Watercooler Stories

'Uncle Tom's Cabin' reflects U.S. past

BETHESDA, Md., June 26 (UPI) -- Tours of the Maryland site that supposedly inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" began this weekend.

The 18th century cabin in Bethesda symbolizes the nation's history of slavery and how far the United States has come since then, The Washington Post said.

"Uncle Tom is America. This cabin tells us where we were and where we have to go," tour guide Warren Fleming told those on the tour. "This is something for our kids. When they're brought up today, they don't know this kind of history, they don't know what it was to be a slave in Maryland."

The history behind Uncle Tom's Cabin is the story of Josiah Henson who was born a slave until eventually escaping through the Underground Railroad.

"A lot of African Americans such as me took the term Uncle Tom as a negative, you know being sold out ... But really it's not. It's a term of survival," Fleming said of Henson.

Hillary and first president share roots

DURHAM, England, June 26 (UPI) -- A computerized genealogy system says U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's ancestors once came from the same area of England as George Washington.

Clinton is being coy about whether she will run for president in the future, but apparently has a link with a president of the past.

The program, from Ancestry.com, helped trace the New York Democrat's descendants to a northeastern city in England named Durham, where the first U.S. president lived when it was just a village, The Sunday Times said.

Also revealed in the detailed computer search was that Clinton's surname, Rodham, is common in that region of England and originated in Northumberland.

The Times said search programs such as Ancestry.com are becoming more popular around the world and increasing in their abilities as well.

"Soon the ability to trace back our ancestors will alter the way we think about history and lead us to rethink our place in the world," said Ancestry.co.uk spokesman Tony Robinson.

New Iowa riverboat casinos going nowhere

EMMETSBURG, Iowa, June 26 (UPI) -- While most of Iowa's riverboat casinos could sail if need be, some of the newest ones are likely permanent fixtures where they sit now.

The Diamond Jo Worth Casino and the Wild Rose Casino both conform to the state's laws regarding "excursion gambling boats," yet both were constructed on bodies of water that will likely never exceed 22 feet, the Des Moines Register reports.

Before 2004 all riverboat casinos were required to cruise over 100 times a year, a requirement that was abolished by the Iowa Legislature. The revocation has changed where such establishments are built.

The Diamond Jo Worth Casino was built upon a manmade water basin that reportedly averages between 6 to 12 inches in depth and is so limited in size that the riverboat blocks out nearly all signs of water.

"Most of them will have some type of a water feature, but the customers probably wouldn't know it when they are on the casino floor, although it kind of depends upon the facility," Jack Ketterer, administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission, told the Register.

Bush nears personal milestone: the big 6-0

WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush will hit a milestone early next month: his 60th birthday.

The Washington Post says Bush has repeatedly joked about the "big 6-0" at graduation speeches.

"Getting older by the minute," he sighed during a speech at a college in Omaha a few weeks ago. "I know I'm not supposed to talk about myself, but in a month I'm turning 60. For you youngsters, I want to tell you something. When I was your age, I thought 60 was really old. It's all in your mind. It's not that old. Really isn't."

Bush was born in New Haven, Conn., on July 6, 1946.

Many predict the big 6-0 will be at the forefront of conversation in the upcoming year, which includes the 60th birthdays of Cher, Diane Keaton, Dolly Parton, Stephen Spielberg and Donald Trump, the Post said.

Also turning 60 this year are Bush's wife, Laura, and predecessor, Bill Clinton.