In the United States, more people believe that houses can be haunted by the dead than believe that the living can cause climate change.
Is this simply a scary Halloween tale or our frightening future?
Read this article by: Dave R. at Care2
While working on the road I met several members of the 11th Armored Cavalry. Now, I can’t help wondering if they are dead or alive. Was one of those men honored someone I talked with back in 1970? I guess I’ll never know.
After 39 years, Alpha Troop is awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for its heroism during 'The Anonymous Battle' in 1970.
(Above photo) President Obama, at a ceremony honoring Alpha Troop, says the treatment of Vietnam veterans has been a "national disgrace." (Tim Sloan / AFP-Getty Images / October 20, 2009)
Read the whole story at The LA Times
By Dave Stancliff
For the Times-Standard
Posted: 10/25/2009 01:27:19 AM PDT
August 2009 -- Nancy Maltez fell 1,000 feet to her death while hiking in Zion National Park. The California woman was with her husband and three children. They were hiking the Angels Landing Trail, one of the most famous and thrilling hikes in the U.S. National Parks.
It wasn't a trail for the weak of heart. Or the inexperienced. It slithered along a narrow rock slice with dizzying thousand-foot drops on both sides. There were chains embedded in the rock to give hikers extra hand-holds.
This was a trail for experienced hikers and climbers. Maltez was neither. Should she and her family have gone on this trail? I don't think so. When I read about this terrible accident it took me back to another time.
November 1965 -- I was 15 years old. I held on to the chaparral for dear life. Only minutes before I had been at the top of the trail with my two friends, John and Chuck, brothers who wanted an adventure. We all had empty canteens and were thirsty. Strong winds made it hard to hear each other.
Read the rest here.
image viawww.wausaukee.com
Nate is fighting in the 155 weight class. It’s considered the most competitive weight and usually the Big Event of the night. A two-time champion will be among Nate’s opponents.
Eli is fighting in the heavyweight class (200 and up). Eli weighs 210 and is the lightest heavyweight to compete. There’s one guy in his class whose 6 foot-eight inches, and weighs 250 pounds.
Neither of my sons have ever entered a contest like this. They were both varsity wrestlers while in high school, but this type of mixed-martial art competition is a whole different ball game. Neither one of them even trained for it.
Their wives are both worried about their safety. So am I, and their Mother even more so. You can’t help it. You worry when a loved one gets involved in a violent sport. The wives went to the contest to support them.
Shirley and I stayed home, and are both trying to stay busy until this thing is over with tonight. Until we get that phone call telling us they are both all right.
My feelings are mixed however. I remember boxing while in the Army and I enjoyed it. I have to admit that there is a savage joy in pounding someone into submission in the name of sport. You know you’re not going to get in trouble, so you can let it all “hang out” in a display of fury and fists.
I want my boys to survive this contest. If they win it, I hope they don’t do it again. I hope one last fling will be enough. They’re both in their 30s, and really too old to be involved in this kind of competition for younger men. But, like I said, I understand. Deep down where words have no meaning. Where you find yourself testing your limits just because.
Good luck boys!
Love, Dad
Image via Google Images
UPDATE: Both of them survived without serious injuries last night. Nate ended up fighting the two-time champion (wouldn’t you know it?). His brother Richard (my third son) recounted the action to me: “Nate was kicking the crap out of the champion for most of the round. He knocked him down several times and busted his eyebrow open, but made a mistake when he went to the ground to finish him off.
The guy was a belted ju-jitsu fighter, and managed to slip a choke hold on Nate…and Nate had to tap out or pass out. He tapped out. The crowd was stunned. It looked like his fight until that sudden skillful move turned the tables.
Eli’s fight was one of the biggest crowd-pleasers of the night. Eli is five-foot, ten-inches tall and weighs 210 pounds. His opponent was six-foot two-inches tall and weighed 250 pounds. He looked like a midget next to the guy.
Eli was the smallest heavyweight of the night. In the first two minutes Eli tried to take the big man to the ground and absorbed numerous powerful punches while doing it. In the last minute Eli switched tactics and started slugging his opponent. With a dramatic round-house right Eli dropped the big man to the canvas! He then jumped un him and pounded away as the guy tried to cover up. Then the bell rang! The judges awarded a split decision to his opponent (who by the way went on to win the heavyweight championship).
Apparently the crowd was on their feet cheering Eli, and Richard said it was like watching the first Rocky movie! The crowd booed the decision.
I’m glad it’s over. But it looks like I have to worry again next year. Both of them have decided to fight again. Eli’s coming down to his natural weight class of 185-200 lbs.the next time around. Theyre actually going to train this time around and both fully expect to win their weight classes next year.
Okay…I’m proud of them. I see myself in both. I just wish they didn’t want to do this again. I’ll have to sedate Shirley next year!
I highly recommend this article to people who are interested in understanding what is really happening with race relations in America today. It’s a troubling read, but one that will give you insights you may not have had before.
Authors of two recent books, "Whitopia" and "The Big Sort," see Americans as disuniting based on politics, race and culture.
SNIPPET FROM HIS ARTICLE:
“In Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where 95 percent of the population is white, Rich Benjamin saw more Confederate flags than black people. Not that Benjamin was looking for suggestions of racism, but in his forthcoming book,Searching for Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America (Hyperion, Oct. 6), he was trying to discover why some of the fastest-growing areas in America are also the most Caucasian.”
Read the rest at Miller-McCune
Story at LA Times
Jose Espinoza pauses in the Santa Ines church in Culiacan where he carved the altar and produced five stained glass windows and three murals. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
The Times-Standard
AS IT STANDS:
Surviving a deadly hike on a trail with no name
A cautionary column on hiking. It can make your life richer, and it can take your life if you aren’t careful.
I loved the Soupy Sales program growing up. I really got a kick out of White Fang and Black Tooth, his two crazy dogs who spoke in grunts that he translated for viewers.
Then there was that famous (I think last episode) show where he flipped off the producers! With his demise, slapstick is officially gone. RIP…
“Soupy Sales, he of the crumpled hat and droopy bowtie, whose raucous in-your-face daily kids show was an iconic hit of the '50s and '60s, died Thursday at the age of 83.”
See full story at USA Today (Photo by Scott Gries, Getty Images)
Cartoon by Randy Bish, Pittsburgh, PA -- the Tribune-Review
Visit the Tribune-Review E-Mail Randy
Looks like his works are making a comeback…
H.P. Lovecraft and Hollywood, an unholy alliance?
EXCLUSIVE: Ron Howard and his plans for "Lovecraft"
Guillermo del Toro and his impassioned Lovecraft project
Links & Image via LA Times
A top contender to be Trump's running mate in this year's election is bragging about killing a stubborn puppy. South Dakota GOP Go...
