Presidential Quotes (16 of 16) :Ronald Reagan, the Actor President

Today, we conclude our series of Presidential Quotes with a quip from Ronald Reagan who was president of America from 1981 to 1989:

"Recession is when a neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose your's."

Presidential Quotes (15 of 16): Jimmy Carter

Yes, we would probably get more hits by arbitrarily mentioning Phil Robertson of "Duck Dynasty," who is apparently not related to the televangelist Pat Robertson or the fringe minister Johnny Robertson, from Martinsville, Va.

But, we are sticking with our game plan and quoting former Democratic president Jimmy Carter, whose term lasted from 1977 to 1981; Carter was also the governor of Georgia before becoming president.

He is the only president we've quoted so far in this series who is still alive, and he is the second oldest president behind George H.W. Bush:

"You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it better than you think you can."

http://www.cartercenter.org

http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org

Presidential Quotes (14 of 16): Gerald Ford

Today, we are quoting President Gerald Ford, who was president from 1974-77. Since he came to the vice presidency because of the resignation of Richard Nixon's first president Spiro Agnew, then to the oval office when Nixon resigned because of the Watergate scandal of 1973, Ford is the only American president who was not elected into office.

Ford's presidency and Nixon's scandals became fodder for the early years of "Saturday Night Live," which premiered in 1975. A young Chevy Chase, who turned 70 in October, frequently made fun of Ford, while his "SNL" co-stars Dan Aykroyd played Ford and John Belushi played Henry Kissinger in skits which were co-written by Al Franken, who is now a Democratic senator from Minnesota.

Here is Ford's quote: "I am acutely aware you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, so I ask you to confirm me with your prayers."

http://www.geraldfordmuseum.gov/

http://www.geraldfordfoundation.org

Presidential Quotes (13 of 16): Richard Nixon

Today, we quote our personal favorite Republican President, Richard Nixon (it should be pointed out that we are Democrats here). One can visit the Nixon Library Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif.

A poster of Nixon bowling in the Coen Borthers film "The Big Lebowski" has also become a part of pop culture. And, a Lebowski Fest will be taking place in Tampa, Fla., from Jan. 31-Feb.1, 2014.

But, before we quip Nixon, let's throw in one from Al Capone in the hopes that it will increase our hits from Belgium and Slovenia: "Capitalism is the legitimate racket of the ruling class."

Here is our quote from Nixon: "Only if you have been in the deepest valley, can you ever know how magnificent it is to be on the highest mountain."


http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/

http://www.nixonfoundation.org/

http://www.lebowskifest.com

Presidential Quotes (12 of 16): Lyndon B. Johnson

Today, we quip President Lyndon B. Johnson who abruptly took over for John F. Kennedy after the first Catholic president was murdered by Lee Harvey Oswald (note: Oliver Stone begs to differ).

Johnson left a mixed legacy as he was heralded for Civil Rights, but blamed for the failure of the Vietnam War. LBJ is one of three modern-era presidents from Texas: the other two are George Bush and George W. Bush.

The LBJ LIbrary is in Austin, Tex., which is also the capital of Texas and where the University of Texas is.

Here is LBJ's quote:

"Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time."

http://www.lbjlibrary.org

Presdiential Quotes (11 of 16): John F. Kennedy

To answer your question, especially those of you who read this blog in Kazakhstan (we're not making that up!): "Yes, it was our intention to have this series of quotes from American presidents overlap with the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's assassination, which occurred on Nov. 22nd.

This is also the 20th anniversary of the release of Oliver Stone's controversial film about the Kennedy assassination "JFK." The year before, then-independent filmmaker Richard Linklater poked fun of Kennedy assassination  conspiracy theorists in a segment for his film "Slacker," filmed in Austin, Tex. JFK was killed in Dallas, Tex.

President Kennedy who hailed from Massachusetts is perennially ranked as the most popular 20th Century president, eclipsing both Franklin D. Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

Ironically, he has even been praised by conservatives who generally opposed the Democratic Party, which all of the Kennedys (also Sens. Robert and Teddy) were a member of. Sen. Ted Kennedy, who died in 2009, was the last remaining Kennedy brother.

The right-wing spoof film "An American Carol," which generally got bad reviews, from the makers of "Airplane" actually included a positive representation of Kennedy, who was played by character actor Chriss Anglin.

Along with Robert Kennedy, JFK is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C. and the JFK Presidential Library is located in Boston, Mass.

Here is JFK's quote:

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolutions inevitable."

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org

http://www.jfklibrary.org

Presidential Quotes: Dwight D. Eisenhower

We are keeping it simple tonight, but we do want to tell blog-readers that we had the opportunity to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas, last year, and it's a very neat place. The center also has Ike's childhood home and his grave. It should not be confused with the Eisenhower Public Library District, which is located a few states over in Harwood Heights, Illinois.

Here is Eisenhower's quote:

"Any man who wants to be president is either an egomaniac or crazy."

http://www.eisenhowerarchives.gov/

Presidential Quotes (9 of 16): Harry S. Truman

Today, we continue our series of presidential quotes with a quip from Harry S. Truman, a Democratic senator and vice president, who succeeded Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was one of four American presidents to die of natural causes, to the presidency.

The Truman Library is located in Indepedence, Mo., just outside of Kansas City:

"I never did give any body hell. I just told the truth and thought it was hell.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org

Last 10 Films I've Seen (as of Dec. 1st): Sex Kittens Go to College is NOT an Adult Film

A cult film made in 1960 with a 2.6 IMDB rating starring Mamie van Doren, who hails from South Dakota, and Tuesday Weld with a cameo from a then unknown country singer named Conway Twitty (too bad he's no longer alive as it would be fun to follow Twitty on Twitter). We are, of course, referring to "Sex Kittens Go To College." It aired late at night on TCM in June, and we finally got around to watching it.

Of course, as always, we like to mention that we ripped off this idea from "Film Comment" magazine. But, in all seriousness, Gavin Smith, Amy Taubin, et al, always make a compelling film journal. And, I imagine neither of them has seen "Sex Kittens Go To College")!

Here is the list:

1. Sex Kittens Go To College (1960. Albert Zugsmith)

2. Alphabte City (1985. Amos Poe)

3. The Italian (Russia. 2005. Andrey Krovchuk)

4. Night of the Creeps (1986. Fred Dekker)

5. Kapo (Italy. 1960. Gillo Pontecorvo)

6. Thief of Paris (France. 1967. Louis Malle)

7. V/H/S (2012. Many directors)*

8. Dallas Buyers Club (2013. Jean-Marc Vallee)

9. The Telephone Book (1971. Nelson Lyon)

10. 12 Years A Slave (2013. Steve McQueen)**


*-It's a terrible film, but it is as a gruesome as advertised

**-Named film of the year by Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone"


http://www.tcm.com


http://www.filmcomment.com

http://www.rollingstone.com

Weather Temps in the Mid-Atlantic

With this image of the Snowshoe Ski Resort in Snowshoe, West Virginia. we look at weather conditions throughout the mid-Atlantic. In some places, such as the Carolina coasts, the weather is actually fairly decent for the winter time, but that it's not case in many areas, including metro areas in Virginia and Maryland.

1) Mount Jackson, Va. 25 Overcast

2) Bowie, Md. 30 Overcast

3) Chapel Hill, NC 33 Overcast

4) North Myrtle Beach, SC 42 Overcast

5) Danville, Va. 33 Overcast

6) Lewisburg, WVa. 27 Overcast

7) Oxford, NC 32 Overcast

8) Colonial Heights, Va. 33 Overcast

9) Roanoke, Va. 30 Light freezing rain

10) Fayetville, NC 37 Overcast

11) Eden, NC 34 Overcast

12) Hopewell, Va. 33 Overcast

http://www.snowshoemtn.com/

http://www.wv.gov/tourism/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/  (Capital Weather Gang)

A Snow Storm in Any Language

Greetings to our blog-readers in Kuwait, Bangladesh and New Zealand. It great to get hits from people quite far away from us.

Today, the mid-Atlantic portion of the United States got hit with either ice, snow or rain. Reportedly, the city of Frederick, Maryland, 45 miles northwest of Washington, D.C., got three inches of snow.
NPR is reporting that there are long delays and flight cancellations at Reagan Airport in the nation's capital.

Our favorite foreign language word for snowstorm is the Danish word 'snestorm,' which we actually googled.

Here is the list:

1) schneesturm (German)

2) tempele de neigert (French)

3) kar firtinasi (Turkish)

4) tormento de nieve (Spanish)

5) sno storm (Norwegian, actually one word)

6) zamiec (Polish)

7) vielista (Bulgarian)

8) snestorm (Danish)

http://www.weather.com

Remembering Nelson Mandela with a Quote from Him

Unlike Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi, who were both gunned down in their fights for the respective freedom movements they established, South Africa's Nelson Mandela was able to live a full life: He died two days ago at the age of 95.

But, nevertheless, the death of this amazing man leaves a void for those you admire him around the world.

Five actors played Mandela on films, including Idris Elba, Morgan Freeman, Terence Howard, Danny Glover and Dennis Haysbert.

Here is his quote:

"Real leaders must be ready to sacrifice all for the freedom on their people."

SIDEBAR: We always like to periodically quote Sunday comic strips. Here is a line from "The Amazing Spiderman" by Stan Lee which was published on Nov. 17th: "How do we know it was Spider-Man who got off that plane from Cape Verde?"

College Volleyball Notebook: Ivy League vs. Pac-12

It will be presumably easier for Yale Bulldogs fans to travel from New Haven, Conn., to University Park, Pa. (the Penn State campus) than it will be for Utah Utes fans to trek into the Quaker State from Salt Lake City. But, the two teams will meet there at 5:00 p.m., the winner will very likely face host Penn State, a national championship contender, in the next round.

For Yale (20-4), Kendall Polan (pictured top) is the three-time Ivy League player of the year. Her teammates include fellow all-Ivy League team members Mollie Rogers and Kelli Johnson. For Utah, players to watch include Erin Redd-Brando (wearing number 17, bottom), a senior middle-blocker.

Here are a look at four games on Friday, all times are eastern:

Utah vs. Yale 5:00 p.m. Penn State

Charleston College @ Duke 7:30 p.m.

Univ. of Cal-Santa Barbara @ San Diego 10:30 p.m.

Wichita State @ Kansas 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3


For other games, check out our sister blog: http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com

http://www.espn3.com

http://www.kuathletics.com

http://www.yalebulldogs.com

NOTE: Incidentally, this is our 2,500th entry!

College Vollyeball Notebook: For the 3rd Year in a Row, UNC Faces Cal in NCAA Tourney

Madison, Wisc, the host site where the University of North Carolina Tar Heels and California Bears will play each other in the first round of the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive year is a 17 hour drive from Chapel Hill, NC, and a 34 hour drive from Berkeley, Calif.; nevertheless, it is a 'neutral site.'

UNC (27-4) features Serbian stand-out Jovana Bjelica (pictured top) and Page Neuenfeldt, while Cal features Adrienne Gehan, a senior who is an outside hitter.

Here is a list of four highly-anticipated games on Friday, all times are Eastern:

UNC vs. Cal. Madison, Wisc. 6:00 p.m.

New Mexico State vs. Arizona. San Diego. 8:00 p.m.

Madi Kingdon and Penina Snuka are stand-outs for the Arizona Wildcats.

Iowa State vs. Colorado. Minneapolis 5:30 p.m.

Iowa State features Kristen Hahn, the Big 12 Libero of the year; the CU Buffs' line-up includes Nicole Edelman and Taylor Simpson.

Arizona State vs. Brigham Young University. Honolulu. 10 p.m.

For more college volleyball games, go to http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com


http://www.goheels.com

http://www.calbears.com

http://www.arizonawildcats.com

http://www.cyclones.com

http://www.cubuffs.com

Dutch Futbol Notebook: An Easy Road Win for Ajax

It was a good day for Iranian international Alireza Johanbaksh, 20, who plays for the Nijmegen in the Dutch Premiere League, as he scored two goals for the home side against AZ Alkmaar. For the visitors, Dutch international Roy Beerens scored his team's two goals. The final was 3-2.

In a game that was broadcast on ESPN3 in America, Ajax Amsterdam routed Den Haag in the Hague by a 4-0 score. Danish star Viktor Fsicher scored a goal for Ajax in the 34th minute. Dutch player Quincy Promes scored the game-winner for the visiting squad Twente in their 2-1 win over Roda.

Here are all the scores from weekend domestic play:

Nijmegen 3 AZ Alkmaar 2

Den Haag 0 Ajax Amsterdam 4

Roda 1 Twente 2

Feyenoord 3 PSV 1

Vitesse 3 Canbury 0

Heracles 1 Utrecth 2

Zwolle 1 Waalwijk 1 (tie)

Heerenveen 3 Go Ahead Eagles 1

Breda 2 Gronigen 2 (tie)

http://www.flashscore.com

Favorite Comic Strips from the Sunday Roanoke Times: Another Great Week for Pearls Before Swine

We aren't just posting a 1993 photo of Heather Locklear in the hopes that it will generates lots of hit from Cuba to Kazakhstan to New Zealand (though that would be nice), but because a blonde woman named Wanda who looks a bit like a young Heather, is the main guest character in this week's Sunday comic strip.

Wanda ends causing friction to Rat, one of the strip's central characters, and his Uncle Dan, without intention.

Here are our top 10 comic strips from this Sunday's "Roanoke Times" (Roanoke, Va.):

1. Pearls Before Swine

2. Agnes

3. Doonesbury

4. Get Fuzzy

5. Garfield

6. Speed Bump

7. Funky Winkerbean

8. Dilbert

9. Blondie

10. Jump Start

http://www.garfield.com

http://www.dilbert.com

http://www.doonesbury.com

Presidential Quotes (8 of 16): FDR

Today, we quote one of America's most beloved presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, A Democrat, who was elected to four terms of office. Roosevelt is one of four presidents who died while in office. His veep Harry Truman replaced him. Roosevelt has been portrayed on film by actors such as Jon Voight and Bill Murray.

Here is his quote: "In politics nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way."

Presidential Quotes (7 of 16): Herbert Hoover

Today, we quote Herbert Hoover (1874-1964), a Republican from Iowa, who was the 31st president of the United States who was succeeded by Franklin D. Roosevelt. Ironically, Hoover beat Gov. Al Smith (D-NY) to win the presidency. Roosevelt also succeeded Smith for the governor's mansion in New York.

 Here is Hoover's quote: "When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned."

http://www.hoover.archives.gov/

Presidential Quotes (6 of 16): Calvin Coolidge

On our sister blog "The Daily Vampire," we quoted Franklin Pierce, the 14th American president. Pierce hailed from New Hampshire; President Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president who served from 1923-29, hailed from the neighboring state of Vermont. Thus, ironically, Coolidge, who is among the most conservative of 20th century presidents, hailed from what is now one of the most liberal states in the union.

Coolidge was not elected into office initially as he replaced his predecessor Warren Harding, who died in office (see previous entry). Coolidge's veep was Charles Dawes. Today, there is a memorial to Coolidge in Plymouth, Vermont.

Coolidge is also the subject of a biography entitled "The Forgotten Man" by conservative author and columnist Amity Shlaes, which received a positive review from "The Washington Post."

Here is the quote from Coolidge: "We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once."

http://www.amityshlaes.com

http://www.vermont.org

http://www.calvin-coolidge.org

Presidential Quotes (5 of 16): Warren Harding

Today, we quote Warren Harding (1865-1923) who was the 27th president of America from 1921-1923, which means he is one of four presidents who died of natural causes while in office. Though there were some conspiracy theories about the cause of his death. Some speculation pointed to the possibility that first lady Florence King Harding has poisoned her husband. Others though he committee suicide as his presidency was bogged down by major scandals, including corruption in the Justice Department. But, many scholars agree that Harding, a Republican, died of heart disease. Mrs. Harding died one year after her husband in 1924.

There are at least two high schools named after Harding, one in Bridgeport, Conn., the other in Warren, Ohio. John Dean wrote a biography of Harding in 2004.

Here is Harding's quote: "I don't know much about Americanism, but it's a damn good word with which to carry an election."

http://www.millercenter.org/president/harding

Happy Thanksgivingukkah: Our Dream Thanksgiving Dinner List

Since tomorrow is the first known Thanksginukkah, a combination of Thanksgiving and Hanukah, in the modern calendar, we thought we'd post an entry for the occasion with the 16 people we'd most like to have for dinner. Of course, as you'll soon see, many of the people mentioned here may have problems sitting beside each other. But, that would, of course, make the occasion which is highly unlikely to ever happen all the more ironic and enjoyable.


Here we go:

1. Cong. Morgan Griffith (R-Va, pictured top)

2. Michael Moore (a liberal documentarian)

3. Bruce Tinsley (a conservative cartoonist of "Mallard Fillmore" fame)

4. Keith Knight (a liberal cartoonist of "Knight Life" and "K-Chronicles" fame)

5. Rudolf Bekink (Dutch ambassador to America)

6. Clarence Thomas (the most conservative Supreme Court justice)

7. Sonja Sotomayor (one of the most liberal Supreme Court justices)

8. Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)

9. Parker Posey  (film/stage actress perhaps best-known for "Waiting for Guffman;" pictured center)

10. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va)

11. Joe Lieberman, a former member of the U.S. Senate, though he was a Democrat for three of his four terms it seems like he is more popular amongst Republicans.

12. Joan Baez, popular '60s folk singer

13. Abdullah Antepli, a Turkish man who is the first imam for Muslim students at Duke University.

14. Gwen Ifill, the PBS moderator of "Washington Weekly."

15. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn., considered to be one of the most liberal members of the Senate)

16. Namik Tan (Turkish ambassador to America; pictured bottom)

http://www.kchronicles.com

http://www.joanbaez.com

http://www.vashington.be.mfa.gov.tr

http://www.dc.the-netherlands.org

http://www.morgangriffith.house.gov/

http://www.hagan.senate.gov

Futbol Notebook: Ajax Amsterdam Has Wins in Domestic Play and in UEFA

Today, Ajax Amsterdam pulled off an upset of Barcelona at home with ten players in the Netherlands. Ajax won 2-1 with goals from Thulhami Sereo (South Africa) and Denny Hoeson.

Over the weekend, Ajax scored a 3-0 home win over Heracles with goals from Hoeson, Viktor Fischer (Denmark) and Davy Klaassen.

On the more confusing scores to report from the weekend is AZ Alkmaar's 2-2 tie with Roda as two soccer players with similar names Aron Johannsson (USA) and Matias Johansson (Sweden) both scored goals for Alkmaar. The American player actually provided an assist for his Swedish teammate with a very similar surname.

Twente's 5-2 home win over Breda was actually broadcast in America on ESPN3, an internet web site which shows sporting events that the sports television monopoly can not show on its four domestic cable tv networks. For Twente, Quincy Promes (pictured top) scored two goals in the match.

It was not a good weekend for Go Ahead Eagles as Deniz Turuc, one of the few Turkish nationals in the Eredivise (Dutch Premiere League) got a red card, while Lucas Piazon (Brazil) scored two goals on penalty kicks for the visitors from Vitese in their 3-0 road win.

Here are the scores:

Twente 5 Brida 2

Go Ahead Eagles 0 Vitesse 3

Groningen 0 Zwello 0 (tie)

Waalwijk 1 Feyeenoord 0

Ajax Amsterdam 3 Heracles 0

Utrecht 3 Den Haag 0

AZ Alkmaar 2 Roda 2 (tie)

Cambur 2 Nimegen 1

PSV Einhoven 1 Heerenveen 1 (tie)

http://english.ajax.nl/

http://www.az.nl/en

http://www.fctwente.nl/en/

UVA Beats Virginia Tech in Women's Volleyball

Greetings to our blog-readers in Ireland, Malaysia and Greece.

Though this blog has a slightly pro-Hokie leading (and an even more liberal bias; our apologies to Jonathan V. Last, a senior writer at "The Weekly Standard"), we did want to salute the University of Virginia's women's volleyball for their home win in Charlottesville over the Virginia Tech Hokies from Blacksburg.

The final score was UVA winning 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-19) with Natalie Bausback leading the Cavaliers with 17 kills and six blocks. Toni Jonowski had 13 kills for the 'Hoos and Haley Kole had 11 kills. The Cavs' are now 17-13 overall, and 10-8 in the ACC.

For the Hokies, Kathryn Caine had 17 kills and Lindsey Owens had 11 kills. The Hokies remain the team with a better record at 21-11 overall and 9-9 in the ACC.

This was the first time UVA won both matches against Va. Tech since 2005.

SIDEBAR: Our tweet of the night comes from our good friend Ali Arikan, a film and culture writer for "Slant" magazine. Arikan resides in his native Istanbul, Turkey, where it is now 9:30 a.m. (seven hours ahead of New York and Atlanta). Here is his tweet: "Another weird dream last night. I was at a library trying to pick out a book with Elizabeth Banks, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and Peter Labuza."

Banks is an America actress (we believe she played Laura Bush in Oliver Stone's "W"), Ceylan is an acclaimed Turkish film director whose films include the brilliant "Uzak/Distance" and Labuza is a New York-based film critic.

http://www.virigniasports.com

http://www.slantmagazine.com

http://www.weeklystandard.com (not an endorsement)

Top Ten Comics from the Sunday Washington Post: Brewster Rockit Rocks..........

Yes, Thanksgiving, that holiday which falls between Halloween and Christmas, is going to be Thursday. So many comic strips focused on the upcoming occasion, including our personal favorite strip of the week, "Brewster Rockit: Space Guy."

The title character is at the centerpiece of Tim Rickard's comic strip as his co-workers or fellow space travelers talk about Brewster's inept, dubious clumsiness which frequently causes him to put things over his head.

"Reply All" by Donna A. Lewis focused on the title character, a suburban valley girl who likes to go to yoga and chat on her Blackberry, takes her dog for a walk during the Thanksgiving holiday, reflecting on the zaniness which comes with family gatherings.

Though it didn't finish in the top ten, "Mark Trail" provided a very informative examination of the turkey in North America, including the fact that wild turkeys almost became extinct at the outset of the 20th century.

As always, "Judge Parker," a soap opera comic strip that finished sixth this week, had some of our favorite lines, including the first line of the comic: "You Can't Be Serious.....The Drone Found the Car?;" drones were also the subject of "Blondie."

Here is our top ten:

1. Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!

2. Pearls Before Swine

3. Dustin

4. Reply All

5. WUMO

6. Judge Parker

7. Prickly City

8. Lio

9. Knight Life

10. Foxtrot

http://www.gocomics.com/brewsterrockit/

http://dustincomics.com/

http://www.gocomics.com/replyall#.UpKetOKJLtk

Presidential Quotes (4 of 12): Woodrow Wilson

Today, we quote President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), who as of this writing does not have a Washington Nationals mascot. Wilson served in office for two full terms (1913-1921) and he died three years after he left office in 1924.

Wilson had four alma maters, in Davidson College, the University of Virginia, Princeton and Johns Hopkins. He also has at least four high schools named after him, including Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia.

Wilson's birthplace in Staunton, Va., and his residency in Washington, DC, are historic sites open to the public. He is also buried at the National Cathedral in the nation's capital.

Wilson was the eighth Democratic president since Andrew Jackson, and he would be the only Democrat to hold the presidency until Franklin D. Roosevelt came to the helm in 1933.

Here is Wilson's quote, which makes one think of the problems that President Barack Obama has faced with regards to Obamacare:

"If you want to make enemies try to change something."

http://www.woodrowilson.org

http://www.woodrowwilsonhouse.org

http://www.millercenter.org/presidentwilson

Presidential Quotes (3 of 16): William Howard Taft

Today, we are quoting William Howard Taft (1857-1930), the 27th president of the United States, who also the governor of Cuba (?!) before becoming prez, and a Supreme Court Justice after he was prez.

Taft also became the fifth presidential mascot for the Washington Nationals baseball team. But, he finished tied for last in the Presidents Race with Teddy (Roosevelt) as both had 11 wins. But, George (Washington) topped the victories list this year with 25 wins. The other two presidents represented by the mascot are Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

Speaking of which, the Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, where Lincoln was unfortunately assassinated is performing their annual production of "A Christmas Carol" based on the famous novelette by Charles Dickens.

Triad Stage will also be producing their production of "A Christmas Carol;" the Greensboro, NC-based theatre company will have productions of the play at their new second stage in nearby Winston-Salem.

Here is Taft's quote, which makes us think of Clarence Thomas (forgive the political humor):

"Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court goes on forever."

http://www.fordstheatre.org

http://www.triadstage.org

Quotes from American Presidents (2 of 16): Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt

Greetings to our blog readers in Salt Lake City, Boston and Miami here in America, and to those of you in Lebanon, Belgium and Guatemala.

Our quote today is from Theodore Roosevelt, who is considered to be the most liberal Republican president in history, and thus he has admirers on the right and left. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) got in trouble during a campaign rally in Virginia Beach, Va., when he ran against George W. Bush, when he said that he wanted the GOP to more like 'Teddy Roosevelt's party than Pat Robertson's party.'

Teddy is also a popular Washington Nationals (baseball team) mascot. Since he did win a running of the mascots until the season prior to this one, a blog entitled "Let Teddy Win" was launched and its popular has gone beyond the Washington, DC, metro area: http://www.blog.letteddywin.com

Teddy has been played on film by many actors, most recently Robin Williams. And, there at least six high schools named after him, including one in Kent, Ohio.

Here is his quote:

"The most important single ingredient of success is knowing how to get along with people."

Quotes from American Presidents (1 of 16): William McKinley

Greetings to our blog-readers in Malaysia, Colombia and Egypt.

Today, we begin our series quoting American presidents from yesterday. On this blog, we are quoting presidents 25-40, and thus we begin with William McKinley. Most young people probably recognize the name William McKinley from the cult tv show "Freaks and Geeks," which took place at William McKinley High School in suburban Michigan.

There actually is a real William McKinley High School quite far away from Michigan in Honolulu, Hawaii.

McKinley was one of several presidents from Ohio, but many of them did not have much luck as two of the four assassinated presidents (James Garfield being the other besides McKinley was the second). McKinley was gunned down by a left-wing extremist in Buffalo, NY, in 1801, who was later executed. McKinley is actually considered by many historians to be the most right-wing president in American history, even ahead of Ronald Reagan.

McKinley has seen a bit of hoopla lately as right-wing scholars have written many articles and even books about him, and we imagine he is loved at the Libertarian think-tank the Cato Institute in Washington, DC, whose views we pretty much strongly differ with. But, we'll give their link any way.

Here is the quote from McKinley:

"In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be the nearest."

PS: We thought we'd throw in our favorite line from Sunday's "Roanoke Times" comics page. This quip is from "Dilbert": "Go sit at your desk or you're fired." (no exclamation point!)......


http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/williammckinley

http://www.cato.org/

http://www.dilbert.com

Top Ten Favorite Comic Strips from The Roanoke Times: A Bronze Medal for Doonesbury

Why do we have images of: 1) a brown rat; 2) colorful fire hydrants (the one with Oscar the Grouch is our favorite; and 3) a Clemson Tigers football helmet. Well, read below and you shall find out.

Our comic strip of the week for the comic strips in "The Roanoke Times," a newspaper based in Roanoke, Va., which covers much of southwest Virginia is "Pearls Before Swine." In one of the best overall comic strips in recent weeks, artist Stephan Pastis used 20 panels to show one of the strip's title characters, a mouse, having problems with a computer. We didn't realize until after reading the strip that the mouse was having problems with a mouse (as in a computer tool).

Here is our top ten:

1) Pearls Before Swine (yes the brown rat is in reference to this strip)

2) Get Fuzzy (this week's strip features a dog and a fire hydrant with little dialogue)

3) Doonesbury (great strip on a singles e-harmony style group for married people?!)

4) Speed Bump (the reason for the football helmet is because Dave Coverly's strip focused on a football huddle; our first choice was a Northwestern U football helmet)

5) Zits

6) Blondie

7) Agnes

8) Dilbert

9) Funky Winkerbean

10) Garfield


http://stephanpastis.wordpress.com/

Last Ten Films I've Added to My Netflix Que: Vintage '70s Films, etc.

Well, actually, a lot of these films are from the late 1960s........so, I guess the headline is a tad bit misleading.............oh well!

Here are the last ten films I've added to my Netflix que:

1) "Brimstone and Treacle" (1982. w/Sting dir-Richard Loncraine)

2) "Downhill Racer"(pict. top; 1969. w/ Robert Redford dir-Michael Ritchie)

3) "Barbara" (Germany. 2012. dir-Christian Petzold)

4) "Frances Ha (2013. dir-Noah Baumbach)

5) "Computer Chess" (2013. dir-Andrew Bujaki)

6) "The Conjurling" (2013 dir-James Wan)

7) "Soylent Green" (1973. w/Charlton Heston dir-Richard Fleischer)

8) "Badlands" ( pict. middle; 1973 w/Sissy Spacek dir-Terence Malick)

9) "Head" (pict. bottom- poster by Daniel Clowes; 1968 w/The Monkees, dir-Bob Rafaelson)

10) "California Suite" (1978 dir-Herbert Ross)

http://www.netflix.com

College Volleyball: Good Weekend for Kentucky

Though it's known more for its men's basketball program, the University of Kentucky also boasts a strong nationally-ranked women's volleyball team, and this weekend, the Wildcats won two SEC home games over South Carolina and LSU.

For her efforts over the weekend, including the Wildcats' five-set win over LSU, Anni Thomasson (pictured here, she's number 4), a freshman who was a prep standout in Newark, Ohio, was named SEC Player of the Week. Thomasson had 30 kills and 22 digs in the win over the Tigers.

Here is a look at select college volleyball scores from major conferences:

Kentucky 3 South Carolina 0

Michigan State 3 Northwestern 1

Louisville 3 Houston 2

UNC 3 Clemson 1

Duke 3 Maryland 0

Virginia Tech 3 Florida State 1

Ohio State 3 Purdue 1

UVA 3 Miami (Fla) 1

Kentucky 3 LSU 2

Missouri 3 Alabama 1

Michigan 3 Northwestern 1

Nebraska 3 Minnesota 2

College Volleyball Notebook: Good Weekend for the Other UNC

As we posted on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire" http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com the University of North Carolina Tarheels had an outstanding weekend with two home wins over Clemson and Georgia Tech.

As it turns out, it was also a good weekend for the University of Northern Colorado Bears in Greeley, Colo., as the team won a pair home games including a three-set sweep over Sacramento State on Sunday.

Ashley Guthrie (pictured) was named Big Sky Player of the Week for her efforts, which included 33 assists, six digs and four kills in the Sacramento State win.

Here is a look at west coast college volleyball scores from weekend play:

Northern Colorado 3 North Dakota 1

Stanford 3 Colorado 0

UCLA 3 Oregon State 0

Santa Clara 3 BYU 1

Cal 3 Colorado 1

Hawaii 3 UC-Santa Barbara 2

Northern Colorado 3 Sacramento State 0

USC 3 Oregon State 0

Stanford 3 Utah 0

Oregon 3 UCLA 2

Futbol Notebook: Two Guys Get Red Cards in Dutch Soccer

Tow Dutch futbolers Ard von Peppen (pictured bottom) for Roda and Ingo van Weert for Waalwijk got red cards in domestic play over the weekend. But, the week was a much happier for Siem de Jong (pictured top), a Dutch player who is the captain of Ajax Amsterdam, as he scored two goals as did Aron Johannsson, a American national of Icelandic heritage who plays for AZ Alkmaar, a team that tied this weekend.

A third soccer player Jarchinio Antonia, a Dutch international for Go Ahead Eagles (yes, that is the name of a Dutch soccer team), kicked in two goals within a two-minute (in the 9th and 10th minutes of play).

But, the player of the week had to be Alfredo Finnbogason, an Icelandic player, as he landed a hat trick with three goals for his team Heerenveen.

Here are the complete results of Dutch weekend soccer play:

Feyenoord 2 AZ Alkmaar 2 (tie)

Nimegen 0 Ajax Amsterdam 3

Breda 2 PSV Eindhoven 1

Roda 1 Go Ahead Eagles 4

Heerenveen 5 Waalwijk 2

Zwolle 1 Twente 1 (tie)

Den Haag 3 Cambur 0

Heracles 0 Groningen 3

Vitese 3 Utrecht 1


Vites tops the league, with AZ Alkmaar in second place, followed by Ajax Amsterdam in 3rd.

There was a huge soccer game between two Istanbul powerhouses Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, for the week in Turkish soccer, visit our sister blog "The Daily Vampire": http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com

Quote of the Day for Veteran's Day from Jimmy Stewart

Today, we honor military veterans for Veteran's Day with a quote from Jimmy Stewart, who set aside his Hollywood career, to serve in World War II.

Here is the quote from Stewart:

"Never treat your audience as customers, always partners."

We have a quote from Stewart's "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" co-star Lee Marvin on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire": http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com

Our Top Ten Favorite Comic Strips from the Sunday "Washington Post": It's Shark Week Again

What do a lemon shark, Gil Gerard (as Buck Rogers in the early '80s tv show "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century") and the board game Operation have in common? Well, they all sprung to mind when looking at today's comic strips in the Sunday Washington Post.

We last profiled our fav Sunday Post strips some ten days ago on "The Daily Vampire" http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com and as was the case then "Sherman's Lagoon" was our favorite comic strip again.

Here is a list of the top ten, which includes the always hip comic strip "Knight Life" by Keith Knight and "Candorville" by Darrin Bell.

1. Sherman's Lagoon (yeah, that's the reason for the lemon shark)

2. "Brewster Rockit: Space Guy" (yep, he's the reason for Gil Gerard)

3. "Pearls Before Swine"

4. "Lio" (today's strip dealt with Family Board Game Night, thus we came up with 'Operation')

5. "Knight Life"

6. "Dustin"

7. "WUMO" (we believe this comic strip is a new one)

8. "Candorville"

9. "Prickly City"

10. "Reply All"

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.........."Foxtrot" just missed the cut, maybe next time!

http://shermanslagoon.com/

http://www.gocomics.com/brewsterrockit/

http://www.gocomics.com/lio#.UoBZnzYo6Uk

http://www.knightlifecomic.com/