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From Sierra (Sept/Oct 2008): The Greenest Colleges
1. Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
2. University of Colorado, Boulder
3. University of Vermont, Burlington
4. Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina
5. Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington
6. Arizona State University, Tempe
7. University of Florida, Gainesville
8. Oberlin College, Ohio
9. University of Washington, Seattle
10. Tufts University, Medford Massachusetts

The Eco League: 5 liberal arts colleges with environmental ed in nearly every course:
Alaska Pacific University, College of the Atlantic, Green Mountain College, Northland College and Prescott College

Applause for the University of California: working to reduce the carbon footprint of every campus, one at a time, with green changes including vegetarian meals, to bike paths, to solar and methane power throughout campus

12 Rules of Life:
1. Never give yourself a haircut after three martinis.
2. You need only two tools: WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and it should, use WD-40. If it moves and it shouldn't, use the duct tape.
3. The five most essential relationship words: I apologize" and "you are right".
4. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
5. Never pass up an opportunity to pee.
6. If he/she says that you are too good for him/her -- believe them.
7. Learn to pick your battles.
8. When you make a mistake, make amends immediately. It's easier to eat crow while it's still warm.
9. If you wake up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance!
10. Living well really is the best revenge. Being miserable because of a bad or former relationship just might mean that the other person was right about you.
11. Work is good, but it's not that important. Money is nice, but you can't take it with you. Statistics show most people don't live to spend all they saved; some die even before they retire.
12. And finally ...be really good to your family and/or friends. You never know when you are going to need them to empty the bed pan.

Strange but True facts:
-It takes 3000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs.
-The average lifespan of a major league baseball is 7 pitches.
-A cruise ship moves only 6 inches for each gallon of fuel it burns
-No matter its size or thickness, no piece of paper can be folded more than 7 times.

How to avoid Mountain Lions
-Hike in a group rather than alone. Avoid running -- don't look like prey.
-Keep children close to you -- preferably in view just ahead of you.
-Never approach cougar kittens -- leave the area immediately.
-Follow the rules regarding pets in the park -- don't take your pet on trails or in the backcountry and never leave it unattended at the campground -- you could lose it.

If you see a mountain lion on the trail:
-DON'T RUN! Stand still and face the lion with your companions
-Immediately pick up and hold small children
-Stand upright to make yourself appear larger -- wave your arms and make a noisy commotion if the animal moves toward you
-Back away slowly while facing the animal
-If attacked, fight back aggressively
-Report all sightings at the nearest ranger station

Ten All-time Movie Quotes: It's time to quit fooling around with these lists. 
The Phantom knows best.
1. Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. Casablanca, 1942
2. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn! Gone with the Wind, 1939
3. ET, Phone Home. ET, the ET, 1982
4. I'll make him an offer he can't refuse. Godfather, 1972
5. We're gonna need a bigger boat. Jaws, 1975
6. You talkin' to me? Taxi Driver, 1976
7. Bond, James Bond. Dr. No,1962
8. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. Forrest Gump, 1994
9. I'll be back. Terminator, 1984
10. I just want to say one word -- "plastics". The Graduate, 1967

Gas Tips (From the S.J. Merc. 6/26/04)
1. Check your owner's manual to be sure you are using the right grade of gas.
2. Gas is gas, find the cheapest station in town. Check the internet for your town's best prices.
3. Slow down.
4. Replace air filters regularly. Jiffy Lube loves to sell them, but maybe it's just a gimmick.
5. Get the economy car rental.
6. When buying a different car, why not opt for one that gets better mileage than your old one.
7. Check the air pressure in your tires often.
8. Don't top off your tank. You won't waste spilled gas and you'll save the air.
9. Calm down, avoid aggressive driving.
10. Get out of your car at the fast-food place.
11. Travel light. Clean out your trunk of heavy stuff that you don't need to be carrying around.

Our National Parks 7 Top Lodges (From the San Jose Merc. 7/4/04)
1. Old Faithful Inn, Yellowstone Wyoming
2. Glacier Park Lodge, East Glacier, Montana
3. El Tovar, Grand Canyon, Arizona
4. The Ahwahnee, Yosemite, California
5. Crater Lake Lodge, Crater Lake, Oregon
6. Jenny Lake Lodge, Grand Teton, Wyoming
7. Paradise Inn, Mount Rainier, Washington

And if you can't get in, try these second place finishers:
1. Yellowstone: Old Faithful Snow Lodge
2. Glacier: Lake McDonald Lodge
3. Grand Canyon: Grand Canyon Lodge
4. Yosemite: The Wawona
5. Crater Lake: Mazama Village Motor Inn
6. Grand Teton: Jackson Lake Lodge
7. Mount Rainier: National Park Inn

10 Foods you should NEVER eat!
(From the Center for Science in the Public Interest)

1. Pepperidge Farm Flaky Crust Chicken Pot Pie (510 cals per half of a pie!)
2. McDonald's Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips (630 cals, like a Big Mac with more salt!)
3. The 6 Carb Original Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory (610 cals, only 20 less than the reg one)
4. Marie Callender's Herb Roasted Chicken with Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli & Carrots (530 cals.)
5. Mrs. Fields Milk Chocolate & Walnuts cookie (1=300+ cals and as much fat as a steak!)
6. Starbucks Venti Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino Blended Creme with whipped cream
           (770 cals, the nutritional equiv of a Pizza Hut Personal Pan Pepperoni Pizza -- yummy!)
7. Burger King french fries (600 cals and uber fat)
8. Campbell's soups -- way too much salt
9. Swoops -- way too much fat and sugar
10. Haagen-Dazs Mint Chip Dazzler (3 scoops ice cream, hot fudge, Oreos, chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream (1,270 cals, 38 grams of fat -- think of it as a T-bone steak, salad and baked potato with sour cream)

10 Super foods for Better Health
(From the Center for Science in the Public Interest)
1. Cantaloupe
2. Sweet Potatoes
3. Fat-Free or Soy Milk
4. Blueberries
5. Oranges
6. Broccoli
7. Whole-Grain Bread
8. Watermelon
9. Beans
10. Spinach or Kale

Link to the 10 Most Wanted Creatures -- by poachers

The NICB®, using data reported by its member insurance companies, has compiled a list of the 10 vehicles most frequently reported stolen in the U.S. in 2002. That top 10 includes:

1. Toyota Camry
2. Honda Accord
3. Honda Civic
4. Chevrolet Full Size C/K pick-up
5. Ford Full Size Pickup (150/250/350)
6. Jeep Cherokee/Grand Cherokee
7. Oldsmobile Cutlass/Supreme/Ciera
8. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
9. Ford Taurus
10. Toyota Corolla

From Sierra Magazine (Jan/Feb 05 issue):
"The 10 Dumbest Consumer Goods

1. Talk 'n toss cell phones. (No explanation is needed, right?)
2. Leaf Blowers. Using a leaf blower for half an hour is equivalent to driving a car 110 miles. And All it gets you is leaves on the other side of the driveway.
3. Disposable DVDS. Disney and Flex-play are marketing DVDs that become unplayable 48 hours after the seal is broken. They can be mailed in for recycling, but would people who couldn't be bothered to mail in a rental real do so?
4. Lunchables. Processed meat, fatty cheese, and crackers in an unrecyclable plastic tray, wrapped in more plastic and then cardboard. Kids deserve better. (Sierra doesn't even discuss the questionable healthiness of this product.)
5. Disposable toilet cleaners. Instead of a brush that lasts for years, you can now spend a lot of money for flushable toilet brushes.
6. Imported bottled water. Even if your tap water is undrinkable, your H20 doesn't have to be shipped in tiny bottles half-way around the globe.
7. AOL CDs. The glut of 400 million unsolicited discs a year has inspired numerous recycling attempts. Beer coasters? Sushi platters? Mailbox reflectors? But trash they are and to trash they shall return.
8. Swiffers. "You can just throw away the dist with the cloth!" exults the Web site for these rags-on-a-stick. Somehow it doesn't sound like progress.
9. Disposable underwear. Disks of cloth with an adhesive that sticks directly to your pants. They even come in camo!
10. The Hummer. Ostentatious energy waste as a reason for being. A special lifetime achievement award. --P.R."

The Editor begs to differ about Swiffers. Isn't it a toss-up (no pun intended) to just throw out the rag when the alternative is to fire up the washer and dryer to clean up those old cleaning rags?

Here are the Top Ten New Year's Resolutions, probably not in any order. (From Day-Timers.) This could be of help next month when we REALLY GET SERIOUS about such things:

"Next Year I Resolve to..."

#1 Lose Weight
#2 Stop Smoking
#3 Stick to a Budget
#4 Save More Money
#5 Find a Better Job
#6 Become More Organized
#7 Exercise More
#8 Be More Patient at Work and with Others
#9 Eat Healthier Foods
#10 Become a Better Person

Best Remembered TV Theme Songs: (Not in order. If you want to vote on your top five favorites, fire off an email to karendale25@yahoo.com. She promises to tally the votes and come up with your all-time favorites.)

1. The Jeffersons
2. Survivor (you know you sing it!)
3. Cheers
4. The Beverly Hillbillies
5. Gilligan’s Island
6. Growing Pains
7. The Brady Bunch
8. All in the Family
9. Friends
10. The Dukes of Hazard
11. Good Times 
12. The Partridge Family
13. The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire
14. Bonanza
15. Laverne & Shirley
16. Welcome Back Kotter
17. The Facts of Life
18. Full House
19. Frasier (end song)
20. The Mary Tyler Moore Show

Best Film Songs (from the American Film Institute)
1. "Over the Rainbow"
2. As Time Goes By"
3. "Singin' in the Rain"
4. "Moon River"
5. "White Christmas"
6. "Mrs. Robinson"
7. "When You Wish Upon a Star"
8. "The Way We Were"
9. "Stayin' Alive"
10 "The Sound of Music"

Roger Dangerfield's Top Ten One-liners

1. I was so poor growing up, if I wasn't a boy, I'd have nothing to play with.
2. A girl phoned me the other day and said, "Come on over, nobody's home." I went over. Nobody was home.
3. It's been a rough day. I got up this morning, put a shirt on and a button fell off. I picked up my briefcase, and the handle came off. I'm afraid to go to the bathroom.
4. I was such an ugly kid -- when I played in the sandbox, the cat kept covering me up.
5. I could tell my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio.
6.I was such an ugly baby -- my mother never breast fet me. She told me that she only liked me as a friend.
7. I'm so ugly -- my father carries around a picture of the kid who came with his wallet.
8. When I was born, the doctor came into the waiting room and said to my father, "I'm sorry. We did everything we could but he pulled through."
9. I'm so ugly -- my mother had morning sickness -- AFTER I was born.
10. I remember the time that I was kidnapped and they sent a piece of my finger to my father He said he wanted more proof.

Top Ten Elf Pickup Lines

1. I'm down here.
2. Just because I've got bells on my toes, doesn't mean I'm a sissy.
3. I was once a lawn ornament for 'NSynch. Want to meet them?
4. I can get you off Santa's naughty list.
5. I have certain needs that can't be satisfied by working on toys
6. I'm a magical being. Can I try to make your top and bra disappear?
7. No, no. I don't bake cookies. You're think of those dorks over at Keebler.
8. Get an eyedropper of tequila in me and I turn into a wild man.
9. You'd look great in a Raggedy Ann wig.
10. I can eat my weight in cocktail weiners.

In Parade (2/16/03) ~ The 10 Worst Living Dictators:
1. Kim Jong Il, North Korea
2. King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah, Saudi Arabia
3. Saddam Hussein, Iraq (dead now, but not forgotten)
4. Charles Taylor, Liberia (in jail?)
5. Than Shwe, Burma
6. Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea
7. Saparmurad Niyazov, Turkmenistan
8. Murmmar Al-Qaddafi, Libya
9. Fidel Castro, Cuba
10. Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus

Parade ~ The Top 10 Presidents who made the greatest achievements in the 20th Century:
Theodore Roosevelt (national parks system)
Woodrow Wilson (women's suffrage)
Franklin Roosevelt (World War II)
Harry Truman (Marshall Plan)
Dwight Eisenhower (interstate highway system)
John Kennedy (Cuban Missile Crisis)
Lyndon Johnson (civil-rights laws)
Richard Nixon (relations with China)
Ronald Reagan (winning Cold War)
Bill Clinton (budget surplus)

Publishers Weekly -- Top 10 best-selling novelists (alphabetically):
Tom Clancy
Mary Higgins Clark
Sue Grafton
John Grisham
Stephen King
Dean Koontz
Tim LaHaye, with Jerry Jenkins
James Patterson
Nora Roberts
Danielle Steel

The Humane Society's Wish List:
-Nylon dog collars and leashes
-Adult dog and cat food
-Puppy and Kitten food
-Dog treats (Friskies, Prime Steaks, Rollover, or Natural Balance)
-Cheez Whiz or Nabisco Easy Cheese (canned)
-Newspapers
-Grooming supplies (combs, brushes, shampoos & conditioners)
-Kongs (x-large)
-Cat toys and treats

The Top 10 National Parks: (from gorp.com)
1. Best Wildlife: Tongas, Alaska
2. Best Rain Forest: Caribbean, Puerto Rico
3. Best Volcanoes: Gifford Pinchot, Washington
(Clever begs to differ with gorp.com on this one: For a pure thrill of watching spewing lava, head for the Big Island of Hawaii)
4. Best Hiking: Uncompahgre, Colorado
5. Best Kayaking: Superior, Minnesota
6. Best Cycling: Kaibab, Arizona
7. Best Skiing: White Mountain, New Hampshire
8. Best Whitewater: Nantahala, North Carolina
9. Best Camping: Black Hills, South Dakota
10. Best Solitude: Sierra, California 

The Top 10 Times in History when the "F" word was appropriate:
10. "What the *&%# was that?" - Mayor of Hiroshima, Aug., 1945
9. "Where did all these *&%#ing Indians come from?" - Custer, 1877
8. "Any *&%#ing idiot should understand that." - Einstein, 1938
7. "It does so *&%#ing look like her!" - Picasso, 1926
6. "How the *&%# did you work that out?" - Pythagoras,126 BC
5. "You want WHAT on the *&%#ing ceiling?" - Michelangelo, 1566
4. "I don't suppose it's gonna *&%#ing rain." - Joan of Arc, 1434
3. "Scattered *&%#ing showers...my ass!" - Noah, 3914 BC
2. "I need this parade like I need a *&%#ing hole in my head!" - JFK, 1963
.and the number one time in history when the "F" word was appropriate...
1. "She didn't wash the *&%#ing dress?" - Bill Clinton, 1997

According to Buddha (Retribution, verses 137-140)
Suffering arrives in 10 ways if you harm the innocent:
1. Pain
2. Calamity
3. Accident
4. Illness
5. Insanity
6. Legal problems
7. Accusations
8. Death
9. Financial ruin
10. or your house may be burnt down;

Following this you will go to hell!

10 Great Places to spend Christmas (according to Travel & Leisure 12/01)
1. The Adirondacks (upstate New York! for the snow, of course)
2. Tulum (near Cancun, that's Mexico, folks)
3. Tokyo (for a great light show)
4. The Swiss Riviera (think food and shopping)
5. Barcelona (more shopping, great prices, I hear! but watch out for the Gypsies)
6. Taos, New Mexico (it's the chili peppers, I think)
7. Bermuda (for the steel drums)
8. Budapest (for strolling the Danube in the rain)
9. Costa Rica (let's go surfing now...)
10. Vancouver, BC (brrr...)

A list of 10 things Amtrak could do to improve service.

1) "Newbies" -- Amtrak's word for first-time train travelers -- need help, not scorn.
2) If you have 150 more passengers than you usually have on board, you need more food, water and booze.
3) Somebody should clean the johns once in a while.
4) If you make all pertinent announcements over the public address system, it should be working.
5) Figure out how to make the trains run on time.
6) Provide some sort of contact with the outside world.
7) People are not cargo. You simply can't except people to sit in their seats for 44 to 75 hours at a time. Provide something for them to do. Your club car only holds about 50 people. Only 20 people can watch the movie in the club car. Consider bringing aboard more than two videotapes for an evening's entertainment (how much could that cost?)
8) Make sure that: the seats are not broken, the cushions are not bottomed out, the windows are clean, and the air-conditioning is working properly.
9) Train you staff in customer relations. The traveling public should not be treated as though they were free-loader poor family relations who are imposing on your hospitality.
10) Tighten up your security policy. You have none in place now. 

Here's a list of the Phantom's favorite chocolate treats
1. Homemade Fudge
2. See's Candy
3. Ben & Jerry's Phish Food Frozen Yogurt
4. Chocolate pudding
5. German Chocolate cake
6. Hostess cupcakes
7. Hershey's kisses
8. Girl Scout chocolate mint cookies
9. Hot cocoa with marshmallows melting over it
10. Home made chocolate chip cookies

The Top 10 Islands
(from Travel + Leisure, August 2001)
1. Maui
2. Kauai
3. Vancouver Island
4. Great Barrier Reef islands
5. Hawaii
6. Bali
7. Santorini
8. Sicily
9. Capri
10. Bora-Bora

The 10 most thrilling films made in America
(As selected by the American Film Institute: SJ Merc 6/13/01)
1. Psycho (1960)
2. Jaws (1975)
3. The Exorcist (1973)
4. North by Northwest (1959)
5. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
6. Alien (1979)
7. The Birds (1963)
8. The French Connection (1971)
9. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
10. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

The top 10 of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th Century:
1. "Ulysses," James Joyce
2. "The Great Gatsby," F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," James Joyce
4. "Lolita," Vladimir Nabokov
5. "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley
6. "The Sound and the Fury," William Faulkner
7. "Catch-22," Joseph Heller
8. "Darkness at Noon," Arthur Koestler
9. "Sons and Lovers," D.H. Lawrence
10. "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck

The top 10 of the Chronicle's Western 100 List of 20th Century Fiction
1. "Angle of Repose," by Wallace Stegner
2. "The Grapes of Wrath," by John Steinbeck
3. "Sometimes a Great Notion," by Ken Kesey
4. "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London
5. "The Big Sleep," by Raymond Chandler
6. "Animal Dreams," by Barbara Kingsolver
7. Death Comes for the Archbishop," by Willa Cather
8. "The Day of the Locust," by Nathanael West
9. "Blood Meridian," by Cormac McCarthy
10. "The Maltese Falcon," by Dashiell Hammett

America's 13 Most Endangers Rivers
(in E Magazine May/June 2001)
1. The Missouri
2. The Canning (Alaska)
3. The Eel (California)
4. The Hudson (New York)
5. The Powder (Wyoming)
6. The Mississippi and Tributaries
7. The Big Sandy (Kentucky and West Virginia)
8. The Snoqualmie (Washington)
9. The Animas (Colorado)
10. The East Fork Lewis (Washington)
11. The Paint Run (Virginia)
12. The Hackensack (New Jersey)
12. The Catawba (North and South Carolina)

The 10 Best Places to Dumpster Dive
(from Utne Reader, March-April 2000)
1. Apartment complexes, at any given moment
2. Grocery stores, Bakeries & Fast Food places
3. Bookstores (for striped paperbacks)
4. Discount stores (they throw out the imperfect stuff)
5. Toy & novelty stores (so what if they're a little broken)
6. College campus dumpsters (especially at the end of the quarter when the students are going on break)
7. Florist shops (just add water)
8. Photocopy centers (office supplies)
9. Photo processing centers (the photos that didn't turn out or were pornographic!)
10. Private organizations (you'd be amazed)

What to Teach Your Kids Before They Leave Home
(from "Ask Marilyn" in the3/25/01 Parade Magazine)
Domestic Skills: cook, wash & iron clothes, replace a button
Physical Skills: throw & catch a ball, swim half a mile, ride a bike
Handyman Skills: hang a picture straight, paint neatly, about tools
Outdoor Skills: hike with friends w/out getting lost, bitten or covered with a rash; Bait a hook, catch a fish, reel it in, remove the hook, clean & cook; Plan a weekend camping trip
Practical Skills: type with both hands; set up a computer system, drive a car
Organizational Skills: create a budget, balance a checkbook, maintain an address book
Social Skills: carry on a conversation for 15 minutes with a person you don't know; speak before a small group; tell a joke
Artistic skills: draw an illustration; have confidence to sing out loud; play a musical instrument
Human Skills: Care for a pet, Baby-sit small children; aid elderly or handicapped people without looking superior
Orientation Skills: Use public transportation; read a map, know what to do if you find yourself in a bad neighborhood
Recreation Skills: Play a team sport
Maintain a fitness regimen
Learn a game: bridge or chess for example
Survival Skills: Learn basic first aid; know what to do if you get sick; know when and how to defend yourself

Our Nation's Top Newspapers
(from the Columbia Journalism Review)
1. The New York Times
2. The Washington Post
3. The Wall Street Journal
4. Los Angeles Times
5. The Dallas Morning News
6. Chicago Tribune
7. The Boston Globe
8. San Jose Mercury News
9. St. Petersburg Times
10. The Sun (Baltimore)

The 10 Most Useful Items for the New Homeowner:
(from the SJ Mercury-News 3/30/01)
1. Hammer
2. Tape measure
3. Duct tape
4. Nails and screws
5. Screwdrivers
6. Flashlights
7. Ladder or step stool
8. Utility knife
9. Touch-up paint
10. Yellow pages

The 10 most popular fast food choices
(from an informal poll conducted by Clever Magazine)

1. Burger, fries & a coke -- Don't bother me...
2. Pizza with everything, except fish...and make it Round Table
3. Taco Bell Grande Burrito...beef, of course
4. Kung Pao Chicken, fried rice and an egg roll
5. The KFC 3-piece meal, extra crispy
6. Barbecued ribs wherever you can get them
7. Hot dog with everything...at the ball yard, of course
8. Deli sandwiches -- any kind
9. Fish 'n' chips...with or without vinegar
10. Sushi

The 10 most beautiful movie actresses, past and present, 
in alphabetical order (from Parade Magazine, 4/22/01):
Catherine Deneuve
Greta Garbo
Rita Hayworth
Leno Horne
Grace Kelly
Marilyn Monroe
Merle Oberon
Michelle Pfeiffer
Elizabeth Taylor
Uma Thurman

The Top 10 Voices of the Century
1. Frank Sinatra
2. Elvis Presley
3. Nat "King" Cole
4. Ella Fitzgerald
5. Bing Crosby
6. John Lennon
7. Aretha Franklin
8. Billie Holiday
9. Barbra Streisand
10. Freddie Mercury (huh?)
(According to the BBC, From the SJ Merc 4/16/01)

The Top 20 Songs of the Century

1. Over the Rainbow, Judy Garland
2. White Christmas, Bing Crosby
3. This Land is Your Land, Woody Guthrie
4. Respect, Aretha Franklin
5. American Pie, Don McLean
6. Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy, The Andrew Sisters
7. West Side Story, Original Cast
8. Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Billy Murray
9. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin', Righteous Brothers
10. The Entertainer, Scott Joplin
11. In the Mood, Glen Miller Orchestra
12. Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley & the Comets
13. When the Saints Go Marching In, Louis Armstrong
14. You are My Sunshine, Jimmie Davis
15. Mack the Knife, Bobby Darin
16. Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones
17. Take the 'A' Train, Duke Ellington Orchestra
18. Blueberry Hill, Fats Domino
19. God Bless America, Kate Smith
20. Stars and Stripes Forever, Sousa's Band

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