Two Hokies Go To The Super Bowl

Two football-playing alumni of Virginia Tech will be on opposite sidelines for the Super Bowl, to be played this coming Sunday.  One is in his fourth season in the NFL and has been to the Pro Bowl twice; the other is a rookie who has only recently been elevated from his team's practice squad.  Even with vastly different pro careers so far, they have been teammates, not only at Virginia Tech, but also at Maury High School in Norfolk, VA.

Kam Chancellor arrived at Virginia Tech in 2006 and played that season as a true freshman.  He was a starter on defense during the following three years, playing strong safety (known as "rover" in VT parlance) in 2007 and free safety in 2008 and 2009.  He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks and is now their starting strong safety.

Vinston Painter joined the Hokies in 2008 and redshirted that year.  From 2009 to 2011, he was a backup offensive tackle, becoming a first-stringer as a senior in 2012.  His one season of regular play was enough to get him drafted by the Denver Broncos, but he was relegated to the practice squad after the 2013 preseason was over.  Because of his lack of regular season experience, whether he will step onto the field is at best questionable.

Not many Hokies have gone on to play for a Super Bowl winner, but the first two Super Bowls were won by the Green Bay Packers, whose roster included Carroll Dale, who had played for Virginia Tech when our football team was called the Fighting Gobblers.  Most recently, Tyrod Taylor, who had played quarterback at VT from 2007 to 2010, was on the Baltimore Ravens squad that won the Super Bowl a year ago, but as the backup QB, did not get to play.

Read more at Hokiesports.

A Request From A Distant Cousin

A distant cousin of mine has a request for the people of the United States.  There's something that some of us have been saying about him that he doesn't appreciate.  Sadly, he can't be here himself to express his consternation, which is why he has asked me to deliver a message on his behalf.  This is because he lives very far away, even farther away than our other cousin, Yeti, a resident of southern Tibet, in China.  Like Yeti and myself, he is a large furry quasi-human creature.  Even so, I think that his request is reasonable.

Death Penalty Sought For Boston Bomber

Federal authorities have decided to pursue the death penalty for Dzhokar Tsarnaev, the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing last April.  His older brother Tamerlan was killed in a gunfight with police as they tried to leave the area.  Tsarnaev faces a total of 30 federal charges, 17 of which could bring the death penalty, and state charges in the death of an MIT police officer.

Read the story at Boston(dot)com, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Business Insider and Huff Post Crime.

Henry Waxman To Retire

Representative Henry Waxman (D-Cal), who has been in Congress for 20 terms, has announced his retirement.  During his 40 years in office, he has given much of his attention to health care an environmental issues.  Among his most notable actions was summoning tobacco company leaders to a hearing about the dangers of smoking, in 1994.  Waxman's stated reasons for retiring do not include any political considerations, but instead a belief that a time has come for him "to move on".

Read more at the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, Huff Post Politics, National Journal and The New York Times.

Obviously, rightwing nuts like myself will not miss Henry Waxman, although I will give this career politician credit for not becoming a lifetime politician.  However, one possible replacement reported by the above-mentioned National Journal won't be much to our liking, either.

Bush Speechwriter: Obama Plagiarized Bush SOTU

Via Gulfdogs:

Mark Thiessen, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, found some of President Obama's 2014 State of the Union address to be "eerily familiar".

Read more at Saving the Republic.

An Anti-Muslim Ray Gun?

Two men, including a KKK member, have been indicted for attempting to make and use a device that shoots x-rays.  The klansman was caught by two FBI agents posing as fellow klansmen.  The intended targets were Muslims, mosques and related organizations.   In other words, these guys apparently wanted to make an anti-Muslim ray gun.

Read the story at The Libertarian Republic.

SOTU Drinking Game

From Greg Gutfield of Fox News via Twitchy, a drinking game for President Obama's State of the Union address, to be delivered tomorrow:

I probably won't be playing tomorrow, since I can't handle alcohol as easily as could when I was younger, but whoever wishes to try it, good luck.

Forget Global Warming, Fear The Pole Shift

According to some scientists, the earth's magnetic field has decreased in strength by 15% in the last 200 years, which means that the two magnetic poles could be headed for a reversal.  If this happens, the earth's magnetic field strength could take a long time to recover, thus exposing us to increased levels of cosmic rays and also having an effect on climate.  Such reversals have occurred many times in the past.

Read more at the Mail Online.

Some of the comments to the article are rather amusing, such as

No doubt climatologists are working day and night to find a way to blame this on mankind so they can get research funding out of it.

and

I'm still hiding in my bunker from the millenium bug.  Is it safe to come out yet[?]

The above question mark was added, since it was apparently intended by the commenter.  It should be noted that "cosmic rays" is a misnomer, since they are not true rays like the various types of electromagnetic radiation (light, x-rays, etc.) but are particles, such as atomic nuclei that have been separated from their electrons.

Three Dead In Maryland Mall Shooting

This morning, three people were killed in a shooting at Columbia Mall in Columbia, Maryland.  The city is located in Howard County, between Baltimore and Washington, DC.  County police believe that one of the dead people is the shooter.

Read more at NBC Washington, the New York Post, Fox News, MSN News and The Baltimore Sun.

UPDATE:  From CNN, the shooter and the two victims have been identified.

Virginia Tech Hires Athletic Director

Virginia Tech has settled on a new athletic director, Virginia native Whit Babcock, who currently holds the same position at the University of Cincinnati.  He has also served as assistant athletic director at Missouri, West Virginia and Auburn.  Babcock is an alumnus of James Madison University, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where he played baseball.

Read the story at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and The Roanoke Times.

Obamacare Expands Medicaid Estate Seizures

According to an well-known adage, the only things in life that are certain are death and taxes.   Due to the estate tax, these two certainties can even occur simultaneously, depending on your net worth when you die.  Governments also have another way to take your money after you die.  Under a law passed in 1993, when you die, the states can seize your assets in order to recoup the cost of any health care that you received under Medicaid when you were aged 55-64.  Because of Obamacare, many states have expanded their Medicaid eligibility, which means that more people could be affected by Medicaid-related asset seizures.

Read the story at Fox News.

Baby Born On A Sled

A pregnant woman in Philadelphia, already undergoing labor contractions, could not walk to her car, nor could her husband drive the car up their snowbound street to get close to her, so he dragged her toward the car on a sled.  The ride to the hospital would have to wait, however, since the birth started while she was still on the sled.

Read the story at ABC News.

The Revised Historical Terminology Of Palestine

Today, when anyone talks about "Palestinians", we normally understand this as referring to Arabs who live in the West Bank or in Gaza, but this understanding is relatively recent.  Before the 1960's, "Palestine" was a geographical region and "Palestinians" were its inhabitants, regardless of whether they were Jews or Arabs.  The term "Palestinian Jew" might seem strange today, even an oxymoron, but at one time, it would have been regarded as being completely ordinary.

Some Palestinian Arabs today claim to be descended from the ancient Canaanites or the biblical Philistines, while also denying any such ancient connection for the Israeli Jews, whom they regard as modern-day invaders.  The claim of Philistine descent would thus be ironic, since the historical Philistines were not indigenous to the region, but refugees from Crete and other parts of Greece, and thus invaders.  Even so, the name "Palestine" was derived from the name "Philistine", bestowed by the Romans after they put down a Jewish revolt.  More recently, the name "Palestine" often referred to Jews and their institutions, while Arabs in the region considered the area to be the southern part of Syria.

Read more on this subject at Myths and Facts and Arutz Sheva.  Both links were found at The Religion Of Peace.

Dems To Discuss Income Inequality At Expensive Hotel

Via Weasel Zippers:

Now that the Democrats have decided to make "income inequality" their main issue in the 2014 elections, they have also determined where to discuss there issues - at a hotel in New York which charges at least $695 per night for a room.  I would thus suggest that they might start by comparing their Congressional salaries with the average yearly income for an American household.  Perhaps former Speaker Nancy Pelosi might start her part of the discussion by explaining how she (combined with her husband) got to be worth about $100 million.

Read the story at Breitbart's Big Government.

If I had my way, during every election, all officeholders who seek re-election should be required to answer the following three questions:
1.  How much were you and your spouse, if there is one, worth during the most recent election cycle?
2.  How much are you and your spouse, if there is one, currently worth?
3.  How do you account for any difference between then and now?
Any new office-seekers should have to answer question #2.

Polar Vortex, Round 2

Here's what the second blast from the Polar Vortex looks like in my area, after about 4 inches of snow have fallen.  This is a partially-cleared street not far from where I live, with a small neighborhood lake to the left.  I'm not sure what the strange-looking tower to the left of the nearest light post is for.

As indicated by the footprints, this is a pathway into the woods.  The snow-covered horizontal structure in the background is a railroad.  Cross on foot at your own risk.

Links For Another Cold Day

While we're enduring a second dose of the dreaded Polar Vortex, here's what else is going on:

From The Times Of Israel, for the first time ever, Iranian warships sail for the Atlantic. (Can't help but think that if those Greeks at Thermopylae, etc., had been less successful, this might have happened a very long time ago.)

From Breitbart TV, the short track speedskater who flipped off his victorious opponent has been disqualified.

From Breitbart's Big Government, recently re-elected and scandal-ridden Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) will "tout bipartisanship" in his upcoming inaugural address.

From Twitchy, a shooting has been reported on the campus of Purdue University.  A shelter-in-place action has been instated.  UPDATE: from The Blaze, one person is in custody.

From Life News, an Indiana abortionist who is charged with failing to report a statutory rape faces a hearing tomorrow.

From Fox News, a ballot initiative has been proposed in Colorado that would require people who want to get married to attend "pre-marriage education classes".

From Illinois Watchdog, a woman has taken her fight against forced unionization to the Supreme Court.

From Yahoo News, according to his Russian lawyer, fugitive leaker Edward Snowden still fears for his life.

From Mediaite, Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) responds to being called a "ventriloquist dummy".

From CBS Detroit, a county official is in hot water over comments made about Detroit.

From Bloomberg, Bill Gates predicts that by 2035, there will be very few poor countries left in the world.

And from Power Line, five things you might not know about the Citizens United decision.

A Method To Their Madness

During the age of Obama, we conservatives have often discussed the reasons behind the policies and practices of the president himself and his minions.  On matters such as Fast and Furious and the obvious failures of Obamacare, we ask if these are the result of incompetence, or of a consistent ideology and intent.  Here are two articles arguing that the latter is true.

Regarding Obama's foreign policy, Victor Davis Hanson in National Review argues that "There is nothing accidental about the president’s apparent foreign-policy blunders."

Touching on both foreign and domestic matters, J. Christian Adams in Frontpage Mag advises us to "Stop giving Obama radicals the benefit of the doubt."

Border Crossing To Connect U.S. With Tijuana Airport

Due to the limited capacity of San Diego's Lindbergh Field and its lack of room for expansion, travelers from that area have often used other airports, including Tijuana’s Abelardo L. Rodriguez International Airport, which is across the border in Mexico.  Due to a joint venture by American and Mexican businesses, residents of the U.S. will be able to park their cars in a lot on the American side of the border, and then walk directly to the Mexican airport.  In order to do so, they will need to have an airline ticket, in addition to normal documents such as a passport.

Read the story at Fox News Latino.

It will be interesting to see how this arrangement will work for American residents outside of the San Diego area who wish arrive by way of Tijuana's airport, or even if it will be available to such travelers.  But if everything works out, perhaps car rental facilities could be provided on the American side, so that American travelers won't have to rent a car from Mexico to be used in the United States.

A Gradual Power Transfer Starts In Britain

After reading an article (linked below) in the Mirror, I realized that its headline, "Queen hands over the reigns to Prince Charles - historic step closer to a new king" was an exaggeration.  Queen Elizabeth is not literally handing over the reigns just yet, but is merely starting to slowly transfer some of her duties to her first-in-line successor Prince Charles.  The first step in this transfer is a merging of their two press offices.

Some interesting facts reported in the Mirror article:

Her Majesty turns 88 in April, but "is still in excellent health", and "is already the oldest ever British monarch".

Elizabeth II has reigned for 62 years, just one year less than her great-great-grandmother Victoria.

Charles is now 65, an age at which many people retire from their work.

Princes (and former military helicopter pilots) William and Harry will be focusing "more on their royal duties".

Considering that the queen's mother, also named Elizabeth, lived to be over 100, longevity seems to run in the current edition of the British royal family.  Thus, there's no telling when Charles and William will each take their place on the throne.  In any event, go here to read the story.

Police Arrest "Swiss Cheese Pervert"

A Norristown, PA man accused of driving around the Philadelphia area and propositioning women with a piece of Swiss cheese has been arrested after a joint investigation by police from both cities.  He has been charged with stalking, indecent exposure and harassment.  The suspect has posted bail, and faces a court appearance in February.

Read the story at NBC10.

Police: Two Children Killed In "Exorcism" Attempt

According to Montgomery County, MD police, two women in Germantown have been charged with killing two children, stabbing them in what they claimed to be an exorcism.  Two other children were hospitalized with injuries from the same incident.  One of the women is the mother of all four children.

Read the story at ABC News.

UPDATE: Also from ABC News, the two defendants have been denied bond.

Russell Johnson 1924-2014

Russell Johnson, famous for playing the Professor on Gilligan's Island, passed away this morning of kidney failure, at his home in Bainbridge Island, Washington.  He was 89 years old.

Johnson was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania and served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.  He flew dozens of missions as bombardier on B-24 aircraft, before his plane was shot down over the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, resulting in both his ankles being broken.  He received the Purple Heart and other medals, and was discharged as a First Lieutenant.

As an actor, Johnson played in westerns and science fiction programs, before landing the part of Professor Roy Hinkley on the TV sitcom Gilligan's Island.  The character's name was rarely mentioned.  Instead, he was addressed most of the time as "Professor".  Similarly, the captain of the Minnow, the ship stranded on the fictional island where the show was set, was addressed as "Skipper", instead of his name, Jonas Grumby (played by Alan Hale Jr.).  The last name (Summers) of the character named Mary Ann (played by Dawn Wells) and the first name (Willie) of the title character Gilligan (played by Bob Denver) were also rarely mentioned.  After Gilligan's Island, Johnson appeared as a guest star on many TV shows, continuing his acting career into the late 1990's

In reacting to Johnson's death, his co-star Dawn Wells said, "My two favorite people are now gone."  He is survived by this third wife, their daughter, a stepson, and a grandson.

Read more at USA Today, CNN, Fox News, the New York Daily News and The Wrap.

UPDATE:  From Mental Floss, 11 of the Professor's best inventions during his stay on GI.

Tennessee Man Shoots Himself While Taking Off Pants

Via Gawker, who advises us to "[a]lways take your gun out of your pocket before you take off your pants" (emphasis in original):

A man in Tennessee has learned the hard way that when undressing, any guns one has in his pants should be removed from the pants before they are removed from one's body.  He reportedly took off his pants, with his gun still in the pants, and placed them on a dresser, at which time the gun went off.  The bullet hit the man in his chin and then lodged in his neck.

Read the full story at the Johnson City Press.

Defense Contractor Accused Of Attempted Smuggling

Mozaffar Khazaee, an engineer who has worked with three U.S. defense contractors, and who holds dual U.S.-Iranian citizenship, was arrested last week at the Newark Liberty International Airport for attempting to smuggle secret documents to Iran, including material related to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.  He faces the possibility of a fine and up to ten years in prison.

How someone can obtain dual citizenship between two countries that have been at odds for about 35 years is, in my not-so-humble opinion, a good question.

Read the story at the Mail Online, BBC News, ABC News, FoxCT and The Courant.

Music Break - Let's Get Funked Up

This month's break features some of my favorites from the genre of R&B.

In 1967, Sylvester Stewart adopted the stage name of Sly Stone, and joined forces with his brother Freddie (guitar/vocals) to form Sly and the Family Stone, which also included Cynthia Robinson (trumpet), Jerry Martini (sax), Larry Graham (bass/vocals) and Gregg Errico (drums).  A year later, the Stones' sister Rose (keyboards/vocals) joined the group.  This lineup lasted until 1971, but in various incarnations the band lasted until 1975, with the three Stone siblings and Robinson hanging on until the end.  Sly handled a large share of the lead vocals and mainly played organ, but on Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again), he switched to guitar.

Monday Links

Once again, a look at some things going on out there:

From Aol(dot)com, a federal judge has ruled that in his lawsuit to overturn the suspension handed down by baseball arbitrator Frederic Horowitz, Alex Rodriguez cannot include the parts of the arbitrator's decision that are under seal.

From Reuters, the U.S. government posted a budget surplus for December, largely the result of payments by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

From The Washington Free Beacon, Iran vows to "never" dismantle its nuclear infrastructure.

From Life Site News, pro-lifers have converted a former late-term abortion clinic administrator.

From the Los Angeles Times, the spiritual path of Marianne Williamson, who seeks to unseat Congressman Henry Waxman (D-Cal).

From CNN, more trouble might be in store for Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ), whose use of Superstorm Sandy relief funds has come under federal investigation.

From Townhall, Florida prosecutors have dropped stalking and battery charges against former tennis player Jennifer Capriati.

From Gateway Pundit, the labor participation rate among blacks has hit its lowest level ever.  (via Gulf Dogs)

From Fox Business, the Japanese alcohol company Suntory has reached an agreement to acquire the American alcohol company Beam, makers of Jim Beam, Maker's Mark and other brands.  It looks like we'll be able to buy whiskey and sake from the same corporation.

From Fox News, according to Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), survivors of the attack in Benghazi have told FBI interviewers that the attack was an act or terrorism, and not a protest of demonstration.

From The Blaze, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) illustrates how we've become "a nation of regulations".

From Rare, the media's "double standard in scandals".

From National Review, the coming millennial disillusionment with liberalism.

From Bloomberg, information gathering by the NSA has had "no impact on terrorism".  I will point out that whatever they were doing, it certainly didn't catch the Tsarnaev brothers before they bombed last year's Boston Marathon.

And from Weird Asia News, a billboard in India intended to honor the recently deceased South African leader Nelson Mandela shows a picture, not of Mandela, but of American actor Morgan Freeman.

A-Rod Gets Year-Long Suspension

New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez faces a 162-game suspension for his involvement in baseball's Biogenesis scandal, where thirteen players appeared in the records of the now-shuttered clinic which had been suspected of being a source of performance-enhancing drugs.  Major League Baseball had originally levied Rodriguez a 211-game suspension during the 2013 season, but he continued to play while appealing it.  After hearing the appeal, arbitrator Fredric Horowitz reduced the suspension to 162 games, the normal length of a regular playing season.  Rodriguez will also be barred from any post-season games with the Yankees, but not from spring training, although the Yankees could tell him not to show up.

Read more at ESPN, USA Today, CBS Sports, The New York Times, Hardball Talk, Sports Illustrated and MLB(dot)com.

Ariel Sharon 1928-2014

Ariel Sharon, the former Israeli Prime Minister and military general, died at Tel Hashomer hospital near Tel Aviv today, after being in a coma since suffering a stroke in 2006.  He had fought in three wars before being elected Prime Minister in 2001.

Sharon was born in 1928 to a family of Lithuanian Jews living in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine.  As a teenager, he joined the Haganah, which later evolved into the Israeli Defense Forces.  He fought in the Suez War of 1956, the Six-Day War of 1967, and the Yom Kippur War of 1973.  After retiring from the military, Sharon joined the Likud party, eventually becoming its leader, but later resigned and started a centrist party called Kadima.  After being widowed twice, he is survived by his two sons.

Read more at Fox News, CNN International, USA Today, BBC News and The Jerusalem Post.

See also the post A Lion Of Judah Has Passed! at Monkey In The Middle.

Niagara Falls Freezes Over

Niagara Falls has frozen as a result of the recent cold snap, thus providing some spectacular pictures, as shown by the Mail Online.  Besides their pictures, the Mail also has this video:

Newsbusters: 17 Times More Coverage For Christie Than IRS Scandal

This is an interesting allegation by Newsbusters:

In less than 24 hours, the big three networks have devoted 17 times more coverage to a traffic scandal involving Chris Christie than they've allowed in the last six months to Barack Obama's Internal Revenue Service controversy. Since the story broke on Wednesday that aides to the New Jersey governor punished a local mayor's lack of endorsement with a massive traffic jam, ABC, CBS and NBC have responded with 34 minutes and 28 seconds of coverage. Since July 1, these same networks managed a scant two minutes and eight seconds for the IRS targeting of Tea Party groups.

According to various media outlets, some aides of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) engineered traffic jams his past September near the George Washington Bridge to get back at Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich (D) for not endorsing his re-election campaign.

Read about the scandal, now known as "bridge-gate", at CNN, The New York Times, Fox News, The Washington Post, USA Today and Business Week, and click on the Newbusters link above to read about their analysis of its media coverage.

Ridiculous Irony

Amazing Oasis has compiled a set of 20 pictures so ironic that "you'll think that it must be a joke".  Their post was made this past November, and thus does not include anything about the icebound ship Akademik Shokalskiy.  Here's an example, in which photography is celebrated - by forbidding it:

Go here to see all the pics.

Links For A Cold Day

Today, most the United States is enduring a cold spell that is somehow related to the polar vortex.  But fortunately, the cold weather is not the only thing going on.

From Wired, the Navy has been testing a drone called Triton, which has about the same wingspan as a Boeing 757.

From The Detroit News, automakers have been keeping track of drivers' locations.

From The Daily Caller, a Democrat state Senate staffer gets fired for hanging out with a Republican.

From Frontpage Mag, how the Arab Spring unleashed Al Qaeda.

From The Washington Free Beacon, a group of pro-Iran advocates are fighting against legislation intended to increase sanctions against Iran.  Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) appears to be involved.

From The Christian Post, a six-year-old boy has been forbidden to pass out candy canes at his elementary school, because paper attached to the candy canes had religious messages.

From ABC News, more than 100 retired policemen, corrections officers and firemen have been indicted for making false claims about depression and anxiety resulting from the 9/11 attacks.

From PJ Tatler, the blaring contradictions of President Obama.

From Breitbart's The Conversation, there is finally a video game based on the movie Alien.

From Fox News, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) files his re-election papers.

From CNN, Secretary of State John Kerry wraps up his 10th trip to the Middle East.

And from 888Bailbond, a man is jailed after threatening his brother with a knife, over a peanut butter sandwich.

Holographic Messages To Become Real?

Anyone who watched the first Star Wars movie will remember the scene in which the droid R2D2 projects a hologram of a woman asking for help from Obi Wan Kenobi, after R2D2 and his companion C3PO encounter Luke Skywalker, who recognizes Obi Wan as Ben Kenobi, a local hermit.  If the Polish company Leia Display Systems, named after the character depicted in that holographic projection, is successful, such holograms will become reality in a few years.

Read the story in the Mail Online.

This might also mean that anyone who likes to tell Polish jokes needs to add something like "How many [Polish people] does it take to produce a hologram?"

Jerry Coleman 1924-2014

Jerry Coleman, the only major league baseball player who served in combat during two wars, died earlier today of complications from head injuries suffered in a fall.  Besides playing for the New York Yankees, Coleman served in World War II and the Korean War, and had a long career in baseball broadcasting.

A native of San Jose, Coleman was originally signed by the New York Yankees in 1942, but joined the Marines as a bomber pilot in the Pacific theater during World War II.  He joined the Yankees farm system in 1946 and worked his way up to the major league club in 1949, becoming their regular second baseman.  He was named American League Rookie of the Year for 1949 by the Sporting News, and was an All-Star in 1950.  That fall, Coleman was named World Series MVP as the Yankees swept the Philadelphia Phillies.  He rejoined the Marines in 1952, flying a total of 120 bombing missions in Korea during the next two years and attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  During September 1953, Coleman was discharged and then returned to the Yankees.  Because he never regained his earlier level of skill, and because of injuries, Coleman eventually was relegated to utility infielder.  His last hurrah was batting .364 in the 1957 World Series, which the Yankees lost to the Milwaukee Braves.

After his playing career was over, Coleman worked briefly for the Yankees as a minor league scout.  He was hired by CBS in 1960 as a pregame interviewer for their Game Of The Week broadcast, a job he kept until 1962.  Coleman then worked as radio and TV broadcaster for the Yankees (1963-1969), the California Angels (1970-1971), and the San Diego Padres (1972-1979, 1981-2013).  In 1980, he became the Padres' manager, but returned to the broadcast booth a year later.

On a personal note, Jerry Coleman was one of the first sports broadcasters I remember listening to, when he and Phil Rizzuto were TV announcers for Yankees games on WPIX.

Read more at CBS Sports, the New York Daily News, Fox5 San Diego, U~T San Diego and Fansided.

Today Is A Good Day To Blog

When Indian Trail, NC councilman David Waddell recently resigned from his position, he decided to add a twist and tender his resignation letter in Klingon, along with an English translation.  His former boss, Mayor Michael Alvarez, was not amused, calling Waddell's letter "an embarrassment" for both Indian Trail and North Carolina.  Hopefully, there won't be any bat'leth duel resulting from Waddell's resignation and Alvarez's reaction.

Read the story at the Charlotte Observer and the New York Daily News.

The title of this post is paraphrased from a Klingon proverb.

Egyptian Astrologer: Saturn To Strengthen Jews

I've seen this in several places, but I'll give this H/T to Monkey In The Middle.

Egyptian astrologer Sayyed Al-Shimi has stated that during 2014, the planet Saturn will enter Sagittarius, which is one of the "fire signs", resulting in the Jews becoming stronger.  He also attributes various past events to Saturn entering Sagittarius or another "fire sign".  On one hand, I don't give much credence to astrology, but on the other hand, being a believer in God's promise to Abraham, I have no problem with the Jews becoming stronger.

Links To Start 2014

As the new year starts off, here's a bit of what's going on:

From ABC News, federal investigators at the scene of an oil train derailment in North Dakota have found a broken rail car axle.

From World Net Daily, according to a nun in Syria, some rebels are making money by selling the blood of Christians whom they had beheaded.

From The Daily Caller, former lawyer Lynne Stewart, jailed for acting as a courier for her client, will be released from prison because she is suffering from cancer.

From the Mindanao Examiner, seven people were killed by the explosion of a bomb that was planted near the house of a pro-government militia leader, who was hosting a New Year's Eve party.  (via Jihadwatch)

From CNN, one person is killed and 12 injured in a double car bomb attack in Mogadishu.

From Israeli Defense Forces, eight female soldiers who shattered barriers in 2013.

From the Mail Online, ten ponies which had been used in medical experiments have been saved from being slaughtered.

From Illinois Watchdog, the top ten moments of government waste from 2013.

From Fox News, James Avery of the TV show The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air died earlier today due to complications from heart surgery.

From Life News, abortions in Pennsylvania decreased by 4.8% in 2012.

From Stars And Stripes, young veterans are dealing with a cut to their pensions.

And from the Daily Blast, a woman scavenged a used couch, which contained a snake.

Happy New Year & Last Year In Review

Go here for a review of 2013 by Shepard Smith of Fox News, which includes a bunch of stories that I did not mention in my post yesterday.