If you were a mother who went into labour, or a father who was pacing the corridors and by your wife's side on the day that the World will remember you would no doubt what a brighter future for your daughter or son.
For John Green a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and his wife Roxana that is that they thought lay ahead for their daughter Christina. She loved her ballet and had recently shown an interest in politics being elected unto her school council. It was that interest in politics that prompted a neighbour to take her along to a "Congress on Your Corner" meeting being held by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords yesterday.
Sadly that nine year old who had featured in the book "Faces of Hope, Babies Born on 9/11" took a bullet in the chest and was later pronounced dead at Arizona University Medical Centre. She was born on a day of immense tragedy for her country, for the world, she has sadly died on another as a victim of violence. Irrespective on what led the gunman to doing what he did, the lose of life so full of early promise is a travesty.
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Saturday, 8 January 2011
Updated: Gabrielle Giffords shot, child amongst six dead; staffers and others injured
 |
| Rep. Giffords with her husband Capt. Mark E Kelly NASA Astronaut |
The news this evening that Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has been shot point blank shot to her head while out campaigning is harrowing news. The fact that some of her staffers and others in the grocery store when she was holding her first Congress on Your Corner were hurt or killed sadly highlights that in some cultures where guns are readily available, reaching out into the community isn't always safe. The fact is that a nine year old child, Christina Taylor Green, has died in hospital as a result and eight others are being treated, four others along with the congresswoman in a critical state. Update: It has now been confirmed that at least five other people were killed. As they were not taken the the hospital as reported earlier they may have been pronounced dead at the scene.
Update: The other dead have been named John Roll, chief judge on the U.S. Distroct Court of Arizona and Gabe Zimmerman the congresswoman's director ofcommunity outreach. Along with three elderly consitituents Dorwin Stoddard, 76, Dorthy Murray, 76, and Phyllis Scheck, 79.
The 3rd term representative for the Arizona 8th Congressional District was Arizona's first Jewish congresswoman. Her election in 2006 was against the former Republican Senator Randy Graf who was famous for his enforcement only position on immigration and illegal immigrants. Her debut congressional race was therefore often mentioned in the run up to polling day as a test bed for Arizona's tough immigration stance. Last year she retained her seat for a second time after defeating on the 'top ten' Tea Party Republicans Jesse Kelly. She is a pro-choice, pro-stem cell research, has spoken up for the immigrants which in a state like Arizona are all controversial subjects.
The events surrounding her shooting still remain a mystery. There have been numerous time in campaigns that I have been on walkabouts or events with the candidate, if indeed I am not the candidate myself. In fact I think in all four of the hustings I have even done as a parliamentary candidate on each occasion I was sat next to the person who was defending his seat. We're fortunate that the number of political assassinations or attempted assassinations in the UK have been few and far between. But would an increasedrisk make me any less likely to go a walk behindmy party leader, a candidate or go myself as the candidate out in public? No, my love for politics and helping others is what is and always will drive me on. Therefore those staffers and the congresswomen have been injured doing something they love, indeed have a passion for.
But while we of course all express our concern for her husband, who was to be the commander of the last Space Shuttle on Endeavour, scheduled for April, and family and sympathy for the family of the child who has died, there is also needs for the families of the other eight who are affected by this incident. Many of them were just going about their work helping their congresswoman, some appear to have been attending a public gathering that she had arranged. They were going about their democratic right to gather to talk about their future, making things better.
"For those that are fighting for their lives, it is time to pray" Mayor of Tuscon live at 21:05 GMT speaking at press conference at Arizona University Medical Centre
Update Somebody has recently unearthed this rather harrowing, in light of today's events, news piece from 25 March last year about threats of violence against some Democratic Representatives including Rep. Giffords
Update 2 While I am not putting a blame on any source, some of the imagery that did exist on Sarah Palin's website for those of her opponents that needed to be removed from office looks a bit sick in light of today's events. The Website is currently down and many are speculating that this list of Democratic congressional districts will either be removed or severely modified in the mean time.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Response about Sports Women of the Year's Absence
Where were the women?
Apart from Jessica Ennis and Amy Williams making up 20% of the shortlist for SPoTY, and the occasional female presenter of the awards, plus of course Sue Barker there was a distinct lack of female sport's representation on this year's show.
Apart from a 40 second slot entitled Girl Power there was very little about the successes of female athletes in a wide range of sports apart from the two aforementioned. There was also a lack of any women in the list of sport greats to be remembered.
What of:
Their exclusion and lack of women's sport representation is general is a shame to the BBC.
- Audrey Collins OBE died 14 February English Cricketer and Administrator. She appeared in one test before WWII but was Secretary and then Chairman of the Women’s Cricket Association from 1984-94. She was one of the first ten women members of the Mayrlebone Cricket Club when it lifted its male only policy in 1999. The day after her death the English team on tour in India wore black arm bands and both teams observed a minutes silence in her honour.
- Janet Simpson died 14 March who won a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympics with Mary Rand, Daphne Arden and Dorothy Hyman in the 4 x 100m. She also won a European gold in 1969 in the 4 x 400m setting a world record of 3.30.8 with Rosemary Stirling, Pat Lowe and Lillian Board.
- Or Audrey Williamson (29 April) athlete and silver medalist in the last London Olympics in 1948 over 200m.
I got a reply on the 3 January.
Dear Mr Glenn
Thanks for contacting us regarding BBC One’s ‘Sports Personality of the Year’ broadcast on 19 December.
I understand you feel that there was a lack of female representation on the programme, and that sportswomen weren’t sufficiently acknowledged.
In programmes such as this we strive to commend as many different sportspeople as possible; male and female, however due to time constraints it’s not always possible to accommodate for everyone’s tastes.
I can assure you we value female sport as much as male sporting events, however, as I'm sure you can appreciate; a difficult decision has to be made by the BBC on the amount of time available to mention or acknowledge athletes. The choices we make will not be appreciated by all sections of our audience.
Nevertheless, I’d like to assure you that I’ve registered your concerns on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that's circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, programme makers, channel controllers and other senior managers.
The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.
Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.
Kind Regards
Shona McCullough
BBC Complaints
Do I think that the BBC made a difficult decision to exclude so much female sport from the SPoTY awards? No they took the easy decision and went for what was 'commercially' viable. The same as they do when sport is shown on their channel along with anything else.
Yes at Wimbledon we do get women shown playing, as with athletics but some of of female sports people perform at the highest level, are world champions, yet are not given the same coverage as men. Sometimes the women are competing at a higher level than the men, yet the reflection of SPoTY is that is a area of misogynistic thinking. Even the 40 second clip title I'd mentioned showed that, pity they got a woman to signature the response.
It's not good enough BBC, adding me to the log is not good enough*. The sportswomen I know personal, or watch compete need better representation than this. The BBC is as much their BBC as it is my BBC. Better shape up, SPoTY needs women, and my heart is set on you, to do better next year you. You're the BBC, won't you listen to me.....shakes out of a Grease singalong.
* I have too many contacts inside the BBC, past and present, that say this is just something that gets skimmed.
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
The Day the Music Died Twice: 4 January 2011
I have a confession to make.
Well not so much a confession as any of you who knew me in the 80s will know I walked around school, blazer sleeves rolled up, the hair as big and up (as an athlete could have it without causing blindness by sweaty hair gel), and a dash of colour in the paper clips on the label. Any one who has seen me since will know my aversion to still wearing anything covering the end of my arms as a result.
Yes I was a New Romantic. I modelled myself a bit on my two favourite bass players John Taylor and Mick Karn. While I got to see Duran Duran play I never did with Japan as they last performed live in 1982 when I was just 12/13. However, I have all of Japan's album on vinyl as well as duplicated on CD.
Therefore late last year when one of the founders, key writers and bass player of Japan Mick Karn was diagnosed with late stage cancer I was waiting for the news which came yesterday, that he had succumbed. It came within hours of the news that another songwriter, the singer Gerry Rafferty has also passed on.
For a fellow bass player Karn was one of the wonders of the fretless bass, a guy who could play by feel with precision. Listening again now that I know that art as well as guitar I pick up the intricate nature of some of the stuff that he was able to play, especially when the band moved towards a fusion of Euro Pop with Asian influences as befitted their name in their later albums. One of the greatest examples of his craft on the bass has to be Gentlemen Take Polaroids.
So as a tribute to Mick Karn here is that.
One final legacy of Mick death is that he was diagnosed with late stage cancer. I don't know if he had earlier symptoms but did nothing about it, but seeing as most men tend to put these things off, may I add an additional legacy. If in Doubt, Check it Out if any of your bodily functions changes, and stays changed always best to check, it may be an early sign, possibly of an invisible cancer and may be worth getting checked.
Rafferty was from Paisley but in his early days he came across a certain Billy Connolly and together they formed the Humblebums. They released two albums did John Peel sessions but got nowhere with their folksy stuff. Gerry encouraged his friend to go it alone as a comic.
He carried on with his music writing stuff like Stuck in the Middle with You in 1972 before in the mid 70s preceding Prince or George Michael he had disputes with his contracts lasting for 3 years. Through this period he worked away on a demo for his next album in his wife Carla's parent's old house on a 4-track, laying down every instrument himself, including lentil jar percussion. United Artists signed him and the comeback single was Baker Street the song was an instant smash sold 5 million copies. It and it's iconic saxophone solo carried on making Rafferty £80,000 a year in royalties. He carried on working away writing, recording and performing until 2000. But he was always battling alcoholism, in the end it spiralled out of control.
However, remembering the man at his peak here is Baker Street.
In memory
Mick Karn (born Adonis Michaelidis) 1958-2011
and
Gerald 'Gerry' Rafferty 1947-2011
Well not so much a confession as any of you who knew me in the 80s will know I walked around school, blazer sleeves rolled up, the hair as big and up (as an athlete could have it without causing blindness by sweaty hair gel), and a dash of colour in the paper clips on the label. Any one who has seen me since will know my aversion to still wearing anything covering the end of my arms as a result.
Yes I was a New Romantic. I modelled myself a bit on my two favourite bass players John Taylor and Mick Karn. While I got to see Duran Duran play I never did with Japan as they last performed live in 1982 when I was just 12/13. However, I have all of Japan's album on vinyl as well as duplicated on CD.
Therefore late last year when one of the founders, key writers and bass player of Japan Mick Karn was diagnosed with late stage cancer I was waiting for the news which came yesterday, that he had succumbed. It came within hours of the news that another songwriter, the singer Gerry Rafferty has also passed on.
For a fellow bass player Karn was one of the wonders of the fretless bass, a guy who could play by feel with precision. Listening again now that I know that art as well as guitar I pick up the intricate nature of some of the stuff that he was able to play, especially when the band moved towards a fusion of Euro Pop with Asian influences as befitted their name in their later albums. One of the greatest examples of his craft on the bass has to be Gentlemen Take Polaroids.
So as a tribute to Mick Karn here is that.
One final legacy of Mick death is that he was diagnosed with late stage cancer. I don't know if he had earlier symptoms but did nothing about it, but seeing as most men tend to put these things off, may I add an additional legacy. If in Doubt, Check it Out if any of your bodily functions changes, and stays changed always best to check, it may be an early sign, possibly of an invisible cancer and may be worth getting checked.
Rafferty was from Paisley but in his early days he came across a certain Billy Connolly and together they formed the Humblebums. They released two albums did John Peel sessions but got nowhere with their folksy stuff. Gerry encouraged his friend to go it alone as a comic.
He carried on with his music writing stuff like Stuck in the Middle with You in 1972 before in the mid 70s preceding Prince or George Michael he had disputes with his contracts lasting for 3 years. Through this period he worked away on a demo for his next album in his wife Carla's parent's old house on a 4-track, laying down every instrument himself, including lentil jar percussion. United Artists signed him and the comeback single was Baker Street the song was an instant smash sold 5 million copies. It and it's iconic saxophone solo carried on making Rafferty £80,000 a year in royalties. He carried on working away writing, recording and performing until 2000. But he was always battling alcoholism, in the end it spiralled out of control.
However, remembering the man at his peak here is Baker Street.
In memory
Mick Karn (born Adonis Michaelidis) 1958-2011
and
Gerald 'Gerry' Rafferty 1947-2011
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Anne Francis Stars in Forbidden Planet 1930-2011
 |
| Anne Francis with Robbie the Robot in a still to advertise Forbidden Planet |
Yes Anne Francis may have starred in Forbidden Planet (1956) but her career spanned almost 70 years from 1936-2004. Starting as a child model aged five to help her family through the great depression before taking to the Broadway stage at the age of 11.
He movie debut came in 1947 in This Time for Keeps but while Forbidden Planet was her most famous film role she also starred as the TV detective Honey West in the show of the same name from 1965-6 for which she won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy.
Along the way she made appearance in The Twilight Zone, The Fugitive, Mission Impossible, Dallas, Murder She Wrote and Golden Girls amongst others. Her final appearance was in a 2004 episode of Without a Trace.
Twice married first in from 1952-55 to Bamlet Lawrence Price, Jr and then to Dr. Robert Abeloff from 1960-1964, with whom she had a daughter Jane Elizabeth in 1962. In 1970 she adopted Margaret "Maggie" West becoming one of the first single parents to adopt under a change in California state law. She had been suffering from lung cancer between 2007 and 2008 but died from complications due to pancreatic cancer.
However, of all the stars named in Science Fiction Double Feature only Thora Hird's daughter Janette Scott remains alive as in order Claude Raines, Michael Rennie, Leo G Carroll, George Pal, Dana Andrews Fay Wray and now Anne Francis have all passed on. Time for some late night, double feature, picture shows.
See also the following obituaries
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Water Stupid and Criminal Act
Yes Northern Ireland does have a water crisis.
BTW Thanks to all the friends by text, Facebook or MSN who have enquired. We're doing fine here.
Yes at some point there has to be an independent enquiry. Yes at some point people may have to take responsibility for their failings. However, that time is not during a crisis, when you need all the management experience you have trying to sort it out.
However, what we also don't need at this time is mindless acts of sabotage to what is currently a sparse resource WATER so the act of wanton wastage of 22,000 litres by vandals last night in Coalisland is disgraceful.
Some of the local politicians are also acting disgracefully, their Twitter feeds are playing to their perceived 'choirs' rather than spreading the information that the people actually need. A number of notable exceptions have been MLAs Conall McDevitt and Dawn Purvis, plus Balmoral Cllr Niall Kelly. All three have been providing information as soon as they had it, even if it was nothing further. They have clearly all been doing it from the front line where the people are without water and not from the cosiness of some office. They were the first that I noticed giving news not just from Northern Ireland Water but from the streets of Belfast.
Other parties have started doing similar things since, but these were the ones I spotted first and most frequently even now. Other's I have noticed pushing their own political agenda a little too much when what the people really want to hear is when they are getting water, or where to go to get some not whose fault it is that there is none.
There will be a time to assess what happened. Now is NOT that time!
Seems you can lead a politician to water but you can't always make them think.
BTW Thanks to all the friends by text, Facebook or MSN who have enquired. We're doing fine here.
Yes at some point there has to be an independent enquiry. Yes at some point people may have to take responsibility for their failings. However, that time is not during a crisis, when you need all the management experience you have trying to sort it out.
However, what we also don't need at this time is mindless acts of sabotage to what is currently a sparse resource WATER so the act of wanton wastage of 22,000 litres by vandals last night in Coalisland is disgraceful.
Some of the local politicians are also acting disgracefully, their Twitter feeds are playing to their perceived 'choirs' rather than spreading the information that the people actually need. A number of notable exceptions have been MLAs Conall McDevitt and Dawn Purvis, plus Balmoral Cllr Niall Kelly. All three have been providing information as soon as they had it, even if it was nothing further. They have clearly all been doing it from the front line where the people are without water and not from the cosiness of some office. They were the first that I noticed giving news not just from Northern Ireland Water but from the streets of Belfast.
Other parties have started doing similar things since, but these were the ones I spotted first and most frequently even now. Other's I have noticed pushing their own political agenda a little too much when what the people really want to hear is when they are getting water, or where to go to get some not whose fault it is that there is none.
There will be a time to assess what happened. Now is NOT that time!
Seems you can lead a politician to water but you can't always make them think.
My Top Fifteen Blogposts for 2010
It's that time of year to see just what you have been reading on my blog in 2010.
Normally this would be an easy task. Not this year, as well as blogging here, I was also blogging at the old address as well as the potential shift to WordPress which although didn't happen did get some hits.
To make things worse in July I changed the template on the old site and forgot to reattach google analytics. So I have almost a month of missing data.
However, I've spent so much of my life working with numbers, so I can work this out right. Here are the top 15 (as far I can tell).
Normally this would be an easy task. Not this year, as well as blogging here, I was also blogging at the old address as well as the potential shift to WordPress which although didn't happen did get some hits.
To make things worse in July I changed the template on the old site and forgot to reattach google analytics. So I have almost a month of missing data.
However, I've spent so much of my life working with numbers, so I can work this out right. Here are the top 15 (as far I can tell).
- Chinese Deathly Whispers (2494 views) from March 2009 but the picture is still scoring high on Google Images
- Fife Council: Child Snatchers (856) in January
- One Small Step for Sinn Féin: Why Iain Dale is Wrong (827) Yeah the days of taking on the blogfather when he gets things wrong and him linking back to you to up your views may be gone. This one from October may be the last time I can rely on the Dalester to boost me.
- Applying for a postal vote deadline (797) Being ever the helpful candidate I was keeping people informed of the deadlines on the way to the election. Sadly not all of the people who read this could have voted for me they were from all over the country.
- A is Airbrushing Part ii (731) Remember the days when us Lib Dems were at the Tories throats all the time? Well when David Cameron said in his New Year Message that he would spell out just what the Tory policies were I start a series looking at just that. This was a little bit of 'after' work done on a campaign poster.
- About me (711) Yeah I added pages to the blog this year and quite a view people looked up my profile. Which tells you a little bit about who I am. I'm guessing the No 2 AV looked this up too, but just forgot how to spell my name.
- 15 Albums (633) One of those Meme's that sometimes allow us bloggers to fill a spot without thinking. Although for the blogpost I did go the extra mile and pull images of the 15 Albums that inspire me.
- Tory Bear Pop Pyschiatry Gone Political (528) When Harry Cole was still hiding behind a blue bear rather than a man pretending to be an 18th Century Terrorist he did sometimes go off on one. So I took him to task.
- Who I am not (509) This is a fun page I added. This is all the other Stephen Glenn's online that I am not. Yes there is one that more of me, or at least named like me.
- Where's the Reader's Digest Draw When They Need it? (472) With the news of the demise of Readers' Digest I asked where was the letter from Champagne to announce that they had won the prize draw to pull them out of trouble.
- Kong Hei Fat Choy 2010 (449) My annual look at China's Human Rights record on Chinese New Year always seems to make this list.
- ***BREAKING*** Ashok Kumar MP Found Dead (370) Never a nice occasion when you look on one of the news websites and see a Breaking headline that you know is going to dominate. As a top blogger you urge is get something out on your blog, but then knowing you will have to update as more facts come along. Seeing this blog was in its infancy when this first happened in similar shocking circumstances I knew just what to do and how to do it sensitively.
- Short List for Livingston Labour (311) following on from the above was the fact that the shortlist to replace the disgraced MP for Livingston Jim Devine was getting drawn up. He'd been one of the top stories on this blog in 2005 (see above).
- Prime Minster Clegg (295) When someone joked about the possibilty of Nick Clegg being Prime Minister, I said why not? Of course we have seen him at the dispatch box during PMQs since as Deputy Prime Minister Clegg.
- Comedian Jason Wood Dies Aged 38 (282) Another of those sad occassions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)