Image hosted by Photobucket.com To read the tribute to SFC Marcus Muralles, please click here Image hosted by Photobucket.com

Friday, June 29, 2007

Picking Nits


Well, there's been an offer on the house. They offered less than asking price, plus they wanted us to cover $5k of closing costs, and they want to close by July 16th. They're not asking much, are they?

We countered.

They countered.

We countered again. That's our final offer. We really can't go lower.

It's like some bizarre intricate dance, and I don't know the steps. What's the right move? How close can you get to the edge of the (financial/business cliff? Are you sure you can't budge just a little bit more? Maybe I'd know more if I had sold a house before. I've only bought. This is completely new to me.

I've already informed the boys that, if they accept the counter, then we're in full-fledged panic mode for 2 weeks, getting everything packed up and moved. Since over half of our stuff is already living in a storage shed, getting the rest out won't be too bad.

Except the attic. Drat. I forgot about the attic.

UPDATE: They accepted the offer. Panic mode begins.

London Car Bombs


The news this morning is wall-to-wall London car bomb. Beth (MVRWC) has a good set of links about the car bomb that didn't go off. Drudge has this so far. Fox News is reporting a couple of streets have been closed in the past hour while they check suspicious vehicles.

It's going to be a long news day.

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Granny and the Convertible


Mom sent me this video.

So, what did she have against the car? It's a nice car.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Some Things To Think About


Danny (at JackLewis.net) has a great post with a few things to think about. Makes you go, "hmmm..."

Wednesday's Hero


This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Jenn

Staff Sgt. Darrell R. Griffin Jr.
Staff Sgt. Darrell R. Griffin Jr.
36 years old from Alhambra, California
2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
March 21, 2007


"He was a really patriotic young man", said Darrell Griffin Sr. "He said that the people there really needed us and he felt it was the right place to be. He wished we didn’t have to have wars, but since that’s the way mankind is, he felt he was contributing an important part to his country".

SSgt. Griffin lost his life in Balad, Iraq when his unit came under fire as it was returning to base after conducting security operations in the Iraqi capital.

The eldest son of six children, SSgt. Griffin worked as an EMT before joining the California Army National Guard in 1999. He enlisted in the Army two years later, and in July 2001, was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, in Ft. Lewis, Washington. He served with that unit in Iraq from October 2004 to September 2005.

On his second tour of duty, SSgt. Griffin had been awarded the Bronze Star for valor in 2005 when he was credited with saving the lives of three U.S. and two Iraqi Army soldiers injured during battle in Tal Afar. He had also received the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge, and the Meritorious Unit Citation.

"Griff was the type of man you want to have by your side in a fight," Maj. Brent Clemmer, his former company commander, wrote from Iraq. "He was the type of squad leader every young soldier wants to have".

"Darrell was my husband, my Soldier, my gift from God who was also the love of my life and always will be." Said his wife, Diana. "He was also 'a Soldier's Soldier of Strength and Honor' whose commitment to duty, honor and loyalty will be forever remembered by all who know and love him. The news of his death saddens us deeply and we ask for your prayers in our time of grief. Please also continue to keep our Soldiers in your prayers


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Doo-Wop Quiz


Here's an Oldies Quiz. Considering all of this happened over 10 years before I was born, I didn't do half bad. (I'll put the answers in the comments later today.)

1. When did "Little Suzie" finally wake up?
a) The movie's over, it's 2 o'clock
b) The movie's over, it's 3 o'clock
c) The movie's over, it's 4 o'clock

2. "Rock Around The Clock" was used in what movie?
a) Rebel Without A Cause
b) Blackboard Jungle
c) The Wild Ones

3. What's missing? _____Baby, Earth_____, _____On My Shoulder
a) Angel
b) Head
c) Love

4. "I found my thrill..." where?
a) Kansas City
b) Heartbreak Hotel
c) Blueberry Hill

5. "Please turn on your magic beam, _____ _____ bring me a dream"
a) Mr. Sandman
b) Earth Angel
c) Dream Lover

6. For which label did Elvis Presley first record?
a) Chancellor
b) RCA
c) Sun

7. He asked, "Why's everybody always pickin' on me? " Who was he?
a) Bad Bad Leroy Brown
b) Charlie Brown
c) Buster Brown

8. Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife", the one with the knife, was named:
a) MacHeath
b) MacCloud
c) MacNamara

9. Name the song with "A-wop bop a-loo bop a-lop bam boom"?
a) Good Golly Miss Molly
b) Be-Bop-A-Lula
c) Tutti Fruitti

10. Who is generally given credit for the term "Rock And Roll"?
a) Dick Clark
b) Wolfman Jack
c) Alan Freed

11. In 1957, he left the music business to become a preacher.
a) Little Richard
b) Frankie Lymon
c) Tony Orlando

12. Paul Anka's "Puppy Love" is written to what star?
a) Brenda Lee
b) Connie Francis
c) Annette Funicello

13. The Everly Brothers are...
a) Pete and Dick
b) Don and Phil
c) Bob and Bill

14. The Big Bopper's real name was:
a) Jiles P. Richardson
b) Roy Harold Scherer Jr.
c) Marion Michael Morrison

15. In 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. started a small record company called...
a) Decca
b) Cameo
c) Motown

16. Edd Brynes had a hit with "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb. "What TV show was he on?
a) 77 Sunset Strip
b) Hawaiian Eye
c) Surfside Six

17. In 1960 Bobby Darin married:
a) Carol Lynley
b) Sandra Dee
c) Natalie Wood

18. They were a one hit wonder with "Book Of Love."
a) The Penguins
b) The Monotones
c) The Moonglows

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Roid Rage?


There was just a press conference concerning Chris Benoit's death.
Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his weight room, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son. Steroid abuse has been linked to depression, paranoia, and aggressive behavior or angry outbursts known as "roid rage."
Evidently, from what they've been able to piece together so far, Benoit bound and strangled his wife on Friday (leaving a Bible by her body at some point), then he called in to WWE, saying that his son was throwing up blood and he wouldn't be at his events over the weekend. He then smothered his son on Saturday (leaving a Bible by his body, as well). Benoit then hung himself in the weight room at some point Saturday or Sunday. He didn't leave a note, but he did send "strange text messages" prior to his death.

Experts are pointing to "roid rage," which is probably a no-brainer. He had a prescription for anabolic steroids, and they were found in the house. Drug use among pro-wrestlers has been cited as one major factor in the 60+ deaths of wrestlers under the age of 45 in the past 10 years. According to some wrestlers' accounts, well over 80% of wrestlers are hard core users of multiple drugs (coke, roids, pain pills, alcohol, etc.), and, at their peak, many wrestlers go into the ring jacked up on a regular basis.

But, we all know that. And we know that it's not just a WWE thing. We know that a lot of NFL players wouldn't be as big as they are without some pharmaceutical assistance, and that the MLB players with the really thick necks didn't get that way just in the weight room. Track stars go a little bit faster, and golfers aren't even immune. But we want our athletes to excel... no matter the cost. And teenage athletes are taking their cues from their heroes, all evidence of their eventual demise be damned.

Better living through chemistry? Sure... right up until the point you die.

Round and Round


There are some weird stories out there today.

General:
Politics:
Sports:
Science:
Weird:

When Bears Attack


Imagine, if you will, that you're a dad on a camping trip with your three sons. A 300-pound black bear wanders into your campsite, looking for a snack. After trying to abscond with your cooler (and having your six-year-old throw a shovel at it), the bear turns and contemplates munching on said six-year-old. What do you do?

If you're Chris Everhart, you throw a log at it... and kill it.
The bear then dropped the cooler and started coming at the boy, said his father. Fearing what might happen next, Everhart, an ex-Marine, grabbed the closest thing he could find — a log from their stash of firewood.

"(I) threw it at it and it happened to hit the bear in the head," Everhart said. "I thought it just knocked it out but it actually ended up killing the bear."
But, of course, in the world of "no good deed goes unpunished," he was given a ticket for "failing to secure the campsite."

Hooah. That's all there is to say. He killed a bear with a log. Dang. Just dang.

Taunt the Terrorists Tuesday


In our never ending effort to make Islamofascists look like morons (as if that's difficult), we, the Ladies of the Cotillion (in cooperation with National Banana) present Sands of Passion (a cross between Days of Our Lives and an al Qaeda training film).

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5

And here's Episode 6:

National Banana has episodes 7 & 8 on their site. They're gonna win an Emmy for this riveting drama.

Monday, June 25, 2007

Light My Fire


Evidently, the Danes have a tradition of burning old evil away before a harvest can be brought in. In the past, they have burned a witch (or a witch in effigy when it became... impolitic to barbeque the real thing. This year, they've altered their tradition just a bit. This year, they're burning Mo.

Yes, the intro is in Danish. A rough translation is here. Perhaps Misha can fill in the blanks? (h/t to LGF)

Flags of Our Fathers


One of the flag raisers from Iwo Jima (the first time the flag went up) has passed away.
RICHFIELD, Minn. - Charles W. Lindberg, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86.

Lindberg died Sunday at Fairview Southdale hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, said John Pose, director of the Morris Nilsen Funeral Home in Richfield, which is handling Lindberg's funeral.

Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous Associated Press photograph by Joe Rosenthal, that raised the first flag as U.S. forces fought to take the Japanese island.

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Although debated, Cpl. Lindberg is probably the Marine standing on the right.

Semper Fi, Corporal Lindberg.

Stranger Than Fiction


You know, when I saw this moron's mug shot on Drudge, I really thought it was a joke. I mean, it looks like some skin head wannabe doodled on it instead of paying attention in trig, ya know? But, alas, no... he actually paid someone to make him look like this:

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

As The Smoking Gun pointed out, he "should be fairly easy to spot, considering his piercing blue eyes and that fetching soul patch." Yes, he was captured after his last escape. Go figure.

Christmas Lists Start Early


The boys have put their first item on their Christmas wish lists- The Supacat.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Let's see- Cummins 5.9-litre turbo-diesel engine... top speed 80mph... grenade machine gun which fires at up to 340 rounds per minute... 7.62mm-calibre General Purpose Machine Gun, which fires 750 rounds per minute with a range of nearly a mile... mounted 0.5in-calibre heavy machine gun, which fires huge rounds more than a mile at a rate of 485 to 635 a minute.

Imagine the boys taking this beast to the DMV for their driver's test.

All The News


OK... so not all of it. Just the interesting parts.

General:
Immigration:
Politics:
Fred!:
Science:
Sports:
Global Nuttiness:
Oddities:

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Awesome Painter


My mom sent this to me. This guy is amazing. Watch it all the way through. You'll be impressed.


Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Price of Getting Older...


... is evidently $60.

I just received a postcard in the mail from the president of Althoff Catholic High School's Class of '87. Looks like our mumble year reunion is coming up next month. It's going to be at a golf club that didn't even exist when we graduated, and for music, food, beer and soda, it's going to cost us $60 a piece. I just took a look at the club's restaurant menu. If it's going to cost $60, that means a lot of beer. Well, one would hope, anyway.

Do I even want to go? I mean, sure, it would be cool to see some of the people I hung out with in high school. I've kept in touch with a couple of people, but not all that many.

But, I also remember our last reunion. It was... um... the pits. They held in the high school cafeteria. (Some of you might have had a cool cafeteria- we didn't.) The food was... predictable (some baked chicken dish and soggy veggies, IIRC). I remember there was music (I think it was a DJ). No one could talk because of the music. Do I want to do that again?

I dunno. There's a lot of stuff going on right now. I'll have to think about it.

But... $60? Yikes.

Stuck In the Middle...


... with almost every member of the House of Representatives. Then, of course, you have the Clown to the Left of me (Dennis Kucinich) and the Joker to the Right (Ron Paul). What were they voting for? Roll Call 513:
Calling on the United Nations Security Council to charge Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Charter because of his calls for the destruction of the State of Israel
Oh, yeah, that's one to take a stand on. Uh-huh. In Ron Paul's "defense", he routinely votes against any and almost all resolutions because they're not resolutions and, in his mind, are a waste of time. (Well, at least he's consistent, right?) Dennis "My Tinfoil Hat Is Too Tight" Kucinich's excuse? "Ahmadinejad was misquoted." (I can't find a direct quote.)

In case you've been in a cave for the last few months, Paul and Kucinich are both running for President. Kucinich is courting the whacko left fringe, and Paul claims to be a conservative, but is more Libertarian (and not in a good way) ***. Makes me really hope Fred! gets in the race officially or Duncan Hunter gains a lot of popularity. Please.

The eleven people who voted "present" and the eight who didn't vote at all probably won't get any press. If they're your reps, you might want to ask them what they were thinking. (Well, Conyers was one of them, so we know that he wasn't thinking. But ask the rest of them.)

*** I had originally stated in the post that Ron Paul wasn't invited to the GOP debates. Cornelius points out in the comments that Ron Paul has been at the GOP debates. I remember hearing that a lot of insiders wanted him booted from the debates because he is a Libertarian in Republican clothes. For some reason, I thought he had been uninvited. I was wrong, and I removed that statement.

Headlines for the Day


Here's the news you might have missed:
General:
Politics:
Sports:
Science:
Environment:
Weird:

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Spiritual Confusion


I'm not very good at apologetics. I know that defending my faith is a Biblical mandate, and I know the basics. I'm just not good at arguing. I stink at it. But, when I read stories like this, I feel the need to take a stab at it.
A veteran Episcopal priest says she became a Muslim just over a year ago and now worships at a mosque Fridays – but that hasn't stopped her from donning her white collar Sunday mornings.

"I am both Muslim and Christian, just like I'm both an American of African descent and a woman. I'm 100 percent both," Rev. Ann Holmes Redding told the Seattle Times.
No, ma'am, you're not. You can't be. As was referenced in the article, the two religions have very different views. She claims that she doesn't need to reconcile every belief of both religions, but she is very wrong. How can you believe two opposing viewpoints at the same time? Either Jesus is God or not. You either follow the god of the moon or YHWH (two very different deities). Which sacred text do you believe (they say very different things about almost everything)? Does your salvation lie in Jesus' death and resurrection for your sins or in adherence to the Six Articles of Faith? Do you pray for your enemies or strike them down? (Those are just the ones that came to mind quickly- there are plenty more.)

How does she deal with the disparities? Well, in honesty, she doesn't really have to, because she doesn't believe the same as most Christians (well, the ones that haven't fallen off the liberal end of the spectrum, that is).
She has never believed in the Christian doctrine of original sin, and for years she struggled with the nature of Jesus' divinity, the Times said, concluding Jesus is the son of God insofar as all humans are the children of God, and that Jesus is divine, just as all humans are divine — because God dwells in all humans.
Wow. Where do I start? Well, her view on original sin is quite Islamic, for starters. As for Jesus' divinity (or lack thereof), that's quite Islamic, as well (as opposed to what the Bible says.) Her view that God dwells in all humans is neither Christian nor Islamic (New Age, if anything).

Rev. Redding's bishop knows about this and approves. He thinks "interfaith possibilities are exciting." No, Rt. Rev. Warner, they're not exciting. They're blasphemous. Read the 10 Commandments some time. (They do still teach that in seminary, don't they?) Actually, just read the first one.

One the other hand, the president of the Islamic Center of Washington actually has a clue about this.
Being both Muslim and Christian — "I don't know how that works," he told the Times.
It doesn't work. That's the point.

Rev. Redding needs to face the facts. She can call herself a Christian and a Muslim all she wants, but she's not. In spite of what she thinks she understands about the religions, they are not compatible. They are contradictory at best, violently opposed at worst.

She can call a dog a cat, but that doesn't mean it will suddenly use the litter box. She can call a skunk a rose, but it won't smell any better. And she can call herself a Christian all she wants, but that doesn't mean she's saved.

(No, I'm not going to get into the debate of whether or not Episcopalians are actually Christians or not. She's claiming to be a Christian, and that's what I'm going with. Generic Christianity v. generic Islam.)

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Today's Headlines


Here are some tidbits I found. Enjoy.

General:
Politics:
Brave New Schools:
Sports:
Science:
Environmental nuttiness:
Oddities:

Friday, June 15, 2007

Some Great News


Bald eagles will be taken off the endangered species list.
Later this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to announce that the bald eagle, the nation's symbol and one of the first species placed on the U.S. endangered species list in 1973, will be dropped completely from the federal list. It was downgraded from endangered to threatened in 1995.
Woohoo!

Round the News Reader


Here are some of the headlines you might have missed in the past couple of days:
Today in history:
General:
Sports:
Weird:
Those should keep you busy for a while.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

A SeaWorld Review


Yesterday, we had a chance to go to SeaWorld, San Antonio. If you've been to either of the other SeaWorld parks, it's some, but not all, of the same. You still get to see the shows, and you can still feed the dolphins and sea lions. There are 3 water rides and 2 roller coasters in the main park area, and there is a separate water park area. If you want to spend the money, they also have sea lion and beluga encounters (where you can get up close and personal with some marine mammals). And, since it's an Anheuser- Busch park, there are always the Clydesdales and the hospitality house (more on that later).

First, the good stuff. The shows are great (I loved Viva!, and the boys like Sea Lions Tonight). The animals are as playful as ever. Food at the park is good (but pricey, of course). Lines didn't seem terribly wrong. The park is small enough that you don't knock yourself out trying to get from one end to the other. At the hospitality house, adults may responsibly consume samples of AB products, and, if you want to kick back for a half hour or so, you can sample 4 AB products plus learn food pairings and tips at the Brewmasters Club (which is free, and includes a tasting tray of cheese, crackers, fruit, and chocolate).

Now, the not so good (but not really bad) stuff. If you've been to SeaWorld Orlando, you'll notice a few things missing. There is (understandably) no huge manatee habitat. There is also no sting ray feeding area. You can still feed the dolphins and sea lions, but no sting rays. Of course, the food prices are... steep. $2.50 or so for a bottle of soda you get (overpriced) at a convenience store for $1.25. Water costs about the same (but there are plenty of water fountains with cool water all over the park). If you're going for rides (does anyone actually go to SeaWorld for the rides?), you'll be sorry- the roller coasters are cool, and looked like a long ride, but there are only 5 rides in the park (not including the baby coaster in Shamu's Happy Harbor).

Would I recommend Sea World San Antonio as a place to visit? Sure, if you're going to be in or near San Antonio anyway and have a free day. You should be able to see most everything you want to see in one day (unless you want to hang out at the water park for part of the day, and then you'll probably need two days). Would I go back? Probably- we missed a show or two, and the boys wanted to check out the water park.

All in all, it was a good day. We had fun. And that's what we set out to do.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Wednesday's Hero


This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Malinda


69-year-old Bert Brady has never stepped foot in Iraq or Afghanistan, yet many soldiers who have know who he is and appreciate what he's done for them. You see, for the past year Mr. Brady has made a trip to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport nearly every morning to welcome home returning American troops. Bert Brady, along with fellow veterans, is a member of the Welcome Home a Hero program. They make sure that every soldier who steps off a plane in Dallas gets a special homecoming.

Brady shows up each day with the goal of making soldiers feel appreciated and proud of their service. He's often joined by veterans of the Vietnam and Korean wars who did not get a warm reception when they returned from battle.

"We are not going to forget them like a lot of Vietnam soldiers have been forgotten," Brady said. "We are not going to forget the soldiers of today."

To read more about Bert Brady, you can go to ABCnews.com


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today


No, Sgt. Pepper wasn't giving music lessons. President Ronald Reagan gave his famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate. You remember that, right? The one with the infamous (and State Department rejected) "Tear down that wall!"

How was the world changed since Reagan's visit to Berlin? Let's see. The Berlin Wall fell. The Soviet Union is gone. The entire Eastern Bloc is no more. Communism, for all intents and purposes, has been proven as a completely flawed theory. All in no little thanks to President Reagan.

Go, read his speech. Think about how far we've come. And how far we've yet to go.

(h/t to Fausta)

Friday, June 08, 2007

3 1/2 Weeks


Soldiers' Angels doesn't get much in the way of donations during the summer. So, from now until the 4th of July, there will be a donation button in my sidebar. If you can help out, please do. It's for a good cause.

Coincidences?


I don't believe in coincidences, but... these might be.
Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."


Oregon's Columbian newspaper announced the winning Pick 4 lottery numbers for June 28, 2000 in advance. The newspaper had intended to print the previous set of winning numbers but erroneously printed those for the state of Virginia, namely 6-8-5-5. In the next Oregon lottery, those same numbers were drawn.


In 1979, the German magazine - Das Besteran - ran a writing competition. Readers sent in unusual stories, but they had to be based on true incidents. The winner, Walter Kellner of Munich, had his story published . He wrote about a time when he was flying a Cessna 421 between Sardinia and Sicily. He encountered engine trouble at sea, landed in the water, spent some time in an emergency dinghy and was then rescued. This story was spotted by an Austrian, also named Walter Kellner, who said that the German Kellner had plagiarized the story. The Austrian Kellner said that he had flown a Cessna 421 over the same sea, experienced engine trouble and was forced to land in Sardinia. It was essentially the same story, with a slightly different ending. The magazine checked both stories, and both turned out to be true, even though they were nearly identical.


Morgan Robertson's 1898 novella Futility had many parallels with the RMS Titanic disaster; the book concerned a fictional state-of-the-art ocean liner called Titan, which (like the Titanic) eventually collides with an iceberg on a calm April night whilst en route to New York, with many dying because of the lack of lifeboats. Various other details in the book coincide with the Titanic disaster. Later, she wrote a book, Beyond the Spectrum, that described a future war fought with aircraft that carried "sun bombs". Incredibly powerful, one bomb could destroy a city, erupting in a flash of light that blinds all who look at it. The war begins in December, started by the Japanese with a sneak attack on Hawaii.

Death calls twice:

On July 28th 1900, the King of Italy Umberto I was having dinner in a restaurant in the city of Monza. It turned out later that the restaurant's owner looked identical to the king. The restaurant owner's name was Umberto, his wife's name was the same as the queen's and the restaurant was opened on the same date as the king's inauguration. The Restaurant-owner Umberto was shot dead the next day. So was King Umberto.


Claude Volbonne killed Baron Rodemire de Tarazone of France in 1872. 21 years earlier, the Baron's father had been murdered by somebody else called Claude Volbonne.


On February 13, 1746, a Frenchman, Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed for the murder of his father. Precisely 100 years later, on February 13, 1846, another Frenchman, also named Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed - for the murder of his father.


On the 26th November, 1911, three men were hanged at Greenberry Hill in London after being convicted of the murder of Sir Edmund Berry. Their names were Green, Berry and Hill.


Just in Time:


The British actor Anthony Hopkins [who shot to fame as Hannibal Lecter] was delighted to hear that he had landed a leading role in a film based on the book The Girl From Petrovka by George Feifer. A few days after signing the contract, Hopkins travelled to London to buy a copy of the book. He tried several bookshops, but there wasn't one to be had. Waiting at Leicester Square underground for his train home, he noticed a book apparently discarded on a bench. Incredibly, it was The Girl From Petrovka. That in itself would have been coincidence enough but in fact it was merely the beginning of an extraordinary chain of events. Two years later, in the middle of filming in Vienna, Hopkins was visited by George Feifer, the author. Feifer mentioned that he did not have a copy of his own book. He had lent the last one - containing his own annotations - to a friend who had lost it somewhere in London. With mounting astonishment, Hopkins handed Feifer the book he had found. 'Is this the one?' he asked, 'with the notes scribbled in the margins?' It was the same book.


As the inhabitants of Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire, were watching a scene in the film Around the World in 80 Days, where a hot air balloon was about to take off, their TV sets went off due to a power cut. Nearby, power lines had been damaged. A hot air balloon had crashed into them.


Hernán Cortés' arrival in Mexico in 1519 coincided with the year in the Mayan Calendar when it was predicted that the pale-faced man-god Quetzalcoatl would return to reclaim the city of Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs therefore assumed Cortés to be the legendary man-god, which assisted him in capturing the city and thence Mexico.


Lightning strikes back:


A British officer, Major Summerford, while fighting in the fields of Flanders in February 1918 was knocked off his horse by a flash of lightning and paralyzed from the waist down. Summerford retired and moved to Vancouver. One day in 1924, as he fished alongside a river, lightning hit the tree he was sitting under and paralyzed his right side. Two years later Summerford was sufficiently recovered that he was able to take walks in a local park. He was walking there one summer day in 1930 when a lightning bolt smashed into him, permanently paralyzing him. He died two years later. But lightning sought him out one last time. Four years later, during a storm, lightning struck a cemetery and destroyed a tombstone. The deceased buried here? Major Summerford.


In 1899 a bolt of lightning killed a man as he stood in his backyard in Taranto, Italy.
Thirty years later his son was killed in the same way and in the same place.
On October 8, 1949, Rolla Primarda, the grandson of the first victim and the son of the second, became the third.


D-Day: The Normandy invasion:


The date of the invasion June 6,1944 {6644} reflects the first great invasion associated with Normandy in 1066

In the first Invasion in 1066 Roger de Montgomery commanded portions of William the Conquerors Forces.

In the second Invasion 1944 Bernard Montgomery commanded portions of Eisenhower's Forces.

German General Rommel -Montgomery's adversary in an earlier Campaign in N. Africa Commits suicide on October 14, 1944 {101444}

The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14 {101466}

Eisenhower's Birthday was October 14 {101490}

The first Norman invasion initiated the first major immigration of Jews into Britain.

The second Norman invasion initiated the chain of events that returned the Jews to Israel


A. Lincoln and J.F. Kennedy

Life

Both presidents had 7 letters in their last name.

Both were over 6' feet tall.

Both men studied law.

Both seemed to have lazy eye muscles, which would sometimes cause one to deviate.

Both suffered from genetic diseases. It is suspected that Lincoln had Marfan's disease, and Kennedy suffered from Addison's disease.

Both served in the military. Lincoln was a scout captain in the Black Hawk War, and Kennedy served as a navy lieutenant in World War II.

Both were boat captains. Lincoln was a skipper for the Talisman, a Mississippi River boat, and Kennedy was skipper of the PT 109.

Both had no fear of their mortality and disdained bodyguards.

Both often stated how easy it would be to shoot the president. Lincoln supposedly said, "If somebody wants to take my life, there is nothing I can do to prevent it." Kennedy supposedly said "If somebody wants to shoot me from a window with a rifle, nobody can stop it." Note that both these quotes are each 16 words long.

Death

Both presidents were shot in the head, on a Friday.

Both were seated beside their wives when shot. Neither Mrs. Lincoln nor Mrs. Kennedy was injured. Both wives held the bullet-torn heads of their husbands.

In each case, the man was injured but not fatally. Major Henry Rathbone was slashed by a knife, and Governor John Connolly was shot.

Lincoln sat in Box 7 at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy rode in car 7 in the Dallas motorcade.

Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Ford product, a Lincoln limousine.

Mrs. Kennedy insisted that her husband's funeral mirror Lincoln's as closely as possible.

The Assassins

Both assassins used three names: John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. (It should be noted that Lee Harvey Oswald was known as just Lee Oswald prior to the assassination.)

There are 15 letters in each assassin's name.

Both assassins struck when in their mid-twenties. Booth was born in 1838, and Oswald was born in 1939.

Each assassin lacked a strong father figure in his life. Booth's father died when he was 13 years old, and
Oswald's father died before he was born.

Each assassin had two brothers whose careers he coveted. Booth's two brothers were more successful actors and Oswald envied his brothers' military lives.

Both assassins were privates in the military. Booth was a private in the Virginia Militia, and Oswald was a private in the Marine Corps.

Both assassins were born in the south.

Both assassins were known sympathizers to enemies of the United States. Booth supported the Confederacy and Oswald was a Marxist.

Both assassins often used aliases. Booth frequently used "J. Wilkes" and Oswald used the name "Alek J. Hidell."

Booth shot Lincoln at a theatre and was cornered in a warehouse. Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and was cornered in a theatre.

Each assassin was detained by an officer named Baker. Lt. Luther B. Baker was leader of the cavalry patrol which trapped Booth at Garrett's Barn. Officer Marion L. Baker, a Dallas motorcycle patrolman, briefly detained Oswald on the second floor of the School Book Depository until he learned that he worked there.

Both assassins were killed with a single shot from a Colt revolver.

Both assassins were shot in a blaze of light-Booth after the barn was set afire, and Oswald in the form of television cameras.

Family and Friends

Both presidents were named after their grandfathers.

Both were born second children.

Both married while in their thirties. Lincoln married at 33 and Kennedy married at 36.

Both married dark-haired, twenty-four-year-old women.

Both wives died around the age of 64. Mary Todd Lincoln died in 1882 at age 63 years and 215 days, and Jackie Kennedy died in 1994 at age 64 years 295 days.

Both wives were known for their high fashion in clothes.

Both wives renovated the White House after many years of neglect.

Each couple had four children, two of whom died before becoming a teen.

Each couple lost a son while in the White House. Willie Lincoln died at age 12 in 1862, and Kennedy's son Patrick died two days after his birth in 1963.

Politics

Both presidents were elected to the House of Representatives in '46.

Both were runners-up for the party's nomination for vice-president in '56.

Both were elected to the presidency in '60.

Vice-Presidents

Southern Democrats named Johnson succeeded both Lincoln and Kennedy (Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

Andrew Johnson was born in 1808, and Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908.

There are six letters in each Johnson's first name.

Both Johnsons served in the military. Andrew was a brigadier general in the Civil War and Lyndon was a commander in the U.S. Navy during WW2.

Both Johnsons were former southern senators.

Both Johnsons had urethral stones, the only presidents to have them.

Both Johnsons chose not to run for reelection in '68.

Happy Anniversay?


According to "On This Day", on this day is 632, the "prophet" Mohamed died in Mecca. According to wikepedia, he "fell ill and died." No details on how. Since he didn't die a martyr, how can Muslims be sure he made it into paradise?

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Cool Math


Yeah, another one from Strange Cosmos:
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And finally, take a look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Not Sure What To Think About This One


So... Paris Hilton is now out of jail, resting comfortable in her hovel after 4 or 5 days of confinement, wearing an ankle monitor. Evidently, it was for medical reasons. (And because of laws like HIIPA, the spokesperson can't tell anyone what the "medical reasons" are.)

Medical reasons? uh-huh. She whined and cried and played them like a cheap violin.

Granted, driving on a suspended license is against the law, but 45 days in jail is a bit steep. The judge was "making a point." So, now what point are they making? That they are weak when it comes to celebrity?

Eh... another celebrity who is famous because she's rich and famous. Can she go away now?

Round-Up


Here's my headlines. Nope... not gonna organize them today...

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Wednesday's Hero


This Weeks Soldiers Were Suggested By Mary Ann

Col. David Sutherland
Col. David Sutherland(Left)
45 Years Old From Toledo, Ohio
Commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division


Since being deployed to the Diyala province of Iraq in November 2006, Col. David Sutherland, along with brigade Chaplain Maj. Charlie Fenton, pictured on the right, has made it a point to visit every wounded soldier and say goodbye to each and everyone of his men who've lost their life. Four of his soldiers died on one day in April 2007 and the bad news arrived at his office in waves -- a knock on the door, a note handed in by an aide, heads bowed, knowing glances exchanged. Aides say Sutherland walks to the mortuary affairs tent at his base and embraces the dead bodies of his men. "I hug all my fallen soldiers", said Sutherland. "They are my own".

Diyala province is one of the worst places in Iraq. Public beheadings of Iraqi police, tribal wars, sectarian wars and al-Qaida. "I didn't come here thinking it'd be easy. No one told me, 'You're gonna get 9 hours of sleep a night and you're not gonna lose soldiers'. But I believe this is the place for me."

"As a soldier, I want to be here on the ground," he said. "As an American, I want it to end."


For more information about Col. Sutherland, visit this page.


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Friday, June 01, 2007

Steven Wrightisms


If you mixed vodka with orange juice and milk of magnesia, would you get a Philip's Screwdriver?

Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Why do women wear evening gowns to nightclubs? Shouldn't they be wearing night gowns?

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.

When cheese gets it's picture taken, what does it say?

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

Why isn't 11 pronounced onety one?

"I am " is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do " is the longest sentence?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?

Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?

Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure?

If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes?"

Y'all Been Breakin' the Law and Didn't Even Know It


I love this kind of stuff. Found it at Strange Cosmos.
Minnesota:
--It is illegal to tease skunks.
--Every man in Brainerd is required by law to grow a beard.

Michigan:
--A state law stipulates that a woman's hair legally belongs to her husband.
--Under state law, dentists are officially classified as "mechanics."
--In Clawson, it is legal for a man to "sleep with his pigs, cows, horses, goats, and chickens."

New York:
--In Saten Island, it is illegal for a father to call his son a faggot or queer in an effort to curb girlie behavior.
--In NYC, "it is disorderly conduct for one man to greet another on the street by placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose and wiggling the extended fingers of that hand."

North Carolina:
--It is illegal to have sex in a Churchyard.
--It is illegal to make love on the floor of a hotel room between two double beds.

Oklahoma:
--Whale hunting is strictly forbidden.
--People who make "ugly faces" at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.

Ohio:
--In Columbus, it is illegal for stores to sell corn flakes on Sunday.
--In Oxford, it is illegal for a woman to disrobe in front of a man's picture.
--In Youngstown, it is illegal to run out of gas.

Oregon:
--The town of Hood River prohibits the act of juggling without a license.

Montana:
--In Whitehall, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with ice picks attached to the wheels.
--It is a felony for a wife to open her husband's mail.

Nebraska:
--If a child burps during a church service in Omaha, his or her parents may be arrested.
--It is illegal for a mother to give her daughter a perm without a state license.

Florida:
--Unmarried women who parachute on Sunday's will be jailed.

Georgia:
--In Quitman, it is illegal for a chicken to cross the road.
--In Columbus, it is illegal to sit on one's porch in an indecent position.

Pennsylvania:
--"Any motorist who sights a team of horses coming toward him must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas that blends with the countryside, and let the horses pass. If the horses appear skittish, the motorist must take his car apart piece by piece, and hide it under the nearest bushes."

Rhode Island:
--Its illegal to throw pickle juice on a trolley.

Tennessee:
--It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish.
--In Dyersburg, it is illegal for a woman to call a man for a date.
--In Memphis, it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; "a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists."

Texas:
--The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
-It is illegal to milk another person's cow.

Utah:
--A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife in his presence.

Virginia:
--In Richmond, it is illegal to flip a coin in any eating establishment to determine who buys a cup of coffee.
--In Lebanon, it is illegal to kick your wife out of bed.

Vermont:
--It is illegal to deny the existence of God.
--It is illegal to whistle underwater.
--Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

Arkansas:
--A man can legally beat his wife, but no more than once a month.

California:
--In L.A., a man may legally beat his wife with a leather strap, as long as it is less than 2 inches wide, or she gives him permission to use a wider strap.
--It is a misdemeanor to shoot any kind of game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale.

Massachusetts:
--It is illegal to wear a goatee without a license.
--North Andover prohibits its citizens from carrying "space guns."
--In 1659, the state outlawed Christmas.

Indiana:
--Monkey's are forbidden to smoke cigarettes in South Bend.

Illinois:
--In Chicago, it is illegal to take a french poodle to the Opera.
--According to state law, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is "American."
--In Joliet, it is illegal to mispronounce the name Joliet

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