Man in the Moon

Feeling royal?

gordstevens69 — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 02:53:08 +0000

Where I live coverage of the impending Royal Wedding begins at 1 a.m. Don’t think I’ll be awake, so let me know what happens.

I can make a few assumptions. Like some people will take a lot of pictures. Women will wonder what the other women will be wearing. Everyone will be excited when they catch a glimpse of the big star of the moment. Think that’s the future king? Nope, it’s his bride.

It may be Royal, but it’s still a Wedding! I just read someone on Yahoo! who fears that Victoria Beckham might upstage the bride by wearing something showy. She could wear a dress knit from living parakeets. Still wouldn’t upstage the bride.

The Royal Couple are expected to possibly flub their lines. Diana did. And so did Fergie. Think they were, just maybe, . . . nervous? And future kings have a lot of names. William has four that she is supposed to say: William Arthur Philip Louis. I am guessing she’ll get the William part right.

And royal brother Harry might not have a date. But probably he’ll bring Chelsy Davy. She’s the beautiful blond young lady he has the on again/ off again romance with. (But I always think of “Chelsy Dagger,” because of the Fratellis song that gets played when the puck goes into the net: doo doo doot . . .doo doo doot doo doo doo-doo doot doo doo doot)

I’m predicting they don’t play that one at the reception.

Which word is which?

gordstevens69 — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 02:21:46 +0000

Like most bloggers I use words.

Some are easy, and they play nice. Some are a little slippery around the edges and harder to get a handle on. Like skeevy. I’ve tried using this word a few times, and recently someone asked me what it means. I started, “I think it means . . .” and that kind of made me realize that . . . I don’t really know for sure if it really means what I think. Skeevy isn’t good, I know that for sure. But what if it’s a lot worse than I think it is??

So I looked up skeevy. Dictionary.com (the source of all knowledge) says, Skeevy (adj) means “sleazy and disgusting.” OK. Good so far. Then it gives an example, “That butterface sure looks skeevy.”

Okayyy . . . what’s a butterface?? So I looked up butterface, but there’s no entry. So now do I really now anything more than when I started?

On to skanky. I kind of thought this means about the same as skeevy. Except . . . maybe a little worse? Looked up Skanky next. It means “ugly & repellent; usually said of a woman.” OK, so that’s not good. But which is worse? Skanky? Or skeevy?

I’m thinking skanky sounds worse to me. Would you rather be “sleazy and disgusting” instead of “ugly and repellent?” Ugh, they’re both pretty bad! But skanky mentioned “usually said of a woman.” That makes it worse. Because she’s not going to forget. I am figuring that if you call a guy sleazy (or worse yet, call his ride sleazy) he’ll get mad and swear some bad stuff at you. Then again, he might laugh.

But if you call a woman skanky you are in a world of trouble. Especially, if she is!

Then there is perv. Or pervy. I am thinking “perverted,” which can be bad. But that can also be good, right? It’s like sick. “His game was sick!” So he had a good game, right?

“Their lead singer is perverted!” That has to be a compliment! But what about, “Their lead singer is a perv!” So . . . is he incarcerated, or what? What if, “Their lead singer is pervy!” I’m starting to get dizzy.

So I looked up perv and pervy. Right. Not listed. That’s perverted!

The amazing life of . . . Hedy Kiesler

gordstevens69 — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:42:08 +0000

Reading a bio (titled Beautiful by Stephen Michael Shears)
Hedweg Eva Maria Kiesler (born Nov. 9, 1914)
She had a long career as a Hollywood actress
You may have heard of her
But probably not
(The girl at the desk at my public library
Hadn’t)
Most of her film career was in Black & White & some don’t like to watch B & W
But she did a few in Color
Including probably her best known film role
She played Delilah
From the Bible story
Her most notorious film role
Was a nude scene
Ecstasy, 1932
Frequently called the first nude scene in film history
Which it wasn’t
It isn’t always described as the first scene of female orgasm
Which it was
(faked
Including a pin prick by the director, in her leg)
Because I guess he knew the effect he was after
She was 18
And already routinely described as the “most beautiful girl in Europe”
Which no one believed
Until they saw her
Her Hollywood crew
Didn’t like to make her up for the lights
Because her skin was so perfect
She knew how to look glamorous for the camera
“It’s easy to look glamorous. Just stand still and look stupid.”
Which she wasn’t
She registered a patent
In 1942
It was for an invention to help the WWII war effort
“Frequency hopping”
To be used in radio communications in weapons guidance
Especially underwater torpedoes
Which needed help because they often missed
Her innovation is still important in cellular phone broadcasting
But wasn’t recognized as hers until the 1990s
Because she gave the rights to the American military
She was an Austrian Jew
Her first husband was a wealthy arms manufacturer before the Nazis invaded Austria
(Remember The Sound of Music?
In 1965 they used her house for the film)
As a young wife she hosted many dinners where weapons systems were discussed
She was listening
And had a few ideas of her own
People thought because she was so beautiful
She couldn’t also be intelligent
Or interested
Louis B. Mayer was her boss at MGM
He was also a European Jew (born in Ukraine, but raised in Canada)
But he never gave her credit for anything but a pretty face
After her invention was accepted in Washington she offered to give up her film career
And concentrate on weapons development
But the US military asked her to concentrate instead
On sales of War Bonds
Carole Lombard (Mrs. Clark Gable) had died in a plane crash while she was the leading Hollywood fund raiser making appearances all over the country
So Hedy took her place
She could raise $7,000,000 in one day of pledge drives
Because when she spoke she told of family members dead or imprisoned in Nazi Europe
And she also signed photos
On Sept. 4, 1942, she shook hands with all 1000 employee of a York, PA munitions plant
They had pledged $25 each
Hedy’s career floundered a bit after the war years
She was still beautiful and glamorous, but the Hollywood studio system was changing
And they had never known exactly what to do with her anyway
So . . . maybe see if you can find an old film starring Hedy Lamarr
More than just a pretty face

Earth Hour: how to survive

gordstevens69 — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:26:04 +0000

Are you participating in Earth Hour? It’s tonight at 8:30 pm wherever you live.

It’s pretty simple. Just turn off the lights. And the TV and cable. And the computer. (Battery power? Aren’t you recharging it later? However you ARE allowed to finish reading whatever blog post you may be reading at the time. Just turn off before you click to something else.) And the washer and dryer. And your I-pod. And your phone.

And the furnace. Don’t forget to turn that off. And don’t even think about lighting the fireplace!! (We’re supposed to be decreasing the Carbon Footprint!)

Along the same line of reasoning: no candles!

My suggestion is to just sit in the dark and really, really think about the earth. It will be easier if you sit close to someone. In case you get cold.

Just kind of sit really, really close and start thinking about the earth together. Think about all the ways that people used to employ to entertain themselves in the dark long long ago. Before electricity.

I’m wondering what the electrical impact of one saved hour really amounts to. And I’m also wondering how many babies will be born the day after Christmas.

Clark Kent takes off his glasses Sat night . . .

gordstevens69 — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 03:18:59 +0000

. . . and turns into Supermoon.

This could be good, really really good: 15% bigger than normal with the extra gravitational pull needed to cause higher highs and lower lows That’s for the tidal forces. Hopefully no extraordinary flooding in lowlying or beach areas.

Here you go: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/03/17/Supermoon-could-bring-high-tides/UPI-18331300392177/

just a comment

gordstevens69 — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:20:09 +0000

I will get back to the serialized story in a day or so, but:

I have been reading blogs tonight, just skimming and making a comment here and there, and remembering that . . . I used to spend considerable time doing that! And it really encouraged my writing.

Now I am remembering it’s great and it’s time-consuming.

BTW saw a news reference on importance of social media in the recent world cataclysmic events, e.g. Japan earthquake aftermath.

Part IV Girl on the other side of the sky

gordstevens69 — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:20:31 +0000

True story of Farah, continued from yesterday’s post

50. Crowded with other refugee families, the neighborhood was packed with people with no money no work and no food
51. After several months Farah and her Mom left and went to the care of a U.N. tent city
52. But Mom’s asthma worsened there in the cold & there was no work
53. Farah found work with a family offering a room and food in exchange for domestic labor
54. From age 12 to 14 Farah slaved for this family, taking Mom repeatedly to hospital for medicine when her asthma became bad & Farah’s prosthetic leg began wearing out
55. But one day their neighborhood buzzed with excitement about news that there were 1000 Afghan refugees who were going to be taken to America
56. This rumor proved true, so thousands of hopeful Afghans traveled outside the city to apply
57. Day after day, arriving before sun-up, Farah stood in the crowd hoping to be noticed and brought inside the compound
58. Eventually someone saw her prosthetic leg and pulled her forward to be interviewed
59. After four rounds of interviews over a period of weeks Farah and Mom were selected, but had to travel to Islamabad to be interviewed at the American embassy
60. They were selected and told to go home and await word for their flight to USA
61. The next month was September, 2001

Part III Girl on the other side of the sky

gordstevens69 — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 01:24:27 +0000

On radio the ruling Taliban announced the conscription of all Kabul men and boys of age
Her brothers left the city to avoid joining the army that had killed their family
They were never seen again
Farah was 11, and her Mom was now in bad shape: suffering from asthma & the psychological effects of the loss of her family
But Mom received a letter from a cousin who had gotten out and had a place in Pakistan
Although it was now illegal for women and girls to go out without a man with them, and they would be arrested and beaten if found on the street
They decided to make the journey to the border
Holding no papers they couldn’t cross into Pakistan legally
Farah and her Mom walked a smuggler’s mountain trail at night, into Pakistan
They had to avoid the big border city of Peshawar, also under Taliban control
And travel to Quetta, the city where Mom’s cousin was living
Things in Quetta were not good
Crowded with other refugee families, the neighborhood was packed with people with no money no work and no food

Part II Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

gordstevens69 — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:20:42 +0000

This is a continuation of true story of Farah Ahmedi An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky.

(See Mar. 5 post for beginning of story! It ended with Farah airlifted to Germany)

First surgery took out her knee, but left her right leg in place unable to bend
Farah’s second surgery amputated her left leg entirely
These procedures saved her life
Farah stayed in Germany alone two years & got a prosthetic leg
She did her therapy, and she learned to walk
At age 9, speaking German but not reading, she was flew to Kabul
Reunited with family, Farah had a hard time acclimating to Kabul, 1996
Fighting which had been only in the countryside had arrived in their city
The Taliban were fighting for control of the government
At age 11 her family’s walled compound was exploded by a bomb killing Dad and both sisters
Mom, Farah, and brothers (not home during bombing), moved in with relatives
Until they could go back home where two buildings of 5 had survived with walls and roof intact (but no windows)
Their family was now destitute with no source of income

Girl on the other side of the sky

gordstevens69 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:51:59 +0000

1. I’m assuming . . . you have the tissues?
2. It was mentioned in previous entry. No? OK . . . I’ll wait.
3. Right, here goes:
4. Farah was selected (ABC Good Morning America) as most compelling story of 2005
5. 20,000 entries
6. So Farah got a national book deal
7. Working with a professional writer as co-author
8. Touring USA on speaking engagements
9. While still a teenager, because . . .
10. In Kabul, Afghanistan in the 90s, when Farah was a little girl in a big family
11. (Mom, Dad, two brothers, two sisters plus aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.)
12. Farah’s immediate family was pretty well-off as Dad ran a successful clothing and tailoring business in Kabul
13. At age 7 she liked school, loved her teacher & was still learning her letters (in Farsi)
14. One day, she woke up late!
15. Farah ran to school all by herself, and took a new shortcut
16. In an empty lot a neglected landmine detonated
17. She woke up and opened her eyes people were gathering around her, staring down
18. Horrified
19. She felt nothing, couldn’t move, but she saw their faces
20. Eventually one man, a neighbor, recognized Farah & sent for her Mom
21. They picked her up, got a taxi and took her to hospital
22. There her legs were bandaged, but nothing else was done as the damage was beyond the capability of the local doctors
23. Days later she was airlifted out of Afghanistan by a German relief organization working with victims of landmines
24. All alone