This is really the readers' blog. Most of today's post comes from two frequent readers and posters.
Form DanaRae:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20075586-503544.html
From Pat:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/06/goodbye-oxford-comma-hello-shatner-comma.html
From Me:
http://news.yahoo.com/pond-insect-loudest-animal-earth-131427758.html
The Official Blog Dog, DR's Scamp.
Comment Away
QUOTES
Yesterday answer was Samuel Langhorne Clemens or Mark Twain. Today's quote. "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of men and women." He was born either in 1737 and died in 1809. He was an author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was also expelled from Congress. Do you have COMMON SENSE? Or do you know of THE AGE OF REASON? If you follow those close you can answer the question, Who said today's quote?
8 comments:
As usual, a lot of good reads...crazy as we all seem to have the same access to the internet yet I get more news/info when I read your blog! :)
And thanks for the doggie pics....I love this litte guy!
I wonder how much being a millionaire affects thinking. It certainly would give you a sense of security, though as I look around at the costs of medical care and just old age in general, I'd have to say that a million bucks ain't what it used to be. However, we're not talking about a single million here, like some people who may have just broken the barrier back when their houses were worth money. That's a different animal altogether.
Generally, the way congresscritters can manage to make money while supposedly serving our best interests is just criminal.
We desperately need campaign reform! Desperately.
I got a kick out of the "Shatner Comma" article, and if we're voting, I'll come down on the side of keeping the Oxford Comma.
Fun story about the little water boatman insect. I'd have voted for the cricket that occasionally takes up residence right outside my bedroom window.
Excellent choice of official blog dog. {g}
Pat, great article on the comma. I vote for keeping the Oxford, with qualifications (g). If the end of the list is obvious, I delete the final comma. In the example given, it must be kept for clarity. Commas are the bane of most writers, especially when it comes to parenthetical phrases.
Bill, I was surprised at the water beetle sound story. I'd have said it was whatever beetle resides in the trees surrounding our house and can set up a night time cacophony that has you shouting, if you're outside.
Thanks for posting the Scamper pix. She's up to a whopping 5# and is a bit longer and also lighter than in the picture with the rug. And, yes, she's often possessed by the devil (g).
Pat, I think being a millionaire has a definite affect on the thinking of those with the money. IF you've never worried about paying the rent or buying groceries or getting your kids school clothes or being out of work, how do you relate to the thinking and feeling of those who do? If you've never been unable to provide a medical procedure or treatment for a parent, child or spouse, because you have no money and no insurance, how do you understand the feelings of those who've been in that position.
If you have no need to return home and get to work to support your family, what incentive is there to write readable bills, shepherd them through committee, negotiate with others for practical means of passage and go home? Most important, if you're supported by special interests and wealthy friends, who expect something in return for the money they've poured into your coffers, what incentive do you have to do what's best for the majority of the people you (supposedly) represent, if it may cost those supporters a hit in the pocket?
Like you, I think we desperately need campaign reform, followed by reforms in the compensation and benefits package, much like those in the fabricated 23rd amendment. Pity the latter isn't for real.
Hi Dona
Always nice to see you here. And thanks for the nice compliment!
Bill
Hi Pat
I think the thinking of the millionaires is pretty skewed and they haven't got a clue how the majority of struggle to make ends meet. The example that comes to mind is when the first Bush went grocery shopping and didn't know what a scanner was. How can someone that hasn't been inside a grocery store for years now the price of bread? I agree with you that those in Congress should be required to give their speaking fees back the government as long as they are employed by it. And we do need campaign reform.
I also got a kick out of the comma article. I will also keep the Oxford comma.
I guess we don't have crickets where I live because I never hear them!
Bill
Hi DR
Pat and you made yesterday's post easy.
I wonder if the semi-colon isn't as problematic as the comma.
I was also surprised at the lout bug. It bugges me a little. I guess I am the lucky one because no loud bugs reside near my home!
Scamper is a beautiful dog and has a pretty face. We need a dog with the devil in it since the devil is in me once in a while
Bill
Hi DR
We are on the same page with the millionaires and their thinking.
That makes three of us that think we need campaign reform.
Bill
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