Thought for the Day

We Didn't Start the Fire, continued - 1953

o------------oOo------------o

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev

Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, dacron

Dien Bien Phu falls, "Rock Around the Clock"

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team

Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev

Princess Grace, "Peyton Place", trouble in the Suez

o------------oOo------------o

1953:

o------------oOo------------o

Joseph Stalin:

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dzе Djugashvili) (1878 - 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet politician who led the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until 1953 as the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1922–1952) and premier of the Soviet Union (1941–1953).

Under Stalin repression and purges were introduced, the country was transformed from a peasant society to an industrialised state and was victorious in WW2.  The Soviet Union and the United States emerged from WW2 as global superpowers. Tensions arose between the Soviet-backed Eastern Bloc and U.S.-backed Western Bloc which became known as the Cold War. Stalin led his country through the post-war reconstruction, during which it developed a nuclear weapon in 1949. In these years, the country experienced another major famine and an anti-semitic campaign. After Stalin's death in 1953, he was eventually succeeded by Nikita Khrushchev, who denounced him and initiated the de-Stalinisation of Soviet society.

Relevance to 1953:

See above.

By the way:

In 1902, he was arrested for coordinating a labour strike and exiled to Siberia, the first of his many arrests and exiles in the fledgling years of the Russian Revolution. It was during this time that he adopted the name Stalin, meaning "steel" in Russian.

o------------oOo------------o

Malenkov:

Georgy Malenkov (1902-1988) became leader of the Soviet Union after the death of Stalin. He was leader for 2 years but then fell out of favour, went into a political downfall and was succeeded by Nikita Kruschev in 1957 who denounced Stalin and initiated the de-Stalinisation of Soviet society.

Relevance to 1953:

See above.

By the way:

After organising a failed coup against Khrushchev in 1957, he was expelled from the Presidium and exiled to Kazakhstan in 1957, before ultimately being expelled from the Party altogether in November 1961. He officially retired from politics shortly afterwards. After a short sojourn in Kazakhstan, he returned to Moscow and kept a low profile for the remainder of his life.

o------------oOo------------o

Nasser:

Gamal Nasser (1918-1970) led the coup in Egypt in 1952 which deposed King Farouk and overthrew the monarchy.

Relevance to 1953:

In January 1953, Nasser overcame opposition from leader Mohamed Naguib and banned all political parties.  On 18 June 1953, the Egyptian monarchy was abolished and the Republic of Egypt declared.  Also in 1953 conflict developed between himself and Naguib. Nasser arrested Naguib in 1954 and then became Premier and President.

o------------oOo------------o

Prokofiev:

Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) was a Russian composer who is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. His works include Peter and the Wolf and Romeo and Juliet.

Prokofiev and Stalin

Relevance to 1953:

Prokofiev died at the age of 61 on 5 March 1953, the same day as Joseph Stalin. He had lived near Red Square, and for three days the throngs gathered to mourn Stalin, making it impossible to hold Prokofiev's funeral service at the headquarters of the Soviet Composers' Union. Because the hearse was not allowed near Prokofiev's house, his coffin had to be moved by hand through back streets in the opposite direction of the masses of people going to visit Stalin's body.

By the way:

The leading Soviet musical periodical reported Prokofiev's death as a brief item on page 116.[The first 115 pages were devoted to the death of Stalin.

o------------oOo------------o

Rockefeller:

This could be one of two Rockefeller fellows.

Nelson Rockefeller (1908 – 1979) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977, and previously as the 49th governor of New York from 1959 to 1973. He also served as assistant secretary of State for American Republic Affairs for Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (1944–1945) as well as under secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1954. A grandson of billionaire John D. Rockefeller and a member of the wealthy Rockefeller family, he was a noted art collector and served as administrator of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York City.

Relevance to 1953:

Nelson Rockefeller’s recommendations also led to the creation of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Rockefeller was appointed Under-Secretary of this new department in 1953. Rockefeller was active in HEW's legislative program and implemented measures that added ten million people under the Social Security program.

By the way:

Rockefeller was a Republican who was often considered to be liberal, progressive, or moderate. In an agreement that was termed the Treaty of Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller persuaded Richard Nixon to alter the Republican Party platform just before the 1960 Republican Convention. In his time, liberals in the Republican Party were called "Rockefeller.

Winthrop Rockefeller (1912 – 1973) was an American politician and philanthropist, who served as the first Republican governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.

Relevance to 1953:

In 1953, Winthrop Rockefeller--who was known as a playboy and hard drinker--moved from Florida and New York to Arkansas. It was jokingly said he moved there because he loved playing the banjo. Winthrop became Governor of Arkansas in 1966 and was said to be a great influence on future Arkansas Governor and U.S. President Bill Clinton.

Winthrop Rockefeller was probably the Rockefeller that Billy Joel was referring to in the song.  Winthrop was more in the news in 1953 than Nelson.

o------------oOo------------o

Campanella:

Roy Campanella (November 19, 1921 – June 26, 1993), nicknamed "Campy", was an American baseball player, primarily as a catcher. The Philadelphia native played in the Negro Leagues and Mexican League for several seasons before entering the minor leagues in 1946. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 1948 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, for whom he played until 1957.

Relevance to 1953:

Most Valuable Player award in the national League 1951, 1953, 1955.

By the way:

His playing career ended when he was paralysed in an automobile accident in January 1958. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game. After he retired as a player as a result of the accident, Campanella held positions in scouting and community relations with the Dodgers. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

o------------oOo------------o

Communist bloc:

The Eastern Bloc or Soviet Bloc was a term used in the Cold War to describe Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Poland, the former USSR and the former Czechoslovakia.

Relevance to 1953:

The Communist Bloc was created in 1953 when the Soviet Union allied with its satellite countries.

Quote for the Day

A repost from 2010:

"Interesting name - sounds like a fart in the bath."

John Gielgud (1904 - 2000) 

on being introduced to Edward Woodward

Sir John Gielgud

Edward Woodward

Noel: A Tribute

Hello again readers. 

Like General MacArthur, I have returned. Had Dante been living in the present age he would have had a tenth circle of Hell: malfunctioning computers. My laptop is still not fully okay but good enough to get by and to send out some Bytes posts. 

Hopefully you are all well and coping with these strange and grim days. 

Last week I mentioned my father in law, Noel, in the context of a classic joke, referring to them both as oldies but goodies. 

Noel rang me today to say thanks for the mention in dispatches. 

The poor b lives in Canberra and has been missing his daily sojourn to his local café for his coffee and to say hello to various ladies in an assortment of shops and venues. 

Did I say he’s 93? 

He only stopped driving this year but still studies, researches and remains mentally and physically active.

Some quick facts and comments about Noel:

Born in Rockhampton, Queensland in 1927.  

Joined the public service at 15 and left home to reside on his own in Brisbane.

Began by making the glue that was used to stick papers in files.  Likes to say that he was one of the first persons made redundant by technology, to wit, the paperclip.

Studying as he was working, obtained his Higher School Certificate and a university degree in psychology.

At age 17 he hosted a weekly one hour radio jazz show in Brisbane.  Used to badger record shop owners to get him jazz records.  Today he knows the words to nearly every jazz song, even the obscure ones, and has an encyclopaedic knowledge of jazz.

Married Margaret and was married for 62 years until her passing.  She accepted his proposal, both being unaware that at the time Noel was suffering from Bell's Palsy, which causes a paralysis of one side of the face.  As she used to say, it must have been love because she accepted despite the fact that he was dribbling red wine down one side of his face and leering at her out of one eye.

Raised four daughters.

In 1955 he was a personnel manager in Papua New Guinea, often flying from location to location in rickety little aircraft.  On one occasion Noel was the sole passenger in a plane where the pilot was a priest and the plane was in danger of crashing. “What are you like at praying?” asked the priest. “I haven’t done too much in recent times,” Noel replied, to which the priest responded “Normally praying is my job but I’m too busy and, trust me, someone should be praying.”  With the priest flying and Noel praying, they made it.

Noel worked his way up to Secretary to the Executive Council, part of his duties being to act as the liaison between the Cabinet of the Whitlam Government and the Governor General, Sir John Kerr. As such, he was one of the dranmatis personae of the Dismissal. Noel was required to give evidence to the Royal Commission investigating the Khemlani Loans Affair and, arising from comments made by Gough Whitlam, obtained a written apology from Mr Whitlam for defamatory comments made by Whitlam.

In honour of a top bloke who is on his own in isolation in Canberra, here are two items from the vault . . . 

Noel is known within the family as “Nelly”. 

He is also fond of a good limerick . . . 

There was a young lady from Thrace 

Whose corsets no longer would lace.

Her mother said, "Nelly, 

There's more in your belly 

Than ever went in through your face!" 

The other is an item I posted in Bytes in 2010 . . . 

Whilst I was looking up something on the internet last year, I came across an article on the history of Gorman House in Canberra, which features some interesting comments about Noel. 

The article is at: 

http://www.gormanhouse.com.au/info/history.php

(I have today checked that link but it no longer works, nor have I been able to find the article). 

That article describes Gorman House as follows: 

Gorman House was built in 1924 as a hostel for Commonwealth Public Servants. As the place of first contact for so many Canberrans, Gorman House featured strongly in the social history of Canberra, particularly during the city's early development as the Federal Capital of Australia. Thousands of people lived at Gorman House during its 48 years as a hostel. Ex-residents remember it warmly for its atmosphere of camaraderie and for its simple but graceful design. Now a lively and centrally located Arts Centre, Gorman House is important in a new way to the Canberra community. 

Following is an extract from that article: 

According to Mrs Freda Bennett of Campbell and Audrey Trevellyan of Griffith, Mrs Dickson replaced Mrs Holmes as manager, who in turn gave way to a Mrs Coles. Mrs Coles was renowned for listening at keyholes late at night, knocking on doors and demanding "Have you got a man in there?".

In 1949 the post-war push of men back into the civilian work-force had its impact on Gorman House. The hostel re-admitted male residents, although according to some, this was not the first time a man had been there after 11pm in the previous ten years.

Noel Wicks was the first man to take up accommodation at Gorman House in 1949. This may have required courage, as not all the girls were keen on the idea. Gone were the cosy nights, making toast and cocoa in the lounge by a roaring fire in their pyjamas and dressing gowns. Men meant propriety, which was a lot more trouble.

Mr Wicks came to Canberra from Brisbane on a Public Service cadetship. He remembers that quarters for men and women were segregated and that more men joined him at Gorman House soon after, so that before long the numbers of men and women were pretty even.

"Rooms were Spartan" he said "There was a desk, a bed, a chair and a basin. We had a cupboard and probably a table. There was no curfew, but guests of the opposite sex were supposed to be out by 10 or 11 pm. But, the rule was ignored."

On one unfortunate occasion, Mr Wicks recalls attempting to assist someone who had locked themselves out of their room by climbing up the nearby drainpipe. Sadly, he fell but luckily his dignity bore the worst of his injuries. 

Now, in a parallel universe, Noel wasn't shinnying up the drainpipe to help a damsel locked out of her room. Instead, in that other universe, Noel was on his way to an assignation but mistakenly used the wrong drainpipe. The lady who answered a tap on her window to find a strange man outside, some distance from the ground, let him have it on the nose. But, as I said, that was in a parallel universe... 

Pictured below: Noel at Pialligo Nursery in the ACT, 2009 

Some Gorman House pics . . . 

View from City Hill in 1926, with Gorman House in the background 

Gorman House while it was still under construction. 

Gorman House, 1935

Gorman House in the 1980s, shortly after it became Gorman Arts Centre. 

Stay safe Nelly, readers.

Thought for the Day

Funny Friday

-----o😊o-----

What’s this? It’s not Friday!

Yes, you are right, dear readers, but I will be without my laptop for a day or two from Thursday whilst the priests of the new religion, ie the computer geeks, replace my hard drive and transfer all the data. 

Knowing that my dad-in-law, Noel, likes his weekly Friday fix of humour, Funny Friday comes to you on Thursday instead of Friday.

Hopefully it won’t be too disorienting.

Which reminds me of an oldie but a goodie (which is pretty much also a description of my father-in-law). . .

Three old men were walking.

One remarked "Windy, ain't it?"

"No," the second man replied, "It's Thursday."

"So am I." said the third man, "Let's go have a drink."

A similar one . . .

Charlie: "I just bought the most expensive, high-tech hearing aids available."

Eddie: "No shit! What kind is it?"

Charlie: "Quarter past nine."

-----o😊o-----

SOME HUMOUR . . .

I finally left my house to go out to the store this week, and who do I see but my pastor comes walking over to me with a Bible under his arm.

And this fella, he says to me, 'I haven't seen you in church recently.'

Well that made me mad, because you know, anybody who knows me knows that I've been in my house for the last two months with the virus going around. And he can tell I'm mad, but that doesn't stop him.

This fella goes to hand me his Bible, and he says 'A man of your age and your condition, I think you need to start thinking about the hereafter. Now, I've outlined a few passages that I think you ought to read.'

But I pushed it back into his hands, and I say 'Pastor. You can keep your Bible. I don't need it. I think about the hereafter every damn day. First thing when I wake up in the morning, I walk into the kitchen, then I go into the bathroom, then I go into my bedroom again, then I go back into the kitchen and stand there looking into the icebox for twenty damn minutes wondering....

  

“Now what was I hereafter?' 

---oOo---

The sky was looking ominous so I asked Siri, “Surely, it’s not going to rain again today?”

She replied, “Yes, it is and don’t call me Shirley!”

I guess I left my phone in Airplane mode again...

---oOo---

Two elderly women were eating breakfast in a restaurant one morning.

Ethel noticed something funny about Mabel's ear and said, "Mabel, did you know you've got a suppository in your left ear? "

Mabel answered, "I have a suppository?"

She pulled it out and stared at it.

Then she said, "Ethel, I'm glad you saw this thing. Now I think I know where my hearing aid is."

---oOo---

When I said you were a suppository of knowledge,

I meant you were great at talking out your ass.

I added this joke not because it is a great bit of humour but because our great and glorious leader, Tony Abbott, who was Prime Minister of Oz in the years 2013-2015, was quoted in 2013 as having said:  "No one, however smart, however well-educated, however experienced … is the suppository of all wisdom."

It was dubbed overseas as The Blunder from Down Under, as well as prompting comments that he had hit a bum note, was talking out of his arse again and that he let one rip.

See:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/13/tony-abbott-gaffe-world-stage

---oOo---

Actual Church Bulletin Headlines . . .

The 1991 Spring Council retreat will be hell May 10 and 11.

Pastor is on vacation. Massages can be given to church secretary.

The ladies of the church have cast-off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.

Don’t let worry kill you. Let the Church help.

The associate minister unveiled the church’s new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: 

"I Upped My Pledge - Now Up Yours"

A new loudspeaker system has been installed in the Church. It was given by one of our members in honor of his wife.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church.

 Please use large double door at the side entrance.

The senior choir invites any member of the congregation who enjoys sinning to join the choir.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?"

 Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Irving Beltson and Jessie were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

The Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S.

-----o😊o-----

FROM THE VAULT . . .

Bill has worked in a pickle factory for several years. One day he confesses to his wife that he has a terrible urge to stick his penis into the pickle slicer. His wife suggests that he see a therapist to talk about it, but Bill vows to overcome this rash desire on his own.

A few weeks later, Bill returns home absolutely ashen. His wife asks, "What's wrong, Bill?"

"Do you remember how I told you about my tremendous urge to put my penis into the pickle slicer?"

His wife gasps, "My God, Bill, what happened?"

"I got fired."

"No, Bill -- I mean, what happened with the pickle slicer?"

"She got fired, too."

-----o😊o-----

LIMERICK OF THE WEEK . . .

There once was a girl who intended

To keep herself morally splendid

And ascend into glory,

Which is quite a good story,

Except that that’s not how it ended.

-----o😊o-----

GALLERY . . .

-----o😊o-----

  

CORN CORNER:

---oOo---

Contribution by Kate:

What do you call 10  rabbits marching backwards?

A receding hare line.

---oOo---

Fool your wife into thinking you can speak chimpanzee, by stepping into a piping hot bath too quickly

---oOo---

Attila walks into a quaint Southern diner.

Waitress says, “What can I get you, Hun?”

---oOo---

What do you call somebody with no body, And No Nose?

No-body-Nose

(Yes, I know I should be shot for that).

---oOo---

My wife said she was leaving me because I can’t do anything right when it comes to housework! Selfish woman!!

It took me hours to mop that carpet!!

---oOo---

An archaeologist is visiting a small town in Nevada. He's just ambling around, enjoying the play of the autumn light on the terracotta and adobe-colored buildings. He rounds a corner and is surprised to see the most, bar none, stunningly beautiful alley he's ever come across...

It may sound like he's a bit nerdy, but we all have our things we love and he's a lover of old streets.

The ground of the alley is a light orange in hue, with a soft almost nutty sheen and texture.

His feet feel refreshed!

The street has gorgeous slopes and embankments, like an alleyway out of Florence in the 1500s, but made out of clay stones.

He sees two gentlemen working on fixing a small crack in the street, the only blemish for blocks.

One of them is pounding down the clay with a wide-head sledgehammer, thwap thwap!

The other is on his knees with a compass and a pick and a broom, adjusting the grade of the street material.

He interrupts them to say, "Excuse me gentlemen! I hate to be a bother, but I just want to applaud your hard work on this alleyway. It's rare a city takes such good care with its streets and this one is one of the best."

The man with the sledge stops and says, "Well, we appreciate that sir. You know your streets, it seems! Would it surprise you to know that the composition of this street is not adobe? It's mulched with our native nut trees, the cashew nut. That's what gives it its softness. When it rains, the petrichor has a slight sweetness due to the cashew, and the town smells fantastic. I'm just hammering it down before it gets too cold."

"Well, I'll be!" cried the archaeologist. "And what's that fellow up to?" pointing to the man on his knees.

"Oh him! He's in charge of checking the grade of the clay. If it's too rough, he picks and sweeps it. Backbreaking work. We hire four of them, one for each season. And since autumn just arrived, he's got a few months yet. So you see..."

And here the man paused...

"So you see...my hammered alley is really 'cashews clay'. And he is the gradist."

"The gradist...of fall time."

---oOo---

Thank you ladies and gents, you’ve been a wonderful audience, catch you when my ‘puter is back.

-----o😊o-----

Quote for the Day

Poetry Spot

One from the vault . . .

-----oOo-----

Disclaimer:

The sentiments expressed below do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of myself or of Bytes.  

Okay, Kate?

-----oOo-----

The GPS Poem
   - Jim Grenfell

I have a little GPS

I’ve had it all my life
It’s better than the normal ones
My GPS is my wife

It gives me full instructions
Especially how to drive
“It’s sixty k’s an hour”, it says
“You’re doing sixty five”

[Alternative verse from moi:

It gives me full instructions
Especially how to drive
"Stay under sixty, there's always police
On Namatjira Drive."]

It tells me when to stop and start
And when to use the brake
And tells me that it’s never ever
Safe to overtake

It tells me when a light is red
And when it goes to green
It seems to know instinctively
Just when to intervene

It lists the vehicles just in front
And all those to the rear
And taking this into account
It specifies my gear..

I’m sure no other driver
Has so helpful a device
For when we leave and lock the car
It still gives its advice.

It fills me up with counseling
Each journey’s pretty fraught
So why don’t I exchange it
And get a quieter sort?

Ah well, you see, it cleans the house,
Makes sure I’m properly fed,
It washes all my shirts and things
And – lets me have a shed.

Despite all these advantages
And my tendency to scoff,
I do wish that once in a while
I could turn the damned thing off.

-----oOo-----

Diabolical
    - Zorian Alexis

After hours of extensive research
And following many a clue,
I've finally discovered the source
Of the new pandemic flu.

It was concocted by our pets,
Forcing us to stay at home.
Always at their beck and call,
Never free to roam.

No room in the house is safe,
For they follow you about.
They are a constant shadow.
They think you can't do without.

They look at you with greedy eyes,
Imploring you for a treat,
And though you try, you can't avoid it,
So just admit defeat.

Alas, until the cure is found,
The master has become slave.
Our pets are now teaching us
How we should behave.

-----oOo-----