College Basketball Quiz: Which are the top five schools all-time
winning percentage entering the 2002-2003 season? Answer below.
Super Bowl
So here on board the QE2, my great misadventure, I wasn\’\’t expecting
to see the Super Bowl, but there it was on the old satellite. Not
that it was a great game, mind you, but at least I got to see Shania
Twain…and at the end of the day, isn\’\’t that what\’\’s most important?
Goodness, gracious.
1/28/1986
As we await George Bush\’\’s State of the Union address, 17 years ago,
Ronald Reagan had to amend his own due to events of that day.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I\’\’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on
the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me
to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering.
Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle
Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of
our country. This is truly a national loss.
Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a
terrible accident on the ground. But, we\’\’ve never lost an astronaut in
flight; we\’\’ve never had a tragedy like this. And perhaps we\’\’ve
forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they,
the Challenger Seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and
did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith,
Dick Scobee, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory
Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe. We mourn their loss as a nation
together.
For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full
impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we\’\’re thinking
about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and
they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, \’\’Give
me a challenge and I\’\’ll meet it with joy.\’\’ They had a hunger to
explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve,
and they did. They served all of us.
We\’\’ve grown used to wonder in this century. It\’\’s hard to dazzle us.
But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been
doing just that. We\’\’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps
we forget that we\’\’ve only just begun. We\’\’re still pioneers. They,
the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers.
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were
watching the live coverage of the shuttle\’\’s takeoff. I know it is hard
to understand, but sometimes painful things like this happen. It\’\’s all
part of the process of exploration and discovery. It\’\’s all part of
taking a chance and expanding man\’\’s horizons. The future doesn\’\’t belong
to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew
was pulling us into the future, and we\’\’ll continue to follow them.
I\’\’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and
what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don\’\’t hide our
space program. We don\’\’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it
all up front and in public. That\’\’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn\’\’t
change it for a minute. We\’\’ll continue our quest in space. There will
be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers,
more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes
and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk
to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this
mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved
and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We
share it."
There\’\’s a coincidence today. On this day 390 years ago, the great
explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama.
In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian
later said, \’\’He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it.\’\’
Well, today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was,
like Drake\’\’s, complete.
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in
which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last
time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and
waved goodbye and \’\’slipped the surly bonds of earth\’\’ to \’\’touch the
face of God.\’\’
—
Blackjack Update
I\’\’ve been shelled the past two nights, and believe it or not, I\’\’m now
up just $5 for the 8 or 9 days I\’\’ve been on board.
Beer Update
Grolsch has become the brew of choice for this guy.
The Blowhole
So Dan D. told me the tale of the kid and the famous blowhole outside
Honolulu. You won\’\’t believe this, but this jerk straddled it, got
blown up and was then sucked back in, never to be seen again. The
boy\’\’s parents actually had the gall to sue the state of Hawaii over
the incident.
Top 3 songs for the week of 1/27/73: #1 "Superstitution" (Stevie
Wonder) #2 "You\’\’re So Vain" (Carly Simon) #3 "Crocodile Rock" (Elton
John)
College Basketball Quiz Answer: Top 5 winning percentage, all time –
#1 Kentucky .762 #2 North Carolina .733 #3 UNLV .720 #4 Kansas .704
#5 UCLA .698….#6 St. John\’\’s / Duke (tie) #8 Syracuse #9 Western
Kentucky #10 Utah…fyi…Indiana is #12 and Louisville #14.
Next Bar Chat, Thursday. News from Tahiti, maybe, if you keep it
where it is…and if the freakin\’\’ computer system holds up here.
