It's 5 o'clock somewhere

Don't intend to stumble anyone by broaching this subject before 1700hrs on a Friday, but...

An old school chum asked about the etymology of the word "cocktail" on Facebook today.

Seems apropos of this day that is both Friday and the day when another worthy Nobel Peace prize winner was announced. A man who some might think of a as a bit Peacock.

Cocktail. Peacock. Get it? oh well...

Is it fair to compare him to a peacock? Being that peacocks are the ultimate narcissists? Oh well, sometimes you just have to

Back to the subject at hand...

From the May 13, 1806, edition of the Balance and Columbian Repository:

“Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters — it is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent ... Read Moreelectioneering potion, inasmuch as it renders the heart stout and bold, at the same time that it fuddles the head. It is said, also to be of great use to a Democratic candidate: because a person, having swallowed a glass of it, is ready to swallow anything else.”

That darn cat

Some folks are like the cat that sat on a hot stove. It learned a lesson alright but not the right lesson. For ever after it won’t even sit on a cold stove.

Lex has a worthwhile post up today,

Thirty-four years on, the Vietnam War is still shaping perceptions at the top levels of government and the military. Not surprisingly, those perceptions are shaped as much by participant’s predisposition as it is by the facts on the ground:

The two draw decidedly different lessons from the Vietnam War. The first book describes a White House in 1965 being marched into an escalating war by a military viewing the conflict too narrowly to see the perils ahead. President Barack Obama recently finished the book, according to administration officials, and Vice President Joe Biden is reading it now.

The second describes a different administration, in 1972, when a U.S. military that has finally figured out how to counter the insurgency is rejected by political leaders who bow to popular opinion and end the fight.

...more

Live from NEW YORK!

..wonder if they'll do a bit the "O" iconography?

The Power of Legend

Very insightful, this from the Belmont Club.

So when an African-American President gets up on a stage in Copenhagen and dons sack-cloth and ashes; apologizes for his culture and all the rest, he is really telling two stories. To the domestic audience it is the familiar tale of guilt and redemption. But to the international audience it is in some ways a totally different narrative. It says, “we are only the man behind the curtain. The Mighty Oz is nothing but the flacks I have around me.” He is the demolishing the very aura that brought him there, because when you come down to it, the invitation was extended not to him as a person, but as the leader of the once mythical and legendary United States of America. He was careless of his legacy.

The "Power of Legend." Sort of like when we say "It's not enough for the other team to lose. They must be beaten." Sets up an expectation of your superiority and dominance that extends to shape future encounters.

Trade that for power for standing among fickle friends at home and abroad? Apparently not even enough to land an Olympic city win. How much will it buy us in the big game where they play for keeps?

read more...

Ready to roll (and rock)

Two weeks and out. Carpet laid yesterday. Lifted baby grand up this morning. Turned the musicians loose to rehearse for tomorrow morning services. Whew.


Young yokefellows did yeoman work getting this done. Over a 120 volunteer man hours invested in this job. About 100 by 2 individuals. As I write this they're still there cleaning up main hall. All the overflow of construction materials and fixtures into the fellowship was dealt with, cleaned up and setup for tomorrow before I left there.

Check one major project off the facilities list...

Youth conference in November. More stage lighting and embedding of stage sound system wiring needs wrap up before then to take full advantage of the new stage.

Sorry, No Oprahlympics in 2016

Chi-Town eliminated in the first round of balloting. OUCH!

How's that legacy looking Mr. Daley?

Chicago has been eliminated from Olympic balloting in the first round of voting by the International Olympic Committee, a stunningly swift defeat for the U.S. bid personally pitched by President Barack Obama...


...in 2016, it won't be Chicago.

The 2016 Summer Games were to be Mayor Richard Daley's legacy. Now the mayor comes home to face recession-driven budget woes and concerns about violence that plague Chicago, without the ability to change the public dialogue to Olympics talk...

...But things got complicated when it came to Chicago politics

link

Chicago politics? Complicated?

Not at all. Simple as pie. Pay up. Stay in line. Keep your kneecaps.

No sweat for Barry and Michelle. Nice date for them. Copenhagen should be nice this time of year.

Never mind the culture of corruption took a hit in the knees. The Daly machine will find someone else to get a vig from.

Edumacating California: My Child, My Choice!

There's cracks showing in the CA public school wall. Charter Schools are making big waves. LA parents practically rioted recently and got the LA City School Board to approve conversion of about 250 of the 800 or so LA city schools converted to charters. Ya think the Teachers Union is going nuts? /heh

Even the union sees the handwriting on the wall. Apparently, they've decided they can't stop the movement. Now they're trying to find a way to get their nose under the charter school tent wall and organize.