Rule 42

In Chapter XII of Alice in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll the King interjects Rule 42, which states, “All persons more than a mile high to leave the court.”

Everyone turns to Alice, who denies she is a mile high and accuses the King of fabricating the rule. The King replies that Rule 42 is the oldest rule in the book, but Alice retorts that if it is the oldest rule in the book, it ought to be the first rule.

An intriguing conundrum....

Connect Four

How many cells do you think there are to slide your disks into? Go ahead and count them.

Connect Four was published under the famous Connect Four trademark by Milton Bradley in 1974; however, the much older original version is known as "The Captain's Mistress".

BenJarvus Green-Ellis - RB - New England Patriots

Spurred on by The Number, BenJarvus Green-Ellis has moved from being an undrafted free agent to the starting running back for the New England Patriots (sort of a mixed blessing).

BenJarvus was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2008 after a stellar career at the University of Mississippi. As a senior in 2007, he became only the second Mississippi running back to reach the 1,000 yard single season mark twice in his career, gaining 1,137 yards rushing. He was born on July 2,1985 and attended St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Seen above, Green-Ellis runs against the New York Giants in a 2008 preseason rematch of Super Bowl XLIII. Green-Ellis ran for 28 yard on 6 carries for the Patriots to help them complete their winless preseason.

42nd Annual CMA Awards

This morning we wanted to call your attention to the 42nd Annual County Music Association Awards (certain to be the biggest and best county music award show ever).

The reigning CMA Male and Female Vocalists of the Year, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will unite to host the show. This is the first time that either artist will have hosted “Country Music’s Biggest Night™.” “The 42nd Annual CMA Awards” airs live from the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at 8:00 PM/ET on the ABC Television Network.

Ryan Torain - RB - Denver Broncos

The latest Denver Bronco to sport The Number is Ryan Torain. Torrain was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft out of Arizona State.

Before moving on to Arizona State Ryan played two seasons at Butler Community College, where he rushed for 1,396 yards on 228 carries with 20 touchdowns. Previous to that he received first-team all-state honors at Shawnee Mission N.W. High School in Kansas.

One Barrel

Did you know? One barrel of crude oil contains 42 gallons. Now did that really surprise you?

Terrence Holt - DB - Carolina Panthers

In March of this year The Carolina Panthers signed free agent safety Terrence Holt, a former North Carolina State standout and brother of Rams wide receiver Torry Holt. He was a second-team All-American at NC State as a senior in 2002 and was picked by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. The Panthers then waived Holt at the end of the preseason.

In late October the Bears signed Holt to the active roster to replace Zackary Bowman, who underwent season-ending surgery for a torn biceps. Holt has however, seemed to abandon The Number in Chicago where he is now wearing number 32. This does not seem to be a good career move for Holt.

Photo by Getty Images

During his stint with the Detroit Lions Holt proudly displays The Number as he celebrates his fumble recovery against the New England Patriots on December 3, 2006 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

Photo by Paul Connors

Here Holt and The Number pull down Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander as he tries to fall into the end zone for a touchdown during the Arizona Cardinal's game on September 16, 2007, in Glendale, Arizona against the Seahawks. The Cardinals won 23-20.

Charley Taylor - WR - Washington Redskins

The Number is unofficially retired in our Nation's Capitol thanks to one Charles Robert Taylor.

Born on September 28, 1941, in Grand Prairie, Texas Taylor was the Redskin's number one draft pick in 1964 out of Arizona State. He went on that year to be named the NFL's Rookie of the Year. At retirement, Charley Taylor was the all-time leading receiver for the Redskins with 649 catches for 9,110 yards and 79 TDs.

Charley is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 1984.

2008 USPS Holiday Stamps - The Nutcrackers

The U.S. Postal Service dedicates the Holiday Nutcrackers commemorative stamps Thursday, October 23, 2008 during the Fall Postage Stamp Mega Event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Four eye-catching nutcracker designs are featured on the stamps. Santa or “Father Christmas” has a lantern in one hand and a snowflake-topped staff in the other. There is a gold and ruby-crowned king, a yellow-jacketed military captain, and a green-garbed drummer with a red drum.

These nutcrackers were custom-made for the U.S. Postal Service by Glenn A. Crider of T.R.C. Designs, Inc., of Mechanicsville, Virginia. Crider based the characters on sketches and notes provided by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, Connecticut, who later photographed the completed nutcrackers for the stamps. The art director for the 2008 Holiday Nutcracker stamps was Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C.

In addition to the Holiday Nutcrackers stamps, four additional holiday stamps will be available nationwide as well: Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist stamp was also issued today; Eid, the Muslim Holiday stamp was issued Sept. 23; Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture; and Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, stamps will be issued Oct. 24.

The Postal Service printed 2.171 billion holiday stamps: 1.486 billion Holiday Nutcrackers, 600 million Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist, 25 million Eid, 35 million Kwanzaa and 25 million Hanukkah.

The 42-cent Holiday Nutcrackers stamps go on sale nationwide in late October 2008.

2008 USPS Christmas Stamp - "Virgin and Child With the Young John the Baptist"

Working from a detail of a painting titled “Virgin and Child With the Young John the Baptist” by the Italian master Sandro Botticelli, designer Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, created the Postal Service’s 2008 Christmas stamp. The painting, tempera and oil on wood, dates to around 1490 and is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It presents one of the most common figural groups in religious art. Botticelli’s beautifully rendered figures capture the tender relationship between mother and child and at the same time suggest Mary’s foreknowledge of Christ’s fate. The facial expression of John the Baptist, seen standing to the side in a prayerful gesture, also suggests a heightened awareness.

Minnesota

The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the 150th birthday of Minnesota’s statehood May 17 with the issuance of the 42 cent Minnesota Statehood Stamp. The ceremony was held in St. Paul on the grounds of the State Capitol.

T.J. Duckett - RB - Seattle Seahawks

After years of trying out lesser numbers, T.J. Duckett finally saw the light in 2008 and began to sport The Number. Here he is indicating a first down in Week 3 of the 2008 season against the Saint Louis Rams. It is unclear if he had ever experienced a first down prior to his number change.

Brooks Reed - DE - Arizona Wildcats

Brooks Reed of the Arizona Wildcats closes in on Stanford QB Tavita Pritchard during the Wildcats October 11, 2008 23-24 loss to the Cardinal at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.

Reed is out of Sabino High School in Tucson, Arizona. He was born February 28, 1987.

Michael Mauti - LB - Penn State

Photo by Maxwell Kruger

Michael D. Mauti is the latest in a great line of Nittany Lions to sport The Number. Above he is shown forcing a fumble during Penn State's 2008 thumping of Michigan.

As the son of a former Nittany Lion and brother of a current one, Michael and his brother Patrick Mauti are the latest brother tandem to play for Joe Paterno, who also coached their father, Rich, in the mid-1970s.

The former Mandeville High School All-American is a talented, instinctive and intelligent athlete. He spent time at linebacker and safety during spring practice and promptly demonstrated that he has the skills and work ethic to earn playing time on defense.

His father was a letterman at Penn State in 1975 and '76 as a wide receiver and played in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints (1977-83) and the Washington Redskins (1984).

Mauti was born January 19, 1990 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ivan Kane's Forty Duece - Las Vegas

And now a 42 from Sin City.

(description from Ivan Kane's Forty Duece web site)

Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce Las Vegas nightclub in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is even sexier and more soulful than the original in glamorous Hollywood, if that's possible. Walk into the smoke-stained brick, wood-paneled bar and feel immediately transported to old-school Times Square, New York. But this is Sin City, and this intimate nightclub and burlesque show has some surprises! As the room fills to capacity, small lamps with sultry pink shades cast a warm glow over the packed club. And then ... Showtime! The circular back bar vanishes, the band appears and the vintage paintings of reclining nudes retract, so even more people can see the show! A blue light silhouettes the sax man as one of the sexy, sensual dancers slowly slinks down the stairs to the stage and leans out over the crowd, holding on with only a handful of the world-famous curtain of pearls! Jaws drop and drinks are ignored as the tempo picks up and the dancer steps up, shedding boa, gown and gloves towards the electrifying finale. After the show, the celebrity DJ drops in a dance groove and it's dancing 'til dawn!