- Blind “gun nuts.” Dare I call this an eye opener?
- Good one from Paul Bonneau on defending our culture from alien invaders.
- Why are so many lullabies murder ballads? Or at least sad, scary songs? One of my favorites — yet creepiest — of the type is the Irish lullaby The Castle of Dromore, aka October Winds. (Lyrics here.)
- How the economic hard times have been affecting … prostitutes. Yes, prostitutes.
- Sigh. Once again someone writes an astute, well-researched article about the catastrophe of government schooling — and draws exactly the same obviously stupid conclusion.
- And speaking of edumakation, here’s a good laugh. Students: Cease Rogeting Proximately!
- The nationwide pattern of household debt is interesting.
- Off-duty mountain rescue dog finds and saves injured senior.
Thanks for the citation!
Years ago I had a friend who decided to become a call girl, because she could make vastly more that way than as a grocery store check-out clerk, what she was previously doing. I have to admit she was well equipped for the job, not as much physically as in her manner, which seemed to draw male attention. She once told me most of her customers were middle aged married men, and that she wouldn’t have any customers if their wives just gave them a blow job now and then! She did have a penchant for making outrageous comments, though.
Govt. schooling article – you mean the “no brainer” recommendation for the euphemistic “school choice”? Yeah, it is just another government program. People naturally support something like that if they never really look into it. I was going to point her at the arguments against it but I’m not a member so I couldn’t comment.
http://www.schoolandstate.org/Knowledge/Vouchers/MainVoucherPage.htm
I guess thesauri (?) are like any other tool – you can use them or misuse them. Sometimes when you are writing and particularly when reviewing your article, you find a word that is not quite right. A thesaurus generally takes care of that problem.
Re the school article. Indeed… and the comments are interesting as well. A few hint at the real answer – freedom, self ownership/responsibility, but generally ignore the brutal fact that “equality” of outcome or opportunity is not only counterproductive, but impossible to attain. All they manage to guarantee is the lowest common denominator being the “norm.”
Inequality, in a free market environment, (so obvious to us) generates the incentive to work toward real solutions according to the talents and character of the individual. It seems that this is simply something most people can’t even imagine.
Had to laugh hard reading the piece about the thesaurus. Too true, too often. I have a “thing” about using the same word too often, but if I have to look up an alternate to be sure it will fit, I almost always dump it.
Studying prostitution, or other gray market services, to understand market forces, supply and demand etc would probably work better than thousands of hours in the classroom. Sorry to hear the prostitutes are having to take less for the same work, but that has been happening to the rest of us too. A few years ago I had the chance to bid adeiu to a couple of the local prostitutes. When I asked them why they were moving on they complained about to much competition. Not from other prostitutes, but to many of the locals were giving sex away for free and destroyng the pay as you go market.
In 2009 the Texas Legislature passed a bill, HB 1805, to let sight-impaired hunters use laser sights, when accompanied by another hunter.
I had one CHL student who was legally blind, but his eyes were good enough to shoot.
Yes, I use a thesaurus. But it’s to find a better word, not to avoid duplication. For a writer, there’s no such thing as a synonym.
The brothers weren’t “Grimm” for nothing. Personally, I think it’s unfortunate that child lit is increasingly anti-“violent” and “happily ever after.” No way would Disney ever make another Ol’ Yeller.
The advanced casualty carer monitored the gentleman…
Only in England, but coming to an ACA near you. “It’s her job description to care for the patient.”
While that’s an interesting examination of why lullabies are so gorram awful, I don’t by the conclusions. While I can see they might be the mother’s way of expression her own fears about her infant, including her own separation anxiety, far from encouraging “independence” in the baby, they seem to emphasize that the world is a terrible and fearful place, and that even if they’re not snatched from the cradle and torn to pieces – by eagles, say – they’re going to be cast willy-nilly out into it to face their awful doom.
That’s the sort of thing that I personally cannot sum out without adding a Bwa-HAHAHA! That’s not motherhood. That’s supervillain gloating.
I suspect their call-out to the Babylonian custom of using lullabies as protective spells might hold more of the truth: that on some level perhaps mothers are trying to protect their infants against the dreadful things they sing about, by the act of singing about them.
Or maybe it’s possible the mothers are expressing a deep resentment that cannot be overcome by their hormone-driven adoration of and attachment to their child, and despite all that are secretly trying to get back at them for basically tyrannizing their lives. That’s not infinitely dark or anything. Sweet dreams!
I used to sing to my babies… stuff like “Twinkle, twinkle little star.” Then they got old enough (about two) and said, “MOM!! Don’t sing!!” And that pretty much ended the singing. But they loved when I read to them… for a while. Pretty soon they could read for themselves and didn’t want to hear that either. Independent so and sos… 🙂
Don’t fret, MamaLiberty. You’ll have your revenge when it’s their turn to parent.
I made my daughter a T-shirt with a picture of her and the twins that says, “Mirror mirror on the wall, I became my mother after all.”
(Not original. My MiL needlepointed my wife a pillow with the same saying.)
Claire, have you seen the “Humans of New York” page?
https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork
Nice story about the blind shooter. (Remember the scene in The Blues Brothers movie where Ray Charles shoots at a would-be shoplifter?)
On lullabies, I don’t completely buy the conclusions. Songs are chosen to be lullabies because they are slow and quiet. That describes most sad songs, and does not describe most happy ones. So the selection base is limited largely to that type of song. Also, most lullabies are very old, and used by tradition, so people don’t really think about the meaning of the lyrics at all. I think the authors are vastly over-analyzing this and reading far too much into it. On the other hand, it has to be noted that most nursery rhymes and fairy tales have a rather gruesome element to them. (Grimm’s fairy tales are pretty tame; have you ever read any of Anderson’s? The original stories, that is, not bowdlerized modern versions.) I’m sure there is a precautionary basis for this, but that doesn’t likely apply to lullabies, since the children don’t understand the words anyway.
As to your criticism of the article on schools, I’m sure we all agree that getting government completely out of the business of education is the best solution. But let’s be realistic: it’s not going to happen. Period. So if your goal is improved education some form of “school choice” is a step in the right direction, as it introduces an element of competition into what is otherwise a completely dysfunctional cartel system designed to benefit all of its participants except the students. And given (and it most certainly is a “given”) that the majority of schooling will be paid for by our taxes, vouchers (which permit the dollars to follow the child) is the best solution anywhere in sight. Let’s not permit the best to be the enemy of the good; incremental change is all we can reasonably aspire to. Which means vouchers.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/nature/Unschooling-The-Case-for-Setting-Your-Kids-Into-the-Wild.html
I read a lot of Paul’s material, and I agree with his take on immigration, fences, etc. BUT, this philosophy can only be successful IFF (if and *only* if) we do away with all of the Gov’t “social” programs that require theft from producers to provide goodies for the FSA. (The Gov’t Ponzi schemes we “invest” in are a whole ‘nother can o’ worms.) That, and we would have to have a free market economy.
I laugh at those who believe that currently exists, and even more at those who think we live in a “free country”.
As to the thesaurus, I often use it, simply because I KNOW the precise word that I want to use in that sentence and context, but I just can’t recall it! 😀
Oh, yeah. And WHOSE culture, precisely, are they talking about, when most of these people speak of “our” culture? I also don’t think it’s the one that most of us identify with, not at all …
I’m probably kicking a hornet’s nest here, but, am I the only one running into a disturbing number of people who immigrated to the US, and then demanded that the US conform to the culture of the place they had left?
“Don’t fly the American flag, it’s offensive to Mexicans.”
“Don’t wear shorts in summer, it’s offensive to muslims.”
“Don’t laugh so loud in public, it’s offensive to ____.” (I don’t even remember who it offended any more.)
It’s not just immigrants who cross national boundaries, it happens within the country too. Like the city slicker who moves to the country and throws a fit when their gravel road doesn’t get plowed. There’s always going to be a period of adjustment, but at what point does it become just plain dumbness?
I mean, if someone considered, lets say, sashimi to be offensive, they’d be pretty dumb to move to Japan and then start complaining and demanding people around them stop eating or talking about it. If someone considered sombreroes (picking something randomly) to be offensive, they’d be pretty dumb to move to Mexico and expect not to ever see one. If someone was offended by the sight of dark skin tones, they’d be pretty dumb to move to Ethiopia.
So, why is it that if I complain about being told to conform to someone else’s culture of origin, I’m the bad guy? I’m not ripping anybody’s hijab off, but by the same token I refuse to wear one.
@Laird
[As to your criticism of the article on schools, I’m sure we all agree that getting government completely out of the business of education is the best solution. But let’s be realistic: it’s not going to happen. Period. So if your goal is improved education some form of “school choice” is a step in the right direction, as it introduces an element of competition into what is otherwise a completely dysfunctional cartel system designed to benefit all of its participants except the students.]
Well, if you take the time to look at that SepSchool page on school choice and vouchers, you will see that it’s not a matter of “the best to be the enemy of the good”. That would only be so if vouchers were good. They are still socialism and welfare (with the added element of no constraints) – is that good? They are still the abdication of responsibility by parents – is that good? They would lead to government control of the independent schools now in existence – is that good? We might as well just have the government hand out $50,000 per year to every individual, to be spent any way they please; that would add an element of competition too.
You are correct in that the government will never get out of the indoctrination business. But you draw the wrong conclusion. The options are not limited to only government schools and vouchers. The correct solution is NOT A GOVERNMENT SOLUTION. It is for individual parents to pull their kids out of the government schools. That is now happening. The market works, if you just have a little patience.
http://strike-the-root.com/homeschooling-is-easy
@Bob
[BUT, this philosophy can only be successful IFF (if and *only* if) we do away with all of the Gov’t “social” programs that require theft from producers to provide goodies for the FSA.]
How do you get rid of a government program? Only two ways I am aware of: 1) have more and more people use it until it collapses due to internal inconsistencies, and 2) total societal reset (revolution/secession/civil war, etc). My problem with those whining about Honduran kids is that they DON’T want to get rid of government programs. To me it looks like the best way to get rid of socialism is to invite every lazy bum in the world into the US to take advantage of it. A true conservative would sit back and just point out that socialism doesn’t work. He would not be begging government to stop letting brown people share his socialist programs.
@Ellendra
Why are you worrying about what anyone thinks? Live your life. If you don’t like complainers, then you’d be wise to stop complaining.
@Paul: If it was just people sitting around complaining, that would be one thing. But what I’m seeing, and what I was trying to ask about, is more than that. I’m talking about demands, made under color of authority, to conform to another person’s culture so as not to offend them, when on one’s own home turf.
I don’t fly a flag personally, but I know people who were visited by Officer Friendly early in May and told to take their flags down so it wouldn’t offend people from Mexico during their Cinco de Mayo celebration. In Wisconsin.
Several businesses have started banning things because a tiny percentage of employees are muslim and took offense. Things like shorts on women, or bacon in someone’s lunch.
Back in school, there were a couple of exchange students from someplace where it was taboo for girls to laugh out loud. They went to the principal, and the next thing we knew there was a teacher going around ordering the girls to be quiet, not to laugh so loud, because it offended those exchange students.
Should ridiculous demands like this be ignored just like other ridiculous rules? Yes.
Am I going to sit quietly when such demands are made? No. I reserve my right to complain about unreasonable demands.
I was simply curious how widespread it was.
Well, this seems to be two different cases. The first case is cops telling people to take American flags down. They should be told to fuck off (or simply refrain from answering the door if you see a cop there).
The other case is businesses banning things (presumably in their own establishments). Of course, in a free world, they’d be able to make any rules they pleased, no matter how obnoxious or stupid. You can complain I suppose, but it’s really none of your business.
Paul B, re your reply to my earlier comment: Yes, government schools are inherently “socialism and welfare”; no argument from me. Yes, “the correct solution is not a government solution.” But that option is simply not on the table, and won’t be during our lifetimes (unless our whole society collapses and we hit the “reset” button, in which case all bets are off). So if you eliminate that non-existent, pie-in-the-sky fantasy, what are you left with to actually make some improvement in the nations’ education system? There’s no one single answer, but vouchers has to be among the most efficacious (if only interim) solutions.