Senator Edward Kennedy Dies At Age 77

Edward Kennedy succumbed to brain cancer last evening and the nation mourns a dedicated public servant. The entire Kennedy family has suffered tragic losses over the years and my deepest sympathies go out to them. Although I was not a fan of Edward Kennedy, I deeply admired his brothers, John and Bobby.

Mr. Kennedy lost my admiration with the still unexplained death of Mary Jo Kopechne on July 18, 1969 on Chappaquiddick Island. His abandonment of long time friend and democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in favor of a dubious, upstart junior senator with questionable experience, only furthered my disappointment is his views and character. Nevertheless, Kennedy was a champion of the oppressed and worked diligently for 41 years in the United States Senate. Edward Kennedy was 77 years old.

Senator Kennedy's death has altered today's entry a bit as my original entry was to focus on the national media's non-stop barrage of sensationalism with an obvious eye on the bottom line and a blind eye toward the art of journalism. I'm sure the next few days will be filled with media reports about the life and death of Ted Kennedy and deservedly so.

Michael Jackson's death has been classified as a homicide. You might be curious as to how I know about this "breaking news." I'm aware of this because every media source in the country has been telling me, non-stop, for the last three days, ad nauseum.

The term "breaking news" according to my knowledge of the English language, is defined as something that has occurred on that particular day or within the last 24 hours. After that time frame, it should be referred to as "sensationalized shit we're going to tell you again and again because we're making a ton of money from the story."

Brazenly, the media continues to do this with every useless piece of trash that will titillate the ever-consuming appetite of the hard of understanding. I appreciate the fact that there are some worthy stories that would require lingering reporting and commentary, but the escapades and destinies of such people as Anna Nicole Smith, Angelina Jolie and other "stars" can be consumed and disposed of within the first 24 hours. If one's intellectual needs require more information, one can always read the absolute truth in The National Enquirer, TMZ or the other gossip rags.

I'm not saying that all the news media and magazines are rags, create their own stories to sensationalize and then rake in money of the gullible. There are certain magazines like Pet Fancy and Player that are well respected and truthful and would never stoop to frivolous issues of print.

The Bottom line? When the media's only thoughts are for ratings and the almighty dollar, the quality of the news will suffer. The media should focus more attention to stories of importance and a little less time to the gravy train stories. These types of stories will continue to come to light and the media will always make money from them. My only request is that they quit beating a dead horse after a day or two. Then again, that's like asking a pig not to wallow in the mud. It's just part of their make-up.

A thirteen year old boy was killed in Miami Wednesday after he was struck by a SUV. The teenager was driving a go-kart illegally on city streets and drove in front of the oncoming truck. The driver of the SUV, visibly shaken, was not charged in the accident. When questioned by reporters at the scene, some friends and family members expressed the desire to see the driver of the SUV prosecuted, but police determined it was the boy's fault.

The persons who actually contributed to the boys death are, sadly, his parents. There are too many cases of parents who allow their children to wildly drive go-karts, motorbikes and other off-road recreational vehicles unsupervised and on city streets. Perhaps this incident and countless other similar tragic accidents will awaken and open the eyes of other parents whose children have these types of vehicles.

This Date In History: 1839; A US warship seizes the Amistad, a Spanish vessel anchored off Long Island, New York, finding that the African slaves on board have revolted against their captors and taken control. 1346; The Battle of Crécy sees a decisive victory for an English army, led by Edward III, over a French army, led by Philip VI, at the outset of the Hundred Years' War.

1883; The small volcanic island of Krakatau, in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra, begins its cataclysmic eruption, killing tens of thousands. 1978; Cardinal Albino Luciani is elected Pope John Paul I, but after 34 days in office he dies of a heart attack.

1920; Eight days after the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, American women win the right to vote. 1789; The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is adopted by the National Assembly of France at the outset of the French Revolution.

Picture Of The Day: That little squirrel that has been popping up all over the Internet decided to get his own camera so that he could take a picture of himself without everyone bitching about his being in their pictures.

I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the pictures of the other magazine personalities in today's entry, namely my cat, Possum, and myself. This little feat is made possible by a site called Mag My Pic and is free of charge. It's fun to do and I'm sure you can have plenty of fun with it. Here's the link http://www.magmypic.com/

Birthdays: Robert Walpole, British statesman, commonly regarded as Britain's first prime minister (1721-1742) 1676, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, French chemist 1743, Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria 1819, Lee De Forest, American pioneer of radio communication 1873, John Buchan, writer and statesman 1875, Guillaume Apollinaire, French poet and novelist 1880, Christopher Isherwood, Anglo-American writer 1904, Geraldine Ferraro, American politician 1935.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) A lady friend of mine had her boobs measured and fitted for a new bra. Now she calls them Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes because they're "up where they belong." 2) I made a plan to resolve one of my worst senior citizen moments. It seems that every time I go to the kitchen, I can't remember what I wanted. So, I wrote a note and put it in my pocket. A week later, I put on the same pair of pants and found a note that said, "Don't forget your beer." 3) The Law of Mechanical Repair states that after your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee. 4) Cash for Clunkers has ended, but they’re coming out with a new Cash for Clunkers program that will give consumers a rebate when they trade-in old home appliances. This is great news for anyone who owns a Buick toaster oven. 5) In case you missed it, I direct your attention to the above picture of The National Inquirer magazine. Look in the bottom left corner and read my little photoshopped entry......and that's five !

The AREA51 Retirement Home Bar and Grill: Once upon a time, a guy asked a girl, "Will you marry me?" The girl said, "No!" So the guy lived happily ever after and rode motorcycles and went fishing and hunting and played golf a lot and drank beer and scotch and had tons of money in the bank and left the toilet seat up and farted whenever he wanted. The end.

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: My thanks to Brother Kirt and my pal Linda for their contributions to today's entry.

The definition of and logic behind Obamacare: A health care plan being shoved down our throats that is written by a committee whose head says he doesn't understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn't read it but exempts themselves from it, signed by a president that also hasn't read it, and who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn't pay his taxes, overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that's broke!

God was missing for six days. Eventually, Michael, the archangel, found him, resting on the seventh day. He inquired, "Where have you been?" God smiled deeply and delightedly pointed downwards through the clouds, "Look, Michael. Look what I've made." Archangel Michael looked puzzled, and said, "What is it?" God replied, "It's a planet and I've put life on it. I'm going to call it Earth and it's going to be a place to test balance." Michael said, "Balance? I'm still confused."

God explained, pointing to different parts of earth. "For example, northern Europe will be a place of great opportunity and wealth, while southern Europe will be for artisans, craftsmen, philosophers and thinkers.

Over here, I've placed a continent of white people, and over there is a continent of black people. Balance in all things." God continued pointing to different countries. "This one will be extremely hot, while this one will be very cold and covered in ice."

The Archangel, impressed by God's work, then pointed to a land area and said, "What's that one?" "That's Washington State, the most glorious place on earth. There are beautiful mountains, rivers and streams, lakes, forests, hills, and plains. The people from Washington State are going to be handsome, modest, intelligent, and humorous, and they are going to travel the world.

They will be extremely sociable, hardworking, high achieving, and they will be known throughout the world as diplomats, carriers of peace, and producers of software."

Michael gasped in wonder and admiration, but then asked, "But what about balance, God? You said there would be balance." God smiled, "There is another Washington. Wait till you see the idiots I put there."

Two elderly gentlemen, George and Harry, were sitting on a park bench on North Avenue. After a while, Harry said, "By the way, George, how's your wife?" George says, "I think she's dead." Harry says, "What do you mean, you think she dead?" George says, "Well, the sex is the same, but the dishes are piling up."

That's it for today my little nanny goats. Remember that it's It's considered tacky to take a cooler to church. Today's Hump Day and a damned good reason to head over to AREA 51 for happy hour. More on Friday.

Stay Tuned !