Feb 18th 2013 08:03 am More Abe Lincoln
I like Abraham Lincoln. I like Abraham Lincoln not just because of his role in history but also because he was a first-rate American humorist in his own right. He could have made a good—and longer—living as a writer. To think he and Mark Twain strode the globe at the same time, although Twain was a whippersnapper during Lincoln’s moment. Speaking of Twain, he said, “No wonder truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.” Apparently, if the scientific observations are correct, the big meteor strike in Siberia Friday and the near miss of a sizeable asteroid that same day were unrelated coincidences. Thus I stand by my Friday post: it may have been a coincidence, but it was a helluva coincidence! And as George Carlin, another great American humorist, said, “It wasn’t a ‘near miss,” gang! It was a near hit!!”
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
111 Responses to “More Abe Lincoln”
Jerry in Fl on 18 Feb 2013 at 8:12 am #
First in a new thread? Wahoo. I don’t think that has ever happened before. On my way for some lab work this morning. No breakfast til after. Mickey D’s sounds good right now.
Anonymous on 18 Feb 2013 at 8:37 am #
The meteor in Siberia wasn’t a near hit–it did hit!
Jerry: I like an egg McD after fasting!
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:16 am #
We have been blessed with several great Presidents, but George Washington is the one against whom all others must be measured. Great military leader, the indispensable man, the Father of Our Country, the man who assumed the Presidency reluctantly and then left it when he could have had it indefinitely – he is truly our greatest President.
As a former teacher, I am sickened by how little attention is now given to him in our nation’s schools.
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:26 am #
Lost, your criticism of Killing Lincoln The Book pretty much applied to Killing Lincoln The Docudrama as well. There was hardly anything there I didn’t already know from the first book I read about the assassination when I was about ten years old. But, and not to sound like an elitist, given the lack of historical knowledge that seems to rampant among the general populace these days, I think the TV show was a good thing.
Ditto, Rick.
Hoag in MA on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:28 am #
One GREAT day was spent with @ Mt Vernon. GW was a brilliant statesman, military man and less known but also a brilliant inventor/farmer.
But not trying to judge between Abe and GW – we were very fortunate to have such creative, adventurous, and passionate American fore-fathers and mothers. (They would never have succeeded in today’s world of flash and instant communication. They were forced by circumstances to THINK about what they were saying.)
Abe, GW, Ben, Adams, Tom…………….
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:30 am #
Carlin would have made a goodcopy editor, but there’s less money it.
Whenever I go for lab work, there’s a fudge-dipped chocolate Sunbelt granola bar in my pocket, and I’m apt to get a Papa Murphy’s to bake for supper. Major item of interest in my lab results is total cholesterol. I go easy on the pizza; divide it into 4 or 6, depending on the size, and freeze all but the first fraction. Went twice as fast when wife was aboard.
Lost in A**2 on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:32 am #
It probably didn’t help that one of Dr. Mudd’s family was in my 5th grade class.
Yes, I can agree that some would find the book a fascinating and useful introduction into the subject.
Mindy on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:48 am #
Theodore Roosevelt. He brought the United States into the 20th Century and made us a world power rather than an isolated farming community. He deserved the Medal of Honor, by the way, for San Juan Hill although it has often been argued that Black Jack Pershing and the 10th Cavalry beat him there.
Virgin Mindy? May pestilence and proliferate penury follow you to the end of your puberty.
Mindy on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:49 am #
Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls. I wish I’d said “pursue you” to keep the Ps perking…There’s a word for that in literature, the repetitive consonant sounds, but I can’t remember it and having been up all night I really don’t give Scarlett’s dam on the River Kwai.
Tom from the Front Range on 18 Feb 2013 at 10:06 am #
Regarding “Killing Lincoln” by Mr. O’Reilley, I put it down never to return after reading a sentence stating that Lincoln was going to meet someone in the Oval Office, a place that didn’t exist until the Taft administration.
billinbossier on 18 Feb 2013 at 10:14 am #
I also heard, although it wasn’t mentioned on the news as far as I can tell, but there was another meteor that struck somewhere around Cuba. I never saw confirmation on that, but I did see it somewhere on the internet. And you know it has to be true if you see it on the internet.
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 18 Feb 2013 at 10:23 am #
billinblossier:
I find the Internet to be only a little less reliable than CNN, MSNBC, Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC, the AP, the UPI, Time, Newsweek, Washington Post, Washington Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, …
Well, you get the idea.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 18 Feb 2013 at 10:30 am #
I enjoyed Jim Bishop’s “The Day Lincoln Was Shot”. It’s an easy read that, besides giving an hour-by-hour account of the principle characters that fateful day, also gives a nice background of the events leading up to the assassination.
Boise Ed on 18 Feb 2013 at 11:33 am #
Today’s realtime strip is for the birds.
Lost in A**2 on 18 Feb 2013 at 11:39 am #
At least the colourist got the cardinal right.
And I would have said “chicks.”
John in Richmond Texas on 18 Feb 2013 at 11:48 am #
and your worthless trivia of the day is that George Washington was the 17th Presidient of the United States, because some Presidients of the Continental Congress started calling themselves Presidient of the United States. . . Also I’d like everyone who doesn’t already to know about the new Looney Tunes Show on Cartoon Network, it’s brand new modern day stories of Bugs, Daffy, etc and it’s actually pretty funny and very well made, they stay true to character, brought forward a little bit. . . Daffy admonished by a food court hostess for taking too many free samples, sputters, “you can’t just arbitrarily decide a limit – that’s Kafka-esque”, also we learn Yosemite Sam’s last name is Rosenbaum and he has a refrigerator on his front porch
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 12:22 pm #
I like Ike. He gave us the Interstate Highway system. Not to mention the hard decision he had to make on the D-Day landings. Duty, Honor, Country; those three hallowed words define what he was.
David from Austin on 18 Feb 2013 at 12:34 pm #
If I were Gene, I would have feigned ignorance about his presidency and asked for a portrait of rhat great statesman Benjamin Franklin (who almost had his own state!)
Mindy– alliteration
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 12:51 pm #
Canada had a District of Franklin until 1999. Was an area in the Northwest Territories.
sideburns on 18 Feb 2013 at 1:15 pm #
Gene was lucky that Arlo doesn’t think the way I do; I’d have given him a penny.
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 1:22 pm #
sideburns, I will take a silver coin with the 34th President on it.
Steve From Royal Oak, MI on 18 Feb 2013 at 1:42 pm #
I have all of the Presidents memorized in Chonological order. I was ready for reciting them after I came out of surgery, but no one asked who the President of the United States was and I was planning to recite the first 43, without mentioning the current office holder. I can recite all of them from Lincoln on with no problem. My biggest problem is from J.Q. Adams to Buchanan, but I found some tricks to remember them by.
When my neighbor fell off a ladder while putting up Christmas decorations around late November 2000, my son helped her to her feet and got her to the hospital. While there, they asked her to name the President of the United States. Her response was “Well I guess it depends what happens in Florida.” She was not admitted to the hospital.
Killing Lincoln was OK. I found Bishop’s book to be very good as I read it twice. I also read Manchester’s Death of a President regarding Kennedy at least twice. Killing Kennedy was a complete waste of time. It was like “We made a bunch of money off of Lincoln, so lets throw one out there on Kennedy”.
JDS on 18 Feb 2013 at 1:47 pm #
Calvin Coolidge is one of my top five. He could have been easily re-elected in 1928 but refused to run again.
“Patriotism is easy to understand…. It means looking out for yourself by looking out for your country.” CALVIN COOLIDGE, The Price of Freedom
Mindy from Indy on 18 Feb 2013 at 1:51 pm #
Debbe, Yes, I did notice his non-blinking during the movie. I spent most of the movie (subconsciously) trying to figure out why NCIS was doing undercover spying against an Army fellow.
Chris O’Donnell looks so young! I wasn’t sure going in; I was bored and decided to watch it On Demand “for a few minutes” to see if it was interesting. The final Waldorf scene was amazing.
Mindy, You can call me whatever you like, just so I know you mean me and not that “other” one. Also, I believe you mentioned you weren’t particularly a Pacino fan. I really can’t say one way or the other; I’ve only ever seen two of his movies. If I want crazy old guy you’d be too afraid to turn your back on, I’ll watch Robert Duvall or Harvey Keitel.
As for today’s retro, I seem to recall a comedian doing a bit where all the founding fathers are debating who gets to be on what monetary unit. I believe Washington headed the committee, and took the quarter away from someone else because he was whining he was more important than that. Wish I could remember whose routine it came from.
JDS on 18 Feb 2013 at 1:52 pm #
Dear Sandcastler: But, as you probably know, it was named after Sir John Franklin, not Ben.
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 2:04 pm #
^°^°^°^°^°^°^°^ sandcastler ™ is spelt with a small “s.” This little “s” keeps me humble when I am mingling with the plebes.
eh!
Mindy on 18 Feb 2013 at 2:32 pm #
Alliteration, that’s it, thank you, David. I knew there was a name for it.
State of Franklin, segment of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina, a separate entity for some time but finally overcome. Interesting story if you care to GOOGLE it. See, sandcastler? I didn’t say BING it or YAHOO it. G O O G L E it.
“Plebes,” you say? I’ve visited both Academies, Navy and the other one, but not the Coast Guard as much as I would have liked to. But Plebeian I have never been. [Yes, I'm waiting for the thud followed by the protests of outrageous indignation...Let the good times roll...]
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 2:40 pm #
What, no mention of the Republic of West Florida? Was a 1810 breakaway from the Spanish. It’s other claim was it was the originator of the Bonnie Blue flag, later used as a symbol of succession. Google that Mindy.
Dan in SWMo on 18 Feb 2013 at 3:15 pm #
With whatever respect is due or not due to George Carlin, there is no such thing as a “near hit” (nearly a hit is not the same thing, grammatically, at all) and there is nothing wrong with the expression “near miss.” A near miss is an actual miss, but the distance by which the object missed was small enough to be described as “near.” A graze could (conceivably) be described as “nearly a miss,” but again, this is not the same as a “near miss.” A hit is a hit and a miss is a miss, regardless of what adjective you modify it with. (I will now step off my curmudgeonly soapbox.)
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 3:20 pm #
Er, Mindy, not certain if you slighted Army , Merchant Marines, or Air Force; there are five “official” service academies.
Jhon in LA on 18 Feb 2013 at 3:59 pm #
Greatest President. Right NOW. Mr. Obama.
Mary in Ohio on 18 Feb 2013 at 4:12 pm #
Nixon first put “President’s Day” on the calendar “to honor all Presidents.” anybody else perceive the irony in that?
sideburns on 18 Feb 2013 at 4:17 pm #
A “near miss,” Dave, is also near enough to the target to damage it. In fact, up through WW II, naval aviators were given credit for them because the underwater explosions would cave in the hull, spring plates and cause flooding.
Mindy from Indy on 18 Feb 2013 at 4:23 pm #
sandcastler, I intended no slight to anyone. I am most familiar with Chris O’Donnell’s work as NCIS agent G. Callen on NCIS:LA. As Pacino’s character is retired US Army (better?), it just struck me as humorous. Oh, and for the record, yes, Army, Navy, Marines (who use the same recruiters, correct?), Air Force, Coast Guard, and some count Reserves as a stand alone unit.
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 4:43 pm #
Mindy, wrong. While you may find different branches sharing a recruiting office, they each recruit for only their branch. Recruiting is one of the hardest and most stressful duties an NCO can have outside of actual combat.
Lost in A**2 on 18 Feb 2013 at 4:45 pm #
Marines have their own recruiters. And Officer Selection Officers.
I think, though, that you mean that some graduates of the Naval Academy become Marine officers, and are known to be headed that way from their Plebe year. (They were the Eagle Globe and Anchor on their midshipman uniforms.) Interestingly, a small percentage of the Academies’ classes can be commissioned in other services.
I think all of Son-chan’s classmates were commissioned in the Army. However, there were some Marines in his Ranger class last summer.
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Feb 2013 at 5:03 pm #
Travel day. Did I miss anything?
Yep, that was the book…”The Day Lincoln Was Shot”…I read when I was a mere slip of a lad. No, Mindy, I didn’t wear slips when I was a lad. Nor do I now, Lady Mindy.
If you’re interested (or even if you’re not), my weight loss program is proceeding apace. Actually to the point that I’ve been able to overcome the shyness and lack of self-confidence that has been plaguing me when I interact with people of the female persuasion.
Mark in TTown on 18 Feb 2013 at 5:09 pm #
Blinky, Jim Bishop also had a book on Kennedy’s assassination and one called The Day Christ Died. Even though they are old, they are probably still in print if you want to look for them.
I like today’s current strip very much. I used to have several bird feeders at our house in Tennessee and got lots of business. Although at one point, the feeders started emptying out in a day’s time, which left me wondering what was going on. Then the next-door neighbor called and told me to look out the window. There was a flock of wild turkeys in the yard taking turns getting on the fence and cleaning out the feeders.
David from Austin on 18 Feb 2013 at 5:48 pm #
sandcastler, I was assigned to the Army Recruiting Command headquarters for a couple of years. From what I saw, recruiting may have been more difficult than combat. How would you like to have your success depend on the decisions of 17 and 18 year old kids? I know of several recruiters that volunteered fpr Kuwait or Iran during the first Gulf War to get out of the recruiting station.
sideburns on 18 Feb 2013 at 5:49 pm #
Just a few minutes ago, I saw the first hummingbird of the year. Actually, I heard it first, then went looking for it.
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Feb 2013 at 6:00 pm #
We discussed the military’s Special Operations community recently, including the USAF Pararescue operators. NatGeo begins a six-part series about them tonight at 10 EST, “Inside Combat Rescue”. (I’m plugging the PJ’s, not that channel.)
From what I gather, it’s not your typical “reality show”, as the producers reportedly decided the PJ’s stories and the video of them at work didn’t have to be “dramatized.” Duh.
Mindy from Indy on 18 Feb 2013 at 6:04 pm #
Okay, not recruiters, but Navy and Marines ARE connected somehow still, correct? My Marine history is fuzzy (had a Marine as a classmate a loooooong time ago), but if memory serves, the Navy started the Marines back in the day because the Navy had … issues.
Completely unrelated, but my gutter “fix” seems to be doing well. 40+mph gusts and very little rattling outside my window. FINALLY!
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 6:14 pm #
David, that is kinda going from the frying pan to the fire. Now they were depending on their life to decisions of 18 and 19 year old kid soldiers. I still recall how green I was doing my first combat tour at age twenty.
Mark in Boston on 18 Feb 2013 at 6:20 pm #
Leaving out the double-quotes can really change the meaning of what you write.
Killing Lincoln was OK. <– This means one thing.
"Killing Lincoln" was OK. <– This means something else.
Tom from the Front Range on 18 Feb 2013 at 7:12 pm #
A simple comma can be life saving.
Let’s eat grandma.
Let’s eat, grandma.
sandcastler on 18 Feb 2013 at 7:23 pm #
Eats, shoots, and leaves.
Anonymous on 18 Feb 2013 at 7:39 pm #
Proper capitalization is important also.
I helped my Uncle Jack off his horse.
Lost in A**2 on 18 Feb 2013 at 7:48 pm #
Since you ask, . . .
Back in ’75, the Navy needed sharpshooters, boarding parties, and similar such stuff. Sailors sailed the ship and manned the cannon. And used cutlasses and the like now and again. So the Continental Congress resolved that “two Battalions of marines be raised, . . . that particular care be taken, that no persons be appointed to office, or enlisted into said Battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea when required.”
For some time now, the Marine Corps has been a separate service within the Department of the Navy. (Until DoD was formed, the Naval Department was the only one with two services.)
The Army Air Corps was spun off into a separate service, with its own Department, but the Navy and Marine Corps kept their planes and fliers. Eventually, the Army worked out a way to keep some aircraft, too.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 18 Feb 2013 at 8:59 pm #
Anonymous:
Your Uncle Jack reminds me of what artificial inseminators have to do to obtain their precious stock in trade. Artificial Inseminator itself is something like George Carlin’s of giant shrimp, military intelligence, and such.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:07 pm #
Sorry: “George Carlin’s list of . . ..”
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 18 Feb 2013 at 9:46 pm #
Mark in TTown-
I’m familiar with “The Day Christ Died”. Another very good book. I’ve read it several times, often pulling it out again during Lent. I might have read Bishop’s Kennedy book, but I can’t recall anything about it.
Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 18 Feb 2013 at 11:04 pm #
Speaking of the military, I happen to live just across town from North Georgia College & State University (recently renamed University of North Georgia) which also houses The Military College of Georgia. Going to WalMart on any given day is interesting, as you meet any number of cadets doing their shopping.
That also puts me a couple of miles from Camp Merrill, which is the home of the 5th Ranger Training Battalion. For a while one of our neighbors was an instructor there, but last year he got transferred to Fort Drum in New York. Such is military life.
Brent from Waterloo, ON on 18 Feb 2013 at 11:50 pm #
There was another miss on Feb 15 but it wasn’t a near miss, a much bigger asteroid (2.1km) that missed us by about 50 Lunar Distances. From the 16th to the 19th, there were four more misses under 10 LD. This is part of the fun of reading spaceweather.com.
Jerry in Fl on 19 Feb 2013 at 2:33 am #
JDS, I agree on Silent Cal and, to round out the top two, I would add Woodrow Wilson. He would have a better reputation if he had not become incapacitated. As for some of the more modern presidents, like JFk, I can only say that the CIA ran his foreign policy for him. After all, you can only keep your poker in one fire at a time.
Mindy from Indy on 19 Feb 2013 at 3:06 am #
In at 4:30 today because of a call-off. If anyone has seen any of the Lethal Weapon movies, I’m channeling Danny Glover’s character right about now. Ugh. Must find coffee… Thanks for all the military history all, and quick language joke for the day: What do you say to comfort an upset English major? There, their, they’re. (No, not “Quit crying and get back to bagging fries.)
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 19 Feb 2013 at 3:14 am #
Dave & sandcastler: The same predicament is faced by teachers at all levels (with different age groups of students, of course). At the college level, in required (& other) courses, some administrations want the students – many of whom didn’t want to be in the course in the first place – to render evaluations of the professor/course. If the student enrolls, s/he does not know the material to be presented; if s/he is typical, s/he also has had no experience in teaching. How valid are such evaluations likely to be when the evaluators had no knowledge of the subject nor of teaching methods?
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 19 Feb 2013 at 3:15 am #
Mindy/Indy: Good one! That was a new one to me.
Debbe59 on 19 Feb 2013 at 4:18 am #
Good morning all of A&Jville…
Food morning to you Mindy…and John, and Ginger…Ginger, the Davey Jones you were speaking about…did you know that David Bowie’s real name is Davey Jones. He changed it because he didn’t want to be confused with the other….and David Bowie is good, saw him concert..great show.
GR…rats, missed out on that special…sure they will run it again though.
Gonna be a long, cold couple of days at work…the gas heater in the packing room finally ‘died’. AND you know they replaced it with…a kerosene heater…I HATE kerosene heaters, I’d rather smell chicken$hit!!!!
Well at least I get to leave for an hour…6 month check up with Dr. Jen today…gotta get back on my antidepressant before I go for some throats
Mark…in Town, checked out your link from yesterday…it’s good, but they’re song ‘Time’ does it for me…cause ‘every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time…..”
Liked the Uncle Jack and Mindy from Indy’s play on words….thanks for the smiles
Kerosene…..I HATE kerosene….
Ya’ll have a blessed day, and I truly mean that.
=^..^=
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 19 Feb 2013 at 4:57 am #
Jimmy:
Strip of 02.19.13: It seems that, as Janis is doing literally, you’re stirring things up.
Mindy on 19 Feb 2013 at 6:01 am #
Food morning to you also, Debbe, from all of us at the Bar-None Ranch and Lunatic Asylum. I knew that I could stir up controversy by omitting a couple of the Service Academies. Works almost as good as simply bring up FOOD! But to really stir up the noxious stuff, what if I refer to the Air Farce as almost a branch of the military…not unlike the WACs or WAVES or Unladylike Marines? Oh, the hatred! And I rescind my comments and beg forgiveness. I just realized that I was coming off as hateful as She Who Shall Not Be Named.
John will tell you, though, that I’m a sucker for military personnel. Many has been the time that I’ve seen a Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Wing Wiper [sorry] or Coastie furtively counting his or her change before ordering in a restaurant before ordering and I usually end up telling the waitress that his/her check is mine, my way of saying “Thank you.” The odd thing is that not once has my gesture been abused by someone ordering three steaks or something like that. John almost always [depending on attitude] gave military personnel a lot of latitude on traffic citations [excluding drunk driving; he was hell on wheels on that]. He once caught a Master Chief speeding on his way to next duty station…and ended up having lunch with the guy…for three hours. [It's good to be the boss, no?]
Ghost, I cannot picture you as shy with the ladies.
Lost in A**2 on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:31 am #
(Not shy, just not successful.
Mindy on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:36 am #
Unsuccessful, as in near miss? Or near hit?
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:40 am #
Jerry on FL-
Wilson may have done some good things but his inherent racism prevents me from even considering him among the great presidents.
John in Virginia on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:51 am #
Wilson also didn’t fight the Brits and the French over the unrealistic reparations the demanded of Germany [I accept that some punitive payments were required but no foresight was used at all] which destroyed the German economy and led directly to WW2, the SECOND War to End All Wars….
John in Virginia on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:52 am #
Correction: Wilson didn’t fight the Brits and French ENOUGH.
JDS on 19 Feb 2013 at 9:37 am #
Last March I was on a tour of the USS George H. W. Bush with a group of Marquette University NROTC alumni. We were surprised to learn that the ship does not have a Marine detachment. The young sailor giving us the tour thought that we were silly thinking that an aircraft carrier would have Marines on board.
Lost in A**2 on 19 Feb 2013 at 9:55 am #
“Detachments of Marines have served aboard American naval vessels since the beginning of the Continental Marine Corps in 1775. That stretch of more than two centuries ended last May when officials at Marine Headquarters in Washington, D.C., opted to scuttle the detachments to free more Marines for Fleet Marine Force duty” Department of the Navy — Naval Historical Center.
Apparently, the tradition ended in 2005. So yes, a “young” sailor wouldn’t have heard of MarDets.
John in Virginia on 19 Feb 2013 at 10:15 am #
Looking at today’s real time cartoon, Arlo has been married long enough that he should know beyond any doubt that Janis is irrevocably correct. I know full well, no questions at all, that the sun rises and sets on my perfect Mindy’s precious
JDS on 19 Feb 2013 at 10:24 am #
Well, as the Seabees often say . . . “When you find yourself up-close and personal with the enemy, it’s nice to have a few Marines around.”
I cleaned up the comment a little, so as not to offend any Marines reading the blog.
John in Richmond Texas on 19 Feb 2013 at 10:45 am #
Woodrow Wilson, first in a long line of his party’s Presidents known for being superior, smug, self-righteous, arrogant, narcissistic, vain, pompous, snotty and holier than thou. . . Today’s strip, HA! yes everything reflects on the wife, how I dress, how many minutes I spend visiting my Mother in the nursing home, how fast I eat in public, I could go on, I think I usually smell OK though.
Ghost Rider 6 on 19 Feb 2013 at 12:41 pm #
Debbe, “Inside Combat Rescue” began a 6-week run of weekly episodes last night. Episode 1 will repeat tomorrow night (2-20-13) at 8:00 EST on NatGeo Channel. It’s tough to watch at times, but it should be watched.
Mindy, you apparently didn’t watch that particular group of “wing wipers” at work.
Mindy on 19 Feb 2013 at 1:52 pm #
Ghost, talk about pokie potential!
http://spaceweather.com/gallery/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=76787&PHPSESSID=tldt5o4mcjnqqs3ks4rijor0i1
Is “wing wipers” a pejorative?
Mindy on 19 Feb 2013 at 3:53 pm #
Thank you for introducing me to spaceweather.com Bruce from Waterloo.
Mark in TTown on 19 Feb 2013 at 4:55 pm #
A picture is worth a thousand words: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/picturegalleries/signlanguage/9880750/Sign-Language-week-244.html#?frame=2486093
Beth in MA on 19 Feb 2013 at 5:09 pm #
After all the discussion recently about ‘Victory at Sea’, I requested a copy from my library. I finally watched episodes 1 & 2 this afternoon. It’s going to take a while to get thru it all (only a few more days of school [teaching] vacation) and I will have quite a history lesson when done. It is nice to see the video that the beautiful music goes with.
Ghost Rider 6 on 19 Feb 2013 at 5:45 pm #
WACs, WAVES and other “women’s branches” of the US military haven’t been in existence for almost 40 years. I’m surprised you didn’t know that, Mindy.
sandcastler on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:12 pm #
GR6, guessing time move at a different speed up on the mountain. Could be Mindy hooked her telegraph key in to a coaxia cable
sandcastler on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:13 pm #
Coaxial cable and is unaware.
Darn enter key, works too damn well.
Mindy on 19 Feb 2013 at 7:37 pm #
Ah, it’s Lash Back At Mindy time, is it? It’s nice to see that the Old Dogs will at least try to bite. But, in response, my telegraph key is not attached to coaxial cable, it’s attached to DSL. Now if only I can get a computer! [You guys know that I love you like red headed illegitimate step-neighbor-in-law little brothers, don't you?
Beth, be prepared for "Victory at Sea" to seem terribly repetitive, visually, since the same footage is used over and over and over. In all fairness, there must be limited footage, to explain that, or some question of proprietary availability, but I would recommend not watching it all at one time, spread it out as the series was televised. Don't get me wrong, though, I am definitely not putting the series down, merely pointing out the repetition, not unlike "Vietnam, the 10,000 Day War" or "Ken Burns' Civil War" where I wanted to find Mary Chestnut and strangle her for all her And You Are There expertise and knowledge, not to mention that one professor who would have bored the chrome off Patton's guns [Oh! How I expect a response to that line!] or been dragged out and beaten to death for his pomposity.] It was and is a great series!
Looking back, sandcastler, perhaps the ENTER key doesn’t “work[s] too damn well.” [That's a lot like Queen Gertrude's line in Hamlet, don't you think?] Perhaps it’s simply that sandcastler doesn’t have opposable thumbs? [Sorry, Dear, that was just too good an opportunity to miss!], which makes me ask, sincerely, has anyone seen Symply lately?
sandcastler on 19 Feb 2013 at 8:06 pm #
Thumbs? I have dew claws, felines do not have thumbs. I am just your basic paw and peck Scottish Fold.
My, my, did Ken Burns rub your fur the wrong way or just stepped on your tail in the dark.
Ghost Rider 6 on 19 Feb 2013 at 9:11 pm #
I miss Shelly. I always liked hearing from her.
Mark in TTown on 19 Feb 2013 at 9:38 pm #
Debbe59, and anyone else interested, listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCAtVJSNdQE
Nice photos with it too.
Mark in TTown on 19 Feb 2013 at 9:45 pm #
And one more good one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6nyfXu5fWs
Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 19 Feb 2013 at 10:55 pm #
Did you say “Hey Blinkin?”*
*For some reason I just read the title for the retro strip. Of course the first thing I thought of was Robin Hood: Men In Tights.
Mindy on 19 Feb 2013 at 11:40 pm #
No, sandcastler, I truly enjoyed the Ken Burns production [especially Shelby Foote] but Mary Chestnut’s autocratic pronunciations were vapid, at least. She was oh so “in touch” with the events and problems and emotions everywhere in spite of being stationary in Richmond and not a member of government. Does that make sense? I hope? The series itself was great. Except for the deception where they inserted Yankee propaganda and said the South had lost. [Attack Mindy here]
Mindy on 19 Feb 2013 at 11:42 pm #
I liked Victory at Sea, also, sandcastler, but I do think it would be best to not watch it all at one time simply because the continued use of the same footage detracts from the history itself. But that’s just the humble opinion of a female type person who doesn’t know very much.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Feb 2013 at 12:49 am #
Debbe59, you are correct about the meds. My wife cut my anti-anxiety meds in half without letting me know and I told off the whole bunch of you. My apologies (although it seems to have done some good so far). Needless to say I am back on the proper dose and I don’t mind explaining or reminding people that Parkinsons is a brain disease with all kinds of mental and physical problems. What do you say to an english major? Jolly good, eh what? Finally, I admit that I made the call on Wilson without knowing as much about him as a lot of other presidents. I think that sometimes it is difficult for even a good man to avoid entirely being a product of his place and time. To explain that I offer the documented statements of Abe Lincoln re his opinions of racial equality and his efforts to get the freed slaves to accept assistance in going to Africa or South America. Also, the great Rough Rider, TR, was not reticent in showing his opinions of other races, black, yellow, red or whatever. His actions were exacty in accord with the great majority of his countrymen. His reputation regarding exploring and adventures in the wild west was carefully orchestrated by the greatest actor to hold the office of POTUS until the election of the great communicator. Which reminds me, Princess Alice was the most entertaning first daughter with the possible exception of Patti Davis.
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Feb 2013 at 1:03 am #
“Such an unusual name, ‘Latrine.’ How did your family come by it?”
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Feb 2013 at 1:04 am #
“Such an unusual name, ‘Latrine.’ How did your family come by it?”
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Feb 2013 at 1:07 am #
Hum. Two for the price of one.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Feb 2013 at 1:16 am #
Ghost, are you communing with the other side again?
Jerry in Fl on 20 Feb 2013 at 1:25 am #
Ghost, it would be rude, crude, lewd and inexcusable of me to remark on your last comment. I therefore will not do so.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Feb 2013 at 2:33 am #
(Isn’t that a quote from the aforementioned robbing hood movie?)
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Feb 2013 at 2:48 am #
Roger that, Lost.
Ghost out.
Mindy on 20 Feb 2013 at 3:04 am #
Latrine? I definitely missed something there. Which is not at all unusual. Okay, bringing the topic back to the beleaguered U. S. Postal Service: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/20/cash-strapped-postal-service-to-launch-new-clothing-line/?test=latestnews
My question is, does the line work only on weekdays and non-federal holidays and can you get a “forever” stamp to extend the life of whatever it is you bought? I’m trying to remember the last time I saw someone wearing a USPS uniform and I believe it was around 1987 or so…Ergo sum, the new Go Postal clothing line will be…the Emperor’s Clothing! It’s…well…da nada?
Debbe59 on 20 Feb 2013 at 4:15 am #
Good morning to all Villagers…
…and a foood morning to the Mindy household
Jerry, glad to see you are on full meds….how are your cats? Have to take my Pixee (she’s solid black and 8 years old) back to the vet tomorrow. We had several cysts removed a couple of months ago on her stomach, but they seem to have come back with a vengeance, multiple small and medium and one large one..but if she’s not in pain, and she doesn’t seem to be, so I’ll do anything to keep her. (The last time at the vet, it costs us $190.00) Got the benzodiazapene and my anti’s filled yesterday, I’ve been told I’m high anxiety!! Go figure.
GR….missed the show again on Nat Geo…IU played Michigan…..beat ‘em too…GO IU, we’re #1, still…Nat Geo Wild has this thing about showing in succession on Saturday some of the weekly shows they televise. I can’t record on my DVR and watch another show, it has to record the show I am watching, or am I not literate on recording?
Boss fixed the heater, seems the flaw was in the thermostat control, no kerosene, amen.
Mark…checked out your links, Mark Knopler and Dire Straits, what can I say…they were great. I also noticed on the side where they posted other videos, there was one with the Bee Gees, Mark Knopler, Elton and Eric in a 6 minute video….got it saved too. Have more time on weekend mornings when that dreaded 3 o’clock hour opens my eyes. Thanks for the links…I enjoy them. Especially on wake and bake weekend mornings
Those hours belong to me. Everyone is still asleep here and I am alone, “all by myself, I wanna be, all by myself” in the mornings. And no, I’m not baking brownies GR 
Remember, you said you still love me!
Well, gotta see what else is going on in this wonderful world.
Ya’ll have a blessed day..
=^..^=
GR…heard a tiny err, errr, eeerr yesterday from Rooster Cogburn, Looked at the surrounding hens…and yes, they do take notice. That completes my hypothesis. especially when 224 cases of eggs are packed in a 5.5 hours, let’s see 224 times 330 equals almost 74,000 eggs!!
Now that’s something to ‘crow’ about!!
Mindy on 20 Feb 2013 at 4:44 am #
Foooood morning to you, too, Debbe! Knopler is the absolute best with Keith Richards following for Number Two. If you want something sexy, GOOGLE [for sandcastler] Knopler, Dire Straits and “Fade to Black.” John played that one night while I was asleep and I woke up craving…sugar. [Sorry, Ms. Collins, but it's not all about procreation and that was the sweetest way I could put it.]
74,000 eggs is [are?] impressive, Debbe, but I’m curious [I am curious yellow and blue, Ghost!]. How many others are discarded for any reason? Size, coloration, breakage…
A friend brought us two dozen “country” eggs — the colors were brown, yellow and even green — which was cruel since I try to keep John on a two-egg-a-week diet, and they were delicious although Ginger refused to eat the green ones. Apparently [gender specific pronoun deleted] was traumatized by Green Eggs and Ham. So I figure there has to be some culls due to color, if nothing else. The colored ones [will someone explain to Ghost that I'm not talking about Easter Eggs?] are supposed to be “stronger” but I can’t tell the difference.
Debbe59 on 20 Feb 2013 at 4:57 am #
Mindy, it depends on how the stinking packer is working as to the amount of damage eggs. There are times I’ll see maybe 2 or 3 dozen thrown into the pit, or if the packer is really being a B$tch that day, we have lost at least a case (a case has 330 eggs to it, they are packed in trays that hold thirty eggs, and there are 12 trays per case.) I brought home some medium size eggs (actually, I prefer the jumbo) and made deviled eggs last week, each one of those eggs were double yolked….yum. Since the eggs are so fresh, I have to leave them in the ‘fridge for at least a week or two so that they can be easily peeled when boiled, Fresh eggs don’t peel well.
Every now then, we’ll see a brown egg, but these are white….did you know you can tell the color of the eggs by the hen’s little flap of skin hanging from the cheek? I don’t know the correct biology therm, maybe the Prof. can help us out there.
Debbe59 on 20 Feb 2013 at 5:45 am #
Mindy….if you want ‘cravings for sugar’, GOOGLE Carlos Santana’s song “Europa”, the tempo starts out slow then breaks into a ‘high’ ending explosion….if you catch my drift. But, I do have to say no one can play the guitar quite like Clapton, Santana, Richards, Knopler, Harrison, oh, the list goes on….oh, and let’s not forget B.B. King….and his guitar Lucille.
Mindy on 20 Feb 2013 at 6:23 am #
Strange, Debbe, but Keith Richards used B. B. King as one of his guitar models when he started out as a blues guitarist. Santana isn’t my favorite by any means but I’m going to GOOGLE [sandcastler] right now, thanks. And the correct scientific term for the flap of skin under a hens cheek is…are you ready?…..[drum roll]….I’ll take “what is the flap of skin under the hen’s cheek” for $1,000 Alex…it’s called “the ugly little flap of skin hanging from a hen’s cheek!” Or is it a “wattle?” I’ll remember that about the coloration, Debbe, and awe and amaze some of the farmers who think a “city girl” don’t know squat about farms and the like. But what about the green ones? I’ve seen a few green eggs but I don’t recall ever seeing a green whatever-it-is on a hen. Or are you talking about the egg yolk rather than the shell? Or the egg white, which wouldn’t be that if it was brown…now I get confused!
Mindy on 20 Feb 2013 at 6:26 am #
Oh, my! I’ve just discovered Carlos Santana! Thank you, Debbe! Wow! Gonna wake John and drag his [deleted] right back into bed!
John in Virginia on 20 Feb 2013 at 6:44 am #
Actually, she didn’t do that, all talk and no action, you know how it is, guys. Typical female.
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Feb 2013 at 7:14 am #
All hat, no cattle, eh? Or sheep, as the case may be.
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Feb 2013 at 7:16 am #
Are you speaking of the hen’s external uvula? If so, it’s awfully early to be discussing that.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Feb 2013 at 7:20 am #
Debbe, Thanks for asking. Elvis is also getting pills for anxiety with mixed success, but then you know Elvis. Cilla has been grinding her teeth a lot and that has me worried, but they all go to the vet for an annual checkup soon. Where you work, are any of the chickens allowed to have chicks or is that expecting too much of Rex?
Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 20 Feb 2013 at 7:28 am #
Debbe, good luck with your cat. I have to take one of mine to the vet this week. She has a growth on her chin, and while it doesn’t seem to bother her, it does me!
Funny that you should mention having to leave fresh eggs in the fridge for a while. When I was a small girl my grandmother bought eggs from a local farmer unless she wanted to make deviled eggs right away. Then she bought a dozen from the grocery store, and for the very reason that “cold storage” eggs peel easier.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Feb 2013 at 8:06 am #
I had always heard that the colour of the egg shell was determined by the breed of the chicken. Two roosters in the house explains why so few commercial eggs are fertilised, although some probably feel that one is too many. Thirty per tray and twelve trays would be 360, wouldn’t it, Debbe? (I ask only because the numbers have been confusing me.)
sandcastler on 20 Feb 2013 at 8:14 am #
Neal,
Congrats on your new book, ‘Deal Killer.’ Just received the notice from Amazon that it had been released on Kindle. Will be downloading it for wife and I to read.
Dave in MA on 20 Feb 2013 at 8:20 am #
Re: eggs pealing easier, I’ve always found that older eggs that I hard boil peel easier than newer eggs. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with “cold storage” and more to do with the age of the egg.
Mark in Boston on 20 Feb 2013 at 4:11 pm #
“Such an unusual name, ‘Latrine.’ How did your family come by it?”
And ‘John.’ How did your family come by that one?
Debbe59 on 21 Feb 2013 at 3:56 am #
Lost…..it was a typo and you were correct it is 360 eggs per case. And, the breed of chicken does have a lot to do with eggshell color.
Jerry….no, it’s strictly a hen laying operation. I’m not supposed to even have a rooster in the hen house….they don’t produce, just eat. But, I’ve got two, and the boss tolerates the one, (he doesn’t know about Rooster Cogburn, only Junior the crower) but he moved him to a second row cage from the top cage because of his constant crowing. If the people who inspect the hen house were to find him, they would say to euthanize him. This corporation owns the hens and the feed, we just provide the housing and the packing, (my boss gets paid so much for each egg) so we get some corporate guy coming around once a week, weighing eggs, shine their little lite to see if there’ cracks, etc……