Bay Area freeway crash causes horrible commute

A fiery tanker crash caused a heavily trafficked section of freeway to collapse.

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Value of the US Dollar

The dollar came within a whisker of an all-time low against the euro. Maybe this article can explain why. Maybe our dollar just isn't worth much these days.

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More tainted pet food

If you have a pet you may want to follow this story and keep your pet safe.

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Red Wings win series, beating Calgary in 2nd OT

Jarome Iginla had Calgary's lone goal on a difficult day for the Flames. Hours before being eliminated, the team was fined $100,000 and head coach Jim Playfair penalized an additional $25,000 for the Flames' actions in a penalty-filled finish to Saturday's game in Detroit. Backup goaltender Jamie McLennan was also suspended for five games.

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GO WINGS !!!!!

How To Feed a Hundred Dogs at Once

Nasa gunman kills himself and hostage

Seems like nothing but bad news and shooting these days. I don't blame video games or television, I blame society. I have played many video games and watched my fair share of TV, yet you don't see me shooting up a schoolyard. Where society has failed (just regarding this subject) is in the mental health system, and also the policy of corporate greed and how it effects all of us. In our society companies do not treat humans as humans, they are treated as if they were a piece of machinery, actually worse because a company would probably do routine maintenance on a machine to protect their investment. Yeah, this was NASA, not a corporation, unless you look at the government as one big business. I also know that Virginia Tech is a college and not a company. As far as the VT story goes, I think the school made serious efforts to try to get this guy help long before he snapped. Going beyond placing the blame on society, I also place the blame on the individuals that somehow reach the conclusion that it is OK to kill people and commit suicide because they are severely depressed. It seems that people really have no understanding of the value of human life. That perhaps is the biggest and saddest problem of all. Let me offer my thoughts on it and then wrap this up. If people realized that there are so many people that fight to stay alive and battle diseases maybe they would not squander the gift of life in these violent ways. If they knew that there are many people that would literally give anything to live an extra day or have a lost loved one back for just a short time maybe things would be different. If you want the details of the NASA incident: click here for details

A coincidence

These two business headlines were next to each other today:

Pfizer 1st-Quarter Profit Falls 18 Pct.

McDonald's Profit Climbs 22 Percent

It would seem people have grown tired of Viagra and would rather eat Big Macs. Just a hunch.

Mark Buehrle pitches a no-hitter

"You don't want to make that one mistake and give up a hit," he said. "I could feel my knees a little bit, a little shaken, a little extra adrenaline going for the ninth inning."

With the exception of a walk to Sammy Sosa he just missed a perfect game. He even picked Sosa off at first base, so he only faced 27 batters. Pretty amazing pitching.

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On this day in history

Apr 18, 1775, American revolutionaries Paul Revere, William Dawes and Samuel Prescott rode though the towns of Massachusetts giving the warning that "the British are coming."

How deadly shooting unfolded at VA Tech

Gunman identified as Korean national Seung Hui Cho, the link below has a map and timeline of what occurred. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this act of insane violence.
It seems this type of thing is just becoming all too common.

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Larry Doby - American League Pioneer

The first African-American player in the American League, Larry Doby was a power-hitting center fielder and a key member of Cleveland's pennant winners in 1948 and '54.

"He was a great American, he served the country in World War II, and was a great ball player. He was kind of like Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon, because he was the second African-American player in the majors."
— Bob Feller

I watched the Dodger game on TV last night, it was the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game in the majors. I listened to Joe Morgan and and Frank Robinson (two living legends) talk about Larry Doby. Just like the second man to set foot on the moon, we tend to overlook the accomplishments and sacrifices Larry made. I can only imagine things were just as tough for Larry Doby as they were for Jackie Robinson. If you love baseball, take a moment to visit Larry Doby's page and plaque on the hall of fame website.

Take me to the hall of fame

Jackie Robinson - an American Hero

Let it be no secret that my all time hero and favorite baseball player that has ever graced the diamond is Jackie Robinson. This great man cannot be honored enough in my opinion. Stories and events about #42 of the Brooklyn Dodgers should be shared with pride among all Americans and baseball lovers. Baseball is our national pastime, without the superhuman accomplishments that Jackie Robinson gave to the game, the game would mean next to nothing. I can only describe Jackie Robinson with one word, greatness. Everything he stood for, everything he accomplished, everything he endured and overcame. Pure heroism and greatness. I am not ashamed to say that I am filled with emotion as I write this blog. The events that occurred were all actually long before I was even born, yet I can say without hesitation that this great man is my hero. He always will be. He accomplished so many things that the rest of us can only dream of, but we can all give thanks that he made baseball a game worthy of being our national pastime. Until he set foot on the field, it was not. There will never be another player that approaches your level of greatness Jackie. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving the game I love so much. Thank you for your greatness. Thank you for your honor, integrity, courage, and determination.

If you would like to read more about how MLB celebrated April 15th click here

CBS and MSNBC drop Imus

Normally I'd post a link to the various news stories but this time around I want to follow up on my earlier post about the whole Imus incident. First let me say, CBS and MSNBC made the right decision. I don't care if it was based upon sponsors pulling their money away from his show. The decision still is the right decision. Let me give you a simple example and explanation. I was listening to sports talk radio on the way home from work (as I usually do), and they always have open lines through the show. A caller made a very simple and excellent point, and I want to share it with you. He called and said, at my job if you make racist remarks you get fired, he said that there was diversity in his workplace and everybody had to respect each other and get along, or they got fired. If they wanted to make racist remarks they could go home and do that in privacy, but not in the workplace. Why should there be a different standard for somebody who makes more money, or is a celebrity? Quite frankly Imus had a track record of over the top comments and put downs that people tolerated for far too long. This incident was so far over the top, and such a cheap shot, and racial slur, that people could no longer tolerate his behavior. He has apologized, and I respect that. I even believe his apology is somewhat sincere. More than I believed Mel Gibson, or Kramer at least. All that being said, the right move was for him to be fired or to resign. The freedom of speech should NEVER be abused to degrade people or make racist jokes. There is no humor in it. It has never been funny and never will be. The very fact that we still have to see this type of thing occur in the year 2007 makes me sad really. My hope is that through this event somehow people's awareness and conciousness was raised. That now they will stop and think instead of slandering others and shooting their mouth off.

Yuri Gagarin

Today is April 12th. So pay tribute to the first human in space. Here are a few details of his flight:

1961, at the age of 27, Gagarin left the earth. It was April the 12th, 9.07 Moscow time (launch-site, Baikonur). 108 minutes later, he was back . The period of orbital revolution was 89:34 minutes (this figure was "calculated by electronic computers"). The missions maximum flight altitude was 327 000 meters. The maximum speed reached was 28 260 kilometers per hour.

Vostok 1 : First manned spaceflight, one orbit of the earth. Three press releases were prepared, one for success, two for failures. It was only known ten minutes after burnout, 25 minutes after launch, if a stable orbit had been achieved.

The payload included life-support equipment and radio and television to relay information on the condition of the pilot. The flight was automated; Gagarin's controls were locked to prevent him from taking control of the ship. The combination to unlock the controls was available in a sealed envelope in case it became necessary to take control in an emergency. After retrofire, the service module remained attached to the Sharik reentry sphere by a wire bundle. The joined craft went through wild gyrations at the beginning of re-entry, before the wires burned through. The Sharik, as it was designed to do, then naturally reached aerodynamic equilibrium with the heat shield positioned correctly.

Gagarin ejected after re-entry and descended under his own parachute, as was planned. However for many years the Soviet Union denied this, because the flight would not have been recognized for various FAI world records unless the pilot had accompanied his craft to a landing. Recovered April 12, 1961 8:05 GMT. Landed Southwest of Engels Smelovka, Saratov.

Don Imus comments

Well, I finally had a moment to watch the video of Imus and his slandering of the Rutgers women's basketball team. I was very disgusted with his remarks. I also watched most of the press conference with the Rutgers team, and I can understand how a group of top notch athletes and students would be offended by his racist and sexist remarks. If Imus would just retire I think it would be the best solution. More importantly though, as I watched the Rutgers coach and players speak at the press conference, I saw a group of student athletes that not only DID NOT DESERVE to be slandered, but rather should be praised for all of their hard work on and off the court. My first reaction to the situation was pure outrage. Then I learned something, tried to see the bright side, I saw a group of athletes that worked very hard to get to the top. Nobody can take that away from them. Nobody ever will. So when some ignorant guy behind a microphone tries to put people down, all he actually accomplished was to make a complete ass of himself. I am happy that he is being called out to be accountable for his words.

If you get a chance to see any of the video of the Rutgers team or coach, take the time to see what a class act they are. To me that is what is important. They represent themselves with class, dignity, and display all the excellent qualities that college athletes and students should strive for. You don't get to the championship game by sitting in a chair like Imus does. You don't get there by hurling insults and racial slurs around. You get there through blood, sweat, and tears. Very hard work, make no mistake about it.

So I ask any reader that stumbles onto my blog to consider just a few things. If you feel inclined, let CBS and MSNBC know how you feel about the slanderous remarks from Imus. Or, let the Rutgers team know how you feel about all the hard work and class they display on and off the court.

Thanks for reading.

My thoughts on Barry Bonds

When Mark MacGuire and Sammy Sosa were knocking the ball out of the park every 5 minutes and they both looked like jacked up bodybuilders, did the press follow them around looking for steroids and needles? I don't recall that happening. Yet Barry Bonds is singled out as he approaches the all time HR record. To me it is not a question of if Barry used steroids or not. Do I believe in steroid use? No. Is it cheating? Yes. Do I believe that Sosa and MacGuire used steroids? You betcha. So what is my point? Simple. If you are going to stalk Barry Bonds like he is Al Capone, you better start going after everybody that used steroids all the way down into the minor leagues. You better make it retroactive to any records set since the use of steroids began. Don't just jump on one guy.

It is no secret Barry has never liked the press and the press has never liked Barry. Let's face it, the press is about as kind as a group of lawyers. I would not like them hounding me either. Furthermore, baseball is not a popularity contest. You can hate Barry Bonds if you like, but if you are going to drag him into a courtroom, you better drag a bunch of other players in there with him. If you want to put an asterisk by each of their names, then go ahead. If you want to create a new statistics book for players that used steroids, go ahead. Just don't single out one guy.

I guess Major League Baseball simply got tired of torturing Pete Rose. That is a whole other blog entry that would go on for days. So get off Barry's back. Let him hit his homers. Sit back and maybe even enjoy a ballgame or two this season. If you prefer legal drama, go watch court TV.

Bonds makes fast start with 735th home run

If you are tracking the all time home run record, here is an update.

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Vehicles of Today and Tomorrow

Back from the Dead? The Future of EV Powered Cars.

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Prayer of the Day

This is a good time of year for all of us to pray so I found a website that offers a prayer of the day. Just click on the date of the calendar and it will give you a prayer.

prayer of the day

Opening Day - Basseball 2007

Thank God, baseball season has begun !!!!!!!!! As always Go Tigers !!!!!!! Enjoy the games, unfortunately I have to work this afternoon, but at least I got to watch the season opener last night between the Mets and Cards. Nice to see the Cards lose to the Mets too bad it was not a playoff game played in 'o6. Oh well, I am sure the Mets will hold a gruge.