#tom pennington

[eternal--returned]

Tom Pennington ֍ Tim Duncan hugs Manu Ginobili after Ginobili hit a game-winning three against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the western conference finals (2014)

[agungrichardelvonscestmavie]

_"Allah berdaulat dan dalam kontrol sejarah secara penuh. Dia telah memetakannya semua dan semua akan terjadi persis sesuai rencana-Nya; persis seperti pilihan-Nya. Jangan takut pada segala yang akan terjadi karena Dia bertahta."_ ~ Tom Pennington

[cryptocollectibles]

Tales of the Marvel Universe #1 (February 1997) by Marvel Comics

Written and drawn by various, cover by Carlos Pacheco and Scott Koblish.

[usafphantom2]

Why was the SR-71 Blackbird chosen over the A-12 Oxcart?

There was a flying competition how epic would it be to be able to witness a fly off between the A-12 and the SR 71!

The iconic SR-71 Blackbird spy plane is known for being the official record holder for the fastest jet-powered, piloted aircraft of all time.

The SR-71 was based on another Mach 3, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft, the A-12 Oxcart.

The A-12 was operated by CIA but its operational lifetime was short-lived because the CORONA reconnaissance satellite, which was first launched in June 1959, began providing worldwide imagery without much of the risk associated with airborne reconnaissance. At the same time, the SR-71 began operations with the US Air Force (USAF), leading to the A-12’s retirement in 1968.

Why was the SR-71 Blackbird chosen over the A-12 Oxcart?

From Oct. 20 to Nov. 3, 1967 the A-12 and the SR-71 were pitted against each other in a recon fly off, code named “Nice Girl” over the US that included refueling, flying identical routes 1 hour apart on three different days and both would complete the full sortie with collection sensors operational. On the first attempt, the SR-71 was OK but the A-12 had a problem. On the 2nd day, the reverse was the case. On day 3, both aircraft successfully flew the route. On that day, it was under-cast for the northern part (from California to Kentucky) and the A-12 could only photograph clouds while the SR-71 was able to collect ELINT and SLR data. After air refueling, both accelerated and climbed over the Gulf of Mexico. From New Orleans to the San Francisco area, the weather was CAVU and both aircraft were able to provide their full collection capability/data for the evaluation.

•Lt. Col. Al Hichew and I, Maj. Tom Schmittou flew mission #1.

•Maj. John Storrie and Maj. Coz Mallozzi flew mission #2 Maj.

•Bill Campbell and Capt. Al Pennington flew mission #3.

•Jack Weeks flew all three A-12 missions.

The first two flight days were inconclusive. After the third day of flights, it was determined by Intelligence evaluators that the SR-71 was a better overall investment. A-12s had much better cameras – wider swath and higher resolution but the SR-71 collected more types of intelligence than the CIA aircraft could. These other sensors were infrared detectors, side looking airborne radar, and ELINT-collection devices needed for the SR-71 mission of post-nuclear-strike reconnaissance.

The conclusion was they picked the SR-71 to continue flying. The A-12s were retired. The A-12s were put in hangars until 1984. (They might’ve been taken out and used again. Only the CIA knows the answer to that as it should be.)

Written by Linda Sheffield Miller this was shared in aviation geekclub, two years ago.

@Habubrats71 via X

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

"Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, *said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep [d]it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.” John 12:3-8

============

"Judas essentially called what Mary did a "waste of resources." Judas is such a tragic figure. He knew the value of perfume, but he had no idea about the value of worship.

"Judas wanted the rest of the people there to think that he was interested in the poor…

But Judas' response that night was just a facade. Because John 12:6 says: "Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it."

As John writes his gospel, almost 60 years after this event, John gives us the real story of what was going on in Judas' heart. Judas was a first class hypocrite. He was not concerned about the poor at all. It was about him and how he could benefit personally.

He was the treasurer of the group, kept the money box, and he had a thief's heart and he was always taking, embezzling from the money others have given for their support, for his own benefit.

And Judas influenced the other disciples, notice Mark 14:5 "… and they were scolding her." Judas corrupted the other disciples so that they are all now openly directing hostility toward Mary." — Dr. Tom Pennington The Worship Jesus Loves

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Come on, Mark. Go get drunk and then come back to Twitter and name names. I don't even mean the comedians who are doing genuinely awful things that could get them canceled, like harassment - obviously naming names about that is generally a good thing but also very complicated and not great thing to flippantly joke about in a Tumblr post. So I don't mean that. I mean, like, who is so different from their comedy persona that if we knew we'd never be able to look at them the same way again? Is Noel Fielding really a jock called Tony Three Pies? Is Tom Allen really into football? Is Rob Beckett quite posh as soon as the cameras are off? Does Lou Sanders think crystals are bullshit? Paul Chowdhry's a completely normal person, isn't he? Charlie Brooker watched Love Island. And Johnny Vegas reads Tolstoy. Sorry, Michael Pennington reads Tolstoy.

[fredseibertdotcom]

(Originally posted on LinkedIn December 13, 2022)

Side hustle? Actually, a hobby.

   My day job is producing cartoons, the longest of the "five lives" in my official biography. But the pandemic gave me a kind of freedom to revisit some of my past passions. In particular, my life in producing jazz recordings. No commuting to or from work, no breakfasts, lunches or drinks. At least four extra hours a day. Enough time to get into a little trouble. Some would say a side hustle, some would call it a hobby.  

   50 years ago, two friends of mine and I decided to start a record label –Oblivion Records– in the back of a hippie record store one of them owned. We suspended operations four years later, realizing our enthusiasm was no substitute for knowing how to run the business, and it wasn't until the digital music revolution of the 21st Century that I got our six records back into the marketplace where they've performed better than I could have imagined.  

   This year, I actively revived Oblivion with the digital drop of a two hour concert album I recorded in 1973. Composer and pianist Cecil Taylor (1929-2018) is one of the three major avant-garde, free jazz artists –along with John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman– who reinvented one of America's most vital and satisfying art forms. And word just came that the jazz bible DownBeat, will be the first to announce the album as one of the best historical releases of the year (UK's The Wire will follow, as will others*). On behalf of the concert musicians –Cecil Taylor, Andrew Cyrille: percussion, Jimmy Lyons: alto saxophone, Sirone: double bass– I'm honored.  

   Some –many?!– would ask "why?" Why release a 50 year old musical performance? Why release an album of an artists barely anyone has heard of? Why digital only, you make no money?  

   All good questions, I suppose, and my answers won't be entirely satisfying.  

   It's rare in one's life that you could be involved in history. At least, that's true for me. I've had some amazing, groundbreaking experiences in television, animation and streaming video; only time will tell how they fit into culture. But, time has already given a thumbs up judgement on Cecil and I was beyond lucky to have some tiny involvement in it. Over the past half century he went from being barely able to fill a small jazz club to a concert star of the highest caliber. He was a true artist who incorporated modern dance (yes, he also danced at many of his performances), fashion, and a completely unique approach to his instrument, his compositions and his band leading. He appeared across the globe to rapturous audiences –which, due to his steadfast vision, often included grumbling walk outs– and was in demand until he passed away in 2018. Remembrances and reassessments of his life's work followed from all over.  

   Cecil Taylor fit neatly into the Oblivion ethos. In the infinite wisdom of youth and the idealism of the early 1970s, Tom Pomposello, Dick Pennington and I thought the major companies were ignoring talented artists –including Tom– we thought we were worthy. Maybe we could show the world what they were missing. An ad in the back of a local Long Island music rag pointed us in the direction of a record pressing plant a few miles away, we bought a book that described how to design a cover, and edited a live recording of country blues legend Mississippi Fred McDowell to be our first release. More blues, traditional jazz and electronic (soon to be maligned as "fusion"), and Tom's American roots album followed in the next few years. We sold enough McDowells to keep it in print, borrowed money from ourselves and friends for the others, and even had a hit that basically put us down on the mat.  

   All along the way I recorded other jazz artists at my college radio station and one day I was asked if I could find some equipment to record Cecil's hometown "return" to New York City after years as Midwest university professor. You bet! It didn't matter that this was a no-pay gig. Honestly, I had to borrow the cash from my roommate/benefactor/recording assistant Nick Moy for the cab ride downtown, but the chance to work with a world class, world famous artist was more than A-OK for a 23 year old fan. Not for nothing, Cecil had a worldwide rep but this period was only the beginning of his actually becoming a global star.  

   So we're clear, Cecil's music was never for the faint of heart. An explosive, exacting style, once described by UK writer Val Wilmer as "eighty-eight tuned drums," his seeming random din was already shredding any semblance of "swing" that traditionalists were looking for in their jazz heroes. 

   Cecil released the second half of the concert, which fit neatly on two vinyl sides, on Unit Core, his own label (no other record company would have him at the time) as "Spring of Two Blue-J's." He had little interest in running a company, letting the album go out of print even after Gary Giddins of the Village Voice (one of its few reviewers) praised it as his favorite album of 1974. The first half of the recording sat neglected on my shelf for half a century. It was 90 minutes of sweet and sour cacophony that wouldn't fit neatly on the mediums of the time, and besides I lacked the proper equipment to even listen to it.  

   The digital age and the pandemic changed everything. Now, I could go to YouTube and  learn to use the recording studio built into my Apple computer in 10 minutes. The music could be mastered in the extra hours lock down had gifted me. And since streaming audio has no time limitations I could drop the release -the unreleased first set of the concert, and the original LP performances, more than two hours of music– in its entirety without any annoying fade outs along the way. (By the way, the nothing annoyed Cecil's aging fans and collectors more. Most of them hadn't bothered to figure out how to get their phones to play on their grand music systems.)  

   After I figured that stuff out –I was pretty nervous mixing my first music performances in decades– the rest fell into place pretty quickly. Tunecore, a streaming music distribution service, sent the files across the globe and Bandcamp allowed collectors to buy digital files.  

   Most importantly, my longtime creative colleague Alan Goodman agreed to write the digital liner notes (along with the music, they're available at the Oblivion Records website) and jazz promoter and publicist extraordinaire Lydia Liebman accepted the release for her agency.  

   Alan's extraordinary writing and Lydia's phenomenal efforts spread the story of the Cecil discovery worldwide. While the original LP was virtually ignored in its time, 50 years of global touring and the cultural expansion of an understanding public had its effect. The music was reviewed in dozens of publications around the world, not only in the music press, but in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and all sorts of general interest media. 

"An exhilarating set of Cecil Taylor's Jazz Arrives, 49 years later." Alan Scherstuhl, The New York Times  

"Filling in the Blanks of a Jazz Master's Career." Martin Johnson, The Wall Street Journal  

"The biggest bonus track ever!

"The 100th anniversary of James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’ has folks thinking about other thorny, dense, syntactically intricate classics, of 20th century modernism across all the arts.       "Cecil Taylor’s best work, his return concert included, belongs on that distinguished list.” Kevin Whitehead, NPR's Fresh Air  

   So back to the "why." Cecil Taylor was a important artist, if not a top-of-the-pops one. My partners and I wanted Oblivion to release artists who were significant, if not particularly popular. I had a chance to make my side hustle, my hobby, mean something. Is there anything more satisfying? Not to me. 

* PS: This just in. All About Jazz, The Quietus and Glide Magazine just named Cecil's "The Complete, Legendary..." in their best albums of 2022.  

[ramrodd]

Too Many Christians Have This Dangerous View of Scripture | Tom Pennington

COMMENTARY”

Now, are we talking the Colossians Pro-Life Salvation Calvinism Christian Nationalism verion of solo scriptura with its violations of Free Will and the Total Depraviety of Eve without mitigation of the Crors' and Project 2025 

 Or 

 Is this the Pro-Choice Liberation Gospel of Ephesians and the Talking Cross version of solo sciptura and Biden/Harris/Walz?

[e-devotion]

stay close

One of the most powerful books in the Bible is James.  It takes the people of the church, the intended recipient of the book, to a place of self examination to see their motives and connection to the world.

Either we are building God’s kingdom or our own kingdom.  Answer that.  Be honest.  It is important that all of us see ourselves as God sees us.

There might be too much of the world or too much of ourselves for us to get even closer to God.  Take some time to look at your heart.  Again, be honest.  The first 6 verses of James 4 remind us to be honest about our hearts.

The heart problem has little to do with our own blood or even our health.  Our heart problem is who are we connected to.  It is who are we seeking and staying close to.

Here are some verses that continue to get my attention as to how we stay in the best connection with the one who loves us most and has a plan for our lives.  Read on.

James 4:7-10  NLT  

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Simple things that remind us of how blessings come, what keeps our lives on tack and allows us to meet the needs of the people around us.  But most of all these truths solidify our connection to and desire for God.

Submit to God.

Resist the devil.

Get close to God.

Have a proper view of sin.

Choose to be humble before God.

May our lives, words and actions, point people to God more than to anything else.

Prayer List:

family of Maggie Clark, Stephanie Penn, Jeanie Mann, Ron Harris, Cindy DeOms, Daniel Peters, Cindy Kanode, Jay Joyce, Traci Karns, Barbara Matney, Cathy Dunham’s sister Leslie, Leonardo Vasquez, Martha Pennington, Timmy Howell, Danny and Kathy Wilson, Tom Swartz, Jenny Biggs, Fred Spencer, Sean O’Leary, Anita Martin, Valerie Hirtriter, John Wellborn, Dionna Cameron, Ricky Burnette, Felecia Watkins, and Steve Bradshaw.

[ulkaralakbarova]

A master thief coincidentally is robbing a house where a murder—in which the President of The United States is involved—occurs in front of his eyes. He is forced to run, while holding evidence that could convict the President. Credits: TheMovieDb. Film Cast: Luther Whitney: Clint Eastwood President Richmond: Gene Hackman Seth Frank: Ed Harris Kate Whitney: Laura Linney Gloria Russell: Judy Davis Bill Burton: Scott Glenn Tim Collin: Dennis Haysbert Walter Sullivan: E.G. Marshall Christy Sullivan: Melora Hardin Sandy Lord: Kenneth Welsh Laura Simon: Penny Johnson Jerald Michael McCarty: Richard Jenkins Red: Mark Margolis Valerie: Elaine Kagan Art Student: Alison Eastwood Waiter: Yau-Gene Chan Airport Bartender: George Orrison Medical Examiner: Charles McDaniel Repairman: John Lyle Campbell White House Tour Guide: Kimber Eastwood Oval Office Agent: Eric Dahlquist Jr. Watergate Doorman: Jack Stewart Taylor Reporter: Joy Ehrlich Cop: Robert Harvey Film Crew: Producer: Clint Eastwood Screenplay: William Goldman Novel: David Baldacci Director of Photography: Jack N. Green Production Design: Henry Bumstead Art Direction: Jack G. Taylor Jr. Sound Effects Editor: Doug Jackson Music Editor: Donald Harris Editor: Joel Cox Original Music Composer: Lennie Niehaus Casting: Phyllis Huffman Producer: Karen S. Spiegel Second Assistant Director: Tom Rooker First Assistant Camera: Bill Coe Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Gregg Rudloff Stunt Coordinator: Buddy Van Horn Stunts: Jennifer Watson-Johnston Production Manager: Michael Maurer Second Assistant Director: Robert Lorenz First Assistant Director: Bill Bannerman Second Assistant Director: Dodi Lee Rubenstein Set Decoration: Richard C. Goddard Set Decoration: Anne D. McCulley Assistant Editor: Michael Cipriano Assistant Editor: Anthony Bozanich Assistant Editor: Gary D. Roach Script Supervisor: Cate Hardman Supervising Sound Editor: Alan Robert Murray Supervising Sound Editor: Bub Asman Supervising Dialogue Editor: Lucy Coldsnow-Smith ADR Supervisor: Jessica Gallavan Sound Mixer: C. Darin Knight Sound Re-Recording Mixer: John T. Reitz Sound Re-Recording Mixer: David E. Campbell Camera Operator: Stephen S. Campanelli Costume Supervisor: Deborah Hopper Key Costumer: Cheryl Scarano Set Costumer: Darryl M. Athons Set Costumer: Peggy A. Schnitzer Makeup Artist: Francisco X. Pérez Makeup Artist: Tania McComas Key Hair Stylist: Carol A. O’Connell Hairstylist: Vivian McAteer Special Effects Coordinator: Steve Riley Special Effects: Jeff Denes Special Effects: Joe Pancake Special Effects: Francis Pennington Second Second Assistant Director: Alison C. Rosa Second Second Assistant Director: Maura T. McKeown Sound Effects Editor: Gary Krivacek Sound Effects Editor: Jayme S. Parker Sound Effects Editor: Adam Johnston Camera Operator: Anastas N. Michos Choreographer: Shirley Kirkes Stunt Double: Jill Brown Movie Reviews:

[newsofthetimesnott]

The Murderous Court Jester - Frightful Fridays 

News of the Times Episode 252 | 1650's 

In today’s episode, we are in Cumbria sometime in the 17th century, at Muncaster Castle owned by the Pennington family.  A favoured servant, Thomas Skelton, is with them. Historically, many a tale exists of Tom Skelton who could be the original killer clown.  As the court jester, his job was to amuse and sometimes act as confidant to the family he served.  Tom, it would seem, took his role to a new step.  There are many tales of Tom directing passers by that he took a dislike to to their death.  It was said that he had killed hundreds in this way. In this episode we look at the gory murder of the house carpenter who made the double mistake of teasing Tom and having an illicit relationship with the maiden of the house Helwise.   The murderous court jester, Thomas Skelton, is today’s episode of Frightful Fridays. We hope you enjoy the show! 

Hosted by Robin Coles.     

[oblivionrecords]

Alan Goodman, photobooth 1970's

Alan saved the day. 

”Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul” Part 2 (Part 1 here)

TThrough some dumb luck and a belief in our artist, Oblivion almost had a hit with “Jazz Ain’t Nothin’ But Soul.” To my ears, and on Van Jay’s mainstream jazz show on WRVR-FM in New York, Joe got it just right, a performance that hit it better than Betty Carter’s original or any others, with an exuberance and joie de vivre that let anyone listening that jazz was... it!

But, I had completely screwed up.

Sure, Van was playing the track like crazy, and the rest of the RVR jocks followed. We were getting calls from retailers throughout the New York  metropolitan area, they wanted to record! Yay!

Nooooo!!!!! The record I’d delivered to the radio station was a test pressing! The only copy we had. And, to add insult to injury, Oblivion was pretty much broke. I was just out of college without a job, Tom Pomposello ran a small record store that gave him enough money to shelter his young family, and Dick Pennington –our initial financial savior– didn't have any more resources for us.. We had the test pressing, but we hadn’t OK’d the pressing order at the plant because we couldn’t pay for it!

My buddy Alan Goodman  stepped in and saved the day. He provided us with some cash from an inheritance. What a friend. He was pretty much living hand to mouth himself, but after he bought himself a 16mm movie camera –Alan was in film school– he gave me the rest. It enabled us to make the pressing order.

(I never paid Alan back directly. But, I tried to make up for it, working at MTV together, changing the way people used TV in the cable era. We eventually become partners in the world’s first media branding company, and becoming brothers-in-law and lifetime friends!) 

We eventually got the records, sent them to retail, but... it was too late. We’d missed the window. 

I made a total rookie error. “Jazz Ain’t...” became a classic “turntable hit.” It deprived Joe –and Oblivion– of a real hit, the only one he’d have in his career. I’ve never forgiven myself, Joe deserved better.

[777wave]

"World Basketball Day"

December 21, 2023

—

FIBA was founded on June 18, 1932.

NBA was founded on June 6, 1946.

PBA was founded on April 9, 1975.

—

FIBA

June 18, 1932 - December 21, 2023

91 years later.

(Rodman)

NBA

June 6, 1946 - December 21, 2023

77 years later.

(Doncic)

PBA

April 9, 1975 - December 21, 2023

1.5 billion seconds later.

(Fajardo)

—

My personal favorite basketball players:

Dennis Rodman

NBA

Jersey # 91

Luka Doncic

NBA

Jersey # 77

June Mar Fajardo

PBA

Jersey # 15

—

91 + 77

= 168

1 + 6 + 8

= 15

—

Photo credits:

Rodman - Andy Hart (NBA)

Doncic - Tom Pennington (Getty Images Sport)

Fajardo - PBA

—

#91

#77

#15

#168

#FIBA2023

[usafphantom2]

The SR-71 was based on another Mach 3 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, the A-12 Oxcart.

CIA operated the A-12, but its operational lifetime was short-lived because the CORONA reconnaissance satellite, first launched in June 1959, began providing worldwide imagery without much of the risk associated with airborne reconnaissance. At the same time, the SR-71 began operations with the US Air Force (USAF), leading to the A-12’s retirement in 1968. Department of Defense decided they couldn’t have both A- 12s and SR 71s.

Why was the SR-71 Blackbird chosen over the A-12 Oxcart?

From Oct. 20 to Nov. 3, 1967, the A-12 and the SR-71 were pitted against each other in a recon fly-off, code-named “Nice Girl,” over the US that included refueling, flying identical routes 1 hour apart on three different days and both would complete the full sortie with collection sensors operational.

On the first attempt, the SR-71 flew perfectly, but the A-12 had some problems. On the 2nd day, the reverse was the case. On day 3, both aircraft successfully flew the route. On that day, it was under-cast for the northern part (from California to Kentucky), and the A-12 could only photograph clouds while the SR-71 could collect ELINT and SLR data. After air refueling, both accelerated and climbed over the Gulf of Mexico. From New Orleans to the San Francisco area, the weather was CAVU, and both aircraft were able to provide their complete collection capability/data for the evaluation.

The aircrews that took part in the program were:•Lt. Col. Al Hichew and I, Maj. Tom Schmittou flew mission #1.

•Maj. John Storrie and Maj. Coz Mallozzi flew mission #2 Maj.

•Bill Campbell and Capt. Al Pennington flew mission #3.

•Jack Weeks flew all three A-12 missions.

After the third day of flights, it was determined by Intelligence evaluators that the SR-71 was a better overall investment. A-12s had much better cameras – wider swath and higher resolution but the SR-71 collected more types of intelligence than the CIA aircraft could. These other sensors were infrared detectors, side-looking airborne radar, and ELINT-collection devices needed for the SR-71 mission of post-nuclear-strike reconnaissance.

Written by: Linda Sheffield

@Habubrats71 via X

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

I normally don't like posting after 9 and before midnight but just saw this (posted an hour ago) and wanted to share:

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for Pastor Tom Pennington of Countryside Bible Church, he has suffered a heart attack.

[kimbazee]

Evening Poetry, November 4

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small compensation at no extra cost to you. This helps keep my blog ad-free. Autumn beech trees, Sefton Park by Tom Pennington is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0 Beeches by David St. John The forest is its own thanksgiving Walking a mile or so from the road Past the lake & ancient post office I…