Where is Amelia?

In October of this year, Fox will debut the movie "Amelia" a bio-pic about Amelia Earhart. Doubtless Hollywood has and will put the spin on where THEY think Amelia is. About 71 years after her infamous disapperance, conspiracy theories abound.

In all likelihood Amelia Earhart along with navigator, Fred Noonan crashed into the Pacific Ocean near the island nation of New Guinea. But the question remains unanswered because there was no wreckage and no bodies found.

The more puzzling question is why isn't there anything left of Earhart, Noonan or the Lockheed Electra they were flying? In 2002, the Md-based company, Nauticos conducted a nearly 650-mile search of the area and found nothing at the bottom of the ocean.

Tighar International Group, under the Earhart Project, investigated reports of wreckage on a tiny island near New Guinea, but it turned out to be the ship wreck of the S.S. Norwich City. They are still investigating tidbits of items discovered on other islands that may or may not be long to Earhart.

There are several problems with investigating plane crashes in the sea. In 1937, there was no "black box" or flight recorders, there was no GPS systems on planes. Pilots flew with navigators who reported longitude and latitudes, there were compasses maps and radios, but they could not definitively give location. Radar was just beginning to be used. Without exact coordinates rescuers combed hundreds of thousands of miles perhaps in the wrong direction and only looking at the surface of the sea. Combine that with fact that Earhart was unfamiliar with all the equipment on board the Electra.

When a plane hits the water at say, 200 miles per hour the plane will shatter, throwing bits of itself hundred of yards from the impact point. Likewise its contents will also explode.

Confounding the search was the airplane itself. The Lockheed Electra was plagued with problems--wings and engine mounts would vibrate and then come off. The fault? A high-speed aircraft stuck in a conventional design. The plane may have ripped apart and sent Earhart and Noonan to their watery graves. In addition, the aircraft was metal which would have sank shortly after a crash. Today's planes are fitted with flotation devices and much of their fuselages are made of lightweight durable materials which also float.

Amelia Earhart paved the way for women (and men) pilots in transcontinental flight, but unfortunately is better known for her disappearance than her achievements.


Sources: Stuart Lee "Lockheed Electra: Killer Airliner", National Geographic,

July 4th, less known history

In 1776, as every child has learned from school the Continental Congress drafted, edited and then signed the Declaration of independence.

Here's what they didn't tell you:

It was actually July 2, 1776 that the Continental Congress actually voted on freedom from Britain. The Declaration of Independence was a formality.

It was read out loud to the public in three locations: Philadelphia, PA; Trenton, NJ; Easton, PA on July 8, 1776.

The document was approved and went into effect on July 4th, but wasn't fully signed by all members of congress until August 2, 1776. The dispute arise from the fact that certain members weren't all present. Jefferson, Adams and Franklin recall it differently.

There were thought to be 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence. Today only 25 copies are known to exist.

Sources: Fourth of July Celebrations Database, US History.org.

Hurricane Season

According to NOAA the 2009 hurricane season officially started June 1. They are predicting 7-14 named hurricanes in the Atlantic. They estimate that 35 million people will be affected by hurricanes this year.

How to cope? Be prepared (seehttp://nhc.boulder.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/intro.shtml) and buy a book:

A Saving Hurricane
http://www.amazon.com/Saving-Hurricane-Bernadette-Sukley/dp/1601454104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244808835&sr=8-1

Irony: the NOAA is headquartered in Boulder, CO far away from any hurricanes. They predict them--you live through them.

pulitzer prizes for writing

Elizabeth Strout of Queens University of Charlotte won the 2009 Pulitzer prize for her book "Olive Kitteridge." A novel about a woman struggling through day-to-day life in a small town in Maine.

Strout's writing is very compelling, it cannot compare to Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek." Dillard wrote the book as a way to help her recover from a near-fatal bout of pneumonia. She won the Pulitzer for the book in 1975. The book is a diary of sorts that details her encounters with the animals and environment in a tiny nook of Virginia.

both books are worth the read.
Amazon.com

The history behind the revolt

The trouble started December 16, 1773 when poorly disguised colonists dumped large crates of tea into Boston Harbor. The act was direct protest of taxation without representation.
Here's what happened:
Tea was one of the most commonly consumed beverages in the colonial era. The major importer of tea, the East India Company was taxed by Great Britain which jacked up the price of tea. Colonists found it cheaper to drink smuggled tea from Holland, as Dutch tea was not taxed. Needless to say the East India Company and the Crown lost money.
In a major "get-back" move the British government sought to impose taxes on the colonies to collect lost revenue. The Stamp Act 1765--which did not tax stamps, but paper, skins or anything the colonist used to write upon (writs, warrants, notices, letters and even planting calendars).
The Townshend Act 1767 was yet another tax imposed upon the colonies to pay for the French & Indian War. The war was fought, argued Britain, on behalf of the colonists--they should pay for it. The fact that many colonists did not fight in the war was overlooked.
In 1768 Britain sent troops to enforce the payment of taxes (Quartering Act forced colonists to allow British troops in their homes). Tensions mounted and in 1770, five civilians were killed by British troops after being unable to withstand insults and snow balls being thrown at them. The event was called The Boston Massacre by Samuel Adams.
As the relationship between Britain and the colonies became more and more strained, protests shot up from Massachusetts to Virginia. And one December night over 300 casks of East India Tea were tossed overboard. Tea washed up on the shores of Boston Harbor for weeks.

Tax Day Tea Party

Currently planning Tax Day Tea Party
April 15, 2009
Noon
Location TBA
(Allentown/Bethlehem/Reading)

Keep watching these posts!

For the new year...

"Life can't ever really defeat a writer who is in love with writing, for life itself is a writer's lover until death - fascinating, cruel,
lavish, warm, cold, treacherous, constant."

-- Edna Ferber, American novelist, author, and playwright