Walter Lantz Is Born
On this day in 1900, Walter Lantz was born.
Yes, that’s the first cartoon to feature Woody Woodpecker. Walter Lantz was so lucky to have been a cartoonist at a time when business performance management software was not invented yet. Can you imagine the history of cartoons otherwise?
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Three Years Ago, Terri Schiavo Died
On this day in history, in 2005, Terri Schiavo died 13 days after her feeding tube was removed.
Here is a post I did on my main site, Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff, on the day she died.
Today was a very sad day.
No matter which “side” of the debate you found yourself on, you must realize what a sad day this was for America. The death of Terri Schiavo was the longest execution in American history, and we, as a society, should be ashamed that it happened.
Even if we entertain the thought that Terri Schiavo told her husband, many years ago, that she did not want to be kept alive artificially, I highly doubt she told him that she would want to be starved and dehydrated to death. But that’s the point. We don’t know, and never will know, if she truly wanted to die.
Many of the “arguments” I have heard involved the words “I would not want to live like that”, and “No amount of therapy would have improved her condition”. Those arguments, in this case, don’t mean shit. Of course you would not want to live like that, I bet you would be hard pressed to find even one person that would knowingly WANT to live like that, but sometimes we don’t have a choice. In reality, we live the life we are dealt. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. As far as her recovery, there are thousands of people in this country with health conditions that will never improve. Never. These people include quadriplegics, stroke victims, and war heroes. Many of these people will require constant care and will NEVER experience any improvement in their condition. Does that mean we have the right to kill them even if they do not want to die? No.
My sister-in-law suffered from a lack of oxygen, much like Terri Schiavo. For the most part, her brain is mush as well, yet, if my in-laws decided she didn’t want to live that way, and starved her to death, they would be charged with murder. Period. Who are they, or anyone else for that matter, to decide if she “wanted to live like that”? She has severe brain damage. She has seizures. She needs constant care. She lights up the room with her beautiful blue eyes. She loves life. Did she choose her condition? No. Will therapy ever improve her condition? No. Should she be forced to die simply because someone else might not want to live like that? Hell no.
While I fully support the “right to die” whether you are incapacitated and do not wish to have artificial life support, or you have a terminal illness and truly wish to end your pain, I do NOT support killing someone when there is no concrete evidence one way or the other as to whether or not that person truly wanted to die. But… Even if someone wants to die, and they want to die with dignity, should we starve and dehydrate them? Is starvation the dignified way to let someone die? I think not. Terri Schiavo died today, not because the feeding tube was removed, but because no one was allowed (by court order) to see if Terri could eat food and drink fluids orally. For this reason, we, as a society, should be ashamed.
Some of you may be thinking that the death of this one person is nothing to get worked up about because people, including disabled people, die everyday. And while this is true, we must remember this one thing.
While thousands of people in America may die each day, they usually do not die due to court ordered starvation (and this has nothing to do with the removal of her feeding tube).
Many people, over the course of the past 13 days, have said many things, and I have received some of the nastiest comments and e-mails I have seen in my entire life. What did I say that made people react this way? What did I do that would warrant being treated the way I have been treated? I simply stood up for the life of Terri Schiavo. That’s it. Not once did I “attack” anyone, not once did I incite violence or negativity in any way. I, as a healthy member of society, decided to speak for someone who could not speak for herself. I did so because I answered a call from her family to help in any way I could. And you know what? I would do it all over again. And again… And again…
I want to take a moment to thank those bloggers who joined the “Blogger’s Strike for Terri”. It’s people like Vinny, Bridget, Janette, Greg, Janna, SoCalAngel, and Jo, who re-assure me that society indeed has not quite yet gone to hell in a handbasket. I know that there were many people out there blogging for Terri, but it makes me proud to have stood with such fine people who all had one thing in common. We all took a stand for a disabled woman who could not speak for herself. Thanks again for devoting your blogs, and all of your blogging time to speaking out for Terri Schiavo. While our efforts may not have saved Terri, my hope is that we have helped inform people, so no one else (or their family) has to suffer such a horrible experience.
The strong in our society have a duty to protect the weak, and I for one would rather be called a “Jesus Freak” any day than be an apathetic fool with no empathy for others. How sad would that be?
We will be known forever by the tracks we leave.
Remembering Challenger
On this day, in 1986, the U.S. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after lift off.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But, we’ve never lost an astronaut in flight; we’ve never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we’ve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation together.
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we’re thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, ‘Give me a challenge and I’ll meet it with joy.’ They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us.
We’ve grown used to wonders in this century. It’s hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’re still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle’s takeoff. I know it is hard to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we’ll continue to follow them.
I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don’t hide our space program. We don’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn’t change it for a minute. We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it.”
There’s a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, ‘He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.’ Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake’s, complete.
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and ’slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’
Thank you.
January 28, 1986
Time In A Bottle
Jim Croce would have been 55 today.
Who Doesn’t Love Slinky?
National Memory Screening Day
National Memory Screening Day is fast approaching, and part of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s mission is to provide memory screening services to the community as a tool to help in the early diagnosis of the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and other related illnesses.
The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America created National Memory Screening Day to help provide optimal care and services to those confronting memory loss due to vascular dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other conditions causing the problem.
On National Memory Screening Day there will be hundreds of memory screening sites set up nationwide, and I encourage you to locate a memory screening site near you, so you can participate and have yourself, or a loved one, screened. Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease makes it easier to provide quality care, treatment, and social services to help slow down the progression of the disease.
The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America website offers some successful aging tips which are common sense lifestyle tips that help slow or prevent the loss of brain cells, but while there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, ensuring quality care for those who do suffer from it cannot be overlooked, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America needs your contribution to help make sure that those afflicted with the disease, their families, and those who provide care for them have the resources they need to improve their quality of life.
I Shot The Sheriff Hits Number One
Thirty three years ago this week, Eric Clapton’s “I Shot The Sheriff” reached #1 on the pop charts.
Not As Bad As I Once Was
Years ago, when I was having some serious credit issues, I tried my best, but my credit got worse and worse over time. In fact, it finally got to the point that my phone was ringing more because of a commercial collection agency than any other reason. Once they start calling, it seems you can never get them to stop, so it’s best to work out a payment arrangement if you can. I learned the hard way.
Sphere: Related ContentTomorrow
Tomorrow is the 6th anniversary of September 11th. I’m not so sure I am ready for it, again.
While I was nowhere close to New York, Washington D.C., or Shanksville, Pennsylvania on the morning of September 11th, I did have several close friends in the New York area, and the company I work for is located just 27 miles from the Pentagon.
I was sitting at my desk that morning, but had forgotten to turn on the television like I always do. When I finally got my butt in gear and turned on the tv, I did so just as the second plane slammed into the second tower.
I said it at the time, and it still applies now. Our lives will never be the same.
Annual Picnics
Years ago, when I was a kid, my favorite time of the year was the weekend of the annual picnic for the place my mother worked.
They had all sorts of activities for the kids, including playing frisbee, a giant haystack with coins hidden within in, RC airplanes flying all over the place, and the best part, spending time with a great group of people.
Why don’t more companies have annual events for the family anymore?
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