Posted on

Harlan James Bakke

16 December 1928 – March 7, 1984

Photo of Commander Harlan J. Bakke copied from page 486 of the 1951 edition of the U.S. Naval Academy yearbook 'Lucky Bag'.
UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND

Harlan James Bakke was born in Hutchinson, Minnesota, on December 16, 1928, son of Edgar N. and Alice (Anderson) Bakke. He attended Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, Minnesota (1946-1947), prior to entering the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, on appointment from his native state in 1947. Graduated and commissioned Ensign on June 1, 1951, he subsequently advanced in rank to that of Commander, to date from August 1, 1965. In the fall of 1970, he was selected for the rank of Captain.

Following graduation from the Naval Academy in 1951, he reported onboard USS Cushing (DD-797) and in June 1952 was detached for flight training. Designated Naval Aviator on July 3, 1953, he then joined Patrol Squadron THREE, operating from the Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida to Iceland and Argentia. Transferred in October 1955 to Heavy Attack Squadron ONE, also based at Jacksonville and later onboard USS Forrestal.

He was an Instructor at the Jet Transitional Training Unit, Naval Air Station, Olathe, Kansas, from November 1957 to October 1959, then became an Instructor with Heavy Attack Squadron THREE, attached to the Naval Air Station, Sanford, Florida. He joined Heavy Attack Squadron ELEVEN (Sanford, Florida and USS Franklin D. Roosevelt) in October 1960 and in October 1961 transferred to Heavy Attack Squadron SEVEN (Sanford, Florida and USS Enterprise). He continued service with that squadron until October 1963, when he was assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron, Florida.

Ordered to London, England, he had instruction (Exchange Pilot) at the Royal Air Force Staff College, from October 1965 to January 1967 and in March of that year reported as Executive Office of Reconnaissance Attack Squadron FIVE. He assumed command of that squadron in January 1968. In May 1969 he reported as Operations Officer of USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) and is entitled to the Ribbon for and facsimile of the Meritorious Unit Commendation awarded on that attack aircraft carrier for meritorious service while engaged in combat operations in Southeast and Northeast Asia during the period February 18 to September 7, 1969. He received 6 air medals and a Bronze Star.

In February 1970 he reported as Electronic Warfare Project Manager at the Naval Air Systems Command Headquarters, Washington, DC.

In 1952, he married Carol Marion Pinske of Gaylord, Minnesota and had three sons: Paul,  Phillip, and Peter.

In addition to the Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, Captain Bakke has the Navy Occupation Service Medal, Europe Clasp; National Defense Service Medal with bronze star; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Korea) and the Vietnam Service Medal. He also has the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Posted on

Vote! And stay safe.

I wish,  I wish November would arrive SOON!

 

                                               The sane thing to do. Wear a mask, people.
Posted on

Joe Biden is a Mensch. We need a Mensch for President.

This is a story from the “I Know Joe Biden” email series.

Please, take the time to read below and get to know Joe Biden. And once you’re done reading, can you chip in to send him back to the White House to represent us? Chip in to elect Joe Biden here »

The story I’m about to share with you about Joe Biden is special — in fact, I’m fairly certain I’m the only living person left who actually witnessed it firsthand.

It was about 16 years ago, and I was a young rabbi, brand-new to Delaware, on my way to lead a shiva minyan — a worship service following a death of a Jewish person. I was from California. Back then, I didn’t know Claymont, Delaware from Scranton, Pennsylvania.

A quick bit of background: When someone passes away in the Jewish faith, we observe seven days of mourning, called shiva. We gather a group of ten Jewish adults together — a minyan — to say the Mourners’ Kaddish. It usually happens in a person’s home — somewhere intimate.

In this case, the deceased individual — her name was Mrs. Greenhouse, of blessed memory — had not been a person of means. She had lived in rent-controlled senior housing in a tall high-rise building off of Namaans Road. Her apartment had been too small to fit everyone into, so we conducted our worship service in the building’s communal laundry room, in the basement of the high-rise.

We assembled the ten elders together, and it was in this most humble of places that I began to lead the kaddish. Toward the end of the service, a door at the back of the laundry room opened, and who walks in but Senator Joe Biden, his head lowered, all by himself.

I nearly dropped my prayer book in shock.

Senator Biden stood quietly in the back of the room for the duration of the service.

At the close of the kaddish, I walked over to him and asked the same question that must have been on everyone else’s mind: “Senator Biden — what are you doing here?”

And he said to me: “Listen, back in 1972, when I first ran for Senate, Mrs. Greenhouse gave $18 to my first campaign. Because that’s what she could afford. And every six years, when I’d run for reelection, she’d give another $18. She did it her whole life. I’m here to show my respect and gratitude.”

Now, the number 18 is significant in the Jewish faith — its numbers spell out the Hebrew word chai, as in “to life, to life, l’chayim!” But it’s also a humble amount. Joe Biden knew that. And he respected that.

There were no news outlets at our service that day — no Jewish reporters or important dignitaries. Just a few elderly mourners in a basement laundry room.

Joe Biden didn’t come to that service for political gain. He came to that service because he has character. He came to that service because he’s a mensch.

And if we need anything right now when it comes to the leadership of our country — we need a mensch.

I know this is such a simple, small story. But I tell it to as many people as will listen to me.

Because I think that, in their heart of hearts, when people are trying to think about the decision they’ll make this year — this is the kind of story that matters.

Joe Biden is a mensch. We need a mensch.

Thanks for reading.

— Rabbi Michael Beals of Delaware

Posted on

Ever want to see what a CIA Security Background check looks like? Check out mine. (REMOVED)

I have provided my CIA TK/SI background check document from 1986. I’ve redacted portions of it myself.

At the height of the Cold War, when President Ronald Reagan was calling the Soviet Union the “Evil Empire,” I applied to the SOVA (Soviet Analysis) section of the CIA at Langley, Va. Additionally, I submitted to three polygraphs. The first polygraph was given at CIA Headquarters in Langley and two subsequent polygraphs were administered off-site in the suburbs of Washington D.C.

Could you pass a similar background check?

P.S. Ultimately, I never worked for the CIA.

 

Official Seal of the CIA

Posted on

NBA coaches with at least 200 wins and a .500 winning percentage who have not won a Championship!

NBA coaches with at least 200 wins and a .500 winning percentage who have not won a championship title, by number of playoff wins and finals appearances

  REG. SEASON PLAYOFFS
COACH YEARS WINS WIN% WINS FINALS
Jerry Sloan 26 1,221 .603 98 2
George Karl 27 1,175 .588 80 1
Rick Adelman 23 1,042 .582 79 2
Don Nelson 31 1,335 .557 75 0
Mike D’Antoni 16 668 .561 49 0
Stan Van Gundy 12 523 .577 48 1
Scott Brooks 11 486 .568 48 1
John MacLeod 18 707 .518 47 1
Flip Saunders 17 654 .525 47 0
Mike Brown 8 347 .616 47 1
Jeff Van Gundy 11 430 .575 44 1
Del Harris 14 556 .549 38 1
Cotton Fitzsimmons 21 832 .518 35 0
Doug Moe 15 628 .543 33 0
Fred Schaus 7 315 .563 33 0
Frank Vogel 9 353 .536 31 0
Joe Lapchick 9 326 .569 30 0
Mike Budenholzer 7 326 .585 27 0
Paul Westphal 10 318 .533 27 1
Brad Stevens 7 313 .563 27 0
Richie Guerin 8 327 .529 26 0
Tom Thibodeau 8 352 .589 24 0
Doug Collins 11 442 .521 23 0
Avery Johnson 7 254 .577 23 1
Dwane Casey 11 434 .524 21 0
Butch van Breda Kolff 9 266 .513 21 0
Mike Fratello 17 667 .549 20 0
Terry Stotts 12 469 .508 20 0
Stan Albeck 7 307 .535 18 0
Nate McMillan 16 655 .528 17 0
Bob Hill 9 310 .514 17 0
Billy Donovan 5 239 .610 15 0
Paul Seymour 8 271 .529 14 0
Kevin McHale 7 232 .556 13 0
Quin Snyder 6 268 .565 10 0
Vinny Del Negro 5 210 .533 10 0
Mike Malone 7 255 .511 7 0
Allan Bristow 5 207 .505 5 0
Posted on

Vacation Webcams

Here’s a little virtual trip to some favorite places:

Reykjavik, Iceland ❯ Feel a little calmer with a peek at this quaint waterfront street in Iceland’s capital city.

Easter Island ❯ Watch the mysterious moai statues stand sentinel on the island as the waves slowly roll in.

Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand ❯ Imagine standing on the shore in Picton and watching the boats sail these age-old sunken valleys.

Cinque Terre, Italy ❯ Step into a fantasy of seeing the five seaside villages of Cinque Terre, where you can almost taste the pesto.

Posted on

Alternative Sources of Progressive and Liberal News

HOT: The Guardian

Hats off to:  University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences

Netroots (Progressive Blogs and Podcasts)

Websites for Progressives

Progressive 527 Organizations

Writers

Useful Tools for Understanding the Media

Useful Tools for Understanding Politics

Useful Links for Election Surveys, Polls, and Analysis

Music

Voting and Voting Problems

Voter Registration

Progressive Religious Groups

Other Sites for News and Views

News from Around the World

Posted on

Monet, 1879

In 1879, Claude Monet moved with his family to the village of Vétheuil on the north bank of the River Seine. For the next three years the town became the artist’s central landscape motif. His style during this period evolved from the blunt, broad strokes of the 1870s to delicate, rhythmic brushwork that reads like a gauze of spun sugar. The poplars in the background appear as twirling configurations of blue and green, while the clouds are painted in a broad and wet manner that suggests the flat quality of the sky at midday.