Writings of the nearly extinct

An Interpretation of History

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 21:38:52 GMT

Note: I think I've posted this on LJ before but, thanks to LJ's *awesome* (not) search feature I couldn't verify it. So I updated the information in it and (re)post it here. Enjoy.

************************

We define our interpretation of history by the times in which we live. The history of the Second World War, while remaining static in terms of the events and persons involved, is interpreted very differently today than it was in 1980. In 1980, it was different still than it was in 1960. Today's interpretation of World War II seems based primarily in the effort to portray the Nazis and Japanese as terrorists. Sound familiar?

I can't help but wonder, as I read (and read, and read) what the interpretations of World War II will be in 2020 and again in 2040. I would think by 2040 there will only be a very very small number of actual veterans left. (It seems entirely plausible that there will be World War II veterans still alive 100 years later, given the advances in health care that will occur.) Because the number will be so small, the interpretations will be through a smoked mirror. No longer will we have the direct input of the veterans to draw from. There will be an enormous corpus of information, to be sure, but there will relatively soon be no one to ask who was actually there.

According to Wikipedia there are (as of 10 December 2009) 3 verified World War I veterans (with one unverified veteran and one WW I "era" veteran) still alive. All of the veterans are from the Allied Powers. The last Central Power veteran, Franz Künstler of Austria-Hungary, died at the age of 107 on May 27, 2008. This is some 95 years after the beginning of the war in 1914. There are about 2.5 million U.S. World War II veterans living today, 68 years after the beginning of American combat activities on 7 December 1941.

But I digress. I started writing to ponder the view from the future upon the past. If we are fortunate enough to emerge from the present era in one piece and as a continuing world power, the view on the past will again reflect the situation of the contemporary time. As today we interpret WW II as largely a war on terror, perhaps the future will interpret it as a just action to allow oppressed populations facing genocidal extinction their guarantee of survival. If the United States emerges from these times as a faltering First World nation on the brink of entering Second World status, perhaps historians will interpret World War II as the last great period of American history. After that came our steady decline to secondary importance on the world's stage.

History is subjective. It is written by the winners, to be sure. But it continues to be rewritten and reinterpreted by those who succeed -- or defeat -- the winners who came before.

Of the Troops and For the Troops...

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:54:01 GMT

The uniforms and equipment have changed but the mission remains the same as does the shared brother and sisterhood.

The Military Police of the Vietnam War from Jim Stewart on Vimeo.

Location, location, location

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:44:00 GMT

Writer's Block: If these walls could talk

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:41:51 GMT

Would you rent or buy the home of your dreams if a brutal murder had taken place there? What if you got to live there rent-free? Would you think twice if neighbors warned you that it was haunted?

View 1001 Answers

I see nothing wrong with any of these options. Apart from the curious-passers-by syndrome that would inevitably happen, it doesn't seem like a bad thing.

Rent-free is a great bonus.

One more Fitzgerald posting...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:48:33 GMT

One of the best tributes, certainly the best amateur one, I've seen to The Fitz. Combines Lightfoot's song with video and stills of the boat and audio from the Arthur M. Anderson, the freighter that was 10 miles behind and the last to communicate with Captain McSorley.

34 years ago today...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:09:46 GMT

detnews.com%7CThe+fateful+voyage+of+the+Edmund+Fitzgerald

Shared via AddThis

29 good men went down with the flagship and queen of the Great Lakes fleet. She was graceful and beautiful and a feather in any crewman's cap who served on her.

Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald
Music and lyrics ©1976 by Gordon Lightfoot

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee."
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy.
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,
that good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
when the "Gales of November" came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
coming back from some mill in Wisconsin.
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
with a crew and good captain well seasoned,
concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
when they left fully loaded for Cleveland.
And later that night when the ship's bell rang,
could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
and a wave broke over the railing.
And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too
'twas the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
when the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'.
"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya."
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
and the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
they may have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
in the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
the islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
with the Gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
in the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral."
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee."
"Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead
when the gales of November come early!"

I recommend a trip to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point for anyone who would like to see the sometimes deadly history of the Great Lakes.

Books... books,.. books. My addiction.

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:59:37 GMT

My name is Bob and I'm an addict.

I really need to stop going to Amazon. Whenever I do, I inevitably find "Yet Another Book To Add To My Wishlist". I went there tonight for *ten freakin' minutes* to look at a book on photography. By the time I finished I had seven more books on the list. How does that happen??

It wouldn't be so bad if I actually bought the darn things once in a while but I don't generally have cheap tastes in books. They totaled $109.91 before shipping. I should probably look into meth or crack; I'm thinking those are cheaper.

Fox Networks, you vex me!

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:11:14 GMT

How is it that a company whose news reporting and personalities I despise so much consumes almost all of my TV-watching time otherwise?

Monday: House
Thursday: Bones and Fringe
Friday: Brothers and 'Til Death
Saturday: Cops and America's Most Wanted
Sunday: The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad

Human Target (Wednesdays) looks intriguing and it might get a shot.

ETA: How could I forget Football? Fox has the NFC games (CBS has AFC) and my beloved and hapless Lions are an NFC team. So I watch at least one game a week there. Fox Sports Detroit carries a lot of Wings games, too.

Foooooooooox!!!!!

Soupy Sales 1926 - 2009

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:17:08 GMT

Thanks for the laughs, Soupy... Detroit will be forever grateful.

X-Posted to obituary

Say "ya" to da U.P., eh?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:40:32 GMT

The Upper Peninsula is much preferable to almost anything else in the world.

Just sayin'

Pictures will eventually be posted.

See ya, Billy Mays

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:15:18 GMT

I wonder what it says that I was more bummed by the death of Billy Mays than anyone who's died recently?

see more Lol Celebs

I'll raise a beer for you next time I'm out.

quick update

Sun, 17 May 2009 03:55:27 GMT

The surgery went OK. I was in the waiting room longer than the surgery lasted. Glad they told me to be there three hours early... Surgery was supposed to start at 2pm and they finally brought me back around 3. Prep took an hour or so and they brought me into the OR and I don't remember much of anything after that. Except I think I was humming.

I got to come home last night and got situated. Most of today was devoted to watching TV and napping and generally getting used to this. Needless to say, it sucks.

Tomorrow will be devoted to finding a wheelchair since I'm going to have to get around a bit and/or maybe a kneeling walker. That'll be a job for Craigslist.

I have to go to the doctor on Monday or Tuesday where they'll tell me more about what's going on. I could be off my feet for up to 12 weeks. Which totally sucks.

Mark "The Bird" Fidrych (1954-2009)

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:19:17 GMT

'The Bird' Mark Fidrych Dies At Age 54

Died while working on his truck.

I remember watching him groom the mound over and over. I was fascinated by it. He got me hooked on baseball as a 10 year old back in 1976.

Bye Bird. Say hey to George Kell.

Revisiting Grammar 101

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 18:33:18 GMT

I'm the first to admit that I make grammatical mistakes. I make spelling mistakes as well (thank heavens for spell check). But here are the headlines from my "My Yahoo" news agreggator that have made me cringe today:

Oakland cop shot by parolee taken off life support (AP) {The parolee was on life support, then shot the cop when taken off?}

Obama praises shuttle, space station crews in call (AP) {Obama praised the space shuttle while the crews were on another call?}

Flames deny Red Wings's bid for Western lead {OUCH, my eyes}

Rangers D Rozsival out 7-to-10 days (AP) {hyphens much?}

I'll leave you to parse the meanings.

George Kell, aged 86

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:01:59 GMT

George Kell is a huge memory for me watching Tigers TV broadcasts in the '70s and '80s.

Detroit (WWJ) -- Former Detroit Tigers baseball player and broadcaster George Kell has passed away. He was 86.

The Hall of Famer played third base for the Tigers, Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Baltimore Orioles in the 1940's and 1950's.

Full story: http://www.wwj.com/Baseball-Legend-George-Kell-Dies-At-86/4075485

Bye, George. Now you have the best seats in the stadium.

Paul Harvey, aged 90

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:29:22 GMT

Passed away in Phoenix today. I will miss him greatly.

CHICAGO – Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation's most familiar voices, died Saturday in Arizona, according to ABC Radio Networks. He was 90.

The rest of the story here

The Ann Arbor News' headline today....

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:24:39 GMT

Was simple and to the point.

President Obama

Is it childish that it just tickles the hell outta me when I read that? Or hear it on the news? And that hearing "Former President Bush" makes me almost as giddy?

Because people always ask me about my beard....

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:49:33 GMT

Don't you get food stuck in it? Doesn't it itch? Do girls like it? Why do you wear so much plaid?

Now, the answers to all of your questions from my friends at Funny or Die.

BEARD SONG! - watch more funny videos

It can always be worse.

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:44:26 GMT

I heard on the news this morning that the temp in Jackson was colder than at McMurdo Station in Antarctica today. While that may be true, it's the exception rather than the rule.

If you were cold this morning coming in to work, just click the video below to feel a little better about it and smile that spring is only 66 days away.

Goodbye, Bettie

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:55:05 GMT

Sad but she's in a better place now.

1950s pinup model Bettie Page dies in LA at 85

I'll miss you, Bettie. You made the world a much prettier place for your being in it.

Visual representation meme

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:02:51 GMT

From the lovely fairmer

1. Answer each of the questions below using the Flickr Search engine.
2. Choose a photo from the first three pages. 
3. Copy the URL of your favorite photo into this site: BigHugeLabs.com
4. Share!

Questions: name, favorite food, hometown, favorite color, celebrity crush, favorite drink, dream vacation, favorite dessert, what I most want to be when I grow up, what I love most in the world, one word that describes me, my username

1. Lighthouse at Robert Moses State Park (Robert) 2. 20080329 One-Pound Prime Rib (Prime Rib) 3. New Hudson 1924 :: eu-moto 8517 (New Hudson, MI) 4. Cascade in Blue (Royal Blue) 5. Zeta-Jones, Catherine (Catherine Zeta-Jones) 6. Raspberry Iced Tea (Raspberry iced tea) 7. The Famous Wigan Pier (now on Schmapp.com) (Wigan, England) 8. IMG_6677 (hot fudge sundae with chocolate ice cream) 9. Voluntary Tax_9200 (Independently wealthy) 10. Serenity (Peace and serenity) 11. jack of all trades (Jack of all trades) 12. this is bob (Dinosaur Bob)

To my frieds who have served

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:11:29 GMT

Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

I was honored at my nephew's elementary school this morning. The students invited members of their families who had served to come to a Veteran's Day assembly there where we were honored for our service.

Gotta say, it was the best thank you I ever had for being a vet. The kids gave us all hand-made cards and flags. Makes it all worthwhile.

Keith Olbermann for President!!

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:51:59 GMT

I'm admiring this guy more and more and more.

From the blog of jj_maccrimmon

Because it amuses me.

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:50:02 GMT

The previous link in the chain is from divinedemon

Grab the nearest book.

* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.

"These people did not die by accident, alone in the bogs, since a number of skeletons were accompanied by various items which seem to have been deposited with them."

-Earthly Remains: The History and Science of Preserved Human Bodies" Pearson, Michael and Chamberlain, Andrew T. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Link to Amazon here.

Nowwww do it!

Awesomely well thought-out reaction to last night's debate

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:53:21 GMT

From bangping. I wish -- oh how I wish -- I could write about things this well and pointedly.

Here's the link to her post:
http://bangping.livejournal.com/143915.html

Go there, read, nod in agreement.