Category Archives: Uncategorized

21st Century … or Dark Ages???

Posted on by

Do we still believe in “liberty and justice for all”?

Filosofa's Word

“It shall be an unlawful employment practice for an employer … to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.”

— Title VII, Civil Rights Act of 1964

There has been considerable debate about whether Title VII extends protections against discrimination to the LGBT community, and at present, it varies by state and locality, despite the fact that the entire Civil Rights Act is a federal law.  At this time, only 21 states have outlawed discrimination against members of the LGBT community.  A bill, the Equality Act,  was introduced into the House of Representatives in March of this year by Representative David Cicilline. The bill has passed in the House and is now languishing in the Senate committee, but the odds of it becoming the law of the land seem slim…

View original post 749 more words

Advertisements

The view from the top

Posted on by

First, there’s an amusing and adventurous tale by Tallis Steelyard of a young woman testing out a trip by balloon. Next, Jim Webster has offered another amusing and reasonably-priced small book of other tales from Tallis Steelyard’s home of Port Naain.

Tallis Steelyard

The view from the top

When Maljie finally returned to Port Naain after her sojourn in Uttermost Partann, she pondered her ballooning experiences. As a form of travel she was quite taken by it and felt that if she could introduce other people to it, they too would enjoy it. But how? Also she had learned very early on in her aeronautical career that balloons are not easily steered.

This mattered because she had come up with a plan which she felt would both make money and provide an invaluable service. She would provide balloon transport from the west of Port Naain to the east. So she would pick up her passengers near the Nightbell Battery and drop them off in the eastern most reaches of Dilbrook. Her passengers could gasp in wonder at the city laid out below them, marvel at its grandeur and drink stimulating infusions before alighting and getting the tramway back.

View original post 1,783 more words

Just a nice cup of coffee and a piece of cake!

Posted on by

First, there’s an amusing and interesting tale by Tallis Steelyard about the happenings at a teahouse where Tallis and his wife, Shena, stop on their way back from a funeral. Next, Jim Webster has another small, entertaining, and economical book on offer about farm life with a review added by a pleased reader.

Tallis Steelyard

Just a nice cup of coffee and a piece of cake

Let us be honest here. I am a man of simple tastes who doesn’t ask for a lot out of life. The occasional glass of a nice wine, the muted applause of my peers recognising the unsurpassed excellence of my work. Then from time to time it is nice to enjoy some of the simpler creature comforts, to be warm and comfortable. Surely these aren’t much for a chap to ask for?

Shena and I had been to the funeral of an old family friend. They had lived and died in a hamlet south of Port Naain and we had crossed the river and walked south the day before. We’d stayed overnight to share the family meal and the sharing of memories, then we’d been up early. I to help dig a grave in the frozen earth, Shena to help prepare breakfast for those who came to partake in the…

View original post 1,521 more words

Not just any old fence

Posted on by

First, Jim Webster tells of using an electric fence and the cows’ reactions to it, Next, Jim has another small amusing and informative book on offer at an acceptable price. It’s followed by a review from a pleased reader.

Jim Webster

images16-Nov-10-fencing.1473

I’ve been working with electric fences for cattle pretty much all of my life. Ours are just the single strand of wire which is held up with insulated posts and has a battery supplying the power. Like everybody else I’ve looked at, and been tempted by, the fences which use solar panels to power them, but alas, the solar panels are too tempting for thieves. As it is, we use an old tractor or car battery and just recharge it occasionally.
People do ask if they’re dangerous. The answer is basically no. Apparently there is one death or serious injury world-wide per year, and that is a death involving an electric fence, not necessarily caused by one. Indeed to explain why, I’m going to quote one website, “the electric fencers used in agriculture put out high voltage (around 8,000 volts) this makes a very clear mental imprint that really gets…

View original post 732 more words

VOTE!!! – Part II — A Guest Post By Roger Jacob

Posted on by

VOTE!!! Part II

Filosofa's Word

This is Part II of a guest post on voting in the 2020 election, by our friend, Roger Jacob … Roger has a clear view from across the big pond of what is happening in the U.S. today, and has some words of wisdom, from a historical context, that we all need to hear.  Many thanks, Roger, for your wise words, and for taking the time out of your own writing schedule to write this post for us.

USA Not Voting Is No Longer A Luxury You Can Indulge

Part II

The Unhappy but Unavoidable Basics

“Democracy is a very bad form of government. But I ask you never to forget: All the others are so much worse.”

This stirring and wise little statement is from the opening credits of each episode of the brief CBS drama 1963-1964 Slattery’s People. The outline being the local politics and a state…

View original post 1,598 more words

VOTE!!! – Part I — A Guest Post By Roger Jacob

Posted on by

Part I of VOTE–A Guest Post.

Filosofa's Word

A week or so ago, our friend Roger and I were chatting about how crucial next year’s election will be in the U.S., how it is likely to be the single most important election in the history of the nation, and how critical it is that every eligible person uses the power of his vote on 03 November 2020.  Roger is a gifted writer with a strong sense of history, and when he offered to write a guest post on this subject, I jumped at the offer!  Roger lives in Wales (UK) and I find that often, those outside the U.S. see our situation with more clarity than we who live in this muck every day do. What follows is the first of a two-part guest post titled:

USA Not Voting Is No Longer A Luxury You Can Indulge

Part I-

Motivations, Histories, Circumstances

Preface, Emotions and History

Firstly, I…

View original post 871 more words