Pimping The Flag
PG looked in the front yard, and saw a small flag by the driveway. It had been left, with the business card of a realtor attached to the staff. PG was not pleased. He walked to the end of the driveway, looked north, and saw a young lady placing flags in front yards.
The same thing happened in July of 2012. PG sent an email to the offending realtor, and did not receive a reply. In May of 2013, PG found one of last years flags in a garbage can. It had been worn down by the elements. The red, white, and blue had been reduced to pink, gray, and lavender.
The offending flag was snatched out of the ground. PG walked north, and gave it back to the realtor. This is not an appropriate use of the flag. The realtor said she would be coming back to gather up any flags that fell to the ground. Whether or not this will happen remains to be seen.
The flag code is explicit on this issue. The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.
Picture 065
The other day this blog published a feature, Jury. There was a collection of photographs, taken at the Brookhaven Bolt 5k, May 18, 2013. The pictures have a look. This post is about how to get that look. If you see something that you already know, then skim past that part.
Image a is the original. It is reduced to 720 pixels wide. This is the size of the columns, and the width that pictures are processed to at Chamblee54. The original is 3264×2448. The camera is a Nikon COOLPIX L26, It was taken at 8:15 am. This is towards the start of the race. All the participants are running at this point. After a few minutes, you start to have people walking, some with strollers.
The actions taken to get this look use basic functions of GIMP. Most of these tools have keyboard shortcuts at Chamblee54, which is a great convenience. The keyboard shortcut, used in the original version of the program, will be used here, to tell you how to get to these tools.
Image b is the cropped original. The section to be used is cropped to the golden rectangle, or 161:100. This section is reduced to 720×447. Open the Rectangle (R) tool. In the options menu, go to Fixed. Enter 161:100. Check the box next to the word Fixed. Draw a rectangle around the section that you want to select. Open Crop to Selection (alt+I, C). To reduce the selection (from roughly 1200×750), hit Scale Image, (alt+I, S). In the Width field, enter 720. Click on Scale (alt+S.) Hit 1 to bring the image to 100%. You might have to increase the size of the window to see the entire image. You do this by placing the mouse on the corner of the window, and dragging the corner away from the window.
Image c is the first step in the formula. You apply a Gaussian Blur (alt+R, B, G). In the Horizontal field, enter 22. Click OK.
Image d is the key to getting this look. Open Fade Gaussian Blur(alt+E, F). Click on the triangle next to Mode, and a menu will drop down. Choose Darken only. Click Fade (alt+F.) This is a good look already, and you might want to call this complete. For the purposes of today’s demonstration, we will work on this image a bit more.
The next two steps involve the levels. This is basically the lightness and darkness. Image e is the picture after you use the Levels tool (alt+C, L). Go to where it says All Channels, and hit Auto. Click OK.
Image f involves the use of the Curves tool. This tool allows you to make part of the picture lighter, and part of it darker. Open Curves (alt+C, C). The picture below image f shows the Curves tool. The image on the left is the Curves tool when you open it. The image on the right is the Curves tool as it was adjusted for this image. The left side of the slanted line controls the dark parts of the image, and the right side controls the light parts. In this image, the dark parts were made lighter, and the light parts were made an equal amount darker. Click OK.
Image g is where the colors are saturated. Open Hue-Saturation(alt+C, S). In the Adjust Selected Color section, (leave it on Master), slide Saturation to the right as far as you need to. Saturating the colors will sometimes turn white people’s skin into an unappealing red shade. To offset this, go to the field beside the Hue slider, and enter 6. Click OK.
Image h is the final version of this picture. Open Color Balance (alt+C, B). For this image, in Select Range to Adjust, choose Shadows. In the Adjust Color Levels, under Cyan-Red enter 10, under Magenta-Green 0, and Yellow-Blue -20. Click OK. Open Save As (ctrl+shift+S), give it a name, click OK. You are finished.
Spelling Bee And Dee
There is a post to be considered, The Seven Deadly Spelling Sins. The first sentence should send any sane person running… “Because I am a writing teacher and a former editor, I am constantly exposed to the most egregious mistakes in writing, grammar, and spelling.” PG is not a sane person. Here is the post, with supplemental comments for your reading pleasure.
1. There, Their, and They’re These are three different words, and they are not interchangeable. “There” refers to a place and is the opposite of “here.” “Their” refers to ownership of something. “They’re” is a contraction that means “they are,” as in: They are having a spelling party.
This is what is known as a homophone. You might have thought that was a communications device in midtown. If you think about it a bit, you realize that one is possessive, one is a place, and one is a clumsy third person plural verb. They’re going to take their ice cream and go there with it.
2. To and Too “To” is the beginning of any infinitive form of a verb: to run, to be, to smile, to write, to blog. Taking foreign language classes is the best way to drive this one home. It is also a preposition. “Too” means “also” or “in addition to.” It can also mean “in excess,” as in: There are too many shoes in my closet. (Well, that’s simply not possible, but you get the idea.)
This forgets two, which is a number, but the spelling is so different that usually the distinction is made. Just like spelling, as in bee, is different from Aaron Spelling. He was the father of Tori Spelling, and a Hollywood producer. Aaron Spelling made lots of money, built the biggest house in California, and was married to Morticia Addams.
3. You’re and Your “You’re” is a contraction form of “you are.” “Your” again refers to ownership.
Words like this are a problem with spell check. If the word is spelled conventionally, it will not set off the device. This also happens when you mean to say to, but type do instead. This is a normal word, and spell check will not know the difference.
4. Judgment This word never ever (in the United States) has an “e” in the middle.
Words like this are pronounced in different ways by white people and black people. White people say “munt”, and accent the first syllable. Black people say “mint”, and accent the second syllable. The mint sounds like a brand of gum, like spearmint or double mint. Did you know that the doublemint twins have had substance abuse issues? They are currently in a twenty four step program.
5. Definitely I don’t know why, but some 90 percent of my students have difficulty spelling this word. There is it, in black and white. Memorize it. I have seen it misspelled as: Defiantly, Definately, Definetley, Definitly And so on. I’m sure there are numerous variations to a bad spelling.
PG is part of the ninety percent here. This is a toughie. Maybe if you break it down into parts, it will make sense. De Finite Ly. De is pronounced duh, which is smart. Finite means only so many, all there is and there ain’t no more. Ly is one of those suffixes that gets tacked onto everything.
6. Its and It’s Again, we have a contraction. The contraction means that two words have been combined, so “it’s” means “it is.” Now, the tricky part is the fact that possession usually uses an apostrophe. However, because this apostrophe is already taken for “it is,” “its” refers to possession.
This is one of those things that make you think English was invented by a race of drunks who call soccer football. To any reasonable person, a word meaning possession should have an apostrophe and s. Here, it’s means it is. Sometimes, the best thing to do is play along and don’t wonder why things are so screwed up. It is usually easier.
7. Lightning This one is my personal pet peeve. This refers to that giant flash of light in the sky that usually occurs during a rainstorm and is always followed by thunder. However, I see many people spell it as “lightening,” which can refer to making something lighter, in color or weight. However, it also means the dropping of the baby before a woman gives birth, and that’s what I always think of. So, when people write on Facebook, “The lightening was fantastic last night,” I can’t help but wonder if they are relieved to have finally given birth.
PG was going to end with a comment about religion, but was afraid of being hit by lightning. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
Cruise Control In The Rain
There is a bit of facebook “wisdom” floating around. This time, most of the the internet skeptics seem to think it is the truth. Lets begin with the message:
A 36 year old female had an accident several weeks ago. It was raining, though not excessively when her car suddenly began to hydro-planeand literally flew through the air. She was not seriously injured but very stunned at the sudden occurrence!When she explained to the Police Officer what had happened, he told her something that every driver should know – NEVER DRIVE IN THE RAIN WITH YOUR CRUISE CONTROL ON. She thought she was being cautious by setting the cruise control and maintaining a safe consistent speed in the rain…. But the Police Officer told her that if the cruise control is on,your car will begin to hydro-plane when the tyres lose contact with the road, and your car will accelerate to a higher rate of speed making you take off like an aeroplane. She told the Officer that was exactly what had occurred. The Officer said this warning should be listed, on the driver’s seat sun-visor – NEVER USE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE ROAD IS WET OR ICY, Along with the airbag warning. We tell our teenagers to set the cruise control and drive a safe speed – but we don’t tell them to use the cruise control only when the road is dry.
This message makes intuitive sense. Unfortunately, a lot of other bits of internet wisdom sound good at first, but turn out to be frauds. There is no way to confirm the story of the “36 year old female.” When you are repeatedly lied to, your instinct is to not believe what you are told. In this case, if you google the key phrase, you will find abundant confirmation.
Snopes has numerous critics. In this case, the story is confirmed, and a link supplied to the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia. “Turn off the cruise control: Wet roads can cause wheels to spin and lose control. The only way to stop wheels from spinning and maintain control is to immediately reduce power. An activated cruise control system applies continuous power, keeping the wheels spinning. By the time you disengage the cruise control it may be too late – you may have already lost control.”
Hoax Slayer says the story is true, but “misleading and overly alarmist.” They say the number one problem here is the slower reaction times with cruise control. People typically move the right foot away from the control pedals when CC is used. If there is an emergency, you will react a split second later. HS has a link to Car Point Australia, which makes this point: “This is the key that makes a nonsense of the email. Modern cars take their speedo reading from the driveshaft or transmission. This means the cruise control bases its responses on the speed of the driven wheels, not the car itself. This is an important distinction and fail safe position. If the driven wheels skid because they lose grip, the spinning wheels will cause the speedo to show a higher reading which will force the cruise control to release the throttle faster than most drivers. Regardless of whether the car itself slows down or speeds up, the cruise control will always reduce the throttle no matter what until the driven wheels slow down back to the pre-set speed. If the wheels continue to slip under this scenario, this will always leave the car traveling more slowly relative to the road, not faster as described in the email. “
Truth or fiction and urban legends agree with snopes that this is a real problem. The only dissenting voice seen so far is museum of hoaxes. They give a link to Australia’s Royal Automobile Association, which doesn’t think it is a problem. ” “Should the car’s tyres break traction with the road, such as in an aquaplane situation, the increase in wheel speed would be sensed and the cruise control system would then reduce the amount of throttle and maintain the set speed. Additionally, cruise control systems are deactivated as soon as the brake is applied. As braking is usually an automatic reaction in most emergency situations, the scenario of cruise control causing an increase in vehicle speed is highly unlikely.” Maybe it is ok in the southern hemisphere, but a problem north of the equator.
Baton Bob
A few years ago, a man started to twirl a baton around Atlanta. He wears eye catching outfits, traditionally intended for females. His handle is Baton Bob. Yesterday, BB went out to celebrate the Supreme Court decisions on DOMA, and Proposition 8. He went to Colony Square, where apparently his act is not appreciated. He was asked to leave, became verbally abusive, and was arrested. Here is the police report.
Baton Bob is African American. So is the arresting officer, and the two security guards. This matter might not be about race. Further, it seems as though BB has had problems with the management at Colony Square before. A security guard, on private property, has a right to tell a man not to come in to the food court and blow a whistle.
Baton Bob does not appreciate those who don’t enjoy his act. He does not have a problem with cussing out those who get in his way. Apparently, this was a problem when he was in St. Louis. Could it be that Baton Bob has gotten too big for his Tutu?
Historic pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”. The mug shot is from Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.
Lisa Jackson Is White
The New York Times did it’s liberal media duty Saturday with a story about Savannah, and the Paula Deen controversy. There were three curious words in paragraph four. “The predicament that Ms. Deen finds herself in began when a former employee — a white woman who is now managing restaurants in Atlanta — filed a discrimination lawsuit in March 2012.”
This thing has seemed, er, fishy from the get go. The restaurant industry is full of disgruntled former employees, few of whom are paragons of virtue. DFE worked in a restaurant partially owned by a famous person. It is uncertain how active the famous person was in the day to day operation of the restaurant. DFE has a lawyer, who gets famous person to say embarrassing things in a deposition. Somehow, this deposition is leaked to National Enquirer. And now we learn that DFE is white.
Confirmation of the ethnicity of DFE is tough to come by. Few pictures are available. You have to ask Mr. Google repeated questions. A law industry blog called Huseby (spell check suggestion:Houseboy) has a good story on the matter, with a couple of links.
The attorney for the plaintiff, Matthew Billips, has a few issues. “The case began with an “inflammatory letter seeking over a million dollars for forgo filing a lawsuit and allow Deen ‘a chance to salvage a brand that can continue to have value,’ ” Withers’ document said. (Tom Withers, attorney for Bubba Hiers, the brother of Paula Deen) In the motion to dismiss Billips, Withers quoted a tweet by Billips in which he said “suing Paula Deen is a hoot.” Withers also referred to a sexually laced tweet Billips directed at Deen “even more concerning.” In it, “Billips promises to symbolically undress and have sex with” Deen, Withers said. “Billips has posted sexually explicit tweets using extremely graphic and profane language and imagery. He has used the “N” word,” Withers’ motion said.”
Huseby links to an article in the ABA Journal that is downright fascinating. This feature confirms that Lisa Jackson, the DFE/plaintiff, is melanin deficient. The Deen-Hiers legal team has filed a motion, that is highly entertaining. Unfortunately, the pdf is not copy friendly, so the ABA summary will have to do. If you have the time to read the legal motion, you will enjoy it.
“The motion by lawyer Tom Withers says the plaintiff pursuing race-based claims has no standing to assert them because she is white, the Savannah Morning News reports. The plaintiff, Lisa Jackson, had claimed she was sexually harassed and worked in a racially hostile environment at a restaurant owned by Deen and her brother in Savannah, Ga. Withers represents Deen’s brother and the restaurant.
According to the motion, Jackson claimed she was offended because her nieces “are bi-racial with an African-American father.” But the motion says there is just one niece, and she is related to Jackson’s partner, who said in a deposition that the niece’s father is Hispanic and she hasn’t seen the girl in years…. “Jackson cannot enforce someone else’s right, and she has no actionable claim for feeling ‘uncomfortable’ around discriminatory conduct directed at others,” Withers wrote. Jackson must show that any harassment was directed toward her because she was white, but at her deposition she alleged she was treated more favorably than African American employees at the restaurant.” (Page 153)
Pictures are from “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
One AM Break
PG does not always know when he has it good. It is breaktime, in a midtown office tower. PG is in an abandoned cubicle, away from the infomercials of the break room TV. He has a tupperware box with four slices of cold pizza. He has … the third shift manager just told him to get out of the cubicle. You can go anywhere but in this room … but that doesn’t steal his joy. There is a gatorade bottle with a quart of water, and a book of short stories by Hank Chinaski. The hero of tonight’s tale just got out of the hospital. His GF ran up a tab of $13.75 at the favorite liquor store.
The new hangout desk has better lighting than the other place, but the chair is not as comfortable. Eventually, it was time to go back to work. Later, some people were talking about Paula Deen, and her troubles. PG said that one of her sons is supposed to be gay. Maybe this is who the plantation wedding was going to be for. Pictures are from Gwinnett County.
Citizenship Test
Atlantic Magazine online has a bit of amusement, Are You Smart Enough to Be a Citizen? Take Our Quiz. It is sponsored by Shell Oil, Prudential Insurance, and something called box. PG took the test.
It is thirteen questions, multiple choice. Some are the standards, like “6. How does a bill become a law?”. Some are creative, like the multiple choices for ” iconic American structures”. It would be interesting to see how many people answered Hoover Dam for a picture of the Gateway Arch. What this has to do with qualifying for voting and jury duty is a good question. (PG missed the Gateway Arch. He looked at the 20 available choices, and did not see the correct answer. Maybe the test of citizenship is looking carefully over long lists of options.)
Question 8 is strange. Pictures of the Supreme Court justices are shown, and the respondent is asked to match the picture with the name. Pictures of the Supremes are seldom shown. Even a fairly well informed person might have trouble telling Stephen Breyer from Anthony Kennedy. If you confuse Clarence Thomas for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, you automatically fail.
PG scored 58, meaning citizens attained, with distinction. The scoring is weird. You get one point for every election you voted in over the last 10 years. Georgia’s tradition of runoff elections got PG 5 extra points. 6 of the 9 Supremes were named correctly. The “civic text” question, and the “references” question, were passed without a hitch. It is good to know that Rosie the Riveter was not a 1984 Ronald Reagan campaign ad.
Pictures are from The Library of Congress.
Two Hundred Yards Behind
In 1985, PG went to work for Shaky Blueprints. The real name was a Japanese word that nobody knew how to spell. Two of the previous hires were an athletic young lady, and a fat man. Until better nicknames arrive, we will call them AYL and FM for this story.
AYL was trying to get FM to go jogging with her after work. This was an ongoing conversation, with FM always turning her down. One afternoon, PG wore an old pair of jogging shoes to work, and said that he would go running with AYL.
Shaky was just off highway 400, in what is now part of Sandy Springs. There was a road leading away from it. The road went over the highway, and went in a wooded semi circle for a couple of miles. The plan was to go on this loop, and take sidewalks on Roswell Road back to Shaky.
At one time, PG went running every day. He was out of the habit by this time, and always a slow runner. When the work day was over, PG tied his glasses on with a rubber band, did a few stretches, and was ready to take on the course.
AYL and PG left the parking lot, and started up the road. PG trudged along with his head down. When he got to the bridge over the highway, PG looked up. AYL had taken off like greased lightning, and was already two hundred yards ahead. PG hollered for her to slow down, and finished the course.
Pictures by “The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.
101 Ways To Say Death Part Two
In 2008, a blogger started a series, 101 Ways to Say “Died”. It focused on epitaphs from New England cemeteries. Most of the headstones used were carved before 1825. The series has gone past 101, and is up to 118 now. If you look at the site, you see links to the individual parts. That is the number before the epitaph. Some have been skipped. The VPI site has photographs of many of the headstones used here. HT to Twenty Two Words. Pictures by Chamblee54. Part one has been published.
31 Martha H. Locke Passed to the Summer Land Sept. 13, 1817 Et. 31 yrs —- is no death[?]
32By the Church of Christ in Chelmsford. In Testimony of their Esteem and Veneration this sepulchral Stone was erected, to stand as a sacred Memorial of their late worthy Pastor, the Reverend Ebenezer Bridge, who after having officiated among them, in the Service of the Sanctuary, for more than a year above half a Century, the Strength of Nature being exhausted sunk under the Burden of Age, and joined the Congregation of the Dead, Oct. 1 1792. Age, 78 yrs.
33In Memory of HULDAH Wife of STEPHEN TILTON, who exchanged Worlds, Augst 29th 1793; in the 26th year of her age. Also MARY, her Infant, who died Sept. 14th 1793, aged 8 Months. Ye Angels guard this sleeping Clay, Till comes the great decisive day; When in their SAVIOUR’S Image drest, They’ll wake to be completely blest.
34 Here darkness dwells — Fit contemplation for proud human thought. Under this mournful Stone lie the remains of ANNA, Wife of TIMOTHY PALMER who changed this mortal life for that of immortality on the 21st of JULY AD 1786. In the 32d Year of her age. O the soft commerce! O the tender ties, Close twisted with the Fibres of the Heart! Which broken, break them; and drain off the soul Of human joy; and make it pain to live — And is it then to live? When such Friends part, Tis the Survivor dies — my Heart! no more!
35 Sacred to the Memory of Mrs. MERCY TAPPAN the mournfull but resign’d relict of Mr. RICHARD TAPPAN who sleeps in dust beside her to Religion she was an ornament to the neglect of it a Reproof. After a long confinement by a languishing disease which yet could never draw her to a discontented moan nor quench the ardor of incessant prayer, Her SAVIOUR whisper’d rise and come away and at the welcome sound her longing spirit sprung with joyfull assurance from the eager arms of lov’d and loving friends to the far more lov’d and loving arms of her LORD On the 17th of May 1790 AEt 80.
38SACRED to the Memory of Mr. Ralph Cross Who served God & the Presbyterian Church as a ruling Eder in this town more than XI years being a faithfull reprover of vice both in public and private Finish’d a Life of Examplary Piety in a well Grounded hope of eternal glory Janr. the 4th 1788 in the 82nd year of his Age.
39 Sacred to the Memory of Mrs. MARY McHARD the virtuous & amiable Consort of CAPt. WILLIAM McHARD of NewburyPort who amidst the laudable exertions of a very useful & desireable Life in which her Christian Profession was well adorned and a fair copy of every social vir- tue displayed was in a state of health suddenly summoned to the Skies and snatched from ye eager embraces of her friends (and the throbbing hearts of her disconso- late family confessed their fairest prospects of sublunary bliss were in one moment dashed) by swal- lowing a pea at her own table, whence in a few hours she sweetly breathed her Soul away into her SAVIOUR’S arms on the 8th day of March A.D. 1780 AEtatis 47.
41 Sacred to the Memory of Mrs. Ann Cumings Consort of the Revd. Henry Cumings Who quitted this Stage of Mortality and passed into the world of Spirits Jan 5, 1784 in ye 45th Year of her Age supported by lively Hopes of ent’ring into the Joys of her Lord. My flesh shall slumber in the ground Til the last trumpet’s joyful sound, Then burst the grave, with sweet surprize, And in my Saviour’s image rise. Cease then my friends to mourn, Bid earth adieu, Loosen from hence the grasp of fond desire, Weigh anchor and some happier clime explore.
42 Here lie interred Mrs. Lydia Beadle Age 32 Years Ansell Lothrop Elizabeth Lydia & Mary Beadle her Children: the eldest aged 11 and the youngest 6 years Who on the morning of the 11th day of Decr AD 1782 Fell by the hands of William Beadle an infatuated Man who closed the horrid sacrifice of his Wife & Children with his own destruction. Pale round their grassy tombs bedew’s with tears, Flit the thin forms of sorrow and of fears; Soft sighs responsive swell to plaintive chords, And Indignations half unsheath their swords.
43 In Memory of MARGARETT CUMINGS Consort to the Revd. HENRY CUMINGS who expired in the faith of Christ June 2d. 1790 In the 54th Year Of Her age This corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality.
44 Here lies the Body of the amiable ELIZABETH Wife of Mr. STEPHEN PAINE and Daughter of NATHL. FEALS Esq. of Bristol who ended all her Cares in quiet Death January 17th A.D. 1777 In the 23d. Year of her Age.
45 In Memory of Miss AMEY SESSIONS, the amiable daughter of the Hon. Darius Sessions & Sarah his wife; who though suddenly called, met her dissolution with great composure, yeilding up her spirit into the hands of her Creator in full confidence of His power and mercy, on the 22d. day of Oct. 1829, in the 60th year of her age.
46 In this Silent Mansion are deposited the Remains of JEREMIAH KNOWLES Youngest Son of Edward and Molly Knowles, who clos’d this Earthly scene on the 22 of Jany, 1810, in the 35th Year of his Age. Such was the Virtuous Life, of this beloved Youth, that his final hour sweet peace and Heavenly hope, Devinely beam’d on his Exalted Soul. Could greatful love recall the fleeting breath, Or fond affection sooth relentless Death, Then had this stone never Claimed a tear, Nor read to thoughtless man a lesson here.
48 Here lies ye Body of Sarah Antram, Daughter of Major Thomas Fenner & Wife of William Antram; by whom he had 7 Children 4 of which surviv’d her, & rise up & bless her Memory. Proverbs, Chap. 31, Verse 23 28. She was a Careful Loving Mother; A Desirable Neighbour; And a Prudent Wife. She rested from ye Pains & Sorrows of this Life April 17th 1736, in ye 39th Year of her Age. He hath destroyed me on every side, & I am gone: & mine Hope hath he removed like a Tree. Job Chap 19, Verse 10.
49 IN MEMORY of Silvanus Son of Stephen Hopkins Esqr & Sarah his Wife, Was Cast away on Cape Breton Shore & inhumanly Murdered by Cruel Savages on the 23 of April 1753. aged 18 Years 5 Months and 23 Days. Think not by this, My Grave is Shown Hard Fate Decreed, I should have none.
50 Here lies Interred the Body of SAMUEL PACKARD Junr. Son of Capt. Samuel Packard, and Abigail his Wife: Suddenly snatch’d by the hand of his Heavenly Parent, from the evil of this transitory life, He on Feby. 25th A.D. 1799 entered the regions of immortal felicity, Aged 1 Year, 5 Months & 17 Days. Beneath a sleeping Infant lies, To earth his body’s lent; More glorious he’ll hereafter be, Though not more innocent. When the Arch-angel’s trumpet shall blow And souls to bodies Join, Millions will wish their lives below Had been as short as thine.
51 ALLEN WARDWELL son of Mr. Peleg Pitman & Mary his wife; who lost his life by a fall from a tree April 13th 1799, in the 11th Year of his age.
While on the tree The summons came And call’d me to my GOD.
52 In Memory of Mr. Obediah Brown Junr. who fell bravely fighting for the Liberties of his Country on Rhode-Island, Aug. 29th, 1778 in the 26th Year of his Age.
53 Sacred To the memory of Mr. SANDArS PITMAN Goldsmith, who finished a long and useful life on the 15th day of August, AD 1804 in the 74th year of his age. His works were useful standard weight & pure, But still his virtues were applauded more.
54 In Memory of Mr. EDWARD Son of Mr. EDWARD and Mrs. ELIZABETH ALLEN who by Missfortune was shot by a Negroe Soldier April the 10th 1781 in the 23d Year of his Age.
Labelism
Chamblee54 had a post recently about conservatives and liberals. A lot of people see things in those terms. There are other pigeon holes that people get stuffed into. Not only politics, but religion, fashion, and sexual activity are classified, usually by someone who disapproves. Maybe the true religion of our culture is Labelism.
A trip to google city had lots of results. The top result (possibly paid for) is a company called Labelism. You can create personalized labels, usually for an alcohol product. “Welcome to Labelism. The personalised Wine, Whisky, Champagne and Beer gift service where you become the designer & create your own label.”
The always helpful Urban Dictionary calls labelism “The act of judging people by the labels of their clothes. Here are a few examples of labelism: 1(in Abercrombie): I’m so classy. 2 (in Hollister): Me, too. 3 (in American Eagle): Don’t forget me. 1: We all rock! 4 (in Aeropostale): Hey, I’m classy, too! 1: You wish, you wannabe! 2: Yeah, Loser! 5 (in Wal-Mart clothes): I’m pretty classy myself. 1: Eww Get away! You’re poor! 2,3, and 4: Gross! White Trash! Nasty! 5: Whatever, you label whores!”
Ablogspot facility called Quadrilateral Thoughts gets a bit closer to the original concept of this post. “labelism: The tendency to skew diverse particular ideas, events, people, and so forth by grouping them under overly generalized labels in the service of argument.” A few examples are given. “All these statements are logically fallacious, even though they are the stuff of common rhetoric. They take diverse realities and oversimplify them because the human mind has difficulty processing complexity.”
A playground called Young Americans for Liberty comes out as an Anti-Labelist. “If we refuse to be objective in this way, but rather use smear terms and labels, then it is no surprise that more anti-labelites are produced. We become part of the problem rather than part of the solution.”
Labelism dot org is another take. “Labelism- There Must Be For There To Be/Create Create/ Leaving Assumption To The Act/Support Support/ Do Good To Be Good/ Look Passed Word Act-RE-Reality=Option/True”
This post was a good idea that turned out to be boring. The spell check suggestion for labelism is Isabella. Pictures are from The Library of Congress. This is a repost.
Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden is in the public eye now. He told some journalists about a sleazy government-business connection. The former model is being attacked in the media. Could this be the plan?
One of his sources, Glenn Greenwald said on CNN “One of his big concerns with coming out, really his only one, was that he knows political media loves to dramatize and personalize things, and he was concerned that the focus would distract away from the revelations of about what our government was doing on to him personally …. The other problem is that whenever there’s whistleblower, someone who dissents from our political institutions, the favorite tactic is to try to demonize him and highlight his alleged bad personality traits. ”
Lets assume for a minute that few people are surprised that the government is spying on them. Perhaps the plan was to get this information out, and do so in a way that the focus is on the whistleblower rather than the message. This could take several forms. Mr. Snowden could be on the payroll, and will spend a well paid life in exile. Or, Mr. Snowden might be sincere, but was egged on by government personnel who wanted to get this story out in the open.
It should be noted that Chamblee54 does not know what he is talking about. This is rank speculation. Pictures today are from Gwinnett County. Mr. Snowden will probably not spend time in this facility. The spell check suggestion for Snowden is Snowmen. This is similar to straw man.
Chamblee54 
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