One More Western Wednesday...!

What would our week be without a good ol' Western Wednesday?

A lot of the stories of the wild and wooly west were about the bad guys, but at times the good guys just stand out! This story is about one of the truly good guys of those times!

Nov 1, 1924:

Legendary western lawman is murdered

On this day, William Tilghman is murdered by a corrupt prohibition agent who resented Tilghman's refusal to ignore local bootlegging operations. Tilghman, one of the famous marshals who brought law and order to the Wild West, was 71 years old.

Known to both friends and enemies as "Uncle Billy," Tilghman was one of the most honest and effective lawmen of his day. Born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1854, Tilghman moved west when he was only 16 years old. Once there, he flirted with a life of crime after falling in with a crowd of disreputable young men who stole horses from Indians. After several narrow escapes with angry Indians, Tilghman decided that rustling was too dangerous and settled in Dodge City, Kansas, where he briefly served as a deputy marshal before opening a saloon. He was arrested twice for alleged train robbery and rustling, but the charges did not stick.

Despite this shaky start, Tilghman gradually built a reputation as an honest and respectable young man in Dodge City. He became the deputy sheriff of Ford County, Kansas, and later, the marshal of Dodge City. Tilghman was one of the first men into the territory when Oklahoma opened to settlement in 1889, and he became a deputy U.S. marshal for the region in 1891. In the late 19th century, lawlessness still plagued Oklahoma, and Tilghman helped restore order by capturing some of the most notorious bandits of the day.

Over the years, Tilghman earned a well-deserved reputation for treating even the worst criminals fairly and protecting the rights of the unjustly accused. Any man in Tilghman's custody knew he was safe from angry vigilante mobs, because Tilghman had little tolerance for those who took the law into their own hands. In 1898, a wild mob lynched two young Indians who were falsely accused of raping and murdering a white woman. Tilghman arrested and secured prison terms for eight of the mob leaders and captured the real rapist-murderer.

In 1924, after serving a term as an Oklahoma state legislator, making a movie about his frontier days, and serving as the police chief of Oklahoma City, Tilghman might well have been expected to quietly retire. However, the old lawman was unable to hang up his gun, and he accepted a job as city marshal in Cromwell, Oklahoma. Tilghman was shot and killed while trying to arrest a drunken Prohibition agent.

My heart goes out to all those folks that had to suffer the storm and it's aftermath! Please keep all of the fine folks on the affected area in your prayers, OK? If you managed to dodge the bullet of the terrible storm, now would be a very good time to give thanks for that as well!

Coffee on the patio this morning, since summer type weather seems to be back for a few days!

Orson Wells Creates A Panic...!

In a perfect example of just what can happen when blind faith is given to what the media says. What may seem to be the truth, often isn't!

The program that was put together by Wells and his crew was absolutely brilliant! The reaction by much of the public is both comical and sad! Sad that rational thinking was tossed aside, and that a radio show was taken as "the truth" despite several disclaimers at the start and during the program that it was a radio play!

Oct 30, 1938:

Welles scares nation

Orson Welles causes a nationwide panic with his broadcast of "War of the Worlds"—a realistic radio dramatization of a Martian invasion of Earth.

Orson Welles was only 23 years old when his Mercury Theater company decided to update H.G. Wells' 19th-century science fiction novel War of the Worlds for national radio. Despite his age, Welles had been in radio for several years, most notably as the voice of "The Shadow" in the hit mystery program of the same name. "War of the Worlds" was not planned as a radio hoax, and Welles had little idea of the havoc it would cause.

The show began on Sunday, October 30, at 8 p.m. A voice announced: "The Columbia Broadcasting System and its affiliated stations present Orson Welles and the Mercury Theater on the air in 'War of the Worlds' by H.G. Wells."

Sunday evening in 1938 was prime-time in the golden age of radio, and millions of Americans had their radios turned on. But most of these Americans were listening to ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummy "Charlie McCarthy" on NBC and only turned to CBS at 8:12 p.m. after the comedy sketch ended and a little-known singer went on. By then, the story of the Martian invasion was well underway.

Welles introduced his radio play with a spoken introduction, followed by an announcer reading a weather report. Then, seemingly abandoning the storyline, the announcer took listeners to "the Meridian Room in the Hotel Park Plaza in downtown New York, where you will be entertained by the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra." Putrid dance music played for some time, and then the scare began. An announcer broke in to report that "Professor Farrell of the Mount Jenning Observatory" had detected explosions on the planet Mars. Then the dance music came back on, followed by another interruption in which listeners were informed that a large meteor had crashed into a farmer's field in Grovers Mills, New Jersey.

Soon, an announcer was at the crash site describing a Martian emerging from a large metallic cylinder. "Good heavens," he declared, "something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now here's another and another one and another one. They look like tentacles to me ... I can see the thing's body now. It's large, large as a bear. It glistens like wet leather. But that face, it... it ... ladies and gentlemen, it's indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it, it's so awful. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is kind of V-shaped with saliva dripping from its rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate."

The Martians mounted walking war machines and fired "heat-ray" weapons at the puny humans gathered around the crash site. They annihilated a force of 7,000 National Guardsman, and after being attacked by artillery and bombers the Martians released a poisonous gas into the air. Soon "Martian cylinders" landed in Chicago and St. Louis. The radio play was extremely realistic, with Welles employing sophisticated sound effects and his actors doing an excellent job portraying terrified announcers and other characters. An announcer reported that widespread panic had broken out in the vicinity of the landing sites, with thousands desperately trying to flee. In fact, that was not far from the truth.

Perhaps as many as a million radio listeners believed that a real Martian invasion was underway. Panic broke out across the country. In New Jersey, terrified civilians jammed highways seeking to escape the alien marauders. People begged police for gas masks to save them from the toxic gas and asked electric companies to turn off the power so that the Martians wouldn't see their lights. One woman ran into an Indianapolis church where evening services were being held and yelled, "New York has been destroyed! It's the end of the world! Go home and prepare to die!"

When news of the real-life panic leaked into the CBS studio, Welles went on the air as himself to remind listeners that it was just fiction. There were rumors that the show caused suicides, but none were ever confirmed.

The Federal Communications Commission investigated the program but found no law was broken. Networks did agree to be more cautious in their programming in the future. Orson Welles feared that the controversy generated by "War of the Worlds" would ruin his career. In fact, the publicity helped land him a contract with a Hollywood studio, and in 1941 he directed, wrote, produced, and starred in Citizen Kane—a movie that many have called the greatest American film ever made.

Maybe we should pay attention to this example of the power of the media and take most of what they say with a grain of salt! There's an old saying that goes "don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see!" This should be even more important now that the election is so close! Makes sense, right?

How about coffee on the patio this morning? Temps are going back up to the 80s again today!

Spooky Monday Mystery...!

You just have to love the fact that there are so many good mysteries out there that haven't ever been solved.

It's a little comforting to know that even the "know-it-alls" in politics don't have a reasonable explanation for stories like this, know what I mean?

The Lead Masks Case

The Lead Masks Case refers to the discovery of the bodies of two electronic technicians in Brazil in 1966. The bodies were found in a field wearing impermeable coats and lead masks (usually used to protect against radiation – pictured above). Even stranger was the discovery of a small notebook beside the bodies with signs and numbers, and a letter in which was written: “16:30 be at the agreed place. 18:30 swallow capsules, after effect protect metals wait for the mask sign”. A waitress who was the last to see them alive said that one of them looked very nervous and kept glancing at his watch. There were no obvious injuries on the bodies. Gracinda Barbosa Cortino de Souza and her children, who lived next to the hill where the men died, claimed that they had seen a UFO flying over the spot at the exact moment the detectives believed the two men must have died.

Read more at http://listverse.com/2009/07/03/10-more-mysteries-that-remain-unsolved/

Don't forget that Halloween is right around the corner, so stock up on goodies for the kids, OK?

Let's have our coffee on the patio on the patio this morning. It's cool, but the Sun is shining!

Already Sunday...!

I looked and looked until I found some really old 'toons that pertain to halloween.

Some of these are really old , with one from the '50s. Even though that's a long time ago, the content is still enjoyable to watch. We've certainly come a long way since these were made.



Some folks in my neighborhood kinda remind me of ol' Uncle Donald, ya know?



Maybe just one more?



Way back when I was a kid, we always had halloween parties we could attend and safe places we could go "trick or treating" without worrying about getting in trouble. I guess that those days are long gone. At times I miss those more innocent days!

Better have our coffee in the kitchen this morning. It's a little cool outside today, but just right in the kitchen!

A Spooky Saturday...!

It seems like a good time to have a few more spooky stories, what with this being the season for spooks and goblins!

This particular story fits right in with the spirit of the season, I think! One of those "strange but true" things that no one can quite explain! Perfect, don't you think?

Green Children of Woolpit

The Green Children of Woolpit were two children who appeared in the village of Woolpit in Suffolk, UK, in the 12th century. The children were brother and sister and they had green colored skin. Their appearance was normal in all other areas. They spoke an unrecognized language and refused to eat anything other than pitch from bean pods. Eventually their skin lost its green color. When they learned English they explained that they were from the ‘Land of St Martin’ which was a dark place because the sun never rose far above the horizon. They claimed that they were tending their father’s herd and followed a river of light when they heard the sounds of bells – finding themselves in Woolpit.

Some of the more unusual theories proposed for the origin of the children are that they were Hollow Earth children, parallel dimension children, or Extraterrestrial children.

Read more at http://listverse.com/2008/05/03/top-10-mysterious-people/

I've been green a couple of times in my life, but it usually is from eating something that wasn't good for me, ya know? However, what seemed to be the food of choice for these kids would have made me green for sure! Guess that it really is true..."to each his own!"

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. How about some apple slices and cheese?

Friday's Travels to Vlad's Castle...!

There are a number of places said to be the home of Vlad the Impaler, and this one is certainly tops on the list!

I don't want to go visit these places in person, but seeing them in pictures and reading about them is fine! Call me crazy, but I don't believe in pushing my luck...ya know?

I figure that as long as ghost leave me alone, I'll leave them alone in kind! Makes sense, right?

Poenari Castle

Romania

Do not be fooled by those who tell you to visit Bran Castle in Romania to see the home of the evil Vlad the Impaler (inspiration for Dracula). Bran castle is a tourist attraction and there is no known evidence that Vlad Tepes ever stayed there. However, not so far away is the ruin of Poenari Castle – Vlad’s real home in Wallachia. It was erected around the beginning of the 13th century by the first Romanian rulers in the South region of Romania. Around the 14th century, Poenari was the main citadel of the Basarab rulers. In the next few decades, the name and the residents changed a few times but eventually the castle was abandoned and left in ruins. However, in the 15th century, realizing the potential for a castle perched high on a steep precipice of rock, Vlad III the Impaler repaired and consolidated the structure, making it one of his main fortresses. After Vlad’s death the castle fell to ruin but it is still standing in part and is available for tourists. To reach the castle, visitors need to climb 1,500 steps. The castle is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the world!
 Read more at http://listverse.com/2009/09/02/top-10-spooky-travel-destinations/

More spooky places out there to explore and with Halloween close, we may have to do just that!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. It's trying to rain and the wind is picking up!

Let's Talk Powdered Eggs...!

I am one of those strange folks that actually likes powdered eggs!

I don't know if it's because I ate them while I was in the service or what, but to me they taste just like real eggs...especially if they have lot's of black pepper and some hot sauce sprinkled on liberally!

With a side of bacon or ham, some flour gravy, and fresh biscuits and you have a great meal! I'm certainly not going to turn down a meal like this, that's for sure!

Anyway, I thought you might be interested in just how these eggs are processed, so I wanted to share the information with you. This information is courtesy of Steven Cyros at MREDepot. Good folks that I have dealt with before and have always been very satisfied!

Where did the idea come from, and how are they made today?

Powdered Whole Eggs (some times referred to as Spray-Dried Eggs or Dehydrated Eggs) have actually been around since the 1930's. They were developed by Albert Grant and Co of the Mile End Road - a cake manufacturer who was importing liquid eggs from China at the time. It was actually one of his staff that realized that the eggs were 95% water and therefore expensive to ship from the Orient. They built an experimental freeze drying plant and gave it a try. The end result after much trial and error was that a factory was ultimately set up in Singapore to process Chinese eggs.

As war approached Grant transferred his dried egg facility to Argentina. The patent was lifted by the British government during the war and many other suppliers came into the market, notably in the USA. Powdered eggs were used extensively throughout the Second World War for rationing and were widely used by troops in the field as well as at home during wartime shortages. They are actually still used by many restaurants today - not only in egg dishes, but especially in baking.

Today the process of creating powdered eggs has been simplified and is very cost effective compared to the earlier methods. The eggs are cracked and separated from their shell, then the liquid is pumped through hoses to the top of a large (50 to 70 foot tall) vacuum oven/chamber. Very fine nozzles spray a mist of eggs at the top of the tower, which is heated like an oven to pasteurize the eggs for safety, and the vacuum inside means that by the time the fine droplets of eggs reach the bottom of the chamber, it is in the form of a fine powder with an extremely low moisture content. Viola - Powdered or Spray Dried Whole egg.

The end result is an extremely safe product since it has been pasteurized immediately prior to drying, and the same motivation for their development is still the biggest selling feature - you don't have to pay to ship all of the water weight, and you get an extremely versatile product with a very long shelf life.

Again, thanks to Steven Cyros for the information. Always good to add to the information data bank, don't you think?

Coffee on the patio, weather permitting. A cold front is headed this way, but we should be OK until tomorrow.