Chamblee54

There is talk that 2011 is another 1848. There are uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, so far. In 1848, there were revolts all over Europe. There is a lot of history written about 1848.
There are a few other events of 1848 that would affect the world. The Communist Manifesto was published. The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed, ending the Mexican War. This was very convenient, since nine days before that, gold was found at Sutter’s Mill in California.
Today, a homegrown rebellion is underway in Wisconsin. On May 29, 1848, Wisconsin was the 30th state admitted to the United States. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.

There is a bit of creativity floating around called “The native american code of ethics”. If you google that phrase, there are 329k ways to read this list, many suitable for framing. PG is not opposed to people sharing nuggets of wisdom, but is just a touch skeptical of this latest development.
The version of NACE cited above says the list was originally published in the October 1994 edition of Intertribal Times. A google search of the site shows no trace of the NACE. However, it does show a recent article, about an effort in the Montana legislature to adopt the cowboy “Code of the west” as an official state creed.
The legal effort is a bit of Republican showboating, and is likely to be vetoed if it gets passed. Contrary to initial reports, the code does not contain the phrase “The only good Indian is a dead Indian”. The code does say ““Ride for the brand,” “Talk less and say more” ,“Always finish what you start ”,“Live each day with courage,” “Take pride in your work,” “Do what has to be done,” “Be tough but fair,” “When you make a promise, keep it,” “Remember that some things aren’t for sale,” and “Know where to draw the line.”
Getting back to NACE, there are some good ideas there, but why are they specific to Native Americans? When the Europeans conquered the Americas, there were hundreds of individual tribes. Many of these had little in common with each other. While some may have agreed with some of these rules, it is doubtful that all agreed with all. That does not even consider the issue of whether they practiced these ideals, especially in times of war and hardship.
Item 5 of this list says “Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. If it was not earned or given, it is not yours.” Even if the NACE is the real deal, what right do non native Americans have to print pretty posters of it?
The different peoples of North America have long been “the other”. During the 19th century, the Northeast quadrant of the United States gained hegemony over the country, first in the War Between The States, and later during the “Indian Wars” of the west. The mostly European population did not respect people different from them. Today, this is seen with embarrassment, and the “Native American” is seen as a mythical Mr. Natural. This view is probably just as unreal as the Indians killing cowboys in the movies. ( Native American is a phrase coined by non native Americans.)
The “otherness” of the original americans continues today. Many of the poor people from Mexico that come to the United States are original americans. Maybe the name of this list should be “Illegal Alien Code Of Ethics”. Pictures for this entertainment are from The Library of Congress

1. Rise with the Sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.//
2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.//3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.// 4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.//5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. If it was not earned or given, it is not yours.//6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth – whether it be people or plant.// 7. Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.// 8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.//9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.//10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.// 11. Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family.//12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life’s lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.//
13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.//14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of one’s will.// 15. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self – all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.//16. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.// 17. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others – especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.// 18. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.//19. Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.//20. Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity.

This is a double repost. These items were originally posted at this time in 2009. The ideas expressed are still true. The pictures are from The Library of Congress.
As the corporate news mongers dutifully reported, the Attorney General, Eric Holder, made a speech this week. Transgriot has the transcript. If you read it, you probably have too much free time.
Mr. Holder knows how to work the media machine. The money quote… Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been … essentially a nation of cowards…. is in the second paragraph. No point in making the reporters miss a deadline to get the juicy goods.
PG does not deny that there are racial problems in America. He does tend to see things from a white point of view. When it is us against them, you need to remember which one you are.
It is often said that white people and black people need to talk to each other more. This ignores the increasing number of mixed race people, hispanics, and other groups of peoples that live between Canada and Mexico. The mixed race couples, and resulting children, are going to be a larger factor as the years wind along, and do not fall neatly into the categories of black and white.
White people and black people need to talk to each other more. PG has two more comments on this, and he will let the readers go. Short attention span is reality. The key word here is talk. This is not the same as yell. Many people seem to think that the louder they talk, the more truth their words have. This is seldom the case. When you talk to each other, it is very helpful to show respect for the other person. You don’t have to shout!
The other comment also centers on the word talk. White people and black people DO NOT need to talk to each other more. They need to LISTEN more.

One thing about the internet in the link. Double click on a link, and you are there. ( Many prefer to right click, and open in another tab.)
If you want to show someone where you got your information, it is very, very easy to insert a link. This also allows your reader to find out more about the subject, or maybe check out the context of some comments that you quoted.
This is one way where online discourse is different from other media. On TV, you only see what the editor wants you to see, and have to take their word. In print media, the same is true, except in academic journals where footnotes are used.
If you submit a paper in school, you best show where you got your information. Plagiarism is serious business. This is also an issue on the internet.
You would think that using links to show your information would be universal. It is so easy, and gives what you say credibility. An exception to this might be when someone says something questionable. If you ask for a link, you can expect to be insulted. This indicates  that the statement  is not accurate.
The internet is in a wild west phase. You can say almost anything you like, and hope that people believe you. It is in your best interest to help them by showing where you got your information.

When you answer the phone, many people say “hello”. ( “How may I direct your call” is an obscenity.) There are many versions of how this custom started. The rumor that hello is a polite version of hell no is unsubstantiated.
NPR published a story on hello the other day. The term is an English version of a German word, and was first published in 1827. Wikipedia notes an 1833 story, “The Sketches and Eccentricities of Col. David Crockett, of West Tennessee”). At first, it was used as a mild oath, as in , “Hello, get out of my woodpile before I hurt you”.
In the late 19th century, the invention of the telephone changed things. Alexander Graham Bell recommended ahoy to answer the phone. Thomas Edison preferred hello. Early phone books had instructions on how to answer the phone, and they recommended saying hello. The greeting stuck.
At first, the suggested ending to a phone conversation was “That is all”. For some reason this did not catch on, with Good Bye, (and the wretched Bye Bye), becoming the preferred ending. Good Bye is a contraction of “G-d be with you”, and was considered, by some, to be inappropriate for use with the new device.
HT for this story goes to Andrew Sullivan . Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”.

There is a theory that messages are always going to be playing catch up to the medium that transmits them. Evidence of this is the concept of the internet quiz. The question for tonight is “what movie is the story of your life ?”. Google has 1.9 million results, with the ten on page one sufficient for this post. Pictures are from The Library of Congress
Gotoquiz is at the top of the heap. They have 12 multiple choice questions, like “11. What kind of bra do you wear? Push Up!!!//Normal//Sports//None”. The header ad is from Trans Union, offering to reveal your credit score. The answer was “Legally Blonde” “You will strive to get what you want. NOBODY can judge you based on your looks. YOu are independent and you can forget about any guy who tries to abuse you. (like the professor) You are a good friend and you definently know Prada.”
My Yearbook, a division of My Space, tweaks the formula a bit. The question here is “What Movie is the Love Story of Your Life?”. The header is an ad, featuring Jennifer Hudson, promoting Weight Watchers. After five multiple choice questions, you are invited to join My Yearbook. You click on some fine print to get around this, and find out that the movie of your love life is…”Casablanca”. “Your love is classic, like an old black and white movie. Though it is tried and true, some times–as we learn in this movie–it is just not meant to be. We have to make great sacrifices in our lives, especially for the ones we love. Some times life gets in the way of love. It’s tragic, but true. Nothing will ever replace the love you feel, so you must not be afraid to let go and move on. The love, like this classic movie, will always be there in your heart.”
Quizazz has six multiple choice questions. It advertises Trans Union and Doctors Foster and Smith bird supplies. To hear them tell it, PG’s life story is “Twilight””Your life is complicated at times but 2 people are fighting for your love you may just not know it.”
Quiztron thinks you want to buy an Xbox game called “Dance Central”. The answer page ad is Goodyear Tires, with a video of the Bonneville Salt Flats. PG answered ten multiple choice questions to find his life in celluloid…”Revenge of the Nerds”. “You’re not the coolest kid on the block, but does that mean you can’t take on the jocks? Watch this movie and find out your destiny.”
Quibblo takes another angle to this mystery. “What actress would play you in a story of your life?” ( Do males take internet quizzes?) This is a capitalist crowd here…”Because you aren’t a Quibblo member yet, we aren’t going to save this result for you, so make sure to grab it now! If you’d like us to save your results, please become a member.” The answer here is Alexis Bledel.”You are quirkey and beautiful. You are really smart and some might think you are a nerd. But you dont care at all, you couldnt care less about what people think. You have cute little habbits, and everone loves them. You are a very nice and generous person but some might not ever take the time to get to know you so they will never know that, there loss.”
Quizilla seems to promote anti drug programs instead of credit scores. That might account for this question…”You blow your nose. What might you expect to find on the kleenex? Umm… snot? //Nothing- I never get sniffles //Kleenex? What kleenex? I use my hand!// Blood. Lots and lots of blood. //I don’t look at the Kleenex afterward because I heard that that’s when the demons strike// Umm, like, boogers and stuff *giggle*// I have more important things to do than examine my kleenex! //The eraser I shoved up there last week” The movie of choice here is “Psycho”. If your life was a movie, it would be Psycho, a horror flick about a man who goes around killing random people. You’re probably a bit strange, and harbour a burning rage that you try to hide but that will someday explode and result in the deaths of several innocent people.”
Before you can start the quiz at LOLquiz , you get this disclaimer…”When you sign in, we’ll have you follow @lolquiz. You can always unfollow us. :)”. PG does not do twitter, but thinks this is a bit pushy. There are only 1,949,994 results left.
Quizfarm shifts to the semantic differential…a statement that you agree or disagree, mildly or strongly. Some of the statements are “7. You’d sell weed to get your friend out of jail//8. You dig driving around town and getting stoned //9. You like getting your dog high // 10. You let your undead friends crash at your place “// The flick of the hour is “Idle Hands””You got Idle Hands. You’re a pretty lazy person and your friends usually mean well, but they always seem to mess up. “

This is a rendering of Cat’s Cradle. Parts one, two, three, four, and five are previously published.
76 Julian Castle agrees with Newt that everything is meaningless Julian Castle now says that he was just talking to hear himself breathe when he said Jesus was his hero. He takes a painting by Newt Hoenikker, of a cat’s cradle, and throws it out the window. This was not pleasant for PG, who makes pictures. Some people do not like PG, and like to insult his “art work” as a way of getting back at PG. Maybe something you made isn’t the greatest image the world has ever seen, but you don’t have to throw it away.
77- aspirin and boku-maru Julian Castle tells John that almost everyone on the island is a Bokononer. The fact that it is illegal makes it more fun. This is a compelling reason why we should not make murder legal. It would not be as much fun.
78 ring of steel Bokonon and McCabe invented this new religion, because they could not do anything to help the poor people of the island. So, they made up a religion of lies to make them feel better. It was Bokonon’s idea to have the new religion be against the law. Maybe that is the problem with Jesus worship in america. We have this notion of separation of church and state, and religion is legalized. On San Lorenzo, church and state are intimately connected, in the same way that the government here runs the drug trade. Maybe this is what Karl Marx meant by opium of the people.
79-why McCabe’s souls grew coarse So they had this racket. Bokonon was the outlaw high priest, and McCabe was the mean gummint man who crusaded against him. Eventually, they believed their own propaganda and went insane. Not insane enough for McCabe to actually catch Bokonon. He had to have a bad guy to stay in power. This is similar to what the American government faced after the fall of the Soviet Union. They had no enemy, no reason to scare the people and spend tons of money on the military. When 911 fell out of the sky, “radical” Islam was the new enemy. So far, the war on terror has been much less satisfactory than the war on communism.
80 the waterfall strainers Angela Conners, and her brother Newt Hoenikker, like to drink. Angela gets upset about things, and finds solace in playing the clarinet. It turns out that her husband is a drunk who likes to chase women. When John says something about her happy marriage, Newt spreads his fingers and says, see the cat, see the cradle. Things are not always what they appear to be.
81-a white bride for the son of a pullman porter This is where Angela Conners plays clarinet, with a jazz record in the background. Jazz was in bad shape in 1959. It was the music of hipsters and junkies, and respectable white people were not into that. Or so some say, PG was five years old, and they didn’t play jazz records at the ayers dale kindergarten. This kindergarten was run in the basement of a house on Mabry Road in Brookhaven, and the boss lady was named Dot Ayers. When her son went to Oglethorpe University, Dot became the fanatical supporter of Oglethorpe athletics.
82-zah-mah-ki-bo Franklin Hoenikker wants to talk to John immediately, but won’t tell him why. Maybe this is a good time to talk about a website that PG saw a minute ago. FengShuiShopper . “My name is Marina Lighthouse, and I am a certified Feng Shui practitioner of the fourth stage “Black Sect Tantric Feng Shui.” My intention is to support you by helping to create good Feng Shui in your personal and professional life. Find the finest quality products that will guide you to authentic feng shui cures and bring harmony into your environment.”
83- Dr. Schlichter Von Koenigswald approaches the break even point The dictator of the island is dying, in great pain. More drugs would kill him, but fewer drugs will not make him well. Suicide and euthanasia are discussed, and it is mentioned that Mr. McCabe kicked his own bucket. It seems as though the doctor looking out for the dictator is an Austrian, Dr. Schlichter Von Koenigswald. Copy paste is a wonderful thing. The doctor worked for the German government in the war, as a population control specialist. He saves many lives in his work at the San Lorenzo hospital. It is estimated that, if he continues to work at he present pace, the number of lives he saves will be equal to the number of lives he took during the war. It is estimated the break even point will be in 3010.
84 blackout When the power fails in a modern area, the result is a blackout. Like so many sayings, this is the opposite of the truth. It should be black in, because that is where the darkness is.
85-a pack of foma Foma is another of those Vonnegutian concepts. When you google Foma, the first answer is Florida Osteopathic Medical Association. A few stops down is a blogspot facility called Live by the Foma. It has a quote by Bokonon at the top of the page. Foma is defined as a harmless untruth. There is also Mona Foma , an annual festival in Hobart, Tasmania,
86-two little jugs In the foma blogspot place, there was a photo quiz about the golden globes. It shows pictures of breasts, with glamorous dresses over them. ( Some were more covered than others.) The idea was the match the pulchritude to the actress that was behind the display.
87-the cut of my jib Frank Hoenikker wants John to be the president of San Lorenzo. John is not sure that he wants the job. Looking at the way people talk about BHO, it makes you wonder why anyone would want to be president of anything.
88-why Frank couldn’t be president Some people think that 8 is a lucky number. It is one more than seven, which is the lucky number in our culture. Eight is the infinity sign at ninety degrees. Eight is two times two times two. Eight the number sounds the same as ate, the past tense of eat. In 1988, George H.W.Bush chose Dan Quayle to be his Vice President. Sometimes eight is not so lucky.
89- duffle This is the last chapter of this rendering for tonight. When today started, this project was up to chapter 44, which is half of 88. Sometimes writing this is fun, but sometimes it is not. PG heard about a man who made pottery once. He only worked when he felt passion for what he was doing. When PG heard that, he thought, If I worked that way I would never finish anything.

PG was driving back from Alpharetta, and turned the radio on. Dennis Prager was on, and his guest was Conor Friedersdorf. PG has heard Mr. Friedersdorf on Bloggingheads, and even saw him drink from a beer bottle. This should prove interesting.
Mr. F recently posted an item where he said kind things about Mr. Prager. There had been an article about travel that Mr. F liked. ( A broken clock is accurate twice a day.) For some reason, Mr. F added this comment: “It’s nice to be reminded that I shouldn’t fall into the bad habit of disparaging the whole “talk radio right.” There are a few thoughtful voices in that grouping.”
The article praising Mr. Prager was not well recieved by all. PG was just barely paying attention. To him, the terms liberal, conservative, the right, and the left are misleading terms, used to divide and conquer. These terms are nothing to boast about, and should not be used as insults. Mr. Prager seems to disagree, and is proud of it.
Mr. Prager asked Mr. F why he thought conservative radio whiners are a bunch of poopy heads. After all, it is radio, and you cannot see if their lips are moving. Mr. F said something, and was quickly interrupted by Mr. Prager, who then went to a commercial break. This is another thing with talk radio…with the commercials, traffic monitors, and news breaks, the talkers seldom get to chatter for more than ten minutes. (Whether or not this is a problem is left to the individual.)
At one point, the subject was race. When you don’t have anything to say, talk about race. Mr. Prager asked if it was “the right” or “the left” that was making more of an issue about race. The next sentence, it was black people or white people…which one flogged the color donkey more? PG found this odd…which one of the four groups is the man talking about?
After yet another ad, this time for people who owe too much on their credit cards, Mr. Prager played an inflammatory quote by Mike Malloy. Where is something like this to be heard on conservative radio? PG supposes that two wrongs do make a right in talk radio land. Mr. F said something about Glenn Beck, or maybe it was Rush Limbaugh. Mr. Prager interrupted him before he finished.
It should be noted that this piece was finished without the aid of a transcript. It was something heard on the radio, while driving with the crazies on highway 400. While it gets the spirit of the broadcast, it is not an verbatim account. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress.

PG finished a book, Peachtree Street-Atlanta . The author is William Bailey Williford, and it was published by the University of Georgia Press in 1962. PG found this at the Chamblee library, and this is probably the best way to find this book today.
How this road got the name Peachtree is a good question. Most peaches grow south of the fall line. The story goes that there was a Creek Indian village called Standing Peachtree, located where Peachtree Creek runs into the Chattahoochee. During the war of 1812 Fort Peachtree was built on this site.
There was a trail that ran from Buckhead to an intersection with the Sandtown Trail, at what is now Five Points. A short distance south of this intersection was a settlement known as White Hall. For many years, Peachtree Street south of Five Points was known as Whitehall Road. At some point in the last thirty years, a decision was made to change Whitehall to Peachtree. It did not help the rundown condition of Whitehall Street.
In 1835 Governor Wilson Lumpkin decided that Georgia should build a Railroad that would be centered near the junction of Peachtree Trail and Sandtown Trail. The new town was named “Marthasville”, after the youngest daughter of the Governor. Martha Lumpkin is a resident of Oakland Cemetery today.
The village was soon renamed Atlanta, which was a feminine form of Atlantic. Houses, churches, and businesses were soon built on Peachtree Road. In 1856, Richard Peters built a flour mill. To insure a steady supply of firewood, he bought four hundred acres of land, for five dollars an acre. The land was between Eighth Street, North Avenue, Argonne Avenue, and Atlantic Drive.
Another pioneer citizen with a large landholding was George Washington (Wash) Collier. Mr. Collier bought 202 acres for $150 in 1847. The land was between West Peachtree, Fourteenth Street, Piedmont Road, Montgomery Ferry Road, and the Rhodes Center. Much of the land was used for the development of Ansley Park.

In 1854, Atlanta entertained, for the first time, a man who had been President. On May 2, Millard Fillmore arrived from Augusta on a private rail car.
There was some unpleasantness in 1864, which we will not concern ourselves with.
In 1866, there was a shocking murder. John Plaster was found dead, in an area known as “tight squeeze”. This was an area of shanties, at the present location of Crescent Avenue and Tenth Street. A hundred years later, this was near “the strip”, Atlanta’s hippie district, also called “Tight Squeeze”.
As the nineteenth century rolled along, many mansions were built on Peachtree Street. The road was paved, and streetcars ran up and down. Automobiles came, and came, and came. An expressway was built in the 1950’s, and quickly became obsolete. One by one, the mansions were torn down and replaced with businesses and churches.
The book was written in 1962, when the party was just getting started. The High Museum was known then as the Atlanta Art Association. In June of 1962, a plane full of prominent Atlanta residents crashed in Paris, killing all on board. As a memorial to those people, the Memorial Arts Center on Peachtree, at Fifteenth Street, was built.
Another phenomenon which is not explained by the book is the custom of naming everything here Peachtree. There are countless streets and institutions named for a fruit tree that likes warmer climates. Atlanta has a one street skyline, that stretches from Five Points to Peachtree Dunwoody Road, almost at the city limits. PG lives a quarter mile off Peachtree, in Dekalb County, and has no idea why Peachtree is a magic word.
Pictures are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library” and The Library of Congress. This is a repost. The book “Peachtree Street-Atlanta has been reissued by the UGA Press.

There is nothing like a Harlan Ellison foreword. The man has a warehouse of memories, and he can pull one or two out to add flavor to any situation. Most story collections have forewords.
There is a similar word, forehead, for the part of the face between the eyebrows and the hairline. Unless you are a werewolf, the skin is devoid of hair. PG;’s mom was a fine southern lady, who tried to use good english around her spawn. She did, however, refer to this body part as the “fard”. When PG saw forehead in print, he was puzzled.
Back to Mr. Ellison, or HJE, for Harlan Jay Ellison . (Spell check suggestions: HE, HIE, HOE, HUE) The foreword is to a book titled No Doors No Windows . The stories purport to tell crime and suspense stories. This is not the “speculative fiction” that HJE is famous for. And please, if you value your peace of mind, do not use the phrase “sci fi” around this writer.
Back in the day before PG was old enough to buy magazines, there were a number of magazines flogging crime stories. HJE was a two finger typing whore , writing whatever the market would buy. When “No Windows No Doors” was published in 1975, the glory days of crime magazines was over.
By 1983, the edition that PG owns was printed. It has a nifty computer generated cover drawing of a man breaking through a brick wall. The man is bare handed, and morphs into the wall below his navel.
PG has read other HJE collections, but has never bought one. This volume fell into his hands by accident. PG’s friend Uzi bought a chair, and recruited PG to help drag it inside. Before this happened, the old chair went into a van, so that it could go disappear. To make room for the old chair, some boxes had to be shifted around in the van. One of these boxes was a stack of books, once owned by Uzi’s late friend Lenny. PG looked over this box, and took a few books home.
NWND is the classic 4″x6″( actually 4 1/8″x6 7/8″) paperback, that fits in your back pocket. PG was working a temp job, that involved a lot of sitting and waiting. A back pocket book is an essential companion for a day like this.
The intro/foreword starts with a commentary about the insane artist. From Benito Mussolini to Hieronymus Bosch, they have channeled their nuttiness into entertainment. Next, HJE protests being stuck in the SciFi ghetto. Mind you, this was in 1975, before the advent of the speculation convention. HJE is reported to have gotten in a fistfight at Dragoncon a few years back. Maybe this commentary is another form of speculation.
1975 was before the creation of the word processor. Today, you click on a menu item and get a word count. The entry window for this blog provides the same service, whether you click or not. During the Nixon regime, it was a bit stickier. HJE set his margins just so, uses the proper font, and produced 250-300 words a page. ( The internet is just one long page, like the rolls of paper that Jack Kerouac used to type on. PG realizes that he never thinks of his blog posts in terms of pages.)
HJE guesstimates producing 260 words per typed page. The intro is 42 typed pages, 12k words, and occupies 30 pages of the book. On page 30, HJE lists some categories of story length. A short story is under 7.5k words. A novelette is 7.5k to 17.5k, and a novella is 17.5k – 40k. Only those works longer than 40k words get to be called novels.
And the mountain erodes. It would be a while longer before PG has to do anything, but he is tired of writing in this notebook. When you are used to typing in a machine, writing by hand is a drag. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress

Every year, the Georgia Lesterslature has a proposal to allow alcohol to be sold on Sunday. This year, like all previous years, it appears that this proposal will not be passed into law .The whining has begun. WAHHHH!!! I WANT MY KOBIR!!!
These crybabies seem to forget that their drug of choice is legal six days a week. You do not have to take a “drug screen” to prove that you have not had a beer in the last month. You cannot lose your home if the police find a bottle of wine in it. You don’t have to buy your poison from criminals, operating on street corners in bad neighborhoods.
There are legal drugs and illegal drugs. This has little to do with the harm done by these substances. It is a matter of who has the lobbyists to bribe the Legislators, to keep their monopoly on legal buzzes. Those who use legal drugs, like alcohol, are druggies with special privileges.
And now the alcohol druggies are screaming because they can’t cop their poison on Sunday! Awww, poor thing. It is not good enough that your addictive substance is legal, advertised on television, and encouraged by society. That is not good enough for you. Now, you want to “right” to purchase your deadly, addictive drug on Sunday.
Alcohol is addictive. If you drink too much it can kill you. If you drink too much and try to drive, you can kill others. And yet, it is legal, and substances like marijuana are illegal. This is despite the fact that marijuana is much less harmful that alcohol.
The laws against marijuana are the root of the erosion of rights in this country. The laws against marijuana are super laws. You can lose your drivers license if you are caught with marijuana. You can lose your car or home. When you try to get a job, you are required to take a “drug screen” that indicates you have not smoked pot in the last month. None of these super laws apply to alcohol, despite the fact that alcohol is an addictive hard drug.
Buy your hooch on Saturday, or wait until Monday. Be happy that your drug of choice is legal. Pictures today are from ” The Special Collections and Archives,Georgia State University Library”

This is a rendering of Cat’s Cradle. Parts one, two, three, and four are previously published. Pictures of C.S.A. soldiers are from The Library of Congress.
61-what a corporal is worth The currency on San Lorenzo is denominated in corporals. Given the state of the economy, this might be a form of corporal punishment. We learn in this chapter that Bokonism is illegal in San Lorenzo, and that practitioners of the cult may find themselves impaled on the hook. This is the method of capital punishment here, to have the victim pierced by a large fishing hook. They do not shoot the victims up with sedatives, purchased from sleazy British companies, before performing this procedure.
62- why Hazel wasn’t scared The wife of the bigot was named Hazel. She was not scared when she got off the plane, because San Lorenzo was a Christian country. This would not reassure PG. This story is set in 1959, when PG started Kindergarten. He went to a big church downtown and sang in the cherub choir. This was a big deal at this church, where the choir program started at two and a half.
63- reverent and free In this chapter, three people…the dictator of the island, Franklin Hoenikker, and his fiancee…get off a plane. This is the problem with a lot of short chapters, sometimes there is not a lot of action. That has long been a problem in media happy America, where the amount of time to fill far exceeds the amount of news. On November 24, 1963, all three networks reported on Lee Oswald being moved from one jail to another. They had been on the air since Friday, when the President was killed, and they needed to justify that time investment. So, they had the accused killer being moved to another jail. All of a sudden, a man burst in front of the crowd and shot Mr. Oswald. PG and his father were coming home from church, and just missed the first on camera murder in TV history.
64-peace and plenty The most beautiful woman on the island is Mona. She is the adopted daughter of the dictator, and the fiancee of Franklin Hoenikker. She was in the ad magazine that John saw about San Lorenzo, and John is infatuated with her. The book is now half over.
65 a good time to come to San Lorenzo PG went looking for a video of “Mona” by Quicksilver Messenger Service. He found a live version, with a film of the band, but the sound was awful. Another had better sound, but a tiresome light show for the visual part. And so it goes…hey, this thing is channelling Vonnegut, you have to say that every once in a while. So, the suggested next song was something by the Jeffeson Airplane called Airplanes. It was horrible!! Those guys should retire, go somewhere and snort their royalties. Fortunately, the youtube search engine can find anything you want to listen to. So, the original Jefferson Starship, Blows against the empire, which PG hasn’t heard in years. Even if the visual is a static picture of the album cover, the music is as great as ever.
66 the strongest thing there is While PG was rhapsodizing the glory of Grace Slick…talk about low standards…the dictator of San Lorenzo collapsed during a military ceremony. People were horrified, except for Mona. She rubbed her foot with the pilot, in a forbidden Bokonon ritual.
67 hy-u-o-ook-kuh! Lowe and Hazel Crosby are the republicans on this ill fated trip to San Lorenzo. They ask the cab driver who Bokonon is. The cab driver wants to stay alive, so he recites his lines carefully…Bokonon is a bad, bad man. The driver is probably a Bokononer in his spare time. Or maybe that is Bokononi, or Bokononer. The latter would account for the population problem on the island.
68-hoon-vera mora-toorz The other legend of San Lorenzo is the Hundred Martyrs to Democracy. It seems that after Pearl Harbor, San Lorenzo decided to join the war as an ally of the United States. One hundred men were drafted for service, and put on a boat the United States. The boat was sunk by a German submarine.
69- a big mosaic The Crosby’s and John check into a beautiful hotel. They are the first people to stay there. A man, with a smart mouth, is creating a mosaic in the lobby of this hotel. The mosaicist is the owner of the hotel, Philip Castle. His grandfather started a sugar company on this island. His father started a hospital, after he gave up being a playboy. Phillip Castle has a negative attitude, is a possible communist, but he owns the hotel.
70-tutored by Bokonon Dear Beloved one, I am Mrs. Oliva Baker an aging widow suffering from long time illness. I have some funds I inherited from my late husband, the sum of US$8,400,000.00 and I needed a very honest and God fearing Christian that will use the fund for God’s work, I found your email address from the internet and decided to contact you. Please if you would be able to use the funds for the Lord’s work, kindly reply for further details.Yours in the Lord, Mrs. Oliva Baker
71-the happiness of being an american H. Lowe Crosby is offended by Philip Castle. He calls him a pissant, which seems to be his favorite insult. (spell check suggestion :croissant) It is a low blow. Mr. Crosby complains about Mr.Castle to the desk clerk at the hotel. The desk clerk tells Mr.Crosby that Mr. Castle owns the hotel.
72- the pissant Hilton This has nothing to do with Paris Hilton. She was minus 25 years old when the story is set. It does describe an activity that Miss Hilton might find amusing, and that the authorities found illegal on San Lorenzo. Two hotel employees were sitting down with their bare feet touching each other. This was punishable by death, which made it that much more exciting. This is also considered a dire insult in the Arab world. Customs can be confusing.
73-black death So Mr. Castle, whose name is temporarily forgotten, came to San Lorenzo and built a hospital. Soon after that, a ship wrecked nearby, and a shipload of rats came ashore. The rats brought bubonic plague, which the hospital was helpless to treat. Finally, Mr. Castle started to giggle. They will welcome us as liberators.
74-cats cradle This is the title of the book. On August 6, 1945, Felix Hoenikker came out of his office, and put on a show for his youngest son, Newton. He took a string, wrapped it around his fingers, and called it a cat’s cradle. Newt ran off crying, and appears to have been traumatized. Of course, his trauma was nothing compared to the children of Hiroshima, but we won’t worry about that. Apparently, some kid, or some adult, somehow somewhere saw a cat in a cradle, where most people saw only a bunch of strings. This compares to other parts of culture, that some people get and others don’t. PG is reminded of the hysterical reaction of Jesus worshipers to talk about life after death. Supposedly, Jesus rose from the dead after a day and a half. If you believe this, you go to heaven. If you don’t believe this, you go to hell. PG has a tough time going from point a to point b. It doesn’t help when Jesus worshipers scream. It is the cat in the cradle.
75- give my regards to Albert Schweitzer The first name of Philip Castle’s father is Julian. He is not an admirer of Albert Schweitzer, even if he tried to do the same hospital building thing. The hero of Julian Castle is Jesus Christ. Those two words are commonly used together, as though Christ was the last name of Jesus. In fact, Christ is a title, given to the messiah. Some cultures believe in prophecies which predict the appearance of this messiah.. PG is not convinced that Jesus is the Christ.