Thursday, June 25, 2009
The passing of two cultural icons
For many, Farrah Fawcett was the sex symbol of the 1970s after that famous picture of her in the red bathing suit came out in the mid-70s and for her stint on the TV show "Charlie's Angels". Earlier today at 62, Miss Fawcett passed away from cancer and she will be missed.
For millions around the world he was considered "The King of Pop". His music influenced two if not three generations of music fans around the world. Micheal Jackson's sudden passing at the age of 50 has shocked not just the music world but the world-at-large. His music,influence and success may never be topped in the years and decades to come. Mr. Jackson will be remembered by millions for years to come.
Rest in Peace, Farrah and Michael. You will be missed.
Live Long and Prosper.
Monday, May 11, 2009
A few words about 'Star Trek'
I've had the chance to see it twice; once Thursday night and second earlier today. I have to say I enjoyed it both times. Not just because it's Star Trek but because it had a good story and great characters. Even if I had not been a fan before this I think I would become one now. It is a good action packed movie and it doesn't hurt that it made more than $75 million in it's opening weekend and since opening last Thursday, more than $79 million. I want to thank the cast and crew for making a movie worthy of the name Star Trek.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
A Big Day for (American) Football but also a Day Of Rememberance
For some in this country, today is a day of remembrance. Six years ago today on February 1, 2003 six Americans and one Isreali were on their way home from the stars only to remain among them for eternity. The men and women of the Space Shuttle Columbia are remembered by family, friends, all of the people who worked with them at NASA, and those people who have great respect and pride for the sacrifices they made; which are not in vain, to expand humanity's knowledge of space.
I have great respect and pride for all of those men and women who have had the opportunity to go to to the stars and for those who make those journeys possible. I am humbled by the sacrifices they all make to expand humanity's knowledge through space exploration especially those that give the ultimate sacrifice.
The US Space Program has a special place in my heart and the loss of any astronaut pains me. I remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news on the radio. I remember running into Sears at the local mall to find a TV and watching with great shock and sadness, not believing that such tragedy and loss could befall the Space Program twice in my life time. I don't remember any thing from the rest of that day but I honor their memory as long as I live.
To all of you out there, "Live Long and Prosper"
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Safe Plane Landing in the Hudson River
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
2009 Arrives
Happy New Year!
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
A New Era Begins
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Creative, Inspired Art in Uninspired Denver and other stuff
This image is part if a story from latimes.com and you can read the story by clicking here. Paul Trujillo, the young man to the left in black, and two of his friends created the mural on his grandparents' fence, with their permission and support, in Denver CO. When the mural was brought to the attention of Denver city officials and city officials examined it, they sent a letter to Paul's grandparents saying it had to be removed or they would face a $150 fine, which would increase over time.
I found this story this morning and once I read it here's what I thought: "How stupid of Denver officials.", "Since when is the word, 'VOTE' illegal?", and "It's on personal property!". These were the first thought I had. Another thought I've had in regard to this story is: "Are Denver trying to stomp out creative art?" Because it is creative and inspired, at least in my opinion. However, please click the link above, read the story and form your own opinion.
As for other events, Wall Street apparently still hasn't gotten the message from Washington that the $700 billion bail out bill passed, was signed into law and that there was a "rate cut", I think refers to the interest rate, because the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell another 189 points today. Well maybe Wall Street will get the message tomorrow
Also I just saw a headline on cnn.com that the New York Federal Reserve Bank is going to lend AIG another $37.8 BILLION of TAXPAYERS' MONEY!!!!!!! WTF!!!! The money the Fed is giving to AIG isn't even a loan! My understanding of the article, which you can read here, is AIG will give the Fed something called 'investment-grade fixed-income securities', which AIG originally gave other instutions for a fee, who are now giving them back to AIG for refund on the fee they were charged. GGRRRRR!! All of this, on top of the fact, which we the public just learned from a congressional committee, that within days of the initial $85 Billion bailout for AIG, some of their executives went to a resort and spent over $400,000!!! Those executives should be FIRED on the spot and the people at the New York Fed should be bitch-slapped!!! Geez, I'm pissed!
Ok, I'm going to quit before I write something that I'll regret. Everyone out there that is eligable to VOTE, should VOTE on Nov. 4 and "Live long and Prosper".
Monday, September 29, 2008
A Day of Financial Horror
It is also worth noting in this post the passing of an acting legend. Paul Newman, known for his role in "Cool Hand Luke", "The Sting" and "The Color of Money", died this past Friday (9-26-08) after a long battle with cancer at the age of 83. Not only was he a legendary and Oscar-winning actor but he was also a great philanthropist. The company that bears his name, "Newman's Own", has donated all of it's profits, more than $200 million, to various charities around the world. He will be sorrily missed.
Finally, with the financial crisis that is going on, the outlook for many in this country is bleak, but remember that there is HOPE. To quote Tim Allen's character in "Galaxy Quest", "Never give up! Never surrender!" To all of you out there, Remember to VOTE on November 4th, at least in the USA, and "Live long and prosper".
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The DNC comes to a superb close
On this very same day 45 years ago, in 1963, a young preacher from Georgia named Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke to thousands in the National Mall in Washington, DC, speaking of a dream... a dream where his children were not "judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
I watched Senator Obama's acceptance speech and was impressed. I am impressed with him even more so now then when I voted for him in the Missouri Primary. However, regardless of party, a man or woman who is elected President can make all the promises he or she wants and state what he or she intends to do during his/her campaign but Congress creates our laws via legislative bills. In order for the goals of an Obama (or McCain) presidency to be fulfilled the Democrats (or Republicans) must have very strong majorities in both houses of Congress. Bipartisanship helps but will not always work.
I end this post with a simple word: VOTE.
Monday, June 23, 2008
The Passing of a Comedic Icon
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.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Virginia Tech remembered, the Pope comes to America and other stuff
Earlier today Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Holy Roman Catholic church, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC to begin a six day tour, two city tour. It is the first US visit for the Pope. Even though I'm not Roman Catholic, I should at least acknowledge the fact that he is here. He is the inspirational leader of millions of Christians around the world. I hope has a safe tour here in the US and a safe journey back to the Vatican.
I was visiting cbsnews.com and read a story, which was an exclusive eariler this morning on CBS This Morning. Apparently a 15 minute film exists of the actress Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1962, performing a sex act on a man during the 1950's. At the time, the FBI apparently analyzed the film, attempting to determine who the man in the film was since his face did not appear in the film according to one of the two video clips that accompany the article, which you can read here. They suspected it was either JFK or his brother, Robert. I say, "Who gives a FRAK!". I mean, come on. According to the article, the film in question was in the possession of the son of an deceased FBI informant who made a copy of the original, which is still classified. Here are some questions that I thought of that should be asked, but will never be answered: Why did they need the film to begin with? Why was it so important to ID the guy in the film? For all anyone knows it could have been baseball player Joe DiMaggio, who she was married and divorced to in 1954 or playwright Arthur Miller, who she was married to from 1956 to 1961. Also, why does the FBI still have the original, much less have it still classified? I realize there are people who do care about Miss Monroe and her image even if she has been dead for 45 years so I'm not going to dwell on this topic anymore, especially since I have never seen a single one of her films... maybe I should. Oh, well. Enough of that.
History, particularly Franklin D. Roosevelt, records that December 7 is "a day that shall live in infamy..." but what about yesterday, April 14. History records some tragic events on April 14. I bring this up 'cause I remembered that the Titanic hit the iceberg during the night of April 14, 1912 and sank in the very early hours of the next day. So I looked at Wikipedia, discovering (and remembering in the process) that US President, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on that day in 1865 and also on that day in 1970 an oxygen tank exploded in the service module of the Apollo 13 capsule preventing the Apollo 13 astronauts from landing on the moon but not from getting home. So is April 14 infamous or not... you decide.
Last two things then I'm done. I hope everyone has gotten their taxes done, since it is Tax Day here in the US and that the St. Louis Cardinals are currently in first place in the NL Central. To everyone out there, "Live Long and Prosper."
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Mother Nature is still schziod… and other news
First off let me say that this blog entry is being written on Monday, March 24 at about 6:25AM. With no internet connection it’s being posted on Tuesday, March 25.
Flood waters from the Meramec River have been receding for the last few days except in Arnold at the confluence with the Mississippi. In Eureka the river crested at 40.06 feet during Friday. Some home and business owners in Pacific and Eureka were able to return to check for damage yesterday and others would return today. State Highway 141 at I-44 which closed Thursday reopened early today. The flood waters had been so bad at that MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) had to put out concrete dividers and sandbags to keep 44 from going under, fortunately it never did. Yesterday’s weather was just flat out screwy. It snowed off and on majority of the day. Not only did it snow but there was sleet and sun! This is just nuts. Oh well, typical Missouri weather.
In other news, the men’s basketball team of Washington University in St. Louis won the NCAA Division III championship for the first time on Saturday in Salem, VA. To continue with sports for a bit, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 14-4 in one of the last Spring Training games. At the end of this week, the Cardinals will play two exposition games in Springfield against their Double-A club, the Springfield Cardinals.
Unfortunately there is another reality that all Americans are having to face. Late last night (Monday in Iraq) the 4000th soldier was killed in Iraq, when four soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Post Rain Havoc
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
A legend passes and the weather sucks
Here in southwest Missouri, along with a large portion of the Midwest, it has been raining... and raining... and raining. It's been raining so much and so hard around here that at least three public school districts were closed today because of flash floods. This is getting ridiculous! On top of all the rain we've had so far over the last 24 hours, we still getting more tomorrow. There have been many water rescues, unfortunately, at least 3 people have died here in Missouri from the floodwaters, one right here in Greene County. All of this rain is supposed to end either late tonight or the wee hours of tomorrow with gradual clearing to mostly sunny skies tomorrow with a high of 52 F. I've told people that Mother Nature has become scizoid. She has just lost her mind. I don't get it. Oh, Well. Anyway that's all I got. To all of you out there, "Live Long and Prosper."
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Missouri State discharges B-ball Coach
In the time I've been associated with Missouri State in one way or another, Barry Hinson has been THE coach of Bear's basketball. It will be very strange to hear different name associated with the position of head coach of Missouri State Bears men's basketball. Despite Hinson's departure, there is no animosity between him and Nietzel & Rowe. As a matter of fact, the university president stated during the press conference today that he considered Barry a friend and colleague now and in the future. As for the future, as related to men's basketball at Missouri State, we will all have to wait and see what unfolds.
That's then end to this entry. So, to everyone out there "Live long and prosper."
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Chaotic Ramblings Return
Since before January of this year, numerous candidates had been running for President of the United States. Many of these candidates have dropped out for various reasons. Now, the presumptive Republican nominee is John McCain, who is currently serving as a US Senator from Arizona. On the Democratic side of the election, it is currently a toss-up for the nomination between the Senator from New York and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama. We as a nation may know who the nominee is after the Pennslyvania primary in April or we may not know until the actual convention. Oh well. Who ever gets the nomination will need a hell of a lot security, if they don't have it already.
Being from the St. Louis area originally, I keep my eye on the news up there. Recently a local man from one of the suburbs died of injuries he received after being ran over by a car driven by a couple who had just stole a tip jar from a Starbucks which has less than $5 in it. The perpetrators have been caught. However charges haven't been filed yet because intent has to be established on whether or not the suspects intended on killing the man that was attempting to prevent the theft. You can read about it at www.stltoday.com, which is the website for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. I think it's quite sad and I hope the suspects are found guilty and sent to prison for a long time.
In my own life over the last two and half years, a lot has happened. I'm still living In the same apartment I moved into in '05. I'm still working for the same place that I have been since before I even started this blog but gained more responsibilities and more hours but not full time hours, which still sucks in a way. Academically, I still am not finished with my bachelor's degree in computer information systems, but I am getting closer. The class I'm in right now should be my last. It's an independent study course but it's also an academic service project. Basically I go to one of the local public schools and be a walking help desk. I can honestly say that this class has been an enjoyable experience, so far. In January 2007, there was a major ice storm in southwest Missouri and a few days after it, I broke my left leg fall on the ice outside a friend's apartment. I was off of work for two and a half months, which really sucked and I am still dealing with the consequences to this day. Of course, I'll be dealing with it the rest of my life. This was a card that life dealt me at the time.
Another card that life dealt me more recently was getting the chance to go to an technology expo hosted by a branch of the local library. It was an all day event with seminars ranging from ethics in the information age to computer security for non-geeks to facts about e-waste. The organizations that sponsored the event gave out door prizes to those attendees that entered their names at the end of each seminar with a grand prize awarded at the end of the expo. This grand prize was a Toshiba Satellite laptop donated by the local Best Buy store. The lucky winner of this laptop is me. I was very surprised that my name was drawn and I'm more than pleased with the laptop.
Well, that's all for now. I hope to update the blog a lot more often then I have but one can never tell. To everyone out there, "Live Long and Prosper."
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Anniversaries, Two passings, a Return and more....
One week later on the 20th, the day would mark the 36th Anniversary of man's landing on the moon.
Unfortnately the day would mark the passing of scifi icon. James Doohan who famously portrayed the Chief Engineer of the Starship Enterprise, Lt. Commander/Commander/Captain Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott, on the scifi series Star Trek and seven subsequent movies dies at the age of 85. He had been suffering from an number of ailments, including diabetes and Parkinson's Disease. This was a sad day for Star Trek fans around the world.
One day of sadness turns into a day of happiness and joy six days later when at 9:39 AM CDT on July 26th, 2005 Space Shuttle Discovery launches from Cape Canaveral, FL on a mission to resupply and repair the International Space Station. However, NASA's "Return to Space" was cut short when it was discovered that a piece of foam broke off the external tank during launch of Discovery.
Two and a half years earlier Space Shuttle Columbia would be struck by a piece of foam from the tank, breaching the forward edge of the right wing. This impact spelled doom for Columbia. Columbia broke apart and burned up during re-entry on Feb. 1, 2003. I was on my way to the mall that morning and heard about it on the radio and was shocked. I couldn't believe that it happened again. I'm old enough to remember the loss of Challenger, which I still remember. It was a sad day in 1986 and in 2003.
After the Columbia accident, NASA took measures to protect the orbiter, specifically redesigning the external tank along with some other modifications. As for Discovery, NASA stated that once the orbiter returned, flights of the shuttle fleet would be suspendend until a way could be found to prevent foam from falling off the external tank during launch. Originally scheduled to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on August 8, Discovery returned to Earth, landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California this morning at 7:11 CDT on this day, August 9, 2005.
Saturday, August 6, 2005 and today August 9, 2005 mark the 60th anniversary of the atomic bomings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan respectfully. These bombings in 1945 lead to the surrender of Japan on August 15. Hundreds of thousands of Japanese were killed and wounded by the atomic bombs. Survivors would and continue to suffer from radiation sickness.
Late on Sunday, August 7, 2005 famous ABC journalist and news anchor Peter Jennings, who had been battling lung cancer since April, died at the age of 67. He spent more then 20 years anchoring ABC's World News Tonight. He was a pillar in the television journalism world and will be sorrily missed.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Long Time, No See
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Been Busy
Anyway gotta hit the sack early again tonight since I have to open the Library tomorrow. Live Long and Prosper