Well, Boston did it again. Colorado could have tied it up, but it was not to be.
[flv:/Video/OCT07/WorldSeries.flv 400 300]
I admit I’m not a rabid sports fan, but I live in the Boston area, so I’m glad the Curse of the Bambino really is gone, with two World Series wins in four seasons. Before the Red Sox beat Cleveland I heard a sports commentator on NPR say it didn’t matter who won the American League title, because nobody should bet against Colorado.
Year: 2007
Busy Work
Oh, dear. The first few weeks of blogging I had used a secondary hosting service to post some of my audio and video clips. I’d meant to move them over to my primary service before my account expired, but I neglected to get it done in time. I’ll have to do some file transfers and link editing to fix things.
If Microsoft Did Apple’s Packaging
Thanks to a tip from my cousin Lawrie (OK, she’s my father’s cousin), here’s another take on Danny Elfman’s delightful theme music to Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, featured here a little while ago.
FRONTLINE: Showdown With Iran
The PBS series FRONTLINE has a program on the situation between America and Iran. This is a must-see explanation of how we got where we are. Is it any surprise that Bush has screwed up everything, at every turn? I have to conclude this was done intentionally because the policy from Day 1 has been to go to war. The only other explanation is outright incompetence. Of course, both intent and incompetence are possible.
Fortunately, it’s up to Congress to declare war, and there’s no way that’s going to happen. If Bush and Cheney act on their own, claiming coverage by the powers granted in October 2002, there would be grounds for immediate impeachment proceedings.
You can watch ‘Showdown With Iran’ either on TV or online.
Oh, look. It’s Richard Armitage. The man who compromised national security by revealing Valerie Plame‘s identity as a covert CIA operative to right wing-nut columnist Robert Novak.
GE RCA Superadio III
When I was a boy I loved my Aiwa TP-32A reel tape recorder, but the single most satisfying piece of electronic equipment I’ve ever owned is a GE Superadio III. I bought it for $40 in November, 1994, and today it gets regular use sitting in the window next to my computer.
HD Radio and Wi-Fi Radio are coming along, and there’s satellite radio of course, but plain, old AM/FM radio remains convenient and reliable. And the Superadio III, having analog tuning, is about as plain as it gets. What sets it apart is its exceptionally good, albeit mono, sound quality.
Recently, the company that makes the Superadio III, Thomson of France, changed the brand name from GE to RCA. Or maybe it’s being made by another outfit. Whatever. The product seems to be pretty much the same as it’s been for nearly 15 years. It remains the absolute cheapest self-contained hi-fi audio system that I know of.
Charles Schulz’s Backdated Marriage
The photo I posted at this link, of Charles Schulz and Donna Johnson, was taken in April, 1950, before he met his wife Joyce. Yet in the video at this link, Schulz’s daughter Meredith is said to be 14.
The numbers don’t add up. The reason is that Joyce already had Meredith when she met Sparky. They married on April 18, 1951, a year after the picture with Donna was taken.
In David Michaelis’ controversial new biography, Schulz and Peanuts, he states on page 235…
Sparky now stepped forward and legally adopted Meredith, and from then on, an he was called upon to tell the story of his life to an eager public, he and Joyce lied about the year of their wedding in order to assimilate and protect Meredith’s place in their marriage. Even in official notarized documents, they ever after gave April 18, 1949, as their nuptial day, placing Meredith’s birth (on February 5, 1950) just within the bounds of propriety as Sparky’s daughter.
My friend, the diligent researcher Mr. D.F. Rogers, has uncovered proof of the document backdating, in the form of a California court listing of divorce filings. Click the picture to enlarge, and look for the yellow highlight.
If your browser reduces the image, click to see it full size. The stated year of marriage was 1949. By the time of the divorce, Meredith was an adult and knew the truth, yet the deception continued.