Chapter 83: July 2001 – December 2001
Chapter 83: July 2001 – December 2001
“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”
– John Wayne (OTL)
NASA REVEALS ASTRONAUTS CHOSEN TO GO TO MARS!
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX – In a televised press conference, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration today announced the roster of astronauts selected to travel to Mars and back in 2003.
The winning candidates were chosen out of thousands of applicants from around the world. While President Dinger initially called for an “all-American line-up,” NASA ultimately accepted applicants from other space agencies in 1999. President Jackson aims to make the Mars Mission even more of an international endeavor with international experts working with NASA while the ten astronauts carry out the mission “off-Earth.” After inspecting academic credentials and medical histories, dozens of men and women endured months of rigorous training and studying before the final ten were selected:
Commander Mark Lewis “Roman” Polansky, 45, of Paterson, New Jersey, U.S., will lead the mission; an experienced US Air Force pilot of Jewish and Korean descent, Polansky has already logged 300 hours in space via ISS assignments where he demonstrated his leadership skills.
Pilot William Cameron “Willie” McCool, 40, of Lubbock, Texas, U.S., was a Commander in the US Navy and has overseen a variety of missions throughout his careers in the military and at NASA; his extensive knowledge of flight systems, calculus and agriculture are highly valued in this mission.
Co-Pilot/Measurements Specialist Leland Devon “Kicker” Melvin, 37, of Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S., is an African-American trailblazer in that he is the first former professional football player to travel into outer space; before joining NASA, he was an NFL player for the Detroit Lions, before a leg injury ended his career; his job during this mission will be to measure temperatures, chemical damage, and other readings - tasks that he has performed admirably in previous missions on board the I.S.S.
Payload Commander Franklin Ramon “Frankie” Chang Diaz, 51, of Hartford, Connecticut, U.S., is the oldest member of the mission; an immigrant botanist and chemist of Chinese and Costa Rican descent, Chang Diaz traveled around the moon in 1985 and has overseen several experiments onboard the I.S.S. in the years since.
Payload Specialist Michael Philip “Mike” Anderson, 42, of Spokane, Washington, U.S., an African-American scientist; a retired Lieutenant of the US Air Force, Anderson will be in charge of several science experiments to be conducted as part of the mission, including growing crops, studying soil samples and testing chemical reactions on the Martian surface.
Technical/Communications Specialist Julie “Poutine” Payette, 38, of Montréal, Quebec, Canada, is an astronaut in the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) who is skilled in communications systems and other talents; a former commercial pilot and former CSA Mission Specialist, she will oversee the primary lines of communications between the mission and Earth.
Calculations Specialist Peter H. “Zorba” Diamandis, 40, of The Bronx, New York, U.S., born to Greek immigrants, is a diverse and well-educated part of this team Mars-bound; alongside his mathematical prowess, he is also an MIT-trained geneticist, and will additionally serve as an assistant medical specialist and as an assistant engineer specialist for the mission.
Biologist/Medical Specialist Patricia Consolatrix Hilliard “Doc” Robertson, 38, of Homer City, Pennsylvania, U.S., is an accomplished physician and aviator whose understanding of medicine makes her a vital member of the team; she will primarily oversee the health statuses of her fellow team members and serve in several other capacities on board as well.
Engineering Commander Sergei Konstantinovich “Crackle” Krikalev, 43, of Saint Petersburg, Russia, is an experienced rocket scientist and mechanical engineer cosmonaut who flew on the I.S.S. and in the Shuttle-Mir Program for numerous assignments; he and Sharman lobbied hard for the inclusion of non-American astronauts in the vetting process for candidates for this mission’s team roster.
Engineering Specialist Helen Patricia “Charmin’” Sharman, 38, of Sheffield, England, U.K., will be responsible for several roles relating to biomedical, agricultural, and energy-related experiments both onboard the Milestone and on Mars, including studying how the planet could potentially sustain human life through colonies and/or terraformation endeavors in the future.
Additionally, NASA officials have announced the names of six additional “backup” astronauts. These backup are: French astronaut Leopold Eyharts, 44, an experienced pilot; Czechoslovakian astronaut Ivan Bella, 37, an accomplished scientist; astronaut Muhammed Faris, 49, the first Syrian in space; Jewish astronaut John M. Grunsfeld of Chicago, 45, an award-winning bioengineer; veteran engineer Ellison Onizuka, 55, who has served on multiple missions; and Colombian-American/Polish-American calculations specialist George David Zamka, 39, who has an impressive record. Each one of these candidates has a chance to go to Mars if one of the established crewmembers has to exit the program before the launch, and thus they too will participate in training, exercises and practices for the "Marstronaut Mission."
The Mars Mission was officially dubbed the Concordia Program in 1996, named after the Roman goddess of society, after a NASA committee rejected hundreds of suggested names such Apergy (as in the fictional anti-gravity energy first used in literature in 1880), and the names of other ancient gods (such as Eirene, Nerio and Harmonia).
The Milestone is scheduled to launch in early 2003.
– The Miami Herald, 7/1/2001
MARS MISSION LINEUP SPARKS CELEBRATIONS AND OUTRAGE OVER REGIONAL, ETHNIC REPRESENTATION
…several prominent politicians and activists are crying foul over the lineup for the 2003 Mars Mission. “America’s President Jackson says he wants the mission to be more representative of the world instead of just the United States. Islam is a part of the world. Thus, many people, not just from the Middle East, believe that a Muslim ought to be on board,” explains Muktar Aymakhanov, (b. 1967) a Russian cosmonaut of Kazakh ethnicity. While there is no Pacific Islanders or Australian bound for the Red Planet, either, there is a Jewish astronaut (Captain Polansky) and a Buddhist astronaut (Doc Robertson) on board. Additionally, NASA officials have said that they received “hundreds of applicants” from the Middle East. For instance, United Turkestan’s Salizhan Sharipov (b. 1964), a Kyrgyzstani astronaut, applied but was not selected; he nevertheless approves of lineup, saying “these are and women are most qualified for this; if they are successful, they’ll be a Muslim up there the next time around.” When asked, the same sentiment was expressed by Aidyn Akanuly Aimbetov (b. 1972), a Kazakh from the UT. ...Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the sole member of a royal family to fly in space and co-founder of Saudi Arabia’s Space Center, has been oddly silent on this matter...
– The Daily Telegraph, UK newspaper, 2/7/2001
HOST: …In political news, the former Assistant Attorney General has been indicted for the misappropriations of funds. An FBI probe of the undersecretary’s finances that began in 1999 may mean jail time for the former Dinger Administration official.
DINGER (in clip): Every and all administration must uphold the principles of law and order. Personally, I somewhat blame myself for this scandal, uh, for not keeping a better eye on the former Assistant Attorney General, because, as President, I should have been aware. If the Denton White House taught us anything, it’s keep an eye on those you trust. Just in case.
HOST: The former Assistant Attorney General is being charged on one account of department funds misuse…
– NBC News, 7/5/2001 broadcast
SHIRLEY TO RESIGN!: Citing Drop In Health, de la Hunty Will Step Down As Prime Minister; Deputy PM Goldwater To Become First Yankee PM
…serving since 1989, Shirley de la Hunty of the Liberal party has announced that she will soon resign from the office of Prime Minister. The announcement comes after months of waning popularity and government gridlock were exacerbated by her backing the losing option in the flag referendum two months ago. However, the official reason for retiring prematurely from office is not political but personal. Turning 76 on the 18th, PM de la Hunty states she is stepping down due to declining health; she neither confirmed, nor denied, whether or not this declination had anything to do with a minor mini-stroke she reportedly suffered late last year. …de la Hunty’s preferred successor, Deputy PM and former Treasury Minister Barry Goldwater Jr., is an American immigrant who ran cattle ranges outside of Darwin upon moving to Australia in 1991, and entered Australian politics soon after. De la Hunty says she is planning to resign “before” the end of the month”…
– The Canberra Times, Australian newspaper, 7/7/2001
…The Supreme Court initially maintained a deliberate eye on the Jackson Administration’s Justice Department’s efforts to go after Microsoft and other tech and technet-based companies due to how large they were becoming. While not exactly monopolies, their large shares of their markets was of grave concern to prominent anti-monopoly leaders on Capitol Hill such as Senator Ralph Nader, who sought to break up Microsoft in a push for stronger anti-trust laws and stronger corporation penalties. Concurrently, Microsoft and other companies were waging war against California’s 2000 state Supreme Court ruling that had controversially struck down technet anonymity, leading to a showdown ahead of the 2002 midterms…
– Linda Greenhouse and Morton J. Horwitz’s Sustaining Liberty: The Supreme Court Under Our Current Chief Justice, Sunrise Publishing, 2020
SAUDI ARABIA ANNOUNCES ITS OWN MARS MISSION, SCHEDULED TO BLAST OFF IN 2018
– The Boston Globe, 7/12/2001
IOC Session No. 112
Date: July 13, 2001
Location: Moscow, Russia
Subject 1 of 1: bidding for hosting the 8/8/2008-8/24/2008 (or XXIX) Summer Olympics
Jakarta, Indonesia was an early favorite, but their selection was opposed by several committee members on the grounds that, with China being selected for the 2004 Olympics already, hosting the games in Asia twice in a row would suggest regional favoritism. An unprecedented joint entry by Israel and Palestine received significant media attention, but failed to sway the voting members of the IOC session. However, due to Germany's handling of the Summer Olympics in Munich in 1972, Germany soon gained favor over Jakarta and Paris, and eventually bested the former in the final round of voting.
Results:
Berlin, Germany – 29 (Round 1) – 30 (Round 2) – 37 (Round 3) – 38 (Round 4) – 64 (Round 5)
Jakarta, Indonesia – 26 (Round 1) – 23 (Round 2) – 25 (Round 3) – 39 (Round 4) – 41 (Round 5)
Paris, France – 22 (Round 1) – 25 (Round 2) – 27 (Round 3) – 28 (Round 4)
Annam, Jordan – 12 (Round 1) – 15 (Round 2) – 16 (Round 3)
Cape Town, South Africa – 11 (Round 1) – 12 (Round 2)
Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine (joint entry) – 5 (Round 1)
End Result: Berlin won on the fifth round
– aldaver.co.usa/votes.html
Jackson’s reversal of his predecessor’s “domestic security” policies turned out to be easier than expected thanks to Democratic control of both chambers. Concurrently, the issue same-sex marriage was heating up in intensity as more states and counties produce gay marriage laws as 2001 continued on. Jackson himself, however, was more focused on cracking down on racial injustice. One aspect of this endeavor was the Voting Rights Bill, which by July of that year was still in committee in the House due to Republicans serving on most of the relevant committees insisting on extensive hearings.
As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for. Democrats ensured the hearings were televised and promoted by friends in the media, and made certain to bring in a plethora of experts and researchers on racial prejudice, discrimination and voting laws, and even survivors of police brutality. Jackson more directly sought to help the bill along with speaking engagements whenever and wherever one could be televised in a major media campaign.
Above: Jesse Jackson giving a speech outside the Congress Building; US Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), a co-sponsor of the Voting Rights Bill, stands to his right; 7/16/2001
– researcher Brenda J. Hargis’ Emboldening: The Jesse Jackson Presidency, Sunrise Publications, 2017
A GAME-CHANGING DISCOVERY: Space Probe Confirms There Is A Subglacial Lake On Mars!
…located 1.5km below the southern polar ice cap, this lake is the first confirmed known body of water on the Red Planet, and could potentially be a sign that there possibly is microbial life underneath the Martian surface…
– The Guardian, UK newspaper, 17/7/2001
Later, in July, funding for KFC’s R&D department was slashed 30%, and in the midst of testing new possible menu options, to boot. “Now’s not the best time for us to have to adjust to a new and smaller budget,” said one researcher at the time. “That money went to surveys and test groups and now we’ve got to scale everything down – and at a time researching ideas for how to improve the company is more important than ever before. How can we know why we’re losing customers at home now?”
The financial conservatism dimmed the chances of several proposed items from seeing the light of day under CEO Cain. Deep-Fried Soup, Fried Mac-n-Cheese Bites, Chicken-Dogs (chicken breasts fried into the shape of a crescent and used as a hot dog bun), and Cluck-Crust Pizza (a.k.a. Chicken-Crust Pizza, or “Chizza”) (chicken breasts flattened into a circle and used for pizza crust (chizza)) were the most noticeable proposals to be suspended indefinitely.
At KFC headquarters, CEO Cain decided to focus more on Asian markets in order to make up for the drop in domestic revenue, leading to the redirecting of advertising funds to more Asia-focused commercials…
– Marlona Ruggles Ice’s A Kentucky-Fried Phoenix: The Post-Colonel History of Most Famous Birds In The World, Hawkins E-Publications, 2020
– A Vietnam TV commercial for KFC, c. July 2001
“REMEMBRANCES”: McCartney Dedicates His Newest Album To His Deceased Wife
– The Daily Telegraph, 30/7/2001
Change was coming to America, and much of it was helped through political maneuverings, many of which were led by House Speaker Barbara B. Kennelly (D-CT) and her second-in-command, House Whip Ed Markey (D-MA). Both leaders supported the federal capital gains tax rate being doubled from 15% to 30%, the highest rate since 1977, when Mondale, fresh off his vanquishing of the conservative Governor of California Ronald Reagan in the 1976 Presidential election, and emboldened by Democratic pickups that same night, passed a 25% rate.
In the executive branch, the push for violence prevention programs came from Secretary Ann Richards, while calls to increase funding for social services, education, and anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs came from Vice President Wellstone. All while the Balanced Budget Amendment floated about in the shadows, seeking to cut down progressive welfare ideas like a fiscally conscious Grim Reaper. The Treasury and budgeting departments worked tirelessly to afford the additional federal services implemented by the new executive branch.
A “New Urbanism Initiative” was proposed in early summer 2001 by Jesse Jackson Jr., an unofficial advisor to the President. A lawyer and political active, Junior had encouraged his father running for President in 1995, and worked on his father’s campaigns in 1996, 1998, and 2000 [1]. Jesse Junior supported calls for higher regulation on financial market speculators, a new Civil Rights Act to bolster the one passed in 1962, and a Carbon Emissions Tax alongside a New Fuel Initiatives based on a similar course of act taken by Lennon in the UK during the 1990s.
– Nancy Skelton and Bob Faw’s Thunder In America: A Chronology of The Jesse Jackson White House, Texas Monthly Press, 2016
Harley personally approached Cain on the latter’s next endeavor to improve the company’s profitably Company.
“You’re furloughing employees?”
“It’s only a temporary measure, just until profits return.”
“But they’re going unpaid!”
“Harley, I know, it may seem a bit of cold thing to do, but it’s necessary. And don't forget, we’re making sacrifices around here, too. When I signed on to do this job, I cut my own salary in half!”
“I know, you keep saying it,” said The Colonel's son as he thought about how, by this point, Harley and his sisters were practically working pro bono.
“But things should stabilize by the end of next year, Harley, you’ll see.”
“Even so, I still think Maggie’s idea should be greenlit.”
“Which one?”
“The one about returning to NASA’s auctions – they’re still hiring contractors for this and that for the Mars Mission – and you know how we lost out on the bid for some key advertising spot on the main shuttle-ship thing? Well we could still win a bid to contribute to the mission’s food supplies.”
“You really think we should spend, what, thousands of dollars to serve ten customers?”
“The publicity could do wonders for us, Mr. Cain! Picture it – Kentucky Fried Chicken – ice-cream-ified, but still delicious – as the first fast food on Mars.”
“I’m not convinced. Big risk for potentially smaller reward. In my opinion, this company is still too financially vulnerable, and it cannot afford to try out the old philosophy of ‘you’ve got to spend money to make money.’”
“Then I’ll personally cover the cost of the bid. I’ll mortgage my apartment and sell my summer home if I have to.”
Cain raised his eyebrows. “Now that’s commitment. Alright, tell Mags to go for it!”
– Marlona Ruggles Ice’s A Kentucky-Fried Phoenix: The Post-Colonel History of Most Famous Birds In The World, Hawkins E-Publications, 2020
PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD MOVEMENT GATHERING STRENGTH IN COMMONWEALTH AND MAINLAND
…Alexandria Lugaro, a 20-year-old college student and activist favoring statehood, says “many Americans who come here from the mainland initially think they’re visiting a foreign country. But their numbers are dropping as more mainlanders realize our connection to the states.” …Maria de Lourdes Santiago Negron, a lawyer and Vice President of the Puerto Rican Independence Party since January, says “Referendums have shown time and again that Puerto Ricans want the right to representation. Nowadays, more Puerto Ricans are learning English, more Americans are taught Spanish in schools, and our cultures are no more different than mainlander cultures are from Hawaiian cultures, and yet Hawaii has enjoyed statehood for decades now. The time for change is now; the time for statehood is now!”…
– The Orlando Sentinel, 8/9/2001
DEROY MURDOCK (R-NY): “I’m in favor of bill that expands accessibility to the polls – not a bill that allows for nonviolent criminals to vote. If the Voting Rights bill passes in its current form, with an amendment that allows for non-offense ex-cons no longer on parole to have their voting rights returned to them, it will prove that Jesse Jackson is unashamedly soft on crime.”
Chief Domestic Policy Advisor MARCUS RASKIN (D-WI): “Deroy, that’s ridiculous! The President’s brother was murdered by a criminal, for Pete’s sake! Look it up, the criminal was named Leroy ‘Hambone’ Barber, with whom the President’s half-brother, Noah Robinson Jr., was feuding way back in ’79 [2]. Noah was too deep with shady characters, and his murder is a painful reminder for the President for the need to crack down on corruption. We have to get to the root of these problems so there will be no need for militarized police in the first place. Less crime means less criminals means less non-violent ex-cons in the first place!”
– The Overmyer Network, round-table discussion, 8/12/2001 broadcast
…a group of independent researchers has found that, of the more than $10million spent in former New Mexico Governor Richard P. Chaney’s anti-drug campaigns, under $1million in illicit narcotics were apprehended by state authorities…
– NPR, 8/15/2001 broadcast
…Louisville experienced significant growth after merging its government with that of Jefferson County in 1985 [3], and after several pro-business and anti-crime initiatives were successfully implemented in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 2001, the city had a population of just over 2 million, and had become a well-known hub for several companies such as Yum Brands, International Harvester, Bridgestone, HCA, and Dollar General, and for Nissan’s North America headquarters… [4]
– clickopedia.co.usa/Louisville,_Kentucky/history
SENATE PASSES DAIRY FARMERS RELIEF BILL, HOUSE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW SUIT
– The Washington Post, 8/22/2001
CHICKEN IN SPACE! KFC Wins Bid To Supply Specialty Food For Mars Mission!
…Kentucky Fried Chicken will collaborate with NASA’s R&D to develop special dehydrated KFC products for “food trays” that will store 14 months worth of a wide and diverse variety of meals for the voyage to the Red Planet…
– The Houston Chronicle, 8/25/2001
…in other news, at least seven servicemen have been hospitalized for an unidentified virus of some kind in Haikou, the capitol city of the island province of Hainan in the People’s Republic of China. Hainan has a reputation for being a luxury vacation spot for wealthy mainlanders, and our investigators tell us that all seven men work at high-end hotels…
– Taiwan Television (TTV), 8/27/2001 broadcast
…Chairman Zhu relied on two prominent reformers – Wan Li (b. 1916), and elder statesmen; and Bo Xilai (b. 1949), the pugnacious son of former Vice Chairman Bo Yibo – to stay informed on developments in the tourist industry. Xilai, whose palm-greasing of the military kept conservative opponents of Zhu at bay when the Chairman made his back-room deal with American President Larry Dinger to not intervene in the Second Korean War, was the first of these two to inform him that a “minor outbreak of some germ” was threatening the autumn tourist season in Hainan.
Initially, Zhu was convinced that the virus a typical seasonal “bug” that would go away on its own, and so did nothing other than direct Bo to have the nine infected servicemen isolated until they recovered…
– Shan Li’s China in the Twentieth Century, Cambridge Press, 2003
AS LENNON APPROVAL RATINGS DROP, UKIP LEADER CALLS FOR SNAP ELECTION
…the deputy leader of the United Kingdom Intrepid Progressive party, Belinda Lee of Exeter, is calling for another general election to be held within a year instead of in 2005. “The people have had enough of the Prime Minister’s lavish tendencies, inability to get along with many lawmakers, and reluctance to have the super-wealthy people like himself carry more of the weight of the very same welfare state that he endorses.” Lee, 66, was an actor in several films and other productions before becoming politically active in the wake of American forces invading Cuba in 1961, a move Lee believes was illegal and unjustified. Her anti-war activism led to her winning a seat in Parliament through a 1971 by-election. Lee is to the far left of the far left UKIP party, and considers our Prime Minister, whom many (including deputy Conservative Party leader Ken Clarke) call “borderline socialist,” to be a “lightweight moderate”…
– The Daily Telegraph, UK newspaper, 1/9/2001
SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR REFORMS POLICE DEPARTMENT IN EFFORT TO CURB POLICE BRUTALITY INCIDENTS
…In an early victory for the Jackson administration’s aim at cutting down on racial bias in police departments nationwide, Mayor Roberta Achtenberg of San Francisco has announced that the SFPD’s crisis intervention department and its budget will be relocated to the city's Department of Youth and Recreational Services, citing a 1997 incident in which an African-American man suffering a seizure was beaten by police officers would mistook him for a drug addict…
– The Sacramento Union, 9/3/2001
JACKSON SIGNS DIARY FARMER RELIEF BILL INTO LAW
– The Washington Post, 9/5/2001
“I gave the Senate my two weeks’ notice the very next day. My job was done, and I was happy to be out of there. I mean, it wasn’t too bad an experience. I got to meet new people – I met with farmers across the country, from experts to small mom and pop farms, and that was fun. I learned a lot about them, even if not all of it made sense. I’m not sure if a union to lobby for them is a good idea, but now that a lot are trying for that, I guess we’ll see, won’t we? Anyway, my point is that it was an interesting experience, learning all those things, but a lot of those very things weren’t all that interesting. Conferences, meetings, reviews, all that kind of stuff, so much of it was so time-wasting and money-wasting. I mean, it’s all important, I think, but still, um, it’s, uh, it’s not for everyone. Or, at least, it’s not for me.”
– Fred Tuttle, 2003
2001 OPEL FROGSTER
In September 2001, the German auto manufacturer Opel premiered the Frogster at the Frankfurt Motor Show. A 2-door convertible with a cabriolet body style, front-mounted hybrid engine and a unique storage space design, the Opel Frogster was released to the public in 2003. It became a defining car for the young adult generation of the 2000s decade in a way similar to how the Volkswagon Beetle was an icon of the shoutnik counter-culture of the 1960s.
Above: early model of the Opel Frogster
The appeal of this automobile was its ability to be modified from a convertible to a pickup truck or roadster via a state-of-the-art interface mounted between the two front seats. Additionally, its sticker price was typically much lower than that of its high-end counterpart, the Opel Speedster.
Specifications:
Length: 3715mm (146.3in)
Width: 1680mm (66.1in)
Height: 1530mm (60.2in)
Engine cylinders: 3 straight
Bore/stroke ratio: 0.92
– carfolio.co.uk
TONIGHT’S EMMY WINNERS: Shock And Surprises Dominate The Night!
[snip]
…For the 53rd Primetime Emmy Awards’ category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries of Movie, Jack Black beat Andy Garcia, Gregory Hines, and others for the award, and was joined on stage by his family, including his brother, Santa-Monica-based public health advocate Howard Black. Black, age 32, nabbed the Emmy Award for his portrayal of a young Colonel Sanders in the made-for-TV movie, HBO’s “Dawn of The Colonel” [5]…
– The Los Angeles Times, 9/16/2001
BOB DYLAN MARRIES MAVIS STAPLES!
…Staples, the gospel/R&B performer/activist known for songs such as “Freedom Highway,” “Unbroken Circle,” and “I’ve Learned To Love Without You,” along other songs such as “I’ll Take You There” and “Christmas Vacation,” has married singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in a closed private ceremony held in Woodstock, Ulster County, upstate New York, spokespersons for both music artists confirmed earlier today. Dylan owns property there, as well as all over the world, but primarily lives near Point Dume, Malibu, California; Staples has been living with Dylan there since at least 2000, according to a source close to Staples. Dylan, 60, and Maples, 62, have tied the knot roughly 40 years after Dylan first proposed to her; Staples turned him down to focus on her career, and due to several other issues/reasons. In the past four decades, each were married and divorced twice, with Dylan having 7 children in total and Staples having two daughters…
– The Hollywood Reporter, 9/18/2001
“JESSE MUST GO”?: Freshman Congressman Introduces Impeachment Articles To Protest Slashed Military Budget
…“At the start of this year, this president lowered the budget of our armed forces, for active and offensive weaponry, training, and maneuvers, to dangerously low amounts for the 2002 fiscal year. Our fighting forces need those funds to protect this nation from all possible enemies, which means that this President is committing treason by purposely, willingly and maliciously making this country exposed and vulnerable to enemy attack,” says Republican Harley Davidson Brown of Nampa, a first-term Representative from Idaho’s First District. Brown, a former Marine and war veteran who was commended by President Dinger for his service during the Second Korean War, presented two article of impeachment to the House judicial committee. According to one anonymous committee member, there is very little chance that the articles will ever be actually put to a vote…
– The Los Angeles Times, 9/19/2001
“On Thursday, NASA announced that the Hubble Telescope discovered that the extrasolar planet Osiris has a hydrogen atmosphere. Well, it looks like we now finally know where Harry Braun went!”
[shown on screen: caricature depicting Braun eagerly riding a cartoonish rocket-ship off Earth to a circle labelled “Osiris”]
– Jimmy Fallon, “Weekend Update” sketch, SNL, 9/22/2001
NATIONAL INITIATIVE AMENDMENT PUSH GAINS MOMENTUM IN US SENATE
…beginning his political career by bucking the seniority-based rules of the US Senate and instead using publicity stunts to garner attention for causes, Mike Gravel, Vice President of the US from 1973 to 1981, is now Deputy President pro tempore of the Senate, and is using that seniority to apply pressure to lawmakers. Gravel, who returned to the Senate in 1999 after resigning from the body in 1973, is encouraging his fellow lawmakers to vote for an amendment proposal that Gravel claims has bipartisan appeal, due to it allowing liberal and conservative proposals to be voted on in a nationwide mandate…
– The Houston Chronicle, 9/23/2002
CO-ANCHOR: SpongeBob’s Undersea Cuisine founder Stephen Hillenburg has gotten himself into some hot water for working with marine preservationist groups to elevate marine life awareness in schools in his home state of Ohio. The controversy rises from the fact that Hillenburg profits from consumers eating sea creatures at his international seafood restaurant chain.
BRYAN HILLENBURG (in taped interview): This situation is ridiculous. A few mothers are concerned that we’re promoting our brand, and that’s understandable, but these activities are outside of SBUC’s vision for the 2000s. And the others complaining about recent school visits online are missing Stephen’s point. You can eat fish and still care about the sea. My brother working with environmentalist groups has no ulterior motive other than the promotion of taking care of our oceans, because Global Climate Disruption is not going to solve itself.
CO-ANCHOR: Local and state authorities have declined to investigate alleged school/guest speaker standards violations, citing a lack of evidence of any sort of wrongdoing of any kind…
– ABC Morning News, 9/25/2001 broadcast
…Breaking News out of Washington, DC, where Senator Alex Penelas of Florida has become the first US Senator to sign on as a co-sponsor to a bill that, if passed, would grant statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington DC. The reasoning behind the bill was a 1990s referendum in which a majority of Puerto Ricans voted for statehood, and the large number of recent polls showing a rising interest among DC residents in our nation’s capital becoming its own state. It is currently uncertain if more Senators will sign onto the bill, though support for the “double statehood” movement does seem to be gathering momentum on the Capitol Hill…
– KNN, 9/27/2001 broadcast
DEAN APPOINTS STATE SEN. ATHONY POLLINA TO VACATED US SENATE SEAT
– The Burlington Free Press, Vermont newspaper, late 9/28/2001
“As Mayor, I ended private prisons, and I learned from that experience how to do the same for the whole state when I became Governor. President Jackson, though, wants to just up and abolish all private prisons, but it’s not that simple. An executive order like that would be challenged by the courts. Even federal prisons have complicated relationships with private companies, ones that provide outsources services such as food, transportation, medicine, phones, security cameras, machine repairs, drug testing, and other utilities. What the President instead has to do is restructure private prison contracts, because banning private involvement in the prison sector could be seen as a form of nationalization, which is too close to socialism for comfort for many on the Hill, even for several Democratic lawmakers.”
– Governor Wellington Webb (D-CO), NPR interview, 9/30/2001
“LIKE A ‘SECOND WIFE’: Wind Energy Gives American Farmers A New Crop To Sell In Tough Times”
…In an increasingly precarious time for the nation’s farmers and ranchers, some who live in the nation’s wind belt have a new commodity to sell – access to their wind. Wind turbines leases, generally 30-to-40-years long, provide the landowners with yearly income that, while small, helps make up for economic dips brought by drought, floods, tariffs and the ever-fluctuating price of the crops and livestock they produce. …“Some of the farmers around here refer to the turbines as ‘their second wife.’ That’s because a lot of times farm wives have to work in town to make ends meet,” one farmer of Grand Island, Nebraska explains.
Unpredictable trade wars in the early-to-mid 1990s and fluctuating prices have all contributed to incomes declining for farmers across the breadbasket of America. However, a new harvest, one of the almost constantly-blowing Kansas wind is another way to make a living out of the land. These wind turbines sport enormous blades, each 125 feet long, that sit atop 260-foot towers. From any distance away, they appear silent as the raw winter wind whips by. Standing directly underneath, their susurrations combine the sounds of flags snapping in a strong breeze and the whirr of a rumbling ice cream maker.
Wind energy is on the rise across the US as its technology becomes cheaper and thus more obtainable and profitable for energy companies; wind went from less than 1% of the U.S. electricity mix in 1990 to almost 4% in 2000. And because the Great Plains are very windy, there’s ample ground and little to get in the way of the river of air that flows above the fields.
The U.S.’s largest wind belt includes much of the Midwest, an area that is generally conservative; as a result, wind energy is supported by politicians on both sides of the political aisle. US Senator and former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS), for example, supported tax breaks for farms leasing patches of their property to wind energy companies in 1999. “The many of the objections I hear over these turbines – that they’re noisy or scare animals – come from people who clearly don’t have the first-hand experience. Ask a farmer, and they’ll say ‘I can hear the motor running. But I can also hear the irrigation running from my neighbor’s fields and that’s louder than the turbine.” As for whether or not the turbines bother livestock, several farmers interviewed in Nebraska and South Dakota claim they actually love the new building projects and that do not disturb any of their or their neighbors' animals. “When it’s hot out, they come and line up in the shade from the turbine tower,” says one. The formation is called a “bovine sundial” and multiple ranchers that were interviewed described the same phenomenon on their land. The cattle bunch up in the line of shade, slowly shuffling from west to east as the sun moves across the horizon. This new source of shade could prove to be an effective upside to these new constructions.
[snip]
Wind power alone cannot revitalize rural America, but they can help. Especially due to the fact that wind farms do generate taxes or payments to governments, which many counties use for roads and other infrastructure, hospitals and schools…
– usarightnow.co.usa, 10/1/2001 [6]
NADER SIDING WITH DEMOCRATS LEADS TO SENATE PASSING PUBLIC REGISTRY BILL, 51-49
– The Washington Post, 10/3/2001
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TO END USE OF PRIVATE PRISONS
…The Jackson administration seeks to “pressure” the private prison sector into reforming themselves (meaning, to essentially give the industry “a chance” to redeem itself) “before the federal government is forced to intervene,” the White House Press Secretary said announced earlier today…
– The Chicago Tribune, 10/5/2001
NEW MEXICO COURT VOTES IN FAVOR OF GOVERNOR MARIN’S POLICE REFORMS
...the ruling clears the legal pathways for the state Attorney General to continue to "clean house," as she phrased it during a press meeting last week...
– The Los Angeles Times, 10/6/2001
RADIOACTIVE BOARS ARE ON THE RISE IN OREGON: A Signal of Unrealized Danger, or An Unlikely Antibodies Source?
Rainier, OR – On August 19, 1979, the Trojan Tower Nuclear Power Plant outside of this small city suffered a catastrophic nuclear meltdown, irradiating several square miles of land as wind currents took a cloud of radioactive fallout material out to sea, sparing the nearby urban centers of Portland and Astoria but ruining the ecologies and economies of coastal towns like Rockaway Beach and Tillamook. In the immediate aftermath of this calamity, locals and visitors were warned against easting any crops growing in northwestern Oregon over contamination concerns, with most of Clatsop State Forest being declared a disaster area by the federal government. Unfortunately, no amount of safety law enforcement – not even the controversial scorched-earth policies instituted in the towns of Elsie, Vernonia, and Timber, which saw the controlled and supervised burning of thousands of acres of farmland – could stop local wildlife from foraging. Over two decades later, the local animals are showing high radioactivity levels in their bodies, likely due to them consuming root crops growing in areas that have retained trace amounts of radiation.
The local and federal EPA and ODERCA offices have released detailed reports showing the number of boar carcasses tested for radiation exposure (iodine and cesium-137 traces) remains higher than the national and state averages by at least 25%. Local hunters are encouraged to have their kills inspected prior to using their meat for this reason. “The flora and fauna are safe, you can go and have a picnic in the grass and swing on a tree branch, but don’t eat wild berries without having a professional inspect them first,” says Oregon’s state Secretary of State. Mushrooms, carrots, other root vegetables, and deep-rooted flowers and other plants that may be “tapping into” radiation that seeped into the ground “deeper than expected,” she adds.
Half-way around the world, scientists in United Turkestan have made similar observations among species living in the Caspian Sea and the deserts of central Asia in the years since the Aktau Nuclear Disaster of 1980.
However, the situation concerning irradiated wild animals may not be as bleak as it may appear to be; while very difficult to capture for analysis, several live wild boars were included in this study – and 55% percent of said live boars demonstrated higher resistance to harmful radiation than non-radioactive boars. The exhaustive six-year study thus concludes with strong evidence that radiation has altered some of the boars’ DNA without truncating the boars’ overall strength and lifespans.
Further testing may be underway to see how their resistance can be harnessed, and to see just how harmful the radioactive live animals are to people living within and around these still-affected areas. “The optimistic long-term goal is to isolate the altered elements in the boar DNA and use them in medical antibodies for those whom ever suffer from radiation exposure!” The assistant director of research at Pacific University’s School of Medical Studies division.
While the viability of radiation-resistant boar DNA is debatable, is one thing that is positive is that the long-term environmental impacts of the Trojan Tower Nuclear Disaster are still being felt today.
– Scientific American, monthly popular science news magazine, October 2001 issue [7]
“Equality does not equal equity. Equality means that everyone is getting the same thing. Equity means that everyone has access to the same opportunities. Equality only works if everyone is already starting out at the same level. …President Jackson should not return to the old call for a Federal Aid Dividend because an FAD would promote equality, but not equity. Equity is what is really needed for my fellow Black brothers and babes. I’m talking access to the same kinds of schools and jobs. Access, the ability to get it. Equity, not equality. Know the difference so you can’t be tricked.”
– KXKL Radio Denver’s The Ken Hamblin Show, local talk/news program, 10/10/2001 broadcast
MARGARET SANDERS, DAUGHTER OF COLONEL SANDERS, DIES AT 91
Above: Margaret Sanders during a C-NBC interview, c. 1999
The oldest daughter of Harland David Sanders Sr. passed away on Wednesday, October 10. She passed away from natural causes at the age of 91 while at her winter home in West Palm Beach, Florida. Famous in her own right for her work as a sculptress and philanthropist, she was known for her diverse range of interests and talents, for her charming hospitality, and for her “spunky” personality. A “firecracker” with “a tendency for wanderlust,” Margaret took after her father in relishing in traveling to places around the globe in her pursuit of the unique, the unknown, and the unconventional. Her 1997 autobiography “The Colonel’s Secret: Eleven Herbs and a Spicy Daughter,” chronicled her more-than-unusual life, from correspondence with Einstein on his theory of relativity to searching for the lost continent of Atlantis to coming up with Take Home Only KFC Outlets. [8] Margaret also ran a body relaxation treatment business in Kentucky and co-founded an eye bank in NYC, but was best known for serving as a “keystone” member of KFC’s inner circle, working as a scout for outlet locations and planning events, as well as serving an advisory role at KFC headquarters in Florence, Kentucky for many years. Margaret leaves behind her two older siblings, sister Mildred Sanders-Ruggles and brother Harland “Harley” Sanders Jr.; three children, Harland Adams, Josephine Wurster and Trigg Adams; nine grandchildren; five great-grandchildren and countless friends in every corner of the world [8]…
– The New York Times, 10/12/2001
KFC STOCK DROPS AFTER LEADING COMPANY FIGURE PASSES AWAY
– The Wall Street Journal, 10/13/2001
FOREIGN DIGNITARIES JOIN HUNDREDS MOURNING MARGARET SANDERS: Colonel Sanders’ Daughter’s Public Funeral Ends KFC’s “Spicy Daughter” Era
– The Desert News, Utah newspaper, 10/15/2001
…The Jackson administration’s early endeavors to shift responsibility for the War on Recreadrugs onto Mexico until the conflict ended featured two early victories for the side of law and order. First, in October 2001, the major drug lord Osiel Cardenas Guillen, head of the Gulf Cartel, was captured following a brief shootout at a Mexico City airport between federal agents of Mexico and Cardenas’ entourage of bodyguards. The highly classified months-long operation was backed by the FBI, but otherwise the US had no direct involvement in Mexico for the capture. This boosted the confidence Mexican citizens had in their police and government. Later that same month, Amado Carrillo was taken down, but in a different way. Mexico’s version of the IRS, the Tax Administration Service, successfully pinned Carrillo for tax fraud and laundering charges.
The removal of Cardenas and Carrillo from the cartel operations sent the Gulf Cartel and Juarez Cartels into disarray as rival groups fought each other over territory. “Ah, divide and conquer. Works nearly every time,” Mexican President Moctezuma allegedly said upon reports coming in that the Juarez’s fracturing was severely weakening their influence on locals…
– Roberto Roybal’s South of the Border: US-Mexico Relations During The 1990s, University of Oklahoma Press, 2015
JACKSON SIGNS HIGHER EDUCATION AFFORDABILITY BILL INTO LAW: Senators Call It Necessary Ahead of “An Unprecedented Drop” In Blue-Collar Jobs In The Near Future
…the new law, initially stemming from a bill meant to set caps on the amount of tuition costs that colleges and universities can charge for students admission, will instead provide tax breaks and other benefits to college and universities that do so. Backers of the bill such as US Senator Gape Kaplan (D-NY) predicts “the long-term effect, we hope, will be that colleges will focus more bringing students in based on their actual grades, and extracurricular activities, not their attendance records and, most egregiously, the size of the piggy banks.” US Senator Paul Vallas (D-IL) says, “Vocational education was a major concern under President Iacocca and Dinger because of their Labor Departments’ beliefs that the US can bring back jobs going to China and Indian, where people work more for less wages and benefits. We’re not getting those jobs back, so this bill, in my opinion, is the better, more forward-thinking way to go. It will better prepare our children for a workforce in which automation has led to physical labor-oriented jobs experiencing an unprecedented drop in demand and availability, which will most likely occur by the end of either this or the next decade.” The bill will officially become an act and go into effect on January 1, 2002…
– The Washington Post, 10/21/2001
LENNON APPROVAL RATING REACHES ALL-TIME LOW OF 41%
– The Daily Telegraph, UK newspaper, 27/10/2001
…2001 was a pivotal year for the show. With an overwhelming majority of High High’s fan base being liberal-minded people under the age of 25, the election of Jesse Jackson in 2000 changed the face of “the establishment” in a face familiar with and friendly to High High fans. Mike Judge responded to this by shifting focus away from national politics and having the political episodes focus more on typical local issues. Now, I know a lot of fans think that this is when the show lost its political bite, that it stopped being relevant and all that, but in my opinion, the series actual benefited from this shift because local issues are more universal and more releasable to more people. The move was not the reason why the show was not cancelled, but many fans still believe it to have been a contributing factor, as the show’s viewership ratings declined significantly during its final two years…
– transcript of video essay “High High: Unintentional Genius or Intentionally Dumb? Part 1,” uploaded to Ourvids.co.can on 7/10/2017
HURRICANE MICHELLE HITS CUBA: Hundreds Of Homes, Crops Destroyed In Single Night Of Terror
– The News & Observer, North Carolina newspaper, 11/4/2001
GOVERNOR’S RACE ENDS: O’NEILL BEATS ROSS!
…In a race held between two “outsider” candidates, Republican candidate John P. O’Neill of Atlantic City, the Garden state’s Attorney General and former FBI official, defeated Democratic nominee, millionaire investor and businessman Wilbur Ross of Weehawken, for the governorship of New Jersey earlier tonight. O’Neill, 49, began working for the FBI in 1976 and worked on white-collar and organized crime-related investigations for over 15 years, supervising task forces against money laundering schemes and investigating recreadrug pushers along the Eastern Seaboard, and was Assistant Director in charge of Nation Security by 1993. In 1994, he became state Attorney General in a move to crack down on organized crime in his home state. His political profile was raised by his handling of investigations into former MLB player Donald Trump’s real estate holdings in Atlantic City and West New York during the mid-90s. Incidentally, Wilbur Ross, who made his fortune at Rothschild & Co., had business connections to Trump during this period, a controversy that almost made him lose the nomination to Bayonne Mayor Joseph Doria. …O’Neill defeated Ross by a margin of roughly 9%...
– The Trentonian, New Jersey newspaper, 11/6/2001
ST. PAUL PICKS PAPPAS!
…the race for mayor has come to a close…
– The Pig’s Eye Press, Minnesota newspaper, 11/6/2001
List of Mayors of ST. PAUL (Minnesota)
1960-1966: 45) George J. Vavoulis (R) – city’s first Greek-American mayor; extended term lengths; lost re-election in a bad year for Republicans
1959: Joseph E. Dillon (D, 1921-1990)
1961: John E. Daubney (D, 1919-2003)
1966-1974: 46) Thomas Robert Byrne (D, 1923-2009) – former educator; shifted city elections to a blanket primary system to resolve cross-party voting controversy; showcased commitment to human rights by welcoming refugees from Indochina into the city; retired
1965: George J. Vavoulis (R)
1969: Charles P. McCarty (D)
1974-1978: 47) Lawrence D. “Larry” Cohen (D, 1933-2016) – former attorney; previously served on the city Board of Commissioners from 1970 to 1974; lost re-election in an upset; Governor Knutson appointed him to a state judge position in 1986 and he retired from that bench in 2002
1973: Thomas Robert Byrne (D)
1978-1990: 48) George Latimer (D, b. 1935) – former political activist; previously served on the city council from 1974 to 1978; sought to address the city’s homelessness and recreadrug abuse issues by taxing large property-holders to cover more funding for social programs; narrowly won in 1985 in which many of the city’s wealthiest property owners endorsed Anderson, a conservative-populist city councilperson from 1984 to 1986 and later “extremist” perennial candidate; retired; later worked as a nonprofit executive
1977: Larry Cohen (D)
1981: unopposed
1985: Sharon Anderson (R, b. 1949)
1990-1994: 49) Bob Fletcher (R) – former police officer from 1977 to 1985; previously served on the city council 1986 to 1990; curbed government waste by outright eliminating underfunded retirement health benefits for city workers, replacing several “uneven” taxes with a smaller number of flat taxes, and cutting taxes overall; prevented St. Paul’s professional ice hockey team from moving to Seattle by hastily greenlighting construction on a new downtown sports arena, via a public-private partnership; lost re-election in an upset; later elected sheriff and served in that position from 1997 to 2017
1989: Demitro Casillas (D), Wendy Lyons (Workers’) and Sharon Anderson (R)
1994-2002: 50) Andrew J. “Andy” Dawkins (D, b. 1950) – former political activist and environmentalist; married to state politician Ellen R. Anderson; previously served in the state house from 1987 to 1994; elected in 1993 by mobilizing “low-income, but hard-working” residents to vote by mail during their spare time; implemented term limits; raised the minimum wage; worked with city council and departments to improve low-income neighborhood housing and to combat crime and poverty rates; retired to uphold pledge from 1997 campaign; later lost several bids for elected office; joined the Green party in 2014 for several reasons
1993: Bob Fletcher (R)
1997: Randy Kelly (D, b. 1950), Thomas J. Harens (R, b. 1954), Ray Faricy (Liberal) and Doug Jenness (Workers’)
2002-2010: 51) Sandra L. “Sandy” Pappas (D, b. 1949) – city’s first female mayor; previously served in the state House from 1985 to 1991 and in the state senate from 1991 to 2002; focused on criminal justice reform and improving the city’s public transportation systems; also focused on capital investment, commerce, and finance issues; expanded college tuition opportunities for low-income students volunteering in community support, economic development, homeownership, and elder care programs; implemented Ranked Choice Voting; term-limited
2001: Jerry Blakey (R), Bob Kessler (I) and Sharon Anderson (I)
2005: William Paul “Bill” Dahn (R, b. 1950), Sia Lo (I), Elizabeth Dickinson (Green) and Sharon Anderson (I)
2010-2018: 52) Jay Benanav (D, b. 1951) – Jewish-American; previously served in the state senate from 1982 to 1986 and on the city council from 2000 to 2010; born in Israel; focused on capital investment, family and civil law, regulating both fossil and renewable energy companies, and protecting local environments and natural resources; supported financial institutions, insurance reform, affordable housing, and economic development; term-limited
2009: Eva Ng (R, b. 1958), Carlos Mariani (D, b. 1957) and Sharon Anderson (Boulder)
2013: Thomas Timothy “Tim” Holden (D, b. 1957), Cy Thao (D, b. 1972) and Sharon Anderson (Strong)
2018-present: 53) Elizabeth Dickinson (Green) – former longtime political activist and progressive community organizer; previously served on the city council from 2010 to 2018; strongly supported environmental protection, clean energy, water protection, food access, free college for all, and government transparency; currently working with city council to legalize all recreadrugs on the condition of there being adequate funding for rehab centers and abuse prevention programs for colleges and high schools; also supports studying racial bias in the city’s court system; incumbent
2017: Pat Harris (D), Dai Thao (D), Thomas Che “Tom” Goldstein (D, b. 1970), Chris Holbrook (Liberty) and Sharon Anderson (Bigfoot)
– clickopedia.co.usa, c. 7/4/2021
JOHN BESTED AL IN LAST NIGHT’S MAYORAL RACE
…in arguably the biggest Republican victory of the night, New Yorkers have voted for wealthy businessman John A. Catsimatidis to be their next mayor in a rejection of Rev. Al Sharpton for a less populist politician. While New Jersey residents rejected gubernatorial candidate Wilbur Ross last night, New Yorkers seem have concurrently accepted if not embraced Catsimatidis, who is also known as “Johnny Cats” to some of his supporters. Born in Greece but raised in West Harlem by a lighthouse keeper-turned-busboy father and homemaker mother, Catsimatidis went to West Point in 1966, graduated from NYU in 1971, and opened the first of many Red Apple grocery stores in the 1970s before expanding into oil refinery in the 1980s. A billionaire, and a major donor to Democrats and Republicans in previous elections, Catsimatidis’ main November opponent, Democratic nominee Rev. Al Sharpton, derided him as a “deluded elitist” while others lauded Johnny Cats’ “rags-to-riches” life story, with many even comparing it to that of President Colonel Sanders. Catsimatidis won roughly 49% of the vote, while the more controversial and gaffe-prone Sharpton won 45%, despite President Jackson strongly endorsing his fledgling campaign in October; the remaining 6% of the vote was scattered among 7 minor candidates who were also on the ballot…
– The New York Post, 11/7/2001
…We can now confirm that Democratic Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorf has narrowly edged out Republican state senator J. K. Katzen for the governorship of Virginia. Oberndorf’s unofficial running mate, Democratic state representatives Jerrauld Jones, has also won the race for Lieutenant Governor, defeating Republican state rep Clinton Miller by a comparatively wider margin. Oberndorf, who has served as the Mayor of Virginia Beach since 1988, will be Virginia’s first female Governor, while Jones will be the commonwealth’s first African-American Lieutenant Governor...
– KNN News, 11/7/2001
MAYOR-ELECT DANIELS PROMISES PROGRESSIVE REFORM
…a strong supporter of President Jesse Jackson, Mayor-Elect Daniels will be the second African-American woman to serve as Mayor of Syracuse upon entering office on January 1st… Dr. Jennifer Daniels, a Democrat supportive of environmental protection and alternative energy who wants to make Syracuse the “medical innovation center of upstate New York,” won election to the mayor's seat on Tuesday over incumbent Mayor Daniel R. Izzo, a Republican, and long-shot perennial candidate and former Republican Bernard J. Mahoney of the Conservative party…
– The Syracuse Herald-Journal, New York newspaper, 11/8/2001
List of Mayors of SYRACUSE (New York)
1/1/1958-12/31/1961: 47) Anthony Aloysius Henninger (R, 1890/1-1972) – had previously been in involved in local politics for years; retired
1/1/1962-12/31/1969: 48) William Francis Walsh (R, 1912-2011) – ran a moderate-to-conservative administration; retired; later served in the US House from 1975 to 2001 (retired)
1/1/1970-12/31/1973: 49) John F. O’Connor (R) – won election in a good year for Republicans; lost re-election; was at the center of controversy after one of his staff members was “exposed” as a workplace pesterer during the Ms. Arkansas Wave of 1970 but was not fired at first, with O’Connor initially attempting to downplay the matter
1969: Lee Alexander (D, 1927-1996)
1/1/1974-12/31/1981: 50) Lillian E. Reiner (Liberal, 1901-1987) – former Civil Rights activist; former perennial candidate, losing several races from 1948 to 1951; previously worked for the ACLU and NAACP; previously served on the common council from 1966 to 1973; city’s first female and first African-American mayor; retired due to declining health
1973: John F. O’Connor (R), Lee Alexander (D), and James Tormey (Conservative)
1977: Bernard J. Mahoney (R), Melvin N. Zimmer (D, 1938-2002) and Jacques Zenner (Conservative)
1/1/1982-1/9/1987: 51) Sidney Johnson (R, 1922-2004) – previously served as superintendent of public schools from 1976 to 1979 and on the common council from 1981 to 1982; resigned for a position in the Kemp administration; later worked in the Iacocca administration from 1993 until his retirement in late 1994
1981: Thomas Ganley Young (D) and Debbie Pillsbury (Liberal)
1985: Joseph A. Nicoletti (D) and Stanley Harrell (Liberal)
1/9/1987-12/31/1989: 52) Nicholas J. Pirro, Jr. (R, 1940) – previously worked as a bowling alley operator; previously served on the common council from 1980 to 1987 and as common council president from 1985 to 1987; later served as a county executive, in the state assembly, and in the state senate
1/1/1990-12/1/2000: 53) James Thomas Walsh (R, b. 1947) – son of former Mayor William Francies Walsh; previously served on the city council from 1980 to 1990; retired to run for higher office; later served in the US House from 2001 to 2015 (lost re-nomination)
1989: Thomas Ganley Young (D)
1993: Theodore H. Limpert (D)
1997: Howie Hawkins (D)
12/1/2000-12/31/2001: 54) Daniel R. Izzo (R) – previously served on the common council from 1992 to 2000 and as common council president from 1998 to 2000; strongly pro-life; lost bid for a full term; later became a lobbyist in Albany
1/1/2002-12/31/2009: 55) Dr. Jennifer Daniels (D) – city’s second female African-American mayor; former medical doctor; environmentalist; retired
2001: Daniel R. Izzo (R) and Bernard J. Mahoney (Conservative)
2005: Otis Jennings (R)
1/1/2010-12/31/2017: 56) Stephanie Ann Miner (D, b. 1970) – city’s third female mayor; moderate; retired to run for higher office; elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 25th district in 2018 and again in 2020
2009: Joanie Mahoney (R), Alfonso Davis (Working Families, b. 1966) and Ian Hunter (Conservative)
2013: Patrick J. Hogan (Working Families), Steve Kimatian (R) and Kevin Bott (Green)
1/1/2018-present: 57) Joseph A. Nicoletti (Working Families, b. 1947) – former Democrat; previously served on the city council from 1977 to 1991, in the state assembly from 1991 to 1999, and in the state senate from 1999 to 2011; unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 1985, and for Governor in 2010 and 2014; joined the WF party in 2015
2017: Ben Walsh (R), Juanita Perez Williams (D) and Laura Levine (R)
– clickopedia.co.usa, c. 7/4/2021
…Ahead of Election Day 2001 (November 16), incumbent PM Ishihara faced repeat criticisms over his alleged ties to the yakuza. As the voting results came in and it was clear that he had lost to opposition leader Junichiro Koizumi, claims of voter intimidation in anti-Ishihara provinces began to be report by both the media and by online techsites. The extent of the attempt to suppress the vote was larger than usual as it was essentially an anti-yakuza vote. Despite his promises, Ishihara’s conservative “closed door” had failed to bring the country of the effects of The Long Recession. If anything, he – and the yakuza – had only made things worse…
– Alec Dubro and David E. Kaplan’s Yakuza: Japan’s Criminal Underworld, University of California Press, 2003
YOKO AND TOMMY’S LATEST ARTWORK TAPS INTO NOSTALGIC BUBBLE
…Yoko Ono Chong, together with her husband Tommy Chong, are iconic throwbacks to the bygone Beatnik/Shoutnik era. Ono Chong’s newest exhibition – a conceptual form of fluxus anti-art – takes up an entire room at this art museum. A splash of colors and purposely-warped floorboards are meant to give the visitor a sense of uneasiness, which is meant to symbolize the confusion immigrants face when learning a new language in a new land. A fictional alphabet co-created by Tommy Chong is purposely indecipherable at times, with words visible through telescopes on one end of the room being purposely blurred or overlapping. The experience may appeal to young college students, people who remember the Ono-Chong art-and-music scene of the 1960s, and people just getting into high-concept art...
– usarightnow.co.usa/culture/art, 11/18/2001 review
ARCOSANTI: AN EXERCISE IN ARCOLOGY
…in Yavapai County, central Arizona, lies the experimental town of Arcosanti, a place where just under 1,000 people work on completing golden-shaded domed buildings in an attempt to “reconnect to nature without sacrificing civilization,” as one “resident” of the town/project puts it. Begun in 1970 by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, the open, semi-exposed buildings constructed among small hills and flat plains in this stretch of the American southwest in meant to showcase ideas for how humanity can best “minimize the destructive impact of urban conditions on the Earth,” the now-82-years-old Soleri explains as he welcomes us over to his table in a large “dome” building. Purposely missing two walls to allow for natural air flow and lighting, we feel like we are sitting underneath an arched bridge, one with a most elaborate underside, as local artists contribute to the building with murals on the walls and ceiling. Soleri called this alternative form of urban design “Arcology,” the combination of architecture and ecology. …“Construction has been much slower than anticipated,” the master planner tells us. Indeed, the initial plan was for Arcosanti to maintain a consistent population of 5,000 by 1990. Eleven years later, and only 70% of the buildings have been completed. Nevertheless, Soleri is confident that interest in the planned city will pick up “any day now.” He explains, “more people care nowadays than ever before about how we are harming Mother Earth. Volunteers are welcomed, but I think more and more people, people sick of the destructive ways of modernity’s materialism, are itching to go off-grid, and to do more to help show the world how we can sustain life on this planet without eating away at it. When they finally scratch that itch, and they look around for a place to go to, they will find Arcosanti, yes they will. Any day now.”
– National Geographic, November 2001 issue
PRESIDENT JACKSON SIGNS CORPORATE TRANSPARENCY BILL INTO LAW
– The Washington Post, 12/1/2001
“Freddie Mercury, he pulled me back from the brink in ’04, you know that whole thing, but I first met him, like real sat down and talked with him, shoot the shot, you know, was three years before then. At first, Freddie didn’t like me that much. We met up after a concert band thing, and it wasn’t long before he brought up some of my earlier material. A song or two with some lyrics insulting blutagos. I told him, I grew up around that kind of talk, with those kind of words. People I grew up around threw those words around so much, it was like they didn’t mean anything! So I didn’t see them as being attacks of blutagos because everyone used them on everyone else.
You know what Freddie said? He said ‘Your parents are old, you’re not. Don’t hide behind your upbringing or say you can’t change because of it.’
And, I didn’t want to admit to it to him right then and there, but, you know, I already got it, you know? I got it, society was changing, people were acting more mature and using their words more carefully. I changed with the times. I wanted to. I don’t have hate any part of the BLUTG community, I just misused words because I didn’t really understand how they could hurt.
And Freddie made it clear to me, you know, that I should do something about it. So I apologized for the songs, and I explained then what I, uh, what I just explained right now, but focused more on the apology. I hung out with him later, and we got tighter, you know? He was cool with me after that clear-up.”
– Marshall Bruce Mathers III, a.k.a. Eminem, 2013 interview
Coors Light presents: AALIYAH, LIVE!
In Concert Friday Dec. 9th 9:00 PM
Featuring Special Guests: Kid Capri, Dru Hillz, Genuine, Erykah Badu, Pickle Cake, & Selena Quintanilla!
Tickets: $48.50, Available at Ticketmaster & coors.co.usa
GREAT WESTERN FORUM, San Diego
– Text of poster promoting concert for Aaliyah (b. 1979), marked 12/9/2001
EX-CONGRESSIONAL AIDE ARRESTED FOR CAMPAIGN FUND THEFT
…Sandi Lee Stevens, a lawyer, political consultant, and former Press Secretary for Mickey Leland prior to his election to the US Senate last year, was arrested by Washington DC police officers. The arrest was made in connection to a DOJ investigation, an FEC inquiry, and a US Senate oversight review discovering monetary discrepancies in Leland’s 2000 campaign, for which Stevens served as Treasurer. According to a trusted anonymous source close to the police investigation, Stevens planned on running for public office in her home state of Ohio. Based on past cases, it is very likely that Stevens will face charges of filing false tax returns in connection to the misused campaign funds, which Stevens allegedly pocketed into a second checking account in December 2000…
– The Washington Post, 12/11/2001
BROKEN
Premiered: 12/12/2001
Genre(s): drama
Directed by: Al Gore
Written by: Barry L. Levy and Al Gore
Produced by: Joe Medjuck and Jackie Marcus
Cast:
Josh Hartnett, Claire Vaye Watkins, Rebecca Schaeffer, Destiny Anne Norton, Richard Ducommun, and Treat Williams (See Full List Here)
Synopsis:
A romantic political drama set in 1985, the film follows three interweaving plot threads. The first thread concerns a traumatized soldier returning home from the Libya War to reunite with his conservative/pro-war girlfriend and family only to develop a close friendship with an antiwar neo-shoutnik culminating in him having to confront how his battle experience has changed him and his world views. The second thread concerns a reporter with an asthmatic child who reaches her breaking point and decides to try and expose a chemical company’s violations of air quality protection laws. The third thread concerns an African-American reporter looking for his big break who captures footage of police brutality but from the bedroom window of the woman with whom he is having an affair.
Reception:
Trivia Facts:
Trivia Fact No. 1:
This was documentary filmmaker Al Gore’s first time (and, as of 2020, first of only three times) being the director of an actual movie, not just a documentary.
– mediarchives.co.usa
…In the final full Presidential Cabinet meeting of 2001, the Jackson administration perused over the general plan for the next year’s agenda. The President felt almost like a waiter taking orders from hungry and impatient customers: government transparency for Congressman Sorrell; violence prevention programs for Senators McGovern and Clinton; anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs for VP Wellstone; the National Initiative Amendment for Gravel. Having just signed into law a bill making higher regulation on financial market speculators, the next major piece of legislation on the metaphorical table was a new Voting Rights Act to bolster the one passed in the 1960s, plus a Carbon Emissions Tax alongside a New Fuel Initiatives based on similar course of act taken by Lennon in the UK during the 1990s...
– Nancy Skelton and Bob Faw’s Thunder In America: A Chronology of The Jesse Jackson White House, Texas Monthly Press, 2016
CAROL BELLAMY RE-SELECTED UN SECRETARY-GENERAL UNOPPOSED
– The New York Times, 12/14/2001
First Lady Jacqueline was the shy type, much like her predecessor, First Lady Paula Dinger. However, that was mainly around large crowds. Behind closed doors, Jacqueline made her wants and needs known; one must do so when they are the mother of five children. In these efforts, she was helped by Mother Helen, Jacqueline’s mother-in-law who, at 77, visited the White House often and with pride. On her own, though, Jacqueline sought to be persuasive when lobbying for legislation, initiating support for pet causes such as feminist causes and advocating for other issues at level of political involvement higher than that given by the aloof Paula. The biggest of these causes was child-raising. “Every mother has high expectations for their children. We don’t aim to give birth to trash,” she once said. In doing this, she ended up supporting penal code reform and, more centrally, “preventing the start of the criminal cycle,” as in the tendency of repeat offenders, by promoting after-school programs and more parental involvement in their children’s lives. “Talk to them, do family activities together, and make them remember the difference between right and wrong.”
…In 2001, the Jacksons’ youngest, Jackie, was 26, and their oldest, professional singer Santita, was 38. The three middle children – the three sons – Junior, Jonathan and Yusef – were the most media-savvy.
When asked in 1995 if he felt intimidated by his father’s success, Junior replied, “I’m not living in a shadow. If anything, my father’s success casts sunlight on me, not shadow.” Indeed, Jesse Jackson Jr. was notable in his own right. True, he had trouble in academia – being paddled more than once while attending a Military School for insubordination, being labeled hyperactive, having to repeat the ninth grade, and being twice suspended – but he successfully passed the bar exam in 1994, and had proven himself to be a successful lawyer and trial attorney since then.
Instead, the academic Jackson was Jonathan, who by 2001 was a college professor and social justice advocate who often appeared on Meet the Press and other media outlets to drum up support for his father’s administration. The third son, though, was not at all interested in politics: Yusef Jackson, a linebacker for the Virginia Cavaliers, was playing for the Carolina Panthers by the end of 2001...
– researcher Brenda J. Hargis’ Emboldening: The Jesse Jackson Presidency, Sunrise Publications, 2017
1 DEAD, 3 HOSPITALIZED IN BEIJING FROM MYSTERIOUS VIRUS
…the group of Chinese citizens had just returned from staying at a resort in Hainan, China…
– Associated Press, 12/27/2001
NOTE(S)/SOURCE(S):
[1] Jesse Junior didn’t run for a US Congressional seat in a 1995 special election ITTL because the OTL guy who resigned for such a race to be scheduled resigned eight years earlier ITTL, in 1987, during the Second Ark Wave; that, and the fact that here his dad didn’t run for the Presidency in 1984 and 1988 like in OTL, and thus his father’s career trajectory/prominence was on until later on than it was in OTL, if you see what I mean.
[2] IOTL, Jackson’s half-brother was convicted of trying to have this guy murdered (see?: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-09-27-9609270035-story.html ), but here, Barber got the drop on him before the attempt could even happen.
[3] Previously mentioned in the 1985 year of this TL
[4] Developments suggested by @Brky2020
[5] This movie gets produced first because it is considered less controversial than the OTL 2001 winner, “Conspiracy;” “Conspiracy” comes out a year later, and thus Kenneth Branagh wins the award in 2002, instead.
[6] All italicized bits found here were pulled from this: https://www.statesman.com/zz/news/2...rican-farmers-new-crop-to-sell-in-tough-times
[7] Somewhat based on OTL: https://qz.com/1099248/radioactive-wild-boars-in-sweden-are-eating-nuclear-mushrooms/
[8] From her OTL obituary: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sunsentinel/obituary.aspx?n=margaret-sanders&pid=108799
The next chapter’s E.T.A.: October 8!
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