Speaking of whom, Dearest sent this along tonight. The ancients used honey to preserve bodies because of honey's antibacterial properties--a sometime nuisance for we mead-makers. (Actually, there's a schadenfreudish, possibly apocryphal, story about a couple tomb-robbers getting their comeuppance that way--but that's another tale for another time...) But apparently the observations of the ancients are taking up the slack for the shortcomings of modern antibiotics.
Actually, I've since forgotten where I found this piece of spot-on defiance in the face of egregious fear-mongering. The FDR and Churchill bit darned near had me cleaning off my monitor screen, 'cuz it caught me so out of left-field. I sooooo wish I knew enough about this dude to look him up. He could knock back pints on my tab all night.
I nabbed the following off Slate.com. It Just Says It All, doesn't it? Sad thing, is, this was published slightly before the Ninnyhammer Sissypants Wing of the Democratic Party wedged dynamite in the cracks of the trunk and pushed the plunger:
But stepping away from politics... It's a good thing that I don't believe in St. Peter--well, not the "Saint" part, anyway--because I certainly wouldn't want his job when Bill Gates rings the doorbell of the Pearly Gates. I have a mixed admiration for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and this just adds to the "mixed" part of it. It's part of what I call the "Marshal Petain" conundrum, namely the illusion that by staying on the inside, you can offset the negative effects of your collaboration by mitigating what would otherwise have been a much harsher situation. I hope to never have to make Petain's decision.And, in the "News of the Wierd" category: Disciplinary protocol for Thai police officers apparently now involves a day of wearing pink "Hello Kitty" armbands, which--despite a few quasi-feminist scruples--I have to applaud as highly efficient creativity. Understand that this is not about police officers in particular. I've actually had many positive experiences with the constabulary of my state. One of them gave me a lift to the auto shop (and hung around while the tow truck was called). Another even changed my tire in a bitter, windy November night. My applause stems more the fact that the people in question could keep working...and were not likely to fall down on their duties in the near future. Rather like Harvey McKay's description of the black armbands at the "stand-up strike" of disgruntled Japanese corporate workers. If we could concoct similar sanctions for the cowboy coders who have made my work life particularly annoying these past few weeks, it would be well...
