Jeff Cobb was one of the hardest hitting journalists in comics. Making his debut on June 28, 1954, this blonde, clean cut, two fisted, newspaper reporter worked for the Daily Guardian, and like other traditional comic strip newsmen, got into every conceivable situation, from searching for the abominable snowman, to hunting down international war criminals. Cobb survived hundreds of adventures, including losing his right eye in one chilling storyline, only to become a more popular character, with his distinctive black eye patch, for the rest of the series. Over its twenty-four year run, "Jeff Cobb" ran in one-hundred national papers as well as South America and Canada before the feature was picked up for reprint syndication in Europe. Dave Karlen discovered the feature in the Menomonee Falls Gazette and was immediately impressed by the clean line work of the strip's creator, Pete Hoffman. Some time later, Karlen was introduced to Hoffman by his friend and fellow artist Harold Ledoux, illustrator of the syndicated strip, "Judge Parker".
Interview with Pete Cobb by Dave Karlen
My oldest brother drew very well and starting as a kindergartener, I imitated him. The teacher submitted it to Toledo Morning Times...it was of cowboys and Indians and horses. They seemed to think it was worth running. Before graduating from the University of Toledo in 1941, I was the cartoonist on the campus weekly (The Campus Collegian) and art editor of the yearbook (The Blockhouse). Also, during that period, I drew some occasional sports cartoons for the Toledo Blade. After graduation, I worked as an advertising artist for Tiedtke's department store (then the most widely known store in Toledo). Three weeks after Pearl Harbor, I entered military service. I first met Allen Saunders and his partner Elmer Woggon while a student cartoonist. After the war, I stopped by their studio and was asked to work on the Chief Wahoo and Steve Roper strip (later shortened to Steve Roper). They were familiar with my work on The Collegian, and were impressed with the character illustrations of my service buddies I had drawn during the war. Apparently they saw something in them, and they asked me to go to work for them. This was because the strip was in a transition stage and a more illustrative style of drawing was desired. My style fit their needs. I enjoyed ghost-drawing the characters for nearly nine years. At one time, this was was really the hot bed of cartooning. There were many artists and writers in Toledo who produced syndicated serials while I was working on Roper. Among them were Allen Saunders, Elmer Woggon, Bill Woggon, Dr. Nick Dallas, Frank Edgington, Dan Heilman, Harold LeDoux, Jim Seed, Walt Buchanan, etc. Much of my work has gone to aid the University of Toledo's alumni projects. Originals of my work are included in the permanent collections of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, Ohio State University's Cartoon Research Library, and the University of Toledo Archives. See the rest of the interview plus pictures including Hoffman's first published drawing at age four in the Toledo Morning Times. http://www.comicartville.com/hoffmaninterview.htm

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is named after the Roman god Saturn, its astronomical symbol (♄) representing the god's sickle. Saturn is a gas giant with an average radius about nine times that of Earth. While only 1/8 the average density of Earth, due to its larger volume Saturn is just over 95 times more massive than Earth. Wind speeds on Saturn can reach 1,800 km/h. Saturn has a ring system that consists of nine continuous main rings and three discontinuous arcs, composed mostly of ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris and dust. Sixty-two known moons orbit the planet; fifty-three are officially named. This does not include the hundreds of "moonlets" within the rings. Titan, Saturn's largest and the Solar System's second largest moon, is larger than the planet Mercury and is the only moon in the Solar System to retain a substantial atmosphere.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn

NPR's Best Books of 2011 is available divided by category or as one whole list. NPR will add new lists from their critics throughout the holiday season. At the same link, you may sign up for NPR Books Newsletter, weekly book reviews and stories. http://www.npr.org/series/142590674/best-books-of-2011

See best books of 2011 according to The Economist: http://www.economist.com/node/21541386

December Solstice (approximately December 21-22)
This day begins summer in the Southern Hemisphere and is the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. It begins winter in the Northern Hemisphere and is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
March Equinox (approximately March 20-21)
This day begins fall in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere. There are twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness at all points on the earth’s surface on the two equinoxes. Sunrise is at 6 a.m. and sunset is at 6 p.m. local (solar) time for most points on the earth’s surface.
June Solstice (approximately June 20-21)
This day begins summer in the Northern Hemisphere and winter in the Southern Hemisphere. This day is the longest in the year for the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest for the Southern Hemisphere.
September Equinox (approximately September 22-23)
This day begins fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. There are twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness at all points on the earth’s surface on the two equinoxes. Sunrise is at 6 a.m. and sunset is at 6 p.m. local (solar) time for most points on the earth’s surface.
http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/fourseasons.htm

October 30, 2009 Alan Pollom, state director of The Nature Conservancy, stood at the gate of a holding pen on the rolling hills of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve northwest of Strong City in Kansas. Inside the pen were 13 young bison -- seven male, six female -- waiting for Pollom to open the gate and release them to roam the 1,100-acre Windmill Pasture nestled in the Flint Hills. "This is a soft release," Pollom said, explaining how a few bison would be released to graze and then a few more released after about 30 minutes. "We ease them out so they don't head to South Dakota. We want them to get used to the sights and feel of their new home." After an absence of more than 150 years, bison are being reintroduced to the tallgrass prairie at the national preserve. At one time, up to 60 million bison roamed North America. By the early 1900s, fewer than 1,000 were left. Pollom said the 11/2- to 21/2-year-old bison were transported from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota and arrived at the preserve on Oct. 20. The South Dakota herd originated from 14 bison donated in 1913 by the New York Zoological Society and six donated in 1916 from Yellowstone National Park. Bison, which live an average of 20 to 25 years, are subject to the same diseases as cattle, he said. Veterinarians tested blood samples from each bison in the new herd before they left South Dakota to ensure they were disease-free. As the herd grows, Nature Conservancy and National Park Service officials will monitor the bison for age and sex, which will help project herd growth, determine which animals are surplus and calculate stocking rates. "We're looking to get up to 100 on this area," said Wendy Lauritzen, park superintendent at the preserve. Lauritzen said The Nature Conservancy and National Park Service had been working on the bison reintroduction project for nearly 10 years. Their work included a management plan, an environmental assessment and installing fencing to contain the bison on the pasture. http://cjonline.com/news/local/2009-10-30/bison_return_to_prairie
2011 update
May 11, 2011 and July 7, 2011 marked the second and third bison calf births at the Tallgrass National Preserve. The original thirteen-member herd came from Windcave National Park, South Dakota in October 2009. On May 9, 2010 the first bison calf was born on the landscape in over 140 years. http://www.nps.gov/tapr/index.htm