First Flight, First Fatal Crash and First Snow December 17, 2008

Orville 12 Seconds Into History

 

Man Will Never Fly: That phrase was fairly common prior to the early 20th century. But, it seems odd that the pair of brothers who said that man would never fly in their lifetimes was none other than Orville and Wilbur Wright. But, theirs is a tale of perseverance and overcoming of obstacles that seem impossible.  In short, they did not quit and that is the lesson of this tale: you never know what you can do until you try.  (Here is Orville’s complete account)

The Wrights had tinkered with the idea of powered flight for some time.  Other, more noteworthy and educated

Wright 1901 Glider

individuals also pursued the prize.  These two brothers though were what might be called applied engineers.  They did things by trial, error and observation.  The built kites similar in design to their final plane design.  The found that the trouble that needed to be overcome was controlling the plane.  The observed that birds curved their wings and warped, or changed the wing shape to move about.  So, they solved their control problem by building a model with controls to warp the wings.  They also studied the experiments of others who had tried manned flight and used their own experience to build on aeronautical knowledge.

Between 1899 and 1901, they built and flew several gliders. Some were manned and others unmanned.  They generally took their experiments from their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio to the Outer Banks of North Carolina because the dunes were high there and the winds were strong enough and consistent enough to make numerous testing possible.  In 1900, at Kitty Hawk, they successfully tested a 50 pound glider with a 17 foot wingspan.  So, the following year, they returned to Kill Devil Hills and tried a 100 pound, 20 foot wingspan model.  That one had problems.  The wings warping mechanism failed several times, causing the plane to spin out of control.  They had trouble with lift and with pitch.  It was this failure that led the boys to decide they wouldn’t live to see a man fly.  But, they pressed on.

Orville Sports The Moustache

They went home and checked their calculations and found that poor mathematics was the root of their problem.  They then had the bright idea to build a wind tunnel in which they could study the behavior of an airfoil.  From these observations, they determined that a tail would help in the control issue and they went bigger, designing a glider with a 32 foot wingspan.  In 1902, they returned to North Carolina and found that their tail idea was a winner.  It was now time to take the final step.  They couldn’t find a suitable motor so they built their own 12 horsepower came engine to turn two propellers.  The propeller idea was inspired by propellers that were used in marine operations.  I doubt that they knew it at the time but it made perfect sense since the properties of air are similar to those of the air, which is why meteorologists have to study fluid mechanics.   The glider needed to be redesigned to support both a man and the motor.  The craft weighed in at about 700 pounds and was known as the Flyer.  They went to Kitty Hawk and put the plane on a track the was tilted downhill.  That would give the plane adequate takeoff speed in relation to the headwind.  Twice they tried and twice they failed with one of the failures resulting in crash with minor damage.  Third time proved to be the charm.  On this date in 1903 at 10:35AM,Orville Wright became the first man to fly a powered aircraft when he flew for 12 seconds and 120 feet.  They flew 3 more times on that day with the fourth at last at noon lasting 59 seconds and 852 feet.  A year later, Wilbur had the first flight to last more than 5 minutes in the Flyer II.

Orville's 2nd 1st That He'd Rather Us Forget

In 1908, the Wrights had a more forgettable first in flight.  They had begun taking passengers on flights in May 1908 and it was just a few months later on September 17 that Orville crashed.  He survived but his passenger, Lt. Thomas Selfridge of the Signal Corps, became the first flight fatality.

Snow/Ice total Dec 15-16 (courtesy Louisville NWS)

Weather Bottom Line:  Here’s the story….it would appear that my assessment was correct…as long as you live in Louisville and surrounding areas.  We had a little sleet and freezing rain and then just a dusting of snow.  If you recall, the GFS was oddly suggesting not much precip while the NAM was much more aggressive with precip totals of .75″.  Well, in my estimation, they both were right.  When we had the short period of time when the vertical temperature profile supported snow, a band of heavier precip set up south of Louisville oriented from the Southwest to the Northeast.  So, from Owensboro to Lexington there was generally 2-4 inches with some places as much as 5 inches.  That would be equivalent to about .25″ to .50″ of rain…or close to what the NAM called for.  Okay..so that’s the epitaph.  As for the future, we’re basically going to be stuck with clouds on the ground or close to it.  When clouds are on the ground, we call it fog and there will likely be drizzle or at least dampness.  The temperatures aloft will be warm but  at the surface it will be freezing…icy spots on some roads will develop, particularly on untreated and secondary road.  NAM takes only up to freezing and the GFS is in the mid to upper 30′s.  Truth is probably somewhere in between.  A bit warmer, but still chilly on Thursday.  Then we jump on Friday and stay in the mid to upper 50′s throguh the weekend…until the temperatures dive Sunday afternoon and we go back into the ice bucket again.  It remains to be seen if the set up Sunday evening through Monday morning mirrors what we just went through.

Corporate Scam, Icy Roads and Alpaca Socks December 16, 2008

You Should Visit These Guys

NAM Critical Thickness Valid 18Z Tues

When Last Left you…. I think I said that Monday night and Tuesday looked interesting.  As is often the case, distant forecasts from the GFS are overdone when it comes to snow.  In this situation, typically when we get over-running moisture we don’t get the 5″ of snow that it was advertising several days ago.  It looks like to me that what has changed while I’ve been away is that the cold air doesn’t dive down so far south and instead gets held up by another system to the west….the jet doesn’t dive down so far so the cold air will tend to move more west to east and not move a whole lot farther south than Louisville.  Cold air is more dense than warm so it sorta oozes out at the surface and warmer air will tend to run up over the top of it. If you look at the map (00Z NAM 12.16.08) to the left of critical thicknesses, you notice that only one line is just barely south of Louisville midday on Tuesday.  The other lines are farther north.  That indicates that we have freezing conditions near the surface but not above.  Consequently, both the NAM and GFS have precip much of the day on Tuesday but most of it falls as sleet or freezing rain.  The NAM is more bullish with over .75″ from say, midmorning to late afternoon.  The GFS has much less.  So, this does not appear to be much of a snow event with the exception of possibly in the early morning hours.  Otherwise, it has the potential to become a much more difficult sleet/freezing rain event.  I suspect that the amounts will be something less than the NAM but, if not, we need to hope that its mainly sleet.  I don’t want my power going out..again.  Be careful on the roads. Snow White and I found driving quite difficult on Monday night as we returned home.  Numerous accidents on I-64, some of which looked quite troublesome.  This would potentially be the case with sleet as it falls as ice on treated roads…the ice melts but there would be the potential of it re-freezing.  The workers do a good job but conditions can still be hazardous.

They're Cute and Make Great Socks

Where have I been?  You may have noticed a gap….albeit at a bad time weather wise…but Snow White and I went

Stoic Sentry

to go and have Christmas with my daughter.  We had a lovely time as my getting a hug and a warm smile made the trip.  But, then we had an added treat…we went and spent at day at Applehill Farm near Boone, NC.  Snow White had gotten me a pair of socks woven from Alpaca wool.  They are so comfortable and warm I just had to go visit the alpacas that produced the fine linen.  They are so cute.  They also have horse and goats and donkeys.  The reason that they have the goats and the donkeys is to protect the alpacas and the llamas from predators like bears and mountain lions.  It’s very ingenius and intriguing.  One of the donkies, Cowboy, even ran down to greet me.  Never seen a donkey run so fast in my life.  And he does make a lot of noise.  If you get a chance, you should go visit because the view is just spectacular.  We were actually above the clouds.  If not, I would encourage you to visit the website(
http://www.applehillfarmnc.com/
) and go through their on-line store…get the socks…or some of the other items.  They are truly unique and quite useful…they have all sorts of stuff that would make great presents for someone else…or even yourself.

Solid Company With Interesting History

On This Date in History:  Even in the time of depressed stock prices and all of the hubbub of a failing national and

McKesson Holds Its Own

global economy, there are still companies making money.  McKesson Corp. (MCK) as of the end of 2008 has a market cap of nearly $10 billion which is a little more than half of what it had been sometime in the previous 52 weeks, but is still fairly substantial.   But in 1926, when it was known as McKesson & Robbins,  it wasn’t doing so well when F.Donald Coster bought the then century old business for $1 million.  Within a dozen years, Coster made some aggressive mergers and acquistions of some 66 wholesale drug distributors  and turned the company into the 3rd largest concern of its kind in the US worth about $87 million.  Nice American success story, right?

Well…not exactly.  See, Coster was seen as some genius businessman as his company had an average annual profit of 10% with the books showing products and finances running through warehouses, banks and holding companies in an orderly fashion.   Trouble was…it was all phony.  Coster had three business associates who later turned out to be his brothers Arthur, Robert and George.   The four muskateers used the proverbial “creative accounting” to grab millions of dollars from McKesson and Robbins without any unsuspecting investors knowing a thing…that is until an employee brought the whole thing tumbling down in 1938. 

Bootlegging Story With Happy Ending

Now, this all sounds like something that could be in the headlines today except for one item of intrigue.  The investigation found that Coster wasn’t Coster at all.  Instead, his real name was Philip Musica and was known as one of the biggest swindlers of the 20th century.  He and his brothers used the company as a fascade to buy raw alcohol which they then converted into Scotch and in turn sold to bootleggers.  Musica had emerged from his second stint in prison during prohibition and figured out a way to profit from the new laws.  He used the name Frank Costa to obtain federal licenses to produce drugs that were laced with alcohol.  After making about $8 million from bootleggers, he decided to expand his operations  and he then bought McKesson and Robbins by re-inventing himself as F. Donald Coster.  Musica did not go to jail for a third time though…on this date in 1938, he shot himself as the feds closed in.  His brothers went to the pokey though.  But, unlike today’s companies that are filled with fraud, his venture lives on today because accountants found that the corporate structure built by the master scammer was fundamentally sound.  It was only the crude drugs that were lousy.  So, the company built on the back of a scam continued to flourish legitimately and does so today.

This is another example of headlines today that make it seem like we’re going down the tubes are not necessarily new and one should not despair.  And…like the McKesson Corp, the dastardly deeds done by some does not necessarily have to end up without a happy ending for the innocent.

Death For The General of the Armies December 14, 2008

 Nothing to Add For Now: Monday night and Tuesday look interesting but for now, I’ll leave it at that.  Too many other things to deal with but I would say to plan on delays on Tuesday morning.  Travel may be difficult.

This Date In History: On this date in history, the father of the country passed into immortality. General George Washington succumbed to what most scholars think was something we face every year: cold or flu. However, more recent analysis indicates the notion that he died from acute epiglottitis.

Washington kept very meticulous journals and had reported to be in great health. But, on December 12, 1799 his entry included the details of his daily evening check of the plantation. He was out for about 5 hours in miserable weather which he described as rain, snow, hail and wind. My guess is that it was sleet and not hail. In any event, his clothes were wet and his hair filled with ice and snow. Instead of changing clothes after he came in, he instead had dinner. The next day he had a sore throat and other signs of a cold. In spite of this, he went out on Friday the 13th in more crummy weather, that included sleet, to mark some trees that he wished to be…you guessed…chopped down. Not sure if they were cherry trees. That evening he was quite hoarse but insisted on reading aloud to Martha and his secretary. The next day he had a high fever and felt awful.

I’ll spare the rest of the details except that his condition worsened and he eventually died on this date in 1799 at the age of 67. I’ve read it was the flu or a cold. This new report says it was acute epiglottitis which is a viral infection that causes swelling at the base of the tongue and larynx and makes breathing and swallowing painful and difficult. I’ve also read over the years that he may have bled to death. The accounts I have read says that the medical treatment of the day called for opening wounds to bleed out whatever the infection or disease. It has been suggested that Washington himself told the doctors to bleed him some more even though the doctors said it was too much.

In any event, General George Washington died and left a legacy that the nation still follows today. When looking back for role models, people often turn to FDR, or Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln or perhaps JFK. But, it seems to me that when one studies the life, accomplishments, ideals and most importantly, the actions of General George Washington, it is clear to me that he is rightly and justly called the Father of the Country. He is a man whom we would all do better to emulate and certainly someone whom our politicians should look to for any guidance from the past. I believe that without George Washington, it is possible, even probable, we would not have the United States. He was that important, that unique and that towering a figure in life, and if viewed closely, in death as well.

Congress finally recognized this notion in that, in the mid to late 20th century. In the early part of the century, General John J. Pershing was designated as General of the Armies but he never wore more than 4 stars. He is the only person to have held the rank in life. In 1799 shortly after Washington’s death, the rank was established by Congress posthumously by Congress. In the late 1970′s, Congress officially designated General George Washington as General of the Armies of the United States of America and will forever hold that designation. Congress wanted to make clear that Washington is the nations senior general officer. In other words, no one can outrank George Washington.

Giving Birth To 22.5 lb Tumor, Bedbugs and Snow December 13, 2008

Pretty Crowded Operating Room

 

Very Interesting Weather Ahead: Don’t get too worked up at this point but it would appear that a worst case

GFS Snow Total Forecast Through Tuesday Night(12/16)

scenario at this point appears to be an icy mess on Monday night and Tuesday morning and a best case scenario of at least some nice scenery.  The NAM calls for freezing rain and/or sleet early Tuesday morning…and that’s as far out as the model goes for now.  The GFS, the snow totals shown at right, shows freezing rain and/or sleet for Monday night but it goes out longer and turns it to snow earlier and then it continues snowing.  The GFS wants to bring several inches of snow, especially just north of Louisville, by the end of the day on Tuesday.  Now, we’ll still be chilly, but not as cold on Saturday and then a warm front lifts through on Sunday taking the mercury to the mid to upper 50′s in advance of the system diving down our way.  That will help open up the Gulf a bit and draw up moisture, which is where we will get precipitation.  In spite of the GFS optimism, its way too soon to be getting crazy and heading to the store for milk and bread.  But, at this point, there seems to be some agreement for icy conditions of some type on Monday Night followed by some amount of snow.  Potentially, it could be difficult and the situation should be monitored.

Mrs. Crawford Set To Give Birth To A 22.5 Pound Tumor

On This Date in History:  In the early 19th Century, only about one in ten doctors in America had formal training.  One guy was a bit different.  Ephraim McDowell not only apprenticed to a doctor in Virginia, but he also had further study in Scotland.  It was for this reason that two other “doctors” called him to help them deliver a pair of overdue twins.  So, he left his home in Danville, Kentucky and went to the backwoods cabin to find Jane Crawford.  McDowell quickly deduced that the two quacks had made  a terrible diagnosis.  The woman was not in labor but  instead it great pain from a 22.5 pound ovarian tumor!  Think of the lawsuit that would get today.

So, now McDowell was in a conundrum.  If he did not operate, Jane Crawford would die.  Conventional wisdom of the

Wonder if McDowell Stamp is Collector's Item?

day was that if he operated, she would die.  I suppose the Dr. McDowell figured he had nothing to lose and the only chance for the patient’s survival was surgery.  Word got out about the operation and some townsfolk were outraged.  They surrounded the doctor’s office on December 13, 1809 and tried to beat down the door.  Fortunately, it was more subdued inside, but not for Ms. Crawford who was to go under the knife without the benefit of any anesthetic beyond booze or opium.  To take her mind off the pain, Mrs. Crawford sang hymns, much like Orel Hersheiser used to do on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Crawford ended up with her own perfect game as 25 days after the surgery, she was prounced completely healthy and she lived another 32 years.  Really incredible when one considers that at that time, no one had a clue about infection.  No word on if anyone ever went to the other two doctors for a baby delivery. But McDowell became so famous, the medical center in Danville, KY is named for him; there’s a museum  in his house that was designated as a historical landmark for you to visit with all sorts of information; and…his image was even on a US Postage Stamp.

"Shocking" For These Critters or for You?

Have you ever seen stories about people getting bedbugs at hotels?  I had always thought that bedbugs were just some imaginary things that parents used when they said, “sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite!”  But, they are real.  And while they remain a problem in even a few of the nicer hotels in America, any reputable hotelier or flophouse concierge could solve their problem with an invention patented on this date in 1898.  Well, thats what the inventor claimed.

His name was Frank M. Archer of New York City, where bedbugs have been prevalent for years.  His great idea was to electrify a bed.  He put pairs of electrical contacts so close together that any insect passing between them would close the circuit and get electrocuted.  He surmised that the effect on the critter would be to ”either terminate its career at once or make it seek other locations.”   Other locations? Like where…the neighbors bed?  He also suggested metal electrifed  contact strips that could be attached to the bedsprings “which will so harass the bugs as to cause them to shun the bed entirely.”   If you look at the size of the bed bug, Mr Archer would have to have his contact awfully close together to work.  Furthermore, it seems like an electrifying nights sleep that may be worse than the bed bugs.

Hillary Gets Paycut Before Starting; Marconi Myth? December 12, 2008

GFS Trying to Be Interesting Tuesday Morning

 

Weather Bottom Line: Basically, we have a little front that will be moving through on Friday morning. That will reinforce the cold air for awhile.  The boundary sorta gets hung up in our area so that may provide sufficient lift for precipitation.  Maybe some nuisance snow but that  should be it.  What is more interesting and something that you should be aware of is for Monday night or early Tuesday morning.  The 12Z Thurs GFS is advertising .45 inches  of liquid precipitation at 114 hours and 120 hours.  That means from about 1AM to 7 AM Tuesday.   If that comes true, and it may not, then we’d get perhaps sleet that may turn to snow to finish.  I don’t really see a freezing rain sounding from my quick look but I suppose that could quite possibly unfold…just because I don’t see it now, doesn’t mean that it won’t show up in the end. Either way, right now, I’d say enjoy the milder conditions for the second half of the weekend and then be prepared for a mess on Monday night.

Sen. Clinton May Not Be Happy With New Pay Scale

Secretary of State To Take a Pay Cut:  When Senator Clinton takes over as the new Secretary of State, she will get a little less money than the current Secretary, Condoleezza Rice.  It’s not that Ms. Clinton wants to do her part to reduce the deficit, its more of a Constitutional issue.  I wondered a week or so ago how they were going to get around this issue.  I had thought that it would be left to bloggers to scream about but that it would simply be ignored, as the Constitution has been ignored by previous Presidents; most notably perhaps, President Jefferson and President Lincoln.  It’s known as the emolument clause and was probably designed to keep elected officials from cashing in on Presidential appointments….perhaps a payback for support…or for voting for a pay raise for an office before you get the job.  Governor Blogadevich wouldn’t like this clause.  It says that if you have been elected to a term in office, you cannot accept an appointment to another government post during your term of your elected office if that new appointment has had an increase in salary during your term.  It has also been interpreted to mean that you can’t take a job that pays more than your current elected position but that seems to not be the case.  Now, there was a recent $4700 a year raise in the Secretary of State salary.  So, to get around the former interpretation, Senator Clinton will now receive $184,600, which is still a $12,600 pay increase for Ms. Clinton over next year’s Senate salary of $174,000. 

emolument n [ME, fr. L emolumentum, lit., miller's fee, fr emolere to grind up] : the product (as salary or fees) of an employment

U.S. Constitution – Article 1 Section 6

Article 1 – The Legislative Branch
Section 6 – Compensation

(The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.) (The preceding words in parentheses were modified by the 27th Amendment.) They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been increased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

Marconi In Newfoundland Dec 1901

On This Date in History: Radio waves had been discovered but not completely understood at the turn of the

Marconi Transmitter at Poldhu, Cornwall

century.  It was thought by many that the curvature of the earth would make transmission and reception of radio over long distances impossible.  But, Guglielmo Marconi thought that radio waves would simply follow the curvature of the earth.  Turns out both were sorta right.

Marconi had studied physics and got into the experiments of Heinrich Hertz.  In 1894, his own experiments resulted in a transmission of 1.5 miles.  But, no one in Italy seemed interested.  So, he went to England and in 1896, his company regularly sent messages over the air for distances often farther than 10 miles.  In 1899,  he successfully transmitted across the English Channel…some 30 miles at its shortest, I believe.  In a great public relations move, he boarded a ship, the SS Ponce, and set offshore Sandy Hook, NJ where the America Cup Yacht Race  took place that year.  He transmitted the results directly to New York.  That got him some notice that resulted in financial support from many places, not the least of which was the Big Apple.

Putting Up Kite-Like Receivers At Newfoundland

However, his company still struggled as he set up a transmitting station in Poldhu, Cornwall in England and a reception site at St. Johns, Newfoundland.  The transmitter was powerful and the reception site had a whole bunch of giant, kite-like, antennae to try to capture the waves.  The story told was that on December 12, 1901 Marconi received radio messages from England while he sat and listened in Newfoundland.  The distance was about 2200 miles or about 2120 miles more than the previous record.  Talk about shattering a record. So, how did it work?  Well, as it turns out, the experts were right…radio waves do head out into space…that is unless you have an ionosphere, which the earth does.  That layer of the atmosphere will reflect waves of certain frequency and legnth back to the earth, making it possible to transmit over long distances.  So, Marconi was kinda right also.  Trouble is, analysis of the experiment raised and continues to raise questions. 

Later Transmitting Site at Poldhu

First off, Marconi knew what to listen for.   He was simply looking for a “click click” which is the morse code for the letter “S.”  Now, he had to have gotten all sorts of static.  How he was able to decipher two clicks amidst all of that fuzz is a legitimate question.  There apparently were no witnesses either.  If you go out and about with an AM radio today, you will find that you can pick up a strong AM signal, like WHAS radio, much farther away at night than during the day.  When I drive to North Carolina, I lose WHAS somewhere south of Lexington near the Kentucky/Tennessee border during the day.  But, I’ve picked it up near Charlotte, NC at night.  There is no sun to provide all sorts of radiation “noise.”  Marconi did his feat three times with the first just after noon and the receptions were a few hours later.  Some say his wavelength also was improperly long…that shorter waves would be necessary.  So, explanations arise anywhere from Marconi having a vivid imagination, he psychologically talked himself into believing he heard what he wanted and was expecting to hear or he was really transmitting on a shorter wave length than he thought.

Marconi was forced to stand up to his critics and he set up a demonstration on board a ship, the SS Philadelphia,

Later Site at Poldhu Destroyed by Atlantic Storms

which took him west from England. He successfully transmitted messages about 1600 miles…but he did so at night. During the day the signals only went about half as far.  But, that was better than a carrier pigeon.  And he got some more good PR from a disaster.  Marconi had set up wireless transmitters and receivers on either side of the Atlantic to send messages to ships who could relay messages to others.  Most of the time, it was done at night.  When the Titanic went down, Marconi’s machine was credited with saving the survivors as it signaled the nearby Carpathia to come to the rescue.  It is said that the radio operator in the United States that first received the message of the Titanic disaster was a young David Sarnoff, who later became the founder and president of RCA….Radio Corporation of America.

All That Remains of Poldhu Transmitting Station

There are all sorts of arguments about Marconi.  There is the argument that Marconi didn’t discover anything that Nikola Tesla had already discovered in 1893.  Then there is the other arguments that what he claimed to have done was impossible.  Some of that may have come about due to Marconi’s allegiance to the Facist regime rising in Italy, which of course recognized his greatness.  Mussolini made him President of the Royal Academy of Italy,which made him part of the Facist Grand Council.  His politics and patent disputes with other notable physicists like Tesla and Hertz, may have tarnished the historical reputation of Marconi.  And while there are many questions that may never get answered, it was his perserverence and bold agressiveness at developing the radio field that perhaps should be most appreciated…even though he hooked up with the wrong team in Italy.

Corruption, Selling Of Senate Not New w/ Blagojevich December 11, 2008

Obama/Blagodevich Dec. 2 2008...Obama says he's had "no contact"...That's only not contact in the NBA

The low that brought the storms to our south that I talked about cutting off some of the moisture our way on Tuesday brought a bunch of tornadoes in the deep south.  I’m not sure if I’m statistically correct, but I would wager that the deep south is the most likely place to find tornadoes in the winter so its not unprecedented.  That low will run up the east coast Thursday.  We”ll be chilly and Friday remain cold with maybe even a bit of rain or errant snowflakes.  We turn milder on Sunday.

Don’t Got To Work if you are Happy!  In California, it was proposed that people “call in gay” on Wednesday and not show up for work.  It was supposed to show how important gay people were to the work force and society in general.  It was to show support for those opposed to Proposition 8 which recently was passed in California by a majority of voters who want marriage to be defined as between a man and a woman.  I don’t get it.  Happy people are indeed an integral part of society and a happy workforce is a productive workforce and I don’t see how showing how happy you are has anything to do with politics.

Richard J Daley Stirred Up '68 Convention

The Blagojevich Senate Seat For Sale Issue Is Not New:  This is another installment of my reasons to not get too worked up over today’s controversies because they’ve happened before and the Republic has survived.

Much has been made in recent days about the “unprecedented” alleged sale of a Senate seat by Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.  The Constitution initially called for senators from each state to be appointed by elected by state legislatures.  Remember, the founders weren’t too keen on giving the public direct involvement in determining who was in federal office.  Representatives were the only officials elected directly by the people and their terms were limited to just two years.The president is actually elected by the Electoral College, which is not bound by the popular vote to cast their ballots as the public did.  Judges are appointed.  It was feared that if Governors appointed senators, then they could hold out for the highest offer, but they also didn’t trust the public to make a determination.  So, a compromise was reached in which legislators from the state, elected by the people, would be the best to determine the most qualified individuals to represent each state.  It was ascertained that gaining a senate seat unethically would be more difficult when individuals had to face an entire elective body.

Sounds good.  Eventually, the 17th Amendment was passed in 1913 that called for the election of Senators directly by

Does Lorimer Look like a Crook?

 the people of each state.  Perhaps in response to hijinx in the selection process.  In 1912, Illinois Senator William Lorimer was refused a seat in the Senate by that body because it was found he had paid a bunch of money to just about the entire Illinois legislature.  See, it was commonly thought in the 19th century that rich guys could buy their way into the Senate by doing what Lorimer tried to do.  From 1866 to 1906, six bribery cases were brought in the senate.  In 1899, these two guys had gotten a bundle from their gold mining exploits and thought that they would buy the seat.  Each spread money around the legislature and the process took 17 ballots.  Each time there was another vote, each guy had to pass out more loot to keep the legislators in their respective corners from switching sides.  I wonder if the Montana legislature was running a scam on the scammers because the more votes they had, the more money they made.  Finally, on the last vote, a winner was declared but the Senate refused to seat him and the post remained vacant for two years.

Interestingly, the Lorimer case probably was the tipping point and helped propel the ratifcation of the 17th Amendment the year after the Lorimer monkey business.  While the amendment gave the power directly to the people, it had a clause that brings us to today that read,  “When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.”  Because Senator Obama will soon be President Obama, his seat is open and its left to the Governor to fill the seat and back to the fears of the Founding Fathers.  That’s where Blagodevich comes in.  Curiously, the same situation arises in New York and Delaware with Senator Clinton and Senator Biden giving up their seats, yet…no news of corruption there.

Nope, it’s Illinois.  In recent years, we had Republican Governor George Ryan. He had a long history of corruption charges but he was elected anyway.  In 2003, he “retired” from political life but was then indicted and eventually convicted of fraud charges.  He’s still in jail.  His ouster led to Blagojevich’s rise.  Barack Obama was involved in Blogo’s election in 2002, but recently said he had “no contact” with the embattled governor. (See Details of Questions Involving Obama Blagodevich Relationship) 

He Made Her Do It and GOP Made Him Quit

Before that, there was Republican Jack Ryan of Illinois…no relation to George.  He was a good looking, bright, energetic candidate for Senator.  His opponent?  The young man from the Illinois legislature?  Barack Obama.  Ryan’s candidacy was derailed at a late date in the campaign when his divorce records were released to the public.  Earlier in the campaign, both he and his ex-wife, Actress Jeri Ryan, agreed that their divorce records should be unsealed but not the part regarding custody.  A judge in California decided that those records should be released as well and so it was found that Ryan had gotten his wife to go to wild clubs for the intent of having sex in public.  That was the end of him, though it should be noted that neither parent wanted that part released in order to protect their young son.  Nevermind…politics trumps the kids!  The Republicans literally dropped in Alan Keyes, from Maryland, to take Ryan’s place but Illinoisians weren’t about to vote for a guy who parachuted in to their state and Obama won in a landslide.

Of course, we have the recent allegations of Obama associations with controversial Chicago figures such as William Ayers (Weatherundeground admitted domestic terrorist) and Rev. Jeremiah Wright as well as convicted felon Tony Rezco.    But, to be fair, it seems like its tough to be a politician

Felon Still Picking Up Nice Congressional Pension

from either party without running into questionable characters.  We had the controversial Chicago Mayor Richard J Daley.  Now we have his son, controversial Mayor Richard M. Daley…this guy knows Obama too.  Not long ago, there was Democrat Illinois Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, who was indicted on 17 felony charges, including embezzlement of nearly $700,000 of taxpayer and campaign funds (Remember the stamps?)  He served 15 months in prison before being pardoned by President Clinton.  Today he pockets something in the neighborhood of $100,000 a year from his congressional pension.

We could go on…at least back to Al Capone and all of the judges, police officials and political figures that he paid off…but I won’t.  But, I would suggest that Illinois can give Louisiana a run for its money (bad pun) as the poster state for corruption…or at least corruption known.

Dixie Chicks Sued, Santa Safe, Boom Goes the Dynamite December 10, 2008

BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE

I gotta be honest…I haven’t really paid too much attention to the weather but, it would appear to me that what happened Tuesday was that our moisture flow was probably cut off somewhat by big storms down south. Consequently, we didn’t get as much rain as the computers or the HPC was expecting.  But, it was a nice steady rain and most folks got over an inch.  Now, the boundary should slip through today and with clouds and colder air, it will be pretty lousy.  There will be some light rain early Wednesday but that’s about it.  For the balance of the week, we remain in the bucket with colder than average temperatures, but nothing overly extreme.

Odds and Ends

Well, let’s see what is going on that you may have missed.  Well, the ice growth at the North Pole continues (Dec 3 NSIDC News), though at a reduced rate from the extreme growth seen over the past few months.  Nevertheless, it looks like Santa won’t have to have the elves make him a large red

Graph 2008 vs. 2007 vs 30 yr avg

scuba gear outfit.  I suspect the reports that come out in the press will emphasize that the amount of ice at this time is less than the 30 year average.  It could just as easily have been reported that the growth is substantially larger than last year’s record low and then ask the question as to whether it is a trend.  I seriously doubt that you will see that.  Also, I doubt that you will see the articles from this past spring that there were fears that the polar ice cap at the north end would completely disappear.  When you read the article, you find buried several paragraphs down that one guy gave a small percentage chance of that being the case…yet that was the headline.  And it was wrong….just like $200 a barrel oil was wrong.  You never hear retractions on stuff like that…I suppose you are supposed to just forget about it.

Joke or Serious Commentators?

The Dixie Chicks are being sued with Natalie Maines being prominently mentioned.  Seems, that around the time the Chicks were causing a ruckous with their well thought out, researched and substantiated protests against the Iraq war, the Chicks were protesting against the arrest of the men who were convicted in the death of 3 eight year old boys  in West Memphis, AR.  They didn’t just attend the rally,  but the charge is that Ms. Maines claimed that one of the boys’ step father is the real killer.  That man is suing for defamation.  In order for this to actually come about, a jury must then consider the source to be credible.  I mean, comics are generally immune from defamation suits because the environment is generally known to be a source of jokes.  This lawsuit assumes that Ms. Maines is not a joke.

Freedom of Religion?

The War on Christmas stories are all over the place.  Most recently, some guy in Washington went to the state capital and decided to take advantage of the egalitarian rules regarding displays on public property to put up a sign next to a Nativity Scene that reads, “There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”   Ah yes….Peace on Earth Good Will Toward Men!!  (a different take on it) Remember I brought you the controversy about the Christmas Boat Parade becoming the  Holiday Boat Parade and my thoughts inspired by Snow White.  But, I dunno about this one.  I’m not sure  that this guy’s sign qualifies as a religious symbol or display.  This writer takes stock at a number of battles going on around the country.

Father Dynamite

On This Date in History: On this date in 1896, Alfred Nobel died.  Nobel had made a vast fortune for his development of modern explosives.  Nytroglycerine was a known high explosive but it was very unstable.  This

Nobel Had To Rebuild His Laboratory

instability made it very difficult to work with as a slight shaking might cause it to explode.  So, Nobel worked on trying to find a more suitable substitute.  When experimenting with high explosives, mistakes could be deadly.  He had several accidents. One in 1864 leveled his building and killed his brother.  Leaders in Stockholm forbade any more nitroglycerine experiments within the city limits.  So, Nobel moved his operations to a barge on Lake Maralen.  I bet fishing boats didn’t come too close.  It was there that Nobel figured out that a mixture of nitro and kieselguhr made a paste that could be shaped into long cylinders and handled safely.  He also invented a detonator which he called a blasting cap.  From a lighted fuse, the blasting cap would ignite what he called dynamite,which was a term with its root from the Greek word “dynamis” which means power.  Nobel got the patents for everything associated with dynamite and became a very wealthy man. 

In Any Language Its Dynamite

But, he apparently had worked so hard that he was in very poor physical condition.  It appears he was rather lonely as he posted an ad in a newspaper that said, “Wealthy, highly-educated elderly gentleman seeks lady of mature age, versed in languages, as secretary and supervisor of household.”  The woman who won the sweepstakes. the ad was an Austrian countess.  She worked for him for a year or so and then returned to Austria where she married someone else, but they remained friends.  She probably influenced him as she opposed the arms race between nations, even writing a book called Lay Down Your Arms that spoke out against the evils of war.  Now, I had always heard that Nobel had thought that his invention of dynamite would mean the end of war.  But, I have not found anything credible to support that.  Instead, it is suggested that Nobel felt badly for how the explosives that he invented had a negative effect.  While it was a more efficient method for construction of things like tunnels and foundations in rock, its use in warfare vastly increased the violence and carnage of war.  So, it was this guilt that led him to decree in his will that his fortune would invested and the proceeds ”annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.”  In keeping with his wishes, on this date in 1901, Nobel Prizes for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.

Nobel must have had some fortune because to this day, the award recipients receive several hundred thousand dollars along with the title.  In my view, the peace prize has become more politicized which has taken some of the luster off.

A Meddling Congress Hinders War Effort December 9, 2008

To make things worse than they are, Snow White decided to call LG&E on Monday morning…well wait…let’s back up. On Thanksgiving, I was taking Matt Milosevich to the airport.  When I returned, the house was full of smoke and Snow White was all wound up.  She had a little mishap on the stove.  She tried to put it out with a clean towel that was folded neatly on the drier.  Of course, it was my favorite towel and it went up in flames.  She then threw a big pitcher of water on the fire and put it out…did I mention we have an electric stove?  So, today, she called LG&E to see if it was okay to turn on the stove.  The guy came by and said it was fine but then checked and found that we had a gas leak.  Off went the gas and consequently, on my first Monday on the job hunt, I have no heat and no hot water which made a meeting I had interesting.  Cold shower took on new meaning.  We had to get a plumber out to fix it, which they did quite promptly but as of 9 pm on Monday night, there is still no heat as we wait for LG&E to return. 

HPC QPF Mon 8PM To Wed 8PM

Tuesday will be another fine day.  Oh, tempertures will rise maybe to the upper 50′s but rain will move in and it will continue through the night.   We’ve got a storm system ejecting out of the southwest and will be picking up moisture from the Gulf.  Now, we will be on the warm side of the system with the cold air will be well north.  I betcha from say Southwest of Chicago, through the Windy City to Detroit they get a pretty decent snow and you will hear all about it on the nightly news.  Meanwhile, we’ll get a whole mess of rain.  The Hydrological Prediction Center suggests 2.5 to 3 inches of rain. I would think that most of the rain will begin midday on Tuesday and be generally done by the time you go to work on Wednesday.  Maybe I’ll be lucky and be able to join you.

On This Date in History:  This is a tale to calm your worries next time you think that Congress has just gone off the

Sen. Benjamin Wade; Committee Chairman

 deep end.  At the outset of the Civil War, the Union Armies suffered numerous set backs.  Remember at the first Battle of Bull Run, families went out to see the battle with picnic blankets only to see the Union Army routed and women and children were introduced to the horrors of modern warfare.  Also, remember that President Lincoln was seen as an idiot.  His cabinet even tried to make him a figurehead and run the country themselves only to have Lincoln gently rebuff them all.  The rivals were not much of a team.  So, Congress took action!!

On this date in 1861, Congress did what it does best which is form a committee.  This one was called the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War.  They were going to oversee the war and oversee the administration.  Two arguable assaults on the Constitution with the idea of a seperate Executive and Legislative Branch with the Executive as Commander In Chief of the military.  This committee was filled with Radical Republicans and Abolitionists.  They were pretty harsh regarding the failures of General George B. McClellan, whom Lincoln was patient to a point.  They thought that Democrats who were generals like McClellan and George Meade were soft on slavery and had no business being in the army.   They also were not enthused with the administration’s war aims. 

Leaking Congressional Testimony Is A Tradition

Winning wasn’t enough.  They thought that the abolition of slavery should have been a goal.  Even after the President issued the Emancipation Proclamation, they still wanted the Democrats out of the ranks of General Officers and so its members did another tried and true schemes.  They leaked secret testimony!  This led to distrust and jealousy in the officer corps.  While this committee did a decent job of uncovering fraud in government contracts, the overall lack of military expertise tended to be a burr under the saddle of Abraham Lincoln and otherwise muddle  the war effort.  Instead  of lining up behind the President in a time of war, their meddling ways may possibly have cost the lives of soldiers in the field.   

As for this committee, they didn’t like the loser Generals like McClellan which was fine.  But, they also objected to the

US Grant Was the Man

 Generals who won either.   General Grant at the Battle of Vicksburg simply cut his lines of communications before he crossed the Mississippi River, moved south through Louisiana and then crossed back across the River before laying seige and eventually capturing Vicksburg.  He didn’t want to hear from the members of Congress who were urging him not to take Vickburg.  After taking the city, I’ve heard stories that said Grant wired back if he should give it back.  Some members of Congress urged that Grant be sacked for cutting the lines.  Later, some members of Congress urged that Grant be fired for his reported drunkeness.  Lincoln stood his ground and simply said, “I can’t spare this man, he fights.”  

So, never fear….anything Congress does today probably has not been done before and we’ve managed to survive in spite of them.

Imagine: John Lennon Dead Dec 8 1980 December 8, 2008

Pretty cold weekend, huh?  We warm up this week with Tuesday being in the 50′s but then we back off to the 40′s.  After getting my electric/gas bill last month…I am pleased.  In short, snow talk should be put awy for awhile.

On This Date in History:  John Lennon was shot and killed on this date in 1980.  I remember I was in my dorm room at Jester Hall at the University of Texas at Austin.  13th floor…methinks it was room 1325.  Gary Hindman was my roomate. I called him Captain America.  It was a Monday night because Howard Cosell announced the shooting toward the end of Monday Night Football. 

Public Gathers Outside The Dakota

Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, lived in an apartment in New York called The Dakota.  A bunch of people were hanging around waiting to catch a glimpse of the couple.  Mark David Chapman was a messed up guy who got into reading JD Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye.  He related to the protagonist of the novel about disaffected youth.  Chapman lived in Hawaii and decided that he would shoot Lennon since he mused that Lennon was a phony.  He bought a gun in Hawaii and flew to New York.  He called his wife to tell him what he was going to do but she did not report it or say anything because she did not believe him.  Chapman was unable to purchase ammunition for his gun in New York so he flew to Atlanta where he bought dum-dum bullets and a copy of Catcher in the Rye.  He returned to  New York and when Lennon and Ono emerged from The Dakota, he shot him in the back and then twice in the shoulder.  I read some report that claimed Lennon lost 80% of his blood. 

An interesting thing about Lennon’s death is that the reporting and public reaction were similar to that when JFK,

Chapman Mugshot Dec 9 1980

 RFK and MLK were assassinated.  It mirrored what would happen a few months later when President Reagan was  shot…I was in Jester Hall then too.  But those guys were all politicians.  He was a musician but one who had an influence perhaps on par with presidents.  Now, Chapman at the last moment pleaded guilty instead of copping an insanity plea. He was given 20 years to life….

Here’s the kicker….he went to Attica Prison where in 1970 the famous riot broke out and Lennon became inspired to write Attica State, aka Free All Prisoners Everywhere.  Chapman became a born-again Christian in prison and evangelical writing.

Here’s a detailed sketch regarding the death of John Lennon on December 8, 1980.

Steve Burgin: Fossil, Friend, Birthday Boy December 7, 2008

We had a little snow Saturday and it was interesting because the ground was above freezing but the air temperature was not.  So the snow and a gropple-like sleet  melted on contact.  Then the roads got to freezing and suddenly you had the dreaded “black ice.”   There were, I think, over 100 accidents.  While it will be cold again on Sunday, driving should be just fine.

 

On This Date In History: The Japanese Empire attacked the United States of America in a sneak attack on the naval and army installations in Hawaii. Some 2500 Americans lost their lives. I will spare the details of the “date that will live in infamy” but I will say that I think there are many who have forgotten to choose to ignore history. As we saw in September 2001, similar incidents are still possible. Admiral Yamamoto, the architect of the event had lived in the United States and knew of the nation’s industrial potential, even though it had been mired in depression for the previous decade. He feared he had awakened a sleeping giant and “given him great resolve.” He was right. The attack ended with the destruction of Japan. I do wonder though what it takes for this nation to have great resolve today. In 1945, the US and its allies eliminated the threat of further attacks by those who attacked us to ensure that they could not do it again.

 

On this date….a long long long time ago….when the dinosaurs ruled the earth, Mr. Steve Burgin was born. He has served Louisville honorably and admirably for many years and is known in local palentology circles as the Burginsaurus.  While he may look like a carnivorous beast, in real life he’s a big teddy bear. I’m going to tell a secret: He has helped many many young journalists fulfill their dreams of developing a successful career.

 

I’ll tell you another secret:  I am proud and honored to be able to call Steve Burgin my friend.  Over the years, he has been a great sounding board and has helped me from time to time.  Like many people who have had the good fortune to work with him, I am a better person for having him as being part of the sum total of my life.  Besides all that…he’s given me some good ties.

 

Steve Burgin is also a top shelf journalist and Louisville is lucky to have him. He is the first person from this area inducted into the Silver Circle of The Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Television Academy. That small fraternity is considered the “best of the best.” He’s also received the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Scripps Howard National Award for Investigative Reporting as well as several regional Emmy Awards and other honors. He even walked my mother down the aisle at my wedding! He may be a fossil but he’s our fossil and we should all be thankful to have this journalistic treasure in our midst.  See, I have to tell people because the Burginsaurus is really quite shy. He’s really a quite friendly creature, just keep your hands and feet clear at feeding time.

 

Feel free to email Steve (sburgin@hearst.com) and tell him happy birthday. It would be a fine way to acknowledge his efforts to serve the community in so many ways…..besides that..the fire department has outlawed anymore birthday cakes for him due to the potential fire hazard..so warm greetings would be appreciated I’m sure.

 

Happy Birthday Steve….and here’s to many more ahead!