Category Archives: News
OK… next step.They are going to get me ready for surgery.
Hope this doesn’t take long…. I don’t really want to be knocked out for a long time. It’s my right brain that this tumor is on and I hope when they take it out I’ll still have mind enough to do this blog…an activity I am unusually fond of.
I guess I’ll be signing off now. I’ll try to get back up tomorrow or Sunday. – Bill
Harold Kepnes, my friend, has died. I’m very sad.
He was a year younger than me, but we were both in the Class of ’64 at Tabor. Harold was my best friend and in the summers, when I worked on Cape Cod at the Candle Factory doing tours, Harold, who lived close by in Hyannis, had the home I hung out in.
Harry and Billy… that was how everyone knew us… wandered the Cape, went to drive-in movies, chased girls and hung out at his family’s private chunk of Craigville Beach. Even when I went off to college in Illinois and Harold went off, too, we would get back together in the summer.
Harold was the kind of friend you didn’t have to see in years and yet nothing changed. You don’t get many like that.
He spent the last couple of years fighting pancreatic cancer… in and out o9f hospitals and with the caring support of his wife, Monica, and his daughter, Caroline, who came in from California to be with her Dad. Caroline, a television writer of talent, has been keeping everyone informed about Harold and his condition.
Now he has died at age 65 and I shall miss him. What awful news to get from Monica this morning as I packed for Georgetown Hospital.
Starting the day in Hell…
Last night, on our way home from the MRI, we stopped at my daughter Penny’s to pick up our dogs where they were staying all day. Getting out of Cassandra‘s car and walking toward her house, I tripped over the base of my grandsons’ basketball net… painted black and invisible at night… and fell hard on the driveway and impacted my already weakened left side.
Getting up off the ground required really focused assistance from Elly and the girls who brought out a dining room chair for me to pull myself up using my right arm. This took about fifteen minutes and made my girls worry a lot.
While I don’t seem to have broken any bones, nor did I open any of the breaks I had in August/September, but my right arm hurts too much when I try to lift it that I’m really worried about what they are going to try to do at today’s exam in Hagerstown.
I spent the night switching between ice packs and a heating pad on my left shoulder and I have a little more movement, but not much, this morning. Elly made me a new ice pack for the morning.
I hope this doesn’t have the effect of cancelling Friday’s surgery on my head.
Quote of the Day – The man with the Romney Tattoo
Remember Eric Hartsburg? He was paid $15,000 to get a five inch Romney campaign tattoo on his face. Hartsburg did it as an auction. His only requirement for bidding on the ‘ad space’ was that it could not be racist or offensive.
“I’m the guy who has egg all over his face, but instead of egg, it’s a big Romney/Ryan tattoo. It’s there for life.
“I’m hoping this opens some other doors in the entertainment business.”
Hmmm. Opening doors in the entertainment business? I was trying to think of a situation where that would be possible, outside of a film about Romney’s loss… not something I see much of a market for. Perhaps the logo could be sold to an auto manufacturer (Rolls Royce?) and Hartsman could become a car dealer’s mascot.
How much do you want to bet that Hartsman will be whining about the tattoo to his grandchildren.
Related articles
- Man Who Tattooed Romney Logo Onto Forehead Speaks Out (huffingtonpost.com)
- Romney campaign’s lasting mark (politico.com)
- Indiana man stuck with Romney face tattoo (thegrio.com)
- From the Dept. of Regrettable Tattoos: The Romney Ryan Logo (towleroad.com)
- Fan Tattoos Romney Logo On His Face (mix1041.cbslocal.com)
- Man With Romney Tattoo on His Face is ‘Disappointed,’ Tries to Look on the Bright Side (nymag.com)
- Interview with a Man Who Got a Romney/Ryan Face Tattoo (slog.thestranger.com)
Favorite Television Shows?
Since I’ve been forced to stay pretty still most of the day I have been watching a lot of television (and thanks to Infinity I can go back and see many shows I’ve missed over the months) and have developed a list of shows I don’t want to miss. Act6ually, I’d repeat watching many of them several times (I often fall asleep before the end due to my condition and I want to find out what happened.)
Yesterday my daughter Cassandra and I discovered we liked a lot of the same shows. Oh, there were differences, but so many of the major ones were on both of our lists that I was sure I had had a child who was just like me.
I know you probably have favorite shows, too. Here is my top seven:
- The Mentalist – I don’t know what it is about this one, but I am totally hooked on it. It’s Cassandra’s number 1 show as well.
Copper – Have you seen this one on BBC America? It’s the story of NYC cops in the 1860s during the late Civil War era and the conflict between the Irish slums of Five Points and the rich folk on 5th Avenue… not to mention the Confederate conspiracy to burn down New York with an explosive called “Greek Fire.” This one has finished it’s 10 shows of the season and is now running repeats. I guess the new season starts in January.
- Suits – New Episodes start in January, but you can see all the older one’s on USA Network‘s web site.
- White Collar – waiting for January for this one to come back for another season… really miss it.
- Covert Affairs – the current season is just ending, but I LOVE this little CIA girl and the stuff she gets into.
- Big Bang Theory – Got to have my favorite comedy in there.
- Burn Notice – which just came back for a seventh season last week. Watching Mike, Sam and the folks at work is sooo exciting.
I like “Vegas” on CBS, but the rumor is running around that it will be cancelled for low ratings. Too bad.
So, what are yours? Do you have the same esoteric crime and conspiracy lust that I do? If they had more shows like PBS’ Broadway Musicals (from 2004) which I have been watching the re-runs from, I’d be watching that stuff more.
I get most of my news from MSNBC and PBS. What’s life without starting the day with “Morning Joe?” or Sundays with CBS “Sunday Morning?”
Related articles
- USA Renews ‘Burn Notice’ (huffingtonpost.com)
- ‘Royal Pains’, ‘White Collar’ and ‘Covert Affairs’ Renewed by USA For New Seasons (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
- Dynamic CIA Women: Annie of ‘Covert Affairs’ and Carrie of ‘Homeland’ (buddytv.com)
- Copper on BBC America Fine Television – out on Blu-ray (smallscreensilversurfer.com)
- ‘Suits’ Renewed by USA for Third Season (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
- The Mentalist- “If It Leads, it Bleeds” Review (11oclocknews.typepad.com)
- The Mentalist Milestone: 100th Episode (sacramento.cbslocal.com)
So where are we with General Petraeus?
What on earth is happening when an American who has been trusted as much as General Petraeus has his little love affair exposed (which doesn’t seem to have effected his CIA leadership at all) and feels the need to resign?
This article is from Truthdig… I’m putting it all here:
How the David Petraeus-Paula Broadwell Affair Was Uncovered
AP/Cliff Owen Former CIA Director David Petraeus. Modern technology apparently cost ex-CIA Director David Petraeus his job. The retired general’s affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell was discovered by the FBI while it was investigating harassing emails she sent to Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old woman who serves as an unpaid social liaison to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. A former associate of Petraeus says he and Kelley are just friends.
After news of the FBI investigation that uncovered the affair, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper stepped in and asked Petraeus to resign.
Clapper was told by the Justice Department of the Petraeus investigation at about 5 p.m. on Election Day, and then called Petraeus and urged him to resign, according to a senior U.S. intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly.
…Concerned that the emails he exchanged with Broadwell raised the possibility of a security breach, the FBI brought the matter up with Petraeus directly, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation.
Petraeus decided to quit, though he was breaking no laws by having an affair, officials said.
In the wake of Petraeus’ resignation, members of Congress are asking for more information about the investigation, including why they weren’t alerted sooner and whether the probe had any impact on national security.
Now here are my thoughts. Given the world situation, why in hell are we letting a man with this amount of military and foreign policy and management experience leave this job over a little penis stimulation? You can’t tell me that the Congressfolk who would sit over his situation if he hadn’t resigned haven’t been involved in the same kind of stuff.
If I were Obama, I would have, at least temporarily, refused Petraeus’ resignation and let him go ahead with his testimony about Libya (which he should do anyway, whether he has resigned or not.)
If we really let him go we are more stupid than I already think.
Related articles
- Congress wants answers on Petraeus affair (cnsnews.com)
- Woman connected to Petraeus scandal seeks privacy (cnsnews.com)
- Friend: Petraeus began affair after taking CIA job – Boston.com (boston.com)
- Info emerges about 2nd woman in David Petraeus affair (bostonherald.com)
- Identity of second woman emerges in Petraeus’ downfall (sfluxe.com)
- Woman who sparked Petraeus probe ID’d by U.S. army official (cbc.ca)
- L’affaire Petraeus: second woman identified, and Gmail location data outed Broadwell and Petraeus (boingboing.net)
- David Petraeus Resigns From The CIA Over An Affair. (stirringtrouble.wordpress.com)
So the world’s culture changes… not necessarily for the better…
Is our view of social interaction unusually influenced by television crime drama? You Betcha!
For instance:
Dorothy, Dorothy! And what are you doing with your attack dog Toto?
Hey, did you see that they auctioned off the gingham dress that Judy Garland wore in the movie for $480,000.00?
Related articles
- Judy Garland’s Wizard of Oz dress sells for $480,000 (guardian.co.uk)
- Blue gingham dress worn by Dorothy in Wizard of Oz sells at auction (fox6now.com)
- Judy Garland’s Oz dress fetches $480K in auction (rapidcityjournal.com)
It’s Veterans Day…
I’ll be clear, here. I am not a veteran of our armed forces. When my eligibility would have occurred I got a 1 Y on my physical and was never allowed in (I was also married with a child and in college at the time.)
What I do remember every Veterans Day, however, is my Uncle Butch (Marine Sgt. Irving B. Tchakirides, my father’s younger brother), who died on his third tour of duty in Viet Nam… a victim of American fire as it happens. Many times I have gone to DC to see his name on the Viet Nam Wall and to remember how much I liked him, along with my other uncles, as a child.
So I wish a Best Veterans Day to the memory of my Uncle Butch and hope that someday we won’t have to think about losing our young men in wars we never should have been in.
Related articles
- Veterans Day 2012 Tribute – Over 1.3 Million Veterans Honored & Thanked at VetFriends.com (prweb.com)
- Veterans Day 2012 (cbsnews.com)
- Veterans Day 2012 – Fly your flag today (timpanogos.wordpress.com)
- Across US, Veterans Day commemorations under way (cnsnews.com)
- Veterans Day: A US Tradition (blogs.voanews.com)
Cartoon(s) of the Week – It’s all over. Where are we?
Kevin Siers in The Charlotte Observer:
Perhaps we can start on getting religion out of politics. What are we, the Taliban?
– and –
Clay Bennett in the Chattanooga Times Free Press:
At least we know now that America is more than old white men…
– and –
Joel Pett in The Lexington Herald-Leader:
Of course, some Republicans will probably continue their uncooperativeness. It will kill them later.
– and –
Mike Luckovich in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Of course, this may make at least one news organization reevaluate it’s strategy…
– and –
Adam Zyglis in the Buffalo News:
And now forward into the second term (thanks, in part, to General Motors.)
Hey Radio Fans… I’ll be on from 10:30 to Noon today…
This will probably be the last time in the next two weeks that I can be on the air, given my forthcoming hospital visit next week. So… I’ll be thrilled to get your call-ins on “Talk To Me” (304-876-5369).b You can talk about anything you want to, as usual, or make an esoteric music request that you challenge me to find in a few minutes… it’s always fun for me.
If you are not in the 50 mile radius of WSHC at 89.7 FM, Shepherdstown WV, then you can go to 897wshc.org/listen-live. There are folks all over the country who listen, now (and a few friends in other countries) and I look forward to playing for everyone.
So, tune in this morning to “Talk To Me”. BTW, my daughter, Cassandra (from Connecticut) is my guest this morning. You can talk to her, too.
– Bill
Related articles
- My congratulations to Stephen Skinner…My best wishes to Elliot Simon (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
- Hey radio fans… we have a special schedule today due to football season: (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
Looks like I’m on a revised schedule and a doctor change for brain surgery…
My wife, daughter and my son (who just came in from Wisconsin to see me) have just returned from a long morning and early afternoon in Georgetown (northern DC) where we have been at the hospital and physicians‘ center at the University.
It now seems that this is where everything will take place with the actual surgery one week from today. Tuesday we’ll have to go down again for more testing.
My new doctor comes with a very fine reputation and many years of experience. The hospital is one of the best rated in the country (something the Hagerstown hospital was far from) and it looks like they know what to do. The results of the surgery will take out part of the tumor, discover what kind it is and whether it needs chemotherapy, radiation or both. Then I will have an idea of how much living I will be able to expect… realizing that there is no 100% cure here.
I now have much more need to research the idea of a brain tumor and how it will continue to effect my life. When you are 66 and facing something major like this in your head, it is also concerning how much life there will continue to be to effect.
I can, however, do my radio show tomorrow morning on WSHC, Shepherdstown. If you aren’t in our 50 mile radius for 89.7 FM, go HERE and listen live on line. Tomorrow I’ll be on from 10:30 to 12:00 ET and I look forward to calls and requests (and I think my daughter Cassandra is going to do the show with me.)
Hope you all had a better day than I did. – Bill
(thanks to my daughter, Cassandra Corrigan, for the photo.)
Related articles
- Brain Cancer Chemotherapy (cancercenter.com)
- Brain Cancer Grading (cancercenter.com)
- Patients With Deadliest Of Brain Cancers Benefit From Repeated Surgeries (medicalnewstoday.com)
- Five Early Symptoms of Brain Tumor (healthybodylife.com)
- Helping M.D.s Help Brain-Tumor Patients (research.microsoft.com)
My congratulations to Stephen Skinner…My best wishes to Elliot Simon
The election finished in West Virginia with results I predicted on the air.
So we have a wonderful guy going to the State House of Delegates representing us here in Jefferson County.
Although I consider myself glad to know both Skinner and his opponent, libertarian Republican Elliot Simon, who does the radio program “Common Sense” on Saturday Mornings just before my show, “Talk To Me”, on WSHC radio in Shepherdstown, I must say it is Stephen’s politics that I agree with. It does not surprise me that he won.
I’ll be glad to have Elliot’s full time attention back on our Saturday Morning broadcasts. I’m sure he disagrees with me, but I hope we will still cordially greet each other between shows.
Related articles
- Hey radio fans… we have a special schedule today due to football season: (underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com)
How do the candidates stand on America’s energy future? Here’s a radio piece from NCR
Energy policy, defining how we use energy to power our economy and our lives, is among the most pressing issues for the next four years. In this special edition of BURN, stories about the power of one: how, in this election season, a single person, place, policy or idea can — with a boost from science — affect the nation’s search for greater energy independence.