Carriage House and Tower

 

Did you know that twenty years ago – actually, it’ll be 21 years next month – Blockbuster had the chance to buy Netflix for $50 million? At the time, Blockbuster was the biggest kid on the playground, and Netflix was this little DVD-by-mail rental service. If you wanted to watch something, you’d let them know, and the postman would drop it in your mailbox. Eventually. The idea just wasn’t catching on as fast as Netflix had hoped, and they were bleeding red ink. Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings, who’d founded Netflix three years earlier, believed combining forces with Blockbuster would benefit both companies. But John Antioco, the CEO of Blockbuster, thought the idea was laughable. He turned them down. Last year, the revenue for Netflix was $25 billion. Blockbuster died in 2010. If it wasn’t for the 2019 movie, Captain Marvel, none of my students would have ever heard of it.

Crossroads

 

“Our most valuable relationships are with the Father and the Son and with our own families because our ties to them are eternal. The great plan of happiness is a wonderful manifestation of God’s love for us. With eyes riveted on God’s plan, we willingly choose to carve out soil and rocks within us that support selfish desires and replace them with foundations that build eternal relationships. Seeking after Him and calling upon Him will begin the process and provide space to build and strengthen our eternal relationships. It broadens our spiritual view and helps us focus on changing what we can control rather than on fears outside our control. Studying the life and ministry of our Savior, Jesus Christ, will enable us to view these other concerns with an eternal perspective.” – Elder Taniela B. Wakolo

Pagoda House

 

If you only know one thing about Imelda Marcos, you know about her shoes. When she and her husband, late dictator Ferdinand Marcos were exiled to Hawaii, she left behind over 3,000 pairs of shoes, along with 888 handbags, 508 gowns, and 15 mink coats. She collected these during the 21 years she and Ferdinand stole billions from the Filipino people. Many of the shoes were made locally and were worth between $6 and $11 each. Others were designer brands like Charles Jourdan, Christian Dior, Gucci, and Oleg Cassini, worth hundreds. Where are her shoes now? 720 pairs are at the Marikina Shoe Museum in Manila. Most of the rest were destroyed by mold and insect infestations as a result of being stashed for years, unworn, in their original cardboard boxes. This story would almost be funny, if not for the 17% of Filipinos living below the poverty level. Many of them are lucky to own any shoes at all.

Shoo-Fly

 

Last weekend we watched Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier on Disney+. The 1955 movie appeared with the 12-second racial stereotype warning that said, “These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.” We were surprised to see a Creek chief (who was portrayed by a member of the Oneida tribe) wearing a buffalo headdress. As the movie primarily takes place in Tennessee, it seemed a bit out of place. After a bit of research, I found the Sioux were the only ones who wore buffalo headdresses. The Sioux (and the bison) lived in what is now the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado. I also learned Davy Crockett was filmed in Tennessee. I guess that means the scenery was probably more realistic than the costumes were.

Starshine Shanty

 

A few words about WHY yesterday was Presidential Joke Day: August 11 1984, President Reagan was testing a microphone before a scheduled radio address. Most people simply repeat, “Testing, one, two, three” until the sound technician tells them to stop. Some warm up with tongue twisters, like, “Around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.” There are actually phrases designed to test sound equipment. “Press the pants and sew a button on the vest” and “Her purse was full of useless trash” are two. Instead, on this particular day, Reagan led with, “My fellow Americans, I’m pleased to tell you today I’ve signed legislation outlawing Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.” The white house press corps and aides chuckled, but not everyone was laughing. Some called the joke in poor taste, in view of the strained relationship between our country and Russia. Still, I’d rather have a president who cracks jokes than one who doesn’t.

Log Cabin

 

August 11 is Presidential Joke Day. A decade ago, I shared a joke here about past presidents. Today I thought I’d post a few jokes that presidents MADE:

“There are few things in life harder to find and more important to keep than love. Well, love and a birth certificate.” – Barack Obama

“I only know two tunes, one of them is ‘Yankee Doodle’ the other isn’t.” – Ulysses S. Grant

“I’ve left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.” – Ronald Reagan

“I look forward to dinners where I’m supposed to be funny . . . intentionally.” – George W. Bush

“In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm, and three or more is a congress.” – John Adams

“If I were two faced, would I be wearing this one?” – Abraham Lincoln

North Star

 

When I have an arthritis flare-up, I avoid NSAIDS; they’re unkind to my digestive system. Instead, I head for the spice cupboard. Turmeric is my go-to spice. It’s an effective anti-inflammatory, and it’s in so many delicious Indian recipes. Black pepper can reduce inflammation as well. We like it freshly ground over most savory dishes. I’ve heard sumac fights inflammation, but I only have one recipe that uses it, and I’ve no idea where to buy it. Nutmeg, another anti-inflammatory, is wonderful in banana bread and homemade eggnog. We buy it whole and grind it on demand, because whole nutmeg lasts so much longer. Cayenne can reduce swelling while it improves dishes like scrambled eggs and quiche. My favorite anti-inflammatory spice, cinnamon, is surprisingly good in chocolate chip cookies, hot cocoa, and mole sauce. If you’re going to use a lot, be sure it’s Ceylon cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon can be hard on your liver.