Dayhoff Westminster

Dayhoff Westminster
www.kevindayhoff.city Address: PO Box 124, Westminster MD 21158 410-259-6403 kevindayhoff@gmail.com

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Frederick Douglass and Westminster Mayor Michael Baughman


Frederick Douglass and Westminster Mayor Michael Baughman share a light moment as they strolled the streets of Westminster, June 27, 2009 (c) photo by Kevin Dayhoff

Frederick Douglass portrayed by Michael Crutcher, Sr., of Kentucky and Westminster Mayor Michael Baughman, portrayed by Ron Kuehne, outreach coordinator for the Pipe Creek Civil War Roundtable; share a light moment as they strolled the streets of Westminster moments before Mr. Douglas delivered a stirring oration at the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster on June 27, 2009.

Mr. Douglass’ 45-minute presentation was one of the highlights of the weekend’s living history events which saw “the field across the street of the Carroll County office building was transformed back to the days of June 1863 during the American Civil War.

Douglass was introduced to the audience by Ron Kuehne, outreach coordinator for the Pipe Creek Civil War Roundtable, in his role as Westminster mayor Michael Baughman, 1861-1864.

Also present was Col. Tom LeGore, who has written extensively about Corbit’s Charge, Frederick Douglass and Westminster’s role in the Civil War. Many credit Col. LeGore for being the driving force for bringing the annual commemoration activities to life, after years of advocacy, in 2003.

Over a 100 folks gathered in the “big tent” at the campground to hear Douglass, born in 1818, in Talbot County, on Maryland’s eastern shore, speak of his struggles as a slave, his escape from servitude and his subsequent rise to become a distinguished statesman, editor, author and diplomat; who had the ear of presidents.

This was not Douglass’s first visit to Westminster. Last Saturday, he remarked prior to his oratory, “I’ve returned from my visit to Westminster in 1870.”

He had previously spoken at the Odd Fellow’s Hall – now known as Opera House Printing Company, at 140 East Main Street.

According to Nancy Warner’s history book, “Carroll County Maryland – A History 1837-1976,” an account of his visit was reported in the now defunct “American Sentinel” Westminster newspaper on October 13, 1870.

Read my entire column on the event here: Bringing Corbit's Charge, and Douglass, back to Westminster Published July 5, 2009 by Carroll Eagle

For more information:

Recent history columns in http://explorecarroll.com/ by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/nzcv85

http://twitpic.com/9kk79 Frederick Douglass delivers stirring oration at the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster http://tinyurl.com/nzcv85

Recent history columns in http://explorecarroll.com/ by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/nzcv85

Pam Zappardino at Corbit’s Charge http://twitpic.com/9ko3u
http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2009/07/pam-zappardino-at-corbits-charge.html http://tinyurl.com/mnkfwh

For more information on the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster, please see: Annual Corbit's Chargehttp://tinyurl.com/nno2af
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/search/label/Annual%20Corbit%27s%20Charge

20090627 CCChrgBaughDoug (22)

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Margaret Mitchell wrote what she knew; the rest is gone with the wind

Margaret Mitchell wrote what she knew; the rest is gone with the wind

DAYHOFF: Margaret Mitchell wrote what she knew; the rest is gone with the wind By Kevin Dayhoff, Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 7/02/09

Related: Some of my other favorite writer vignettes from the past.
DAYHOFF: Margaret Mitchell wrote what she knew; the rest is gone with the wind http://tinyurl.com/md3789

On June 30, 1936 the epic novel by Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, “Gone with the Wind,” was first published. Most everyone is familiar with the story by either reading the book or watching the 1939 movie, which starred Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

Certainly Mitchell’s book is fascinating enough, but what has always been of particular interest to me is the life and times of Mitchell, and the story of how she wrote the famous novel.

So the other morning, when Garrison Keillor featured Mitchell in his “The Writer’s Almanac,” on WAMU, I found myself hanging on every word. (Of course, no one tells a story like Keillor.)

[…]

Read the entire column here: DAYHOFF: Margaret Mitchell wrote what she knew; the rest is gone with the wind

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kevindayhoff AT gmail.com or visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/
Margaret Mitchell photograph above:

Margaret Mitchell is all set to launch cruiser after long training as Red Cross launchee / World Telegram & Sun photo by Al Aumuller.

Photograph from 1941 - New York World-Telegram and the Sun staff photographer: Aumuller, Al, photographer. My source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cph.3c11609

20090702 WE Margaret Mitchell wrote what she knew weked
20090709 sdosm2 Margaret Mitchell

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Historic Blue Ridge College bell dedicated In Union Bridge

Historic Blue Ridge College bell dedicated In Union Bridge

http://www.explorecarroll.com/ “Historic Blue Ridge College bell dedicated In Union Bridge” by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/n7pd4z

Historic Blue Ridge College bell dedicated In Union Bridge
Published June 20, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
UNION BRIDGE — Several hundred folks braved threatening weather June 20 to witness the unveiling and dedication of the historic 1900 Blue Ridge College bell in Lehigh Square, the original site of the college which had thrived in Union Bridge from 1898 to ... ...

20090621 Twitpic Historic Blue Ridge College bell dedicated In UB

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Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Recent Columns by Pam Zappardino in the Carroll County Times

Recent Columns by Pam Zappardino in the Carroll County Times

July 8, 2009

Airborne art creates a magical world Walking into the Carroll Arts Center’s Tevis Gallery right now is like walking through the looking glass. On the other side is a somewhat surreal, magical world, sparkly objects floating all around you, brightly colored fish swimming right by you, a green lizard walking across the ceiling, a skeleton dancing to its own tune. This is one different art exhibit.

Exhibits, Ain’t That a Frame move from chaos to art Transitions can be disconcerting. So I was reminded when I received the call from Mom, distraught because all of our preparations for the digital television transition had been for naught. No signal was coming through.

Art in the Park shines on a perfect day I woke up early last Saturday morning and listened. Silence. I have a metal roof, so I can hear rain, even a drizzle. But I heard nothing but the birds. The outdoor art festival season in Carroll County would have a good start.

Unexpected art makes wedding special I went to a wedding last weekend, full of the usual smiles and tears that are always a part of such celebrations. It was also full of art, although I doubt more than a few of us took note. But noticed or not, the art was there.

Unexpected art makes wedding specialI went to a wedding last weekend, full of the usual smiles and tears that are always a part of such celebrations. It was also full of art, although I doubt more than a few of us took note. But noticed or not, the art was there.

Sculpture born using ‘lost wax’ A while back, I wrote about a presentation on space. Not the final frontier, but the way negative space informs the positive in both music and the visual arts, the enigma inherent in needing emptiness to make sense of the whole.

Pen Women show artistic talents I was confused. Not an unusual occurrence, I’ll grant you, but the Carroll Arts Center was playing with my mind.

Finding crazy in being normal McDaniel College has an abundance of art students. At least that’s how it seems these days, with one senior show after another highlighting the work of new artists about to be launched out into the world.

What: “Artists Choice” Where: Community Gallery at the Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster

20090708 sdosm Recent Columns by Pam Zappardino
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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Pam Zappardino at Corbit’s Charge

Journalist and artist Pam Zappardino at the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster June 27, 2009.

When I visited the re-enactment encampment at the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster, I spotted one of the “lady camp followers” from a distance.

As I got closer I was happy to see that it was Dr. Pam Zappardino… And the rest is history…

You may find Dr. Zappardino’s latest columns in the Carroll County Times here: http://tinyurl.com/mbx9pu

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/features/encore/columns/pam_zappardino/

For more information on the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster, please see: Annual Corbit's Chargehttp://tinyurl.com/nno2af
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/search/label/Annual%20Corbit%27s%20Charge

http://twitpic.com/9kk79 Frederick Douglass delivers stirring oration at the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster http://tinyurl.com/nzcv85

Recent history columns in http://explorecarroll.com/ by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/nzcv85

Bringing Corbit's Charge, and Douglass, back to Westminster
Published July 5, 2009 by Carroll Eagle

20090627 Twitpic FB CChrgPZ
20090627-CChrgPZb-(24)sm.gif

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Recent columns in Explore Carroll by Kevin Dayhoff

Recent columns in Explore Carroll by Kevin Dayhoff

Bringing Corbit's Charge, and Douglass, back to Westminster
Published July 5, 2009 by Carroll Eagle

In the picture above: From left to right: Westminster mayor Michael Baughman portrayed by Ron Kuehne, Mary LeGore, Col. Tom LeGore and Frederick Douglass portrayed by Michael Crutcher, Sr., pause for a photograph after Douglass’ 45-minute oration last Saturday at the 7th commemoration ceremonies of Corbit’s Charge in Westminster. Photo by Kevin Dayhoff 20090627-CChrgeFDGrp(3)asm.gif

Last weekend, the field across the street of the Carroll County Office Building in Westminster was transformed to the days of June 1863, during the Civil War.

Organized by the Corbit's Charge Commemoration Committee and the Pipe Creek Civil War Round Table, the gathering marked the 146th anniversary of the June 29, 1863, Battle of Westminster, also known as Corbit's Charge.

It was scene filled with tents, campfires and military equipment, as men and women representing both the Union and Confederate side of the conflict went about the business of presenting a living history of sights, sounds and smells of the Civil War.

The commemoration included a parade to the park beside the historic Court House where a wreath was placed at the monument for Corbit's Charge. That was followed by wreath laying ceremonies at the grave of Lt. Murray, who died in the June 1863 battle, and was buried in the Ascension Church cemetery.

It was on a sleepy summer day in June 1863, on Washington Road and East Main Street, in Westminster, that about 90 men of the Union First Delaware Cavalry, led by Capt. Charles Corbit, found themselves facing 5,000 rebel soldiers from a cavalry division of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under Major Gen. J.E.B. Stuart.

Confederate forces routed the Delaware soldiers. Yet, the battle is considered by many to have been one of many contributing factors in the outcome of the war -- because the brief skirmish took place days before the fateful meeting of Union Gen. George G. Meade and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, in Gettysburg, Pa, July 1-3.

Local historian Col. Tom LeGore says the skirmish delayed Stuart's ability to get to Gettysburg in time to significantly help Lee's forces and was a contributing factor in the eventual defeat of the Confederate army at Gettysburg. In those horrific three days, more than 160,000 soldiers fought, resulting in more than 50,000 casualties -- and a Union victory.

One of the highlights of last weekend's living history events was a 45-minute presentation by the famed orator Frederick Douglass, portrayed by Michael Crutcher Sr., of Kentucky.

"Douglass" was introduced to the audience by Ron Kuehne, outreach coordinator for the Pipe Creek Civil War Roundtable, in his role as Westminster mayor Michael Baughman, 1861-1864.

More than 100 folks gathered in the tent at the campground to hear the story of Douglass, born in 1818, in Talbot County, and his struggles as a slave, his escape from servitude and his subsequent rise to become a distinguished statesman, editor, author and diplomat.

... for his age," Crutcher responded that Douglass has "rested a lot" over the years.

Read the entire column here: Bringing Corbit's Charge, and Douglass, back to Westminster

When he's not traveling back in time to the 1800s, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at kevindayhoff AT gmail.com or visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/....

DAYHOFF: Margaret Mitchell wrote what she knew; the rest is gone with the wind
Published July 2, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
... And that is all I know for right now. Hope you and your family have a great Fourth of July weekend. Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. …visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/....

Westminster was all abuzz for the great fly roundup of 1914
Published June 28, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
... reminds me that it was Groucho Marx who once said, "Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana." When he is not swatting flies, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at … or visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/....

DAYHOFF: Hoffa Field and the Sheathing of the Sword
Published June 23, 2009 by Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle
... . Lightner and the June 1922 American Sentinel newspaper article have left us with an extensive and fascinating account of the “The Sheathing of the Sword.” … visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/....

'Year without summer' killed crops ... and created a monster
Published June 21, 2009 by Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle
... village folk that it's not a bad idea to keep a torch handy on these cool summer nights. When he is not playing with laboratory-harnessed lightning, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at … or visit him at www.westminstermarylandonline.net. ...

Historic Blue Ridge College bell dedicated In Union Bridge
Published June 20, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
UNION BRIDGE — Several hundred folks braved threatening weather June 20 to witness the unveiling and dedication of the historic 1900 Blue Ridge College bell in Lehigh Square, the original site of the college which had thrived in Union Bridge from 1898 to ... ...

When city got 'sole' in the 1920s, it was cause for a celebration
Published June 14, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
... be the guest speaker. There will be a retirement ceremony for worn flags. Guests may bring old flags for retirement. When he is not waving the flag, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at… or visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/....

Remember when you could walk to work in Westminster?
Published June 7, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
... . When he's not on a "walk-about" in Westminster, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached …

Company H: from the Frizellburg greenhouses to the sands of Omaha Beach
Published June 3, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
… (have) come a long way from the old parade field in Frizellburg.” Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster.

Dayhoff: New councilmember tackles alleged hit and run driver
Published June 1, 2009 by Westminster Eagle, Carroll Eagle
... Westminster city police arrived and took control of the situation The accident is under investigation. All in a day’s work. Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster.

20090705 sdosm Recent columns in Explore Carroll by Kevin Dayhoff

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Monday, July 6, 2009

My exercise program every morning

My exercise program every morning

Solid Potato Salad - The Ross Sisters (1944)

Now that I have beaten anorexia, this video best illustrates my exercise program every morning. Wait until about 45 seconds into the video and then prepare to take notes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mVpGmoES3w



20090706 sdosm My exercise program every morning
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A strawberry blonde was weed-eating her yard and accidentally cut off the tail of her cat

A strawberry blonde was weed-eating her yard and accidentally cut off the tail of her cat which was hiding in the grass.
She rushed her cat, along with the tail, over to WAL-MART!
Why WAL-MART??
HELLOOOOOOOOO!
WALMART is the largest re-tailer in the world!!!

Former Defense Secretary McNamara dies

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7th Annual Celebrate Our Diversity Block Party on PA Ave Westminster




7th Annual Celebrate Our Diversity Block Party event occurs on the Sunday July 19, 2009 from 4 - 9 pm on Pennsylvania Avenue in Westminster, MD.

Click here for more past posts on the annual Pennsylvania Avenue, Westminster, MD block party.

Guest performances by local talent such as
High Voltage Drum Corp
Unity Dance Troop,
Double Dutch group
Circle of Friends Singers
and more

Vendors such as: Carroll County Health Department
Westminster Police - Child ID and Finger Printing
Fire Dept
NAACP of Carroll County
Boys and Girls Club
McGruff
....and more

Fun Events Inflatable Rides and Games
Food Vendors
Product Vendors
Games: Bingo Contests
Dance Contests
Chalk Art Contest
Twister
Musical Chairs
...and more


20090703 sdosm 7th Annual Cele of Diversity Block Party announcement


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Edward Hopper


Edward Hopper

For whatever reason, recently several folks have asked where they may find my essays on Edward Hopper. There are two. One may be found in The Tentacle here: Edward Hopper: Poet of the ordinary

And another was posted here: Originally posted September 10, 2007

Kevin E. Dayhoff

Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks," 1942, oil on canvas, depicts a voyeuristic portrayal of ambiguous urban alienation and impersonalization as three customers and a soda jerk spend time together in the harsh glare of artificial light in the middle of the night.

The voyeuristic stark world of American Scene realist artist Edward Hopper was recently displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

August 15, 2007

Click here for more posts on Edward Hopper

20090706 sdosm 20070905 Edward Hopper

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Sunday, July 5, 2009

4th of July at the Shamrock Restaurant


4th of July at the Shamrock Restaurant

July 4, 2009

For the 4th of July my family and I went to the Shamrock Restaurant off Rte 15 in Thurmont, Frederick County, MD, for a delightful meal.

On an entire wall of the restaurant there was an American flag displayed. If I am not mistaken, it was identified as being 20 foot by 38 foot large.

For more information on the Shamrock Restaurant go to: http://www.shamrockrestaurant.com/
7701 Fitzgerald Road
Thurmont, MD 21788
301-271-2912

20090704 sdosm Twitpic FB Cabin 140 shanrockflag

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Tour de France 2009: le parcours - The route

Tour de France 2009: le parcours - The route

July 25, 2007 Viva la bicyclette! Kevin E. Dayhoff Today, as you are reading this, over in France and a small portion of Spain, the 94th Tour de France is in Stage 16.

Viva la bicyclette de Carroll Published July 23, 2008 by Westminster Eagle Today, as you are reading this, the 95th Tour de France is in Stage 17. This year's race began on July 5. After 23 days...

20070725 My July 25th, 2007 Tentacle column is on the Tour de France…

http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_courseTDF.html

For more posts on Le Tour click: Sports Bicycling Tour de France or Viva la bicyclette!

July 4, 2009

Du samedi 4 au dimanche 26 juillet 2009, le 96e Tour de France comprendra 21 étapes pour une distance denviron 3 500 kilomètres.

Running from Saturday July 4th to Sunday July 26th 2009, the 96th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometres.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwTUFNMTP-M



20090704 sdosm Tour de France 2009 le parcours The route
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Saturday, July 4, 2009

Sarah Palin: Who needs this crap?

Sarah Palin: Who needs this crap?

Media fear and loathing and Palin Derangement Syndrome on steroids.

July 3, 2009

On Friday afternoon, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced … that she was resigning her office later this month, a stunning decision that could free her to run for president more easily but also raises questions about her political standing at home,” wrote Jonathan Martin in Politico.

“Palin disclosed the surprise news Friday afternoon from her home in Wasilla with her husband, Todd, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who the governor said would take over the state on Saturday, July 25.” http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24497.html#ixzz0KGHArXOv&D

Well, I for one do not think that she is preparing herself for a presidential run in 2012. I think that many of the armchair pundits have it wrong, except Howard Kurtz – he got it right. http://tinyurl.com/l3sdtx

I have family in Alaska and as a result I have followed the career of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for many years – long before she was thrust into the nightmare of the national spotlight last fall.

I watched the video of her announcement (Friday) afternoon and my immediate reaction is that she has had enough – and who could blame her?

I hope for her sake and the sake of her family that she retires to being a private citizen.

Hopefully she can write a book or two, make some speeches, pay off her ginormous legal bills and go fishing and hunting for a long time away from the likes of the National Organization of (Liberal) Women types, the traditional elitist eastern establishment misogynistic press, and the liberal hate bloggers.

If one puts her tenure in the national glare in the context of how this nation, collectively, treated Geraldine Ferraro, Hillary Clinton in their bid for national office – and now Governor Palin; we should, as a nation, hang our heads in shame.

The scurrilous attacks have shown no signs of letting up. Since last fall, liberal lefties have launched one after another, silly vexatious ethic commission charges – all of which have proved to be essentially groundless.


They have got to have been an enormously time-consuming and expensive challenge – and a drain on Gov. Palin and her family.

Just recently there was the infamous Letterman incident in which he told what Howard Kurtz mentions in the following piece as “an insensitive joke about her daughter getting ‘knocked up’ by New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez."

Then there was the hit-job by what Mr. Kurtz refers to as a “hard-edged Vanity Fair piece, in which former McCain campaign strategists questioned her mental state and even wondered whether she was suffering from postpartum depression.” (http://tinyurl.com/krnbhk)

Of course, all the attacks have been made by “unnamed sources.”

Not to be overlooked was the recent incident in which Wonkette prominently posted an inappropriate photoshop of her child, who has downs syndrome.

If any of the above had happened to President Barack Obama of his family, for example, the “Katie Couric-s” of the world and the National Organization of (Liberal) Women types would have been up in arms. Yet the double-standards persist.

It’s Palin Derangement Syndrome on steroids.

On June 28, 2009, William A. Jacobson, on his blog, “Legal Insurrection,” noted:

“It really is hard to understand why some adults feel the need to make fun of Trig Palin, a one-year old who has Down Syndrome. Politics alone cannot explain it. If you don't like Sarah Palin, fine, but why go after Trig?

“The controversy regarding the photoshop of Trig by Alaskan blogger
Linda Biegel is only the tip of the iceberg. Ever since Sarah's nomination, Trig has been a target. Last fall, the popular DC-based ‘gossip’ website Wonkette joked how Trig must have wished he'd been aborted. Now Wonkette has taken Biegel's Photoshop antics as an excuse to go after Trig anew.

“In a recent
post, Wonkette promoted and joked about even cruder Photoshops of Trig at the Something Awful web forum, where people can post anonymously (examples below). Wonkette even included one of these photoshops in its post (above right) while mocking Trig as the ‘New Jesus,’ ‘Holy Infant’ and ‘Sacred One.’

“All the attacks on Trig are Sarah's fault, according to the Wonkette post, since Sarah had the audacity to bring Trig on stage at the Republican National Convention (where the original photo in question was taken), which Wonkette calls using Trig as a ‘cheap political prop.’ I guess that makes the Obama kids fair game according to Wonkette since they were brought
on stage at the Democratic National Convention…”

Mr. Jacobson continues, “Palin basically poked a stick in the world’s largest beehive filled with cheap & tireless insanity, and the SomethingAwful.com goons have unleashed a pack of Photoshop Dogs From Hell to make the most incredible collection of Sarah Palin Desecration Images in the History of Time, the end.

General Bullshit > Sarah Palin thinks photoshopping special needs babies is appalling [Something Awful]

“(At the top is one) of the milder Photoshops in the Something Awful forum which are Sarah's fault according to Wonkette:"


In the context of the non-stop character assassination by the lefty-haters and the elite media since Arizona Senator John McCain picked her for his vice presidential running mate last fall - - Who needs this crap?

Howard Kurtz got it right. Read “Maybe She Got Tired of the Full-Court Press
Will Palin, Plucked From Obscurity, Return to It?” By Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, July 4, 2009

20090703 sdosm Palin Derangement Syndrome


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Friday, July 3, 2009

Howard Kurtz, the brown sweater and the teeny-tiny laptop

Howard Kurtz, the brown sweater and the teeny-tiny laptop - - Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post at the RNC on September 1, 2008.

Kevin Dayhoff July 3, 2009

Reading through Howard Kurtz’s Tweets and columns this morning, took me back - for whatever reason - to when I had a chance to chat with him for a few stolen moments – and snap his picture - at the Republican National Convention last September 2008.

The convention was held in a sports arena retrofitted for the quadrennial gathering of the party faithful for the purposes of nominating a Republican presidential and vice presidential candidate for the national elections last November.

The arena itself was located in St. Paul near the banks of the Mississippi River and it had the appropriate name – “Xcel Energy Center.” Emphasis on “Energy.”

Everyday, my first stop inside, once I breezed through the elaborate security checkpoints, was the coffee stand wisely located at the entrance.

“Whatta ya having,” asked a friendly well-dressed young lady behind the counter as she flashed a genuine smile.

“I’d like a large IV-drip with room for Geritol.” Coffee was a dear friend at this year’s convention. The days started hours before the 8 o’clock breakfast and more often than not, ended past midnight.

At the convention, I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and briefly speak with the likes of Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, former Baltimore Sun reporter Eric Segal, who now reports for NPR, Howard Kurtz, the Washington Post columnist, new media blogger Andrew Breitbart - http://tinyurl.com/kl6rvl, Fred Davis, the media talent behind the McCain campaign ads, and actor Jon Voight.

One day I took a moment to meander around the media area and stumbled across Mr. Kurtz. He looked busy and somewhat lost in his own little world as everyone buzzed around him.

Although I cannot remember a word Mr. Kurtz said, I do recall that he was friendly. He peered up from his tiny laptop long enough to be cordial and polite, connected with a brief witty, self-effacing moment, and then went right back to work.

I was amused that he was working on this teeny-tiny laptop to the point that one wondered how his fingers could avoid hitting two keys at once.

He was slumped over his work, clad in a brown sweater, no tie, and a mischievous smile. He presented in stark contrast with the many media types who were there immaculately dressed in expensive suits, complete with a caricature grimace or self-important scowl – and an obvious need to go to the bathroom.

My photograph turned out grainy, but as I reflected upon the moment later, perhaps the only thing that would have made the scene more perfect would have been if he had a black coffee, a cigar dangling out of the corner of his mouth and a bottle of Jack Daniels adorning the corner of the snapshot printed in black and white.

So there was Howard – who looked up and said something like, “Hi, how are ya? Having a good convention? …” For a moment he seemed like all he had to do at the convention was to greet my wife and me. And then with a perfect polite verbal segue, he went back to work.

-30-

20080901 Howard Kurtz Washington Post b.jpg
20080901 sdosm Howard Kurtz Washington Post

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Today in history was the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg

Today in history was the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg

July 3, 1863

One of the best reads on the epic battle may be found here: The Gettysburg Campaign, on the ExplorePAhistory.com web site

The Battle of Gettysburg, fought over of the first three days of July in 1863, was one of the climactic events in American history.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee's bold offensive into northern territory resulted in the epic clash of two great armies with perhaps 175,000 soldiers, tens of thousands of horses and mules, more than 600 cannons, and hundreds of supply wagons and ambulances, all of which had traveled from Virginia to south-central Pennsylvania. Here, the two armies suffered a combined total of more than 51,000 men killed, wounded, and missing. Lee's army then walked back to Virginia where it continued to fight for almost two more years.


Read much more here:

Overview: The Gettysburg Campaign

The Confederates Invade Pennsylvania

The Army of the Potomac Pursues Lee into Pennsylvania

Confederate High Tide: Operations on the West Shore of the Susquehanna

Convergence on Gettysburg

Overview: The Gettysburg Campaign-Story Details

Historical Markers In the Story

Original Documents

Publication Guide

Web Guide

Story Credits

Gettysburg National Military Park

Adams County Historical Society

Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center

The Battle Theatre

State Museum of Pennsylvania

Gettysburg Cyclorama Center

Gettysburg College

National Civil War Museum

Cumberland County Historical Society

Eisenhower National Historic Site

EISENHOWER WORLD WAR II WEEKEND

Ghosts of Gettysburg Candlelight Walking Tours

20090703 sdosm Today in history was the last day of Gettysburg
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The 360 coverage of Governor Sarah Palin


The 360 coverage of Governor Sarah Palin

NetRight Nation Blog

Go here: Palin Resigning, for a larger version...

Written by Adam Bitely Friday, 03 July 2009 17:00

Sarah Palin is resigning as Governor on July 26.

20090703 sdosm The 360 coverage of Governor Sarah Palin

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