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'Let's face it, writing is hell."
--William Styron
It was cloudy with lots of rain here on the East side yesterday, with several downpours in the late morning and then nearly hourly all afternoon. Good news for all who live in the Tucson area, even with the episodes of flooding on the roads from the various washes. The rains from the monsoon are always needed.
Eva, I'm sure would wholeheartedly disagree. The wet weather puts a severe crimp in her aggressive bouts of bug chasing around the pool. Trapped inside, between tug-o-war competitions and ball retrieval she succumbs to the lure of multiple naps, while I catch up on my TV watching.
I noticed that the movie I commented on a couple days ago (From The Ashes) would be showing again, and believe it or not, I sat through it for a second time. And I'm glad I did. Whether it's my degraded hearing or perhaps merely the tendency of my attention to momentarily wander off at times, I inadvertently miss some of the important details. A second (and sometimes a third or fourth) viewing enlightens me further.
Even though I missed my usual episode of Jeopardy. I'm glad I re-watched it.
When it was over, I also watched the next scheduled film, Sling Blade.
Sling Blade is a 1996 American drama film set in rural Arkansas, written and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the lead role. It tells the story of a man with a developmental disability named Karl Childers who is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old, and the friendship he develops with a young boy. In addition to Thornton, it stars Dwight Yoakam, J. T. Walsh, John Ritter, Lucas Black, Natalie Canerday, James Hampton, and Robert Duvall.
Sling Blade
Although I have seen this movie several times over the years, I watched it again.
No regrets.
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Did You Know . . .?
President John Adams and President Thomas Jefferson died within 5 hours of one another on July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of independence.
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HISTORICAL EVENT
On November 9, 1989, masses of East and West Germans alike gathered at the Berlin Wall and began to climb over and dismantle it. As this symbol of Cold War repression was destroyed, East and West Germany became one nation again, signing a formal treaty of unification on October 3, 1990.
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WORD FOR TODAY
mediation
noun
1. the act of mediating; intercession
2. (Law) an attempt to reconcile disputed matters
3. a method of resolving an industrial dispute whereby a third party consults with those involved and recommends a solution which is not, however, binding on the parties
Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution, a way of resolving disputes between two or more parties with concrete effects. Typically, a third party, the mediator, assists the parties to negotiate a settlement.
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CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
(born August 13, 1926)
Fidel Castro is a Cuban communist politician and revolutionary who served as Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces from 1959 to 2008, and as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from 1961 until 2011.
(born August 13, 1964)
Debi Mazar is an American actress known for her starring role in the Cooking Channel series, Extra-Virgin. She is also known for her recurring role as press agent Shauna Roberts on the HBO series Entourage.
(born August 13, 1959)
Danny Bonaduce is an American former child actor. Bonaduce became famous as a child actor of the 1970s on the sitcom/television series The Partridge Family.
(born August 13, 1962)
John Slattery is an American actor best known for his role as Roger Sterling on AMC's series Mad Men.
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"In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity."
--Albert Einstein
NASA TV
