Mayhem, Madness and Violence (OP-ED)

Photo Courtesy AP, MSNBC

After waiting in front of businesses for days, enduring long lines and weather of all sorts, then people got to face the possibility of getting robbed or shot. Talk about the parallels between the virtual gaming world and reality! It was rather surreal and yet, oh so real all at the same time.



What was at the bottom of all this madness? Would you believe a video gaming system? Welcome to the Planet Earth. Only here would outright violence erupt over something like that. I thought we were supposed to be the intelligent ones on this planet. Well, apparently not all of us anyway. The Culprit behind the mayhem this time is Sony's new Playstation 3 which hit the shelves of US retailers today. According to local sources, they also sold out very quick. An interesting thing when you consider that they were selling for $500-600 apiece. Those who didn't risk their lives going out to the stores got to pay even more using online sources like eBay and Craigslist. Prices there ranged upwards into the thousands of dollars. eBay spokesman, Hani Durzy said the average selling price in auctions was $2,700 and out of 11,000 auctions selling the PS3, one reportedly had a "buy it now" price of $10,000.



Oh, and by the way, Sony only bothered to ship 400,000 units to the US. Major shortage there. Do they really think short-selling like that isn't going to contribute to mass pandemonium and violence? My suggestion to Sony: Send us about 1,000,000 more PS3's...quickly!

For more details

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/17/playstation.ap/index.html

Long Live the King

Photo courtesy AP, BBC

His name is name is Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. At his 93 years and 121 days on this earth, he has just become the longest-living United States President in history - surpassing the previous record set by Ronald Wilson Reagan. President Ford and his wife Betty, 88, are the longest-living Presidential couple in US history. They reside in Rancho Mirage, California.

President Ford was born on July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska as Leslie Lynch King, Jr. His mother divorced his father when he was two weeks old and moved herself and her son to Grand Rapids, Michigan where her parents lived. Less than three years later, she married Gerald Ford, Sr. and renamed her son, Gerald Ford, Jr. He grew up in Grand Rapids and attended the University of Michigan, graduating in June, 1935 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. In the spring of 1941, Ford graduated in the top one third of his class at the Yale University Law School. In February, 1942, Ford volunteered for the Navy and entered into World War II. As an officer, he saw action in the Pacific Theater aboard the Aircraft Carrier, USS Monterey. Ford was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Spring of 1945. In February of 1946, he was honorably discharged from the Navy. During his tenure of service, he received many decorations including the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal with one silver star and four bronze stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

President Ford returned home to Grand Rapids, Michigan and on September 14, 1948 he began his political career, winning the Republican seat to the US House of Representatives from the Fifth Congressional District of Michigan. Ford would serve thirteen terms as Congressman before being nominated Vice President of the United States by then President Richard Nixon. Ford became the first Vice President nominated under the 25th ammendment to the Constitution. On December 6, 1973, Ford took the Oath of Office as the fortieth Vice President of the United States. Due to the Nixon involvement in the Watergate scandal and his impending impeachment, Nixon resigned the presidency and on August 9, 1974, Gerald Ford was sworn in as the thirty-eighth President of the United States. He was the only US President to attain office without being elected.

April 27, 1981 - Ford dedicates his Presidential Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

September 18, 1981 - Ford dedicates his Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

May 11, 2000 - The Kent County, Michigan (Grand Rapids) airport is officially renamed for President Gerald R. Ford. President Ford attended the ceremonies.

Picture courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum