When The Government Banned Superman...!

You would not think that the character of Superman posed any threat to our government, but evidently he did.

In a case of fiction catching up to truth, Superman comics was found guilty in the eyes of the government more than once.

The U.S. government censored Superman during World War II.

During World War II, with the top-secret Manhattan Project in full swing, any mention of nuclear weapons in the popular press drew the government’s ire. DC found this out when it developed a comic book in which Superman’s archenemy, Lex Luthor, launches an attack with what he calls an “atomic bomb.” Though Luthor’s “atomic bomb” in no way resembled an actual atomic bomb, the U.S. War Department demanded that publication be delayed. The War Department likewise censored another comic book, written after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in which Superman films an atom bomb test for the Army, along with a Superman newspaper strip featuring a cyclotron particle accelerator, also known as an “atom smasher.”

In the words of Mr. White, editor of the Daily Planet, "great caesar's ghost!" Who would have ever thought such a thing was possible?

Coffee out on the patio this morning, where the sun is still shining!

Mysterious Water Bearer...!

For today's mystery, we have to go to Haiti. The mystery comes after a survivor from an earthquake was found there.

Haiti Earthquake

Evan Muncie survived 27 days trapped in a huge mound of rubble after a massive earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. After being rescued, doctors were amazed that he was still alive, seeing how emaciated he was after having no food or water for a month. But the story that Muncie told amazed them even more. Muncie insisted that he only survived because a figure in a white coat brought him water on a couple of occasions.

While the greater majority of people have dismissed his claims as hallucinations, it remains a mystery how he could have survived if someone had not in fact brought him water. There was certainly no evidence of another person being able to squeeze into the same space where Muncie was found. Muncie had no major injuries other than wounds on his feet, and he made a full recovery.

So what do you think ? Hallucination? Temporary madness from hunger? Or maybe it was a little divine help that kept this man alive ! Guess it is one of those things that you have to take on faith, ya know ?

Coffee outside on the patio. It's chilly, but the sun is shining...

How About Some Roadrunner...?

We haven't seen this guy for a while, so let's pay him a visit !





Just one more...



Now that wasn't too bad, was it? Naw...!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. I'll make some gingerbread!

Let's Talk About Symbols A Bit...

Ever wonder just how some of the symbols we see nearly every day came about? Well, I'm gonna tell ya about a few, OK?



Now, wasn't that informative? It was for me, I'll admit!

Coffee inside this morning. Still chilly outside!

The Ship Is Sinking, So You're Fired...!

I can only imagine what the families of the passengers and crew of the Titanic must have felt when denied any benefits from their deaths.

The Titanic

They Billed The Families Of The Victims

Photo credit: updatehunt.com

The White Star Line was nothing if not frugal. Due to a clause worked into their contracts, every employee aboard the ship was fired the second that the Titanic began to sink. The company would not, after all, pay wages for employees who were wasting their time drowning.

Afterward, the families of the dead were informed that they would have to pay the freight cost if they wanted their loved ones’ bodies. Most couldn’t afford it, of course, and so today, many of those who died have memorials instead of graves.

Things were far worse for the musicians. The band who heroically played on while the ship sank were completely abandoned. They were registered as independent contractors, which meant that White Star Line legally didn’t have to do anything for them. The other crew members’ families got survivor benefits, but the families of the band didn’t get a penny.

That doesn’t mean they got nothing, though. The families of the band were sent one memento: a bill for the cost of the uniforms.

Can you imagine what an insult that must have been? It boggles the mind, I think!

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. It's cold out on the patio!

Still Want Some Honey...?

One of my favorite sweet things in life, and I have more than a few, is honey.

As a topping with fresh bread, a sweetener for my coffee, or just by itself honey is a very delicious food and, in my opinion, it's hard to beat! It remains that way even after I read this article from Listverse.

Honey

Photo credit: Wikimedia

Bees have two stomachs, one of which is completely dedicated to storing the nectar they collect from flowers. When full, this stomach can weigh as much as the bee itself. These honeybees return to the hive after visiting upward of 1,500 flowers. Once there, they pass off the nectar to worker bees by vomiting it up out of their second stomach and into the worker bees’ waiting mouths. This regurgitation process is repeated until the partially digested nectar is finally prepared and then deposited into a honeycomb. From there, the water is fanned out of the nectar, which reduces the substance into the syrupy bug vomit we all know and love.

Another good feature about honey is that it doesn't spoil...ever! It hardens from time to time (crystallizes), but can be brought back to liquid form easily enough.Good stuff !

Coffee out on the patio this morning, where it.s nice and cool but dry!

General Burnside Busted...!

As far back as any one can remember, the military has had to contend with a lot of politics. Don't believe me ? Take a look at what happened to a couple of generals under Abraham Lincoln.

1863

Burnside relieved of command

On this day in 1863,Union General Ambrose Burnside is removed as commander of the Army of the Potomac after serving in the role for two months.

Burnside assumed command of the army after President Abraham Lincoln removed General George B. McClellan from command in November 1862. Lincoln had a difficult relationship with McClellan, who built the army admirably but was a sluggish and overly cautious field commander.

Lincoln wanted an attack on the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, which was commanded by Robert E. Lee. Burnside drafted a plan to move south towards Richmond, Virginia. The plan was sound, but delays in its execution alerted Lee to the danger. Lee headed Burnside off at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13. Burnside attacked repeatedly against entrenched Confederates along Marye’s Heights above Fredericksburg with tragic results for the Union. More than 13,000 Yankees fell; Lee lost just 5,000 troops. Northern morale sunk in the winter of 1862-1863.

Lincoln allowed Burnside one more chance. In January 1863, Burnside attempted another campaign against Lee. Four days of rain turned the Union offensive into the ignominious “Mud March,” during which the Yankees floundered on mud roads while Lee’s men jeered at them from across the Rappahannock River. Lincoln had seen enough–General Joseph Hooker took over command of the army from Burnside.

Even back then, politics had a way of getting into nearly everything. I wonder how badly politics will be involved under the new administration...good or bad ?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. It's raining outside once again.