Three cheers for my executive assistant!!!

Thank you Rachel! Thank you Rachel! Thank you Rachel!

I know it was an absolute BOREFEST for my little lady, but not only did Rachel spend the day at work with Dad, she completed 17 of her 23 pages of her Las Vegas scrapbook, explained much of her trip to Mr. Rodney (especially Hoover Dam), ate some fries, watched some TV, and generally survived.

She also handled a commercial emergency with complete grace and style. We get a frantic email from an area car dealership needing to immediately change their commercial copy and get the new spot on the air ASAP.

Here's the beautiful thing about radio, friends.....

Dad takes the script, alerts a producer upstairs of its impending arrival, all at 11am. Dad checks the computer system and sees the next scheduled spot at 11:40am. Hmmm, 40 minutes from now.

I write up the production order, staple the script, give to Ms. Witham, and ask her very, very, very nicely to take the order upstairs, and she relents. Hee hee...

I get an email at 1130am from upstairs saying spot is done. Couple of mouse clicks and drags on my desktop and the area car dealership is very happy. :)

I love one more satisfied customer!

Ask a newspaper editor if you can swap out spots in less than 40 minutes.

How 'bout your Account Rep at your local TV station or cable company.

Didn't think so.

RADIO IS STILL THE CHOICE FOR EVER-CHANGING COPY NEEDS!!! Radio can turn commercial copy into an on-the-air product at the turn of a dime.

Newspaper, TV, magazines---they can't turn a change like that in an ocean.

AND (yes, time to ruffle feathers), we are STILL BETTER than the Internet. WHY?

Simple. That commercial we premiered at 1140am this morning was heard by thousands of people.

Make a quick switch on a website spot all you want, but thousands of people won't see it until you, well, have, thousands of hits. For most websites, that takes much longer than 40 minutes.

-----------------------------------------------------

Scrapbooks from Las Vegas, proves the power of radio, puts up with Dad and is still smiling at day's end.

That's my girl!

Dragging through life one breath and one step at a time.....

....no work on Tuesday or Wednesday. 41 1/2 hours in bed. No energy, no nothing.

Back to work today; not wanting to keep my two closest department compadres in a holding pattern (i.e.---when's the goober coming back!???!??)

Sleepy, just exhausted most of the day; actually picked up some steam late this PM and stayed tonight because.....

....every minute of work I did tonight is one less minute of work I have to do tomorrow....when poor Rachel gets to enjoy a wonderful Friday during her summer vacation sitting by my desk....whoopee.

I know she's thrilled. Especially when I ask her to take production orders upstairs to the studios.

So, I hang on for one more day, then rest over the weekend, and, most of all, get ready for arguably the most rewarding event of my 10-plus years in pastoral ministry.

I get to baptize Robbie and Rachel in a private ceremony, in the backyard pool.

After that? Hopefully some grillin' and chillin' in the pool!

And for those of you who think that is sacreligious.....get a life. :)

And now the rest of the '70s, in random order....

....my "eventual" completion of a look back at my first 40 years continues; looking now past sports of the 1970's and to the other events that scream "70's" in my ear.

--When I was five, six, seven---I thought Richard Nixon was always President. He was the only one I ever saw on TV, he must be President forever.

--I remember where I was and what I was wearing the night I saw Nixon resign on TV. I was seven. That's sad. :)

--If you live in Virginia and remember politics here in the 70s, you'll remember these two words:

Henry Howell.

--If you live in the Richmond area and remember politics here in the 70s, you'll remember these two words:

Howard Carwile.

Then there was Governors Holton, Godwin the Republican (having previously served in the 60s by the stage name "Godwin the Democrat" and Dalton; the final years of the "Byrd Machine" as Senator Harry F. Byrd headed toward retirement.

Then two deaths within the Virginia Republican ranks changed the course of Virginia politics; one in 1978, the other in 1986.

--Richard Obenshain, the Republican Nominee for U.S. Senate in 1978, who died in a plane crash in early August. John Warner was picked to succeed him as nominee and still is a U.S. Senator today. Some say Obenshain's death was not "an accident".

--Gov. John Dalton, who won the '77 election, was considered a shoo-in to run for U.S. Senate during the 80s, but was diagnosed with lung cancer after leaving office and died three years later.

--------------------------------------------------

The headlines of the decade I remember:

--Watergate hearings pre-empt soap operas! Housewives of the nation unite!

--Sam Ervin, John Dean, and 74 other people (or so it seemed) became household names.

--Agnew resigns; Gerald Ford appointed Veep.

--Ten months later, Ford becomes President when Nixon resigned.

--Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam. I remember seeing footage of the fall of Saigon, April 30, 1975, and the frantic attempts of people trying to leave via the last helicopters.

--America's Bicentennial in 1976. "The Bicentennial Minute" feature in prime time on CBS. Bicentennial quarters! I still like hanging on to a few of them.

--Jimmy Who?

--Jimmy wins; walks to the White House in Inaugural Parade, which I watched from home, sick, so not at school.

--I'm watching Charlie's Angels with my brother one July, 1977 night when suddenly, it went off the air. So did CBS. So did NBC. It was the New York Blackout.

--Legionnaire's Disease in Philadelphia.

--Generalissmo Francisco Franco is near death.
--Generalissmo Francisco Franco is dead.
--Generalissmo Francisco Franco is still dead.

--Detente (is this facial cream used by Brezhnev?)

--Son of Sam.
--Jim Jones and Guyana.
--Sadat talks to Walter who talks to Begin who talks to Sadat who then talks with Begin with Walter; plus Walters talks to Begin and Sadat who agree to meet, and, eventually...

--The Israeli/Egyptian peace accord, with the handshake on the White House Lawn. Was it me, or did it look like 25 people's hands were in on it, it looked so big?

--ABC's World News Tonight; July 10, 1978.
--Tropical Storm Agnes, 1972; floods our basement on my 5th birthday.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The TV entertainment I remember includes:

--The FBI.....but only the "Epilogue". We'd get home from church each Sunday night in time to see the final scene. A glass of strawberry milk was awaiting me (the Sunday night treat). Whoo hoo!!

--Gilligans Island
--Get Smart (the Cone of Silence!!)
--The Gong Show (yes, The Gong Show--I LOVED it!)
--Match Game '7...whichever year it was....
--The Flintstones!!!
--and of course, The Jetsons!
--Saturday morning consisted of Bugs Bunny and the Pink Panther.
--Throw Shazam and Isis in there during their runs...
--the evening news.
--the local news.
--election nights.
--MLB Game of the Week, Saturday afternoons.
--Monday Night Baseball
--Monday Night Football
--Sunday football on CBS and NBC (I preferred the NFC on CBS, unless the Raiders were on!!)
--The Dating Game
--The Newlywed Game
--Gomer Pyle, USMC
--The Captain & Tennille (their variety show, I had a HUGE crush on Toni Tennille at age 9)

I'm sure there are others. Feeble minds begin to forget. :)

Music (cue the 45!)

--Record your favorite songs with a Panasonic Portable off WRVA-AM. Yes, kids...AM.

--Love Will Keep Us Together
--Philadelphia Freedom
--Mr. Jaws
--Never Can Say Goodbye
--Some 30 or 40 Eagles songs (take your pick)
--The Beatles' "Rock n' Roll Music" Double LP, 1976
--Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits (one of the first albums I bought; listened to it every night going to sleep.)
--Blues Brothers (Rubber Biscuit!!)
--The Sultans of Swing

--The Spirit of America, 1480, WLEE, Richmond.

--"Daniel" (on the radio while on 301 South going through Wilson, NC; heading toward Four Oaks, and a thunderstorm.

--"Rumours" from Fleetwood Mac.
--"Been to Canaan" from Carole King; if my sister sang it once in her room, she sang it 5,000 times.

--Boston's debut album. One of the five best LP's of all time.

--One word: disco.

--"Knock on Wood" from Amie Stewart was a great disco song.

--I liked more disco music than I wanted to admit then. And now. :)

--August, 1979: "My Sharona".

--Abba. Backwards, spelled Abba.

MORE FROM THE 45 RPM COLLECTION (mostly bought at Woolco or Woolworth at 86 cents apiece thanks to Dad's weekly Thursday trips to Azalea Mall armed with a weekly list from my brother and I. Thanks, Dee, for all the help at Woolworth!!)

--"Convoy"
--"Get Up And Boogie"
--"Why Can't We Be Friends"
--"One Piece at a Time"
--"Shop Around"
--"Moonlight Feels Right"
--"Afternoon Delight" (like I knew what THAT meant at age 9.5)
--"Theme From SWAT" (yes....SWAT)
--"Rubberband Man"
--"Best of My Love" (Eagles and the Emotions)
--"Le Freak!!"
--"Car Wash"
--"Whatcha Gonna Do"
--"Undercover Angel"

and lots more, I'm sure.


Ah, yes, the 70s. Started them in potty training, ended them at age 12, 7th grade, having no idea what the 1980's would bring.

Four TV Channels, AM Radio, 45 Records, Panasonic Tape Recorders, Leisure Suits, Disco, lots of golf and football and baseball in the back yard, "Five-Second Ball" against the front of the house. And so much more.

Thanks for your indulgence. :):)

Talking out of both ends of the thermostat......

......bet you didn't know that unusually cold weather is ALSO caused by, of course, global warming.

Read this column from the Sunday Telegraph in Australia concerning record COLD temperatures throughout that nation last month. Enjoy the sarcasm, too. I did. :)

Then, look at the comments left by, first, Stephen Boone, then, by Jennifer Hor. I'm confused. Is cold weather meaningless? Was Katrina actually the first of a new set of "super-hurricanes"? Maybe it was so devastating because of man-made levees breaking down in New Orleans, and, because, it came so close to a major American city? Or, was Katrina among the biggest of all hurricanes, in terms of loss of life and damage, to have hit the U.S. mainland over the past 138 years, but cannot be called a "new shape of things to come", especially when 2006 followed 2005 with very little hurricane activity affecting the United States?

Or, is Jennifer right, that cold weather can also be proof of global warming?

Here's what I believe to be true:

--throughout its existence, the Earth has gone through climate changes, warming and cooling. These cycles last for centuries and are not a sudden onslaught.

--it's been warmer on this Earth than it is now, and the Earth continues.

--it's very presumptuous of humans to believe we have the power to destroy the planet because of factories, rush hour, and NASCAR.

--while at the same time realize the dinosaurs became extinct because of either a meteor strike or due to global climate changes even beyond their control (I don't think Joe Camel existed back then....)

--We humans actually have convinced ourselves that our behavior will cause such change to the planet that we will all die. No other creature has been successful in that "endeavor", so to speak; the Earth always wins.

--So, if global warming is true and the extinction of mankind is coming, at some point, let it be said it's been centuries in the making, as opposed to the "Smokestack Age".

I do find it ironic that global "warming" is considered the biggest threat ever to our survival; yet, as a believer in Christ, I already know that this Earth will one day be destroyed and we will celebrate eternal life with Christ on, as the Bible says, "the Earth made new".

Hell, on the other hand, isn't for ice cubes. Is that the ultimate, ironic climax of this historic, final bout with "global warming"?

AND FINALLY----my number one reason for this post:

If warming proves global warming and cooling proves global warming, then what's left to use as evidence for the "Ice Age"? Amana? GE?

In other words, how convenient that now extreme global warming advocates (of the idea, not the event) are using any climate change to prove their point.

It's hard to be debated when you claim all sides and all proof in an argument to be in your possession, proving your point. Sounds like a continuation of the "shut up" movement worldwide where scientists who have the evidence that we're being fed a line of bull are basically blackballed.

And now, if you'll excuse me; I need to check my thermostat. I'm not sweating at this moment, but if I keep exhaling carbon dioxide at my rate, I may get hot anytime now.

"I Wished They Had Stayed 'Til Next Summer!!"

The words of a 15 year old son who, I think, really enjoyed our five day exploration of "bachelorhood".

Those words were spoken just after midnight on this Saturday 7/14 as I announced that the ladies had arrived. They drove home tonight rather than tomorrow, and, so long as they were careful and safe, that was fine by me. I missed them! :)

Oh, Robbie did, too----but you never admit that at age 15.

You wake up in the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, and go to sleep in your own bed in Glen Allen, Virginia. Whoa. That's basically an entire swing of the pendulum.

Unless she thinks I'm some sort of freak, wifey won't see the things she probably saw last night. :)

Lots of pictures to see; lots of stories to tell. And that's what happened here while they were gone! Just kidding.

It's great to have them home. Now, Robbie and I need to start planning for our big vacation; a whirlwind tour to every Stuckey's we can find.

Looks like an eastern swing to Disputanta (cool! We'll visit friends!), down to Franklin, then over to Chesapeake, then US-58 to Emporia, and back home.

Casinos vs. Stuckeys Bathrooms

Exquisite Gourmet Food vs. really good Coca-Cola

Dancing Girls vs Madge, the cashier (doesn't every cashier at Stuckey's pass for a Madge?)

Big Variety Shows vs Pecan Logs

-----------------------------------------------------------

I really don't think there's any comparison, and we fully expect to develop a cult following for Stuckey's Tour 2007. Hope to see you there!

Update from Sin City....

....when they party, they party....

....when they get back to the hotel, they crash.

"We're old."---that's an exact quote from my wife this morning. Rachel should have corrected her. :)

Today was, I think, Red River Canyon, Old Vegas, and they were trying to get to the observation deck of the Stratosphere Hotel tonight.

Tomorrow is travel day to the Grand Canyon. I want pictures. I think the Hoover Dam is thrown in for free, too.

Robbie and I are hanging pretty well; I am so proud of how he has persevered his dad being at the office more hours than his dad wanted to be. He has made a big friend in Harry J. (our new dog), who now listens and obeys his instructions.

Rachel may have some catching up to do in that department. :)

And now, time to do a few more things for work, then something for ME.

Bed.

P.S.---What about that conference she went to Vegas for?? Hee hee.....

Rob's Advice: ...take a couple hours and catch up with the ones you love....

....in the midst of a very busy, hectic week, between lots of work at the office and the ladies in the Pacific Time Zone, I squeezed in a lunch date with one of my most dearest friends of all time; we go back to the 8th grade. I honestly, honestly do not remember the last time we had even 30 minutes, sat down, and caught up. I'm embarrassed to admit that to the world. The fault lies at my feet.

I told her I could not tell her how excited I have been about us meeting at Fridays and catching up about all things, whether good, bad, or indifferent, as that is how life goes.

It was wonderful. That time will sustain me thanks to much of our conversation; it was uplifting, and I need that "push" during those "down" times I've become so infamous for.

So, do this. Don't let it get to be five, ten, 20 years between lunches when it comes to dear friends. They are few and far between, so don't let them go. Even if it's only once or twice a year, DO IT.

I didn't realize this until age 39. Too many great chances passed by me, I'm sure, because I didn't become active to search for them, or I was so busy in the "here and now", I didn't take time to consider them.

As we left, she and I both realized we were walking back to piles of work since others don't just "take over" our full responsibilities when it comes to our respective careers.

And we both, for a couple of hours today, simply did not care.

Thanks, my dear! It's on me next time! :) :)

An overdue welcome to the newest Witham!!!!

WELCOME HARRY J.!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, what they do now will stay where they are, I guess.....

....that's what I've always heard, at least.

Bonnie and Rachel touched down in Las Vegas about 115pm ET, or 1015am PT.

Rachel described her first flight from New Bern to Charlotte as "magnificent", which surprised me. They were on one of those SMALL planes, and I thought it may scare her (it would me!)

After the flight from Charlotte to Vegas, the pilot let her come in, sit down and get a picture taken. WOW! What a day for Rachel, and she hadn't even left the tarmac yet!

They've called to say they are in their hotel, where the bariatric conference began today; Bonnie's met people who've lost over 200 pounds thanks to the Lap Band.

Oh, and Rachel reports there's an aquarium, and a white bengal tiger....INSIDE THE LOBBY.

I asked if the tiger helped carry bags to her room. She snickered. Guess not. :)

-------------------------------------

So, I'm grateful to God for a safe journey for them, look forward to hearing "The Rachel Reports", and until their return.....

It's THE GUYS AND THE ANIMALS!!!!!!

Rob, Robbie, Cody, Zoe, Harry J, Chloe, the fish and the itty bitty frog sharing the fish tank with the fish.


.....wonder if I should call the ladies tomorrow at 8am when I'm getting ready to leave for work. Yeah, I know, it'll be 5am there, but what's a few hours among family members? Hee hee.....

So, what DO I remember about the 70s??

Now, what, two weeks AFTER my 40th birthday, I thought I begin taking care of some unfinished business; most notably, the posts I promised looking back on a generation of, well, me.

I did the 60s year by year; if I do that for every year from 1970 on, I'll have to blog for 33 consecutive hours, and one with sleep apnea doesn't stand a great chance of staying awake for that long.

SO, ROB'S REVIEW/MEMORIES (and maybe a little rewritten history) OF THE 1970s!!!

(in no real order, rhyme, or reasoning. hee hee....)

SPORTS:

--I fell in love with baseball cards.
--One of the biggest days of the year was the day the UPS truck arrived with our order of that year's Topps baseball cards, ordered from Renata Galasso.
--My brother developed a baseball game using homemade cards and dice, with lineups made out of your team, the players being represented by their baseball card.
--Too bad he didn't seek a patent.
--I made sure my first team had what I called the "superstar outfield", which would include Cito Gaston, Ed Stroud, and Rick Monday (I had a Rick Monday glove as a kid).

--I chose favorite teams....

The Baltimore Orioles: their games were on the radio every night; my brother was a Yankee fan (yecch!!); I liked their rookie outfielder that year, Al Bumbry. I even named a cat Al Bumbry. Brooks Robinson became my favorite player, followed by Jim Palmer.

The Oakland Raiders: not sure why, but Kenny Stabler quickly became a favorite, plus Cliff Branch and Fred Biletnikoff. I remember Stabler tossing the winning TD while falling down to Clarence Davis in the playoffs to eliminate the two-time defending champion Miami Dolphins.

The Washington Bullets: Closet NBA team to home, and I liked The Big "E"!!! That's Elvin Hayes for those of you who know nothing of the NBA pre-1991 Chicago Bulls.

The Denver Nuggets: My ABA team, because my favorite college basketball player, David Thompson, went to play there. Plain and simple. And, when the leagues merged, I chose the Nuggets as my "favorite" favorite. I'm still waiting for their first title.

The Montreal Canadiens: They won. Alot. Try four Stanley Cups in a row from 1976 to 1979. My brother and I would play Canadiens versus Flyers on our table hockey game, where you would "twist" the player using the metal pole he was affixed to. My favorite Canadien? Ken Dryden, the greatest goaltender of all time!!

The Winnipeg Jets: My favorite WHA team, featuring Gordie Howe (who knows how old he was by then!). When the WHA folded into the NHL, the Jets were toast in my eyes. The Jets? Over the Canadiens? Are you nuts??

The N.C. State Wolfpack: The 1974 championship team. David Thompson, Tom Burleson, Monte Towe, Tim Stoddard, et al. This is a case of following my brother's footsteps; the Pack being his favorite team.

Jack Nicklaus: The Golden Bear. The man. I don't care how many majors Tiger wins. Nicklaus took golf to a level never, ever seen before. His 1980 U.S. Open Championship was the greatest golf perfomance I've ever seen. It was magical. Even if Tiger Woods eclipses his record of 18 majors won, I won't consider him on Jack's level unless he can win one around age 46, as Jack did at the '86 Masters. Then we'll talk. :)

Bjorn Borg: The Master of Wimbledon. Five straight titles; and throw in six French Opens for good measure. The only blemish? Four U.S. Open finals, no wins.

---------------------------------------------------

What did I see on TV?

--Reggie Jackson's 3 HR's in game six of the 1977 World Series.

--My Orioles BLOWING a 3-1 lead, losing the last two games AT HOME, to give the '79 World Series to the Pirates.

--Super Bowls VIII thru XIII. XI was the favorite, as my Raiders finally won, beating Minnesota, 32-14 while a snowstorm fell outside my home, January 9, 1977.

--Super Bowl XIII was seen on a Days Inn hotel room TV in Ashland, as our house had no power for two days due to an ice storm.

--The Bullets losing to Golden State, then splitting two NBA titles between themselves and Seattle.

--Ali--Spinks I: the upset of the century. (Sorry, Buster)

--Alabama and Penn State, 1979 Sugar Bowl, featuring "The Stand". Alabama keeps Penn State out of the end zone to preserve a 14-7 win. Boo. I was rooting for Penn State.

--Michigan State vs. Indiana State: 1979 NCAA Basketball Tournament Final. This was the coming out party for college basketball to the entire nation. Thank you Magic and thank you Larry! Boo. I rooted for Indiana State.

--1978 One Game AL East Playoff: Yankees vs Red Sox. My teacher let us watch it in class!!! For those of you born after 1980, there were once baseball playoff games during the day.


WHAT DID I MISS DUE TO A POWER OUTAGE:

--Hank Aaron's 715th HR, breaking Babe Ruth's all-time record. The game was on NBC's Monday Night Baseball, and my brother and I were watching it, when, we lost power, thanks to a storm I believe. A little later on, our Dad comes to the door and tells us he hit the homer, having heard it on the radio.

WHAT I SLEPT THRU, WAS TOO YOUNG TO STAY UP FOR, OR AT LEAST SAW HIGHLIGHTS OF:

--Carlton Fisk's wave, willing a baseball to hit the foul pole to win Game 6 of the 1975 World Series for the Boston Red Sox.

--The Celtics/Suns Triple OT game of the decade; 1976 NBA Finals, Game 5. The telecast of the overtimes was nuts.

--N.C. State finishing off Marquette, winning the '74 NCAA Title.

Whew! And that's just sports memories!

Post Number 627-----Whoo hoo!!!!!!!

Why is Post Number #627 important to me?

It's my all-time favorite number.

Why, you ask?

When I was five, I had to spend five days at the hospital due to an allergic reaction to peanuts.

I stayed in room 627.

For five days, the nurses spoke of how cute I was (and I liked them, too!), I walked around the 6th floor over and over and over again counting (great way to learn numerical skills!), and I got lots of cards and my very own Mickey Mouse Watch!

I also remember, upon coming home, I found out my older brother and sister played Rook together during my absence, and I was none too happy about missing the games!

Until my deviated septum surgery in 2003 and shoulder surgery in 2004, that had been the only hospital stay I had had.

And, for some reason, the legacy of that first stay has always been that that's where I met my favorite number.....

LONG LIVE 627!!!!

My favorite joke of 2007......

Thanks, Dave!

Queen Elizabeth, during her trip to the U.S., went to the Kentucky Derby. When she went down to the track, it's reported the Queen would look at each horse and say...

"Charles? Charles?"

Two, Two, Two Races in One!

With apologies to Certs' classic ad slogan....

The IRL came to town Saturday night (I can't get that "I Am Indy!" song outta my head, though...) and I watched the Indy cars live for the first time. Fascinating experience. They run so fast on the 3/4 mile track, they almost go too fast to follow.

Now the actual race, on the other hand, was pretty much a bore. Dario Franchitti led 242 of 250 laps and won. Yawn. Very little excitement.

Danica pretty much stayed about 1/2 lap behind Dario all evening and finished sixth.

Dario had the car; no doubt about it, though the two Target cars were looking to spoil the party near the end, but they couldn't.

Time of the race: One hour, 24 minutes.

--------------------------------------------------------

We head out, I call a friend on my cell who also attended and we swapped reviews. He was already in his car heading towards the exit. I would later wish I were, too.

Uncle Frank and I start the van at 930pm. Songs played on the radio, conversation came and went, and, for a little over an hour, I kept my cool really well.

Usually you would think they'd empty the parking lot from back to front. About 1:10 into the wait, I look to my left and see almost an entire row of cars gone...and they were near the very front of the lot.

What??!?? That was my thought. Finally coming to the end of the grass row to hit the road leading out of the place, I watch the parking person let alot of the row to my left go out (wait, they're closer to the front, too!), and out, and out. Finally, we get to move a few feet.

Quandry. That aforementioned row was directed to the left lane, which hopefully allows one to turn left onto Carolina Avenue, which I needed to do in order to, well, go home. We were being placed in the right lane. In front of me, in between the rows, is the parking guide and a police car.

"As soon as I pass the police car, I'm heading to the other lane", I said.

And I did. Worked out well; didn't put anyone in danger or tear out in front of anyone at the last second.

Finally we make it to the gate, get out of the lot.

Time of the parking fiasco: One hour, 31 minutes.

----------------------------------------------------------

Lesson---I never dreamed it would take 90 minutes to leave RIR since only, maybe 45 or 50,000 people were there, if that. Remember, Nextel Cup Races bring well over 100,000 people there.

Thus, RIR's less than stellar job in getting fans out Saturday night will affect my future decisions as to whether to go back. You'd think with all the years of experience, they would do better. Oh, well.

----------------------------------------------------------

Another birthday in the Witham Nation--tomorrow! Wifey!! No confirmation given on new age. And I ain't asking either!

And, P.S.---less than six days now before the ladies take their big trip.

June's Winning Numbers

..as paltry as they may be...

5, 12, 27 and 27.

Well, one number did well. :)

Guess who I'm rooting for tonight at RIR??

I'll be at my first-ever Indy Car race later tonight at Richmond International Raceway. Two words, my friends---

GO DANICA!!!!!!!!!

Where do I go from here.....

....so much to talk about, so much to discern, decipher, and digest.

Let's start with this:

The Benoit Tragedy: Let's wait for the toxicology reports, let's wait for what answers we'll be able to get. Then we'll get a better idea of what made Chris a real murderer, instead of the actor "The Canadian Crippler". Even his father is stunned.

WWE: NO MENTION of "Mr. McMahon" tonight on Smackdown! Maybe he finally, finally got the message, though in the worst way imaginable, that you do NOT use death in a wrestling storyline. Ultimately, he (the character) would have returned. Would we be looking for the holes in his hands then? Disgusting.

What's worse is two weeks ago tonight I told my wife, "What will WWE do if there REALLY IS a death in pro wrestling while they're doing this stupid storyline??"

About 20 minutes later, I read of Sherri Martel's death. That was scary. No one dreamed of what would follow.

Vince McMahon needs to do one thing, and quickly. Tell the world that despite their testing measures, et al, WWE has failed in its attempts to keep wrestlers from as much "damaging" substances/behaviors that they can do.

Apologize, don't pledge, BEGIN better surveillance immediately, and, do what this writer at my choice for wrestling news on the 'Net says, begin giving wrestlers "...predictable vacations".

Trying to grasp......

.....I simply cannot get my arms around this entire tragic, horrific event involving Chris, Nancy, and Daniel Benoit.

There's so much fingerpointing and allegations, and we're what, less than 36 hours from the discovery of the scene? That bothers me. Alot.

Was it heinous to kill your child? YES! Are there any excuses for that? NO!!!

BUT....there is also possibly circumstances involved which do NOT explain or excuse this behavior, but may provide insight into the life going on behind the doors of the Benoit home.

The WWE is getting creamed in the media for putting on a "tribute" show to Benoit last night. They had an appropriate statement at the start of their ECW show tonight which you can also see at WWE.com.

I'm sorry. The bodies are discovered, mid-afternoon, and they have a show to do at 8pm live on USA Network (three hours instead of the usual two, I might add). Apparently not having all the details surrounding the Benoit family, they did what they have done in the past and looked back at his career.

Had they known what we all know now at 4pm Monday, would the show have been different? Probably. But for the Dan Abrams of the world (MSNBC tonight, in for Joe Scarborough) to say, "...while we were getting details here in the newsroom, they are showing a tribute show."

Well, for the 299 million of us NOT in a newsroom, we didn't know. The first report on pwtorch.com, an extremely well run pro wrestling news site which is unbiased in reporting, posted their link to the first AP report regarding the fact it was apparently a murder-suicide at 10:38pm ET, near the END of the show.

The report, found via a provided link to myfoxatlanta.com, was last updated on that site at 1116pm Monday night.

The WWE (and I RARELY defend them) did the best they could with regard to programming with so little time, and, until Benoit, each situation was simply "tragic" in nature, no matter what the reasons may be. Murder never entered the picture.

The move tonight online and on TV was the correct move. No more "tribute", considering all the circumstances. Good call.

But, to Dan Abrams-----YOU are ridiculing the WWE for their "tribute" show, but YOU were the network to air the Virginia Tech killer video???

Now, in fairness, I supported the initial decision to air that; NBC's HUGE mistake was putting their name and logo in the corner of all things VT killer, which, in news terms means, "all my competitors cannot use this material without acknowledging who they received it from".

So, Abrams should check his newsroom before shaking the finger.

After the Tech video scandal, Nightly News ratings have dropped even worse than Katie Couric's.

Yes, I missed it....

....there was no blog-a-thon over the weekend; I honestly just didn't have the heart, which concerns me very much. It's one of my enjoyable pastimes, but I was so tired....

....well, I turned 40, and I'm okay. We may look back, et al, we may not. But, I'm around. :)

It's almost time.......

We're one hour away from "the day".

June 23, 2007.

Coming up during tomorrow's birthday blog-a-thon:

The 1970s, The 1980s, The 1990s, and the 2000s.....

Where I was, what I did, who was around....

What in the "world" happened to me.....

...might even look ahead. :)

When you are 16, 21, even 30....you see "40" as light years away. Suddenly, though, the time zooms by and the day comes.

BRING IT ON!! Blog ya tomorrow!

WOW! Where have I been???

Yes, I am alive.
Yes, I am not in self-imposed solitary confinement awaiting the kiss of death on Saturday.
Yes, I'm working too much (and that's it for that conversation)

SO---looks like the rest of my reviewing, thinking, previewing, and blood pressure checks, will be done mostly in the once in a lifetime event known as:

BLOG A 40TH BIRTHDAY!!

That's right, join us Saturday for continual coverage of just another day in the history of the world.

Along with the tributes, the flashbacks, the what ifs, and the singing of the Girl from Ipanema......

---I'll discuss Robbie and I going to WWE Raw Monday night
---I'll introduce the NEWEST member of the Witham Nation (hint: another four-legger)
---I'll begin psyching myself up to lust after...I mean...root for Danica Patrick June 30th.

So, come on and join us during the day, or cure your insomnia Sunday afternoon and take it all in at once!

HEY LOOK---it will have MUCH BETTER TASTE than the Vince McMahon "death" angle on wrestling right now.

....1969 and beyond....

....and we move on, looking at what I hath...well, I didn't....I lived while it was wrought....

"I guarantee it."---Joe Namath.

January 12---Super Bowl III---Jets 16, Colts 7.
January 19---One of my all-time favorite people born.
January 20---Nixon inaugurated as President. For years in my youth, I thought Nixon was always President, because he's the only one I'd see anywhere!
February 4---Yassar Arafat becomes head of PLO---Pizza Hut stocks soar on news as they order hundreds of thousands of new tablecloths.....
February 5---The U.S. population hits 200 million (I, a tiny crumb, as it were...)
March 1---Mickey Mantle announces retirement
April 17---Sirhan Sirhan convicted for assassinating RFK
May 10---Apollo 10 sends first ever color pictures of Earth to..well, Earth!
May 11---The birth of Monty Python, creators of the greatest film ever made
June 3---Final episode of Star Trek on NBC (the show was just getting started...)
June 15---Hee Haw premieres. My Saturday nights are cemented for years to come.

Warren Burger becomes Chief Justice on birthday #2 (I later was at a dinner which he attended, 16 years later).

July 16---Apollo 11 lifts off.
July 18---Sen. Ted Kennedy goes off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, MA. Mary Jo Kopechne dies in the crash. She doesn't get to see....

July 20---Apollo 11 lands on lunar surface; Neil Armstrong steps onto lunar surface, opening the latest U.S. golf course.

NOTE: When they got back July 24th, the astronauts were placed in "biological isolation" for several days, to make sure they didn't bring back "lunar germs". They didn't.

August 15---Woodstock begins, bringing mud to an almost worship level for a new generation.

August 17---Hurricane Camille slams into Mississippi.
August 19---Camille dumps horrific amounts of rain in the Virginia mountains; crippling Nelson County, causing record flooding in Richmond on the James River, and set out to the Atlantic, passing Virginia Beach on 8/20.

September 6---H.R. Pufnstuf hits TV screens while I get yet another diaper change.
October 16---The "Miracle Mets" destroy my Orioles four games to one. Only they weren't my Orioles yet.
November 10---Sesame Street premieres, bringing me one step closer to my imaginary friend, Susan. Yes, I had a female imaginary friend. :) :)


Oh, crap--I'm older than:

Christy Turlington
WWE Superstar Batista
Marilyn Manson (I'm also much, much more handsome!)
Jennifer Aniston (..don't think she'd think me handsome...or even look in my general direction! Oh, well....)
Joe Buck (HE'S GOT MY JOB!!!)
Renee Zellweger
Cate Blanchett
Emmitt Smith
Tracey Gold
Steffi Graf
John LeClair
Jennifer Lopez
Triple H
Diane Farr (Numb3rs---she's PRETTY!!)
Rachel Hunter
Gwen Stefani
Brett Favre
Nancy Kerrigan
Juan Gonzalez (I saw him hit an HR in the Metrodome in 1998, his MVP year)
Ellen Pompeo (Greys Anatomy, one of wifey's 26 favorite TV shows)
Ken Griffey, Jr (we all thought HE would be in Barry Bonds' position today)
Mariano Rivera (those stinkin' Yankees)
Kristy Swanson

I'M AFRAID I CAN'T REMEMBER......

President Dwight Eisenhower
Maureen Connolly
Judy Garland
Mary Jo Kopechne
Sharon Tate
Rocky Marciano
Sonja Henie

Onto 1970.......

....now, where was I......

.....oh, yeah.....

Those things we've left behind in 40 years....

--Curles Neck Dairy (their milk was our milk in elementary school!)
--Siegels Supermarket (complete with blue chicken!! Thanks for the reminder, Bro!)
--Kelly's
--Burger Chef (and Jeff, too)
--Azalea Mall (that one hurt!)
--Trainham Chevrolet
--Beaverdam Ford
--World Championship Wrestling
--Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling
--one word "mimeograph"
--MacIntosh
--Commodore 64
--Beta
--LaserDisc
--the one-minute network television commercial
--Beaverdam Advent Christian Church
--Lums and Bonanza restaurants (though Bonanza lives elsewhere)
--fax paper (roll it!!)
--topping your gas tank
--the gas tank under the back license plate
--"clickers". Wanna know what they are?
--"visible" Scotch tape
--25 cent Coca-Cola bottles
--No three-point line in college basketball
--The Washington Senators
--The Montreal Expos
--The Seattle Pilots
--The Buffalo Braves
--The Kansas City/Omaha Kings
--The ABA (including the Virginia Squires, Carolina Cougars and Kentucky Colonels)
--The California Golden Seals
--The Kansas City Scouts
--The Minnesota North Stars
--The WHA (including the Winnipeg Jets)
--The World Football League (can you say "Shreveport Steamer"?)
--The United States Football League (the Washington Federals??---actually, did you watch the first USFL Championship Game? If so, who won? Tell me the final score!)
--Ray Bentley's Midnight Movies
--Ridge Cinema
--The Ashland Theatre (SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
--Chelsea (the first non-alcoholic beer....what?!!??)
--real country music (HA! Did I just say that??)

and....finally.....

--my youth.

Yikes!

....we bade farewell to what.....

,With all thanks to USA Today......

Here's a random thought list of things that were once in my life and now, are, well, kinda like me. Obsolete.

Some are in the USA Today 25, others not.

--The record player.
--The record player needle.
--The pennies used to weigh down the needle so it would correctly play the album or single. They (the pennies, that is) went on to other pastures, or piggy banks.
--The 45" single. Though I still have some of mine.
--Eight-Tracks. I recorded all my favorite songs on the radio in the early to mid 1980s on 8-Track because my stereo had one, and not a cassette deck. By decade's end, they were (teary-eyed) on their way to the county landfill.

The following businesses (at least they've left this area):

Food Fair
Giant Open Air Market
Big Star Food Store and/or Colonial Stores
Standard Drug
Thalhimers
Miller & Rhoads
The Home Shop
Sight n' Sound
Gary's
Woolco and Woolworth
Murphy's Mart/G.C. Murphy
Ames
Sinclair Gas
Esso (now Exxon, ah, ExxonMobil, whatever)
American (now Amoco, or BP-Amoco, whatever)
Richfood
Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs
Piedmont Airlines
Eastern Airlines
Braniff
American Motors
Plymouth
Oldsmobile
Chevrolet Vega (thank you, Lord)
Ford Pinto (Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!)
AMC Matador (one of my elementary school teachers drove one)
Chevrolet Corvair, Citation, Chevette (MY FIRST CAR!!!)
Ford Grand Torino, LTD, Falcon.....
Cash & Carry Grocery, Beaverdam, VA
United Virginia Bank/Crestar.....
Bank of Virginia/Signet.....
Virginia National Bank/F&M Bank/Sovran Bank.....
Central National Bank/Central Fidelity Bank....
Dominion Bank....
Ginny, the Green Machine
Highs Ice Cream (boo!!!)
Sealtest Ice Cream and Milk

and I'll work on more in the morning. Gotta eat and zzzzzzzzzz...........you know, when 40 looms, you gotta get your eats and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's!

Looking Back, Looking Ahead, part 2.....

...in my life circa 1968...

1) The horrible photo of the shooting of a VietCong officer by a South Vietnamese National Police Chief. One more stake in the heart of continuing the Vietnam War.

2) The beginning of the Boeing 747 era; maiden flight February 8.

3) Walter Cronkite's CBS documentary on his time in Vietnam ends with a commentary by Cronkite saying, "But it is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could."

4) LBJ decides not to seek re-election, March 31.

5) Martin Luther King, Jr. lost.
6) Robert F. Kennedy lost.

7) Hey Broadway, here comes "Hair"!!, April 29

8) One more reason to buy bon-bons---"One Life to Live" premieres on ABC, July 15.

9) Republicans go Nixon early August, Democrats go Humphrey late August, and chaos hits the streets of Chicago. Well, it wasn't Hubert's fault.

10) Summer Olympics held in Mexico City, two U.S. track medalists offer the black power salute on the medal stand.

11) A young lady named Peggy Fleming enters the American psyche on the ice of Grenoble, France at the Winter Games. 40 years later, she's still hot. Wow..... :)

12) "Oliver!", the film version of the London musical, hits U.S. theaters. About 8 years later, I premiere on the stage of Beaverdam Elementary School as "Mr. Brownlow" in our award-winning stage presentation of said musical.

13) December 24 - Apollo Program: U.S. spacecraft Apollo 8 enters orbit around the Moon. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William A. Anders become the first humans to see the far side of the Moon and planet Earth as a whole. The crew also reads from Genesis. (Thanks Wikipedia!)

14) Imagine astronauts reading from Genesis Christmas Eve, 2007. Barry Lynn would be so mad he'd probably propel himself to the moon.

AND....

I turned one. My brother turned ten. I started walking, which meant falling face first onto the wood floor wasn't far behind. Let's just say I couldn't keep a "stiff upper lip" very much my first few years. :)

The Packers won Super Bowl II (which means my future favorites, the Raiders, lost), and Lombardi said so long.

The Tigers won the World Series, defeating the great Bob Gibson in game seven.

I'm older than.....

--Cuba Gooding, Jr.
--Mary Lou Retton (NOTE!--she had surgery quietly in May, 1984 just days before my dad went in for his brain surgery at the same hospital here in Richmond. Two months later, she wins gold.)
--LL Cool J
--Lisa Marie Presley
--Gary Coleman
--Jeri Ryan (and her Star Trek alter-ego)
--Kenny Chesney (my friend at work LOVES him....wait. She loves ALL country music hunks.)
--Ashley Judd
--Kylie Minogue
--Shannon Sharpe
--Theo Fleury
--Barry Sanders (the best running back I've ever seen play)
--Debra Messing
--Rachael Ray (my daughter's FAVORITE personality. NOT!!!)
--Will Smith (older, but NOT as cool as him, obviously)
--Jesus...oh, sorry. I meant Jim Caviezel.
--Jordan. Sorry. Jill Hennessy. Whew--had she been in the junior class at my high school my senior year, I would have begged her for a date. She would have slapped me and walked away. :) :)
--Kurt Angle

I PASSED THEM ON THE ROAD OF LIFE.....

--Yuri Gagarin
--Helen Keller
--Tommy Armour (the golf clubs with his name were the first I ever used)
--Tallulah Bankhead
--Upton Sinclair
--John Steinbeck

....Lord have mercy, that's only one year?

And now, another example of liberal "tolerance"....

....oh, and of course, a little use of the race card.

Fox News makes a big mistake. They apologized on-air, and DC Bureau Chief Brian Wilson calls the office of the person offended (and I would have been, too), offering to come and speak with the Congressman in person. His office never called back.

Instead, Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers decides this is the perfect opportunity to reject an apology and show some of that famous liberal tolerance.

Click here.

Now...when I get time, I'm going to do a 'Net search to see if Conyers went ballistic on CNN's Wolf Blitzer during Katrina coverage in 2005 when he said those trapped in New Orleans were...."...so poor and so black...".

Of course Wolf misspoke. Anyone with some common sense knows that. A young production assistant made a big mistake. I'm sure they're wondering about the fate of their career at this early, early moment in their adult life.

I guess Conyers doesn't watch "TV Bloopers" programs. Give me a break.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead, Part 1 of ??

Anyone who knows me knows I'm very historical by nature, and also sentimental. So, therefore, what better time than now to look back, and at now, and ahead....

Tonight, random reminders of what the world hath wrought since June 23, 1967:

--On June 23, LBJ meets Soviet Premier Kosygin in New Jersey for three days of talking face to face, and muttering to aides between sessions. That day, Dr. Bullock also met me for the first time, and muttered to himself, "...there goes my streak of delivering cute babies...."

--Four days later, the first ATM machine (Yes! It was voucher-based) was installed in Barclays Bank in England. Later that day, my first credit card application came in the mail.

--October 2, 1967: Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the first African American justice of the United States Supreme Court.

--November 7, 1967: LBJ signs the "Public Broadcasting Act of 1967", setting up the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. I would benefit for many pre-teen years thanks to Letterman, Jennifer of the Jungle, Fargo North Decoder, Ernie and Bert, Guy Smiley, and more.

Can you tell me if the Electric Company now serves Sesame Street??

More to come......

Yes, it's a countdown clock......

.....it's the ONE thing I'm allowing myself to do in order to "gear up" for the supposedly "big" day. Big "4-0". Whatever.....

:)

....otherwise, the upcoming day is anonymous. Hmmm....maybe I'll be at Ponderosa at 446pm. Or Friendlys. Heck, how about Cracker Barrel?

Ah, no. :)

May's Winning Numbers.....

.....13, 20, 23, 25 and 29.

Slow start...decent finish. Hmmmm...40th birthday winning numbers???

Don't know; but let's hope it's better than a Ric Flair "Whoo!!!!"

This one is for Uncle Frank!!!!! PRICE CHECK!!!!!

R.I.P. to Chair #3...Charles Nelson Reilly (1931-2007)

If you turn 40 this year and were anywhere near a television after school, you watched Match Game. It was fun to play, funny to watch, and, at age 8, you only got some of the jokes. :)

Match Game was Gene Rayburn, then Match Game was Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly. Their banter is the stuff of legends for improv comedy. It's a shame people don't appreciate what they did because it was on a "game show".

In 2002, Reilly, Somers, and Betty White looked back at this TV classic on the Early Show on CBS. Watch this video to appreciate the work of all three of them...

...as we say so long and thanks to Charles Nelson Reilly.

One of the most gripping photos I've ever seen.....there are no words.

(deepest thanks to Getty Images)

I don't agree with everything she says....

....but I know this!

1) Elisabeth Hasselbeck didn't cower into a corner like Rosie wanted her to...

2) She's really easy on the eyes!!

THANK YOU ELISABETH, FOR NOT BACKING DOWN!!!

P.S.----WHY DID ROSIE EXPECT HER TO BACK HER ON THE WHOLE "WHO ARE THE TERRORISTS?" ISSUE? ISN'T IT ROSIE'S JOB TO EXPLAIN WHAT ROSIE SAID?

*scratches head and goes to bed*.....

Rosie probably won't speak to Hasselbeck??

So, Rosie tells the world that she "probably won't" speak to Elisabeth Hasselbeck after their showdown last week which led (thankfully) to Rosie's earlier-than-early departure from her platform to spew venom against anyone who didn't completely agree with her.

As a public service, I just wanted to let everyone know.....

...the line to follow Elisabeth into the "I Won't Be Berated Verbally By Rosie Anymore Coliseum" files to the right.

Go Ducks!

Anaheim scores with under four to go and holds off a 6 on 4 in the last half-minute to beat Ottawa 3-2 to go up 1-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Go Ducks!

Tagged! I'm it!!

Scott, part of the RVA Blogs group here in Richmond, has tagged me. So, let me release some stuff about me.

The Rules
• Start with 7 random facts/habits about yourself
• People who are tagged have to write their 7 things on their blog
• Then choose another 7 people to get tagged and list their names
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment to tell them they have been tagged


1) I began my professional radio career in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

2) My best friend there did the overnights. He, I and another DJ planned an "overnight pajama pizza party" to celebrate third shift workers. We told the audience we were really wearing pajamas and invited them to stop by. I don't remember what jammies I had in 1986. :)

3) As much as I love the NFL, I've yet to see a game live.

4) My list of commercial catchphrases that annoy me is growing quickly.

5) My first love is now as close as a sister to me, and I'm in closer touch with her 22 years after high school than anyone else I graduated with.

6) I will be buried in a golf shirt and a pair of shorts, with a bottle of nasal spray (saline) in my left front pocket.

7) I need a solution to my male PMS, and this new drug approved today for women's cycles won't help.

MY TAGGED SEVEN:

http://humblemusings.com
http://chroniclesofanexhaustedmom.blogspot.com
http://dojogo.wordpress.com
http://www.geeky-girl.net
http://musingsofstressedoutmom.blogspot.com/
http://fiddledeedee.net/
http://kaysthinkingcap.blogspot.com/index.html

Good night!

The Psyche of Jack.....Finally.....

I've been waiting all year for the main focus of "24" to be the psyche of Jack.

Go back to 6:01am....it's a broken, bruised, scarred Jack (both physically and emotionally, and psychologically), coming back from China in a "trade".

Jack immediately gives us his mantra that helped him survive in China. As bad as the reason was for Jack to return (to be killed), Jack said he'd rather die for something rather than nothing.

Then it didn't happen and we launched into another typical day in the life of "24" and Jack. Didn't take but a few minutes for him to lose all the hair!

But, finally last night, 23:58 later, we come full circle, back to the mind of Jack. Consider this...

--returns to the U.S. as a martyr-to-be
--doesn't happen, he begins to do what, well Jack does...
--has to kill Curtis to keep Assad alive
--witnesses a nuclear detonation
--almost gives it up
--rescues strangers from a helicopter (remember that??)
--discovers his brother was behind the plot regarding David Palmer, et al
--briefly feels responsible for the death of his brother
--...who was actually killed by their dad
--having to deal with Dad in the first place, then get double crossed (inevitably)
--having Marilyn come back into the picture, seeing she's still got the hots for him, on top of having to deal with all the other dysfunctional family crap.
--gets a number to call and it's Logan of all people
--spends time in the air with Logan, in a much different way than season five
--tracks and tracks nukes....
--BTW, how are the firefighters in the city where the drone was damaged while landing?
--eliminates Fayed (say hi to your brother for me!)
--hears Marilyn tell him Audrey's dead
--gets a call and hears Audrey's voice
--sees Audrey in a sad state of affairs, thanks to, of course, the Chinese.
--begs to help her. Gets to, once.
--Then Dad says stay away..."everyone who touch, Jack, ends up dead".
--in custody, out, in custody, out.....
--Three on three wrestling at CTU with surprise tag team members Nadia and Morris.
--don't forget he had the circuitry and the Chinese toast until, *gasp*, CTU screwed it up.
--off to find Josh.
--realizes Dad has a "platform".
--gets Josh, tells off Dad ("you're getting off easy")
--rides the wave of the copter, then drops into the waves
--lashes at Heller
--tells Audrey he must go
--stares down at the sea, the beach and the rocks

Wouldn't YOU BE AT A CROSSROADS, TOO???

So.....

He's out of China. He's out of CTU. Officially, he's unemployed! His Audrey, who he lost, then thought she was dead, then found out of her search to find him, then to see her numb, then to fight for her only to have to let her go. Curtis--gone. Graem--thankfully gone. Dad--supposedly gone. Finds out his family is pretty much deplorable.

Wonder what's next.....

Buchanan arguably had the line of the night. To Nadia, when she went into "we gotta find Jack" mode one too many times. "Let him go."

And, we all should do the same for several months, and look forward to all the possibilities that exist for next season.

I hope, and I pray, somehow, Tom Lennox is there. As I saw on another blog tonight, he is easily the MVP of Season Six. Great character, tremendous acting.

Long live "24"!! And, have a better day than Jack, okay?

What do Jack Bauer and I have in common?

We're both at a crossroads.

A very, very good season finale, and though many I suspect will be less than thrilled with the ending, I thought it was fantastic.

I'll commentate more when time allows; now with the "24" party done, and the season finished, the TV is only good for football, headlines, and The Closer...until January.

:)

Jimmy Carter---Presidential Critic

That title is about as oxymoronic as "Detroit Lions equal Championship Football".

So, Carter, maybe to build up some business for his new set of audiobooks, decides to publicly slam President Bush and his administration as "the worst in history".

Quoting:

"I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history," Carter told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette...

Heh?

Then he goes on to question the faith-based initiative.....I honestly know little about it, and if Mr. Carter has studied their budgets, grants, and allocations, and can give some facts to back up the following claim, I'll take him seriously. Until such time, I scratch my head at the following.....

"The policy from the White House has been to allocate funds to religious institutions, even those that channel those funds exclusively to their own particular group of believers in a particular religion," Carter said. "As a traditional Baptist, I've always believed in separation of church and state and honored that premise when I was president, and so have all other presidents, I might say, except this one."

What's being a "traditional Baptist" got to do with it??

Anyhoo......here's the article for your viewing pleasure and neck exercises.

Compare his summation to:

--21 percent interest rates
--13 percent annual inflation
--odd/even day gas rations and gas shortages (did you know that the actual highest price for a gallon of gasoline in U.S. history, adjusted for inflation for today's dollars, happened in 1981. That would be thanks to the recently-dissolved Carter Administration.)
--Americans being paraded in our own embassy half a world away while we sat and did nothing.

Oh, and for those of you who think the Israeli/Egyptian peace accord of 1978 was the beginning of peace in the Middle East.....

----Anwar Sadat dies three years later. Hosni Mubarak, his successor, is still in power and has no sterling history of democracy, freedom, ah...well, you read the history of his implementation of "emergency law" in Egypt right after the Sadat assassination....

----No dominoes ever fell to create a better chance of peace.


Carter vs. Bush 43?

George W. ain't the best President we've ever had, but there's NO DOUBT he's NOT the worst President.....the worst was in office during my childhood.

And so my post comes full circle, but now posted as a question of disbelief....

Jimmy Carter----Presidential CRITIC??!!?!??!!!

Thank you Bob!!!!

50 years on television. 35 years hosting one show. Three generations adoring you.

Not bad for a career, eh?

Get a look at Bob Barker as he winds down his incredible career in this photo essay.

IF YOUR KIDS LISTEN TO "AKON"--STOP AND READ NOW!!

You MUST know what this "singer" (TERM USED AS LOOSELY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE) was up to recently in Trinidad.

This is why Verizon Wireless dropped their relationship with him. Contact Verizon Wireless at 800-922-0204 and THANK them for their stand for the true rights of women.

The video report from Michelle Malkin at Hot Air can be found by clicking HERE....

There's no way in a million years I would post this video here.

So, why, you say, do I provide a link?

1) You can read the blog entry at Michelle's site without having to see the video.
2) If you so choose to see it, know NOW it is EXTREMELY vulgar, and downright obscene.

Which is why responsible parents need to at least do #1, and if you can, #2.

If you watch the video, pay close attention to the clip from Hillary Clinton post-Imus and Rutgers.

Anyone see her denouncing Akon yet?

GET THIS GUY OUT OF YOUR HOUSE and away from your kids. This isn't censorship, it's common sense. When no one watches, buys, or cares anymore, his thrill will be gone.

And so will his disgusting 15 minutes of fame.

P.S.---Email communications@umusic.com to ask Universal Music Group why in the world they're giving this guy a platform to begin with......

P.P.S.---Pray for the victim, who also happens to be a pastor's daughter.

So, at 3am.....

....you see your nephew taken away, have to say "thank you" to a guy with a machine gun to get up and calm Mom down, then take 'em out as only Jack can.

And HEY! Props to Nadia and Morris for their work, and it's about time Mike figured out the cryptic phone call and hi-tailed it back to CTU. Am I being too hard on Mike? Other than he wants to be Jack 2.0......

-------------------------------------------------

BREAK: There has been TONS of negative reviews regarding this season, and, I understand them honestly. We are seeing several plots regurgitated, BUT.......

...the Nadias and Milos of this season could never be Tony and Michelle because they've not been allowed to. They are not agents; they are the kind who head up the headquarters. So, seeing that, let's not get crazy about downing Nadia, Milo, et al.

-------------------------------------------------

What's the over/under on the time Phillip kills his grandson? Your choices are 3:10 to 6am.

Nice slide, Jack!!

Okay, Cheng, outta bullets, eh?? COME ON, JACK!!! WOUND CHENG!! WOUND CHENG!! Then get Josh.

If you're playing the "Parameter Drinking Game", take your first shot.

Mike: "Your father's involved with the Chinese? Why?"

Jack: "I don't know. I'll ask him when I find him."

-----------------------------------------------------

BREAK: ...before you cry over buying something for $99, only to see it on sale a month later at $69 and there's nothing you can do, look what happened to Daimler Chrysler.

Read paragraph two. Yikes.

-----------------------------------------------------

Wonder what Noah Daniels' first political job? Mayor? Congressman? President of the "I wanna speak softly like Jack Bauer" Society?

Poor Tom. HA!!!!! "..and finally, we're done!" GREAT LINE, TOM!!!

Now if I can just remember the line he had last week.......

338am: Do you think Morris and Nadia are at their beginning at this moment? Good move by him to help her. His motive? I dunno.

Now Daniels joins the "I feel so bad I caused this hurt" department. Good Lord, get Lisa out of your mind! You want to be the President, now be it!

---------------------------------------------

For starters, talk to Suberov, man! (I saw this scene online as a preview, and Suberov eats him for lunch).

Told ya......hmmmmm. Suberov was buddy buddy with Logan. He's doing his 2007 Putin impression for Daniels? Just thinking out loud.....

---------------------------------------------

Could someone PLEASE destroy the new Diet Pepsi commercials before they permanently taint the American landscape, and our future?!!!??!??!!!

---------------------------------------------

NOW---the final minutes of this hour; let's see how they set us up for the two-hour finale (and "24" party!) next Monday!!

1) Who's calling Tom Lennox?
2) Daniels preps the shirt/tie troops for deploying the real ones.
3) Oh, it's Phillip Bauer.
4) And he's trying to hold Daniels hostage....
5) And it worked, for now.

Can't wait for the phone call between Daniels and Jack.

OH, NO! NOT ANOTHER URGENT CALL!!!

Whoa! A diversion to grab Josh....and Jack, for now, is out of the loop.

Heh...that won't last long.

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We will post-blog the finale since we will be partying with the Prince George crew next Monday night with our 2nd annual "24" Season Finale Shindig.

I have absolutely no clue where this is going. And I like that!!

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To All Moms.....

....hope your Mother's Day was wonderful.

For those of you who this is your first Mothers Day as a Mom, feels pretty cool, eh?

For those of you now celebrating their 16th Mothers Day like my wife, time flies doesn't it?

For those spending this day remembering your Mom who has passed on, I totally understand. This year has definitely been the easiest out of the five since she died. And that's a good thing; she wouldn't want me sad.

If it has been your first without Mom, trust me, you'll never forget her, so don't fear that, but the pain does ease with each passing day. But I'm not gonna lie to you, it won't go away. Quite honestly, I don't want it to.

Hey y'all out there in World-Land!!!

Your Interpersonal Intelligence Score: 70%

Your Interpersonal Intelligence is High You are definitely a "people person." You enjoy spending time with others. You instinctively understand people, and you are both a good counsellor and mediator. However, there are definitely times when you've had enough. And that's when you cherish being alone.

How Does Your Interpersonal Intelligence Rate?

Fellow OCD Sufferers, be uplifted.....

...by the story of this 16 year-old girl in Canada. She continues to help other people even as her life events have been virtually taken hostage by her OCD, diagnosed in the 5th grade. Me, it was 7th grade when it began full force, but no one knew what it was....it was 1979 after all.

Article taken from a link from "The Witham Headlines" on the right-hand side of my blog. OCD is currently a "feature link" to send you to Google News for the latest news from around the world on an unlimited number of subjects.

Currently we search for:

Witham (the one permanent link)
OCD
Jack Bauer
Stanley Cup

They change from time to time; come see what's there daily, as new gems are found on the Web. You might even learn something on a topic of interest from it. From this blog.

Hard to believe, eh?

Hi friends!

...oh, yes, I'm still alive and kicking; just in a double quandry.

1) Not alot of time on my hands (gee, what else is new?) Working all the time, then resting to gear up for working some more "all the time" schedule.

2) Blog drought. Most bloggers experience it. It's a period of time (some longer than others) where there is little or no driving desire, from a subject standpoint, to post.

It doesn't mean I don't want to post (that's what I would call 'blog apathy'), I just have little to share, little with which to pontificate, et al.

But, knowing me, this won't last long. :)

"24", in closing tonight.....

...the scene I've been looking for the past five hours or so is now reality.

Cheng and Jack's dad.

Which one betrays which?

Until next Monday.

BREAKING NEWS: For real this time.....on "24"....

.....CTU invaded!

.....Jack grabs latest gun from dead person to shoot enemy.

.....MILO takes the ultimate hit for Nadia. Oh, my word!!!!

Well, for those of you getting complacent about the show, you should be staring eye-to-eye with your core right now.

BREAKING NEWS: ....NO, IT'S NOT......

....so my wife announces the Chinese are heading to CTU to blow it up from underneath about 10 seconds before everyone's favorite bad guy Cheng said the same thing.

She always gets it before it's revealed. Rats.

April's Winning Numbers.....

....1, 2, 11, 12, 22, 29 and 30.

Here's why The New York Jets are The New York Jets....

Various thoughts....NFL Draft....United 93....RIP Tommy Newsom....

Haven't willingly not blogged (though a night or two I was just too tired to do much of anything), but we're back during another edition of "24".

I watched more of the NFL Draft this year than I have in many years. I am VERY happy with the JaMarcus Russell pick by my Raiders. I am EVEN HAPPIER that Randy Moss is gone! Considering his lack of production, we should consider ourselves grateful that we at least got a 4th round pick out of it! Now I will say this; hearing that Josh McCown is the "veteran" who will start in September doesn't give me much solace. I see Russell in by week seven.

Lots of talk (I suspect; I've not trolled the 'Net today about it), I suppose, about the Cleveland coup, saving Brady Quinn from continued frustration (great move by the Commissioner to move him out of the Green Room). A quarterback and a really, really big fisherman to protect him. I'm sorry, but I already LOVE Joe Thomas. Green room at Radio City Music Hall? Sorry, I'm gone fishin'!!!!

Giants did pretty well, too. I'm especially excited about grabbing Steve Smith of USC in round two. With Toomer coming off injury and Plaxico, well, Plaxico, it's good to have a young talent to groom. I just hope Eli can get the ball to him!!

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I've gotten 2/3'rds through "United 93". When the family returned from WalMart Saturday evening I had to cut it off. It is definitely a "don't have the kids watch" movie. I overheard a co-worker today say he was impressed by the idea of the movie being viewed through the eyes of air traffic control and NORAD. I must agree.

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Tonight Show fans: (I mean REAL Tonight Show fans...that means Johnny Carson, NOT Jay Leno....)

We mourn tonight, upon hearing the news of the loss of Tommy Newsom, the foil of many Carson antics, and a tremendous musician who rose to assistant director, which, when Doc was away, guaranteed Johnny even more joke material.

He passed away at age 78, in Portsmouth, Virginia (I didn't realize he settled around here...) and another piece of late night royalty has gone home.

I wonder which suit he's buried in?? That comment would make Newsom smile, BTW. :)

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In closing...."24" is very, very good tonight--as the "international crisis" does continue with a new twist, and now, the exposing of Lisa, Jack's ultimate protection of Audrey, and, oh, by the way. Where did Chloe go? Soon I'm sure we will know.

And, YIKES, what a finish....Heller tells Jack to stay away from his daughter, then burns a hole into his psyche as he sits in holding. "You're cursed, Jack. Everything you touch ends up dead."

Great set-up episode as we close in on (ALREADY!!) the season finale, and the annual "24" season finale party on May 21!! Whoo hoo!!

Melissa's Homegoing Service....

....family, friends, television family, viewers, everyday folk...all gathered together today to thank and remember Melissa Greer, the hope-filled TV meteorologist who passed last Friday at age 27.

Click this link here to see a report from WBTV with highlights from today's service, and you will also have access to other reports from and portions of the service on video there at wbtv.com.

Ellen....

...good job.

If a gay person's life is supposed to be as normal as a heterosexual's life, then I must commend Ellen DeGeneres on the fabulous job of simply being her. She is, whether you agree with the premise or not, living her public life based on that belief. She doesn't flaunt her sexual preference like she did ten years ago (remember Anne Heche?), she just goes about her career.

She's funny, has a successful talk show, and dances better than me. And she acts in a way that reinforces her belief on the normalcy of the gay lifestyle.

And that's one reason why Ellen is still in daytime talk....and Rosie is about to exit again.

Your thoughts?

Rosie.....

....good night.

Melissa Greer

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PLEASE read the posting before this one. It will inspire you. It sure did inspire me.

Melissa Greer: Perspective on life from someone I didn't even knew.....

An avid surfer at TV news websites, I think I do remember on a couple of occasions seeing headlines about a Charlotte TV personality battling cancer.

I saw on Yahoo! headlines tonight that she passed. So I went to find the site of the station where she worked.

It was WBTV, the CBS affiliate.

Her name was Melissa Greer. She was born in 1979 and only 25 when she arrived in Charlotte to work for WBTV. She obviously made a huge impact on the people around her. She married last year and was expecting her first child when a discovery of a rare form of cancer occurred.

The rest of the story is best told by her colleagues. Please see and read here.

But that is not the page I really want you to read. She was doing well enough that she was able to come to a baby shower at the station three weeks ago, but her condition took a final turn a week later. Eight days before passing this 27 year-old new mother composed an email to her friends that was posted on the WBTV website.

By the end, I was crying. Why? Not because it was a sad story or even that she has passed. It moved me to realize some of the "huge" issues of my life, aren't so huge. In fact, I should consider them to be nothing.

Please, if you've never clicked a link on this blog before, click here. You must read the words of this amazing woman.

This link provides you information on remembering Melissa by contributing to a fund to help cover the medical expenses of herself and her young son.

And finally, go here to see a video tribute to her as seen on WBTV.

Memo to the NFL: Something is wrong here....

On my links, I include "where I go to make sure I'm not dead". This would be Legacy.com. I check it every day or so because sometimes, people you know don't always get much press when they pass away (especially figures in the Christian community).

This obituary caught my eye, then made me upset.

So, a generation ago, a solid member of a pro football champion, Jerry Kramer of the Green Bay Packers was making good money for 1967, at $27 to $28K a year. And then, as life after football continued, Kramer himself watched a gross inequity grow and grow between the players of the 1950s and 1960s, who saw the NFL through the AAFC, battling baseball for popularity, the 1958 Championship Game, the AFL's arrival, the likes of Joe Namath heading to the AFL, consistently bringing the best in pro football during the two decades that really set the NFL in a position to be the pro sports juggernaut that it is today (breath!), and the players of, say the 1990's and this decade, when average salaries reached and well exceeded $500K annually, and with a salary cap for each team expected to be $109 million for 2007.

So Kramer began to do something about it. Read about it here.

Kramer was fortunate that his career was with a championship team and he was able to earn the raises he received. BUT, make sure you read the portion of the article discussing Kramer's NFL personal pension history. If at age 62, Kramer's monthly benefit went to $158 monthly, had bad could it be for others?

Well, then we find the average joes of the old days of pro football, like George Webster. What? Never heard of George Webster? Don't have his Topps card?

Webster died April 19th, as the above obituary link says. It also chronicled his frustrating and futile attempt to "prove" his disability was due to football injuries. If you lost the use of most of one hand, one knee, one ankle, and one foot, how would it impact your employment? Your ability to provide for a family? Heck, your ability to do whatever, job-related or otherwise?

Yet, he was never "ruled" to be eligible for football-related injury benefits. So, in spite of playing 10 seasons in the NFL, the league's retirement board decided his impairments didn't happen on the field, and later, the stinking U.S. Supreme Court agreed.

Then he loses a leg, and five years later, passes at the young age of 61, his monthly "disability" benefit less than 20 percent of what it should have been.

The average NFL career is only four, maybe five seasons. He played ten, yet all of these medical problems weren't created or exacerbated by being on the football field.

I know, I hear you:

1) He should have invested his money better!
2) Didn't he lose lots of money in the court proceedings that he could have had to live on?

My argument has nothing to do with any of that. My argument is this:

Rookie Mark Anderson, DE for the Chicago Bears, was a Round 5 choice in 2006 and came on big with 12 sacks for Da Bears. The average fifth round rookie salary for 2006 was $131,000. He'll probably make more than that in 2007.

Good for him!!!

The league must answer this: if 32 teams can spend over $3.2 BILLION dollars on player salaries alone, imagine how much money the league itself has, and makes.

But they have a retirement board who looked at Webster and balked at paying him an extra $39K a year, most of which probably would have been eaten up by medical bills.

The NFL can't afford a few million dollars to take a little better care of the men who carried the league to the point where they began to emerge as the top dog in pro sports?

Each team drops that salary cap to $108 million dollars, and the league cough up $10 million more, and I suspect the George Websters still with us could be a little better taken care of. Use most to increase pensions, and invest some, too!

$42 million dollars from a league whose current TV deal is worth $3.75 BILLION dollars annually? And there are other revenue streams, too?

Pittance to them.
More power to the pension.

Well, two to one ratio ain't so bad.....hee hee.....and no, I'm not nearly as pretty.....

You Are 65% Grown Up, 35% Kid

Congratulations, you are definitely quite emotionally mature. Although you have your moments of moodiness, you're usually stable and level headed.

How Emotionally Mature Are You?

NBC, the news, Virginia Tech, what to show, what not to show.....

One of the many huge topics of conversation this week over the Virginia Tech tragedy is what NBC should have or should not have done with the package they received from the killer of 32 people.

There have been passionate responses to my posting the NBC Nightly News video Wednesday night. To quote my two faithful posters.....

kenju posted: "I don't think they should have put his video on the news. A copy of the written stuff should be made public, but putting the video on the news, where unsuspecting parents might have had children watching, was not a good idea. I watched part of it; it made me sick, and I don't want to see it again."

A great point concerning the fact that children could be exposed to this; I honestly hadn't thought about that.

Frank posted: "Quite typical of the main stream media is the opportunity to gain a few viewers by having something like what fell into NBC's lap. I think it appalling that they thought it necessary to use the material to start with. Being "edited" for broadcast was a bunch of _____ in my opinion. How do you edit out the horror and disdain that was in this package. The families, friends, and colleagues of the slain heros did not need reminding of this senseless event, and especially the ranting and raving of a crazed lunatic who had no soul."

Now to my two cents.....

1) I had no problem with the first decision by NBC News. Let's face it, had they given it to federal authorities, and washed their hands of it, people would be up in arms about why the public was not allowed to get the thoughts and messages of the perpetrator. Sorry, but the last thing this tragedy needs is breeding ground for conspiracy theories.

2) I do not regret posting the open minutes of Wednesday's NBC Nightly News. It had to be shown. Protect children from it? YES! Come to grips as a people that we live in a society with way too many of these type of people....maybe one living in your neighborhood.....YES. And, you don't have to watch the video for a long time to realize the basics of the horror, both of the evil and the demons, plus the severe psychological problems that were obviously there.

This is not "giving the killer his 15 minutes of fame"; but was necessary to help us better understand at least a few percentage points of the senselessness of the "reasoning" behind this crime.

And the words "freedom of speech" would have been decried in a huge way.

I'm sitting here with the TV on and saw a spot for a movie soon to open with Anthony Hopkins. I realized I see disturbing images on spots like that all the time, but we don't raise a finger to ask networks or ad agencies to stop doing it. To stop the desensitizing of all of us.

Now, YES, the focus in this case is on a real killer, not a Hollywood script. So while there are a much higher set of reality circumstances, it doesn't take too, too many steps to see similar "characters" in the (ha) "creative" media. And people flock to see it day after day, night after night.

3) After trying to watch the 11pm news Wednesday night, I turned the news off. Every channel showed the video at the top of their news, so the killer's face was on 20 different channels, all at once. This was a highly negative "equal and opposite" reaction to the action of releasing it to the public in the first place.

And after the news cycle had finished the morning shows the next day, it was time for the media to say, okay, point taken. Message used.

4) Many news organizations have stopped using it. Good move. If someone really wants to hear this guy, there's always YouTube, et al.

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We had a time of remembrance and reflection at noon today at the office. My first time "speaking" since leaving the pastorate. It was, as it always is, an honor to be used.

The message I was happiest to convey was simply, life is fleeting, so cherish every moment, and tell the people you love that you love them. They can't hear you say that to them when they lie in a casket.

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And the best news I saw today? The VT Band went to the hospital where Tech students are recovering and played outside, while students came to windows, with great smiles and appreciation.

All Things Witham--THE VIDEO AGE BEGINS......

I was able to begin posting YouTube videos tonight, after lots of looking and searching....

...UPDATE (Friday 4/20/07)---I have deleted the You Tube/NBC Nightly News Video. The killer's 15 minutes are up here. But it was justified. More above....

Kitty Carlisle Hart....(1910-2007)

...just read the news of the loss of Kitty Carlisle Hart at age 96, whose career spanned over 70 years in all phases (Broadway, TV, et al)...

...but who, of course, will be remembered by me and many others my age as one of the panelists on To Tell The Truth. She would at first strike you as that rich, snotty neighbor who'd never give you the time of day. But she was a great panelist, and I remember last seeing her on TV a few years back on "Today" showing how exercise is important even in your 90's. I never thought I'd type this....but in a leotard at age 93, she looked good. Not "sexy good" (duh), but "in-shape good". Put me to shame.

All true friends of To Tell The Truth, please stand up, and salute Kitty Carlisle Hart.

Latest news on Virginia Tech to your right...

...I've changed the choice of headline words to the right, listing "Virginia Tech" as first. Click on it to get all the latest headlines on Virginia Tech via Google.

Horror.....

....that was the one-word headline in large, bold print on this morning's Times-Dispatch front page.

These things happen in Colorado, or California, or Texas....

...certainly not in, of all places, Blacksburg, Virginia.

I didn't make it to work Monday; meds and nerves took their toll after all that happened from Wednesday on. I got up at 1pm to go online and help out the ladies a bit when I saw a headline on my home page, "live coverage of shooting at Virginia Tech". I thought, what?

I turn on the TV and suddenly life felt surreal. At that time, 22 dead I believe was the report. At Tech? Why? What? How?

As I work here on the computer, I turn to my left and see the horror continue to unfold.

Some thoughts:

1) There will be much said about the shooter. Seems now they are getting at least a glimpse of his problems and some people at Tech had suspicions about him.

2) What should NOT be inferred is that "well, he took medication for depression, and so does my best friend at work, I guess he might go postal next!". That's bullcrap.

3) Va Tech police, et al, handled the situation AS WELL AS THEY COULD, given all the facts known. When is the last time your town or city announced a lockout everywhere within the town or city limits because there had been a domestic shooting? After three or four of those happenings, you don't believe them anymore. And THAT would be the ONE time all hell would break loose. They did the best they could. My only question is why there was not more of a pursuit for whoever was the perpetrator of that first shooting. Why did they think he'd gone out of state? That, I don't get.

4) Gun control. Here we go already. No funerals yet, and we're already fighting politically. Virginia is the 2nd "easiest state" to buy a gun, one report said. Funny, I don't remember hearing, "...a gun shot and killed 32 people before turning it on itself...". There was a human being involved.

---I was impressed by both Gov. Kaine and President Bush at the commencement today. Words of healing, reminder, and many thoughts of God.

Virginia Tech meant "Hokies", "Gobblers", "Michael Vick", "Frank Beamer", "Seth Greenberg", "Lane Stadium", bowl games, et al...to all of us around here....

....until early yesterday morning. Now, the term "Virginia Tech" never will mean the same.

FINALLY------I was INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED by the way students that were interviewed all over TV yesterday were composed, were mature, were just, I'm not how exactly to describe it but if I were Tech's President, I would be so proud of how the students of Virginia Tech tore down any notions of Tech being just "the home of the worst shooting in U.S. history", but of a University of young men and women who are shocked, who hurt, who will continue to hurt, but one day, by God's grace, this event will help them in some way to lead their families, their communities, and this nation.

And AS that happens, beginning with yesterday...I know for sure that no one who was killed yesterday died in vain.

I'm prouder to say, "I love the Hokies" today more than ever before.