The peanuts are too crunchy for me at this late age, but I wonder if I can persuade M.P. to come up with a softer version. I have to tell you all that he made a chocolate pie for dessert last Sunday, and it is out-of-this-world delicious! Like going to chocolate heaven. You never had anything better in your mouth. Trust me.
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| Click to enlarge. |
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My friends, do you recall this horrific, nauseating balcony scene from Schindler's List?
That is what I immediately thought of that when I read this in the Guardian the other day:
[D]ozens of American doctors and nurses who served in Gaza . . . last year testified they had received the bodies of Palestinian children shot in the head or chest by Israeli snipers. Israeli soldiers have confessed that they are deliberately targeting children. Nick Maynard – a British doctor working in Gaza’s Nasser hospital – says that he is seeing clusters of young teenagers who have been shot in different body parts: on one day, it’s the abdomen, on another, the head or neck, on another, the testicles. “So there’s a very clear pattern and it’s almost as if a game is being played,” he says.
What is the difference between the movie scene and what is happening in Gaza now? The answer is, none: it is murder for sport. Just like the filthy Nazi in the film. If that is not an abomination in the eyes of God and all mankind, what is?
This devil's work has nothing to do with religion. It would be the same whether the perpetrators were Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, or Martian. Murder is murder. And the word for murder of a whole nation or people is genocide. If you need to see it with your own eyes, here are some videos that are very hard to watch - but the world is watching. So is God. And God is not partial.
A report from Turkish state television:
An American veteran describes the war crimes against civilians he saw perpetrated by other Americans working for the Israelis:
Dr. Nick Maynard, quoted above, describes the mass starvation and horrific target practice the Israeli Defence Force has been using on Gaza children:
A final comment from an editorial in the Guardian, emphasis mine:
Faced with the systematic destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza, other states must together produce a systematic, comprehensive and concrete response. If not now, when? What more would it take to convince them? This is first and foremost a catastrophe for Palestinians. But if states continue to allow international humanitarian law to be shredded, the repercussions will be felt by many more around the world in years to come. History will not ask whether these governments did anything to stop genocide by an ally, but whether they did all they could.
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If you're pressed for time, just pause the video and arrow ahead through the pics.
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It's almost as if Amos and Jesus were responding to today's headlines, isn't it?
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An old favorite song of mine:
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BTW, don't miss the light show in the last eight minutes.
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In their second video, they give a mini-tour of the chateau:
(Mais je ne comprends pas pourquoi les gars ne parlent pas le francais dans leur videos. Pour le convenence de leurs telespectateurs anglophones, je me suppose.)
For a full tour of Chateau Poseidon from top to bottom, and a bit of the grounds, see the video they made for So Chateau here.
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Pete Buttigieg is rocking the beard and stache, with a message of hope for all Americans:
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Bonus: Jane Pauley interviews Jeanne and Jules Manford, founders of PFLAG, on the Today show, July 6, 1978:
This was about the time I came out to my own mom, while I was in college. Mama was great, she was immediately supportive, but it took her a while to process it all. I brought her to a meeting of the gay rap group at school, where a lady who had started a chapter of PFLAG gave a talk, and that helped my mom a lot.
Times were changing, but in 1978 it was still quite a scary thing to come out to anyone. There were as yet no openly gay celebrities on TV or in public life, certainly not in the Deep South. Only Anita Bryant running her mouth about the "homosexual threat" . . .
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I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign nation of many sovereign states; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.
I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it; to support its Constitution, to obey its laws; to respect its flag; and to defend it against all enemies.
Bonus: Adam Kinzinger's Fourth of July message "Still Worth Believing In":
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Bonus: Kevin shows how to make his idea of a classic Cuba Libre - i. e., rum and Coke:
This is actually your Head Trucker's favorite drink, on those very rare occasions when I have a cocktail nowadays. But I ask for a Captain and Coke on the rocks, no lime. Simple and delicious.
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No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization's oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.
—Justice Anthony Kennedy, Obergefell v. Hodges majority opinion (emphasis mine)
Here's the NBC news report on that day and President Obama's eloquent remarks:
Here's your Head Trucker's post on that day. M.P. and I were teary-eyed with joy. I thought, finally -- it's over, we won, now life can flow on smoothly and happily for us gay folks, as it should.
But of course life doesn't always go as we expect. Now we face new challenges. Let's stay united, firm, and courageous. Our love is here to stay!
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If you're pressed for time, get the best view of his body of work starting at the 27:00 mark.
He's also into interior design. Check out his website at restoringsean.com.
(P.S. -- Where did all these home-repair bears come from? In my day, everybody was into disco, not DIY.)
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Father David shares a very timely message today, as the world recoils in shock from Trump's overnight bombing of Iran.
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1. Senator Bernie Sanders, always a voice of reason and justice for all:
2. King Abudllah of Jordan, who was educated in Britain and the United States, is the longest-serving monarch in the Muslim world and one of the most respected, and has always been a voice of tolerance and peace in the Middle East:
3. Pope Leo also calls for peace, warning of a return to savage barbarism if peace is not preserved:
The world is sitting on the edge of a volcano. It's too awful to think about. God help us all.
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The history of Royal Ascot:
Yesterday's royal carriage procession for the opening day, described by a couple of chatty newsgirls. Wait for the reveal of their hats at the very end:
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Your Head Trucker is aware of the numerous horrors going on in the world at this time; but this weary old man can't bring himself to blog about them. Not that it would do any good, anyhow. Kinzinger says what needs to be said; let those who have ears, hear.
BTW, I just learned that Kinzinger, who represented an Illinois district in Congress, recently moved to a suburb of Houston.
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Lyrics are found here.
Bonus: Father David's sermon for today has a profound message for believers and unbelievers alike. I recommend it to all my truckbuddies.
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But Jeffrey Kevin has us beat all to slap. Oh my, he does have a penchant for all that. It takes a special talent to make something as grand as this Blue Heaven spread he shows us today, with lovely old-time porcelain, French crystal, and even blue hydrangeas to match the Wedgwood. Beautiful.
BTW, if you're pressed for time, you don't have to watch the whole show to get the effect, just the first couple of minutes.
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Here's Brian's walkthough of the whole house, a work in progress (47 min.):
And here's his latest video, just posted yesterday, an overview of the garden and grounds (29 min.):
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| When I was a teenager, my mom had a kitchen with blue Formica counters and coppertone appliances, similar to the ones above. The cabinets were knotty pine. She put yellow gingham curtains in the kitchen window, which I realize now was just the right homey touch; she had a knack for that sort of thing. See the entire 1957 American Kitchens catalog here. |
Bonus: Here's an array of useful gadgets from the 1940 Sears catalog, the rest of which you can browse through yourself at Catalogs & Wishbooks, a wonderful website full of more than 300 old catalogs from various mail-order stores.
N.B. - for equivalent prices in today's money, multiply by about 20. See Measuring Worth for more conversion factors.
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| Click to enlarge. |
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| Sears Lexingtton on the cover of the 1928 Sears Modern Homes catalog. Click to enlarge. |
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| Sears Lexington, 1929, which was a revision of an earlier model. |
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| Specifications and options for the 1929 model. |
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| Sears Lexington from the 1932 catalog, showing an actual photograph of this model as built. |
As everyone knows by now, I suppose, Sears, Wards, and other companies offered pre-cut materials to build houses in the first decades of the 20th century, as well as heating, plumbing, and electrical systems. Those houses ranged from tiny cottages to almost-mansions, in all the popular styles of the era.
The Lexington was one of the high-end models; to that $4000 price tag for pre-cut lumber and materials (windows, doors, nails, paint, flooring, mouldings, etc.), add about $1500 for all utitilies and necessary options like window screens and asphalt roof shingles, as well as who knows how much for the lot to build it on and the cost of excavating a basement, plus bricks and cement (not supplied by Sears), and carpenter's wages for whatever work you didn't do yourself.
So the total cost might have been around $8000 - equivalent to $144,000 today, according to Measuring Worth. This for a 36 x 26 floor plan, for a total of 1,872 square feet. And that's just for the house, not including furniture and appliances, nor landscaping nor even a garage for your Pierce-Arrow.
But of course most people bought much less expensive homes. The whole idea of the pre-cut, "mail-order" houses was to get a low-cost, well-built home that you could put up yourself, or, as many people did, hire a carpenter to erect it. A great idea in its time, and makes for fascinating reading today. If you're interested in that sort of thing, check out the Wikipedia article on "kit homes" here.
Bonus: Thousands of Sears homes are still standing and much loved today by happy homeowners. Here's a Lexington in Washington, D. C., that occupies its own triangular block. The plan is reversed from that shown in the catalog, an easy change. Some owner screened and expanded the side porch, and cleverly added a basement-level garage below. The house appears to be well kept, but looks rather bleak in a monochrome paint scheme, stripped of its colonial shutters. Why are modern people so afraid of color?
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| A couple of early Levittown houses in 2D and 3D view. Click to enlarge. |
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| What was included in the price of a Levittown home in 1950. |
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| Floor plan of the "Ranch" model, about 800 square feet. Much more convenient layout,, but the 8-foot kitchenette would bug me, and M.P. would would have fits. |
We both grew up in postwar neighborhoods ourselves, but they were nothing like this gargantuan, master-planned community. Quite an achievement - in my book, on a par with the Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge. A dream come true with practical benefits. Here's a look into the human side of all that. Enjoy.
If you want an in-depth survey of the Levitt empire and its accomplishments, here's a nice long read for you.
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After a long season of winter inactivity, M.P. in the last couple of weeks has gotten back into yardwork and gardening with vigor. The bright spring sunshine has helped his mood quite a bit. He says, "I feel happier now - but I hurt all over!" That's retirement life.
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Tip: If you're pressed for time, just pause the video and arrow through the pics. But I got dibs on Steve Kelso.
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Text via JMG:
In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration. Tonight, we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experiment to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!
The last check, the last check on power after the checks and balances of government have failed are the people, you and me. It’s in the union of people around a common set of values now that’s all that stands between a democracy and authoritarianism. So at the end of the day, all we’ve got is each other.
There’s some very weird, strange and dangerous shit going on out there right now. In America, they are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. This is happening now.
In America, the richest men are taking satisfaction in abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death. This is happening now. In my country, they’re taking sadistic pleasure in the pain they inflict on loyal American workers.
They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society. They are abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom. They are defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands.
They are removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons. This is all happening now.
A majority of our elected representatives have failed to protect the American people from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government. They have no concern or idea of what it means to be deeply American.
The America l’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people. So we’ll survive this moment. Now, I have hope, because I believe in the truth of what the great American writer James Baldwin said. He said, "In this world, there isn’t as much humanity as one would like, but there’s enough." Let’s pray.
2. Pete Buttigieg in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, yesterday:
Despite the great beard and awesome stache, no one would accuse Pete of being a rocker - but he was definitely on the same page as Springsteen:
I'm impressed with how well he knows all the details of what's going on in the United States - and sees through all the bullshit. But I suppose our self-destruction is obvious to the whole world.
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| What a surprise: Leo XIV, the first American pope. |
God cares for us, God loves all of us, and evil will not prevail! We are all in God's hands. Therefore, without fear, united hand in hand with God and among ourselves, let us move forward.--from Pope Leo's speech today
Yesterday, I blogged about the dark forces that seem to be engulfing the whole world. Perhaps Pope Leo will be one of the leaders of a countervailing force of light and peace. Perhaps, with his diverse personal and pastoral background, he is the right man for these times. Let us hope so.
Wikipedia article: Pope Leo XIV
Pope Leo's first speech (in Italian, with English subtitles), ending wtih the traditional papal blessing urbi et orbi:
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| Vaughn Vreeland of the New York Times |
In this mortal life, we have to take the bitter with the sweet, and we should certainly enjoy the sweet parts while we can. It just so happens that a certain foodist in New York has got a sweet shade of orange for you to try - oh, Mary, don't ask!
We both love carrot cake, but I don't care for raisins. M.P., however, thinks it would be super.
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My dear friends, this is your hour. This is not victory of a party or of any class. It’s a victory of the great British nation as a whole. We were the first, in this ancient island, to draw the sword against tyranny. After a while we were left all alone against the most tremendous military power that has been seen. We were all alone for a whole year.There we stood, alone. Did anyone want to give in? [The crowd shouted “No.”] Were we down-hearted? [“No!”] The lights went out and the bombs came down. But every man, woman and child in the country had no thought of quitting the struggle. London can take it. So we came back after long months from the jaws of death, out of the mouth of hell, while all the world wondered.When shall the reputation and faith of this generation of English men and women fail? I say that in the long years to come not only will the people of this island but of the world, wherever the bird of freedom chirps in human hearts, look back to what we’ve done and they will say “do not despair, do not yield to violence and tyranny, march straightforward and die if need be -- unconquered.”
More scenes from England, then and now, including a different speech that Mr. Churchill recorded for the newsreels:
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