Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Lies And Damn Lies




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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.

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


liar
noun
a person who has lied or lies repeatedly.


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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Politics... Yuck!



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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.

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Did You Know . . .?

African Grey Parrots have vocabularies of over 200 words.

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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.


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WORD FOR TODAY

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

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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.

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Saturday, September 26, 2015

Politics



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



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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

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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


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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.

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Friday, September 25, 2015

More Superstitious Nonsense



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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.

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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:

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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.
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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

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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

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Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Pope



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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!

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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.

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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.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Feeble Fables And Fictional Fantasy



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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.


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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.

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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.

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WORD FOR TODAY

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

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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.

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