tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-228165032024-03-14T10:27:12.474-04:00jebswebsmusings from the 2nd floor of my worldjohn eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.comBlogger291125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-17237437328297002492015-05-01T14:19:00.000-04:002015-05-01T14:21:15.792-04:00Ahead of my time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB4H6FBovD9_WRWZ0paI6N4fw4KZ4e2s4qidWPZKoibjDXqZrVFTWLFsS674kNeDqJSNZ6Nbjlf5iZmifn4iovObPEP8bMvZ8U3ETU1ygGhouRfNZ84BMLaLV2hqYfVH2Ys0i/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A 1963 Ford Falcom" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB4H6FBovD9_WRWZ0paI6N4fw4KZ4e2s4qidWPZKoibjDXqZrVFTWLFsS674kNeDqJSNZ6Nbjlf5iZmifn4iovObPEP8bMvZ8U3ETU1ygGhouRfNZ84BMLaLV2hqYfVH2Ys0i/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" height="180" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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I just read a description about "green
automobiles" in an on-line magazine that states one of the options used in
today's modern automobiles to save fuel and reduce pollution is called
"Cylinder Deactivation." </div>
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They state:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Cylinder deactivation, which saves gas by shutting down one
or more of an engine’s cylinders when they’re not under load, such as when you’re
cruising on a level highway</blockquote>
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Back in 1973, Uncle Tom Feeney gave me Aunt Jo's old 1963
Ford Falcon. It had been Aunt Jo’s mother’s car and only had about 50,000 miles
on it. But she was a bit past her prime (the car, not Aunt Jo) and was affectionately known to everyone
as "The Blue Bomb." This nom d ’plume was partially related to the
fact that the Blue Bomb had once actually been painted blue. She now had an
attractive additional coating of gray primer paint on many of her surfaces with
an equally lovely touch of romantic rust brown and white Bondo. She was a sight
to be seen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But the major reason the Blue Bomb was the blue bomb was
because she was known to produce a lovely, effervescent aroma of burnt oil as
it oozed a whitish-blue haze out of the exhaust pipe. When sitting at a stop
light, the “haze” would sometimes become a full, immersive, smoke screen and
completely mask the Bomb from sight. She was demure, and apparently didn’t want
to be seen in public.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One time, while venturing across the Upper East Side of
Manhattan, always a dangerous thing to do, I asphyxiated two old biddies on
Park Avenue and was cruelly chastised by their doorman. Another time, while
stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the BQE, I got signaled by two of NYPD’s
finest and made to exit off at McGuiness Blvd. As the smoke enveloped us, I
feigned innocence and swore that “it just started doing this a few minutes ago,
officers…” They let me go with a warning and I tried to stay away from traffic
jams from that point forward. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The reason for the Blue Bomb’s digestive and effluence
problem was the fact that she was only running on three and a half of her six
cylinders. One was completely shot – a view into the cylinder head with the
spark plug out revealed a black hole protecting a thick greasy quagmire of gunk.
I suspected the connecting rod had long ago given up the ghost and any
potential for combustion. The other sick cylinder, which I suspected was the
primary culprit, probably had lost most of its compression from worn out seals
on the valves. I would have to pull the spark plug out every thousand miles and
clean off the grease and burnt carbon deposits. When she ran at high RPMs, the
spark would fire and burn off any oil that had seeped in. But while sitting at
idle, the valves would leak and the cloud would appear. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Blue Bomb needed a complete engine re-build, along with
a couple of thousand dollars of other things, and was only work about $12 in
scrap metal. But she religiously got me around NYC, to school and other
activities as needed and she was a fun old girl to ride.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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The amazing thing about the Blue Bomb was that she got
incredible gas mileage. Even though the price if gas in those days was a
micro-fraction of today’s prices, I was getting 30-35 mpg. What I spent in
motor oil, I made up in great gas mileage. I used to say she got 35 miles to
the gallon of gas and quart of oil.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All I can say now is that this new information about “cylinder
deactivation” means that the Blue Bomb was the first car in America to employ
this technique as a means of improving gas mileage. Who knew we were so ahead
of our time…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Image Credit: Image from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi3mhAwVd2U">American Motorcycle's YouTube page</a></div>
john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-43022075400287276742014-10-02T15:55:00.002-04:002014-10-02T16:06:39.741-04:00The Mystery Signs of Augusta, Maine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11sVZGuCYCGVTASES4sz6ad5ZBS47cWiDx_ZtcAdoUoWVn6We3c35Ll1nldghyphenhyphen3O2eejrOu08iq7nC0zTkGLeOpQ3eW4oCCpSbY6FzKWFKF4RnGiMD50vhMz2-s5g_2jXevkq/s1600/IMG_0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11sVZGuCYCGVTASES4sz6ad5ZBS47cWiDx_ZtcAdoUoWVn6We3c35Ll1nldghyphenhyphen3O2eejrOu08iq7nC0zTkGLeOpQ3eW4oCCpSbY6FzKWFKF4RnGiMD50vhMz2-s5g_2jXevkq/s1600/IMG_0100.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Down the block and around the corner from my home in Augusta, Maine I noticed some strange markings on the pavement over the summer. This was not too unusual as over the past two year, two natural gas companies have been competing to win new customers as they have been bringing fresh new Canadian natural gas to the capital of the United States' northeastern most location. The process has involved lots of digging and the "Dig Safe" guys have been working overtime marking and re-marking where various underground utilities were laid.<br />
<br />
So, I assumed that one of the gas companies was expanding their customer base and would be soon digging up the street yet again. But these markings were odd and pointed to a location where there was only a stand of trees. Perhaps the squirrels and birds in that location had saved up and were planning for a very warm winter.<br />
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The initial markings on the street cryptically stated: MDOT-sign. Soon, these were followed by more colorful signs suggesting that there were no underground utilities in the location and that it was apparently save to dig here. What followed - the signs <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGgvzuGJUpcMgI16AlwU1gCF25m07FtNBtN__02vOTNWrTNFd_YjvjhqgfPKq0wh5B4GhPs272_RT1goPzsutSazqnd4noeD60VBBkQiViU3oG07YcKztTOmMM9CttmBzYYne/s1600/IMG_0096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaGgvzuGJUpcMgI16AlwU1gCF25m07FtNBtN__02vOTNWrTNFd_YjvjhqgfPKq0wh5B4GhPs272_RT1goPzsutSazqnd4noeD60VBBkQiViU3oG07YcKztTOmMM9CttmBzYYne/s1600/IMG_0096.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
themselves - are truly confusing. As you can see in the images, they implore the public to "Post No Signs" - we got a bit of a conundrum going here, or haven't you noticed. They posted a sign to state - DON'T post a sign here. And they didn't stop with one - they got lots of them (see additional photos).<br />
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I have yet to figure out what the C.O.A might be - I'm hoping this post might generate some response. Some hint comes from the larger sign that appears below the "To Reverse Direction" sign which reads, "Controlled Access Highway - Official Highway Signs Only."BTW, this intersection is one of those famous "tea cup handle" arrangements where traffic heading in one direction on Western Avenue (a major road that has a center island preventing u-turns or crossing traffic except at intersections) can "reverse direction" without driving into some businesses' parking lot which they do anyway, despite the signs. I always thought these signs - "to reverse direction" - were rather enigmatic and perhaps a bit philosophical. Way too complicated for the average American with a 5th grade reading level to figure out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmHlPNMBQIQTHY7Jb3G9G9s_jRiUKIMhKoOe6G-mX5bGksCuzmLusN5oCthPMB3Qv6lhGHrNrRCQil4z1bfU38qCw6idtBbVC1rvpxj_ZkjkRt5Sn10rfvdT7-L4QHVxmrNuw/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLmHlPNMBQIQTHY7Jb3G9G9s_jRiUKIMhKoOe6G-mX5bGksCuzmLusN5oCthPMB3Qv6lhGHrNrRCQil4z1bfU38qCw6idtBbVC1rvpxj_ZkjkRt5Sn10rfvdT7-L4QHVxmrNuw/s1600/IMG_0099.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Now, the fact that there are no signs posted in this location other than the Post No Signs signs that have recently been posted, and in the 19 years I have been in this location, I have never seen any signs posted here - even the temporary election signs, is a bit disturbing. Is it possible that these are in response to someone's complaint? Could there be a new law on the books that insists that our hard-earn tax money be spent frivolously on useless and cryptic signage that no one, other than me, will ever bother to look at?<br />
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Your guess is as good as mine.<br />
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In the meantime, the mystery continues. Post something if you got an idea!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv2PgwoWHxkU2VrEo2yKJRkca27TzNGSBLn_l96tCa0QOjgsHNY_4OmCqFyh_ad5joWkMDNibIcswuwgzDVRYk3Z0gzNwWWVTHtM4HLU4BseL14oTpEFQvBnjCFEgj6hRpJLJ/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv2PgwoWHxkU2VrEo2yKJRkca27TzNGSBLn_l96tCa0QOjgsHNY_4OmCqFyh_ad5joWkMDNibIcswuwgzDVRYk3Z0gzNwWWVTHtM4HLU4BseL14oTpEFQvBnjCFEgj6hRpJLJ/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPwJbcEEQhrPEEKYToO52j80_fTE4iC1RVQzXQuJ9uwH08An2wRm63lPB3BNMaGeEuBdgFTcjeuk-FFFX_iFjlaWxzR6lqoQv95_6eMhjmGfBec8SO_JcY7T-yPlxX8MuoObf/s1600/IMG_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWPwJbcEEQhrPEEKYToO52j80_fTE4iC1RVQzXQuJ9uwH08An2wRm63lPB3BNMaGeEuBdgFTcjeuk-FFFX_iFjlaWxzR6lqoQv95_6eMhjmGfBec8SO_JcY7T-yPlxX8MuoObf/s1600/IMG_0098.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-51957491474506782382014-09-16T17:12:00.002-04:002014-09-16T17:18:34.973-04:00Uncle Artie<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgeEnEqejrXzL5CNUtJtLHq74144-CrlYypL6-ZlvrCKIibcxDEqmpm0ZmwVULBEhyphenhyphenfKG9_NwDOS97WCCUKQGcaPlYCvdGDpME5t6riVe8ODRAxJqltdTcopYc9p2l95h8Nfv/s1600/arthur_hughes_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgeEnEqejrXzL5CNUtJtLHq74144-CrlYypL6-ZlvrCKIibcxDEqmpm0ZmwVULBEhyphenhyphenfKG9_NwDOS97WCCUKQGcaPlYCvdGDpME5t6riVe8ODRAxJqltdTcopYc9p2l95h8Nfv/s1600/arthur_hughes_2.jpg" height="320" width="223" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dr. Arthur Hughes</td></tr>
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<i>Fortunately, I had a chance a number of years ago to convey this story in person to Dr. Hughes. Indeed he was delighted by it and rewarded me with his customary and memorable hearty laugh.</i><br />
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I’m sure you all have experienced a recurring nightmare. You know, the kind that reveals your innermost fears and insecurities.<br />
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In my recurring nightmare, I arrive in a class and to my horror, I discover that there is an exam scheduled for that day and not only am I completely un-prepared for the exam, I realize that I didn’t even know there was going to BE a mid-term exam.<br />
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Unfortunately, my recurring nightmare is based upon a real incident; it actually happened. And, even though I still get cold sweats whenever the dream “reoccurs” – and it still does – I can safely inform you that this nightmare has a happy ending.<br />
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First, to dispel the mystery about the title of this offering. Many SFC folks may not know that Dr. Arthur J. Hughes also (occasionally) taught at St. Joseph’s College (for Women). My sister, Sigrid attended St. Joe’s and had taken a course with Dr. Hughes the year before my freshman year at SFC. Apparently, the “girls” of St. Joe’s thought Dr. Hughes was quite endearing and affectionately called him “Uncle Artie.”<br />
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My nightmare took place in the mid-term of the fall of my freshman year. I was taking the obligatory History 101 course and was thoroughly enjoying the class when the aforementioned event really happened. I still get chills recalling the fact that I had taken my seat in the middle of the room – no way to slip out without making a scene – and can still remember the command to “please remove all of the books from your desk…you will have the whole period to complete the mid-term…”
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Resigned to the fact that I instantly knew I was going to fail the test and, quite possibly, the entire course, I took a deep breath and attempted to clear my head to at least remember my name. Within minutes I knew it was going to be a complete disaster, none of the questions stimulated any recall of anything. I briefly wondered if I was in the correct classroom. “When did we talk about this stuff?”<br />
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I went through the motions and after a few folks had finished and passed in their papers, I sheepishly turned in my test which quite noticeably had a lot of white space and left the room.<br />
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But something in the back of my head told me that I needed to seek out the good professor later in the day, throw myself on the ground in front of him and beg for mercy.<br />
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And that is exactly what I did.<br />
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The good news was, Dr. Arthur Hughes was not only an experienced veteran of the college classroom, and had no doubt met many a student in a similar circumstance, he was a true gentle man. With little fanfare he acknowledged that I had indeed “bombed-out” on the mid-term and that I could/would make up the poor grade by completing an extra credit assignment.<br />
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The clouds lifted. I would live to see another day.<br />
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When, many years later, I had the occasion to be teaching at the college level, and I encountered my own sad-sack of a student who had maneuvered himself into a similar circumstance, I thought about the humanity that that good man had shown me that day. I paid it forward.<br />
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I read today that, as part of a memorial tribute, Dr. Hughes is to be honored by being posthumously awarded with a special teaching medal named for him. I can think of no one better suited to be the recipient of the 2014 Dr. Arthur J. Hughes Award for Excellence in Teaching than Uncle Artie himself. May he rest in peace knowing that in additional to the hundreds, perhaps thousands of St. Francis College students who benefited from their time with him, equally as many other students have also, indirectly, benefited from his kindness and humanity.
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<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-85472236785078825322014-07-20T17:58:00.004-04:002014-07-20T18:29:50.604-04:00Man on the Moon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7T4pkwG-Q5_fJSxLZ-t9qbmjzJpQoqOf6eZcbGTYMDGg08eoUYavjbDIYdVn9tvkTBxE0xj3DFh1Bm699WSRVCe9efoOjHau0q7Tp-thtMO7PUgJv7zRt-iP3Zs5Ud0LVoS8y/s1600/AS11-40-5875HRedit+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Man on the Moon" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7T4pkwG-Q5_fJSxLZ-t9qbmjzJpQoqOf6eZcbGTYMDGg08eoUYavjbDIYdVn9tvkTBxE0xj3DFh1Bm699WSRVCe9efoOjHau0q7Tp-thtMO7PUgJv7zRt-iP3Zs5Ud0LVoS8y/s1600/AS11-40-5875HRedit+(1).jpg" height="249" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
Buzz Aldrin, the second Man of the Moon, has encouraged people to post videos and stories about "where they were" 45 years ago when he and Neil Armstrong stood on the Sea of Tranquility. So here is goes Buzz...<br />
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#Apollo45<br />
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My mother had died in January of 1969. She didn't live to see a man walk on the moon, or more importantly, live to witness her beloved NY Mets win the World Series.<br />
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That summer we departed from our customary August vacation at Point O'Woods on the coast of Connecticut. Instead, my dad planned a few shorter trips including one in July to visit his brother, our Uncle Ralph, his wife Aunt Phyllis and our cousins, affectionately referred to collectively as the Wethersfield Brandt's. So that's where we were on this date in 1969, gathered around the black and white TV in the living room of the house on a Timber Trail.<br />
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My only clear recollection of the event was that it took place at night and after the landing there was several hours of waiting before the hatch was opened and Neil Armstrong uttered his famous words. That all happened rather late and there were few eyes still opened and a fair amount of yawning.<br />
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I was 16 and perhaps too young to sense the historic nature of the event. The 60s, after all, were a wild decade with multiple assassinations and many historic moments. The space race had many firsts so the actual achievement of putting a man on the moon was only one of a long list of events all taking place in a relatively short period of time.<br />
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At the time, I was a bit of a "junior exploder" - a term coined by my hero, humorist Jean Shepherd, describing what we would today call a geeky kid. I was more interested in the technical aspects of the whole event, descent rates, ground radar, were there Klingons there waiting with distrupters. Seriously, I was immersed in science and technology, less so in the human story. Today, I like to remind people that the computer used in the LM (Lunar Module) was less powerful than an average iPod and infinitely less sexy. It was basically a glorified electronic calculator. But it safely got people to the moon and back many times. So, ultimately, I don't remember much of importance.<br />
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But I do recall a bunch years ago being at the Air and Space Museum in DC and viewing the exhibit on the lunar missions. The exhibit listing the names of ten other astronauts that traveled to the moon; names I did not remember. They made the post that after the first few trips to the moon, America and the world lost interest in the project and ultimately defunded the Apollo Program due to a lack of interest.<br />
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So much for the "Giant leap for Mankind..."<br />
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<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-29862634568212991942014-06-02T14:35:00.001-04:002015-02-24T13:49:51.746-05:00My own brief story about Jean Shepherd<i>This was originally written and published in Fall 1999 on a website I owned at the time (pre-blogs). It was composed shortly after the death of Jean Shepherd (who died on Saturday, October 16, 1999) and I suspect, in writing this I was reconciling the loss. </i><br />
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<i>Over the years I have edited and added some additional comments. Today as I post this, I did a little more editing for accuracy and the occasional typo. I apparently didn't have a very good spellchecker in 1999.</i><br />
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<i>The original web location of this reflection is long gone so I thought this was essentially lost. However, I found it today on an old backup drive hidden away in an sock drawer. I wonder what else is on there...</i><br />
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<i>My purpose for re-publishing this is in response to a series of wonderful articles written by <a href="http://shepquest.wordpress.com/about/">our friend and official Jean Shepherd biographer,Gene Bergmann</a><u>.</u> These recent posts on his blog provide a rich backstory of one of Jean Shepherd's greatest "fans." After you read this, you'll want <a href="http://shepquest.wordpress.com/">head over to <b>Shepquest </b>and get "the rest of the story."</a></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1IPObY8fu-nzJHu3A14oSefaRVmluR5CXFVra92NkhYXHvvdeAUh2v5mpZ9Xkvrb-G1eM0_-hQSMi4CkXvT_gnyyNCH8-uJ_ElYBmexsWMTLhkvY4zB918QOSG5-WJWtz3zZ/s1600/shep1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1IPObY8fu-nzJHu3A14oSefaRVmluR5CXFVra92NkhYXHvvdeAUh2v5mpZ9Xkvrb-G1eM0_-hQSMi4CkXvT_gnyyNCH8-uJ_ElYBmexsWMTLhkvY4zB918QOSG5-WJWtz3zZ/s1600/shep1.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jean Shepherd</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It was 1971 and Shep had begun a tradition of holding a "press conference" for college newspaper and radio reporters at the Overseas Press Club in Manhattan. At the time, I was a freshman at Pratt Institute and a devoted follower. I also had two small radio programs on the campus based station WPIR which had a broadcast range of about three feet. Actually, it was a "closed circuit" system intended to only be played in the dorms and cafeteria. Good thing. My <i>Barker Bill Show</i>, which featured popular folk rock music and my occasional banterings, news clips and movie reviews, was probably pretty bad. I was known to mix Janis Joplin with the sound track from the movie, <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> back-to-back. Hey, it was the 70's.<br />
<br />
Anyway, as per the directive, I sent off, on "official letterhead," a request for an "official press pass" to the Jean Shepherd's America Press Conference scheduled for April 8, 1971. In preparation, I "acquired" my sister's fairly new Norelco cassette tape player and planned to record the whole event <strike>(I still have, and just listened to the tape and will see about making it available to download).</strike><i> See info in the Notes at the bottom of this as to the status of the recording...</i><br />
<br />
When the important day arrived, I made my way by subway from our apartment in Brooklyn to the Overseas Press Club on West 39th Street, adjacent to the main branch of the New York City Public Library. The OPC, an ornate Victorian style building, had a small clunky, funky elevator that was not too fast. Since the conglomeration of "reporters" all arrived at about the same time, and all had to take the same elevator to get to the upper floor where the press conference was to be held, it was pretty wild scene. As I was stuffing myself into the small, sardine-can like conveyance, a small, rather extremely attractive woman approached and begged to be allowed to squeeze in. Being the gentleman that I was, and noticing the stunning quality of this auburn haired beauty, I elbowed the kid behind me and pressed back making room for the latest fan.<br />
<br />
In the creaky trip up to the fourth floor, I tried, somewhat in vain, to strike up a conversation with my brown-haired friend. It was obvious that she was significantly older than the median pimply-faced kids on the elevator, but not all <u>that</u> old. Maybe thirty? But, boy was she one fine-looking lady with a dark colored outfit and all that luscious brown hair.<br />
<br />
The conversation I tried to initiate was not very memorable. She did respond briefly and admitted to being a "big fan" and looking forward to seeing Shep. I tried to find out where she was from, thinking that she too was a college student somewhere -- perhaps a graduate student. But, when the elevator door opened a few minutes later she quickly disappeared into the large throng of student reporters milling around and crowding into the small, humid room. Oh well, such is life.<br />
<br />
Now, anyone who has listened to the Jean Shepherd radio show on WOR has heard Shep mention his producer, "Lee" Brown. In fact, during many programs, Shep would literally talk to the off-microphone Lee who was obviously in some sound-proof control room nearby. Since Jean's style was so often rhetorical, and almost conversational, it probably helped to have someone in the control room who could at least give the semblance of an audience.<br />
<br />
Well, up until that memorable day in April, I assumed that "Lee" was some paunchy, middle-aged guy with a cigarette butt handing out of his mouth, thick glasses and perpetually wearing a set of old-fashioned radio headphones. I mean, what else could you expect. What kind of person would spend five nights a week working in a cramped control room listening to Shepherd's rants and raves. It had to be some guy!<br />
<br />
As fate would have it, during the next hour of the press conference, which by the way was quite entertaining, Shep took occasion to explain, in detail, the production staff of his new TV series on PBS called, <i>Jean Shepherd's America</i>. And, one of the Associate Producers for that show was Lee Brown. Except -- it wasn't <u>Lee</u> Brown, it was <b>Leigh Brown</b>. A woman. A woman?<br />
<br />
And then, before my very eyes, he brought Leigh up on the stage to introduce to the crowd.<br />
<br />
My God, it was my auburn-haired mystery woman from the elevator. Holy Smokes! I had ridden up the elevator with Jean Shepherd's Associate Producer. And she had TALKED to me...to ME. I'd been blessed!<br />
<br />
Now, if you have made it this far on this page you are probably figuring -- this guy is totally wacky. Like, who cares! Big deal! Well, what I didn't know then, and only learned later, was that Leigh and Jean -- were "an item." That's right. They were more than just "professional colleagues." And in fact, in 1978, according to my spies, Jean married this old flame (his third, at least her second).<br />
<br />
Sadly, I learned today that Jean had out survived Leigh. According to Jean's obituary, Leigh died last year after 21 years of marriage. I guess they are now just hanging out together in Heaven, talking about that goofy kid who called himself Barker Bill.<br />
<br />
BTW, I suspect that Shep would be a bit amused at the outpouring of affection. He could at times be a bit vain, but I think he was also a realist and would encourage us all to get on with it and not to dwell on his passing. I understand a memorial service is being planned in NYC. Maybe then we can find out more about his final wishes.<br />
<br />
Jean Parker Shepherd lived a long, full life and seemed to have fun doing it. He will be immortalized in his writings and his other crafts and I will always remember him.<br />
<h4>
Additional Comments: March 4, 2001</h4>
Shep was a self-described, personal friend and colleague of Jack Kerouac, the rather infamous author of the book, <i>On the Road. </i>Ironically, there was a story in this past Sunday's <i>Maine Sunday Telegram </i>about Kerouac, a native of Lowell, MA. The article begins with a reminder that Kerouac died 30 years ago this month. I remember that night. Shep devoted the whole 45 minutes of his show talking about Kerouac and claimed that one of the characters in the book, <i>On the Road</i>, was based upon him. And, as I remember it, the character was called the "angel-headed hippy." Perhaps some one knows more about this, but it sure seems fitting.<br />
<h4>
Additional Comments: January 2004</h4>
As a Christmas present to myself this year I purchased a copy of the 20th Anniversary DVD of <i>The Christmas Story.</i> Shep devotees should drop everything and run out and get this DVD today because it has some real treats. In addition to lots of memorabilia regarding the film, the filming process and many of the players involved (including Shep), there is a section with some original recordings of some of his radio shows.<br />
<br />
One should make sure they listen to the Director's Commentary version of the playback. There are some interesting highlights and insights which I never knew. The biggest surprise for me - and I think this is fitting given the discussion above - was that in addition to Shep playing a cameo (you all know the scene), the woman standing with him is in fact his real-life wife and co-producer, Leigh Brown.<br />
So gang, hang by your thumbs, write if you get work. And remember,<br />
<h3 align="center">
Flick Lives!</h3>
<br />
<i>jeb</i><br />
<i>Original: circa October, 1999<br />revised: January 5, 2004</i><br />
<i>revised and re-posted: June 2, 2014</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" id="a" name="a"></a><br />
<h3>
Notes:</h3>
<div>
At some time in the mid-1990s a fellow Shep devotee offered to convert the ancient cassette recording from this Overseas Press Club event into digital format on the condition that he be able to post it on his website. I readily agreed, the posting made and the tape returned. I thought that devotee was <a href="http://www.flicklives.com/">Jim Clavin of the FlickLives website</a>, but I cannot seem to find the recording on his site (although he has others listed as Overseas Press Club, the year is wrong).<br />
<br />
I also checked web <a href="http://www.keyflux.com/shep/">sites by Jim Sadur</a> and <a href="http://bobkaye.com/Shep.html">Bob Kaye</a>, but alas, no recording. If you know what happened to it, please contact me. Otherwise, I will see about finding the original and re-converting it. That is, if it has not already decomposed.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-43348709737877658292014-05-22T14:28:00.003-04:002015-02-24T13:50:31.936-05:00Everything old is new again<h2>
Innovations in shopping?<o:p></o:p></h2>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r_TohSHDNOW51Bu_eCtvR5hjmZZL0g5vkRuVvN_ilVnttqdLtIOury_mD1PH7nWbbidqp339BvnOQME3xzi5rOJcv6te9GAmLPC54g9okuxTRmn1FXaXfn1Q6YIYemjJ8xaR/s1600/bohack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7r_TohSHDNOW51Bu_eCtvR5hjmZZL0g5vkRuVvN_ilVnttqdLtIOury_mD1PH7nWbbidqp339BvnOQME3xzi5rOJcv6te9GAmLPC54g9okuxTRmn1FXaXfn1Q6YIYemjJ8xaR/s1600/bohack.jpg" height="281" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my father’s favorite jokes was about the telephone
company. “Someday, the telephone will get so advanced that all when you pick up
the receiver, someone at the other end will say, ‘number please.’”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week at a technology meeting in Portland, the invited
speaker told about a supermarket chain in southern New England where you can
use special hand-held devices while shopping that scans your items as you put
it in your cart and when you get to the checkout you hand over the device and
the sale is already totaled up for you. This “shoppers’ convenience” was
imperfect, according to the speaker, who envisioned that a better device would
know where you were physically in the store and be able to offer you more
services as you shopped. I thought, well that will probably be available in the
next version.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today, I <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/technology/personaltech/online-grocery-start-up-takes-page-from-sharing-services.html?_r=0">read a NewYork Times article about Instacart</a>,
a two-year-old grocery delivery start-up that is now available in some larger
US cities. The article explains, “When you <a href="https://www.instacart.com/">buy groceries from Instacart,</a> the company
summons a green-shirted ‘personal shopper’ through the firm’s smartphone app.
The shopper receives your list, scurries through a grocery store to pick up
your items and then heads across town in his own car to deliver your stuff.”
New idea?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Both these stories, and my father’s old joke had me
reflecting on my childhood in Brooklyn, NY and made me think that we were now
seeing was a re-invention of an old idea. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Myrtle Avenue, the business nexus of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Greene,_Brooklyn">Clinton Hill/FortGreen</a> neighborhood where I spent my youth was a panoply of small businesses
that provided for the wants and needs of the tens of thousands of local citizens.
In those days, the large, one-stop-shop megastores and shopping malls were still
futuristic, albeit we did have a couple of smaller, locally-owned supermarkets
(Bohacks, A&P, and Key Food), but these carried a very limited line of
products and were tiny as compared to my 50,000 sq. ft. local Hannaford in
Augusta, Maine. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Competing in the next block of Myrtle Avenue were butcher
shops, bakeries, greengrocers (stores that sold fresh produce), drug stores, fish
markets, and hardware stores. In those days we had local clothing stores, shoe
stores, and even a store that sold notions – whatever they are. There were also
a host of smaller grocery stores and delicatessens that even had prepared
foods. Add to that several smaller restaurants and pizzerias. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And all these stores “picked out” your item and offered free
local delivery.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Add to this list, the local Laundromat, several dry
cleaners, liquor stores, and even a florist. They all delivered and many of
them offered free credit to local customers. This was a time before revolving
credit cards. I think my father got his first Uni-Card (later to become VISA) in
the mid-1960s. Many neighbors would purchase their daily groceries, have them
delivered and pay off their bill at the end of the month. In many cases, we
would pay the delivery guy with cash and he would even make change (“Make sure
you tell that when you call in the order to bring change for a ten!”).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yes, I think we have gone in a full circle. Number please!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
---------</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Photo credit: F<a href="http://www.worldsfaircommunity.org/topic/4763-new-yorks-pastim-feeling-nostalgic-today/page-10">ound on line at New Yorks Past</a></div>
</div>
john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-1869839989644282512014-02-08T12:02:00.001-05:002015-02-24T13:50:59.847-05:00It Was Fifty Years Ago Today<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oNezyy04_Y5e1bbGzVwQuumhIVvSTN_AQywUaDaumL09AenowwKcG6eke0mkVi46ArHETSjT3Wt6FNE-t4bKRcfgsGFLTOrNFT8z9lDEC-W5Wh3ve2sLOooJjL6cPYfKnE0t/s1600/600px-The_Fabs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The Fab Four from this time period" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oNezyy04_Y5e1bbGzVwQuumhIVvSTN_AQywUaDaumL09AenowwKcG6eke0mkVi46ArHETSjT3Wt6FNE-t4bKRcfgsGFLTOrNFT8z9lDEC-W5Wh3ve2sLOooJjL6cPYfKnE0t/s1600/600px-The_Fabs.JPG" height="320" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Beatles from 1964 - credit below</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Just like this year, my birthday was on a cold Saturday in February. I turned eleven, and remember nothing of that day, and little about that time.<br />
<br />
I would have been in the sixth grade and probably relieved to have finally gotten to age 11, the age you are supposed to be when entering the sixth grade, not half way through the school year. I was always the youngest in my class, but my height - and girth - more than made up for the lacking in chronological age.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But there is one event that makes that day, that weekend, unforgettable. It had to do with the arrival in the USA of, <a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/archives/thebeatles-invade-02-08-1964.pdf">as the New York Times put it,</a> “…four rock n’ roll performers hailed by teen-agers…” </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Their single, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” was number one on the best-seller record list and their first album, “Meet the Beatles” was number three. The news was all over the local radio and TV. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knew about this, soon to be called, “British invasion.” And all anyone was talking about was The Beatles being on <i>The Ed Sullivan Show</i> on Sunday night. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
My old man, the often-stoic FBI agent was also talking about The Beatles and made it clear he was an enthusiastic fan. Humming their music and allowing us to play our Beatle records over and over again on my sister’s new record player, it was a strange mixture of the generations. I remember thinking it odd at the time, but his fondness for the “four lads from Liverpool” lasted until his last day.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
“Young” people today who were not alive then, or too young to have witnessed the phenomena first hand, simply can’t relate to this event. It was simply monumental.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I don’t remember if I had an official birthday party that year; perhaps we celebrated with my Nana and Uncle Ubie on Sunday – our official day to visit my grandmother in Sunnyside Queens who lived with my mother’s older brother Hubert. But I clearly remember the evening of February 9, 1964 and gathering around the black and white TV to watch the spectacle.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-night-that-changed-america/">And I will be watching CBS tomorrow night as we all relive the memory</a>. <i>Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!</i></div>
<div>
<br />
<i>NOTE: Revised 2/9/14 when I realized I was 11 in 1964, not 10. Arithmetic was never my strong suite.</i><br />
----------- </div>
<div>
Photo Credit: Image licensed through Creative Commons. This image is available from the United States <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress" title="Library of Congress">Library of Congress</a>'s Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID <a class="external text" href="http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c11094" rel="nofollow">cph.3c11094</a>.</div>
john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-1704871650616273372013-12-14T11:41:00.001-05:002014-03-18T10:57:54.258-04:00Christmas Blog 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-djjX-S-tLaKVIQPC09HgH6AenmCJ2ybXbSDoSghIuBT1x308y6rn6bto8EW8tW8ed_Ni0AukICuFkppc5eTXqaG94cBQZGgvSUviFbAcP6_e8lMAoK-smEYSN9vEB9VtPoR/s1600/christmasA2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas tree" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-djjX-S-tLaKVIQPC09HgH6AenmCJ2ybXbSDoSghIuBT1x308y6rn6bto8EW8tW8ed_Ni0AukICuFkppc5eTXqaG94cBQZGgvSUviFbAcP6_e8lMAoK-smEYSN9vEB9VtPoR/s1600/christmasA2.gif" title="" /></a></div>
I am preparing to spend my 60th Christmas on this planet and hoping that you and yours are happy, healthy and content. I celebrated the BIG 60 by making an appointment with a local audiologist to have my hearing checked. Let’s just say that all that “aural abuse” from my past is starting to catch up with me. Not ready for hearing aids quite yet, but you’ll understand if I ask you to repeat yourself. Huh?<br />
<br />
2013 was a year of ups and downs. I was one of the few who managed to successfully navigate healthcare.gov. It helped to be in the web design business as I knew a few tricks that allowed me to get through the site relatively unscathed. Oh, and my health insurance costs should be half of what I am paying now. Thank you, President Obama and the American taxpayers!<br />
<br />
The other good news was a certain baseball team in Boston managed to go from last place last year to winning the World Series this year. They were no doubt aided in this by my continuous wearing of my Red Sox cap. Sorry, Mets fans.<br />
<br />
But we had two significant losses this year. In August, we learned Uncle Dick Astles had made his final voyage and was now sailing with the angels. At a wonderful memorial a few weeks later I was able to re-connect with family as we had a grand time toasting the Good Captain. Making Uncle Dick laugh was one of my favorite activities. He will be missed.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago we lost Kathy Cogger who died from complications following an automobile accident. Kathy was the principal of the Jackson Elementary School in NH when I first met her in 1979. She, our close friend Bob Kautz, and I became a threesome on numerous adventures to Maritime Canada, including a memorable jaunt to Newfoundland. Kathy was also part of our regular golf threesome, known famously for hitting the ball short and straight while Bob and I spent our time searching for errant shots in the woods. Her funeral Mass in North Conway was filled with many a familiar face, all be they a bit more wrinkled now.<br />
<br />
These sad events were balanced by glorious news that my first cousin, once-removed, Will and his lovely wife, Christine are expecting twins in February. God has an interesting way of providing symmetry. <br />
<br />
I close by wishing you a Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and healthy New Year. May you and yours be filled with the Spirit of the Season!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Ho Ho</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
~j</div>
john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-48506945764333926722013-12-14T11:38:00.000-05:002014-03-18T10:58:10.259-04:00Sorry I've not posted...I hate reading that statement in blogs. I'm inclined to respond with something snarky like, "You were not missed..."<br />
<br />
[Lame excuse] Google wouldn't let me in with the old username (e-mail address) and password. Really. Seems they switched over to all Gmail/Google Accounts. This Blogger blog existed before Gmail.[/Lame Excuse]<br />
<br />
If you can think of a better, or worse comeback than "You were not missed..." feel free to add to the comments. I sure it will be deserved.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzzFlv68bkPAk_ggEgpUm9sWStBbu88PUkR2NW5MXEbBl7QrPVnAjCUGMxIxwDWvm5GhDkP09tB1H3_kV8F1Fx5zFlPAPyUpW_ByiOUgi9LoPc6iNwSvdiB0Lhc8vpmc6hqiT/s1600/question_mark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Question marks" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHzzFlv68bkPAk_ggEgpUm9sWStBbu88PUkR2NW5MXEbBl7QrPVnAjCUGMxIxwDWvm5GhDkP09tB1H3_kV8F1Fx5zFlPAPyUpW_ByiOUgi9LoPc6iNwSvdiB0Lhc8vpmc6hqiT/s1600/question_mark.jpg" title="" /></a></div>
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-10923479729970188642013-05-22T13:32:00.002-04:002014-03-18T10:58:56.801-04:00Google Glasses?Over the years <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/star-trek-gear-standard-stuff-article-1.1344831">numerous articles have been written showing how technologies envisioned by the sci-fi writers of the various Star Trek movies and TV shows have become everyday parts of our daily lives</a>. The flip-cellphone that was once the "Communicator," the tablet computer that was show as various pieces of colorful plastic and of course most recently our own "speaking computer," Siri. There has been a lot of buzz about Google's latest invention, <a href="http://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/">officially called Google Glass</a>, that is basically a special set of eyeglasses that can communicate to the internet.<br />
<br />
So was this one already invented on Star Trek?<br />
<br />
I'll let you be the judge:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOKaXFYRKFMcCTpjfqgoD5fEpbZMW36cAitaVfjkPS0XSKN6ipujy4BVXh9xiV_Cp6AYcZk0IDiZMc7TFDKe5zUAJ7zkNZ8YEklIi7qA9i1e2tOK7gth6BvybT1bnjyckGx9F/s1600/crusher_jpg_627x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Wesley Crusher" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOKaXFYRKFMcCTpjfqgoD5fEpbZMW36cAitaVfjkPS0XSKN6ipujy4BVXh9xiV_Cp6AYcZk0IDiZMc7TFDKe5zUAJ7zkNZ8YEklIi7qA9i1e2tOK7gth6BvybT1bnjyckGx9F/s320/crusher_jpg_627x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg" height="165" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLmYdtuEwqAbRCIsEcA71G98JnAq-lj0gOsMvm-xxSN87P2F2XUS6ERvNRFWpONJVItJMMaQhZsXt2a_0U0POPHthIbXA9tpxK8p-llADFwL9UGA31mFUHAosr8LjKykFqgnU/s1600/k-bigpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Other star trek characters" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLmYdtuEwqAbRCIsEcA71G98JnAq-lj0gOsMvm-xxSN87P2F2XUS6ERvNRFWpONJVItJMMaQhZsXt2a_0U0POPHthIbXA9tpxK8p-llADFwL9UGA31mFUHAosr8LjKykFqgnU/s320/k-bigpic.jpg" height="180" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Or was it really invented by Steve Martin in "The Jerk"?
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxihxLLAPgcwIMHjBcdTTcOvNxFQi0xzXYTc6Inm0fPbZ1yx4GgtkEb2ZbVvKlAWgHWmRL45AqDa-yA4DJ3bez-UFpplFp8CDu44pUFzYIPn4VlQNlpOd3ymyRuALPeTQoebxE/s1600/the_jerk-steve_martin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Steve Martin in The Jerk" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxihxLLAPgcwIMHjBcdTTcOvNxFQi0xzXYTc6Inm0fPbZ1yx4GgtkEb2ZbVvKlAWgHWmRL45AqDa-yA4DJ3bez-UFpplFp8CDu44pUFzYIPn4VlQNlpOd3ymyRuALPeTQoebxE/s320/the_jerk-steve_martin.jpg" height="216" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-50730753229809939022013-05-10T15:32:00.001-04:002015-02-24T13:51:46.463-05:00The News from Lake Woebegone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYu-aq_YlibQu-Oqzaphsz8cW2Y2rIsDh7692Lm_EMdB_e48Q-t46LWVhCnnDQuxe2bTieVLWgIwturwuNeBqzgZ8411grbOpt9mck8nQNs2L50tsdIw-l2zlWV9McgN4YnLa/s1600/welcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Welcome to Maine road sign" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYu-aq_YlibQu-Oqzaphsz8cW2Y2rIsDh7692Lm_EMdB_e48Q-t46LWVhCnnDQuxe2bTieVLWgIwturwuNeBqzgZ8411grbOpt9mck8nQNs2L50tsdIw-l2zlWV9McgN4YnLa/s320/welcome.jpg" height="320" title="Welcome to Maine road sign" width="171" /></a></div>
I think most Mainers are fairly familiar with Garrison Keeler’s mythical hometown from his weekly <a href="http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/">Prairie Home Companion radio show on Maine Public Radio</a>. In the closing of each Lake Woebegone story he notes that it is the place where the “...women are strong, the men are good looking and the children are above average.” <br />
<br />
Many Maine folks, like many rural folks around our country, think that Lake Woebegone could be their town, instantly recognizing people from their own communities who resemble the qualities of the cast of strange characters who inhabiting the small Minnesota town. It is a comforting feeling because the Lake Woebegone folks, despite their eccentricities, always seem to finally find a way to get along. <br />
<br />
This pastoral image of Maine was rocked recently when the Governor of the State, Paul LePage and his Commissioner of Education, Steven Bowen published a State Report Card showing that indeed the children in many of Maine’s communities are...well, NOT “above average.” <br />
<br />
Much has been written about the <a href="http://www.maine.gov/doe/schoolreportcards/">Maine School Performance Grading System</a> in the press and elsewhere in recent days. Most of the comments I've read are pretty damming and many people have been rallying to support the teachers and schools in their communities particularly those in the communities that were, well let’s just say more below average than they would like. <br />
<br />
Many years ago I used to reach <i>Educational Tests and Measurements</i> to pre-service teachers in several colleges in Maine and Pennsylvania. I also taught <i>Educational Psychology</i> in those same institutions and in all those courses we examined the problem with normative assessments and, in particular, the use of <i>grades</i> based upon comparisons between or within groups. All of my hundreds of future teachers knew by the end of the semester of the fallacy of that old fashioned grading methodology. Indeed, I suspect just about everyone who has studied to become a teacher in the last 50 years has learned the same lesson which is: attempting to reduce human behavior to a simple five letter grading scale is just... well, plain stupid. <br />
<br />
Clearly the governor and his commissioner of education never took my course.<br />
<br />
The alternative to a normative, letter-grading system calls for the use of criterion-based assessment and the educational derivative of this is most commonly referred to as Standards-Based or Outcomes-Based Education. The movement to this methodology began in earnest in the US in the early 90s and Maine was one of the national leaders establishing a universal set of standards called <i>The Maine Learning Results.</i> In this method individuals are measures against a set of criterion. Basically you either meet or exceed the criterion or don’t meet the criterion. And if you don’t meet the criterion, you keep working at it until you do. Outcomes-based methods are designed to focus on continually teaching to master the criterion and not dwelling on comparing individuals with other individuals. <br />
<br />
But we Americans, with our penchant for competitiveness don’t like to just PASS something, we NEED to be BETTER than everyone else; we NEED to BEAT the opposition. We NEED to all be “above average.” We NEED to be from Lake Woebegone. <br />
<br />
But alas, we are only from Maine where, just like everyone else, about half of us are above average and half of us are not. <br />
<br />
“And that’s the news from Lake Woebegone….”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Lake_Wobegon_effect">Read about the Lake Woebegone Effect...</a><br />
<br />
_______<br />
Photo credit: Image licensed through <a href="http://www%20creativecommons.org/">Creative Commons</a> by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wfryer/">Web Fryer.</a><br />
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-68445886490412971802013-04-18T13:26:00.000-04:002013-04-18T13:28:12.519-04:00What Patriot's Day is really all aboutWe learned this poem when I was in elementary school. Not sure if we memorized the whole thing, but I remember significant chunks these 50 plus years later, so perhaps we did.<br />
<br />
I just finished watching the proceeding at the Prayer Service in Boston this morning and moved by the sentiment. Please take a few moments and give this a read. Written April 19, 1860 by Portland Maine native <b>Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)</b>; first published in 1863 as part of "Tales of a Wayside Inn."<br />
<h4>
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere</h4>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7p66QRrhzoi7CNagBXIKeT_3C4l_ri9tNgaqJwzgiawxi9XHU74j2YmwQJMR3Y0QzGxRp-bw7YNmHrd45tGvXE0ML1v7zs3YT_rV14pL70Lx0IS7i6b-7lMMprVMhkedsRtf/s1600/6224221870_8deffcc562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Paul Revere statue Boston" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG7p66QRrhzoi7CNagBXIKeT_3C4l_ri9tNgaqJwzgiawxi9XHU74j2YmwQJMR3Y0QzGxRp-bw7YNmHrd45tGvXE0ML1v7zs3YT_rV14pL70Lx0IS7i6b-7lMMprVMhkedsRtf/s320/6224221870_8deffcc562.jpg" title="Paul Revere statue Boston" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Revere statue and Old North Church, Boston.<br />
Image licensed through Creative Commons<br />
by madprime.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Listen my children and you shall hear<br />
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,<br />
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;<br />
Hardly a man is now alive<br />
Who remembers that famous day and year.<br />
<br />
He said to his friend, "If the British march<br />
By land or sea from the town to-night,<br />
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch<br />
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--<br />
One if by land, and two if by sea;<br />
And I on the opposite shore will be,<br />
Ready to ride and spread the alarm<br />
Through every Middlesex village and farm,<br />
For the country folk to be up and to arm."<br />
<br />
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar<br />
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,<br />
Just as the moon rose over the bay,<br />
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay<br />
The Somerset, British man-of-war;<br />
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar<br />
Across the moon like a prison bar,<br />
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified<br />
By its own reflection in the tide.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street<br />
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,<br />
Till in the silence around him he hears<br />
The muster of men at the barrack door,<br />
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,<br />
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,<br />
Marching down to their boats on the shore.<br />
<br />
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,<br />
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,<br />
To the belfry chamber overhead,<br />
And startled the pigeons from their perch<br />
On the sombre rafters, that round him made<br />
Masses and moving shapes of shade,--<br />
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,<br />
To the highest window in the wall,<br />
Where he paused to listen and look down<br />
A moment on the roofs of the town<br />
And the moonlight flowing over all.<br />
<br />
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,<br />
In their night encampment on the hill,<br />
Wrapped in silence so deep and still<br />
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,<br />
The watchful night-wind, as it went<br />
Creeping along from tent to tent,<br />
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"<br />
A moment only he feels the spell<br />
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread<br />
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;<br />
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent<br />
On a shadowy something far away,<br />
Where the river widens to meet the bay,--<br />
A line of black that bends and floats<br />
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,<br />
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride<br />
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.<br />
Now he patted his horse's side,<br />
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,<br />
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,<br />
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;<br />
But mostly he watched with eager search<br />
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,<br />
As it rose above the graves on the hill,<br />
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.<br />
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height<br />
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!<br />
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,<br />
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight<br />
A second lamp in the belfry burns.<br />
<br />
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,<br />
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,<br />
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark<br />
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;<br />
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,<br />
The fate of a nation was riding that night;<br />
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,<br />
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.<br />
He has left the village and mounted the steep,<br />
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,<br />
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;<br />
And under the alders that skirt its edge,<br />
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,<br />
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.<br />
<br />
It was twelve by the village clock<br />
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.<br />
He heard the crowing of the cock,<br />
And the barking of the farmer's dog,<br />
And felt the damp of the river fog,<br />
That rises after the sun goes down.<br />
<br />
It was one by the village clock,<br />
When he galloped into Lexington.<br />
He saw the gilded weathercock<br />
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,<br />
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,<br />
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,<br />
As if they already stood aghast<br />
At the bloody work they would look upon.<br />
<br />
It was two by the village clock,<br />
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.<br />
He heard the bleating of the flock,<br />
And the twitter of birds among the trees,<br />
And felt the breath of the morning breeze<br />
Blowing over the meadow brown.<br />
And one was safe and asleep in his bed<br />
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,<br />
Who that day would be lying dead,<br />
Pierced by a British musket ball.<br />
<br />
You know the rest. In the books you have read<br />
How the British Regulars fired and fled,---<br />
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,<br />
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,<br />
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,<br />
Then crossing the fields to emerge again<br />
Under the trees at the turn of the road,<br />
And only pausing to fire and load.<br />
<br />
So through the night rode Paul Revere;<br />
And so through the night went his cry of alarm<br />
To every Middlesex village and farm,---<br />
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,<br />
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,<br />
And a word that shall echo for evermore!<br />
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,<br />
Through all our history, to the last,<br />
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,<br />
The people will waken and listen to hear<br />
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,<br />
And the midnight message of Paul Revere. <br />
----------<br />
Retrieved from <a href="http://eserver.org/">eserver.org</a><br />
Image licensed through Creative Commons<br />
by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/madprime/6224221870/sizes/m/">madprime.</a><br />
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-65018253720076860092013-03-15T13:48:00.003-04:002014-03-18T10:59:35.326-04:00K2ORSI never got Jean Shepherd's QSL card, although I asked for one...I got this instead which is probably better...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AyyE4J8zgu2j0cCfA_DsR5_bxSomTJhuIZKUaLZkJr33yl4RMi-kEoAMFjoRlURxMujLncspsK0Y1fMEetnGY9_k_USGrgzRZZk8aARoj9BimmlwCcUC0flptChZ5u4MQdBs/s1600/shep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Autograph from Shep" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AyyE4J8zgu2j0cCfA_DsR5_bxSomTJhuIZKUaLZkJr33yl4RMi-kEoAMFjoRlURxMujLncspsK0Y1fMEetnGY9_k_USGrgzRZZk8aARoj9BimmlwCcUC0flptChZ5u4MQdBs/s320/shep.jpg" height="320" title="" width="237" /></a></div>
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-39464752492592989972013-03-15T13:31:00.002-04:002015-02-24T13:52:31.938-05:00'I Became a Catholic and Found Happiness'<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">This text was written by my father, Arnold Brandt in 1959 at the time he converted to Catholicism and just before he received the sacrament of Confirmation at the Church of St. Joseph on Pacific St.. It was published in <i>The Tablet,</i> the Catholic faith newspaper of Brooklyn. This article was transcribed from a yellowing proof version that I found among his possessions after his death in 1996. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">In one of his last acts as pope, Benedict XVI designated the Pacific
Street church as co-cathedral of the Brooklyn Diocese – sharing
responsibilities with the smaller St. James Cathedral Basilica in
Downtown Brooklyn. The churches will house the chair of the bishop, and
split duties hosting major diocesan events. <a href="http://fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com/2013/03/14/a-new-role-for-local-church/" target="_blank">Read more about this church in the NY Times...</a> </span><br />
<br />
ONE OF SUNDAY'S CONVERTS<br />
<br />
Arnold E. Brandt<br />
<br />
This coming Sunday, May 25 (1959), I will be one of the converts to be confirmed at St. Joseph's Church, Brooklyn. Last Saturday I received my first Holy Communion when my six-year-old daughter (Sigrid) received hers. Anyone who has received these Sacraments knows what a happy week this has been for my family and myself.<br />
<br />
Both my parents were born in Sweden, but they were brought to this Country when they are quite young. Living in a small Connecticut city (Hartford), they first met when they joined with other young people of Scandinavian background in a program of building a new church. The church, of course, was Lutheran, because the Swedes have been Lutherans for many centuries.<br />
<br />
My father (Eric Brandt) at one time had though of entering the Lutheran ministry. In preparation for entering a seminary, he finished two years of college. But then he decided not to go on for the ministry.<br />
<br />
Worked for Government<br />
<br />
The home in which I grew up with my brothers and sisters was a religious one, which mirrored the deep faith and devotion of both my parents. Sundays in my family mean attendance at church service. And among my earliest recollections are the small cookies, tasting vaguely perfume, which my thoughtful mother would slip from her purse, to quiet a small boy who sometimes squirmed in the pew when is concentration on the services began to waver.<br />
<br />
My mother died the day after I graduated from high school (Hartford Public HS). With her death and my preoccupation with finding a career, I gradually drifted from any steady religious practice.<br />
<br />
After moving from job to job, finally I was accepted for a government post in Washington, D.C. Anxious to improve myself, I applied for admission to Georgetown University while working in the capital. Previously my attempts to enter other schools had been frustrated by lack of money. The Jesuit Fathers at Georgetown raised no such barrier.<br />
<br />
This new effort to continue my education was applauded in many quarters and, in particular, by one of my fellow workers (name?) who himself resigned to take "a better job." He entered the seminary and is now a priest.<br />
<br />
War interrupted the cycle of work and education for me. After the war, however, I was back in the same pattern. As I continued At Georgetown, I learned a great deal about Catholicism.<br />
<br />
Upon graduation, I received a very fine promotion on my job, which brought me from Washington to New York. My first date in New York was with a beautiful girl (Marcella) who worked in the same office. This wonderful girl was a graduate of a Catholic college. We continued to date. We often discussed religion. And I talked and talked over again about the Catholic Church.<br />
<br />
Well, we were married by the priest (Rev. Philip Shannon). We have been blessed with three wonderful children.<br />
<br />
Early in our married life we attended Mass together. But with the arrival of babies it seemed a pleasant arrangement for me to stay home and take care of the family while my wife went to church.<br />
<br />
Our oldest girl entered a Catholic school. I was impressed with the training she is receiving. I knew that soon she would be receiving her first Holy Communion. I decided that I must receive mine along with her.<br />
<br />
Accordingly, I made the special effort required to get to early Mass on Sundays, so that I still would be able to take care of the little ones when my wife would go later. I learned to follow the beautiful action of the Mass by use of a missal which my wife had given me. I read the Latin. A language which I first had been able to decipher almost forty years earlier when I stumbled across a Latin grammar among my father's old books.<br />
<br />
Thought I already knew quite a bit about the Catholic religion, I realized that I still needed some systematic instruction. And so, I attended one of the instruction centers of the Diocesan Apostolate. Happily I became a Catholic in time to make my First Communion the same day my little girl received hers.<br />
<br />
I have many friends who have been Catholics all their lives. I had to find my way in the Church for myself. With my heartfelt thanks to those many friends, who prayed for me, I now can tell them that at last I have found way into the Catholic Church. I have been helped to this complete conversion by the grace of God, the good example of my wife and the blessing of my children.<br />
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-7571931524421458912012-12-08T14:09:00.003-05:002012-12-08T14:10:23.457-05:00Christmas Blog 2012<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2OsecLczZ-fMZrr_4vAvQkk35Xc547D9_cSw-eNmVemrFkFvP2ZMLnCi-EIjVrPV_j5oMYlvys3tLOVj6Im7dsvp2dyRxMrZxs3IBUDK8ixJLdP_YuFGY1XZr1DRPKTC5T-f/s1600/90_03_62---Christmas-Decorations_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas ornament" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2OsecLczZ-fMZrr_4vAvQkk35Xc547D9_cSw-eNmVemrFkFvP2ZMLnCi-EIjVrPV_j5oMYlvys3tLOVj6Im7dsvp2dyRxMrZxs3IBUDK8ixJLdP_YuFGY1XZr1DRPKTC5T-f/s320/90_03_62---Christmas-Decorations_web.jpg" title="Christmas ornament" width="212" /></a></div>
I am hoping that you are safe and warm, snuggled by some source of heat. We know there are many who because of a gal named Sandy are not able to be in their own homes this year.<br />
<br />
My stepmom Alice was fond of reflecting about the time (or times) when “the ocean met the bay;” a story of some long forgotten storm(s) that many years ago had drowned Breezy Point. Few current Rockaway Peninsula residents ever thought that kind of event would happen again, but indeed it has.<br />
<br />
Sadly, brothers Kevin and Dickey and their wives experienced significant damage to their Breezy Point homes and will not be spending Christmas at the beach this year. The clean-up and re-building plans are moving forward, but it remains a stressful and challenging experience for all. Living 400 miles away, where Sandy was nothing but a breezy rain storm, I feel like I should be doing more but am too far to help.<br />
<br />
This was again a year for some family becoming grandparents as more of the younger relatives acquired new additions to their families. Facebook continues to become the way we learn of these events – sometimes almost instantaneously – and always accompanied by photographs and sometimes videos. As much as I dislike Facebook, it is an amazing way for friends and families to stay connected. In the past year I have learned more about folks whom I have known for 50 years than I had in the previous 49.<br />
<br />
I continue my design and consulting business - jebswebs.com - and have been paying attention to costs and political debates. Again, it’s been an okay business year that “could have been better.” Need a web presence? – give me a shout jeb@jebswebs.com<br />
<br />
Let us be thankful that the presidential election season is finally over, albeit temporarily, and that we can now once again enjoy the endless ads for unnecessary medical procedures and medications broadcast during the evening news.<br />
<br />
I close by wishing you a Merry Christmases and a safe, happy and healthy New Year. May you and yours be filled with the Spirit of the Season!
john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-17812118512639614672012-11-04T11:59:00.001-05:002014-03-18T11:04:30.552-04:00Photos for Elaine and CarmenI'll leave these up for a week or so. These are photos of Elaine the birthday girl from September.<br />
<br />
Click on the image for a larger "blowup" version of the photo. To retrieve on the iPad, simply hold your finger on the image to the "Save Image" icon/popup appears.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MSlq2EQvRUqoOFtQG7qbji0wiEXIYkoBJ7USWwU1GzLyqsPtnLFSZCekFxAL5qbNxrrwEXad0N0u991i4VZ7hEs8DsEh10XqlvFhyphenhyphenwzkBHaKdyOUIr1G89v5gglRK_UjY1eb/s1600/100_4979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bob and Grant" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MSlq2EQvRUqoOFtQG7qbji0wiEXIYkoBJ7USWwU1GzLyqsPtnLFSZCekFxAL5qbNxrrwEXad0N0u991i4VZ7hEs8DsEh10XqlvFhyphenhyphenwzkBHaKdyOUIr1G89v5gglRK_UjY1eb/s320/100_4979.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU1IW0bn_XKbdYXg7A-H-G_QJVNcwkL0dLj3veKbwgJ4EfvoglHqWpSHbsThUYG8Efd1UAb-ClqGzrOkz9RlFV3SfnnLeOKFlbU-phyphenhyphencUSoKB7MhkWgKb4ADGVQiQoCHQZExp/s1600/100_4980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bob K" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPU1IW0bn_XKbdYXg7A-H-G_QJVNcwkL0dLj3veKbwgJ4EfvoglHqWpSHbsThUYG8Efd1UAb-ClqGzrOkz9RlFV3SfnnLeOKFlbU-phyphenhyphencUSoKB7MhkWgKb4ADGVQiQoCHQZExp/s320/100_4980.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3epgE1T2fTEEf8oHptm74JZG8kH1dxch0j8l81eRqi-IXzZh1F4MqpAdnUw_s_9p1Y-JOQxYfyPToT_18YCVlgvNMX6lFRxah44L3uuzShgw2MJ4fIJ6v965rT_f7LuiAzzgF/s1600/100_4981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Grant" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3epgE1T2fTEEf8oHptm74JZG8kH1dxch0j8l81eRqi-IXzZh1F4MqpAdnUw_s_9p1Y-JOQxYfyPToT_18YCVlgvNMX6lFRxah44L3uuzShgw2MJ4fIJ6v965rT_f7LuiAzzgF/s320/100_4981.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0TP4xHFx8dv3fZckPWUJ-9YBEg94WfteNzqPYnva-nthfoyP0JWtP6oGGrZn-2sTHVW0S8ouOjL1dKXzWcJLSzG3isnlVIGUflBK18mSJB5r3IOB9N5NFdBkkLd2Hpp73G2z/s1600/100_4982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pat, Kathy, Barbara" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu0TP4xHFx8dv3fZckPWUJ-9YBEg94WfteNzqPYnva-nthfoyP0JWtP6oGGrZn-2sTHVW0S8ouOjL1dKXzWcJLSzG3isnlVIGUflBK18mSJB5r3IOB9N5NFdBkkLd2Hpp73G2z/s320/100_4982.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw_aFN9mjCQo_iUQdN44SgaqTNRFQTW5MRb8fzWTbQh9gbRagEChWZiCEhuURhZTjgDXz7zN0q9ZUlgLw2Ps4VN6ImALCHncGHneMnJHdY_Ne2tc6BZAKak0NOdnM8l-fEnQI/s1600/100_4983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="other guests" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw_aFN9mjCQo_iUQdN44SgaqTNRFQTW5MRb8fzWTbQh9gbRagEChWZiCEhuURhZTjgDXz7zN0q9ZUlgLw2Ps4VN6ImALCHncGHneMnJHdY_Ne2tc6BZAKak0NOdnM8l-fEnQI/s320/100_4983.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXRZA7t6Q71Mzk-X762Yyw5s6GvgbX1d_KJRtbxH7RSIFu3qb_BVY0EAVy6DoZUA3uGC1dpVDglfdXusU08xrfD_5eTb5R_ecrdgAfAfRv7yPj4IElE9SWNcGWqv29Cg2X1nf/s1600/100_4984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="More guests" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXRZA7t6Q71Mzk-X762Yyw5s6GvgbX1d_KJRtbxH7RSIFu3qb_BVY0EAVy6DoZUA3uGC1dpVDglfdXusU08xrfD_5eTb5R_ecrdgAfAfRv7yPj4IElE9SWNcGWqv29Cg2X1nf/s320/100_4984.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzlB6UaZ7iQyHm-SZTbMuC05rwl_VuaJ2EeEk4caCerAU_wMjgLGmSIT_VMbdY8IkuYUpMr1hDpjXLqn_tPPsgAraHOzbkrGRwtHviUwuBCysHNGE_MBarDIXGOemNJOA6Cc9/s1600/100_4985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Bobs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCzlB6UaZ7iQyHm-SZTbMuC05rwl_VuaJ2EeEk4caCerAU_wMjgLGmSIT_VMbdY8IkuYUpMr1hDpjXLqn_tPPsgAraHOzbkrGRwtHviUwuBCysHNGE_MBarDIXGOemNJOA6Cc9/s320/100_4985.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eELH5RA-1WvID4ProUlwvYlKGaxHxpp4X9HArn_Sn6FSN1beSIYR3DuWHNzi9N9KkQJ3z6FAHfRD7GPSNEVx8aSuGZDyh3H3lHFyNRM7mkd8NPOORVQYuV8kdXUhBkRGCTUV/s1600/100_4986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="More Bobs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eELH5RA-1WvID4ProUlwvYlKGaxHxpp4X9HArn_Sn6FSN1beSIYR3DuWHNzi9N9KkQJ3z6FAHfRD7GPSNEVx8aSuGZDyh3H3lHFyNRM7mkd8NPOORVQYuV8kdXUhBkRGCTUV/s320/100_4986.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkHAra31FULsJ5U7PebP1DtCmQD9-sFca9M0q7FFyYK3oqfz0ptHheoJ4ekb-1GdBRb2cj4vcxpNppboYTpJv33qv9bkf90PlJu3nvmek-TGed7S0FNO8EhBd2sHbXey9XApj/s1600/100_4987.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sue and Bob" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkHAra31FULsJ5U7PebP1DtCmQD9-sFca9M0q7FFyYK3oqfz0ptHheoJ4ekb-1GdBRb2cj4vcxpNppboYTpJv33qv9bkf90PlJu3nvmek-TGed7S0FNO8EhBd2sHbXey9XApj/s320/100_4987.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyQFem8YueSp8lHWLjqgw50X4hZGAoD8pQJCuQdkrY-AzSIs1YHfyTzb7So1JoK88c046zgGRe2RNc3k_-MJaIVgUz9MerlvMyuNtS9Cq35mZmIZHhpmmcbkK905nAcVARN3s/s1600/100_4988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Even more guests" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyQFem8YueSp8lHWLjqgw50X4hZGAoD8pQJCuQdkrY-AzSIs1YHfyTzb7So1JoK88c046zgGRe2RNc3k_-MJaIVgUz9MerlvMyuNtS9Cq35mZmIZHhpmmcbkK905nAcVARN3s/s320/100_4988.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadgaOk9yo4MQRgCrbOz4_htpvcEFIYMotm6qBb24D_9UHvcqtiThjCkPU8zmzwrTB7U579Ifms88d0Dt3Ma6_PmYMgED0d4KvNywvaxNWJ80UqYbQ2T5WatjD0DqdIjVur7IU/s1600/100_4989.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="And even more guests" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadgaOk9yo4MQRgCrbOz4_htpvcEFIYMotm6qBb24D_9UHvcqtiThjCkPU8zmzwrTB7U579Ifms88d0Dt3Ma6_PmYMgED0d4KvNywvaxNWJ80UqYbQ2T5WatjD0DqdIjVur7IU/s320/100_4989.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVqphcBpfgKoCBIb4gutp33Yt_UHX7RABbFgBz8mRjigxeHmU9Gb0Hs4bkeXgewParm9w16E6OZIEaVZqDAKo9xWfDp60svfKiPjiO3nPDRi-v12ra2sd3hQ1TWo9RMqXRfyD/s1600/100_4991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Here she comes" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKVqphcBpfgKoCBIb4gutp33Yt_UHX7RABbFgBz8mRjigxeHmU9Gb0Hs4bkeXgewParm9w16E6OZIEaVZqDAKo9xWfDp60svfKiPjiO3nPDRi-v12ra2sd3hQ1TWo9RMqXRfyD/s320/100_4991.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pvEY6GK_sRb__RGHDwIZGPGqMv0Z3W4TcD5ppoxWsfvf5My0qhOUt8gT2KW-yr7njEl4RTxoCBxBZEli5cluYHof90ijUupHgt4wLtLatYkv0dLeL6aJ4hzIBDZXogv0B8MK/s1600/100_4992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Surprise" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7pvEY6GK_sRb__RGHDwIZGPGqMv0Z3W4TcD5ppoxWsfvf5My0qhOUt8gT2KW-yr7njEl4RTxoCBxBZEli5cluYHof90ijUupHgt4wLtLatYkv0dLeL6aJ4hzIBDZXogv0B8MK/s320/100_4992.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgXVOZQKgvEYEG5PkiM5u9lB9HSXNpB3r0OXkx6AmbAtATn6FtRXZXJSCbeNyc0NbiD3a7gZcXA1EGHReh9hbr9rQo3mYXkysggiWo9j5Eyf8cVHLwJlThf5AGCILMSc6GRTt/s1600/100_4993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Hugs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfgXVOZQKgvEYEG5PkiM5u9lB9HSXNpB3r0OXkx6AmbAtATn6FtRXZXJSCbeNyc0NbiD3a7gZcXA1EGHReh9hbr9rQo3mYXkysggiWo9j5Eyf8cVHLwJlThf5AGCILMSc6GRTt/s320/100_4993.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi742PjGViFhsCJEppVOE3PBnx4_8xGdTivkwYYaYdfYedxQA8Kd3AzJARpCokAiDoq1zxuhpYXUuZozyXu9f-T9SnVDGyrh6NIGIME5VReznXG8JGxhHwyrsko_3QeA3YLk1eL/s1600/100_4994.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="More hugs" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi742PjGViFhsCJEppVOE3PBnx4_8xGdTivkwYYaYdfYedxQA8Kd3AzJARpCokAiDoq1zxuhpYXUuZozyXu9f-T9SnVDGyrh6NIGIME5VReznXG8JGxhHwyrsko_3QeA3YLk1eL/s320/100_4994.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1htmgob6l_vFttFX3dEDtlFmhLEitFmJ9m6DR6VtHNLN7On5AA0F9CNaD6IUTZiMjpx2sJpw2e6G5E0hOLnJblFlDu6vrkG_YkBSjZYXHrLE9jgTAPwgk70sJal4H7XHtJmE/s1600/100_4995.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elaine and Carmen" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1htmgob6l_vFttFX3dEDtlFmhLEitFmJ9m6DR6VtHNLN7On5AA0F9CNaD6IUTZiMjpx2sJpw2e6G5E0hOLnJblFlDu6vrkG_YkBSjZYXHrLE9jgTAPwgk70sJal4H7XHtJmE/s320/100_4995.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9lYkuOmQ7e46h-ZYEvzX4G1mUIWe01BhS3lqmPBK0FReSYDJUBIcFm26zhLz6KV_ep2sZyFApCVOJvcKHDFM2mjTBZGudhsMdSQBw_DIb-ZT1OGTNoXUVCaDt5Fsn6bBSrk4/s1600/100_4996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Elaine and Bob" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9lYkuOmQ7e46h-ZYEvzX4G1mUIWe01BhS3lqmPBK0FReSYDJUBIcFm26zhLz6KV_ep2sZyFApCVOJvcKHDFM2mjTBZGudhsMdSQBw_DIb-ZT1OGTNoXUVCaDt5Fsn6bBSrk4/s320/100_4996.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZP1P0ku8JzR26IhZGkLtrFdUKOXsZykPA9FJI9Nn9ErzLKnNKEOPimsOgahJim83UcO8c999FbRGJofKvKzqLBMF2o7N0B8puXLvDc78Xc4VWPGW9xDn2UJ2pSwZRKiAeDe1g/s1600/100_5000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A cake?" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZP1P0ku8JzR26IhZGkLtrFdUKOXsZykPA9FJI9Nn9ErzLKnNKEOPimsOgahJim83UcO8c999FbRGJofKvKzqLBMF2o7N0B8puXLvDc78Xc4VWPGW9xDn2UJ2pSwZRKiAeDe1g/s320/100_5000.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOUeCSOUF0nS0TgNueExlbL4OjwRKgaxT5ja7K9U63GLUI3PhjfYriTtKZ7dPTrW4y4kDYCwBYEVhM-lOnhcBh_7tCqtm8GzqRcaiXaPPvIT_HHx-Q3FgrrRAFaZCzpYcYnhX/s1600/100_5001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="E blows out the candles" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBOUeCSOUF0nS0TgNueExlbL4OjwRKgaxT5ja7K9U63GLUI3PhjfYriTtKZ7dPTrW4y4kDYCwBYEVhM-lOnhcBh_7tCqtm8GzqRcaiXaPPvIT_HHx-Q3FgrrRAFaZCzpYcYnhX/s320/100_5001.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclxsBQ1QiO-jiUNyapQBo55mfZk2_qG3-IO_UDTnMp82wMDBQXGSdFszNFAQ35Jy2tYAWiB2A5wlXDyTzoSEf6H-rUYMNQYmcQmMG7NZBTaxq1qDdzgsdnfcYULunf_5tJlXU/s1600/100_5002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Carmen" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclxsBQ1QiO-jiUNyapQBo55mfZk2_qG3-IO_UDTnMp82wMDBQXGSdFszNFAQ35Jy2tYAWiB2A5wlXDyTzoSEf6H-rUYMNQYmcQmMG7NZBTaxq1qDdzgsdnfcYULunf_5tJlXU/s320/100_5002.JPG" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-24963617103689631882012-11-03T13:56:00.001-04:002014-03-18T11:05:21.774-04:00Breezy at happier timesA small collection of photos from years past. Taken in the early 1970s this shows our old bungalow on B214 St. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqDRYkYbRb-Q80zpELAn12bQcEfnHlNdGwVJ_7-hoetLg3Y-6NlmrxXP9ONPX3hvxZz9gGFEeY5_jFvfKX3JULCFZprjzG7Kg-Q6v2NB5AA4moAV1aaF7-_bwPvn-6vBunaqQ/s1600/breezy01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmqDRYkYbRb-Q80zpELAn12bQcEfnHlNdGwVJ_7-hoetLg3Y-6NlmrxXP9ONPX3hvxZz9gGFEeY5_jFvfKX3JULCFZprjzG7Kg-Q6v2NB5AA4moAV1aaF7-_bwPvn-6vBunaqQ/s320/breezy01.png" height="225" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ORzIJf1s3CRL_BfKoaJA5EmsyjqNuW-gCvgi6uZy90gVPcHJVBsskGLevgGS1KET7oFNP2N0VGfL7WrLKJVoenB1p73pSA_ePNjP-BNZBkjOsi1qVL_P9KmyISJhr4z_6bVi/s1600/breezy04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 4" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ORzIJf1s3CRL_BfKoaJA5EmsyjqNuW-gCvgi6uZy90gVPcHJVBsskGLevgGS1KET7oFNP2N0VGfL7WrLKJVoenB1p73pSA_ePNjP-BNZBkjOsi1qVL_P9KmyISJhr4z_6bVi/s320/breezy04.png" height="212" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE_Djt5r1h5n5xxkAB6xK-vUPm6ksxkxChS2-zSE-rtVErYXoQCdWHaglvkniMyCwtVTFtc2-jv5KXBm0JQKpWjTnz-f-gM8WbPK_ewYfQFox58iGlPEwx0BCwHFhO4aoADQi/s1600/breezy06.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 6" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAE_Djt5r1h5n5xxkAB6xK-vUPm6ksxkxChS2-zSE-rtVErYXoQCdWHaglvkniMyCwtVTFtc2-jv5KXBm0JQKpWjTnz-f-gM8WbPK_ewYfQFox58iGlPEwx0BCwHFhO4aoADQi/s320/breezy06.png" height="212" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-86316023798834463362012-10-30T17:04:00.001-04:002015-02-24T13:53:22.346-05:00Great loss at Breezy Point<i>UPDATE: October 31, 2012 - I've added some photos to the bottom of the page along with some links to video. No more news to share from the scene. <a href="http://stream.wsj.com/story/2012-storm-season/SS-2-48537/SS-2-86017/?mod=e2tw" target="_blank">The new photos are from Wall Street Journal</a>. Also there is some amazing <a href="http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/31/14817184-devastated-ny-community-built-by-firefighters-burned-beyond-their-reach?lite" target="_blank">video and news of the disaster on NBC's website</a>.</i> <br />
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First we were concerned that my oldest brother's home along the beach would be damaged by wind and surge. Then there was concern for my second oldest brother who was planning to ride it out with his wife in the year-round bungalow on Lincoln. Then as the surge was reported to be higher, we were concerned that anywhere on the end of the Rockaway Peninsula was not a good place to be.<br />
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Our family has roots in Breezy Point since the 1940s and there have been many happy times including a wedding during Hurricane Agnes in 1972. The houses and people of Breezy Point all survived the years of tide and storms, births, deaths even a recent tornado. But I don't think anyone imagined that Breezy Point would succumb to a fire, especially one during a hurricane.<br />
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Yes, the houses in the old section of Breezy are very close together and mostly made of wood. But folks were very careful and the local volunteer fire department was quick to respond to any emergency. <br />
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These days there are lots of family and friends in the Breezy Point community so this is a very sad day. We are still waiting for information about what happened and who was directly affected although we know everyone is physically okay.<br />
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There will be long-term costs I am sure.<br />
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I have collected these photos from news and tweets today and will add more when I find them. If these are copyrighted and need to be removed, just let me know. I was moving to capture them so quickly, I failed to make notes from where they came. If these are your photos, thank you for sharing them.<br />
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Sorry, none of the photos are labeled as I don't know exactly where they were taken. It appears the fire's destruction was between Ocean Ave and Kildare Walk, from the water to Oceanside Ave. I'll post more when I get more info.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpX1RfqcfcWS1n4oMypBhi-tCJZB8ZjxD640WteHx099bAjoBreIMc8Ui445V8-oFN0VhV5C4B7JjkfDC6g97_zEJyEJmz_vWWnTo9TavKVkFr1a9ONxapsTlpHeJ4knaEZP2/s1600/679892149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtpX1RfqcfcWS1n4oMypBhi-tCJZB8ZjxD640WteHx099bAjoBreIMc8Ui445V8-oFN0VhV5C4B7JjkfDC6g97_zEJyEJmz_vWWnTo9TavKVkFr1a9ONxapsTlpHeJ4knaEZP2/s320/679892149.jpg" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IHeYKc-8yCqxa-yzi7Pw3LZDN-PjaTiAsyrAE04xycvkXtLVClgiiNMMYXTW5XXClwMOukS9GXREmfRQGyFkI6D0p-qinJq4TIcibhnqFRLgosE6d7WaJnT3g3Kyaj7oT7Nv/s1600/679915240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 2" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IHeYKc-8yCqxa-yzi7Pw3LZDN-PjaTiAsyrAE04xycvkXtLVClgiiNMMYXTW5XXClwMOukS9GXREmfRQGyFkI6D0p-qinJq4TIcibhnqFRLgosE6d7WaJnT3g3Kyaj7oT7Nv/s320/679915240.jpg" height="229" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACbGhsTvW64uvWiEUPRH6lkETddTADH9eoZa9lTymlgTge6POilTqBRB4B9kQcprGtDr9Mv-VKIkg2EcPBOuFSlWwhmu5U4ZyV_Z_cMa29uU31I0YxvEkPcvxZGQhb0h5yXhw/s1600/679975431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 3" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgACbGhsTvW64uvWiEUPRH6lkETddTADH9eoZa9lTymlgTge6POilTqBRB4B9kQcprGtDr9Mv-VKIkg2EcPBOuFSlWwhmu5U4ZyV_Z_cMa29uU31I0YxvEkPcvxZGQhb0h5yXhw/s320/679975431.jpg" height="180" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALMOHtKlqQoX2Ga4V3u4lYQQGLJOw5AxsjxHdX7jSJkecB2o2acD3yqU8cVQ2kkB_cj8A_6-bp43HXMt4bmNF3mfp2Te-H4iS57Z2WYmHZLAO2zSyeX3kw4QjZsHbwrqpZ6wn/s1600/A6d1AiJCAAAQEH9.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 4" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALMOHtKlqQoX2Ga4V3u4lYQQGLJOw5AxsjxHdX7jSJkecB2o2acD3yqU8cVQ2kkB_cj8A_6-bp43HXMt4bmNF3mfp2Te-H4iS57Z2WYmHZLAO2zSyeX3kw4QjZsHbwrqpZ6wn/s320/A6d1AiJCAAAQEH9.jpg.jpg" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RPIIRZ_NbC7bgHHqg95pA_uyPby7mJ3mGoxTpXrNnapncFuKsfBgw9uSYhyaPCQSZcr826xp_ovAOHEpQPgKbsNr6e2GHK4kiJZc9xM-naF04HgC6h9H2AWf0EXyMM-9E8jJ/s1600/A6ecSJ1CIAE3Apb.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 5" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5RPIIRZ_NbC7bgHHqg95pA_uyPby7mJ3mGoxTpXrNnapncFuKsfBgw9uSYhyaPCQSZcr826xp_ovAOHEpQPgKbsNr6e2GHK4kiJZc9xM-naF04HgC6h9H2AWf0EXyMM-9E8jJ/s320/A6ecSJ1CIAE3Apb.jpg.jpg" height="240" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4jF_1NRsrMMdrawx_GgjjcE5wPc0XD4Fz6JFOjdABA-WT_LgilhgxFmqYYRC8D_F6EvmhoFg4ca0X-je3A7_bE7IEhzjnhAEUEFXx_ksaSKsVZgjvU-ZD_fwtLh0CyTj2mxQ/s1600/AP568080534686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 6" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4jF_1NRsrMMdrawx_GgjjcE5wPc0XD4Fz6JFOjdABA-WT_LgilhgxFmqYYRC8D_F6EvmhoFg4ca0X-je3A7_bE7IEhzjnhAEUEFXx_ksaSKsVZgjvU-ZD_fwtLh0CyTj2mxQ/s320/AP568080534686.jpg" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJE8zuMAFRWkh-1LBMYC3IG-Vo8blPi7kdhhWLm_lNeMMUi8A3M8J2wemjXAs0cyRMhhk37cyGjhBuYmN_VkYdGC_Z0ElrikTiNCdbR6i_Am3fIOaJt36u_viBpAqYfxW0sdbr/s1600/OB-VE145_1030sa_G_20121030183333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Breezy 7" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJE8zuMAFRWkh-1LBMYC3IG-Vo8blPi7kdhhWLm_lNeMMUi8A3M8J2wemjXAs0cyRMhhk37cyGjhBuYmN_VkYdGC_Z0ElrikTiNCdbR6i_Am3fIOaJt36u_viBpAqYfxW0sdbr/s320/OB-VE145_1030sa_G_20121030183333.jpg" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial shot posted from Wall Street Journal - AP/Mike Groll</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqeHkYzbgUz3LYvMmu6N9nBvteEqVygroaNQLzhrufdeCtMrklGISFlwDq_vo7KuwlWDl9yFvGR_jGr4n0RuAiNtVvwlInA77wk8aFt8iszKLxbUQqVtZe-vhF6oMdV-Evsz7/s1600/OB-VE146_1030sa_G_20121030183741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Breezy 8" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicqeHkYzbgUz3LYvMmu6N9nBvteEqVygroaNQLzhrufdeCtMrklGISFlwDq_vo7KuwlWDl9yFvGR_jGr4n0RuAiNtVvwlInA77wk8aFt8iszKLxbUQqVtZe-vhF6oMdV-Evsz7/s320/OB-VE146_1030sa_G_20121030183741.jpg" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aerial shot posted from Wall Street Journal - AP/Mike Groll</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-ELr13VAI2huv0MtYPM0LsD2hPFm_y_ID_wPSJnQ2JQQxDcRzcy8UWjTkd8nKnU2BEgAcixBr9hdKqOT8_LGDMm_rtLkS3aRSJHwKuy3mrDNuzi7ehETlb6bKo2xIo4ykUpS/s1600/tumblr_mcpqybhGha1rk4etyo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Breezy 9" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib-ELr13VAI2huv0MtYPM0LsD2hPFm_y_ID_wPSJnQ2JQQxDcRzcy8UWjTkd8nKnU2BEgAcixBr9hdKqOT8_LGDMm_rtLkS3aRSJHwKuy3mrDNuzi7ehETlb6bKo2xIo4ykUpS/s320/tumblr_mcpqybhGha1rk4etyo1_1280.jpg" height="213" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-88824790322225412792012-08-21T16:48:00.001-04:002014-03-18T11:06:52.585-04:00How fast is your Internet?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U-lhd_04JCMRQOT4wtmBPyI8PBQCZI1Ya_oeXc6Sb6JxELJqcsNNnhf1KwTPNe1N_fMLbZwC3xcdE-xoaojtfKIx1iCYzTWiwu41189hB3_62FYITGj1Quw1othg7jmyl6za/s1600/5750581683_3ab6951923_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="need for speed" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7U-lhd_04JCMRQOT4wtmBPyI8PBQCZI1Ya_oeXc6Sb6JxELJqcsNNnhf1KwTPNe1N_fMLbZwC3xcdE-xoaojtfKIx1iCYzTWiwu41189hB3_62FYITGj1Quw1othg7jmyl6za/s1600/5750581683_3ab6951923_m.jpg" title="need for speed" /></a></div>
Well according to Akamai, a high-performance Web and analytics company, the good old USA lags in 14th place behind the likes of Belgium, Ireland and Latvia when it comes to internet speed. For those dying to know, South Korea comes in 1st Place. The details of the Akamai study (<a href="http://www.akamai.com/dl/whitepapers/akamai_soti_q112.pdf" target="_blank">download the entire report here - PDF</a>) were recently chronicled in an article on ZDNet called <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/the-internet-is-getting-faster-7000002402/" target="_blank">"The Internet is Getting Faster."</a> It is probably still a bit technical for the average American to understand, but in the final analysis, the log-jam in the USA is related to the "last mile" of our connections. More about this below, but first let me briefly explain how the internet gets to you.<br />
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Most Americans' home internet connection comes through their cable TV provider ("cable internet") or the local telephone company (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_subscriber_line" target="_blank">DSL</a>). A small, but increasing number of Americans are now connecting via their cell phone (known by various names including cellular 2G, 3G, or 4G, etc.); they do this by using their mobile devices or by <a href="http://mobileoffice.about.com/od/phonesformobileworkers/a/how-to-tether.htm" target="_blank">"tethering" them to their home computer</a>. And a still smaller minority have super-fast access through a fiber optics connection to the internet (e.g., <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verizon_FiOS" target="_blank">Verizon FIOS</a>). Clearly, fiber optics is the way to go if you have a need for speed, but only a very small part of the country has access to this method at the present time and this is <a href="http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Verizon-Again-Confirms-FiOS-Expansion-is-Over-118949" target="_blank">not likely to increase soon because of the great expense of installation</a>.<br />
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So cable internet provides the fastest option for most users. Oh, and in case you were thinking this, <b>DSL is the slowest</b>, despite what your telephone company tells you. And DSL will never get faster because the telephone lines are regulated by federal laws that intentionally keep them, well, slow.<br />
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According to the ZDNet article, the fastest state in the union is Delaware. Yeah, I know, Delaware. I guess Joe Biden got together with Al Gore and put the fix in early. <br />
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I was reflecting on this article with a friend recently and he wanted to know how to test his own internet connection speed. I just assumed everyone knew how to do this, but apparently I was wrong. For the curious, <a href="http://www.speedtest.net/" target="_blank">head right over to Speedtest.net and check out your connection</a>. You may want to compare that with what your internet provider advertises as the fastest download and upload speeds. But make sure you read the fine print. Anyway you'll want to check the speed several times over several days (see more below).<br />
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I have been generally pleased with my switch over to <a href="http://www.timewarnercable.com/" target="_blank">Time Warner Cable (TWC)</a> last year. I had been using DSL for years and was getting about 3 MBS down and 2 MBS upload speed. But I was pretty amazed when TWC gave me close to 10 MBS the first time I tested. Upload is much slower on cable internet. The cable companies want to reserve the "bandwidth" to download, but for $10 more per month you can increase all of this. I'm now averaging 15-20 MBS download speeds and about 2 MBS upload. I can live with that.<br />
<br />
To compare these - and your own results from what Akamai reports, <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/the-internet-is-getting-faster-7000002402/" target="_blank">here's what the ZDNet article says:</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Within the US, “Delaware [yes Delaware] remained the fastest state in the union, with an average connection speed that improved 24% quarter-over-quarter to just over 10 Mbps. New Hampshire remained the second fastest state, improving 15% to 9.4 Mbps. All of the top 10 states joined Delaware and New Hampshire in having quarterly changes that exceeded 10%, as did 38 other states across the country. Only Minnesota, California, and Nebraska improved by less than 10% as compared to the fourth quarter of 2011, though they did not trail very far behind, with average growth rates around 9%. Arkansas remained the state with the lowest average connection speed, though it increased 14% quarter over-quarter to 3.6 Mbps.”</blockquote>
<br />
That business of the "last mile" that I noted above (the connection that brings the internet to your house) makes all the difference in the world when it comes to internet speed. If you are connected via fiber optics, you are on a nice strand of fiberglass that loops around your neighborhood and provides a connection to the internet at the speed of - you guess it - light! And yes, the cable internet providers do this in essentially the same way, and at the speed of light, but their coaxial cable just doesn't have the same capacity as fiber.<br />
<br />
You should also know that internet speed is affected by a lot of variables - the biggest of which is how many customers are "on the line" at the same time. Fiber optics customers and cable internet customers are both adversely affected more by these "crowding" effects. DSL, which has a direct link from your house to your telephone company's "switch," is not affected by crowding at this point of the connection, but from the "switch" on, you internet speeds are also at the mercy of crowding. In addition to crowding issues, weather and terrain can adversely affect cellular internet, especially if you live in a rural state like Maine. Anyone with a cell phone knows that the reliability of cellular service is pretty poor everywhere.<br />
<br />
And finally, you should also know that all of the internet providers are experimenting with something called "throttling." This is the intentional slowing down of throughput so no one customer hogs all the bandwidth. It is a very controversial issue and will likely get more serious in the years ahead unless the internet service providers can find a way to increase capacity.<br />
<br />
All of this is why you have to check your internet connection speed multiple times over multiple days. You should begin to see a pattern; certain times of the day when things are more sluggish than others. Make sure you are testing with a computer that is directly connected by a wire to the modem. Wireless (WiFi) connections in your home will be affected by multiple factors that will slow down your connection speed even further (I should write a whole separate article about this). <br />
<br />
So, have fun folks - enjoy your travels on the information superhighway...and don't worry about getting caught speeding, it's just not going to happen here in the USA.<br />
<br />
_____<br />
Photo credit: Image licensed by <a href="http://www.creativecommons.org/" target="_blank">Creative Commons</a> by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/62935829@N02/" target="_blank">Internet and Tacos</a>john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-46759606201313547692012-06-22T19:28:00.000-04:002012-06-24T13:16:00.562-04:0040 Years Ago TodayAlice Feeney Smith married Arnold E. Brandt during a downpour associated with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Agnes" target="_blank">Hurricane Agnes</a>. It was a good union that lasted 24 years until Dad's death in 1996.<br />
<br />
Sorry, I can't find any wedding photos....still looking....jeb<br />
<br />
<b>Update:</b> I'm still looking for the wedding pix, but in the meantime Sister Mary sent this new photo along and I have added the shot from Alice and Arnold's engagement party - December 24, 1971. <br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY137HOmG5rugK4p8a5E2QBMJqA0sWxVJ4mvkVe3GHL98SLm3UHB0_MgeNudRMEYbnXfw2_TQcf9NKK4AXxLIwfUyZMeEkdS4E6GEallILHOdZzeVkOS_LO4oD9WUcxNv4y0Dd/s1600/alice&arnoldengagededit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alice and Arnold's Engagement Party - Dec 24, 1971" border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY137HOmG5rugK4p8a5E2QBMJqA0sWxVJ4mvkVe3GHL98SLm3UHB0_MgeNudRMEYbnXfw2_TQcf9NKK4AXxLIwfUyZMeEkdS4E6GEallILHOdZzeVkOS_LO4oD9WUcxNv4y0Dd/s400/alice&arnoldengagededit.jpg" title="Alice and Arnold's Engagement Party - Dec 24, 1971" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3P-h8rcrUgUbREO2yvkGQ0PIa6sUtlB9SdaZR2N1F-DVi_HAlFT5c7ovJqx0WeJmIn-96JiaoZdjWmQkuSNfgBXqZFLkfXfb6LfaQcp_kOGAkcI1Q7oxs-H_HHMXyNWtq4Fqu/s1600/alicearnold1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alice and Arnold along with their grandchildren and a few more of the kids." border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3P-h8rcrUgUbREO2yvkGQ0PIa6sUtlB9SdaZR2N1F-DVi_HAlFT5c7ovJqx0WeJmIn-96JiaoZdjWmQkuSNfgBXqZFLkfXfb6LfaQcp_kOGAkcI1Q7oxs-H_HHMXyNWtq4Fqu/s400/alicearnold1.jpg" title="Alice and Arnold along with their grandchildren and a few more of the kids." width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56UoDM3tsSOIBeuoD6mSfek7_pmlF8B05v5UP3NtbqomcdEokj9FvIdxAnUst2IUKreWDMSpFAWjZcPJ3OFASDAP1ccMDumylxmF511s7WpkZaq2-AtrCie_mVEJyfLnZ3ODl/s1600/alicearnold2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Alice and Arnold " border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56UoDM3tsSOIBeuoD6mSfek7_pmlF8B05v5UP3NtbqomcdEokj9FvIdxAnUst2IUKreWDMSpFAWjZcPJ3OFASDAP1ccMDumylxmF511s7WpkZaq2-AtrCie_mVEJyfLnZ3ODl/s400/alicearnold2.jpg" title="Alice and Arnold " width="400" /></a></div>
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-13318557189295736432012-04-20T10:44:00.000-04:002012-04-25T17:30:37.357-04:00Time Warner - Are you listening?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMRd2My-ukVMez1Ydke_a7a9M_iS1msuH88VQOe2Vm3Y5r-m6dhDJ0qHLHBUtKnUnNG8QijpyupL3qVZIdbSy307FwNT7b7b206BN3eK0VkFS4QwB5lyhEDzKy0rf0d8HaRio/s1600/timewarnercable.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Time Warner Cable logo" border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilMRd2My-ukVMez1Ydke_a7a9M_iS1msuH88VQOe2Vm3Y5r-m6dhDJ0qHLHBUtKnUnNG8QijpyupL3qVZIdbSy307FwNT7b7b206BN3eK0VkFS4QwB5lyhEDzKy0rf0d8HaRio/s200/timewarnercable.jpg" title="Time Warner Cable logo" width="200" /></a></div>
NOTE/UPDATE: April 20, 2012 - <i>Shhhh...don't tell anyone, but this week I noticed that my Time Warner Cable account is achieving 20 Mbps download speeds and 2 MBPS upload speeds. No announcement, just faster speed. YES!</i><br />
<br />
<i>Update: April 23 - TWC sent out notice about the upgrade.</i><br />
<br />
Originally published January 2012:<br />
<br />
I am not a big fan of my <a href="http://www.timewarnercable.com/" target="_blank">cable and internet provider, Time Warner</a>. Yes, they are infinitely better than my previous cable supplier, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8291040/ns/business-corporate_scandals/t/adelphia-founder-gets--year-term-son-gets/#.TyF3Fvn4V8E" target="_blank">Adelphia; the company whose CEO and president were sent to prison for corruption</a>. And yes, I have been pleased with the rather impressive download speeds (between 20 - 30 Mbps) I have been experiencing since switching over from <a href="http://www.fairpoint.com/residential/" target="_blank">Fairpoint's DSL</a> about 10 months ago. But I have not been impressed with upload speeds in the neighborhood of 1 Mbps. At least with DSL I was getting uploads around 2 Mbps. I do a lot of uploads in a day and time is money.<br />
<br />
With this as a background, I was thrilled to receive an e-mail yesterday that stated this:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Your Internet just got faster!<br />
<br />
Time Warner Cable is happy to announce we have increased your Internet speed. Now you'll have even more speed to do what you love on the Internet - at speeds even faster than before - at the same great price! <br />
<br />
This increase is already complete, and you didn't have to do a thing. We've already upgraded our equipment, and your modem has been updated.<br />
<br />
Your new Broadband Turbo download speed is up to 20 Mbps, and your upload speed is up to 2 Mbps, increases of 33% and 100%! </blockquote>
<br />
Excitedly, I immediately checked my speed with <a href="http://speedtest.net/">Speedtest.net</a> and was gleeful when the meter for download struck around 30 Mbps. But this was tempered when the upload speed was still registering 0.97 Mbps. I checked again, this time using <a href="http://speedtest.nyroc.rr.com/" target="_blank">Roadrunner's own speed testing application</a>. Same results. Hmmm.<br />
<br />
Ironically, I had called Time Warner just last week because my upload speed was almost nonexistent. A quick "chat" with one of their "analysts" using the Time Warner Support Desk and I had the modem re-booted and re-set and was content and back to my advertised "up to 1 Mbps" upload speed So, from this experience I knew what my upload speeds were a week ago, and clearly, despite the announcement, there was no "100% increase" today.<br />
<br />
So I decided to call them on it and within a few minutes was texting away, chatting with "Benjamin" on the Time Warner Support Desk. We checked thing and tested again, re-set the modem, re-booted the modem and each time kept getting the same numbers. Benjamin eventually looked up my account and replied that I was only supposed to be getting "up to 1 Mbps." In response, I sent him the text of the announcement and a link to a web version of the same.<br />
<br />
He said he would expedite me to another analyst.<br />
<br />
Two analysts later I had now spent over an hour, re-booting, re-setting, and explaining my tale. "Sharam" is not very sympathetic and eventually gives me the same "company line" about my service contract only calling for "up to ONE Mbps" in upload speed.<br />
<br />
In disgust I tell him he's not been helpful, then fill out the on-line evaluation giving Time Warner the lowest ratings I can and one more time explaining my plight. Fifteen minutes later, I receive an automated telephone call from Time Warner asking me to again rate my experience with their customer service. Once again, I give them failing grades. By that time I had wasted two hours on the damn thing.<br />
<br />
So what should appear last night in my e-mail....? Read the following:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dear Valued Turbo Internet Customer:<br />
<br />
Earlier today you received an email from us announcing increased Broadband Internet speeds. <br />
<br />
We apologize to you for sending that email prematurely. While Time Warner Cable plans to increase your Broadband speeds at no additional charge this year, the faster speeds are not yet available in your area. Please disregard the earlier email. We will contact you again when the new speeds are available.<br />
<br />
We’re sorry for any inconvenience this has caused, and appreciate your loyalty as a Time Warner Cable Turbo Internet customer. </blockquote>
<br />
I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad. But at least they appear to be listening...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-53220022614172762952012-04-03T11:46:00.001-04:002012-04-25T17:31:58.474-04:00Adding ALT Text in BloggerWhen inserting images into webpages, accessibility standards require the use of something called "ALT description." The ALT, as it is affectionately known, is code that a person using a screen reader hears which describes the image. Screen readers are "Assistive Technology" (AT) software applications used by people with blindness or low vision to "see" what's on a
computer screen, to navigate around the screen and to interact with
content. Everything on the screen is "read" to the user by way of text-to-speech software. When the screen reader device encounters an image it announces to the user, "image." But unless the web page owner/designer has added an ALT description to the image, that is all the screen reader will say. The blind user will not know anything about what image is or why it is on the page. So if you want everyone to enjoy your Blogger blog, use ALT descriptions on all your images!<br />
<br />
Here is how you add ALT descriptions to images in Blogger.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MGeV3zyCaZ-vLu7FVP2cmSkOt3o73tcXYaMxcHjhxMPu87kobil1pFka9x-Ril4jhoaRudHj422HXSKm7iauLucAe4j7X1gIc58skG1ae1oURTVpL4ZvfnjAR_MnNvjmNFAG/s1600/clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Clock" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MGeV3zyCaZ-vLu7FVP2cmSkOt3o73tcXYaMxcHjhxMPu87kobil1pFka9x-Ril4jhoaRudHj422HXSKm7iauLucAe4j7X1gIc58skG1ae1oURTVpL4ZvfnjAR_MnNvjmNFAG/s1600/clock.jpg" title="Clock" /></a></div>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Add the image the way you normally would by using the image icon on the menu bar.</li>
<li>Highlight the image by clicking on it.</li>
<li>In the pop-up menu that appears, choose
"Properties"</li>
<li>In the new pop-up you will see a place to add a Title
and ALT text. </li>
</ol>
Note that this is actually an improvement in Blogger. In the old version you could not add
ALT text without viewing the HTML and coding it in directly.
For more tips and to learn more about accessibility, <a href="http://www.jebswebs.com/" target="_blank">check out my website jebswebs.com</a>.john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-54543919988612470962012-03-03T11:34:00.000-05:002012-04-25T17:31:11.009-04:00Daydream Believer, oh what can it mean?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zpqcyoUw8PVHamg3XvNnrPwCx7LdwNlS5z19uySa526BJJOzihai63tehfcMXX0POaqlsCMDalZ1hZZ1K_hW1x7Mohu1XtzmAmYhpLep6YnvIoU9yoA9m8vkQwiQUllEp8FT/s1600/Monkees_daydream_believer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Monkees Daydream Believer albumn Cover" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1zpqcyoUw8PVHamg3XvNnrPwCx7LdwNlS5z19uySa526BJJOzihai63tehfcMXX0POaqlsCMDalZ1hZZ1K_hW1x7Mohu1XtzmAmYhpLep6YnvIoU9yoA9m8vkQwiQUllEp8FT/s1600/Monkees_daydream_believer.jpg" title="Monkees Daydream Believer albumn Cover" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Record cover from wikipedia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With all the news and interest surrounding the untimely death of former teen heart-throb, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Jones_%28actor%29" target="_blank">Monkee Davy Jones</a>, the song <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daydream_Believer" target="_blank"><i>Daydream Believer</i></a> has been rolling around in the head incessantly. Then this morning the <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/" target="_blank">iTunes</a> splash page had a "tribute" to Jones (actually a way to cash in on 45 year old recordings), so I clicked on the sample button and listened to the cherubic Davy and the boys belting out the old song.<br />
<br />
It was then that I realized that the lyrics I remembered - and indeed the ones I was now listening too, didn't make sense and were probably wrong. It was one of those "'<a href="http://www.kissthisguy.com/" target="_blank">cuze me while I kiss this guy</a>" type of things.<br />
<br />
I thought they were singing:<br />
<br />
<i>Cheer up sweet be-jeeze<br />Oh what can it mean<br />To a<br />Daydream believer, under<br />Home coming queen.</i><br />
<br />
I kept listening, but for the life of me could not figure out what the heck he was singing. In desperation (not really) <a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/monkees/daydream+believer_20095485.html" target="_blank">I looked up the correct lyrics</a> and this is what they are:<br />
<br />
<i>Cheer up, Sleepy Jean.<br />Oh, what can it mean.<br />To a daydream believer<br />And a homecoming queen.</i><br />
<br />
By the way, <a href="http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/monkees/daydream+believer_20095485.html" target="_blank">the rest of the lyrics are also a hoot; check them out</a>. What the hell were they smoking in those days!<br />
<br />
Photo credit: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daydream_Believer" target="_blank">from wikipedia</a>john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-74111579139063047232012-01-26T16:00:00.000-05:002012-04-25T17:31:36.259-04:00Adding Google Analytics to your Blogger account<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a alt="google analytics logo" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbqkcmkEsJK_a5ZXJ1D6c3XYQmIhOLvmVmVL9oH6ENjjzKjMBmNlqbJIQ9REsy1lGuTSyfThoNaar9ZhkkqazM72ja0iubxkyNogfZ1uC5uHqcGJdTLePTEydeYPZYL4OVyD1/s1600/analytics_logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Google Analytics logo" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwbqkcmkEsJK_a5ZXJ1D6c3XYQmIhOLvmVmVL9oH6ENjjzKjMBmNlqbJIQ9REsy1lGuTSyfThoNaar9ZhkkqazM72ja0iubxkyNogfZ1uC5uHqcGJdTLePTEydeYPZYL4OVyD1/s1600/analytics_logo.gif" title="Google Analytics logo" /></a></div>
Just learned this so I figured I should share:<br />
<br />
Assuming you already have a <a href="http://www.google.com/analytics/" target="_blank">Google Analytics (GA)</a> account, you need to create a new "property" for your account. Call it "Blogger: Name of your blog" or something like that. When you have been assigned a Tracking ID for this new property, you need to add this to your Blogger account.<br />
<br />
With the latest version of Blogger adding your GA Tracking Code is very easy. Simply log in to your Blogger blog > go to Dashboard > Select "Settings" (at the bottom left) > Select "Other" > Scroll to the bottom and see the place where you put your Google Analytics code (e.g., UA-xxxxxxx-xx). Put just the Tracking ID number in; no quote marks or any Javascript is needed. > Click "Save Settings" at the top of the page. Google will do the rest.<br />
<br />
Check GA in a week or so and see how much traffic is coming to your Blogger account.<br />
<br />john eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22816503.post-39241133845662486802011-12-03T13:30:00.001-05:002011-12-03T13:37:37.016-05:00Christmas Blog 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2OsecLczZ-fMZrr_4vAvQkk35Xc547D9_cSw-eNmVemrFkFvP2ZMLnCi-EIjVrPV_j5oMYlvys3tLOVj6Im7dsvp2dyRxMrZxs3IBUDK8ixJLdP_YuFGY1XZr1DRPKTC5T-f/s1600/90_03_62---Christmas-Decorations_web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas decoration" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2OsecLczZ-fMZrr_4vAvQkk35Xc547D9_cSw-eNmVemrFkFvP2ZMLnCi-EIjVrPV_j5oMYlvys3tLOVj6Im7dsvp2dyRxMrZxs3IBUDK8ixJLdP_YuFGY1XZr1DRPKTC5T-f/s320/90_03_62---Christmas-Decorations_web.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
It has been a rollercoaster of “weather events” this year: our first northeast hurricane in many years, the Boxing Day Blizzard, the April Fools’ snowstorm, the Halloween snowstorm, the Thanksgiving snowstorm, and even an earthquake. Following the Halloween storm, the temps shot back up and I got to play one more round of golf with and among some piles of the white stuff. One more of the many interesting “hazards” my ball seemed to find this year.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/jebswebs" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and the web continue to provide some interesting connections with things and people from the past. Digging through elementary school memorabilia has been “interesting.” It is fascinating to see what our in common Catholic School educational experience has wrought.<br />
<br />
This has been a year which brought more in the way of family reunions: a wonderful wedding in Vermont (which occurred in synch with that April snowstorm), and a wild birthday/anniversary party in Connecticut that reconnected distant cousins. This was a year for some family becoming first-time grandparents as more of the younger relatives acquired new additions to their families. I even attended my first Mets game in 40 years. This was in honor of sister Sigrid’s 60th b-day; and the Mets won.<br />
<br />
The year 2011 also included loss and hardship. My prayers are with those in need and those closest to the departed, may they live with only cherished memories.<br />
<br />
I continue to be gainfully self-employed (<a href="http://jebswebs.com/">jebswebs.com</a>) but understand more and more what that healthcare insurance thing is all about. Again, it’s been an okay business year; “could have been better.” Need a web presence? – give me a shout <a href="mailto:jeb@jebswebs.com">jeb@jebswebs.com</a><br />
<br />
Finally, the container garden on my porch produced mixed results this summer. The green peppers and the basil were rather blah, but the tomatoes were grand. We are trying to grow indoor basil this winter; we’ll see.<br />
<br />
I close by wishing you the Merriest of Christmases and Happiest of New Year’s. May you and yours be filled with the Spirit of the Season!<br />
<br />
~johnjohn eric brandthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05243606306592591756noreply@blogger.com0