Douglass earned a reputation as an inspirational author and dynamic orator, and he became a leader in the anti-slavery movement and an early proponent of women's rights. Living for a time in the British Isles, he earned worldwide fame as a critic and public speaker who took his country to task for its hypocrisy. Returning to America, he grew to appreciate the ideals in America's founding documents:
"The American Constitution is a written instrument full and complete in itself. No Court in America, no Congress, no President, can add a single word thereto, or take a single word thereto. It is a great national enactment done by the people, and can only be altered, amended, or added to by the people." As a practitioner of the spoken and written word, Frederick Douglass especially emphasized the role of the First Amendment in assuring a free society: "Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. It is the right which they first of all strike down. They know its power. Thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers, founded in injustice and wrong, are sure to tremble, if men are allowed to reason... Equally clear is the right to hear. To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker." After the Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves, Douglass continued to write and speak about inequality and injustice. He gave advice to presidents and was the first American of African descent to hold high government positions, serving several years as U.S. Marshal for D.C., heading the Freedman's Bank during Reconstruction, and later representing his country as a diplomat in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Throughout his adult life, Douglass was an imposing figure—both intellectually and physically—who became the most-photographed American in the 19th century. Steeped in Biblical teachings, Frederick Douglass preached a message that stressed hope, self-reliance, the power of persistence and hard work, and the uniqueness of American ideals, saying, "What is possible for me is possible for you." Is it possible that on the bicentennial of his birth Frederick Douglass still lives...on social media? Click @FredDouglassNPS to find out. And you can learn more about this great American and his influence on our history by reading his story in his own words, or his biography in the words of others.
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WARNING: I'VE BEEN TRIGGERED! Or have recent events made that fashionable expression "triggered" suddenly become passé? Here's what's gotten under my feathers. I'm still bugged about the commenter who asked: "Geo, have you ever considered how many trees had to be chopped down in their prime, merely to be turned into Popsicle® stick riddles?" I have to assume the individual who submitted this query did not spend any time in southwestern Oregon this past August and September. Those unusual brown skies and blood red sunsets we saw through burning eyes here on the beach at Bandon were the result of nearly 200,000 acres of trees and other living things that went up in smoke about 80 miles away, putting tons of carbon pollution into our summer skies and our lungs. It wasn't just millions of potential Popsicle® sticks that burned to a crisp. Habitats and ecosystems and everything that they contained were destroyed, with many areas rendered sterile for years to come. And the current rainy season is washing the by-products of the inferno downstream. In the wake of the Chetco Bar Fire's devastation, a number of questions have followed. Was this a failure of long-term federal forest policy? Was the initial response inadequate? Could the impact of this blaze have been minimized?
Now, I'm as much of a preservationist and environmentalist as any other bird. Goodness knows we gulls do our share of recycling. But let's all try being guided by the facts and a sense of proportion, huh?
I warned you this could get intense. Now I'm feeling warmed up for a much-anticipated SEAGULL HATE UPDATE. Watch this space! Riddle me this:
What kind of person is wound up a little too tight? Answer: The kind of lonely troll who submitted this comment after yesterday's post: "Geo, have you ever considered how many trees had to be chopped down in their prime, merely to be turned into Popsicle® stick riddles?" My answer: "Yes, I have considered that. And in my opinion it was just enough." (Trying to set a new World Wide Web record for most colons used in a single blog post.) I wonder if this is the same malcontent who reported me to the Thought Police after I remarked that a plastic-bag-swallowing seagull won't be making the cut when natural selection picks the starting lineup. The next thing you know, the Southern Poverty Law Center (which has nothing to do with poverty or law—or the South, for that matter) will be adding me to its list of haters. Give me a break! I am a seagull. I am the guy who reports on seagull hate. I don't hate my own kind. I just reject the stupid ones. (Trying to set a new World Wide Web record for most boldface text in a single blog post.) Yet...there's a saying that all publicity is good publicity. Being added to the media's favorite hate list could bring some traffic to my blog. But I do hope I don't live to eat those words. That could be as unpleasant as eating rubber, glass, or Styrofoam. There has to be a better way to recycle that stuff. (musical link by the Tijuana Brass, 1962) (* M.A.R.G.A.) In an attempt to unify the country in total disgust, balancing act presents... ANOTHER POPSICLE® STICK RIDDLE SLIDESHOW (Steppenwolf, 1968) I mean no offense by this—my eyes can see things that human eyes can't. So I don't miss much from my Park Host sign vantage point. (Remind me to devote a Fun Fact Friday to the supercharged vision we seagulls possess.) I know, my publicity photo needs to be updated to show me on my current assignment. But I'm kinda attached to the picture that appears above each day's post. There's something gripping about my stance atop a sign that advises disposal of equestrian waste. You've got to know there are just some things I'd rather not step in, even if there's an enormous bathtub called the Pacific Ocean only a few yards away. Now—where was I? Oh, right. I don't miss very much of what goes on around me. That's part of the reason they hired me to be Park Host. My eyesight, my ability to take a step and be airborne, my gliding and diving skills—all enhance my first-responder status on Bandon's Beach.
Like I've tried to tell you—seagulls rule! From the Arctic to the Antarctic, we're everywhere!
This week's posts have been a little different, and today's is no exception. Usually, Fun Fact Fridays provide factual answers to readers' questions about me or about seagulls in general. I suppose today's post actually does that in a roundabout way. When this blog was launched, just over three months ago, some early readers understandably thought my name—"Geo"—was short for "George." Well, it wasn't then, and it isn't now. As I pointed out at the time, my full name is Geo Logic Taylor, and I'm widely known as Geo the Seagull.
I know some of you are really into genealogy or American history or following subliminal instructions disguised as hypertext links in web logs. You know who you are, and you will want to click here or here or here to learn as much as anybody knows about George Taylor.
And if you're ever in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, you might want to tour the carefully restore George Taylor House, which he originally built in 1768. Or at least take a selfie there and send it to me.
Washington was keenly aware of preserving and protecting the natural rights that he and his fellow revolutionaries had fought for. “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter,” he observed.
Washington was a believer in universal truths and timeless principles. And he was sensitive to humanity's imperfections, saying, "When one side only of a story is heard and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it insensibly." That was true in the 18th century, and it's even more true today. The organization that maintains Washington's Mount Vernon, Virginia estate provides a wealth of information about our first president and his heritage on its website. Biography.com offers a good overview of Washington's life, as does its partner, the History Channel, where you'll find this note that counters some of the current mythology: "At the time of his death in 1799, George Washington owned some 300 slaves. However, before his passing, he had become opposed to slavery, and in his will he ordered that his slaves [were] to be freed after his wife's death." America's founders were as imperfect as the rest of us, yet probably more honorable than a lot of us. Yesterday I posted something to the effect that I was on the wing.
But I didn't explain the "why" and the "to where." I'm prepared to discuss the "why" that sent me airborne. Here on the Oregon Coast, we experienced a rare snowfall on Monday the 19th. My beach even turned white. I had been all in the mood to celebrate Smokey's Day, and I had to shift gears and declare a snow day instead. But I did manage to execute my Park Host duties as usual, and then I got out of town in search of a good spot to warm up. Let me tell you, that has been hard to find. So I'm not prepared to discuss the "to where" just yet. Meanwhile, here are some pictures of what snow at the beach looks like.
Sure. Your wall calendar says it's Presidents Day. The calendar app on your smartphone calls it Presidents' Day. The official federal government name for this holiday is Washington's Birthday. Except...George Washington wasn't born on February 19. No American president was born on this date. But the Uniform Holiday Act, which took effect in 1971, shifted Washington's Birthday, along with a number of other holidays, onto Mondays, to create popular three-day weekends. Because the new Washington's Birthday holiday eliminated the Lincoln's Birthday observances in many states, the third Monday every February has become widely accepted as an occasion to honor both Washington and Lincoln, and perhaps any and all of the other presidents. And a ski holiday for government workers and teachers. I prefer to honor George on George's own birthday, and Abraham on his own day, and President Reagan on his February 6th birthday. And today? For me, it's just another day at the beach.
This time, it's a follow-up to a follow-up. In Friday's post, I responded to one reader's need to know exactly what I enjoy eating. Soon thereafter, I received a message from another reader who wondered, "What about the stuff seagulls eat that they shouldn't be eating?" I figured there was a not-so-hidden agenda behind this loaded question. After all, it could have been submitted by a Russian agent, trying to instigate inter-species conflict. Then I reflected on how important each of you is to me. I do have such inquisitive, astute, and perceptive readers. Or is it just that some of you spend too much time watching YouTube videos? Then, perhaps you've seen the one where the first seagull on the scene manages to open a plastic bag it has found, and is happily digging bits of leftovers out of it, when along comes another gull who tries to share in the bounty. But gull number one snatches the bag and drags it away. And in an effort to keep its treasure from reaching beak number two, the first gull keeps chomping and swallowing until it has stomached the entire plastic bag, along with whatever meager residue of food remains. While this video afflicts most humans with pangs of guilt and waves of nausea, I have a different reaction. To me, this is evolution at work. If these numbskull gulls can't figure out that there's no food value in plastic, aluminum, rubber, glass, styrofoam, and so on, then natural selection will leave them behind.
I've had this idea kicking around in my brain for a while, and it's beginning to bruise my skull. So I'm going to spit it out. Seagulls are known for doing that from time to time.
I'm thinking of doing TV. I mean doing my own TV show. Maybe put it on Netflix. I'm still deciding on whether it will be a reality show or a sitcom, or maybe action/adventure. Then again, a food show sounds appealing about now. I wouldn't be the celebrity chef, though. I don't cook, but I'm an exceptionally good eater. So I would be the critic who gets to sample what the cook prepares. And if I don't like the food, I get to say, "You're fired, chef!" Pretty original, huh? Or I could do a serial. Or maybe just do cereal. As you can see, my show is only in the preliminary planning phase. But I do have a name for it-- "Everybody Loves Geo!" And I already have a theme song and a potential sponsor. Here's the lyrics. I dare you to click the link and sing along! ![]()
This week's question is a follow-up to last week's Fun Fact Friday post, which examined the ability of seagulls to swallow whole large, sometimes living objects. DC in Coos Bay would like to know what some of my favorite objects to swallow are.
Humans never seem to stop looking for a reason to celebrate. I'm pretty much okay with that, as long as they don't leave their litter behind on the beach. But this time the celebrating humans in Bandon have gone over the edge as far as I'm concerned. Tomorrow through Sunday, they are having something called the Gorse Blossom Festival. Of all the things to celebrate—gorse! Yes, it does rhyme with horse.
Once I had to make an emergency landing in a thicket of gorse. Believe me, I lost a few prize plumes trying to escape their clutches.
Apparently they love their gorse in Ireland. I suppose they swill a few pints of Guinness and don't seem to notice they're stumbling around in the gorse. When they come to, their limbs full of holes like Swiss cheese, they probably pen some annoying poem glorifying the greatness of gorse. I wish they had kept it to themselves. Speaking of alcoholic beverages, that seems to be the main reason the Bandon town gentry are gathering in the name of gorse. Either last year's event was a big hit, or else they didn't get the hint, because 2018 is the second year they've turned all festive at the sight of blooming gorse. If you're looking for an excuse to celebrate this Presidents' Day weekend—beyond paying respects to Washington, Lincoln, et al—then you won't find a better place than Bandon, no matter the occasion. Be sure to look for me, on or near the Park Host sign at the beach, and say "Hi, Geo. Here's my lunch. Help yourself!" You'll be my best friend. For a few seconds.
All over the world, we gulls are inspiring our human friends to accomplish amazing feats of athleticism. Last month, I introduced you to the San Diego Gulls of ice hockey and the Salt Lake Gulls and San Francisco Seagulls amateur baseball teams. Here's the latest example I've discovered--
And now, ladies and gentlemen, etc. In the public interest, balancing act presents the second edition of a feature that has the potential to become a wildly-popular ongoing award-winning online series (as long as I continue to find discarded Popsicle® sticks): GEO'S SECOND EVER GREATEST POPSICLE® STICK RIDDLES SLIDESHOW This feels a little silly. All I really need to to do is insert a link to last Tuesday's post. But I have discovered that some of you are still not that savvy when it comes to links, in spite of my best efforts to salt and pepper my posts with appropriate links that connect you to audible and visual resources related to the subject matter of the day. That's my justification for repeating my special Valentine's Day offer. ![]()
I cannot begin to tell you how many people have submitted questions here at my blog. So I won't One common question has been "Why are you doing this?" My response is: Why not? However, that is not the kind of question I prefer to answer by way of a Fun Fact Friday post. But this one is. It comes from VP, a fan from McKinleyville, California, who wonders how seagulls are able to swallow large objects whole—as in the picture below.
Furthermore, I have the added benefit of an unhinged jaw, which gives me a highly adjustable mouth opening that's suitable for almost anything I might consider to be food. Which is almost anything. By the way, I have already anticipated how your thought process has associated me with the word "unhinged." Let me just say that you aren't having an original thought. P.S. Now you can read or revisit previous Fun Fact Friday posts by clicking or tapping the Fun Fact Friday link in the Categories list in the sidebar to the right.
(It's been a while since I last quoted Shakespeare.) Today has almost slipped right past me. I've been über-busy at the Bandon Beach all day. That means today's post is being published so late that it's going to become a preview of tomorrow, February 9. Thomas Paine was born in England on February 9, 1737. Yet he had a profound influence on America's fight for independence from its mother country. Paine was a passionate activist, inventor, and author, whose pamphlets such as Common Sense and The Crisis inspired American revolutionaries. "We fight not to enslave," he wrote, "but to set a country free, and to make room upon the earth for honest men to live in." Consider reading more of Thomas Paine's writings tomorrow while you celebrate Read in the Bathtub Day. Just don't take your electronic devices into the tub with you. Later, call the your favorite pizzeria and place an order in honor of National Pizza Day. Set aside a nice tip for the hard-working delivery person. And save a little crust for me... * From Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (Act 5, Scene 5): I know. I know. I'm overdue for a Seagull Hate Report. Have patience, dear reader! It's not that there isn't a ton of news out there about the increasing worldwide persecution of gulls. In fact, I am in the middle of ongoing research into some of the latest atrocities. You will be appalled soon enough. But, in the process of studying the bad news, I have stumbled onto some good-news stories that shine a positive light on gulldom (spell-check does not think that's a word, either). And I feel like sharing the good news first.
Valentine's Day is almost here. If you're like me, you probably wait until the last minute to find something special for your sweetheart. This year, I'm here to help you save time and money, and come out looking good on Valentine's Day, too. In fact, what I have to offer is absolutely free! For a limited time, you can show your valentine how much you care with a one-of-a-kind gift... (See order form below) Offer ends Tuesday, February 14, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. PST. Void where prohibited. Some exclusions may apply. Offer may be extended by Geo on a whim. Consult your physician if you have previously experienced allergic reactions or severe side-effects when responding to free online offers or coming in contact with seagull feathers. * Ah, you've found the asterisk again. The title of today's post comes from the lyrics of "Heart," a popular song in the 1955 musical Damn Yankees, which was based on the book The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant. P.S. On the birthday of our 40th president, consider his words: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
Or perhaps you're searching for content that's biodegradable—wooden Popsicle® sticks, for instance. Merely click "Sustainable," and there you go. Easy peasy! (Did I really say that? Please don't let it happen again!) Want to revisit one of my posts where I ranted and raved? Take your pick. They'll all be there when you click "Disgruntled." Conversely, you can catch me wearing a smiley face if you choose "Gruntled." Try "Malodorous" and you'll be exposed to the Internet equivalent of Smell-o-vision. Any given post can fit into multiple categories, too. For example, yesterday's post will be among the results whether you select "Commercial," "Exclusive," "Food," "Frivolous," "Hysterical," "Mental Melatonin," "Musical," or "Sustainable." I've decided it fits into all of those categories. And I am the King of This Blog. But that doesn't mean I don't accept input from my subjects. If you have a suggestion for a category that you think describes one of my blog posts, by all means click the Comments link that's next to About the Author, and submit your recommendation. The possibilities are endless. Literally. The Categories list seems to grow exponentially. By the way, you may find that some categories are currently dead-ends. That may mean they have been put there simply because they are impressive-sounding multi-syllabic words. Or it could be they are patiently lying in wait to attach themselves to some unsuspecting future post. How would you categorize this post? *Thanks for finding this asterisk. It's next to a hyperlink for those who want to learn more about tags.
GEO'S GREATEST POPSICLE® STICK RIDDLES SLIDESHOW |
Meet the AuthorHi. I'm Geo the Seagull.
I'm the distinguished Park Host on South Jetty Beach at Bandon, Oregon, USA. I'm a firm believer in First Principles: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Your Lunch. Archives
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