This week (April 22-28) in 1954… On Thursday, April 22nd, Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin), began hearings investigating his claims that the United States Army is soft on communism. These hearings are being televised; early reports are that McCarthy’s tactics and demeanor are not popular with the public. This comes four years after his claim of 200 known communists at the… Read more »
I also added this to The Boots Are Red on Amazon: Every town has multiple faces. The one the town wants to present is almost never the one a guy like me needs to see. The same can be said for people; we all have some sort of mask, a protective shell, that we broadcast. Especially on the first meeting…. Read more »
How can it be a home coming if you’ve never been there before? But that’s what I’d like to call it. It was 1923, and I was heading into a small town in Southern Mississippi called Escagoula Point. If what my mother told me on her deathbed was true, the only time I’d been there was the night I was… Read more »
This week in (April 15th-21st) 1954… Vice President Richard Nixon said on Friday that we may be putting our boys in Indochina, with or without allied support. This is the latest elevation in administration rhetoric surrounding the issues in Indochina and follows last week’s “Domino Theory” speech by the president. It is unknown at this time what the reaction of… Read more »
It wasn’t easy picking the first person to talk about for the “Legs” part of the Cigars and Legs updates. But someone who was married to Bogey has a distinct advantage in the running for that. This week I’m going to talk about Lauren Bacall, a successful actress, mother, and the last wife of Humphrey Bogart. A few vitals: Bacall,… Read more »
This week (April 8-14th) in 1954… Native Austrian Fritzi Scheff died on Thursday. She was seventy-four years old and had been in five films spanning 1915-1953, starting with her one and only silent film, Pretty Mrs. Smith. Fritzi had married three times: to Baron Fritz von Bardeleben, a Prussian noble; John Fox Jr., an author; and George Anderson, an actor…. Read more »
Some background information on Audrey Marie Carmen, one of my favorite characters to write: Mini-Bio: Audrey was born to Richard and Lynn Carmen (nee Mason) on April 10th, 1929, in Huntsville, Alabama. She was the last of five children: Richard Jr., Donald (Duke), Amanda Lynn Johnston (nee Carmen), and George “Babe” Carmen. When Audrey was 12, the family moved to… Read more »
This week (April 1-7th) in 1954… Vladimir Mikhaylovich Petrov this week filed for political asylum in Australia. Petrov was a member of the Soviet “State Political Directorate” and recruited spies to keep watch on Soviet citizens, primarily to protect against defections. This is a great victory for the free world: Even one of their trusted, important spies sees the error… Read more »
I chose this cigar to start with because, frankly, it’s my favorite cigar I’ve smoked so far. The only thing close have been some CAO and Cuesta-Rey cigars, but those cost more per stick than the Montecristo Whites. The great thing about these cigars, and their more full flavored siblings, is that sometimes after smoking them, there’s this pleasant after… Read more »
I may break things.