CURRENT EVENTS

I Hope This Wasn’t You At The End of 2021

And If It Was

So

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I tried reading Milton’s Paradise Lost several times, but could never get past the book’s wording.  I recently came across this plain English version and was finally able to read this classic. Oh my gosh, what a superb story. I now know why this book is considered a classic. 

If you are like me and are challenged by the original’s wording of this book, you may want to give this plain english version a try.

John Milton’s Paradise Lost 

In Plain English

By Joseph Lanzara

John Milton’s overwhelming masterpiece, Paradise Lost — all 10,565 brain-busting lines of it, transformed into simple, everyday language! — the kind you and I speak and understand. Milton’s original poem is on each left hand page, and the simplified, Plain English translation is across from it on the right. Corresponding numbered lines on both versions make for easy comparison. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I’ve watched a number of movies lately, but I don’t want to share them. as I am afraid some of you might waste your time watching them.

For some quick diversion, check out a few episodes of Pawn Stars. I’ve  learned a few things watching this show every so often, including a renewed desire to read Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Pawn Stars (2009 – 2021, and Maybe 2022)

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This series opens the doors to the only family-run pawnshop in Las Vegas, where three generations of the Harrison family use their sharp-eyed skills to assess what’s real and what’s fake. Objects the colorful customers bring in range from the obscure to the truly historic, and it’s up to the guys at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop — with help at times from their network of experts — to reveal the sometimes surprising answer to “What’s this worth?” (Source: Rotten Tomatoes)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I hope you find this interesting.

The Pink Panther Theme

By Il Grande Piano

ART OF THE WEEK

Years ago, while wandering around Rome, I came across this ancient Roman statute. For some reason, it caught my attention so I took a photo of it.  

Roman Statute

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE  OF THE WEEK

CANADIAN TRUCKERS

The so-called “Freedom Convoy” started as a protest against a vaccine requirement for cross-border truckers, but grew into a mass demonstration against the Canadian government over other coronavirus regulations. (Source: New York Post)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

That is true of a lot more things, than Hamburger Helper.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Cooking Tips From Chef Ronaldo

It has been a while since World Famous Chef Ronaldo has contributed to this blog. He is again providing us with one of his tips that made him the World Famous Chef that he is.

If you have ever experienced the problem of baking cookies and before you have a chance to try even one of your own cookies, they are gone.

Well, here is World Famous Chef Ronaldo’s tip for solving that problem.

CHARACTER TRAITS

Each day is so important. If it goes badly, hopefully you will have a tomorrow to make it right. But remember, there is only a limited number of tomorrows.

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

I wonder if those in favor of mask mandates and vaccine passports ever read Orwell’s book, 1984 or do they just watch the media without doing any critical thinking?

MISCELLANEOUS

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Meat Loaf

(September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022)

This romantic and sweet love song says it all about Meat Loaf

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I read this book back in 1999 and I have reviewed it periodically ever since and even today it still stands the test of time. It is also a fun and easy to read book. 

The 30-Day Plan to Whip Your Career 

Into Submission

By Karen Salmansohn

Feeling enslaved by pointless meetings, overflowing “in” boxes, and endless phone calls? Shackled by mindless busy work and jealous colleagues that keep you from landing the corner office and the recognition you deserve? If so, now is the time to break free from the chains of job slavery and whip your career into submission!

In this frank and witty rescue manual, Karen Salmansohn–the highly successful, award-winning advertising veteran of corporate wars is on a mission to liberate you.  For everyone who is into S&M (Success and Money, that is), Whip Your Career Into Submission offers an easy-to-follow, 30-day plan for taking control of your career–instead of letting circumstances take control of you.  (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

If you like Jim Jarmusch films, you might like this one. Much like this blog, this film isn’t for everyone.

Paterson (2016)

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Paterson is a 2016 drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The film stars Adam Driver as a bus driver and poet named Paterson, and Golshifteh Farahani as his wife, who dreams of being a country music star and opening a cupcake business.

The film spans one week, beginning with Monday, in the life of Paterson, a bus driver in Paterson, New Jersey. Every day follows much the same pattern: Paterson gets up early and goes to work, where he listens to passengers talking and, during pauses, writes poetry in a notebook he carries with him. After work he walks Marvin, his wife’s dog, and stops for a beer at Shades Bar, where he interacts with the other patrons and the owner, Doc (Source: Wikipedia)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Rather unusual, but nice.

Good Feeling / Price Tag

By Elle & The Pocket Belles

ART OF THE WEEK

Years ago, when I was at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, I saw this statue that I thought was so visually striking. A photo does not do it justice, but hopefully some of you will appreciate it.

Arab of Algeria (1857)

By Charles Cordier (1827 – 1905)

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Meat Loaf

Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27, 1947 – January 20, 2022), better known as Meat Loaf, was an American singer and actor.

He was noted for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. His Bat Out of Hell trilogy—Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose—has sold more than 65 million albums worldwide. The first album stayed on the charts for over nine years and more than four decades after its release still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, making it one of the best-selling albums in history.

After the commercial success of Bat Out of Hell and Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell, and earning a Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for the song “I’d Do Anything for Love”. [… He became] one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with worldwide sales of more than 100 million records.

[… He] appeared in over 50 films and television shows, sometimes as himself or as characters resembling his stage persona. (Source: Wikipedia)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Weight Lifting

I got my first experience with weight lifting when I was 15 and in the tenth grade. Two teachers put together an after school volunteer weight training class. I loved it and my parents were kind enough to buy me a weight set when school was out for the summer. Those two teachers are gone now, but I hope somehow they know what they started.

I kept at weight lifting off and on over the years, but it wasn’t until my friend and training partner Walter, got me into competitive powerlifting.

Those of you who have been following this blog know that I am still at it and have another contest coming up this March

CHARACTER TRAITS

It has been said that you should live every day like it is your last. If you think this way, many arguments will seem petty, and you will appreciate more every time you see your family and friends.

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

I like to believe people into wokeness have good intentions.

On another note, what was that road to hell paved with?

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Ten Year Challenge

Runner Up

Winner

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

There are many books on developing a healthy lifestyle and there is some merit to most all them. Please just keep in mind that what works for one person, may not work for everyone. You are your own best coach, no one knows you like you know you; if you will listen to your body.

The Body  Book

By Cameron Diaz

Grounded in science and informed by real life, The Body Book offers 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)

The Longevity Book

by Cameron Diaz

(Although this book was written for women, I think anyone can find useful ideas in this book.)

Cameron Diaz wrote The Longevity Book to help educate young women about how their bodies function, empowering them to make better-informed choices about their health and encouraging them to look beyond the latest health trends to understand their bodies at the cellular level. She interviewed doctors, scientists, nutritionists, and a host of other experts, and shared what she’d learned—and what she wished she’d known twenty years earlier. (Source: Harper Collins Publishers)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

This is a most enjoyable show. I look forward to a Season 3

Emily in Paris (Season 2)

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MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Well, the joke is music related.

ART OF THE WEEK

Any time we see unrelated objects put together in a manner that we don’t normally expect, it is a bit of a shock. The shock caused by the painting below is a bit different, since this time the cage and the egg are related, since they are both objects that contain a bird, although one contains a bird  embryo and the other is made to contain a bird. 

Elective Affinities (1933)

By Rene Magritte

Perhaps, Magritte better explains what I tried to say in the above about this work:

One night, I woke up in a room in which a cage with a bird sleeping in it had been placed. A magnificent error caused me to see an egg in the cage, instead of the vanished bird. I then grasped a new and astonishing poetic secret, for the shock which I experienced had been provoked precisely by the affinity of two objects—the cage and the egg—to each other, whereas previously this shock had been caused by my bringing together two objects that were unrelated.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Those Who Help Themselves

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Your Next Job After Retirement?

Clue: It’s  Full Time

At the start of each year many people will think about retiring sometime during the year. I hope they realize that they are retiring from one job only to start another job.

That new job is not being a babysitter for your grandchildren. It is not preparing more cakes and pastries than a bakery. It is not to watch every sporting event 24/7 or simply to view mindless television.

Your new job is  maintaining your health,  or regaining your health, or even to becoming more physical than ever. This is a full time job, not a part-time job. This job calls for a serious exercise program, proper diet to manage your weight and rest to recover from a day of physical exertion. Well, most people are pretty good with the rest, it is the other two things that is their challenge.

Old people can be strong, they don’t have to be frail and weak

Ignore this advice and there will likely come a day when you will regret it.

CHARACTER TRAITS

I fear the only people who will give this some thought,

are those who aren’t busy.

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

You may want to consider living your life with a sense of urgency.

MISCELLANEOUS

Klingon Gods

 

CURRENT EVENTS

West Side Stories

First we have the 1961 West Side Story 

Now we have the 2021 West Side Story

My favorite of the above two films is the 1961 film. However, if you are looking for a different take on this story, check out:

West Bank Story (2005)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I tend to favor short easy to read books, but not always. This is a very interesting book, but had I to do it over I would have simply read Voltaire’s Philosophical Dictionary. 

His dictionary contains so many interesting ideas such as, “Faith consists in believing not what seems to be true, but what seems to be false to our understanding.”

The Portable Voltaire

Edited By Ben Ray Redman

This encyclopedic anthology acquaints us with Voltaire’s mercurial range of expression as well as with the steadfastness of his vision, which might be called the religion of reason. It includes his sardonic comedies Candide and Zadig; the tales “Micromegas” and ‘Story of a Good Brahmin”; more than seventy articles from the Philosophical Dictionary that offer heretical definitions of subjects from Adultery to Tyranny;  and letters written to such correspondents as Frederick the Great and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

This week’s films are under Current Events.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

No disrespect towards the Amish, as I look around at today’s world, I appreciate their point of view.

Nevertheless, I found some humor in the following.

Amish Paradise

By “Weird Al” Yankovic

ART OF THE WEEK

Photography is an art form. Below is a rather interesting photo if you look “closely”.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Voltaire

François-Marie Arouet (21 November 1694 – 30 May 1778), known as Voltaire

Satirist, novelist, poet, dramatist, historian, moralist, critic, courtier and correspondent, champion of reason and fanatical adversary of fanaticism, a darling of kings with the unfortunate habit of turning them into enemies, François Arouet de Voltaire is one of the few writers to have imposed his name on an entire epoch. It is entirely appropriate that the French Enlightenment is also known as “the age of Voltaire.” And if that age ended with a revolution, Voltaire was nothing if not a subversive. His abiding motto was “Écrasez l’infame”: “Crush infamy.” (Source: Goodreads)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

This one is for Star Trek fans

PHYSICAL TRAITS

The Corona Virus Continues to Mutate

CHARACTER TRAITS

Tips On How To Avoid Criticism

SOCIAL TRAITS

This could help one get along better with people in 2022.

LEARNING TRAITS

Some of you may find this helpful.

MISCELLANEOUS

You may want to think about this before

taking down your Christmas decorations.

 

CURRENT EVENTS

2021 Views by Top Ten Countries

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I first read this book in 1986 and have reviewed it a number of times over the years as well as just this past week.

It works, if you apply yourself to its teachings. However, where it speaks of wealth or money, I would suggest replacing those words with whatever you really want.

Money in my view, should be an enabler and not the end goal.

Think and Grow Rich

By Napoleon Hill

Think and Grow Rich has been called the “Granddaddy of All Motivational Literature.” It was the first book to boldly ask, “What makes a winner?” 

Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937, draws on stories of Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and other millionaires of his generation to illustrate his principles. 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I thought it was an interesting film, worth watching. I do wish it had been in chronological order, since some of the flashbacks made the film a bit confusing.

 Being The Ricardos (2021)

“A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom I Love Lucy.” (Source: Wikipedia)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

The reason I selected this song is because I was briefly watching a New Year’s Eve show from Nashville, Tennessee. There was a comedian on the show talking about how scared people are and he went on to say something like, “In Nashville, the only thing these folks are afraid of, is running out of beer.”

Ballad of Davy Crockett

By Fess Parker

ART OF THE WEEK

Every year brings the loss of friends and family members; however, every year also brings forth new friends and new family members. Stay positive.

Melancholy

It is called Melancolie. And it is heartbreakingly beautiful.

The artwork created by Albert György (living in Switzerland, but born in Romania) can be found in Geneva in a small park on the promenade (Quai du Mont Blanc) along the shore of Lake Geneva.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Scotty

I did some research and apparently this story is true.

But, even if it weren’t true, it should be.

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Clothing Choices

CHARACTER TRAITS

Some people think it is fine for people to loose their livelihood because for various reasons they don’t think a Covid shot or shots are in their best interests. 

Others think it is fine to prevent people from traveling or going into restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues, etc., unless fully vaccinated.

One can always find a reason to discriminate against any group. Perhaps, your group (aged, overweight, disabled, too many kids, etc.) may be the next group to be discriminated against and who will stand up for you?

SOCIAL TRAITS

This could help one get along better with people in 2022.

LEARNING TRAITS

It is important to stay current with technology.

MISCELLANEOUS

This Cannot Be Said Enough Times