Monday Briefs

Doing a brief post today as I am fighting a cold. Not bad enough to keep me from work but at the uncomfortable annoying stage.

First up is a story I am guessing that Pat will like:

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/18/man-calls-911-from-jail-im-getting-hogtied-to-the-holding-cel/

Next up is a an article that I think DR will like:

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/03/oregons_governor_wears_cowboy.html

I am closing with an article I think everyone will like:

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/20/guide-dog-goes-blind-so-man-gets-new-dog-to-lead-them-both/

WHO AM I?

I was born in 1887 and died in 1972. I was an American explorer of Greenland and the Arctic, who wrote extensively of my explorations, and became the first woman to fly over the North Pole privately chartering a DC-4 and crew. I inherited the family fortune in 1920 after the death of my parents two older brothers. With the inheritance I could control my own destiny and indulge my intrepid spirit. I was presented to the King and Queen of England and soon after chartered the supply ship "Hobby" which had been used by famous explorer Roald Amundsen, for a hunting and filming trip to the Arctic. I was planning a second pleasure trip aboard the "Hobby" when it was learned that the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen had recently disappeared in his own attempt to find and rescue the Italian explorer Umberto Nobile. I offered my services and the ship to the Norwegian government to search for Amundsen, saying, “How could I go on a pleasure trip when those 22 lives were at stake?” She traveled about 10,000 miles (16,100 km) across the Arctic Ocean but found no trace of him. Nevertheless, the Norwegian government awarded me the Chevalier Cross of the Order of Saint Olav. I was the first American woman to receive the order and the third woman in the world to be so honored. When World War II started I went on an expedition and its findings were helpful in the war effort. I received an official commendation from the National Bureau of Standards for my work. During the remainder of the war I worked on secret assignments for the U.S. Department of the Army. I was the first woman ever to receive the Cullum Medal of the American Geographical Society and was the first woman to be elected to their board. Bill wonders if you know "The Girl Who Tamed The Artic" because if you do you will be able to answer the question, Who Am I.