My Predictions For the Next Four Years

It's been slightly over two weeks since Trump won the 2024 presidential election, and the Republicans took both the House and the Senate.

So what happens now?

Here are some of my own personal predictions on what I believe we might see over the next four years:

The Republicans will succeed in deporting and/or incarcerating millions of immigrants (and possibly tens of millions). I suspect that millions will indeed be deported, while possibly millions more will be in newly constructed facilities to hold them at or near the border. There will be whispers of criticism of inhumane conditions within these facilities, but that will not deter anything.

Massive tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and corporations, once again. This is a Republican trend, not unique to Trump, although he seems to really double down on these economic policies. 

Market numbers will look good, at least initially. But inflation will creep back up, especially if Trump does indeed proceed with tariffs the way that he is planning.

More international trade wars, possibly with countries traditionally perceived as alllies (paritcularly Europe). 

The national debt will exceed $40 trillion, and possibly start to reach $45 trillion.

The war between Russia and Ukraine will end.

The war between Israel and Palestine will not end anytime soon.

Support for Israel will increase, perhaps dramatically, under Trump. Particularly militarily, but also politically. There will be no serious criticism that Israel might be going too far or is conducting genocide. Support for Israel will become a gold mine for Washington politicians, at least for the next four years.

Once again, we will see the United States withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.

We will see the United States withdraw from NATO (no, I am not kidding).

There will even be talk from some high-ranking government officials to withdraw the United States from the United Nations. The numbers of Americans supporting this withdrawal, will continue to grow, although it likely will not be overly significant ( at least not yet). 

Democrats will seem to win the 2025 elections and, more importantly, will win at least one if not both chambers of Congress in the mid-terms.

More leaks from within the White House. Trump will be rabid at times, but that will likely not prevent more such leaks, as occurred during his first term in office.

A national emergency of some sort or other, possibly involving "illegals," which will see Trump exerting greater forceful authority than we have seen him use before. 

There will be more signs that hatred and division are consuming the country. More displays of Nazi flags and other symbols of hatred will be paraded on American streets, and likely without comment from the White House. We will hear about some prominent members of government having ties to hate groups and/or holding positions which are considered very extremist.

At least some reporters critical of Trump and his administration will not only be attacked and considered "enemies of the people," but will be prosecuted and possibly jailed.

Those who participated in January 6th will receive a pardon (with possibly a few exceptions). In fact, I believe that January 6th may be turned into a new patriotic holiday. 

And at the end of these four years, yes, I stand by my belief that we will see Donald Trump run for yet another term in office. Some people really question why I believe this, and I will not go into details as to why I believe it. But I believe it, and suspect that within four years, you will, too. I suspect that he will try to coordinate with the Republican controlled-Congress and Supreme Court to assure that barriers to his running for a third term will be removed. At first, there will be more comments and possibly "jokes" about him running for a third term, or even being "president for life." It will remain a rumor, or be passed off as a joke, until it becomes very serious. 

However, Trump might not run again. I have a difficult time believing that, but he did text at one point that Vance would run in 2028. That actually suggests that he would honor the legal term limits. However, I suspect that if Trump does not run again, it will be because things in the country get bad fairly quickly. My suspicion is that we are overdue for some kind of serious economic crisis or even crises, and Trump's economic policies might accelerate this process. If things go really badly, we may even see more calls for accountability on Trump's part, even from Republicans. However, my suspicion is that Biden and his legacy will be blamed, and that at least initially, these arguments will hold sway among most Americans and the Republican-controlled government. They will turn on Trump only if things start to get really, undeniably bad (and they very well could). 

State of the 2024 NFL Season in Mid-November

Okay, so it has obviously been a while since I posted anything substantive about the NFL. In fact, it was just prior to my vacation, which now is approaching the two-month anniversary.

So yeah, it's been a while.

I did not have the energy to break each game down and diagnose it. That is the traditional way that I covered it, but it just sometimes feels exhausting.

Instead, it felt like a better idea just to discuss how the season is progressing so far, and to perhaps rate the best teams, as well as the worst, which I will go ahead and do.

Here goes:

The biggest game this past weekend was the rematch of last year's divisional round game between the defending champion Chiefs and the Bills. Back in January, KC handed the Buffalo faithful a devastating playoff loss which has since come to be known as "Wide Right 2," since another field goal sailing wide right cost the Bills a chance, and evoked memories of Scott Norwood's missed field goal to win the game at the end of Super Bowl XXV. 

This time around, however, the Bills were able to take care of business. Kansas City entered this weekend as the league's sole remaining unbeaten team. But the Bills bested them, earning what most likely qualifies as their biggest win in recent years. It looked great and is something which they should feel proud of. That said, however, the Bills have to prove that they can do that if these two teams meet again in the playoffs this January. Otherwise, this win will ring hollow.

After that, the Steelers win over the Ravens felt like probably the biggest and most impactful game, as it might help to decide the AFC North division race. Baltimore gave themselves a chance late, scoring a touchdown while down eight in the game's final minutes. However, they were unable to convert on a poorly executed (and it felt to me, poorly planned) two-point conversion attempt. Indeed, the announcers mentioned numerous times how the Ravens had made mistake after mistake in the game, so this appears to have been a wasted opportunity for them.

Otherwise, it is difficult to ignore the Detroit Lions, who crushed the Jaguars, 52-6. It was the second time this season that Detroit has scored 50+ points, having beaten the Titans, 52-14 just a few weeks ago. They have one of the most explosive and dangerous offenses, and appear to be one of the most dangerous teams in the league so far. In fact, I think that they may take the top spot now in overall team rankings following this performance, as well as KC's loss to Buffalo. 

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the New York Jets suffered yet another disastrous loss. This one was at home to the Colts. But to me, it felt like this was the one which effectively ended any remote chance for the Jets to still qualify for the postseason. They are just too far behind too many other teams to seriously entertain any real hopes for recovery and playoff contention. I cannot help but think back to January, when quarterback Aaron Rodgers said that the Super Bowl logo this year had better have green, since he seemed to think that would mean that the Jets would qualify. Far from helping the team's title shots, or even playoff shot, it feels like Rodgers has hindered them thus far. He's not the same quarterback he was years ago, when he ranked among the elites in the league. Still, Gang Green has expressed a commitment to have Rodgers back at least for next year. Because, you know, it's been working out so well for them so far. 

Sigh. 

Anyway, here is my ranking of the top ten teams in the league to this point in the season:

1. Detroit Lions (9-1) - They just look awesome at the moment. Their offense is explosive and dangerous, and their defense is tough. And it feels like they are a team on a mission.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (9-1) - The defending champs had an active 14-game winning streak going for them as they took the field in western New York, and that would have been enough to put them in the top spot in my book. However, this loss was a big one, and suddenly, they now have not one, but two teams (the Bills and the Steelers) nipping at their heels in the AFC. Also, let's face it: they have barely escaped with some wins which could just as easily have been losses (such as the blocked field goal against Denver that felt flukey). 

3. Buffalo Bills (9-2) - I put the Bills at number three, behind the team that they just beat, because they still are a game behind KC in the race for home field advantage. If they keep playing on this level, and keep winning, however, they might go up the rankings. Still, I maintain that in the case of the Bills, they have to win in January and finally reach a Super Bowl. Until they do, I have reservations, admittedly.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2) - Their win over the Ravens looked a little shaky towards the end. Still, a win is a win, and their record is very impressive. They have to keep it going to still be considered among the elite teams. But for now, they rank number four on my list.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) - Like with the Steelers, the Eagles have taken me by surprise. It felt like their offseason was a bit chaotic, and I was not sure that they had ironed out all the wrinkles from their disastrous collapse last year, following an awesome 10-1 start. I still feel that they need to prove that they can close this season out on the same high they are currently on. However, they have a very impressive record, and that must be for a reason.

6. Minnesota Vikings (8-2) - They are not even on top of their division, yet they are technically still only one game behind Detroit, and a game ahead of the Packers. So they are in good position to be a true contender. But the Vikings still feel like a team that is hard to trust come January, so this high rating feels a bit on shaky ground to me, and is based on where they are right now, at this point in the season, and not necessarily indicative of where they might end up when the season wraps up.

7. Green Bay Packers (7-3) - A third place team ranked number 7? Yeah, because the NFC North just looks so good this year, that it feels like that should be taken into consideration. And the Packers have been earning those win so far, so I am going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

8. Baltimore Ravens (7-3) - They lost the big showdown to the Steelers yesterday. Yet, they will get another chance against them in the coming weeks. Baltimore feels like the kind of team that could get hot at any time, and still could win the division title and have one of the higher seeds in the conference. Don't sleep on them just because of that disappointing loss yesterday.

9. San Francisco 49ers (5-5) - How can a .500 team make my list of top ten, especially after suffering a surprising loss yesterday? Well, I just suspect that they are better than their record suggests. Also, they are only one game behind the Cardinals, and I admittedly do not trust Arizona's success this season so far. So I feel the 49ers are still more dangerous and have bigger potential, if they play up to the level that they are capable of. Just saying that I will not dismiss or overlook them at this point.

10. LA Chargers (7-3) -  Another team that I am not entirely sold on. I felt that they would be going in the right direction under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was successful during his previous NFL tenure with San Francisco, as well as at the collegiate level with Michigan. Also, they are riding the wave of a winning streak which just reached four straight this past weekend. However, they have also consistently fallen short whenever they have faced tougher competition, with losses to the Steelers, Chiefs, and Cardinals. So while they seem to win when they are supposed to win, it also feels like they will lose when you expect them to, as well. 

Now, here is my list of the five worst (or most underperforming, or disappointing) teams in the league to this point in the season:

32. Jacksonville Jaguars - Hard to believe that they were a division winning team which won a playoff game just two seasons ago. They were regarded by many as a young, up and coming team, with a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence who had a promising future ahead of him. Times and circumstances have certainly changed since, have they not? They have an offense which produces lower than average results. However, it is their defense which has been particularly disastrous, as they are ranked damn near the bottom. They just got scorched for 52 points by the Lions in Detroit, so their defensive ranking likely isn't going to improve after such a performance.

31. New York Giants (2-8) - I have no idea if the G-Men are actually the second worst team in the league, or if this reveals my disappointed status as a fan of the team. However, their offense currently ranks dead last. Their defense is a bit better, more or less middle of the road. But they also just benched Daniel Jones. That is a move which seems to signal their willingness to admit that his tenure with the team is now effectively over. Not sure why they believed in him to the degree that they did in the first place. But this team has one of the worst records in the league, and they just feel to me like one of the very worst teams in the entire NFL at this point.

30. Tennessee Titans (2-8) - It feels as if the Titans have become almost a background team in the league in recent seasons. They have been quite horrid on both sides of the ball, with a bad defense, as well as ranking among the worst teams on offense. They have managed to score more than 17 points in only two games so far this season, and they won both of those games. So it feels like it is on offense that this team is particularly egregious.

29. Cleveland Browns (2-9) - This franchise ranks low among NFL teams this season. But they also may top the charts in terms of disappointing high expectations. I heard one or two people who predicted amazing things for this team this year, with one even predicting a Super Bowl appearance. My own expectations for them was not nearly as high, but I admittedly did expect them to return to the playoffs, following their success last season. Apparently, many of us gave this team too much credit. They did manage a surprising upset win over the Ravens just a few weeks ago. However, that was more of an aberration, as this season has spun out of control for this franchise a long time ago. That win against the Browns marks the first - and so far, the only - time that Cleveland managed to score 20 points of more this year. 

28. Las Vegas Raiders - Believe it or not, I half expected the Raiders to be decent this season. Maybe even contend for a playoff spot. Boy, was I ever wrong! They have now dropped six straight, and sport one of the worst overall records in the league. They look bad on offense, but their defense ranks among the worst in the entire league. That is falling quite short of the expectations that many had for this franchise this season. 

November 19th: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

On this day in 1805 during their famous expedition, Lewis & Clark reached the Pacific Ocean. They became the first European Americans to cross the North American continent. Warsaw University was established in 1816 on this day. On this day in 1863, American President Abraham Lincoln delivered one of his most famous and iconic speeches, the Gettysburg Address, during a visit to the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. On this day in 1940, Hitler urged Spain to take Gibraltar. The Nazis had assisted Franco to grab power following the Spanish Civil War, and expected him to pay them back for their help by joining the Axis. However, Franco never did, which proved a source of real frustration to Hitler. On this day in 1942 during World War II, the Red Army of the Soviet Union began their wintertime counterattack at Stalingrad under General Georgi Zhukov along the Don front. This counterattack came to be known as Operation Uranus, and turned the tide of that battle, ultimately handing Nazi Germany their first real loss during the war. Stalingrad is now known as the biggest battle in the history of warfare, which is really saying something. On a lighter note, it was on this day in 1969 that Pele scored his 1,000th career goal.

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

461 - St Hilary begins his reign as Catholic Pope

615 - Pope Deusdedit/Adeodatus I elected to succeed Boniface IV

1302 - Pope Boniface VIII delegates degree "Unam sanctam"

1367 - League of Cologne goes against Danish king Waldemar IV

1493 - Christopher Columbus discovers Puerto Rico, on his 2nd voyage

1521 - Battle at Milan: Emperor Karel V's/pontifical/Spanish/German troops beat France & occupy Milan

1523 - Giulio de' Medici chosen as Pope Clemens VII

1530 - Augsburg] Emperor Karel I enables Edict of Worms

1544 - Pope Paul III opens council of Trente

1620 - Mayflower reaches Cape Cod & explores the coast

1621 - Rabbi Isaiah b Abraham aha-Levi Horowitz arrives in Israel

1644 - 1st protestant ministry society in New England

1700 - Battle at Narva: Swedish King Karel XII defeats Russians

1794 - Jakobin Club forms in Paris

1794 - Jay Treaty, 1st US extradition treaty, signed with Great Britain

On this day in 1805 during their famous expedition, Lewis & Clark reached the Pacific Ocean. They became the first European Americans to cross the North American continent. Warsaw University was established in 1816 on this day.

1824 - Storm causes St Petersburg flood, killing 10,000

1837 - Floridsdorf-Deutsch Wagram railway in Austria opens

Poet Alfred TennysonPoet Alfred Tennyson 1850 - Alfred Tennyson becomes British Poet Laureate, succeeding William Wordsworth

1861 - Julia Ward Howe committed "Battle Hymn of the Republic" to paper

1863 - Lincoln delivers his address in Gettysburg; "4 score & 7 years..."

1873 - William Marcy "Boss" Tweed, of Tammany Hall (NYC) convicted of defrauding city of $6M, sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment

1879 - Natl Association of Trotting Horse Breeders determines what "is" a trotter

1881 - A meteorite lands near the village of Großliebenthal, southwest of Odessa, Ukraine.

1887 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Dying Detective" (BG)

1893 - 1st newspaper color supplement (NY World)

1894 - 1st mushroom on a stamp (China 1 & 5 Ap)

1894 - Dutch troops occupy & plunders palace of Tjakra Negara, Lombok

1895 - Frederick E Blaisdell patents the pencil

1896 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Sussex Vampire" (BG)

1903 - Carrie Nation attempts to address Senate

1906 - London selected to host 1908 Olympics

1909 - Former Dutch premier Abraham Kuyper denies corruption

Explorer of the New World Christopher ColumbusExplorer of the New World Christopher Columbus 1910 - Ferenc Molnàrs "Tester," premieres in Budapest

1911 - NY receives 1st Marconi wireless transmission from Italy

1916 - Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures (the company later became one of the most successful independent filmmakers).

1919 - US Senate rejects (55-39) Treaty of Versailles & League of Nations

1922 - Demonstration for a French Language University in Ghent

1923 - Béla Bartòk's "Tancsuite," premieres

1926 - British mine strikes after 28 weeks ends

1928 - 1st issue of Time magazine, Japanese Emperor Hirohito on cover

1932 - Joe Kershalla scores 71 points in a college football game

1932 - Shaft & Thyssen demand Hitler become German chancellor

1933 - Women allowed to vote in Spain (helps right wing)

1939 - Don Lash wins 6th straight AAU cross-country 10K championship

On this day in 1940, Hitler urged Spain to take Gibraltar. The Nazis had assisted Franco to grab power following the Spanish Civil War, and expected him to pay them back for their help by joining the Axis. However, Franco never did, which proved a source of real frustration to Hitler. 

1940 - Belgian King Leopold III visits Adolf Hitler

1940 - German air raid on Birmingham fails

1942 - Joseph Goebbels visits "German Theatre in the Niederlanden"

On this day in 1942 during World War II, the Red Army of the Soviet Union began their wintertime counterattack at Stalingrad under General Georgi Zhukov along the Don front. This counterattack came to be known as Operation Uranus, and turned the tide of that battle, ultimately handing Nazi Germany their first real loss during the war. Stalingrad is now known as the biggest battle in the history of warfare, which is really saying something. 

1942 - Russia launches winter offensive against Germans along Don front

1943 - U-536 sinks in Atlantic Ocean

1944 - World War II: U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt announces the 6th War Loan Drive, aimed at selling $14 billion USD in war bonds to help pay for the war effort.

1946 - Bradman scores 119 South Australia v Victoria, 183 mins, 8 fours

1947 - 200" mirror arrives at Mt Palomar

1948 - Belgian government of Spaak, forms

1949 - Prince Rainier III coronation as 30th ruling Prince of Monaco

1950 - US General Eisenhower becomes supreme commander of NATO-Europe

1951 - Roy Campanella named NL MVP on his 30th birthday

1951 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1952 - North American F-86 Sabre sets world aircraft speed record, 1124 KPH

1952 - Spain joins UNESCO

1953 - US Supreme Court rules (7-2) baseball is a sport not a business

1953 - US VP Richard Nixon visits Hanoi

1955 - KXMB TV channel 12 in Bismarck, ND (CBS/ABC) begins broadcasting

37th US President Richard Nixon37th US President Richard Nixon 1955 - National Review publishes its first issue.

1957 - Antonin Novotny appointed president of Czechoslovakia

1958 - First 2 F-27 Fokker's Friendships delivered on Aer Lingus

1959 - "Rocky & His Friends" debuts on ABC

1959 - Ford cancels Edsel

1960 - Mickey Vernon is hired as 1st manager of new Washington team

1961 - Houston George Blanda passes for 7 touchdowns vs NY Titans (49-13)

1962 - Fidel Castro accepts removal of Soviet weapons

1962 - KOET (now KULC) TV channel 9 in Ogden, UT (PBS) begins broadcasting

1962 - SN Behrman's "Lord Pengo," premieres in NYC

1962 - Todor Zjivkov becomes premier of Bulgaria

1965 - ABC radio begins weekly "Vietnam Update" report

1965 - Kellogg's Pop Tarts pastries created

1966 - Mad Dog Vachon beats Dick The Bruiser in Omaha, to become NWA champ

1967 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Pensacola Ladies' Golf Invitational

Cuban President Fidel CastroCuban President Fidel Castro 1967 - The establishment of TVB, the first wireless commercial television station in Hong Kong.

1968 - Mali military coup, president Modibo Keita flees

1968 - Yankees pitcher Stan Bahnsen wins AL Rookie of Year

1969 - Apollo 12's Conrad & Bean become 3rd & 4th humans on Moon

1969 - WENY TV channel 36 in Elmira, NY (ABC) begins broadcasting

1970 - Golden Gate Park Conservatory becomes a Cal state historical landmark

1970 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1971 - Ft Wilderness opens

1972 - "Ambassador" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 9 performances

1972 - "Dear Oscar" closes at Playhouse Theater NYC after 5 performances

1972 - Gershwin Theater (Uris) opens at 1633 Broadway NYC

1972 - KFIZ TV channel 34 in Fond du Lac, WI suspends broadcasting

1972 - Willy Brandts SPD wins West German election

1973 - Elections in Suriname, premier Sedney's PNP doesn't win a chair

1975 - Reds 2nd baseman Joe Morgan is named NL MVP

1976 - George Harrison releases "This Song"

1976 - Patty Hearst is freed on $15 million bail

1976 - Jaime Ornelas Camacho takes office as the first President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Portugal.

1977 - -21] Egyptian president Sadat visits Israel

1977 - Canuck's Ron Sedlbauer fails on 3rd penalty shot against Islanders

1977 - Egyptian Pres Anwar Sadat arrives in Israel

1977 - Libya drops diplomatic relations with Egypt

1978 - Gavaskar gets twin cricket tons for India for 2nd time

1979 - Astros sign Nolan Ryan, to record 4 year, $4.5 million contract

1979 - Chuck Berry released from prison on income tax evasion

Supermodel & Actress Brooke ShieldsSupermodel & Actress Brooke Shields 1980 - CBS TV bans Calvin Klein's jean ad featuring Brooke Shields

1983 - Edmonton Oilers beat NJ Devils, 13-4, Wayne Gretzky calls the Devils "a Mickey Mouse organization"

1984 - Liquid gas tank in Mexico City explodes; 334 die

1984 - NY Met Dwight Gooden, 20, is youngest to be named NL Rookie of Year

1985 - Herb Gardner's "I'm Not Rappaport," premieres in NYC

1985 - US President Reagan & Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for 1st time

1986 - Phillies 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt wins NL MVP

1986 - Tina Howe's "Coastal Disturbances," premieres in NYC

1987 - France performs nuclear test

1989 - US beats Trinidad, 1-0 qualifing for 1990 world soccer cup finals it was US' 1st qualification since 1950

1990 - Greyhound files reoganization plan so they can be traded publically

1990 - Iraq announces it will free all German hostages

1990 - Pittsburgh's Barry Bonds wins NL MVP

1991 - Balt Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken wins his 2nd AL MVP

1992 - "3 From Brooklyn" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 45 performances

General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail GorbachevGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev 1993 - Algerian Moslem fundamentalists uprising, 27 killed

1993 - Curacaose vote to remain part of Dutch Antilles

1994 - Aishwarya Rai, 21, of India, crowned 44th Miss World

1994 - Sam's Town Bowling Invitational won by Tish Johnson

1995 - "Beatle Anthology" premieres on ABC-TV

1995 - "Sacrilege" closes at Belasco Theater NYC after 21 performances

1995 - "School for Scandal" opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 23 performances

1995 - 83rd CFL Grey Cup: Balt Stallions defeats Calgary Stampeders, 37-20

1995 - CNET lauches www.shareware.com

1995 - Keelin Curnuck, 23, Ms Venus Swimwear 1994, crowned Miss NY USA

1995 - Suicide bomber blasts into Egyptian embassy in Islamabad, kills 16

1996 - "God Said, Ha!," opens at Lyceum Theater NYC for 22 performances

1996 - "Sex & Longing" closes at Cort Theater NYC

1996 - Albert Belle, signs record five-year, $55 million with White Sox

1996 - Space Shuttle STS 80 (Columbia 21), launches into space

1996 - The case of the Port Arthur massacre comes to trial.

1996 - Lt. Gen. Maurice Baril of Canada arrives in Africa to lead a multi-national policing force in Zaire.

1997 - "Eugene Onegin," opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC

1997 - "Old Neighborhood," opens at Booth Theater NYC

1997 - STS 87 (Columbia 24) launches into orbit

1997 - In Des Moines, Iowa, Bobbi McCaughey gives birth to septuplets in the second known case where all seven babies were born alive. They would go on to become the first set of septuplets to survive infancy, with all seven alive in 2007.

1998 - Vincent van Gogh's Portrait of the Artist Without Beard sells at auction for $71.5 million USD.

42nd US President Bill Clinton42nd US President Bill Clinton 1998 - Lewinsky scandal: The United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee begins impeachment hearings against U.S. President Bill Clinton.

1999 - Shenzhou 1: The People's Republic of China launches its first Shenzhou spacecraft.

1999 - In Istanbul, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe ends a two-day summit by calling for a political settlement in Chechnya and adopting a Charter for European Security.

1794 - Britain's King George III signed the Jay Treaty. It resolved the issues left over from the Revolutionary War.   1850 - The first life insurance policy for a woman was issued. Carolyn Ingraham, 36 years old, bought the policy in Madison, NJ.   1863 - U.S. President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.   1893 - The first newspaper color supplement was published in the Sunday New York World.   1895 - The "paper pencil" was patented by Frederick E. Blaisdell.   1919 - The U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles with a vote of 55 in favor to 39 against. A two-thirds majority was needed for ratification.   1928 - "Time" magazine presented its cover in color for the first time. The subject was Japanese Emperor Hirohito.   1942 - During World War II, Russian forces launched their winter offensive against the Germans along the Don front.   1954 - Two automatic toll collectors were placed in service on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey.   1959 - Ford Motor Co. announced it was ending the production of the unpopular Edsel.   1966 - Sandy Koufax (Los Angeles Dodgers) announced his retirement from major league baseball.   1969 - Apollo 12 astronauts Charles Conrad and Alan Bean made man's second landing on the moon.   1970 - Hafiz al-Assad seized power in Syria.   1977 - Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to set foot in Israel on an official visit.   1979 - Nolan Ryan (Houston Astros) signed a four-year contract for $4.5 million. At the time, Ryan was the highest paid player in major league baseball.   1981 - U.S. Steel agreed to pay $6.3 million for Marathon Oil.   1984 - Dwight Gooden, 20-year-old, of the New York Mets, became the youngest major-league pitcher to be named Rookie of the Year in the National League. (MLB)   1985 - U.S. President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev met for the first time as they began their summit in Geneva.   1990 - NATO and the Warsaw Pact signed a treaty of nonaggression.   1993 - The U.S. Senate approved a sweeping $22.3 billion anti-crime measure.   1994 - The U.N. Security Council authorized NATO to bomb rebel Serb forces striking from neighboring Croatia.   1997 - In Carlisle, IA, septuplets were born to Bobbi McCaughey. It was only the second known case where all seven were born alive.   1998 - The impeachment inquiry of U.S. President Clinton began.   1998 - Vincent van Gogh's "Portrait of the Artist Without Beard" sold at auction for more than $71 million.   1998 - Michelle Lee received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1999 - In Istanbul, Turkey, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded a two-day summit after adopting a new arms accord. During the conference, Russia was criticized for its military campaign against Chechnya's separatist movement.   2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush signed the most comprehensive air security bill in U.S. history.   2002 - The oil tanker Prestige broke into two pieces and sank off northwest Spain. The tanker lost about 2 million gallons of fuel oil when it ruptured November 13th and was towed about 150 miles out to sea.   2002 - The U.S. government completed its takeover of security at 424 airports nationwide.   2003 - Eight competing designs for a memorial to the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center were unveiled. One design would be built at the site of the World Trade Center.




1703 A masked man held prisoner in the Bastille in Paris died. His true identity was the cause of much intrigue, and his story became the basis of literary works by François Voltaire and Alexandre Dumas. 1794 John Jay and Lord Grenville signed Jay's Treaty. 1863 Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the national cemetery on the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg, Pa. 1977 Egyptian president Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel. 1985 Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev met for the first time in Geneva. 1990 Milli Vanilli's Grammy award was rescinded after it was discovered they didn't do their own singing.



The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/nov19.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

CFL 2024 Grey Cup Review: Toronto Dominates Winnipeg

        

Grey Cup/Coupe Grey

Grey Cup Review:

Toronto Argonauts 41, Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24

Well, that was not how I expected this one to go, admittedly. I had picked Winnipeg to win it, based on what I assumed was superior experience, as well as Toronto having to play without their normal starting quarterback, Chad Kelly.

However, none of that seemed to matter in this one. Once Toronto started to roll, the Blue Bombers just looked helpless to stop their momentum, as the Argos romped to a surprisingly easy championship.

Despite having lost their starting quarterback, the Toronto Argonauts absolutely dominated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 111th Grey Cup last night. The final score was 41-24, which of course looks quite lopsided. The Argos just managed to pull away in the final quarter. Yet, the crazy part is that it was not even as close as that final score would indicate, as Winnipeg managed to score a final touchdown very late to make the final score appear more respectable than it was.  

Toronto stunned the Blue Bombers in the Grey Cup two years ago, in a much closer game. In this one, however, they ended the suspense quite early. With this win, it is now the Toronto Argonauts who appear to be on the brink of establishing themselves as the new dynasty of the CFL. It was the 19th Grey Cup title in franchise history for the Argos. They have not lost any of their eight appearances in the big game dating back to 1991, and they are 9-0 specifically against Winnipeg all-time in the Grey Cup, something which I personally was not aware of prior to this particular game.

Nick Arbuckle stepped up in a big way at QB for the Argonauts in place of the injured Chad Kelly. Arbuckle completed 26 of 37 for 252 yards, with two touchdowns, but also two INT's. Ultimately, that was a solid enough performance to earn him MVP honors for the game. Running back Ka'Deem Carey also helped Toronto in a big way as well, grounding out 79 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

On the opposite end, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros had a pretty disastrous day. He completed 15 of 30 for 202, with zero touchdowns and a rather astonishing four INT's. He did not help the Blue Bombers and their hopes of another title in this one. Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson picked up 99 yards on five catches. On the ground, Brady Oliviera picked up 84 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries for the Blue Bombers.

However, none of that was nearly enough. The Blue Bombers simply looked flat on offense almost all day, at least following a touchdown drive to open the game and briefly take the lead. For all intents and purposes, Winnipeg was ineffective on offense from that point onwards. 

As for Toronto, they managed to show more consistency. They were able to keep ahead of Winnipeg for most of the game, with an offense that did just enough early, and a defense that was tough and opportunistic, ultimately forcing too many turnovers by the Blue Bombers for them to be able to win. So it is the Toronto Argonauts who emerge as Grey Cup champions once again, for the second time in three years.

My Pick: Wildly Inaccurate

Arbuckle throws for two touchdowns to lead Argos past Bombers 41-24 in Grey Cup by Dan Ralph of The Canadoan Press, Updated Nov. 17, 2024:

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/arbuckle-throws-for-two-touchdowns-to-lead-argos-past-bombers-41-24-in-grey-cup-1.7113509

111th Grey Cup Recap: Winnipeg vs Toronto

November 18th: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

On this day in the year 326, the old St. Peter's Basilica was consecrated. It had stood from the fourth until the sixteenth century, but was ultimately replaced by the modern St Peter's Basilica in Rome. In 1477 on this day, the first book printed in English "Dictes & Sayengis of the Phylosophers" was published. French King Charles VIII occupied Florence, in modern day Italy, on this day in 1494. Vasco da Gama reached the Cape of Good Hope on this day in 1497. Voltaire's "Oedipe" premiered in Paris on this day in 1718. On this day in 1863, American President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg. The next day, he would deliver one of his most famous and eloquent speeches. In 1916 on this day during World War I, the Battle of the Somme ended. On this day in 1940, Hitler was absolutely furious after learning about Italy's debacle in Greece.  In 1987 on this day, Congress issued a final report on the Iran-Contra scandal, which helped cement American President Reagan's legacy as the "Teflon President."

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

On this day in the year 326, the old St. Peter's Basilica was consecrated. It had stood from the fourth until thesixteenth century, but was ultimately replaced by the modern St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

794 - Japanese emperor Kammu deallocates residence of Nara to Kioto

1105 - Maginulf elected anti-Pope Silvester I

1210 - Pope Innocent III excommunicates Roman Catholic Emperor Otto IV

1307 - William Tell shoots apple off his son's head

1421 - Southern sea floods 72 villages, killing estimated 10,000 in Netherlands

1424 - Storm flood ravages Dutch coast

In 1477 on this day, the first book printed in English "Dictes & Sayengis of the Phylosophers" was published. French King Charles VIII occupied Florence, in modern day Italy, on this day in 1494. Vasco da Gama reached the Cape of Good Hope on this day in 1497. 

1626 - St. Peter's Basilica is consecrated. Replaced an earlier basilica. Largest Christian basilica

1667 - Treaty of Bongaja: King Hassan-Udin of Makasar & VOC

1686 - Charles Francois Felix operated on King Louis XIV of France's anal fistula after practising the surgery on several peasants.

Voltaire

Voltaire's "Oedipe" premiered in Paris on this day in 1718. On this day in 1738, France & Austria signed a peace treaty. Prussia & England signed an anti-French military covenant on this day in 1742.

1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlies troops occupy Carlisle

1755 - Worst quake in Mass Bay area strikes Boston; no deaths report

1776 - Hessians capture Ft Lee, NJ

French Enlightenment Philosopher VoltaireFrench Enlightenment Philosopher Voltaire 1787 - 1st Unitarian minister in US ordained, Boston

1793 - Louvre officially opens in Paris

1803 - Battle of Vertieres, in which Haitians defeat French

1804 - Palver Purim 1st celebrated to commemorate miraculous escape

1805 - 30 women meet at Mrs Silas Lee's home in Wiscasset Maine, organizes Female Charitable Society, first woman's club in America

1820 - Antarctica discovered by US Navy Capt Nathaniel B Palmer

1833 - Netherlands & Belgium sign Treaty of Zonhoven

1835 - -20] Charles Darwin travels to Tahiti

1852 - State funeral of Duke of Wellington (London)

1852 - Rose Philippine Duchesne dies in St. Charles, Missouri. She would be canonized on July 3, 1988 by Pope John Paul II.

On this day in 1863, American President Abraham Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg. The next day, he would deliver one of his most famous and eloquent speeches

1865 - Mark Twain publishes "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"

1871 - American suffragette Susan B Anthony arrested after voting on the 5th November in Rochester NY

1874 - National Woman's Christian Temperance Union organizes in Cleveland

1883 - Antonin Dvorák's "Husitska" premieres

1883 - Standard time zones forms by railroads in US & Canada

Naturalist Charles DarwinNaturalist Charles Darwin 1889 - Oahu Railway begins public service in Hawaii

1893 - Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Providentissimus Deus

1894 - 1st newspaper Sunday color comic section published (NY World)

1894 - 1st comic strip "Origin of a New Species" by Richard Outcault

1899 - Trumper scores 208 in 185 mins (1 five 25 fours) NSW v Qld

1902 - Bkln toymaker Morris Michton names teddy bear after Teddy Roosevelt

1903 - Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty gives US exclusive canal rights in Panama

1904 - General Esteban Huertas steps down after the government of Panama fears he wants to stage a coup.

1905 - George Bernard Shaws "Major Barbara" premieres in London

1905 - Prince Carl of Denmark becomes King Haakon VII of Norway

1906 - Langdon Mitchells "New York Idea" premieres in NYC

1909 - US invades Nicaragua, later overthrows Pres Zelaya

1911 - Britain's 1st seaplane flies

1911 - Opera "Lobetanz" 1st American performance

1912 - Albania declares independence from Turkey

Playwright George Bernard ShawPlaywright George Bernard Shaw 1913 - Lincoln Deachey performs 1st airplane loop-the-loop (San Diego)

1916 - Gen Douglas Haig finally calls off 1st Battle of the Somme in Europe

1917 - Sigma Alpha Rho, a Jewish high school fraternity, is founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1918 - Brussels free Stofnar

1918 - Latvia declares independence from Russia

1919 - H Tierney & J McCarthy's musical "Irene," premieres in NYC

1920 - Apollo Theater (Academy, Bryant) opens at 221 W 42nd St NYC

1922 - Turkish National Assembly nominates Abdul Medjid kalief

1926 - Pope Pius XI encyclical On persecution of Church in Mexico

1928 - Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse appears in NY in "Steamboat Willie"

1929 - Dr Vladimir K Zworykin demonstrates "kinescope"

1929 - Large quake in Atlantic breaks Transatlantic cable in 28 places

1929 - Stalin routes troops to Manchuria

1930 - Musical "Smiles" with Bob Hope and Fred Astaire premieres in NYC

1930 - Sjostakovitch' opera "The Nose" premiers in Lenningrad

Entertainer Bob HopeEntertainer Bob Hope 1930 - Sōka Kyōiku Gakkai, a Buddhist association later renamed Soka Gakkai, is founded by Japanese educators Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda.

1932 - "Flowers & Trees" receives 1st Academy Award for a cartoon

1932 - 1st tie for Best Actor Academy Award Wallace Beery & Fredric March

1936 - Germany & Italy recognized Spanish government of Francisco Franco

1936 - Main span of Golden Gate Bridge joined

1938 - Trade union members elect John L. Lewis as the first president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations.

1939 - Neth KNSM passenger ship Simon Bolivar hits German mine, 86 die

1940 - George Matesky, New York City's Mad Bomber places his first bomb at a Manhattan office building used by Consolidated Edison.

1941 - British troops open attack on Tobruk, North Africa

1941 - Jerome Chodorov/Joseph Fields' "Junior Miss," premieres in NYC

1941 - Mussolini's forces leave Abyssinia/Ethiopia

1942 - Thornton Wilders "Skin of our Teeth," premieres in NYC

1943 - 1st US ambassador to Canada, Ray Atherton, nominated

1943 - 444 British bombers attack Berlin

1943 - U-211 sinks in Atlantic Ocean

Italian Dictator Benito MussoliniItalian Dictator Benito Mussolini 1945 - Arnold Schoenberg's Prelude for orch & mixed choir, premieres

1949 - NL batting leader (.342) Jackie Robinson wins NL MVP

1950 - South Korea President Syngman Rhee forced to end mass executions

1951 - "See it Now" premieres on TV

1951 - British troops occupy Ismailiya Egypt

1951 - Former Cubs 1st baseman & future TV star of Rifleman Chuck Connors is 1st player to oppose the major league draft

1953 - Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) accept female suffrage

1954 - Yanks trade Woodling, Byrd, McDonald, Triandos, Miranada & Smith to Orioles for Turley, Larsen & Hunter as part of an 18 player deal

1955 - Bell X-2 rocket plane taken up for 1st powered flight

1956 - Morocco gains independence

1957 - Tunisia refuses Russian weapons

1958 - 1st true reservoir in Jerusalem opens

1958 - Indians minority stockholders sell their stock to William Delay

1959 - Wash Senator Bob Allison wins AL Rookie of Year

1960 - Charlie Finley makes a bid to purchase expansion LA Angels

First President of South Korea Syngman RheeFirst President of South Korea Syngman Rhee 1960 - Copyright office issues its 10 millionth registration

1961 - "Gay Life" opens at Shubert Theater NYC for 113 performances

1961 - "Kwamina" closes at 54th St Theater NYC after 32 performances

1961 - JFK sends 18,000 military advisors to South Vietnam

1961 - US Ranger 2 launched to Moon; failed

1963 - Bell Telephone introduces push button telephone

1963 - England's Dartford-Purfleet tunnel under Thames opens

1963 - King Hassan II opens 1st parliament in Morocco

1964 - Baltimore Oriole Brooks Robinson wins AL MVP

1964 - J. Edgar Hoover describes Martin Luther King as "most notorious liar"

1965 - Twins SS Zoilo Versalles is named AL MVP

1966 - Sandy Koufax announces his retirement due to arthritic left elbow

1966 - US RC bishops ends rules against eating meat on Fridays

1966 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1967 - British government devalues pound from US equivalent of $2.80 to $2.40

First Director of the FBI J. Edgar HooverFirst Director of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover 1970 - Joe Frazier KOs Bob Foster in 2 for heavyweight boxing title

1970 - Johnny Bench wins NL MVP

1970 - Linus Pauling declares large doses of Vitamin C could ward off colds

1970 - Netherlands & Albania form diplomatic relations

1970 - Russia lands self propelled rover on Moon

1971 - China PR performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC

1973 - Greek regime calls emergency crisis due to mass protests

1975 - Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver returns to US

1975 - Calvin Murphy (Houston) ends NBA free throw streak of 58 games

1976 - Spain's parliament establishes democracy after 37 yrs of dictatorship

1976 - Yanks sign free agent Don Gullett

1978 - Great Britain performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1978 - In Jonestown Guyana 918 members of Peoples Temple are murdered/commit suicide under leadership of cult leader Jim Jones

1979 - Ayatollah Khomeini charges US ambassador/embassy espionage

1980 - "Heaven's Gate" premieres

Chemist & Peace Activist Linus PaulingChemist & Peace Activist Linus Pauling 1980 - Despite missing 45 games, George Brett wins AL MVP

1980 - Honduras & El Salvador signs peace (after "soccer war" 1969)

1981 - Phillies 3rd baseman Mike Schmidt wins his 2nd consecutive NL MVP

1982 - Mariasela Alvarez of Dominican Republic, crowned 32nd Miss World

1982 - Duk Koo Kim dies unexpectedly from injuries sustained during a 14-round match against Ray Mancini in Las Vegas, Nevada, prompting reforms in the sport of boxing.

1984 - "3 Musketeers" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 9 performances

1984 - 72nd CFL Grey Cup: Win Blue Bombers defeats Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 47-17

1984 - Browns set team records for most sacks (11)

1984 - Flyers' Ron Sutter fails on 11th penalty shot against Islanders

1984 - NJ Devils shutout NY Rangers 6-0

1985 - Dwight Gooden (NL) & Bret Saberhagen (AL) win Cy Young

1985 - Enterprise (OV-101) flies from Kennedy Space Center to Dulles Airport

1985 - Howard Stern radio show returns to NYC (WXRK 92.3 FM-afternoons)

1985 - Paul McCartney releases "Spies Like Us"

1986 - Roger Clemens wins AL MVP

Musician & member of the Beatles Paul McCartneyMusician & member of the Beatles Paul McCartney 1987 - 31 die in a fire at King's Cross, London's busiest tube station

1987 - Congressional committee reports on Iran-Contra affair

1987 - Cubs Andre Dawson is 1st from last-place club ever to win an MVP

1989 - Penn is 1st to restrict abortions after Supreme Court gave states the right to do so

1990 - "Fiddler on the Roof" opens at Gershwin Theater NYC for 241 perfs

1990 - 1st Solheim Cup: US beats Europe 11½-4½ at Lake Nona CC FLA

1990 - NFL NY Giants beat Det Lions 20-0, to run 1990 record to 10-0

1990 - Saddam offers to free an estimated 2,000 men held in Kuwait

1991 - France deports Marlon's daughter Cheyenne Brando to Tahiti

1991 - Moslem Shites release hostages Terry Waite & Thomas Sutherland

1991 - Auburn men's basketball team was placed on 2 yr probation for recruiting violations & is not eligble for post-season play in 1991-92

1992 - "Malcolm X" with Denzel Washington premieres in US

1992 - Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in Las Vegas NV on KXTE 107.5 FM

1993 - 27 killed at prison in Morazan, El Salvador

1993 - Black & white leaders in South Africa approve new democratic constitution

Actor Denzel WashingtonActor Denzel Washington 1993 - NAFTA passes House

1993 - North-Siberia record cold for November (-55°C)

1993 - Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder arrested for public drunkiness

1993 - WWF boss Vince McMahon charged with steroid distribution

1994 - "Star Trek VII - Generations" premieres

1995 - Jacqueline Aguilera Marcano, 19, of Venezuela, crowned 45th Miss World

1995 - Sam's Town Bowling Invitational won by Michelle Mullen

1996 - Eappens hire Louise Woodward as nanny, later she's charged with murder

1997 - Arizona Diamondbacks & Tampa Bay Devil Rays expansion draft

1997 - FBI says no evidence of foul play in 1996 TWA 800 crash

1997 - 70s glam-rock star Gary Glitter (real name Paul Gadd) arrested by British police in child porn probe

1997 - Mavericks' A C Green ties Randy Smith's NBA record of 906 cons games

1997 - Rare black pearl necklace auctioned for record $902,000

1997 - Willem de Kooning painting "Two Standing Women" sold for $4,182,500

1999 - In College Station, Texas, 12 are killed and 27 injured at Texas A&M University when a massive bonfire under construction collapses.

2002 - Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq.

2003 - The congress of the Communist Party of Indian Union (Marxist-Leninist) decides to merge the party into Kanu Sanyal's CPI(ML).

2003 - In tEngland, the Local Government Act 2003, repealing controversial anti-gay amendment Section 28, becomes effective.

2004 - Russia officially ratifies the Kyoto Protocol.

2012 - Lewis Hamilton wins the 2012 US Formula One Grand Prix

2012 - Israeli Gaza rocket strikes kill 80 alleged terrorist targets

2012 - Brad Keselowski wins the 2012 Nascar Sprint Cup




1477 - William Caxton produced "Dictes or Sayengis of the Philosophres," which was the first book to be printed in England.   1820 - Captain Nathaniel Palmer became the first American to sight the continent of Antarctica.   1865 - Samuel L. Clemens published "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" under the pen name "Mark Twain" in the New York "Saturday Press."   1883 - The U.S. and Canada adopted a system of standard time zones.   1903 - The U.S. and Panama signed a treaty that granted the U.S. rights to build the Panama Canal.  1916 - Douglas Haig, commander of the British Expeditionary Force in World War I, called off the Battle of the Somme in France. The offensive began on July 1, 1916.   1928 - The first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon premiered in New York. It was Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie," starring Mickey Mouse.  Disney movies, music and books   1936 - Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.   1942 - "The Skin of Our Teeth," by Thornton Wilder opened on Broadway.   1951 - Chuck Connors (Los Angeles Angels) became the first player to oppose the major league draft. Connors later became the star of the television show "The Rifleman."   1959 - William Wyler's "Ben-Hur" premiered at Loew's Theater in New York City's Times Square.   1966 - U.S. Roman Catholic bishops did away with the rule against eating meat on Fridays.   1969 - Apollo 12 astronauts Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. and Alan L. Bean landed on the lunar surface during the second manned mission to the moon.   1976 - The parliament of Spain approved a bill that established a democracy after 37 years of dictatorship.   1978 - In Jonestown, Guyana, Reverend Jim Jones persuaded his followers to commit suicide by drinking a death potion. Some people were shot to death. 914 cult members were left dead including over 200 children.   1983 - Argentina announced its ability to produce enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons.   1985 - Joe Theismann (Washington Redskins) broke his leg after being hit by Lawrence Taylor (New York Giants). The injury ended Theismann's 12 year National Football League (NFL) career.   1987 - The U.S. Congress issued the Iran-Contra Affair report. The report said that President Ronald Reagan bore "ultimate responsibility" for wrongdoing by his aides.   1987 - 31 people died in a fire at King's Cross, London's busiest subway station.   1987 - CBS Inc. announced it had agreed to sell its record division to Sony Corp. for about $2 billion.   1988 - U.S. President Reagan signed major legislation provided the death penalty for drug traffickers who kill.   1991 - Shiite Muslim kidnappers in Lebanon freed Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite and Thomas Sutherland.   1993 - The U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate in approving legislation aimed at protecting abortion facilities, staff and patients.   1993 - American Airlines flight attendants went on strike. They ended their strike only 4 days later.   1993 - Representatives from 21 South African political parties approved a new constitution.   1994 - Outside a mosque in the Gaza Strip, 15 people were killed and more than 150 wounded when Palestinian police opened fire on rioting worshipers.   1997 - The FBI officially pulled out of the probe into the TWA Flight 800 disaster. They said the explosion that destroyed the Boeing 747 was not caused by a criminal act. 230 people were killed.   1997 - First Union Corp. announced its purchase of CoreStates Financial Corp. for $16.1 billion. To date it was the largest banking deal in U.S. history.   1999 - 12 people were killed and 28 injured when a huge bonfire under construction collapsed at Texas A&M in College Station, TX.   2001 - Nintendo released the GameCube home video game console in the United States.

1820 Captain Nathaniel Palmer discovered Antarctica. 1883 Standard time began in the United States. 1886 Chester A. Arthur, the 21st president of the United States (1881–1885), died in New York at 56. 1928 Mickey Mouse made his debut in Steamboat Willie. 1976 Spain's parliament approved a bill to establish a democracy after 37 years of dictatorship. 1978 Jim Jones, a U.S. pastor, led 914 of his followers to their deaths at Jonestown, Guyana, by drinking a cyanide-laced fruit drink. Cult members who refused to swallow the drink were shot. 2003 The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that the right to same sex marriage was guaranteed by the state constitution. 2004 The UN Security Council held a two-day session in Nairobi. This was the first time it had convened outside of New York headquarters.

The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/nov18.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Yet More Prominent Displays of Hatred as Masked Group Displays Swastika Flags in One Ohio Town

Recently, I posted something about how when Trump wins a presidential election, it always seems that a wave of incidents of hate and even hate crimes follows.

Here we go again.

I posted on November 13th about apparent neo-Nazis displaying the swastika during a showing of the "The Diary of Anne Frank" in Michigan a day or two earlier.

Now, we have had yet another such incident over the weekend. Once again, it involves masked neo-Nazis displaying the swastika prominently. 

This time, it was in Ohio, rather than Michigan. Also, it was not near a showing of "The Diary of Ann Frank," although it is still clearly meant to be a display of hatred and intolerance. 

My question is that if these guys are so big and tough, and want us to know that they are proud neo-Nazis, why do they feel the need to wear masks? One might come to the conclusion that they are cowards, or something.

Also, if Trump fans were scoffing at the notion that Trump and what has come to be known as Trumpism is ushering in a wave of fascism and/or racism, as they seemed to be doing now for the past nine years or so, then why are they not making more of a point of condemning these incidents very loudly and clearly? This is a chance for them to clear the air, and show that these kinds of instances of hate on display are not what they are about, and are not acceptable? If accusations of Trump being a potential dictator and a polarizing political figure - not to mention accused numerous times of having racist tendencies - why is his team also not very loudly and clearly not condemning these kinds of incidents, and bending over backwards to prove that this kind of thing is not acceptable? 

More troubling to me is the trend for these kinds of hate mongers to feel so emboldened and empowered to display their hatred like this following Trump election wins? We also saw this kind of behavior after Trump won in 2016, and during his presidency. And it seems that no sooner does he win another term in office in an election which was less than two weeks ago, when we already have numerous things like this occurred yet again. 

Possibly most troubling of all? I was admittedly not really shocked to see this, and I suspect that this is true for many other people, as well. Sure, it was shocking back in Charlottesville in 2017, which was the first time that images of people who outright identify as neo-Nazis marching on American streets was a fairly new thing. But we have seen this now numerous times. We have outright white supremacists like Nick Fuentes who have become prominent in social media and have proven very influential. Can this really be surprising anymore?

Yet after asking myself this, it is difficult to accept that we are being desensitized to this kind of thing. I mean, we have normalized a lot of things - a lot of things - in the past decade or so in this country now that we likely should not have allowed to be normalized. But will the image of neo-Nazis outright marching down American streets and shouting blatantly racists slurs and displaying swastikas going to be yet another thing that we kind of shrug at, like we have done with, say, mass shootings?

The country is going through some dark times right now.

Below are links to two articles which covered this story, which includes some short video clips. Take a look and see what you think:

'Trump America' shocked as masked neo-Nazis take out march in Ohio with swastika flags; use racist slogans by Web Desk, Updated: November 17, 2024:  

Ohio's Columbus city witnessed a neo-Nazi march in broad daylight; the participants shouted abuses at people of colour, kicking up a social media stormWeb Desk Updated: November 17, 2024 17:  

https://www.theweek.in/news/world/2024/11/17/trending-trump-america-shocked-as-masked-neo-nazis-take-out-march-in-ohio-with-swastika-flags-use-racist-slogans.html

Masked group marches through Ohio neighborhood with swastika flags The police are investigating the incident.  ByIvan Pereira November 16, 2024:

https://abcnews.go.com/US/masked-group-marches-ohio-neighborhood-swastikas-flags/story?id=115937210

November 17th: This Day in History

 

Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history 

On this day in 1558, the Elizabethan Age began once Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England and Ireland. Napolean I's French forces defeated the Austrians in Italy at the Battle of Arcole on this day in 1796. Verdi's first opera opened on this day in 1839. On this day in 1855, David Livingstone (I presume) became the first European to see Victoria Falls in what now sits on the border of the modern-day nations of Zambia and Zimbabwe..In 1869 on this day, the Suez Canal opened. In 1970 on this day, the My Lai massacre trial from the Vietnam War conflict began. On this day in 1973, Nixon infamously told the American people that he was not a crook. 

Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:

473 - The future Zeno I is named associate emperor by Emperor Leo I.

1183 - Battle of Mizushima.

1278 - 680 Jews arrested (293 hanged) in England for counterfeiting coins

1292 - (O.S.) John Balliol becomes King of Scots.

1511 - England, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire sign anti-French covenant The Treaty of Westminster

1555 - William of Orange becomes member of Council of State

1558 - Elizabeth I ascends English throne upon death of her half sister Mary "Bloody Mary", Queen of England (1553-58), aged 42

1603 - English explorer, writer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason.

1659 - Peace of the Pyrenees is signed between France and Spain.

1734 - John Zenger, arrested for libel against NY col gov; later acquitted

1785 - Church of England organizes in New England

1796 - Battle of Arcole-Napolean I's French forces beat Austrians in Italy

1798 - -21) Snow storms in New England, hundreds die

1800 - Congress held 1st session in Wash DC in incompleted Capitol building

1812 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Krasnoi.

1827 - The Delta Phi fraternity, America's oldest continuous social fraternity, was founded at Union College in Schenectady, New York.

1831 - Ecuador and Venezuela were separated from Greater Colombia.

1839 - Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Oberte Conti Di" premieres in Milan

1842 - Fugitive slave George Latimer, captured in Boston

Composer Giuseppe VerdiComposer Giuseppe Verdi 1842 - Opera "Linda di Chamounix" is produced (London)

1853 - Street signs authorized at San Francisco intersections

1855 - David Livingstone becomes the first European to see Victoria Falls in what is now present-day Zambia-Zimbabwe.

1856 - On the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona, the United States Army establishes Fort Buchanan in order to help control new land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.

1858 - Origin of Modified Julian Period

1862 - Confederate Sec of War George B Randolph resigns

1863 - -Dec 4th) Battle of Knoxville, TN

1863 - Lincoln begins 1st draft of his Gettysburg Address

1866 - Opera "Mignon" is produced (Paris)

1869 - Englishman James Moore wins 1st bicycle race (13K Paris-Rouen)

1869 - Suez Canal (Egypt) opens, links Mediterranean & Red seas

1874 - Emigrant ship Cospatrick catches fire & sinks off Auckland, NZ

1875 - Amer Theosophical Society founded by Mme Blavatsky& amp; Col Olcott

1876 - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's patriotic Slavonic March made its premiere in Moscow to a warm reception by the Russian people.

1877 - Gilbert and Sullivan's operette "Sorcerer" premieres in London

Composer Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyComposer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1878 - First assassination attempt against Umberto I of Italy.

1884 - Cops arrest John L Sullivan in 2nd round for being "cruel"

1888 - Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony premieres in St Petersburg

1889 - Union Pacific begins daily through service, Chicago-Portland & SF

1894 - Daily Racing Form founded

1903 - Dahomey (Benin) becomes a French protectorate.

1904 - George Cohans musical "Little Johnny Jones," premieres in NYC

1905 - The Eulsa Treaty is signed between Japan and Korea.

1913 - 1st US dental hygienists course forms, Bridgeport, Ct

1914 - US declares Panama Canal Zone neutral

1917 - Lenin defended "temporary" removal of freedom of the press

1918 - Social Democratic Party becomes Communistc Party Holland: CPH

1922 - Turkish sultan Mehmed VI flees to Malta on British warship

1926 - NHL's Chicago Black Hawks play their 1st game, beat Tor St Pats 4-1

1927 - Tornado hits Washington DC

Marxist Revolutionary and Russian Leader Vladimir LeninMarxist Revolutionary and Russian Leader Vladimir Lenin 1928 - Boston Garden officially opens

1928 - Notre Dame finally lost a football game after nearly 25 years

1929 - Pascual Ortiz Rubio elected president of Mexico

1929 - Stalin throws Nicolai Bucharin out of Politburo

1930 - Musical "Sweet & Low" with Fanny Brice premieres in NYC

1931 - Bradman scores 135 NSW v South Africa, 128 mins, 15 fours

1932 - German government of von Papen, resigns

1933 - United States recognizes Soviet Union, opens trade

1936 - Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy become overnight success on radio

1937 - Britain's Lord Halifax visits Germany, beginning of appeasement

1938 - Italy passes its own version of anti-Jewish Nuremberg laws

1939 - German U-boat torpedoes passenger ship

1939 - Jerome Kern/Hammerstein II's "Very Warm for May," premieres in NYC

1939 - The Rome-Rio de Janeiro air connection is created.

1940 - Green Bay Packers become 1st NFL team to travel by plane

Soviet Union Premier Joseph StalinSoviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin 1941 - Virgil Thomson's 2nd Symphony, premieres

1944 - -Nov 19] Nazi raids in Dutch NE Polder

1945 - "Girl from Nantucket" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 12 perfs

1945 - New world air speed record 606 mph (975 kph) set by HJ Wilson of RAF

1947 - The U.S. Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.

1948 - Britain's House of Commons votes to nationalize steel industry

1953 - St Louis Browns officially become the Baltimore Baseball Club Inc

1953 - The remaining human inhabitants of the Blasket Islands, Kerry, Ireland are evacuated to the mainland.

1956 - Syracuse fullback Jim Brown, scores NCAA record of 43 pts (vs Colgate)

1956 - USSR performs atmospheric nuclear test

1957 - WBOY TV channel 12 in Clarksburg, WV (NBC/ABC) begins broadcasting

1958 - KAII TV channel 7 in Wailuku, HI (NBC) begins broadcasting

1959 - De Beers firm of South Africa announces synthetic diamond

1959 - Giants slugger Willie McCovey wins NL Rookie of Year

1959 - William Shea shows proposed NYC stadium with transparent roof

1960 - New Washington franchise is awarded to Elwood Quesada

1962 - "Nowhere to Go, But Up" closes at Winter Garden NYC after 9 perfs

1962 - President Kennedy dedicates Dulles Intl Airport outside Wash DC

1962 - Simon/Coleman/Leigh's musical "Little Me" opens at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC for 257 performances

1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1963 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Mary Mills Miss Gulf Coast Golf Invitational

1964 - British Labour Party installs weapon embargo against South Africa

1965 - General Meeting of UN refuses admittance of China PR

1965 - William Eckert is unanimously elected commissioner of baseball

1966 - Leonids meteor shower peaks (150,000+ per hour)

1967 - Beatles Ltd & Apple Music Ltd swap names

1967 - French author Régis Debray sentenced to 30 years in Bolivia

1967 - Surveyor 6 becomes 1st man-made object to lift off Moon

1968 - "Zorba" opens at Imperial Theater NYC for 305 performances

1968 - John Kander/Fred Ebbs musical "Zorba," premieres in NYC

1968 - KHNE TV channel 29 in Hastings, NB (PBS) begins broadcasting

1968 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Pensacola Ladies' Golf Invitational

1968 - NBC cuts to show "Heidi" and misses Raider's rally to beat Jets, 43-32

1968 - Alexandros Panagoulis is condemned to death for attempting to assassinate Greek dictator George Papadopoulos.

1969 - SALT-discussions open in Helsinki Finland

1970 - British newspaper Sun puts 1st pinup girl on pg 3 (Stephanie Rahn)

1970 - Russia lands Lunokhod 1 unmanned remote-controlled vehicle on Moon

1970 - Douglas Engelbart receives the patent for the first computer mouse.

1972 - Juan Peron returns to Argentina

1973 - Greek regime attacks students with tanks, 100s killed

1973 - Teri Garr plays role of a stripper on "The Nurse"

1973 - Pres Nixon tells AP "...people have got to know whether or not their pres is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook"

1974 - Bonnie Bryant wins Bill Branch LPGA Golf Classic

1974 - Union of Banana Exporting Countries (UPEB) forms

1974 - Aliança Operário-Camponesa (Worker-Peasant Alliance) founded in Portugal, as a front of PCP(m-l).

1976 - China PR performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC

1977 - Bernard Pomerance's "Elephant Man" premieres in London

1977 - Egyptian Pres Sadat formally accepts invitation to visit Israel

1977 - Miss World Contest - Miss UK wears $9,500 platinum bikini

1979 - Daniel Okrent sketches out 1st draft rules for Rotisserie Baseball

1979 - Khomeini frees most black & female US hostages

1979 - NY Stars (WBL) home opener at Madison Square Garden in NYC

1979 - On a flight to Austin, TX, Daniel Okrent sketches out the first

Musician and Beatle John LennonMusician and Beatle John Lennon 1980 - John Lennon releases "Double Fantasy" album in UK

1981 - "1st" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 37 performances

1981 - NBA NY Knick Bill Cartwright, ties record of 19 of 19 free throws

1982 - Dale Murphy wins NL MVP

1983 - "La Tragedie de Carmen" opens at Beaumont Theater NYC for 187 perfs

1983 - Harm Wiersma retains checkers world championship

1983 - Phila Flyers win 13th straight NHL game

1984 - Golden State Warrior scores 59 points losing to NJ Nets 124-110

1984 - Islanders score 20 assists against Rangers

1985 - Howard Stern begins broadcasting on 92.3 WXRK FM NY

1985 - NY Jets best offensive production beating Tampa Bay 62-28

1986 - "Oh Coward!" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 56 performances

1987 - George Bell is 1st Blue Jay ever to win the AL MVP

1988 - Linda Petursdottir of Iceland, 18, crowned 38th Miss World

1988 - Neil Simon's "Rumors" premieres in NYC

1989 - Bret Saberhagen signs record $2,966,667 per year KC Royal contract

1991 - "Brigadoon" closes at New York State Theater NYC after 12 performances

1991 - 1st TV condom ad aired (FOX- TV)

1991 - Detroit Lion Mike Utley is paralized in a game vs LA Rams

1992 - "Gypsy Passion" opens at Plymouth Theater NYC for 55 performances

1992 - Blue Jay Nigel Wilson is 1st pick of Marlins in expansion draft

1992 - Dateline NBC airs a demonstration show General Motors trucks, blowing up on impact, later revealed NBC rigged test

1992 - Erling Kagge begins successful exploration at South pole

1993 - "Grand Night For Singing" opens at Criterion Theater NYC for 52 perfs

1993 - Antonov AN-124 flies in South Iran against mountain: 17 killed

1993 - US House of Representatives approve Nafta

1994 - "Sunset Boulevard" opens at Minskoff Theater NYC for 977 performances

1994 - 3rd Germany government of Kohl forms

1994 - Irish government of Reynolds resigns

1996 - "Present Laughter" opens at Walter Kerr Theater NYC

1996 - Sam's Town Bowling Invitational

1997 - Mario Lemieux enters NHL Hall of Fame

1997 - In Luxor, Egypt, 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut, known as Luxor massacre (The police then kill the assailants).

2000 - A catastrophic landslide in Log pod Mangartom, Slovenia, kills 7, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catastrophes in Slovenia in the past 100 years.

2000 - Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru.

2004 - Kmart Corp. announces it is buying Sears, Roebuck and Co. for $11 billion USD and naming the newly merged company Sears Holdings Corporation.

2005 - Italy's choice of national anthem, Il Canto degli Italiani, becomes official in law for the first time, almost 60 years after it was provisionally chosen following the birth of the republic.

2006 - Official naming of element 111, Roentgenium (Rg).

2012 - 50 schoolchildren and a bus driver are killed after a train collides with a school bus in Manfalut, Egypt

1558 - Elizabeth I ascended the English throne upon the death of Queen Mary Tudor.   1603 - Sir Walter Raleigh went on trial for treason.   1796 - Catherine the Great of Russia died at the age of 67.   1798 - Irish nationalist leader Wolfe Tone committed suicide while in jail awaiting execution.   1800 - The U.S. Congress held its first session in Washington, DC, in the partially completed Capitol building.   1869 - The Suez Canal opened in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red seas.   1880 - The first three British female graduates received their Bachelor of Arts degrees from London University.   1903 - Russia's Social Democrats officially split into two groups - Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.   1904 - The first underwater submarine journey was taken, from Southampton, England, to the Isle of Wight.   1913 - The steamship Louise became the first ship to travel through the Panama Canal.   1913 - In Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm banned the armed forces from dancing the tango.   1922 - Siberia voted for union with the U.S.S.R.   1962 - Washington's Dulles International Airport was dedicated by U.S. President Kennedy.   1968 - NBC cut away from the final minutes of a New York Jets-Oakland Raiders game to begin a TV special, "Heidi," on schedule. The Raiders came from behind to beat the Jets 43-32.   1970 - The Soviet Union landed an unmanned, remote-controlled vehicle on the moon, the Lunokhod 1. The vehicle was released by Luna 17.   1973 - U.S. President Nixon told an Associated Press managing editors meeting in Orlando, FL, "people have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook."   1979 - Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the release of 13 female and black American hostages being held at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.   1988 - Benazir Bhutto became the first woman leader of an Islamic country. She was elected in the first democratic elections in Pakistan in 11 years.   1990 - A mass grave was discovered by the bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand. The bodies were believed to be those of World War II prisoners of war.   1990 - The Soviet government agreed to change the country's constitution.   1997 - 62 people were killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, Egypt. The attackers were killed by police.   1997 - Mario Lemieux was voted into the NHL Hall of Fame.   2001 - "Toys "R" Us Times Square - The Center of the Toy Universe" opened in New York City.   2006 - Sony's PlayStation 3 went on sale in the United States.   2010 - Reasearchers trapped 38 antihydrogen atoms. It was the first time humans had trapped antimatter.



1558 Queen Elizabeth I of England ascended to the throne upon the death of her half-sister Queen Mary. 1800 Congress met in Washington, DC, for the first time. 1869 The Suez Canal opened in Egypt. 1917 Sculptor Auguste Rodin died in Meudon, France. 1968 Night of the "Heidi bowl:" NBC switched from football to movie of Heidi. In the missing 42 seconds, the lagging Raiders scored two touchdowns, defeating the Jets. 1973 President Nixon said "I am not a crook." 1989 The beginning of the "Velvet Revolution," which led to the downfall of communism in Czechoslovakia. 2003 Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in as governor of California.



The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/nov17.htm

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory