Be Still...

Thank Nomad / Tan Ru It's Friday!

"Function rationally, or you will be sterilized."

Why Must Politics Trump Decency?

Just minutes after news of the church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina broke on Wednesday, social media were deluged with idiotic messages trying to advance various political narratives, and the flood is showing no signs of abating. We are told in these messages that the shooting "proves" that we need more gun control laws (no such laws would have prevented this crime), that it "proves" that "domestic terrorism" is a bigger threat than Islamist extremism (absurd, and easily refuted by a cursory examination of crime statistics), that it "proves" there is double-standard when it comes to how white-on-black murders are reported on by the media (demonstrably false), etc. It is all very tiresome, and very predictable.

One of the recurring themes of this blog is that freedom of expression is an unalloyed good. Episodes like this do not prove the contrary, but they do remind us that the freedom to speak our minds (and use the wonders of modern technology to make ourselves heard) does not mean we have an obligation to express ourselves every time something like this happens. I think our national discourse would be well-served if people stopped seizing on such events as opportunities to push partisan political views. Have we no sense of decency left these days?

The title of today's post is a reference to Psalm 46, Verse 10: "Be still and see that I am God..." (KJV). Even for a non-believer, it offers good advice. When something horrific like this happens, we should seek to comfort the afflicted, to mourn our lost brothers and sisters, and (if you are a believer) trust in God's grace. It should not become an opportunity for grinding political axes. That the political left in this country can never seem to resist the temptation to capitalize on these occasions is shameful...

Wild Kingdom Bed & Breakfast Update

During the course of my reading about bird feeders, I learned that it is considered desirable to have a source of clean water on hand as well as the food.

After not having any luck finding anything I liked at local stores, I finally settled on the bird bath pictured at left, which Amazon says will be delivered today. 

I am hopeful of posting some pictures of birds using the new amenity sometime this weekend...

"That's a cool finish. What's it called?"

I'm glad you like it. It is called a verdigris finish. In this case it is simulated, because the bird bath is made of weather-resistant resin, not metal...

Things That Make Me Sad: Human Frailty Edition

Pitching baseballs is an unnatural act. Unlike most other kinds of throwing motions that the human body does routinely, hurling a baseball in such a way and at such a velocity that the best players in the world struggle to hit it is a rare gift. It places extraordinary stress on several different parts of the body, and because of advances in both diagnostic tools and surgical techniques we have grown accustomed to news reports announcing that a professional baseball pitcher's arm has broken down. Such occurrences don't always result in surgery, of course, and even when they do there are plenty of success stories, players who have bounced back from such injuries. Tommy John, for whom one of the most common surgical procedures is named, is the most impressive story, pitching for another 15 years and winning 164 games following his elbow reconstruction.

But there are plenty of failures, too, sad tales of promising athletes having their careers abruptly ended by the stresses a pitching motion puts on a body...

As I was returning home from the grocery store last night, I heard on the radio that my beloved Kansas City Royals had suddenly placed young pitching phenom Yordano Ventura on the 15-day Disabled List. Just yesterday the word was he would make his scheduled start today. Even worse, the news reports were that the "numbness" he experienced in his pitching hand a few days ago (which resulted in his being removed from a game after just three innings) was related to the ulnar nerve in his right arm. It has not been my experience that any injury to a pitcher involving the ulnar nerve ends well. Now Royals fans are just waiting for the "surgery" shoe to drop. Calamitous news...

"Creo que estás exagerando."

Espero que usted sea hombre correcto, joven...

Somewhat overshadowed by this news was the Royals completing a four-game sweep of the Brewers with a 3-2 win last night at Kauffman Stadium. Jeremy Guthrie pitched six solid innings, and the Herrera-Davis-Holland bullpen triumvirate did its thing. Closer Greg Holland, who got rocked in his previous appearance, bounced back to close out the Brewers in the 9th on just 12 pitches. That was especially impressive since, thanks to a passed ball on a strikeout, he had to get four outs for the save (his 12th)...

"Get a fourth out? No fucking problem."

The Boston Red Sox come to town tonight to begin a three-game series. When it is over, the Royals hit the road and won't be back until July. Taking Ventura's spot in the rotation for now will be Yohan Pino...

Celebrating the Moments of My Life

No one who winds up spelunking into the nooks and crannies of my life could fail to notice my fondness for a particular kind of instant coffee, especially if the explorer talks to any of my former students...

My love affair with Café Français began when I was attending a debate tournament at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, in 1974. 

I was in the cafeteria line early Saturday morning, and my stomach was a little unsettled because I knew my first-round opponent that day would be tough to beat. I decided not to have regular coffee, but because they didn't have any tea bags in the line I grabbed an individual packet of Café au Lait (as it was called originally) instant, and a pot of hot water, and found myself a table...

Before I left the cafeteria to debate that first round (I won, let the record show), I had had three more packets, and a love affair began that has lasted more than four decades.

In those days, the product line included just three flavors (Café Vienna and Orange Cappuccino were the others), and General Foods International was still in the product name (now it is Maxwell House International). It's really not even instant coffee in the usual sense. The primary ingredient used to be nonfat dry milk like we took on camping trips when I was in Boy Scouts. These days it is nondairy coffee creamer. Instant coffee is pretty far down the ingredient list. I used to tell my students who asked that it was really coffee-flavored warm milk that I was drinking, which it basically is.




It is a most pleasing and relaxing beverage. It says something, I think, that the product has prospered in the marketplace for more than 40 years...

Until Next Time...

In the summer of 1995 Bonnie Raitt, one of my favorite blues performers, recorded concerts in Portland, Oregon and Oakland, California in order to produce the first "live" album of a career spanning more than two decades. The result was Road Tested, a stirring collection of some of Bonnie's greatest hits mixed in with awesome covers. She is joined by a variety of special guests who add a unique flavor to the recordings.

It was released in November 1995, just a couple of weeks after my second wife had moved out (never to return). I have no doubt that these songs resonated with me in no small part because of my crumbling marriage. Here is my favorite from the album, a rendition of Richard Thompson's "Dimming of the Day." Hard to believe a song about a lost love could move me to tears, I know, but there you go. Enjoy...