Thank you, Steve Jobs

1955-2011

The first computer my family had was an Apple IIe. I loved it. It was nothing short of magical to have a computer in my house.

Considering how the way I now earn a living is so closely tied to technology, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Steve Jobs. Innovations he pioneered at Apple completely changed not only the home computer industry, but how we communicate with each other. And because Apple is such a force, you don't even have to own any Apple products to benefit from the ideas that Jobs introduced to the world.

So, from my little corner of the internet and the bottom of  heart, I send a sincere thank you to Steve Jobs, and my prayers and condolences to those who knew him.

See also: Wall Street Journal | Steven Paul Jobs, 1955 - 2011

[Cross-posted at The Minority Report]

Morning Coffee Reading for September 12, 2011

Here's your morning coffee reading for today:

• L'affaire de Greer continues to burn, and it hasn't escaped the notice of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In a recent post, the DSCC lands some devastating blows on George LeMieux, including link after link after link to news articles showing the years of connections between LeMieux, former Governor (and former Republican) Charlie Crist, and former RPOF Chairman Jim Greer:

DSCC | Adam Hasner Says You Broke The Law. What Say You, George LeMieux? --& (Crickets)

• The New York special election to fill Anthony Weiner's Congressional seat is shaping up to be more of a challenge than the Democrats expected:

Michelle Malkin | Doug Powers | Race to Replace Anthony Weiner Update: Poll Finds Republican Leading by 6 Points

RedState | PPP (D) Poll: Turner (R)/Weprin (D) 47/41 in NY-09

More thoughts on the day

I've been spending the day like many of you probably have - quietly reading articles and blog posts online and watching the news coverage. As I posted earlier this morning, it seems surreal that it's been a decade since that awful day that changed America forever.

I thought I'd share with you some of what I've been reading and watching today:

Never Forget

It has been ten years since September 11, 2001, but it often seems like it just happened yesterday.

It is a sad reality that every modern American generation has been united by its own horrific tragedy. For our grandparents, it was Pearl Harbor. For our parents, JFK's assassination in Dallas. And September 11th will forever define my generation. These are the "I will always remember where I was when I heard" moments that draw a brutal demarcation across our history: the Before and the After. We can rebuild, we can find our own ways to cope and heal, but life is never, ever the same.

In 2001, I was in law school at the University of Florida, engaged in the mundane task of getting ready for class, when my roommate called out that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. How could this be? What had happened to the pilot that the plane couldn't avoid such a tall building? What a terrible accident...

Then the second plane hit.

Memorial Service for David Bitner

RPOF sent out an email announcement regarding the scheduling of memorial services for our Chairman, David Bitner, who lost his battle with ALS this week.

Additional memorial services will also be held at a later date in Port Charlotte.

WHAT:           Celebration of Life memorial services 

WHEN:           Thursday 3:00 PM, Sept. 15, 2011 

WHERE:        WC Dover Farms, 534 Dover Road, Havana, FL 32333

Please remember to keep David's wife Wendy, and the entire Bitner family in your thoughts and prayers.

9-11 Memorial Events in Central Florida

The 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks is a week from today.

Bess Auer, who is the editor of the excellent Central Florida Top 5 blog, has compiled a list of events in the Central Florida area. Check it out here:

Central Florida Top 5 | 9-11: Central Florida Remembers