DECEMBER 5 - Births

1377 - Jianwen Emperor of China (d. 1402)
1443 - Pope Julius II (d. 1513)
1495 - Nicolas Cleynaerts, Flemish grammarian (d. 1542)
1537 - Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Japanese shogun (d. 1597)
1539 - Fausto Paolo Sozzini, Italian theologian (d. 1604)
1547 - Ubbo Emmius, Dutch historian and geographer (d. 1625)
1595 - Henry Lawes, English composer (d. 1662)
1661 - Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer, English statesman (d. 1724)
1687 - Francesco Geminiani, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1762)
1782 - Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (d. 1862)
1803 - Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev, Russian poet (d. 1873)
1820 - Afanasy Fet, Russian poet (d. 1892)
1822 - Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, American college president (d. 1907)
1829 - Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, French Canadian politician (d. 1908)
1830 - Christina Rossetti, British poet (d. 1894)
1839 - George Armstrong Custer, American general (d. 1876)
1841 - Marcus Daly, American mining tycoon (d. 1900)
1855 - Clinton Hart Merriam, American ornithologist (d. 1942)
1859 - John Jellicoe, British admiral (d. 1935)
1863 - Paul Painlevé, French mathematician (d. 1933)
1867 - Józef Piłsudski, Polish revolutionary and statesman (d. 1935)
1868 - Arnold Sommerfeld, German physicist (d. 1951)
1869 - Ellis Parker Butler, American author (d. 1937)
1870 - Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer (d. 1949)
1871 - Bill Pickett, American rodeo performer (d. 1932)
1872 - Harry Nelson Pillsbury, American chess player (d. 1906)
1875 - Sir Arthur Currie, Canadian soldier (d. 1933)
1879 - Clyde Cessna, American airplane manufacturer (d. 1954)
1886 - Rose Wilder Lane, American writer and reporter (d. 1968)
1890 - David Bomberg, British painter (d. 1957)
1890 - Fritz Lang, Austrian-born film director (d. 1976)
1892 - Ferdinand Schörner, German field marshal (d. 1973)
1895 - Elbert Frank Cox, American mathematician (d. 1969)
1896 - Carl Ferdinand Cori, Austrian-born biochemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984)
1879 - Nunnally Johnson, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1977)
1898 - Grace Moore, American soprano (d. 1947}
1898 - Josh Malihabadi, Urdu poet of India and Pakistan (d. 1982)
1901 - Walt Disney, American animated film producer (d. 1966)
1901 - Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist (d. 1980)
1901 - Werner Heisenberg, German physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1976)
1902 - Strom Thurmond, American politician (d. 2003)
1903 - Johannes Heesters, Dutch singer and actor
1903 - Cecil Frank Powell, British physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969)
1905 - Gus Mancuso, baseball player (d. 1984)
1906 - Otto Preminger, Austrian-born director, producer, and actor (d. 1986)
1907 - Giuseppe Occhialini, Italian physicist (d. 1993)
1910 - Abraham Polonsky, American screenwriter (d. 1999)
1911 - Władysław Szpilman, Polish pianist (d. 2000)
1914 - Hans Hellmut Kirst, German author (d. 1989)
1927 - Bhumibol Adulyadej, King of Thailand
1932 - Sheldon Lee Glashow, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
1932 - Little Richard (Richard Wayne Penniman), American singer and pianist
1934 - Joan Didion, American writer
1935 - Yury Vlasov, Soviet weightlifter
1935 - Calvin Trillin, American writer
1936 - James Lee Burke, American writer
1938 - J. J. Cale, American songwriter
1940 - Peter Pohl, Swedish writer
1943 - Eva Joly, Norwegian-born French magistrate
1944 - Jeroen Krabbé, Dutch actor
1945 - Serge Chapleau, Quebec caricaturist
1946 - José Carreras, Spanish tenor
1946 - Andy Kim, Canadian singer and songwriter
1947 - Jim Messina, American musician (Buffalo Springfield - Loggins and Messina)
1947 - Jim Plunkett, American football player
1947 - Bruce Golding, Jamaican Politian, Head of JLP
1949 - Ray Comfort, New Zealand evangelist
1950 - Camarón de la Isla, Spanish flamenco singer (d. 1992)
1950 - Osvaldo Golijov, Argentine-born composer
1951 - Anne-Mie van Kerckhoven, Belgian artist
1951 - Morgan Brittany, American actress
1953 - Larry Zbyszko, American professional wrestler
1956 - Brian Backer, American actor
1956 - Krystian Zimerman, Polish pianist
1957 - Art Monk, American football player
1958 - Dean Erickson, American actor
1960 - Jack Russell, American glam rock singer (Great White)
1962 - José Cura, Argentine tenor
1963 - Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards, British skier
1965 - Johnny Rzeznik American singer (Goo Goo Dolls)
1966 - Patricia Kaas, French singer
1967 - Gary Allan, American singer
1968 - Margaret Cho, American comedian and actress
1968 - Lisa Marie, American model and actress
1969 - Lewis Gordon Pugh, British swimmer, polar explorer and motivational speaker
1969 - Morgan J. Freeman, American film director
1970 - Kevin Haller, National Hockey League defenseman
1972 - Angela Shelton, American actress & writer
1972 - Mike Mahoney, baseball player
1972 - Cliff Floyd, Major League Baseball player
1973 - Shalom Harlow, model
1973 - Luboš Motl, Czech physicist
1975 - Ronnie O'Sullivan, British snooker player
1976 - Amy Acker, American actress
1978 - Olli Jokinen, Finnish ice hockey player
1979 - Matteo Ferrari, Italy footballer
1979 - Niklas Hagman, Finnish hockey player
1979 - Nick Stahl, American actor
1979 - Gareth McAuley, Northern Irish footballer
1980 - Shizuka Ito, Japanese seiyū
1982 - Eddy Curry, American basketball player
1982 - Trai Essex, American football player
1984 - Chris Solinsky, American distance runner
1985 - Josh Smith, American basketball player
1985 - Frankie Muniz, American actor
1988 - Ross Bagley, American actor

OCTOBER 31 - Births

1711 - Laura Bassi, Italian scholar (d. 1778)
1724 - Christopher Anstey, English writer (d. 1805)
1737 - James Lovell (delegate), American educator (d. 1789)
1795 - John Keats, British poet (d. 1821)
1815 - Karl Weierstraß, German mathematician (d. 1897)
1825 - Charles Lavigerie, French cardinal (d. 1892)
1831 - Paolo Mantegazza, Italian neurologist (d. 1910)
1835 - Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)
1860 - Juliette Low, American founder of the Girl Scouts (d. 1927)
1875 - Eugene Meyer, American businessman and newspaper publisher (d. 1954)
1875 - Vallabhbhai Patel, Indian freedom fighter and statesman (d. 1950)
1887 - Chiang Kai-shek, Nationalist Chinese leader, former Republic of China president (d. 1975)
1887 - Newsy Lalonde, National Hockey League player (d. 1970)
1892 - Alexander Alekhine, Russian chess player (d. 1946)
1895 - Basil Liddell Hart, British military historian (d. 1970)
1896 - Ethel Waters, American singer and actress (d. 1977)
1912 - Dale Evans, American singer and actress (d. 2001)
1914 - Joe Carcione, American consumer advocate (d. 1988)
1917 - Thomas Hill, Canadian actor
1918 - Ian Stevenson, American parapsychologist
1920 - Dick Francis, Welsh novelist
1920 - Helmut Newton, German photographer (d. 2004)
1920 - Fritz Walter, German footballer (d. 2002)
1922 - Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress (d. 2005)
1922 - Illinois Jacquet, American saxophonist (d. 2004)
1922 - King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia
1925 - John Anthony Pople, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2004)
1926 - Jimmy Saville, English entertainer
1927 - Lee Grant, American actress
1928 - Cleo Moore, American actress (d. 1973)
1929 - Eddie Charlton, Australian snooker player (d. 2004)
1929 - Bud Spencer, Italian actor
1930 - Michael Collins, astronaut
1931 - Dan Rather, American television journalist
1933 - Phil Goyette, National Hockey League player
1936 - Michael Landon, American actor (d. 1991)
1937 - Tom Paxton, American singer
1939 - Ron Rifkin, American actor
1939 - Tom O'Connor, British comedian
1942 - Dave McNally, Major League Baseball pitcher (d. 2002)
1943 - Paul Frampton, English physicist
1944 - Kinky Friedman, American musician and novelist
1945 - Brian Doyle-Murray, American comedian and actor
1945 - Russ Ballard, English rock singer/songwriter, guitarist (Argent)
1946 - Stephen Rea, Irish actor
1946 - Norman Lovett, British actor
1947 - Deidre Hall, American actress
1947 - Frank Shorter, American runner
1949 - Bob Siebenberg, American drummer (Supertramp)
1950 - John Candy, Canadian comedian and actor (d. 1994)
1950 - Jane Pauley, American news anchor
1952 - Bernard Edwards, American bass player (CHIC) (d. 1996)
1953 - Michael J. Anderson, American actor
1954 - Ken Wahl, American actor
1955 - Mark Roesler, American businessman and lawyer
1958 - Jeannie Longo, French cyclist
1958 - Brian Stokes Mitchell, American singer and actor
1959 - Neal Stephenson, American author
1959 - Mats Näslund, National Hockey League player
1960 - Luis Fortuño, Puerto Rican delegate to Congress
1960 - Mike Gallego, baseball player
1961 - Peter Jackson, New Zealand film director
1961 - Larry Mullen, Irish drummer (U2)
1961 - Alonzo Babers, American runner
1961 - Kate Campbell, American musician
1963 - Mikkey Dee, Swedish musician, drummer for Motorhead
1963 - Dunga, Brazilian footballer
1963 - Johnny Marr, English guitarist and songwriter (The Smiths)
1963 - Fred McGriff, baseball player
1963 - Dermot Mulroney, American actor
1963 - Rob Schneider, American actor
1964 - Marco van Basten, Dutch footballer
1964 - Marty Wright, American professional wrestler
1964 - Darryl Worley, Country Music Artist
1965 - Annabella Lwin, British singer (Bow Wow Wow)
1966 - Adam Horovitz, American singer (Beastie Boys)
1966 - Koji Kanemoto, Japanese professional wrestler
1966 - Joseph Boyden, Canadian novelist
1968 - Antonio Davis, American basketball player
1968 - Vanilla Ice, American rapper
1969 - Mike O'Malley,American Actor
1970 - Linn Berggren, Swedish singer (Ace of Base)
1970 - Rogers Stevens, American guitarist (Blind Melon)
1970 - Mitch Harris, American guitarist (Napalm Death, among others)
1971 - Alphonso Ford, American basketball player (d. 2004)
1971 - Ian Walker, English footballer
1971 - Toby Anstis, British radio presenter
1972 - Shaun Bartlett, South African footballer
1974 - Muzzy Izzet, Turkish footballer
1976 - Piper Perabo, American actress
1977 - Séverine Ferrer, French singer
1980 - Eddie Kaye Thomas, American actor
1980 - Samaire Armstrong, American actress
1981 - Irina Denezhkina, Russian writer
1981 - Frank Iero, American guitarist (My Chemical Romance)
1982 - Tomas Plekanec, National Hockey League player
1982 - The Cheeky Girls, British-Romanian singers
1986 - Christie Hayes, Australian actress
1990 - Lil' JJ, American comedian
1991 - Jordan-Claire Green, American Actress

DECEMBER 12 - Births

1712 - Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Austrian military leader (d. 1780)
1724 - Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood, British admiral (d. 1816)
1745 - John Jay, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1829)
1779 - Madeline Sophie Barat, French saint (d. 1865)
1783 - Ner Alexander Middleswarth, American politician (d. 1865)
1786 - William L. Marcy, American statesman (d. 1857)
1799 - Karl Briullov, Russian painter (d. 1852)
1805 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist (d. 1879)
1806 - Stand Watie, American Confederate general (d. 1871)
1821 - Gustave Flaubert, French writer (d. 1880)
1845 - Bruce Price, American architect (d. 1903)
1849 - William Kissam Vanderbilt, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1920)
1863 - Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter (d. 1944)
1864 - Paul Elmer More, American essayist (d. 1937)
1866 - Alfred Werner, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1919)
1870 - Walter Benona Sharp, American oil baron (d. 1912)
1875 - Gerd von Rundstedt, German field marshal (d. 1953)
1876 - Alvin Kraenzlein, Olympic gold medalist (d. 1928)
1887 - Kurt Atterberg, Swedish composer (d. 1974)
1892 - Herman Potočnik Noordung, Austro-Hungarian-born rocket engineer (d. 1929)
1893 - Edward G. Robinson, American actor (d. 1973)
1900 - Sammy Davis, Sr., American dancer (d. 1988)
1903 - Dagmar Nordstrom, American composer (d. 1976)
1903 - Yasujiro Ozu, Japanese film director (d. 1963)
1904 - Nicolas de Gunzburg, magazine editor and socialite (d. 1981)
1905 - Mànes Sperber, Austro-Hungarian-born writer (d. 1984)
1907 - Roy Douglas, British composer and orchestrator
1909 - Karen Morley, American actress (d. 2003)
1914 - Patrick O'Brian (Richard Patrick Russ), British author (d. 2000)
1915 - Frank Sinatra, American singer and actor (d. 1998)
1918 - Joe Williams, American singer (d. 1999)
1919 - Olivia Barclay, British astrologer (d. 2001)
1919 - Dan DeCarlo, American cartoonist (d. 2001)
1923 - Bob Barker, American television game show host
1924 - Ed Koch, Mayor of New York City
1927 - Honor Blackman, British actress
1927 - Robert Noyce, American inventor (d. 1990)
1928 - Chinghiz Aitmatov, Soviet-born Kyrgyz writer
1929 - John Osborne, British dramatist (d. 1994)
1929 - Toshiko Akiyoshi, Japanese musician
1930 - Bill Beutel, American Journalist (d. 2006)
1931 - Lionel Blair, British actor and choreographer
1932 - Bob Pettit, American basketball player
1934 - Miguel de la Madrid, President of Mexico
1938 - Connie Francis, American singer
1940 - Sharad Pawar, Indian politician
1940 - Dionne Warwick, American singer
1943 - Dickey Betts, American musician (The Allman Brothers)
1943 - Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist (d. 1999)
1944 - Jean Doré, Quebec politician, mayor of Montreal
1946 - Emerson Fittipaldi, Brazilian racing driver
1946 - Paula Wagner, American film executive
1948 - Tom Wilkinson, English actor
1949 - Rajnikanth, Indian actor
1949 - Bill Nighy, English actor
1950 - Billy Smith, National Hockey League goaltender
1952 - Harbance Singh (Herb) Dhaliwal, Canadian politician
1952 - Cathy Rigby, American gymnast
1953 - Bruce Kulick, American guitarist (KISS)
1954 - Liz Claman, American television anchor
1956 - Johan Van der Velde, Dutch cyclist
1957 - Sheila E., American musician
1957 - Robert Lepage, Quebec playwright
1962 - Tracy Austin, American tennis player
1962 - Mike Golic, former NFL football player
1964 - Sabu, American professional wrestler
1966 – Mike Rayburne II, Great Dad
1967 - John Randle, American football player
1968 - Laurie Williams, Indian cricket player
1968 - Sheldon Mydat, English entrepreneur
1970 - Jennifer Connelly, American actress
1970 - Madchen Amick, American actress
1970 - Regina Hall, American actress
1972 - Hank Williams III, grandson of Hank Williams
1972 - Nicky Eaden, English footballer
1972 - Kevin Parent, Quebec singer and songwriter
1972 - Brandon Teena, American hate crime victim
1974 - Nolberto Solano, Peruvian footballer
1975 - Mayim Bialik, American actress
1975 - Craig Moore, Australian footballer
1976 - Dan Hawkins, British guitarist (The Darkness)
1977 - Orlando Hudson, American baseball player
1977 - Bridget Hall, American supermodel
1978 - Monica Barladeanu, Romanian actress
1978 - Nicole, Erica and Jaclyn Dahm, American triplet Playboy models
1979 - Garrett Atkins, American baseball player
1979 - Nate Clements, American football player
1981 - Jeret Peterson, American aerial skier
1982 - Dmitry Tursunov, Russian tennis player
1983 - Katrina Elam, American singer
1983 - Brad Smith, American football player
1984 - Daniel Agger, Danish footballer
1989 - Harry Eden, British actor

Job Posting :

Amputee photo model wanted
Reply to: job-250310226@craigslist.orgDate: 2006-12-17, 5:16PM CSTHand and/or leg amputee photo model wanted. Serious enquires only. Please, email me with what kind of amputation you have and the type of prosthesis that you wear. Cheers,
Location: Dallas
Compensation: to be discussed
Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
Please, no phone calls about this job!
Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.
OK to repost to Job Developers for Persons with Disabilities.

Not ever day you see this type of listing.

Saddam Hussein sends letter

Saddam Hussein Farewell Letter Urges Iraqis Not to Hate U.S.-Led Forces
"I call on you not to hate because hate does not leave space for a person to be fair and it makes you blind and closes all doors of thinking,'' said the letter, which was written in Arabic and translated.

How Rollovers Work

By far the deadliest risk facing SUV, minivan, and truck occupants is a rollover accident. According to NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), more than 280,000 rollover accidents are reported each year, claiming more than 10,000 lives annually.

In 2003, 35.7 percent of fatal SUV crashes resulted in a rollover. That same year just 15.8 of fatal passenger car accidents resulted in a rollover. What this statistic points out is the fact that SUVs are much more likely to rollover in a serious accidents. Compounding the issue is the fact that SUVs often carry heavy loads with make them even more top-heavy and thus are more likely to be involved in rollover accidents.
Causes of Rollover Accidents
Rollover accidents are directly related to a vehicle's stability in turns. That stability is influenced by the relationship between the center of gravity and the track width (distance between the left and right wheels). A high center of gravity and narrow track can make a vehicle unstable in fast turns or sharp changes of direction--increasing the odds that it will tip over once it begins to skid sideways. The problem is most pronounced in 4-wheel-drive pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles, which have a higher ground clearance for off-road driving.

Most fatal 4WD rollovers are single-vehicle accidents that occur on weekend nights. The drivers are most frequently males under 25, and alcohol is usually involved. In three out of four fatal rollovers, the victims were ejected from the vehicle, indicating they weren't wearing a seatbelt.
Rollover Accident Risk Rating SystemNeither cars nor trucks are subject to a federal rollover standard, though pressure for such a requirement has been building. To help predict which vehicles might have a greater likelihood to overturn in single-vehicle accidents, NHTSA introduced a rollover rating system in 2001. Reported on a five-star system, the rollover ratings are based on an engineering analysis of each vehicle's center of gravity and the width between the front tires. The results are compared with police accident reports for confirmation. In its rating system, five stars equals a rollover risk of less than 10 percent, while one star indicates a greater than 40 percent rollover risk.

Gerald Rudolph Ford jr - July 14 1913 - December 26 2006

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. (July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006[1]) was the 38th President (1974–1977) and 40th Vice President (1973–1974) of the United States. He was the first person appointed to the Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment; and, upon succession to the presidency, became the only person to hold that office without having been elected either President or Vice President. Prior to becoming Vice President, he served for over eight years as the Republican Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. Ford was the longest-lived President.
The Ford administration saw the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam, the execution of the Helsinki Accords, and the continuing specter of inflation and recession. Faced with an overwhelmingly Democratic majority in Congress, the administration was hampered in its ability to pass major legislation, and Ford's vetoes were frequently overridden. Ford came under intense criticism for granting a pre-emptive pardon to President Richard Nixon for his role in the Watergate scandal, and was subsequently defeated narrowly by Democrat Jimmy Carter in the 1976 presidential election.
Naval service in World War II



Ford in uniform, 1945
Ford received a commission as ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve on April 13, 1942. On April 20, he reported for active duty to the V-5 instructor school at Annapolis, Maryland. After one month of training, he went to Navy Preflight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he was one of 83 instructors and taught elementary seamanship, ordnance, gunnery, first aid, and military drill. In addition, he coached in all nine sports that were offered, but mostly in swimming, boxing and football. During the one year he was at the Preflight School, he was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade on June 2, 1942, and to Lieutenant in March 1943.
Applying for sea duty, Ford was sent in May 1943 to the pre-commissioning detachment for the new fast aircraft carrier USS Monterey, at New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey. From the ship's commissioning on June 17, 1943 until the end of December 1944, Ford served as the assistant navigator, Athletic Officer, and antiaircraft battery officer on board the Monterey. While he was on board, the carrier participated in many actions in the Pacific Theater with the Third and Fifth Fleets during the fall of 1943 and in 1944. In 1943, the carrier helped secure Makin Island in the Gilberts, and participated in carrier strikes against Kavieng, New Ireland in 1943. During the spring of 1944, the Monterey supported landings at Kwajalein and Eniwetok and participated in carrier strikes in the Marianas, Western Carolines, and northern New Guinea, as well as in the Battle of the Philippine Sea[9] [5]. After overhaul, from September to November 1944, aircraft from the Monterey launched strikes against Wake Island, participated in strikes in the Philippines and Ryukus, and supported the landings at Leyte and Mindoro.
Although the ship was not damaged by Japanese forces, the Monterey was one of several ships damaged by the typhoon which hit Admiral William Halsey's Third Fleet on December 18-19, 1944. The Third Fleet lost three destroyers and over 800 men during the typhoon. The Monterey was damaged by a fire, which was started by several of the ship's aircraft tearing loose from their cables and colliding during the storm. During the storm, Ford narrowly avoided becoming a casualty himself. After he left his battle station on the bridge of the ship in the early morning of December 18, the ship rolled twenty-five degrees, which caused Ford to lose his footing and slide toward the edge of the deck. The two-inch steel ridge around the edge of the carrier slowed him enough so he could roll, and he twisted into the catwalk below the deck. As he later stated, "I was lucky; I could have easily gone overboard."
After the fire the Monterey was declared unfit for service, and the crippled carrier reached Ulithi on December 21 before proceeding across the Pacific to Bremerton, Washington where it underwent repairs. On Christmas Eve 1944 at Ulithi, Ford was detached from the ship and sent to the Athletic Department of the Navy Pre-Flight School at Saint Mary's College of California, where he was assigned to the Athletic Department until April 1945. One of his duties was to coach football. From the end of April 1945 to January 1946, he was on the staff of the Naval Reserve Training Command, Naval Air Station, Glenview, Illinois as the Staff Physical and Military Training Officer. On October 3, 1945 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander. In January 1946, he was sent to the Separation Center, Great Lakes to be processed out. He was released from active duty under honorable conditions on February 23, 1946. On June 28, 1963, the Secretary of the Navy accepted Ford's resignation from the Naval Reserve.
For his naval service, Gerald Ford earned the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with nine engagement stars for operations in the Gilbert Islands, Bismarck Archipelago, Marshall Islands, Asiatic and Pacific carrier raids, Hollandia, Marianas, Western Carolines, Western New Guinea, and the Leyte Operation. He also received the Philippine Liberation Medal with two bronze stars for Leyte and Mindoro, as well as the American Campaign and World War II Victory Medals.[10]
Presidency, 1974–77
Accession
My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.—Gerald R. Ford, August 9, 1974.[21]



Vice President Ford is sworn in as the 38th President of the United States by Chief Justice Warren Burger as Mrs. Ford looks on.
When Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal on August 9, 1974, Ford assumed the presidency. Immediately after taking the oath of office in the East Room of the White House, he spoke to the assembled audience in a speech broadcast live to the nation. Ford noted the peculiarity of his position: "I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your President by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your President with your prayers."[21] On August 20 Ford nominated former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller to fill the Vice Presidency he had vacated. Rockefeller was confirmed by the House and Senate.[22]
Nixon pardon
On September 8, 1974, Ford gave Nixon a full and undeserved pardon for any crimes he may have committed while President.[23][24] In a televised broadcast to the nation, Ford explained that he felt the pardon was in the best interests of the country and that the Nixon family's situation "is an American tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must."[25] At the same time as he announced the Nixon pardon, Ford introduced a conditional amnesty program for Vietnam War draft dodgers who had fled to countries such as Canada.[26] Unconditional amnesty, however, did not come about until the Jimmy Carter presidency.[27]
The Nixon pardon was highly controversial. Critics derided the move and claimed a "corrupt bargain" had been struck between the men.[3] They claimed Ford's pardon was quid pro quo in exchange for Nixon's resignation that elevated Ford to the Presidency. Nixon's chief of staff, Alexander Haig, did in fact offer a deal to Ford. Bob Woodward, in his book Shadow, recounts that Haig entered Ford's office on August 1, 1974 while Ford was still Vice President and Nixon had yet to resign. Haig told Ford that there were three pardon options: (1) Nixon could pardon himself and resign, (2) Nixon could pardon his aides involved in Watergate and then resign, or (3) Nixon could agree to leave in return for an agreement that the new president would pardon him. After listing these options, Haig handed Ford various papers; one of these papers included a discussion of the president's legal authority to pardon and another sheet was a draft pardon form that only needed Ford's signature and Nixon's name to make it legal. Woodward summarizes the setting between Haig and Ford as follows: "Even if Haig offered no direct words on his views, the message was almost certainly sent. An emotional man, Haig was incapable of concealing his feelings; those who worked closely with him rarely found him ambiguous." Despite the situation, Ford never accepted the offer from Haig and later decided to pardon Nixon on his own terms. Regardless, historians believe the controversy was one of the major reasons Ford lost the election in 1976.Ford's first press secretary and close friend Jerald terHorst resigned his post in protest after the announcement of President Nixon's full pardon.[

50 Things We Know Now - That we didn't know this time last year

50 Things We Know Now (That We Didn't Know This Time Last Year) 2006 Edition
By JEFF HOUCK The Tampa Tribune
Published: Dec 26, 2006
You know how it is.
You go through life thinking you've got your head wrapped around the world and all of its knowable information.
Then one day you read that since 2005, scientists have discovered more than 50 new species of animals and plants on the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. These new members of the List of Animals We Previously Didn't Have a Clue About include a catfish with protruding teeth and suction cups on its belly that help it stick to rocks.
Go back for a second.
A bucktooth, rock-climbing catfish. With suckers.
We'll understand if at this point you wish that your brain were an Etch A Sketch so you could shake it clean and start over.
Even more mind-numbing: Tons of cool new discoveries wash ashore in the media tide each year but fall through the cracks, what with all the coverage of Britney Spears' undies and Tom Cruise's wedding.
Consider this list - culled from dozens of news stories from 2006 - your chance to catch up.
1. U.S. life expectancy in 2005 inched up to a record high of 77.9 years.
2. The part of the brain that regulates reasoning, impulse control and judgment is still under construction during puberty and doesn't shift into autopilot until about age 25.
3. Blue light fends off drowsiness in the middle of the night, which could be useful to people who work at night.
4. The 8-foot-long tooth emerging from the head of the narwhal whale is actually a type of sensor that detects changes in water temperature, pressure and particle gradients.
5. U.S. Protestant "megachurches" - defined as having a weekly attendance of at least 2,000 - doubled in five years to more than 1,200 and are among the nation's fastest-growing faith groups.
6. Cheese consumption in the United States is expected to grow by 50 percent between now and 2013.
7. At 68.1 percent, the United States ranks eighth among countries that have access to and use the Internet. The largest percentage of online use was in Malta, where 78.1 percent access the Web.
8. The U.S. government has paid about $1.5 billion in benefits to thousands of sick nuclear-weapons workers since 2001.
9. Scientists have discovered that certain brain chemicals in our tears are natural pain relievers.
10. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover wrote a drooling fan letter to Lucille Ball in 1955 to tell her how much he enjoyed an episode of "I Love Lucy." "In all the years I have traveled on trains," he noted, "I have often wondered why someone did not pull the emergency brake, but I have never been aboard a train where it was done. The humor in your program last Monday, I think, exceeded any of your previous programs and they have been really good in themselves."
11. Wasps spray an insect version of pepper spray from their heads to temporarily incapacitate their rivals.
12. A sex gene responsible for making embryos male and forming the testes is also produced by the brain region targeted by Parkinson's disease, a discovery that may explain why more men than women develop the degenerative disorder.
13. Ancient humans from Asia may have entered the Americas following an ocean highway made of dense kelp.
14. An impact crater 18 miles in diameter was found 12,500 feet under the Indian Ocean.
15. Americans spent almost $32 billion on toys during 2005. About a third of that was spent on video games.
16. A new planet described as a "super-Earth," which weighs 13 times as much as our planet, exists in a solar system 9,000 light-years away.
17. A gene for a light-sensitive protein in the eye is what resets the body's "internal clock."
18. Australian scientists discovered a polyrhachis sokolova, which is believed to be the only ant species that can live under water. It nests in submerged mangroves and hides from predators in air pockets.
19. Red wine contains anti-inflammatory chemicals that stave off diseases affecting the gums and bone around the teeth.
20. A substance called resveratrol, also found in red wine, protects mice from obesity and the effects of aging, and perhaps could do the same for humans.
21. Two previously unknown forms of ice - dubbed by researchers as ice XIII and XIV - were discovered frozen at temperatures of around minus 160 degrees Celsius, or minus 256 Fahrenheit.
22. The hole in the earth's ozone layer is closing - and could be entirely closed by 2050. Meanwhile, the amount of greenhouse gases is increasing.
23. Scientists discovered what they believe to be football-field-sized minimoons scattered in Saturn's rings that may be debris left over from a collision between a comet and one of Saturn's icy moons.
24. At least once a week, 28 percent of high school students fall asleep in school, 22 percent fall sleep while doing homework and 14 percent get to school late or miss school because they overslept.
25. Women gain weight when they move in with a boyfriend because their diet deteriorates, but men begin to eat more healthy food when they set up a home with a female partner.
26. Some 45 percent of Internet users, or about 60 million Americans, said they sought online help to make big decisions or negotiate their way through major episodes in their lives during the previous two years.
27. Of the 10 percent of U.S. teens who uses credit cards, 15.7 percent are making the minimum payment each month.
28. Around the world, middle-aged and elderly men tend to be more satisfied with their sex lives than women in the same age group, a new survey shows.
29. The 90-million-year-old remains of seven pack-traveling carnivorous dinosaurs known as Mapusaurus were discovered in an area of southern Argentina nicknamed "Jurassic Park."
30. A group of genes makes some mosquitoes resistant to malaria and prevents them from transmitting the malaria parasite.
31. A 145-million-year-old beach ball-sized meteorite found a half-mile below a giant crater in South Africa has a chemical composition unlike any known meteorite.
32. Just 30 minutes of continuous kissing can diminish the body's allergic reaction to pollen, relaxing the body and reducing production of histamine, a chemical cell given out in response to allergens.
33. Saturn's moon Titan features vast swaths of "sand seas" covered with row after row of dunes from 300 to 500 feet high. Radar images of these seas, which stretch for hundreds of miles, bear a stunning likeness to ranks of dunes in Namibia and Saudi Arabia.
34. Scientists have discovered the fastest bite in the world, one so explosive it can be used to send the Latin American trap-jaw ant that performs it flying through the air to escape predators.
35. Janjucetus Hunderi, a ferocious whale species related to the modern blue whale, roamed the oceans 25 million years ago preying on sharks with its huge, razor-sharp teeth.
36. DNA analysis determined the British descended from a tribe of Spanish fishermen who crossed the Bay of Biscay almost 6,000 years ago.
37. Marine biologists discovered a new species of shark that walks along the ocean floor on its fins.
38. Most of us have microscopic, wormlike mites named Demodex that live in our eyelashes and have claws and a mouth.
39. The common pigeon can memorize 1,200 pictures.
40. The queens of bee, ant and wasp colonies that have the most sex with the largest number of males produce the strongest and healthiest colonies.
41. By firing atoms of metal at another metal, Russian and American scientists found a new element - No. 118 on the Periodic Table - that is the heaviest substance known and probably hasn't existed since the universe was in its infancy.
42. A "treasure-trove" of 150-million-year-old fossils belonging to giant sea reptiles that roamed the seas at the time of the dinosaurs was uncovered on the Arctic island chain of Svalbard, about halfway between the Norwegian mainland and the North Pole.
43. Sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday can disturb your body clock, leaving you fatigued at the start of the week.
44. Migrating dragonflies and songbirds exhibit many of the same behaviors, suggesting the rules that govern such long-distance travel may be simpler and more ancient than was once thought.
45. During the past five years, the existence of a peanut allergy in children has doubled.
46. Photos taken of Mars in 1999 and 2005 show muddy sand, indicating there may have been a flood sometime between those years.
47. A python was the first god worshipped by mankind, according to 70,000-year-old evidence found in a cave in Botswana's Tosodilo hills.
48. Red wines from southwest France and Sardinia boast the highest concentrations of chemical compounds that promote heart health.
49. One of the most effective ways for athletes to recover after exercise is to drink a glass of chocolate milk.
50. Researchers from the University of Manchester managed to induce teeth growth in normal chickens - activating genes that have lain dormant for 80 million years

No. 25 Frogs Stymie NIU's Vaunted Rushing Attack In 37-7 Poinsettia Bowl Win

No. 25 Frogs Stymie NIU's Vaunted Rushing Attack In 37-7 Poinsettia Bowl Win
QB Jeff Ballard runs for three touchdowns, throws for one more.
Dec. 19, 2006
Final Stats Notes Photo Gallery
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Penned in by a bunch of tough Horned Frogs, Garrett Wolfe had nowhere to run.
The national rushing leader was held to 28 yards, a whopping 130 below his average, and No. 25 TCU won a Poinsettia Bowl mismatch against Northern Illinois 37-7 on Tuesday night.
While Wolfe was repeatedly stuffed by one of the nation's best defenses, led by end Tommy Blake, Horned Frogs quarterback Jeff Ballard ran for three touchdowns and threw for another.
Ballard looked more like a running back as he scored on runs of 10, 1 and 6 yards. He threw a 6-yard TD pass to tight end Brent Hecht and finished with 258 passing yards.
TCU's Lonta Hobbs rushed for 114 yards and one TD.
TCU (11-2) won 11 games for the third time in four years, all under coach Gary Patterson. NIU finished 7-6.
Wolfe, a senior from Chicago, came in leading the nation with an average of 158.3 yards rushing and 178.9 all-purpose yards.
The Horned Frogs, though, were fourth nationally in run defense after allowing only 67.6 yards per game. TCU kept alive its string of not allowing a 100-yard rusher, one of only four teams to do so this year.
Wolfe, who carried 20 times, came dangerously close to his career-low of 24 yards set in his first game, the 2004 season opener. The Huskies had only five first downs and 60 yards of total offense, compared to 23 first downs and 456 yards for TCU.
Wolfe was thrown for losses on four of his 10 carries in the first half, when accounted he for just 8 yards.
The Huskies had minus-13 yards and went three-and-out six straight times before Dan Nicholson completed a 62-yard pass to Matt Simon on third-and-12 from the Huskies' 11-yard line in the second quarter. All that did was set up a missed 51-yard field goal by Chris Nendick.
NIU got to the TCU 18-yard line late in the third quarter before turning the ball over on downs. The Huskies gained 52 yards on that drive; up until then, they'd gained only 45.
NIU's only score came when John Tranchitella returned a blocked punt 32 yards with 14:14 left. Jarret Carter blocked Brian Cortney's punt and the ball bounced back toward Cortney's hands, but Tranchitella swooped in and grabbed it.
NIU blocked two punts and a PAT.
Hobbs scored on a 4-yard run on TCU's first drive.
Early in the second quarter, Ballard dropped back to pass on third-and-9 from the NIU 10. He scrambled left, cut inside and then dove into the end zone. Chris Manfredini kicked a 25-yard field goal as the clock expired for a 16-0 halftime lead.
Ballard scored twice in just less than 3 minutes in the third quarter for a 30-0 lead. He ran a 1-yard keeper, then added a 6-yard run when he rolled left, couldn't find a receiver and tumbled into the end zone.
Ballard was 19-of-29 passing. Nicholson was 6-of-18 for 80 yards, with one interception.
The game drew only 29,709 on a cold night at 70,000-seat Qualcomm Stadium.
Among the fans were San Diego Chargers running backs LaDainian Tomlinson, who went to TCU, and Michael Turner, who played for NIU.
With TCU winning, Turner will have to wear Tomlinson's No. 5 Horned Frogs jersey around Chargers headquarters.
The Poinsettia Bowl is sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union.