Last week a story of fantasy and myth became national news. Apparently a man paid an "undisclosed amount" of money to two men for what he believed was the body of the infamous big foot monster encased in a block of ice. We have since learned it is not big foot... shocker. The alleged body turned out to not be a body at all, but a rubber gorilla suit. Now the proud owner of a Halloween costume worth an "undisclosed amount" of money is seeking legal action against the scam artists. I really wish I could be in the court room when that defense attorney presents his opening statement. I have twenty bucks that says he can't do it with a straight face.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Big Foot: Big Hoax
Last week a story of fantasy and myth became national news. Apparently a man paid an "undisclosed amount" of money to two men for what he believed was the body of the infamous big foot monster encased in a block of ice. We have since learned it is not big foot... shocker. The alleged body turned out to not be a body at all, but a rubber gorilla suit. Now the proud owner of a Halloween costume worth an "undisclosed amount" of money is seeking legal action against the scam artists. I really wish I could be in the court room when that defense attorney presents his opening statement. I have twenty bucks that says he can't do it with a straight face.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Why some people should not be parents
Today I again found myself perusing the world wide web out of sheer boredom. I happened across this article from April 1 of 2008 on the New York Sun's website. I thought I would share it with you and give you yet another day off of searching the web for empty entertainment. The article is title: Why I Let My 9 Year-old Ride the Subway Alone. It reads as follows:
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"I left my 9-year-old at Bloomingdale's (the original one) a couple weeks ago. Last seen, he was in first floor handbags as I sashayed out the door.
Bye-bye! Have fun!
And he did. He came home on the subway and bus by himself.
Was I worried? Yes, a tinge. But it didn't strike me as that daring, either. Isn't New York as safe now as it was in 1963? It's not like we're living in downtown Baghdad.
Anyway, for weeks my boy had been begging for me to please leave him somewhere, anywhere, and let him try to figure out how to get home on his own. So on that sunny Sunday I gave him a subway map, a MetroCard, a $20 bill, and several quarters, just in case he had to make a call.
No, I did not give him a cell phone. Didn't want to lose it. And no, I didn't trail him, like a mommy private eye. I trusted him to figure out that he should take the Lexington Avenue subway down, and the 34th Street crosstown bus home. If he couldn't do that, I trusted him to ask a stranger. And then I even trusted that stranger not to think, "Gee, I was about to catch my train home, but now I think I'll abduct this adorable child instead."
Long story short: My son got home, ecstatic with independence.
Long story longer, and analyzed, to boot: Half the people I've told this episode to now want to turn me in for child abuse. As if keeping kids under lock and key and helmet and cell phone and nanny and surveillance is the right way to rear kids. It's not. It's debilitating — for us and for them.
And yet —
"How would you have felt if he didn't come home?" a New Jersey mom of four, Vicki Garfinkle, asked.
Guess what, Ms. Garfinkle: I'd have been devastated. But would that just prove that no mom should ever let her child ride the subway alone?
No. It would just be one more awful but extremely rare example of random violence, the kind that hyper parents cite as proof that every day in every way our children are more and more vulnerable.
"Carlie Brucia — I don't know if you're familiar with that case or not, but she was in Florida and she did a cut-through about a mile from her house … and midday, at 11 in the morning, she was abducted by a guy who violated her several times, killed her, and left her behind a church."
That's the story that the head of safetynet4kids.com, Katharine Francis, immediately told me when I asked her what she thought of my son getting around on his own. She runs a company that makes wallet-sized copies of a child's photo and fingerprints, just in case.
Well of course I know the story of Carlie Brucia. That's the problem. We all know that story — and the one about the Mormon girl in Utah and the one about the little girl in Spain — and because we do, we all run those tapes in our heads when we think of leaving our kids on their own. We even run a tape of how we'd look on Larry King.
"I do not want to be the one on TV explaining my daughter's disappearance," a father, Garth Chouteau, said when we were talking about the subway issue.
These days, when a kid dies, the world — i.e., cable TV — blames the parents. It's simple as that. And yet, Trevor Butterworth, a spokesman for the research center STATS.org, said, "The statistics show that this is an incredibly rare event, and you can't protect people from very rare events. It would be like trying to create a shield against being struck by lightning."
Justice Department data actually show the number of children abducted by strangers has been going down over the years. So why not let your kids get home from school by themselves?
"Parents are in the grip of anxiety and when you're anxious, you're totally warped," the author of "A Nation of Wimps," Hara Estroff Marano, said. We become so bent out of shape over something as simple as letting your children out of sight on the playground that it starts seeming on par with letting them play on the railroad tracks at night. In the rain. In dark non-reflective coats.
The problem with this everything-is-dangerous outlook is that over-protectiveness is a danger in and of itself. A child who thinks he can't do anything on his own eventually can't.
Meantime, my son wants his next trip to be from Queens. In my day, I doubt that would have struck anyone as particularly brave. Now it seems like hitchhiking through Yemen.
Here's your MetroCard, kid. Go.
lskenazy@yahoo.com"
.
........wow
Could someone hand me a roll of duck tape please? Because, in the words of Glenn Beck, I think my head is about to explode. But before I lay into this article, I would like to preface my response by saying that I do not doubt that this mother loves her son. I'm sure she loves him like any mother love their son. I just think she is terribly ignorant and naive.
I don't have a whole lot to say, just some general comments. I don't think I need to say too much. The article speaks for itself.
"I left my 9-year-old at Bloomingdale's (the original one) a couple weeks ago. Last seen, he was in first floor handbags as I sashayed out the door." - I'm not going to harp on this point BUT first of all, why is a 9 year old boy looking at handbags?
"Isn't New York as safe now as it was in 1963?" -No. And even if the numbers are the same, they are still astronomical. I don't think it would have been very wise to let your 9 year-old ride the subway in 1963.
"So on that sunny Sunday I gave him a subway map, a MetroCard, a $20 bill, and several quarters, just in case he had to make a call.No, I did not give him a cell phone. Didn't want to lose it." - Are you kidding me Mrs. Skenazy? You don't want to lose your phone, but you will send your 9 year old child out into the heart of the Big Apple? If you didn't trust him enough to bring your cell phone back, how did you trust him to bring himself back!?!?
"'How would you have felt if he didn't come home?' a New Jersey mom of four, Vicki Garfinkle, asked.Guess what, Ms. Garfinkle: I'd have been devastated. But would that just prove that no mom should ever let her child ride the subway alone? No. It would just be one more awful but extremely rare example of random violence, the kind that hyper parents cite as proof that every day in every way our children are more and more vulnerable." - Guess what, random violence is reduced by responsible citizens. If I walk in front of a tractor trailer doing 80 mph and get killed, that is not random. That is stupid.
"These days, when a kid dies, the world — i.e., cable TV — blames the parents. It's simple as that. And yet, Trevor Butterworth, a spokesman for the research center STATS.org, said, 'The statistics show that this is an incredibly rare event, and you can't protect people from very rare events. It would be like trying to create a shield against being struck by lightning.'" - I agree with Mr Butterworth... kind of. You can't protect your kids from everything. But you can try. Not every tragedy comes at you with the unstoppable force of a bolt of lighting. There is a line between being paranoid and being protective. There is nothing wrong with taking reasonable precautions in your parenting. Furthermore, I am not saying that parents are responsible for tragedies such as school shootings, or bus accidents. However, there are measures that parents should take to watch out for their children. And you want to know the sad fact, sometimes parents are to blame. Sometimes people don't think. Sometimes there is someone to blame.
I am not a parent, but I could think of one way that would have been a safer way to build this child's confidence in himself. How about do everything you did, but ride along with him. Hang out with him while he navigates. Have him call the shots. It would also be a great way for you to spend some time with your child. Is this really a lesson he has to learn by himself? Isn't there another way to go about doing this without putting his life in danger? Or did that just make a more interesting article for you to write Mrs. Skenazy?
People will make mistakes. Until the end of time this is a truth we have to live with. Parents will drop the ball. Does this necessarily mean they are bad parents? No. But the defining attribute of a parent is how he or she takes responsibility for their actions, and prevents future mistakes. There are more than enough cases of violence in our world today that we can learn from. As long as their are people out there who do not think they are in control of their environment, there are other people out there who will try to run it.
p.s.
It just so happens I will be in New York City for the first time this weekend. Needless to say, even I am a little nervous about challenging the infamous New York Subway. Maybe I could get this 9 year-old to be my tour guide.
.
"I left my 9-year-old at Bloomingdale's (the original one) a couple weeks ago. Last seen, he was in first floor handbags as I sashayed out the door.
Bye-bye! Have fun!
And he did. He came home on the subway and bus by himself.
Was I worried? Yes, a tinge. But it didn't strike me as that daring, either. Isn't New York as safe now as it was in 1963? It's not like we're living in downtown Baghdad.
Anyway, for weeks my boy had been begging for me to please leave him somewhere, anywhere, and let him try to figure out how to get home on his own. So on that sunny Sunday I gave him a subway map, a MetroCard, a $20 bill, and several quarters, just in case he had to make a call.
No, I did not give him a cell phone. Didn't want to lose it. And no, I didn't trail him, like a mommy private eye. I trusted him to figure out that he should take the Lexington Avenue subway down, and the 34th Street crosstown bus home. If he couldn't do that, I trusted him to ask a stranger. And then I even trusted that stranger not to think, "Gee, I was about to catch my train home, but now I think I'll abduct this adorable child instead."
Long story short: My son got home, ecstatic with independence.
Long story longer, and analyzed, to boot: Half the people I've told this episode to now want to turn me in for child abuse. As if keeping kids under lock and key and helmet and cell phone and nanny and surveillance is the right way to rear kids. It's not. It's debilitating — for us and for them.
And yet —
"How would you have felt if he didn't come home?" a New Jersey mom of four, Vicki Garfinkle, asked.
Guess what, Ms. Garfinkle: I'd have been devastated. But would that just prove that no mom should ever let her child ride the subway alone?
No. It would just be one more awful but extremely rare example of random violence, the kind that hyper parents cite as proof that every day in every way our children are more and more vulnerable.
"Carlie Brucia — I don't know if you're familiar with that case or not, but she was in Florida and she did a cut-through about a mile from her house … and midday, at 11 in the morning, she was abducted by a guy who violated her several times, killed her, and left her behind a church."
That's the story that the head of safetynet4kids.com, Katharine Francis, immediately told me when I asked her what she thought of my son getting around on his own. She runs a company that makes wallet-sized copies of a child's photo and fingerprints, just in case.
Well of course I know the story of Carlie Brucia. That's the problem. We all know that story — and the one about the Mormon girl in Utah and the one about the little girl in Spain — and because we do, we all run those tapes in our heads when we think of leaving our kids on their own. We even run a tape of how we'd look on Larry King.
"I do not want to be the one on TV explaining my daughter's disappearance," a father, Garth Chouteau, said when we were talking about the subway issue.
These days, when a kid dies, the world — i.e., cable TV — blames the parents. It's simple as that. And yet, Trevor Butterworth, a spokesman for the research center STATS.org, said, "The statistics show that this is an incredibly rare event, and you can't protect people from very rare events. It would be like trying to create a shield against being struck by lightning."
Justice Department data actually show the number of children abducted by strangers has been going down over the years. So why not let your kids get home from school by themselves?
"Parents are in the grip of anxiety and when you're anxious, you're totally warped," the author of "A Nation of Wimps," Hara Estroff Marano, said. We become so bent out of shape over something as simple as letting your children out of sight on the playground that it starts seeming on par with letting them play on the railroad tracks at night. In the rain. In dark non-reflective coats.
The problem with this everything-is-dangerous outlook is that over-protectiveness is a danger in and of itself. A child who thinks he can't do anything on his own eventually can't.
Meantime, my son wants his next trip to be from Queens. In my day, I doubt that would have struck anyone as particularly brave. Now it seems like hitchhiking through Yemen.
Here's your MetroCard, kid. Go.
lskenazy@yahoo.com"
.
........wow
Could someone hand me a roll of duck tape please? Because, in the words of Glenn Beck, I think my head is about to explode. But before I lay into this article, I would like to preface my response by saying that I do not doubt that this mother loves her son. I'm sure she loves him like any mother love their son. I just think she is terribly ignorant and naive.
I don't have a whole lot to say, just some general comments. I don't think I need to say too much. The article speaks for itself.
"I left my 9-year-old at Bloomingdale's (the original one) a couple weeks ago. Last seen, he was in first floor handbags as I sashayed out the door." - I'm not going to harp on this point BUT first of all, why is a 9 year old boy looking at handbags?
"Isn't New York as safe now as it was in 1963?" -No. And even if the numbers are the same, they are still astronomical. I don't think it would have been very wise to let your 9 year-old ride the subway in 1963.
"So on that sunny Sunday I gave him a subway map, a MetroCard, a $20 bill, and several quarters, just in case he had to make a call.No, I did not give him a cell phone. Didn't want to lose it." - Are you kidding me Mrs. Skenazy? You don't want to lose your phone, but you will send your 9 year old child out into the heart of the Big Apple? If you didn't trust him enough to bring your cell phone back, how did you trust him to bring himself back!?!?
"'How would you have felt if he didn't come home?' a New Jersey mom of four, Vicki Garfinkle, asked.Guess what, Ms. Garfinkle: I'd have been devastated. But would that just prove that no mom should ever let her child ride the subway alone? No. It would just be one more awful but extremely rare example of random violence, the kind that hyper parents cite as proof that every day in every way our children are more and more vulnerable." - Guess what, random violence is reduced by responsible citizens. If I walk in front of a tractor trailer doing 80 mph and get killed, that is not random. That is stupid.
"These days, when a kid dies, the world — i.e., cable TV — blames the parents. It's simple as that. And yet, Trevor Butterworth, a spokesman for the research center STATS.org, said, 'The statistics show that this is an incredibly rare event, and you can't protect people from very rare events. It would be like trying to create a shield against being struck by lightning.'" - I agree with Mr Butterworth... kind of. You can't protect your kids from everything. But you can try. Not every tragedy comes at you with the unstoppable force of a bolt of lighting. There is a line between being paranoid and being protective. There is nothing wrong with taking reasonable precautions in your parenting. Furthermore, I am not saying that parents are responsible for tragedies such as school shootings, or bus accidents. However, there are measures that parents should take to watch out for their children. And you want to know the sad fact, sometimes parents are to blame. Sometimes people don't think. Sometimes there is someone to blame.
I am not a parent, but I could think of one way that would have been a safer way to build this child's confidence in himself. How about do everything you did, but ride along with him. Hang out with him while he navigates. Have him call the shots. It would also be a great way for you to spend some time with your child. Is this really a lesson he has to learn by himself? Isn't there another way to go about doing this without putting his life in danger? Or did that just make a more interesting article for you to write Mrs. Skenazy?
People will make mistakes. Until the end of time this is a truth we have to live with. Parents will drop the ball. Does this necessarily mean they are bad parents? No. But the defining attribute of a parent is how he or she takes responsibility for their actions, and prevents future mistakes. There are more than enough cases of violence in our world today that we can learn from. As long as their are people out there who do not think they are in control of their environment, there are other people out there who will try to run it.
p.s.
It just so happens I will be in New York City for the first time this weekend. Needless to say, even I am a little nervous about challenging the infamous New York Subway. Maybe I could get this 9 year-old to be my tour guide.
Read the story for yourself here: http://www.nysun.com/editorials/why-i-let-my-9-year-old-ride-subway-alone
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Demolition of an American Icon: Yankee Stadium
Baseball is commonly referred to as America's pastime. When I was a kid I was like-minded with the great ball player Roger Hornsby when he said, "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." Often times I wish I grew up in a different era. I wish I lived in an era where a hard working mentality was not a rarity, where the only thing that ran deeper than patriotism was family ties, and where every Saturday at any given baseball park in America the stands were filled with fathers and sons alike. Baseball has always been apart of my family. Growing up as St. Louis Cardinals fans, there were two main principles my dad constantly taught my sister and I: 1) Love God 2) Hate the cubs.
This season will mark the end of an American icon. For over 80 years Yankee Stadium has been home to the boys of summer in blue pinstripes. Often referred to as "America's Team", the New York Yankees have fielded some of baseball's greatest legends such as: Billy Martin, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Micky Mantle, Yogi Berra, Roger Maris, Don Mattingly and even the first African American in major league baseball Jackie Robinson. Babe Ruth said, "I'd give a year of my life if I can hit a home run in the first game in this new park." Indeed the Great Bambino did just that on April 13, 1923 in the third inning. The stadium that has been known as "The House that Ruth Built" will be demolished, and the yanks will be relocated just north of their current location. For now though, they continue to play among ghosts of baseball's past. Tomorrow night, July 15, the 2008 All Star Game will take place there. If you have the opportunity to attend a game this season, take it. If you have an extra ticket you don't want, give it to me! I'm actually being serious. All tickets are sold out. After September 21, 2008 there will never be another opportunity to experience history in that place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quotes on Baseball:
Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer. ~Ted Williams
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I'm convinced that every boy, in his heart, would rather steal second base than an automobile. ~Tom Clark
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A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz. ~Humphrey Bogart
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I see great things in baseball. It's our game - the American game. It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism. Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set. Repair these losses, and be a blessing to us. ~Walt Whitman
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I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby
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Say this much for big league baseball - it is beyond question the greatest conversation piece ever invented in America. ~Bruce Catton
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Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off. ~Bill Veeck
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You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all. ~Earl Weaver
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Sandy's fastball was so fast, some batters would start to swing as he was on his way to the mound. ~Jim Murray, on Sandy Koufax
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I was such a dangerous hitter I even got intentional walks in batting practice. ~Casey Stengel
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There have been only two geniuses in the world. Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare. ~Tallulah Bankhead
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Putting lights in Wrigley Field is like putting aluminum siding on the Sistine Chapel. ~Roger Simon, 1988
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Pitchers, like poets, are born not made. ~Cy Young
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Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything. ~Toby Harrah
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Spread the diaper in the position of the diamond with you at bat. Then fold second base down to home and set the baby on the pitcher's mound. Put first base and third together, bring up home plate and pin the three together. Of course, in case of rain, you gotta call the game and start all over again. ~Jimmy Piersal, on how to diaper a baby
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What does a mama bear on the pill have in common with the World Series? No cubs. ~Harry Caray
Friday, July 11, 2008
Missing the point
A photo of a nuclear weapons test by Iran, originating from a web site of Sepah News which is the media arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, made front pages of newspapers all over the world recently. Displayed below is that picture:
Yesterday the associated press claimed that Iran's state media altered the photo to cover up a fluke nuke. They claim that this is what the photo originally looked like:
Is it just me, or are they totally missing the point. THERE ARE STILL THREE NUCLEAR MISSILES IN THE PICTURE!!! Are they really hoping to ease every one's mind by saying, "one of those nukes never launched!" WHEW! You really had my heart racing there for a second Iran! I was afraid you were going to destroy four US states! I'm glad it's only three now!
Dear Associated Press,
Let me know when you find evidence that they photo-shopped ALL of the missiles in there.
Very Respectfully,
A person who doesn't want to be killed by a nuke
And another thing I don't understand, is why the US and Russia have so many nuclear weapons. No one, except the powers that be obviously, knows an exact number but we're all pretty sure it is higher than 3, which is more than we'll ever use. Everyone seems to think it's a nice round number in the 10,000 range! It's always good to have a few extra just in case... you know... every country in the world wages war on us and we have to incinerate earth 27 times over! It has to say something when we have nearly as many nuclear weapons as we do bullets. Can we say: "Insecure"?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Creatures of habit
There are people in this world who's sanity depends on the stability of their every day actions. These people are zombies. They are machines programmed for regularity. Any glitch in their everyday system of operations can be the determining factor in whether they have a good day or a bad day. I know this because I observe them every day on my commute to work. I ride the train, and I love to observe people. I am not a stalker, I am just a wanna-be Robert Goren.
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The Tie
Every morning there is a gentleman, who appears to have reached the mid point of his life, who arrives to the strain station with a look on his face that leads me to believe the morning did not bring a fresh start to his day. Like most people who ride the commuter train, he talks to no one. His attire is composed of a button up shirt, dark colored dockers and tennis shoes. But the quirky characteristic that always sticks out in my mind about this gentlemen is that he always has an untied neck tie around his neck as if to say, "I had time to do everything necessary to get myself to the train station... except fix my neck tie."
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Every morning there is a gentleman, who appears to have reached the mid point of his life, who arrives to the strain station with a look on his face that leads me to believe the morning did not bring a fresh start to his day. Like most people who ride the commuter train, he talks to no one. His attire is composed of a button up shirt, dark colored dockers and tennis shoes. But the quirky characteristic that always sticks out in my mind about this gentlemen is that he always has an untied neck tie around his neck as if to say, "I had time to do everything necessary to get myself to the train station... except fix my neck tie."
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Mi train es su train
There are four main seating sections of the rail car that I ride. There are two small seating areas at the front and back of the car, and there are two large main seating areas in the belly of the car; one upstairs and one downstairs. The two seating areas at the front and back of the car offer more room. There are six bench seats available. Each bench seat accommodates two people. However, instead of the seats being stacked all facing one direction, every other one is facing each other. And every morning when I get on the car of the train that is located third from the rear (yes, it is always third from the rear) I always find the same gentleman sitting asleep in the same seat in the over sized seating area. If I were to end here you would wonder where the unusual repetition is, but I am not finished. He is not sitting with two feet on the floor and maintaining his socially acceptable bubble. He is sitting with his feet up on the adjacent seat... with his Campbell's Soup shaped lunch bag between his feet... with his shoes off. Not only does this man feel the need to occupy two seats, but he must drive the other patrons to the next seating area with the stench coming from his feet. I do not care what other people's quirks are. I'm not saying I don't have my own fleet of crazy habits. However, if someone else's crazy habits cross my path, I get annoyed.
There are four main seating sections of the rail car that I ride. There are two small seating areas at the front and back of the car, and there are two large main seating areas in the belly of the car; one upstairs and one downstairs. The two seating areas at the front and back of the car offer more room. There are six bench seats available. Each bench seat accommodates two people. However, instead of the seats being stacked all facing one direction, every other one is facing each other. And every morning when I get on the car of the train that is located third from the rear (yes, it is always third from the rear) I always find the same gentleman sitting asleep in the same seat in the over sized seating area. If I were to end here you would wonder where the unusual repetition is, but I am not finished. He is not sitting with two feet on the floor and maintaining his socially acceptable bubble. He is sitting with his feet up on the adjacent seat... with his Campbell's Soup shaped lunch bag between his feet... with his shoes off. Not only does this man feel the need to occupy two seats, but he must drive the other patrons to the next seating area with the stench coming from his feet. I do not care what other people's quirks are. I'm not saying I don't have my own fleet of crazy habits. However, if someone else's crazy habits cross my path, I get annoyed.
.
JUST STOP MOVING!
There is a young lady who does not ride the train on a regular basis, but when she does she indeed finds herself on my list. Every time she rides the train she gets to the station far in advance of the scheduled arrival of the train. To pass the time she walks from one end of the platform to the next, up the stairs to the parking lot and back again. Her stride is not that of a mall walker seeking exercise, but more of a gang member asserting their authority over their territory. To just notice this woman one time you would pay her no mind. However, the third fourth and fifth pass by, you might think to yourself, "didn't she just walk past me?"
There is a young lady who does not ride the train on a regular basis, but when she does she indeed finds herself on my list. Every time she rides the train she gets to the station far in advance of the scheduled arrival of the train. To pass the time she walks from one end of the platform to the next, up the stairs to the parking lot and back again. Her stride is not that of a mall walker seeking exercise, but more of a gang member asserting their authority over their territory. To just notice this woman one time you would pay her no mind. However, the third fourth and fifth pass by, you might think to yourself, "didn't she just walk past me?"
.
The Regular
The final person I want to describe to you is a woman who crosses my path every day as I am waiting for the train at the end of the day. She is an obvious "old timer". She knows the station workers, she knows the other train riders, she even know the conductors. Everyday, right before the train arrives, she makes her way to the end of the platform closest to the direction it is coming. She stands with her purse over her left shoulder and her additional day bag on the ground to her right. Her right foot is slightly in front of her left foot with her hand on her hip. And if anyone would ever take me up on the bet, I would be a rich man when she, like clock work, waives to the conductor.
The final person I want to describe to you is a woman who crosses my path every day as I am waiting for the train at the end of the day. She is an obvious "old timer". She knows the station workers, she knows the other train riders, she even know the conductors. Everyday, right before the train arrives, she makes her way to the end of the platform closest to the direction it is coming. She stands with her purse over her left shoulder and her additional day bag on the ground to her right. Her right foot is slightly in front of her left foot with her hand on her hip. And if anyone would ever take me up on the bet, I would be a rich man when she, like clock work, waives to the conductor.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Fellow Hoosiers
Do you every find yourself so bored out of your mind that you end up surfing the internet looking at random website after random website hoping to find something interesting? Well, take a break. Today I've done all of the searching so you can cut to the chase.
Though I currently reside in Virginia, I call Indiana home. Like anyone from time to time, I am guilty of complaining about the region where I grew up. Truth be told, Indiana is not a bad place at all to grow up. So I set out on a journey of the world wide web to see who else hails from the Hoosier State. Thanks to wikipedia here are some of the names that perticularly stood out to me:
James Dean-actor (Fairmount)
Steve McQueen-actor (Beech Grove)
Red Skelton-comedian (Vincennes)
David Letterman-comedian (Indianapolis)
Jim Gaffigan-comedian (Chesterton)
Bill Gaither-singer (Alexandria)
John Mellencamp-singer, songwriter, musician (Seymour)
Michael Jackson, singer (Gary)
David Lee Roth-Van Halen singer (Bloomington)
Florence Henderson- actress (Dale)
Jane Pauley-news anchor (Indianapolis)
John Andretti-racer (Indianapolis)
Larry Bird-basketball player (French Lick)
Axl Rose-lead singer of Guns 'N Roses (Lafayette)
Damarcus Beasley-soccer player (Fort Wayne)
Jeff Gordon-racer (Pittsboro)
Jenna Fischer-Actress [Pam on the Office] (Fort Wayne)
Shawn Kemp-basketball player (Elkhart)
Kenny Lofton-baseball player (East Chicago)
Don Mattingly-baseball player (Evansville)
Orville Redenbacher-businessman (Brazil, Indiana)
Stephen King-author (Fort Wayne)
Kurt Vonnegut-author (Indianapolis)
Amelia Earhart-pioneer woman aviator (West Lafayette)
Gus Grissom-astronaut (Mitchell)
Wilbur Wright-Inventor (Millville)
John Dillinger-bank robber (Indianapolis)
Jimmy Hoffa-labor-union leader (Brazil)
Jon Fitch-UFC fighter (Fort Wayne)
Chris Lytle-UFC Fighter (Indianapolis)
Unfortunately, the only icon I found on this list who was from my hometown (Warsaw) was Bubba the Love Sponge. However, I like to call Fort Wayne my home away from home and they have quite a few hits.
So with all of this extra time that I have given you, you should go do something productive... like read a book. Or you could view the whole list for yourself here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_from_Indiana
A bird's eye view of DC
The following pictures were taken on a unique experience I just had. A couple of my officers hooked me up with a flight around DC. Some were taken a while ago. A few of the photos were taken last night when I was able to hop on a training flight. My OIC just qualified to be a Marine One command pilot, and he was doing practice landings on the South Lawn. We also had a film crew from the National Geographic Channel on board. There is a documentary being made about HMX-1 which will air in January on the National Geographic Channel during inauguration week. No, I won't be on TV, but when you see the footage on the south lawn you can know that I am right behind the camera man!
A wide angle looking West toward the Washington Monument
Washington Monument at Dusk. You can see the white house in the background.
Another Washington Monument shot.
Another Washington Monument shot. As you can see we were flying so low we had to look up at the top of it.
This is a night shot from sitting on the South Lawn of the White House looking out.
Same shot during the day
Another day shot. That is the nose of the helicopter to the right.
East side of the capital
West side of the capital
We landed on the South Lawn. This is a night shot from the spot where the President gets on and off when we lift him from the White House.
RFK Stadium
South Lawn shot during the day.
The new Nationals stadium
The National Mall
Another shot of the mall
This was a shot out the window of a CH46E looking back on the city as we flew back south.
A shot of the Lincoln Memorial at 200 feet
Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool at dusk
And another
Hanging out on the South Lawn
The flag above the White House
On final approach to the South Lawn
DC skyline looking east
Another shot looking east
Taken out the back ramp of the 46 as we left
More skyline
Looking out stairs of Marine One one the south lawn
Arlington National Cemetery
The new Air Force Memorial next to the Pentagon
A wide angle looking West toward the Washington Monument
Washington Monument at Dusk. You can see the white house in the background.
Another Washington Monument shot.
Another Washington Monument shot. As you can see we were flying so low we had to look up at the top of it.
This is a night shot from sitting on the South Lawn of the White House looking out.
Same shot during the day
Another day shot. That is the nose of the helicopter to the right.
East side of the capital
West side of the capital
We landed on the South Lawn. This is a night shot from the spot where the President gets on and off when we lift him from the White House.
RFK Stadium
South Lawn shot during the day.
The new Nationals stadium
The National Mall
Another shot of the mall
This was a shot out the window of a CH46E looking back on the city as we flew back south.
A shot of the Lincoln Memorial at 200 feet
Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool at dusk
And another
Hanging out on the South Lawn
The flag above the White House
On final approach to the South Lawn
DC skyline looking east
Another shot looking east
Taken out the back ramp of the 46 as we left
More skyline
Looking out stairs of Marine One one the south lawn
Arlington National Cemetery
The new Air Force Memorial next to the Pentagon
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