Taking the Rap - murderer sentenced to 40 years after writing song about killing
Armed and Dangerous - undercover officers use Taser on pallbearer
Surf's Down - Iran admits to blocking millions of Web sites
On this day in history: November 20, 1912 - Mad Bomber Carl Warr enters Los Angeles city jail with 60 sticks of dynamite strapped to himself. After an hour, two detectives attack Warr who then pulls the bomb's trigger. Nothing happens, and the freakishly masked bomber begs police to kill him.
Born on this day in history: November 20, 1946 - Duane Allman (1946-1971) Howard Duane Allman was born in Nashville, Tennessee on November 20, 1946. Duane, as he was known, and his brother, Gregg, were raised by their mother Geraldine Allman after their father, Willis, was murdered when Duane was just 3-years-old. Geraldine, "Mama A" moved with her boys to Daytona Beach, Florida in 1957. Once Gregg heard a neighbor playing guitar, he decided that he needed to learn the instrument. Duane soon followed suit, and became an even better player than his brother. The boys were influenced by the bluesy music of artists such as B.B King, whom they saw in concert while teenagers. Duane dropped out of high school to stay home and practice guitar and when Gregg graduated from Sea Breeze High School in 1965, the young men formed their first official band, the Allman Joys. When the Allman Joys became The Hour Glass in 1967, the group moved to Los Angeles. During this time, Duane perfected his electric slide guitar technique, using an empty Coricidin glass bottle over his ring finger as a slide. Duane simply loved to play the guitar, and was a much in-demand session musician for acts such as Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Boz Scaggs, and Herbie Mann. When he grew frustrated by the limits of being a session musician, Allman headed back to Florida with a few musicians. In March 1969, the Allman Brothers Band was formed, featuring Jaimoe Johanson, Dickie Betts, Berry Oakley, Reese Wynans, and Duane and Gregg Allman. Their debut self-titled album dropped in 1969 and the band began to tour. A huge fan of Eric Clapton, Duane Allman was surprised and thrilled to be asked to play on Clapton’s album "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs." Clapton was, in turn, a huge Duane Allman fan. In addition to touring with his band, Allman was known to drop in on recording sessions to jam with whomever happened to be recording. Allman often received cash payments but rarely album credit, so it is impossible to know exactly how many recordings of his work exist. Duane Allman died on October 29, 1971, less than a month before his 25th birthday. His tragic death was the result of a motorcycle accident; when he swerved to avoid a turning truck, he lost control of his vehicle and was thrown through the air. He died a few hours later. The Allman Brothers had recorded just three albums, but his fame was secured.
Scripture of the Day: Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. -Psalm 95:1-2
Video of the Day: Too Many Robots - submitted by Cindy
[While I slept] I owned an exotic-car dealership. The showroom and lot were filled with an incredible collection of modern high-performance cars and vintage American muscle cars. Business was good. I decided to have the carpet of the showroom floor replaced with travertine tile. I met with my friend, Frank, [a tile man in real life] and selected the tile from samples he showed me. In anticipation of the tile being installed, the cars in the showroom were moved to the lot. The following morning, I drove to the dealership in my 1970 Dodge Hemi Challenger R/T convertible and saw that the cars were all gone! In order to avoid disturbing any evidence, I remained in my Challenger and called the police. Two detectives arrived to take my statement. One of them looked at my Challenger and said, "Nice car. Why didn't they take that?" There was a supercilious tone to his voice. "Because it was not here," I replied. I suddenly felt the urge to sneeze and reached into my pocket for a tissue. [I routinely carry tissues.] I awoke, on the verge of sneezing, and I had a tissue in my hand—taken from the box at bedside.
Hometown Christmas – This coming Saturday, November 22nd, kicks off the holiday season with Corning Hometown Christmas. This event draws people from all over the North State. The day starts with a pancake breakfast at 7 AM at the Veterans Memorial Hall, and you can start your Christmas shopping after breakfast. Crafter booths will be set up in the hall. There will also be a lunch of clam chowder in a bread bowl and honker potatoes served by the Senior Center starting at 11 AM. Solano Street will be closed from the Memorial Hall to 3rd Street, with more craft and food vendors along the sidewalks. There will be free carriage rides starting in front of the Corning Chamber of Commerce office, and there will also be live Christmas trees for sale. There will be fun activities for the kids, including a jump house, face painting, hair coloring, cookie walk, fun games, lollipop tree, and lots of give-away toys and candy. Santa will arrive on the fire truck at 1 PM and will be available for photos at the chamber office from 2 to 3:30 PM. You will want to check out the art exhibit of local artists at PremierWest Bank. The highlight of the day will be the Lighted Parade. It is spectacular!
