Gretchen Wilson

On June 26, 1973, Gretchen was born to a 16 year old mother in Pocahontas, Illinois. Before Gretchen was 2, her fother left her mother. Her mother and her lived in trailer parks and relative poverty. Gretchen's mother was a waitress. When Gretchen was in the ninth grade, she dropped out of school, working as a cook and bartender.
At the age of 17, Gretchen started singing in small bars around St. Louis, Missouri. In 1991, Susie Osburn, a bar manager from Springfield, Missouri, went to St. Louis, looking for a new band for her bar (Townhouse). Susie stumbled upon Gretchen, offering Gretchen the job. Gretchen played at the Townhouse for two years then moved back to Pocahontas. After a failed marriage to former bandmate, Larry Rolens, Gretchen moved to Nashville.
Gretchen started dating Mike Penner. On Novermber 9, 2001, a daughter, Grace Frances Penner, was born to them.

Albums:

• Here For The Party-This album came out with Epic Records in 2003. The first single coming from this album was 'Redneck Woman'. The song was the first number one hit by a woman in two years. The next single hit coming from this album was 'Here For The Party'.
• All Jacked Up-Came out on September 27, 2005, 'All Jacked Up' (the song) peaked at #8 on the Hot Country Songs. Three more singles came from this album 'I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today', 'Politically Uncorrect' (featuring Merle Haggard), and 'California Girls'. None of the three made it to the Top 20 on the country charts.
• One Of The Boys-This album came out on May 15, 2007. It debuted at #5 on the Top 200 and #1 on the Country album Chart. After 10 weeks, the album went bye-bye from the Billboard Top 200. The first to singles released from this album were 'Come To Bed' (featured John Rich) and 'One Of The Boys'. Both peaked in the thirties on the country charts while the final single 'You Don't Have To Go Home' failed to reach the Top 40.
• I Got Your Country Right Here-Was released on July 14, 2008 with the first single 'Don't Do Me No Good'. The song failed to reach the Top 40.
• Don't Make Me Take My Earrings Out-Came out in March of this year with the release of her song with the same name. The song is also referred to as 'The Earring Song'.

Awards:

• 2005 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
• 2004 ACM Top Female Vocalist
• 2004 ACM Top New Artist
• 2004 CMA Horizon Award
• 2004 Grammy Award Best Female Country Vocal Performance

Resources:

Gretchen Wilson (Wikipedia)

Gretchen Wilson Official Website

The Rat Patrol (TV series)

'The Rat Patrol' aired on ABC during 1966-1968. It is about the exloits of four allied soldiers (3 Americans and 1 British). They were part of a long range desert patrol group in the North African campaign during World War 2.

The show was inspired by and loosely modelled on the New Zealand/British/Rhodesian Long Range Desert Group. The title of the program refers to the nick names given to some of the small desert groups like 'Rats of Tobruk' and 'Desert Rats'.

Cast

Christopher George played Sgt. Sam Troy, who was the units leader.

Gary Raymond played Sgt. Jack Moffitt, who is the only British member of the patrol. The Character Sgt. Moffitt was the expert on the desert and on the local Arab Tribes, which inhabited it. Moffitt speaks fleunt German and Arabic, as well as able to read some dead, ancient languages.

Lawerence Carey played Pvt. Mark T. Hitchcock. The patrol calls him 'Hitch'. Hitchcock is a Ivy League college man turned soldier. If you watched a few episodes you'll noticed Hitchcock often chews bubblegum.

Justin Tarr playes Pvt. Tully Pettigrew. Troy calls Tully one of the army's best wheelman. The story of Tully is he grew up in Kentucky and gained his driving skell by running moonshine.

Hans Gudegast (now known as Eric Braedon) played the character of Houptmann Hans Duietrich. Dietrich is a dedicated, honorable German officer. He is the Rat Patrol's main nemesis.

During the second season, the storyline required the absence of Tully for a few episodes. Three different characters took turns rounding out the team Tully's absence.

• Peterson-Darwin Joston


• Andy-Mac McLaughlin


• Bo Randall-Bo Hopkins

Facts About The Production:

• 'The Rat Patrol' was filmed in Almeria, Spain during part of the first season.


• The threes part storyline of 'The Last Harbor Raid' was released in some venues as 'Massacre Harbor'.


• After the first season, each major cast member was shown a prospective script in which he was killed in action to prevent the actors fro asking for raises.


• A jeep overturned, injurying Christopher George. The injury lead to a bad heart that contributed to his subsequent death.


• As was the norm for low-cost productions, other equipment was substituted for original ones. The German vehicles were substituted with American Patton tanks, M7 Priest self-propelled guns, M3 half-track and M35 2 1/2 ton cargo trucks were painted in desert sand colors.


• The submachine guns used by the squad by the squad were props meant to look-like assault rifles or Thompson submachine guns.


• Sgt. Troy wor a slouch hat during the series. When 'The Rat Patrol aired in Australia, veterans of both World Wars were critical of Christopher George wearing an important symbol of Australian courage and sacrifice. It was seen as cheaping and sensationalizing the memory and spirit of the ANZACs, who died fighting Fascism. Christopher George, who was of Greek extraction, insisted his character wear the slouch hat to honor the Australians, who fought in Greece.

The Rat Patrol-All Jacked Up

This video is one of the first few I did. I was surfing through You Tube for some old time TV series I watch when I was younger. "The Rat Patrol" was one of those series I was looking. As I surfed for "The Rat Patrol", I noticed there was no music videos for this TV series like "Combat", Alias Smith And Jones", etc. I decided to be the first to do a music video on the "The Rat Patrol". I tried my luck. I used the song "All Jacked Up" sung by Gretchen Wilson because in the clips I couldn't help but thinks these guys were all jacked up and ready to go. This is what I came up with.

Illinois

This is the second article I did on for February newsletter of WOSIB newsletter.



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

Illinois



By Kathleen


This month’s state is Illinois. Illinois is also known as ‘The Land Of Lincoln’ and ‘The Prairie State’.
The state of Illinois is named after the French adaptation of the Algonquian language. The word apparently means ‘s/he speaks normally’. The name is alternately associated with Illiniwek, a consortium of Algonquian tribe that use to thrive in the area. Illiniwek means ’tribe of superior men’, which is frequently incorrect. But the government of Illinois chooses to say the meaning of the state name means ’tribe of superior me’. Who knows which one of the meanings of Illinois is true.


Symbols Of Illinois

Illinois State Flag is called ‘History’.

Illinois State Seal is called ‘The Great Seal’.

Motto: State sovereignty, national union

Amphibian: Eastern Tiger Salamander

Animal: White-Tail Deer

Bird: Cardinal

Dance: Square Dance

Fish: Bluegill

Flower: Purple Violet

Fossil: Tully Monster

Insect: Monarch Butterfly

Mineral: Fluorite

Prairie Grass: Big Bluestem

Reptile: Painted Turtle

Snack Food: Popcorn

Song: ‘Illinois’ lyrics by: Charles H. Chamberlin music by: Archibald Johnston

Tree: White Oak

History

Cahokia, a pre-Columbian Mississippian culture, resided in Illinois. Like the Mississippian people in Indiana, the Cahokia too disappeared off the face of the map in the 15th century.
The next culture to take over was the Illiniwek Confederation or Illini. In the 1700’s, there was 25,000 Illini but due to the attacks from the Iroquois 90% of the Illini were wiped out.
The next group of Indians that settle into Illinois were the Sauk, Potawatomi, Miami and others tribes. They came in from the east and north.
In 1673, French explorers, Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet, explored the Illinois River, which lead other French explorers coming to Illinois. Illinois was part of the French empire until 1763. Illinois then went into the hands of British. Due to the American colonist uprising, the British only had Illinois for a short time. Illinois became a territory of the United States. On August 26th, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state to enter the United States.
When President Lincoln first called for troops at the Civil War, Illinois sent 250,000 men to serve in the Union Army.
Illinois emerged as one of the important states during the 20th century with a population bordering around 5 million. Illinois reached over 12 million by the end of the century.
In 1957, the Argonne National Laboratory activated the first nuclear power generating system in the United States near Chicago. Chicago became an ocean port with the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1959. In 1960, Dresden 1, the first privately finance nuclear plant, was dedicated near Morris, Illinois. In 1960, Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald's franchise in Des Plaines (which still exists today as a museum, with a working McDonald's across the street).
In 1985, the first Farm Aid concert was held in Champaign, Illinois to benefit the American farmers.
In 2008, Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Obama was elected our 44th president. He is also the first African-American president. He is also the third president that came from Illinois.
If you are interested a more detail history of Illinois, you can go to the following links. The sites will take you to other links pertaining to Illinois history like The Great Chicago Fire, The Great Flood of 1993, The Blackhawk War, etc.

http://www.illinois.gov/

http://www.answers.com/topic/illinois


Facts

• Former President Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois.
• Politics in the state of Illinois, particularly Chicago area, have been famous for highly visible corruption cases. Here are two of them. In 1912, William Lorimer, the GOP boss of Chicago, was expelled from the U.S. Senate for bribery. In 1921, Governor Len Small (R) was found to have defrauded the state of a million dollars.

Economy

Illinois is an important agricultural state. The main agricultural produces are soybeans and corn. The other major crops of Illinois includes hay, wheat, and sorghum. Hogs and cattle are the principal sources of farm income.
Beneath the fertile topsoil of Illinois lies mineral wealth, including fluorspar, bituminous coal, and oil. Illinois ranks high among the states in the production of coal. Its reserves are greater than any other states east of the Rocky Mts.
Illinois manufactures are electrical and nonelectrical machinery, food products, fabricated and primary metal products, chemicals, printed and published materials.
Illinois is the leading refiner of petroleum in the Midwestern states. It is also ranked 14th in oil production in the states.
Illinois is ranked first in nuclear generating capacity among the 31 states with nuclear plants. Almost half of Illinois electricity is generated by nuclear plants.
Metropolitan Chicago, the country's leading rail center, is also a major industrial, as well as a commercial and financial center. Chicago also host most of the professional sports in Illinois.
Decatur is one of the leading producers of ethanol from corn.

Recreation

• Illinois has numerous museums. The state of the art Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield is the largest presidential library in the country.
• There are numerous museums in the city of Chicago. These include the John G. Shedd Aquarium, the Field Museum of Natural History, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Science and Industry. The Museum of Science and Industry is the only building remaining from the 1893 Columbian Exposition held in Chicago to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery of the new world.
• The Illinois state park system began in 1908 with Fort Massac State Park. Fort Massac State Park became the first park in a system, encompassing over 60 parks and about the same number of recreational and wildlife areas.
• The areas protected and controlled under the National Park Service include the Illinois And Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, The Lewis And Clark National Historic Trail, the Lincoln Home National Historic, the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, the Trail Of Tear’s National Historic Trail and the Kickapoo State Park.

Resources

http://www.illinois.gov/
http://www.answers.com/topic/illinois
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illinois
http://www.illinois.gov/visiting/historic.cfm

My Home State Of Indiana

About three months ago, I started writing "State Of The Month" articles for the WOSIB Newsletter. My first article was on my home state of Indiana. That was because I just signed up for to do the article and there was only about three or four days to get the article done before deadline, lol. So I pick a state I was fimiliar with. I am putting it up in my blog because got to clean my archives out. I will be putting up the other two state articles in my blog too.

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

State Of The Month
Indiana
Written By Kathleen

The name Indiana means ‘The Land of Indians’ or ‘Indian Land’. Indiana is known as the Hoosier State. The people from the State of Indiana are know as Hoosiers. How Indiana got the name of Hoosier State and people of Indiana Hoosiers is unknown. There are a lot of stories and legends how it came about. You can find a few of the stories and legends at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier

Indiana Symbols

Indiana’s State Flag

The Seal Of Indiana

Indiana Bird: Cardinal
Indiana Flower: Peony
Indiana Motto: The Crossroads of America
Indiana Poem: ’Indiana’ by Arthur Franklin Mapes
Indiana Song: ‘On The Banks Of The Wabash’, ‘Far Away’
Indiana River: Wabash River
Indiana Stone: Limestone
Indiana Tree: The Tulip Tree

Indiana History

It was originally thought that Indiana was inhabited by migratory tribes of ’Native Americans’ as early as 8000 B.C. In 2003, archeologists found a tool carved from deer bone dating back 10,400 years ago. Which basically proved the first thought wrong.
By 900 A.D. a mound building Native Americans called Mississippians settled in Indiana. The Mississippians were dominant in Indiana until 1450 in which their entire civilization totally disappeared for some unknown reason. You can learn more about the Mississippians at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippian_culture
Indiana entered into recorded history when Europeans started to settle here. We were known as part of the ‘Kingdom Of France’ until ‘The French And Indian Wars‘. The British won that war and we became the ’Kingdom Of Great Britain’.
But due to our American rebellious nature called ‘The American Revolutionary War‘, the ’Kingdom Of Great Britain’ was short lived. We, here in Indiana, became a territory of the United States in which we placed under the governorship of William Henry Harrison. Indiana became the 19th state of the United States in 1816.
Following statehood, our new government (Indiana) set out to transform our state from a wilderness frontier into a populated and thriving state. Our state founders started programs for railroad, canals, roads, and public schools which almost bankrupt us. Due to the increase land value and produces saved our butts.
During the American Civil War, Indiana became a political influence in our nation. We were one of the first western states to mobilize our soldiers at the start of the Civil War.
In the 1900’s, we became a strong manufacturing state. Of course, the depression almost destroyed our manufacturing. We recovered during World War 2.
This is only a brief history of my home state of Indiana. If your interested in learning more like the birth place of Abraham Lincoln, Tecumseh’s War, War Of 1812, etc. Here are some webpages that will give you a start in the world of discovering more of my home state of Indiana‘s history: http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana#State_symbols http://www.answers.com/topic/indiana

Indiana Economy

Our highest income percentage is in manufacturing like pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, steel, automobiles, electrical equipment, transportation equipment, chemical products, rubber, petroleum and coal products, and factory machinery.
Our major crop is corn and soybeans. Believe me when I say, you can’t take a ride on the highway or a back road here in Indiana during the summertime without seeing rows of corn or soybeans.
We are becoming one of the leading state in the biofuels. Reynolds, located north of Lafayette is now known as BioTown, USA. The town is experimenting with using biofuels and organic fuels, such as those made with manure, to power the town.
Our mining is in limestone and coal.

Fun Facts In Indiana

Santa Claus, Indiana: During Christmas season Santa Claus, Indiana receives over a million letters and requests.
Stolen Profits: In June of 1972, Lowell Elliot of Peru, Indiana was said to have found $500,000 in cash on his farm. It looked like the money fell from the sky. It did. A skyjacker parachuting out of a plane had dropped his stolen profits over Elliot’s farm. Elliot returned the money to the authorities.
Corn: Half the cropland in Indiana is corn.
The Slippery Noodle Inn: Was establish in 1850. It is one of Indiana’s oldest bars. During Prohibition, the Al Brady and John Dillinger gangs were patrons of the inn. The gangs used the building in the rear (originally a horse stable for the Inn) for target practice. Today, several bullets remain embedded in the lower east wall.

Places To Visit In Indiana:

Indiana has plenty of places to visit depending on the kind of person you are. Turkey Run State Park is a park one can go hiking, canoeing, fishing, camping and enjoy nature.
There is Indiana Beach, an amusement park on Lake Shafer in Monticello, Indiana. They have over 30 rides and attractions. I am not sure if one can do it now but when I was a kid, my brothers, sisters, and I use to throw our popcorn in the lake to watch the cod pop up to eat it. What can I say it was amusing to us besides the rides.
There is Wolf Park. A park which is a preserve for wolfs.
Mounds State Park is known for its prehistoric Indian mounds in Anderson, Indiana. You can go fishing, swimming, hiking, and picnicking.
You can go to Parke County and visit the 30 Cover Bridges driving tour. Parke County has the largest concentrate of covered bridges in our nation.
In Battleground, Indiana, there is a small graveyard and monument dedicated to the soldiers that fought in the ‘Battle Of Tippecanoe’. Behind this is a lovely creek one can sit and enjoy the tranquility of the area.
If you are a person that enjoys art, Lafayette, Indiana, has a lovely art museum.
Oh, yeah, I can’t forget Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace in southern Indiana. The park has hiking, the old Lincoln homestead, the gravesite of Good Ole Abe’s mother.
There are other places to visit in my home state. To find out more go to the website: http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/index.aspx