CURRENT EVENTS

Raise The Bar

Push / Pull Powerlifting Contest

Dec. 11, 2021

Rochester Performance Gym (RPG)

Located in Rochester, Michigan

I lifted in the 75 to 79 year old & Under 181.7 lbs. class

Here is a video of my final deadlift of the day.

352.5 Lbs.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Below is a book I have read and reviewed often in the last 20+ years and I believe you will find many valuable lessons among its pages.

Do Less, Achieve More

By Chin-Ning Chu

For anyone tired of chasing ever–elusive desires, of doing more only to find that more needs doing, and of making more money only to need more money, Chin–Ning Chu shows you that life was meant to be easy, if you know the secrets. (Source of Description:  Amazon)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

A nice little romantic Christmas story.

A Castle for Christmas

A Castle for Christmas is a 2021 American Christmas romantic comedy film. The film was released on November 26, 2021.

The story follows bestselling American author Sophie Brown, who travels to Scotland to escape the scandal of her last book. She visits the ancestral village of her grandfather, who worked as a groundskeeper at the estate of a nearby castle. While there, she ends up falling in love with the castle, Dun Dunbar, but must also face off with the ill-tempered duke who owns it.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Pitch Perfect 2

Winter Wonderland / Here Come Santa Claus

By Snoop Dogg & Anna Kendrick

ART OF THE WEEK

This is a different kind of art, but still art.

I hope you find the photo of the MGM lion being filmed as interesting as I do.

Photo Source: Alamy

Filming the MGM Studio Emblem in 1928

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (more commonly known by its initialized version MGM) is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of feature films and television programs.

It is one of the world’s oldest and most iconic film studios, partly to do with the ‘lion’s roar’ emblem presented before each and every film it’s involved with.

This image is a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of that aforementioned roar! While most movie studios have their own intros, few are as memorable as the classic roaring lion that is so associated with MGM studios.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Michael Nesmith of the Monkees

Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, and novelist. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees (1966–1968). His songwriting credits include “Different Drum”, which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

There are usually a number of people retiring from a lifetime of work around this time of the year. I hope they realize they are not actually retiring from work and that their new job is maintaining or trying to regain their health. That job calls for a serious exercise program, proper diet to manage your weight and rest. Well, most people are pretty good with the rest, it is the other two that is their challenge.

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

CHARACTER TRAITS

I think being your authentic self is one of the hardest things one can strive for with society pressuring you to confirm, but you should still make the effort.

SOCIAL TRAITS

When The Pandemic Is Over

When this is over, you can ask yourself if you were in favor of people losing their livelihood because they had different views about their own health than you had for their health?

Did you avoid friends are family members because of your fear?

When it comes to abortion, did you believe people have a right to control over their own bodies, but when it comes to vaccines, people didn’t have a right of control over their own bodies?

When it comes to abortion, did you believe people do not have a right of control over their own bodies, but do have that right when it comes to vaccines?

Did you do any critical thinking whatsoever, or did you simply believe whatever the media told you regardless if it did or did not make sense?

Were you a good representative of the land of the free and the home of the brave?

LEARNING TRAITS

If you want to avoid being scammed, remember if it is too good to be true, it probably isn’t true.

MISCELLANEOUS

 

CURRENT EVENTS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I have another powerlifting contest coming up Saturday, December 11. In October, I failed my third bench press and my third deadlift. This time, I will make both lifts.

As a little insurance that I make those third lifts, I thought it would be wise to study Ernie’s book again.

The Ten Commandments of Powerlifting

By Ernie Frantz

Ernie autographed his book for me

If you want to know how good this book is for powerlifting, it is one of the few powerlifting books that has been translated into Russian.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I thought this was a very nice film.

Love Hard

Love Hard is a 2021 American romantic comedy film, about a young woman who travels to her online crush’s hometown for Christmas, but discovers she’s been catfished (Catfishing is a deceptive activity where a person creates a fictional persona or fake identity on a social networking service).

Love Hard was filmed in Vancouver from October to November 2020. The film was released by Netflix on November 5, 2021. 

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Especially when it is 95 year-old Tony Bennett

singing with Lady Gaga

I’ve Got You Under My Skin

by Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

ART OF THE WEEK

My Kind of Christmas Decorations

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK (Again)

As I watch America over recent years, I find it difficult to retain my faith in the future of America. However, my faith is restored when real Americans like Enes Kanter stands up for America.

I think being an American is a state of mind and not an accident of the location of one’s birth. There are many people born within the boundaries of USA that don’t appear to believe in the American Dream and there are many people all over the world who do believe in the American Dream.

Enes Kanter Freedom

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

I’ve used this before, but it still strikes me as very funny.

Perhaps, because there is some truth in it.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

I’ll Be In Another Powerlifting Contest This Saturday

It is a local Push/Pull Contest

A push/pull contest is the combination of your best bench press and best deadlift.

I’ll be in the 75 to 79 years old category, so I will be surprised if I have any competition. Usually, it has to be a national or world competition, since there aren’t that many over 75 powerlifters. My goal for this Saturday is to do better than I did last October.

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

The odds of you fixing a broken person is a long shot.

 

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

Proof There Is A God

There has always been people who claim there is no proof that there is a good. Finally, these people are presented with undeniable evidence of God.

 

CURRENT EVENTS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I found this book to be a good story. I will let Amazon (below) tell you more about the book.

The Religion War

By Scott Adams

In this frenetically paced sequel to Adams’ best-selling “thought experiment,” God’s Debris, the smartest man in the world is on a mission to stop a cataclysmic war between Christian and Muslim forces and save civilization. The brilliantly crafted, thought-provoking fable raises questions about the nature of reality and just where our delusions are taking us.

Unlike God’s Debris, which was principally a dialogue between its two main characters, The Religion War is set several decades in the future when the smartest man in the world steps between international leaders to prevent a catastrophic confrontation between Christianiy and Islam. The parallels between where we are today and where we could be in the near future are clear.

According to Adams, The Religion War targets “bright readers with short attention spans-everyone from lazy students to busy book clubs.” But while the book may be a three-hour read, it’s packed with concepts that will be discussed long after, including a list of “Questions to Ponder in the Shower” that reinforce the story’s purpose of highlighting the most important-yet most ignored-questions in the world. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIES OF THE WEEK

I have recently seen four very good movies and I will post them in the order that represents their importance to me.

Please just watch the trailers for the films that interest you.

King Richard

I thought King Richard was the best movie I saw because Will Smith did some of the finest acting I have ever seen and I liked the film’s message about “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.” It is a simple concept and yet few people will go to the trouble and so their plans are merely wishes that are unlikely to come true.

House of Gucci 

What a story and much of it true behind this famous fashion brand. My gosh, Lady Gaga is a terrific actress. As for Adam Driver, he is Gucci.

Red Notice

This movie stars The Rock, so I had to see it.

Spencer

It was okay, I’m not sorry I saw it 

(However, I think the movie would have been better had Samuel L. Jackson been casted as Prince Charles)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

King Tut

by Steve Martin

ART OF THE WEEK

It is amazing what people can do with old tires

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Sir J. M. Barrie

Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet (9 May 1860 – 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan.

He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote a number of successful novels and plays. There he met the Llewelyn Davies boys, who inspired him to write about a baby boy who has magical adventures in Kensington Gardens (first included in Barrie’s 1902 adult novel The Little White Bird), then to write Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, a 1904 “fairy play” about an ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of Neverland.

Although he continued to write successfully, Peter Pan overshadowed his other work, and is credited with popularizing the name Wendy. Barrie unofficially adopted the Davies boys following the deaths of their parents. 

Before his death, he gave the rights to the Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, which continues to benefit from them. (Source: Wikipedia)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

I’m wondering if critical thinking has become a lost art.

Or 

Perhaps it is simply laziness.

It is so much easier to take a pill or get a jab,

than it is to change your behavior. 

CHARACTER TRAITS

This Is The Problem With Hatred  

SOCIAL TRAITS

I Hope Everyone Had A Nice Thanksgiving

Here Are Some Photos From My Thanksgiving

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Aren’t Most of Us Guilty of This

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Brian Tracy writes a lot of what I call self-help books, which to me is a negative. However, I read this book back in 2014 and have reviewed the notes and highlights I have made in the book several times, including last week. I still think it is a helpful book.

Change Your Thinking Change Your Life

By Brian Tracy

This book provides a lot of solid advice. For example, “Everything you do that requires time represents a choice. … You must be adamant about not spending your time on activities of low value.”

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

If you are looking for an action film, this isn’t it. However, I thought it was very good film.

Belfast

Belfast is a 2021 coming of age comedy-drama film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan, and newcomer Jude Hill.

The film, which Branagh has described as his “most personal film”, centres on a young boy’s childhood amidst the tumult of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the 1960s.

Belfast had its world premiere at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on 2 September 2021, and also won the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released theatrically in the United States on 12 November 2021, and will be in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 21 January 2022. (Source: Wikipedia)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Rock N Roll is King

by Electric Light Orchestra

“Rock ‘n’ Roll Is King” is a song written and performed by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) released as a single from the 1983 album Secret Messages. With this song the band returned to their rock roots.

ART OF THE WEEK

Looks like the Sun can create art.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE  OF THE WEEK

Flappers

Flappers were a generation of young Western women in the 1920s who wore short skirts (knee height was considered short during that time period), bobbed their hair, listened to jazz, and flaunted their disdain for what was then considered acceptable behavior.

Flappers were seen as brash for wearing excessive makeup, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes in public, driving automobiles, treating sex in a casual manner, and otherwise flouting social and sexual norms. 

Flappers are icons of the Roaring Twenties, the social, political turbulence and increased transatlantic cultural exchange that followed the end of World War I, as well as the export of American jazz culture to Europe.

There was a reaction to this counterculture from more conservative people who belonged mostly to older generations. They claimed that the flappers’ dresses were ‘near nakedness’, and that flappers were ‘flippant’, ‘reckless’, and unintelligent.

 

The flapper lifestyle and look disappeared and the roaring ’20s era of glitz and glamour came to an end in America after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. (Source: Wikipedia)

A Flapper and Me

Although it is commonly believed that there are currently no Flappers in existence, I was fortunate to run into one during last week’s trip to Bay City, Michigan.

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

Think about this

You need to put some distance between you and wrong people,

because they will do nothing but cause you problems.

LEARNING TRAITS

It Is Up To You

You can come up with a lot of reasons for whatever undesirable situation you find yourself in. When we look at probability, the majority of people will have a mix of fortunate and unfortunate circumstances. A very few will be blessed with much good fortune and a very few can’t seem to get a break

But for the vast majority of us, it is alway up to us regarding how we do in life.

MISCELLANEOUS

I’m reluctant to think of anyone as stupid.

I think intelligence is the only thing god distributed fairly.

You may be wondering why do I think that.

I think that because everyone believes they 

Received more than their fair share.

 

CURRENT EVENTS

The Search for Enlightenment

If you are like me and have been searching for enlightenment for decades, I have found something that has speeded up my search for enlightenment and hopefully yours also.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I read a number of descriptions about this book and found none of them satisfying. However, I cannot provide a better description. So I will just suggest you read this short and very interesting book. 

If you are the kind of person that will give this book a try, I believe you will find it interesting. If you aren’t interested in this book, you made a good decision for you.

God’s Debris

By Scott Adams

ENTERTAINMENT OF THE WEEK

A friend of mine suggested last week that we all go and see Jon Lovitz at the Royal Oak Comedy Castle. Perhaps, you will recall him from his Saturday Night Live days, when the show was actually funny.

What a great entertainer, his material was fresh and he was as good as ever. It has been a while since I’ve been to a comedy club, but I think I am going to start going more often.

Jon Lovitz

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart

by Elton John with Kiki Dee

ART OF THE WEEK

Turtle House in Gobi Desert, Mongolia

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

General William B. Rossen

(August 25, 1918 – December 12, 2004)

General Rosson fought in ten campaigns with the 3rd Infantry Division in World War II in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, and Germany. Wounded in Sicily, he went on to win the nation’s second highest decoration for valor, The Distinguished Service Cross, on the “Anzio Beachhead in Italy.”

He later served on the Army General Staff in the Pentagon, in General Eisenhower’s NATO headquarters in Paris, France, and on the staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, again in the Pentagon. Troop duty Included command of two Infantry regiments in Germany, and command of the European Airborne Brigade, also in Germany.

General Rosson served four tours in Vietnam covering six years. His assignments included:

When I was leaving Vietnam to head home to civilian life, I recall General Rosson asking me what I was going to do when I got home. I was 20 years old and had joined the Army when I was 17.

I said, “I think I am going to go to college.”

General Rosson said, “You are going to college.”

When this guy told you to do something you did it. I went to college until I was in my mid-50s.

People did what General Rosson told them to do, not out of fear, but out of respect. I think back and I don’t believe I ever knew a finer person.

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Advantage of Temporary Weight Loss

Over Permanent Weight Loss

It is something you might actually achieve.

But for Permanent Weight Loss

Just change one small thing and see how it works.

Once that change becomes a habit,

make another small change.

Little by little you will get to where you want to be.

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

There is always a reason

why you can’t stand up against or speak out against injustice.

But, I believe in your heart you know the real reason.

LEARNING TRAITS

It has been a while since we have heard from World Famous Chef Ronaldo.

However, he is back and this week is he going to teach us 

how to drink wine.

MISCELLANEOUS

I believe this is pretty much all the media, not just mainstream.

There is so little unbiased reporting today.

My fear is that Marcus Aurelius is correct.

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Here is a time change I thing we could all use.

Every precaution you take against evil,

you put yourself into the power of that evil.

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I think this is an important book to read, if you are interested in the Christian religion. It raises and discusses some serious questions regarding  the Christian religion.

The Religious Life of Thomas Jefferson

By Charles B. Sanford 

ENTERTAINMENT OF THE WEEK

This is a bit of a confusing film. I’m glad I saw it, but once was enough. It contains a great cast and any movie with Bill Murray in it is automatically cool.

If you are a writer, the film contains one piece of excellent writing advice. Bill Murray tells a writer, “Try to make it sound like you wrote it that way on purpose.”

The French Dispatch (2021)

The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun is a 2021 romantic comedy-drama anthology film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson.  

The film stars an ensemble cast, featuring Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray, and Owen Wilson. 

Additional cast members in The French Dispatch include Liev Schreiber, Edward Norton, Willem Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Schwartzman, and Anjelica Huston. 

Its plot follows three different storylines as the French foreign bureau of the fictional Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper creates its final issue.

Following a delay from 2020, The French Dispatch had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on July 12, 2021, and was theatrically released in the United States by Searchlight Pictures on October 22, 2021. (Source: Wikipedia)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

What other song could I use, given that we are turning back our clocks this week?

If I Could Turn Back Time

by Cher

The music video for “If I Could Turn Back Time”, takes place on board the battleship USS Missouri. It depicts Cher and her band performing a concert for the ship’s crew.

The video was filmed in Los Angeles on Friday night, June 30, 1989, while the ship was stationed at the former Long Beach Naval Shipyard at Pier D. In the video, the band plays on the foredeck, and the ship is rigged with spotlights, light racks and strobes.

Cher’s son, Elijah Blue Allman, 12 at the time, appears as one of the band’s guitarists wearing dark glasses and a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt. (Source: Wikipedia)

ART OF THE WEEK

Beetles Crossing Abby Road

Not what you thought, was it?

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Finally, someone who is not afraid to call out China.

Enes Kanter

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

When It Comes To Your Physical Health

My Record Certificates Arrived

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

I saw this on le blog de Mademoiselle Mélie and thought it was interesting. Hopefully, you will also find it interesting

A Short Film About Love

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

 

CURRENT EVENTS

A Tribute To Older Ladies

BOOK OF THE WEEK

My friend Karla wrote this non-fiction book. It is a children’s book for ages 6 to 11, so naturally I enjoyed it. It is a rather short book, but it is beautifully illustrated. So if you are like me and like a book that is a quick read with lots of pictures for your child, this book is that. 

It provides a variety of information about Missouri and even briefly mentions how caves are formed. 

Faith and Finley Tour Missouri

Written by K.L. Hale & Illustrated by Gage Becker

ENTERTAINMENT OF THE WEEK

No Time To Die

I’m glad I saw the film, but I think the film is a good reminder that less is often more–the film was unnecessarily long. Plus, did they really have to fire so many bullets? I think had Clint Eastwood  been selected to play the role of Bond, Clint would just have to stare at the bad guys and they would have given up. 

 

No Time to Die is a 2021 spy film and the twenty-fifth in the James Bond series. It stars Daniel Craig in his fifth and final outing as British agent James Bond. In this film, Bond, who has left active service with MI6, is recruited by the CIA to find a kidnapped scientist, which leads to a showdown with a powerful adversary.

No Time to Die had its world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 28 September 2021, and was released in cinemas on 30 September 2021 in the UK and on 8 October 2021 in the US, after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film received generally positive reviews, with many considering it to be a fitting conclusion to Craig’s role as Bond, and has grossed $525 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2021. (Source: Wikipedia)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Mrs. Robinson

by Simon & Garfunkel

ART OF THE WEEK

This year’s outside Halloween decorations

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Who else, since this week is dedicated to older ladies

Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II (Born 21 April 1926) is Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms.

Elizabeth was educated privately at home and began to undertake public duties during the Second World War. In November 1947, she married Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark, with whom she had four children.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant. Her coronation was in 1953. 

On 9 April 2021, after over 73 years of marriage, her husband, Prince Philip, died at the age of 99.

Elizabeth is the longest-lived and longest-reigning British monarch, the longest-serving female head of state in history, the oldest living and longest-reigning current monarch, and the oldest and longest-serving incumbent head of state. (Source: Wikipedia)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Happy Halloween Everyone

Here is a healthy way to start off the Halloween festivities.

Troy, MI Annual Frightful 5K

I’ve run this race several times.

I’m pleased to say I was only 19 seconds slower than two years ago, coming in this year in 40 minutes and 52 seconds.

Not too bad for a 75 year-old

But better than anything, I got to run it with two of my best friends

Tania & Walter

BOOKS OF THE WEEK

Graphic Novels

Given Halloween will soon be here, I thought I would once again mention some graphic novels that are fun to read and tells the stories through pictures such as the ones below:

Bram Stoker’s Dracula 

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Robert Louis Steven’s 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

& The Body Snatcher

ENTERTAINMENT OF THE WEEK

Night of the Living Dead

This 1968 movie is one of the most scary movies that I have ever seen, but if you read below you will learn that it is more than just a scary movie.

 

Night of the Living Dead eventually garnered critical acclaim and has been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry, as a film deemed, “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” (Source:  Wikipedia)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Picket’s facial expressions are amazing.

Monster Mash

by Bobby Picket & The Crypt-Kickers

ART OF THE WEEK

DVD covers are another form of art. I’m particularly fond of this one, since Mike the films creator was kind enough to put me on the cover.

The Dead Walk the Earth, Yet They Live and They Kill

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Who else, the week of Halloween

Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson, May 2011

Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV wearing a revealing, black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Elvira’s Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation. Her wickedly vampish appearance is offset by her comical character, quirky and quick-witted personality, and Valley girl-type speech.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Elvira is an “other worldly” entity who goes about our world by portraying American actress Cassandra Peterson, who of all things, portrays a make-believe  character, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

Here is a Halloween joke for my Vegan friends

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS

Getting Along with Others

When you come to think about it, less tricks and more treats is good advice for getting along with others at any time during the year.

 

SOCIAL TRAITS

Halloween is a particularly dangerous times for cats, especially black cats

 

Please be a responsible cat owner and keep your cat indoors

Well, I guess it is ok for my cat to be outside during Halloween

He is a rather large cat.

LEARNING TRAITS

Cats have 9 times the challenges we have.

So put some thought into it and if you aren’t satisfied,

make some changes.

MISCELLANEOUS

THANK YOU

You may have noticed last week that I did not include any videos in the post. Well this week, a special thank you to the WordPress Happiness Engineer who got my videos working again.

 

CURRENT EVENTS

Michigan APF and AAPF Powerlifting Contest

Having just participated in the AWPC Worlds & WPC CanAm Powerlifting competition on Oct. 1, I am going to be back at it again on Saturday, October 16 in Rochester Hills, Michigan.

I will be both benching (The first time in a contest since Aug. 2019) and deadlifting, which will permit me to be in the Push/Pull competition that day.

The contest will be held at the RPG Gym on Saturday, October 16

Lifting starts at 9:00 a.m.

and

I believe awards will given out around 3:00 p.m., but that is always a guess.

1962 Star Batt Dr.
Rochester Hills, MI 48309

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Paris in the 1920s reminds me most of the mid-1960s to mid- 1970s. It was a great time to be young and alive. 

If you are unfamiliar with some of the key people on the Paris scene during the 1920s, you may want to skip this book and just watch Midnight in Paris.

When Paris Sizzled

By Mary McAuliffe

Major figures on the Paris scene—such as Gertrude Stein, Jean Cocteau, Picasso, Stravinsky, Diaghilev, and Proust—continued to hold sway, while others now came to prominence—including Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, Cole Porter, and Josephine Baker, as well as André Citroën, Le Corbusier, Man Ray, Sylvia Beach, James Joyce, and the irrepressible Kiki of Montparnasse.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I recently saw this movie and didn’t think it was bad (I didn’t look at my watch once), although, I would cut out Clint’s dance scenes.

Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

CRITICS CONSENSUS

Cry Macho proves Clint Eastwood remains an economic filmmaker and charismatic screen presence — albeit one who’s an awkward fit for this particular project.

AUDIENCE SAYS

Clint Eastwood may be a little old for this role, but if you can stick with the somewhat slow story, Cry Macho is a decently entertaining drama with a positive message.

Cry Macho

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

The images accompanying Sam Cooke’s song bring back a lot of memories for me, since I can recall so many of the things depicted in the video.

Wonderful World (1960)

by Sam Cooke

ART OF THE WEEK

All Bonds playing poker together on Canvas Wall Art

If you are a James Bond fan, you may find this interesting

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON  OF THE WEEK

Man Ray

I found this story of how he got his unusual name interesting.

Man Ray’s birth name was Emmanuel Radnitzky.

In early 1912, the Radnitzky family changed their surname to Ray. Man Ray’s brother chose the surname in reaction to the ethnic discrimination and antisemitism prevalent at the time.

Emmanuel, who was called “Manny” as a nickname, changed his first name to Man and gradually began to use Man Ray as his name

Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris.

He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal.

He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all. He was best known for his pioneering photography, and he was a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. Man Ray is also noted for his work with photograms, which he called “rayographs” in reference to himself. (Source: Wikipedia)

  JOKE OF THE WEEK

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS