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National Cherry Blossom Festival

Mar 27

he National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C. commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington. Mayor Ozaki donated the trees in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two nations

National Cherry Blossom Festival

History

In a ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of these trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. By 1915, the United States government had responded with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan.^[2] In 1927, a group of American school children re-enacted the initial planting; the first festival was held in 1935, sponsored by civic groups in the nation’s capital. Suspended during World War II because of hostilities between the United States and the Empire of Japan, the festival resumed in 1947 with the support of the Washington, D.C. Board of Trade and the D.C. Commissioners. In 1948, the Cherry Blossom Princess and U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen program were started by the National Conference of State Societies.

Later, 3,800 more trees were accepted in 1965 by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. In 1981, the cycle of giving came full circle. Japanese horticulturalists came to take cuttings from the trees in Washington, D.C. to replace Yoshino cherry trees in Japan that had been destroyed in a flood. With this return gift, the trees again fulfilled their roles as a symbol and agent of friendship. The most recent event in this cycle occurred in the fall of 1999. It involved the formal planting in the Tidal Basin of a new generation of cuttings from a famous Japanese cherry tree in Gifu Prefecture reputed to be over 1,500 years old.

A Close up of one of the Cherry Trees in Full Bloom.

In 1994 the Festival was expanded to two weeks to accommodate the many activities that happen during the trees’ blooming.^[3] Today the National Cherry Blossom Festival is coordinated by the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc., an umbrella organization consisting of representatives of business, civic, and governmental organizations. More than 700,000 people visit Washington each year to admire the blossoming cherry trees that herald the beginning of spring in the nation’s capital.

The two-week festival is kicked off with an opening ceremony, followed by an array of activities and cultural events. Every day there is a sushi/sake celebration, classes about cherry blossoms, and a bike tour of the Tidal Basin. Other events include art exhibits (photography, sculpture, animation), cultural performances, rakugo, kimono fashion shows, dance, singing, martial arts, merchant-sponsored events, and a rugby union tournament.

The Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run is held as part of the festival on the first Sunday in April. Because the festival must be planned long in advance, it sometimes fails to be celebrated during the peak of the cherry blooms. On the last Saturday of the festival, there is the Parade of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, followed by the Sakura Matsuri-Japanese Street Festival, a celebration of Japan presented by the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Kite Festival begins the festival on the last Saturday of March.

Elite Eight 2010

Mar 27

Encyclopedia

Friday was the second and final round of the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA 2010 Basketball tournament, and there were no huge upsets involved, although there was an upset. Meanwhile, the Cinderella teams that had gone this far saw their carriages turned back into pumpkins as they failed to advance to the Elite Eight 2010.

Elite Eight 2010

Northern Iowa (9) failed to reach the Elite Eight 2010, as it lost to Michigan St. (5). However, the Panthers have nothing to be ashamed of; they were the team, you should recall that beat number one overall seed Kansas, throwing brackets around the nation out of sync. The game was fairly close, as well, with Michigan St. winning 59-52.

Meanwhile, another Cinderella teaming hoping for an Elite Eight 2010 slot was pretty much destroyed. The Saint Mary’s College Gaels (10) were brutally dispatched by Baylor (3), 72-49.

In the upset of the day, Tennessee (6) beat Ohio St. (2) 76-73. Compared to other upsets in the tournament, this wasn’t really that big an upset. At the same time, however, Tennessee’s trip to the Elite Eight 2010 is their first trip ever.

Meanwhile, Alex Hermann’s family can stop hoping. The autistic teen who reportedly had a perfect bracket is no longer perfect. He had Purdue winning it all, on the strength of the fact that his brother graduated from there, but Duke (1) spanked Purdue (4) 70-57.

The Elite Eight 2010 schedule is as follows:

Today:

5 Butler (31-4, 18-0 Horizon) vs 2 Kansas St (29-7, 11-5 Big 12)
CBS 4:30 PM ET WEST REGION – ELITE 8 AT SALT LAKE CITY UT

2 West Virginia (30-6, 13-5 Big East) vs. 1 Kentucky (35-2, 14-2 SEC)
CBS 7:05 PM ET EAST REGION – ELITE 8 AT SYRACUSE NY

Tomorrow:

6 Tennessee (28-8, 11-5 SEC) vs 5 Michigan St (27-8, 14-4 Big Ten)
CBS
2:20 PM ET MIDWEST REGION – ELITE 8 AT ST LOUIS

3 Baylor (28-7, 11-5 Big 12) vs. 1 Duke (32-5, 13-3 ACC)
CBS
5:05 PM ET SOUTH REGION – ELITE 8 AT HOUSTON

You can get the Elite Eight 2010 Bracket Update here. On to the Final Four!

Submitted by Michael Santo on Sat, 2010-03-27 13:28

Jeter: I Want to be a Team Owner at Jordan Jeter Throwback Event

Mar 26

Encyclopedia

According to USAToday.com, Derek Jeter, a sure-fire All-Star and a first pick hall-of-famer made a statement during an event to celebrate the Jordan Jeter Throwback regarding his future after his active play in pro-Baseball. He said that he would want to be ‘like Mike’ and own a

Jeter: I Want to be a Team

Professional Baseball Team someday. As we all know, Michael Jordan has already purchased a majority share in the NBA Team, Charlotte Bobcats making him the head-honcho around there.

To add to this Jeter also said that he isn’t interested in owning a small franchise, he wants to go big-time and by big-time that would mean Major League Baseball. He wants to be the one to call the shots of the team.

“Not too many former players get an opportunity to be an owner. It’s something I’d like to do as well,” Jeter said.

If you are looking for details about the Jordan Jeter Throwback Event, we don’t have it as of this writing but our news researchers are on this. We will make an article as soon as something comes up.

Quicken Loans Arena

Mar 26

Encyclopedia

Quicken Loans Arena (also referred to as “The Q”) is a multipurpose arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Until August 2005, it was known as Gund Arena, named for Gordon Gund, a former owner of the Cavaliers, after he paid for the naming rights. It is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA and the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, and the Cleveland Gladiators of the AFL.

Quicken Loans Arena

It was previously home of the now-defunct Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL, the Cleveland Barons of the AHL, and the Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA.

The arena was opened with a concert by Billy Joel on October 17, 1994; the Cavaliers played the first game in the arena a few weeks later. It is owned by the Gateway Economic Development Corporation, which leases it to the Cavaliers.

On May 16, 2006, the then-inactive Utah Grizzlies franchise of the AHL announced that it would move to the Quicken Loans Arena. On January 25, 2007, the team name was announced as the Lake Erie Monsters.^[1] It began play in the 2007-2008 season.

On October 16, 2007, the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League announced that they would move to Quicken Loans Arena.

The arena replaced the Coliseum at Richfield, which was located south of Cleveland near Akron. Part of the Gateway Project to revitalize downtown Cleveland, the arena and neighboring Progressive Field were paid for with a sin tax on alcohol and tobacco.^[2] In 2005, Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert (owner of Quicken Loans) renovated the arena, installing new seats, state of the art scoreboards, video systems, sound systems, arena graphics, signage, security, locker rooms, and suite upgrades, all of which were in place for the start of the Cavaliers 2005-2006 season, except for the seats, which were replaced a few sections at a time.

The Q” seats 20,562 for basketball, including 2,000 in the club seats, and 92 luxury suites. In addition to its professional sports tenants, “The Q” has been home to the Mid-American Conference’s men’s basketball tournament since 2000 and the MAC women’s basketball tournament since 2001. “MAC Madness”, as it is known, has become a strong draw for the arena. The men’s semifinal and championship games routinely draw 10,000-15,000 attendees.

Additionally, the arena was the site of WWF SummerSlam 1996, the 2000 US Figure Skating Championships, WWF No Mercy 1999, WWF Invasion, Survivor Series 2004, several episodes of Raw, Friday Night SmackDown!, and ECW on Sci Fi. It also hosted WWE Unforgiven (2008). Major national events held at the facility include the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, the 2007 NCAA Women’s Final Four, and the United States Figure Skating Championships 2009. It hosted games 3 and 4 of the 2007 NBA Finals.

On October 29, 2008, LeBron James gathered almost 20,000 people at the arena for a viewing of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama’s 30-minute American Stories, American Solutions television advertisement. It was shown on a large screen above the stage, where Jay-Z later held a free concert.

In October 2009, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced that Award-winning and Iron Chef Michael Symon will contribute menu items to be prepared by foodservice firm Aramark at the Q. Two existing restaurants will be renamed after Symon’s bar-bistros, Bar Symon and The B-Spot, as well as making some of his signature dishes available as suite catering offerings.

SB2C Helldiver

Mar 26

Encyclopedia

he Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced. Crew nicknames for the aircraft included the Big-Tailed Beast (or just the derogatory Beast),^[1] Two-Cee and Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class (after its designation and partly because of its reputation for having difficult handling characteristics).

SB2C Helldiver

Although production problems persisted throughout its combat service, pilots soon changed their minds about the potency of the Helldiver

Delays marred its production. Built for the USAAF as the A-25 Shrike, by the time it was delivered it was no longer required. Substantial orders by the British Royal Navy and the Australian were both cancelled due to the poor handling of the aircraft.

The Helldiver was developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless; it was a much larger aircraft able to operate from the latest aircraft carriers of the time and carry a considerable array of armament and featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying heavy ordnance. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S. Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer incorporated features of a “multi-role” aircraft into the design.

The Model XB2C-1 prototype initially suffered teething problems connected to its R-2600 engine and 3-bladed propeller; further concerns included structural weaknesses, poor handling, directional instability and bad stall characteristics.The first prototype flew in December 1940. After the prototype crashed in February 1941, Curtiss was asked to rebuild it with revised structures and shapes. This second prototype version was also lost when in December 1941 the Helldiver pulled out of a dive and the starboard wing and tailplane failed catastrophically.

Large-scale production had already been ordered on 29 November 1940, but a large number of modifications were specified for the production model. The size of the fin and rudder was enlarged, fuel capacity was increased, self-sealing fuel tanks added and the fixed armament was doubled to four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings, compared with the prototype’s two cowling guns. The SB2C-2 was built with larger fuel tanks, improving its range considerably.

The program suffered so many delays that the Grumman TBF Avenger entered service before the Helldiver, even though the Avenger had begun its development two years later. Nevertheless, production tempo accelerated with production at Columbus, Ohio and two Canadian factories: Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) which produced a total of 300 (under the designations XSBF-l, SBF-l, SBF-3 and SBF-4E) and Canadian Car and Foundry which built 894 (designated SBW-l, SBW-3, SBW-4, SBW-4E and SBW-5), these models being respectively equivalent to their Curtiss-built counterparts. A total of 7,140 SB2Cs were produced in World War II.

Buzz on Beyonce Pregnant Confirmed Reports

Mar 26

Encyclopedia

The rumors are spreading rapidly and so hot like fire.

Buzz on Beyonce Pregnant Confirmed Reports

Could the Beyonce pregnant confirmed reports be really true? Some websites claimed that there is truth to this rumor and that Beyonce is actually pregnant to husband and fellow musician Jay-Z. Beyonce and Jay-Z have been a couple for a while and they really might be expecting this.

True or not, it is said that Beyonce is resting for now. After a successful launch of her latest hits with Lady Gaga – ‘video phone’ and ‘telephone’, she indeed deserves some bit of restful time.

Paula Deen

Mar 26

Encyclopedia

Paula Deen (born Paula Ann Hiers, on January 19, 1947) is an American cook, restaurateur, author, and Emmy Award-winning television personality.

Deen resides in Savannah, Georgia, where she owns and operates The Lady & Sons restaurant with her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen. She has also published five cookbooks. Though married in 2004 to Michael Anthony Groover,^[1] she continues to use the surname Deen from her first marriage professionally

: Paula Deen

Early life

Paula Deen was born in Albany, Georgia. As documented in the Food Network special Chefography and on her official Web site, both her parents died before she was 19 and an early marriage ended in divorce. Deen claims to have suffered from agoraphobia and would not leave her house. She is a proficient Southern cook, a talent she used to help her deal with her condition. In 1986, she felt well enough to take a job as a bank teller. After that she and her sons moved to Savannah. In 1989, she divorced Jimmy Deen, to whom she had been married since 1965, and expanded her cooking experience into a catering service.^[3] She made sandwiches and other meals, which her sons Jamie and Bobby delivered.

The Bag Lady, as the business was named, was successful and soon outgrew her kitchen. On January 8, 1996, Deen opened her own restaurant, The Lady & Sons, in downtown Savannah, on West Congress Street. Within a few years, the restaurant moved to a larger building in Savannah’s historic district. USA Today named The Lady & Sons the “International Meal of the Year,” in 1999. The specialty is the buffet, which may include sweet potatoes, macaroni and cheese, deep-fried Twinkies, fried chicken, cheesy meatloaf, greens, beans, and creamed corn. Every meal comes with a garlic cheese biscuit and one of Deen’s famous hoecakes. The restaurant is run by her sons when they are in town. The restaurant is a perennial favorite with Southerners.^[5]

Deen parlayed her fame into another restaurant, the “Paula Deen Buffet” at Harrah’s Tunica Casino in Tunica, Mississippi The entrance facade of the restaurant, which opened in May 2008, is modeled on Deen’s home in Savannah and features Southern fare.

On September 1, 2009, Deen announced plans to unveil her own dessert line at Walmart featuring signature pies (Apple Crunch Top, Dark Rum Pecan, Old Fashioned Fudge and Gooey Butter Cake bars)

Mennonite

Mar 26

Encyclopedia

The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons (1496–1561), who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders. The teachings of the Mennonites were founded on their belief in both the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ, which they held to with great conviction despite persecution by the various Roman Catholic and Protestant states.

Mennonite

Rather than fight, the majority survived by fleeing to neighboring states where ruling families were tolerant of their radical belief in adult baptism. Over the years, Mennonites have become known as one of the historic peace churches because of their commitment to nonviolence.

There are about 1.5 million Mennonites worldwide as of 2006.^[2] Mennonite congregations worldwide embody the full scope of Mennonite practice from old fashioned ‘plain’ people to those who are indistinguishable in dress and appearance from the general population. The largest populations of Mennonites are in Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United States, but Mennonites can also be found in tight-knit communities in at least 51 countries on six continents or scattered amongst the populace of those countries. There are also a significant number of Mennonites scattered throughout China. There are German Mennonite colonies in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia,^[3] Brazil, Mexico and Paraguay^[4] and there remains a small congregation in the Netherlands where Menno was born.

The Mennonite Disaster Service,^[5] based in North America, provides both immediate and long-term responses to hurricanes, floods, and other disasters. The Mennonite Central Committee provides disaster relief around the world alongside their long-term international development programs. Other programs offer a variety of relief efforts and services throughout the world.

In the last few decades some Mennonite groups have also become more actively involved with peace and social justice issues, helping to found Christian Peacemaker Teams and Mennonite Conciliation Service.

LeAnn Rimes

Mar 25

Encyclopedia

Margaret LeAnn Rimes, known simply as LeAnn Rimes, (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for her work in country music. She is best known for her rich vocals similar to legendary country music singer Patsy Cline, and her rise to fame at the age of 13, becoming the youngest country music star since Tanya Tucker in 1972.

LeAnn Rimes

Rimes made her breakthrough into country music in 1996. Her debut album, Blue, reached Number 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and was certified “multi-platinum” in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album’s lead single of the same name (originally intended to be recorded by Patsy Cline in the early 1960s) became a Top 10 hit. With immediate success, Rimes attained widespread national acclaim for her similarities to Cline’s vocal style. When Rimes released her sophomore studio effort in 1997, You Light up My Life: Inspirational Songs, Rimes went more towards country pop material, which would set the trend for a string of albums that would be released into the next decade.LeAnn Rimes is the youngest person to win a Grammy, and the first country singer to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Since her debut, Rimes has won many major industry awards, which include two Grammys, three ACMs, one CMA, twelve Billboard Music Awards, and one American Music award In addition, Rimes has also released ten studio albums and four compilation albums through her record label of 13 years, Asylum-Curb, and placed over 40 singles on American and international charts since 1996. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide

Robert Culp

Mar 25

Encyclopedia

Robert Martin Culp (August 16, 1930 – March 24, 2010) was an American actor and scriptwriter, perhaps best known for his work in television. Culp earned an international reputation for his role as Kelly Robinson on I Spy (1965-1968), the espionage series, where he and co-star Bill Cosby played a pair of secret agents.

Personal life

Robert Culp

Culp was born in Oakland, California in 1930. He graduated from Berkeley High School. He attending University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, Washington University in St. Louis, San Francisco State University, and the University of Washington School of Drama. He was married five times and had three sons and two daughters. From 1967-1970, he was married to Eurasian actress France Nuyen, whom he met when she guest-starred on I Spy in 1966. She appeared in four episodes of the series, two of them written by Culp himself. During the series run, Culp wrote scripts for seven episodes, one of which he also directed. He also wrote scripts for several other television series, including Trackdown.

Television performances

Culp came to national attention very early in his career as the star of the 1957-1959 Western television series Trackdown, in which he played Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman. Trackdown was a spin-off of Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theater, also on CBS. Culp’s character was introduced in an episode titled “Badge of Honor”. Culp had previously appeared in two other episodes of Zane Grey Theater — “Morning Incident” and “Calico Bait” (both 1960) playing different roles. Trackdown then had a CBS spin-off of its own: Wanted: Dead or Alive, with Steve McQueen as bounty hunter Josh Randall.

After his series ended in 1959, Culp continued to work in television, including a guest-starring role as Stewart Douglas in the 1960 episode “So Dim the Light” of CBS’s anthology series, The DuPont Show with June Allyson. He also appeared on the NBC anthology series, The Barbara Stanwyck Show. Moreover, Culp was cast as Captain Shark in a first season episode of NBC’s The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964). Among his more memorable performances were in three episodes of the science-fiction anthology series The Outer Limits (1963-1965), including the classic “Demon with a Glass Hand”, written by Harlan Ellison. In the 1961-1962 season, he guest starred on ABC’s crime drama Target: The Corruptors! In the 1962-1963 season, he guest starred in NBC’s modern Western series Empire starring Richard Egan. In the episode, he got into a boxing match with series co-star Ryan O’Neal.

Culp then played secret agent Kelly Robinson, who masqueraded as a professional tennis player, for three years on the hit NBC series I Spy (1965-68), with co-star Bill Cosby. Culp wrote the scripts for seven episodes, one of which he also directed. One episode earned him an Emmy nomination for writing. For all three years of the series he was also nominated for an acting Emmy (Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Series category), but lost each time to Cosby.

He played a murderer in three separate Columbo episodes. Prior to that, he, Peter Falk, Robert Wagner and Darren McGavin each stepped in to take turns with Anthony Franciosa’s rotation of NBC’s series The Name of the Game after Franciosa was fired, alternating a lead role of the lavish 90-minute show about the magazine business with Gene Barry and Robert Stack.

In 1973 Culp almost took the male lead in the tv sci-fi series Space: 1999. Unfortunately, during negotiations with creator and executive producer Gerry Anderson, Culp expressed himself to be not only an asset as an actor, but also as a director and producer for the proposed series. The part went to Martin Landau.

In 1981 he starred in The Greatest American Hero as tough-as-nails FBI Agent Bill Maxwell, who teams up with a special education teacher who receives superpowers from extraterrestrials. That show lasted three years ending in 1983. He reprised the role in a voice-over on the stop-motion sketch comedy Robot Chicken.

In 1987, he reunited with Bill Cosby, this time on The Cosby Show, playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable’s old friend Scott Kelly. The name was a combination of their I Spy characters’ names.

When contract negotiations with Larry Hagman over his character, J.R. Ewing, on the TV series Dallas faltered, it was widely reported^[who?] that Culp was ready to step into the role. However, this turned out to be a false rumor. Culp said in interviews that he was never contacted by anyone from Dallas about the part. He was working on The Greatest American Hero at the time and stated that he would not have left his role as Maxwell even if it had been offered.

One of his most recent recurring roles was a part on Everybody Loves Raymond as Warren Whelan – Debra Barone’s father and Ray’s father-in-law.

He appeared on episodes of many other television programs including a 1961 season three episode of Bonanza titled “Broken Ballad”, as well as The Golden Girls, The Nanny, The Girls Next Door and Wings.

National Cherry Blossom Festival

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