On this day, 1009 years ago, November 30 1016, Cnut of Denmark (his name was anglicized to "Canute" somewhere along the way) claimed the throne of all of England following the death of King Edmund, known as "Ironside" for his valiant resistance against the Danes. Canute was 22 at the time, and a couple of… Continue reading Celebrating King Canute!
Category: Reality Check
Obamandias
I met a traveler from a Midwest Park Who said–“A vast and legless trunk of stone Stands in the city. . . . Near it, in the dark, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown Of cold contempt, and wrinkled lip, and smirk, Tell that its builder well those passions read Which yet survive,… Continue reading Obamandias
Was There a Real Gerry Mander, and if so, Who Was He?
The term "gerrymander," which has come to mean manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts in order to guarantee the supremacy of one political party or another, is named after Elbridge Gerry (pronounced with a "hard G" as in "game" or "gun." Elbridge Gerry was--believe it or not--an American Founding Father, and the fifth Vice-President of… Continue reading Was There a Real Gerry Mander, and if so, Who Was He?
QOTD: “I bear a charmèd life….”
Poor old Macbeth. From Act V, Scene viii (for those of you in Rio Linda, that's Act 5, Scene 8): I bear a charmèd life, which must not yield To one of woman born. It's important that you speak the accented second "e." Otherwise it won't scan. (Iambic pentameter, you know. Thank goodness Macduff is… Continue reading QOTD: “I bear a charmèd life….”
People! Build Nuclear Bomb Shelters! Or Else!
Well, OK, it's a headline from sixty-two years ago today, but who's counting? https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IpdcFKHOrZU?feature=share Not worried. I've already said, here and elsewhere, that in the event of cataclysm, disaster, nuclear catastrophe, holocaust, or anything else, I'm heading for the chicken coop. Most resilient and steadfast structure on the property. I know. I built it. Water--check.… Continue reading People! Build Nuclear Bomb Shelters! Or Else!
Do I Really Want “A Tiger by the Tail?” Not At My Age 🙄
LOL. Just listening to my boyfriend Willie Nelson's latest-but-one album (I Don't Know a Thing About Love) which is a compilation of the works of country music songwriter/genius Harlan Howard. It includes such gems as Streets of Baltimore (otherwhere recorded by Gram Parsons and featuring a very young Emmylou Harris): https://youtu.be/VjAMoU6es-8 and She Called Me… Continue reading Do I Really Want “A Tiger by the Tail?” Not At My Age 🙄
Proudly Declaring My Preferred Pronoun Since 2010!
Yesterday (August 9, 2023) was the thirteenth anniversary of the day I discovered ricochet.com. I've written before about how much that site, and its members, have meant to me over the years, but here's the post from yesterday, the date itself. I urge those of you with a Centerish and Rightwards political bent to take… Continue reading Proudly Declaring My Preferred Pronoun Since 2010!
Dear Daily Telegraph….
....frankly, I can't be arsed to look around your website any longer to try to find the link that allows me to send you a question, or to request a reason why my recent comment on your article titled "Prince William praises 'selfless' officer killed defending US Capitol." was removed from your site. (Something one… Continue reading Dear Daily Telegraph….
Hat Tip: Powerline
From today's "Mid-Week in Pictures" Post. Perhaps not quite as definitive as it once was, but still worth taking heed: