Happy Inside

Promise Kept

Yesterday President Trump made good on his promise to nominate
a strong conservative to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia this past February 13.

Trump's nominee is Neil Gorsuch, who has been serving as a judge on the United States District Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit since August of 2006.

Gorsuch is an excellent choice, and is receiving praise from both sides of the partisan divide. He was confirmed for his current post on the Tenth Circuit by unanimous voice vote, but there will likely still be some Democrats who will vote against him this time. His eventual confirmation seems highly likely despite that.

Within minutes of the President's announcement, of course, the usual Soros-funded gaggle of progressive "protesters" went to work, using the traditional terms "extreme" and "dangerous" to describe him on their mass-produced signage.

My favorite part of the picture at left is the hand-lettered fill-in-the-blank sign. The message is clear: "#STOP anyone nominated by Republicans!"

"Nice to see such respect for political traditions!"

Nothing is certain in life except death, taxes, and witless progressives impotently protesting something...

Feast Day

St. Brigid, by Stained Glass, Inc.

Today is the feast day of St. Brigid of Kildare, also known as Brigid of Ireland, a 6th century nun and abbess who with Patrick and Columba is considered one of Ireland's three patron saints.

As is often the case with persons who lived in the early Middle Ages, details about Brigid's life are somewhat sketchy. She is credited with establishing several monasteries for nuns, in particular at Cill Dara, the "church of the oak," from which the town of Kildare draws its name.

In addition to Ireland itself, Brigid's patronages include infants, farmers, blacksmiths, and sailors.

Railfan Shrine

On February 1, 1913 New York City's Grand Central Terminal (aka Grand Central Station) opened to the public.

Built by the New York Central Railroad, it is the largest train station in the world, and has been featured in dozens of movies and television programs.

"You're still planning to see it in person some day, aren't you?"

"Planning" isn't something I do much of anymore, but I haven't given up on the idea...

Dat Look

From the droll comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should read every day, as I do.

Until Next Time...

As significant a role as the music of The Beatles has played in my life, it is difficult
to feature it in this section of the blog because of the band's notoriously tight-fisted
(and litigious) control of its content. There is very little of their music available for use without some form of payment being required. I don't agree with that choice, but
I respect it. All of the music I have featured here has been made publicly available
by the artists themselves, including today's historic recording by the Fab Four.

In any event, 1964 was a landmark year for the band, and for popular music in general. The song generally credited with starting the so-called "British Invasion" of American pop music is "I Want To Hold Your Hand," released by The Beatles on the day after Christmas in 1963. The "Beatlemania" craze that swept the country was sparked by this song as well. I was 10 years old when it all began.

Original 1964 45 rpm single

On February 1, 1964 "I Want To Hold Your Hand" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart,
a position it would hold for seven straight weeks, until being knocked from the top spot by the band's next single, "She Loves You."

All told, The Beatles had six No. 1 singles that year, and none of them sounded anything like the artists who had been topping the charts previously (Bobbie Vinton, The 4 Seasons, The Chiffons, Leslie Gore, The Angels, The Singing Nun, etc.).


Today's send-off is the group's famous live performance of their first U.S. No. 1 hit
on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, from the their VEVO channel. Enjoy...