good talk

From Athens I flew to Rome using an inexpensive-ticket I bought the day before, try that in the States.  I had just been in Rome 2 years before, and took the train to Termini where I bought a ticket for Florence (Firenze).  I arrived at the main train station of Santa Maria Novella, and sought and found a nice-room in the surrounding area, with a good nearby supermarket full of tasty Eats.  Hadn't been in Florence for 11 years, easy-walking to the Duomo, from 1436, the Cathedral's red-bricked dome by Brunelleschi is staggering, before completion it wasn't thought to be possible.  Firenze is very-luxurious especially around here.  The day was half-shot before I began, on the way-back I went to the Santa Maria Novella Basilica complex across from the station, Dominican, from 1420, nothing in Florence is less than fab.  If you get to the Uffizi when it opens you can just walk-in, later in the day stand in-line for 2 hrs.  From 1580, in 1743 the Medicis bequeathed their great collection to the Public on the condition that it remains in Florence.  There's Botticelli, da Vinci, della Francesca, Caravaggio (who died at "39), see Michelangelo's only small painting "Doni Tondo," and much more.  Saw the Palazzo Bargello, from 1290, Tuscan Renaissance Sculpture of Michelangelo, Donatello, and others.  To the Palazzo Pitti, from 1458, residence of the Medicis, with paintings by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, and more, donated to the Public by King Victor Emmanuel 11 in 1919.  When I got to the Accademia, it was about 2, and there was a long-line and it was hot.  There was an old guy across the street playing the violin for donations, I gave a passing-girl a few Euros to give to him, saying, he's the only thing that's keeping me from collapsing in the hot sun.  This was regarded as extremely humorous, with what I had said translated into other languages, and people exploding with laughter--I was the life of the line.  Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 to 1564) sculpted the 17 ft. tall "David" in 1504, and you should see it before you buy the farm.  There's other of Mich's sculptures, what he called freeing them from the stone, everything is beyond great. See My Blog for Oct. 17, 2014. To be in Florence is very exciting

good talk

McKayla has an incurable venereal disease (uh, stick-it in the left, today)

good talk.

McKayla, that taxidermist-thing was a classic, I've often chuckled thinking about it, even now, lighten-up (I was just watching TV).  I saw "Black Mass" the first-day, pretty-good tho grisly

good talk

I've done everything for you Readers but-wipe your chin

good talk

It's always being said that Carly Fiorina started as a secretary, during summers she worked as one for Kelly Services while at Stanford, this is Carly's ...Honest Carly the Railsplitter...  James A. Garfield (Nov. 19, 1831 to Sept. 19, 1881) was the 20th President of the United States (Mar. 4, 1881, shot July 2, 1881, to Sept. 19, 1881), 2 of our 4 martyred Presidents were from Ohio.  Carly says that she was so into her research while at Stanford that would study in the original Greek and Latin.  President Garfield, to entertain his friends would quickly write in Ancient Greek (right to left) with either hand, while writing as rapidly in Latin (left to right) with his other hand.  If Carly masters this, she'll get our vote

good talk

In 732 Charlemagne's grandfather, also Charles, halted the Islamic Advance into Europe at Northern France by routing the Moslems at the Battle of Tours, sending them fleeing into Spain and saving the rest of Christian Europe, this gained him the sobriquet of Charles Martel, Charles the Hammer.  Charles' Conquest has been squandered (See Michelle Malkin's Column for Sept. 20, 2015 in the L.V.R.J.).  Dikembe Mutombo was just inducted into the Basketball of Fame, I saw him play when he was at Georgetown.  Sort of a wild African, and overly free with his elbows, LeBron was coming across the lane in his 2nd year and Dikembe gave him a concussion.  LeBron hasn't had many injuries.  I saw UNLV play UCLA, Josh Rosen did only okay, he kept on bombing-away, Myles Jack at 230 lbs. returns kickoffs and pretty-well.  I saw N. Illinois play last year, they went into Columbus uncowed and almost came-away with something, making the Bucks' Offense look terrible.  The Octoberfest in Munich is on, I've been there and enjoyed-it, but it's one-dimensional, sort of the World's Biggest Beerblast (you seen guys in Bavarian outfits barfing in the shrubs)           

good talk

North Las Vegas is sort of a scuzzier-version, and last night 2 SWAT Officers were shot there, of late a lot of Las Vegas Policemen have been shot (See My Blog of Dec. 30, 2014).  A couple months ago, I was driving to my gym on a Sat., there was hardly any traffic, and a policeman with nothing else to do pulled me over because I hadn't given a signal 30 yards before I made a turn.  I appreciated his admonition, and we spoke smilingly, we parted ...Thank you, Officer...  If you're not doing something wrong, you should have no problem with the Police

good talk

Congratulations to Kyle Snyder of Ohio State who became at "19" the youngest World Champion in Freestyle Wrestling ever from the U.S. when he defeated defending Champion Abdusalam Gadisov at 97 kilos, 213 lbs. 

good talk

I went to Mass this morning at 6:45.  Every couple years I have 4 Masses apiece said for my grandmother, my younger brother, and 3 other souls.  Today's Mass was offered for the repose of the soul of a girl I liked in high school, she died at "50" from breast cancer.  Also, I'm having Masses said for the repose of the soul of a friend of mine who had been a gangster (See My Blog for June 30, 2013).  I've had lots of Masses said for him over the years, I often like the charming-rogue.  I told him that in every one of the movies I've seen, 2 or 3 times somebody or the other will say, He ain't givin' me no respect   ...I've never heard anybody say that...

good talk

From Istanbul I flew to Athens, I've been to Athens more times than you've had hot meals, as it's one of the world's best destinations.  I've been all-over Greece and 6 islands, and it's all wonderful, Greece is the cheapest Euro country and was this way under the Drachma (the last time I was in S. Carolina I saw a string of gas-stations called El Cheapo).  I climbed the Acropolis to the Erechtheion, dedicated to Athena and Poseidon, and to its right, the Parthenon, dedicated to Athena, all this built during the Age of Pericles, 450 to 429 B.C., and regarded as perfect.  Since, the Parthenon has been a Catholic Church, a Mosque, a storage for gunpowder, in 1687 it blew-up part of the Parthenon, and the British Ambassador, Lord Elgin, wisely and heroically sawed-off many of its sculptures and took them back to London, to be seen at the British.  To the Theatre of Dionysus, to the Temple of Zeus, to the Ancient and Roman Agora, to the ancient cemetery, Kerameikos.  The Acropolis Museum is relatively-new, housing in a pleasing manner many of the beautiful artifacts of that edifice.  The National Archaeological Museum used to often be closed due to the Greeks' sloth, but was open 2 years before and now.  I was in Athens 2 weeks before it began to implode and I withdrew 400 Euros from an ATM at the airport which wouldn't have been possible a little later               

good talk

All women live in a state of constant-boredom and desperate-hope, waiting for a witty-man to ride to their rescue and save them.  Put all the women in the world in a bag and shake-it-around and pull one out, and she'll be the same as the next-one you pull-out, the smart-ones, the average-ones, they're all the same

good talk

90% of the violent-crime in the U.S. is done by Blacks or Hispanics, making out like they should be above suspicion might not be realistic.  Glenn Cook writes a good column for the L.V.R.J., see his for Sept. 13, 2015 (gcook@reviewjournal.com).  Smoking reefer is bad for anybody who does it, as it makes one listless and unambitious.  If that woman in Ky. is against what her office is doing she should resign, but then she wouldn't be getting 80 thou for being Clerk of some Hick County and all this attention.  I've been watching Walt Disney's life on PBS, what a fine man was he, unfortunately a heavy smoker.  I smoked for 16 years, popular then, and quit on Sept. 5, 1983, it was Labor Day (?).   In Las Vegas you often hear of people not getting expected mail, and the big P.O. where I have my box was robbed of all its packages twice last year.  In Las Vegas, many of the Postal Workers have a drug-problem, and it's tolerated.  What happened on the Utah/AZ border is rare, it was God's Wrath on those Polygamists.  That story in S.I. on Suzy Favor reminds me of McKayla  

good talk

Ever since Germany was bombed into the Stone Age during WW 11, they've continued on their downslide.  Currently, Angela Merkel is leading the other Europeans into bringing in a lot more Moslems, which is counter-productive to their own existence.  Such nuttiness is a direct-result of their ancestors being bombed, after awhile they'll be drooling on the floor

good talk

Make no mistake, America's highest peak is Mount McKinley.  My being forced to associate with you swine is a terrible fate, you don't believe so, but you'll get what you deserve

good talk

From Canakkale back up to Istanbul, always a great place to visit, there's a bridge where you can walk from Europe to Asia.  Stayed in the Sultanahmet, as always, as most of the sights are nearby.  Formerly Constantinople, it became Istanbul when it was taken by Ottoman Sultan, Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453.  The Hagia Sofia, built in the 6th Century by Byzantine Emperor, Justinian 1, was for a thou years the largest building in the world.  It became a mosque but is now a museum, and very fabulous.  The Blue Mosque, so called for its interior, is the only mosque in Islam to have 6 minarets, there's iron bars running across its heights in case of earthquakes, it too, is fabulous.  To the Topkapi Palace, of the Ottoman Sultans, and there is so much to see, fabulous jewels, fab everything, they even have a hand of John the Baptist. To the Archeology Museums, I've seen the Basilica Cistern already thrice.  Leaving the Sultanahmet, took the tram to the Dolmabahce Palace, where I had never been, built in 1856 by Sultan Abdulmecid 1 as a more modern residence than Topkapi, but still as fabulous, you can only go around on a guided-tour, no wandering about by yourself which I always prefer.  It has within 285 rooms and 35 tons of gold.  There's a lot more tourists than before to Istanbul due to the growing world mania for travel, everybody wants to go places and see and do things.         

good talk

It doesn't matter what the people of Alaska think that the tallest peak in the United States should be called, on Feb. 26, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law an Act of Congress, The Mount McKinley National Park Act, and the Executive Branch doesn't have the Constitutional Authority to change this name, what this President did was Unconstitutional.  I'm sure that every prominent landmark and landmass within America has a native-name, and I'm real sure that George never got within 2000 miles of the State of Washington, does that mean that eventually it will be called something else?  That our martyred President should have his name thrown in the mud is a National Disgrace.  This is all you swine's fault, you should leave this country and not return.

good talk

Why, I've never seen so much evil, in all my life

good talk

I went back to Tbilisi from Yerevan the way I had come.  Had another hot mineral-bath, wish they had something as good Stateside, they don't.  To Tbilisi's airport at 8 P.M., spent the night there, and flew-out the next morning to Istanbul.  Been all-over Turkey, great place for tourists, and cheap, been there 4 times, this past trip I only count as one time.  Every time I go to Canakkale, 8 hours on the bus from Istanbul, they've got tons of buses goin' all over.  This is where you go to tour the Gallipoli Battlefield, especially popular now as it's the 100th Anniversary, and I did this the first time I was there.  The Germans gave their Turkish Allies big guns to control the Dardanelles (straits), which lead to the Black Sea, so that that Russia couldn't be supplied, they weren't, and is the biggest reason why Russia was knocked-out-of-WW1.  It was during the Gallipoli Campaign that Mustafa Kemal rose from obscure Lt. Col. to the Turks' leader, after WW1 winning the War with Greece, and becoming Turkey's President.  Under Mustafa, Turkey became Westernized, with the Turks using the Latin Alphabet, women no longer had to wear the veil because he thought it was stupid, he greatly reduced the influence of the Moslem Religion.  Mustafa Kemal liberalized and modernized Turkey and is remembered with his picture in every domicile as Ataturk, Father of the Turks.  Anyway, everytime I go to Canakkale I go to the Ruins of Troy, about 20 miles outside of town, local transpo leaves every hour, costs 50 cents.  Frank Calvert began the excavations in 1865 with Heinrich von Schliemann, a German with little formal education but quite intelligent, he made a fortune trading cotton, taking over Calvert's work in 1868.  Where did they look to find Troy (Truva), where Homer said it was.  To be there is very exciting.  There's 9 ruins there, Homer's Troy is Troy VII, 1200 B.C.  And Achilles refused Hector's father's, King Priam', entreaty of ransom, and stripped Hector's body nude, dragging it behind his chariot in view of Troy's Walls, for 9 days.  Until recently, I believed von Schliemann had salted the treasure "he found" at Troy, but now, think maybe he did find it there.  von Schliemann also found the treasure at Mycenae, in Greece, where I've also been.  von Schliemann gave "Priam's Treasure" to be viewed in Berlin, the victorious Russians took it there, they should give it back.  Canakkale is lots of fun with fine museums and delicious food.  Yummy yum yum

good talk

Recently, nuclear-waste has been flown to Creech Air Force Base, 45 miles north of Las Vegas, with it being stored-nearby.  Make you feel like visiting?

good talk

When you go from Cairo to Jerusalem it's 265 miles, why anybody would be wandering-around in the desert for 40 years trying to get there is beyond me.  Angela Merkel, whatasow, why would Germany be taking in 800 thou economic "refugees" this year, these people who can afford to pay thousands to smugglers.  Their boats should be sunk.  The other day, I pointed-out to a librarian at the Flamingo Library (there now), that some guy had a cocker spaniel in there, and I was told that the Las Vegas Public Libraries now allow people to bring-in their dogs.  Have you been on Maryland Parkway, one of the main drags, it's chuckholes and deep-ruts.  Hopefully, my Browns sign Ray Rice, a good and misunderstood fellow.  In that video, which was really-funny, Ray's girlfriend charges him, and sure, she could have stuck a fingernail in his eye, a guy has a right to defend himself, and Ray clips her, knocking-her colder than a tater.  Then Ray gallantly catches her before she could fall and injure-herself, dragging her off, ha, ha, the elevator with a hotel-employee looking ...She's drunk, right...   ...We're born to fight, and we often fight with no gloves for hours and hours.  To be punched in the face with a pair of boxing-gloves is a luxury really, isn't it... Luke Fury   Donald Trump's ancestry is akin to my own, and that's real good, his paternal grandparents were German immigrants, while on his mother's side they're from the island of Britain, his mother was from Scotland, Mary Anne MacLeod, that's sorta like The Highlander---there can be only one                 

good talk

William McKinley (Jan. 29, 1843 to Sept. 14, 1901) was the 25th President of the United States, twice-elected.  The protege of Rutherford B. Hayes and kingmaker, Mark Hanna, William was the 1st strong-president after a series of weak-presidents following Lincoln's assassination, and one of seven presidents from Ohio, in a series of 11, 7 were from this state).  Under McKinley, the Spanish American War was fought and won (duck soup), greatly expanding the U.S.'s territory and power, and burgeoning American industry was protected by strong tariffs--under Wm McKinley, the United States became the most powerful country in the world.  On Sept. 5, 1901, McKinley gave a speech in Buffalo before 50 thou, the next day, the President was shaking hands with the Public, Leon Czolgosz, from the Polish community of Cleveland, was so honored by being allowed to shake hands with the President of the United States, that he shot and wounded the President.  As men were beating Leon Czolgosz, the President intervened ...Take it easy on him, boys...  Due to incompetent doctors, gangrene set in and William McKinley died on Sept. 14, 1901.  Leon Czolgosz was quickly tried and convicted, and on Oct. 29, 1901 was electrocuted, with his body dissolved in acid (how macabre)).  Our martyred-president was honored by having America's tallest peak named for him, and it was known as Mount McKinley, while still known by the native name of Denali.  Why this great President should be so dishonored as to have his name stricken from the mountain and national park is a travesty.  This is all you swine's fault.  Of course, I've been to the magnificent McKinley's Tomb and Museum in Canton, when you plebeians go to the Hall of Fame, you should also stop there.