Two from World War I to get Medal of Honor

Source: CNN

(CNN)Nearly a century after their heroic efforts, two World War I veterans who may have been overlooked for the Medal of Honor because of their respective race and religion will receive the honor posthumously, the White House announced Thursday.

Pvt. William Henry Johnson, of the 369th Infantry Regiment's "Harlem Hellfighters," and Sgt. William Shemin, of the 4th Infantry Division, will receive the award from President Obama at a White House ceremony on June 2.

A Hellfighter from Harlem
Johnson, an African-American man from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who was living in New York before the war, is being cited for his actions near Saint Menehoul, France, on May 15, 1918. After suffering significant wounds during a surprise attack, he was still able to force a German retreat through hand-to-hand combat.

The then 21-year-old Johnson and his 369th Infantry Regiment were assigned to a French army command in 1918 because black soldiers were not allowed to serve in combat positions with white American units.

While on night sentry duty, Johnson and a fellow soldier, Pvt. Needham Roberts, were attacked by at least 12 German soldiers.

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Unshakeable Shemin
Shemin, a Jewish man from Bayonne, New Jersey, is being cited for his actions in France in August 1918. Shemin repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to rescue wounded troops, the Army said, and later, after his officers became casualties, the sergeant took command of his platoon, displayed initiative under fire and fought bravely until he was wounded by shrapnel and a machine-gun bullet.

Shemin graduated from the New York State Ranger School in 1914 and worked as a forester in Bayonne before enlisting in the Army on October 2, 1917.

Serving as a rifleman during the Aisne-Marne Offensive on August 7-9, 1918, Shemin left his trench, braving heavy machine gun and rifle fire, to rescue the wounded.

After his officers and senior noncommissioned officers were killed in the offensive, Shemin, just 19 years old, took command of the platoon until he was shot in the head and wounded by shrapnel.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/politics/medal-of-honor/index.html

Philadelphia Amtrak Crash: Investigators Find Eighth Body, Fire Chief Says

Source: NBC News

An eighth body was discovered Thursday in the wreckage of the Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia, the fire commissioner said.

Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said that search dogs found the body in one of the train's badly damaged cars. He did not immediately identify the victim. Mayor Michael Nutter said that he believed all 243 people on the train were accounted for.

"Unfortunately, again, we must now report that we have confirmed eight deceased from this horrible tragedy," the mayor said.

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/amtrak-crash/philadelphia-amtrak-crash-investigators-find-eighth-body-fire-chief-says-n358926

Amtrak train crashes in Philadelphia, wreckage 'pretty bad'

Source: KWWL.com and AP

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - An Amtrak train headed to New York City crashed in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, and several people appeared to be injured.

Train 188, a Northeast Regional, had left Washington, D.C., earlier Tuesday. The front of the train was going into a turn when it shook.

An Associated Press employee, Paul Cheung, was on the train and said it appeared it went off the tracks. He said he was fortunate to be at the back of the train and the front of it "looks pretty bad."

Police swarming the Port Richmond area where the crash occurred are telling people to get back.

Former Congressman Patrick Murphy was on the train and said he has been helping people. He tweeted photos of firefighters helping people in the wreckage.

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Read more: http://www.kwwl.com/story/29048453/amtrak-train-from-washington-crashes-in-philadelphia

Deflate-Gate: Tom Brady Suspended Four Games

Source: NBC.com

Tom Brady, the star quarterback of the New England Patriots, was suspended for four games after an investigator concluded he was probably aware that team personnel let air out of footballs for a playoff game.

"Quarterback Tom Brady will be suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2015 regular season for conduct detrimental to the integrity of the NFL." the league said in a statement Monday afternoon. "Brady may participate in all off-season, training camp and pre-season activities, including pre-season games."

The investigator's report on the scandal known as Deflate-Gate, issued last week, faulted two Patriots employees in what it described as a probable scheme to deflate footballs for the AFC championship game, making them easier to grip.

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Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/deflate-gate-tom-brady-xxxxxxxxxxxx-n357076

Former President Jimmy Carter cuts trip short because of illness

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)Amid health concerns, former President Jimmy Carter had to cut his trip to Guyana short.

A statement released by the Carter Center said the former president "was not feeling well," but the organization did not provide more information about the 90-year-old's health.

Carter is expected to return to Atlanta on Sunday.

He was in the South American country to observe the upcoming election.

Although Carter won't be in Guyana during Monday's voting, the Carter Center, the nonprofit public policy foundation run by the former president, said he "is hopeful" about the election.

The group also called for the need for a "peaceful process before, during and after the election."

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Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/10/politics/illness-cuts-jimmy-carter-trip-short/index.html

Though exercise. What song would you wish to be the last you've heard...

...like, ever? You're on your deathbed (or in a jetliner screaming to Earth, or whatever) ; what is the last song you'd want to hear the moment you die?

I'm having a hard time with this one, although it would likely be a Beatles song.

Today's Featured article on Wikipedia:

Gary Cooper!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Cooper



Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901 – May 13, 1961) was an American film actor known for his natural, authentic, and understated acting style and screen performances. His career spanned thirty-six years, from 1925 to 1961, and included leading roles in eighty-four feature films. He was a major movie star from the end of the silent film era through the end of the golden age of Classical Hollywood. His screen persona appealed strongly to both men and women, and his range of performances included roles in most major movie genres. Cooper's ability to project his own personality onto the characters he played contributed to his appearing natural and authentic on screen. The screen persona he sustained throughout his career represented the ideal American hero.

Cooper began his career as a film extra and stunt rider and soon landed acting roles. After establishing himself as a Western hero in his early silent films, Cooper became a movie star in 1929 with his first sound picture The Virginian. In the early 1930s, he expanded his heroic image to include more cautious characters in adventure films and dramas such as A Farewell to Arms (1932) and The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935). During the height of his career, Cooper portrayed a new type of hero—a champion of the common man—in films such as Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Meet John Doe (1941), Sergeant York (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). In the post-war years, he portrayed more mature characters at odds with the world in films such as The Fountainhead (1949) and High Noon (1952). In his final films, Cooper played non-violent characters searching for redemption in films such as Friendly Persuasion (1956) and Man of the West (1958).

Cooper had romantic relationships early in his career with several leading actresses, including Clara Bow and Lupe Vélez. He married New York debutante Veronica Balfe in 1933, and the couple had one daughter. Their marriage was interrupted by a three-year separation precipitated by Cooper's love affair with Patricia Neal. Cooper's twenty-year friendship with Ernest Hemingway was grounded in their mutual love for the outdoors. Cooper's other close friends included Howard Hawks, Joel McCrea, and James Stewart. Cooper received five Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, winning twice, for Sergeant York and High Noon. He also received an Academy Honorary Award for his career achievements in 1961. He was one of the top ten film personalities for twenty-three consecutive years, and was one of the top money-making stars for eighteen years. The American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Cooper eleventh on its list of the fifty greatest male
<snip>screen legends.

100 years ago today: RMS Lusitania sunk by U-Boat. 1198 dead.

78 years ago tomorrow evening. Joseph Späh survived the Hindenburg...

http://facesofthehindenburg.blogspot.com/2008/11/joseph-sph.html



Joseph Späh

Passenger

Age: 32

Residence: Douglaston, Long Island, New York

Occupation: Vaudeville acrobat/comedian

Location at time of fire: Portside dining salon

Survived


Joseph Späh was a vaudeville performer. Born on March 14th, 1905 in Strasbourg, he emigrated to the United States as a young man, and got into vaudeville as an acrobat and contortionist. He eventually took the stage name "Ben Dova" and developed a comedy act which centered around his acrobatic skills.



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Leaning out of one of the forward-most windows, Späh was taking movies of the landing crew and had just aimed his camera at Lakehurst's massive Zeppelin hangar when the hangar started reflecting an orange glow. It quickly became obvious that the Hindenburg was suddenly and inexplicably afire. The whole ship tilted about 45 degrees down by the tail, and Späh managed to hold on to a rail while most of the others slid 15 or 20 feet down the floor to the back wall of the observation deck.

Once the ship began to descend and level out, Späh hung out of the nearby window, let go once he was about 20 feet above the ground and, his acrobat's instincts kicking in, tried to do a safety roll when he landed. He injured his ankle nonetheless, and was dazedly crawling away when a U.S. sailor came up, slung him under one arm, and ran him out of the fire zone.

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Woman in wheelchair wins a treadmill on 'The Price is Right'