CURRENT EVENTS

What city is this?

I was on a vacation last week and filmed this activity at a city park.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Expect The Unexpected

(Or You Won’t Find It)

By Roger Von Oech

I first read this book back in 2001 and I just finished reviewing it again last week.  I find it just as interesting and thought provoking as when I first read it and the various times over the years that I have reviewed it.

Heraclitus lived 2,500 years ago, but his adages, including “You can’t step in the same river twice” and “Dogs bark at what they don’t understand, ” remain surprisingly relevant today. Expect the Unexpected or You Won’t Find It uses 30 of Heraclitus’s epigrams to unleash creativity (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

I just saw this film and it brought back some memories.

Even if you aren’t from my time

I think you will enjoy this movie.

A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles. (Source: IMDB)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

This is strange, but I found it rather captivating.

Kenzo World (2016)

Music

Message

ART OF THE WEEK

Hamilton (The Play)

I saw Hamilton last week and thought it was absolutely terrific and lived up to all I had heard about it.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 – July 12, 1804) was a statesman, a political theoristand an economist. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Hamilton was the United States’ first Secretary of the Treasury. He was known for the creation of a national bank.

Born on the island of Nevis in the Caribbean, Hamilton moved to New York. When the American Revolutionary War started, Hamilton served in the Continental Army. He was a close aide to General George Washington. After leaving the military he started a bank. He was one of the framers of the United States Constitution. Along with James Madison and John Jay, he wrote the Federalist Papers, which supported the new Constitution.

Hamilton became the Secretary of the Treasury under George Washington. He helped set up the United States’ financial system. Hamilton supported a national bank as well as the funding of the national debt. A leader of the Federalist Party, he was a long time rival of Thomas Jefferson. He was killed in a duel with political rival Aaron Burr in 1804.

Today, Hamilton is usually thought of as one of the most important of the early leaders. Hamilton’s portrait appears on the United States ten-dollar bill. 

Hamilton’s Early Life

Hamilton was not born in the United States. He was from the Caribbean island of Nevis. His father was James Hamilton and his mother was Rachel Fawcett Lavien. Hamilton’s mother had a child from a previous marriage that she left behind when she moved to Nevis. At the time, she was still married to another man. This meant that Hamilton was illegitimate. He was very sensitive about this fact. His father had left him as a child. Two years after this tragedy both Hamilton and his mother became sick. Hamilton recovered, but unfortunately his mother died. He was grief-stricken and moved in with his cousin. His cousin committed suicide.

In 1772 Hamilton went to New York to continue his education. He attended Kings College, now called Columbia University, until 1776.

Anti-Slavery

Hamilton was very anti-slavery. Along with John Jay he was a leader of the New York Manumission Society. The society worked to end slavery in New York and supported manumission, which is the practice of slave owners freeing their slaves. The society would get slavery abolished in New York. Hamilton also had great respect for the small Jewish community in America and was a major supporter of religious freedom.

(Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

I was going to ask for french toast,

but instead I think I will have an egg white omelet.

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

CURRENT EVENTS

Apollo 11

Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin, both American, landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969.

Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later. They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth.

Command module pilot Michael Collins flew the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon’s surface. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21.5 hours on the lunar surface at a site they named Tranquility Base before rejoining Columbia in lunar orbit. (Source: Wikipedia)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Origin of Species

By Charles Darwin

So far I am on page 85 of this book. It isn’t exactly very easy reading, but it is an important book and I thought I should read it.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Medici: Masters of Florence

Netflix Season 1

I’ve watched four episodes of Season One and found this series to be very well done.

A political family drama set in Florence in the early 15th century. Cosimo de’ Medici finds himself at the helm of his supremely wealthy, banking dynasty family, when his father, Giovanni dies suddenly.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I’m a Believer

By The Monkees

ART OF THE WEEK

The Field Gallery

Cape Cod

I was at in Cape Cod back in 2006 and came across this Gallery with their interesting statutes. 

The Field Gallery offers a comfortable, supportive, ever-changing exhibition environment, featuring contemporary art by both emerging and established artists. Founded in 1970, the gallery hosts three spaces with rotating exhibits of paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry and more. Outside, the large field is home to the whimsical sculptures of Field Gallery founder Thomas Maley, the modern stone sculptures of Lew French and many others. We continue to host an impressive group of more than 25 talented artists all with an island connection and endless Vineyard charm.

The Field is one of three locations in the Granary Gallery Family. Be sure to also visit the Granary in West Tisbury and North Water in Edgartown. Each gallery reflects the unique and diverse personality of the Island, our artists, staff and, our customers. A warm welcome by our knowledgeable staff awaits your arrival. (Source: The Field Gallery)

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Neil Armstrong

Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer who was the first person to walk on the Moon. He was also a naval aviator, test pilot, and university professor.

A graduate of Purdue University, Armstrong studied aeronautical engineering with his college tuition paid for by the U.S. Navy. He became a midshipman in 1949, and a naval aviator the following year.

He saw action in the Korean War, flying the Grumman F9F Panther from the aircraft carrier USS Essex. After the war, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Purdue and became a test pilot at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).

Armstrong joined the NASA Astronaut Corps in the second group, which was selected in 1962. He made his first spaceflight as command pilot of Gemini 8 in March 1966, becoming NASA’s first civilian astronaut to fly in space. During this mission with pilot David Scott, he performed the first docking of two spacecraft; the mission was aborted after Armstrong used some of his re-entry control fuel to stabilize a dangerous roll caused by a stuck thruster. During training for Armstrong’s second and last spaceflight as commander of Apollo 11, he had to eject from the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle moments before a crash.

On July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Apollo 11 Lunar Module pilot Buzz Aldrin became the first people to land on the Moon, and the next day spent two and a half hours outside the spacecraft while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command module. When Armstrong stepped onto the lunar surface, he famously said: “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

If you are young, you may not get this joke.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Stress is incredibly harmful to you.

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS 

It seems so many ladies like a bouquet of red flags.

LEARNING TRAITS

It is wonderful to study and learn things; however, if you don’t put what you learn to actual use, what is the point.

MISCELLANEOUS

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

CURRENT EVENTS

Ross Perot

Ross Perot, businessman and former presidential candidate, dead at 89

Ross Perot, the billionaire businessman who twice ran for president in the 1990s, has died at the age of 89.

Born in Texas, Perot made his fortune by founding and running two technology companies, Electronic Data Systems and Perot Systems.

He ran as an independent presidential candidate in the 1992 election and as a third-party candidate in the 1996 election. (Source: Associated Press)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

This week is again about books, rather than a book.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Elementary: Miss Understood

Season 7, Episode 8

I have no idea what this episode is doing in the final season of Elementary. It just seemed like filler. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed seeing Homes and Watson even if this episode didn’t seem to have a reason for being.

 

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Let’s Have A Party

By Wanda Jackson

Wanda Jackson was only halfway through high school when, in 1954, country singer Hank Thompson heard her on an Oklahoma City radio show and asked her to record with his band, the Brazos Valley Boys. By the end of the decade, Jackson had become one of America’s first major female country and rockabilly singers.

ART OF THE WEEK

Mona Lisa

I believe most of you are familiar with Mona Lisa. But not many of you know that Mona Lisa was into fitness and maintained an impressive fitness regimen. She not only had a nice smile, but also an impressive set of abs.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Charles Darwin

Charles Robert Darwin, (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist, geologist and biologist, best known for his contributions to the science of evolution.

His proposition that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestors is now widely accepted, and considered a foundational concept in science. In a joint publication with Alfred Russel Wallace, he introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding.

Darwin published his theory of evolution with compelling evidence in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species. By the 1870s, the scientific community and a majority of the educated public had accepted evolution as a fact. However, many favoured competing explanations, and it was not until the emergence of the modern evolutionary synthesis from the 1930s to the 1950s that a broad consensus developed in which natural selection was the basic mechanism of evolution. Darwin’s scientific discovery is the unifying theory of the life sciences, explaining the diversity of life.

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS 

It is important to have a good friend, as this clip demonstrates

Lion Attacked by Clan of of Hyenas

LEARNING TRAITS

People who receive things without effort tend to not appreciate the effort that went into providing them those things.

MISCELLANEOUS

I don’t think this was what he wanted, 

when he asked for a wake-up call.

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

CURRENT EVENTS

Nike

Nike recalled these shoes because someone found the Betsy Ross flag on them offensive.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

This week is about books, rather than a book.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just watched this movie and I believe it started out as a serious documentary. However, somewhere down the line I believe the film makers decided to have some fun with John DeLorean’s adopted-son. Watch the movie through its end and you will see what I am saying.

Framing John DeLorean

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Since there has been so much talk about North Korea, I thought perhaps it was times for this video.

Someone Put Some Bee Gees Over North Korean Marching

ART OF THE WEEK

Bay City Fireworks 2019

For the last three years, we’ve been going up to Bay City, MI; to see their fireworks display. I’ve never been disappointed. Film can’t really do this art form justice.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

George Washington

George Washington (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was an American political leader, military general, statesman, and Founding Father who also served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. He led Patriot forces to victory in the nation’s War for Independence. He presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 which established the U.S. Constitution and a federal government. Washington has been called the “Father of His Country” for his manifold leadership in the formative days of the new nation.

San Francisco Mural

San Francisco will spend up to $600,000 to paint over historical artwork at a public school depicting the life of George Washington, a mural once seen as educational and innovative but now criticized as racist and degrading for its depiction of black and Native American people. The “Life of Washington” was painted by Victor Arnautoff 83 years ago.

Arnautoff is considered to be one of the foremost muralists in the San Francisco area during the Depression. The San Francisco School Board’s decision to paint over his mural is prompting some to worry that other artwork from the so-called New Deal era could face a similar fate because of changing sensitivities.

Others have applauded the move. (Source: CBS News)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

FB has to be careful because on all the spam on the internet.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Don’t we all wish it was that easy; but it isn’t. 

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

CURRENT EVENTS

Our Safari Experience

First we encountered a gorilla. 

Next, we encountered a giraffe 

If that wasn’t enough, we came across a bear.

Then we saw an eagle

So, what kind of safari were we on?

The next bike safari is July 11.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Art of War Illustrated

By Sun Tzu & Translated By James Trapp

If you have already read The Art of War, then I would not bother reading this version. However, if you have never read The Art of War, this is a good edition for you to read.

The Art of War Illustrated is a new translation by James Trapp with case studies that provide expert military commentaries on the 13 parts of the original work. The case studies include battles and campaigns from throughout history and from every part of the world, offering the reader a relevant military context for each aspect of warfare and how that applies to military strategy and tactics.(Source: Barnes & Nobles)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just really like this Canadian (CBC) show and watched a number of re-runs last week.

Kim’s Convenience

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I’ve probably used this song before, but it is so upbeat that I thought I would use it again.

Can’t Stop The Feeling

By Justin Timberlake

 

ART OF THE WEEK

Flora Design

Floral design or flower arrangement is the art of using plant materials and flowers to create a pleasing and balanced composition. Evidence of refined floristry is found as far back as the culture of ancient Egypt. Professionally designed floral designs, arrangements or artwork incorporate the elements of floral design: line, form, space, texture, and color, and the principles of floral design: balance, proportion, rhythm, contrast, harmony, and unity. (Source: Wikipedia)

I’ve heard from a very reliable source that Cindy is very good at flora design.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

There is a lot of talk today about the government using the tax dollars of working men and women to pay off the debt that college students have incurred. Well, I guess we have all made purchases that on hindsight weren’t really worth the cost. Anyway, this week’s extraordinary people are the working men and women of the USA.

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Rick Lawrence died last week and my condolences to his family and friends in the powerlifting community.  I really didn’t know him well, but I remember exchanging a few pleasantries with him at a number of contests and always found him encouraging and supportive. I’m sure his absence will be noticed at future contests.

CHARACTER TRAITS

Grounded

Many people have a hard time staying down-to-earth or being grounded. Perhaps, this will help those people as much as anything will.

I suppose a quick glance at the above will have you thinking this is just a joke.

However, if you really think about it, you may reach another conclusion.

SOCIAL TRAITS 

Last week I posted this under social traits.

I recall something one of my college professors said in the late 1960’s. It went something like this:  

There are three kinds of people

 

Instinctive people, who simply rely on their instincts.

 

Educated people, who think they know; but they really don’t.

 

Then, there are the people who really know.

The interesting thing is that the people who really know think like the instinctive people.

The only difference, is that they know why they think that way.

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

CURRENT EVENTS (Well Not Always So Current)

Alimony

By Weird Al Yankovic

Mony Mony

By Tommy James & The Shondells

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I’ve read about half this book so far and I have learned so many things about the civil war in a very readable and entertaining way. Plus, the book has plenty of pictures (my kind of book).

From my readers perspective, other than an introduction and using his name in the title, that seems to be the extent of Bill O’Reilly’s involvement in the writing of this book.

Bill O’Reilly’s Legends & Lies: The Civil War

Written by David Fisher

From the birth of the Republican Party to the Confederacy’s first convention, the Underground Railroad to the Emancipation Proclamation, the Battle of Gettysburg to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Bill O’Reilly’s Legends and Lies: The Civil War reveals the amazing and often little-known stories behind the battle lines of America’s bloodiest war and debunks the myths that surround its greatest figures, including Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, General Robert E. Lee, Frederick Douglass, Stonewall Jackson, John Singleton Mosby, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, John Wilkes Booth, William Tecumseh Sherman, and more. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I thought this series on Caligula was the most tasteful version of Caligula that I have encountered, and I learned more about this period of Roman history.

Netflix Roman Empire Season 3

Caligula The Mad Emperor

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

This is the result of attending a birthday party for a two year old.

Baby Shark Dance

By PINKFONG Songs for Children

ART OF THE WEEK

Black Madonna of Częstochowa, Poland

The Black Madonna of Częstochowa  is an icon of the Virgin Mary housed at the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa, Poland. Several Pontiffs have recognized the venerated icon, beginning with Pope Clement XI who issued a Canonical Coronation to the image on 8 September 1717.

The icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa has been associated with Poland for the past 600 years. Its history prior to its arrival in Poland is shrouded in numerous legends which trace the icon’s origin to St. Luke who painted it on a cedar table top from the house of the Holy Family. The same legend holds that the painting was discovered in Jerusalem in 326 by St. Helena, who brought it back to Constantinople and presented it to her son, Constantine the Great.

Art historians say that the original painting was a Byzantine icon created around the sixth or ninth century.

I was surprised that I was permitted to film the Black Madonna and did so because I could not take a still photo as I had to keep moving past, no stopping as there were many behind me.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Since I have been reading about the Civil War this week, I selected President Lincoln as this week’s extraordinary person.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809  – April 15 1865) was an American politician. He was the 16th President of the United States. He was president from 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War. Just five days after most of the Confederate forces had surrendered and the war was ending, John Wilkes Booth assassinated. Lincoln was the first president of the United States to be assassinated. Lincoln has been remembered as the “Great Emancipator” because he worked to end slavery in the United States.

Lincoln has been consistently ranked both by scholars and the public as one of the greatest U.S. presidents. He is often considered the greatest president for his leadership during the American Civil War and his eloquence in speeches such as the Gettysburg Address. (Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

This week’s joke is in honor of teachers. However, I apologize in advance for this PG or perhaps R rated joke.  I thought it has something to say, plus it was rather funny. 

PHYSICAL TRAITS

I tend to think self-control is a illusion, your best bet is to stop the wait staff from bring you a basket of rolls or anything else you are trying not to eat. if it sits on the table, you will probably end up eating it. The same is true for bad food choices that you bring home from the supermarket.

CHARACTER TRAITS

Creativity

Creativity comes in many forms, here is one form.

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

Cats are so cool, hence the expression “cool cat

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

CURRENT EVENTS

2019 APF Nationals in Grand Rapids, MI

 

I received first place in the Masters 7 (70 to 74 years old) 90 Kg (198 lbs.) raw bench press and raw deadlift. I’m really not much of a deadlifter, but it seems to help my shoulder from a 2004 operation. Plus, I enjoy being part of the competition.  Better still, getting a liftoff from my trainer and long-time friend Art.

When it comes to the deadlift, for my age I am a serious lifter. My final lift was 363.7 lbs. and in August I hope to break the AWPC world’s raw deadlift record for my age and weight.

 

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I’ve read or reviewed my highlight notes in this book many times over the years and again before the APF Nationals last week.

Samurai Strategies

By Boyé Lafayette De Mente

The most famous combat strategist in Japanese history was Musashi Miyamoto, a warrior who lived from 1584 to 1645. Just before he died, Musashi recorded his philosophy, strategies, and tactics in a short treatise entitled Go Rin Sho “The Book of Five Rings”.

Samurai Strategies has extracted the fundamentals of Musashi’s tactics and explains them here in the modern context. Musashi’s strategies for winning are as valid today as they were in seventeenth century Japan and provide valuable insights for anyone in any field of endeavor–from business, war, and sports to the fields of art, love, and politics.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

If you have been looking at this blog very much, you are aware that I have been on a Spartacus kick for a while now. I just finished watching the first of this miniseries and I thought it was very well done.

Spartacus 2004 TV miniseries (Disc 1 of 2)

Goran Visnjic stars as the gladiator in this TV miniseries that’s adapted from the same 1951 Howard Fast novel that spawned Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 film classic. Living as a slave in Egypt, Spartacus is bought by gladiator trainer Lentulas Agrippa (Alan Bates, in his final screen role), and forced to fight for the amusement of the Roman masses. But he soon spearheads a slave uprising that rocks the very foundations of Rome.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I think all of us can use some “Happy”

Happy

By Pharrell Williams

ART OF THE WEEK

It has been years since I’ve been to the Bellagio on the Las Vegas Strip, where I saw a fine collection of Chihuly glass sculptures, so it was nice last week to see some Chihuly Glass Sculptures at Meijer Gardens y Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.

Chihuly Glass Sculptures

.

Dale Chihuly (born September 20, 1941) is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur. His works are considered to possess outstanding artistic merit in the field of blown glass, “moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture.” The technical difficulties of working with glass forms are considerable, yet Chihuly uses it as the primary medium for installations and environmental artwork.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

I could say more about this person, but the following was what made me decide Keanu Reeves should be the extraordinary person this week. I verified enough of the following to just accept what I didn’t verify.

Keanu Reeves

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

So many aliments can be prevented and sometimes cured by lifestyle changes.

CHARACTER TRAITS

This a great way to handle criticism.

SOCIAL TRAITS 

What could be better than having some friends come out to support your efforts.

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

I finally found the answer to something I have been wondering about for a very long time. 

LAST WEEK’S POLLS