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Tuesday, December 24, 2002

By Dan Majors, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

One of the most magical aspects of Christmas is its ability to make you believe in ... the impossible.

Common sense and the laws of science? Bah and humbug!

It's Christmas Eve. Time to hang up the stockings. Leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk.

And then log on to your computer and track Santa's progress on the Internet.

It used to be, the only way to see St. Nick was to go to your bedroom window, wipe yourself a nice clear peeking hole, press your nose against the cold glass, and keep a sharp eye on the night sky.

Now, all you have to do is visit http://www.noradsanta.org.

NORAD is the military organization of Canada and the United States responsible for the aerospace defense of our two countries. The folks there use all sorts of satellites and sensors to keep on the lookout for any unusual airborne activity.

And they've been tracking Santa and his sleigh every Christmas Eve since the 1950s.

"With so many years of experience," the Web site boasts, "NORAD has become good at tracking aircraft entering North America, detecting worldwide missile launches, and tracking the progress of Santa, thanks to Rudolph.

"It is important to note, however, that our scientists have tried to calculate the heat that is generated by Rudolph's nose, but they have not been able to thus far."

Thank goodness. You'd hate to see them ruin all the mystery of Christmas.

NORAD's Santa Tracker went online just four years ago. Three million people were up on the mouse pad, click, click, click.

The next year there were 10 million. And last year, according to the Chicago Tribune, there were 289 million hits.

The site is loaded with fun things. Some of the instructions require you to download files and stuff. It gets kind of complicated, but nothing that your 8-year-old won't be able to handle.

There are SantaCams set up to capture images of Santa and his reindeer. And the kids can read about how the NORAD fighter jets escort the team through Canadian and U.S. airspace.

Then, it's off to their beds.

"While visions of F-16s danced in their heads."

What if we left some milk and cookies out for them instead?

A few days after Santa makes his appointed rounds, those noble city workers on the back of garbage trucks start making theirs. In appreciation of their efforts, City Council yesterday approved raising collection fees for apartment buildings and nonprofit organizations.

Oh, just see what a glorious fill. Here is a hammer and lots of tacks

The folks in Johnstown have added one more thing to their Christmas wish list: $3.5 million from the state for renovations to 76-year-old Point Stadium. A recent structural inspection shows that the grandstands and bleachers can no longer hold large crowds, and if nothing is done the stadium may have to be condemned.

I'm dreaming of a $280 million Christmas

It's wonderful to hear people exchanging best wishes: "Have a very Merry Christmas. And good luck on the Powerball." The only people who aren't happy about Pennsylvania's part in the giant lottery are some of the West Virginia merchants who lost our business.

Should auld assessments be forgot?

Have you made your plans for New Year's Eve yet? Well, you could spend part of the day with the county's assessment oversight board. The meeting that had been scheduled for Jan. 6 has been moved up to Dec. 31, a move that has attracted a bit of criticism.