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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Two Stories Told

TWO Stories BOTH TRUE - and worth reading!!!!

STORY NUMBER ONE

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago . Capone wasn't famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for enmeshing the windy city in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed "Easy Eddie." He was Capone's lawyer for a good reason. Eddie was very good! In fact, Eddie's skill at
legal maneuvering kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.

To show his appreciation,
Capone paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends, as well. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block.

Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him.

Eddie did have one soft spot, however. He had a son that he loved dearly. Eddie saw to it that his young son had clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.


And, despite his involvement with organized crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.

Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things he couldn't give his son; he couldn't pass on a good name or a good example.

One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Easy Eddie wanted to rectify wrongs he had done..

He decided he would go to the authorities and tell the truth about Al "Scarface" Capone, clean up his tarnished name, and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he would have to testify
against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great. So, he testified.

Within the year, Easy Eddie's life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street . But in his eyes, he had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer, at the greatest price he could ever pay. Police removed from his pockets a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion, and a poem clipped from a magazine.

The poem read:

"The clock of life is wound but once,
and no man has the power

to tell just when the hands will stop,
at late or early hour.

Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still."

STORY NUMBER TWO

World War II produced many heroes. One such man was Lieutenant Commander Butch O'Hare.

He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific.

One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After he was airborne, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank.

He would not have enough fuel to complete his mission and get back to his ship.

His flight leader told him to return to the carrier. Reluctantly, he dropped out of formation and headed back to the fleet.

As he was returning to the mother ship, he saw something that turned his blood cold; a squadron of Japanese aircraft was speeding its way toward the American fleet.

The American fighters were gone on a sortie, and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn't reach his squadron and bring them back in time to save the fleet. Nor could he warn the fleet of the approaching danger. There was only one thing to do. He must somehow divert them from the fleet.

Laying aside all thoughts of personal safety, he dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 caliber's blazed as he charged in, attacking one surprised enemy plane and then another. Butch wove in and out of the now broken formation and fired at as many planes as possible until all his ammunition was finally spent.

Undaunted, he continued the assault. He dove at the planes, trying to clip a wing or tail in hopes of damaging as many enemy planes as possible, rendering them unfit to fly.

Finally, the exasperated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Deeply relieved, Butch O'Hare and his tattered fighter limped back to the carrier.

Upon arrival, he reported in and related the event surrounding his return. The film from the gun-camera mounted on his plane told the tale. It showed the extent of Butch's daring attempt to protect his fleet. He had, in fact, destroyed five enemy aircraft

This took place on February 20, 1942 , and for that action Butch became the Navy's first Ace of W.W.II, and the first Naval Aviator to win the Medal of Honor.

A year later Butch was killed in aerial combat at the age of 29. His home town would not allow the memory of this WW II hero to fade, and today, O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named in tribute to the courage of this great man.

So, the next time you find yourself at O'Hare International, give some thought to visiting Butch's memorial displaying his statue and his Medal of Honor. It's located between Terminals 1 and 2.

SO WHAT DO THESE TWO STORIES HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER?

Butch O'Hare was "Easy Eddie's" son.

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Now, for those of you with a bit of skepticism, it is only fair to point out that these two stories have been embellished for the telling. If you'd like to view the truth of the matter, click on the link below.

http://www.snopes.com/glurge/ohare.asp
.
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Friday, April 24, 2009

Slide Share

I've got a bunch 0f PowerPoint slide shows that I've gathered in my web-hunting over the years, but it has always been a bit of a pain to post them here. If you've been reading this site for long, you've seen me host some on a file-sharing site, but there is a delay for free downloads. Now I've found a site that allows free uploads and creates a file that can be embedded here. SlideShare.

Here's another slide show for you - cute photos of animals and people.

Note: You can view the slides full-screen by clicking on the little screen emblem in the lower-right control panel of the slide show.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Another Singing Sensation

Yet another clip - and another contestant - from Britain's Got Talent.

Click here to watch.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Amazing - America's Got Talent

A very brief clip of one of the performers from America's Got Talent...

Monday, April 20, 2009

Remarkable

They say that we can tell that humans are intelligent because we have learned to use tools. But we aren't the only ones...

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Susan Boyle Was Recorded Once Before

Susan Boyle - the star from Britain's Got Talent was recorded once before, but the album didn't get much attention.

From Yahoo...

Boyle's "Cry Me A River" is a remake of the blues standard, not Timberlake's pop ballad. Boyle's track went virtually unnoticed when it was independently released 10 years ago on a charity CD reported Times Online. The Whitburn Community Council in West Lothian only pressed 1,000 copies of The Millennium


Watch the video here, if you can see the embedded player, else click on the link below to watch on You Tube (there's really no video, just some still photos).




Link

Monday, April 13, 2009

Britain's Got Talent


I've posted about America's Got Talent before - I hate the camera work - they keep flashing to the judges and the audience instead of letting you watch the performers. Here's a link to a clip on You Tube that proves that Britain's version of the show has the same issues. But this is still a fun video - well worth your time.

Embedding has been turned off - you'll need to follow the link to watch this. Click on the link below or click on the image.


Britain's Got Talent

Sunday, April 12, 2009

London In the Early 1900's

Fascinating B&W, silent video of life on the streets in London, England about 100 years ago. I wonder if, in another 100 years, we will look just as strange.



via Boing Boing.

Dinner Time

A South American family recorded this video while on a picnic at the shore.

Sounds Like A Great Meal

This is a clip from CBS and it starts off with an ad (mine was for Ford). It's worth the wait to watch the story about a great place to eat...



Watch CBS Videos Online

Religious Humor

Today is Easter - probably not the best time to post this...

From Chuck's Fun Page 2

5 Real-Life Soldiers Who Make Rambo Look Like a "Sissy."

"Sissy" really isn't the word used in the title of the web post I'm referencing here - there is quite a bit of adult language throughout the site. But it still has some really great stories - if you're into war and killing. Here's a little taste...

Simo Hayha had a fairly boring life in Finland. He served his one mandatory year in the military, and then became a farmer. But when the Soviet Union invaded his homeland in 1939, he decided he wanted to help his country.

Since the majority of fighting took place in the forest, he figured the best way to stop the invasion was to grab his trusty rifle, a couple of cans of food and hide in a tree all day shooting Russians. In six feet of snow. And 20-40 degrees below zero.

Click here to read the stories of real-life crazy folks.

Bizarre Sports From Around the World

A web site that features videos of 12 of the most unusual sports in the world. One featured is Afghanistan's Buzkashi. Rather sickening...



Click here to visit the site with links to the other 11 videos.

Not For Kids

A funny web site - Children's Story Books You Should Avoid. Here are a couple of samples...

From Chuck's Fun Page 2


From Chuck's Fun Page 2

Click here to see the rest of the books on the site.
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Easter Photo Slideshow

You need Adobe Flash Player version 8 or higher to view this slide show.

Click here if you wish to download Adobe.

Monday, April 06, 2009

15 Most Unfortunate Town Names


Oddee has the story told in photos. Two samples are below. And note - some of these are PG-rated.

Winning Bidder

Here's an interesting story from SFGate...

You know that one of the biggest reasons for people to fall behind in their bills in this tough economy is huge medical bills and no insurance...

The Peters' lives and finances changed dramatically last April, when their 2-year-old son Noah was diagnosed with autism and with sensory and gastrointestinal disorders. Then in the summer, doctors diagnosed their 7-year-old daughter Ayla with juvenile arthritis. They also have a 1-year-old son, Eli.

Special treatment for the two older children costs about $2,000 a month and the Peters are carrying a $1,400 mortgage on their house in a suburban area about an hour north of Atlanta, said Brittiny Peters, a stay-at-home mom whose husband runs a tennis academy for middle and high school students.


As they struggled to hang on, they Peters family sought a novel way to get some cash...

Gregg and Brittiny Peters quipped they might need to sell everything they owned to stay solvent. As the bills tipped $10,000, however, the idea was no longer funny.

So on Thursday, the Gainesville, Ga., couple accepted a winning $20,000 eBay bid for all their belongings minus their house.
But there's always someone out there willing to screw up a good plan...

It came with one catch. The winning bidders, Donnia and Keith Blair of Texas, want the family to have the money, but keep their stuff.

Seems like the perfect happy ending, but the Peters say the whole idea was to start over, not take a handout.

The decision is out of their hands, the Blairs say.

"They've worked really hard to get those things and we're in a position to help them," Donnia Blair told The Associated Press Friday. "She can just act like they're my storage facility."

It sure seemed like an awfully nice thing for the Blairs to do, but the Peters family seemed disappointed. I wonder what that's all about. Click the link to read more about the story and keep you wondering what was actually going through the minds of the Peters. Strange folks indeed.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Question For The Cops


I drive on the New York State Thruway from time to time (not every day, but maybe once a week) and the speed limit out there is 65 MPH. I've learned over the years that as long as you stay 75 MPH and under, the police won't stop you for speeding. Get much over that and you might find yourself with a hefty fine and points on your license. BTW, the road is patrolled almost exclusively by the New York State Police, a group for whom, on the whole, I have a lot of respect. (For those of you outside of New York State, be advised that New York has a large number of state troopers and our roads are more heavily patrolled than in a lot of states.)

Now on to my story and my point. Yesterday I was driving on the Thruway just east of Syracuse and I'm doing my usual 74 MPH (according to my speedometer), in the left lane passing another vehicle, when I look in my rear view mirror and here comes a State Trooper moving up on me at a pretty quick rate. He does not have any lights flashing and no siren wailing, but even still, he's a cop and I'm not, so I pulled back into the right lane as soon as it was safe, and he roared on past me. I'm no expert, but I'd say he was doing in excess of 80 MPH.

Now my question is this - if it's not safe for ME to drive that fast, and if I can be ticketed for driving at that speed, why can HE do it? Does he somehow think that there's less traffic for him? Or that he's a better driver? Or that he needs to get home from work sooner than I do?

I understand it in case of emergency (code 3?), but for just a drive down the road? The law should be the same for everyone. When there's a class of people who set themselves above everyone else, it leads to problems (look at the bankers and the situation they've caused in our world).

Can someone explain?