Tag Archives: Sports

Happy Birthday, Fred Rogers – Style Icon

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Fred Rogers would be 85 today.  He was the kindest, most gentle adult that most kids my age every knew.  He spoke to us as people and inspired us to think about our feelings.  He taught us empathy and compassion.  He changed our lives and the world is a better place because of him.  Ladies and gentlemen, Fred Rogers.  Style Icon.

NAME: Fred McFeely Rogers
OCCUPATION: Minister, Television Personality
BIRTH DATE: March 20, 1928
DEATH DATE: February 27, 2003
EDUCATION: Rollins College, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
PLACE OF BIRTH: Latrobe, Pennsylvania
PLACE OF DEATH: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
AKA: Mister Rogers

BEST KNOWN FOR: The much-loved host of the public television show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, which ran on PBS from 1968 to 2001.

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, author, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001), that featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh-area shows dedicated to youth. The Public Broadcasting System developed his own nationally-aired show in 1968 and, over the course of three decades on television, he became an indelible American icon of children’s entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. His testimony before a lower court in favor of time shifting was cited in a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Betamax case, and he gave now-famous testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, advocating government funding for children’s television.

Rogers was honored extensively for his life work in children’s education. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor; a Peabody Award for his career; and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Two resolutions recognizing his work were unanimously passed by U.S. Congress, one of his trademark sweaters was acquired and is on display at the Smithsonian Institution, and several buildings and works of art in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory.

In 1996, Mister Fred Rogers was ranked #35 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

I’m not that interested in ‘mass’ communications. I’m much more interested in what happens between this person and the one person watching. The space between the television set and that person who’s watching is very holy ground.

These two clips will remind you of his power and vision and stay with you the whole day:

In 1997, Fred Rogers was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emmys. His acceptance speech is one of the most gentle, moving, humble, and powerful statements I’ve seen in a long time. Even the way he accepts the award from Tim Robbins — in a gentle, curious manner, just standing back and calmly smiling at the crowd — it’s amazing. As the clip ends, his standing ovation begins.

His speech that he made before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications to support funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.  In about six minutes of testimony, Rogers spoke of the need for social and emotional education that public television provided. He passionately argued that alternative television programming like his Neighborhood helped encourage children to become happy and productive citizens, sometimes opposing less positive messages in media and in popular culture.

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Forgetting Does Not Mean Forgiving: A Father’s Day Message

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Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there.

Memories of my father are misty soft-focused outlines of events. They seem more like memories of photographs I haven’t seen recently. My father vanished completely from my life 18 years ago, he started to vanish 12 years before that, if he was ever actually there, that is. He is alive. A girl from the neighborhood sees him around town every now and then. He just stopped wanting to see my sister and me, I guess.

I am sure he has his reasons or what he thinks are reasons, but when you are 12 years old and your father never calls you and rarely returns your calls, you know it’s because there is something wrong with you. There is something that he can see, maybe all adults can see, that makes you unworthy, less than, not enough. Through his inactions, and sadly even some of his actions, I grew up thinking that I was not worth his time.

For quite a few years, he was a little league coach and I watched him interact with the kids on his team, being much more interested and excited and engaged with them than he ever was with me.

Once, after reviewing a less-than-favorable junior high report card, he commented that my mother and sister got the brains in the family.

I learned how to shave from the Lab Series sales associate at the Bon Marche.

He sold a a car for me to one of his friends and kept the money. I asked about it a few times and he would say that he traded it for something that he was selling and that I would get it soon, but it never happened.

When I told him that his father raped me repeatedly when I was four and five years old, his only response was to ask me why I agreed to move in and look after the same grandfather.

He and his sister must have changed or broke their Father’s will to cut my sister and me out. We received nothing and only learned of our grandfather’s death because our mother’s coworker read it in the newspaper and recognized the names.

My advice to fathers on Father’s Day is to either step up or stay away. You cannot half-ass it with a kid. If you can’t do it, just go away and let the memories fade.

My advice to kid on Father’s day is that you do not have to forgive to forget. Hopefully, your father didn’t fuck up on purpose. He probably just didn’t know how to be an adult and that is his fault for not sorting his shit out before having a kid. If you have kids of your own, it stops with you. Be the parent you wanted, not the one you had. It is probably scary and ego-crushingly hard, but you owe it to them, you owe it to yourself.

Walter V McDonald – Damn Fine Run.

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Susie,

I am sorry to learn of your dad’s passing. Even though I had never met him, I have so many great stories about him from you. I think that is probably the best legacy a person could leave, to have people remember them fondly and tell stories about them and have people they never met mourn their loss.

You were so lucky to know him for so much of your life and to have so many great memories of him and your mother. Such larger than life characters remind us to value our time here and with each other. And hopefully, with a little luck and a lot of bravery, we can create stories that will be told by future generations. To become family lore. To be toasted when two or more people that knew us gather.

Please let us know if there is anything the Anderson side can do for you, Brian, or Amy. You all mean the world to us.
Love
Scott

Feel free to visit his online memorial and sign the guestbook here:  Obituary For: Walter V McDonald | Norvel Owens Mortuary.

Walter V McDonald 
(November 5, 1920 – April 16, 2012) 

Walter Vincent McDonald, of Flagstaff, AZ passed away on April 16th, 2012. He was a beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend to many. Walt was born on November 5th, 1920 in Lowellville, OH and was raised during the depression era. He was a standout athlete at Struthers High School (where he is a member of the hall of fame) balancing academics, sports, and working at the local steel mill. Walt then attended Tulane University on athletics scholarship for both football and basketball. While maintaining grades that kept him on the Dean’s List, Walt excelled in football where he was named to the All Southeastern Conference for two years, Honorable Mention College All-American, and played in the Blue/Grey college football all-star game. By the end of his career at Tulane he held the record for most receptions in a game and a season, which stood for 10 years. It was at Tulane University where he met Marjorie Siler, from Cottonwood, AZ, and they married on November 2nd, 1943.

After graduation Walt was drafted by the Washington Redskins, but chose to volunteer for the Navy where he served in the Pacific Theatre of WWII as a Lt JG and Commander of a PT boat. While serving he was missing in action in New Guinea. After the war Walt relocated to Flagstaff, AZ to be with his wife Marjorie. He then returned to his career in professional football joining the AAFC/NFL playing for the Miami Seahawks, Brooklyn Dodgers, and the Chicago Hornets where he was one of the last players to go both ways as a blocking back and linebacker. Highlights of his career included playing in the first televised professional football game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees, as well as being 2nd overall in Brooklyn Dodgers franchise history for interceptions. After the 1949 season Walt was offered a large contract with the Redskins but decided to retire from football and returned to Flagstaff. Walt continued to receive an NFL pension check until his death.

Walt made his mark in Flagstaff being the first professional football player and a successful businessman. His business endeavors included developing, owning and operating Starlite Lanes bowling alley, as well as owning Club 66, the Pine Hotel, and the Museum Club. Walt was inducted into the Arizona Bowling Hall of Fame and later into the Flagstaff Sports Hall of Fame. He enjoyed spending time with friends and family boating at Lake Powell, fishing, and taking trips with his wife in their motor home.

Walt was preceded in death by his loving wife Marjorie McDonald and son-in-law Aldo Anderson. He is survived by his five children: Susie Anderson Sedona, Choo Choo Walter McDonald Jr Flagstaff, Debbie Mews (Randy) Flagstaff, Dennis McDonald (Susie) Camp Verde, and Randy McDonald (Dana) Tucson, 16 grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren. Services will be held at Nativity Catholic Church on Thursday, April 19th at 10 A.M. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hozhoni Foundation, Inc. 2133 N. Walgreen St. Flagstaff, AZ 86004 or Flagstaff Sports Foundation, 114 N. San Francisco St. Suite 17, Flagstaff, AZ 86001. With special thanks and gratitude to the staff and caregivers at The Peaks Senior Living, Heritage Assisted Living, and Hospice Compassus.

How to Suck at Facebook

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How to Suck at Facebook – The Oatmeal.

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Fred Rogers – Style Icon

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Fred Rogers would be 84 today.  He was the kindest, most gentle adult that most kids my age every knew.  He spoke to us as people and inspired us to think about our feelings.  He taught us empathy and compassion.  He changed our lives and the world is a better place because of him.  Ladies and gentlemen, Fred Rogers.  Style Icon.

NAME: Fred McFeely Rogers
OCCUPATION: Minister, Television Personality
BIRTH DATE: March 20, 1928
DEATH DATE: February 27, 2003
EDUCATION: Rollins College, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
PLACE OF BIRTH: Latrobe, Pennsylvania
PLACE OF DEATH: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
AKA: Mister Rogers

BEST KNOWN FOR: The much-loved host of the public television show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, which ran on PBS from 1968 to 2001.

Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003) was an American educator, Presbyterian minister, songwriter, author, and television host. Rogers was most famous for creating and hosting Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (1968–2001), that featured his gentle, soft-spoken personality and directness to his audiences.

Initially educated to be a minister, Rogers was displeased with the way television addressed children and made an effort to change this when he began to write for and perform on local Pittsburgh-area shows dedicated to youth. The Public Broadcasting System developed his own nationally-aired show in 1968 and, over the course of three decades on television, he became an indelible American icon of children’s entertainment and education, as well as a symbol of compassion, patience, and morality. He was also known for his advocacy of various public causes. His testimony before a lower court in favor of time shifting was cited in a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Betamax case, and he gave now-famous testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, advocating government funding for children’s television.

Rogers was honored extensively for his life work in children’s education. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor; a Peabody Award for his career; and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. Two resolutions recognizing his work were unanimously passed by U.S. Congress, one of his trademark sweaters was acquired and is on display at the Smithsonian Institution, and several buildings and works of art in Pennsylvania are dedicated to his memory.

In 1996, Mister Fred Rogers was ranked #35 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

I’m not that interested in ‘mass’ communications. I’m much more interested in what happens between this person and the one person watching. The space between the television set and that person who’s watching is very holy ground.

Related articles

Diego Rivera – Style Icon

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NAME: Diego Rivera
OCCUPATION: Painter
BIRTH DATE: December 08, 1886
DEATH DATE: November 24, 1957
EDUCATION: San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts
PLACE OF BIRTH: Guanajuato, Mexico
PLACE OF DEATH: Mexico City, Mexico

Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez (December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) better known simply as Diego Rivera was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo (1929–1939 and 1940–1954). His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in Mexican art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted murals among others in Mexico City, Chapingo, Cuernavaca, San Francisco, Detroit, and New York City.[1] In 1931, a retrospective exhibition of his works was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Rivera was an atheist. His mural Dreams of a Sunday in the Alameda depicted Ignacio Ramírez holding a sign which read, “God does not exist”. This work caused a furor, but Rivera refused to remove the inscription. The painting was not shown for 9 years – until Rivera agreed to remove the inscription. He stated: “To affirm ‘God does not exist’, I do not have to hide behind Don Ignacio Ramírez; I am an atheist and I consider religions to be a form of collective neurosis.”

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Open Letter To Politicians.

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Dear Politicians,

Here is all I want from you: I want you to tell me who you are, not who you aren’t. I want you to tell me why you are right for the job, not why your your opponent is wrong for the job. I want you to to compel me to donate to your campaign because of your actions, not as a retaliation against someone else’s. I want to cast my vote for who I believe in the most, not for who I disagree with the least.

Thank you for your time.

Scott Parker-Anderson

how to swim stronger [video[

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Dear scott,

I took my video camera to the pool last  night and showed you exactly what I use to swim stronger.

Whether you’re just getting started swimming or you want to get significantly faster, this video, and the workout I give you in the post, will help.

http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/?p=5446 <–watch here

To Your Health,
Ben Greenfield

P.S. Pitiful excuse: I am unshaven, sloppy & tired in this video becauseI just won a Half Ironman triathlon yesterday.