I was just reviewing some material and came across Alistair Cooke's 1970's reasons for the fall of the Roman Empire, perhaps likening those to what was/is going on in the US. One of the reasons was "freakishness in the arts." I thought of today's "music," even the music of the past few decades. OK, I admit that I enjoy some of it--it's good to listen to, to dance to, to sing. But doesn't everyone have to admit a lot of it is "freakish?" Of course, if we define "music" as something "melodious," then much of it doesn't qualify as "music," does it?
Has an athlete today an idea, or at least an original idea, in his head? Listen to the interviews with athletes, professional or collegiate. Why doesn't some TV or radio station, to save money, just record one of the interviews and change faces, using the same words from the first interview? The same old trite cliches, which mean little, are repeated.
I love the coaches who win championships and then cite some slogan, usually on a tee shirt, as the basis for winning that championship. What about the other 99% of the teams who also had slogans, on tee shirts, that didn't win?
I hope the anti-"pink slime" crusaders are even happier. There's something in the newspaper again today about more layoffs at one of the "pink slime" producers. When will all of the producers shut down permanently?
Gouverneur Morris (his actually first game was "Gouverneur") was a wealthy American from New York of the Revolutionary Days. What if his daughter married into the Grosvenor (pronounced "grow ven err") family of New England? It's likely the first-born son would have been named after the maternal grandfather. Now, what if this son had been elected chief executive of Massachusetts? Would have have then been "Governor Gouverneur Grosvenor?" Regardless, Morris was quite the ladies' man, finally marrying a much younger woman when he was in his late 50s. They had a happy 9-year marriage and, to show his content, in his will he left his widow a very hefty annual income--if she didn't remarry. If she did remarry, the will stipulated that the annuity should double! What a guy!
Why aren't the "99%ers" picketing Obama? He lives in a house that still has a mortgage of "between $500 and $1,000,000." (In other words, his house is worth more than I've earned in 45 years!) And, according to recently released records, his net worth is nearly $10 million! Or doesn't that put him in the "1%?" Gee, I wonder if he voluntarily paid extra income taxes. Nah, I don't wonder at all.
A recent article in a running mag suggested that runners should embrace track, watch as spectators, not because meets are excited (I don't think they are), but because the athletes "love what they are doing" and "they work hard." Perhaps we should also embrace algebra, watch as spectators, because math prodigies "love what they are doing" and "work hard."
I'm really glad The Oakland Press still runs Walter Williams' columns on the same day as E.J. Dionne's columns. Politics aside, they are constant reminders of good and bad opinions, that is, reasoned thought and sloppy thinking.
Is the study of history important? Of course it isn't. We certainly don't learn anything from it. The French last week elected a socialst government. Apparently they don't remember Leon Blum and the Popular Front. I wonder if they remember the Nazis?????? Aren't the examples staring them in the face from Greece, Spain, Ireland, etc. reminders? How much farther behind can we be? I guess the key word is "austerity." I fear that's the problem. After decades of the policies of FDR, LBJ, etc., how can people now be persuaded to give up what they have been given for free? Who is willing to sacrifice? Right, nobody is willing to sacrifice for the good of the US, and, more specifically, our kids' and grandkids' futures. And yet people have the nerve to call others "greedy!" One of my favorite words, although I don't like it (huh?), is "hypocrite." There are so many of them around.
OK, out to finish my housework and then get out on the bikes with the Codester.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
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6 comments:
Mr. Marinucci,
In light of your comments on 'pink slime,' I am wondering if you regularly purchase things you don't want to eat just so people can keep their jobs?
And, do you not think we have a right to know what is being put into our food?
Grant
Mr. Marinucci,
Let me preface this by saying I enjoy reading your thoughts and views on your blog. (You're every bit as interesting as when I had you for economics and US government). I do, however, have one quibble with the above posting. You wrote that Gouvernour Morris was from New York. My understanding always was he was from Pennsylvania. I know this is immaterial to the larger point, but let's give the author of the US Constitution his due. Keep up the great work!
No, what I'm saying is that "pink slime" isn't the harmful stuff that the "do-gooders" claim it is. Even our FDA has agreed with that. Of course we should know what's in our food. And we do. We know that "pink slime," what a nefarious name people called it, isn't bad for us.
dgbohr,
Thank you for your kind comments. Gouverneur Morris was born in NYC and even attended King's College, later Columbia (gee, I wonder why the name was changed??????). He represented NY at the Second Continental Congress, I believe, and didn't move to PA until he was defeated for re-election in NY--1779 or 1780, maybe? (I'm getting old and senile and don't remember things the way I once did.) So, this is one where I suppose we can take our pick--NY or PA? But certainly not MI!
I just had another idea about "pink slime;" it's wonderful what a second LaBatts can do!
The other night, the lead news story on one of the local stations issued "warnings" about health issues for the ext day because the temperatures were going to skyrocket--all the way to 83 degrees! (It had "only" been 79 for a high tha day.") The words such as "pink slime" are used in a similar manner, to draw people's attention. Words have meanings.
When the Americans of Japanese ancestry were removed from their homes on the West Coast and taken to one of 12 "relocation centers," why were these called "relocation centers?" Even today, in many if not most textbooks, this is what they are called. Why not "concentration camps?" OK,I know why, but.... Then, why don't we call them, at the least, "internment camps?"
Why can we call some things, well, some things, but not others? For instance, the BBC and one US station, I forget which, didn't allow their newsmen/women to call Sadaam Hussein "a dictator," claiming that "dictator" is a prejudicial word--and of course it is. But what was SH?????? President Obama is called a former "community organizer." Why have I never seen him called (at least not in any major publications) a "public leech?" (I see "pink slime" in major publications.) After all, how does a "community organizer," you know, someone who's helping the poor and downtrodden (I assume?)afford a house that's worth more than 10 times mine??????
Why can some terms be used in some situations, with some favored issues, but not with other, nonfavored issues?
Why not, instead of "pink slime" (surely a loaded term, like "dictator"), just tell us "a meat-product additive that includes...?" Then I know what's in my food and I can decide, without "do-gooders" (like the weathermen who erroneously forecast the next blizzard, when, in fact, 2" fall--seriously harming businesses, schools, etc.) causing, well, what they'e caused.
I have to agree about the 2nd LaBatts. Sometimes it can grease the wheels just right.
Regarding the lean finely textured beef (LFTB), maybe I missed it but I never saw anyone claim it was harmful. I also don't think that just because something is safe means I should automatically want to eat it.
I do know that many people were unaware of it being in 70% of the ground beef and that is because the industry strongly lobbied against any efforts to require labeling. The reason they didn't want to label ... because they knew there would be a lot of people who wouldn't want to eat it. Many people were simply calling for labeling now and instead of labeling and seeing how sales went, BPI just started shutting down. Do you think they knew what the outcome of labeling would be?
I guess what I don't understand is how you paint this as some liberal crusade. I personally think there are people of all political persuasions who find eating by-product meat to be something they aren't interested in doing. The fact that far less than 50% of the people would identify as liberal combined with the amount of business lost by BPI since this whole thing got big would seem to indicate as much.
And I have to agree, words do have meaning and we should be clear how we use them. But, preventing mass media from using hysterics to try to sell their product isn't going to happen any time soon. The education system/culture in this country seems to have left a lot of people feeling disaffected and apathetic. The media and politicians take advantage of that and rarely, if ever, get called out for their hypocrisy. It's going to take a while to straighten that situation out and I have no idea how that will go down but, I do know that the more I actually talk to people of all political persuasions, the more I realize we all are a lot closer on what we want for the country than they would have us believe.
As for how Obama got rich, I don't know. I do know he is as big a hypocrite as the rest as he attacks Bain while other Democrats rake money from Bain for their elections (for just one instance of his hypocrisy). I know that all the Democrats are at least as corrupt as all the Republicans. I still tend to think the Democrats represent my beliefs a tad better than Republicans though and they usually get my vote. That doesn't mean I hate Republicans or think they are trying to ruin the country.
By the way, I always knew them as internment camps but that may have been due to your class. Didn't we do the Korematsu vs US mock trial in your class? I seem to remember some sort of me against Steve Pardo trial with both Jay and Adam Westerdale on the jury. Good times, thanks!
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