"A date which will live in infamy".

The attack on Pearl Harbor (called Hawaii Operation or Operation AI^[6][7] by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters (Operation Z in planning)^[8] and the Battle of Pearl Harbor^[9]) was a surprise military strike conducted by theImperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941 (December 8 in Japan). The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against overseas territories of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States.

The base was attacked by 353^[10] Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes in two waves, launched from six aircraft carriers.^[10] All eight U.S. Navy battleships were damaged, with four being sunk. All but two of the eight were raised, repaired and returned to service later in the war. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft training ship,^{[nb 2]} and one minelayer. One hundred eighty-eight U.S. aircraft were destroyed; 2,402 Americans were killed^[12] and 1,282 wounded. The power station, shipyard, maintenance, and fuel and torpedo storage facilities, as well as the submarine piers and headquarters building (also home of the intelligence section) were not attacked. Japanese losses were light: 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.

The attack came as a profound shock to the American people and led directly to the American entry into World War II in both the Pacific and European theaters. The following day (December 8) the United States declared war on Japan. Domestic support for isolationism, which had been strong, disappeared. Clandestine support of Britain (for example the Neutrality Patrol) was replaced by active alliance. Subsequent operations by the U.S. prompted Germany and Italy todeclare war on the U.S. on December 11, which was reciprocated by the U.S. the same day.

There were numerous historical precedents for unannounced military action by Japan. However, the lack of any formal warning, particularly while negotiations were still apparently ongoing, led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaim December 7, 1941, "a date which will live in infamy".

Veteran's Day 2011

“TO HONOR VETERANS OF ALL WARS”

Raymond Weeks of Birmingham, Alabama, organized a Veterans Day parade for that city on November 11, 1947, to honor all of America's Veterans for their loyal service. Later, U.S. Representative Edward H. Rees of Kansas proposed legislation changing the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all who have served in America’s Armed Forces.


In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11th as Veterans Day and called upon Americans everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace. He issued a Presidential Order directing the head of the Veterans Administration, now the Department of Veterans Affairs, to form a Veterans Day National Committee to organize and oversee the national observance of Veterans Day. In addition to fulfilling that mission, the committee oversees the annual production and distribution of the annual Veterans Day poster and this Teacher Resource
Guide.


In 1968, Congress moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. However, it became apparent that the November 11th date was historically significant to a great many Americans. As a result, Congress formally returned the observance of Veterans Day to its traditional date in 1978.


The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11 a.m., a color guard, made up of members from each of the military services, renders honors to America's war dead during a tradition-rich ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The President or his representative places a wreath at the Tomb and a bugler sounds “Taps.” The balance of the ceremony, including a "Parade of Flags" by numerous Veterans service

Mobility Impaired Indeed.

Borrowing the tag, perhaps?

It all comes down to this. 2 years and 215 lbs later.

‎2 years ago today, I took the first steps to transforming my life forever. I got my mind right, then I started to get my body right.


2 years and 215 pounds later, here I am. 40 years old and in the best damn shape of my life.


I have so many friends and family to thank for making this possible. I will forever be indebted to them for their understanding and support of my lifestyle change.


And here is today's measurement....I think it will be the last for a while. I know how to control it. IT WILL NEVER BEAT ME!!!!

The (ideal world) math behind weight loss...

All of the below is under ideal conditions and will definitely vary based on what you eat, when you eat, what you’ve eaten days before, liquid intake, bowel movements, etc. Also, most calorie counts for food and exercise are estimates. You have to allow for a fudge factor when doing the math.

From http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/calorie-intake-to-lose-weight.php

You use energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. The BMR Calculator will calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day.

Calorie Needs to lose weight
There are approximately 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat. So, if you create a 3500-calorie deficit through diet, exercise or a combination of both, you will lose one pound of body weight. (On average 75% of this is fat, 25% lean tissue) If you create a 7000 calorie deficit you will lose two pounds and so on. The calorie deficit can be achieved either by calorie-restriction alone, or by a combination of fewer calories in (diet) and more calories out (exercise). This combination of diet and exercise is best for lasting weight loss. Indeed, sustained weight loss is difficult or impossible without increased regular exercise.

If you want to lose fat, a useful guideline for lowering your calorie intake is to reduce your calories by at least 500, but not more than 1000 below your maintenance level. For people with only a small amount of weight to lose, 1000 calories will be too much of a deficit. As a guide to minimum calorie intake, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends that calorie levels never drop below 1200 calories per day for women or 1800 calories per day for men. Even these calorie levels are quite low.

The math:

• Calculate your BMR. http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
• Figure your intake. Use the database at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
• Do the math to figure out your calories burned or gained for the day.
• 0 calories to start the day after sleep – BMR calories – Exercise calories + Food Intake calories = Daily calories burned/gained
• Do the math to remove from or add calories to the 3500 per pound total
• 3500 + daily calories = calorie surplus or deficit
• Once the above number reached 0 or below, you should have lost one pound

My example for Sunday given that my BMR is 1800ish, I exercised for 1400ish, and ate 2200ish. Remember that this all resets per day after a good night’s sleep.


0 – 1850 – 1400 + 2200 = -1050 deficit


3500 + -1050 = 2460 calories left before one pound loss is registered

All of the above is under ideal conditions and will definitely vary based on what you eat, when you eat, what you’ve eaten days before, liquid intake, bowel movements, etc. Also, most calorie counts for food and exercise are estimates. You have to allow for a fudge factor when doing the math.

80's TV shows and movies that could be re-made.

You know, I grew into maturity during the 80's. My TV tastes developed during that time as well. Here are a few shows from the 80's that should probably get a re-visit, or at least a movie of the week of SyFy.

1. Airwolf.  Hi-tech helicopter, villian of the week, vehicular destruction.  It's quite easy to see why this was one of my favorite shows during the 80's.

2. Automan.  Computer generated crime fighter that drove a neon covered Lamborghini Countach.

3. Street Hawk.  More vehicular fun.  Super bike that could go hundreds of miles an hour.  Sensing the trend here?

4. The Highwayman. 18-wheeler that is a transformer that can also cloak. 

5. M.A.S.K..  More transforming vehicles as well as powered masks.  That works for me.

6.  Megaforce.  Hi-tech mercenary force full of 80's camp and spandex. 

7. Buckaroo Banzai.  Peter Weller before Robocop.  In the vein of Ice Pirates and Spacehunter.
8. Krull.  Epic fantasy.  Interesting premise.  Very cool weapon in the Glaive.

Now, there have already been some less-than-successful remakes.  Knight Rider and GI Joe come to mind.  However, if Hollywood is truly out of ideas, the 80's are ripe for the picking.

Labor Day

From the Department of Labor:


Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.

In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a "workingmen's holiday" on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.

Labor Day Legislation
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From them developed the movement to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

A Nationwide Holiday
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.

The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.

Bacon

http://www.dennys.com/en/baconalia/BaconCam

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.



The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.






We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.






He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.


He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.


He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.


He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.


He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.


He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.


He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.


He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.


He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.


He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.


He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.


He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.


He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:


For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:


For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:


For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:


For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:


For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:


For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences


For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:


For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:


For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.


He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.


He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.


He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.


He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.


He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.






In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.






Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.






We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Zombie warnings in Cobb County | jacksonville.com

Zombie warnings in Cobb County | jacksonville.com

Authorities in Cobb County say they plan two message boards on a busy thoroughfare warning drivers to be on guard for a zombie outbreak as filming of the hit drama series "The Walking Dead" begins in the suburban Atlanta county.

Cobb County police officer Mike Bowman said drivers can expect zombies and simulated gunfire, which could lead to traffic delays next week.

The Marietta Daily Journal reports the message boards will be set up on Cobb Galleria Parkway.

The filming is for the second season of the AMC series, which depicts world devastation at the hands of zombies.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2011-06-09/story/zombie-warnings-cobb-county#ixzz1Op0J4wKv

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day and officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Although hhere are many stories as to the actual beginnings, with over 24 cities claiming to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead". While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Kill the clown....

McDonald's CEO on Ronald: 'This Is About Choice'

McDonald's Corp. CEO Jim Skinner came out swinging Thursday when asked about Ronald McDonald and whether the burger chain hooks children with junk food.


Skinner, speaking at the company's annual shareholder meeting at McDonald's headquarters outside Chicago, said that newspapers ads Wednesday calling for Ronald's retirement had prompted an outpouring of support to his office, with parents and customers asking Skinner "to defend their right to choose."


A group called Corporate Accountability International paid for the ads, which said Ronald is encouraging unhealthy eating habits and contributing to childhood obesity and related diseases such as diabetes.

Because all of my adolescent life, Ronald McDonald opened my mouth and forced Big Macs down my gullet.

At the meeting, shareholders soundly defeated a proposal the group had helped craft asking McDonald's to issue a report on its responses to childhood obesity.


When Deborah Lapidus, an organizer with the activist group, said McDonald's is interfering with political efforts to curb marketing unhealthy food to children, Skinner replied that "this is about choice."


"We believe in the democratic process and our government officials believe in the democratic process," he said to applause from the audience of McDonald's shareholders. "This is about choice, this is about personal, individual right to choose in the society we live in. That's where we play, that's where you play, and we have every right to do so."

Skinner also got applause when he called Ronald, the burger chain's smiling spokesclown, "an ambassador for good" and noted that he is the face of Ronald McDonald House Charities.


"He does not advertise unhealthy food to children," Skinner said. "We provide many choices that fit with the balanced, active lifestyle. It is up to them to choose and their parents to choose, and it is their responsibility to do so."

Personal resposibility?  Why do that when it is easier to just blame "they" for all of your woes.

When another shareholder said he was disappointed that Ronald wasn't at the meeting, Skinner replied: "Ronald hasn't been here because he's out in the field busy doing work and fighting through the protestors."

Hat Tip to Ken Shima for the heads up on this...

We're Alive!

We're Alive - A Zombie Story Of Survival

50 years ago today....

From Today's APOD:

On April 12th, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alexseyevich Gagarin became the first human in space. His remotely controlled Vostok 1 spacecraft lofted him to an altitude of 200 miles and carried him once around planet Earth. Commenting on the first view from space he reported, "The sky is very dark; the Earth is bluish. Everything is seen very clearly". His view could have resembled this image taken in 2003 from the International Space Station. Alan Shepard, the first US astronaut, would not be launched until almost a month later and then on a comparatively short suborbital flight. Born on March 9, 1934, Gagarin was a military pilot before being chosen for the first group of cosmonauts in 1960. As a result of his historic flight he became an international hero and legend. Killed when his MIG jet crashed during a training flight in 1968, Gagarin was given a hero's funeral, his ashes interred in the Kremlin Wall. Twenty years later, on yet another April 12th, in 1981, NASA launched the first space shuttle.

Weight loss for a fat guy - closing in

Welcome back to the saga that is my weight loss. When I last checked in, October 13th of last year, I had dropped 158 pounds.

Here it is April, 2011. Have I been able to keep the weight off? Did I ever make my goal of 225 pounds (170 pounds lost). Here's a little picture that will tell the story.



What that says is 203 lbs. That's right, 203. 3 more pounds to the 200 mark. I haven't weighed in at 200 since Jr. High School.

A little on what I've changed since last year. Up until recently, I was using a iPhone only application called Nutrition Menu by Shroomies. It was a great application, but they’ve stopped updating it since the middle of 2010. As I had already programmed in a lot of custom food, I was hesitant to change. Earlier this month I switched over to a free application called MyFitnessPal.

MyFitnessPal is the same type of application, where you calculate how many total calories you need per day per body type, then track your food intake calories minus exercise calories. It uses the internet for food searches so that the most current nutritional information can be obtained without you having to input customized foods. This includes popular name brands and restaurants.

Best part is you can do this online through their website as well, if you don’t have a phone that can run the application. Go to http://www.myfitnesspal.com . You can input the same stuff you can via the phone application, and track everything via website instead of phone. I like it a lot, and hope that you will too. Best of all, it is FREE!

Bully beware

From Calm Down Tom

So this Australian boy is already all over the internet like a rash. Young, isolated and bullied, Cassey Haynes lost his cool composure and went full-Zangief on a much smaller, much stupider kid.

Now the internet is full of nerds and geeks so seeing school bullies get their comeuppance will always be popular. Some might say that we shouldn’t glorify violence, that it is awlays wrong and that we should feel bad for sperading such videos. The truth is that this kind of thing happens in every single school in every country in the world, every day. In a world where we worship children like mini-messiahs, we have to realise that the truth is kids have always swore at each other, fought and generally acted like little monsters. This is how it should be. Everyone needs to learn to stand up for themselves at some point whether its physically or mentally. Children are cruel, but sometimes, just sometimes, justice is swift.

LIttle Zangief (zangief kid) Street Fighter... by shadosw

Battle: Los Angeles