Nobody Knows Thr Trouble I See

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

178 pounds

At times I feel it necessary to repeat that this blog is meant to be a sounding board for whatever stray thought enters my mind at the time of writing. It is not really a vessel for serious dissertations on important items or incidents of a serious nature, but such things might occasionally appear. Quite by accident, I assure you. Each blog entry is in the form of a rough first draft, edited only for mistakes in basic grammar and spelling.

I do not consider myself to be more than average in intelligence and in most cases I appear to be nearly moronic in my personal conclusions concerning social issues and those everyday things that everybody knows.

But I am somewhat stubborn. I try to report my inner thoughts honestly... and every day.


Modern Education In The United States of North America

Twenty-first century universities do not actually teach but instead program using an indoctrination process which results in "an impairment of autonomy, an inability to think independently, and a disruption of innate beliefs and unacceptable affiliations."  -- See brainwashing.

Professors are no longer able to allocate sufficient time to deliver instructional lectures, but primarily imprint authority-acceptable social mores onto receptive minds and only secondarily do they impart more than the basic fundamentals of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

And the recipients pay dearly for it.

But, you might say, that is just one opinion.

Of course it is. Why would I declaim an opinion contrary to my own?

Another name for indoctrination is brainwashing. Another is mind control. Any of those three appellations has become an acceptable substitute for the former discipline once labeled 'teaching.'

I do not expect the above to be taken literally and accepted by the reader. It never has been in the past when I have broached the subject and spoken of it in these terms. But I decided to once again repeat it here. And I have done so.

To prove that this indoctrination of youth is somehow wrong is not my intention. How can I know if doing so is not perhaps the best, or at least the most effective method of transferring knowledge or needed skills from professor to student? I cannot.

But I can certainly pass on my suspicions.

After all, this is my blog.

To be continued . . .

_____

Did You Know . . .?

Kissing activates many mechanisms in the brain that help to lower stress levels and boost mood.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1776, future first lady Abigail Adams wrote to her husband urging him to "remember the ladies" when drafting a new "code of laws" for the fledgling nation. A prolific letter writer, Abigail never hesitated to debate her husband on political matters. She begged Adams to draft laws that were "more generous and favorable" to women than his predecessors had. She half-jokingly claimed that "all men would be tyrants if they could" and pointed out the glaring hypocrisy of male Patriots fighting against British tyranny if they should disregard the rights of half the population when drafting a constitution. Abigail warned "if particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice, or Representation."

However, like their predecessors, Adams and his contemporaries failed to make codifying women's rights a priority. It was not until 1919 that Congress amended the Constitution to grant women the right to vote.

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WORD FOR TODAY

redemption
noun
1,  an act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake.
2.  deliverance; rescue.
3.  Theology . deliverance from sin; salvation.
4.  atonement for guilt.
5.  repurchase, as of something sold.

Theology:
Redemption is a religious concept referring to forgiveness or absolution for past sins or errors and protection from damnation and disgrace, eternal or temporary, generally through sacrifice. Redemption is common in many world religions, including Indian religions and all Abrahamic religions, especially in Christianity and Islam. In Judaism, redemption refers to God redeeming the Israelites from their various exiles. This includes the final redemption from the present exile. As a Christian theological term, redemption refers to the deliverance of Christians from sin. It assumes an important position, however, only when the ills in question form part of a great system against which human power is helpless. In Buddhist theology, it encompasses a release from worldly desires.
--Wikipedia

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Christopher Walken

(born March 31, 1943

Christopher Walken is an American actor, screenwriter, and director who has appeared in more than 100 films and television shows, including The Deer Hunter, Annie Hall, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Catch Me If You Can, and Seven Psychopaths, 

Rhea Jo Peerlman

(born March 31, 1948)

Rhea Pearlman is an American actress, best known for her role as Carla Tortelli on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won four Emmy Awards.

Richard Chamberlain

(born March 31, 1934)

Richard Chamberlain is an American stage and screen actor and singer, who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare (1961-1966). Since then, he has appeared in several mini-series such as Shogun (1980) and The Thorn Birds (1983), many successful films, performed classical stage roles and worked in the musical theatre.

Jessica Karen Szohr

(born March 31, 1985)

Jessica Szohr is an American actress. Szohr began her screen career starring on television shows such as CSI: Miami and What About Brian. She gained recognition in 2007 with her breakthrough role as Vanessa Abrams on The CW series Gossip Girl. She most recently appeared in the 2010 horror film Piranha 3D, the 2011 comedy I Don't Know How She Does It, and the 2013 film The Internship.

__________

Hell is yourself and the only redemption is when a person puts himself aside to feel deeply for another person.
--Tennessee Williams

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

Guest Blogger 3-30-14

     

Offline

I'm back!! Thought you got rid of me, I'm sure. And where have I been? Well, now, there's a tale there...

"We found this, sir," offered the young policeman, holding out a tattered blue notebook. "Where the computer apparently was is empty; nothing but random wires connected to nothing,  a dead monitor, and a mangled keyboard."

"Thank you, Officer Salazar." Bill took the notebook and thumbed through it. "Her writing?"

"We think so, sir. We'll have an analyst look at it... and decipher it."

Bill raised one eyebrow and then tried to read a line or two. "I see. Take it to them now and ask them to get right on it, would you?"

     *         *         *         *

   
Several days later, Bill dropped by the analysis lab and picked up the notebook and the transcription.
   
"Don't read it alone, boss," said a tech as Bill signed out for the two pieces of what might someday be evidence. "Scary stuff, that."
   
Bill chuckled and waved a reassuring hand at the tech.
   
After an uneventful shift and a lonely dinner, Bill sat down to read some of the mystery notebook. What had happened to the woman who lived in that house and why was the desk empty?

   
Offline, Day 1: Tuesday
   
The day after the night of decision. An evening spent backing up, notifying, preparing. The computer won't always boot up, so I decided to put it in the shop on my terms. All the precautions taken -- as prepared as possible.
   
I backed up the system on Monday; sent email to everyone who might be concerned by silence.


Bill wondered briefly if he could get a list of the email addresses somewhere, then discarded the thought. If there'd been a backup in the house, they'd have found it.

   
Tuesday morning the computer was packed up and sent off.
   
Or so I thought.
   
Actually, Harry took it to Gene's, where they determined the keyboard to be the problem - - or at least part of it.
   
Tuesday night we bought a new keyboard and hooked up the computer again.
   
It booted up just fine... for about six times.
   
So I backed up my email and prepared to send the computer in on Wednesday -- again.

Offline, Day 2: Wednesday
   
For the second day in a row, I packed up my computer and sent it off for service. How will I ever live without email?

Offline, Day 3: Thursday
   
Life is glorious and living without email is easier than I thought. I'm catching up on my television and my reading.

Offline, Day 4: Friday

I can't believe how much I'm getting caught up with. I have big plans for the weekend -- half my time catching up on television (a whole overflowing drawer of tapes) and half in housework. I've made a list!

Offline, Day 5: Saturday
   
The day flew by! I got so much done on the house it was surprising. Clean counters are something I'm getting to like, as well as having the use of my kitchen table.

Offline, Day 6: Sunday
   
More television than house today, but I'm pleased with my progress.
   
I miss my email. I miss WordPerfect more. Writing in this book is laborious work for me.

Offline, Day 7: Monday
   
It's been almost a week from the first try at putting the computer in the shop. I hadn't realized how much I use it. My time. Time is attacking me. Trying to kill me. Lying in wait. Lurking.
   
It's almost a week.
   
Time.

Offline, Day 8: Tuesday
   
I want to call. Want to check. See when.
   
The space where the computer was haunts me.

Offline, Day 9: Wednesday
   
The house is cleaner. The empty countertops mock me. I sleep in; go to bed early.
   
The phone rings. Gene. The Web site says the estimate for the computer's return is three weeks out.
   
Fine.
   
I'm fine.

Offline, Day 10: Thursday
   
How can you check a Web site to see about the status of your computer when you don't have a computer to check with?

Offline, Day 11: Friday
   
I don't need it. See? I can quit anytime....
   
I can.

Offline, Day 12: Saturday
   
It's all such a muddle. Sometimes I feel like I'm quietly going insane and no one notices.
   
I've kept track. These notes. Like a spy mission. Mustn't let anyone know. Mustn't show it.
   

Bill noted that the next day's entry is written on a scrap of paper shoved between pages.

   
Offline, Day 13: Sunday
   
Where are they? The notes! Sanity hangs by a thread. Tenuous. Fragile. Writing keeps me sane. Where are the notes?
   
An empty desk; aimless mornings; lost nights.
   
Where are the notes?
   
Here. Here they are. Want to look? No, you can't. It's a secret. Mustn't show it.
   
Take a peek. Learn the secret.
   
Don't tell.


Bill saw a note from the tech in the corner of the next entry: [Unable to verify validity of the word Urrggg.]


Offline, Day 14: Monday
   
Urrggg.....

Offline, Day 15: Tuesday
   
Better Homes and Gardens called. They want pictures of my house. Mine! Can you believe it? Of all the plac

Offline, Day 16: Wednesday
   
I've locked myself in. Moved the furniture to block doorways. Windows. Ah, Windows! I never thought I'd miss you.
   
I'm not coming out alive. They're going to have to break in and if they do...
   
If they do, this computer is dead.
   
It won't do them any good. Bringing the guts of my old friend back won't help. The monitor, the keyboard, both will be gone. They're hostages now.


Bill closed the book. He knew what had happened after that. They'd stormed the house only to find it empty. Maybe this mystery would never be solved.


Okay, so some of it is fiction. I really do have a cleaner house and less tapes to watch. I know now how much I depend on this little electronic gadget and how hard it is for me to write with pen and paper anymore. And I know something surprising: it was the lack of WordPerfect more than email that sent me into buying a notebook computer.
   
And I know something else: it's very, very good to be back.


Copyright 2014 Michelle Hakala
http://www.winebird.com/

   

The Sun As God

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

179 pounds

The sun has been the principal subject of my thoughts lately. It is easy to understand why the ancient Egyptians and other cultures chose the sun as an object of worship, their God. They believed that the sun gave them life (which modern science says is a fact; man is made of star-stuff) and they believed that the sun was responsible for providing warmth, maintaining man's food supply, and the many other necessities, which again is a scientific fact. The sun nurtures all life, be it human, animal, or plant life.

It seems to me that if there is indeed a god, this entity could and probably would be allied somehow with our sun, and possibly perhaps is a part of a great god-complex ruling each of the billions and billions of stars. Such a mighty being would without a doubt be unconcerned with the lot of humans, or more probably would be completely unaware of their existence.

If the Earth's twenty-first century science community in partnership with a powerful (although nefarious) government agency, while using the most modern computers, someday establishes a somewhat tenuous communication with this solar God, in conjunction with a certain type of individual (a handsome, heroic man and a beautiful athletic heroine) -- then a competent writer would have a super-duper idea for a surefire blockbuster novel.

Can't help it. That's how my mind works.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

The word Homeboy goes back to the 1800s, and was used by African-Americans to refer to each other as people from back home.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1929, President Herbert Hoover has a phone installed at his desk in the Oval Office of the White House. It took a while to get the line to Hoover's desk working correctly and the president complained to aides when his son was unable to get through on the Oval Office phone from an outside line. Previously, Hoover had used a phone located in the foyer just outside the office. Telephones and a telephone switchboard had been in use at the White House since 1878, when President Rutherford B. Hayes had the first one installed, but no phone had ever been installed at the president's desk until Hoover's administration.

_____

WORD FOR TODAY

solar  [SO-luhr]
adjective
1:  of, derived from, relating to, or caused by the sun
2:  measured by the earth's course in relation to the sun: a solar year
3
a :  produced or operated by the action of the sun's light or heat: solar energy
b :  utilizing the sun's rays especially to produce heat or electricity: a solar house

_____

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Eric Idle

(born March 29, 1943)

Eric Idle is an English comedian, actor, author, singer, writer and comedic composer. Idle was a member of the English surreal comedy group Monty Python, a member of the Rutles on Saturday Night Live, and the author of the Broadway musical Spamalot.

Lucy Lawless

(born March 29, 1968)

Lucy Lawless is a New Zealand actress, activist and musician best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess. She is also widely known for her role as Number Three on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, and for the role of Lucretia on the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, its prequel Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, and its sequel Spartacus: Vengeance.

Elle Macpherson

(born 29 March, either 1963 or 1964)

Elle Macpherson is an Australian businesswoman, television host, model, and actress. She is well known for her record five cover appearances for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue beginning in the 1980s, leading to her nickname "The Body". She is also known as the founder primary model and creative director for a series of business ventures, including Elle Macpherson Intimates, a lingerie line, and The Body, a line of skin care products. In 2010, she became the host and executive producer of Britain & Ireland's Next Top Model. She is currently an executive producer of NBC's Fashion Star and was the host for the first season.

Marina Sirtis

(born 29 March 1955)

Marina Sirtis is an English-American actress. She is best known for her role as Counselor Deanna Troi on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the four feature films that followed, as well as subsequent Star Trek: Voyager episodes she starred in.

__________

Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.
--Alexander Graham Bell

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

   

Twerking In A Nuclear World

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

180 pounds

I have heard it said time and again (and again just last night) that unrestrained nuclear war would result in the destruction of the Earth. But after thinking about that for a time I realized that this statement is incorrect. In my opinion, the Earth itself would not be destroyed even by detonation of all existing nuclear weapons. While it's true that biological life could probably be eradicated, be completely wiped off the Earth by nuclear explosions and their after-effects, the physical Earth, the actual planet, (its deadliest and most rapacious enemy having been eliminated) would most likely remain.

And I am not so sure that such a result would necessarily be a bad thing, especially from the point of view of the rest of the inhabitants (if any exist) throughout the universe.

Do I really mean that?

Well . . . I am, of course, a self-admitted curmudgeon.

What do you think?

_____

Did You Know . . .?

Nikola Tesla and Mark Twain were best friends and mutual fanboys.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

At 4 a.m. on March 28, 1979, the worst accident in the history of the U.S. nuclear power industry began when a pressure valve in the Unit-2 reactor at Three Mile Island fails to close. Cooling water, contaminated with radiation, drained from the open valve into adjoining buildings, and the core began to dangerously overheat. By early morning, the core had heated to over 4,000 degrees, just 1,000 degrees short of meltdown. In the meltdown scenario, the core melts, and deadly radiation drifts across the countryside, fatally sickening a potentially great number of people. At the height of the crisis, plant workers were exposed to unhealthy levels of radiation.

_____

WORD FOR TODAY

nuclear
adjective
1.  pertaining to or involving atomic weapons: nuclear war.
2.  operated or powered by atomic energy: a nuclear submarine.
3.  (of a nation or group of nations) having atomic weapons.

The word is pronounced NOO-kleer, and even though many people (including former president George W. Bush) pronounce it noo-kyoo-luhr, this pronunciation is incorrect.

Do you like to laugh? Below is the link to a 27 second Youtube video that makes most people at least  chuckle.

Nuclear or nukyouuluhr

Does it matter how a word is pronounce as long as the audience knows what you mean by the word?

Probably not.


By the way, the Oxford English Dictionary has added a new word:

twerk

Definition of twerk: Dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.

Miley Cyrus Popularizing Twerk

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn

(born March 28, 1970)

Vince Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer, comedian and activist. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers. He has since appeared in a number of films, including Rudy, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Return to Paradise, Old School, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Wedding Crashers, The Break Up, Fred Claus, Couples Retreat, The Watch and The Internship. 

Conchata Galen Ferrell

(born March 28, 1943)

Conchata Ferrell is an American actress. She is best known for playing Berta the housekeeper in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 2005 and 2007.

Gareth David-Lloyd

(born 28 March 1981)

Gareth David-Lloyd is a Welsh actor best known for his role as Ianto Jones in the British science fiction television programme Torchwood.

Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

(born March 28, 1986)

Lady Gaga is an American recording artist, activist, and actress. Gaga is recognized for her flamboyant, diverse contributions to the music industry. As of November 2013, she had sold an estimated 24 million albums and 125 million singles worldwide and her singles are some of the best-selling worldwide. She was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine. Outside of her musical career, she is a prominent LGBT activist.

__________

Re: nuclear:
Besides Bush, at least three other presidents -- Eisenhower, Carter, and Clinton -- have mangled the word.
--William Safire

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

   

Religion -- The Epitome Of Horror

    

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

Sometimes I am wrenched away from my usual serenity by an image that defies belief. This happened to me recently while I was browsing the web in search of material for my blog. I found it, but I'm not sure I am happy about it. Wouldn't you know that it is particularly horrifying, and of course, it concerns religion.

In the above photo (taken in Saigon on June 11, 1963), Thich Quang Duc, age 67, is “protesting” by means of self-immolation. Duc was protesting against the Roman Catholic persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam’s Ngo Dinh Diem’s Roman Catholic administration. The Catholic and corrupt regime had cracked down on practicing Buddhists by banning the flying of the traditional Buddhist flag; prohibiting Buddhists from exercising the same religious freedoms as Catholics; and the detainment of Buddhist monks and nuns. Ironically, in a land that was 95 percent Buddhist, Diem was the leader the United States financially and militarily supported as President of South Vietnam (1954-63) – obviously one of the many mistakes the United States made during war, and clearly one of the big reasons why the National Liberation Front (aka Vietcong) was able to gain support.
--From Teach Not Preach

Now you'd think that I would want to maintain my hard won sense of serenity at all costs. To do that, I realize that I must avoid excessive tension and known stress related subjects. I guess I am just what they call a glutton for punishment since I often go out of my way to condemn the animalistic rage and the downright judgmental and horrific violence that radical religion engenders and condones.

Joke: Why can’t Jesus eat M & M’s? Answer: He has holes in his hands.

I read that in another entry in the same Teach Not Preach blog that I linked to above.

Is it funny?

I think so.

But the school's principal and its superintendent, during the meeting that the teacher who told the joke to his class was being reprimanded in, sternly told him that religion was entirely "off-limits."

So much for a sense of humor.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

Males receive, on average, 63 percent longer sentences than females for the exact same crime.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves use of the drug Viagra, an oral medication that treats impotence. Sildenafil, the chemical name for Viagra, is an artificial compound that was originally synthesized and studied to treat hypertension (high blood pressure) and angina pectoris (a form of cardiovascular disease). Chemists at the Pfizer pharmaceutical company found, however, that while the drug had little effect on angina, it could induce penile erections, typically within 30 to 60 minutes.

Viagra's massive success was practically instantaneous. In the first year alone, the $8-$10 pills yielded about a billion dollars in sales. To date, over 20 million Americans have tried it, and that number is sure to increase as the baby boomer population continues to age.

_____


WORD FOR TODAY

energy
noun
1.  intensity or vitality of action or expression; forcefulness
2.  capacity or tendency for intense activity; vigour
3.  vigorous or intense action; exertion

In physics, energy is one of the basic quantitative properties describing a physical system or object's state. Energy can be transformed (converted) among a number of forms that may each manifest and be measurable in differing ways. The law of conservation of energy states that the (total) energy of a system can increase or decrease only by transferring it in or out of the system.
--Wikipedia

_____

 

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Michael York
(born March 27, 1942)

Michael York is an English actor. Following his role on British TV as Jolyon (Jolly) in The Forsyte Saga (1967), York made his film debut as Lucentio in Zeffirelli's The Taming of the Shrew (1967), then was cast as Tybalt in Zeffirelli's 1968 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. He also starred in the film, The Guru (1969). He played an amoral bisexual drifter in the film Something for Everyone (1970) opposite Angela Lansbury. He then went on to portray the bisexual Brian Roberts in Bob Fosse's film version of Cabaret (1972), opposite Liza Minnelli. In 1977, he reunited with Zeffirelli as John the Baptist in Jesus of Nazareth.

Elizabeth Mitchell
(born March 27, 1970)

Elizabeth Mitchell is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dr. Juliet Burke on ABC's TV series Lost and as FBI agent Erica Evans on V. She has starred in such films as The Santa Clause 2, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, and Gia. Mitchell currently co-stars in Eric Kripke's television series Revolution, airing on NBC.

David Janssen
(Mar 27, 1931 - Feb 13, 1980)

David Janssen was an American film and television actor who is best known for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in the television series The Fugitive (1963–1967). Janssen also had the title roles in three other series, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Harry O, and O'Hara, U.S. Treasury.

Mariah Carey
(born March 27, 1969 or 1970)

Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and philanthropist. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, Carey came to prominence after releasing her self-titled debut studio album Mariah Carey in 1990; it went multiplatinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

__________

Life is short and truth works far and lives long: let us speak the truth.
--Arthur Schopenhauer

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

    

Is It O.K. To Give Up Liver For Lent?

    

 

 

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

As difficult as it may be to believe, I have nearly reached the age of 75 and until I (a couple days ago) looked it up I had little knowledge of the reiigious meaning of 'Lent.' Even though I had heard the word mouthed about for all those years, I never felt inspired to learn about it. To me, it was just one of those Roman Catholic rituals that some priest back in ancient times formulated to strengthen the church's hold on the masses of ignorant peasants that obediantly prostrated themselves to curry favor with the God that the church created in order to threaten and frighten them into obeying their (the priest's) commandments.

Now I am becoming educated in the ways and supposed beliefs of the Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Cardinals, Bishops, Popes, and other holy entities. I have learned that: Lent is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar of many Christian denominations that begins on Ash Wednesday and covers a period of approximately six weeks before Easter Day.

And I now know that the traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial. Also, its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the tradition and events of the New Testament beginning on Friday of Sorrows, further climaxing on Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday, which ultimately culminates in the joyful celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As hard as it is for me to swallow, during Lent, many of the faithful commit to fasting or giving up certain types of luxuries as a form of penitence. Many Christians also add a Lenten spiritual discipline, such as reading a daily devotional, to draw themselves near to God. The Stations of the Cross, a devotional commemoration of Christ's carrying the Cross and of his execution, are often observed.

And that isn't all... many Roman Catholic and some Protestant churches remove flowers from their altars, while crucifixes, religious statues, and other elaborate religious symbols are often veiled in violet fabrics in solemn observance of the event.

To top that off, throughout Christendom, some adherents mark the season with the traditional abstention from the consumption of meat, most notably among Roman Catholics.

As I remember it, the Catholic families I knew in the mid to late 1940s when I was a raggedy ruffian running wild throughout the shabby neighborhoods of my small hometown were all horrified at the thought of eating meat on any Friday. Fish was all right though.

Another thing I recently learned is that Lent is traditionally described as lasting for forty days, in commemoration of the forty days which, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, where he endured temptation by the Devil.

So now I should no longer be happy and proud to me an ignorant skeptic. Now I have been delivered of The Word.

Hallelujah!

Now I know about Lent.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

Almost 70,000 thoughts hit the mind of an average human every day.
(Note: How in the hell could they have made such  measurements?)

_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1872 an earthquake felt from Mexico to Oregon rocked the Owens Valley in California, killing 30 people. Given the reach of this quake -- people hundreds of miles away in Tijuana, Mexico, felt the shaking -- it is estimated that it had a magnitude of 7.8.

Explorer and scientist John Muir, the man who was instrumental in the establishment of Yosemite National Park, was working as a caretaker at Black's Hotel in the area at the time and witnessed the destruction of the famed natural landmark Eagle Rock.

For the next two months, there were literally a thousand aftershocks, though none were deadly.

_____

WORD FOR TODAY

relativity
noun
1. 
  a :  the quality or state of being relative
  b :  something that is relative
2
  the state of being dependent for existence on or determined in nature, value, or quality by relation to something else
3.
  physics: a theory developed by Albert Einstein which says that the way that anything except light moves through time and space depends on the position and movement of someone who is watching.

_____

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

 

 

Leonard Simon Nimoy
(born March 26, 1931)

Leonard Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, singer and photographer. Nimoy is best known for his role of Spock in the original Star Trek series (1966–1969), and in multiple film, television, and video game sequels.

Sandra Day O'Connor
(born March 26, 1930)

Sandra Day O'Connor is a retired United States Supreme Court justice, and in 2013 was listed as a NAFTA adjudicator. She served as an Associate Justice from her appointment in 1981 by Ronald Reagan until her retirement from the Court in 2006. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Court.

Clinton Richard Dawkins
 (born March 26, 1941)

Richard Dawkins is an English ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and writer. He came to prominence with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, which popularised the gene-centred view of evolution and introduced the term meme. Dawkins is an atheist and  is vice president of the British Humanist Association. He is well known for his criticism of creationism and intelligent design. In his 1986 book The Blind Watchmaker, he argues against the watchmaker analogy, an argument for the existence of a supernatural creator based upon the complexity of living organisms. Instead, he describes evolutionary processes as analogous to a blind watchmaker.

Amy Lysle Smart
(born March 26, 1976)

Amy Smart is an American film and television actress and former fashion model. Her first film role was in director Martin Kunert's film Campfire Tales, followed by a small role as Queenie in the 1996 rendition of John Updike's short story, "A&P." She had a minor role in the 1997 film Starship Troopers as the co-pilot for (and friend of) Carmen Ibanez (Denise Richards). She had a starring role in the mini-series The 70s, playing a young woman from Ohio. In 1999, Smart played the girlfriend of a popular American football player (played by James Van Der Beek) in the film Varsity Blues.

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"When you are courting a nice girl, an hour seems like a second. When you sit on a red-hot cinder, a second seems like an hour. That's relativity."
--Albert Einstein

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More On Truth, Beauty, and Nakedness

    

 

 

Tucson Weather Today

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Truth that is naked is the most beautiful, and the simpler its expression the deeper is the impression it makes.
--Arthur Schopenhauer

 

Arthur Schopenhauer also said: "There is nothing an author should guard against more than the apparent endeavor to show more intellect than he has; because this rouses the suspicion in the reader that he has very little, since a man always affects something, be its nature what it may, that he does not really possess. And this is why it is praise to an author to call him naive, for it signifies that he may show himself as he is. In general, naivete attracts, while anything that is unnatural everywhere repels. We also find that every true thinker endeavors to express his thoughts as purely, clearly, definitely, and concisely as ever possible. This is why simplicity has always been looked upon as a token, not only of truth, but also of genius. Style receives its beauty from the thought expressed, while with those writers who only pretend to think it is their thoughts that are said to be fine because of their style. Style is merely the silhouette of thought; and to write in a vague or bad style means a stupid or confused mind."

I could not have said it better.

I am not certain that I know what the concept of 'intellect' actually is. When I listen to the conversations (in TV interviews) of supposedly intellectual giants or read the often incomprehensible works of authors of great reknown I am prone to adjudge that my intellect is apparently inferior to those of most of the educated people currently living alongside me on Planet Earth.

But then, after a series of mighty struggles, when to my satisfaction I finally decipher the words of these highly admired worthies, and come to understand what insights they are offering, I find that I usually disagree with their complex conclusions, sometimes wholeheartedly.

Many of their perceptions and judgments are slightly erroneous, others glaringly incorrect, often (in my opinion) being discerned from preconceived notions and beliefs, especially those based on the influence of a misguided acceptance of religious dogma.

Let me say that I agree with some of what Schopenhauer seems  (to me) to be expressing. Such as: There are, first of all, two kinds of authors: those who write for the subject’s sake, and those who write for writing’s sake. The first kind have had thoughts or experiences which seem to them worth communicating, while the second kind need money and consequently write for money.

I must admit though, that much of Schopenhauer's actual (not merely probable) meaning continues to elude me. But as always, I intend to persevere.

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Did You Know . . .?

There is a building in London that reflects the sun so perfectly, it literally melts cars.

(Note: Even I find this hard to believe.)

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1967, The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., led a march of 5,000 antiwar demonstrators in Chicago. In an address to the demonstrators, King declared that the Vietnam War was "a blasphemy against all that America stands for." King first began speaking out against American involvement in Vietnam in the summer of 1965. In addition to his moral objections to the war, he argued that the war diverted money and attention from domestic programs to aid the black poor. He was strongly criticized by other prominent civil rights leaders for attempting to link civil rights and the antiwar movement.

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WORD FOR TODAY

flocculent
adjective
1.  Having a fluffy or woolly appearance.
2.  Chemistry Made up of or containing woolly masses.
3.  Zoology Having a soft, waxy, and wool like covering, as certain insects.

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

 

 

Elton Hercules John
(born March 25, 1947)

Elton John is an English singer-songwriter, composer, pianist, record producer, and occasional actor. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date. In his five-decade career John has sold more than 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world.

Sarah Jessica Parker
(born March 25, 1965)

Sarah Jessica Parker is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City (1998–2004). She played the same role in the 2008 feature film based on the show, Sex and the City: The Movie, and in its sequel, Sex and the City 2.

Bonnie Bedelia Culkin
(born March 25, 1948)

Bonnie Bedelia is an American actress known for her roles in the action films Die Hard and Die Hard 2, as well as the courtroom drama Presumed Innocent. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe award for Heart Like a Wheel. As of 2010, she is starring in the NBC series Parenthood.

Gloria Marie Steinem
(born March 25, 1934)

Gloria Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s. A prominent writer and key counterculture era political figure, Steinem has founded many organizations and projects and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. She was a columnist for New York magazine and co-founded Ms. magazine.

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Intellect is invisible to the man who has none.
--Arthur Schopenhauer

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Spending Time Wtih Eva Again

    

Tucson Weather Today

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I am back out here in the country with Eva for the week. Well, till Thursday, anyway. I wonder what kind of mischief the two of us can find to get ourselves into.

You know, I have been accused (by readers of this blog) of seeing women as sex objects, probably because I so often post the female birthday photos either in the nude or arranged in sexually suggestive poses. Well, duh! I admit it; I do see women as sex objects. Good Grief! That's because I am a normal, healthy, heterosexual male. That doesn't mean that I am not able to simultaneously perceive superior women in any other pose, as a female who is accomplished in her chosen field, or as a deep-thinking, creative and worthwhile intellectual.

Jeez!

Let's look at Sandra Bullock. . .

 

Wow!

 

Yes, I see her as a sex object, a highly attractive female that any healthy heterosexual male human being would desire to have sex with. But I also see her as a tremendously talented actress (or am I suppose to say actor?) And, having watched and listened to her attentively while she was being interviewed by Charlie Rose, I believe she is an extremely intelligent woman.

Again, Jeez!

'Nuff said.

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Random Images

 

A Somewhat Startling Visual Encounter

 

Tucson, Arizona  March 24, 2014

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Did You Know . . .?

Abraham Lincoln patented a type of flat bottom boat that he used to transport goods down river. He is the only U.S. President to obtain a patent.

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HISTORICAL EVENT

On March 24, 1958, Elvis Presley was inducted, starting his day as the King of Rock and Roll, but ending it as a lowly buck private in the United States Army. Elvis would be granted leave in August to attend to his mother on her death bed. Gladys Presley passed away on August 16, 1958, and four weeks later, Elvis shipped out to Germany.

There would be other huge changes in Elvis's life during his two years in the Army. He would meet a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu while in Germany, and he would watch while a new crop of teen idols (The Beatles, etc.) took over the limelight on the U.S. pop scene.

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WORD FOR TODAY

heterosexual
adjective
1. Sexually oriented to persons of the opposite sex.
2. Of or relating to different sexes.
noun
A heterosexual person.

Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between persons of opposite sex or gender in the gender binary. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectionate, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex"; it also refers to "a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions.". The term is usually applied to humans, but it is also observed in all mammals.
--Wikipedia

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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

James Joseph "Jim" Parsons
(born March 24, 1973)

Jim Parsons is an American actor. He is best known for playing Sheldon Cooper on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory, with his performance often cited as a significant reason for the program's success. On May 23, 2012, an article in The New York Times noted that Parsons is gay and had been in a relationship for the last ten years.

Kelly LeBrock
(born March 24, 1960)

Kelly LeBrock is an American-born English actress and model. Her acting debut was in The Woman in Red co-starring with comic actor Gene Wilder. She also starred in the films Weird Science, directed by John Hughes, and Hard to Kill, with Steven Seagal.

Terence Steven "Steve" McQueen
(Mar 24, 1930 - Nov 7, 1980)

Steve McQueen was an American actor. Called "The King of Cool", his "anti-hero" persona, developed at the height of the Vietnam War-era counterculture, made him a top box-office draw of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Sand Pebbles. His other popular films include The Thomas Crown Affair, Bullitt, The Getaway, and Papillon, as well as the all-star ensemble films The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and The Towering Inferno.

Lara Flynn Boyle
(born March 24, 1970)

Lara Flynn Boyle is an American actress. She is best known for her performances as Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks and Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in The Practice. She has also appeared in films such as Happiness and Men in Black II.

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A bunch of liberals wanted to outlaw men gazing at women because the gaze was said to objectify women. Sorry, liberals, it can't be helped among the heterosexual crowd.
--Rush Limbaugh

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