Meme Scholar with Madness (PhD)

[EndtheMadnessNow]

July 29, 1955: Arthur S. Flemming advised Eisenhower Chief of Staff Sherman Adams that the Greenbrier ("White Sulphur Springs") West Virginia had been selected as the emergency relocation (COG) site for the U.S. Congress. Construction would not begin until late 1959.

The "General Paul" referenced in the memo is Lt. Gen. Willard Stewart Paul (February 28, 1894 – March 21, 1966) who was with the Office of Civil Defense in 1955.




Brigitte Helm doing 'The Whore of Babylon' routine in Fritz Lang's incredible 'Metropolis' (1927). Can you identify a similar head dress worn in a current ceremony deliberately courting controversy?




The Aircraft Carrier USS FORRESTAL arrived on Yankee Station in the Gulf of Tonkin on 25 July and immediately began combat operations. The first four days were routine; the fifth day, 29 July, was not.

July 29, 1967: USS Forrestal (CVA-59) was rocked by a series of fires and explosions after a glitch caused a Zuni rocket on an F-4B Phantom to fire and hit the fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk on deck. The disaster killed 135 sailors and injured 161, destroying 21 aircraft and costing the Navy US$72 million. Four more sailors later died of their injuries. On the flight deck that day was Lieutenant Commander (later Senator) John McCain, who was wounded by an exploding bomb. His dad was Pacific Fleet admiral at the time.


Over a dozen 1,000 and 500 pound bombs detonated within the first few minutes of the fire, punching holes through the 3" armor plating of the flight deck. Flaming fuel poured through those holes, into the working and berthing spaces on the O-3 level, then down into the aft hangar bay. Numerous smaller explosions occurred as lesser weapons, ranging from the Skyhawk's cannon ammunition to 5" rocket warheads, detonated.

Although it was 13 hours and more before the last fire was extinguished, FORRESTAL's crew did put it out ... but at a very high human cost. FORRESTAL left Yankee Station under her own power, steaming to Subic Bay for temporary repairs before returning to Norfolk on 15 September 1967.

After shipyard repairs, USS FORRESTAL continued to serve, making many more deployments with the 2nd and 6th Fleets. But she never again deployed to Vietnam. USS FORRESTAL was decommissioned on 9/11/1993 after 38 years of active service.

18 crewman who perished on the USS Forrestal are buried in Arlington National Cemetery:



The Virtual Wall


"Situation Critical: USS Forrestal" - Documentary about the tragic 1967 fire




July 29, 1967: The Doors' edited version of "Light My Fire" rises to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song would stay at the top spot for three consecutive weeks and become the sixth top song for that year.



The B-side is The Crystal Ship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjV3u4lIGig

U.S. top 40 for July 29, 1967. First of three weeks at No. 1 for "Light My Fire."




Fanta during Olympic games, USSR, 1980:


That is funny considering how FANTA was introduced! Fanta originated in Germany as a Coca-Cola alternative in 1941 due to the American trade embargo on Nazi Germany which affected the availability of Coca-Cola ingredients.



Hmmmm, could it be a....diesel generator?

Not just a 'thing'...




Margaret Mary Alacoque


Casting spells of aspersions is what politicians do best.


Burned crispy feet happens every July, every year, at Mesquite Flats and always a European, usually the French (yes, a few dumb Americans too). Flip-flops nor sandals will not ever save your feet out here. I've seen feet burned so badly they had to be amputated. Now that is really damn sad!

Rukwangali (Kwangali) is the native language spoken by Namibians. The kingdom has a long tradition of female rulers, among them Kanuni. She was a hompa, or queen, of Kwangali royal clan in the Okavango region of Namibia. She is one of only two female hompas to have retained her traditional position during a period when tribal leadership was masculinized by the South African government.