Blergh

In 1381, the English Peasant Revolt in an attempt to overthrow the near-slavery conditions of serfdom was led by a Wat Tyler whom all agreed was a very cunning and resourceful man- even his bitterest enemies. Mr. Tyler would be killed and the movement collapsed upon his death. In 1831, Nat Turner's Rebellion of slaves was led by the man of the same name whom all agreed was a very cunning and resourceful man- even his bitterest enemies. Mr. Turner would also be killed and the movement collapsed upon his death as well. History sometimes can repeat with astonishing hiccoughs.

"Gilligan's Island" performers Tina Louise and the late Nathalie Shafer had something in common few viewers would have guessed: they were both born Jewish but I wonder if they ever compared notes on that subject.

Rinaldo, Good trivia re Mr. Ramsen! I guess we could say he was somewhat like Carole Cook on "The Lucy Show" in that regard! Yes, I knew about Miss Pleshette and Mr. Poston! I remember when they announced their marriage after their respective spouses had died, I was shocked because Emily had barely tolerated The Peeper for Bob's sake alone but I guess this showed Emily had different tastes. Well, I hope that means that Miss Pleshette did NOT have a fear of flying.

Even though I knew it was coming and it's been almost 40 years, it STILL was punch in the chops to have to see "Happy Trails to You" knowing that THIS was the last BNS that would be made. Yes, I know that Mr. Newhart had actually wanted to end the show a year earlier but had extra monies and frills (AKA those cameo episodes) thrown in to keep him this last year but it still didn't make it any less sad to see it happen. On the plus side it WAS an actual Series Finale as opposed to a simple regular episode with all loose ends left untied. However; for Bob to suddenly announce that he was leaving to teach at a small college in Oregon definitely seemed to come out of left field as I can't recall him ever seriously considering giving up his practice. Also, I would have liked to have seen a little dialogue with Emily before the decision was final since she had no desire to leave her friends, her school or Chicago but it wasn't hard to imagine that they WOULD have had some serious convos before Emily decided that she would make the best of it and even consider it an exciting adventure in a new setting with the man she loved and was confident that she,too, would find fulfilling work in Oregon! Still, even with all this hypothetical offstage dialogue, I COULD imagine her being upset and sad at leaving her familiars. I liked how The Group reacted with Mr. Peterson and Mrs. Bakerman openly sad over this turn of events but then getting charmed by Bob's evident replacement Dr. Wyler (played by Mr. Newhart's Real Life father-in-law the late Bill Quinn). while Mr. Carlin became even MORE defensive and hostile to Bob than usual before he broke down and begged (and then tried to REALLY tip the scales via pulling a Klinger) . No surprise that Howard was so shocked at the decision that he literally fainted away! Oh and nice touch that their one-shot landlord was itching to avoid giving them ANY kind of refund. Glad that Carol got her real estate license so that we knew she'd be okay and not have to be totally dependent on her now-unseen husband. Also, nice touch that the Hartleys had a Farewell Party for their friends on their last night in Chicago and THAT is where they ended the show. I guess we'll have to imagine that Howard and Mr. Carlin somehow learned to survive without the Hartleys to bail them out as they had done previous to meeting them. Also, since we know that the whole LATTER show of Mr. Newhart's was a dream and he was back in his Chicago bedroom with Emily, I suppose that the teaching deal didn't work out and he came back without any protests from Emily. It's good to know that offstage, that the cast virtually ALL stayed real friends for the rest of their lives AND that next week we can see them back and six years younger when the series starts all over.

I still occasionally get a zit in my 50's- and I'm thinking with my luck, I'll go directly from zits to wrinkles!

That's a good one, Zola! Speaking of sun, the element helium was first discovered by astronomers using a spectrograph of a solar eclipse in 1868 and, after ruling out known elements, they named this one after the Greek word for sun 'helios'. It would NOT be identified as existing on Earth until 1881 when someone analyzed some of Mt. Vesuvius's volcanic output!

No. However; let me put it this way: if they DID decide to quit making movies/commercials featuring them for the foreseeable future, I'd raise no objections.

OK, I never have any interest in Minions nor do I want to see any movies, commercials,etc. that they may appear in! Can we at least take a break from them for a little while?

I love seeing fireflies during the twilight hours . It's one of my fave parts of summer and wish I could see them year round!

Actually, I had one last night about losing my antique flip phone. I was actually somewhat relieved until I suddenly realized in the dream that I had no way for my aged mother to reach me in case of emergency. What was also odd was that in the dream I was walking on a busy street in the rain then suddenly the sun came out when I found the flip phone!

While in New Orleans, don't forget to visit the Cabildo Museum in Jackson Square right next to the Cathedral ! It was the city hall and would be the place where the Louisiana Purchase would be signed (and a replica room has been set up there) but it also is a fascinating place with unique exhibits detailing how Native Americans, French, Spanish, French-Canadians, Creoles, Africans, English, Americans, etc. all came together and formed the unique culture there even when they were diametrically opposed to each other! Oh and it's very close to the French Market and Café de Monde where one can indulge in rich beignets &chicory coffee 24/7!

Forgive me if this was mentioned upwards but I can think of ONE kitchen gadget that NO cook can do without (or at least not be majorly hobbled re not possessing)- a nose! If one can't SMELL the ingredients, steam, etc. , one has no way to predict the outcome!

I always loved the original "Electric Company" from Day One and I saw Rita Moreno write the word 'Stop' on a sign and walk out into the middle of a street causing traffic to start. Being an impressionable kid, I HAD to do this so I impulsively ran out of the house and decided to write that word on a sign. . .but I couldn't find a sign per se so I used the only flat surface I could find in my front yard- a rock! Undeterred, I ran into the street holding up that rock in my hand sure that that would stop traffic but the only car in the street was driven by a man who mysteriously waved his hands in front of his face while vigorously shaking his head then suddenly backed up. Yep, through the mists of time I've come to realize that that poor man must have thought I was some junior street thug ready to smash in his windshield with said rock (and now that I think of it, the word 'stop' was barely visible on that rock even to me and I'd written it). How it was he didn't call the cops and have them charge me with attempted vandalism, I'm not sure. The things that come to mind after a hard day at work when I really should be getting ready to turn in. . .

Horses rarely will eat carrots without first being trained to do so. Not surprising since horses don't normally go around digging up roots in the ground looking for food while apples from trees are at just the right height for a ready treat!

90 is a very good age to reach- especially since she had substance abuse issues for a good part of her young adulthood and middle age. I wonder if she got with Joan Howard Mauer ( Moe Howard's daughter who's still with us) and compared notes on famous sibling comedy acts? I mean the two ladies both wrote very telling and humorous books about their respective fathers and uncles. BTW, Mrs. Allen was among the last folks around who could verify firsthand that her uncle Harpo (born Adolph [!]) COULD speak-and, in fact had a richer, lower tone than even her father Groucho (born Julius).

Yucatan got its name when the first Spanish explorers asked a Native American what the name was and the local Mayan merely replied," I don't understand what you're saying."

I'm grateful that yesterday's task of juggling figurative chainsaws at work went more far more smoothly than expected.

Some of the oldest free standing structures were temples built in the Malta Islands c. 3500 BC by a civilization who also built roads during this time before the islands abruptly become depopulated c. 2500 BC for reasons still unclear.

Saw the "Crisis in Education" in which not only was Bob absent but for two phone calls( the latter of which ended with him joining a Horah dance line[!]), but it was intriguing seeing Emily have to contend with a very serious issue at her elementary school with parents blaming them for the students' low reading scores while her principal dumped the entire problem on her head! Won't spoil it but I will say that it was good to see Emily being the voice of reason among these rather contentious parties- while never losing her comedic edge (and Carol did a good turn as her de facto assistant) ! Even though I missed Bob, I wished that there could have been more episodes focusing on Emily's educational career- and, of course, it was bittersweet to watch it knowing that there was just ONE more episode before the show ended altogether!.

Here's an alert for all techno-goons out there: I DO NOT OWN nor do I have any interest in getting a Smartphone! To each one's own re Smartphone ownership but I'm getting fed up with how it's getting harder and harder to do ordinary activities without having one of those gizmos. Come on, folks, we not only survived but sometimes even thrived millions of years without 'em so why can't more folks accept that there are those of us who have no use for 'em? Sakes!

Mary Valastro, mother of "Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro has died at 69. At least she's no longer suffering. http://idahonews.com/news/entertainment/mary-valastro-mother-of-cake-boss-star-dies-at-69

Yes, Walnut Grove might have been more peaceful without Harriet but it sure would have been BORING without her! She hadn't yet become the crazy clown of the latter seasons but I liked that the episode showed that somehow underneath it all, the Olesons actually DID have affection for each other!

I don't know who the artists were but they were able to make the number 11 truly rock- one of my all-time fave beats of any genre! Check out the Eleven Party:

Cake frosting was originally applied with bunches of feathers! I wonder how often folks ate, swallowed and/or choked on stray feathers while eating cake?

Bottom line re contrived plot twists, situations,etc, regardless of the media or genre, they're only worth it if the payoff is clever and/or entertaining, IMO. Few things infuriate me more when a show, movie, book, etc. goes WAY out on a limb re preposterous contrivances only to have it all wind up on a lame note that ruins whatever positive aspects that I had originally liked.