good talk

I took the bus to Belfast to take the train to Dublin.  I went into the Hotel Europa which has the distinction of being the most bombed hotel in Europe, 28 times.  I asked if the hotel had been bombed since I was last there in 2001 and the Concierge laughingly said that things had been uneventful.  In a previous trip I took the very good Black Taxi Tour which takes you to all these places in Belfast concerning the violence during The Troubles.  The Troubles began in the late 1960's and generally ended with the Belfast Good Friday Agreement in 1998.  The Catholics wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the Republic of Ireland while the Protestants (Orangemen, Ulstermen), mostly a breeding of Irish and Scots, wanted N. Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom.  The Battle of the Boyne in 1690 won by William of Orange putting Ireland firmly under English Control was to many, Irish Republican Army (IRA) and Ulstermen, as though it had been fought 2 weeks before.  During The Troubles about 3500 were killed with many grisly killings by both sides.  Previously I had also been to Londonderry (called Derry by the Catholics) where there's a Monument dedicated to the memory of those killed on "Bloody Sunday," January 30, 1972.  British Paratroopers for no reason fired on a peaceful Catholic demonstration killing 14 and wounding 12.  Significant is that this was the Regular British Army and not Paramilitaries who had done this in full sight of the Public and the Press. I sent a postcard to my older brother, Bob, on whose right forearm there's a tattoo of an eagle suspended from a parachute above the lettering "Paratrooper" (he pointed out that this was done freehand noting this to be true artistry, I'd have to agree as it looks quite good and there was no margin for error), I said maybe you shouldn't visit here. 

good talk

Some of my Yoga Poses are so deficient that it's good I learned this so I can practice on my own.  North Carolina's nickname, the Tarheels, was acquired in a less than complimentary way.  During the lst Battle of Bull Run North Carolinians were driven back leading Mississippians to advise....Y'All should tar your heels.....Mississippians are brave, everybody knows that.  I was watching PBS and they were telling of the bodies buried 2 to 4 thou years ago in the Bogs in Ireland.  There's a consensus that they were local Kings whose Kingship was deemed a failure (say, bad Harvests) and that they were ritually killed and their bodies left in the Bogs to propitiate the Gods.  Had they asked me to be King....I'm a humble man unworthy of such Honor....The first time I was in Hong Kong I bought a couple of knock-offs on the street for a dollar U.S. apiece.  One had a Lacoste Crocodile on the front and the 2nd time I washed it the Crocodile fell off, both were good shirts I wore for years.  If you think that you can't live without a man you had better let him know this if you wish to be successful, dear.   

good talk

Cities love their Heavyweight Champions, when James J. Corbett defeated John L. Sullivan on Sept. 7, 1892 to become the 2nd Heavyweight Champion and first "Linear" Heavyweight Champion, that is the Man who beat the Man, he became very popular in his native San Francisco and the long, hilly, road that he so often ran on in training is Corbett Ave.  Known to be a very fine fellow he was lauded as "Gentleman Jim."  Ezzard Charles, the "Cincinnati Cobra" is also a Linear Champion (the only man to last 15 rounds with Rocky Marciano) and well known for his high character, there's an Ezzard Charles Dr. in that City.  Michael Dokes (see my Blog of Oct.10, 2012) became WBA Heavyweight Champion in 1982 when he knocked Mike Weaver out in the 1st Round, more than this Michael Dokes was the Linear Heavyweight Champion, the Man who beat the Man.  Born and raised in Akron like LeBron and myself nobody expects Akron to name a street after their Tragic Son who passed away in Akron in August, 2012 at "54," it'd be nice if they did but we understand why they might not.  Boxing is Melodrama. 

good talk

Back in Ohio I seldom watched Big Time Wrestling on TV but one afternoon I was watching and they had on The Masked Marvel who had said that he wouldn't take off his mask until he lost, and this time he did lose.  As he was getting ready to take off his mask the announcers were wondering who it could be....Is it Fritz Von Erich?.....Is it Johnny Powers?....He took off his mask and they had never seen him before.  

good talk

I hope you people think that my life has made the World a better place.  All this pre-elementary schooling is stupid, my older brother, Bob, never went to any school until he was 6 and a half and with little effort got as good of grades as anybody in the hardest subject, me, oh no, were it were.  And I went to kindergarten.  Just let the kids romp and play.  I was really suprised that the U.S. had an Embassy in Libya, they had murdered Gaddafi a year before.  HBO made out like they were doing us a big favor by showing Pascal-Bute, a 2nd tier fight.  Bute lost the first 11 rounds but in the 12th and final Emptied his Guns and almost had him.  In Yoga, a big class, she said whoever wants to can remain in downward-facing-dog (just me and some girl) while the rest go into child's pose.  And she had us in this for a long time like she wanted to see if one would weaken, I could have done that all my life it was gonna hafta be her (mano o mano Yoga).  Jose Sulaiman, President of the WBC, died recently at "82," the creator of the phrase....The people who become Boxers are different than the people who become Archbishops.... The huge, escalating increase in the number of Casinos in this Country where gambling (people losing their money) is seen as panacea for economic woes is demented, it's a Sick Society I'm forced to live in, poor me. Our Western Culture has nothing in common nor will it ever with the Moslem World which is full of fruitcakes who have nothing better to do than blow themselves up.   Shelley Fabares turned "70" recently, a successful TV and movie actress her "Johnny Angel" hit #l on the Pop Charts in 1963.  I've always been very good to McKayla, I'll stand on my Human Rights Record regarding this girl.  

good talk

From Holyhead across the Irish Sea to Dublin.  My 3rd time in Ireland, I've enjoyed it immensely always.  Both North and South the Irish are often quite friendly and nice, I'm not Irish and nobody would think I was and this is how they treat me, of all the 115 countries I've been in they're my favorite.  And yes, I've kissed the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle outside of Cork, in the South.  One story concerning its ability to give one the gift of gab is that the first Queen Elizabeth (who could have been called the Great due to her success at War and her promotion of literature and drama) called for the Lord of Blarney to present himself at Court and he kept on giving excuses not to show up...Blarney, all I'm hearing is Blarney!...  Before you buy the farm you should stay at a Bed and Breakfast, nothing is so delicious as an Irish Breakfast.  Once I was at a B and B in Dublin and the lady had all these Irish songs playing, during Danny Boy (a father singing to his son who is going off to fight in the Revolution and he thinks he'll never see him again....Oh Danny boy, I love you so....).  I said I'm so sad I can hardly continue eating this breakfast.  This time I took a bus to Belfast and then another to Bushmills which is right at the top and smack dab in the middle, a few miles outside of town is the Giant's Causeway by myth caused by Giants fighting.  It's 40 thou interlocking columns of volcanic basalt, kinda like a bunch of rectangular rocks put together and you can climb all over them, to be there was very exciting.

good talk

I donated blood this week, the 35th time that I've given blood in Las Vegas alone.  They consider me to have Rare Blood, they cut my pint 6 ways and give it to Preemies.  The Preemies have never done anything for me and they're not going to, if you can do something for somebody you should just pitch in and do it.  You might not know what I'm talking about.