CURRENT EVENTS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Diary of a Napoleonic Foot Soldier

By Jakob Walter

The life of a soldier in an army at war is rather harsh from the stories I have heard first hand from those that fought in WWII. This diary seems very real from what I have heard and it gives you in my opinion a good idea of what being in war can be like. I’m not sure if it is any better today and in my time the Vietnam War experience was horrible for so many.

If you are curious what war time soldiers go through, I think this book will give you an idea.

Eighteen-year-old German stonemason Jakob Walter served in the Grand Army of Napoleon between 1806 and 1813. His diary intimately records his trials: the long, grueling marches in Prussia and Poland, the disastrous Russian campaign, and the demoralizing defeat in a war few supported or understood. It is at once a compelling chronicle of a young soldier’s loss of innocence and an eloquent and moving portrait of the profound effects of all wars on the men who fight them.

“Vivid and gruesome … but also a story of human fortitude. … It reminds us that the troops Napoleon drove so mercilessly were actually more victims than victors—a side of Napoleon that should not be forgotten.”

(Source: Chicago Tribune)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

If you like quirky films, this is a good one. The only thing that could have made this film better would be a cameo appearance by Bill Murray. If you understand what I meant by the Bill Murray comment, you will really like this film. If not, you may not like the film. 

French Exit

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

In 1967, there were 486,000 American troops in Vietnam, I was one of those 486,000.

Fortunate Son

By Creedence Clearwater Revival

ART OF THE WEEK

We all know World Famous Chef Ronaldo is an artist when it comes to cooking up exotic dishes for the wealthy and famous.

However, I had no idea Chef Ronaldo could create something like this.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE  OF THE WEEK

The military personnel who have died

in the performance of their military duties while serving in

the United States Armed Forces.

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

Will return next week

PHYSICAL TRAITS

For instances, many health issues are caused by excessive weight, many mental problems are caused by addiction. 

CHARACTER TRAITS

Sarcasm Doesn’t Get You Anywhere

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

Polls

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Losing weight and keeping it off is one of the hardest things I know of to accomplish. And yet being over-weight is believed to be related to heart attacks, need for joint replacements and increased likelihood of harm from diseases such as the Coronavirus.

There are so many approaches to losing weight, many of which are so complicated that most of you will tire of the approach and regain the weight you initially lost, if not gain even more weight than when you started.

This approach by Adam Thrall is rather simple and just may work.

Five Tips for Losing Weight

By Adam Thrall

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Autobiography and Other Writings

By Benjamin Franklin

This is the particular copy of the Franklin autobiography that I have; but, I suspect any Franklin autobiography would be well worth reading whether or not it contained other writings.

There is an incredible amount of good advice in this autobiography that will benefit you and society if you will act upon it.

A fascinating and unconventionally educated man, Benjamin Franklin imparts—in his own words—wisdom and remarkable life lessons on the art of living with great personal integrity (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just finished watching all 43 episodes of this revival of Rod Serling’s classic show. There are some good episodes in the collection, but I thought many were rather pedestrian.  My favorite was “Memphis”, about a law clerk with six months left to live due to an inoperable brain tumor finds himself transported back in time to Memphis, Tennessee on the day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

The show was cancelled after its first season and to be honest I was rather glad when I made it through the very last episode. 

The Twilight Zone

Narrated by Forest Whitaker

The Twilight Zone is the second of three revivals of Rod Serling’s original 1959–64 television series. It aired for one season on the UPN network, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling’s role as narrator and on-screen host. It premiered on September 18, 2002, and aired its final episode on May 21, 2003. (Source: Wikipedia)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I  Want A New Drug

By Huey Lewis and The News

(Ed Sullivan Show – Oct. 28, 1956)

ART OF THE WEEK

We Are All Works of Art

The only question is how good of an artist do you wish to be.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Chef Ronaldo

There is a lot more to being a world famous chef like Chef Ronaldo than many may think. Most people think it is just about hanging out with celebrities and whipping up a few exotic dishes once in a while. Well, yes that is true.

But there is a lot of other more mundane things to being a world class chef such as interviewing people to staff your world-class restaurants. Here is a photo of Chef Ronaldo conducting an interview.

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Gyms

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

Presidential Candidates

If you have been around very long, you know that politicians and political parties change over time. As these politicians and political parties change, perhaps your allegiance to them should be reconsidered to see if they continue to serve your best interests.

LEARNING TRAITS

In and Out of Your Control

MISCELLANEOUS

Polls

 

CURRENT EVENTS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Body  Book

By Cameron Diaz

This book came out in 2014, but I think what it says is still very valid and I believe it could inspire you to try to live a healthier, happier and longer life.

Grounded in science and informed by real life, The Body Bookoffers a comprehensive overview of the human body and mind, from the cellular level up. From demystifying and debunking the hype around food groups to explaining the value of vitamins and minerals, readers will discover why it’s so important to embrace the instinct of hunger and to satisfy it with whole, nutrient-dense foods. Cameron also explains the essential role of movement, the importance of muscle and bone strength and why we need to sweat a little every day. (Source: GoodReads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just watched this movie again while on the treadmill and I still enjoy watching it every so often. A few years ago, I watched part of it in an auditorium inside the actual Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island, where this movie was filmed.

Somewhere In Time

Warning

The following clip is 15 minutes long, so please don’t bother watching unless you are really into this film. Also, there may be two very short commercial interruptions. Since I have mentioned this film several times over the years, rather than simply show you the trailer again, I wanted to do something a bit different. If you like this film, I think you will find this clip rewarding.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About

Somewhere in Time

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Hey Baby

By Bruce Channel

Dancers: Nils and Bianca

ART OF THE WEEK

Artists 

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE  OF THE WEEK

Police Officers

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Safety Tip for Older People

Just to be safe, you may want to have a bar installed in your shower.

CHARACTER TRAITS

 

SOCIAL TRAITS

Government Spending

It seems our political leaders are very generous, giving out money to many in the USA and to world. Where does this money come from? I have heard there were two ultimate sources: taxes (e.g., income, sales, etc.) and simply printing money which results in inflation, which is said to be a tax on the poor and those on a fixed income or living off their savings.

LEARNING TRAITS

Science

At one time, people believed that the heavens revolved around the earth. They believed the world was flat. Bleeding was an acceptable medical procedure. I could go on and on, but I think you will either get the point I am trying to make or you will not.

MISCELLANEOUS

Polls

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Mask Mandates

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Re-Stocking

Here I am in Tennessee, stocking up on books

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Breathless

By Jerry Lee Lewis

ART OF THE WEEK

Cataract Falls, Smoky Mountains National Park 

Nature is an artist

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE  OF THE WEEK

SUNDAY’S 2021 AWPC NATIONALS WINNERS

All of the people in the above picture came in first in various AAPF powerlifting categories. You will notice that they are both young and old. The reason there are only a couple of females in the photo is because the females were scheduled to lift on another day. 

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

If you are familiar with Star Trek, I think you will enjoy this.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

World Famous Chef Ronaldo’s

Chef Ronaldo knows that many of you who are trying to lose weight, also love pizza. So, Chef Ronaldo came up with this idea of how you can cut the number of pizza slices you eat in half.

CHARACTER TRAITS

There is a lot that can be learned in a gym.

SOCIAL TRAITS

Human Connections

LEARNING TRAITS

Who hasn’t said or did something in anger, that they later regretted.

MISCELLANEOUS

Polls

 

CURRENT EVENTS

AAPF Nationals

Sorry

It was my intent to set a new AWPC World’s raw deadlift record for my age and weight. Unfortunately, it didn’t go as planned as you can see below:

I plan to train harder and smarter to make this 385 lbs. lift at my next contest in mid-June.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Swoly Bible

By Dom Mazzetti

This is a humorous book with a sprinkling of good hardcore gym advice throughout. Even if you aren’t into hardcore weight lifting, you may still find this book funny and if you are into hardcore weight lifting I think you will love this book.

For years bros, meatheads, and gym rats around the world have posed pressing questions: What can you bench? Can I skip leg day? What goes in this protein shake? And, importantly, do you even lift, bro? At long last, answers to these questions and more can be found in one handy volume – The Swoly Bible, written by the Internet’s favorite gym expert/literary genius, Dom Mazzetti. (Source: Back cover of the book)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

The video that goes along with this song, brings back a lot of memories for a person my age, who saw much of this via TV as it was happening

Wonderful World

By Sam Cooke

ART OF THE WEEK

Possible Revision to the Sistine Chapel 

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Good People Do Some Bad Things

and

Bad People Do Some Good Things

Al Capone started one of the first soup kitchens. In fact, preceding the passage of the Social Security Act, “soup kitchens” like the one Al Capone founded, provided the only meals that some unemployed Americans had. 

Al Capone was a gangster who made a fortune during the prohibition though bootlegging. He had a bit of the Robin Hood mystique by being charitable from some of the money he made running his criminal enterprise. Being a bootlegger (made/distributed illegal alcohol) during Prohibition during the period in the USA from 1920-1933 when alcohol was illegal) was seen as an acceptable, glamorous, even brave thing to do by the public. But it’s well-known that he had brutal methods murdering enemies, extorting local businesses, bribing public officials, intimidating witnesses.

Al Capone’s intentions were an effort to clean up his image. “120 000 meals are served by Capone Free Soup Kitchen” the Chicago Tribune headlined on December 1931. Al Capone’s soup kitchen became one of the strangest sight Chicagoans had ever seen. An army of ragged, starving men assembled three times a day beside a storefront at 935 South State Street, feasting on the largesse of Al Capone. Toasting his health. Telling the newspapers that Capone was doing more for the poor than the entire U.S. government. He was even offering some of them jobs. Capone milked his good works for all the favorable publicity they were worth. He came down and walked among the men, the wretched of the earth, offering a handshake, a hearty smile, and words of encouragement from the great Al Capone. (Source: RareHistoricalPhotos.com)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

World Famous Chef Ronaldo’s

Quick Recipe for Banana Bread

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

Polls