Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Spotlight: Legend has it that Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men hid out among the trees of Sherwood Forest, finding a special haven inside the trunk of the Major Oak. Today, it would be far more difficult to find cover; the ancient oaks in the forest have been falling at a greater pace over the last decades and the forest is thinning. Of the 1,000 oaks left, about half are standing deadwood. Sherwood Forest was shortlisted for a shot at the £50 million grant (about $100 million) from Britain's Big Lottery to aid in restoration, but last week voters gave the money to Sustran's Connect2 project, which aims to improve local traffic across the UK by building bridges and overpasses for pedestrians and cyclists.

Quote: "The unrecorded past is none other than our old friend, the tree in the primeval forest which fell without being heard." — Barbara Tuchman

Word of the day: distraint
The legal right of a Landlord to seize a tenant's personal property to satisfy payment of back rent.
Example: Abel is 6 months in Arrears on rent. Landlord Baker obtains a court order to seize Abel's furniture to satisfy the rent due. Baker is exercising his right of distraint.

(© Barron's Educational Series, Inc)

Today's History:

• Benjamin Franklin: began publishing his Poor Richard's Almanack (1732)
• A Christmas Carol: Charles Dickens' classic Yuletide tale of miser Ebenezer Scrooge was first published in England (1843)
• Altair 8800: PC precursor was announced as a DIY kit (1974)
• Titanic: movie with the highest box office earnings (and largest budget to date) opened in the US, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet (1997)
• Bill Clinton: was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice (1998)

Today's Birthdays:

• Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982): Soviet leader who was first to head both the party and the state
• Edith Piaf (1915-1963): French cabaret singer called "the little sparrow"
• Alyssa Milano (35): Phoebe Halliwell on Charmed
• Jake Gyllenhaal (27): star of Brokeback Mountain