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Tuesday, 23 January 2024

My Relationship to Walt Disney

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, film producer, and the leader of a massive theme park creation. He is recognized as the founder of The Walt Disney Company, and it is Disney who created famed cartoon characters, including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The groundbreaking contributions of Disney to the entertainment industry were essentially revolutionary, and it all started from the animating techniques through which he began to change animation as a whole. After this point, Disney started his animation career in the 1920s and began working on Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. However, he lost the rights to this character, and he had to introduce a new one to the film medium. That way he produced Mickey Mouse, the number one character, in 1928. With his background in animation, Disney became the centre of attention due to Mickey Mouse's success. Synchronized sound and Technicolor were introduced by Disney in his cartoons. He continued producing popular animated short films throughout the 1930s, including the Silly Symphonies series.

In 1937, Disney released his first feature-length cartoon, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This became the first in a long line of feature films made by Disney, and he became the leading animation filmmaker. He would continue to release some of his most iconic films, such as Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), and Cinderella (1950). It was not only animation that Walt Disney felt a dynamic quality to create in his mind. This was the theme park creation. Walt Disney was inspired by the idea of a theme park, and in 1955, the first-ever theme park opened its doors in Anaheim, California: Disneyland. Walt Disney World Resort in Florida was first opened in 1971, after his death. Walt Disney received numerous awards and honours throughout his career, including 22 Academy Awards and the creation of the Disneyland television series. His creativity and innovation continue to inspire the entertainment industry to this day. The Walt Disney Company, now one of the largest and most successful entertainment conglomerates in the world, carries on his legacy.

Worth a Read



Here are three books that provide valuable insights into the life and legacy of Walt Disney:

"Walt Disney: An American Original" by Bob Thomas: This biography, written by a longtime Disney chronicler, offers a comprehensive overview of Walt Disney's life, from his early days in animation to the creation of Disneyland. It provides a detailed account of his entrepreneurial spirit, creative vision, and the challenges he faced in building his entertainment empire. Buy on Amazon.

"The Disney Version: The Life, Times, Art and Commerce of Walt Disney" by Richard Schickel: This book delves into the complex and multifaceted personality of Walt Disney. It examines his artistic pursuits, business strategies, and the cultural impact of his creations. It also explores the controversies and criticisms surrounding Disney's work and the company he founded. Buy on Amazon.

"Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination" by Neal Gabler: Regarded as one of the most comprehensive biographies of Walt Disney, this book delves into the man behind the brand. It explores Disney's relentless pursuit of innovation, his creative genius, and the challenges he faced in realizing his dreams. The book also provides a broader cultural and historical context, examining
 Disney's influence on American popular culture. Buy on Amazon.

These books offer different perspectives on Walt Disney's life and provide a deeper understanding of his immense impact on animation, filmmaking, and the entertainment industry as a whole.

My Relationship to Walt Disney

It came to my attention that there was a family connection to Walt Disney through Family Search.  When I looked into this last year (2023) it gave me these details. (11th cousin twice removed)





However, other research has since been done, and this relationship has changed and now the best relationship route is different. Basically, the 'Ann Talbot' link above has been removed. The details below were taken from the site on 24/01/2024 :






Just goes to show, you can only expect the results to be as good as the people manipulating the data!




Monday, 22 January 2024

Seafoam

Seafoam is the mixing of air and seawater due to windy conditions or breaking waves. It is made up of salts from seawater, proteins, dead plankton, and other organic matter floating on the surface of the sea. Air injection and churning up all these components to blend into a foamy substance is made possible by strong winds blowing across the water. The sea foam can sometimes be fluid and light, sometimes sticky and greasy. It commonly accumulates along beaches like Rossall after it has been deposited by waves. Big sea foam events sometimes may be indicative of a coming storm.

Notwithstanding its dramatic look, the sea foam phenomenon is quite a natural one and not usually harmful to human beings and the environment. Some fish even use the foamy cover to hide from predators.

At Rossall Beach this morning:










Thursday, 18 January 2024

The Pea Bucket

My Mum told me she'd found a green pill on the floor and it wasn't hers. Neither was it mine. But we'd had visitors. On investigation, it turned out that it wasn't one of my son's, my brother's or my nephew's, either. In fact, none of them has a desire to turn themselves into another version of The Incredible Hulk. It turns out that it was actually a frozen pea that had rolled onto the floor and been trodden on.

I should have known. As soon as she said "green" I thought 'pea' but she insisted it wasn't a pea, so I posted my enquiring messages to the visitors.  It wasn't for a couple of hours that I actually saw it. By that time, it had defrosted and wasn't so much a squashed frozen pea, but a squishy mashed-up green blob, otherwise known as a mushy pea, the sort that sticks to your fingers as you travel the breadth of the Atlantic Ocean between my kitchen table and kitchen bin to get rid of it. This brings me neatly to my next point. 

Lancashire is to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century by 2026 as it will be giving its householders another bin, well, a caddy, for food waste. Already there are idiots around screaming about additional mountains of waste, totalling missing the point that collecting and anaerobically digesting this stuff, rather than chucking it into landfills or feeding it to the gulls, will actually reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. And that'll be good for my roof because then there'll be fewer gulls to squawk and dance on my rooftop at the crack of dawn, or to squit out their droppings and dirty up my fence. Plus, it won't be additional waste, since at the moment food waste is filling up 40% of the grey bin if you believe the figures. 

But, yes, it will mean finding money for an extra bin and finding somewhere to put that caddy. They reckon it will cost £2m to process the stuff, against the £4m it currently costs to get rid of it, and they'll save £4m in energy costs, so surely it's a no-brainer?  Yet,  I read locally of one Neanderthal's idea to use the caddy as a pee bucket for when he goes fishing... how common, but I know where I shall be putting mine. Nearer to the kitchen table. To use as a pea bucket.




Thursday, 4 January 2024

Wednesday, 3 January 2024

Pixel Explosion Fizzles Out - The Million Dollar Home Page




Do you remember this Website? MillionDollarHomePage.com . It is still online in 2024, as it was in 2005.

When I wrote about it in January 2006, the last 1000 pixels had been sold. I tried it in January 2024 and many of the websites that paid to be linked to from this website no longer operate, and their respective domain names can be bought. 

16 January 2005 I wrote,
"After an astonishing turn of events, the last 1000 pixels went for a mere US $38,100.00 on http://milliondollarhomepage.com. This was down to a succession of winning bidders getting cold feet and retracting their bids.

lost.river.trader claimed they Entered the wrong amount of $160,009.09

ast1155td ast1155td claimed they Entered the wrong amount of $175,000.00

latentauthor Changed User ID says "Seller changed the description of the item" Retracted: US $153,000.00

all4freeuk Changed User ID Cancelled: US $140,200.00 saying it was a fake bid.

onlinepokerandcasinos Retracted: US $2,100,000.99 saying they entered the wrong amount.

And so it goes on... there was even a fake bid of $25,000,000 bid placed by a first time ebay user.

The winner is still the UK whizz kid who had the idea. eBay is a possible loser since the credibility of bids placed and then withdrawn makes them look bad.

9 January 2005, I wrote,
The weekend had me all of a buzz while I caught up with the story of the 21 year old student who is selling one million pixels on his web site for one million dollars. The excitement mounts this week as the final 1000 pixels are to be auctioned on ebay. With over 2 days still to run on this auction the price of those 1000 pixels is US $160,109.09  .
As an ebayer myself, I would expect the final price to be much higher as it is common practice to try to nip in, in the last moments, with a winning bid. There are even programs around that will permit a bidder to bid "just enough" to win.
The student's success has spawned many copycats, some doing well, others floundering. But if the craze continues I might as well try it myself. As they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.






How To Choose A Band Name, Album Title, And Cover Picture

1 - Go to
random wiki

The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Random quotations:

random quote

The last four words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album (you'll need to refresh the page).

3 - Go to flickr and click on "explore the last seven days"

flikr

Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Put it all together, that's your first album.

---

Mine:
Band: Plantinga
Title of Album: Treated With Great Caution
Image Location of Album Cover: image location.

This worked in 2008 when I first posted it, as it does in 2024 when I reviewed it.



Tuesday, 2 January 2024

My Relationship to Alexander Charles Frederick Douglas-Home

Alec Douglas-Home, who died in October 1995, was a member of every Conservative administration from 1935 to 1974. At his death, he was the oldest survivor of the pre-war House of Commons.

Alec Douglas-Home, former British Prime Minister:
Birth: July 2, 1903 in Mayfair, London
Educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford
1924: Inherited the title of Lord Dunglass after his father's death
1931: Elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative MP
1940: Lost his seat in the general election
1945: Regained his Commons seat
1957: Entered the cabinet as Minister of State for Commonwealth Relations
1960: Appointed Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
1960-1963: Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
1963: Became Prime Minister after the resignation of Harold Macmillan
1964: Resigned as Prime Minister after Conservative election defeat to Labour
1974-1976: Served as Shadow Foreign Secretary while Conservatives were in opposition
Death: October 9, 1995, at the age of 92 years old in Scotland.

Key political events during his premiership included managing the transition of power from ageing Prime Minister Macmillan, the resignation of War Minister John Profumo over an affair, and ultimately his defeat in the 1964 general election at the hands of Harold Wilson's Labour Party after less than 1 year as Prime Minister.

Alec Douglas-Home had a long political career, serving in Parliament for over 30 years, in numerous cabinet positions, and ultimately becoming Prime Minister. He was generally well-regarded and popular within the Conservative Party and known as an amiable and capable leader. He handled the difficult transition of power from ageing Prime Minister Macmillan relatively smoothly. As Foreign Secretary under Macmillan, he played a role in negotiating the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963.
Even after losing power in 1964, he remained active in politics continuing to serve as Conservative party leader for a period as well as Shadow Foreign Secretary while in opposition.

He was plagued by health issues later in life, eventually forcing his retirement from active politics by the mid-1970s. So he had political successes but his ultimate short tenure and election loss as PM marked a disappointment, among other setbacks over his long career.

Recommended Reading about Alec Douglas-Home, former British Prime Minister:



- Considered the definitive biography of Douglas-Home, providing extensive insight into his aristocratic upbringing, political career, and time as Prime Minister.

- A fascinating autobiography by Sir Alex Douglas-Home, soldier, writer playwright and brother to the Prime Minister.

My Relationship to Alexander Charles Frederick Douglas-Home

I was made aware of a relationship to Douglas-Home through Family Search. He was the husband of my 12th cousin once removed, which means several hundred thousand people or more, living today, might also claim a relationship. This tree was extracted from Family Search on 2 Jan 2024.








Monday, 1 January 2024

My Relationship to Sir Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill was born 30 November, 1874 in Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, England. These photos of Blenheim are from my 2008 visit:





Winston Churchill Notable Events:
1895: Enters the British Army and serves in Cuba, India, Sudan, and South Africa
1900: Elected as a Conservative MP in Oldham.

1904: Joins the Liberals. It was a  calculated decision to switch party allegiance. He had issues with political alignment, personal dissatisfaction with key Conservative leaders, and considered the possibility of future ambition and opportunity. There was a favourable political tide, too, that chimed with Churchill. The gamble paid off, as he would go on to serve as a high profile minister in Liberal Cabinets over the next decade.

1910: Appointed Home Secretary during the Liberal government of H.H. Asquith between 1910-1911. During his time Churchill sought to improve conditions in prisons, reduce solitary confinement, and enhance education opportunities for prisoners. He drew some criticism for at times using the military to respond to labour protests and miners' strikes. But, he believed it necessary to prevent violence and disorder. In 1911 Churchill directly involved himself in coordinating security forces during the famous Sidney Street armed standoff in London's East End, bolstering his "action-man" reputation. He focused heavily on domestic security issues and strengthened overall coordination between London police and British troops. And we must not forget that Churchill oversaw the founding of the British domestic intelligence agency MI5 during his tenure at the Home Office. 

In 1915 Churchill resigned from government and served in the WWI trenches in France. In 1916, when Churchill was over 40 years old, he decided he wanted to lead from the frontlines. So he joined the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards as a lieutenant colonel. He often went out into "No Man's Land" on night patrols to watch the German lines, despite it being incredibly dangerous. It showed his courage and eagerness to inspire the men.

In May 1916 during the Battle of Verdun, he and his men came under shelling for over 2 hours, close enough to hear German voices from the opposing trench. He ended up with mud caked in his hair and whiskers when the shelling stopped!

Churchill had no illusions about the horrors of trench warfare. He wrote about seeing an exposed corpse slowly sinking into the mud and having to sleep near where a soldier had died. He called war "a crime against mankind" at this time.

1924: Rejoins Conservative Party.

Inter-War Year Quotes

During the inter-war years 1918-1939, Winston Churchill was very prolific. One has only to look at some of his most memorable and quotable quotes from that period to begin to grasp how involved he was in state affairs during this period:

"The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences." (1936) - urging military buildup.

"Dictators ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry." (1937) - on the rise of global totalitarian regimes.

"The story of the human race is war." (1938)

"I have always said that if Great Britain were defeated in war I hoped we should find a Hitler to lead us back to our rightful position among the nations." (1938) - on Churchill's initial openness to Hitler

"You were given the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour and you will have war." (1938) - attacking the appeasement policy towards Hitler

"If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future." (1938) - warning against persisting WWI grievances

"England has been offered a choice between war and shame. She has chosen shame, and will get war." (1938) - on the Munich Agreement with Hitler

"Democratic nations must arm themselves in order to avoid being dominated by dictatorships." (1938)

World War II Quotes

Some of Winston Churchill's best known quotations come from the period 1939-1945 during World War II:

“If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons." (1941)

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." (1940)

"We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender." (1940)

"Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour." (1940)

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." (1940) - referring to the RAF fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain

"An iron curtain has descended across the Continent." (1946) - His famous speech coined the term 'Iron Curtain' to describe Soviet domination of Eastern Europe.

"I have not become the King’s First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." (1942)

"We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out." (1942) - reflecting on the power and responsibility of wartime leadership rhetoric.


1940: Becomes Prime Minister at the start of WWII
1941: Signs Atlantic Charter with FDR, strengthening Anglo-American cooperation
1945: Loses election as Prime Minister shortly after Allied victory in Europe
1951: Elected Prime Minister again and serves another term
1953: Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II
1955: Resigns as Prime Minister due to failing health

Death: January 24, 1965 at the age of 90 in London, England. At the time of Churchill's state funeral, I remember that Mum and Dad had a TV placed in their shop so customers wouldn't miss anything while they were shopping. For the funeral procession, they loaded his coffin onto a boat and sailed it down the River Thames.  Over 350 million people around the world tuned in to watch parts of the ceremony broadcast on TV.  It really goes to show how beloved Churchill was globally for his wartime leadership, that so many would mourn his loss.

He apparently picked out the specific spot for his burial ahead of time -  this little church cemetery at St Martin's Church in Bladon near Churchill's Blenheim ancestral home. Though he had lived this huge life on the world stage, in the end Churchill wanted to return quietly to his family roots in the English countryside. For such a towering historic figure, that final resting place seems so humble and down-to-earth. It's a reminder of his humanity, perhaps? Underneath it all, he was just a man who loved his country.


Recommended Reading

Churchill was quite a writer, himself.  Based on popular reader ratings and reviews, these are often considered Winston Churchill's top 3 books:




The Second World War (6 volumes) Buy on Amazon
Published from 1948 to 1953, this epic 6-volume memoir details Churchill's experiences leading Britain through World War II - it's considered a definitive and deeply personal account of the war. The set is highly acclaimed for Churchill's perspective as both a statesman, military leader and gifted historian.

A History of the English-Speaking Peoples (4 volumes) Buy on Amazon
A sweeping 4-volume history starting with Roman Britain through the early 20th century - it reveals the depth of Churchill's passion for British history. Originally conceived in the 1930s, it was finally completed and published 1956-58 while Churchill was in his 80s. An influential popular history.

My Early Life: A Roving Commission Buy on Amazon
Published 1930 - Churchill's colourful, engaging and amusing memoir of his early adventures & exploits as a cavalry officer in India/Sudan, the Boer War, capture & prison escape, and entering politics. Provides great insight into his remarkable story and personality. Often cited as a uniquely written autobiography.

Other Highly Regarded Works:

The World Crisis (6 vols.) - WWI history
Marlborough: His Life and Times - his ancestor
Painting as a Pastime - essay collection
The Story of the Malakand Field Force - early memoirs

But those top 3 encapsulate the breadth of Churchill's talents - war leadership, history writing and self-reflection. His impact as an author matches his political career.


My Relationship to Sir Winston Churchill

It came to my attention that there was a family connection to Sir Winston Churchill through Family Search. Winston was my 12th cousin once removed. These details were taken from that website on 29/12/2023.










How many people sharing 12th cousin status might be living today ... ?

It's very hard to say how many people might share the same relationship, but here are some ballpark guesses:

Typical estimates are that everyone on Earth is at least a 50th cousin to anyone else. 12th cousins are well within this radius. There may be hundreds of thousands to a few million 12th cousins for most people based on general population statistics over centuries. But potentially more if your families tended to stay within small communities. The "once removed" adds even more possible connections.

Overall, while a very rough guess, it's reasonable to estimate you may have at least hundreds of thousands of 12th cousins once removed living today. Possibly into the couple million range depending on your family histories. But it's impossible to put an exact statistic on connections at that level.





Happy New Year 2024

At Christmas, it's always been our family tradition to pull a cracker, though I haven't personally bought any crackers for many years now. Last week we used up all the crackers that my parents had accumulated over the years. Out popped the usual rubbish including a plastic paperclip, a pen with a limited ink supply to add to the mountainous pen collection acquired from trade and charity promotions, a 'magic' set of three playing cards, a plastic whistle, a tangle of wire to be untangled, an assortment of paper hats that didn't always fit a person's head even if they were in the mood to wear one, riddles that weren't in the slightest bit funny although they might have helped to fill the room with the sound of people actually trying to work out the answers, jokes that were not jokes, and suggestions for charades which I suppose helped proceedings along a little bit. Then, of course, the paper wrappings, cardboard inners, foil trimmings, and cardboard snapper that all went in the bin afterwards. I hope to remember not to bother buying more in the future and save the burden of adding to the landfill. I suppose I'm going to get "Don't be so miserable" type comments if I leave it there. I think a happier and less wasteful time could be had by thinking a bit more about purpose and packaging when we're out there shopping. Happy New Year.


New Year's Eve: Cheers from mum and I.


New Year's Day Walk

From Rossall Beach to Anchorsholme (Little Bispham) and back.



Rossall Beach: storm — tossed debris is building up

Cleveley Beach didn't seem too bad, but for some reason, the beach at Rossall, north of FBKafe and The Venue, seems to be the place where the rubbish accumulates.



Just wondering what Plan A is, never mind what Plan B might be.