Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free! I hope you will show your support by please sending this to as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.Subject: Patriotism at its Finest Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags. Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward. Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton. At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson Jr, noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt. Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months. John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart. Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates. Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight, and unwavering, they pledged: "For the support of this declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of the divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." They gave you and me a free and independent America. The history books never told you a lot about what happened in the Revolutionary War. We didn't fight just the British. We were British subjects at that time and we fought our own government! Some of us take these liberties so much for granted, but we shouldn't. So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid. Remember: freedom is never free! I hope you will show your support by please sending this to as many people as you can. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, picnics, and baseball games.

Mail message Subject: Some Good News! , With all of the negative news these days, here is a positive story for your newspaper. POSITIVE NEWS ---------------------------------- Trevor Loflin got perfect 800 scores on the SAT college admission tests – that's pretty amazing. Perhaps even more amazing is that he managed those test scores despite the fact that his family had no permanent home. And did I mention that he has no school either? The 17 year old was home-schooled – obviously quite well – while his family slept, well, wherever. The KCRA Story: Visit Positive Press at
Thank you Llouise

TOP STORY 
----------------------------------- 
Are the French cheering for an American? Indeed they are, proving that miracles really do happen. But the real miracle is Lance Armstrong, who won the grueling Tour de France bicycle race for the 2nd straight year, four years after beginning his fight against cancer. Armstong's win is a victory not only for himself, but also helps to rejuvenate the sport of bicycling, which had been tainted by drug scandals. And to top it all off, his team, US Postal, was the only team to have all nine riders finish the race. 
The Washington Post Story:

 POSITIVE NEWS

 
-------------------------- 
Can there be any greater feeling than to regain one's eyesight after losing it? Two teams of researchers have developed new ways to repair the cornea, giving the gift of sight back to some people who thought it was forever lost. 
The Scientific American Story:


Scientific America 
---------------------------------- 
Goodbye laptop, hello handheld! Devices like Palm, Handspring, and Pocket PC are much cheaper than laptops and can now perform many of the same functions, like checking your email and surfing the web. The MSNBC Story:

MSNBC 
------------------------------------ 
After a steep rise, gas prices are finally headed back down. Sharpest fall, 17 cents a gallon, has been in the Midwest. The ABC News Story:

ABC

 
-------------------------------------- 
Does your pet get bored and restless while you're off earning a living? Believe it or not, the solution may be to train Polly – or Fido or Whiskers – to surf the Net. 
The Discovery Story:

DISCOVERY STORY

Top 25 Country Songs Of All Time

 
25. Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye. 
24. Her Teeth Was Stained, But Her heart Was Pure. 
23. How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away? 
22. I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling. 
21. I Just Bought A Car From A Guy That Stole My Girl, But The Car Don't Run So I Figure We Got An Even Deal. 
20. I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You. 
19. I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well. 
18. I Still Miss You, Baby, But My Aim's Gettin' Better. 
17. I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dog Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win. 
16. I'll Marry You Tomorrow But Let's Honeymoon Tonight. 
15. I'm So Miserable Without You, It's Like Having You Here 
14. I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lyin' On My Back and Cryin' Over You. 
13. If I Can't Be Number One In Your Life, Then Number Two On You. 
12. If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I'd Be Out By Now. 
11. Mama Get A Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head). 
10. My Head Hurts, My Feet Stink, And I Don't Love You. 
9.   My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him. 
8.   Please Bypass This Heart. 
7.   She Got The Ring And I Got The Finger. 
6.   You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat. 
5.   You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly. 
4.   If the Phone Don't Ring, You'll Know It's Me. 
3.   She's Actin' Single and I'm Drinkin' Doubles. 
2.   She's Looking Better After Every Beer. And the Number 1 Country and Western song of all Time is: 
1. I Haven't Gone To Bed With Any Ugly Women But I've Sure 

May 17, 2000 
An Unrelenting Drive, and a Harvard Degree By JACQUES STEINBERG 
Evan Richman for The New York Times ``I´m the brawn. She´s the brain,´´ Jean Ellison, in the dormitory at Harvard, said of her daughter Brooke. 
AMBRIDGE, Mass., May 15 -- The honors thesis that Brooke Ellison presented earlier this spring at Harvard University, "The Element of Hope in Resilient Adolescents," was a scientific analysis steeped in data. 
But her own story would have made a good case study. Struck by a car on her first day in the seventh grade and given little chance of survival, Ms. Ellison awoke, after 36 hours in a coma, as a quadriplegic, one whose first words included the questions, "When can I get back to school?" and "Will I be left back?" Though she would regain no sensation below her neck, Ms. Ellison never missed a grade, and early next month she will cap her improbable educational odyssey by graduating from Harvard with an A- average and a bachelor's degree in psychology and biology. A smiling 21-year-old woman with a strong, sometimes scratchy voice, Ms. Ellison said there is nothing extraordinary about her accomplishments, whether it is piloting her wheelchair (as well as the cursor on her computer screen) by touching her tongue to a keypad in a retainer on the roof of her mouth, or being selected by her peers to address them on senior class day on June 7. 
And do not even try to tell her that she is, as near as university officials can tell, the first quadriplegic to graduate from Harvard. Evan Richman for The New York Times Brooke Ellison will graduate from Harvard next month. Jean Ellison, right, has sat in classrooms with her daughter since the eighth grade. 
"This is just the way my life is," Ms. Ellison said over the clicking of a ventilator that forces air through her trachea and into her lungs 13 times a minute. "I've always felt that whatever circumstances I confront, it's just a question of continuing to live and not letting what I can't do define what I can." 
Those looking for a hero in this story, Ms. Ellison suggested, should focus on her mother, Jean Marie, 48, who has sat at her daughter's side in every class since the eighth grade. 
After Ms. Ellison was admitted to Harvard, the family decided, reluctantly, that Mrs. Ellison would temporarily leave her husband and teenage son in Stony Brook, N.Y., and move into a dormitory suite with her daughter. The two have hardly been out of earshot, for even a moment, since. 
"If I'm with friends or want to be alone," Ms. Ellison said, "she knows when to give me my space." 
Mrs. Ellison, whose first -- and last -- day as a special education teacher was the day of her daughter's accident, has been much more than a 24-hour nurse. Though Ms. Ellison dictated her term papers into a voice-activated computer and did whatever research she could on the Internet, her mother turned the pages of books like "Heart of Darkness" ("I don't have a particular signal," Ms. Ellison said, "I just say, 'Mom, turn the page now.' "), and served as her daughter's surrogate right hand, raising hers high when Ms. Ellison had something to say in class. 
As a tribute, the mother received a mock degree in "virtual studies" from the seniors in her daughter's house. "I'm the brawn," Mrs. Ellison said. "She's the brains." The mother added that her daughter "can't understand what all the hoopla is about, which is refreshing." 
Though she has never known the freedom of tossing a Frisbee across the Yard, Ms. Ellison insisted that hers had been a fairly typical Harvard existence. She has, for example, occasionally sipped a beer at Brew Moon in Harvard Square, though she has hardly made a habit of it. "I'd be drinking and operating my wheelchair at the same time," she said. "That would classify me as a d.w.i." Ms. Ellison lived on campus all four years (the last three in the boxy, 30-year-old Currier House), studied with renowned professors such as Alan Dershowitz and Stephen Jay Gould, founded a student advocacy group on behalf of the disabled and attended her house's senior formal. But she is the first to say that her mother -- as well as her father, younger brother and older sister -- were only the starting lineup on a team deep in talent that made her graduation possible. Her dormitory room was custom-fitted by Harvard technicians with a hospital bed, small hydraulic lift, panic button and electronic door opener. When she signed up for a class on the history of opera, it had to be moved because the building was inaccessible with a wheelchair. And though she and her date stayed at the senior formal well past midnight, they had to be chaperoned by her mother (Ms. Ellison's brother, Reed, was his mother's escort) and were ferried from the party not in a white limousine but a white van with an open cargo bay. Kevin Davis, a retired Cambridge police detective who would often drive Ms. Ellison to class, said: "Brooke's captured my heart. It's inspiring to know a person of her character." Like one of her idols, the actor Christopher Reeve, Ms. Ellison conceded that she does have moments of sadness, particularly when her sleep is interrupted by dreams of the dance classes that were her childhood passion. (A poster in her dorm room, brought from home, showed five pint-size ballerinas at a dance bar, the middle girl desperately trying to stretch to reach as high as the other four.) She said she has never wanted to meet the man whose car hit her as she walked home from school, an accident that fractured her skull, her spine and almost every major bone in her body. But she said she holds no grudge. 
"If I were to harbor anger for 10 years," she said, "it'd be too exhausting." 
Even though she was a formidable student in high school who scored 1510 out of a possible 1600 on her College Board exams (she filled in the bubbles by dictating to a teacher), Ms. Ellison never expected to get into Harvard, which was the only college to which she applied other than the State University of New York at Stony Brook. "I thought if I got accepted, I would put the letter in a frame," she said. 
But once admitted, she said, Harvard, which costs more than $30,000 a year, made herculean efforts to ensure that she would attend. The university provided her with scholarships not only to supplement her father's salary as an administrator in a Social Security office but also to pay for her costly medical needs. 
Ms. Ellison is keeping the text of her class day address a secret, but does allow that it will touch on the many friendships she forged in Cambridge. Among the first to approach her, on the way to an early morning language class, was Neil Holzapfer, 22, then a freshman from Kingston, N.H., who majored in government and Russian studies. "I was struck by the courage that it would take for her to be in this kind of atmosphere, which is stressful and intense under the best conditions," Mr. Holzapfer recalled. 
Four years later, Mr. Holzapfer said that his friend had become his role model, her love of the bubble gum rocker Bryan Adams notwithstanding. "Brooke is living a life that is out there," he said, "instead of closing up and looking inward." 
After spending the summer getting to know her family again, Ms. Ellison intends to write her autobiography (she already has an agent, at William Morris) and hopes to travel as a motivational speaker. "Anywhere people feel they need encouragement," she said, "that's where I hope to be."

  Cow

  Tiger

  Sheep

  Horse

  Monkey


 
**********************************************
 


  Chapter II
 
Write one word to describe each of the following:


  
  Dog 

  Cat 

  Rat
        
  Coffee

  Ocean


 
**********************************************
 


Chapter III


 
Think of somebody (who also knows you) that you can relate to the following colors: (Please don't repeat your answer twice. Name only one person for each color.)



  Yellow

  Orange

  Red

  White

  Green


 
**********************************************
 


Chapter IV

Finally, indicate your favorite number and favorite day of the week


. 
**********************************************
 


Are you done?? Make sure your answers are what you TRULY feel....... Last chance............ 
See interpretations below: But before going on, repeat your wish! 



**********************************************



 Chapter I
 
This will define your priorities in life:
               


  Cow means career
 
  Tiger means pride

  Sheep means love

  Horse means family

  Monkey means money 



**********************************************


 
Chapter II


 
Your description of Dog implies your personality Your description of Cat implies your partner's personality Your description of Rat implies your enemy's personality Your description of Coffee is how you interpret sex Your description of Ocean implies your own life.



**********************************************


 
Chapter III
 
Yellow - somebody who will never forget you Orange - someone whom you can consider as your real friend Red - someone you really love White - your soul-mate Green - a person whom you will always remember for the rest of your life.


 
**********************************************


 
Chapter IV
 
You have to send this to as many people as your number states, and your wish will come true on the day you stated.

Thanks Ginger

Words Of Wisdom

 
As you look back on the 20th century, you will wonder how you ever got along 
without knowing
the following tid-bits: 
Debra Winger was the voice of E.T. 
Pearls melt in vinegar. 
It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs. 
Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. 
The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. 
It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs. 
Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands. 
Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka. 
The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." uses every letter in 
the alphabet. (Developed by Western Union to Test telex/twX communications) 
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is 
uncopyrightable. 
Stewardesses is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. 
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, 
silver, or purple. 
"I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. I Do is probably the longest. 
Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches. 
A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why. 
The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines werepulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the groundfloor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases. 
The airplane Buddy Holly died in was the "American Pie." (Thus the name of the Don McLean song.) 
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. 
Spades - King David;
Clubs - Alexander the Great;
Hearts - Charlemagne;
Diamonds - Julius Caesar. 
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 
Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired." 
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. 
Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt. 
An ostrich's eye is bigger that it's brain. 
The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds. 
The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P. 
The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado. 
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously. 
If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar. 
The only two days of the year in which there are no professional sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the day afterthe Major League All-Star Game. 
Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older. 
The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white. 
If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom. 
Snails can sleep for 3 years without eating 
Actor Tommy Lee Jones and vice-president Al Gore were freshman roommates at Harvard. 
The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans, so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene. 
Months that begin on a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th." 
James Doohan, who plays Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott on Star Trek, is missing the entire middle finger of his right hand. 
The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies. 
There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. 
All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.

 Reflections

 

 
Don't you wish you could go back to the time when... 
Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo."


 
Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
 


"Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.


 
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly."


 
Catching fireflies happily occupied an entire evening. It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.


 
Being old, referred to anyone over 20.


 
The net on a tennis court was the perfect height to play volleyball & rules didn't matter.


 
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.


 
It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.


 
It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an Olympic event. 
Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a slingshot.


 
Nobody was prettier than Mom.


 
Dad was the strongest man alive.


 
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.


 
It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people"=20 rides at the amusement park.


 
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.


 
Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare." 
Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for action figures.


 
No shopping trip was complete, unless a new toy was brought home.


 
"Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense. 
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.


 
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. 
War was a card game.


 
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.


 
Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.


 
Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable Flintstone vitamins.


 
Ice cream was considered a basic food group.


 
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.


 
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED!!!!

State Slogans
Alabama:
Yes, we have electricity

Arizona:
But It's a Dry Heat

Arkansas:
Litterasy Ain't Everthing

California:
As Seen on TV

Colorado:
If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother

Connecticut:
Like Massachusetts, Only Dirtier and With Less Character

Delaware:
We Really Do Like the Chemicals in our Water

Florida:
Ask Us About Our Grandkids

Georgia:
We Put the "Fun" in Fundamentalist Extremism

Hawaii:
Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru (Death to Mainland Scum, But Leave Your Money)

Idaho:
Potatoes and NeoNazi's ... What More Could You Ask For?

Illinois:
Please Don't Pronounce the "S"

Indiana:
2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free

Iowa:
We Do Amazing Things With Corn

Kansas:
Where Science Don't Mean S...

Kentucky:
Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names

Louisiana:
We're Not All Drunk Cajun Wackos, But That's Our Tourism Campaign

Maine:
We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster

Maryland:
A Thinking Man's Delaware

Massachusetts:
Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden's (For Most Tax Brackets)

Michigan:
First Line of Defense From the Canadians

Minnesota:
10,000 Lakes and 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes

Mississippi:
Come Feel Better About Your Own State

Missouri:
Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars at Work

Montana:
Land of the Big Sky, the Unabomber, Right-Wing Crazies, and Very Little Else

Nebraska:
Ask About Our State Motto Contest

Nevada:
Whores and Poker!

New Hampshire:
Go Away and Leave Us Alone

New Jersey:
You Want a ##$%##! Motto? I Got Yer ##$%##! Motto Right Here!

New Mexico:
Lizards Make Excellent Pets

New York:
You Have the Right to Remain Silent, You Have the Right to an Attorney...

North Carolina:
Tobacco is a Vegetable

North Dakota:
We Really are One of the 50 States!

Ohio:
At Least We're Not Michigan

Oklahoma:
Like the Play, Only No Singing

Oregon:
Spotted Owl... It's What's For Dinner

Pennsylvania:
Cook With Coal

Rhode Island:
We're Not REALLY An Island

South Carolina:
Remember the Civil War? We Didn't Actually Surrender

South Dakota:
Closer Than North Dakota

Tennessee:
The Educashun State

Texas:
Si, Hablo Ingles (Yes, I speak English)

Utah:
Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus

Vermont:
Yep

Virginia:
Who Says Government Stiffs and Slackjaw Yokels Don't Mix?

Washington:
Help! We're Overrun By Nerds and Slackers!

Washington, D.C.:
Wanna Be Mayor?

West Virginia:
One Big Happy Family - Really!

Wisconsin:
Come Cut Our Cheese

Wyoming:
Where men are men and sheep are scared