Saturday, September 16, 2017

'Good Old' Trump Pulls The Football Away From Republicans At The Last Moment!

Good Day World!

Anyone familiar with the Peanuts cartoons knows that Lucy likes to hold a football for good old Charlie Brown to kick.

Just as Charlie is in the kicking motion midair - Lucy pulls the ball away!

Anyone following Trump knows he's capable of multiple "take backs" daily.

Politic pundits are cackling with delight at the butt-hurt Republican party right now, because Donny pulled the football away from them...again.

By sitting down and talking nice with Democrats Chuck and Nancy about DACA, he's pulled the rug out from beneath McConnell's and Ryan's feet as slickly as Lucy would.

The next day, after dining with the enemy, Trump tweeted no deal had been made. Meanwhile, Chuck and Nancy were doing a victory dance on another thread.

Trump can't stay focused on one subject long enough to make a responsible decision about anything. I have to admit that his new cat-and-mouse game with Congressional Republicans is fun to watch.

 I doubt that this new shaky alliance will produce a bipartisan deal on DACA, or on any other issues. But if it does, that would be good for the country.

As much as I loath our Liar-In-Chief, I love my country more. I want to see political compromises that actually represent the majority of Americans and not just one far-right ideology.

If Trump is (as I suspect) really Lucy in drag, there's going to be a lot of Charlie Browns falling on their asses real soon!

Time for me to walk on down the road... 

Friday, September 15, 2017

What Kind of Impact Will The New Vietnam Documentary Have?


Good Day World!

I wonder what value a new documentary on Vietnam will have?

Filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick teamed up on the project:

(Photo by Henri Huet, AP)

The Vietnam War, premiering Sept. 17 on PBS.

The timing of the release is interesting.

The documentary is about one of the most divisive periods of American history - the 60's and the 70s. Revisiting it in the equally divisive society we live in now is part of the message.

It's obvious the lesson of a made-up war never sunk in. It just took a few decades before Americans were once again involved in an overseas war of aggression against Iraq on false pretenses.

So what is the purpose of bringing up an illegal war that has been written about extensively, had documentaries devoted to it, and even mainstream movies?

If the filmmakers think that a new generation will be morally affected by the Vietnam War, I wouldn't bet on it. We're currently in another war in Afghanistan that's been going on for a decade.

How many protest marches have you seen about getting out of Afghanistan? Political pundits play with the idea, but no one seriously sees an end to that bloody debacle.

Trump quietly sent 3,500 more troops over there last week. If that isn't proof of generational stupidity, I don't know what is. America has cast a blind eye to imperialism. 

This new documentary has complied what was already out there, and is presenting it in 10 episodes and 18 hours.

There are 80 interviews with Vietnam Veterans, but for the most part it's a collection of prior works and films.

Some viewers may come away pitying the men and women who fought in Vietnam. Some will also revile the soldiers who fought there.

In what I see as an ironic twist, the narrative has changed, and some people feel guilty about how they reacted to returning veterans.

That guilt has morphed to a new narrative, "Welcome Home." As a Vietnam Veteran (1970), I'm conflicted about the greeting.

On one hand, it's really nice to have strangers come up to you and say "Welcome Home."

On the other hand, you feel guilty for what you did in Vietnam, and getting a blanket pardon doesn't change that fact. 

Another fact, two-thirds of the Americans who fought in Vietnam are dead. A good portion of that remaining one-third has PTSD like me.

Ken Burns told PBS, "This film is for everybody and will hopefully remind us all to have the kind of civil discourse that we’ve forgotten how to have.”

This new documentary is professionally done. Now, let's see how many people watch it. 

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Thursday, September 14, 2017

I’ve Got Some Motorcycle Porn For All You Avid Motorheads!



                                 Good Day World!
Rev your engines...

Brough Superior motorcycles were made in Nottingham, England from 1919 until 1940 and were known as ‘The Rolls Royce of Motorcycles.’ (Photos above) They were very expensive at the time, and only available to the wealthy.
The model (below) dates from 1931.   

(image credit: Kevin Hulsey, via)

T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, owned several of these machines and died from his injuries after crashing on one in 1935.

Another beautiful bike (below) is this Imme (Germany), with a single side suspension


(image credit: Robert Kimberly)

The Megola motorcycle was produced in Munich in the 1920’s. Some 2000 were built, but only 10 fully working examples are still in existence.
One of which is in the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

(images credit: Robert Kimberly)

Some sources point out that "in 1940, when the Indian's skirted fenders appeared, several questioned the manhood of Spingfield's designers."

It seems that aerodynamic shape of Killinger and Freund bikes (below) influenced the Indian designers. (image via)










This streamlined torpedo (top left) is the French-made Majestic,1929.

Speaking about Custom War Bikes, the one above right was fashioned after the World War II era style. (modern concept by Kogisama).

Time for me to walk on down the road..

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Latest Hypocrite for the Era: Man of God, Ted Cruz, Caught 'Liking' Porn

Good Day World!

Have you ever noticed the biggest hypocrites are the ones who claim to be the most holy?

Remember, Jim and Tammy Bakker?

A sex scandal led to his resignation from the ministry. Subsequent revelations of accounting fraud brought about his imprisonment and divorce

How about Jimmy Swaggart? Talk about major hypocrite. His sexual affairs and being busted with porn magazines in his car in the Palm Springs area, shook up his followers.

But he got on TV and tearfully repented. He even offered to climb up into a tower and stay there until he was forgiven (he didn't by the way) and a certain amount of donations were achieved.

The guy has balls, you gotta hand it to him. He's still preaching the good old gospel on TV and radio to millions of dupes.

The most recent high profile candidate for hypocrite of the era is none other than "Lying Ted Cruz!" You remember him don't you?

He was busted "liking" some porn site on twitter a couple of days ago. Before it was taken down, the Internet world was on it.

Cruz was turned into a meme...again. From Lying Ted to Nasty Teddy, he'll be red meat for laughs forever now.

The next day Cruz told reporters that "...it was a staffing issue and it was inadvertent. It was a mistake. It was not a deliberate action."

Yeah right, Teddy!

Next year, when Dirty Teddy runs for re-election he can count on the pervert vote, but the Evangelicals might be a bit hesitate. Just saying...

Time for me to walk on down the road... 

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Some Enlightning Things About Lightning Strikes

Good Day World!

May lightning strike you if you don’t tell the truth!

That old phrase/threat went through my mind when I watched this video of a guy that was struck by lightning during Hurricane Harvey. 

Oddly, I also recall when the Pope resigned Feb. 2013, and lightning struck the Vatican on the same day!

The key to not getting hit by lightning is to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Before you hand me a cookie and tell me to go away with that seemingly stupid observation, let me explain: 
   
It doesn’t matter where you stand, what you wear or carry, the best thing to do is to avoid the locations where lightning can strike.


That sound better?

For example, anywhere outdoors or in unprotected structures. Let’s say you’re somewhere outside where there are no buildings to hide in.

A car (with a hard top of course) will protect you. A direct strike to your car will flow through the frame of the vehicle and usually jump over or through the tires to reach ground.

Note, I said usually. If you happen to be unlucky enough to touch the metal frame with your arm (or other body part) it could ruin your day.

Especially if you don’t get out of the vehicle and check it out. Fuel can be ignited by a strike and cause a fire or explosion.

Did you know it’s relatively rare for people to die from a lightning strike? Mary Ann Cooper, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, estimates that nine out of 10 people survive!

As a matter of fact there are so many survivors they’ve formed an organization: The Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors.

It’s even international. If you want to read some startling stories, look that group up. Many of them have been zapped more than once.

Make no mistake however, the small percent who do die adds up. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an estimated 24,000 people are killed worldwide each year.

Over the last 21 years, the United States averaged 51 lightning strike fatalities, according to NOAA, placing them second behind floods for weather killings. That should be eye-opening news for us all. Don’t underestimate them.

I’ve got a couple of medical terms dealing with lightning I bet you never heard of:

Keraunomedicine (study of lightning casualties and associated treatments), and Keraunopathy (the study of effects of lightning on the human body).

Illuminating as all of this information may be, being struck by lightning is not something most people worry about. That is unless you’re a statistic and this information comes too late for you!

For those of you who don’t think about being struck by lighting…bravo. There are lots of other

things to be more concerned about, I’m sure. Like where your next meal is coming from or if you can find a babysitter so you and your spouse can go out for a romantic dinner.

Forgive me for being so flippant about a subject that strikes terror into some people. Sometimes I can’t help myself.

I’ve never been struck by lightning (knock on wood!) nor have I ever met anyone who was. Like most of you, I’ve heard and read a lot of lightning strike stories, however.

One of my favorites is Frankenstein. Who can forget that tense moment when Dr. Frankenstein opened up the ceiling of his lab to allow a bolt of lightning to bring his monster to life?

Zap!He’s alive! He’s alive! He’s alive!”

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Monday, September 11, 2017

I know you may think so, but it's not the Apocalypse - Just Tough Times and Trump

Good Day World!

Hurricanes, earthquakes, major flooding, rumors of war with North Korea...

Hey! Wait a minute!

This all sounds a lot like the Apocalypse.

When I hear that MegaChurch Pastor/Televangelist, Paula White, say Trump is a man of repentance, I can't help flashing on all the end time talk lately.

FYI: Predictions about the end of the world have been going on since ancient times, so I'm not too concerned over our latest run of tough times.

In the news...

The White House is holding up to it's new tradition of a lie-a- day in grand style. This time, social media director, Dan Scavino informed the nation that Miami International Airport was flooded.

The truth is, the video Scavino shared with the world (and his boss Donny) was not a video of Miami - or even Hurricane Irma.

The White House had no comment. Are you surprised?

I'm also betting the video he shared of Trump and Pence sitting near a TV, ready to respond to any emergency 24/7, was as false as Trump's claim President Obama bugged Trump Tower.

I have to admit it's amusing watching Chief of Staff, Gen. John Kelly, drain the swamp in the West Wing. Watching Steve Bannon slither out the back door hissing at Kelly was perfect. 

His latest action, a wonderful "no-fly list" is a savvy move.

It's a list for his aides who previously wandered into meetings unannounced, and uninvited. The chief offender was aide Omarosa-Manigault.

Watching an adult walking around in the West Wing is a novel thing to witness in the Trump administration.

I can't help wondering when Donny gets tired of too much reality around him, what he'll do.

He can't just "duck walk" Gen. Kelly out of the Oval Office. The resulting backlash would be catastrophic for his already besieged administration.

It's time for me to walk on down the road...

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Be Happy! Life Is Too Short Not To Be


                                         Good Day World!

In this highly stressful society finding happiness can be a real challenge. The pressure of daily life – just making a living – has a way of harshing many people’s attitudes.

There’s a lot of good reasons to seek happiness. Sometimes people think happiness can be bought like any other commodity.

If your rich enough you can buy anything and not have to worry about where your next meal is coming from. It’s easier than the alternative.

Most of us struggle to make ends meet. But does that mean we can’t be happy.
In short, the latest research suggests wealth alone doesn’t provide any guarantee of a good life.

What matters a lot more than a big income is how people spend it.

For instance, giving money away makes people a lot happier than lavishing it on themselves. And when they do spend money on themselves, people are a lot happier when they use it for experiences like travel than for material goods.

Life experiences give us more lasting pleasure than material things, and yet people still often deny themselves experiences and prioritize buying material goods.

Extremely wealthy people have their own set of concerns: anxiety about their children, uncertainty over their relationships and fears of isolation, according to research by Robert Kenny, a developmental psychologist and senior advisor at the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy at Boston College.

His research shows the rest of the world, who often think that if they just made one more bonus or sold one more item or got one more promotion, then their world and their family's world would be so much better, that this isn't necessarily true.

There's another whole level of concerns that parents are going to have about their kids. One of those concerns is this feeling of isolation. That's actually a No. one concern for families with a high net worth — this sense of isolation — and the higher the wealth, the worse it gets.

Yes, it’s easier being rich than poor. No one can deny that. But money isn’t necessary if you can enjoy the simple things in life, like going for a walk, laughing at a friends joke, or writing a poem.

Happiness has many sources if we allow ourselves to seek them out. I’m speaking from the experiences of over six decades in the quest to be happy. Your greatest happiness can come from living in a close family, and having lots of friends.

It’s an almost unbeatable combination when you boil everything down to the basics. Watching your daughter take her first step, or your son say his first words, can be more precious than all of the money in Ft. Knox.

10 Reasons Why Lazy People Are Actually The Happiest

What makes you happy?

Time for me to walk on down the road…
(This column first ran in As It Stands 2/7/15)

It's Time to Pay Up Donnie!

It's looks like there will be some prime real estate going on the market soon in New York City. Convicted rapist and former president ...