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June 6, 2005:
Trivia:
I have been reading an old American history tome called "The
American Pageant." It was written by Thomas A. Bailey. When
I say old tome, I mean copyrighted in 1956. The book definitely
reveals the American mood of the time. "We are great, we
can do no wrong!" In spite of that, it is a useful record
of our history. In his book, Bailey used a couple of terms I
had never encountered before. As is my habit in those case, I
looked them up in Microsoft's Bookshelf. That means you get them
with no effort for what it's worth. Who knows when you might
need a swell sounding word just to impress someone?
lyceum;
19th-cent. American association for popular instruction of adults
by lectures, concerts, and other methods. The National American
Lyceum (1831) developed from lectures given by Josiah Holbrook,
and soon leaders of the time lectured to lyceum audiences on
the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs, stimulating
interest in general education. The movement became a powerful
force in social and educational reform.
Chautauqua movement;
A development in adult education similar to the lyceum movement,
it was proposed in 1873 at the Methodist Episcopal camp meeting
in Chautauqua, N.Y., by John Heyl Vincent and Lewis Miller. Eight-week
summer programs offered members secular and religious instruction,
and lectures by authors, explorers, musicians, and political
leaders. Somewhere between revival meetings and country fairs
in spirit, Chautauquas were attended by thousands each year.
They were organized commercially in 1912 and persisted until
c.1924.
I think these things would be a serious improvement over our
current mind numbing television fare.
Late Breaking News in Flint:
That is usually how our desperate local news people report a
small fire or a traffic accident in the area. Tongue in cheek,
I slightly modified one of their "late breaking" reports.
Late Braking News: The mayor of Flint, the Don of Williamson,
has denied that he is constipated or full of anything at all
and denies the need for a laxative. A spokesman for the city
council repeated his charge that the mayor needs a good dose
of salts. We were unable to determine what it would take to relieve
the city council of their distress.
Viagra Can Cause Blindness:
That was the headline on another channel 12 news show. Later
on in the same report they told us that one person in a million
may develop blindness. They really don't know for sure. Well
I am sure for myself. I know that Viagra causes erections and
I know, on good information, that erections can cause temporary
blindness, especially when mixed with alcohol. How else can a
poor guy wake up in a motel in the morning sleeping beside a
dog? How else can a poor woman wake up in a motel in the morning
sleeping beside a beast?
Politician Seeks Apology:
This is another news report. It seems a politician was mentioned
on a popular TV show. The politician was the mighty Tom Delay.
The TV show was the popular "Law and Order." Delay
thinks they owe him an apology. I don't buy it. No politician
that I know of has ever deserved an apology. We can go all the
way back to Caesar if you like. No matter what was said about
them, it is probably close enough to the truth to pass muster.
Here is the real killer joke. Delay had the unmitigated gall
to call the kettle black. He said the show was arrogant and out
of control. Has this guy ever looked in a mirror?
Ohio:
A teenage kid shot six other people and then shot himself just
before he was to graduate from highschool. What kind of pressure
was this kid under and why?
Wondering:
Some gang in Flint is stealing the wheels off of late model cars.
The cops are wondering who is doing it and why? The why is simple.
Someone is buying those wheels. They are worth hundreds of bucks
each. Find out what stores are selling wheels without buying
wheels legally. It don't take a cop to find that out. A clerk
could do it.
Citizen Felt:
We have two-bit political hacks all over America claiming this
guy who exposed the filth in Washington is a criminal and a traitor.
How soon we forget. May I remind you two-bit scum-bag hacks that
John Hancock, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and many others
were also criminals and traitors by some scum-bag standards.
If I believed in God I would beg her to give us a couple of million
criminals like Felt. I would like to have so many criminals like
him that there would be no rock anywhere where one of those slimy
Washington politicians could ooze under and hide. Felt is not
a criminal. He is a true American citizen who did what he had
to do to preserve what was left of our integrity. He risked everything
to do that. Tell me how many of the swine who are accusing him
could demonstrate that kind of courage?
Iraq:
According to ABC News the frequency of suicide attacks are greater
than they have ever been. The focus has changed. Now the murderers
are killing mostly Iraqis rather than Americans. Iraqis killing
Iraqis. That is better for our kids, but it is nothing to cheer
about.
Smarter Kids:
According to some researcher featured on ABC News, video games
are good for kids. His claim is that the games make kids smarter.
He wrote a book about it. This guy, Steven Johnson, is actually
a psychiatrist who is spreading that patent bull. Most people
are confused about the difference between smartness (intelligence)
and knowledge and skill. As we learn, we acquire new knowledge
and skills and become more effective. We do not get smarter.
We are as smart as we will ever be the day we are born. All we
can do after that is increase our data base and enhance our skills.
If anything we lose brain cells as we age and get dumber. A person
calling himself a psychiatrist should not be propagating that
kind of nonsense. Can doing video games enhance our skills? Sure!
If the kids at Columbine proved anything at all, they proved
that.
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