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Monday, March 07, 2016

A History of Friendship - PART TWO


I have no idea how to get rid of the grey highlights.  Sorry!

An hour later at Pop's Chocklit Shop, Jughead was filling in Archie, Betty, and Veronica about what he had seen in the hallways of Riverdale High, including how he had tried to engage in a conversation with the scared boy.
   “It was just so weird.”  Jughead explained.  “We were standing outside the gym and I was trying to get through to him, but he wouldn't talk to me.  He just looked like he wanted to get out of there.”
   “And you say that he's the new kid in Miss Grundy's class?”  Archie asked.
   “Yeah.”  Jughead said.  “Goes by...what was his name again?  Wally?  Woody?”
   “Wembley.”  Betty said.  “Wembley Morris.  He sits behind me in class.”
   “What's he like?”  Veronica asked.  “I don't think any of us really know him and he's been in class a month.”
   “To be completely honest, I don't really know.”  Betty said.  “I've tried to talk to him in class a couple of times, but he just refused to speak.  At first, I thought he was kind of snobby, but after hearing what Jughead said, I think that maybe something doesn't add up.”
   “I just wish I could have gotten to talk to him.”  Jughead said.  “For all we know, something could be wrong, and he just might not know exactly what to say.”
   “You could always try talking to him at school once the weekend's over.”  Archie suggested.
   “I guess.”  Jughead said.  
   “So.”  Veronica said.  “Archie, what time are you picking me up for the vampire movie tonight?”
   “He's not, because he's going with me.”  Betty said.  “Right, Archie?”
   Archie's face started to turn red, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.  “Ah, um, well...actually...I'm not going to go with either of you.”
   “What?”  Betty asked.
   “Why not?”  Veronica asked.
   “Well...I kind of sort of promised Jughead and Reggie that we would go and see the new horror film that's debuting at the mall movie theatre tonight.”  Archie said.  
   “We've been planning this for quite some time.”  Jughead said.
   “I hope you two understand.”  Archie said.
   Betty smiled.  “Of course we understand.”  
   Archie looked shocked.  “You...do?”
   “Of course we do.”  Veronica said.  “You're guys, and you need to have your bonding time.  I mean, what better way to bond than seeing flesh-eating zombies take over the world, right?”
   “I'm so relieved.”  Archie said, laughing.
   “Good.”  Veronica said.  “Because, you and I are going to see the vampire movie tomorrow night.”
   “We...are?”  Archie asked
   “And, then on Sunday night, you and I are going to see the same movie.”  Betty said.
   “We...are?!?”  Archie gasped.
   Betty and Veronica then stood up and each kissed Archie on the cheek.  “See you later.”  Veronica said, as she and Betty left Pop's.
   Archie looked as if he was punched in the stomach by Moose Mason.  “First I have to buy them all shakes...and now I have to scrape together enough cash to go on three movie dates.  What is the universe trying to tell me here?”
   “You're a cheapskate.”  Jughead said, sipping his soda.
   “Thanks.”  Archie said, looking slightly annoyed.  “I wonder what's keeping Reggie anyway?  We agreed that we would meet here at Pop's and from there we'd go to the movie theatre.”
   “Maybe he's running late from football practice.”  Jughead said.
   “Yeah, that's probably it.”  Archie said.
   “Hmmm...”  Jughead thought.  “...it was raining earlier today, wasn't it?  That would mean that Coach Kleats would have had the practice session in the gym today, would he not?”
   Archie sighed.  “You're still thinking about Wembley, aren't you?”
   “It just doesn't feel right.”  Jughead said.  “I found him outside the gym and it sounded like someone was picking on him.  You'd think that the football team or Coach Kleats would have noticed if something was going on.”
   “We could always ask Reggie if he saw anything when he arrives.”  Archie said.
   “Yeah, let's do that.”  Jughead said.
   Archie smiled.  “You know, you don't know this Wembley kid, but you seem to feel as though something may be wrong, and you want to help him.”
   “There's just something about him that makes me think that he's all right, and that he may need some help in dealing with whatever is going on, and that he's too afraid to talk about it.”  Jughead said.  “Or, maybe he just wanted a friend.  Believe me, I know all too well what that feeling is like.”
   “What do you mean?”  Archie asked.
   Before Jughead could answer, he caught something out of the corner of his eye.  He saw a young man, with brown hair, glasses, and a red sweatshirt and blue jeans make a beeline towards the booth next to the gumball machine.
   “Archie, look!”  Jughead said.  “That's Wembley!”
   “Yeah.”  Archie said.  “It sure is...but why is he sitting at that booth?  I don't think anyone has sat in that booth in the three years we've been at Riverdale High.”
   “I don't know, but I think we should join him.”  Jughead said.  “I mean, we're waiting for Reggie anyway.”
   “Are you sure about this, Jug?”  Archie asked.
   “We could always work on Miss Grundy's homework assignment.”  Jughead said.
   “You know, Wembley looks like he could use some company.”  Archie said.
Jughead and Archie decided to approach Wembley at the booth next to the gumball machine.  Jughead was hoping that this time, Wembley would stick around.
   “Hi.”  Jughead said.  “Would you mind if we joined you?”
   Wembley did not say a word.  Instead, he grabbed a nearby menu and buried his face in it, trying to make it seem that Archie and Jughead weren't there.
   “This is going well.”  Archie said.
   Unwilling to give up, Jughead sat down at the booth across from Wembley.  “Look...I know you're new in school, and I know that you're kind of quiet, and that's okay.  I was once like that too.  But, I'm sure that if you give my friend and I a chance to get to know you, you would find that you might like to know us too.”
   Wembley put down the menu and stared at Jughead intently, but still didn't speak.
   “Well, at least I can see your face now.”  Jughead said with a smile.  “Hey, listen.  I know you're in Miss Grundy's class.  I'm Jughead.  I sit in the back row on the opposite side of the room.  You may...have caught me sleeping in class a couple of times.”
   “A couple?”  Archie joked.
   Jughead shrugged his shoulders.  “The guy back there is Archie Andrews, my best friend.  Most days.”
   Archie laughed.  “He kids because he can.  Hey, Wembley.  Nice to meet you.”
   “You see?”  Jughead said.  “Archie wants to get to know you, and so do I.  But, it's kind of hard to get to know you if we don't know who you are.  We don't even know if you can speak!”
   Wembley cracked a tiny smile.  “I speak, all right.”
   “Oh my goodness!”  Jughead exclaimed.  “He speaks!”
   Archie nodded.  “I hear, I hear!”
   Wembley sighed.  “Okay, okay...I guess I don't have to be so nervous around you two.”
   “Of course you don't!”  Jughead said.  “Why would you be nervous at all?”
   Wembley sighed.  “It's a long story mate...I don't know if I really wanna go into it.”
   “It's okay.”  Jughead said.  “No rush.”
   “So, Wembley.”  Archie said.  “Tell us a bit about yourself.”
   “Well, I...um...there's not much to tell, really.”  Wembley said.  “I started at Riverdale High a month ago.  You two are really the first people who have actually come to me and welcomed me here.”
   “Really?”  Jughead exclaimed.  “You've been here a month and we're the first ones who have spoken to you?”
   “Well, no...”  Wembley said.  “...I mean, yes.  I mean...what I meant to say is...you two are the only ones who have welcomed me warmly.”
   “Again, I find that hard to believe.”  Jughead said.
   “I guess I'm just...quiet.”  Wembley said.  “It's not easy for me to...open up.”
   “Some people are like that.”  Jughead said.
   “Yeah, there's lots of people like that at Riverdale High.”  Archie said.  “All of us have had to overcome shyness at one point.  I have.  Certainly Jughead has.”
   “Yeah, but I don't think that either of you have quite had...the same things happen to you as I have.”  Wembley said.
   “Probably not, but you aren't alone in feeling shy at some point.”  Jughead said.
   Wembley sighed.  “I suppose.”
   Jughead smiled.  “Say...I have a great idea.  Archie and I are supposed to be going to the screening of the new horror movie tonight at the mall movie theatre along with a few of our friends.  Would you like to go?”
   “Yeah, Wembley.”  Archie said.  “We'd like it if you could go with us...maybe get to meet some more people?”
   “Who's all going?”  Wembley asked.
   “Well...us two.”  Jughead said.  “Reggie Mantle, Moose Mason, Chuck Clayton.”
   “Probably you'll see the Riverdale High football team there too.”  Archie said.  “Reggie says that they've been talking about going to see it since they saw the trailers for it online.”
   As soon as Archie mentioned the words 'football team', the colour in Wembley's face drained, and he looked as though he was going to be sick.
   “Wembley, are you all right?”  Jughead asked.
   “Oh...um...yeah.”  Wembley said.  “Just fine.  I just remembered that I don't like...um...I don't like horror movies.  They're too scary even for me.  I'm gonna pass.”
   “Sorry to hear that.”  Archie said.  “But, hey.  Maybe we can do something else this weekend.”
   “I'm...sorry, guys.”  Wembley said.  “Look.  I have to go.  Bye, guys.”
   Wembley stood up, left the booth, and darted out of the door, leaving Archie and Jughead very confused.
   “He sure left in a hurry.”  Archie said.
   “Yeah.”  Jughead said.  “Too much of a hurry.  Did you notice how oddly he reacted to us when you mentioned that the football team might be at the movie theatre tonight?”
   “Yeah, come to think of it, I did.”  Archie said.  
   “Something's up.”  Jughead said.  “When I saw Wembley outside the gym, he looked like he was visibly shaken.  And, the gym was where Coach Kleats held football practice today.  And, now when you mentioned the football team, Wembley clammed up and had to leave.  There's something about the football team that is making Wembley act this way.  It can't be a coincidence.”
   “What do you think it is?”  Archie said.
   “I'm not sure...but I'm going to find out.”  Jughead said.
   “And, how are you going to do that?”  Archie asked.
   “Like this.”  Jughead said, pointing towards a book on the table of the booth.
   “Is that...a history notebook?”  Archie asked.
   “Yes.”  Jughead said, looking on the inside cover.  “And, it belongs to Wembley Morris.  There's even an address on the cover.  I'm sure if I return this book to him tonight, maybe if I'm lucky, he'll open up to me more about why he gets so anxious about the football team.”
   “What about the movie?”  Archie asked.
   “Forget the movie.”  Jughead said.  “There's something going on with Wembley and he's for whatever reason too afraid or stubborn to talk about it.”
   “I don't know if you can do much.”  Archie said.  “But, if anyone can get through to him, I know you can.”
   “Thanks, pal.”  Jughead said.  “Just tell Reggie when he comes that I won't be at the movie.  Just tell him I had to babysit Jellybean.”
   “Why not tell him the truth?”  Archie asked.
   “Just a hunch.”  Jughead said.
   Archie nodded.  “Go on.  I'll see you later.”
   Jughead walked out of Pop's as Archie pondered the turn of events.  “Why would Jughead want me to lie to Reggie about where he was going?  And, why would Wembley react that way to the football team?  I know Jughead seems to have an idea of what's happening, but I think it's time I did some digging of my own.”

Sunday, March 06, 2016

A History Of Friendship - PART ONE


Hey, everyone!  One of the things that I like about writing is the chance to really tell a story.  And, sometimes it's fun to imagine yourself as one of the characters inside your favourite book, television series, or movie, and write a fan fiction about it.

Five years ago, I wrote this tale...and I've decided that I want to share it publicly with the world.  I hope you like it.

The story is called "A HISTORY OF FRIENDSHIP", and it stars the cast of the Archies.  Hell, I've wrote so much about the Archies here that I may as well make this an Archie Comics blog!  But for now, enjoy Part One.




It was 2:55 in the afternoon at Riverdale High School.  Five minutes were all that stood in the way before the dawn of another weekend.  The only barrier standing in the way of the school bell ringing was the tail-end of Miss Grundy's history class.'
   And for the students in the class, all of them were thinking about the weekend, and all the plans they were making for it.
   “I hope Archie asks me out so we can go and see that new vampire movie”.  Betty Cooper thought.
   “I hope Archie asks me out so we can go and see that new vampire movie”.  Veronica Lodge dreamed, with a sly smile forming across her mouth.
   “I hope I have enough money to be able to see the new horror film with Jughead and the guys.”  Archie Andrews thought.
   Jughead Jones meanwhile was rubbing his stomach with a weird look on his face.  “I am so hungry!!!  Please let this class end so I can run over to Pop's.”
   “It's almost time to go, and Grundy hasn't assigned any homework yet.”  Reggie Mantle thought triumphantly.  “This weekend couldn't get any better.”
   “Class.”  Miss Grundy said.  “Before class lets out, I'd like to talk about today's homework assignment.”
   The entire class groaned.
   “I knew it was too good to be true.”  Reggie muttered.
   “Goodbye weekend.”  Midge Klump sighed.
   “Now, now.”  Miss Grundy said with a smile.  “I think you will all really enjoy this assignment.”
   “We also enjoy eating ice cream, but that doesn't mean we want it every day.”  Veronica piped up.
   “Speak for yourself, Ronnie.”  Jughead said.
   “Veronica, Jughead, enough.”  Miss Grundy said.  “And to anyone else who keeps interrupting, I'll keep the class in late until I explain the homework assignment in detail.”
   “What is the homework, Miss Grundy?”  Betty asked.
   “I'm glad you asked, Betty.”  Miss Grundy said.  “Since we just finished our unit on twentieth century history, I've designed a project for all of you to take part in.  I would like each one of you to bring in something from your homes that holds some significance in your life, or those of your families.  I'd also like you all to write a five hundred word composition about the item you bring in, and you will be asked to submit an oral presentation of your item.”
   “Sounds pretty cool.”  Chuck Clayton said.
   “Are there any restrictions as to what items we can bring?”  Archie asked.
   “Well, obviously no weapons or anything similar to that will be allowed.”  Miss Grundy said.  “But, as long as the item is from the twentieth century and has some sort of meaning for you or your family, you can bring in anything you wish.”
   As soon as Miss Grundy finished her statement, the sound of a ringing bell was heard throughout the school, and the students inside Miss Grundy's classroom stood up and headed towards the classroom door.
   “Okay, class, that's all for today.”  Miss Grundy said with a smile.  “Have a great weekend, and think about what you want to do for your project.  I want to start the oral reports on Friday the twenty-first, so you have one week to prepare your assignments.  Thank you.”
   Outside in the main hallway, Archie, Betty, Jughead, Veronica, and Reggie gathered around the wall of lockers next to Miss Grundy's classroom door.
   “Can you believe Miss Grundy assigning us a homework assignment like that and expecting us to have it done in just a week?”  Reggie whined.  “Why couldn't she just give us a break from homework?”
   “Yeah, really.”  Veronica said.  “She always seems to want to take all the fun out of things, doesn't she?”
   “Come on, guys.”  Betty said.  “I think this assignment could be a lot of fun.”
   “Yeah.”  Jughead said.  “Imagine...doing a history assignment on anything that existed in the twentieth century.  I could do a project on the greatest junk foods of the last hundred years.  I might need more than 500 words to do it justice.”
   “Jughead, it's a project that's to demonstrate the history of the last one hundred years, not a project to see how much food you can eat.”  Archie said.
   “I can make food educational.”  Jughead said.
   “What are you going to bring in?”  Archie asked Betty.
   “I may bring in a couple of diaries from Lydia, the writer friend of mine who passed away some time ago.”  Betty said.  “Her accounts of her life as a teenager in the early twentieth century is beautiful, yet tragic at the same time.  I think people will be really moved.  How about you?”
   “I was thinking about bringing in my grandfather's old bagpipes to celebrate our Scottish history.”  Archie said.
   “Please don't entertain us with a song, Archie.  History class is already unbearable enough as it is.”  Reggie scoffed.
   “Har-dee-har-har.”  Archie said, sarcastically.
   “You're certainly in a mood.”  Veronica said.
   “I can't help it.”  Reggie said.  “It's bad enough Coach Kleats is doubling our football practice time in wake of the big Riverdale vs. Central homecoming game.  With Miss Grundy's history assignment, it's as if I don't have any moments to myself.”
   “Maybe you should bring along a bottle of glass cleaner along with your favourite mirror for your project so that you can make homework fun.”  Jughead said with a smirk on his face.
   “That's not a bad idea.”  Reggie said, smiling.
   “Reggie, I was kidding.”  Jughead said.
   “I wasn't.”  Reggie said.
   “You know, I think that we should get out of here.”  Veronica said.  “Archie, I'm going to let you buy me a shake at Pop's and then we'll work on our homework together.”
   “Veronica, first of all, it's a solo project, and secondly, Archie promised to buy me a shake during lunch.”  Betty said.
   “Why don't I just buy one shake, and put three straws inside of it like we always do?”  Archie asked.
   Betty and Veronica gave each other a look and walked towards the end of the hallway.
   Archie just shook his head.  “Was it something I said?”
   Reggie and Jughead exchanged a look.
   “Archie...I'd love to tell you all about the blunder you made, but I'm late for football practice.”  Reggie said.  “Bye.”
   As Reggie left, Archie turned towards Jughead.  “Jughead, what is it about women?”
   Jughead stared at Archie.  “You're asking ME?”
   Archie smiled.  “Nevermind, Jug.”  he said, realizing his mistake.  Look, I'd better go to Pop's...right after I hit the bank machine for enough money for three shakes...you coming?”
   “Give me a second.”  Jughead said.  “I just realized that I have to grab a snack from my locker.”
   “Jughead, aren't we going to Pop's FOR a snack?”  Archie asked.
   “Well, I need something to eat on the way!”  Jughead said.
   Archie shook his head.  “I'll wait for you outside.”
   Archie turned around and headed towards the door while Jughead walked across the hall to open up his locker.  As Jughead fiddled around with the combination lock, he heard something coming from further down the hall.
   “Sounds like some people are more excited about the weekend than others.”  Jughead concluded.
   Then Jughead heard the sound of someone's voice yelling “Leave me alone!”
   Jughead immediately ran down the hall to investigate.  By the time he arrived at the end of the hall where the gymnasium was, all Jughead could see was a boy who looked like he was not having a good day.  Jughead recognized the boy as being in Miss Grundy's history class, but that was all that he knew of him, other than the fact that he had only arrived at Riverdale High a month prior to today.
   Jughead approached the boy.  “Hey, kid...you all right?”
   The boy refused to look at Jughead, instead staring down at his shoes.
   “I said...are you okay?”  Jughead said, coming closer.
   The boy started to back away and left the hallway without saying a word to Jughead, his feet making double time as he showed a facial expression that read 'I need to leave now'.
   “Wonder what that was about?”  Jughead wondered.

Thursday, March 03, 2016

Matthew-ology



Okay, so I'm reposting something that I did years ago with updated answers because I have a bit of writer's block.  I'll have a better topic over the weekend.  In the meantime, enjoy this piece, and who knows?  Maybe you'd like to try it out yourself!

RULES: 

When you get tagged, wipe out my answers and supply your own. After, choose some people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If you were tagged, it's because I want to know more about you. Make a new note. Let others know a little more about yourself, re-post this as your name followed by "ology". 

***********FOODOLOGY***************

1. What is your salad dressing of choice?

EITHER BACON CAESAR OR MANGO POPPYSEED
2. What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?

KELSEY'S OR BOSTON PIZZA
3. What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of?

PIZZA 
4. What are your pizza toppings of choice? 

PEPPERONI, BACON, MUSHROOMS 
5.What do you like to put on your toast? 

PEANUT BUTTER

***********TECHNOLOGY*************** 

1. How many televisions are in your house?

2 
2. What color cell phone do you have? 

BLUE
3. How long would it take you to look up who invented the Rubber Band? 

PROBABLY SECONDS WITH GOOGLE
4. Have any idea how may Megahertz your computer has?

WHAT?!? 

***************BIOLOGY****************** 

1. Are you right-handed or left-handed? 

RIGHTY
2. Have you ever had anything removed from your body? 

GALL BLADDER AND 1/4 OF A LIVER 
3. What is the last heavy item you lifted?

A GIANT BAG FILLED WITH 16 3KG BAGS OF CARROTS 
4. Have you ever been knocked unconscious? 

IF I WERE KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS, I WOULDN'T REMEMBER... 

************BULLCRAPOLOGY************** 

1. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? 

NEVER 
2. If you could change your name, what would you change it to? 

I WOULDN'T CHANGE IT
3. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?

ONLY $1000?

**********DUMBOLOGY****************** 

1. How many pairs of flip flops do you own?

ZERO
2. Last time you had a run-in with the cops.

NEVER
3. Last person you talked to?

THE PARENTALS
4. Last person you hugged?

I HAVE NO IDEA...I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG IT'S BEEN.  SAD, HUH?

**************FAVORITOLOGY**************** 

1. Season? 

AUTUMN
2. Holiday?

EASTER
3. Day of the week?

MONDAY - MOST MONDAYS I'M OFF WORK!
4. Month? 

TOSS UP BETWEEN MAY AND SEPTEMBER

***********CURRENTOLOGY***************** 

1. Missing someone? 

YES...
2. Mood? 

SLEEPY
3. What are you listening to? 

TRAFFIC PASSING BY
4. Watching? 

NOTHING RIGHT NOW

***************RANDOMOLOGY***************** 

1. First place you went this morning?

BANK
2. What's the last movie you saw? 

I BELIEVE IT WAS INSIDE OUT
3. Do you smile often? 

NOT OFTEN ENOUGH
4. Sleeping alone tonight? 

YEAH...

***************OTHER-OLOGY***************** 

1. Do you always answer your phone? 

ONLY IF I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO 
2. It's four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? 

SOMEONE WHO REALLY SHOULDN'T BE TEXTING ME AT THAT HOUR
3. If you could change your eye color what would it be? 

BLUE
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? 

THE ONLY SONIC WE HAVE HERE IS MY SONIC THE HEDGEHOG VIDEO GAME 
5. Do you own a digital camera? 

YES
6. Have you ever had a pet fish? 

SEVERAL OVER THE YEARS 
7. Favorite Christmas song(s): 

O HOLY NIGHT, THE CHIPMUNKS SONG 
8. What's on your wish list for your birthday?
HONESTLY, I'D SETTLE FOR A NIGHT OUT WITH GOOD FRIENDS
9. Can you do push ups?
NOT WELL 
10. Can you do a chin up? 

F@#$ NO!!! 
12. Do you have any saved texts? 

NO 
14. Do you have an accent? 

APPARENTLY, SOME THINK I'M AMERICAN...
15. What is the last song to make you cry? 

I DON'T THINK I'VE HAD A SONG MAKE ME CRY...UNLESS IT'S THAT STUPID CHRISTMAS SHOES SONG. 
16. Plans tonight? 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 
17. Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? 

YES.  1991, 1998, 2003, 2012, and 2013 WERE BAD YEARS...
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday. 

BREAD, BARBECUE SAUCE, CANDY BAR
19. Have you ever been given roses? 

ONLY ONCE - WHEN I WAS RECOVERING FROM SURGERY 
20. Current worry? 

MY DAD IS FEELING A LITTLE ILL, AND I WANT HIM TO FEEL BETTER
21. Current hate right now? 

KATHLEEN WYNNE AND THE ONTARIO GOVERNMENT
22. Met someone who changed your life? 

IN A WAY, YEAH...
23. How will you bring in the New Year? 

ASK ME AROUND 12/31/2016
24. What song represents you? 

I'M STILL STANDING/ELTON JOHN
25. Name three people who might complete this? 

?!?!? 
26. Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? 

POSSIBLY. 
27. Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? 

THIS WILL SOUND LIKE I'M A LOSER, BUT NO 
28. Do you have any tattoos/piercings? 

NONE 
29. Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now? 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! 
30. Does anyone love you? 

I'M NOT THE EASIEST PERSON TO LOVE
31. Ever had someone sing to you? 

TERRIBLY
32. When did you last cry? 

WHEN I WAS SICK WITH THE FLU FOUR MONTHS AGO
33. Do you like to cuddle? 

I DO...WHY, YOU OFFERING? 
34. Have you held hands with anyone today? 

HIGH-FIVED, YES. HELD, NO. 
35. What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? 

I ATTENDED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FROM 1986-1995, SO MOSTLY POP, R&B. 
37. Do you like pulpy orange juice? 

THE LESS PULP, THE BETTER

Tuesday, March 01, 2016

March 1, 1987

Welcome to the first of March, and as of right now, it's coming in like a lamb.  Of course, that is for now.  We're in line to get a severe winter storm in the next day or so, so we'll see how ferocious that is.

Damn winter.

Anyway, it's the first Tuesday Timeline of a brand new month, so let us begin with a look back on some of the historical events of March 1.

1565 - The city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is founded

1692 - The Salem Witch Trials begin

1803 - Ohio becomes the seventeenth state to join the United States of America

1867 - Nebraska becomes the thirty-seventh state to join the United States of America where the state capital of Lancaster is renamed after Abraham Lincoln

1872 - Yellowstone National Park is established as the first global national park

1873 - Production begins on the first practical typewriter

1893 - Nikola Tesla gives the first public demonstration of radio in St. Louis, Missouri

1896 - Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity

1904 - Bandleader Glenn Miller (d. 1944) is born in Clarinda, Iowa

1912 - The first parachute jump made from a moving airplane is performed by Albert Berry

1932 - Charles Lindbergh's son is kidnapped; his remains would be found May 12

1936 - Construction of the Hoover Dam is completed

1941 - In Nashville, Tennessee, the first American FM radio station begins broadcasting

1954 - The Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb is detonated on Bikini Atoll as part of nuclear weapons tests

1961 - The Peace Corps is established by President John F. Kennedy

1974 - Seven people are indicted for the roles they played in the Watergate Scandal

1992 - Bosnia and Herzegovina declare its independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

1995 - The online search engine Yahoo! is launched

1998 - The 1997 film Titanic becomes the first film in history to gross one billion dollars at the box office

2006 - Wikipedia publishes its one millionth article

2013 - Actress Bonnie Franklin passes away at the age of 69

2014 - A mass stabbing takes place at Kunming Railway Station in China, leaving 29 people dead

And celebrating a birthday today are the following famous faces; Harry Belafonte, Robert Conrad, Jerry Fisher, Danilo Bach, Roger Daltrey, Dirk Benedict, Lana Wood, Alan Thicke, Nevada Barr, Catherine Bach, Ron Howard, Tim Daly, Nik Kershaw, Benedict Allen, Rob Affuso, Thomas Anders, Maurice Benard, Ron Francis, Russell Wong, Booker T, Zack Snyder, George Eads, Javier Bardem, Jack Davenport, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tate Stevens, Esther Canadas, Jensen Ackles, Bruno Langlois, Adam LaVorgna, Naima Mora, and Justin Bieber.

Okay, so what date are we going to take a look at this week?



Hmmm...March 1, 1987.  I think I can go with that.

I even kind of remember that date hazily.  I was in the middle of my kindergarten year, and I remember being very much into watching "Today's Special", "Polka Dot Door" and "The Price Is Right" with Bob Barker.  Of course, I could only watch that show when I was sick from school because we didn't have a VCR to record it.  Actually, come to think of it, I didn't even know what a VCR was in '87.

Ah, but I'm rambling on.  I'll stop now.

Seriously though, there is a reason why I wanted to use this date.  It happens to be the birthdate of someone famous who is going through a lot of crazy stuff right now, and I really sort of wanted to use this blog entry as a sort of social commentary piece while celebrating her career - well, her very short career thus far anyway.

Perhaps you may already know who I am talking about, but if not, here's a clue, courtesy of one of my favourite Simpsons couch gags ever seen on the show.



Okay, so maybe "Tik Tok" on the clock might make your party stop, yo.  I'll admit it's not my favourite song.  If anything, I much prefer this song.



ARTIST:  Kesha
SONG:  Your Love Is My Drug
ALBUM:  Animal
DATE RELEASED:  May 14, 2010
PEAK POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:  #4



You know, say what you want about Kesha.  Whether you loved her with or without the dollar sign, she definitely understands the world of pop music and what a killer hook is.  And today she happens to be turning 29 years old. 

However, I don't know if this birthday will necessarily be a happy one for the Los Angeles born singer.  I'm sure that if any of you have been keeping up with the news, Kesha's been experiencing a lot of problems, and while everyone has a different opinion about what she is going through, I'm just going to say it.  I think she got a raw deal, as well as a miscarriage of justice, and I think that the ruling in her court case will have dire repercussions, not just for herself, but for women everywhere.

I suppose I should explain.

Back in 2005, when Kesha was only eighteen, she was signed to Kemosabe Records, a record label under the Sony Music label that was owned by Dr. Luke (real name Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald).  Although it took a few years for Kesha to make her mark on the charts, she found success in 2009 when she became a guest vocalist on Flo Rida's chart-topping single "Right Round" - which I'll have to admit is one of the only songs from 2009 I actually like.  I think 2009 was easily the worst year of the 2000s as far as music goes...but that's just my opinion.

On January 1, 2010, Kesha released her debut album "Animal", which included "Tik Tok", "My Love Is Your Drug", "Take It Off", and a collaboration that she performed with 3OH!3 entitled "Blah Blah Blah".

(Hey, I can't say that they were all winners.)



However, Kesha quickly recorded a second album, "Cannibal", in late 2010, which essentially was a companion piece to "Animal", and contained the hit singles "We R Who We R" and "Blow".  Following that success came a third release, "Warrior", which saw the single "Die Young" become Kesha's seventh Top 10 hit.



In addition to performing her own singles, Kesha began to pen compositions for other artists as well.  You remember the hit that Britney Spears had with "Till The World Ends"?  Kesha wrote that song.  Interestingly enough, it is one of the few hits from Britney's later career that I don't mind listening to.

But sometime around 2013, the hits stopped coming and Kesha's musical career seemingly dried up.  And it wasn't until October 2014 until we had an inkling of what was going on.

That was the time in which Kesha publicly accused Dr. Luke of sexual assault and battery. emotional abuse, sexual harassment, and violation of business practices as laid out in the California courts.

Now, it's a fair statement to say that we don't exactly know what really transpired between her and Dr. Luke.  The allegations from both sides of the conflict are strictly allegations.  However, in this case I am inclined to think that while maybe not all the claims that Kesha has made are factual, I tend to believe that a good portion of her accounts really did happen.  She wanted to sever all ties with Dr. Luke and his record company and she wanted to start over at a new recording studio, which tells me that something serious did happen.  Something so serious that she doesn't even want to be in the same room with him.  Again, we don't know what exactly happened, but I certainly can't see Kesha gaining anything from lying about something so disgusting as sexual assault.

Unfortunately for Kesha, a judge ruled in February 2016 that there wasn't enough evidence presented to warrant terminating Kesha's contract with Kemosabe Records, so as a result, she will have to stay with the company until her contract expires, which means that Kesha cannot record music with any other company until her commitment with Dr. Luke and Kemosabe Records was up.

My opinion?  I think it's wrong.

Regardless of what happened, it is absolutely wrong to keep someone at the same record company as the person who allegedly abused them.  It's almost as if the courts punish the victim for speaking out about being abused, and that is such a step backwards that it makes me so angry.  I worry that because of this decision that people will think that abuse is okay...but even worse, I worry that this decision will stop victims of abuse from speaking out and telling their stories for fear that nothing will be done about it.  And that is just the wrong attitude to have.

Fortunately for Kesha, she seems to have some people standing by her during this time.  With Taylor Swift leading the charge and donating some money to her, several celebs have launched a movement to buy out Kesha's contract so that she can be free to make her own decisions regarding her music.

Here's hoping that as she celebrates turning 29, Kesha will start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Monday, February 29, 2016

February 29, 1940

Hey, everybody!  Welcome to the final day of February!

You know, February 29 is a very special day.  It's a day that only comes around once every four years in most cases.  Believe it or not, February 29 is a day that occurs every four years except for in years that are not divisible by 400.  So, in 1900, there was no February 29, but in 2000 there was.  That being said, there will be no February 29 in the year 2100...but that really doesn't matter since only a small fraction of us will be alive to see 2100 in - unless I happen to live to be 118, that is.

So, since it is the 29th, I thought that I would a special Monday Timeline for all of you.  Normally I would have waited until Tuesday, but since the next time February 29 will fall on a Tuesday won't be until 2028 and I don't know if this blog will last until then, I'm doing one today.

So, here's some of the events that have taken place on this special day.

1504 - Christopher Columbus convinces Native Americans to give him supplies using his knowledge of the lunar eclipse in his favour

1712 - As a result of Sweden wanting to go back to the Old Style calendar, a February 30 is added to the calendar in Sweden.

1796 - The Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States comes into force

1892 - The community of St. Petersburg, Florida is incorporated

1904 - Saxophonist/bandleader Jimmy Dorsey (d. 1957) is born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania

1912 - The Piedra Movediza of Tandil falls and breaks

1916 - Singer/actress Dinah Shore (d. 1994) is born in Winchester, Tennessee

1936 - Actor Alex Rocco (d. 2015) is born in Cambridge, Massachusetts

1940 - During World War II, Finland initiates Winter War peace negotiations

1944 - The Admiralty Islands are invaded in Operation Brewer

1960 - An earthquake destroys the city of Agadir, Morocco, killing 12,000

1964 - Australian swimmer Dawn Fraser swims the 100-meter freestyle competition in 58.9 seconds - a new world record

1972 - South Korea withdraws 11,000 of its 48,000 troops from Vietnam

1980 - Gordie Howe scores his 800th goal

1988 - Desmond Tutu is arrested with 100 clergymen in South Africa for anti-apartheid protests

1996 - 123 people are killed following the crash of Faucett Flight 251 in the Andes Mountains

2012 - Monkees singer Davy Jones passes away at the age of 66

Now for celebrity birthdays, we don't really have a whole lot of them, but turning one year (or is it four years) older and actually getting an honest to goodness birthday this year are Joss Ackland, Tempest Storm, Hermione Lee, Patricia A. McKillip, Al Autry, Jonathan Coleman, J. Randy Tarraborelli, Tony Robbins, Frank Woodley, Antonio Sabato Jr., Zoe Baker, Ja Rule, Chris Conley, Simon Gagne, Rakhee Thakrar, Cam Ward, Mark Foster, Majesty Rose, and Claudia Williams.

So, given that February 29 is a special day, I thought I would choose a very special date to focus on.



That date is February 29, 1940.

Okay, so as we close out the month of February, a couple of major events have just concluded.

February happens to be "Black History Month", and despite what Stacey Dash has said about it, is a celebration of all of the contributions of people who are African, African-American, African-Canadian, etc, as well as some of the hardships that these people have had to endure for centuries.  It's an important piece of the history curriculum that should be focused on, and a lot of people from Rosa Parks to Nelson Mandela, and even Oprah Winfrey have made their mark in the history books.  February 29 happens to be the conclusion of Black History month, and today's subject is a name that definitely belongs in that category.

As well, the Academy Awards aired its 88th ceremony last night, and while all of the winners were celebrated last night, the actual nominations caused controversy with the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.  And, yes, I did do a blog post issuing my thoughts about it.  If you click HERE, you can read it.  Well, this Tuesday Timeline subject is also about the Oscars as well.

In fact, I may as well go ahead and tell you what the subject is.  Today marks the 76th anniversary of the day that a woman made history because on February 29, 1940, the first African-American won an Academy Award.



That person was actress Hattie McDaniel, who at the time was thirty-four years old.  She was born June 10, 1895 as the thirteenth child of two former slaves, and she had an interest in performing, writing songs, and acting.  And during the 1920s and 1930s, she did everything she could to satisfy her love of the arts, all while facing the hardships of discrimination and poverty.

But it wouldn't be until 1939 that McDaniel would gain notoriety for the film role that would earn her that Academy Award.



The film, of course, was "Gone with the Wind", a 1939 drama that became the highest grossing film that year - even making more money than "The Wizard of Oz"!  And while the competition was fierce regarding the coveted roles of Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler, there was just as much competition for the role of Mammy, the maid of the O'Hara manor.  Initially, Eleanor Roosevelt had suggested that her own maid, Elizabeth McDuffie be given the part, but that suggestion was denied.  And even Hattie McDaniel had reservations about even auditioning for the role of Mammy.  She was by all accounts a comic actress, and she didn't think she quite fit in for a role in a serious historical romance like "Gone with the Wind". 

However, McDaniel wasn't about to walk away without a fight, and she reportedly showed up to audition for the part in an authentic maid uniform.  It seemed to do the trick, as McDaniel was soon cast in the role, although a popular tale that seems to have made the rounds was that actor Clark Gabel had made the suggestion to producers to hire McDaniel as Mammy.  I don't know if we'll ever know the real truth, although Gabel and McDaniel had become close.  In fact, when the film was being premiered in Atlanta, Georgia, and executives from MGM had been told to exclude all black actors from attending the function, Gable had been so disgusted by this decision that he almost boycotted the premiere.  It was McDaniel herself who convinced him to go.

It actually makes me really sad to know that the woman who became a huge star in that film was never considered worthy enough to attend the Atlanta premiere because of the colour of her skin.  Could you imagine something like that happening in 2016?  There would be so much outrage!  It is to McDaniel's credit that she stayed classy through the whole ordeal.  She had every reason not to, mind you, but she took the high road during the whole thing, which may have swayed the Academy Awards committee to vote for her to win.

Not only was she the first African-American to win an Academy Award, she was also the first African-American to even be nominated!  And even though the Atlanta premiere turned out to be a complete debacle, she was allowed to attend the Hollywood premiere (at the insistence of studio head David Selznick) where her image was restored onto all movie posters and programs.

And to close off this piece, have a look at Hattie McDaniel's acceptance speech, as given on February 29, 1940...

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, fellow members of the motion picture industry and honored guests: This is one of the happiest moments of my life, and I want to thank each one of you who had a part in selecting me for one of their awards, for your kindness. It has made me feel very, very humble; and I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future. I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel, and may I say thank you and God bless you.