Good morning,
Quote of the day:
“Men are superior to women. For one thing, men can urinate from a speeding car.”
Will Durst
I read about a man that called the cops because he saw someone pull up in his yard, jump out and grab one of his prize “Albany Blood Cock” roosters. He claimed that the rooster was worth $1,000. The thief jumped back in his car and sped away. The owner chased for a while but the thief escaped. I could not help but research what a Albany Blood Cock was. It is a fighting chicken, y’all. A Gamecock, if you will. It seems that this particular breed along with the McAnally breed are the fiercest fighters out there. They are known affectionately in the cockfighting arena as “roundheads”. It is obvious that the owner of this rooster is not in the cockfighting business or he would have not called the cops, but that does not stop him from raising these athletes and selling them to those who do. When you think about how much this rooster is worth and what care is involved, it sounds like a lucrative business to me. Nah, If I did that my daughters would never speak to me again even though their inheritance would increase dramatically…or would they?
Over in Teheran, Iran somebody on a motorcycle pulled up beside a limo carrying two nuclear scientists, planted a magnetic bomb and lit it off. One of the scientists was killed outright and the other one is in serious condition. Iran blamed Israel for this assassination in an attempt to slow down Iran’s development of nuclear weapons. I think that is a definite possibility. I like it.
Last week a Somali Muslim that was a naturalized American citizen conspired to build and plant a bomb in a large crowd gathering around for a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in Portland, Oregon. The only problem was that this jackass was getting the bomb parts from an FBI operative and the parts were fake. He was arrested and is looking at a long time in the joint. I have been fishing in Rogue River in the Medford, Oregon area in the past. Let me tell you, those Oregonians in that area are as close to real cowboys as you will find in America today. They are rough and ready and are prepared to fight at the drop of a hat, and you don’t even need the hat. After this episode in Portland, the Muslim communities in Oregon are terrified that these “rough boys” will come after them and I would not be surprised if they did. It was a great pleasure to associate with people that just take you for what you are and expect the same from you…just don’t lie to them or betray them. If you do, the hat with drop.
This date in history November 30
1776 On this date one of the greatest screw-ups in history occurs. British Admiral Richard Howe and his bother British General William Howe offer amnesty to any colonist that would swear an oath to cease and desist from “Treasonable acting and doings” within 60 days. Earlier in September Admiral Howe had brought his fleet into Long Island Sound and disembarked his brother General William Howe and his well trained and polished infantry. After landing Howe engaged in two battles with Patriot General George Washington and his rag tag army and on one occasion Howe had the entire Patriot army flanked and could have cut off Washington’s retreat and captured and hanged him and his entire staff for treason and the rebellion would have ended. But the Howe brothers saw themselves as peace makers and allowed Washington and company to escape by boat over to Manhattan. A little while later the Patriots sent over a committee headed by Ben Franklin to negotiate with the Howe brothers. After two days of talks the negotiations broke down when the Howe brothers would not even consider American Independence as being necessary for peace. After this both sides ramped up for the all out war they knew was coming. Seven years later after an ocean of tears and blood was shed by our ancestors, victory was ours.
1835 On this date Samuel Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri. At the age of 13 he was apprenticed out to a printer but then went to work for an older brother who was an editor with the Hannibal Journal in Hannibal, Missouri. He was commissioned to write a humorous travel column for the Keokuk Daily Post in Keokuk, Iowa. But Samuel saw himself as a riverboat captain on the mighty Mississippi and became an apprentice. At the age of 23 he received his license as a riverboat captain. He piloted until the outbreak of the Civil War and then nearly all riverboat traffic was discontinued. It was during his time as a captain that he received the nickname of “Mark Twain” which was a call out signifying the depth of two fathoms which was the minimum safe depth on the river. He moved out west and began writing for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, in Virginia City, Nevada. He eventually moved to San Francisco and began writing in earnest and delivered one of his best renderings in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. In addition to this he gave us “Huckleberry Finn”, “Tom Sawyer”, “Roughin’ it” and many other gems. It is unlikely that the world will ever be graced with such a talented wit as he. He eventually moved to Hartford, Connecticut where he died in 1910. What a great legacy he left us.
1864 Earlier CSA General John Bell Hood and the once proud army under his command was trying his damnedest to stop the enormous Union army from capturing Atlanta from the north. He was not successful and finally had to pull his troops out of the area and into Alabama to refit and recover. After finally getting his army into condition Hood headed for Nashville, Tennessee to try and capture the Union supplies known to be there. U.S. General William T. Sherman had enough troops that he was able to send and army commanded by General George Thomas to Nashville to protect his supplies. Thomas arrived at Nashville way ahead of Hood and was dug in way before Hood’s arrival. Yet another Union army commanded by General John Schofield was headed toward Nashville from the south and Hood was approaching Nashville from the southwest. It looked like Hood and Schofield would arrive at Nashville on the same day. Hood’s scouts and Schofield’s scouts had located each other’s armies and reported their positions back to their commanders. Schofield’s plan was to march right by Hood and go to the already prepared positions just south of Nashville near the town of Franklin, Tennessee. Hood attacked the left flank of Schofield marching army to no avail. In spite of being attacked, those Yankees made it to their prepared positions and dug in. Hood was furious and blamed his underlings for not stopping Schofield and arrayed his troops for a frontal assault. On this date, Hood launched a ferocious attack on Schofield’s center in spite of the fact that all of his army had not yet arrived and much of his artillery was still miles away. The Confederates marched off in perfect unison and broke the Yankee lines on the outer flanks but were unable to crack the center. Then the Yankees launched and equally ferocious counter-attack from the center and pushed the Confederates back in defeat. This was the last attack of this type in the Civil War. Any battle after this was a cavalry exchange or a siege. In this one battle Hood lost seven Generals and a majority of his regimental commanders not to mention 5,500 troops. This was the end of the Confederate army in the “western theatre”. There was a meeting of CSA General Lee and US General Grant five months later in Appomattox Court House, Virginia where Lee asked for terms for the surrender of the once mighty Army of Northern Virginia. The war was over.
1989 On this date the so called “America’s first serial killer” struck. A trucker named Richard Mallory was last seen in the company of Aileen Wournos. They had left a truck stop near Palm Bay, Florida and Richard was never seen alive again. They found his truck three days later near Ormond Beach with his wallet, a few condoms and pocket change on the front seat, but no Richard. Finally Richard’s body turned up in a Daytona Beach junkyard with three bullet holes in his chest. Over a period of two years seven men were found dead killed in a similar manner. The Florida Bureau of Investigation finally tracked Wournous down to a seedy biker bar near Tampa. She went on trial and was convicted of murder on seven counts. After the jury rendered their verdict, Aileen screamed “I am innocent. It was self defense. I was raped. I hope all of you scum sucking maggots get raped.” This was not a smooth move for Aileen because it would be the same jury that would convene two weeks later and determine her punishment. They gave her the death penalty. After Aileen figured out that the state of Florida was not kidding and they were going to kill her, she became a born again Christian. Sure enough, the state of Florida did indeed mean business and in October of 2002 she went meet her maker electrified and her corpse was cremated. The ashes sent to her birthplace in Michigan where a former friend spread her ashes under a tree where they used to play. It seems sad, but think of the families of her victims first, and then think of Aileen.
Born today:
1874 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He said “Life is fraught with opportunities to keep your mouth shut.” Churchill is one of my favorite personalities.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
This is my commentary on current news items, what's happening around my neck of the woods and what happened on this date in history. I sometimes get on my soapbox and stay there a while so be prepared.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Daily history
Good morning from Paradise,
Quote of the day:
“Keep it up, boys. We have caught them napping!”
General George A. Custer…1876…Little Big Horn, Montana
Lunch for Thursday:
Ten chicken wings, dry with teriyaki sauce on the side, celery with ranch dressing. This was from Sidelines on the Beach.
Dinner for Thursday:
I had a kick-ass small pizza with extra cheese and mushrooms and a glass of cabernet, this from Lillo’s Trattoria on the beach.
I have heard from one of my subscribers that is acknowledged fan of Obama. After the Tuesday ass-kicking received by the Democrats, it appears that she is beginning to realize how unhealthy national politics really is. She sees that the president –elect is obligated to reward those that helped with the election, especially fund raising to get a job in their administration, skill and ability notwithstanding. She said that what we need is not a President, but a head coach to pull us together to work as a team. She prefers Dick Butkus…not a bad choice…or maybe Jesse Ventura.
Down in Lakeland, Fl an 81 year old woman was working in her back yard when she accidentally opened a nest of underground yellow jackets. The jackets were not pleased and attacked. This young lady was stung several hundred times if not a thousand. She is in critical condition in the ICU. Be alert, enough stings can kill you.
I don’t know if y’all knew this or know but entertainment star Miley Cyrus’ father is country music star Billy Ray Cyrus. It seems that Billy Ray and his wife of 19 years have come to a parting of the ways and have filed for divorce much to everyone’s surprise. What likely happened is that rock star Bret Michaels had a casual acquaintance with Miley and the Cyrus family. Bret and Billy Ray’s wife had eyes for each other and consummated the attraction and Billy Ray discovered the tryst. I just saw a program about Bret Michaels and how devoted he is to his wife and two daughters. That experience will be very expensive for Bret and Billy Ray’s wife.
This date in history November 5
1775 On this day General George Washington issued a statement condemning some of his troops who were planning to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. Guy Fawkes Day is an English celebration for the capture of Guy Fawkes who schemed to blow up the Parliament building in London. He wanted to kill the king, James I who was a protestant, in the hopes that James’ daughter Elizabeth, a Roman Catholic, would take over the reins of England. In the celebration effigies of the Pope are burned and essentially a condemnation of the Catholics in general. Washington condemned this action not out of conscience, but because he was trying to get some of the French Canadians to join the Continental army and they were all Catholic. The celebration never materialized out of respect for George, but the animosity remained.
1930 United States author Sinclair Lewis receives the Nobel Prize for literature and he was the first American to receive this prize. Lewis was a cantankerous sort. In 1926 he had refused the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Arrowsmith” but decided to accept the Nobel Prize. He also gave us “Main Street”, “Babbitt” and “Elmer Gantry”. Every time I hear the words Elmer Gantry an image of Burt Lancaster with hair just a’ flying and bible in hand flashes across my mind. What a great performance. I miss him.
1961 A group of cave explorers find a sack full of bones in South Wales which solved 43 year old mystery. It seems that chorus girl Mamie Savant married George Shotten and they moved to a remote house on a cliff over looking the sea. Evidently it was not a happy marriage because one day neither George nor Mamie could be found anywhere. The authorities finally ran George down and come to find out that he had been married to another woman for years and was living with her when he was caught. When he was confronted he denied ever being married to Mamie but that was easily shot down. But they could not find hide nor hair of Mamie. So George was tried and convicted of bigamy and served 18 months. In addition to the bones the spelunkers found a gold wedding band and a black comb that was known to be Mamie’s. The bones were reassembled and it was determined that it was the bones of a 26 year old female about 5’-4” tall. That described Mamie but it was too late because George died in 1958 three years before the discovery of the bones.
1862 United States President A. Lincoln relieves General George B. McClellan from command of the Army of the Potomac. After the disastrous ass-kicking the Army of the Potomac received at the hand of CSA General Robert E, Lee at 1st Manassas, Lincoln appointed McClellan to whip the Army of the Potomac into shape. McClellan was a superb organizer/trainer and did indeed whip the army into shape. He organized the command structure, divided the army into manageable units and trained the troops to a razor sharp readiness. He then took that army of over 100,000 by boat to the end of the James River peninsula southwest of Richmond and began a march on that city. Everything went fine until he met CSA General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia and received a series of ass-kickings. After this he goes back to the end of the peninsula and takes his young ass out of there. What pissed Lincoln off was that he camped out for six weeks before departing the peninsula. McClellan was always timid and shy in a combat situation and believed that he was always outnumbered which was never the case. His next faux pas was at the Battle of Antietam when his army drove Lee and the Confederates out of Maryland back across the Potomac into Virginia and did not pursue and destroy them. He chose to camp out again for several weeks while all the time Lincoln is burning up the telegraph wires telling him to get off his ass and do something. McClellan ignored Lincoln and indeed held him with distain and was vocal about it. Finally, McClellan got the army on its feet and they head for the Potomac River, however it took nine days for McClellan to get his troops across and that was the final straw. Lincoln called McClellan to Washington and sent US General Ambrose Burnsides to replace him. Burnsides knew that Lincoln wanted an aggressive commander so he immediately heads out to find Bobby Lee and his army of rebels. He finds them at a place called Marye’s Heights near Fredericksburg and promptly has his ass kicked at the cost of a terrible slaughter of the Army of the Potomac, but that is another story.
1862 Earlier the Santee Sioux of Minnesota had been promised they would be fed by the US Government in return for them going to a reservation. Well, the corrupt Government officials would not release the food unless they were paid their usual bribes. The Sioux were on the edge of starvation and the launched a series of raids led by Little Wolf on the farms of the honkies up and down the Minnesota River. They were finally subdued and 300 are sentenced to hang. A. Lincoln intervenes and finally the list is whittled down to 38. Before a cheering throng of Minnesotans all 38 were hanged simultaneously. What we have here is a group of men whose wives and children are starving because of corrupt politicians and because they revolt, they are hanged. What the hell is up with that?
Births and deaths:
1892 US newsman Lowell Thomas is born. He said “Once you reach the age of 80 everything you see reminds you of something else.” I am getting there myself. Say, that reminds me….
1939 US entrepreneur John Sculley is born. He said “If we had not had the man on the moon there would not be a Silicon Valley today.” He is right. It was the space program where computers were required and developed much to our benefits all.
1935 US writer Edwin Robinson dies. He said “There is a good deal to live for, but a man has to go through a lot of hell to figure that out.” And so do a lot of women.
Famous quotes:
“Familiarity breeds contempt….and children.” Mark Twain
“Denial is not a river in Egypt” Mark Twain
“Age is an issue of mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Mark Twain
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“Keep it up, boys. We have caught them napping!”
General George A. Custer…1876…Little Big Horn, Montana
Lunch for Thursday:
Ten chicken wings, dry with teriyaki sauce on the side, celery with ranch dressing. This was from Sidelines on the Beach.
Dinner for Thursday:
I had a kick-ass small pizza with extra cheese and mushrooms and a glass of cabernet, this from Lillo’s Trattoria on the beach.
I have heard from one of my subscribers that is acknowledged fan of Obama. After the Tuesday ass-kicking received by the Democrats, it appears that she is beginning to realize how unhealthy national politics really is. She sees that the president –elect is obligated to reward those that helped with the election, especially fund raising to get a job in their administration, skill and ability notwithstanding. She said that what we need is not a President, but a head coach to pull us together to work as a team. She prefers Dick Butkus…not a bad choice…or maybe Jesse Ventura.
Down in Lakeland, Fl an 81 year old woman was working in her back yard when she accidentally opened a nest of underground yellow jackets. The jackets were not pleased and attacked. This young lady was stung several hundred times if not a thousand. She is in critical condition in the ICU. Be alert, enough stings can kill you.
I don’t know if y’all knew this or know but entertainment star Miley Cyrus’ father is country music star Billy Ray Cyrus. It seems that Billy Ray and his wife of 19 years have come to a parting of the ways and have filed for divorce much to everyone’s surprise. What likely happened is that rock star Bret Michaels had a casual acquaintance with Miley and the Cyrus family. Bret and Billy Ray’s wife had eyes for each other and consummated the attraction and Billy Ray discovered the tryst. I just saw a program about Bret Michaels and how devoted he is to his wife and two daughters. That experience will be very expensive for Bret and Billy Ray’s wife.
This date in history November 5
1775 On this day General George Washington issued a statement condemning some of his troops who were planning to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. Guy Fawkes Day is an English celebration for the capture of Guy Fawkes who schemed to blow up the Parliament building in London. He wanted to kill the king, James I who was a protestant, in the hopes that James’ daughter Elizabeth, a Roman Catholic, would take over the reins of England. In the celebration effigies of the Pope are burned and essentially a condemnation of the Catholics in general. Washington condemned this action not out of conscience, but because he was trying to get some of the French Canadians to join the Continental army and they were all Catholic. The celebration never materialized out of respect for George, but the animosity remained.
1930 United States author Sinclair Lewis receives the Nobel Prize for literature and he was the first American to receive this prize. Lewis was a cantankerous sort. In 1926 he had refused the Pulitzer Prize for his book “Arrowsmith” but decided to accept the Nobel Prize. He also gave us “Main Street”, “Babbitt” and “Elmer Gantry”. Every time I hear the words Elmer Gantry an image of Burt Lancaster with hair just a’ flying and bible in hand flashes across my mind. What a great performance. I miss him.
1961 A group of cave explorers find a sack full of bones in South Wales which solved 43 year old mystery. It seems that chorus girl Mamie Savant married George Shotten and they moved to a remote house on a cliff over looking the sea. Evidently it was not a happy marriage because one day neither George nor Mamie could be found anywhere. The authorities finally ran George down and come to find out that he had been married to another woman for years and was living with her when he was caught. When he was confronted he denied ever being married to Mamie but that was easily shot down. But they could not find hide nor hair of Mamie. So George was tried and convicted of bigamy and served 18 months. In addition to the bones the spelunkers found a gold wedding band and a black comb that was known to be Mamie’s. The bones were reassembled and it was determined that it was the bones of a 26 year old female about 5’-4” tall. That described Mamie but it was too late because George died in 1958 three years before the discovery of the bones.
1862 United States President A. Lincoln relieves General George B. McClellan from command of the Army of the Potomac. After the disastrous ass-kicking the Army of the Potomac received at the hand of CSA General Robert E, Lee at 1st Manassas, Lincoln appointed McClellan to whip the Army of the Potomac into shape. McClellan was a superb organizer/trainer and did indeed whip the army into shape. He organized the command structure, divided the army into manageable units and trained the troops to a razor sharp readiness. He then took that army of over 100,000 by boat to the end of the James River peninsula southwest of Richmond and began a march on that city. Everything went fine until he met CSA General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia and received a series of ass-kickings. After this he goes back to the end of the peninsula and takes his young ass out of there. What pissed Lincoln off was that he camped out for six weeks before departing the peninsula. McClellan was always timid and shy in a combat situation and believed that he was always outnumbered which was never the case. His next faux pas was at the Battle of Antietam when his army drove Lee and the Confederates out of Maryland back across the Potomac into Virginia and did not pursue and destroy them. He chose to camp out again for several weeks while all the time Lincoln is burning up the telegraph wires telling him to get off his ass and do something. McClellan ignored Lincoln and indeed held him with distain and was vocal about it. Finally, McClellan got the army on its feet and they head for the Potomac River, however it took nine days for McClellan to get his troops across and that was the final straw. Lincoln called McClellan to Washington and sent US General Ambrose Burnsides to replace him. Burnsides knew that Lincoln wanted an aggressive commander so he immediately heads out to find Bobby Lee and his army of rebels. He finds them at a place called Marye’s Heights near Fredericksburg and promptly has his ass kicked at the cost of a terrible slaughter of the Army of the Potomac, but that is another story.
1862 Earlier the Santee Sioux of Minnesota had been promised they would be fed by the US Government in return for them going to a reservation. Well, the corrupt Government officials would not release the food unless they were paid their usual bribes. The Sioux were on the edge of starvation and the launched a series of raids led by Little Wolf on the farms of the honkies up and down the Minnesota River. They were finally subdued and 300 are sentenced to hang. A. Lincoln intervenes and finally the list is whittled down to 38. Before a cheering throng of Minnesotans all 38 were hanged simultaneously. What we have here is a group of men whose wives and children are starving because of corrupt politicians and because they revolt, they are hanged. What the hell is up with that?
Births and deaths:
1892 US newsman Lowell Thomas is born. He said “Once you reach the age of 80 everything you see reminds you of something else.” I am getting there myself. Say, that reminds me….
1939 US entrepreneur John Sculley is born. He said “If we had not had the man on the moon there would not be a Silicon Valley today.” He is right. It was the space program where computers were required and developed much to our benefits all.
1935 US writer Edwin Robinson dies. He said “There is a good deal to live for, but a man has to go through a lot of hell to figure that out.” And so do a lot of women.
Famous quotes:
“Familiarity breeds contempt….and children.” Mark Twain
“Denial is not a river in Egypt” Mark Twain
“Age is an issue of mind over matter, if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Mark Twain
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Daily history
Good morning from Paradise,
Quote of the day:
“There is no doubt that it is around family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominate virtues in human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.”
Winston Churchill
Wednesday lunch:
32 oysters on the ½ shell and a bowl of seafood gumbo…..I wasn’t very hungry.
Little Zahra Baker up in Hickory, NC still has not been found. Her prosthetic leg was found but not the rest of her. The Hickory PD have begun draining ponds looking for her. Both of her parents are in the joint for a variety of offenses. It is believed that at least one or both of them are responsible for the disappearance of 10 year old Zahra. Anyone that does not believe in the death penalty should read about this case.
In spite of my personal moratorium on any political opinion, I am impelled to say this. President Obama in his post mid-term election speech stated that “now is the time for us to move forward together.” He also said the he understands the frustrations of “our citizens” about the economy and he takes full responsibility. First of all, on his recent tour of key American cities he indicated that the Republicans and the Tea Party is “the enemy”. He later retracted that statement but that is like trying to un-ring a bell. Secondly, he said that he personally takes responsibility for the mess our economy is in. This is an obvious attempt to appear as being noble when he has been spouting for years that it was Dubya that is responsible. I suppose that he finally realizes that we out here in the real world are not as stupid as he thinks we are.
I welcome any opposing viewpoints and will include them in my worldwide blog.
Here is some good news. Madieu Williams, a defensive safety with the Minnesota Vikings is from the African nation of Sierra Leone. Madieu has taken it upon himself to build a school and a medical facility where none had existed before. See there, there is good out there in the world.
Here is more good news. About a year ago down in Mobile, Alabama 29 year old Michael Woolf and his wife got into an argument in their double wide. Michael testified that his wife produced a pistol and aimed it at him. He said that he was able to disarm his wife and during the struggle the gun fired accidentally and their two year old son was killed. Woolf said that he finally gained control of the weapon and shot and killed his wife. He went on trial a week ago and the jury did not buy his story and convicted him of first degree murder and recommended the death penalty. The final determination will be made at the sentencing hearing in a couple of months. It is unfortunate that two people were killed but the recommendation of the death penalty is appropriate.
This date in history November 4
1801 US Patriot William Shippen died in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the powerful Shippen family of Philadelphia that could trace their ancestry back to the earliest settlements in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. William went to medical school at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. William and his brother Edward were successful physicians in Philadelphia and were instrumental in the upbringing of their community. William was present at the founding of the Benjamin Franklin Public Academy that eventually became the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and served as a trustee for 24 years. He also was part and parcel of the founding of the College of New Jersey that became Princeton and served as a trustee there also. Now here is where the fun starts. Edward’s daughter Margaret (Peggy) Shippen flirted heavily with one John Andre and his close friend Benedict Arnold. But Peggy chose Benedict Arnold for a husband. Soon thereafter, Andre was captured at a road block and in his boot was a document detailing the surrender of West Point, New York to the British by US General Benedict Arnold for 20,000 pounds Sterling. When Arnold found out the Andre had been captured he and Peggy hightailed it to the British warship H.M.S Vulture for refuge. Arnold was made a commander of a British combat unit and fought against his countrymen for the remainder of the war. Andre was hanged as a spy, as well he should have been. After the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Arnold and Peggy fled to London where he died in 1801 in relative obscurity and poverty with Peggy at his side. There are those that believe that Arnold betrayed his country because he got his feeling hurt when a junior officer was promoted ahead of him, but in retrospect I think he needed the money to keep up the “high maintenance” Peggy in the lifestyle that she was accustomed. I have a niece that is “high maintenance” so I know what it means. I believe the small town in Pennsylvania named Shippensburg was named after William Shippen or another member of that family. There is also a beautiful young lady living in that picturesque little town that is a good friend.
1928 The notorious gambler Arnold Rothstein is shot and killed at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan. Arnold was found at a service entrance of the first floor bleeding heavily. He had been upstairs playing poker with his friends when the shooting occurred. One of the players was “Hump” McManus. A few weeks before, Arnold and Hump had been playing in a poker game and Arnold lost a cool $306,000 to Hump but refused to pay saying the game was rigged. It was Hump that invited Arnold to come and play in this game although the actual murderer was never determined. After Arnold was found bleeding, the police tracked the blood trail back upstairs to a room where four men were sitting around a table playing pinochle like nothing had happened. The cops went back down to Arnold and asked him who had done the shooting. Arnold just held a finger up to his lips and shook his head no and he was gone. Arnold was most famous for the “Black Sox Scandal” whereby Arnold financed the rigging of the 1919 World Series. There is no question that Arnold was involved, the actual players that took money and played badly will always be in question. One of those was a man from Greenville, SC named Joseph “Shoeless Joe” Jackson. He was banned from baseball for life by baseball commissioner Judge Kennesaw Landis. Joe played around in amateur leagues for a while but he eventually became too old and bought a liquor store. On one occasion Ty Cobb who was traveling from Detroit to his home near Royston, Georgia stopped by Joe’s liquor store to say hello. After Ty walked in Joe acted like he did not know him and Ty said “Joe, don’t you know who I am?” And Joe said “I know who you are Ty, but I didn’t think you would want to know me.” What a sad tale.
1995 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated. Two years before Rabin and his lifelong foe, Yasser Arafat, had signed the so-called Camp David Accord under the tutelage of US President Jimmy Carter. The accord stipulated that both sides would seek peace and the PLO would recognize Israel’s right to exist. In 1994, Rabin, Arafat and Israeli under Secretary Shimon Peres were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The murderer of Rabin was a 25 year old Jew that shot Rabin while he was walking to his car after a meeting discussing peace in the Middle East. He shot Rabin in the leg and then in the chest. He was arrested on the spot and said that he was glad he did it because Rabin was giving away Israel to the Arabs. Under Secretary Shimon Peres assumed the office of prime minister. I remember seeing Rabin speak several times and he seemed sincere in his search for peace and was a man of great dignity. His loss was hurtful to us all.
1948 T.S. Eliot was born to a privileged family in Saint Louis, Missouri on September 8, 1888. His family wanted him to become a lawyer or a doctor and sent him to the finest schools in the world including Harvard, Sorbonne and Oxford. He returned to Harvard to study the Indo-European language of Sanskrit. After all of this schooling he secured a job with Lloyds of London and moved there permanently. While there he met the American poet Ezra Pound. Eliot had begun writing essays and poetry and assembled them in treatise named “Criterion”. He and Ezra Pound fed off each other for ideas. He was soon recognized as the author of a new type of poetry that changed the way poetry was written thereafter and every renowned poet since then has been influenced by him. His first work was “The Love Story of J. Alfred Prufrock”. His masterpiece was “The Waste Land” published in 1922. He was recognized as the genius that he was when he received the Nobel Prize for literature on this date. Eliot died in 1965 but not before becoming one of f the most influential poets in history.
Births and deaths:
1898 US writer Eugene Field dies. When critiquing a poem titled “Why do I live?” he wrote back to the author saying “Because you sent this poem by mail and are not here in person.”
1918 English soldier/writer Wilfred Owen dies. He said “No lips are so red…as those stones kissed by the English dead.” Owen was killed in combat during WWI just a few days before the Armistice.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“There is no doubt that it is around family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominate virtues in human society, are created, strengthened and maintained.”
Winston Churchill
Wednesday lunch:
32 oysters on the ½ shell and a bowl of seafood gumbo…..I wasn’t very hungry.
Little Zahra Baker up in Hickory, NC still has not been found. Her prosthetic leg was found but not the rest of her. The Hickory PD have begun draining ponds looking for her. Both of her parents are in the joint for a variety of offenses. It is believed that at least one or both of them are responsible for the disappearance of 10 year old Zahra. Anyone that does not believe in the death penalty should read about this case.
In spite of my personal moratorium on any political opinion, I am impelled to say this. President Obama in his post mid-term election speech stated that “now is the time for us to move forward together.” He also said the he understands the frustrations of “our citizens” about the economy and he takes full responsibility. First of all, on his recent tour of key American cities he indicated that the Republicans and the Tea Party is “the enemy”. He later retracted that statement but that is like trying to un-ring a bell. Secondly, he said that he personally takes responsibility for the mess our economy is in. This is an obvious attempt to appear as being noble when he has been spouting for years that it was Dubya that is responsible. I suppose that he finally realizes that we out here in the real world are not as stupid as he thinks we are.
I welcome any opposing viewpoints and will include them in my worldwide blog.
Here is some good news. Madieu Williams, a defensive safety with the Minnesota Vikings is from the African nation of Sierra Leone. Madieu has taken it upon himself to build a school and a medical facility where none had existed before. See there, there is good out there in the world.
Here is more good news. About a year ago down in Mobile, Alabama 29 year old Michael Woolf and his wife got into an argument in their double wide. Michael testified that his wife produced a pistol and aimed it at him. He said that he was able to disarm his wife and during the struggle the gun fired accidentally and their two year old son was killed. Woolf said that he finally gained control of the weapon and shot and killed his wife. He went on trial a week ago and the jury did not buy his story and convicted him of first degree murder and recommended the death penalty. The final determination will be made at the sentencing hearing in a couple of months. It is unfortunate that two people were killed but the recommendation of the death penalty is appropriate.
This date in history November 4
1801 US Patriot William Shippen died in Germantown, Pennsylvania. He was a member of the powerful Shippen family of Philadelphia that could trace their ancestry back to the earliest settlements in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. William went to medical school at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. William and his brother Edward were successful physicians in Philadelphia and were instrumental in the upbringing of their community. William was present at the founding of the Benjamin Franklin Public Academy that eventually became the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and served as a trustee for 24 years. He also was part and parcel of the founding of the College of New Jersey that became Princeton and served as a trustee there also. Now here is where the fun starts. Edward’s daughter Margaret (Peggy) Shippen flirted heavily with one John Andre and his close friend Benedict Arnold. But Peggy chose Benedict Arnold for a husband. Soon thereafter, Andre was captured at a road block and in his boot was a document detailing the surrender of West Point, New York to the British by US General Benedict Arnold for 20,000 pounds Sterling. When Arnold found out the Andre had been captured he and Peggy hightailed it to the British warship H.M.S Vulture for refuge. Arnold was made a commander of a British combat unit and fought against his countrymen for the remainder of the war. Andre was hanged as a spy, as well he should have been. After the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Arnold and Peggy fled to London where he died in 1801 in relative obscurity and poverty with Peggy at his side. There are those that believe that Arnold betrayed his country because he got his feeling hurt when a junior officer was promoted ahead of him, but in retrospect I think he needed the money to keep up the “high maintenance” Peggy in the lifestyle that she was accustomed. I have a niece that is “high maintenance” so I know what it means. I believe the small town in Pennsylvania named Shippensburg was named after William Shippen or another member of that family. There is also a beautiful young lady living in that picturesque little town that is a good friend.
1928 The notorious gambler Arnold Rothstein is shot and killed at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan. Arnold was found at a service entrance of the first floor bleeding heavily. He had been upstairs playing poker with his friends when the shooting occurred. One of the players was “Hump” McManus. A few weeks before, Arnold and Hump had been playing in a poker game and Arnold lost a cool $306,000 to Hump but refused to pay saying the game was rigged. It was Hump that invited Arnold to come and play in this game although the actual murderer was never determined. After Arnold was found bleeding, the police tracked the blood trail back upstairs to a room where four men were sitting around a table playing pinochle like nothing had happened. The cops went back down to Arnold and asked him who had done the shooting. Arnold just held a finger up to his lips and shook his head no and he was gone. Arnold was most famous for the “Black Sox Scandal” whereby Arnold financed the rigging of the 1919 World Series. There is no question that Arnold was involved, the actual players that took money and played badly will always be in question. One of those was a man from Greenville, SC named Joseph “Shoeless Joe” Jackson. He was banned from baseball for life by baseball commissioner Judge Kennesaw Landis. Joe played around in amateur leagues for a while but he eventually became too old and bought a liquor store. On one occasion Ty Cobb who was traveling from Detroit to his home near Royston, Georgia stopped by Joe’s liquor store to say hello. After Ty walked in Joe acted like he did not know him and Ty said “Joe, don’t you know who I am?” And Joe said “I know who you are Ty, but I didn’t think you would want to know me.” What a sad tale.
1995 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated. Two years before Rabin and his lifelong foe, Yasser Arafat, had signed the so-called Camp David Accord under the tutelage of US President Jimmy Carter. The accord stipulated that both sides would seek peace and the PLO would recognize Israel’s right to exist. In 1994, Rabin, Arafat and Israeli under Secretary Shimon Peres were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The murderer of Rabin was a 25 year old Jew that shot Rabin while he was walking to his car after a meeting discussing peace in the Middle East. He shot Rabin in the leg and then in the chest. He was arrested on the spot and said that he was glad he did it because Rabin was giving away Israel to the Arabs. Under Secretary Shimon Peres assumed the office of prime minister. I remember seeing Rabin speak several times and he seemed sincere in his search for peace and was a man of great dignity. His loss was hurtful to us all.
1948 T.S. Eliot was born to a privileged family in Saint Louis, Missouri on September 8, 1888. His family wanted him to become a lawyer or a doctor and sent him to the finest schools in the world including Harvard, Sorbonne and Oxford. He returned to Harvard to study the Indo-European language of Sanskrit. After all of this schooling he secured a job with Lloyds of London and moved there permanently. While there he met the American poet Ezra Pound. Eliot had begun writing essays and poetry and assembled them in treatise named “Criterion”. He and Ezra Pound fed off each other for ideas. He was soon recognized as the author of a new type of poetry that changed the way poetry was written thereafter and every renowned poet since then has been influenced by him. His first work was “The Love Story of J. Alfred Prufrock”. His masterpiece was “The Waste Land” published in 1922. He was recognized as the genius that he was when he received the Nobel Prize for literature on this date. Eliot died in 1965 but not before becoming one of f the most influential poets in history.
Births and deaths:
1898 US writer Eugene Field dies. When critiquing a poem titled “Why do I live?” he wrote back to the author saying “Because you sent this poem by mail and are not here in person.”
1918 English soldier/writer Wilfred Owen dies. He said “No lips are so red…as those stones kissed by the English dead.” Owen was killed in combat during WWI just a few days before the Armistice.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Dail history
Good morning from Paradise,
Quote of the day:
“I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
Maya Angelou
As expected the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives but failed to take control of the Senate. This means that many if not all of the Democrat’s give-away programs will not be enacted. In my home state of South Carolina the voters swept out the Democrats that they swept in two years ago. By the way, the “RNC” stands for the Republican National Committee and was not meant to embarrass anyone to ashamed to recognize it. The dumb-ass voters in Nevada did not kick out the most stupid person in the US Senate, Harry Reid. There is no accounting for stupidity.
Here on Pensacola Beach there is a cross that has been erected on the highest sand dune (about 15 feet). The legend is that one of the Spanish explorers (I presume to be Tristan De Luna) was sailing west just off shore. It was Easter Sunday in the approximate year of 1558. The Catholic priest aboard (all Spanish ships had a priest aboard, especially the explorers) felt the need to hold an Easter Mass service. So all the ships in De Luna’s expedition hove to and anchored and row boats shuttled the sailors ashore to witness the service. The priest crawled up to the top of this particular dune and delivered Easter Mass service to the amassed sailors. I don’t know if it is true or not but there is no question that Spanish explorers were in this area in this time frame. Wrecks of their supply ships have been found and explored not to mention the foundations of buildings built in an attempt to colonize Pensacola. They lasted about three years but their stay was cut short when a hurricane destroyed a fleet of supply ships that had sailed up from Vera Cruz, Mexico.
Lunch on Tuesday:
Three large stewed pork ribs on a bed of steamed carrots, onions and sauerkraut along with a tossed salad, English peas, cornbread, unsweetened tea and a fair sized slice of coconut cream pie. This dish came from the Coffee Cup on west Cervantes Street. I normally only have one meal a day and nibble a little bit later on.
This date in history November 3
1816 Jubal Anderson Early was born in 1816 in Franklin County, Virginia. Little is known of little Jubal’s early life but it is known that he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1833. He graduated four years later ranked 11th in a class of 50. He participated in the Seminole War and resigned in 1838 and began a law practice. He was prosecutor for Franklin and Floyd counties in Virginia but his law practice was interrupted by the Mexican-American war of 1846-1848. Early was a Whig and opposed to secession but changed his mind when Lincoln called for 75,000 soldiers to begin suppressing the rebellion and offered his services to the Confederacy. He was given the rank of Colonel in the Virginia Militia and sent to Lynchburg, Virginia to begin recruiting. He was able to raise three regiments and commanded one of them, the 24th Infantry. He commanded a regiment at the Battle of 1st Manassas and was impressive to his commander, CSA General P.T.G. Beauregard who saw fit to promote him to Brigadier General. He was present at nearly all of the important battles in the eastern theatre. He was at the battles of The Seven Days, 2nd Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg plus several major skirmishes in the Shenandoah Valley. Jubal was known to CSA General Robert E. Lee as “my bad old man” because of Jubal’s irascible attitude and quick temper especially form anyone of less rank. But he was a superb combat organizer, planner and tactician. During the Battle of Gettysburg he was assigned the task of capturing York, Pennsylvania and eventually attacking the US forces at Gettysburg from the northeast. He indeed did capture York but was unable to launch a successful attack and ended up covering the rear of CSA General Lee’s retreat. Early was wounded in 1862 at the Battle of Williamsburg while personally leading an infantry charge against preposterous odds. He convalesced in Rocky Mount, Virginia and returned to action two months later only this time he would be commanded by CSA General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson just in time for the Battle of Malvern Hill. This time Early did not shine as usual. His navigation was faulty and he and his division got lost in thick woods and was late arriving at the battle. In spite of this he excelled at the Battles of Spotsylvania Court house and The Wilderness and was promoted to Major General. It was his actions in the Shenandoah Valley that he made his mark. During the siege of Petersburg, Lee sent Early and an army of 14,000 to patrol the Valley and to prevent the Yankees from capturing it. The Shenandoah was where the majority of the food for the CSA Army of Northern Virginia came from. Early was also tasked with threatening Washington so as to draw some troops away from Petersburg. On his way to Washington he defeated several Union armies. His tactics worked and US General U.S. Grant sent troops to counter Early but it was not enough to weaken the US position around Petersburg. Grant sent US General Philip Sheridan and 40,000 troops to neutralize Early. Early lost two major battles against Sheridan but launched a ferocious surprise attack at Cedar Creek and drove those Yankees back several miles. It was only by Sheridan’s personal direction that the Yankees were able to counterattack and win the battle. When the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered in 1865, Jubal rode to Texas on horseback trying to find any units still fighting. From there he went to Mexico then to Cuba and finally sailed to Canada and settled in Toronto. He wrote his memoirs while there. He named it “The Memoirs of the Last Year of a War for Independence, the Confederate States of America.” After US President Andrew Johnson declared a general amnesty in 1869, Early returned to Virginia and resumed his law practice. After falling down a flight of stairs, Early died at the age of 77. He remained unreconstructed (loyal to the Confederate cause) to the day he died. He is buried in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia. Here is a quote about Jubal A. Early:
Honest and outspoken, honorable and uncompromising, Jubal A. Early epitomized much that was the Southern Confederacy. His self-reliance, courage, sagacity, and devotion to the cause brought confidence then just as it inspires reverence now.
—James I. Robertson, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor of History, Virginia Tech
I have a read several books by Mr. Robertson. He is considered an expert on the Civil War.
1984 Serial killer rapist Bobby Joe Long is arrested in Tampa, Florida. His capture was engineered by the bravery and courage of his last victim, Lisa McVey. Lisa was riding home from school on her bicycle when she was attacked and captured by Long. After Long forced her into his car, Lisa began taking mental notes about what she could see in the car. She also mentally timed the length of the ride when Long stopped at an ATM. He took her to a motel room and ravaged her for most of the day but agreed not to kill her. After releasing her, Lisa went to the police and told them about what she had observed in the car the police had a good idea what model and year the car was. And when she told them about the length of time it took to get to the ATM, the police had a radius to search. In that time ATM’s were not that plentiful and the police narrowed the possible ATM’s to a very few. And when Lisa told them the approximate time it took to get to the motel, the rest was easy. Bobby Joe went to meet his maker with puncture marks in his arms.
1979 The Communist Workers Party held a demonstration against a Ku Klux Klan rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. The demonstration turns violent and both sides produce hand guns and an old fashioned gunfight ensued. It ended up with five Communists killed and a few injured. The strange part was that the Greensboro PD had long known that this encounter was coming, but on this day there was not a cop in sight. Hmmmmmm.
1941 The Japanese War Ministry led by General Tojo meets and sets the final day for the attack on the United States Naval installations in Hawaii. There was little doubt that war was coming because the Japanese had already made preparations for the attack on the Philippines and The United States knew it. The Philippines was an American protectorate at the time. They decided it would be December 5 but the Japanese fleet was delayed by weather and the attack materialized on the 7th. A date that will live in infamy.
Born today:
1794 US writer William C. Bryant. He said “The press is a mill that grinds all that is put in its hopper. Fill the hopper with poison grain and it will grind it into meal, but there is death in the bread.” Be careful what you read and believe.
1918 US baseball pitcher Bob Feller. He said about his autobiography “There is not one curse word in there; I don’t go for that bullshit.” Bob just keep your mind on baseball please.
1949 US boxing champion Larry Holmes. He said “It is hard being black. Have you ever been black? I was black once when I was poor.” Larry, you absorbed one to many uppercuts, just shut up.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day:
“I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.”
Maya Angelou
As expected the Republicans took control of the House of Representatives but failed to take control of the Senate. This means that many if not all of the Democrat’s give-away programs will not be enacted. In my home state of South Carolina the voters swept out the Democrats that they swept in two years ago. By the way, the “RNC” stands for the Republican National Committee and was not meant to embarrass anyone to ashamed to recognize it. The dumb-ass voters in Nevada did not kick out the most stupid person in the US Senate, Harry Reid. There is no accounting for stupidity.
Here on Pensacola Beach there is a cross that has been erected on the highest sand dune (about 15 feet). The legend is that one of the Spanish explorers (I presume to be Tristan De Luna) was sailing west just off shore. It was Easter Sunday in the approximate year of 1558. The Catholic priest aboard (all Spanish ships had a priest aboard, especially the explorers) felt the need to hold an Easter Mass service. So all the ships in De Luna’s expedition hove to and anchored and row boats shuttled the sailors ashore to witness the service. The priest crawled up to the top of this particular dune and delivered Easter Mass service to the amassed sailors. I don’t know if it is true or not but there is no question that Spanish explorers were in this area in this time frame. Wrecks of their supply ships have been found and explored not to mention the foundations of buildings built in an attempt to colonize Pensacola. They lasted about three years but their stay was cut short when a hurricane destroyed a fleet of supply ships that had sailed up from Vera Cruz, Mexico.
Lunch on Tuesday:
Three large stewed pork ribs on a bed of steamed carrots, onions and sauerkraut along with a tossed salad, English peas, cornbread, unsweetened tea and a fair sized slice of coconut cream pie. This dish came from the Coffee Cup on west Cervantes Street. I normally only have one meal a day and nibble a little bit later on.
This date in history November 3
1816 Jubal Anderson Early was born in 1816 in Franklin County, Virginia. Little is known of little Jubal’s early life but it is known that he entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1833. He graduated four years later ranked 11th in a class of 50. He participated in the Seminole War and resigned in 1838 and began a law practice. He was prosecutor for Franklin and Floyd counties in Virginia but his law practice was interrupted by the Mexican-American war of 1846-1848. Early was a Whig and opposed to secession but changed his mind when Lincoln called for 75,000 soldiers to begin suppressing the rebellion and offered his services to the Confederacy. He was given the rank of Colonel in the Virginia Militia and sent to Lynchburg, Virginia to begin recruiting. He was able to raise three regiments and commanded one of them, the 24th Infantry. He commanded a regiment at the Battle of 1st Manassas and was impressive to his commander, CSA General P.T.G. Beauregard who saw fit to promote him to Brigadier General. He was present at nearly all of the important battles in the eastern theatre. He was at the battles of The Seven Days, 2nd Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg plus several major skirmishes in the Shenandoah Valley. Jubal was known to CSA General Robert E. Lee as “my bad old man” because of Jubal’s irascible attitude and quick temper especially form anyone of less rank. But he was a superb combat organizer, planner and tactician. During the Battle of Gettysburg he was assigned the task of capturing York, Pennsylvania and eventually attacking the US forces at Gettysburg from the northeast. He indeed did capture York but was unable to launch a successful attack and ended up covering the rear of CSA General Lee’s retreat. Early was wounded in 1862 at the Battle of Williamsburg while personally leading an infantry charge against preposterous odds. He convalesced in Rocky Mount, Virginia and returned to action two months later only this time he would be commanded by CSA General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson just in time for the Battle of Malvern Hill. This time Early did not shine as usual. His navigation was faulty and he and his division got lost in thick woods and was late arriving at the battle. In spite of this he excelled at the Battles of Spotsylvania Court house and The Wilderness and was promoted to Major General. It was his actions in the Shenandoah Valley that he made his mark. During the siege of Petersburg, Lee sent Early and an army of 14,000 to patrol the Valley and to prevent the Yankees from capturing it. The Shenandoah was where the majority of the food for the CSA Army of Northern Virginia came from. Early was also tasked with threatening Washington so as to draw some troops away from Petersburg. On his way to Washington he defeated several Union armies. His tactics worked and US General U.S. Grant sent troops to counter Early but it was not enough to weaken the US position around Petersburg. Grant sent US General Philip Sheridan and 40,000 troops to neutralize Early. Early lost two major battles against Sheridan but launched a ferocious surprise attack at Cedar Creek and drove those Yankees back several miles. It was only by Sheridan’s personal direction that the Yankees were able to counterattack and win the battle. When the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered in 1865, Jubal rode to Texas on horseback trying to find any units still fighting. From there he went to Mexico then to Cuba and finally sailed to Canada and settled in Toronto. He wrote his memoirs while there. He named it “The Memoirs of the Last Year of a War for Independence, the Confederate States of America.” After US President Andrew Johnson declared a general amnesty in 1869, Early returned to Virginia and resumed his law practice. After falling down a flight of stairs, Early died at the age of 77. He remained unreconstructed (loyal to the Confederate cause) to the day he died. He is buried in the Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, Virginia. Here is a quote about Jubal A. Early:
Honest and outspoken, honorable and uncompromising, Jubal A. Early epitomized much that was the Southern Confederacy. His self-reliance, courage, sagacity, and devotion to the cause brought confidence then just as it inspires reverence now.
—James I. Robertson, Jr., Alumni Distinguished Professor of History, Virginia Tech
I have a read several books by Mr. Robertson. He is considered an expert on the Civil War.
1984 Serial killer rapist Bobby Joe Long is arrested in Tampa, Florida. His capture was engineered by the bravery and courage of his last victim, Lisa McVey. Lisa was riding home from school on her bicycle when she was attacked and captured by Long. After Long forced her into his car, Lisa began taking mental notes about what she could see in the car. She also mentally timed the length of the ride when Long stopped at an ATM. He took her to a motel room and ravaged her for most of the day but agreed not to kill her. After releasing her, Lisa went to the police and told them about what she had observed in the car the police had a good idea what model and year the car was. And when she told them about the length of time it took to get to the ATM, the police had a radius to search. In that time ATM’s were not that plentiful and the police narrowed the possible ATM’s to a very few. And when Lisa told them the approximate time it took to get to the motel, the rest was easy. Bobby Joe went to meet his maker with puncture marks in his arms.
1979 The Communist Workers Party held a demonstration against a Ku Klux Klan rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. The demonstration turns violent and both sides produce hand guns and an old fashioned gunfight ensued. It ended up with five Communists killed and a few injured. The strange part was that the Greensboro PD had long known that this encounter was coming, but on this day there was not a cop in sight. Hmmmmmm.
1941 The Japanese War Ministry led by General Tojo meets and sets the final day for the attack on the United States Naval installations in Hawaii. There was little doubt that war was coming because the Japanese had already made preparations for the attack on the Philippines and The United States knew it. The Philippines was an American protectorate at the time. They decided it would be December 5 but the Japanese fleet was delayed by weather and the attack materialized on the 7th. A date that will live in infamy.
Born today:
1794 US writer William C. Bryant. He said “The press is a mill that grinds all that is put in its hopper. Fill the hopper with poison grain and it will grind it into meal, but there is death in the bread.” Be careful what you read and believe.
1918 US baseball pitcher Bob Feller. He said about his autobiography “There is not one curse word in there; I don’t go for that bullshit.” Bob just keep your mind on baseball please.
1949 US boxing champion Larry Holmes. He said “It is hard being black. Have you ever been black? I was black once when I was poor.” Larry, you absorbed one to many uppercuts, just shut up.
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Monday, November 1, 2010
Daily history
Good morning from Paradise,
Quote of the day (courtesy of CY):
“All we have is the here and now. If we play it right it is all we will need.”
Ann Richards
Here is a Medal of Honor citation given to one bad dude, y’all. The history lesson will follow.
WOODFILL, SAMUEL
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 60th Infantry, 5th Division. Place and date: At Cunel, France, 12 October 1918. Entered service at: Bryantsburg, Ind. Birth: Jefferson County, Ind. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
While he was leading his company against the enemy, his line came under heavy machinegun fire, which threatened to hold up the advance. Followed by 2 soldiers at 25 yards, this officer went out ahead of his first line toward a machinegun nest and worked his way around its flank, leaving the 2 soldiers in front. When he got within 10 yards of the gun it ceased firing, and 4 of the enemy appeared, 3 of who were shot by 1st Lt. Woodfill. The fourth, an officer, rushed at 1st Lt. Woodfill, who attempted to club the officer with his rifle. After a hand-to-hand struggle, 1st Lt. Woodfill killed the officer with his pistol. His company thereupon continued to advance, until shortly afterwards another machinegun nest was encountered. Calling on his men to follow, 1st Lt. Woodfill rushed ahead of his line in the face of heavy fire from the nest, and when several of the enemy appeared above the nest he shot them, capturing 3 other members of the crew and silencing the gun. A few minutes later this officer for the third time demonstrated conspicuous daring by charging another machinegun position, killing 5 men in one machinegun pit with his rifle. He then drew his revolver and started to jump into the pit, when 2 other gunners only a few yards away turned their gun on him. Failing to kill them with his revolver, he grabbed a pick lying nearby and killed both of them. Inspired by the exceptional courage displayed by this officer, his men pressed on to their objective under severe shell and machinegun fire.
This date in history November 1
1512 Earlier in the year 1475 a genius was born in Caprese, Italy. His father was a minor city official and at an early age his family moved Florence, Italy. At the age of 13 Michelangelo was apprenticed out to a local artist. It soon became obvious that this young man was an artist with skills rarely seen. He was taken under the wing of the powerful art patron Lorenzo de Medici and delivered the breathtaking sculptures of “The Pieta” and “David” which stunned the art world, especially the Pope. Michelangelo was called to Rome and was commissioned to several works of art for the Vatican. Eventually in 1508 the Pope commissioned him to paint the history of the Christian world in a series of frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The ceiling was curved and between a series of buttresses making the design and perspective very difficult, not to mention that the painting had to be done by Michelangelo while lying on his back. His workmen built scaffolding up as close as they could to the ceiling but in some places they had to bore holes in the ceiling and drop platforms down. In most of these cases Michelangelo incorporated the holes into the scene he was painting. Four years later on this date, the Sistine Chapel was opened to the public. The visitors were stunned with the beauty and magnitude of this gigantic accomplishment. It is the same today.
1765 Earlier Great Britain had fought two wars trying to keep control of what was then called the English colonies or present day United States. First it was the French and Indian War that lasted about 7 years and then there was Pontiac’s Rebellion that lasted two more years. These years of conflict had put Great Britain in a big need of cash. They had already added a “Sugar Tax” to the colonists to try to recoup some of their expenses. The “Sugar Tax” essentially was buried in tax on molasses which the men colonists used to make Rum which was an essential part of their lives and they were not going to do without it. England was still in need of even more cash to pay the English soldiers and mercenaries they had stationed in the colonies so they came up with a “Stamp Act” which was enacted on this date. What this abomination did was tax each and every document in the colonies including newspapers. Well, since there was no rum involved the colonists, men especially raised almighty hell. They threatened the tax collectors, burned their houses down among other things. The tax collectors finally said “to hell with it” and stopped trying to collect. The Stamp Act was the beginning of the colonists complaining about “taxation without representation” which was the prelude to the Revolutionary War. With the failure of the Stamp Act, England still was hurting for money so they instituted the “Tea Tax”. It was then that those wild and crazy guys, The Sons of Liberty emptied three British ships of their tea into Boston harbor later called the “Boston Tea Party”. England was not pleased and we all know what happened next.
1952 For reasons known only to the United States military industrial complex, on this date the United States detonated history’s first thermo-nuclear device on the island/atoll of Eniwetok in the central Pacific. The United States military felt it was necessary to develop the most powerful nuclear weapon as soon as possible after the Russians detonated a bomb similar to the Hiroshima device in 1948. The father of the Hiroshima bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer and several other nuclear physicists pled with the United States to not pursue the development of thermo-nuclear weapons because all it would do is initiate an arms race because the Russians would soon follow suit, and they were right. The Eniwetok device was 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. There is no telling what is out there today. I read about the device known as “Bravo” that was detonated in the Bikini atoll, also in the central Pacific that had a “yield” of 50 megatons (50 millions of tons) of TNT. Think about that ya’ll, the Hiroshima bomb had a “yield” of kilotons (hundreds of tons) of TNT. Everyone should keep in mind the devastation that can be inflicted by what has been called “A scorpion in a bottle”. Once it is out, look out.
1924 Earlier William Tilghman was born in a small town in Iowa in 1854. He was a rather rambunctious youth and moved west at the age of 16. He fell in with a group of bad-asses who began stealing horses from the Indians. That proved to be a bad move by having the Indians on your ass. Billy decided that being chased by the Indians was not a smooth move so he gave up rustling and moved to Dodge City, Kansas where he briefly was a deputy marshal before buying a saloon. He was arrested twice for alleged train robbery and rustling but the charges did not stick. Slowly but surely he became one of the most trusted and respected lawmen in America. He was universally known as “Uncle Billy”. He was especially intolerant of people that took the law into their own hands including lynch mobs and broke up more than one mob and saw to the prosecution of the mob leaders. I read a story about him going to a cabin way back in the wilderness where four bank robbers were holed up. He was alone and attacked the cabin single handed and after a roaring gunfight was able to bring in all the robbers to jail by himself. “Uncle Billy” was a hell of a lawman. He finally moved to Oklahoma City and became a state legislator and at times a deputy sheriff. He never retired; it seemed that “Uncle Billy” loved his profession. He accepted a job as city marshal in Cromwell, Okla. and was killed trying to arrest a drunken prohibition agent. Let me repeat that, he was killed trying to arrest a drunken prohibition officer.
1950 A few weeks before President Harry Truman and family had moved out of the White House and into Blair House just a few doors away. The White House had been closed for re-modeling. On this day Harry and Bess were up on the second floor of the Blair House and heard a commotion down on the front steps including gunshots. After things had settled down Harry goes down to find out what happened. It seems that two assassins had tried to break into the house looking for Harry. One of the assassins was killed and one secret service agent was killed also. The two assassins were Puerto Rican nationalist bent on killing Truman even though Harry was an advocate of Puerto Rican autonomy but apparently these guys wanted Puerto Rico to become a separate nation even though the people of Puerto Rico had voted twice to maintain a commonwealth status with the United States. When Harry was asked about it he said: “Presidents have to expect events like that.” The surviving assassin was tried, convicted and sentenced to death but good old Harry in an act of kindness commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.
Born today:
1860 US Senator (Pa) Boies Penrose. He said “Public Service is the last refuge of the incompetent.” This guy was a US Senator so he must know what he is talking about.
1955 US lecturer Dale Carnegie. He said “Any fool can complain, criticize and condemn, and most do.”
1886 German writer Hermann Broch. He said “The world has always gone on the road to madness to travel a tiny bit on the road to reason.”
1944 US songwriter Kinky Freidman. He said “I even tried being a Baptist once, until I found out they did not hold them under long enough.”
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
Quote of the day (courtesy of CY):
“All we have is the here and now. If we play it right it is all we will need.”
Ann Richards
Here is a Medal of Honor citation given to one bad dude, y’all. The history lesson will follow.
WOODFILL, SAMUEL
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 60th Infantry, 5th Division. Place and date: At Cunel, France, 12 October 1918. Entered service at: Bryantsburg, Ind. Birth: Jefferson County, Ind. G.O. No.: 16, W.D., 1919.
Citation:
While he was leading his company against the enemy, his line came under heavy machinegun fire, which threatened to hold up the advance. Followed by 2 soldiers at 25 yards, this officer went out ahead of his first line toward a machinegun nest and worked his way around its flank, leaving the 2 soldiers in front. When he got within 10 yards of the gun it ceased firing, and 4 of the enemy appeared, 3 of who were shot by 1st Lt. Woodfill. The fourth, an officer, rushed at 1st Lt. Woodfill, who attempted to club the officer with his rifle. After a hand-to-hand struggle, 1st Lt. Woodfill killed the officer with his pistol. His company thereupon continued to advance, until shortly afterwards another machinegun nest was encountered. Calling on his men to follow, 1st Lt. Woodfill rushed ahead of his line in the face of heavy fire from the nest, and when several of the enemy appeared above the nest he shot them, capturing 3 other members of the crew and silencing the gun. A few minutes later this officer for the third time demonstrated conspicuous daring by charging another machinegun position, killing 5 men in one machinegun pit with his rifle. He then drew his revolver and started to jump into the pit, when 2 other gunners only a few yards away turned their gun on him. Failing to kill them with his revolver, he grabbed a pick lying nearby and killed both of them. Inspired by the exceptional courage displayed by this officer, his men pressed on to their objective under severe shell and machinegun fire.
This date in history November 1
1512 Earlier in the year 1475 a genius was born in Caprese, Italy. His father was a minor city official and at an early age his family moved Florence, Italy. At the age of 13 Michelangelo was apprenticed out to a local artist. It soon became obvious that this young man was an artist with skills rarely seen. He was taken under the wing of the powerful art patron Lorenzo de Medici and delivered the breathtaking sculptures of “The Pieta” and “David” which stunned the art world, especially the Pope. Michelangelo was called to Rome and was commissioned to several works of art for the Vatican. Eventually in 1508 the Pope commissioned him to paint the history of the Christian world in a series of frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. The ceiling was curved and between a series of buttresses making the design and perspective very difficult, not to mention that the painting had to be done by Michelangelo while lying on his back. His workmen built scaffolding up as close as they could to the ceiling but in some places they had to bore holes in the ceiling and drop platforms down. In most of these cases Michelangelo incorporated the holes into the scene he was painting. Four years later on this date, the Sistine Chapel was opened to the public. The visitors were stunned with the beauty and magnitude of this gigantic accomplishment. It is the same today.
1765 Earlier Great Britain had fought two wars trying to keep control of what was then called the English colonies or present day United States. First it was the French and Indian War that lasted about 7 years and then there was Pontiac’s Rebellion that lasted two more years. These years of conflict had put Great Britain in a big need of cash. They had already added a “Sugar Tax” to the colonists to try to recoup some of their expenses. The “Sugar Tax” essentially was buried in tax on molasses which the men colonists used to make Rum which was an essential part of their lives and they were not going to do without it. England was still in need of even more cash to pay the English soldiers and mercenaries they had stationed in the colonies so they came up with a “Stamp Act” which was enacted on this date. What this abomination did was tax each and every document in the colonies including newspapers. Well, since there was no rum involved the colonists, men especially raised almighty hell. They threatened the tax collectors, burned their houses down among other things. The tax collectors finally said “to hell with it” and stopped trying to collect. The Stamp Act was the beginning of the colonists complaining about “taxation without representation” which was the prelude to the Revolutionary War. With the failure of the Stamp Act, England still was hurting for money so they instituted the “Tea Tax”. It was then that those wild and crazy guys, The Sons of Liberty emptied three British ships of their tea into Boston harbor later called the “Boston Tea Party”. England was not pleased and we all know what happened next.
1952 For reasons known only to the United States military industrial complex, on this date the United States detonated history’s first thermo-nuclear device on the island/atoll of Eniwetok in the central Pacific. The United States military felt it was necessary to develop the most powerful nuclear weapon as soon as possible after the Russians detonated a bomb similar to the Hiroshima device in 1948. The father of the Hiroshima bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer and several other nuclear physicists pled with the United States to not pursue the development of thermo-nuclear weapons because all it would do is initiate an arms race because the Russians would soon follow suit, and they were right. The Eniwetok device was 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb. There is no telling what is out there today. I read about the device known as “Bravo” that was detonated in the Bikini atoll, also in the central Pacific that had a “yield” of 50 megatons (50 millions of tons) of TNT. Think about that ya’ll, the Hiroshima bomb had a “yield” of kilotons (hundreds of tons) of TNT. Everyone should keep in mind the devastation that can be inflicted by what has been called “A scorpion in a bottle”. Once it is out, look out.
1924 Earlier William Tilghman was born in a small town in Iowa in 1854. He was a rather rambunctious youth and moved west at the age of 16. He fell in with a group of bad-asses who began stealing horses from the Indians. That proved to be a bad move by having the Indians on your ass. Billy decided that being chased by the Indians was not a smooth move so he gave up rustling and moved to Dodge City, Kansas where he briefly was a deputy marshal before buying a saloon. He was arrested twice for alleged train robbery and rustling but the charges did not stick. Slowly but surely he became one of the most trusted and respected lawmen in America. He was universally known as “Uncle Billy”. He was especially intolerant of people that took the law into their own hands including lynch mobs and broke up more than one mob and saw to the prosecution of the mob leaders. I read a story about him going to a cabin way back in the wilderness where four bank robbers were holed up. He was alone and attacked the cabin single handed and after a roaring gunfight was able to bring in all the robbers to jail by himself. “Uncle Billy” was a hell of a lawman. He finally moved to Oklahoma City and became a state legislator and at times a deputy sheriff. He never retired; it seemed that “Uncle Billy” loved his profession. He accepted a job as city marshal in Cromwell, Okla. and was killed trying to arrest a drunken prohibition agent. Let me repeat that, he was killed trying to arrest a drunken prohibition officer.
1950 A few weeks before President Harry Truman and family had moved out of the White House and into Blair House just a few doors away. The White House had been closed for re-modeling. On this day Harry and Bess were up on the second floor of the Blair House and heard a commotion down on the front steps including gunshots. After things had settled down Harry goes down to find out what happened. It seems that two assassins had tried to break into the house looking for Harry. One of the assassins was killed and one secret service agent was killed also. The two assassins were Puerto Rican nationalist bent on killing Truman even though Harry was an advocate of Puerto Rican autonomy but apparently these guys wanted Puerto Rico to become a separate nation even though the people of Puerto Rico had voted twice to maintain a commonwealth status with the United States. When Harry was asked about it he said: “Presidents have to expect events like that.” The surviving assassin was tried, convicted and sentenced to death but good old Harry in an act of kindness commuted his sentence to life imprisonment.
Born today:
1860 US Senator (Pa) Boies Penrose. He said “Public Service is the last refuge of the incompetent.” This guy was a US Senator so he must know what he is talking about.
1955 US lecturer Dale Carnegie. He said “Any fool can complain, criticize and condemn, and most do.”
1886 German writer Hermann Broch. He said “The world has always gone on the road to madness to travel a tiny bit on the road to reason.”
1944 US songwriter Kinky Freidman. He said “I even tried being a Baptist once, until I found out they did not hold them under long enough.”
Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow
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