If England was what England seems,
'N not the England of our dreams;
But only putty, brass 'n paint,
'Ow quick we'd drop 'er.
But she ain't.
'Nuff said.
The future queen should never have been in such a condition on the verandah.
The mag should not have been taking the pictures.
It should not publish them.
The public should not buy the mag.
Public taste has come quite a long way.
And England's not ...only putty, brass 'n paint....
Be more careful, Dear Future Queen.
The low brows are at the gates.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
FOR A YOUNGER READER
The Picoult book purchase mentioned in 16 August post was less than appropriate.
Dear Wife gave it away to a younger reader.
But she appreciated the effort.
Dear Wife gave it away to a younger reader.
But she appreciated the effort.
SEPTEMBER IN MICHIGAN 2012.
Perfect weather…
Repair and construction projects are proceeding.
No travel plans at present as above are pursued.
The building of an herb garden and other garden projects provide physical exercise.
And there is time to observe and consider what is going on in the greater world.
As Dear Wife would say, one has to prioritize.
We take time this Sunday morn for a few comments.
Regarding msm:
Generally the most reliable – not totally – but generally - Fox News.
Generally the next most reliable – again, less generally but relatively - CNN.
Generally the least reliable, with very few exceptions - MSNBC.
The only recent change in the above relativities is the improvement of CNN.
MSNBC is generally without merit. Even the panel guests are frequently disgusting, even in appearance.
The Study does not generally monitor ABC or NBC or CBS on their non-cable outlets.
Sadly, news coverage on the cable outlets and non-cable news outlets leans heavily, as any reasonable persons knows, to advocacy rather than reporting.
We know this is not any great revelation.
Just felt like saying it.
The best exceptions to this are generally FOX and to a limited extent CNN.
The violence against the US of recent days is clear evidence of a weakened US presence in the world, directly attributable to the policies of the US Administration.
This is the only possible conclusion for any thinking lay person outside of any inner loop.
Presidential spokespeople deny this.
So much for their reliability.
They appear unbelievably foolish.
One can only hope for a resurgence of respect, not love, in the world for the US.
If a nation cannot be loved, it had better be respected.
If neither is the case, woe betide that nation’s interests.
Repair and construction projects are proceeding.
No travel plans at present as above are pursued.
The building of an herb garden and other garden projects provide physical exercise.
And there is time to observe and consider what is going on in the greater world.
As Dear Wife would say, one has to prioritize.
We take time this Sunday morn for a few comments.
Regarding msm:
Generally the most reliable – not totally – but generally - Fox News.
Generally the next most reliable – again, less generally but relatively - CNN.
Generally the least reliable, with very few exceptions - MSNBC.
The only recent change in the above relativities is the improvement of CNN.
MSNBC is generally without merit. Even the panel guests are frequently disgusting, even in appearance.
The Study does not generally monitor ABC or NBC or CBS on their non-cable outlets.
Sadly, news coverage on the cable outlets and non-cable news outlets leans heavily, as any reasonable persons knows, to advocacy rather than reporting.
We know this is not any great revelation.
Just felt like saying it.
The best exceptions to this are generally FOX and to a limited extent CNN.
The violence against the US of recent days is clear evidence of a weakened US presence in the world, directly attributable to the policies of the US Administration.
This is the only possible conclusion for any thinking lay person outside of any inner loop.
Presidential spokespeople deny this.
So much for their reliability.
They appear unbelievably foolish.
One can only hope for a resurgence of respect, not love, in the world for the US.
If a nation cannot be loved, it had better be respected.
If neither is the case, woe betide that nation’s interests.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
BLACK DIRT AND CANASTA
And today we shopped for black dirt mixed for gardens and paving to build up new herb garden…8 inches or so high.
And then on to replenish larder….
How sweet it is!
And in grocery store found a new Picoult novel….Between the Lines….
Just finished large swaths of the Oxford History of Christian Worship….
Something light is now in order.
Maybe.
Found book in the grocery book section…right near the restrooms…..
Ok, I recommended it to Dear Wife…and then thought the jacket summary sounded fun.
We’ll see.
Need to order the yard stuff…perhaps tomorrow…retaining blocks first, then dirt.
I must say, a cigar would definitely taste good.
Have to make a tobacco run.
But now it is late….and there is a canasta game to resurrect and practice before inviting friends over….friends who do not require an electronic game.
Canasta takes this Old Fella back to the ‘50’s…..
Gotta go….
More later…
And then on to replenish larder….
How sweet it is!
And in grocery store found a new Picoult novel….Between the Lines….
Just finished large swaths of the Oxford History of Christian Worship….
Something light is now in order.
Maybe.
Found book in the grocery book section…right near the restrooms…..
Ok, I recommended it to Dear Wife…and then thought the jacket summary sounded fun.
We’ll see.
Need to order the yard stuff…perhaps tomorrow…retaining blocks first, then dirt.
I must say, a cigar would definitely taste good.
Have to make a tobacco run.
But now it is late….and there is a canasta game to resurrect and practice before inviting friends over….friends who do not require an electronic game.
Canasta takes this Old Fella back to the ‘50’s…..
Gotta go….
More later…
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
47th ANNIVERSARY
47 years on 14 August.
How time flies!
Nearly half a century gone by o so quickly in hindsight.
On Sunday we worshipped in the church where we were married.
The Sanctuary had been redone seven years ago…but our wedding chapel was unchanged.
All these years, it has been so close by…and only now have we revisited.
And yesterday, 14 August, the Anniversary day, we took a day trip to a city with a 100+ year old restaurant from our past; a store we needed/wanted to visit; and as a bonus found another selling Egyptian papyrus and hand-made paper from Katmandu, to name but two fascinating joys.
We drove and talked and laughed and reminisced and prayed….
Today we’ll call Texas and reconnect with our Best Man and Maid of Honor….
Bless their hearts….
A year ago we visited….
A prayer once again comes to mind:
This is the day the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Amen.
How time flies!
Nearly half a century gone by o so quickly in hindsight.
On Sunday we worshipped in the church where we were married.
The Sanctuary had been redone seven years ago…but our wedding chapel was unchanged.
All these years, it has been so close by…and only now have we revisited.
And yesterday, 14 August, the Anniversary day, we took a day trip to a city with a 100+ year old restaurant from our past; a store we needed/wanted to visit; and as a bonus found another selling Egyptian papyrus and hand-made paper from Katmandu, to name but two fascinating joys.
We drove and talked and laughed and reminisced and prayed….
Today we’ll call Texas and reconnect with our Best Man and Maid of Honor….
Bless their hearts….
A year ago we visited….
A prayer once again comes to mind:
This is the day the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Amen.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
NOT EVERY POLITICAL ENDOREMENT IS WELCOME
Candidate Romney is now well into his pre-election foreign tour and we have been told that not all has been smooth sailing.
We have watched respected analysts express dismay at the reactions of various foreign leaders and foreign media outlets to some Romney expressions of opinion.
And we too wondered at how unfortunate for our candidate.
And then a different thought occurred.
We remembered that maybe, just maybe, a negative reaction to our national candidate might not be all that bad.
We recalled that many foreign governments and media fairly salivated over b.o.
Some did not.
We at The Study did not and now our reservations have been confirmed by experience of nearly four years.
We were right and the salivators were wrong.
Fact.
And the foreigners who had reservations about b.o. just might be the allies with the clearest vision.
And so we suggest that maybe it is a good thing that the foreign admirers of b.o. do not care for the honesty of our hoped-for-next President.
Perhaps it is ok if those who adore the present President do not similarly adore his political opponent.
Not every political endorsement is worth having.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
LESSONS REGARDING THE SIMPLE FIX
The Study is quiet.
Sophie is asleep nearby and Herself is visiting cousins on the west side of the state.
‘Tis a cloudy and blessedly cool Wednesday morning.
Piles of newspapers have been read. Online news sources have been studied. Radio programs have been monitored.
I am reminded of a news column title…I think it was I see by the papers….or some words to that effect.
Anyway, we have been busy, as have many, and now it is nice to put a few thoughts to, I was about to say to paper, but rather to hard drive, to this journal.
We have had an opportunity to take note of a few happenings we have seen by the papers.
One encouraging observation is that the at least for awhile, the idea that there are simple fixes for terrible tragedies is at least muted in our msm.
Few prominent voices are calling for new gun control laws in the aftermath of the incident in Colorado.
The ignorant blame propaganda by gun lobbies.
The knowing credit the common sense of the American electorate.
Not all libs are complete fools.
The above is prompted by a news report that the leading cause of death of kids less than four years of age is drowning in swimming pools. “…90 children younger than 15 have drowned in U.S. swimming pools since Memorial Day.”
And NO ONE is calling for the abolition of swimming pools.
We hope and believe that there is an understanding amongst the people that more is going on here to cause, to allow, to make possible the horrors of shooting deaths and child drowning than the existence of guns and swimming pools.
A no brainer idea???
You bet!
And once one starts down this track, it occurs that sex ed will not cure problems of illicit sex.
Full employment will not solve the problem of out-of-control violence and crime in our cities and spillovers to the suburbs.
Quiet time in the corner will not curb misbehavior at home and at school.
Praising low achievement in school and work will not ensure successful individuals.
Government-run health care will not solve all health care problems.
Higher taxes will not secure our economic future.
Soft power will not solve the problems of the world.
You get the idea.
I wonder how many such statements I/we could list if I/we really tried.
Sophie is asleep nearby and Herself is visiting cousins on the west side of the state.
‘Tis a cloudy and blessedly cool Wednesday morning.
Piles of newspapers have been read. Online news sources have been studied. Radio programs have been monitored.
I am reminded of a news column title…I think it was I see by the papers….or some words to that effect.
Anyway, we have been busy, as have many, and now it is nice to put a few thoughts to, I was about to say to paper, but rather to hard drive, to this journal.
We have had an opportunity to take note of a few happenings we have seen by the papers.
One encouraging observation is that the at least for awhile, the idea that there are simple fixes for terrible tragedies is at least muted in our msm.
Few prominent voices are calling for new gun control laws in the aftermath of the incident in Colorado.
The ignorant blame propaganda by gun lobbies.
The knowing credit the common sense of the American electorate.
Not all libs are complete fools.
The above is prompted by a news report that the leading cause of death of kids less than four years of age is drowning in swimming pools. “…90 children younger than 15 have drowned in U.S. swimming pools since Memorial Day.”
And NO ONE is calling for the abolition of swimming pools.
We hope and believe that there is an understanding amongst the people that more is going on here to cause, to allow, to make possible the horrors of shooting deaths and child drowning than the existence of guns and swimming pools.
A no brainer idea???
You bet!
And once one starts down this track, it occurs that sex ed will not cure problems of illicit sex.
Full employment will not solve the problem of out-of-control violence and crime in our cities and spillovers to the suburbs.
Quiet time in the corner will not curb misbehavior at home and at school.
Praising low achievement in school and work will not ensure successful individuals.
Government-run health care will not solve all health care problems.
Higher taxes will not secure our economic future.
Soft power will not solve the problems of the world.
You get the idea.
I wonder how many such statements I/we could list if I/we really tried.
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