My (Current) Hometown

I was wondering in times of recession, as municipalities have less and less money to spend on programs and services as do their citizens, why it is that the public libraries whose hours are usually one of the first things to shrink as a money-saving idea, tend to become more popular as those with limited incomes seek entertainment and information. It was sort of like shooting fish in a barrel to find sources to support the level and breadth at which this has been happening across the USA, just by clicking here. At the time I entered the phrase in a search engine (sorry, Bing, you're not my choice), there were 1.4 million mentions identified in less a quarter of a second. I got to thinking, not about cell phone bandwidth (yesterday I learned a new thing, though I would've preferred, Rabbi,...

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Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

It seems a shame to call President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize a joke, but how seriously can you take a prize that has yet to be earned? More than anything else, the timing of this award suggests it's actually the Thank God You're Not George W. Bush Nobel Prize, Given So That You Won't Send More Troops to Afghanistan. We understand the impulse, not having been impressed by Bush's leadership. But where has peace broken out since, and because of, Obama's election? Or is it because he dropped plans for a missile defense system in eastern Europe, or simply because he hasn't invaded any countries since his inauguration just nine months ago? Less cynically, Obama may have won the prize because he inspires hope in so many people in so many places. That's a real gift, and something that may pay...

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The Boys from Brazil is an absorbing story

The Boys from Brazil is an absorbing story. This is a rather complicated, yet absorbing story – you have to read almost halfway to get the essence of the mystery. Yakov Liebermann’s mission in life was to hunt for Nazis, especially those who had participated in the cruel slayings of Jews during the world war. Dr Joseph Mengele (Angel of Death) had a major project. Most of the details of the project were not revealed to his team, who were only told that they were working for the fatherland, in hopes to rebuild the Nazi greatness. Initially the plan was to kill a total of 94 men - unremarkable men in their 60s, unimportant careers, mundane lives. This plan was secretly taped by an amateur Nazi hunter; he managed to pass the news to Lieberman. Lieberman was zealous in his investigations - questioning,...

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The Scenester: Couples Weekend

 Couples Retreat — C- First we have our dysfunctional couples … : Couples Retreat didn’t screen in time for publication, but I did you a favor and saw it anyway. Here’s what I said: Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau go way back, first starring together in 1996’s Swingers, as young bucks ready to take Los Angeles by storm. Thirteen years later, the two have reached middle age, now at the top of their Hollywood game. But where Swingers thrived on freshness and energy, Couples Retreat is complacent. Jason Bateman and Faizon Love join Vaughn and Favreau as the XY contingent of a group of couples persuaded to go to Eden, a therapy retreat, by Bateman and onscreen wife Cynthia (Kristen Bell) — two uptight PowerPoint lovers who convince their buddies that they won’t have to take part in planned...

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“Paranormal Activity”: The Strange Story Of Micah Sloat And Katie Featherstone

“Paranormal Activity”, a mocu-horror flick which bears a striking resemblance with the concept and the genre of the famous spine tingling horror flick “Blair Witch Project” has raised quite a buzz in the movie world for its clever construction and brilliant camera work. According to the sources, the film has gathered quite a considerable amount of attention from the horror movie buffs and has been a regular fixture at Tweeter’s trendy topics despite being played at a mere 33 theaters since its release on last Friday. The movie revolves around two central characters, MIcah Sloat and Katie Featherstone. Sources revealed that this week the movie...

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The End Time Bizarre Cloud Over Moscow

This is a screen shot of a 33 second video filmed from inside a car in Moscow. LiveLeak video here. Hmmm is is supernatural Or just a Hole Punch cloud Even hole punch clouds rarely form in a perfect circle and persist for a long time as this one did. Bizarre is a good title for this. More and more bizarre things happening lately.This is a screen shot of a 33 second video filmed from inside a car in Moscow. LiveLeak video here. Hmmm is is supernatural Or just a Hole Punch cloud Even hole punch clouds rarely form in a perfect circle and persist for a long time as this one did. Bizarre is a good title for this. More and more bizarre things happening...

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NASA Moon Bombing Video

NASA moon bombing video NASA LCROSS. There are reports that NASA LCROSS probe’s findings will be available on Google moon shortly. This will give better view of it and make the viewing more pleasant. Google Moon is a service similar to Google Maps that shows satellite images of the Moon. Google Moon was launched by Google on July 20, 2005, the 36th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. The landing site of each of the Apollo missions is shown on the satellite image, providing more information on each mission as the user zooms in. Because the Moon is so far away, it is hard to measure exactly where things on it are. The Visible and...

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President Obama Nobel brings prestige and pressure

WASHINGTON - President Obama yesterday won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, bringing the relatively novice leader a new measure of prestige on the world stage but also potential complications in carrying out a foreign policy that includes managing two wars. In making Obama the third sitting U.S. president to win the prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the president's cooperative approach to global issues, a clear rebuke of the Bush administration's aversion to international organizations and treaties. The prize comes after Obama has been in office less than nine months, and as he decides whether to send additional combat...

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Obama's Nobel brings prestige and pressure

WASHINGTON - President Obama yesterday won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, bringing the relatively novice leader a new measure of prestige on the world stage but also potential complications in carrying out a foreign policy that includes managing two wars. In making Obama the third sitting U.S. president to win the prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised the president's cooperative approach to global issues, a clear rebuke of the Bush administration's aversion to international organizations and treaties. The prize comes after Obama has been in office less than nine months, and as he decides whether to send additional combat troops to Afghanistan...

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Ashford and Simpson to perform at Long Island University

Ashford and Simpson husband wife duo are set to perform at the Long Island University Campus. This is going to be a big day for the university and for their fans. They have their fans in any corner of the nation. I don’t remember any other couple reaching to such height together in music industry. They are a successful husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists. Ashford & Simpson met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1964. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Josie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Their own performing...

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Zack Hample: King of the ballhawks

The cheat sheet goes everywhere. To the ballpark. To the bathroom. On dates. The cheat sheet folds in half, rests comfortably next to Zack Hample's dollar bills, never leaves his wallet. Neatly typed in Geneva font, it features 34 phrases in 34 different languages, written phonetically, all asking the same thing: Please throw me a ball.DAH-may la Bo-la pour fa-VOR. Spanish. CHOH-toh, boh-OR-roo oh NAH-geh-tay KOO-dah-sigh. Japanese. Nee too-PEE-eh mm-Pee-r(d)a tah-fuh-DAH-lee. Swahili. I mention that my wife speaks Khmer. Hample perks up. Zack Hample Watch out for batted balls ... and for Zack Hample. "You'll have to get me the translation,"...

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Mark Teixeira and Joe Duffy Come Through in MLB Playoffs

 Mark Teixeira homers in the 11th to give the New York Yankees a 4-3 win over Minnesota and give them a 2-0 series lead. Bigger than that, Grandmaster sports handicapper Joe Duffy is now 5-0 in the MLB postseason versus the MLB odds. Next up was Rodriguez, who slammed a Craig Breslow slider well over the left-field fence in the 11th inning of the following day's game, leading the Yankees to a 6-4 win on May 16. "He's one of the few guys who have the ability to do this fairly often," manager Joe Girardi said that day of Rodriguez, who homered off Nathan in the ninth inning on Friday to make Teixeira's walk-off shot possible. "Not everybody can hit a ball 500 feet, but he has the ability at any time." Perhaps feeling left out, Damon continued the walk-off trend the following day, launching...

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Houdini act sets up Teixeira's heroics

NEW YORK -- As the crowd of 50,006 at Yankee Stadium waited for what would be a fateful bottom of the 11th inning between Minnesota and New York in Friday's Game 2 of the American League Division Series, one question loomed large: How did the Yankees escape a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the frame? In a sense, it was magic, as rookie Dave Robertson -- making his postseason debut -- retired Delmon Young, Carlos Gomez and Brendan Harris in a emotionally-charged display that sent the home dugout into an uproar and brought the sellout crowd to its feet. And Mark Teixeira kept them standing, opening the bottom of the inning with a walk-off homer for a 4-3, 11-inning Yankees win that's destined to be an instant postseason classic. "We called him Houdini after that," Yankees captain...

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Teixeira's homer in 11th gives Yankees 4-3 win

 Mark Teixeira had experienced a bit of everything in his initial season in New York, from a horrific early-season slump to some torrid stretches of hitting and a Gold Glove-caliber season in the field. But missing from his resume was his involvement in a sticky Yankees tradition - receiving a pie in the face from A.J. Burnett, the spoils awarded to those providing walk-off victories in 2009. Teixeira dramatically became involved Friday night, lasering a 2-and-1 pitch by Jose Mijares on a line off the top of the leftfield wall and into the seats for a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning, sending the crowd into hysterics and Burnett back into the clubhouse to load up the whipped cream. The shot gave the Yankees a wild 4-3 victory over the Twins and a 2-0 lead in their...

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Yankees: Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira

The Odd Couple? Hardly. They became friends in Texas, and are both Scott Boras clients. When Alex Rodriguez rejoined the Yankees in Baltimore in May, they had lunch together "and talked about some things," A-Rod said. Teixeira had struggled in his first five weeks. A-Rod homered in his first at-bat, Teixeira started hitting, ... and they have become a potent 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup. "It's a pretty unbelievable feeling as a manager when you get to put those two guys in your lineup every day," Joe Girardi said. Rodriguez hit his biggest post-season homer as a Yankee, tying the game against Joe Nathan tonight. (probably his second biggest hit was an extra-inning hit off Nathan in Game 2 of the 2004 ALDS). Teixeira, who singled before A-Rod's homer, won the game with a homer in the...

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Burnett effective with pitches, not catcher

NEW YORK -- And so after all the talk, all the first-guessing and second-guessing and all the days of armchair managing, the verdict on catchers Jorge Posada and Jose Molina is ... inconclusive Starting due to his comfort level with A.J. Burnett, Molina helped guide his pitcher through six innings of one-run ball in Friday's American League Division Series Game 2, in a plotline that became buried beneath layers upon layers of late-inning dramatics that gave the Yankees a 4-3 win over the Twins in 11 innings. And Posada still took his hacks, pinch-hitting for Molina in the sixth and finishing 1-for-3 with a single. "Now you guys have nothing to talk about," Molina cracked. "We're just having fun with it. Jorge and me, we love each other. We don't have a problem." In the days leading up to...

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