BERIGAN

Hope you had a great one!!!!! If you started your birthday late, might as well extend it a day or two as well! Amazing how many jazz fans here are Pisces!

Fire capt. files grievance against chief after changing gender Fire Capt. Jamie Faucon says in her grievance her supervisor used incorrect gender terms when referring to her in conversations. March 1, 2006 By DANIELLE BANKS 6 News Anchor/Reporter KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- A Knoxville firefighter claims she's being discriminated against because she used to be a man. Fire Capt. Jamie Faucon has filed a grievance against Knoxville Fire Chief Carlos Perez and her supervisor, Mark Foulkes. She accuses them of depriving her of a take-home car, of reassigning her and cutting out her overtime because she is a transgendered firefighter. Faucon also says in her grievance Foulkes used incorrect gender terms when referring to her in conversations. She says she never thought she would wind up in a situation like this but the actions that allegedly took place earlier this week left her with no other choice. Faucon had surgery to change from male to female in March 2005. Before making the change, she says she spoke with several city officials and her co-workers were supportive. Faucon's personal data change form notes her gender change was entered into the system in May 2005. "I had worked the law department and Chief Ed Cureton, the former fire chief. They were very supportive. We went through the rigors of getting them to understand the situation, the medical terms, some of the legal aspects," Faucon says. "They were very, very supportive and I'm very appreciative for what they did." Faucon is upset about having to move to a different office. She says that makes doing her job a lot harder. She also says her take home company car privileges are now gone after working hours. She says she needs that to do her job in emergencies. Without it, she can't be on call and loses on-call pay. "To not have a drive home vehicle, they cannot have you in a non-call status. There is no requirement for you to drive your own personal vehicle in an emergency situation," Faucon says. "I, on several occasions, had been called to respond to emergency calls. A couple of them were hauling the trailers and my car is the main vehicle for that on such things as the Hazmat trailer and the EMS trailers." Lastly, Faucon complains about supervisors still referring to her as a he or a sir. Since she has legally changed gender from male to female, she wants the misuse of pronouns to stop. "The proper terminology should be she, her or ma'am. Not he, sir, or his." She's asking to be returned to Fire Station 10 with a take-home car and to be referred to correctly by others in the fire department. Representatives with the Knoxville Fire Department say they cannot respond at this time. City of Knoxville representatives had a similar response, also stating they are waiting for the proper paperwork. A fellow firefighter, who even served as best man as Faucon's wedding 10 years ago, disagrees with her claim.

Hope you had a great one!!!

Thanks for the suggestion, but checking out the lyrics for that song tells me it wasn't them.....

Well, I heard this catchy song, seemed like they were playing a new artist kind of satellite station. Some guy singing, not one of those singer/acoustic guys, but singing with a real band. Couldn't make out the lyrics that well , but the word everything was sung several times. Not much to go on, eh? Did I mention it was a male singer? Don't you hate hearing one of those rare decent songs in public, and no way to find out who it was???

If you are talking about Duel, it was directed by a 23 year old Steven Spielberg http://allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:14925 Just think, if he had just ordered a 340 instead of the slant 6, he would have gotten miles away from the truck!

I thought you were a wine guy! As others have said, play a good Mosaic, drink some, (but not 40 beers-what's left of your liver will thank you ) then go for a jog, pushing the Jeep. Perhaps a rain dance later in the day wouldn't hurt either. Have a great one!!!!

30 is nothing, nothing at all! Enjoy your youth! Have a great one!!!!!

Man, how sad! He was an Olympian as well....I am sure the obits will mention that....just found one, it does.....Thought he was great as McCloud..and as mentioned before, Duel. He was doing intros on the Western channel. He looked pretty good on those, but don't know how long ago those were filmed. Rest in Peace. Cowboy actor Dennis Weaver dies Last Updated Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:11:45 EST CBC Arts Actor Dennis Weaver, a regular on the television series Gunsmoke and McCloud, has died at age 81. Weaver died of cancer last Friday at his home in Ridgway, Colo., his publicist, Julian Myers, said on Monday. Actor Dennis Weaver. (AP file photo) The actor played slow-witted Deputy Chester Goode in the long-running western Gunsmoke, as well a cowboy detective in New York City in McCloud. Weaver was born in June 1924 in Joplin, Mo., where he performed in high school productions. He served in the U.S. navy during the Second World War and then enrolled at the University of Oklahoma. A gifted athlete, he placed sixth in the decathlon at the 1948 U.S. Olympic trials. The budding performer studied at the Actors Studio in New York City and appeared in plays such as A Streetcar Named Desire, Stone and Buck James. He headed to Hollywood during the 1950s, delivering flowers in order to survive before he was offered the Gunsmoke spot on CBS. Weaver found the Chester role "inane," he revealed in his 2001 autobiography. So he decided to use his training to "correct this character by using my own experiences and drawing from myself," said Weaver, who gave his character a bad leg and a limp. The role, which he played for nine years, won him an Emmy in the 1958/1959 season. In 1966, Weaver starred in another series, Gentle Ben, about a family that adopts a black bear as a pet. It lasted two seasons. He was later offered the character of Sam McCloud, calling it "the most satisfying role of my career." McCloud ran from 1970 to 1977, with Weaver playing the fish-out-of-water role of a New Mexico detective who brings his unique crime-fighting tactics to the streets of New York. His film credits include Dragnet (1954), Seven Angry Men (1955), Touch of Evil (1958), and Way ... Way Out (1966). He has more than 100 film and TV credits, making TV appearances until 2005. Weaver also was a committed environmentalist and combated world hunger. He headed Love is Feeding Everyone, which served meals to 150,000 needy people every week in Los Angeles. He also founded the Institute of Econolonomics, focusing on solutions to economic and environmental problems. Weaver and his wife Gerry once built a solar-powered home out of recycled tires and cans dubbed "Earthship." Weaver is survived by his wife, three sons and three grandchildren.

One of my Mom's all time fav's! Somehow, the film lost something like $800,000 when it was first released! Is the Warner Bros. box out in France yet Brownie?

Absolutely! Darren McGavin must have been a pretty good actor, I never for a second thought he was too old (60 at the time) to be the father of those two young kids. While checking IMDB.com to see what else McGavin did, I saw this title... Am thinking I might have seen this back in 1976.

Funny, we were just talking about Only Angels have Wings on the 1939 films thread, but unless I missed it, there wasn'ta mention of it being out on DVD! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CEV3L...hedigitalbit-20 Nice review of the set near the bottom of this page(The Awful Truth was a pretty crappy copy when it first came out, this version is supposed to be a bit better, and much cheaper to get all these films in a box set) http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articles/bar...well021506.html

What, do you own some Probertencyclopaeida stock???

George Lazenby was the only Bond!

Ferrari Owner Had Other 'Crash'

Apple systems hit by attacks Two apparently unrelated viruses spottted in two days Richard J. Dalton Jr. / Newsday Advertisement Printer friendly version Comment on this story Send this story to a friend Get Home Delivery A worm is waiting to slither into the Apple and another is already crawling around, the first computer worms designed to attack Apple's newest operating system, Macintosh OS X. The worms -- computer viruses that self-propagate -- are significant because Apple's Macintosh computers have been viewed as more secure than PCs running Microsoft Windows. The Inqtana virus, discovered Friday, spreads via the Bluetooth wireless capability. But Apple has already fixed the security hole that Inqtana seeks to exploit. The OSX/Leap-A virus, detected Thursday on a forum popular among Mac users, spreads via instant messaging once a user downloads and installs it. There's no vulnerability that can be fixed to stop Leap-A; users just shouldn't download files from unknown sources, experts said. "Apple always advises Macintosh users to only accept files from Web sites they know and trust," an Apple spokesman said. The viruses appear to be innocuous, defined as level 1 by Symantec, an information security company that makes anti-virus software, with level 5 the most severe. Two apparently unrelated Apple viruses in two days could portend more attacks, experts said. "It's sort of a wake-up call for Apple users," said Johannes Ullrich, chief technology officer of the Internet Storm Center, an early-warning service for malicious computer attacks. "Everybody focuses on Windows, but there are viruses for other operating systems." Apple's move to the Intel chip could further jeopardize Macintosh computers because virus writers have had years of experience writing malicious code exploiting the chip's vulnerabilities, said Dean Turner, senior manager for Symantec Security Response. While Apple computers are "much, much safer than Windows," some Macintosh users are in denial that the system is vulnerable, said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos, a computer security company with U.S. headquarters in Boston. "Some of them have to take their heads out of the sand a bit." http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artic.../602180368/1013

Thank God...it was only a new car, and surely not the world's finest car!

Mystery blob eating downtown By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer A mysterious black blob attacked downtown Los Angeles on Monday with a tar-like goo that oozed from manholes, buckled a street and unmoored a Raymond Chandler-era brick building, firefighters said. About 200 residents were forced to flee as a hazardous materials team and dozens of firefighters worked throughout the day to identify what was first deemed "a black tarry substance" and later morphed into a "watery mud." While outside temperatures struggled to break 60, sidewalks in the vicinity steamed at 103 degrees, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Ron Myers said. "It's worrisome in the fact that it will keep the street closed and residents will be evacuated till the building is considered safe," Myers said. Firefighters were alerted at 3 a.m. by complaints of a sewer-like smell at an apartment house at 1220 S. Olive St. near Pico Boulevard, but found nothing. They returned at 1 p.m. to find a Slimer-like ooze lurking beneath central Los Angeles. "We were called back because there was a gooey substance, a tarry-type substance, coming out the underground electrical vaults, out of manhole covers in the street, through the sidewalks and possibly in one older apartment building," Myers said. A 120-foot stretch of Olive buckled 1 1/2 feet, he said. The pre-1933 unreinforced masonry apartment building shifted one foot from its foundation. Sidewalks were as hot as Jacuzzis. And a pressurized -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- liquid shot from every street orifice located above what used to be a historic oil field downtown. No one was injured in what amounted to a black lagoon. Hazmat and Urban Search and Rescue crews determined that the mysterious substance wasn't flammable, Myers said. "Incident commanders are evaluating some form of drilling operation one or two blocks away as the possible cause," he added. "They told us to get out from the building, because, probably, I don't know, anything could happen. The basement was flooding," resident Mary Robles told KABC-TV, Channel 7. By late afternoon, the American Red Cross had set up an evacuation center for the 150 adults and 50 children forced to flee the stuff of nightmares. "We're opening a shelter," said Nick Samaniego, spokesman for the Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. "We're looking for a place to put them." http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_3529716

My Mom worked for Delta, so I flew from a very early age. I had no fear of it...til I got older. I swear the newer planes are just not as stable feeling. The old L-1011's 747's 727's just didn't feel as cheap. I know the stats are in my favor, but not being in control makes me more nervous these days. Plus, back in the day it was so much more mellow flying. You didn't have to take your shoes off, you could walk to the gate even if you were not going on a flight, the cockpit door was open(I got wings from the pilots a few times as a kid, those days are over) even flight attendants didn't seem to be so rushed like they are today. It's just not much fun anymore.

Have a very happy one!!!!!

I am surprised anyone would say I Married a Witch was a bad film! Perhaps people just don't like his American films. It's a wonderful little fantasy film, you can see where the people behind Bewitched got their idea. And like Kalo mentioned, Veronica Lake was Bewitching.

A woman decides to have a facelift for her 50th birthday. She spends $15,000 and feels pretty good about the results. On her way home, she stops at a newsstand to buy a newspaper. Before leaving, she says to the clerk, "I hope you don't mind my asking, but how old do you think I am?" "About 32," is the reply. "Nope! I'm exactly 50," the woman says happily. A little while later she goes into McDonald's and asks the counter girl the very same question. The girl replies, "I'd guess about 29." The woman replies with a big smile, "Nope, I'm 50." Now she's feeling really good about herself. She stops in a drug store on her way down the street. She goes up to the counter to get some mints and asks the clerk this burning question. The clerk responds, "Oh, I'd say 30." Again she proudly responds, "I'm 50, but thank you!" While waiting for the bus to go home, she asks an old man waiting next to her the same question. He replies, "Lady, I'm 78 and my eyesight is going. Although, when I was young, there was a sure-fire way to tell how old a woman was. It sounds very forward, but it requires you to let me put my hands under your bra. Then, and only then can I tell you EXACTLY how old you are." They wait in silence on the empty street until her curiosity gets the best of her. She finally blurts out, "What the hell, go ahead." He slips both of his hands under her blouse and begins to feel around very slowly and carefully. He bounces and weighs each breast and he gently pinches each nipple. He pushes her breasts together and rubs them against each other. After a couple of minutes of this, she says, "Okay, okay...How old am I?" He completes one last squeeze of her breasts, removes his hands, and says, "Madam, you are 50." Stunned and amazed, the woman says, "That was incredible, how could you tell?" The old man says, "Promise you won't get mad?" "I promise I won't." she says. "I was behind you in line at McDonald's."

A guy is browsing in a pet shop and sees a parrot sitting on a little perch. It doesn't have any feet or legs. The guy says aloud, "Jeesh, I wonder what happened to this parrot?" The parrot says, "I was born this way. I'm a defective parrot." "Holy crap," the guy replies. "You actually understood and answered me!" "I got every word," says the parrot. "I happen to be a highly intelligent thoroughly educated bird." "Oh yeah?" the guy asks, ! "Then answer this -- how do you hang onto your perch without any feet?" "Well," the parrot says, "this is very embarrassing but since you asked, I wrap my weenie around this wooden bar like a little hook. You can't see it because of my feathers." "Wow," says the guy. "You really can understand and speak English can't you?" "Actually, I speak both Spanish and English, and I can converse with reasonable competence on almost any topic: politics, religion, sports, physics, philosophy. I'm especially good at ornithology. You really ought to buy me. I'd be a great companion." The guy looks at the $20000 price tag. "Sorry, but I just can't afford that." "Pssssssst," says the parrot, "I'm defective, so the truth is, nobody wants me cause I don't have any feet. You can probably get me for $20; just make the guy an offer!" The guy offers $20 and walks out with the parrot. Weeks go by. The parrot is sensational. He has a great sense of humor, he's interesting, he's a great pal, he understands everything, he sympathizes, and he's insightful. The guy is delighted. One day the guy comes home from work and the parrot goes, "Psssssssssssst," and motions him over with one wing. "I don't know if I should tell you this or not, but it's about your wife and the postman." "What are you talking about?" asks the guy. "When the postman delivered the mail today, your wife greeted him at the door in a sheer black nightie." "WHAT???" the guy asks incredulously. "THEN what happened?" "Well, then the postman came into the house and lifted up her nightie and began petting her all over," reported the parrot. "NO!" he exclaims. "And she let him?" "Yes. Then he continued taking off the nightie! ! , got down on his knees and began to kiss her all over...." Then the frantic guy demands, "THEN WHAT HAPPENED?" "Damned if I know. I got a hard-on and fell off my perch!"