The Eyebrow Raises
Back when Leonard Nimoy acted the character Spock on the original Star Trek, intrigue and whimsy was indicated by a raised eyebrow. Such behavior is entirely human although there was a generation who accepted that such was acceptable. I note in this morning’s articles several such.
The English, those lovable folks who departed our Yankee republic with less than pleasantness, have granted degree granting rights to several industrial organizations, including the fast food/slow death giant McDonald’s. [Link] One has to wonder if the intent is to offer diplomas in Happy Meals? From the perspective of one who spent almost twenty years of his career as a personnel selecting official – that’s Yankee government talk for someone who picks from among candidates to fill job vacancies in the organization – I am not at all sure that I should consider McDonald’s certifications as being any better than their food is healthy. But then except for those brief periods when they execute monarchs, the English are noted for irrational behavior.
I note that the third Kennedy, the one who drowns young women and largely subsists on the caloric content of ethanol, has endorsed one of the numerous (modern) democrat candidates for the candidacy for the chief executive job. [Link] Now I know that politicians are known for their consistently immoral and unethical behavior but this transcends that. Would it not have been kinder to inflict this poor individual with tertiary syphilis? Or the death of a thousand cuts?
And while we are on the subject of inflicting undue and particularly ghastly fates on people, I note an article in the Washington Times – apparently with a lame duck chief executive giving his state of the Yankee union speech they have no other news to promulgate – that the wireless reception aerials on automobiles are becoming a thing of the past. [Link] This is not a new occurrence although it may be that such disconnection from reality is common to modern traditional media, or perhaps, even hopefully, it is limited to such organs as the Times.
I have not owned an automobile in over ten years that had one of the old antennas made of cylinders of metal each fitting inside the previous. My now eleven year old CRV had a single cylinder antenna, about a fourth of a meter long that extended – manually – from a well built into the driver’s side windshield pillar. And ever time I drove the thing back from service at the dealer, I would get about half way back to Greater Metropolitan Arab before the degradation of wireless quality reminded me to lower the window and reach out and up and re-extend the antenna that had been collapsed by the crew who washed the vehicle after service. My newer Element has a fixed aerial of about half that length. The patent indication is that adequate wireless signal quality can be sensed without large antennas. Indeed, the only ones of the old extensible type I have are pointers for briefing on small screens. The pointer has a laser projector built in for large screens and one must take care to not engage the latter when one is using it in its former mode lest one remove organs from oneself.
In response to this reduction in required investment in antennas, I observe that a German foodstuffs retailer operating in England is selling kilts for something on the order of $30, somewhat less than ).1 of what they usually sell for. [Link] This whole matter cries out for greater consideration and analysis. Obviously, the main well springs of sanity balancing the English have been their peripheral peoples: the Welsh, the Irish, and particularly, the Scots. So one wonders if this is some sort of new Saxon invasion with the intent of bankrupting Scottish nationalism? Or just some effort by the mainland Europeans to inject their version of Green practices onto the sceptered isle?
Lastly, a team of French researchers working in Australia – can’t be because of the meat pies could it? – have confirmed that bacteria have been around on Tellus for about 3 BY. [Link] That’s B as in billion – 10^9 – 1000 million. This rather makes one wonder if intelligent life will ever evolve on the planet.
