Kitlers

Cats That Look Like Hitler

Pride - Syntax

I was flippin' through channels on the TV the other day and caught the last part of a "Bones" episode and this song was playing.  I hadn't heard of the group Syntax and while reading about them, found out this song and others by the group had been used in other television programs and a few movies. 

This is a fan-created video; I didn't find an official video.  Another YouTube video had also been made by a fan that looked like it fit the lyrics, but it wasn't available for embedding.

The Longest Day

Trailer for the classic movie, The Longest Day. One of my favorite war movies, it's chock-full of stars including Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Peter Lawford, Roddy McDowall, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Rod Steiger, Stuart Whitman, John Wayne and many more.



Today is the anniversary of the Normandy landings in 1944, arguably the most important day of WWII. Touring the D-Day beaches is on my bucket list.

My New Avatar

Music Album Cover Locations

As regular readers of this blog know, I'm a huge Google Earth fan. One of my favorite sites to which I subscribe via my Google reader is Google Earth Hacks, which posts interesting sites to visit via the GE application and also supplies the .kmz file for the location.

One of the latest posts has Music Album Cover Locations, places around the world where album covers were photographed.



Recognize the place? Perhaps the album cover insert (too small to be seen in the above screenshot) will give it away.



Yes, it's Abby Road in London, the street where the Beatles took the name for one of their most famous albums.

The .kmz file has many other great album covers and locations; some more Beatles records, as well as others from ABBA, Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elton John and more.

Download the file at:

Music Album Cover Locations

Farewell Faithful Fido

Did you know President Lincoln's dog Fido was "assassinated" by a drunk in Springfield, IL. just a year after Lincoln was shot and killed?  Fido, a yellow retriever-shepherd mix had been the President's faithful companion for over five years.

Read more

The Blame Game

Just before I went to bed late last night, I saw an article about Michael Douglas where he blamed his throat cancer on - 'scuse me - oral sex.  He didn't blame it on smoking, drinking or poor diet.

It made me think about it all day today.  Even if there was proof of what he said caused it, I don't think I'd announce that fact to the world.  I finally came to this conclusion:

Just like most liberals, he wants to put all the blame on bush.

A Cool Job

Did you know President Barack Obama's first job was scooping ice cream ? The future President worked for Baskin-Robbins in Honolulu during a high-school summer vacation in the mid-70's.

R.I.P. Deacon Jones

Deacon Jones was terrorizing opposing NFL quarterbacks when I first got interested in football;  when I played, I tried to emulate his famous head slap when I could (get away with it). Even when his Rams played the Cowboys, my favorite team, I couldn't help but admire the ferocious way he played. (I think there's at least two sacks of Dallas QBs in the video.

Deacon Jones
December 9, 1938 - June 3, 2013

Sunday Double Feature

A quiz and music to fit the topic, just like I like to do 'em.

You Are Sunday

Above all else, you value quiet time and rest. You love to unwind and recharge. You think life is stressful enough, and you like to find peace whenever and wherever possible. Over the years, you've figured out who and what means most to you. You hold on to what matters. Sunday is the perfect day for you to be close to your loved ones and favorite rituals. Even when life is busy and chaotic, you are able to stand back and look at the big picture. You try to live in the moment and not get bogged down by the little annoyances of every day life.

What's Your Day of the Week?

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Pleasant Valley Sunday - The Monkees

Hair of the Dog - Nazareth

A little personal story: It wasn't long after this song had been released when I bought a brand new "quadraphonic" stereo with four speakers. I purchased the stereo from the hardware store in my home town, paying about fifty bucks more than I should have. I could barely wait to get some new records to listen to and the first album I bought was the Nazareth album with this song on it. I hastily unwrapped the cellophane wrapper and carefully handling the vinyl on the edges as so not to get fingerprints on the record's grooves, I started the turntable and turned up the volume.

After the opening riff, I stepped away to go to the bathroom.  I got done, walked back into the room where the stereo was and smelled an acrid, burning odor.  About that time the speakers crackled and emitted a high-pitched whine...then smoke started pouring out of the back of my brand new stereo.  I quickly unplugged it before it caught on fire.

It wasn't TOTALLY ruined, I had it fixed...to the tune of about half of what I had paid for it.  (and yes, I tried to take it back to the store, but he told me to send it to the factory...in Taiwan.)

I was as mad as the S.O.B. they're singing about in the song.

A Tale of Two Vets

Boxing great Joe Louis (on the left, below), who served in Army during WWII and actor Lee Marvin (on the right), who served in the Marine Corps during that same war, are buried next to each other in Arlington National Cemetery.

Photo of gravestones

wuther

wuther wuth·er [wuhth-er] verb (used without object) British Dialect

(of wind) to blow fiercely

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Oddly enough, that's how we Texans pronounce "weather"...although when the wind blows fiercely, we call that a normal day here in the Panhandle.

Let's Talk Top Five

The most widely spoken languages in the world are, in descending order: Chinese, English, Hundustani, Spanish, and Russian.

Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac

Birthday Wisdom

Your Birthday's Wisdom is Thought

You believe a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and you try to exercise your brain as much as possible. You are intrigued by almost everything, and you are curious about the world around you. You want to travel to foreign lands, read lots of books, and master many subjects. You love to go on all sorts of adventures, especially the kind that don't require you to leave your room.

What's Your Birthday's Wisdom?

Birthday - Paul McCartney

Born Today

Born on this Day

King Charles II, Patrick Henry, G. K. Chesterton, Bob Hope, John Barrymore, John F. Kennedy, Dennis Hopper, Barry Goldwater...

And me.

mordacious

mordacious mor·da·cious [mawr-dey-shuhs] adjective

1. biting or given to biting.
2. sharp or caustic in style, tone, etc.

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Many message board comments are unnecessarily mordacious.

The Olympics & War

The Olympics have been canceled five times because of war; once during WWI in 1916, before the Winter Olympics were introduced, and four times during WWII, both summer and winter games in 1940 and 1944.

Chain Gang - Sam Cooke

Love Sam Cooke's music and especially this song. My folks had several of his albums and I almost wore them out playing them over and over again.

The Funky Wall Test

I liked all the walls, but after careful consideration, I chose the metal one. If you had a floor drain, you could just hose them off.

You Are Independent

You live a self-directed, autonomous life. While no person is an island, you do your best. You like to have the freedom to choose as much as you can. You know what's best for you, and you enjoy being self-reliant. You hit a wall when you are force to cooperate or work in a group. You don't work well with others, even if you are the leader. In fact, you can do any group task more easily and quickly simply on your own. And that's what you end up doing. You break through walls on your own - using your own means and your own schedule. You are best when left to your own devices. You trust yourself more than anyone else in your life, and you should. You have a great track record.

The Funky Wall Test

Dueling Philosophers

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

-George Santayana

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It is the soothing thing about history that it does repeat itself.

-Gertrude Stein

Rhiannon - Fleetwood Mac

A Pair of Abigails

There have been quite a few U.S. Presidents with the same first name; there have been three Georges: Washington, H.W. Bush and W. Bush.

The names John and William tie for second with four apiece;  John: Adams, John Quincy, Tyler and Kennedy. The four Williams are Harrison, McKinley, Taft and Clinton.

The most common name for Amercian presidents is James; Monroe, Madison, Polk, Buchanan, Garfield and Carter.

Yet, there have been only two First Ladies with the same first name: Abigail Adams, wife of John (on the left, below) and Abigail Fillmore, wife of Millard. (on the right)

Life's a Beach

Your Ideal Beach Vacation Is Cozy

Your idea of a day at the beach is one that feels as natural and as homey as possible. You dream of living at the beach, and even if you can't live there permanently, you'd like to be there a while. Your dream beach getaway would place you right on the beach with your own private quarters.  You'd love to wake up to a beach sunrise and wind down with a beach sunset. And listen to the ocean crashing as you sleep. For you, the beach is a place to get warm and sleepy. Once you get comfortable, you never want to leave. More than any type, you belong on the coast permanently. If it isn't already, then it should be your home.

The Beach Postcard Test

Dangerous Knows Dangerous

Richard Nixon once referred to Timothy Leary as "the most dangerous man in America". Leary, a clinical psychologist and LSD advocate, was a counter-culture hero in the psychedelic 1960's and advised that generation to "turn on, tune in, drop out."

Nixon calling Leary "dangerous" was a proverbial case of "pot, meet kettle".

Legend of a Mind - The Moody Blues

The Best of Hank Hill