Cardinals Comeback for the Record Books
I'm a huge Cardinals fan because my mother is from St. Louis and they're big fans. But I think the Cards became America's team last night. They had lost, it was all over but the shoutin. But they would not stay down. Americans love a scrapper.
Which team is the best? I have to give the Rangers credit for their talent, they were very skilled. But any competition really belongs to whoever wants it the most. And the Cards wanted it bad. That 6th game will go down in history. Way to go, Cards, you truly deserved the win. Baseball is America's pastime, and baseball fans are a class act.
Read the article HUFFINGTON POST/Cardinals Win World Series: Chris Carpenter, David Freese, Allen Craig Defeat Rangers In Game 7
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This was as good as it gets. Just unbelievable. It's especially great to see all the so-called experts eat crow. Nobody predicted the Cardinals to win, much less even make the postseason. I'd love to hear what Nyjer Morgan and Zack Greinke have to say. And I'm sure the jokers at ESPN (Eastern Sports and Poker Network) are crying in their beers, still saying the Cards aren't legit, and how great Boston and the Yankees are.
And I hate to single him out, but we won game 7 because Holliday wasn't playing. Thank God we had Allen Craig out there, or I really believe we would have lost. Our highest paid player did the absolute least amount of contributing, at least this postseason. He really needs to start earning his money, but that's another story for another day. For now, let's enjoy the greatest World Series victory ever!!!!!
Read the article STL TOLDAY/WIld Crads WIn World Series
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Ah, the taste of sweet victory, boys!! You exhibited such heart and tenacity, so now you can enjoys the rewards. Cardinal Nation is so darn proud of you all! And it's so nice to see news footage of fans celebrating downtown without the need to destroy or cause trouble. St Louis IS the best baseball town! And we have the best team . . . IT'S OFFICIAL!! And a special congratulations to MVP David Freese. We appreciate you as a terrific player, and as a fellow St Louisan who has reached the pinnacle. May this be just the beginning . . . . OK, how many days til spring training????
Read the article STL TOLDAY/WIld Crads WIn World Series
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50 years from now, people will still talk about the improbable, clutch performance of the last 3 innings of Game 6 this year. Freese is now cemented in baseball history with that, and without that performance, the Cardinals would have been cooked in Game 6. So yes, I think he completely deserves the MVP award, and his name will now be hoisted in the history books with other greats because of his high-drama, odds-defying performance that made the end of this series so damn great to watch
Read the article ESPN/Hometown Boy David Freese wins MVP
Death of a Champion
You gave me some of the most memorable moments of my life...You are a true champion. I will never forget how gracious and genuine you were in July at the at the Chevrolet sponsored hot lap rides for us who work in the car business. And most of all when they said you wouldn't have a chance at Indy 2011 I lost my voice screaming for you as you worked your way to the front and put yourself in a position to be our two time Indy 500 winner. Thank you Daniel Wheldon for being a true racer..
Read the article YAHOO SPORTS/Tragic end to IndyCar season
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IndyCar developed the SAFER barrier which is used at all oval circuits, several of the drivers were probably saved from serious injury or death by the SAFER barriers which protect the drivers from directly impacting the concrete walls.
What killed Wheldon was flying into the catch fence with the cockpit facing the fence. Power also flew into the fence but cockpit out.
The F1 race on the same day in South Korea was on a road circuit lined with concrete barriers without anything thing resembling a SAFER barrier – a fact the commentors constantly referred to. This was not even a street circuit where it is much harder to add the barriers. As for for the chassis, both F1 & IndyCar use state-of-the-art carbon fiber monocoque chassis – with the wheel tethers. The drivers in both series are required to wear the Hans device for head and neck protection.
All this said, I am not a fan of high-speed ovals. To me it is patently ridiculous to to have 34 cars (more than start the Indy 500) on a 1.5 mile track (Indy is 2.5 miles) driving at speeds at or near those achieved at Indy. The sooner IndyCar gets away from these ovals the better.
Read the article CNN/Wheldon's death must be watershed moment for IndyCar
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They've got the walls and restraint systems pretty well figured out these days. The problem with Indy cars is the open wheel design which they do a great job of engineering for energy dissipation, but in a crash still ends up as a small monocoque shell with not much of a safe zone left, and the top of the cockpit left with protrusions unlike the smooth canopies of unlimited hydroplanes.
The big unsolved issue with tracks is these catch fences. They gotta find a better way to protect the bleachers than the current setup that basically shreds open-wheel cars. Different style of netting, back farther from the wall, something.
Read the article WASHINGTON POST/Dan Wheldon dies after fiery crash at Las Vegas Indy 300
Read the article INDEPENDENT/British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon killed in 15-car crash
Are the Simpsons Hitting the Stem?
I am not the sort of person who begrudges people their high salaries. Fox makes a great deal of money from The Simpsons, so everyone should share in the profits. Also, I can see that it can perceived as a slap in the face to take such a significant pay cut. I really do get that.
Now comes the "but": most of these actors have been making a lot of good money for more than two decades, and one would presume they've invested it well. None of them have ever been accused of spending extravagantly, so they probably have a lot of money socked away. I hope that means they are thinking seriously about keeping The Simpsons going just out of the love of the work and as a sign of appreciation to fans. I'm not saying they HAVE to, and if they don't, I'll be disappointed, but not angry.
The TV landscape has really changed over the past 20 years. Fox is no longer one of "The Big Four" networks. They are all sharing the same pie with scores of other channels. The salaries of ten years ago no longer apply, let alone 22 or 23.
In the end, I am rooting for these outstanding talents to choose art over commerce and give us a 24th and 25th season. Of course, that's ME being selfish! ;-)
Read the article TV GUIDE/Report: Fox Gives The Simpsons' Voice Actors Ultimatum
Books That Changed America
As an artist and poet I'm really quite astounded that Mr Parini, as a poet himself, did not include one book of poetry. "Moby Dick" and "The Scarlet Letter", as well as "Silent Spring"; "Walden" to my mind, did not change America, neither did "The Promised Land", a rather obscure book to most people.
As far as the journal of Gov. Bradford, as fascinating as it probably is, it, in as of itself, did not change anything; the fact of his being governor did. The "pilgrims" or Puritans, after all, were the ones who hung and burned the so-called witches of Salem. Massachusetts was the first "slave"state (really? it's true!). The repression, ignorance and lack of joy
in NewEngland was unbelievable due to Puritan preacher such as Cotton Mather and others.
Sadly, this country was created in violence and is still violent. The wonderful ideals of the founders have been all but obliterated now. Ben Franklin was certainly precient in what he said; he knew human nature well.
The inclusion of the Dale Carnegie was purely ridiculous!
Read the article NPR/ON POINT/Books That Changed America
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This list has some surprises, and I agree whole-heartedly with comments made about Alcoholics Anonymous (which could replace Dr. Spock's Book) and Atlas Shrugged (which could replace the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin). Perhaps there could have been room for "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," but 13 is a rather small list considering the depth of this country.
What disturbed me most, however, is when Parini was talking about the immigrant book and said that "everyone here who's not Native American is an immigrant," and failed to say, "some against their will," and failed to mention slavery or blacks when he was talking about what immigrants observed when they arrived as opposed to what they imagined.
Read the article NPR/ON POINT/Books That Changed America
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Like all colonial powers, we in this country do tend to have institutional amnesia. What about that part of the unfolding of the Americas that has come at the expense of indigenous peoples for whom this was truly a “promised land?” They were here, in true relationship with the bounty of this land, with a deep sense of gratitude for those gifts. It is too easy to reject or overlook the contributions of those who were here before us. They were here long before the peoples of Europe even knew that the earth was round, and they had well-developed systems of living with each other, the land, and their sense of the source of all life. What if we had been more willing to learn from them, rather than treat them as inferior?
Until we acknowledge, and make amends for, what amounted to genocide, we have little hope of ever completely fulfilling the “promise” of this land.
Here are some (of the many) books that we feel add to a balanced understanding of this “promised land.”
The Spirit of Crazy Horse, by Peter Matthiessen
Seven Arrows, by Hyemeyohsts Storm (a teaching story)
Creek Mary’s Blood, by Dee Brown (novel)
Touching the Fire, by Roger Welsch
Touch the Earth: A Self-portrait of Indian Existence, compiled by T. C. McLuhan
Dance Back the Buffalo, by Milton Lott (novel)
Read the article NPR/ON POINT/Books That Changed America
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I think Mr. Parini has missed the boat on one very important book at least. Though the Bible has always enjoyed a place of prominence in the homes of America, the resurgence of bible reading in the early 19th century fostered such an explosion of religious fervor it forever changed the face of America then and inextricably shaped its future. Much of American life today is informed by generations of dedication to the ideals found in scripture.
Read the article NPR/ON POINT/Books That Changed America
READ MORE BEST COMMENTS: AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2011
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Terrible news. For those petrolheads amongst us who follow motorsport this is awful. Dan was just one of a golden generation of British drivers racing succesfully all over the world. Jenson and Lewis are the best known because of F1, but there are a whole host of supremely talented (winning) British drivers in Indy Car, DTM, BTCC, Sports Cars, GT, Le Mans etc
Re the comments about driving fast cars,driving fast and crashes - well it's an occupational hazard and one that all racing drivers are aware of. But in the run up to this race many drivers had expressed concern that the speeds (above 225mph - faster than F1) were dangerous. When racing drivers say it is too quick, then it's time for the authorities to take note.