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Monday, October 31, 2005

BILL CLINTON AND MICHELLE WIE



Michelle Wie just gave Bill Clinton a $500,000 check for the hurricane relief fund. You may recall that Michelle Wie just signed an endorsement deal with Nike for $5,000,000 a year for 5 years. She just turned pro at age 16 and may become the best golfer ever. In August when we stayed in Hawaii a month - our apartment was just around the corner from Michelle's high school. She has attained pop star status in Hawaii - and makes the newspaper every day. Man - can she hit a golf ball.

JJ Redick - Enjoy a Very Special Season at Duke



I am looking forward to this NCAA hoops season. I am a particular fan of JJ Redick. Yes - he may be the best college shooter ever. Yes - he goes against the current NBA "fly slamma jamma" style - but this kid personifies the "hard work to success" atttitude.

Back in the 80s - I enjoyed NL Baseball. I had season tickets to see the Phillies play from 1977 to 1980. I absolutely hated Pete Rose because he was the catalyst of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine - and they usually ended the Phillies seasons early. But in 1979 when Pete came to Philadelphia - it was so great to have him on your team. He inspired everyone with his hustle - desire - and gumption.

JJ Redick is the same way. It is great to have him on your team - and you hate it when he tears your heart out with one of those 23 foot swishing threes. Home or away - time seems to stop when one of his threes is in the air.

He may not be a success in the NBA - who knows - who cares. This season - you are going to see one of the finest exhibitions of a very special player. We will not see a kid quite like him for a long time.

The nicest part is that he is a self-made star. He has worked very hard to get to where he is. He inspires us all. Every fan looks at him and says - "I could do that...........if I would have worked at it that hard.........but I chose not to." And that is why some many fans hate him. They realize that if they worked that hard at something - they could be a success too - and they aren't.

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Nancy Marches in Convocation - Danny gives Srygley Lecture - Dr. Darrell Burke garners Outstanding Faculty Award - FSU beats UMD





Captions - Dean Larry Dennis presents the Outstanding Faculty Award to Dr. Darrell Burke. Nancy and Danny pose before "Unconquered" a statue of chief Osceola on his horse Renegade. Note the flaming spear. Dr. Eliza Dresang, Dr. Danny Callison, and Dr. Nancy Everhart. Eliza is Nancy's "partner in crime" - co-writers of the Project LEAD.

What a beautiful day in sunny Tallahassee. It started out at 9 AM with a catered breakfast at the College of Information. Then - at 10 AM Dr. Callison delivered the Srygley Lecture at the College of Information's Convocation. It was also the first time at Nancy marched with her cap and gown on at FSU since graduating here in 1990. Dr. Darrell Burke received the Outstanding Faculty Award selected by the students. This summer Darrell spent some time with us in Hawaii. Dr. Tom Hart and Dr. Jane Robbins were awarded Emeritus status which is the highest honor that can be given to a retired faculty member. Jane is the person that hired Nancy and then retired before Nancy got here. Tom retired and played a big part in recruiting Nancy to FSU.

After the ceremony - we went to the stadium for the Homecoming game with Maryland. In a closely fought match - FSU came from 10 points down to beat UMD - 35-27. Dean Dennis provided great seats near the 50 yard line. He also visited us from his exclusive seats in the President's Box directly behind us.

After the game - Nancy and Harry celebrated at Harry's Restaurant.

  • More Pictures of Homecoming Day
  • Friday, October 28, 2005

    Homecoming Weekend - Speaker Danny Callison - Parade - Maryland Football Game







    Click on pictures to enlarge them.

    Lots of excitement this weekend with the FSU Homecoming. It started out today at 2 PM with a homecoming parade. Two of the pictures show Chief Osceola on his horse Renegade and President Wetherell in his golf cart. How in the heck does the picture of Harry - Bill - and Danny at Wrigley Field fit in? On July 30, 2004 - Danny Callison and Harry drove from Indianapolis to Chicago to see a ball game while Nancy was busy teaching a course for Danny at the IUPUI campus. Danny is the Dean of the Library Science School at IUPUI. Note the ball Harry caught on Waveland Avenue from Sammy Sosa during batting practice. Danny - third from left in the dinner picture will be the guest speaker at the Library Science homecoming event on Saturday morning at 10 AM. The rest of the people at the Friday night dinner table are library science faculty including Nancy and her assistant Rachel.

    The last picture shows our tickets on the 50 yard line of the UMD at FSU Homecoming game tomorrow at 3:30 PM. Tickets are complimentary from Bobby Bowden to the College of Information. Danny will be our guest at the game. It will be a great weekend if Maryland co-operates :-)

    Thursday, October 27, 2005

    Our Doris - Deja Vu All Over Again




    Hello family and friends:

    Attached are more Hurricane Wilma pictures from our home and street. (If you cannot open the zipped pictures, let me know and I will send a few at a time.) We still are without electric and water and Florida Power and Light has now told us that it will be at least a month or more due to the major feed poles that are down in our area out by the Everglades. We have a generator running the water pump and a refrigerator. The City of Homestead is almost completely restored with electricity but the further West you go, the worse it is. It seems our major problem is that we live too far out West and there is no buffer between us and the Everglades National Park which is where the storm came across.

    Gas lines are tremendous and you wait for at least 2 hours in line and get only $25 worth of gas. Today my husband drove down to Islamorada in the Keys and got $170 worth of gas to keep neighbors, family and friends generators going for at least a few days. The Keys are completely restored. Grocery stores are slowly opening up but items like milk and bread are scarce.

    The pictures will show you how our screen patio enclosure (all metal) just collapsed like toothpicks. It took the metal out of the tiles and left nails sticking up and also took some tiles. It is hard to see our roof tiles that are off because I took the photos with my phone camera. The roofer is to come as we have leaks in kitchen, family room, garage and dining room. The insurance people have been no where to be seen although if you do not know how to get to our home, it is hard as there are so many electric poles in the middle of the road that you have to drive on the farmer's fields. You also have to dodge low hanging wires. It is like an obstacle course to get home. We cannot use our street as there is a toppled semi truck in the middle of the road and that truck took out four to six electric poles with it. I have not seen any monkeys loose yet from the research center nearby and I am thankful for that. After Hurricane Andrew, we shot a baboon in our home! There is an 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. curfew here.

    Debi and I did laundry in the bath tub last night and then hung it out on some line we rigged up. I feel like a pioneer! Cooking on the gas grill is getting old as well but we are surviving and making the best of it.

    I do have internet at the office so this is my lifeline and I escape here. The hospital where my daughter Debi works just got power today so she is back to work but her college classes are cancelled. Regular school is closed for the week and they will announce over the weekend if they will have it next week.

    Well...more later. We are all safe and sound and hanging in there for dear life!!!

    Love..........Sissy (Doris Hollenbach Meneses)
  • More Doris Hurricane Pictures


  • Pictures from Doris's cell phone

    Wednesday, October 26, 2005

    After Three Days of Chain Saw - I Have Finally Broken Through to the Lake


    About 18 months ago, Nancy and I bought our present home about one mile from the State Capitol Building near downtown Tallahassee. The house is on Seminole Drive on a corner lot of the Southeast corner with Mor Bihan. Mor Bihan is the name of our side street. It is a French word and I do not know what it means. Anyway - our property has frontage on this small lake maybe the size of 7 football fields. This picture was taken from our swimming pool deck area. We have been clearing out brush - so now we have a nice path to the lakefront and boating area. We plan to clear out more brush to make the whole area a nice place to walk. It will take a while but we got a good start. You would have laughed to see the three of us in a boat yesterday - George - Keith - and me. They were holding the boat steady with long poles while I was in the middle of the boat chainsawing willows in the water. It may have looked silly but it was very effiicient - even though everytime the chain saw blade hit the water - it threw up a big rooster tail. We were soaked - but happy at our progress.

    It is hard to believe we are here 18 months already. It seems like yesterday we were all carrying on at my retirement dinner. Since then Nancy was recruited by FSU - Drew became a doctor - Drew and Robin got married - Robin started her fellowship at Syracuse - and in December Keith will finished his masters. And to top it all off now - Harry has reached the shore of the lake whose name he does not know.

    Dr. Amy Depuy - My Best Student in 33 Years






    Amy M. DePuy, daughter of Charles and Regina DePuy, Lansford, recently graduated summa cum laude from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia.Dr. DePuy was the recipient of the Measey Scholarship, the Batroff Scholarship, the Omicrom Delta Kappa Graduate School Scholarship, and the First Catholic Slovak Lades Association Scholarship during her medical school career. She received clinical honors in pediatrics, orthopaedics, OB/GYN, reproductive endocrinology/infertility, and breast surgery, and was awarded membership in the Hobart Amory Hare Honor Society and the Association of Pathology Chairs Honor Society.While at Jefferson, Dr. DePuy was associated with the University Choir, the OB/GYN Society Executive Committee, and the Family Medicine Society. She was also a volunteer with the Jeff HOPE program, which provides health care to the homeless and underserved.In the Panther Valley area, Dr. DePuy has been involved with the music ministry of the Catholic Churches of Coaldale as a soloist, cantor, flutist, and choir director. She has been a performed on the Carbon-Tamaqua American Cancer Society Telethon for the past 21 years.Dr. DePuy is currently participating in a four-year OB/GYN residency program at the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, and is residing in Emmaus.She is a 2001 graduate of Moravian College, Bethlehem, where she received the Charles Albrecht Graduation Award for the best four-year record in scholarship and participation in college activities, and the Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society Graduation Award for the highest cumulative average in biology.The 1997 valedictorian of Panther Valley High School, Dr. DePuy is the granddaughter of Mildred Radocha of Coaldale and the late Sheriff Paul Radocha, and the late Charles and Mary DePuy.

    Amy's daddy Charlie was my best buddy teacher - he taught grade seven math - I taught grade seven science. He still does.

    Tuesday, October 25, 2005

    Hurricane Wilma - We Didn't Even Get Rain

    Wilma passed through Florida about 400 miles from our house. We did not get any wind or rain. Our friends - Doris and Elias - got hit hard in Homestead south of Miami. They are without power and much damage to their home.

    FSU will Play Alabama in 2007

    FSU-Bama in Jacksonville, Sept. 29 2007 - just announced.

    Sunday, October 23, 2005

    House Going Up With Lightning Speed




    Things are moving along nicely on Wayne and Shirley's home. They are building a home a block from our place. Wayne is a library science professor with Nancy. Shirley is a law professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Shirley has been "threatening" to retire and move here. After visiting us in the spring - we set the wheels in motion. Looks like Shirley will have to move here full-time just to decorate this wonderful estate. Nancy and I have been "clerks of the works" making sure the builder and workers do not cut corners. So far - everything is top drawer. Click pictures to enlarge.

  • More pictures of House
  • Saturday, October 22, 2005

    Wilma Will Track Across Florida


    According to the National Weather Service's 9PM Saturday night report - Hurricane Wilma will pass over Florida but will miss Tallahassee by hundreds of miles. On the above map - Tallahassee is where the "O" in "MON" is. Of course that can all change.

    "Plug 'Er Up" Electric Cars - No More Gasoline






    While Nancy toiled away at the FAME convention, I was free to do things that I liked. I spent way too much time in the town of Celebration, Florida.

    Celebration is the evolution of Walt Disney's original idea of EPCOT - the experimental prototype community of tomorrow. The town was designed on a clean slate - it is about 5 miles from Disneyworld proper. It is a town with streets, restaurants, homes, stores, hotels, apartments, shops, and a post office. Everything is tastefully landscaped and there are plenty of ponds, lakes, walking trails, bike paths, and even rocks that play piped in music. There is no admission to visit the town - one can drive there, shop, eat, bike, or just walk around. The town also has free wireless internet in hot spots for you computer buffs.

    One of the things that I liked most about Celebration was the electric cars. Since the homes here are relatively expensive, if one can afford a home here, they have extra cash for some neat toys. And one of them is the electric car.

    In Florida, they have an NEV law which stands for Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. One is allowed to purchase an electric car and drive it on any streets that have speed limits of 35 miles per hour and lower. That includes all of Celebration. The electric cars are glorified golf carts with better lights and brakes. They go as fast as 25 mph and have a range between 20 and 50 miles on a charge. You plug the cars into a household 110 volt AC outlet. In Celebration the parking meters have outlets in them as shown in the picture.

    Safe at Home in Tallahassee

    We had a nice trip to Orlando and Disneyworld. We got home Friday night at 9:30 PM. We drove back from Orlando to Tallahassee by way of Gainesville. We had supper in Gainesville and walked around the University of Florida campus.

    Although Hurricane Wilma is projected to not come within 400 miles of Tallahassee - we wanted to steer clear of any evacuation traffic.

    Our friends, Doris Meneses and her daughter Debbie, evacuated to Orlando to stay with Doris's sister. Her husband, Elias, stayed to fight the storm projected to go near their home in Homestead, Florida. Elias has weathered many hurricanes and knows what he is doing. Drew spent time with him during hurricanes when Drew lived in Miami.

    It will be in the 80s here today in Tallahassee - but tonight a cold air mass is supposed to come from the north and drop our temperatures into the 40s. The rest of the week is supposed to be 70s.

    Thursday, October 20, 2005

    Web Logging from Disney's Downtown Celebration




    Nancy just called to admonish me for wasting my time on the internet. I am in downtown Celebration sitting on a park bench on Market Street checking my e-mail - ichatting with Hugh Vrablic, one of my students - setting up a web page - and reading the newspaper from Tamaqua and Tallahassee. I am also keeping one eye on the hurricane reports. Our friend Doris Meneses form Miami is going to be here Friday night and we all plan to meet at the Palma Maria. If you don't know what that is - it is a restaurant that was on Broad Street in Tamaqua and then in 1980 it moved to Winter Park, Florida. It has become the toast of Orlando and although Pete the father has died - Pete the son and the three daughter still do a gangbusters business.
    Nancy is busy making a presentation at the FAME convention. We are stayin the Disney All-Star Hotel - the convention is at the Coranado Srpinds Hotel next door. We bought one year passes to the Disney parks and Nancy says I am wasted my time on the net.
    Nancy is done at 5 PM today and we plan to go into the parks for the evening. We were in the Magic Kingdom last night - and it was not crowded. At 9 PM they close the rides to "outsiders" but keep them open to park hotel guests until midnight. Now if I can just figure a way to stay up that late. Disney has one year passes for Flroida residents for $205 - we bought two. Now glutten Harry will be down here every weekend to get his money's worth. It is a 4 hour drive from Tallahassee.
    Click on the pictures to enlarge them.
  • More pictures from Celebration
  • Wednesday, October 19, 2005

    FAME - Nancy Wants to Live Forever - We are going to Disneyworld!

    At 9AM today - Nancy and Harry will be driving to Disneyworld to spend four days at the FAME convention. FAME is the Florida Association of Media Educators. Nancy will be spreading the word there about her new grant and project at FSU. The convention and our hotel are right in Disneyworld at the Coronado Springs Resort. Today we picked up a couple of one year passes for Disneyworld available to Florida residents at AAA. The one year passes allow you unlimited visits to Disneyworld attractions for one year for $225.
    Watch for picture updates from the hotel.

    Tuesday, October 18, 2005

    The Princess and I see the King and I




    In August, Nancy and I spent six weeks in Asia and Hawaii. Nancy presented at a convention in Hong Kong and then taught a course in Honolulu. In between we had some time to kill - so we spent about a week of it in Thailand. Thailand used to be called Siam - setting for the famous Broadway show - "The King and I." While touring several of the colorful temples in Bangkok - our tour guide told us that Thailand is still a kingdom - and the king has banned "The King and I" from Thailand. You can buy any American first run DVD on the streets for $2 - but the people are not allowed to see this film or play about their country.
    About a month ago - the play was advertised on local TV her ein town. The tickets were to go on sale the next day at 10 AM. So retired Harry - found a slot in his busy schedule to show up an hour early to be first in line. He got great seats - also got tickets to Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby and the Will Rogers Show (no Will will not be appearing - he is dead). So guess who got to sit in the front row for this Broadway play featuring Stephanie Powers?

    You Can't Pick Your Relatives But You Can Pick Your Neighbors


    At the end of the semester in June - Nancy invited two of our professor buddies over to the house for dinner. One is a professor here in town - the other is a law professor in Milwaukee. Anyway - when they got to our house - we had a great dinner - followed by wonderful conversation and ample wine - or is it the other way around. As we sat on the back porch and listened to a big owl in a moss covered live oak tree in our yard - they were surprised at how quiet and "countrylike" it was right in the middle of Tallahassee. We could hear the loons "on golden pond." Our friends were tired of long commutes and decided right there on the porch that they wanted to be our neighbors. Just like Joel and George Dawson scouted out this house for us - we scouted out a home for our two professor buddies. We found a really nice lot for sale about one block away. Here is a picture of the house they are building. It will be done in March and we will have two great neighbors - hand selected. Last night when we took this picture and walked around in the house - right above the bedroom about 40 feet up in a pine tree - was that big old owl.

    Florida State Women Beat Virginia Tech in Volleyball


    This is a late post. Two of the neatest sports on campus at Florida State are Women's Softball and Volleyball. My sons would say that I like them because they are free - but that is only part of the draw. Although we love to go to Seminole football and basketball games - those games have been changed by the "gate receipts and glory." There is so much coverage and hype that the athletes in search of pro contracts - spend so much time on the sport. In women's sports - even though the players are really good and are recruited from all over the nation - they are still here to primarily to get an education. Many of the women were All-State athletes in high school and they take the sport very seriously even though the chances of ever playing it professionally are very remote. They appreciate the fans that come to the games - and I almost forgot - they are beautiful to watch.
    On Friday - "we" beat VT three straight games to sweep the series. Rules have changed a bit in the last few years. To win a game - you must score 30 points. You can score points without serving. The game is very fast paced.
    Friday was a busy night on campus - I went to the volleyball game. As I was parking the scooter - I noticed a fall baseball scrimmage in Dick Howser Stadium. Also a crowd was gathering for the "Midnight Madness opening of basketball practice.
    The attached volleyball picture is a little blurred - but I only took one picture.

    Monday, October 17, 2005

    Watch Out Ladies - Retired Husband Syndrome

    By Anthony Faiola
    Washington Post
    Monday, October 17, 2005

    TOKYO -- Sakura Terakawa, 63, describes her four decades of married life in a small urban apartment as a gradual transition from wife to mother to servant. Communication with her husband started with love letters and wooing words under pink cherry blossoms. It devolved over time, she said, into mostly demands for his evening meals and nitpicking over the quality of her housework.

    So when he came home one afternoon three years ago, beaming, and announced he was ready to retire, Terakawa despaired.

    " 'This is it,' I remember thinking. 'I am going to have to divorce him now,' " Terakawa recalled. "It was bad enough that I had to wait on him when he came home from work. But having him around the house all the time was more than I could possibly bear."

    Concerned about her financial future if she divorced, Terakawa stuck with their marriage -- only to become one of an extraordinary number of elderly Japanese women stricken with a disorder that experts here have recently begun diagnosing as retired husband syndrome, or RHS.

    Feeling chained to the tradition of older women remaining utterly dedicated to their husbands' well-being, Terakawa said, she devoted herself to her spouse. Retirement cut him off from his longtime office social network, leaving him virtually friendless and her with the strain of filling his empty time. Within a few weeks, she said, he was hardly leaving the house, watching television and reading the newspaper -- and barking orders at her. He often forbade her to go out with her friends. When he did let her go, Terakawa said, she had to prepare all his meals before leaving.

    After several months, she developed stomach ulcers, her speech began to slur and rashes broke out around her eyes. When doctors discovered polyps in her throat but could find no medical reason for her sudden burst of ailments, she was referred to a psychiatrist who diagnosed stress-related RHS.

    Terakawa began receiving therapy from Nobuo Kurokawa, a physician who is one of Japan's leading RHS experts. Kurokawa coined the term retired husband syndrome in a presentation to the Japanese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine in 1991, leading to its use in books, journals and mainstream media here. Confirming Terakawa's account in an interview, Kurokawa said he offered her the same advice he has given numerous other older women in the same position.

    "Come to therapy," he said. "Then spend as much time as possible away from your husband."

    In Japan, retirement has become a risky business for many wives, who are finding the stress of their husband's presence at home unendurable. Though after-retirement stress is a common problem in most developed countries as husbands and wives try to balance relationships in their twilight years, analysts say Japan has become extraordinary for myriad reasons -- including the fact that one-fifth of Japanese are now over 65, the highest percentage in the world.

    Even as gender roles have changed for younger people here, with women entering the workforce in record numbers, older Japanese have remained far more rigid. As with most Japanese men of his generation, Terakawa's husband demanded strict obedience from her, she said, even while he spent his life almost entirely apart from her and their three children. He left home for the office just after dawn and stayed out late socializing after work. He even took most of his vacations with colleagues and clients. Those long absences, she said, made his presence around the house after retirement even more jolting.

    "I had developed my own life, my own way of doing things, in the years when he was never home," Terakawa said. She said she cannot even stand to look at her husband across the dinner table now and sits at an angle so she can stare out a window instead.

    Part of the problem is that the nature of Japanese family life has changed dramatically over the past two decades. The tradition of retired parents living with their married adult children is rapidly disappearing, with new generations remaining single well into their forties and modern young couples choosing greater privacy. As older couples are forced to spend more time alone together, the divorce rate among those married more than 20 years -- a group that includes most of Japan's married senior citizens -- is now the fastest-growing in the country, more than doubling to 41,958 divorces in 2000 compared with 20,435 cases in 1985, according to government statistics.

    Sunday, October 16, 2005

    PSU loses - FSU Loses - and Harry Screws up the Article Big Time

    Dear Harry,
    Kyle is 11 and in 6th grade at Hegins Hubley Elementary School! Not sure how I fooled you but I didn't intend it. He's growing up a Michigan fan. I gave him the trip we are on to Michigan for his 11th birthday which was back in
    April. We visited the Henry Ford yesterday and took the Ford Rouge Tour. We didn't get to visit the museum because we just about made the tour and that filled the day. I was amazed by the number of people working in the plant and how they interacted with automation. We tried to go to the top of the GM Hdq but we didn't meet the dress code. We tried to go to Canada but got stopped at the border because the rental car agreement said I could only drive in MI. I had no clue. Thankfully, we got back into the US ok. With so much negative karma, I thought Penn State would lose. Too bad I was right.
    Tomorrow we are going to the Detroit Zoo before we head home. It's supposed to be good.
    Take care! Thanks for the help!
    Sal
    Editorial Note - Yesterday Harry reported that Kyle Bair was a freshman at Penn State. He is a sixth grade student and to top it all off - he is a Michigan fan. His Aunt Sally Bair is the biggest PSU fan I know. She took him to the game. The Tallahassee Tamaqua Connection regrets the error.
  • Kyle Bair's trip with PSU to Michigan
  • Saturday, October 15, 2005

    Penn State Fans - this Ones for You

    My friend Sally Bair has been reading my stuff for 11 years. She has a nephew - Kyle Bair - who is a Penn State student attending the game at Michigan today. He has started a web log for the trip. You might want to read it and save the address. Go Nits!

  • Kyle Bair's trip with PSU to Michigan
  • Put Harriet/Harry on the Supreme Court

    I enjoy the mess that Bush has gotten into over trying to put Harriet on the Supreme Court. Some people try to say the reactionaries are mad at Bush because he is appointing a woman to the court - some think she will be a traitor once she gets on the court - she will dare use her free will to do what she thinks is best. I have a different take on it.

    I think the fundamentalist religionists are against her for something they hate worst than women with free will. They hate gays more than women - and they think Harriet is a latent homosexual - and when she gets on the courts she will come "out of the closet in a robe." Let's face it Harriet is "liberal" in a sense that she has changed her mind many times over. Holy rollers say you can't trust those "Catholic converts."

    I was brought up in a little coal mining town in Pennsylvania - we didn't have any blacks - so the devout "church people" taught Catholics and Protestants to hate each other. Think back to when your Mom or Dad didn't want you to bring "one of them" home with you. I won't even bring up the Jews here - we may have had two or three of them - but "fundies" taught us that they were the ones that killed Jesus. I always thought that Jesus was a Jew himself - something must have gotten mixed up in the translation of the Bible there. :-)

    The fundamental religionists (Aren't they the type backing Bin Laden, you may have forgotten this mystery guest Bush keeps in the basement?) hold their vote over Bush's head like they were going to vote for the Democrats - give me a break. Bush should tell them to pound sand. Their vote is locked in like the Democrats have the black gay vote in their pocket.

    Yep Harriet is going to be on the Supreme Court - she is anti-marriage - anti-sex (maybe) - anti-abortion (maybe) - anti-making babies - but she is not anti-free will. That scares the crap out of the "fundies."

    I hope Harriet gets on the court and uses her free will like a "normal woman" and changes her mind. I hope she comes down hard against big business - against anti-black legislation - some laws on gun control - laws giving women equal rights - gays equal rights - and stops giving oil companies special treatment.

    It is unfair the way that Bush protects gays by holding up the right of gays to marry. We should demand that gays get married and stop living out of wedlock in sin. They should have to answer to the divorce laws just like the rest of us. Why should their fortune be protected by special laws. If gays could divorce - imagine all the beautifully decorated homes for sale at bargain prices and estate auctions we would have when gays have to give up half of everything. Once the Republican lawyers realize that they can double their income by allowing gays to marry - a new gay marriage law will pass immediately.

    You go girl - Harriet - or whatever you are. I was saving the best for the last - just maybe Harriet is really a transvestite.........oh well - give 'em hell Harry. :-)

    My sarcasm meter just flew popped out of the computer.

    Saturday, October 08, 2005

    Watching Wake Forest at FSU Game "Alone"






    Tallahassee, Florida and Syracuse, New York - UPI - What do you do when you want to go to the Wake Forest at Florida State game and your son, Drew, in Syracuse wants to see the game but his local television stations aren't carrying it and even the Directv has been blacked out by some stupid agreement? You find a new use for your Apple Macintosh Computer and Apple Macintosh Isight. That's right - we created our own television network. Take a good look at the pictures - click on the pictures to enlarge them. Son Keith simply put a table in front of our television tuned to the local FSU game channel. Then he pointed the Isight camera on top of the computer at the television. Using "instant messenger" the Syracuse Seminole Fan simply tuned into our "broadcast."

    Meanwhile Dad hopped on the scooter and cruised the two miles to the stadium without a ticket. After some good friends and good food at Curt and Joan's tailgate party - Harry drove his scooter to the stadium. Although the police refused to let cars through - for some reason they waved Harry and the Scooter right to the VIP area. Harry parked his scooter with the front tire bumped right up to the stadium wall - for free of course. Then he held up one finger. A very nice fellow must have felt sorry for a guy with such a silly hat because he handed Harry 3 great tickets and refused payment. Instead of going right into the turnstile - Harry sold two of the tickets easily at $5 each. It is absolute highway robbery that FSU is now charging $40 face value per ticket even for a Wake Forest game.

    The tickets were great - right on the 50 yard line - row 40. Harry got to his seat just in time for the Air Force B-1 flyover. The bomber was very large and had wings that can be swept back for speed. It was a most impressive show - even to an anti-war draft dodger.

    On the way to the game - it was overcast and only 72 degrees - but by game time the sun came out and the temperature and humidity climbed to the 80s.

    Oh yes - Florida State won - but they did not cover the point spread, whatever that means. Florida State is now 5-0 on the season and ranked number 4 in the country.

    Riding scooter to the game - $2600
    Having a free lunch with some nice friends - $0
    Someone handing you free game tickets on the 50 - $0
    Seeing the game with your sons - Priceless

  • More game pictures
  • Friday, October 07, 2005

    Joel Dawson Serving in the Katrina Disaster Area

    Gulfport, Mississippi - Joel Dawson, our neighbor and long time friend, decided to put her time where her heart is. Joel volunteered to the Red Cross to serve two weeks in the hurricane disaster area. On Saturday, Joel left Tallahassee and was flown to the Gulfport Area. She is living in a barracks with 400 other volunteer workers. She is helping hand out the money to hurricane victims. You are hearing this information third hand from me. She talks to George - her husband - on the cell phone every night. Here is George's report - printed with his permission -

    "This email was in response to a question from my brother Joe who asked if people wanted to rebuild or leave and how were the elderly faring? This note grew from there.

    I talked to Joel last night and she said that a number of people were looking for ways to leave but the vast majority were planning on rebuilding. She did tell me that she felt that the elderly were especially hard hit as all the work they had done in a lifetime was blown away. Many of them had paid off their houses but had lost them. In many cases the insurance would not cover the cost of rebuilding a new house. While ensured, many houses were small and old. A small new house meant financing the difference in the insurance coverage and the cost of the replacement and they did not have the income to do it. She met an optomatist who lost his office and equipment, his house, and because he will default on his parents home in Gulfport which he was financing, will lose it also. He simple cannot find a way to continue the payments.

    Joel has told me on two different occasions how much she is enjoying working with volunteers from a great span of ages and backgrounds. She is impressed with how many young people are working in the relief efforts.

    Late yesterday afternoon, she got a chance to go to the gulf front. She said the pictures we see on TV simply cannot convey the total devastation of the area.

    Joel has been in touch with her niece. Trish's husband Chris is working in the area on an environmental cleanup. It turns out he was in the next building from where she was yesterday. They will try to connect.

    Another connection twist is that our good friends Nancy Kenny and her husband Rob Althouse will be in Gulfport doing a video that will launch their PBS documentary on new urbanism/smart growth. This is a topic of intense interest with Rob and Nancy. From what I can gather, cities and villages, some of which have been wiped out down to the slabs want to rethink about how to rebuild. City planners have requested the help of Andres Duany who designed SeaSide here in N. Florida and similar communities in other places. They are video the conversations of city planners with Andres. Nancy and Rob will be in Gulfport next week, and then may come here for a leisurely visit the following week. We will be visiting them at the their home in Santa Fe in early November. Here is one of many web sites devoted to Duany: http://www.housingzone.com/topics/pb/management/pb02aa022n.asp

    More later." -George Dawson

    Thursday, October 06, 2005

    Go to Florida State and Join the Circus

    Florida State University is one of only two universities in the United States where a student may take a course on "circus performance." For almost 60 years - students have been able to join the circus and be part of a very professional and unique activity. This Friday, the FSU Circus will be making one sold out performance.

    In 1993, now-retired Florida State University Union Director Nancy Turner thought it would be a great idea to have the FSU Flying High Circus put on a performance for FSU's annual Parents Weekend in the fall.

    The circus is now the "centerpiece" of the two-day weekend and sells out its single Friday night show under the big top on campus.

    The performance has rejuvenated participation and interest in the circus, as freshmen and their parents get introduced to the event and helps sustain the rest of their activities: six shows each spring on campus, 12 weeks at Callaway Gardens in the summer and occasional shows all over the globe.

    The circus was started in 1947 as one of the school's first co-ed activities and now draws about 90 student performers each year. The performers come from a mix of sports and performing backgrounds and many get introduced by a class taught each semester.

    "It's the uniqueness. They don't even have to run away to join the circus," said associate director Margie Peters. "You don't have to have made the football team in high school. You can come out here and we'll keep you." - Tallahassee Democrat

    Wednesday, October 05, 2005

    Beano Cook Rips the Nittany Lions

    "Beano Cook: (3:10 PM ET ) This is one of the biggest games of the
    weekend. You have to remember that since PSU joined the Big Ten it is
    7-15 against Michgian and OSU, including six straight losses against
    Michigan and six straight losses in Columbus against OSU. One reason PSU is not winning the way it used to is because the officials are no longer shafting the visiting team as they did in 1982 against Nebraska.
    People will tell you the officials in the Penn State games were the
    most biased of any in the '80s. That was the kind of stuff that cost
    them part of the national title in 1994. It was payback by the
    coaches."

    FSU Professor on the Plane to Pittsburgh



    Tallahassee International Airport, Florida - UPI - Dr. Nancy Everhart professor for the College of Information at Florida State University, just left the city of Spanish moss and palm trees to represent the University at the American Association of School Librarians Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Nancy is returning to her roots of sorts after spending ten years as a school library media specialist in the Keystone State. Nancy will spend five days promoting Project LEAD, a vanguard program designed by the College of Information to allow school library media specialists to obtain National Board Certifcation while studying over the internet. Everhart collaborated with Dr. Eliza T. Dresang, world famous professor, to write the federally-funded proposal. Everhart will return to the land of sunshine on Sunday. More information can be obtained on the following web page.
  • See Project LEAD
  • Monday, October 03, 2005

    2005 Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter





    For the last 14 months, we have been driving a Yamaha Vino 125 Scooter around Tallahassee and the Florida State University campus. We have put 1600 miles on it in that time. Besides just being fun to drive, the scooter gets almost 100 miles per gallon, can be parked almost anywhere, and is great for running errands. There is a large locking storage area under the seat that can hold about two bags of groceries. The scooter has a four cycle engine so that it is quiet, not polluting, easy to start, and vibration free. It is easy to drive - no gear shifting - just one hand for gas and the other for the brake. We tooks these pictures in front of the Florida State Capitol and the Doak Campbell Stadium/Bobby Bowden Field. There are 70,000 students in town attending the three colleges, it is surprising there are not many scooters on campus. Weather is great here all year round for scooter riding. Due to the dramatic increase in gasoline prices, I expect more folks to discover the benefits of riding a scooter. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

    Monday Morning and Drew Heads Home


    Seminole Drive, Tallhassee, Florida - (AP) - It is Monday Morning and Drew just left to drive to the airport. We had a nice week enjoying a football game, volleyball game, riding bikes to the coast, tailgating, swimming, and just watching football games on TV. Drew will drive to Jacksonville, then fly to Charlotte, and then fly to Syracuse. Don't even ask how Drew got a rental car for four days for $12. Drew said that he and Robin are planning to return for a visit over the Christmas Holidays. You may click on any photo to enlarge it.

    Saturday, October 01, 2005

    Orange Crushed! FSU 38 - Syracuse 14


    The Everharts enjoyed a sunny fall day in Tallahassee - tailgating - searching for tickets - and watching FSU run over Syracuse by a score of 38 to 14. We took the camper to the stadium at 9 AM to get a good spot to party. Then at noon our buddy George Dawson used his VW van to chaperone all of us to the game. Nancy prepared plenty of goodies to eat and some ice cold drinks. Game time was 3:30 PM. Around 3 PM we walked to the stadium and Nancy landed some great tickets - four tickets on the 50 yard line - row 5 - for $70 total. It was warm and breezy - lucky the sun was at our back for the first half of the game - and we were in the shade during the second half. After the game we watched the highlights in the camper and then drove the two miles home.
  • More pictures from the game
  • What Do Retired Guys Do with their Time?


    Drew made it down from Syracuse just in time for Harry's latest past time. We are ready for the Syracuse game today at 3:30 PM. The camper and awning are all set up by the stadium for our tailgate party. Friday evening - Drew, Keith, George, Joel, Nancy and Harry celebrated at Harry's restaurant. After dinner - they enjoyed the "Downtown Get Down" a festival held on downtown Adams Street between the Capitol and the Governor's Mansion. At dinner - they celebrated the birth of George and Joel's new bright red Porsche. Watch for more details of the tailgate party.