Today is Monday, Nov. 17, the 322nd day of 2008. There are 44 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 17, 1968, the NBC television network outraged football fans by cutting away from the closing minutes of a New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game to begin a special presentation of "Heidi" on schedule. (Home viewers were prevented from seeing the Raiders come from behind to beat the Jets, 43-32.)

On this date:

In 1558, Elizabeth I acceded to the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary.

In 1800, Congress held its first session in Washington in the partially completed Capitol building.

In 1869, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt.

In 1917, sculptor Auguste Rodin died in Meudon, France, at age 77.

In 1934, Lyndon Baines Johnson married Claudia Alta Taylor, better known as "Lady Bird," in San Antonio, Texas.

In 1962, Washington's Dulles International Airport was dedicated by President Kennedy.

In 1970, the Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon, the Lunokhod 1.

In 1973, President Nixon told Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, Fla.: "People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."

In 1987, a federal jury in Denver convicted two neo-Nazis and acquitted two others of civil rights violations in the 1984 slaying of radio talk show host Alan Berg.

In 1997, 62 people, most of them foreign tourists, were killed when six militants opened fire at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt; the attackers were killed by police.


Ten years ago: The public got to hear Monica Lewinsky's voice for the first time as the House Judiciary Committee released 22 hours of tape recordings secretly made by Linda Tripp. Israel's parliament overwhelmingly approved the Wye River land-for-peace accord with the Palestinians. Actress Esther Rolle died in Culver City, Calif., at age 78.

Five years ago: John Allen Muhammad was convicted of two counts of capital murder in the Washington-area sniper shootings. Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as the 38th governor of California. Rush Limbaugh returned to radio after five weeks of rehabilitation for a painkiller addiction. Texas Rangers shortstop Alex Rodriguez won the American League Most Valuable Player award.

One year ago: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte delivered a blunt message to Pakistan's military ruler, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, telling him emergency rule had to be lifted and his opponents freed ahead of elections. A Nobel-winning U.N. scientific panel said in a landmark report that the Earth was hurtling toward a warmer climate at a quickening pace.

Today's Birthdays: Rock musician Gerry McGee (The Ventures) is 71. Singer Gordon Lightfoot is 70. Movie director Martin Scorsese is 66. Actress Lauren Hutton is 65. Actor-director Danny DeVito is 64. "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels is 64. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver is 64. Movie director Roland Joffe is 63. Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean is 60. Actor Stephen Root is 57. Rock musician Jim Babjak (The Smithereens) is 51. Actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is 50. Actor William Moses is 49. Entertainer RuPaul is 48. Actor Dylan Walsh is 45. Actress Sophie Marceau is 42. Actress-model Daisy Fuentes is 42. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ronnie DeVoe (New Edition; Bell Biv DeVoe) is 41. Rock musician Ben Wilson (Blues Traveler) is 41. Actress Leslie Bibb is 35. Actor Brandon Call is 32. Country singer Aaron Lines is 31. Actress Rachel McAdams is 30. Rock musician Isaac Hanson (Hanson) is 28. Actor Justin Cooper is 20. Actress Raquel Castro is 14.

Thought for Today: "There's one thing that keeps surprising you about stormy old friends after they die — their silence." — Ben Hecht, American author and screenwriter (1893-1964).
________________

Source: Associated Press

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 18, the 323rd day of 2008. There are 43 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 18, 1928, Walt Disney's first sound-synchronized animated cartoon, "Steamboat Willie" starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York.


On this date:

In 1883, the United States and Canada adopted a system of Standard Time zones.

In 1886, the 21st president of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, died in New York.

In 1908, actress-comedian Imogene Coca was born in Philadelphia.

In 1936, Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.

In 1958, the cargo freighter SS Carl D. Bradley sank during a storm in Lake Michigan, claiming 33 of the 35 lives on board.

In 1966, U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays outside of Lent.

In 1978, U.S. Rep. Leo J. Ryan, D-Calif., and four other people were killed in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the Peoples Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide by more than 900 cult members.

In 1987, the congressional Iran-Contra committees issued their final report, saying President Reagan bore "ultimate responsibility" for wrongdoing by his aides.

In 1988, President Reagan signed legislation creating a Cabinet-level drug czar and providing the death penalty for drug traffickers who kill.

In 1999, 12 people were killed when a 59-foot stack of logs under construction for a bonfire at Texas A&M University collapsed.


Ten years ago: House Republicans endorsed U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston of Louisiana to be their next speaker, succeeding Newt Gingrich. (However, Livingston later resigned from the House before he could take over the speakership after admitting to marital infidelities.)

Five years ago: The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled, 4-3, that the state constitution guaranteed gay couples the right to marry. President Bush and his wife, Laura, arrived in Britain for a state visit. The U.N. refugee agency began pulling foreign staff out of Afghanistan after the killing of a French worker. A judge in Modesto, Calif., ordered Scott Peterson to stand trial for the killing of his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. (Peterson was later convicted and sentenced to death.) Barry Bonds won his record sixth National League MVP award.

One year ago: President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's government dismissed a last-ditch U.S. call to end emergency rule, a day after a visit by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte. A methane blast ripped through a coal mine in eastern Ukraine, killing 101 miners. Chris Daughtry's band won favorite pop-rock album for "Daughtry," as well as breakthrough artist and adult contemporary artist at the American Music Awards. MTV Arabia, an Arab version of the pop-culture channel, began broadcasting.

Today's Birthdays: Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is 85. Actor Brad Sullivan is 77. Actress Brenda Vaccaro is 69. Actress Linda Evans is 66. Country singer Jacky Ward is 62. Actor Jameson Parker is 61. Actress-singer Andrea Marcovicci is 60. Rock musician Herman Rarebell is 59. Singer Graham Parker is 58. Actor Delroy Lindo is 56. Comedian Kevin Nealon is 55. Actor Oscar Nunez is 50. Actress Elizabeth Perkins is 48. Singer Kim Wilde is 48. Rock musician Kirk Hammett (Metallica) is 46. Rock singer Tim DeLaughter is 43. Actor Owen Wilson is 40. Singer Duncan Sheik is 39. Actress Peta Wilson is 38. Actress Chloe Sevigny is 34. Country singer Jessi Alexander is 32. Actor Steven Pasquale is 32. Rapper Fabolous is 29. Actor Nate Parker is 29. Rapper Mike Jones is 28. Actor Nathan Kress is 16.

Thought for Today: "It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument." — William G. McAdoo, American government official (1863-1941).
________________

Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 19, the 324th day of 2008. There are 42 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 19, 1863, President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.

On this date:

In 1794, the United States and Britain signed Jay's Treaty, which resolved some issues left over from the Revolutionary War.

In 1831, the 20th president of the United States, James Garfield, was born in Orange Township, Ohio.

In 1917, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was born in Allahabad.

In 1919, the Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 55 in favor, 39 against, short of the two-thirds majority needed for ratification.

In 1942, during World War II, Russian forces launched their winter offensive against the Germans along the Don front.

In 1959, Ford Motor Co. announced it was halting production of the unpopular Edsel.

In 1969, Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean made the second manned landing on the moon.

In 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel.

In 1984, some 500 people died in a firestorm set off by a series of explosions at a petroleum storage plant on the edge of Mexico City.

In 1985, President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met for the first time as they began their summit in Geneva.


Ten years ago: Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr laid out his evidence against President Clinton, then defended his investigation under withering questions from Democrats during a daylong appearance before the House Judiciary Committee. Movie director Alan Pakula died in a car accident on Long Island, N.Y., at age 70.

Five years ago: During his state visit to London, President Bush urged Europe to put aside bitter war disagreements with the United States and work to build democracy in Iraq or risk turning the nation over to terrorists. A U.S.-Canadian investigation found that the Aug. 14, 2003, blackout should have been contained by operators at Ohio's FirstEnergy Corporation; the investigators also faulted Midwest regional monitors.

One year ago: In Pakistan, a Supreme Court hand-picked by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf dismissed legal challenges to his continued rule, opening the way for him to serve another five-year term — solely as a civilian president. The FBI reported hate crime incidents rose nearly 8 percent in 2006. President Bush announced that Fran Townsend, the leading White House-based terrorism adviser, was stepping down. Milo Radulovich, the Air Force Reserve lieutenant championed by CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow when the military threatened to decommission him during the anti-communist crackdown of the 1950s, died in Vallejo, Calif., at age 81. Actor Dick Wilson, who played the fussy, mustachioed grocer who told customers, "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin," died in Woodland Hills, Calif., at age 91.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Alan Young is 89. Talk show host Larry King is 75. Talk show host Dick Cavett is 72. Broadcasting and sports mogul Ted Turner is 70. Singer Pete Moore (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles) is 69. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is 69. TV journalist Garrick Utley is 69. Actor Dan Haggerty is 67. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson is 67. Fashion designer Calvin Klein is 66. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad is 59. Actor Robert Beltran is 55. Actress Kathleen Quinlan is 54. Actress Glynnis O'Connor is 53. Newscaster Ann Curry is 52. Actress Allison Janney is 48. Rock musician Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver) is 48. Actress Meg Ryan is 47. Actress-director Jodie Foster is 46. Actress Terry Farrell is 45. Actor Jason Scott Lee is 42. Olympic gold medal runner Gail Devers is 42. Rock musician Travis McNabb (Better Than Ezra) is 39. Singer Tony Rich is 37. Country singer Jason Albert (Heartland) is 35. Country singer Billy Currington is 35. Dancer-choreographer Savion Glover is 35. Country musician Chad Jeffers is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tamika Scott (Xscape) is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lil' Mo is 31.

Thought for Today: The facts are always less than what really happened." — Nadine Gordimer, South African Nobel Prize-winning author.
________________

Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Thursday, Nov. 20, the 325th day of 2008. There are 41 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 20, 1947, Britain's future queen, Princess Elizabeth, married Philip Mountbatten, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey.

On this date:

In 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.

In 1908, Anglo-American journalist and broadcaster Alistair Cooke was born in Salford, England.

In 1910, revolution broke out in Mexico, led by Francisco I. Madero.

In 1925, Robert F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Mass.

In 1929, the radio program "The Rise of the Goldbergs" debuted on the NBC Blue Network.

In 1945, 22 out of 24 indicted Nazi officials went on trial (one in absentia) before an international war crimes tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany.

In 1959, the United Nations issued its "Declaration of the Rights of the Child."

In 1967, the Census Clock at the Commerce Department ticked past 200,000,000.

In 1975, after nearly four decades of absolute rule, Spain's General Francisco Franco died, two weeks before his 83rd birthday.

In 1992, fire seriously damaged Windsor Castle, the favorite weekend home of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.


Ten years ago: Forty-six states embraced a $206 billion settlement with cigarette makers over health costs for treating sick smokers. President Clinton wrapped up a visit to Japan and flew to South Korea. Israel turned over an additional 2 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians.

Five years ago: Michael Jackson was booked on suspicion of child molestation in Santa Barbara, Calif. (Jackson was later acquitted at trial.) Record producer Phil Spector was charged with murder in the shooting death of an actress, Lana Clarkson, at his home in Alhambra, Calif., in February 2003. (Spector is being retried after his first trial ended in a deadlocked jury.) Suicide bombers blew up trucks in Istanbul, Turkey, at the British consulate and at a London-based bank, killing 32 people. Tens of thousands of demonstrators in London burned an effigy of President Bush to show their anger over the Iraq war. In Miami, trade ministers from across the Americas gave final approval to a framework for the world's largest free trade bloc as police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators.

One year ago: A judge in St. George, Utah, sentenced polygamous-sect leader Warren Jeffs to five years to life in prison for his role in the arranged marriage of an underage girl to her older cousin. Scientists in Japan and the U.S. reported creating the equivalent of embryonic stem cells from ordinary skin cells. Ian Smith, the last white prime minister of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), died near Cape Town, South Africa, at age 88.

Today's Birthdays: Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., is 91. Economist Beryl Sprinkel is 85. Actress-comedian Kaye Ballard is 83. Actress Estelle Parsons is 81. TV personality Richard Dawson is 76. Comedian Dick Smothers is 70. Singer Norman Greenbaum is 66. Vice President-elect Joe Biden is 66. Actress Veronica Hamel is 65. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 62. Actor Samuel E. Wright is 62. Singer Joe Walsh is 61. Actor Richard Masur is 60. Actress Bo Derek is 52. Reggae musician Jim Brown (UB40) is 51. Actress Sean Young is 49. Pianist Jim Brickman is 47. Rock musician Todd Nance (Widespread Panic) is 46. Actress Ming-Na is 45. Rapper Mike D (The Beastie Boys) is 43. Rapper Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) is 43. Actress Callie Thorne is 39. Actress Sabrina Lloyd is 38. Actress Marisa Ryan is 34. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 33. Actor Joshua Gomez is 33. Actress Laura Harris is 32. Country singer Josh Turner is 31. Actress Nadine Velazquez is 30. Actor Cody Linley is 19.

Thought for Today: "People, when they first come to America, whether as travelers or settlers, become aware of a new and agreeable feeling: that the whole country is their oyster." — Alistair Cooke, British-born American journalist and broadcaster (1908-2004).
________________

Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Friday, Nov. 21, the 326th day of 2008. There are 40 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 21, 1922, Rebecca L. Felton of Georgia was sworn in as the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate.

On this date:

In 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1927, picketing strikers at the Columbine Mine in northern Colorado were fired on by state police; six miners were killed.

In 1942, the Alaska Highway was formally opened.

In 1958, baseball Hall-of-Famer Mel Ott died in New Orleans at age 49.

In 1964, the upper level of New York's Verrazano Narrows Bridge, connecting Brooklyn and Staten Island, was opened.

In 1967, President Johnson signed the Air Quality Act.

In 1969, the Senate voted down the Supreme Court nomination of Clement F. Haynsworth, 55-45, the first such rejection since 1930.

In 1973, President Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, revealed the existence of an 18 1/2-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to Watergate.

In 1980, 87 people died in a fire at the MGM Grand Hotel-Casino in Las Vegas.

In 1988, Canada's Progressive Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, won the country's general election.


Ten years ago: President Clinton, visiting South Korea, warned North Korea to forsake nuclear weapons, and urged the North to seize "an historic opportunity" for peace with the South.

Five years ago: More than a dozen rockets fired from donkey carts slammed into Iraq's Oil Ministry and two downtown Baghdad hotels used by foreign journalists and civilian defense contractors. Health officials said a deadly outbreak of hepatitis A at a Chi-Chi's Mexican restaurant in suburban Pittsburgh was probably caused by green onions from Mexico.

One year ago: New Hampshire set its earliest-ever presidential primary, deciding on Jan. 8, 2008. Officials announced the recall of more than a half-million pieces of Chinese-made children's jewelry contaminated with lead. Engineer Herbert Saffir, who created the five-category system used to describe hurricane strength, died in Miami at age 90.

Today's Birthdays: Baseball Hall-of-Famer Stan Musial is 88. Actor Joseph Campanella is 81. Country singer Jean Shepard is 75. Actor Laurence Luckinbill is 74. Actress Marlo Thomas is 71. Actor Rick Lenz is 69. Singer Dr. John is 68. Actress Juliet Mills is 67. Comedian-director Harold Ramis is 64. Television producer Marcy Carsey is 64. Actress Goldie Hawn is 63. Movie director Andrew Davis is 62. Rock musician Lonnie Jordan (War) is 60. Singer Livingston Taylor is 58. Actress-singer Lorna Luft is 56. Actress Cherry Jones is 52. Rock musician Brian Ritchie (The Violent Femmes) is 48. Gospel singer Steven Curtis Chapman is 46. Actress Nicollette Sheridan is 45. Singer-actress Bjork is 43. Football player Troy Aikman is 42. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chauncey Hannibal (BLACKstreet) is 40. Rock musician Alex James (Blur) is 40. Baseball player Ken Griffey Jr. is 39. Rapper Pretty Lou (Lost Boyz) is 37. Country singer Kelsi Osborn (SHeDAISY) is 34. Actress Jena Malone is 24.

Thought for Today: "A concept is stronger than a fact." — Charlotte P. Gilman, American lecturer and author (1860-1935).
________________

Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Saturday, Nov. 22, the 327th day of 2008. There are 39 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 22, 1963, President Kennedy was shot to death while riding in a motorcade in Dallas. Texas Gov. John B. Connally, in the same limousine as Kennedy, was seriously wounded. Suspect Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested.

On this date:

In 1718, English pirate Edward Teach — better known as "Blackbeard" — was killed during a battle off the Virginia coast.

In 1890, French president Charles de Gaulle was born in Lille, France.

In 1928, "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel was first performed, in Paris.

In 1935, a flying boat, the China Clipper, took off from Alameda, Calif., carrying more than 100,000 pieces of mail on the first trans-Pacific airmail flight.

In 1943, President Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Chinese leader Chiang Kai-shek met in Cairo to discuss measures for defeating Japan.

In 1943, lyricist Lorenz Hart died in New York at age 48.

In 1965, the musical "Man of La Mancha" opened in New York.

In 1967, the U.N. Security Council approved Resolution 242, which called for Israel to withdraw from territories it had captured the previous June, and implicitly called on adversaries to recognize Israel's right to exist.

In 1975, Juan Carlos was proclaimed King of Spain.

In 1990, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, having failed to win re-election of the Conservative Party leadership on the first ballot, announced her resignation.


Ten years ago: The CBS News program "60 Minutes" aired videotape of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, an advocate of assisted suicide, administering lethal drugs to Thomas Youk, a terminally ill patient. (Kevorkian, who challenged prosecutors to charge him, was later convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 10 to 25 years in prison. He was released in 2007 after serving eight years.)

Five years ago: The Medicare prescription drug bill narrowly passed the House, 220-215, following a dusk-to-dawn debate. Thousands of mourners gathered in downtown Dallas along the street where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated 40 years earlier. College student Dru Sjodin disappeared while leaving her job at a Grand Forks, N.D., mall. (Sjodin's body was found in April 2004; a suspect, Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., was later convicted of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to death.)

One year ago: Retailers lured shoppers to stores and online on Thanksgiving Day ahead of the traditional Black Friday kickoff. A gunman shot and killed his ex-wife, their three children and himself in a park in Laytonsville, Md. French rail workers who'd staged a nine-day-old strike voted to return to the job.

Today's Birthdays: Former Sen. Claiborne Pell, D-R.I., is 90. Movie director Arthur Hiller is 85. Actor Robert Vaughn is 76. Actor Michael Callan is 73. Actor Allen Garfield is 69. Animator and movie director Terry Gilliam is 68. Actor Tom Conti is 67. Singer Jesse Colin Young is 67. Astronaut Guion S. Bluford is 66. Tennis player Billie Jean King is 65. Rock musician-actor Steve Van Zandt (AKA Little Steven) is 58. Rock musician Tina Weymouth (The Heads; Talking Heads; The Tom Tom Club) is 58. Former baseball player Greg Luzinski is 58. Rock musician Lawrence Gowan is 52. Actor Richard Kind is 52. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is 50. Rock singer Jason Ringenberg (Jason & the Scorchers) is 50. Actress Mariel Hemingway is 47. Actor Stephen Geoffreys is 44. Rock musician Charlie Colin is 42. Actor Nicholas Rowe is 42. Actor Mark Ruffalo is 41. Tennis player Boris Becker is 41. Actor-singer Tyler Hilton is 25. Actress Scarlett Johansson is 24.

Thought for Today: "In youth we feel richer for every new illusion; in maturer years, for every one we lose." — Anne Sophie Swetchine, Russian-French author (1782-1857).
________________

Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Sunday, Nov. 23, the 328th day of 2008. There are 38 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 23, 1765, Frederick County, Md., became the first colonial entity to repudiate the British Stamp Act.

On this date:

In 1804, the 14th president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, was born in Hillsboro, N.H.

In 1889, the first jukebox made its debut in San Francisco, at the Palais Royale Saloon.

In 1903, singer Enrico Caruso made his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, appearing in "Rigoletto."

In 1936, Life, the photojournalism magazine created by Henry R. Luce, was first published.

In 1943, during World War II, U.S. forces seized control of Tarawa and Makin atolls from the Japanese.

In 1945, most U.S. wartime rationing of foods, including meat and butter, was set to expire by day's end.

In 1963, President Johnson proclaimed Nov. 25 a day of national mourning following the assassination of President Kennedy.

In 1971, the People's Republic of China was seated in the U.N. Security Council.

In 1980, some 2,600 people were killed by a series of earthquakes that devastated southern Italy.

In 1996, a hijacked Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 crashed into the waves off Comoros Islands, killing about two-thirds of the 175 people on board.


Ten years ago: Whitewater figure Susan McDougal was acquitted in Santa Monica, Calif., of embezzling from conductor Zubin Mehta and his wife — a case McDougal said had been trumped up to pressure her to testify against President Clinton.

Five years ago: Five U.S. soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Eduard Shevardnadze resigned as president of Georgia in the face of protests.

One year ago: Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations grudgingly agreed to attend an upcoming U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference, despite failing to get any guarantee of Israeli concessions. Lebanon's President Emile Lahoud left office without a successor after announcing he was handing over security powers to the army. A Canadian cruise ship, the MS Explorer, struck submerged ice off Antarctica and began taking on water, but all 154 passengers and crew took to lifeboats and were plucked to safety by a passing cruise ship.

Today's Birthdays: Broadway composer Jerry Bock is 80. Former Labor Secretary William E. Brock is 78. Actor Franco Nero is 67. Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas is 64. Actor Steve Landesberg is 63. Actor-comedy writer Bruce Vilanch is 60. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is 58. Singer Bruce Hornsby is 54. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is 53. Actor Maxwell Caulfield is 49. Actor John Henton is 48. TV personality Robin Roberts ("Good Morning America") is 48. Rock singer-musician Ken Block (Sister Hazel) is 42. Rock musician Charlie Grover is 42. Actress Salli Richardson-Whitfield is 41. Actor Oded Fehr is 38. Rapper Kurupt (Tha Dogg Pound) is 36. Actor Page Kennedy is 32. Actress Kelly Brook is 29. Actor Lucas Grabeel is 24. Actress-singer Miley Cyrus (TV: "Hannah Montana") is 16. Actor Austin Majors is 13.

Thought for Today: "I'm a realist and so I think regretting is a useless occupation. You help no one with it. But you can't live without illusions even if you must fight for them, such as 'love conquers all.' It isn't true, but I would like it to be." — Marlene Dietrich, German-born actress (1901-1992).
________________

Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Monday, Nov. 24, the 329th day of 2008. There are 37 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

On Nov. 24, 1963, Jack Ruby shot and mortally wounded Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President Kennedy, in a scene captured on live television.

On this date:

In 1784, Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, was born in Orange County, Va.

In 1859, British naturalist Charles Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which explained his theory of evolution.

In 1863, the Civil War battle for Lookout Mountain began in Tennessee; Union forces succeeded in taking the mountain from the Confederates.

In 1944, during World War II, U.S. bombers based on Saipan attacked Tokyo in the first raid against the Japanese capital by land-based planes.

In 1947, a group of writers, producers and directors that became known as the "Hollywood Ten" was cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about alleged Communist influence in the movie industry.

In 1947, John Steinbeck's novel "The Pearl" was first published.

In 1950, the musical "Guys and Dolls," based on the writings of Damon Runyon and featuring songs by Frank Loesser, opened on Broadway.

In 1969, Apollo 12 splashed down safely in the Pacific.

In 1971, hijacker "D.B. Cooper" parachuted from a Northwest Airlines 727 over Washington state with $200,000 in ransom. His fate remains unknown.

In 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed on terms to scrap shorter- and medium-range missiles.


Ten years ago: America Online confirmed it was buying Netscape Communications in a dramatic $4.21 billion deal. The first Palestine Airlines flight touched down at Gaza International Airport. A funeral was held in St. Petersburg for liberal Russian lawmaker Galina Starovoitova, who had been assassinated four days earlier.

Five years ago: President Bush signed a $401.3 billion defense authorization bill. The president then traveled to Fort Carson, Colo., where he paid tribute to the sacrifices of U.S. troops in Iraq. A jury in Virginia Beach, Va., sentenced John Allen Muhammad to death for the Washington-area sniper shootings. A fire at a Moscow dormitory for foreign students killed 43 people. Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn died in Broken Arrow, Okla., at age 82.

One year ago: A fast-moving wildfire pushed by Santa Ana winds raced through the canyons and mountains of Malibu, Calif., for the second time in little more than a month, destroying some 50 homes. In Australia's election, conservative Prime Minister John Howard suffered defeat at the hands of Labor Party head Kevin Rudd.

Today's Birthdays: Country singer Johnny Carver is 68. Rock-and-roll drummer Pete Best is 67. Rock musician Donald "Duck" Dunn (Booker T. & the MG's) is 67. Actor-comedian Billy Connolly is 66. Former White House news secretary Marlin Fitzwater is 66. Motion Picture Association of America President Dan Glickman is 64. Singer Lee Michaels is 63. Actor Dwight Schultz is 61. Actor Stanley Livingston is 58. Rock musician Clem Burke (Blondie; The Romantics) is 53. Record producer Terry Lewis is 52. Actor Ruben Santiago-Hudson is 52. Actress Denise Crosby is 51. Actress Shae D'Lyn is 46. Rock musician John Squire (The Stone Roses) is 46. Rock musician Gary Stonadge (Big Audio) is 46. Actor Garret Dillahunt is 44. Rock musician Chad Taylor (Live) is 38. Actress Lola Glaudini is 37. Actor Colin Hanks is 31. Actress Katherine Heigl ("Grey's Anatomy") is 30.

Thought for Today: "Between flattery and admiration there often flows a river of contempt." _ Minna Antrim, American writer (1861-1950).
________________

Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Tuesday, Nov. 25, the 330th day of 2008. There are 36 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

One hundred years ago, on Nov. 25, 1908, the first issue of The Christian Science Monitor was published.

On this date:

In 1758, during the French and Indian War, the British captured Fort Duquesne in present-day Pittsburgh.

In 1783, the British evacuated New York, their last military position in the United States during the Revolutionary War.

In 1881, Pope John XXIII was born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli near Bergamo, Italy.

In 1947, movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the "Hollywood Ten" who'd been cited for contempt of Congress the day before.

In 1957, President Eisenhower suffered a slight stroke.

In 1963, the body of President Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1973, Greek President George Papadopoulos was ousted in a bloodless military coup.

In 1974, former U.N. Secretary-General U Thant died in New York at age 65.

In 1986, the Iran-Contra affair erupted as President Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels.

In 2002, President Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.


Ten years ago: Chinese President Jiang Zemin arrived in Tokyo for the first visit by a Chinese head of state to Japan since World War II. Comedian Flip Wilson died in Malibu, Calif., at age 64.

Five years ago: The Senate gave final congressional approval to historic Medicare legislation combining a new prescription drug benefit with measures to control costs before the baby boom generation reaches retirement age. Yemen arrested Mohammed Hamdi al-Ahdal, a top al-Qaida member suspected of masterminding the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker off Yemen's coast. (Al-Ahdal was later sentenced to three years for the French tanker attack, but was not charged in the Cole case.) Gail Knisley, 62, was shot and killed while riding in a car on a highway in Columbus, Ohio; it was the only fatality in a series of shootings that terrified area drivers. (Charles A. McCoy Jr. later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and 10 other charges, and was sentenced to 27 years in prison.)

One year ago: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif returned from exile to an ecstatic welcome from thousands of supporters and immediately stepped up the pressure on U.S.-backed military ruler Pervez Musharraf to end emergency rule. Kevin Dubrow, lead singer for the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, was found dead in a Las Vegas home; he was 52.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Ricardo Montalban is 88. Actress Noel Neill is 88. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 75. Actor Matt Clark is 72. Singer Percy Sledge is 68. Author, actor and game show host Ben Stein is 64. Singer Bob Lind is 64. Actor John Larroquette is 61. Actor Tracey Walter is 61. Movie director Jonathan Kaplan is 61. Singer Amy Grant is 48. Rock musician Eric Grossman (K's Choice) is 44. Rock singer Mark Lanegan is 44. Rock singer-musician Tim Armstrong is 43. Singer Stacy Lattisaw is 42. Rock musician Rodney Sheppard (Sugar Ray) is 42. Rapper-producer Erick Sermon is 40. Actress Jill Hennessy is 39. Actress Christina Applegate is 37. Actor Eddie Steeples ("My Name Is Earl") is 35.

Thought for Today: "Reject hatred without hating." _ Mary Baker Eddy, American religious leader and founder of The Christian Science Monitor (1821-1910).
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Source: Associated Press

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~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 26, the 331st day of 2008. There are 35 days left in the year.


Today's Highlight in History:

Nov. 26, 1789, was a day of thanksgiving set aside by President Washington to observe the adoption of the Constitution of the United States.

On this date:

In 1825, the first college social fraternity, Kappa Alpha, was formed at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.

In 1883, former slave and abolitionist Sojourner Truth died in Battle Creek, Mich.

In 1933, a judge in New York decided the James Joyce book "Ulysses" was not obscene and could therefore be published in the United States.

In 1942, President Roosevelt ordered nationwide gasoline rationing, beginning Dec. 1.

In 1942, the motion picture "Casablanca," starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, had its world premiere at the Hollywood Theater in New York.

In 1943, during World War II, the HMT Rohna, a British transport ship carrying American soldiers, was hit by a German missile off Algeria; 1,138 men were killed.

In 1949, India adopted a constitution as a republic within the British Commonwealth.

In 1950, China entered the Korean War, launching a counteroffensive against soldiers from the United Nations, the U.S. and South Korea.

In 1965, France launched its first satellite, sending a 92-pound capsule into orbit.

In 1973, President Nixon's personal secretary, Rose Mary Woods, told a federal court that she'd accidentally caused part of the 18 1/2-minute gap in a key Watergate tape.


Ten years ago: In the first speech ever by a British prime minister to an Irish parliament, Tony Blair predicted that Northern Ireland's troubled peace accord would ultimately work because of a strengthened cooperative spirit uniting Britain and Ireland. In India, at least 211 people died when two trains collided in the northern state of Punjab.

Five years ago: Human rights activist Gao Zhan, who was freed from a Chinese prison after the U.S. government interceded on her behalf, pleaded guilty in Alexandria, Va., to illegally selling American high-tech items with potential military uses to China. (Gao later received a reduced sentence of seven months in prison for her cooperation with authorities.) Hard-liners defeated moderates in Northern Ireland's legislative elections.

One year ago: President Bush met separately at the White House with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority a day ahead of a major Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md. Vice President Dick Cheney experienced an irregular heartbeat and was taken to George Washington University Hospital for evaluation. President Bush greeted the 2007 Nobel Prize winners, including former Vice President Al Gore. Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott announced his retirement after a 35-year career in Congress. Washington Redskins star safety Sean Taylor was mortally wounded when he was shot during a botched armed robbery at his home in Palmetto Bay, Fla. (Taylor died the next day.) Hall of Fame jockey Bill Hartack died in Freer, Texas, at age 74.

Today's Birthdays: Actress Ellen Albertini Dow is 90. Impressionist Rich Little is 70. Singer Tina Turner is 69. Singer Jean Terrell is 64. Pop musician John McVie is 63. Actress Jamie Rose is 49. Country singer Linda Davis is 46. Blues singer-musician Bernard Allison is 43. Country singer-musician Steve Grisaffe is 43. Actress Kristin Bauer is 35. Actor Peter Facinelli is 35. Actress Maia Campbell is 32. Country singer Joe Nichols is 32. Actress Jessica Bowman is 28. Pop singer Natasha Bedingfield is 27. Singer Lil Fizz is 23. Singer Aubrey Collins is 21.

Thought for Today: "Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it." _ Henry David Thoreau, American author (1817-1862).
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Source: Associated Press

__________________
~Time owns each and everything~
~Useless youth if not useful for Pakistan~