It’s a nationwide problem that railroad companies are looking to solve, and it all starts with a camera.
LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) –
It’s a nationwide problem that railroad companies are looking to solve, and it all starts with a camera.
Getting on the tracks is very dangerous and outright stupid.
Read more: http://www.wfsb.com/story/32000376/senior-photography-on-train-tracks-illegal-deadly#ixzz49PxGWh3O
raphy on train tracks – illegal & deadly – WFSB 3 Connecticut
I found this courtesy of Joy McCann from Business Insider. I never new a lot of these and I was reared in an academic household. Go Figure, Eh?
Shakespeare died 400 years ago today — here are 21 everyday phrases he coined
William Shakespeare wrote a lot of great plays, but he also coined and popularized a lot of words and phrases that we still use to this day.
“Puking”
“Puking”
Wikimedia
“The Seven Ages of Man: The Infant” by Robert Smirke, derived from a monologue in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.”
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms. …”
How Shakespeare uses it: “Puking” was first recorded in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” It was likely an English imitation of the German word “spucken,” which means to spit, according to Dictionary.com.
Modern definition: A synonym for the verb “to vomit.”
Source: “As You Like It,” Act 2, Scene 7
“Vanish into thin air”
“Vanish into thin air”
Wikimedia
Constantin Stanislavski as Othello.
“Then put up your pipes in your bag, for I’ll away. Go; vanish into air; away!” (Othello)
How Shakespeare uses it: The Clown says this to the musicians in “Othello” to make them go away.
But some have also suggested that there is a darker underlying meaning. Act 3 in Othello is the final act that suggests that all of this might have a happy ending. It gets pretty dark starting in Act 4. So the Clown might be symbolically asking musicians and all happy things to “vanish into thin air” because there’s no more room for them in the play.
A similar phrase is also found in “The Tempest.”
Modern definition: To disappear without a trace.
Sources: “Othello,” Act 3, Scene 1, “The Tempest,” Act 4, Scene 1
“There’s a method to my madness”
“There’s a method to my madness”
Wikimedia
Polonius from “Hamlet.”
“Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t. Will you walk out of the air, my lord?”
How Shakespeare uses it: Polonius says it in “Hamlet,” basically suggesting that there is reason behind apparent chaos.
Modern definition: The meaning is the same nowadays, although the language is a bit updated into modern terms. It is also a Bee Gees song.
Source: “Hamlet,” Act 2, Scene 2
“Wild-goose chase”
“Wild-goose chase”
Wikimedia
“Nay, if they wits run the wild-goose chase, I have
done, for thou hast more of the wild-goose in one of
thy wits than, I am sure, I have in my whole five:
was I with you there for the goose?”
How Shakespeare uses it: Mercutio says that he can’t keep up with Romeo’s jokes and puns. Romeo tells him to continue, but Mercutio sees the endeavor as a “wild goose chase.”
A wild-goose chase was reportedly a real game back in 16th-century England in which “a horseman executed a series of difficult maneuvers which others had to repeat in close succession.”
Modern definition: A senseless — and probably hopeless — pursuit of an object or an end.
Source: “Romeo and Juliet,” Act 2, Scene 4
“The green eyed-monster”
“The green eyed-monster”
Wikimedia
Othello and Iago.
“Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.”
How Shakespeare uses it: Iago says this phrase as he plants doubts in Othello’s mind about his wife’s faithfulness. Merriam-Webster writes that he may have been evoking cats, given that they are “green-eyed creatures who toy with their prey before killing it.”
Modern definition: Now “the green eyed-monster” is an idiomatic expression for the noun “jealousy.”
Source: “Othello,” Act 3, Scene 3
“Break the ice”
“Break the ice”
Wikimedia
Katherina and Petruchio.
“… And if you break the ice and do this feat,
Achieve the elder, set the younger free
For our access, whose hap shall be to have her
Will not so graceless be to be ingrate.”
How Shakespeare uses it: Tranio suggests if Petruchio can “break the ice,” then he will be able to woo Katherina. By using the “ice” language, Shakespeare makes Katherina seem as cold as ice. Moreover, the fact that the ice needs to be broken suggests that she is hard to reach.
But the first actual usage of “break the ice” probably comes from Sir Thomas North’s 1579 translation of “Plutarch’s Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans” — although in this case the phrase meant “to forge a path for others to follow,” alluding to the breaking of ice to allow the navigation of boats.
Modern definition: “Break the ice” still means to get to know someone.
Source: “The Taming of the Shrew,” Act 1, Scene 2
“Wear my heart upon my sleeve”
“Wear my heart upon my sleeve”
Wikimedia
Iago not rocking a heart on his sleeve.
“For when my outward action doth demonstrate
The native act and figure of my heart
In compliment extern, ’tis not long after
But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.”
How Shakespeare uses it: Devious Iago basically says that if his outward appearance reflected what he was thinking, then his heart would be on his sleeve for birds to peck at — which is not a good idea in his eyes. And so he adds that he is actually not what he appears to be.
Notably, Iago’s motives for his antagonistic behavior are never fully revealed — so it is interesting that he is the character who has immortalized this phrase.
Modern definition: To show one’s feelings openly.
Source: “Othello,” Act 1, Scene 1
“Swagger”
“Swagger”
Wikimedia
Oberon, Titania, and Puck with dancing fairies.
“What hempen home-spuns have we swaggering here,
So near the cradle of the fairy queen?
What, a play toward! I’ll be the auditor;
An actor too, perhaps, if I see cause.”
How Shakespeare uses it: Puck, a mischievous sprite, uses the term “swagger” to mean “insolent.” It might have been a frequentative form of “swag,” which means “to sway.”
The word is also found in “Henry IV: Part 2” where Mistress Quickly gives a speech about super-aggressive men who visit her tavern, where the meaning of swagger suggests the meaning of boasting or bragging.
Additionally, the term is also found in “King Lear,” where it most closely means “blustering.” Although, here it is spelled “zwaggered.”
Modern definition: Jay Z used “swagger” and “swag” in several songs back in the early 2000s. Soulja Boy also used the word — “she likes my swag.” Since then, it has been often used in modern song lyrics.
Sources: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Act 3, Scene 1, “Henry IV: Part 2,” Act 2, Scene 4, “King Lear, Act 4, Scene 6
“All of a sudden”
“All of a sudden”
Wikimedia
Katherina in “The Taming of the Shrew.”
“I pray, sir, tell me, is it possible
That love should of a sodaine take such hold?”
How Shakespeare uses it: Apparently, Shakespeare might have thought that “all of a sudden” was a more poetic way of saying “suddenly” so he had the character Tranio in “The Taming of the Shrew” say it that way.
Although, Shakespeare wasn’t the first to use “sudden” — John Greenwood used it in 1590.
Modern definition: The meaning is the same, although we now spell it “sudden” rather than “sodaine.” The word is spelled in the modern way in newer printings of “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Source: “The Taming of the Shrew,” Act 1, Scene 1
“A heart of gold”
“A heart of gold”
Wikimedia
Lewis Waller as Henry V.
“The king’s a bawcock, and a heart of gold,
A lad of life, an imp of fame;
Of parents good, of fist most valiant. …”
How Shakespeare uses it: King Henry disguises himself as a commoner in the play and asks Pistol, who is unaware of the disguise, whether he considers himself to be better than the king. Pistol responds with the above quote.
Modern definition: To be extremely kind and helpful.
Source: “Henry V,” Act 4, Scene 1
“One fell swoop”
“One fell swoop”
Wikimedia
Macduff.
“He has no children. All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?
What, all my pretty chickens and their dam
At one fell swoop?”
How Shakespeare uses it: Macduff says this after finding out that his family and servants have been killed. Shakespeare’s use of the hunting bird’s’ “fell swoop” imagery reflects the ruthlessness and deadliness of the attack.
Modern definition: In one, sudden act.
Source: “Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 3
“Devil incarnate”
“Devil incarnate”
Wikimedia
“O worthy Goth, this is the incarnate devil
That robb’d Andronicus of his good hand.” (Titus Andronicus)
“Yes, that a’ did; and said they were devils incarnate.” (Henry V)
How Shakespeare uses it: Lucius calls Aaron the Moor the “devil incarnate” — aka a devil in the flesh — after all the suffering he causes his family. Chief among them, convincing Demtrius and Chiron to rape Lavinia and framing Martius and Quintus for the murder of Bassianus.
Shakespeare also reused the phrase about a decade later in “Henry V.”
Modern definition: The meaning of the phrase is more or less unchanged.
Sources: “Titus Andronicus,” Act V, Scene 1, “Henry V,” Act 2, Scene 3
“Stuff that dreams are made on/of”
“Stuff that dreams are made on/of”
Wikimedia
Prospero and Miranda.
“We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.”
How Shakespeare uses it: This phrase is not as cheerful as we use it today. Prospero is saying that peoples’ lives — and his magic — are like dreams: We experience them, and then they totally evaporate without leaving any lasting evidence. “Sleep” likely refers to death here.
Modern definition: Nowadays, we say “stuff that dreams are made of” rather than “on.” And it also refers to some sort of fantasy things or life that we could only dream of having.
Source: “The Tempest,” Act 4, Scene 1
“To come full circle”
“To come full circle”
Wikimedia
The wheel of fortune from Boccaccio.
“Thou hast spoken right, ’tis true;
The wheel has come full circle: I am here.”
How Shakespeare uses it: Edmund says the phrase at the end of “King Lear,” highlighting how he has “completed a cycle” where his diabolical actions have come back to haunt him.
Shakespeare was also probably referencing Fate — and the “Wheel of Fortune” — from ancient and medieval philosophy, which thus introduced the question of free will versus everything being determined by fate.
Modern definition: Completing a cycling, getting back to the beginning.
Source: “King Lear,” Act 5, Scene 3
“In my heart of heart”
“In my heart of heart”
AP
Lawrence Olivier as Hamlet
“Give me that man
That is not passion’s slave, and I will wear him
In my heart’s core, ay, in my heart of heart,
As I do thee.”
How Shakespeare uses it: While speaking with Horatio, Hamlet says this phrase noting that if there’s a man who is “not passion’s slave” — aka, a master of his emotions — then he’ll put him close to his heart. Using the language “heart’s core” right before suggests that Hamlet means some very deep, central part of his heart/emotions.
Modern definition: Nowadays, we pluralize the second “heart” to say “in my heart of hearts.” The phrase refers to one’s inner-most, secret thoughts.
Source: “Hamlet,” Act 3, Scene 2
“Too much of a good thing”
“Too much of a good thing”
Wikimedia
Rosalind dressed as a man, Ganymede.
“Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?
Come, sister, you shall be the priest and marry us.
Give me your hand, Orlando. What do you say, sister?”
How Shakespeare uses it: This phrase may have been a proverb dating to the late 15th century, but Shakespeare was the one who has it immortalized in print.
Rosalind is pretending to be a man named Ganymede while she is with Orlando, with whom she is in love. He’s also in love with Rosalind — and doesn’t know she is Ganymede — and practices how he would woo Rosalind with Ganymede. At one point, Rosalind/Ganymede suggests that they have a pretend wedding, and asks if one can ever have too much of a good thing.
Modern definition: Too much good might backfire and be bad.
Source: “As You Like It,” Act 4, Scene 1
“All that glitters is not gold”
“All that glitters is not gold”
Wikimedia
Portia from “The Merchant of Venice.”
“All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.”
How Shakespeare uses it: Shakespeare seems to be the first person to have written this phrase, although the idea was not new.
The Prince of Morocco, one of Portia’s suitors in “The Merchant of Venice,” much choose out the correct casket to get his bride: one gold, one silver, and one lead. The gold one has an inscription on it which reads “All that glitters is not gold … gilded tombs do worms enfold.” But he picks it anyway …
Modern definition: Basically, just because it’s shiny and nice on the outside, doesn’t mean that that’s true of the inside.
Source: “The Merchant of Venice,” Act 2, Scene 7
Shakespeare died 400 years ago today — here are 21 everyday phrases he coined
The man had a colorful growing up, to say the least!
A short biography about Captain Rickenbacker that was on my Facebook news feed this morning from Disciples of Flight.
Captain Eddie Rickenbacker Consider it luck, skill, or just plain determination: Captain Eddie Rickenbacker survived, by his own count, 135 brushes with death before finally succumbing at the respectable age of 82. He flew numerous combat missions in World War 1 and survived multiple serious airplane crashes after the war. Learn more about the dangerous,
After four years of planning and preparation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) intentionally crashed a Boeing 720 airliner to test an experimental fuel additive intended to reduce post-crash fires, and to assess passenger survivability. An anti-misting agent was added to standard commercial JP-5 jet fuel to create AMK, or “Anti-Misting … Continue reading 1 December 1984 →
The full article with pictures is at the link………………………….
Mike Rowe is at the forefront of the push for young folks to enter the skilled trades. The trades can provide an individual with a well paying career instead of going into deep debt that occurs when attending an institution of higher learning and getting a degree that is not relevant to the needs of today.
http://profoundlydisconnected.com/awsandswemcomikeroweweldingaward/
A NATIONWIDE POGROM
“Kristallnacht, literally, “Night of Crystal,” is often referred to as the “Night of Broken Glass.” The name refers to the wave of violent anti-Jewish pogroms which took place on November 9 and 10, 1938. This wave of violence took place throughout Germany, annexed Austria, and in areas of the Sudetenland in Czechoslovakia recently occupied by German troops.”
DESTRUCTION OF SYNAGOGUES AND BUILDINGS
“The rioters destroyed 267 synagogues throughout Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. Many synagogues burned throughout the night in full view of the public and of local firefighters, who had received orders to intervene only to prevent flames from spreading to nearby buildings. SA and Hitler Youth members across the country shattered the shop windows of an estimated 7,500 Jewish-owned commercial establishments and looted their wares. Jewish cemeteries became a particular object of desecration in many regions.
The pogrom proved especially destructive in Berlin and Vienna, home to the two largest Jewish communities in the German Reich. Mobs of SA men roamed the streets, attacking Jews in their houses and forcing Jews they encountered to perform acts of public humiliation. Although murder did not figure in the central directives, Kristallnacht claimed the lives of at least 91 Jews between 9 and 10 November. Police records of the period document a high number of rapes and of suicides in the aftermath of the violence.”
The above are from the post at the United States Holocaust Museum.
The rest will be at the link at the bottom.
This is an event that needs to be spread far and wide. Please see to that.
Robert Nickelsberg is the uncle of a friend of mine. He does excellent work. The photos are really amazing.
There are more photos in the NPR post at the link below as any further commentary on my part would not match what is in the post.
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/28/452014515/the-intense-images-of-afghanistans-long-and-distant-war
Bored on a Saturday with the usual stuff. I found this one at http://phys.org/
This image from the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope shows part of the huge cloud of dust and gas known as the Coalsack Nebula. The dust in this nebula absorbs and scatters the light from background stars. Credit: ESO
I thought it was interesting………………….
Source: A cosmic sackful of black coal
Home sick today with the dry heaves and chills………………….
Perusing the Inter Tubes and came across this section at Right Wing News with the one word title, “Quotes.”
I thought this one was very interesting out of the list after a quick look…………………..
“Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai is a classic 300 year old book about bushido, which is the Samurai’s “way of the warrior.” There’s a lot of wisdom in the book, although all of it is not applicable to modern life. Even in the areas where Yamamoto Tsunetomo’s honor code doesn’t quite fit, it still entertains and fascinates, as you’re about to see.”
“A man’s life is only a vapor that vanishes in an instant. One should spend his life doing that which he enjoys. As short as life is, it is foolish to spend it doing only the things one hates.”
The list is at the link…………………have a good read, my friends.
The Gutfeld Quotes are pretty good as well.
This is from a friend at Google Plus. It is pretty awesome, IMO…….A Ural Gear Up with the Sportsman Package, my camera and a tent, sleeping bag and MRE’s with a lot of water and it would be a great trip!
Found on Ye Olde Facebooke Today
Interesting article that a friend of mine had posted. I was never aware of this and I have a Great Great Grandfather who came to The United States from Belgium(Flanders).
This shear quantity of unexploded ordnance including chemical weapons of the period is mind boggling.
I am tossing in a few pictures from the article and I do recommend going to the link and checking it out.
“When you imagine France and its scenic countryside, you might think of the picturesque villages, vineyards a plenty and endless rolling green hills to drive through on a blissful summer road trip. But there’s one corner of this scenic country that no one has been allowed to enter for nearly a century, known as the “Zone Rouge” (the red zone).”
The map below indicates the red zone and the less dangerous zones in yellow, green and blue.
The Real “No-Go Zone” of France: A Forbidden No Man’s Land Poisoned by War | Messy Nessy Chic.
Only once in all that time he had again a glimpse of the earnestness in the anger of the sea. That truth is not so often made apparent as people might think. There are many shades in the danger of adventures and gales, and it is only now and then that there appears on the face of facts a sinister violence of intention – that indefinable something which forces it upon the mind and the heart of a man, that this complication of accidents or these elemental furies are coming at him with a purpose of malice, with a strength beyond control, with an unbridled cruelty that means to tear out of him his hope and his fear, the pain of his fatigue and his longing for rest: which means to smash, to destroy, to annihilate all he has seen, known, loved, enjoyed, or hated; all that is priceless and necessary – the sunshine, the memories, the future; which means to sweep the whole precious world utterly away from his sight by the simple and appalling act of taking his life.
– from Lord Jim, by Joseph Conrad
I only ever read smatterings of Joseph Conrad when I was in school………………….
My buddy, Sean Linnane, aka, Stormbringer had this at a group on Facebook, called The Long Bar.
The Long Bar is an actual bar, a quiet saloon somewhere in post-Colonial Southeast Asia where “Old Asia Hands” exchange war stories, sea stories and tall tales . . . we drink to the Giants of a Bygone Era: Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, William Jardine and James Matheson, Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, W. Somerset Maugham, Ernest Hemingway, Vinegar Joe Stilwell, Maj General Vang Pao, Lt General Chennault, Madame Nhu the Vietnamese Dragon Lady, Graham Greene, and a thousand other adventurers . . .
My friend Esther Ziegler Burns had this at Facebook.
“Extreme marksmanship has been a part of war ever since firearms became the tools of choice. There are just some people who can do things with a rifle that others cannot.
The following list contains what we believe to be the 10 deadliest snipers of all time. The list may not be ordered based on the number of confirmed kills or the longest shots made, but by taking into account an entire career.”
I haven’t been to Politically Incorrect Gazette in a while.
The latest was a doozy!
Here it is.
The Free State of PIG’s primer on parenthood in the 21st century.
|
APPLES & TREES
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • |
 |
|
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
|
|
“Anyone can spawn, but those who are least prepared for parenthood are the ones who are most likely to play reproduction roulette with the human gene pool.” – Hambo’s Spawning axiom This week’s Top Story paints a bull’s-eye on one of the toughest endeavors a human can undertake: parenthood. It doesn’t matter how you git ‘er done -spawning, adoption, or marrying into an existing family – parenthood isn’t for the faint-hearted. I know what you’re thinking and, as usual, you’re assuming facts not entered into evidence. Yes, parenthood is very rewarding, but you’ll bust your ass earning those rewards, especially in this Obamunist Error. Yes, parenthood can give you awesome moments which are above and beyond the highs produced by any other endeavor. The other night, I watched a superb example of parenthood on a cable channel. It involved a dad who was helping his middle school aged son, modify one of those munchkin size motorcycles. The essential element in this story is that dad isn’t a gearhead. When it came to auto mechanics, working on cars, trucks or motorcycles he didn’t have a clue. Furthermore, he isn’t up to speed on things like welding, and assorted other relevant skills. Dad proved he had the right stuff by helping his son research the various tasks needed for the project. He helped his son by hooking him up with a cycle wrangler who taught the lad how to weld. Dad found a machinist who showed the lad the finer points of metal fabrication. In other words dad and son learned the various skills needed to modify the lad’s ride, together. Dad didn’t try to buy his son a customized ride, because he knew it would be better to let his son do it for himself. He allowed his son to succeed or fail so he could learn the essential life lessons from the attempt. It was an example of parenting at its best. Another memorable parenting moment happened the morning after Halloween, last Fall. A young couple stopped to thank us for our record-shattering pop corn adventure. They’d moved into a house one street over in April. Armed with a plastic garbage bag, the couple and their grade school age tykes were going through the neighborhood, picking up Halloween Night trash. That’s a good neighbor. It’s also setting an excellent example for their young ‘uns. A friend of mine scares the crap out of local Educrats. Why? He’s a passionate, outspoken, defender of his sons’ right to a proper education. He’s the Educrats worst nightmare: a rational individual who won’t be silenced, and rejects the usual Educrap bull crap. His sons are lucky to have a great dad. What’s my point? Good parents are out there and we salute them. However, I still have unresolved issues. Such as? Glad you asked. My primary ‘issue’ with human reproduction is the fact that it’s much too easy. Unlike our animal counterparts whose sexual drive is entirely procreational, humans are blessed/cursed with a dual purpose sex drive which is procreational and recreational at the same time. Our animal friends get to ignore their sex drives for months at a time, until, at specific times of the year, they gather to ‘perpetuate the species.’ Another design advantage given to animals involves who is allowed to breed. In many animal species, only the select few – the strongest, genetically superior, who have the greatest chance for survival – are allowed to breed. This fact of nature tends to improve a given species, over time. [No…I’m not advocating this approach for humans.] I am saying that, before someone decides to spawn, they should give it as much thoughtful consideration as they give to purchasing a house. Both are decades-long commitments. Both require hard work, sacrifice, and an ability to deal with unanticipated drama. Again, both endeavors are rewarding and worth doing, but neither should be entered into blindly. To put it bluntly “oops” is no substitute for family planning. If this sage advice is ignored, you get a pedophile loving horror like Mama June engaged in serial spawning. North ‘Nori’ West seems destined to go through life with papa Kanye’s scowl and mama Kim’s [Porn Star Kardashian’s] colossal caboose. We’ll keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best. Just the thought of what might emerge from Paris Hilton’s toxic nads gives me night sweats. Let’s hope we never find out. Admittedly, we all cringed when Twerpy Tom Cruise spawned with Katie Holmes. It was nightmarish, until Katie made us proud when she escaped Tom’s Twilight Zone with daughter Suri. Katie has succeeded, so far, in keeping Suri unsullied by daddy’s legendary moonbattery. Snooki has spawned and so has Tila Tequila a double whammy which bodes ill for humanity. No list of celebrity offspring would be complete without mentioning that harbinger of all that is evil in America: Obama’s imaginary son. Oh, how that imaginary lad has suffered. Thanks to Korrectniks, activists and other pests, parenthood, which has always been action packed, keeps getting more daunting. Here are a few Korrectnik inspired magic parenthood moments: • Your wenchlet daughter throws you this curve ball, “Daddy, why is that strange boy, Tommy Wilson, allowed to use the girl’s bathroom? Teacher called it something silly…trans something.” “Transgenderism?” “That’s it, what does it mean daddy?” By all means, field that one daddy, but remember that inconvenient truth. Whatever you tell her will be repeated at school, so something real like “Tommy has always been a twisted little twerp” or “Like his daddy, Tommy likes to pretend he’s a girl” won’t cut it. Welcome to the wonderful world of ‘my daddy said’, dude. • A Middle School age daughter sets her laptop on the kitchen table where mom is having her morning coffee. “Can you help me set up my Facebook page? I’m having trouble picking a gender.” Mom smiles that ‘you silly girl’ smile. “You’re a girl sweetheart. The correct choice is female.” “That’s not on the list mom.” “It has to be. There are only two.” “They have 56 and female isn’t one of them.” After studying the choices, mom looks stunned. “What did your father say?” Giggling, baby girl rolls her eyes. “You won’t let me say stuff like that. Let’s just say it was…colorful.” “Leave it blank. With a name like Jennifer Elaine, we’ll let your ‘friends’ do the math.” “Maybe I’ll change it every day. I’ll start at the top and work my way down the list. Or I could just pick one at random, every day. Thanks mom.” • Your son looks at his Little League trophy then drops it in the trash can, asking, “Why does everyone get a trophy? Even Ruben got one and he can’t even walk to first base without falling down. Your move parenting Sparky. “Little League is stupid. They won’t let us keep score and nobody ever wins. What’s the point?” I’m reasonably certain that getting real with “Little League is run by a bunch of lefties who have their heads up their ass.” is begging for trouble. Don’t even get me started on adventures in Zero Tolerance, where finger guns, sharing mom’s homemade cookies with classmates, and chewing your Pop Tart into the shape of a gun get your tyke suspended. If you can make your young ‘un understand that, I’m very impressed. What, you ask, is your reward? The Nanny State demotes ‘mom/mother’ and ‘dad/father’ to ‘parent 1’, ‘parent 2′. How thrilling is that! It gets even better, parent Sparky, because the Educrats at your kids’ cess school have your young ‘uns spying on you. Are we having fun yet? You’ll be giddy to learn that the Nanny State Nitwits, Educrats, and activists of all ilks agree that you’re a bad influence on your children. Fear not, they plan to rescue the tykes, before it’s too late. Thanks to the Progtards, the feckless Elephant Clan establishment, Greeniacs, Educrats and too many other asshats, your children face a troubling future. Through sabotage and neglect, America has squandered its legacy. Their America will be less free, less prosperous, and much more dangerous than the America your parents bequeathed to you and your siblings. Your children’s ability to restore what has been lost will be greatly hampered by an increasingly oppressive Nanny State. How bad will it be? It’s difficult to determine, because it depends on something we still don’t know: Will the U.S. Constitution out-live us? Given that grim reality, what, if anything, can you do? More than you think. As a parent, it’s up to you to prepare your children for the challenges they’ll face. The time to start that endeavor is NOW. • To prepare your children for success, you must allow them learn the essential life lessons that are part and parcel with failure. Get the kids into a sports league where they keep score, where someone wins or loses, and where trophies are awarded for achievement. • Before your children can restore the America that’s lost, you must make sure they know what it was. Have them read ‘Liberty and Tyranny’ by Mark Levin if they’re old enough to understand it. Get younger kids on the right track with the ‘Rush Revere’ series by El Rushbo. • With group think running rampant, give your children the courage to be an individual. • Encourage your children to brush aside all those nay sayers plus all the unnecessary Nanny State hurdles, when they pursue their personal, highly individualized American Dream. • Instill in your children the core beliefs (values if you will) that form the solid foundation for their lives. • Make your children understand that they won’t succeed by ‘feeling’ their way through life. They succeed by using reason to conduct their lives. A Few Stray Parenting Notions • Whenever possible, inject some PIGish fun into your parenting. • Encourage Moonbeam and Little Johnny to use the term ‘cess-school’ and wait for that note from the relevant Educrat. • Use the PIG Primer to teach your rugrat their ABCs. A gem like “G is for GLAAD BAAGS” is ticking time bomb ready to thrill some unsuspecting Progtard spitless. • Add a generous dose of PIGisms to your childrens’ vocabulary, then sit back and wait for some unsuspecting lib to set one off. • If Moonbeam introduces you to her Goth BFF, think twice before you mouth off. Goth wenchlets tend to be bad ass. You probably don’t want to go there. • If you’re a Bill Engvall fan you’re locked and loaded for that ‘I’ve got no problem going back to prison’ encounter with Moonbeam’s new boyfriend. Since this rant needs a slam bang finish, I’ll share this compelling Dave Barry Wisdom: • “Do not try to be cool. You are not cool to your child. You are hideously embarrassing.” • “Do not talk to your child’s friends. This will be hideously embarrassing to your child. If you are around your child’s friends, you should be invisible and wear military-style camouflage.” • “Never, ever sing in the presence of your child’s friends, unless you want your child to do something. Like, ‘If you don’t get an A in geometry, I am going to sing in public.’ ” • “When you’re driving your child and your child’s friends, do not talk to them. Do not sing along with the radio. Do not act like you are even in the car. Ideally, you should run along next to the car steering through the window.” I’ll close with this PIGish notion. Never embarrass your child accidentally. If you’re headed down that road don’t waste it, make sure all the kid’s friends are there to enjoy it. |
King Philippe and Queen Mathilde participate in the ceremonies commemorating the Battle Of The Ardennes Forest otherwise known as the Battle Of The Bulge. I tip my hat to them for showing up even in a strong winter storm. Bravo Zulu to The King and Queen.
I am part Flemish by my Paternal Grandmother. Belgium may have issues these days. At least the Belgians still remember the actions of the 101st at Bastogne which kept the Wermacht from occupying their country a second time during the Second World War. I am proud of that heritage to this day.
God Save The King.
God Save The Queen
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2872631/Americans-Belgians-Mark-Bulge-Anniversary.html#ixzz3Lr1mM4Ar
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Among The Joshua Trees 