POTD: Papaver Rhoeas
In the family of Papaveraceae, this is the common poppy, red poppy, field poppy, corn poppy, corn rose or the wonderful Flanders poppy. ~Vic
Picture of the Day
Snapshots Sunday: Old Car 2.0
More shots from Georgetown, Texas. Here is my previous post. ~Vic
Washington State & Michigan
Notice the toolbox?
04-09-2011
Beautiful paint job.
My friend Denise in the reflection.
Love a stick shift.
1931 Model A
Hans 2021 Song Draft: Round One-Pick Three-There Goes My Baby-Drifters (1959)
Hanspostcard has a song draft challenge. This is my Round One pick. I will be posting these per decade.
Having grown up on the East Coast/Mid-Atlantic, one thing my state is known for is shagging (for the Brits, no, that is not what it means). While my grandparents did the Jitterbug as youths, my parents shagged (a descendant of the Jitterbug), as did my classmates and I. This song, in particular, was my favorite to shag to, though I enjoyed many beach music songs. ~Vic
Released either in May (per Rolling Stone Magazine) or April 24, 1959 (per Wikipedia), it was written by Benjamin Nelson (Ben E. King), Lover Patterson and George Treadwell. Produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song hit #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B chart (July) and, #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100 (August).
This is the second version of The Drifters under Treadwell’s management, crafted from the Five Crowns: Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, Doc Green and Elsbeary Hobbs with James “Poppa” Clark being rejected for alcohol issues. With this line-up, There Goes My Baby was their first single and King’s debut as lead singer. It was unusual for its time, being the first commercial R&B/Soul recording with strings, arranged by Stan Applebaum, and a Brazilian Baiãon groove. Phil Spector studied the production style under Leiber & Stoller.
The song is ranked at #196 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Donna Summer did a version that was released in July 1984 and peaked at #21 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
Additional:
Ben E. King and The Drifters (The Vocal Group Hall of Fame Foundation/Inducted 2000)
John Gilliland’s Pop Chronicles (The Drifters & Ritchie Valens/Track 2/University of North Texas Digital Library)
There Goes My Baby (The Art of Rock Music Listening Guide/University of Albany/PDF)
Things You Didn’t Know About The Drifters (Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp/Joe Mirrione/April 10, 2020)
Movie Monday: Portraits In Dramatic Time 2011
Ten years ago, today, the film Portraits In Dramatic Time was released. Directed by David Michalek and Paul Warner, it starred William H. Macy, Holly Hunter, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Lili Taylor, Patti LuPone, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Alan Rickman, Ludivine Sagnier & William Mapother.
[This was] a series of 40 art films created by artist David Michalek. [It was] a free, public installation that [could] be seen on the facade of the David H. Koch Theatre, between July 5-31, 2011, nightly, from 8:45pm-11:45pm, as part of the 2011 Lincoln Center Festival. Each video depicts a dramatic scene shot in just 10 seconds and played back in hyper-slow motion, extending the length to about 7 minutes. The scenes vary from solos by famous actors […]. The extreme slowness allows the viewer to witness details of movement, such as muscles [or] facial expressions, revealing the gradual progression and in-between moments of developing emotions. Veteran film and theatre director, Paul Warner served as executive creative consultant and assisted in coaching and directing the actors.
Alan Rickman Video (David Michalek Site)
Participating Artists (David Michalek Site)
Trailer
POTD: Dianthus
There are so many variations of Dianthus. Judging by Pl@ntNet, this is a D. Barbatus species or a Sweet William verson. ~Vic
Picture of the Day
Chris Thomas: The Fifth Dimension?
A Forum Blog Post From: The Chris Thomas Files
A great many people seem to be getting bogged down in the concept of humanity, and the planet, “Ascending to the 5th Dimension.” But, what is meant by “The 5th Dimension?” We live in a world we experience as being bounded [sic] by [three] dimensions […]. [T]hese are length, breadth and depth. These are “physical” dimensions, measurements that place us within our spacial environment. Einstein added the concept of a fourth dimension…time, to make sense of his theories on the Space-Time Continuum. In other words, using time in this way is just another physical measurement within our environment. However, once we consider the concept of a 5th dimension, we have to move out of our physical environment and in to the realms of the other definition for a dimension…namely energy.
Everything is energy. What appears to us to be solid, physical matter is, in its basic form, constructed from frequencies of energy that combine together to give us “physical” matter…i.e. the human body, clothing, floorboards, trees, food, etc, etc… Everything we experience as being physical is made up of energy but, our brains interpret these energy patterns (energy frequencies) as being solid, physical matter. The amount of energy contained within solid matter is huge. If you apply Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, E=MC2, you will find that the energy contained in physical matter is immense (see Project Human Extinction for an example of just how much).
In this sense, a dimension ceases to be a measurement of physical space and becomes a measurement of energy frequencies. They can be thought of as being like the stations on a radio dial. A radio dial measures energy frequencies, called radio waves and, the station pre-sets are just measurements of the frequencies of the radio waves. So, a dimension can be seen as a collection of energy frequencies with the dimension, itself, being a pre-set marker that contains all of the energy frequencies below the marker but, not the frequencies above.
The concept of humanity “Ascending to a 5th Dimension” is uniquely Velon (Annunaki) in origin. For full details of how the Velon/Annunaki have interfered in human affairs, see The Annunaki Plan? or The Human Plan?. The Velon/Annunaki are a non-human race who have been attempting, by several means, mainly channelling, to persuade humans to leave the planet. As part of this “Plan”, they have concocted the idea of human ascension to a 5th dimension. As someone who “reads” energy frequencies, the 5th dimension does exist but, it is not away from Earth.
It is very easy to become seduced by the stories produced by the Velon/Annunaki as we live in changing times. Most people are aware that we are changing but, it is difficult to define just what we are changing to especially as we have no previous experience of the kind of change we are undergoing. Into this void of information has stepped the Velon/Annunaki with concepts which appear to hold some value for us at this time. However, it must be remembered that the Velon/Annunaki fantasy story begins many thousands of years ago where they inform us that the Velon/Annunaki created humans (which they call “Adamu”) as a slave race. By planting this fantasy deep into our past, they hoped that, at this time of change, we would welcome them in as our “creators” and, they could take over everything on the planet and lead us to believe everything they tell us.
The Velon/Annunaki are not welcome on Earth. The Earth’s consciousness has rejected them and, so, those who act as guardians of the Earth are ensuring that the Velon/Annunaki do not enter our solar system. To try to overcome their banishment, the Velon/Annunaki have resorted to using channelled communications to try to persuade people to build “portals” that break through the Earth’s defences.
Think of it this way: [I]f the Earth welcomed in the Velon/Annunaki, the first we would know about it was when they landed on the planet. Instead of which, we have had numerous attempts to break through these defences and persuade us on Earth that they are here to help us “ascend.” The more people who believe this propaganda, the more it encourages the Velon/Annunaki to persist, placing the Earth and all of its life in danger (see The Human Soul and Project Human Extinction for a description of the damage the Velon/Annunaki have done to their own worlds and, see Synthesis for a true history of the place humans have in the Universe).
To return to the fifth dimension… As someone who has worked as a psychic surgeon for over thirty years, I studied the energies contained within the human body to help understand why illnesses arose. The human body, in its natural state, contains 13 dimensions of energy, divided between the root and the crown chakras. The 5th dimension relates to [the] region of the body [around your] navel level. I am sure we would all agree that “ascending” to your navel is not a step forwards in human evolution!
© Chris Thomas 2011
[Original Posting/Mount Zion 144 Ning Forum Blog Post 2011/Defunct]
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POTD: Lost Hat
I go out for an evening walk, I find things. I find things, I photograph things. I seem to have a never ending supply of curiosities. ~Vic
Picture of the Day
Tune Tuesday: The Devil’s Bleeding Crown 2016
Five years ago, today, the #1 song on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart was The Devil’s Bleeding Crown by Danish heavy metal band Volbeat. The first track, and lead single, from the album Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie, was released on April 7. This was their sixth studio album and their first without bassist Anders Kjølholm.
This was the group’s fifth number one single and became the #1 Mainstream Rock song of the year. It peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Songs chart and #9 on Billboard’s Rock Airplay chart.
I’d never heard this song until today. ~Vic
POTD: Cornus Kousa
Plant family name is Cornaceae but, the common names are kousa dogwood, Korean dogwood, Chinese dogwood and Japanese dogwood. ~Vic
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Story Sunday: HiccAway
The Plastic Straw That Can Instantly Cure Hiccups…
Described as a “forced inspiratory suction and swallow tool”, HiccAway is essentially a special type of plastic straw scientifically designed to almost instantly cure hiccups. According to a new study, the L-shaped tool works in 92% of cases.
From holding your breath and drinking water, to jump scares and anti-hiccup lollypops, there is no shortage of hiccup cures in the world, which only emphasizes how pesky of a problem it can be. Unfortunately, few, if any, have a proven track record when it comes to efficiency but, luckily, we now have a scientific solution that promises to end those annoying hiccups […]. [T]here’s a lot more to it than meets the eye.
When we get the hiccups, our diaphragm and intercostal muscles suddenly contract and, the abrupt intake of air causes the opening between the vocal folds to produce that “hic” sounds every one of us has experienced at least once in our lives. Luckily, simply using the HiccAway to sip a bit of water from a glass apparently cures the hiccups almost instantly.
The HiccAway straw has a mouthpiece at one end and an adjustable cap with a pressure valve, in the form of a small hole, at the other. The intense suction required to draw water up through the device requires the phrenic nerve to trigger a contraction of the diaphragm, while swallowing the water involves activation of the vagus nerve. It’s these two nerves that are responsible for the hiccups in the first place, so by keeping them busy with something else, we keep them from producing the annoying phenomenon.
Dr. Ali Seifi, a neurointensivist from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, came up with the design for the HiccAway after seeing his son’s McFlurry ice cream spoon. In fact, he says people can try to make one from a McFlurry spoon by sealing up most of the small hole at the top, to increase suction pressure. Or, you can just buy the real thing, for $14.
[T]he HiccAway works by essentially making our brain forget to keep spasming that diaphragm.
Spooky
Oddity Central
June 22, 2021
POTD: Strawberry Full Moon
I’ve done previous Strawberry Moon posts, the first, of which, I did shortly after returning to blogging after a four year absence. I think I have covered all the data.
Full illumination occurred June 24 @ 2:39pm EDT. You can howl if you want to. Go ahead. ~Vic
Picture of the Day
Flick Friday: Cars 2 2011
Finn McMissile: “Finn McMissile, British Intelligence.”
Tow Mater: “Tow Mater, average intelligence.”
Ten years ago, today, the #1 movie at the box office was Cars 2. Directed by John Lasseter and Brad Lewis, it was produced by Denise Ream. The original story was penned by Lasseter, Lewis and Dan Fogelman with Ben Queen crafting the screenplay. Voices were Owen Wilson (Lightning McQueen), Larry the Cable Guy (Sir Tow Mater), Michael Caine (Finn McMissile), Emily Mortimer (Holley Shiftwell), John Turturro (Francesco Bernoulli), Eddie Izzard (Sir Miles Axlerod), Thomas Kretschmann (Professor Zündapp), Joe Mantegna (Grem), Peter Jacobson (Acer), Bonnie Hunt (Sally Carrera, Bruce Campbell (Rod Redline), Tony Shalhoub (Luigi), Darrell Waltrip (Darrell Cartrip), Brent Musburger (Brent Mustangburger), Colin Cowherd (Colin Cowling Blimp), Jason Isaacs (Siddeley Gulfstream V/Leland Turbo), Lloyd Sherr (Fillmore/Tony Trihull Combat Ship), Paul Dooley (Sarge), Cheech Marin (Ramone), Katherine Helmond (Lizzie), John Ratzenberger (Mack), Jeff Gordon (Jeff Gorvette) and John Lasseter as Crew Chief John Lassetire.
The famous race car Lightning McQueen and his team are invited to compete in the World Grand Prix race. There, McQueen’s best friend Mater finds himself involved in international espionage and, alongside two professional British spies, attempts to uncover a secret plan led by a mysterious mastermind and his criminal gang, which threatens the lives of all competitors in the tournament.
MadMovieManiac
Tagline: Going where no car has gone before.
POTD: Magnoliaceae
It’s genus is Magnolia but, this is a hybrid tree with Magnolia Denudata (Lilytree or Yulan Magnolia) and Magnolia Liliiflora (Mulan Magnolia, Purple Magnolia, Red Magnolia, Lily Magnolia, Tulip Magnolia, Jane Magnolia, Woody-Orchid or Japanese Magnolia) as parents. Whew! That is longer than the last one. ~Vic
Picture of the Day
Cosmic-Observation 