It's amazing how well films used to predict their futures (back before they all became vehicles for berating their audiences, anyway) - especially comedies.
I've been thinking of the 1996 film, "My Fellow Americans" recently, especially this scene with the sitting Vice President addressing two former Presidents. Uncanny.
As you can imagine (just look at these pictures if you have trouble), I get a lot of comments and questions about our dog, Billie, when we're walking around town. "What a beautiful dog!" "What a strange looking dog!" "What kind of dog is that?" "Is that a dog or a goat?" and on and on they go.
Today is the anniversary of the 1885 execution of Louis Riel, the Métis "father of Canadian confederation."
It's not unusual in many towns across the country to find "a piece of the rope" used to hang Riel. In fact, these rope pieces are so common that it's said that if they were laid end to end, they would reach from Atlantic Canada to British Columbia.
A fitting, if somewhat grisly remembrance of one who has come to be seen as a patriot, despite having been convicted of and executed for treason.
As the latest case in point, Michigan Democrats are trying to surrender the votes of Michiganders to the whims of those living in other states.
Bills currently under consideration in the Michigan State legislature would turn voting on its head. Rather than awarding our Electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in Michigan, they want to award them to the national popular vote winner. In essence, they are disenfranchising Michiganders in favor of the other forty nine States.
We've long known that they are desperate to dismantle the Electoral College - the only remaining protector of federalism, really - because "it's not fair" or other such inanity. Now we see how they plan to do just that, one State at a time.
Frankly, there is no justification for this, other than the fear that a Republican (as did Trump) might win in Michigan, but not overall, and they can't stomach the idea of allowing the citizens of Michigan to express their will, should it not be to elect a Democrat.
Good grief. This State is being run by Idiots and Traitors.
Looking at the two "today in history" kinds of sites I frequent, I'm struck that it seems hardly a man is now alive who remembers that famous day and year.
On the 18th of April in 1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn that the British were coming; and yet, neither of my sites mention this event. The one goes from the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 directly back to the starting of construction on St. Peter's Basilica in 1506. Those 400 years apparently had nothing of historical note that happened on 18 April.
Ah, but we know better, do we not?
Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere!
A new Super Mario Brothers movie is out this weekend. Sadly, it's not live action. Back in the day we had Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo as Mario and Luigi, but now it's all pixels - as if these guys don't really exist or something!
Well, for those who crave something more rooted in reality than this computer-generated animation, here's a link to some wonderfully creative, live-action Mario-ing!
You're welcome. Now, Enjoy!
Yes, in a world gone mad, it must be time for an uplifting, jolly distraction.
Thus, submitted for your enjoyment, Spike Jones and His City Slickers in a fabulous performance from 1964. Really, there's no need for any explanation beyond this paraphrase of Spike, "Music is noise, so anything that makes noise can be used to make music in my band."
Enjoy!
