A Brief History On May 28, 2012, a malware program called “Flame” was announced to have been targeting computers in various Middle Eastern countries, mainly Iran.  Iranian and International cyber security teams investigating problems with Iranian government and commercial computers discovered the malware, which also was affecting other countries, including various Arab nations along with Israel and Sudan, although some reports of Flame related infections have come from Europe and North America. Digging Deeper This fiendish program not only stole all available information and kept on reporting new information, but also turned computers into Bluetooth centers that gathered nearby Bluetooth…

A Brief History Multiple Chemical Sensitivity is an intolerance of chemicals, cleaning products, pesticides, smells, odors, fragrances, etc. and exposure to such substances may cause physiological and psychological side effects that can resemble allergic reactions.  Sufferers, sometimes fearing for their lives, are often forced to avoid social gatherings; many can no longer pursue employment as the workplace environment may not be safe; and most live isolated and lonely lives with others showing little understanding, consideration or sympathy for their predicament. Digging Deeper Deemed an environmental illness, MCS can also be described as a “mystery illness” such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease, electromagnetic…

A Brief History On May 11, 1945, the Essex Class U.S. aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill was struck by two Japanese Kamikaze (suicide) aircraft during the battle for Okinawa.  In spite of severe damage and 346 fatalities, the Bunker Hill was not lost as were none of the 24 Essex Class carriers built during World War II. Digging Deeper It became apparent early in the Pacific theater of the war that the battleship no longer reigned supreme, and it was the aircraft carrier that would take up the mantle as a navy’s capital ship.  Seeing an extreme need for many carrier groups, the United States went…

A Brief History On May 8, 1877, the first of what has become perhaps the best known dog show in the world took place in New York City’s Gilmore Garden (later to become Madison Square Garden).  A group of hunters and dog enthusiasts had gotten together at the Westminster Hotel to form the Westminster Kennel Club, with the primary purpose of holding a dog show. Digging Deeper The Westminster Kennel Club is actually older than the American Kennel Club (AKC), and was the first club admitted to the AKC for membership.  Back then for the first 20 years of the…

A Brief History On May 4, 1959, the first ever Grammy music awards were held, with no category for rock and roll despite the fact that this new type of music had already long taken the country by storm.  Digging Deeper The big winners with 2 Grammys apiece were: Ella Fitzgerald (Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Female and Best Jazz Performance by an Individual, for compilations of the Irving Berlin songbook and the Duke Ellington songbook, respectively); Henri Mancini (Best Arrangement and Album of the Year, both for The Music from Peter Gunn); Ross Bagdasarian, Sr., better known by his stage persona…