Monday, August 31, 2026
1 Minute
That Elderly Lady working at Wal-Mart probably had a good job for Decades and then Retired and has to go back to work to make ends-meet.
That
Child wearing Thrift Store Clothes is probably just grateful to be warm.
That
Veteran sitting on the bench once risked their life for all of us and is now
feeling forgotten and abandoned.
That
Homeless Man picking up cans to return for 5 cents each just wants to do
something by themselves to earn some money for food.
Everyone
has a story that none of us really knows.
It
takes 5 minutes to be mean and only 1 minute to be nice.
Masticate
I love to masticate. I masticate at least three times a day (sometimes more.) I masticate in private, but it is more fun to masticate in public. I like to sit with friends and family and masticate together. I'm a masticator - are you? Don't lie. Everyone masticates.
FYI:
Masticate = To grind or crush food with or as if with the teeth. To chew. (Not what you thought? You dirty bird.)
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal
The
Welland Canal is a Ship Canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence
Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway.
The
Canal was opened in 1829 and was last reconstructed in 1932 to allow for larger
Cargo Ships to pass through it.
The
Canal goes through the Niagara Peninsula and was built because the Niagara River
(the only natural waterway connecting the Lakes) is unnavigable due to Niagara
Falls.
The
Canal goes from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie.
3,000
Ships (carrying 40 Million Tons or 88 Billion Pounds) pass through the Welland
Canal every year.
The
Canal allowed goods from American Ports in the Great Lakes (Cleveland, Detroit,
Milwaukee and Chicago) to travel to the Port of Montreal where they were loaded
onto Ocean-Going Ships to go across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.
Lake
Ontario (one of the 5 Great Lakes and named after the Iroquoian Native Tribe
living in the area since 1639) was renamed to Lake America by US President
Trump in August 2026.
Canada
continues to only recognize the name it has used for 387 years: Lake Ontario.
Canada
holds the cards in this dispute because they are refusing to allow any Cargo Ship
(American, Canadian or Foreign) that uses the unrecognized name “Lake America”
on their International Cargo Shipping Documents to use the Welland Canal.
That
means American Shipping - especially items
and products that go through the Mid-West - is being stopped which means even
more higher prices for Ordinary Americans (on top of the higher prices we pay
in the form of Tariffs on Canadian Goods also recently imposed by President
Trump.)
Cutting Aid
From the BBC:
“US
plans to cut off military aid to key Middle East ally, BBC told”
The
Trump administration is planning to cut off military aid to a key Middle East
ally that helped the US defeat the Islamic State group (IS) and is now facing
punishing attacks from Iran, according to four sources familiar with the
matter.
The
US Department of Defense has told leaders of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan
region in recent meetings that the administration is not planning to renew an
expiring agreement that provides security assistance to the Peshmerga, the
Kurdish security force.
The BBC spoke to two officials who participated in the talks and two other sources with direct knowledge of the issue. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the talks, details of which have not been previously reported.
Kurdish
officials fear the funding cut would create a power vacuum and embolden Iran,
which has fired hundreds of missiles and drones into Iraqi Kurdistan since US
President Donald Trump started the war with Tehran.
Ending
the Peshmerga's security assistance would undermine a longtime partner in Iraq,
analysts said, and send the message that the US cannot be trusted to back its
allies in the region. "The US would be cutting off the Kurds, who shed so
much blood to help the Americans achieve their goals in Iraq and the wider
Middle East," Yerevan Saeed, the director of the Global Kurdish Initiative
for Peace at American University, said.
"This
is going to be a big win for Iran, China, and Russia if the Kurds are left so
exposed." In his second term, Trump has pledged to reduce America's
foreign entanglements in regions like the Middle East. He also launched the war
with Iran, which reached the six-month mark on Friday with no end in sight.
The
memorandum of understanding between the Pentagon and the Kurdish Regional
Government (KRG) is set to expire on 30 September, the same day the US and
other nations are withdrawing their last remaining troops from Iraq.
The
troop withdrawal will formally end the international military campaign against
IS, in which the Peshmerga fought alongside coalition troops to end the
jihadist group's control of parts of Iraq and Syria. The sole remaining US
military base in the country, located in the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Irbil, is
set to close next month once coalition troops leave.
The
Peshmerga, which has approximately 180,000 troops in Iraqi Kurdistan, received
$61m (£45m) in the fiscal year 2026 for weapons, military training and stipends
through the Pentagon's counter-IS programme. The Pentagon proposed cutting all
the group's security aid in its fiscal year 2027 budget request - arguing that
since IS was defeated the money should now be reallocated - but the spending
plan is on hold amid a broader budget battle in Congress. The request raised
alarm bells in Iraqi Kurdistan, but officials had held out hope that the US
would renew the funding through an extension of the current deal.
The
fears have only grown as Iran has stepped up attacks against the KRG. Iran and
Iranian-backed militias had conducted 158 missile or drone attacks inside Iraqi
Kurdistan by late May, according to reasearch on the latest available data
compiled by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington DC think
tank.
But despite the surge in attacks, in recent talks with Iraqi and Kurdish leaders, defence department officials said the US was not planning to extend the memorandum of understanding, multiple sources with knowledge of the discussions said. The Pentagon signed the initial memorandum of understanding giving military assistance to the Peshmerga in 2016 and renewed it in 2022. A final decision on security engagement between the US and Kurdistan is still being reviewed, according to one source familiar with the Pentagon's thinking. The US is considering ways to maintain some security support in both Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan after the troop withdrawal, the sources said.
The
KRG declined to comment. The White House referred the BBC to the Pentagon where
a spokesperson pointed to a statement by the department summarising Defence
Secretary Pete Hegseth's meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in
July. "The United States, Iraq and Coalition partners have achieved
tremendous success in defeating ISIS and now the Iraqi Security Forces,
including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, will
lead the fight against terrorists in Iraq," the statement said.
A
State Department spokesperson told the BBC it was focused on implementing the
troop withdrawal, and "ensuring that Prime Minister Zaidi is positioned to
disarm Iran-aligned terrorist militias and safeguard Iraqi sovereignty." The
expiration of the security aid for the Peshmerga would come less than one year
after the US opened its largest consulate in the world, in Irbil.
At
the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the $800m complex last December, Michael Rigas,
a senior US State Department official, said the consulate was "a testament
to the value of the relationship between the United States and the Iraqi
Kurdistan Region".
The
recent discussions around Kurdish security were part of larger conversations
between the US, the Iraqi government and KRG over the upcoming troop
withdrawal. That date was set under a 2024 agreement between Washington and
Baghdad to withdraw the US troops that remain in Iraq from the campaign against
IS. American combat troops left Iraq in 2011 but returned after the power
vacuum led to the rise of IS in 2014.
The
US could avoid repeating the same mistake by continuing to back the Peshmerga,
said James Jeffrey, who spearheaded the global coalition against IS in Trump's
first term. "It's money well spent, as we found out when the Islamic State
rolled into northern Iraq," said Jeffrey, a former US ambassador to Iraq
and Turkey under the Obama administration. The Trump administration has not
said how many US troops brought in to fight IS more than a decade ago remain in
Iraq. Experts believe it's under 1,000, down from 170,000 at the height of the
Iraq War.
The
recent meetings on Iraqi security included the White House, Defense and State
Departments, with Tom Barrack acting as a principal US voice on Iraq, four
sources said. A close Trump ally, Barrack is the US ambassador to Turkey and
special envoy to Iraq and Syria.
The
administration has said publicly it's open to a bilateral security agreement
with Iraq. The countries discussed a possible defence pact in the recent
meetings, but it's still unclear how the agreement might be structured or what
Iraqi Kurdistan's role might be. Al-Zaidi touted the troop withdrawal during
his visit to Washington last month. Al-Zaidi, who was elected in May, met Trump
at the White House, as well as Hegseth and members of Congress.
"October 1 will mark a new day in the trajectory of the Iraqi state, as Iraq will be free of any foreign military presence," al-Zaidi's office said in a statement at the time.
The
withdrawal will reduce the exposure of US troops in the Middle East who have
been targeted by Iran during the war, analysts said. Tehran has attacked US
bases across the region, including the base in Irbil.
But
it will leave the Peshmerga security force and the rest of the region it helps
protect even more vulnerable than before, said Jason Campbell, a former US
defence official.
"The
Peshmerga have been the frontline in the US and international war with
ISIS," said Campbell, an expert at the Middle East Institute. "If the
US moves forward with this, it'll make the Kurds perhaps the most vulnerable
potential targets of Iran."
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn74m8e5rleo
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
City, Russia has been separated from the
rest of Russia since the Soviet Union collapsed in December 1991 (35 years
ago.)
Kaliningrad,
Russia was known as Königsberg, East Prussia, Germany until 1945.
1,029,966
People live in Kaliningrad Oblast (489,359 in the City of Kaliningrad.)
Now
Kaliningrad is surrounded by:
Poland
(a NATO and European Union Member Country)
Lithuania
(a NATO and European Union Member Country)
The
Airspace needed to go from Kaliningrad, Russia to Minsk, Belarus (an ally of
Russia) is blocked by:
Poland
(a NATO and European Union Member Country)
Lithuania
(a NATO and European Union Member Country)
Latvia
(a NATO and European Union Member Country)
Estonia
(a NATO and European Union Member Country)
Finland
(a NATO and European Union Member Country)
Sweden (a NATO and European Union Member Country)
Not
only is the Airspace closed to Kaliningrad, but also the Land and Rail Borders through
Poland and Lithuania because of Russia’s War in Ukraine and Belarus’ frequent Violation
of NATO and EU Airspace and Land Borders since 2021.
Kaliningrad
City is only 290 miles from Minsk by car (2 hours by plane), but now it takes
several more hours to go by plane only.
So
all People, Food, etc. have to be flown in from Belarus or Russia via Russia.
Belarus
has been ruled by the Dictator, Alexander Lukashenko since 1994 (32 years.)
Russia
has been ruled by the Dictator, Vladimir Putin, since 2000 (26 years.)
Note
1: The United States
closed its Embassy in Minsk, Belarus in 2022 because Belarus allowed Russia to
invade Ukraine from Belarussian Territory.
There
has not been an American Ambassador to Belarus since June 2022.
American
Citizens are told not to travel to Belarus and Belarussian Citizens can no
longer get American Visas.
Note
2: The United States closed
its Consulate in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 2018, its Consulate in
Vladivostok, Russia in 2020 and its Consulate in Yekaterinburg in 2021.
The
US Embassy in Moscow, Russia is open, but only to help American Citizens inside
Russia.
There
has been no American Ambassador to Russia since June 2025.
American
Citizens are told to not travel to Russia.
The
US Embassy no longer gives Russian Citizens American Visas.
Saturday, August 29, 2026
Defenders Of Ukraine
Today
is Memorial Day of the Defenders of Ukraine (Ukrainian: День пам'яті захисників
України.)
Here
are pictures (at St. Michael's Cathedral) in Kyiv, Ukraine of the Men and Women
who died protecting Ukraine and the rest of the World from Russia.
Friday, August 28, 2026
King Harald
From the BBC:
“Norway's
King Harald dies aged 89: A beloved monarch buffeted by family crises”
Norway's
King Harald V has died at the age of 89, after he was taken to hospital last
week for treatment for a rare blood condition. The palace in Oslo said he
passed away peacefully at 06:35 local time (04:35 GMT) on Friday at the
national hospital in Oslo. The royal flag on the roof of the palace has been
lowered to half-mast, and a period of national mourning has been declared
leading up to the day of his funeral. Crowds of mourners have streamed to the
royal palace to lay flowers and flags.
Harald
was Norway's first king born in Norway since the 14th Century. He has been
succeeded by his son Haakon, 53, who will hold an extraordinary council of
state with the government later on Friday. King Charles III sent his "most
heartfelt condolences" at the death of his "dear cousin" - who
was a second cousin to Queen Elizabeth II - while King Carl XVI Gustaf of
Sweden remembered "a good friend to me, my family and to Sweden", and
wished his godson Haakon "success and good fortune".
After
35 years on the throne, Harald will be remembered as a popular and reforming
figure who modernised the monarchy, broke with tradition by marrying a commoner
and served as a unifying figure at Norway's most difficult moments. Royal
observers say he was down-to-earth, respected and beloved, describing him as a
"grandfather" of the nation and the "People's king" - a
title also used by his father King Olav V.
During
his reign, the Norwegian monarchy became more egalitarian and transparent with
finances and health, Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen, historian and TV2 royal
correspondent, told the BBC. Tove Taalesen, royal correspondent for Nettavisen,
described the late king as "one of us", while Caroline Vagle, royal
expert for Se og Hør magazine, said he had "always been very close to the
people". "He has never been afraid to show emotion, humour or
vulnerability, and that has made him very human."
In
the wake of the 2011 bomb and gun attacks on Oslo and the island of Utøya,
Harald appealed to Norwegians to support each other and not "let fear take
over". More recently, Harald and his family faced health challenges and
scandal, especially over his daughter-in-law Mette-Marit's association with the
late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and her son Marius Borg Høiby's conviction
for rape. He is survived by his wife of almost 58 years, Queen Sonja, their
daughter Princess Märtha Louise, their son, the new King Haakon, and six
grandchildren.
Harald
was born on 21 February 1937 on the Skaugum estate near Oslo. He was three when
dictator Adolf Hitler ordered Norway's invasion by Nazi Germany early in World
War Two. Harald's mother fled with her children across the border to Sweden,
and they travelled to the US on the invitation of President Franklin D
Roosevelt. Prince Harald returned with his family to Norway at the end of the
war and completed his school and compulsory military service. He became crown
prince in 1957, and studied social science, history and economics at Balliol
College in Oxford from 1960 to 1962.
He
met Sonja Haraldsen, a non-royal and the daughter of a businessman, at a party,
but the crown prince had to wait nine years before he was allowed to marry her.
Eventually he told his father that if he could not marry Sonja, he would stay
single, King Harald told Norway's public broadcaster.
His
father finally gave his consent, and the couple wed in Oslo Cathedral on 29
August 1968. Harald's choice paved the way for his own two children to marry
commoners too, and for Vagle, that "helped bring an end to a very
male-dominated Royal Family".
When
his father became ill in 1990, the crown prince became regent. Harald then
ascended to the throne when Olav died on 17 January 1991. The new king came
into his own around 2000, according to historian Trond Norén Isaksen, growing
from a shy man into someone much more open and empathetic. In July 2011 Harald
faced his greatest challenge yet as king, when neo-Nazi Anders Breivik murdered
eight people with a car bomb in Oslo before moving on to a youth camp on the
island of Utøya, where he shot dead 69 others, most of them teenagers. He gave
a televised address the next day, and weeks later he delivered a speech,
empathising with the victims and their families as a father, grandfather,
husband, and king. On the verge of tears, his voice quivered and broke. "I
can only imagine the depth of your pain. As King of this nation, I feel for
each and every one of you," he said.
Looking
back, historian Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen said: "I think that moment has
been burned into our minds of what a monarchy should be." In 2016, the
king made headlines again by giving a speech supporting diversity of religion,
ethnicity and sexual orientation. He said Norwegians are from
"Afghanistan, Pakistan and Poland, from Sweden, Somalia, and Syria,"
they "believe in God, Allah, the Universe and nothing", and they
"are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love
each other". The king was also a keen athlete and environmentalist - one
of the initiators of the Norwegian branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF), who served as president of the Norwegian chapter for 20 years. He was
such an accomplished sailor, he represented Norway three times at the Olympics.
When
Crown Prince Haakon married Mette-Marit in 2001, the king and queen welcomed
her four-year-old son from a previous relationship. Høiby was treated as one of
the family, but the royal house later stressed he was never a royal. The king's
daughter Princess Märtha Louise initially married a Norwegian writer before
controversially remarrying in 2024 to an American self-styled shaman. The
couple's business activities eventually led to her halting her royal duties. While
some Norwegians may have felt Harald was too lenient with his family's
controversial life decisions, Vagle believes he had "shown himself to be
someone who puts talking things through ahead of issuing harsh
instructions".
As
the king's health declined, he permanently reduced his public engagements in
April 2024. More recently he was treated with cortisone for a rare blood
condition, haemolytic anaemia, which causes the number of red blood cells in
the body to be reduced. He entered hospital on 17 August and his son became
regent, taking over his activities.
This
year alone the Norwegian royal family has faced compounded personal health
challenges and scandals. The rape trial of Høiby, convicted of multiple
offences in June, hung over the royal family for many months. He has now
appealed against a four-year jail term and appeared at Harald's bedside shortly
before he died. Days before the trial began, documents were released revealing
his mother Mette-Marit's frequent contact with Epstein. She later apologised to
King Harald and Queen Sonja for her three-year friendship with Epstein and
admitted to "poor judgement".
Two
days after her son's trial came to an end, Mette-Marit received a lung
transplant. She had been diagnosed with a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis eight
years earlier. Her doctors will not declare her stable until a year after the
transplant, and King Haakon will face a difficult period of succession as he
continues to support her. The crises surrounding the monarchy have had an
effect on its popularity. One poll for Aftenposten newspaper found that support
had dropped from 72% in 2024 to 54%. Other polls suggested almost half of
Norwegians believed Mette-Marit could no longer become queen, although Haakon
is now highly likely to say she will.
However,
Vagle said criticism was rarely directed at the late king personally, leaving
her with the impression that "everyone has loved King Harald". "When
things go wrong in the royal family, people tend to blame anyone but the
king," Isaksen remarked. Haakon has faced questions about the turbulence
surrounding his own household that will "follow him into his position as a
king", according to Taalesen, however she believes he has shown leadership
and dealt with recent events well.
The
royal family's main strategy has been to separate itself from Høiby's trial,
and Schulsrud-Hansen believes that has largely succeeded. Although there may be
further scrutiny over the Epstein files, the focus for Norwegians now will be
on remembering a "greatly beloved king" and supporting his son.
Thursday, August 27, 2026
84: Wiesbaden And Frankfurt
84
years ago today (August 27, 1942) the Germans Rounded-Up 600 Jewish Men, Women
and Children - most of them Elderly and Sick
from Wiesbaden, Germany.
(The
Germans deporting the Elderly Jewish Men and Women from Wiesbaden. Germany in
August 1942.)
On
August 29, 1942 they were sent to Frankfurt where another 600 Jewish Men, Women
and Children were added to the Round-Up.
On
September 1, 1942 they left by Train for the Theresienstadt Ghetto in
German-Occupied Czechoslovakia.
Later
most were deported from Theresienstadt to the Auschwitz Death Camp in
German-Occupied Poland.
Only
32 of the 1,200 from Wiesbaden and Frankfurt survived the War.
Ratko Mladic
From Reuters:
“Ratko
Mladic, former general convicted of Bosnia genocide, dies”
Ratko
Mladic, convicted of genocide for orchestrating the 1995 massacre of at least
8,000 Muslims in a U.N.-designated "safe area" of Bosnia, Europe's
worst atrocity since World War Two, has died, a U.N. official said on Thursday.
The
slaughter in Srebrenica was the grisly culmination of a war that had lasted
over three years, in which the general pounded the besieged capital Sarajevo
daily with the artillery, tanks, mortars and heavy machine guns of his
nationalist Serb army, killing 10,000.
The
dead from Srebrenica were bulldozed into mass graves over four days in July
1995, some of them dug up and relocated to remote mountains so as to hide
evidence of the killings. The goal, as determined by the United Nations
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), was
"ethnic cleansing" — the forcible expulsion of Bosnian Muslims,
Croats and other non-Serbs to clear Bosnian lands for a Greater Serbia. The
tribunal found that Mladic, together with late Serbian President Slobodan
Milosevic and Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic,
were part of a criminal conspiracy to implement the plan. "I do not
recognise this court," Mladic, dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" by
his opponents, said at an ICTY hearing on his case in 2014. When he was
sentenced to life in prison in 2017 he shouted: "This is all lies, you are
all liars!" According to his son, documents gave Mladic's date of birth at
March 12, 1942, but he was actually born on March 8, 1943.
'GERMANS
HAD HITLER, SERBS HAVE MLADIC' Karadzic,
also convicted of genocide in 2016, and Mladic topped the ICTY wanted list for
years after Western powers ended the war. But until Milosevic was toppled by a
popular uprising in 2000, Mladic lived securely - if discreetly - in Belgrade.
Milosevic died in detention on March 11, 2006, a few months before a verdict
in his four-year tribunal trial for genocide and other war crimes in Croatia,
Bosnia and
Kosovo.
The
army Mladic created to fight in Bosnia was a model of ruthlessness, daring and
brutality in the Serb warrior tradition, once prized in the life-or-death
partisan struggle against the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in World War Two. In
some of the most horrific examples, prisoners suffocated in the heat after
being forced to eat salt and denied water; were starved and raped in prison
camps; were
made to jump off a bridge and shot; and were gunned down at night by the
hundreds after being driven out of detention with chemical gas. "For me
Mladic is a symbol of all horrible crimes that happened during the war - our
girls were raped, and boys killed, only because they were Muslim," said
Munira Subasic, whose son and husband were killed by Bosnian Serb forces after
they overran Srebrenica. "Germans had Hitler, Serbs have Mladic,"
Subasic continued. "There is no difference between the two."
Mladic
had a cameraman film the blitz on the encircled enclave of Srebrenica,
to show him extolling his
"lads" and haranguing Dutch U.N. peacekeepers who misguidedly
accepted his solemn word that the inhabitants would be safe in his hands.
Srebrenica supposedly had "safe area" status, meant to protect
civilians from ethnic cleansing. "We give this town to the Serb people as
a gift," Mladic said to the camera, claiming the victory as revenge
against Muslim Turks, who once held the area as part of the Ottoman Empire. The
next day, Mladic's forces were filmed handing out sweets to children, promising
their safe passage. Meanwhile, thousands of men and boys were being readied for
execution.
When
NATO tried in 1995 to rein in his forces with the threat of limited air
strikes, his troops defiantly seized U.N. peacekeepers as human shields,
chaining them to likely targets. In November 1996 Mladic and top generals gave
in to strong Western pressure that he step down as ordered by Bosnian Serb
President Biljana Plavsic, who succeeded Karadzic and was later jailed for her
role in war crimes.
SON
OF PARTISAN FIGHTER The son of a World War Two partisan fighter killed in 1945,
Mladic was an officer in the old communist Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) when
Yugoslavia's disintegration began in 1991. When Bosnian Serbs rose in 1992
against Bosnia's Muslim-led secession, Mladic was picked to command the new
Bosnian Serb army that swiftly overran 70% of the landlocked country. Dozens
of towns were besieged with heavy weapons that once belonged to the JNA and
villages were burned down as 22,000 troops of the U.N. Protection Force stood
by more or less helplessly, with orders not to take sides. A combination
of Western pressure, covert American arms and training for Croats and Muslims
gradually turned the tide against Mladic's army. Determined
NATO strikes did the rest.
SICK
AND FRAIL Despite
Western appeals, the reformists ruling Serbia after Milosevic's fall did not
dare move against a man who was a hero to a core of nationalist Serbs. Sporadic
sightings put him at a Belgrade horse race or a soccer match. In 2004, NATO said
he had toasted hard-drinking old comrades at his former bunker in
Han Pijesak, Bosnia. When he was finally arrested in 2011, he put up no
resistance. His right arm was lame, the apparent result of an untreated stroke.
He looked nothing like the burly general in camouflage who ruffled the hair of
a Srebrenica boy in 1995. He suffered a heart attack in 2013 and seemed
older than his years. By his own account, he felt like a frail old man. In
his few court appearances, he wavered between self-pity, smiling defiance
and vague distraction. "I am a very sick man," Mladic pleaded
to the court. In 2019, Mladic told the judges that he was too ill to
participate in outdoor exercises and requested leave to visit the graves of
family members in Serbia. The request was denied. His appeal against conviction
was rejected in 2021, as were repeated requests for his
release on compassionate grounds. In August 2026, a UN doctor found Mladic's
death "may occur at any time," possibly within weeks, but his
application for release was again rejected as not in
the interests of justice.
^
Finally some good news: the death of a War Criminal who murdered thousands. ^
62: Mary Poppins
62
years ago today (August 27, 1964) “Mary Poppins” first came out in theaters.
It
became the highest grossing Film of 1964 making $103 Million Dollars ($384
Million in 2026 Dollars.)
It
received a total of 13 Academy Award Nominations—a record for any Film released
by Walt Disney Studios—including Best Picture, and won 5: Best Actress for
Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and
Best Original Song for "Chim Chim Cher-ee".
Matthew
Garber (Michael Banks) died in 1977.
David
Tomlinson (Mr. Banks) died in 2000.
Glynis
Johns (Mrs. Banks) died in 2024.
Julie
Andrews (Mary Poppins) will be 91 in October.
Dick
Van Dyke (Bert) will be 101 in December.
A
Sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns”, was released on December 19, 2018 - making it
the longest interval between film Sequels in Cinematic History, at 54 years.
My
Mom loved this movie and I used to watch it with her.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Tim Curry
From the BBC:
“Rocky
Horror star Tim Curry dies at 80”
English
actor Tim Curry, best known for playing the outlandish Frank-N-Furter in film
musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, has died at the age of 80. Curry first
played the role on stage before the film version, which was released in 1975
and has remained a cult favourite. The actor also played fearsome clown
Pennywise in the 1990 TV version of Stephen King's It, and was Long John Silver
in 1996's Muppet Treasure Island. His other films included Annie, The Hunt for
Red October and Home Alone 2, and he was nominated for three Tony Awards on
Broadway.
Born
in Cheshire in 1946, Curry's first acting job after university was in the
original London production of groundbreaking rock musical Hair in 1968. In
1973, a fellow cast member, Richard O'Brien, asked Curry to audition for his
new musical, and cast him in the role of the flamboyant lingerie-clad
"sweet transvestite" Dr Frank-N-Furter. Curry first put his stamp on
the character of the riotous scientist on stage in the upstairs theatre at
London's Royal Court in 1973. The show's popularity snowballed and resulted in
a big-screen adaptation, which also starred Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick and
O'Brien. It was not an immediate hit at cinemas but became a fan favourite and
holds the record for the longest-running theatrical release in film history.
Curry's
varied career also saw him appear on screen in 1982 musical film Annie as Miss
Hannigan's con-artist brother, 1985 murder mystery Clue, fantasy Legend
alongside Tom Cruise also in 1985, and 1995 gorilla thriller Congo. In 2012,
Curry had a major stroke and had to use a wheelchair. He concentrated on voice
acting and continued to appear at film conventions. He published his memoir,
titled Vagabond, last year. Grand Central Publishing said: "We are deeply
saddened by the passing of Tim Curry, a singular talent whose extraordinary
career left an indelible mark on generations of audiences. "We are honored
to have published his work and grateful for the stories, imagination, and joy
he shared with readers. "Our hearts are with his loved ones and countless
fans around the world."
The
Los Angeles Police Department told BBC News officers had responded to a death
investigation for an 80-year-old man at 23:23 local time on Tuesday.
Accept Everyone
Dolly Parton accepted everyone.
She
accepted you if you were:
Gay
Straight
Southerner
Not
Southerner
Black
Hispanic
Latino
Asian
White
Republican
Democrat
Independent
Religious
Not
Religious
Rich
Poor
Homeless
Hungry
Illiterate
A
Veteran
Female
Male
Disabled
Not
Disabled
We
need to ALL be more like how Dolly Parton was.
Like
make September 25th (9-25) Dolly Parton Day.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Dolly Tributes
From Yahoo:
“Dolly
Parton tributes include Dionne Warwick, Kacey Musgraves, Jane Fonda and Vince
Gill”
Stars
are paying tribute to Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee,
at 80. Parton was among the most beloved personalities in music and beyond —
the rare celebrity whose appeal transcended generations, geography and
politics. Here is a roundup of notable reactions to Parton's death and legacy:
Dionne
Warwick, singer "The
Heavenly Father has made the decision to bring another of his children to him.
Dolly a true child of God is in the best hands now." — via statement
Paul
McCartney, singer-songwriter "Her
songwriting, her singing and her philanthropy were unrivaled in the world of
country music and it is hard to imagine living in a world without Dolly. She
was a very clever business woman who understood the value of her music and,
most importantly, the effect that she had on the people of the world. There was
no greater honour for me than to have her sing my song 'Let It Be' and, even
though I only made a small contribution to it, I am so honoured that she did
it." — via Instagram.
Jane
Fonda, actor and activist "I
never knew anyone like her. She was simultaneously a naughty, playful southern
gal from the hollows of Tennessee and a deep, soulful thinker who could see
through people right down to their true selves. She was many things … lyricist,
songstress, player of many instruments, writer, prankster, visionary, loyal
friend, who'd never go to bed before she and her friends had laughed so hard
they'd have to cross their legs." — via Instagram.
Linda
Ronstadt, singer-songwriter "I
am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend, Dolly Parton. One of the most
extraordinary musical experiences of my life was recording with her. The world
is a poorer place without her." — via statement
Bette
Midler, actor and singer "Our
beloved Dolly Parton has died. I am devastated, and I'm sure the nation will
mourn her as I do, and for many years to come. She had a voice of pure gold and
a heart to match. What a terrible, terrible loss." — via Instagram
Kelly
Clarkson, singer "Dolly
Parton had a way of making everyone feel special, and seen, and welcomed, and
as if you were old friends. I will miss her heart and her voice as I am sure
millions will. What an incredible gift and talent she was and still is with an
amazing catalogue of art she has left behind for all of us." — via X
Melissa
Etheridge, singer-songwriter "Words
fail me today, words to describe the spirit that was Dolly. I was blessed with
knowing her, just a little. We all were. I will strive the rest of my days to
be as joyful and loving as she was. Her talent and gifts she gave us will live
on for generations. We are a better world because she walked among us. May she
live in the stars of the night and in the light of our days." — via X
Kristin
Chenoweth, actor and singer "Like
the rest of the world, I'm immediately heartbroken. I met Dolly on several
occasions and she always made me feel like one of her own. She even agreed to
sing with me on one of my records. My ultimate inspiration. The world has lost
one of the best but I know we will never forget her because she is impossible
to forget. I love you Dolly and I will ALWAYS love you." — via X
Vince
Gill, musician "We
are all crushed here at our house. One of the most beautiful sounds I've ever
heard was when Dolly and I sang that last note of 'I Will Always Love You' the
year we performed it on the CMA Awards." — via a statement
Maggie
Rogers, singer-songwriter "One
of the greatest songwriters of all time beautiful radiant butterfly human. I
played with her at Newport once and I felt like my chest was on fire. I was so
wildly awe struck. thank you thank you a million times, dolly." — via
Instagram
Elizabeth
Banks, actor "This
is a really hard one today. Dolly Parton in show business is like the only
person to aspire to be. She is the most kind, the most loving, the most
talented, the most generous, the most inclusive, the most resilient, the most
gritty. She was undeniably a force of nature." — via Instagram
Kacey
Musgraves, singer "The
world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden." — via X
Blake
Shelton, singer and judge on 'The Voice' "I can say with absolute certainty that we are all
feeling the same heart brokenness today. I only got to spend any real time with
Dolly when Gwen and I got to work with her on 'The Voice.' I want everyone to
know that she was the EXACT person that you think she is. It was like being
with the funnest, most loving, most caring and closest member of your family.
Truly a loss for the entire world. We love you Dolly." — via X
Seth
MacFarlane, director and actor "The
news of Dolly Parton's passing is devastating. I had the extraordinary
experience of working with her on 'The Orville,' and it was a joy to discover
that she really was exactly the person we all hoped she was. Her kindness,
generosity, and authenticity were evident from moment one, and the benign yet
assured command she maintained over her empire was obvious from the genuine
love and trust you could see from everyone who worked for her. The world is a
dimmer place today without her." — via X
Reba
McEntire, singer and actor "Well,
I just got the news that my buddy Dolly passed onto the higher and greater
side. Dolly, thank you for all the wonderful things you did for us here on
earth. Your love, your music and you gave so much with your huge huge heart.
There will never ever be another you." — via X
Colman
Domingo, actor "Dolly
taught us that you can be anything and do anything and to do it with kindness.
What a light. We are all grateful that we lived in a time of Dolly Parton. We
will always love her." — via X
Ken
Burns, filmmaker behind the "Country Music" documentary miniseries "One of twelve children raised in a
cabin, Dolly Parton left home carrying nothing but songs to become the most
beloved figure in American music. She wrote 'I Will Always Love You' as a
goodbye to Porter Wagoner. Today it belongs to all of us." — via X
Dolly In Pictures
From the BBC:
“Dolly
Parton: A life in pictures”
Dolly
Parton, the country music superstar from the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, rose
from humble beginnings to become one of the most beloved entertainers in the
world.
(Dolly
Parton, bottom right, aged five)
Over
a career spanning more than 60 years, she sold more than 100 million records,
wrote more than 3,000 songs and won 11 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime
achievement honour.
Yet
she has always described herself first and foremost as a songwriter. "It's
my way of expressing myself. It's my therapy," she once said.
(Dolly
Parton upper right in the back and family at Christmas in 1960)
Dolly
Parton grew up in poverty in a one-room cabin on the banks of the Little Pigeon
River in Tennessee's Smoky Mountains, the fourth of 12 children.
(Dolly
Parton, aged 14, at Sevier County High School in 1960)
She
performed on local radio and television as a child and recorded her first
single at 13.
(Dolly
Parton pictured in 1965)
After
moving to Nashville the day after graduating from Sevier County High School,
Dolly Parton scored her first solo hit with Dumb Blonde in 1966.
(Country
singer Dolly Parton and her collaborator Porter Wagoner perform onstage in
circa 1967.)
In
1967, country star Porter Wagoner invited Parton to join The Porter Wagoner
Show, giving her a regular role on his nationally syndicated television
programme as well as a place in his touring stage show.
Her
breakthrough came with the album Hello, I'm Dolly.
(Parton
performing at the Grand Ole Opry)
Dolly
Parton became a member of the Grand Ole Opry on January 4, 1969.
She
has described the Opry as the "church of my heart" and said
performing there was a lifelong dream.
In
one remarkable 1973 writing session, Parton penned two of her signature hits –
Jolene and I Will Always Love You.
Having
written thousands of songs across her decades-long career, Parton said
songwriting was her greatest form of self-expression.
Known for her larger-than-life image, Dolly Parton combined rhinestones, wit and charm to sustain a career that crossed from country to mainstream pop.
She
headlined festivals and became a global star with albums such as Here You Come
Again.
(Kenny
Rogers performing with Parton in New York around 1985)
Parton
also became known for memorable collaborations, notably with Kenny Rogers,
whose duet Islands in the Stream became one of the defining hits of the 1980s.
While
Dolly Parton is best known for her decades-spanning music career, her work as
an actor has also left a lasting impression on film audiences.
(Workplace
comedy film 9 to 5 starred Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Dabney
Coleman)
Parton's
breakout screen role came in the 1980 workplace comedy 9 to 5, where she
starred alongside Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dabney Coleman.
Her
portrayal of Doralee Rhodes combined comic timing with warmth, helping to
redefine expectations of performers crossing over from music into film.
(Steel
Magnolias starred Parton, Shirley Maclaine, Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Julia
Roberts and Daryl Hannah)
She
followed this with roles in films such as The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,
alongside Burt Reynolds, and Steel Magnolias.
The
latter featured an ensemble cast including Julia Roberts and Sally Field
alongside Sylvester Stallone.
In
these performances, Parton demonstrated a balance of humour and emotional
depth, often anchoring scenes with a distinctly understated presence.
In
1986 Dolly Parton opened Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee,
near her birthplace.
It
became a major tourist attraction - one of the most visited regional theme
parks in the USA.
The
park's success helped fund Parton's charitable foundation and literacy
programme.
Through
her Imagination Library, founded in honour of her father who could not read,
Dolly Parton has given away more than 100 million free books to children around
the world.
Her
own book, Coat of Many Colours, was the 100 millionth book that programme
donated to the US Library of Congress collection.
A
council in Scotland announced it would dedicate a day to Dolly Parton every
year to mark the impact of her reading scheme.
Parton
personally donated millions to medical research and disaster relief.
The
singer also led several major disaster-relief efforts, most notably creating
the My People Fund after the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires which
distributed about $10m to families who lost homes.
She
lined up an all-star list of performers for a three-hour telethon to raise
money.
In
2024, she pledged $2m for Hurricane Helene relief in East Tennessee and
Appalachia, combining a personal donation with matching support from her
businesses and foundation.
(Parton
performed in the "legends slot" at Glastonbury in 2014)
Parton's
2014 Glastonbury Festival appearance quickly became one of the defining
"Legends" slot performances in the event's history.
Drawing
one of the festival's biggest-ever daytime crowds - estimated at more than
180,000 - she turned the Pyramid Stage into a mass singalong, with renditions
of Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You prompting scenes of near-universal
audience participation.
In
2019, Parton celebrated 50 years as an Opry member with a major televised
special called Dolly Parton: 50 Years at the Opry.
The
event featured performances and tributes from other country artists.
Her
decades-spanning relationship with the Opry helped cement its status as both a
guardian of country music tradition and a stage for modern stars.
Parton
gradually began to step away from major touring, saying she no longer wanted to
spend long stretches on the road.
Instead,
she focused on selective live shows, new recording projects and screen
appearances including Dolly Parton's Heartstrings, Mountain Magic and Christmas
on the Square for Netflix.
(Dolly
Parton encouraged her fans to get the Covid vaccine during the pandemic)
In 2021, Parton publicly received a Covid-19 vaccine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, using the moment to encourage others to do the same.
She
sang an adapted version of her hit Jolene, singing: "Vaccine, vaccine,
vaccine, vaccine, I'm begging of you, please don't hesitate."
Parton's
2022 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame marked a characteristically
self-aware turn.
Having initially said she had not "earned" the honour, she later embraced it with humour - declaring "I'm a rock star now" - before performing her new song Rockin', written especially for the ceremony, a symbolic step toward her later rock album Rockstar.
In
2023, Parton delivered another headline-grabbing live moment when she performed
at the Dallas Cowboys' Thanksgiving halftime show, appearing in a
rhinestone-studded Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders outfit.
More
recently, Parton continued to balance personal loss with new creative work.
Following
the death of her husband Carl Dean in 2025, she released If You Hadn't Been
There in tribute, while also continuing development of Dolly: A True Original
Musical, the stage production based on her life and career.
In
early 2026, Parton gave a pre-recorded tribute speech for Ozzy Osbourne at the
BRIT Awards in Manchester, where Ozzy received a posthumous Lifetime
Achievement Award.
Her
speech was short but was one of the emotional highlights of the ceremony.
Parton
had been due to return to the stage for a short Las Vegas residency, but
announced this month that she was cancelling the run because of health issues,
telling fans she needed "a little more time to heal".
She
will remain a cultural icon remembered for her generosity and humour, as well
as her extraordinary songwriting - the craft at the heart of a catalogue that
has shaped modern country music and crossed generations.
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