Last Tuesday, the literary world suffered a tragic loss, the loss of Tom Clancy.  If you don't know the writing s of Tom Clancy, you may be familiar with the video games Rainbow Six and of course Splinter Cell.

Or Perhaps you may have seen the movies like, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of all Fears.  Out of respect for my craft, I would like to pay respects to the writer, of whom I read in order to practice writing intrigue.  The first Tom Clancy book I read was Without Remorse, hence my title for this article and of course the other one was a part of the Jack Ryan saga, Executive Orders.

For those that would like to Please pay tribute and comment and tell our readers your favorite Tom Clancy Book, movie, or video game.  If you choose to read any further, I will share a little history about Tom Clancy.  He may be gone, but he is not forgotten.

 He was born April 12th, 1947, in Baltimore Maryland.   He graduated from Loyola College (University) in 1969 with a degree in English Literature.   After not being able to serve in the military, he worked at an Insurance agency.  In 1980, he purchased the insurance company and began to write in his spare time.  This lead to his first best seller, The Hunt For Red October, which was the beginning of the Jack Ryan Saga and other best sellers.

I became accustom to Tom Clancy aboard the USS Saipan(LHA2) in 1992.  A few of our naval technical manuals were co authored by him.  This began my interest to read something from Tom Clancy and a few years later, I bought Without Remorse.  If you want to write intrigue/action adventure and you want to do it right, read a Tom Clancy book.  If you have read a Tom Clancy book, what was your favorite one and why?  Please share and help The Daily Brew honor his legacy.

A day that will never be forgotten.  This day is the Pearl Harbor of the century.  Before this day terrorism in the United States main land was only in movies like Chuck Norris' Invasion USA of just off the coast of Florida when Arnold Schwarzenegger was gunning down folks in Commando.  That's as close as it got to home until September 11th, 2001.

On this day terrorist thought they took from us something that we thought was never possible.  They thought they would take our sense of security.  They thought that they would install fear, that they would have us run into a corner and cower in fear.

Instead, they unleashed the wrath of the American military machine.  They formed a sense of unity in all Americans.  Politicians were not seen as Republican or Democrat, we were seen as Americans.

In the years afterwards, we have seen the Taliban ran out of power in Afganistan.  The fall of an Iraqi regime that was headed by Saddam Hussein and his eventual hanging.  And just over a year, we were informed of the death of Usama Bin Laden, the Al Queda Leader behind the 9/11 attacks.

Today this story is getting enough coverage.  Our intent is to bring rememberance to the almost 3000 (2998) Americans that was taken from this earth over different points of view of Idealism and cowards that claim to be soldiers and will kill the innocent and unarmed as well as themselves, while someone that would never put himself or his family in harms way, plans it.

T$

As a child I hear this song on the radio so many times and I always thought she said let's dance vs. last dance.  I don't intent to discract you from the Daily Brew's intent, I stated that first for those that can relate.  Now in this segment, we will honor the Legacy of Donna Summer.  As I tweeted today I hated to hear it; She is gone, but not forgotten.

The Capricorn was born December 31, 1948 as Ladonna Adrian Gaines in Boston, Massachusetts.  She began singing at an early age by singing at church.  In her teens, she was part of a few groups, one that included a sister and a cousin, they resembled the motown female act The Supremes.

In the late 60's she dropped out of school.  She was ridiculed for her voice and her looks.  She knew that music was her life regardless of what anyone had to say.  She joined the rock group the Crow as the lead singer.  This was short lived since the group broke up in 1968 just after arriving in New York.  She auditioned for the musicl Hair, but lost that part to Melba Moore.  She would actually reclaim that spot when the musical went to Europe.

Because of this opportunity, she was able to live in Germany for several years.  She learned to speak German fluently and participated in several musicals including  Ich Bin Ich, The German version of The Me Nobody Knows.  She settled in Munich and preformed  with the Viennese Folk Opera.

In 1971, under the name Donna Gaines, She released her first single but it was not a hit.  She next got married in 1972 to Austrian actor Helmuth Sommer and gave birth to  their daughter Mimi Sommer in 1973.  The marriage did end and she changed the  spelling of her name to Summer.

While singing background for the group Three Dog Night, she met  producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte .  She signed with a European label,  Groovy Records, and released her first album Lady of the Night in 1974.  The album was not released in the
States but had some success in the European market.  Her song, The Hostage was reached number one in Belgium and number two in  The Netherlands.

In 1975, She approached Moroder with an Idea. She was working with Bellotte on a song for another artist title Love to love you baby. She recorded a demo  track of the song and played it for Moroder.  Once hearing it, he thought that this song should be released under her name.  Although, it was somewhat controversial because of the lyrics some radio stations refused to play it, it still had success in the European market, It  reached the top five in the UK.

The song was sent to Casablanca Records president Neil Bogart to get an American release.  He agreed to release the song but asked for a longer version.  The longer version was released in the US in November of 1975, the song  ran for 17 minutes. (Rumor has it  the longer version was for and played in gay clubs, but I’m sure some” freaky deaky” straight clubs played the full version as well.) In early 1976 the song reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and  the album titled Love to Love You Baby sold over a million  copies.

This was the start of several hits to come in the US market.  She was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach number one on the US Billboard.  She was a five time Grammy Award Winner.  She just recently today lost her battle with breast cancer.  She will be missed.

Photo's from Google images, provided by the AP.

On January 19, 1969, Tiaina Baul Seau and Luisa Mauga Seau gave birth to their fifth child, Tiaina Baul Seau Jr., better known as Junior Seau.  He spoke Samoan up until the age of seven, he then learned English.   In the early years he shared a room with his three brothers that was originally a one car garage and both his parents worked two jobs.

In high school, Seau was quite the athlete.  He played basketball and ran track at Oceanside High School but football is where he really excelled. He started at tight end and as expected linebacker.  He was named the offensive MVP and lead his Pirates team to the San Diego 2A championship.

After high school, he attended the University of Southern California or USC. His freshman year he never saw the field but he used that to make himself a better student.  His final year at USC in 1989, he racked up 19 sacks and was first team All-American.


Junior Seau was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 1990 NFL Draft.  As a rookie, he started 15 of 16 games and recorded 85 tackles.  The next year, he boosted it up to 129 tackles and seven sacks and went to the Pro Bowl for the first time and will do so eleven more times in a row.  In 1994 he took his Chargers to the franchises only Super Bowl run in a 49 to 26 loss.

In 2003 he was traded to the Miami Dolphins.  He started 15 games that year and helped his team to a 10-6 record.  2004 to 2006 he had injury after injury which led to his released by the Dolphins in 2006. In 2006 he announced his retirement that lasted four days.

In 2007, he played for the New England Patriots.  He was a part of what could have been the NFL's second perfect season, but lost Super Bowl XLII 17 to 14.  He would play and finish his career with the Patriots and retire for a second time on January 13, 2010.

His NFL career stats are as follows:
1849 Tackles
56.5 Sacks
18 Interceptions
3 Forced Fumbles
12 straight Pro Bowl appearances
8 times First Team All Pro
2 times Second Team All Pro
2 AFC Championships
2 Super Bowl Appearences
as well as other NFL prestige’s awards.

Junior we apprieciate the games you played and the entertainment you provided for us.  It's a shame someone couldn't have been there for you at the time.  You will be truly missed.

Photo's from Google images, provided by the AP and courteously of the NFL.
 

Dick Clark was born Richard Wagstaff Clark on November 30,1929.  He was born in Bronxville,  New York and raised in Mount Vernon, New York.  Born the son of Richard Augustus Clark  and Julia Fuller Clark, and he was the younger brother to Bradley Clark, his only sibling.

Destined.  Right  from birth, it seemed as if radio waves were in his blood.  His uncle owed an AM radio station, WRUN AM, and  it was managed by his father.  At  the age of ten Dick Clark decided he wanted to be a radio personality. 

After graduating from A.B. Davis high school, Dick Clark attended  Syracuse University Majoring in Advertising and minoring in Radio.  In  1945 before his college career, he worked at his uncle’s radio station in the  mailroom. One day he was asked to  fill in for a vacationing weatherman, which led to him later announcing station  breaks.  While in college, he  worked at WOLF-AM, a country music station.  He graduated with his degree in 1951  and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. 

After graduation, he returned to WRUN for a short stay before  landing his first Television gig. A  show called Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe
Riders*, a country music program.  
 
In 1952, He moved to Drexel Hill, a Philadelphian  suburb, and took a job as a DJ for WFIL and used the handle Dick Clark.  This radio station was affiliated with  a television station that ran a show called Bob Horn’s Bandstand.   He would be a substitute host for days that Bob would be off of the show  (Pre re-runs it seems.)  In 1956,  Horn was arrested for a DUI and was fired from the show.   On July 9th, 1956,  Dick Clark became the shows new host permanently.

In 1957, ABC picked up the show and ran it  nationally.  The show was renamed American Bandstand and debut on August 5th, 1957 with Dick Clark interviewing  Elvis.  The  show’s success was based around two things, one was Dick Clarks ability to  relate with the teenage audience naturally and the way it presented Rock ‘n Roll  to parents as non-threatening.   

In 1958, the show moved to Saturday night’s line up and was being  viewed by 20 million Americans nationwide.   Featured artist were almost  guaranteed large sales boost after being on the show.  Dick Clark was called America’s Youngest Star maker by Ralph  Edwards.

In 1964, the show moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.  It ran every Saturday until the shows  end in 1987.  It briefly came back  in 1989 but it wasn’t long running before cancelation.  
 
With the ongoing fame of American Bandstand, in 1972 Dick Clark  launched his New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, a show that ABC still run live in New York  every New Year’s Eve.  Dick Clark  was not the host after 2004 due to his stroke, but in 2005 and the years after
he did co-host.  In 2012, we look  to see him be honored on New Year’s Eve.   Maybe, we might have a hologram appearance by the late great Dick Clark  just as Tupac graced his presence in concert with Snoop Dog at  Coachella.

Dick Clark won five Emmy’s with one being a lifetime achievement  award.   He  is also winner of the Peabody Award in 1999.  He is an Inductee in several Halls of  Fame including, the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame,  National Radio Hall of Fame, Hollywood  Walk of Fame, and others as well.  He was and will always be a Legend.


*Could not find much about this show.  If anymore is found will add it to this post.

Photo's from Google images, provided by the AP.