This week's deaths: Eartha Kitt (awesome, unique songstress and actress with a multitude of talents) died December 25 2008 at 81; Freddie Hubbard (virtuoso, jazz trumpeter extraordinaire) died Decmber 29 2008 at 70.
Sad...
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Crime and punishment
Mr. Bernard L. Madoff of New York (sole source of income, about 50 billion dollars of the money he stole, see below...)
Crime - stole between 50 and 100 billion dollars from investors in his pyramid scheme.
Punishment - home arrest from 7 PM to 9 AM in his 7 million dollar Park Avenue (NY, NY) apartment. Represented in court by 35 lawyers.
Mr. Cecil Pitts of New York (sole source of income, a $450 Social Security check.).
Crime - fed pigeons.
Punishment - fined close to $500 for "causing a nuisance because his daily feedings caused excessive waste." Represented himself in court.
Crime - stole between 50 and 100 billion dollars from investors in his pyramid scheme.
Punishment - home arrest from 7 PM to 9 AM in his 7 million dollar Park Avenue (NY, NY) apartment. Represented in court by 35 lawyers.
Mr. Cecil Pitts of New York (sole source of income, a $450 Social Security check.).
Crime - fed pigeons.
Punishment - fined close to $500 for "causing a nuisance because his daily feedings caused excessive waste." Represented himself in court.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Bettie Page
...the queen of pinups in the 1950s and the nemesis of Senator Estes Kefauver died yesterday, December 11, 2008 in Los Angeles. She was 85.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Odetta
Died on December 2, 2008. She was 77 years old.
Great, original singer - often called "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" in the United States. Regrettably, she didn't get to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009...
Great, original singer - often called "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" in the United States. Regrettably, she didn't get to perform at Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009...
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hurricanes, storms and tropical depressions
2008 hurricane season, which officially ended yesterday, in a nutshell (after Associated Press.) No death count but some areas have been hit really hard.
An average season has 11 named storms, six of which become hurricanes. This year there were eight hurricanes, of which five (Bertha, Gustav, Ike, Omar and Paloma) became major hurricanes. 2008 tied for the fourth most named storms (16.) The 2005 season had 28 tropical storms and hurricanes. According to the insurance industry, insured losses were at least $10.6 billion ($8.1 billion from Hurricane Ike, the seventh largest payout in U.S. history.)
Some records:
· Hurricane Fay hit the same state (Florida) four times
· Three major hurricanes hit Cuba (Gustav, Ike and Paloma.)
· Six consecutive storms (Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike) hit the U.S. mainland.
· A major hurricane (winds 111 mph or higher) formed in five consecutive months, July through November.
· Hurricane Bertha lasted 17 days (the longest July storm.)
An average season has 11 named storms, six of which become hurricanes. This year there were eight hurricanes, of which five (Bertha, Gustav, Ike, Omar and Paloma) became major hurricanes. 2008 tied for the fourth most named storms (16.) The 2005 season had 28 tropical storms and hurricanes. According to the insurance industry, insured losses were at least $10.6 billion ($8.1 billion from Hurricane Ike, the seventh largest payout in U.S. history.)
Some records:
· Hurricane Fay hit the same state (Florida) four times
· Three major hurricanes hit Cuba (Gustav, Ike and Paloma.)
· Six consecutive storms (Dolly, Edouard, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike) hit the U.S. mainland.
· A major hurricane (winds 111 mph or higher) formed in five consecutive months, July through November.
· Hurricane Bertha lasted 17 days (the longest July storm.)
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