Posts from — June 2009

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Tampa police say Billy Mays, the television pitchman known for his boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean, has died. He was 50.

Billy Mays

Authorities say Mays was pronounced dead Sunday morning after being found by his wife at home. There were no signs of a break-in, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner’s office expects to have an autopsy done by Monday afternoon.

Mays’ wife, Deborah Mays, says the family doesn’t expect to make any public statements and asked for privacy.

Mays was also featured on the reality TV show “Pitchmen” on the Discovery Channel, which followed Mays and Anthony Sullivan in their marketing jobs. [Las Vegas Review Journal] [Read more →]

President Barack Obama

Organizing for America (OFA) has officially landed in Nevada. Organizing for America is dedicated to forwarding President Obama’s agenda through grassroots action, and to creating a progressive, grassroots movement in the State of Nevada.

In order to best serve Nevada, OFA will visit cities throughout the state to re-engage and mobilize the grassroots movement in support of President Obama.

For Organizing for America to succeed, we need to hear from you – your effort and commitment are the backbone of this movement, and your input will help guide our action in Nevada. [Read more →]

Cherie Trowler

I have a grand niece. Her name is Cherie Trowler. She is on Facebook. Her son, Derik, is getting married. I learned that bit of information from Cherie’s Facebook page.

Cherie informs me:

“Derik just graduated with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and is going on for his PHd. His girlfriend Christina just graduated with her Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering and going on for her Masters. Yep, I am proud.”

I post that here because it illustrates a lesson about one of the values of engaging in genealogy. That lesson is that each of us are an extension of our ancestors. That is to say, families evolve and grow into the future.

There is another lesson as well. Social websites, such as Facebook, permit us to keep up with our families, wherever they are. A reminder of one of the positive attributes of modern technology.

Being a mother, Cherie writes: “This song tells it all.”

Were I not engaged in genealogy all this would have passed me by. With Derrick’s marriage the evolution of the Wood family continues on.

Democratic Senators have put themselves between a rock and a hard place.

during this week’s congressional recess — left-leaning bloggers and grass-roots organizations such as MoveOn.org, Health Care for America Now and the Service Employees International Union have singled out Democratic Sens. Ben Nelson (Neb.), Mary Landrieu (La.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Arlen Specter (Pa.) and Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) for the criticism more often reserved for opposition party members. [Washington Post]

[Read more →]

Like a lot of you I was curious about what South Carolina’s Governor, Mark Sanford’s Argentine mistress looks like. Here she is, Maria Belen Chapur. She is shown on 9/11 reporting on the collapse of the World Trade Center.

Maria Belen Chapur’s lone appearance on Argentinian television eight years ago is now making the rounds on the Internet, and grainy screen captures from the September 2001 video represent the only available images of the woman whose affair with S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford has made international news.

Paparazzi, TV cameras and dozens of reporters have been stalking Chapur’s residence in Buenos Aires for days, but Chapur – if she is inside – has not shown herself. [Fits News]

She is 43 years old, has two sons by a prior marriage. Described by a neighbor as a beautiful brunette who plays tennis, goes jogging, and has large eyes. This much is known: Chapur worked as a journalist and translator of English for about a year for the Argentine television station Canal America, according to Gabriel Bartos, who was then a producer with Canal America. Bartos said that Chapur went to New York after the 9-11 attacks in 2001 to report for the station. [Huffington Post]

PRESIDENT’S LISTENING TOUR IN PAHRUMP:

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009, 7:00PM – - – BOB RUUD COMMUNITY CENTER

Help plan the next step:

At these meetings, supporters are able to meet state staff members, hear about some of the lessons learned during the election, and offer thoughts on how best to organize in their communities.

Your ideas will then be used to write state-specific plans for Organizing for America in 2009 and beyond.

In many ways these small (and sometimes not so small) gatherings echo the same type of meetings that took place in diners and homes in the early days of the campaign, over two years ago. This time however, the focus is not on any one election, but on how to build support for the President’s agenda on a wide range of issues, and how to bring about the change that so many of you worked so hard for.

The campaign brought an unprecedented number of new voices into the process. Our goal now is to make sure those voices remain at the center of the debate as the President and Congress move forward to address the challenges we face.

Listening Tours have already kicked off in more than a dozen states.

Check the President’s website at www.BarackObama.com for more information on Organizing for America.

President Obama asks supporters to declare their support for his three core principles for health care reform, and to share their personal stories to help build support for the reforms that are so desperately needed. Learn more at http://my.barackobama.com/healthcare.

Organizing for America has a website which is an absolute must for reading. I was informed of it by Vice-President Joe Biden’s e-mail. Biden wrote:

A few weeks ago, President Obama asked you to share your personal story about how the health care crisis has affected you and the ones you love. Hundreds of thousands of stories poured in from every corner of the country. The President and I have read through many of them ourselves — and now I’m encouraging you to do so as well.

And I, in turn, urge you to read those stories of Americans and their experiences with respect to healthcare in America. Let me leave you with one of those stories to give you an idea of what you will find there. William of Cabot, Arkansas wrote:

My daughter who at 20 years old and just started her third year of college was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She had to drop out of college for the time as she needed to go through surgery. As soon as she left school she was told that she could no longer be on my insurance policy and her coverage was dropped. This is just when she needed the coverage. She passed away within three years but it was horrible and nobody cared. My view of life and society has forever been changed.

Michael Jackson suffered a heart attack this afternoon at his home and paramedics were not able to revive him, TMZ reported. Jackson was administered CPR in the ambulance, the gossip site said. [Associated Press]

The Los Angeles Fire Department says Michael was not breathing when paramedics arrived.

PHOTOS: Michael Jackson through the years

Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.