Good morning,
Quote of the day:
"History is a series of lies agreed upon. Remember that the history of warfare is written by the victors not the losers."
Napoleon Bonaparte
The air is clear and the temperature is mild. The wind in fairly brisk and from the north-northeast indicating a strong low pressure system east of us. The high temperature is suppose to be about 81 to 83 for the remainder of the week with isolated thunderstorms later in the week. Another day in Paradise.
I received a copy of Dan Brown's newest novel "The Lost Symbol". I have read a little over five chapters and it looks like the Masons are the target this time. We shall see.
Some friends of mine came down to Gulf Shores, Alabama for a visit and wanted to meet somewhere for a toddy. We met at the world famous Flora-Bama Lounge on Perdido Key. As the name suggests, the bar rests exactly on the Florida/Alabama line about 100 yards from the Gulf of Mexico. The place is a landmark and is one of the most famous watering holes on the Gulf. We had a few drinks before they left . It was an enjoyable visit.
Then I came back to Santa Rosa Island and to my local watering hole known as the Sandshaker Lounge. It was Karaoke night which is always entertaining. I met a beautiful young lady from Baton Rouge that made the evening much more enjoyable. It was one of those meetings where everything seemed to click and therefore conversation with this lady made the night magical. It was a night I will remember.
The Dallas Cowboys won their first game in the new stadium. They beat the Carolina Panthers 21-7. Neither team was impressive and I do not expect to see either one in the playoffs.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation is going to resurface I-385 northbound lanes from the intersection of I-26 to State highway 101, a distance of about 16 miles. About halfway in that construction area is a gigantic Wal-Mart distribution center. What the hell are they going to to? It is rumored that any of Wal-Mart's truck coming in from the south would stay on I-26 until in intercepts I-85 near Spartanburg and then go west until intercepting the southbound lanes on I-385 near Greenville and then on to the Center. I-85 between Spartanburg and Greenville is a can of worms as is and dumping all of those Wal-Mart semis in there will be no picnic.
Good News:
I am writing this after reading an article written by a reporter for NPR who was present when the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan. He said that the Afghanis are not upset because of an occasional "collateral damage" with civilian deaths from Allied rockets and artillery while trying to kick out the Taliban. When the Taliban was in power, every Friday they would herd people into soccer stadiums to watch the executions of alleged criminal which were executed by tying them up to the soccer nets and cutting off their hands and feet and let them bleed to death. There was no art, dancing, sports, etc. Women were not allowed to learn or teach and could not walk outside without a male relative. All of that has changed with the presence of the US and Allied forces. Now there are women in the Parliament, woman teachers and educators and there is a national soccer team. The reporter says that the extra troops needed in Afghanistan would not be to defeat the Taliban but to keep freedom alive.
This date in history September 30
1955 Actor James Dean and his mechanic Rolf Wutherich are killed in a head on collision in Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder while en route to a road race. Dean, even though only making 3 movies, became an icon of the restless generation and its convoluted lifestyle. He never could get a handle on his unbounded energy and lust for speed even trying motorcycle racing. I remember him best as Jett Rink in the movie "Giant". What an amazing performance he gave us. But what made the movie especially good was that Elizabeth Taylor was co-starring. I have been in love with her for centuries. I guess Dean is best known for his first movie Rebel Without a Cause where he plays a tortured man that is pretty much like himself. To me he seemed like a person going fast down a hill and don’t know how to stop. His death was a great loss for all of us.
1930 Louis Armstrong arrives in New York to join Fletcher Henderson’s jazz orchestra as second horn. Louis had been playing in King Oliver’s band in Chicago for the previous 12 years honing his skills and now he was going to the most famous jazz ensemble in the world. Louis was immediately recognized for his ability to play solo and to harmonize with others in the brass section. He rose to be recognized worldwide for his musical abilities; in fact he died being the most important influence in the history of jazz. A great talent.
1938 British Prime minister Neville Chamberlain and French Prime minister Eduardo Daladier meet with Hitler in Munich and sign a pact with this monster that they would not intervene when Hitler “annexed” Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain is elated that war between England and Germany had been averted even though Czechoslovakia was offered up as a sacrificial lamb. Daladier is really pissed off about it but he knew that the French army could not stand up to the German war machine and did not want to have his country destroyed. It happened anyway. The next day the German army rolls into Czechoslovakia. Shortly thereafter Germany invades Poland and Chamberlain has to announce that England is going to war against Germany. The Germans also invade France and France capitulates without a fight. So what else is new?
1962 A black man named James Meredith accompanied by U.S. Marshals tries to register at the University of Mississippi. James had previously been accepted but the acceptance was rejected once it became known that James was black. It is needless for me to say what happened next. There was day and night rioting that was subdued only by the arrival of 3,000 paratroopers from the long suffering 82nd Airborne. Even then there was sporadic violence but James was finally admitted and began classes. James graduated with a degree in political science. After this James chose to make a march from Memphis to Jackson in protest the unequal treatment of blacks. On the second day he was shot from ambush by a sniper. He wasn’t killed but was hospitalized for long while. Other black leaders showed up and continued the march much to their own peril.
1924 Author Truman Capote is born aflame in New Orleans. Truman achieved much success and wealth from his writings primarily with In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's both of which were made into movies. He did not how to handle his fame very well and began a life of jet setting and party, party. Truman died at the age of 60 after a life of excesses.
1949 The Berlin Airlift ends. Let me tell you folks, as an ex-air traffic controller this was the greatest logistical operation ever achieved. Russia had blocked all ground accesses to West Berlin leaving those folks with no way to get anything for survival. So the allies, primarily the good old USA, began flying supplies to the beleaguered city. The Airlift began 15 months previous and those airmen flew 250,000 flights and hauled 2 million tons of supplies into West Berlin. I have seen movies on how this was done without planes running over each other. It was a miracle that there were very, very few instances of danger. After seeing that the allies could supply West Berlin indefinitely the Russian said “To hell with it” and opened the roads and rails.
1889 The state of Wyoming enacts a law that allows women to vote and was the very first one to do so. There was a lot of speculation as to why a remote western state would be the first and the consensus of opinion was that this was a reward for the pioneer women that helped settle this wild frontier. By 1914 there was a definite pattern emerging because every state west of the Mississippi had woman suffrage and none of the states east of the Mississippi did. What’s up with that? Anyway, all is cool now.
Born today:
1207 Afghan mystic Jalal-ud-din-Rumi. He said “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” Sounds like the stock market to me.
1921 Scottish actress Deborah Kerr. She said “I came over here (Hollywood) to act, but turned out that all I had to do was be high-minded, long-suffering, white gloved, and decorative.” This girl was dynamite in two movies. “From Here to Eternity” and “An Affair to Remember”.
1924 Playwright Truman Capote. He said “Life is a moderately good play with a poorly written third act.” Truman was a notorious homosexual who died at the age of 60 probably of AIDS but he burned the candle at both ends while alive.
1931 US actress Angie Dickinson. She said “I dress for women and undress for men.” Hey Angie, you talk a lot. As the country song goes “A little less talk and a lot more action”.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from Dixie for today….GO COCKS!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Daily Lesson
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
When speaking to her husband she said "As we grow older, we continue to change with age. But there is one thing that will never change, I will alway keep falling in love with you."
Karen Clodfelter
I rained a little last night and this morning the wind has stiffened from the west-northwest. There is whitecaps on the Sound. However the sky is clear and the forecast high for today is 89. Another day in paradise.
I have a correction: On my September 26 lesson I said the Pope Pius XVI was born and gave a quote of his. That was wrong as pointed out by an eagle-eyed subscriber. It was Pope Paul VI that was born on September 26. I apologize and swear I will try to do better proof reading. Thanks Bob.
To my friend in Marble Falls, I have recieved the book. Thanks Dotty.
Speaking of Paradise, my daughter and I went to the Paradise bar yesterday evening to listen to the band. The band was pretty good until they started the hip-hop noise. I say noise because it is not music. My daughter told me me about a musician that apparently travels the Gulf Coast that calls himself "The Sauce Boss". He is an elderly black man that plays a Delta Blues guitar and sings with a rich, smokey baritone that has been fine tuned in hundreds of smoke filled bars and lounges. The best part is that he cooks a pot of gumbo during the performance and gives everybody some of it after the session is over. I will depend on Scottie to find this artist on youtube.
Up in the hill country 51 year old Robert Lepard was on the way home when he ran off the side of the road, hit a mailbox and then an embankment and rolled several times. Robert was ejected and the automobile rolled over and crushed him. Robert was not wearing a seat belt. I have a question for y'all. Would Robert have had a better chance of survival if he had been strapped in? YES HE WOULD HAVE! Buckle up, y'all, I need all the subscribers I can get.
Someone was riding by Lake Cooley near Spartanburg, SC and spotted a light down in the water. He called the Sheriff's department and a diver went down in the lake to have a look-see. It was an unside down car with its headlights on. Unfortunately, there was a woman in the front seat that had drowned. They are investigating.
A few months ago an educator in Anderson County, SC was arrested at park that is known as a meeting spot for homosexuals. At his trial Gary Burgess testified that an undercover cop came up and approached him for sex and he turned and walked away whereupon he was arrested. The undercover cop said that Burgess approached him for sex and then was arrested. Anyway, Burgess was acquitted and this weekend he had a pot luck dinner at the pavilion where he was arrested. I don't think they roasted any weiners.
I finally went to a fish store that Luther and Anne know about. It is Joe Pattis and I got 3 pounds of 16/20 headless shrimp and had them steamed with Old Bay seasoning plus a quart of select oysters. I will have something to nibble on for a few days.
This date in history September 29
1908 Gene Autry is born in Tioga, Texas. At a young age his family moved to Oklahoma where Gene became a railroad telegrapher. One day while sitting in the train station strumming his guitar and singing, a stranger walked up and listened for a while and suggested that he should try singing on the radio. The stranger was the world famous Will Rogers and Will told Gene he should go to New York and who to contact. Gene did not succeed in The Big Apple and came back to Oklahoma and started a radio show that ran for many years. He started a successful TV show also along with making many B Grade movies. Gene was a wise investor and became one of the wealthiest men in America. Gene went to that great ranch in the sky in 1998. Bye the way, his horse’s name was Champion.
1964 The Republic of North Vietnam declares that any pilot captured would be considered as a war criminal rather than prisoners of war thereby bypassing the laws of the Geneva Convention for the treatment of POW’s. Hell ensued. The first American pilot captured was Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez. He was captured August 5, 1964. The person spending the longest time was Green Beret Captain Floyd Thompson who was captured March 26, 1964. The American POW’s themselves accounted for 766. The Paris Peace Accord allowed for the release of 565 military and 26 civilians. There are to this day more than 2,500 missing in action. What a freaking nightmare that was/is.
1864 In an attempt to break the stalemate at Petersburg, US Gen. U.S. Grant orders US Gen. Benjamin Butler to attack the Confederate lines at a place called New Market Heights. Butler scouts the lines personally and decides on a two pronged attack led by US Gen. Ord and Birney. Both attacks failed only because the Confederates had built several trenches one behind the other so that if one trench was overrun the defenders would just move back to the next trench. The Confederate lines were bent but not broken. The US had 3,300 casualties out of 20,000 engaged and the Confederates had 2000 out of 11,000 engaged.
1862 In Louisville Ky. US Gen. Jefferson Davis (not the President of CSA) and US Gen. William Nelson gets into a screaming argument in the lobby of a hotel. Nelson losses it and slaps Gen. Davis and heads upstairs. Davis follows him, pulls out a pistol and caps Nelson. Davis was never taken to trial for two reasons and that being Davis was a recognized as a superior military leader and the Governor of Indiana intervened in Davis’ behalf. The Governor was with Davis when the shot was fired. Davis went on the serve with distinction in the Chickamauga/Chattanooga campaign among others.
1748 The legendary British hero Horatio Nelson is born in Burnham Thorpe, England. If there was a military leader that needed to be canonized it was Nelson. Nelson joined the British Navy and went to sea as a midshipman at the age of 12 and became a Captain at the age of 20. In their seemingly unending battles with Spain and France Britain gave Nelson command of the 64 gun frigate HMS Agamemnon to beef up the naval forces. He immediately showed his peers his bravery and skill in naval warfare and I could spend an entire lesson on the adventures of Nelson. His life was one that would make a great novel. But briefly he won several important naval engagements that prevented Spain or France from invading England. During these battles he lost and eye and his right arm but kept his command. He had a lover who was the wife of a British diplomat along with a wife of his own. His lover’s husband Lord Hamilton allowed the tryst because of Nelson’s importance in his country. Finally he was in command of the frigate HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar where his navy crushed the French navy that was in support of Napoleon stopping him from invading England. During this battle Nelson was shot in the shoulder and chest by a French sharpshooter. Knowing he was close to death Nelson uttered the famous phrase “Thank God I have done my duty.” After he died, his body was put into a barrel of rum to preserve it while reroute back to England for a heroes burial. He was buried at the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. I have been to St. Paul’s and have seen the statue of Nelson at; you guessed it, Trafalgar Square. From that time on the rum kept aboard ships was known as “Nelson’s blood”
Born today:
1547 Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. He said “Where there is music there can be no evil.” Miguel is the author of “The Man of La Mancha” better known as Don Quixote, one of the most read and beloved creations of literature in history.
1810 English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. She said “I’ll never listen to reason. Reason means that you are listening to what someone else has to say.” Good thinking, Liz.
1889 German author Martin Heidegger. He said “Man acts if he were the shaper and master of language, when in fact language remains the master.” Hey Martin, did you say something?
1903 US actress Greer Garson. When speaking about Marlon Brando she said “Actors like him are good but I do not like people that try to communicate with their armpits.” Marlon was one of my favorites but he has gone to that great sound stage in the sky.
1935 US rock and roll pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. He said “If I go to hell, I will go playing a piano.” Jerry Lee married his 14 year old cousin at one time. A lot of people remember Jerry Lee for the song “Great Balls of Fire” but I think his rendition of Hank Williams’ “Born to Lose” is his best. It really gets to me.
1943 Polish leader Lech Welesa. He said “I must tell you that the supply of words worldwide is increasing, but it appears the demand is falling.” I agree with you, Lech.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of tall pines, huge Magnolias and short politicians.
Quote of the day:
When speaking to her husband she said "As we grow older, we continue to change with age. But there is one thing that will never change, I will alway keep falling in love with you."
Karen Clodfelter
I rained a little last night and this morning the wind has stiffened from the west-northwest. There is whitecaps on the Sound. However the sky is clear and the forecast high for today is 89. Another day in paradise.
I have a correction: On my September 26 lesson I said the Pope Pius XVI was born and gave a quote of his. That was wrong as pointed out by an eagle-eyed subscriber. It was Pope Paul VI that was born on September 26. I apologize and swear I will try to do better proof reading. Thanks Bob.
To my friend in Marble Falls, I have recieved the book. Thanks Dotty.
Speaking of Paradise, my daughter and I went to the Paradise bar yesterday evening to listen to the band. The band was pretty good until they started the hip-hop noise. I say noise because it is not music. My daughter told me me about a musician that apparently travels the Gulf Coast that calls himself "The Sauce Boss". He is an elderly black man that plays a Delta Blues guitar and sings with a rich, smokey baritone that has been fine tuned in hundreds of smoke filled bars and lounges. The best part is that he cooks a pot of gumbo during the performance and gives everybody some of it after the session is over. I will depend on Scottie to find this artist on youtube.
Up in the hill country 51 year old Robert Lepard was on the way home when he ran off the side of the road, hit a mailbox and then an embankment and rolled several times. Robert was ejected and the automobile rolled over and crushed him. Robert was not wearing a seat belt. I have a question for y'all. Would Robert have had a better chance of survival if he had been strapped in? YES HE WOULD HAVE! Buckle up, y'all, I need all the subscribers I can get.
Someone was riding by Lake Cooley near Spartanburg, SC and spotted a light down in the water. He called the Sheriff's department and a diver went down in the lake to have a look-see. It was an unside down car with its headlights on. Unfortunately, there was a woman in the front seat that had drowned. They are investigating.
A few months ago an educator in Anderson County, SC was arrested at park that is known as a meeting spot for homosexuals. At his trial Gary Burgess testified that an undercover cop came up and approached him for sex and he turned and walked away whereupon he was arrested. The undercover cop said that Burgess approached him for sex and then was arrested. Anyway, Burgess was acquitted and this weekend he had a pot luck dinner at the pavilion where he was arrested. I don't think they roasted any weiners.
I finally went to a fish store that Luther and Anne know about. It is Joe Pattis and I got 3 pounds of 16/20 headless shrimp and had them steamed with Old Bay seasoning plus a quart of select oysters. I will have something to nibble on for a few days.
This date in history September 29
1908 Gene Autry is born in Tioga, Texas. At a young age his family moved to Oklahoma where Gene became a railroad telegrapher. One day while sitting in the train station strumming his guitar and singing, a stranger walked up and listened for a while and suggested that he should try singing on the radio. The stranger was the world famous Will Rogers and Will told Gene he should go to New York and who to contact. Gene did not succeed in The Big Apple and came back to Oklahoma and started a radio show that ran for many years. He started a successful TV show also along with making many B Grade movies. Gene was a wise investor and became one of the wealthiest men in America. Gene went to that great ranch in the sky in 1998. Bye the way, his horse’s name was Champion.
1964 The Republic of North Vietnam declares that any pilot captured would be considered as a war criminal rather than prisoners of war thereby bypassing the laws of the Geneva Convention for the treatment of POW’s. Hell ensued. The first American pilot captured was Navy Lieutenant Everett Alvarez. He was captured August 5, 1964. The person spending the longest time was Green Beret Captain Floyd Thompson who was captured March 26, 1964. The American POW’s themselves accounted for 766. The Paris Peace Accord allowed for the release of 565 military and 26 civilians. There are to this day more than 2,500 missing in action. What a freaking nightmare that was/is.
1864 In an attempt to break the stalemate at Petersburg, US Gen. U.S. Grant orders US Gen. Benjamin Butler to attack the Confederate lines at a place called New Market Heights. Butler scouts the lines personally and decides on a two pronged attack led by US Gen. Ord and Birney. Both attacks failed only because the Confederates had built several trenches one behind the other so that if one trench was overrun the defenders would just move back to the next trench. The Confederate lines were bent but not broken. The US had 3,300 casualties out of 20,000 engaged and the Confederates had 2000 out of 11,000 engaged.
1862 In Louisville Ky. US Gen. Jefferson Davis (not the President of CSA) and US Gen. William Nelson gets into a screaming argument in the lobby of a hotel. Nelson losses it and slaps Gen. Davis and heads upstairs. Davis follows him, pulls out a pistol and caps Nelson. Davis was never taken to trial for two reasons and that being Davis was a recognized as a superior military leader and the Governor of Indiana intervened in Davis’ behalf. The Governor was with Davis when the shot was fired. Davis went on the serve with distinction in the Chickamauga/Chattanooga campaign among others.
1748 The legendary British hero Horatio Nelson is born in Burnham Thorpe, England. If there was a military leader that needed to be canonized it was Nelson. Nelson joined the British Navy and went to sea as a midshipman at the age of 12 and became a Captain at the age of 20. In their seemingly unending battles with Spain and France Britain gave Nelson command of the 64 gun frigate HMS Agamemnon to beef up the naval forces. He immediately showed his peers his bravery and skill in naval warfare and I could spend an entire lesson on the adventures of Nelson. His life was one that would make a great novel. But briefly he won several important naval engagements that prevented Spain or France from invading England. During these battles he lost and eye and his right arm but kept his command. He had a lover who was the wife of a British diplomat along with a wife of his own. His lover’s husband Lord Hamilton allowed the tryst because of Nelson’s importance in his country. Finally he was in command of the frigate HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar where his navy crushed the French navy that was in support of Napoleon stopping him from invading England. During this battle Nelson was shot in the shoulder and chest by a French sharpshooter. Knowing he was close to death Nelson uttered the famous phrase “Thank God I have done my duty.” After he died, his body was put into a barrel of rum to preserve it while reroute back to England for a heroes burial. He was buried at the famous St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. I have been to St. Paul’s and have seen the statue of Nelson at; you guessed it, Trafalgar Square. From that time on the rum kept aboard ships was known as “Nelson’s blood”
Born today:
1547 Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. He said “Where there is music there can be no evil.” Miguel is the author of “The Man of La Mancha” better known as Don Quixote, one of the most read and beloved creations of literature in history.
1810 English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. She said “I’ll never listen to reason. Reason means that you are listening to what someone else has to say.” Good thinking, Liz.
1889 German author Martin Heidegger. He said “Man acts if he were the shaper and master of language, when in fact language remains the master.” Hey Martin, did you say something?
1903 US actress Greer Garson. When speaking about Marlon Brando she said “Actors like him are good but I do not like people that try to communicate with their armpits.” Marlon was one of my favorites but he has gone to that great sound stage in the sky.
1935 US rock and roll pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. He said “If I go to hell, I will go playing a piano.” Jerry Lee married his 14 year old cousin at one time. A lot of people remember Jerry Lee for the song “Great Balls of Fire” but I think his rendition of Hank Williams’ “Born to Lose” is his best. It really gets to me.
1943 Polish leader Lech Welesa. He said “I must tell you that the supply of words worldwide is increasing, but it appears the demand is falling.” I agree with you, Lech.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of tall pines, huge Magnolias and short politicians.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Daily Lesson
Good Morning,
Quote of the day:
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." Keep this in mind, Bard. IKYIM
Denis Waitley
It is a partly cloudy sky, the wind is from the northwest at about 10 MPH which indicates we are on the backside of a low pressure system. It rained a little last night so I suppose that the cold front passed then. The temperature has cooled a little, the high expected is about 81. There is a lot of boat traffic in the Sound, everything from personal watercraft to 50 foot yachts. Sailboats abound.
I cannot get over how much clearer my thoughts processes are now that I am avoiding anything political or controversial. In fact, I am developing another outlook. I used to say my politics was somewhere right of Attila the Hun, now it is somewhere right of Ivan the Terrible, but right, none the less.
I have been called to task for my use of adjectives when describing the Clemson fans that I meet almost on a daily basis. The accuser is someone that I admire and do not want to isolate. So from now on I will not use the adjectives that I am used to accepting from the cadre of Clemson fans that I know and will not embellish upon them. In fact I will tone them down to where they will not be downright trashy. It is obvious to me that this person does not engage socially with a mixture of different colleges that select their own adjectives and adverbs. I can assure you that the Clemson fans are just as foul mouthed as any other school. Clemson is not an off-shoot of Bob Jones University, they end up at the games drunk as Cooter Brown and as foul-mouthed and obscene as any other college students and fans. The sun does not rise in Easley and set in Seneca with Clemson being the center of the universe. Clemson is not a friary and is typical of any other college in America. I guess you know that Clemson Police had to activate a "drunk patrol" whenever there is a game at "death valley". Wonder why? But not to worry, I will soften my language.
I hope all of y'all saw that hit that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow received in the Kentucky game. That boy was out like a light for about five minutes. After they got him on his feet, he was till looking around with unfocused eyes for several minutes and then he started vomiting. That is almost a sure sign of a concussion and a CT scan at a Lexington, Ky. hospital confirmed it. Florida has an off week before facing LSU on October 10. Reports indicate that Tebow should be ready for that game much to the chagrin of the LSU fans, Tom S. included, but the Florida team trainers will keep a close eye on Tim for the next two weeks.
Only in South Carolina would something like this happen. A man named Dean Allen from Greenville held a fund raiser. He is running for state Adjutant General. In South Carolina this position administrates nearly all state based military units including the National Guard. He held the fund-raiser at an indoor pistol and rifle range and offered an AK-47 as a door prize. The cost was $25 a ticket with a plate of barbecue thrown in. Allen said that he did this to show his support of the Second Amendment. In addition to the barbecue plate, the patrons could fire 25 rounds with the weapon of their choice, the patron providing the ammo, of course. Allen said that the winner of the AK-47 would have to go through all the paperwork that is normally required at the federal level. YEEEE-HAAAA!
This date in history September 28
1991 Trumpet virtuoso Miles Davis dies at the age of 65. Miles was born to a privileged family who gave to him a good education including the renowned Julliard School of Music where Miles soared with his virtuosity. Miles was basically a jazz musician but was not restricted to that. He was not afraid to venture out into or mix different genres of music. He had a monkey on his back most of his adult life as did his roommate Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Charlie was a gifted musician also on the alto sax. Miles and Charlie played many, many sets together. If I am not mistaken, Charlie Parker died of a heroin overdose. Miles was finally able to kick the habit and produced several jazz milestone albums before going to the great trio in the sky.
1863 US Generals Alexander McCook and Thomas Crittenden are given the blame for the severe ass-kicking that was received at Chickamauga at the hands of CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg and CSA Gen. James Longstreet. It was the flanks held by McCook and Crittenden that were shattered by Longstreet’s Rebs resulting a panic and rout of the Union left. The Union right flank under the command of US Gen. George Thomas stayed cohesive and withdrew in an orderly manner. It was the Union overall commander US Gen. Rosecrans that did the finger pointing to take the heat off him. McCook and Crittenden were relieved and sent the Indiana area to menial jobs. Rosecrans did not dodge the bullet, however and he also was relieved and the command of his army was given to US Gen. George Thomas known as “The Rock of Chickamauga.” What goes around …
1066 One of the most important events the history of western man occurs on this day. William of Normandy sets foot on English soil near Pevensey in Southeast England to stake his claim for the English throne. However, he wasn’t the only one who had eyes for the throne. Three days before William’s brother Tostic and King Harald III of Norway joined forces and had attacked England from Scotland but were met by King Harold of England and his army at Stamford Bridge. The English army annihilated Tostic, Harald III and their army. The destruction was total. King Harold of England was told of the landing of William at Pevensey and turned his army in that direction. He marched the 250 miles to Hastings battlefield in 29 days gathering volunteers as me went. Once there he and his army dug in on a hill to minimize any cavalry movements and await Williams attack. William did not disappoint and struck hard at Harold’s center. Harold was correct in assuming the hillside minimized the effect of the cavalry and the fight was mostly with infantry. A chronicler wrote that “William’s forces looked as a dancer in their movements whilst Harold’s army appeared to grow out of the ground unmoving.” A French mounted knight got through Harold’s lines and swept by and beheaded Harold with one swipe of his sword. After this the English forces scattered. Harold of England’s army was soundly defeated and William was crowned King. William got his claim to the throne by being the illegitimate son of one of the natural heirs to the English throne who had died. William was from a long line of Scandinavians meaning Vikings. His crowning marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England and the French speaking people from Normandy melded their languages into what now is modern English. William from this day on was known as William the Conqueror. I have a separate essay on William the Conqueror I think y'all would find interesting.
1542 Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo attempting to find a “northwest passage” across North America to get back to the Atlantic and home discovers Sans Diego Harbor. There had always been a legend about “The Straights of Alina” that was a waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific in North America. There was no such thing as we know but it promoted a lot of exploration up and down the American west and east coast. Strangely Cabrillo sailed right by San Francisco Bay and never saw it.
1988 I am reading the story of Roch Theriault a cult leader in Canada. It is difficult for me to tell you about this monster that hacked off peoples arms and legs, put vise grips on women’s nipples, disemboweled people while still alive in an attempt to drive “demons” out of their bodies, etc. He was arrested and put on trial for murder after one of his people the he disemboweled died. The judge and jury were so appalled at what they heard that they tried and convicted him and gave him life just to get the trial finished. They forgot to add life “without parole” in their haste. Roch is eligible for parole after a given time.
Born today:
555BC Chinese philosopher Confucius. He said “Have no friends not equal to yourself”. Hey Confucius, not equal to yourself doing what?
1902 US TV host Ed Sullivan. He said “If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time because a dose of joy is a spiritual thing, it transcends all barriers.” That is pretty deep thinking there Ed.
1909 US cartoonist Al Capp (Li’l Abner). He said “Young people should be helped, sheltered, ignored and clubbed if necessary.” You can’t do that any more, Al.
1972 US actress Gwyneth Paltrow. She said “Beauty to me is being comfortable in your own skin, or maybe a kick-ass red lipstick.” This girl has great lips.
Thanks for listening I can hardy wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of scooters, Hooters and looters.
Yesterday a friend of mine said that he was going to start taking Karate lessons because it was getting dangerous out on the streets in some cities. I told him that instead of that he needs a course on how to meet people…..like Colt, Smith, Wesson, Remington, Rossi, Glock, etc…They have something that barks over here and bites over there.
Quote of the day:
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." Keep this in mind, Bard. IKYIM
Denis Waitley
It is a partly cloudy sky, the wind is from the northwest at about 10 MPH which indicates we are on the backside of a low pressure system. It rained a little last night so I suppose that the cold front passed then. The temperature has cooled a little, the high expected is about 81. There is a lot of boat traffic in the Sound, everything from personal watercraft to 50 foot yachts. Sailboats abound.
I cannot get over how much clearer my thoughts processes are now that I am avoiding anything political or controversial. In fact, I am developing another outlook. I used to say my politics was somewhere right of Attila the Hun, now it is somewhere right of Ivan the Terrible, but right, none the less.
I have been called to task for my use of adjectives when describing the Clemson fans that I meet almost on a daily basis. The accuser is someone that I admire and do not want to isolate. So from now on I will not use the adjectives that I am used to accepting from the cadre of Clemson fans that I know and will not embellish upon them. In fact I will tone them down to where they will not be downright trashy. It is obvious to me that this person does not engage socially with a mixture of different colleges that select their own adjectives and adverbs. I can assure you that the Clemson fans are just as foul mouthed as any other school. Clemson is not an off-shoot of Bob Jones University, they end up at the games drunk as Cooter Brown and as foul-mouthed and obscene as any other college students and fans. The sun does not rise in Easley and set in Seneca with Clemson being the center of the universe. Clemson is not a friary and is typical of any other college in America. I guess you know that Clemson Police had to activate a "drunk patrol" whenever there is a game at "death valley". Wonder why? But not to worry, I will soften my language.
I hope all of y'all saw that hit that Florida quarterback Tim Tebow received in the Kentucky game. That boy was out like a light for about five minutes. After they got him on his feet, he was till looking around with unfocused eyes for several minutes and then he started vomiting. That is almost a sure sign of a concussion and a CT scan at a Lexington, Ky. hospital confirmed it. Florida has an off week before facing LSU on October 10. Reports indicate that Tebow should be ready for that game much to the chagrin of the LSU fans, Tom S. included, but the Florida team trainers will keep a close eye on Tim for the next two weeks.
Only in South Carolina would something like this happen. A man named Dean Allen from Greenville held a fund raiser. He is running for state Adjutant General. In South Carolina this position administrates nearly all state based military units including the National Guard. He held the fund-raiser at an indoor pistol and rifle range and offered an AK-47 as a door prize. The cost was $25 a ticket with a plate of barbecue thrown in. Allen said that he did this to show his support of the Second Amendment. In addition to the barbecue plate, the patrons could fire 25 rounds with the weapon of their choice, the patron providing the ammo, of course. Allen said that the winner of the AK-47 would have to go through all the paperwork that is normally required at the federal level. YEEEE-HAAAA!
This date in history September 28
1991 Trumpet virtuoso Miles Davis dies at the age of 65. Miles was born to a privileged family who gave to him a good education including the renowned Julliard School of Music where Miles soared with his virtuosity. Miles was basically a jazz musician but was not restricted to that. He was not afraid to venture out into or mix different genres of music. He had a monkey on his back most of his adult life as did his roommate Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Charlie was a gifted musician also on the alto sax. Miles and Charlie played many, many sets together. If I am not mistaken, Charlie Parker died of a heroin overdose. Miles was finally able to kick the habit and produced several jazz milestone albums before going to the great trio in the sky.
1863 US Generals Alexander McCook and Thomas Crittenden are given the blame for the severe ass-kicking that was received at Chickamauga at the hands of CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg and CSA Gen. James Longstreet. It was the flanks held by McCook and Crittenden that were shattered by Longstreet’s Rebs resulting a panic and rout of the Union left. The Union right flank under the command of US Gen. George Thomas stayed cohesive and withdrew in an orderly manner. It was the Union overall commander US Gen. Rosecrans that did the finger pointing to take the heat off him. McCook and Crittenden were relieved and sent the Indiana area to menial jobs. Rosecrans did not dodge the bullet, however and he also was relieved and the command of his army was given to US Gen. George Thomas known as “The Rock of Chickamauga.” What goes around …
1066 One of the most important events the history of western man occurs on this day. William of Normandy sets foot on English soil near Pevensey in Southeast England to stake his claim for the English throne. However, he wasn’t the only one who had eyes for the throne. Three days before William’s brother Tostic and King Harald III of Norway joined forces and had attacked England from Scotland but were met by King Harold of England and his army at Stamford Bridge. The English army annihilated Tostic, Harald III and their army. The destruction was total. King Harold of England was told of the landing of William at Pevensey and turned his army in that direction. He marched the 250 miles to Hastings battlefield in 29 days gathering volunteers as me went. Once there he and his army dug in on a hill to minimize any cavalry movements and await Williams attack. William did not disappoint and struck hard at Harold’s center. Harold was correct in assuming the hillside minimized the effect of the cavalry and the fight was mostly with infantry. A chronicler wrote that “William’s forces looked as a dancer in their movements whilst Harold’s army appeared to grow out of the ground unmoving.” A French mounted knight got through Harold’s lines and swept by and beheaded Harold with one swipe of his sword. After this the English forces scattered. Harold of England’s army was soundly defeated and William was crowned King. William got his claim to the throne by being the illegitimate son of one of the natural heirs to the English throne who had died. William was from a long line of Scandinavians meaning Vikings. His crowning marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England and the French speaking people from Normandy melded their languages into what now is modern English. William from this day on was known as William the Conqueror. I have a separate essay on William the Conqueror I think y'all would find interesting.
1542 Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo attempting to find a “northwest passage” across North America to get back to the Atlantic and home discovers Sans Diego Harbor. There had always been a legend about “The Straights of Alina” that was a waterway between the Atlantic and Pacific in North America. There was no such thing as we know but it promoted a lot of exploration up and down the American west and east coast. Strangely Cabrillo sailed right by San Francisco Bay and never saw it.
1988 I am reading the story of Roch Theriault a cult leader in Canada. It is difficult for me to tell you about this monster that hacked off peoples arms and legs, put vise grips on women’s nipples, disemboweled people while still alive in an attempt to drive “demons” out of their bodies, etc. He was arrested and put on trial for murder after one of his people the he disemboweled died. The judge and jury were so appalled at what they heard that they tried and convicted him and gave him life just to get the trial finished. They forgot to add life “without parole” in their haste. Roch is eligible for parole after a given time.
Born today:
555BC Chinese philosopher Confucius. He said “Have no friends not equal to yourself”. Hey Confucius, not equal to yourself doing what?
1902 US TV host Ed Sullivan. He said “If you do a good job for others, you heal yourself at the same time because a dose of joy is a spiritual thing, it transcends all barriers.” That is pretty deep thinking there Ed.
1909 US cartoonist Al Capp (Li’l Abner). He said “Young people should be helped, sheltered, ignored and clubbed if necessary.” You can’t do that any more, Al.
1972 US actress Gwyneth Paltrow. She said “Beauty to me is being comfortable in your own skin, or maybe a kick-ass red lipstick.” This girl has great lips.
Thanks for listening I can hardy wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of scooters, Hooters and looters.
Yesterday a friend of mine said that he was going to start taking Karate lessons because it was getting dangerous out on the streets in some cities. I told him that instead of that he needs a course on how to meet people…..like Colt, Smith, Wesson, Remington, Rossi, Glock, etc…They have something that barks over here and bites over there.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Daily Lesson
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
"Pick battles large enough to matter but small enough to win"
Jonathon Kozel
Today will be another type of lesson. It will have the intent to provoke thought and look inside yourself.
For hundred of years people had stumbled across burial sites that included a corpse and many accoutrements such as knives, swords and even food and water. On one site in Malta a burial site included two horses, a chariot and a dog along with a corpse surrounded by knives, swords and axes. We all know about the Chinese emperor whose burial site was found recently that had the corpse of the emperor along with 1,800 full size terra-cotta soldiers, weapons included. The Scandinavians would place the corpse of an expired king, and sometimes his wife along side either alive or dead, inside a boat and then they would pile on the king's personal belongings including all his weaponry and some extra food and drink. Then they would set the boat afire and push it out into a fiord and watch it burn and sink. People did not know the meaning of this for a long time but eventually the world's linguists were able to decypher most of the world's written languages including the glyphs of the Egyptians, Inca, Maya and Aztecs of Central America. Then they found out what all of this was about. They were preparing the dead person for his "journey" in the afterlife. The Maya called the underground that they had to travel after death "Xibalba". If you expand your search you will find that even in pre-history when there was no written language, burial crypts have been found that had the same type decorations. They buried the dead with their personal belongings along with things to help them on a journey. Even over in North America, the American Indians did that same thing. In South America some of the Indians living in the Amazon keep the corpses of their ancestor under their floor in case they want to return. This means that nearly all mankind believes that there is something going to happen after death. It really does not matter if they are correct or not, what matters is that mankind believes this is the case. The question is who or what planted this seed in the mind of humankind? The thought is universal and apparently eternal. We cannot turn to religion because many of those that prepare for the afterlife have various religions or lack of any religion. Think on it y'all, it is an enigma.
This coming weekend will be the Great Gulf Coast Seafood Festival in downtown Pensacola. You will not catch my ass downtown this weekend. I can find as good a seafood as there is anywhere within a block of my condo over here on the beach. On top of that, the girls wear less clothing.
This date in history September 26
1957 The Broadway musical West Side Story opens at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York with the music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephan Sondheim. The story line was a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet set in the West Side of New York where gangs ruled. But love prevailed and the lovers found each other in spite of the turmoil. The song “Maria” was the one most remembered as far as I am concerned. But how can the show fail with the two geniuses of Bernstein and Sondheim at the reins. The play is still a major attraction to the fans of musicals. It I am not mistaken, Sondheim gave us Phantom of the Opera also.
1945 The first American is killed in Vietnam. OSS operative Lt. Col Peter Dewey is shot by refusing to stop at a road block while in his car. OSS was the precursor to CIA and Dewey was in country looking for American pilots that his been shot down and incarcerated in Vietnam. At the same time 1,400 French troops had been liberated from Japanese prison camps in Vietnam and were re-armed by French constituents hoping to take over the country and make it a French Colony as it was before WWII. Ho Chi Mien denied that this would happen and thus began the war with France in Indo-China and ended in 1954 with the French taking an ass whipping at Dien Bien Phu and were forced to leave the country. During this interim, Col Dewey was riding down a road and came upon a road block and refused to stop because he was an American but those running the road block thought he was a French soldier and capped him. Mistaken identity.
1989 Soviet President Gorbachev eliminates censorship in the Soviet Union. In the past all printed material came under the scrutiny of the government so that no western “decadence” could reach the people. They even banned Dr. Zhivago, for crying out loud. This act was included in Gorbachev’s doctrine of “Glasnost” meaning more freedom for the people. Gorbachev knew that soon the Soviet Union would collapse and the people would have to rely upon themselves instead of the government for their needs. Two years later it happened. Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union as a nation ceased to exist.
1888 T. S. Eliot is born to a privileged family in St. Louis. From the git-go it was apparent that he was brilliant. He was sent to Harvard, Sorbonne, back to Harvard and then to Oxford. He chose essays and poetry as his calling and was soon recognized for his mastery. He moved to London where he met fellow poet Ezra Pound and they eventually fed upon each other for inspiration. Eventually Eliot landed a job as editor at Faber and Faber and stayed there until his death in 1965. In his life he had written many poems and essays and his death marked the end of a very fruitful life for us all.
1944 A military operation called Market-Garden came to an end on this day with the virtual destruction of 10,000 British and Polish Paratroopers near the Dutch city of Arnhem. It seems that the biggest blowhard in WWII, British Gen. Sir Bernard Law Montgomery decided that he had waited long enough to get into Germany from France so he put together an operation whereby paratroopers would land near Arnhem in the Netherlands and capture the two bridges crossing into Germany and the allied tanks would pour across into Germany. The only problem was that is was too far for the tanks and re-enforcements to reach Arnhem to bail out the paratroopers and Montgomery was told this. Monty blew it off and ordered the assault anyway. Of the 10,000 paratroopers that went only 2900 escaped. The rest were either killed or captured. Montgomery had a good military mind but constantly let his lust for glory interfere with his decisions. Sounds like US Col. George Armstrong Custer to me.
1820 Daniel Boone dies in his sleep near Defiance, Missouri. What can one say about this giant of American history? Well, he was born in Berks County, Pa.in1734 but his family moved to the Yadkin Valley in N.C. when little Daniel was very young. Daniel did not take well to schooling but much preferred to explore his surroundings. He would go further and further afoot everyday going just beyond the extent of the exploration of the day before. He finally left home and set out to explore what was past the Blue Ridge Mountains. He went through the Cumberland Gap and down into the valleys of Kentucky and settled the town of Boonsboro, Ky. This settlement provided a place for other pioneers and settlers to come to for refitting for further trips west. Boone himself decided that Ky. was getting too crowded and moved on westward. Boones many adventures are too much for this small epistle but if you like true adventure get a book about this man. His contribution to the expansion of this nation is incalculable. I will leave you with one small story. A group of Indians had kidnapped Boone’s daughter and was headed for Illinois as fast as they could. It took Boone 3 months to track them down but track them down he did. He killed three of the Indians grabbed his daughter and headed home with Indians hot on his trail. With his woodman’s skills he was soon able to elude them and got his daughter home safely.
Born today:
1888 US writer T.C. Eliot. He said of Henry James “His mind is so fine that no idea could violate it.” I have read both T.S. Eliot and Henry James and I see a pot and a kettle here.
1892 US religious leader Robert Lynd. He said “One of the greatest joys known to man is to take flight into ignorance in search of knowledge.” Been there, Robert.
1896 Religious leader Pope Pius XVI. He said “Technological has succeeded in multiplying the opportunities for pleasure, but it has great difficulty in generating joy.” Hey Pope, you are dancing on the edge of understanding, but that is common for Popes. Perhaps you should look into your priests that have been jailed for various offenses. I am sure they know where joy lies.
1898 US composer George Gershwin. He said “Why should I limit myself to one woman when I can have as many as I want.” George, I can assure you that one is as many as the average male can handle....trust me I have been there.
1942 Mexican writer Gloria Anzaldua. She said “Voyager, there are no bridges; one builds them as one walks.” This is a true, Gloria. The hard part is deciding which creek or river to cross.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of Bob-White quail, Mourning doves and Jesse Jackson who represents a silly goose.
Quote of the day:
"Pick battles large enough to matter but small enough to win"
Jonathon Kozel
Today will be another type of lesson. It will have the intent to provoke thought and look inside yourself.
For hundred of years people had stumbled across burial sites that included a corpse and many accoutrements such as knives, swords and even food and water. On one site in Malta a burial site included two horses, a chariot and a dog along with a corpse surrounded by knives, swords and axes. We all know about the Chinese emperor whose burial site was found recently that had the corpse of the emperor along with 1,800 full size terra-cotta soldiers, weapons included. The Scandinavians would place the corpse of an expired king, and sometimes his wife along side either alive or dead, inside a boat and then they would pile on the king's personal belongings including all his weaponry and some extra food and drink. Then they would set the boat afire and push it out into a fiord and watch it burn and sink. People did not know the meaning of this for a long time but eventually the world's linguists were able to decypher most of the world's written languages including the glyphs of the Egyptians, Inca, Maya and Aztecs of Central America. Then they found out what all of this was about. They were preparing the dead person for his "journey" in the afterlife. The Maya called the underground that they had to travel after death "Xibalba". If you expand your search you will find that even in pre-history when there was no written language, burial crypts have been found that had the same type decorations. They buried the dead with their personal belongings along with things to help them on a journey. Even over in North America, the American Indians did that same thing. In South America some of the Indians living in the Amazon keep the corpses of their ancestor under their floor in case they want to return. This means that nearly all mankind believes that there is something going to happen after death. It really does not matter if they are correct or not, what matters is that mankind believes this is the case. The question is who or what planted this seed in the mind of humankind? The thought is universal and apparently eternal. We cannot turn to religion because many of those that prepare for the afterlife have various religions or lack of any religion. Think on it y'all, it is an enigma.
This coming weekend will be the Great Gulf Coast Seafood Festival in downtown Pensacola. You will not catch my ass downtown this weekend. I can find as good a seafood as there is anywhere within a block of my condo over here on the beach. On top of that, the girls wear less clothing.
This date in history September 26
1957 The Broadway musical West Side Story opens at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York with the music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephan Sondheim. The story line was a modern day version of Romeo and Juliet set in the West Side of New York where gangs ruled. But love prevailed and the lovers found each other in spite of the turmoil. The song “Maria” was the one most remembered as far as I am concerned. But how can the show fail with the two geniuses of Bernstein and Sondheim at the reins. The play is still a major attraction to the fans of musicals. It I am not mistaken, Sondheim gave us Phantom of the Opera also.
1945 The first American is killed in Vietnam. OSS operative Lt. Col Peter Dewey is shot by refusing to stop at a road block while in his car. OSS was the precursor to CIA and Dewey was in country looking for American pilots that his been shot down and incarcerated in Vietnam. At the same time 1,400 French troops had been liberated from Japanese prison camps in Vietnam and were re-armed by French constituents hoping to take over the country and make it a French Colony as it was before WWII. Ho Chi Mien denied that this would happen and thus began the war with France in Indo-China and ended in 1954 with the French taking an ass whipping at Dien Bien Phu and were forced to leave the country. During this interim, Col Dewey was riding down a road and came upon a road block and refused to stop because he was an American but those running the road block thought he was a French soldier and capped him. Mistaken identity.
1989 Soviet President Gorbachev eliminates censorship in the Soviet Union. In the past all printed material came under the scrutiny of the government so that no western “decadence” could reach the people. They even banned Dr. Zhivago, for crying out loud. This act was included in Gorbachev’s doctrine of “Glasnost” meaning more freedom for the people. Gorbachev knew that soon the Soviet Union would collapse and the people would have to rely upon themselves instead of the government for their needs. Two years later it happened. Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union as a nation ceased to exist.
1888 T. S. Eliot is born to a privileged family in St. Louis. From the git-go it was apparent that he was brilliant. He was sent to Harvard, Sorbonne, back to Harvard and then to Oxford. He chose essays and poetry as his calling and was soon recognized for his mastery. He moved to London where he met fellow poet Ezra Pound and they eventually fed upon each other for inspiration. Eventually Eliot landed a job as editor at Faber and Faber and stayed there until his death in 1965. In his life he had written many poems and essays and his death marked the end of a very fruitful life for us all.
1944 A military operation called Market-Garden came to an end on this day with the virtual destruction of 10,000 British and Polish Paratroopers near the Dutch city of Arnhem. It seems that the biggest blowhard in WWII, British Gen. Sir Bernard Law Montgomery decided that he had waited long enough to get into Germany from France so he put together an operation whereby paratroopers would land near Arnhem in the Netherlands and capture the two bridges crossing into Germany and the allied tanks would pour across into Germany. The only problem was that is was too far for the tanks and re-enforcements to reach Arnhem to bail out the paratroopers and Montgomery was told this. Monty blew it off and ordered the assault anyway. Of the 10,000 paratroopers that went only 2900 escaped. The rest were either killed or captured. Montgomery had a good military mind but constantly let his lust for glory interfere with his decisions. Sounds like US Col. George Armstrong Custer to me.
1820 Daniel Boone dies in his sleep near Defiance, Missouri. What can one say about this giant of American history? Well, he was born in Berks County, Pa.in1734 but his family moved to the Yadkin Valley in N.C. when little Daniel was very young. Daniel did not take well to schooling but much preferred to explore his surroundings. He would go further and further afoot everyday going just beyond the extent of the exploration of the day before. He finally left home and set out to explore what was past the Blue Ridge Mountains. He went through the Cumberland Gap and down into the valleys of Kentucky and settled the town of Boonsboro, Ky. This settlement provided a place for other pioneers and settlers to come to for refitting for further trips west. Boone himself decided that Ky. was getting too crowded and moved on westward. Boones many adventures are too much for this small epistle but if you like true adventure get a book about this man. His contribution to the expansion of this nation is incalculable. I will leave you with one small story. A group of Indians had kidnapped Boone’s daughter and was headed for Illinois as fast as they could. It took Boone 3 months to track them down but track them down he did. He killed three of the Indians grabbed his daughter and headed home with Indians hot on his trail. With his woodman’s skills he was soon able to elude them and got his daughter home safely.
Born today:
1888 US writer T.C. Eliot. He said of Henry James “His mind is so fine that no idea could violate it.” I have read both T.S. Eliot and Henry James and I see a pot and a kettle here.
1892 US religious leader Robert Lynd. He said “One of the greatest joys known to man is to take flight into ignorance in search of knowledge.” Been there, Robert.
1896 Religious leader Pope Pius XVI. He said “Technological has succeeded in multiplying the opportunities for pleasure, but it has great difficulty in generating joy.” Hey Pope, you are dancing on the edge of understanding, but that is common for Popes. Perhaps you should look into your priests that have been jailed for various offenses. I am sure they know where joy lies.
1898 US composer George Gershwin. He said “Why should I limit myself to one woman when I can have as many as I want.” George, I can assure you that one is as many as the average male can handle....trust me I have been there.
1942 Mexican writer Gloria Anzaldua. She said “Voyager, there are no bridges; one builds them as one walks.” This is a true, Gloria. The hard part is deciding which creek or river to cross.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of Bob-White quail, Mourning doves and Jesse Jackson who represents a silly goose.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Daily Lesson
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
"America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between"
Oscar Wilde
I am looking out the sliding glass doors across Santa Rosa Sound. The sky is partly cloudy with low puffy cumulus clouds, and the wind is from the northeast (naturally) at about 7 MPH. The forecast is for afternoon thunderstorms and a high temperature of 84. It is a typical day in northwest Florida in the Fall. That is why I come down here this time of year, the weather is beautiful.
I went to Sidelines restaurant for lunch. It is a sports bar/restaurant here on the beach. I had a bowl of crawfish chowder and a grilled grouper sandwich, you don't find food like that in the hill country of SC.
I just read that the Governor of Massachusetts has ordered the state employees to not do any further business with the Hyatt hotel chain. The reason is that a Hyatt hotel in Boston fired 130 housekeepers and replaced them with people provided by an employment agency in Georgia that worked for less money. Not only that, before the employees were fired they were told to train the new people that would be used "for vacation relief". They were essentially raped.
Several years ago my brother was laid off by Fluor Corporation in Greenville, SC after working there 17 years. They told him that they could hire two architects out of Clemson for what they were paying him. Fluor laid off several others for the same reason. My brother and many of those that were laid off filed a class action law suit for age discrimination and won.
It is true that a private company does things that save money such as what the Hyatt corporation did, but the state of Massachusetts has the right to boycott them also. I have gotten several messages from people that use Bank of America saying they will withdraw their funds and go to another bank because of the event that happened in Gaffney, SC with the American flags and the dead soldier. I like it.
I met up with a friend last night that lives here on the island. There is a fancy-schmantzy neighborhood on the island called Villa Sabine and that is where my friend lives. A few months ago a truckload (23) of Guatemalans suddenly appeared in the house next door to him. He found out that they had been brought there to help build a new hotel that is under construction within walking distance of the house. My friend knew the owner of the house and called him and asked if he knew what was going on in his house in Villa Sabine. The owner said that he did but the aliens swore they would keep quiet. My friend told him that what he was doing was against the island code of occupancy and he wanted them out of there. The owner did nothing so my friend reported the situation to the Santa Rosa Island Authority who is the governing body for the island. The Authority gave the owner three days to rectify the situation or they would cancel his lease on the property and take the house. On this island the property is leased, no one owns the land except the island authority. So on the third day afterward at 8:30p a big rider truck pulls up and the aliens jump into the truck carrying their mattresses with them. Problem solved. I wonder how many of them had a green card.
I suppose y'all know what a weight bar looks like that is used in gyms. It is a steel rod with metal discs of various weights stacked on each end. Well, recently a dumb ass from Los Angeles had a self esteem issue regarding the size of his penis. He decided to put his penis in the hole of a weight disc and let it hang hoping for a stretch maneuver. He could not get it off and after three days he shows up at an emergency room. The ER people had no clue as to how to fix this problem except the obvious which was unacceptable. They called the fire department which has saws that will cut anything. They came and were able to free the man from the weight. I did not make this up, y'all.
The size of a man's penis has nothing to do with his sexuality just like the size of a woman's breast has nothing to do with it. I have to believe all that.
This date in history September 25
1864 CSA President Jefferson Davis travels from Richmond to Palmetto, Georgia to visit with CSA Gen. John Bell Hood to find out why Hood’s mighty Army of Tennessee got a major ass-whipping at the Battle of Atlanta. As usual when an army gets almost destroyed the military leaders start finger pointing to avoid the blame for the failure. In this case it was Hood pointing at CSA Gen. William Hardee one of his three Corp commanders. From the outset of the war it was apparent that Hardee should have had command of the Army of Tennessee but President Davis would not admit a mistake and left Hood in command. On his way back to Richmond Davis made a speech in Columbia, S.C. trying to pump up the morale of the people and mentioned that Hood “Had his eyes on farther horizons”. US Gen. William Sherman read this in the newspaper and correctly assumed that Hood was on his way back to Tennessee to try to cut Sherman’s supply lines. There was an army waiting on Hood and the Army of Tennessee was eliminated as an effective fighting group. Davis should have kept his mouth shut.
1957 Nine black students are escorted by the 101st Airborne into Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. Previously the US Supreme Court had ruled that separate but equal schools were unconstitutional. There were some 500 blacks within Central High School’s district that expressed interest in attending Central. Through a series of interviews and mind-changing the 500 were whittled down to nine. Gov. Orville Faubus being a staunch segregationist ordered the Ark. National Guard to prevent the blacks from entering the school to avoid bloodshed. This ploy did not sit well with Federal District Court Judge Davis and Davis ordered the black kids be allowed to attend the school, National Guard not withstanding. Finally President Eisenhower had had enough of Faubus and sent in the 101st to enforce the law. It was not until the 70’s that blacks were socially accepted and the on and off violence abated. Hatred has no limits.
1942 The damned Nazis invade and conquer Norway looking for that country’s iron ore and it being a good location to mount attacks on allied shipping to England and Russia. The government of Norway had fled and set up a government-in-exile in London. The Norwegians were not happy about this and started giving the Germans some shit. The Germans responded with setting a puppet government with a Norwegian monster named Vidkun Quisling in control. This asshole sucked up to the Germans and even sent some his fellow Norwegians to German concentration camps. To this day the word Quisling means a hated government. The Germans also set up a Gestapo headquarters in Oslo and other cities to intimidate the populous into behaving. On this day the RAF (English Air Force) bombed the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo and sent the Germans running. But it was for naught because the Gestapo pigs came back a murdered innocent people in reprisal. I cannot express enough my hatred for the Germans and Arab terrorists. (See the last sentence in the previous paragraph.) They are all the same pig sucking cowards.
1897 William Faulkner is born in Oxford, Miss. Faulkner was one of the most celebrated authors in American history. His first success was his book The Sound and Fury but he made his mark being a screenwriter in giving us the movies To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart starring and The Big Sleep also starring Bogie. In 1949 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature and the next year his book Collected Stories was awarded the National Book Award. He was a true talent but left us when he had a heart attack and died at the age of 55. It is interesting to note that he and his wife Estelle bought an old ante bellum house near Oxford and refurbished it. I can see him now on the columned front porch in a cane bottomed rocker sipping a little Bourbon and branch water.
1958 Little Augie Carfano is shot to death on the street in New York. Augie was a soldier in the army of mobster Meyer Lansky and was caught not giving Meyer an appropriate amount of tribute after a successful score. Meyer didn’t play, ya’ll. It was estimated that Meyer had accumulated over $300M by the early 70’s but even with that the Feds could never come up with enough solid evidence to can his ass. His friend Bugsy Siegel with great vision had borrowed $6M from Meyer and opened the Flamingo, the first casino in Las Vegas. It was an instant success but it looked like he wasn’t interested in paying Meyer back. Bugsy came down with a 30.06 caliber headache from which he never recovered. Almost appropriately Meyer disintegrated and died from lung cancer in 1983.
1867 Cattle baron Oliver Loving dies in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico of gangrene. Ollie was also a great visionary. He and his friend Charlie Goodnight decided that it was a bummer to have to drive their cattle to a railhead somewhere in Kansas where a middle man would be involved and cut into their profits. So they decided to make cattle drives from west Texas through New Mexico and on up into the burgeoning cities and towns in Colorado and sell their cattle directly to the meat houses. On their first drive they lost 400 cattle but were able to deliver about 1,600 and walked away with $12,000 in gold an enormous amount in those days. They had one major problem, the Comanche. They were not happy with these honkies passing through their lands and demanded tribute in the form of cattle. Ollie and Charlie struggled with this problem until one day about 500 Comanche caught Ollie out by himself and hacked on him for a while. Ollie was able to get back to Ft. Sumner with the most severe of his wounds being one of his arms. When his arm started to fester Ollie asked the local doctor to amputate it. The doctor said that he had never done such a thing and he wasn’t going to start now. So Ollie died a few days later because a freaking doctor had no nerve. There are markers out there to this day showing the Loving-Goodnight Trail from New Mexico to Colorado. The trail was used for many years by other drovers.
Born today:
1207 Afghani mystic and poet Jalal-ud Din-Rumi. He said “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” That sounds the stock market to me.
1924 American playwright Truman Capote. He said “Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act.” As with a lot of people, he got rich and partied himself to death.
1931 US actress Angie Dickenson. She said “I dress for women and undress for men.” She sure is/was a sexy woman.
Died today:
0420 Italian religious leader Saint Jerome. He said “When the stomach is full, it is easy to talk of fasting.” Jerome, you sound like a wise man but for me fasting is out of the realm of possibility.
1628 English writer Fulke Grenville. He said “No man was ever so much deceived by another as himself.” You know Fulke, I think we all are guilty of that from time to time.
1985 German actress Simone Signoret. She said “Chains do not keep a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years.” That is a very profound and true statement, Simone. I guess I just ran out of thread, or never learned how to sew.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of speech slow as molasses, thought even slower but lots of fast women.
Quote of the day:
"America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between"
Oscar Wilde
I am looking out the sliding glass doors across Santa Rosa Sound. The sky is partly cloudy with low puffy cumulus clouds, and the wind is from the northeast (naturally) at about 7 MPH. The forecast is for afternoon thunderstorms and a high temperature of 84. It is a typical day in northwest Florida in the Fall. That is why I come down here this time of year, the weather is beautiful.
I went to Sidelines restaurant for lunch. It is a sports bar/restaurant here on the beach. I had a bowl of crawfish chowder and a grilled grouper sandwich, you don't find food like that in the hill country of SC.
I just read that the Governor of Massachusetts has ordered the state employees to not do any further business with the Hyatt hotel chain. The reason is that a Hyatt hotel in Boston fired 130 housekeepers and replaced them with people provided by an employment agency in Georgia that worked for less money. Not only that, before the employees were fired they were told to train the new people that would be used "for vacation relief". They were essentially raped.
Several years ago my brother was laid off by Fluor Corporation in Greenville, SC after working there 17 years. They told him that they could hire two architects out of Clemson for what they were paying him. Fluor laid off several others for the same reason. My brother and many of those that were laid off filed a class action law suit for age discrimination and won.
It is true that a private company does things that save money such as what the Hyatt corporation did, but the state of Massachusetts has the right to boycott them also. I have gotten several messages from people that use Bank of America saying they will withdraw their funds and go to another bank because of the event that happened in Gaffney, SC with the American flags and the dead soldier. I like it.
I met up with a friend last night that lives here on the island. There is a fancy-schmantzy neighborhood on the island called Villa Sabine and that is where my friend lives. A few months ago a truckload (23) of Guatemalans suddenly appeared in the house next door to him. He found out that they had been brought there to help build a new hotel that is under construction within walking distance of the house. My friend knew the owner of the house and called him and asked if he knew what was going on in his house in Villa Sabine. The owner said that he did but the aliens swore they would keep quiet. My friend told him that what he was doing was against the island code of occupancy and he wanted them out of there. The owner did nothing so my friend reported the situation to the Santa Rosa Island Authority who is the governing body for the island. The Authority gave the owner three days to rectify the situation or they would cancel his lease on the property and take the house. On this island the property is leased, no one owns the land except the island authority. So on the third day afterward at 8:30p a big rider truck pulls up and the aliens jump into the truck carrying their mattresses with them. Problem solved. I wonder how many of them had a green card.
I suppose y'all know what a weight bar looks like that is used in gyms. It is a steel rod with metal discs of various weights stacked on each end. Well, recently a dumb ass from Los Angeles had a self esteem issue regarding the size of his penis. He decided to put his penis in the hole of a weight disc and let it hang hoping for a stretch maneuver. He could not get it off and after three days he shows up at an emergency room. The ER people had no clue as to how to fix this problem except the obvious which was unacceptable. They called the fire department which has saws that will cut anything. They came and were able to free the man from the weight. I did not make this up, y'all.
The size of a man's penis has nothing to do with his sexuality just like the size of a woman's breast has nothing to do with it. I have to believe all that.
This date in history September 25
1864 CSA President Jefferson Davis travels from Richmond to Palmetto, Georgia to visit with CSA Gen. John Bell Hood to find out why Hood’s mighty Army of Tennessee got a major ass-whipping at the Battle of Atlanta. As usual when an army gets almost destroyed the military leaders start finger pointing to avoid the blame for the failure. In this case it was Hood pointing at CSA Gen. William Hardee one of his three Corp commanders. From the outset of the war it was apparent that Hardee should have had command of the Army of Tennessee but President Davis would not admit a mistake and left Hood in command. On his way back to Richmond Davis made a speech in Columbia, S.C. trying to pump up the morale of the people and mentioned that Hood “Had his eyes on farther horizons”. US Gen. William Sherman read this in the newspaper and correctly assumed that Hood was on his way back to Tennessee to try to cut Sherman’s supply lines. There was an army waiting on Hood and the Army of Tennessee was eliminated as an effective fighting group. Davis should have kept his mouth shut.
1957 Nine black students are escorted by the 101st Airborne into Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. Previously the US Supreme Court had ruled that separate but equal schools were unconstitutional. There were some 500 blacks within Central High School’s district that expressed interest in attending Central. Through a series of interviews and mind-changing the 500 were whittled down to nine. Gov. Orville Faubus being a staunch segregationist ordered the Ark. National Guard to prevent the blacks from entering the school to avoid bloodshed. This ploy did not sit well with Federal District Court Judge Davis and Davis ordered the black kids be allowed to attend the school, National Guard not withstanding. Finally President Eisenhower had had enough of Faubus and sent in the 101st to enforce the law. It was not until the 70’s that blacks were socially accepted and the on and off violence abated. Hatred has no limits.
1942 The damned Nazis invade and conquer Norway looking for that country’s iron ore and it being a good location to mount attacks on allied shipping to England and Russia. The government of Norway had fled and set up a government-in-exile in London. The Norwegians were not happy about this and started giving the Germans some shit. The Germans responded with setting a puppet government with a Norwegian monster named Vidkun Quisling in control. This asshole sucked up to the Germans and even sent some his fellow Norwegians to German concentration camps. To this day the word Quisling means a hated government. The Germans also set up a Gestapo headquarters in Oslo and other cities to intimidate the populous into behaving. On this day the RAF (English Air Force) bombed the Gestapo headquarters in Oslo and sent the Germans running. But it was for naught because the Gestapo pigs came back a murdered innocent people in reprisal. I cannot express enough my hatred for the Germans and Arab terrorists. (See the last sentence in the previous paragraph.) They are all the same pig sucking cowards.
1897 William Faulkner is born in Oxford, Miss. Faulkner was one of the most celebrated authors in American history. His first success was his book The Sound and Fury but he made his mark being a screenwriter in giving us the movies To Have and Have Not with Humphrey Bogart starring and The Big Sleep also starring Bogie. In 1949 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature and the next year his book Collected Stories was awarded the National Book Award. He was a true talent but left us when he had a heart attack and died at the age of 55. It is interesting to note that he and his wife Estelle bought an old ante bellum house near Oxford and refurbished it. I can see him now on the columned front porch in a cane bottomed rocker sipping a little Bourbon and branch water.
1958 Little Augie Carfano is shot to death on the street in New York. Augie was a soldier in the army of mobster Meyer Lansky and was caught not giving Meyer an appropriate amount of tribute after a successful score. Meyer didn’t play, ya’ll. It was estimated that Meyer had accumulated over $300M by the early 70’s but even with that the Feds could never come up with enough solid evidence to can his ass. His friend Bugsy Siegel with great vision had borrowed $6M from Meyer and opened the Flamingo, the first casino in Las Vegas. It was an instant success but it looked like he wasn’t interested in paying Meyer back. Bugsy came down with a 30.06 caliber headache from which he never recovered. Almost appropriately Meyer disintegrated and died from lung cancer in 1983.
1867 Cattle baron Oliver Loving dies in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico of gangrene. Ollie was also a great visionary. He and his friend Charlie Goodnight decided that it was a bummer to have to drive their cattle to a railhead somewhere in Kansas where a middle man would be involved and cut into their profits. So they decided to make cattle drives from west Texas through New Mexico and on up into the burgeoning cities and towns in Colorado and sell their cattle directly to the meat houses. On their first drive they lost 400 cattle but were able to deliver about 1,600 and walked away with $12,000 in gold an enormous amount in those days. They had one major problem, the Comanche. They were not happy with these honkies passing through their lands and demanded tribute in the form of cattle. Ollie and Charlie struggled with this problem until one day about 500 Comanche caught Ollie out by himself and hacked on him for a while. Ollie was able to get back to Ft. Sumner with the most severe of his wounds being one of his arms. When his arm started to fester Ollie asked the local doctor to amputate it. The doctor said that he had never done such a thing and he wasn’t going to start now. So Ollie died a few days later because a freaking doctor had no nerve. There are markers out there to this day showing the Loving-Goodnight Trail from New Mexico to Colorado. The trail was used for many years by other drovers.
Born today:
1207 Afghani mystic and poet Jalal-ud Din-Rumi. He said “Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.” That sounds the stock market to me.
1924 American playwright Truman Capote. He said “Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act.” As with a lot of people, he got rich and partied himself to death.
1931 US actress Angie Dickenson. She said “I dress for women and undress for men.” She sure is/was a sexy woman.
Died today:
0420 Italian religious leader Saint Jerome. He said “When the stomach is full, it is easy to talk of fasting.” Jerome, you sound like a wise man but for me fasting is out of the realm of possibility.
1628 English writer Fulke Grenville. He said “No man was ever so much deceived by another as himself.” You know Fulke, I think we all are guilty of that from time to time.
1985 German actress Simone Signoret. She said “Chains do not keep a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years.” That is a very profound and true statement, Simone. I guess I just ran out of thread, or never learned how to sew.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Goodbye from the land of speech slow as molasses, thought even slower but lots of fast women.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Daily Lesson
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
"You don't love someone because of how they look, the clothes they wear, the fancy car they drive, you love them because they sing a song that only you can hear." That is pretty romantic.
Ocsar Wilde
I cannot tell you how much better I am sleeping by not diving into that black hole known as American politics and associated scandals trying to do research.
My research will be on the lighter sides of the streets until I complete this tour in paradise. As I have said before, any bad news, especially about politics will be deleted immediately without comment.
I have Dan Brown's (DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons) newest book on the way. Even though it is fiction, I an eager to dive into something that I know is just a figment of someones imagination. Thanks to a good friend out on the Texas plains for the book... thanks Dotty.
I read where the recent floods in the mountains of western Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have begun to recede. The flood did cost some lives, however.
I did take a quick glance at what was happening in my neighborhood in South Carolina and nothing has changed. 44 year old John Helmuth, the pastor of the Tabernacle Christian Church in Piedmont, South Carolina (about 16 miles from Greenville) got online in a chat room and made a date for sex with what he thought was a 13 year old girl. They made a date to meet at a place in Greenville. The only problem was that it was not a 13 year old girl it was a 6'-3", 250 pound cop. When the good reverend showed up at the appointed place and time, he was immediately cuffed and jailed. His bond is $100,000. By the way, the cops seized his home and office computers. There is no telling what they will find.
The county council of Cherokee County has decided to stop using Bank of America in Gaffney, SC to do business to the tune of $500,000 minimum deposits. Last week an American soldier from Gaffney that was killed in Afghanistan was brought through town in a hearse with the streets lined with patriots. They had gone ahead of the hearse and planted small American flags along the side of the road. One of the places the flags were planted was on the lawn of Bank of America. A representative of the bank came out and pulled up all the flags. It seems that there is a rule at BOA that there can be no flags on their lawns. Apparently they realized what was going on and ran back out and put the flags back but it was too late, the hearse had passed. Everyone that saw this raised almighty hell with the County Council. One of the quotes heard was "We used American dollars to bail those sons of bitches out and now they won't honor the soldiers that made it happen." I suspect the withdrawal of the Cherokee County Council will not be the last withdrawal from BOA in Gaffney.
Good News:
A group of scientists at UCLA have recently rehabilitate a mouse from total paralysis do to spinal cord injury by using electrical impulses, drugs and exercise. The mouse now has total use of all its faculties. It is a promising step in the right direction.
This date in history September 24
622 On this date the Muhammad arrives in Medina after being kicked out of Mecca. This trip is known in the Muslim world as the Hegira. In fact, the completion of this trip begins as year 1 on the Muslim calendar. Muhammad was born in Mecca about 570AD. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was six so he went to live with his grandfather. His grandfather died when little Mohammad was 8 years old so he went to live with his uncle Abu Talib. When he was 25 years old he marries a wealthy woman 15 years older than he. They had issue of six children, 2 boys and 4 females. Both of the boys died in childbirth, however. For reasons known only to Muhammad, once in a while he would go to Mount Hira near Mecca and sleep in a cave. On one particular occasion Mohammad heard a voice saying “You are the messenger of God”. Mohammad later said that he was sure it was the archangel Gabriel that gave him the message. Anyway, Muhammad goes back into Mecca and begins his evangelizing with his new found faith. He leans heavily of the rich merchants who he declares as evil for scamming the poor people for fun and profit. He also says that the religions with more than one God are of the devil, that there is only one true God. He also declares himself as the last true prophet of the Judeo-Christian religious sect. He gathers himself about 100 followers but his reputation as a trouble maker, especially to the rich merchants, has become well known and the local constabulary in Mecca came after him and his entourage. So Muhammad and the boys slip out and make the 200 mile trip to Medina and arrive on this date. Eventually Muhammad and the people of Mecca made their peace and the people of Mecca also became followers of Muhammad. After a few years Muhammad got the nation of Islam on its feet on the entire Arabian Peninsula and the rest is history. By the way. Islam translated means “surrender to God” and Muslim means “those who have surrendered.” Also the Koran was a series of thoughts and revelations experienced by Muhammad or by others then relayed to Muhammad. Both Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia. Muhammad died in June of 632 and his successors continued with the expansion of Islam...up to a point. About the year 800 a division occurred in Islam that exists today and that being the Sunnis and the Shiites. One branch insists that the leader of Islam must be a direct descendant of Muhammad and the other branch believes that the leader of Islam must be a descendant of a series of Caliphs. They have been squabbling ever since. By the way, the last provable direct descendant of Muhammad was Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.
1776 On this date a select committee of the Continental Congress assembled to hammer out the basics of a treaty with France for arms, ammunition and military expertise. France had been providing some of the above covertly already but it was proving to be insufficient. The French did not want to totally commit unless they were reasonably sure the Continentals would be successful in their separation from England. The first negotiator was Silas Deane who went to France secretly. Next came the suave and debonair Benjamin Franklin and a few others followed by a smashing victory by the Continentals over the British at the Battle of Saratoga which convinced the French to sign a formal treaty. This was hurried along when the British Navy opened fire on a French warship in international waters without a declaration of war. The signing of the treaty meant that the France had declared war on Great Britain and even though there were several years of bloodshed ahead, our ancestors knew that victory was within their grasp.
1890 After several years of squabbling between the United States and the Mormon Church, the United States finally put its foot down and stated that if the Church did not abandon the “plural marriage” belief the US would seize all the Church’s lands in the Salt Lake City area and deny them statehood which would prevent any protection of the United States Army from the hostile Indians all around them. So on this day the Church of Latter Day Saints edicts that the church no longer fosters “plural marriage” and from then on all marriages must be singular. If you read into the laws and tenets of this church you will find that the church is pretty dominate in the day in and day out operation of the individual family unit. I don’t know it that is good or bad, but there it is.
1971 On this date Game Warden Neil LeFeve shows up missing. He was a warden in the Sensiba Wildlife area of Wisconsin and was known to be as tough as nails especially with poachers. A huge search was begun and Neil’s body was found headless with several .22 caliber bullets in his torso. Soon thereafter they found his head with three .22 caliber bullet holes in the back. LeFeve was known to deal harshly with those that he had arrested; the police asked those he had previously arrested and without alibis to take lie detector tests. Even though there was a lot of grumbling all of them did except for one and that was Brian Hussong. LeFeve had recently arrested Hussong for shooting pheasant out of season. This was not the first time Hussong had been arrested for the same thing. With a court order the police obtained a phone tap on Hussong’s phone and heard him to tell his grandmother to hide all of his guns. The police immediately went to the grandmother’s house with a search warrant and found the .22 rifle used in the murder. Both Hussong and his grandmother denied the phone call but Voice Identification technology proved it was indeed both of them. Hussong was tried, convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Born today:
1717 English writer Horace Walpole. He said “Nine tenths of the people were created so they would enjoy being with the other tenth.” Indeed, Horace.
1896 F. Scott Fitzgerald. He said “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and then the drink takes you.” Been there, done that and continuing.
Died today:
1981 US actress Patsy Kelly. She said “I laughed from the time I got to the studio until I left at night. I sometime felt guilty for taking a paycheck. Some years I could do no wrong and some years I could do no right. I owe everything to show business, it owes me nothing.” You don’t hear that very often from the egotistical bastards of today.
1991 Theodore (Dr. Seuss) Geisal. He said “Adults are just obsolete children.” Yes, Doc, we are.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
"You don't love someone because of how they look, the clothes they wear, the fancy car they drive, you love them because they sing a song that only you can hear." That is pretty romantic.
Ocsar Wilde
I cannot tell you how much better I am sleeping by not diving into that black hole known as American politics and associated scandals trying to do research.
My research will be on the lighter sides of the streets until I complete this tour in paradise. As I have said before, any bad news, especially about politics will be deleted immediately without comment.
I have Dan Brown's (DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons) newest book on the way. Even though it is fiction, I an eager to dive into something that I know is just a figment of someones imagination. Thanks to a good friend out on the Texas plains for the book... thanks Dotty.
I read where the recent floods in the mountains of western Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina have begun to recede. The flood did cost some lives, however.
I did take a quick glance at what was happening in my neighborhood in South Carolina and nothing has changed. 44 year old John Helmuth, the pastor of the Tabernacle Christian Church in Piedmont, South Carolina (about 16 miles from Greenville) got online in a chat room and made a date for sex with what he thought was a 13 year old girl. They made a date to meet at a place in Greenville. The only problem was that it was not a 13 year old girl it was a 6'-3", 250 pound cop. When the good reverend showed up at the appointed place and time, he was immediately cuffed and jailed. His bond is $100,000. By the way, the cops seized his home and office computers. There is no telling what they will find.
The county council of Cherokee County has decided to stop using Bank of America in Gaffney, SC to do business to the tune of $500,000 minimum deposits. Last week an American soldier from Gaffney that was killed in Afghanistan was brought through town in a hearse with the streets lined with patriots. They had gone ahead of the hearse and planted small American flags along the side of the road. One of the places the flags were planted was on the lawn of Bank of America. A representative of the bank came out and pulled up all the flags. It seems that there is a rule at BOA that there can be no flags on their lawns. Apparently they realized what was going on and ran back out and put the flags back but it was too late, the hearse had passed. Everyone that saw this raised almighty hell with the County Council. One of the quotes heard was "We used American dollars to bail those sons of bitches out and now they won't honor the soldiers that made it happen." I suspect the withdrawal of the Cherokee County Council will not be the last withdrawal from BOA in Gaffney.
Good News:
A group of scientists at UCLA have recently rehabilitate a mouse from total paralysis do to spinal cord injury by using electrical impulses, drugs and exercise. The mouse now has total use of all its faculties. It is a promising step in the right direction.
This date in history September 24
622 On this date the Muhammad arrives in Medina after being kicked out of Mecca. This trip is known in the Muslim world as the Hegira. In fact, the completion of this trip begins as year 1 on the Muslim calendar. Muhammad was born in Mecca about 570AD. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was six so he went to live with his grandfather. His grandfather died when little Mohammad was 8 years old so he went to live with his uncle Abu Talib. When he was 25 years old he marries a wealthy woman 15 years older than he. They had issue of six children, 2 boys and 4 females. Both of the boys died in childbirth, however. For reasons known only to Muhammad, once in a while he would go to Mount Hira near Mecca and sleep in a cave. On one particular occasion Mohammad heard a voice saying “You are the messenger of God”. Mohammad later said that he was sure it was the archangel Gabriel that gave him the message. Anyway, Muhammad goes back into Mecca and begins his evangelizing with his new found faith. He leans heavily of the rich merchants who he declares as evil for scamming the poor people for fun and profit. He also says that the religions with more than one God are of the devil, that there is only one true God. He also declares himself as the last true prophet of the Judeo-Christian religious sect. He gathers himself about 100 followers but his reputation as a trouble maker, especially to the rich merchants, has become well known and the local constabulary in Mecca came after him and his entourage. So Muhammad and the boys slip out and make the 200 mile trip to Medina and arrive on this date. Eventually Muhammad and the people of Mecca made their peace and the people of Mecca also became followers of Muhammad. After a few years Muhammad got the nation of Islam on its feet on the entire Arabian Peninsula and the rest is history. By the way. Islam translated means “surrender to God” and Muslim means “those who have surrendered.” Also the Koran was a series of thoughts and revelations experienced by Muhammad or by others then relayed to Muhammad. Both Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia. Muhammad died in June of 632 and his successors continued with the expansion of Islam...up to a point. About the year 800 a division occurred in Islam that exists today and that being the Sunnis and the Shiites. One branch insists that the leader of Islam must be a direct descendant of Muhammad and the other branch believes that the leader of Islam must be a descendant of a series of Caliphs. They have been squabbling ever since. By the way, the last provable direct descendant of Muhammad was Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.
1776 On this date a select committee of the Continental Congress assembled to hammer out the basics of a treaty with France for arms, ammunition and military expertise. France had been providing some of the above covertly already but it was proving to be insufficient. The French did not want to totally commit unless they were reasonably sure the Continentals would be successful in their separation from England. The first negotiator was Silas Deane who went to France secretly. Next came the suave and debonair Benjamin Franklin and a few others followed by a smashing victory by the Continentals over the British at the Battle of Saratoga which convinced the French to sign a formal treaty. This was hurried along when the British Navy opened fire on a French warship in international waters without a declaration of war. The signing of the treaty meant that the France had declared war on Great Britain and even though there were several years of bloodshed ahead, our ancestors knew that victory was within their grasp.
1890 After several years of squabbling between the United States and the Mormon Church, the United States finally put its foot down and stated that if the Church did not abandon the “plural marriage” belief the US would seize all the Church’s lands in the Salt Lake City area and deny them statehood which would prevent any protection of the United States Army from the hostile Indians all around them. So on this day the Church of Latter Day Saints edicts that the church no longer fosters “plural marriage” and from then on all marriages must be singular. If you read into the laws and tenets of this church you will find that the church is pretty dominate in the day in and day out operation of the individual family unit. I don’t know it that is good or bad, but there it is.
1971 On this date Game Warden Neil LeFeve shows up missing. He was a warden in the Sensiba Wildlife area of Wisconsin and was known to be as tough as nails especially with poachers. A huge search was begun and Neil’s body was found headless with several .22 caliber bullets in his torso. Soon thereafter they found his head with three .22 caliber bullet holes in the back. LeFeve was known to deal harshly with those that he had arrested; the police asked those he had previously arrested and without alibis to take lie detector tests. Even though there was a lot of grumbling all of them did except for one and that was Brian Hussong. LeFeve had recently arrested Hussong for shooting pheasant out of season. This was not the first time Hussong had been arrested for the same thing. With a court order the police obtained a phone tap on Hussong’s phone and heard him to tell his grandmother to hide all of his guns. The police immediately went to the grandmother’s house with a search warrant and found the .22 rifle used in the murder. Both Hussong and his grandmother denied the phone call but Voice Identification technology proved it was indeed both of them. Hussong was tried, convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Born today:
1717 English writer Horace Walpole. He said “Nine tenths of the people were created so they would enjoy being with the other tenth.” Indeed, Horace.
1896 F. Scott Fitzgerald. He said “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, and then the drink takes you.” Been there, done that and continuing.
Died today:
1981 US actress Patsy Kelly. She said “I laughed from the time I got to the studio until I left at night. I sometime felt guilty for taking a paycheck. Some years I could do no wrong and some years I could do no right. I owe everything to show business, it owes me nothing.” You don’t hear that very often from the egotistical bastards of today.
1991 Theodore (Dr. Seuss) Geisal. He said “Adults are just obsolete children.” Yes, Doc, we are.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Daily Lesson
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
"Right is right no matter if no one is doing it and wrong is wrong no matter if everybody is doing it".
Marion Morrison AKA "John Wayne"
I think it will be a cheese omelet, rye toast and a small bowl of Nassau grits along with coffee and tomato juice for breakfast. The Coffee Cup makes their omelets by running the eggs through a blender to the point that they are high and frothy and so is the omelet. It is almost like eating cotton candy, YUMMY! Of course there will be plenty of Tabasco scattered throughout.
As I said I have ceased from paying attention to local, regional or national news but I could not help but see the flooding in the Powder Springs, Georgia area in the last couple of days. My friends tell me that it has been raining continuously in the Greenville, South Carolina area since last Thursday. It is cloudy here but it has not rained other than mist since I got here on Saturday. I can see the storm clouds passing north of me headed northeast toward the Carolinas. The forecast for the next week here is occasional thunderstorms and highs in the mid 80's. The wind is continuously from the northeast during the day and it reverses at night.
I saw a couple of photos yesterday of Muslims in London holding up signs saying "Behead those that belittle Islam" and other such nonsense. These jackasses think they are scaring people and are going to get their way with fear.
This is a message to the radical Muslims. I am not afraid and neither are many people from places like Marble Falls, Texas- Putnam, Oklahoma-Fayetteville, Arkansas-Houma, Louisiana-Greenwood, Mississippi-Dothan, Alabama-Dublin, Georgia-Newberry, South Carolina-Rocky Mount, North Carolina-Cleveland, Tennessee-Paducah, Kentucky-Fredericksburg, Virginia, Sharpsburg, Maryland and many, many other places in this great land where people take their patriotism very seriously and many, many of us are armed.....to the teeth. All I have to say is "I've got your Islam and Mohammed right here." You will have to use your imagination as to where my right hand is at this point. I have two word for you, "Bring it on" while I gather up the patriots from the locations mentioned. I know, it was three words, but I don't speak Arabic.
This date in history September 23
1779 Earlier Scottish born John Paul Jones came to America as a cabin boy aboard a cargo ship. He lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia for while with his brother who had a business there. He eventually went back to sea as a deckhand and eventually an officer aboard slave and cargo ships and proved to be a capable seaman. He killed a shipmate during a mutiny attempt and went back to America just before the start of the American Revolutionary War. The American colonies began organizing a fleet of naval warships and Jones was recruited and given the rank of Lieutenant and given command of the USS Bonhomme Richard. On this date John Paul Jones engaged the British warships HMS Serapis and the smaller HMS Countess of Scarborough off the east coast of England. It was a furious battle and after while the commander of the Serapis signaled Jones asking if he was ready to “strike his colors” meaning surrender. Jones signaled back the immortal phrase “I have not yet begun to fight” and battle resumed with even more ferocity. An hour or two later both the Serapis and the Countess “struck their colors” and surrendered to Jones. The next morning Jones transferred his flag to the Serapis and soon after the Bonhomme Richard sank. This was not the only victory for Jones; he was instrumental in the suppression of the British Fleet in the Bahamas and the Chesapeake Bay. Jones was revered by the French but for some strange reason his was not thought of as well in America. Jones moved to France and was caught up in the throes of the French Revolution in 1789. He died of an unknown cause in France and was buried in an unmarked grave when he was 45 years old. Later on the United States Ambassador to France had Jones disinterred and his remains were brought to America aboard a warship. He was re-buried in a crypt of honor on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. On occasion the crypt is included in ceremonies and when it is opened there is a United States Marine Honor Guard standing by.
1806 On this afternoon the Lewis and Clark expedition rounded the last bend in the Missouri River before reaching the intersection with the Mississippi and are within sight of the docks and piers of Saint Louis, Missouri. The “Corps of Discovery” had begun three years before and most had thought that the whole crew had been wiped out since they had been gone so long. But fortunately they had lost only one crewman and they lost him through illness, he was not killed. The expedition had been ordered by President Thomas Jefferson who wanted to know what the United States had gained in the Louisiana Purchase and the Missouri River basin was the best avenue. The expedition wintered the first year near a known Indian village in South Dakota. The next spring the expedition shoved off heading upstream into unknown territory. When they departed, Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journal “This is the most exciting day of my life.” It would have been the same for me. What an adventure it would have been.
1863 A few days before US General Rosecrans had his ass handed to him by the Confederate Army at the Battle of Chickamauga. The Yankees retreated into Chattanooga, Tennessee and were quickly surrounded. The US had suffered 16,000 casualties in a very short period of time. In Washington President Abraham Lincoln hold a conference with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to try to work something out because the US army in Chattanooga was in serious danger of annihilation. Most experts stated that it would take at least a month get an army there to relieve them because there was no other US armies close by. Lincoln and Stanton decided to pull US General Joseph Hooker’s Corp from the vicinity of Virginia and send them to relieve the troops in Chattanooga. But the difference here was one thing, the telegraph. Hooker commandeered whatever railroads he needed and the telegraph messages preceded his arrival and gave him and his army top priority. Hooker was able to move his army, including the animals, equipment and artillery to Chattanooga and depots in Alabama in a week and was able to break the Confederate siege and save the troops.
1875 On this date the 15 year old “Billy the Kid” was arrested for the first time. As a joke a friend of Billy’s stole a bag of clothes from a Chinese laundry and gave it to Billy to hide for him. Bill was literally caught “holding the bag” by a Silver City policeman and threw him in jail for two days. It was during this time that Billy discovered that he just could not handle being caged. Using his small size to an advantage, he shinnied up the chimney and escaped. I have read that Billy was about 5’-2” and about 120 pounds. It was not long before he was in Lincoln County, New Mexico deeply involved in a range war. It was during this combat that he sharpened his skills with a gun and being unmoved by killing another man. I think we all know what eventually happened to Billy.
Born today:
480BC Greek playwright Euripides. He said “Talk sense to a fool and he will call you foolish.” I think we all know some of them.
1863 US writer Mary Eliza Terrell. She said “The chasm between the principles on which the nation was founded, in which it still professes to believe, and those which are daily practiced under the protection of the flag, yawn wide and deep.” Hey Mary, nothing has changed from that day to this.
1970 US Singer Ani DeFranco. She said “I had rather be able to look at myself in the bathroom mirror than be rich and famous.” I wonder if Bill Gates looks at himself every morning.”
Died today:
1943 US writer Elinor Glyn. She said “Romance is the glamour that turns everyday dust into a golden haze.” I wonder what romance feels like anymore.
1925 US Journalist Carl Rowan. He said “There are no embarrassing questions, only embarrassing answers.” OK, Carl, here is a question. What the hell happened in the town of Jena, Louisiana a while back and why?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
"Right is right no matter if no one is doing it and wrong is wrong no matter if everybody is doing it".
Marion Morrison AKA "John Wayne"
I think it will be a cheese omelet, rye toast and a small bowl of Nassau grits along with coffee and tomato juice for breakfast. The Coffee Cup makes their omelets by running the eggs through a blender to the point that they are high and frothy and so is the omelet. It is almost like eating cotton candy, YUMMY! Of course there will be plenty of Tabasco scattered throughout.
As I said I have ceased from paying attention to local, regional or national news but I could not help but see the flooding in the Powder Springs, Georgia area in the last couple of days. My friends tell me that it has been raining continuously in the Greenville, South Carolina area since last Thursday. It is cloudy here but it has not rained other than mist since I got here on Saturday. I can see the storm clouds passing north of me headed northeast toward the Carolinas. The forecast for the next week here is occasional thunderstorms and highs in the mid 80's. The wind is continuously from the northeast during the day and it reverses at night.
I saw a couple of photos yesterday of Muslims in London holding up signs saying "Behead those that belittle Islam" and other such nonsense. These jackasses think they are scaring people and are going to get their way with fear.
This is a message to the radical Muslims. I am not afraid and neither are many people from places like Marble Falls, Texas- Putnam, Oklahoma-Fayetteville, Arkansas-Houma, Louisiana-Greenwood, Mississippi-Dothan, Alabama-Dublin, Georgia-Newberry, South Carolina-Rocky Mount, North Carolina-Cleveland, Tennessee-Paducah, Kentucky-Fredericksburg, Virginia, Sharpsburg, Maryland and many, many other places in this great land where people take their patriotism very seriously and many, many of us are armed.....to the teeth. All I have to say is "I've got your Islam and Mohammed right here." You will have to use your imagination as to where my right hand is at this point. I have two word for you, "Bring it on" while I gather up the patriots from the locations mentioned. I know, it was three words, but I don't speak Arabic.
This date in history September 23
1779 Earlier Scottish born John Paul Jones came to America as a cabin boy aboard a cargo ship. He lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia for while with his brother who had a business there. He eventually went back to sea as a deckhand and eventually an officer aboard slave and cargo ships and proved to be a capable seaman. He killed a shipmate during a mutiny attempt and went back to America just before the start of the American Revolutionary War. The American colonies began organizing a fleet of naval warships and Jones was recruited and given the rank of Lieutenant and given command of the USS Bonhomme Richard. On this date John Paul Jones engaged the British warships HMS Serapis and the smaller HMS Countess of Scarborough off the east coast of England. It was a furious battle and after while the commander of the Serapis signaled Jones asking if he was ready to “strike his colors” meaning surrender. Jones signaled back the immortal phrase “I have not yet begun to fight” and battle resumed with even more ferocity. An hour or two later both the Serapis and the Countess “struck their colors” and surrendered to Jones. The next morning Jones transferred his flag to the Serapis and soon after the Bonhomme Richard sank. This was not the only victory for Jones; he was instrumental in the suppression of the British Fleet in the Bahamas and the Chesapeake Bay. Jones was revered by the French but for some strange reason his was not thought of as well in America. Jones moved to France and was caught up in the throes of the French Revolution in 1789. He died of an unknown cause in France and was buried in an unmarked grave when he was 45 years old. Later on the United States Ambassador to France had Jones disinterred and his remains were brought to America aboard a warship. He was re-buried in a crypt of honor on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. On occasion the crypt is included in ceremonies and when it is opened there is a United States Marine Honor Guard standing by.
1806 On this afternoon the Lewis and Clark expedition rounded the last bend in the Missouri River before reaching the intersection with the Mississippi and are within sight of the docks and piers of Saint Louis, Missouri. The “Corps of Discovery” had begun three years before and most had thought that the whole crew had been wiped out since they had been gone so long. But fortunately they had lost only one crewman and they lost him through illness, he was not killed. The expedition had been ordered by President Thomas Jefferson who wanted to know what the United States had gained in the Louisiana Purchase and the Missouri River basin was the best avenue. The expedition wintered the first year near a known Indian village in South Dakota. The next spring the expedition shoved off heading upstream into unknown territory. When they departed, Meriwether Lewis wrote in his journal “This is the most exciting day of my life.” It would have been the same for me. What an adventure it would have been.
1863 A few days before US General Rosecrans had his ass handed to him by the Confederate Army at the Battle of Chickamauga. The Yankees retreated into Chattanooga, Tennessee and were quickly surrounded. The US had suffered 16,000 casualties in a very short period of time. In Washington President Abraham Lincoln hold a conference with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton to try to work something out because the US army in Chattanooga was in serious danger of annihilation. Most experts stated that it would take at least a month get an army there to relieve them because there was no other US armies close by. Lincoln and Stanton decided to pull US General Joseph Hooker’s Corp from the vicinity of Virginia and send them to relieve the troops in Chattanooga. But the difference here was one thing, the telegraph. Hooker commandeered whatever railroads he needed and the telegraph messages preceded his arrival and gave him and his army top priority. Hooker was able to move his army, including the animals, equipment and artillery to Chattanooga and depots in Alabama in a week and was able to break the Confederate siege and save the troops.
1875 On this date the 15 year old “Billy the Kid” was arrested for the first time. As a joke a friend of Billy’s stole a bag of clothes from a Chinese laundry and gave it to Billy to hide for him. Bill was literally caught “holding the bag” by a Silver City policeman and threw him in jail for two days. It was during this time that Billy discovered that he just could not handle being caged. Using his small size to an advantage, he shinnied up the chimney and escaped. I have read that Billy was about 5’-2” and about 120 pounds. It was not long before he was in Lincoln County, New Mexico deeply involved in a range war. It was during this combat that he sharpened his skills with a gun and being unmoved by killing another man. I think we all know what eventually happened to Billy.
Born today:
480BC Greek playwright Euripides. He said “Talk sense to a fool and he will call you foolish.” I think we all know some of them.
1863 US writer Mary Eliza Terrell. She said “The chasm between the principles on which the nation was founded, in which it still professes to believe, and those which are daily practiced under the protection of the flag, yawn wide and deep.” Hey Mary, nothing has changed from that day to this.
1970 US Singer Ani DeFranco. She said “I had rather be able to look at myself in the bathroom mirror than be rich and famous.” I wonder if Bill Gates looks at himself every morning.”
Died today:
1943 US writer Elinor Glyn. She said “Romance is the glamour that turns everyday dust into a golden haze.” I wonder what romance feels like anymore.
1925 US Journalist Carl Rowan. He said “There are no embarrassing questions, only embarrassing answers.” OK, Carl, here is a question. What the hell happened in the town of Jena, Louisiana a while back and why?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Daily lesson
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."
Oscar Wilde
Monday morning I went for a late breakfast at a well known joint called "The Coffee Cup" on Cervantes Street. By the way, many of the streets in Pensacola have Spanish names like Intendencia, Alcaniz, Tarragona, etc. That is because it was the Spanish that first settled Pensacola back in the 16th century. Saint Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuously occupied town in America but Pensacola was settled by the Spanish before Saint Augustine but they could not hold on and abandoned the site only to come back later and make it stick but I digress, here is what I had for breakfast:
One biscuit laid open and covered with tomato gravy, a small bowl of Nassau grits and a side order of "smoked sausage". That is really about six inches of a kielbasa split open and fried, along with coffee that could walk and a tall glass of ice water.
Nassau grits is regular grits with diced green bell peppers, diced onions, tomatoes and crumbled bacon mixed in. It too, is orgasmic if you add about four drops of Tabasco.
I don't know if any of you have ever seen that early morning show on MSNBC with Joe Scarborough in the lead, but he is a Pensacola native and mentions a place called "The Fish House" in Pensacola on occasion. It is an upscale restaurant on the bay downtown. I have been there several times myself and will go again soon. It is expensive but the food is dynamite. I will take notes.
I have a good friend out in the Horseshoe Lake area of central Texas who owns a bookstore. She knows that I rarely read fiction but she offered to sent me Dan Brown's latest rendering. It is ironic because the last book of fiction I read was "Angels and Demons", also a Dan Brown book. I enjoyed the book but it got a little tedious in the middle. Anyway, thanks Dotty. I will do a South Carolina book review afterward, but I will not send it to Governor Sanford or Representative Joe Wilson. If I send it to Governor Sanford he might want to send me to Argentina or if I send it to Representative Joe Wilson he may jump up and yell "You lie!!" in which case I would have to issue a challenge. I would ask him to spell "jackass" on the first try. I would win.
Good news:
Sixty years ago the brothers Ari and Rudolph Dassler were in the sportswear business together but came to a disagreement. They decided to form their own companies and Adidas and Puma brands was born. They had been bitter rivals ever since. Recently these two German companies decided to bury the hatchet for "Peace Day" and the two CEO's shook hands and decided to have a joint picnic and a coed football (soccer) game. Both CEO's said that after that day it would be business as usual, bitterness included.
This date in history September 22
1989 Irving Berlin dies at the age of 101. What can be said that hasn’t been said already? He was a Russian immigrant and came to New York in 1893. His father died early and little Israel Balin (Irving Berlin) began trying to help his Mother and his 7 sibling with a sidewalk entertainment show. He sang, danced, told jokes, etc. for whatever coins that were tossed his way. But later he changed his name to Irving Berlin and began writing song and plays and was soon recognized for the genius that he was. Just a few of the songs he gave us: “God Bless America”, “Dancing Cheek to Cheek”, “Puttin’ On the Ritz”, “White Christmas”, “Blue Skies” and many others. He was drafted during WWI and went uncomplainingly into the infantry. While in the army he wrote “Oh How I hate to get up in the morning”. He was a truly gifted individual.
1964 Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona is running for president against LBJ and says that if the US is not willing to go in and conquer North Vietnam it would be better if the US withdraws completely. He also recommended using low yield nuclear devices at all country borders so they would be impassable for years to come. He called LBJ a liar and said that LBJ is indeed committing the US to what is essentially a private war. LBJ and the Democrats rose up in unison and called Goldwater a bloodthirsty warmonger. Within weeks after Johnson won the election he ordered the 1st and 5th Marines among others into Nam and very soon there 80,000 American troops on Nam and the numbers were still climbing. Maybe LBJ was indeed lying. But I ain’t sure low yield nuclear devices are the answer either.
1862 A. Lincoln issues the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation whereby all slaves in the states in rebellion would be freed. The essentially was a course reversal for the policy of the Lincoln Administration. The policy of the Administration at the outset of the war was that the states must remain united no matter what. After several military setbacks the Lincoln administration saw that they were losing the support of the people because of it, decided to use a moralistic basis for prosecuting the war and that be the freeing of the slaves rather than unity. The irony of all of this is that there were slave holding states not in rebellion such as Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware. What about them? Anyway, Lincoln had to have a basis for prosecuting the war other than unity. Unity as a basis wasn’t flying. The legislation banning slavery everywhere was enacted a couple of years later.
1995 Ted Turner has agreed to the buyout of Turner Broadcast System by Time Warner for a mere $7.5 Billion. 7.5 BILLION YA”LL!!!! Oh my God, lawyers started coming out of the woodwork wanting a piece of this action including those from the Federal Trade Commission. The lawyers knew better than to screw directly with Ted because he was a notorious hard ass and would cuss you out in a heartbeat. After several years of haggling the number was cut to $6.5 Billion. I guess the bloodsucking lawyers split up the $1 Billion. Ted went to one of his ranches in Montana and hung out for a while. It is reported that Ted collectively owns enough land to equal the state of Rhode Island. My hero. You don’t screw with Ted.
1961 JFK brings the Peace Corps into existence. Originally thought to be used a weapon against Communism it evolved into an agency to improve the education and well being of the less fortunate no matter who or where and that is what it is today.
1598 The famous poet and playwright Ben Jonson kills another man in a duel and this ain’t the first time. He killed another one in 1594 during an “affair of honor”. But a few months later his play “Every Man in His Humor” debuts and is an immediate success with Bill Shakespeare in the lead role. During this time, William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson were equally famous.
1554 The Spanish conquistador Coronado dies never having achieved his dream of finding the Seven Cities of Gold full of precious gems as told in mythology. He was lead on an expedition to what was said to be the city but it turned out to be a small Zuni village of adobe huts. Another Indian came and said that his tribe has a city like he was looking for and off they went on yet another trek. They went through what is now Texas, Oklahoma and on into what is now Missouri. No golden cities were found. So Coronado returned to Mexico, Vera Cruz in particular. Even though he found no gold, Coronado had the sense to map the areas he went through and these maps proved to be very valuable to those that followed.
Born today:
1694 English statesman Lord Chesterfield. He said “I recommend that you take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.” There is another adage that says take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.
1791 English scientist Michael Faraday. When trying to explain the usefulness of electricity to Prime Minister Gladstone he said. “Why sir, it is likely that soon you will be able to tax it.” Hey Mike, you have no idea how accurate you were.
1927 Baseball manager Tommy Lasorda. When talking about his catcher Mike Scioscia and his speed he said “If he got into a foot race with his pregnant wife he would come in third.” That’s cold, Tommy.
1958 US rocker Joan Jett. She said “I use to stand in front of a mirror and pretend I was Janis Joplin”. Janis sang not with her voice but with her heart and soul.
I have a songwriter friend who penned this line in one of his songs “They warned me about the wild Texas rattlesnakes, they warned me about the wild Texas rivers but they did not warn me about you." I think I met this girl in Houston.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Quote of the day:
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."
Oscar Wilde
Monday morning I went for a late breakfast at a well known joint called "The Coffee Cup" on Cervantes Street. By the way, many of the streets in Pensacola have Spanish names like Intendencia, Alcaniz, Tarragona, etc. That is because it was the Spanish that first settled Pensacola back in the 16th century. Saint Augustine, Florida is the oldest continuously occupied town in America but Pensacola was settled by the Spanish before Saint Augustine but they could not hold on and abandoned the site only to come back later and make it stick but I digress, here is what I had for breakfast:
One biscuit laid open and covered with tomato gravy, a small bowl of Nassau grits and a side order of "smoked sausage". That is really about six inches of a kielbasa split open and fried, along with coffee that could walk and a tall glass of ice water.
Nassau grits is regular grits with diced green bell peppers, diced onions, tomatoes and crumbled bacon mixed in. It too, is orgasmic if you add about four drops of Tabasco.
I don't know if any of you have ever seen that early morning show on MSNBC with Joe Scarborough in the lead, but he is a Pensacola native and mentions a place called "The Fish House" in Pensacola on occasion. It is an upscale restaurant on the bay downtown. I have been there several times myself and will go again soon. It is expensive but the food is dynamite. I will take notes.
I have a good friend out in the Horseshoe Lake area of central Texas who owns a bookstore. She knows that I rarely read fiction but she offered to sent me Dan Brown's latest rendering. It is ironic because the last book of fiction I read was "Angels and Demons", also a Dan Brown book. I enjoyed the book but it got a little tedious in the middle. Anyway, thanks Dotty. I will do a South Carolina book review afterward, but I will not send it to Governor Sanford or Representative Joe Wilson. If I send it to Governor Sanford he might want to send me to Argentina or if I send it to Representative Joe Wilson he may jump up and yell "You lie!!" in which case I would have to issue a challenge. I would ask him to spell "jackass" on the first try. I would win.
Good news:
Sixty years ago the brothers Ari and Rudolph Dassler were in the sportswear business together but came to a disagreement. They decided to form their own companies and Adidas and Puma brands was born. They had been bitter rivals ever since. Recently these two German companies decided to bury the hatchet for "Peace Day" and the two CEO's shook hands and decided to have a joint picnic and a coed football (soccer) game. Both CEO's said that after that day it would be business as usual, bitterness included.
This date in history September 22
1989 Irving Berlin dies at the age of 101. What can be said that hasn’t been said already? He was a Russian immigrant and came to New York in 1893. His father died early and little Israel Balin (Irving Berlin) began trying to help his Mother and his 7 sibling with a sidewalk entertainment show. He sang, danced, told jokes, etc. for whatever coins that were tossed his way. But later he changed his name to Irving Berlin and began writing song and plays and was soon recognized for the genius that he was. Just a few of the songs he gave us: “God Bless America”, “Dancing Cheek to Cheek”, “Puttin’ On the Ritz”, “White Christmas”, “Blue Skies” and many others. He was drafted during WWI and went uncomplainingly into the infantry. While in the army he wrote “Oh How I hate to get up in the morning”. He was a truly gifted individual.
1964 Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona is running for president against LBJ and says that if the US is not willing to go in and conquer North Vietnam it would be better if the US withdraws completely. He also recommended using low yield nuclear devices at all country borders so they would be impassable for years to come. He called LBJ a liar and said that LBJ is indeed committing the US to what is essentially a private war. LBJ and the Democrats rose up in unison and called Goldwater a bloodthirsty warmonger. Within weeks after Johnson won the election he ordered the 1st and 5th Marines among others into Nam and very soon there 80,000 American troops on Nam and the numbers were still climbing. Maybe LBJ was indeed lying. But I ain’t sure low yield nuclear devices are the answer either.
1862 A. Lincoln issues the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation whereby all slaves in the states in rebellion would be freed. The essentially was a course reversal for the policy of the Lincoln Administration. The policy of the Administration at the outset of the war was that the states must remain united no matter what. After several military setbacks the Lincoln administration saw that they were losing the support of the people because of it, decided to use a moralistic basis for prosecuting the war and that be the freeing of the slaves rather than unity. The irony of all of this is that there were slave holding states not in rebellion such as Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware. What about them? Anyway, Lincoln had to have a basis for prosecuting the war other than unity. Unity as a basis wasn’t flying. The legislation banning slavery everywhere was enacted a couple of years later.
1995 Ted Turner has agreed to the buyout of Turner Broadcast System by Time Warner for a mere $7.5 Billion. 7.5 BILLION YA”LL!!!! Oh my God, lawyers started coming out of the woodwork wanting a piece of this action including those from the Federal Trade Commission. The lawyers knew better than to screw directly with Ted because he was a notorious hard ass and would cuss you out in a heartbeat. After several years of haggling the number was cut to $6.5 Billion. I guess the bloodsucking lawyers split up the $1 Billion. Ted went to one of his ranches in Montana and hung out for a while. It is reported that Ted collectively owns enough land to equal the state of Rhode Island. My hero. You don’t screw with Ted.
1961 JFK brings the Peace Corps into existence. Originally thought to be used a weapon against Communism it evolved into an agency to improve the education and well being of the less fortunate no matter who or where and that is what it is today.
1598 The famous poet and playwright Ben Jonson kills another man in a duel and this ain’t the first time. He killed another one in 1594 during an “affair of honor”. But a few months later his play “Every Man in His Humor” debuts and is an immediate success with Bill Shakespeare in the lead role. During this time, William Shakespeare and Ben Jonson were equally famous.
1554 The Spanish conquistador Coronado dies never having achieved his dream of finding the Seven Cities of Gold full of precious gems as told in mythology. He was lead on an expedition to what was said to be the city but it turned out to be a small Zuni village of adobe huts. Another Indian came and said that his tribe has a city like he was looking for and off they went on yet another trek. They went through what is now Texas, Oklahoma and on into what is now Missouri. No golden cities were found. So Coronado returned to Mexico, Vera Cruz in particular. Even though he found no gold, Coronado had the sense to map the areas he went through and these maps proved to be very valuable to those that followed.
Born today:
1694 English statesman Lord Chesterfield. He said “I recommend that you take care of the minutes and the hours will take care of themselves.” There is another adage that says take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.
1791 English scientist Michael Faraday. When trying to explain the usefulness of electricity to Prime Minister Gladstone he said. “Why sir, it is likely that soon you will be able to tax it.” Hey Mike, you have no idea how accurate you were.
1927 Baseball manager Tommy Lasorda. When talking about his catcher Mike Scioscia and his speed he said “If he got into a foot race with his pregnant wife he would come in third.” That’s cold, Tommy.
1958 US rocker Joan Jett. She said “I use to stand in front of a mirror and pretend I was Janis Joplin”. Janis sang not with her voice but with her heart and soul.
I have a songwriter friend who penned this line in one of his songs “They warned me about the wild Texas rattlesnakes, they warned me about the wild Texas rivers but they did not warn me about you." I think I met this girl in Houston.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Daily lesson
Good morning,
Before I left Greenville one of my buddies wanted to know what I ate while here but don't rub it in. Pensacola is quite a ways from New Orleans but there is still a Cajun influence, red beans and rice and various Cajun shrimp dishes are common.
So here goes:
For lunch on Sunday I went to a very famous seafood restaurant named Peg Leg Pete's. This place is less than half mile from my condo. I had a bowl of seafood gumbo and two dozen oysters on the half shell. The gumbo roux was dark as night, hot as Brittany Spear's pantyhose and thick as Nancy Pelosi's skull. In addition to the celery, okra and onions there was a little chicken, shrimp and a hell of a lot of lump crab meat. In short, it was orgasmic.
The oysters were medium size meaning the oyster itself was about two inches long and one inch wide, some were smaller and some were bigger but this was the average. They were a little bland but they will get more tasty as the weather cools off. I went back to the oyster shucker's station (there were two shuckers going as fast as they could) and checked the box the oysters came in and they came from Saint Andrew's bay near Apalachicola, Florida. I make my own sauce for the oysters. It is made of catsup, horseradish (lots), Worchestershire sauce and several drops of Tabasco. I pop one of those bad boy oysters on a saltine cracker, put sauce on top and eat it. YUMMY!!! I washed it all down with a Newcastle draft.
Sunday night I think I will have a Grouper Supreme sandwich at the same place. That sandwich is famous for its flavor and texture. My sister-in-law loves them.
I have decided that I will not watch or listen to any local or national news while I am here so my comments on any recent events will be missing. I want to cleanse my brain of all clutter for a while.
This date in history September 21
1945 Henry Ford II takes over at Ford after the sudden death of his father. The company was rapidly approaching bankruptcy and needed help. The first thing Henry II did was fire the Personnel Chief Harry Bennett who for years had used strong arm tactics and a anti-union stance that made Ford famous for bad labor relations. Henry had virtually no management training or experience and he knew it. So he hired several young financial wizards led by Robert McNamara known as the “Whiz kids”. Among these young guys was a Princeton graduate named Lee Iacocca. As we all may or may not remember Robert McNamara later became the Secretary of Defense under JFK and Iacocca became president of Chrysler. The “whiz kids” saved Ford from bankruptcy and the rest is history.
1954 The movie Sabrina debuts starring Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. This was a change of character for Bogie in which he played a sophisticated businessman turned Romeo. Bogie normally played the role of a tough criminal or hard ass private detective. During WWI Bogie joined the navy and was injured in the face during an attack on his ship resulting in his hard looking face and small lisp. He gave us many milestone movies like Casablanca, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, To Have and Have Not and the movie he won an Oscar for Best Actor in African Queen. Bogie was a heavy smoker and the expected happened in 1958 when he died of lung cancer. It was a loss for all of us.
1961 The US 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces is activated at Fort Bragg, NC by President JFK. Kennedy was very interested in this unit and came to visit. While there he specified that the unit was to be used to train the Vietnamese people to do their own counter-insurgency work. He also allowed them to wear a special headgear, the Green Beret. The 5th Special Forces Group went to Nam in 1964 and assumed responsibility for all Special Forces. They zeroed in on the mountain people known as the Montagnards and trained them extensively. By 1970 there were about 42,000 men and women trained by the Green Berets in Nam and the Green Berets transferred responsibility to the South Vietnam Border Rangers for the rest of the war. The 5th was withdrawn from Nam in February of 1971. The Green Berets executed their mission magnificently but sadly it seems that it was all for naught.
1938 The incredible happens when a category 3 hurricane strikes New England. As with all Atlantic hurricanes the storm began off the west coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands. It became a hurricane as it approached the Leeward Islands and was reported to the US Weather Service by a ship. The hurricane headed for the Carolinas coast but suddenly turned north and followed the eastern seaboard. The US Weather Service thought the hurricane would dissipate over the colder waters but the storm was over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and held together. The howling storm came ashore over Long Island, NY with virtually no warning for the residents. As house by house was disintegrated by the onslaught and some of the residents were washed out to sea and were never seen again. The storm arrived at New London, Connecticut at high tide with 40 ft waves preceding it. New London was nearly leveled with many injuries and death. The next city in the path of this monster was Providence, Rhode Island and after all was said and done there was 13 feet of water in the city. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The hurricane dissipated over Nova Scotia. Hurricanes were not named in those days so this disaster is just known as the Storm of 1938. The final totals were: 600 dead, 9,000 homes destroyed and 15,000 damaged, 3,000 ships sunk. There hadn’t been a hurricane in New England for 100 years and I guess the residents were not worried about them. They do now.
1942 The first B-29 Super Fortress goes on a test flight in Seattle, Washington. The bomber was an idea dreamed up by US Gen. Hap Arnold that wanted a bomber that could lift nearly its own weight and have a range of 3,000 plus miles. Boeing got the contract and delivered the bomber in minimum time. This bomber was instrumental in ending the war in the Pacific as the B-17 Flying Fortress was in ending the war in Europe during WWII. I guess the 2 most famous B-29s were the Enola Gay and Bock’s Car. The morning of August 6, 1945 saw the Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan and the morning of August 9, 1945 saw Bock’s Car over Nagasaki, Japan. Bock’s Car got its name from the pilot John Bock but on this day the pilot was Major Charles Sweeney.
Born today:
1821 English writer H.G. Wells. He said “Every time I see an adult riding a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” It will take a lot more than that for me to lose my despair.
1928 US Representative (OH) John Ashworth. He said “I am not of the breed of sheep that will follow a bellwether over a precipice.” Me neither.
1947 US writer Stephan King. He said “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” Almost everyone has a demon in their sub-consciousness.
1950 US comic Bill Murray. He said “I am a nut, but not just any nut.” You are right there, Bill.
1954 US drummer Phil Taylor. He said “We go home afterward safe in the knowledge that we have deafened a few.” Not this horse, Phil.
1966 Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland (son of Donald.) After being awarded the Golden Globe award he said “Now I know how Charlie Sheen felt. I’ve lost all feeling in my lower half.” I really enjoy his performance in “24”.
Died today:
19BC Roman writer Virgil. He said “It does not bother the wolf as to how many sheep there are.” That sounds like Robert E. Lee to me.
1947 US sportscaster Harry Carey, Sr. He said “There goes Steve Bullett into left field and he is getting congratulations from everybody. He and his sister are parents of a new baby.” Hey Harry, how is that again?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Goodbye from the land of high temperatures, high gas prices and low morals.
Before I left Greenville one of my buddies wanted to know what I ate while here but don't rub it in. Pensacola is quite a ways from New Orleans but there is still a Cajun influence, red beans and rice and various Cajun shrimp dishes are common.
So here goes:
For lunch on Sunday I went to a very famous seafood restaurant named Peg Leg Pete's. This place is less than half mile from my condo. I had a bowl of seafood gumbo and two dozen oysters on the half shell. The gumbo roux was dark as night, hot as Brittany Spear's pantyhose and thick as Nancy Pelosi's skull. In addition to the celery, okra and onions there was a little chicken, shrimp and a hell of a lot of lump crab meat. In short, it was orgasmic.
The oysters were medium size meaning the oyster itself was about two inches long and one inch wide, some were smaller and some were bigger but this was the average. They were a little bland but they will get more tasty as the weather cools off. I went back to the oyster shucker's station (there were two shuckers going as fast as they could) and checked the box the oysters came in and they came from Saint Andrew's bay near Apalachicola, Florida. I make my own sauce for the oysters. It is made of catsup, horseradish (lots), Worchestershire sauce and several drops of Tabasco. I pop one of those bad boy oysters on a saltine cracker, put sauce on top and eat it. YUMMY!!! I washed it all down with a Newcastle draft.
Sunday night I think I will have a Grouper Supreme sandwich at the same place. That sandwich is famous for its flavor and texture. My sister-in-law loves them.
I have decided that I will not watch or listen to any local or national news while I am here so my comments on any recent events will be missing. I want to cleanse my brain of all clutter for a while.
This date in history September 21
1945 Henry Ford II takes over at Ford after the sudden death of his father. The company was rapidly approaching bankruptcy and needed help. The first thing Henry II did was fire the Personnel Chief Harry Bennett who for years had used strong arm tactics and a anti-union stance that made Ford famous for bad labor relations. Henry had virtually no management training or experience and he knew it. So he hired several young financial wizards led by Robert McNamara known as the “Whiz kids”. Among these young guys was a Princeton graduate named Lee Iacocca. As we all may or may not remember Robert McNamara later became the Secretary of Defense under JFK and Iacocca became president of Chrysler. The “whiz kids” saved Ford from bankruptcy and the rest is history.
1954 The movie Sabrina debuts starring Humphrey Bogart, William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. This was a change of character for Bogie in which he played a sophisticated businessman turned Romeo. Bogie normally played the role of a tough criminal or hard ass private detective. During WWI Bogie joined the navy and was injured in the face during an attack on his ship resulting in his hard looking face and small lisp. He gave us many milestone movies like Casablanca, The Big Sleep, Key Largo, To Have and Have Not and the movie he won an Oscar for Best Actor in African Queen. Bogie was a heavy smoker and the expected happened in 1958 when he died of lung cancer. It was a loss for all of us.
1961 The US 5th Special Forces Group, 1st Special Forces is activated at Fort Bragg, NC by President JFK. Kennedy was very interested in this unit and came to visit. While there he specified that the unit was to be used to train the Vietnamese people to do their own counter-insurgency work. He also allowed them to wear a special headgear, the Green Beret. The 5th Special Forces Group went to Nam in 1964 and assumed responsibility for all Special Forces. They zeroed in on the mountain people known as the Montagnards and trained them extensively. By 1970 there were about 42,000 men and women trained by the Green Berets in Nam and the Green Berets transferred responsibility to the South Vietnam Border Rangers for the rest of the war. The 5th was withdrawn from Nam in February of 1971. The Green Berets executed their mission magnificently but sadly it seems that it was all for naught.
1938 The incredible happens when a category 3 hurricane strikes New England. As with all Atlantic hurricanes the storm began off the west coast of Africa near the Cape Verde Islands. It became a hurricane as it approached the Leeward Islands and was reported to the US Weather Service by a ship. The hurricane headed for the Carolinas coast but suddenly turned north and followed the eastern seaboard. The US Weather Service thought the hurricane would dissipate over the colder waters but the storm was over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and held together. The howling storm came ashore over Long Island, NY with virtually no warning for the residents. As house by house was disintegrated by the onslaught and some of the residents were washed out to sea and were never seen again. The storm arrived at New London, Connecticut at high tide with 40 ft waves preceding it. New London was nearly leveled with many injuries and death. The next city in the path of this monster was Providence, Rhode Island and after all was said and done there was 13 feet of water in the city. This sounds familiar, doesn’t it? The hurricane dissipated over Nova Scotia. Hurricanes were not named in those days so this disaster is just known as the Storm of 1938. The final totals were: 600 dead, 9,000 homes destroyed and 15,000 damaged, 3,000 ships sunk. There hadn’t been a hurricane in New England for 100 years and I guess the residents were not worried about them. They do now.
1942 The first B-29 Super Fortress goes on a test flight in Seattle, Washington. The bomber was an idea dreamed up by US Gen. Hap Arnold that wanted a bomber that could lift nearly its own weight and have a range of 3,000 plus miles. Boeing got the contract and delivered the bomber in minimum time. This bomber was instrumental in ending the war in the Pacific as the B-17 Flying Fortress was in ending the war in Europe during WWII. I guess the 2 most famous B-29s were the Enola Gay and Bock’s Car. The morning of August 6, 1945 saw the Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan and the morning of August 9, 1945 saw Bock’s Car over Nagasaki, Japan. Bock’s Car got its name from the pilot John Bock but on this day the pilot was Major Charles Sweeney.
Born today:
1821 English writer H.G. Wells. He said “Every time I see an adult riding a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race.” It will take a lot more than that for me to lose my despair.
1928 US Representative (OH) John Ashworth. He said “I am not of the breed of sheep that will follow a bellwether over a precipice.” Me neither.
1947 US writer Stephan King. He said “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” Almost everyone has a demon in their sub-consciousness.
1950 US comic Bill Murray. He said “I am a nut, but not just any nut.” You are right there, Bill.
1954 US drummer Phil Taylor. He said “We go home afterward safe in the knowledge that we have deafened a few.” Not this horse, Phil.
1966 Canadian actor Kiefer Sutherland (son of Donald.) After being awarded the Golden Globe award he said “Now I know how Charlie Sheen felt. I’ve lost all feeling in my lower half.” I really enjoy his performance in “24”.
Died today:
19BC Roman writer Virgil. He said “It does not bother the wolf as to how many sheep there are.” That sounds like Robert E. Lee to me.
1947 US sportscaster Harry Carey, Sr. He said “There goes Steve Bullett into left field and he is getting congratulations from everybody. He and his sister are parents of a new baby.” Hey Harry, how is that again?
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Goodbye from the land of high temperatures, high gas prices and low morals.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Daily lesson
Good morning,
Quote of the day:
"What do I know about sex, I am a married man. Tom Clancy
This will show you the difference between life here and life in Greenville, SC
Gulf Breeze High School added 15 more teachers due to an un expected rise in the student population.
Over in Mobile, the cops were called to the French Quarter apartments at 4:25a Sat. morning. When the officers arrived they found 23 year old Tim Spencer walking away pistol in hand. The police ordered Spencer to stop but he broke and ran with the cops in close pursuit. Finally Spencer stopped and turned around where upon one of the cops fired his weapon striking Spencer in the ear killing him instantly. When the police searched Spencer they did not find a weapon, he had apparently threw the weapon away during the chase which was found. The officer said that he felt justified because he was in fear for his life. The chief of police agreed.
A free-for-all started in the Oarhouse Bar and Grill on Dauphin Island, Alabama. On one side was the Lindsey brothers and their father, all from South Carolina.
This date in history September 18
1955 On this day Ford Motor Co. delivers its 2,000,000 V-8 engine. They had started producing V-8 engines 23 years before to satisfy the world’s lust for speed and power in their automobiles and their has been no let up since. I have owned a Ford V-8 in a Crown Vic that I drove for years but it finally gave up the ghost after much neglect on my part. But it was brave and always trying up to the last. I donated it to Goodwill for a tax deduction. It was still running but not very well.
1970 Jimi Hendrix dies of an overdose of some kind of shit in London. Again, I am unforgiving and furious at Jimi for depriving us of a God given talent by stuffing shit up his nose or shooting it in his veins, how damn selfish can you get? As I have said in the past, Jimi played background for many famous blues and rock and roll bands before breaking out on his own with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and was an immediate success. After a couple of years they broke up and he formed a band called A Band Of Gypsies but that didn’t last either and so he went out on his own and was really successful until he essentially committed suicide with drugs. I don’t feel sorry for the son-of-bitch, his selfishness killed him. To hell with him. But I like his music.
1964 The “Mother Road” Route 66 essentially disappears as a new 4 lane highway is built in its place. In a previous lesson I told ya’ll about how in 1926 a group of automobile fans got a bunch of money together and started building the Lincoln Highway which turned out to be Route 66, that was it’s birth, here is it’s death. There are so many tales about the old Route 66 that I don’t know where to start. There was a very popular TV show about it, “Route 66”, about 2 guys just traveling the country in a red Corvette. Not to mention the song “Get your kicks on Route 66”. Route 66 was the home of many, many cheap roadside attractions, cheap hotel and restaurant, etc. It was Americana, ya’ll. Now it is gone in favor of going fast from point A to point B. What a damn shame. What have we become? We don’t to stop and smell the roses anymore.
1862 That epitome of ineptness US Gen. George B. McClellan fails to follow a severely mauled CSA Army of Northern Virginia, CSA Gen. R. E. Lee commanding after the Battle of Antietam or the Battle of Sharpsburg as those that are “unreconstructed” call it. McClellan was yelled at almost immediately by A. Lincoln and General Henry Halleck that this was the US chance to crush Lee’s army and end the war. But the timid McClellan waited 3 days to even begin a chase because he thought Lee had over 100,000 troops when in reality he had Lee outnumbered 3 to 1. I personally think that McClellan just did not have the stomach for combat as it was prosecuted in those days and would avoid it if he could. Because of his ineptness the war went on for 2 ½ more years and cost the lives of thousands upon thousands of Americans
1963 One of the most bombastic men in history Ted Turner stands up on the podium and made a speech to the United Nations. During his speech he says that he is going to donate $1Billion dollars to the United Nations, Jane Fonda not withstanding. ONE BILLION DOLLARS, YA’LL! Then he starts berating all the other American multi-billionaires like Bill Gates and Paul Allen for not doing the same. I am telling ya’ll, Ted plays in his own ball park, as it were. Secretary General Kofi Annan about pees his pants and for once in his life is at a loss for words.
1960 Fidel Castro arrives in New York as a part of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. Fidel chooses to stay at the Theresa Hotel in downtown Harlem and brought a couple of gamecocks (Not football players for the University of South Carolina) and let them run loose in his room to make him feel at home. That is what he said but we all know it was a scam to get publicity. This jackass gets up in front of the United Nations and berates the United States for 4 hours. Before the echoes had died President Eisenhower had issued trade sanctions against Cuban sugar, their largest crop. Fidel just went to the Russians and they were happy to oblige. It was never stated publicly but I believe the Russians said that they would buy the sugar if in return Cuba would allow medium range nuclear missiles on the island. Thus began the countdown to the Cuban missile crises a year later that nearly killed us all.
Born today:
1905 Swedish actress Greta Garbo. She said “The best of all pleasures is to be longing for something and then one day realize it is within your grasp.” That would be the day I jerked up a large-mouth bass that weighed over 10 pounds.
1948 US comic Jimmy Brogan. When asked to create a motto for the city of Cleveland he said “You got to live somewhere.” Jimmy is funny, Cleveland isn’t.
Died today:
1980 US writer Katherine Anne Porter. She said “Most people do not realize that writing is a craft. It requires an apprenticeship like anything else.” Here, here.
1721 British writer Matthew Prior. He said “Cured yesterday of my disease, I died last night of my physician.” Not from my physician, unless you drown I a sea of pills and capsules.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Goodbye from the lands of Jalapeño peppers, Tabasco sauce and Jesse Jackson.
All burn your ass from time to time.
Quote of the day:
"What do I know about sex, I am a married man. Tom Clancy
This will show you the difference between life here and life in Greenville, SC
Gulf Breeze High School added 15 more teachers due to an un expected rise in the student population.
Over in Mobile, the cops were called to the French Quarter apartments at 4:25a Sat. morning. When the officers arrived they found 23 year old Tim Spencer walking away pistol in hand. The police ordered Spencer to stop but he broke and ran with the cops in close pursuit. Finally Spencer stopped and turned around where upon one of the cops fired his weapon striking Spencer in the ear killing him instantly. When the police searched Spencer they did not find a weapon, he had apparently threw the weapon away during the chase which was found. The officer said that he felt justified because he was in fear for his life. The chief of police agreed.
A free-for-all started in the Oarhouse Bar and Grill on Dauphin Island, Alabama. On one side was the Lindsey brothers and their father, all from South Carolina.
This date in history September 18
1955 On this day Ford Motor Co. delivers its 2,000,000 V-8 engine. They had started producing V-8 engines 23 years before to satisfy the world’s lust for speed and power in their automobiles and their has been no let up since. I have owned a Ford V-8 in a Crown Vic that I drove for years but it finally gave up the ghost after much neglect on my part. But it was brave and always trying up to the last. I donated it to Goodwill for a tax deduction. It was still running but not very well.
1970 Jimi Hendrix dies of an overdose of some kind of shit in London. Again, I am unforgiving and furious at Jimi for depriving us of a God given talent by stuffing shit up his nose or shooting it in his veins, how damn selfish can you get? As I have said in the past, Jimi played background for many famous blues and rock and roll bands before breaking out on his own with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and was an immediate success. After a couple of years they broke up and he formed a band called A Band Of Gypsies but that didn’t last either and so he went out on his own and was really successful until he essentially committed suicide with drugs. I don’t feel sorry for the son-of-bitch, his selfishness killed him. To hell with him. But I like his music.
1964 The “Mother Road” Route 66 essentially disappears as a new 4 lane highway is built in its place. In a previous lesson I told ya’ll about how in 1926 a group of automobile fans got a bunch of money together and started building the Lincoln Highway which turned out to be Route 66, that was it’s birth, here is it’s death. There are so many tales about the old Route 66 that I don’t know where to start. There was a very popular TV show about it, “Route 66”, about 2 guys just traveling the country in a red Corvette. Not to mention the song “Get your kicks on Route 66”. Route 66 was the home of many, many cheap roadside attractions, cheap hotel and restaurant, etc. It was Americana, ya’ll. Now it is gone in favor of going fast from point A to point B. What a damn shame. What have we become? We don’t to stop and smell the roses anymore.
1862 That epitome of ineptness US Gen. George B. McClellan fails to follow a severely mauled CSA Army of Northern Virginia, CSA Gen. R. E. Lee commanding after the Battle of Antietam or the Battle of Sharpsburg as those that are “unreconstructed” call it. McClellan was yelled at almost immediately by A. Lincoln and General Henry Halleck that this was the US chance to crush Lee’s army and end the war. But the timid McClellan waited 3 days to even begin a chase because he thought Lee had over 100,000 troops when in reality he had Lee outnumbered 3 to 1. I personally think that McClellan just did not have the stomach for combat as it was prosecuted in those days and would avoid it if he could. Because of his ineptness the war went on for 2 ½ more years and cost the lives of thousands upon thousands of Americans
1963 One of the most bombastic men in history Ted Turner stands up on the podium and made a speech to the United Nations. During his speech he says that he is going to donate $1Billion dollars to the United Nations, Jane Fonda not withstanding. ONE BILLION DOLLARS, YA’LL! Then he starts berating all the other American multi-billionaires like Bill Gates and Paul Allen for not doing the same. I am telling ya’ll, Ted plays in his own ball park, as it were. Secretary General Kofi Annan about pees his pants and for once in his life is at a loss for words.
1960 Fidel Castro arrives in New York as a part of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. Fidel chooses to stay at the Theresa Hotel in downtown Harlem and brought a couple of gamecocks (Not football players for the University of South Carolina) and let them run loose in his room to make him feel at home. That is what he said but we all know it was a scam to get publicity. This jackass gets up in front of the United Nations and berates the United States for 4 hours. Before the echoes had died President Eisenhower had issued trade sanctions against Cuban sugar, their largest crop. Fidel just went to the Russians and they were happy to oblige. It was never stated publicly but I believe the Russians said that they would buy the sugar if in return Cuba would allow medium range nuclear missiles on the island. Thus began the countdown to the Cuban missile crises a year later that nearly killed us all.
Born today:
1905 Swedish actress Greta Garbo. She said “The best of all pleasures is to be longing for something and then one day realize it is within your grasp.” That would be the day I jerked up a large-mouth bass that weighed over 10 pounds.
1948 US comic Jimmy Brogan. When asked to create a motto for the city of Cleveland he said “You got to live somewhere.” Jimmy is funny, Cleveland isn’t.
Died today:
1980 US writer Katherine Anne Porter. She said “Most people do not realize that writing is a craft. It requires an apprenticeship like anything else.” Here, here.
1721 British writer Matthew Prior. He said “Cured yesterday of my disease, I died last night of my physician.” Not from my physician, unless you drown I a sea of pills and capsules.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow.
Goodbye from the lands of Jalapeño peppers, Tabasco sauce and Jesse Jackson.
All burn your ass from time to time.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Good Morning,
This will be the last lesson for a few days. Friday I will be on the road to Pensacola Beach, Florida. I will be staying over in Montgomery Friday night and then go on down Saturday morning. I can taste this oysters and gumbo already. The next lesson will come on Sunday....maybe. I will send y'all some pictures.
I am having a discussion with one of my daughters (a democrat) about whether of not President Obama had to authorize the Special Ops. raid in Somalia where they killed a wanted al-queda leader and his entourage. She brought up the fact that I conceded that the president probably authorized the killing of those three pirates that had captured the captain of an American vessel. That shooting was done by three SEALS. If I am not mistaken the President said that they could shoot to kill only if the Captain's life was in imminent danger. That decision had to be made in the field. I do not believe they called the President immediately before the shots were fired.
The amazing thing is that the three pirates and all of the al-queda leader and his entourage were Muslims. I think all of this is to convince me that Obama is indeed a Patriot.
I have not heard any gossip about the scandal of Governor Sanford lately. Maybe it has just gone away.
Quote of the day:
"I am tired of hearing about money, money, money. All I want to do is play the game, drink Pepsi and wear Reebok products." Shaquille O'Neal
Good News:
Up in Vermont six dairy farmers have started gathering the manure from their cows and using some in their fields for fertilization and putting the rest in a digester and capturing the resulting methane. They are using the methane as a fuel in engines that used to be gasoline powered. The only side product from the combustion is water. They are able to sell any surplus to other dairy farms as engine fuel also.
Greenville Grime:
66 year old Edward Golden was killed in a head on collision over in Pickens county last night. He was just a block from his home. He was taken to the Greenville Memorial Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. He was wearing a seat belt. Sometimes nothing helps.
Greenville County Magistrate James Hudson has been suspended. Hudson detected money missing from the Magistrates bank account and asked for an investigation by the Sheriff's department. One person in the office has already been arrested. It is normal procedure to suspend a judge when an investigation is under way.
This date in history September 17
1932 Speed demon Sir Malcolm Campbell (no relation that I know of) sets a land speed record of 76.035 MPH. Think about that folks, that is about the average speed traveled on nearly all of the Interstate highways today. Anyway, Sir Malcolm at the age of 50 broke the 300 MPH barrier at the Bonneville Salt Flats, that’s better. Sir Malcolm also was interested in the speed record over water and did so on several occasions but his last try resulted in a gust of wind getting under his hydroplane and sent it airborne at which the hydroplane disintegrated killing Sir Malcolm. If anyone had the”need for speed” it was him.
1950 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis make their debut on the TV show The Colgate Comedy Hour and are an immediate smash hit. They stayed together until 1956 when they decided to go their separate ways. Dean went on the nightclub circuit, especially in Las Vegas. Jerry made 3 or 4 movies that were a flop here in the US but were very popular in Europe where he is considered a comic genius. Dean teamed up with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop forming what was known as” The Rat Pack”. They were a nightclub act that was very popular for a long time. Dean also had a TV variety show for 9 years. After Peter Lawford died Dean was asked what had Peter died from, Dean responded with “Peter died of vodka”. Sad. Dean died in 1995 ending a remarkable life.
1862 The bloodiest single day in American history occurs on this day near a small town in Maryland named Sharpsburg and near a small creek name Antietam. There were actually 3 separate battles; Dunker Church, The West Woods and Miller’s cornfield. At dawn US Gen. Joseph Hooker unleashes an attack on the Confederate troops under the command of CSA Gen. Stonewall Jackson near Dunker Church. Hooker’s attack is stemmed by a ferocious counter-attack by the Confederates at which there was a ghastly number on casualties on both sides. The worst attack came when US Gen. Edwin Sumner was able to get artillery pieces aimed down a sunken road where the Confederates had a line of infantry lying down and shooting over the embankment. The slaughter was unbelievable. This road from then to this day is known as “Bloody Lane”. This battle was a tactical draw but it did force Lee back into Virginia to refit. The total casualty count was 22,807. What can I say here?
1957 Louis Armstrong had been asked to go to go on goodwill tour to Russia for the US and he agreed. On this day he angrily refused to go because of the happenings in Little Rock, Ark. It seems that a federal judge decreed that Central High School in Little Rock must be integrated. 9 black students showed up to go to school and were met by an angry white mob and the Arkansas National Guard sent there by Governor Orville Faubus to stop them from entering the school. Well, after hearing about this debacle Louis told the people responsible for the goodwill tour to take this tour and shove it even though President Eisenhower had sent in the airborne to get those kids in the school. Louis was not impressed and said words to the effect that “How can I go promote goodwill between the US and Russia when blacks are treated like that?” Indeed.
1868 A large contingent of Cheyenne and Sioux warriors attack US Maj. George Forsyth and 50 frontiersmen in Colorado. Maj. Forsyth leads his men to a sandbar in the middle of Arikaree River and there they make a stand. They were able to hold off the initial onslaught of the estimated 600 warriors because of the 7 shot repeating rifles they had. Forsyth knew that he and his men would be annihilated if he did not get help. Two of the frontiersmen volunteered to sneak out at night and go through the Indian lines and get help. The battle continued for 5 days until Forsyth saw that he had only 10 men still able to fight and that many of them were wounded and would die if they did not get medical help and soon. The Indians left figuring they had done enough damage. Early in the afternoon the 10th Colorado Cavalry showed up with a wagonload of food and medical supplies which saved many of the men. By the way, the 10th Cavalry was an all black unit known as “Buffalo Soldiers".
Born today:
1923 US singer/songwriter Hank Williams. He said “You have to smell a lot of mule shit before you can sing like a hillbilly.” Hank was from south central Alabama. There is a portion of I-65 in that area known as the “Lost Highway” named after one of Hanks most popular songs. Hank allowed his success to kill him with booze and drugs at the age of 30. What a damned shame.
1931 US actress Anne Bancroft. Anne was going to get married to Mel Brooks when Mel called his Jewish mother and told her he was going to marry a Catholic woman and his mother said “OK, bring her over, I will be in the kitchen....with my head in the oven.” Now I know where Mel got his sense of humor.
Died today.
1771 Scottish writer Tobias Smollett. He said “For my part most of the nation is mad, and the remainder is unbalanced.” Sounds like present day to me.
1996 US Vice-President Spiro Agnew. He said “Youth lacks, to some extent, experience.” Now you know why Spiro resigned the Vice-Presidency in disgrace because of corruption while Governor of Maryland. He was stupid.
1997 US comedian Red Skelton. He said “All men make mistakes. Married men just find out about it sooner.” I had forgotten why I ain’t married, now I remember
Goodbye from the land of Black-eyed peas, collards and Brittany Spears (Brittany is from Louisiana). Brittany is having a hard time coping with success as a lot of young women in show biz do. She was a Mouskateer, too.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
This will be the last lesson for a few days. Friday I will be on the road to Pensacola Beach, Florida. I will be staying over in Montgomery Friday night and then go on down Saturday morning. I can taste this oysters and gumbo already. The next lesson will come on Sunday....maybe. I will send y'all some pictures.
I am having a discussion with one of my daughters (a democrat) about whether of not President Obama had to authorize the Special Ops. raid in Somalia where they killed a wanted al-queda leader and his entourage. She brought up the fact that I conceded that the president probably authorized the killing of those three pirates that had captured the captain of an American vessel. That shooting was done by three SEALS. If I am not mistaken the President said that they could shoot to kill only if the Captain's life was in imminent danger. That decision had to be made in the field. I do not believe they called the President immediately before the shots were fired.
The amazing thing is that the three pirates and all of the al-queda leader and his entourage were Muslims. I think all of this is to convince me that Obama is indeed a Patriot.
I have not heard any gossip about the scandal of Governor Sanford lately. Maybe it has just gone away.
Quote of the day:
"I am tired of hearing about money, money, money. All I want to do is play the game, drink Pepsi and wear Reebok products." Shaquille O'Neal
Good News:
Up in Vermont six dairy farmers have started gathering the manure from their cows and using some in their fields for fertilization and putting the rest in a digester and capturing the resulting methane. They are using the methane as a fuel in engines that used to be gasoline powered. The only side product from the combustion is water. They are able to sell any surplus to other dairy farms as engine fuel also.
Greenville Grime:
66 year old Edward Golden was killed in a head on collision over in Pickens county last night. He was just a block from his home. He was taken to the Greenville Memorial Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. He was wearing a seat belt. Sometimes nothing helps.
Greenville County Magistrate James Hudson has been suspended. Hudson detected money missing from the Magistrates bank account and asked for an investigation by the Sheriff's department. One person in the office has already been arrested. It is normal procedure to suspend a judge when an investigation is under way.
This date in history September 17
1932 Speed demon Sir Malcolm Campbell (no relation that I know of) sets a land speed record of 76.035 MPH. Think about that folks, that is about the average speed traveled on nearly all of the Interstate highways today. Anyway, Sir Malcolm at the age of 50 broke the 300 MPH barrier at the Bonneville Salt Flats, that’s better. Sir Malcolm also was interested in the speed record over water and did so on several occasions but his last try resulted in a gust of wind getting under his hydroplane and sent it airborne at which the hydroplane disintegrated killing Sir Malcolm. If anyone had the”need for speed” it was him.
1950 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis make their debut on the TV show The Colgate Comedy Hour and are an immediate smash hit. They stayed together until 1956 when they decided to go their separate ways. Dean went on the nightclub circuit, especially in Las Vegas. Jerry made 3 or 4 movies that were a flop here in the US but were very popular in Europe where he is considered a comic genius. Dean teamed up with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop forming what was known as” The Rat Pack”. They were a nightclub act that was very popular for a long time. Dean also had a TV variety show for 9 years. After Peter Lawford died Dean was asked what had Peter died from, Dean responded with “Peter died of vodka”. Sad. Dean died in 1995 ending a remarkable life.
1862 The bloodiest single day in American history occurs on this day near a small town in Maryland named Sharpsburg and near a small creek name Antietam. There were actually 3 separate battles; Dunker Church, The West Woods and Miller’s cornfield. At dawn US Gen. Joseph Hooker unleashes an attack on the Confederate troops under the command of CSA Gen. Stonewall Jackson near Dunker Church. Hooker’s attack is stemmed by a ferocious counter-attack by the Confederates at which there was a ghastly number on casualties on both sides. The worst attack came when US Gen. Edwin Sumner was able to get artillery pieces aimed down a sunken road where the Confederates had a line of infantry lying down and shooting over the embankment. The slaughter was unbelievable. This road from then to this day is known as “Bloody Lane”. This battle was a tactical draw but it did force Lee back into Virginia to refit. The total casualty count was 22,807. What can I say here?
1957 Louis Armstrong had been asked to go to go on goodwill tour to Russia for the US and he agreed. On this day he angrily refused to go because of the happenings in Little Rock, Ark. It seems that a federal judge decreed that Central High School in Little Rock must be integrated. 9 black students showed up to go to school and were met by an angry white mob and the Arkansas National Guard sent there by Governor Orville Faubus to stop them from entering the school. Well, after hearing about this debacle Louis told the people responsible for the goodwill tour to take this tour and shove it even though President Eisenhower had sent in the airborne to get those kids in the school. Louis was not impressed and said words to the effect that “How can I go promote goodwill between the US and Russia when blacks are treated like that?” Indeed.
1868 A large contingent of Cheyenne and Sioux warriors attack US Maj. George Forsyth and 50 frontiersmen in Colorado. Maj. Forsyth leads his men to a sandbar in the middle of Arikaree River and there they make a stand. They were able to hold off the initial onslaught of the estimated 600 warriors because of the 7 shot repeating rifles they had. Forsyth knew that he and his men would be annihilated if he did not get help. Two of the frontiersmen volunteered to sneak out at night and go through the Indian lines and get help. The battle continued for 5 days until Forsyth saw that he had only 10 men still able to fight and that many of them were wounded and would die if they did not get medical help and soon. The Indians left figuring they had done enough damage. Early in the afternoon the 10th Colorado Cavalry showed up with a wagonload of food and medical supplies which saved many of the men. By the way, the 10th Cavalry was an all black unit known as “Buffalo Soldiers".
Born today:
1923 US singer/songwriter Hank Williams. He said “You have to smell a lot of mule shit before you can sing like a hillbilly.” Hank was from south central Alabama. There is a portion of I-65 in that area known as the “Lost Highway” named after one of Hanks most popular songs. Hank allowed his success to kill him with booze and drugs at the age of 30. What a damned shame.
1931 US actress Anne Bancroft. Anne was going to get married to Mel Brooks when Mel called his Jewish mother and told her he was going to marry a Catholic woman and his mother said “OK, bring her over, I will be in the kitchen....with my head in the oven.” Now I know where Mel got his sense of humor.
Died today.
1771 Scottish writer Tobias Smollett. He said “For my part most of the nation is mad, and the remainder is unbalanced.” Sounds like present day to me.
1996 US Vice-President Spiro Agnew. He said “Youth lacks, to some extent, experience.” Now you know why Spiro resigned the Vice-Presidency in disgrace because of corruption while Governor of Maryland. He was stupid.
1997 US comedian Red Skelton. He said “All men make mistakes. Married men just find out about it sooner.” I had forgotten why I ain’t married, now I remember
Goodbye from the land of Black-eyed peas, collards and Brittany Spears (Brittany is from Louisiana). Brittany is having a hard time coping with success as a lot of young women in show biz do. She was a Mouskateer, too.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
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