Ontario Empoblog

No, Acker is not endorsing Sam Crowe for Council (I speak, of course, of Sam Crowe Ontario ). She endorses another candidate: Name: Tony Ballardo Occupation: Retired law enforcement officer, adjunct college professor Family: Two adult children Age: 62 Education: Associate degree from Cerritos Community College; bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton Political experience: None Membership in local organizations: American Legion Key endorsements: Former Ontario Councilwoman Debbie Acker Statement: I feel the present council looks after special interest groups and not the constituents of Ontario. Acker has endorsed Ballardo in the past - specifically, 2004. Here's what David Kocot has to say about Ballardo and other candidates from that election year: State Assembly, 61st District Ah, my old district. I'd rather cut my own throat than vote for the crookedest politician in the country, Alan Wapner. I'll also never forgive him for hitting on my 'ex'. Gloria Neg...

As you know, I've written a bit about Sam Crowe Ontario (as opposed to Sam Crowe Bird Dude), who is mounting a Sam Crowe for Council campaign. There are other candidates, and they all had a gabfest not too long ago. Police and economic development were on the minds of the six City Council candidates who spoke at a pre-election forum Thursday night.... The subjects of discussion ranged from hot topics in the community - such as the contentious Wal-Mart proposal and the sports arena - as well as tried-and-true issues of public safety and schools.... Each candidate at the forum reiterated his or her support for the police and fire departments, and several suggested the city needs more police officers, though a recently completed study by an outside consulting firm found Ontario could improve public safety without hiring more officers. "I remember when it was safe to walk in our streets and play in our parks," said candidate Josie Estrada. "I am tired of hearing prom...

From spurgeon.org : Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences Commonly Known as The 95 Theses by Dr. Martin Luther Out of love and concern for the truth, and with the object of eliciting it, the following heads will be the subject of a public discussion at Wittenberg under the presidency of the reverend father, Martin Luther, Augustinian, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and duly appointed Lecturer on these subjects in that place. He requests that whoever cannot be present personally to debate the matter orally will do so in absence in writing. 1. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent", He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. 2. The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy. 3. Yet its meaning is not restricted to repentance in one's heart; for such repentance is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortif...

I just wrote this in response to an Annika post . (1) Unless there's some absolutely pressing need, don't vote for incumbents. They have to earn their keep, and normally they don't. (2) Whoever strikes with the first negative ad loses. If you're getting enough money to air negative ads, then someone's funding you who probably doesn't have my best interests in mind. (3) Don't be afraid to write in candidates that you like (Deborah Acker, here we come). It won't make a difference, but you'll feel better. Regarding Acker, see my posts on 5/16/2005 , 6/5/2005 , 6/7/2005 , and 6/8/2005 . This is probably as good a time as any to note that if you know my Ontario Emperor e-mail account, don't pat yourself on the back. I hardly ever check it. This message is for you, Sam Crowe. Volume 1 September 26, 2006 Sam Crowe Announces His Candidacy Former Ontario Councilman and City Attorney, Sam Crowe has announced his candidacy for City Council in November...

How is the International Olympic Committee's decision to hold the swimming finals in the morning (in an apparent sop to NBC) affecting the athletes? From Al Jazeera : The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to hold swimming finals in the morning at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games to suit US television schedules is unlikely to change Swimming Australia's Olympic trials schedule. US television rights holder NBC had been lobbying heavily for early finals in Beijing to coincide with prime-time viewing hours in the United States, with many observers feeling the IOC caved to the broadcaster rather than taking athletes' preferences in to consideration. Alan Thompson, Australian head coach, had anticipated the IOC's decision, but his swimmers are unlikely to have a practice run at the upside-down schedule at their national trials, which normally aim to simulate the Olympic program, reports said. Glenn Tasker, Swimming Australia chief executive, said he expected ...

And my favorite Olympic network is involved. Here's the story : The European Broadcasting Union protested the IOC's decision to hold some Olympic swimming and gymnastic finals during the morning at the 2008 Beijing Games. The International Olympic Committee announced the changes last week in a concession to NBC, but the EBU said the timing of the finals will put them in the middle of the night in Europe. The events will be shown during prime viewing hours in the Americas. My question on this topic - since when has NBC ever chosen to show a major event live? Does this mean that NBC plans to show these events live on the West Coast? I seriously doubt it; we'll probably get a tape delayed broadcast. But coverage, live or taped, will not address Dave Taylor's concerns : Every four years I get to remember why I really hate watching the Olympics on television. It's not about the advertising, it's not even the endless parade of "background" vignettes instead ...

It is an eerie coincidence. Last week, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Detroit Tigers in baseball's World Series. This week, the city of St. Louis defeated the city of Detroit in the race to be the most dangerous city in the U.S. Here are the most dangerous cities (with 371 being the worst): 362. Gary, Ind. 363. Youngstown, Ohio 364. Oakland, Calif. 365. Cleveland 366. Birmingham, Ala. 367. Camden, N.J. 368. Compton, Calif. 369. Flint, Mich. 370. Detroit 371. St. Louis And the safest: 1. Brick, N.J. 2. Amherst, N.Y. 3. Mission Viejo, Calif. 4. Newton, Mass. 5. Troy, Mich. 6. Colonie, N.Y. 7. Irvine, Calif. 8. Cary, N.C. 9. Greece, N.Y. 10. Coral Springs, Fla. Ontario, California was number 204. Chino Hills was 21, Rancho Cucamonga 62, Chino 88, Fontana 167, Pomona 255. Claremont, Montclair, and Upland were not listed. Interestingly enough, El Monte was higher than Ontario (163), and Santa Ana was also higher (170). And Berkeley was lower (226). From the Ontario Empoblog (Lat...

That's a joke. Or it isn't : [Scott] Adams, 49, appears to be a rare example of someone who has largely — but not totally — recovered from Spasmodic Dysphonia, a mysterious disease in which parts of the brain controlling speech shut down or go haywire.... One of the most peculiar aspects of SD is that victims are typically unable to have intimate conversations in their normal voice. Yet they can speak under different circumstances, such as immediately after sneezing or laughing, or in an exaggerated falsetto or baritone, or while reciting poetry.... Patients are often so anxious about their speech that they stop breathing or have heart palpitations before trying to articulate their thoughts. There is no known cure — but many victims have improved their speech by changing tenor or pitch, or doing special breathing and relaxation exercises.... SD may be caused by a chromosomal abnormality that results in spasms of the vocal chords. It may cause spasms in the eyes, arms, legs and ...

Now I've gotten to thinking of all of the famous people that I have met personally. Here are a few names that come immediately to mind. I'll grant that not every one of these people is of Gerald Ford stature, but they're still famous. And, as I've already noted, I met most of these people before they became famous (for example, I met DelBene in college, before she became DelBene), or after their fame had passed (for example, by the time I met President Ford, he was no longer president). Suzan DelBene, technology executive D. C. Fontana, television writer Gerald R. Ford, Jr., former President of the United States Lucy Garcia, television host and model Jeff Henley, Chairman of the Board, Oracle Chris Hesse, drummer, Hoobastank Kiira Korpi, ice skater Van McCoy, musician Slim Whitman, musician In addition, I've met famous family members, such as the son of George Shultz and the daughter of Richard Allen (although I didn't know it at the time). So how did I meet the...

I have encountered famous people on many occasions. However, with some exceptions, I usually encounter them before they become famous, or after their fame has faded. For example ( emphasis mine): [T]he David Tupaz Couture runway show...took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, of “Pretty Woman” fame. Preparations for the show began five hours in advance. Crew members prepared the posh ballroom which was lit white and gleaming with a crystal chandelier. Though the show would no doubt be marked by excitement, a strange calm seemed to settle over the scene in the afternoon. Models lounged about with their hair would in miniature curls, pinned tightly in spiral shapes to their skulls. The male models gathered on the floor and engaged each other in idle conversation, the sounds of their words punctuated by hissing bursts from aerosol cans that were emanating from somewhere in the background. I was there with my friend Lucy Garcia – a host on “Estudio Dos” - a Spanish music and variety show...

Here's an example of a corollary of Brendan Nyhan's argument , from Israel : Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Friday compared Iran's nuclear ambitions and threats against Israel with the policies of Nazi Germany and criticized world leaders who maintain relations with Iran's president.... Israel has identified Iran as the greatest threat to the Jewish state. Israel's concerns have heightened since the election of Iran's hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who frequently calls for the destruction of Israel and has questioned whether the Nazi genocide of 6 million Jews took place.... Olmert said Iran's nuclear program is designed to secure "conventional weapons with delivery systems" to annihilate Israel. He also criticized world leaders for maintaining relations with the Iranian president. "It is the first time that a leader of a very big and important nation openly and publicly declares that an aim of his nation is to wipe off the m...

Followup . From the ASCAP perspective, "My Love" is a song by Clifford Harris, Timothy Z. Mosley, N. Hill, and Justin R. Timberlake. Yeah, and Undercover is a project of Messrs. Joseph Taylor and James Nicholson - sounds like barristers. Here's Justin in Japan, singing "My Love." From the Ontario Empoblog (Latest OVVA news here )

Warning - this post goes all over the place. Fasten your seat belts now. Reuters writer Ben Blanchard wrote a story that begins as follows: BEIJING (Reuters) - Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 on current trends, the WWF conservation group said on Tuesday. Populations of many species, from fish to mammals, had fallen by about a third from 1970 to 2003 largely because of human threats such as pollution, clearing of forests and overfishing, the group also said in a two-yearly report. By the time I read the story on Yahoo, the following headline had been attached to the story: Humans living far beyond planet's means: WWF When I first read that headline, I began thinking that "humans living far beyond" refers to humans living too long. Then, when I noticed that the article was datedlined Beijing, the solution became obvious. Humans shouldn't live too long. Sounds like a soluti...

While I've been talking about Steve Jobs' adoption , there's this other itty bitty adoption story that has made the headlines. I haven't said anything about it because I haven't really been following it. But that didn't stop me this morning. While at church, I was talking to someone who is familiar with the Romanian adoption process (but not, as it turns out, with the Madonna Malawi story). I told her that I wasn't really familiar with the Madonna Malawi story either, other than knowing that the child's natural father is still living, and that he had consented to the adoption. My friend explained to me that there are actually two kinds of orphanage placements. The first, with which I was familiar, is when no one claims parental rights for the child in the orphanage. This is true either in cases in which the parents are not known, or when the parents have legally signed away all rights to the child. The second type of orphanage placement is when parents p...

I've been blogging a lot about college in one of my other blogs, but I never got around to excerpting from this Steve Jobs address . I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out? It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from ...

I have a friend of a friend who is heavily into rhythmic gymnastics - something about which I know nothing. Enter Wikipedia : Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which single competitors or groups of two or more manipulate five types of apparatus: Ball, Clubs, Hoop, Ribbon, and Rope. It combines elements of ballet, gymnastics, theatrical dance, and apparatus manipulation. The victor is the participant who earns the most points, as awarded by a panel of judges, for leaps, balances, pivots, flexibility, apparatus handling and artistic effect. Here's a sample of rhythymic gymnastics (with emphasis on flexibility): rythmic gymnastics competition Add to My Profile | More Videos And here's another: Alexandra Orlando Add to My Profile | More Videos The sport was even featured in a Bernie Mac episode : 'Eye of the Tiger' (episode #45) Shaquille O'Neal has a cameo, and Jordan drops basketball for rhythmic gymnastics, to the horror of Bernie, who finds it embarrassing and ...