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Lead Picture
Monday, October 28, 2019
A friend clued me into Smedley Darlington Butler.
Read the Commentary on the blog www.existentialautotrip.com
A picture of a double medal of honor recipient Smedley Butler.
Note that the light blue ribbons (at the top of his ribbon rack) appear almost white in this overexposed photo.
The blog? A daily three to four-minute excursion into photos and short texts to regale the curious with an ever-changing and diverting view of a world rich in gastronomy, visual art, ideas, chuckles, stories, people, diversions, science, homespun, and enlightenment.
Observing with wit and wisdom, Dom Capossela, an experienced leader, guides his team of contributors and followers through that world, an amusing and edifying conversation to join.
Note that the blog is also the first place that posts the "Hello! my friends," videos and the
“Conflicted” podcasts.
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Commentary
Monday, October 28, 2019
Some months ago I went into my bathroom to shave.
A two-inch black splotch was on my cheek.
For one second I panicked, until I touch it and it came off onto my fingertips.
Soft, like skin.
I discarded it wondering if I had some rare illness that would cause my body to decompose.
That theory buttressed the next day when two of the same splotches appeared on my face and neck.
Looked around.
Saw nothing to match.
Two weeks passed, the splotches randomly appearing, before I realized where these ‘growths’ came from.
Not growths at all but the result of purchasing a couch from Jordan’s furniture five years ago.
The faux leather covering was disintegrating.
Called Jordan’s: No, there’s nothing we do in your situation.
Ok.
Having to deal with it myself, I called an umholsterer.
To recover the piece would cost 4800.00
Totally unaffordable.
But to ‘slipcover’ it, 2200.00.
It hurts but it’s got to be done.
The couch is central to the living room.
I signed the contract.
Timetable?
Three weeks for fabric.
Another three weeks to measure, sew, and then install.
They’ll install it at the apartment.
Oh, well.
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A “Conflicted” podcast
Monday, October 28, 2019
Chapter Three Conflicted, posted.
In this chapter we return to the dream/nightmare and learn something dreadful.
And we watch Diana fall happy prey to a worldwide addiction.
Chapter Four to be posted on Wednesday, Oct 30
In Chapter Four Diana engages in a meditative introspection in which she makes life decisions that will greatly upset her parents.
The podcasts go out first on the blog and then on many of the major social media.
Dom’s website: existentialautotrip.com
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A “Hello, my friends!” video.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Your personal-best diet springs from within.
This video is about five minutes long.
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Saturday’s Dinner posted on
Monday, October 28, 2019
Enjoyed a dinner party with Marc and Maureen O and then watched “Down from the Mountain,” a little-known Coen brothers movie related to “O, Brother, where art thou.”
The meal highlighted mushrooms and a NY Steak Slow-Roast sauced with red and green bells peppers, a serrano chili pepper, and onions sauteed in duck fat.
With a perfectly selected 1916 Cabernet Sauvignon from High Valley Vineyards.
Lovely evening.
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Chuckle of the day:
Monday, October 28, 2019
Broken pencils are pointless.
Alcohol! Because no great story started with someone eating a salad.
There are two types of ostriches - Grey and Blue.
Grey ones scared hide their head in the sand.
The Blue ones sit in the bushes waiting for this moment.
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We love getting mail.
Contact me at domcapossela@hotmail.com
Monday, October 28, 2019
Dear Dom,
Sherman's March to the Sea - yes, fearsome, but the notion that Sherman burned Atlanta is and has been erroneous since the conflagration.
As they retreated from the approaching Union troops, Confederate forces themselves set storehouses and other depots in Atlanta on fire because they didn't have the personnel and transportation to remove all the equipment, accoutrements, bedding, clothing, food, and arms. They didn't want the surplus to benefit Sherman and his army, so they destroyed it.
The Atlanta fires spread, without check, to other buildings in the city.
It was an awful situation, no doubt, with loss of much personal property and great architecture.
This was not an unusual action for either side during a war - it happened again the next spring when the Confederate government abandoned Richmond.
Union troops, some of whom were professional firemen from Northern cities, entered Richmond and set to, putting out the fires and saving the city.
But the claim that Sherman burned Atlanta made for a popular outcry against oppression, despite its inaccuracy.
Under Grant's direction, Sherman did engage in total war, the intent being to destroy the WILL of the rebelling people to fight.
We'll never know, of course, but if circumstances had been different, he may well have had reason to burn Atlanta to the ground - whatever it took to subdue the rebellion of the Southern states.
Sally
Web Meister responds: Thanks, Sally.
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Thumbnail Biography of Smedley Darlington Butler
Coal miner, author, public speaker, Philadelphia Director of Public Safety
Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940) was a United States Marine Corps major general, the highest rank authorized at that time, and at the time of his death the most decorated Marine in U.S. history.
During his 34-year career as a Marine, he participated in military actions in the Philippines, China, in Central America and the Caribbean during the Banana Wars, and France in World War I.
Butler later became an outspoken critic of U.S. wars and their consequences.
He also exposed an alleged plan to overthrow the U.S. government.
By the end of his career, Butler had received 16 medals, five for heroism.
He is one of 19 men to receive the Medal of Honor twice, one of three to be awarded both the Marine Corps Brevet Medal (along with Wendell Neville and David Porter) and the Medal of Honor, and the only Marine to be awarded the Brevet Medal and two Medals of Honor, all for separate actions.
In 1933, he became involved in a controversy known as the Business Plot, when he told a congressional committee that a group of wealthy industrialists were planning a military coup to overthrow Franklin D. Roosevelt, with Butler selected to lead a march of veterans to become dictator, similar to Fascist regimes at that time.
The individuals involved all denied the existence of a plot and the media ridiculed the allegations, but a final report by a special House of Representatives Committee confirmed some of Butler's testimony.
In 1935, Butler wrote a book titled War Is a Racket, where he described and criticized the workings of the United States in its foreign actions and wars, such as those in which he had been involved, including the American corporations and other imperialist motivations behind them.
After retiring from service, he became a popular advocate, speaking at meetings organized by veterans, pacifists, and church groups in the 1930s.
A tip o' the hat (U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, 1924) after signing an Indian treaty
Sly devil that he was.
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Acknowledgements
Monday, October 28, 2019
Thanks to Sally for her bit of Civil War history.
Thanks to Jack H for his story re: Smedley, a piece of American history new to me.
And to Marc and Maureen for their company.
Thanks to Funny Jokes for today’s chuckle.
Thanks in general to the Microsoft team at the Prudential Center for their unflagging availability to help with a constant flow of technological problems.
Always thanks to Wikipedia, the Lead and the Thumbnail sections of the Blog very often shaped from stories taken from that amazing website. They are truly worthy of public support.
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Good Morning
Monday, October 28, 2019
So much history in today’s posting.
I’d like to stay and hear more.
But now? Gotta go.
Che vuoi? Le pocketbook?
See you soon.
Your Taeyeon