For “Memorial Monday”:
The Honor Flight Network
“In May 2005, an incredible effort was started to bring veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam from across the country to see the Washington, D.C. memorials constructed in their honor. The Honor Flight Network got its start when Earl Morse, a retired Air Force Captain and physician assistant in a small VA clinic in Springfield, Ohio, wanted to find a way to honor those he’d been caring for during his nearly 30-year career.
In the spring of 2004, a popular topic of discussion among Morse’s patients was the recent completion of the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. When Earl asked these veterans if they would plan to see the memorial in person, many said they hoped to do so with the assistance of friends or family members. However, during follow-up visits at Morse’s clinic, most of these veterans had resigned themselves to the fact that it would not be physically or financially feasible to make the trip to Washington.
Morse was determined to fix this. In addition to being a physician assistant, Morse also flew as a private pilot for one of the nation’s largest aero clubs. In December 2004, Morse asked one of his patients if he could personally fly him to visit his memorial in D.C., at no cost to the veteran. The veteran broke into tears and gladly accepted Morse’s invitation. By January of 2005, Morse had reached out to several fellow pilots to ask their assistance in making this dream a reality for many more veterans. He held a meeting with about 150 pilots and outlined a proposal for flying veterans to the D.C. memorials. He made two requests clear. His first was that the veterans paid nothing; the entire cost of the flight would be absorbed by the volunteer pilot—anywhere from $600 to $1200. His second request was that the volunteer pilots personally escorted the veterans around D.C. for the entire day. At the end of his pitch, 11 pilots stood up and volunteered.” Click here to continue reading.
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More at: http://www.honorflightdfw.org/ and http://www.honorflightdfw.org/about.html
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Saluting Unsung Heroes: Military Spouses
“During Military Appreciation Month, we salute not only the brave men and women who wear the uniform but also the individuals who provide unyielding support from the home front – our nation’s military spouses. During every critical turn in our nation’s history, the military spouse has been a calm, strong presence working to support the heroes who have placed their lives in harm’s way on our behalf.”
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It is also “Mammal Monday”:
The American Kennel Club came out with this great test for dogs back in 1989.
The Canine Good Citizen program was developed to promote responsible dog ownership and to encourage the training of well-mannered dogs.
Here is what your dog is required to do:
- Accepting a friendly stranger.
- Sitting politely for petting.
- Allowing basic grooming procedures.
- Walking on a loose lead.
- Walking through a crowd.
- Sitting and lying down on command and staying in place.
- Coming when called.
- Reacting appropriately to another dog.
- Reacting appropriately to distractions.
- Calmly enduring supervised separation from the owner.
- Evaluators sometimes combine elements during the actual test.
Good stuff for your dog to know.
Also, the CGC can in some cases help you if you rent and some insurance companies will give you a break on their rates.
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Saving Humpback Whale:
“Michael Fishbach narrates his encounter with a humpback whale entangled in a fishing net.”
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Born To Be Wild Once More
“Let them kill, skin and sell until the buffalo is exterminated.” – Gen. Phillip Sheridan in 1875
Bison at Fort Peck, with one of the newest herd members. (Bill Campbell)
Bison are returned to their ancestral plains
“Home on the range, where the deer and antelope play? Forget about it. How about buffalo (yeah, I know they’re really bison).
After years of dreaming about getting one of the original Americans back out on the prairie where they belong, we’re a big step closer to seeing it happen.
After killing every last buffalo they could find, and starving the native folks who relied on them for food, 19th century market hunters missed a couple of handfuls of buffalo deep in the high country that would become America’s first national park, Yellowstone. The offspring of this small herd are among the last genetically pure buffalo (most other buffalo scattered across the country carry some cow genes).
Native tribes in northern Montana for years have sought to reestablish herds using Yellowstone stock. Until this year, they were blocked by cattle interests. But then the state agreed to move approximately 60 buffalo to the Fort Peck Indian reservation in far northeastern Montana. The Fort Belknap reservation, located in north central Montana, has asked for some buffalo and will hopefully get them soon.
Earthjustice attorney Tim Preso has worked for years on behalf of wild buffalo. Most of this work has been to ease rules unnaturally restricting buffalo to the confines of Yellowstone National Park. Outside the park, buffalo have for years been set upon by federal and state agents in helicopters, snowmobiles and on horseback—all intent on driving them back into the park.” More at: http://earthjustice.org/blog/2012-may/born-to-be-wild-once-more By John McManus. 17 May 2012
More about Bison at: http://www.wcs.org/wcs-org/saving-wildlife/hoofed-mammals/bison.aspx
Senators Seek to Name Bison 'National Mammal' http://www.wcs.org/news-and-features-main/electing-a-national-mammal.aspx
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Rare Footage of Cross River Gorillas
“Key support for the creation of the sanctuary was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which also provided funding for the camera traps and other monitoring equipment. Other support for the project came from: Pro Wildlife; Berggorilla; and World Wide Fund for Nature.”
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On This Day:
British soldier George Washington experiences combat for first time, May 28, 1754:
“George Washington, a young lieutenant colonel in the British Army and future president of the United States, leads an attack on French forces at Jumonville Glen on this day in 1754. The battle is later credited with being the opening salvo in the French and Indian War (1754 to 1763).
In the biography His Excellency: George Washington, historian Joseph Ellis recounts Washington's first combat experience. Washington and 40 colonial troops had been encamped near the French garrison at Fort Duquesne when he received an urgent message to rescue Indian allies in the area who were threatened by French forces. In his official report of the encounter, Washington described how his troops, aided by warriors under the Indian leader Tanacharison, surrounded a detachment of 32 French soldiers near the fort on May 28 and, within 15 minutes, killed 10 of them, including the garrison's commander, wounded one and took another 21 prisoner.
Controversy surrounded the attack both at the time and after the war. Historical accounts indicate that the French commander, Joseph Coulon De Jumonville had actually tried to surrender but was slain by Tanacharison. Tanacharison's rash act incited the other warriors to kill and scalp nine other French soldiers before Washington could intervene. Ellis describes Washington as shocked and hapless and writes that he later tried to downplay the incident to his commanding officer. The French vilified Washington as the epitome of dishonor. The Jumonville Glen massacre remains a highly debated subject among scholars. In the aftermath of the encounter, Washington resigned his British army commission and returned to his family's plantation. In 1775, he returned to military service to lead the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War.”
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Volkswagen is founded, May 28, 1937:
“On this day in 1937, the government of Germany--then under the control of Adolf Hitler of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party--forms a new state-owned automobile company, then known as Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH. Later that year, it was renamed simply Volkswagenwerk, or "The People's Car Company."
Originally operated by the German Labor Front, a Nazi organization, Volkswagen was headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. In addition to his ambitious campaign to build a network of autobahns and limited access highways across Germany, Hitler's pet project was the development and mass production of an affordable yet still speedy vehicle that could sell for less than 1,000 Reich marks (about $140 at the time). To provide the design for this "people's car," Hitler called in the Austrian automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche. In 1938, at a Nazi rally, the Fuhrer declared: "It is for the broad masses that this car has been built. Its purpose is to answer their transportation needs, and it is intended to give them joy." However, soon after the KdF (Kraft-durch-Freude)-Wagen ("Strength-Through-Joy" car) was displayed for the first time at the Berlin Motor Show in 1939, World War II began, and Volkswagen halted production. After the war ended, with the factory in ruins, the Allies would make Volkswagen the focus of their attempts to resuscitate the German auto industry.
Volkswagen sales in the United States were initially slower than in other parts of the world, due to the car's historic Nazi connections as well as its small size and unusual rounded shape. In 1959, the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach launched a landmark campaign, dubbing the car the "Beetle" and spinning its diminutive size as a distinct advantage to consumers. Over the next several years, VW became the top-selling auto import in the United States. In 1960, the German government sold 60 percent of Volkswagen's stock to the public, effectively denationalizing it. Twelve years later, the Beetle surpassed the longstanding worldwide production record of 15 million vehicles, set by Ford Motor Company's legendary Model T between 1908 and 1927.
With the Beetle's design relatively unchanged since 1935, sales grew sluggish in the early 1970s. VW bounced back with the introduction of sportier models such as the Rabbit and later, the Golf. In 1998, the company began selling the highly touted "New Beetle" while still continuing production of its predecessor. After nearly 70 years and more than 21 million units produced, the last original Beetle rolled off the line in Puebla, Mexico, on July 30, 2003.”
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Yesterday:
Jay called early to say that he had a broken leg. Translation: He had hurt his leg. Probably did it on his ATV.
I don’t know what he had been up to, and the way he sounded, I knew I didn’t want him here. Misty and I drove down there for her walk anyway. We went to pick up some really nice men’s XXL clothes from their neighbor to donate to one of the better thrift shops. Jay was closed up in his house with one of his drinking buddies, I recognized their car, so I didn’t see him.
Honor our troops this Memorial Day.
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