15 STRANGEST COINCIDENCES IN HISTORY

· Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."

· Oregon's Columbian newspaper announced the winning Pick 4 lottery numbers for June 28, 2000 in advance. The newspaper had intended to print the previous set of winning numbers but erroneously printed those for the state of Virginia, namely 6-8-5-5. In the next Oregon lottery, those same numbers were drawn.

· In 1979, the German magazine - Das Besteran - ran a writing competition. Readers sent in unusual stories, but they had to be based on true incidents. The winner, Walter Kellner of Munich, had his story published . He wrote about a time when he was flying a Cessna 421 between Sardinia and Sicily. He encountered engine trouble at sea, landed in the water, spent some time in an emergency dinghy and was then rescued. This story was spotted by an Austrian, also named Walter Kellner, who said that the German Kellner had plagiarized the story. The Austrian Kellner said that he had flown a Cessna 421 over the same sea, experienced engine trouble and was forced to land in Sardinia. It was essentially the same story, with a slightly different ending. The magazine checked both stories, and both turned out to be true, even though they were nearly identical.

· Morgan Robertson's 1898 novella Futility had many parallels with the RMS Titanic disaster; the book concerned a fictional state-of-the-art ocean liner called Titan, which (like the Titanic) eventually collides with an iceberg on a calm April night whilst en route to New York, with many dying because of the lack of lifeboats. Various other details in the book coincide with the Titanic disaster. Later, she wrote a book, Beyond the Spectrum, that described a future war fought with aircraft that carried "sun bombs". Incredibly powerful, one bomb could destroy a city, erupting in a flash of light that blinds all who look at it. The war begins in December, started by the Japanese with a sneak attack on Hawaii.

· On July 28th 1900, the King of Italy Umberto I was having dinner in a restaurant in the city of Monza. It turned out later that the restaurant's owner looked identical to the king. The restaurant owner's name was Umberto, his wife's name was the same as the queen's and the restaurant was opened on the same date as the king's inauguration. The Restaurant-owner Umberto was shot dead the next day. So was King Umberto.

· Claude Volbonne killed Baron Rodemire de Tarazone of France in 1872. 21 years earlier, the Baron's father had been murdered by somebody else called Claude Volbonne.

· On February 13, 1746, a Frenchman, Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed for the murder of his father. Precisely 100 years later, on February 13, 1846, another Frenchman, also named Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed - for the murder of his father.

· On the 26th November, 1911, three men were hanged at Greenberry Hill in London after being convicted of the murder of Sir Edmund Berry. Their names were Green, Berry and Hill.

· The British actor Anthony Hopkins [who shot to fame as Hannibal Lecter] was delighted to hear that he had landed a leading role in a film based on the book The Girl From Petrovka by George Feifer. A few days after signing the contract, Hopkins travelled to London to buy a copy of the book. He tried several bookshops, but there wasn't one to be had. Waiting at Leicester Square underground for his train home, he noticed a book apparently discarded on a bench. Incredibly, it was The Girl From Petrovka. That in itself would have been coincidence enough but in fact it was merely the beginning of an extraordinary chain of events. Two years later, in the middle of filming in Vienna, Hopkins was visited by George Feifer, the author. Feifer mentioned that he did not have a copy of his own book. He had lent the last one - containing his own annotations - to a friend who had lost it somewhere in London. With mounting astonishment, Hopkins handed Feifer the book he had found. 'Is this the one?' he asked, 'with the notes scribbled in the margins?' It was the same book.

· As the inhabitants of Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire, were watching a scene in the film Around the World in 80 Days, where a hot air balloon was about to take off, their TV sets went off due to a power cut. Nearby, power lines had been damaged. A hot air balloon had crashed into them.

· Hernán Cortés' arrival in Mexico in 1519 coincided with the year in the Mayan Calendar when it was predicted that the pale-faced man-god Quetzalcoatl would return to reclaim the city of Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs therefore assumed Cortés to be the legendary man-god, which assisted him in capturing the city and thence Mexico.

· A British officer, Major Summerford, while fighting in the fields of Flanders in February 1918 was knocked off his horse by a flash of lightning and paralyzed from the waist down. Summerford retired and moved to Vancouver. One day in 1924, as he fished alongside a river, lightning hit the tree he was sitting under and paralyzed his right side. Two years later Summerford was sufficiently recovered that he was able to take walks in a local park. He was walking there one summer day in 1930 when a lightning bolt smashed into him, permanently paralyzing him. He died two years later. But lightning sought him out one last time. Four years later, during a storm, lightning struck a cemetery and destroyed a tombstone. The deceased buried here? Major Summerford.

· In 1899 a bolt of lightning killed a man as he stood in his backyard in Taranto, Italy.
Thirty years later his son was killed in the same way and in the same place.
On October 8, 1949, Rolla Primarda, the grandson of the first victim and the son of the second, became the third.

· The date of the invasion June 6,1944 {6644} reflects the first great invasion associated with Normandy in 1066

· In the first Invasion in 1066 Roger de Montgomery commanded portions of William the Conquerors Forces.

· In the second Invasion 1944 Bernard Montgomery commanded portions of Eisenhower's Forces.

· German General Rommel -Montgomery's adversary in an earlier Campaign in N. Africa Commits suicide on October 14, 1944 {101444}

· The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14 {101466}

· Eisenhower's Birthday was October 14 {101490}

· The first Norman invasion initiated the first major immigration of Jews into Britain.

· The second Norman invasion initiated the chain of events that returned the Jews to Israel

· A. Lincoln and J.F. Kennedy

Life

· Both presidents had 7 letters in their last name.

· Both were over 6' feet tall.

· Both men studied law.

· Both seemed to have lazy eye muscles, which would sometimes cause one to deviate.

· Both suffered from genetic diseases. It is suspected that Lincoln had Marfan's disease, and Kennedy suffered from Addison's disease.

· Both served in the military. Lincoln was a scout captain in the Black Hawk War, and Kennedy served as a navy lieutenant in World War II.

· Both were boat captains. Lincoln was a skipper for the Talisman, a Mississippi River boat, and Kennedy was skipper of the PT 109.

· Both had no fear of their mortality and disdained bodyguards.

· Both often stated how easy it would be to shoot the president. Lincoln supposedly said, "If somebody wants to take my life, there is nothing I can do to prevent it." Kennedy supposedly said "If somebody wants to shoot me from a window with a rifle, nobody can stop it." Note that both these quotes are each 16 words long.

Death

· Both presidents were shot in the head, on a Friday.

· Both were seated beside their wives when shot. Neither Mrs. Lincoln nor Mrs. Kennedy was injured. Both wives held the bullet-torn heads of their husbands.

· In each case, the man was injured but not fatally. Major Henry Rathbone was slashed by a knife, and Governor John Connolly was shot.

· Lincoln sat in Box 7 at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy rode in car 7 in the Dallas motorcade.

· Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Ford product, a Lincoln limousine.

· Mrs. Kennedy insisted that her husband's funeral mirror Lincoln's as closely as possible.

The Assassins

· Both assassins used three names: John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. (It should be noted that Lee Harvey Oswald was known as just Lee Oswald prior to the assassination.)

· There are 15 letters in each assassin's name.

· Both assassins struck when in their mid-twenties. Booth was born in 1838, and Oswald was born in 1939.

· Each assassin lacked a strong father figure in his life. Booth's father died when he was 13 years old, and Oswald's father died before he was born.

· Each assassin had two brothers whose careers he coveted. Booth's two brothers were more successful actors and Oswald envied his brothers' military lives.

· Both assassins were privates in the military. Booth was a private in the Virginia Militia, and Oswald was a private in the Marine Corps.

· Both assassins were born in the south.

· Both assassins were known sympathizers to enemies of the United States. Booth supported the Confederacy and Oswald was a Marxist.

· Both assassins often used aliases. Booth frequently used "J. Wilkes" and Oswald used the name "Alek J. Hidell."

· Booth shot Lincoln at a theatre and was cornered in a warehouse. Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and was cornered in a theatre.

· Each assassin was detained by an officer named Baker. Lt. Luther B. Baker was leader of the cavalry patrol which trapped Booth at Garrett's Barn. Officer Marion L. Baker, a Dallas motorcycle patrolman, briefly detained Oswald on the second floor of the School Book Depository until he learned that he worked there.

· Both assassins were killed with a single shot from a Colt revolver.

· Both assassins were shot in a blaze of light-Booth after the barn was set afire, and Oswald in the form of television cameras.

Family and Friends

· Both presidents were named after their grandfathers.

· Both were born second children.

· Both married while in their thirties. Lincoln married at 33 and Kennedy married at 36.

· Both married dark-haired, twenty-four-year-old women.

· Both wives died around the age of 64. Mary Todd Lincoln died in 1882 at age 63 years and 215 days, and Jackie Kennedy died in 1994 at age 64 years 295 days.

· Both wives were known for their high fashion in clothes.

· Both wives renovated the White House after many years of neglect.

· Each couple had four children, two of whom died before becoming a teen.

· Each couple lost a son while in the White House. Willie Lincoln died at age 12 in 1862, and Kennedy's son Patrick died two days after his birth in 1963.

Politics

· Both presidents were elected to the House of Representatives in '46.

· Both were runners-up for the party's nomination for vice-president in '56.

· Both were elected to the presidency in '60.

Vice-Presidents

· Southern Democrats named Johnson succeeded both Lincoln and Kennedy (Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

· Andrew Johnson was born in 1808, and Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908.

· There are six letters in each Johnson's first name.

· Both Johnsons served in the military. Andrew was a brigadier general in the Civil War and Lyndon was a commander in the U.S. Navy during WW2.

· Both Johnsons were former southern senators.

· Both Johnsons had urethral stones, the only presidents to have them.

· Both Johnsons chose not to run for reelection in '68.

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THE ONLY FOUR BOTTLES YOU WILL NEED IN LIFE

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AND THE WINNER IS.... MISS GREEN

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BANNED FROM K-MART

CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE

TODAYS JOKES

After digging to a depth of 100 metres last year, Russian scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 1000 years, and came to the conclusion that their ancestors already had a telephone network one thousand years ago.
So, not to be outdone, in the weeks that followed, American scientists dug 200 meters and headlines in the US papers read: "US scientists have found traces of 2000 year old optical fibre, and have concluded that their ancestors already had advanced high-tech digital telephone 1000 years earlier than the Russians."
One week later, an Irish newspaper reported the following: "After digging as deep as 500 meters, Irish scientists have found absolutely nothing. They have concluded that 5000 years ago, their ancestors were already using wireless technology."

George W. Bush was out jogging one morning along the parkway when he tripped, fell over the bridge railing and landed in the creek below.
Before the Secret Service guys could get to him,3 kids who were fishing pulled him out of the water. He was so grateful he offered the kids whatever they wanted (courtesy of the American Taxpayer, of course).
The first kid says, "I want to go to Disneyland." George W. says, "No problem. I'll take you there on Air Force One."
The second kid says, "I want a new pair of Nike Air Jordan's."
George .W. says, "I'll get them for you and even have Michael sign them!!"
The third kid says, "I want a motorized wheel chair w/a built in tv & stereo/headset!" Bush is a little perplexed (by everything, actually) by this and says, "But you don't look like you're handicapped."
The kid says, "I will be after my everyone finds out I saved you from drowning!!!"

WHY WE ARE NOT BEATING THE IRAQI'S

TERRORISTS ARE NOT TOWEL HEADS

THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE SEXY....BUT ISN'T

HEAD NURSE

RETIREMENT ISLAND

I'm thinking of buying a place on retirement island, it looks sooooo ...relaxing
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DON'T LET THE KIDS IN THE BEDROOM

QUESTIONS WOMEN ASK

QUICK CHANGE ARTIST

NOT THE BEST SIGHTS ON THE BEACH...

BIRD ON MY BONNET

I was driving down the road the other day, when quite unexpectedly a bird landed on my bonnet. I am hoping that one of you can help me, with some ideas how to get the cute little thing off, as she has been there for two weeks now.

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CHUNKY BABY

JOKES OF THE DAY

One day a homo dentist goes to another homo dentist to get some
dental work.
The tooth fairy says to the other one sitting in the chair: "You know, you have the whitest teeth I've ever come across."

Two poofs were sitting in a pub discussing how they gave up smoking.
"Whenever I got the urge", said one, "I used to suck on a lifesaver."
"That's alright for you", said his mate, "you live right next to the beach."

Two perfect strangers were talking to each other in the pub. One of them said, "If you were to wake up in the woods with vaseline smeared all over your arse, would you tell anyone?" The other one said, "Of course not!"
The first bloke said, "Oh, then would you like to go camping?"

A young man went up to his father and asked him, "Can I have twenty bucks for a blow job?" His father said, "I don't know. Are you any good?"

Two faggots were on the beach, one says to the other, "shall I put the umbrella up?" The other one replies, "yes but don't open it!"

THAT'S WHERE HE WAS HIDING...

WE HAVE FOUND HITLER
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IQ QUESTION ?

Here's a one-question IQ Test to help you decide how you should spend the rest of your day......

There is a mute who wants to buy a toothbrush. By imitating the action of brushing one's teeth, he successfully expresses himself to the shopkeeper and the purchase is done.

Now if there is a blind man who wishes to buy a hammer, how should he express himself?

Think about it first before viewing the answer...

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* He opens his mouth and says. "I would like to buy a hammer." *

If you got this wrong - please turn off your computer and call it a day.

ANOTHER REASON WHY I DON'T VISIT MY NAN AND POP

BBC VIDEO WHAT WAS SAID

IT WAS SIMPLY A FRENCH GREETING

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

THE SPANISH COMPUTER

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

"House" for instance, is feminine: "la casa."

"Pencil," however, is masculine: "el lapiz."

A student asked, "What gender is 'computer'?"

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computadora"), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ("el computador") because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.

RUNNING OF THE BULLS

IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED THAT THIS YEARS RUNNING OF THE BULLS WILL BE FOLLOWED BY A NEW FESTIVAL.....

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THE BURYING OF THE IDIOTS

BECKHAMS RESIGNATION

THEO'S WORLD CUP DIARY

England Football Tour By Theo Walcott Esq. aged 8 1/2

I went to a place called Germany with my Uncle Sven and some other grown up's. It is a country in Europe where a bad man called Adolf used to live with his nazties, he does not live there anymore, Uncle Owen does live there, and the grown up's say I cant talk about the bad man as it will make Uncle Owen cry if I do.

In Germany there are lots of castles and some mountains. We are staying in a place called Baden Baden that's a silly name, Uncle Frank has the same name as his dad, that's silly too, his mum must get their underpants mixed up all the time.

On the aeroplane Uncle Sol sat next to me, he got me some toffee and wants to be my friend, he works at the place where I do my YTS, so does Uncle Freddy but him and Uncle Sol are not best friends anymore.

Uncle Owen met us at the airport, he talks foreign, Uncle Wayne, Uncle Steven and Uncle David also talk funny, my mum says Uncle David talks like Orville, he is a duck, Uncle Sol say's uncle David wears dresses and knickers, and asked me if I had ever worn them. Uncle Sol got me some pop.

In Germany the grown ups are going to play football, my granddad says we beat them in the olden days before my mum was born. That is a long time ago. While the grown up's went to play football I went shopping with Auntie Vicky and some other girls she bought me a big ice cream and got herself a little one but she said she was full before she had eaten any and threw it away. She bought lots of shoes and handbags and let me play with Brooklyn. She say's she used to be in a pop band and sang me one of her songs, I think she was telling fibs.

I told Uncle Sol about my day out with Vicky and he sulked, then he bought me an even bigger ice cream with lots of hundred's & thousands on it. All the other grown up's have a girlfriend except Uncle Sol so he plays with me while they go out. Uncle Sven says I must keep Uncle Sol happy, that's why I got taken on holiday.

The grown up's went to play Football against somebody called Sweden, Uncle Sol was crying as Uncle Freddy played for them and would not talk to him. Uncle Sol bought me lots of toffee today and some crisps. Uncle Sven is from Sweden and I heard him on the phone to their boss last night. Uncle Michael hurt his knee and had to go home to his mum for a plaster. Uncle Peter is a giant, a proper giant like you see in books, he is rubbish at football though.

Uncle Wayne had a sore toe at the start of our holiday but it got better so they let him play football. Uncle Sol got me a present but I do not like it. He says all Germans wear leather underpants and I should while we are here, they are too tight for me.

All the grown up's started to call Uncle Wayne a potato head who stood on somebody's spuds. He got shouted at by the referee. They are all saying that we have to go home now. Uncle Sol was crying again and I had to sit on his knee to make him stop. He had his mobile phone in his pocket, I think.

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Wellness Program
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NAKED SINGERS

We never had female singers like this in my day.....

Or did we?
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TODAYS JOKES

Three boys received their grades from their female sex education instructor. One got a D+, the second a D- and the third an F. "One day we should get her for this," said the first boy.
"I agree. We'll grab her..." said the second.
"Yeah," said the third. "And then we'll kick her in the nuts!"

A young man was strolling down a street in south London. As he passed a large building with a fence around it, he heard a group of people chanting "Thirteen, thirteen, thirteen" over and over again. Curious, he tried to see over the fence, but couldn't. Then he spotted a knot in the wood, and put his eye to the hole. He just managed to spy some old people sitting in deckchairs chanting, before a finger came out of nowhere and poked him in the eye. As he staggered back, the old people started chanting, "Fourteen, fourteen, fourteen ..."

Sue and Sally meet at their 30th class reunion, and they haven't seen each other since graduation.
They begin to talk and bring each other up to date.
The conversation covers their husbands, their children, homes, etc. and finally gets around to their sex lives.
Sue says "It's OK. We get it on every week or so but it's no big adventure, how's yours?"
Sally replies "It's just great, ever since we got into S&M."
Sue is aghast.
"Really Sally, I never would have guessed that you would go for that."
"Oh, sure," says Sally,
"I snore while He masturbates."

WHAT DOES AMERICAN PIE MEAN??

"American Pie" By Don McLean

The entire song is a tribute to Buddy Holly and a commentary on how rock and roll music changed in the years since his death. McLean is lamenting the lack of "danceable" good time party music in rock and roll and (in part) attributing that lack to the absence of Buddy Holly et. al.

(Verse 1)

A long, long time ago...

"American Pie" reached #1 in the U.S. in 1972; the album containing it was released in 1971. Buddy Holly died in 1959.

I can still remember how That music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance, That I could make those people dance, And maybe they'd be happy for a while.

One of early rock and roll's functions was to provide dance music for various social events. McLean recalls his desire to become a musician playing that sort of music.

But February made me shiver,

Buddy Holly died on February 3, 1959 in a plane crash in Iowa during a snowstorm.

With every paper I'd deliver,

Don McLean's only job before becoming a full-time singer-songwriter was being a paperboy.

Bad news on the doorstep... I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride

Holly's recent bride was pregnant when the crash took place; she had a miscarriage shortly afterward.

But something touched me deep inside, The day the music died.

The same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly also took the lives of Richie Valens ("La Bamba") and The Big Bopper ("Chantilly Lace"). Since all three were so prominent at the time, February 3, 1959 became known as "The Day The Music Died".

So...

(Refrain) Bye bye Miss American Pie,

Don McLean dated a Miss America candidate during the pageant.

Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry Them good ol' boys were drinkin whiskey and rye Singing "This'll be the day that I die, This'll be the day that I die."

One of Holly's hits was "That'll be the Day"; the chorus contains the line "That'll be the day that I die".

(Verse 2)

Did you write the book of love,

"The Book of Love" by the Monotones was a hit in 1958.

And do you have faith in God above, If the Bible tells you so?

There's also an old Sunday School song which goes: "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so"

Now do you believe in rock 'n roll?

The Lovin' Spoonful had a hit in 1965 with John Sebastian's "Do you Believe in Magic?". The song has the lines: "Do you believe in magic" and "It's like trying to tell a stranger 'bout rock and roll."

Can music save your mortal soul? And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Dancing slow was an important part of early rock and roll dance events -- but declined in importance through the 60's as things like psychedelia and the 10-minute guitar solo gained prominence.

Well I know you're in love with him 'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym

Back then, dancing was an expression of love, and carried a connotation of committment. Dance partners were not so readily exchanged as they would be later.

You both kicked off your shoes

A reference to the beloved "sock hop". (Street shoes tear up wooden basketball floors, so dancers had to take off their shoes.)

Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues

Some history. Before the popularity of rock and roll, music, like much else in the U. S., was highly segregated. The popular music of black performers for largely black audiences was called, first, "race music," later rhythm and blues. In the early 50s, as they were exposed to it through radio personalities such as Allan Freed, white teenagers began listening, too. Starting around 1954, a number of songs from the rhythm and blues charts began appearing on the overall popular charts as well, but usually in cover versions by established white artists, (e. g. "Shake Rattle and Roll", Joe Turner, covered by Bill Haley; "Sh-Boom", the Chords, covered by the Crew-Cuts; "Sincerely", the Moonglows, covered by the Mc Guire Sisters; Tweedle Dee, LaVerne Baker, covered by Georgia Gibbs). By 1955, some of the rhythm and blues artists, like Fats Domino and Little Richard were able to get records on the overall pop charts. In 1956 Sun records added elements of country and western to produce the kind of rock and roll tradition that produced Buddy Holly.

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck

"A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)", was a hit for Marty Robbins in 1957. The pickup truck has endured as a symbol of sexual independence and potency, especially in a Texas context.

But I knew that I was out of luck The day the music died I started singing...

Refrain

(Verse 3)

Now for ten years we've been on our own

McLean was writing this song in the late 60's, about ten years after the crash.

And moss grows fat on a rolling stone

Rolling Stone Magazine

But that's not how it used to be When the jester sang for the King and Queen

The jester is Bob Dylan, as will become clear later. Elvis Presley is the king, which seems pretty obvious. The queen COULD be either Connie Francis, Little Richard, or someone else.

In a coat he borrowed from James Dean

In the movie "Rebel Without a Cause", James Dean has a red windbreaker that holds symbolic meaning throughout the film. In one particularly intense scene, Dean lends his coat to a guy who is shot and killed; Dean's father arrives, sees the coat on the dead man, thinks it's Dean, and loses it. On the cover of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Dylan is wearing just such as red windbreaker, and is posed in a street scene similar to one shown in a well-known picture of James Dean.

And a voice that came from you and me

Bob Dylan's roots are in American folk music, with people like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. Folk music is by definition the music of the masses, hence the "...came from you and me".

Oh, and while the King was looking down The jester stole his thorny crown

A reference to Elvis's decline and Dylan's ascendance. (i.e. Presley is looking down from a height as Dylan takes his place.) The thorny crown a reference to the price of fame. Dylan has said that he wanted to be as famous as Elvis, one of his early idols.

The courtroom was adjourned, No verdict was returned.

The trial of the Chicago Seven.

And while Lennon read a book on Marx,

Literally, John Lennon reading about Karl Marx; figuratively, the introduction of radical politics into the music of the Beatles. The "Marx-Lennon" wordplay has also been used by others, most notably the Firesign Theatre on the cover of their album How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All?

The quartet practiced in the park

The Beatles.

And we sang dirges in the dark

A reference to some of the new "art rock" groups which played long pieces not meant for dancing OR a reference to The Door's song "Light My Fire" which said "... a funeral pyer..." in one line.

The day the music died. We were singing...

Refrain

(Verse 4)

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter

"Helter Skelter" is a Beatles song which appears on the White album. Charles Manson, claiming to have been "inspired" by the song (through which he thought God and/or the devil were taking to him) led his followers in the Tate-LaBianca murders. "Summer swelter" a reference to the "long hot summer" of Watts.

The birds flew off with the fallout shelter Eight miles high and falling fast

The Byrd's "Eight Miles High" was on their late 1966 release "Fifth Dimension." It was one of the first records to be widely banned because of supposedly drug-oriented lyrics.

It landed foul on the grass

One of the Byrds was busted for possesion of marijuana.

The players tried for a forward pass

Obviously a football metaphor about the Rolling Stones, i.e. they were waiting for an opening which really didn't happen until the Beatles broke up.

With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

On July 29, 1966, Dylan crashed his Triumph motorcycle while riding near his home in Woodstock, New York. He spent nine months in seclusion while recuperating from the accident.

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume

This line and the next few refer to the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The "sweet perfume" is tear gas.

While sergeants played a marching tune

The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" music in general as "marching" because it's not music for dancing. But music with a message to which we march.

We all got up to dance Oh, but we never got the chance

The Beatles' 1966 Candlestick Park concert only lasted 35 minutes and there wasn't any music to dance to OR due to the break-up of The Beatles.

'Cause the players tried to take the field, The marching band refused to yield.

A reference to the dominance of the Beatles on the rock and roll scene. For instance, the Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds" in 1966 -- an album which featured some of the same sort of studio and electronic experimentation as "Sgt. Pepper" (1967) -- but the album sold poorly. It's a comment about how the dominance of the Beatles in the rock world led to more "pop art" music, leading in turn to a dearth of traditional rock and roll.

Do you recall what was revealed, The day the music died? We started singing

Refrain

(Verse 5)

And there we were all in one place

Woodstock.

A generation lost in space

A reference to the "famous" (and horrible) 60s TV "Lost In Space."

With no time left to start again

The "lost generation" spent too much time being stoned, and had wasted their lives.

So come on Jack be nimble Jack be quick

A reference to Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones; "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was released in May, 1968.

Jack Flash sat on a candlestick

The Stones' Candlestick park concert.

'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

The Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil."

And as I watched him on the stage My hands were clenched in fists of rage No angel born in hell Could break that satan's spell

While playing a concert at the Altamont Speedway in 1969, the Stones appointed members of the Hell's Angels to work security. In the darkness near the front of the stage, a young man named Meredith Hunter was beaten and stabbed to death -- by the Angels. Public outcry that the song "Sympathy for the Devil" had somehow incited the violence caused the Stones to drop the song from their show for the next six years.

And as the flames climbed high into the night To light the sacrificial rite

About Altamont, and in particular Mick Jagger's prancing and posing while it was happening. The sacrifice is Meredith Hunter, and the bonfires around the area provide the flames.

I saw satan laughing with delight

Satan would be Jagger.

The day the music died He was singing...

Refrain

(Verse 6)

I met a girl who sang the blues

Janis Joplin.

And I asked her for some happy news But she just smiled and turned away

Janis died of an accidental heroin overdose on October 4, 1970.

I went down to the sacred store Where I'd heard the music years before

The "sacred store" was Bill Graham's Fillmore West, one of the great rock and roll venues of all time.

But the man there said the music wouldn't play

Nobody is interested in hearing Buddy Holly et.al.'s music.

And in the streets the children screamed

"Flower children" being beaten by police and National Guard troops; in particular, perhaps, the People's Park riots in Berkeley in 1969 and 1970.

The lovers cried and the poets dreamed

The trend towards psychedelic music in the 60's.

But not a word was spoken, The church bells all were broken

The broken bells are the dead musicians: neither can produce any more music.

And the three men I admire most The Father Son and Holy Ghost

Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Richie Valens.

They caught the last train for the coast

A way of saying that they had left the scene (or died -- "went west" as a synonym for dying).

The day the music died And they were singing...

Refrain (2x)

GARY NEVILLES DIARY

Gary Neville's (Made-Up) World Cup Diary
How exactly did The Neviller hurt his thigh? Why didn't he follow Sir's instructions to stop Wayne playing? We take a gander at the totally-made-up diaries of England's next captain (or so he thinks). It's all here...
Monday June 5
Gary Neville's England team arrived in Baden-Baden-Baden today and I looked very, very handsome in my suit (mum said) and definitely had the bestest moustache. I brought my guitar which I have been learning for three weeks and I can play all of Elton John's best songs, including 'I Guess That's Why They Call Us The Reds' and 'The Bitch Is Back', which I save for David's 'wife'. I asked David if he would sing 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart' with me, but we argued about who would be Elton. We can't both be Kiki.
I am ringing Sir every hour with updates on Wayne. Thirty-seven minutes ago he ate four bratwursts.

Tuesday June 6
I have made an official complaint to the hotel manager about the pillows (too square). And the soap (not square enough). And the Bible (doesn't mention Sir). And the hand rail next to the bath (just don't like it). I have told Sven that I will go on strike if these things are not rectified and everyone knows right-back is the most important position on the whole pitch. Even in these silly summer warm-up tournaments before the serious business with the best club in the whole wide world ever begins in August. I can't wait.
Passed Frank Lamppost (hah) in the corridor - he'd been stood there an hour trying to get his key in the door.

Friday June 9
Rung Sir and told him Wayne has been kissing Coleen. Eurgh. Everyone knows girls smell. And he wasn't even wearing red! Sir said I must tell Wayne to get his priorities right, and I did. The banter is brlliant in Baden-Baden-Baden because Wayne told me to go "f*** yourself you snotty little c***". He's my favourite Scouser.
Mum says she won't fly out and bring my favourite pillow (boo). I protested the decision - but it doesn't work so well on the phone. I cried tonight because I miss her bedtime stories, especially when she reads Managing My Life and does Sir's voice.
I've asked David if he wants Gary Neville to do a rousing speech tomorrow. I brushed my moustache (a big job) in preparation and wrote something - 'I remember when rock was young - me and Susie had so much fun...' - but he said no. I like his hair now though.
Played pool with Frank. 7-0, 7-0, 7-0, 7-0 - I went to kiss my badge and do a sex action but I didn't have a badge because I wasn't wearing my jim-jams.

Saturday June 10
Gary Neville's England won and David was fantastic. But not as fantastic as me. I'm definitely the best right-back at this whole World Cup. Every manager must look at me and wish I was in their team. I expect Sir will have a lot of calls from people offering £10m or even £20m for me, but I will never leave the best team in the whole wide world ever ever.
As well as David, Rio was brilliant and I think he should have been man of the match. Instead it went to Frank and he wasted the champagne because he kept missing his mouth.
Gave Theo a Chinese burn after the game because Silly Billy Philly's not here.

Tuesday June 13
I cried today because everyone says I look like French frog Franck Ribery. But he's ugly and he doesn't even have a proper moustache.

Wednesday June 14
Sven says I can't play tomorrow because I've hurt my thigh. I didn't tell him I hurt it practising 'Rocket Man' with actions. The lads love my guitar-playing and say I should learn more songs. I had a special request for 'Touch My Bum' by the Cheeky Girls. I might do it in my jim-jams.

Thursday June 15
England were absolutely rubbish without Gary Neville, with that dirty Scouser Jamie Carragher (doesn't even have a 'tache) playing at right-back as if anyone can play there. It seems that Sven ignored my 3-5-2 formation suggestion to get round that 'who can replace Gary Neville at right-back?' question. David then played at right-back though and he was the second-best right-back I've ever, ever seen.
Sir told me to try and stop Wayne coming on, but he's bigger than me and threatened to knot the toggles of my jim-jams together while I was asleep.

Saturday June 17
The rest of the boys went to see their WAGs (like wagging tails on dogs, geddit?) so I did my Man United jigsaw while wearing my Man United kit. I gathered quite a crowd in the lobby - I'm definitely everybody's favourite England player.

Tuesday June 20
Sat on the bench again (boo) but at least Rio and Wayne came to sit with me in the second half, though Wayne was a little bit angry even when I offered him a bite of my Curly-Wurly. England were rubbish, especially Carragher, and only David and Rio were good at defending set-pieces. The whole defence falls apart without Gary Neville...it's like having only one Krankie.
Michael hurt his knee. That's what you get for being Scouse.

Friday June 23
Back in training today. Told Sven that I'm ready to play against Equatorial New Guinea - up front if he needs me - but he says I should save myself. He knows he has a precious stone. Sir's not answering my calls anymore - he must have lost his phone. Can't wait to get back and give him his Baden-Baden-Baden tea-towel. And doilie.
Watched Frank take out three windows, four cars and one assistant coach (silly Tord) with his shooting practise.

Sunday June 25
This time the silly moose with the funny hair played at right-back! I'm so angry I could go on strike. He was rubbish and England were all rubbish apart from Rio and David and Wayne, who were brilliant. But thankfully for them Gary Neville will be back for the next game. I expect the papers back home have had prayer mats with pictures of my thigh for the England fans - some of which aren't even Man United fans despite the fact that we've won every Premiership title (nearly). Silly, silly monkeys.

Tuesday, June 27
I think I have the best moustache in Germany. Maybe not the bushiest right now (I've been stressed) but definitely the bestest.

Friday June 30
Played 'Touch My Bum' to a very excited audience tonight - not just the players, but the staff of the hotel, who all brought their friends. Everyone was smiling. If England are as successful tomorrow against Portugal it will all be over by half-time.
Must remember to ring mum and get her to tape the game - I always look so handsome when they play that song. I still don't know why they don't play 'Come on You Reds' or at least something by Simply Red. I shall ask that man Brian again.

Saturday July 1
It's not fair. It's just not fair. It's really, really, really not fair. How can they blame poor Cristiano when it was clearly that nasty Chelsea man who put his winkle in the way of poor Wayne's foot to get him sent off. I said some harsh words, I can tell you. Hope he didn't hear them.
David hurt himself and I was the captain - it nearly made me do a sex wee putting on that band that had been round David's strong arm. I was brilliant as captain. It's because I was captain that I didn't think I should take a penalty. Rio said it was because I was a scaredy-cat but it was really because I was being the captain. It's a shame because I would have scored the 11th one.
Of course, no Man United players missed penalties - just two dirty Scousers and Frank, who had taken an hour to hit his boot with his foot before the game.
The good news is that Wayne and Rio and me will be well rested for the real football.

Sunday July 2
I cried when David cried. I shall be captain now though. I shall need a bigger moustache. And some new jim-jams with a star like a sheriff. Bang bang.

Thanks to:
www.football365.com/features/fun_features/story_188147.shtml

RICKY INTERVIEWS CROUCH AND ROONEY

WORLD'S HIGHEST FALL

On January 26, 1972, a 22-year-old flight attendant named Vesna Vulovic was not where she was supposed to be. She was cruising at 33,330 feet above Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) in a DC-9 airplane, but her schedule had been mixed up with that of another stewardess named Vesna, and she was subsequently placed on the wrong flight. But Vesna was happy for the mistake; it afforded her the opportunity to see Denmark, and to stay in a Sheraton Hotel, which she had always dreamed of doing. But the mix up was not so fortuitous as it seemed.

A terrorist group known as Ustashe had placed a powerful explosive on this particular plane. The Ustache was a far-right nazi/fascist group in Croatia which was implicated in over two dozen terrorist attacks against Yugoslavia after World War 2. Vesna's flight, JAT Yugoslav Flight 364, was with an airline based in Yugoslavia.

While passing over the city of Srbska-Kamenice, the explosive device detonated. The DC-9 was torn into pieces, and the plane's wreckage, along with its 28 passengers, fell through the sky for three long minutes before striking a frozen mountainside.

A German man, upon arriving at the crash site, found all of the plane's passengers dead, save one. Vesna was lying half outside of the plane, with another crew member's body on top of her, and a serving cart pinned against her spine. The man had been a medic in the second world war, and did what he could for her until further help arrived.

At the hospital, her parents were told that although there was still life in her body, she would not survive. Her skull was broken and hemorrhaging, both of her legs were broken, and she had three crushed vertebrae. But three days later, she awoke from her coma, and asked for a cigarette.

Vesna was paralyzed from the waist down, but she was alive and conscious. Two weeks after the accident, her doctor told her what had happened, and gave her a newspaper to read the story, but the memory of this event would escape her, as did everything from one hour before the accident to one month after, due to amnesia. Later, she underwent surgery that restored movement to her left leg, and a month after that, she regained movement in her right leg. Eventually, she was able to walk again.

By the following September, she was eager to go back to work, but to avoid publicity, the airline gave her a desk job. She never suffered any psychological trauma as a result of the incident, and never experienced any fear of flying. She is still alive today, and flies with some regularity. She has a positive philosophy on life, stating, "I believe we are masters of our lives - we hold all the cards and it is up to us to use them right."

Her good fortune in surviving the accident is most likely due to her low blood pressure, which caused her to pass out quickly and prevented her heart from bursting. But despite her positive outlook on life, Vesna does not consider herself lucky. Thirty years after the crash, she said to Philip Baum in an interview, "I'm not lucky. Everybody thinks I am lucky, but they are mistaken. If I were lucky I would never had this accident and my mother and father would be alive. The accident ruined their lives too." It's a valid point, along the same lines as arguing that the event wasn't a "miracle," given that there were 27 people who didn't survive. The assertion that "it could be worse" is small comfort to the pragmatic, because certainly, it could also be much better.

Vesna currently holds the Guinness World Record for the highest fall survived without a parachute, at 33,330 feet.

ART ILLUSION

WHAT'S FOR LUNCH???

SUBBUTEO CROUCH

LOOKS LIKE WAYNE AGAIN