" Spider-Man 2 hype and more...
Even More Reviews and Hype For Spider-Man 2
Meanwhile, Harry Knowles over at Ain't It Cool News is ready to pick out china patterns with the movie. (I would recommend taking the Ain't It Cool News rave with a grain of salt. I've noticed that Harry either seems to love or loathe films and there's not usually a middle ground.) As of the time of this post, the film has a 97% "fresh" rating over at Rotten Tomatoes."
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be....
...Spiderman fans
Freedom Before We Promised
Just a thought on the Iraqi power transfer...
From Iraq the Model:
Reading this, it just occurs to me that another reason for the bumped up time-table might have been to show the Iraqis (and the world) that not only were we committed to keeping our word, we would surprise everyone and do it sooner than expected. Better than hoped. True freedom before we promised it.
From Iraq the Model:
"Then suddenly Mr. Bremer appeared on TV reading his last speech before he left Iraq. I approached the TV to listen carefully to the speech, as I expected it to be difficult in the midst of all that noise. To my surprise everyone stopped what they were doing and started watching as attentively as I was.
...
I was deeply moved by this great man’s words but I couldn’t prevent myself from watching the effect of his words on my friends who some of them were anti-Americans and some were skeptic, although some of them have always shared my optimism. I found that they were touched even more deeply than I was.
...
Another friend approached me. This one was not religious but he was one of the conspiracy theory believers. He put his hands on my shoulders and said smiling, “I must admit that I’m beginning to believe in what you’ve been telling us for months and I’m beginning to have faith in America. I never thought that they will hand us sovereignty in time. These people have shown that they keep their promises.”"
Reading this, it just occurs to me that another reason for the bumped up time-table might have been to show the Iraqis (and the world) that not only were we committed to keeping our word, we would surprise everyone and do it sooner than expected. Better than hoped. True freedom before we promised it.
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
On a Routine Expedition...
It's Here! It's Here! It's H-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-re!!!
Oh, and don't forget your footy pajamas and a big bowl of Crunch Berries.
"LAND OF THE LOST - The Complete First SeasonRead all about the series at www.landofthelost.com.
Freefall through an open time portal, to a world where menacing dinosaurs roam free! Get reacquainted with Cha-Ka, even if it means having to come to blows over a gigantic vegetable or two. Then stumble once again onto the ruins of The Lost City. No matter which path of adventure you choose, above all else, beware of Sleestak! This three-DVD collection presents all 17 episodes from the first season. Bonus features include commentary tracks by creators Sid & Marty Krofft, sci-fi writers David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana, and Land Of The Lost cast and crew, as well as exclusive interviews."
Oh, and don't forget your footy pajamas and a big bowl of Crunch Berries.
TV Tuesday
Week 16 - Commercials
Companies pay billions and billions of dollars each year to drop commercials into our favorite programs in hopes of influencing our shopping habits, getting us to buy things, and toot their own horns. As long as people still have money to spend they'll keep giving us ideas on how to spend it. So this week let's take a closer look at the entity we call commercials.
1. Commercials: Annoying disruption or Interesting Advertisement?
Both, but the description says it all. If it's interesting, generally it's not annoying. If it's annoying, it's not interesting. I read recently about an ad (I haven't seen it yet) for Ball Park Franks that promotes their "girthiness"...*hmm--make up your own joke*...and that's not interesting, it's annoying. Old Navy ads? Annoying. Nike ads? Interesting, usually. Just depends on what they put into them.
2. Is there a commercial that instantly has you reaching for the remote to mute it?
The new Pepto Bismol commercial with a variety of people in an office singing about their various gastrointestinal ailments - the worst commercial I've ever seen, probably.
3. Jingles are one of the most useful tools in commercials, what's your favorite (or least favorite if you prefer)?
One of my favorites has always been the old "You Deserve a Break Today" from McDonalds back in the...what, 60's? 70's? The one with all the male McDonalds employees in their old-style paper hats dancing and singing all over the counters in the restaurant. There were a couple of well-known modern actors in that commercial: John Amos from Good Times and another whose name escapes me at the moment. It'll come to me...
~Bonus~ Has a commercial actually ever influenced something you've done or bought?
Other than alert me that a new restaurant or product actually exists and I might want to check it out, probably not.
Companies pay billions and billions of dollars each year to drop commercials into our favorite programs in hopes of influencing our shopping habits, getting us to buy things, and toot their own horns. As long as people still have money to spend they'll keep giving us ideas on how to spend it. So this week let's take a closer look at the entity we call commercials.
1. Commercials: Annoying disruption or Interesting Advertisement?
Both, but the description says it all. If it's interesting, generally it's not annoying. If it's annoying, it's not interesting. I read recently about an ad (I haven't seen it yet) for Ball Park Franks that promotes their "girthiness"...*hmm--make up your own joke*...and that's not interesting, it's annoying. Old Navy ads? Annoying. Nike ads? Interesting, usually. Just depends on what they put into them.
2. Is there a commercial that instantly has you reaching for the remote to mute it?
The new Pepto Bismol commercial with a variety of people in an office singing about their various gastrointestinal ailments - the worst commercial I've ever seen, probably.
3. Jingles are one of the most useful tools in commercials, what's your favorite (or least favorite if you prefer)?
One of my favorites has always been the old "You Deserve a Break Today" from McDonalds back in the...what, 60's? 70's? The one with all the male McDonalds employees in their old-style paper hats dancing and singing all over the counters in the restaurant. There were a couple of well-known modern actors in that commercial: John Amos from Good Times and another whose name escapes me at the moment. It'll come to me...
~Bonus~ Has a commercial actually ever influenced something you've done or bought?
Other than alert me that a new restaurant or product actually exists and I might want to check it out, probably not.
Monday, June 28, 2004
This weekend
Good weekend. Saturday my family and I saw Beauty and the Beast at the Cumberland County Playhouse and ate dinner with several friends that evening at the Cumberland Mountain State Park. GiggleGirl complained about the Beast roaring too loud (and she told him that, too, "You're too loud!!!") but she greatly enjoyed meeting Belle onstage and in the lobby after the show.
A good friend of mine that I've worked with on several occasions in Oak Ridge is the musical director for the show, and I got to speak with him briefly.
Sunday we took my mom and dad out to dinner for her birthday to Louis' Sort-of-Original-but-not-really-anymore-since-we-had-to-move-across-the-street-to-avoid-construction-on-I-640 Drive-in.
Oh, yeah, and they mentioned the Inn in the paper Sunday.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/perspectives/article/0,1406,KNS_2797_2988407,00.html
(Registration Required)
The post they reference is here, along with some updated information about elected Republicans in Knoxville and Knox County.
A good friend of mine that I've worked with on several occasions in Oak Ridge is the musical director for the show, and I got to speak with him briefly.
Sunday we took my mom and dad out to dinner for her birthday to Louis' Sort-of-Original-but-not-really-anymore-since-we-had-to-move-across-the-street-to-avoid-construction-on-I-640 Drive-in.
Oh, yeah, and they mentioned the Inn in the paper Sunday.
http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/perspectives/article/0,1406,KNS_2797_2988407,00.html
(Registration Required)
The post they reference is here, along with some updated information about elected Republicans in Knoxville and Knox County.
Friday, June 25, 2004
Friday's Feast
Appetizer
Briefly describe your living room.
Vaulted ceiling that goes up two stories. Couch, with coffee table. Stuffed chair and rocking chair. Ramona's bed next to the fireplace, which has a grating with photos all over it. Two windows behind the chairs, plus another way up high above them. A second floor "bridge" separates the living room from the dining room. The entertainment center holds my TV, VCR, DVD and Bose plus about 5,243 DVD's and CD's. Toys perpetually litter the floor, and there's usually a cat or two underfoot.
Soup
List 3 things you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2004.
1) A career move (shhh...don't tell anyone, TNP)
2) Do something to improve our home (new entertainment center, renovate our deck, redo the yard, new couches, something!)
3) Feel more secure in our finances
Salad
When you're online, what do you spend the most time reading/playing/doing? Suggest a site for us to visit.
These days I mostly blog or read blogs online, or use email. Here's a fun site: http://www.usanetwork.com/series/thedeadzone
Main Course
What would the title of your autobiography be?
Well, my life isn't to the point where I would write an autobiography so the title might change by the time I might actually write one, but for now it might be something like, "Renaissance Man"
Dessert
What time do you usually go to bed?
I've been trying to get in bed earlier these days, but it usually ends up being close to 1am.
A Resourceful and Connected Citizenry
Below I said:
Today in the Washington post, the point is reiterated: (Registration Required)
On a side note, is it just me or is it strange in all the intelligence we've gathered and suspects we've interrogated since 9/11, we still haven't found out precisely which D.C. building was the target of Flight 93? Just odd...
"...while the US government's total communication breakdown with itself on 9/11, from the FAA to the military and back, was incomprehensible.... all it took were cell phone calls from the ground to the passengers of Flight 93 to alert them to the world situation.
Cell phones. They were enough to encourage the passengers to react - react swiftly, and resolutely - to take down Flight 93 themselves.
Not the combined communication power of the US Government. Cell phones."
Today in the Washington post, the point is reiterated: (Registration Required)
"Requiring less time than it took the White House to gather intelligence and issue an attack order (which was in fact not acted on), American citizens gathered information from national media and relayed that information to citizens aboard the flight, who organized themselves and effectively carried out a counterattack against the terrorists, foiling their plans. Armed with television and cell phones, quick-thinking, courageous citizens who were fed information by loved ones probably saved the White House or Congress from devastation."It shows what people who care more for saving lives of their loved ones than political posturing and power grabs can do for the country...
On a side note, is it just me or is it strange in all the intelligence we've gathered and suspects we've interrogated since 9/11, we still haven't found out precisely which D.C. building was the target of Flight 93? Just odd...
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Theatre Thursday
Week 6 - Animals
Two Brothers opens this weekend in theaters, the story of two twin tiger brothers that are taken into captivity and seperated. Ahh, the drama. We all love movies that are based upon a cute, cuddly, little animal. Well, I guess King Kong wasn't so cute and cuddly. Or little for that matter. So yeah, you guessed it. Its all about animals this week.
1. Whats your favorite movie with an animal as the main character?
Probably The Lion King. I've always been a fan of Disney animation, and I enjoyed The Lion King when it first came out but since my kids got into it, it's really grown on me.
2. Least favorite? And is it your least favorite because of the species of the main character, or just because it was a bad movie?
I loved The Shaggy D.A. when I was a kid (Dean Jones, Susanne Pleshette, Tim Conway - what's not to love??), but after catching it again a couple weeks ago I thought...eh. I loved this movie? It's not a least favorite, by any means, but it shows how the appeal of movies we loved as kids can fade over time - even for us nostalgia buffs. I mean, I bought the big Platinum DVD of The Love Bug, so...
3. Do you prefer your movie animals to be animated or real?
Animated, if they're supposed to talk and move like humans. Cats and Dogs was a good movie, but it's creepy to see their mouths move in CGI.
Bonus~ If you were to star in an animal movie... What type of species would you want your leading... animal to be. And why? C'mon be creative. Even name your animal flick.
Let's see, if I were starring in a movie with an animal it'd have to be...a whale. Yes, an embittered marine biologist leaves on a quest to find the answers he seeks in the wide open waters of the Pacific Northwest coast and befriends a lost humpback whale. I could call it..."The Cetacean, Me, and the Deep Blue Sea".
Call Eisner, I smell blockbuster!
Me and my skunk?!?! Yeah, have fun. Remember to leave a link to your blog or your answers in the comments. 'Til next time...
Two Brothers opens this weekend in theaters, the story of two twin tiger brothers that are taken into captivity and seperated. Ahh, the drama. We all love movies that are based upon a cute, cuddly, little animal. Well, I guess King Kong wasn't so cute and cuddly. Or little for that matter. So yeah, you guessed it. Its all about animals this week.
1. Whats your favorite movie with an animal as the main character?
Probably The Lion King. I've always been a fan of Disney animation, and I enjoyed The Lion King when it first came out but since my kids got into it, it's really grown on me.
2. Least favorite? And is it your least favorite because of the species of the main character, or just because it was a bad movie?
I loved The Shaggy D.A. when I was a kid (Dean Jones, Susanne Pleshette, Tim Conway - what's not to love??), but after catching it again a couple weeks ago I thought...eh. I loved this movie? It's not a least favorite, by any means, but it shows how the appeal of movies we loved as kids can fade over time - even for us nostalgia buffs. I mean, I bought the big Platinum DVD of The Love Bug, so...
3. Do you prefer your movie animals to be animated or real?
Animated, if they're supposed to talk and move like humans. Cats and Dogs was a good movie, but it's creepy to see their mouths move in CGI.
Bonus~ If you were to star in an animal movie... What type of species would you want your leading... animal to be. And why? C'mon be creative. Even name your animal flick.
Let's see, if I were starring in a movie with an animal it'd have to be...a whale. Yes, an embittered marine biologist leaves on a quest to find the answers he seeks in the wide open waters of the Pacific Northwest coast and befriends a lost humpback whale. I could call it..."The Cetacean, Me, and the Deep Blue Sea".
Call Eisner, I smell blockbuster!
Me and my skunk?!?! Yeah, have fun. Remember to leave a link to your blog or your answers in the comments. 'Til next time...
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
It's Not Easy Being Green
I just finished reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire. It's a stylized narrative of the birth, life and ultimate melting of the Wicked Witch of the West. It's an astounding book, and the musical based on the book was up for several Tonys this year.
The Witch, called "Elphaba" here (based on L Frank Baum's initials, I'm told), is cast as a, well not actually sympathetic character but her actions are much more understandable in light of the circumstances of her life. She is roommate of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in a college in northern Oz as a teen and their relationship reverberates through Ozian history and politics for many years.
This is by no means a children's book, especially the idea that the humanized "Animals" (those like the Cowardly Lion) function in Ozian society as outcasts and second-class citizens. They even fulfill some of society's...baser functions as well.
I hope to write a nice, detailed review soon but for now has anyone else read this?
The Witch, called "Elphaba" here (based on L Frank Baum's initials, I'm told), is cast as a, well not actually sympathetic character but her actions are much more understandable in light of the circumstances of her life. She is roommate of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North in a college in northern Oz as a teen and their relationship reverberates through Ozian history and politics for many years.
This is by no means a children's book, especially the idea that the humanized "Animals" (those like the Cowardly Lion) function in Ozian society as outcasts and second-class citizens. They even fulfill some of society's...baser functions as well.
I hope to write a nice, detailed review soon but for now has anyone else read this?
Tumbleweeds
Instapundit reports on the lack of interest in Bill Clinton's book here in Knoxville:
Knoxville.
The town where usually you can't swing a dead yellow dog without hitting a Republican. Or three.
I'm (nominally, now) a Democrat, and the rest of us are few and far between.
Frankly, I'm surprised it's even on sale here.
UPDATE (06/27/04):
For those News Sentinel visitors who might've read about this site in the paper (and others) please bear in mind:
a) The previous mayor of Knoxville for the last 16 years was a Republican.
b) The current mayor of Knoxville is a Republican.
c) The current mayor of Knox County is a Republican.
But of course, local races are non-partisan...right? Mmm-hmm...
Plus, I should've been more clear and said Knox County instead of just Knoxville. There the percentages str-e-e-e-e-etch just a bit toward the right.
"THEY MAY BE STANDING IN LONG LINES for Bill Clinton's book in New York, but when I visited my local mall just a few minutes after it opened this morning, the customers didn't seem to be lining up for their copies."Ok, Glenn, remember - this is Knoxville.
Knoxville.
The town where usually you can't swing a dead yellow dog without hitting a Republican. Or three.
I'm (nominally, now) a Democrat, and the rest of us are few and far between.
Frankly, I'm surprised it's even on sale here.
UPDATE (06/27/04):
For those News Sentinel visitors who might've read about this site in the paper (and others) please bear in mind:
a) The previous mayor of Knoxville for the last 16 years was a Republican.
b) The current mayor of Knoxville is a Republican.
c) The current mayor of Knox County is a Republican.
But of course, local races are non-partisan...right? Mmm-hmm...
Plus, I should've been more clear and said Knox County instead of just Knoxville. There the percentages str-e-e-e-e-etch just a bit toward the right.
Yahoo! Searches
I'm getting a good number of search result hits from Yahoo for "Petals Around The Rose answer" or "Petals Around the Rose solution". I talked about this puzzle here.
Right now I'm about 7th or 8th on those searches.
Hm.
Sorry, I talk about the Petals Around the Rose, but I'm not giving the answer. No, you have to solve it yourself.
Yes, the only way to find a solution to Petals Around the Rose is to be patient and persistent. Soon you too will be able to solve Petals Around the Rose.
Did I mention Petals Around the Rose?
Right now I'm about 7th or 8th on those searches.
Hm.
Sorry, I talk about the Petals Around the Rose, but I'm not giving the answer. No, you have to solve it yourself.
Yes, the only way to find a solution to Petals Around the Rose is to be patient and persistent. Soon you too will be able to solve Petals Around the Rose.
Did I mention Petals Around the Rose?
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
TV Tuesday
Week 15 - Infomercials
"But wait, there’s more!"
2004 is the 20th anniversary for the infomercial. The first acknowledged informercial was for Herbalife, a weight loss supplement in the fall of 1984. From real estate investments to fitness equipment, and kitchen gadgets, infomercials played to the tune of $154 billion in sales last year.
But celebrities beware - Cher’s star status was chewed apart after appearing in an infomecial for hair care products, and Dionne Warwick’s Psychic Friends Network sent her image from classy to kooky. Who could forget Susan Powter: Stop the insanity!
1. Do you watch infomercials? Be honest now! LOL
Honestly, nope. Not a single one.
2. What's your favorite infomercial or infomercial product?
Boy, I'm not going to have much for this week's entry. I don't watch them so I don't know them, except passing by while channel surfing. Um, maybe Suzanne Somers Thigh-Master? Simply because when it was running, I hadn't seen her in anything for several years at that point.
3. Have you ever bought anything from an infomercial? If so, what was it?
Again, nope. Boring, boring, boring...
~Bonus~ What's the stupidest (most annoying, most worthless) infomercial you've ever seen?
Any of the ones that are demoing their product before a live audience, that can only get excited and pepped up because the stage hands are holding their kids hostage and threatening them with dismemberment and shipping off to labor camps. Or they're just holding up "CHEER" signs, it's difficult to tell...
Remember to leave your link or answers in the comments!! :)
"But wait, there’s more!"
2004 is the 20th anniversary for the infomercial. The first acknowledged informercial was for Herbalife, a weight loss supplement in the fall of 1984. From real estate investments to fitness equipment, and kitchen gadgets, infomercials played to the tune of $154 billion in sales last year.
But celebrities beware - Cher’s star status was chewed apart after appearing in an infomecial for hair care products, and Dionne Warwick’s Psychic Friends Network sent her image from classy to kooky. Who could forget Susan Powter: Stop the insanity!
1. Do you watch infomercials? Be honest now! LOL
Honestly, nope. Not a single one.
2. What's your favorite infomercial or infomercial product?
Boy, I'm not going to have much for this week's entry. I don't watch them so I don't know them, except passing by while channel surfing. Um, maybe Suzanne Somers Thigh-Master? Simply because when it was running, I hadn't seen her in anything for several years at that point.
3. Have you ever bought anything from an infomercial? If so, what was it?
Again, nope. Boring, boring, boring...
~Bonus~ What's the stupidest (most annoying, most worthless) infomercial you've ever seen?
Any of the ones that are demoing their product before a live audience, that can only get excited and pepped up because the stage hands are holding their kids hostage and threatening them with dismemberment and shipping off to labor camps. Or they're just holding up "CHEER" signs, it's difficult to tell...
Remember to leave your link or answers in the comments!! :)
Monday, June 21, 2004
Paving Paradise
"Don't it always seem to go,For some reason this song's been running through my head today.
That you don't know what you've got, 'til it's gone?"
-- Joni Mitchell
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Father's Day Weekend
A weekend summary of life in and around the real Inn of the Last Home:
- Friday: Met Beth and some of my old high school friends for drinks at The Spot, a local club. The club caters now, it seems, to the crowd that have yet to celebrate their 10-year class reunion, much less their 20th.
Beth - raucous, caustic, and witty and sophisticated as ever - was our class valedictorian and one of my best friends in school. She is living her dream, raising and caring for horses in Kentucky after spending several years as a loan procurer for horse owners. Her younger sister Catherine was in my younger brother's class and also joined us. I haven't seen her since she was in junior high, probably, and suddenly adding twenty years to a junior-high kid was a bit jarring but she turned out to have a dry sense of humor and very easy-going style. Rounding out the group was Karen, who I was not as familiar with in school but now I wish I'd gotten to know her better - she is quite charming.
So, how did I get so lucky to spend the evening with three beautiful women? (ssssh...don't tell my wife) :)
We enjoyed our own reunion, toasting the memory of our classmate who recently passed away and sadly won't be attending any more reunions.
Time passes.
I got home at 1:30 am...
- Saturday - We got up early, took BrainyBoy and GiggleGirl to a friend's house and spent the morning and afternoon hanging siding for a Habitat for Humanity House.
Now, I'm the least handy person in the world. I consult the User's Manual for a hammer. And it was me that caused the Northeast US blackout last year when I tried to change a fuse. So what in the world do I know about siding?
Well, surprise, no more than anybody else that volunteered! So what did we do?
We finished the house. In two hours less than the time allotted :) Yeah, us!
Tired and sweaty, we picked up the kids (Quote: "We have to leave n-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-w????"),farmed them offtook one each to visit their respective sets of grandparents, and returned home. L. (my wife) soon left for a work fundraiser that night, and I ambled my way to Oak Ridge to see their production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Sound familiar? That's the show I musical directed in Florida back in February. This was an extra hoot because my boss's husband was playing the lead, Sheriff Dodd.
I got home and was in bed by 12:15, L. home and in bed not much later than that. This was the first time since the Pleistocene era that I'd been in bed asleep before her.
- Sunday: After church, we gathered BrainyBoy and sent him to camp Wesley Woods in Townsend, TN. This is his first overnight (two nights, actually) camp trip, and you would think he did this every day. BB is adaptable - happily, eagerly - to almost any situation and gave hardly a second glance.
Back to my parents house for Father's Day cookout. Spent the evening lounging happily on the back deck with my dad and L's dad, watching the end of the US Open and allowing our bellies to expand from the hamburgers and hot dogs. GiggleGirl and I took a walk around the yard where I grew up, looking for butterflies and bunnies.
We just got home a while ago. L. and GiggleGirl are snuggled in the bed, BrainyBoy's at camp, I'm on the computer and all's right with the world.
Life is very. Very. Very. Good.
Friday, June 18, 2004
CRIKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
'House-sized' meteorite hits
Maybe it wasn't a meteorite....
Anyone check lately to make sure the International Space Station or the Hubble's still in orbit?
"A METEORITE reportedly the size of a house fell on the New South Wales south coast overnight, exploding in a bright flash, police have said.I thought all those stories about meteorite and asteroid impacts always screamed that a hit by anything bigger than this would produce a multi-megaton explosion, wiping out all life in the area and creating a nuclear-winter like effect?
...
The meteorite was described as glowing silver in colour and similar to an artillery shell when it exploded with a bright flash on impact."
Maybe it wasn't a meteorite....
Anyone check lately to make sure the International Space Station or the Hubble's still in orbit?
Friday Feast
This looks like fun...
Appetizer
What kind of car do you drive? If you could make an even trade for any other car, what would you want to drive?
I drive a 1994 light green Ford Taurus. With no radio. We inherited it from when my wife's grandfather passed away four years ago. If I could trade, I'd trade for my coworker's red Mustang that I see and drool over every day in the parking lot (the car, not the coworker).
Soup
Take your phone number and add each number together separately (example: 8+6+7+5+3+0+9=38) - what's the total?
Home: 21, Work: 22, Cell: 28 Bingo!
Salad
When were you last outside, and what were you doing?
This morning, coming to work.
Main Course
What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you usually order there?
My favorite restaurant right now is probably the Rainforest Cafe, although unfortunately there's not one in Knoxville. When we visit the one in Nashville I usually get the Meat Loaf. Otherwise, my local favorite is probably Litton's in Fountain City (suburb of Knoxville where I grew up), and I always get their famous hamburger.
Dessert
Name 3 things in which you occasionally indulge.
Chips
Chips
Chips
Appetizer
What kind of car do you drive? If you could make an even trade for any other car, what would you want to drive?
I drive a 1994 light green Ford Taurus. With no radio. We inherited it from when my wife's grandfather passed away four years ago. If I could trade, I'd trade for my coworker's red Mustang that I see and drool over every day in the parking lot (the car, not the coworker).
Soup
Take your phone number and add each number together separately (example: 8+6+7+5+3+0+9=38) - what's the total?
Home: 21, Work: 22, Cell: 28 Bingo!
Salad
When were you last outside, and what were you doing?
This morning, coming to work.
Main Course
What is your favorite restaurant, and what do you usually order there?
My favorite restaurant right now is probably the Rainforest Cafe, although unfortunately there's not one in Knoxville. When we visit the one in Nashville I usually get the Meat Loaf. Otherwise, my local favorite is probably Litton's in Fountain City (suburb of Knoxville where I grew up), and I always get their famous hamburger.
Dessert
Name 3 things in which you occasionally indulge.
Chips
Chips
Chips
Thursday, June 17, 2004
A Tragedy of Errors?
Radio Record Paints Chilling 9/11 Picture Yahoo! NewsLet's examine this Tragedy of Errors piece by piece:
This allowed Flight 11 about twenty more free minutes to fly toward NYC. By now, over thirty minutes of flight time have passed since they first received the first inkling of a problem.
So, ten minutes after Flight 11 crashed into tower #2, the FAA at New York says they might have a couple of hijacks? Might?? Understandably it might have taken several minutes for the news that the plane had hit the tower to filter through, but not the hijackings themselves.
The F-15's have been in the air for about ten minutes, assuming it only takes a couple minutes from orders to takeoff.
The first Unforgivable Mistake ripples down the line.
Indianapolis had no idea anything was going on. They thought Flight 77 out of Dulles had possibly crashed, even though the World Trade Center had been burning for eight minutes.
Normally a flight path deviation is not a huge cause for alarm, but after what had happened already a third airliner anomaly should've raised all kinds of red flags had the correct communication been in place.
The second crash occurs a minute or two later, and the military is still unaware the WTC is under attack at all...*sigh*
The fourth Unforgivable Mistake. Flight 77 has been off its flight plan and incommunicado for thirty minutes....Savor that - Thirty Minutes....until jets are scrambled from Langley at 9:24.
Had the Langley jets been scrambled earlier, and received accurate orders....
Each successive hijacking and loss of communication with the planes should have decreased reaction time and increased suspicion and alert. It did not, and each one was treated with more or less the same amount of reaction.
Lack of communication was critical and disastrous.
There was suspicion of hijacking at 9:28, forty-two minutes after Flight 11 crashed, thirty-four minutes after loss of communication with Flight 77, and twenty-five minutes after Flight 175 crashed.
At 9:38, hijacking was likely independantly confirmed with the last transmission from the hijackers, fifty-two minutes after Flight 11 crashed, thirty-five minutes after Flight 175 crashed, forty-four minutes after loss of communication with Flight 77 and right at the same minute it crashed into the Pentagon.
At 9:38, the Langley jets were still out in the ocean. It's unknown whether they could've made it back to DC by the time Flight 93 would've made it there.
It's unknown (to me) if any other jets were or could have been scrambled between Newark and Pennsylvania.
But for the grace of God, and courageous passengers, our Capitol Building or the White House remains intact.
But it's still the sixth Unforgivable Mistake that the hijacking of Flight 93 wasn't recognized and reacted to before it crashed.
Communication breakdowns, not security, lost that day and changed the world.
UPDATE: Panel Doubts Claim That F-16's Would've Stopped Flight 93 New York Times - registration required)
Lack of proper order is a continuation of the fifth Unforgivable Mistake.
UPDATE 2: I forgot to make the point above, that while the US government's total communication breakdown with itself on 9/11, from the FAA to the military and back, was incomprehensible.... all it took were cell phone calls from the ground to the passengers of Flight 93 to alert them to the world situation.
Cell phones. They were enough to encourage the passengers to react - react swiftly, and resolutely - to take down Flight 93 themselves.
Not the combined communication power of the US Government. Cell phones.
Chilling radio transmissions by the Sept. 11 hijackers from the planes they commandeered were played publicly for the first time Thursday, providing a vivid and horrifying portrait as they unfolded on that fateful day before confused air traffic officials and military personnel.
"We have some planes. Just stay quiet and you'll be O.K. We are returning to the airport," a hijacker, believed to be Mohamed Atta, the alleged ringleader of the 19 hijackers, told the passengers of American Airlines Flight 11. The tape was played for the audience at the commission's hearing.
That transmission was the first inkling federal air traffic controllers had of the hijacking of American Airlines Flight 11 shortly after takeoff from Boston's Logan Airport at 8 a.m. EDT. Atta had been speaking to the plane's passengers, but the radio transmission was received at the FAA's Boston Center.All right, let's assume they intercepted this transmission around app. 8:05 a.m....
As FAA controllers tried desperately to contact the plane, which had changed its transponder code, they picked up another transmission, also apparently from Atta.
"Nobody move. Everything will be O.K. If you try to make any moves, you'll endanger yourself and the airplane. Just stay quiet."Understandable, that this would probably continue till about 8:15
Controllers tried to contact the military, even trying to raise a military alert center in Atlantic City, N.J., unaware that facility had been phased out. The FAA finally reached the appropriate military office at 8:37 a.m.First Unforgivable Mistake, that they wouldn't have an updated list of military alert centers. This should have been both the responsibility of the FAA and the military to keep the lists up to date, in case of such an emergency. As both are government agencies, they should easily be able to talk to each other and have kept this information current and accessible.
This allowed Flight 11 about twenty more free minutes to fly toward NYC. By now, over thirty minutes of flight time have passed since they first received the first inkling of a problem.
"We have a problem here," the FAA's Boston Center told NEADS, the North East Air Defense Sector. "We have a hijacked aircraft headed towards New York, and we need you guys to, we need someone to scramble some F-16s or something up there, help us out."
"Is this real-world or exercise?" asked the incredulous NEADS officer.
"No, this is not an exercise, not a test," the FAA responded.
F-15 fighter jets were ordered scrambled from Otis Air Force Base at 8:46 a.m. Forty seconds later, Flight 11 hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.It took the Air Force about 9 minutes to scramble the jets, just before Flight 11 hit. I have no quibble with the time it took to get the jets in the air, but if communication had been better they might have been in the air as much as 20 minutes sooner. We'll never know if they could've made it to NYC on time to save Flight 11 or Tower #2, but they would have certainly been there in time for.....
For United Flight 175, the second plane hijacked from Logan, the situation was similarly disjointed. That plane took off at 8:14 a.m. from Boston's Logan Airport. At 8:47 a.m., almost the same time as Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center, Flight 175 changed its transponder code.If communications had been where they should be, the few minutes it takes to react to a possible hijacking of Flight 175 should've been shortened with news of Flight 11's fate...
At 8:58 a.m., a controller at the FAA's New York Center told another New York controller, "We might have a hijack over here, two of them." At 9 a.m., a New York Center manager tells the FAA Command Center in Herndon, Va., "We have several situations going on here. It's escalating big, big time. We need to get the military involved with us."Instead, it took eleven minutes for the speculation to begin.
So, ten minutes after Flight 11 crashed into tower #2, the FAA at New York says they might have a couple of hijacks? Might?? Understandably it might have taken several minutes for the news that the plane had hit the tower to filter through, but not the hijackings themselves.
The F-15's have been in the air for about ten minutes, assuming it only takes a couple minutes from orders to takeoff.
The first Unforgivable Mistake ripples down the line.
Flight 175 hit the south tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 a.m.Had the order to scramble come sooner the F-15's might've been there, seen what Flight 11 had done, received the news of the second hijacking and been prepared to deal with Flight 175.
The third hijacked plane, American Airlines Flight 77, had left Dulles International Airport near Washington at 8:20 a.m. At 8:54 a.m., the plane deviated from its flight plan. It was tracked by an Indianapolis-based controller, then unaware of the other hijackings. When the controller couldn't raise the aircraft, it notified other agencies that it was missing and may have crashed.Here's the second Unforgivable Mistake. At 8:54, fifty minutes had passed since Atta's intercepted comments, seventeen minutes since FAA Boston had notifed NEADS, and eight minutes since the F-15's were scrambled and Flight 11 hit Tower #2, and seven minutes since FAA New York had lost Flight 175's transponder code.
Indianapolis had no idea anything was going on. They thought Flight 77 out of Dulles had possibly crashed, even though the World Trade Center had been burning for eight minutes.
Normally a flight path deviation is not a huge cause for alarm, but after what had happened already a third airliner anomaly should've raised all kinds of red flags had the correct communication been in place.
The military did not know about the search for Flight 77. Instead, it was mistakenly told by the FAA's Boston Center that American's Flight 11 was still in the air and headed toward Washington. Fighter jets were ordered scrambled from Langley Air Force Base at 9:24 a.m.The third Unforgivable Mistake. Now about ten minutes after the first crash, the military thinks Flight 11 is alive and headed for DC??? This mistake in communication causes more untold confusion and delays.
The second crash occurs a minute or two later, and the military is still unaware the WTC is under attack at all...*sigh*
The fourth Unforgivable Mistake. Flight 77 has been off its flight plan and incommunicado for thirty minutes....Savor that - Thirty Minutes....until jets are scrambled from Langley at 9:24.
Had the Langley jets been scrambled earlier, and received accurate orders....
Instead of heading north to Washington, the fighter jets headed east over the ocean because the initial scramble order didn't include the target's location or distance. A "generic" flight plan incorrectly led the fighter jet pilots to believe they were to fly east for 60 miles, the report said....things might have been different.
FAA radar, meanwhile, had apparently been able to track Flight 77, but for what the commission said were technical reasons, the information was not immediately displayed to controllers at the Indianapolis center. It eventually re-emerged on radar, and by 9:32 a.m. controllers at Dulles observed that it was headed to Washington.Technical glitches happen. Tragic, but not quite unforgivable under normal circumstances. But these being far from normal circumstances, this is the fifth Unforgivable Mistake. For thirty minutes, the FAA had Flight 77 on radar but Indianapolis couldn't see it until 9:32. Were there no other radar installations between Indianapolis and Washington?
The FAA asked an unarmed military cargo plane to identify and follow the airliner. At 9:38 a.m., the pilot of that plane reported to the Washington control tower that it "looks like that aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, sir."Meanwhile, the Langley jets have been cruising over the ocean for fourteen minutes. Accurate orders might not have put them in DC in time to intercept Flight 77, but earlier scramble orders would have.
Each successive hijacking and loss of communication with the planes should have decreased reaction time and increased suspicion and alert. It did not, and each one was treated with more or less the same amount of reaction.
Lack of communication was critical and disastrous.
United Airlines Flight 93 had taken off from Newark at 8:42 a.m. Its last transmission was at 9:28 a.m. A minute later, the Cleveland-based FAA controller heard "a radio transmission of unintelligible sounds of possible screaming or a struggle from an unknown origin."
There was a second transmission, with sounds of screaming someone yelling, "Get out of here, get out of here." Then came another transmission. "Keep remaining sitting. We have a bomb on board."
Between 9:34 a.m. and 9:38 a.m., the controller observed United 93 climbing and moved several aircraft out of its way. Then another transmission came from the plane.
"Uh, is the captain. Would like you all to remain seated. There is a bomb on board and are going back to the airport, and to have our demands (unintelligible). Please remain quiet."
United 93 was spotted by another aircraft and reported to be "waving its wings." It crashed in Pennsylvania at 10:03:11 a.m. near Johnstown.Flight 93 was out of contact for thirty-five minutes until it crashed in Pennsylvania.
There was suspicion of hijacking at 9:28, forty-two minutes after Flight 11 crashed, thirty-four minutes after loss of communication with Flight 77, and twenty-five minutes after Flight 175 crashed.
At 9:38, hijacking was likely independantly confirmed with the last transmission from the hijackers, fifty-two minutes after Flight 11 crashed, thirty-five minutes after Flight 175 crashed, forty-four minutes after loss of communication with Flight 77 and right at the same minute it crashed into the Pentagon.
At 9:38, the Langley jets were still out in the ocean. It's unknown whether they could've made it back to DC by the time Flight 93 would've made it there.
It's unknown (to me) if any other jets were or could have been scrambled between Newark and Pennsylvania.
But for the grace of God, and courageous passengers, our Capitol Building or the White House remains intact.
But it's still the sixth Unforgivable Mistake that the hijacking of Flight 93 wasn't recognized and reacted to before it crashed.
Communication breakdowns, not security, lost that day and changed the world.
UPDATE: Panel Doubts Claim That F-16's Would've Stopped Flight 93 New York Times - registration required)
"The doomed passengers who fought with terrorist hijackers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 probably saved "countless" other lives and might well have prevented an attack on the White House or the Capitol, the staff of the commission investigating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said today.So even if the F-16's from Langley could've made it in time to intercept Flight 93 before it hit Washington, they may not've known what to do with it.
The heroism of the passengers was vital because — contrary to some earlier official statements and impressions — the pilots of F-16 fighters that had been scrambled to protect Washington did not have the authority to shoot down a hijacked aircraft, the report said.
Noting that officials of the North American Aerospace Defense Command have maintained that they would have intercepted and shot down Flight 93, which crashed in southwestern Pennsylvania, had it reached Washington, the staff of the 9/11 commission differed.
...
"There was only one set of fighters orbiting Washington, D.C., during this time frame," the report said, referring to a pair of F-16's from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. "They were armed and under Norad's control."
But they had not been told that they were authorized to shoot down an aircraft, contrary to what Vice President Dick Cheney thought at that time. In fact, the report noted, "the Langley pilots were never briefed about the reason they were scrambled" and did not know that the vice president had ordered that a Washington-bound hijacked jet be shot down."
Lack of proper order is a continuation of the fifth Unforgivable Mistake.
UPDATE 2: I forgot to make the point above, that while the US government's total communication breakdown with itself on 9/11, from the FAA to the military and back, was incomprehensible.... all it took were cell phone calls from the ground to the passengers of Flight 93 to alert them to the world situation.
Cell phones. They were enough to encourage the passengers to react - react swiftly, and resolutely - to take down Flight 93 themselves.
Not the combined communication power of the US Government. Cell phones.
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