“Monkey Tria” on July 10, 1925.

Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called “Monkey Trial” begins with John Thomas Scopes, a young high school science teacher, accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state law.

The law, which had been passed in March, made it a misdemeanor punishable by fine to “teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals.” With local businessman George Rappleyea, Scopes had conspired to get charged with this violation, and after his arrest the pair enlisted the aid of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to organize a defense. Hearing of this coordinated attack on Christian fundamentalism, William Jennings Bryan, the three-time Democratic presidential candidate and a fundamentalist hero, volunteered to assist the prosecution. Soon after, the great attorney Clarence Darrow agreed to join the ACLU in the defense, and the stage was set for one of the most famous trials in U.S. history.

On July 10, the Monkey Trial got underway, and within a few days hordes of spectators and reporters had descended on Dayton as preachers set up revival tents along the city's main street to keep the faithful stirred up. Inside the Rhea County Courthouse, the defense suffered early setbacks when Judge John Raulston,ruled against their attempt to prove the law unconstitutional and then refused to end his practice of opening each day's proceeding with prayer.

Outside, Dayton took on a carnival-like atmosphere as an exhibit featuring two chimpanzees and a supposed “missing link” opened in town, and vendors sold Bibles, toy monkeys, hot dogs, and lemonade. The missing link was in fact Jo Viens of Burlington, Vermont, a 51-year-old man who was of short stature and possessed a receding forehead and a protruding jaw. One of the chimpanzees - named Joe Mendi - wore a plaid suit, a brown fedora, and white spats, and entertained Dayton's citizens by monkeying around on the courthouse lawn.

In the courtroom, Judge Raulston destroyed the defense's strategy by ruling that expert scientific testimony on evolution was inadmissible - on the grounds that it was Scopes who was on trial, not the law he had violated. The next day, Raulston ordered the trial moved to the courthouse lawn, fearing that the weight of the crowd inside was in danger of collapsing the floor..

In front of several thousand spectators in the open air, Darrow changed his tactics and as his sole witness called Bryan in an attempt to discredit his literal interpretation of the Bible. In a searching examination, Bryan was subjected to severe ridicule and forced to make ignorant and contradictory statements to the amusement of the crowd. On July 21, in his closing speech, Darrow asked the jury to return a verdict of guilty in order that the case might be appealed. Under Tennessee law, Bryan was thereby denied the opportunity to deliver the closing speech he had been preparing for weeks. After eight minutes of deliberation, the jury returned with a guilty verdict, and Raulston ordered Scopes to pay a fine of $100, the minimum the law allowed. Although Bryan had won the case, he had been publicly humiliated and his fundamentalist beliefs had been disgraced. Five days later, on July 26, he lay down for a Sunday afternoon nap and never woke up.

In 1927, the Tennessee Supreme Court overturned the “Monkey Trial” verdict on a technicality but left the constitutional issues unresolved until 1968, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a similar Arkansas law on the grounds that it violated the First Amendment. History Channel / Wikipedia / PBS

More References  ● Tennessee vs. Jogn Scopes (UMKC School of Law)

Wikipedia  Photo: William Jennings Bryan ● Clarence Darrow was a trial attorney made famous for his defense of a Tennessee educator accused of breaking a state law banning the teaching of evolution in public schools. Bettmann / Corbis ● University of Missouri-Kansas City  Photo: Darrow and Bryan at the Scopes Trial 1925 ● Evangelist T.T. Martin's books against the theory of evolution are sold at an outdoor stand in Dayton, Tenn., 1925, scene of the Scopes trial. (AP Photo) ● John Thomas Scopes The teacher at the center of proceedings - Political cartoon - The Daily Star

Understanding Military Terminology - Ditching

(DOD) Ditching: Controlled landing of a distressed aircraft on water. (Military Factory)

The Old Salt’s Corner

Hello, Remember me?

Some call me Old Glory, others call me the Star Spangled Banner, but whatever they call me, I am your Flag - the Flag of the United States of America...There has been something that has been bothering me, so I thought that I might talk it over with you here today.

I remember some time ago, (I think it was Memorial Day, or was it Veterans' Day?) that people were lined up on both sides of the street for a parade. A high school band was behind me and, naturally, I was leading the parade. When your Daddy saw me coming along waving in the breeze, he immediately removed his hat and placed it so that his right hand was directly over his heart.

And you - I remember you.

Standing there as straight as a soldier, you didn't have any hat, but you were giving me the right salute. Remember, they taught you in school to place your right hand over your heart, and little sister, not to be outdone, was saluting the same as you. There were some soldiers home on leave and they were standing at attention giving the military salute. Oh, I was very proud as I came down your street that day.

Now, I may sound as if I am a little conceited, Well I am!

I have a right to be, because I represent you, the people of the United States of America.

But what happened? I am still the same old flag. Oh, I have a couple more stars added since you were a boy. A lot more stars added since the beginning of this country, and and lot more blood shed since that patriotic day so long ago.

Now I don't feel as proud as I used to. When I come down your street, some people just stand there with their hands in their pockets and give me a small glance and then look away. I see children running around and shouting. They don't seem to know who I am.

Is it a sin to be patriotic anymore? Have some people forgotten what I stand for? Have they forgotten all the battlefields where men have fought and died to keep this nation free? When you salute me you are actually saluting them!

Take a look at the memorial rolls some time. Look at the names of those who never came back. Some of them were friends and relatives of yours. That's whom you are saluting, not me!

Well, it won't be long until I'll be coming down your street again. So, when you see me, stand straight, place your hand over your heart and you'll see me waving back-- that's my salute to you. And then I will know you remember who I am....

“I’m Just Sayin’”

I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People move out of the way much faster now.

“Thought for the Day”

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi (October 2, 1869 - January 30, 1948)

“What I Have Learned”

In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

~ Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (born July 6, 1935)

Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Teens try to steal car but can't drive a stick shift

SEATTLE, Washington - Three teens tried to steal a Seattle woman’s car Saturday afternoon, but couldn’t because none of them knew how to drive a stick shift. “I got a five speed in there”, Nancy Fredrickson, 70, said. “They couldn't figure out how to get it going!” Fredrickson said she had just walked around the back of her KIA to get something from the trunk when she heard someone demanding her keys.

At first she thought it was a joke; then, she saw the gun. “It's not every day you get a gun stuck in your face!” Fredrickson said. She said a teen wearing a hooded sweatshirt was holding a large gun only inches away. Frederickson dropped her keys and said the teens jumped into the car.

But none of them knew how to drive it. It was hilarious to Fredrickson’s neighbors. “They can’t drive a stick?” Ryan Whitney exclaimed. Fredrickson just stood behind her car as the teens tried and failed to get it to move. Then they ran across South Main Street and through the neighboring business’ parking lot. KIRO 7 obtained the surveillance video showing them sprint through the lot, with one teen bolting in another direction from his accomplices.

Fredrickson said while she’s laughing now, she was in tears as she called 911. She watched police take fingerprints. Seattle police also retrieved DNA and fiber evidence from the car. Neighbor Ronnie Conley said he was surprised the would-be carjackers even tried to take the vehicle. “We're all elderly up in here,” he said, gesturing to the affordable senior housing apartments where he and Fredrickson live. “Know what I’m saying? It's scary! In broad daylight, too.” Fredrickson said she never imagined a stick shift would trip up three car thieves, but she’s thrilled she and the car survived unharmed. “It was quite an interesting day”, she said. “Let’s put it that way.” (Teens try to steal car but can't drive a stick shift) KIRO

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: Why is there no Channel One on television?

False - “Because then everyone would want to be number one”

It turns out there was a Channel One once upon a time--in 1945, to be precise, when the Federal Communications Commission first allocated broadcast television frequencies.

Later, however, the FCC repented its generosity and decided that TV was hogging too much of the broadcast spectrum. (Each TV channel requires a bandwidth 600 times as wide as an individual radio station does.) So the Channel One band (44 to 50 MHz) was reassigned for use by people with mobile radios.

If you really crave to see a Channel One, though, no problem. Other countries have them. In Tokyo, Channel One is used for broadcasts of NHK-General, a Japanese public TV station.Snopes / Wikipedia

Image: Old School TV 1950s (Google Image Search)

Where Did That Saying Come From?

“A Pig in a Poke:” This is something bought without checking it first. A poke was a bag. If you bought a pig in a poke it might turn out the “pig” was actually a puppy or a cat.Phrases.org / Wikipedia

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

COB: the Chief Of The Boat; the senior enlisted man embarked.

Collision Mat: pancakes.

Crank: to work in the kitchen.

Creamed Foreskins On Toast: creamed chipped beef served on toast.

Just for MARINES

CamelBac: ® A name brand version of a personal hydration system which allows the wearer to sip water through a tube from a bladder worn on the back.

Cammies: The field uniform of the Marine Corps since the 1970s. The original design was stolen by the Army and then every other military service and in 2002 the “pixilated” design was introduced. The pixilated design itself includes tiny Marine Corps emblems and blends better into most natural settings.

Campaign Cover: The hat worn by drill instructors. Sometimes called a Smoky Bear hat. The only official Marine headgear not required to be called a cover in normal conversation. It is often called simply, “The Hat”".

Navy Acronyms

SSEMP - System Security Engineering Management Program

SSIL - System/Subsystem Interface List

SSO - Source Selection Officer

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

VAW-116 - Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 116: “Sun Kings” NAS Point Mugu, California

The Strange, Mysterious or Downright Weird

According to scientists, the more you use Facebook, the more unhappy you are!

Every time you log into Facebook and check up on your friend's vacation pictures, crush's status update, or fan group of your favorite show, you get a little more moody. Turns out, the more you press the “like” button, the worse your mood gets!

A study by the University of Michigan monitored people's mood after two weeks of using the social networking site. Their moment-to-moment mood continued getting darker the longer they scrolled through the endless pages of droll statuses and boring pictures. Users with different network sizes, varying degrees of supportive friends, and reasons for getting on in the first place participated, and it always ended up the same.

Browsing others' Facebook pages can leave people with diminished self-images and envious feelings towards their more fortunate acquaintances. For those with self-esteem issues, tinkering with their profile doesn't seem to help their self-worth—even if they fibbed on a few aspects to seem cool.

The test group consisted of 82 college-aged volunteers who answered questionnaires five times a day for two weeks straight, then rated their well-being at the beginning of the study and the end. (OMG Facts)

Image: Facebook Like / Dislike