First I need to acknowledge the fact that this the first entry that I've made in more than two months and that a lot of events have occurred in that time. In very early May, a cyclone hit the country of Myanmar (Burma), resulting in great loss of life. The aftermath and the lack of response and interferance by its government for aid to reach the victims angered the world. In mid-May a massive and destructive earthquake hit central China also resulting in a great loss of life. These two events have been very tragic. Between the two more than 100,000 to 150,000 people have died.
Here in the US, particularly in the middle of the country, there has been huge amounts of rain which has caused rivers to rise. The Cedar River in Iowa flooded more than 400 blocks of Cedar Rapids. This river and the Iowa River flow into the Mississippi River. As the Mississippi rose, it broke levees protecting several towns in Illinois and Missouri. The Mississippi is expected to crest in St. Louis Wednesday morning at 37.2 feet, which is 7.2 feet above flood stage. These flood waters, which have already caused more than $1 billion in damage in Iowa have a long way to travel and will affect many more towns and cities in the days and weeks to come as it makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
I also need to acknowledge the death of Tim Russert of NBC, who died on June 13, 2008 at the age of 58. As the host of NBC's Sunday news program, Meet the Press, he conducted no-nonsense interviews with many political figures from across the country and was well known also for his analysis of issues and elections. He leaves behind his wife and son and extended journalism family.
Now that I've gotten caught up, in a manner of speaking, this post is written to acknowledge the passing of a comedic icon. George Carlin died yesterday in Los Angeles from heart failure at the age of 71. You can read about his passing at the websites of the major news organizations by following the links below:
cnn.com
cbsnews.com
msnbc.com
abcnews.com
foxnews.com
George Carlin was not your ordinary comedian, he was a Grammy award winning, Emmy nominated comedian. He was an author and an actor. His comedic commentaries on politics, religion and society made people think.
But of course he is known for saying "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television". He said these words at a show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first time, which led to his arrest and being charged in 1972. The charges were dropped but that was not the end of it. Eventually a legal case involving the Federal Commmunications Commission and the owner of a New York City radio station went to the US Supreme Court. The Court's 5-4 decision basically stated that the language in George Carlin's "Seven Words" routine were indecent but not obscene and the FCC could determine what was indecent and what wasn't. Earlier this year, the Associated Press quoted Mr. Carlin saying, "So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of." You can read more about George Carlin's life and the court case involving the seven words at Wikipedia. George Carlin will be sorely missed.
