lucky you - your browser doesnt play annoying midis

	03/12/09 - NNHS Newsletter - Bonny Portmore “If you strike us down now we shall rise again and renew the fight. You cannot conquer Ireland. You cannot extinguish the Irish passion for freedom. If our deed has not been sufficient to win freedom, then our children will win it by a better deed." - Patrick Pearse, a.k.a. Padraig Pearse - a leader of the 1916 Rebellion (10 Nov 1879 - 03 May 1916)

Dear Friends and Schoolmates, 

   We're celebrating this week with Irish songs. Today's selection is especially haunting, as it tells about the mourning over the destruction of the old growth forests, and in particular the ancient Great Oak of Portmore (which stood on the property of Portmore Castle on the shore of Lough Beg) to build ships for the Royal Navy.

BONUS - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Zy8VPFP-E - Bonny Portmore - Loreena McKennitt - Any time one can listen to Loreena is a good time.

HOMEWORK:

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/immie/bonny.html

HEALTH UPDATE:

     From the Head Flagtwirler of 1965, Janice McCain Rose of VA - 03/11/08, 10:10 PM - "Fred 6th day post op":

     From the Head Flagtwirler of 1965, Janice McCain Rose of VA - 03/12/08, 9:56 AM - "Sing Praises to the Lord":

  Thank you so much, Janice, for your updates - and this last great news!

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/requests-prayers.html

THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS:

  Happy Birthday tomorrow to   Betty Spain Uecker ('63) of VA AND My Newest Daughter-in-Law,      Kim Woods Harty (Hillsboro HS, IL / Richard Milburn Academy, FL - '03)!

   Happy Birthday this week to:

15 - Joan Williams Eberwine ('57) AND Linda Robinson Gillespie ('71) of VA;

16 -     Linda May Bond Crayton ('66) of VA AND  Jacque Ray Fisher ('66) of NC;

17 –   Barbara Brewer (’69) of VA;

18 -   Johnny Mitchell ('57) of VA AND   Kay Knight Midkiff Evans ('59) of VA AND     Wade Scott ('66) of MO;

19 -    Cheryl Mays Howard ('66) of VA!

   Many Happy Returns to You All!

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/Happy-Birthday.html

      From Wayne Stokes ('65) of VA - 03/10/09 - "BIGGEST CRAB I'VE EVER SEEN":

From Australia, a picture of a Coconut Crab.  This is pretty interesting....

Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world. It is known for its ability to crack coconuts with its strong pincers in order to eat the contents.   It is sometimes called the robber crab because some coconut crabs are rumored to steal shiny items such as pots and silverware from houses and tents.    The second photo gives you a good idea of how large these crabs are - a coconut crab is seeking food from a black trashcan.

COCONUT CRABS

The coconut crab is a large edible land crab related to the hermit crab, and are found in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans ...

They eat coconuts for a living! How would you like to be on an island and come across a crab that is more than 3 feet from head to tail and weighs up to 40 pounds, with a pair of large pincers strong enough to open coconuts! They can climb trees too, but they only eat coconuts that have already fallen to the ground. Coconut crab meat has been considered a local delicacy. 

   EEWW - GROSS!!! Well, alright, gross in a strangely beautiful way, I suppose.  Still.....

   Thanks, Wayne Honey!

    From Joe Madagan ('57) of FL - 03/11/09 - "Famous Marine;   Gary Farnsworth":

   YIKES!!! I did know Gary's younger brother, Sterling (Farnsworth - Hampton HS - '64), back in the day, but I'm not in touch with him now. Perhaps with their upcoming reunion, some of our Krabba friends can help locate him.

   It was amazingly generous of Randolph and Brandy to bring us into their home - and for Nathaniel to give up his larger bedroom to us in lieu of a smaller one, and we are most grateful for their loving kindness. Actually, Joe, our financial burdens were just resolving themselves, as Paul's Social Security finally kicked in last November. I personally think we are living here with family to be cared for and looked after as our physical and mental health continues to deteriorate - a bit sooner, perhaps, than expected.

   Until fourteen months or so ago, I was still just a kid. Now I find myself an old lady. I liked it better before.....

   Thanks, Sweet Adonis!

    From Norm Covert ('61) of MD - 03/11/09 - "Valuable Stuff":

Among the jewels I discovered in it was this moment in time. With the 2009 NCAA March Madness now in its opening stages, I thought, "How many fans can boast such a valuable signature as shown here!" I retained the photo with 1958-59 Captain Harry Conn ('59 - of VA) and the printed season results.   I was never one for autographs, but this is a great one. Charles G. (Lefty) Driesell certainly went on to bigger and better things at Davidson College and later the University of Maryland, where he proclaimed without objection that the Terrapins were the "UCLA of the East!"
		1959 Anchor, p. 75

		Those of you who attended the September 2006 reunion at the Canepa Cottage in Buckroe (hosted by    Evelyn Fryer Fish - '58 - of TX) had the opportunity to renew OLD acquaintances with Our Old Ball Coach, Lefty. He is one of a kind. I've attached one of the photos from your site in case you couldn't access it.    (THAT one I have, Norm - although how you found it, I'm not certain, as I've had the wrong thumbnail posted all these years! Evelyn's senior portrait is lost to me now, as it was in The Doomed Folder, and I have no 1958 Anchor of my own to rescan it.)
Saturday, September 30, 2006, 4:48 PM
Lefty Driesell (Granby HS - '50) of VA and Eleanor Buckley Nowitzky ('59) of NC

Regarding the pre-K effort, finally I provided a Bi-Corn and 10 Tri-corn hats with three fifes from my former Fife and Drum Corps holdings. The four/five year olds celebrated by marching around singing "Yankee Doodle" and the effort was proclaimed a success. My Nicholas has on the Bi-corn wearing a green shirt at center with a fife. He looks just like me -- right?   Norm Covert ('61) MD
		Friday, February 22, 2009

   WOWZERONI!!! It's amazing how much younger we all looked just fifty years ago, isn't it?!? Of course, you'll get to watch yourself grow up all over again, because, yes, Nicholas does look just like you - he's quite adorable!

   Thanks so much for these treasures, Normie! I posted Lefty's autographed picture on his page:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/SITE-MAP.html

     http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/faculty.html

          http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/teachers.html

               http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/teach-Driesell.html

       From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 03/11/09 - "Flight Simulation":

The simulation of Captain Sullenberger’s masterful water landing was most impressive.

A more relaxing simulation can be found here. Just give it time to load.

I hope that this has not already appeared in a newsletter and that I learned of it from elsewhere, but I cannot be sure.


http://www.electricoyster.com/electric3d/index.html

   OHHH - this IS peaceful, Captain! Thanks so much!

   From Bill Hobbs ('66) of Northern VA - 03/11/09 - "RE: Yahoo! News Story - What Will Happen to "Slumdog Millionaire's" Child Stars?":

Carol, thanks for the story; this is my wife's story. I hope you have broadband and can view the links she has provided. These pictures center around children at an orphanage that she supports. Of course we know there is misery everywhere in the world, even here in this country but it is important that we know of these things in order to thankful for what we have. I sometimes wonder why God let me be born here, having good parents, blessed in so many ways ( Did I mention attending NNHS ? ), when things could have been very different for this soul.

After what I went thru in 2007 - hospital 5 times, 2 operations, then almost dying - it comes to my mind that these same nuns at the orphanage in Christine's story are the very same ones that were praying for me as I clung on to my life! I am so humbled that under the conditions there, they were praying for me here. I read every one of your issues and pay particular attention to the prayer list. I don't know if I understand prayer sometimes but I know that God hears them, maybe I just don't understand the answers.

God uses people, people like you and me and nuns in India, for His glory. I want to thank you as always, for doing what you do! What a world we live in today but if we look sometimes with faith, we can see the light. Jesus come quickly! May God continue to bless you and your family,

With much love,
Bill

   Thanks so much, Bill!

From Christine M. Hobbs of Northern VA - 03/11/09 - "RE: My Christmas Trip to India":

Someone asked me to write about my trip to India, which I did here. Thought I would share the story with "special people in my life."

Nasik now changed to Nashik (not originated - my ancestors and family come from Mangalore, Karnataka State in South India - on the coast). We were converted to Catholicism about 7 generations back. I checked on the population; it looks like in 2001 Census the 100+ sq. mile area had 1 million plus. It is reasonable to say that there is much progress with the activity and growth I saw - like people coming to Northern VA for work. I don't know if you have the time, but the link below gives you more detail on the place. In short, it is a religious place for the Hindus (ancient temples and the holy river Godavari) and Catholics (Infant Jesus Shrine) and is a huge military base (this is why living in Triangle, next to the Quantico gate reminds me of where I lived.).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nashik#Demographics

http://aapkidiary.com/religiousnasik.html - Trimbakeshwar

The link below is of a new mineral museum that I particularly liked and a strange incident took place there. My mom, a friend, and I went to this place and we asked for a guide. The man in the photos came to us and addressed my mother saying that she was his Kindergarten teacher and that he wanted to show her how well he had done in life. At the end of a wonderful tour, I offered him some money and he refused to take it. He actually ended with saying that my mother had made a huge impression on him and that he owed her what he is today. We were quite taken aback and my respect for my mother grew even more because in reality, she chose to get married at age 18 and did not even complete school. Yet she was a survivor and she taught in a Hindu school (walking 5 miles every day to catch a bus to the filthy areas of Panchavati for a meager wage). We congratulated the young man and left the place grinning!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60598&id=521504598&l=b03d7 - Gargoti

http://www.superbminerals.com/mineral-museums.asp - official site and photos of Gargoti Museum

Our next stop from the Museum was the biscuit factory that my ex-husband (Gandhi family) owns and my affection for the 200+ workers remains. Klassik Biscuits is now a subcontractor to Britannia Biscuits and the whole place is mechanized since I was there 10 years ago. We ended the day with a vegetarian meal with my step-daughter, etc.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60571&id=521504598&l=532f1 - Biscuit factory

After watching "Slumdog M" get so many Oscars last night and seeing those little kids, I thought about my pet project and lifetime ambition - to assist and educate "children with potential and low economic means" through some nuns, many who influenced my thinking and also some school friends who chose this very fulfilling vocation. As a young girl, I considered becoming a nun but did not like being tied down to routine and rules besides other things and decided that I could still do good by assisting those who do the dirty work. The kids in the pictures were so eager to show me their talents as future Bollywood stars and one or 2 do want to become doctors! What stuck me most was that my friend, Sr. Meena, was smiling watching them dance, whereas previous generations thought it was all sinful. They even get tutors to help the kids after hours. Times have really changed.

These kids are brought from nearby villages or homes where the mother can go out and get employed and not worry about the daughter being left home unsupervised. They get a better education and the mothers learn to be self sufficient (most of the women are battered by drunk husbands or single mothers). A nun once told me and I never forget this: "You don't encourage beggary; you teach them a trade and give them some self-respect and dignity, so we make them work in our fields or do some chores and them give them their food supply".

For all these years, having no kids myself, I have seen the people I helped grow fairly prosperous and well into the work-stream today.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60545&id=521504598&l=6a7af - convent

The final lap is a trip to South Mumbai to visit friends (eating vegetarian food using our fingers in real silver plates and being served fresh, hot food in courses) (my cousin is married to a wealthy Marwari businessman and she has made a perfect Hindu wife and mother). I hired a taxi for the day (about $35) and even got properly dropped to the airport to catch my flight back. The driver spoke fluent English and gave a fantastic guided tour that included even his average earnings and an invitation to taste his wife's Punjabi food. So we drove past the terrorist-hit areas - the Taj Hotel, Gate-Way-of-India, Hotel Leopold, and the Oberoi Trident. As one can see in the photos, there is no sign of the terrible damage except for a small patch at the Trident. We could have gone inside to see it, but abstained. Life seemed normal there, except that the security was beefed up.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=60625&id=521504598&l=d91e9 - Mumbai

On my return here, my husband took me to see "Slumdog Millionaire" and he thought it was the best movie he has ever seen. I liked it a lot too, but I wondered about the mixed feelings I had, especially since I had just seen some beggar kids in Mumbai. I realized it was a feeling of shame that what was in the movie was so true. Fortunately, I did not see maimed kids and I believed the government has cracked down on such criminal trades. I would recommend this movie to anyone.

In general, despite my being prone to allergies, etc., I had a really wonderful trip with the true spirit of Christmas, reuniting with family and friends at a wedding, and most of all coming back to a life here that is "soooo comfortable" and knowing that if they can hope, we surely can do better. This is my home now and I love it. I end with a prayer that you have the Lord at your side in all that you do.

Sincerely,
Christine M. Hobbs

   WOWZERONI-RINI!!! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing adventure with us, Christine! One of our goals here is to educate, and you just did that beautifully!  

FINALLY:

  From Joyce Lawrence Cahoon ('65) of VA - 03/12/09 - "Seniors on a Little Road Trip":

Seniors on a Little Road Trip


While on a road trip, an elderly couple stopped at a roadside restaurant for lunch. After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant and resumed their trip.

   Thanks, Joyce!

REALLY FINALLY:

     From Me ('65) of IL - 03/12/09:

   Don't forget - my little darlings are arriving from Massachusetts tomorrow night, and I shall be romping and playing and visiting relatives with them. My attention to the site and the Newsletters may be somewhat sporadic.....

DATES TO REMEMBER:

2. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, May 15, 16, and 17, 2009 - The Hampton High School Class of 1964 will hold its 45-Year Reunion at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. For details, see: www.hamptonhigh1964.com - HAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL - CLASS OF 1964

3. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 4, 5 and 6 (Labor Day Weekend), 2009 - The Class of 1969 will hold its 40-Year Reunion at the Point Plaza Hotel, Newport News, VA. For details, see: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion2009-69.html and contact Jean Baker Howell at hokie13mom@cox.net - OPEN TO ALL NNHS ALUMNI

4. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 18, 19, and 20, 2009 - The Warwick High School Class of 1959 will hold its 50-Year Reunion at the Marriott Newport News at City Center, Newport News, VA. For details, contact WHSREUNION1959@aol.com.

5. Friday and Saturday, October 10 and 11, 2009 - The Class of 1964 will hold its 45-Year Reunion at the Newport News Marriott at City Center, 740 Town Center Drive, Newport News, VA 23606: For details, see: http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/reunion2009-64.html - CLASS OF 1964

STILL TO COME:

   Much more..... - but the day grows short, and I've grown tired.....

   Y'all take care of each other!  TYPHOONS FOREVER!  We'll Always Have Buckroe!

                                   Love to all, Carol

Bonny Portmore

Oh Bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore.

Oh Bonny Portmore I am sorry to see
Such a woeful destruction of your ornament tree
For it stood on your shore for many's the long day
Till the long boats of Antrim came to float it away.

All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep
Saying, "Where will we shelter or where will we sleep?"
For the oak and the ash they are all cutten down
And the walls of Bonny Portmore are all down to the ground.

Oh Bonny Portmore, you shine where you stand
And the more I think on you the more I think long
If I had you now as I had once before
All the Lords in Old England would not purchase Portmore.

"Bonny Portmore" midi and lyrics courtesy of http://www.contemplator.com/tunebook/ireland.htm - 03/10/09

Image of Lough Beg courtesy of http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=9688 - 03/11/09

Skyline Divider Line clip art courtesy of http://www.wtv-zone.com/nevr2l82/bars10.html - 03/12/09