State Of The Union, Authors, Etc.

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

George Will has a quite interesting column in The Washington Post concerning the State of the Union message and a few related items.

At one point he writes:
"Obama probably also will urge measures to increase college enrollments. The Center for College Affordability and Productivity reports that about 48 percent of those college graduates who are employed are occupying jobs that the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests require less than a four-year college education. Thirty-seven percent are in jobs that require no more than a high-school diploma, and about 5 million are in jobs that require less than a high-school education. About 14 percent of waiters and waitresses, 16.5 percent of bartenders, 18 percent of telemarketers and 24.6 percent of retail salespeople-- not including the 14.5 percent of counter and sales clerks -- have college degrees."

The political exhibitionism of the State of the Union


Another Post article:

Five myths about the State of the Union address

_____

J.D. Salinger,

Author of Catcher In The Rye

Jerome David Salinger

died on this day

Jan. 27, 2010

_____

I recently read a book review by  William H. Pritchard in The Weekly Standard regarding Jack London.

From this review I learned that during his brief life of 40 years, Jack London, produced 50 books, 200 short stories, and 400 nonfiction pieces on varied subjects. A critic says of The Call of the Wild (1903) that London "had found in the canine species the selfless unconditional love celebrated in the Christian concept of agape."

Now, to me, that is an interesting fact followed by a thought-provoking conjecture.

The Ice Palace - Jack London’s thousand words a day.

_____

Did You Know . . .?

In ancient Greek mythology, Zeus decided to wipe out mankind by flooding the Earth. The world was repopulated by a man and a woman who survived the flood by building an ark.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On this day, January 27 in1967 a launch pad fire during Apollo program tests at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killed astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chafee. An investigation indicated that a faulty electrical wire inside the Apollo 1 command module was the probable cause of the fire. The astronauts, the first Americans to die in a spacecraft, had been participating in a simulation of the Apollo 1 launch scheduled for the next month.

The Apollo program was initiated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) following President John F. Kennedy's 1961 declaration of the goal of landing men on the moon and bringing them safely back to Earth by the end of the decade. The so-called "moon shot" was the largest scientific and technological undertaking in history. In December 1968, Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to travel to the moon, and on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin Jr. walked on the lunar surface. In all, there were 17 Apollo missions and six lunar landings.

_____

WORD FOR TODAY

agape  [ah-GAH-pay]
noun
1.  Love that is spiritual, not sexual, in its nature.
2.  Christianity Love as revealed in Jesus, seen as spiritual and selfless and a model for humanity.

_____

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Patton Oswalt

(born January 27, 1969)

Patton Oswalt is an American stand-up comedian, writer, actor and voice actor known for roles such as Spencer Olchin in the sitcom The King of Queens and for voicing Remy in the film Ratatouille. Oswalt is an atheist, and has referenced his atheism in his comedy specials, No Reason to Complain, Feelin' Kind of Patton, My Weakness is Strong, and Finest Hour.

Bridget Jane Fonda

(born January 27, 1964)

Bridget Fonda is a former American actress. She is known for her roles in such films as The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, It Could Happen to You, and Jackie Brown. She also provides the voice for Jenna in the 1995 animated feature film Balto. She took on cameo roles in projects until 2002, and has not appeared in films since then. She is the daughter of Peter Fonda, niece of Jane Fonda and granddaughter of Henry Fonda.

Donna Reed

(Jan 27, 1921 - Jan 14, 1986)

Donna Reed was an American film and television actress. With appearances in over 40 films, Reed received the 1953 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Lorene Burke in the war drama From Here to Eternity. She is also well known for her role as Mary Hatch in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1946). She worked extensively in television, notably as Donna Stone, an American middle class mother in the sitcom The Donna Reed Show (1958–1966).

Miriam "Mimi" Rogers

(born January 27, 1956)

Mimi Rogers is an American film and television actress. Her notable film roles include Gung Ho (1986), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), and Desperate Hours (1990). She garnered the greatest acclaim of her career for her role in the religious drama, The Rapture (1991). Rogers has since appeared in Reflections on a Crime (1994), The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996), Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997), Lost in Space (1998), Ginger Snaps (2000), The Door in the Floor (2004), and For a Good Time, Call... (2012). Her extensive work in television includes Paper Dolls (1984), Weapons of Mass Distraction (1997), The Loop (2006–2007), and recurring roles on The X-Files (1998–1999) and Two and a Half Men (2011–present).

__________

 "Read what you like because you like it, never to pretend to admire what you did not."
--Leslie Stephen

NASA TV

This Is Who I Am

   

To Mars And Beyond?

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

A pair of woodpeckers have built a nest inside a hole they pecked in a Saguaro cactus out on the back deck a few feet west of the swimming pool. There are some cheeping chicks inside the cactus. I took about a dozen shots of the parents entering and leaving the nest. But they are cautious and they are fast.

My task was made more difficult because Eva does not want any birds in her territory, and she growls and roars out her loudest and most bass snarls and barks whenever they fly near. I suppose I could have left her inside while I took the pictures, but that would hurt her feelings terribly. And I try not to do that to her.

I got one pretty good one, though. I cropped it and posted it below.









The Science Channel (SCI) is presenting a series on the upcoming mission to Mars. It is titled MARS RISING and it comprises several hours of documentary style programming describing all the dangers and challenges that might arise to plague the astronauts on their long, long journey.

I watched the first three fascinating hour-long episodes.

I suppose I am the eternal pessimist, but it seems to me that the perils, both known and unknown, are too numerous for such a journey to succeed. And human beings, no matter how proud and intrepid, are still just that... 'human beings.'

If astronauts ever do survive a trip to Mars and if they then succeed in finding indications pointing to the possibility of biological life having once been able to inhabit the planet, then beyond this 'possibility' remains the fact that biological life is no longer capable of surviving on Mars. And we already knew that before Man began the trek.

What would have been gained?

_____

TRIVIA

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

On June 5 in 1968 Senator Robert Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by the 22-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan.

Senator Kennedy died a day later.

Sirhan, who was born in Palestine, confessed to the crime at his trial and received a death sentence on March 3, 1969. However, since the California State Supreme Court invalidated all death penalty sentences in 1972,

Sirhan has spent the rest of his life in prison.


More details  . . .

_____

WORD FOR TODAY

intrepid
adjective
Resolutely courageous; fearless.

_____

 

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg
(born June 5, 1971)

Mark Wahlberg is an American actor, producer, model, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as frontman with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Wahlberg is well known for his roles in films such as Fear (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Three Kings (1999), The Perfect Storm (2000), Planet of the Apes (2001), Rock Star (2001), The Italian Job (2003), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Four Brothers (2005), The Departed (2006), Invincible (2006), Shooter (2007), Max Payne (2008), The Lovely Bones (2009), The Fighter (2010), Date Night (2010), Ted (2012), Pain & Gain (2013) and Transformers 4 (2014). He has also served as the executive producer of the TV series Entourage, Boardwalk Empire, and How to Make It in America.

 

 

Susan Lynn "Suze" Orman
(born June 5, 1951)

Suze Orman is an American author, financial advisor, motivational speaker, and television host. Orman was born in Chicago and received her B.A. in social work. She worked as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch. In 1983 she became the vice-president of investments at Prudential Bache Securities and in 1987 founded the Suze Orman Financial Group. Her program The Suze Orman Show began airing on CNBC in 2002. In 2006 she won a Gracie Award for Outstanding Program Host on the The Suze Orman Show on CNBC. She has written several books on the topic of personal finance.

Bill D. Moyers
(born June 5, 1934)

Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the Johnson administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public television, producing documentaries and news journal programs. He has won numerous awards and honorary degrees. He has become well known as a trenchant critic of the U.S. media. Since 1990, Moyers has been President of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy.

 

 

Mary Kay Bergman
(June 5, 1961 - November 11, 1999)

Mary Kay Bergman, credited on the first season and the first half of the second season of South Park as Shannen Cassidy, was an American voice actress and animation voice-over teacher.

Bergman had previously acted in plays in high school and also studied theater at UCLA. In 1989, she began voicing the Disney character Snow White and is now perhaps best known for her roles in South Park, which she voiced from its 1997 debut until her death, and The Fairly Odd Parents. She also did voice work for over 400 television commercials.

__________

For the wise man looks into space and he knows there is no limited dimensions.
--Lao Tzu
    

Overweight, Obesity, And Natural Gullibility

     

Tucson Weather Today

____________________

We here in the United States have been indoctrinated by the food industry, aided by those loosely associated with that industry, the chefs, the TV cooking show personalities, and the profiteering charlatans who claim to know the secrets of vitamins, nutrition, and gastronomical health. The indoctrination to which I refer is the unquestioned absoluteness of the notion that the only food that should be eaten is food that has been prepared for consumption by enhancing that food's flavor or adding other elements to create additional pleasant flavors to the food being prepared.

This, to me, makes no sense. One of the most prevalent maladies in the United States is reported to be obesity. What is the most probable reason for this? I would guess that it is the ubiquitous practice of pleasure-seeking overeating. Why do obese people continue to eat more (much more) food than their bodies  actually need, and often much more than they actually want to eat?

Why?

Because it tastes so damned good. That's why. If a little bit is good, then more has to be even better.

And yet Rachael Ray, the once perky (now porky) queen of the popular daytime cooking show continues to prepare tubs and overflowing  platters of yummy, delicious, flavor-filled foods before your very eyes each weekday. And proclaims them to be healthy and nutritious.

And yet, Martha Stewart (no longer svelte and fetching) teaches you How To Bake by whipping up Cakes and Pastries loaded with tons of butter, cream, sugar, and wheat flower. And declares it to be luscious... and soooo good.

And yet, Lidia Bastianich (large and larded Italian Mama) graces the PBS television screen with recipes filled with high-calorie, high-fat, delicious food, And delicious wines.

To be fair, all of the above showmen (show-people?) appear to be cooking for a huge crowd and, of course, expecting you, the viewer, to eat only a small, normal, sensible portion of the sumptuous spread they've shown you how to prepare and present to your friends and families.

And you will. You, being the strong-willed, intelligent, in-charge person that you are, you will treat yourself to only a tiny piece of that sweet, creamy cake with the butter creme frosting.

Sure, you will.


How much do I weigh, now, at age 74? My weight varies between 172 and 175 pounds.

How much should I weigh?

Well, I felt pretty well when I weighed 160 pounds, back in 2008, 2009, and 2010... and even better a few years back when I averaged 150 pounds for about ten years. And I felt GREAT during the early to middle 1980s, when I weighed between 145 to 150 pounds.

That's about as well as I can describe myself relative to body weight.

I would like to get my weight down to somewhere between 150 and 160 pounds. Maybe I will start recording my daily weight here on the blog. And perhaps a record of my daily food intake -- what I eat, and how much of it. And eschewing, of course, all added sugars, all wheat products, and as few fats as possible.

I'll think about it.

_____

TRIVIA

Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space because passing wind in a spacesuit will damage it.

_____

HISTORICAL EVENT

Some 35 U.S. states declared it to be Bob Hope Day on this day, May 29, in 2003, when the iconic comedic actor and entertainer turned 100 years old. Hope died on July 27, 2003, less than two months after his 100th birthday celebration.

_____

WORD FOR TODAY

gastronomy
-  the art or science of good eating
-  culinary customs or style

Gastronomy is the art of food eating. It is also the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine. One who is well versed in gastronomy is called a gastronome, while a gastronomist is one who unites theory and practice in the study of gastronomy.

_____

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy
(May 29, 1917 - Nov, 22, 1963)

John F. Kennedy, often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his death in 1963.

After military service as commander of the Motor Torpedo Boats PT-109 and PT-59 during World War II in the South Pacific, Kennedy represented Massachusetts' 11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953 as a Democrat. Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Senate from 1953 until 1960. Kennedy defeated Vice President and Republican candidate Richard Nixon in the 1960 U.S. presidential election.

At 43 years of age, he is the youngest to have been elected to the office, the second-youngest President (after Theodore Roosevelt), and the first person born in the 20th century to serve as president. A Catholic, Kennedy is the only non-Protestant president, and is the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize. Events during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and early stages of the Vietnam War.

Annette Carol Bening
(born May 29, 1958)

Annette Bening is an American actress. Bening is a four-time Oscar nominee for her roles in The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia, and The Kids Are All Right, winning Golden Globe Awards for the latter two films.

Bob Hope
(May 29, 1903 - July 27, 2003)

Bob Hope was an English-born American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer, dancer, author, and athlete who appeared on Broadway, in vaudeville, movies, television, and on the radio. He was noted for his numerous United Service Organizations (USO) shows entertaining American military personnel; he made 57 tours for the USO between 1942 and 1988. Throughout his long career, he was honored for this work. In 1996, the U.S. Congress declared him the "first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces."

Over a career spanning 60 years (1934 to 1994), Hope appeared in over 70 films and shorts, including a series of "Road" movies co-starring Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour. In addition to hosting the Academy Awards fourteen times, he appeared in many stage productions and television roles, and was the author of fourteen books. He participated in the sports of golf and boxing, and owned a small stake in his hometown baseball team, the Cleveland Indians. He was married to his wife, fellow performer Dolores Hope for 69 years.

Danielle Riley Keough
(born May 29, 1989)

Riley Keough is an American model and actress. She is the daughter of singer/songwriter Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough and the eldest grandchild of Elvis and Priscilla Presley.

__________

Gluttony is not a secret vice.
--Orson Welles