ANZACs, bolstered by the 10th Light Horse, captured part of the summit of Hill 60, but not the north face overlooking Suvla Bay.
The aftermath of tragedy:
Free footballs and bananas.
Last edition:
Friday, August 28, 2015
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Friday, August 27, 1915. The death of Frankie Pershing and her children.
Helen Frances “Frankie” Warren Pershing, wife of the future Gen. Pershing, and daughter of Sen. Francis E. Warren, died in a fire at the Presidio in San Francisco. Three out of four of the Pershing children also died in the fire.
The British reinforced their offensive at Hill 60, but the Ottomans retained the hill.
Germany resumed submarine warfare after a brief hiatus.
Last edition:
Wednesday, August 25, 1915. Capturing Brest-Litovsk. Asking for help on the border.
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
G.K. Chesterton: "He believes in himself"
G.K. Chesterton: "He believes in himself": "THOROUGHLY worldly people never understand even the world; they rely altogether on a few cynical maxims which are not true. Once I rem...
WHEELS THAT WON THE WEST®: Giant Western Freight Wagon Built By M.P. Henderso...
WHEELS THAT WON THE WEST®: Giant Western Freight Wagon Built By M.P. Henderso...: Some things are hard to forget. To that point, almost twenty years ago, I purchased a book by Don Berkebile entitled, Horse-Drawn Commerci...
That is one freakin' huge wagon.
Fickle fame
Some recent news items have interestingly portrayed the fickle nature of American fame, and how shallow and vapid it is. Interesting to watch in progress.
One aspect of American fame is that the same things and personages that raise somebody to fame stand eager to rip them to shreds when they get there. It'd be easy to say, and potentially correct as well, that having participated in the creation of their image, they are set up for a fall if they don't meet that expectation, but it's a little more than that in my view.
A recent example of that would involve the entire Josh Duggar saga. Now, readers of this blog, and there are darned few, know that I'm not a fan of the Duggars and never have been. I always thought them a bit odd, or perhaps more than a bit odd, and I've chaffed at the occasional comments that they represent "conservative Christianity". No they don't, if "conservative" Christianity is meant to include the millions of conservative Christians in the Catholic and Orthodox churches (the majority, fwiw, of Christians on earth), or those conservative Christians in numerous other denominations. No, the Duggars were interesting because they clearly belonged to something akin to a tiny sect, given their dress and lifestyle, and that provided part, but only part, of the fascination. The remainder of the fascination was based on their just having a big family, something that wasn't unusual in the world until very recently.
Now, the Duggars traded on that fascination and turned it into a television career. I have a problem with that, although I guess I can't fully blame them. But then, they were perfectly set up to be ripped apart when things went bad, and they did, in a bizarre fashion, mostly due to the icky behavior of Josh Duggar, who turns out to have lived a fairly hypocritical life.
The point isn't to defend him. Registering on a cheaters website is downright icky, in my view (and says a lot about how bizarrely dependant on technology we've become. . . do we need to register to cheat on spouses. . . seriously?). No, it's just that the same media that made such a big deal out of them, is now ripping them down, and for conduct that it pretty much celebrates in other people (the cheating that is, not the other stuff).
Indeed, it's weird how fickle fame is. If a public figure of the Duggars type, or a politician, cheats on his spouse, he's pretty much doomed. Hollywood stars, on the other hand, get a pass and it'll just be passed off as some sort of tragedy for everyone, including the cheater. Very fickle.
In contrast to this, we have people who seemingly trade on their good public images for ongoing fame, as they convert their prior lives into one of trouble. Fame is not only fickle, it's apparently addictive.
We've been given a potential example of that in the story of Bruce Jenner. Jenner was originally famous for being an Olympic athlete. Even at that time, fwiw, it seems to me that people speculated on him having same gender attractions, but that's another story. Later, long after most athletes would be a thing of distant memory, he became famous again for being the second spouse of a family that's become seemingly fasmous for its female members being famous. Or perhaps appearing on the cover of magazines with very little clothing on. Now, he has announced as have a gender issue and he's becoming a woman, if a person can changed genders, which our DNA says we may not.
That's been celebrated and he's been announced as some species of hero. In the meantime, he was involved with a fatal car wreck and will be charged with manslaughter, apparently. That gets less press. Odd.
It's particularly odd if we recall that Tiger Woods had a car accident that resulted in endless press attention, in part because he was . . . cheating on his spouse.
Now, both are athletes, so why does Woods get the negative attention and Jenner does not. I guess there's the cheating angle again, but Woods never set himself up as a public paragon of virtue (nor did he do the opposite). Indeed, Woods is a Buddhist and therefore he certainly isn't a Duggaresque figure, although I'll confess I have no idea what the Buddhist position on monogamy is.
For another example, we have the weird story of the constant "look at me" displays by a certain female singer that rose up in the Disney child star factory. I have problems with that entity in and of itself, but the displays, rather than the bold acts of individualism they're proclaimed to be, are more in the nature of childish spoiled brat displays. Yet they are both fascinated and gawked at. A similar meltdown, much less spectacular, has been given to at least one other female actress who ended up in constant trouble with the law, and while on a break from court displayed what she had in the Ossified Freak's journal. Not so celebrated. Yet another is just regarded as a pathetic meltdown. Why is one celebrated and the other pitied? Who knows. Perhaps the difference is the degree to which the meltdown is genuine.
Speaking of the Ossified Freak, a young woman who rose to some level of fame as being one of the "girlfriends" of that fellow, which presumably entails certain conduct and to which other titles would have attached in a prior era, went on to marry some sort of athlete and convert that marriage into a television show. Why anyone would care about this sufficiently to watch it is hard to explain. Following that, that fellow fell into some sort of scandal and now the same female figure is a character on a "boot camp" for troubled marriages. I'd think that a television camera following you around in these circumstances would be troublesome in and of itself, but there you have it. But here too, why do we care about this, and why does this sort of weirdness lend itself to a televised following?
Indeed, that sort of public voyeurism may have been at least partially pioneered when it turned out that a really boring married couple, but one that included a former actress known for her portrayal of a girl in a California upper class high school, took that turn when it turned out that the husband was cheating on her. He didn't get the Duggar treatment, as after all, he's an actor. But from there on out there were endless episodes of the wife blubbering. Heck, they both were cheating on other spouses when they started their relationship, so, D'oh! But apparently not. Anyhow, why would a person attempt to trade on that misery for fame?
Perhaps the most famous celebrity meltdown of recent years was the sad tale of Michael Jackson, who rose to fame on his music (which I never liked) but who spent his later years sort of freakishly altering himself. Very odd and sad, but while the press noted his sad decline, the fame had clearly precipitated it. So, he essentially was on display as a circus star the entire time. Very odd indeed.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Wednesday, August 25, 1915. Capturing Brest-Litovsk. Asking for help on the border.
The Germans captured Brest-Litovsk
The Sheriff of Jim Hogg County, Texas, asked for assistance from Federal Troops
Last edition:
Friday, August 20, 1915. Nicholas II takes command of the Russian Army.
Monday, August 24, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
The cold time
Fall has started here.
At night, temperatures are dropping way down. It's in the 40s in the morning, which means its probably creeping into the 30s up here at night.
I used to love Fall and Spring temperatures, although I have some bad fall allergies. But now I dread them. It's not because I dread cold weather, I like it. Rather, it's because my wife is always hot.
I hate air conditioning and I never turn on the swamp cooler in our own house. But this time of year, I absolutely freeze. My wife believes it's hot, and throws open all the windows in the house at night. I can hardly stand the arctic temperatures that result, but there's no explaining to a hot person that your cold. They just won't believe it.
At night, temperatures are dropping way down. It's in the 40s in the morning, which means its probably creeping into the 30s up here at night.
I used to love Fall and Spring temperatures, although I have some bad fall allergies. But now I dread them. It's not because I dread cold weather, I like it. Rather, it's because my wife is always hot.
I hate air conditioning and I never turn on the swamp cooler in our own house. But this time of year, I absolutely freeze. My wife believes it's hot, and throws open all the windows in the house at night. I can hardly stand the arctic temperatures that result, but there's no explaining to a hot person that your cold. They just won't believe it.
Sunday Morning Scene: Churches of the West: St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Sheridan Wyoming
Churches of the West: St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Sheridan Wyoming:
This is St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Sheridan Wyoming.
I don't know anything about the history of this Church, although I would note that it has a very English appearance. At one time, there was a substantial English expatriate population in Sheridan, which may have influenced the design of this attractive church somewhat.
This is St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Sheridan Wyoming.
I don't know anything about the history of this Church, although I would note that it has a very English appearance. At one time, there was a substantial English expatriate population in Sheridan, which may have influenced the design of this attractive church somewhat.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Recalling the WC-56/57
The World War Two vintage Dodge WC 56/57 series of vehicles are among my all time favorites.
I've certainly never owned one, and I haven't even seen one for sale. And outside of World War Two, they weren't around long. They're just neat. Based on the WC truck frame, they were bigger than the Jeep, but not too big. Almost the ideal size.
Which is what make this Jeep concept car so neat.
It's obviously a shout out to the WC 56.
I know that they're not going to make it. But I wish they would.
Sigh.
I've certainly never owned one, and I haven't even seen one for sale. And outside of World War Two, they weren't around long. They're just neat. Based on the WC truck frame, they were bigger than the Jeep, but not too big. Almost the ideal size.
Which is what make this Jeep concept car so neat.
It's obviously a shout out to the WC 56.
I know that they're not going to make it. But I wish they would.
Sigh.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Lex Anteinternet: Lex Anteinternet: And the band played on. . .well ...
Today the price of oil actually declined below $40/bbl. This is probably temporary, but how amazing.
Vehicle comparison and contrast
Model A, downtown Casper, which somebody has recently been using as a daily driver.
SUV belonging to Jackson Hole, which notes that it runs on vegetable (I hate the diminutive "veggie") oil. This vehicle must be a diesel. Why, exactly, burning vegetable oil is more "green" than diesel fuel, as both are oils, somewhat escapes me. It must be because you don't drill for vegetable oil, or that its recycled vegetable oil. Well, unless it was carrying a bunch of vegetable oil with it, or it gets really good mileage, it must be able to burn diesel too.
Some days when you read the news. . .
and things seem so uniformly grim, all bad news, and everything you are and like to do being pointed at in some negative way. . . it serves to remember that, at anyone time, the news is always bad. But only prospectively. Some bad news gets worse, but most doesn't, and most grim things never happen.
Random Snippets: Chesterton on nature
The main point of Christianity was this: that Nature is not our mother: Nature is our sister.
G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
Friday, August 20, 1915. Nicholas II takes command of the Russian Army.
Ottomans retook Sair Bair ridge at Gallipoli.
The British launched their last major offensive at Gallipoli, attacking a summit near Suvla Bay, but ultimately withdrawing.
Czar Nicholas II, grossly overestimating his capabilities, removed Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolayevich as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army and personally took over the position.
It was a bad move in more ways than one.
Footnotes
This was in error originally posted for August 20, 1915. This entry is expanded.
Last edition:
Thursday, August 19, 1915. Withdrawal at Riga.
Friday Farming: Lex Anteinternet: Lex Anteinternet: UW Foundation intent on cashing-...
The marketing brochure for the Y Cross Range: Y Cross.
Pretty, ain't it?
And at $25,000,000, that's a pretty penny. I'll bet that went to somebody serious about raising cattle for a living, eh?
We recently ran this item on the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University, football rivals but land sale allies:
Donors, beware. UW, shame on you.
Pretty, ain't it?
And at $25,000,000, that's a pretty penny. I'll bet that went to somebody serious about raising cattle for a living, eh?
We recently ran this item on the University of Wyoming and Colorado State University, football rivals but land sale allies:
Lex Anteinternet: Lex Anteinternet: UW Foundation intent on cashing-...: This past week the respective Wyoming and Colorado university benefactors (or actually the Colorado one, in what I read) of this substantial...
Following up on this, we now read the following on the on line Oil City News that the sale has been made. the News reports:
(Cheyenne, Wyo.) – The University of Wyoming Foundation and Colorado State University Research Foundation have completed the sale of the Y Cross Ranch, setting the stage for significant long-term funding of scholarships and internships for agriculture students.
This sale is explained in the following fashion:
“This is a very exciting development for students and faculty in agriculture and the related natural resources at UW,” says Frank Galey, dean of UW’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The proceeds will provide them with tremendous opportunities and experiences in an industry of utmost importance to Wyoming and its people.”
UW will apparently make $10,000,000 on the sale, which will yield, it is claimed, $400,000 in annual returns. CSU probably comes out about the same, of course. Some real estate agent has a fair payday too, of course.
It should also be a warning to anyone who donates a specific item without a specific instruction on how it is to be used restricting the use of, or burdening if you will, the gift. This problem is a fairly common one for donations, and it's common for the donor to assume that the recipient will keep and maintain the gift, when often the recipient has no obligation to. In this case, the example is both spectacular, and very sad. While the universities were found to have a legal right to do this, shame on them. And for anyone thinking of giving either of them funds for anything, in any department, this ought to be recalled.
Of interest is this quote from former Wyoming Jim Geringer:
If the two universities could have been more effective with the money than the ranch, the donor would have sold the ranch herself, at a much better price, and given the cash directly to the universities. She saw higher value in what the ranch and its operations could pass along to students for many generations. Instead, the boards of trustees envisioned a bank account without a soul. Neither university should be run as a profit center. Rather, they should endow the passing of the heritage and values of what makes our two states unique. For us I say. Wyoming is what America was – and what America ought to be. So – trustees: you violated your very title. Trust is never taken. Only you can give it away. And you did. In biblical terms, you sold it for a mess of pottage.Also of interest is this recent, pre sale, quote by one of trustees of one of the two universities' foundations:
We have always taken our commitment to stewardship very seriously, and we will continue to do so by marketing the ranch for sale in a deliberative and transparent process open to all potential buyers for an outcome that will be a tremendous benefit to students at both institutions"I can't say that the sale hasn't been transparent, but according to the news reports the universities were not disclosing the identify of the purchaser. According to an informal organization opposing the sale, the purchaser is a Press L III, LLC. A net search doesn't reveal a "Press L III, LLC" as having a net presence, and it isn't a registered Wyoming entity with the Wyoming Secretary of State. It'll be interesting to see what this outfit intends to do with this large block of Wyoming ranch land and if that squares with their role as a "steward". I have grave concerns about this, but we will see.
Donors, beware. UW, shame on you.
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