April 2010

Women On Submarines

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Well, welcome to the 21st century. The Navy, after careful considerations, years of study, has decided to lift its ban on women on submarines. I think the re-runs of "Star Trek: Voyager"  starring Kate Mulgrew as the female captain, Kathryn Janeway, as a lead character, may have added to this decision. Of course, I could be totally wrong. A fictional starship is not a sub, but in the world of the movies and in the literature of the popular culture, they share a lot of the same plot themes. And America is living in a Star Trek world.

Dorothy Height, An American Icon

We owe our freedoms as Americans to those  among us who are the fighters for  civil rights, for civil liberty, for justice and for human rights. We owe our freedoms to those who choose to protest,  to work for improvements, better conditions, in our country, rather than to accept things as they are. More important than the founders, for the continuation of our freedoms, are our contemporaries. One of our great contemporaries was laid to rest today. She was a fighter for all that which makes America good. Her name was Dorothy Height. She was 98 years old.

Sandra Bullock: Moving On

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Sandra Bullock seems to be getting it right,  moving on with her life. The media  is not now filled with stories of her telling folks that she wants to take a baseball bat to cheating husbands. She's filed for divorce and is adopting the kid, solo  --  the kid who she and her soon to be ex had planned to adopt together. A new life and a new kid! She is taking about motherhood not cheating husbands --said, "she's going full speed ahead on motherhood. A life is a life. Whether or not it came from your body should be secondary, in my opinion." BTW the kid is from New Orleans and is name after Louis Armstrong.

TheTiger Chasing Jack Nicklaus

The Masters at Augustus National is behind him. The first major of the year and no win. The five month lay off had its affect. Three other majors await this year,  when he has a chance to close the gap between himself and Jack Nicklaus, and maybe next year  to tie and to go ahead, for the record, as the all time greatest golfer with the most wins at the majors. Prepping for the next major, a stop at the Quail Hollow Championship, Tiger Woods first regular PGA Tour event this season..Today, Wednesday, 28th of April,  the Tiger faced the media, said he was ready to play golf, and will he able to deal with any hecklers if there are any.  Today the fans the gallery greeted him with applause. He is still the best player in the game. And like the Tiger said at his press conference, a video clip is below, "fans over the years have been great" to him.  The Tiger is a man on a mission.

The C-Note Make-over

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Today, April 21, 2010,  The US Treasury Department unveiled a new 100 Dollar bill. The first make over of the C-note since 1996. Added to the bill are more features -- "advanced security features" -- to make it harder to counterfeit. Okay, the Treasury has a duty to try, but the only way to stop counterfeiting would be to get rid of money. Get rid of money? Right. Not any time soon, if ever. Well, the Treasury does have an obligation to try to make counterfeiting harder. From the pictures the new C-note looks. -- Well, it's going to take a little getting use to.

Dorothy Height

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Dorothy Height was for civil rights, women rights and human rights. She died today, Tuesday, April 20th, in a Washington D.C. hospital. She was 98 years old. She died from natural causes after a long illness. Height was an American, a leader in the African-American community. For more than forty years she was president of the National Council of Negro Women. In the 1950s and 1960s, was listed among the major figures in the struggle for civil rights. She began speaking out for civil rights during her teenage and young adult years in the 1930s, and she continued well in her 90s.

From the Washington Post:

Betty White & The Naked Hot Dog?

What is Betty White saying about "naked hotdogs?"

Yesterday, April 19th  --  a new honor for 88-year-old, Emmy-award winning, America's very popular senior star and icon, Betty White. Really? An achievement award?  Ms. White was honored with having a hot dog, at a popular California hot dog stand, named for her. Yes, now she is an item on a popular California hot dog' chain's menu . Ms. White  made an appearance at  the California hot dog stand, "Pinks." The occasion was the introduction of the new "Betty White 'Naked' Hot Dog. The hot dog is called a  "naked hot dog" because it comes with no toppings. Below there is a video of the opening. Note Ms. White's remark about the naked  hot dog.

Remembering Benjamin Hooks

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Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks died today, Thursday, April 15th, in his home, after a long illness. He was 85 years old. He is being remembered on the net as one of America's great  Civil Rights leaders. He served as the executive director for 16 years of the NAACP. He also served his country in various capacities, working for the rights of Americans.  In 2007, he was  awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the country.

“He’s had an amazing career,” said Julian Bond, a former head of the Atlanta branch of the N.A.A.C.P. “Judge, F.C.C. commissioner, minister of churches in two different cities at the same time, businessman, head of the N.A.A.C.P. Most people do one or two things in their lifetimes. He’s just done an awful lot."

Benjamin Hooks, R.I.P

Tied for 4th and Did Not Lose

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The tied-for-fourth-place winner at the Masters got most of the mentions. The first place finisher was Phil Mickelson, who won his 3rd green jacket. A 3rd Masters jacket is quite an accomplishment. Phil Mickelson is Phil Mickelson. He is not  the Tiger. He got more press space than a golfer would have gotten in the Tiger less era -- 3rd green jacket or not. He's said that he knows what Tiger Woods has done for golf, opened up opportunities for golfers like himself to make more money, so I doubt he is in a corner bad mouthing, chucking out the gripes.

The Ninth Time Lucky?

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Elizabeth Taylor and Jason Winters have announced her plans to get married. -- a 78-year old and a 49-year old, that's a 29 year difference, a whole generation. Well love is what love is, does not respect age, or anything else. Ms Taylor said of Mr. Winters, he is "one of the most wonderful men I've ever known, that's why I love him." Mr Winters doesn't seem to be a gold digger. He runs his own Hollywood talent agency, called, Sterling Winters Management, and he recently became Janet Jackson's new manager. He appears to be quite financially successful, and according to press reports, "he even reportedly bought a house for" Liz and himself to live in.

Tiger Woods On the Nike Ad

I commented yesterday on the Nike ad. I thought it made Tiger Woods look phony. Below is a video of his comments on the ad. I know Nike's interest is to sell sneakers and T-shirts, caps, and such. Tiger Woods interest maybe more than to please Nike. Maybe this is part of his healing, another demonstration of his penitence, with the lingering promise of more to come.. But enough already. Enough with the shame. Bringing out the deceased father seemed going over the top.

Nike's Self-Serving Tiger Wood's Ad

Nike, under the log line, "Earl Woods asks his son a few questions before Tiger's return to golf," has put out a commercial with a contrite looking Tiger Woods, taking a scolding, from his father. This seems to be Nike's way to say to the mothers and fathers who buy Nike sneakers and other stuff for their kids, that "Gee, he's had a parental talking to, so now he's okay."

In the video, Nike uses the voice from Tiger Woods deceased father, and Tiger plays his part as the naughty little boy, who now is going to be good. Well, give me a break! Maybe Nike has to do what it does to protect the sale-ability of it products, and Tiger Woods had to go along to make Nike happy. But for crying out loud!

Tiger Woods doesn't need this video. It makes him look phony.  Well, this is what is done for money.

Tiger Woods Update

An update on the Tiger preparing for the Masters that begins tomorrow, on the 8th, -- The Associated Press reports that Tiger Woods, his fellow golfers, and the officials at the Augusta National golf club, all feel more relax from the tension on Monday, leading up to the Tiger Woods' press conference, and that the focus is back where it should be, on golf. The Tiger remains the center of attention. The question is how well will he play after five months of being away from the game, and how mentally focused will he. And because he is Tiger Woods, the best golfer in the world, he would be the center of attention at Augusta in any event.

The Tiger Is Back

I watched the press conference Tiger Woods held yesterday, and was convinced that he did well for himself and will be welcomed back by his fans. Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer in the world and probably the greatest golfer of all times. His private life is his private life. His public life -- what he does on the golf course -- belongs to his fans.

There are many who will keep picking at him, keep dragging out his dozen or so ex-mistresses, and a few of exes will drag themselves out, to extend their moment in the spotlight, hoping that it will bring them financial rewards. Print and electronic media will continue to dredge up stories of his past foibles. Scandals sell newspapers and magazines, and draw eye balls to television, and to computer screens, and sex scandals sell the best, especially, when before the scandal broke, the lead player was considered squeaky clean.

The Tiger Returns to The Masters

Tiger Woods is back on the golf course, practicing, getting ready to play for the Masters at the Augusta National golf club, which begins on April, 8th. This is expected to be the most watched pro-golf event in history. The media has been making ready since last month, when he announced his return to golf.  He is to hold a press conference  today, Monday, at 2 p.m. And, as the Daily News reports, interest in him is so high "that the club has limited seating to one reporter for each news outlet, with only a few exceptions." The press conference is scheduled to be held in the club's interview room, a small space that will limit the number of reporters able to attend and to ask questions. The press conference is not expected to be moved to a larger space, because of  "the club's staid rules of decorum and a culture that insulates pro golfers from the media and fans." (ABC News)

Anna Paquin Wants Equality

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Anna Paquin, the 27-year-old star of HBO's popular hit, "True Blood," has declared, quote she, "I'm a Bisexual." She made the  declaration in a new gay rights PSA, part of a campaign launched Thursday by Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Fund, to educate the public and to advocate for "the advancement of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. The declaration was posted last Thursday on the group's site, wegiveadamn.org, and caused site to crash, from overwhelming traffic. The site managers told the Associated Press that additional servers have been added. The PSA includes appearances by Elton John, Whoopi Goldberg, Jason Mraz, Cynthia Nixon, among others.

Google's April Fool's Joke

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Well, go to the Google home page today, April 1st,  the day for April Fools jokes, look and what do you see? A little buffoonery from the Google Corporation.

On its landing page is the strange name TOPEKA, a name that sounds like something from the 1950s. Yes a retro name. Yes, too 2Oth century. Right there, only the most sheltered rube would get fooled by that joke. Then there is this little announcement: "Not In Kansas: learn about our new name."