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The 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Why Bother With Columbus Day??

The 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Why Bother With Columbus Day??
20 July 2009
EventHorizon1984

Today the United States and the world remembers the historic 20 July 1969 landing of the lunar module Eagle (Apollo 11) on the moon, and human's first step upon the moon. 

Why forty years later is this uniquely American endeavor not a U.S. national holiday? 

Because the United States continues to have the inane 'America Discovered' holiday of Columbus Day.  A national holiday celebrating the 'accomplishment' of an Italian national, sailing for the Spanish government to find a route to China, but landing in what is now the British Bahamas instead.  Not quite the site of the future U.S.

Columbus Day is also celebrated in Spain.  And as we understand it no where else.  Of course.

Incidentally Leif Ericson was the first historically recorded European to land on North America. He did so and started a settlement about 5 centuries earlier (1003 AD).  Of course his party was greeted by the local indigenous population.

So much for Columbus being "first."

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"That's one small step for (a) man.  One giant leap for mankind."
Neil Armstrong, United States, 20 July 1969

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Science Wit and Wisdom From PowerSellers Unite

Sometimes You Have To Look Back To See Forward
EventHorizon1984
11 January 2009

"according to poster (itspostingtime), I don't know what I'm talking about"
Randy Smythe, My Blog Utopia, 6 December 2008

It could be said that the anonymous eBay poster itspostingtime and his alter egos make liberal use of this argument. That's he's right (yes Mr. Smythe it's "he") because everyone else doesn't know what they're talking about.

Like this alleged alter ego.

http://www.powersellersunite.com/about24334-0-asc-0.html
cohibastore.com
Total posts: 2336
USA US Pennsylvania
Posted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 11:07 pm  
Post subject:  2008 was the year man-made global warming was disproved
 
The first, on May 21, headed "Climate change threat to Alpine ski resorts" , reported that the entire Alpine "winter sports industry" could soon "grind to a halt for lack of snow". The second, on December 19, headed "The Alps have best snow conditions in a generation" , reported that this winter's Alpine snowfalls "look set to beat all records by New Year's Day".

Easily one of the most important stories of 2008 has been all the evidence suggesting that this may be looked back on as the year when there was a turning point in the great worldwide panic over man-made global warming. Just when politicians in Europe and America have been adopting the most costly and damaging measures politicians have ever proposed, to combat this supposed menace, the tide has turned in three significant respects.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/3982101/2008-was-the-year-man-made-global-warming-was-disproved.html

Ultimately, in 10 to 20 years, we'll see whether cohibastore (cleggandco, maybe itspostingtime) is right or totally off the mark.  Or maybe we can accomplish the look ahead sooner.  By looking back.

Sometimes You Have To Look Back

In the day, or at least in our day, computer modeling was a hit or miss affair.  There were limits to what a researcher could do with computing power equivalent to what the average person has in their cell phone.

That changed in the later part of the 20th Century.  Computer modeling became less of a quija board and more of a precise analytical tool.  Good examples are nuclear weapons research and high energy particle physics.  Which is not to say that everything could be computer modeled accurately.  Notable exceptions being horse racing and predicting the weather.

Predicting Triple Crown Winners

Tell a gambler you have a system for horse racing, and they may have visions of easy money.  Tell a Professional Gambler you have a computer model for horse racing, and one thing they'll want to see (after laughing) is your track record.

Did you predict the winner for one race?  A day's worth of races?  A year's worth?  Multiple years?

You know a computer model or simulation of an event is fairly good, when the model is correct over time.  A good track record does have weight.  It's not proof, but such a model should be given some consideration in it's ability to predict.

"Unpredicted by all those computer models", Christopher Booker

Given the tens of thousands of models from all view points on the topic Global Warming, we applaud cohibastore's spokesman Mr. Booker for his Craw computer-like facility to sift through all of them. 

We do not plan on performing that miracle here.  This is after all a quick chat.

Using the old school unscientific method of randomly going through old newspaper clippings like cohibastore, we'll do a quick check of what was being said.

cohibastore.com
Total posts: 2336
USA US Pennsylvania
Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:18 pm

As we've noted, 2008 has been a year of records for cold and snowfall and may indeed be the coldest year of the 21st century thus far. In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month of October.

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=315533893763712

  Not from 2008 or this year, because any hack can do that, but from years earlier.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031106052121.htm
6 November 2003

"Such increases (in temperature) widen the gap between water temperature and air temperature – the ideal condition for snowfall.”

http://investor.com.com
14 October 2005

"Heavier rain or snow, however, will also fall in northwestern and northeastern North America, northern Europe, northern and eastern Asia, southwestern Australia, and parts of South America during the current century."

Obviously these are not heavy science pieces.  Then too neither were the articles in the PowerSellers Unite thread.  Equally obvious is there are thousands of papers that can show any view you want.

But for the purpose of the original PSU position, it's not an honest debate to state that Snow proves the models are false.  In fact it's down right silly to base an argument on something that proves the opposition correct and you wrong.

One makes valid arguments pointing out flaws in a model, not by showing how well the model predicts.

Epilogue

"While scientists generally agree that the world's climate is changing, there is more disagreement over how much of the change is due to human behavior."

This piece really has nothing to do with the climate debate, so what is the point of this piece?  Other than keyword generation.

It's Coherent Arguments For Dummies.

If one is going to make an argument that 'A' proves 'B' false, better be sure that is the case.

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“To get anywhere, or even live a long time, a man has to guess, and guess right, over and over again, without enough data for a logical answer.”
Robert Heinlein

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Space.com - Out There: Space Traffic Control System Needed

http://www.space.com/news/081109-space-traffic.html

Out There: Space Traffic Control System Needed
By SPACE.com Staff

posted: 09 November 2008
11:41 am ET

The orbital space around Earth has become a busy thoroughfare of satellites operated by several nations. The region is also littered with dead and dying satellites, plus bits of debris ranging from large and dangerous chunks to potentially deadly nuts and bolts and even hazardous chips of paint.

Just as airlines work under an air traffic control system, it's time for a space traffic management system, some experts say.

In fact, work has begun on a blueprint for a first step toward that goal: a civilian space situational awareness system.

Military and civilian cooperation

There are some 4,000 rocket bodies and satellites, dead or alive, orbiting Earth. In addition, more than 6,000 other large, observable and tracked bits of debris float around up there. More than 200,000 smaller bits bigger than 1 centimeter -- still potentially dangerous but not tracked -- are thought to be in orbit. Much of this material moves at 17,500 mph.

A Chinese anti-satellite test last year created a whopping new cloud of debris that experts called the most prolific and severe fragmentation in space ever.

Satellites and debris in low-Earth orbit can pose a threat to other satellites, space shuttles, and the International Space Station.

A recent meeting brought together hundreds of aerospace safety experts from America, Europe, Russia, and China to discuss all this. The International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS) meeting was held October 21-23 in Rome.

The topic: Civil space situational awareness, or SSA.

Brian Weeden, Technical Consultant with the Secure World Foundation (SWF), a sponsor of the event, said until now SSA has generally only been talked about in a military context.

"SSA is extremely important for military space, but there is a significant need for SSA in civilian space as well," Weeden said. "This SSA system needs to work in an international context, much the same way as aviation does. But very few companies and States have the resources to fund and operate their own SSA network."

Global conversation

The conference has started a global conversation on the technology needed.

"Much of the data needed is already being collected by various actors, from scientific institutions to multinational companies to backyard satellite observers," Weeden said in a statement last week. "The difficulty is in breaking down the barriers between these disparate sources, making the different types and sources of data compatible, and distributing it in such a way as to protect the rights and privacy concerns of the different sources. It's definitely a challenge, but so far we haven't come across any insurmountable technical barriers."

Commercial companies who operate large, expensive communication satellites in the geostationary belt – a densely packed area 22,236 miles directly above the equator – have already recognized the importance of this and have started the process.

"Further, as military investment in space assets grow, it will be increasingly important to have a neutral, reliable source of SSA data for non-military actors," said Theresa Hitchens, Director of the Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C.

Hitchens said a civil SSA structure could help ensure transparency and reduce tensions by providing data in an apolitical way.

"It seems to me that the effort by global satellite communication companies to develop better processes for sharing data among themselves and with governments is testimony to this need...as well as a solid first step," she said.

Up and running

T.S. Kelso, another conference participant, is a Senior Research Astrodynamicist for Analytical Graphics, Inc.'s Center for Space Standards and Innovation, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Kelso runs CelesTrak, an on-line satellite tracking tool that uses orbital data provided by U.S. military's North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The analyst also offers Satellite Orbital Conjunction Reports Assessing Threatening Encounters in Space - or SOCRATES for short. This service provides regular information on pending conjunctions on orbit over the coming week. The goal is to help satellite operators avoid undesired close approaches through advanced mission planning.

Kelso is teamed with eight operators of satellites in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), receiving orbital data directly from them for 124 satellites to establish SOCRATES-GEO. "We are able to use this data...to provide much better SSA for predicting and avoiding close approaches," he said.

To enhance overall satellite situational awareness, "we're encouraging as many satellite operators to participate as possible, since the more that participate, the better the overall SSA," Kelso said.

SWF's Weeden foresees a system where commercial entities and States voluntarily pool their SSA data – with information then made available to all participants.

"Our goal is to bring more participants into this system and expand it into other congested and high-value areas of Earth orbit, such as Sun-synchronous orbit," Weeden adds. "Eventually, such an international, civil SSA system might form the foundation for a global space traffic management system."

Comments

moonmadness wrote:

actually that would be Andy Griffith.

Salvage 1

1979

posted 11/9/2008 7:13:51 PM

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This is Hampshire - Anger as gifts to QE2 crew are sold on eBay

http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/hampshirenews/3818005.Anger_as_gifts_to_QE2_crew_are_sold_on_eBay/

Anger as gifts to QE2 crew are sold on eBay

4:30pm Tuesday 4th November 2008

THEY were meant to be a private, personal gift from the master of Queen Elizabeth 2 to commemorate the liner’s 40 years in Southampton.

So Captain Ian McNaught was stunned when scores of the surprise presents went missing, only to reappear for sale on the Internet for £100 each.

Captain McNaught and his wife Sue were keen to mark QE2’s final, historic voyage and so the couple ordered 1,200 highly collectable badges to be given to each crew member as the liner leaves Southampton for Dubai next Tuesday.

Shipping memorabilia, especially anything connected with QE2, is greatly sought after by maritime collectors around the world. One inquiry listed on the auction website was from a collector in Melbourne, Australia.

Hampshire police have now issued a warning to anyone tempted to buy one of the specially designed pins over the Internet that they risk having to forfeit the item and also lose any money paid to obtain the badge.

The Internet site offering the badges together with a certificate of authenticity states: “This is your chance to own a certificate of the QE2’s last ever cruise along with an enamel lapel badge which reads ‘QE2 Final Voyage with Captain McNaught’. The certificate reads ‘Final Voyage to Dubai’ also has the above dates and ports of call’. This is authentic 100 per cent.’’ Mrs McNaught said: “It was obvious when the box of badges arrived that sometime between leaving the manufacturers and arriving on QE2 it had been opened and then re-sealed.

“When we looked inside the box we discovered 100 badges, which are in the shape of my husband’s epaulettes showing the rank of captain, had disappeared. Then when we heard that they were being offered on eBay for anything between £75 and £100 I immediately contacted the police in Southampton.

“It is so disappointing as we wanted to give all the crew something with which to remember their time on QE2 but now it has all been spoiled.”

Hampshire police confirmed that they were actively investigating Mrs McNaught’s complaint about the missing badges.

A spokesman said: “As part of the investigation we shall be contacting eBay’s fraud section and we would urge anyone using the Internet not to buy the badges. If people are found in possession of stolen goods they could lose both the item and the money used in payment.’’ One potential buyer queried the authenticity of the badges and was told they were part of a gift pack.

An eBay spokesman confirmed the company would take action against any site users suspected of selling stolen goods once they were contacted by the police.

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NPR - The Stratotanker: A Flying Piece Of History Endures

i) Just because something is old, doesn't mean it's useless and should be thrown away.

ii) There's nothing more beautiful from the cockpit than the sight of a tanker, when your gauges are screaming empty.

iii) I don't have socks older than a KC-135. But not by much.

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Original article:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95484569

The Stratotanker: A Flying Piece Of History Endures

by JJ Sutherland

Morning Edition, October 13, 2008 · More than 50 years after its first flight, the KC-135 tanker is the workhorse of the U.S. Air Force, a flying gas station that loiters over the skies of Iraq and Afghanistan every day. And it will keep flying for at least 30 more years — there isn't even a contract for a replacement.

The plane entered service in 1957, when President Eisenhower was just starting his second term. With the Cold War heating up, armed B-52 bombers idled on runways, ready at a moment's notice to fly over the North Pole to strike the Soviet Union.

But the B-52, an eight-engine gas guzzler, couldn't carry enough fuel for a round-trip mission.

Enter the KC-135 Stratotanker, a jet-age filling station in the sky. The B-52 is still flying missions — and so is the Stratotanker, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It refuels bombers, fighters, cargo planes — even other tankers.

Flying A Piece Of History

One pilot who recently flew out of McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita was Capt. Eduardo Buenviaje. At 29, Buenviaje is a good 18 years younger than the KC-135 he flies.

The plane "smells a little funny," Buenviaje said. "It was built before ergonomics, so things are in a little weird position sometimes. But like any airplane you fly, especially one so reliable, you learn to love it."

"It's conventional wiring, conventional controls still," Buenviaje said.

Noting the plane's pulleys and wires, he said, "You turn the thing, and it takes a while to go — or you just need to add a little bit of muscle."

Some parts have been updated on the plane — new engines, new radios, new navigation. But there's still a hole in the cockpit, for the sextant that used to be there.

But one system hasn't changed — the fueling boom.

Lying in the very tail of the plane, Senior Airman Parker McElroy is face down. His chin rests on a padded bar. His right hand grasps a joystick. He's staring downward at a long, thin white boom. It moves gently in the rushing air.

"When we're preparing for contact, it sits at 10 feet, you want it to be at 30 degrees, about centered," McElroy says. "Then as you've got how many feet left or right, with this gauge, tells us where we're at.

McElroy flies the boom by manipulating two small black wings attached to it.

He says the fueling boom's controls are essentially the same as when it was first introduced.

If It's Not Broken ...

The KC-135 is basically the same plane as the ultimate jet-age icon, the Boeing 707. With clean, classic lines, it's modernism on the wing.

But you can tell it was built in a different age.

There are ashtrays in the plane — yes, a plane that carries more than 31,000 gallons of jet fuel still has its ashtrays. Of course, no smoking is allowed anymore, even in the bathrooms.

Another KC-135 drifts up from behind, part of a practice drill on refueling another tanker.

McElroy gently guides the pilot of the other plane; it's a delicate dance, as two four-engine aircraft mate at hundreds of miles an hour at 21,000 feet.

The boom flies slowly as it reaches for its goal: a seemingly impossibly tiny hole in the roof of the other aircraft. Once connected, the fuel is pumped out of tanks in the plane's belly and wings, until a breakaway alarm erupts.

The tight tolerances of the boom's range of motion have been broken.

The planes fall away from each other with stomach-lurching speed. A shutoff valve cuts the flow of fuel. The rear plane plummets. In seconds, the two craft are separated by thousands of feet.

Strong Demand For A Tanker

Outside of Oklahoma City is Tinker Air Force Base, which contains a building seven-tenths of a mile long and a quarter-mile wide. Inside, lined up neatly in a row, are a dozen or so KC-135s in various states of disassembly. They've been stripped down to their shining aluminum skin.

There are heavily laden tables with struts and fasteners, huge pieces of metal that really look as though they shouldn't be taken off of airplanes.

Steve Stoner oversees all the maintenance on KC-135s. Every single plane in the inventory has to come here every five years, where technicians check everything: the skin of the aircraft, every flight surface, every nut, bolt and screw. They're thorough. They have to be.

In the 1980s, KC-135s began to blow up in mid-flight. No one knew why. Officials had to ground the whole fleet. The disasters were traced to a pump in one of the fuel tanks.

But Stoner, like all the engineers here, is supremely confident in their ability to keep the KC-135 flying — no matter what.

"Are there things out there that we don't know?" he asked. "Sure there is. I don't think we'll find anything that will personally ground the fleet. There's nothing we can't fix. If it's bad we can fix it."

Asked it he could continue to do so for the next 30 years, Stoner answered, "Yes, sir."

A Clear Horizon Ahead

The Air Force knows it needs a new plane. But no change is expected soon: At least two deals to build replacement tankers have fallen through. The reason there isn't a contract to replace the plane is both simple and complicated.

It's simple, because there's $35 billion at stake. But it's also complicated — the competing companies really want that money.

A Boeing plan a few years back was tossed out over corruption charges. Then a new contract was awarded to a joint venture between Northrop Grumman and the Europe-based EADS this year; the company has designated the Airbus 330 as the basis for its tanker. But that contract was thrown out over fairness charges from Boeing.

The joke going around the Air Force is that the mother of the last KC-135 pilot hasn't been born yet. The delay is just fine with McElroy.

"Eventually, it will get to the point where it's all automated, like planes and stuff," McElroy said. "But, I hope I'm not around in that day, because I like my job. But we'll see."

For the foreseeable future, anyway, his job seems safe.

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"Say it ain't so, Joe." - Isn't that the odd American sport of Baseball?

"Say it ain't so, Joe." - Isn't that the odd American sport of Baseball?
4 October 2008
Event Horizon 1984

"This is like deja vu all over again."
Yogi Berra

We're loathe to putting day to day politics on this blog.  There's enough aggravation in daily reading.  But with Major League Baseball into the playoff season, the injection of politics has us crossing the line.

"If you build it ... HE will come."
Shoeless Joe Jackson, Field of Dreams (1989)

If you're a fan of Baseball, or happen to be be the average American glued to the television or radio, you do know this piece of baseball history and mythology.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoeless_Joe_Jackson

In testimony before the grand jury, Jackson admitted under oath that he agreed to participate in the fix. He also admitted to complaining to other conspirators that he had not received his full $20,000 share. Legend has it that as Jackson was leaving the courthouse during the trial, a young boy begged of him, "Say it ain't so, Joe," and that Joe did not respond. In his 1949 interview in Sport Magazine, Jackson debunked this story as a myth.

In 1921, a Chicago jury acquitted him and his seven White Sox teammates of wrongdoing. Nevertheless, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the newly appointed Commissioner of Baseball, banned all eight accused players, claiming baseball's need to clean up its image took precedence over legal judgments. As a result, Jackson never played major league baseball after the 1920 season.

If you didn't know baseball, you probably wouldn't know this has been floating around the last 80 or so years.

"Say it ain't so, Joe"
Governor Palin, October 2008

"If you can't imitate him, don't copy him."
Yogi Berra

Or not?

"I grew up watching the summer baseball on these fields."
"In fact started out as a sports reporter. Sports have been a passion of mine of mine all my life, so I feel not at home here but I feel very ah comfortable in like this is a fun booth to be in."
Governor Sarah Palin, 29 August 2008
Donny Baarns interview during the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks and Mat-Su Miners game.
http://ballhype.com/video/alaska_governor_sarah_palin_interview/

Every four years American President's and Presidential contenders attend or watch the playoffs.  Mostly leaving the politics out of Baseball.  But this Presidential cycle just had to mix politics with American's most beloved pastime.

Politicians do us a favor. Leave Baseball out of it.

You should know better.

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"And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again."
Terence Mann, Field of Dreams (1989)

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PressRelease NewsWire - The Sting: Keep Paul Newman's legacy off of eBay

Original article:
http://www.ipdgroup.com/pr-news/10438-the-sting-keep-paul-newman-s-legacy-off-of-ebay

The Sting: Keep Paul Newman's legacy off of eBay

Contact: Anthony Burke Boylan, Tonyboylan@aol.com, 312-953-1649

For Immediate Release -

9/29/08 --The estate of American film and philanthropy icon Paul Newman is being asked NOT to allow his memorabilia to be sold on E-Bay because the company's monopolistic and unfair business practices sting its most loyal sellers.

E-Bay, a company that succeeds on the efforts of its most active sellers, has late been acting in a way to that would make even Doyle Lonnegan blush. Lonnegan is the Chicago crime boss played by Robert Shaw in the Newman classic, "The Sting.''

In particular eBay protestors are asking that a collectible racing helmet that depicts Mr. Newman's career in film not be sold on eBay by Newman racing team member Graham Rahall (http://www.autoracingdaily.com/news/indycar-series/paul-newmans-movies-on-a-helmet/)

The request is led by Gabriel Majors (Gmajorspresents) a New York artist who has done interior design work for Mr. Newman and Joanne Woodward. In lieu of an auction, Mr. Majors is calling on the American public to make donations in Newman's name to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, Mr. Newman's facilities for seriously ill children that were funded by more than $250 million from Newman's Own food company. (http://www.holeintheallcamps.org/contribute.cfm)

Majors asks that every American citizen who can afford to do so give $2, one for themselves, and one for someone else who isn't able to. Then the helmet and other Newman memorabilia could be put on display at the camps.

"Mr. Newman may have had no idea what a corrupt and monopolistic company eBay is,'' Majors said. "He never would want his legacy to be handled through a company that is destroying free enterprise and the American dream. Mr. Newman was as American as Baseball, apple pie and Eagles tickets on the Fourth of July.''

At least one ghoulishly opportunistic seller already has dealt a signed copy of a Newman book attributed to "the late Paul Newman.''

http://cgi.ebay.com/Easton-Press-Shameless-Exploitation-PAUL-NEWMAN-sign_W0QQitemZ250283611000QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250283611000&_trkparms=72%3A1075%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

eBay protesters organized a one-week site boycott earlier this year because of new rules that are harmful to the people who made their living on the site by significantly increasing their fees and opening them up to more buyer treachery. The helmet, which has images of Mr. Newman's films, may violate eBay's own copyright rules. Any e-Bay sales also would mean the current boycotters would be unable to participate.

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KHNL - Iolani Palace closed all weekend after break-in

"a Honolulu policeman would not help her, because the federal property is not his jurisdiction."
KHNL

"A palace spokesman said a police officer who was there drove away after refusing to help. "If in fact a police officer stood by when someone was being harmed that's a very serious issue," Gov. Linda Lingle said. Initially, no police responded to the palace's calls for assistance. "It was reported last night that when a call went in to 911 they were told it was not their jurisdiction. That is a very serious allegation," Lingle said. Police and state law enforcement finally arrived after three hours."
http://www.kitv.com/news/17213937/detail.html?rss=hon&psp=news

Here's an interesting question.  If Federal property was "not his jurisdiction", what was the policeman doing there in the first place? Did he receive a "tip" about a crime in progress and was following up (abet "not his jurisdiction"), or was he looking after his hui?

Incidentally the main Police Headquarters is a few blocks from Iolani Palace. A slow leisure paced 10-15 minute walk.

Iolani Palace is adjacent to the State of Hawaii Capital (building), a block from Honolulu City Hall, two/three blocks from the Federal Court House, and surrounded by multiple Federal, State, and City Government buildings.

Oh, and across the street from the Governor's (Governor Linda Lingle) Mansion.

http://www.to-hawaii.com/oahu/attractions/iolanipalace.php

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http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8853555

Iolani Palace closed all weekend after break-in

Updated: Aug 17, 2008 10:26 AM

By Diane Ako

HONOLULU (KHNL) -- Iolani Palace is closed this weekend after a break in at the palace Friday night pits an anti-government group against the state. About two dozen people are in jail Saturday night for that. The scuffle has sparked another issue: Honolulu police are under fire tonight after some in the public accuse officers of not doing enough to help a woman assaulted in that break in.

This is what greeted visitors on Saturday: chains around the gates of Iolani Palace. Alison Meyer is from New York. She was hoping to see the palace before she leaves, but it appears that won't happen. "That was our plan this morning to come to the palace, check things out. This is the only palace in the US, but here we are, standing on the outside, looking in the gate. It was disappointing."

The state closed the palace this weekend after a native Hawaiian sovereignty group briefly took control of the grounds of the palace Friday afternoon at around 4:30 p.m. Some four hours later, state sheriffs arrived and, with the help of Honolulu police, started arresting people. State Department of Land and Natural Resources director Laura Theielen described what happened. "We came to the property, unlocked the gates, and arrested in excess of 20 people."

Law enforcement arrested about 2 dozen protesters. "We intend to bring charges," warned Theielen. Chopper 8 is over the only royal palace in the country, now closed as the state investigates Friday night's break in. Theielen detailed the work ahead. "We are going to close the palace grounds and the palace through the weekend. We need to look through the property and building to determine if anything was damaged."

A 67 year old retired construction worker claims to head the group Kingdom of Hawaii. "I hold a clear title everything," insisted Akahi Nui, self-proclaimed King of Hawaii, speaking with a thick accent to reporters at a press conference outside the closed gates on Saturday.

A female palace worker accuses the group of assaulting her during the takeover on Friday. Akahi Nui denies it and told reporters the woman was drunk. "She said we hit her. We don't hit nobody. We are not violence people."

The woman also says a Honolulu policeman would not help her, because the federal property is not his jurisdiction. Kippen de Alba Chu, Executive Director of Iolani Palace, said in a statement he is "outraged that a native Hawaiian group would choose this type of behavior, in the presence of an historic, treasured landmark such as Iolani Palace. I personally witnessed one of our staff members being physically assaulted by a member of the Kingdom of Hawaii Nation. ...A police officer standing by did nothing to help her, saying that it was not his jurisdiction. At one point during the evening the alarms went off in the barracks building and our security staff called 911. They were told it was not 911's jurisdiction and to call the state. This extraordinary landmark and the people who care for it deserve every protection the state and our local police force can muster."

Honolulu police chief Boisse Correa issued a rebuttal statement on Saturday defending his officers. "HPD's position has always been to provide full support for any law enforcement agency that requests it. The individuals who were arrested had clearly violated the law. In this instance, our assistance was requested by the Department of Public Safety, which was assisting the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the agency that is responsible for security of Iolani Palace. As a result of the request, I authorized that all necessary resources be provided. The actions taken by our officers last night were appropriate. Although no formal complaint has been made, I am aware of the allegations regarding our initial response and have directed that an internal review be conducted."

This was the second time a sovereignty group locked the palace gates this year. The group called Hawaiian Kingdom Government occupied the grounds on April 30,2008. In regards to that break in, de Alba Chu said in a statement, "As a matter of historical record, we wish to point out that the original seat of government of the Hawaiian Kingdom was NOT Iolani Palace. The Palace was the royal RESIDENCE. Government activities were carried out in the original Courthouse (now demolished), then later in Aliiolani Hale.

Claiming that Iolani Palace was the seat of government actually supports those who overthrew the Hawaiian kingdom. It was they who intentionally renamed the Palace to be their "Executive Building" to show that by seizing this symbolic structure and utilizing it for mere offices and meeting rooms, they were now in control, and the alii were powerless. The Provisional Government (Jan. 1893-July 1894) and later the government of the Republic of Hawaii (July 1894-Aug. 1898) worked openly to wipe out physical vestiges of the alii in the Palace by auctioning off its contents, thus further cementing the perception of the Palace as a purely government building."

This takeover occurred on the Statehood Day holiday, which commemorates Hawaii becoming a state.

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Or was that a real policeman?

"Can I say something? I’d like to file a complaint against one of your cops."
"Excuse me?" Lt. Disher
"There was a cop standing right over there who saw the entire thing. After Archie shot the guy, the cop just turned and ran away." Woman
"Did you get a badge number?" Reporter #1
"I’m afraid I didn’t."
"Captain! Do you have a policy for a police officer just to flee like that?" Reporter #2

"I have no comment because it’s ridiculous. All right? There is not an officer on this force that would run away from a scene of a crime. It is inconceivable." Captain Stottlemeyer

Monk, Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger

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http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080818/NEWS03/80818031

Posted on: Monday, August 18, 2008

Transcript of Friday night's 'Iolani Palace confrontation

Honolulu police officer Y. Chan: Wait, wait. What's going on here?

Reporter Rick Daysog: They work here.

Officer Chan: Who works here? You work here?

Daysog: No, I work for The Advertiser.

Officer Chan: You work for The Advertiser.

Woman (alleged assault victim): I work here.

Police officer: You work at the palace.

Man identifying himself as Norman (allegedly assaulted woman): OK, you like go home? What you like do, Sista? You like leave or stay?

Woman: I don't want to talk to you. Talking to him (indicating officer).

Officer Chan: OK, this is state jurisdiction. Where is DLNR?

Norman: There's no state jurisdiction over hea...

Officer Chan: ...Where's the DLNR officers?

Woman: They haven't come yet.

Officer Chan: They haven't come yet.

Woman second: They assaulted her. I saw it.

Woman: So it is your jurisdiction now.

Officer Chan: ... OK, we're going to call DLNR here.

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"If we do have that officer in our police force they should no longer be police officers, so we're looking at this very seriously," said Chief Correa.

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http://www.khnl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8862343

Police react to palace takeover response

Updated: Aug 18, 2008 08:21 PM

By Zahid Arab

HONOLULU-- (KHNL) Iolani Palace leaders say takeovers at one of Hawaii's most sacred places, have hit a boiling point and for the first time Honolulu Police talk about what's being called a questionable response.

The grounds re-opened Monday, but the palace itself remains closed after the attempted takeover.

Friday night's incident is calling into question how the Honolulu Police Department responded.

The palace's executive director says an officer saw an assault taking place but simply walked away.

"Hi I'm calling from Iolani Palace," said the Palace 9-11 caller.

Friday just after 6pm, an Iolani Palace worker sensed that something was wrong. A Honolulu police officer in the area was called to assess the scene.

"The supervisor went there saw a commotion, stopped, came back, calmed the commotion down," said Police Chief Boise Correa.

That's where the breakdown in communication started. Police say the experienced officer never reported information from the incident.

nothing of an attempted burglary or the attempt to take over the palace.

"I didn't see anything other than a car accident," said the 9-11 operator.

Iolani Palace's executive director calls the officers response extremely unacceptable.

"One of our employees was assaulted by a group that's taken over and the HPD officer who was here just left and he refused to help. He said it was the responsibility of the state," said the 9-11 caller.

"If we do have that officer in our police force they should no longer be police officers, so we're looking at this very seriously," said Chief Correa.

While the palace is under state control, Chief Correa says Honolulu Police has concurrent jurisdiction, which basically means HPD has the duty to aid other agencies anywhere at anytime. About 60-officers were part of Friday night's response.

"Are we 100% no, we always make mistakes, that's why you have critiques after the event," said Chief Correa.

As the state's attorney general's office evaluates the incident, Honolulu Police stand by their response and are hopeful the investigation's findings will back up Friday's procedures.

The governor, mayor and other public safety officials will meet to assess the incident's response to see if things could have been done better.

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Space.com - The Legacy of Space Chimps

In case you're wondering, with no means of returning safely to the Earth, Laika died in orbit.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080530/sc_space/thelegacyofspacechimps

The Legacy of Space Chimps

Jeremy Hsu
Staff Writer
SPACE.com Fri May 30, 7:15 AM ET

Chimps may represent the forgotten link in the evolution of human spaceflight.

A new documentary and a separate upcoming animated film both hearken to the early days of the U.S. space program, when chimpanzees preceded men into the great unknown of space.

"Most people don't really want to acknowledge the chimpanzee missions as particularly historic," said David Cassidy, director and producer of the documentary "One Small Step: The Story of the Space Chimps."

But when Cassidy dug up footage of the U.S. Air Force's chimp program from the national archives and other sources, he also found press reels celebrating the exploits of the space chimps Ham and Enos. Ham paved the way for the first American to ever fly in space, Alan Shepherd, and Enos flew before just before John Glenn orbited the Earth.

Film footage reveals a time when the infant U.S. space program struggled to successfully launch rockets, let alone humans. That prompted the Air Force to train a group of chimps to test the physical effects of launch and spaceflight.

The documentary includes interviews with Ham's handler, who fondly recalled the chimp as "a sociable little guy" who adored the people around him. By contrast, Enos tended to give humans the cold shoulder.

Cassidy does not skimp on the darker side of the space chimp story. Some scenes that make for hard viewing include decompression sled tests which caused brain damage in chimps and human volunteers alike, as noted in the film by an Air Force physiologist. Chimp training appears to have involved a combination of rewards, such as juice sips, and punishment through electric shocks.

The act of chimp spaceflight was no laughing matter, either. Ham's apparent grin of happiness upon his return to Earth actually signified "the most extreme fear" through his baring of teeth, according to the film's interview with renowned biologist Jane Goodall.

However, Cassidy pointed out that people were just beginning to understand the intelligence and capabilities of chimpanzees in the 1960s.

"Most of the humans involved in the program grew very attached to the chimps and treated them very decently," Cassidy told SPACE.com.

That did not prevent the Air Force from eventually putting its chimp colony up for sale after the first successful human spaceflight missions. Although Ham lived out the rest of his life at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. and the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C., most chimps ended up at a biomedical research facility in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Twenty one chimps were eventually rescued by Carole Noon, a biological anthropologist who sued the Air Force for custody and founded the Center for Captive Chimpanzee Care in Florida. The center now houses the largest chimp sanctuary in the world with over 135 residents.

Cassidy made the documentary after first hearing Noon's story, because he thought the chimps "need to be treated with a certain level of dignity" after their contributions to the U.S. space program. He pointed to the Russians, who unveiled a monument to Laika the space dog this past April.

"It's kind of fantastical when you think that we treated chimps like humans, trained them, dressed them up in space suits, and shot them up," Cassidy said. "You see how it can inspire an animated film."

That upcoming animated film "Space Chimps" takes a decidedly lighter tone with Ham III, the future grandson of Ham, and a crew of chimponauts blazing new trails for humanity by piloting a spacecraft through an inter-dimensional wormhole. They end up on a planet teeming with alien life and political intrigue — a mission outcome that scientists can only dream of.

A "Space Chimps" video game will also accompany the film's July 18 release, featuring single player and cooperative modes with plenty of simian acrobatics in colorful alien environments.

Perhaps chimps may one day play another role in dangerous space exploration, but they'll face stiff competition from robotic probes. Still, it's worth remembering that one small step into space that threw the doors open for human spaceflight.

"One Small Step: The Story of the Space Chimps" was directed and produced by David Cassidy, and is available at Video: Orbital Animals

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2004 - Pedigree Comics - The Green River Collection

http://www.pedigreecomics.com/articles.php

The Green River Collection
Belying its serene-sounding title, the Green River Collection actually claims an indirect connection to one of the most horrific series of murders on record in American history.

http://www.pedigreecomics.com/article.php?article_id=8

The Green River Collection

by Brad Hamann

Belying its serene-sounding title, the Green River Collection actually claims an indirect connection to one of the most horrific series of murders on record in American history.

William J. Stevens II began assembling this collection of mainly Silver Age Marvels and DCs in the 1960s when he was a boy. Stevens’ father operated a 1,200-square-foot pharmacy on a secondary road by Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and Stevens and his adopted brother Robert would steal comics and boxes of trading cards from the store.  Stevens meticulously cataloged and stored this quickly-growing collection.

The collection first began to surface in the early 1990s when Stevens, now in his forties, began selling some of the books to Craig Barnett, a local dealer who ran a store in Spokane called The Comic Book Shop. Stevens would arrive at the store with stacks of comics packed in brown paper grocery sacks whenever he needed money. According to Barnett, Stevens was looking to raise money for a microwave receiving station to track police calls as part of his apparent fixation with law enforcement. Barnett has described Stevens as very personable, and “a really nice guy, but an incredible con man.” These transactions went on for about a year and then stopped. Later,  Barnett learned from Robert Stevens that William had died as a result of cancer. What Barnett did not know at the time of his purchases, was that William was not only a con man, but a convicted felon.

Convicted of burglarizing a uniform store in 1979, Stevens had served a two-year stint in prison. Then, in January of 1981, he had simply walked out of a King County jail work-release program and dropped completely out of sight. Stevens traveled extensively under several aliases and resided in the Portland, Oregon area until May of 1985, when he returned to Spokane and enrolled at Gonzaga.

Police discovered and arrested Stevens at his parents’ home in January of 1989 after several phone tips resulting from the television program “Manhunt Live: A Chance to End a Nightmare!” At the time, Stevens was in his last year at Gonzaga University School of Law and serving as the president of the Student Bar Association. He promptly issued a statement denying any wrongdoing. “I am not the Green River killer. They have made me out to be a very bad person, and I am not,” he declared.

After a search of his parents’ home, where Stevens was then living, police found 29 firearms, and a box full of phony driver’s licenses and credit cards acquired under assumed names. Credit-card fraud and robbery were apparently a means by which Stevens had survived through the years. Also discovered were more than one hundred police badges, and a large collection of pornographic videotapes and sexually explicit Polaroids of naked women.

Stevens seemed a strong suspect in the series of murders in the Seattle-Tacoma area that began in the early 1980s. In all, the Green River Killer had tallied 48 victims between 1982 and 1984. The killer systematically left his victims, all women, near the banks of the Green River outside of Seattle. Many were prostitutes, but several runaways and hitchhikers became the unfortunate victims of the most prolific killer in American criminal history. After his arrest, Stevens was exhaustively interviewed about the Green River murders, but a series of alibis placed him on trips with his parents out of the Seattle area at the time of some of the murders. Police eventually released Stevens and took him off the list of suspects. Stevens died of cancer on September 20, 1991. In 2003, Gary Ridgway, another longtime suspect, confessed to all of the murders.

Craig Barnett has not kept a detailed list of the nearly eight hundred books he purchased from William J. Stevens, but after Stevens’ death in 1991, Barnett announced the as-yet-unnamed collection in one of his market reports in the Overstreet Monthly Price Guide Update.

In an April 2004 e-mail to a collector, Craig Barnett recalled some of his 1990-1991 dealings with William Stevens:

Bill kept me on the hook as far as what other books he had and mentioned over and over that he had between five and fifteen Amazing Spider-Man #1’s and would bring them in as soon as he found them.  Considering some of the quantities of some of the books he did bring in I really had no reason to doubt him.  I don’t remember having any quantity of the major keys so it's unlikely that he sold me more than one or two of any keys that he did have, but I really don’t know which ones they might have been and in the grades they were in, they would have sold rather quickly.  He did bring in quite a few annuals and specials ─I remember getting several copies each of the FF and Spider-man annuals and specials early on as Bill thought they would be worth more because they were larger but I have no idea as to what quantities of each there were─ most of the books were grouped together in threes and fours with an occasional grouping of five─ I don’t remember getting more than five of anything.

What emerged over the course of time was that in addition to the books he sold to Barnett, William J. Stevens had bartered the sale of nearly 1,650 of his books to attorney Craig C. Beles in order to pay off some of the legal bills that had accumulated as a result of his run-ins with law enforcement. After reading through the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, Beles sent out a letter to many of the dealers who advertised in the book, notifying them that the collection was for sale.

John M. Hauser, a well-known dealer from Madison, Wisconsin was alerted to the solicitation by a fellow Wisconsin dealer, Jef Hinds. Hauser flew to Seattle and initially viewed about one hundred of the comics. “After seeing these, I knew I wanted the rest,” said Hauser. “I put in a competitive bid and won out against the crowd of dealers.”

Hauser purchased the collection in partnership with James Haack, another dealer. Each put up half of the $25,000 winning bid. The collection they acquired contained a wide selection of DCs and Marvels. “There were multiples of almost every annual I received. I think [the Stevens brothers] stole more annuals, as the cover price was higher and they thought they would be worth more. Most of the annuals have graded at 9.4 or 9.6. Sadly, all of the Flash’s I bought were water damaged,” said Hauser. The Amazing Spider-Man #1 that Hauser and Haack purchased was later graded a 7.0 by CGC.

At the time of the purchase, Hauser was unaware of Barnett’s connection to part of the collection. Later, Hauser read in one of Barnett’s market reports in the Overstreet Monthly Price Guide Update that Barnett had sold multiple copies of Fantastic Four Annual #1 and Spider-Man Annual #1. Hauser then contacted Barnett, but by then most of the DCs and Marvels had been sold. Barnett still retained a number of Gold Keys and books by other publishers.

Hauser and Haack first offered their books for sale to the public in 1993 when the two dealers ran an ad in the March 26, 1993, issue of Comics Buyer’s Guide. The books listed for sale included nearly complete runs of Silver Age X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Daredevil, Journey Into Mystery (from Issue #91 up), Sgt. Fury, and Fantastic Four (from Issue #8 up). The collection also included a large assortment of DCs and some Gold Keys, as well. Once Hauser and Haack had recouped their initial investment, they split up the remainder of the books.

According to Barnett, John Hauser coined the name for the Green River Collection. Once the name became better known, Barnett began to put a certificate explaining the collection behind each backing board, along with the shop stamp.

The collection was officially recognized as the Green River Collection by Comics Guaranty Corporation in 2001. Mark Haspel, senior grader and pedigree expert at CGC says that the collection was already well-known when John Hauser began submitting books to CGC for grading. The existence of the original sales lists made it that much easier to document and verify the books in the collection.

In 2003, Craig Beles attempted to sell a raw copy of Daredevil #11 on eBay. The book did not meet reserve and an interested collector took the initiative and contacted Beles directly to negotiate a price for the book. When Beles told the collector that he had other books as well, a deal was struck for an additional 75 books.

The books that make up the Green River Collection number approximately 2,400,  and are among the easiest to identify of all the major pedigrees. The vast majority of these books carry a small red arrival date stamped on the front cover. The books are characterized by incredibly white pages, terrific cover gloss, great color strike, tight cover wrap and an overall unread, right-off-the-newsstand freshness. Edges and corners are razor sharp. When examined first hand, it is hard to believe that these books are forty years old.

The collection contains single copies of many of the books, but also cases of multiple copies, as mentioned; for example, the original sales manifests compiled by Beles listed six copies of Avengers #22, and nine copies each of Strange Tales #138 and Fantastic Four Annual #3.

The majority of the collection has yet to be graded by CGC, but those books that have been graded received outstanding marks, ranging generally from 8.5 to 9.6. Books graded at 9.6 include Amazing Spider-Man #29, Daredevil #11, and Tales of Suspense #83.

Collector Shin C. Kao has compiled a near-complete list in PDF format of all the titles in the original sales manifests, along with a scan of the original Comics Buyer’s Guide ad. This additional material can be found at http://www.corpcity.com/CGC.

©2004 Brad Hamann

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May 25th - "Space the Final frontier"

Today, May 25th, there are two interesting Space anniversaries.

One fact.

"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth."

— Pres. Kennedy, May 25, 1961

Read the text (PDF) | Listen 

One fiction.

"In recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, series creator George Lucas’ Lucasfilm production company and convention organizer Gen Con are presenting “Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will be open to the public Friday through Monday."

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http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/05/25/kennedy.moon/

Man on the moon: Kennedy speech ignited the dream

May 25, 2001 Posted: 12:50 p.m. EDT (1650 GMT)

By Richard Stenger
CNN

President Kennedy calls for a mission to send man to the moon during a joint session of Congress on May 25, 1961

   

(CNN) -- Forty years ago on this day, President John F. Kennedy presented a bold challenge before a joint session of Congress: Send a man to the moon by the end of the decade.

Some derided the dream as lunacy. Others viewed it as just another strategic move in the Cold War chess match between the United States and the Soviet Union. Kennedy had just been humiliated in the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, a communist ally of Moscow. In his speech, he called for many measures to combat communism, requesting billions, for example, to stop red insurgencies in Southeast Asia.

But in his address, Kennedy chose space as the main Cold War battleground on which to marshal his forces. The Soviet Union opened the final frontier when it sent the Sputnik satellite into orbit in 1957.

Four years later, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. The Soviets were beating the Americans to every milestone off the planet.

Feeling a sense of urgency in finding a way to overtake the Soviets in the space race, Kennedy had huddled with Vice President Lyndon Johnson and his science advisers to come up with a plan.

The president determined that safely landing a man on the moon would be technologically daunting, but it was a goal that the United States could reach before the Soviet Union.

"No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish," Kennedy said.

The president cautioned Congress that the cost would be significant, more than $9 billion in 1960s dollars. Congress accepted the challenge.    

Kennedy's vision guided NASA's human space flight program from the beginning. Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions were designed with his objective in mind.

Despite skeptics who thought it could not be accomplished, Kennedy's dream became a reality on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong took a small step for himself and a giant step for humanity, leaving a dusty trail of footprints on the moon.

A total of 12 Apollo astronauts would reach the lunar surface over the next three years, collecting rocks, driving buggies and even practicing a little golf.

   

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set up a U.S. flag on the moon

   

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union scrapped its lunar manned mission program before one cosmonaut reached the moon.

While steeped in Cold War rhetoric, Kennedy's address also noted that the push to explore space transcended national rivalries.

"But this is not merely a race. Space is open to us now; and our eagerness to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of others. We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share."

 

 

 

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18863675/

‘A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ...’

30 years after its release, fans, actors celebrate anniversary of ‘Star Wars’

Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM / AP

Mark Hamill (shown with droid C-3PO in the original film) became a star after playing Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movies.

By Carolyn Giardina

Hollywood Reporter

Updated: 4:51 a.m. HT May 25, 2007

LOS ANGELES - More than 20,000 “Star Wars” fans are expected to converge on downtown Los Angeles during the next few days to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.

In recognition of the May 25, 1977, opening, series creator George Lucas’ Lucasfilm production company and convention organizer Gen Con are presenting “Star Wars Celebration IV” at the Los Angeles Convention Center, which will be open to the public Friday through Monday.

The event — which kicked off Wednesday with a marathon screening of all six films — includes live entertainment, cast-member appearances, film and video presentations and an exhibit of movie props and costumes.

Carrie Fisher (a.k.a. Princess Leia) will attend, but Lucas is out of the country, said Tom Warner, senior director of marketing at Lucasfilm.

Warner said the event will include a preview of a new video game, “The Force Unleashed,” which will be available on multiple game platforms in early 2008. In the game, the player takes on the role of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice.

GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP/Getty Images Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the first three "Star Wars" films, signs autographs during the opening day of "Star Wars Celabration IV" in Los Angeles on Thursday. The five-day convention celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars saga.

“Star Wars” was nominated for 10 Academy Awards in 1978 and won six. In 2005, the American Film Institute named John Williams’ iconic score the most memorable of all time. The film has shown up on additional AFI lists, including the “100 Greatest American Movies” list, where it ranked No. 15.

“Star Wars” marked a milestone in visual effects. Its makers pioneered groundbreaking visual effects techniques, and the work inspired many of today’s VFX talent. Among the weekend program events is a Saturday session featuring the five visual effects supervisors from the 1977 classic through 2005’s “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.” Scheduled to appear are Richard Edlund, John Knoll, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and Phil Tippett.

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