Little Fuzzy

I just got through reading all three of Piper's stories about the Fuzzies in an omnibus edition called The Complete Fuzzy. In a previous post I discussed the Fuzzy books and expressed my opposition to the Scalzi re-boot called Fuzzy Nation. Well, after re-reading the original books I begin to understand.

First of all, I am officially predicting a movie project, probably something CGI dominated like Avatar.

Secondly, the original books are obvious artifacts of their time. The first two were published in the early 1960's, but I'd be willing to bet that they had been originally written in the 1950's, they definitely have a 50's vibe to them. The main "corporate" characters in the book could have come straight out of Madmen, and almost every chapter has a reference to "cocktail hour". The most "objectionable" part to most people however is the relationship between humans and fuzzies. It is pretty condescending and patronizing. ( I seem to remember the Mayhar book dealing with this and attempting to disarm it) I could easily see some Phd writing a monograph comparing the humans to Europeans and the fuzzies to those colonized by the Europeans. I fully expect Scalzi's fuzzies to be much more "mature" and capable than Piper's fuzzies.

Thirdly, Piper's vision of future technology was severely limited. In fact I can see a viable argument that Piper's fuzzy books aren't science fiction at all. I seem to remember Tuning's and Mayhar's books being more science fiction, however they are no longer cannon since the publication of the third Piper book. It will be interesting to see if either Scalzi's book, or the Diehr book include any part of Mayhar's or Tuning's work.

I would also be interested to see if Piper's fuzzies had anything to do with David Weber's treecats. If I ever get a chance to ask to Weber about it I will.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 28, 1980

The number one song on this date in 1980 was Another Brick in the Wall (Part II) by Pink Floyd. This song came off the famous (infamous?) The Wall album. The album would later be turned into a musical featuring extended animation scenes. The clip of the song below is taken from the movie.

T.D.H. - Mar 28

This date was a good date for beer drinkers in the United States. First, on this date in 1836, Frederick Pabst was born in Germany. He would later move to America and marry a Brewer's daughter. He eventually bought into the business. He would go on to greatly expand the business and name it after himself. Pabst would become a major figure in the beer industry and the city of Milwaukee.


On this date in 1899, August Anheuser Busch, Jr was born. He would take control of the Anheuser-Busch brewery from his older brother and make it the largest brewery in the world. He was the grandson of the brewery's founder, and his grandson is currently the CEO of the company. He was the one who introduced the Clydesdale horses to the Budweiser image. He also bought the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.

American Exceptionalism

I have just finished watching a video on American Exceptionalism by Bill Whittle. Far too often I hear the Left make the argument that there is nothing special about the United States, that we are just one of what will soon be 196 nations. (Man, I remember thinking that 156 was a large number when I was doing M.U.N. in high school)

The Right knows that in fact the United States is exceptional, and has been for most of its history. Everything from the peaceful transfer of power from President Washington to President Adams, (and more importantly and more impressively from President Adams to President Jefferson) to the Berlin airlift to America's efforts to help Japan after the recent earthquake and tsunami. It is a simple, easily understood fact...we are exceptional. History will judge us so too, for many of the reasons that Whittle discusses in his video.

The Left cannot acknowledge that America is exceptional, because their whole ideology is based on fundamentally changing America, which would be idiotic if indeed America was exceptional. A few might attempt to argue that they are trying to make America more exceptional than it already is. My response is to ask them why they are trying to make the United States more like Europe? There are places in Europe that still don't have peaceful transfers of power, especially among political enemies. How many European planes flew into Berlin during that crisis? How many European aircraft carriers or helicopter carriers are off the coast of Japan providing relief?

The simple fact is, our goal should be to transform the rest of the world to more closely resemble the United States rather than transform the United States to look like the rest of the world.

And for those of you who lived in the United Kingdom with me back in the 80's...which UK would you rather live in? The one of the 1980's or the one that exists today?

T.D.I.H. - Mar 27

On this date in 1915, Typhoid Mary was put into permanent involuntary quarantine. Her name was Mary Mallon. She was an Irish immigrant who worked as a cook. She spread typhoid to her clients, there are at least seven recorded instances of the families she worked for coming down with the disease. She denied that she was the source of the disease. She was previously quarantined for a three year period, but released when she promised to no longer work as a cook, and take precautions not to spread the disease. She violated both of these promises. She died while being held, and spent almost thirty years in quarantine. After death, the typhoid virus was found in her organs, and it is presumed that she caught the disease before birth from her mother.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 26, 2000

The number one movie on this date in the US continued to be Erin Brokovich. I generally love Julia roberts movies, but this one turned me off from the start, and I have never seen more than a 10 min clip of it. If the clip below of someones ten funniest moments from the movie is accurate, I haven't missed much. It appears to mainly be clips of Julia cussing.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 26

On this date in 1830, the Book Of Mormon was first published. The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other smaller related religious movements. The commonly used name to describe these churches, Mormon, obviously comes from the title of this book. Many Mormons believe that this is a historical record of Jesus in the new world, copied by Joseph Smith from golden plates. Other Mormons believe that Smith was inspiried by God to create this book.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 25, 1990

The number one movie on this date in the US was Pretty Woman. I have definitely seen this one. In fact if I am channel surfing and hit this movie, I stop and watch it. Again. I think Richard Gere and Julia Roberts had a good chemistry, and I wish we had seen more of Laura San Giacomo. Hector Elizondo was perfect, but I think Jason Alexander was miscast. I think Tom Arnold would have been better in the role for instance. After watching it just now, this is one of those trailers that basically tells the whole movie.......

T.D.I.H. - Mar 25

This date is officially "Tolkien Reading Day". I've read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Once. I tried The Silmarillion, and didn't make it half through. I appreciate the artistic merit of Tolkien. I just think he's boring as hell. The movies were OK though...beautiful cinematography.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 24, 1980

The number one movie on this date in 1980 was still Kramer V Kramer. This is some serious cultural domination. Remember at this time most cities only had a dozen broadcast TV channels at the most. Cable TV was in its infancy. The internet as it exists today wasn't even a dream yet.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 24

On this date in 1944, R. Lee Ermey entered the world. He would go on to actually serve in the US Marine Corps, including a stint as a drill instructor. He would go on to gain fame as an actor, primarily by portraying Marine Corps drill instructors. I remember him from The Boys In Company C (package check!), but he became famous for his role in Full Metal Jacket. They actually made an action figure out of him. I bought one for my brother once. (wow! It's selling for $100+ nowdays!) Here is the clip that most people know him by.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 23, 2000

The number one song on this day in 2000 was Say My Name by Destiny's Child.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 23

On this date in 1904, H. Beam Piper was born. He is, in my opinion, one of the most under-recognized seminal authors of American science fiction. I began my love affair with science fiction reading Heinlein, Norton, Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, and McCaffrey. It was only years (and hundreds of used bookstores) later that I stumbled upon my first Piper book. I believe it was Space Viking. I quickly began to scour all the new and used bookstores for anything of his I could get my hands on. Sadly, he committed suicide just as he was on the cusp of becoming the success he should have been.

One small part of Piper's larger Terro-Human Future History universe is the Fuzzy saga. This group of books was both a source of great enjoyment and frustration for me when I first read them. First of all, they were extremely hard to find. People who owned copies of these books rarely put them in used book stores, and they were rarely in print. (I just ordered the book I linked to in my last link...all three of Piper's fuzzy stories in one edition!) Secondly, Little Fuzzy was published in 1962 and Fuzzy Sapiens was published in 1964 (the year piper died), however the third book, Fuzzies and Other People was originally lost and not published until 1984. In the meantime, two authors had written books in the Fuzzy series that were contradicted by the eventual publication of Piper's third book: Fuzzy Bones by William Tuning; and Golden Dream: A Fuzzy Odyssey by Ardath Mayhar. As a fan of the Fuzzy saga, I would love to read sequels to all three author's works, even though some would necessarily be inconsistent with others.

Well, I have partly got my wish. First of all, one of the more renowned modern science fiction authors, John Scalazi has written a book called Fuzzy Nation that is due out this May. This book is advertised as a "re-boot" of Little Fuzzy. I am opposed to such things philosophically. I have no problem with turning to another author's work for inspiration (Such as Flashman originating as a character in Tom Brown's Schooldays) or re-telling the story from another's point of view (such as Grendel which re-tells the Beowulf story from the point of view of the monster) or even writing sequels to another person's stories, either with the author's permission or after they are dead (such as happened twice to the Fuzzy saga as detailed above). However a re-boot is a whole different thing. That is taking the author's vision and altering it. Would we allow someone to paint over the Mona Lisa with their version of it? If Scalazi's book become popular, that is what will have been effectively done. Having said that, I have ordered Scalazi's book, and I hope to enjoy it. In fact I hope he writes several sequels and I enjoy them. (I frequently run out of reading material)

Then today while writing this post I learn that someone named Wolfgang Diehr is writing a sequel that is due to be printed this spring. Fuzzy Ergo Sum is described as a sequel to the original series, so I presume it will be faithful to piper's work and ignore the other two Fuzzy books. I can find very little information on it, it is not listed on Amazon, and the printer appears to be doing very small print runs. In a hopeful sign, the author appears to have worked with John Carr as an editor, who has done at lot of work in Piper's Paratime universe.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 22, 1990

The number one song in the US on this date continued to be Escapade by Janet Jackson. Here is a clip of Janet singing a medley of her songs live, including Escapade.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 22

On this date in 1978, Karl Wallenda, one of the Flying Wallendas, died while attempting to walk a tightrope between two hotels in Puerto Rico. He was 73 at the time. His great grandson Nik and various other members of the family continue to do high wire acts to this day. There is video of the fall available. I will not embed it, but here is a link to it.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 21, 1980

The number one song in the US on this date in 1980 continued to be Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen. Here is Robert Plant fronting Queen at the tribute to Freddie Mercury singing the song. He begins by singing a Led Zepplin song.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 21

On this date in 1556, Thomas Cranmer, formerly Archbishop of Canterbury (the highest office in the Church of England besides the monarch of England) was burned at the stake by Mary I of England. This probably had a lot to do with the fact that Cranmer was instrumental in creating the Church of England and in ending the marriage of Henry VIII to Mary's mother, Catherine. Once the Catholic Queen Mary ascended the throne, his fate was sealed.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 20

On this date in 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte entered Paris at the head of an army numbering in the hundreds of thousands, after escaping his exile on the island of Elba. This began the period known as The Hundred Days. Eventually Napoleon would be defeated by the British and Prussians at the Battle of Waterloo. This would lead to Napoleon abdicating and being exiled again, this time to the island of St. Helena, where he would eventually die.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 19, 2000

The number one movie on this date in 2000 was Erin Brockovich. Didn't see it.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 19

On this date in 1918, the US Congress instituted time zones and daylight savings time.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 18, 1990

The number one movie in the US on this date continued to be The Hunt For The Red October. Here is a clip featuring someone who claims to be a member of a mutiny that inspired The Hunt For The Red October.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 18

The last apartheid era leader of South Africa, F. W. de Klerk was born on this date in 1936. In a tiny bit of irony, the White population of South Africa voted to continue the process of ending apartheid on his birthday in 1992. Both de Klerk and Nelson Mandela would jointly win the Nobel Peace Prize for moving South Africa from apartheid to freedom with a minimum of bloodshed.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 17, 1980

The number one movie in the US on this date was ... surprise, surprise... Kramer V Kramer. Here is the third part of Streep's interview at Inside the Actor's Studio.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 17

It's Saint Patrick's Day!

T.D.I.M. - Mar 16, 2000

The number one song on this date in 2000 continued to be Amazed by Lonestar. Here's a cover version of the song by the group Boys II Men.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 16

On this date in 1926, Robert Goddard launched the first liquid fueled rocket in Massachusetts. Goddard was the father of modern rocketry.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 15, 1990

The number one song on this date in the US continued to be Escapade by Janet Jackson. Here is a clip of Janet singing live last week. (actually the day after this post should have gone up on March 16, 2011)

T.D.I.M. - Mar 14, 1980

The number one song in the US today continued to be Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen. Here's a clip from the prison in the Philippines that is famous for doing dance routines to pop songs. It's set to Radio Ga Ga, one of my least favorite Queen songs however.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 15

On this date in 1820, Maine becomes the 23rd US State.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 14

On this date in 1964, a jury in Texas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald. This has helped to perpetuate the various conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Pres. John Kennedy. In fact, Wikipedia describes Oswald as the "assumed assassin of John F. Kennedy."

Bad Week

I had a bad week. I was stressed about work, distracted by March Madness. I'll make up the posts I missed today, and do better.

HBO and Bill Maher

I just saw a commercial on HBO for Bill Maher's show, Real Time. One of the clips they used was of Paul Begala making a typical Lefty anti-Bush comment. But they cut the part where Dana Loesch immediately turned it back on Begala and Pres. Clinton. I wonder why?

T.D.I.H. - Mar 13

On this date in 2008, gold prices hit the $1,000 an ounce level for the first time. At the current time, gold is listed at $1,427 an ounce. That is a 42% rise in three years. Man I wish I had bought some gold back then.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 12, 2000

The number one movie on this date in 2000 was Mission To Mars. Another movie I never saw. I think I know why this time though. Although I love Gary Sinise as an actor, and think Tim Robbins is a fairly good actor, I can't stand to watch Tim Robbins because of his outspoken political views. It was the same deal with the band The Dixie Chicks. I really enjoyed their first two albums, but I can't listen to them since they attacked Pres. Bush while overseas. I know this is a weakness of mine, and I do try to overcome it from time to time.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 12

On this date in 1993, North America was hit by a massive storm. Given my own post yesterday about bad blizzards in 1888 at this time of year, it seems that abnormal storms at this time of year are actually somewhat normal. However, I will bet you dollars to donuts that the next time one hits, it will be widely blamed by the media on global warming or climate change.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 11, 1990

The number one movie on this date continued to be The Hunt For The Red October. Here is a clip from the film in which the sub captain speaks to his crew, and the crew responds by singing a patriotic tune.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 11

On this date in 1888, the East Coast of the United States was hit by a massive blizzard, one of the largest in US history. The Great Blizzard of 1888 produced snowdrifts higher than fifty feet. people were trapped in their homes for a week, and at least 400 people lost their lives. Earlier that year, the midwest had been hit by a terrible blizzard in which hundreds of people died, many of them children. There is no word on whether anyone tried to blame this on global warming or climate change.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 10

This is the kind of thing I love about history....... James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated Martin Luther King Jr., was born on March 10, 1928. Forty-one years later on March 10, 1969, Ray confessed to the murder of MLK jr., though he recanted three days later. It makes one wonder whether some type of "persuasion" associated with his birthday was used.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 10, 1980

Surprise! The number one movie was once again Kramer V Kramer. This is the second time, out of what will be eventually four times, that the movie drops out of first place, only to re-gain first place the next week.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 9

On this date in 1959, the Barbie doll was introduced for the first time. America's girls have never been the same......The picture to the left is the original Barbie released in 1959.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 9, 2000

The number one song on this date in the US was Amazed by Lonestar. I don't believe I have ever heard, or heard of, this song. OK, after looking up the video on YouTube, I have heard it, and understand why it made it to number 1. Southern folks need songs to dance to at their proms too........

Bandslam

OK..I don't watch a lot of movies. But I do surf the movie channels a lot. I came across the movie Bandslam last week. I loved that movie. (I am a sucker for a good romantic comedy.) Don't get me wrong, it's not an Oscar threat, and in fact I think the male lead is miscast. But it's a good if slightly cheesy movie if all you want is to be entertained. I really enjoyed the music, both the originals and the covers. Here are clips of a song by each of the two female leads.

Edit 8:21 P.M. 3/8/11: I have just spent the last hour and a half playing these three songs over and over again in rotation.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 8, 1990

The number one song on this date in 1990 was Escapade by Janet Jackson.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 8

On this date in 1983, President Ronald Reagan first referred to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire". This may seem like a "well, duh!" moment to those of you who were not alive when this happened, but believe me, it was highly controversial at the time.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 7, 1980

The number one song on this date in 1980 was Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love for the second week. Here is a clip of them performing the song live in 1982. It is one of those rare cases where I actually prefer the live version to the recorded version.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 7

On this date, We Are the World was released internationally. This song was sung by much of the biggest stars of the day, and the money raised went to charity work in Africa. This was the first of these"supergroup" charity songs.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 6

On this day in history, Gen. Santa Ana of Mexico captured the Alamo after a short seige. The Mexican Army killed all of the defenders, including those who tried to surrender. The defeat became a rallying cry among the Americans and Tejanos in Texas fighting for independence. Among the dead were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, famous American frontiersmen.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 5, 2000

The number one movie in the US on this date was once again The Whole Nine Yards.While I was searching for a clip to feature for this post, I came across a meme (apparently started by Ellen DeGeneris) dealing with the friendship/potential romantic relationship of Matthew Perry and Lauren Graham. There is a whole Youtube channel based on the meme, and people create music videos using montages of their photos.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 5

On this date in 1975, The Homebrew Computer Club met for the first time in Silicon Valley. Many of the early entrepreneurs in home computing were memebers of the club, most notably Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who would later found Apple.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 4

On this date in history the US government became more diverse in several ways. In 1911, Victor Berger became our nation's first Socialist congressman. He was elected by Wisconsin voters to the House of Representatives several times, even after Congress refused to seat him after he won election in 1918, and again after he won the special election to fill his seat. He was allowed to serve his terms when elected in the 1920s.

Several years later in 1917, Jeanette Rankin became the first woman in the House of Representatives representing Montana. She has the distinction of being the only person to vote against the declaration of war for both World War I and World War II. She was also one of the founding officers of the ACLU.

In 1929, Charles Curtis was sworn in as President Hoover's Vice-President. His mother was 3/4 American Indian, which made him nearly half Indian. This made him the first president or vice-president to have a significant non-White heritage. He was a powerful politician and a mover and shaker in the Republican Party.

In 1933, Frances Perkins became the first female member of a US cabinet when she was appointed the Secretary of Labor.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 4, 1990

The number one movie in the U.S. on this date was The Hunt For Red October. The movie starred Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan and Sean Connery as a defecting Soviet sub captain. This was the first of the movies based on the Ryan-verse books written by Tom Clancy. I am a big fan of these books, and have read all of them several times. As far as I am concerned, Harrison Ford really captures how I imagine Jack Ryan to be, and Anne Archer was simply perfect as his wife in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. That being said, I think Alec Baldwin does a good job in this film. However, Ben Affleck was a horrible casting choice for Jack Ryan in The Sum of All Fears. I have never seen that movie in its entirety, but what I have seen is a travesty. I really wish they had changed the name of the movie, because it really had little to do with the book beyond the basic premise and a few plot points.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 3

On this date in 1845, Florida was admitted to the Union as the 27th State. I lived in Florida for a little while (about 18 months) at the end of the 70's. I loved it there, but Mom and Dad hated it, so we PCS'd early.

T.D.A.T.M. - Mar 3, 1980

The number one movie on this date in the U.S. was The Coal Miner's Daughter. I have seen this movie, in fact I've seen it several times and would watch it again. Apparently it was just a one week wonder in the theaters, although it did win an Oscar.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 2, 2000

The number one song on this date continued to be Thank God I Found You by Mariah Carey featuring Joe and 98 Degrees. A Google search of "Joe and 98 Degrees" only turns up links to this song, so that tells you something. A search of just "98 Degrees" produces a bit more, including an official website for 98 Degrees. Wikipedia provides information that the "Joe" was Joseph Lewis Thomas, a rap singer. here is a clip of Joe singing one of his songs..I Wanna Know.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 2

On this date in 1983 the compact disc and compact disc player were introduced to the United States and the wider world. Prior to this, they had only been available in Japan. The first CD I ever owned was Jim Croce's Photographs and Memories. I bought the CD in London, on Picadilly Lane. I doubt CDs will be around very much longer....they'll soon join 8-tracks, Vinyl and cassette tapes on the dust heap of history.

T.D.I.M. - Mar 1, 1990

The number one song in the US on this date was still Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul. Here is a clip of Paula on the David Letterman Show after she quit American Idol.

T.D.I.H. - Mar 1

On this date in 1803, Ohio became the 17th State. Sixty-four years later in 1867, Nebraska becomes our 37th State. That is a huge amount of growth in a small amount of time.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 28

On this date in history several Nobel laureates were born.

The first, Philip Showalter Hench, was born in 1896. He won the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1950 for his work with the adrenal cortex.

The next was Linus Pauling in 1901. He is one of only four people to win multiple Nobel Prizes, and one of only two to win two different Nobel Prizes. (the other was Marie Curie) He won both a Chemistry (1954) and a Peace Prize (1962).

In 1915, Peter Brian Medawar was born in Brazil. He was registered as a British citizen at birth, and moved to England in 1918 and lived there the rest of his life. He won the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1960 for his work with tissue transplants.

In 1930, Leon Cooper was born in New York City. He would go on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1972 for his work with superconductivity.

In 1939, Daniel C. Tsui was born in rural China. He moved to the United States in 1958. He would go on to win the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1998 for his work with electrons.

In 1948, Steven Chu was born in Missouri. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1997 for his work in trapping atoms with lasers.

And finally, in 1953 Paul Krugman was born in Albany. By all accounts he truly deserved his Nobel in Economics in 2008 for his New Trade Theory, even if virtually everything else he has said is complete bullshit.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 28, 1980

On this day in 1980, the number one song in the United States was Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen. Queen has long been one of my favorite bands. One of the things I love about the band is the wide variety in their style. This song is a rockabilly song and I sing along every time I hear it.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 27

On this date in 1952, the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. This Amendment became neccessary when President Franklin Roosevelt broke the unwritten rule that you only served two terms as president of the United States. George Washington began this tradition when he refused to run for a third term. Everyone else managed to respect this tradition until FDR. The 22nd Amendment mandates that you may only serve two four year terms of office as president. (or one four year term if you have previously served two or more years as president)

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 26, 2000

The number one movie on this date continued to be The Whole Nine Yards. This is a clip from the movie where the two main characters meet.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 26

On this day in history in 1914, HMHS Britannic was launched. She was designed and built as part of White Star Line's three Olympic class liners. Her sisters were Olympic and Titanic. HMHS Britannic was brought into service during World War I as a hospital ship. While serving in the Mediterranean in 1916, she struck a mine and sank. Her sister ship Titanic had already struck an iceberg and sank in 1912. The third ship Olympic was involved in several notable collisions, including the deliberate ramming and sinking of a German submarine while serving as a troopship in World War I. Olympic was eventually scrapped in 1936. The most interesting bit of history dealing with these three ships however is the story of Violet Jessop. In 1911 she was working on Olympic when that ship collided with a British warship and was forced to limp back to port for major repairs. in 1912, she was on Titanic when it sank and was one of the survivors. Finally in 1916 she was on HMHS Britannic and survived when it struck a mine and sank. Depending on how you look at it, she was either the luckiest, or most unluckiest person around.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 25

OK.....this one is for me. On this day in history, Faron Young was born in Louisana in 1932. He was a country music star, and a ver successful one, but I had never heard of him or his first name until yesterday. Faron?

Well guess what...there are at least two of them. On this date in 1962, Faron Moller was born in Canada. He's a computer scientist.

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 25, 1990

The number one movie this week continues to be Driving Miss Daisy. Here is a clip of Jessica Tandy winning the Best Actress Golden Globe that for Driving Miss Daisy.

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 24, 1980

The number one movie on this date was still Kramer V Kramer. Apparently this movie was a monster. I was living in the UK at the time, so the impact this movie had escaped me. Here is part two of Meryl Streep's interview on Inside the Actor's Studio.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 24

On this date in 1980, the US Olympic hockey team beat Finland in the gold medal game to complete the Miracle on Ice during the 1980 Winter Olympics. It is impossible to overstate how big a victory the win over the Soviets two days earlier was, coming during the Cold War, shortly before the US in fact boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games. The emotion of the moment was captured perfectly by Al Michaels.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 23, 2000

The number one song in the US on this date was Thank God I Found You by Mariah Carey (remember when she was huge in the industry?) featuring Joe and 98 Degrees. I don't remember this one. It appears to be a one week wonder.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 23

On this date in 1868, W.E.B. Du Bois was born in Massachusetts. He was a very influential early civil rights activist. To put his role in modern terms, he was his generation's Malcom X, and Booker T. Washington was their generation's Martin Luther King Jr..

T.D.I.M. - Feb 22, 1990

The number one song in the US on this day continued to be Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul. A duo named the Wild Pair were given credit on this song. Their only other credit on a hit song was for singing back up on Stacy Earl's Romeo and Juliet. Earl has been described as an Abdul clone, and this music video seems to prove that out.

T.D.I.H. Feb 22

On this date in 1847, The United States Army defeated a Mexican Army at the Battle of Buena Vista during the Mexican-American War. Gen. Santa Anna of Mexico had a much larger force, but was unable to defeat the American forces under the command of Gen. Zachary Taylor. Taylor would become President of the United States the next year, and this battle featured prominently in his campaign. A key factor in the victory was determined artillery fire by the Americans.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 21, 1980

The number one song in the United States on this date in 1980 was Do That To Me One More Time by Captain and Tennille. This duo is one of my guilty pleasures.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 21

On this date in 1965, Malcolm X ( Malcolm Little) was assassinated. While in prison as a young man, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam, a Black Muslim organization. He would eventually rise to become the second most powerful figure in the religion, and was eventually killed by members of the Nation of Islam, most probably at the orders of Louis Farrakhan.

Political Gibberish

I was watching a documentary on President Reagan on HBO last night. At one point they were discussing Reagan's economic policies. One typical liberal elite was discussing the tax cuts, and how they represented a vast transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich.

Did you get that? Letting someone keep the money he made, instead of taking it from him and giving it to someone else is somehow a transfer of wealth to the taxpayer! This "elite" was actually arguing that reducing the amount of wealth you transfer from the rich to the poor is actually a transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich. The poor are actually entitled to the money, it is their money. The worst part is that no one ever calls the left on this assumption.

A similar piece of deceptive political talk is to call reductions in the amount of a raise a cut. President Obama's budget for 2011 talks about cuts, but actually spends more money than his 2010 budget!

T.D.I.H. - Feb 20

On this date in history The Saturday Evening Post published the first of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms. These paintings were inspired by a speech by President Franklin Roosevelt. They were widely used as propaganda during World war II and were effective as tools for raising war bonds. The first cover was Freedom of Speech. The other three were Freedom from Fear, Freedom to Worship, and Freedom from Want.

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 19, 2000

The number one movie in the US on this date in 2000 was The Whole Nine Yards. This was an adventure/comedy starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry. There was a sequel in 2004 called The Whole Ten Yards.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 19

On this date in history, the insanity defense is used successfully for the first time. It helped that the man who used it was a member of the Tammany Hall political machine and a Congressman. His name was Daniel Sickles. He murdered the man having an affair with his wife, but was found innocent due to temporary insanity. He later served as a general in the Civil War. His conduct in the army was questionable, both his military decisions and his personal behavior. His insubordinate actions at Gettysburg have been described both as nearly disastrous and as the key to Union victory. During the battle he lost a leg due to cannonfire. (The bones are still in a museum in Washington D.C.) Over thirty years after the battle, he was able to use his poltical ties to convince Congress to award him the Medal of Honor for his actions at Gettysburg.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 18

On this day in history a partnership in 1980's teen angst was born. Literally. John Hughes, the director, was born on this date in 1950. Molly Ringwald, perhaps the most famous teen actress of the 1980's was born on this date in 1968. The two would go on to produce three of the ultimate 1980's teen movies: Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, and Pretty In Pink.

Lots of actors on this date: Cybil Shepherd 1950, John Travolta 1954, and Matt Dillon 1964,

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 18, 1990

On this date in 1990, Driving Miss Daisy had returned to number one in the United States. Here's Morgan Freeman in a commercial for Listerine.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 17

On this date in history, the House of Representatives finally decided the outcome of the election of 1800. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr tied for the most number of votes, even though they both belonged to the Democratic-Republican Party. So the House was forced to break the tie, eventually giving Jefferson the presidency. Could you imagine the chaos if the 2000 election had gone to the House? It easily could have.

While reading up on this incident I was struck by something. Jefferson's cabinet consisted of five (and really four) Departments. There was a Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy. (these last two were later combined into the Secretary of Defense) The only other two were the President and Vice- President. The Obama administration has twenty cabinet officials besides the President and Vice-President! And I'm sure President Jefferson had no Czars...President Obama has thirty-seven.

For those wondering if a similar tie could happen again, the answer is no. The Twelfth Amendment was written to keep it from happening, and was ratified four years later in 1804.

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 17, 1980

Once again the number one movie in the US on this date was Kramer V Kramer. Here is the first part of Meryl Streep's appearance on Inside the Actor's Studio.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 16, 2000

On this date in 2000, the number one song in the US was still I Knew I loved You by Savage Garden. Here is an audio clip of a "chipmunk" version of the song.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 16

On this date in 1804, Stephen Decatur led a raid into Tripoli harbor to destroy the captured frigate Philadelphia during the First Barbary War. The picture is a famous painting of the USS Philadelphia burning while Decatur and his crew flee on a ship in the foreground. Decatur became the first American post-Revolutionary War war hero. His brother, and fellow naval officer, James was killed during this war. While we Americans were successful militarily, we did end up ransoming our captives, and were forced to return and fight a Second Barbary War after the War of 1812 was finished.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 15

On this date in 2005, the web site Youtube was launched. As a brief perusal of my blog will illustrate, the site has become nearly ubiquitous in the six years since.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 15, 1990

The number one song in the US on this day was Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul. This was a pretty popular video at the time. The animation was pretty cool, and the Wil Smith-type rapping was safe.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 14, 1980

On this date in 1980, the number one song in the US was once again was Rock With You by Michael Jackson. Below is a clip from Youtube in which someone organized a couple of flash-mobs who got together and danced to Michael Jackson.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 14

First, in 1859, Oregon becomes the 33rd State. Later, in 1912, Arizona became the 48th State.

Start Saving For Food...

Food is going to start getting very expensive, very soon. We are approaching a perfect storm. this Spring/Summer. Here are some of the reasons:

1) Gasoline prices are going up. This will affect food prices every step of the way, from planting, growing, harvesting, shipping, processing, shipping, and retail.

2) China is having a wheat crop failure. They will be buying huge amounts of grain this year. Russia, Australia and Argentina are all having poor crops this year due to drought and weather.

3) Egypt is a huge grain importer. It's people eat large amounts of bread. How likely do you think it is that the generals in charge of Egypt will be trying to get its hands on as much wheat as possible to placate the Egyptian people?

4) There are grumblings that the recent cold weather has devastated Mexican produce crops.

5) Ethanol. Not only is the diversion of corn into ethanol affecting corn prices, it is also affecting beef and chicken prices, because corn is such a big part of animal feed.

This is going to be a very bad year for the world's poor. (and I am not including the "poor" in the United States) I predict widespread starvation and social unrest.

Update 6:31 AM 2/15/11: It is getting worse.

Update 11:12 PM 2/15/11: "Global food prices have hit "dangerous levels" that could contribute to political instability, push millions of people into poverty and raise the cost of groceries, according to a new report from the World Bank." H/T Instapundit

T.D.I.H. - Feb 13

On this day in 1970, the album (and yes it was an actual album back then) Black Sabbath was released in the United Kingdom. The album by the band of the same name is widely acclaimed as the first heavy metal album. It is still attracting new fans over forty years later, partly in thanks to games like Guitar Hero. The members of Black Sabbath at this time were: Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 12, 2000

The number one movie on this date in 2000 continued to be Scream 3. I understand the clip below has all of the death scenes from the movie...so I just saved you an hour to an hour and a half of your life....

T.D.I.H. - Feb 12

On this date in 1809, President Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Kentucky. President Lincoln is considered to be one of our greatest presidents. Given his appearance and height, I question the possibility that he could win a presidential election today. He preserved the Union during the Civil War and finally brought about the end of slavery in the United States. His birthday is a holiday still in 10 States, including California. Lincoln has a unique place in American culture.....witness this very funny Geico commercial featuring him.

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 11, 1990

On this date in 1990, the number one movie in the United States was Hard to Kill, starring Steven Seagal and Kelly LeBrock. I think I may have actually seen this one, but all Seagal movies seem to blend together for me.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 11

On this date in history two potential Republican presidential nominees for 2012 were born. First, in 1953, Jeb Bush, governor of Florida, brother of one president and son of another, was born. Most people consider Jeb to be a better politician than both his father and brother. He has denied any interest in running for president. People have also seen a political future for his oldest son, George P. Bush. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of discussion about rejecting any more members of the Bush family as presidential nominees to stifle talk of a political dynasty. Funny how no one talked about the Kennedys that way......

The second potential nominee is none other than Sarah Palin. She was born on this date in 1964 in Idaho, and went on to become governor of Alaska and the vice-presidential candidate of John McCain. Just the mention of her name is enough to start progressives foaming at the mouth, but she continues to deny that she is running for president in 2012.

T.D.A.T.M. - Feb 10, 1980

The number one movie in the US on this date in 1980 was back to Kramer V Kramer after a one week hiatus when it was supplanted by American Gigolo.Below is an ad for the Volkswagon Fastback from 1967 starring Dustin Hoffman. My family owned one of these. We drove around much of Western Europe in one in the 1980's, with a tent strapped to its roof in the summers.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 10

On this date in history the 25th Amendment, dealing with presidential succession, is ratified by the States in 1967. This Amendment replaces Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the US Constitution. Under the provisions of this Amendment, Gerald Ford became the first man to hold the office of Vice-President and the first man to hold the office of President without being elected to either. It has most often been invoked to temporary transfer power to the Vice President while the president is undergoing a medical procedure that involves anesthesia.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 9

On this date in 1971, Satchel Paige became the first player from the Negro Leagues to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Satchel is famous not only for his dominant pitching but also for sheer longevity.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 9, 2000

The number one song on this day continued to be I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden. Here is an interview of them from Australia around the time when this song was released.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 8

On this date in 1968, a mostly Black crowd gathered at a bowling alley in South Carolina to protest the alley's segregationist policies. The crowd grew violent, and the South Carolina police fired into the crowd, creating the Orangeburg massacre. This occurred before the Kent State shootings and got almost no attention.

T.D.I.M. - Feb 8, 1990

On this date in 1990, the number one song in the United States was yet again How Am I Supposed To Live Without You by Michael Bolton. Here is a clip of Michael singing When A Man Loves A Woman with Percy Sledge, the man who first made the song a hit. This was a very cool thing to do.....I'm actually starting to like our boy Bolton.........

T.D.I.M. - Feb 7, 1980

On this date in 1980, the number one song in the United States continued to be Rock With You by Michael Jackson. Here is one of Michael's Pepsi commercials.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 7

On this date in history, the 11th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified in 1795. The 11th Amendment was passed to over turn the results of a US Supreme Court case, Chisholm v. Georgia. The first Amendment after the Bill of Rights, the 11th Amendment reads:

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

Nice and concise. The Supreme Court had ruled in such a way as to limit the sovereign immunity of the States. (Federal encroachment began early) The Congress passed an Amendment over turning the decision, and the people ratified it. It is notable to us for several reasons.

First, it explicitly limits the power of the Judicial Branch. Second it is an example of the Congress and people of the United States telling the courts that they got it wrong. Far too often we see the Supreme Court as the last, or supreme, authority on what the Constitution means or what the powers of the government are. Third, it is an example of the Congress and people explicitly protecting the power and most importantly, sovereignty, of the States. The States weren't just lines on a map. The United States was much more of a "European Union" type of entity at the time.

There was a follow up case to Chisholm in 1999 called Alden v. Maine, in which four Justices actually argued that the States gave up their sovereignty when they entered the Union.

So, in 1795, (less than seven years after the Constitution was ratified) Congress and the American people both agreed that the States did have sovereignty and yet in 1999, (over two hundred years later) four Justices not only disagreed, they also decided that they knew better than the generation who actually wrote the Constitution. I'll let you guess which wing of the Court sought to weaken the States.

Superbowl XLV Second Half

5:26 PM:

Start of the second half, Packers up 21-10. Packers will get the ball first.

5:27 PM:

NFL commercial about their online content.

Fox commercial for House.

commercial for Car Warriors TV show

Nascar "Ferris wheel" commercial.

5:29 PM:

still waiting for the second half kick off. Fox promo for Glee. Touchback, Packers will start at the 20. Woodson is out for the rest of the game. Penalty, 1st and 20 from the 10. Ten yard completion, 2nd and 10. Penalty, 2nd and 15 from the 15. completion, 3rd and 5. Jones drops a probable touchdown. penalty on the punt. That was NOT a facemask.

5:36 PM:

Cars.com commercial

etrade baby "tailor" commercial

Ozzy Ozbourne/Justin Bieber commercial from Best Buy...funny a little

Fox commercial for the Chicago Code

American Idol commercial

5:39 PM:

Steelers start at the fifty with a long run. 3rd and 1 after a Ben scramble. First and goal for the Steelers after a Redman run. Mendenhall for the touchdown at 10:19 of the third quarter. Extra point good, 21-17 Packers.

5:43 PM:

Another Pirates movie?

Mini commercial

Homeaway.com commercial

5:45 PM:

Steelers kick off. Packers start at the 20. 3rd and 7. sack. Second half could not have started better for the Steelers. Steelers will start from their 40.

5:49 PM:

Another Elantra commercial

Timothy Hutton commercial for Groupon.com

Coca Cola "border" commercial

5:51 PM:

9:00 in the 3rd quarter. 3rd and 1 Steeler time out

5:53 PM:

Stella Artois commercial

CarMax commercial

X Factor commercial (Simon Cowell)

5:55 Pm:

Steelers convert. Ward makes a catch, first down inside the 30. 3rd and 13. Sack. Field goal try. Not even close. Worst shank on a field goal I have ever seen.

6:00 PM:

Chrysler commercial for Detroit, with Emenin.

6:02:

Packers begin with an 18 yard competition. 3rd and 8. Time out by the Steelers at 2:34 of the 3rd quarter. incomplete.

Steelers take over at their 13. 3rd and 2. Pass is too high. Good bounce on the punt for the Steelers. A cheap foul on the Packers. Packers end up taking over on their 13.

Packers look thoroughly confused. 3rd and 10. Dropped pass being reviewed. Ruling of incomplete confirmed. Green Bay charged with a timeout. Green Bay got a penalty on the punt and had to re-kick. Much worse kick.

Steelers start from the Packers' 41. End of the 3rd

6:21 PM:

NFL commercial using classic TV clips

Jack in the Box commercial: All American Jack

HTC..apparently something to do with cellphones

Cadillac commercial

6:24 PM:

Start of the 4th quarter. Bad fumble by the Steelers. Exactly what the Packers needed.

Packers went for the home run, but incomplete. Got a much needed first down. Another dropped ball...at least three crucial passes were simply dropped by Packer receivers. 3rd and 10. Converted and long yards after the catch to about the 1 yard line, by Nelson. Rodgers sacked on 1st and goal, loss of six yards. Touchdown to Jennings who was wide open at 11:57 of the fourth quarter. Extra point good, 28-17 Packers.

6:31 PM:

Rango..an animated movie starring Johnny Depp

Cars.com commercial, talking cars

Bud Light commercial.."dogs"

Fox promo for Glee

6:33 PM:

Steelers will start around their 25.

6:34 PM:

Sonata hybrid commercial for Hyundai

Pepsi Max commercial "I wanna sleep with her"

Rio, an animated movie

6:36 PM:

Steelers get a 1st down in Packers territory. Nice screen for a second 1st down. Penalty for holding, 1st and 20. Lots of quick screens to the flat by the Steelers. 3rd and 3. Beautiful throw for a td by Ben to Wallace at 7:34 of the fourth quarter. Steelers go for 2. Pitch to Randle-El for a walk in conversion. 28-25 Packers.

6:44 PM:

Bridgestone commercial

Go Daddy commercial

"Racing stripe beetle" commercial for the VW Beetle.

Fox promo for Raising Hope.

6:46 PM:

Packers will start from the 25.

6:46 PM:

Mercedes Benz "Janis Joplin" commercial

Fox promo for Chicago Code

Fox promo for House (take off of Mean Joe Coke commercial)

promo for the NFL draft

6:48 PM:

Rodgers sacked. 3rd and 5. false start, 3rd and 10. Biiig pass play to Jennings......31 yard completion. Biiig running play by Starks. less than 5 minutes left in the game. (Steelers only have 1 timeout left) Another big completion to Jones. 1st and goal Packers. Nice drive, especially considering the start. 3rd and goal. A field goal forces the Steelers to go for the TD. Almost a catch by Nelson. 4th and goal. Field goal at 2:07 of the fourth quarter. 31-25 Packers

6:56 PM:

Chevy Camero commercial

Verizon iphone commercial.

6:58 PM:

Penalty on the kick off. Steelers will start at their 13. 1:59...the 2 minute warning.

6:59 PM:

Chevy Cruze/Glee commercial that ties in to the show tonight

commercial for a movie...Limitless.

commercial for Skeechers shoes

commercial for Terra Nova (new TV show)

commercial for another new TV show

commercial for Glee

7:02 PM:

Big catch for a 15 yd gain. small gain. 1:28 left. thrown away. 1:02 left. 3rd and 5. incomplete. 4th down, less than 1 minute. Almost too much time, incomplete.

Packers do their kneel downs. Packers win 31-25!

Superbowl XLV

Hmmm..long intro featuring different groups of people reading the Declaration Of Independence, led by Colin Powell and Roger Goodell sponsored by Fox Sports and the NFL.

3:00 PM:

Promo for the Daytona 500, followed buy a regular Toyota commercial.

Next an anti smoking commercial.

A Chase online banking commercial for phone apps.

A Dodge Ram commercial.

Another Fox promo..for Fox News this time. Nothing special yet.

3:02 PM:

The pre-game begins. Joe Buck pretty much carries the whole show.

3:05

PM: Ford Focus commercial. Trying to get people to go online to their site.

AT&T online surfing commercial.

All State Insurance commercial by the "I'm a ..." guy. An American Idol commercial.

Fox Promo for Animation Domination.

3:07 PM:

Back to the pre-game. Introduction of the teams. Sam Waterson introduces the Steelers franchise. Sam introduces the Packer franchise also.

3:14 PM:

A commercial for a Sandler movie called Just Go With It.

A commercial for a big dipper pizza at Pizza Hut.

A commercial about "eco-boost" engine trucks from Ford.

Movie commercial for Battle: Los Angeles...looks like an alien invasion movie.

Fox promo for House and The Chicago Code

NFL commercial for public service/Play 60.

3:17 PM:

Back to pregame. Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award: Madieu Williams...spoke from Iraq. Lea Michelle from Glee sang "America the Beautiful" backed by a military choir..I hated the arrangement. Christina Aguilera sang the National Anthem. She screwed up the lyrics and made it all about her..I am not impressed.

3:24 PM:

A commercial for Kung Fu Panda 2.

A commercial for McDonald's featuring the bears taking food away from sightseers.

A commercial for Livingsocial.com featuring a cross-dresser.

A phone commercial by AT&T about 4G.

Fox promos for some of their shows.

A commercial for Bones.

3:27 PM:

A promo for the NFL about the game called The Journey featuring Michael Douglas.

3:30 PM:

Coin toss. Steelers take tails. Coin comes up heads and Packers defer.

3:32 PM:

Follow up Ford Focus commercial, really pushing people to go online.

Fox Sports promo.

3:33 PM:

Sideline interviews.

3:34 PM:

kick off. 37 yard return. 3 and out for the Steelers on the first possession. The punt was muffed, but Green Bay recovered. Green Bay makes a first down, but also punts.

3:43 PM:

"Hack Job" commercial for Bud Light.

Pug commercial for Doritos. eh.

jail break commercial for Audi. I LOL'd.

3:45 PM:

Steelers second drive starting from the 20. A very nice 15 yard run to begin with. Quickly followed by a 9+ yard run. Steelers end up punting from near midfield, goes into the end zone.

3:50 PM:

Doritos commercial..finger sucking..

A commercial for the Chevy Cruise Eco.

Commercial for Pepsi Max. Really? Hit a White woman in the head with a can of soda? I bet this commercial gets some discussion

promo for the halftime show

3:52 PM:

Packers second drive. Packers convert a third and inches when Starks bounces to the outside. Time out 5:53 in the first quarter

3:56 PM:

Bud light "product placement" commercial

Chevy Truck "Lassie" commercial

Fast Five movie commercial.

Fox promos.

3:58 PM:

Nice scramble and play by Rodgers to Jackson. Touchdown for the Packers on a third and one at 3:44 in the first quarter. Nice throw to Nelson. Extra point is good.

4:01 PM:

Pepsi Max commercial

Doritos commercial. "Grandpa"

Elantra commercial by Hyundai

Fox Promo

NFL Draft promo

4:04 PM:

Nice return but it came back because of a penalty.

4:05 PM:

A commercial for Cowboys & Aliens movie. I am so there. This looks fun.

A commercial for the Optima..I enjoyed it.

Fox Promos.

4:07 PM:

Big Ben throws while falling down in the end zone and is intercepted. Collins runs the ball back for a touchdown. Extra point is good. 14-0 Packers at 3:20 of the First quarter.

4:08PM:

Eminen commercial for Brisk tea.

4:09 PM:

Replays of the interception. Crosby kicks from the 15. Steelers start at their 36. Ben is limping. Runs for a first down on third and 9.

4:15 PM:

"Reply all" commercial by Bridgestone

"History" commercial by Chevy for the Volt.

Go Daddy commercial introducing Joan Rivers

Fox promo for House

Verizon commercial for the iphone.

4:18 PM:

Second quarter begins. Steelers have a 3rd and 12. Steelers convert. Steelers are in the red zone at 13:02 of the second quarter. 3rd and 7. Pass completed short of the first down. Steelers field goal at 11:11 of the second quarter. 14-3 Packers

4:23 PM:

"Western" Budweiser commercial. I like this one...

Valentine's day commercial Teleflora

Commercial for Transformers 3

4:25 PM:

Packers return the kickoff to their 25

4:26 PM:

A commercial for BMW

"1984" commercial for the Motorola Zoom.

BMW "changes" commercial for diesel fuel

4:28 PM:

Packers have a 3 and out by less than a yard.

4:31 PM:

Coca Cola commercial..well done

A Commercial for a movie about Thor.

"Darth Vader" commercial for Volkswagon..good. Best break overall so far

4:33 PM:

Buck begins with a recital of Ben's legal woes. Steelers begin with a hold..1st and 20. They convert to face a 3rd and 6. The ball is snapped with 1 sec on the play clock and Steelers make the first. Time out Steelers with 4:35 left in the second quarter.

4:39 PM:

Snickers commercial ...I laughed

"chimps" by Careerbuilder.com

movie commercial for Super 8

Fox promos

4:41 PM:

Ben intercepted by Bush on a 2nd and 11 at 4:28 in the second quarter. Jennings touchdown for the Packers at 2:24 in the second quarter makes it 20-3 Packers. Extra point is good, 21-3. Steelers are not out of it however.

4:47 Pm:

Packers kick off. Ben has 2:18 to get something done. Nice, big play. Exactly what the Steelers needed...

4:49 PM:

Chevy Cruze commercial

Captain America commercial...looks like the Avengers might be getting together...

Castrol commercial

Carmax commercial "I feel like a ..." I liked it

Fox promo for Glee

4:51 PM:

Ambitious throw by Ben. Time out by Green Bay at 1:54 to deal with Woodson's injury. Pass batted down on second, brings up a third and ten. Pass is caught for a first. Green Bay is bleeding secondary players (Shields and Woodson). Steelers call a time out at 1:37. Long pass play..Steelers are in the red zone with a first and goal. Hurry up. Back of the end zone, Ward for a touchdown with :39 left. Extra point good, 21-10 Packers.

4:58 PM:

Another Green Bay secondary player (Collins) leaves for the locker room. Green Bay gets the ball first in the second half.

5:00 PM:

Halftime

5:01 PM:

American Idol commercial

Chevy hybrid commercial, eco pimping

weird Android phone commercial

repeat of an earlier Dodge Ram truck commercial

Fox promo

5;03 PM:

halftime show.

5:13 PM:

Because I blog through the commercials, I usually miss the halftime show...however...Fergie's version of Sweet Child O' Mine was so awful I had to say something. The production values of this show are awful.....This is the worst halftime show I can remember, a bigger disaster than Janet's nipple slip.

What Do You Mean No Cheerleaders?

The Super Bowl today will have no cheerleaders in it. Neither the Steelers or the Packers have team cheerleaders. So I will provide some instead.

Enjoy.

T.D.I.H. - Feb 6

On this date in 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth State to ratify the US Constitution, thus becoming one of our original thirteen States. Massachusetts is one of those preppy States though that maintain they are not States. According to the people of Massachusetts, they live in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.