Journal Entries
Regarding Pence and the insurrection of January 6
Posted Jan 16, 2021
[the following originated as an email to my brother, but I think it deserves a wider audience]
I've been reading about Mike Pence.
I've also read about the insurrection in Washington, D.C. Pence and
Pelosi could have been assassinated.
The pundits seem to think that Pence has no political future. Trump
supporters think he's a traitor for presiding over the Senate count of
electoral votes. Trump opponents say that that's the *only* time he
ever did what trump didn't want him to do.
Take your pick.
A poll on the afternoon of the event has 62% of Americans agreeing
that it was a threat to democracy. Even among Republicans, 43% did not
support the mob's actions, while 45% did.
http://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/01/06/US-capitol-trump-poll
A poll on January 15 says "68% of public does not want Trump to remain
a major political figure in the future." Trump has lowest-ever job
ratings, and Biden i viewed more positively.
http://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/01/15/biden-begins-presidency-with-positive-ratings-trump-departs-with-lowest-ever-job-mark/
Discuss this Journal entry [7]
Latest reply: Jan 16, 2021
Some day, when I"m awfully low -- reflecting on people that touched me
Posted Jan 13, 2021
When I'm awfully low,
And the world is cold (
, January)
I will feel a glow
just thinking of you,
and the way you look tonight.
Those are song lyrics. Fred Astaire nailed it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIW_Ah0wg-w
So, in my opinion, did Julien Neel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkGDa4xVSb8
But who among us hasn't had a defining moment with another person, someone who vanished into the mists of time? The only remaining trace of their existence as we perceived it is in our memories....
Discuss this Journal entry [2]
Latest reply: Jan 13, 2021
Growing rhubarb in outer space; Ecnirp the backward prince
Posted Jan 12, 2021
Sometime in the late 1990s I read that oxalic acid can be used to neutralize the chemicals that deplete the pone layer. I saw this as a promising topic for an April Fool joke. Why not write a pseudoscientific journal called "The Rhubarb Quarterly" and imagine sending it to people who might think it was real at first?
Well, not really. On the cover, I drew a ring of potted rhubarb plants (rhubarb contains a lot of oxalic acid) orbiting the earth? Inside, I had ads for "tiny print" editions of classics, for people with exceptionally keen vision.
I found mentions of rhubarb in classics such as "MacBeth" (Lady MacBeth used it as a purgative). I had a picture of knights on their way to the crusades in search of rhubarb.
The star of the quarterly was Ecnirp the Backward Prince, who won game after game on a holodeck that was rigged in his favor. He used a rhubarb leaf as a shield.
Ecnirp is prince spelled backward. I grew to love this character. Like Bertie Wooster, he was mediocre in reasoning power, but thoroughly likeable and able to make friends because he had a kind heart.
Let's be realistic about rhubarb for a minute, though. The leaves are toxic. The stems are edible when cooked, but if you eat them raw (as I did) you can lose your ability to taste anything for about a week.
A new story Ecnirp may appear in the Post this month. I might write more stories about him. I will keep thinking of ways to work rhubarb into his life and activities.
Mumbo, jumbo, rhubarb. rhubarb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv4j04D2ItI
And
Discuss this Journal entry [7]
Latest reply: Jan 12, 2021
Belichick declines Presidential Medal of Freedom offered by Trump
Posted Jan 12, 2021
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/patriots/2021/01/11/bill-belichick-patriots-declines-medal-freedom-donald-trump/6632843002/
This is the nation's highest civilian honor, awarded by presidents since John F Kennedy for meritorious contributions to the nation's national interests, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
Bill Belichick is the coach for the new England Patriots, an American football team. What is especially significant here is that (1.) Belichick has been a Trump supporter, but (2.) he has great reverence for "our nation’s values, freedom and democracy." In other words, the events of last week persuaded him that Trump undermined American democracy, and to accept this award from him would be wrong.
I don't think that Belichick is losing anything he values by turning down the award. On the other hand, Trump is losing face in a highly public way.
Some observers are asking Congress to make it impossible for Trump to ever hold public office of any kind ever again. On one hand, this would divert energy and resources from the many challenges that Congress and the new president face. But on the other hand, Trump needs to be hit over the head in order for the message to get through to him.
Voiding his Twitter account was a nice touch, but why wait so long to do it>? Likewise his Facebook account. Trump doesn't get it. He can't be retrained. We can't exile him, as the world exiled Napoleon and Ayatollah Khomeini. Silencing him on social media would give the country an interval in which to recover from the horrors of last week.
And we especially don't want him to ever run for president again.
Discuss this Journal entry [16]
Latest reply: Jan 12, 2021
Trying not to kink to unverifiable material.
Posted Jan 11, 2021
I've probably mentioned that I watch three or four episodes of "The George Burns and Gracie Allen" TV show every night on Youtube. Maybe I have a crush on Gracie. At least that would be more normal than having a crush on George.
I've wondered whether I can put this late-night viewing to use, perhaps as research for an edited guide entry.
Here's the catch: that other website begins with "W" has an article on the show itself, as well as articles on George and Gracie individually, and a list of all 299 episodes of the TV show. Pretty nearly all the data I would need is already at that website. The powers that be at that site have posted the message "This section needs additional citations for verification." If I post a link to that site, I am linking to unverified material, which would defeat the purpose of giving the link in the first place.
I would dearly love to quote W's quote of Burns about how hard Gracie worked, and how she deserved a rest form it. How did thy find that quote? I'd love to quote the original source, but if the people at W can't find it, what luck would I have?
I can certainly name individual episodes by title, as IMDB has those.
Discuss this Journal entry [7]
Latest reply: Jan 11, 2021
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