Monday

334 days so far this year…31 days remain in 2009
25 shopping days remain until Christmas
***Provocative Quote***
"To get ahead and stay ahead, use your head." ~unknown

***Free Ramblings***
OMG, I went to bed with snow just starting to stick to the ground. Got up this morning, and it was still there. What a great site. The huge Ponderosa just outside second floor my bedroom had snow on every branch. The bird feeders also had snow on them. We only got about an inch that stuck here, but it was enough to set the mood. The day stayed fairly cool—only got to 35°--and that was enough to melt the snow on the sidewalk and street, but left some still on the ground. We may get a little more snow tonight. I’m sure the ‘big one’ is waiting until I’m ready to head for Chicago. I do enjoy the snow, and did throw a few wet snowballs today—at trees. I tried to start some snowball fights with my Facebook friends, but alas, they didn’t throw any back.

I worked on a couple of movies of my trip to Africa. I still haven’t gotten a real theme. We did so much, saw so much, and had such a variety of experiences; it is hard to compile them. I did get some good hippo videos—both in the water and out of the water. We were always in a boat when we saw them, and I was reminded how hard they are to see when they are under water. I’m glad our small boats had a good operator or I might not be writing this. When the hippo heads stick up, you still don’t see their bodies right away. We saw some out of water which is very unusual during daylight. Their thick skin is very sensitive and burns easily. So they usually stay in the water during daylight and eat their grass at night. We saw one group about 9 in the morning, another group about 4 in the afternoon. They are such a fascinating animal. An adult weighs between 1.5 and 3.5 tons. They can outrun man. This ‘river horse’ is one of the most aggressive animals on earth and considered the most ferocious in Africa. It is also the third largest land animal—just behind the elephant and rhino. Strange it isn’t one of the Big 5 or that Africa advertizes the Big 6.
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± Good New from Values.com
A Devon, PA girl determined to make a difference in the fight against cancer after losing her grandfather has received a prestigious award for her efforts.
Fourteen-year-old Carly Houlahan and her sister Molly turned to bees to raise money for cancer research. And that's how "Hives for Lives" was born:
"We have been bee keepers since we were about 5 and 7. My grandmother taught us all we know. Basically we were sitting around and they told us they had extra honey. Molly suggested we sell it for charity and I said ‘How about cancer?’"
So the girls went door to door selling the honey. Their effort grew the following year with a 1,000 pound donation of honey. They formed their own company and to date have raised $150,000. They have local "helper bees” who help supply honey all over the country:
"Kids really can do anything. It sounds a little cheesy but they really can!"
She received a $3,000 college scholarship in Guardian's 2009 "Going Places" Entrepreneurship Award

± Unusual News
MADISON, Wis. - A Wisconsin man created the world's tallest gingerbread man, standing 26 feet tall, as part of a cookie decorating event at a mall. Mary Beth Collins, the executive director of Dane County Court Appointed Special Advocates, said Dave Bowden of Market Street Diner created the gingerbread man as part of the "Gingerbread Cookie Factory" fundraiser at the Hilldale Mall in Madison, WISC-TV, Madison, reported. "This was a goal he had," Collins said. "To create the world's tallest gingerbread man. So Dane County CASA approached him to see if he would do it, and he agreed, and here we are today." The cookie factory, which will be open the first three Saturdays in December, will allow children to decorate their own gingerbread cookies to raise funds for CASA, which advocates for children in abusive situations.

± Random Fact
The amount of oxygen produced by an acre of trees per year equals the amount consumed by 18 people annually. One tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year.
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§ November Month Long Observances
Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month ~ American Diabetes Month ~ American Indian Heritage Month ~ Lung Cancer Awareness Month ~ Military Family Appreciation Month ~ National Adoption Month ~ National Homeless Youth Awareness Month ~ National Inspirational Role Models Month ~ National Novel Writing Month ~ Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month ~ Transgender Awareness Month ~ Vegan Month

§ Week of 24 November
Church / State Separation Week

§ 26 NOV Observances
Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day
Computer Security Day
Cyber-Monday for internet shoppers
National Meth Awareness Day

-Barbados : Independence Day from Britain (1966)
-Benin, West Africa : National Day (1975)
-Philippines : Bonifacio Day/Heroes' Day (1863)
-Yemen PDR : Independence Day From Britain (1967)
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~ Holy Mackerel: On this day in 2004…Ken Jennings after a run of 75 appearances is finally beaten on the TV quiz show Jeopardy!, walking away with the largest game show prize in TV history winning over 2.5 million dollars.

BIRTHS ON THIS DAY
~ The Arts
Samuel Clemens [Mark Twain] in 1835 author
Robert Guillaume in 1927 actor (Benson, Soap)
Billy Idol [William Broad] in 1955 rocker (White Wedding)
Mandy Patinkin in 1952 actor/singer
Paul Stookey in 1937 singer (Peter, Paul & Mary 1950
Jonathan Swift in 1667 satirist (Gulliver's Travels)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr in 1923 actor (77 Sunset Strip)

~Athletics
Bo (Vincent Edward) Jackson in 1962 baseball/football player (Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Raiders)
Bill Walsh in 1931 Pro Football Hall of Famer
Paul Westphal in 1950 NBA guard (Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns)

~Business / Education / Politics
Shirley Chisholm (D-Rep-NY) in 1924 1st black congresswoman
Sir Winston Churchill in 1874 British PM
Abbie Hoffman in 1936 Yippie/activist/author
G Gordon Liddy in 1930 Watergate felon, radio talk-show host
Oliver Fisher Winchester in 1810 rifle maker (Winchester)

~Science / Religion
Henry Taube in 1915 chemist (Nobel 1983)

In Remembrance~
Cleopatra Egyptian queen commits suicide @ 39
Oscar Wilde Irish author meningitis @ 46
Zeppo (Herbert Manfred) Marx @ 78
Norman Cousins editor (Saturday Review), @ 75
Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury) singer with the falsetto warble and ukulele ("Tiptoe Through the Tulips" heart attack @ 64
Evel Knieval daredevil @ 69

Historical Events on this day
1782…Britain signs agreement recognizing US independence
1803…Spain cedes her claims to Louisiana Territory to France
1804…Impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase begins
1886…1st commercially successful AC electric power plant opens, Buffalo

1940 …Lucille Ball and Cuban musician Desi Arnaz were married.
1979…Ted Koppel becomes anchor of nightly news on Iranian Hostages (ABC)
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§ Whitewash
Complete the following words or expressions featuring the color 'white'.

1. Emblem of the House of York
2. A dense blizzard
3. Drain a person or country of wealth
4. Cover up a misdemeanor
5. A worker in tin
6. Kahlua, Vodka and Light Cream or Milk ian
7. Chicago baseball team
8. Phone book with residential listings
9. Broadway
10. Carcharodon carcharias
11. Pinot Chardonnay
12. A wave blown by the wind so its crest is broken
13. The edible young of herrings and sprats and smelts
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ANSWERS
1. Emblem of the House of York: white rose
2. A dense blizzard: whiteout
3. Drain a person or country of wealth: bleed white
4. Cover up a misdemeanor: whitewash
5. A worker in tin: whitesmith
6. Kahlua, Vodka and Light Cream or Milk: White Russian
7. Chicago baseball team: White Sox
8. Phone book with residential listings: White Pages
9. Broadway: the Great White Way
10. Carcharodon carcharias: Great White Shark
11. Pinot Chardonnay: white wine
12. A wave blown by the wind so its crest is broken: whitecap
13. The edible young of herrings and sprats and smelts: whitebait