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Greene County, Indiana ~ Sunday, May 18, 2008
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Alex, I'll Take Wendell Wilkie for $400
Posted Sunday, March 16, 2008, at 10:59 AM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
We don't often sit around and talk about losers of presidential elections, especially a loser from 1940. However, Wendell was a Hoosier from Elwood, and IU does have the Wilkie Quadrangle named for him, so that's a good enough reason for me to talk about old Wendell.
Wendell was an interesting character with a penchant for politics and a purported propensity for extra-marital affairs. His philandering would have put poor old Bill Clinton to shame. There was an old story told about Wendell visiting China and having a dalliance with Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. According to some sources, the wife of the Chinese President tried to seduce him and had told Wendell that if they could marry, she would rule the oriental world while he would rule the western world. I'm not sure about the veracity of that tale, it sounds somewhat suspicious, but amusing, nonetheless.
I then asked Dustin if he had ever heard of Charles Van Doren and he said he didn't recall hearing of him. That wasn't really surprising because Van Doren's personal claim to fame dated to the 1950's and Dustin is much younger than me. Charles was a contestant on a quiz show called "Twenty-One" back in the 50's and won well over $100,000. That was quite a handsome sum of money back then. A check of my personal financial portfolio would indicate that it is an impressive chunk of money, even today.
Charles Van Doren was a very intelligent individual, who, at the time of the show, was a professor at Columbia University. The history of the Van Doren family was filled with many intellectual accomplishments. His father had won a Pulitzer for poetry and his mother was a novelist and his uncle Carl Van Doren, had been a professor at Columbia and had also won a Pulitzer.
The fact that Charles won so much money on a TV game show doesn't, in and of itself, offer much of a reason for celebrity status, however, the way he won the money ensured his place in history. At least a place big enough that Robert Redford would want to make a movie about him. Back in the mid-nineties, Redford made a movie called "Quiz Show", starring Ralph Fiennes. For you Harry Potter fans, Ralph Fiennes played the evil Lord Voldemort. The reason behind the film was the scandal perpetuated by the NBC executives producing the show. The entire show was a setup with people like Charles being given the answers in advance. By the way, it is a pretty good movie, if you can find it.
So you are probably wondering, as was poor Dustin, just what in the heck does this have to do with Wendell Wilkie. OK, hold on to your collective horses, I'm getting there. Charles' uncle Carl had an ex-wife by the name of Irita Van Doren, who became quite fond of Wendell Wilkie in more ways than one. Irita was the book editor for the New York Herald, which carried a lot of influence in some societal circles. She and Wendell carried on an affair for several years and she worked hard to get Wendell to the White House by writing and editing his speeches. Unfortunately for Irita and all of her efforts, Wendell got whipped pretty badly by FDR in 1940 and failed to even get the Republican Party nomination at the 1944 convention. Wendell died shortly thereafter in October of 1944 after a series of heart attacks.
So now, if you are invited to participate in a quiz show, like Jeopardy, or just sitting around watching with it your friends and the right answer appears about Wendell Wilkie, you may know the question. Comments Showing most recent comments first [Show in chronological order instead] |
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Sour grapes I see. Butler got beat, plain and simple. Had their 'best' player not missed at least five layups at a crucial point in the game the story might be different, but they were just outmatched by a more athletic team. Personally, I thought Butler got hosed with a #7 seed, but it is what it is. B ball fan, you say that Butler made it farther than in of the other major programs in the state? If I recall correctly Purdue and Notre Dame were outed in the second round as well. Just because they played a day later doesn't mean they lasted any longer.
No I do not need to watch it again, I am going with a Harvard study that found denial is effective. It was a great game to watch, it would have been better if Butler had scored more points than Tenn. If Graves had missed ten layups, I guess that would depend on what you call layups,he would have scored around fifty points, so I suggest you look at the video.Graves missed out on several assists when his bigger teammates missed some under the basket shots. I do believe if the last layup he tried that was blocked, would have been the other team shooting it would have been called a goal tend and a foul.Howard was taken down hard on a play and they called the foul on Howard. Instead of calling a tech on Tenn. they gave them a warning, what the hell is a warning in a basketball game? Did they tell them that the next time they foul hard they were going to call it?Is there a warning foul, and the next one they ring you up? The first time, other than for the tyrant Knight, that I have ever seen the game stopped to give a warning. They did miss some good opportunities on foul shots that cost them dearly. But, what was the warning for? They said the players were talking. I believe that is why Pearle will always be a division II coach, he started liking thugs and mouthy thugs at that,as soon as he won in Div.II. He was coach where I graduated college and that was the kind of team we had,second rate. I know Tenn is not division II but compared to Ky. NC, Kan, and UCLA, IU, and a few others, they are division II to me.It is interesting to me how character flaws seem to finally show themselves. Another thing, why do schools have so much trouble finding a good coach, Butler has a different one every year it seems, and they continue to win twenty plus games a year with players that the so-called big programs do not even talk to.Where do they get their coaches? I sincerely believe that Dean Smith would not have played more than two or three IU players this year. I know for sure no one is just dying to get the IU AD, or any IU coach we have had for a few years,make that twenty years, an era for goodness sake.How many of them were even interviewed for any jobs. None, one is unemployed, one is at a small school in Alabama, one went to a Texas school, a third rate program and quit in mid-year. IU coaches win the Windell Wilkie award year after year.I believe it is a top down problem in Bloomington. There has not been a school wanting to interview an IU coach since Knight was in his twenties.Where are all those great coaches that Knight was turning out years ago, well, two were fired for breaking rules,one of them had all his players walk out at Utah State, Wright got fired at Wy.his son told me there was nothing there but a bunch of crackers, I told him I did not remember anyone growing cotton in Wy. he is young and it is forgivable,he was just repeating what he had heard.Duke still has a Knight player as a coach but he played at Army when Knight was in his teens.One of the IU water boys is a coach in the NBA, two of fifty is not all that bad I suppose,for IU. And, Butler went farther in the tourney than all the other so-called major programs in the state this year, last year also.Knight was the Caligula of coaches, and he finally got his horse, well son, elected, selected as counsel.I can just see all the championship banners now filling the field houses in Birmingham,and Lubbock, and I suppose Sampson will be with the Pacers.I smell smoke,has anyone read the Rome,LaRepubblica today?No it is Bloomington that is on fire, but the music school has the violin section out playing to give it a holiday feeling. I had a sieance last night and Howard Cosell gave me this information so I could tell it like it is.Howard said it was just a terrible time for sports right now,that sports have been infected by a virus,and a virus is more difficult to isolate and treat than a bacterial infection,to just be patient. Howard always thought he knew everything.I believe Howard was lead attorney for Wilkie just after Howard graduated from law school but I will have to look that up to be certain.
It was a wonderful time for us to have seen A.J., Andrew and Matthew over these past dozen or so years. Sure wish Rick had another two or three on the way.
B ball fan, I was for Butler all the way. However, I recommend you watch the video tape. Although the Horizon League Player of the Year had a heck of a season and is a heck of a player, he must have missed 10 layups, some of them horribly.
Well Simmons got screwed out of Jeopardy and Butler got screwed by Tenn.That is the way I saw it and nothing can ever change my mind,not even video tape.I just looked and my Justin boots that have been made in El Paso all my life were made in Mexico. I am going to the Col.s where they know chicken,make that Taco Bell.
I've been drivin' Toyotas since '88.
Oh what a feeling!
Come on over, we'll pop Spanish Boots of Spanish Leather in the c.d. player and then roll on over to Colonel Sanders-where they know chicken!
Hopeanddust, well written post,as I was reading I kept thinking, I wish that is what I had said.I know you know Bob Dylan songs and the one that rings like a bell right now is "Only a Pawn in Their Game." I do not know if you are a fan of Elvis Costello but think about it, "Whats so funny about peace love and understanding."There is something I have little experience, and that is church, for me only once and that was in the Air Force and it was forced upon us. I agreed with much of what I heard the Preacher say on TV.I hated his clothes. I certainly did not hear his entire sermon, but nothing I heard disturbed me much. I have traveled through most of Europe, Central America, and most of the States in the US and I have met few people that were not racist. I hate it, but experience has convinced me this is the case, I am sure I am not immune myself,perhaps in some ways I do not even know. Can you imagine a religious service with Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, or Crazy Horse, delivering the sermon,they would have made the Rev.Wright sound like Mr. Rogers, and justly so.I had one uncle that would only drive a Ford, another uncle that would only drive a Chevy. I thought their arguing was silly. They finally came to their senses and each bought themselves a Toyota. Just like mental illness,epilepsy,and many things people would not talk about for fear of prejudice, many have had some of the stigma erased by bringing the prejudice out in the open for discussion,which brought to most peoples attention that most people share many of the same problems and the ostracism and stigmas were not helping solve the problems for anyone. It is inspiring to think that the cat may finally be out of the bag, I don't know much about chickens.
We can only hope.
Well, some of us can hope and dust!
Ah yes, the bloodsport of politics and the American presidential election.
With it being almost mathmatically impossible for Hillary to get enough delegates to win her party's nomination, and given the disturbing nature of the Obama/Rev.Wright controversy, McCain could very well be our next president.
I once thought it very unlikely the democrats would lose this one, but with the media's obsequious attention to Obama (which is why I believe the Rev. Wright outing didn't happen till now-reminds me of the story about the emperor not wearing any clothes), and America's collective Clinton fatigue, it just might happen.
We'll see.
Maybe Joseph Goebbels was right after all. To control the dissemination of information is much more important than the information itself.
This blog is related to a Presidential campaign so it does not seem out of character to comment on the present campaign. As long as I can remember there are always terms that take on lives of their own in campaigns.My pet peeves this campaign are "more transparent" like more unique. It is impossible to be more transparent or more unique, it is transparent or unique, there are no modifiers for these words. Saying something will be more transparent implies that it was opaque, or translucent. If they are arrogant they might even say it was not "completely transparent" for your own good.It seems that the word "public" as in domain, or knowledge, has been abandoned.This wonderful little town just went through this type of action with our police department.I hear some of these people say that the next time it will be "more transparent" proof that some children were left behind.Only when the truth comes out do you hear this.Iraq,Katrina,a crane accident in NY,drop out rates at schools,basketball coaches at colleges, how many next times are there going to be. And when someone says "that having been said" or "having said that" I cannot hear another word they say, nor do I want to hear any thing else they try to say.One more thing. This noise about politicians and their infidelity is not news or should not be in this country, we have the highest divorce rate in the free world, above fifty percent for first marriages and the percentage sky rockets for the second and third marriages.The US had more divorces last year than Mexico has had in years. I just now heard a talking head on tv say that one of the candidates should have been more transparent.I believe she would have said the same thing about Casper.
T'was a great evening spent with Bballfan and Rambler. Discussions like that are hard to come by on a Wednesday evening. It sure gave me fruit for a few more blog articles.
Just a tremendous day when you can say, "My taxes are done." Plus I got a hair cut, finally.
I'm thinking right now that it wouldn't be hard to add a pool in the parlor, so you can an add another "P".
I saw Mark last night, always a pleasure to see the little feller.
Trying to make an acronym from the name of your pub, like we do here in the Big Fenced in Place...OSPPPP&PNPP&P. I don't think it works, How about just Keith's Place? I'm in and I'm sure Mark Bailey is too!
I might even suggest that we adorn the walls with portraits of the losers of past Presidential elections.
"Ol Simmons' Pizza, Putting, Painting, Puters' and Pretty-Near Presidential Pub and Patio"
Think so, Virginia? I'm trying to recall how many years have passed since I've seen a Marx Bros. film-it's been over 4 decades, I think.
I think Simmons may have something there. If we could mix it up a bit with some Three Stooges footage, then I'm in!
That pizza place would surely be yet another reason to "like Linton."
Back to presidential losers, in the current race for the Whitehouse things are getting interesting, very interesting...
I'm beginning to think that it may never warm up. I'm feeling a little like Sam McGee, "It's the cursed cold, and it's got right hold till I'm chilled clean through to the bone."
I long for sunshine and wearing shorts, but it seems so far away. Time to see if the Mustang can swim down to the Big Fenced in Place.
After reading the local news, I think we should construct an aviary along side of our business with exotic birds and butterfies, entice Joe Hart out of retirement as an instructor/host and create an open air art plaza with some of Garth's home brews and your pizzas for appetizers. During the warm months of summer, we could mist the air and offer live music from Bballfan, Garth and maybe even Mark Bailey.
Maybe we could build a putting green, offer wireless internet access for laptops, have a few computers available, as well, and inside we'll have old Marx Brothers movies showing on the walls.
I could wander the grounds providing dissertations on a variety of subjects that I know nothing about, much like I do in my blog articles and occasionally give free putting lessons.
Great photo of you and Alex! And by judging your age in that photo, I'm guessing that was a recent contest? Um, Keith, regarding those winnings, ever consider adding a pizza shop to your portfolio? I'm sure my pizza would sell well in Linton...we could call it...Pizza, Commentaries, Musings, and More!?, or perhaps The Pizza blog? Or maybe Ol' Simmons famous Pizza and other exploits?
Think about it...delicious pizza and microbrewed beers-yum yum! (how about calling it Yum Yum's??) We could play only singer/songwriter music ( no rap,death metal, or Italian opera), though we could have an open mic poetry night every Thursday?
I can see it now with pictures of waterjets, trajectory models, and blog photos adorning it's walls...
That reminds me of the "Press Your Luck Scandal." Although it didn't involved cheating by the network the contestant was able to rack up a large sum of money by working the system a little bit. You can read about it here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Larson
Back then there were no laws which were violated by these acts. Since then Congress has passed laws and the networks have themselves, regulated the conduct of these shows. Ken Jennings, unlike the fake winner in this article's picture, was for real.
Makes you wonder if things have changed much since then in the world of game shows. I mean, could Ken Jennings have really won that many times?