"Don't let it be forgot,
that once there was a spot
for one brief shining moment,
known as Camelot."

I remember it so clearly standing in line taking measured steps until we stood in front of the Mona Lisa in Washington D.C. on a cold January day in 1962; and the following year standing on the curbside on Pennsylvania Avenue waiting to see John Kennedy and President Betancourt of Argentina pass by. The draw this day for us was that Jackie was going to be with them in the open car. The two presidents were in the car, but alas no Jackie. A small disappointment indeed. But there would be other days, and other chances to see them together. These were heady days for our country and for us. We all thought we were living in a charmed time, in a charmed city, in a charmed country. We didn't know that the clock was ticking and soon those days, which would be compared to Camelot, would come to a tragic end, and the country would have to endure three murders that would change our country forever.

I remember how I felt then as if it were yesterday, I was young, I thought that it could only get better and better and anything was possible. When we as a country received those three body blows it knocked the breath out of us and an age of cynicism took it's place. It continues today, look around, listen to our leaders, brotherhood is only a word in the dictionary. Debate has become yelling contests and coming together for the common good is only a wishful thought.

The tragedy caused by those three deaths continues in our actions. It's sad.

All Aboard.

From this morning's MORNING JOE. Honesty like this you don't see often.

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This is an interesting article. It chronicles what the writer of the piece believes is a turnaround from a desire to live anonymously and away from a family environment to what is being called a localist movement. Turning away from the practice of moving the prime breadwinner here and there following promotions. American families are moving at the lowest rate since the 1940s. Read the article, it's not too long and see if you agree with it.

AND

GOP Claims Olympia Snowe Was Born in Kenya
Birthers Demand Proof of Non-Kenyan Status

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report) - Just moments after she broke with fellow Republicans and voted in favor of health care reform, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) came under fire from the GOP for allegedly lying about her nation of birth.

"This vote is going to raise suspicions, once again, that Sen. Snowe was born in Kenya," said GOP Chairman Michael Steele. "We demand that she prove, once and for all, that she is definitely not Kenyan."

Orly Taitz, leader of the so-called "birther" movement, said that Sen. Snowe's vote was "textbook Kenyan" behavior: "She's putting her tribe first."

In other news, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said he would acquire the St. Louis Rams and rename their stadium The House of Painkillers.

Limbaugh's move came after a failed bid to acquire Minnesota's NFL franchise and rename it the Minnesota Vicodins.

Elsewhere, the Rev. Moon married 10,000 people, putting him slightly ahead of Liza Minnelli. More here.

A BLUR IS NOT ALWAYS JUST A BLUR



There were a bunch of guys in the nineteenth century who painted landscapes that ended up looking somewhat like this, one of which was the famous Van Gogh. Van Gogh painted fields of wheat and crows that looked blurred, but was his impression of what he saw. I once read where he was near sighted and without correction that is indeed what it would have looked like to him.

But on a recent trip through Pennsylvania, among other pictures taken and which were much clearer, came this blurry shot which I liked. I think I'll call it Reminiscences of a season. A fancy name I think for a failed photography shot.

Below is the painting I refer to wheatfield and crows. This is sometimes referred to as Van Gogh's last work, but other historys say no, he painted maybe seven more in his last year.

As it is for all of us as we continue through life; we evolve constantly.

From Yankee magazine this gathering of little ghosts, BOOOO!

Oh my tis true, it's very sad, but what is said of Cleveland could also be said of thousands of cities and towns all over the USA. BUT we still have the Indians as a bright light of how good baseball is played in this city...oh sorry I went insane there momentarily.

Memorial Bridge Washington D.C. 1930 from Shorpy.com

This from a posting in December 2006 on the subject of laughter. It's good for you.

LAUGHING

When was the last time you and a friend had one of those laughing moments that just seemed to get funnier and funnier as you were laughing? My wife and I had one of those moments thinking about an embarrassing moment we had together in a darkened movie theater. It really is not funny except to the two of us. If I tell you the story it won’t make you laugh and would just be embarrassing to my wife and I. Perhaps it becomes funnier with each telling or remembering among friends of a funny event that bonds you together and knowing your secret story is safe and can be laughed at? I certainly don’t know the psychology of a laugh nor do I know the physicality of a laugh. What I do know it’s a human release of good will and the re-sharing of a moment in time. Everybody laughs, the high and the low of us. It’s free and might even be good for our health.

TWO touches of autumn, a beautiful season.

More people weigh in on Afghanistan waiting for Obama to make his decision. What the polls are saying.

SHOULD WE PULL OUT OF AFGHANISTAN TO PROTECT PAKISTAN AND/OR COME HOME?

This video from BLOGGINGHEADS courtesy of the NY Times addresses a question that I have thought about. I certainly do not have any answers, but I have wished that we would pull out of Afghanistan, and Iraq and come home or put all our efforts to protecting? (if that's the word) in situations like this. Are we protecting Iraq? It is all confusing to me EXCEPT we still have Americans giving their life's in yet another, never ending war. I say enough, but then again, what do I know?

I believe this was called the last days of Hitler produced for British television several years back. What is scary about the thing are the comments that follow. They find no humor in it at all. There are so many people out there wrapped so tightly that see a bogey man lurking in every YouTube. I find the comments, although not surprising, alarming.

WILLKOMMEN

I, like a lot of people my age like film noir, I suppose because we grew up on it. Of course in my day film mags were mostly cranked out with news from the publicity departments from the studios so the actors and actresses were bigger than life. But in fact, we knew they weren't. A popular pair was Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. There are stories about Ladd standing on a box so he was level with his co-star. True? probably or something close to it. I do know that Ladd was a towering 5 foot 5 inches tall, and Veronica Lake was 4 foot 11 inches tall.

The new novel, THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY has these lines on page 11-12 that I subscribe to whole heartedly: "That's what I love about reading, one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive-all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment".

Five of the largest, deadliest, meanest snakes in the USA.

I include this because I find each one of the four participants interesting most every time I hear or see them, and hopefully today's no different.

A NICE PLACE TO WORK EACH DAY

Wouldn't you think that working in an environment like this would elevate your goals and aspirations? But I think the Peter Principle works big time here. "In a hierarchically structured administration, people tend to be promoted up to their level of incompetence," or, as Dr. Peter went on to explain in simpler terms, "The cream rises until it sours."

From a magazine store in 1926. A comment from a reader says he counted 15 magazines still in publication. Magazines like newspapers are in trouble today, but maybe the future is not all bleak. Click picture to enlarge.

Look at shorpy.com for more interesting stuff from days gone by.

Now here is something you don't see every day, a fist fight between man and woman. At least I don't. This is from the movie THE BALLAD OF SAD CAFE. made in 1991 from a novel by Carson McCullers with Vanessa Redgrave, who looks with her hairdo for the film like David Bowie, and Keith Carradine. Carradine can play a really nice guy or such a dog.

A really brave Senator. As they say, there should be no bill that can't be talked about. It's disgusting that the Republican party votes as a bloc on this issue. They certainly all don't think alike, do they? Are they little robots that get their marching orders each day? They might as well stay home. Come on Republicans, get in the game, do what you were voted in for. it's to represent the people who voted for you, are your states people all mutes? You've become like petulant children. Do you all intend to stand mute for three more years?

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As I said in an earlier post: Rush, if they don't like you in the NFL, the Cleveland Indians would surely love your money, think baseball Rush, think tinkering with a franchise that is in deep need of an owner who is interested in winning. Rush, this could be you.

Colts owner won't vote for Limbaugh's Rams bid

It used to be called the loyal opposition. What is it called now?

Watch the video and learn what could happen in Afghanistan.

Feinstein: Obama Should Approve McChrystal?s Recommendations - George's Bottom Line

Afghanistan, Yes or No?

One of the most interesting television times for me is Sunday morning at 10:30. This morning was no exception. I take advantage of my remote and flip back and forth between George Stephanopoulos on ABC and David Gregory on NBC. Today's prime topic was Afghanistan which I am of the opinion we should pack our gear and put those boots back on American soil. I was definite about my feelings on the matter. But, if you listen enough, definite starts to get a little uncertain when you hear something that makes you start to think all over again. Today on Stephanopoulos show someone made the statement that if the Taliban and Al Qaeda are not contained in Afghanistan it puts Pakistan, which is next door, in jeopardy, and Pakistan is a nuclear power with a president who has a shaky spine. See the video above. It laid out several ways the U.S. could go. I am certainly no student of foreign affairs, but it painted a picture different from what I knew. President Obama certainly has no easy task ahead of him. Do we become the world's policemen or not?

This from the Los Angeles Times concerning OUR President Barack Obama and the NOBEL PEACE PRIZE and why he was awarded it. Well said.

For his noble words, Obama deserves the prize -- latimes.com

A Halloween Mooning

I just read in Bill Crider's blog of the passing of Stuart Kaminsky at age 75. I will miss his writings, but selfishly for me and his readers, he left a large legacy. I especially like his Toby Peters character, but he had many other characters I will be sure to enjoy. RIP Mr. Kaminsky.

David Brooks of the New York Times brings up a point that I wondered about. That is, how many dittoheads can Limbaugh count on to follow his marching orders? Brooks has looked into it a little and believes not many, or at least not as many as he and his ilk think they can deliver. Like the wizard of oz, could Rush be just an empty shirt?

This is Saturday, it must be time for Ohio state football. It is. Ohio State plays Wisconsin at 3:00.

I read Archie comics when I was a young boy. I am now seventy-two and Archie is making a big splash with his soap opera style marriage dilemma. He looks like he has aged quite well. Matter of fact they all look exactly like they did when I would keep in touch with them each month. If I understand what is going on, it seems Archie decided on Veronica and she accepted. Things were put into motion for publication etc. People started protesting, polls were taken, and Betty Cooper beat out Veronica Lodge by a handy margin. Now here is where I lose track about what is going on. Evidently they have come out with an alternative issue where Archie asks Betty for her hand in marriage and she accepts. What is it about Archie that makes him so appealing to the ladies? Is it the freckles? So now I don't know if it will all be explained as dream sequences or if the publishers will make the great decision or will let the polls speak and proclaim Betty as the winner. The winner of Archie in fact. I guess any Father-In-Law would like Archie as a Son-In-Law. He's a nice boy (although he has to be secretly about eighty years old or more).

How many versions of MOON RIVER have I heard? This is a good one.

No to Afghanistan.

Chinese tune KANDING QINGGE

CHINA

Rush Limbaugh and a friend are thinking of buying the St. Louis Ram professional football team for some humongous figure. The news item in inself is not too exciting to me, but it conjured up another thought. I wonder if Rush, the skinny and very rich man would be interested in buying a baseball team? I am thinking of my favorite team, the Cleveland Indians. They have owners that for the life of me I wonder why they want to own the team. They are poor mouthers from way back. Don't they know owning a professional team is only for the very rich who buy a club for the excitement of it all. Plus they must be willing to spend, spend, and spend to achieve the 'championship'. I think in baseball it is called the world series, but for Cleveland fans we have to look it up to be sure.

Rush send some of your millions to Cleveland, we have a lot of young kids playing here now, but our owners insist on sending our Cy Young award winners away. Think how much fun you could have if you kept them here in Cleveland for a while.

FIST FIGHT. MOSTLY BLUSTER, TWO PUNCHES, DONE.

Why I watched this I don't know. I thought it must have a happy ending or at least I hoped. I, of course, suspected the aggressor was the bad guy in the piece, and I assume he was. Mr. Blackshirt when he finally was pushed to his limit must have uncorked a doozy to Mr. No Sleeves. Kind of a mini Clint Eastwood where the bad guy gets his.

EASY FOR YOU TO SAY.

Darn, I love hamburgers, but seeing reports like this make it harder and harder to step up and order a double burger. Perhaps a chocolate shake and something besides the burger will have to do. Darn.

Eiffel's elevators

Rebel in the Making: Schoolboys Exercising, with One Eating an Apple, Tokyo, Japan, 1936 by Fritz Henle, University of Texas.

1940 Poster for a lecture by Max Lerner at Roosevelt High, Des Moines, Iowa, showing an armored gauntlet clenched in a fist.

Brings up thoughts I had, along with many more people during the last administration, when habeas corpus was rescinded. Do we just keep recycling history?

Now this is my kind of calorie counter. Start slow and work up to slow.

and..a medicine I can handle easily, and five cups of liquid will also give me extra exercise going back and forth to the necessary. (as they called it in the colonial days)