The Tonight Show - No Leno? 'WTF'

Admittedly.Conan O`Brien's first few nights taking over from Jay Leno suggested it may take some time for him [and viewers ] to adjust to the change in scale.Over the years he seems to have tailored himself into something as minimalist as a Pixar cartoon character--white skin,long angles,that flame of hair shooting up--and yet he comes before us on a surprisingly sumptuous deco set.You don't expect to see an up-to-minute comedian delivering his monologue before a pretty scrim of frosted glass. But O`Brien humor,ridiculous and genial, has survived the move from New York.It's hard not to like a man who says the one star people in Hollywood mistake him for is Tilda Swinton. He also did a great bit about celebrities using twitter and knocked guest Tom Hanks over like a meteor. As for the chortling amiability of Leno--who ,in a weird programming experiment, returns to prime time in September. Do you miss Leno?..My take on this: Conan O`Brien you have some big shoes to fill....NBC, week nights. 11:35 pm ET/PT, and the show has 4 stars,' See ya there'.

Top Ten Reasons to Protect Canada's Arctic Territories

The Arctic is changing at a drastic rate. Thought to be too inhospitable to conquer and exploit, the world has been happy to let Canada keep its northern territories. There was a time when only the Inuit and U.S. Military were interested in living up there. However, as global climate change transforms the face of our Arctic, the area is becoming an increasingly attractive new theatre for industrial development. Rich with natural resources and blessed with huge expanses of untapped land, the Canadian Arctic is now on the radar of numerous nations. No longer are we politely battling with only the Danes, Norwegians and Russians over our claims in the Arctic, but we must now keep an eye on other countries with no historical stake in the north. The world thinks it will just be able to push Canada aside when the time comes, take our stuff and we’ll apologize for being in the way. Well, hell no. The time is nigh that we defend our north, draw a line in the tundra and say: “Back up world.”

No.10 - To keep the bad guys out
The Canadian Arctic coastline is a 156,029-kilometre open gateway into the country. Climate change has made it much easier to access, and as a result we’re getting all sorts of undesirables testing the fence. In 2007, a Norwegian sailboat illegally entered Canadian waters carrying a suspected affiliate of the Norwegian Hells Angels. The following year, the RCMP nabbed a suspected human smuggler/drug trafficker as he attempted to enter Canada through Grise Fiord, Nunavut. The last thing we want is a bunch of marauding bikers and drug smugglers tearing up the Great White North.

No.9 - To protect Aboriginal communities
The northern First Nations are hard people, there’s no doubt about that. The decedents of whalers and caribou hunters, they don’t need the help of us lily-white southerners to survive up there. However, they may need us to fend off the dangers they face due to globalization. The Canadian Government can hardly pride itself on how it has treated our native people. However, we have recently made efforts in helping them preserve their culture, like the Canadian Senate voting unanimously for the Inuit Language Protection Act and the Governor General throwing her political weight behind the seal hunt.

Next No.8 - It will get polluted
As Canadians, we have to be conscious of the need for our environmental security. The Arctic is the natural dumping zone for a lot of the world’s toxins. Pollutants from as far away as India and the Philippines are poisoning our northern communities. Pesticides and fertilizers used in developing countries evaporate into the atmosphere and are carried north. There, these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) find a home in the fat of animals, which is a staple of the Inuit diet. As a result, our northern aboriginal populations are being poisoned. As Canadians, we’ve already taken steps to protect Arctic waters from waste dumping, now it’s time to kick some diplomatic ass and get these airborne POPs globally outlawed.

No.7 - So we can still see the northern lights
The northern lights, polar lights or aurora borealis, regardless of what name you call them by, these natural displays of colour are awe inspiring. The Cree call them the “Dance of the Spirits,” and though the northern lights can sometimes be seen south of 60˚, they mainly hold court in the Arctic. That is until they pave paradise and put up a parking lot. As more people migrate north, amenities will follow and before long light pollution will obscure and erase the northern lights from sight. A dystopic future brought to you by 7-Eleven.

No.6 - To protect wildlife
Sovereignty of our Arctic is essential in protecting the region’s wildlife. There are a number of Arctic species that are classified as threatened or endangered, including the Bowhead Whale and the Peary Caribou. The polar bear is at risk of being the first species to become endangered as a result of global warming. With Arctic sovereignty, Canada can pass legislation that can protect at-risk species, just as we did with the muskoxen population of Quebec.

No.5 - There are a lot of diamonds in the Arctic
Diamond deposits were discovered in the Northwest Territory in 1991. In the 18 years that have followed, Canada has grown to be the third largest diamond supplier in the world, behind Botswana and Russia. Our stones account for 15% of the world’s diamond supply. Unlike the conflict diamonds, or “blood diamonds,” of Sierra Leone and Angola, Canadian diamonds are seen as clean, guilt-free stones, making them all the more precious. This resource is not only important for the money it generates, but also for the money its industry invests into northern regions -- the Snap Lake Diamond Project alone invested $861.3 million into regional contractors and
suppliers.

No.4 - There is a lot of oil in the Arctic
There is an increasing global interest in the energy resources found in the Arctic. Some estimate that as much as 25% of the world's oil and natural gas could potentially reside offshore of Canada, Greenland and Alaska. The world is looking more closely at the industrial development of the region. South Korea has begun investing in icebreakers for their navy, while China and seven other non-Arctic countries have observer status on the Arctic Council, all keen to have their input on the region’s affairs. Canada must now take this time to shore up our claims in the north and define for the world where our sovereignty in the area begins and ends.

No.3 - So the Canadian Rangers can keep kicking ass
Canada’s own Minutemen, the Canadian Rangers, are our first, last and best line of defense in the remote Arctic. Don’t be fooled by their red sweatshirts and ball caps, these guys are badass. The Rangers are a reservist’s military presence in the north; 4,200 strong, the force is made up of mainly First Nations and Inuit volunteers. Their primary duties are to survey the coast and alert the Canadian Forces of any unlawful presence off our shores. They also provide regional expertise and guidance, as well as aid in search and rescue missions. Most Canadians aren’t aware that these guys exist, but they’ve been protecting our northern coastline for nearly 60 years.

No.2 - To assert our authority over the Northwest Passage
We say it’s ours, Europe and the States say it’s international waters -- the Northwest Passage is a key piece of the Arctic that we as a country need sovereignty over. As its ice coverage diminishes and the trading season gets longer each year, the Passage is becoming an increasingly important trade route between Asia and Europe and the Eastern United States. Sovereignty over the Passage means that Canada can establish an international shipping regime in the region that would protect our interests. Having a regime for all ships using the route means that we could protect the region’s environment, increase its security by keeping unwanted people or things out, and ensure that local communities profit from the increased international trading moving through the area.

No.1 - Because we're not going to get pushed around by a bunch of Scandinavians
We’re not going to let any pickled fish-eating, fermented milk-drinking, Viking-loving Scandinavians take over our beloved Arctic. First we had the Danes trying to claim Hans Island. Don’t let the name fool you, this 1.3-square-kilometre piece of rock in the middle of the Kennedy Channel is all Canuck -- we don’t give a damn what the latest satellite images might show. And as for the fishermen from Greenland and the Faeroes Islands coming into our waters and illegally taking our fish, they should knock it off, ask through diplomatic channels if they may have certain limited rights to fish there.We're not an unreasonable people and we will share within acceptable bounds.Please World 'BACK UP OR BACK OFF'.

http://ca.askmen.com/

"The Real Story"

Fighting back against rumors they're splitting , Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie say they are going strong.Well, which are rumors and which is reality?

Finally,evidence that things have gotten really messy between Brad and Angie:On June the 5th Brad showed up on the Long Island set of Angie's thriller "Salt" for a belated celebration--she turned 34 the day before.After joining the crew in a chours of "Happy Birthday" Brad took one of the little birthday cakes and smushed it into Angie's face, says a source. It was really funny. Two days later, the pair were by each other's side again at "Salt's" New York City wrap party, says the source. This hardly sounds like a couple on the brink of a break-up,as months of breathless tabliod reports have suggested.[Brad's get together with ex Jennifer Aniston? Separate bedrooms? Talks with Lawyers?] The couple told People, through a rep that the headlines are not true and they are committed as ever to their children and each other...Hmmm.

What fanned the gossip? The couple have been rarely been seen out together in recent months. But away from the cameras, a friend says there's been plenty of couple time at their rented estate on Long Island.While Angelina filmed "Salt" Brad frequently dropped by the set with the children, on their last visit , the kids brought the dog. It's a hectic lifestyle, but some how they make it work. For "Mother's Day",Brad gave Angelina inscribed jewelry. So those rumors ? A friend says pay them no mind:"They are a very ,very happy."

Now for the rumors vs reality.(1)the couple is adopting from India..or Philippines, no wait, Angie's pregnant....reality...no new additions to the family on the horizon.

(2) Brad and Angie fought in Cannes..reality..they had a wonderful time.

(3) Brad visited Jennifer Aniston on the set of her movie and at a hotel...reality..'.it didn't happen 'says a Jolie/Pitt insider.

(4) Brad's mom dislikes Angie...reality...a source says that Brad''s mom and dad are close to Angie.My take on this: I always believe where there's smoke , there is fire...Maybe with all the men in Weirdwood going through their "Mid-life Crisis", here's hoping Brad comes out of his mid-life crisis (if indeed he has one) intact and with his family...stay tuned: to be continued...

news:alex%20treniowski/mary%20green/isley%20kasica@%20People%20cover%20story

Yer Blues - John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton

I admire the combined talents of these artists tremendously and I love the blues.

Save the Tigers From a Fate Worse than Extinction - Tiger Farming

Research by Debbie Banks Next week in Geneva, a prime issue for a UN endangered species committee called Cites will be illegal trade in wild tigers. In this week's Green Room, Debbie Banks argues that a handful of businessmen want to reduce the tigers to nothing more than a luxury commodity.

Business interests have continued to breed tigers, speculating that the ban would one day be lifted and that they would be sitting on a valuable stockpile of body parts
"Bagh Bachao, Jungle Bachao, Bharat Bachao" is the rallying cry of NGOs and activists across India, and they're right: Save the Tiger, Save the Forest, Save India. The future of the tiger and its jungle home are inextricably linked to the survival of all of us, not just the people who live in tiger country.

The forests that are protected in the name of the tiger are vital to mitigate climate change and to secure water resources. The tiger is an indicator of the health of the ecosystem and thus a symbol of good governance and political commitment to an equitable and sustainable future. It is also a cultural and religious icon, venerated, feared and revered by communities across Asia and the world.

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has been investigating and exposing the illegal trade in tigers and other Asian big cats for over 10 years." We have documented the changes in the markets and the increasing role of organised criminal networks."
"We have campaigned for more effective enforcement initiatives to disrupt their operations, and know there is so much more that governments could do if they wanted to."

Looking to the future, it is essential to plug some of the gaps in conservation strategies. Many people living alongside tigers have yet to benefit from the millions of tourist dollars that the "world's favourite animal" generates; but in India, home to the largest remaining population of wild tigers, investment, policy and practice are at least moving in the right direction.

The same cannot be said for other countries, where business interests are hijacking the tiger conservation agenda, calling for the relaxation of trade bans so they can flood the market with farmed tiger parts. The logic behind such a move is that since tigers breed well in captivity, farming them is an economical solution to satisfying demand while alleviating pressure on wild populations.
It's a simplistic logic that rests on critical assumptions about the complex nature and dynamics of the illegal trade in tigers and other Asian big cats.

Can farming tigers reduce pressure on their cousins in the wild?
Assumptions about the motivations of those involved in the trade, the costs of the trade, the scale and type of consumer demand: all plugged in to economic models and squirted out the other side as gospel.

What the followers of this faith have failed to acknowledge is that their version of events does not hold true in the real world. The risk of proceeding with this as an experiment is enormous, and the stake is no less than the extinction of the wild tiger.
So who are these disciples and what is their motivation? There are tiger farms in Thailand but by far the biggest ones are in China, where there are reportedly around 5,000 animals in captivity.
Despite a 1993 ban prohibiting the sale and use of tigers in China, business interests have continued to breed them, speculating that the ban would one day be lifted and that they would be sitting on a valuable stockpile of body parts.

Some argue that they want to sell tiger bone to save lives. Yet the Chinese medicinal community has long since promoted alternatives to tiger bone, which was never considered a life-saving ingredient in the first place.
Others just want to sell tiger bone wine. In fact, some businessmen are so keen they have already been found in breach of Chinese law, illegally selling the wine in tiger-shaped bottles and in one case, selling tiger meat.

EIA and others have found tiger bone wine being marketed as a general tonic and packaged as the gift that wins promotions and seals deals. Call it a conflict of interest, but there has been no meaningful enforcement action by the relevant authorities to stop this trade.

Why breed such beautiful and rare animals just to cut them up and sell the parts?

Brodrerick Twins

In this first official photo of twin daughters provided by Robin Layton, actors Matthew Broderick, right, Sarah Jessica Parker, left, and their son James Wilkie Broderick pose with their new daughters Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick, left, and Tabitha Hodge Broderick on Monday, June 29, 2009, in New York. The girls were born Monday June 22, 2009.

"Relationships and Commitments"

All relationships take work. Sometimes that work looks like a disagreement or an argument.It may also look like stress that creates tenison between partners in a relationship. The work may look like a separation. Don't worry!! It is all part of the work. The key to a successful relationship is to allow the work to take place,to allow the communication to continue,and to keep your heart open to love and to be loved.

A relationship is not just the place we go to find love,companisonship, and intimacy. It is the place we go to heal, to grow, and to work on ourselves. A relationship is an environment which gives us the opportunity to see how much we are capable of giving, how strong we are,and how flexible we can be.The key to successfully working through the issues of a relationship are: to be willing to grow, to be ready to heal ,and to keep your heart open to do the work that will be required for your growth and healing.

We are using the wrong math in our relationships.When two people come together to share their lives, 1+1 does not equal 2! 1+1=1! In a relationship, two whole and complete people come together to make a whole and complete union.The parties must be loving,respectful and generous to themselves before they can offer more of the same to a partner.

Far too often, we use our relationships as a crutch, something to hold us up. When two emotionally challenged people try to stand on one crutch, there is a likelihood that they will both fall. When we enter into a relationships as whole people ,we should bring our strengths to the table. When we add who we are to who our mate is, we should come up with a much better,stronger,more empowered unit. But hey,that's just me. [giggles]

Billy Bob's Daughter-Indicted For Murder

Billy Bob Thornton’s daughter has been indicted on charges of murder and manslaughter after a one-year-old baby died while she she was supposed to be caring for it. An autopsy of the toddler indicated that the little girl died of blunt trauma to the head.

Amanda Brumfield - Thornton’s 29-year-old child from his marriage to first wife Melissa Gatlin - was arrested in May (09) following an incident last October (08), when a one-year-old girl she was babysitting allegedly fell from a playpen and hit her head.

At the time of her arrest in Florida, Brumfield’s mom claimed her daughter fell asleep with the infant - and it was only two hours later, when she awoke to find the baby’s still body, that she noticed something was terribly wrong and called for an ambulance.Gatlin said, “When you have a situation that does not indicate distress… there are no signs of distress, then there is no reason to immediately call police.”

Brumfield said she noticed the baby’s tongue was bleeding after the fall and cleaned it with a paper towel.She claimed she then played with the child, who seemed ‘happy’, and fed her bananas and fruit snacks.Brumfield told police she laid the child next to her on the couch and fell asleep.She says she was woken up by a phone call and went to take the child back to the playpen, only to find her body was limp when she lifted her.

But authorities claimed Brumfield’s explanation was inconsistent with the baby’s injuries and ruled the tragic death a homicide after autopsy results showed the baby died from a fractured skull and a subdural haematoma due to blunt trauma.Police say Brumfield’s call for help did not come until two-and-a-half hours after the original fall.

Brumfield was formerly charged with a number of crimes on Wednesday (24Jun09), including first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter.She is being held without bail at Orange County Jail.

Billy Bob Thornton’s publicist told CNN news that Thornton is estranged from Amanda and has had no contact with her for quite some time. Arnold Robinson told CNN in a written statement: ‘When informed about this situation, he [Billy Bob] commented that, “‘Anytime a baby’s life is lost is an unimaginable tragedy and my heart goes out to the baby’s family and loved ones’”.

The actor’s first wife, Melissa Parish said her daughter, an unemployed bank loan officer, was close friends with the baby’s mother and couldn’t have harmed the little girl named Olivia.
‘It’s a tragic situation, she loved that little so much and it [her death] just crushed her, just devastated her,” Parish told The New York Post recently.
‘She was Olivia’s godmother and the mother’s best friend. It’s just a horrible situation and it’s being made worse and exploding even more just because of who my ex-husband is.’

I understand Amanda's mother defending her and standing by her,but the circumstances just look too suspicious. I if she is guilty, I hope she is not let off with a slap on the hand as so many famous or near famous people are in America.

TOP 10 INVENTIONS OF ALL TIME..DO YOU AGREE?

Have we invented anything better than sliced bread? Some say 'yes'. Some think sliced bread is pretty hard to beat. What about a better mouse trap? Folks, no one has invented that yet.
Do we really care any more if they do invent one? I'm waiting for food synthesizers and I'm waiting for "Scotty"to beam me from my house to the supermarket. I don't need a mousetrap if I have my handy phaser in my purse.

The ten best inventions of all time are:

10. The Television.~John Logie Baird filed his first patent in 1923, for a device that yielded an eight-line image. Years later this was followed by the sale of the first television set, a device that he baptized a "televisor." In 1932, the British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) launched the world's first regular TV broadcasts. Today, the jury is still out on whether it serves an educational benefit or is a cultural curse. My goodness, haven't they seen the Cindy Margolis show yet?

9. The Printing Press~The printing press was the first one of many communication mediums, changing how information was collected, stored, retrieved, criticized, discovered, and promoted. It has been implicated in the Reformation, the Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution. The very first mass communication.That is to say;a lot of people could be informed about the same thing at the same time.

8. The Laser ~Forty years after Einstein drew up the concept of the stimulation of light waves, a doctoral student earned a patent on Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER) and the resulting beam to cut, heat and measure. Consumers love lasers thanks to CD players and laser printers. Doctors love lasers because they simplify and quicken cosmetic and eye surgery. Scientists love lasers for their precision and power. We love lasers because of faster lines at the beer store.

7. The Automobile"You can have any color as long as it is black," boasted Ford at the turn of the Century. Automobiles have come a long way. They permitted rapid transportation of people and goods. The next challenge lies in developing environment-friendly automobiles. We're still waiting for the flying cars that Back to the Future promised.

6. The Internet~A secret Pentagon project, the Internet served as a communication network that would remain intact, even if several of its strands were broken. While your parents were celebrating Woodstock, two computers in southern California exchanged information.The Net has emerged into mainstream culture after Tim Berners-Lee thought up a structure of links and addresses for sending data -- unhampered by central authority and proprietary software -- bringing the Internet to life and effectively making the globe a village by fostering the sharing of information. How else could AskMen help users from Seattle to Sydney 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

5. The Plane~Bicycle manufacturers, the Wright brothers, accomplished the first motorized flight in 1903 while British engineer Frank Whittle filed the first patent for a jet engine in 1930. Parallel tests in Germany made that country the first to fly a jet-powered plane, the Heinkel He 178, in 1939. Thirty years later, the Boeing 747 Jumbo jet made international air travel fast, comfortable and affordable -- just don't tell that to the passengers of the Concorde.

4. DNA~Okay, so it's not so much an invention as it is a discovery, but nevertheless, scientists have learned to manipulate it to our advantage. "We have discovered the secret of life," said British scientist Francis Crick in 1953, in reference to deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA), the double-helix molecule in the cell nucleus that determines heredity. Unraveling the genetic code has made it possible for humans to fight disease and improve food production. Looking ahead, genetic research has opened up moral dilemmas, such as cloning, which suits us fine so long as they start with Brad Pitt.

3. The Steam Engine~The steam engine powered the Industrial Revolution and inspired the science of thermodynamics, broadening and deepening the understanding of the world as expressed in Isaac Newton's laws of nature. From steam engines to fogged-up car windows, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

2. The Pill~This mixture of two hormones that suppress ovulation unleashed a sexual and social revolution. Overnight, women gained effective control over their fertility, smashing constraints on women's sexual freedom and the right to work, eventually giving them unprecedented political and economic clout. We love the Pill.

Can you guess number one?? Of course you can.Where are you right now?

1. The Computer~The first operational electro-mechanical computer was used to crack secret Nazi codes. Innovation has miniaturized computers while increasing their power exponentially: the transistor (1947), the integrated circuit (1959) and the microprocessor (1970), increased the speed to process data, while the hard disk (1956), modem (1980) and mouse (1983) boosted their power to make data accessible. They now fit in your pocket and the palm of your hand.

A good list, but I think it should be expanded to the twenty all time top inventions. Any ideas??

Some further inventions have been suggested as being in the top twenty:
-the wheel-the hammer-the nail-electricity
-the lightbulb-the safety pin-the telephone-the hypodermic needle

http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/1b_top_10_list.html

The Smart Car

Someday, we'll all have to drive some kind of 'smart car'

I'm not looking forward to going shopping in one of them, but at least we'll have a lot of styles to choose from.

THE SMORVETTE

THE SMAUDI

THE SMAMBORGHINI

THE SMORSCHE TARGA

THE SMERRARI

WE'LL MAKE DO, WON'T WE GIRLS?

Mad Mel's Wife Is On The Move -"You Go Girl"

Look out world,here comes Robyn Gibson.
Mad Mel Gibson's long -suffering wife is on the move,and now she is moving out.Gibson's estanged wife Robyn,53,has decided to sell the home she shared with the "Mad Max" star and settle into a breezy beachfront pad. Robyn wants to start a new life with a clean slate and a new home,said an insider.

Robyn is moving into one of the family's smaller Malibu properties,and she's already working with an architect and started remodeling. Robyn loves the coziness of the house compared to the sprawling hillside compound.The ocean splashes into the yard when it's high tide,she is looking forward to settling in and moving on with her life.

The spacious home on Malibu's ritzy Broad Beach Road has a wing of bedrooms with private entrances that's perfect for visits from the Gibson's older children according to an insider. But settling there is still bitter-sweet for Robyn,added a source. Robyn and Mel used to talk about moving into the house together after all the kids were grown, divulged the insider. Mel and Robyn have pretty much been separated for the past three years,b ut Robyn is still wistful about what might have been.

All hopes of healing the couple's rocky 28-year marriage--marred by Mel's chronic cheating and drug and alcohol problems--were lost after the 53 year-old actor got involved with Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva, said a source.

Moving into the Malibu home on the beach was a dream that Mel and Robyn shared, said the insider. "Unfortunately, it's just Robyn's dream now."My take on this....Robyn, money can't buy love or happiness.One thing for sure, you have the satisfaction of hitting Mad Max where it hurts;in his pocketbook. Hang in there Robyn. Squeeze those balls until he coughs up the goods. But hey thats just me..stay tuned:to be continued:
news:regusiquiza@nationalenquirer.com

Who Will Care For Them Now ?

Who will look after Michael Jackson's kids now? Will it be Debbie Rowe? We don't even know who Blanket's mother is.

As of right now, Jackson family matriarch Katherine is caring for Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 11, and Prince Michael II, also known as "Blanket," age 7. To be clear, Debbie Rowe is the mother of the two older children, but the name of Blanket's mom has never been released.
Family attorney Brian Oxman has indicated the arrangement with Katherine may be made permanent: "Probably Mrs. Jackson will take care of them, she loves them dearly," Oxman told Radar. But if Rowe decides to make a bid for at least the two children she carried, she has quite a case, too...

Although many reports indicate Rowe legally waived her parental rights over the two kids after her divorce from Jackson, that decision actually was reversed by a judge. Eventually Jackson and Rowe reached a specific agreement of their own: Rowe retained parental rights and got a fat check while Jackson retained custody.

Does that mean she can come back and make a bid for the two children? Apparently, yes. But that doesn't necessarily mean she'll win. "The question is what parental rights did she have and did she exercise them?" New York-based family attorney Daniel Clement says. "Did she visit them, did she send them gifts on their birthdays?"

Rowe's past decisions also wouldn't be doing her any favors; the mere fact that she once tried to give up parental rights could certainly hurt her chances, attorneys say. And what of Blanket? What would happen to him if the other two kids went to Rowe?

"The court may not want to separate the child from his siblings," family law attorney Ash Nangia of Nangia & Kazansky tells me. "But at the same time, Rowe is not the mother of that child...My guess is that the grandmother gets all three kids, which is the simplest, and probably most conducive to the best interests of the children."

One final factor: The children would also get a say in where they live; here's hoping they get all the love and support they need.

I'm (Jeannie) not so sure that the grandparents are the best choice since Joe Jackson has been outed as beating his kids. Michael confessed his father beat him severely. LaToya claimed her father repeatedly raped her with her mother's full knowledge. But ,Michael's kids have lived a very strange, rootless, nomadic life; house to house... hotel to hotel... country to country.Maybe living with the Jacksons is preferable to that. At least they'll belong somewhere. Those kids had a sad haunted look to them, even before the death of their father. I wish them well.

http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/ask_the_answer_bitch/b131355_who_will_get_custody_of_michael.html

"Octo-Mom" 14 Kids..1 Dad... Hmmmmmmm

What do we have here?A limo driver demands a DNA test for Nadya Suleman's oldest son.Ever since Nadya first became famous,she has insisted that her 14 children were all fathered by the same unidentified donor.But it appears that Octomom may not be telling the truth.In an exclusive interview with "In Touch",her ex-boyfriend says he believes he's the father of Nayda's oldest son,and is demanding genetic testing. I want to get a DNA test on that first kid,says the ex-boyfriend,who served as Nayda's Limo driver during the year she spent working as a stripper at bachelor parties, private events,and the "San Diego Club Rhino{now called Star and Garter] the ex claims ,he and Nadya had unprotected sex in the back of the Limo,right around the time she stopped stripping and disappeared."I found out she was pregnant."That's why he believes the kid is his.Nadya's former co-worker Sage,an exotic dancer, who doesn't want to reveal her real name,confirms the relationship. "A limo driver drove us around and Nayda slept with him."Sage tells "In Touch."According to Luis Ceballos,32, He repeatedly had sex with Nayda in his Limo before and after she performed at the parties."We never went to a motel,plus the back of the Limo was so big." Luis adds ,"Nadya seem to enjoy me,"and before long the pair had formed a relationship.Nayda began to confide in him about long term goals. Nayda always said she wanted to be really famous.
As Luis recalls, Nayda dropped out of stripping when she was a few months pregnant,he never saw her again until she gave birth to eight children in January and becme instantly known as Octomom--and he saw her six older kids on TV."The oldest looks Spanish, and I am",he says,adding that he is considering going to La Habra,California,where Nayda recently moved and get in touch with her.While he doesn't pretend to have been in love with Nayda,Luis says if he had known Nayda was pregnant at the time with his child,he would have done something,he would have offered to help out,he was young and scared,but he would have done something. My take on this...Look out California,another mouth to feed on your broke gravy train...stay tuned: to be continued....
news:scordes@nationalenquirer.com

"Once Voted Sexiest Man Alive" WTF???

Eccentric Nick Nolte showed up at a beachfront restaurant barefoot,disheveled and stinking so badly,a patron says he was forced to flee in disgust.The 68-year-old Hollywood bad boy was "freaking" people out and appeared as if he was disoriented when he sat down one night at Malibu's Hideaway Cafe,the patron told the NE.

Other customers were "shocked" that such a dirty,out of it person would try to eat there.It looked like he was completely lost. The "Down and Out in Beverly Hills" star was grimy and barefoot,disclosed the source.He was wearing a soiled poncho-type cape--and he smelled disgusting too. After he was seated, Nick barked out a drink order, the source added."When I looked closely, I realized it was Nick Nolte,and I was stunned. He smelled so bad,I felt sick to my stomach and couldn't finish eating.When he began to eat he was drooling."Unable to watch the disgusting spectacle,the patron asked for his check and left.

"If he were a nobody,there's no way they would have let him in,"fumed a fellow diner. ......Nolte--who in 1992 was named the "Sexiest Man Alive" by a major magazine, was also rude to tourists who requested an autograph,according to the source. A couple approached him politely and complimented him on his career, Nolte told them," leave me alone! Can't you see I am trying to eat." My take on this? Do they not remember who makes them stars?

news:First To news:First%20To%20Know@nationalenquirer.com

Michael Jackson Dead at 50

Pop star Michael Jackson has died in Los Angeles, aged 50.
Paramedics were called to the singer's home around midday local time on Thursday after he stopped breathing and suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.
He was rushed by ambulance to a local medical centre, but his death was announced shortly afterwards.
The star had been due to begin a series of comeback concerts in the UK on 13 July.
Jackson had a history of health problems and had not completed a concert tour in 12 years.
Concerns were raised last month when four of his "comeback" concerts were pushed back, but organisers insisted the dates had been moved due to the sheer magnitude of the spectacle.
A spokeswoman for The Outside Organisation, which was organising the publicity for the shows, said she had no comment at this time.
Uri Gellar, a close friend of the star, told BBC News: "I'm devastated - it's very, very sad.
"I'm still trying to hold on to the glimmer that it's not true. It's too surreal for me to absorb that Michael is no longer with us."

US media reports said paramedics were called to the singer's house in Bel Air at midday.
They performed CPR on Jackson and rushed him to the UCLA medical centre.
Crowds have begun to gather outside the facility, whose emergency centre has been roped off by police.
Jackson began his career as a child in family group The Jackson 5. He then went on to achieve global fame as a solo artist with smash hits such as "Thriller" and "Bad". But the singer has been dogged by controversy and money trouble in recent years, becoming a virtual recluse.
He had three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II.

All personal opinions aside, Jackson was a powerhouse in the music industry. He was the 'King of Pop'. He was innovative and tremendously talented and influenced his generation and the one after that.
No question that he was eccentric and weird and tortured his poor face into a caricature of a human being. Look at the first picture of him above and compare it to the last. You would not know it was the same person. He was always the centre of controversy and I wonder who will come forward with a tell-all book now.

I so hope his children are given a happy home with a normal family, at last, who will love and support them and will not exploit them or expose them to public curiosity. There are new questions burning in people's minds as I write this.

Farrah's Gone

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actress Farrah Fawcett, the "Charlie's Angels" television star whose big smile and feathered blond mane made her one of the sex symbols of the 1970s, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer, her longtime companion actor Ryan O'Neal said. She was 62.
Fawcett was first diagnosed with anal cancer in late 2006. She died in a Los Angles hospital after being admitted earlier this week.
"After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away. Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world," O'Neal said in a statement.
Fawcett's cancer spread to her liver in 2007, proving resistant to numerous medical treatments in Germany and California.

Farrah Fawcett (real name Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett) was born in 1947 at Corpus Christi, Texas. She had her first break guest starring in shows such as 'I Dream of Jeanie', 'The Flying Nun', and 'The Partridge Family' during the 1960s before meeting Lee Majors in 1968 and going on to achieve fame for her looks in 'The Six Million Dollar Man' and 'Charlie's Angels'.

A lovely lady and a courageous human being. I'm so sad she's gone. She became an icon in the seventies and seemed to represent that era to all of us.

Sharks Facing Extinction

Many species of open ocean shark are under serious threat, according to an assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Red list gives the status of 64 types of shark and ray, over 30% of which are threatened with extinction. The authors, IUCN's Shark Specialist Group, say a main cause is overfishing.
Listed as endangered are two species of hammerhead shark, often subject to "finning" - a practice of removing the fins and throwing away the body.

This is the first time that IUCN Red List criteria, considered the world's most comprehensive inventory of the conservation status of plants and animals, have been used to classify open ocean, or pelagic, sharks and rays. The list is part of an ongoing international scientific project to monitor the animals. The authors classified a further 24% of the examined species as Near Threatened.
Sharks are "profoundly vulnerable" to overfishing, they say. This is principally because many species take several years to mature and have relatively few young.

"[But] despite mounting threats, sharks remain virtually unprotected on the high seas," said Sonja Fordham, deputy chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group and one of the editors of the report.
"[We have] documented serious overfishing of these species, in national and international waters. This demonstrates a clear need for immediate action on a global scale."
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization recognised the potential threat to sharks over a decade ago, when it launched its "International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks" in 1999. But the "requested improvements... have been painfully slow and simply inadequate", according to this report by the IUCN.

Many pelagic sharks are caught in high seas tuna and swordfish fisheries.
Although some are accidentally caught in nets meant for these other fish, they are increasingly targeted for their meat, teeth and liver oil, and because of high demand, particularly in Asia, for their fins.

Species listed as Vulnerable included the smooth hammerhead shark, the porbeagle shark and the common, bigeye and pelagic thresher sharks.
Fisheries have fought to keep their right to fish porbeagle sharks because their meat is so valuable, according to Ms Fordham.
"Yet we've already had recommendations from scientists that there should be no fishing of these sharks."

For certain species - that are considered particularly vulnerable - the authors have recommended their complete protection.
"The big-eyed thresher shark, for example, is very slow growing," explained Ms Fordham.
"Fishermen can very easily identify it, because it has a very big eye. So if they catch it accidentally, they can throw it back. "
"These sharks tend to survive well when they're thrown back."
By the end of this year, the Shark Specialist Group will publish a complete report, outlining the status of all 400 species of shark, and closely-related skates and rays.

WAKE UP PEOPLE! VULNERABLE SPECIES OF ANIMALS ARE DISAPPEARING ON ALMOST A DAILY BASIS. WHEN WILL THE PENNY DROP, THAT WE ARE LITERALLY DESTROYING THE PLANET WE LIVE ON? DO YOU HAVE A BETTER PLACE TO GO TO WHEN ALL OUR WILDLIFE AND RESOURCES ARE GONE, HALF THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD ARE UNDER WATER AND THE SUN IS TURNING IT TO STEAM? NO? THEN, GET ON THE BAND WAGON AND HELP SLOW DOWN GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

http://repoweramerica.org/ CLICK:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJCugs

http://www.algore.com/

http://en.cop15.dk/blogs/climate+thinkers+blog?gclid=CLLupMGOppsCFU1M5QodS1XhDw

Some Useful Information

FOUR THINGS YOU PROBABLY NEVER KNEW YOUR MOBILE PHONE COULD DO:

***********************************************************

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

* FIRST Emergency: The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112.If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

* SECOND : Have you locked your keys in the car? Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their mobile phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end.Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).

Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a mobile phone!'

* THIRD: Hidden Battery Power Imagine your mobile battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your mobile will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your mobile next time.

* FOURTH: How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone? To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code.They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody did this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.

* ATM - PIN Number Reversal: - Good to Know If you should ever be forced by a robber to withdraw money from an ATM machine, you cannotify the police by entering your PIN # in reverse. For example, if your pin number is 1234, then you would put in 4321. The ATM system recognizes that your PIN number is backwards from the ATM card you placed in the machine. The machine will still give you the money you requested,but unknown to the robber, the police will be immediately dispatched to the location. This information was recently broadcast on CTV by Crime Stoppers, however it is seldom used because people just don't know about it. Please pass this along to everyone.This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

For Cat Lovers

Click to enlarge

For Cat Lovers

Click to enlarge

"Morgan" You Old Rascal

Oscar Winner Morgan Freeman has been having an affair nearly a decade-long with his step-granddaughter---a scandalous charge that has emerged in the bitter divorce between the acclaimed actor and his wife Myrna,says a source.The relationship between the 72 year-old actor with step-granddaughter E`Dena Hines,27, began when she was a teen,the source stated.The alleged affair not only contributed to his split from Myrna wife of 25 years,it also led to his breakup with his long time mistress,a former school teacher Mary Joyce hays.

Myrna said E`Dena told her that when she was a teenager,she and Morgan went to dinner at a friend's house one evening.Both had been drinking,and when they returned home, Morgan attempted to have sex with her.They stopped just short of having intercourse,the source,a close family insider said.Myrna confronted Morgan ,and he agreed to leave E`Dena alone---but unbeknowst to Myrna ,the relationship continued.Myrna realized the affair was still on going when E`Dena began acting strangely during a weekend home from college at the Freeman's estate in Mississippi about four years ago,when E`Dena was in her early twenties.Myrna spent an hour talking with E`Dena before her plane was due to take her back to school and noticed she appeared "wired" and "off the wall". E`Dena called Myrna the following day in tears and "freaking out",she said they had sex when she was in California in his hotel room, I just can't handle it anymore.E`Dena told Myrna she had given Morgan sexy pictures of herself as a substitute for being with her,but that was not enough for Morgan,according to the source.E`Dena says she was trying to get him back to being her grandpa and not her lover.

E`Dena is the granddaughter of Morgan's first wife, Jeanette Adair bradshaw,and was raised by Morgan and Myrna "since she was a little girl.In the intro to the book :Proud To Call Mississippi Home", Morgan refers to E`Dena as his granddaughter and says that she is a lovely , intelligent and talented young woman.In 2001, Morgan donated $250,ooo to the Memphis prep school that E`Dena attended. It's not technically incest,because they are not related by blood...[but]Morgan is trying desperately to keep his divorce out of open court, so all the shameful facts won't become public.When the affair continued ,Myrna finally threw in the towel on her marriage, it was the last straw, and she filed for divorce a demanding $60 million. Girlfriend Mary Joyce also ended her romance with Morgan when she realized what was going on between her lover and his granddaughter. Myrna has admitted that she and Morgan had an open marriage,and she accepted his relationship with Mary Joyce.Myrna admitts to having affairs that Morgan "condoned and encouraged "

It was the affair with E`Dena that destroyed the marriage, and according to a sources,it is still on going. E`Dena recently wrote to Morgan telling him how much she loved and missed him and needed his love,the insider revealed.My take on this..Myrna may have had an open marriage , Morgan had an open marriage and he was keeping it all in the family...never to old to play the fool...stay tuned: to be continued:

http://jblosser@nationalenquirer.com/

"Rags To Riches"

TV shrink Dr.Phil Mcgraw is a multimillionaire now,but as a youth he was homeless and so poor he lived in a car.The toughest time in his life came when his boozer dad ,Joe quit selling oil drill bits and went back to the University of Oklahoma to earn a Ph.D in psychology.
Dr. Phil ,his parents and two sisters lived with his older sister in a cramped 1,100-square- foot house in Oklahoma City and earned food money with pre-dawn newspaper-delivery routes. He did that one with his dad every morning at 4:30/5:00am and every afternoon, he had a paper route that required him to throw the papers off his bike.
Dr. Phil says it wasn't his allowance,it was food money,"if you didn't come home with the money you didn't eat,even at 12,I understood if you don't work you don't eat. "
After his dad Joe graduated, he had to intern before he could hang up his shingle, so he left his wife and daughters and took 13-year-old Phil with him to Kansas City. Dr.Phil recalls his dad saying my son needs to be with his dad."So off they went" Dr.Phil says he was homeless,living in a car with his dad.We eventually got a room at the downtown YMCA for five bucks a week,and then we put together some money for a deposit on a one bedroom apartment that had no running water,electricity,heat or air conditioning.
While it sounds bad,Dr.Phil now says he "cherishes " that time."That was my time to deal with stress and adversity-lessons I'd never have learned any other way at that age.
I learned what it meant to work hard to stay focused and to set goals.The hard times also bonded me with my father, who died at age 69 after a lifelong battle with alcohol.I was never closer to my dad than doing those lean times,we relied on each other ,we were fox-hole buddies."My take on it: you make your life what you want it to be, it's all up to you.But hey,that's just me...
news:Human%20insterest%20story@globe.com

I hope your day was fabulous and I hope last night was super special.

Life just gets better honey,and I wish you a world of happiness.

May all your birthday wishes come true.

Your friend and PIC Jeannie.

President Sarkozy Speaks Out Against the Burka

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out strongly against the wearing of the burka by Muslim women in France at a special session of parliament in Versailles.In a major policy speech, he said the burka - a garment covering women from head to toe - reduced them to servitude and undermined their dignity.
Mr Sarkozy also gave his backing to the establishment of a parliamentary commission to look at whether to ban the wearing of burkas in public. In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarves in its state schools.

"We cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting, cut off from all social life, deprived of identity," Mr Sarkozy told the special session. "That is not the idea that the French republic has of women's dignity.
"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic," the French president said.

But he stressed that France "must not fight the wrong battle", saying that "the Muslim religion must be respected as much as other religions" in the country.
A group of a cross-party lawmakers is already calling for a special inquiry into whether Muslim women who wear the burka are undermining French secularism. The lawmakers also want to examine whether women who wear the veil are doing so voluntarily or are being forced to cover themselves.

Mr Sarkozy's speech was the first a French president has made to parliament since the 19th century - made possible by a constitutional amendment he introduced last year.

In 2004, France banned the Islamic headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols from public schools, triggering heated debate in the country and abroad. Members of the French government have been divided over the issue.
The immigration minister, Eric Besson, has said a full ban will only "create tensions" while the junior minister for human rights, Rama Yade, said she would accept a ban if it was aimed at protecting women forced to wear the burka.
France's official Muslim council has criticised the debate.
"To raise the subject like this, via a parliamentary committee, is a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France," said Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the French Council for the Muslim Religion. France is home to about 5 million Muslims.

The article is of interest because I'm not sure how I would feel if my government decided to call a similar ban on the customs of the Muslim population here. How would you feel?

Perhaps the most important question is how do the Muslim women in question really feel about it. It is not a religious requirement, but is it so ingrained into their way of life that they would not feel comfortable without their burkas ?

Does a government have the right to dictate what traditions people from other countries may or may not keep? I really want to know your opinion. It's important. Please vote on my poll in the sidebar.

Sound Barrier

Have you ever seen a jet breaking the sound barrier? It looks as if the plane is literally going through a wall. This is the only time this phenomenon is visible.
I hope you find it as amazing as I do.

AWSOME!

The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Beers

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 Beers.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.

They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand particles.

The students laughed.. "Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life."

"The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls."
"The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness."

"Spend time with your children.
Spend time with your parents.
Visit with grandparents.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your spouse out to dinner.
Play another 18. "

"There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.
Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand. "

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of Beers with a friend."

Look Out Here She comes - Inside Joke Folks

I bet she's put the kids to bed and she wants to play that
"tap dancing game" she learned from her Canadian sister.
I should have run while I had the chance.

Oh no! I bet this is going to be an all-nighter.

" Mad Mel's Saga Continues"

Mel Gibson is cracking up! That's what friends fear after the 53-year-old superstar erupted in an extraordinary crazed rant in church. Mel is truly having a meltdown, declares a longtime friend.Stressd over his billion-dollar divorce, his pregnant girlfriend and his outraged family, Mad Mel let loose in front of two priests and a visiting bishop at his Holy Family Chapel in Agoura Hills,California.

Gibson made a huge scene, pacing back and forth and furiously telling the congregation he wouldn't stand to be judged by them, a source says. Mel completely lost it. He got up on the altar and let loose. Mel tried to intimidate the parishioners by staring at everyone with his angry eyes and even theatened to shut down the church if people kept gossiping about him.The bottom line is , if Mel hadn't cheated on his wife and gotten his girlfriend pregnant, there wouldn't be much to gossip about. All these years he's been preaching the holy word and we find Mel hasn't been practicng what he preached.

Mel is apparently feeling the heat over his impending divorce from Robyn, 53, his wife of 28 years who is expected to get half of his fortune. Mel's kids are incensed, especially after Mel flaunted Oksana at the world premiere of the X-Men Origins Wolverine in April says sources.They're shocked Mel 's starting a new family before the divorce is final and calling him a fool, says another pal.They're afraud Oksana is a gold digger and they want to protect their inheritance. Mel is devasted by his kids reaction. He tried to talk to them about his love for Oksana, but they wouldn't listen.They say Mel is a total hypocrite, and he'll be stupid if he didn't get a paternity test to make sure the baby is really his.

Mel's life is a mess and it's all his fault,says a friend. His ego is bigger than his morality and he's paying the price. An insider adds that Mel has been headed for disaster since his DUI arrest and racist outburst in Malibu three years ago. Splitting from Robyn has made it worse, says the insider. Robyn was always his grounding influence,without her, he's been going downhill fast. Mel's friends fear he's cracking up....stay tuned ...to be continued:

Think of Me When the Daffodils bloom - Part1

 Think of Me When the Daffodils Bloom

My father was a career officer in the British army during World War Two. He was born in the Channel Islands and had been sent to private military schools and groomed for a military career.

He was stationed in Aldershot, just outside the environs of London, prior to being sent overseas. One day, while flat on his back under a car he was repairing, he saw a pair of attractive ankles attached to a pair of attractive legs pause beside his vehicle. He rolled out from under the car and looked up into huge dark brown eyes and fell in love in a heartbeat. According to the lady's memory, (my mother) she looked down into beautiful blue eyes and fell in love completely and for all time in that moment.

My mother was a private in the ATS ( Auxiliary Territorial Service...whatever that means) and was stationed at the same army base. She was primarily an ambulance driver and later became a staff driver....that is, driving officers, from majors to generals, all over England to secret meetings. A few times she had the honour of driving Montgomery himself. At that point in time courtships were conducted rather hurriedly because soldiers could be shipped off somewhere almost without warning. Their courtship was no exception.

They met whenever they were both off duty and went dancing with friends or for a few drinks at the officers' club or the local pub.They tried to squeeze as much pleasure as they could into their brief times together. Everyone seemed a little desperate to enjoy themselves during those dark and terrifying times. They could often hear the bombs dropping over the sound of the music.
They knew from the first that they would marry and saw no reason to wait. My father, who was a major at that time, knew he would be sent away shortly and wanted a hasty wedding so he could spend the last week with his bride.

They married and their best man, Jack, a Canadian soldier, later became my uncle by marriage.Their honeymoon was, according to them, very romantic and very intense. They had to pack a lot into a week. I never pressed for details.

My father was sent away to India to train Indian soldiers and my mom continued with her duties. Sometimes she would visit her family in London and take Jack, who was lonely and homesick, with her. It was a dangerous thing to do. London was under constant bombardment but they seemed to live charmed lives. My mother had five sisters and a brother in London and was always worried about them. When Jack met her younger sister, he fell head over heels for her but the wedding didn't take place until the war was over.  At this point it was in it's second to last year.

She didn't see my father again for two years. It must have been an eternity to them. She wrote to him often but a lot of those letters never reached him. She sent him a photograph and a lock of her hair and he sent her a portrait of himself (both of which can be seen at the conclusion of this post). He too, sent a lock of his hair. The two curls of hair one dark brown and one black now lie entwined in a family album.

When he finally got leave and knocked on her door in London; it was like meeting a stranger.They felt a little awkward and since they were both shy people, they couldn't find the right words for a time and just gazed at each other, looking for the magic they had felt at first meeting. Of course, as soon as they fell into each other's arms, the magic began again and stayed with them throughout a long and happy marriage of fifty five years.

My father had been offered a colonelcy if he agreed to stay in India. He did not know what he wanted to do. The course of their lives and later, mine, would be changed irrevocably if he accepted......
To be continued.