January 13, 2009

Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy

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Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy (born January 11, 1965), also known as Max Kennedy, is an American author. He was born in New York, New York. He is the ninth child of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Maxwell Kennedy was baptized by Monsignor William McCormack in Manhattan's St. Patrick's Cathedral, in front of a crowd of 200 people. He is named after General Maxwell Taylor, who was then in Saigon serving as the American Ambassador to VietNam, and did not attend the baptism.[1] General Taylor was a WWII hero who commanded the 101st Airborne Division, and developed the deterrence policy known as flexible response.[2]

He graduated with honors from Harvard University and majored in American history. He married Victoria Anne Strauss[3] (born February 10, 1964)[4] on July 13, 1991 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both he and his wife graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992.

They have three children: Matthew Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Jr., born September 18, 1993, Caroline Summer Rose Kennedy, born December 29, 1994, and Noah Isabella Rose Kennedy, born July 9, 1998 in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

He completed Danger's Hour: The Story of the USS Bunker Hill and the Kamikaze Pilot Who Crippled Her, which was released by Simon & Schuster on Veteran's Day (November 11, 2008).[5]. The book garnered praise from filmaker Ken Burns.

Mr. Kennedy spoke with WGN Chicago about the role of suicide in asymmetrical warfare and his book Danger’s Hour in the Fall of 2008.[6] Kennedy addressed the 2008 Miami book fair, speaking about the America’s shared purpose during the second World War.[7] Kennedy claimed that with a new leadership “Americans can live, even comfortably, with danger.”[8]

He is also writing, producing, and directing a documentary on the use of suicide as a weapon of war with Harvard documentary filmmaker Randolph Bell. His articles have appeared in DoubleTake Magazine, Conde Nast Traveller, and Escape. He began his law career in July 1992 by serving for three years as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia.

Mr. Kennedy co-founded the Urban Ecology Institute at Boston College, where he taught in the Biology and English Departments, with the goal of forcing change through community action and education. Since its founding, UEI has developed an array of programs that fall within its Education Division which engage students in hands-on, inquiry-based science learning, especially at the middle school and high school levels.[9] In response to the considerable ecological and economic challenges in the city of Boston, the Urban Ecology Institute studies the emerging field of urban ecology to help residents understand the natural resources in their communities and take action to protect them.[10]


Mr. Kennedy, an avid civil rights and environmental rights advocate spoke at the Loyola Marymount University Bellarmine Forum in 2006 about the importance of urban ecology. Kennedy claimed that the Jesuit colleges should be more involved in their local communities, and that scientists, educators and attorneys must work with middle and high school youth to improve science and civic education, and to protect and transform natural resources before they are lost forever.[11]

Mr. Kennedy is working with the Pearl Coalition to build a museum of remembrance and recognition of the greatest African American Slave escape in American History.

Max Kennedy managed Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s re-election campaign in 2000, and has volunteered on a number of other campaigns, including the presidential campaigns of Edward M. Kennedy in 1980, Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004 and as a surrogate for Barack Obama in 2008. Maxwell Kennedy endorsed then-Senator Obama early in the primary season. [12]Kennedy campaigned for Senator Obama throughout 2008 at approximately 200 events in crucial swing states, including Ohio, Colorado, New Mexico, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Kennedy campaigned hard for Senator Obama especially in Scranton where field organizer Gillian Bergeron created a hard-core field organization, and had Kennedy hitting diners and doughnut shops at six AM. Kennedy resorted to old-school politicking, leading senior citizens singing old Irish ballads at lunch centers.[13] Kennedy campaigned in Indiana on Dr. King’s birthday[14] and again during the Jefferson-Jackson dinnerJefferson-Jackson DinnerHe campaigned across Texas from Austin to Dallas and Fort Worth through San Antonio.[15] He phone-banked for Senator Obama[16] and spoke at several Rock the Vote Bus Tour events.[17]Kennedy introduced Senator Obama at a dinner at Hickory Hill.[18] A nice video produced by the Obama campaign shows Max and his mother Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy campaigning in Southwest Virginia. Speaking about Senator Obama on Morning Joe, Max Kennedy spoke about the shared courage, moral authority and willingness to take on tough issues, of Senator Obama, and his father Robert Kennedy.[19]


His wife Vicki was a Cabot Fellow and taught for several years as a Fellow at Harvard College. Vicki is now an educational consultant at Loyola Marymount. She is devoted to being a parent within a political family.[20]


He wrote the national best-selling book called Make Gentle the Life of This World : The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy and the Words That Inspired Him. Mr. Kennedy's father still looms large in his life.[21]


Mr. Kennedy has served as a Director of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial, where he led human rights missions to Haiti, South Africa, and Kenya.

At Georgetown University, he concentrated on Latin-American history, and has made dozens of trips through Central and Latin America, spending time in nearly every country in South America. He joined a Venezuelan mapping team to attempt to create the first detailed maps of the upper reaches of the Rio Caroni. He co-led in an expedition to locate the sunken French fleet of Admiral D`Estress in Las Aves Archipelago and participated in the subsequent filming of the BBC/Discovery Channel Documentary about the lost fleet. Max Kennedy partially financed and produced two Venezuelan historical long featured films about Manuela Saenz in 2000 (Lover of Simon Bolivar and Coronel of the Venezuelan Independence Army) and Francisco de Miranda in 2005 (Leader of the Venezuelan Independence). His name appears on the credits of both films and other Venezuelan films to which he has contributed. Mr Kennedy has toured the Venezuelan Barrios, and was successfully involved in the fundraising of donations from the U.S. to the homeless children’s shelter run by Fundacion Atenea in Caracas. Mr Kennedy has had extensive meetings with the Leopoldo Lopez, Mayor of Chacao, one of the only elected opposition figures in Caracas, and with Henrique Capriles, Mayor of Baruta and now the opposition candidate for Governor of the State of Miranda. He has been a personal friend for more than 15 years of Maria Corina Machado, the head of SUMATE, a Venezuelan NGO that promotes clean elections and who has been indicted by the Government under several criminal charges for that reason. While studying law at the University of Virginia, Mr. Kennedy was elected President of the Student Legal Forum.

Maxwell Kennedy organized an expedition with Barry Clifford to search for, and successfully located the lost fleet of the Counte D’Estrees, at Las Aves off the coast of Venezuela. The fleet had sunk in 1678 while attempting to sack the Dutch at Curacao.[22]

PT-109

When Max and Edward Kennedy Jr. were small, grandmother Rose would tell them the story of how their uncle, President John F. Kennedy, saved a member of his PT boat crew in World War II by towing him to an island.[23] Max would in return continue the legacy of his uncle by visiting Solomon Islands with Robert Ballard in 2002 to revisit the scene of the story of John F. Kennedy's PT-109. He presented a bust of the late president to Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana who were the native coastwatcher scouts who found the missing Kennedy and his crew.


Source: Wikipedia

'Butterfly Effect 3' Trailer and Poster!

Since this year’s Horrorfest is providing yet another flap of the feeble Butterfly Effect wings in the third installment of the series, it’s only right that fans get a new trailer and poster to help ring in the New Year and start early Horrorfest celebration! Over at Horror-Movies.ca, they’ve scored a new poster from the flick and after the jump we’ve got the trailer! Butterfly Effect 3, stars Rachel Miner and last year’s Miss Horrorfest, and follows a young man with the power to time travel as he attempts to solve the mystery of his girlfriend's death but instead unleashes a serial killer. In any case, FEARnet correspondent, Spider, caught up with 2008 Miss Horrorfest and she told him ALL about her role. Her topless role. We’re just sayin’...

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Source: Fearnet.com

Natalie Dylan's Virginity Now Worth $2.5 Million

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Natalie Dylan, a twenty two year old women's study student, is not the first woman to try to auction off her virginity for money. But Natalie Dylan, which is a pseudonym, appears to be the most successful so far in running up the bidding.

The highest bid for a night of passion with Natalie Dylan has come to $2.5 million. At least ten thousand men have out in bids to relieve Natalie Dylan, a cute brunette, of her virginity.

Natalie Dylan decided to auction her virginity off when she learned that her sister had worked for three weeks as a prostitute in order to pay for college. When she started the bidding about three or so months ago, Natalie Dylan had hoped that she would get a bid of a million dollars. That she now has the bidding up to two and a half times that number seems incredible.

The winning bidder will get to enjoy Natalie Dylan's favors at the famous Bunny Ranch brothel in Nevada, where prostitution is legal. She has undergone a polygraph test and is willing to undergo a medical exam to prove her sexual status to the satisfaction of the winning bidder.

Now the question arises when seeing this story again, what kind of guy is going to shell out two and a half million dollars for a one night stand with someone who is not, after all, experienced? To be sure some of the bidders, according to Natalie Dylan, are men with questionable morals and taste, even by the standards of men who would bid on such an auction. But others seem to be polite businessmen who want to show Natalie Dylan a good time.

A night with a high class call girl, we are informed, might cost a few thousand dollars and might include the kind of kinks that Natalie Dylan is unwilling to participate in. So it is a mystery how Natalie Dylan's virginity is suddenly worth two and a half million dollars. Remember, the price is one night, not to keep Natalie Dylan for any length of time after that.

Source: Associated Content

Fargo woman wins 'Real Chance of Love' reality show


Abbie Noah is Fargo’s latest reality TV winner as the hairstylist ended VH1’s “Real Chance of Love” hugging, kissing and smiling with “her man.”

Monday night’s finale featured Noah as one of the final four women vying for the hearts of two men – Real and Chance, two brothers who call themselves “The Stallionaires.” The show’s premise featured each brother choosing his prospective “love” from a group of women.

As the show started Monday night, each brother had two final women to choose from.

Noah, who was known on the show was “Corn Fed,” was up against a woman dubbed “Bay Bay Bay” for the love of Real. Early in the episode, Noah and Bay Bay Bay argued during a poolside dinner in a Puerto Rico resort. Noah left the table crying after Bay Bay Bay and Real each wondered if the polite, sweet Fargo woman could handle the honest, harsh lifestyle of Los Angeles and the celebrity scene following Real.

“I’d feel absolutely devastated if Real doesn’t pick me,” Noah said early on.

During the show’s final selection, Real again questioned Noah’s ability to handle his lifestyle in Los Angeles.

“L.A. is not Fargo,” he said.

The statement brought tears to Noah’s eyes as she turned away in agony, unable to face the possibility she couldn’t be with Real.

But as Real turned to Bay Bay Bay he said he came to the show to find a relationship that had “fireworks.” And, he said, he didn’t feel the explosions with Bay Bay Bay.

Looking at Noah, Real said, “I believe you fell in love with me. I fell in love with you too.”

After an embrace, the show switched to a post-interview with Noah and she said, “I have been waiting this entire time to hear Real say he fell in love with me, and he said it. … I am absolutely in love with Real.”

She was the only woman on the show who found love. In a surprising move, Chance dismissed both of his final women saying he wasn’t truly in love with either of them.

The “Real Chance of Love” finale will be followed in two weeks with a reunion episode on VH1.

Fargo's previous reality show champion was Caridee English, who won the seventh cycle - or season - "America's Next Top Model."


Source: In-forum

Eddy Curry

Eddy Curry Jr. (born December 5, 1982) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA currently with the New York Knicks. He was born in Harvey, Illinois. He is 6'11" (2.11 m) and 285 lb (130 kg), and has a wingspan of 7'6½" (2.30 m).[1]

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/blog/home/tiblogs/public_html/sports/basketball/knicks/blog/davidlee.jpg

High school

Prior to becoming considered one of the best high school basketball players in the nation as a senior at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry aspired to be a gymnast and did not pick up basketball until the seventh grade when he reluctantly went out for the school team. In 2001, Curry led his team to second place in the IHSA State Playoffs. He was named to the 1998, 1999 and 2000 State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament teams.

Curry is one of three current professional athletes who call Thornwood their alma mater, the others being St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mark Mulder and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Cliff Floyd.

NBA Draft

Curry had signed a letter of intent to play at DePaul University but declared himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft in which the Chicago Bulls made him the fourth overall pick. The decision to draft Curry and pair him alongside fellow rookie Tyson Chandler was a major surprise to many basketball fans[who?] given that both players were high school seniors. In trying to rebuild from the Michael Jordan era, both Curry and Chandler wore uniform numbers that when put together read 23; Curry wore number 2, and Chandler number 3.

Professional career

Curry's contribution was limited during his rookie year due to limited minutes. Curry improved in his second year, leading the NBA in field goal percentage (58.5%) and becoming the first Bull to lead the league in a major statistical category since Michael Jordan in 1998. His 2002-03 season was widely considered a disappointment as he failed to live up to expectations after a strong finish to the previous year. In the 2004-05 season the Bulls improved by 28 wins and made the playoffs as the 22-year-old Curry led the team in scoring before being hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. This caused him to miss the last 13 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs. On June 24, 2005, heart specialists cleared Curry to resume practice. On October 3, 2005, after refusing on privacy grounds to submit to a DNA test, as requested by Bulls management, to assess whether he has a congenital heart condition, Curry was traded to the New York Knicks. The trade included the Bulls' Antonio Davis, as well as the Knicks' Mike Sweetney, Tim Thomas, and Jermaine Jackson.[2] First-round draft picks were also exchanged in the trade - which later came back to haunt the Knicks as they had a poor 2005-06 season in which Curry averaged 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (numbers that were significantly down from the previous season). Curry's inability to defend and rebound was a source of frustration for former coaches Scott Skiles and Larry Brown. When asked by a reporter in 2003 what Curry needed to do to become a better rebounder, Skiles simply replied: "Jump."[3] The 2006-07 season saw a resurgence in Curry's performance under new coach Isiah Thomas, with Curry anointed the team's primary offensive option, averaging career highs in points (19.6), rebounds (7.1), and minutes (34.9) per game. On April 7, 2007 Curry scored a career-best 43 points in an overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks; his first three-pointer of the season forcing the game into the extra period.[4] Curry is 2 for 2 (100%) from three-point range in his NBA career.[4] In the 2007–2008 season, Curry was expected to form a great frontcourt with Zach Randolph, however both of them saw a regression in their games. Curry showed up to training camp in October 2008 out of shape for the second year in a row, incensing new head coach Mike D'Antoni. Curry not only lost his job, but was not even in D'Antoni's rotation at the beginning of the 2008–2009 season. Curry played his first game of the season on January 8, 2009 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Cardiac problems

Several prominent cardiologists cleared Curry to play, but Barry Maron, a world-renowned specialist in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, suggested the DNA test.[5] During the team's media day, Bulls General Manager John Paxson said he understood the privacy issues involved but insisted the Bulls did not have an ulterior motive; they simply do not want a situation similar to those of former Boston Celtics guard Reggie Lewis or Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers—players with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who collapsed and died.

Awards and accomplishments

NBA

High School

  • USA Today First Team All-American
  • PARADE High School Player of the Year
  • Earned Illinois Mr. Basketball honors
  • MVP of the McDonald's All-American game after scoring 28 points with 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in leading the West to a 131-125 victory
  • Led Thornwood High School to the Illinois State Championship game, averaging 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots, shooting .640 from the floor, including 25.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in the state tournament. Averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, along with 4.8 blocks, as a junior.
  • Was selected to the State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Source: Wikipedia

Alvin York

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Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887 – September 2, 1964) was a United States soldier, famous as a World War I hero. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 32 machine guns, killing 28 German soldiers and capturing 132 others during the U.S.-led Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France.[1]

Early years

Alvin Cullum York was born to an impoverished farming family in Tennessee on December 13, 1887, the third of eleven children.[2] Up until a few years before the war, York was a hard drinker and prone to fighting in saloons. His mother, a member of a pacifist Christian denomination, tried to convince York to change his ways to no avail. Then during a night of heavy drinking when he and a friend got into a fight with other saloon patrons, York's friend was killed. The event shook York so much that he finally followed his mother and became a Christian, no longer fighting or drinking. On June 5, 1917, at the age of 29, Alvin York received a notice to register for the draft. From that day until he arrived back from the War on May 29, 1919, he kept a diary of his activities.[3]

York belonged to a Christian denomination the Church of Christ in Christian Union which, despite having no specific doctrine of pacificism, discouraged warfare and violence.[4] According to documentation (see image), York did apply for CO status but was not approved.

World War I 1917–1918

York enlisted in the United States Army and served in Company G, 328th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Infantry Division at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Discussion of the Biblical stance on war with his company commander, Captain Edward Courtney Bullock Danforth (1894–1974) of Augusta, Georgia and his Battalion Commander, Major Gonzalo Edward Buxton (1880–1949) of Providence, Rhode Island, eventually convinced York that warfare could be justified.[2]

During a mission to secure the German Decauville rail-line on October 8, 1918, York's actions earned him the Medal of Honor. He recalled:

"The Germans got us, and they got us right smart. They just stopped us dead in our tracks. Their machine guns were up there on the heights overlooking us and well hidden, and we couldn’t tell for certain where the terrible heavy fire was coming from… And I'm telling you they were shooting straight. Our boys just went down like the long grass before the mowing machine at home. Our attack just faded out… And there we were, lying down, about halfway across [the valley] and those German machine guns and big shells getting us hard."[5]

Seventeen men under the command of Sergeant Bernard Early (which included York) infiltrated behind the German lines to take out the machine guns. The group worked their way behind the Germans and overran the headquarters of a German unit, capturing a large group of German soldiers who were preparing to counter-attack against the US troops. Early’s men were contending with the prisoners when machine gun fire suddenly peppered the area, killing six Americans, Corp. Murray Savage, and Pvts. Maryan E. Dymowski, Ralph E. Weiler, Fred Waring, William Wins and Walter E. Swanson, and wounding three others, Sgt. Early, Corp. William S. Cutting (AKA Otis B. Merrithew) and Pvt. Mario Muzzi. The fire came from German machine guns on the ridge, which turned their weapons on the US soldiers. The loss of the nine put Corporal York in charge of the seven remaining U.S. soldiers, Privates Joseph Konotski (Kornacki), Percy Beardsley, Feodor Sok, Thomas C. Johnson, Michael A. Saccina, Patrick Donohue and George W. Wills. As his men remained under cover, and guarding the prisoners, York worked his way into position to silence the German machine guns. York recalled:

"And those machine guns were spitting fire and cutting down the undergrowth all around me something awful. And the Germans were yelling orders. You never heard such a racket in all of your life. I didn't have time to dodge behind a tree or dive into the brush… As soon as the machine guns opened fire on me, I began to exchange shots with them. There were over thirty of them in continuous action, and all I could do was touch the Germans off just as fast as I could. I was sharp shooting… All the time I kept yelling at them to come down. I didn't want to kill any more than I had to. But it was they or I. And I was giving them the best I had."[6]

One of York’s prisoners, German first lieutenant Paul Jürgen Vollmer of 1st Battalion, 120th Württemberg Landwehr Regiment[1], emptied his pistol trying to kill York while he was contending with the machine guns. Failing to injure York, and seeing his mounting losses, he offered to surrender the unit to York, which was gladly accepted. By the end of the engagement, York and his seven men marched 132 German prisoners back to the American lines. His actions silenced the German machine guns and were responsible for enabling the 328th Infantry Regiment to renew the offensive to capture the Decauville Railroad.[7]

York was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism, but this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, which was presented to York by the commanding general of the American Expeditionary Force, General John J. Pershing. The French Republic awarded him the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honor. Italy and Montenegro awarded him the Croce di Guerra and War Medal, respectively.

York was a corporal during the action. His promotion to sergeant was part of the honor for his valor. Of his deeds York said to his division commander, General Duncan, in 1919: "A higher power than man power guided and watched over me and told me what to do."

Medal of Honor citation

Citation:

After his platoon suffered heavy casualties and 3 other noncommissioned officers had become casualties, Cpl. York assumed command. Fearlessly leading 7 men, he charged with great daring a machine gun nest which was pouring deadly and incessant fire upon his platoon. In this heroic feat the machine gun nest was taken, together with 4 officers and 128 men and several guns.[8]

Post-war life

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Alvin_C._York_postwar_2.JPG/180px-Alvin_C._York_postwar_2.JPG

On June 7, 1919, York married Gracie Williams. They had 7 children, all of whom were named after famous American historical figures which are five sons (Alvin C. Junior, Edward Buxton, Woodrow Wilson, Andrew Jackson and Thomas Jefferson) and two daughters (Betsy Ross and Mary Alice).[citation needed]

York founded the Alvin C. York Agricultural Institute, a private agricultural school in Jamestown, Tennessee, that was eventually turned over to the State of Tennessee. The school, now known as Alvin C. York Institute, is the only fully state-funded public high school in the State of Tennessee. The school is a nationally recognized school of excellence and boasts the highest high school graduation percentage in the state. It is home to almost 800 students.

York also opened a Bible School, and later operated a mill in Pall Mall on the Wolf River.

During World War II he attempted to re-enlist in the Infantry but was denied due to age. Instead he went on bond tours and made personal appearances to support the war effort. He convinced the state of the need for a reserve force at home and was active in the creation of the Tennessee State Guard in 1941, in which he served as a Colonel and Commanding Officer of the 7th Infantry Regiment. He was also involved with recruiting and war bond drives as well as inspection tours of American soldiers in training.

Alvin York died at the Veterans Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 2, 1964, of a cerebral hemorrhage and was buried at the Wolf River Cemetery in Pall Mall.[9]

Awards


Legacy

Alvin C. York Veterans Hospital
Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Alvin C. York Institute
Founded as a private agricultural high school in 1926 by Alvin York and residents of Fentress County, the school became public in 1937 due to the Depression and continues to serve as Jamestown's high school.
1941 film
York's story was told in the 1941 movie Sergeant York, with Gary Cooper in the title role. York refused to authorize a film version of his life story unless he received a contractual guarantee that Cooper would be the actor to portray him. Cooper won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
York Avenue, NYC
York Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan was named for the Sergeant in 1928.[10]
M-247 (DIVAD weapon system)
In the 1980s, the United States Army named its DIVAD weapon system "Sergeant York"; the project was cancelled due to technical problems and massive cost overruns.[11]
U.S. Postal Service Distinguished Soldiers stamp
On May 5, 2000, the United States Postal Service issued the "Distinguished Soldiers" stamps, in which York was honored.[12]
Laura Cantrell song
Laura Cantrell's song "Old Downtown" mentions York in depth.[13]
President Reagan funeral procession
The riderless horse in the funeral procession of President Ronald Reagan was named Sergeant York.[14]
82nd Airborne theater
The 82nd Airborne Division's movie theater at Fort Bragg, North Carolina is named York Theater.[15]
Sergeant York Historic Trail
"The Sergeant York Historic Trail is being constructed under the supervision of LTC Douglas Mastriano and the Sergeant York Discovery Expedition in the Argonne, so that all visitors to the Argonne can walk where York walked. Boy Scout troops have already started work on the trail. All French officials in the region approved the trail and the locations of markers. A large dedication ceremony will be done on the spot of York's feat in a date TBD. A large contingent from the French military and the US Army are expected."[16][17]
Football trophy
The traveling American football trophy between Austin Peay, UT Martin, Tennessee State and Tennessee Tech is called the Alvin C. York trophy.[18]
229th Military Intelligence Battalion hall
The 229th US Army Military Intelligence Battalion, Alpha Company, Monterey California, dedicated their soldier's hall in honor of SGT York. COL Gerald York (US Army, retired, grandson of Alvin York) officiated at the dedication ceremony.[citation needed]
Sergeant Alvin C. York Statue
A monumental sized statue of York by sculptor Felix de Weldon was placed on the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol in 1968.
Alvin C. York Memorial
A modest bronze helmet rests atop a stone flag on the grounds of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee. A poem on this monument is dedicated to York.

Source: Wikipedia

Citizen jeans

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http://www.designerexposure.com/images/products/22349_1_large.jpg

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White Pointer Sharks Attack in Australia

http://www.nzine.co.nz/images/views/anthony_mckee_sharks.jpg
White pointer sharks are making their presence known around Australia. The white pointer shark, also known as the great white, has been blamed for three attacks on the heels of a fatal assault around Perth, so reports the latest issue of "Jaunted", a publication of The New Yorker.

In their article, "Australia Looking Out For White Pointer Sharks," "Jaunted" reports that the three attacks were non-fatal and were spread around the great Island of Australia including the tidal Lake Illawarra, New South Wales; also an attack occurred near Fringel Head which also is in New South Wales. Finally, the third white pointer shark attack occurring within a 48-hour period was reported in Binalong Bay in Tasmania.

As the article goes on to report, The Florida Museum of Natural History has tracked only 71 "un-provoked attacks" in 2007 worldwide and 32 of those happened in Florida.

In a related article, a 13-year-old girl was one of the three victims reported. She was attacked but because of her swimming skills was able to escape and was brought to shore by a friend. She was surfing. They are still searching for the shark.

Sharks swarm the Florida coast. I have linked to a video that shows Lemon Sharks hovering around the coast, over 200.

Of course the great white came to public attention from the popularity of the movie "Jaws" back in 1975. From that time people have been more aware of the existence of sharks even though there are so few shark attacks.

The reason that most sharks do attack is that they see a person that reminds them of natural prey. A good example would be a person on a surfboard who is paddling. They would look like a seal to a shark.

In the articles the comment is made that sharks are infiltrating Australia. I'm not sure that a few isolated attacks warrants the phrase "infiltration.

Sharks swim in less than three feet of water in Florida waters in and around swimmers without attacking.

This would lend credence to the concept that sharks, including white pointer sharks, rarely attack unless they think they are going to eat their normal prey.

Source: Associated Content

Carol Kane

Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress, known for her work on stage, screen and television.

http://broadwayworld.com/columnpic/22CarolKane.jpg

Biography

Early life

Kane was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the daughter of Joy, a jazz singer, teacher, dancer, and pianist, and Michael Kane, an architect who worked for the World Bank.[1] Her family is Jewish, her grandparents having emigrated from Russia.[2] Her parents divorced when she was twelve years old.[3] She attended the Cherry Lawn School, a progressive boarding school in Darien, Connecticut until 1965.[4][5] She attended the Professional Children's School in New York and made her professional theatre debut in a 1966 production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Tammy Grimes.[6]

Career

Kane is perhaps best-known for her portrayal of Simka Dahblitz-Gravas, wife of Latka Gravas (Andy Kaufman), on the American television series Taxi from 1981 to 1983, and also for her role as Allison Portchnik in Woody Allen's Annie Hall. Kane earned two Emmy Awards for her work in the series. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the film Hester Street. She also appeared in 1987's The Princess Bride and 1988's Scrooged with Bill Murray, in which Variety called her "unquestionably [the] pic's comic highlight".[7]

Kane was a regular on the 1986 NBC series All Is Forgiven, a regular on the 1990-1991 NBC series American Dreamer, guest-starred on a 1994 episode of Seinfeld and had a supporting role in the short-lived 1996-1997 sitcom Pearl, which starred Rhea Perlman.

In early 2006, Kane began a ten month run in the Broadway musical Wicked, playing Madame Morrible, a role which she had previously played in the show's first national tour. She also appeared in the NBC television live action production of The Year Without a Santa Claus in December 2006. She recently reprised the role of Madame Morrible in the open-ended Los Angeles production of Wicked, which opened on February 21, 2007 at the Pantages Theatre. She left the production on December 30, 2007 along with co-stars Eden Espinosa and Adam Wylie. Kane was replaced by Jo Anne Worley. Kane returned to the Los Angeles company of Wicked on August 26, 2008 to once again play the role of Madame Morrible and stayed with the production till its closure on January 11, 2009. She will originate the role of Madame Morrible in the San Francisco production of Wicked which will begin performances January 27, 2009 at the Orpheum Theatre.[8]

Filmography

Partial other works

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Source: Wikipedia

Did the press ‘misunderestimate’ the president?

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At President George W. Bush’s final press conference Monday, he thanked the press for their work.

“Sometimes you misunderestimated me,” Bush said, recalling one of his most famous gaffes.

The Buzz says, no, Mr. President, some just misoverstood you.


Source: Kansas City

Piper PA-36 Pawnee Brave

Piper PA-36 Pawnee Brave is a 1970s American single-engined, low-wing, propeller driven agricultural aircraft built by Piper Aircraft.

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Design and development

The PA-36 was first announced in 1972 as a new version of the PA-25 Pawnee with a more powerful 285 hp Continental Tiara 6-285 flat six engine. The aircraft had a new wing, improved ventilation and heating system, and a larger standard hopper of 30 ft³ (0.85m³). An optional 38 ft³ (1.08 m³) hopper was also available. The type entered service in 1973.

In 1977 a new version the PA-36 Pawnee Brave 300 became available with a 300 hp (224 kW) Avco Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 engine. The original aircraft was redesignated the PA-36 Pawnee Brave 285. In 1978 the Pawnee Brave 300 became the standard model and another more powerful model was introduced, the PA-36 Pawnee Brave 375 with a 375 hp (280 kW) Avco Lycoming IO-720-D1CD flat-eight engine. In 1981 Piper sold the rights in the design to WTA Incorporated, who marketed two versions from 1984 as the New Brave 375 and New Brave 400.

Variants

PA-36-285 Pawnee Brave
Production version, 938 built.
PA-36-300 Pawnee Brave 300
Pawnee Brave with a 300 hp Avco Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 engine.
PA-36-375 Pawnee Brave 375
Pawnee Brave with a 375 hp Avco Lycoming IO-720-D1CD engine.

Specifications (Pawnee Brave 300)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 27 ft 4¼ in (8.34 m)
  • Wingspan: 39 ft 0 in (11.89 m)
  • Height: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
  • Wing area: 225.65 ft² (20.96 m²)
  • Empty weight: 2,180 lb (989 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 4,400 lb (1996 kg)
  • Powerplant:Avco Lycoming IO-540-K1G5 flat-six piston, 300 hp (224 kW)

Performance


Source: Wikipedia

Room A Day Giveaway 2009 - How To Enter

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If you've been watching "The View" recently you'll already know about the exciting "Room-A-Day Giveaway Sweepstakes" offer where 16 lucky winners will win $25,000 for a fabulous design makeover.

15 of the winners will be announced between February 2 to February 15, 2009 on ABC's "The View" and the final winner posted on the Room A Day Give Away website on March 15, 2009.

The sweepstakes begin January 10, 2009 and end on March 6, 2009. This contest is only available to those living in the United States who are 18 years of age and over. You can find out more about the makeover contest and enter online at www.roomadaygiveaway.com.

Source: Writer's Review

Bush Says Farewell To The 'Klieg Lights'? Bush's Public Comments On Obama

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There is a lot of talk over a remark that Bush made about Obama and his future as our president. Bush was quoted in saying "He'll make the decisions he thinks (are) necessary," Bush said. "When I get out of here, I'm getting off the stage. I believe there ought to be one person in the Klieg lights at a time and I've had my time in the Klieg lights." Many are wondering, what exactly are Klieg lights?

A Klieg light is considered movie lighting, they are lights that illuminate through the use of a tungsten-halogen filament. Basically, instead of saying spotlight, Bush decided to use the word Klieg lights. Which was invented by John H. Kliegl and brother Anton Tiberius Kliegl. Most notably Kliegl lights are used to convert scenes in movies from day to night. The lights were invented in 1911.

According to UPI, Bush said he "hoped the tone in Washington was different for Obama than for him. While noting that the White House and Congress "did find some good common ground ... the rhetoric got out of control." He congratulated Obama and said that "President-elect Obama's election does speak volumes about how far the country has come," he said. "It's going to be an amazing moment." A real class act from our President.


Source: Post Chronicle

Jim Rice, Rickey Henderson voted into Hall of Fame

Rickey Henderson dashed into the Hall of Fame on his first try. Jim Rice made it with a final swing.

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Henderson, who played 25 seasons, received 94.8% of the vote from the Baseball Writers' Assn. of America in balloting announced Monday, well above the 75% needed.

Rice got 76.4% in his 15th and final year on the ballot.

"The only thing I can say is I'm glad it's over with," Rice said. "I'm in there and they can't take it away."

Henderson, baseball's career leader in runs and stolen bases, became the 44th player elected in his first year of eligibility. Rice was only the third elected by the BBWAA in his final year, joining Red Ruffing in 1967 and Ralph Kiner in 1975.

Henderson and Rice will be inducted into the Hall during ceremonies July 26 in Cooperstown, N.Y. They'll be joined by former New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians second baseman Joe Gordon, elected posthumously last month by the Veterans Committee.

"It's really just an honor to me. I'm really just spaced out," Henderson said. "I haven't really thought about what I'm going to say."

Henderson was picked on 511 of 539 ballots, Rice on 412, just above the 405 needed.

Some believed Rice's prickly personality and curt relationship with reporters during his playing career helped keep him out of the Hall all those years.

"I don't think I was difficult to deal with for writers. I think the writers were difficult to me," he said. "I wasn't going to bad-mouth my teammates. When you start talking about my teammates or what goes on outside baseball, I couldn't do that."

Andre Dawson fell 44 votes short with 67% and Mark McGwire, rumored to have used performance-enhancing drugs, received 118 votes (21.9%) in his third year of eligibility, down from the 128 votes he got in each of his first two tries.

Henderson, the 1990 American League most valuable player, was a 10-time All-Star who stole 1,406 bases. He batted .279 with 297 home runs, 1,115 runs batted in, 2,190 walks and 2,295 runs. He owns the modern-day season record with 130 steals in 1982, and the career mark with 81 leadoff homers. He played for Oakland, the New York Yankees, Toronto, San Diego, the Angels, the New York Mets, Seattle, Boston and the Dodgers.

Rice, the 1978 AL MVP, was an eight-time All-Star who hit 382 homers in 16 seasons with Boston from 1974 to 1989. He had a .298 career batting average and 1,451 RBIs, and from 1977 to 1979 averaged .320 with 41 homers and 128 RBIs.

He is the fourth Hall of Fame member to have spent his entire career with the Red Sox, joining Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Bobby Doerr.

Source: LA Times

Heritage Wealth Management Exec Fakes Plane Crash

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Marcus Schrenker, was, or is, an Indiana businessman whose financial management companies, Heritage Wealth Management Inc., Heritage Insurance Services Inc. and Icon Wealth Management, were under investigation. Now it appears he apparently bailed out of his small plane and let it crash in what may have been an attempt to fake his own death.

Now why would Schrenker do this? Well, reports are that he has been sued for $1.4 million:

In court papers filed in December in federal court in Indianapolis, collection agent Creative Marketing International claims that Marcus Schrenker, acting as an insurance broker, failed to remit commission reimbursements of $1.4 million to National Western Life.

That's just part of it. Also, according to AP:

On Friday, two days before the crash, a federal judge in Maryland issued a $533,500 judgment against Heritage Wealth Management Inc., and in favor of OM Financial Life Insurance Co. The OM lawsuit contended that Heritage Wealth Management should have returned more than $230,000 in commissions because there were problems with insurance or annuity plans Heritage had sold.

So, besides the lawsuit, there was also a judgment already in place.

According to authorities, Marcus Schrenker made a fake distress call and secretly parachuted to safety near Birmingham, Alabama. Meanwhile, his plane flew on autopilot, eventually crashing late Sunday more than 200 miles away in a swampy area of the Florida Panhandle.

His distress call said the windshield had imploded and he was bleeding, but after finding the plane, authorities could find no such evidence.

At any rate, the name Heritage Wealth Management, in these days of Bernie Madoff ponzi schemes, should raise red flags all over the place.

Authorities are still searching for Schrenker.


Source: Huliq

Kelly Stables

Kelly Michelle Stables (born January 26, 1978 in metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri) is an American actress known for both stage and film acting.

Personal life

Kelly has led a mostly quiet life and is a very private individual. She was a well-known cheerleader in her high school years, a fact which would be commemorated in an article in the magazine American Cheerleader. She graduated from Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri.

She would later acquire a bachelor's degree in stage performance at the University of Missouri.[1] By March 2005, in correspondence with the release of The Ring Two in theaters, she married Kurt Patino.[2]

Kelly is an avid baseball fan, and enjoys St. Louis Cardinals games.[3] She uses resources from her local area church in her spare time in educating children about Parkinson's disease and ways to combat it.[4]

Career

Kelly has acted in a number of Broadway plays. Her two largest roles were in the Thousand Oaks Civic Light Opera's Peter Pan as Wendy, and in Sleeping Beauty as the title role.[5] Kelly has also starred in several other on-stage roles in her time, notably as Marion Davies in W.R. and the Daisy.[6]

Kelly is best known in the world of film for the stunt work she did for The Ring and for taking over for Daveigh Chase in portraying the (off-tape) evil Samara Morgan for The Ring Two. She was also in the short film Rings. Her roles in the Bring it On and Ring franchises would boost her popularity to the point of gaining mention in Rolling Stone, Star and Us Weekly. She also voices Will Vandom in W.I.T.C.H., and plays roles in General Hospital and St. Bartes-Aspen. She also briefly appeared in the pilot for The Grubbs. As of November 2007, she has also had a role in an episode of Cavemen. Most recently she made a guest appearance as Melissa on Two and a Half Men. She is currently working on a film called My Life Untitled.[7].

Stage

Filmography

Upcoming Projects

  • Madness (2008)
  • My Life: Untitled (2008)
  • The Ring Three (2009)
  • Spring Break Dread (20??)

Television

Video games

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Source: Wikipedia
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