DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ESPERANZA AQUINO

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ESPERANZA AQUINO

Founded: December 2000 Created By: Esther Aquino & Joseph Garcia

Thursday December 30th, 2004

In Today's Edition

Today's edition will be the last for 2004.

I sat at this keyboard last night for a couple of hours trying to think about what I would write today. I'd write out a paragraph, proofread it, then delete it. I did this a whole bunch of times. It either got too mushy or too deep. I'm just not very adept at conveying my thoughts into concrete form without being too extreme or inept. Most editors have writers to do this stuff.

I want to thank all of you that have contributed to the Neen Tribune this past year. Whether it be putting a note up on the messageboard, sending me a joke or picture, informing me of some family happening or event or just taking the time to acknowledge something you saw or read here. I welcome and appreciate all feedback. It gives me the incentive to keep chugging along with this.

I hope that everyone has a great, safe and prosperous 2005.

See you next year.

OK, send in the clowns.

Born On December 30th

Skeeter Davis 1931 C/W Female Singer "I'm Falling Too", "I Can't Stay Mad At You"

Bo Diddley 1928 -

Russ Hillerman 1934 -

David Jones 1946 Singer With The Monkeys

Sandy Koufax 1935 Baseball-Hall Of Fame

Jack Lord 1928 Tv-Stoney Burke, Hawaii 5-O+; F-God's Little Acre, Hangman+

Dennis Morgan 1910 F-My Wild Irish Rose+; Tv-21 Beacon Street.

Michael Nesmith 1942 Guitar/Singer-The Monkees; "I'm A Believer"+

Barbara Nichols 1929 Died-1976 (Liver Disease); Played Blonde Boards Roles; F-Pal Joey

Jeanette Nolan 1911 -

Bert Parks 1914 Ex-Miss America Host

Del Shannon 1939 Singer-"Runaway" #1, "Handy Man", "Sea Of Love"

Russ Tamblyn 1934 -

Tracey Ullman 1959 F-Give My Regards To Broadstreet; Singer-"They Don't Know"

Jo Van Fleet 1919 Oscar-East Of Eden (James Dean's Mother);

Marie Wilson 1916 Died-1972; Tv-My Friend Irma; F-Mr Hobbs Takes A Vacation, A Girl In

Tiger Woods 1975 Golf

Matt Lauer 1957 -

Jason Behr 1973 TV shows like "Roswell" and "Push" as well as the films "Pleasantville".

January 1st

Happy 21st Anniversary to Tony and Robin Aquino

The two people who are always there when you need help or a kind word

Romeo and Juliet

Did you hear about the two blood corpuscles named Romeo and Juliet?

They loved in vein.

Today's useless fact - Do people really shrink as they age?

Well, if we believed our parents, they were all well over 6 feet tall in their prime, and have only shrunk to their current modest height due to the aging process. We set out to discover if there is any truth to this or if it's simply a tall tale. From the links in the Lukol Aging category we learned that people do indeed shrink gradually as they age, though it usually amounts to only an inch or so of height. According to another site, between the ages of 30 to 70, a man may lose about three centimeters as he ages, while a woman may lose five. As you grow older, you tend to lose both muscle and fat. You begin to feel the weight of gravity as your bones end up pressing closely together, resulting in a loss of height.

A major culprit of the shrinking process is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is the result of the spongy tissue inside the bones breaking down and not being replaced by new bone tissue. This condition usually plagues women and those with smaller, lighter bones. How can you avoid osteoporosis? Eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and don't drink, smoke, or take steroids. Certain conditions, such as hyperthyroidism and anorexia nervosa, can also increase bone loss.

Not only do you shrink as you age, you also shrink during the course of a day. The water in your spine is compressed by gravity so you finish the day a bit smaller in stature than you started it. However, your body recovers overnight as you sleep, so you are standing tall again in the morning.

The Buzzword For December 30th

schmooze \SHMOOZ\ verb What does it mean? : to converse informally : chat; also : to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections How do you use it? All the candidates for class office made a special effort to schmooze with as many members of the student body as possible before the election. Are you a word wiz? In what language do you think the originators of "schmooze" chatted? A. Algonquian B. Yiddish C. Irish D. Danish Answer: If we talked you into picking B, mazel tov! Yiddish is a German language written in Hebrew characters that is spoken by Jews and descendants of Jews of central and Eastern European origin. "Schmooze" comes from the Yiddish word "schmuesn," from "schmues," the Yiddish word for "talk." "Schmues" can be traced back to a Hebrew word meaning "news" or "rumor." Several other words beginning with "sch" entered English from Yiddish. "Schmaltz" refers to something that's overly sentimental, and "schlep" means to drag or haul. "Schnorrer" is used for a person who wheedles what he or she wants out of others, while a clumsy, unlucky person is called a "schlemiel."

Today's Jigsaw Puzzle

Click Here Tony & Robin

That's all for this year. Whatever you do and wherever you go, have a safe and happy New Year's celebration.



                    The following is what appeared in Wednesday's edition.

In Today's Edition

36% of us break our New Year's resolutions by the end of January.

Born On December 29th

Bobby Comstock 1941

Ted Danson 1947

Claire Dodd 1908

Ed Flanders 1934

Gelsey Kirkland 1952

Viveca Lindfors 1920

Mary Tyler Moore 1936

Paula Poundstone 1959

Inga Swenson 1934

Jon Voight 1928

Alexa Ray Joel 85

Jude Law 1972

A Trip To The Zoo

Little Johnny wanted to go to the zoo and pestered his parents for days. Finally his mother talked his reluctant father into taking him.

"So how was it?" his mother asked when they returned home.

"Great," Little Johnny replied.

"Did you and your father have a good time?" asked his mother.

"Yeah, Daddy especially liked it," exclaimed Little Johnny excitedly, "especially when one of the animals came racing home at 30 to 1!"

Today's useless fact - What do the numbers in a blood pressure reading mean and what is a "healthy" blood pressure?

Blood pressure is "a measurement of the force applied against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. The pressure is determined by the force and amount of blood pumped and the size and flexibility of the arteries." A reading consists of two numbers, for example: 112/77, which is read as "112 over 77."

The first number, "systolic blood pressure", measures the maximum pressure exerted as the heart contracts, while the lower number indicates "diastolic pressure", a measurement taken between beats, when the heart is at rest.

According to high blood pressure guidelines from the American Heart Association (AHA), numbers under 140/90 and over 90/60 are generally considered normal in adults.

For greater accuracy, measure blood pressure while in a seated position with your arm at the same level as your heart, after you have been at rest for five minutes or more. Baselines vary considerably from one individual to the next.

The Buzzword For December 29th

gizmo \GHIZ-moh\ noun What does it mean? : an interesting, unfamiliar, or unusual device : gadget How do you use it? The toy was a strange little gizmo covered in tiny lights that changed color when you touched them. Are you a word wiz? When do you think "gizmo" first made its appearance in the English language? A. in the mid-1600s, when pendulum clocks were first invented B. in mid-1700s, when Ben Franklin was experimenting with electricity C. in the late 1800s, when Thomas Edison held a record number of patents for his inventions D. in the mid-1900s, when a device called a television set was gaining in popularity Answer: Nobody knows where the word "gizmo" comes from, but it's been around since the 1940s. "Gadget" is another word for a small mechanical or electronic device. It first appeared around the late 1800s, at the time that Thomas Edison was at the peak of his career. "Thingamajig" and "thingamabob" both mean "something that is hard to classify or whose name is unknown or forgotten." "Thingamabob" is the older of the two words. Our earliest evidence of that term is from around 1750 (when Ben Franklin was experimenting with electricity), while the earliest evidence of "thingamajig" is from the early 1800s.

Today's Jigsaw Puzzle

Click Here Seasons Greetings

              That's all for today's edition. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.



                     The following is what appeared in Tuesday's edition.

In Today's Edition

I'm sorry for not mentioning anything about the Christmas party but as I said yesterday, I'm in a funk which I'm trying to break out of. I guess my expectations for certain scenarios to appear over the holidays were too high and my fall to grace has left me somewhat bruised and bewildered.

OK, I am now officially over that.

Larry and Roni, you guys are the ultimate hosts. It's always a pleasure and a joy to be at your place. What with the great food, the beautiful decorations, and the ones I hold dearest to me, it truly made out to be a Christmas to remember for me. Thanks you two.

About that preliminary gift exchange, I think I've figured out a better way to do it. Larry, remind me to consult you on that next November, ok?

Excellent enchiladas, as usual Roni.

It's always great to see Barbara punishing that tree again.

Born On December 28th

Lew Ayres 1908

Martin Milner 1927

Hildegarde Neff 1925

Johnny Otis 1924

Ray Knight 1952

Maggie Smith 1934

Billy Williams 1916

Mel Stottlemyre Jr. 1963

Denzel Washington 1954

Nichelle Nichols ?

Linda Peterson

Some One Liners

What award winning book and movie is the story of a songbird who weighed almost four and a half pounds? Two Kilo Mockingbird.

There is a sign in the toilet of the Sex Change Clinic. It reads "We may never piss this way again."

Nothing in the world is more expensive than a girl who's totally free for the weekend.

Today's useless fact - What is Ozzy Osbourne's real name? How many kids does he have?

We're big fans of MTV's reality-comedy show The Osbournes, which made us curious about Papa Ozzy's history too. The sites listed in the Lukol Osbournes category led to answers faster than you can bite the head off a bat.

Ozzy's real name is John Michael Osbourne. He was born on December 3, 1948, in Birmingham, England. Kids gave him the nickname "Ozzy" in grammar school -- they were simply shortening his last name. His family was poor, and his career outlook was bleak. By age 20, he'd already served time in prison for petty theft. It was in the slammer that Ozzy got the "O-Z-Z-Y" tattoos across his knuckles as well as the smiley face tattoos on his knees.

Music saved Osbourne's soul, and soon after prison, he met the musicians with whom he would form the seminal heavy metal band, Black Sabbath. As the group began to take off, Ozzy met and married his first wife, Thelma Mayfair, in 1971. Thelma had a five-year-old son, Elliot Kingsley, from a previous marriage, and Ozzy adopted the boy. Together, Ozzy and Thelma had a daughter, Jessica Starshine, in 1973, and a son, Louis Jon, in 1975. Reportedly, Louis is the little boy pictured on the cover of Ozzy's 1981 solo album, Diary of a Madman. These days, Louis is a deep house/techno DJ in the U.K.

In 1976, Black Sabbath hired a new manager, Don Arden. His daughter was Sharon Arden -- this was how Ozzy met his second wife. In 1978, Black Sabbath kicked Ozzy out of the band because of his uncontrolled drug and alcohol abuse. Sharon encouraged Ozzy to strike out as a solo musician, and her father continued as Ozzy's manager during his first few solo albums. Around this time, Ozzy divorced his first wife, and on July 4, 1982, he married Sharon, who then bought out her father's management contract with Ozzy and became his manager.

Ozzy and Sharon have three children together. They are Aimee Rachel (born in 1983), Kelly (born in 1984), and Jack (born in 1985). Kelly and Jack were featured prominently in The Osbournes, while Aimee chose to remain off-camera.

The Buzzword For December 28th

etiquette \ET-ih-kut\ noun What does it mean? : the rules governing the proper way to behave How do you use it? Grandma is a stickler for etiquette -- don't talk with your mouth full, always say "please," no hats in the house -- she's got rules for how to do everything! Are you a word wiz? We'll use our best manners and ask you to please tell us which of the following words you think comes from the same root as "etiquette." A. estimate B. ticket C. request D. modicum Answer: In French, "etiquette" originally referred to a ticket or label attached to something, such as a bundle of documents. That French term gave rise to both "ticket" and "etiquette." English speakers weren't the only ones influenced by the French word. In the 1500s the Spanish royal court adopted the word "etiqueta" first to refer to documents describing proper courtly behavior and later to the behavior itself. When English speakers started using "etiquette" in the 1700s, its meaning expanded to include all sorts of rules for proper behavior required by society.

Today's Jigsaw Puzzle

Click Here Beach

              That's all for today's edition. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.



                     The following is what appeared in Monday's edition.

In Today's Edition

Well, here we go into our last week of 2004. Where did the year go?

I've got the post-Christmas blues so if the website seems kinda flat, that's cause I am.

Have a nice day!

Born On December 27th

John Amos 1939

Terry Bozzio 1950

Marlene Dietrich 1901

Tovah Feldshuh 1952

Sydney Greenstreet 1879

Mick Jones 1944

Louis Pasteur 1822

Maryam D'Abo 1960

Gerard Depardieu 1948

Cokie Roberts 1943

Zulus

Two old gambling friends meeting on the street for the first time in several weeks and one asked the other,

"Joe, where you been? I haven't seen you around for weeks."

"I've been to Africa with my son. While I was there, I taught a tribe how to play poker."

"Zulus?"

"Nah, I beat them every time."

Christine- Out of the bottle, into the fog



Today's useless fact - Are crop circles real or just an urban legend?

We ventured to go to the links in the Lukol Crop Circles category to answer your question, and here's what we found:

The first reported sightings of crop circles occurred in the 1970s. The number of circles reported varies from approximately 2,000 (according to the International Crop Circle Database) to an estimated 10,000 sightings worldwide. The first patterns were simple circles and rings in wheat and barley fields, and soon all similar occurrences were referred to as "crop circles." Many recent patterns are elaborate geometrical designs such as fractals.

The crops (usually grasses) in the circles have their stems bent down, not cut, to make the patterns. Sometimes the stems are all bent in the same direction. In some circles, the stems aren't bent near the ground but higher up, in the middle of the stem. Patterns range in size from just a few yards across to huge designs that can only be seen fully from the air. Wiltshire County in South England is a hotbed of crop-circle activity, with patterns appearing regularly throughout the summer season. Coincidentally, the Wiltshire area is also home to Stonehenge.

Speculation continues about the source of these circles. Whirlwind or plasma vortexes, earth energies, and microwave transient heating are all popular theories. Many believe that extraterrestrial forces create crop circles. People who subscribe to this theory often think the patterns form messages from aliens to humanity.

In 1991, two elderly Englishmen, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley, confessed to creating hundreds of crop circles, beginning in the early 1970s. This led most media sources to proclaim that all crop circles had been hoaxes. Some crop-circle scholars pointed out that these two men couldn't possibly have created all the circles, particularly those outside the U.K. Other self-described crop-circle artists, such as Circlemakers, suggest that Bower and Chorley started a trend that was picked up by others worldwide. The Museum of Unnatural Mystery notes that the number and complexity of the circles have grown in response to media coverage. These artists consider crop circles a creative challenge, and continue to make new and more elaborate patterns.

Conspiracy theorists claim that Bower and Chorley's confession was staged by the British Ministry of Defense in collusion with the CIA. More thoughtful crop-circle fans admit that some circles are man-made but believe that others aren't. One Finnish theorist lists the following evidence of circles that defy human abilities: huge and intricate designs appearing quickly, stalks bent above ground level, and electromagnetic anomalies within circles. Ultimately, no one really knows the source of every crop circle, much less what they mean.

The Buzzword For December 27th

shoal \SHOHL\ noun What does it mean? 1 : a place where a sea, lake, or river is shallow 2 : a sandbank or sandbar just below the surface of the water How do you use it? During low tide, we walked along the shoals looking for sea stars and sand dollars that had washed in during the storm. Are you a word wiz? "Shoal" is an old word and comes from an old language. Which language gave us "shoal"? A. Sanskrit B. Old English C. Latin D. Greek Answer: If you answered B, you're right! "Shoal" comes to us from the Old English word "sceald," meaning "shallow." Old English is the name used for the language that was spoken by the Anglo- Saxons in the British Isles from about 600 to 1100 A.D. While Old English isn't spoken anymore, it has given us many of our most basic words, including "day" and "night," and "love" and "hate." It has also given us many words about the sea, since the Anglo-Saxons lived on a large island. The words "whale," "sea," "wave," "shore," and "ship" are all from Old English.

Today's Jigsaw Puzzle

Click Here Winter Day

              That's all for today's edition. Tune in tomorrow for more stuff.