Welcome
- October 8, 2019
- International Octopus Day 2019
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Today begins International Cephalopod Awareness Days with it's kick off event, International Octopus Day.
A cephalopod is a mollusk of the class Cephalopoda, such as an octopus or squid. These animals are typically on the go all the time and remain a predatory species in their food chain.
Octopus specimens are said to be extremely intelligent and can squeeze through minute openings compared to their body size to gain access to areas you wouldn't think they could. All of the specimens with which I have ever interacted were marine animals and they are truly interesting to observe with their characteristic behaviors and awareness of their surroundings.
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- October 7, 2019
- Fox News Channel Anniversary
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Well ... I mark the anniversary of the Fox News Channel which has managed to be one of the few bastions of objective reporting left in the broadcast journalism world whereby the bulk of the main stream media are controlled by their libtard puppet masters and they blindly pursue their agenda with the lack of character that all entails.
The Fox News Channel began broadcasting in 1996 and I find the fact that I must turn to them for fair and unbiased reporting along with the One America News Network, Judicial Watch, The Daily Wire, The National Review, Townhall and others to be somewhat disconcerting.
Objectivity in the mainstream media is a fleeting commodity.
Particularly when journalists I once knew and respected like Craig Melvin who once was at WIS TV moved to NBC at Rockefeller Center and spouted off obviously fake news like the rest of those indolent lemming party line liars which populate that network ... misstating The President of the United States all the while claiming to quote him. Even in the presence of numerous circulating video clips to the contrary.
So happy anniversary, Fox News Network.
I appreciate you and I follow you in my continual pursuit of the truth in journalism unavailable from Craig Melvin and the rest of the NBC fake news broadcasting libtards.
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- October 6, 2019
- Fighting over Brother Stuff
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I was watching reruns of The X Factor UK and there was a young man named Christian Burrows who came in and started singing his personal spin on an old standard Take Me Home Country Roads when Simon stopped him and inquired regarding the song then requesting another. Afterwards he sang a song that he wrote in tribute to his younger brother who had passed a few years back.
While I was listening he mentioned various aspects of family life an talked about fighting over "brother stuff" and it occured to me that even though I have two brothers I never had a clue regarding 'brother stuff' and to this day I have no idea of it's meaning or implications.
The profound performance was not lost on the judges who thanked him for sharing this personal music with them and all the comments were glowingly positive throughout the judging. I feel this is a sad thing in the context of my childhood whereby I was never really close to any of my siblings and indeed we were always fighting and in retrospect things could have been a lot better between us.
Two Again
I would do anything just to be two years old again,
Imagine what we could’ve done,
Imagine what we could’ve been,
Making paper planes ’til the sun goes down,
I’d be holding your hand as you’re squeezing onto mine,
Hold on tight we shall never let go,
Remember building castles out of old lego,
Just to knock ’em down,
See it’s changed, now you’re not around,
I’m not the same but I hope you’re proud,
I wish your little face was still around,
With that cheesy smile, and them little chubby cheeks,
Imagine all the mischief we’d get up to,
Imagine us, tag team, one plus two,
Imagine all the good, bad, sad, and happy times,
Imagine all the time out, naughty step crimes,
Stay up late, watch TV we couldn’t watch,
We’d go to school, break the rules, play hopscotch,
And climb trees, chase bees, just to act tough,
And fight, fight, fight, fight over brother stuff,
And sneak out late, play football, ’til the sun goes,
My thunder buddy, I will keep you safe as you dose,
Off to sleep, bed bugs, and counting sheep,
Off to sleep, night, night, baby brother sleep,
Until we meet again, Stay safe, my friend,
And I will keep you in my thoughts ’till the very end,
My little teletubby, in the sky, with his smile,
My little thunder buddy, I will see you in a while,
I’m missing you,
Like the sun on a rainy day,
When the stars come out to play, Oh, Oh,
I miss you,
And I’m missing you,
And I want to be with you, my friend,
I just wish we could be two again.
Lyrics by Christian Burrows
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- October 5, 2019
- Remembering Rodney Dangerfield
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Rodney Dangerfield was one of those comics that tweaked my interest early on. He was one of those who 'pushed the envelope' of human acceptance in comedic performance and I noticed him early on for that reason.
Jack Roy, aka Jacob Rodney Cohen, aka Rodney Dangerfield was a versitile performer whose repetoire spanned stand-up comedy, acting, voice artistry, producing, screenwriting, music, and authorship.
He was a staple on talk shows and maintained a steady career of stand up comic engagements as well as his own brick and mortar night club. He was an inspiration and mentor to many other comedians and left this world at the pinnacle of his influence and respect in the genre. Indeed, he had a popular line "I get no respect" which populated various moments in his career when in actuality he earned the utmost repsect from his peers and his fans; of which I was one early on.
He passed this earthly existence on October 5, 2004 at the UCLA Medical Center some month and a half short of his 83rd year succumbing from complications of surgery he had undergone the previous August.
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- October 4, 2019
- World Animal Day 2019
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Sometimes I think I'm an animal. You know, a REAL animal ...
of the vicious beast variety. I know how to growl and bar my teeth. There are various maneuvers with which I am familiar which could be very compromising to another physically.
Then there is that nagging component which blows it all out of the water: conscience.
I have this compelling sense of what is right or wrong secondary to my raising. I am innundated with mores which have been there as long as I have.
That complex of ethical and moral principals was instilled into me from my parents and various others who took it upon themselves to provide guidance to me at various points in my life. These form various images which may be called "experience".
Not all of these were appreciated at the time either, but they seem to have stuck anyway.
So as an animal I have underlying characteristics which inhibit those "wild" aspects of existence.
Today is World Animal Day. It's an international observance of action for animal rights and welfare celebrated each year on October 4 and corresponds to the feast day of Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.
Yes, I have those characteristics which could be construed as quite animalistic but there is the underlying prudence from experience which suppresses those animal impulses within thereby separating me from the wilder beasts — of which I still claim to be one.
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- October 3, 2019
- Lena Headey 2019
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It's a difficult matter to set aside sheer adoration of a thespian, particularly when they play a character so dear to your heart as to supersede most other aspects of their professional existence.
Such is Lena Headey, the character actor who portrayed Sarah Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles until Fox had the absolute brain infarct of cancelling the series ... much to my disappointment and chagrin.
So it is that she went on to play a few equally memorable yet not so endearing characters such as the violent and evil Ma-Ma in the movie Dredd starring Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby.
Then of course there is her portrayal of Cersei Lannister who was equally evil and conniving as well as incestuous and power hungry as well in George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones.
Lena Kathren Headey was born on October 3rd 1973 when I was well into my 17th year pissing off the world at Richland Hospital. Her career became that of an English actress who I have followed as a matter of personal interest.
Suffice it to say that her credits are diverse and many and I hope to enjoy many more portrayals from this talented woman so dear to my heart.
Today is her birthday. Happy birthday to you !
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- October 2, 2019
- I Remember Rock Hudson
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We come to grips with our attitudes as a function of age and experience. There have been reactions to some situations which could have been better on my part. Others were satisfactory from the get go ...
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr, aka Rock Hudson was an actor whose work I followed as a fan of McMillan and Wife and a number of comedy shows from my extreme youth.
When I was working in the medical field during the 1970s and 1980s I was immersed in the AIDS epidemic which innundated the West coast clinics I worked during that timeframe.
After his passing, he was the brunt of various jokes regarding how and why he died and though I laughed at a few of them and even repeated some I now view that as a rather misguided implementation of humor that I would not repeat had it all transpired later in my lifetime.
Essentially, no person who suffered the ravages of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and those complications which typically accompanied it during those early days should ever suffer ridicule on top of everything else.
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- October 1, 2019
- October 1, 2019
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It's October 1 and the holiday season has commenced for me personally. Yes, those temperatures remain broiling but I have high hopes for a break from the heat in a week or so.
The Fiscal Year for the United States begins today.
I would wish that the democrats are defunded as the counterproductive enemies of the state they have become along with provisions to take them out along with antifa and the rest of the mess of stupidity which has become a continuing cancer upon The Republic.
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- September 28, 2019
- Karen Gaffney
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I was watching a TEDx presentation by Karen Gaffney who is a proponent of inclusion for persons with Down Syndrome and other disabilities.
This woman was as engaging a speaker as I've ever heard. She had a pleasant demeanor and relevant topics for which she made a compelling case for mainstreaming those with Downs Syndrome.
She completed a relay swim of the English Channel and performed other feats of endurance swimming prowess far beyond those of most mortals.
She is also the president of the Karen Gaffney Foundation, a non-profit organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon "dedicated to championing the journey to full inclusion for people with Down Syndrome and other disabilities".
She is a remarkable, intelligent, articulate and eloquent woman who happens to have Down Syndrome.
Her delightful and engaging presence held my attention as she spoke volumes regarding that which I simply cannot view as a disability at all given her exquisite logical thoroughness ...
I kept revisiting the thought that this woman is quite normal (whatever that is) as far as I could tell and I for one look forward to enjoying her next presentation should that moment arise for me personally.
She proved time and time again that the world is not what it once was when it comes to Down Syndrome when those affected with it prove functional on a par with the intellect of any academe you might encounter.
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- September 26, 2019
- National Good Neighbor Day 2019
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It is my opinion that I am not a good neighbor. I don't really mingle with my neighbors and check on them as likely I should. By the same token, nobody comes around checking on me either.
I'll probably be found someday passed away after an extended period due to my lack of interaction in the hood.
When I was a very young man, I would watch Fred Rogers speak of neighbors and being neighborly, the cultivation of manners, and various topics I thought to be relevant for children today.
Never having been one to impose my opinions on the raising of other people's children; my spate in the local public school system left me aghast with the reality of just how unsophisticated and ill mannered the children were in general. I also found it difficult to fathom how such stupid parents as those from which these miscreant children arose were allowed to procreate.
National Good Neighbor Day is a national holiday in the United States. It was changed from the fourth Sunday in September to September 28 in 2003.
Becky Mattson of Lakeside, Montana created National Good Neighbor Day as a day to connect with and recognize the importance of good neighbors in the early 1970s. President Jimmy Carter who should have never been elected signed a Proclamation establishing September 24, 1978 as National Good Neighbor Day, stating that it should be observed "with appropriate ceremonies and activities" on September 22, 1978.
On April 28, 2004 the Senate passed a resolution by one Montana Senator Max Baucus designating September 26 as National Good Neighbor Day.
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- September 25, 2019
- Non Breaking Up
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A "non breakup" occurs when you put away all thoughts of becoming close to another ... in the absence of any viable relationship whatsoever.
These matters trigger as mechanisms of self protection and sometimes equate to "raising shields" and other trendy froth which substitutes for reactive socialization in our 21st century schizoid world.
My personal preference is to make some decision in such matters from a standpoint of preemptive action and this has worked for me by and large for countless years ...
That pursuit being construed as more personally damaging than anything else in the mix.
So alas, all things come to an end sometimes even before they begin. I'm not one to go overboard anymore. Head over heels passed from my personality all too long ago.
Reality may be somewhat harsh but it's best to just pick up the pieces and move on when sufficient evidence exists to do so.
You can call it self realization, "coming to grips" or whatever floats your boat. I call it reality check.
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- September 24, 2019
- Remembering Dr Seuss
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When I was a child there were the works of Dr Seuss. His books were found in about every school I attended and I read each and every one to the best of my knowledge.
Theodor Seuss Geisel
March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991
I suppose they contributed to my general language skills as I have become an accomplished wordsmith in my advancing age and those were some of my earliest influences.
They likely imparted a punny effect on me as well because I have (and still do) enjoy my various play on word adventures from time to time.
Theodor Seuss Geisel a children's author who engaged in political cartoons and various illustrations as well as poetry, animation and film.
While some of his stuff was decidedly adult fare ... I was one to reject the late labels of racist upon his memory by the left and their cohort of manipulative inciters out to mould the world into some politically correct monstrosity of their liking.
I recall those books and their indigenous vocabularies draped in rhyme scheme as being a different kind of entertainment from that literature I normally consumed in those tender young elementary school years.
Dr Suess was appropriate to my life and therefore he added to my existence and I am far better for having experienced his literary acumen.
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- September 23, 2019
- Autumn Equinox 2019
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I've never had any earthshattering war stories concerning the fall equinox.
I know what it is and when it happens and always look forward to a break in the heat of Summer but that's about it.
So the most use I typically get out of it is a break from the workaday world from a standpoint of extracurricular activities such as the blog.
I suppose that the album Equinox which came out early in my Navy hitch is about my only redeeming virtue when it comes to astronomic history.
Lately we've been seeing cooler evenings and quite frankly I would just as soon have cool weather all year long; but I realize that is far from that reality of life in this area.
The first cold snap has been historically associated with "fair week" which starts next month.
In this area but I note some years the cold weather coming well after the completion of the State Fair, depending on the luck of the draw.
The Autumnal Equinox 2019 marking the astronomical first day of fall will be at 3:50 AM on Monday, September 23rd.
The forecast includes highs in the 90s for days after the event.
Since we are in the Northern Hemisphere we arrive at this moment as the Sun crosses the celestial equator going south and it happens typically on the 22nd or 23rd of September.
Seasons are opposite on either side of the Equator.
Day and night times will roughly (but not exactly) be equal.
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- September 22, 2019
- Christmas 2019 is Coming
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With the advent of the fall season and all that implies I was just approved for a week off for Christmas late last week.
Haven't really made any plans but will likely putz around close in as usual and tend to those matters in and around the home.
I'd like for the season to be somewhat more festive than usual.
It seems that festivity escapes me during the holidays because my mood is low when it should be high, light, and airy.
I'm hoping things will be different this year.
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