This is also one of my favorite movies. If you haven’t seen it, watch it when you want to enjoy yourself for an evening.
Well, OK, then.
Archive for February 2013
The 26th Anniversary of Raising Arizona Leave a comment
Fountain Hills, AZ: 562′ 2 comments
The fountain at Fountain Hills, AZ, shoots 562′ in the air once each hour. They do that just so people go there and take pictures of a giant water spout in the desert. People just like me.
US Flag: Common Display Mistakes 17 comments
BAD! It is not OK to wear the US flag. Not as a swimsuit, not as a cape, not as a t-shirt. Not. O. K.
There are rules. How we should display the US Flag is described clearly in something called the US Flag Code. There’s a link below; meanwhile, here are my pet peeves. Far too many citizens are either ignorant or uncaring about how they should display their flag. Let’s try and set that right, OK?
1. You can’t wear the flag.
Section 8d: The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.
Section 8j: No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform.
I cringe at the Olympics … no, you shouldn’t wrap yourself in the flag. It shouldn’t be on your t-shirt. It shouldn’t be printed on your clothing at all; you can’t wear the flag (there are a few obvious exceptions, such as patches worn on uniforms by our astronauts, military and police. And Boy Scouts!).
2. You can’t imprint flags on napkins. You can’t imprint on commercial items … like credit cards.
BAD! Totally wrong to wipe your mouth on these napkins.
Section 8i: The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
It’s really simple: you can’t use the flag to promote your business (which is the advertising part). And you can’t imprint the flag on something that’s meant to be thrown away, like napkins or boxes. The flag should be given more respect than that.
3. The flag goes to the right of the speaker on stage.
Section 7k: When used on a speaker’s platform, the flag, if displayed flat, should be displayed above and behind the speaker. When displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman’s or speaker’s right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience.
BAD! This flag needs to be retired immediately.
4. When a flag becomes soiled or tattered, it should be destroyed.
Section 8k: The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
If the flag is showing visible wear, then it is no longer suitable for display. This is an utterly simple concept, but it’s ignored by almost every business that displays the US flag. When flags need to be retired, you can do it yourself in a private ceremony if you wish. Organizations like the Boy Scouts or VFW will also help you destroy worn flags, if you would like their help. I’ve participated in several flag retirements. It’s a very emotional event.
BAD! Katy Perry’s costumes are not to be made of flags.
5. Flags do not fly in the dark unless they are properly lit.
Section 6a: It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on buildings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, when a patriotic effect is desired, the flag may be displayed twenty-four hours a day if properly illuminated during the hours of darkness.
The Code is silent on what “proper illumination” would be, but the flag should not be left in darkness. Further, the flag should only fly in inclement weather if it is a weatherproof flag (e.g., nylon, not cotton).
USA’s Bryshon Nellum, Joshua Mance, Tony McQuay and Angelo Taylor celebrate their silver medal in the men’s 4×400-meter during the athletics in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012.(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
6. When flags are displayed hanging from a wall, then the blue field is to the left of the observer, or on the flag’s right.
Section 7i: When displayed either horizontally or vertically against a wall, the union should be uppermost and to the flag’s own right, that is, to the observer’s left. When displayed in a window, the flag should be displayed in the same way, with the union or blue field to the left of the observer in the street.
Display the flag properly, or don’t display it at all. Why is this such a hard idea? The rules are very simple, right?
BAD. No way this flag can be put away while showing proper respect for the US flag.
7. A flag should not be touching other objects … like a nearby tree, or a roof.
Section 8e: The flag should never be fastened, displayed, used, or stored in such a manner as to permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way.
This happens in my neighborhood all of the time. People post a flag from the front of their house, but are then oblivious when the flag snags on the roof or nearby tree branches. If you’re not displaying the flag properly … you’re not showing respect. In my view, you’re showing contempt and ignorance.
8. Those really big flags on the field before a sporting event? Not OK.
Section 8c: The flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free.
Another one of those “don’t get me started” public displays. It is cool to see a really, really big flag … but then when you see how the flag is drug on the ground and wadded up at the end of the display, then I am not entertained at all.
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Portraits: Woodrow Wilson 7 comments
Woodrow Wilson (1856 – 1924)
The 28th President of the United States, 1913 – 1921
AKA: The Phrasemaker, The Schoolmaster
From: Virginia
College: Davidson College (transferred), Princeton University, University of Virginia School of Law (withdrew), Johns Hopkins University (Ph. D.)
Married to: Ellen Axson, 1885 – 1914 (her death), Edith Bolling
Children: Margaret, Jessie, Eleanor
Party: Democratic
Previous Jobs: Lawyer, Professor, Football Coach, President of Princeton University, Governor of New Jersey
In His Words:
“Adventurers swarmed out of the North, as much the enemies of one race as of the other, to cozen, beguile and use the negroes. The white men were aroused by a mere instinct of self-preservation — until at last there sprung into existence a great Kuklux Klan, a veritable empire of the South, to protect the Southern country.”
“The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.”
President Woodrow Wilson, seated at desk with his wife, Edith Bolling Galt, standing at his side. First posed picture after Mr. Wilson’s stroke partially paralyzed his left side, White House, June 1920. Mrs. Wilson holds a document steady while the President adds his signature.
“There are two beings who assess character instantly by looking into the eyes,—dogs and children. If a dog not naturally possessed of the devil will not come to you after he has looked you in the face, you ought to go home and examine your conscience; and if a little child, from any other reason than mere timidity, looks you in the face, and then draws back and will not come to your knee, go home and look deeper yet into your conscience.”
“The purpose of a university should be to make a son as unlike his father as possible. By the time a man has grown old enough to have a son in college he has specialized. The university should generalize the treatment of its undergraduates, should struggle to put them in touch with every force of life.”
“America lives in the heart of every man everywhere who wishes to find a region where he will be free to work out his destiny as he chooses.”
“Liberty is its own reward.”
“I would rather belong to a poor nation that was free than to a rich nation that had ceased to be in love with liberty.”
“No nation is fit to sit in judgment upon any other nation.”
“The only excuse that America can ever have for the assertion of her physical force is that she asserts it in behalf of the interests of humanity.”
“I have long enjoyed the friendship and companionship of Republicans, because I am by instinct a teacher and I would like to teach them something.”
Not true: Conspiracy theorists love this one.
Wilson allegedly said, after signing the Federal Reserve into existence, “I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.”
HOWEVER, the underlined sentences appear to be a fabrication of the anti-fed movement. There is no evidence that Wilson wrote, or said, “I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined by country.”
True: Woodrow Wilson is the only President to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.).
Woodrow Wilson was President when World War I began. He tried to keep our country out of the war. Then, when we had to go to war, Wilson said he hoped it would be the “war to end all wars.”
Two of Wilson’s daughters were married in the White House while he was President.
President Wilson was the first President to host a press conference.
His 1913 State of the Union Address was delivered live – he was the first President to do so since Thomas Jefferson discontinued the practice in 1801.
Wilson is one of two Presidents to be widowed while in office (President Tyler was the other).
Wilson pushed the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Sedition Act of 1918 through Congress, effectively throttling anti-war or pro-German opinions. The US Post Office, following the instructions received from the Justice Department, refused to carry any materials deemed critical of the US war effort … 60 newspapers lost their 2nd class mailing rights, and were effectively banned from the US mail. Freedom of the Press? Not 100 years ago!
Freedom of Speech? During the war, criticism of the Democratic Wilson administration became grounds for arrest and imprisonment.
He was the first President to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
President Wilson’s first wife, Ellen Axson, died in the White House during the summer of 1914. Wilson married again in December 1915, to Edith Bolling Galt After Wilson suffered a stroke while in office, Edith controlled access to the President, igniting a debate that still remains over how much power she exerted.
In 1920, President Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
He is the only President buried in Washington, DC.
The Official Portrait: F Graham Cootes painted this 1936 portrait of Woodrow Wilson. The painting hangs above the Grand Staircase in the White House, along with portraits of other 20th century Presidents. It shows an academic President, with a book in hand.
NOT ALLOWED at the Dinner Table 2 comments
- Electronics
- Headphones
- Cellphones
- Telephones
- Television
- Discussion of underwear (I also had to ban “u-wear” after the girls thought they would get creative)
- Discussion of body fluids (I’m married to a nurse, after all)
- Hats (unless we’re outside)
- Dark glasses (unless we’re outside in the sun)
- Food not prepared/approved for the meal by the cook
- Reading material
- Homework (less of a problem with us today; we only have one student in the family right now!)
- Puzzles
- Doodling
- Bad language
- Blue humor
- Shameless double entendres
- Toilet humor
Those are the rules. Electronics get put away before food is passed.
What happens if discussion turns in a way unacceptable to me? I clang on my glass with a fork until it stops (which has now become a cliché, but it works!).
Problems have changed … electronics were an issue back in junior high, but not now with the twenty-somethings in the family. Language is an increasing problem, however, as it often is when that age. Unfortunately.
We sit down together, we eat together. And it is a very good thing.
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CNN.com: The Right Way To Have A Family Dinner
Health.com: 8 Reasons To Make Time For Family Dinner
Andy Griffith’s What It Was, Was Football Leave a comment
Andy Griffith, graduated with a Bachelor in Music from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in 1949. He recorded this classic comic monologue in 1953. It was a commercial success, and catapulted Griffith’s career forward to Broadway, and, eventually, Hollywood.
The text for the monologue was combined with cartoons drawn by George Woodbridge, which were published in the July 1958 MAD Magazine. This video will give you a new perspective on what everybody’s cheering for.
Andy Griffith, Tony Award-nominated and Emmy Award-nominated American actor, producer, writer, director and Grammy Award-winning southern gospel singer. Image taken as President George W. Bush presents him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. White House photo by Paul Morse.
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Iwo Jima: The Defining Image Leave a comment
On February 19, 1945, 30,000 US Marines landed on Iwo Jima. They encountered fierce resistance from the Japanese forces, but the US took control of this strategically important island.
The fighting that took place during the 36-day assault would be immortalized in the words of Commander, Pacific Fleet/Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who said, “Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, Joe Rosenthal’s historic photo depicts five United States Marines and one sailor raising an American flag over Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The image above is an Associated Press photograph that won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. It was taken by Joe Rosenthal on February 23, 1945. Photo: Joe Rosenthal/Associated Press
From The Navy Department Library:
Two flag raisings
At 8 a.m., on Feb. 23, a patrol of 40 men from 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, led by 1st Lieutenant Harold G. Schrier, assembled at the base of Mount Suribachi. The platoon’s mission was to take the crater at Suribachi’s peak and raise the U.S. flag.
The platoon slowly climbed the steep trails to the summit, but encountered no enemy fire. As they reached the top, the patrol members took positions around the crater watching for pockets of enemy resistance as other members of the patrol looked for something on which to raise the flag.
At 10:20 a.m., the flag was hoisted on a steel pipe above the island. This symbol of victory sent a wave of strength to the battle-weary fighting men below, and struck a further mental blow against the island’s defenders.
Marine Corps photographer Sergeant Lou Lowery captured this first flag raising on film just as the enemy hurled a grenade in his direction. Dodging the grenade, Lowery hurled his body over the edge of the crater and tumbled 50 feet. His camera lens was shattered, but he and his film were safe.
Three hours later another patrol was dispatched to raise another, larger flag. The battle for Iwo Jima is encapsulated by this historic flag raising atop Suribachi, which was captured on film by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. His photo, seen around the world as a symbol of American values, would earn him many awards including the 1945 Pulitzer Prize.
Over the years, the flag raising has come to symbolize the spirit of the Corps to all Marines. On Nov. 19, 1954, a bronze monument of the flag raising, sculpted by Felix de Weldon and located near Arlington National Cemetery, was dedicated to all Marines who have given their lives in defense of their country.
Rosenthal eventually left the AP and joined the San Francisco Chronicle as a photographer. After his death in 2006, the Chronicle wrote that when he was asked about the photograph, he would reply, “I took the picture, the Marines took Iwo Jima.”
Misoyaki Butterfish 2 comments
After our first family visit to Roy’s, a wonderful group of Hawaiian fusion restaurants, Velda had to recreate their butterfish dish that is a wonderful thing.
Butterfish, by the way, is not a fish. It’s called butterfish because of the smooth, luscious texture of this delight.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sablefish, AKA black cod
- rice flour
Miso Marinade
- 1 cup sake
- 1 cup mirin
- 1/2 lb sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 lb miso paste
Kim Chee Lime Butter Sauce
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 T shallots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 T half & half
- 1 T fresh lime juice
- 2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 T kim chee sauce (found in Asian markets)
- 1 T unsalted butter
- 3 T chili sauce
Instructions
Prepare marinade by combining in a small pan. Heat at a simmer for 5 minutes until miso dissolves. Allow to cool.
Cut fish into approximately 4-5 oz portions. Place into Ziploc bag. Cover with cold marinade. Place in refrigerator to marinate 2-3 days.
Prepare sauce. Use a small amount of the olive oil, sauté the onion, shallot and garlic, until they become translucent. Deglaze the pan with white wine and fish sauce, and then reduce by half. Add cream, lime juice and a pinch of cilantro. Reduce the mixture until it thickens and slowly blend in the kim chee sauce and butter. Blend with an immersion blender or food processor, and then mix in 1 tablespoon of cilantro and the chili sauce. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.
Heat skillet over medium flame. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and butter, or enough to cover bottom of skillet. Drain fish (can place on paper towel). Dredge pieces of fish in rice flour, both sides. Shake off excess. Fry until golden brown. Turn after 3-4 minutes and cook another 3 minutes until done.
Serve over short grain brown rice. Garnish with sauce.
Scroll down for a refreshing dessert, below.
Dessert!
For a traditional Japanese dessert, soak & refrigerate 1/2 slices of oranges and tangerines in plum wine for at least an hour.
Drain & serve. Wine can be re-used several times.
US Flag: The Third 8 comments
The first US Flag was authorized by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. That flag had 13 stars & 13 stripes … if you haven’t read my post on that topic, the link is below. The fact that this resolution was passed on June 14 is why we now celebrate Flag Day on that day.
Resolved, That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.
The second US Flag was authorized by the Flag Act of 1794, and it had 15 stripes and 15 stars. That flag would last for 24 years, and see 5 more states enter into the Union before a new law was passed.
An Act making an alteration in the Flag of the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled, That from and after the first day of May, Anno Domini, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-five, the flag of the United States, be fifteen stripes alternate red and white. That the Union be fifteen stars, white in a blue field.
In 1818, after five more states had been admitted, Congress finally passed a new resolution governing the design of a third US flag … as well as subsequent flags
An Act to establish the flag of the United States.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress Assembled, That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white: that the union be twenty stars, white in a blue field.
And be it further enacted, That on the admission of every new state into the Union, one star be added to the union of the flag; and that such addition shall take effect of the fourth day of July then next succeeding such admission.
The 20 star flag served for just one year, as Illinois became our 21st star in 1819.
30 stars have been added to this flag. The 50-star version was designed by a student in Ohio in 1958.
Curiosities
Lincoln did not alter the flag after the Confederate states seceded from the US. He did not feel their secession was legal; we fought the Civil War to ensure 1861’s 33-star flag would continue to be our flag.
Though the number of stars did not change, their color did! Many Civil War-era flags used gold stars in the blue field of the flag, as opposed to the more common, specified, white stars. Even though the number of stars and stripes was specified by the 1818 law, the arrangement of those stars was not codified until Roosevelt signed the US Flag Code in 1942.
There are anecdotal stories of flags with gold stripes that were produced in the early- to mid- 20th century. These flags may or may not have been produced by the U.S. Army Quartermaster Depot in Philadelphia (records show they were discussed and recommended by that group). However, there was never any approval and these flags are not in compliance with the 1818 law or the 1942 code that governs the design of the US flag.
There was no official pattern for the stars on the flag until the adoption of the 48-star flag in 1912. The Army and Navy did use standardized designs, but there was variation between flags based on personal preference.
This alternative design of a 36-star flag could have been used from July 4, 1865 until July 3, 1867. A 37-star flag was introduced on July 4, 1867.
A flag protection movement surged in the late 1800’s, but failed to win federal legislation. States began to pass their own laws on how to treat the US flag, and by 1932, all states had adopted flag desecration laws.
These laws were superseded by the US Flag Code which was ratified in 1942. The US Supreme Court has since ruled that freedom of speech, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, trumps any flag desecration laws. The Flag Code is a guide to how citizens should treat the US flag: there are no penalties for not following the Code.
The current 50-star flag has been the US flag the longest of the 27 different flags that have waved over the United States. The flag with the second longest tenure was the 48-star flag, which was the US flag for 47 years, 1912 – 1959.
The 50-star flag became the official US flag on July 4, 1960: the first July 4th after Hawaii was admitted to the union.
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Our Flag, from the US Government Printing Office
Flag Depot’s Excellent Timeline of The 27 US Flags
Remember When We Went To Space? 3 comments
Remember when we had a space program? Those were very good days.
Today is the 51st anniversary of when John Glenn first orbited the earth in the Mercury Friendship 7 space capsule. There was barely enough room to fit him into the capsule, but with the success of his mission, the USA began its incredible journey to the moon.
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- It was said that you didn’t get into the capsule as much as you wore it.
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- Photo of the Earth taken by John Glenn with a 35-millimeter Ansco Autoset camera he had purchased just before liftoff, seen during Mercury Atlas 6 (Friendship 7) orbital flight on Feb. 20, 1962. (NASA)
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- The capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. The green dye was intended to aid in recovery in case the capsule sank.
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- Riding with the President at Cape Canaveral. JFK gave Glenn the Distinguished Service Medal.
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- John Glenn delivers a speech to the U.S. Congress during the Washington, DC ceremonies honoring his Friendship 7 space flight, February 26, 1962. (NASA photograph)
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- New York ticker tape parade for the returning hero.
