COLUMNIST PETER JAKEY: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS

Here we are at the end of another year and my computer files are overloaded with what I usually call ?Great tidbits of worthless information.? I don?t always have the space available to share all of them with you, but before I delete the files and begin gathering new info for 2003, I wanted to let you know what I had left.

BIG STUFF: …The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise is the biggest warship ever built — it even has its own zip code.

Its amenities include a bank, a daily newspaper, its own radio and television station, bakeries, a health club, a fire department and a museum.

…According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world?s largest shopping and entertainment center is located in Alberta, Canada.

The West Edmonton Mall has more than 800 stores, but shopping isn?t all it has to offer. Visitors can stay at the four-star Fantasy-land hotel, visit an amusement park or a water park, go ice skating, play miniature golf, ride in a submarine (in the world?s largest indoor lake), feed dolphins and penguins, climb a rock wall or go bungee jumping — all within the shopping mall.

I had a chance to see the water park in ?Family Fun? magazine and it is as large looks as if the Presque Isle County Courthouse square, including the sheriff?s department, could fit in there.

HERE ARE SOME interesting facts about celebrities and historical figures:

…Tony Bennett once earned $15 per week working as a singing waiter.

…Groucho Marx?s real name was Julius.

…Meg Ryan?s given name was Margaret Emily Anne Hyra.

…TV personality Paula Zahn attended college on a cello scholarship.

…Domestic maven Martha Stewart worked as a model, and TV producer Aaron Spelling was a cheerleader during his university days. …Folk hero Davy Crockett served three terms in Congress.

…England?s Prince Philip was born on a kitchen table in Greece.

…Before his death, George Custer had 11 horses killed under him, but he was only wounded once.

BY THE numbers : …A caterpillar has 4,000 muscles. …The average resident of North America consumes about 600 sodas every year. …Studies on projected population growth estimate that by the year 2050, China will have approximately 1.48 billion people. …A giraffe can use its tongue to clean its ears — not too difficult a task, if your tongue is 21 inches in length. …At the 2002 winter Olympic games, U.S. athletes were paid $25,000 for winning a gold medal, $15,000 for a silver medal and $10,000 for a bronze medal.

CRAZY LAWS: …In Alaska it is illegal to look at moose from an airplane. …An Illinois law states that a car must be driven with the steering wheel. …In West Virginia, you can be imprisoned for cooking sauerkraut or cabbage, due to the offensive odor. …A California law of 1925 made it illegal to wiggle while dancing.

MISCELLANEOUS: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Monopoly is the most popular board game in the world.

…In 1980, 16 Danish seamen issued a Mayday call and abandoned their sinking ship, leaping into the frigid waters of the North Sea. Wearing life jackets, they remained in the water for an hour and a half until help arrived. The North Sea is so cold that it can kill a person in 30 minutes, yet, amazingly, all 16 sailors were alive when the rescuers came. When they boarded the ship,

they were wrapped in blankets and taken below deck, where they were given warm drinks. Then they suddenly dropped dead — all 16 of them.

I CAN?T LEAVE on that sad note. So here are a couple of lighthearted notes to go: …At one time, Canada?s CBC network banned the children?s cartoon ?Rocky and Bullwinkle? because of its sometimes unflattering portrayal of the Mounties. …In 1931, the Newspaper Enterprise Association predicted that crime would be nearly gone in 20 years. …Little Rock, Arkansas, was originally known as Arkopolos. Well, that?s all the space the boss will allow me this week.

I want to wish everyone, from my family to yours, a very Merry Christmas…from the other side of the tracks.