Saturday, February 6, 2010

I recall looking up at an oily rain …

Photo caption: Vietnam Defoliation Mission. A UH-1D helicopter from the 336th Aviation Company sprays a defoliation agent on a dense jungle area in the Mekong delta., 07/26/1969/National Archives photo

I was in Vietnam in 1970 and saw Agent Orange sprayed everywhere. Hell, I recall looking up at an oily rain as it came down upon me and the guys of my squad as we trudged through dense jungle areas like the one shown above. We didn’t think much of it other than it was sticky and added to our overall discomfort.

Now, I’m researching a column on Agent Orange – and the effects it has had on the children of the exposed veterans. The need for more research is now. Past studies and research (on these children) have somehow slide to the rear of the VAs priorities. The VA has been grudgingly awarding disability ratings to the veterans who were exposed, but the next generation is being forgotten.

photo source

At Long Last, A Small Justice

When grisly images of their daughter's death went viral on the Web, the Catsouras family fought back. Two years later, a court rules in their favor.

These are the photos the Catsouras family wishes you would see.

Excerpt:

“They say losing a child is the worst thing a parent can endure. But for Christos and Lesli Catsouras, whose 18-year-old daughter, Nikki, was killed in a devastating car crash in 2006, there was something much, much worse.

Two weeks after their daughter's death, on Halloween day, Christos got a phone call from a friend. "Have you seen the photos?" he asked, hesitantly. Nine color close-ups of Nikki's mangled remains, still strapped into her father's crushed car, had been circulating around town by e-mail. Within days, the images went viral, popping up on hundreds of sites. Now a California court has handed the family an important legal victory.” Go here to read the entire story

Photo source

Friday, February 5, 2010

Sarah Palin to speak at the Redding Convention Center Feb.8 – Protestors Prepare Greetings

 Looks like some folks in Redding are planning to greet Sarah Palin, but they’ll be outside the building she’s being paid to speak at.

I guess they don’t want to pay to hear her speak. I wonder how much she’s being paid for this gig? Her last one netted $150,000.

 Looks like those Rednecks in Redding have got some some cash to spend.  

SARAH PALIN will be speaking at the Redding Convention Center on Monday, Feb. 8 at 3 PM and again at 7 PM, approximately for an hour each time.

The protestors plan on creating aHIGHLY VISIBLE, peaceful presence” outside the center.

Read  The original press release here. from Redding progressives who are organizing these demonstrations.

The organizers are asking people to PLEASE POST & DISTRIBUTE FLYER EVERYWHERE YOU GO up till Monday morning. According to the protestors, This is for everyone who could never quite picture Sarah Palin in the White House!” 

photo source

Here’s what was happening in 1950 – the year I was born

    If you would like to check out what happened in the year you were born go to infoplease.com

     

    I love some of the movie posters from 1950. The one above is a perfect example of the trashy B-Movies that were churned out back then. 

    World Events

  • Korean War begins when North Korean Communist forces invadeSouth Korea.
  • Sino-Soviet friendship treaty signed.
  • Communist Chinese forces invade Tibet.

British atomic physicist Klaus Fuchs is convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. Background: The Cold War

World Statistics

Population: 2.556 billion
population by decade
Nobel Peace Prize:
Ralph J. Bunche (US)
More World Statistics...

U.S. Events

U.S. Statistics

President: Harry S Truman
Vice President: Alben W. Barkley
Population: 152,271,417
Life expectancy: 68.2 years
Homicide Rate (per 100,000): 5.3
More U.S. Statistics...

Economics

US GDP (1998 dollars):  $294.6 billion
Federal spending:  $42.56 billion
Federal debt:  $256.9 billion
Consumer Price Index:  24.1
Unemployment:  5.9%
Cost of a first-class stamp:  $0.03

More Economics...

Sports

World Series
NY Yankees d. Philadelphia Phillies (4-0)
NBA Championship
Minneapolis Lakers d. Syracuse (4-2) No wonder I’m a Laker fan. It was destiny!
Stanley Cup
Detroit d. NY Rangers (4-3)
Wimbledon
Women: Louise Brough d. M. duPont (6-1 3-6 6-1)
Men: Budge Patty d. F. Sedgman (6-1 8-10 6-2 6-3)
Kentucky Derby Champion
Middleground
NCAA Basketball Championship CCNY d. Bradley (71-68)
NCAA Football Champions
Oklahoma (10-1-0)
World Cup

Uruguay d. Brazil (2-1)

Entertainment

Events
  • Saturday morning children's programming begins.
  • Phonevision, the first pay-per-view service, becomes available.
  • Broadway classic Guys and Dollsdebuts at the 46th Street Theatre and becomes an instant hit. The show ran for three years and became one of the Great White Way's longest-running shows, with 1,200 performances.
  • Charles Schulz introduces thePeanuts comic strip.
  • Movies
    • Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve, Born Yesterday, The Third Man
    • Books
      • Col. David C. Schilling (USAF) makes the first nonstop transatlantic jet flight in 10 hours and 1 minute (Sept. 22). Background: Famous Firsts in Aviation
      • The first Xerox machine is produced.
      • The first self-service elevator is installed by Otis Elevator in Dallas.
      • Richard Lawler (US) performs the first successful kidney transplant at Loyola University. Background:Health & Nutrition
      • Nobel Prizes in Science

        Chemistry: Otto Diels and Kurt Alder (both Germany), for discovery of diene synthesis enabling scientists to study structure of organic matter

        Physics: Cecil Frank Powell (UK), for method of photographic study of atom nucleus, and for discoveries about mesons

        Physiology or Medicine: Philip S. Hench, Edward C. Kendall (both US), and Tadeus Reichstein (Switzerland), for discoveries about hormones of adrenal cortex

        Deaths

llinois Dem defiant after arrest history surfaces

It never ceases to amaze me what scumbags run for public office. They usually get busted for their bad deeds way after the fact (as demonstrated here), but generally are unrepentant and even defiant.

Cohen arrested in 2005 for allegedly holding a knife to a girlfriend's throat

Excerpt:

A political newcomer who won the Democratic nomination for Illinois lieutenant governor said he has no intention of leaving the race after details emerged about his arrest for allegedly holding a knife to his former girlfriend's throat.

Scott Lee Cohen struck a defiant tone even after running mate Gov. Pat Quinn predicted he would have to leave the race. Cohen said people should wait for all facts to become known.”

AP PHOTO: According to the Chicago Tribune, police records show Scott Lee Cohen's (above) former girlfriend has been arrested for prostitution. He has denied hitting her and says their relationship was "tumultuous."

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Iran sends mouse, worms, turtles into space

An image taken from Iran's  Press TV shows a Kavoshgar 3 rocket being launched on Wednesday. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh / EPA

President: ‘Scientific arena is where we could defeat (West’s) domination’

“TEHRAN, Iran - Iran announced Wednesday it has successfully launched a 10-foot-long research rocket carrying a mouse, two turtles and worms into space — a feat President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said showed Iran could defeat the West in the battle of technology.”

Go here to read the whole story.

It's Time to Pay Up Donnie!

It's looks like there will be some prime real estate going on the market soon in New York City. Convicted rapist and former president ...