Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Lies And Damn Lies




____________________


Why do I feel like changing the channel to watch old movie reruns every time President Obama or John Kerry appears on my TV screen? It might be because of a personal vision defect, the overlaying and complete obliteration of the face of each of those speechifiers is the gigantic word...

LIAR

I suppose I should see an optometrist.

_____

speechify
verb
To give a speech: "In Washinton, cabinet secretaries pose and speechify."


liar
noun
a person who has lied or lies repeatedly.


____________________





Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Politics... Yuck!



____________________

The Sunday morning news shows were even more disappointing than usual. The popular candidates who are running for president in the next election (more than a year from now) were interviewed and spouted their well-rehearsed litany of lies and verbal deceptions.

The speaker of the house repeated a part of his previous performance tearfully depicting again his pitiful papal piety.

(There is something wrong with the above sentence but I'm not sure what it is.)

(smile)

It's probably because it makes it seem as if I give a damn.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

African Grey Parrots have vocabularies of over 200 words.

_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1964, the Warren Commission, investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, issued its report, stating its conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman. This conclusion was supported by prior investigations carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Secret Service, and Dallas Police Department.


_____


WORD FOR TODAY

cogent [KO-juhnt]
adjective
1. intellectually convincing
2. (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing.
synonyms: compelling, effective.

_____


CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS


(born September 27, 1934)

Wilford Brimley is an American actor. He has appeared in such films as The China Syndrome, Cocoon, The Thing and The Firm. He had a recurring role on the 1970s television series The Waltons. Brimley has also done television advertisements, including for the Quaker Oats Company and Liberty Medical.


(born September 27, 1972)

Gwyneth Paltrow is an American actress. Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as the psychological thriller Seven, and the period drama Emma. Following starring roles in the romantic comedy-drama Sliding Doors and the thriller A Perfect Murder, she garnered worldwide recognition through her performance in Shakespeare in Love. Paltrow has portrayed supporting, as well as lead roles, in films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Royal Tenenbaums, Shallow Hal, and Proof. 


(born September 27, 1958)

Shaun Cassidy is an American television producer, screenwriter, and former singer-actor. He is the eldest son of singer-actress Shirley Jones and singer-actor Jack Cassidy. His older half-brother is singer-actor David Cassidy.


(born September 27, 1970)

Tamara Taylor is a Canadian television actress. Her most famous role is that of Dr. Camille Saroyan, head of the Forensic Division, on the forensic crime drama Bones.

__________




Saturday, September 26, 2015

Politics



____________________


As Donald Trump might someday query,
"Is this the face of your next president?"



_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1960, for the first time in U.S. history, a debate between major party presidential candidates was shown on television. The presidential hopefuls, John F. Kennedy, a Democratic senator of Massachusetts, and Richard M. Nixon, the vice president of the United States, met in a Chicago studio to discuss U.S. domestic matters.

Kennedy emerged the apparent winner from this first of four televised debates, partly owing to his greater ease before the camera than Nixon, who, unlike Kennedy, seemed nervous and declined to wear makeup.

Nixon fared better in the second and third debates, and on October 21 the candidates met to discuss foreign affairs in their fourth and final debate. Less than three weeks later, on November 8, Kennedy won 49.7 percent of the popular vote in one of the closest presidential elections in U.S. history, surpassing by a fraction the 49.6 percent received by his Republican opponent.

video

_____


Did You Know . . .?

In eastern Africa you can buy beer brewed from bananas. Banana beer is an alcoholic beverage made from fermentation of mashed bananas. Sorghum, millet or maize flour are added as a source of wild yeast.

source


_____

WORD FOR TODAY

discursive
adjective
1. digressing from subject to subject.
"students often write dull, secondhand, discursive prose"
2. rambling, lacking order (The professor’s discursive lectures seemed to be about every subject except the one initially described.)
synonyms: rambling, digressive, meandering, wandering


CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS


(born  September 26, 1948)

Olivia Newton-John is an English-born Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. She has sold an estimated 100 million records, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time. She starred in Grease, which featured one of the most successful soundtracks in Hollywood history.


(born September 26, 1956)

Linda Hamilton is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Sarah Connor in The Terminator film series and Catherine Chandler in the 1987–1990 television series Beauty and the Beast, for which she was nominated for two Golden Globes and an Emmy. Hamilton had a recurring role as Mary Elizabeth Bartowski on NBC's Chuck.


(Sept 1932 - Jan 1, 2015)

Donna Douglas was an American actress and singer, known for her role as Elly May Clampett in CBS's The Beverly Hillbillies (1962–1971).


(Sept 26, 1926 - Oct 18, 2000)

Julie London was an American jazz and pop singer, actress and a former pinup model. She was noted for her smoky, sensual husky voice and languid demeanor. She released 32 albums of pop and jazz standards during the 1950s and 1960s, with her signature song being the classic "Cry Me a River", which she introduced in 1955.

__________



Friday, September 25, 2015

More Superstitious Nonsense



____________________


At my age (76) I suppose it is natural for my mind to touch upon those things that will be done to my corpse after I have no more use for it... me being dead, you know.

While I don't really care what happens to my remains after death, I find it distasteful to imagine that any silly superstitious ritual or stupid symbolism be attached to my passing away... such as a funeral ora burial in the ground.

Why do we bury the dead in the ground? Well, I went to the trouble of looking up and reading about the subject:

Burial of the dead in the ground has been traced back over 100,000 years of civilization as evidenced by the Grave of Qafzeh in Israel, a group tomb of 15 people buried in a cave along with their tools and other ritual artifacts. The earliest grave uncovered thus far in Europe is that of the `Red Lady of Wales' which is 29,000 years old.

Early people believed that if a person was not buried properly that person could return as a ghost to haunt the living. There are some feeble-minded humans living now who still believe it.

I hope that after I die I will not be buried in the ground. I hope to be cremated and my ashes disposed of without ceremony.

Not that I really give a crap, though.

_____


Did You Know . . .?

The ampersand today is used primarily in business names, but that small character was once the 27th part of the alphabet.
source:

_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1957, under escort from the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, nine black students entered all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Three weeks earlier, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus had surrounded the school with National Guard troops to prevent its federal court-ordered racial integration. After a tense standoff, President Dwight D. Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent 1,000 army paratroopers to Little Rock to enforce the court order.
_____


WORD FOR TODAY

sybaritic
adjective
fond of sensuous luxury or pleasure; self-indulgent.
"their opulent and sybaritic lifestyle"
synonyms: luxurious, extravagant, lavish, self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking

_____


William Cuthbert Faulkner 
(Sept 25, 1897 - July 6, 1962)

William Faulkner was an American writer and Nobel Prize laureate from Oxford, Mississippi. Faulkner wrote novels, short stories, a play, poetry, essays, and screenplays. He is primarily known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, based on Lafayette County, Mississippi, where he spent most of his life

__________




Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Pope



____________________

DRAT!

ABC News replaced Jeopardy with coverage of the Pope arriving in New York City, and only returned control to Alex Trebek after the first 17 minutes had been lost to posterity... and me.

DRAT, DRAT, and DOUBLE DRAT!

_____



I read somewhere that Lena Dunham was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder as a child, and continues to take a low dose of an antidepressant to relieve her anxiety. Of course, I don't know if that's a fact or not.

_____


WORD FOR TODAY

fiat [FEE-aht]
noun
1. an authoritative decree, sanction, or order: a royal fiat.
2. a fixed form of words containing the word fiat, by which a person in authority gives sanction, or authorization.
3. an arbitrary decree or pronouncement, especially by a person or group of persons having absolute authority to enforce it:
The king ruled by fiat.
Synonyms: authorization, directive, ruling, mandate.

_______________




Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Feeble Fables And Fictional Fantasy



____________________


It was an exceedingly poor day for those who depend on the TV cable news shows for their daily entertainment.Those long and boring shows are filled with fantastic scenes featuring the pope and his henchmen (his accomplices) who perpetuate the stupid and silly superstitious nonsense that is the Catholic Church.

It was an extremely poor day for actual news watching. One finds oneself relegated to the little channels, the second rate carriers of bad originals and surprisingly interesting reruns.

I watched some of these oldies:

Judge Judy


The People's Court
with Judge Marilyn Milian
Originally Judge Wapner


and  various other such... like:

Justice For All
with Judge Mablean.


_____


Did You Know . . .?

Koala fingerprints are nearly identical to human ones. They’re so similar that even trained experts using a microscope have trouble telling them apart.

_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1875, Billy the Kid was arrested for the first time after stealing a basket of laundry. He later broke out of jail and roamed the American West, eventually earning a reputation as an outlaw and murderer and a rap sheet that allegedly included 21 murders.

Billy the Kid went by a variety of names throughout his life, including Kid Antrim and William Bonney.

_____


WORD FOR TODAY

conflagration
noun
great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.)

_____


CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS


(born September 23, 1959)

Jason Alexander is an American actor, comedian, director, producer, singer, and writer. Alexander is best known for his role as George Costanza on the sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998).


Sept 23, 1215 - Feb 18, 1294)

In 1271, Kublai established the Yuan dynasty, which ruled over present-day Mongolia, China, Korea, and some adjacent areas, and assumed the role of Emperor of China.


September 63 BC - 19 August 14 AD

Augustus Caesar was the founder of the Roman Empire and its first Emperor, ruling from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.

__________



Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Monday, September 21, 2015

Rainy Day



____________________


I wanted so much to walk this morning. I really did. But it was raining when I got up at about 6:30 A.M. and continued raining all day, until around 4 this afternoon. It is still cloudy at this time (4:30 P.M.).

Oh well...
______________




Friday, September 18, 2015

Climate Change



____________________


Climate Change?

Climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time (i.e., decades to millions of years). Climate change may refer to a change in average weather conditions, or in the time variation of weather around longer-term average conditions.


People cannot stop Climate Change.

Climate Change is a force of nature.

__________




Thursday, September 17, 2015

Ebonics



____________________

According to Wikipedia: "The word Ebonics was originally coined to refer to the language of the African Diaspora. Since the mid-1990s, it has been used colloquially to refer to a distinctive lect, or variety, of English spoken by African Americans, which most linguists refer to as African American Vernacular English."

Ebonics seems to encompass more than simply pronouncing the word 'ask' as 'ax'. Nowadays, one or more of the following words or phrases used as a prologue or afterword,  or even an interjection, is now evidently recognized as being correct usage of American-English grammar.

basically...
you know...
know what I mean?...
know what I'm sayin'?...

And such political correctness stinks.

On the subject of grammatical correctness:

I noticed that in last night's first debate (for the JV), Senator Lindsey Graham seemed to be the only one of the GOP candidates to have adopted President Obama's decision to recognize the appellation ISIL instead of the more common ISIS. Does that say something about Lindsey Graham?

No... perhaps not.
_____

Did You Know . . .?

When lightning strikes it can reach up to 30,000 degrees celsius, which is 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1849, Harriet Tubman made her first escape from slavery in Maryland with two of her brothers.

Tubman and her brothers, Ben and Henry, escaped from slavery the first time on September 17, 1849 but were recaptured. Soon afterward, Tubman escaped again, this time without her brothers.

source:
_____

WORD FOR TODAY

nescience [NESH-uh ns, NESH-ee-uh ns]
noun
1.lack of knowledge; ignorance.
2. agnosticism.
3. a formal or literary word for ignorance

__________



Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Writing Advice



____________________

Wherever the law is, crime can be found.
--Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The Atlantic has a feature they call ENTERTAINMENT BY HEART containing much advice on the many aspects of writing. I have read several of the articles, and even though I do not agree with all the advice offered by the authors being interviewed, I feel that I have gained quite a bit of new and valuable knowledge.

Now if I can only retain a portion of what I have read.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

Each time you see a full moon you always see the same side. If the Moon didn't spin at all, then eventually it would show its far side to the Earth while moving around our planet in orbit. However, since the rotational period is exactly the same as the orbital period, the same portion of the Moon's sphere is always facing the Earth.
_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 1928 The Okeechobee Hurricane formed and began crossing through the Bahamas. Due to preparations, minimal damage or loss of life occurred, with 18 fatalities reported.

Then, early on September 17, the storm made landfall near West Palm Beach, Florida with winds of 145 mph. In the city, more than 1,711 homes were destroyed.  There were more than 4079 fatalities.

_____

WORD FOR TODAY

abomination [uh-bahm-uh-NEY-shuh n]
noun
1. anything abominable; anything greatly disliked or abhorred.
2. intense aversion or loathing; detestation.
3. a vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.

__________



Tuesday, September 15, 2015

OLD AND WORN OUT



____________________


Estoy Cansado



__________




Monday, September 14, 2015

The Concept Of Prayer



____________________

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
--Mark Twain


The Folly Of Prayer

Is prayer ever answered? Of course not. In fact, religious and philosophical objections to the very study of prayer's efficacy exist. Many interpret Deuteronomy 6:16 "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test"to mean that prayer cannot, or should not, be examined.


The fact is, God never answers any prayers. The entire idea that "God answers prayers" is an illusion created by human imagination.

source:

"But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?"
--Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens
(Mark Twain)

_____

I have been paying attention to some of the words being bandied about by some of the interviewed GOP candidates and it seems to me that their high-flown rhetoric contains many 50-cent words, of which the actual meaning they quite evidently do not correctly comprehend.

One of those words is:

existential [eggz-is-TEN-shul]
adjective
1. of or relating to existence.
2. concerned with existence, especially human existence as viewed in the theories of existentialism.
3. (of a proposition) affirming or implying the existence of a thing.

Existentialism is a term applied to the work of certain late 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject -- not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual.

Søren Kierkegaard is generally considered to have been the first existentialist philosopher, though he did not use the term existentialism. He proposed that each individual -- not society or religion -- is solely responsible for giving meaning to life and living it passionately and sincerely ("authentically").

Existentialism


"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." 
--Mark Twain
_____


Did You Know . . .?

Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs.

Ingestion of macadamia nuts by dogs has been associated with a nonfatal syndrome characterized by vomiting, ataxia, weakness, hyperthermia, and depression. Dogs are the only species in which signs have been reported.

_____


WORD FOR TODAY

apparatchik [ah-pah-RAH-chik]
noun
1. a member of a Communist apparat
2. an official or bureaucrat in any organization


"I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it."
--Mark Twain
__________



Sunday, September 13, 2015

Fact, Fiction, Etc.



____________________


I had a somewhat lengthy commentary prepared for today, but then I read it and deleted the entire thing.

It would have branded me in the eyes of female readers as a misogynist and an idiot.

It would have revealed me to many of the docious masses as being a bigot -- and an idiot.

To one or two intelligent readers it might have struck them as having been funny.

I think I might lighten up on blogging and return to fiction writing.

_____


WORD FOR TODAY

docious [DO-shus]
adjective
docile, amenable to order

_____

Did You Know . . .?

goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light

_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in history, the Attica Prison riot occurred at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York, United States in 1971. This riot is one of the most famous and important riots during the Prisoners' Rights Movement. The riot was based upon prisoners' demands for political rights and better living conditions. On September 9, 1971, two weeks after the killing of George Jackson at San Quentin, about 1,000 of the Attica prison's approximately 2,200 inmates rioted and seized control of the prison, taking 42 staff hostage.

__________



Saturday, September 12, 2015

What Is This Thing Called Faith?



____________________

Dr. Ben Carson is a member of and believer in the SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH.

Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as the only source of their beliefs. They consider their movement to be the result of the Protestant conviction Sola Scriptura -- the Bible as the only standard of faith and practice for Christians.

They believe that God Creates. From neurons to nebulae, DNA to distant galaxies, we are surrounded by wonder. Yet the beauty is broken.

Read more...

ALSO:

The SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH believes that "Jesus, both by example and by command, showed that the seventh day, Saturday, is still the Sabbath. It’s a truth as obvious as the earth moving around the sun."

So, it seems to me, the SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH declares that other Christian organizations who honor Sunday are wrong, and that they are not following the commandment to Remember The Sabbath Day To Keep It Holy.

Evidently Dr. Carson believes it, too.



Not that I care a fig.

_____


All the true Millennial wants is a nice car, fancy clothes, a willing sex-partner, and eating out at expensive restaurants.

millennial
noun
A person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000.

_____


Did You Know . . .?

The longest recorded flight of a chicken was 13 seconds.

_____


HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day in 2013, NASA's Voyager 1 space probe made history by advancing past the solar system, becoming the first man-made object to reach interstellar space.


_____


WORD FOR TODAY

conundrum [kuh-NUN-druhm]
noun
1. a confusing and difficult problem or question.
2. a question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer; a riddle.
3. puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a constant conundrum.)

__________