The Beaufort Gazette reported Friday that Terry Thomas of Lady’s Island had a petition with almost 200 
Note - this isn’t Spencer shown here. It’s his body-double “Tank.” Go here to learn more about this inquisitive fellow.
David Fitzsimmons / Arizona Daily Star, Politicalcartoons.com
![1947162_431[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXS8e21cziJ7lcfC6F8ldwoH1E5MD2-wdZiLVBF-EQ6t4PxkEecnHKa3qT_Dz3RNw3vYklrg8-7r779YssiJg5YHyIeJHjv17EQb9YkYlM8MJO1UfZZ98Dw5st0CW2Qi736CVwIt_hluFp/s1600-h/1947162_431%5B1%5D%5B5%5D.jpg "1947162_431[1]")
The finished project is known officially as the "3D fast bus," but the nickname "straddling bus" is no misnomer.
The bus will literally straddle the road and carry a shocking number of people -- around 1300 passengers -- over cars and under overpasses.
Shenzhen Hashi Future Parking Equipment Co., Ltd, proposed the bus idea. They say the bus will travel at up to 60 km/h (about 37mph). Construction of the 186 km of rails that will carry the bus will begin at the end of the year.
TAKE ACTION: Don't let public transportation in the United States fall behind in environmental awesomeness.
Following in the footsteps of Howard Carter and Abbot and Costello, a specialized robot will penetrate deeper into the Great Pyramid of Giza than ever before. The robot, part of a years long exploration called the Djedi Project, will explore a shaft inaccessible to a previous robot, unlocking a room that has remain sealed for 4,500 years.
Related stories:
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — Amid undying criticism over the large-scale use of Corexit in the Deepwater Horizon response, NOAA and the Food and Drug Administration are developing a lab test to detect traces of the chemical dispersant in seafood. The test, they hope, will finally put to rest concerns that poisons from the compounds used to break up the oil will linger in the food chain.
Photo: A mixture of dispersant and fresh crude oil on ocean surface nine miles from the Deepwater Horizon oil well spill source in the Gulf of Mexico on May 6. In the effort to break up oil before it could hit beaches and marshes, oil spill responders applied more than 1.8 million gallons of chemical dispersant on the surface and at the source of the oil gusher.
Who doesn't look forward to Friday? People spooked by Friday the 13th.
On this supposedly unlucky day, let's investigate some associated myths, plus a few other superstitions.
Not worried or anything, but when is the next Friday the 13th?
Birth order within families has long sparked sibling rivalry, but it might also impact the child's personality and intelligence, a new study suggests. First-borns are typically smarter, while younger siblings get better grades and are more outgoing, the researchers say.
The findings weigh in on a long-standing debate: What effect if any does birth order have on a person's life? While numerous studies have been conducted, researchers have yet to draw any definitive conclusions.
The results lend support to some previous hypotheses — for instance, that the eldest sibling tends to have higher aptitude. But the study also contradicts other proposed ideas, for example, that first-borns tend to be more extroverted.
Look to the skies between midnight tonight and dawn on Friday. Perseid meteors should be visible every night from now until next week.
The Perseids are produced by trails of grit left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle during its 133-year orbit. Earth starts plowing through the Swift-Tuttle debris in late July, and the height of the shower comes annually around… Aug. 12-13th.
The Perseids are so named because they appear to emanate from a point in the constellation Perseus, also known as a "radiant." Because the radiant is in northern skies, Northern Hemisphere observers are in a more favorable position to see the shower. The strength of the shower varies from year to year, depending on what part of Swift-Tuttle's debris trail our planet moves through.
Go to this NASA chat page and talk with Bill Cooke, the head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. He says this year is going to be a good viewing year.
I found this blog – Americans For Tax Reform – this morning. This article was written a month ago, but it’s still very timely.
I’m interested in non-partisan assessments of our tax system. If this article would have stayed away from some Conservative catch phrases like “ObamaCare” it would have more validity. Talking about “Three Great Waves” crashing down on the economy sounds a bit too partisan to me. Biblical even.
However, after reading the entire document (link provided below) I do agree with the contention that our taxation system is only going to stink more in 2011.
From Americans For Tax Reform:
In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect. They will hit families and small businesses in three great waves on January 1, 2011:
(N.B. This version of the document contains even more tax hikes than the original version did)
And why not? That’s the culture in Washington, where the powerful don’t pay for their sins.
It was the antithesis of Chelsea Clinton's wedding — a glittering social event on the New York political calendar that many prominent politicians wished (very privately) they did not have to attend and hoped (very secretly) would somehow be canceled.
But Charlie Rangel's 80th birthday party and campaign fundraiser in the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel went off without a hitch Wednesday night . . . if you don't count the formal ethics charges filed against the 20-term Harlem Democratic congressman last month, his rambling and defiant defense of his conduct on the House floor Tuesday, and the last-hurrah aura to his re-election campaign. Grabbing a microphone at the beginning of the evening and abandoning any pretence of stiff formality despite the lavish setting, Rangel declared, "I've been to a lot of funerals, but this damn sure ain't no funeral, is it?"
Or, “Woman endures Cold Shoulder from Boyfriend for Two Years before Telling Her Story”
Here’s the story:
“The corpse of renowned French chef Jean-Francois Poinard has been found in a freezer after his girlfriend confessed to her daughter that “something unfortunate” had happened to him.”
top image source
Somewhere, prowling the streets, this serial killer will meet his match (despite selecting apparently harmless victims). The night will come when he’s not going to be able to get away - and the police will confront him. Will he go down fighting? Or, will he quietly give up and go to prison? Once he’s behind bars, he’ll probably get someone to ghost write a book about his experiences. Someday, someone might make a movie about him.
But right now, he’s still prowling the streets looking for a victim to senselessly stab. His single-mindedness speaks of cold anger. Maybe he’s reading the newspapers, and what they’re saying about them. Maybe he likes the publicity. Maybe he just doesn’t care. If that’s the case, then he’ll die with his knife in his hand…cursing the world.
Stabbing victim: Assailant resembled police sketch, but had an accomplice
“A 47-year-old man who was stabbed multiple times Saturday in Flint, Mich., may be the 17th victim of a serial killer prowling the city.”
UPDATE 8/12
Israeli held in investigation of serial stabbings
Looks like the cops got their man. The guy wasn’t even an American. There’s one thing this story doesn’t mention: twice, after attacking people, he was seen getting a ride from someone. Where’s that guy?
“For the first time ever, scientists have created an invisibility cloak made from silk, and coated in gold.
Invisibility cloaks, along with their optically exotic cousins, perfect absorbers and perfect reflectors and others, belong to a special class of materials known as metamaterials. Unlike most materials, which derive optical properties like color from their chemical make up, metamaterials derive their properties from the physical structure.”
This whole incident has me wondering if other plants have managed to grow inside of people? Just think if a marijuana seed did like this pea seed did…no…I guess that wouldn’t be good either.
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Like every year, it’s no secret C.A.M.P is in the hills hunting for outdoor marijuana patches right now.
For nearly 30 years, the Campaign Against Planting has waged a quixotic battle to eradicate California's outdoor marijuana industry.
Last year was a record year for C.A.M.P, with 4.4 million plants seized. Authorities expect to match that figure this year, and they hope to surpass it to keep the federal funding flowing for next year.
Has C.A.M.P made a difference these last three decades? Obviously not. Every year they pull more plants, and the planters compensate by growing more. The price of outdoor pot has actually gone down because of it’s availability. There’s other factors involved, but the point is C.A.M.P is a monumental waste of taxpayer money!
Excerpt from article:
"CAMP is an enormous waste of money -- I've even heard law enforcement refer to this as helicopter rides," said Margaret Dooley-Sammuli of the Drug Policy Alliance in Los Angeles. "It's fun for them, but spending this money on that doesn't do any good, and that's a shame when we're in such dire budgetary shape on all levels."
So what does the C.A.M.P crowd think about their annual eradication efforts?
Excerpt from article:
"I think we are making a difference," said CAMP spokesperson Gregory. "There are still plants out there, but at the same time, the way we look at it, they are willing to defend their grow sites, so we're obviously impacting them monetarily."
Really? They defend their efforts by trotting out the assumption that they’re “impacting them (the growers) monetarily?” How stupid is that? If C.A.M.P is negatively impacting the growers why do they grow more every year? That’s according to C.A.M.Ps own statistics. Why do these wannabe air-borne warriors in their helicopters and assault gear, keep coming back every year?
You probably already know the answer. It’s no secret. C.A.M.P gives the local law enforcement agencies money to pay local Rambo-types to tromp through the hills.This helps struggling departments with their budgets. The state may cut back on them, but those wonderful Feds show up every year with green in their hands - and the dictate: “Go forth and have some sport, while pulling weeds for Uncle Sam.”
Anyone who has spent time researching the years of futile Summer raids knows they’re like playing a game on a Merry-Go-Round. Nothing changes no matter how many times you spin around. Well, one thing does change. The funding for C.A.M.P goes up every year, while other federal services are failing for lack of funds.
This year the clowns are spending $3.6 Billion on their vendetta against marijuana. Yea…Billion. Hmmmm…I don’t know about you, but I could think of other federal programs I’d like to see funded with that money. Programs where the public actually gets their moneys worth by helping average Americans, and not just some local law enforcement agencies suffering cutbacks in the State of California.
I was doing some research on secret societies this morning and ran across this one.
I’ve never heard of it, so it got my interest enough to share it with you.
The Order of Nine Angles (ONA) is an ostensible secretive Satanist organization that surfaced amongst the people of United Kingdom is 1980s and 1990s:
The society professes to be the followers of Satanism and regard it as highly individualized pursuit to create self-excellence and wisdom, by facing challenges and overcoming the physical and mental limits. At present, ONA is organized around secret cells known as traditional Nexions, and around in its words the sinister tribes. The ONA’s writings strangely consider human sacrifice as a means of eliminating the weak and claim that its sinister tribes are an important part of its sinister strategy to fabricate a new, tribal-based, more ominous way of life, and to disturb and eventually conquer the ordinary societies of what it calls the mundanes.
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But for as many famous museums as there are around the world, there are just as many strange museums. To make it on this list, the wackier museum is the better. My favorite is:
The Museum of Bad Art
Founded in 1993, the Museum of Bad Art is “the world’s only museum dedicated to the collection, preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all its forms.” Their mission: to bring the worst of art to the widest of audiences. With a collection of more than 400 pieces between two museums in Dedham Square and Somerville, Mass., these museums give new meaning to “can’t color between the lines.” See the Museum of Bad Art
“Rudeness, even if it’s not aimed at us, can derail a day. It can spoil a meal and ruin a good mood. It can hamstring creativity and hamper job performance. It makes us feel uncomfortable and conflicted: We don’t want to be involved, but we feel like we should be.
As it turns out, people can be so distressed by rudeness they’ll stop patronizing a business after witnessing one worker berate another, researchers reported in a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.”
image source
Sit back, click here, and enjoy viewing some really stunning castles and palaces.
HERE’S MY FAVORITE - The most famous of three royal palaces built for Louis II of Bavaria, sometimes referred to as Mad King Ludwig, the Neuschwanstein it’s a royal palace in the Bavarian Alps of Germany.
Begun in 1869 and left unfinished at Louis's death in 1886, the castle is the embodiment of 19th century romanticism. In a fantastical imitation of a medieval castle, Neuschwanstein is set with towers and spires and is spectacularly sited on a high point over the Pullat River gorge.
The construction of the castle was carried out according to a well thought-out plan. The castle was equipped with all kinds of technical conveniences which were very modern, if not to say revolutionary at that time. Running water on all floors.
There were toilets equipped with automatic flushing on every floor. A warm air heating system for the entire building. American tourists are already familiar with Neuschwanstein; the sleeping beauty Castle in DisneyLand, was modeled on it. (Photo by grotsasha)
“Now, Shinseki and other Cabinet members have joined a growing number of lawmakers calling for an overhaul of insurer practices. Representative Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.), has proposed a measure to set new rules for insurance companies that profit from accounts held for dead soldiers and veterans.”
Pee-Wee Herman will be there to share another great adventure with fans, and to raise money for chari
ties.
I spent a day in 1971, at this great motorcycle event.
My hair was getting long (I got out of the Army in March) and I wore a leather vest with various Army patches and pot patches.
I went there in my 1964 “Competition Orange” Chevy Impala, as I didn’t have a motorcycle. I was wandering around the country living out of my car at the time, and happened to be in the right place to see it.
I recall seeing a lot of hard core Bikers from the Hell’s Angels, Mongols, and other gangs. There were plenty of fights. The event wasn’t as homogenized as it is now. There were a lot of bad dudes who came looking for a good time back then. Maybe they still do, but I kinda doubt it from what I read in the article link above.
What did I do that day? I honestly couldn’t give you a good accounting as I got gleefully smashed! I remember meeting a small group of Hell’s Angels from California. I was surprised because I knew one of them, Moon. He was from my old neighborhood in La Puente, and was a couple of years older than me. Anyway Moon lead, and I followed!
They once used wielded power in the private sector, and now that lust for power is spilling over into the public realm.
Proving that money overcomes all when it comes in massive enough quantities, Meg Whitman (pictured),Linda McMahon,Rick Scott,Jeff Greene,and Rick Snyder are all shoveling millions into political ads this year.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg holds the U.S. record for self-financing, spending $108 million, or about $185 per vote, to win a third term last year. Meg Whitman is challenging that with her cash infusion of $99 million.
Wealthy political newcomers are spending big.
“In the midst of one of the worst recessions in decades, a host of former corporate leaders are spending millions in their quest for elective office, using their personal wealth to push past the political machinery and their own lack of experience.”
By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 08/08/2010 01:32:27 AM PDT
”When death comes around, nobody is willing to die and old age is no longer a burden.”
-- Euripides, Greek poet, 480-406 B. C., Alcestis
Death is as natural as birth, but we fear it in our society to the point of denial. The will to live is celebrated and “never give up hope because a miracle could happen” is an American belief. We've all heard metaphors like “it's not over till the fat lady sings” and other phrases glorifying those who fight death until the bitter end.
My sister Marjorie fought breast cancer in the '80s and finally succumbed to it in 1987. When I say fought, I mean she went along with some traditional methods of treatment, and when they didn't work she turned to the alternate methods touted at the time.
Laetrile was a popular alternative treatment for cancer then. She tried some of that vile concoction (it came in a brown bottle that had to be refrigerated), but couldn't stand the taste and disposed of it.
Claimed as a cancer cure for years, there is no supporting evidence that Laetrile, also referred to as Vitamin B17, has any metabolic function or dietary benefit.
For more information, Google “Food and Nutrition -- Laetrile,” or read “Unproven Methods of Cancer Management -- Laetrile” (source; Cancer J Clin; vol 41, ISS 3, 1991, P187-92 ref:35).
Laetrile is illegal now, but back then people had easy access to it here in California. I know this because
in 1979 I was introduced to a practicing Laetrile “doctor,” a Dr. H. Howard, by a friend.
Howard had an impressive list of degrees after his name on his business cards and stationery. He claimed to be an expert in numerous medical fields, including the questionable practice of shilling Laetrile. He wanted someone to write a fictional book about how Laetrile saved the life of a Hartford, Conn., bank robber's wife. I know; an odd storyline, but he was loaded with money and looking for a writer.
GO HERE to read the rest.
It took me a little while this morning to locate the exact 200,000,00th visitor to As It Stands – and he/she is from Vanderbijlpark Gauteng, in South Africa.
The viewer spent almost seven minutes reading posts. The last one they read was on a rare plant that could only be found in Namibia, Africa.
It’s called the Welwitschia Mirabilis
Our visitor lives in the southern part of the country.
This is also a real nice vacation destination, and as you can see, it has all the amenities. There’s tours, 4-star hotels, water sports, and plenty of city shopping. It looks like a nice place to go.
So here’s a special shout-out to my unknown 200,000,00 visitor – thanks for the milestone!
I’ve never met someone who thought barbells in the tongue was glamorous.It’s not that I don’t talk with younger people, I do. I’ve got nephews and nieces and friends of my sons who I can ask about fashion questions such as tongue piercing.
I’ll be blunt. I think it’s a piss-poor way to get attention (why else would you do it?) and it’s not a healthy thing to do. I suppose if you don’t mind experiencing the above side-effects of this tongue-in-check fad…it’s your way of making a statement. Unfortunately,that statement often comes with health drawbacks.
I’d say this whole project is just a slick way to get people’s attention – and that I find it offensive.
What do you think?
Excerpt:
“We're big believers in the power of an image to convey the drama, sadness, and gravity of world events. In the case of the BP oil spill, that power was never more apparent, both in the photographs that captured the devastation and in the photographs that were forbidden from being taken.
The latest photos causing a stir aren't photojournalism but a fashion spread in Vogue Italia, titled "Water & Oil." Uber-edgy photographer Steven Meisel shoots model Kristen McMenamy, clad in black, coated in oil, and draped across tainted beaches. In one shot, she has a black feather perched on her lips. In another, an oil-drenched feathered glove stands in for the hundreds of birds soaked in the spill.”
“Our personalities stay pretty much the same throughout our lives, from our early childhood years to after we're over the hill, according to a new study.
The results show personality traits observed in children as young as first graders are a strong predictor of adult behavior.”
image source
A meat processor recalled about 1 million pounds of ground beef products Friday after seven people were sickened by E. coli contamination.
Valley Meat Co., of Modesto, sold the potentially contaminated beef patties and ground beef in California, Texas, Oregon, Arizona and internationally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
The beef was processed from Oct. 2, 2009, to Jan. 12, 2010. Most of the products were sold frozen and the company was working to remove them from grocery store shelves.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing (and exploring) 28 of the 29 roadside attractions featured here.
Here’s the one attraction I somehow managed to miss:
Lucy the Elephant, Margate, NJ
“Lucy the Elephant’s original role, back in 1882, was to sell real estate. In fact, she’s the first example of zoomorphic architecture in the U.S. and has the patent to prove it. Located in Margate, NJ, this much-loved roadside folly is artfully crafted from wood and tin and has proved far more versatile than her creator imagined. At 65 feet tall, and housing a spacious hall, Lucy has at various times served as a bar, an office, and a summer home.” —Adam McCulloch
This will also make Hurd eligible for the “As It Stands” highly selective “Scum of the Year Award” that comes with a Life-time membership in the National Asshole Hall of Fame!
Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairman and CEO Mark Hurd has resigned after a sexual-harassment probe that found he violated company standards, the computer maker said Friday.
I’m one of those people guilty of not checking dates on food packaging. If it’s in my refrigerator, or kitchen cupboards, it’s fair game.
Fortunately, my wife keeps a sharp eye out and seems to always be marking containers when she opens them. Sometimes, a product (like eggs) will be past it’s expiration date and she still serves them to us. That made me uncomfortable, but the alternative would have been to forage for myself. Naturally, I trust her judgment (as I’m pretty clueless about this subject), but now I’m feeling much better after reading this article!
Perhaps in a few years, we’ll see Humboldt Schools with playing fields and buildings named after the county’s biggest cash crop.
Think about it: Local farmers could hock their special brands while supporting our local school districts! HSU could have “PURPLE KUSH FIELD.” The College of the Redwoods could have “Sour Diesel Study Hall,” and other schools could have their ball fields and buildings adorned with names like; “Grandfather Daddy Library,” or “Headband Field.”
Meanwhile:
“It’s too soon to know yet whether Flamy will show up next spring when Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pa., opens its softball season.
Flamy — a smiling electric, well, flame on blue legs — was there in April when the Black Knights took the field en route to a 13-9 playoff season. That’s because it’s his field they play on.
Flamy is the corporate mascot of Schwanger Bros. & Co. Inc. (“serving Central Pennsylvania for more than 70 years”), a heating and air-conditioning company in nearby Lancaster that owns the rights to the name of Hempstead’s softball diamond — Schwanger Bros. Field. There’s a big yellow Schwanger Bros. banner on the fence. Schwanger Bros. banners hang from each foul pole and along the bottom of the scoreboard. On Opening Day, a Schwanger Bros. logo even graced home plate.”
PHOTO: Hempfield High School in Landisville, Pa., has sold the names of several of its sports and academic facilities. The Black Knights softball team plays at Schwanger Bros. Field, which is sponsored by a home services company. That’s Flamy, the company’s corporate mascot — not the school’s — on the right
I’ve heard rumors that Rudy Giuliani has aspirations of someday becoming the President of the United States. This little caper might prove to be a pothole on that road to power.
Being entirely clueless of the average American’s needs, almost qualifies him for a place in one of the Houses, but let’s face it…the little creep wouldn’t look good in the Oval Office and what party would sponsor him?
He’s got other things to think about right now:
“The rebellious daughter of former law-and-order Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was busted today for allegedly stealing makeup from an upscale beauty and skin care shop near her Upper East Side home, officials said.
Cops said Caroline Giuliani, 20, a student at Harvard University, was arrested after security cameras caught her stuffing makeup into her jacket pocket at a Sephora store at E. 86th Street and Lexinton Avenue shortly before 2 p.m.
Giuliani, who was in the store by herself, was confronted by a sales clerk and a store security guard, who called police. Sources said she allegedly stole five items, worth about $100.”
PHOTO- Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, center, his daughter Caroline and son Andrew pose for photographers as they arrive at Gracie Mansion for Giuliani's wedding to Judith Nathan in this May 24, 2003, AP file photo.
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Blocked-off chamber may be a tomb for Teotihuacan’s rulers
Moscow, Russian Federation (AHN) -- Seven members of a Satanic sect were meted two-to 20-year prison terms for killing three high school boys and one girl in 2008 as part of an initiation ritual.
A court in the Russian city of Yaroslavl sentenced ringleader Nikolai Ogolobyak, 21, to 20 years imprisonment for murder, robbery and desecrating a corpse. His accomplices, four boys and a girl, were ordered to serve from eight to 10 years imprisonment.
A sixth accomplice was meted a two-year jail sentence and the eighth suspect, Anton Makovkin, 21, was sent to a mental institution for being insane.
The convicted killers cut apart their dead victims, who were joining the Gothic group, before burying their bodies.
The relatives of the victims protested the verdict for being too light. However, under Russian law, 10 years was the maximum prison term for underage criminals.
If you’re old enough to remember TV before cable, then you have a pretty good idea where all of this is leading.
Google and Verizon, two leading players in Internet service and content, are nearing an agreement that could allow Verizon to speed some online content to Internet users more quickly if the content’s creators are willing to pay for the privilege.
The agreement could eventually lead to higher charges for Internet users.
UPDATE 10:14 a.m.
Google, Verizon deny talks about Web pay tiers!
"We've not had any convos with (Verizon) about paying for carriage of our traffic," Google said on Twitter. "We remain committed to an open Internet."
David Fish, Verizon's executive director of media relations wrote on the company's public policy blog. "It fundamentally misunderstands our purpose. As we said in our earlier FCC filing, our goal is an Internet policy framework that ensures openness and accountability, and incorporates specific FCC authority, while maintaining investment and innovation. To suggest this is a business arrangement between our companies is entirely incorrect."
I’m not sure what to make of this announcement. Did someone let the cat out of the bag too soon? Did a reporter misinterpret information provided to him/her? It’s anyone’s guess what is really going on here.
I know one thing, I don’t trust these corporations. Profit is the end-all (regardless of how it’s achieved) to their corporate philosophies. It’s called capitalism, corruption, and corporate rule of the airways.
A top national security aide to Afghan President Hamid Karzai was arrested last week on bribery charges —then released the same day “at the direction of the palace,” a senior U.S. official tells NBC News.
The handling of the case of Mohamed Zia Salehi, the chief administrator of Karzai’s national security council, has infuriated U.S. officials and raised new questions about Karzai’s commitment to cracking down on corruption within his government.
AND..
President Barack Obama's special envoy Richard Holbrooke recently testified that up to 30 percent of Afghan police salaries — paid in cash and financed with U.S tax dollars — are being stolen by their superiors.
HERE’S THE PART THAT GETS ME…
Overall, as much $1 billion a year in cash, often stuffed in suitcases, is being flown out of Afghanistan and taken to Dubai, U.S. investigators say.
July 17th, 1955 – The night before…
The anticipation of going to a place full of rides for kids kept my sisters, brother, cousin, and I talking late into the morning hours.
Our parents allowed us all to spend the night in the living room (sleeping bags and all), and we pretended we were camping out.
We must have gotten some sleep because we were ready to go at the crack of dawn. By the time we got to Anaheim (we lived in the San Fernando Valley) a mob (see photo below right) of people were pouring through the gates. I guess they didn’t know much about crowd control in those days.
It’s hard to say what I remember most about that magical day. I was five-years old and quickly overawed at the magnificence around me. One of the most impressive was the “Rocket to the Moon/Flight to the Moon/Mission to Mars” exhibit that instantly made me want to be an astronaut.
I thought the “Indian Village(left)” was neat, as I loved playing Cowboys and Indians. Looking back, I can see how people might think we were racist or politically incorrect by today’s standards.
But, back then we were innocent of such things because they were all around us and we didn’t know any better. The movies told us the Cowboys were the good guys and the Indians were the bad guys.
Back to Disneyland:
I recall riding in Dumbo, who gently went up and down and around. I thought the people dressed up like cartoon characters were cool. I asked my dad how the people inside could stand the heat? Unfortunately, I can’t remember exactly what he said. It was something along the lines of “They get paid to do it.” I sure remember the heat.
When you walked your feet stuck to the newly laid asphalt (they kept slipping out of my sandals!) that looked wet under the blazing sun. Women were getting their high heels stuck, much to my amusement. I saw more than one person fall down, only to quickly get up red-faced and embarrassed, trying to act like nothing happened. If people tripped and fell today (and it was the amusement park’s fault) they’d sue and get part ownership!
My overall impression of that day’s
big adventure (See Photo left), was one of bliss.
As we drove home I struggled to stay awake and talk with my older sister Linda, but lost the battle and passed out.
I ran across the following article this morning and it inspired me to reminisce. Enjoy:
10 Things I Miss About Disneyland
By Rick VanderKnyff
Excerpt:
“When Disneyland opened in 1955, Westerns were still the biggest thing on TV and the early Disney rides and attractions reflected that. Orange County also had Knott's Berry Farm, which comprised mainly the ghost town -- with free admission -- and chicken dinner restaurant until owners decided to go whole hog into the Disney-style theme park business. In those days, young fans would head to Disneyland or Knott's with their cap pistols strapped onto their hips and felt cowboy hats on their heads.
The Indian Village, with real people in full Native America garb hanging out amid the teepees and other paraphernalia, was one of Disneyland's original attractions in those quieter, less culturally aware times. This attraction -- with people in native costume on display -- would never fly today, and rightly so. But it's interesting to remember when this was all part of the Disney experience.”
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Kieron Williamson, who just turned 8, is drawing collectors from as far from New York City and South Africa to his little British town of Holt. An exhibition of his paintings fetched the equivalent of $235,804 in under 30 minutes. London's Daily Mail dubbed him "Mini Monet." (Alban Donohoe / ©Albanpix.com)
Many popular dietary supplements contain ingredients that may cause cancer, heart problems, liver or kidney damage, but U.S. stores sell them anyway and Americans spend millions on them, according to Consumer Reports.
Men who want to be more magnetic need only don an article of red clothing, scientists now say.
Researchers from the University of Rochester and other institutions around the globe have discovered that the color red makes a man more attractive and sexually desirable to women, according to a report published this month in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
PHOTO: here I am trying to attract the ladies with my red shirt. I have to report it didn’t work, therefore I suspect this studies findings!
On Friday, Rep. Jamie Raskin pressed the White House physician for a full evaluation of Trump's cognitive abilities. Raskin asked Trum...
