Live From Gettysburg

gettysburg
Got into Gettysburg last night. Did the car tour, walked around Little Round Top, saw the High Water Mark of the Confederacy. Headed to the Visitor Center now to check out the Museum. A lot of people get dressed up around here. A lot. In fact, I feel kind of like the jerk who shows up at a Halloween party in my regular clothes. Anyhow, I’ll post photos and maybe some video later. Here are a few things to read about in the meantime.
Here is a pretty concise, short history of the battle.
Philly’s involvement in the Battle of Gettysburg.

Congratulations Sam!

 
We here at JGT Enterprises want to send a shout out to our good buddy and quizzo part timer Sam Murray, who won the million dollars today on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Sam won the money because while the other contestants also had brains, Sam was the only one who had any guts, and took his chances to win the Million. 

The top 10 contestants who had answered the most questions right in the fastest time within the first weeks of the season were placed into contention to win the million dollars.

Each day in the tournament, one contestant would return to be asked one more question for a million dollars. Answer it correctly, you’re a millionaire. Answer it incorrectly, you would most likely lose thousands.

While Sam went for the gusto, the rest of the contestants were spineless cowards. Sam got his question right, then watched as the other contestants got an opportunity to risk a little to win a lot. (Most came in having won $50,000, and if they missed the question, they would go back to $25,000.)

So Sam became the tournament leader and with a surprise visit from his son Tim, who came all the way from Wisconsin, he sat in the stands for the next six episodes as he watched contestant after contestant be asked the million dollar question, and each decided to walk away without risking their hard earned money. By the way, most of those contestants guessed the right choices, but did not make it their final answers, deciding to walk away instead.

The question Sam answered correctly to win the Million?

According to the Population Reference Bureau, what is the approximate number of people who have ever lived on earth? A: 50 billion B: 100 billion C: 1 trillion D: 5 trillion

The answer is B: 100 million.

The 146th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address


Abe Lincoln kicks ass. Here is Abe’s written version of that short but powerful speech. The speech was not given shortly before or shortly after the Battle of Gettysburg. It was actually given at a ceremony for a new graveyard for the Union soldiers. Previous to Lincoln’s speech, the Oration was given by Edward Everett. It lasted over 2 hours and was well received. Lincoln’s speech lasted just over two minutes. Some scholars have said that Lincoln’s speech was inspired by Pericles funeral oration. To see a video history of the battle, click here.

Jim Jones’s Son Talks about the Jonestown Massacre


It was on this date 31 years ago that Jim Jones ordered his followers to “drink the Kool-Aid”, and over 900 people died. Above is an interview with one of Jim’s sons, Stephan, who was on the Temple’s basketball team and thus out of town when the massacre occurred. He talks about his father’s madness, how he and his brother once conspired to kill their father, and how he has come to grips with his father’s legacy. Here is an interview with Stephan back in 1978, almost immediately after the tragedy.