Right vs Left and Short Memories
All my life I’ve seen presidents get blamed for things their predecessors did, or for things they have no control over. I wonder if John Adams got blamed for stuff Washington did? This political blame game probably dates back to kings, emperors and pharaohs. One modern example is the so-called Obama Phone. The consensus from the right seems to…
A Not-Greedy Oil Company
It’s funny how a random memory will pop into your head out of nowhere. Everyone has bad things to say about greedy oil companies, but here is a 100% true story. My mother had had a Texaco credit card for at least 30 years, and had always paid the bill off every month. She was 59 when…
Introduction
Welcome to my personal blog! Some of you already know me, and some of you don’t. But either way, I urge you to read this (very long) introductory post before you read the regular blog posts. It will lay the groundwork for various topics I’ll be covering, and perhaps prevent some confusion. (Affiliate Disclaimer) I’ve had a chaotic life with…
Christians Only (Update Apr 22)
Links to “Christians Only” posts will be in here. That will make it easy for those who aren’t interested to skip them, and those who want to read them will still find them easily. Every time I publish a new post in that category, it will go at the top of the list. Click the titles below to visit the…
How the West Wasn’t Won
I love love LOVE watching old Western shows- from the early silent films, to the 30s and 40s matinee series to the 50’s TV shows. They can be dramatic, funny, suspenseful, romantic, corny, high quality or low budget. But whatever the flavor, they seldom reflect reality. ANIMALS Horses can gallop hard for 25 miles or more without ever slowing…
Yankee Doodle
Yankee Doodle went to town riding on a pony Stuck a feather in his hat and called it macaroni Did you ever wonder what that second line means? To be βmacaroniβ was to be sophisticated, upper class, and worldly. In βYankee Doodle,β the British were mocking what they perceived as the Americans’ lack of class. The first verse is satirical…
The Ben Ben Stone
I frequently see posts on social media and elsewhere on the internet about the Ben Ben Stone. The text accompanying the photo varies, but typically goes something like this: The Pyramid of Ben Ben has puzzled scientists for thousands of years and until now they have not been able to solve the puzzle. The pyramid is located in the Egyptian…
Me, in Search of Self
This is a post I’ve been putting off, but it needs to get done and over with. It’s about me being born a little smarter than the average bear. No matter how many times I say I’m not bragging, some people will think I am. But the truth is, I have spent most of my adulthood hiding it due to…
Oh No! A Solar Eclipse!
So… we’re going to have a Solar Eclipse on April 8. What a bunch of ridiculous conspiracy theories and misinformation springing up ahead of this event. The above meme and similar ones are popping up on social media, accompanied by every kind of alarmist drivel people can dream up. Does nobody read past the headlines, or try to confirm the…
Ulysses S. Grant vs. Catholics
People love to share clever quotes by public or historical figures on social media, and while the sentiment may be nice, 9 times out of 10, I’m unable to confirm that the person in question ever actually said that. Sometimes they did say it, but often, it’s taken out of context. I’ve been seeing this Grant meme going around lately,…
Medical Conspiracy Theories
One of the favorite targets of conspiracy theorists and science deniers is the field of medicine. So reject medicine and go back to the way it was before real science became involved. Enjoy bloodletting, foul concoctions being administered via enema, high death rates during birth (for mothers and babies), no washing of hands or instruments between patients. Compound fractures were…
Vintage Films – A Study in Race Relations
Anyone who’s around me for very long knows how much I love old TV shows (40s to early 60s), and old movies (from silent films into the early 60s). But my interest isn’t entirely for the sake of drama and entertainment; I find them a fascinating look into society and culture as it was in former generations. I always notice…