"...Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles." Hamlet

.....My latest publication is a hard cover book titled "The Slings and Arrows".  It sells for $22 at Lulu.com and has 212 pages of  my blog posts--with comments--from Feb.26 to Sept. 17, 2012. If you want to get it cheaper, I'll need your address. It will be $22 anyway with the shipping charges.  Let me say, that I believe you will find it interesting even if you have read some or all of the posts on this blog.  I really don't know if I can continue to write anything on the blog as much or as often as I have done in the five years that I've been at it.  I'd like to spend some time on other projects that I have in mind.  

.....We are still waiting patiently for Huston to emerge from where Katrina keeps him.  If he arrives in time for the Presidential election, Obama could use his vote.  Or Romney.
But Romney believes that he will have too many entitlements, and to an extent that is true.  But as he will be too young, he is entitled to entitlements  until he can go to work, assuming he can get a job.  Why am I babbling like this?  Whatever will be will be.  But he better hurry up, I'm getting nervous.  

.....Have y'all been watching the electioneering on your TVs?  They are getting nastier by the day.  Since Romney has bags full of money, his TV posturing is outslugging Obama's.  If he happens to win the White House, we will have a shrinking middle class in this country.  He thinks that people who don't pay taxes should stop living off of entitlements and go to work.  He says he will create jobs but doesn't quite explain how he is going to do that.  And his reaction to Obama's response to the terrorist attack on our Libyan embassy was shameful.  And he claims to be a patriot.  

"...whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or take arms against a sea of troubles?" (HAMLET)

.....Still awaiting the arrival of the first Great Grandson, Huston Lee Hudgins.  His outcoming is expected before the end of the month. If it doesn't happen, he probably doesn't want to come here, and you can't blame him.  The world is not very often a happy place--even here in the best country in the universe--except perhaps Great Britain which, at least, has the name "Great" as part of it.  I don't think "Great United States" or "Great America" works very well.  But, whatever will be, will be. 

.....I just published the eleventh volume of the blog series "Home of the Red Baron".  Its title is "The Slings and Arrows".  I thought this title would indicate the travails of aging, and the medications and medical bills that attend the process.  The "Baron" blog, after all, and for the most part, recounts my life in retirement since 1982; indeed there have been slings and arrows along the way.  But I suppose that is concomitant with becoming a "senior senior".  Nevertheless, in spite of the bumps and bruises along the way, my golden years have been relatively happy and productive ones.  It is during this time that I have accomplished several of my life's goals--not the least of which is to write my "Memoirs" and do a few things in the performing arts.  Publishing eleven books of the blog journal has been a bonus--and a rewarding one.  
.....But now, there must be something else that is left to do before I retire to the bourn where no traveler returns.  Right now I don't know what it is, but perhaps Google knows. At one time, however, it was the "Shadow" who knew, but slings and arrows caught up to him.

.....Today is the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish Holy Days.  Rhoda, dutifully went to temple services while I stayed at home doing this. I'm really a tooth fairy agnostic--and an evolutionist.  But, nevertheless, I do wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. L'Shana Tovah.   

" O' Lord, what fools these mortals be." (Midsummer Night's Dream)

.....Why do so many people believe that Barack Obama "hasn't accomplished anything" when he has gotten more done in three years than any president in decades.  In the past century every president failed to pass laws that would guarantee every American's right to health insurance.  Yet, Obama created the Affordable Care Act that would insure 32 million Americans beginning in 2014. The Supreme Court ruled it to be Constitutional.  (And Romney wants to repeal it as soon as he gets seated in the White House).  Obama signed the $787 billion American Recovery & Reinvestment Act. Known as the "stimulous" and shortly after it went into effect, unemployment claims decreased, and in a year the private sector began creating nearly 4 million jobs and is continuing to do so. (And the GOP calls it a failure.)  He passed a Wall Street Reform Act  to regulate banks whose practices caused the great Recession.  (But the GOP opposed the regulations). 

.....Obama ended the war in Iraq and brought the last troops home in December; and he began to draw down the war in Afghanistan bringing home 23,000 troops this summer and hopes to end combat missions there beginning next year. (Republicans oppose this, so if they win the White House, maybe they'll start up the war again.  After all, armaments must make money).  Obama eliminated Osama bin Laden,our greatest enemy.  He reversed the torture policy of President Bush. He turned around the U.S. Auto Industry. (Romney was opposed to lavish any money on it).  He repealed "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". (Republicans were incensed).  He helped topple Gaddaffi and told Mubarak to "go".  He made Hillary Clinton Secretary of State, and she may very likely be the next President of the United States in 2016. (I may not be voting at that time).

.....He improved America's image abroad, and increased financial support for Veterans.    He increased the sanctions on Iran. He protected two liberal seats on the Supreme Court. He signed a new START treaty with Russia. Obama signed the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act which protected 2 million acres as wilderness, created thousands of miles of recreational and historic trails, and protected more than 1,000 miles of rivers.  

....All this is by no means everything that this president has accomplished, and he will not presume to mention everything that has passed by his desk; and the reason is, of course, that most Americans are concerned about the economy.  But what they refuse to understand is that fixing the economy the way that they would like it is not something that can happen overnight, and that the recession is not of his doing. Why lose sight of what he has done? If America wants something accomplished, then vote Republican and they will accomplish banning the rights of women to make their own decisions about their bodies without government intervention; they will accomplish repeal of health reform; they will accomplish changing Medicare to a voucher system and reform Social Security so it will be of no aid eventually to children of the Middle Class.   If the Tea Party takes the wheel of the Republican wagon, they will drive us back to the Age of the Flood.  I wonder, then, did Noah check to make sure no same-sex animal couples came aboard the Ark?

"I would rather be right than President" (Henry Clay)

.....…..By the way, I have not been watching the Republican Convention because it would scare me, but my body shuts it down.   I’m already scared enough to think that these two guys may be running the country for the next eight years.  I believe I am familiar enough with their objectives: 1.Repeal the Obama health care act; 2.After getting their own judges on the Supreme Court, repeal Roe V. Wade and take away the right of women to make decisions about their own bodies; 3.Change Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security as we know it now; 4. Reduce taxes on the wealthiest so that they can be more wealthy; 5.Bring back restrictions on Gays in the military; 6.Pass an amendment to the Constitution barring same sex marriages 7; Repeal Obama’s Dream Act for young illegals born and raised as Americans. 8; Build a fence on the Mexican border high enough so that pole vaulters cannot get in here.9.Deport millions of illegal immigrants who have lived and worked here as good citizens for many years.  I have an idea of who will vote for R&R (Rich & Rabid)…but as many of you have guessed, I won’t...don't ask, don't tell.

.....I certainly do not mean to offend any of my readers who think Obama hasn't accomplished anything, and they can voice their objections to him by leaving a comment at the end of this posting.  I do know several friends, neighbors,students, and former colleagues who plan to vote for Rich and Rabid, and that is their right. It's still a free country--in spite of what the tea party believes.  However, my Republican friends must keep in mind that Obama has saved the auto industry in this country; he has passed an affordable health bill (which no other President could do); he has eliminated our worst enemy by agreeing to the bold mission as he has a right to do as Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces; and he is a breath of fresh air as President with his personality and his lovely family.  He has tried to pass a Dream Act, but when you have to deal with the Party of No, it becomes difficult to accomplish anything.  I can't think of anything that GOP presidents have accomplished for the good of this great country.

Today, Sept.2, 2012, is "VJ" Day--for those who have forgotten.

.....Sixty-seven years ago on Sept. 2, 1945 the Japanese signed official surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, officially ending WWII.  Victory over Japan Day, or VJ Day is the name chosen for the day on which the surrender occurred,  and on subsequent anniversaries of that event--which happens to be today. The term has been applied to  both of the days on which the initial announcement of Japan's surrender was made –- to the afternoon of August 15, 1945, in Japan, and, because of time zone differences, to August 14, 1945 (when it was announced in the United States and the rest of the Americas and Eastern Pacific Islands) –- as well as to September 2, 1945, when the surrender documents were signed.

.....On this day, we stopped flying combat missions in the Pacific out of Attu in Alaska and we celebrated in Naval Aviation fashion--that is to get off base, drink whatever we could find that would lead to inebriation, and look for women who also wanted to celebrate for whatever reasons they had, and in whatever fashion was on their minds.  On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. On 9 August, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan--(a little late, don't you think?) The Japanese government on 10 August communicated its intention to surrender but with too many conditions for the offer to be acceptable to the Allies.  But they eventually caved in under the threat of another disastrous bombing.

.....I, of course, was ecstatic; I was ready to go home on September 3, but unfortunately that is not the way it played out.  Military was being discharged according to the number of "points" each had accumulated depending upon the extent of combat service each had seen.  I quickly counted my points based on the cockamamie system some politico or general had invented, and I came to the conclusion that I would be going home much sooner than most--sometime in November--and so I was given a train ride across country and was discharged on Nov. 19, 1945, exactly three years and one day since I enlisted.  

.....Strangely enough, and coincidentally, my nephew Mark and his children, Meghan and Jake came from Sarasota to visit my sister in Boca Raton, and they came to see us for an hour or so on this very day. Mark was a Navy veteran and Meghan in her 20s and her brother, Jake, who just graduated from high school, are both going to boot camp at the US Marine Corps base in Paris Island next week.  That will make our family a bonifide military family!  My father was in a WWI Aerial squadron; my brother-in-law was in the Army in WWII, and I in the Navy.  My daughter, Robin, was a Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps, and her husband, Rich Higgins was a Colonel.  Rhoda's son, Jon, was in the Navy for 10  years, and now my granddaughter, Katrina has been in the Navy for the past five years. 

.....So, it would be wise not to pick a fight with us!

"To bring in--God shield us--a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing." (MND)

.....Continuing with Joel's 60th Birthday African Safari:

Weather

The weather was much better than it was in Virginia. Most mornings and late evenings, it was cool enough that long sleeves or a jacket was useful. During midday, it would get hot enough that shorts and short sleeves were best, along with sunscreen. However, it wasn’t repressive or very humid; very tolerable, better than our trips to Europe. It did not rain at all while we were there (it was winter there, its dry season), although there was a morning mist in one area when we were at a high elevation. None of the lesser hotel rooms had AC, but it generally was not needed.

Culture

…..Tanzania is a mixed culture – it’s about 2/3 Christian and 1/3 Muslim; mostly blacks, with some Arabs. Zanzibar, however, is 95% Muslim, with a lot of Arab influence. It is generally a peaceful nation – no insurgencies or civil wars that plague most of the rest of Africa. There is a lot of poverty, of course, but very little starvation. There is no good road network, so instead of lots of cars, or bicycles, many people simply walk from place to place. Going to a town, for instance, there are hundreds of people just walking along the side of the road, even very late at night. We felt very safe at all times, even at night and in the towns or cities. Actually, the only time I was nervous about safety was when I went outside at night at one of the tent hotels, to look at the stars on a clear night. Since the place had no fences, and it was on the edge of the Serengeti, there was a very good chance that a predator could be very nearby. Therefore, I stopped looking at the stars.

 Animals.

…..Of course, the animals are the highlight of the trip. The Serengeti plains is a area that is 12,000 square miles (larger than all of Maryland), and where millions of animals live and migrate. We were struck just by the vastness of the area. However, before we went there, we went to other protected animal reserves: Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater (I’ve noted these places on most of the photos). Our general day consisted of waking up before dawn, having breakfast, boarding one of four Land-Rover-like vehicles, and heading to the “bush.” Sometimes, the parks were 10-15 mins. away, but sometimes we had to travel for over an hour. There are no roads, only “trails.” And these trails were just dirt, often less than the width of two vehicles, loaded with deep potholes, and extremely dusty. By the end of the day, after being tossed around and covered in dirt and dust, we were more than ready to get back to our rooms and showers.

…..Seeing the animals was spectacular. Yes, we’ve all been to zoos, and we’ve even been on “Wild African Safari Adventureland” parks that mimic the real thing. This was different, because it was the real thing. You could see lions chomping on a recent kill or stalking its next meal; there was a real danger of an elephant attacking your vehicle, or perhaps a lion deciding to jump in via the open roof. The smells were very real, from the odor of dead animals, to the animals’ natural fertilization process. Believe me, you would not want to drink from any of the watering holes, even if you were dying of thirst.

…..The range of animals was incredible. Even their most “common” birds – the ones that hang around the picnic areas like pigeons do – were exquisitely brilliant sparking birds. Seeing over a hundred elephants in one area at a time is something that cannot be seen anywhere else on Earth. Herds of giraffes were magnificent, especially close up. Even zebra, hippos, antelopes, ostriches, etc. – just when you think you’ve seen it all, some other animal pops up. I don’t know if we can ever appreciate a zoo ever again.

Conclusion

…..It was a great trip, probably our best ever. We hope that it won’t ruin future trips that just won’t measure up. We are so thankful that we had the opportunity to go, and it was a gift like no other can ever be.