Health officials are investigating a measles outbreak in Manhattan and the Bronx after nine children and seven adults have tested positive for the highly contagious virus.
Authorities are working to identify the source of the outbreak, and are urging vaccinations for those who haven't had them. Some of those sickened have had to be hospitalized.
Cases have been identified in Inwood and Washington Heights in Manhattan, and in High Bridge, Morrisania and the Central Bronx, health officials say. The first case was reported in February.
Four of the affected children were too young to have been vaccinated; three who had been vaccinated were 13 to 15 months old and two others had not been vaccinated by parental choice, the Health Department said. The affected adults range in age from 22 to 63 years.
Friday, March 7, 2014
A fortune in a cookie
NEW YORK (AP) — A 75-year-old New York woman found her fortune in a cookie.
Emma Duvoll won $2 million in a recent Powerball drawing after playing the numbers found in her fortune cookie.
The retired Bronx resident bought the lottery ticket after dining at a Chinese restaurant in Greenwich Village.
The Daily News reports that the owner of Sammy's Noodle Shop & Grill joked that maybe the waiters should get 20 percent of her winnings.
Duvoll, a retired deli owner, picked up her prize on Thursday. She purchased the ticket for the Feb. 1 drawing at the Hannaford Pharmacy in upstate Pine Bush.
She plans to invest her winnings and may splurge on a trip to Switzerland to see relatives.
Emma Duvoll won $2 million in a recent Powerball drawing after playing the numbers found in her fortune cookie.
The retired Bronx resident bought the lottery ticket after dining at a Chinese restaurant in Greenwich Village.
The Daily News reports that the owner of Sammy's Noodle Shop & Grill joked that maybe the waiters should get 20 percent of her winnings.
Duvoll, a retired deli owner, picked up her prize on Thursday. She purchased the ticket for the Feb. 1 drawing at the Hannaford Pharmacy in upstate Pine Bush.
She plans to invest her winnings and may splurge on a trip to Switzerland to see relatives.
Opening statements to begin in general's sex trial
Prosecutors were expected to begin making their case against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, accused of sexually assaulting a captain under his command with whom he had a three-year affair. His defense lawyers portray him as the victim of an overzealous military under intense political pressure to make an example of him.
Sinclair, 51, stood ramrod straight before a judge Thursday and pleaded guilty to three charges that could send him to prison for up to 15 years. It was a remarkable admission sure to end the military career of a man once regarded as a rising star among the Army's small cadre of trusted battle commanders.
Sinclair still faces five other charges stemming from the claims of a female captain nearly 20 years his junior who says the general twice forced her to perform oral sex. But by pleading guilty to the lesser charges, Sinclair's lawyers believe they will strengthen his case at trial by potentially limiting some of the salacious evidence prosecutors can present. It will ultimately be up to the judge to determine what, if any, limitations to place on the evidence.
The former deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the sexual assaults.
Sinclair, 51, stood ramrod straight before a judge Thursday and pleaded guilty to three charges that could send him to prison for up to 15 years. It was a remarkable admission sure to end the military career of a man once regarded as a rising star among the Army's small cadre of trusted battle commanders.
Sinclair still faces five other charges stemming from the claims of a female captain nearly 20 years his junior who says the general twice forced her to perform oral sex. But by pleading guilty to the lesser charges, Sinclair's lawyers believe they will strengthen his case at trial by potentially limiting some of the salacious evidence prosecutors can present. It will ultimately be up to the judge to determine what, if any, limitations to place on the evidence.
The former deputy commander of the 82nd Airborne could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of the sexual assaults.
Putin rebuffs Obama as Ukraine crisis escalates
By Lidia Kelly and Alissa de Carbonnel
MOSCOW/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin rebuffed a warning from U.S. President Barack Obama over Moscow's military intervention in Crimea, saying on Friday that Russia could not ignore calls for help from Russian speakers in Ukraine.
After an hour-long telephone call, Putin said in a statement that Moscow and Washington were still far apart on the situation in the former Soviet republic, where he said the new authorities had taken "absolutely illegitimate decisions on the eastern, southeastern and Crimea regions.
"Russia cannot ignore calls for help and it acts accordingly, in full compliance with international law," Putin said.
Ukraine's border guards said Moscow had poured troops into the southern peninsula where Russian forces have seized control.
Serhiy Astakhov, an aide to the border guards' commander, said there were now 30,000 Russian soldiers in Crimea, compared to 11,000 permanently based with the Russian Black Sea fleet in the port of Sevastopol before the crisis.
Putin denies that the forces with no national insignia that are surrounding Ukrainian troops in their bases are under Moscow's command, although their vehicles have Russian military plates. The West has ridiculed this claim.
MOSCOW/SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin rebuffed a warning from U.S. President Barack Obama over Moscow's military intervention in Crimea, saying on Friday that Russia could not ignore calls for help from Russian speakers in Ukraine.
After an hour-long telephone call, Putin said in a statement that Moscow and Washington were still far apart on the situation in the former Soviet republic, where he said the new authorities had taken "absolutely illegitimate decisions on the eastern, southeastern and Crimea regions.
"Russia cannot ignore calls for help and it acts accordingly, in full compliance with international law," Putin said.
Ukraine's border guards said Moscow had poured troops into the southern peninsula where Russian forces have seized control.
Serhiy Astakhov, an aide to the border guards' commander, said there were now 30,000 Russian soldiers in Crimea, compared to 11,000 permanently based with the Russian Black Sea fleet in the port of Sevastopol before the crisis.
Putin denies that the forces with no national insignia that are surrounding Ukrainian troops in their bases are under Moscow's command, although their vehicles have Russian military plates. The West has ridiculed this claim.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Here comes El Nino; good news for US weather woes
"And now for the weather ........................"
WASHINGTON (AP) — Relief may be on the way for a weather-weary United States with the predicted warming of the central Pacific Ocean brewing this year that will likely change weather worldwide. But it won't be for the better everywhere.
The warming, called an El Nino, is expected to lead to fewer Atlantic hurricanes and more rain next winter for drought-stricken California and southern states, and even a milder winter for the nation's frigid northern tier next year, meteorologists say.
While it could be good news to lessen the southwestern U.S. drought and shrink heating bills next winter in the far north, "worldwide it can be quite a different story," said North Carolina State University atmospheric sciences professor Ken Kunkel. "Some areas benefit. Some don't."
Globally, it can mean an even hotter year coming up and billions of dollars in losses for food crops.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric and Administration issued an official El Nino watch Thursday. An El Nino is a warming of the central Pacific once every few years, from a combination of wind and waves in the tropics. It shakes up climate around the world, changing rain and temperature patterns.
Mike Halpert, acting director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, says the El Nino warming should develop by this summer, but that there are no guarantees. Although early signs are appearing already a few hundred feet below the ocean surface, meteorologists say an El Nino started to brew in 2012 and then shut down suddenly and unexpectedly.
The flip side of El Nino is called a La Nina, which has a general cooling effect. It has been much more frequent than El Ninos lately, with five La Ninas and two small-to-moderate El Ninos in the past nine years. The last big El Nino was 1997-1998. Neither has appeared since mid-2012. El Ninos are usually strongest from December to April.
Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who wasn't part of NOAA's forecast, agreed that an El Nino is brewing.
"This could be a substantial event and I think we're due," Trenberth said. "And I think it could have major consequences."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Relief may be on the way for a weather-weary United States with the predicted warming of the central Pacific Ocean brewing this year that will likely change weather worldwide. But it won't be for the better everywhere.
The warming, called an El Nino, is expected to lead to fewer Atlantic hurricanes and more rain next winter for drought-stricken California and southern states, and even a milder winter for the nation's frigid northern tier next year, meteorologists say.
While it could be good news to lessen the southwestern U.S. drought and shrink heating bills next winter in the far north, "worldwide it can be quite a different story," said North Carolina State University atmospheric sciences professor Ken Kunkel. "Some areas benefit. Some don't."
Globally, it can mean an even hotter year coming up and billions of dollars in losses for food crops.
The National Oceanic Atmospheric and Administration issued an official El Nino watch Thursday. An El Nino is a warming of the central Pacific once every few years, from a combination of wind and waves in the tropics. It shakes up climate around the world, changing rain and temperature patterns.
Mike Halpert, acting director of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, says the El Nino warming should develop by this summer, but that there are no guarantees. Although early signs are appearing already a few hundred feet below the ocean surface, meteorologists say an El Nino started to brew in 2012 and then shut down suddenly and unexpectedly.
The flip side of El Nino is called a La Nina, which has a general cooling effect. It has been much more frequent than El Ninos lately, with five La Ninas and two small-to-moderate El Ninos in the past nine years. The last big El Nino was 1997-1998. Neither has appeared since mid-2012. El Ninos are usually strongest from December to April.
Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who wasn't part of NOAA's forecast, agreed that an El Nino is brewing.
"This could be a substantial event and I think we're due," Trenberth said. "And I think it could have major consequences."
Barack Obama’s IRS Cover-up: We Look Stupid If We Act Surprised
Rep. Dave Camp also revealed that federal agents conducting an investigation into the Internal Revenue Service's bid to punish Tea Party and conservative critics of the president have yet to talk to a single target of the scandal.
Camp, whose committee is one of several looking into the 2010-2013 scandal, put the blame for the drawn out investigations on Capitol Hill at the president’s feet.
“I don’t fully understand why it’s taken them so long given that the president promised,” Camp said at a media roundtable hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. “He promised that he would have quick action and we still don’t have the documents from an agency that is in this administration.”
Um... the President “promised”? Similar to: “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. Period”? Or: “Proposed bills will be online so the American people can read them before Congress votes.” Maybe this one: “Obamacare deliberations will be televised on C-SPAN.”
Like those kinds of “promises,” Congressman?
His committee has been frustrated with the administration's failure to cough up emails from Lois Lerner, who ran the IRS department that blocked Tea Party groups from winning the typically quick approval of tax exempt status. Lerner was on Capitol Hill Wednesday where she refused to testify before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
“I still don’t have all of her emails. I still don’t have all of the documents that I’ve requested. The administration promised a quick action, and I’m still waiting for her emails,” said Camp, a Michigan Republican. “I need all of those, before I can conclude.”
I think I see your problem. You’re apparently trusting the “promise” of a pathological liar who will say anything to accomplish his goals. The architect of this blatantly illegal and political IRS persecution, Sarah Ingram, visited the White House more than 150 times, and you think the President is going to cooperate with you?
Delusions in DC run deep.
Hillary Clinton Now Handing Out Awards Named After Herself
The President of Georgia honored Hilary with the Order of the Golden Fleece.
The American Bar Association had already given Hillary its highest honor for “her immense accomplishments as a lawyer”.
The National Constitution Center awarded her the Liberty Medal (an honor she shares with such Constitutional scholars as Bono, Hamid Karzai and her husband).
Hillary received the American Patriot Award at the National Defense University Foundation and the Hermandad Award from the Mexican American Leadership Initiative.
Considering that Hillary Clinton is as much of an American patriot as is she is a Mexican-American leader… both awards seem equally deserved.
But Hillary isn’t just a taker, she’s also a giver. And so she’s giving out awards… with typical modesty, named after herself.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented Georgetown’s annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security.
Hillary received the American Patriot Award at the National Defense University Foundation and the Hermandad Award from the Mexican American Leadership Initiative.
Considering that Hillary Clinton is as much of an American patriot as is she is a Mexican-American leader… both awards seem equally deserved.
But Hillary isn’t just a taker, she’s also a giver. And so she’s giving out awards… with typical modesty, named after herself.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented Georgetown’s annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards for Advancing Women in Peace and Security.
On this day - 3/6
On this day in 1899, the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin registers Aspirin, the brand name for acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co.
Now the most common drug in household medicine cabinets, acetylsalicylic acid was originally made from a chemical found in the bark of willow trees. In its primitive form, the active ingredient, salicin, was used for centuries in folk medicine, beginning in ancient Greece when Hippocrates used it to relieve pain and fever. Known to doctors since the mid-19thcentury, it was used sparingly due to its unpleasant taste and tendency to damage the stomach.
In 1897, Bayer employee Felix Hoffman found a way to create a stable form of the drug that was easier and more pleasant to take. (Some evidence shows that Hoffman's work was really done by a Jewish chemist, Arthur Eichengrun, whose contributions were covered up during the Nazi era.) After obtaining the patent rights, Bayer began distributing aspirin in powder form to physicians to give to their patients one gram at a time. The brand name came from "a" for acetyl, "spir" from the spirea plant (a source of salicin) and the suffix "in," commonly used for medications. It quickly became the number-one drug worldwide.
Staples to shutter 225 stores as sales move online
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (AP) — Staples will close up to 225 stores in North America by the end of next year as it seeks to trim about $500 million in costs annually by 2015.
The nation's largest office-supply retailer said Thursday that nearly half of its sales are now generated online, so it will aggressively cut costs to become more efficient.
Company shares dropped more than 10 percent before markets opened.
The recession did heavy damage to the industry, which is now under increasing pressure from online retailers as well as discount stores.
There is rapid consolidation under way and rivals Office Depot and OfficeMax just completed a $1.2 billion merger.
But the overhead costs of running 'big box" stores has put companies like Staples under stress.
The closings amount to 10 percent of all Staples locations. The company has 2,200 stores worldwide, 1,500 of them in the United States.
It is unclear how many jobs will be lost or what locations will be shuttered.
Asteroid Approaching in Close Encounter With Earth
The recently discovered asteroid will come closer to the Earth than our Moon's orbit.
California third-graders caught smoking pot in school bathroom
(Reuters) - Three third-graders were caught smoking marijuana in the boys' bathroom of their northern California elementary school last week in what the local police chief says marked the youngest pot bust he has ever encountered.
The three boys - two 8-year-olds and one 9-year-old - were caught last Thursday by another student, who informed school administrators, who in turn alerted local law enforcement, said Sonora Police Chief Mark Stinson.
Police officers detained the youngsters for questioning, then released them to their parents, Stinson said.
The police chief of Sonora, a picturesque "Gold Country" town in the Sierra foothills about 130 miles east of San Francisco, said the youngest person he previously knew of being busted for smoking pot was about 10 years of age.
A pipe and a very small amount of marijuana were seized in last Thursday's incident, he said, adding that the boys seemed to have had little smoking experience and did not appear to be under the influence when confronted.
Stinson declined to comment on anything the boys said, or on the possible origins of the pot, except to say that "it came from several sources."
He said the incident will remain under investigation to determine whether the boys could be considered criminally culpable. Under California law, no one under 12 is usually charged with a crime, but the boys could be subject to juvenile justice proceedings.
The three boys - two 8-year-olds and one 9-year-old - were caught last Thursday by another student, who informed school administrators, who in turn alerted local law enforcement, said Sonora Police Chief Mark Stinson.
Police officers detained the youngsters for questioning, then released them to their parents, Stinson said.
The police chief of Sonora, a picturesque "Gold Country" town in the Sierra foothills about 130 miles east of San Francisco, said the youngest person he previously knew of being busted for smoking pot was about 10 years of age.
A pipe and a very small amount of marijuana were seized in last Thursday's incident, he said, adding that the boys seemed to have had little smoking experience and did not appear to be under the influence when confronted.
Stinson declined to comment on anything the boys said, or on the possible origins of the pot, except to say that "it came from several sources."
He said the incident will remain under investigation to determine whether the boys could be considered criminally culpable. Under California law, no one under 12 is usually charged with a crime, but the boys could be subject to juvenile justice proceedings.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
A Follow up Post .....
I big part of a casino, when I was out there, food and drinks. About the time a customer got comfortable, had bought twenty or so in chips (back in the 50's) .... the drinks started arriving. There was an unwritten law, never let a customer head out the door, especially if he had won any money. We had dinner tickets for a nice FREE dinner for two or whatever necessary.
The environment in most clubs was that of "secluded." No windows, no clocks, nothing to make them aware of "time." "Send them to the bar," "Send them to the dining room." Just don't let them go outside.
During my time, I don't recall ever sending anyone away for excessive drinking. I have seen a customer, who had too much, have his winnings placed in the cashiers cage for safekeeping, and it was suggested to the customer that he "go eat" or some such suggestion. I have also seen a "big winner" offered the services of a security guard to escort him to his car or hotel, or whatever. One hated to see the money leave the club, but it was the prudent thing to do.
"If you're gonna be a sucker, be a silent one." The motto I always heard and played by........
I have know some, who hired someone to accompany them inside a casino, with instructions, "Make me leave when I get 5000 ahead." Sometimes that worked and sometimes not.
I have also seen, on many occasions, a "high roller" come to town, and ask a particular 21 dealer to accompany them on their "rounds" of the clubs. One I knew, always wanted a certain 21 dealer to play "third base" while he was on first. She was paid well for just doing that.
Casinos do not like to lose. That is for certain. I have been out of the business for many years, so I am sure things have changed quite a bit. But, I still find it hard to believe that a casino would, buy drinks, yes, perhaps get a customer to a point where their judgement may be impaired a bit, but not "rob" a customer who is not capable of making rational decisions. Their license is worth much, much more than the amount he lost . We never did anything that could lose us a license ................
Gambler sues, says he lost $500,000 playing drunk
I'm gonna follow this real close ... I left a fortune out there in earnings and winnings in my years being there, much of which could be attributed to various liquors consumed during those years. No video cameras then. Looking back, I can't recall ever losing any money, sober, don't recall any "blackouts" though, just havin fun and partyin a bit ....." so to speak. Got lucky in Harrah's one evening, won around seven thousand (a lot of money in those days), cashed out, got a cab and went home. Tossed and turned, called a cab, went back, lost it, walked home and slept like a baby..........
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A businessman who lost $500,000 on table games at a Las Vegas casino on Super Bowl weekend is arguing that he shouldn't have to pay because he was blackout drunk.
Southern California gambler Mark Johnston, 52, is suing the Downtown Grand for loaning him money and serving him drinks when he was visibly intoxicated.
Nevada law bars casinos from allowing obviously drunk patrons to gamble and from serving them comped drinks.
Johnston's attorney, Sean Lyttle, says the Grand, which opened last November in the old part of Las Vegas, intends to pursue Johnston for trying to shirk his gambling debts. Johnston put a stop-payment order on the markers, or casino credits, the Grand issued, and is also seeking damages from the Grand for sullying his name.
Johnston says he was thoroughly drunk during the hours he spent playing pai gow and blackjack at the Grand. His legal team plans to rely on eyewitness testimony and surveillance video to prove that he was visibly intoxicated.
Johnston lives in Ventura and made his fortune in car dealership and real estate ventures.
The Grand issued a statement saying it does not comment on pending litigation.
The state Gaming Control Board is investigating.
"It's certainly an extraordinary case. This is not a story that I've ever heard before, where someone was blackout intoxicated where they couldn't read their cards, and yet a casino continued to serve them drinks and issue them more markers," Lyttle said. "It's a very heavy-handed and unusual approach that we haven't seen in this town in a long time."
Johnston arrived in Las Vegas with the woman he was dating on the Thursday before the Super Bowl. He drank in the limousine from the Las Vegas airport to the Grand, drank more during dinner with friends, and then says he blacked out.
The suit alleges that the Grand comped him dozens of drinks while he gambled away hundreds of thousands of dollars, finally sleeping off his drunkenness on that Saturday, which was Feb, 1. Johnston says he didn't learn how much he had lost until the next day.
Mom, dad, daughter accused in $7M shoplift spree
CHICAGO (AP) — A father, mother and daughter from a posh Chicago suburb stole $7 million in merchandise during a decadelong shoplifting spree — traveling to stores nationwide and targeting dolls, toys, cosmetics and other valuables — according to a federal complaint released Wednesday.
The three were arrested earlier this week at their $1.3 million Northbrook home after returning from a three-day trip through Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, where authorities say they shoplifted from stores. Working in tandem, the family traveled from their Chicago-area residence to hit businesses in multiple states, including Maryland, Tennessee and Florida, according to the 20-page complaint.
Branko Bogdanov, 58, Lela Bogdanov, 52, and their 34-year-old daughter, Julia Bogdanov, are charged with one count each of interstate transportation of stolen property. They made initial appearances Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, but did not enter pleas; they'll be held at least until a detention hearing next week. Someone who answered a phone at their Northbrook residence declined any comment
Lela Bogdanov frequently donned a long black skirt with large compartments sewn on the inside during the alleged shoplifting binges and was caught on surveillance cameras leaving some stores with her skirt looking notably fuller than when she entered, the complaint says.
Standing in orange jail clothes Wednesday in federal court, Lela Bogdanov wiped away tears as U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Mason explained her rights. She followed the proceedings through a Romani interpreter.
An unnamed cooperating witness bought many of the stolen items — which included everything from American Girl dolls and Furby robotic toys to coffee and steak knives — at the Bogdanov home, then sold them online through eBay, the complaint says. On their own, Bogdanovs directly sold more than $690,000 in merchandise through eBay, the complaint says.
The United States Secret Service led the investigation after Barnes and Noble Inc. and Toys R Us Inc. contacted the agency about what the complaint describes as "a huge loss in merchandise." With the help of those companies and eBay, authorities traced stolen items to an the online trading account of the cooperating witnesses, who, in turn, agreed to help in the investigation of the Bogdanovs.
The three were arrested earlier this week at their $1.3 million Northbrook home after returning from a three-day trip through Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, where authorities say they shoplifted from stores. Working in tandem, the family traveled from their Chicago-area residence to hit businesses in multiple states, including Maryland, Tennessee and Florida, according to the 20-page complaint.
Branko Bogdanov, 58, Lela Bogdanov, 52, and their 34-year-old daughter, Julia Bogdanov, are charged with one count each of interstate transportation of stolen property. They made initial appearances Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago, but did not enter pleas; they'll be held at least until a detention hearing next week. Someone who answered a phone at their Northbrook residence declined any comment
Lela Bogdanov frequently donned a long black skirt with large compartments sewn on the inside during the alleged shoplifting binges and was caught on surveillance cameras leaving some stores with her skirt looking notably fuller than when she entered, the complaint says.
Standing in orange jail clothes Wednesday in federal court, Lela Bogdanov wiped away tears as U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Mason explained her rights. She followed the proceedings through a Romani interpreter.
An unnamed cooperating witness bought many of the stolen items — which included everything from American Girl dolls and Furby robotic toys to coffee and steak knives — at the Bogdanov home, then sold them online through eBay, the complaint says. On their own, Bogdanovs directly sold more than $690,000 in merchandise through eBay, the complaint says.
The United States Secret Service led the investigation after Barnes and Noble Inc. and Toys R Us Inc. contacted the agency about what the complaint describes as "a huge loss in merchandise." With the help of those companies and eBay, authorities traced stolen items to an the online trading account of the cooperating witnesses, who, in turn, agreed to help in the investigation of the Bogdanovs.
More to it than you might think ...........
The last post got me to thinking, what all is involved in the life of a person that you are facing and saying, "Thank you for your Service?" A short, few little words, offhandedly thrown out, probably not too sincerely, just a nice thing to do. make some old guys day, may him happy.
I am a veteran, never really gave a lot of thought to it, or what it actually meant. A few years ago, a friend and I attended an Ohio State football game, with Navy. It was a "patriotic" day. Emotions were high, the American flag was evident, everywhere. I wore my Son's cap, BMU2 Stingers, or some thing like that, it was Navy issue. For the first time, ever, people were thanking me, for my service. I was taken back a bit by it, I had been out of the Navy for probably 50 years, and all of a sudden, I became a veteran.
I am a member of a very exclusive group, a US Veteran. Just think how many "went in" and never returned home, all the wars, all of those who did not live to become "a veteran." Staggering amounts. And as times passes, there are fewer and fewer from each "conflict" until there are no more.
I must admit I don't think the thought ever crossed my mind that I might .... "give my life for my country." I wanted to do my four years and get out. A career, never thought of that, actually, in those days, my thoughts of my or any future were nonexistent. Never thought of a career in the Navy. After the Civil War, Calen, my Grandfather, "mustered" out, in Texas. After World War One, my Dad got his discharge. Same with my Brother in WWII, and then, me.
I gave up much when I joined the Navy. My freedom, I was told where to go and what to do, they fed me, clothed me, and I did as I was ordered. I "Yes Sired" and did as I was told. I could be punished if I did not do as told. I lived their regimented life for my four years.
Now my group, Korean War Veterans, is getting smaller, soon to be extinct ...
I am a veteran, never really gave a lot of thought to it, or what it actually meant. A few years ago, a friend and I attended an Ohio State football game, with Navy. It was a "patriotic" day. Emotions were high, the American flag was evident, everywhere. I wore my Son's cap, BMU2 Stingers, or some thing like that, it was Navy issue. For the first time, ever, people were thanking me, for my service. I was taken back a bit by it, I had been out of the Navy for probably 50 years, and all of a sudden, I became a veteran.
I am a member of a very exclusive group, a US Veteran. Just think how many "went in" and never returned home, all the wars, all of those who did not live to become "a veteran." Staggering amounts. And as times passes, there are fewer and fewer from each "conflict" until there are no more.
I must admit I don't think the thought ever crossed my mind that I might .... "give my life for my country." I wanted to do my four years and get out. A career, never thought of that, actually, in those days, my thoughts of my or any future were nonexistent. Never thought of a career in the Navy. After the Civil War, Calen, my Grandfather, "mustered" out, in Texas. After World War One, my Dad got his discharge. Same with my Brother in WWII, and then, me.
I gave up much when I joined the Navy. My freedom, I was told where to go and what to do, they fed me, clothed me, and I did as I was ordered. I "Yes Sired" and did as I was told. I could be punished if I did not do as told. I lived their regimented life for my four years.
Now my group, Korean War Veterans, is getting smaller, soon to be extinct ...
Runners Stop Mid-Race to Thank WWII Veteran
World War II veteran Joe Bell was watching and cheering on runners near the end of their race in San Jose, Calif., in full military uniform. Instead of passing by him, runners began going over to the 95-year-old mid-race to thank him for his service.
Bell, who was a corporal in the Army from 1942 to 1946, said he wore his uniform on Sunday to inspire runners and was taken aback by the support and the gratitude he received.
“They showed a lot of love to me, and they recognized me,” Bell told ABC News today. “I liked that.”
San Jose Mercury News reporter Julia Prodis Sulek filmed the touching salute after looking out her window the morning of the race.
“I saw all these runners going off course from the street onto the sidewalk and wondered why. So I looked further and saw Joe set up out there. The runners were going up to him to thank him for his service,” Sulek told ABC News today. “It was really beautiful.”
The annual 8-kilometer race benefits the Pat Tillman Foundation, which among other things, funds scholarships for military veterans.
Michelle McCarthy from the foundation said she is incredibly proud of both Bell and the runners who saluted him.
“The runners were leading by example by going out of their way to recognize [Joe],” McCarthy said. “We support a cause that helps veterans, so to see it in action is something else.”
Former IRS official refuses to testify at hearing
Are WE a great country, or what?
WASHINGTON (AP) — The former Internal Revenue Service official at the heart of the agency's tea party scandal once again refused to answer questions at a congressional hearing Wednesday that quickly devolved into political bickering between Democrats and Republicans.
Lois Lerner headed the IRS division that improperly targeted tea party and other conservative groups for extra scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status during the 2010 and 2012 elections. She was the first IRS official to publicly disclose the targeting, issuing an apology on behalf of the agency at a law conference in May 2013.
But when she was called to testify before the House Oversight Committee a few days later, she invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself. Committee Chairman Darrell Issa recalled Lerner for a hearing Wednesday.
Lerner appeared with her lawyer, but she invoked the Fifth Amendment at least nine times when questioned by Issa.
Issa, a California Republican, quickly adjourned the hearing despite attempts by Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the committee, to make a statement. At one point, Issa said, "Shut it down," and Cummings' microphone was turned off.
How to Win Friends .... by Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton said that tactics implemented by Russia in Crimea are reminiscent of those used by Nazi Germany before World War II.
Speaking at a fundraiser in California, Clinton drew a parallel between Adolf Hitler's rhetoric that ethnic Germans living in neighbouring countries he later invaded were oppressed, and Vladimir Putin's claim that ethnic Russians in Ukraine are under threat by nationalists and radicals.
The former US secretary of State, who is widely expected to run for US president in 2016, particularly criticised Moscow over the issuing of passports to ethnic Russians living in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
"Now if this sounds familiar, it's what Hitler did back in the 30s," Clinton said, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.
"All the Germans that were ... the ethnic Germans, the Germans by ancestry who were in places like Czechoslovakia and Romania and other places, Hitler kept saying they're not being treated right. I must go and protect my people and that's what's gotten everybody so nervous."
Clinton, 66, made the comment at a $1,500-a-head fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach.
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