Book review - "The Mozart Score" by Edwin Leather

I remember reading The Mozart Score by Edwin Leather years ago so when I saw it in a used book store, I picked it up to re-read it but I didn’t recall any of the story.

First, I’ll say that I did enjoy reading it again.  It’s a sort of a spy novel but without the undercover antics and intelligence as in Daniel Silva or Brad Thor.  The story centers on the kidnapping of an Israeli scientist Karl Reuben by Arab terrorists.  Did I mention this was published in 1977?  This takes place before the fall of the Iron Curtain and the Soviet Union.  Soviet bloc countries are still shrouded in secrecy and distrust of everyone.  Rupert Conway is an art dealer in Vienna and gets involved in the search for the scientist, since Conway is a friend of Rueben’s father.  The search takes them across Austria, Yugoslavia and Albania.

Second, the story was exciting for most of it, but the ultimate climax was rather disappointing.

Third, his writing, although full of rich details of the country and cities in southeast Europe, breaks the cardinal rule of showing rather than telling.  The omniscient narrator is pervasive throughout the story.  It made the head hops not nearly as distracting as in previous novels. 

Fourth, the opening scene in which a man is murdered during a Mozart performance in Vienna is not resolved until the last page, literally, and it seems almost an afterthought, as if Leather realized he hadn’t addressed it since the second chapter. 

Lastly, the Mozart score in the novel has nothing to do with the novel.

Leather also wrote a book The Vienna Elephant but I don’t think I’ll read it.

Two 𝅘𝅥𝅮 out of five.

"Legacy of Hephaestus" by Alex Morgan re-released on Amazon!

My fourth Corey Shaw novel Legacy of Hephaestus is now live on Amazon!

Click here to go to Amazon!

Blurb:

Corey Shaw is trying to salvage what's left of his Baltic cruise vacation by sleeping his way across the Netherlands and Norway.  About the time he arrives in Amsterdam, the largest yellow diamond ever discovered, the Lava Diamond, is stolen from a diamond factory.

Corey is glad to leave the case in the hands of Dutch authorities, but when he gets to Oslo, a paramour is murdered.  For once in his lifetime, he is glad to see the end of a vacation. But things get worse when he returns to Boston.  The diamond shows up in an unlikely place and a volcanology professor on sabbatical in Norway has disappeared.

Thinking the stolen diamond case closed, Corey heads back across the Atlantic to help Norwegian police to search for the professor.  Soon he uncovers more than a missing persons’ case.  It is a plot to turn the diamond world on its head. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Barbara Morgan!

Barbara Morgan, born November 28, 1951 in Fresno, California, went into space aboard Endeavour (STS-118) in August 2007.  She had trained as a backup to Christa McAuliffe as NASA's Teacher In Space.  She was listed as mission specialist for the mission to the International Space Station.

While in space, she participated in an education event with students at the Challenger Center for Space Education in Alexandria, Virginia (I used to live there!).  A few days later, she talked to students at a school in L Ronge, Saskatchewan. 

"Invisible Curtain" by Alex Morgan re-released on Amazon!

My third Corey Shaw novel, Invisible Curtain, has been re-released and is available on Amazon!

Here is the link to Amazon.

Blurb:
Paranormal sleuth Corey Shaw is enjoying vacation with his family in the Baltic Sea when terrorists bomb restaurants hosting World Cup parties in London and Copenhagen. On each occasion the explosion coincides with the cruise ship leaving port. Although the United States isn’t attacked directly, Corey and his colleagues are unavoidably drawn into the investigation with or without the blessing of international intelligence agencies. When a third bomb goes off in St. Petersburg, Russia, Corey is convinced the answer lies aboard his ship. 

He must use all his psionic abilities to protect his family, and his friends, and keep the world safe from this worrying upsurge in international terrorism

Book review - "Dressed for Death" by Donna Leon

I really enjoyed Donna Leon’s Dressed for Death, which I picked up years ago in Puerto Vallarta.  Of the past few books I’ve read, this is one series I might continue to read.

Set in Venice, Commissario Guido Brunetti is called to investigate a body of a man found in Maghera, a short distance from Venice.  The murder is particularly gruesome since the victim’s face has been bashed in so viciously, he cannot be identified.  Also, he is dressed in women’s clothing and wearing make-up. Hence the title.

At first, Brunetti suspects he is one of the male prostitutes who frequent some of the less-reputable areas of Venice, but the victim is older and not as fit as the young men who ply that trade. His investigation is frustrated by lack of leads and an upcoming vacation with his family.  He must complete the investigation before he can join his family. 

Then another body is discovered.

The book was published in 1994 so computer technology was not as advanced as today, so it was interesting to be reminded how much technology has come in the past twenty years.  But attitudes in the novel seem to be before their time.  Brunetti and most of his fellow officers seem open-minded toward homosexuality and transvestites.  Don’t misunderstand me.  Late twentieth-century Italy has its share of homophobia but it was not a major issue in the story, considering the subject matter.

I look forward to reading more of Leon’s work.

4 ₤ out of 5 

Book review - "The Canterbury Papers" by Judith Koll Healey

It is not easy to keep reading a book when you don’t like the main character.  That’s the conundrum I had with The Canterbury Papers by Judith Koll Healey.  The novel follows Alais, daughter of a king, sister to a second king, former betrothed to a third king and mistress to a fourth.  Girl gets around.  But soon the reader finds out that not only is she stupid (she realizes her room at an inn has been broken into but decides to ignore it), she is also a mean girl.  After finding this out, I had to make a decision to finish the book or stop because I no longer cared what happened to the Princesse Alais.

I chose to press on.  The story is centered around Eleanor of Aquitaine, demanding that Alais travel from Paris (again?) to Canterbury in England to retrieve some hidden letters that would be extremely awkward to the Queen mum if they were ever made public.  In return, Eleanor promises information about the son Alais believed had died shortly after she gave birth to him.  She feels she has no choice but to do the queen mum’s bidding.

When Alais arrives at Canterbury, she comes face to face with the man whom she and her royal siblings tormented as a boy, because he was smarter than they were.  William has grown into a formidable man and Alais discovers there is much more to him that meets the eye. 

The issue with the letters is a little anticlimactic since Alais learns their existence and content are the worst-kept secrets in England and France.  

Despite that the book was well-written with few head-hops, but had great details of thirteenth century England and France without all the data dumps.  The kidnapping scene, which opens the book, isn't suspenseful after the first chapter.  

Three ♕ out of five.

The Pointer Sisters release "Having A Party" 1977

The Pointer Sisters released their fourth studio album Having A Party in November 1977.  June participated in recording of the title track but had to leave the group for a short time.  Ruth, Anita and Bonnie finished the album.

It was their final album featuring Bonnie, who would leave the group later, and the last album released on the Blue Thumb label.  They would sign with Planet Records and welcome June back into the fold!

Soyuz TM-7 launched 1988

Soyuz TM-7 crew (L-R):  Jean-Loup Chretien, Alexander Volkov, Sergei Krikalev

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-7, launched November 26, 1988, was the seventh manned mission to the Mir space station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Alexander Volkov, Sergei Krikalev and Jean-Loup Chretien (CNES).  Then French president Francois Mitterand viewed the launch with Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Nick Mason. 

Chretien became the first non-American/non-Soviet person to conduct an EVA when he went outside Mir with Volkov for 6 hours to install a French experimental structure.

Chretien returned to Earth a month later on Soyuz TM-6, but Volkov and Krikalyov remained on board as part of Mir EO-4 expedition and returned in April 1989 with Valeri Polyakov. 

Endeavour (STS-113) launched 2002

STS-113 (L-R): Paul S. Lockhart, Michael López-Alegría, John Herrington, James D. Wetherbee

Mission patch

Expedition 6 crew (L-R): Donald Pettit, Ken Bowersox and Nikolai Budarin

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113), launched November 23, 2002, was a mission to exchange Expeditions 5 and 6 on the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander James Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.  The members of Expedition 6 being carried to the ISS were Kenneth Bowersox, Nikolai Budarin and Donald Pettit.  The returning members of Expedition 5 were Valery Korzun, Peggy Whitson, and Sergei Treshchov.

"Murder At The Green Lantern" by Alex Morgan re-released on Amazon!

My second Corey Shaw novel Murder at the Green Lantern is now available on Amazon!

Here is the link:

Blurb:

After a fetish party at a gay bar in Washington, DC, a young man is murdered and left nailed to a St. Andrew’s Cross.  Paranormal gay sleuth Corey Shaw thinks someone has passed a divine judgment on him, and may be a signal to other gays in the city.  The mystery leads him on a trail from Boston to the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building in DC.   

"Breathless" by Alex Morgan re-released on Amazon!

I decided to go the self-publishing route now, so I'm re-releasing my Corey Shaw novels onto Amazon!  You can find it at this link.

Blurb:

Paranormal detective Corey Shaw, with abilities such as telepathy and clairvoyance, is summoned to Provincetown during the annual leather Mates weekend, when the naked body of a young man is found. He had been tied up and beaten before being strangled. The police say murder but Corey suspects a BDSM scene got out of control. Searching the dungeons, he becomes immersed in the local scene and discovers a never-before-seen side of himself. In a sea of muscular leather masters and slaves, he realizes hidden urges in an environment where every fantasy can be fulfilled. He must set aside his sadomasochism desires and use his powers to locate the murderer before he kills again. Can Corey find him before becoming a victim to the ultimate BDSM fantasy of execution?

Zarya, International Space Station Core, launched 1998

The first building block of the International Space Station, the Zarya module, was launched November 20, 1998 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  Two weeks later, the crew of STS-88 attached the Unity module to Zarya during spacewalks.

At this time, the Russian space station Mir was still occupied so the International Space Station remained uninhabited until Mir was deorbited.  Expedition 1, the first crew to the ISS, arrived in November 2000.  The crew members were  William Shepherd (NASA), Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev (Roscosmos).

The ISS is now permanently manned and currently the crew of Expedition 57, Alexander Gerst (ESA), Serena Aunon-Chancellor (NASA) and Sergey Prokopyev (Roscosmos) is station there.

Book review - "Murder on the Eiffel Tower" by Claude Izner

I find it a little strange that I read two mysteries in a row that take place in Paris, albeit 250 years apart.  Murder at the Eiffel Tower by Claude Izner (published in 2009) occurs during the International Exposition in 1889 when the amazing structure was opened.

The main character is Victor Legris, a columnist and bookseller in Paris, who has joined thousands of people visiting the tower.  A woman dies of an apparent bee sting.  The incident doesn’t attract much attention until an anonymous letter sent to a local newspaper suggests she was murdered.  Soon more people die and Victor begins to suspect, well, everyone.

I enjoyed the book mainly for the description of late nineteenth century Paris and the International Exposition.  One thing that detracted from the enjoyability of the story is the numerous head-hops which confuse the reader, but nearly as bad as the previous book I tried to read.  Izner also builds his characters a bit better.

Readers of Agatha Christie might note a similarity between Murder on the Eiffel Tower and The ABC Murders by Christie.  I won’t go into detail here so you can figure it out for yourself. 

3 out of 5 croissants.

Shenzhou 1 launched 1999

Shenzhou 1, launched November 19, 1999, was first launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft and a significant milestone for the China National Space Administration which had been founded in April 1993.

Shenzhou 1 was unmanned and therefore, had no life support system and no emergency escape system.  It did pave the way for China to send its first astronauts into space.  The spacecraft orbited Earth 14 times and then successfully re-entered the atmosphere, landing in Inner Mongolia, about 415 km from its launch site.

Happy birthday, French astronaut Jean-François Clervoy!

Jean-Francois Clervoy, born November 19, 1958 in France, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.  He has represented both the European Space Agency and the National Centre for Space Studies (French space agency). 

His first mission into space was as mission specialist on Atlantis (STS-66) in November 1994.  The mission studied the Antarctic Zone Hole while it was diminishing to study its possible effects on mid-latitudes.

His next flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-84) to the space station Mir in May 1997.  He flew with birthday twin and fellow astronaut Eileen Collins.

Clervoy's third and last mission was on Discovery (STS-103) as mission specialist in December 1999.  It was a repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and the last solo flight of Discovery.

Soyuz MS-03 launched 2016

Soyuz MS-03 crew (L-R): Thomas Pesquet, Peggy Whitson, Oleg Novitskiy

Mission patch

Soyuz MS-03, launched November 17, 2016, carried three members of Expedition 50 to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Oleg Novitskiy (Roscosmos), Thomas Pesquet (ESA) and Peggy Whitson (NASA).

At age 56, Peggy Whitson became the oldest woman to go into space.  Novitskiy and Pesquet returned to Earth in June 2017 after 196 days.  Whitson returned in September aboard Soyuz MS-04.

"Carrie" released 1976

Stephen King's first novel Carrie was made into a movie and released November 16, 1976. (It had a limited release on November 3.)  Sissy Spacek played Carrie White, a shy, unpopular high school student who is constantly bullied by her classmates.  When she has her first period, she panics but then realizes she has developed telekinesis. 

In an act of cruelty, two of her classmates conspire to humiliate her at the prom, but things don't go quite as well as they planned.

Spacek received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and Piper Laurie, who played her mother, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.  Carrie is one of very few horror films to be nominated for more than one Academy Award nomination.  It was named one of the best movies of the year and grossed over $33.8M.  It is ranked as No. 46 of the American Film Institute's list of 100 Greatest Cinema Thrills.  The climax at the prom is ranked as 8th on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

The Pointer Sisters release "Only Sisters Can Do That" 1993

The Pointer Sisters released their 15th and final studio album Only Sisters Can Do That November 16, 1993.  Ruth's daughter Issa joined her mother and two aunts, June and Anita, singing on two of the tracks and eventually replaced June in the group's line-up. 

Don't Walk Away was one of the singles from the album.

"Earthquake" released 1974

Universal Pictures released its blockbuster disaster movie Earthquake November 15, 1974.  After the success of Airport (1970) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972), a slew of disaster pics were released in 1974 including The Towering Inferno and Airport 1975.  Earthquake was the third grossing film of the year, with The Towering Inferno being the top-selling film.

The movie has an all-star cast that includes Charlton Heston, George Kennedy, Victoria Principal, Ava Gardner and Lorne Greene.  It won an Academy Award for Best Sound and one for Special Achievements in Visual Effects.

John Williams received a Golden Globe nomination for his original score.

Happy birthday, Styx rocker James Young!

James Young, born November 14, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, is guitarist and vocalist for the super rock group Styx.  He also wrote and co-wrote songs for the band, including Snowblind, one of his biggest hits where he sings lead with Tommy Shaw.  It comes from my favorite Styx album, Paradise Theatre.

Right now, he is the only original band member left and has appeared on all Styx's albums. 

"Georgia On My Mind" by Ray Charles reaches #1 1960

Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930, Georgia On My Mind was first recorded the same year by Carmichael.  In 1931, Frankie Trumbauer reached the Top Ten with his recording, the first hit for the song.

But it wasn't until Ray Charles (born in Albany, Georgia) recorded it and released it in 1960 on his The Genius Hits the Road album that Georgia On My Mind reached #1, November 14, 1960.  In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine named Ray Charles' version of Georgia on My Mind as the 44th Greatest Song of All Time.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky!

Sergey Ryazansky, born November 13, 1974 in Moscow, Russia, has made two trips to the International Space Station. 

His first trip to the ISS was aboard Soyuz TMA-10M in September 2013 has part of  Expeditions 37 and 38.  He conducted 3 EVAs during his stay before returning to Earth in March 2014 after spending over 166 days in space.

His second trip was aboard Soyuz MS-05 in July 2017 as part of Expeditions 52 and 53.  He made one more EVA during his stay during which he deployed 5 nano-satellites.  He returned to Earth after over 168 days in December 2017.

His grandfather Mikhail Ryazansky was involved in the Sputnik program.

Remembering Stan Lee (1922-2018)

Stan Lee, one of the creative forces behind Marvel Comics, has passed away at 95.  He worked with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to create such immortal characters such as Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men.

Venera 2, Soviet probe to Venus, launched 1965

Venera 2, the second probe of the Soviet space program to visit Venus, was launched November 12, 1965.  It made its closest flyby of Venus February 27, 1966, during which radio contact was suspended so the analytical instruments on board could do their job.  The Soviets were unable to regain contact with Venera 2 and was considered lost.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Richard Truly!

Richard Truly, born November 12, 1937 in Fayette, Mississippi, flew on two space shuttle missions at the beginning of the program.

He started as a test pilot for the Enterprise's take-offs and landings.  He first went into space on Columbia (STS-2) on his birthday in 1981 with Joe Engle.

His second trip was on Challenger (STS-8) as commander in August-September 1983.  This was the first flight for African-American astronaut Guy Bluford,

He served as NASA's Administrator for 1989 to 1992, during which time he commanded Voyager 1 to take one last picture of Earth before its mission ended.  The pic has become known as the Pale Blue Dot photograph.

Happy birthday, astronaut Mark Vande Hei!

Mark Vande Hei, born November 10, 1966 just down the road here in Falls Church, Virginia, has spent over 168 days in space on the International Space Station.  He was launched aboard Soyuz MS-06 as part of Expedition 53 in September 2017 and returned to Earth back in February. 

Happy birthday, Lt. Tom Paris!

Robert Duncan McNeill, born November 9, 1964 in Raleigh, North Carolina, is beloved by Trekkies everywhere as Lieutenant Tom Paris on Star Trek: Voyager.  He appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation in the episode The First Duty as Cadet First Class Nicholas Locarno.  The producers of Voyager wanted a character like him so they decided just to get him.

He also starred in an episode of Murder, She Wrote with Angela Lansbury.

Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" certified Gold 1977

Released as a single from the album I Remember Yesterday in July 1977, I Feel Love by Donna Summer was certified Gold November 9, 1977.  It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 but reached the top in the UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

It is considered one of the most influential songs of all time and in 2011, Library of Congress added it to the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important".

Take a look at how many different charts have acclaimed it for being necessary, indispensable, or just down-right awesome!

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Les Inrockuptibles	France	1000 Indispensable Songs	2006	*
		1000 Necessary Songs	2015	*
Volume		200 Records that Changed the World	2008	*
Musikexpress	Germany	The 700 Best Songs of All Time	2014	134
Rolling Stone		The 500 Best Songs of All Time	2004	458
Spex		The Best Singles of the Century	1999	*
NPO Radio 2	Netherlands	Top 40 Songs by Year 1969-2000	2013	18
Panorama	Norway	The 30 Best Singles of the Year 1970-98	1999	1
BBC	United Kingdom	Pop on Trial, Top 50 Songs from the 1970s	2008	*
Robert Dimery		1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download	2010	*
The Guardian		1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear	2009	*
		A history of modern music	2011	*
IDJ Magazine		The 50 Greatest Dance Singles	2004	37
Mixmag		The 100 Best Dance Singles of All Time	1996	12
Mojo		The 100 Records That Changed the World	2007	96
Gary Mulholland		This Is Uncool: The 500 Best Singles Since Punk Rock	2002	*
Muzik		The 50 Most Influential Records of All Time	2003	*
NME		The 100 Best Songs of NME's Lifetime	2012	79
		The 100 Best Songs of the 1970s		6
		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2014	3
Q		The 50 Most Exciting Tunes Ever	2002	44
		100 Songs That Changed the World	2003	36
		The 1001 Best Songs Ever		*
		The 1010 Songs You Must Own	2004	*
		Top 20 Singles from 1970-1979		3
		The Ultimate Music Collection	2005	*
Paul Roland		CD Guide to Pop & Rock, 100 Essential Singles	2001	*
Uncut		The 100 Greatest Singles from the Post-Punk Era		11
		100 Rock and Movie Icons	2005	68
Blender	United States	Standout Tracks from the 500 CDs You Must Own	2003	*
Dave Marsh, Kevin Stein		The 40 Best of the Top 40 Singles by Year	1981	15
Michaelangelo Matos		Top 100 Singles of the 1970s	2001	4
Pitchfork		The Pitchfork 500	2008	*
		The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s[25]	2016	4
PopMatters		The 100 Best Songs Since Johnny Rotten Roared	2003	38
Rolling Stone		The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time	2004	411
		40 Songs That Changed the World	2007	*
Time		The All-Time 100 Songs	2011	*
Treble		The Top 200 Songs of the 1970s	2012	14
(*) designates lists that are unordered.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Rhea Seddon!

Margaret Rhea Seddon, born November 8, 1947 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is one of the first group of astronauts to include women and is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.  She has a doctorate of medicine from the University of Tennessee and has served in hospitals in Mississippi and Tennessee. 

Selected as an astronaut in 1978, her first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-51-D) in April 1985 as mission specialist.  She logged 168 hours in space.

Her second mission was aboard Columbia (STS-40) in June 1991 as mission specialist. This flight was dedicated to life sciences with experiments involving cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary, renal/endocrine, blood, musculoskeletal, neurovestibular and immune systems.

Her third and final mission was aboard Columbia (STS-58) in October-November 1993 as Payload Commander on another life science research mission, continuing many of the experiments began on STS-40.

She is married to former astronaut Robert Gibson.

Nerds in Congress! Eight scientists are among the new members of Congress!

The citizens of the U.S. are sending 8 new scientists to Congress!  Well, seven scientists and one who has received a science degree.  Among the blue wave there was a rainbow wave (over 100 LGBT persons won their races) and a pink wave (at least 123 women, including Muslims and Native Americans won their races) changing the face of our House and Senate. 

Jacky Rosen (D-NV) Senator: Rosen is a computer programmer who has represented Nevada’s 3^rd District.  She supports clean, renewable energy, whereas her opponent flip-flopped on the Affordable Care Act and cast the deciding vote on a law that allowed internet service providers sell consumer data without their knowledge.

Chrissy Houlahan (D) Pennsylvania 6^th district Representative: Houlahan is an industrial engineer and an Air Force veteran who campaigned on making healthcare more affordable.  She defeated her opponent who is a tax lawyer and has owned 20 Wendy’s franchises.

Joe Cunningham (D) South Carolina 1^st district Representative: Cunningham, an ocean scientist, used his expertise to campaign against the future of offshore drilling, which won over Republican mayors of coastal cities.  His opponent focused on national issues rather than local ones.

Sean Casten (D) Illinois 6^th district Representative:  Casten, a biochemical engineer, founded a waste-energy recovery program and supported LGBTQ rights.  His opponent was a climate-change denier who later flipped on the issue.

Elaine Luria (D) Virginia 2^nd district Representative: Luria is a nuclear engineer, who spend 20 years in the Navy, operating nuclear reactors as an engineer and a commander. She also focused on increasing the minimum wage.  Her opponent, an ex-Navy Seal, got caught up in a bit of a scandal.

Kim Schrier (D) Washington 8^th district Representative: This race still hasn’t been called as of yesterday, but Schrier has a commanding lead.  Schrier wants to be the first female doctor in Congress.

Lauren Underwood (D) Illinois 14^th district Representative: Underwood, a registered nurse, was a senior adviser at the DHHS under President Obama, where she focused on preventing and responding to bioterrorism threats.  She focused on expanding access to healthcare, since she has an irregular heart rhythm, i.e. pre-existing condition.

Kevin Hern (R) Oklahoma 1^st district Representative: You pretty much have to be a Republican to win an election in Oklahoma, and in such an anti-science state, it’s not surprising he did not campaign on any science-related issues although he has a mechanical engineering degree from Arkansas Tech University.  He said when the space shuttle Challenger blew up in 1986, he decided to give up his dream to be an astronaut and work at McDonald’s flipping burgers?  I suppose if you are a Republican, this would make sense.  He is a Trumpster and owns 10 McDonald’s restaurants in the Tulsa area. 

Drag Queen Story Hour - lovely ladies reading to children!

No obscure message here.  Drag Queen Story Hour is just that: Drag queens reading books to children in libraries, schools and bookstores.  As Harmonica Sunbeam says, kids are attracted to color and splashy things, so even if the story doesn't hold their attention, the drag queens do. 

Not only are they reading to children, creating a thirst for knowledge, they give the kids a safe place to learn about accepting people who are different from they are, explore themselves, help to prevent bullying, all while learning.

Starting in San Francisco, Drag Queen Story Hour events are taking place all over the country, including redder-than-red Tulsa, Oklahoma!


Read more at their website here:

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Alvin Drew!

Alvin Drew, born November 5, 1962 in Washington, DC, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights and during his last shuttle mission became the 200th person to walk in space.

His first mission into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-118) as mission specialist in August 2007 to the International Space Station.  It was the first flight of the Endeavour after the Columbia disaster.  Drew and fellow astronaut Barbara Morgan participated in an education event on August 16 (Day 9) with students in Alexandria, Virginia.

His wake-up songs are two songs I really like: Outa-space by Billy Preston and Learn to Fly by the Foo Fighters.

Drew's second mission into space was aboard Discovery (STS-133) in February-March 2011 to the International Space Station.  It was the 39th and final mission of Discovery.  It completed a cumulative total of 365 days in space.  Drew performed the mission's first EVA on Day 5 with fellow astronaut Steve Bowen.  That is when Drew became the 200th person to walk in space.

"Doctor Strange" released 2016

Marvel Studios released Doctor Strange November 4, 2016, the fourteenth Marvel Comics Universe movie.  London-born actor Benedict Cumberbatch played a sexy version of the good doctor.  I am a big fan of Tilda Swinton but I did not like her being cast in a role of an old Tibetan man from the comics. 

The special effects were eye-popping and the story was well in line with the comics.  It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects.  (It lost to The Jungle Book.) I liked his appearance in Thor: Ragnarok with Chris Hemsworth.

As of April 2017, Doctor Strange has grossed $677.7M world-wide.

Star Trek episode "'I, Mudd" airs 1967

Possibly the funniest episode (Episode 8, Season 2) of the Star Trek: The Original Series, I, Mudd aired November 3, 1967.  Although the beginning promises to be drama, the episode soon becomes quite entertaining.  Harcourt (Harry) Fenton Mudd returns on a planet populated only by androids.  They seize command of the Enterprise and take everyone prisoner on the planet.

Capt. Kirk, Spock and the crew devise a way to defeat the army of beautiful female androids but keep a special punishment for Harry Mudd.

Roger C. Carmel is the only actor other than the regulars to play the same character twice during the run of the series. 

ABBA releases "Super Trouper" 1980

Super-duper Swedish group ABBA (Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Anni-Fryd Lingstad) released their seventh studio album Super Trouper November 3, 1980.  It generated three hit singles, The Winner Takes It All, Super Trouper and Lay All Your Love on Me.  It was also the biggest selling album of 1980 in the United Kingdom.

Happy birthday, Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen!

Andreas Mogensen, born November 2, 1976 in Copenhagen, Denmark, is the first Danish astronaut, from the European Space Agency.  He spent almost ten days in space aboard the International Space Station.  His mission started aboard Soyuz TMA-18M as flight engineer in September 2016.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz TMA-16M.

In 2014, he participated in NASA's Aquarius Underwater Laboratory as part of expedition NEEMO 19, which lasted 7 days.

Dawn, NASA's mission to the Asteroid Belt, comes to an end

Dawn, the little spacecraft that could, has ended its mission into the asteroid belt.  Launched in September 2007, it is the first probe to orbit one celestial body and then leave to orbit another one.  Dawn arrived at Vesta in July 2011 and studied the protoplanet for 14 months.

Dawn left Vesta and traveled to Ceres, arriving in March 2015, where it remains.  It missed several scheduled communications and NASA has concluded it has run out of hydrazine, the fuel that helps the craft keep its antennae pointed toward Earth and its solar panels to the sun.

Its mission lasted three years longer than anticipated.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Jan Davis!

Jan Davis, born November 1, 1953 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.

Her first mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-47) as mission specialist in September 1992.  She had secretly married fellow astronaut Mark Lee just a few weeks before.  By the time NASA found out about it, it was too late to change their rule about "husband and wife" teams not flying on the same mission.

Her second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-60) as mission specialist in February 1994.  It was the first Space Shuttle/Mir mission and the first time a Russian cosmonaut, Sergei Krikalev, flew on a space shuttle.

Her third and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-85) in August 1997.  She operated the shuttle's robotic arm for the entire trip.