desdemona
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Posts posted by desdemona
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Two Times a Jewel
Smarty Jones is too small, too ordinary and, one race away from a Triple Crown, almost too good for words
By JEFFREY KLUGER
Monday, May. 17, 2004
If there's one thing harder than being from Philadelphia — the Eastern seaboard's perennial underdog — it's being from Baltimore, chronic runner-up even to Philly. But every so often, synergy works. The scrappy cities and a scrappy horse came together last week for a brilliant flash-paper moment in which Smarty Jones, a too-small Thoroughbred from an ordinary farm, roared to an 11.5-length win in the Preakness Stakes, the widest Preakness win ever and one that puts horse racing two-thirds of the way to its first Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978. Coming on the hooves of his win in the Kentucky Derby, Smarty Jones might be one of the most remarkable horses ever to get this far. He's certainly one of the unlikeliest.
In a sport in which bloodlines are everything, neither Smarty Jones nor the team behind him had any business being in the winner's circle at Pimlico Race Course last week. Owners Roy and Patricia Chapman are an unlikely pair — Patricia is a peppy 62, and Roy, a weary 78, is confined to a wheelchair and hooked to an oxygen tank, the result of too many decades filled with too many Lucky Strikes. Far from a bluegrass blueblood, he made his living as a Philadelphia car dealer, and it was in his showroom in 1976 that he and Pat met. A decade later they went into the horse business, opening a 100-acre farm in Chester County,Pa.
The Chapmans' place was a lunch-bucket operation that never earned much acclaim. In 2001 the farm took a devastating hit when trainer Bob Camac and his wife were shot to death by the wife's son in a quarrel over money. That sucked the life out of Roy — from whom emphysema was already sucking the breath — and he decided to sell out. Pat persuaded him to keep two horses, a pair of yearlings they sent to a farm in Florida so that its general manager, George Isaacs, could evaluate them. "Let's see what you have here," Isaacs said to Roy. Ultimately, he pronounced one of the horses — Smarty Jones — a "runner."
read the entire article here:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/...-638437,00.html
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I'm assuming that includes jpegs from other sites and album covers?
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and why is the standard of living lower? huh? why do u think american companies are there, to take advantage of low wages, no environmental surcharges, tax breaks, they could care less about these people, these aren't the people buying $35,000 cars. I'm not trying to endorse isolationism but there has to be more of an even balance, our cost of living is high and our wages are stagnant or gone. all the jobs that paid a decent wage are leaving. you can't retrain all those people for new jobs when there's nothing to retrain them for, ask college graduates, they're having a hard time finding jobs today. we're at war and the govt is giving tax breaks, lol and not for the average citizen but for the rich, I'm sorry if I sound pessimistic but ..............
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malicious, the money the american companies make on cheap labor does not trickle down to the consumer, do u see the price of cars going down? we're losing thousands of jobs, and there's nothing to replace them. I truly believe there's an economic divide being created in america. there's a huge trade imbalance, americans pay more for products than anywhere else in the world.
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another nail in our coffin, the military says they were fired on, the iraqi's say it was a wedding party, I'm sure the insurgents will capitalize on this too. I'm still waiting to see all the precision strikes with on the ground confirmation the military keeps telling us they observe. it's hard to criticize your own military when you don't know all the facts, and that seems to be one thing we are totally lacking.
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Wed 19 May 2004
4:06am (UK)
Stolen Stradivarius Nearly Became Cd Holder
A nurse found a 320-year-old cello made by master craftsman Antonio Stradivari lying by a rubbish bin – and almost had it converted into a CD holder.
The £2 million instrument was returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association on Monday after sitting unrecognised for days in the home of Melanie Stevens, 29, who found it on her way to visit a patient.
Stevens discovered the cello about a mile from where it was stolen, still inside its silver-coated plastic case.
Stevens asked her boyfriend, a cabinet maker, to either repair the instrument or convert it into a unique CD holder, police Detective Donald Hrycyk said yesterday. She said she did not know its significance until she noticed a news report on May 7.
“It’s an incredible miracle that somebody actually found it and returned it. Can you imagine it going into a garbage truck?” said the philharmonic’s associate principal cellist, Daniel Rothmuller, who played the instrument for more than 25 years.
Its return was a relief for philharmonic principal cellist Peter Stumpf, who accidentally left it outside his home. Nearby video surveillance cameras showed a cyclist stole it on April 25.
“It’s been an enormous weight on me for the last three weeks,” Stumpf said. “I’m just incredibly relieved that it’s solved.”
Detectives are still looking for the thief and have not ruled out any suspects. They plan an investigation before deciding whether to give Stevens the £30,000 reward offered by an anonymous donor, Hrycyk said.
The prospect the prized instrument could have been turned into a CD holder “is so abominable. I get sick when I hear it,” said Robert Cauer, a Los Angeles-based expert instrument restorer.
The 1684 cello was one of only about 60 made by Stradivari in his Cremona, Italy, workshop. The philharmonic association bought it about three decades ago.
The cello – nicknamed the “General Kyd” for the man who brought it to England from Italy near the end of the 18th century – is cracked on the front, back and upper rib, but there is no crack in the critical rear soundpost, Cauer said.
He said the cello should be ready to play by October.
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May 19, 2004
Tyler helps woman achieve her goals
By LINDSEY WARD, FOR THE SUN
When Jan Smirnov bought tickets for last Friday's Aerosmith concert she had no idea she was on her way to achieving two important goals -- to tell the world about her incurable disease and to snag a kiss from frontman Steven Tyler. Smirnov, 47, is confined to a wheelchair and doctors have told her she only has several years to live. She suffers from scleroderma, which forms scars on the skin and organs.
During the Aerosmith concert, Smirnov tried to get Tyler's attention by holding up a sign stating I love you Steve Tyler, meet me on the other side and kiss me before I die, Steve.
At the time, she had no way of knowing whether she was successful. But after the concert she and her daughter, Laura, and several friends headed to the lobby of The Fairmont where the band was staying in hopes of stealing a kiss from Tyler.
Her hopes weren't in vain. When Tyler rolled into the hotel lobby shortly after 11 p.m., he headed right for Smirnov.
"I'm so glad you're here," Tyler told Smirnov. "I saw your poster at the concert and I just wanted to jump out in the crowd and give you a kiss."
Then Tyler asked Smirnov if he could sit on her lap. Thrilled, she said yes.
"He grabbed me by my face and then straddled me and asked 'What's wrong with you?' So I explained my disease and he said 'Aww.' in a scratchy voice and then gave me a kiss."
GAVE UP CAREER
Smirnov said Tyler held her hand as she explained how after she was diagnosed, she gave up her career as a physiotherapist and sold her possessions, including her home. She wanted to have enough money to give her kids something special to remember her by.
It was special, indeed.
Smirnov used the money to take her daughters Laura, 17, Lindsay, 21, and son Scott, 24, to concerts across Canada and Europe. "I don't have a lot of time left so I try to do what I love the most and that's share the music," said Smirnov.
"I said to him, it's because of your music and the fact that you still play is why I'm still here."
Smirnov told him she didn't want his pity, but wanted him instead to tell the world about scleroderma because most people don't know it exists.
"Then that's what I'll do," said Tyler. "I was thrilled because it's been my goal to tell world about my disease," she said.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/.../19/464143.html
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I work for Delphi Packard, it's part of Delphi Automotive Systems, we do the electrical work for all 3 automakers but mostly GM, we were a subsidiary of GM until recently then Delphi broke away. When I started at Packard there were 15,000 employees, that was in 1993, now we're down to 2,700. The map of Mexico is polluted with dots that show delphi plants, it's a global company but almost all of our labor intensive work is shipped to mexico or china. About the only thing american made in your car is the battery harness as far as electrical components. It's hard to compete with 74 cents an hr. our manufacturing base has deteriorated, I don't think it's healthy to be reliant on countries that could be adversarial for military hardware or basic construction .
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I think I posted an article that explains he was a whistleblower, he gave names and dates so I think he got a deal. Bombadier is right, you can make a comparison to nazi germany, it still amazes me how so many germans just stood by and let all that go on, they all claimed they never knew about the concentration camps, soldiers committed atrocities saying they were under orders, now these men albeit the offenses not the same scale as the nazi's, want to claim immunity for the same reasons. It's obvious these troops weren't trained otherwise they would have known they had the right to disobey an order that was questionable or immoral. Or did they know?
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well red, you never know, it may cost them to have that boat sit out there for awhile because they can't unload :rolleyes:
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yes, but it's the principle of the thing bombardier, I know I have no effect on NIKE but I don't buy anything NIKE because of their human rights abuses, they pay inhuman wages and charge exorbitant prices, there are always alternatives, I can live well without supporting companies like this, I may not have an effect on OPEC but it'll make me feel better and I need to do something to show I'm pissed about the price of gasoline.
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who are you more like? felix or oscar? I guess I'd have to say oscar only I do try to keep it under control, lol
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I swear nobody reads my posts, lol it's a boycott for tomorrow!, don't buy gas tomorrow! sheesh
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"After the Gold Rush" is my favorite neil young album, every song was memorable, I think it's the best album he ever recorded. southern man had some of the best guitar playing I've ever heard from him,then or since.
Southern man better keep your head
Don't forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man
I saw cotton and I saw black
Tall white mansions and little shacks
Southern man when will you pay them back?
I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?
Southern man better keep your head
Don't forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man
Lily Belle, your hair is golden brown
I've seen your black man comin' round
Swear by God I'm gonna cut him down!
I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?
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9/11 panel: Basic info not available to NYC rescuers
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Rescue efforts at the World Trade Center following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were hindered because police, firefighters and other emergency workers lacked even basic information available on TV, a federal commission reported Tuesday.
In the most detailed accounting yet of the 100 minutes between the first plane's impact and the collapse of both towers, the commission investigating the attacks said communication problems and petty rivalries between departments may have contributed to the death toll of more than 2,700 in Manhattan that day.
read the article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/20...ommission_x.htm
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I don't know if anyone got the current e-mail that's being forwarded around , but there's a boycott scheduled for tomorrow, everyone's trying to avoid buying gas on wednesday may 19, nationally, I know there was some talk about it at work too, many there are participating. I use alot of gas getting to work, I drive an hr one way, so the price of gas is affecting me, this is nothing less than price gauging, why should we get used to it?
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I was watching sunday morning, I initially thought it was just an error, surprisingly enough they at least listened to powell and came back to him, lol I can't imagine aides can just cut off the secretary of state when they feel like it, this administration is self-destructive.
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hey red, watergate fiction too?
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When Sam Moore considered retiring in the early '90s, he had 30 sweaty years of show business behind him, starting with such '60s Sam & Dave hits as Soul Man and Hold On! I'm Comin'. After selling millions of records for Atlantic Records, a Warner Bros. label, Moore expected a comfortable nest egg. He found barely a goose egg.
"Sam was told his pension would be $63.67 a month," says Joyce Moore, his wife and manager. "It should have been $8,000. It's wrong, and it all ties back to royalties. From 1965 to 1992, Atlantic contributed not one penny to Sam's pension. The whole problem is accounting and accountability. We know the labels don't know how to count except when it comes to their own money."
read the article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/20...ties-main_x.htm
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Posted 5/17/2004 12:12 PM Updated 5/17/2004 1:20 PM
Pentagon wants to redeploy U.S. troops in South Korea to Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a sign of the Iraq war's increasing strain on the U.S. Army, the Pentagon is planning an extraordinary shift of 3,600 troops to Iraq from their garrisons in South Korea this summer, officials said Monday.
The troops are part of the 37,000 American troops permanently stationed in South Korea to deter an invasion by forces of communist North Korea. A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Flex Plexico, said the decision to move them to Iraq was made "at the highest levels of the U.S. government."
It is not clear whether they will go back to South Korea once their Iraq tour is complete.
President Bush said in a telephone conversation Monday with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun that the move was related to the June 30 transfer of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government and that it in no way reduced America's treaty commitment to the defense of South Korea, officials in Seoul said.
A statement issued by Roh's office said the South Korean leader "expressed understanding." The two presidents also discussed South Korea's plan to send 3,600 of its troops to Iraq.
The move reflects not only the Army's difficulty in finding enough soldiers for the next rotation of forces into Iraq later this year but also Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's push for greater flexibility in deploying troops based anywhere in the world, including the Korean peninsula.
read the entire article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/20...us-troops_x.htm
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there was a mini-series on tv not long ago "Helen of Troy" I thought they did a good job, not as big an extravaganza, but good intrepretation, anyone see it? I can't remember but I think it was on TNT.
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there is some controversy over the list being too short red, lol
more Abu Ghraib photos
in General News
Posted
I have to say I agree the orders that started this whole cycle of madness had to be from above, but look at that pic method posted, I find it hard to believe someone was forced to pose like that over a dead body. she's happy about this?
soldiers from the baatan death march wouldn't have taken a picture like that. somethings skewed here, and I really am trying to understand.