Good Morning:  It's Saturday March 24, 2001!
BIRTHDAYS:  Financier Andrew Mellon, 1885; Harry Houdini, 1874; Fatty Arbuckle, 1887; Thomas E. Dewey, 1902; Norman (Mr. Roper) Fell, 1924; Steve McQueen, 1930; Bob Mackie, 1940.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY:
On this date in 1603 the crowns of England and Scotland were joined.  Scotland's King James VI awoke to the surprising news that he was no longer King of Scotland; he was the king of both England and Scotland.  Sixty hours after Queen Elizabeth I's death, Sir Robert Carey brought the message to James in Edinburgh.  He was so excited that he knighted three hundred new Scottish and English lords on his way to attend his coronation in London as King James I.
On this date in 1882 German physician Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacillus that causes tuberculosis.
On this date in 1958 Elvis got his sideburns chopped and his head shaved as he gave a two-year command performance for Uncle Sam.
On this date in 1958 also CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF opened on Broadway.
On this date in 1989 the tanker Exxon Valdez spilled over 11 million gallons of crude oil off the coast of Alaska.
MEANINGLESS FACTS:  Lewis Carroll wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" standing up... T.S. Eliot's initials stand for Thomas Stearns... Henry David Thoreau's last words, uttered on May 6, 1862 were "Moose, Indian".  Their meaning is unknown.
TRIVIA:  The question concerns the death of one of our birthday-boys.  Houdini made his first appearance on this date in 1874, but on what date did he make his final "earthly" appearance?
     Milton Berle is usually good for a quote:  "A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours."  Yeah...  On to the real stuff:
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HAVING ANOTHER BAD DAY?

Just remember, it could be worse.....

1. The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, in full view, a killer whale ate them both.

2. A psychology student in New York rented out her spare room to a carpenter in order to nag him          constantly and study his reactions. After 2 weeks of nagging, he attacked her with a shovel and left her    mentally retarded.

3. A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist towards the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current she whacked him with a handy plank of wood by the back door, breaking his arm in two places.  Until that moment he had been happily listening to his Walkman.

And finally.......

4. Iraqi terrorist, Khay Rahnajet, didn't pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with "return    to sender" stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb; he opened it and was blown to bits.

    Today's not so bad, is it.????????

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Thanks to GB for this one:

I was talking to my Dad about current events the other night. I asked him what he thought about the shootings in schools, our immoral President Clinton, etc.  He replied: ..."Gee, let me think a  minute...I was born  before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill.  Man had not invented pantyhose, dishwashers, clothes dryers, electric blankets, air conditioners or walked on the moon.  Your Mom and I got married first - then lived together.  Families consisted of a father and a mother, and every boy over 14 had a rifle that his dad taught him how to use and respect.  Until I was 25, I called every man older than me 'sir' and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, 'sir.'   Closets were for clothes not for 'coming out of.'

Sunday's were set aside for going to church as a family, helping those in need, and visiting our neighbors.  That was before gay-rights, computer dating, dual careers, day-care centers, and group therapy.  The Ten Commandments, good judgment and common sense governed our lives. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong, and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.   Serving your country was a privilege; living in the U.S. was a bigger privilege. "We thought fast food was what you ate during Lent.  Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breezes blew.  And time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends - not condominiums.  We never heard of FM radio, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, word processors, yogurt or guys wearing earrings.   We listened to the 'big bands', Jack Benny and the President's speeches on the radio. I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.  If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk.  The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam. Pizza's, McDonald's and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 and 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, ride on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn't want to 'splurge,' you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail a letter and two postcards.  You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one. Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.  Grass was mowed, coke was a cold drink, pot was something your mother cooked in, and rock music was your grandmother’s lullaby.  Aids were helpers in the Principal's office, a chip was a piece of wood, not computer language, while hardware was found in a hardware store and software wasn't even a word.  And we were the last generation that was so dumb as to think you needed a husband to have a baby.  No wonder people today call us old and confused, and there is such a generation gap. ...and I'm only 59!?!.... did you dig that, Son?"

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Thanks to JLLH:  LITTLE JOHNNY

Little Johnny boarded the bus and sat down next to a man. He noticed that the man had a strange kind of collar, so he asked him, "Excuse me, sir, but why do you have your shirt collar on backwards?"
The man smiled kindly and replied, "I wear this collar because I am a Father."
Little Johnny thought for a second then said, "Sir, I have a father, but he wears his collar the other way around. Why do you wear your collar so differently?"
The priest thought for a moment then said, "I am the father of many."
Little Johnny quickly said, "My father, too, is the father of many. He has four sons, four daughters and many grandchildren. But, he wears his collar like everyone else does. Why do you wear yours backwards?"
The priest, flustered, said impatiently, " I am the Father of hundreds and hundreds of people."
Little Johnny sat quietly for a while. As he got up to leave the bus, he leaned over to the priest and said, "Mister, maybe you should wear your pants backwards."

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ANSWER:  Harry Houdini died on October 31, 1926.
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