On November 30, 2007 an unidentified hostage taker took over the Hillary Clinton campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire (NH).

The Clinton campaign released a statement saying:

There is an ongoing situation in our Rochester, NH office. We are in close contact with state and local authorities and are acting at their direction. We will release additional details as appropriate.

A woman who escaped, Lettie Tzizik, rushed into a neighboring store and shouted,

You need to call 911. A man has just walked into the Clinton office, opened his coat and showed us a bomb strapped to his chest with duct tape

The man was described as in his 40s with salt-and-pepper hair. There were snipers on the roofs of businesses near the Clinton campaign to target the hostage taker should he emerge. Senator Hillary Clinton was not at the office. She canceled a planned appearance at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting.

The man, Lee Eisenberg, released the last of the hostages as the afternoon wore on, and was finally arrested.

Hillary Clinton said outside her Washington home:

I am very grateful that this difficult day has ended so well. All of my campaign staff are safe. I want to thank them for their extraordinary courage and coolness under some very difficult pressures and dangerous situations.

In response to the situation, Senator Barack Obama’s campaign immediately evacuated its own Rochester campaign office.

Rochester is said to be a gritty working class town that has been in decline for several years. It is located just north of Dover on New Hampshire’s sea coast.

After 16 years, Rodney King is in the news again. He is currently recovering after having been wounded superficially by gunfire on his face, arms, back and torso.

The incident happened Wednesday night. Rodney stood on a street corner when he was shot. Afterwards, he rode his bike to Rialto, where he lives, and called the police shortly before midnight.

Information on suspects or Rodney King’s current location is not available but we will update this post as soon as new information comes in.

Rodney King became known nationwide in 1991, when he was beaten by police in an incident that caused widespread rioting in Los Angeles and other cities.

What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

Thanksgiving means different things to different people. When many people hear Thanksgiving, they are reminded of airport travel, family meetings, and too much food.

They are right. The days before and after Thanksgiving (Wednesday and Sunday) are among the busiest travel days ever. And food is in ample supply as families gather in their homes to eat delicacies such as turkey and pumpkin pies.

But what does Thanksgiving mean originally?

The first Thanksgiving feast was celebrated almost fourhundred years ago, in 1621. It was at that time that the pilgrims of the Plymouth colony had come out of a pretty disastrous and cold winter. Almost 50% of them had died.

But about 90 Wampanoag Indians helped them, so the pilgrims’ governor, William Bradford, announced a thanksgiving day. On that day everyone would give thanks and pray to god. For 3 days, they ate a lot of different things, including corn, goose, turkey, duck and eel.

More than 150 years later, George Washington (the first US president) decided that the last Thursday in November would be the official National Thanksgiving Day, honoring the Constitution. Shortly thereafter, Thomas Jefferson (the third president) canceled the practice because he thought it was “kingly” and inappropriate.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln reitroduced Thanksgiving as a national holiday. The date was the last Thursday in November. Later, in 1941, the date was officially changed to the fourth Thursday in November. (This makes a difference because sometimes, there are five Thursdays in November).

So what does Thanksgiving really mean? It’s a holiday for individuals. It means something different to each and every person and they celebrated it how they like it. There’s no religion, rules or even presents. There can be Thanksgiving prayers, but they’re not compulsory. For turkeys, Thanksgiving means death.

Every year, Thanksgiving is different and yet the same. That’s what makes Thanksgiving so exciting.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Return of the Ghostbusters is a fan movie that was funded by donations from Ghostbusters fans around the world.

The script was written by the writers of Freddy VS Ghostbusters, and the actors are all amateurs.

It’s not an official Ghostbusters movie, and Bill Murray won’t be in it. The movie is currently in post-production.

Watch a free Return of the Ghostbusters trailer below.

Return of the Ghostbusters Main Cast

• Tim Johnson (Ed Spengler)
• J. Michael Weiss (Neil Anderson)
• Joel Hanson (Pavel Karnov)
• Ron Vischer (Klaus Konstantin
• Arielle Brachfeld (April Hunter)
• Donte Essien (Levar Gordon)
• Lisa Wegener (Annie)
• Heath C. Heine (Gallagher)
• Rebecca Roth (Allison)
• Kevin Cunningham (Bud Jenks)
• Mike Ballard - Frederic)
• Brandon Eaton (Konstantin’s Assistant)
• Craig Scott (Scared Kid)
• KC Weatherman (Homeless Joe)
• Ethan Knightchilde (Producer)

Return of the Ghostbusters Main Crew

• Hank Braxtan (Writer/Editor/Producer/Director)
• Scott Douglas (Producer/Ultimate Extra)
• Tim Johnson (Writer)
• J. Michael Weiss (Executive Producer)
• Neil Mandt (Executive Producer)
• Michael Mandt (Executive Producer)
• Ryan P. Wilson (Visual Effects)
• Justin Rader (Visual Effects)
• Drew Adams (Director of Photography)
• Anthony Cafaro (Gaffer)
• Jon Vandergriff (Original Score)
• Andrew Peevler (Location Sound)
• Eilam Hoffman (Sound Design)

We’ll update this post as soon as Return of the Ghostbusters is officially released.

Country Music: 2007 CMA Winners

Last night was the most important night of the year for all country music lovers.

The biggest winner of the the 2007 CMA Awards (Country Music Association Awards), which were held in Nashville, was Carrie Underwood. The singer won two awards, one for “female vocalist of the year” and another one for “single of the year” with her song “Before He Cheats”.

Other big winners include Kenny Chesney, who won “entertainer of the year” for the second time in a row.

The full list of 2007 CMA Winners is below:

• Entertainer of the Year: Kenny Chesney
• Single: “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood
• Album: “It Just Comes Natural” by George Strait
• Song: “Give It Away” by Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson
• Female Vocalist: Carrie Underwood
• Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley
• Vocal Group: Rascal Flatts
• Vocal Duo: Sugarland
• Musical Event: “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” by Tracy Lawrence with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney
• Musician: Jerry Douglas
• Music Video: “Online” by Brad Paisley
• Horizon Award: Taylor Swift

Posted November 8, 2007