Martin World: News, opinion, and (animal) society

ITEM:  Just got back from the Doggie Park (AKA the Hump 'n' Dump):

Scrappy and two beagles

Scrappy's new BFF- new neighbor Daisy the Labradoodle.

ITEM:  Opinion piece here.  We had a motorcycle crash Saturday, I believe, in which a woman in a car ran right over a man and his bike.  He made it through amazingly with broken ribs and road rash.  According to the appropriately inflammatory local news report, the woman claimed that "God told me to just let it go and He'd take it from here", and thus let go of the steering wheel.

Of course this brought out all the lovely atheist commentators telling everyone how stupid religion is, and how much it hurts people.  This does nothing more than highlight their ignorant, agenda-driven thought processes as they dangle on the strings of their puppeteers.  But I have to blame News15 for triggering this- by leaving off any reporting of what kind of mental health care she was under or being referred to.  You see, only in the mind of a troubled soul or an idiot atheist would "God" tell anyone to let go of the steering wheel of a moving car.  Anyone should have seen that the coda of this story is, here we have a woman that needs help.  But News15 was delighted to leave that out, and the atheists were oh so happy to chuck common sense into neutral so they could bash the Being they claim doesn't exist.  I wonder how prominent Christian Mark Mellinger justifies to himself remaining in mainstream media these days.  I actually just e-mailed him on the subject, we'll have to see what he says.

ITEM:  My son KC has sent me a picture of Jeffrey, the chipmunk who wakes him up every morning.

ITEM:  And now, the news:

In Britain a government reshuffle on the heels of the election of an EU president Her Majesty's Government didn't approve of led to the demotion of one Michael Gove from Education Minister to chief whip in Parliament.  But that was just the beginning of troubles for Gove.


His cabinet career has already gone down the toilet, so Michael Gove appears to be getting comfortable there.
The minister - demoted by David Cameron in his dramatic reshuffle earlier this week - missed a speech in the House of Commons on his first day on the job because he was stuck in the loo, it has emerged.
Labour minister Anglea Eagle took great delight in revealing the unfortunate episode during questions in Parliament today.
She said the new Chief Whip New "got stuck in the toilet in the wrong lobby" yesterday so had not made a good start. (Courtesy the Daily Mirror)


Apparently when a vote is about to be taken, they seal the chamber- and the chambers, too.  And Gove didn't realize a vote was about to be taken.  On the bright side, he was able to get a good count from the "porcelain parliament", I guess.

We never had this sort of problem in the Ministry...

ITEM:  A sad note for longtime MWN followers:


Giant rubber duck bursts in Taiwan

That's right, the "new-art" fifty-foot rubber ducky mysteriously deflated right around New Years day... but then, even worse catastrophe occurred...


Giant rubber duck lost in China flood

A giant yellow rubber duck floating on Nanming River in China's south-west Guizhou Province has reportedly been swept away by floodwaters just months after it exploded on display in Taiwan.

The 18m (59ft) sculpture by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman disappeared around 19:00 local time on Wednesday, after the city saw days of heavy rainfall, the Taiwan-based Want China Times reports. Even though the duck weighs 1 tonne, and was sitting on a 10 tonne metal platform lashed to the riverbed with steel wires, it was easily dislodged by the storm. "The duck flopped over and was flushed away really quickly by the torrential flood," exhibition co-ordinator Yan Jianxin tells the Wall Street Journal's China Real Time blog. "It disappeared right in front of me."


This happened Friday.  But don't cry, all is not lost....

The organizer's official microblog page said a reward is being offered to anyone who can find the missing duck, but if nothing turns up over the next two days a back-up duck will be brought in from authorized makers in Taiwan to take its place.



Thank God there's a back-up duck.

ITEM:  So you think it's bad in India...

Beijing marathon 'public peeing' ban

Organisers of the Beijing Marathon have said runners will be disqualified if they're caught urinating in public, apparently after dozens of people relieved themselves on the red walls of the Forbidden City last year.

In their defense, contestants claim it has become a tradition to pee on the red walls, which are an International Heritage site.  Perhaps they should take a clue from the Indian mayor on a previous MWN, and put up posters of Mao Tse-Tung to discourage peeing on them.


ITEM:  Scrappy takes a break Sunday...

And so did the swallows... it was that hot!

ITEM:  Now here's the kind of news story you'd like to see in YOUR hometown...

EL SERENO, LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

An attempted robbery at a liquor store in El Sereno Friday ended with one suspect in custody and the other suspect dead.  Two suspects entered the store at Alhambra and Hollister avenues at 11:15 a.m., one suspect armed with a gun and one armed with a machete.  Witnesses say a bullet intended for the owner actually ended up killing one of the suspects.  A suspect was declared dead at the scene. Another suspect was taken into custody.


(A witness) says witnesses in the store told her one suspect stood behind the store owner with a knife to his neck while the other suspect pointed a gun at the store owner and suddenly opened fire. However, (she) says, the store owner performed some kind of martial arts move evading the bullet, which instead hit and killed the suspect behind him.

"He did some karate move, he said that as soon as he heard the shot go off, he moved and it got the other guy."

ITEM:  Finally, a real estate blog called Estatley calculated, by using the top fears of American homeowners, which states are the "scariest".  The top ten:

1. Florida
2. Georgia
3. Texas
4. Louisiana
5. Alabama
6. North Carolina
7.California
8. South Carolina
9. Mississippi
10. Virginia


Indiana came in a mild 22nd, mainly because it was dead last in bears, hurricanes, and shark attacks.  In fact, the Hoosier state didn't top any of the categories, but did make third in tornadoes and meth labs.  South and North Dakota were top ten least scary.  Here's a link to the full list, if you want to see where your state ranks.

This week in WWI

On the 20th, the battleship France, with French President Poincare and Premier (and reluctant Foreign Minister) Viviani on board, docked at Kronstadt, the naval base off St. Petersburg, where they were picked up by the Tsar on his Yacht the Alexandria.  Poincare was ready to find out whether there was steel in the Russian diplomacy; Viviani would have rather been home watching the developments on the trial of Mme. Caillaux, who had shot dead a newspaper editor who'd bad-mouth her leftist hubby.

The next day, Poincare got a shock from British ambassador to Russia Buchanan;  that Austria was planning to give a threatening ultimatum to Serbia shortly.  What was more shocking than that Buchanan knew something that everyone else didn't was a) he had actually figured out from evidence presented, and b) the reason Poincare didn't already know was that his man in Belgrade, one Leon Descos, had had a nervous breakdown a few weeks back and hadn't been replaced yet.  The idea that Austria was going to get froggy was enough to galvanize Poincare; and as fate would have it, his next scheduled meeting (by protocol) was with Austrian ambassador Count Freidrich Szapary.  Poincare pointedly questioned the Hungarian- and got the kind of answers that confirmed his suspicions.  He told off Szapary, reminding him that "Serbia has very warm friends in Russia- and Russia has one in France."  He saw the Austrian game and was ready to call the bluff.  As he told his own ambassador in St Pete, Maurice Paleologue, ""Austria has a coup de theatre in store for us."

Poincare- not taking any crap.

Shortly thereafter, Poincare told the story to Russian FM Sazonov, who promptly went to German ambassador Freidrich Pourtales and reamed him out.  "There must be NO talk of an ultimatum,' Sazoinov warned the German.  If anyone doubted what the Austrians were up to, they weren't in Russia's capital.

The 23rd was the day the ultimatum was to be delivered- awaiting only the sailing off of the France.  Sazonov still hoped to head it off; he contacted his man in Vienna, Shebeko, and told him that he'd word from the gossips in Rome that Austria "was planning a stroke and meant to annihilate Serbia."  He instructed him to "cordially but firmly" to warn the Austrians against any move, and to inform them that they would get follow up warnings from France (which ended up arriving hours after the ultimatum was delivered) and possibly Great Britain (which was a forlorn hope, as Sir Edward Grey was still bent on staying out of it).  Of course, Shebeko HAD to be out when the message arrived, and the Charge d'Affaires rushed it over to the Ballplatz, where Berchtold's secretary told him to have Shebeko set up an appointment with Berchtold, say, 11 AM the next day.

So while everyone waited for the note to be delivered that evening, Berchtold briefly removed his head from his butt long enough to ask some pertinent questions of Conrad von Hotzendorf.

NOTE: for you that haven't been playing along all this time, Berchtold is the Austrian FM, Conrad is head of the Army.

The first question was, what if we mobilize and THEN Serbia accepts our demands?  Remember, the problem here is a "false-start" mobilization would likely finished Austria financially.  Conrad said, we just add to the demands that Serbia pay for the mobilization- problem solved.  Then, Berchtold asked the question he should have been asking since German Chancellor Bethman told him to ask it- What about the Italians?  Waaaay back on the 10th, Italian FM Antoio di San Guiliano told Austria that the price of Italian neutrality would likely be all of the South Tyrol- which included Conrad's country estate.  Obviously, Austria would not acquiesce to territorial demands on the border- what if mobilization should bring about a two front war with Serbia AND Italy?

Conrad told him basically, it was YOUR job to handle Italian neutrality, not mine.  If we don't have Italy neutral, we shouldn't mobilize.  Ooops, a little late for that.

At this point, would like to thank Sean McMeekin and his book July 1914 for tons of assistance.

So at six PM local time, Austrian ambassador Giesel marches into the Serbian ministry, expecting to deliver the ultimatum to Serbian PM Pasic.  But if you recall, Pasic had taken off on that "campaign trip", and left in charge Finance Minister Dr Laza Pacu- who did not speak French, the language of diplomacy.  So first, Giesel had to read him the ultimatum.  Then, Pacu tried to call Pasic to come back, which he refused.  Then he pled that they couldn't possibly get the cabinet together to discuss the note until Sunday- long after the deadline passed.  Giesel told him this was the era of phones and trains- you CAN get them together if you WANT to.  Finally, Pacu flat refused to take the document from Giesel's hand.  To which Giesel slapped it on a nearby table, said do with it as you will, and stomped out.

Baron Wladimir Giesl von Gieslingen

At this point, Pacu knew what to do, as he had been coached from the start.  He flashed copies to all the friendly foreign embassies- starting with the Italians- which of course meant Sazonov knew about the note and what was in it before Szapary arrived moments later to tell him officially.  Sazonov read the riot act to Szapary again (featuring, "You- are setting Europe ablaze!"), before then lighting into the German ambassador as well.  Sazonov concluded his diatribe to Pourtales with Austria is just using this as an excuse to swallow Serbia- if she tries, Russia WILL go to war. 

Now here is where the "minds of intelligent men" REALLY go off the track.  Pourtales tells both his boss in Berlin, von Jagow, and Szapary that what HE took from the meeting with Sazonov was that Russia merely wanted to get the rest of Europe involved diplomatically, and that "prompt Russian intervention was NOT (emphasis mine) to be expected."  (Little did he know that Sazonov was already starting the wheels in motion for the "Period Preparatory to War"- a euphemism for mobilization.)  Which led Szapary to tell Vienna that the meeting between Pourtales and Sazonov was "friendly" and led to hopes of German-Russian co-operation in heading things off.  (Little did HE know that Sazonov was already telling Paleologue that the Germans were "wholeheartedly supporting Austria without the slightest suggestion of conciliation".  And Paleologue- with the France at sea, the only Frenchman that knew WTH was going on- told Sazonov that France stood ready to meet her treaty obligations.)

Jump to the afternoon and evening of the 25th.  Giesel marches over to Pasic's office.  Now Pasic and the cabinet had drafted that morning a conciliatory note accepting almost all of the conditions.  This is what our school history books tell us.  What they leave out was that once the note was in hand the night before, the Serb ambassador to Russia had went to Sazonov seeking his advice- and Sazonov told them what to accept and what to reject.  That afternoon, the draft reply was re-written to conform to what Sazonov told them.  When Giesel arrived at 5:55 PM, he was told by Pasic that over all they would accept the demands, and then told him what they wouldn't accept.  Giesel then pulled out a note that said that the response was unacceptable.  At 6:15, the Austrian legation had their code books burned and were aboard the train to Vienna.  At 9:23 PM, Emperor Franz Josef signed the order for mobilization.

And early Sunday morning, in the four military districts of Kiev, Odessa, Moscow, and Kazan, the Period Preparatory to War began.

Sunday message: The wrappings

In my weekly readings I hit upon the story of the death of Lazarus, and noticed one important detail- he came out of the grave all wrapped up.  Why is this important?

I have recently heard a couple of sermons on how Jesus' cures were temporary- whether it was a lame leg, blind eyes, or a dead body, these people all ended up dying.  Jesus' miracles were a foretaste of what was to come, never meant to be permanent.

I've said many times, God is about the big picture.  So let's look at Lazarus.  He was dead- and for at least four days.  Is there a greater miracle Jesus could have done for him than bring him back to life?  But notice the scenario.  Jesus commanded the mourners to roll away the rock blocking his tomb.  He prayed; but for their own benefit:

Joh 11:41 Then they took away the stone where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
Joh 11:42 And I know that You hear Me always, but because of the people who stand by I said it, so that they may believe that You have sent Me. And when Lazarus came out, He commanded the mourners to free him.  What do you see in that?

1- The believers had to take the first step.  A given in any situation.
2- Once raised- once he had received the GREATEST miracle Jesus could give a mortal man- he still needed the help of others.
3-Lazarus was brought back to a mortal life.  He could not remove the burial wraps himself.  Remember when Jesus rose?

Joh 20:4 So they both ran together. And the other disciple outran Peter and came first to the tomb.
Joh 20:5 And stooping down he saw the linens lying, yet he did not go in.
Joh 20:6 Then Simon Peter came following him and went into the tomb. And he saw the linens lying there.
Joh 20:7 And the grave-cloth that was on His head was not lying with the linens, but was wrapped up in one place by itself. The way I am given to understand this is Jesus passed THROUGH His wraps- because He was wearing His glorified body. And He didn't come alone:

The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And the earth quaked, and the rocks were sheared,
Mat 27:52 and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep arose,
Mat 27:53 and coming out of the tomb after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Note that they came out of the tomb AFTER Jesus arose- and not bound by any burial cloths, but free to travel at will.  The defeat of death by His resurrection enabled them to cast off death as He had, following His example.

So there is a big difference between the GREATEST fleshly miracle that can be done for a man, and the SPIRITUAL miracle which Jesus did for ALL men.  Even a dead man can raise one from the dead:

2Ki 13:20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at first of the year.
2Ki 13:21 And it happened as they were burying a man, behold, they spied a band. And they threw the man into the grave of Elisha. And the man went down and touched the bones of Elisha, and revived and stood up on his feet. But Jesus, without so much as a touch, raises all of us up by His victory.  Okay, so what's the connection to daily life?

My blog friend Shirley posted recently being questioned about what the Gospel is:
    

I was asked recently, “What do you think the Gospel is?””

I responded that it is what Jesus said: the Gospel is what He preached. ...

 

Then the question was, “But what about healings and the speaking in tongues? That’s part of the Gospel, isn’t it? Why don’t we believe in healings anymore? That’s why the church is in such trouble it’s in.”

Well, here's the thing.  The healings, the speaking in tongues, they are all well and good in that they edify, they bring some to faith- or greater faith.  But just like Lazarus, they depend on the faithful to take part- to get the ball, er, rock rolling at the beginning, and to follow through at the end.  The greater miracle is the resurrection, the bringing by Christ of all of us into the next phase.

The Church isn't "in trouble" because "we don't believe in healings anymore"; we are in trouble because we waste our prayers on politicians, earthly causes, battles here on earth.  How we pray, where we attend mass, what to write on our protest sign when we go stand on the sidewalk of an abortion clinic.  We are in trouble because we are praying for the body... and not for the soul.  Even the greatest cure is a temporary thing.

What I learned at Glenbrook Square Mall

1- The reason that Laurie doesn't come home with People of Wal-Mart stories from work is that Ft Wayne has People of Glenbrook Square instead.

2- I go to Sbarro's to get a double-crust pizza slice and two barely-comprehending Hispanic workers tell me "We don' have them."  Cross Sbarro's off my list.

3- The directories place conveniently around the place are severely out-of-date.  Reminded me of maps of the world circa 1300 AD.

4- Three of four anchor stores had men's wallets without all the features I wanted ranging from $28- $40.  Sears had a better wallet than the one I had for $18.  Go figure.

5- Kiosk workers have the single most boring job in Ft Wayne (now that most security is automated).  But that still doesn't mean I'm going to try a sample of face moisturizer to enliven your day.  Sympathy only goes so far.

6- Best way to deflect Kiosk salespeople?  Look at the person with you over your shoulder and keep walking.

7- A great way to attract people into a store (say a sports cap store) is to plaster all over the place signs saying "Clearance items 10-15% off", then have the customer wander all the way to the back of the shop (a real trick in a tiny store) to find a small display of said clearance items (say a 2X2 table with a dozen or so caps on it).  Just sayin'.

8- Six, count 'em six, jewelry stores INSIDE the mall- but spend two years harassing the Mike's Car Wash in the parking lot until they leave so you can tear it down and build a Jareds on the spot.  Think about that the next time you think you pay a fair price for jewelry.

9- Chik-Fil-A still in the food court, Burger Queen King gone.  Hmmmmm...

10- Dippin Dots now in a vending machine.


Totally unrelated, we saw a Kingfisher on the canal yesterday.

Noisy little bugger.


PS- just looked at my feedjit, and I must be on the list again.  Last night, Google (AKA "Simi Valley, California" ) was on my blog a total of 11 times in 26 minutes between 11 PM and 12 AM.  Hi, guys!

Time Machine week 13

It's July 18, 1972- and not July 8th, which will soon come into play here!  Today, Anwar Sadat of Egypt gives the world a shock by giving his Soviet military advisors the ole heave-ho.  It was part of dismantling the Nasser hold overs that held his plans back, including the head of the old Secret Police and a vice-president who was tucked in bed with the Russians.

Welcome to Time Machine for this week, the week that saw The Who hit the charts with Join Together, as well as two songs from opposite ends of the spectrum make their first appearance- Helen Reddy's feminist anthem I Am Woman, and Rock And Roll Part I from later to be convicted pedophile Gary Glitter.  This week, the Top Top Ten from 1964; the HistoryOrb.com fail that gets us a really decent story; and a new #1!  Let's have at it!

First off, beings as this is the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles pretty much owning the pop charts, I have to warn you that the Top Top Ten this week is from one of the 16 weeks (you read that right, 16) that the Beatles were NOT in the top ten this year!  Now, those 16 weeks produced 10 acts hitting number one, so the game o' the week is this:  I give you the ten acts, you give me for full credit the act we'll see at #1 on OUR top ten week, or the four who also were in this week's top ten for a half-point, or the TWO acts of the bunch who actually hit #1 with a song different from the one they were in this week's ten with!  A total of FIVE points on the line!  Here are your choices:

Bobby Vinton
the Zombies
Roy Orbison
The Kingsmen
The Supremes
Gale Garnett
The Shangri-Las
Manfred Mann
The Beach Boys
The 4 Seasons

And I'll even give you a chance to double or nothing- this week's ten has the FIRST act to be on its second TTT- and they are NOT on that list!  Find out in a bit.

Back to the main top 40 from this week in '72 for a moment to talk about who's new in that top forty!  First off is James Brown with Honky Tonk, an instrumental not near as obnoxious as his usual fare, moving ten to #40.  Nilsson moves up a meager 3 spots to #39 with Coconut.  Al Green moves up ten to #36 with I'm Still In Love With You (the usual Let's Stay Together clone).  And at #33, up 8 spots, is this one from the Grass Roots:




Meanwhile, our high debut for the week belongs to the Hollies, with Long Cool Woman making a 17-notch move to #26 with Long Cool Woman.

Which gave me the idea of saluting the biggest move within the countdown- and this week that belongs to Sailcat's Motorcycle Mama, which climbed 21 spots to #47.  We'll be seeing them in the top 40 next week... "...if the chain don't break."

__________________________

Now onto my semi-libelous accusation against HistoryOrb.com, whom I am busting for the second time on Time Machine.  You see, something very interesting happened on the 8th and 9th of July, 1972... but they claim it happened on the 18th.  But it was too good to leave out, and since we can't go back in time (who says?), I'll just have to share it now.

On the 8th and 9th of July, Pocono Raceway in New York played host to 200,000 screaming rock fans for what was known as the Concert 10.  I found the group list and thought, boy the first day kinda sucked.  Then I dug deeper into the story.

Leading off the rain-bothered first day was a band called Mother Night.  They were a semi-local NYC band in the style of Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago  playing one of their songs, I found them to be a bit funkier than either one.  One name associated with this band was guitarist Eddie Martinez, whose playing you got to hear on a handful of hits- including David Lee Roth's California Girls and Robert Palmer's Simply Irresistible.

Next came British folk singer Claire Hamill, who was a whopping 17 at the time.  While she never pierced the singles charts, her pretty voice (on the song I listened to) seemed to have elements of all the folk songstresses of the day.

Third up were a band Scrappy might have loved- the Groundhogs.  They were a British outfit who had three top tens Over There, including a tune called Thank God For The Bomb.  To me, there biggest hit (called Split) and TGFTB make me think of what would have happened if the Grateful Dead and Steppenwolf went on tour together, got stoned, and mixed their set lists.  In short, bizarre but enjoyable.

The halfway mark was a band called Ramatam, which was a three piece formed by Mike Pinera (who was the driving force in Blues Image), Mitch Mitchell (late of the Jimmy Hendrix Experience) and guitarist April Lawton, who was later outed as a transsexual.  But could nonetheless really play guitar, as I learned on their song I Can Only Love You.

Next up was a Poughkeepsie band called Bull Angus.  Billed as a "psychedelic blues band with progressive overtones" , the song I listened to sounded a lot like a combo of Grand Funk Railroad and Emerson Lake and Palmer.

They were followed by Cactus, who had the strongest pedigree thus far.  Founded by former Vanilla Fudge members Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice, they had tried to found a new supergroup in '69 with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart, but Beck had a traffic accident that put him out of action, and Rod joined the Faces.  So they "settled" for former Detroit Wheel Jim McCarty, one-time Amboy Duke Rusty Day, and a xylophonist borrowed from the Buddy Miles Express (which McCarty had also been part of), Adele Smitchell.  This group had fractured before this concert, though, and it was Bogert, Appice, and some unknowns that took the stage at Pocono.  A lot like Foghat in their song.


Closing out day one (technically, at 10 PM) was Edgar Winter, whose brother, blues legend Johnny Winter, died this week.  According to Wiki, Edgar stole the show.  Day two brought out the heavy hitters (at least, the ones they had after Badfinger and Black Sabbath cancelled out):  Emerson Lake and Palmer, who took the stage at 4 AM after a rain delay; Rod and his Faces; Humble Pie;  and the J Geils Band.  Three Dog Night, playing from 7:40 AM closed out the show with an hour-long set.  You want more name-dropping?  One of the main promoters was Irving Reiss, who owned Candygram.  Tickets were $11, and 90,000 were sold in advance.

________________________________

So let's dig into that Top Top Ten from the second week of October, 1964.  If you chose, Bobby Vinton, The Kingsmen, the Four Seasons, the Supremes, or the Zombies, you are outta there!  Here we go:

10- When I Grow Up To Be A Man, the Beach Boys.  This earns you 1 out of 2 points for "act on the top ten with song other than their #1".

9- GTO, Ronny and the Daytonas.  Did you know Ronny's (AKA "Bucky" Wilkin) mom, Marijohn Wilkin, wrote PT 109 for Jimmy Dean, and the gospel classic One Day At A Time?

8- The House Of The Rising Sun, The Animals.  One of the three big ones for me on this list- a list a little weaker than the others so far.

7- It Hurts To Be In Love, Gene Pitney.  The first act to have more than one song on the TTT, so if you picked him, double your score!

6- Bread And Butter, the Newbeats.  This one did NOT get a point from me, sorry!

5- Remember (Walking In The Sand), the Shangri-Las.  This is your other "not the one they hit #1 with" tune.

4- Dancing In The Street, Martha and the Vandellas.  What can you say?  A classic.

3- We'll Sing In The Sunshine, Gayle Garnett.  A half-pointer for eventually hitting #1.  And my favorite, by a hair over Gene Pitney.

2- Doo Wah Diddy Diddy, Manfred Mann.  Another half-pointer that would hit #1 the next week.

And the #1 from that long-ago week-

.... Roy Orbison with Oh, Pretty Woman!!!!!


Last bits of business before we hit the top ten for this week:

The You Peaked list holds us but one tune- David Cassidy's How Can I Be Sure, which stopped at 15 last week.

And with three new top tens, three drop out:  Nice To Be With You (6 to 12); I Need You (8 to 21); and Amazing Grace (10 to 29).


-----------------------------------------


The Eagles score their first top ten this week, moving up a pair to 10 with Take It Easy.

Donny Osmond strikes again, moving 4 to #9 with the Nat King Cole cover Too Young.

Up three to #8 is the other teen powerhouse, Michael Jackson, with I Wanna Be Where You Are.

Neil Diamond tumbles another three to #7 with former top dog Song Sung Blue.

Luther Ingram moves a notch up to #6 with If Loving You Is Wrong, etc.

Wayne Newton still ain't slowing down for his kid, as Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast jumps from 9 to #5.

Last week's #1, Billy Preston's Outa-Space, is outta time, falling to #4.

The Cornelius Bros and Sister Rose nudge up two big spots to #3 with Too Late To Turn Back Now.

Catering to the low-brow taste, Jimmy Castor's Bunch move up to the runner-up spot with Troglodyte (Cave Man).

And our new top dog this week....

...Bill Withers and Lean On Me!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tune in next week, perhaps HistoryOrb.com will be back on the right page.... or not...

And just when I was saying, Curse the joggers for running off all the deer....

So what am I, chopped liver?  Open the damn curtains once in a while!

The muse was on vacation...

So last night, I was looking for something to write about.  I checked my Martin World News sources, but I didn't see the humor in this week's bunch of drunks and drug abusers, sexual perverts (like the Japanese artist that came up with a program so 3-D printers can copy her vagina), and just plain simpletons.  (Although I did find one this morning that I'll share in a bit.)

So I turned to my stats page to see what people are searching to find me.  Those included "Mariska Veres's tits"  (she was the lead songstress on Shocking Blue's Venus, and was hot back in the day, but I do not have any naked pictures) and "Scrappy windmills" (Which evidently has less to do with beagles and more to do with quilt making).

So then, I gave up to watch the All-Star Game, and immediately heard and saw two extremely classless maneuvers.  Both involved the first at-bat by retiring Yankee captain Derek Jeter.  First, the moron dressed as a "fan" who shouted, "OH-ver-RAY-ted" on the second pitch from Adam Wainwright- with RAY coming as the pitch was thrown, and TED as Jeter sent it back into right field for a double.  Feel like an a-hole much?

The second was when Wainwright was caught by reporters after his 1-inning stint.  He claimed he "grooved" the pitches to Jeter so he'd get a hit, "but if I knew he'd get a double, I might have changed my mind."  And why, pray tell, would you admit to this if you had done it?  How about because a) you thought you were going to get him on low ball pitches, of which one bounced in the dirt and the other bounced on the warning track, and b) you were cheesed because you followed up your "grooved pitch" with a triple to Mike Trout and a two-run home run to Miguel Cabrera?  Final analysis, you got clubbed, you were pissed because you were thinking about all the "why didn't you start Kershaw" questions your manager was going to get, and you took it out on a classier individual than YOU'LL ever be.  Soon after, your first statement dribbled down your leg as you explained to Erin Andrews that you were "misinterpreted".  Were you speaking in Hmong?  I'm glad it happened to you, though, the lowest class individual in an organization (the Cardinals) I despise anyway.

PS- Adam, I enjoyed your inning of work.  Keep it up!

So then I thought, maybe a health update since so many of you fine people have commented and hoped for my recovery.  But as I told one of you this morning, either the stupid thing passed and left a trail of infection, or it made it from kidney to bladder and it's waiting around for the right moment to strike.  I made it from 3 PM yesterday to this morning without ibuprofen, which is the longest stretch since this all started.  A good but not very entertaining story.

Then, I took Scrappy for a short walk this morning.  The highlight was him getting in 2 poops between here and the office.  Although, I can mention that when we went to bed last night, we watched five raccoons going one at a time from the dumpster to the woods.

Then finally, you hit a story that makes it all worth while.

Meet James LaCroix, a 53-y-o Captain America fan who broke into the Kennedy Compound in Hyannisport, looking apparently for KATY PERRY.  He had been in the house for around three hours and was discovered when an "unidentified family member" called to see if his son was there and LaCroix not only answered, but IDENTIFIED himself.

Okay, I was gonna save this for a better day, but here's another one.

Meet 34-y-o Lessa Iannone, a petty shoplifter who stole $13 worth of underwear from a Dollar General and made her escape in an ICE-CREAM TRUCK.  A local cop who knew that she a) drove an ice cream truck, and b) was a shoplifter, picked her up at her home.  But at least she will have clean underwear for her jail stay, and we know how important that is.