Friday, February 25, 2011

Mr. Magoo would never have made it as an astronaut.

February 25, 2011
February 25 is … Pistol Patent Day (Samuel Colt)
BRUCE A. BRENNAN BLOG FROM THE WORLD AND MY MIND
The news as I see it and the views as I want them.

The Bulls beat the mighty LeBron James last night and the Blackhawk are actually starting to look good. It might be too late for the Hawks but it isn’t for the Bulls.

The end of the troubled space shuttle program officially started yesterday. Discovery, the world's most traveled spaceship, thundered into orbit for the final time Thursday, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey that marks the beginning of the end of the shuttle era.  Two more space flights will be made before the program actually ends, one more by Atlantis and one by Endeavor. Those two ships, along with Discovery comprise the entire remaining Space Shuttle fleet.

The program has accomplished quite a bit but will be remembered for the two shuttles that exploded in air, killing all on board. NASA is not sure where it is headed. Mars is an option as is back to the moon. Wherever NASA takes us, it will be an exciting ride that will ultimately contribute to man’s development, if we don’t kill ourselves first.

Check out this web site. Why do we give a damn about the Middle East?

                        http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911

Check out the short story about my most recent book in The Midweek on February 23, 2011. You can find The Midweek at;


The Normalite, a weekly newspaper in Normal, IL also ran a story about my books in the February 17th edition. I lived in Normal. IL and graduated from Normal Community High School and Illinois Wesleyan University. Normal is a twin city to Bloomington, IL. My wife and her family are from Bloomington, IL. She graduated from Bloomington High School and Illinois State University. That publication can be found at;


Another web site well worth your time is the official 911 web site. They just put up a timeline page that is interesting, informative and heart wrenching. Go to;

                        http://timeline.national911memorial.org/

Mr. Magoo was born on this day in 1913, well, not really. It’s the birthday of Mr. Magoo’s voice, actor Jim Backus. The actor, who bore no resemblance to the extremely nearsighted, Rutgers College pennant-waving, elderly Magoo, brought him to life once John Hubley created him in 1949. Jim Backus’ raspy Mr. Magoo voice is immediately recognizable to ’toon aficionados the world over.
Mr. Backus entire persona is also immediately recognizable to Gilligan’s Island fans. From 1964 to 1967 (with reruns, it seems much longer than 4 seasons), He played the role of Thurston Howell III in CBS-TV’s popular Gilligan’s Island series; and returned for several sequels, the first, Rescue from Gilligan’s Island aired in 1978 and was a big hit. (Later versions did not fare as well; although one can catch them in reruns on late-night TV.)
Jim (James Gilmore) Backus starred in I Married Joan from 1952 through 1955; was the first host of Talent Scouts in 1962 and played the role of Dagwood’s boss, Mr. Dithers, in the 1968 version of Blondie. Jim Backus appeared in many films including: The Great Lover in 1949, Rebel Without a Cause in 1955, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in 1963, Angel’s Brigade in 1979 and Slapstick of Another Kind in 1984.
This is just a sampling of the entertainment brought to us by the man whose career spanned several decades of radio, film and TV until his death on July 3, 1989. We miss you, Mr. Quincy Magoo.

Slaughter in America, at least Ohio caught the guy. Ohio also executed a killer last week. Hopefully this guy, if guilty, dies also. Authorities in Ohio have made an arrest in the double homicide of a young couple who were found shot in the head over the weekend. According to the Ashtabula County Sheriff's Office, investigators have arrested 20-year-old James Leider of Geneva Township in the slayings of Cord Cox, 23, and his 25-year-old girlfriend, Betheny Mehall.

Ashtabula County Prosecutor Thomas Sartini announced the arrest at a 4 p.m. news conference. Sartini said Leider was identified as a person of interest in the case early on. During police questioning, he allegedly admitted he had been at the scene of the crime, Sartini said. The bodies of Cord Cox, 23, left, and his 25-year-old girlfriend, Betheny Mehall, were discovered on Sunday. Police announced on Thursday that investigators have arrested James Leider, 20, in connection with their slayings. "The evidence against Mr. Leider is very, very significant and it includes a statement by him implicating himself in the murders," Sartini said.
The bodies of Cox and Mehall were discovered Sunday afternoon in a vehicle parked on a remote road in Ashtabula County, about 50 miles northeast of Cleveland. Coroner's investigator Richard Mongell said the preliminary autopsy indicates Cox and Mehall each died from a single bullet to the back of the head.
The killings are believed to have occurred between 7:45 and 8:15 p.m. Saturday. According to Mongell, authorities believe both victims were killed with the same weapon. Forensic evidence also indicates the killer was in the back seat at the time of the slayings. Sartini did not elaborate on an alleged motive but did say Leider and Cox had known each other for about four years. "There was a relationship between the male victim and Mr. Leider that involved a past history of drug transactions," he said. Investigators believe Mehall was killed because she was a witness to Cox's slaying, Sartini said. According to Sartini, Leider has no prior criminal history. He has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder and is being held at the county jail on a $5 million bond.

1836 - Sure as shootin’, Samuel Colt received a patent for a pistol that used a revolving cylinder containing powder and bullets in six individual tubes. (Pre-assembled loads [cartridges] came later.) Up to that time, the single-shot flintlock pistol had been the fastest firearm around. Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company was incorporated in 1855 and some 30 million Colt pistols and rifles have been sold since.
1924 - Ty Cobb, one of the legends of baseball, issued an edict to his team, the Detroit Tigers that outlawed the playing of golf during training camp. A report in the Detroit Free Press said that Cobb went so far as to confiscate players’ golf clubs! Wow! Talk about being a little ‘teed off’, huh?

 1964 - Twenty-two-year old Cassius Clay won the world heavyweight boxing title by defeating Sonny Liston in the seventh round in Miami, FL. Clay had been an 8-1 underdog. In fact, only 8,297 fans showed up for the bout.

1966 - Nancy Sinatra was high-stepping this day with a gold record award for the hit, These Boots are Made for Walkin’. When she cracked open the wooden-framed award to check out the gold disk inside, she heard Pink Shoe Laces by Dodie Stevens. Nancy was reported to have been incensed.


Music at the top of the charts on this date in certain years;

1944 Besame Mucho - The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (vocal: Bob Eberly & Kitty
Kallen
My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird)
Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters
Ration Blues - Louis Jordan
1952 Cry - Johnnie Ray
Slowpoke - Pee Wee King
Anytime - Eddie Fisher
Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1960 The Theme from "A Summer Place" - Percy Faith
Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
What in the World’s Come Over You - Jack Scott
He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1968 Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat
(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls - Dionne Warwick
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1976 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon
Theme from S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage
Love Machine (Part 1) - The Miracles
Good Hearted Woman - Waylon & Willie
1984 Jump - Van Halen
99 Luftballons - Nena
            Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
Stay Young - Don Williams
BRUCE A. BRENNAN
DEKALB, IL 60115
COPYRIGHT 2011

VISIT ANY OF THE SITES LISTED FOR REVIEW, RESEARCH, ORDERING MY WRITING PRODUCTS OR TO CONTACT ME.
Go to web sites below to buy books by Bruce A. Brennan. It is still a good time to purchase any of my books. The books are interesting and inexpensive reads. My third book should be available later this year, in late 2011. More information will be forthcoming.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ (do a quick search, Title, my name)
http://www.smashwords.com/ Do a Title or author search, Check this site out.
Check out the site below. Paybox is a new site, competing with PayPal, etc. Sign up is free. It seems good for small businesses or ebay users.

 “Lend money to a bad debtor and he will hate you.”