Thursday, April 30, 2015

Quote for the day


Bonus item:



Statues


Milwaukee, where Happy Days was set, has an awful statue of Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli displayed on its River Walk. Milwaukee is where the show was set. The statue is called the Bronze Fonz and was created with the aim of boosting tourism.


Actor Henry Winkler helps unveil the bronze statue of Fonzie in downtown Milwaukee in August 2008

Some other awful, and not so awful, celebrity statues . . .

Kurt Cobain statue in his home town of Aberdeen, Washington:

It has been called The Crying Jesus.

Remember that TV program Land of the Giants? Palm Springs has a Marilyn Monroe statue that could have come from that show. Have your photo tastefully taken between Marilyn’s legs, underneath her knickers. The candle burned out long before the legend ever did.



This will give an idea of scale.

Mary Tyler Moore as Mary Richards from The Mary Tyler Moore Show has a statue in Minneapolis . . .



 and Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners has one in front of Manhattan's midtown Port Authority Bus Terminal 


Elvis in Nashville

Arnie at the unveiling of his statue.

Where’s Bruce Willis?

John Lennon in Liverpool

and another in Liverpool.

John lennon in Cuba

. . .and one of the absolute worst, Michael Jackson in Manchester:




Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Quote for the day

"You’ve got to exchange the populations of Holland and Ireland. Then the Dutch will turn Ireland into a beautiful garden and the Irish will forget to mend the dikes and will all be drowned."

- Prince Otto von Bismarck-Schoenhausen, 1815-1898
[Otto von Bismarck]
German Chancellor
Attributed

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The Irish Question was a phrase used mainly by members of the British ruling classes from the early 19th century until the 1920s. It was used to describe Irish nationalism and the calls for Irish independence.

Bismarck is said to have proposed the above solution as a means of dealing with the Irish Question. The idea was that with their industriousness, sobriety, and civic virtue, the Dutch would soon have Ireland thriving. The Irish, meanwhile, would be so busy drinking and fighting, they would neglect the dikes. The sea would rush in and they would all drown.



Winter


The following was sent to me by Peter B.

There is some good advice contained within it, no matter what age we are . . .

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Time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday when I was young, just married and embarking on a new life with my mate. Yet, in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. 
I know I lived them all. I have photos and glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. 
But here it is, the winter of my life -- and it catches me by surprise. My mate is gone. How did I get here so quickly? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? 
I remember seeing older people through the years and thinking they were years from me. Winter was so far off, I could not fathom or imagine fully what it would be like. 
But, here it is. My friends are retired and gray. They move more slowly. I see old people now. Some are in better and some are in worse shape than I, but I see the great change. They are not the people I remember as young and vibrant, but they are like I: Their age is beginning to show and we are now those old folks we used to see and never thought we'd be. 
Now I find that just taking a shower is a real target for the day. And taking a nap is not a treat anymore -- it's mandatory because if I don't do it of my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit! 
And so, I'm in this final season of my life, unprepared for all of the aches and pains, the loss of strength and the ability to go and do things I wish I had done but never did. At least I know that though winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last, when it's over on this earth, it's over. 
Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done. Things I wish I had done. Yet, indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all part of life. 
So, if you're not in your winter yet, let me warn you, it will be here quicker than you think. 
Whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it soon. Don't put things off too long. Life goes by so quickly. 
Do what you can today, because you can never be certain that you'll see winter. You have no promise that you will live all the seasons of your life. 
So live for today and say all of the things you want your loved ones to remember and hope they appreciate it and love you for all the things you have done for them in the years past. 
Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. Live it well! Enjoy today! Do something fun! Be happy! Have a great day every day!




Monday, April 27, 2015

Quote for the day

"The man who is denied the opportunity of taking decisions of importance begins to regard as important the decisions he is allowed to take."

- C Northcote Parkinson (1909 - 1993)




Everything I know of life I learned from . . .

. . . Beatles' lyrics (Part 1)



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