21 August 2014

Thoughts on THORSDAY...
Why yes, it IS nearing the weekend, and yes, I finally got me a DVD (under $10 bucks, too) of the movie "THOR", and with the weekend comes a lot more "Summer" in our weather.
Today will follow in step with yesterday (somewhat), and that means less sunshine with highs in the mid-80s, and toss in plenty of humidity coming along for the ride which that will make it feel more like the tropics than the Midwest, but hey, it IS August, right?
Oh, and we might have a very good chance of some "stormy weather" (break out the vinyl and sing along).
Now, I've got my cup of java, so you go get something you prefer and together we'll take a look at what's been going on elsewhere in this crazy world.
*** First out of the broom closet is the answer to yesterday's WHO SAID THAT? quote of the week:
"There comes a time when deceit and defiance must be seen for what they are. At that point, a gathering danger must be directly confronted. At that point, we must show that beyond our resolutions is actual resolve."
This was spoken by none other than Dick Cheney (born 30 Jan, 1941) who was our 46th V.P.
And here is his WIKI:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney
His lineage goes back to 17th century America and  although he was born in Lincoln Nebraska, his family moved to Casper Wyoming (former Momma Fargo territory) where he attended Natrona County High school.
He went to Yale, but had trouble adjusting to college life and failed out TWICE.
He later attended the Univ. of Wyoming, and earned a Bachelor of Arts and a master of Arts in political science.
Having been arrested in 1962 and 1963 for DWI, he decided he was on a bad path and turned from such behavior. In 1964, he married his high school sweetheart, Lynne Vincent.
I'll leave it up to all of you to read further about his life both in and out of politics.
Suffice it to say, that although he might not have been the best student, he certainly was no quitter, and that mindset extended far into his later life and times.
Hell, I'd go hunting with him...lol.
Moving on...
*** Next up is the daily edification for the month of August that we've come to know as:
"What the hell happened today, Bob?"
August 21:
1770 – James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.
1831 – Nat Turner leads black slaves and free blacks in a rebellion.
1863 – Lawrence, Kansas is destroyed by Confederate guerrillas Quantrill's Raiders in the Lawrence Massacre.
1883 – An F5 tornado strikes Rochester, Minnesota, leading to the creation of the Mayo Clinic.
1897 – Oldsmobile, a brand of American automobiles was founded.
1911 – The Mona Lisa is stolen by a Louvre employee.
1944 – Dumbarton Oaks Conference, prelude to the United Nations, begins.
1959 – United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs an executive order proclaiming 
Hawaii the 50th state of the union. Hawaii's admission is currently commemorated by Hawaii Admission Day
1968 – James Anderson, Jr. posthumously receives the first Medal of Honor to be awarded to an African American U.S. Marine.
1979 – Soviet dancer Alexander Godunov defects to the United States.
1992 – Ruby Ridge Standoff in Idaho
2013 – Hundreds of people are reported killed by chemical attacks in the Ghouta region of Syria.
NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS:
1904 – Count Basie, American pianist, composer, and bandleader (Count Basie Orchestra) (d. 1984)
1906 – Friz Freleng, American animator, director, and producer (d. 1995)
1924 – Chris Schenkel, American sportscaster (d. 2005)
1924 – Jack Weston, American actor (d. 1996)
Look, ma...NO tatts!
1936 – Wilt Chamberlain, American basketball player and coach (d. 1999)
1938 – Kenny Rogers, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor 
(The New Christy Minstrels and The First Edition)
MMmmmmm
1944 – Jackie DeShannon, American singer-songwriter
1951 – Harry Smith, American journalist
1954 – Archie Griffin, American football player
Mmmm...mmmm
1956 – Kim Cattrall, English-American actress and producer
And more MMmmmmm
1967 – Carrie-Anne Moss, Canadian actress
1980 – Paul Menard, American race car driver
And DITTO again...
1989 - Hayden Panettiere, American actress and singer
Age is supposed to be JUST a number, right?
And, today is NATIONAL SENIOR CITIZENS DAY in America.
(great, something ELSE to make ME feel older...just what I need...lol)
*** The Ferguson media fiasco seems to be winding down a bit more with each day...let's wait until the funeral of Michael Brown before we call it over and done, though.
Muse be getting "bored"...nothing left to loot.
I'd wager a resurgence of "bad behavior" will rear it's head again.
It was nice to see that a lot of other people thought along the lines as what I said when I mentioned the manner in which the governor spoke to a "vigorous prosecution" of the police officer.
A real "oops" moment.
He (Gov. Nixon) walked that bugger back REAL fast...he may have just misspoke, but words are funny that way...once they come out, you can;t call 'em back...
Kinda like BULLETS from a gun, hmm?
Anyone that says that words do NOT have power is a fool.
"Words are the enunciation of truth" - another quote from V For Vendetta.
At least the police didn't have to dodge bullets, bottles, rocks and the occasional Molotov from angry rioters.
There continues to be a good number of arrests, however, with a MAJORITY of them being people NOT from Ferguson...imagine that.
I thought they were ALL good boys?
Sure makes me wonder why ALL the other deaths of young black males gets NO (or little) press...oh, wait...that's because those blacks are being killed by OTHER BLACKS...nothing to see there, right?
Not hardly... mankind, the ONLY species on the planet that exclusively chooses to PREY UPON ITSELF.
Gotta love that.
*** Last back to the hangar, and speaking of mankind...all this week is the run-up to this SATURDAY night...when BBC America will premiere the new season of one of my all-time favorite shows...
DOCTOR WHO.
And to welcome this season in, we also have a NEW "doctor"...one Peter Capaldi.
So, to get all us "Whovians" into the swing of things, BBCA has been airing episodes with the last two doctors, David Tennant and Matt Smith...practically 24/7 (time out for news now and then).
If you woke up nice and EARLY today, you got to see the final episode of David Tennant and the changeover (regeneration) into Matt Smith.
All twelve of them.
Having been a fan since the mid-70s, when it first came to the local PBS station in Philly (WHYY), I've been captivated by the show, the characters and plots...yeah, I got hooked REAL fast, even if PBS showed the episodes in 8 minute "blocks" all week.
Later on, PBS aired episodes in their entirety, as the show caught on like crazy over here (it was an "import" during those days). Even got to meet a few cast members from the show at various conventions, when they used to have GOOD ones in Philly.
And, during one Halloween, I dressed up as Tom Baker's doctor (a curly wig and very long scarf helped) and my buddy was a very convincing "Master" (another Time Lord with evil intent). I miss those days.
So, I've been in "WHO-HEAVEN" this week...kinda view it as a nice birthday gift of sorts.
From The Day of the Doctor special.
And, through all those episodes, and incarnations of the Doctor, and through all those wonderful stories, there comes a marvelous mythology to it.
The hero's journey becomes OUR journey (through the eyes of his companions), and many of the plots have to do with staying true to oneself, doing what is right, even f it seems wrong to everyone else, never giving in or giving up, and always a case of good defeating evil...classic mythology...with very cool special effects.
Sure would be nice to see more people LEARN from life, rather than go through the motions of existence...and yes, there IS a significant difference.
When we learn, we move forward...we become better...smarter...wiser.
And of course, the willingness to WANT to learn is a CHOICE...just as wanting to do nothing is also a choice.
But, in the end, that which we learn can be applied, can be passed on, and can be utilized to make OUR lives, as well as the lives of those around us more fulfilled...more complete...
Not a bad thing to latch onto, is it?
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there, America.

6 comments:

Momma Fargo said...

Lots of events today I didn't realize happened or needed to be reminded. LOL. Ah...you called me out, you did. Dick Cheney often fished on my land and drifted by my house. Once had a visit by Secret Service and apparently we cleared their inspection. Casper has a federal building and high school football field named after him. Although he was once loved by Wyoming as Secretary of Defense, when he became VP, he lost favor. Right now, you will not find as many that love him. As a person, I found him to be polite and professional. Don't always agree with his politics, although I am a Republican. It will be interesting to see if he can regain his popularity, but I am not sure. Sad deal. I will say the Secret Service always spoke favorably of him and one agent I worked closely with became his right hand man. Have a great day, Bob! Great post as usual!

CWMartin said...

With the Reds and A's going down the tubes as the season wears on, at least you gave me an idea for weekend TV watching...

Bob G. said...

Momma Fargo:
Hey, I still have a good memory (remembered where your old haunts were out West), and although I'm gonna be 62 tomorrow (OY, please don;t remind me further), I still have most of my marbles, too...LOL.

Glad you liked the post.

Thanks for stopping by to comment.

Roll safe down there.

Bob G. said...

Chris:
Yeah, it's certainly not those halcyon days when BOTH the A's and the REDS were on top of their game (and divisions).
Kinda miss that.

However, BBCA has got THEIR bases covered with the "WHO-A-THON".
Check their schedule for all the goodies.
Take it from someone who (on some days) feels as OLD as the Doctor...it's got something for everyone.

Thanks for swinging by to comment.
Stay safe up there, brother.

Slamdunk said...

You cover lots of ground today… It was hard to feel sorry for Gov. Nixon in that he is an attorney (one strike), a Dem (two strikes), and he had lot of time to plan and reflect before he uttered the words that has gotten him in so much trouble (3 strikes, he is out).

I had to look up PFC Anderson Jr.'s CMH citation to read about it. Wow, I wish people talked about and remembered more of heroic efforts like his rather than what this musician or that actor is doing this week. We'd be a much better country if we had different priorities.

Stay safe.

Bob G. said...

Slamdunk:
--Nixon did put his foot in it...up to his WAIST...lol.
Love to see guys like this backtrack it, too.
--Yep, we NEED to remember men of honor like James Anderson...especially during Black History Month.
(you'd think that it would be a black man and NOT an old white guy like ME that finds this out...right?)
Thanks for stopping by to comment.
Much appreciated.

Stay safe out there.