October 20, 2017

October 20, 2017 - Today in history

1803
The U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.

1967
A jury in Meridian, Miss., convicted seven men of violating
the civil rights of slain civil rights workers James Chaney,
Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. The seven received
prison terms ranging from three to 10 years.

1982
Carnegie Mellon University concluded an agreement
with IBM to become an experimental computer center with
more than 20,000 PCs.

2011
Moammar Gadhafi, 69, Libya’s dictator for 42 years,
was killed as revolutionary fighters overwhelmed his hometown
of Sirte and captured the last major bastion of resistance
two months after his regime fell.

Today’s birthdays:
Japan’s Empress Michiko, 83. Actor William “Rusty” Russ, 67. Actress Melanie Mayron, 65. Retired MLB All-Star Keith Hernandez, 64. Actor Viggo Mortensen, 59. Actor Kenneth Choi, 46. Rapper Snoop Dogg, 46. Singer Dannii Minogue, 46. Actor John Krasinski, 38. Actress Katie Featherston, 35. Actress Jennifer Nicole Freeman, 32.

Thought for today:
“Everybody’s private motto: It’s better to be popular than right.”
— Mark Twain (1835-1910)

October 19, 2017

October 19, 2017 - Today in History

1781
British troops under Gen. Lord Cornwallis surrendered at
Yorktown, Va., as the American Revolution neared its end.

1932
Speaking as a presidential candidate before 30,000 at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh PA,
Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed opposition to payment of the soldiers’
bonus “until the government has balanced the budget and has a
surplus of cash in the treasury.” It was his first declaration on the
bonus issue since his nomination.

1987
The stock market crashed as the Dow Jones Industrial
Average plunged 508 points, or 22.6 percent in value (its biggest
daily percentage loss), to close at 1,738.74 in what came to be
known as “Black Monday.”


Today’s birthdays:
Author John le Carre, 86. Actor Michael Gambon, 77. Actor John Lithgow, 72. Singer Jennifer Holliday, 57. Boxer Evander Holyfield, 55. Actor Jon Favreau, 51. Former first daughter Amy Carter, 50. “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker, 48.

Thought for today:
“It takes a clever man to turn cynic and a wise man to be clever enough not to.”
— Fannie Hurst, American author (born on this date in 1885, died 1968)

October 17, 2017

Ever wonder why you can't walk your kitty on a leash?

Here's what happens:

October 11, 2017

New Keith Olbermann book to be released next week

Trump is F*cking Crazy: (This is Not a Joke)
By Keith Olbermann

Witty, acerbic, hard-hitting, and timely, Keith Olbermann's Donald Trump commentaries come adapted from his hit GQ series The Resistance.

Since Donald Trump's presidential nomination, Keith Olbermann has emerged as one of the web's most popular anti-Trump screedists—each installment of his GQ web series The Resistance receives nearly four million views, and his fiercely progressive monologues have garnered a new generation of fans and followers. In TRUMP IS F*CKING CRAZY, Olbermann takes our Commander in Chief and his politics apart with journalistic acuity and his classic in-your-face humor. With more than 50 individual essays adapted from his GQ commentaries, including new up-to-the-minute material, TRUMP IS F*CKING CRAZY is essential reading for concerned citizens who—like Olbermann—refuse to normalize or accept our new political reality.

To be released on 10/17/17 however Amazon is already taking pre-orders now.

October 2, 2017

Every member of Congress who took $ from the NRA and tweeted "thoughts & prayers" to Las Vegas

Link: http://splinternews.com/every-member-of-congress-who-took-money-from-the-nra-an-1819059582

From SplinterNews
Author Rafi Schwartz 10/2/17

Americans woke up on Monday morning to learn of yet another horrific act of gun violence in the United States—this time a mass shooting in Las Vegas that left at least 58 people dead and more than 500 injured. But it seems unlikely that the politicians in a position to actually change our gun laws will actually do something about it, because they never do.

So, in lieu of any substantive gun control, what do America’s senators and congresspeople have to offer? That tried and true chestnut of noncommittal national mourning: “Thoughts and prayers.” And just as in the past, those thoughts and prayers seem to have been paid for in part by the National Rifle Association, whose campaign donations and scare-mongering have effectively blocked any life-saving legislation which might prevent a person from getting their hands on a fully automatic machine gun they can then use to pump bullets into dozens of innocent people.

So who is sending their NRA-sponsored well wishes to the victims of the Las Vegas massacre today? Let’s take a look, with a little help from the campaign contribution database at opensecrets.org.

(See the full list on the original artical)

I count at least 81 names on the list, and it's still growing. As far as I can see they all look to be Republicans but there may be one or 2 Dems on the list. It's time to outlaw the NRA and get their evil PAC money out of politics.

September 26, 2017

A message from Art Rooney II, CEO of the Pittsburgh Steelers

(Emailed to Steelers fans on 9-26-17)

To Steelers Nation:

I want to reach out to you, the members of Steelers Nation, based on what I believe is a misperception about our players' intentions in not taking the field for the National Anthem in Chicago. The intentions of Steelers players were to stay out of the business of making political statements by not taking the field. Unfortunately, that was interpreted as a boycott of the anthem – which was never our players' intention.

Our players come from many different backgrounds and are united by what it means to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are active in their communities and participate regularly in events designed to give back to those communities. And they appreciate the support they get from Steelers fans around the country and here at home.

I also know that our players have tremendous respect for the members of our military services, including their teammate Alejandro Villanueva. There was never any desire on the part of our players to show disrespect for our service members.

Yesterday, I received an email from a Steelers fan who said tell the players to just play football. That is exactly what they wanted to do. They wanted their sole focus to be on playing the game, while also coming together as a unified team.

The main thing we can do is learn from this and strive to come together remaining unified as a football team. I believe we are capable of accomplishing this with the support of our fans.

Steelers Nation is made up of the best fans in the National Football League. We appreciate your continued support of our players, coaches and staff.

Sincerely,
Art Rooney
Art Rooney, II
Pittsburgh Steelers

--

To my fellow DUers I believe there should be no politics in football. Any players who wants to make a political statement should do it on their own time, not while they're being paid to play football. Thanks

September 22, 2017

Lately I've been watching a lot of old legal thrillers (movies)

Free HBO for 3 months, plus a new DVR from Fios, and I'm watching lots of movies!
For some reason I've been going for the legal thrillers lately, and I'm not sure why that is.

Watched these in the last couple of days, all of which I've seen before and really loved:


Erin Brockovich (2000) with Julia Roberts and Albert Finney


A Few Good Men 1992 with Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore


A Time to Kill 1996 with Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock and Sam Jackson


Woman in Gold 2015 with Ryan Reynolds and Helen Mirren

These are on my DVR and I plan to watch them in the next few days:


Presumed Innnocent 1900 with Harrison Ford, Raul Julia and Bonnie Bedelia


The Client 1994 with Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones


The Lincoln Lawyer 2011 with Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei and Bill Macy

Does anybody have any suggestions for awesome legal thrillers?
Let's hear them!

September 18, 2017

It's Oktoberfest time!

My favorite time of the year.

We have small but very nice Oktoberfests in Pittsburgh (as well as other midwestern cities) however I'm talking about the REAL original Oktoberfest in Munich. I wish I were there right now, but instead I can watch the live streaming webcams they've thoughtfully placed all over the Wiesen (Oktoberfest park). The webcams broadcast 24 hours per day on the website, however after 11 p.m. Munich time there's not so much to see.

Link: http://www.wiesn.tv/livecams/bavaria

Remember that Munich is one-hour ahead of London time, and 5 hours ahead of New York time. If you catch them while nothing is on the live webcam you can also look at previously filmed clips that they rotate frequently on the same website. Oktoberfest continues until October 1st in Munich. It's like a World's Fair, and they have it every year with over a million visitors.

Prost!

September 5, 2017

Movies to watch while waiting for the hurricane

Hours (2013)
A father struggles to keep his infant daughter alive in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Director: Eric Heisserer
Writer: Eric Heisserer
Stars: Paul Walker, Genesis Rodriguez, Nancy Nave


Key Largo (1949)
Frank McCloud travels to a run-down hotel on Key Largo to honor the memory of a friend who died bravely in his unit during WW II. His friend's widow, Nora Temple, and wheelchair bound father, James Temple manage the hotel and receive him warmly, but the three of them soon find themselves virtual prisoners when the hotel is taken over by a mob of gangsters led by Johnny Rocco who hole up there to await the passing of a hurricane.
Director: John Huston
Writers: Richard Brooks, John Huston
Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall


Nights in Rodanthe (2008)
A doctor who is traveling to see his estranged son sparks with an unhappily married woman at a North Carolina inn. Almost as soon as Adrienne gets to Rodanthe, a major storm is forecast and a guest named Dr. Paul Flanner arrive. The only guest at the inn, Flanner is not on a weekend escape but rather is there to face his own crisis of conscience. Now with the storm closing in, the two turn to each other and set in motion a life-changing experience that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.
Director: George C. Wolfe
Writers: Ann Peacock, John Romano
Stars: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Christopher Meloni


Sharknado (2013)
When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature's deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace.
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Writer: Thunder Levin
Stars: Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, John Heard


Shutter Island (2010)
In 1954, a U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a murderer, who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane. His shrewd investigating skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues multiply, Teddy begins to doubt everything - his memory, his partner, even his own sanity.
Director: Martin Scorsese
Writers: Laeta Kalogridis, Dennis Lehane
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo


Seven Days Six Nights (1998)
Robin Monroe, a New York magazine editor, and the gruff pilot Quinn Harris must put aside their mutual dislike if they are to survive after crash landing during a tropical typhoon on a deserted South Seas island.
Director: Ivan Reitman
Writer: Michael Browning
Stars: Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, David Schwimmer


Slattery's Hurricane (1949)
A former WW2 naval pilot employed by a Miami civilian company reminisces about his past and present sins while flying a plane into an incoming hurricane.
Director: André De Toth
Writers: Herman Wouk, Richard Murphy
Stars: Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Veronica Lake


The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Jack Hall, paleoclimatologist, must make a daring trek across America to reach his son, trapped in the cross-hairs of a sudden international storm which plunges the planet into a new Ice Age.
Director: Roland Emmerich
Writers: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum


The Guardian (2006)
A high school swim champion with a troubled past enrolls in the U.S. Coast Guard's "A" School, where legendary rescue swimmer Ben Randall teaches him some hard lessons about loss, love, and self-sacrifice. After their initial training period, the young men undertake a daring rescue during a major hurricane.
Director: Andrew Davis
Writer: Ron L. Brinkerhoff
Stars: Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Sela Ward


The Impossible (2012)
The story of a tourist family in Thailand caught in the destruction and chaotic aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. On December 26th, 2004, the deadliest tsunami on record hit the South East Coast of Asia. The lives of countless families all over the world changed forever. This is the true story of one of those families.
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writers: Sergio G. Sánchez, María Belón
Stars: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland


The Perfect Storm (2000)
In October 1991, a confluence of weather conditions combined to form a killer storm in the North Atlantic. Caught in the storm was the sword-fishing boat Andrea Gail. Magnificent foreshadowing and anticipation fill this true-life drama while minute details of the fishing boats, their gear and the weather are juxtaposed with the sea adventure. An unusually intense storm pattern catches some commercial fishermen unaware and puts them in mortal danger.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Writers: Sebastian Junger, William D. Wittliff
Stars: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly


Twister (1996)
Bill and Jo Harding, advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.
Director: Jan de Bont
Writers: Michael Crichton, Anne-Marie Martin
Stars: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes

If anybody has movie suggestions - please add them below. Stay safe everyone!



PLEASE REC if you like these suggestions!

September 5, 2017

The difference between "complete" and "finished" (humor)

Can anyone tell the difference between " complete" and "finished"?

No dictionary has ever been able to define the difference between these common words.

However, in a linguistic conference held in London England, Thulaseedharan B, an Indian British citizen was the
clever winner. His final challenge was to define the difference between 'Complete' and 'Finished.'

His response was: When you marry the right woman, you are 'Complete.'
If you marry the wrong woman, you are 'Finished.'
And, when the right woman catches you with the wrong woman, you are 'Completely Finished.'
His answer received a five-minute standing ovation.