A resigning U.S. diplomat sent his resignation letter to Secretary of State Colin Powell. The New York Times (free registration required, but it’s worth it) published the letter yesterday.
It’s an important, well-written read. Please take a few minutes to look it over.
Fred Rogers, host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood died of cancer at the age of 74 earlier today.
When I was very little, I used to watch Mr. Rogers on PBS religiously. It was at the time, and probably still is, hands down the best television program for kids up to third grade or so. It was filmed from 1968 through 2000.
Mr. Rogers was a piano player, jazz enthusiast and Presbyterian minister. The music you hear in the opening and closing credits is his own performance. Singing was an important part of his program and he often had special segments dealing with music education. I think this is one of the first places I first found my love for music.
Fred Rogers was also a member of my “fraternity.”
Addendum: Fred Rogers gave a commencement speech at Dartmouth University last year. Take the time to read it; it presents a good insight into what this man was like.
I noticed a computer accessing my “legitimate personality” site was eop.gov. Eop.gov is the Executive Office of the President. It’s not clear how they found the site and what they were searching for however. The first site they entered was one correlating to this page.
Why is Lou Reed trying to get me to call 212-970-INCEST? Why is he telling me that I can get a discount of $37.50 and see a completely new design at Incest.com? Why does he want me to subscribe to Incest.com Magazine? Why do you torture me, Lou Reed? I don’t plan on taking a walk on that wild side. Sorry.
I received this email today. I’m posting it for others to take action, as well as a reminder for myself.
McCarter Patrons & Supporters – We Need Your Help Now to SAVE NJ Arts!
For the first time in NJ history, the Governor has prosposed eliminating all funding for arts and culture. All grant funding through the NJ State Council on the Arts, NJ Cultural Trust and NJ Historical Commission will be wiped out along with staff for these agencies beginning July 1. In addition to having a devastating impact on McCarter and the hundreds of arts organizations across the state, this decision is extremely short sighted economically; for the $18 million that the Arts Council distributes, the arts community contributes $1 billion back to the state?s economy.
Boy Tries to Poison Teacher by putting Dry-Erase cleaner in her cup of juice. The middle school student is getting charged with attempted murder. The charge might be reduced in court due to the non-lethality of the cleaner, but the kid obviously knew what he was doing.
New Jersey governor McGreevey is going to propose eliminating grants directed for arts activities in the state. This would put programs like the Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival in jeaopardy, since this, and other programs like it, exist in southern New Jersey communities where there isn’t enough personal income to go around. While the existence of these programs benefits the communities in which they reside, they need to rely on state funding.
Since the governor is reportedly planning to announce this, it could be the classic trick of “Get them to expect nothing, offer them peanuts, and they’ll be happy.”
It would be sad to see the Appel Farm Festival go. It’s a sign of things to come, once we begin living with a “war-time” economy. Remember the early ninetees? During and after the “Gulf War” was when communities and schools started drastictally chopping up their music and arts programs.
It’s good to know that even in times of tragedy, such as today’s space shuttle disaster, the general feeling of the country (from what I can tell by watching CNN the past few hours) is that space exploration is still important and we want to continue learning about the universe of which we are a small part.
Also interesting to think about: The shuttle was on time passing over Dallas, TX at 9:00 AM eastern time and was scheduled to land on the east coast of Florida at 9:16 AM. That’s fast. It takes me more than twice as long to get to the Turnpike, less than 30 miles away.
Imagine this conversation (think “one lump or two”):
Regular.
Gas?
Bangkok’s got it going on. You can now get traditional massage services when you stop to refuel your car. It seems like a great way to curb road rage, and I look forward to Exxon/Mobil offering this perk in the near future.
Remember David Duke? (His website is being blocked by my company’s proxy server.) He ran for president of the United States once. He was Grand Wizard of the Klu Klux Klan once. Apparently he’s been traveling around Europe lecturing about saving the white race from Jews and non-Europeans, etc. Apparently he’s been getting indicted on mail fraud and filing a false tax return. Sometimes I despise the fact I completely support First Amendment rights. Also, sometimes I despise politics, but I digress.