Random Access

Thursday – 11 March 2010
Last night, I went home and tried to figure out what I wanted to do with a free evening. A good portion of that time – about two hours – was spent sitting on the couch, watching MythBusters.  After fixing something to eat, I finally decided to hit the neighborhood Barnes & Noble and try to get in some drawing. I took a few ‘Clix with me, as it’s always nice to have some figure references and set about putting graphite to paper…

I started by going through the issue of Lurzer’s Archive that I was using as reference/inspiration last week. I more or less finished a sketch that I started and then tried moving on to another piece. After that, inspiration struck: I started on a new piece based on a song lyric. If I can maintain a nominally steady pace, I should have something to show in the next week or so.

I left the bookstore and headed home. SaraRules got home shortly afterwards. We chatted about our days, watched a bit of TV and called it a night…

…unfortunately, I could not easily find my to The Dreaming. I laid in bed for what seemed like hours before finally drifting off. Maybe that White Chocolate Mocha I drank while drawing had something to do with it.

Oddly enough, I didn’t wake up feeling horribly tired this morning. That’s a good thing for an NBN Thursday.

Stray Toasters

• Today starts my week with The Leash.  Despite that, it’s still a good day.
• Four-Color Coverage got a nod from The Legion Omnicom.
• Max Brooks Joins G.I. Joe Comics
  And, yes, he’s “that” Max Brooks.
• Thanks to for making sure I was able to pickup the latest MacHeist bundle before the offer ended.
• In Which I Try To Use All Of WGN’s Newly Banned Words In One Sentence
• I just got out of a 30-40 minute long conversation with our CTO.  Impromptu. Unexpected.  And… good.
• 
• Multitasking in for iPhone 4.0?
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” File: Lesbian panic shuts down Mississippi high school prom
• Former TSA analyst charged with computer tampering
• For the gamers out there: Recommend a good first-person shooter for me.  I’m starting to miss Battlefield 2142, but there haven’t been any updates for it since DICE/EA has allocated their resources to supporting Battlefield: Bad Company.
• IKEA’s Soft Toys Raise $35 Million for Charity

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 March 2010
Midweek.
Today and tomorrow left in the work week.
It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday.
And all appears to be well.

It turned out that SaraRules didn’t have rehearsal last night; she did, however, have plans to go swimming with my brother-in-law. So, she did that. I didn’t really feel terribly inclined to sit at home and play videogames (no, really, I feel fine…), so I headed over to the local Barnes & Noble and did a little drawing. I got three small/rough figures done. It wasn’t a lot, but it was nominally productive. I may go again tonight; we shall see.

For the past four-and-a-half months, I’ve been using shaving creams – Razorantium and Prince Triple Orange Blossom – from Lush. Fabulous products. (A tip of the hat and a nod to SaraRules for introducing me to Lush products.) I’m out of the creams and waiting for delivery of replacements, so I had to fall back to using Edge Pro Gel. While it’s not quite the same shave as I get from the Lush shaving creams, there is one benefit from using the Pro Gel: I can shave Better. Stronger. Faster… mainly because I can actually see the lather from the Pro Gel, as opposed to the more lotion-like nature of the shaving cream.

Stray Toasters

• I consider myself reasonably intelligent and occasionally even smart. (Yes, there is a difference; for the gamers out there, think INT vs. WIS) Despite this, there are times when I just miss something, regardless of the number of signs pointing the way. Case in point: I just realized, within the past… month or two, I guess… that this Thomas Broening is the same Thomas Broening that I went to school with. I’ve seen his work in a number of ad magazines over the years, but for whatever reason, 2+2 never equalled 4. Yep… I’m a genius.
• The 25 Most Common Cooking Mistakes, by way of
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file:
  • Newly-weds spend honeymoon night in prison
  • FAA: Child in air traffic tower talking to pilots ‘not acceptable’
• U.S. Declassifies Part of Secret Cybersecurity Plan
• If I have to explain why this amuses me… *shrug*



• Multiracial no longer boxed in by the Census
• I got my certain and my
  sure ‘nough on
  and I’m puttin’ on my really
  for real
  You face that curtain with
  your best stuff on
  You are the winner and
  you’re gonna feel

  You can be what you want to
  and all you need is to
  get your boogie down

  • And, as for today’s sure ‘nough: Black blazer (with blue pocket square), white shirt, black/blue/white tie,  black suede vest, grey slacks, black shoes.
• Before there was Beakman and Bill Nye, there was Mr. Wizard.
• Army sees sharp rise in unfit soldiers
• City of Heroes has made a couple of announcements concerning Issue 17: Dark Mirror and Going Rogue.

Namaste.

Friday – 26 February 2010
It’s my 9/80 “on” Friday.
And I’m dealing with an off-site user’s computer issues.  Actually, I’m really just on the phone listening while a guy from corporate IT is trying to step him through a possible resolution. But, since I initiated the third-party call, I can’t just hang up. Yay.

Last night was a quiet night in. After work, I picked up my four-color goodness for the week. And I read the books. And it was good. Selah.  (Details can be found a little later today over on Four-Color Coverage.)

This morning is bright and sunny, with a little bit of haze. That’s not a bad way to kick off the weekend.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Our A-to-Z look at Black History closes out with Major General Matthew A. Zimmerman, Jr.

General Zimmerman was the first African-American Chief of the United States Army Chaplain Corps.

Matthew Zimmerman lived a life many children would find difficult to enjoy. Born in Rock Hill in 1941, his father was principal of his school and minister of his church. His mother was his first grade teacher.

“My parents, however, were my inspiration, especially my dad. They taught me spiritual values and the importance of building good relationships.”

Zimmerman graduated as valedictorian from Sims High School in Union County. He  entered Benedict College at age 16, graduating with a degree in chemistry and with plans to go to medical school. “At the time I graduated from college, Duke University was offering fellowships to encourage black students to attend their university,” Zimmerman recalls. “I decided to attend Duke and then to go to medical school. Once I started studying at the seminary, though, I decided I wanted to be ordained as a minister.”

Zimmerman became the first African-American student to graduate with a master of divinity degree from Duke University. He was ordained by the National Baptist Convention, Inc., USA and began serving as a campus pastor at universities and colleges throughout the country. Later, he received a master of science degree in guidance and counseling from Long Island University in New York.

In 1967, he entered into military service and was commissioned captain by direct appointment. Shortly after becoming a chaplain, Zimmerman served in Vietnam; he also served in Panama, Grenada and in the Desert Storm campaign. On April 13, 1989, President Bush nominated Zimmerman for promotion to brigadier general. Following confirmation by the United States Senate, he was appointed deputy chief of chaplains of the United States Army. The following year, he was promoted to major general and appointed chief of chaplains, the first African-American to hold this position.

As the chief of chaplains of the US Army, he oversaw 2,800 active duty Reserve and National Guard chaplains and 2,800 chaplain assistants stationed with troops worldwide.

“In the Army there are 92 different denominations represented on active duty by chaplains… We have 39 female chaplains, including a female rabbi. All of our chaplains have to minister to people of all persuasions, but they don’t have to perform a specific event, such as a wedding or other sacraments. However, they are responsible for finding religious personnel to perform specific ceremonies.”

Zimmerman credits his family and years of college ministry in preparing him for working with people of different background. “It is important for students to realize that there are many different cultures. They need to learn to accept people as individuals,” Zimmerman says.

Stray Toasters

• Congratulations to Rachel on her brand-spankin’ new job!



• Taking Black History out of the Peanut Gallery
• Shoes made out of recycled TVs
• Latvian ‘Robin Hood’ hacker leaks bank details to TV
• I need to pick up a few new dress shirts.
• Bright Tastes and Colors of an Indian Spring: Holi Food
• This might be laughable… if it wasn’t so true:



• 10 Blockbusters That Sucked
  Yep… Five movies from the lawn dart end of the Cool World-Long Kiss Goodnight Scale are on there.
• Spy cameras won’t make us safer

Namaste.

Thursday – 25 February 2010
It’s NBN Comics Thursday.
Finally.
Amen.

One more day, then this week can be put to bed.

After yesterday’s stay in the hinterlands, I got home and cooked dinner – grilled chicken with rice (prepared in cream of mushroom soup) and stir-fried vegetables. While we ate, SaraRules and I watched Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. It was an adaptation of two stories:

1. Grant Morrison’s Earth 2 and
2. Dwayne McDuffie’s story concept to bridge the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited series.

It was a good movie. I was a little disappointed in a couple spots with the voice casting:

1. William (Billy, Bubba-ho-tep, whatever they’re calling him this week) Baldwin was an… okay… Batman, but wasn’t quite what I expected.  Or, perhaps, he was trying a bit too much to emulate Kevin Conroy. I’m not sure.
2. Billy Bloom’s portrayal of Ultraman was…. well… I read someone’s critique where they said that he “…sounded like a Jersey Guido.” Spot. On. Assessment.
3. Mark Harmon’s Superman wasn’t quite right, either. Don’t get me wrong (if I come and go like fashion): I like Mark Harmon; he’s a big part of the reason that I watch NCIS semi-religiously. I think that this might come down to a lack of experience with animated voice acting. It wasn’t “bad,” it just wasn’t as spot-on as I had hoped. But, since it’s Mark Harmon, I’ll give him benefit of the doubt.

One place where I wasn’t let down: James Woods as Owlman. I don’t think they could have made a better choice.

The movie’s plot revolves around a plan by Lex Luthor. Not “that” Lex Luthor. This Luthor comes from a parallel Earth… where he is his world’s last remaining (super)hero. His opposition: The Crime Syndicate of America, a sinister analogue of the Justice League. Luthor goes to Earth-1 to recruit the JLA to fight – and hopefully defeat – the CSA.

As I said above, “It was a good movie.” It was fun, there were nice Easter Eggs for longtime DC fans, there was humor… it was a good package on the whole. I have yet to watch the DCUA short featuring The Spectre, but I’m looking forward to it.

Workout
Last night, SaraRules and I hit the gym:

• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 205 lbs
• Calf Raises: 3 sets/10 reps, 100 lbs
• Deadlift (barbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 50 lbs
• Bent-over Rows (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 35 lbs
• Shoulder Press (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 40 lbs
• Curls (dumbbell): 3 sets/10 reps, 30 lbs

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s personal profile is: Andrew Young

Andrew Jackson Young (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat and pastor from Georgia who has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Young was reared in a middle-class black family, attended segregated Southern schools, and later entered Howard University (Washington, D.C.) as a pre-med student. But he turned to the ministry and graduated in 1955 from the Hartford Theological Seminary (Hartford, Conn.) with a divinity degree.

Young was appointed to serve as pastor of a church in Marion, Alabama. It was there in Marion that he met Jean Childs, who later became his wife. In 1957, Andrew was called to the Youth Division of The National Council of Churches in New York City. He produced a television program for youth called, Look Up and Live, travelled to Geneva for meetings of the World Council of Churches around the United States. Also while in Marion, Young began to study the writings of Mohandas Gandhi. Young became interested in Gandhi’s concept of non-violent resistance as a tactic for social change.

His work brought him in contact with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Young joined with King in leading the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Following King’s assassination in 1968, Young worked with Ralph Abernathy until he resigned from the SCLC in 1970.

In 1970 Andrew Young ran as a Democrat for Congress from Georgia, but was unsuccessful. He ran again in 1972 and won. He later was re-elected in 1974 and in 1976. During his four-plus years in Congress he was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, and he was involved in several debates regarding foreign relations including the decision to stop supporting the Portuguese attempts to hold on to their colonies in southern Africa. Young also sat on the powerful Rules committee and the Banking and Urban Development committee.

He was an early supporter of Jimmy Carter, and, after Carter’s victory in the 1976 presidential elections, Andrew Young was made the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations. His apparent sympathy with the Third World made him very controversial, and he was finally forced to resign in 1979 after it became known that he had met with a representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization. In 1981 Young was elected mayor of Atlanta, and he was reelected to that post in 1985, serving through 1989.

Young ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Georgia in 1990, losing in the Democratic primary run-off to future Governor Zell Miller. However, while running for the Statehouse, he simultaneously was serving as a co-chairman of a committee which, at the time, was attempting to bring the 1996 Summer Olympics to Atlanta. Young played a significant role in the success of Atlanta’s bid to host the Summer Games.

Young is currently co-chairman of Good Works International, a consulting firm “offering international market access and political risk analysis in key emerging markets within Africa and the Caribbean.”

Stray Toasters

• Meetings!
• 12 Styles of American Man: Which One Are You?
• Snake Oil? – Scientific evidence for health supplements
• RIP: Old-school electro great Chilly B
  

• Failed Justice Leaves Rape Victim Nowhere to Turn
• Baltimore Blast
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Teachers filmed lap-dancing at school event
• Make This Year a Perfect ’10
• Light art performance photography

Namaste.

Thursday – 18 February 2010
Thank God it’s NBN Thursday!  (And, Technical Friday, too!)

Yesterday wound up being “Comics Wednesday” only; we didn’t go for sushi at lunch and I decided not to pick any up last night after work. S’okay. There’s always next week. As far as the comics aspect of things, it was good. Jake Black was at Dr. Volt’s, signing copies of Supergirl #50, in which he co-wrote a story with Helen Slater.

Once I got home, I fixed a couple of Chicken Cordon Bleu chicken breasts, rice and mixed vegetables for dinner. I watched Human Target while SaraRules finished up Starship Troopers (the book). After that, it was time to dive into the week’s comics. (For reviews of this week’s comics haul – click on over to Four-Color Coverage.) We also watched a bit of The Late Show and The Late Late Show before calling it a night.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s highlighted person is Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph was an American athlete who became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games, despite running on a sprained ankle at the time.

Wilma was the 20th child of a family of 22, born prematurely and at only 4.5 pounds! She was born with polio and as a result of the diease was crippled and was unable to attend school. Her mother educated her at home in her early childhood, also having to bring her to a hospital for blacks 50 miles from their home twice a week. Wilma eventually attended a segragrated blacks-only school when she was seven. In 1952, 12-year-old Wilma Rudolph finally achieved her dream of shedding her handicap and becoming like other children.

Wilma’s older sister was on a basketball team, and Wilma vowed to follow in her footsteps. While in high school, Wilma was on the basketball team when she was spotted by Tennessee State track and field coach Edward S. Temple. Being discovered by Temple was a major break for a young athlete. The day he saw the tenth grader for the first time, he knew he had found a natural athlete. Wilma had already gained some track experience on Burt High School’s track team two years before, mostly as a way to keep busy between basketball seasons.

While still in high school, Rudolph qualified for the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia. At the age of 16, she was the youngest member of the U.S. team and won a bronze medal in the sprint relay event. After finishing high school, Rudolph enrolled at Tennessee State University where she studied education.

At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome she won three Olympic titles; the 100 m, 200 m and the 4 × 100 m relay. Rudolph ran the 100-meter dash in an impressive 11 seconds flat. However the time was not credited as a world record because it was wind-aided. She also won the 200-meter dash in 23.2 seconds, a new Olympic record. After these twin triumphs, she was being hailed throughout the world as “the fastest woman in history”. Finally, on September 11, 1960, she combined with Tennessee State teammates Martha Hudson, Lucinda Williams and Barbara Jones to win the 400-meter relay in 44.5 seconds, setting a world record.

A track and field champion, she elevated women’s track to a major presence in the United States. The powerful sprinter emerged from the 1960 Rome Olympics as “The Tornado,” the fastest woman on earth. The Italians nicknamed her “La Gazzella Nera” (the Black Gazelle); to the French she was “La Perle Noire” (The Black Pearl). Rudolph retired from track competition in 1962 after winning two races at a U.S.–Soviet meet.

In 1963 she was selected to represent the U. S. State Department as a Goodwill Ambassador at the Games of Friendship in Dakar, Senegal. Later that year she was invited by Dr. Billy Graham to join the Baptist Christian Athletes in Japan. There was one “first” accomplishment that was more special than any of the others, however: She insisted that her homecoming parade in Clarksville, Tennessee be open to everyone and not a segregated event as was the usual custom. Her victory parade was the first racially integrated event ever held in the town. And that night, the banquet the townspeople held in her honor, was the first time in Clarksville’s history that blacks and whites had ever gathered together for the same event. She went on to participate in protests in the city until the segregation laws were struck down.

After her successes on the track she became a teacher, coach and sports commentator. In 1963 she married Robert Eldridge and the couple had four children. Wilma wrote her autobiography in 1977, entitled ‘Wilma’ which was later adapted into a television movie.

Stray Toasters

• I had to give 4CC a facelift this morning, after realizing that the theme I had chosen didn’t play well with the LEGO brick images I use in reviews.  *sigh* The new theme works – and looks decent – but I’m still on the lookout for something that I like a little better.
• forwarded a couple of items:
  • Straight from the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Girl’s arrest for doodling raises concerns about zero-tolerance
  • Brush Up on Your Fashion Knowledge with This Geek-Friendly Primer
    
• Ravens Sign Receiver Stallworth
• Shaun White proves he’s still the best snowboarder in the world
• 
• Adam Voohees Photography: Exploded
• I Use Twitter, Please Rob Me
• There is no new episode of Fringe tonight. Perhaps I’ll use the time to catch up on 24…
• Experts reboot list of 25 most dangerous coding errors

Namaste.

Wednesday – 17 February 2010
It’s Comics Wednesday; whether or not there will be “Sushi” remains to be seen…

Last night, SaraRules fixed a very tasty chicken and broccoli alfredo for dinner. After that (and a recorded episode of Castle), we headed to Best Buy (I wanted to pick up HALO Legends) and then to Iceberg (SaraRules wanted a chocolate malted milkshake) and up to the in-laws’.  While visiting the famn damily, we watched a bit of Olympic coverage – snowcross and the men’s figure skating short program. I reaffirmed my conclusion that the color commentary provided by family is far more entertaining than the coverage provided by sportscasters.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s person of note is Peggy A. Quince:

Peggy A. Quince is the Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court; she is the first African-American woman to sit on the state’s highest Court and the third female Justice.

Quince was raised in Chesapeake, Virginia. She had to attend segregated schools, but she excelled as a student. Quince attended Howard University as an undergraduate, and received her Juris Doctorate from the Columbus School of Law at The Catholic University of America in 1975.

Justice Quince began her legal career in Washington, D.C. as a hearing officer with the Rental Accommodations Office administering that city’s new rent control law. In 1977 she entered private practice in Norfolk, Virginia, with special emphasis in real estate and domestic relations.

She moved to Florida in 1978 and opened a law office in Bradenton, Florida, where she practiced general civil law until 1980. In February, 1980, Justice Quince began her tenure with the Attorney General’s Office, Criminal Division. As an assistant attorney general she handled numerous appeals in the Second District Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court, including death penalty cases, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court. Her thirteen and a half year tenure at that office included five years as the Tampa Bureau Chief.

From 1993 to 1997 she served as a judge on Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal. On July 1, 2008, Quince assumed the office of Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, the first African-American woman to head any branch of Florida government.

Quince is the only Supreme Court Justice in Florida history to be appointed simultaneously by more than one Governor. Because her term began the exact moment that Governor-elect Jeb Bush assumed his office, in order to avoid potential future controversy over her appointment, Bush worked out a joint agreement with lame duck Governor Lawton Chiles whereby they both agreed upon and jointly announced Quince’s appointment in December 1998. When Chiles died of a heart attack a few days later, the task of signing Quince’s commission to office fell to Chiles’ temporary successor, Governor Buddy MacKay. Thus, three Governors were involved in Quince’s appointment.

Presently, Justice Quince is on the executive counsel of the Appellate Section of the Florida Bar and is the Supreme Court liaison to the Workers’ Compensation Committee, the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee, and the Supreme Court’s Family Court Steering Committee. She has lectured at a number of Continuing Legal Education programs on issues involving search and seizure, probation and parole, use of peremptory challenges, postconviction relief, professionalism and ethics, and the independence of the judiciary.

Stray Toasters

• pointed out this article: Dr. King to get a partner?
  The article describes a bill, “John M. Browning State Holiday,” that has been submitted “…that would combine the King holiday with a celebration of Browning, an Ogden native and one of the most significant pioneers in firearms manufacturing.”

  YeahbuhWHAT!?

  said that he found it “a little disappointing.” I can’t say that I disagree with him, but given the (perceived) problems that Utah has had in recognizing (read: “dealing with”) the King holiday, I can’t really say that I’m all that surprised, either.

• Women at war: How roles are changing
• Scientists rule: King Tut felled by malaria and broken leg
• I took a tour of our storage facility. Very cool.
• 
• German railways shunt English into sidings
• Ruins of Electric Train Turned into Terribly Cool Amusement Park in Lima
• CarrieFisher.com (Yes, that Carrie Fisher.)
• Calculate the Speed of Light by Melting Chocolate
• 
• Atlanta Progressive News fires reporter for trying to be objective
• Vintage Japanese industrial expo posters

Namaste.

Tuesday – 16 February 2010
This morning has started off better than yesterday in a number of ways. I’m going to take that as a good omen.

Today is also apparently International Pancake Day.

Last night was rather quiet and low-key: After dinner, and a little TV-watching, SaraRules went to the gym for a swim and I decided that it was an ideal time to take a relaxing soak and do a little reading. Great way to wind down the evening. Later in the evening, I unwrapped LEGO Batman and played through a level. That game is more fun than I expected. (Thanks, SaraRules!)

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s notable person is Satchel Paige:

Leroy Robert “Satchel” Paige was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend.

Satchel was born Leroy Robert Page to John Page, a gardener, and Lula Page (née Coleman), a domestic worker, in a section of Mobile, Alabama known as Down the Bay. Many ages and birthdates, ranging from 1900 to 1908, were reported for Paige’s birthday. Paige himself was the source of many of these dates. His actual birthdate, July 7, 1906, however, has been known since 1948 when Cleveland Indians owner Bill Veeck traveled to Mobile, Alabama and went with Paige’s family to the County Health Department to obtain his birth certificate.

Two weeks before his twelfth birthday, Paige was arrested for shoplifting. Because this incident followed several earlier incidents of theft and truancy, he was committed to the state reform school, the Industrial School for Negro Children in Mount Meigs, Alabama, until the age of eighteen. During more than five years he spent at the Industrial School, he developed his pitching skills under the guidance of Edward Byrd.

After his release, Paige played for several Mobile semi-pro teams. He joined the semi-pro Mobile Tigers where his brother Wilson was already pitching. He also pitched for a semi-pro team named the Down the Bay Boys. A former friend from the Mobile slums, Alex Herman, was the player/manager for the Chattanooga White Sox of the minor Negro Southern League. In 1926 he discovered Paige and offered to pay him $250 per month, of which Paige would collect $50 with the rest going to his mother. Partway through the 1927 season, Paige’s contract was sold to the Birmingham Black Barons of the major Negro National League (NNL). From 1926 until 1947, Paige played for many teams across the U.S. and in Cuba.

When Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson, a teammate of Paige, Paige realized that it was for the better that he himself was not the first black in major league baseball. Robinson started in the minors, an insult that Paige would not have tolerated. By integrating baseball in the minor leagues first, the white major league players got the chance to “get used to” the idea of playing alongside black players. Understanding that, Paige said in his autobiography:

“Signing Jackie like they did still hurt me deep down. I’d been the guy who’d started all that big talk about letting us in the big time. I’d been the one who’d opened up the major league parks to colored teams. I’d been the one who the white boys wanted to go barnstorming against.”

Paige, and all other black players, knew that quibbling about the choice of the first black player in the major leagues would do nothing productive, so, despite his inner feelings, Paige said of Robinson, “He’s the greatest colored player I’ve ever seen.”

Finally, on July 7, 1948, with his Cleveland Indians in a pennant race and in desperate need of pitching, Indians owner Bill Veeck brought Paige in to try out with Indians player/manager Lou Boudreau. On that same day, his 42nd birthday, Paige signed his first major league contract, for $40,000 for the three months remaining in the season, becoming the first Negro pitcher in the American League and the seventh Negro big leaguer overall.

Paige played in as many as 2,500 games and is credited with more than 50 no-hitters. He pitched for six seasons in the majors and was the first star of the Negro leagues to be inducted (1971) into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Stray Toasters

• I’m apparently conducting an unplanned experiment this morning…
• I Think, Therefore ‘I Zombie’
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: TSA forces travelling policeman to remove his disabled four-year-old’s leg braces
• Device on Sandy (UT) gas pump helps crooks steal credit card number, by way of
• Since discovering Downtown Philly Cheesesteaks, I have been reacquainted with a drink I used to love: Birch Beer. This morning, DPC posted a “What Is Birch Beer?” message on their Facebook page:
  

  Have you ever wondered what on earth “Birch Beer” is? You may have seen it in our stores, but never bothered to ask. Well here is your answer: Birch Beer is a carbonated soft drink made from herbal extracts, usually from birch bark. It has a taste similar to root beer (only 20x better). Various types of Birch Beer are available, distinguished by color. The color of the drink depends on the species of the birch tree from which the sap is extracted. Popular colors are brown, red, and clear.

• SportsCenter Goes Up, Up and Away with Superman Ad
• 365 Bears
• Hanging rock at Utah’s Timpanogos Cave raises safety concern
• I miss Dunkin Donuts.

Namaste.

Monday – 15 February 2010
Welcome to the work week.

Yesterday afternoon/evening wound up being a lot of fun. SaraRules and I went to Rodizio Grill for dinner. Or, as we are fond of referring to it: “Meat o’clock.” Among their meat choices were rattlesnake sausage, elk and chicken hearts. And, of course, there was grilled pineapple – probably the only cooked fruit that I like. We also both indulged in capirinhas. It was all very tasty.

On the way home from dinner, we stopped at the in-laws’ for a few. Then we headed home for end-of-the-weekend relaxing. We watched Starship Troopers and Rocky Balboa. We both like Troopers (despite the fact that it only has tenuous ties to the book by Robert Heinlein) and Rocky Balboa, which I’d never seen, is one of SaraRules’ favorites. It was a good movie and wrapped up the Rocky franchise rather well.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s spotlight person is Jesse Owens

James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens was an American track and field athlete. The seventh child of Henry and Emma Alexander Owens was born in Alabama on September 12, 1913. “J.C.”, as he was called, was nine when the family moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where his new schoolteacher gave him the name that was to become known around the world. The teacher was told “J.C.” when she asked his name to enter in her roll book, but she thought he said “Jesse”. The name stuck and he would be known as Jesse Owens for the rest of his life.

Throughout his life Owens attributed the success of his athletic career to the encouragement of Charles Riley, his junior-high track coach at Fairmount Junior High, who had put him on the track team. Since Owens worked in a shoe repair shop after school, Riley allowed him to practice before school instead. His promising athletic career began in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio where he set Junior High School records by clearing 6 feet in the high jump, and leaping 22 feet 11 3/4 inches in the broad jump. During his high school days, he won all of the major track events, including the Ohio state championship three consecutive years.

At the National Interscholastic meet in Chicago, during his senior year, he set a new high school world record by running the 100 yard dash in 9.4 seconds to tie the accepted world record, and he created a new high school world record in the 220 yard dash by running the distance in 20.7 seconds. A week earlier he had set a new world record in the broad jump by jumping 24 feet 11 3/4 inches. Owens’ sensational high school track career resulted in him being recruited by dozens of colleges. Owens chose the Ohio State University, even though OSU could not offer a track scholarship at the time. He worked a number of jobs to support himself and his young wife, Ruth. He worked as a night elevator operator, a waiter, he pumped gas, worked in the library stacks, and served a stint as a page in the Ohio Statehouse, all of this in between practice and record setting on the field in intercollegiate competition.

Owens’s performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics has become legend, both for his brilliant gold-medal efforts in the 100-metre run (10.3 sec, an Olympic record), the 200-metre run (20.7 sec, a world record), the long jump (8.06 metres [26.4 feet]), and the 4 100-metre relay (39.8 sec) and for events away from the track. One popular tale that arose from Owens’s victories was that of the “snub,” the notion that Hitler refused to shake hands with Owens because he was an African American. In truth, by the second day of competition, when Owens won the 100-metre final, Hitler had decided to no longer publicly congratulate any of the athletes. The previous day the International Olympic Committee president, angry that Hitler had publicly congratulated only a few German and Finnish winners before leaving the stadium after the German competitors were eliminated from the day’s final event, insisted that the German chancellor congratulate all or none of the victors. Unaware of the situation, American papers reported the “snub,” and the myth grew over the years.

Just before the competitions Owens was visited in the Olympic village by Adi Dassler, the founder of Adidas. He persuaded Owens to use Adidas shoes and it was the first sponsorship for a male African-American athlete.

On the first day, Hitler shook hands only with the German victors and then left the stadium. Olympic committee officials then insisted Hitler greet each and every medalist or none at all. Hitler opted for the latter and skipped all further medal presentations. On reports that Hitler had deliberately avoided acknowledging his victories, and had refused to shake his hand, Owens recounted:

When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad taste in criticizing the man of the hour in Germany.

He also stated: “Hitler didn’t snub me—it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send me a telegram.” Jesse Owens was never invited to the White House nor bestowed any honors by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) or Harry S. Truman during their terms. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower acknowledged Owens’s accomplishments, naming him an “Ambassador of Sports.”

After the games had finished, Owens was invited, along with the rest of the team, to compete in Sweden. However he decided to capitalize on his success by returning to the United States to take up some of the lucrative commercial offers he was receiving. American athletic officials were furious and withdrew his amateur status, ending his career immediately. Owens was livid: “A fellow desires something for himself,” he said.

With no sporting appearances to bolster his profile, the lucrative offers never quite materialized. Instead he was forced to try to make a living as a sports promoter, essentially an entertainer. He soon found himself running a dry-cleaning business and then even working as a gas station attendant. He eventually filed for bankruptcy but, even then, his problems were not over and in 1966 he was successfully prosecuted for tax evasion. At rock bottom, the rehabilitation began and he started work as a U.S. “goodwill ambassador.”

Jesse Owens died from complications due to lung cancer on March 31, 1980 in Tucson, Arizona. Although words of sorrow, sympathy and admiration poured in from all over the world, perhaps President Carter said it best when he stated: “Perhaps no athlete better symbolized the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry. His personal triumphs as a world-class athlete and record holder were the prelude to a career devoted to helping others. His work with young athletes, as an unofficial ambassador overseas, and a spokesman for freedom are a rich legacy to his fellow Americans.”

Stray Toasters

• I just finished writing the technical equivalent of Skippy’s List for an employee.
• Fashion Week’s Latest Trend? Plus-Size Models
• Washington to Give Microsoft a $100 Million Annual Tax Cut… and Possible Amnesty on Past Tax Evasion
• 
• LEGO Launches 10 Board Games
• By way of : Would You Have Spotted the Fraud?
• Old sweaters reborn as mittens
• Top 10 Google Settings You Should Know About
• Four-Color Coverage now has its first “real” post.

Namaste.

Sunday – 14 February 2010
Happy Valentine’s Day.

…or Single Awareness Day.
…or Anti-Green Lantern Day.

Take your pick.

SaraRules got me a two cards, LEGO Batman for the 360 and Fringe (Season 1). Of the cards, one was your standard greeting card, the other was this:

“Very sweet,” indeed.

Yesterday’s HeroClix tournament not only had a good turnout – three or four new participants and a young man who came to learn what the game was and how to play. After the game I ran up to Woods Cross to pick up one of SaraRules’ gift items:

…a cake that my friend Julie made.  (The cake ends at the bottom row of flowers, but the fondant matches the paper used on the base.) We should be tackling part of it tonight after dinner.

After picking up the cake and running a couple of other errands, I came home and had dinner with SaraRules before she headed to the symphony hall. (Yes, she had to work for a bit last night.) Shortly after she left, Darillyn and Stephanie arrived. We sat and chatted for a couple of hours until SaraRules got home; then Darillyn and Stephanie headed out to go dancing.  SaraRules and I watched Tales of the Black Freighter and Zombieland.

This morning, we all slept in. Very in. 1130 – 1200 in. And it was good. I fixed coffee; SaraRules made waffles. We sat around and ate and then showed D and S the wedding, engagement and bridal photos. After they got showered and dressed, D and S headed off for more adventures before heading back to southern Utah.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today, there will again be two entries:

The Nicholas Brothers
The Nicholas Brothers were a famous African-American team of dancing brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold Nicholas (1921–2000).

The Nicholas Brothers grew up in Philadelphia, the sons of musicians who played in their own band at the old Standard Theater He was completely fascinated by the black Vaudeville acts and imitated their acrobatics and clowning for the kids in his neighborhood. Harold watched and imitated Fayard until he was able to dance too, then apparently, he worked his own ideas into mimicry.

It seems that the Nicholas Brothers were immediately successful. Word soon spread through the city about their ingenuity and unique dancing abilities, and they were first hired for a radio program, “The Horn and Hardart Kiddie Hour”, and then by local theaters, like the Standard and the Pearl.  While at the Pearl Theater, the manager of the famous New York Vaudeville Showcase, The Lafayette, saw them. Overwhelmed by what he saw, he immediately signed them up for his theater.

From the Lafayette, the Nicolas Brothers opened at the Cotton Club  in 1932 and astonished their white audiences just as much as the residents of Harlem, slipping into their series of spins, twists, flips, and tap dancing to the jazz tempos of “Bugle Call Rag”. They were the only entertainers in the African American cast allowed to mingle with white patrons. They performed at the Cotton Club for two years, working with the orchestras of  Lucky Millinder, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Jimmy Lunceford. The Nicholas Brothers then journeyed to Hollywood in 1934 to appear in the films “Kid Millions”, “The Big Broadcast” (1936), and “Black Network”.

By 1940, they were in Hollywood and for several decades alternated between movies, nightclubs, concerts, Broadway, television, and extensive tours of Latin America, Africa, and Europe.

The Nicholas Brothers taught master classes in tap dance as teachers-in-residence at Harvard University and Radcliffe as Ruth Page Visiting Artists. Among their known students are Debbie Allen, Janet Jackson, and Michael Jackson. Several of today’s master tap dancers have performed with or been taught by the brothers.

N.A.A.C.P.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (N.A.A.C.P.) is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States.

The NAACP is the nation’s oldest, largest and most widely recognized grassroots–based civil rights organization. Its mission is “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination”. The organization was founded on February 12, 1909 by a diverse group composed of W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells, Archibald Grimké, Henry Moscowitz, Mary White Ovington, Oswald Garrison Villard, William English Walling (the last son of a former slave-holding family), and Florence Kelley, a social reformer and friend of Du Bois.

The Race Riot of 1908 in Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois had highlighted the urgent need for an effective civil rights organization in the U.S. This event is often cited as the catalyst for the formation of the NAACP. Mary White Ovington, journalist William English Walling and Henry Moscowitz met in New York City in January 1909 and the NAACP was born. Solicitations for support went out to more than 60 prominent Americans, and a meeting date was set for February 12, 1909. This was intended to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln, who emancipated enslaved African Americans. While the meeting did not take place until three months later, this date is often cited as the founding date of the organization.

The NAACP’s headquarters are in Baltimore, Maryland, with additional regional offices in California, New York, Michigan, Missouri, Georgia and Texas. Each regional office is responsible for coordinating the efforts of state conferences in the states included in that region. Local, youth, and college chapters organize activities for individual members. The NAACP is run nationally by a 64-member board led by a chair. The board elects one person as the President and chief executive officer for the organization.

Its more than half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.

Stray Toasters

• SaraRules and I are continuing our nominal tradition of eating dinner at Brazilian steakhouses on Valentine’s Day with a trip to Rodizio Grill.
• I’ve missed doing Four-Color Coverage over the past few months, but haven’t wanted to load up Random Access with all of my rants and raves about comics and all things comic-related. So, last night, I finally came up with solution: Four-Color Coverage.
• In setting up the new blog for FCC, I placed a call to my hosting provider, Powweb. I’ve been with them for… five or six years, I believe. I wanted to verify a pricing and data plan issue that I didn’t quite grok.  The CSR explained where I had misunderstood something in the setup and was quite helpful in making sure that I was satisfied with my service… even to the point of offering to change my payment plan, if necessary.  I assured him that it wasn’t necessary, but appreciated the willingness to go that extra mile. If you’re looking for a decently-priced host with good features, give them a look.

Time to head to dinner!

Namaste.

Friday – 12 February 2010
Thank God it’s Friday… even if it’s my “on” Friday. For some reason, I woke up with Rockapella’s Daisy Simone running through my head. It wasn’t a problem, just really an unexpected selection.

Tonight, Darillyn and Stephanie(2) are coming up for a couple of days.  We haven’t seen D since the wedding; and I don’t think that I’ve seen Steph2 since SaraRules lived in Cedar City. It should be a good weekend.

Last night, SaraRules fixed a Thai shrimp curry. It was very tasty. Three guesses what I have for lunch today.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s spotlight person is: Spike Lee

Shelton Jackson “Spike” Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He was born in Atlanta, but moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York when he was a small child. Lee enrolled in Morehouse College where he made his first student film, Last Hustle in Brooklyn. He took film courses at Clark Atlanta University and graduated with a B.A. in Mass Communication from Morehouse College. He then enrolled in New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. He graduated in 1978 with a Master of Fine Arts in Film & Television.

Lee became a director of promise with his first feature film, She’s Gotta Have It, in 1986. The film was shot in two weeks on a budget of $160,000 and grossed over $700,000 in the U.S.  (The reception of She’s Gotta Have It led Lee down a second career avenue. Marketing executives from Nike offered Lee a job directing commercials for the company. They wanted to pair Lee’s character from She’s Gotta Have It, the Michael Jordan-loving Mars Blackmon, and Jordan himself in their marketing campaign for the Air Jordan line.)

Lee often takes a critical look at race relations, political issues and urban crime and violence. His next film, 1989’s Do The Right Thing examined all of the above and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1989. Subsequent films, including Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, Summer of Sam and She Hate Me, continued to explore social and political issues. 4 Little Girls, a piece about the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary in 1997.

In 2006, Lee directed and produced a four-hour documentary for television, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, about life in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

His most recent feature film release, Miracle at St. Anna (2008), tells the story of four African American soldiers trapped in an Italian village during World War II. This movie was praised for bringing the often overlooked experience of black infantrymen — known as buffalo soldiers — to the big screen.

Lee has never shied away from controversial statements and actions involving race relations:

• In 2002, after headline-grabbing remarks made by Mississippi Senator Trent Lott regarding Senator Strom Thurmond’s failed presidential bid, Lee charged that Lott was a “card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan” on ABC’s Good Morning America.
• After the 1990 release of Mo’ Better Blues, Lee was accused of antisemitism by the Anti-Defamation League and several film critics.
• Lee was the executive producer of the 1995 film New Jersey Drive, which depicted young African-American auto thieves in northern New Jersey.
• In May 1999 The New York Post reported that Lee said of National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston, “Shoot him with a .44 Bulldog.” Lee contended, “I intended it as ironic, as a joke to show how violence begets more violence,” Lee said.
• In 2003, Lee filed suit against the Spike TV television network claiming that they were capitalizing on his fame by using his name for their network. The injunction order filed by Spike Lee was eventually lifted.
• In October 2005, Lee commented on the federal government’s response to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina catastrophe:
  

  “It’s not too far-fetched. I don’t put anything past the United States government. I don’t find it too far-fetched that they tried to displace all the black people out of New Orleans.”

• Lee sparked controversy on a March 28, 2004 segment on ABC when he said that basketball player Larry Bird was overrated because of his race:
  

  “The most overrated player of all time, I would say it’d be Larry Bird. Now, Larry Bird is one of the greatest players of all time, but listen to the white media, it’s like this guy was like nobody ever played basketball before him–Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird, Larry Bird.”

• At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Lee, who was then making Miracle at St. Anna, about an all-black U.S. division fighting in Italy during World War II, criticized director Clint Eastwood for not depicting black Marines in his own WWII film, Flags of Our Fathers.
• During a lecture at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada on February 11, 2009, Lee criticized how some in the black community wrongfully associate “intelligence with acting white, and ignorance with acting black”, admonishing students and parents to maintain more positive attitudes in order to follow their dreams and achieving their goals.

Lee’s production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, is located in his childhood neighborhood of Fort Green in Brooklyn.

Workout
Yesterday, Wes and I made an attempt at getting back into the swing of things at the gym. And guess who did his first 300 pound bench press of the year! Mm-hmm, that’s right. Me. Sho’nuff!

• Elliptical: random/8 minutes
• Sit-ups (incline): 3 sets/20 reps
• Reverse Punches: 2 sets/10 reps, 10 lbs
• Bench Press: 1 set/1 rep, 300 lbs (!)
• Bench Press: 3 sets/8 reps, 205 lbs
• Flys: 3 sets/10 reps, 110 lbs
• Shoulder Press: 3 sets/10 reps, 60 lbs

Post-workout weight (in gym clothes): 189.8 lbs

Stray Toasters

• I got into the office this morning… and the alarm was going off.

  *grblsnrksx*

  On top of that, I didn’t see anyone else in the office.

  ::: braincramp :::

  I checked the office, turned off the alarm and called corporate security. The best answer that we came up with was that someone on the cleaning crew tripped the alarm this morning and didn’t know how to turn it off. Heckuva way to kick off a Friday morning.

• 10 Style Resolutions You Should Make for 2010
• I don’t think that I need to explain why this image makes me grin like a fiend…

  

• From NPR Music: Bumpin’ Beats for Pumpin’ Iron
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Old Nintendo NES system and five games sell for $13,105 on eBay
• Top 10 Tragic Love Stories in Geek Fiction
• Facebook Now Supports Jabber/XMPP
• For Some Jobs, Asperger’s Syndrome Can Be An Asset
  
• 
  If only he were a little shorter (and had a goatee… and/or was wearing a GL or a Legion t-shirt) and she was a little taller… and didn’t have the red streak in her hair, it would be just about perfect!
• 5 Most Incompetent Alien Invaders in Movie History
• Comics That Have a Nice Beat and Are Easy To Dance To
• Windows patch cripples XP with blue screen, users claim

Namaste.

Wednesday – 10 February 2010

This morning started off with me slamming off the alarm and rolling over and falling back to sleep. (There’s a reason that I keep a secondary alarm set on my cell phone: Some mornings, I’m either really tired and/or lazy. This morning was one of those “tired” mornings. I woke up again at 0658, two minutes before the second alarm would go off. While I pondered whether to get up or to wait for the alarm, a couple of car alarms went off outside the window. I couldn’t tell if it one of them was my car or not, so up I got. By the time I got to the living room, both car alarms had stopped… and the cell phone alarm was starting. *sigh* Hell of a way to kick off Comics and Sushi Wednesday.

Last night, SaraRules fixed lasagna for dinner. Vegetarian lasagna. We had discussed adding a vegetarian meal or two to the week’s meals, so it wasn’t a total surprise… but I wasn’t expecting it last night. More importantly, though, it was good.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s person of note is Dr. Mae Jemison

Mae Carol Jemison is an African American physician and NASA astronaut, born October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, when Jemison was three to take advantage of better educational opportunities there. During her time at Morgan Park High School, she became convinced she wanted to pursue a career in biomedical engineering, and when she graduated in 1973 as a consistent honor student, she entered Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship. At Stanford, Jemison pursued a dual major and in 1977 received a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in African and African-American Studies. Upon graduation, she entered Cornell University Medical College to work toward a medical degree.

After completing her medical internship, Jemison joined the staff of the Peace Corps and served as a Peace Corps Medical Officer from 1983 to 1985 responsible for the health of Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Liberia and Sierra Leone.^[10] Jemison’s work in the Peace Corps included supervising the pharmacy, laboratory, medical staff as well as providing medical care, writing self-care manuals, and developing and implementing guidelines for health and safety issues. Jemison also worked with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) helping with research for various vaccines.^[13]

Following her return to the United States in 1985, she made a career change and decided to follow a dream she had nurtured for a long time. In October of that year she applied for admission to NASA’s astronaut training program. The Challenger disaster of January 1986 delayed the selection process, but when she reapplied a year later, Jemison was one of the 15 candidates chosen from a field of about 2,000. She became the first woman of recent African ancestry to travel in space when she went into orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992.

After leaving the astronaut corps in March 1993, Jemison accepted a teaching fellowship at Dartmouth. She also established the Jemison Group, a company that seeks to research, develop, and market advanced technologies.

Stray Toasters

• Last night’s project was to paint my Lockheed (1, 2) figure for this weekend’s HeroClix tournament. I was successful:

  
  (click here for larger images)

  The pictures don’t really do the figure justice, as the varnish I coated the figure with reflected a lot of the camera flash.

• Neil Gaiman lands gig for Doctor Who episode
• Carrie Fisher was on The Late Late Show last night; she’s often quite entertaining – and a little frenetic – in interviews. Last night was no exception. Craig talked about being on Twitter (CraigyFerg) and she mentioned her Twitter feed, as well.
• 
• MarknTyme forwarded me a clip from Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.
• Alice Hill, from Real Tech News, has been… away… for a while. She reappeared yesterday and had news of what she’s been up to:
  

  Long story short, I have been working on a new startup company called Bizmore.com. Bizmore is a new online subsidiary of 50+ year old CEO leadership organization Vistage International. What Vistage does offline with small groups of members sharing advice and best practices, Bizmore does online for everyone. If you have a business question, are looking for advice or just want a sounding board, Bizmore is a free resource that ties a lot of what was scattered online in one place. We have experts, we have great content, and we have a pretty slick Q&A engine to tie it all together.

  Read more: http://www.realtechnews.com/#ixzz0f9I8nqZg

• To Get No Valentines… Would Be a Disaster!!!
• Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin added to Las Vegas Walk of Stars
• Security on Wheels: Kevin Beaver’s Security Blog

And now… meeting time.

Namaste.

Monday – 08 February 2010
Another work week kicks off a little on the cold side, but there’s sun… so it can’t be all bad.

Loonybin88 just arrived in the office, decked out in his scouting finery. I asked what the occasion was; he informed me that today is the 100th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s entry also comes by way of SaraRules:

Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes was an African-American poet and playwright, and one of the leading figures in the “Harlem Renaissance”, an explosion of African-American cultural life in the 1920s and ‘30s.

Hughes moved to New York at the age of 19 to attend Columbia University. He left after one year, and traveled to West Africa, Paris, and England.  He returned to the United States in 1925, and enrolled in Lincoln University, a historically black university in Pennsylvania. He earned his B.A. from Lincoln in 1929, and moved back to Harlem, which was his primary home for the rest of his life.

As an author, Hughes was focused on the strength, joy, music, and life of blacks living in America. His writing expresses a great pride in African-American identity, but goes beyond the big-city experience of Harlem and enjoys the diversity of the African-American culture throughout the nation.

This poem, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, was one of his first poems, originally published in 1921, and is his best-known work.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I danced in the Nile when I was old
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Stray Toasters

• Congrats, once again, to Sean Payton, (former Boilermaker) Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on their victory over the Indianapolis Professional Football Club!
• The Planet Hulk DVD wasn’t bad. It followed the “Planet Hulk” storyline by Greg Pak, that ran through issues 88 – 95 of The Incredible Hulk in 2006. I was a bit surprised to see how violent they allowed the characters – not just the Hulk – to be. Of course, that’s why it was released directly to DVD as opposed to being “Saturday morning fare.” There were a number of Easter eggs thrown in – mostly cameo appearances – for longtime Marvel Comics fans. I’m curious to see if there will be a “World War Hulk” DVD that follows the aftermath of the “Planet Hulk” story.
  
• 10 Ways to a Geeky Girl’s Heart
• Art Tatum: The Musician’s Musician
• ‘Red Riding:’ Noir horror in Britain’s Grim Grey North
• Wizkids has released the new Atom figure from the upcoming Blackest Night set:



• Body found in plane’s landing gear bay in Japan
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Hello Kitty pancake shop

Namaste.

Sunday – 07 February 2010
It’s been a good day.

I woke up this morning (the second time) a little before 1100. It was nice to sleep in. SaraRules and I did some cleaning up before our little Super Bowl gathering. After that, I ran to Hastur Hobbies to pick up some purple paint – I have decided to go ahead with my Astonishing X-Men team for next weekend’s tournament… as such, I need a Lockheed figure. While at Hastur’s, I decided to see if I could find a “better” dragon than the one from Dungeons & Dragons Miniatures.  I did. Reaper Miniatures has a pack of figures that includes a dragon that’s just about the perfect size for Lockheed:

(the dragonling on the far left is the one I’m using)

Now, I just need to get him painted.

, Justin, Logan and Steve came over for the game around 3:30.  SaraRules fixed queso dip and some very tasty egg rolls; I fixed bratwurst. Justin brought over some shrimp. Ms. Lightning fixed some cherry bars. Steve and Logan brought over wings and rib tips from Sugarhouse Barbecue.

And then it was game time!
(More on that below.)

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s entry comes from guest writer, SaraRules.

Today’s people are the Golden Thirteen.

In January 1944 there were over 100,000 African-American’s enlisted in the United States Navy, however, they were only allowed to enter the messman’s branch, which was segregated from the rest of the Navy community, but also didn’t allow them to become commissioned officers.

President Roosevelt had signed legislation prohibiting discrimination in government agencies, but it was allegedly pressure from Eleanor Roosevelt that led the Navy to open up the first officer’s training class for African-Americans.  There were a total of 16 members of the class at Great Lakes Naval Training Station; they all passed the course, and thirteen were commissioned.

The U.S. military was officially desegregated by President Truman in 1948. For more information on the Golden Thirteen, check out Golden Thirteen: Recollections of the First Black Naval Officers, by Paul Stillwell.

Instant Replay: Football

New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts
31 – 17
The Saints and the Indianapolis Professional Football Club met in Miami to battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Colts came out like gangbusters. The Saints – who I wanted to win – couldn’t seem to get their game in gear; they went into halftime down by four points, 10 – 6. I don’t know what Coach Payton told them in the locker room at halftime, but it seemed to get them back on their “A” game. Following an interception by Saints’ CB Tracy Porter jumped the route and intercepted a Peyton Manning pass to Reggie Wayne… and ran it back for a touchdown, putting the Saints ahead of the Colts, 31-17.

Stray Toasters

• The Who looked… a bit aged at the Super Bowl halftime show. They sounded “alright,” nothing to really write home about but, as put it: “At least they don’t sound like they phoned it in, like the Stones did.”
• By way of SaraRules: The Origins of 10 Winter Olympic Sports
• By way of SaraRules’ father, Steve:



• I finished my repaint of a Cyclops HeroClix figure last night. I’ve wanted one in the costume he wore when Astonishing X-Men first went to print. And, now, I have one.


(click here for more pictures)

• SaraRules and I are now watching Planet Hulk, based on the Marvel Comics story arc of the same name. It’s… interesting so far.

Okay… back to the movie.

Namaste.

Friday – 05 February 2010
It’s my 9/80 Friday off. Amen.

Last night, we had loonybin88 and his family over for dinner. On the menu: Jambalaya, salad, beans, rice and cornbread. For dessert, we had ice cream over brownies, with ginger snaps. It was a nice way to spend the evening.

Today, Chris is coming over in a little while. That’s right: HeroClix game time. We’re doing an Asgardian battle, as we haven’t played a game with Thor and company. We’ll see how it goes…

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s spotlighted person is civil rights activist Medgar Evers

Medgar Wiley Evers  was born July 2, 1925 in Decatur, Mississippi, the son of James, a small farm and a sawmill worker, Jessie Evers. James, as well as Medgar’s maternal great-grandfather Joseph Evers were two men that also fought for their freedom.

Determined to get the education he deserved after the lynching of a family friend, Evers walked twelve miles to and from school to earn his high school diploma. In 1943 he was inducted into the army along with his older brother Charlie. Evers fought in France, the European Theatre of WWII and was honorably discharged in 1945 as a Sergeant. In 1948, Evers enrolled at Alcorn College (now Alcorn State University), majoring in business administration. In college, he was on the debate team, played football and ran track, sang in the school choir and served as president of his junior class. He received his BA degree in 1952.

Upon graduation, Evers moved to Philadelphia, Mississippi, where he began working as an insurance salesman. He and his older brother, Charles Evers, also worked on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), organizing local affiliates in Philadelphia. In 1954, Medgar quit the insurance business; he subsequently applied and was denied admission to the University of Mississippi Law School. His unsuccessful effort to integrate the state’s oldest public educational institution attracted the attention of the NAACP’s national office. Later that year, Evers moved to the state capital of Jackson and became the first state field secretary of the NAACP in Mississippi. As state field secretary, Evers recruited members throughout Mississippi and organized voter-registration efforts, demonstrations, and economic boycotts of white-owned companies that practiced discrimination. He also worked to investigate crimes perpetrated against blacks, most notably the lynching of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy who had allegedly been killed for talking to a white woman.

As early as 1955, Evers’ activism made him the most visible civil rights leader in the state of Missisippi. As a result, he and his family were subjected to numerous threats and violent actions over the years, including a firebombing of their house in May 1963. At 12:40 a.m. on June 12, 1963, Evers was shot in the back in the driveway of his home in Jackson. He died less than a hour later at a nearby hospital.

Evers was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery, and the NAACP posthumously awarded him their 1963 Spingarn Medal. The national outrage over Evers’ murder increased support for legislation that would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Immediately after Evers’ death, the NAACP appointed his brother Charles to his position. Charles Evers went on to become a major political figure in the state; in 1969, he was elected the mayor of Fayette, Mississippi, becoming the first African-American mayor of a racially mixed Southern town since the Reconstruction.

Stray Toasters

• sent me a link to Soldier of Love, by Sade.
  I countered with this.
• Paul Levitz Prepares for a LEGION of DC Writing Assignments
• “…and it’s generally agreed he’ll be 120 or so.”
• Hello Chainsaw



• H.R. Giger Cake
• What happens to those 3D glasses after ‘Avatar’?
• 
• From NPR Music: The Gun Show: A Winter Workout Mix
• Nyx also sent a link to Ohio Cave Wedding, from Offbeat Bride
• Science of Gun Duels
• I wish that WizKids would hurry up and post today’s sneak peak at a new Blackest Night figure…

I should probably start getting a team together before Chris shows up.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 03 February 2010
It’s Comics and Sushi Wednesday. Selah.

Last night was fairly low-key. SaraRules made pasta (stuffed with cheese and shrimp) for dinner. After eating and NCIS, we headed to the local Best Buy where I exhibited an uncharacteristic amount of willpower and only bought three things: Planet Hulk, Zombieland and a pack of batteries. I picked up – and put down – Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, DC Universe vs. Mortal Kombat and… “a few” Mac-related items. I was rather proud of myself. Next, we stopped at Toys ‘R’ Us and Target to pick up a couple of things for Bit’s upcoming birthday. While at Target, my superpower kicked in: We ran into Fiona and Jamie, whom I haven’t seen in… many moons.

Back at home, we tested out a brownie recipe for the Brownie Challenge, coming up at the end of the month. The experiment worked out fairly well, but I think I’m going to explore a couple of other options. As the brownies baked, we watched last night’s NCIS: Los Angeles.

Chew on This: Food for Thought – Black History Month
Today’s spotlight will focus on Shirley Chisholm.

Mrs. Chisholm was the first black woman elected to Congress, representing New York’s 12th Congressional District for seven terms. Chisholm joined the Congressional Black Caucus in 1969 as one of its founding members.

On January 25, 1972, she became the first major-party black candidate for President of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination; she received 152 first-ballot votes at the 1972 Democratic National Convention.

“I stand before you today as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States. I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women’s movement of this country, although I am a woman, and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or special interests. I am the candidate of the people.”

She continued to serve in the House of Representatives until 1982. From 1977 to 1981, during the 95th Congress and 96th Congress, Chisholm was elected to a position in the House Democratic leadership, as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus. Throughout her tenure in Congress, Chisholm worked to improve opportunities for inner-city residents. She was a vocal opponent of the draft and supported spending increases for education, health care and other social services, and reductions in military spending. She retired from politics after her last term in office.

Chisholm retired to Florida and died on January 1, 2005.

Stray Toasters

• Hello, Business Impact Analysis survey.
  That was an interesting way to kick of the work day. At least the assessor was a decent enough chap.
• Medical journal recants 1998 story linking autism to vaccine
• Zombie/NPR fan-fiction
• The Potential for a 40-MPH Man
• Ronny Jordan: The Jackal
  • Added bonus for fans of The West Wing – C.J. Cregg Does ‘The Jackal’

• Adobe CTO Defends Flash Against Apple HTML 5
• Fantastic photography of Michael Paul Smith
• Photographer Loves Math; Graphs Her Images
• From Snorg Tees:


(click here to see t-shirt)

• Truck driver forgets to lower trailer
• Displax film could turn nearly any surface into a touchscreen, make your keyboard irate

Namaste.