Carefully observers have noticed that my posting has been a bit erratic and my responding to comments has been very slow. This has been primarily due to the time spent working on the situation of an out-of-town aunt. Thanks to all for being patient, understanding, and caring.
Phase 2 (of 3) in preparing an aunt’s house for sale is complete – so 3+ hour trips should not be as numerous as we enter Phase 3. Phase 2 was definitely the most critical and the most time-consuming .. and we proudly check that box!
I’m hoping November will be better for blogging (visiting and posting) than October.
A milestone: I’ve started the process of receiving Social Security and Medicare.
Blink Cincinnati was an unbelievable success. Hopefully several posts in the future.
Readers here know I enjoy posting about murals in Cincinnati – primarily the ones by ArtWorks. Here’s an article from the New York Times about public art. Thanks Raye!
It’s possible that the song below is the hardest handbell piece our choir has ever played. Our one-shot performance is approaching, so time will tell. “Mixed meter” is a musical term for a piece with different time signatures within the piece. This piece (the one we are playing) changes timing over 75 times. Now that plays havoc on my nerves.
Because this weekend marks the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, two related articles are in this week’s Interesting Reads.
This season of Dancing With the Stars continues to surprise me. Actor Jordan Fisher and musician Lindsey Stirling have been exceptional. Television personality Vanessa Lachey continues to shine. Actor Frankie Muniz, wrestler Nikki Bella, ESPN’s Victoria Arlen are solid, while Property Brother Drew Scott and athlete Terrell Own continue to improve.
Contrary to some partisans, the situation involving scumbag Harvey Weinstein is not a political issue.
Embed from Getty ImagesA tip of the cap to Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA for at least trying to develop a bipartisan agreement regarding the Affordable Care Act – even co-sponsored by 24 senators. Another proposal from a bipartisan group on the House side faces similar obstacles: a group representing slightly less than 10% of the House of Representatives.
I have no problem with a Congressional committee investigating the sale of US uranium mines to Russians ONCE – not over and over – not as a dragged-on affair trying to find something that isn’t – not as a political witch hunt.
I liked this question regarding North Korea and nuclear weapons: Would you rather live with North Korea having nuclear weapons or have thousands killed in the name of stopping North Korea from having weapons?
After 9 months in office, President Trump uses the following strengths to lead the country: bolivating, exaggerating, lying, blaming, defecting, distorting, denying, ignoring, fabricating, and dividing. Cheers to this CNN commercial about two popular fruits.
Erick Erickson is definitely a conservative, but I appreciate his words about the way President Trump is reacting to the crisis in Puerto Rico.
But sometimes the President should be Presidential and getting in the mud is not. The people of Puerto Rico are hungry, thirsty, homeless, and fearful. They won’t hear a lot about President Trump’s twitter fight and it won’t matter to him because they cannot participate in the Electoral College. It should matter to all of us though that the President is so willing to get in the mud and fight back when the mayor and everyone else in Puerto Rico need our empathy and compassion. Sometimes the President just does not need to dial-up the jackass and sometimes he does not need to be defended.
Cheers to recent comments by Senators Bob Corker (R-TN), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), John McCain (R-AZ) for having the guts to call it like it is. Then again, that’s a meager minority.
Embed from Getty ImagesTo lead you into this week’s dose of satirical headlines, The Onion provides tips for organizing a protest.
Weekly Headlines from The Onion (combos welcome)
New evidence reveals Pythagoras wrote dozens of unhinged conspiracy theories about triangles
Romantic gesture too expensive to waste on current girlfriend
Nation demands more slow-motion footage of running basset hounds
Article nauseous from constant scrolling
Self-conscious panda swears it overheard zookeeper refer to it as “Giant”
Historians discover meditation spread from Ancient China by annoying monk who wouldn’t shut up about how it changed his life
Interesting Reads
Martin Luther and Literacy
Robots and ethics: teachable?
Odd pet behaviors
Historical aspects of doughnuts
Martin Luther’s impact
(Photos) British Press Photographer Awards
For your weekend entertainment, hooray for an early contribution from the Fab Four. In the words of Garrison Keillor, Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.
You are sooo welcome, aFa. Hoping many will click the link and view the amazing “wall” ART in honour of a remarkable man.
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Raye,
That article wouldn’t have made it onto this page without you spotting it. … and thanks to you, Resa saw it! Cheers to our collaboration.
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Best of luck with your aunt’s house-sale. President Trump feels like a vivid nightmare. When will it end? He is healthy and full of vitality at age 70, so it does not bode well for us. The question regarding North Korea’s weapons feels a bit like a catch-22 – I would have neither. I wish they wouldn’t have weapons at all. All this feels like two boistrous boys flexing their muscles with their respective toy boxes, who has the biggest toy and will he destroy the other’s toy first, just because he can? The only difference is, the destiny of the entire globe is in the hands of two mere mortals. They have the power, even though they don’t deserve it. We are being lead by buffoons.
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Lenora,
I know that you are saying regarding the choice, but I intentionally framed it that way because that seems to pinpoint the variance of the two sides regarding US-NK relations. I agree, two buffoons – but that is what the world is dealing with … therefore overshadowing all the goodness within the world.
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Good luck with the sale of your aunt’s house, Frank–and with the handbell performance. I won’t get started on the horror that is Trump. I thought the Republicans speaking out against him made fine speeches, but I wish they had done more before he was elected.
All Things Considered did a segment on Luther the other day.
I read the article on the history of donuts. When I was doing research for my History of American Cooking, I read that some American whaling ships made donuts to celebrate when they had a quantity of whale oil. I suspect donuts may be older than this article claims, as it’s possible people were making them without recording the recipes.
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Merril,
Thanks for mentioning NPR’s All Things Considered (a great program). Your commented got me to go back to ATC to find other segments about Luther and the Reformation. The printing press was a factor, so I wonder if modern technology will lead the way into a modern-day reformation!
Thanks for the best wishes regarding our aunt. It’s one complex story!
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The apple commercial is good. It sounds like things are moving smoothly with your Aunt’s sale yet very time consuming. Hopefully all will be settled for you by Christmas.
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Catherine,
Your description of the aunt’s situation is very accurate! … our fingers are now crossed! Thanks for watching the thought-provoking CNN commercial.
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I’ve had quite a bit of experience in that area.
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So you know that work and the levels of emotions involved.
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Sadly, very much so.
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I enjoyed the article on Martin Luther and the Reformation. It is interesting to view the arc of literacy, knowledge and self-reliance in the 500 years since, beginning with religious philosophy and ending with (who could have imagined it?) the internet and the explosion of information of all kinds.Ironically, this includes fake news and conspiracy theories which degrade the quality of knowledge.
I think there is hope for knowledge and government through literacy, albeit tenuous. The one “charity” I consistently give to each year is Wikipedia.
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Jim,
You finding an enjoyable article always makes me smile – so thanks for letting me know. To me, the Reformation was a time when many forces came together – societal, political, religious, artistic, philosophy, economic, and much more. It’s tie to literacy is subtle, but obvious once one thinks about it – therefore why I included the article.
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It is always a pleasure to find your Opinions! Good luck on the handbells, brave soul. I applaud CNN’s apple too. Glad phase 2 is done.
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Jo,
Thanks for watching the CNN commercial .. and glad you enjoyed it (obviously seeing the point). Meanwhile, on to phase 3 with fingers crossed.
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Dancing with the Stars has been really good this season. I agree–those two you mentioned are terrific. Did you see the violinist’s robotic dance last week? So good.
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Carrie,
Cheers to you for confirming my statement about DWTS. Sterling is very, very good … and I’ve seen and enjoyed all her dances. Plus, she’s a pleasant personality.
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Good luck on your aunt’s house. I know what you mean about getting behind things. I’m commenting on your post 24 hours late. Obama’s fault. Super post, Frank.
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John,
The aunt’s house is one long, complex story. I’m so glad that the prep is done, I have no desiring to go up for the next step (which doesn’t really need me). Meanwhile, damn Obama … and wait until the revelation I uncover next week about him!
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I can’r wait. Well, I guess I have to wait.
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Really a fab post, Frank! Mr. Gitler & the bird Murals are amazing! Luv your posts…. whenever, why-ever you post! Take care. OH &the Beatles song was a real nice treat!
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Resa,
I was hoping you would see the article about the NYC murals … so cheers to you finding it and enjoying it! Regarding The Beatles, part of it is the continued influence of the September vacation around the British Isles. 🙂
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Loved the Beatles clip, took me back to a vivid time.
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Phillip,
Clips of The Beatles has a way of doing that … simply timeless music!
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AFA:
Once again, you overwhelm my simple mind with a befuddling amount of information.
I started my Social Security and Medicare (successfully) long ago. Regrettably, I have still not received a single payment from my Civil War pension claims.
Kudos to those who attempt bi-partisanship and opposition to The Donald. Bloviating, exaggerating, lying, blaming, defecting, distorting, denying, ignoring, fabricating, and dividing all describe his GOOD points.
My combo:
“New evidence reveals basset hounds nauseous from unhinged conspiracy theories.”
C-a-L
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Mudge,
I can’t believe your Civil War claims haven’t kicked in yet. Time to write your Congressional representative.
Glad you concur with my verbage regarding what The Donald does … which causes much head shaking. Meanwhile, I like your combo – and linking basset hounds to conspiracy theories is more truth than fiction!
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75 times!!!!!!!! Wow! Doesn’t sound easy, does it? [From what I hear, it isn’t!] Good luck with that, my friend and I hope all your errands go smoothly! A beautiful Sunday and week ahead [oh and November soon…. I have no clue where 2017 went!] 🙂
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Marina,
75+ … To be more exact, 78 comes to mind. It plays on everyone’s brain differently … and given that handbells are one instrument played by 12-15 people, that’s not a good thing. The same piece on piano should be easier because one person is controlling the notes. Oh well … it’s over … so I’ll report next week.
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I’ve been out of town for while, but wanted to add the belated comment that Alex Guebert’s arrangement of “All Creatures of Our God and King” is the best handbell choir piece I’ve ever heard, and well-worth the amount of rehearsal time, along with the stress to your nerves, required to produce a good performance.
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