Nice work, John. I too love spending time in my shop, making things both useful and sometimes not-so...
I totally take your point about challenging yourself and learning new skills. Recently I've been flogging myself thru learning sketchup 2015 so i can create handrail brackets for the reno we're doing on our 150-yr-old house. our local library can 3-D print them for me, and we're fortunate enough to have a foundry in the area that still does small batch casting. i love being able to add personal touches like that to our place.
When "the powers that be" change the race of a character, it is ALMOST ALWAYS changed to be WHITE. The Pharaoh in Exodus, Tonto in The Lone Ranger, all the heroes in The Last Airbender (but villains remained ethnic); even Katniss in The Hunger Games books was described as several shades darker than Jennifer Lawrence. But when the producers of the upcoming Fantastic Four movie picked Michael B. Jordan to play the Human Torch, comic book nerds went ballistic! For Hollywood, today just as much as for the last century, the "politically correct" thing to do is "whitewash". But then, if I were to suggest a Black Brit to play James Bond, my first pick would be Richard Ayoade (but lose the hair, keep the glasses). :)
Are you insane? It's like saying that the descendants of black slaves now enjoy the benefits of the American life, so it's all good! The internment of Japanese Americans (I emphasize that these were citizens, many born in the U.S.A.) was an act unbecoming and unworthy of the ideals that we cherish in this country. Citizens of Italian and German descent were not put under official blanket suspicion or placed in camps en masse. Concerns over sleeper agents among Japanese Americans were clearly prompted as much by racism as military considerations. This last statement is in agreement with the official U.S. position on the internment, signed by President Reagan. The internment also involved forfeiture of property, including valuable farmland and businesses on the West Coast. With few exceptions, in which friends and neighbors purchased property at auction and held it in trust against the return of their interned neighbors, property was transferred to others and never returned at the end of the internment. The unsafe, impoverished and harsh environment of the camps resulted in many deaths of innocent and loyal citizens. Many of the internees proved up their loyalty with their lives by fighting in the most decorated military unit deployed in the war: the 442nd Infantry Regiment. Even while their families languished unjustly in primitive and dangerous conditions in the mountains of California, the Japanese-American fighters of the 442nd advanced the cause of the nation that turned against them. The infamous Executive Order 9066 should serve as a reminder to all that war hysteria will make monsters of us all. The shameful acts surrounding the internment must not be minimized.
Piggy is too aggressive. She's a threat. He would have her eliminated.
Rowlf is way too laid back He's not a killer.
Big Bird and Snuffy are way too innocent. Neither of them have a killer in him.
Fozzy, Beaker, Gonzo, and Lew are clearly mentally incapable. In fact, due to their limited mental capacity, they probably would have been included in Hitler's Final Solution and also been eliminated.
Maybe Animal, but he'd be his own Blitzkrieg. Hitler's men would see him coming a mile away. If he got close enough he could do it, but I doubt he'd make it.
Kermit is the only one in this bunch who is level headed enough to approach cautiously and calculatingly. He would have a plan, a disguise and an exit strategy. As boring as it is, Kermit is the man... er... amphibian for the job.
But if I were a betting man, I'd send Bert. That dude's gonna snap any minute. Might as well make it count.
Control what you can -- be extra-kind to people tomorrow. Be a bit more tolerant. Show more love than you might ordinarily. People will need it. I will need it. And it is something that counteracts the hatred that brings people to do things like they did in Boston. It can't be undone, of course. It's just something we can all do and it gives the collective finger to that mindset. The internet will wait if you want to go hug your wife, husband, cat, dog, boyfriend, girlfriend, sister, brother, etc., etc., now. I promise the animal videos will be here when you get back.
I guess my objection is (to vintage fur and newly minted) that we have to eat to live, including some source of protein, but we don't have to kill animals to decorate ourselves. When mink are electrocuted?, their bodies are not eaten afterwards (as far as I know). Also, we don't need to wear fur to stay warm. Few of us live in environments so severe weatherwise, that only an animal's skin and fur will provide enough insulation against the cold. There are plenty of manmade fabrics that work just as well. Whereas, most every part of a hooved animal is or can be made useful. I'm currently learning the art of leatherwork.
EDIT: This is just my opinion, an off-the-cuff, not very well thought out one.
I totally take your point about challenging yourself and learning new skills. Recently I've been flogging myself thru learning sketchup 2015 so i can create handrail brackets for the reno we're doing on our 150-yr-old house. our local library can 3-D print them for me, and we're fortunate enough to have a foundry in the area that still does small batch casting. i love being able to add personal touches like that to our place.
keep up the good maker-work, and keep having fun!
New Scientist got told off a while back for using google as a verb, so they now refer to the action of using a Famous Web Search Engine as FWSEing.
Ah well, Baulked, I Retry before I expose myself to some Bald Turkey Ire or tell a Bakery Turd Lie.
I Kerb Adultery, Dear Kilt Buyer.
But then, if I were to suggest a Black Brit to play James Bond, my first pick would be Richard Ayoade (but lose the hair, keep the glasses). :)
The internment also involved forfeiture of property, including valuable farmland and businesses on the West Coast. With few exceptions, in which friends and neighbors purchased property at auction and held it in trust against the return of their interned neighbors, property was transferred to others and never returned at the end of the internment. The unsafe, impoverished and harsh environment of the camps resulted in many deaths of innocent and loyal citizens. Many of the internees proved up their loyalty with their lives by fighting in the most decorated military unit deployed in the war: the 442nd Infantry Regiment. Even while their families languished unjustly in primitive and dangerous conditions in the mountains of California, the Japanese-American fighters of the 442nd advanced the cause of the nation that turned against them.
The infamous Executive Order 9066 should serve as a reminder to all that war hysteria will make monsters of us all. The shameful acts surrounding the internment must not be minimized.
Rowlf is way too laid back He's not a killer.
Big Bird and Snuffy are way too innocent. Neither of them have a killer in him.
Fozzy, Beaker, Gonzo, and Lew are clearly mentally incapable. In fact, due to their limited mental capacity, they probably would have been included in Hitler's Final Solution and also been eliminated.
Maybe Animal, but he'd be his own Blitzkrieg. Hitler's men would see him coming a mile away. If he got close enough he could do it, but I doubt he'd make it.
Kermit is the only one in this bunch who is level headed enough to approach cautiously and calculatingly. He would have a plan, a disguise and an exit strategy. As boring as it is, Kermit is the man... er... amphibian for the job.
But if I were a betting man, I'd send Bert. That dude's gonna snap any minute. Might as well make it count.
Whereas, most every part of a hooved animal is or can be made useful. I'm currently learning the art of leatherwork.
EDIT: This is just my opinion, an off-the-cuff, not very well thought out one.