01.10.08
Spontaneous Human Combustion
Spontaneous human combustion is the burning of a person’s body without an apparent, identifiable external source of ignition.
While many people believe that Spontaneous Combustion was first documented in early texts of The Bible, the first reliable evidence came in 1673. Frenchman Jonas Dupont in that year published a collection of Spontaneous Human Combustion cases and studies entitled De Incendiis Corporis Humani Spontaneis.
Many authors have used in as situations in their fictional works, including Charles Dickens in Bleak House. He used Spontaneous Combustion to kill off the heavy alcoholic Krook.
Theories about Spontaneous Combustion include; alcoholism, deposits of flammable body fats, build-up of static electricity, explosive combination of chemicals in the digestive tract. However, no satisfactory explanation has been given and it remains an unsolved mystery.
These following are some things are known to happen during Spontaneous Combustion. The body is burned more severe than being caught in a normal fire; The burns are not distributed evenly over the entire body, The extremities may be untouched while the torso may be completely destroyed; The fire doesn’t spread away from the body. Some of these may happen during some events, but nothing appears to happen at all times.
All reported cased have occurred indoors. Victims often have been alone for a long period of time. Nearby witnesses report they didn’t hear any sounds.
01.09.08
Confederate States of America
On January 9, 1861 Mississippi became the 2nd state to adopt a Secession Ordinance to remove themselves as part of the United States of America. South Carolina was the first on December 20, 1860. These were followed by Florida on January 10, Alabama on the 11th, Georgia on January 19, Louisiana on January 26, Texas on February 1, Virginia on April 17, Arkansas on May 6, North Carolina on May 20 and Tennessee on June 8.
In total 11 states would formally leave the union of the United States. The first seven of these states would leave before Abraham Lincoln was swore in as President with the remaining doing so afterward. Missouri and Kentucky both had a group that proclaimed secession admitted in the the Confederate States, but remained part of the United States of America.
Delegates from South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana met in Montgomery, Alabama beginning on February 4, 1861 to create a form of government based on the United States and followed their beliefs. By February 8, 1861 they had developed a Provisional Constitution forming the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was named President, to serve a six year, non re-electable term. He took the oath of office on February 18, 1861. Alexander Stephens served in the post of Vice President. The Provisional Constitution left out some key points such as ratification process The final Confederate States Constitution was adopted on March 11, 1861.
The capital of the Confederate States of America (CSA) only remained in Montgomery, Alabama, until May 29, 1861. After Virginia became part of the CSA, Richmond, Virginia was named the capital and the government moved there. In 1865 the Confederate government evacuated Richmond. Danville, Virginia, served as the last capital of the Confederate States of America, from April 3 to April 10, 1865.
The Winston County, Alabama refused to join the CSA and declared itself the Republic of Winston. They felt that if a state could secede from the union a county could secede from a state. Jones County, Mississippi, (The only county thought to have been named for John Paul Jones) is said to have declared its independence from both countries calling themselves the Free State of Jones. And the western part of Virginia became the State of West Virginia in 1863.
After the War was decided the states were readmitted to the United States. Tennessee on July 23, 1866, Arkansas on June 22, 1868, Florida on June 25, 1868, North Carolina on July 4, 1868, South Carolina and Louisiana on July 9, 1868, Alabama on July 13, 1868, Virginia on January 26, 1870, Mississippi on February 23, 1870, Texas on March 30, 1870 and Georgia on July 15, 1870.
01.08.08
The Phases of Elvis
1. The Beginning. (1954-1955) Elvis was first discovered by Sam Phillips of Sun Records and for the first months of his career he was a Southern performer.
2. The Hits. (1956-1958) Once Elvis fell under the management of Colonel Parker his career skyrocketed with hit and hit on his new record company RCA records.
3. The Army. (1958-1959) Many thought that after Elvis was drafted by the United States Army his career was over. It turned out to be just a short break. One where he would discover his future bride.
4. The Movie Years. (1960-1968) While many of the movies seemed to be remakes of themselves, he enjoyed big screen stardom and with all of the films made, he will be around forever, even if it will be on late night television.
5. The Comeback. (1968-1970) Once he decided that the movie career was enough and what he really wanted as well as what he was best at was being a singing star, he reestablished his recording and concert career. Some of the best songs were done during this comeback stage.
6. The Concert Years. (1971-1977) Elvis was a performer and when he was on stage in the middle of a song you have to believe that was when he was the happiest. He wanted to please and for many of those years that’s exactly what he did.
Opinions are those of the author and any error are mine.
01.07.08
Silent Film Forgotten Clowns
When speaking of comic of the silent era it’s not uncommon to think of Laurel and Hardy, although most will recall their sound pictures, and Charlie Chaplin. But there have been many Silent Clowns that have simply been forgotten, although at their heyday, they were some of the most popular people of films.
Mabel Normand
The first time that Charlie Chaplin performed his famous ‘Little Tramp’ (Although this was the second film released with him as that character. The first released was A Day at the Race at Venice) was in the film Mabel’s Strange Predicament starring Mabel Normand. Normand is credited as being the most prominent comedienne of silent films. Not only did she perform in her silent films she also wrote and directed quite a few of them. In 1918 she signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn that gave her $3,500 a week leaving Keystone studios as well as the male star of many of her films there, Roscoe ‘Fatty Arbuckle.
Roscoe ‘Fatty’ Arbuckle
Arbuckle was one of the most popular stars in films from 1914-1922. He was the leading male comic, director and screenwriter. Unfortunately he is better remembered today for the scandal in which at a San Francisco party held in his room a young woman died. He was tried three times, the first two in mistrials with the 3rd resulting in an acquittal and a written apology issued by the court. The trial of public opinion ended his career in films.
Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton was given his first big break by Roscoe Arbuckle in the film The Butcher Boy. Keaton’s films feature clever visual gags and camera trickery. The man himself performed with a deadpan expression that earned him the nickname “The Great Stone Face”. For film historian he is considered one of the greatest directors of all time. His film The General is perhaps the best of all of the silent comedy films.
Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd made nearly 200 films between 1914 and 1947 and is considered along with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin as one of the most influential film comics of the silent era. Many of his films featured extended chase scenes and daredevil feats by his ordinary man in glasses. One of the most famous comic image is of Lloyd hanging onto the hands of a clock way above the street in the film Safety Last!
Harry Langdon
Many of the comic greats of silent film work with or was discovered by Mack Sennett. Harry Langdon was one of them. His screen character was of a wild-eyed innocent man with childlike characteristics. His best work was when he was directed others with those that he took creative control being less appealing. In his later career he played the role of comic goofs, but it was in his silent films that his talent shone.
Edna Purviance
Edna Purviance may be the most forgotten of all of the silent film clowns by name, but not her face. She appeared in 33 of Chaplin’s productions including his classic the Kid.
01.05.08
1066 – A Year When 4 Kings Ruled England
When the month of January began Eadweard III, better known as Edward the Confessor sat on the throne of England. Edward was canonised a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church. When he died on January 5 the county was already seeing a steady disintegration of royal power.
There was not a direct heir to Edward, although the heir apparent was Edgar Ætheling, the great nephew of Edward. Edgar was only around the age of 14 when Edward died and with the developing tensions in Normandy, Edward’s brother-in-law Harold Godwinson, Harold II, was crowned King. Harold was the last Anglo-Saxon to be crowned King of England.
Harold II coronation was the day after Edward’s death and occurred at Westminster Abbey. This was the first time that a king was crowned at the abbey. Harold’s role as king was questioned by both Harald Hardrada of Norway and William, Duke of Normandy. Both of these men claimed to have been promised the crown by Edward. Harald invaded England in September near Yorkshire and was defeated by the army that Harold led at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
Shortly after Harold’s defeat of Harald of Norway, William invaded southern England near Sussex. Harold was forced to march 241 miles to intercept William’s army. The two armies meet near Hastings and clashed at the Battle of Hastings. At this battle Harold was killed.
Edgar Ætheling now was officially proclaimed king of England but was never crowned. In late November or Early December, he was brought to submit to William.
William, The Duke of Normandy, became King of England becoming William I. he is also commonly known as William the Conqueror. He ruled the English Island from his home in Normandy until his death in 1087.
01.03.08
J.R.R. Tolkien – Life and Works
In Bloemfontein, South Africa, on January 3, 1892, John Ronald Reuel (J.R.R.) Tolkien was born. His father, Arthur Reuel Tolkien was an English banker and had moved to Bloemfontein with his wife Mabel as part of his job. By the time Tolkien was 13 both of his parents had died, first his father in 1896 and after moving back to England his mother in 1904. During his life Tolkien was noted as an expert in Middle English Literature holding professorships at Leeds and Oxford. But he is perhaps best known as the author of The Lord of the Rings.
The Lord of the Rings was first published as three volumes; The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King on 21 July 21, 1954, on 11 November 11, 1954 and on 20 October 20, 1955 respectively in the United Kingdom. The book was created as a single volume and was broken up into sections by the publisher. When The Fellowship of the Ring was published, a index was promised. However that complete Index and Appendices were not complete until the 1966 revised edition was printed. These Appendices gave a view of the World of Middle-Earth and it’s three Ages that Tolkien began in 1917.
Tolkien was an English Army soldier during World War One and served with the 11th Battalion in France. In October of 1916 he contracted Trench Fever. During his recovery in 1917 he started work on a tale he called The Fall of Gondolin part of a larger project he would call The Book of Lost Tales.
It was also during this recovery period that while walking with his wife Edith that inspired The Tale of Beren and Luthien. It is a tale of the immortal Elf-maiden Luthien who fell in love with the mortal man Beren. To Tolkien, Edith was Luthien with him self being Beren. On their grave stone, he had Luthien inscribed along with her name. Edith Tolkien died on November 29, 1971. When he died nearly two years later the name Beren was added with his name.
The Tolkien’s had four children, John Francis Reuel (November 17, 1917 – January 22, 2003), Michael Hilary Reuel (October 22, 1920 – February 27, 1984), Christopher John Reuel (born November, 21 1924) and Priscilla Mary Anne Reuel (born June, 18 1929). While his children were young he began telling them a fairy tale of a Hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins who lived in a hole in the ground.
With the encouragement of his friend C.S. Lewis, (Lewis would later create his own children tales The Chronicles of Narnia), Tolkien finished The Hobbit tale in 1933. In 1936 the manuscript was shown by a family friend of publisher Stanley Unwin. The Hobbit was published in 1937. The Lord of the Rings was begun as its sequel in 1937 and took until 1953 to complete. Tolkien was exacting in the writing of his tales and would work his Middle-Earth mythology his entire life, with The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit being the only major works of this mythology published during his life.
01.02.08
Ghost Riders in The Sky
This past weekend I finally had the chance to see the Nicholas Cage movie Ghost Rider. What I really liked about the movie was how they incorporated the old song Ghost Riders in the Sky into the soundtrack. A few times during the movie you could hear the guitar riff in the film and it featured perfectly when the Ghost Riders made the 500 mile journey through the desert. The nearly 5 minute version of the song done by the group Spiderbait during the closing credits was great.
The song Ghost Riders in The Sky was written in 1948 by Stan Jones (1914-1963) while he was working in Death Valley for the National Park Service. During that summer he was assigned to the movie crew that was filming The Walking Hills as a technical advisor. He would play his songs for them while on breaks and they encouraged him to sell the songs and went to music publishers to try to sell the songs.
Shortly after the beginning of 1949, Burl Ives heard the song and decided to record it on February 16, 1949 reaching the charts on April 22 peaking at number 21. Also in 1949 the song was recorded by Bing Crosby on March 22, 1949 reaching the charts on May 6 with it peaking at number 16.
But it was Vaughn Monroe’s version recorded on March 14 reaching the charts on April 15 that reached the number 1 position. In fact it was the biggest record of 1949. When it was recorded in 1949 it was called Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)
Gene Autry thought so much of the song that he crafted a movie based on it. He also recorded the version that was used in the movie.
In 1949 alone at least six performers recorded the song and since that time it has been recorded numerous times in each of the succeeding decades. Johnny Cash recorded a version in 1979. On 1988 he performed a duet of the song with Willie Nelson on VH1 Storytellers. On that version Willie Nelson did the 4th verse instead of the third.
01.01.08
Remembering 2007
1) They Died in 2007.
Brad Delp lead singer for the rock group Boston died on March 9th.
Kitty Carlisle died on April 17 at the age of 96.
Lois Maxwell, who we all fondly remember as Miss Moneypenny died on September 29.
Joey Bishop, the last member of the famed Rat Pack, died on October 17.
Teresa Brewer, who sang Music, Musi, Music in the 60’s, also died on October 17.
Dick Wilson, Don’t Squeeze the Charmin’s Mr. Whipple, died on November 19.
2) Sports Championships:
College Football ended with Florida defeating Ohio State, even though Ohio State returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning finally won their Super Bowl defeating the Chicago Bears.
Men’s College Basketball Championship went to Florida who defeated Ohio State. The Woman’s winner was Tennessee with Rutgers losing the game.
In Pro Basketball the San Antonio Spurs won the championship in four games over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Phoenix Mercury, who wasn’t in the 2006 playoffs, won the WNBA Championship over the 2006 Champions Detroit Shock by winning the fifth game of their five game series.
The Hockey season ended with the Anaheim Ducks defeating the Ottawa Senators by winning 4 of the first five games.
The Boston Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series, even though the Rockies went on an incredible late season run to make the playoffs and then won each of their National League series in sweeps to go to their first even World Series.
3) Entertainment
The Grammy for best album of 2006 was awarded in 2007 to The Dixie Chicks for their first CD since their political statements about President Bush.
The Best Picture Oscar went to The Departed.
Helen Mirren won awards for playing both Queen Elizabeth I and II. She won an Oscar for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II and an Emmy for playing Queen Elizabeth I.
4) Events
Even though the national election was nearly 2 years away the race for US president began early in both of the political parties.
The year ended on a sad note for Pakistan when Benazir Bhutto’s life ended on December 27th.
5) Technology
Microsoft finally released their newest Windows Operating System, Vista. It was not the success that they had hoped with many remaining with with older XP systems.
Apple rocked the world by releasing their iPhone. The new touch based cell phone sold only on the AT&T network in the United States, but sold better than anticipated.
Apple also released new iPods, including one that uses many of the same features as the iPhone as well as an upgrade to their computer operating system.
One of Apple’s biggest announcements came just after the first of the year when they announced that they were dropping the world Computer from their name and would be simply Apple, INC.
6) Changing from one year to another is just a way of measuring time. There is nothing special about 2008 that makes it any different than 2007 or even 1908. We all live one day at a time, one minute to the next.
