They say that deaths of celebrities come in threes. Earlier this week, we had the passing of Ed McMahon, longtime sidekick of Johnny Carson, pitchman for Publisher's Clearing House, and one-time host of Star Search, a predecessor of Mega-hit American Idol. McMahon was 86 and had been ill for a while, so his death didn't come as a total surprise.
The second death, Farrah Fawcett, one-time star of Charlie's Angels and a pin-up girl on probably the best selling poster of all time, was announced yesterday morning. Her death also didn't come as a surprise, as she had been battling cancer for quite a while and, heroically made a film of her battle which aired just a few weeks ago on national television. Her long-time lover, Ryan O'Neal was with the 62 year old beauty when she passed.
The third death, however, shocked just about everyone. Michael Jackson, one of the biggest stars of the music industry in the last 30 years, died unexpectedly yesterday afternoon. The gloved one, which he was sometimes referred to, was only 50 years old and apparently died from cardiac arrest. If this initial cause of death turns out to be true, I will have something in common with Michael - besides, of course, my first name. At 53, I too died of Cardiac arrest. Fortunately, I was resuscitated. Michael Jackson, obviously was not.
Cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack. It is when your heart, instead of following it's normal electrical "beat" motion, simply quivers - then stops. A heart attack is when an artery becomes blocked - by a clot - shutting off the oxygen supply to other parts of the body. Cardiac arrest is fatal in almost 90% of cases - primarily because treatment is not begun soon enough to get the heart started. "Attacks" can also be fatal, of course, but not nearly as often. The preceding is, obviously, layman's terms but, hopefully, you get the idea. I know a little bit about each, simply because when you experience these things and survive them, you learn about them.
Anywho - the passing of Jackson was indeed a shocker. Anyone who watched the Motown 25th Anniversary Special on TV became an instant fan of Michael Jackson that night. It was an amazing show, made incredible by his performance of Billie Jean. That was our introduction to the incredible dance move called the "Moon walk". The crowd, like those millions of us watching at home, simply went wild. We knew that he could dance, but we had never, ever seen anything quite like that. It was otherworldly. I remember my mouth dropping open and looking over at my wife, whose mouth was in the same state.
The Thriller album, as well as the video, which played on the relatively new MTV, was unbelievable too. We, like just about everyone we knew bought that album, and had to fight our kids as to who would listen to it. We watched the "Thriller" video so many times on MTV it wasn't even funny. Everyone tried to learn how to do the Moon Walk. But no one could do it like Michael.
A few years later, his life started becoming weird though. The young, good-looking black kid, started having strange pictures appear - him with a chimp, named Bubbles, that he adopted. Then a photo of him supposedly asleep in a hypo-baric chamber. Next, his facial features started changing. Finally, he began to turn white.
His career fading, and his appearance getting increasingly odd, Michael, married Lisa-Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley - which many considered to be a P.R. stunt. Not surprisingly, the marriage ended rather quickly. Michael then married a nurse and became father to two children.
His saga became even more muddled with charges of child molestation - one where he settled with the young boys parents for a reported $4 millions; the other in court where he was acquitted.
An incredibly gifted performer, The King of Pop, who was adored across the world will thrill no more. The shame of it is that his legacy was tarnished by his oddities and suspect behavior.
Old Fart Mike
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Embarrased
I love living in Oklahoma. We moved here some 17 years ago. However, when my company first suggested this transfer to Tulsa, my first thought was "What did I do wrong?" Initial thoughts were of the Joad family and their travails in the Grapes of Wrath - dusty, flat, barren, windswept and ugly as sin. I was pleasantly surprised upon my arrival. The Tulsa area is, instead, a lush, green area with rolling hills. While we do experience the "...Wind sweeping down the plain", and other weather related difficulties, it is generally a nice place to reside and raise a family.
Lately, however, actions within our state have occurred that have made national news are embarrassing to some of us who live here. I say "some of us who live here" because, in a few of the things I will relate, the vast majority of the State's population agree with what has been said, or done by our two Republican Senators. First though, a national story that simply won't go away is one involving a state trooper who pulled over an ambulance on a remote highway in a rural town in Oklahoma.
The story goes like this: An ambulance driver is transporting a passenger/ill person to a hospital in a town several miles away. He does not employ the use of his siren or flashing lights. According to other emergency workers, this is normal procedure. As he is doing so, a state trooper gets a call, and is responding to an emergency of his own (although this has never been explained). He also does not employ the use of his siren, though the blinking lights are on.
Apparently, the ambulance driver does not see the trooper approaching rapidly, so does not yield to him. The trooper, after riding his tail for some moments, pulls even with the ambulance driver, uses his P.A. system and tells the ambulance driver that he needs to obey the law and yield to a law officer. Here's when it starts to get murky. The trooper pulls away with the impression that the ambulance driver gave him the one finger salute; the driver says he simply threw his hands up in the air in surprise, as he didn't see or hear the trooper coming until he heard that announcement.
The trooper goes to his call which apparently doesn't take long. The ambulance driver continues transporting his ill passenger on to the hospital. A few minutes later, the trooper returns, orders the ambulance driver to pull over - which he does - both men get out of their respective vehicles, and the trooper starts reading the riot act to the EMT. Family of the ill passenger is following behind the ambulance and come out to see what's happening and begin to take a video with their cell hone. This makes national news, as the trooper - clearly out of control - accosts an EMT, and puts a chokehold on him. It is an ugly scene.
Days go by. Finally the State Highway Patrol in an effort to defend their trooper, release their dashboard camera showing a lot more of the entire confrontation. However, to most of us, it simply shows that the trooper was an enraged man. It was ugly and embarrassing to Oklahoma, and made us look like a stereotypical "Southern" state with a bunch of Bull Connor-type vigilante cops running around dispensing their kind of justice. To top it all off, of course, the ambulance EMT's were both African Americans. Nice, huh?
Just this morning, our Senior Senator - Jim Inhofe, a Republican, made the news yet again. He is the guy who famously said, "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." He also had the highest percentage of votes WITH President George W. Bush of ANY Senator during W's 8 years in office. Anywho - yesterday, he continued with his penchant for stupidity. First, with still a month to go before hearings even begin on Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonja Sotomayor - he stated he would NOT vote for her. How's that for an open mind? Secondly, though the White House experts released even more damning information about the effects of greenhouse gasses and what will happen as a result of them (i.e. severe droughts; severe rains; intense heat, etc.) Inhofe again disputed these findings.
Our other erstwhile Senator, Dr. Tom Coburn - another Republican - who is sometimes referred to as Dr. No, meanwhile used pictures of Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment from the movie "Sixth Sense" in a report on the stimulus package to try to enhance his opposition to it. Coburn, who recently announced his intention to run for a second term, is also known for his continuing opposition to Pork projects (not really a bad thing) The other thing Coburn is noted for is his comment about Terry Schiavo 'All you have to do is look at her on TV. Any doctor with any conscience can look at her and know that she does not have a terminal disease and know that she has some function.' Pretty good diagnosis for a FAMILY Doctor. He should have pressed his views with the folks who, in their autopsy, declared the unfortunate woman, BRAIN DEAD. Maybe they were actually referring to Coburn.
Many of my friends, who live in other states call, or e-mail, from time to time, laughing, or worse yet with an incredulous "How can you stand to live there?" I go on to explain the many benefits, but there are days....
Old Fart Mike
Lately, however, actions within our state have occurred that have made national news are embarrassing to some of us who live here. I say "some of us who live here" because, in a few of the things I will relate, the vast majority of the State's population agree with what has been said, or done by our two Republican Senators. First though, a national story that simply won't go away is one involving a state trooper who pulled over an ambulance on a remote highway in a rural town in Oklahoma.
The story goes like this: An ambulance driver is transporting a passenger/ill person to a hospital in a town several miles away. He does not employ the use of his siren or flashing lights. According to other emergency workers, this is normal procedure. As he is doing so, a state trooper gets a call, and is responding to an emergency of his own (although this has never been explained). He also does not employ the use of his siren, though the blinking lights are on.
Apparently, the ambulance driver does not see the trooper approaching rapidly, so does not yield to him. The trooper, after riding his tail for some moments, pulls even with the ambulance driver, uses his P.A. system and tells the ambulance driver that he needs to obey the law and yield to a law officer. Here's when it starts to get murky. The trooper pulls away with the impression that the ambulance driver gave him the one finger salute; the driver says he simply threw his hands up in the air in surprise, as he didn't see or hear the trooper coming until he heard that announcement.
The trooper goes to his call which apparently doesn't take long. The ambulance driver continues transporting his ill passenger on to the hospital. A few minutes later, the trooper returns, orders the ambulance driver to pull over - which he does - both men get out of their respective vehicles, and the trooper starts reading the riot act to the EMT. Family of the ill passenger is following behind the ambulance and come out to see what's happening and begin to take a video with their cell hone. This makes national news, as the trooper - clearly out of control - accosts an EMT, and puts a chokehold on him. It is an ugly scene.
Days go by. Finally the State Highway Patrol in an effort to defend their trooper, release their dashboard camera showing a lot more of the entire confrontation. However, to most of us, it simply shows that the trooper was an enraged man. It was ugly and embarrassing to Oklahoma, and made us look like a stereotypical "Southern" state with a bunch of Bull Connor-type vigilante cops running around dispensing their kind of justice. To top it all off, of course, the ambulance EMT's were both African Americans. Nice, huh?
Just this morning, our Senior Senator - Jim Inhofe, a Republican, made the news yet again. He is the guy who famously said, "Global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." He also had the highest percentage of votes WITH President George W. Bush of ANY Senator during W's 8 years in office. Anywho - yesterday, he continued with his penchant for stupidity. First, with still a month to go before hearings even begin on Supreme Court Justice nominee Sonja Sotomayor - he stated he would NOT vote for her. How's that for an open mind? Secondly, though the White House experts released even more damning information about the effects of greenhouse gasses and what will happen as a result of them (i.e. severe droughts; severe rains; intense heat, etc.) Inhofe again disputed these findings.
Our other erstwhile Senator, Dr. Tom Coburn - another Republican - who is sometimes referred to as Dr. No, meanwhile used pictures of Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment from the movie "Sixth Sense" in a report on the stimulus package to try to enhance his opposition to it. Coburn, who recently announced his intention to run for a second term, is also known for his continuing opposition to Pork projects (not really a bad thing) The other thing Coburn is noted for is his comment about Terry Schiavo 'All you have to do is look at her on TV. Any doctor with any conscience can look at her and know that she does not have a terminal disease and know that she has some function.' Pretty good diagnosis for a FAMILY Doctor. He should have pressed his views with the folks who, in their autopsy, declared the unfortunate woman, BRAIN DEAD. Maybe they were actually referring to Coburn.
Many of my friends, who live in other states call, or e-mail, from time to time, laughing, or worse yet with an incredulous "How can you stand to live there?" I go on to explain the many benefits, but there are days....
Old Fart Mike
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Stuff
Lots of things happening recently that I need to comment on - just so the top of my head won't explode.
1. Judge Sotomayor. No surprises here are there? First, she was on the "short list" from the very beginning. Second, is there really any surprise that Limbaugh, Gingrich, Hannity, or the Republican Right-wingers would attack her? She is, after all, being nominated by a Democratic President. Doesn't matter that Poppy Bush first brought her to prominence; nor that she has more experience than the other Supremes; nor does her rags to riches story count for much. Instead, it makes more sense to cherrypick a statement or two out of thousands; label her a racist; and take the typical "Just say No" attitude that is pervading these guys, no matter what Obama does.
2. The Death of an Abortionist. Some nutcase went into a church last Sunday and shot and killed a doctor who performed abortions. How incredible. So many people just don't see the irony and hypocrisy in that action. It's not okay, under any circumstances to terminate a pregnancy, some say - but it is okay to murder, in cold blood - in a church, no less, a guy that provides abortions, which, as near as I can tell are still legal. Many of these same folks also think it's just fine to wage a preemptive war that has been responsible for killing thousands and to torture our enemies. They do this all the while quoting scripture. Something seems wrong with this. Believe me, I am no fan of Abortion. My opinion is that it should only be used when a Mother's life is in danger, or in the case of rape or incest. This old fart is also a former (If you can ever be a former) Marine - so, I am not necessarily a pacifist. But, I believe in righteous wars - ones that we have no alternative but to wage. I also, do not think torture should EVER be employed by anyone. Certainly not us.
3. Obama to speak to Muslims today. I already know that the righties will be calling for his head. He will likely call for a new beginning. He will also admit America has made mistakes in the past. I truly don't understand why so many people think this is a sign of weakness. It is one of the things I had driven into my brain by my parents and teachers alike. Admit your mistakes, apologize for them. Learn from them. I don't think I'm that much different from most people of my generation.
4. General Motors in bankruptcy. Very rarely do people ever comment on my blogs. That means they either don't read them; think I'm full of s***; or simply don't give a rat's a**. No matter - if anyone is gonna comment this is the one that will get them to. Here's what I think. I think that, to a point, GM gets a bit of a bad rap on one thing - "They haven't been making the cars America wants". I have a little bit of a disagreement on this. Why? Have you noticed all the damn Hummers, Suburbans, GMC Trucks, and Chevy Trucks on the road. These big gas guzzling monsters were just exactly what the American public wanted. Until gas prices started closing in on $4 a gallon, nobody really cared. Suburban moms were driving their big ass SUV's picking up their 2 kids from soccer and little league games, while talking on their cellphones. Retooling a factory takes a bit of time. And, the incentives given to foreign car makers in some states to build factories gave them an advantage over the big three - who were saddled with expensive retirement programs. So, when idiots were saying things like GM was paying $60 an hour to a factory worker, the reality was - that included the retirement benefits for thousands of retired workers.
5. Personal. Yesterday was the love of my life's 60th birthday. I met her on a cold Nebraska night in January of 1970. My first night in Omaha. I had come to assist my company with the opening of the first ever 800 number call center devoted to hotel and car rental reservations. About 6 weeks later, I was offered the position of Assistant Manger, and I wisely accepted this transfer. We began dating and were married on May 1, 1971. She was 20 when I first met her so I have known and loved her for 2/3 of her life. We both took our vows seriously when we married, and, for some strange reason, she continues to love me today. A day without her in my life would be empty.
Old Fart Mike
1. Judge Sotomayor. No surprises here are there? First, she was on the "short list" from the very beginning. Second, is there really any surprise that Limbaugh, Gingrich, Hannity, or the Republican Right-wingers would attack her? She is, after all, being nominated by a Democratic President. Doesn't matter that Poppy Bush first brought her to prominence; nor that she has more experience than the other Supremes; nor does her rags to riches story count for much. Instead, it makes more sense to cherrypick a statement or two out of thousands; label her a racist; and take the typical "Just say No" attitude that is pervading these guys, no matter what Obama does.
2. The Death of an Abortionist. Some nutcase went into a church last Sunday and shot and killed a doctor who performed abortions. How incredible. So many people just don't see the irony and hypocrisy in that action. It's not okay, under any circumstances to terminate a pregnancy, some say - but it is okay to murder, in cold blood - in a church, no less, a guy that provides abortions, which, as near as I can tell are still legal. Many of these same folks also think it's just fine to wage a preemptive war that has been responsible for killing thousands and to torture our enemies. They do this all the while quoting scripture. Something seems wrong with this. Believe me, I am no fan of Abortion. My opinion is that it should only be used when a Mother's life is in danger, or in the case of rape or incest. This old fart is also a former (If you can ever be a former) Marine - so, I am not necessarily a pacifist. But, I believe in righteous wars - ones that we have no alternative but to wage. I also, do not think torture should EVER be employed by anyone. Certainly not us.
3. Obama to speak to Muslims today. I already know that the righties will be calling for his head. He will likely call for a new beginning. He will also admit America has made mistakes in the past. I truly don't understand why so many people think this is a sign of weakness. It is one of the things I had driven into my brain by my parents and teachers alike. Admit your mistakes, apologize for them. Learn from them. I don't think I'm that much different from most people of my generation.
4. General Motors in bankruptcy. Very rarely do people ever comment on my blogs. That means they either don't read them; think I'm full of s***; or simply don't give a rat's a**. No matter - if anyone is gonna comment this is the one that will get them to. Here's what I think. I think that, to a point, GM gets a bit of a bad rap on one thing - "They haven't been making the cars America wants". I have a little bit of a disagreement on this. Why? Have you noticed all the damn Hummers, Suburbans, GMC Trucks, and Chevy Trucks on the road. These big gas guzzling monsters were just exactly what the American public wanted. Until gas prices started closing in on $4 a gallon, nobody really cared. Suburban moms were driving their big ass SUV's picking up their 2 kids from soccer and little league games, while talking on their cellphones. Retooling a factory takes a bit of time. And, the incentives given to foreign car makers in some states to build factories gave them an advantage over the big three - who were saddled with expensive retirement programs. So, when idiots were saying things like GM was paying $60 an hour to a factory worker, the reality was - that included the retirement benefits for thousands of retired workers.
5. Personal. Yesterday was the love of my life's 60th birthday. I met her on a cold Nebraska night in January of 1970. My first night in Omaha. I had come to assist my company with the opening of the first ever 800 number call center devoted to hotel and car rental reservations. About 6 weeks later, I was offered the position of Assistant Manger, and I wisely accepted this transfer. We began dating and were married on May 1, 1971. She was 20 when I first met her so I have known and loved her for 2/3 of her life. We both took our vows seriously when we married, and, for some strange reason, she continues to love me today. A day without her in my life would be empty.
Old Fart Mike
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