The Morning Delivery

Bank Robberies Slightly Down in 2008

2009-07-06T22:45:00Z

            According to statistics released today by the FBI, there were 6,700 robberies of financial institutions nationwide in 2008, totaling $61.9 million, with acts of violence being committed during 293 (4 percent) of the 6,849 robberies, resulting in 123 injuries, 21 deaths, and 105 persons being taken hostage.
        Of the 21 deaths, 17 resulted in deaths of the perpetrators, and one involving a bank employee.
        The number of robberies was slightly down from 2007 when there were 6,933
        California led the country with the highest amount of robberies with 912, followed by New York with 499, Texas with 481, Florida with 355, and Pennsylvania rounding out the top five with 314 robberies
        There were only two robberies in Vermont and Montana, and none in Wyoming
        Friday is clearly the most popular day to rob a bank. 1472 banks were robbed on Friday, 1,407 between the hours of 3 to 6 p.m.
        For a full report, ``Bank Statistics for 2008'' are available on the FBI's Website

        - Bill Lucey
          WPLucey@gmail.com

Fast Facts About Executions Around the Globe

2009-07-06T02:57:00Z

        As if Iran wasn't drawing enough deep concern over human rights violations, comes word Saturday through various news reports that the Islamic republic recently executed 20 persons on drug trafficking charges.
        All were executed at a prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, making it the 161st hanging in Iran this year, according ATP’s news accounts, the most in any country outside of China.
            Amnesty International estimates China executed 1,178 in 2008, followed by Iran with 346 executions.
            South Carolina governor Mark Sanford might be interested to know that among the charges punishable by death in Iran, in addition to drug trafficking, murder and rape is adultery.
        According to a report published by Amnesty International in March of this year, in 2008, at least 2,390 people were executed in 25 countries around the world, with at least 8,864 sentenced to death in 52 countries
        In the United States, 37 executions were carried out in nine states in 2008, the most being in Texas with 18
        To gain a better appreciation of the historical roots of executions around the globe and to reflect on how liberated and humane execution laws have become, particularly in Europe and the United States over the centuries, The Morning Delivery has compiled some historical facts about executions dating back to the Roman Empire.

Such as:

• During the Roman Empire, citizens of status condemned to death, assuming their appeal to the assembly failed and opted not to go into exile, were executed by the sword (gladio).

• Execution in the Roman Empire were held at the Forum in Rome, the trial was conducted where lictors, musicians, and heralds attended, the magistrate pronounced the sentence, the execution took place, and then the body was mutilated and removed.

• In Medieval England, executions were put in place as a form of deterrence, so that the number of British crimes punishable by the ``bloody code’’ leaped from eight at the end of the 15tht century to 223 by 1880.

• Other countries had some rather peculiar reasons for executing criminals: cursing was used as a reason for execution by the Judeans; giving false testimony was reason enough for the embalming the criminal alive in the Egypt of the Pharos; and the Babylonians would execute for selling bad beer.

• In the Orient, one of their earliest methods of execution was to apply honey to the condemned body, tie them to a stake, and watch them being devoured by wild animals.

• During the Middle Ages, being executed by hanging was thought to be a disgrace; a more honorable way to die was by a beheading

• There were also a number of symbolic tortures, such as tongues of blasphemers being pierced, the impure were often burnt, and the right hand of murderers cut off.

• In England, Henry VIII employed more than 65,000 hangings as a form of execution, largely all public spectacles.

• In medieval Europe, prisoners sentenced for executions were expected demonstrate repentance by encouraging the people to mend their ways or they would face a similar fate; and the criminal’s speeches in 17th century England, were occasionally printed on broadsheets.

• Executions in Paris took place at Place de GrPve, the same place where fireworks soared through the skies, when celebrating births and marriages of the royal family.

• In the United States, public hangings in the 17th and 18th centuries, known as ``Hanging Day’’, were popular events, in which both adults and children would frequently attend.

• Despite the popularity of public hangings, they often resulted in rioting, vile behavior, and widespread cases of robberies being reported.

• Lynn Hunt, professor of History at UCLA, and author of ``Inventing Human Rights wrote that in the winter of 1776, the Morning Post of London complained that the "remorseleless multitude behaved with the most inhuman indecency - shouting, laughing, throwing snowballs at each other, particularly at those few who had a proper compassion for the misfortunes of their fellow creatures."

• Beginning in 1773, an ``Essay on Crimes and Punishments’’ written by Cesare Beccaria presented a compelling argument, later used by Edward Livingston and others, why public hangings were ineffective in deterring crime; and in the 1840s.

• Horace Greeley, founder of the New York Tribune, is thought to have been influential in convincing legislatures in Michigan, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin to eliminate the death penalty.

• The pillory was abolished in France in 1789 and in England in 1837

• Branding was abolished in England (1779) and in France (1832)

• The guillotine, a beheading machine, introduced by Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin was passed by the Constituent Assembly in Paris on March 25, 1792, as more humane way of executing prisoners, rather than having prisoners being slowly hanged, broken on the wheel, or burnt at the stake.
.
• England did away with having a hanged body exposed to the public, a practice popularly known as "gibbeting," beginning in 1834; and after 1868, public executions were eliminated and moved to inside prisons

• Practically the whole French aristocracy was sent to the guillotine during the French Revolution.

• Despite the guillotine being devised as a more humane method of execution, it didn’t immediately meet with popular approval of all Parisians. According to Michel Foucalt’s book ``Discipline and Punish’’ the Chronique de Paris reported that people complained that they could not see anything and chanted: ``Give us back our gallows’’

• Connecticut in 1830 was the first state to abolish public executions, followed by Pennsylvania (1834), New Jersey (1835), and New York (1835).

• By 1845, every state in the northeast, including a number of others, did away with them as well.

• Beginning in 1838, New York City relocated hangings to the newly opened prison in the Halls of Justice, better known as the "Tombs’’

• By 1850, common practices of executions in England, France, and America, such branding, whipping, and the pillory, were abolished and replaced with a news system of prison reform.

• Interestingly enough, Richard J Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge, points out that executions in public continued in France until 1939, ``largely because the opponents of the death penalty voted down attempts to put executions inside prison in the belief that this would make capital punishment more acceptable’’

• The Prussian Legal Code of 1851 put an end to public executions.

• Public hangings in the United States were for the most part, abolished in larger cites beginning in 1870 and 1880.

• The Electrical Execution Act of 1888 in New York called for executions to take place inside designated state prisons.

• The hanging of Rainey Bethea in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1936, which drew an estimated crowd of 10,000, was one of the last public hangings in the United States.

• Peter Anthony Allen and Gwynne Owen Evans were the last to be hanged for murder in Britain in 1964.

• On September 10, 1977, Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant, was the last person to be guillotined in France

• Beheading was widely used in Europe and Asia until the 20th century, but is now confined to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Yemen, and Iran.

• Executions in the United States were held to be constitutional by the United States Supreme Court decision Wilkerson v Utah, 99, U.S. 130 in 1878.

• In 2008, the Middle East and North Africa carried out the second highest number of executions (508). In Iran, stoning and hanging were among the cruel and inhumane methods used with at least 346 people put to death, including eight juvenile offenders. In Saudi Arabia, public executions are still made public, and beheading has been known to followed by crucifixion.

• Also in 2008, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United States were the countries with the highest rate of executions, representing 93 percent of all executions worldwide.

• Executions in China, Belarus, Mongolia and North Korea are typically carried out without the public's knowledge.

• According to Amnesty International, the following countries carried out executions in 2008: China (at least 1,718), Iran (at least 346), Saudi Arabia (at least 102), USA (37), Pakistan (at least 36), Iraq (at least 34), Viet Nam (at least 19), Afghanistan (at least 17), North Korea (at least 15), Japan (15), Yemen (at least 13), Indonesia (10), Libya (at least 8), Bangladesh (5), Belarus (4), Egypt (at least 2), Malaysia (at least 1), Mongolia (at least 1), Sudan (at least 1), Syria (at least 1), United Arab Emirates (at least 1), Bahrain (1), Botswana (1), Singapore (at least 1) and St Kitts and Nevis (1).

• Methods used to carry out executions in 2008 included beheading (Saudi Arabia), hanging (Bangladesh, Botswana, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, St. Kitts & Nevis, Singapore, Sudan) lethal injection (China, USA), shooting (Afghanistan, Belarus, China, Indonesia, Iran, Mongolia, Viet Nam), stoning (Iran) and electrocution (USA).

Source: Spectacles of Death in Ancient Rome By Donald G. Kyle; ``Discipline and Punish’’ By Michel Foucalt; ``The Encyclopedia of Capital Punishment in the United States’’ By Rudloph J. Gerber; ``Death Is Not Worth It’, Arizona State Law Journal, Spring 1996; ``Forbidden Spectacle: Executions, the Public and the Press in Nineteenth Century New York'' By Michael Madow, Buffalo Law Review, Fall, 1995; Amnesty International; Dr. Charlie Mitchell, Assistant Professor at Loyola -College

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Palin Becomes the Second Alaska Governor to Resign From Office

2009-07-03T21:21:00Z

           David Letterman get ready.
           Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will soon be free to attend as many Yankee games as she likes. Either that, or begin to make plans to seek the presidential nomination in 2012.
        Not only has the former Republican vice presidential nominee decided not to seek re-election as governor of Alaska, but has unexpectedly decided to step down as early as July 25th and turn the powers over to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell. CNN carried the governor's press conference live
        Palin says her reason for stepping down so early was due to her desire not to waste a government paycheck on a governor with lame duck status.
        Since Statehood, Alaska has had nine gubernatorial races, only one other candidate prior to Mrs Palin's stunning announcement today, resigned before their term was up. Walter Hickel, the second governor of Alaska, resigned as governor to take a cabinet position in the Nixon administration as Secretary of the Interior in 1969

Governor’s of Alaska since Statehood

1.) William Egan: 1959-December 5, 1964

2.) Walter Hickel: 1966-January 29, 1969. Resigned his position to become Secretary of the Interior under Richard Nixon
NOTE: Lt Governor Keith Miller assumed power through December 7, 1970

3.) William Egan: 1970-December 2, 1972

4.) Jay Hammond: 1974-1982

5.) Bill Sheffield: 1982-December 1, 1986

6.) Steve Cooper: December 1, 1986-December 3, 1990

7.) Walter Hickel: December 3, 1990-December, 1994

8.) Tony Knowles-1994-December 2, 2006

9.) Frank Murkowski: 2002-December 4, 2006

10) Sarah Palin: 2006-
NOTE: Gov Palin is expected to officially resign on July 25, 2009 at which time she turn the powers of the office over to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell

Source: Alaska Almanac 31st Edition 2007

Websites to keep in mind:

Alaska elected representatives since Statehood ( From the University of Alaska Fairbanks).

Sarah Palin Biography

Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell

Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

U.S. Celebrates 6,000 New Citizens on July 4th

2009-07-02T03:13:00Z

         The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will celebrate America’s 233rd birthday by naturalizing more than 6,000 citizens in approximately 50 special ceremonies across the United States and overseas
         Special ceremonies will also be held July 4th at Liberty Island, N.Y.for seven military service members; George Washington’s Home in Mt. Vernon, Va., for approximately 100 candidates; and the St. Louis Historical Old Courthouse, just west of the Gateway Arch, for approximately 60 candidates.
         Not all the ceremonies will fall on the holiday. On Wednesday, July 1st, for example, at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, ceremonies were held for approximately 800 candidates; and on July 3rd, approximately 1,000 candidates will be naturalized at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
         Last year on July 4th, 2,000 citizens were naturalized by USCIS.
         In order to qualify for naturalization, applicants must establish a five-year residency requirement and answer six of 10 questions correctly, dealing with the fundamental concepts of American democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Potential candidates are additionally administered an oral and written test.
         According to Marilu Cabrera, Regional Media Manager at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, a record 1,046,539 citizens were naturalized in 2008, a 58 percent increase from 2007, when there were 660,477 citizens.
         What follows are some key moments in U.S. naturalization legislation and immigration reform, dating back to 1790.

• March 26, 1790: Congress passes the first naturalization law, which provides citizenship to any free, white, adult alien, (male or female) who resides within the jurisdiction of the United States for a period of two years.
Citizenship was granted to those aliens who were of ``sound moral character’’ and took an allegiance to the Constitution.
Those under 21 years of ago, automatically became citizens.

• In 1820, the U.S government begins to collect immigration statistics, which showed 151,000 new immigrants. That number jumped to 599,000 in the 1830's, 1, 713,000 in the 1840's, and 2, 314,000 in the 1850's

• Between 1815-160, there were approximately five million new immigrants in the United States, over half were from the British Isles (two million from Ireland), while Germany had a million and a half.

• The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 suspended the immigration of Chinese laborers from entering the United States for a period of 10 years, making it the first act in American history to place broad restrictions on immigration.
NOTE: The Chinese exclusion acts weren't repealed until 1943.

• The Immigration Restriction League (IRL) is founded in 1894 by three by three Harvard College graduates, Charles Warren, Robert DeCourcy Ward, and Prescott Farnsworth Hall, who advocated literacy requirements as a way to limit immigration into the United States.

• June 29, 1906- The Bureau of Naturalization is established, which provides a standard rule of law for the naturalization of aliens.

• The Asiatic Barred Zone Act was passed on February 5, 1917, restricting immigration to any country not owned by the United States, adjacent to the continent of Asia, except for Japanese and Filipinos.
The Act additionally imposed a literacy test for any immigrant over the age of 16 to demonstrate basic reading comprehension in any language. The tax for entering the country was raised to $8 per person

• May 19, 1921: The U.S. Emergency Quota Immigration Act limited the annual amount of immigrants from any one country to three percent of the number of the persons from that country living in the United States.

• The Immigration Act of 1924 or the Johnson-Reed Act limited the number of immigrants allowed into the United States through a national origins quota. It provided visas of up to two percent of the total population of each nationality living in the United States as of the 1890 census, while completely excluding immigrants from Asia.

• The 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act (McCarran-Walter Act) listed 33 provisions which could potentially restrict aliens or migrants, including ``sexual perversion’’, those who held ``subversive ideas’’ and 250,000 ``political undesirables''
The Act tightened up the screening process for allowing immigrants into the country; it established a priority system in which those with highly technical skills and with relatives living in the U.S. were given higher priority. The previous quota of 154,000 was preserved, while the previous ban on Asians was removed

• The 1965 Hart-Celler Immigration Bill or Immigration Nationality Act eliminated the national origins quota system. Family reunification became an integral part of the Act; and increased the annual ceiling on immigrants from 150,000 to 290,000.

• Between 1901-1920, 86 percent of new immigrants into the United States came from Europe; six percent from Canada, four percent form Asia, and three percent from Latin America. Between 1980-1993, 43 percent of immigrants were from Latin America, 39 percent from Asia, and 13 percent from Europe

• The 1968 Bilingual Education Act, supplemented schools interested in teaching language skills to students with limited English proficiency

• On September 26, 1972, the American Museum of Immigration was opened by President Richard Nixon at the base of the Statue of Liberty

• In 1974, a U.S. Supreme Court case, Lau v. Nichols, authorized bilingual educational programs

• In 2008, the leading countries of birth of new citizens were Mexico (231,815), India (65, 971), the Philippines ((58, 792), and People’s Republic of China (40, 017)

• The average annual number of persons naturalized increased from less than 120,000 in the 1950’s and 1960’s to 210,000 in the 1980’s, 500,000 during the 1990’s and 680,000 for the for the 2000’s

• 2.7 million undocumented immigrants were legalized in the mid-1990’s under the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986

• In 2008, females accounted for 56 percent of new naturalizations

• Prior to the 1970’s, the majority of naturalizations came from European countries.

• Asia was the leading region of origin of new citizens from 1976 to 2006 (except 1996-2000)

• It wasn’t until 2007, that naturalizations among North-American born immigrants exceeded those of Asian-born immigrants.

Websites to keep in mind (from US. Citizenship and Immigration Services)

Week of July 4th Naturalization Ceremonies

Naturalization Test Study Materials

Naturalizations in the United States: 2008:

Sources: U.S Citizen and Immigration Services, U.S. State Department, ``American Immigration’’ By Maldwyn Allen Jones, N.Y Times Archives

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Fastest Growing U.S. Cities: No One Messes With Texas

2009-07-01T18:54:00Z

        According to population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, New Orleans grew by 8.2 percent, faster than any other U.S. city with 311,853 residents, up from 210,768 in 2007, but still well below its pre-Katrina population, which stood at 484,674
        Texas continues to be fertile ground for population growth. Of the fastest growing cities, the Lone Star state had four in the top 10, including McKinney, approximately 30 miles north of Dallas, Killeen, north of Austin, Round Rock, 15 miles north of Austin, and Fort Worth.
        New York remains the most populous U.S, city with 8.4 million residents, adding 53, 498 residents since 2007; and is double the population of Los Angeles.

Top 10 Fastest Growing U.S. Cities with Populations over 100,000 in 2008

1.) New Orleans, Population 311,853, 8.2 percent increase or 23, 740 more residents

2.) Round Rock, Texas, Population: 104,446, a 8.2 percent increase or 7,877 more residents

3.) Cary, North Carolina, Population: 129, 545, a 6.9 percent increase or 8, 389 more residents

4.) Gilbert, Arizona, Population: 216,449, a 5.0 percent increase or 10, 283 more residents

5.) McKinney, Texas, Population: 121, 211, a 4.8 percent increase, or 5, 587 more residents

6.) Roseville, Ca. Population: 112,660, a 3.8 percent increase or 4, 183 more residents

7.) Irvine, Ca. Population: 207, 500, a 3.8 percent increase or 7, 658 more residents

8.) Raleigh, North Carolina Population: 392, 552, a 3.8 percent increase or 14, 368 more residents

9.) Killeen, Texas: Population: 116, 934, a 3.8 percent increase or 4, 232 more residents

10.) Fort Worth, Texas: Population: 703,073, a 3.6 percent increase or 24, 413 more residents

***

Top 10 Population Estimates for U.S. Cities with the Largest Numerical Increase from July 1, 2007, to July 1, 2008

1.) New York City: 8, 363, 710, a 0.6 percent increase or 53, 498 more residents

2.) Phoenix: Population: 1, 567, 924, a 2.2 percent increase or 33, 184 more residents

3.) Houston: Population: 2,242,193, a 1.5 percent increase or 33,063 more residents.

4.) Los Angeles; Population: 3,833,995, 0.7 percent increase or 29, 969 more residents.

5.) San Antonio: Population: 1, 351, 305, a 1.9 percent increase or 25, 645 more residents

6.) Fort Worth: Population: 703, 073, a 3.6 percent increase or 24, 413 more residents.

7.) New Orleans: Population: 311,853, a 8.2 increase or 32, 740 more residents

8.) Chicago: Population: 2, 853, 114, a 0.7 percent increase or 20, 606 more residents

9.) Austin: Population: 757, 688, a 2.5 percent increase or 18, 461 more residents

10.) San Diego: Population: 1, 279, 329, a 1.5 percent increase or 18, 424 more residents

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Replacing Mark Sanford's Emails With Famous Tango Lyrics

2009-06-29T04:45:00Z

            By now, most have read the emails published by The State, which details South Carolina Governor’s Mark Sanford’s ongoing correspondence with a woman only identified by the newspaper as ``Maria’’ from Buenos Aires, Argentina, who by the governor’s own admission he was having an adulterous affair with.
        Many of the emails are steeped in passion, mushy prose, and at times, wildly expressive; such as in one email, when writes of her ``tan lines and the curve of her hips.’’
        One can only imagine, then, if some future emails were put to lyrics in Tango songs, a musical genre which has become associated with Buenos Aires dating back to the end of the 19th century, when it was first introduced in the city's poorest districts.
        The Tango in earliest stages was thought to inflame scandalous and immoral behavior to such an extent that it was condemned by the church and prohibited by local authorities. After lyrics were introduced to the Tango in 1917 by Carlos Gardel; songs by the 1930’s became more connected with the fabric of social life, dealing with such themes as anxieties and frustrations; by the 1940’s lyrics became more personal and emotional
        Assuming Gov Sanford’s relationship with the Argentine woman was more than a one-night stand, but was rather a genuine love affair despite its adulterous implications and naturally shunned by society, and a huge disappointment to his devoted supporters; what follows are some famous Tango lyrics that the governor might be writing in the coming weeks and months in emails to his forbidden lover in lamenting their flames of passion.

Forbidden
Music by: Manuel Sucher
Lyrics by: Carlos Bahr

No es culpa si la vida en su designio
cruzó nuestros caminos al andar.
Ni es culpa si este amor que está prohibido
ha entrado en nuestras almas sin llamar.
Debemos doblegarnos y sufrir los dos
por esta amarga y más que cruel separación.
Mas nunca el corazón podrá, aunque queriendo,
renunciar al derecho de este amor.

It is not mistake if life in its plan
crossed our paths. Nor it is mistake
if this love, that is prohibited
has entered our souls without knocking.
We must both fold and suffer
by this bitter and cruel separation...
But never will the heart be able to, although wanting,
resign to the right of this love.

***
Abandonment (1937)
Music by: Pedro Maffia
Lyrics by Homero Manzi

Ya no sueño que retornarás
al fracaso de mi vida
ni tampoco que en tu palpitar
tendría un afán para andar.
Sólo quiero que si estás también
en la cruz del abandono,
sepas olvidarme en tu perdón...
Total, mirá lo que soy.

Now I don't dream that you will return
to the failure of my life,
nor that in your heart beat,
I would have the urge to go.
I only wish that if you are also
on the cross of abandonment,
You'll know how to forget me in your mercy...
So, look at what I am.

**
Abandoned (1927)
Music by: Pedro Maffia and Pedro Laurenz

Cuantas noches voy vagando, angustiado, silencioso,
recordando mi pasado con mi amiga la ilusion;
voy en curda, no lo niego, que sera muy vergonzoso,
pero llevo más en curda a mi pobre corazón.

How many nights I'm wandering, anguished, silent,
remembering my past with my friend the illusion;
that I'm drunk, I don't deny it, that will be very shameful,
but I carry more inebriated my poor heart.

***
Ballad for a crazy (1969)
Music by: Astor Piazzolla
Lyrics by: Horacio Ferrer

Yo se que estoy piantao, piantao, piantao...
Yo miro a Buenos Aires del nido de un gorrion;
y a vos te vi tan triste... Veni! Vola! Senti!...
el loco berretin que tengo para vos:

I know I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy...
I see Buenos Aires from a sparrow's nest;
and I saw you so sad... Come! Fly! Feel!...
the crazy desire I have for you

***
Let's have a talk (1941)
Music by: Luis Rubinstein
Lyrics by: Luis Rubinstein

Charlando soy feliz...
La vida es breve
Soñemos en la gris
tarde que llueve...
Hablemos de un amor...
Seremos ella y el
y con su voz
mi angustia cruel
sera mas leve...
Charlemos, nada mas.
Soy el cautivo
de un sueño tan fugaz
que ni lo vivo.
Charlemos, nada mas,
que aqui en mi corazon,
oyendola siento latir
otra emocion...

Chatting makes me happy...
Life is brief...
Let's dream in the gray
rainy afternoon...
Let's talk about a love affair...
We'll be her and him
and with your voice
my cruel anguish
will be trivial.
Let's talk, nothing else.
I am captive
of a dream so brief
that I can't even live it.
Let's talk, nothing else,
for here, in my heart,
hearing you I feel beating
another emotion...

***
Crystal (1944)
Lyrics by: Jose Maria Contursi
Music by: Mariano Mores

Todo para mi se ha terminado.
Todo para mi se torna olvido.
Trágica enseñanza me dejaron
esas horas negras que he vivido.
Cuántos... cuántos años han pasado,
grises mis cabellos y mi vida,
solo, siempre solo y olvidado,
¡con mi espíritu amarrado a nuestra juventud!

Everything has finished for me,
everything for me transforms into oblivion.
Tragic experiences have left for me
those black hours that I have lived!
How many, how many years have passed,
grey are my hair and my life!
Lonely, always lonely and forgotten.
With my spirit clinging to our youth….

****
Downhill (1934)
Lyrics by: Alfredo Lepera
Music by: Carlos Gardel

Si cruce por los caminos
como un paria que el destino
se empeño en deshacer;
si fui flojo, si fui ciego,
solo quiero que comprendan
el valor que representa
el coraje de querer.

If I roamed the roads
as a pariah that fate
persisted in undoing;
if I was weak, if I was blind,
I just want them to understand
the value that represents
the courage to love.

***
The Buenos Aires song (1932)
Music by: Azucena Maizani y Oreste Cúfaro
Lyrics by: Manuel Romero

Canción maleva, canción de Buenos Aires,
hay algo en tus entrañas que vive y que perdura.
Canción maleva, lamento de amargura,
sonrisa de esperanza, sollozo de pasión.
Ese es el tango canción de Buenos Aires,
nacido en el suburbio que hoy reina en todo el mundo.
Este es el tango que llevo muy profundo
clavado en lo más hondo del criollo corazón.

Mischievous song, song of Buenos Aires,
there's something in your essence that lives and endures.
Mischievous song, moan of bitterness,
smile of hope, sob of passion.
That is the tango song of Buenos Aires,
born in the slum, today it rules all
the world.
This is the tango that I carry so deep,
buried in the depth of the Creole heart.

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Elvis vs. Michael Jackson: Let the Comparisons Begin

2009-06-26T01:05:00Z

Michael Jackson Update

                The autopsy report on Michael Jackson released by L.A. County Corner’s office says the cause of death has been ``deferred’’ pending the results of the toxicology tests, which will take to 4-to-6 weeks to complete.

****

     TMZ has just posted the audio of the 911 call yesterday from Michael Jackson's house in Holmby Hills, Ca at 12: 21 p.m.

***

        The Texas Medical Board's profile of Michael Jackson’s physician, Dr Conrad Robert Murray, who was reportedly living with the pop star at his rented mansion, shows him with an active license, no disciplinary action, no malpractice citations, and no prior criminal history.

****

     The comparisons over whether Michael Jackson eclipsed the iconic stature of Elvis Presley will undoubtedly begin soon.
        Michael was the King of Pop, Elvis, the King of Rock ‘n’Roll; both died from what appears to be a cardiac arrest; both were loners; Elvis had the Graceland Mansion, Michael had the Neverland Ranch; Elvis danced with the gyrating hips, Michael had the Moon Walk; and both had connections with Lisa Marie

***

    Did CNN fall asleep at the switch once again?
    First, they got caught off-guard with the storm over the Iranian presidential election on June 12th
    Today; the most trusted name in news took what seemed like an eternity to confirm whether the pop icon was indeed dead.
    While trying to confirm the breaking story independently, CNN took much longer to report on an L.A. Times confirmation than other networks. MSNBC reported the L.A Times story at least 10-15 minutes before CNN.
        It's fine to be cautious, but the fact the Times posted the story of his death on their Website should have been reason enough for CNN to at least make mention of it.

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Academy Returns To Its Roots: Plans To Nominate 10 Motion Pictures

2009-06-24T18:06:00Z

                 ABC announced today during next year's telecast of the Academy Awards on March 7, 2010, for the first time since 1943, the Academy will nominate 10 motion pictures instead of the traditional five.
              “Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,” Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis announced today at a press conference in Beverly Hills.
             The last time 10 motion pictures were nominated came during the 16th Academy Awards, `when ``Casablanca’’ was named Best Picture.
             In 1935, there was a record 12 motion pictures nominated when ``Mutiny on the Bounty’’ came away with the Oscar
             The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010.

         Other significant changes with the Oscar ceremonies include:

• In the 3rd year of the Academy Awards (November 5, 1930), a new selection criterion for selecting nominees had been established: winners would now be chosen by the full members of the Academy, numbering over 400, instead of a handful of judges. This policy would continue until 1936.

• For the first time, during the 7th year of the Academy Awards (February 27, 1935), the Academy allowed for write-in candidates on the ballot. This was in response to the storm of protest that surrounded the Academy when Bette Davis (Of Human Bondage) and Myrna Lay (Thin Man) failed to earn a nomination.
Despite the option of a write-in, neither Davis nor Lay came away with an award.

• Song and Film Editing were introduced as new categories beginning with the 7th annual Academy Awards (February 27, 1935)

• Beginning with the 13th annual Academy Awards (February 27, 1941), the winners were not made known to anyone in advance, except a select few from the certified public accounting firm of Price Waterhouse & Co, until the envelopes were unsealed on the night of the awards. Thus, the Oscar tradition: ``The envelope please!'' came into being.

• On March 13, 1947, for the first time in the Academy's history, the general public was allowed to buy tickets and attend the awards ceremony, which was held at the Shrine Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

• During the 29th annual Academy Awards (February 6, 1957), Foreign Language films competed in a separate category of their own for the first time-- instead of it being presented to honorary recipients

• Make-up artists were recognized in a new category beginning with the 54th annual Academy Awards (March 29, 1982). The first film honored in that category was An American Werewolf in London.

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Source: ``70 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards'' By Robert Osborne

Key Moments in Iran's Push Toward Greater Democracy

2009-06-24T02:31:00Z

        Under mounting pressure for not being vocal enough over what appears to be a fraudulent presidential election in Iran, and the violent repression of dissident voices, which has already resulted in a number of deaths, President Obama shot back on Tuesday with a stronger condemnation, saying he was ``appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings and imprisonments of the past few days.”
        While there is broad consensus about the outrage and suppression of enraged Iranian voters, there is much less agreement over what the United States can actually do about the situation except voice its pointed disapproval.
        If Obama, for example, aligns himself too closely with the demonstrators and should Mahmoud Ahmadinejad remain president, the chances of ``engaging’’ Iran about curtailing their nuclear program might linger without any concrete talks for years to come.
        Whatever the outcome of the Iranian election, the chorus of rebellion in Iran seems to be tilting the country toward a counter-revolution, a historic development not seen since the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
        Here, then, are some highlights of Iran’s transition to a theocratic republic, with the population displaying sporadic protests for greater democracy over the last 30 years.

• On September 17, 1941, Muhammad Reza Shah was sworn in as the new Shah of Iran, becoming the second king of the Pahlavi Dynasty.

• In 1934, Tehran University is established, with programs in arts, science, medicine, law, and engineering, making it the oldest and largest university in Iran. In 1937, the university opened its doors to women.

• A new book, ``Kashf al-Asrar'' (Unveiling of the Secrets) written by Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini, a religious leader and politician is published in 1942, a publication which refutes the growing advocacy of secularism in Iran.

• In 1958, the monarchy creates a two-party system, although in name only. During the same year, the Shah establishes SAVAK, the secret police charged with smothering political dissent, particularly trade unions and the intelligentsia. The department soon became known as the ``Iron fist of the Shah’’.

• January 21, 1962: Government troops brutally attack students at Tehran University holding demonstrations against the policies of the Shah.

• In 1963, the Shah instituted the ``Revolution of the People and the Shah’’, more commonly referred to as the ``White Revolution’’, so called because it would introduce massive change within Iran without bloodshed. The White Revolution introduced secularization including programs of social, political and economic democracy. The Shah’s reforms earned the endorsement of President Kennedy. Ultimately, however, the revolution did little in moving toward political democracy; and in fact resulted in major social disruptions.

• MOJAHEDIN-I KHALQ-I IRAN (IRANIAN PEOPLES' FREEDOM FIGHTERS) is founded in 1965 under the guidance of six Tehran University graduates who were members of the Liberation Movement of Iran, a dissident group promoting armed struggle against the Shah and western imperialism.

• In 1967, the Family Protection Laws are passed, granting women greater rights in marriage

• The Resurrection Party (Hezb-e Rastakhiz) is established in 1975, making membership mandatory for all Iranians, while the official majority party Novin and the minority party, Hezb-i Mardom are abolished.

• In 1976, 100,000 gather in the city of Isfahan for the funeral of Ayatollah Abolhassan Shamsabadi, a high-ranking Islamic cleric, rumored to have been murdered by the Shah’s secret police for being critical of the government. Many observers point to this incident as the time when Islam begins to gather force.

• May 1977: Antigovernment protests are reported in Tehran, while two seminarians are killed in Qom

• In the fall of 1977, 50 Iranians sign an open letter to the Shah asking for a more open political system and the freeing of political prisoners. Their plea is ignored.

• September, 1977: Tehran is put under martial law. Hundreds of demonstrators are killed in Zhaleh Square in what became known as "Black Friday"

• December 1977: While anti-Shah demonstrations engulf Iran, U.S. Marines are sent in use tear gas to disperse crowds gathered near the U.S. Embassy

• January, 1979: A million jubilant Iranians demonstrate in Tehran, calling for the formation of an Islamic republic and the return of Khomeini.

• January 16, 1979: Unable to stand up to insurmountable opposition, the Shah flees Iran

• March, 1979: Women begin to protest new veiling codes imposed by the clergy.

• April, 1979: The Islamic Republic is established

• November 4, 1979: Militants seize the American embassy in Tehran and hold 52 American diplomats hostage there for 444 days.  The hostages wouldn’t be released until Ronald Reagan’s inauguration, January 20, 1981.

• The Islamic Republic proclaimed there would be an elected Parliament, the Majle; the popular election of a president, who would appoint a Prime Minister and cabinet to be approved by Majles. In addition, the Republic established a Council of Guardians-comprised of 12 appointees, six religious scholars and six lawyers charged with the power to certify candidates for election, interpret the constitution and veto any legislation by the Majles deemed not in concert with the principles of Islam. The distinction between religious and secular life was formally abolished.

• January 25, 1980: The first Iranian president, Abu al-Hassan Bani-Sadr, is inaugurated. He’s dismissed and exiled by Khomeini in June 1981.

• October, 1981: The Ayatollah Ali Khomeini is elected the third president of the Islamic Republic

• Amnesty International estimates 1,000 people were executed in Iran in the first 18 months of the Islamic Revolution.

• March, 1986: Khomeini allows women to participate in public life and the military

• December, 1988: The government approves the establishment of a limited number of political parties

• Khomeini dies on June 3, 1989

• October, 1989: The Majlis rules that all future Majlis candidates must hold a bachelor's degree or be theological school graduate.

• November, 1989: Over 15,000 Iranians chanting ''Death to America!'' and a mob of students burning an American flag, participate in demonstrations marking the tenth anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran

• April, 1990: During an antigovernment demonstration in Tehran, one person is killed and 65 others arrested.

• June, 1990: The government bans Iran's Liberation Movement and arrests eight dissidents.

• October, 1990: Khamenei is accused of manipulating election results involving radical candidates

• January, 1991: Iranian university students strike for improved education, the release of detained students, and the closure of campus Islamic societies.

• September, 1991: Widespread demonstrations and strikes break out in protest over low wages and oppressive working conditions.

• May 30, 1992: Thousands of Iranians participate in protests over land disputes in Meshed, setting fires to cars and municipal buildings. By June, the government orders severe measures to restrain riots and demonstrations by announcing insurgents would be tried by the Islamic Revolutionary Court, a judicial body which typically imposes the death penalty.

• November, 1992: The government rules that men and women should ride separately on Tehran buses

• December, 1993: The United Nations denounces Iran for the executions of dissidents and the continuing threat on Salman Rushdie's life;

• April, 1994: To protect national and religious cultures, the government bans television satellite dishes and equipment

• February, 1995: The government shuts down the newspaper, Jahan-e Islam for ``creating doubts, printing untrue stories and insulting the religious beliefs of the Muslim nation."

• September, 1996: A University Professor, Abdolkarim Soroush, calls for a strengthening of democracy by creating greater separation between the mosque and the state. The New York Times reported the professor's stated beliefs alarmed government officials; and led to him being mugged on two separate occasions while lecturing.

• May, 1997: In a stunning landslide victory, Mohammed Khatami, who was forced out of the government five years earlier, and campaigned on a platform of tolerance and social reform is elected president of Iran, a sign that many Iranians are beginning to resent their private and public restrictions imposed upon them by the Islamic government.

• July, 1999: Iranian students promoting greater democracy, cultural reforms, and upset with the slow pace of reforms promised to them by President Mohammad Khatami take to the streets in 18 cities and towns. The government was quick to quell the unrest. Security forces reportedly stormed university dorms, pummeling students while they slept; others were pushed from second the third floor windows. As many as five to eight students, according to some reports, had been killed.
NOTE: In August, 2000, parliament passed a bill that prohibited police from entering universities without permission.
• April, 2000: Clerical courts concerned that their Islamic values s were being undermined, closed down 19 newspapers and magazines.

• November, 2002: Iran's National Security Council, headed by Mohammad Khatami prohibits students from holding a rally to protest the death sentence given to pro-reform scholar Hashem Aghajari who had challenged the hard-lined clerics. The students used the harsh sentence as a pretext to demonstrate for freedom of speech and other political reforms.

• February, 2004: The Iran Participation Front, Iran's leading reform party, announced they would not participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections after half of the 8,200 candidates were rejected by the Guardian Council. A day earlier, a third of the Parliament’s members resigned to protest the ban of the reformist candidates.

• October, 2007: Students at Amir Kabir University protest the jail sentences and reported torture of three activists for publishing articles considered insulting to Islam

• June, 2009: Riot police used tear gas and live bullets to disperse angry demonstrators upset that the presidential election had been rigged. Despite the Guardian Council acknowledging voting irregularities took place in 50 districts, the council maintains the June 12th presidential election was not affected.

Footnotes

• Tehran became capital of Iran at the end of the 18th century. In 2009, its estimated population was over 12 million.

• In 2009, sixty percent of the university students are comprised of women, a 30 percent increase since 1982

• According to the latest census figures, 22.3 percent of the Iranian population is under 15; only three percent of the population is 65 and older.

• The median age in Iran is 27; the literacy rate is 77 percent

• The percentage of women represented in parliament in Iran stands at 2.8 percent

• There are an estimated 23 million Internet and 29 million cell phone users in Iran

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Source: ``Theology of Discontent: The Ideological Foundations of the Islamic Revolution in Iran’’ by Hamid Dabashi; ``Iran: A People Interrupted'' by Hamid Dabashi; ``Islamism and Modernism: The Changing Discourse in Iran'' by Farhang Rajaee; ``Historical Dictionary of Iran’’ By John H. Lorentz; The New York Times archives, U.S. Census Bureau; CIA-World Fact Book

D.C. Metro Collision Results in 9 Deaths

2009-06-23T00:11:00Z

         Two six-car Red Line trains collided Monday at 5 p.m., in one of Washington D.C.'s busiest lines, in the middle of rush hour-resulting in nine fatalities, including train operator Jeanice McMillan, 42, of Springfield, Va., who had been a Metro employee since January 2007. Several others were badly injured.
         As of 7 p.m., there was no known cause of the collision. Metro authorities are working in tandem with the National Transportation Safety Board to determine the cause of the accident.
      “We are extremely saddened that there are fatalities as a result of this accident, which has touched our Metro family. We hope to have more details about the casualties later today. Our safety officials are investigating, and will continue to investigate until we determine why this happened and what must be done to ensure it never happens again,” Metro General Manager John Catoe said.
         According to preliminary reports, both trains appeared headed toward the Shady Grove Metrorail station.
         Today's accident wasn't the first in the D.C. MetroRail's 33-year history.
        In January, 1982, three people died as a result of a derailment between the Federal Triangle and Smithsonian Metrorail stations; and another collision took place in 2004, when two trains collided at the Woodley Park/Zoo-Adams Morgan Metrorail station. No deaths occurred, only minor injuries.
         Metro officials are advising riders to avoid the Red Line. Trains will be operating between Glenmont and Silver Spring Metrorail stations and between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Avenue Metrorail stations for the remainder of the day

    -Bill Lucey
    WPLucey@gmail.com

John Dillinger Fast Facts

2009-06-19T03:33:00Z

             Anticipation seems to be building for the motion picture ``Public Enemies'', starring Johnny Depp, who plays the elusive John Dillinger, America’s most notorious bank robber, and the first Public Enemy No 1, being hotly pursued by FBI agent Melvin Purvis, played by Christian Bale
             The film, based on the book by former Wall Street Journal writer Bryan Burrough, hits theaters on July 1st.
             So as we prepare for Depp’s depiction of one of America’s most notorious gangsters and his violent band of outlaws, this might be a good time to catch up on some quick facts about John Dillinger

             Such as:

• Five people died from the suffocating heat in Chicago on July 22, 1934, when temperature readings reached as high as 101.3, a fact easily obscured by the death of Public Enemy No. 1: John Dillinger

• John Herbert Dillinger, the son of John Wilson Dillinger (owner of a small grocery store) was born at June 22, 1903 at 2053 Cooper St in Indianapolis, and raised by his sister Audrey. Dillinger’s mother, Mary Ellen (known as Mollie) died when he was just 3 years-old

• Dillinger’s first bank robbery was in New Carlisle, Ohio, when he made off with $10, 600 on June 10, 1933.

• In a little more than year, Dillinger and his gang robbed dozens of banks and close to half million dollars, while killing 10 and wounding seven others.

• Dillinger was officially named the nation’s first Public Enemy No. 1 on June 22, 1934, on his 31st birthday

• Dillinger worked with a flock of disreputable bandits, among them: ``Baby Face Nelson’’, Homer Van Meter, and ``Pretty Boy Floyd’’

• Prior to being gunned down, reward money leading to the capture of Dillinger was posted in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ohio.

• The U.S. Justice Department offered a $15,000 award for Dillinger’s capture; $5,000 for information leading to his arrest.

• After exiting the Biograph Theater at 10: 40 p.m in Chicago, the Indiana outlaw was gunned down while reaching for his gun (a Colt .380) while surrounded by a swarm of federal agents and Chicago policeman.

• The infamous ``Woman in Red’’ (actually wearing an orange skirt) was Anna Sage, a former brothel keeper from Gary, Indiana. Her legal name was Ana Cumpanas; who agreed to identify Dillinger to federal agents on the condition she not be deported. Sage was deported anyway. She died at age 58 in 1947 from a liver ailment while living in Romania.

• Sage always maintained the feds cheated her out of $70,000, the amount promised to her for ``putting the finger’’ on Dillinger.

• Dillinger was shot four times by federal agents

• The federal agents credited with firing at Dillinger were Charles B. Winstead, Clarence O. Hurt, and Herman E. Hollis.

• The motion picture Dillinger went to see with his girlfriend, Dolly Hamilton, was ``Manhattan Melodrama’’ starring Clark Gable and William Powell

• The Biograph Theater located at 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue housed 990 patrons

• The last movie to be shown at the Biograph Theater was Woody Allen’s ``Sleeper’’ in July, 1974. One night In the final week, the theater drew a mere 25 patrons.

• Dillinger sat in the middle of the 12th row of the Biograph Theater

• The Biograph Theater was designated a Chicago Landmark on March 28, 2001

• Melvin H. Purvis was the FBI agent who was charged with leading the manhunt for Dillinger. Purvis, nicknamed ``Little Mel’’ committed suicide on February 29, 1960

• 23 FBI agents and Chicago policeman were gathered around the Biograph Theater waiting for Dillinger to emerge

• Dillinger died with $7.70 in his pocket near the Mee Woh Lo Chinese restaurant

• After being shot, Dillinger was transported to Alexian Brother Hospital. Upon arrival, Dillinger was pronounced dead; the hospital never did admit him. Instead, agents laid him out on the lawn in front of the hospital, where they waited for the Cook County Corner’s office to pick him up.

• Dillinger was the 116th registered corpse at the Cook County morgue during for the month of July, 1934

• According to the Library of Congress, there have been 16 songs written about John Dillinger.

• According to Bowker’s Books in Print Database, there have been 17 books written about John Dillinger, three of which are being published in 2009

• Dillinger dropped out of school at age 16; joined the Navy but went AWOL after only five months of service.

• Dillinger’s only marriage came on September 16, 1924 to 16 year-old Beryl Hovious. They divorced on June 20, 1929.

• On May 27, 1934 in an attempt to mask his identity, Dillinger underwent plastic surgery at the home of Jimmy Probasco, a bar owner with ties to the Chicago Syndicate.

• The fascination with Dillinger had reached such a fevered pitch; Dillinger’s father was reportedly offered $10,000 by one person to borrow his son’s dead body for a period of time.

• On July 25, 1934, Dillinger is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis

Source: The FBI; U.S. Newspaper Archives

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Conan Holds Lead Despite Letterman's Apology to Sarah Palin

2009-06-16T23:54:00Z

        Despite all the buzz that was paid to David Letterman making a formal apology to Alaska Governor Sarah Palin last night, the fast nationals from Nielsen Media Research shows that Conan O’Brien still held a commanding 30 percent margin of victory over his CBS rival. Conan, in fact, remained number one in all demographics groups: adults, men, women ,18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.
        It will be interesting to see how the Conan vs. Letterman war plays out in the coming months ahead.
        At 62, Letterman might be getting a little long in the tooth for the younger audience. On the other hand, Conan’s spasmodic gyrations might not be exactly what the doctor ordered for the over 40 demographic, who are desperately trying to get used to his quirky humor.
        More and more, it seems, my remote has a mind of its own and usually lands on PBS for the Charlie Rose Show after about 20 minutes of Dave and Conan.

    -Bill Lucey
     WPLucey@gmail.com

Did CNN Fall Asleep at the Switch Over the Weekend?

2009-06-16T03:34:00Z

        What’s the point of having 24/7 cable stations, if they don’t cover fast breaking news like the volcano that erupted during the Iranian presidential election over the weekend?
        I couldn’t believe my eyes when CNN was rolling out pre-packaged consumer pieces instead of the latest developments of a historic, hotly contested, and bloody election in Iran.
        Mediabistro.com reports CNN covered Iran more than another cable network over the weekend.
        If they did, I must have been tuning in at the wrong time.
        On Sunday evening at 8 or 9, I was watching a week-old John King interview with David Axelrod about President Obama’s overseas trip to Egypt and Western Europe.
        It wasn’t until their 10 p.m hour, before I saw any substantive news from Tehran.
        Small wonder, then, that some still refer to CNN as the Chicken Noodle Network.
        CNN certainly fell well short of its motto: ``The most trusted name in news’’

NOTE:   You have to hand it to New York Times’ Executive Editor Bill Keller for trusting his instincts and heading to Iran and reporting on the election, such as his ``Memo from Tehran’’ which first showed up on the Times’ website late Saturday night.
             Keller, who won a Pulitzer for reporting on the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, is a top notched reporter, and superb writer; which makes you wonder why he is wasting his time in the executive offices talking to Comedy Central.
        Maybe this assignment will be Keller’s exit strategy; and opt for more assignments from abroad instead of having to stay put at the home office, wishing he was somewhere else

        -Bill Lucey
        WPLucey@gmail.com

Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns Confirmed Dead

2009-06-10T21:16:00Z

The U.S. Holocaust Museum confirmed officer Stephen Tyrone Johns died in the line of duty. Johns served on the security staff at the Museum for six years. In honor of his loss, the Museum will close tomorrow, and flags will be flown in half-mast in his memory.
``There are no words to express our grief and shock over these events…Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Johns’ family’’, Jackie Berkowitz, a museum spokesperson wrote through an email

****

Doing a New York Times archive search for James W. Von Brunn, the gunman who opened fire on a security guard at the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., shows a wedding announcement from June 1, 1950, which reports Patricia Beverly-Giddings, the daughter of a novelist marrying James Wenneker Von Brunn, a Washington University alumnus, a former lieutenant in the United States Navy and working at the advertising firm of Benton & Bowles Inc of New York.
Also, a brief biograhpy of Von Brunn, laced with with a racist diatribe can be found on the Holy Western Empire website ; while The Associated Press reports Von Brunn, a white supremist, who denies the Holocaust existed, served six years in prison for attempted armed kidnapping and other charges between 1983 and 1989.

Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Obama Might Have Insulted French Hosts, But Did He Win The Hearts of Parisians?

2009-06-07T02:17:00Z

        With two wars to fight, a recalcitrant North Korea to contend with, 14.5 million Americans without jobs, and a comprehensive health care package now on the front burner, President Barack Obama didn’t have much time to spend in Europe before heading back to the nation’s capital.
        He was in out of Germany in a blink of an eye after visits to Saudi Arabia and Egypt earlier in the week. Saturday he was at Omaha Beach in France to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Later in the day, the Obama’s were planning to visit Notre Dame Cathedral; and in the evening dine at a fine Paris restaurant before the president heads back home on Sunday, while Michelle and children, Malia, and Sasha, spend an extra day in Paris sightseeing.
        The short shrift Obama gave to Nicolas Sarkozy, however, hasn’t gone unnoticed.
        The French press was critical of Obama for declining a dinner invitation with the French president and his wife, Carla Bruni, some likening it to a blatant snub.
    The Times of London described it as an ``embarrassment to Elysee Palace’’, still other members of the European press questioned why the U.S. president cut short trips to Germany and France, rather than spend more time to strengthen relations with his Western European allies. The French magazine Le Figaro speculated Obama has simply made Europe a low priority
        The president, though, was quick to tell the press that he would have liked nothing better than to ``to have a leisurely week in Paris, stroll down the Seine, take my wife out to a nice meal, have a picnic. Those days are over, for the moment," the president commented.
        So now that the president and his wife Michelle are down to a few short hours in the ``City of Lights’’, is there anything the First Family could say to woo Parisians before heading home?
        Aurelia Roman, Assistant Professor of Foreign Service, and a faculty member from the Department of Languages and Linguistics at Georgetown University, suggests the president use a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson, ``Tout homme a deux pays: le sien et puis la France", which means ``Any man has two countries, his own and then France’’
        Roman additionally suggests Obama or the first lady could score some quick points with local residents by using: `` Vive la Ville Lumière"! (Paris was the first capital illuminated by electricity), only taking it a step further by uttering ``Vive l'amitié Franco-Américaine!’’, a phrase that could be translated as ``cultural light’’ between the two countries.
        And when the Obama’s are relaxing at a bistro not far from the Eiffel Tower, they might want to tell onlookers, `` Le symbole de Paris "la Tour Eiffel" et la Statue de la Liberté de New York sont deux soeurs, executées par le meme ingénieur'', which translates to: `` The symbole of Paris, the Eiffel Tour and the Statue of Liberty of New York are two sisters, made by the same engineer..’’
        The Statute of Liberty, it might be worth noting, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, and donated to the United States in 1886 by the Union Franco-Americaine (Franco-American Union) for the United States first centennial.
        Michele Richman, Professor of Roman Languages at the University of Pennsylvania, recommends the president impress residents of France by invoking the phrase ``Liberté, égalité, solidarite" rather than the outdated ``Liberté, égalité, fraternite’’ (Freedom, equality, brotherhood)
        For the French, Richman informs me, the more politically correct`` Liberté, égalité, solidarite’’ implies ``social solidarity as manifested in extensive social welfare for all citizens; for women, it avoids the gendered nature of "fraternity; and for several decades it has been associated with greater inclusiveness of the offspring of immigrants. It would be a very powerful way to signal American/French solidarity as well.’’
        Of course, the way President Obama’s rock-star status has reached such towering heights across the globe, the First Family might not have to work too hard to smooth talk Parisians, even if they did insult their would be dinner guests.
        As Jean-Michel Heimonet, Professor of French from the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at The Catholic University of America tells me, ``in the media frenzy surrounding President Obama, what he says is totally irrelevant. The "adoration" level is such that he just has to show up to be worshiped. He has been turned into a global idol. Charisma has a heavy price to pay.’’
    From this perspective, much like the motto of Paris, ``Fluctuat nec mergitur’’, Obama might float from time to time-but he never sinks.

        -Bill Lucey
        WPLucey@gmail.com

11.9 Million Tune Into Leno's Finale

2009-06-04T20:25:00Z

Jay Leno’s season finale averaged 11.9 million total viewers, the seventh highest ``Tonight Show'' of his 17-year run.
The only other shows with a larger audience, included;

• May 20, 1993, the night of the “Cheers” finale-(22.4 million).
• May 25, 1992, the debut of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (16.1 million)
• May 14, 1998, the night of the “Seinfeld” finale (15.0 million
• March 19, 2009, the night of the President Obama interview (14.6 million)
• January 24, 2005, the night of a special tribute to Johnny Carson (13.4 million)
• May 6, 2004, the night of the “Friends” finale (12.6 million).

Jay takes comfort in knowing he left the ``Tonight Show’’ with a commanding lead over his late-night competitor, David Letterman. According to NBC, Leno maintained a 37 percent advantage over Letterman in total viewers, up from 30 percent compared with the same time last year.

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

The Tiananmen Square Massacre: A 20-Year Anniversary Resource Guide

2009-06-04T04:00:00Z

        Twenty years ago on April 17, 1989, thousands of university students gathered at Tiananmen Square, Beijing, to mourn the death of Hu Yoabang, former General Secretary of the Communist Party, a figure students in China considered a representation of anti-corruption and political reform. It is here where students first appealed for press freedoms and other political reforms.
        What followed were a series of stormier protests, a hunger strike took place on May 13th, sparking an outpouring of public support; by May 19th marital law was declared, the following day, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), for the first time in the Communist’s 40-year rule, stormed Beijing to smother student disorder, only to be met by a swarm of civilian protestors blocking their convoys. PLA troops withdrew on May 24th
        By June 2nd, party leaders feeling humiliated for failing to put down the student unrest, decided to crush the ``counter-revolutionary riot’’ through military force, with the first shots beginning on June 3rd and culminating the next day, when the army barricaded entrances to Tiananmen Square; army tanks rolled over the liberty statute, smashing it to pieces, then ruthlessly gunned down students and citizens gathered near the square.
        The military suppression was complete; the revolutionary rebellion stifled.
        Official casualty counts are a matter of speculation. The Chinese government claims 241 citizens and soldiers were killed, with another 7,000 wounded. Others claim the dead easily swelled into hundreds more.
         When asked how much China has changed, if at all, since the tragic bloodshed 20 years ago, Robin Kirk, a visiting lecturer at Duke University and coordinator of the Duke Human Rights Center thinks that `` China has certainly changed a lot: more prosperous, more polluted, with growing disparities between rich and poor. But the control exercised by the government remains strong and ubiquitous’’

         To memorialize the 20th anniversary, what follows are some websites that examine and sheds further light on the June Fourth Incident

• ``Tiananmen Killings: Was the Media Right’’? From the BBC

• The New York Times has gathered a collection of opinions from dissidents and distinguished Chinese scholars on their views of China since the mayhem of 1989

• Robin Munro, a researcher for Human Rights Watch in Beijing, who witnessed first-hand the pro-democracy demonstrations 20 years ago writes an essay for The Nation: titled: ``Remembering Tiananmen Square: Who Died in Beijing, and Why''

• The Long Bow Group, a non-profit corporation, founded in 1982 to produce and disseminate educational media has compiled a reading list on the June Fourth Incident, including film-related themes and issues as well as a selection of Chinese Rock music

• The China Beat: - a blog co-founded by Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a professor of history at UC, Irvine, and the author of the forthcoming ``China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know.''

• A Timeline of the Tiananmen Square massacre from PBS’s Frontline

• Ebook: ``Quelling the People: The Military Suppression of the Beijing Democracy
Movement’’ (Stanford University Press, 1998) by Timothy Brook
        NOTE: On page 161 (Table 6-1) of this book, you will find casualty statistics (albeit incomplete) from select hospitals in Beijing.

• Human Rights in China

        -Bill Lucey
         WPLucey@gmail.com

Some Like It Hot: Record High Temperatures

2009-06-03T01:49:00Z

        From a look at the temperature readings across the country, you would never think there’s still over two weeks of spring left.
        USA Today recently cited data from the Climate Prediction Center, which suggests unseasonably warm temperatures in June are expected to hit most of the western United States, along the Gulf Coast, including the Eastern Seaboard from Florida to New England.
        So to prepare for a hot month, and an even hotter July and August, this might be the ideal time to review other scorching summers through the years, while identifying hot corners on the map to avoid, at least for those who can’t take the heat.

Hot Stuff

• Castolon, Texas, is the hottest spot in the state during June, which reaches 103.4 degrees

• Florida had a record high temperature of 109 degrees on June 29, 1931, at Monticello.

• Phoenix and Las Vegas reach temperatures of 104 degrees on a typical July afternoon, ranking them as two of the hottest major cities in the United States.

• Among some of the smaller cities, Yuma, Arizona, hovers around 107 degrees on most July afternoons, and once reached 124 degrees in July 1995.

• Lake Havasu City, Arizona, July temperatures peaks at 111 degrees; Palm Springs in the Mohave Desert reaches 108 degrees on most July days, followed by St George in southwestern Utah, which climbs as high as 102.8 degrees.

• The hottest place in the world is Death Valley, located 282 feet below sea level in interior California, which records an average daily high of 115 degrees and a low of 87 degrees during the month of July.
On July 10, 1913, a temperature reading of 134 degrees was recorded in the Valley, the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere.

• In 1917 in the Valley, temperatures reached above 120 degrees for 43 consecutive days: between July 6 and August 17th. The average temperature during that time period was 107.2.

Other Hot Properties

• Bou-Bermous, Algeria has daily July temperatures of 87 to 116.

• Al Aziziyah, Libya recorded a world high temperature of 136 degrees.

• In 1933, a temperature of 136 degrees was recorded in San Luis, Baja Mexico.

Temperature Humidity Index

• The Temperature Humidity Index (THI) is arrived at by calculating humidity in combination with temperature in order to get the ``apparent temperature’’
Using this barometer, Corpus Christ, Texas, is the hottest city in the nation with a July/August average temperature of 110 degrees.

• Key West, Florida, averages 100 degrees with an overnight low of 94 degrees. .

• From July 10 through the 16th, 1995, THI values were in excess of 120 degrees in Waterloo, Iowa, where it caused 700 deaths.

• On July 13, 2002: Winnemucca, Nevada, reached 130 degrees with humidity at 60 degrees while the temperature stood at 104.

• The hottest major city in the world is Bangkok, Thailand, which reaches temperatures of 90 degrees or more every day of the year. The THI calculations raise its index to over 120 degrees with April and May being the hottest month, when temperatures of 130 degrees are not uncommon.

Record Heat Waves

• The most extreme heat wave took place in 1936, during the months of July and August, when readings of 120 degrees or higher were recorded in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Texas
During the same year, Central Park in New York City reached 106 degrees, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Manhattan.

• July 15, 1936: The hottest temperature recording in the U.S. outside of the desert Southwest took place in Lincoln, Neb., when the night time low was recorded at 91 degrees.

• On July 14, 1936: Minneapolis reached temperature of 108 degrees; and the Classified Department of the St Paul Daily News were supplied with 400 pounds of ice and two electric fans in order to cool the air in the press room.

• 1980: There were an estimated 1700 deaths attributed to the heat in the United States affecting the southern plains to the mid-Atlantic and Southeast.
From June 23 to August 3rd in Dallas Texas, temperatures exceeded 100 degrees or higher.

• 1988: 500 deaths were reported due to the heat from July 6 through the 15th. Taking into account the heat wave and the draught that hit the eastern United States, losses, as measured in 2002 dollars, were estimated to be $40 billion.

• 1995: More than 750 people died in Chicago from a heat wave during the month of July

• On July 14, 1911: Boston reached a record high of 104 degrees.

• From August 31 through September 7, 1955: Los Angeles reached eight consecutive days of temperatures reaching 100 degrees, with a high of 110 on September 1 at the Civic Center.

• June 14, 2000: The San Francisco Bay area reached 103 degrees at Mission Dolores and 106 at the airport.

• August 2003: A heat wave hit France, which lead to the deaths of nearly 15,000 lives.

• In 2005, the sweltering heat led to 29 deaths in Phoenix, 4 in Missouri, 2 in New Jersey, and contributed to 1,200 cattle deaths in Nebraska

Get Me Out of the Kitchen!!

• If you can’t take the heat, the coolest location of all the contiguous United States is the summit of Mount Washington New Hampshire, which has never recorded a temperature higher than 72 degrees.

• Eureka, California, along the North Coast, has never had a temperature higher than 87 degrees.

Source: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); ``Extreme Weather’’ By Christopher C. Burt; U.S. newspaper archives.

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com

Jay's Finale Posts Strong Numbers; But Not As Strong as Johnny Carson's

2009-05-30T17:36:00Z

           Is Johnny still the man?
        NBC reports 8.8 percent of homes in metered-market cities tuned in for the ``Tonight Show’’ season finale last night, the highest Friday overnight result ever during Jay Leno’s 17-year run.
        Johnny Carson's finale on May 22, 1992, by comparison, posted 31.9 percent in the metered markets, which translated into a whopping 41.4 million in total viewers, a striking difference than last night’s finale. The total amount of viewers for Leno’s finale won’t be available until Thursday, but it won’t come close to matching Carson’s hefty numbers.
        Of course, given how much entertainment is now available to viewers and considering Leno hasn’t really left the building, this might be an unfair comparison.
        As Tom Bierbaum, spokesperson from NBC points out ``there's no real comparison between that number and what contemporary late-night shows are doing for many reasons, the biggest probably being that Carson operated in a much less fragmented universe versus today's world, where the average home has 119 channels and many additional Internet choices that didn't exist in an earlier era. And of course, Carson was exiting the scene completely while Jay will be back in a new time period in about three months.''

         Although I'm an unabashed Leno fan, and tried not to miss his monologue (always great material), I was a bit disappointed with his farewell last night, mostly having to due with Jay failing to pay tribute to his predecessors,namely Carson, Jack Paar, and Steve Allen for paving the way for young comics, such as himself, to one day have the opportunity to fill their shoes on a national stage.
        And though I didn’t expect Jay to well-up during his final minutes, much like Johnny did in the waning minutes of his last broadcast while sitting on stool; I was still hoping for at least a couple minutes of wistful straight talk what this show meant to him, how it shaped him through the years, while paying homage to the long rich legacy of the ``Tonight Show’’.

    -Bill Lucey
     WPLucey@gmail.com

Sonia Sotomayor Pronunciation Guide

2009-05-29T04:02:00Z

        While plenty of attention will be devoted in the coming weeks and months ahead to the judicial philosophy of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, from her views on abortion (some say her stated positions might be in tension with pro-choice advocates) to her rulings on ``race and promotion’’ (think white firefighters in New Haven Conn., ) Mark Krikorian, a writer for the National Review, apparently has a much deeper concern with the Bronx-born federal judge, which is, whether she is pronouncing her name with too much of a Spanish pitch rather than stressing``natural English’’,
         Christopher Maurer, Professor of Spanish from the Department of Romance Studies at Boston University, on the other hand, tells me CNN broadcaster’s have been ``driving him crazy’’ with the way the nominee’s name is being butchered to smithereens., meaning, their pronunciations are much too Anglocized for his taste.
        With such a dilemma, I thought I would seek tips from experts in Spanish and linguistics on the proper way of pronouncing the name of the first Hispanic judge to be nominated to the nation’s highest court.
        First, a little history of the Supreme Court nominee’s name is in order.
        Sotomayor, the name of a town in the Northwest of Spain is Castilian (castellano) with historical roots in the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain and Portugal), which literally means ``greater grove’’, with the ``mayor’’ translating to greater (like mayor número, majority or greater number)and ;``soto’’, meaning a thicket or stand of trees.
        Sotomayor also has a rich history in Spanish culture
        Gerald Prince, professor of Romance Languages at the University of Pennsylvania, informs me there is a conquistador named Hernando de Soto; a number of Spanish and Latin-American writers named Soto; and a Latin-American poet named Áurea Marîa Sotomayor.’’
            As to the proper way to pronounce Sotomayor, here is what some language educators recommend:

        • ``I would suggest the following: S-oh-t-oh-mah-yor (accent on "yor"). In other words, "oh" as in "Oh, I like that!". Make the "oh" sound crisp, not drawn out. The "t" should sound like the "t" as pronounced at the *beginning* of a word in English: "Take a cab", not as in the middle of a word, where in much English pronunciation it sounds almost like a "d": "checkmated". If you can extend your tongue a little bit and make it hit the top of your front teeth, almost sticking out a bit (as we do when we make the "th" sound in English), it would be better. "Yor" as in "York". Spanish pronunciation is crisp, so don't draw out the sounds: "Sooh--t--ooh--maahhh-your."
    -Adriana Gutierrez, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University
**

• In Spanish, the "o" sound in Sonia and Sotomayor is pronounced as a short, flat "oh", without the overtone of a "u" that--at least for Spanish-speakers--makes the exclamation "Oh!" sound like "Ouh!". The "a" sound in her first and last names is also a flat "a" that sounds like an "Ah!". The "y" consonant in Spanish is normally pronounced like the "j" in English words like "major." The "i" vowel in Sonia is pronounced like a shortened version of the English "ee" sound.
A (somewhat creative) spelling of the sound of judge Sotomayor's name into English would be: Sohneeah Sohtohmahjohr
-Aníbal González, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Yale University

        • ``The name originated in Spain. In Castillian, its pronunciation would be so'to mah-yor', where the first and last syllables are stressed, and the o's are as in "so." So maybe a close approximation using English words would be "so toe my yore."
In Spanish, the "t" does NOT have the little puff of air after it that is found after the "t" in the English word "toe," so it's a little closer to an English "d."
        -Greg Urban, Arthur Hobson Quinn Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania

• ``Keeping in mind that the Spanish O is always open and shorter than in English (akin to the O in SO but, again, shorter), I would transcribe it

SÓH - NEE - AH SOH - TOH - MAH – YÓR

-Luis M Girón-Negrón, Professor of Comparative Literature and of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University

• ``If I were saying it in English, I would say something like sew toe my OAR or sew doe my OAR (in the international phonetic alphabet that most dictionaries and most linguists use these days, it’d be [sòtomajór].
-Ellen M. Kaisse, professor of linguistics at the University of Washington

        • Spanish is written and pronounced by syllables. The spelling so-to-ma-YOR.   In figurative English spelling, as    in phrase books, this could be written out as soh-toh-mah-YORE.
        The first name, Sonia, is pronounced a little different in Spanish than in English, where we say SOHN-yuh.   In Spanish it's SO-nia, just two syllables. SOH-niah.
        -Fritz Hensey, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese linguistics at The University of Texas at Austin

• I`` would divide the name in two: Soto-Mayor. The first part would sound like "photo." Bare in mind that in Spanish "o" is a middle vowel, which means that your tongue goes half way up to the roof of the mouth (more "oh" than "ou"). Now Mayor: mah-*jor*: stress in the last syllable.''
- Jason Cortes, Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Yale University

***

Websites to Keep in Mind:

The Sounds of Spoken Language- a collection of animated sounds of English, German and Spanish, from the University of Iowa

``Spanish Pronunciation'' from the University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary

-Bill Lucey
WPLucey@gmail.com