Super Blue Moon 2023

 

Hikers watch the Super Blue Moon from the summit of Piestewa Peak in Phoenix on Wednesday, August 30. 

Rob Schumacher/The Republic/USA Today Network

CNN's "The Week in Photos"

"Blue Moon"

Blue moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Blue moon
You knew just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the moon it turned to gold

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked the moon had turned to gold

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart

Writer(s): Richard Rodgers, Ange Lorenzo

SF Giants Leave Philly With 8-6 Win

All I can say about my Giants team is they are a battling bunch of baseball players. Just when it looks like they can wither away from post-season contention, they prove themselves worthy of staying in the conversation. 

Resilient - able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.

Today's win over the Philadelphia Phillies was a much-needed victory to end this latest road stretch with a disappointing 2-4 record. They've only taken one game in each of their last five 3-game series. Granted, it's been one of their toughest stretches, where they have faced the Dodgers, Rangers, Rays, Braves, and Phillies. 

And to add to the challenge, All-Star closer Camilo Doval has somehow lost his slider, giving up his fourth straight blown save today. And yet today the scrappy Giants, with help from newly acquired shortstop Paul DeJong (3hits, 4rbi), did enough to pull out a 10-innings, 10 Pitchers win against the wild card leading Phils.

Let's hope the "dog days of summer" are in the rearview mirror for these battle-contested Giants. They come home to face the National League leading Atlanta Braves after one day off. The schedule is still a challenge, but with this bunch of Giants they wouldn't want it any other way. Bring us your best and we'll put them to the test!

Go Giants!!!

Final Score/10

Giants 8

Phillies 6

Giants Highlights of the Game:

Giants' outfielder Austin Slater made a game-saving catch, bringing back memories of Hunter Pence, with a leaping, body-jarring snag against the outfield wall/gate. Slater appeared to survive the bottom-of-the-ninth collision unscathed. 

Wade Meckler's heads-up dash to home plate, beating out a double. (Giants extend lead in extras on bizarre double play)

In yesterday's game Giants No. 1 prospect, 22-year old left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison, made his major league debut. He pitched 3 1/3 innings giving up 2 earned runs with five strikeouts. He's a much-needed arm for the Giants.

Raiders Got Receivers

#89 Tre Tucker - Fast, Fearless, Football Player with a relentless competitive motor. This rookie out of Cincinnati is much more than just a wide receiver. He's an elusive return man unafraid of running through traffic and taking or delivering a hit. 

Something about the way Tucker moves with the ball gives you the sense he knows how to get the job done. He's a receiver who runs like a running-back, utilizing his blockers, evading and/or taking on tacklers, and capable of breaking off a big play at any time. He's not just speedy, he has field vision with quick, decisive moves that makes him a threat anytime the ball is in his hands. 

Yes, I like what I've seen so far in Raiders Rookie Tre Tucker.

The Raiders seem overloaded with talented receivers (veteran & rookie) competing for a roster spot:

Kristian Wilkerson - Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver - ESPN

Phillip Dorsett - Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver - ESPN

Cam Sims - Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver - ESPN

DeAndre Carter - Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver - ESPN

Raiders First Rd Draft Pick Tyree Wilson

 

Raiders rookie defensive end is finally getting some on-field action. Tyree Wilson, drafted at No.7 in the first round, practiced for the first time with the Raiders. It appears, and wisely so, they're taking it slow with Wilson. He hasn't had any football contact since suffering a foot fracture in his last college game on November 20, 2022. 

Raiders fans just can't wait to see how he fits in with DE's Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones. If Wilson's foot is completely healed and there's no lingering limitations, I expect the Raiders defensive line to cause havoc against offensive opponents. 

We shouldn't expect to see Tyree play much if any against the Rams this weekend in preseason game 2. But all reports out of Raiders camp is that he's on pace and ready to take the next step, which is engaging in full contact practice. 6x Pro Bowl receiver Davante Adams is also expected to return to practice from a lower leg injury.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels 2 days ago:

Asked if Adams was 100% or if he would be limited, McDaniels smiled.
"He'll be out here ready to roll," McDaniels said.

In highlights of Wilson's college playing days, I saw a quick, long-armed pass rusher who has a nose for getting to the man with the ball and making a play. Whether it be quarterbacks or running backs, Wilson has a defensive motor propelling his edge-rushing body toward ball carriers with speed and precision. 

Yes, he's a ballistic missile on a mission. A rocket propelled, self-guided, strategic-weapons system, that should give a huge boost to the launching of this Raiders 2023 rebuilt defense.

Integrity of an Honest President

The fourth commandment, in setting apart the Sabbath day as a day of rest, recognizes the necessity of work. It says, "Six days you shall labor." 

The eighth commandment throws a safeguard around what has been earned by honest toil. It teaches the dignity of ownership and the sacredness of private property. No one is to take what does not belong to him or to deprive another of what is rightfully his.

For a shining example of a man who obeyed this command, study the life of George Washington. The expense account which he kept during the confused days of the American Revolution is one of the treasures preserved in the national capitol. 

Washington used his personal funds to feed and clothe his soldiers but kept detailed records so that he would know exactly what he had spent. In case the country were ever able to pay him back, he wanted to receive only what he had actually advanced. He scorned the thought of using his nation as a source of personal profit. 

He served his country but would not allow his country to serve him.

In a day when common honesty has ceased to be common and people use all sorts of ingenious means to cheat the government on their income taxes, the integrity of the first president has a pointed lesson.

Money talks: it tells whether you are a thief or an honest man.

Thou God of righteousness, make me honest with myself and with everyone. May I respect the possessions of other people and refuse to profit by their loss. Help me to be a blessing to others instead of a curse. In Christ's name. Amen.

from book "Ours is the Faith," 

by Walter Dudley Cavert

The Eighth Commandment             Read II Thess.  3:6-13

You shall not steal. - Exod.  20:15

The Ethiopian Mercury

At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, one man from a small, ancient country in Africa truly represented the wing-footed, mythological Roman "messenger of the Gods" Mercury. His name was Adebe Bikila, his country Ethiopia (Abyssinia), and his message to the world was don't underestimate the championship heart of a people in love with their country. 

Two nights ago, I watched the movie "The Athlete," a wonderful foreign film based on Adebe's life. The film is done well in a sort of documentary style, putting the focus on this proud, simple man who becomes a legendary hero to his country by running a 26-mile marathon for the ages.

To know the combative history between Ethiopia and Italy adds to the irony and significance of an Ethiopian victory in any competition hosted in Italy, much less the Olympics. And he did it BAREFOOT!

And not only Ethiopia but Africa, a continent whose countries were finally breaking loose the chains of European colonization, were invested in seeing an African victorious against world competition. Adebe's victory was a continental victory. A first in many ways and a trend-setter for future African athletes.

I could go on about the movie and the man, but rather than spoil a viewer's experience of watching it I urge those who love sports, love culture, and love incredible tales of real-life accomplishments to seek out this hidden gem of a story.

Between 1960-1969, thirty-five African countries gained independence from former European colonizers. Seventeen of them in 1960 alone. 

Chronological List of African Independence (thoughtco.com)

Athletics at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon - Wikipedia

The Italo-Abyssinian War (1889-1896) • (blackpast.org)

How Italy Was Defeated In East Africa In 1941 | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)

The Partition of Africa • (blackpast.org)