The Rolling Stones Have Released Some New Material

As mentioned in some earlier posts, the Rolling Stones are one of the classic music acts spanning many decades now who are out with some new music. In their case, there are actually two tracks which have been released. Both have a very different tone and feel to them. 

When I first heard the new Rolling Stones tune "Rough And Twisted," I admittedly thought that maybe this gem was an old song which the band either released long ago, and which I simply somehow was not familiar with. Or perhaps it was an unreleased track.

Admittedly, I could not imagine that it was a new song.

Why?

Because it has a distinctly old, vintage feel to it. It sounds more like a song which they might have released in the seventies than in 2026.

Frankly, it is the best song that I have heard from the Stones in a long time.

Since then, they released another song, as well. This one is called "In the Stars." A solid track, although it did not grab me as immediately as "Rough and Twisted" managed to do. 

Yet, I found it almost stunning that Mick Jagger can still reach soaring vocals, like a man half his age. Or one-third his age, frankly. He still sounds like a man who could be in his twenties, which is saying something, given his age and all of the drugs and alcohol which surely took a toll on his health and, one would think, his voice. But there is no trace of that in either of these two songs.

Take a listen and see what you think:

The Rolling Stones - Rough And Twisted (Official Audio)  The Rolling Stones 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHaEFarmZx8&list=RDF-F_oHOvBsM&start_radio=1

The Rolling Stones - Rough And Twisted (Official Audio)

The Rolling Stones - In The Stars (Official Lyric Video)  The Rolling Stones 3.62M subscribers  Subscribe  32K   Share  Save

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-F_oHOvBsM&list=RDF-F_oHOvBsM&start_radio=1

The Rolling Stones - In The Stars (Official Lyric Video)

Reminder That Trump Admitted That He Is Not Thinking about Americans Financial Struggles

Just thought that we might all need a reminder that Donald Trump, our Dear Leader, admitted that he does not think about the grim financial realities which Americans are facing, in large part because of Trump's war with Iran, which has raised gas prices. Also, because Trump completely failed to rein in inflation, one of his major campaign promises.

It has not even been a week since Trump made this infamous statement. This is what he said, specifically (not taking it out of context):

“The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”

Yup.

The comment shocked a lot of people. The only thing that I found surprising is that he actually stated out loud his indifference and complete and utter disregard to the suffering of millions of Americans right now.

What does he care? He's a billionaire and currently cashing in even more on his position in the White House. 

For the rest of us, however, it was just another ridiculous statement, another scandal. More proof that, by rights, this guy should frankly have no business being within a thousand miles of the Oval Office, instead of having been elected there.

Twice.

Does he feel bad about what he said? Did he clarify it, saying that of course he cares about how Americans are currently struggling.

Not exactly.

Here is what he said in defense of his comment:

“That’s a perfect statement. I’d make it again,” Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview Friday after being shown a clip of his previous comments.

What an absolute fucking loser this man is. 

Are we finally done pretending that he actually cares about anything or anyone other than himself? Can those who supported and voted for him finally concede that there is something wrong? That this man really is not who they thought he was?

How many times does this man have to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is completely unfit for office before we finally get over him and remove him from office, one and for all. Just put this nightmare behind us? 

We all make mistakes, both as individuals and as groups of people. That includes nations. Yes, I am saying that Donald Trump was a mistake, and an enormous one. Frankly, I am of the belief that he is the biggest mistake that this nation has ever made, and that's saying something. 

The question for Americans now is whether or not we can get over our own collective conceit and finally admit this mistake with the world watching, or whether we will, once again, be too damn stubborn and stuck up to actually acknowledge and learn from our mistakes? Or in this case, one major mistake that nobody will ever be able to unsee.

What a farce this presidency is. 

Collectively, now, let's get over ourselves. Let's move past this small little man and  no longer allow his dark shadow to blot our possibilities and what good still survives this dark chapter in our history.

‘Perfect statement’: Trump defends saying he isn’t thinking about Americans’ finances amid Iran talks by Casey Wooten, May 15, 2026:

The president also said he’s not considering the political implications of the Iran war for the midterms, when Republicans will be defending slim majorities in each chamber. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/president-defends-remarks-americans-finances-iran-war-perfect-statemen-rcna345418

Trump defends saying he isn’t thinking about Americans’ finances amid Iran talks

May 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

May 18, 1920: Pope John Paul II born    

On May 18, 1920, Karol Jozef Wojtyla is born in the Polish town of Wadowice, 35 miles southwest of Krakow. Wojtyla went on to become Pope John Paul II, history's most well-traveled pope and the first non-Italian to hold the position since the 16th century. After high school, the future pope enrolled at Krakow's Jagiellonian University, where he studied philosophy and literature and performed in a theater group. During World War II, Nazis occupied Krakow and closed the university, forcing Wojtyla to seek work in a quarry and, later, a chemical factory. By 1941, his mother, father, and only brother had all died, leaving him the sole surviving member of his family.

Although Wojtyla had been involved in the church his whole life, it was not until 1942 that he began seminary training. When the war ended, he returned to school at Jagiellonian to study theology, becoming an ordained priest in 1946. He went on to complete two doctorates and became a professor of moral theology and social ethics. On July 4, 1958, at the age of 38, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Krakow by Pope Pius XII. He later became the city's archbishop, where he spoke out for religious freedom while the church began the Second Vatican Council, which would revolutionize Catholicism. He was made a cardinal in 1967, taking on the challenges of living and working as a Catholic priest in communist Eastern Europe. Once asked if he feared retribution from communist leaders, he replied, "I’m not afraid of them. They are afraid of me."

Wojtyla was quietly and slowly building a reputation as a powerful preacher and a man of both great intellect and charisma. Still, when Pope John Paul I died in 1978 after only a 34-day reign, few suspected Wojtyla would be chosen to replace him. But, after seven rounds of balloting, the Sacred College of Cardinals chose the 58-year-old, and he became the first-ever Slavic pope and the youngest to be chosen in 132 years.

A conservative pontiff, John Paul II's papacy was marked by his firm and unwavering opposition to communism and war, as well as abortion, contraception, capital punishment, and homosexual sex. He later came out against euthanasia, human cloning, and stem cell research. He traveled widely as pope, using the eight languages he spoke (Polish, Italian, French, German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin) and his well-known personal charm, to connect with the Catholic faithful, as well as many outside the fold.

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter's Square by a Turkish political extremist, Mehmet Ali Agca. After his release from the hospital, the pope famously visited his would-be assassin in prison, where he had begun serving a life sentence, and personally forgave him for his actions. The next year, another unsuccessful attempt was made on the pope's life, this time by a fanatical priest who opposed the reforms of Vatican II.

Although it was not confirmed by the Vatican until 2003, many believe Pope John Paul II began suffering from Parkinson's disease in the early 1990s. He began to develop slurred speech and had difficulty walking, though he continued to keep up a physically demanding travel schedule. In his final years, he was forced to delegate many of his official duties, but still found the strength to speak to the faithful from a window at the Vatican. In February 2005, the pope was hospitalized with complications from the flu. He died two months later.

Pope John Paul II is remembered for his successful efforts to end communism, as well as for building bridges with peoples of other faiths, and issuing the Catholic Church's first apology for its actions during World War II. He was succeeded by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI. Benedict XVI began the process to beatify John Paul II in May 2005.




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

336 - • St Mark elected Catholic Pope

350 - • General Maxentius drives out Western Roman emperor Constans

474 - Leo II briefly becomes Byzantine emperor.

532 - Nika uprising at Constantinople fails, 30-40,000 die

1126 - • Emperor Huizong abdicates the Chinese throne in favour of his son Emperor Qinzong.

1302 - The weaver Peter de Coningk led a massacre of the Flemish oligarchs.

1307 - • German king Albrecht I makes his son Rudolf king of Bohemia

1478 - • Grand Duke Ivan II of Moscow occupies Novgorod

1520 - • Christian II of Denmark & Norway defeats Swedes at Lake Asunde

1535 - Francisco Pizarro founds the city of Lima, Peru

1591 - • King Naresuan of Siam kills Crown Prince Minchit Sra of Burma in single combat, for which this date is now observed marked as Royal Thai Armed Forces day.

The Maisonneuve Monument (French: Monument à Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve) by sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert, built in 1895 in the Place d'Armes in Vieux Montréal, near the Basilique Notre-Dame/Notre Dame Basilica.

1642 - • Montreal, Canada, was founded.

On May 18, 1642, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve led a group of French colonists to the island of Montreal, marking the founding of the city of Ville-Marie. This event is considered the birth of Montreal, a city that grew into a major metropolitan center in Canada. 

The site marks the location where Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve laid the foundation of Montréal on May 18, 1642. The site consists of the remains of Fort Ville-Marie, also known as Fort Maisonneuve, which was built in 1645 at the request of Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve.

Royal France

1643 -  •  Queen Anne, the widow of Louis XIII, was granted sole and absolute power as regent by the Paris parliament, overriding the late king's will.

1644 - Perplexed Pilgrims in Boston reported America's first UFO sighting

1650 - French Prince Louis II of Condé captured



1652 - In Rhode Island, a law was passed that made slavery illegal in North America. It was the first law of its kind.

1671 - Pirate Henry Morgan defeats Spanish defenders, captures Panama

1691 - English king Willem III travels to The Hague

1701 - Frederick I and Sophie Charlotte van Hanover crowned king/queen of Prussia

1733 - First polar bear exhibited in America (Boston)

1776 - James Wright, Royal Governor of Georgia, is placed under house arrest by Major Joseph Habersham

1777 -  • San Jose California, founded

1778 - Capt James Cook stumbles over Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands)

Flag of Australia

1788 -  • The first elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay to setup a penal colony

On May 18, 1788, the First Fleet, which had left England on May 13, 1787, had already reached Botany Bay, according to Wikipedia. However, Governor Arthur Phillip, the commander of the fleet, deemed Botany Bay unsuitable for settlement due to poor soil, limited fresh water, and a lack of safe harbor. Therefore, the fleet moved north to Port Jackson, where they established the colony of New South Wales at Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788. 

1792 - • Russian troops invaded Poland.

1795 - • French admitted to Amsterdam without resistance

1795 - Governor/viceroy Willem V flees Scheveningen to England

1798 - The first Secretary of the U.S. Navy was appointed. He was Benjamin Stoddert.

1802 - Great Britain declared war on Napoleon's France.

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte

The Coronation of Napoleon/Sacre de l'empereur Napoléon 1er et couronnement de l'impératrice Joséphine dans la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, le 2 décembre 1804 by Jacques-Louis David

1804 - • Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed emperor by the French Senate.

On May 18, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor of the French, officially establishing the First French Empire. This marked a significant shift in French governance, transitioning from the Republic to an hereditary monarchy under Napoleon. 

On 18 May, 1804, after much political horse trading, the French Senate proclaimed Bonaparte Emperor Napoleon I. They then sent a group of senators from central Paris to the consul's palace in the nearby countryside, Saint Cloud, to present the First Consul with the news of his elevation.

José de San Martín

1817 - • San Martinleads a revolutionary army over Andes

1828 - Battle of Las Piedras ended the conflict between Uruguay and Brazil.  

1840 - Electro-Magnetic Intelligencer, 1st US electrical journal, appears

1850 - British blockade Piraeus, Greece to enforce mercantile claims

1854 - • Filibuster William Walker proclaims Republic of Sonora in NW Mexico

1861 - • American Civil War - Georgia joins South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama in seceding from the United States.

1862 - Confederate Territory of Arizona forms

1865 - Battle of Ft Moultrie, SC

1869 - Elegant California Theater opens in SF

1871 - Second German Empire proclaimed by Kaiser Wilhelm I & Bismarck

1884 - General Charles Gordon departs London for Khartoum

1884 - Dr. William Price attempts to cremate the body of his infant son, Jesus Christ Price, setting a legal precedent for cremation in the United Kingdom.

1886 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England.

1895 - Amsterdam's AFC soccer team forms

1896 - The U.S. Supreme court upheld the "separate but equal" policy in the Plessy vs. Ferguson decision. The ruling was overturned 58 years later with Brown vs. Board of Education.

1896 - First demonstration of an X-ray machine in US (NYC)

1896 - • British troops occupy Kumasi, West Africa

1897 - • A public reading of Bram Stoker's new novel, "Dracula, or, The Un-dead," was performed in London.

1900 - Jan Blockx's "Tÿl Uilenspiegel" premieres in Brussels

1901 - Pope Leo XIII publishes encyclical Graves De Communi Re

1904 - Brigand Raizuli kidnapped American Ion H. Perdicaris in Morocco.

1905 - French government of Combes falls

1908 - Frederick Delius' "Brigg Fair," premieres

1911 - First shipboard landing of a plane (Tanforan Park to USS Pennsylvania)

1913 - Turkish-Greek sea battle near Troy

1915 - Train crashes at Colima-Guadalajara Mexico, about 600 die

1915 - • Japan issues the "Twenty-One Demands" to the Republic of China in a bid to increase its power in East Asia.

1916 - A 611 gram chondrite type meteorite stikes a house near the village of Baxter in Stone County, Missouri.

1917 - • The U.S. Congress passed the Selective Service act, which called up soldiers to fight in World War I.

1919 - •  WW I Peace Congress opens in Versailles, France 1919 - Bentley Motors Limited is founded.

1921 - William Archer's "Green Goddess," premieres in NYC

1922 - Irish author Liam O'Flaherty & others occupy Rotunda in Dublin

1923 - First radio telegraph message from Netherlands to Dutch East Indies

1926 - Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson vanished while visiting a beach in Venice, CA. She reappeared a month later with the claim that she had been kidnapped.

1929 - "NY Daily Mirror" columnist Walter Winchell debuts on radio

1929 - Stalin proposes to ban Trotsky from the Politburo

1930 - -27°F (-33°C), Watts, Oklahoma (state record)

1930 - Shostakovitch' opera "The Nose," premieres in Leningrad

1931 - • Japanese pilot Seiji Yoshihara crashed his plane in the Pacific Ocean while trying to be the first to cross the ocean nonstop. He was picked up seven hours later by a passing ship.    

1933 - White Sands National Monument, NM established

1933 - The Tennessee Valley Authority was created.

1934 - The U.S. Congress approved an act, known as the "Lindberg Act," that called for the death penalty in interstate kidnapping cases.

1934 - Eugene O'Neill's "Days Without End," premieres in NYC

1938 - Bradman scores 104* for South Australia v NSW at the SCG

1938 - Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander is elected to Hall of Fame

1939 - SA wicketkeeper Bradman gets his 6th straight ton, 135* v NSW

1942 - Nazi's arrest Frans Goedhart & Wiardi Beckman

1942 - New York ended night baseball games for the duration of World War II.

1943 - Presliced bread sale banned to reduce bakery demand for metal parts

1943 - • Soviets announce they broke long Nazi siege of Leningrad

1943 - US rations bread and metal

1944 - First Chinese naturalized US citizen since repeal of exclusion acts

1944 - Monte Cassino, Europe's oldest Monastic house, was finally captured by the Allies in Italy.

1944 - The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City hosts a jazz concert for the first time. The performers were Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, Roy Eldridge and Jack Teagarden.

1945 - • Warsaw freed by Soviet army

1947 - "Red Mill" closes at Ziegfeld Theater NYC after 831 performances

1947 - Detroit Tigers sell Hank Greenberg to Pirates (for $25-35,000)

1947 - Small river steamer sank on Yangtze River, kills 400

1948 - First courses begin at University of Ibadan, Nigeria

1948 - Ted Mack's "Original Amateur Hour" begins, DuMont (later NBC/ABC/CBS)

1949 - "They Stand Accused" courtroom drama premieres on CBS (later DuMont)

1949 - First US Congressional standing committee headed by Negro (W Dawson)

1949 - Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America was incorporated   hour.

1950 - Christopher Fry's "Venus Observed," premieres in London

1950 - Indians pitcher Bob Feller, after 15-14 season, takes $20,000 salary cut to $45,000, pay cut is Feller's own suggestion

1951 - First use of lie detector in Netherlands

1951 - Hermann Flake sentenced to death due to "hate campaign against GDR"

1951 - NFL rules tackles, guards & centers ineligible for forward pass

1951 - NFL takes control of failing Baltimore Colts 

1951 - • The United Nations moved its headquarters to New York City.

1953 - The first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound, Jacqueline Cochran, piloted an F-86 Sabrejet over California at an average speed of 652.337 miles-per-

1954 - Fanfani forms Italian government

1955 - Battle of Yijiangshan occurred.

1956 - German DR forms own army (National People's Army)

1957 - 3 B-52's set record for around-the-world flight, 45 hr 19 min

1958 - 1st black in NHL (William O'Ree, Boston Bruins)

1959 - Ruth Jessen wins LPGA Tampa Golf Open

1960 - • US & Japan sign joint defense treaty

1961 - • Zanzibar's Afro-Shirazi party wins 1 seat by a single vote & parliament by a single seat

1962 - Southern University closed due to demonstrations

1962 - • US begins spraying foliage in Vietnam to reveal Viet Cong guerrillas

1962 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1963 - Reinier Paping wins Dutch 11-Cities Skating Race (10:59)

1964 - • Beatles first appear on Billboard Chart (I Want to Hold Your Hand-#35)

1964 - Plans for World Trade Center announced (NYC)

1965 - H L de Vries appointed Dutch governor of Suriname

1966 - Robert C Weaver, confirmed as 1st black cabinet member (HUD)

1967 - 20th NHL All-Star Game: Montreal beat All-Stars 3-0 at Montreal

1967 - Albert DeSalvo (Boston Strangler) sentenced to life in prison

1967 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site

1967 - • Yellowknife replaces Ottawa as capital of NW Territories, Canada

1968 - "Happy Time" opens at Broadway Theater NYC for 286 performances

1968 - Hester and Appolinar's musical "Your Own Thing," premieres in NYC

1968 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR

1969 - • Expanded 4 party Vietnam peace talks began in Paris

    

•  On May 18, 1970, The Beatles' album "Let It Be" was released in the United States. This was the band's final studio album and it was released amidst the band's breakup, along with the film of the same name. The album featured songs like "The Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be". 

1970 - Hasse Borjes skates world record 500m in 38.9 sec

1970 - NFL Pro Bowl: West beats East 16-13

1971 - Ivan Koloff beats Bruno Sammartino in NY, to become WWF champ

1973 - Boston Red Sox sign Orlando Cepeda as 1st player signed as a DH

1973 - Islanders break 12 game losing streak, 20 game road winless streak

1973 - John Cleese's final episode on "Monty Python's Flying Circus," on BBC

1974 - • India became the sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb.

1974 - "$6 Million Man" starring Lee Majors premieres on ABC TV

1974 - • Israel and Egypt sign weapons accord

1975 - "Jeffersons" spinoff from "All in the Family" premieres on CBS

1977 - Imran Khan takes 12 wickets in match for Pakistan win at the SCG

1977 - • Scientists identify a previously unknown bacterium as the cause of the mysterious Legionnaires' disease.

1978 - Geoff Boycott captains England for the 1st time, v Pak Karachi

1978 - Roof of 3-yr-old Civic Center in Hartford, Ct collapses (no injuries)

1978 - Thiokol conducts 2nd test firing of space shuttle's SRB

1979 - Peter Jenkins finishes "A Walk Across America," Florence Oregon

1980 - Gold reaches $1,000 an oz

1980 - • Mt. Saint Helens erupted in Washington state. 57 people were killed and 3 billion in damage was done.

1980 - • Pink Floyd's "Wall" hits #1

1980 - Studio 54 owners Steve Rubell & Ian Schrager sentenced to 3½ years in prison for tax evasion and fined $20,000

1981 - Iran accepts US offer of $7.9 billion in frozen assets

1981 - Wendy O Williams arrested in Milwaukee for on-stage obscenity

1983 - The U.S. Senate revised immigration laws and gave millions of illegal aliens legal status under an amnesty program.

1983 - IOC restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals 70 years after they were taken from him for being paid $25 in semipro baseball

1984 - 80th Islander and 3rd dual hat trick (Carroll and Bossy) 9-1 win

1985 - US renounces jurisdiction of World Court despite previous promise

1986 - 24th Space Shuttle (61-C) Mission-Columbia 7-returns to Earth

1986 - AIDS charity record "That's What Friends are For," hits #1

1986 - NY Lotto pays $30.5 million to one winner (#s are 19-20-27-34-41-46)

1987 - 11th Soap Opera Digest Poll Awards - Days of Our Live wins

1988 - Airliner crashes in SW China, killing all 108 on board

1989 - • Astronomers discover pulsar in remnants of Supernova 1987A (LMC)

1989 - IBM announces earnings up 10.4% in 1988

1989 - Otis Redding, Dion, Rolling Stones, Temptations & Stevie Wonder

1989 - West Indies beat Australia 2-1 to win the World Series Cup

1990 - • South Africa says its reconsidering ban on African Natl Congress

1990 - Wash DC, Mayor Marion Barry arrested in drug enforcement sting

1991 - Iraq launches SCUD missiles against Israel

1991 - US acknowledges CIA and US Army paid Noriega $320,000 over his career

1991 - WLAF's NY Knights become NY-NJ Knights

1991 - Longest tennis match at the Australian Open, Boris Becker beats Italy's Omar Camporese in 5 hours and 11 mins

1991 - Eastern Air Lines goes out of business after 62 years, citing financial problems.

1992 - 43rd NHL All-Star Game: Campbell beat Wales 10-6 at Phila

1992 - 49th Golden Globes

1992 - Comedian Pat McCormick injured in a car accident

1992 - NHL All Star Game - Campbell-10, Wales-6 (Brett Hull, MVP) at Phila

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC (picture taken during visit in 2013)

Statue of Martin Luther King Jr in Denver, Colorado

1993 - • Martin Luther King Jr holiday observed in all 50 states for first time

1993 - West Indies win the World Series Cup, beating Australia 2-0

1994 - • Israel's three decades of occupation in the Gaza Strip ended as Israeli troops completed their withdrawal and Palestinian authorities took over.

1994 - The Cando event, a possible bolide impact in Cando, Spain. Witnesses claim to have seen a fireball in the sky lasting for almost one minute.

1995 - Kumble takes 16-99 in match for Karnataka v Kerala

1995 - Pope John Paul II begins visit to Australia

1996 - Baseball owners unanimously approve interleague play in 1997

1997 - 47th NHL All-Star Game: East beat West 11-7 at San Jose Arena

1997 - • In north west Rwanda, Hutu militia members kill 3 Spanish aid workers, 3 soldiers and seriously wound one other.

1997 - Boerge Ousland of Norway becomes the first person to cross Antarctica alone and unaided.

1998 - U.S. federal officials arrested more than 130 people and seized $35 million. This was the end to an investigation of money laundering being done by a dozen Mexican banks and two drug-smuggling cartels.

1998 - The U.S. federal government and 20 states filed a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft Corp., saying the computer software company had a "choke hold" on competitors which denied consumer choices by controlling 90% of the software market.

1998 - "Ragtime," opens at Ford Theater NYC

1998 - 48th NHL All-Star Game: North America beats World 8-7 at Vancouver

1998 - ABL All-Star Game at Disney complex in Orlando

1998 - Boston Celtics retire Robert Parrish's #00

1998 - Kelly Robbins wins Healthsouth Golf Inaugural

1998 - UCP Telethon

2000 - • The Tagish Lake meteorite impacts the Earth.

2002 - • Sierra Leone Civil War was finally declared over.

2003 - A bushfire kills 4 people and destroys more than 500 homes in Canberra, Australia.

2007 -•  The strongest storm in the United Kingdom in 17 years kills 14 people, Germany sees the worst storm since 1999 with 13 deaths. Hurricane Kyrill, causes at least 44 deaths across 20 countries in Western Europe. Other losses include the Container Ship MSC Napoli destroyed by the storm off the coast of Devon, England.

2012 - Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) blackout becomes the largest protest in the history of the internet






These are the web pages that I used to complete this blog:

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/may18.htm

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

http://www.historyorb.com/day/january/18

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory

Paul McCartney 's "Days We Left Behind" Sounds Different From Anything the Former Beatle Has Released Before

Picture taken during the recent Paul McCartney concert in Syracuse that my son and I attended.

Earlier today, I published something about Ringo Starr's new album. Not a review, because I have not heard his new album yet. More of a little sitting back and marveling about how strange it is to hear new music released by Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and the Rolling Stones more or less at the same time.

Yes, Ringo has a new album which just came out. But his former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney also has an upcoming album, as do the Rolling Stones.

McCartney's new album is set to be released later this month (on the 29th, to be specific).

The first taste of the new album was a song which McCartney released. It's called "Days We Left Behind," and I have heard it now a number of times on the radio. It is good, although McCartney's voice sounds far different than anything else by him which I have heard. His voice is now revealing his age. that voice, which sounds haunting on this particular track, combines with the tone and lyrics of the song to lend it a certain melancholy - albeit beautiful - feel which also gives it a bit of a distinction among McCartney's obviously considerable body of work. 

It seemed worth sharing the link to the video for this song, which also includes the lyrics, so you can judge for yourself, if you have not already heard it.

Take a listen, and enjoy. 

Paul McCartney - Days We Left Behind (Lyric Video)  PAUL McCARTNEY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n1IhyF6R0U&list=RD2n1IhyF6R0U&start_radio=1

Paul McCartney - Days We Left Behind (Lyric Video)

Ringo Starr Is Now 85, But He's Still Rocking & Has a New Album Out

This picture was taken, and recently cropped, by me. Taken from the Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band show in Worcester, Massachusetts, June 11, 2016

This picture was taken, and recently cropped, by me for the Ringo Starr In Conversation at Strands Bookstore - October 26, 2015

A few years ago - I think it might have been 2020 - some legendary musical acts released new material all at the same time. Bob Dylan released his first new song in eight years with "Murder Most Foul," and the Rolling Stones released "Living in a Ghost Town."

Well, I do not believe that Dylan released anything new this time around. But the Rolling Stones are coming out with an album of new material. And so are the two surviving Beatles.

Paul McCartney will be releasing  his new album "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" later this month.

Meanwhile, Ringo Starr just recently released his newest album, "Long Long Road."

Last month, Ringo was interviewed by the  American Association of Retired Persons. And it seemed timely to share this link here and now.

Take a look, and enjoy.

At 85, Ringo Starr Is Still Drumming and Still Surprising The Beatles legend talks about his new country album, staying sober for 38 years and the secret behind his lengthy marriage By Edna Gundersen,   AARP Published April 24, 2026

https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/ringo-starr-interview-long-long-road/?cmp=SNO-FB-ENT-CEL-ICM&socialid=20359251608

Ringo Starr Is Still Drumming and Still Surprising

May 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

May 17, 1954: Brown v. Board of Ed is decided

In a major civil rights victory, the U.S. Supreme Court hands down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional. The historic decision, which brought an end to federal tolerance of racial segregation, specifically dealt with Linda Brown, a young African American girl who had been denied admission to her local elementary school in Topeka, Kansas, because of the color of her skin.

In 1896, the Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that "separate but equal" accommodations in railroad cars conformed to the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection. That ruling was used to justify segregating all public facilities, including elementary schools. However, in the case of Linda Brown, the white school she attempted to attend was far superior to her black alternative and miles closer to her home. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) took up Linda's cause, and in 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka reached the Supreme Court. African American lawyer (and future Supreme Court justice) Thurgood Marshall led Brown's legal team, and on May 17, 1954, the high court handed down its decision.

In an opinion written by Chief Justice Earl Warren, the nation's highest court ruled that not only was the "separate but equal" doctrine unconstitutional in Linda's case, it was unconstitutional in all cases because educational segregation stamped an inherent badge of inferiority on African American students. A year later, after hearing arguments on the implementation of their ruling, the Supreme Court published guidelines requiring public school systems to integrate "with all deliberate speed."

The Brown v. Board of Education decision served to greatly motivate the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and ultimately led to the abolishment of racial segregation in all public facilities and accommodations.


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

218 - •  Seventh recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet

352 -•   Liberius begins his reign as Catholic Pope replacing Julius I

884 - St Adrian III begins his reign as Catholic Pope

1521 - Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.

1525 - Battle at Zabern: duke of Lutherans beats rebels

1527 - Pánfilo de Narváez departs to explore Florida

1536 - Anne Boleyns 4 "lovers" executed

1540 -•   Afghan chief Sher Khan defeated Mongul Emperor Humayun at Kanauj.

1544 - Scot earl Matthew van Lennox signs secret treaty with Henry VIII

1579 - Artois/Henegouwen/French-Flanders sign Treaty/Peace of Parma recognizing Spanish duke van Parma as land guardian

1590 - Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.

1620 - 1st merry-go-round seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey)

1630 - Italian Jesuit Niccolo Zucchi became the first to see 2 belts on Jupiter surface

1631 - Earl Johann Tilly attacks Maagdenburg

1648 - Emperor Ferdinand III defeats Maximilian I of Bavaria

1672 -•   Frontenac becomes governor of New France (Canada)

1673 - Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring Mississippi

1678 - King Charles II and Louis XIV sign secret treaty

Louis XIV, the "Sun King" of France

1681 -•   Louis XIV sent an expedition to aid James II in Ireland. As a result, England declares war on France.

1712 - Maximilian Emanuel of Bavaria honored as "sovereign of Netherlands"

1733 - England passes Molasses Act, putting high tariffs on rum and molasses imported to the colonies from a country other than British possessions

1742 - Frederick great (Emperor of Prussia) beats Austrians

1744 - French army takes Austrian Netherlands

1750 - -18] Tax revolt in Gorinchem

1756 - Britain declared war on France (7 Years' or the French and Indian War as it is known in the United States)

1775 - American Revolutionary War: the Continental Congress bans trade with Canada.

1787 - English slave ship Sisters, from Africa to Cuba, capsizes

1792 - The New York Stock Exchange was established at 70 Wall Street when a group of 24 brokers and merchants met by a tree on what is now Wall Street and signed the Buttonwood Agreement.

1794 - Hard frost in southern New England

1803 - John Hawkins & Richard French patent the Reaping Machine

1804 - Lewis and Clark begin exploration of Louisiana Purchase

1809 - Papal States annexed by France

1814 - Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden. Norway's constitution, which provided a limited monarchy, was signed. (National Day)

1814 - Norwegian constitution passed by constitutent assembly at Eidsvoll

1814 - Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.

1837 - Royal Decides installs the Weapon of Belgium firm(ly)

1845 - Rubber band patents

1848 - Premier earl Schimmelpenninck resigns

1849 - Fire destroy Centrum in St Louis Missouri

1853 - Thorbeckes liberals win 2nd-Parliamentary election

Flag of Australia

1859 - Australian Rules Football first 'laws of the game' published

1860 - German football club TSV 1860 München is founded

1862 - Battle of Princeton WV, ends, about 128 casualities

1863 - Battle of Big Black River Bridge, MS

1863 - Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, her first book in the Galician language.

1864 - Battle of Adairsville Georgia, Union forces Confederates to retreat

1865 - The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established.

1871 - Indians fighter Gen Sherman escapes in ambulance vs Comanches

1872 - Bohemian Club incorporated

1875 - The first Kentucky Derby was held at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky. Oliver Lewis aboard Aristides wins in 2:37.75

1876 - 7th US Cavalry under Custer leaves Ft Lincoln

1877 - The first telephone switchboard burglar alarm was installed by Edwin T. Holmes.

1881 - Frederick Douglass was appointed recorder of deeds for Washington, DC.

1881 - 7th Kentucky Derby: Jim McLaughlin aboard Hindoo wins in 2:40

1881 - Revised version of New Testament

1883 - Buffalo Bill Cody's 1st wild west show premieres in Omaha

1884 - Alaska becomes a US territory

1890 - Clyde Fitch's "Beau Brummel," premieres in NYC

1890 - Comic Cuts, 1st weekly comic paper, published in London

1890 - Pietro Mascagni's opera "Rustic Chivalry" premieres in Rome at the Teatro Costanzi

1894 - 19th Preakness: Fred Taral aboard Assignee wins in 1:49.25

1895 - W G Grace completes his 100th 100 v Somerset at Bristol

1898 - Camp Merritt forms in Presidio [see 0503]

1899 - Victoria and Albert Museum foundation laid, London, England

The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa.

1900 - British troops relieve Mafeking (Cape Colony)

1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.

1903 - Cleve Indians beat NY Highlanders 9-2 in Columbus Ohio

1904 - Maurice Ravel's "Shéhérazade," premieres in Paris

1905 - Waseda U of Tokyo defeats LA High School 5-3 in baseball

1906 - Switzerland's Simpion Tunnel open to rail traffic

1909 - White firemen on Georgia RR strike to protest hiring blacks

1910 - Canada sets the designs for the 1-50 cent coins

1911 - 36th Preakness: Eddie Dugan aboard Watervale wins in 1:51

1915 - 40th Preakness: Douglas Hoffman aboard Rhine Maiden wins in 1:58

1915 - Cubs George "Zip" Zabel relieves with 2 outs in 1st & winds up with 4-3 19-inning win over Brooklyn in longest relief job ever

1915 - Last liberal British government of Asquith falls

1915 - National Baptist Convention chartered

1916 - British Summer Time (Daylight Savings), first introduced

1919 - War Department (UK) orders use of National Star Insignia on all airplanes.

1920 - First De Havilland double-decker flight (London) lands in Schiphol

1920 - First flight by Dutch airlines KLM (Koninklijke-Luchtvaart-Maatschappij)

1921 - Belgian-Luxembourg sign customs union

1921 - President Harding opens (via telephone) 1st Valencia Orange Show

1923 - Fire during closing day ceremonies at Grover Cleveland School (SC)

1924 - 50th Kentucky Derby: John Mooney aboard Black Gold wins in 2:05.2

1925 - Cleveland Indian Tris Speaker gets his 3,000th hit

1926 - Chiang Kai-shek is made supreme war lord in Canton

1926 - German government of Marx takes power

1926 - The American. Embassy in Buenos Aires was damaged by bombs that were believed set by sympathizers of Sacco and Vanzetti.

1927 - Chicago Cubs beat Boston Braves, 4-3, in 22 innings

1927 - U.S. Army aviation pioneer, Major Harold Geiger, dies in the crash of his Airco DH.4 de Havilland plane at Olmstead Field, Pennsylvania

1928 - 9th modern Olympic games opens in Amsterdam

1930 - 56th Kentucky Derby: Earl Sande aboard Gallant Fox wins in 2:07.6

1932 - The U.S. Congress changed the name "Porto Rico" to "Puerto Rico."  

1933 - Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.

1937 - Juan Negrin succeeds Largo Caballero as Spain's premier

1938 - Congress approves Vinson Naval Act, which funds a two-ocean navy

1938 - NBC aired the Information Please quiz show on the radio for the first time.

1939 - First sports telecast-Columbia vs Princeton-college baseball

1939 - The first fashion to be shown on television was broadcast in New York from the Ritz-Carleton Hotel.



1940 - Germany occupied Brussels, Belgium and began the invasion of France.

1940 - Nazi's bombs Middelburg/B IJzerdrat begins illegal defiance

1941 - Pennsylvania declares legal holiday to honor A's manager Connie Mack

1942 - Dutch SS vows loyalty to Hitler

1943 - The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the ENIAC.

1943 - World War II: the Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams.

1944 - -18] Allied air raid on Surabaja, Java

1944 - Chinese/US arm forces take Myitkyina Airport, Burma

General Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

1944 - General Eisenhower sets D-Day for June 5th

1944 - Operation Straightline: Allies land in Neth New-Guinea

1945 - 2 US P-47 Thunderbolts bomb Kiushu

1946 - KVP Labor/Communists win first post-WWII Dutch parliamentary elections

1946 - President Truman seized control of the nation's railroads, delaying a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen.

1947 - "Street Scene" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 148 performances

1948 - Israel liberated Acre, Nebi Yusha & Telel-Kadi

1948 - Soviet Union officially recognized Israel

1949 - British government recognized Republic of Ireland

1952 - 78th Preakness: Conn McCreary aboard Blue Man wins in 1:57.4

1953 - Yanks and Browns use record 41 players in a game

1954 - The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled for school integration in Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka. The ruling declared that racially segregated schools were inherently unequal,  reversing the Supreme Court's 1896 "separate but equal" Plessy Vs Ferguson decision

1955 - Dutch government of Drees resigns

1956 - The first synthetic mica (synthamica) was offered for sale in Caldwell Township, NJ.

1957 - Prayer Pilgrimage, biggest civil rights demonstration to date (DC)

1957 - School desegregation law, Brown v Board of education

1958 - 84th Preakness: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Tim Tam wins in 1:57.2

1958 - Emergency crisis proclaimed in Algeria

1959 - Sam Snead sets PGA record for 36 holes at 122

1960 - First atomic reactor system patents, J W Flora of Canoga Park CA

1961 - Castro offers to exchange Bay of Pigs prisoners for 500 bulldozers

1962 - Marin County withdraws from BART district

1963 - Bruno Sammartino beats Buddy Rogers in NY, to become WWF champ

1963 - Houston Colt .45's Don Notterbart no-hits Phillies, 4-1

1963 - US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site

1964 - Phillies triple play Houston Colt .45s

1966 - KFDO (now KVIJ) TV channel 8 in Sayre, OK (ABC) begins broadcasting



1967 - Dylan's 1965 UK Tour is released as film "Don't Look Back"

1968 - European Space Research Org launches 1st satellite

1968 - Frank Howard belts record 8th HR in 5th straight game

1968 - US performs nuclear Test at Nevada Test Site

1969 - "My Wife, My Dog, My Cat," by Maskman & The Agents hits #92

1969 - 95th Preakness: Bill Hartack aboard Majestic Prince wins in 1:55.6

1969 - The Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsburgh Steelers agree to go from NFC to AFC in NFL

1969 - Russian probe Venera 6 landed on Venus

1970 - Hank Aaron becomes 9th player to get 3,000 hits

1970 - Thor Heyerdahl crosses Atlantic on reed raft Ra

1971 - Stephen Schwartz' musical "Godspell," premieres off-Broadway

1971 - Washington State bans sex discrimination

1972 - Netherlands and; China PR exchange ambassadors

1972 - Tottenham Hotspur wins 1st UEFA Cup in London

1973 - "Nash at Nine" opens at Helen Hayes Theater NYC for 21 performances

1973 - Joe Ferguson, hits the 6,000th Dodger home run

1973 - Televised Senate Watergate Committee hearings opened, headed by North Carolina senator Sam Ervin.

1973 - Stevie Wonder releases "You are the Sunshine of my Love"

1973 - US performs 3 nuclear tests at Rifle Colorado

1973 - Angels outfielder Bobby Valentine breaks his leg trying to scale wall to prevent a Dick Green home run during a 5-4 loss to the A's

1974 - Bayern Munchen wins 20th Europe Cup 1 at Brussels

1974 - Dmitri Shostakovitch completes his 15th String quartet

1975 - "Funky Gibbon" by The Goodies hits #79

1975 - 101st Preakness: Darrel McHargue aboard Master Derby wins in 1:56.4

1975 - 10cc releases "I'm Not in Love"

1975 - Mick Jagger punches a restaurant window, gets 20 stitches

1975 - NBC TV bought the rights to show "Gone With the Wind." The one time rights cost NBC $5,000,000.  

1976 - 28th Emmy Awards: Mary Tyler Moore Show, Jack Albertson & M Learned

1976 - Earthquake in Uzbekistan: 1000's killed

1977 - Menahem Begins Likoed-party wins election in Israel

1978 - Lee Lacy hits record 3rd consecutive pinch-hit home run

1979 - -12°F (-11°C), on top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii (state record)

1979 - Emmy 6th Daytime Award presentation

1979 - Phillies beat Cubs, 23-22, on 50 hits with 11 HRs

1980 - 106th Preakness: Angel Cordero Jr aboard Codex wins in 1:54.2

1980 - Kumar Anandan balanced on one foot for 33 hours

1980 - Major race rioting erupted in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood after an all-white jury in Tampa acquitted four former Miami police officers of fatally beating black insurance executive Arthur McDuffie. Eight people were killed in the rioting, and 300 were injured.

1980 - Paul and Linda McCartney appear on Saturday Night Live

1981 - "Inacent Black" closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 14 performances

1981 - Islanders score 5 power play goals against Flyers in a playoff game

1981 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Coca-Cola Golf Classic

1983 - Israel and Lebanon sign a peace treaty

1983 - Stanley Cup: NY Islanders sweep Edmonton Oilers in 4 games

1984 - Cincinnati Reds Mario Soto throws 4 strikeouts in one inning

1984 - Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend," sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.

1985 - Les Anderson, catches record 97 lb 4 oz Chinook Salmon, off Alaska

1985 - Bobby Ewing died on the season finale of "Dallas" on CBS-TV. He returned the following season.  

1986 - "Chicken Song" by Spitting Image hit #1 on the UK pop chart

1986 - 112th Preakness: Alex Solis aboard Snow Chief wins in 1:54.8

1987 - An Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S.S. Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors and wounding 62.  Both Iraq and the United States called the attack a mistake.

1987 - "Stardust" closes at Biltmore Theater NYC after 102 performances

1987 - Eric ‘Sleepy’ Floyd of the Golden State Warriors set a playoff record for points in a single quarter with 29.

1989 - Longest Cab Ride Ever: 14,000 miles cost $16,000!

1989 - Napoli wins 18th UEFA Cup in Stuttgart

Statue of Nelson Mandela in the gardens in front of the Union Building in Pretoria, South Africa

1989 - Nelson Mandela receives a BA from University of South Africa

1989 - Vincent Van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr Gachet" auctioned for $825M

1990 - Cheers' star Kelsey Grammer sentenced to jail for 30 days for DWI

1990 - Dow Jones avg hits a record 2,831.71

1990 - European court rules pension rights for both men and women

1990 - The WHO takes Homosexuality out of its list of mental illnesses.

1992 - Expos Gary Carter is 3rd to catch 2,000 games (joins Boone & Fisk)

1993 - Intel's new Pentium processor is unveiled

1994 - Bakili Muluzi's UDF wins Malawi presidents/parliamentary election

Bust of Bill Clinton in front of the Arkansas Governor's Mansion in Little Rock

1996 - U.S. President Clinton signed a measure requiring neighborhood notification when sex offenders move in. Megan's Law was named for 7-year-old Megan Kanka, who was raped and killed in 1994.

1996 - Alicia Machado, 18, of Venezuela crowned 45th Miss Universe

1996 - Habib and Whitaker make 320 for 5th Cricket wkt, Leics v Worcs

1997 - 123rd Preakness: Gary Stevens aboard Silver Charm wins in 1:54

1997 - WIBC Bowling Queens won by Sandra Jo Shiery-Odom

1997 - Laurent Kabila declared himself president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), as his troops marched into Kinshasa.

1998 - New York Yankees pitcher David Wells became the 13th player in modern major league baseball history to throw a perfect game.

1999 - Eric Ford, a tabloid photographer, was sentenced to 6 months at a halfway house, 3 years probation and 150 hours of community service. The sentence stemmed from a charge that Ford had eavesdropped on a call between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman and then sold a recording of the conversation.

1999 - Alex Trebek received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2000 - Thomas E. Blanton Jr. and David Luker surrendered to police in Birmingham, AL. The two former Ku Klux Klan members were arrested on charges from the bombing of a church in 1963 that killed four young black girls.

2000 - Austria, the U.S. and six other countries agreed on the broad outline of a plan that would compensate Nazi-Era forced labor.

2000 - In the Philippines an explosion rocks Glorietta 2 injuring 13 persons, mostly teenagers. According to local authorities, the homemade bomb was placed in front of a toilet beside a video arcade.

2000 - It was announced that Terra Networks SA and Lycos would be merging with the new name to be Terra Lycos. Terra made the deal happen with the purchase of $12.5 billion in stock.

2001 - The U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp based on Charles M. Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strip.

2004 - Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage. Same-sex couples exchanged marriage vows for the first time in the United States.

2006 - The U.S. aircraft carrier Oriskany was sunk about 24 miles off Pensacola Beach in the Gulf of Mexico. It was the first vessel sunk under a Navy program to dispose of old warships by turning them into diving attractions. It was the largest man-made reef at the time of the sinking.

2007 - Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.



These are the web pages that I used to complete this blog:

http://www.historyorb.com/events/may/17

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

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/may17.htm

http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory/May-17

Some Pictures of a Woodpecker

Not sure if I ever actually published previous pictures that I took of the local woodpecker at my job before. Looked for it, but could not find it.

But I am printing these ones now.

This batch is from earlier this morning, maybe around seven or so this morning. The guy I relieve from work in the morning and I were still talking, so it was early in the shift. Maybe a little before seven, or maybe a little after, but around there for sure.

While we were talking, I happened to turn and saw this little guy digging in the topsoil. In years past, I saw either this woodpecker, or another one (probably related). Often times, he comes right up to the window and starts pecking and banging at it. My guess is that he or she thinks it is another bird, seeing it's own reflection and not recognizing it as such.

So I got up and snapped some pictures. Was not sure that any quality ones came out. Yet some of them actually did come out quite nicely, given that he kept moving away from me (probably saw motion from the other side of the window and did not want to take a chance. Despite that, the awkward angling, and the window and frames which sometimes got in the way, I managed a few decent quality shots.

That is good, because I see these guys all of the time, either hiking or walking (particularly at the Delaware Raritan Canal. Yet, it seems almost impossible to actually see them well enough in the wild to get a few good pictures.

Here are a few good pictures, which I am proud of having taken. My personal favorite is one which shows that he is not actually standing on the ground, but gripping onto the side of the revolving door. Looks like what he would likely do with a tree before he starts pecking away at it.

Very cool. So I put that one right at the top. 

Take a look and enjoy.