchia, Kelly Ripa, and, of
course, Francis Albert Sinatra and "Uncle Floyd"
Vivino.

The Great Falls in Paterson, on the Passaic River, is
the 2nd highest waterfall on the East Coast of the US.
William Carlos Williams wrote a book length set of
poems called Paterson.

You know you're from Jersey when . .

You don't think of fruit when people mention "The
Oranges."

You know that it's called Great Adventure, not Six
Flags.

A good, quick breakfast is a hard roll with butter.

You've known the way to Seaside Heights since you were
seven.

You've eaten at a diner, when you were stoned or
drunk, at 3 A.M

At least three people in your family still love Bruce
Springsteen, and you know the town Jon Bon Jovi is
from.

You know what a "jug handle" is.

You know that WaWa is a convenience store. Don't
forget Cumberland Farms.

You know that there are no "beaches" in New
Jersey--there's the shore--and you don't
go "to the shore," you go "down the shore." And when
you are there, you're not "at the shore"; you are
"down the shore."

You know how to properly negotiate a circle.
You knew that the last sentence had to do with
driving.

You know that this is the only "New" state that
doesn't require "New" to identify it (try . . Mexico. . .
York..! . . Hampshire--doesn't work, does it?).

You know that a "White Castle" is the name of BOTH a
fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich.

You consider putting mayo on a corned beef sandwich a
sacrilege.

You don't think "What exit?" is very funny. (you will
get your ass kicked by most New Jerseyans)

You know that people from the 609 area code are "a
little different." Yes they are!

You know that no respectable New Jerseyan goes to
Princeton--that's for out-of-staters.

The Jets-Giants game has started fights at your school
or local bar.
True.

You live within 20 minutes of at least three different
malls.

You refer to all highways and interstates by their
numbers.

Every year you have at least one kid in your class
named Tony.

You know the location of every clip shown in the
Sopranos opening credits.

You've gotten on the wrong highway
trying to get out of the mall.

You know that people from North Jersey go to Seaside
Heights, and people from Central Jersey go to Belmar,
and people from South Jersey go to Wildwood.

It can be no other way.
You weren't raised in New Jersey--you were raised in
either North Jersey, Central Jersey or South Jersey

You don't consider Newark or Camden to actually
be part of the state.

You remember the stores Korvette's, Two Guys,
Rickel's, Channel, Bamberger's and Orbach's.

You also remember Palisades Amusement Park.
(And the weeds in the distance was not a place you
wanted to visit...more happened there than Alexander
Hamilton being shot by Aaron Burr and it is a one way
destination for many and not because it is a shortcut
into the City)

You've had a boardwalk cheese steak and vinegar fries.

You start planning for Memorial Day weekend in
February.

And finally. .You NEVER, NEVER NEVER, EVER pump your
own gas.

...with thanks to Monica from Doreen's office

How Do You Feel Rich?

Brace yourself: 2009 may be even more financially challenging than 2008.

Given that our collective American values got us into this mess perhaps we should identify which ones are responsible and replace them with values to help us get through it and avoid the same mistakes in the future.

Here are some values that drove our profligate behavior in recent decades and new ones with which to replace them:

- Greed or excess vs. moderation
- Instant gratification/spend now! vs. patience/save more!
- Materialism vs. generosity

If you're an over-spender, does this create tension with your significant other? If so, controlling your spending would benefit both your bank account and your relationship.

When tempted to buy something unnecessary, ask what do you value more, the item or your relationship, the item or your bank account.

Consciously comparing how much you prefer one thing over another prioritizes your values.

We forget that our grandparents accumulated their possessions after a lifetime of saving for them.

Contrast that with the financial stress many feel today, those who were tempted by the soaring real estate values that made them feel rich.

Those who refinanced their homes took out and spent cash on stuff now have lots of stuff and a home that's worth less than their mortgage.

We need to get back to the novel idea of buying only that for which we have cash. But you can stay on a disciplined budget and still enjoy the convenience of credit cards.

Finally, imagine a world where generosity is valued more than materialism. People literally giving the money they'd otherwise spend to someone who needs it. Or being more generous in spirit.

Thanks to Stephanie, excerpts from News-Press, 12.30.08

Noah's Ark of Stolen Computer Gear

Victor Papagno had two loves, federal prosecutor say: computers and stealing.

For the Navy, it was a devastating combination.

Over 10 years, authorities said, the computer technician with obsessive-compulsive disorder ran one of the biggest computer theft scams in local history. He stole more than 19,000 pieces of computer equipment from the offices of the Naval Research Laboratory in Southwest Washington.

The loot took up so much space that Papagno built a 2,775-square-foot garage to store it all. It cost the Navy more than $150,000 to inventory the stash of keyboards, monitors, floppy disks, hard drives, cables, batteries and a device to make security badges. When investigators came to haul the equipment away from Papagno's Charles County home, they needed an 18-wheeler.

He got away with stealing computer components from a secure Navy facility by walking out the front door with the booty in boxes -- an average of five items a day over a decade. The Navy never caught on. The tip that brought him down last year came from his estranged wife, authorities said.

The 40-year-old computer specialist, who pleaded guilty in October to theft of government property, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman. The judge said he was disturbed by the "quantity, the value and the sensitivity" of the stolen items and ordered Papagno to repay the $159,000 it cost the Navy to retrieve and inventory the goods.

Papagno and his attorney blamed his stealing on mental illness, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. He was compelled to hoard things, particularly computer components, they said; Papagno did not sell most of the stuff, much of it old and destined for recycling bins or the trash heap. "I couldn't throw things away," Papagno told Friedman.

"One way to look at this crime is that it was about collecting," said Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mitzelfeld. "It's like the art buff stealing artwork because he wants to have his own collection."

Investigators were concerned that Papagno had pilfered sensitive data from the Navy lab. More than 7,700 stolen items held data. One floppy disk, for example, contained personal information on 300 employees at the laboratory. Investigators also found a device that creates security badges for laboratory workers. In his bedroom dresser, they found badges belonging to 10 of Papagno's co-workers, authorities said.

Scores of computer components in Papagno's house in Hughesville were new, some still in the packaging. Among them: 20 Macintosh G4 computers with a list price of $4,000 each, 10 Apple flat-screen monitors worth $1,500 each, external hard drives worth $350 and four Apple Thinkpad laptops that retail for $3,500 each. Both sides put the value of the stolen goods at more than $120,000. The items were worth at least $1.6 million new.

He also targeted retailers with bogus manufacturer coupons and rebate certificates. Investigators said he bought legitimate ones on eBay, then created copies on his computer. He bought goods with them and returned the items for gift cards. Investigators said they found "bags of gift cards and receipts" in Papagno's home.

Papagno began stealing in 1997 while he was working as a computer specialist at the Navy lab. He told investigators it was easy; the Navy had lax inventory controls and bought computers with "reckless abandon." The Navy did not track items worth less than $2,500, investigators said.

Papagno told authorities he was building a "Noah's Ark of Computer land," special agent Timothy Hall of the Navy Criminal Investigative Service wrote in court papers. The computer specialist said he "loved to steal," Hall wrote, and he told a friend that he planned to auction the equipment on eBay.

Over the years, Papagno sold some of the equipment to friends and gave away other items. He used some parts in his "freelance" business, installing and upgrading computer networks and software, prosecutors said.

When he began to run out of space at home, he persuaded one friend to store items in the basement of her 90-year-old father's house, investigators said, and another to rent a storage locker for him so his wife would not find out. But those were temporary solutions.

In 2000, investigators said, Papagno built the garage. It cost him $50,000.

Source: Washington Post, December 23, 2008

Secret Santa gives out more than a million dollars.

Just imagine you go to a thrift store - when a stranger comes over sounding like he’s trying to pick up … you.

“Shop in this place very often?” a man says. He lures you behind said door … “Come over here,” he says. And then he whispers: “I’m Secret Santa.”

“This is for you,” he says, handing his victim some money. “Merry Christmas.”

Secret Santa, who wishes to remain secret, will only say that he is a businessman from Kansas City. He crossed the country - going into dozens of thrift stores, laundromats and bus stations, and going up to hundreds of strangers who seem like they could use a Franklin or two. “I’d like to give you this: $200,” Santa says.

By Christmas he gave out $75,000 worth of hundred-dollar bills. “Is this for real?” one man, named Robert Young, asked. “It's for real, buddy,” Santa said. “And I can keep it?” Young asked. “It's yours and you can keep it,” Santa said. “God bless you,” Young said. Young is homeless. He was down to his last 20 cents.

Susan Dahl is homeless, too. She was down to her last straw. “You have use for it?” Santa asked. “Oh yes, I'm going to go find myself a motel room and get a shower. I've been in the same clothes, people, for 5 days!” Dahl said. “I'm the happiest person in the world right now.”

Secret Santa says that joy, that tremendous return on investment - is part of the reason he’s doing this. But here’s the bigger reason: Larry Stewart. Stewart was the original Secret Santa. He kept his identity hidden for 25 years, while giving out more than a million dollars. Stewart said of his Secret Santa gig: "It warms my heart." Stewart died last year of esophageal cancer.

And on his death bed, a dear friend promised to not let Secret Santa die with him. “He just squeezed my hand,” Secret Santa said. “He didn't say anything.” So, Secret Santa carries on, making perfect smiles on perfect strangers. And like Stewart before, all he ever asks in return is that people do a random act of kindness for someone else someday. “Can you do that?” he asked one woman. “You betcha,” she said. “Secret Santa lives in each and everyone of us,” Santa said. “It's just a matter of letting him out."

Source: CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman

Mark Felt: "We did get the whole truth out".

Mark Felt, who was the source known as “Deep Throat” in the 1972 Watergate scandal, has died. He was 95.

Mark Felt died in his home in Santa Rosa, California. Felt was “Deep Throat,” the infamous source for Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein regarding the burglary of the Democratic Party National Committee headquarters in 1972. The scandal that resulted from the break-in brought down former President Richard Nixon. Woodward and Bernstein’s articles in the Washington Post resulted in a special prosecutor investigation that led to President Nixon’s resignation

The true identity of “Deep Throat” remained a secret until May 2005, when Felt’s identity was revealed in an article for Vanity Fair magazine.

For decades, he was known only as “Deep Throat,” a double entendre: Felt was providing information on the condition of complete anonymity, known as "deep background," and his actions coincided with a popular 1972 porn movie of the same name.

Woodward claimed that when he wanted to meet Deep Throat, he would move a flowerpot with a red flag on the balcony of his apartment, number 617, at the Webster House at 1718 P Street, Northwest, and when Deep Throat wanted a meeting, he would circle the page number on page twenty of Woodward's copy of The New York Times and draw clock hands to signal the hour.

"People will debate for a long time whether I did the right thing by helping Woodward," Felt wrote in his 2006 memoir, "A G-Man's Life: The FBI, `Deep Throat' and the Struggle for Honor in Washington." "The bottom line is that we did get the whole truth out, and isn't that what the FBI is supposed to do?

What Have They Been Doing Department?

Does anybody out remember why the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY was established during the
Carter Administration?

Anybody? Anything? No?

Didn't think so.

Bottom line . . we've spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember.

Ready? It was very simple, and at the time everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department of Energy was instituted 8/4/77 "to lessen our dependence on foreign oil". Pretty efficient government, huh?

And now it's 2008, 31 years later, and the budget for this organization is now $24 billion a year, with 16,000 federal employees, and 100,000 contract workers.

And now we are going to turn the banking system and Detroit's big 3 over to them.

Ah yes, good ole bureaucracy.

...with thanks to Ernie

Kids' Science Exam Answers

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.g., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does 'varicose' mean? (I do love this one...)
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome

Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight

...with thanks to Carolyn

Kids Say The Darnest Things...

TEACHER: Maria, go to the map and find North America
MARIA: Here it is.
TEACHER: Correct. Now class, who discovered America ? CLASS: Maria.

TEACHER: John, why are you doing your math multiplication on the floor?
JOHN: You told me to do it without using tables.
TEACHER: Donald, what is the chemical formula for water? DONALD: H I J K L M N O. TEACHER: What are you talking about? DONALD: Yesterday you said it's H to O.

TEACHER: Glen, why do you always get so dirty?
GLEN: Well, I'm a lot closer to the ground than you are.


TEACHER: Millie, give me a sentence starting with 'I'.
MILLIE: I is..
TEACHER: No, Millie..... Always say, 'I am.'
MILLIE: All right... 'I am the ninth letter of the alphabet.

TEACHER: George Washington not only chopped down his father's cherry tree, but also admitted it. Now, Louie, do you know why his father didn't punish him?
LOUIS: Because George still had the axe in his hand.

TEACHER: Now, Simon, tell me frankly, do you say prayers before eating?
SIMON: No sir, I don't have to, my Mom is a good cook.

TEACHER: Clyde, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did you copy his?
CLYDE : No, sir. It's the same dog.

TEACHER: Harold, what do you call a person who keeps on talking when people are no longer interested?
HAROLD: A teacher.

...with thanks to Carolyn !

Drowning Nation

The Pacific island-nation of Tuvalu is the first country to have evacuated some of its citizens because of the sea-level rise driven by global warming. The highest point on the island sits only 15 feet above sea level. A quarter of the nation’s population has already been evacuated. Will this be the first island nation to disappear as a result of climate change?

Lego King

Who doesn't remember growing up playing with Legos? Most kids ultimately pack up their Legos and move on. But Nathan Sawaya never did.

The 35-year-old New Yorker makes a six-figure living as a Lego artist, creating large-scale works of art using tens of thousands of the plastic pieces.

The New Orleans Public Library commissioned this work from Sawaya to celebrate the city's rebirth. It contains over 120,000 bricks and took over six weeks to build.

Legos were the furthest thing from his mind when he set out in the working world. After graduating New York University Law School, Sawaya became a Wall Street attorney, earning six-figures—and working in a high-stress environment. To relax after long hours at the office, he would work on art projects at night, One of Sawaya's first hobbyist projects with Legos was an eight-foot-tall pencil. Friends would come over to gawk at it, Visitors to the site sent in requests, such as Lego renderings of portraits of their children.

The hobby became the real thing in 2004 after he won a competition sponsored by Lego to find the best builder in the U.S. He quit his job and became one of Lego's "master model builders," creating sculptures for its theme park in San Diego. They paid him just $13 an hour, but it gave him good training for when he returned to New York to create his own Lego works full-time.

Sawaya now keeps 1.5 million Lego bricks, meticulously organized by shape and color into clear bins. Sawaya says he now works more hours per week than ever but gets artistic gratification from his Lego creations, particularly when he hears from children who are inspired by his projects.

You can buy a life-size Lego vanity-sculpture of yourself from this year’s Nieman Marcus catalog for a mere $60,000


Source: Conde Nast Portfolio.com

And We Want To Make This A State Run Enterprise?

Click to enlarge these pix !

Tradition Trivia: The Custom of Sending Christmas Cards

The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Britain in 1840 when the first 'Penny Post' public postal deliveries began. Helped by the new railway system, the public postal service was the 19th century's communication revolution, just as email is for us today.

As printing methods improved, Christmas cards were produced in large numbers from about 1860. They became even more popular in Britain when a card could be posted in an unsealed envelope for one half-penny - half the price of an ordinary letter.

My Next Life by Woody Allen

In my next life I want to live my life backwards.
You start out dead and get that out of the way.
Then you wake up in an old people's home feeling better every day.
You get kicked out for being too healthy, so you go collect your pension, and then when you start work, you get a gold watch and a party on your first day.
You work for 40 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement.
You party, drink alcohol, and are generally promiscuous; then you are ready for high school.
You then go to primary school, you become a kid, you play.
You have no responsibilities, you become a baby until you are born.
And then you spend your last 9 months floating in luxurious spa-like conditions with central heating and room service on tap, larger quarters every day and then,
Voila! You finish off as an orgasm!
I rest my case.

...thanks Big Boy for this one.

Why Do Dogs Love Riding in Cars?

Sally loves to ride in the car, go anywhere. So today's question is why do dogs love to ride in cars. So far, the best answer is simply that they can stick their head out the window and sniff all the scents in the air, the other dogs, cats, flowers, people, etc. Their sense of smell is incredible. Plus they love to see new stuff and think you are taking them somewhere fun. Best of all, they just know they get to be with their owner and not stuck at home all by themselves.

Heads Up For Space Junk

In a week of really, really big news stories, NASA's lost tool bag stood out.

The week was dominated by news of Wall Street’s continued free fall and the idiocy of Big 3’s decision to fly three separate corporate jets to D.C. -- to beg Congress for a bailout.

However who couldn't remain dry eyed about the infamous tool bag, now sadly lost in space.






You can even track the tool bag’s orbit at

www.n2yo.com

Today the site was so jammed, you may not get through but keep trying.

Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper said in an interview with The Associated Press that it was "very disheartening" to lose her bag full of tools. She was trying to clean up grease that had oozed out of a grease gun in the backpack-size bag, when the tote and everything in it floated away Tuesday.

The bag was one of the largest items ever lost by a spacewalking astronaut. NASA put the price tag of the tool bag at $100,000

This raises the larger question about how much space junk is floating around up there and what are the “Space Junk’s Top 10”?

So, cover your head, put on a football helmet, and here we go.

#1 - Weighing in at 77 tons (70,000 kilograms), the first and only solely-U.S. space station Skylab launched into orbit on May 14, 1973. Its orbiting operations came to a premature end on July 11, 1979, when Skylab plummeted through the atmosphere, sending chunks of debris raining down over an area stretching from the Southeastern Indian Ocean across a sparsely populated section of Western Australia.

#2 - In the world of space litter, the heavyweight champ would have to be Mir, heftier in its day than any object (except the moon) to orbit Earth. The 15-year-old Russian space station began its suicidal nosedive on March 23, 2001, as it reentered Earth's atmosphere above the Pacific Ocean near Fiji. Though most of the station, weighing 286,600 pounds (130,000 kilograms), burned up in the atmosphere, about 1,500 fragments reached Earth's surface. Beachgoers in Nadi, Fiji, snapped photos of blazing bits of Mir debris and there were reports of sonic booms caused by heavy debris.

#3 - After completing 51,658 orbits around Earth, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory was intentionally deorbited due to a crippled gyroscope on June 4, 2000. As the spacecraft tumbled through Earth's atmosphere, its solar panels and antennas were thought to pop off first, while other parts likely melted. About 13,227 pounds (6,000 kilograms) of debris from the observatory splashed down into the Pacific Ocean southeast of Hawaii.

#4 - On Feb. 1, 2003, during its return to Earth, Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated on reentry, killing seven astronauts. The catastrophic, lethal accident shed thousands of pieces of debris across a 28,000 square mile (72,520 square kilometers) area in eastern Texas and western Louisiana. More than 80,000 recovered pieces were stored for follow-up research.

#5 - In May 1966, spacecraft debris was spotted in the Rio Negro District of Brazil. The metal parts were identified as coming from a stage of the Saturn development test (SA-5) that launched in 1964 and which reentered the atmosphere on Apr. 30, 1966. The litter included a piece of lightweight metal, an oval-shaped chunk of metal, a black beehive-shaped structure and four pieces of fragile wire.

#6 - On Jan. 21, 2001, a Delta 2 third stage, known as a PAM-D (Payload Assist Module-Delta), reentered the atmosphere over the Middle East. Its titanium motor casing, weighing about 154 pounds (70 kilograms), slammed down in Saudi Arabia, while a titanium pressurant tank landed near Seguin, Texas, and the main propellant tank plunked down near Georgetown, Texas.

#7 - A secret Soviet-navy satellite called Cosmos 954, which was launched on Sept. 18, 1977, spiraled out of control. The spy radar antennas each sported a compact nuclear reactor, making the reentry one of the most frightening to date for people on the ground. On Jan. 24, 1978, Cosmos 954 reentered over Canada and shed debris across the frozen ground of the Canadian Arctic. Following the crash, the U.S. and Canada conducted overflights of the area and associated cleanup efforts.

#8 - Several mysterious spheres turned up in Australia in the 1960s, with some speculating these balls could be connected with UFO phenomenon. One such titanium sphere was spotted in Merkanooka, Western Australia. Dubbed the Merkanooka ball, the metal sphere was later identified as a tank used for drinking water in the Gemini V spacecraft, which was launched on Aug. 21, 1965, and reentered the atmosphere and splashed down into the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 29 that year.

#9 - A woman in Turley, Oklahoma, got a noggin-knock in January 1997 when she was struck with a lightweight fragment of charred woven material. She was not injured. The sky junk was identified as debris from a Delta 2 booster, which reentered the Earth's atmosphere on Jan. 22, 1997. Other debris from that booster included a steel propellant tank and a titanium pressure sphere.

#10 - The U.S. Navy intercepted its defunct spy satellite USA-193 on Feb. 20, 2008, sending a trail of debris that some amateur astronomers reported falling over the northwestern United States and Canada. Department of Defense officials said they hadn't recovered any debris larger than a football.

With thanks to...

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080225-top10-debris-1.html

Memory Test

Here's a quick memory test for you...

1. What builds strong bodies 12 ways?
A. Flintstones vitamins
B. The Buttmaster
C. Spaghetti
D. Wonder Bread
E. Orange Juice
F. Milk
G. Cod Liver Oil

2. Before he was Muhammed Ali, he was...
A. Sugar Ray Robinson
B. Roy Orbison
C. Gene Autry
D. Rudolph Valentino
E. Fabian
F. Mickey Mantle
G. Cassius Clay

3. Pogo, the comic strip character said, 'We have met the enemy and...
A. It's you
B. He is us
C. It's the Grinch
D. He wasn't home
E. He's really me an
F. We quit
G. He surrendered

4. Good night David.
A. Good night Chet
B. Sleep well
C. Good night Irene
D. Good night Gracie
E. See you later alligator
F. Until tomorrow
G. Good night Steve

5. You'll wonder where the yellow went...
A. When you use Tide
B. When you lose your crayons
C. When you clean your tub
D. If you paint the room blue
E. If you buy a soft water tank
F. When you use Lady Clairol
G. When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent

6. Before he was the Skipper's Little Buddy, Bob Denver was Dobie's
friend...
A. Stuart Whitman
B. Randolph Scott
C. Steve Reeves
D. Maynard G. Krebbs
E. Corky B. Dork
F. Dave the Whale
G. Zippy Zoo

7. Liar, liar...
A. You're a liar
B. Your nose is growing
C. Pants on fire
D. Join the choir
E. Jump up higher
F. On the wire
G. I'm telling Mom

8. Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, Superman fights a never ending battle for
truth, justice and...
A. Wheaties
B. Lois Lane
C. TV ratings
D. World peace
E. Red tights
F. The American way
G. News headlines

9. Hey kids! What time is it?
A. It's time for Yogi Bear
B. It's time to do your homework
C. It's Howdy Doody Time
D. It's Time for Romper Room
E. It's bedtime
F. The Mighty Mouse Hour
G. Scoopy Doo Time

10. Lions and tigers and bears...
A. Yikes
B. Oh no
C. Gee whiz
D. I'm scared
E. Oh my
F. Help! Help!
G. Let's run

11. Bob Dylan advised us never to trust anyone...
A. Over 40
B. Wearing a uniform
C. Carrying a briefcase
D. Over 30
E. You don't know
F. Who says, 'Trust me'
G. Who eats tofu

12. NFL quarterback who appeared in a television commercial wearing women's
stockings...
A. Troy Aikman
B. Kenny Stabler
C. Joe Namath
D. Roger Stauback
E. Joe Montana
F. Steve Young
G. John Elway

13. Brylcream...
A. Smear it on
B. You'll smell great
C. Tame that cowlick
D. Grease ball heaven
E. It's a dream
F. We're your team
G. A little dab'll do ya

14. I found my thrill...
A. In Blueberry muffins
B.. With my man, Bill
C. Down at the mill
D. Over the windowsill
E. With thyme and dill
F. Too late to enjoy
G. On Bl ueberry Hill

15. Before Robin Williams, Peter Pan was played by...
A. Gable
B. Mary Martin
C. Doris Day
D. Errol Flynn
E. Sally Fields
F. Jim Carey
G. Jay Leno

16. Name the Beatles...
A. John, Steve, George, Ringo
B. John, Paul, George, Roscoe
C. John, Paul, Stacey, Ringo
D. Jay, Paul, George, Ringo
E. Lewis, Peter, George, Ringo
F. Jason, Betty, Skipper, Hazel
G. John, Paul, George, Ringo

17. I wonder, wonder, who..
A. Who ate the leftovers?
B. Who did the laundry?
C. Was it you?
D. Who wrote the book of love?
E. Who I am?
F. Passed the test?
G. Knocked on the door?

18. I'm strong to the finish...
A. Cause I eats my broccoli
B. Cause I eats me spinach
C. Cause I lift weights
D. Cause I'm the hero
E. And don't you forget it
F. Cause Olive Oyl loves me
G. To outlast Bruto

19. When it's least expected, you're elected, you're the star today...
A. Smile, you're on Candid Camera
B. Smile, you're on Star Search
C. Smile, you won the lottery
D. Smile, we're watching you
E. Smile, the world sees you
F. Smile, you're a hit
G. Smile, you're on TV

20. What do M & M's do?
A. Make your tummy happy
B. Melt in your mouth, not in your pocket
C. Make you fat
D. Melt your heart
E. Make you popular
F. Melt in your mouth, not in your hand
G. Come in colors

Here are the correct answers:

1. D - Wonder Bread
2. G - Cassius Clay
3. B - He Is Us
4. A - Good night, Chet
5. G - When you brush your teeth with Pepsodent
6. D - Maynard G. Krebbs
7. C - Pants On Fire
8. F - The American Way
9. C - It's Howdy Doody Time
10. E - Oh My
11. D - Over 30
12. C - Joe Namath
13. G - A little dab'll do ya
14. G - On Blueberry Hill
15. B - Mary Martin
16. G - John, Paul, George, Ringo
17. D - Who wrote the book of Love
18. B - Cause I eats me spinach
19. A - Smile, you're on Candid Camera
20. F - Melt In Your Mouth Not In Your Hand

...with thanks to Carolynn

Geeky Words

Geeky words we hate to hear:

•Content. As in, "Web content." Ugh. If you mean"Web pages," say "Web pages." If you mean "music,"
say "music." Nobody outside the tech industry says "content" when they mean "what's on your player" or "what's on your Web site."

•Enable. Who on earth says, "Enable the GPS function"?
Only user-manual writers and computer-book
authors. Say "Turn on GPS" instead.

•URL. This one's common, but I still can't stand it.
"Uniform Resource Locator"? Oh, thank you– that
helps. NOT! I use "Web address." Same number of
syllables, and crystal-clear.

•Device. You know what's weird? Cellphone companies never
actually use the term "cellphone." They always use the word "device,"
as in the winceinducing sentence, "The user can transfer D.R.M.–protected
content to their device." Look, I get it: these days, cellphones do
more than make phone calls. You don't need to abandon the term
" cellphone" for that reason; the meaning of "cellphone" has
alreadyexpanded to accommodate its new functions. If you
say "cellphone," your audience already understands
that it means "a gadget that makes calls, gets on the
Internet and takes crummy pictures."

•Dialog. The term "dialog box" is already a problem,
since it doesn't really identify what it is (a message
box on the screen, forcing you to answer a question–
like how many copies of a printout you want). But
unfortunately, there's absolutely no alternative. And
shortening this to "dialog" is definitely a step in the
wrong direction.

•E-mail client. Originally, someone coined "client"
to distinguish your computer's e-mail program from
the computer that dishes it out (the server). But when
you're not explicitly trying to make that differentiation,
just say "e-mail program." The only people with
e-mail clients are the lawyers who represent Outlook
and Gmail.

•Functionality. WOW, do I despise this pretentious
word. Five syllables–ooh, what a knowledgeable person
you must be! It means "feature." Say "feature."

•LCD. What I hate about this word is that it doesn't
say what it is ("the screen"). And even if you spell out
what it means in parentheses, you still haven't told
readers what the heck you're talking about. ("Liquid
crystal display? Ohhh, so THAT'S what it means.")

•PDA. Here's another ridiculous term–ridiculous
because it's not self-explanatory. "Personal digital assistant?"
Give me a break.

•RAM. Here again, there's a plain-English word that
does the same job without the intimidation: memory.
That's a word that says what it means.

•Support. I don't mean "support" as in "tech support,"
although even that term is a corporate creepy
cop-out (it means "help line"). No, I mean the verb, as
in, "The laptop supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth." In no
other corner of modern discourse is "support" used
that way. I use "has," "offers" or "works with."

•User. There are two industries that refer to their
customers as "users" -technology and illegal drugs.
When you're writing about computers, there's almost
never a sentence where you couldn't substitute
"you" or, worst case, "the customer" as the noun and
thereby improve the sentence. Instead of saying, "The
user can, at his or her option, elect to remove this
functionality," say, "You can turn this feature off." It's
not only clearer, but it gets you out of the awkward
"his or her" bit.

Courtesy Pogue’s Anti-Jargon Dictionary by David Pogue, NY Times (excerpts)

I Know My Golf Ball is Around Here Somewhere...

...say hello to our 7th Fairway water hazard. I shot these today. "King" is about 11 feet long and enjoys his daily sun bath.

Dog Wisdom

A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.

The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.

There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.

...with thanks to Babs for this one.

Birthday Wisdom

"Youth is wasted on the young" ~ George Bernard Shaw

“If I had known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself" ~ Adolph Zucker

"The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball"~ Doug Larson

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter" ~ Mark Twain

"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul" ~ Samuel Ullman

"You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair" ~ Douglas MacArthur

"Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional" ~ Chili Davis

"Age does not diminish the extreme disappointment of having a scoop of ice cream fall from the cone" ~ Jim Fiebig

November 6th - Historic Events

November 6, 1997 "Proposals," opens at Broadhurst Theater New York City for 76 performances
November 6, 1997 San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker named NL Manager of the Year
November 6, 1996 Los Angeles Dodger Todd Hollandsworth wins NL Rookie of Year
November 6, 1995 Art Modell officially announces Cleveland Browns are moving to Balt
November 6, 1995 Israel buries Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated by a fellow Jew who opposed peace with Palestinians
November 6, 1994 24th New York City Women's Marathon won by Tegla Loroupe in 2:27:37
November 6, 1994 25th New York City Marathon won by German Silva in 2:11:21
November 6, 1994 Emomali Rachmonov recognized as president of Tadzjikistan
November 6, 1994 Woo-Soon Ko wins LPGA Toray Japan Queens Golf Cup
November 6, 1993 Actress Allison Angrim (32) weds Robert Schoonover (44)
November 6, 1993 Evander Holyfield beats Riddick Bowe in 12 for heavywgt boxing title
November 6, 1993 Horse Racing Breeders' Cup Champs: Arcangues, Brocco, Cardmania, Hollywood Wildcat, Kotashaan, Lure, Phone Chatter
November 6, 1991 "Moscow Circus Cirk Valentin" opens at Gershwin New York City for 32 performances
November 6, 1991 Grand duke Vladimir Kirillovitsj returns to St. Petersburg
November 6, 1991 Keck II, biggest telescope in use at Mauna Kea Hawaii
November 6, 1991 Maximus 2.0 BBS released
November 6, 1991 Robert M. Gates, becomes 15th director of CIA
November 6, 1991 Russian president Yeltsin outlaws Communist Party
November 6, 1990 Arsenio Hall gets a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame
November 6, 1990 Braves Dave Justice wins NL Rookie of Year
November 6, 1990 Fire destroys some of Universal Studio's stages
November 6, 1990 Guam Republican governor Joseph Ada re-elected
November 6, 1988 18th New York City Women's Marathon won by Grete Waitz in 2:28:07
November 6, 1988 19th New York City Marathon won by Steve Jones in 2:08:20
November 6, 1988 Japan and MLB all stars played to a 6-6 draw (Game 2 of 7)
November 6, 1988 Patty Sheehan wins LPGA Mazda Japan Golf Classic
November 6, 1988 Steve Jones wins New York men's marathon; Grete Waitz 9th women's title
November 6, 1987 Roger Clemens wins consecutive Cy Young Awards
November 6, 1986 Houston's Mike Scott (18-10) wins NL Cy Young
November 6, 1986 Reagan signs landmark immigration reform bill
November 6, 1986 Rev Donald Wildmon begins a campaign against Howard Stern
November 6, 1985 22nd Space Shuttle Mission (61A) -Challenger 9- lands at Edwards AFB
November 6, 1985 Exploratory well at Ranger Tx, explodes spilling 6.3 m gallons of oil
November 6, 1985 M-19 guerrilla's occupies Palace of Justice Bogota Colombia
November 6, 1985 Space shuttle Challenger lands at Edwards AFB California
November 6, 1984 President Reagan (R) landslide (won 49 states) re-election over Mondale (D)
November 6, 1984 Willie Hernandez wins AL MVP Award
November 6, 1983 Chako Higuchi wins LPGA Sports Nippon Team Match Golf Tournament
November 6, 1983 Discovery transported to Vandenberg AFB, California
November 6, 1983 Tor Bay Buccaneers James Wilder rushes for 219 yards vs Minnesota Vikings
November 6, 1983 Turkey Turgut zals Moederland party wins elections
November 6, 1982 Joe Altobelli succeeds Earl Weaver as Oriole manager
November 6, 1981 Fernando Valenzuela is 1st rookie to win a Cy Young Award
November 6, 1981 Larry Holmes TKOs Renaldo Snipes in 11 for heavyweight boxing title
November 6, 1979 Ayatolla Khomeini takes over in Iran
November 6, 1978 Iranian general Gholan Reza Azhari forms government
November 6, 1978 Shah of Iran places Iran under military rule
November 6, 1977 "Hair" closes at Biltmore Theater New York City after 43 performances
November 6, 1977 1st Emmy Sports Award presentation
November 6, 1977 39 killed in an earthen dam burst at Toccoa Falls Bible College, Ga
November 6, 1976 Benjamin Hooks, succeeds Roy Wilkins as executive director of NAACP
November 6, 1976 Former Twins relief ace Bill Campbell is 1st free-agent to sign with a new team, joining the Red Sox for $1 million over 4 years
November 6, 1975 "Hello, Dolly" opens at Minskoff Theater New York City for 51 performances
November 6, 1975 1st appearance of Sex Pistols
November 6, 1974 Dodger Mike Marshall is 1st relief pitcher to win Cy Young Award
November 6, 1973 Abe Beame eleceted 1st Jewish mayor on New York City
November 6, 1973 Coleman Young elected mayor of Detroit
November 6, 1971 "Great Harp" closes at Martin Beck Theater New York City after 7 performances
November 6, 1971 U.S. performs underground nuclear test at Amchitka Island Aleutians
November 6, 1970 Boog Powell wins AL MVP
November 6, 1970 Twins Jim Perry wins AL Cy Young Award
November 6, 1969 1st Cy Young Award tie (Mike Cuellar, Balt and Denny McLain, Det)
November 6, 1968 Nixon elected 37th President of U.S., defeating Hubert Humphrey
November 6, 1968 Students of San Francisco State Counsel go on strike
November 6, 1967 Bridge at Annabaai crashes on Willemstad, Curaeao, kills 15
November 6, 1967 U.S. launches Surveyor 6; makes soft landing on Moon Nov 9
November 6, 1966 1st entire lineup televised in color (NBC)
November 6, 1966 Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Amarillo Ladies' Golf Open
November 6, 1966 Lunar Orbiter 2 launched
November 6, 1964 WEIQ TV channel 42 in Mobile, AL (PBS) begins broadcasting
November 6, 1962 BART bond issue just gets by with a 66.9% favorable vote
November 6, 1962 Edward M. Kennedy 1st elected Senator
November 6, 1962 Edward W Brooke (R) elected attorney general of Massachusetts
November 6, 1962 Nixon tells press he won't be available to kick around any more
November 6, 1962 Saudi Arabia proclaims abolishing slavery
November 6, 1962 U.N. General Assembly adopts resolution condemning South Africa
November 6, 1961 U.S. government issues a stamp honoring 100th birthday of James Naismith
November 6, 1958 AL announces that Kansas City will play AL record 52 night games in 1959
November 6, 1958 Belgium government of Eyskens and Lilar forms
November 6, 1958 Wilber Snyder beats V Gagne in Omaha, to become NWA wrestling champ
November 6, 1957 "Rumple" opens at Alvin Theater New York City for 45 performances
November 6, 1957 Felix Gaillard becomes premier of France
November 6, 1956 Holland and Spain withdraw from Olympics, protest Soviets in Hungary
November 6, 1956 President Eisenhower (R) re-elected defeating Adlai E. Stevenson (D)
November 6, 1955 11th Ryder Cup: U.S., 8-4 at Thunderbird Ranch and CC California
November 6, 1955 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk U.S.S.R.
November 6, 1953 French National Meeting grants Saarland more autonomy
November 6, 1953 Jimmy Dykes succeeds Marty Marion as manager of Baltimore Orioles
November 6, 1953 Masao Oki's symphony "Atomic Bomb," premieres
November 6, 1952 Dmitri Sjostakovitch's cantata "About our Fatherland," premieres
November 6, 1950 Branch Rickey signs 5-yr contract as VP/GM of Pittsburgh Pirates
November 6, 1950 Chinese offensive halts at Chongchon River, North Korea
November 6, 1950 King Tribhuvana of Nepal flees to India
November 6, 1949 Greeks civil war ends
November 6, 1945 HUAC begins investigation of 7 radio commentators
November 6, 1943 Russian troops land on Kertsj peninsula
November 6, 1943 Soviet forces reconquer Kiev
November 6, 1943 Stalin says: "The issue of German fascism is lost"
November 6, 1942 Nazis execute 12,000 Minsk ghetto Jews
November 6, 1942 Sukarno and Mohammed Hatta finds Ampat Serangkai
November 6, 1941 Einsatz group kills 15,000 Jews of Rovno Ukraine
November 6, 1941 Japanese fleet readies assault on Pearl Harbor
November 6, 1941 USA lends Soviet Union $1 million
November 6, 1940 Franklin D. Roosevelt re-elected president
November 6, 1939 WGY-TV (Schenectady, New York), 1st coml TV station, begins service
November 6, 1939 WRGB TV channel 6 in Schenectady-Alby-Troy, New York (CBS) 1st broadcast
November 6, 1938 3 DiMaggio brothers play together for 1st time, charity all star game
November 6, 1936 RCA displays TV for press
November 6, 1936 Terence Rattigans "French Without Tears," premieres in London
November 6, 1935 1st test flight of British Hurricane aircraft
November 6, 1935 English prince Henry (under George V) weds Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott
November 6, 1935 Maiden flight by Canada's Hawker Hurricane military plane
November 6, 1934 NFL Philadelphia Eagles beat Cincinnati Reds 64-0
November 6, 1932 German election - KPD defeats NSDAP
November 6, 1928 Clevelanders vote to build a stadium with city bonds
November 6, 1928 Herbert Hoover (R) beats Alfred E Smith (D) for pres
November 6, 1928 Jacob Schick patents 1st electric razor
November 6, 1924 Stanley Baldwin becomes PM of England
November 6, 1923 Col Jacob Schick patents 1st electric shaver
November 6, 1923 U.S.S.R. adopts experimental calendar, with 5-day "weeks"
November 6, 1922 King George V proclaims Irish Free state
November 6, 1919 1st Dutch radio program: Soiree Musicale with "Turf in you(r) ransel"
November 6, 1918 Republic of Poland proclaimed
November 6, 1918 Supreme commander of the army Gen Cutters resigns
November 6, 1917 Bolshevik revolution begins with capture of Winter Palace
November 6, 1917 New York state allows women to vote
November 6, 1915 1st military flight in Netherlands East Indies (Tandjong Priok)
November 6, 1915 Sophokles Skouloudis forms Greek government
November 6, 1913 Mohandas K. Gandhi arrested for leading Indian miners march in South Africa
November 6, 1911 Francisco Madeiro inaugurated president of Mexico
November 6, 1910 SDAP/NVV initiate campaign for general males/female suffrage
November 6, 1908 Leonid Andreyevs "Dui Nashey Zhizni," premieres in St. Petersburg
November 6, 1906 Charles Evans Hughes (R) elected New York Governor beats William Randolph Hearst
November 6, 1903 USA recognizea independence of Panama
November 6, 1900 Battle at Bothaville: gen-mjr Charles Knox beats Boers
November 6, 1900 President William McKinley (R) re-elected, beating William Jennings Bryan
November 6, 1897 Peter Pan opens in New York at Empire Theater
November 6, 1888 Benjamin Harrison (R-Sen-Ind) beats President Grover Cleveland (D), 233 electoral votes to 168, Cleveland received slightly more votes
November 6, 1885 U.S. Mint at Carson City, Nevada directed to close
November 6, 1884 British protectorate proclaimed over southeast New Guinea
November 6, 1884 Montreal Foot Ball Club (QFRU) defeats Toronto Argonauts (ORFU) 30-0 in 1st CRFU Championship game
November 6, 1883 NYAC organizes 1st American cross-country championship race
November 6, 1879 Canada celebrates 1st Thanksgiving Day
November 6, 1878 Henrik Ibsens "Samfundets Stotter," premieres in Oslo
November 6, 1871 Cameroon reaches coast of Angola after trip through Africa
November 6, 1871 President Grant re-elected
November 6, 1869 1st intercollegiate football (soccer) game (Rutgers 6, Princeton 4)
November 6, 1865 Maastricht-Venlo railway in Netherlands opens
November 6, 1864 Battle of Droop Mountain, WV (Averell's Raid)
November 6, 1862 NY-SF direct telegraphic link forms
November 6, 1861 Jefferson Davis elected to 6 year term as Confederate pres
November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln (Rep-R-Ill) elected 16th pres
November 6, 1850 1st Hawaiian fire engine
November 6, 1850 Yerba Buena and Angel Islands (SF Bay) reserved for military use
November 6, 1844 Spain grants Dominican Rep independence
November 6, 1813 Chilpancingo congress declares Mexico independent of Spain
November 6, 1792 Battle at Jemappes: French army beats Ausrtrians
November 6, 1676 King Carlos II of Spain becomes of age (at 15)
November 6, 1657 Brandenburg and Poland sign unity of Bromberg
November 6, 1632 Battle at Lutzen: Swedish/Saxon army beats imperial armies
November 6, 1572 Supernova is observed in constellation known as Cassiopeia
November 6, 1534 Zealand hit by heavy storm
November 6, 1153 Treaty of Wallingford signed
November 6, 355 Emperor Constantine II crowns cousin Julianus keizer of Britain

November 6th - Famous Birthdays

November 6, 1978 Nicole Dubuc, actress, Robin-Major Dad
November 6, 1976 Laurie Baker, ice hockey forward, USA, Oly-gold-98
November 6, 1975 Mike Maurer, CFL fullback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
November 6, 1973 Taje Allen, kicker for the St. Louis Rams
November 6, 1972 Anthony Brown, NFL tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals
November 6, 1972 Vicki Movessian, ice hockey defenseman, USA, 1998 Olympics
November 6, 1971 Derrick Alexander, NFL wide receiver, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens
November 6, 1970 Eric Mueller, born in Kansas City, Missouri, rower, Olympics-silver-1996
November 6, 1970 Ethan Hawke, born in Austin, Texas, actor, Dad, Dead Poets Society, Explorers
November 6, 1970 Maa Tanuvasa, NFL defensive tackle, Denver Broncos-Superbowl 32
November 6, 1970 Patrick Burke, CFL cornerback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders
November 6, 1970 Rich Braham, tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals
November 6, 1969 Bryan Abrams, Oklahoma City, singer, Color Me Badd-I Want to Sex You Up
November 6, 1969 Don Wengert, Sioux City, Iowa, pitcher for the Oakland A's
November 6, 1968 Alfred Williams, NFL defensive end, San Francisco 49ers, Broncos-Superbowl 32
November 6, 1968 Chad Curtis, Marion, Indiana, outfielder, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers
November 6, 1968 Edward Linskens, soccer player, PSV
November 6, 1968 Kelly Rutherford, Elizabethtown Kentucky, actress, Generations
November 6, 1968 Vlast Plavucha, hockey forward, Team Slovakia 1998
November 6, 1967 Dennis Brown, NFL defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers
November 6, 1967 Jackie Auzias de Turenne, Seattle, WPVA volleyballer, Natl-17th-1995
November 6, 1967 Jana McCoy, Portales, New Mexico, Miss NM-America 1991
November 6, 1967 Rebecca Schaeffer, Eugene Oregon, actress, Patti-My Sister Sam
November 6, 1967 Shuzo Matsuoka, Tokyo, Japan, tennis star, 1995 USTA/Binghampton
November 6, 1966 Lisa Fuller, born in Los Angeles, California, actress, Dawn-General Hospital
November 6, 1966 Peter DeLuise, born in Hollywood, California, actor, 21 Jump Street, seaQuest DSV
November 6, 1965 Brian Givens, Lompoc California, pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers
November 6, 1965 Robert Oberrrauch, hockey defenseman, Team Italy 1998
November 6, 1964 Erik Kramer, NFL quarterback for the Chicago Bears
November 6, 1963 Jean-Marc Chouinard, born in Montreal, Quebec, epee 1996 Olympics
November 6, 1962 Lori Singer, Corpus Christi Texas, actress, Fame, V, Footloose
November 6, 1960 Lance Kerwin, born in Newport Beach, California, James at 15, The Loneliest Runner
November 6, 1959 Teri Peterson, Santa Monica Cal, playmate, July, 1980
November 6, 1956 Graeme Wood, cricketer, Australian lefty opening batsman 1978-88
November 6, 1955 Maria Shriver, newscaster, Sunday Today
November 6, 1954 Catherine Crier
November 6, 1951 Samuel Robert Herring, born 3 months premature, weighed 2 lbs. at birth, then fell to 1 lb. (think 4 sticks of butter). Paterson, NJ General Hospital (Paterson is home of Lou Costello)
November 6, 1950 Ernest Thompson, Bellows Fall Vt, actor, Sierra, Westside Medical
November 6, 1949 Brad Davis, Tallahassee, Florida, actor, Roots, Chiefs, Midnight Express
November 6, 1949 Nigel Havers, English actor, Dr. Latimer-Don't Wait Up
November 6, 1948 Glenn Frey, born in Detroit, Michigan, rock vocalist, Eagles-Take it Easy
November 6, 1947 Doug Young, rocker, Flash In The Pan
November 6, 1947 Edward Yang, director, Tewrrorizers
November 6, 1947 George Lawrence James, New Jersey, 4X400m relayer, 1968 Olympics gold
November 6, 1947 George Young, born in Glasgow, Scotland, rock guitarist, Easybeats
November 6, 1947 Jack Arnold, character on Wonder Years
November 6, 1947 John Wilson, rock drummer, Them
November 6, 1946 Sally Field, born in Pasadena, California, we really like her, Gidget, Flying Nun
November 6, 1945 Robert J Mrazek, Rep-D-NY, 1983-
November 6, 1944 Bill Henderson, Vancouver BC, rock vocalist and guitarist, Chilliwack
November 6, 1943 Michael Schwerner, civil rights worker, murdered in 1964
November 6, 1941 Doug Sahm, born in San Antonio, Texas, country singer, Texas Tornadoes-Dinero
November 6, 1941 Guy Clark, Rockport, Texas, country singer, Heartbroke
November 6, 1941 James Bowman, English contratenor
November 6, 1938 P J Proby, [James Marcus Smith], born in Houston, Texas, rocker
November 6, 1937 Bas de Gaay Fortman, Dutch MP, PPR
November 6, 1937 Edwin Roxburgh, composer
November 6, 1936 David Ward-Steinman, composer
November 6, 1936 K Schippers, [Gerard Stigter], Dutch author
November 6, 1936 Mikhail Vladimirovich Sologub, Russian cosmonaut
November 6, 1933 Joseph Pope, U.S. singer, Hey Girl Don't Bother Me
November 6, 1933 Knut Johannesen, Norway, 5K/10K speed skater 1964 Olympic gold
November 6, 1932 Don King, fight promoter, Mike Tyson
November 6, 1932 Stonewall Jackson, rocker
November 6, 1931 Mike Nichols, [Peschowsky], director, Catch 22, Biloxi Blues
November 6, 1931 Tsvetan Tsvetanov, composer
November 6, 1930 Raymond Baervoets, Belgian composer, Metamorphoses
November 6, 1928 Peter Matz, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, orch leader, Hullabaloo, Carol Burnette Show
November 6, 1926 Brian Abel-Smith, professor of Social Adminstration
November 6, 1925 Dirk de Vroome, [Red Giant], SS'er
November 6, 1923 Aleksandra Chudina, U.S.S.R., track jumper, Olympic-2 silver-1952
November 6, 1923 Clay Jones, gardener
November 6, 1923 Renato Capecchi, Italian violinist and baritone
November 6, 1922 Lars Edlund, composer
November 6, 1921 Geoff Rabone, cricketer, gifted all-rounder for NZ in 1950's
November 6, 1921 James Jones, Robinson, Illinois, novelist, From Here to Eternity
November 6, 1920 John Smith, CEO, Liverpool FC
November 6, 1919 Alan Lisette, cricketer, NZ slow left-armer vs West Indies 1956
November 6, 1918 Ronnie Brody, England, actor, Superman 3, What's Up Nurse, Ritz
November 6, 1916 Ray Conniff, Attleboro, Massachusetts, chorus director, Ray Conniff Singers
November 6, 1914 Jonathan Harris, actor, Dr. Zachary Smith-Lost in Space
November 6, 1910 Arthur Cohn, composer
November 6, 1909 Heinz Rottger, composer
November 6, 1909 Henk Bijvanck, composer
November 6, 1908 Fanny Leys, Flemish author, Ontwijding
November 6, 1906 Francis Lederer, Prague Czechoslovakia, actor, Diary of a Chambermaid
November 6, 1904 Selena Royale, New York City, actress, Date With Judy, Misleading Lady
November 6, 1901 Juanita Hall, Keyport, New Jersey, actress, Capt Billy
November 6, 1896 Jim Jordan, Peoria, Illinois, radio comedian, Fibber McGee
November 6, 1893 August Defresne, Dutch playwright/director, Uninhabited Island
November 6, 1892 John Alcock, English pilot, 1st non-stop flight across Atlantic Ocean
November 6, 1892 John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen, Wabash, Indiana, comedian, Olsen and Johnson
November 6, 1892 Harold Ross, American Editor
November 6, 1887 Walter Johnson, Kansas, Washington Senator pitcher, 1907-27, 414-218
November 6, 1885 Emiel Poetou, Flemish sculptor
November 6, 1884 Ludomir Rozycki, Polish composer and conductor, Meduza, Eros i Psyche
November 6, 1883 Hubert Bath, composer
November 6, 1880 Robert [Edler von] Musil, Austrian author, Young Torless
November 6, 1879 Eugen Varga, Hungarian/Russian economist/politician
November 6, 1878 Ernest Irving, composer
November 6, 1875 Pompeo Aloisi, Italian baron/diplomat/senator
November 6, 1867 Marie Bregendahl, Danish author, Holger Hauge og hans Hustru
November 6, 1861 James A Naismith, inventor, basketball
November 6, 1860 Ignace Jan Paderewski, Kurylowka Poland, composer/pianist/patriot
November 6, 1856 Nicholas Nikolajevitsj, ruler of Russia
November 6, 1855 Eduard Yosif Kotek, composer
November 6, 1854 John Philip Sousa, Washington D.C., march king, Stars and Stripes Forever
November 6, 1851 Charles H Dow, co-founded Dow Jones/1st editor of Wall St. Journal
November 6, 1838 John Grant Mitchell, Bvt Mjr General Union volunteers, died in 1894
November 6, 1836 Francis Ellingwood Abbot, Boston, theologian, Scientific Theism
November 6, 1833 Jonas LI Lie, Norwegian writer, Kommandorens dottre, Gaa paa
November 6, 1832 Joseph Smith, son of founder of Mormonism
November 6, 1822 Gordon Granger, Major General Union volunteers, died in 1876
November 6, 1818 Pavel Melnikov, Russian historian/author, V Lesach
November 6, 1814 Adolphe Sax, Belgium, musician/inventor, saxophone
November 6, 1800 Eduard Grell, composer
November 6, 1796 George Back, English sea officer/explorer, North Canada
November 6, 1779 Michal Bogdanowicz, composer
November 6, 1771 Alois Senefelder, inventor, lithography
November 6, 1757 Louis-Abet Deffroy de Reigny, composer
November 6, 1754 Frederik I W K, 1st king of Wurttemberg, 1806-16
November 6, 1753 Jean-Baptiste Sebastien Breval, composer
November 6, 1746 Absalom Jones, Delaware, born into slavery
November 6, 1671 Colley Cibber, England, dramatist/poet laureate, Love's Last Shift
November 6, 1661 Charles II, last Habsburg king of Spain, 1665-1700
November 6, 1659 Theodor Schwartzkopff, composer
November 6, 1613 Luis de Garay, composer
November 6, 1607 Sigmund Theophil Staden, composer
November 6, 1566 Julien Perrichon, composer
November 6, 1558 Thomas Kyd, English dramatist, Spanish Tragedy
November 6, 1494 Sulayman I, the Great, sultan of Turkey, 1520-66
November 6, 1479 Johanna, the Insane, Queen of Castilie, 1504-20

Politics as Usual, or Fresh Start?

Let's get behind President-elect Obama for the sake of America's future.

After a grueling 22 month Presidential campaign, there's no time for President elect Obama to bask in the sunlight, as he starts to tackle America's mounting problems.

The day he takes office, President Obama will be confronted with a dizzying set of challenges and decisions -- 1) stabilizing the economy, 2) re-prioritizing Pentagon's military budget, 3) keeping Iran's nuclear ambitions in check, 4) confronting the Taliban's terrorism in Pakistan, 5) setting an exit strategy for Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 5) determining whether Petraeus's current Iraq strategy could also work in Afghanistan, 6) rebalancing the Federal budget, 7) creating jobs, 8) restoring the middle class, 9) providing stimulative tax cuts, 10) changing health care so all Americans have coverage, and, 11) restoring America's leadership image through the world through diplomacy and military force.

One thing is for sure -- President Obama won't have much time until he needs to make critical decisions.

As a country, we need to avoid partisan politics and distractions that would take his team's collective eye off the ball, for even a second.

It's time to heal wounds and fix the deep fissures carried over from one of America's most inept and corrupt administrations.

Let's get to work. Every day counts. We "hired" him for his intelligence and leadership. Let's put America's interest ahead of party rancor and power politics.