There she goes, my beautiful world
After all the writing I did about the pens I do have, how about a little voyage into fantasy?
This is the Waterman Edson Black Diamond. It has an 18 karat gold nib, which means it’s the sort of pen you don’t lend to a friend. Not because your friends are untrustworthy, but because the gold is soft and over time will be shaped to match the way you hold your pen. Everyone holds their pen a little bit differently, … Read the rest
I have two major shopping weaknesses. Well, three if you count electronic junk, but I don’t feel a lot of connection to electronic junk. Sometimes useful toys, but for the most part still toys. No, my virtue and vice gets rolled into two categories: books and pens.
I’ve always bought books faster than I can read them. These days I’m not reading nearly as much as I used to; it’s the end of March and I’ve finished only seven books this … Read the rest
I remember being six or seven years old when television was explained to me. It was around that time that I asked my dad about lasers. I was astounded to learn that the zap guns that blew up aliens in the movies were just very powerful bursts of light, all going in exactly the same direction. It was then that I hatched my sinister plan to kill everyone in the United States. One would have only to infiltrate the TV … Read the rest
It was on this day in 1854 that the Republican Party was organized.
Historically the GOP has stood for some very laudable ideals and has fought effectively for them. Some of the ideals of the Republican Party may seem strange to modern readers who read the news of the Republicans of today, but the ideals are worth embracing even though today’s execution falls short of those ideals.
There is no vice in falling short of one’s ideals. The only vice … Read the rest
Somewhere along the way I got the crazy idea to do a self-portrait. Mostly I wanted to have something representative of my work on this page. I like the stark black and white template that I use, but it seems a little too dry. I wanted to include something that reflects my love for the contrast of black and white lines. That’s what I do, after all. I don’t like the black and white template because I like things that … Read the rest
http://www.examiner.com/a‑564555~Is_Medicare_the_more_efficient_plan_.html
Interesting editorial and I absolutely don’t trust it.
Here’s why: Matthews’ article here reads like a critique of Medicare’s efficiency and throws around a lot of numbers that indicate that Medicare is far more efficient than private-sector health care administration. This inclusion suggests two factors that support the author’s integrity if not his premise. First, including the numbers and some discussion about what they mean and how they were come by indicates that Matthews was actually looking at … Read the rest
This morning by email a friend asked me to tell her what I know about composition. It’s a tough subject to sum up in a few words, not because I know so much about it, but because there’s not really a right or wrong way to arrange a drawing.
My take is that it’s all about balance, but there are a lot of things to consider when you talk about balance. There’s the balance of the “weight” of the positive … Read the rest
Today marks the 44th anniversary of the trade embargo on Cuba. Now, I know that they aren’t doing all that well there, and Castro is, shall we say, a leader of mixed virtue, but every time I think of the trade embargo I am impressed with the resiliency of the Cuban people. Every time it crosses my mind I also think that Communism must be more stable than we like to think if it could survive all this time … Read the rest
I’m writing about this a full week (or more) late, but hey, you don’t come read Monochromatic Outlook for the news.
I try to ignore sex scandals about public officials. For the most part, I think they are a hysterical waste of ink. Bill and Monica? Don’t care now, didn’t then. Does it bother me that POTUS lied? Yeah, a little. It would bother me more if it were about public policy (say something about the reasons for invading another country? … Read the rest