Personal Musings category archive
The Wind in the Wallows 0
When I was growing up at Pine View Farm, we had a windmill (in the picture above, it would have been behind the right ell of the house). Granted, it was relic from before the electric water pump was installed, but there it was.
Russian Impulses, Mulling Mueller Dept. 0
Methinks Ed over at Gin and Tacos makes a good point.
I also commend Shaun Mullen’s take on it to your attention.
Afterthought:
It is unquestionable that Russia worked surreptitiously (and sometimes titiously) to promote Donald Trump’s campaign for the presidency. It also seems likely that there was some coordination with various Trump flunkies and family members (the Trump Tower meeting being the most prominent indicator thereof). Nevertheless, one question has nagged me throughout all this (and may account for my not devoting as many electrons to the Mueller investigation as some others have), and I have finally figured out what it is:
To conspire with someone requires taking him or her into your confidence, at least to a degree.
If you were a wily operative like Vladimir Putin, would you take a buffoon like Donald Trump into your confidence?
Stray Question 0
Who was the bright light who decided that mattresses no longer need to have handles on the sides?
“Say It Ain’t So, Joe” 2
As much as I liked and respected Joe Biden as a Senator, I agree with Shaun.
Heck, there are already too many Democrats testing the presidential waters (not to mention that entitled snowflake, the Man Who Ruined Coffee) and it’s still way too early . . . .
Sometimes, I find myself nostalgic for the smoke-filled rooms.
New Twists in Spam 0
Based on what I see in my mail client’s inbox, the latest spammer trick is to send emails with no dates in the email headers.
Recommended Reading 0
If Conan Doyle for the Defense were just a narrative of Arthur Conan Doyle’s efforts to free a man who was railroaded for a crime that it was obvious to any unbiased observer he did not commit, I might not be writing this. But it is much more.
The book blends elements of Doyle’s upbringing and life with the cultural and social history of the times–Great Britain during the end of the Victorian Era and the early 20th Century. The author gracefully pirouettes among threads addressing
- the historical facts of the crime and prosecution,
- the societal climate and forces of the day,
- the culture and woeful techniques of police work of the time,
- the traits and talents Conan Doyle brought to the case, including biographical elements.
And, as the author points out in her forward, there are parallels–I would say quite eerie parallels–between that time and ours.
Aside:
We stumbled over this volume at our favorite bookshop.
Stray Thought 0
One of the nice things about living in a condo is that campaign signs are prohibited.
Lesson Learned 0
The Roanoke Times addresses the blackface controversy currently surrounding my governor and actually does some research. It traced down the text books that were in use when when Governor Northam was in school and points out that they grossly and purposefully misrepresented slavery, the Civil War, and the war’s aftermath.* Here’s a bit:
This is, of course, no excuse for being so stupid as to put on blackface in the first place, but it could be a mitigating factor for not realizing the full implications of doing so.
_______________
*They did. I had some of those same text books and, indeed, remember the lie about “indentured servants.”
But I was a history major in college, where I unlearned Virginia’s lies. I doubt that Mr. Northam, as a prospective med student, had one-twelfth the number of history classes that I did over four years of college and a year of grad work (which taught me that, however much I may have loved the study of history, I was not cut out to be a professional academician).
Tripping the Light Fatastic 0
There was an OTR (Old Time Radio–see the sidebar over there—-> for some links) show called “The Fat Man.” (It was actually quite a good mystery show.)
It opened with the lines, in an English accent . . . .
“There he goes into that drug store. He’s stepping on the scales . . . .”
Then a robotic voice says, “Weight: 239 pounds. Fortune: Danger.”
(Music) Voice says, “Who is it?
Another voice answers, “The Fat Man.”
My question is this: How high would the weight have to be today for the man to be considered “fat”?
I leave the house from time to time. I’m betting 239 pounds doesn’t cut it any more.
Stray Thought 0
Late in the evening and I’m craving a cup of coffee because one the characters in To Wake the Dead by John Dickson Carr (the master of the locked room mystery) is named “Melitta.”
I need better filters.
Use Time Wisely 0
No, I did not watch the SOTU (or, as Juanita Jean aptly dubbed it, the STFU).
As I have mentioned before in these electrons, I refuse to spend hours in front of my telly vision for something I can read about in ten minutes the next day.
Ralph Northam 0
I waited a bit before commenting on this story, as I have found that initial reports are often flawed, especially when promulgated by twits on Twitter and frolickers on Facebook. He is the governor of my state and I supported him.
And he has been a decent and reasonable governor.
My primary reaction is disappointment. Plunging-to-the-bottom-of-the-well disappointment.
As my local rag pointed out in an excellent editorial, these events happened in 1984, not in 1924, and there’s no conceivable excuse for someone over the age of consent not knowing that blackface and Klan robes are vile and racist.
Hell, I’m two decades older than him, and I knew that when I was still in high school.
Should he resign? Not for me to say–who am I to call for resignation? I’m just a third-tier blogger with opinions and a keyboard–but I suspect he likely will eventually do so.
It’s frustrating, though, as Republican office-holders with track records of overtly racist conduct while in office serve out their terms and, indeed, seek higher office, with impunity.
Are his political career and his effectiveness as a leader toast? Oh, yes-indeedy-do, with butter and marmalade.
Afterthought:
I’m from the Eastern Shore, as is Northam (though I never knew any Northams when I was growing up). I’m still scratching my head about why my local rag decided to describe the Shore as “rural and rugged.” It is a lot of things, including rural, but “rugged” isn’t one of them.
No News Is No News 0
I know it’s really really cold in parts of the country and I am in no way wishing to minimize that–in face, I’m glad that we’re not in the path of the blast–but this item is, as Zandar is fond of saying, StupidiNews.
Remember, I worked for the railroad for 25 years.
There’s nothing new about railroads’ putting hotpots next to switches to keep switches from icing up. As I write this, it’s -19 Fahrenheits in Chicago. The hotpots would likely be there were it +19 Fahrenheits, if icing were a threat.
The AP should be ashamed of itself.
Stray Thought 0
If Howard Schultz plans to do to the country what he did to coffee, he ain’t getting my vote.
Purists on Parade 0
Shorter Dick Polman: The perfect is the enemy of the good.
Aside:
At this point, I pay no attention to who wants the Democratic nomination for President.
But my disdain for the “I agree with 90% of your positions but once you said something that hurt my fee-fees so I’m taking my vote and going home” crowd remains undiluted.
Also, any Democratic nominee is certain to be better than every Republican nominee, regardless of his or her flaws.
Vote in the real world, for Pete’s sake.
Stray Question, Tripping Hazard Dept. 0
When did shoe manufacturers decide that shoes need shoelaces long enough to moor a boat?
And, for Pete’s sake, why?
Stray Thought 0
Donald Trump is proving that a “weak man” form of government can be just as dangerous as a “strong man” form government.
Walleyed Piker 0
When you hear Donald Trump babble on about a “wall,” remind yourselves of how well the Great Wall of China worked.
(Hint: It didn’t.)
Mark Twain Understood America 0
If you want to understand the rise of Donald Trump, dig out a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and read the chapters about the Duke and the Dauphin.
Stray Thought, Literary Dept. 0
Americans write the best detective stories, but Brits write the best mystery stories.