This article is from a 2017 Russian media source

——

Unidentified Victor Class Soviet Sub¹ and USS James Madison (SSBN-627)

Советские подводники раскрыли детали столкновения субмарин СССР и США у Шотландии²

1/25/2017 NTV.RU
translated from Russian with Google Translate

Today, the British newspaper The Times published materials shedding light on the incident that in 1974 almost brought the world to a nuclear catastrophe. We are talking about a collision in the North Sea of ​​two nuclear submarines—Soviet and American.

Connecticut town on the sea, probably Stonington

Almost as long as I’ve been blogging, I’ve been sharing public-domain images, many of them from the period of America’s Great Depression.  Early on, I came across color images that had been created by photographers of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and, later, the Office of War Information (OWI) between 1939 and 1943 and shared some of them in my blog.  The Stonington image, above, was posted on December 28, 2005, in North Farnham Freeholder, an early blog that was abandoned in favor of other, later, blog endeavors.

Approximately 1,600 color photos that had been created by the FSA and OWI were misfiled when they were transferred to the Library of Congress in 1944 and largely forgotten until they resurfaced in the mid-1970s.  Taken shortly after the 1935 invention of Kodachrome film, the rich, saturated images are some of the only color photos taken during the Great Depression and early war years.

The FSA photographer who shot the image above, Jack Delano, also produced other color images as well as black and white images during his November 1940 visit to Stonington. Those included below are available in high-resolution format from the Library of Congress. The titles used are those from the Library of Congress. Image links are to the corresponding image on Flickr.

A square with old houses in an old fishing village, Stonington, Conn.

The same location for this photo can be viewed on Google StreetView with images captured in 2012.  The buildings from 1940 still exist.

Connecticut town, probably Stonington, on the sea.

A view of the old sea town, Stonington, Conn.

A bank for sale in Stonington, Connecticut

A square with old houses in the old fishing village of Stonington, Connecticut

Connecticut town, probably Stonington, on the sea

The 1965 Houston Ice Box Murders²

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Endnotes

1. I had been in Houston for only a couple of weeks.
   After finishing the 7th grade, my grandparents had driven me from North Platte, Nebraska, to Wichita, Kansas, where I boarded a bus, alone, heading to Houston.
   I was 13.
   My mom had left my sister and me with our grandparents three years earlier when she went chasing after a husband who had left her.  Now, I was spending the summer with her and her newest husband, Harry—not the same man she had been married to in 1962.
2. “Charles Rogers (Murder Suspect).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, most recent edit August 28, 2022. Accessed October 20, 2022

Note:

There are numerous articles and posts on the murders and on Charles Rogers.  Rather than use them as references to create still another post, it made more sense to just use material from Wikipedia.

National Archives Identifier: 521688
Local Identifier: 83-G-41444
Creator(s): Department of Agriculture. Bureau of Agricultural Economics. Division of Economic Information. ca. 1922-ca. 1953 (Most Recent)
From: Series: Photographic Prints Documenting Programs and Activities of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and Predecessor Agencies, ca. 1922 – ca. 1947
Record Group 83: Records of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, 1876 – 1959
This item was produced or created: 4/9/1940
The creator compiled or maintained the series between: ca. 1922 – ca. 1947
Contributors to Authorship and/or Production of the Archival Material(s): Lange, Dorothea, 1895-1965, Photographer

NARA Permalink

Mike’s notes:

Image restoration note – This image has been digitally adjusted for one or more of the following:
– fade correction,
– color, contrast, and/or saturation enhancement
– selected spot and/or scratch removal
– cropped for composition and/or to accentuate subject matter
– straighten image

Image restoration is the process of using digital restoration tools to create new digital versions of the images while also improving their quality and repairing damage.

Groundsel bush, Seven Hollows Trail, Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas, November 17, 2007

Baccharis halimifolia

Wikipedia
accessed 9/13/2022

Baccharis halimifolia is a North American species of shrubs in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Nova Scotia, the eastern and southern United States (from Massachusetts south to Florida and west to Texas and Oklahoma), eastern Mexico (Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Quintana Roo), the Bahamas, and Cuba.

Widely used common names include eastern baccharis, groundsel bush, sea myrtle, and saltbush, with consumption weed, cotton-seed tree, groundsel tree, menguilié, and silverling also used more locally. In most of its range, where no other species of the genus occur, this plant is often simply called baccharis.

Baccharis halimifolia is a fall-flowering shrub growing to about 12 ft (4 m) high and comparably wide, or occasionally a small tree. Its simple, alternate, thick, egg-shaped to rhombic leaves mostly have coarse teeth, with the uppermost leaves entire. These fall-flowering Baccharis plants are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate individuals. Their flowers are borne in numerous small, compact heads in large leafy terminal inflorescences, with the snowy-white, cotton-like female flower-heads showy and conspicuous at a distance.

Baccharis halimifolia, usually found in wetlands, is unusually salt-tolerant, and often found along salty or brackish shores of marshes and estuaries, and the inland shores of coastal barrier islands. In Florida, it is also found along ditches, in old fields, and in other disturbed areas. Other habitats in the northeastern United States include freshwater tidal marshes and open woods and thickets along the seacoast

The flowers produce abundant nectar that attracts various butterflies, including the monarch (Danaus plexippus). These dense shrubs also provide wildlife food and cover.

In the northeastern United States, the species has become common well inland of the shrub’s natural range along various major highways where road salt is heavily used, sometimes forming conspicuous displays when flowering in the fall.

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This series of posts is on plants that I have found growing in natural surroundings that are not looked after by people.  Some of those may be plants very close to home, even in the woods next to our house.  Many will be in other areas, but all will be within about 1 hour of Russellville.

Maximilian sunflower, Illinois Bayou Park, on Lake Dardanelle, near Russellville, Arkansas, September 8, 2022

I’m starting a new series of posts on plants that I find growing in natural surroundings that are not looked after by people.  Some of those may be plants very close to home.  Many will be in other areas.

Helianthus maximiliani

Wikipedia
accessed 9/12/2022

Helianthus maximiliani is a North American species of sunflower known by the common name Maximilian sunflower.

This sunflower is named for Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, who encountered it on his travels in North America.

Helianthus maximiliani is native to the Great Plains in central North America, and naturalized in the eastern and western parts of the continent. It is now found from British Columbia to Maine, south to the Carolinas, Chihuahua, and California. The plant thrives in a number of ecosystems, particularly across the plains in central Canada and the United States. It is also cultivated as an ornamental.

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The plants in this image project will be from within the bounds of this map, derived from an app called RV Trip Wizard, which represents an “advanced driving radius” around Russellville based on driving 1 hour at an average speed of 55 mph.

I’ve been involved extensively in recent weeks with efforts associated with attempts to bring a casino to our county.  Almost all of what I do is on a Facebook group called Pope County Majority.  In the last 90 days, I have 242 posts there.  While many of those have been shares of related news article, I’ve also created quite a bit of original content.

The casino’s parent organization is Cherokee Nation Businesses (CNB).  They own and operate 10 gaming facilities and a large number of non-gaming interests.  Their only shareholder is the Cherokee Nation which receives 37% of net revenue for funding programs and facilities that benefit the tribe.  The rest of the revenue goes back into CNB for growth and development.  Even though ground has yet to be broken, they have already proven to be a valuable community partner here.

Naturally, there has been – and continues to be – opposition to the casino, primarily from one group who has used a number of different organizational names over the last couple of years: Citizens for Local Choice, Concerned Citizens of Pope County, Citizens for a Better Pope County, Pope County Decides, United Pope County, United for a Better Pope County, United Pope County for Accountability, Fair Play for Arkansas, and, now, Fair Play for Arkansas – 2022.

As Fair Play for Arkansas – 2022, they are running a petition drive trying to get an issue on this year’s general election state-wide that would, if passed,  alter the state constitution to remove the authorization for a casino in our county. They have a Facebook page and a single page website  fairplayforarkansas dot org with a brief description of their allegations opposing the casino and a form for visitors to fill out so for more information.  While they are largely religion based, they are accepting huge financial support from Choctaw Gaming of Oklahoma

One of the things that I’ve done is to co-opt a couple of domain names similar to theirs in the hope that I can steal some of their almost zero traffic and, perhaps, influence some to not sign the petition.

https://fairplayforarkansas.net/ and
https://fairplayforarkansas2022.com/

Dear Honorable Justices,

I had planned to present most of this on Thursday during the public comments at the beginning of the meeting.  However, with the Omicron COVID surge, I’ve decided to not risk a crowded quorum court meeting room.

Perception is everything – your proposed farce of an ordinance.

One of the items on the agenda for the January 6 quorum court meeting was first proposed eleven months ago.  The agenda item says:

Third and final reading of an ordinance requiring a vote of the people in either a general election or special election to either approve or deny the elected official(s)’ support of a casino applicant applying for a casino.

What’s the point?

The application process was declared closed over 18 months ago.

The Pope County casino license has been issued to CNB/Legends.

There will be no new resolutions or letters of support.

Your proposed ordinance serves no legal or practical purpose.

While the proposed ordinance looks legal and sounds legal, it’s not legal.

It’s unconstitutional.  You may think it’s constitutional, but it’s not.

• “The general rule is that an unconstitutional statute, though having the form and name of law, is, in reality, no law, but is wholly void, and ineffective for any purpose;
•   “Such an unconstitutional law is void, the general principles follow that it imposes no duties, confers no rights, creates no office, bestows no power or authority on anyone, affords no protection, and justifies no acts performed under it.
• “No one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law and no courts are bound to enforce it.” 

Sixteenth AMERICAN JURISPRUDENCE. Second Section; § 177

The proposed ordinance requires that Quorum Court refer “the question” to the voters in a local election before the County Judge or the Quorum Court may issue a letter or resolution of support for a casino license as provided under Amendment 100. 

The proposed ordinance is in direct conflict with Amendment 100. Amendment 100 specifies that the authority and discretion to issue letters or resolutions of support lie with the County Judge and the Quorum Court. Amendment 100 does not place that authority or discretion in the electorate of Pope County.

The proposed ordinance states, “The County Judge shall propose a resolution to the Quorum Court to refer to the voters in a local election, either a general election or a special election, the question as to the issuance of a Letter of Support…”

How exactly would that work? “A resolution may be used whenever the quorum court wishes merely to express an opinion as to some matter of county affairs.” (AR Code § 14-14-904)

Perception is everything – it’s a dead horse.

You first proposed this ordinance nearly a year ago.  It’s a dead horse.  Quit beating it!

I’ve never gotten an answer to these questions. I’m pretty sure I know the answer, but I’ll ask them again.

1. Have you asked the Secretary of State’s office whether a vote on authorizing county officials to provide support documents is even feasible under state election laws?
2. Have you asked the Arkansas Election Commission?
3. Did you confer with the county attorney on the legalities of this ordinance?
4. Have you conferred with the prosecuting attorney’s office on the legalities and constitutionality of the ordinance?

I’m pretty sure the answer is “no” to all four questions. 

For 2018-O-42 back in 2019, the answers would have been 1) yes, 2) yes, and 3) yes – I don’t know about # 4. 

The then County Attorney, Clay McCall, was involved with trying to figure out a way to implement 2018-O-42.  Efforts by him and others involved contacting the Secretary of State, Arkansas Election Commission, legal experts, and others.  Through those efforts, they learned there was no way that such an election could be legally conducted.

Your dead horse ordinance would meet the same fate should conditions ever occur where the county would try to implement it in the future.

Perception is everything – This dead horse ordinance is obviously based not-so-loosely on old Ordinance 2018-O-42.

Who was the author?  Was it someone with a legal background? Were any attorneys involved?

From what I understand, the author of 2018-O-42 was Fayetteville attorney Travis Story.  (I haven’t seen his name on filings related to Citizen for a Better Pope County lawsuits for quite a while.  I guess he’s had his hands full with allegations related to his former position on the medical marijuana commission and with defending Josh Dugger.  But that’s probably not germane to this ordinance.)

The license is already issued. 

This ordinance is DOA.

Vote it down.

Please don’t table it again.

Mike Goad
(Dover out voting precinct)

Fifty years ago, after living in Houston and the surrounding area for nearly 5 years, I was leaving, never to return other than for a very few visits.  I was 19, almost 20.

I didn’t plan to never return.  That’s just how life worked out.

I had signed up to join the Navy at some previous date.  Though I didn’t realize it at the time, going in between Christmas and the beginning of the New Year was based on the occupational track I was enlisting for.  It worked out well for me.  While others had temporary duty assignments waiting for one school or another to begin, I stepped through all four stages of my Navy occupation training in sequence, with just enough time for leave and travel between each one.

My journey began at Houston MEPS—Military Entrance Processing Station— at the historic Old U.S. Customs House in the heart of downtown where three or four of us were sworn in as navy recruits. From there, we were transported to the new Houston Intercontinental Airport—opened just 2 1/2 years before—where we would be on flying standby.

Flying standby meant showing up at an airport without a pre-purchased ticket and hoping to get on a flight.  It wasn’t our choice—it was MEPS—and we weren’t paying.  Back then, flights were often far less filled than they are today, so flying standby must have a good option for a federal passenger.  It seemed odd at the time.  It seems odd, looking back at it.

We did get on the flight and a couple of us, at least, ended up in first class.  It was my first flight ever and the only time I’ve ever flown first-class.  Everyone on the flight got food and drinks, of course, but the booze cost extra, except in first-class (The food was probably better in first-class, too).  The drinking age in many parts of the US had been dropped to 18—and it may have been 18 for air flights, though I don’t remember being asked how old I was. I drank enough to be a bit buzzed by the time we got to San Diego.

Our flight had a connection in Los Angeles, then continued on to San Diego.  Along with others arriving from elsewhere, we boarded a bus to the Naval Training Center.  I spent New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in the transient barracks.  On January 2, 1972, Boot Camp Company 005, and others, was formed.