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Saturday, September 13, 2003
"After He Shakes Your Hand, You Better Count Your Fingers"
The Most Famous Picture Nobody's Ever Seen
"My family calls it "the picture that won't go away." Most newspaper editors refused to print it. Those who did, on the day after the World Trade Center attacks, received hundreds of letters of complaint.
The photograph was denounced as coldblooded, ghoulish and sadistic. Then it vanished.
Yet, two years later, I still get asked about it. I've been invited on national talk shows, interviewed by foreign TV crews and asked to speak about it at universities across the country. Esquire magazine just published a 7,000-word essay that hails it as an icon, a masterpiece and a touching work of art.
All this for a single frame out of hundreds shot in haste before I was pulled to safety as the second tower of the World Trade Center tumbled toward me."
The photograph was denounced as coldblooded, ghoulish and sadistic. Then it vanished.
Yet, two years later, I still get asked about it. I've been invited on national talk shows, interviewed by foreign TV crews and asked to speak about it at universities across the country. Esquire magazine just published a 7,000-word essay that hails it as an icon, a masterpiece and a touching work of art.
All this for a single frame out of hundreds shot in haste before I was pulled to safety as the second tower of the World Trade Center tumbled toward me."
International Talk Like a Pirate Day: 6 Days to Go!
"Why do we need an International Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Make no mistake. We do. But it's a little hard to articulate why, especially when you've made the mistake of referring to your wife as a scurvy bilge rat and tried to order her back into the galley.
Talking like a pirate is fun. It's really that simple.
It gives your conversation a swagger, an elán, denied to landlocked lubbers. The best explanation came from a guy at a Cleveland radio station who interviewed us on the 2002 Talk Like a Pirate Day. He told us we were going to be buried by people asking for interviews because it was a "whimsical alternative" to all the serious things that were making the news so depressing.
In other words, silliness is the holiday's best selling point."
Make no mistake. We do. But it's a little hard to articulate why, especially when you've made the mistake of referring to your wife as a scurvy bilge rat and tried to order her back into the galley.
Talking like a pirate is fun. It's really that simple.
It gives your conversation a swagger, an elán, denied to landlocked lubbers. The best explanation came from a guy at a Cleveland radio station who interviewed us on the 2002 Talk Like a Pirate Day. He told us we were going to be buried by people asking for interviews because it was a "whimsical alternative" to all the serious things that were making the news so depressing.
In other words, silliness is the holiday's best selling point."
Bob Uecker's Abdominal Aortic Aneurism
Bob Uecker is baseball's perennial comedian, always ready with a quip that leaves fans laughing. But his bout with an abdominal aortic aneurism (AAA) was no joke.
"To know that they're gonna cut you open all the way down and actually move your stomach out so they can get to the problem is big," says Uecker, who had this procedure done in 1991. "You don't mind surgery if it's another guy."
Open surgery, which was used for AAA stent-graft operations before 1999, required opening the abdominal cavity. Fortunately, newer procedures that are less traumatic, invasive, and painful are now often used to place the stent-graft.
"I want people to know that this could happen to anybody," urges Uecker. "I was lucky. I had pain, a lot of pain. And they found a very, very bad aneurysm. But for a lot of people you don't feel a thing until it's too late. And even then you probably don't feel bad because you don't know what hit you. And that's a sad ending."
"To know that they're gonna cut you open all the way down and actually move your stomach out so they can get to the problem is big," says Uecker, who had this procedure done in 1991. "You don't mind surgery if it's another guy."
Open surgery, which was used for AAA stent-graft operations before 1999, required opening the abdominal cavity. Fortunately, newer procedures that are less traumatic, invasive, and painful are now often used to place the stent-graft.
"I want people to know that this could happen to anybody," urges Uecker. "I was lucky. I had pain, a lot of pain. And they found a very, very bad aneurysm. But for a lot of people you don't feel a thing until it's too late. And even then you probably don't feel bad because you don't know what hit you. And that's a sad ending."
Congress Rips Wolfowitz for Nuptial Delay
MORE TROOPS NEEDED TO FORCE J. LO TO MARRY BEN
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who earlier this year predicted that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck would wed this Sunday in Santa Barbara, California, today told Congress that more troops would be needed to force the two altar-shy celebrities to tie the knot.
"We are making progress in moving this wedding forward, but significant obstacles remain," said Wolfowitz in asking Congress for emergency funding in the amount of $124 billion.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, who earlier this year predicted that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck would wed this Sunday in Santa Barbara, California, today told Congress that more troops would be needed to force the two altar-shy celebrities to tie the knot.
"We are making progress in moving this wedding forward, but significant obstacles remain," said Wolfowitz in asking Congress for emergency funding in the amount of $124 billion.
Friday, September 12, 2003
It's So Great to Have the J-Walk Blog Back Again
What comes to mind is a little ditty Steve Martin sang many years ago on the Tonight Show, back in his white suit arrow through the head ukelele days:
Tonight I'm on the Johnny Carson Show
I'm on with Buddy Hackett
He's a Thousand Times Funnier Than I'll Ever Be
But Tonight We're Getting Paid the Same
How We Viewed A Slice of Life Ninety Six Years Ago
Injun Summer, by John T. McCutcheon from the Chicago Tribune of September 30, 1907.
Hey, Not Every Family Gets a Stadium Named For Them
McMahon Stadium, a community facility in the truest sense, has played host to a wide variety of events since it opened in 1960. The stadium has held major international events including the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1988 Olympic Winter Games,
It's the B Team's Time to Shine
Time Magazine: "For many years now, American business culture has fostered a form of star worship that even a Hollywood agent might find excessive. Starting in the early 1980s with the first waves of corporate restructuring that sent millions of company men and women into the streets, the American work force's steady-Eddie performers gradually lost status to corporate hotshots and those with star potential. In the so-called war for talent, A-list players were showered with cash, stock options and perks. And in the boom years of the late 1990s, they could do no wrong. Yet it was mostly the A players who failed spectacularly at firms such as Enron and WorldCom and countless dotcom wonders.
Now companies that have been overlooking their B players may start to regret it. When job demand picks up, those solid-performing workers who constitute the heart of a business are likely to start migrating to places that make them feel more appreciated. "Long-term performance depends far more on the contributions of B players than many firms have come to realize," says Thomas DeLong, a professor at Harvard Business School. DeLong describes B players as the middle 80% of a company's work force, employees who are neither the hotshots (the A's) nor the weakest links (the C's)."
Now companies that have been overlooking their B players may start to regret it. When job demand picks up, those solid-performing workers who constitute the heart of a business are likely to start migrating to places that make them feel more appreciated. "Long-term performance depends far more on the contributions of B players than many firms have come to realize," says Thomas DeLong, a professor at Harvard Business School. DeLong describes B players as the middle 80% of a company's work force, employees who are neither the hotshots (the A's) nor the weakest links (the C's)."
Not Allowed for the Goose, But Funny for the Gander
Gary Aldrich: "While one might argue that “Queer Eye” is an entertainment program, could we even imagine a situation where the tables are turned? Imagine, ladies, a show giving straight men the green-light to train women not to do all the things that bug them. Would it be nearly as humorous? On the show, perhaps titled “Making Women Tolerable”, the male hosts would get to:
Drag them to a boxing match or a car race. Women should learn to appreciate these exciting sporting events.
Take women camping and prove that it won’t kill them to not wash their hair for a couple days.
Train women to keep their mouths shut when the toilet seat is left up. If they want the seat down, they have arms, too.
Lay off the shopping for a week and make women acknowledge that there is a connection between the Visa card in their hand and the income their devoted mates bring home each week.
How successful would this show be? We’ll never know, because no producer would dare have their name attached to the project. "
Drag them to a boxing match or a car race. Women should learn to appreciate these exciting sporting events.
Take women camping and prove that it won’t kill them to not wash their hair for a couple days.
Train women to keep their mouths shut when the toilet seat is left up. If they want the seat down, they have arms, too.
Lay off the shopping for a week and make women acknowledge that there is a connection between the Visa card in their hand and the income their devoted mates bring home each week.
How successful would this show be? We’ll never know, because no producer would dare have their name attached to the project. "
Thursday, September 11, 2003
The Best Article Yet on the Intelligence Failures of September 11
Herbert E. Meyer: "To really understand why our country's intelligence service failed so miserably before the September 11 attack, you must go beyond the bits and pieces uncovered thus far by the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. Yes, there were reports from agents out in the field which might have made a difference had they been acted on by headquarters-based officials. Yes, the various intelligence agencies failed to coordinate. Yes, they relied on outmoded and mediocre information-handling technologies. Yes, the CIA and FBI failed to connect the dots.
But why did they make all these mistakes, and by doing so leave us so vulnerable? Until we come to grips with this root question, we won't really get to the bottom of it. There is an answer. But saying it out loud is so impolite, so impolitic — so downright rude — that no one wants to do it. But if we hope to prevent another attack, we really must set aside all these considerations and talk bluntly. So, here goes: Our intelligence services failed because their leaders and their top-level analysts just weren't smart enough to figure things out early enough to make a difference. They had lots of energy and dedication, to be sure. What they didn't have enough of, was brains."
But why did they make all these mistakes, and by doing so leave us so vulnerable? Until we come to grips with this root question, we won't really get to the bottom of it. There is an answer. But saying it out loud is so impolite, so impolitic — so downright rude — that no one wants to do it. But if we hope to prevent another attack, we really must set aside all these considerations and talk bluntly. So, here goes: Our intelligence services failed because their leaders and their top-level analysts just weren't smart enough to figure things out early enough to make a difference. They had lots of energy and dedication, to be sure. What they didn't have enough of, was brains."
WTC and the Pentagon As Viewed From Space
Time sequence images from Space Imaging.
Who's to Blame for 9/11?
We have The Answer
Inside the Towers
102 Minutes , from the NY Times
Photos From The Day
Wednesday, September 10, 2003
Direct From the Planet of Soy!
An Oldie but Goodie. My favorite condiment-inspired superhero (via Dave Barry)
This Will Make Your Eyes Spin
The Latest Works. Wait 30 minutes after eating before you view this, or else you'll get a stomach cramp.
Ipana Toothpaste is Now a Best Seller in Turkey
Ipana dentifrice was first introduced in 1915. Its popularity increased with the Ipana Troubadours, a radio advertising campaign, and soon the toothpaste became one of America's top brands. Ipana was a bestseller in the USA from 1936 to 1945. During that time, more people were brushing their teeth with Ipana than with any other nationally advertised toothpaste or tooth powder. Demand flagged, though, and in 1968 Bristol-Meyers abandoned Ipana in favor of new brands.
In 1991, things took an odd twist. The new owners of the Ipana brand, Procter & Gamble, launched a joint venture with a Turkish company. Ipana is now a leading toothpaste in Turkey. (and this was verified by my Turkish friend Ela!)
In 1991, things took an odd twist. The new owners of the Ipana brand, Procter & Gamble, launched a joint venture with a Turkish company. Ipana is now a leading toothpaste in Turkey. (and this was verified by my Turkish friend Ela!)
Leni Riefenstahl Dies at Age 101
A First Time Mom-to-be at Age 44
Congrats to my friend and co-worker Rhonda and her husband! Boggles the mind, eh?
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Life and Death on the 78th Floor
USA TODAY:
In the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the 78th floor elevator lobby was where life and death intersected most violently.
At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 cut like a scythe through the packed elevator lobby. Death's scalpel sliced between people standing inches apart, killing one while sparing another.
Just 12 people who were in the elevator lobby when the second jet hit escaped before the south tower collapsed 56 minutes later. In the 16 1/2 minutes between the first strike on the World Trade Center and the second, the dozen who survived the 78th floor never knew just what was happening or the danger they were in. They didn't know that every action they took influenced whether they lived or died that day.
In the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the 78th floor elevator lobby was where life and death intersected most violently.
At 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 cut like a scythe through the packed elevator lobby. Death's scalpel sliced between people standing inches apart, killing one while sparing another.
Just 12 people who were in the elevator lobby when the second jet hit escaped before the south tower collapsed 56 minutes later. In the 16 1/2 minutes between the first strike on the World Trade Center and the second, the dozen who survived the 78th floor never knew just what was happening or the danger they were in. They didn't know that every action they took influenced whether they lived or died that day.
Actor James Woods Talks With the FBI the Day After
WOODS: I said, "Well, great." And he said, "But we appreciate your calling." Quarter to 7:00 the next morning, I get a phone call that actually wakes me up. And I say, "Hi." And they say, "Hi, this is -- I won't use their name, but the special agent, who's now been my contact and his partner." And they said, "We want to talk to you about the flight that you took in August. I said, "Oh, did the manifest match of any of the flights yesterday and my flight?" He said we can't tell you that. I said, "Well, look, I'll get ready and you know, I'll come down to the federal building." He said, "That's OK, we're outside your house. We'll just wait for you here."
O'REILLY: Wow, 7:15. So this is serious.
WOODS: Quarter to seven in the morning. And said -- and I -- and this is the only funny part of any of this. I said, "How did you know where I lived?" And there was a pause. He said, "We're the FBI, thank you."
O'REILLY: Right.
WOODS: So they came in. And I said, "Look, I'm dying to know, were these the guys? And he said, "Well, we've had 36,000 tips in one day. And there's two of us and we're going to be at your house all this morning. So you can do the math, but we can't tell you." You know, so since then, I have identified for sure two of them as two of the terrorists.
O'REILLY: Wow, 7:15. So this is serious.
WOODS: Quarter to seven in the morning. And said -- and I -- and this is the only funny part of any of this. I said, "How did you know where I lived?" And there was a pause. He said, "We're the FBI, thank you."
O'REILLY: Right.
WOODS: So they came in. And I said, "Look, I'm dying to know, were these the guys? And he said, "Well, we've had 36,000 tips in one day. And there's two of us and we're going to be at your house all this morning. So you can do the math, but we can't tell you." You know, so since then, I have identified for sure two of them as two of the terrorists.
The Faces That Make Up The Numbers
On September 11, 2001, four U.S. planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center, The Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania killing more than 3,000 people in a matter of hours. Behind the staggering number of deaths are the individuals, each of whom left behind family, friends and coworkers who feel the national tragedy on a personal level. CNN.com has established this site as an evolving record of those who died and a place for readers to build a living memorial for them.
It's Been Two Years, But We Haven't Forgotten This
A Palestinian woman receives free sweets from a vendor as groups of locals in east Jerusalem's Old City celebrate after hearing the news of a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 11 2001.
Saving the Histories of September 11
The September 11 Digital Archive uses electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the history of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and the public responses to them.
Monday, September 08, 2003
The Smile Of Beauty. The Smile Of Health.
The OTR Web Pages: "Radio’s golden age has seen a number of programs sponsored by the Bristol-Myers duo of Ipana Tooth Paste and Sal Hepatica. . Since Ipana provided its users with a healthy mouth and Sal Hepatica provided its users with proper nature calling functions, smiling was the theme with these two products. On the radio, the listeners knew Ipana as "The Smile Of Beauty" and Sal Hepatica as "The Smile Of Health."
I've Been Trying to Identify This Voice For Years
Paul Frees was one of the most successful voice actors of all time. Frees voiced such memorable cartoon characters as "Boris Badinov," "Inspector Fenwick," and the voices of both "John and Paul" in the cartoon version of The Beatles. Frees got his start on the radio, where he appeared on shows such as Escape and Crime Classics, and his film work included the voice of the computer in Collossus: The Forbin Project and the narrator in The Manchurian Candidate.
Digital Sundials
Digital Sundials International : "In a singular blend of artistry and utility, the digital sundial combines the ancient science of sundials and advances of modern technology with elegant simplicity. Like a digital clock, the digital sundial displays the current time using digits. In the true tradition of all sundials, the device is purely passive - it operates without electricity, and has no moving parts. Instead, the sunlight is cast through two cleverly designed masks in the shape of numbers that show the current time of day. The sundial is available in two versions, for use in either hemisphere. Placed on the inside of a south-facing window (north-facing in the southern hemisphere), the sundial can be read through the horizontal mirror. The display updates every 10 minutes, and gives a remarkably accurate record of the time during the daylight hours."
What It Means to be a Liberal
Charlie Sykes:
"The other day I found myself very puzzled.
I know what I believe, why I believe it, the philosophical foundations of my beliefs. I've studied everything from Karl Marx to Ludwig von Mises, from Friedrich Hayek to FDR, from Edmund Burke to Bertrand Russell, from Aristotle to Ayn Rand.
I understand modern conservative thought. I understand libertarian thought. I understand classical liberalism. What I can't begin to comprehend is modern liberalism. . ."
"The other day I found myself very puzzled.
I know what I believe, why I believe it, the philosophical foundations of my beliefs. I've studied everything from Karl Marx to Ludwig von Mises, from Friedrich Hayek to FDR, from Edmund Burke to Bertrand Russell, from Aristotle to Ayn Rand.
I understand modern conservative thought. I understand libertarian thought. I understand classical liberalism. What I can't begin to comprehend is modern liberalism. . ."
Whatever Happened to Green Stamps?
As with everything else, the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board knows.
Sunday, September 07, 2003
So Why Don’t We Just Buy Mexico and Canada?
Dennis Miller: " I welcome new neighbors if for no other reason than it's nice to have an eclectic mix of music blaring from next door to keep me up all night. The Mexican people I know seem to respect the country in a way that many spoiled brats who were born here don’t. So come on over folks, the more the merrier. But please, sign the guest book on the way in.
And that goes double for you wacky Canadians sneaking in here and foisting your good manners and your politeness and your measured sense of expectations on us. We know what you’re up to pal!"
And that goes double for you wacky Canadians sneaking in here and foisting your good manners and your politeness and your measured sense of expectations on us. We know what you’re up to pal!"
The Entire State of Wisconsin is An LGBT Safe Zone
At a University of Wisconsin dormitory a colorful sign declared it to be an "LGBT Safe Zone". Which begs the question, why shouldn't it be a Safe Zone for everybody?
It's a confusing sign at any rate, because in the rest of Wisconsin LGBT stands for Love Green Bay's Team !
It's a confusing sign at any rate, because in the rest of Wisconsin LGBT stands for Love Green Bay's Team !
Experience for Yourself the Train Layout of Tom Snyder!
Train Layout of Tom Snyder: "If you know legendary talk show host Tom Snyder, then you know he loves trains.
Tom Snyder has the only multi-level, scale-detailed Standard Gauge layout in the country, and it's gorgeous. Never before have classics like the giant Lionel 400E steam locomotive and Ives National Limited steam passenger train traveled among such realistic scenery -- mountains, parks, tunnels and trees.
The impressive layout occupies two adjacent rooms, with a tunnel in the wall to allow the trains to pass from one to the other. Hotspots on the layout include a two-level passenger station area, railroad yard with motorized turntable, and a Department 56 Snow Village Christmas scene.
The trains themselves incorporate modern sophisticated enhancements such as realistic railroad sounds and smoke pouring out of the smokestacks"
Tom Snyder has the only multi-level, scale-detailed Standard Gauge layout in the country, and it's gorgeous. Never before have classics like the giant Lionel 400E steam locomotive and Ives National Limited steam passenger train traveled among such realistic scenery -- mountains, parks, tunnels and trees.
The impressive layout occupies two adjacent rooms, with a tunnel in the wall to allow the trains to pass from one to the other. Hotspots on the layout include a two-level passenger station area, railroad yard with motorized turntable, and a Department 56 Snow Village Christmas scene.
The trains themselves incorporate modern sophisticated enhancements such as realistic railroad sounds and smoke pouring out of the smokestacks"
Make Your Own Games for the PC
"Adventure Maker is a revolutionary, easy to use, powerful, and inexpensive toolkit to create point-and-click games and multimedia software in minutes. It does not require any scripting or programming, and it is particularly useful to create first-person adventure games, educational software, presentations, and interactive tours. It can create single, compressed, stand-alone files, for easy Internet or CD distribution."
