Morning Update, July 31, 2010

The_Kitchen_Guy

There were no new developments in Paige's case yesterday. No news, no new developments.

In news of Candles for Paige we had 45 candles as of this post. Remember, candles go out after 48 hours so keep lighting candles for Paige, her family and her three children.

Instructions for lighting candles for Paige are in the Missing thread, in this post.

On This Day In History...

...in 1975, James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa vanished, never to be seen again. He was a most influential labor leader and the popular ledgend was that he was a victim of a Mafia hit, but his disappearance has never been solved. In 1967, when he was president of the Teamsters, he was convicted of bribery and senteced to 15 years. President Nixon commuted his sentence in 1971 with the proviso that he not participate in union activites for ten years. While he preparing to challenge the proviso, he was snatched from a restaurant parking lot in Detroit. Several urban myths claim to reveal the location of his body (the most popular being in the end zone or inside a concrete column of Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands) but he has never been found.


James Riddle Hoffa (1913-19??)

...in 1777, Marie-Joseph Paul Roch Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette was appointed Major-General in the Continental Army, the 19 year old aristocrat agreed to serve without pay. His native France would later ally itself to the American cause and recalled Lafayette. Benjamin Franklin, the ambassador to France, reported that Lafayette was a most convincing advocate for the Americans at the French Court. He later returned to the Continental Army to serve in several decisive battles, including the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown.


Marquis de Lafayette

...in 1990, Nolan Ryan became the 20th pitcher to reach 300 career victories, leading the Texas Rangers to a 11-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. The Ryan Express often threw pitches over 100 miles per hour. In his last game, he tore a ligament in his arm and still threw the next pitch 98 mph. He retired after that game in 1993 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999, along with George Brett, Robin Yount and Orlando Cepeda. (I was at that induction ceremony, primarily to see Robin Yount inducted. Of the 90,000 people who were estimated to be there, it seemed like 65,000 of them were from Kansas City to see George Brett.)


The Ryan Express in 1983

...in 1917, the third battle for Ypres in Flanders Field, Belgium began. It lasted until Noverber 16, cost the British 310,000 casualties and the Germans over 260,000 casualties. The battle clearly demonstrated the futility of trench warfare. After the first battle for Ypres in 1915, Lt Col. John McCrae, MD (Canada) penned the poem, In Flanders Fields, called one of the greatest war poems ever written:

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

(In case you ever wondered why the poppy is the symbol of the American Legion Auxillary, read the poem again.)



That's it. That's all we know as of 12:01 AM, EDT.

raebates

Jimmy Hoffa's disappearance is fascinating. I'm really surprised that nothing definitive has been discovered after all this time.

Marie-Joseph Paul Roch Yves Gilbert du Motier--I wonder if he ever wished his name was simply Bob.

raebates

Bumping to get this on top of yesterday's post.

The_Kitchen_Guy

I hope not. No one would ever go to Purdue if it was in West Bob, Indiana.