Little girl lost…

A child who died about 145 years ago has  been found  beneath the concrete floor of a San Francisco homeowner’s garage.   The home is situated on what was once the Odd Fellows Cemetery,  and her grave was apparently overlooked when the rest were moved.

Thanks to the Garden of Innocence and kind donors from all over,  this little girl will now have a  new final  resting place.

Memorial Day 2016…

Vandals have been busy this weekend,  at  Petersburg National  Battlefield,  the  Vietnam War   Memorial in Venice,  a  Purple Heart plant bed,  in Anniston, Alabama,  and  in Henderson  where they have caught the culprit.   The Chicago Tribune ran an ad luring subscribers,   but  featuring the  U.S. flag backwards.

On the other side,  we have U.S. Army Rangers in Afghanistan  singing for us,  Steve  McCann giving  thanks, and officers aboard the U.S.S. Bataan saluting the  new greatest generation.   These  four veterans  serve in Congress,  and we are lucky to have them.   When they talk about war,  everyone should listen attentively.   Some families have made stupendous sacrifices for  their country through the years.

Valerie Strauss educates us on  the difference  between Veterans’ Day and Memorial Day.   Walt Whitman wrote about  the reasons  for this day many years ago.   Considering how poorly  people did  on Jesse Watter’s quiz,  many of us could use the information,  since schools apparently don’t teach such politically incorrect nonsense any more.

A tiny community in Illinois has given Civil War soldiers their identities back by  obtaining new  headstones for their graves.   My ancestors were mostly on the opposite side,  but all who served deserve honor and remembrance.

James Roberts sees this Memorial Day  as different  from others.   The rather poisonous atmosphere may be different,   but the occasion is the same for me.   How did you celebrate?   Are you at the lake or beach in party mode,  or have you  spared a thought  for the meaning of the day during the festivities?   Did you buy  your flags  yet,  or are you waiting for Flag Day or July 4th?

James Pinkerton offers a  lovely tribute  to Arlington,  calling it his church.   End with Pres. Ronald Reagan’s  inspiring words,  rendered by the Hillsdale College choir.

 

 

 

 

 

Flags In at Arlington…

Flags In  is the annual tradition of the old Guard in setting flags at the graves at Arlington National Cemetery.   Every available soldier in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment participates in the event,  which began in 1948, and in four hours,  every single headstone — more than 228,000 —  and the rows at the Columbarium Courts and Niche Wall receives a small American flag.   A three-star general receives the same exact size flag that a corporal does.

I have been to Arlington around Memorial Day,  and been privileged to see the last hour of Flags In.   There is something profoundly moving about the phalanx of soldiers carrying backpacks stuffed with flags, moving quickly,  but without obvious haste,  to efficiently plant the flags,  occasionally pausing a few seconds to honor a fallen comrade or relative.  It is absolutely egalitarian,  and so palpably American,  made more so because it takes place on land once owned by General  Robert E. Lee.   It is fitting that military veterans lie in peace on this land.   There are also some  very famous  people resting there.

 

 

Sugar daddies…

Back in the Dark Ages when I was in college,  I knew several students who had  sugar daddies   who enabled them to drive nice cars,  live off-campus, eat out often,  and not worry about tuition.   Only one of them was upfront about why she was doing it.   She was very clear about her goals and what she was providing in exchange for the money and gifts she received.   The others hedged everything,  and none of their families had the slightest notion of what their little darlings were doing to afford their college lifestyles.

I and many of my friends earned at least some of our own keep,  but not by sleeping with anyone.   I happened to land some tutoring jobs,  and some typing work,  because computers were rare then,  and an efficient, accurate typist could always find work in an academic setting.   It certainly never occurred to me to trade sex for money.   My apartment was far from fancy,  but it had the basics and my roommate and I kept it clean.   The only amenity I cared about was a secure lock on the door.   I wasn’t above picking up aluminum cans along the roadways to make a few extra bucks when needed.   I did have an professor offer me an A for sex,  which I declined,  preferring to show up for class and earn my B the hard way.

I can’t help but wonder what will happen to these young women when they get out into the real world.   I suspect most of them will spend the rest of their lives with a series of sugar daddies,  and like themselves less and less as a result.

 

 

Sears doing what?

I do not understand this.   Why would  Sears sell  its three best-known brands?   It seems to me that if you wanted to grow the Kenmore,  Craftsman, and Diehard brands,  you would consider dumping other items or lines which are less well-known and less profitable,  with less growth potential.   I fear a long-time icon is disappearing into the dustbin of history.

 

 

 

Education at any cost…

Would you send your child to school if he had  to negotiate  an 800 foot high cliff coming and going?   These Chinese parents do.   Life is still considered cheap in China,  at least for the peasants and the impoverished,  but the trek is considered so dangerous that these children board at the school and return home only twice a month.

Would the government have considered doing anything about the situation if the photographs were not online?   Probably not.   Communism is government by force which need not consider the sensibilities of those who suffer under it.   Of course,  that disregard for human life is one reason Chinese medicine advanced so rapidly.   They had plenty of subjects to use as guinea pigs,  and they kept detailed records of their studies.

UPDATE:  My bad  —  the cliff is 800 meters,  not feet,  meaning it’s more than 2,500 feet.   If there is any good news,  it’s that authorities are considering replacing the  bamboo ladders  with steel stairs.

 

 

Salt police…

This is proof  that New York City is run by tyrannical lunatics.    Mayor de Blasio,  under investigation for corruption,  is very proud that his government can enforce the high-salt fines against restaurants while the regulation is under appeal in the court system.  Are you aware that only about ten percent of the population is actually sensitive to sodium,  and that there is a blood test which will reveal if an individual is one of them?

Do you know that humans need some level of sodium to live?  Did you learn in school that salt was so valued in ancient times that Roman soldiers were paid in the prized mineral, and that’s where we get the term “salary” from?

If you are otherwise healthy,  if you eat a lot of salt one day,  you will naturally drink more fluid,  which will help your kidneys excrete the excess sodium.   The human body works pretty darned well,  particularly when it’s free of modern drugs.

Meanwhile,  His Honor thinks people shouldn’t be punished for using public streets as bathrooms.   The progressive mind is a thing of wonder…

Kurdish pop star…

…is literally putting  her life  on the line to sing.   In the process,  Helly Luv makes Western pop icons look like complete wimps,  don’t you think?

Strange laws…

If you think your state has some weird laws,  you’re correct,  but so does every other state.  This is a selective sample of  the strangest  from across the nation.

Heat beaters…

If you’re already tired of the heat with summer barely here,  peruse this  list of places  that keep their cool even in the warmest season of the year.