Back from the Holiday

Just a couple of quick notes from the past few days.

Every Christmas Eve the North American Air Defence Command, NORAD, based in Cheyenne Mountain, Colo. performs a truly neat service. It "tracks" Santa on his route from the North Pole to all the world's boys and girls.

Using radar and satellite coverage, kids can watch Santa's progress around the world. There is even an email address and a toll free number for kids to write and call. My family's email was quickly answered with a personal response. What other country would allow its troops to email its citizens from the nation's most important defense facility?

None.

The NY City transit strike ended with a whimper last week as the Tranport Workers Union evidently got tired of losing money in a cause that was getting them nothing but animosity from New Yorkers forced to fight their way to and from work every day. The union workers lost about 5 days pay for their 2.5 days on the picket line. That means if they receive the 3 percent raise originally offered they will break even for the year.

Real smart move guys.

Another Saddam era mass grave was discovered in Iraq over the weekend. Nothing like a little reminder to the world about what life was like under Hussein.