American Idol : Two Boys Down, Three To Go

This photo shows the Top 9 of American Idol, but Paul Jolley on the far right left the show on Thursday and became the second boy to go home.

 

It was no surprise that another boy was sent home on the results show of American Idol last Thursday. Paul Jolley became the second boy in a row, to be sent home in Season 12.

This is looking more and more like the years of the girls on American Idol. They are so much better than the boys, that if a boy wins I will be completely shocked.

I have honestly tried to like Nicki Minaj, but when she asked Paul Jolley if he was jolly, then said his song was terrible it just shows how insensitive she can be. Why say something nice about a contestant, then rip his singing in the next sentence? Nicki plays favorites and that has been clear this season. I don’t mind her criticizing the contestants, but she could do it with a little more respect.

There is no way that Amber Holcomb should have been in the bottom three, but my poll a couple of weeks ago sort of gave an indication she does not have a strong fan base.

The results of my poll from the March 13 blog shows the results, with 69 voters in the poll as of this minute:

Angie Miller – 34 votes, 49.28 percent

Candace Glover – 12 votes, 17.39 percent

Kree Harrison – 11 votes, 15.94 percent

Lazaro Arbos – 4 votes, 5.8 percent

Janelle Arthur – 4 votes, 5.8 percent

Amber Holcomb - 2 votes, 2.9 percent (Have no idea why Amber received only 2.9 percent for her 2 votes, while Curtis received 3 percent for his 2 votes.)

Curtis Finch – 2 votes, 3 percent ( Was eliminated last week)

Burnell Taylor, Devin Velez and Paul Jolley ( Was eliminated on Thursday) received no votes.)

The poll showed 5 girls in the first 6 positions.

Lazaro Arbos is being touted by Vote For the Worst website as their poster boy. They are seeking to make Lazaro into another Sanjaya Malakar, who lasted much longer than he should because of the support from the website.

Speaking of Lazaro, there was some confusion over when he learned the song, with him saying he learned it the night before the live show, while Jimmy Iovine claimed he had the song for many days.

Some of the contestants didn’t seem to be very knowledgeable about the Beatles, as some didn’t even know of the song they picked.

It was good to see Jessica Sanchez and Casey Adams again, as they sang for the audience. It looks like both of them could go far in music.

Casey Adams released an album last June, that is currently No.16 among albums on Amazon. Most of the songs are original, with the exception of a duet with Haley Reinhart of the Ray Charles classic Hit the Road Jack. Samples of the songs can be heard in these clips:

http://www.amazon.com/Casey-Abrams/dp/B007WCJQU4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1364058797&sr=8-3&keywords=casey+adams

It is looking like Candace Glover, Angie Miller and Kree Harrison are the top three contestants this season. I think Amber Holcomb belongs up there with them, but her voting base needs to strengthen to become a factor in the voting.

I don’t think anyone was surprised to see the judges decide not to use their save on Paul Jolley. I doubt if they will use on any of the boys, since they may need it to save one of the girls.

OTHER AMERICAN IDOL NEWS

Katy and Kris Allen are expecting a baby boy later this year.

 

Kris Allen and his wife Katy were involved in a car accident in January, which left Kris unable to play the guitar due to a broken wrist. However, they now have some good news, with the announcement that they are expecting a baby boy later this year….The ratings for American Idol continued to dip, as the performance show on Wednesday only drew 12.94 million. The performance show from the previous week had attracted 13.44 million viewers. The 11.65 million viewers watching the Thursday results show was the lowest number of viewers for any show in Season 12….Grey’s Anatomy topped American Idol last Thursday night for the first time ever.

The Voice starts on Monday, which could cause further erosion for American Idol. Viewers may be burned out after watching The Voice for a couple of nights, then face two more nights of singing competition on American Idol. This will be a real test, that tells us what direction American Idol is going.

John Mayer has announced that Phillip Phillips winner of Season 11 will be opening for his next tour. Phillip Phillips seems to be one of the more successful American Idols….There has not been a girl voted the American Idol, since Jordin Sparks won in 2007….Aubrey Cleland won out over Charlie Askew as the 11th member of the American Idol tour this summer.

Nicki Minaj has angered the other judges during the auditions, when showing up late for the shows. I have always heard that Mariah Carey was a diva, but it appears Nicki is even more of a diva.

http://popcrush.com/nicki-minaj-said-to-be-the-biggest-diva-on-the-american-idol-set/

 

 

 

 

 

Do We Really Need Women in Combat?

American women soldiers could find themselves in combat situations, as early as May as the services have until then, to implement plans for using them in combat.

I may be in the minority, but am not in favor of having women in combat, especially when a husband and wife are both in a combat situation. I hate to think of kids growing up without a mother, because they died on a battle field.

Now that the Pentagon has approved using women in combat there is concern about their safety. However, there may be some cases in which a woman would react better, in a combat situation than some men. I still can’t condone a woman having her life in jeopardy.

A Los Angeles Times poll shows that those polled favored women in combat, with 66 percent favoring women in combat, while only 26 percent were against it. The following article says there was little difference in how the men and women voted in the poll.

Those 65 or older that were polled favored women in combat by 52 percent, with 36 percent being opposed. Those younger than 50 favored women in combat with 72 percent in favor of women in combat.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-poll-women-military-combat-20130129,0,6439618.story

After reading the poll results it places me squarely in the minority. My post has nothing to do, with whether women or men make better soldiers. I just don’t like the idea of mothers and daughters being in combat situation. It is bad enough to lose a father or brother in combat, but I don’t want to think about losing my mother, if she was still alive or one of my three sisters on the field of combat. I am particularly worried about women, who become prisoners of war and subject to the mercy of their captors.

Readers are welcome to agree or disagree with me, since this is my opinion only and not those of anyone else.

Memories of a Lifetime: 2001-2005

Grandson Mark Geisel who was born one day after my birthday.

 

2001 – Mark Geisel was born on October 15, 2001 in Sulphur, Louisiana, while his father was the manager at the Domino’s Pizza place in Sulphur.  Mark has done very well in school and loves to read. He plays goalie and other positions on his soccer team. His red hair goes back a long way in family history. My mom had a red-headed brother, that was born in the 1920′s or 1930′s. My mom had two red-headed sons and a red-headed daughter and a daughter with auburn hair. I was the black sheep of the family with black hair.

We moved to Gibbons Street about this time and then moved to Linda Drive later that year in the Kingsville area.

September 11, 2001 – A day that will live in infamy.

 

September 11, 2001 was a day that none of us will forget. I had called the mechanic that morning checking on our car in his shop. He asked me if I had the television on and that is when I found out about the horrific events of that day. The memory of those planes slamming into the twin towers of the World Trade Center will forever be ingrained in my memory.

I couldn’t comprehend how four planes could be hijacked the same morning and that day let us know how lax our airport security was at the time. The nation was in chaos at the time, with aircraft being grounded all over the country. It was eerie hearing about passengers on these planes talking to loved ones, on their cell phones telling, about the horrors of what they were experiencing and then knowing those same people on the cell phones died a violent death minutes later.

It is difficult to believe that September 11 of this year will be the 12th anniversary of that horrific day.

The “War on Terrorism” begins with the invasion of Afghanistan.

Dale Earnhardt dies during a crash in the last lap of the Daytona 500.

Richard Reid known as the “shoe bomber” attempted to blow up an American Airlines plane.

The first iPod was released and Wikipedia was launched on the internet.

The average rent jumped $40 from $675 in 2000 to $715 in 2001. The price of a gallon of gas jumped from $1.26 in 2000 to $1.41 in 2001. A loaf of bread cost $1.82.

2002 – My favorite memory of this year was the 40th class reunion of Pineville High School. I had never attended a reunion until 2002. If I was scheduled to work on the day of reunion, then I would usually work, but this year I made sure I had that week off, so I could attend. It was great seeing classmates from the 1962 class, for the first time in many years. I hadn’t run into some of them even though they had never left Pineville. The saddest part of the reunion was when the members of our class that had passed on were mentioned in a Power Point presentation, with Duane Yates singing the Lord’s Prayer in the background. Sadly Duane died before our 50th reunion in 2012. Seeing the teachers and students from 1962 again made this a special time in my life.

The price of gasoline escalated to $1.61 a gallon, a 36 cent a gallon rise since the $1.26 gasoline of 2000, which was two years earlier.

 

2003 – This turned out to be the last full year that I worked at the Alexandria Town Talk newspaper. The paper was never the same, after it was acquired by the Gannett Corporation. The Christmas bonus we had received while the paper was owned by the Smith family and the Central Newspapers chain was the first thing to go, under the auspices of the Gannett mega corporation. That $150 we had received each Christmas was now a thing of the past, as was the free newspapers for employees.

Iraq is invaded on March 19 by the United States military.

Saddam Hussein is captured by the U.S. 4th Infantry Division.

Gasoline prices jumped to 1.83, a jump of 57 cents a gallon since 2000.

 

2004 – My 36 years at Town Talk and 38 years in newspaper production ended in 2004, when I retired with my last day of work being Halloween night. I spent most of my working life at Town Talk. In fact it was my first job after returning from Vietnam in 1966. I had seen my pay go from $1.40 an hour in 1966 to $13.50 an hour in 2004. Still I never took home more than $28,000 in any year, that I worked for the Town Talk.

We had a traumatic event  this year when my stepson Justin was sleeping in the den and was woken by a burglar, who was rifling through cabinets and drawers, while looking for painkillers. Neither Justin or the burglar knew anyone else was in the house. Thankfully, Justin thought the burglar was a relative, who told Justin he was taking stuff because his mom owed him money.

A few days before the burglary a man had knocked on our door and wanted to know if anyone lived in the trailer next door. Evidently, he was casing the house and had a timeline of when my wife Rhonda and me would be at work. Anyway he had left, about 30 minutes before I arrived home from work that night.

Justin followed him from room to room and the burglar told him to tell his mom, that he would return the next night. The burglar did have an encounter with our cat, when the cat bit him and the burglar said “ouch”. The burglar would be later caught due to his own stupidity. He overdosed and the paramedics noticed painkillers all over his trailer, which included some painkillers my wife had in our house, after having major surgery. He lived only about five houses up the street from us and was arrested for burglary and sent to prison.

Facebook was launched in 2004 and was originally only for students at Harvard University.

Strongest earthquake in 40 years hits near Indonesia and the earthquake and resulting tsunami would take 290,000 lives.

Martha Stewart is convicted of felony and sentenced to five years in prison.

Gasoline continued to skyrocket to $2.10 an increase of 84 cents a gallon from the year 2000. Oil peaked at $50 a barrel in 2004.

 

2005 – I returned to work in 2005, when I was hired as a caregiver by Louisiana Community Care in Ball, Louisiana. Sometimes I would start a shift at 8PM and would finish the shift at 8:30 AM the next morning. It wasn’t hard work, but it was detail work, that required a set schedule of administering medicine. I found out later in Tennessee, that anyone administering medicine in Tennessee was required to take a course and pass a test to give meds to a client. However, Louisiana required no certification to give meds. I was giving meds my first night. There was a voluntary meds certification, but it wasn’t required at this time.

Later that year I went to work for Plasti-Pak in Kingsville area and I learned how much work is involved with factory work. I operated a box making machine for Procter and Gamble products the first night there. We went to work at 6:45 PM and the shift would end at 7:15 the next morning, so we would get a full 12 hours per shift, with a half hour break to eat. It was tiring and exhausting work and dangerous work. I back over my foot with a hand truck, which resulted in losing two toenails. I bought steel-toed boots the next day. It was a temp job with Westaff and the job played out soon and I was one of first laid off, since I was one of the last ones hired.

Then I went to work for Coastal Culvert operating out of Eunice, Louisiana. It was the easiest job of my life, after working the hardest job of my life at Plasti-Pak. My job was to be the manager of a new Alexandria branch for the company. My main job was to check inventory of the culvert pipes outside the office. I had to call the Eunice office each morning, to verify I was at work. Then I would read the paper, listen to old-time radio shows or watch Andy Griffith shows on the DVD player till it was time to go home that afternoon. The job lasted from November till February of 2006, before they decided to close down the Alexandria office, since there was little to no business.

I can’t say enough good things about the Coastal Culvert executives. They invited me to their annual Christmas dinner and they gave me a $100 Christmas bonus, even though I had been there less than a month.

Some of the damage from Hurricane Katrina seen the day after.

The major event of 2005 in Louisiana is when Hurricane Katrina hit the southern coast of Louisiana and a break in the levee resulted in 80 percent of New Orleans being flooded. 1,577 died from Katrina in Louisiana. Many New Orleans residents waited five days for food and  water to arrive in the city. It was a colossal case of bad planning by government officials, who let people go for days without food or water.

Katrina didn’t cause much damage in Alexandria-Pineville area, but Hurricane Rita was a different story as many trees fell on houses in the area, with fallen trees closing roads.

Lance Armstrong won an amazing seventh Tour de France championship, as he demonstrated how he could live better through chemistry.

Video gamers saw the Microsoft X-Box 360 launched in 2005.

The price of gasoline climbed to $3.18 in 2005 an increase of almost $2 a gallon from the $1.26 price of 2000.

 

 

 

 

Stuckey’s: Roadside Landmark in America

Stuckey’s was a place where you could fill up with gasoline, go to restrooms and shop for souvenirs and the famous Stuckey’s pecan candy.

There was their famous pecan log rolls, pecan divinity and of course pecan pralines. I have to debate with myself whether my favorite was the divinity fudge or the pralines.

First Stuckey’s Physical Building Opened in 1937

The first Stuckey’s building was opened in 1937 and expanded into 350 stores. Stuckey’s merged with Pet Milk in 1967 and the 350 stores dwindled into 75, during the Pet Milk operation of the company. Most of the Stuckey’s stores sold Texaco gasoline back then.

William S. Stuckey Sr., got the idea for the company when he had a bumper crop of pecans in 1930. His wife went to work in the kitchen and experimented with different candy recipes, which were the main drawing card for Stuckey’s, when they opened their first physical store in 1937.

Box of Stuckey’s Pecan Pralines on display.

After the fortunes of the company declined during the Pet Milk ownership period, the son of Stuckey, who was U.S. congressman William S. Stuckey restored the Stuckey’s name by purchasing the company and there are now 200 Stuckey’s in the United States at the present time.

Stuckey’s are found as far north today as Connecticut, but surprisingly there are no stores in either New Jersey or New York. Most of the stores are concentrated in the southern states, but there are stores in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Indiana.

Stores are only located in 20 of the 50 states. I was surprised recently to see a Stuckey’s returning on a trip to Houston and the store sold gasoline, souvenirs and had a Popeye’s Fried Chicken place inside the store. There are nine Stuckey’s located in Texas, but the only Stuckey’s in Louisiana according to their website is a store in Opelousas.

It was exciting to see signs for Stuckey’s, since we knew we could get off the road for a while, while we browsed the souvenir shop and found candy to munch on as we continued on down the highway. It is great to know the company still exists 56 years after our 1957 trip from Louisiana to our eventual destination of Maine to visit my uncle and aunt and their family.

Stuckey’s has had its ups and downs since the first store was opened in 1937, but it is good to know, that the company is thriving again, now that the Stuckey family once again own the stores. We want to thank them for restoring our memories of that 1957 trip, when Stuckey’s were a mainstay on the U.S. highway system.

Heroes of D-Day Recount Experiences

 

Soldiers about to leave landing craft on D-Day on June 6, 1944.

The photo above makes me wonder what these soldiers were thinking, before leaving the landing craft on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Some of them would be dead minutes later, as they came under intense German gunfire from beyond the beach. They could see their fellow soldiers being shot, before they even left the landing craft.

I saw a PBS program about veterans returning to Normandy, France and telling their stories of what they experienced that day. One soldier was helping wounded soldiers, but then was hit himself several times. He had just told another soldier that he was too weak to help with the wounded soldiers and at that moment the other soldier was hit by a bullet that went in one side of his head and exited on the other side.

He assumed the soldier had died, but he encountered him at an Army reunion later and saw the man and his wife there. He told him that he thought he was dead and the other soldier thought the other soldier was dead. So both soldiers, had thought the other soldier was dead, when in fact both had survived their wounds from D-Day.

A 18 year old soldier on D-Day would be 86 years old today. The 70th anniversary of D-Day will be held on June 6, 2014. Any soldier that was 30 or older that day, probably would have died by that date.

Even though President Roosevelt had declared war on Germany on December 8 of 1941, it would be two-and-a- half years before American forces entered the European theater.

The French civilians on the program today, are still thankful for the Americans freeing them from German rule. They spoke of passing the torch to each generation of  the French people, to let them know that the American soldiers, were the reason that they regained their freedom.

Hitler’s harebrained military plans, enabled the Americans to gain inroads to other French cities, since he had 157 divisions on the Russian front, while having only 59 in France.

13,000 American paratroopers were dropped from the sky, as part of the D-Day invasion,  but the paratroopers were very fragmented and only 2,500 of them had joined up with their units, 24 hours after being dropped. One of the veterans on the PBS special said they wrapped up dead American paratroopers in their parachutes and buried them.

The allied forces were outnumbered 380,000 to 175,000 but still they still won the Battle of Normandy. Allied casualties at Normandy totaled close to 10,000 with 2,500 making the ultimate sacrifice for the allied forces.

Words can’t express our gratitude for the soldiers, who stepped out of their landing craft, facing death immediately and those that survived the onslaught at the beach, as they began their trek through France, as they liberated the French people, from the clutches of Adolf  Hitler.

X-Factor Finalists: Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik

 

Chris Rene, Melanie Amaro and Josh Krajcik will vie to become the first winner of X-Factor in its inaugural season. The three singers will compete this week with the winner being announced on Thursday, Dec. 22.

The best singer remaining in the running, for the coveted $5 million recording contract, in my estimation is Melanie Amaro. My personal favorite is Chris Rene, since he has overcome many obstacles, to be competing to be the winner of the X-Factor. Going from being a garbage collector with a serious drug problem, to the brink of winning a $5 million recording contract, makes me want to root for him.

However, I expect to see either Josh Krajcik or Amaro take the top prize on Thursday night, on finale night. Krajcik has a powerful voice, but his mentor Nicole Scherzinger did nothing to change his stage persona or his appearance during the season. Rene changed his look during the season, due to L.A. Reid’s advice or did it on his own. Either way I think it increased his appeal. He commands the stage and seems to be enjoying entertaining the audience. Rene is by far the best entertainer, remaining in the running to win X-Factor.

Krajcik looks as unkempt as he did during the auditions and has made no attempt to clean up his look. Who would want to buy an album of his with his look, unless he changes it this week? It is sad to see a singer with such a great voice, look like he bought his clothes at a Goodwill store, with scraggly looking hair, that looks like it hasn’t encountered a brush or comb in months. I apologize to his fans for my criticism, but am only pointing this out, to say that a singer’s appearance is crucial to their success.

I look for Steve Jones to announce Amaro, as the winner on Thursday night. I still can’t believe that Simon Cowell chose four other female singers ahead of her.

Speaking of Jones, there are rumors that he will not return for the second season. He is opposite of Ryan Seacrest who seems to run a tighter ship, without all the drama. Jones has several times asked questions to singers or judges, that were emotionally distraught and refused to talk to him.

Jones seems to be obviously reading from a cue card, during X-Factor. I can’t see X-Factor bringing him back and will find a host, who is less annoying.

Shocking Eliminations

The most shocking elimination this season was when Rachel Crow was sent home, due to Scherzinger not being able to make a choice between Marcus Canty and Crow. The judges are paid to judge and her refusal to judge, resulted in Crow going home, since it was her only chance, to remain on the show.

Drew seemed to be a lock for the final three along with Crow, but Cowell’s insistence on her singing in a chair, for an entire song resulted in her being voted off the show.

The animosity between Cowell and Reid speeded up Drew’s departure from the show.

Summary of first season as of today: My personal opinion is that X-Factor went overboard, on the big production numbers. I can’t remember this many big production numbers, on American Idol. Their focus was more on the singers and not the staging of the songs.

X-Factor did well in the ratings, but didn’t come close to approaching the ratings numbers for American Idol. I look for American Idol to continue draw more than 20 million viewers in its 2012 season. Cowell had predicted 20 million viewers for X-Factor, but was 9 to 10 million off most of the season.

Jones, the host was a major distraction during the inaugural season. Know he was being hurried by producers, but then those same producers slowed down the show, by the dead air when announcing who was staying on the show.

X-Factor did alright for a first season, but it seems like they could have come up, with a better final three, than that competing on Thursday night for the big prize.

The fighting between the mentors, took the focus off the singers and onto the judges. Cowell and Reed were particularly disrespectful to the singers, in the other mentor’s tutelage.

One of the singers will have a $5 million recording contract, after the show on Thursday night. Amaro to me, has the best chance of becoming a recording star.

Richard Nixon’s First Brush With Fame In Alger Hiss Case, Career Highlights

Alger Hiss who was convicted of perjury in 1950 after a House Un-American Activites committee which included Richard Nixon sent the case to a grand jury and eventually led to his conviction.

Richard Nixon was a first term Republican congressman, from California, when he was appointed a member of subcommittee of three to investigate the Alger Hiss case. Nixon, Edward Hebert of Louisiana and John McDowell from Pennsylvania were given the job to determine whether Whittaker Chambers or Alger Hiss were giving truthful testimony.

They found enough evidence to bring the Hiss case to a grand jury, even though FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover had told them, he was told to not cooperate with the committee. The committee  investigators unearthed enough evidence, to bring the case to the grand jury.

Alger Hiss had advanced into a high position in the U.S. government, serving as an assistant to Secretary of State Edward Stettinus. Hiss accompanied Stettinus,to the Yalta Conference in February of 1945. The purpose of the conference ,was for President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill, to plan the defeat of Adolf Hitler, which came a couple of months after the conference.

Hiss would later be found to have given intelligence to the Russians as early as the 1930′s. The fact that reached such a high standing, in the American government is troubling. It was alarming at the support he received from top government officials during his trials.

Chambers would produce five rolls of micro-film, which would become known as the “Pumpkin Papers”, since Chambers had hidden them inside a pumpkin.

This website has extensive information about the Pumpkin Papers:

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/hiss/pumpkinp.html

Grand Jury Indictment, Two Trials

A grand jury indicted Hiss on two perjury charges, but he wasn’t charged with espionage, because of the statute of limitations. Hiss then went to trial on May 31, 1949 and ended in a hung jury on July 7 of the same year.

The case against Hiss seemed to take a turn for the worse, when the key government witness, Chambers admitted he had given false testimony in the past. Hiss had friends in high places, in President Harry Truman, who called the trial a “red herring” and Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, who thought Hiss was innocent.

The second trial which started on May 17, 1949 ended on November 17, 1949 and it ended on January 21, 1950.

Typewriter Key Evidence

The key evidence against Hiss was that experts identified his typewriter, as the one which had been used to type stolen documents, then the top-secret papers were given to the Russians. Hess claimed until he died, that he had been framed and that the government, had committed forgery with his typewriter, to make it appear the documents, had been typed on his Woodstock typewriter.

Hiss Receives Five Year Sentence

Alger Hiss was convicted of two counts and sentenced to five years in prison, on January 25, 1960, on two perjury counts. He would be released 44 months later on November 27, 1954.  Ironically, Hiss would be allowed to practice law in Massachusetts d on August 5, 1975. Hiss died on November 15, 1996 in New York City, claiming his innocence to the end.

Richard Nixon handout from his first Congressional election in 1946 in California which he won.

Nixon Rises to National Prominence

Richard Nixon made the most, of his first national exposure and would be elected a U.S. Senator from California in 1950. Two years later in 1952 he would be chosen to be the vice presidential candidate in the 1952 presidential election in which Dwight D. Eisenhower would become the first Republican president, since Herbert Hoover left office in 1929. Nixon would serve as vice president until 1961.

Checkers Speech

Nixon would make the headlines many times in the future. Nobody who was around back then, can forget his “Checkers” speech, when he addressed questions about his campaign finances.

Nixon Attacked in Peru, Venezuela

He would make news again when he confronted anti-American demonstrators in Peru, then his limousine would be attacked in Caracas, Venezuela, with both events in 1958.

Kitchen Debate With Khrushchev

Who can forget Nixon’s famous “Kitchen Debate” with Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev, over the merits of capitalism and communism in 1959?

Lost 1960 Presidential Election

Nixon would win the Republican nomination. in 1960, but after a poor performance in the first presidential debate, would lose the presidential election, to John F. Kennedy by a slim 120,000 votes.

Loses By 300,000 Votes in California Governor Race

Many wrote the obituary for Nixon’s political career, when he lost to Gov. Pat Brown in the 1962 gubernatorial race, by a margin of 300,000 votes.

Rises From the Ashes in 1968

After his loss in California, Nixon practiced law and supported 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater, then supported 1966 congressional candidates. He was nominated to be the 1968 Republican candidate, while Senator Hubert H. Humphrey was nominated by the Democrats, at a tumultuous convention, in Chicago due to demonstrations, by anti-Vietnam war protesters in the streets of Chicago. Nixon wins by a half million votes over Humphrey.

Wins Overwhelming Victory in 1972

Nixon would win every state except Massachusetts and the District of Columbia, in an overwhelming victory over Democratic candidate George McGovern.

President Gerald Ford, Betty Ford, Pat Nixon and former President Richard Nixon walk toward helicopter, that would leave with them for the last time on August 9, 1974 after his resignation.

Watergate Ends His Political Career

Five men broke into the Democratic National Convention offices, in the Watergate Hotel on June 17, 1972. There was no reason for the break-in as Nixon won the 1972 presidential election easily.

Nixon would use every political trick imaginable to cover up, White House involvement with the cover-up of the break-in. Nixon’s tactic was to deny, deny and deny some more, that the White House was involved. His own taping system in the White House came back to haunt him. We will never forget his famous “I Am Not A Crook” speech, but eventually admitted he was a crook by leaving office in disgrace, becoming the first president to resign from office. We can only imagine, what Nixon and his wife were feeling as the helicopter, left the White House grounds, for the last time.

 

X Factor USA: Final 12 Chosen While Judges Spar With Each Other

Melanie Amaro, who was given a second chance by Simon Cowell advances to final 12 last night on the U.S. version of X-Factor on FOX.

GIRLS

Simon Cowell made a colossal mistake, by sending Melanie Amaro home, during the week the singers sang, at the homes of the judges. How he could send Melanie home, before Tiah Tolliver and Simone Battle was puzzling to say the least, especially considering that Simone had not forgotten a few words from her song at boot camp, but the entire song.

To his credit, Simon did reconsider and went to Florida to tell Melanie, that she was back in the competition. Melanie in my opinion, was the best singer among the 17 acts that sang last night.

By the time the show was over last night, Simon had sent Tiah Tolliver and Simone Battle home. Drew Ryniewicz who will also be in the final three girls, will be known as Drew for the rest of the season. Rachel Crow sang well and was her usual cute self, insuring her inclusion in the top three girls.

BOYS

Phillip Lomax was sent home, leaving Brian “Astro” Bradley, Chris Rene and Marcus Canty, as the three remaining boys in the competition. Personally, I liked Phillip singing Frank Sinatra music, but L.A. Reid seemed to be more interested, in singers that sing more current  music. Astro did an excellent job in his rap song and he and Marcus Canty were clearly the best boys singers last night. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chris Rene in danger of going home next week.

L.A. Reid must not be a country music fan, as he sent home Skyelor Anderson and Tim Cifers after the auditions at the home of L.A. Reid. Lomax was my favorite singer coming into last night’s show, since he sings the music from my generation. L.A. clearly favors rap over the other music genres.

GROUPS

Paula Abdul made the right choice by sending the Brewer Boys home. The Stereo Hoggz should have an excellent chance, of being in the final four this season. Their version of Try a Little Tenderness, showed their versatily.

The two groups that were thrown together InTENsity and Lakoda Rayne will return the next week with The Stereo Hoggz. The two new groups sang well, but not sure if they can outlast, the more polished, Stereo Hoggz which have what it takes, to go a long way this season.

The Brewer Boys wouldn’t have won on the final show, so it was just as well, that they were sent home. Paula did an excellent job with the choreography.

OVER 30′S

It was no surprise that Dexter Haygood was sent home during last night’s show. Nicole Scherzinger really liked Dexter but she knew he was not in the class of  Josh Krajcik, who really needs a name change bad, possible shortening his name to Josh. Le Roy Bell and Stacy Francis are a combined 102 years old, but still were better than Dexter. Matter of fact, it seemed like Dexter was sort of confused,  after being told he was going home.

Josh is the best bet, to be the last over 30′s singer remaining later in the season. He may not be the best looking of the three remaining singers, but his voice really stands out from the others.

OVERVIEW OF LAST NIGHT’S SHOW

The biggest difference between American Idol and X-Factor, were the production numbers during many of the songs. The music was too loud in some of the songs, overwhelming the singers, during some points in the songs. After all it is a singing competition, not a competition to vote on best production numbers.

Another difference was the quibbling between the judges, on songs chosen by the other judges, assuming the songs were picked by the judges. L.A. Reid and Simon Cowell seemed to have their own personal vendetta going on between each other. It  may have been genuine disagreement, but can’t help wonder, if the producers were trying, to create drama, to spark interest in the show.

At one point Simon called Nicole and Paula Squiddley and Diddley, while on another occasion Simon praised Paula for her work with the groups.

There was very little quibbling between the judges on American Idol and wonder how viewers perceive the bickering among judges on U.S. version of  X-Factor.

MY FAVORITES TO WIN THIS SEASON

My favorites to be the best in their category this season are:

Boys: Marcus Canty

Girls: Melanie Amaro

Groups: The Stereo Hoggz

Over 30′s: Josh Kravitz

This is probably too early to make a list, but wouldn’t be surprised if these singers are the final four for the season. Kravitz probably will need a makeover, before the season is over. He has the voice to win, but he doesn’t look like a winner.

Rachel Crow’s cuteness, might take her a long way, but she is no match, for the powerful voice of Melanie Amaro.

X-FACTOR RATINGS FOR LAST NIGHT

X-Factor attracted ten percent more viewers than last week, in the first live show on Fox last night. 11.8 million viewers watched the show, which placed the show in fourth place for the night.  The show still had stiff competition from CBS which drew 19 million viewers for NCIS and 15.9 million viewers for NCIS LA.

Dancing With the Stars was the third most watched show last night with 13.8 million viewers.

X-Factor should do better in coming weeks, as there should be no more scheduling shifts, due to the World Series, which probably affected the ratings.

I think even Simon Cowell realizes that X-Factor will not come close, to drawing more viewers than American Idol, but he would like to see the numbers improve from where they are now.

Jack Webb: From Dragnet to Adam 12 to Emergency

Jack Webb 1920-1982

Jack Webb was born on April 2, 1920 in Santa Monica, California. He died at the age of 62 on December 23, 1982 in West Hollywood California.

His father left home before Webb was born and he never knew his dad. He joined the Army Air Force but asked for a hardship discharge after not making the grade in flight training.

Acted in Old Time Radio

Webb starred in an ABC radio comedy the Jack Webb Show in 1946. He then starred in several detective themed old-time radio shows. Pat Novak For Hire, Johnny Modero, Pier 23 and Jeff Regan, Investigator which were his best known radio programs prior to Dragnet.

His big break came when Dragnet was first broadcast on radio in 1949, then would run till 1954. Webb portrayed Sgt. Joe Friday as a no-nonsense detective, who didn’t mince words.  The television version of Dragnet began televising in 1952 with Ben Alexander cast as Detective Frank Smith, concurrently with the radio version till 1954, when the radio series ended. The televised version would remain on the air till 1959. There was a radio or television version of Dragnet  being heard or seen for ten continuous years.

Webb loved jazz and starred in Pete Kelly’s Blues which on radio for less than two months, but would be the predecessor to the film version, of Pete Kelly’s Blues released in 1955. Then Pete Kelly’s Blues was also shown on television in 1959, but only 13 episodes were aired, before it was cancelled.

Dragnet also had a presence in radio, television and movies and it was successful in all three forms of media. A new television version of the original Dragnet named Dragnet 1967 ran till 1970 with Harry Morgan portraying Officer Bill Gannon.

Jack Webb grew up with severe asthma yet was a heavy smoker as can be seen by this advertisement mentioning that he smoked two packs a day. Smoking two packs a day today would cost roughly $180 a month.

Webb became so involved in production, that he wasn’t seen on the television screen often. He created Adam 12 which ran from 1968-1975 and  Ohara, U.S. Treasury which was shown from 1971-1972.

Julie London former wife of Jack Webb and her husband Bobby Troup on Emergency television program that aired on NBC.

Jack Webb showed he had no animosity toward his former wife Julie London, by hiring her and her husband to appear in his Emergency television program.  They appeared in but two of the 133 episodes that were aired.

Webb was married to Julie London from 1947-1953. He then married Dorothy Towne from 1955-1957, Jackie Loughery from 1958-1964. He widowed his last wife who he was married to from 1980-1982.

Jack Webb was working on a third television version of Dragnet with Kent McCord from Adam 12 lined up to be his partner, but died of a heart attack at 62.

Chief Daryl Gates of the Los Angeles Police Department retired Badge 714 after his death and Mayor Tom Bradley ordered all flags to flown at half-mast in his honor. He would be buried with a replica Badge 714.

Jack Webb’s tombstone is typical of Webb. There is no huge ornamental tombstone, but a plain tombstone, with his name and his life span.

This article written by Ben Alexander, gives us a better idea of  what the real Jack Webb was like. This paragraph tells me all I need to know about Jack Webb. I am inserting it here for those who may not have time to read the article:

Look at Victor Rodman. He had been disabled in an accident, and one of Jack’s joys about creating “Noah’s Ark” was the chance it gave him to employ Victor in a role that didn’t require walking around. Jack was thrilled with “Noah’s Ark” because it gave Victor a chance to prove what a fine actor he is. And a big reason Jack is eager to revive the show is that Victor will be working again.

http://www.badge714.com/

The Internet Movie Database biography includes some interesting trivia about Jack Webb:

Was buried with full honors befitting a LAPD detective, including a 17-gun salute.

Had just over 6,000 jazz albums in his private collection.

At the height of “Dragnet’s” popularity, people would actually call the LAPD wanting to speak to Webb’s character, Sgt. Joe Friday. The Department eventually came up with a stock answer to the large volume of calls: “Sorry, it’s Joe’s day off.”

Was a huge baseball fan, and chose badge number 714 for Sgt. Friday because it was the number of home runs Babe Ruth hit.

 

Jack Webb has created a lot of shows since Dragnet, but will always remember him, telling us what department he was working out of in the police department.

The color version of Dragnet was good, but there was something special, about the black and white version of  the 50′s. Those shows seemed to be more simple.  Who can ever forget the show, about the boy who got a rifle for Christmas and accidentally shoots his friend? This is the three-part The Big .22 Rifle For Christmas episode. Part 3 is very emotional as the father talks to his dead son, telling him what he would have received for Christmas. Then to make it even more emotional, the father of the boy killed,then gives the presents for his son,  to the boy who shot his son.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMbWZZVHYZQ

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl_-TNDVb7I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–94KuSo5oM&feature=related

 

 

 

Simon Cowell Showing Softer Side in X-Factor

Simon Cowell is more mellow in his first season of his new reality series X-Factor being shown on Fox in Season One.

Simon Cowell had walked away from American Idol in May of 2010, to launch his own reality singing competition the X-Factor which debuted on Fox last month.

The 53-year-old Cowell known for his sarcastic comments, when judging American Idol contestants showed a softer side in Sunday’s episode. Each judge was to pick four acts for the live show of X-Factor. Cowell made his four choices, then realized he made a mistake, so he went to Florida to tell Melanie Amaro, a singer who he had sent home, that she was still going to be on the live shows.

Melanie was shocked to see Simon at her house. I give Cowell credit for admitting he made a mistake. However, it wasn’t really fair to the other three judges that he has five acts while they have only four each.

Fought To Keep Tiah Tolliver

In his nine seasons of American Idol, there was not a time that I recall Simon, fought to have anyone on the show. He became perturbed earlier in the auditions, when Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger refused to vote for Tiah Tolliver. Cowell became agitated and finally got his way, when Tiah advanced.

My personal opinion is that Caitlin Koch deserved to be on the live shows. So when he said he made a mistake, by choosing to keep the wrong singer,  I was hoping he would give Koch a second chance, but instead he chose Amaro to continue in the competition.

Rachel Crow Kept for Ratings

Rachel Crow is a cute kid, but I have a feeling that she was voted onto the live show, more for her personality than her singing ability. She is very likable though, which could help garner higher ratings.

So his team will consist of Rachel Crowe 13, Drew Ryniewicz 14, Melanie Amaro 19, Tiah Tolliver 19 and Simone Battle 22. Personally I liked Caitlin Koch more than any of the other four singers, but Simon apparently doesn’t like easy listening music. The surprising thing is that Cowell was complimenting her to his assistants after sang at his house.

Rooting For Over 30 Singers

It was easy to root for the over 30 singers, since I am 67 and am especially rooting for Stacy Harris 42, and Dexter Haygood 49, since they seem to be the worst off financially. However Josh Krajcik 30, may be the best singer of the above 30′s, while LeRoy Bell 60 could also give the other three, all the competition they can handle. Stacy Harris 42, has the saddest back story of the over 30′s having been told, by an ex, that she would never make it in the music business.

Chris Rene the Singing Garbage Collector

The most financially troubled of the bunch seems to be Chris Rene from the boys group, who collects garbage for the living, plus has quit a drug habit for about three months now. I am hoping that he can stay away from drugs, so he can advance in the competition.

Disappointing Ratings Hurting Fox

Simon Cowell was expecting 20 million to tune in X-Factor this season, but the show is drawing about 12 million viewers a show. This development caused Fox to drop their advertising charges, resulting in savings for the advertisers, but causing the show to lose money.

It may have been a mistake for Fox to show X-Factor during the World Series, which is on Fox. X-Factor has been shown on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at least once this season, due to conflicts with major league baseball playoff games. If fans have too much problem finding the show, it could result in even lower ratings.

Once the World Series ends, the show should gain some of the viewers, who tired of finding it in different time slots. It will also help, once the viewers find a favorite or favorites, to root for and start watching the show on a consistent basis.

My personal thought about the show, is that it will be a good show, with some very talented singers. It will be interesting how X-Factor will end the season on December 21, since there are 17 singers remaining in the show. That should mean we will see some double eliminations, during the season to pare down the competitors to two for the finale.

American Idol: Paul McDonald Marries Nikki Reed

Paul McDonald of American Idol fame and actress Nikki Reed were married on Sunday in Malibu, California.

Paul McDonald may not have won Season 10 of American Idol, but he won the heart of actress Nikki Reed. They were married in Malibu, California after having announced their engagement in June.

McDonald finished eighth on the American Idol reality show and was eliminated on April 14, 2011. He had met Reed at a Hollywood premiere and his early elimination gave them more time to see each other.

Reed has appeared in five Twilight movies, with the fifth one The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II currently in post-production.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2049967/Nikki-Reed-marries-Twilight-star-weds-American-Idol-beau-Paul-McDonald.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Neil Diamond Enters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at 70

[

Neil Diamond early in his career.

A more recent photo of Neil Diamond.

Neil Diamond was born in New York City on January 24, 1941. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2011. First thought is what took them so long to induct him, behind a band named Traffic, which was inducted in 2004. Traffic may have been a great group, but I can’t recall the name of even one of their songs, or band members and wasn’t even sure what they looked like, till I saw their photo at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website. There is no reason for Neil Diamond to wait 45 years to be inducted, after writing a No.1 song in I’m A Believer, which was also Popular Music Song of the Year in 1966.

Sweet Caroline perhaps his best known recording peaked at No.3 on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart but went platinum. Diamond had Holly Holy in 1969, Cracklin’ Rosie and 1979′s duet You Don’t Bring Me Flowers with Barbra Streisand all reach the platinum status.

Neil Diamond singing Dry Your Eyes in The Last Waltz a 1978 movie.

Cracklin’ Rosie First No.1 Hit

Diamond achieved fame as a songwriter, before recording is first No.1 hit in 1970′s Cracklin’ Rosie, which was written and sung by Diamond. Two years later in 1972 Diamond would place Song Sung Blue, in both the U.S. and U.S. Adult Contemporary categories on the record chart.

Then Diamond continuing the trend of having a No.1 hit every two years, recorded Longwell Serenade, which was a No.1 song in U.S. Adult Contemporary in 1974.

Diamond would record ten No.1 hits during his career, with the last No. 1 being Heartlight released in 1982.

Only One No.1 Studio Album

The first studio album was released by Diamond in 1966. It would be 42 years later, in 2008 when he had Home Before Dark, a studio album place No. 1 on the record chart.

No other Neil Diamond album ever went to No.1, but six of his albums were designated as multi-platinum.

Neil Diamond singing his classic Sweet Caroline.

Third Most Popular Adult Contemporary Artist

Only Barbra Streisand and Elton John have sold more albums than Diamond among all adult contemporary artists. He is still touring at the age of 70 and drawing huge crowds.

Even at age 70, Diamond was No.1 in ticket sales according to this news from Billboard.com ahead of No.2 Jason Aldean and No.3 Dolly Parton:

Neil Diamond shines at No. 1 on the latest Hot Tours ranking with $4 million in ticket sales reported by London’s O2 Arena, the final venue on his tour outing during the spring and summer.  The veteran singer/songwriter played three shows in London on July 9, 11 and 13 with a combined attendance total of 36,000 for all three nights, capping off a slate of June/July arena performances in five markets in the U.K. and Ireland.  Diamond kicked off his 2011 tour in New Zealand at the end of February and played dates in Australia and South Africa during March and April.  The European leg began in Belgium in early June.

Dubious Claim To Fame

There is one thing that Neil Diamond would probably not want to be remembered for. His America would be used as the theme song, in the presidential campaign  of Michael Dukakis, in his futile bid for the presidency in 1988.

Katie McNeil is the fiancée of Neil Diamond who announced their engagement last month via Twitter.

Neil Diamond has had an eventful year, having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, even though some thought he was drunk when he made his acceptance speech, if it can be called a speech.

His concerts are drawing huge crowds and earning millions of dollars, but even more importantly, he has announced his engagement with his manager Katie McNeil.

Diamond has been in the music business for about 50 years, but he seems as popular as ever, since his fans are still showing up in droves in whatever venues, that he appears.

X-Factor Contestants Invade Homes of Judges This Week

The remaining 32 X-Factor contestants will invade the homes of judges Simon Cowell (pictured in his home), Nicole Scherzinger, Paula Abdul and L.A. Reid.

The remaining X-Factor contestants have now been separated into groups of eight. The groups are Boys, Girls, Groups and Over 30. When it was determined that there were only five talented groups, the X-Factor producers decided to create three more groups from deserving singers, that had been eliminated.

The Tuesday October 25 show, will reveal the  16 acts remaining for the live shows. Each of the four judges will have a celebrity to help them choose the final 16 acts.

 

Rachel Crow, 13

Rachel Crow has shown she is not intimidated by large audiences, at the auditions and at least one online articles, mentions that she could be in a television show. However, right now she is focusing on being one of the final 16 singers. She reminds me of a modern-day Shirley Temple, that has a huge likability factor in her favor.

Chris Rene, 28

I am finding myself rooting for singers like Chris Rene, who earns his living as a trash collector and has fought drug addiction. He is not only a good singer, but an entertainer who really seems to feel the songs, that he is singing. He is best at rapping, but not sure how he will do if he is required to sing a ballad.

Dexter Haygood, 49

My personal favorite is 49-year-old Dexter Haygood, who was given a second chance in his first audition, after the judges didn’t particularly like him channeling James Brown in his performance, so he sang another song and wowed the judges and has a 50 percent chance of being chosen for the live show. This is probably the end of the road for Haygood, unless he makes the final 16 acts.

Stacy Francis, 42

Stacy Francis lost her father since auditioning for X-Factor. He first audition received many words of praise, from the judges. However, in her boot camp audition, she held a note way too long. Instead of impressing the judges she received criticism, but like she said, she had very little vocal training and should be able to work with the voice coach, to iron out any problems.

LeRoy Bell, 60

LeRoy Bell is the oldest contestant still in the competition, as far as I know. He has one of better voices in the competition. It all comes down to whether the judges want a 60 year, to receive the $5 million recording contract. I have a feeling he may not even make the final 16, since he is at an age where he could suddenly have medical problems.

Simone Battle, 22

It was a huge shocker that Simone Battle was chosen as one of the final 32 acts in X-Factor. Before singing in her last boot camp performance, she was going on and on, about how she was a special entertainer and stood out. Then she hits the stage and forgets ALL the words of her song, which to my knowledge has never happened, in any singing competition ever.

Despite her horrific performance, she was chosen by the judges to continue in the competition. To me, it isn’t fair to the other competitors who remembered their words.

What happened to Simon Cowell’s admonition to contestants, when he was on American Idol, to not forget the lyrics or they were gone?

Tiah Tolliver, 20

Tiah Tolliver can thank Simon Cowell, for being one of the final 32 acts chosen during Boot Camp week. Simon sees in her something, that the other judges don’t see. I can’t recall Simon ever fighting for a contestant on American Idol, the way he has fought for Tolliver.

Tora Woloshin, 22

Tora Woloshin, has something about her, tells me she could go far this X-Factor season, but with the competition she is battling, she may not make the final 16 acts. The heavily-tattooed singer wowed the judges in her first audition.

 

Tim Cifers, 30

Tim Cifers could be the only pure country singer, to make the final 16, since his voice stands out and made an impression on the judges.

The Stereo Hogzz

It would be a complete shock if the The Stereo Hogzz don’t make the final 8 groups. I look for them to stay on the show, deep into the season, maybe even as late as December and the finals.

Those shown above are just a few of the remaining acts. It was just a sampling of the remaining acts.

Judges Called And Given Categories

A highlight of the last X-Factor show last Thursday, was when the judges received a call, telling them what categories they would judge:

Simon Cowell – Girls

L.A. Reid – Boys

Nicole Scherzinger – Over 30

Paula Abdul – Groups

Learning the Contestants

Most of us are still learning the names of the remaining contestants. This list of acts at the X-Factor website shows photos of remaining acts, plus an interview with the contestants if you click on their photo, prior to the opening of Boot Camp.

http://www.thexfactorusa.com/contestants

Complete X-Factor TV Schedule

This complete schedule should be closely watched, since there are some Tuesday shows included this season, because of the World Series being shown on Fox.

The final show will be shown on December 22, so we should know the winner of X-Factor by 10PM ET on that night.

http://xfactornetwork.com/x-factor-usa-2011-schedule-35279/

Funny Tombstone Inscriptions and Photos

This tombstone leaves a message for one of the survivors saying  they really

were sick and that they would still be alive if  someone had listened to them.

Merv Griffin had a sense of humor saying on his tombstone that he

will not be right back after the message.

Mel Blanc was the voice of Porky Pig and ended cartoons

with the “That’s all folks” that is on his tombstone.

Something tells me that Houtz loved motorcycles.

Tombstones are not usually thought of in a humorous way, but the tombstones pictured above were meant by the loved ones that passed away, to leave their survivors with a smile on their face.

Teen Pregnancy Drops Off After Age 25, Other Funny Newspaper Clippings

I was looking at funny newspaper clippings, when I was astounded to find out in one, that teenage pregnancy drops off after age 25. And to think all these years I had thought it dropped off at the age of 19.

Readers can blame me for captions below the clippings.

It is amazing what you can learn in a newspaper story or advertisement.

I was thinking the same thing when I saw two men approaching me with machetes and AK-47 machine guns and a rolling pin. My only thought, was that I have to get that rolling pin away from them.

This wife decided to let a stranger decide whether she would have the cat or her husband left after they made their decision.

I think it is safe to say that this tombstone will never be sold unless someone changes their name to Hendel Bergen Heinzel.

This is major news and should have been on the front page, not in the police blotter. It wouldn't hurt to send a photographer to get a closeup of the running pot pie.

I can think of a lot of reasons to not answer this ad.

Those federal agents probably still haven't recovered from the shock of finding weapons in a gun shop.

I would think twice before going to this health clinic.

This woman has her priorities slightly mixed up.

It will take a fast talking salesperson to pull this one off.

If all else fails, blame it on the babies.

The same doctor in the ad had just spent thirty minutes telling a patient to switch from candy cigarettes to Camels.

 

You can't be too careful while using camouflaged paint.

Big Brother 13: Rachel Reilly Wins Big Brother 13, Did CBS Manipulate the Game?

Rachel Reilly shown celebrating with her boyfriend Brendon Villegas after being told she had won the Big Brother 13 reality show on the CBS network.

Rachel Reilly won Big Brother 13 in a year of surprises on the CBS reality show.

Her boyfriend Brendon Villegas, Jeff Schroeder, Jordan Lloyd and Shelly Moore cast their votes for her making Rachel a 4-3 winner with Adam Poch, Danielle Donato and Kalia Booker voting for the losing Porsche Briggs.

Rachel had won the final HOH by answering questions about the house guests in the juror house and won the questions competition over Porsche.

The turning point in the game to me was when Porsche opened Pandora’s Box and won $5,000 for herself and $5,000 for Kalia. However, by her accepting the money she unleashed the duo twist in the veto competition that week.

With Rachel and Jordan on the block, Rachel won the veto and removed herself and Jordan off the block and set in motion, for Rachel to win $500,000 last night.

Did CBS Manipulate the Game in Favor of Rachel?

Viewers of the show will wonder if the CBS producers, manipulated the game so Rachel and Jordan remain in the game longer. If Rachel had left the house that week, the ratings for the show probably would have plummeted. Rachel provided most of the drama this year, so without drama the ratings would have almost certainly dropped. Instead Big Brother 13 had some of the highest ratings in the history of the show.

Then when Rachel found Pandora’s Box during her last reign of being HOH, the prizes were good and bad, but nothing to affect the game. Rachel was stuck with the egotistical maniac Jessie Godderz, the professional wrestler while she watched Adam and the other house guests spending time with Tori Spelling. Later she watched as they went shopping for clothes outside the Big Brother house.

My question is why didn’t Rachel have an equally bad punishment, as Porsche for opening Pandora’s Box. Sure having to spend time with Jessie was punishment in itself, but nothing like the punishment Porsche received when both of her nominated house guests were allowed to be removed from the block by the duo twist, when Rachel won the veto.

Game Winnings

This may or may not be the correct total of winnings on Big Brother 13 but since it is $600,000 exactly it may correct:

Rachel Reilly –     $500,000

Porsche Briggs –    $55,000

Jeff Schroeder –     $40,000

Kalia Booker –            $5,000

Total                          $600,000

Key to Rachel Winning Big Brother 13

The key to Rachel winning was that after Brendon left the last time, that Rachel played more of a social game. She abandoned her earlier strategy, of infuriating the other house guests with her catty remarks.

Rachel fought overwhelming odds by winning HOH”s and Veto competitions, when she needed them to stay alive in the game. It may be that when Brendon left the house, that it forced her to play a different kind of game.

Porsche Briggs Wins $50,000 in Finale

Porsche Briggs won $50,000 on Big Brother 13 finale.

Porsche Briggs won second prize money of $50,000 last night to go with the $5,000 she received from Pandora’s Box for a total of $55,000 in winnings during Big Brother 13.

For most of the season Porsche was the anonymous house guest, but then later in the game, came into her own and was a fierce competitor. She finished second in many competitions, then started winning competitions near the end of the game.

Big Brother 13 Summary: Big Brother 13 started out with eight new house guests, then the duo twist was introduced and Jeff Schroeder, Jordan Lloyd, Evel Dick Donato, Danielle Donato, Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly entered the house.  Evel Dick let the house after only six days for some mysterious reason which was never revealed. It may have been just as well, since he had gall bladder surgery in the last few days, so may not have been able to finish the season anyway.

Rachel and Brendon started the game with a chip on their shoulders, playing the game way too personally. I particularly recall Cassi and Kalia trying to have a civil conversation with Brendon and he turned the whole conversation around, acting very hostile toward both of them. The worst thing is that Kalia was wanting to know if she was still included in their alliance, but by the time the conversation was over, Brendon was calling her a liar. So he lost an alliance member, by his failure to communicate with Kalia on a normal level.

Shelly and Adam seemed to be with the veterans, but then when it suited them they would switch to the other side. Danielle’s alliance with Dominic was one of the bigger mistakes of the game. All she succeeded in was causing Dominic to go home.

Kalia, instead of going along with Danielle during Kalia’s first HOH, decided to show she was her own woman and nominated Lawon, who was not a threat to anyone. Lawon was the worst player this year and a terrible competitor, but Shelly was an even worse competitor. She played further into the game, but still never won the first competition.

When Jeff left, Rachel and Jordan were left to fend for themselves, since Brendon had been nominated and evicted for the second time. Shelly was caught in a lie by Jordan and Rachel and that spelled the end for Shelly, even though she wasn’t evicted for another couple of weeks.

As stated earlier, Porsche put her alliance in jeopardy by taking the $5,000 in Pandora’s box. That is the point at which Rachel and Jordan got an extra week in the house, when it looked like either Rachel or Jordan was going home that week.

Adam talked a good game, but didn’t win anything on his own, till very late in the game. Even at the end he was talking about having to win a competition, then he would lose the competition. Men did not do well in the endurance competitions, as Danielle and Rachel won the endurance competitions.

Rachel deserved to win, even though CBS gave her some assistance with the Pandora’s Box coming into play. That wasn’t her fault since she played the cards she was dealt with and turned it into $500,000. Rachel and Brendon should now have the money for their big wedding and the money should help with Brendon’s studies as he tries for his Ph.D.

The house guests for the most part will disappear back into society, like they usually do after their season is over, with most of them never heard from again.

Two months from now, it will be difficult to even find anything about what they are doing by doing a Google search.

ONLY 9 MONTHS AND 20 DAYS TILL BIG BROTHER 14 STARTS NEXT JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jackie Kennedy Wanted to Die With JFK During Cuban Missile Crisis

Jackie Kennedy with President John F. Kennedy in background.

 

Jackie Kennedy reveals in the book ”Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy,”  that she wanted to die with her husband, President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962. She said she would rather die with him, than to leave Washington for safety.

It was clear that Jackie was a devoted wife and mother, since she would rather the family die together, than being separated at death. Her statement also reflects the seriousness of the situation, during the Cuban missile crisis. Crisis is the right word, since nobody knew how the crisis would end, until Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev ordered the missiles dismantled and returned to Russia.

The 400 page book published by Hyperion will be released on Wednesday, September 14 along with a 8 CD set of audio discs.It is already #4 in sales at Amazon, two days prior to the release.

Arthur M.  Schlesinger Jr. conducted the interviews with Jackie, starting in March of 1964, just a few months after the assassination of her husband. The taped interviews weren’t to be released for many more years. However, Caroline Kennedy, gave her consent for them to be published, in connection with this year being 50 years. since President Kennedy took office.

Jackie Calls Martin Luther King “Phony”

One of the revelations during the interviews, was that Jackie considered Martin Luther King a phony, since surveillance caught him contacting women for dates.

She had short descriptions for many other world leaders and politicians:

Charles DeGaulle, the French president: “That egomaniac”.

Indira Ghandi, future prime minster of India: “a real prune — bitter, kind of pushy, horrible woman.”

Reveals JFK’s Thoughts on LBJ, FDR

Jackie says that JFK thought of his vice president Lyndon B. Johnson this way, “Oh, God, can you ever imagine what would happen to the country if Lyndon was president?” And Mr. Kennedy on Franklin D. Roosevelt: “Charlatan is an unfair word,” but “he did an awful lot for effect.”

She had this to say of why women liked Adlai Stevenson: She suggests that “violently liberal women in politics” preferred Adlai Stevenson, the former Democratic presidential nominee, to Mr. Kennedy because they “were scared of sex.”

Of Madame Nhu, the sister-in-law of the president of South Vietnam, and Clare Boothe Luce, a former member of Congress, she tells Mr. Schlesinger, in a stage whisper, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they were lesbians.”

It was quotes like the last one, that prompted these interviews to be kept secret for 47 years.

Assassination, Extramarital Affairs Not Mentioned

Not surprisingly, there is no mention of the assassination or any extramarital affairs, that her husband was involved in. Jackie does reveal that her husband shed tears, over the Cuban missile crisis. That is only natural, considering the magnitude of the crisis, that could have ended in a nuclear war, but instead ended with the removal of the missiles from Cuba.

Listen to Jackie Kennedy In Her Own Words

These tapes let you hear in Jackie’s own words what it was like during the Cuban missile crisis, telling how she convinced her husband the president to not send her to a safe place.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/09/12/us/2011_JACKIE_CLIPS.html?scp=3&sq=jackie%20kennedy&st=cse

Should Be Best Seller

This book should sell well with the enormity, of the curiosity of both fans of  Jackie and her husband the president, but also should receive interest from their enemies who may be mentioned in the book. Jackie Kennedy, however transcends partisan politics and this book should interest those,of all political persuasions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spoilers Alert!!!!!! HOH Endurance Results From Last Night

SPOILER ALERTS!!!!

SPOILER ALERTS!!!!

DO NOT READ THIS ARTICLE 

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW

HOH ENDURANCE RESULTS  TILL

WEDNESDAY’S FINALE SHOW

Jordan Lloyd was evicted from Big Brother 13 when Porsche Briggs sent her home last night.

Porsche Briggs made an incredibly stupid game move last night, by sending Jordan Lloyd home. Why send home the worst competitor moments before the HOH endurance competition began?

Porsche’s reasoning was that Jordan had already won the half million dollars two years ago, on Big Brother 11. However by sending her home, she let a fierce competitor in Rachel remain in the game.

Then the HOH endurance started and Adam dropped after only 25 minutes. Porsche dropped before Rachel, who didn’t drop until 40 minutes into the endurance competition.

If Porsche had kept Jordan in the game, she probably would have won Part 1 of the three-part HOH competition, if Rachel had been evicted. She was so intent on evicting Jordan for winning the half million two years ago, she forgot that she was hurting her own chances of winning this year.

Porsche and Adam Play Part 2 of HOH Today

Now Porsche and Adam will play in Part 2 of the HOH competition today, with the winner playing against Rachel in the live finale on CBS, at 8:30 PM Central time next Wednesday. There will be no show on Sunday, so only one show remains in the Big Brother 13 season.

Rachel can take it easy till the live show, so has five days to study for the finale, assuming Part 3 will be questions, but that is not a certainty.

Veterans Took Control Early

The veterans took early control of the game after Evel Dick walked off the show on the sixth day. Keith, Cassi and Dominic were evicted in successive weeks, then Danielle evicted Brendon in the fourth week. Then Danielle evicted Brendon the first time on Day 34. However Brendon re-entered the house on Day 41, battling Lawon for the chance to re-enter the house and Brendon won, which sealed Lawon’s fate, evicting him from the game.

Danielle was evicted the following week, while Jeff, Shelly and Kalia were evicted in order, then Jordan was evicted last night, leaving only Porsche, Rachel and Adam, in the final three.

Porsche Makes Huge Mistake

Porsche made one of the biggest mistakes of the season, by opening Pandora’s box. She received $5,000 and gave another $5,000 to Kalia, but she unleashed a return to the duo twist for the veto game.

Jordan or Rachel would have gone home that week, but instead Rachel won the veto and removed Jordan and herself, from the block.

Producers Manipulated Game

When the duo twist was brought back into the game to save Rachel and Jordan from going on the block, it was a move by producers to keep the TV ratings high. If Rachel had been sent home that week, the ratings would have tumbled with little or no drama in the house.

The producers did a great job of manipulating the game to garner the highest ratings. It was a given that Rachel would win the donut competition for HOH, considering the competition, since Porsche the outgoing HOH couldn’t play. Her 20 donuts doubled Kalia’s total of 10, showing that Kalia doesn’t do well in competitions that involve movement.

Five Days to Finale

The last five days will be very boring in the Big Brother house except for Part 2 of the HOH competition today. Once that is over there will be only one competition left. Rachel has already insured that she will participate in Part 3 next Wednesday.

Right now Rachel is in a great place and if she wins Part 3, she will insure that she wins either the half million dollars or $50,000. Rachel played a better social game in the last few weeks and has dropped her catty attitude, which may help her receive more votes from the jury house.

Today’s poll asks who you think will win the $500,000 this season?

 

 

Big Brother 13: Spoiler Updates Since Wednesday’s Show

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHO WAS NOMINATED FOR EVICTION BY ADAM

OR WHO WON THE POV LAST NIGHT AFTER THE SHOW

Porsche Briggs and Rachel Reilly are the strongest competitors remaining in the Big Brother 13 house and may face each other and another contestant in the HOH endurance tonight.

And then there were four….With Kalia being evicted out of the Big Brother 13 house, that left Adam, Rachel, Porsche and Jordan as the final four.

Adam won HOH before the show ended last night. Adam nominated Porsche and Jordan for eviction. It is not clear when the POV ceremony will be, but Porsche is expected to take herself off the block and Adam would be forced to replace her with Rachel going on the block.

Porsche shown ironing what may be her eviction dress for tonight's show she is expecting to be evicted tonight.

Porsche will be the only voter and she is leaning toward evicting Jordan, since she won two years ago. I can understand her reasoning, but is it smart to keep a strong competitor like Rachel in the game, who is likely going to be her toughest competitor in the endurance portion of HOH tonight.

She may make a $50,000 or $500,000 mistake by keeping Rachel in the game. She might beat Rachel if they are in the final two, but she has no guarantee of reaching the final two, so evicting Jordan who is not much of a competitor could keep her out of the money. So what if Jordan has won before….that is not a good reason to make a stupid game move of her own.

I doubt Jordan and Adam would offer much competition for Porsche in the endurance HOH, but with Rachel who is the most athletic, of any of the  three remaining contestants,  if Jordan is convicted Porsche may regret sending Jordan home, if she does.

Jury House Confrontation

Last night we saw that Jeff has not forgiven or forgotten Shelly’s part in his eviction. It used to be that the jury house was sort of oasis, in which the contestants could forget the game, but looks like that has changed this season.

You would think that with no chance of winning the game, that those in the jury house would just cool it and enjoy the swimming pool and other amenities available at the jury house.

Pandora’s Box Just A Producer’s Tool

It was never more evident that Pandora’s box is nothing more than a producer’s tool to manipulate the game when punishment inflicted on the house resulted in Rachel and Jordan staying in the game. They knew Porsche would take the money, so they switched back to the couples format for one week, to give Rachel and Jordan a chance to stay in the game.

Next thing you knew Rachel won the POV and stayed in the game. The producers didn’t want Rachel leaving the show that soon, so they took matters into their own hands. If Rachel had left then, the house would likely be a house with no drama. Fans don’t tune into the show to see no drama, because that means lower ratings, so CBS stepped in and solved that problem.

However, when Rachel opened Pandora’s Box the house didn’t receive a punishment, but instead got to talk to Tori Spelling and go on a shopping spree for clothes. Rachel got the punishment having to put up with the repugnant Jessie Godderz, who has appeared in Big Brother four times.

He has appeared twice as a contestant and twice as a Pandora’s Box booby prize. It would only be fair to unleash something detrimental to Rachel’s game, like they did to Porsche and her alliance.

I can’t recall another Big Brother season, in which CBS manipulated the show, to the extent they have this season. They have found out if they manipulate the show, that higher ratings result.

Six Days Remain Till Finale

Only six days remain till the jury decides which of the remaining two contestants wins the $500,000. If Jordan is evicted tonight, Rachel, Porsche and Adam will battle for the final two spot. Two of them will be in the money this season while the other only takes memories out of the Big Brother house, but no cash.

Jeff and Jordan should be reunited tomorrow at the jury house if she is the one evicted.

We will find out tonight what the HOH endurance contest will be this season. It could be a long night in the endurance contest or it could be over in a hurry like they have recently.

Tune in CBS at 8:00 PM for tonight’s show. President Obama’s speech should not affect the starting time of Big Brother.

 

 

 

 

 

S.H. Kress: Out of Business For 30 Years

This is the original S.H. Kress building built in the 20's or 30's before new building was built many years later on Third Street.

It seems like it was only yesterday that we were shopping at the S.H. Kress store in downtown Alexandria, Louisiana.

The original store was built on Third Street and would later be replaced by a new structure on the same street.

When we were kids, we did most of our Christmas shopping at stores like Kress where you could buy a lot of stuff with very little money.

The Christmas tree would have a lot of presents under it, but most of them would be from stores like Kress, Morgan and Lindsey and Ben Franklin.

One of my fondest memories is that of smelling the popcorn cooking in the popcorn machine in the store.

S.H. Kress stores became a center of controversy, when they refused to let blacks sit at their lunch counters and were sued numerous times for that refusal.

Part of growing up in central Louisiana were trips to the Kress store on Third Street in downtown Alexandria.

The first Kress store was opened in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania in 1887. Kress became a chain of 5-10-25 cent stores in 1896. Genesco purchased Kress in 1964 and 17 years later the company would no longer exist in the United States, and ceased operation in 1981. It missed by six years of surviving for 100 years.

Alexandria would see many other stores like Kress closed when their companies went out of business. Other chain stores that were located in Alexandria or Pineville including, W.T. Grant, Woolworth’s, Woolco, Ben Franklin, Morgan and Lindsey and many more that ended their presence in Alexandria or Pineville.

It has been thirty years now since Kress went out of the retail business. It was the same year that President Reagan took office on January 20 and would be shot in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley on March 30 of that year.

Other events that year include:

May 13 -

Pope John Paul II is shot and almost killed by a Turkish gunman inside Vatican City.

August 1 – MTV is launched.

October 6 – President of Egypt Anwar Sadat is assassinated during a parade.

December 28- Elizabeth Jordan Carr becomes the first test tube baby to be born and grew up to be a newspaper journalist.

Changes in My Lifetime: Things That Are Out of Style Now

Drive-in Movie theatre located next to a railroad track.

My home state of Louisiana has no drive-in theatres, left in existence the last time I checked. I can remember when we had the Fox Drive-in , Joy Twin Drive-in, Showtown Drive-in and Kings Drive-in located in Alexandria and Kingsville.

There are probably some others that were thriving at one time in the Cenla area.

I will never forget the speakers by the side of the car that let us listen to what the actors were saying on the screen. I remember stories of kids hiding in the trunks of cars to avoid paying to see the movies. 

Five years ago we went to a drive-in theatre in Mt. Airy, North Carolina. We saw a cartoon that night, so wasn’t too memorable, except for turning back the clock that one night, going back in time, even though the new technology let us hear the movie over the radio, if turned to a certain frequency. 

Eight track players came and left before I ever owned one.

Think most of us owned a record player before we owned a television since it

was only form of home entertainment before the radio and television in most homes.

I can still remember my dad wearing hats like these in the 50′s and

it used to be common for men to wear hats like these to baseball games.

A typical soda fountain back in the day.

There was something special about a trip to a soda fountain. Whether you bought an ice cream cone, a banana split, a root beer float, a milk shake or a sundae, it just tasted better coming from a soda fountain. I still have not found a cherry coke with the taste of a soda fountain cherry Coke.

Who can ever forget those 15 cent hamburgers at McDonalds when you could get a combo for less than a dollar. Those days are gone forever, but the memories of those days lingers on about 50 years later.

The Paramount Theater in downtown Alexandria where I watched No Time For Sergeants three times in a row without having to pay for the second and third showings.

 I can still remember kids delivering newspapers on their bikes. I also remember them selling papers on the street corners downtown. The demise of the afternoon newspaper ended for the most part the delivery of newspapers by kids as the grown-ups began to deliver papers in their cars and trucks, very early in the morning. The Alexandria Town Talk carriers would start their deliveries about 1 AM in the morning, but the last papers might not be delivered to 6 or 7 in the morning.

I know next to nothing about cigars, but am almost certain that there are no five cent cigars being sold in 2011.

The five cent cigars in the photo were apparently being sold during the 1968 presidential campaign by Senator Hubert H. Humphrey.

That campaign was 43 years ago, but it still may have been near the end of a time when cigars were being sold for five cents.

When was the last time you told a gas station attendant to “filler up”? There may be some full service gas stations still around, but they are getting harder to find all the time. The full service gasoline stations would fill your tank, wipe your windshield, check your tires and give or sell you a map, so you would know how to get to your destination. You used to get glasses or some other item when you bought gas. All you get now is high prices for gas we used to pay about 50 cents for.

I can remember selling books of 20 five cent stamps  for a dollar in the Army post office in Hawaii and Vietnam. The five cent price went into effect in January of 1963 and didn’t increase to six cents until 1968. So the five cent price stayed the same during my entire time working in the Army post office.

The penny postcard had risen to four cents by 1963. 

Today the five cent stamp of 1963 has risen to 44 cents and the $1 book of stamps is now $8.80. The penny postcard has risen to 29 cents. 

Funny Trucks

This Seattle tow truck company spells tow in a different way.

 

Guess this will work as long as one truck doesn't drive 20 MPH faster than the other.

 

"We are not taking any more passengers"

This truck never has to back up but unloading it could be a problem.

With gas the price it is these days, it may have been better to wait till five more bottles rolled off the assembly line for a full load.

 

A truck for those that can't afford four tires.

 

Predictions Made in 1950

 

The February 1950 edition of Popular Mechanics featured predictions of what products we would be using in the future.

 

Popular Mechanics magazine looked into the future and made some predictions on what life would be like in the year 2000. The writer of the article was Waldemar Kaempffert, science editor of the New York Times.

 

He predicts that the highways would be double-decked with the top deck for fast non-stop traffic, while the lower deck would be for shops alongside the highway.

 

One prediction that never materialized was the rockets that were to have flown from New York to San Francisco in two hours. A eight room house would only cost $5,000. We all know that never materialized either. Houses would not be built with wood, brick or stone in 2000, since the cost would be prohibitive, but instead built with metals and plastic.

 

Razors will be a thing of the past according to the writer, since a chemical solution will remove beards. Gillette, Schick and other razor companies are glad that prediction never came to fruition.

 

There will be no dishwashers in 2000, because dishes will be thrown away after being used. Two dozen plastic plates will cost a dollar, which isn’t too far off from the prices of 2011.

 

Soup and milk will be sold as bricks, but that never happened. Fast cooking electronic stoves will thaw a frozen steak in eight seconds and will be ready to eat in two more minutes.

 

Turning sawdust and wood pulp into foods is another prediction that went wrong. One prediction that did come true is that shopping by television, which is evident by the many products for sale on QVC and the Home Shopping Network.

 

The writer goes on to say that the housewife of 2000, will wash anything in the house with a water hose since the houses and everything inside will be waterproof. A calculator-weather forecaster machine will predict the weather.

 

Hurricanes will be stopped by igniting the water with oil. Wish it was that easy to stop a hurricane. Supersonic airplanes will travel 1,000 miles an hour. I can personally attest that this never happened since it took about two hours to fly from Houston, Texas to Knoxville, Tennessee which is about 200 miles less than 1,000 miles.

 

One prediction that has come true is the prediction that flying will be very expensive because of the high cost of fuel. The writer says a trip from Chicago to Paris would cost $5,000.

 

Families in 2000 will use helicopters, parked on their rooftop to get around fast, while the family car would be used for shorter trips of less than 20 miles.

 

Tuberculosis will have been cured by 2000. As far as I know there is no cure for tuberculosis 60 years after this article was written. Cancer will not have been cured by 2000, which is sadly the case today.

 

The prices shown in the magazine are as interesting as the predictions. The magazine shows a table saw for $15.95. Doubt if you could find one today for anywhere close to that price. Another item for sale in the magazine include a 65 pound boat for $35.

 

To read the complete article:

 

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/10/05/miracles-youll-see-in-the-next-fifty-years/?Qwd=./PopularMechanics/2-1950/next_fifty_years&Qif=next_fifty_years_00.jpg&Qiv=thumbs&Qis=XL#qdig

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Possible Casey Anthony Sighting in Orlando

Someone seen covered with a blanket was seen leaving a plane and entering the Orlando Executive Airport. This article gives some of the details.

http://www.wftv.com/news/28598791/detail.html

There is a video of the scene there on the HLN channel. The person on the video looked to be the size of Casey Anthony.

March 1, 1954: Congress Turned Into Shooting Gallery

Puerto Rican nationalists being held by police after shooting five members of Congress.

Four Puerto Rican nationalists entered the U.S. Capitol on March 1, 1954, four years after other nationalists had tried to assassinate President Harry Truman at Blair House.

The nationalists proceeded to the gallery and started shooting at the members of the House of Representatives, from the gallery. They started firing at the representatives and five of them were injured including Alvin M. Bentley (R-Michigan), Clifford Davis (D-Tennessee), Ben F. Jensen (R-Iowa), George Hyde Fallon (D-Maryland) and Kenneth A. Roberts (D-Alabama).

Lebron only pointed her pistol at the ceiling, since she didn’t want to hurt anyone but eyewitnesses said she had problems holding the gun steady and it jerked upward, while Figueroa’s pistol jammed, so Miranda and Flores were the only two shooters to hit the representatives.

The four nationalists shooting at the representatives were Lolita Lebron, Rafael Cancel Miranda, Andres Figueroa Cordero and Flores Rodriguez.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower commuted their death sentences, with each assailant being sentenced to 70 years in prison. Figueroa Cordero was the first released in 1978 due to having terminal cancer.  President Jimmy Carter released the other three in exchange for Cuba releasing CIA agents being held in Cuba. However, Carter denied this which makes it a mystery why he would release the attackers after only serving 25 years of a 70 year sentence.

It is hard to believe that the four attackers could walk into the U.S. Capitol with firearms without being detected, but this was before it was common to have metal detectors in government buildings.

Cordero asked to be immediately executed after being brought to court, but that request was denied.

American Idol: Another Reinhart on the Horizon: Angela Reinhart

Angela Reinhart and Haley Reinhart seen when Haley returned to Wheeling, Illinois for Haley's homecoming.

 

 

Haley Reinhart’s run at becoming the Season 10 American Idol is over, after finishing third, but her sister Angela has the talent to compete in Season 11 or Season 12 if she decides to enter the hit reality show.

Haley’s little sister was reportedly in the sophomore class at Wheeling High School in Wheeling, Illinois earlier this year, so by should be a junior this fall.

She not only sings well, but also accompanies herself on the guitar. I have never seen Haley play a musical instrument, but she doesn’t really need one with her voice, which took her to the next last week of American Idol this season.

Their father, Harry Reinhart mentions in the video with this article that Angela has been very supportive of her older sister Haley during her quest to be the American Idol.

After Angela finishes her first song, someone in the audience shouts “American Idol No.2″, so it is possible that she could follow in the footsteps of her sister.

Angela and Haley write songs together and perform with Midnight, the name of the family band with their father Harry and mother Patty.

Their parents met 30 years ago through their interest in music.

 

Angela Reinhart, sister of Haley Reinhart singing two songs with Midnight in April of 2011.

Just my opinion, but it seems like the music was overpowering Angela’s vocals. From what I could hear, she seems to be able to make a name for herself on American Idol if she wishes to pursue a musical career like her sister Haley.

One huge advantage with Haley as her sister, would be that Haley can help her know what to expect from the first audition to the last weeks of the competition for American Idol.

Angela Reinhart may not be a household name yet, but don’t be surprised if you see her on American Idol in the next year or two. To my knowledge, no sisters or brothers of a previous contestant have made it to the live shows.

$6,000 Toilet With Touch Screen Remote Control

The Kohler company will introduce a new $6,000 toilet later this month. The toilet will include amenities like an MP3 player and a touch screen remote control.

The innovative toilet should sell well, even at $6,000. There are too many rich people, who like to be first to have a new product, for it not to sell well.

A complete toilet and tank can be bought at Home Depot for about $55. A consumer could buy 109 of the $55 toilets for what it cost to buy the $6,000 toilet.

This link shows what the toilet looks like:

http://www.toptechreviews.net/tech-news/new-kohler-toilet-will-appeal-to-tech-saavy/

100,000th Visitor To Nostalgia and Now

Nostalgia and Now had the 100,000th visitor yesterday, since the website started, in April of 2009. After a slow start, in which only 529 visits were made to the site, in the first full month, 12,071 visits were made last month.

There was one blip in October of 2010 when there were 14,039 visitors, mostly because of an article about the death of Barbara Billingsley, the mother on Leave it to Beaver.

The average number of visits per day has risen from 14 in April of 2009, to 94 in April,2010 and is 495 so far this April.

Over the last four weeks, the number of visits per week has been 2,437, 2,720, 3,320 and 3,757.

The yearly totals have increased from 8,932 in 2009, to 60,955 in 2010 and to 30,511 in the first three months and eleven days of 2011.

None of this would be possible without the loyal readers of Nostalgia and Now.

Lately, I have had writer’s block on nostalgia, so would appreciate any readers with nostalgic ideas to send them to me at Niteowl049@msn.com

I want to thank every reader who has ever visited this website, and hope they have found something interesting.

To find the more nostalgic postings, look further back in the archives to 2009. This 2009 post about A&W Root Beer stands, is an example of the nostalgic posts:

http://nostalgia049.wordpress.com/2009/04/19/aw-root-beer-stands/

Tragic Japanese Earthquake Photos

This article from the Daily Mail in England tells the story of the earthquake in Japan so well there is nothing to add to it.

You will see a ship on a city street and a large boat that is atop a building.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366395/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-Rescuers-pick-way-apocalypse-wasteland.html

Wacky Website: Awkward Family Photos

An excited family celebrates a birthday.

The family pictured in the above photo celebrates the somber occasion of someone’s birthday. It looks as moments before the photo was snapped, they learned McDonalds had just sold their last Big Mac in store and only had salads left.

Awkwardfamilyphotos.com has hundreds of photos, that families would like to know were hidden in drawers, never to be seen again. Instead those photos, have found their way onto the internet, where they can be shared with millions of strangers.

This family of four has their eyes focused on the camera in this happy family photo.

So don’t be surprised if that photo you hoped had been destroyed shows up on Awkward Family Photos.