Alaska journey
An account of the trip my wife and I made to Alaska by automobile is on my website. Click on Alaska Journey . Enjoy.
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#72
Tuesday, May 28
Colonialism, anyone
From Queen Victoria to World War II colonialism controlled or governed much of Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Great Britain, France and lesser European countries had a foot on someone’s neck somewhere in the world. We’ve read Kipling, seen Lawrence of Arabia, lived through the French and American disasters in Vietnam, and watched Africa hemorrhage to know all we need to know about colonialism.
Following the war the colonial powers were in a state of national exhaustion and unable to mount the campaigns necessary to hold onto their empires. The demand for self-rule was too strong. The United States championed national freedom and home rule everywhere. The colonial empires fell apart, and the world moved on. There really hasn’t been a demand for a return to colonialism ever since. Until now.
A British commentator, Robert Fisk, has contributed his thoughts to solving “this filthy war” in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. His suggestion is a return to colonialism. Given that no one with any authority seems to have a workable solution to the problem, Mr. Fisk is entitled to chip in with his. Mr. Fisk, by the way, is not further identified on the web site (independent.co.uk) where his lengthy commentary was published. Maybe he is just a common Joe like the rest of us.
His suggestion – and it is more in the form of a “rash, fearful prediction,” that American and NATO troops will be in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza - and in Israel. He predicts Jerusalem will be an international city. The Palestinians will have security. So will the Israelis.
(Originally published in The Hanahan News, Hanahan, SC, May 22, 2002)
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#71
From Queen Victoria to World War II colonialism controlled or governed much of Southeast Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Great Britain, France and lesser European countries had a foot on someone’s neck somewhere in the world. We’ve read Kipling, seen Lawrence of Arabia, lived through the French and American disasters in Vietnam, and watched Africa hemorrhage to know all we need to know about colonialism.
Following the war the colonial powers were in a state of national exhaustion and unable to mount the campaigns necessary to hold onto their empires. The demand for self-rule was too strong. The United States championed national freedom and home rule everywhere. The colonial empires fell apart, and the world moved on. There really hasn’t been a demand for a return to colonialism ever since. Until now.
A British commentator, Robert Fisk, has contributed his thoughts to solving “this filthy war” in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. His suggestion is a return to colonialism. Given that no one with any authority seems to have a workable solution to the problem, Mr. Fisk is entitled to chip in with his. Mr. Fisk, by the way, is not further identified on the web site (independent.co.uk) where his lengthy commentary was published. Maybe he is just a common Joe like the rest of us.
His suggestion – and it is more in the form of a “rash, fearful prediction,” that American and NATO troops will be in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza - and in Israel. He predicts Jerusalem will be an international city. The Palestinians will have security. So will the Israelis.
(Originally published in The Hanahan News, Hanahan, SC, May 22, 2002)
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#71
Friday, May 17
Federal court vacancies
Excuse me, but I don't recall any editorial such as Saturday's "Fill federal court vacancies" when the Republican-controlled Senate sat on Bill Clinton's nominees (and led to the current high rate of vacancies). I must have been traveling in space or something.
FRANCIS X. ARCHIBALD
1128 John Rutledge Ave.
Hanahan
(Letters to the Editor, The Post & Courier, Charleston, SC, May 17, 2002)
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#70
Excuse me, but I don't recall any editorial such as Saturday's "Fill federal court vacancies" when the Republican-controlled Senate sat on Bill Clinton's nominees (and led to the current high rate of vacancies). I must have been traveling in space or something.
FRANCIS X. ARCHIBALD
1128 John Rutledge Ave.
Hanahan
(Letters to the Editor, The Post & Courier, Charleston, SC, May 17, 2002)
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#70
Tuesday, May 14
On lousy cooks
Scuttlebutt has it that Henrietta Nesbitt was a lousy cook. She was hired by Eleanor Roosevelt to cook in the White House based upon some imaginary culinary reputation she acquired around Hyde Park, New York.
It is a wonder President Franklin D. Roosevelt survived as long as he did. Mrs. Nesbitt was in charge of housekeeping at the White House and planned the menus, supposedly after talking with the First Lady. Unfortunately the First Lady was herself a terrible connoisseur of food whose taste ran from pedestrian to awful. There was a lot of food eaten out of cans during the Nesbitt years.
It fell to Bess Wallace Truman to put the situation right. Her daughter Margaret tells in the biography she wrote of her mother how Mrs. Nesbitt served brussels sprouts three nights in a row to President Truman, despite being told after the first serving that the feisty new man in the White House didn’t like the damn things. Bess was out of town at the time and Margaret called her and threatened to throw the sprouts at Mrs. Nesbitt. Bess came home and in quick order the rest of the staff was informed that Mrs. Nesbitt had retired.
In Amsterdam there is a restaurant called Mr. Coco’s where they advertise “lousy food and warm beer.” Currently they are soliciting applications for cooks and if you can tell the difference between a hamburger and a carrot you are considered qualified. From a distance it is hard to tell if this is “tongue in cheek” advertising or fair warning.
(Originally published in The Hanahan News, Hanahan, SC, May 15, 2002.
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#69
Scuttlebutt has it that Henrietta Nesbitt was a lousy cook. She was hired by Eleanor Roosevelt to cook in the White House based upon some imaginary culinary reputation she acquired around Hyde Park, New York.
It is a wonder President Franklin D. Roosevelt survived as long as he did. Mrs. Nesbitt was in charge of housekeeping at the White House and planned the menus, supposedly after talking with the First Lady. Unfortunately the First Lady was herself a terrible connoisseur of food whose taste ran from pedestrian to awful. There was a lot of food eaten out of cans during the Nesbitt years.
It fell to Bess Wallace Truman to put the situation right. Her daughter Margaret tells in the biography she wrote of her mother how Mrs. Nesbitt served brussels sprouts three nights in a row to President Truman, despite being told after the first serving that the feisty new man in the White House didn’t like the damn things. Bess was out of town at the time and Margaret called her and threatened to throw the sprouts at Mrs. Nesbitt. Bess came home and in quick order the rest of the staff was informed that Mrs. Nesbitt had retired.
In Amsterdam there is a restaurant called Mr. Coco’s where they advertise “lousy food and warm beer.” Currently they are soliciting applications for cooks and if you can tell the difference between a hamburger and a carrot you are considered qualified. From a distance it is hard to tell if this is “tongue in cheek” advertising or fair warning.
(Originally published in The Hanahan News, Hanahan, SC, May 15, 2002.
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#69
Sunday, May 12
Scuttle the Evening News?
For a fascinating look at the evening news on the three network channels look here and see if you agree with the author.
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#68
For a fascinating look at the evening news on the three network channels look here and see if you agree with the author.
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#68
Friday, May 10
John Kennedy was right
“Since 2000, (President) Bush has courted church leaders, including Boston’s embattled Cardinal Law, whom many rank and file suspect of protecting pedophile priests. Bush’s team has relied ‘too much on the hierarchy’ for voter outreach, one adviser says. ‘This will force them to think more broadly about just who Catholics are.’ ” (Jackie Calmes, Wall St. Journal, May 10, 2002, pg A4)
President Kennedy was on target vis-a-vis Catholic Bishops. Upon hearing that two groups – one of Nuns and one of Bishops - wanted to meet with him, Kennedy said he would meet with the Nuns “since the Bishops will vote Republican anyway.”
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#67
“Since 2000, (President) Bush has courted church leaders, including Boston’s embattled Cardinal Law, whom many rank and file suspect of protecting pedophile priests. Bush’s team has relied ‘too much on the hierarchy’ for voter outreach, one adviser says. ‘This will force them to think more broadly about just who Catholics are.’ ” (Jackie Calmes, Wall St. Journal, May 10, 2002, pg A4)
President Kennedy was on target vis-a-vis Catholic Bishops. Upon hearing that two groups – one of Nuns and one of Bishops - wanted to meet with him, Kennedy said he would meet with the Nuns “since the Bishops will vote Republican anyway.”
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#67
Thursday, May 9
Molly says
For an enjoyable read see Milly Ivins on Robert Caro's volume 3 of the Lyndon Johnson biography.
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#66
For an enjoyable read see Milly Ivins on Robert Caro's volume 3 of the Lyndon Johnson biography.
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#66
What the world needs now...
...is another shopping mall on Rivers Avenue near Ashley Phosphate Road in North Charleston (S.C.), one of the busiest intersections in the state. Trident Technical College is selling land for $8.3 million to a Florida developer who plans another mall.
On the port issue, State legislators have a plan to let the Ports Authority build on the South end of the former Naval Base in North Charlestion. This would eliminate building a terminal at Daniel's Island. The plan favors the wealthy who have already invested heavily in homesites on the island. The plan would give the North end of the base to the city of North Charleston, a locale of middle-class and poor residents. North Charleston officials have long coveted the North end of the base where they plan to build a park and recreation area. The deal maker is the State's obligation to build an overpass connecting the South end of the base to I-26, and to build three more overpasses along Rivers Avenue to eliminate rail bottlenecks. Practically all the local politicians in both parties are sucking up to the deal. I recommend North Charleston get the four overpasses underway before they let ships start docking.
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#65
...is another shopping mall on Rivers Avenue near Ashley Phosphate Road in North Charleston (S.C.), one of the busiest intersections in the state. Trident Technical College is selling land for $8.3 million to a Florida developer who plans another mall.
On the port issue, State legislators have a plan to let the Ports Authority build on the South end of the former Naval Base in North Charlestion. This would eliminate building a terminal at Daniel's Island. The plan favors the wealthy who have already invested heavily in homesites on the island. The plan would give the North end of the base to the city of North Charleston, a locale of middle-class and poor residents. North Charleston officials have long coveted the North end of the base where they plan to build a park and recreation area. The deal maker is the State's obligation to build an overpass connecting the South end of the base to I-26, and to build three more overpasses along Rivers Avenue to eliminate rail bottlenecks. Practically all the local politicians in both parties are sucking up to the deal. I recommend North Charleston get the four overpasses underway before they let ships start docking.
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#65
Wednesday, May 8
Where the people read
In a routine flash of self promotion South Carolina newspapers have released to the Audit Bureau of Circulation their circulation averages for the six months ended March 31, 2002. The Greenville News claims the largest Sunday circulation (127,496) and in Charleston The Post & Courier reported 115,858 Sunday subscribers. The State, a Knight-Ridder newspaper in Columbia, did not report and neither did the Florence News. In daily circulation, The Post & Courier topped the list with 105,667.
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#64
In a routine flash of self promotion South Carolina newspapers have released to the Audit Bureau of Circulation their circulation averages for the six months ended March 31, 2002. The Greenville News claims the largest Sunday circulation (127,496) and in Charleston The Post & Courier reported 115,858 Sunday subscribers. The State, a Knight-Ridder newspaper in Columbia, did not report and neither did the Florence News. In daily circulation, The Post & Courier topped the list with 105,667.
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#64
Tuesday, May 7
John Leo votes "yes"
John Leo, the sharp-tongued columnist for U.S. News & World Report has voted in favor of the blogging revolution. See his column in the May 13, 2002 (page 48) issue of the magazine or go to www.usnews.com and click on Opinion.
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#63
John Leo, the sharp-tongued columnist for U.S. News & World Report has voted in favor of the blogging revolution. See his column in the May 13, 2002 (page 48) issue of the magazine or go to www.usnews.com and click on Opinion.
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#63
Monday, May 6
Questions to ask
Should we be concerned about the rise in anti-Semitism in Europe?
Is Iraq a real or imaginary threat to the United States, and if so, what should be done?
How are we going to reduce the worst unemplyment in the United States in almost 20 years?
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#62
Should we be concerned about the rise in anti-Semitism in Europe?
Is Iraq a real or imaginary threat to the United States, and if so, what should be done?
How are we going to reduce the worst unemplyment in the United States in almost 20 years?
If not already there, visit my website.
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#62
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