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Police Killings Out of Control? – Today's Reads

America is Number One in Police Killings – Western Democracies not even close!

So it’s been a long while since I’ve done a daily reads post, so here goes……before we start let me remind everyone that I am a liberal Democrat and have been since the 60s!
So one of the aspects of life in America that certainly has me pissed off recently is the number of  police killings over the last year or so. Certainly as a percentage of deaths and or arrests the rate is still fairly low – in other words what I’m trying to say is that the percentage of good policemen is still high. I just wish those cops could get the other cops over on their side!! I for one can’t  understand how with all the publicity surrounding these police killings that al of the policemen aren’t on their  best behavior everywhere.
These police killings certainly bring shame to our country and need to STOP!! The following post from AlterNet shows how bad things really are… Read More

Battle of Fairfax Court House – June 1, 1861

Battle of Fairfax Court House – First Battle of the Civil War?

So while the Battle of Manassas or Bull Run, depending on whether you are from the South or North, is considered the first major battle of the U.S. Civil War, there were two land engagement prior to that battle. The first land engagement of the war happened on June 1, 1861 at the Fairfax Court House in Fairfax, Virginia. . Read More

E.J. de Smedt Patents Asphalt Pavement

Edward J de Smedt Patented Asphalt Pavement – May 31, 1870

On May 31, 1870 Belgian immigrant Edward J de Smedt who was at Columbia University in New York City patented asphalt pavement. So we all know what asphalt is, as we all drive on it, and have all felt that heat rising off of it in the summer! But do you know how it is made? I didn’t until I started to deal with it at my job. From Wikipedia: Read More

Reading Challenges End of May Update

Six Books Finished for My Reading Challenges 

So as we come to the end of May it’s time to check in and see how I’m doing on my various Reading Challenges. May was another great reading month. I finished six books that go towards my Reading Challenges and one that doesn’t. The one that doesn’t fall into any of the Reading Challenges is a free Kindle ebook that I read Payback and a Bottle of Merlot – Bria Marche. Hey it was free and worth every penny of it! Cough! Cough! So here are the books and the Reading Challenges that the book falls into….. Read More

Joan of Arc – May 30, 1431

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake – May 30, 1431

On this date in the year 1431,  a peasant girl, the daughter of Jacques d’Arc and Isabelle Romée, known as Joan of Arc, after a trial for heresy that was politically motivated, was burned at the stake. The tribunal was composed entirely of pro-English and Burgundian clerics, and overseen by English commanders including the Duke of Bedford and Earl of Warwick From Wikipedia:  Joan of Arc…. Read More

Night and Day – Vincent Herring

Night and Day - Vincent Herring

Vincent Herring – Night and Day – A 2015 Favorite!

Back on May 12 I was excited to see that saxophonist Vincent Herring had released a new album titled Night and Day. Then I saw on the album cover who Herring had playing with him on the album and I was even more excited! The other members of this quintet include: Brandi Disterheft on bass, Joe Farnsworth on drums, pianist Mike LeDonne and trumpeter, Jeremy Pelt, Both Disterheft and Farnsworth played with Herring on his last album Uptown Shuffle. Read More

John Fogerty – Creedence Clearwater Revival

John Fogerty – Creedence Clearwater Revival and Solo – Born May 28, 1945.

2015 Update: Back in 2013 I wrote a quick post about John Fogerty on his birthday May 28th at that time Fogerty had just released the album John Fogerty Wrote a Song for Everyone. So in honor of John’s birthday, I listened to that album again today!! The majority of the album is covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs that topped the charts in the 60s! The great part of the album is the variety of artists that joined John on the album. The musicians include: Foo Fighters, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, My Morning Jacket, Kid Rock, Bob Seger,Jennifer Hudson and others! John Fogerty truly did write a song for everyone!! Read More

Bowl of Heaven-Gregory Benford & Larry Niven

Bowl of Heaven – Gregory Benford and Larry Niven – (Book 25 of 2015)

It took me almost two months to finish Bowl of Heaven the collaborative effort from two of Science Fiction’s best authors Gregory Benford and Larry Niven. The reason is that while I was reading Bowl of Heaven I started several really good books, those boos caught and kept my attention, causing Bowl of Heaven to be continually put aside. The book never really hooked me, I didn’t really care about the main characters and it seemed that most of the story was just,, well quite simply, boring. But by the time I got to page 300 I thought I might as well finish the damn thing.The book is the first of two books the second is titled Shipstar and the question I face now is do I want to go on and read the second book in hopes that it is better than the first one?? Read More