Cooley Hurd
Cooley Hurd's Journal
A diner with Democratic history...
Recently, I ate at one of my hometown (Auburn, NY) diners (technically, a 1950's O'Mahony-built diner) called Hunter's Dinerant. And, I took this picture:
The diner was founded in the early 1950's by Bob Hunter. His daughter, Neilia, married a young SU grad student in 1965 who would ultimately become a Senator and then Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden.
In 1972, Neilia and their small children were returning home from Christmas shopping when their car was hit by a tractor trailer. Neilia and their 18 month old daughter, Naomi (Amy), were killed; their two sons, Joseph (Beau) and Robert (Hunter) were seriously injured. All of this happened just after Joe was elected to the US Senate for the first time (the 42nd anniversary of the tragedy will be this Friday).
Here's a repost of a contemporary article describing the tragedy:
Senator-Elect’s Wife Dies in Auto Accident
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – The pretty blonde wife of Joseph R. Biden was at his side through his campaign. They rejoiced in victory last month when he became the youngest man to be elected to the U.S. senate in this century.
Biden, an intensely family oriented man, had said earlier that he wanted his wife Neilia to get a doctorate and teach college when their children were older. In the meantime, he said, he wanted her “to mold my children.”
End in Tragedy
Biden’s plans for his family ended in tragedy Monday when a tractor-trailer truck slammed into the family station wagon near Hockessiri.
Mrs. Biden and the couple’s 18-month-old daughter Amy were killed and the Bidens’ two young sons were injured. Joseph, 4, sustained leg injuries; Robert, 3, suffered head injuries.
</snip>
Neilia is my second-cousin-by-marriage, so I've been familiar with the tragedy most of my life.
Her father's diner is still going strong. And, if you go there, try the Gravy Fries!
Father Of Video Games Ralph H. Baer Has Passed Away
Ralph H. Baer, inventor of the first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, has passed away at the age of 92.
Baer did not invent video games, but his impact on the medium is immeasurable. His invention, the Magnavox Odyssey (and its prototype, the Brown Box), brought video games into the home, setting a standard for interactive entertainment on your television. Baer also created the first light gun game called Shooting Gallery, a technology that would be used by video games well into the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox era.
I've been seeing these ads more and more:
...oddly enough, none of them feature Borat.
Watching CNN's coverage of the Macy's Parade...
...and they're broadcasting from the corner of W 72nd St and Central Park West. And all I can think of is what happened there almost 34 years ago, 12/8/80...
This is Language!!!
Perhaps some good news for Buffalo, NY?
BUFFALO, N.Y.
Fears of disastrous flooding from a rapid meltdown of the Buffalo area's 7 feet of snow eased on Monday, but high winds became a menace, threatening to knock down trees and power lines.
Forecasters, meanwhile, defended the National Weather Service following criticism from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who accused the agency of failing to anticipate how bad Buffalo's epic snowstorm would be.
Cuomo, in the region for a sixth straight day, said state-deployed pumps and sandbags were in place as rain and temperatures over 60 rapidly melted the snow. Residents shoveled snow in T-shirts against the backdrop of white drifts.
By late morning, minor to moderate flooding was reported in several creeks, but nearby homes were largely spared, and the sewers in Buffalo and elsewhere were handling the runoff.
On the cusp of what could be bad news nationally, here's a story of (hopefully) good news...
6.8 magnitude quake shakes central Japan
Source: CNN.com
(CNN) -- A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Japan on Saturday night, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The quake, centered in the Nagano region at a depth of of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), happened at 10:08 p.m., according to the agency.
There was no immediate report of damage
Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/22/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Ford-Class (Aircraft) Carrier Cost Overruns Appear Likely, GAO Says
By David Lerman and Tony Capaccio
Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) — The cost of the U.S. Navy’s new aircraft carrier is likely to keep rising from the $12.9 billion now estimated, with the final price masked by deferring some work until after the ship is delivered, the Government Accountability Office said.
In the latest in a series of reports offering political ammunition to critics of the Navy’s most expensive warship, the GAO today reaffirmed its earlier concerns that the Ford-class carrier being built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. will cost more and take longer to complete than advertised.
“With the shipbuilder embarking on one of the most complex phases of construction with the greatest likelihood for cost growth, cost increases beyond the current $12.9 billion cost cap appear likely,” the watchdog agency said.
To stay within the cost cap, the Navy is deferring some work, including installing satellite communications equipment and correcting defects, until after the ship is delivered in order to create a funding reserve, the report found.
“This approach obscures visibility into the true cost of the ship and results in delivering a ship that is less complete than initially planned,” the GAO said.
More money down the rabbit hole, defending ourselves against an enemy that might never exist. I'm ALL for technology and innovation, but the Ford-Class carriers and the F-35 program are weapons systems that are being designed against enemies that have existing weapon systems that are of 1980's technologies, at best.
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