I Wonder If It Comes In Blue?

An early Christmas present for Paul Ryan. Do you think he'll like it?

Sunday Evening Cellos

This brings the "wow!" factor times 10. Enjoy!

Why You Should Read G.K. Chesterton...

...even when it's hard.

BUT here’s the thing: he’s not easy to read—at least not at first. Remember that good physical nutrition presupposes “good chewing” to ensure good digestion. Good intellectual nutrition thus also presupposes “good chewing” to ensure good digestion. Chesterton’s words are like steak, not pudding. Hard work will make your head work, and reading Chesterton is hard head work. Hard work in a Culture Of Convenience might seem inconvenient, but adventuring with Chesterton is worth the rigour. As Chesterton himself says:

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” (from “On Running After Ones Hat”)

The G.K. Chesterton Collection (50 books) can be found here for $1.99.

The Everlasting Man can be found here for $4.99.

Chesterton quotations can be found here.

A brief Chesterton biography can be found here.

But even though Chesterton is no longer taught in schools, you cannot consider yourself educated until you have thoroughly read Chesterton. And furthermore, thoroughly reading Chesterton is almost a complete education in itself. Chesterton is indeed a teacher, and the best kind. He doesn’t merely astonish you. He doesn’t just perform the wonder of making you think. He goes beyond that. He makes you laugh.

I'm diving in. If I'm not back by Christmas, send in the St. Bernard.

Woof! Woof!

It's sad that we have to enact laws to protect first responders from lawsuits. This story made me smile though.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Until a new law was passed this spring, it was against the law in Ohio — along with many other states — for firefighters or paramedics to provide basic first aid to dogs and cats rescued from house fires, car accidents or other crisis situations. Only licensed veterinarians could do that.

The legislation passed recently makes Ohio one of the first states to protect first responders who administer lifesaving aid to pets, companion animals or police dogs in crisis. Animal advocates say they hope the statute, which they liken to laws protecting good Samaritans who come to the aid of injured humans, removes hesitation for first responders who might have concerns about tending to injured pets.

The law will allow first responders to, without fear of liability, provide oxygen, perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation, try to stem bleeding, bandage and even administer the overdose antidote naloxone to dogs or cats that have ingested opiates. Liability has been a concern because owners of pets have sued first responders who treated animals that ended up dying.

"It's another layer of protection for the good guys," said Cory Smith, director of public policy for companion animals at The Humane Society of the United States.

Hell, Yes!

Oy, can't hardly believe it.  So happy.  Go Britain Go.  Let's bring back the British eccentricity and uniqueness as shown in these videos.  Brilliant stuff.

Land of Hope and Glory (which will actually mean something now, after 40 odd years of "Common Market" crap.)



Rule Brittania (Yes!)



And my personal favourite, Jerusalem:



Can't resist one more:

I Vow To Thee My Country

Ben Carson Is Raking In The Moola

I know he'll never get the nomination, and so does everyone else. Like Trump's supporters, those of us championing Carson (and sending him wads of cash) are attempting to make a point to the utterly disconnected RNC; we don't want your candidate (Jeb), we don't want your agenda, and you do not speak for us. Oh, and we've freakin' HAD IT with every tiny little thing being viewed through the prism of race and/or sexual orientation.

Ruger was more blunt. “For the last seven years or so, the liberal media has been accusing the Republican Party of being racist towards Obama, and I think what you’re seeing now is that the Republican Party is not racist, because Carson’s polls are going up,” he said. “Obviously in New Hampshire here, the majority of the people are white—all of them pretty much, if you know what I mean. And he’s not racist and we’re not racist as Republicans.”

His wife, Diane Ruger, a 66-year-old retired radiological technologist, agreed. “We need a unifier, we don’t need a divider,” she said.

So I say: Go Ben! Focus the spotlight on the corrupt, creaky old ostriches in Washington all you can before the shrieking harlots of the "media" eviscerate you and your family.

Good Riddance. Begone!

Hallelujah, the crybaby sellout Boehner is resigning!

The combination of another debt limit fight, the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and prospect of another government shutdown tearing his party apart, the GOP just suffered its latest major blow, when news hit that House speaker John Boehner, just 24 hours after getting a visit by none other than the Pope, is folding one last time:

• BOEHNER TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS, GIVE UP HOUSE SEAT IN OCT: NYT

I wonder what the Pope said to him? I just looked it up; Cryin' Johnny IS a Roman Catholic. Perhaps the wanton dismemberment and murder of innocent babies came up in the conversation. Perhaps.

This is great news for the honest-to-gawd real conservatives in the House. Now we'll see if they can elect a speaker that has a spine and a pair. Spines and pairs are in short supply in that neck of the woods.

Trying To Undo The One Thing

Here is a blunt, politically incorrect, rough around the edges, and genuinely insightful look at the world of Bronies. What, may you ask, is a "brony"?  A brony is a grown man obsessed with the children's cartoon My Little Pony.

This is a really good article, and I guarantee it's not what you expect.

Wednesday Musical Interlude

Racy Humououour

So, I'm browsing on line for some long-sleeved thermal tops to wear under my scrubs when I come upon this gem:

Once I spluttered the coffee out of my nose and finished LMAO, I kept on shopping, but I couldn't quit giggling over the butt-lifting thermals. How would I look in those?

Oo-la-la!

There was also "lifting" undies for the menfolk. Picturing Noah's face as he opened them on Christmas morning was almost enough of a motivator to buy them (but, as they say, paybacks are a you-know-what!), hahaha!

I'll keep the pic of THAT little gem off of our front page: view at your own risk. Remember I DID say "racy"!

Snippets of American History

I know that everyone here is a bit of a history buff, so I thought I'd post something a little different today. I hope you enjoy the narrative and the old photographs!

----------------

John Bloom was the son of Ira Bloom and Esther Dunn. He was born in Adams County, Ohio in 1827. He married Lucy, and the family began their trek west sometime before the Civil War, and settled for a time in Xenia, Illinois. His oldest child Emma Inozelle Bloom married Franklin Holman in 1872, and the couple had six children.  A terrible tuberculosis epidemic swept through the area, first claiming Emma in 1885, then Franklin in 1886. The grandparents gathered up the six children and continued westward by covered wagon, joining their son Mortimer on the Oregon frontier. Things did not get easier for this family:

At about 9 oclock am on the morning of the 15th (one of our extremely cold mornings), the residence of Mr. John Bloom caught fire from the stove pipe in an upper room and was soon wrapped in flames and consumed--with almost all their household furniture. Mr. Bloom and wife are in the decline of life and have a number of orphan grandchildren dependent upon them which makes their misfortune still heavier. At present the family are scattered among kindly neighbors who are already taking steps toward lightening their misfortune. The people of Pine have proved their kind and sympathetic natures on several instances of the kind in the last two years.     

---Oregon Scout Newspaper, Union, Oregon, Jan 27 1888

When this devastating fire occurred, the Bloom grandchildren were still kids; the oldest, Elmer was 14. Ethyl was 13. The twins, Lorenzil and Ora, were 8. Lucy was 7, and the baby of the family, Clarence, was only 4.

The orphans grew into adulthood, married, and had children of their own.  The strength and resilience of the early American pioneers never ceases to amaze me.

Mortimer and Isudora Bloom with family

Brothers Clarence and Elmer (in hats), with family

Congratulations Matt!

Today is a day for riotous celebration...Matt's graduation! Well done sir!

I'm sure you're dancing a jig of happiness...

 

 ...and looking forward to your new career!

We all chipped in and bought you a present to help you get started in your new practice...

...and a very cool hat for your Magic Fayre, who has cheered you on every step of the way!


We're all so proud of you Matt, and we wish you the very best in your new career. Congratulations!

Friday's Video Gems

Craics And Crackers

Razib has a great post up at Gene Expressions about Americans of Scots-Irish descent and their cultural influence upon our nation.

"Though the Scots-Irish are not “Pilgrim stock” in their length residence on the American continent, the majority were not immigrants to the United States, they were settlers of the American colonies. Their’s was part of the founding culture of the United States, and it still leaves its stamp on our society in its politics and mores, for good or ill (that depends on your perspective!). But one aspect of Scots-Irish identity is that to a great extent it has decoupled itself from any “Old Country” consciousness. A broad swath of the Eastern American Uplands is dominated by people who give their ethnicity as American. After 250 years they have only the vaguest recollections of the nature of their British antecedents."

As one of the commenters pointed out, it's rare to find an article/discussion about this fundamental piece of the American cultural quilt. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did!

They Have Us Surrounded...Poor Bastards

Always An Olivia

The telling of a Jewish odyssey.

Hat Tip: Yiddishe Mamme

Friday Night Amateur Photography

I've been playing around with my camera over the last week, fiddling with different settings and light. Here are some of my favorites:

Petunia-mania

Our patio lemon. It's so fragrant!

Lily blossoms. Aren't they lovely?

Flowers and more flowers!

Happy Friday everyone!

Supremes Take Aim At ObamaCare

Can it be?

The Supreme Court's conservative justices said Wednesday they are prepared to strike down President Obama’s healthcare law entirely.

Picking up where they left off Tuesday, the conservatives said they thought a decision striking down the law's controversial individual mandate to purchase health insurance means the whole statute should fall with it.

The court’s conservatives sounded as though they had determined for themselves that the 2,700-page measure must be declared unconstitutional.

"One way or another, Congress will have to revisit it in toto," said Justice Antonin Scalia.

Agreeing, Justice Anthony Kennedy said it would be an "extreme proposition" to allow the various insurance regulations to stand after the mandate was struck down.

 

Back In Hobbit-Land

This was written by my nephew this morning, and I found it so poignant that I wanted to share it with you all.

As terrifying as this whole deployment thing is, I'm excited that C gets to travel halfway across the world by plane and then come the rest of the way by boat. She'll be going around the world in (hopefully) less than 80 days. She's going to have a chance to practice a skill that I'm jealous of and see parts of the world that most americans don't get to see. She's starting the next generation of wartime service members in her family and joining my brothers as an active member of the Navy. She stepped out the door scared and excited and the next time she walks through it, she will be a veteran, with war-stories to tell and a new appreciation for the freedoms we have here at home that nobody but the people fighting for them can have.I feel a weird mix of lonliness, pride, fear and a whole bunch of other emotions that I'm never good at expressing so I'm not going to attempt to try. If you're reading this, give her a lot of support, she will have limited internet access so send her good thoughts.Come home safe C, I'm going to miss you.

Godspeed niece.

Bravo Netanyahu

Such logic, common sense and truth. Such eloquence. Bravo Bibi!

H/T airforcewife