WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2006
Thursday Edition: Another Year on the Run
I bet it would be interesting to see who in your state has been on the run from a prison or jail escape the longest.
Take, for example,
Glen Chambers, who is listed as the inmate who has been on the run the longest in Florida -- the computer records only go back to 1990. When he escaped, he was serving time for first-degree murder. He's been loose for 16 years.
As I pecked around other state databases, I found folks who have been out a lot longer.
Clifton Carter escaped from a Tennessee prison in July 1965.
Priscilla Ann Frey escaped from a Kansas lockup on Christmas Eve in 1974.
Burnie Joe Anthony escaped from Louisiana's Angola Prison in 1963. If he's alive, he would be about 82 years old now.
Jordan Williams, an armed robber and murderer, escaped from a Georgia prison in 1984.
Most states have profiles of their escaped convicts online.
Go back to the detectives who put these folks away in the first place. Imagine what life would be like for the families of the victims to know these guys are out and not serving time. What was done or is still being done to look for these guys and gals after decades have passed?
The Song That Few UnderstandYou probably have sung it -- I know I have. It is the national anthem of New Year's Eve and yet, if you're like me, you have no solid idea what "Auld Lang Syne" means. It is a very old song, first published by Robert Burns in 1796. But even in Scotland, where it originated, hardly a single gathering sings it correctly.
Go ahead and start singing -- I'll wait. See how far you get before slipping up. My quick test of friends usually ends at the first line that ends with "be forgot." I usually don't like "man on the street" stories, but this one could work. It could also be lots of fun to put video on the Web, or invite people to post videos of their own attempts to make it through the song.
"Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."
Several years ago,
The Orange County (Calif.) Register tried to explain the tune.
Auld Lang Syne means "old long since" and is adapted from a traditional Scottish folk tune. The basic words date to at least 1711, though some scholars say it was mentioned as early as 1677. Scottish poet Robert Burns is credited with first publishing it, in the mid-1790s, and, researchers say, smoothing out some of the verses and changing the melody.
The song recalls the days gone by and says we will always remember them. "Should auld acquaintance be forgot?" it asks. No, the chorus replies: "For auld lang syne (for times gone by), we'll tak (drink) a cup o' kindness yet."
As for the other lyrics, Verse 2 refers to friends at separate places (or pubs), drinking to each other. Verses 3 and 4 talk about a long journey to find that friend, running "about the braes'' (hillsides), and "pou'd the gowans fine" (pulled the pretty daisies), and getting tired doing so ("wander'd mony a weary fit," or "a weary foot" depending on the version). It continues with wading streams ("paidl'd in the burn"), from dusk until dinnertime, but even then, broad ("braid") seas roar between them.
But finally, in the last verse, the friends find each other. And they "tak a right guid-willie waught" ("drink a goodwill drink") for times gone by.
Here, from "
The Oxford Book of English Verse," are the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne," by Robert Burns:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to min'?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne?
We twa hae rin about the braes,
And pu'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd monie a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl't i' the burn,
Frae mornin' sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.
And here 's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine;
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught
For auld lang syne.
And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine;
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne!
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
I Hereby ResolveAn L.A. psychologist says
80 percent of the resolutions made on Jan. 1 are broken by Jan. 20.
Some experts say
the best way to keep a resolution is to limit yourself to just one.
Over the years, a number of polls have led me to come up with a list of the most popular New Year's resolutions. Here it is:
- Spend more time with family
- Start exercising/lose weight
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says there are five
big steps toward quitting smoking:
Studies have shown that these five steps will help you quit and quit for good. You have the best chances of quitting if you use them together.
1. Get Ready.
2. Get Support.
3. Learn new skills and behaviors.
4. Get medication and use it correctly.
5. Be prepared for relapse or difficult situations.
[...] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved seven medications to help you quit smoking:
1. Bupropion SR -- Available by prescription.
2. Nicotine gum -- Available over the counter.
3. Nicotine inhaler -- Available by prescription.
4. Nicotine nasal spray -- Available by prescription.
5. Nicotine patch -- Available by prescription and over the counter.
6. Nicotine lozenge -- Available over the counter.
7. Varenicline tartrate -- Available by prescription.
History of ResolutionsGoalsGuy.com traces the history of New Year's resolutions:
The tradition of the New Year's [r]esolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C.
Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.
With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.
We are always looking for your great ideas. Send Al a few sentences and hot links.
Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas, edited story excerpts and other materials from a variety of Web sites, as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes directly from another source, it will be attributed and a link will be provided whenever possible. The column is fact-checked, but depends upon the accuracy and integrity of the original sources cited. Errors and inaccuracies found will be corrected.Posted at 11:53:45 PM
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