Category Archives: HISTORY

Designated Survivor

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“Without truth, there can be no trust.”
Tom Kirkman

 

KIEFER SUTHERLAND

Back in 2016, there was a new ABC television show I enjoyed watching, Designated Survivor, staring Kiefer Sutherland. If you’re not familiar with this show, you can now watch it on Netflix.

The show begins when an attack on the night of the State of the Union address claims the lives of the President and most of the Cabinet. A Housing and Urban Development secretary, Tom Kirkman is catapult to the oval office as designated survivor.

With the onset of two White House staff members testing positive to the Coronavirus, I can’t help but remember this riveting show and began thinking: Who would become our Designated Survivor if both Trump and Pence become unable to perform as President and Vice President?

The procedure for Designated Survivors originated in the 1950s during the Cold War because of possible risk of nuclear attack. There have been several changes to how our country would handle such an emergency. Under the Presidential Succession Act, the Vice President, Mike Pence would be the first in the line of succession to the presidency, followed by the speaker of the House, Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, and the president pro tempore of the Senate, GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley. After those three officials are the Cabinet officials. The Secretary of State is fourth in the line of succession, followed by the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General, with the Secretary of Homeland Security — the most recently created department — in the last place.

In order to be the designated survivor, a cabinet member must be eligible to be President. For example, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, can’t be the designated survivor, as she was born in Taiwan and is thus constitutionally disqualified from serving as a designated survivor.

Shine On

Paradise and Joyfulness

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“I’d rather have roses on my table
then diamonds on my neck.”
Emma Goldman

 

Paradise and Joyfulness

Today on my walk, I came across some birds of paradise that were in full bloom. I couldn’t resist taking some photos of this exotic looking flower which happens to be the official flower of Los Angeles.

How did this South African flower become LAs official flower? Well, back in 1952, Mayor Fletcher Bowron decided to name the bird of paradise the official flower of LA, after heavy lobbying by seed company president and civic booster Manfred Meyberg. Soon after, the plant and seeds from this orange and blue flower became a hot item in nurseries throughout California.

The bird of paradise flower is so named because its magnificently colorful petals resemble a colorful bird in flight. The flower is a symbol of paradise as well as a symbol of joyfulness.

How apropos for Angeleno’s official City flower to be a symbol of paradise and joyfulness.

Shine On

Time Traveling

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“Once confined to fantasy and science fiction,
time travel is now simply an engineering problem.”
Michio Kaku

Mr Peabody

Mr. Peabody, his boy Sherman and the “Wayback Machine”

The concept of traveling backward and forward in time has always held my fascination. My interest began as a child. Introduced to the idea of time travel by none other than Mr. Peabody and his Wayback machine.

Conceptually, time travel goes back several centuries. Long before H. G. Wells wrote the book, The Time Machine, Japanese, Hindu, and Buddhist all wrote about time travel. In more recent times, people such as Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking and Michio Kaku have discussed the possibilities of traveling back and forth in time.

Time travel will forever be one of my favorite genres of novels and movies. Whether I’m reading Stephen King’s novel 11/26/63 or watching, Midnight in Paris, and Back to the Future for the hundredth time, the idea of going back to a time before I existed will always hold my interest in time traveling.

Shine On

Super Moon of 2020

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“With freedom, books, flowers,
and the moon who could not be happy?”
Oscar Wilde

 

Super Moon 2020

After the sunset yesterday around 8:00, I noticed a beautiful bright full moon. I grabbed my camera and shot quite a few images including this zoomed in shot.

This morning I downloading the images to my laptop, grabbed a cup of coffee and read the daily news. I was surprised to read that last nights full moon was the final of the super moon type.

Super moons occur when the moon is on its closest approach to Earth in orbit. The moon will appear brighter and bigger in the night sky. This full moon was only visible from the evening of May 6 until the morning of May 8, and comes on the heels of the biggest and brightest super moon of the year in April, but it’s still more spectacular than a typical full moon.

The past few years I’ve attempted to get a clear crisp image of a full moon but this is the first time I was happy with my image of the final super moon of 2020.

Shine On

Kent State Massacre

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“Four Dead in Ohio”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Kent State Masacre

John Filo, Pulitzer Prize Photo, May 4, 1970

Fifty years ago, on May 4, 1970, twenty-eight National Guard soldiers fired approximately 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis.

Some of the students who were shot had been protesting against the Vietnam War while others shot had been walking nearby or observing the protest from a distance.

It’s a time in our history we are not our proudest, but should never forget. Over the years, there have been numerous plays, books, movies and music written about that historic day.

Here is one of the best-known protest songs, “Ohio”, written by Neil Young for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young about the Kent State Massacre:

OHIO

Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming
We’re finally on our own
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago
What if you knew her and
Found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know

Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming
We’re finally on our own
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio
Four dead in Ohio

Shine On