My youngest granddaughter, Jade, was born on this date in 2010. We’re thankful for technology like Skype that has let us see and talk to her at her home in San Antonio every couple of weeks over the past year. Here’s a photo of me holding her when she was an infant.
Happy Birthday Jade!
This issue is cover dated February 1968 which means it was actually released in December 1967, as most comic books were cover dated 2 months in advance of their publication.
So let’s get the first and most obvious thought out of everyone’s mind; it was NOT the possible death of Lois Lane that attracted me to this cover. That’s a horrible thought and anyone who knows me knows that (even then, at the tender age of 12) I think too highly of women to follow that line of thinking. Especially since Lois had recently been revamped into a more feminist mindset in the comics, a welcome change from her former “damsel in distress” characterization of the previous decades.
It wasn’t even that the talented Neal Adams was the cover artist for this issue, though that WAS a major drawing (excuse the pun) point for me as I practically idolized the man’s artwork. His more realistic looking illustrations were extremely popular with fans and DC Comics used his work on as many covers as they could to draw (again, excuse the pun) attention to their books on the spinner racks.
What really drew my attention to the cover, even though I would have bought the book anyway because…well Superman, was that it featured an American space program theme. At the time, 1967-1968, NASA was in the forefront of the news with it’s Gemini space vehicles and the race to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. I was a HUGE fan of the space program and I remember about a year previously answering, “An astronaut” when my doctor asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, lol. So it was a kick for me to see a Gemini capsule floating in space and Lois Lane (admittedly looking very sexy…hey, I WAS a 12 year old male) in a spacesuit performing a spacewalk tethered by an air hose. Yes, Superman is ripping the hose and seemingly assuring that Lois will die in space, but even as a kid I knew that comic book covers were usually exaggerated in order to entice you to buy, or at least pick up and peruse, the book.
The presence of wi-fi and what it makes available to our electronic devices, and thus to us, is pretty ubiquitous. If you have it in your home you take it for granted and when you are out and about you generally assume that you will find a free wi-fi signal somewhere (ignoring the security concerns) that you can use to stay connected. When I bought iPads for my wife and I a couple of years ago, I specifically chose the wi-fi only models because I knew that we would almost always be able to locate a wi-fi signal, if needed, thus saving us money on the data connection model and an ongoing data connection plan like we have on our iPhones. And for the most part, that has been the case.
But the few times we have been without access to wi-fi has been frustrating. Enough so that contemplating a time or place where there would be no wi-fi is disturbing and unpleasant.
So when I read about a town where there is not only a complete absence of wi-fi, the ability to make a cell phone call, use Bluetooth-enabled devices or even send text messages, well I started to break out in a cold sweat.
Not really, but it does make you think.
That town is Green Bank, West Virginia, about four hours from Washington, D.C. in the Allegheny Mountains and, …”is part of a federally mandated zone where a government high-tech facility’s needs come first.” That’s because in 1958 a 13,000 square mile area that encompasses Green Bank was declared to be, by law, the National Radio Quiet Zone due to the operation of a huge government-run radio telescope. The strictest rules are in the 10 square mile area of Green Bank where the population of 143 is prohibited by state law from using cell phones or wi-fi. Landline phones and wired Internet access are the only type permitted.
Which makes it a perfect place for people with a sensitivity to such electronic and radio waves, known as “electrosensitives”, to come and live. And THAT has caused some problems for the residents who already live there.
I hope you’ll read the article; it has some eye-opening information. Personally, I have always thought that “electrosensitives” probably had a valid affliction, since our brains and nervous systems rely on the body’s electrical impulses to function properly. But that’s just me and I’m not smart enough to know if it truly is a debilitating condition.
But I am smart enough to know I’d rather not live somewhere without wi-fi!
Back on January 16, 2010, we took our granddaughter Heather (with her mom) and George and Caroline’s daughter Rowan (with her mom) to Disney Hollywood Studios for the day. Here they are with the Sorcerer’s Hat in the background, a landmark which has recently been removed.
Heather, on the left, and Rowan with the Sorcerer’s Hat in the background.
Saturday, my step-daughter and granddaughter went to see the The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the Amway Center. When my granddaughter Abby began excitedly telling me about the tigers and elephants she saw, it reminded me of a post I wrote back in 2006 about a protest for animal rights that took place when the circus was in Orlando that year, and I thought I’d re-run it here today.
January 13, 2006
Animal Rights Activists Protest Orlando Circus
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Mahatma Gandhi
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus came to Orlando last night for its opening show at the T.D. Waterhouse Arena. I haven’t been to a circus since my grandfather took me as a child, but Man About Town wasn’t there last night to see the circus, he was there to see the protest.
The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) had scheduled a silent vigil for 6pm at the Amelia Street entrance to the Arena, inviting organization members and any interested citizens to participate and asking participants to wear black. ARFF is, according to their website, “…an organization founded on the principle that animals have the right to live their lives free of exploitation, abuse and harm inflicted upon them by society.” It’s also an amusing yet appropriate acronym, given their cause.
I arrived at the Arena 5:50pm, but since I had no intention of paying the newly raised ($8 as of December 5, 2005) parking fee when I wasn’t attending the actual event, I spent a few minutes driving around looking for an off-premises parking spot. Fortunately I found one on East Colonial in front of Lake Dot and took a leisurely walk around the lake and made my way to the Amelia Street entrance.
Approaching the Arena area, I could hear a circus barker with a megaphone inviting kids to stop by his booth to get a free circus coloring book. As I walked up to Amelia Street, I came up behind approximately a dozen protesters, all dressed in black, silent, lined up along Amelia holding signs for pedestrians and those driving by to see. I asked one of them if there was someone I could talk to about the protest and she directed me to a young man behind a table in the grass surrounded by homemade gravestones that detailed the names and death dates of animals that had died under the care of the circus.
Bryan Wilson, Coordinator for ARFF, was kind enough to speak with me, answer all my questions and share the organization’s three-minute video on the portable display worn by one of the protesters. Bryan was NOT the wild-eyed, disheveled proponent I had half-expected to meet, nor were any of the people I observed conducting the silent, peaceful protest. Bryan was articulate, calm, confident and knowledgeable.
ARFF claims a total membership of approximately 4,000. I asked Bryan how many were there last night and he pointed out the dozen or so holding signs and told me several others were out of our sight in the area handing out flyers. I asked if a fair estimate would be 20-25 and he agreed. Frankly, when I was planning to come out to cover the protest, I thought I would see a larger crowd. However, having been a member of several different organizations over the years, I know how hard it is to get lots of people out for an event, especially if it’s a weekday and/or school night.
Bryan shared with me the stories of some of the unfortunate animals, mostly elephants, who are used by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, as well as dozens of other circuses across the country. He pointed out how the animals spend all of the time they are not being trained or performing locked up in cages or, in the case of the elephants, chained by the legs in one spot, forced to stand in their own urine, feces and food. The training videos (taken by undercover activists or turned over by former trainers) show horrible, abusive and painful techniques used to force the animals to perform acts that are not natural behavior for them. Elephants do not stand on pedestals in the jungle or pose with a leg up while a beautiful woman sits on their back. Tigers do not jump through hoops of fire in the wild.
It was sad, even for someone who is ambivalent about the subject like I am, to watch creatures of the earth being treated the way these gentle giants were, just to satisfy someone’s idea of entertainment.
I mean, sometimes it’s necessary to do product testing on animals before you do human trials, right? And most kids (or adults, for that matter) would never see animals like lions, tigers, elephants or killer whales in person if it weren’t for zoos or places like Sea World, right?
On the other hand, I feel sad when I stop and consider that a mighty, noble creature like a killer whale will spend it’s life in what amounts to a giant pool, never swimming free across the vast open waters of earth’s oceans as they were intended to do, with no fetters on their freedom. I’m not for cruelty to animals, I have a dog and a cat that I love, but is even the care and love I give them a benign sort of confinement? Is it the same as a place like Sea World, just on a smaller scale? To what extent do we draw the line, if at all?
I suppose we must each answer that question for ourselves. I’m glad we live in a society where animal rights activists can openly and peacefully protest the mistreatment of animals in a circus. I’m glad they can present their point of view for others to consider. I’m glad that we each have the freedom to make a choice.
Maybe that same choice should be granted to all life.
I don’t know.
It does seem wrong that any creature would have to suffer and live the kind of life that organizations like ARFF say circus animals live.
What do you think? Are there gray areas, or is it black and white, cut and dried? Is there a question, or no question at all?
I’m contemplating growing out my beard again (I have some scruffy growth that I’ve been shaping) and just happened to come across this infographic for picking the best beard style for your face type.
I’m pretty sure I know which I am going to go with, but I’ll throw this question out there; what style do you think would work best for my face type?
…RCA introduced the 45-rpm record on this date in 1949?
It wasn’t the first flat record – that honor belonged to the old 78-rpm, which had been around since the late 1880s. But the 78 was big – about 10 inches in diameter – and because the grooves were wide and it spun around fast, you couldn’t fit much music on one side. It was made of a brittle, thick shellac and broke easily if dropped.
Still, it was the standard for recorded music for almost 70 years.
In 1948, Columbia came out with a much slower-speed disc, the 33-rpm record, otherwise known as the LP (for “long-playing”). At a foot in diameter, it was even bigger than the 78, but it held much more music – up to an hour’s worth. Its grooves were only one-fourth the width of a 78’s grooves, and the needles were finer. The 33 was made out of vinyl, which was more flexible and made the records more durable. Because the 33 could hold multiple songs, it came to be known as an album.
But RCA developers realized that people might not always want to buy a whole album of songs. They came out with the 45-rpm “single” which contained just two songs: the A-side, which featured the song that the studio predicted to be a hit; and the B-side, which was just a bonus. Jukebox makers quickly abandoned the 78 format for the seven-inch 45, because you could fit more records into one jukebox. The smaller, cheaper format was popular with teenagers, who couldn’t afford albums, and the rise of the single coincided with the rise of rock-and-roll music.
Thanks to The Writer’s Almanac for the above.
I remember asking my parents for a portable record player when I was 10 or 11. We had a big console stereo in the living room that played 33-rpm and 45-rpm records and had an AM-FM radio and the thing was a monster in size as far as length goes (though it was only 3 to 3 ½ feet high), taking up a good portion of one wall.
Ours was a darker colored wood (Cherry, maybe?) but looked almost exactly like this.
It was a major piece of furniture in our home.
The control/player until inside looked just like this, with the AM/FM tuner and volume, bass, treble and balance control knobs on the left and the record player on the right. Note the 45-rpm adapter on the lower left of the turntable.
The best thing about it was the sound, it was full range and loud. You could crank that thing up and hear it all over the house and into the front yard. I remember that it had a 45-rpm adapter, a circular tube of plastic that you would slide over the smaller 33-rpm player spindle so you could insert the larger 45-rpm record opening over it, but I wanted to play records in my room and so asked for a portable record player, even though the sound from the portable was thin and almost tinny sounding. And you could only play one record, whether it was a 33 or a 45, at a time on the portable, as opposed to being able to stack them on the console stereo.
I laugh now when I think how we called that “portable” because it was like carrying around a typewriter (anyone remember those?) case or a hard-sided suitcase, but it was preferable to strapping the living room stereo unit to your back and carrying it around. I imagine one day our grandkids will be carrying around their music in a pin-sized device and laugh at us for thinking our iPods or iPhones were portable.
But now you know that today is the birthday of the 45-rpm record, even though you may never have played one in your life. 🙂
Due to a multitude of reasons, I missed seasons 3, 4 and the beginning of the current season 5 of “The Walking Dead.” But, thanks to Netflix, I was able to binge watch seasons 3 and 4 and thanks to the AMC New Year’s Day Walking Dead Marathon I was able to DVR the eight episodes that comprise the first half of the current season 5. I finished the last episode yesterday.
Without wanting to spoil it for anyone else like myself who may not be caught up, I just want to express my sorrow at the passing of some of the characters I really enjoyed. One in particular I was very sad to see go. It just goes to show that, in a story like this one, almost anyone can be removed at almost any time.
Looking forward to its return on February 8th!
Today my youngest grandson, Maxwell, turns 2 years old. We don’t get to see him or his older sister Jade much, in person, but we do try to Skype with them once every couple of weeks. The last time we Skyped, Maxwell was showing us a song he was learning; “YMCA” by The Village People. When he started singing/talking the lyrics, “Young man, young man” as he paraded back and forth in front of the camera, I could not keep the smile off my face because it was so cute. Heck, I can’t keep the smile off my face now when I remember it.
I was working out of state when Maxwell was born and didn’t see him in person until he was a few months old. As a result, he was a little shy about letting me hold him when he first saw me. Cindy took this photo when Maxwell eventually let me hold him for the first time.
Happy 2nd Birthday, Maxwell!!
