Today in History

May 25, 1977. Star Wars is released. Need I say more?

Oh, and it's also Sgt. Slaughter's birthday.

Today in History

Joplin Tornado Memorial Park

 May 22, 2011 - A massive EF5 tornado slams into Joplin, Missouri, killing 162 people and causing over 2 billion dollars in damages. It is one of the deadliest and costliest tornadoes in American history. As part of cleanup efforts organized by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I had the opportunity to go to Joplin the weekend after the storm and assist in the process. It was an experience I will never forget, and the devastation and destruction I saw was something I had never hoped to see again. However, just two days ago, the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore was ravaged by a tornado of equal strength. This is not the first time Moore has been in the direct path of a monster tornado, but this one seems to feel different, especially after two elementary schools were hit and 9 children were killed within one of the schools. It is very likely that Tulsa stakes of the church will be organized to go to Moore and assist in the ongoing cleanup. If we are asked to go, I will certainly be ready and willing, although emotionally I'm not sure if I'm ready for that again. The images of Joplin haunted me for months after we left. I have been back to Joplin several times since the tornado and it's amazing how fast the town has come back. They are resilient, and the people of Moore are as well. They will rebuild.

Some of the destruction in Joplin:

Song of the Day

Today in History

May 11, 1910 - Glacier National Park established in Montana, becoming the 10th national park. I've only had the opportunity to visit Glacier once, and that was when I was a small child. My memories of that occasion are vague at best. I would love to go back, especially now that many of the park's namesakes are melting and in danger of disappearing altogether.

NPS website: http://www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm

Also, if you haven't seen Ken Burns' The National Parks, check it out, as Glacier is one of the parks spotlighted in the series. http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/

Today in History

Probably the only Raider I ever liked. Running over Brian Bosworth was priceless.

 May 7, 1982 - The Oakland Raiders officially move to Los Angeles. Raiders owner Al Davis had been trying to move the Raiders for two years, but the NFL had taken action to prevent the move from happening. A U.S. Federal District Court Jury found that the Raiders should be able to move. They would win a Super Bowl in two years, but after that things were never all that good for the Silver and Black in L.A. Davis never got the stadium he wanted and eventually moved the Raiders back to Oakland in 1995. Rapper Ice Cube directed an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the Raiders' time in L.A. and their impact on the city, titled Straight Outta L.A. More info on the film can be found here: http://espn.go.com/30for30/film?page=straight-outta-la

Today in History

Besides it being Cinco de Mayo, today also marks the 70th birthday of Monty Python member Michael Palin. Most widely known for being part of the British comedy troupe, he has also starred in various movies and done a series of travel documentaries. He is best known to me as Sir Galahad in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the my all time favorite movies. Happy birthday, Mr. Palin.

Paranorman

Friday is family movie night. We're always looking for something we can all enjoy, as Mommy and Daddy don't really want to sit through Lilly watching Tinkerbell for the 800th time. Paranorman is a movie I've had on my radar since it came out. I had heard a lot of good things about it and was excited to see it added to the Netflix streaming catalog. We were a little worried about it scaring Lilly, but she's a big fan of The Nightmare Before Christmas so we thought we'd give it a try. I'm glad we did. I really enjoyed it, as it was well written, visually stunning, and just fun to watch. But it also comes with a good message. Just because someone is different is no reason to persecute and hate them. I couldn't help but think of Bully as the movie began with Norman being made fun of at school and even at home. Fortunately, Norman becomes the hero and saves the town. That certainly doesn't happen most of the time in the real world. I saw a statistic the other day that noted that more deaths now occur by suicide than by car accidents. Why can't we just look past our differences and get along? I know that's probably not likely to happen anytime soon, but we can always have hope (And yes, I realize that not all suicide is caused by bullying). Anyways, this is a good family flick with a touch of the weird (which is why I wanted to see it in the first place). Check it out.

Deaths in the music world

We saw the deaths of two musicians this week - on complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Chris Kelly, one-half of the early 90s rap duo Kris Kross, was found dead of what looks like an apparent overdose. Jeff Hanneman, one of the founding members of Slayer, died of liver failure. As a middle aged kid in the early 90s, Kris Kross was inescapable. I was never a big fan, but I can certainly still remember the lyrics to "Jump." The thought of putting my pants on backwards might have crossed my mind a time or two as well. Give me a break, I was 11. I never got much into Slayer, although a big fan of the other three of the "Big Four" thrash bands. That being said, I understand the importance the band played in the founding of thrash metal. Their album Reign In Blood is widely regarded as one of the best albums of the genre. Both the hip hop and metal communities are mourning this week.