What Happened In My Birth Year, 1953?

February 6, 1953 ... my Birthday.
In 1953, the world was a different place.

There was no Google yet. Or Yahoo. Or Us.mg201.mail.yahoo, for that matter.

In 1953, the year of your birth, the top selling movie was Peter Pan. People buying the popcorn in the cinema lobby had glazing eyes when looking at the poster.



Remember, that was before there were DVDs. Heck, even before there was VHS. People were indeed watching movies in the cinema, and not downloading them online. Imagine the packed seats, the laughter, the excitement, the novelty. And mostly all of that without 3D computer effects.

In the year 1953, the time when you arrived on this planet, books were still popularly read on paper, not on digital devices. Trees were felled to get the word out. The number one US bestseller of the time was The Robe by Lloyd C. Douglas. Oh, that's many years ago. Have you read that book? Have you heard of it?

In 1953... Nikita Khruschev is selected First Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party. Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yugoslavia. The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, opens on Broadway. Walt Disney's 14th animated film, Peter Pan, premieres at the Roxy Theatre, New York City. Ian Fleming publishes his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale in the United Kingdom. Austria and the Soviet Union form diplomatic relations. The U.S. executes Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for spying for the USSR. The CIA helps to overthrow the government of Mohammed Mossadegh in Iran, and retain Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on the throne. The discovery of REM sleep is first published by researchers Eugene Aserinsky and Nathaniel Kleitman.

That was the world you were born into. Since then, you and others have changed it.

The Nobel prize for Literature that year went to Winston Churchill. The Nobel Peace prize went to George Catlett Marshall. The Nobel prize for physics went to Frits Zernike from Netherlands for his demonstration of the phase contrast method, especially for his invention of the phase contrast microscope. The sensation this created was big. But it didn't stop the planets from spinning, on and on, year by year. Years in which you would grow bigger, older, smarter, and, if you were lucky, sometimes wiser. Years in which you also lost some things. Possessions got misplaced. Memories faded. Friends parted ways. The best friends, you tried to hold on. This is what counts in life, isn't it?

The 1950s were indeed a special decade. The American economy is on the upswing. The cold war betwen the US and the Soviet Union is playing out throughout the whole decade. Anti-communism prevails in the United States and leads to the Red Scare and accompanying Congressional hearings. Africa begins to become decolonized. The Korean war takes place. The Vietnam War starts. The Suez Crisis war is fought on Egyptian territory. Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and others overthrow authorities to create a communist government on Cuba. Funded by the US, reconstructions in Japan continue. In Japan, film maker Akira Kurosawa creates the movies Rashomon and Seven Samurai. The FIFA World Cups are won by Uruguay, then West Germany, then Brazil.

Do you remember the movie that was all the rage when you were 15? Planet of the Apes. Do you still remember the songs playing on the radio when you were 15? Maybe it was Hello, Goodbye by The Beatles. Were you in love? Who were you in love with, do you remember?

In 1953, 15 years earlier, a long time ago, the year when you were born, the song Rags to Riches by Tony Bennett topped the US charts. Do you know the lyrics? Do you know the tune? Sing along.

I know I'd go from rags to riches
If you would only say you care
And though my pocket may be empty
I'd be a millionaire

There's a kid outside, shouting, playing. It doesn't care about time. It doesn't know about time. It shouts and it plays and thinks time is forever. You were once that kid.

When you were 9, the movie The Magic Sword was playing.

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... it's 1953. There's TV noise coming from the second floor. Someone turned up the volume way too high. The sun is burning from above. These were different times. The show playing on TV is Author Meets the Critics. The sun goes down. Someone switches channels. There's I Love Lucy on now. That's the world you were born in.

Progress, year after year. Do you wonder where the world is heading towards? The technology available today would have blown your mind in 1953. Do you know what was invented in the year you were born? The MASER. Medical Ultrasonography.

One, two
Where were you back in 1953?
Too young to remember, but old enough to say
That war lied


That's from the song Burnt Alive by Rocket From The Crypt.

In 1953, a new character entered the world of comic books: Chilly Willy. Bang! Boom! But that's just fiction, right? In the real world, in 1953, John Edwards was born. And Paul Allen. Pierce Brosnan, too. And you, of course. Everyone an individual. Everyone special. Everyone taking a different path through life.
It's 2012.

The world is a different place.

What path have you taken?

February 6, 1953 ... my Birthday.

(◠‿◠)

Roasted Smashed Potatoes

This recipe is designed to work with potatoes 1½ to 2 inches in diameter; do not use potatoes any larger. It is important to thoroughly cook the potatoes so that they will smash easily. Remove the potatoes from the baking sheet as soon as they are done browning—they will toughen if left too long. A potato masher can also be used to “smash” the potatoes.

Ingredients

1. 2 pounds small Red Bliss potatoes (about 18), scrubbed
2. 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
4. Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Adjust oven racks to top and bottom positions and heat oven to 500 degrees. Arrange potatoes on rimmed baking sheet, pour ¾ cup water into baking sheet, and wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Cook on bottom rack until paring knife or skewer slips in and out of potatoes easily (poke through foil to test), 25 to 30 minutes. Remove foil and cool 10 minutes. If any water remains on baking sheet, blot dry with paper towel.



2. Drizzle 3 tablespoons oil over potatoes and roll to coat. Space potatoes evenly on baking sheet and place second baking sheet on top; press down firmly on baking sheet, flattening potatoes until 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with thyme leaves and season generously with salt and pepper; drizzle evenly with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Roast potatoes on top rack 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to bottom rack and continue to roast until well browned, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6

True Story!

More than 24 years ago, Pam and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher. Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines .

He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.

Hover Over My Name: New Hoax Spin Added to Viral Facebook Status

I thought I'd repost this article from a fellow named Jon Loomer. I saw several different blogs that had written about the 'Hover Over My Name' scam. He puts it quite simply. He's on facebook and I am now a 'fan' of his. So, here it is:

Just when I think this one will die, it comes back even stronger…

Back on September 23 (yes, more than three months ago), I first wrote a post called Facebook Scare: Uncheck Comments and Likes about a viral Facebook status that was circulating. Long story short, it’s when friends ask you to hover over their name and uncheck comments and likes. They believed this would help your privacy or some other complete nonsense (see the blog post).

Today, I am again seeing spikes to that blog post. I ran a Facebook search of “hover over my name” and it is absolutely out of hand. When I run the search, there are 15 public posts over a six minute span. That’s public posts only.

Originally, this seemed to be simply a well-intentioned (though ill-informed) attempt to help friends and right a wrong. But as it’s evolved, it has taken on the flavor of a hoax. The new copy and paste is as follows:

With the new ‘FB timeline’ on its way this week for EVERYONE…please do both of us a favour: Hover over my name above. In a few seconds you’ll see a box that says “Subscribed.” Hover over that, then go to “Comments and Likes” and unclick it. That will stop my posts and yours to me from showing up on the side bar for everyone to see, but MOST IMPORTANTLY it LIMITS HACKERS from invading our profiles. If you re-post this I will do the same for you. You’ll know I’ve acknowledged you because if you tell me that you’ve done it I’ll ‘like’ it. Thanks!

A couple of the tell-tale signs of a hoax (as I outline in this post) are now evident:

USE OF CAPS

Attempt to scare you with completely untrue statement about protecting you from hackers

Of course … Asking you to re-post

Let’s be clear about what happens when I hover over your name and uncheck comments and likes. I no longer see your comments and likes. Period.

What doesn’t it do? It does not stop my posts (comments and likes) from showing in your newsfeed, though this status promises that. I have no idea how they think it would limit hackers from invading your profile. It is completely individual. It only stops one person from seeing the comments and likes of one person. That’s it.

And this brings us back to the absurdity of the post. If you are worried about people you don’t care about seeing your comments and likes, who is going to respond to this and hide that content? Maybe a handful. And what kinds of friends will they be? Your closest friends. The ones who actually care about your comments and likes (and the ones you wouldn’t mind seeing them).

But maybe your closest friends are hackers. In that case, carry on. You did well.

❤

Wacky In Waco

I rec'vd an email that made me want to look up it's validity when I found this:

I recently received an email going around the www written by a 21 year old female "who gets it".

I will leave it intact, but with modifications that reflect the reality of life, not the views of the GOP rhetoric that it is filled with. I am a senior citizen with many more years of experience under my belt than this 21 year old, and with a better grasp of reality and hopefully with a little more common sense, and ability to look at life with a broader perspective. Although a few of these ideas are quite thought provoking they need to reflect the real world. So here goes.

(My responses and clarifications will be in parenthesis, in italics, and underscored when applicable)

--------------------------------------------------------------
This was in the Waco Tribune Herald, Waco, TX., Nov. 18, 2010:

This was written by a 21 yr old female who gets it. It's her future she is worried about and this is how she feels about the social welfare big government state that she is being forced to live in! These solutions are just common sense in her opinion.

> Put me in charge . . .
> Put me in charge of food stamps. I'd get rid of Lone Star cards; no cash for Ding Dongs or Ho Ho's, just money for 50-pound bags of rice and beans, blocks of cheese and all the powdered milk you can haul away. If you want steak and frozen pizza, then get a job.

(This has some merit. The use of food stamps should require some discretion on what they are used for. Although the meaning is well intended, there are folks on food stamps that are unable to work, unable to cook, or even unable to store such quantities above what can be used in a reasonable period of time. It should be explicit about: not for the purchase of junk foods, alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, stamps, etc... but food choices are based on the individuals tastes, likes, and needs; as some people cannot digest certain foods or may be allergic to others.).

> Put me in charge of Medicaid. The first thing I'd do is to get women Norplant birth control implants or tubal ligation's. Then, we'll test recipients for drugs, alcohol, and nicotine and document all tattoos and piercings. If you want to reproduce or use drugs, alcohol, smoke or get tats and piercings, then get a job.

(Here her knowledge of medicaid is not quite accurate, logical, or adult. Medicaid is mainly for the use of the elderly, or those who are disabled. The government cannot legally require the disabled or the elderly to have tubal ligation's or birth control implants. The use of prescription, or over the counter drugs, or the use of alcohol, cannot be dictated by the government, and has nothing to do with medicaid. Even the use of cigarettes cannot be taken away from anyone when they are legally sold over the counter. So this portion about medicaid is inappropriate for anyone to suggest. The abuse of medicaid or medicare is NOT by the recipients of it, but by those providers who put in bogus claims, and pad their bills with the intent to defraud the government who provides no oversight to stop those false claims.)

> Put me in charge of government housing. Ever live in a military barracks?
> You will maintain our property in a clean and good state of repair. Your "home" will be subject to inspections anytime and possessions will be inventoried. If you want a plasma TV or Xbox 360, then get a job and your own place.

(Actually has some merit with this one. There are no current restrictions regarding upkeep, or maintenance, etc... Anything procured prior to moving into Government housing cannot be taken away from those who are in need, simply because someone thinks they do not deserve to have them. There should be some restrictions, however, on the purchase of new and "expensive" items. Televisions sets, computers, phones, and other "conveniences" are basic necessities in our current life style, and are often required in looking for work, raising children and providing basic needs.)

> In addition, you will either present a check stub from a job each week or you will report to a "government" job. It may be cleaning the roadways of trash, painting and repairing public housing, whatever we find for you. We will sell your 22 inch rims and low profile tires and your blasting stereo and speakers and put that money toward the âcommon good.

(I am assuming that this paragraph is a continuation of "living in government housing"? People who live in government housing are either unable to work (due to mental or physical impairment), or work in jobs that pay minimum wages or less, or have small children they must care for and using sarcasm regarding selling high end properties while living in government housing is silly, demeaning, and uncalled for).

> Before you write that I've violated someone's rights, realize that all of the above is voluntary. If you want our money, accept our rules.. Before you say that this would be "demeaning" and ruin their "self esteem," consider that it wasn't that long ago that taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem.

(I am not quite sure what this paragraph references, but it sounds to me like the remarks about "taking someone else's money for doing absolutely nothing was demeaning and lowered self esteem" is being misdirected toward the poor and needy when in reality it is certainly the descriptive narrative for big business executives.)?

> If we are expected to pay for other people's mistakes we should at least attempt to make them learn from their bad choices. The current system rewards them for continuing to make bad choices.

(This paragraph above is totally unjustified, insulting and just plain ludicrous. Making assumptions that the poor, or the infirm, are products of their own choices is stereotyping at its worst. The majority of the poor and homeless are not there by their own volition, but are victims of circumstances beyond their control, victims of crimes, sexually, physically, or emotionally abused and left on the streets to fend for themselves. When we start turning our back on those less fortunate than ourselves, or blaming the victims, we have lost our compassion, our humanity, and our decency.

This seems to be the new wave of thought from the Republican (and the new tea party) government, the wealthy, and those who became self reliant by stepping on the poor and middle class.) *(This kind of generalized statement that reflects the mistakes of drug/alcohol addicts is also inappropriate when describing those unfortunate people who require assistance just to be able to afford basic essentials.)


> AND While you are on Gov't subsistence, you no longer can VOTE! Yes that is correct. For you to vote would be a conflict of interest. You will voluntarily remove yourself from voting while you are receiving a Government welfare check. If you want to vote, then get a job.

(This is unconstitutional and serves no purpose. You can not remove a person's right to vote, or any other basic human rights just because you disapprove of people who have less than you do. This is the current mentality of the GOP to remove basic voting rights of those who are less fortunate, for fear that they might just be voting for simple democracy, equality, justice and a better way of life for themselves and others in their situations.) *(i.e.,the current GOP drive to suppress votes of the poor, elderly, and college students, in the next election, that we see daily on the news programs on T.V. )


> Now, if you have the guts - PASS IT ON...

(And lastly, I do have the guts to PASS THIS ON, not because you, the writer, or you, the reader who agrees with this writer, is correct, but because you are part of the problems of society instead of part of the solutions. Criticizing and demeaning the less fortunate, seems to be the order of the day for the new political environment, while making compassion, caring, social welfare needs, and helping out the less fortunate seem like something perverse or evil.)

(I can only say just how disappointing it is to see, and hear, this younger generation coming up without any sense of empathy, compassion or understanding of what being a victim of the system is truly like. We are NOT always the cause of our own misfortunes.

Perhaps one day those who find fault with the less fortunate among us will find themselves in those very shoes.)


by d.william 12/10/2011

For what it's worth ... I tend to concur with Mr. William.

♥