Majel Roddenberry, widow of 'Trek' creator, dies

By ROBERT JABLON, Associated Press Writer – Thu Dec 18, 6:15 pm ET

Majel Roddenberry played Nurse Chapel on the original "Star Trek."
Photo Credit: Associated Press

LOS ANGELES – Majel Barrett Roddenberry, "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry's widow who nurtured the legacy of the seminal science fiction TV series after his death, has died. She was 76. Roddenberry died of leukemia Thursday morning at her home in Bel-Air, said Sean Rossall, a family spokesman.

At Roddenberry's side were family friends and her son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr.

Roddenberry was involved in the "Star Trek" universe for more than four decades. She played the dark-haired Number One in the original pilot but metamorphosed into the blond, miniskirted Nurse Christine Chapel in the original 1966-69 show. She had smaller roles in all five of its television successors and many of the "Star Trek" movie incarnations, although she had little involvement in the productions.

She frequently was the voice of the ship's computer, and about two weeks ago she completed the same role for the upcoming J.J. Abrams movie "Star Trek," Rossall said.

Roddenberry also helped keep the franchise alive by inspiring fans and attended a major "Star Trek" convention each year, Rossall said.

"I think `Star Trek' will always be her legacy," Rossall said.

"Star Trek" and its successors often focused on political and philosophical issues of the day. Roddenberry and her husband, who died in 1991, believed in creating "thoughtful entertainment" and were proud of the show and the passionate devotion of its fans, Rossall said.

"My mother truly acknowledged and appreciated the fact that `Star Trek' fans played a vital role in keeping the Roddenberry dream alive for the past 42 years. It was her love for the fans, and their love in return, that kept her going for so long after my father passed away," her son said in a statement on the official Roddenberry Web site.

Born Majel Lee Hudec on Feb. 23, 1932, in Cleveland, she began taking acting classes as a child. She had some stage roles, then in the late 1950s and 1960s had bit parts in a few movies and small roles in TV series, including "Leave It to Beaver" and "Bonanza."

She met her husband in 1964 during a guest role for a Marine Corps drama he produced called "The Lieutenant." That same year, she was cast in the pilot for the "Star Trek" series as the no-nonsense second-in-command. The pilot did not appeal to NBC executives and a second pilot was made, although parts of the original later showed up in a two-part episode called "The Menagerie."

The couple married in Japan in 1969 after "Star Trek" was canceled. After her husband's death, Roddenberry continued her involvement with the "Star Trek" franchise.

She also was the executive producer for two other TV science fiction series, "Andromeda" and "Earth: Final Conflict.

###

Gustav recovery continues ...

Yesterday, Friday, 05 December 2008, a work crew with Allcraft Roofing & Construction started removing our old roofing materials about 0700 CT.

After a short delay around midday waiting for the correct color shingles to arrive [Our color is 'barkwood.'], the crew finished the installation by about 1700 CT.

We have two new wind-powered attic vent turbines along with all the other new components that make up the roof covering system. The shingles are supposed to be good for thirty (30) years and 100 mph winds. Let us strongly hope so.

This morning, I made my way into the attic to remove various buckets and catch pans from beneath the hole of one of the vent turbines ... the one that had blown away during Hurricane Gustav. I did not slip and put a leg through the great room ceiling this time.

Roofing nails continue to appear on the driveway despite the crew's diligent cleanup activity.

Forrest J. Ackerman remembered ...

Sci-fi 'creator' Ackerman dies










Forrest Ackerman's love affair with
sci-fi began when he was a small boy

Forrest Ackerman, a writer and editor credited with discovering the author Ray Bradbury and coining the term "sci-fi", has died, aged 92.

Ackerman died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, said a spokesman.

Ackerman's achievements included founding the sci-fi pulp magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland.

But he is probably best known for finding Bradbury, author of The Martian Chronicles, when looking for people to join a sci-fi club he was starting up.

Ackerman was also the owner of a huge private collection of science-fiction movie and literary memorabilia.

"He became the Pied Piper, the spiritual leader, of everything science fiction, fantasy and horror," said Kevin Burns, trustee of Ackerman's estate.

After finding the then teenage Bradbury, Ackerman went on to give him the money to start his own science-fiction magazine Futuria Fantasia.

'Never catch on'

He also paid for Bradbury to go to New York for a writers' meeting that the author said helped launch his career.

"I hadn't published yet, and I met a lot of these people who encouraged me and helped me get my career started, and that was all because of Forry Ackerman," Bradbury told the Associated Press news agency in 2005.

As a literary agent, Ackerman represented Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and numerous other science-fiction writers.

He said the term "sci-fi" came to him in 1954 when he was listening to a car radio and heard an announcer mention the word "hi-fi."

"My dear wife said, 'Forget it, Forry, it will never catch on,"' he said.

He began using the term in his magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland, which he helped create in 1958 and edited for 25 years.

Ackerman also appeared in many films including Queen of Blood, Dracula Vs Frankenstein and Amazon Women on the Moon, to name but a few.

Ackerman once said he fell in love with science fiction when he was nine years-old and saw a magazine called Amazing Stories, which he kept for the rest of his life.







Sci-Fi's No. 1 Fanboy, Forrest J Ackerman, Dies at 92
By Richard Corliss Saturday, Dec. 06, 2008

Forrest J. Ackerman in 1996
Paul Harris / Getty

Fan as in fanatic. Fan as in fancier. Fan as in fantasy lover. Forrest J Ackerman, who died Thursday at 92 of a heart attack in Los Angeles, was all these things and many more: literary agent for such science fiction authors as Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, A.E. van Vogt, Curt Siodmak and L. Ron Hubbard; actor and talisman in more than 50 films (The Howling, Beverly Hills Cop III, Amazon Women on the Moon); editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and creator of the Vampirella comic book franchise. But each of these trades was an exponent of his educated ardor for science fiction, fantasy and horror, and his need to share that consuming appetite.

The Scifipedia, an online biographical dictionary, defines Ackerman first as "American fan." That's good enough. As much as almost any writer in the field, he created a devoted, informed audience for speculative fiction. If he didn't coin the term "sci-fi" — Robert Heinlein used it first — then by using the phrase in public in 1954 he instantly popularized it (to the lasting chagrin of purists, who preferred "SF"). Forry, as everyone called him, was the genre's foremost advocate, missionary and ballyhooer. His love for the form, stretching back more than 80 years, godfathered and legitimized the obsessions of a million fanboys. His passion was their validation. He was the original Fanman. (See TIME's collection of Hollywood's best robot movies)

Born in Los Angeles in 1914, Ackerman traced the birth of his vocation to 1926, when he read his first "scientifiction" tale in an early issue of Amazing Stories, the pioneering magazine published by Hugo Gernsback, for whom the Hugo Awards are named. (Ackerman won a 1953 Hugo as No. 1 fan.) Forry was hooked for life, as he would later hook so many others. Three years later the teenager found his stride. He had his first letter published in Science Wonder Quarterly; won a contest in the San Francisco Chronicle with a story about a voyage to Mars; and founded The Boys Scientifiction Club ("I would have included girls but at that time female fans were as rare as unicorns' horns."). His dream of bringing together the writers and readers of science fiction was starting to bloom. He brought his young friend Ray Bradbury to the Clifton's Cafeteria Science Fiction Club, hangout of Heinlein, Leigh Brackett, Henry Kuttner, Fredric Brown and other future giants of the genre. He bankrolled Bradbury's own fan magazine, Futuria Fantasia.

That was 1939, when Ackerman and his friend Myrtle R. Douglas attended the first World Science Fiction Convention in Manhattan — both dressed in space suits. (Trekkies, now you know who originated that imaginative eccentricity.) In a 1996 interview with Ed Grant of the New York City cable access show Media Funhouse, Ackerman recalled that 165 people attended the confab. "We had a banquet so expensive that only 29 of us could afford it," he told Ed. "I couldn't even afford to lend the money to Ray Bradbury, 'cause it was one dollar a plate. Of course no food, you understand, just a dollar for a plate." Forry wore the spaceman outfit around the city, attracting cries of "Buck Rogers!" and "Flash Gordon!" from local children. He added: "They had an Esperanto convention, the artificial language, which I know. ... So I was in this futuristic costume and I went up and explained in Esperanto that I was a time traveler from the future."

To many fan-dults of a certain age, Forry is revered for Famous Monsters. Its first issue came out in February 1958; it lasted nearly 30 years. The first serious (but never solemn) magazine devoted to horror and science fiction movies, FM included appreciations of old and new films, interviews with the genre's actors, directors, writers and special-effects men, all informed by the ripe musings and unabashed enthusiasm of its editor. The photos often came from Ackerman's archive; his collection was likely the world's largest in its category.

In the '80s and '90s, his "Acker-mansion," on Glendower Road in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of L.A., became a museum and a shrine — Mecca for fan-fans. Show up on a Saturday morning, walk past the Lincoln Continental in the driveway (license plate: SCI FI) and find smiling Forry at the door. He leads a tour of his home, every inch of which is crammed and wallpapered with memorabilia: Bela Lugosi's ring and Dracula cape; Ray Harryhausen's miniature of a shattered U.S. Capitol dome from an entire room dedicated to the silent SF film Metropolis; artifacts and fetishes from The War of the Worlds, Invaders from Mars, The Thing from Another World, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ad infinitum, ad gloriam. From a shelf crammed with books he pulls out that early issue of Amazing Stories.

Ed Grant recalls his visit with a friend: "Forry gave us two the full tour ('Don't back into that, boys, it's a maquette from King Kong' — placed so you had to back into it!). ... I'm sure he told the same stories to everybody, but he made it seem as if they were just for you." On the way out you sign a guest book and notice the signatures of early visitors: Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, Ray Bradbury, Ray Harryhausen, John Landis, Tobe Hooper, George Lucas... The swag was said to be worth $5 million. In 2002, his funds depleted by a long court case, Ackerman moved to a smaller home (the "Acker-mini-mansion"), where he still welcomed acolytes. For Forry it was always Halloween, and he was the warmest host to trick-or-treaters of any age.

Unlike some fandroids, Ackerman actually got married. His wife Wendayne, four years older than Forry, translated SF novels by the German authors Karl Herbert Scheer, Kurt Mahr and Walter Ernsting. She died in 1990 and is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, Calif., under the marker "Wife of Mr. Science Fiction." On his MySpace page, Forry wrote: "My life companion, Wendayne (the only one in the world) Ackerman, as the aftermath of a mugging in Italy, died some years ago, but not before translating 150 sci-fi novels from French & German, moonlighting while teaching for 20 years at university."

This futurist lived long enough to serenely contemplate his own future, or lack of it. "It would be nice to look forward to going to a Great Sci-Fi Convention in the Sky when I expire," he wrote. "I am vaguely contemplating opting for a cryogenic comeback but in case I don't become a human people-cicle, I, like Isaac Asimov and other thinkers I admire, don't expect to wake up in some spirit realm of an afterlife. I've been a secular humanist since I was 15, long before the term was invented, and nothing since has changed my mind."

The man who claimed he had written "the shortest sci-fi story in the World, consisting of a single letter," went out with a rather longer mystery tale. He had been ailing through the fall, and at the end of October posted a message on Facebook that he was "battling an infection this Halloween. Boo (hoo)." On Nov. 6 the Locus.com SF site, the British Fantasy Society and Wikipedia all announced Ackerman's death — then retracted it. Not so much undead as not-yet-dead, Ackerman stayed with us for another four weeks. Through this extended expiration, emails flooded into the Acker-mini-mansion — love notes from fans like him, recognizing their model and idol.

Forry must have been touched, because all he wanted was to be of use to people like him. On MySpace he had written: "I regard myself as a sci-fi sponge that should be squeezed for information and anecdotes as long as I'm here. So while I'm still around, squeeze me."

OBITUARY

Forrest J Ackerman, writer-editor who coined 'sci-fi,' dies at 92

The Los Angeles native influenced young fans with his Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and spent a lifetime amassing a vast collection of science fiction and fantasy memorabilia.

By Dennis McLellan December 6, 2008

Forrest J Ackerman, who influenced a generation of young horror-movie fans with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine and spent a lifetime amassing what has been called the world's largest personal collection of science-fiction and fantasy memorabilia, has died. He was 92.

Ackerman, a writer, editor and literary agent who has been credited with coining the term "sci-fi" in the 1950s, died Thursday of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, said John Sasser, a friend who is making a documentary on Ackerman.

As editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland, Ackerman wrote most of the articles in the photo-laden magazine launched in 1958 as a forum for past and present horror films.

"It was the first movie-monster magazine," Tony Timpone, editor of horror-movie magazine Fangoria, told The Times in 2002.

Timpone, who began reading Famous Monsters as a young boy in the early '70s, remembered it as "a black-and-white magazine with cheap paper but great painted [color] covers. It really turned people on to the magic of horror movies."

Primarily targeted to late pre-adolescents and young teenagers, Famous Monsters of Filmland featured synopses of horror films; interviews with actors such as Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price; and articles about makeup and special effects.

The magazine reflected Ackerman's penchant for puns, with features such as "The Printed Weird" and "Fang Mail." Ackerman referred to himself as Dr. Acula.

"He put a lot of his personality into the magazine," said Timpone, who became friends with Ackerman. "It was a pretty juvenile approach to genre journalism, but as kids that's all we had."
Among those who grew up reading Famous Monsters of Filmland was author Stephen King.

Other childhood readers included movie directors Joe Dante, John Landis and Steven Spielberg, who once autographed a poster of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" for Ackerman, saying, "A generation of fantasy lovers thank you for raising us so well."

Ackerman was a celebrity in his own right, once signing 10,000 autographs during a three-day monster-movie convention in New York City.

This, after all, was the man who created and wrote the comic book characters Vampirella and Jeanie of Questar and was the ultimate fan's fan: a man who actually had known Lugosi and Karloff and whose priceless collection of science-fiction, horror and fantasy artifacts ran to some 300,000 items.

For years, Ackerman housed his enormous cache of books, movie stills, posters, paintings, movie props, masks and assorted memorabilia in his 18-room home in Los Feliz.

He dubbed the house the Ackermansion. The jam-packed repository included everything from a Dracula cape worn by Lugosi to Mr. Spock's pointy ears and from Lon Chaney Sr.'s makeup kit to the paper-plate flying saucer used by director Ed Wood in "Plan 9 From Outer Space."
For Ackerman, a native Angeleno born Nov. 24, 1916, it all began at age 9.

That's when he stopped at a drugstore on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Western Avenue in Hollywood and bought his first copy of the science-fiction magazine Amazing Stories.
Ackerman was helplessly hooked.

By his late teens, he had mastered Esperanto, the invented international language. In 1929, he founded the Boys Scientifiction Club. In 1932, he joined a group of other young fans in launching the Time Traveler, which is considered the first fan magazine devoted exclusively to science fiction and for which Ackerman was "contributing editor."

Ackerman also joined with other local fans in starting a chapter of the Science Fiction Society -- meetings were held in Clifton's Cafeteria in downtown L.A. -- and as editor of the group's fan publication Imagination!, he published in 1938 a young Ray Bradbury's first short story.

During World War II, Ackerman edited a military newspaper published at Ft. MacArthur in San Pedro. After the war, he worked as a literary agent. His agency represented scores of science-fiction writers, including L. Ron Hubbard, Isaac Asimov, A.E. van Vogt, H.L. Gold, Ray Cummings and Hugo Gernsback.

In 1954, Ackerman coined the term that would become part of the popular lexicon -- a term said to make some fans cringe.

"My wife and I were listening to the radio, and when someone said 'hi-fi' the word 'sci-fi' suddenly hit me," Ackerman explained to The Times in 1982. "If my interest had been soap operas, I guess it would have been 'cry-fi,' or James Bond, 'spy-fi.' "

At the time, Ackerman already was well-known among science-fiction and horror aficionados for his massive collection. After a couple from Texas showed up on his doorstep in 1951 asking to view the collection, Ackerman began opening up his home for regular, informal tours on Saturdays. Over the years, thousands of people made the pilgrimage to the Ackermansion.

The Dracula/Frankenstein room featured a casket as a "coffin table" and the cape Lugosi wore in the stage version of "Dracula." A case displayed one of the horror film legend's bow ties, which, Ackerman would gleefully note, contained a drop of blood.

Among the collection's other highlights: the ring worn by Lugosi in "Dracula," the giant-winged pterodactyl that swooped down for Fay Wray in "King Kong," Lon Chaney's cape from "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Metropolis" director Fritz Lang's monocle.

The affable Ackerman would escort his visitors through the priceless warren of books, posters and memorabilia, settling into a chair in each room and answering questions.

"He was always just a big kid," said Fangoria's Timpone. "I really cherished all the times I've been with him."

Ackerman wrote more than 2,000 articles and short stories for magazines and anthologies, sometimes under the pseudonyms Dr. Acula, Weaver Wright and Claire Voyant.

He also wrote what has been reported to be the first lesbian science-fiction story ever published, "World of Loneliness." And under the pen name Laurajean Ermayne, he wrote lesbian romances in the late 1940s for the lesbian magazine Vice Versa.

Ackerman edited or co-edited numerous books, including "A Book of Weird Tales" and "365 Science Fiction Short Stories."

Over the years, he made numerous cameo appearances in films, including Dante's "The Howling" and Landis' "Innocent Blood." Landis also had Ackerman eating popcorn behind Michael Jackson in the movie theater scene in his "Thriller" video.

Famous Monsters of Filmland ceased publication in 1983, but returned a decade later with Ray Ferry as publisher and Ackerman as editor. Ackerman, however, reportedly had a falling out with Ferry and left the magazine. Years of litigation followed. In 2000, after a civil trial, Ackerman won a trademark infringement and breach-of-contract lawsuit against Ferry, though he said a year later that he had not yet collected a penny of the judgment.

In recent decades, according to a 2003 Times story, Ackerman slowly sold pieces of his massive collection in order to survive. Because of health problems and his still-unresolved legal battle, he put up all but about 100 of his favorite objects for sale in 2002.

The same year, he moved out of the Ackermansion and into a bungalow in the flats of Los Feliz. But he continued to make what was left of his collection available for fans to view on Saturday mornings.

"I call it the Acker Mini-Mansion," he said.

Ackerman's wife, Wendayne, died in 1990; he has no surviving family members.

McLellan is a Times staff writer.

dennis.mclellan@latimes.com

J.R. writes to Smiley Anders ...

Another Letter to the Editor at The Advocate ...

Mr. Babington's article as printed in Newsweek:

Moving from AOL Blog service (Journals) ...

As AOL has decided to close the Journals (Blog) service as of 31 October 2008, I have moved my content (most of it) to JRMadden.blogspot.com.

See you there! Er, ... here!

Former location: http://journals.aol.com/jrmaddog/MadDogMadden/

Gustav recovery continues ...

We are still cleaning up from Gustav.

This morning, I was raking leaves into a single pile on the curb along with moving logs into the same pile. The contractor engaged by the city picked up most of the remaining large cuttings from the fallen tree but left a good bit behind. I am hoping the consolidated pile will be picked up soon.

We still have blue-tarp covered hole in the roof where the vent turbine used to be and continue to get estimates for roof replacement. It looks like we will have to fight with Allstate as they want to only "repair" half of the roof.

The neighbor behind may be taking on the chore of fence replacement so that would be one thing less to have on the list.

Under the age of ... WHAT?

 

http://www.rockbridgeweekly.com/rw_article.php?ndx=11451

Boy Scout Camp Closed After E Coli Outbreak

Virginia Health officials investigating E.coli incident at Goshen Boy Scout reservation.

The Virginia Department of Health says it has confirmed 15 cases of E. coli with 50 to 60 more individuals showing symptoms of the malady.

Many of the victims are children under the age of 115, who have been hospitalized.

Officials indicated that they are working with the facility's staff in an attempt to find the source of the problem, the first of its kind in Virginia this year.

With nearly 1,000 recently attending the camp, reports of illness starting becoming known after they had returned home. The illness makes itself obvious due to stomach cramps, vomiting, fever, chills, etc. and in the worst cases, possible kidney failure.

 

* * * * *

Grady Family Reunion

The Grady Family held its Reunion Saturday, 28 June 2008, at the Masonic Hall at the Mississippi Agricultural Museum in Jackson, Mississippi. Photographs from the event (as well as the evening before at the Homewood Suites) are in the album above.

If you would like a copy of one of them, use the mouse & click the right-hand button to access the drop-down menu and use the COPY function.

"Happy Shirt" Day at Ingram Micro

The Project Manager instituted "Happy Shirt" day within the Project Team to be held every Wednesday.  Below is an image of my shirt for one of those Wednesdays.

 

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1

The boy knows ...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

[delta_flyers] Digest Number 1613 / Rejected: 'Star Wars' Merchandise You'll Never Own

2.

Rejected: 'Star Wars' Merchandise You'll Never Own

Posted by: "J. R. Madden" jrmaddog@yahoo.com   jrmaddog

Tue Mar 25, 2008 11:29 am (PDT)

Greetings, fellow Sentients & others,

Listen to the NPR story ...

http://www.npr. org/templates/ story/story. php?storyId= 89025323& ps=bb2

Read the source documentation ...

http://www.actionfi gureinsider. com/ottertorials /2008/02/ 10/rejected- a-long-long- time-ago/

Yours in fandom,
J.R.

Back to top

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (1)

[delta_flyers] Digest Number 1599

4a.   HULU.com is open for business

Posted by: "J. R. Madden" jrmaddog@yahoo.com   jrmaddog

Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:49 am (PDT)

Greetings,

HULU.com is open to the general public.

I hosts free TV & movies.

They have the first two seasons of "Lost in Space"
available. What is labelled as being the first
episode is, I think, the pilot. Dr. Smith and the
B-9 robot are not present; the plot is done straight
sf without the "camp" treatment. I don't think it
ever aired so you might be interested.

Yours in fandom,
J.R.

Back to top

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (2)

4b.

Re: HULU.com is open for business

Posted by: "Walter M. Scott III" wms3@smengineers.net   wms3new

Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:19 am (PDT)

>... They have the first two seasons of "Lost in Space"
available. What is labelled as being the first
episode is, I think, the pilot. Dr. Smith and the
B-9 robot are not present; the plot is done straight
sf without the "camp" treatment. I don't think it
ever aired so you might be interested.

I don't think that was ever aired either. The aired "pilot" definitely
contains the robot and Dr. Smith, however it was not played campy at
all. It was very serious.

Back to top

Reply to sender | Reply to group | Reply via web post
Messages in this topic (2)

Tony & Tina's Wedding, Friday, 14 March 2008

Paul Grady, Daphne, & "Vinnie Black"

"Vinnie Black" & J.R.

Tags: Tony & Tina's Wedding

Obsolete Technology ...

Date:	26 Feb 2008 00:02:36 -0000
From:	delta_flyers@yahoogroups.com
To:	delta_flyers@yahoogroups.com
Subject:	[delta_flyers] Digest Number 1577

Messages In This Digest (25 Messages)

 

16a.  Re: The march of technology

Posted by: "J. R. Madden" jrmaddog@yahoo.com   jrmaddog Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:29 pm (PST)

Rotary phones exist in my HOUSE!

Two of them, in fact.

Yours from the past,
J.R.

Re: The march of technology Posted by: "Karen M." kdm042@yahoo. com kdm042 Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:47 am (PST)

 

Not all of the skills they list are truly obsolete. Rotary
phones still exist in a few places. (We saw one last night in a
movie set in Mexico.)

Karen D. Morton, P.E.
Senior Control Systems Engineer

16b. Re: The march of technology

Posted by: "Scotty" eagle707@bellsouth.net   cmdrpowers Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:44 pm (PST)

I had a nightmare a couple of nights ago in which I was desparately attempting to dial a rotary phone before something bad happened. I recall waiting impatiently for each number to cycle. Don't know what the bad thing was, but I suspect it was the phone!

8-)

Scotty
"Takeoff is optional, landing is mandatory."
----- Original Message -----
From: J. R. Madden
To: delta_flyers@ yahoogroups. com
Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 2:29 PM
Subject: [delta_flyers] Re: The march of technology

Rotary phones exist in my HOUSE!

Two of them, in fact.

Yours from the past,
J.R.

Re: The march of technology
Posted by: "Karen M." kdm042@yahoo. com kdm042
Sat Feb 23, 2008 6:47 am (PST)
Not all of the skills they list are truly obsolete. Rotary
phones still exist in a few places. (We saw one last night in a
movie set in Mexico.)

Karen D. Morton, P.E.
Senior Control Systems Engineer

 

16c. Re: The march of technology

Posted by: "Frank Schiavo" cccfranks@yahoo.com   cccfranks Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:53 pm (PST)

--- In delta_flyers@ yahoogroups. com, "J. R. Madden" <jrmaddog@.. .>
wrote:
>
> Rotary phones exist in my HOUSE!
>
> Two of them, in fact.
>
> Yours from the past,
> J.R.
>
>
And people tell me I'm weird because I'd like to get a slide-ruler for
our new house.

 

16d. Re: The march of technology

Posted by: "Frank Schiavo" cccfranks@yahoo.com   cccfranks Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:05 pm (PST)

--- In delta_flyers@ yahoogroups. com, "Frank Schiavo" <cccfranks@. ..>
wrote:
>
> --- In delta_flyers@ yahoogroups. com, "J. R. Madden" <jrmaddog@>
> wrote:
> >
> > Rotary phones exist in my HOUSE!
> >
> > Two of them, in fact.
> >
> > Yours from the past,
> > J.R.
> >
> >
> And people tell me I'm weird because I'd like to get a slide-ruler
for
> our new house.
>
I'm just glad to know others like having old-tech around.


16e. Re: The march of technology

Posted by: "alcore@uurth.com" alcore@uurth.com   alcorenilth Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:39 pm (PST)

Message From "Frank Schiavo" <cccfranks@yahoo. com> on Mon, February 25,
2008 4:05 pm:
> To: delta_flyers@ yahoogroups. com
> --- In delta_flyers@ yahoogroups. com, "Frank Schiavo" <cccfranks@. ..>
> wrote:
> >
> > --- In delta_flyers@ yahoogroups. com, "J. R. Madden" <jrmaddog@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Rotary phones exist in my HOUSE!
> > >
> > > Two of them, in fact.
> > >
> > > Yours from the past,
> > > J.R.
> > >
> > And people tell me I'm weird because I'd like to get a slide-ruler
> > for our new house.
> >
> I'm just glad to know others like having old-tech around.

I have a slide rule on display in my living room bookshelf.

I also have a complete architectural/ structural drafting tools set.

I used to have a rotary phone (on display) as well, but I don't think I
do anymore.

I used to practice using hookflash to dial rotary phone pulses. It's a
useful trick if you ever need to dial 911 and the dial is broken.

Gene

Continental.com/magazine February 2008

 

http://magazine.continental.com/200802-go-eat

 

Taste of Hallelujah Family-owned Juban’s puts a Louisiana spin on classic French flavors

For a quarter century, Juban’s (3739 Perkins Road, 225.346.8422; jubans.com) has been taking the Creole-influenced flavors of the Big Easy and giving them a Baton Rouge flair. Along the way, it’s developed a large local and regional following, as well as one of the most original dishes you’re bound to stumble across anywhere — the Hallelujah Crab. This flash-fried soft-shell crab is served stuffed with crawfish, shrimp, and crabmeat and topped with a creolaise sauce. The dish gets its name because the crab’s claws are thrown skyward, ready to embrace a soon-to-be-satisfied diner.

Miriam Juban, one of the restaurant’s three co-owners, says the Hallelujah Crab is a symbol of Juban’s fun and embracing atmosphere. But the dish almost ended up with a less appetizing name. “We were going to call it Touchdown Crab at first because it has its arms in the air,” she recalls. “A neighbor came over and tasted it and said the name was wrong. He said, ‘That thing’s saying hallelujah.’”

The restaurant has been a family affair since its founding in 1983. Juban says they started up because they felt there was a hole in the local dining scene. “No one was copying the New Orleans food,” she explains. One of the great validations of what Juban’s has accomplished, she adds, is that it has become a favorite of savvy diners from New Orleans who have moved to Baton Rouge.

Chef Terry McDonner says the key to what makes Juban’s successful and different is taking French cuisine and incorporating foods and techniques particular to Louisiana. “We’ve always done the béarnaise sauces, the bordelaise, the hollandaise. We just keep tuning it and tuning it to be sure we’re ahead of the next restaurant,” McDonner says.

To go with its heralded crab dish, Juban’s offers a number of authentic Louisiana dishes. Miriam Juban is most proud of the smoked chicken, duck, and andouille sausage gumbo, as well as several seafood dishes. McDonner lists the lamb among his favorites, adding that he relishes the idea of taking common foods and giving them an upscale twist.

Juban’s has grown considerably, starting as a 5,000-square-foot bistro and more than doubling its space to 13,000 square feet over the years. The restaurant has also benefited from its location close to Interstate 10 in a town that has seen tremendous growth.

“We have the well-heeled travelers here quite often,” Juban says. “They may have eaten in Tokyo yesterday, Baton Rouge today, and Mobile tomorrow.[Baton Rouge] is part of the Energy Corridor and it brings in some very savvy travelers.”

Juban says the key is to keep all visitors coming back. “We always want to pay attention to our diners and try to make them our friends.”

— Rob Holbert

Getting There: Continental offers daily nonstop service to Baton Rouge from its hub in Houston.

Five to Try

1

Beauregard Gallery & Bistro. 715 Europe St., 225.383.1932. Grilled tuna and shrimp remoulade are among the favorites at this great out-of-the-way lunch spot in downtown Baton Rouge.

2

Mestizo. 2323 Acadian Thruway, 225.387.2699. Mestizo’s menu is an intriguing collision of Mexican cuisine and Louisiana flavor, with selections like crawfish burritos and crab enchiladas.

3

DiGiulio Brothers. 2903 Perkins Road, 225.383.4203. This small, comfortable Italian spot has all the bases covered when it comes to the food Mama would make.

4

Hawks Nest Restaurant. 3015 Westfork Drive, 225.291.4422. This is the place in Baton Rouge to get a delicious hamburger and fries.

5

Maison Lacour. 11025 N. Harrell’s Ferry Road, 225.275.3755. Nothing says Louisiana like French food, and this cozy little cottage delivers a fine selection of traditional French cuisine.

— R.H.

Southern-style Eating

1

Ralph & Kacoo’s. 6110 Bluebonnet Road, Baton Rouge 225.766.2113. This is seafood with a Cajun flair that will let you know you’re in Louisiana.

2

The Chimes. 3357 Highland Road, Baton Rouge 225.383.1754. Right off the LSU campus, the Chimes is a Baton Rouge institution that serves up Louisiana comfort food, including dishes like alligator, crabmeat-stuffed mushrooms, and crabmeat-stuffed jalapeños.

3

The Little Village. 453 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge 225.218.6685. This quaint Italian bistro offers an intimate experience and traditional Italian cuisine. Everyone raves about the bread too.

4

Drusilla Seafood Restaurant. 3482 Drusilla Lane, Suite D, Baton Rouge 225.923.0896. Also known for its great steaks, this upscale seafood spot serves up po’ boys and fried dishes too. Voted one of Baton Rouge’s best business lunch spots.

5

Kamado’s. 4612 Bennington Ave., Baton Rouge 225.928.3888. Kamado’s slices and dices sushi and sashimi in a comfortable atmosphere and also does tabletop grilling.

— Elaine Glusac

 

 

http://magazine.continental.com/200802-go-drink

Creole Cocktails Cocktails and southern culture mix it up at Avoyelles

Avoyelles has a history as colorful and mysterious as Louisiana itself. This cavernous upstairs bar in Baton Rouge used to be the tailoring and mending room for Joan Eddy’s Dress Shop back in the early 20th century. You can almost see rows and rows of foot-powered sewing machines and steam pressers, and seamstresses nipping and tucking away, cinching waists and fluffing up flounces.

Today, Avoyelles (333 Third St., 225.381.9385; avoyellescafe.com) is probably the best gathering place in Louisiana’s state capital for a great drink, Creole cooking, a game on the TV, or a view of the parade of commerce floating up and down the Mississippi River. The clothing store’s original red oak floor, restored of course, is still underfoot and also part of the back bar. Wood columns, well-seasoned brick walls, and plaster form the unpretentious backdrop for a whopping 9,200 square feet of airy space under 14-foot ceilings. That’s not counting the outdoor deck facing the river.

“We’re an old–New Orleans atmosphere right on the 50-yard line of the downtown Baton Rouge entertainment district,” beams Jay Dykes, an electrical contractor who bought Avoyelles 10 years ago and has refashioned it into more than just a bar. The first floor, where the frocks and gowns were once sold, is now Avoyelle’s Café, where the prices are so low, you’ll wonder if they’re 20 years out of date. Where else can you get a dish like the Alligator Bayou Teche — a blackened or fried “tender cut of gator” seasoned with Creole honey mustard — for $8?

Let’s go upstairs, where drinks are served on top of a 35-foot-long bar crafted out of sinker cypress from a tree rescued from the Louisiana swamps. All the knots, scars, and grain remain intact beneath a coat of varnish and add to the local lore. Dykes and his main mixologist, Erik Adams (in photo), wisely haven’t gone over the libational edge with “real gatorade” or crawfish cocktails. But there’s no shortage of imagination. The Avoyelles Sunset is a potent blend of Sailor Jay and Malibu rums, triple sec, pineapple juice, and grenadine, $7.50. Enjoy one on the deck late in the afternoon for maximum return on your reasonable investment. Adams also makes what he calls a Creole Cosmo, using the more expensive Stoli Orange and Cointreau along with the de rigueur cranberry juice and splash of lime juice, $7.50. Other inspirations: the calorie-packed Mississippi Martini, which is a beyond-the-pale potion made with Stoli Vanil, Godiva and Baileys liqueurs, and chocolate syrup, also $7.50.

Thanks to Dykes’ deft hand, Avoyelles has somehow managed to avoid becoming a Louisiana State University hangout. That may be why Kip Holden, Baton Rouge’s mayor, drinks a Budweiser here now and then, and locals say you never know whom you’ll run into at Avoyelles. Not long ago actors Beau Bridges and Judd Nelson were here at a cast and crew wrap party for Dirty Politics, a movie partly filmed in Baton Rouge. Says Dykes with a smile, “It’s a comedy about two presidential candidates.”

For anyone who believes in a frugal fiscal policy, Avoyelles is the place to come for bargains in a glass. Weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m., American longneck beers, house wines, and well drinks are $2 apiece. Imports — Heineken, Beck’s, Bass Ale — are $3, and martinis are doubles for the price of a single during those hours. Mike Ederon, a Baton Rouge executive with the Boy Scouts of America and a regular at Avoyelles’ $10 buffet lunch, advises me to try an Abita, brewed down the road in Abita, La., a place said to be hopping with Louisiana flavor and personality. Just like Avoyelles itself.

— Chris Barnett

Getting There: Continental offers daily nonstop service to Baton Rouge from its hub in Houston.

Folks who READ a pain in the butt!

Print - Close Window

Date:	Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:44:58 -0800 (PST)
From:	"J. R. Madden" <jrmaddog@yahoo.com>
Subject:	Re: Calongne flyer rec'd ...
To:	"Emily Tiller" <emily@calongneforcongress.com>
CC:	"Grant Smith" <grant_smith@albemarle.com>, "Smiley Anders" smiley@theadvocate.com;

 

Ms. Tiller,

 

I have read & re-read your response (which I very much appreciate receiving) concerning a point in Ms. Calongne's platform addressing requirements for U.S. citizenship.  Unfortunately, it would appear that the document we received in the mail from Ms. Calongne's campaign, when compared with your response, does not match.

 

Either Ms. Calongne believes standards do not exist and need to be in place (her flyer) or she believes the standard that exists need to be enforced (your response).

 

If Ms. Calongne feels "standards may currently exist in the immigration and naturalization requirements [but] they are clearly not being enforced or taken serious enough", I would appreciate a documented example of an instance wherein said standards were not being enforced or were not being taken serious enough.  In the case of not being "taken serious enough", I would ask an additional explanation as to the basis for deciding the level of not-having-been-taken-seriously-enoughness of the documented instance.  If such an example is not supplied, I will have to conclude there is no basis for the claim of "not being enforced."

 

If Ms. Calongne's platform is one that calls for current laws of the U.S. government to be enforced, I strongly believe that is what the wording on her flyer should represent rather than an implication that such laws do not exist.  If a candidate's literature does not accurately present the views of the candidate, how is a voter such as myself supposed to understand the candidate's positions?

 

Yours truly,

J. R. Maddnen

 

Emily Tiller <emily@calongneforcongress.com> wrote:

Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:57:50 -0600
From: "Emily Tiller" <emily@calongneforcongress.com> 
To: "J. R. Madden" <jrmaddog@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Calongne flyer rec'd ...

Our intention was not to reduce the requirements at all. Laurinda fully believes that anyone applying for citizenship be required to write English as well as read, speak and understand English. Laurinda has this point in her platform because she believes that while these standards may currentlyexist in the immigration and naturalization requirements, they are clearly not being enforced or taken serious enough.

 

Thank you for your concern!

 

On 2/10/08, J. R. Madden <jrmaddog@yahoo.com> wrote:

Ms. Tiller,

 

On 09 February 2008, we received a flyer from "Calongne for Congress" stating two points which are, I assume, from Ms. Calongne's platform.  The second reads "require that applicants for U.S. citizenship speak, read and understand English."

 

From U.S. government website http://www.uscis.gov/, I note the following:

 

Language
Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language. Applicants exempt from this requirement are those who on the date of filing:

• have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 15 years or more and are over 55 years of age;
• have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 20 years or more and are over 50 years of age; or
• have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where the impairment affects the applicant's ability to learn English.

Apparently, the current requirements for U.S. citizenship would be reduced under your proposal as "write" would no longer be required.

 

I would appreciate hearing Ms. Calongne's reason to reduce the requirements for U.S. citizenship.

 

Yours truly,

J. R. Madden

 

7515 Sheringham Avenue

Baton Rouge, LA  70808-5762

225.266.6196 cell

 

 

 

--
Emily Tiller
Campaign Manager
Calongne for Congress
225-571-0109

Tags: Curmudgeon, Politics, Calongne

Ray Bradbury phone interview

At the Baton Rouge Big Read Kickoff, Saturday, 09 February 2008, Beth Courtney, President of LPB, interviewed Ray Bradbury by phone.  The call was set up by Clay Fourrier, LPB Executive Producer, in conjunction with Mr. Bradbury's daughter.

Some of the points I recall (Sorry, I forgot to take notes.  Clay Fourrier contributed the last two items.) follow:

Bradbury is 87 years old and using a wheelchair so travel is just about out of the question.

There is current discussions underway about a re-make of the movie Fahrenheit 451.

Bradbury considers Fahrenheit 451 to be his only work of "science fiction."  All the rest of his works he classifies "science fantasy."

He was self-educated through use of the public libraries to which he had access. 

He began writing Fahrenheit 451 at a local library that would rent a small room with a typewriter for 10 cents for thirty minutes (I think that was the rate).  Therefore, he loaded his pocket with dimes and headed there to work.  He would collect various books from the shelves for research and, in nine days, had finished his manuscript.

Bradbury is excited about Fahrenheit 451 soon to be published in the Egyptian language.  It is to be released in Alexandria where the library was burned 5000 years ago.

Bradbury has recently had a new collection of short stories  published.  One is entitled We'll Always Have Paris, about ... wait for it ... Paris - because that’s where he and his wife went every year for twenty years.

-30-

 

Tags: Bradbury, interview, Big Read

Bud Light & Jackie Moon

Bud Light Jackie Moon Commercial - Aired during Superbowl XLII: Bud Light Jackie Moon TV Commercial

Bud Light Jackie Moon Commercial - Internet: Bud Light Jackie Moon Commercial

Semi-Pro: The Movie Trailer Semi-Pro: The Trailer

This one was definitely a shock.

Richard John Carnoske AKA "Bud"
Carnoske, Richard John Tuesday, January 29, 2008.  Dear father of Robert and Angela Carnoske; dear husband of Leonor Carnoske; dear brother, brother-in-law, uncle, cousin and friend. Services: Funeral Service and burial will be held on Friday, February 1, 2008 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery at 2:15 p.m.   A GEBKEN-BENZ Service. Published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1/31/2008 - 2/1/2008.

 

 

FKOM08 - Southern Region Dinner

On the evening of Monday, 14 January 2008, SAP America Southern Region held a dinner in the Venetian Ballroom C & D.  Here are some photos and a panning view of the scene:

       

Tables One & Two (seating ten each) for William Yieh's Group ... numbering about forty-nine individuals.

     

                              

    

 

 

 

 

FKOM08 - Bill McDermott's Entrance

On Day Two of SAP America's FKOM08, Monday, 14 January 2008, the General Session began with a media-to-live presentation based upon the theme "Take It Higher".  The video clip below shows the end of the live portion with the transition to Bill McDermott (1 min 14 s):

 

 

aoljvideoUpload, aoljvideoUpload_1

How the Rich Get Richer & Reporting "W" to the IRS

Yesterday, I listened to the audio from a 03 January 2008 interview by Terry Gross, Fresh Air, with David Cay Johnson.  Afterwards, I used the information provided by Mr. Johnson to fill out IRS Form 3949 A - Information Referral.  The Form (see below) was posted to the IRS office in Fresno, California today.

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: IRS, W', Form 3949 A

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_4